2024 Story Collection

The Healer & The Wolf

She drags her makeshift sleigh through the snow. Her snow shoes have kept her steady through many snowfall but are so worn and torn that she knows the time is coming to make new ones. She just hopes they last long enough to make it home. She'd gone over many mountains and had many more to go. She wasn't even halfway.

The snow falls hard around her. She squints her eyes to see better, but the snowfall is far too thick. The chill of the north wind takes bites from her flesh. She pulls the bear skin tighter around herself, draping the head over her own.

She looks around for any sign of a shelter but finds only trees and snow. The trees are too tall and the ground to cold. Even if there are any caves, out-coves or boulders near to take shelter from the storm, she wouldn't be able to see them. She huffs.

She continues forward, hoping to stumble across a place to sleep for the night. She walks for hours as the day gives into night. The storm was unforgiving.

A growl cuts through the deafening silence of the blizzard. She turns to her left, her bull whip in her right hand, her ax in her left. Bow on her back, arrows on her hip. She had been through this before. She wasn't one to be caught off guard.

She stands there for a moment and is almost convinced her mind played a trick on her when she hears something, a whimper.

She walks forward, cautious. She has been alive far too long and is no fool. She hears it again.

A shiver runs down her spine. At that moment the temperature drops, the snow suddenly stops and so does she.

At her feet lays a wolf. Almost completely consumed by snow. She bends and looks at the beast, gently swiping away some snow from the animal. The snow is stained red along the side of the creature, all along the rib cage a gash deep and almost two feet long. Now she can see just how large the animal really is. As far as she's seen, this wolf is almost double the size of a regular wolf.

The beast lifts its head to look at her and she sees in that moment, a plead. Help me.

Maybe some part of this animal can sense that she is a healer, one that takes in those who are closer to death than to life and saves them; or maybe it can sense she is a killer, with a thirst for blood that never truly dissipated, even after all this time.

Is it a plea for life or for death? She did not know, but what she did know was that this life now lied in her hands as they always did.

She puts her ax back into her belt and uses her hand to caress the wolfs face. It is so cold. She looks around. Now that the snow has stopped, she can see much farther. She notices a small overhang in the cliff face. She picks up her sleigh and drags it over, clearing the snow and unloading the goods she'd traveled over mountains for.

She drags the sleigh back over to the wolf and uses her large double-edged ax to clear away the snow around him and drags him onto the sleigh. He is not light, but she is strong. Age hasn't taken her strength.

She places the sleigh by the wall of the cliff. She can see the wolf watch her moments. She doesn't have to watch him too carefully, seeing as he is still mostly frozen stiff and far too injured to do anything. She notices his eyes following her every movement. He doesn't trust her, good.

She builds up the fire and mixes together some herbs and oils into a paste. She applies it to his wound and pulls out a spool of sinew and a bone needle. He watches as she melts some snow and dips a deer skin into the water, as she wipes away the paste and sews his wound closed. He looks from her movements to her face, to her calm concentration, her lack of fear or disgust.

There is something about her that almost feels inhuman to the wolf.

After adding a different paste and wrapping it in rabbit fur, she grabs her weapons, throws a few logs on the fire, then leaves.

He watches as the young woman drags her empty sleigh behind her.

When she comes back at dawn, she has a bear fur and meat loaded higher than she is tall on the sleigh she drags behind her. The wolf's eyes widen at the sight, his stomach growls.

She stokes the fire and moves the ashes over to the side. They burn a vibrant red. She lays a few metal bars across the ashes and places some cuts of meat along the top of the bars. The smell makes the wolf growl in hunger. She looks up at him and brings him a liver.

"I've saved you the organs, so heal up quick." She tossed it at him. His jaws snap as he catches it midair. He eats it quickly and looks at her, obviously wanting more. She laughs a good, hardy laugh. She grabs more meat and feeds him as she cooks the rest of the meat.

The sunrise is beautiful against the snow-covered landscape. She sits and eats while watching the old friend. She always gives him a nod. He'd done good keeping her warm and providing her light through her long life.

I do wonder sometimes which one of us will die first. It seems we're both utterly immortal. What a lonely life it is. She sits there and continues to talk to the sun as it rises high into the sky.

She looks over to the large wolf, who now lies beside her. His eyes closed, his chest rising and falling with his deep breaths. No matter how little trust exists, once exhaustion takes hold and a good meal is eaten, there is little one can do to resist the pull of sleep.

The End.

January 20, 2024