Hungry For Wolf

Hours passed while following the trail, and Zac's stomach growled once again. By following the trail, Zac had hoped he would eventually come across the body of one of the bandits who had been eaten first. It was a slim hope, but it was all he had to go on. He wasn't sure how long ago they had died or if they'd died. The only way for him to know that was by finding their bodies. And so far, there hadn't been any sign of them.

Zac walked in silence as he followed his path. His thoughts were filled with his own worries about whether he would starve to death before even making it out of the forest. If he didn't find some food soon, he knew he wouldn't have enough strength left to make it out. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed to stop and hunt. But where? There was no telling what kind of creatures lived here, and he wasn't going to chance himself getting attacked to eat something.

He looked up at the sky. It was starting to get dark, maybe an hour or two until nightfall. That meant hunting might be difficult, especially since he couldn't see anything without light. Maybe he could just sleep in this clearing tonight. It seemed safe enough from predators. At least for now.

The sun began to set, casting the world into darkness. The trees around him became silhouettes against the orange glow of the setting sun. He looked down at the ground, trying to pick out the faintest glimmer of a footprint in the dirt. He scanned the area, hoping to spot another print. He saw nothing.

The darkness had fallen, and the forest was silent. Zac sat down on a log and leaned back. He closed his eyes and tried to think of home. Of his mother's cooking. The smell of her stewing meat wafted through his mind. She always made too much and fed him every bit she could. He missed those days. They had been simple times. Now everything was gone.

His mother was dead. His father had left them at birth. No one cared anymore. He was alone.

A twig snapped behind him, and he jumped to his feet, turning slowly toward the sound. A shadow moved between the trees. He held up his hands defensively. "Who is there?" he asked.

Fearing for what hid behind the foggy shadows, Zac took a step backward. Something big and black stepped forward, its head low. Its fur was matted and dirty. It sniffed the air and growled menacingly.

The beast snarled and charged at him.

***

Grabbing the dagger he had picked up off the dead body, Zac ducked under the wolf's attack and stabbed it in the side. He twisted the blade and pulled it free, watching as blood poured out onto the ground. The wolf yelped and turned away, limping back into the woods.

Making a quick decision, Zac fled after the wolf. Although its tremendous speed was impossible to catch up to, Zac followed the fog that had spread out due to the wolf, giving him a path to follow.

After running for nearly half an hour, the wolf stopped suddenly and turned to face Zac. It bared its teeth and growled at him. It seemed ready to attack, ignoring its injury, but then it started panting as if it had just lost all stamina. It collapsed onto the ground and lay still.

Zac watched as the wolf's breathing slowed and finally ceased. He stood over the creature and stared at it. The reason he chased after the wolf had come to be, which was to eat the wolf after it had bled out.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It's not your fault."

He grabbed the knife and slit open the wolf's belly. It was messy, having to cut around the ribs and organs. Once the intestines were removed, he scooped out the insides and ate them raw. He chewed the tough flesh with his mouth, gagging through the process. He spat out the bones and other pieces. After finishing, he wiped his hands clean on the grass and looked around.

He tried remembering in which direction he had come from; it was impossible to tell. He had no idea how long he had been running. He looked at the wolf carcass. It was hard to believe he had killed this thing. He felt guilty about taking its life, but it was all for survival.

His body kept rejecting the raw meat and blood of the wolf, causing him to throw up a few times, but to avoid further starvation, he swallowed his vomit. He continued walking through the forest, keeping an eye out for more wolves. He needed to keep moving.

And so he did. He kept going for what felt like hours, but he refused to give up. He knew hunger would eventually kill him; if not hunger, it would be the wild animals that lived in the forest, but he wouldn't let it be today. He wanted to live. He didn't want to die here.

***

Zac wandered through the woods for a few minutes, searching for his original position. Zac initially moved in the same direction he remembered he had come from. Hopefully, it was the only chance he had to find the footprints again, but as his stomach didn't want to digest the wolf he had just eaten, he felt sick to his stomach, which caused another form of growling. Not from hunger but from his stomach churning to get the meat he had out of his body. He couldn't take another step. He lay down wherever he looked the most comfortable while staring off into the night sky.

It seemed that the trees were getting larger. He wasn't sure why or how, but they appeared taller than ever before. Perhaps he was just getting smaller. That must have been it. His size was slowly diminishing as the unsanitary food kept trying to make itself out of his stomach. He had to find something more edible by tomorrow. If he didn't, he wouldn't last long for another few days before he starved again.

Closing his eyes, Zac finally got some sleep, but his dreams were filled with images of death and despair. He dreamt of his mother as she died screaming. She clutched her chest in agony as her last breath escaped her lips. In his dream, he saw her lifeless face. Her blue eyes looked up at him with disdain; she blamed him for her death. He woke up sobbing in terror, clutching his stomach as his body shook in pain, forcing himself to keep from vomiting as he curled up on the ground, finally releasing the wolf he had.

Wiping tears off his face and vomit from his mouth, he looked around the forest. The sun was out, and it was shining brighter than ever before. It was different; the fog seemed more thin and faded than it had been before. The trees looked more defined and real. Maybe it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.

Sighing heavily, Zac tried to clear his mind. He thought about his mother, about how much he missed her. About his father, whom he wished he had met. All these things weighed heavy on his heart, but he pushed them aside and forced himself to focus on his goal: to survive. To get home. He had to stay strong.

Zac wandered with less worry as he could see what was in front of him. He tried to find the footprints to lead him out of the forest, but it proved futile. He spent most of his energy looking for them instead of eating and had little to show for it.

As the day wore on, he grew weaker. Hunger consumed him. It gnawed at him constantly. Every part of his body ached, yet he fought through the pain. His muscles burned, begging him to stop and rest. His legs trembled and quaked with each step he took. Each moment felt like an eternity as he trudged along through the woods. He was losing control; he knew he should have found food already.

In the corner of his eye, he noticed a sparkle of sunlight reflecting off something shiny. Looking closer, he realized that it was silver. It gleamed brightly, almost blinding him as he squinted against the brightness. It was lying beside a tree stump, in the form of moss and the color of silver, Zac grabbed for the moss, but before he could reach it, the bushes behind him rustled violently. Turning quickly, he caught sight of a pair of bright red eyes staring right at him.

With wide eyes, he backed up. What was it? Was it a wild animal? Zac thought to himself, but what came out wasn't just an ordinary animal; it was the same beast that had attacked Kane and his men while also giving Zac his consciousness back.

Stumbling backward, Zac fell over a root sticking up from the ground, tripping and falling flat on his back. He scrambled to stand upright as fast as he could, pulling out the dagger he had taken off the bandit. Before he could react, the creature leaped at him.

***

Zac slashed wildly with his dagger, trying desperately to defend himself, but the creature dodged every strike, leaping high into the air and landing on top of him with ease. Believing it was his end, Zac closed his eyes tightly, looking away to his fate. The given time it could have taken to kill Zac was very short.

No longer feeling the pressure of the beast on him. Zac opened his eyes slowly, turning his head back to the beast only for it to be standing in front of him with blue eyes, the same glamorous color he remembered looking at him before being pricked by the beast with its claw.

With silence between the two, Zac cautiously stood back up very slowly. The creature looked at him curiously, its eyes narrowing slightly. It was no longer a predator to Zac. Zac held his hand out with a question he needed to be answered. He slowly went for the beast to pet him; the both of them flinched and pulled away at a touch, but gazing at each other, Zac once again put his hand at the top of the beast's head.

They gazed at each other, neither willing to move first. Finally, the beast gave in and laid down next to him, allowing him to stroke his fur. For the longest time, they stayed that way until finally, Zac broke the silence by asking, "What are you?"

The beast looked at him before it eventually stood back up and left to be followed where the SilverLeaf lays.