Before Death

Chapter 5: My pack

I ran wildly down the mountain peak into the valley. Just after I lost my balance and slid down the slope, I saw the wolves again. Before my mere human reflexes could register what had happened, they were upon me.

Scrambling backwards, I tried to see the wolves but the sun was already low above the cold mountains, and they were just outlines in the glare.

Impatient human nature might have taken over at that point, and I could have made a move that would have cost me my life, but the eternal hope to connect with these wild, free animals prevailed. As the sky darkened, the pack became visible and I lost my breath again at their terrible beauty.

Perhaps if they had never seen a human, I would have seemed as prey, however this pack had learned to be wary of us strange creatures. We stayed like that for a long time, a silent standoff.

Eventually one of the younger wolves became restless and chanced to take a slow step forward. All at once there rose a tremendous snarl from the one of the adults and the juvenile whined and lowered his head as if scolded.

A huge wolf stepped forward. He was the leader of the pack. We had faced off once before, but never been this close. His eyes held a spark of intellegence. If I hadn't known better, I would have said he could talk. This wolf was powerful. It looked like he was no stranger to fighting - I saw the scars of old wounds scratched into his hide, and the blind eye has a scar over it, as if a rival had clawed at it.

The alpha stepped forward purposefully, and I scooted backwards through the dirty snow. His tail was held horisontally, and I could see the tension in his shoulders.His body language reminded me of the dogs we kept at home - but no dog had ever scared me like this!

A low growl sounded, and a chill ran through my spine. The wolf kept advancing, pushing me back with sheer force of will. Against all my instincts, which screamed at me to run, I looked away and curled up.

The pack could sense my terror, and weakness was not tolerated here. For a moment, I thought they were going to rip me to shreds.

Abruptly, the Alpha turned, and with one last warning snarl, moved back to his followers, his pack. I lay there, cold seeping through my coat and into my bones

The pack moved slowly away, younger members glancing back at me with interest. They moved up a steep hill, about 30 members in all. As they dissapeared into the distance, I suddenly felt alone. All fear was gone.

I did not know my way back home, and in any case, home seemed too normal - boring even. I knew my chances of dying here in the middle of nowhere was massive. I was totally screwed.