Faze

Chapter 9: Big Bad Wolf(s)

Chapter Nine

Mackie's nerves never went away but they calmed down when he got deeper in the woods. He knew that he wasn't alone so he was safe–safer. Sunny walked ahead of them, a bounce to his step. His smile never left his face. He had his phone out and he took pictures of the tree, birds, any animal he saw, and selfies with his two friends. Mackie tried not to let his nerves show through Sunny's photo, he knew that one day it would be a fun memory.

"Are there any hiking trails or campsites where you used to live, Sunny?" Lola asked.

Sunny thought for a minute, "No. I would have to drive a few hours so it was really rare when I got to fully emerge into nature like this. I can't believe you two haven't even done this before, it's amazing!"

"It's not exciting when you've been here your whole life," Mackie said, purposely stepping on any sticks that had fallen on the ground. He liked the snapping noise it made under his feet. "I don't like going out of my comfort zone like this but now that I'm doing it, I guess it's not that bad."

Sunny looked back and smiled but his smile quickly vanished when he heard the gurgle of his stomach rumbling. Lola laughed, "Let's take a break then."

She sat her bag down and pulled out the blanket. She spread it across the ground and the three sat down like it was a picnic. They sat under the shade of one tree and there was a cool breeze in the air, signaling fall's approach.

"So if this all goes well, which it is, how about we come back next weekend?" Sunny suggested, wiggling his blond eyebrows.

"No," Mackie face palmed and Lola went on to say how lucky he was to be in the woods in the first place.

When they were done eating, they went back to walking and looking at everything the woods had to offer. It became darker the further they got in but the sun still shone brightly through the canopy of the trees so it wasn't dangerous.

Mackie and Sunny walked ahead of Lola, not noticing that she stopped suddenly. "Guys, wait," she said in a whisper, urgency layering in her voice. Mackie looked back and slowly made his way to his best friend, Sunny cautiously following.

The two boys looked where Lola was staring and as if they had jinxed themselves earlier, all of their luck had run out. Three wolves stood not too far ahead. They hadn't noticed the trio just yet. Each one of them held their breath like if they were to exhale, they would be seen and later eaten. Lola felt Mackie shake beside her and she took his hand, as if his trembles were a loud sound.

The middle wolf was the biggest. From a distance, he looked like he could reach Mackie's chest or even shoulders. His fur seemed to be brown but against the sun some blond shined through. His eyes drew Sunny in. The familiarity of them. Golden brown. His eyes were brown but they had what looked like a gold ring around them, blending in so well they looked warm and special.

The wolf to the left was almost the same size but he was smaller. His fur was a darker brown but with streaks and spots of a lighter brown that almost looked blond. His eyes almost matched the middle wolf perfectly, golden brown. His eyes were brown and around the pupil, there was a ring of golden, smaller than the other wolves. Mackie recognized this one, from the night Theon made him retrieve one of Fawn's toys. This wolf looked harmless to Mackie but the other two didn't quite feel the same.

The last wolf to the right was a lot smaller than the other two. She had brown fur like the bark on a tree but against the sun she looked lighter. Her eyes were a light brown but unlike the other two, she didn't have any golden sparks across her vision.

The trio took in their looks, memorizing how each wolf looked as if they had to, like they would see them again. Mackie held onto Lola's hand tighter and Sunny wouldn't stop the gasp from leaving his mouth when the wolf's bones suddenly started to crack and shift into places that shouldn't be possible without a generous amount of pain.