The Song Of The Wolf (Unedited)

Chapter Seven

August was sunny. Fireweed flowers were blooming in profuse clumps of pink around the log house and at the feet of the mountains, waving their scented heads at every warm breeze. Arctic Lupines had burst open in riots of purple, and the lilac bushes at the western corner of the house were full with sweet clusters of perfumed colour.

Maebh was hot, feeling restless as she awoke from a fitful sleep, wearing nothing more than a nighty, half tangled in the flannel sheets. She wrapped herself in them, squeezing the pillow to her face and enjoying the feel of the cold fabric against her skin, the lingering scent of the detergent.

Sliding out of bed, she stretched and yawned; the breeze coming through the open window caressed her exposed skin. Her bare feet padded the short distance to the bathroom. She tossed off her nighty, took a quick shower and performed the usual morning routine of brushing her teeth, hair and applying the coloured lenses. Maebh then ventured back into her room, rummaging through the wardrobe for a suitable outfit to wear, and continuously glanced out the window.

The room had a picturesque view of the mountains, but nothing she hadn't seen before. It made her wonder what had captured her brain's attention. She could not see it, hear it or smell it; but she could feel it in her bones.

The intensity with which the feeling pressed down on her only increased as she crossed the field behind the house; hiking boots on her feet and a bag with essentials on her back. Maebh did not understand where she was going. The unknown was calling her name, and she was tired of dismissing its voice.

On multiple occasions, Coinín and Bear had warned her not to wander the woods by herself. But she felt forced to ignore their good intended warnings. They were amidst the tourist season and it was summer; there were plenty of fellow hikers about and as long as she would stick to the trails, she should be safe.

An hour later, with the sun beating down on her skin, Maebh sorely regretted not bringing any sunscreen. A layer of sweat sat on her upper lip and forehead. So focused on her hike, she hardly noticed how the feeling had faded until a dull ache remained; similar to the soreness in your muscles the day after a workout –noticeable, but not enough to pay attention to.

Maebh glanced around as she sipped from a bottle, taking a short water break. She had passed a group of tourists and two male backpackers so far. From where she stood, the land rose steeply and would surely offer a spectacular view. A short while after continuing, the trail made an awkward turn to the right, leading up to a hill located between two mountains. Once Maebh reached the top, she took another break. Sitting down on a boulder and overlooking the route she had just travelled, she fished her lunch from the bag and began munching on the sandwiches.

An eagle cried in the distance and Maebh had never felt so big, so much a part of nature.

It must have been hours later when she came to a halt. The last map she passed said it was another 4 miles until she was back in Haines Junction. But her assessment skills were a lot worse than she ought them to be. She must have made a wrong turn. Out of breath from the steep climb, Maebh realised that she had made a mistake by overestimating her own endurance.

She went to sit down on the mossy forest floor right next to the trail, with her back against the trunk of a tree, and settled her bag down in her lap. She took her phone from her pocket and checked whether the trail app she had downloaded was working. But there was no signal.

She groaned and closed her eyes in frustration. When she next opened them, her eyeballs burned from having kept her contact lenses in. But she dismissed that thought as the horrifying realisation came that it was, in fact, pitch dark. And that she had dozed off.

Blindly reaching for her phone from somewhere beside her to check the time, she came up with a dark screen. The battery was dead and no matter how many times she pressed the home button –it remained that way.