Payne's Hollow

I1I The Wolf in the Woods

Stupid David and his stupid ideas.

The forest air was crisp and fresh, smelling of pine and earth. Carly trudged down the rough forest path, watching the sky go dark and checking her cell phone's battery. The small icon read sixty two percent and she sighed, continuing her  hike. Pine and fir trees rose as far as she could see, pointed tops piercing the bluish purple sky as crickets chirped their nighttime song in the undergrowth.

Damn it, why couldn't we all just sit by the fire and tell ghost stories? She asked herself, digging her hands deeper into her hoodie pockets. That would be much more thrilling than playing hide and seek in the woods.

She held up her phone, wondering if she should just call David and tell him she was quitting the game and returning to their campsite. She quickly thought against it however, knowing that David would never her live the moment down, taunting her about how she was too scared of the woods.

Oh God, he'll never shut up about it. Carly thought. I'll stake it out here for a while until everyone gets sick of the game. There's nothing like a nice stroll through the woods at night. She concluded sarcastically

Carly quickened her pace, following the path deeper into the forest. Carly was unconcerned about getting lost, she had been wandering these woods for a while already. If she stuck to the path, she had nothing to worry about.

But as she walked, she strained her ears for any sounds, the faintest rustle of a bush, the telltale snap of a twig. The woods had wild animals, but those lived further up the mountains, rarely ever venturing down to the town. Occasionally a puma or bear would stray down the mountain side but they would never stay long.

So when she heard the sound of twigs snapping and leaves rustling on the forest floor, she froze. There was someone moving nearby, dragging something heavy by the sound of it. Carly's ears twitched as she wondered if it was one of her friends, possibly Travis who had decided to lung his backpack along out of sheer paranoia of being unprepared for a hike in the woods. Slowly, stealthily Carly crept towards the sound, hoping to scare Travis by pouncing on him.

But as she drew closer, her nerves tingled with apprehension, her instincts telling her it was not Travis. Carefully, Carly stalked closer and peeked between the bushes . She heard low, animal like grunts. What she saw made her heart stop.

There was still enough light for her to see a deer on its side, its stomach clawed open and blood caking the ground. Looming over with its muzzle slick with blood and a large chunk of  meat in its mouth was a red wolf.

Unintentionally, a gasp escaped her lips. But the wolf however was already aware of her presence and spun around, ears twitching and mouth pulled back in a snarl, revealing pointed teeth stained red. It growled dangerously.

"Good wolfy, good boy." She said, willing herself to run, yet feet refused to obey her. "I don't mean you any harm. Go back to your–erm–meal."

The wolf's behavior changed. Its ears pricked up, nose sniffing at the air and tail swaying from side to side. It seemed excited, alert, those yellow eyes never leaving her as it stalked closer.