Natural Instincts - Jared Cameron

.seven.

"Oh my god..." were the only words I could utter. In front of me, blocking me from leaving the forest, was a wolf. But not just any wolf. It was literally the size of a horse if not bigger, and it stood there looking at me with big sulky brown eyes.

I took a hesitant step back, my mind screaming at me to move faster and get away from the beast in front of me. But the way it stood patiently, giving me gentle eyes and no indication that it was dangerous, slowed my movements and instead peaked my curiosity. 

I stood frozen for what felt like an eternity, as did the wolf. Eventually I let out a large breath, unable to hold onto it, and in  response, the large creature dropped to its belly with a small whimper. Was it hurt? Was it signalling it wasn't dangerous?

"Are you friendly?" I asked out loud, immediately feeling stupid for even attempting to speak to a wolf in the forest. But my heart sang out to the animal. Maybe I really was going crazy, or maybe I was dreaming, but the wolf bowed its head after I spoke.

Against all of my greater judgements and everything I had ever been taught, I took a shaky step to where the wolf lay. I searched its emotion, curious  if I could even pick up on non-human emotion, but all I found was gentle nature and care. No malicious intent clouded the wolf's heart, and so I approached slowly. 

Cautiously watching for any signs the wolf didn't want me to near it, I took one step at a time, until I stopped at it's large front paws, its head now at my chest as it laid down. Looking into those deep brown eyes, there was a mixture of familiarity and warmth. This wolf was so comfortable to me. And so without even hesitating, I lifted a hand and brought it to the wolf's head. It immediately keened into my hand, letting a small satisfied huff out from its wet nose, nuzzling further into my touch. I giggled. 

"You're just a big puppy, aren't you," I smiled, becoming more and more comfortable by the second. I couldn't understand logically why I was so at ease around such a beast. But I was. 

After a while of caressing the wolf's ears and head, a distant howl was heard, which caught his attention. 

The wolf rose from its spot on the forest floor, startling me slightly but I trusted it. It didn't bark or bite or even run away. It walked around behind me before pushing me with its large snout towards the clearing, signalling for me to leave. "You want me to go?" I asked, again mentally scolding myself for losing the plot this much that I was talking to a wolf. But again, it responded, letting out a little huff of approval and continuing to push me by the back out of the forest. 

"Okay." I said. Looking back once more, the wolf bowed its head slightly in goodbye, and I realised how strange yet magical the whole experience had just been. I didn't wait any longer, turning around and running back home filled to the brim with adrenaline. 

What the fuck just happened?

Entering the front door I was met with the smell of fish and chips. "Dad?" I called out, rounding the kitchen entrance. 

"Hey honey, I ordered in. Hope you're hungry!" He offered. 

"Oh yum, absolutely."

We sat down together and unwound from the day, talking about his new job and my new school. But the whole time, my mind continuously wandered to the wolf I had met in the woods. 

I simply couldn't sleep that night, and I remember looking at the clock at 1.30am before I even fell asleep for the first time, wide awake with curiosity.

It was then at about 3am exactly when I woke up from a dream. I was running through the forest feeling as if I was being chased, but right as I felt I was about to lose the race, the brown wolf from earlier appeared and protected me. The dream felt so realistic, so vivid, there was no way in hell I was sleeping now.