Madison
Three days.
Three days with only one lead: a single paw print.
I’m almost out of food, almost out of time, and almost out of luck.
What do I do next?
It takes me forever to put my tent away. The damn thing is tiny and small and only good enough to keep me mostly dry in the rains that seem to keep coming. Apparently, Eva picked a bad time to get sick. Maybe I just picked a bad time to leave her. I don’t know. All I know is that I have to hurry because the clock is ticking.
By the time I have everything back in my pack, it’s just after seven. I’ve got a big day of walking. This is going to be my last day of trying to find a wolf to catch.
It’s going to be my last day of searching.
If I haven’t gotten another clue by tonight, I’ll turn around and make my way back to Storm Dawn. I don’t want to return to my home because I don’t want to say goodbye to Eva. That’s what waits for me there: a goodbye. Then there will be nothing left for me there, and that’s another thing I don’t want to think about.
Eva is the only family I have, and I love her. I cried for a long time last night. I’ll never tell her because I already know what she’ll say.
Crying doesn’t solve anything, Madison. Chin up, pretty girl. You can do this.
I’ve heard those words so many times in my short life, and I’ve always believed them until now. Now, for the first time in my life, I’m wondering whether I actually have any chance of accomplishing what I’ve set my sights on.
“You don’t have a choice, Madison,” I say out loud.
I swallow hard.
This is it.
It’s time to go.
As soon as I stand up, hoisting my bag on my shoulder, I realize that something is different this morning. My eyes shoot to where I hung my food last night. I might not know much about camping, but I know you never keep your food in your damn tent. This is in case an animal smells it and comes to your campsite. You never know what might be lurking nearby: bears, wolves, mountain lions. If an animal comes after your food, you want that food to be away from where you are.
Last night, I placed my remaining meal supplies in a bag and hung it in a tree. This morning, that food is gone. The bag has been torn to bits and the food has been devoured. There are crumbs surrounding the area where the bag was.
“Wolves,” I whisper. I don’t know if it was wolves that came to eat my food or if it was something else. Maybe it was just a very messy squirrel. I’m not sure. I am sure of one thing, though: I’m going to find answers very soon. I drop my pack and pull out a length of rope. Then I start walking around.
Yeah, I might not be the most experienced camper, but the stuff I put in the bag? I laced it with sedatives last night. The animal that ate that food is going to be sleeping nearby. Hopefully it’s a wolf and not something else. That was the last of my food and I really didn’t want to resort to using an actual trap. Yeah, I’ll have to eat berries and plants on the way home, but if I managed to catch a wolf, I’ll feel justified.
Now I just have to find the creature. I’ll be able to catch them, take a bit of their fur, and hurry home to save Eva. No one will be the wiser.
Please be a wolf.
I’m just glad I didn’t have to use my traps. I don’t like the idea of trapping a poor, helpless animal. Not that wolves are helpless. I know they aren’t. A trap can cause real damage to their skin and fur, though. I want to steal some fur: not hurt a wolf. Hopefully, the sedatives did what they’re supposed to do and I’ll be able to locate the animal who stole the food.
Hopefully it was a wolf.
I start walking, circling around my campsite. With each round, I get a little bit farther out. The circle expands, widening. The creature couldn’t have gone far. Those sedatives were measured perfectly by my friend who’s a vet tech. She could lose her job for helping me, but she knows I’m desperate and she also knows I’m going to owe her for forever. We both know that.
Slowly, carefully, I walk around. Farther and farther. Soon I wonder if I’m crazy. Maybe it wasn’t a wolf that ate the food. Maybe it really was a bear or something. Bears are taller, for sure. The branch I chose should have been low enough for a wolf to grab the food, though. I picked one that looked high enough to be realistically chosen, but low enough to be accessible by an animal who wanted it. I didn’t want it to look like a trap.
I walk a little more. Still nothing. Fuck. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I messed this one up. Maybe I screwed up and now I’m out of food, out of medication, and out of luck.
Suddenly, I stop dead in my tracks because I can’t fucking believe it.
I see it.
I see the wolf.
It’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen in my life, and it’s asleep in the middle of the grass. Perhaps I shouldn’t approach it, but I do. It looks so peaceful: serene. It looks like it’s taking a sweet little nap, but I know that’s not true. It’s just super drugged. A pang of guilt ripples through me.
“Don’t be like that, Madison,” I tell myself. “It’s just a little lock of fur. It’s for Eva. You have to do this.” It’s not a big deal. I’ll be in and out and the wolf will wake up on its own. He’ll be groggy, for sure, but otherwise unharmed.
My scissors are in my hand as I near the wolf. I’m not going to hurt it. I would never hurt any creature: animal, shifter, or human. I just need a little lock of hair and then I’ll be on my way. I’ll go back to Eva, I’ll make the concoction, and that will cure her.
It has to.
I kneel beside the wolf. Just a little lock of fur and then I’ll be gone. I should hurry, but somehow, I can’t look away from it. I can’t look away from him. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is, in fact, a male wolf. He’s big and grey and beautiful.
There was something in the back of my mind that thought wolves were mangy and unclean, but this wolf seems…almost kept. His fur is so perfect that it almost seems painted on. My hand reaches for him. I can’t stop myself. I begin to stroke him, softly petting him.
And then I realize what I’ve done.
I’ve drugged this poor, helpless creature, and I shouldn’t have.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, as the tears begin to fall. Even though it’s for Eva, I shouldn’t have tricked this wolf. He was just hungry, looking for something to eat, and I could have really hurt him. What if he doesn’t wake up? What if it was too much medicine?
Fuck.
I reach for the wolf’s fur and I start to pet him gently.
“Please wake up,” I tell him. “I wasn’t going to hurt you,” I whisper. “I just need some fur. It’s not even for me. It’s for my friend. There’s a legend that wolf’s fur can help, that a lock of it will heal her and I…I just didn’t want to lose her. I’m so sorry, Mr. Wolf. I’m sorry.” I pet him more, and then I lean down, pressing my ear to his side.
His heart is still beating.
He’s alive.
He’s okay.
He’s going to be fine.
I should leave now, while I still can. I should forget about the fur and run off, but at this point, I’ve come so far. I don’t know what to do. It’s the moment of truth and I’m completely freaking out.
What do I do?
I had a dog when I was a little girl that had the softest, sweetest fur in the world. I used to pet Henry for what seemed like hours. We’d sit on the porch, just the two of us, and just spend time together. When I was with Henry, I wasn’t thinking about my parents fighting or wondering when I’d get to eat again. I wasn’t wondering if I was going to be cold that night because we couldn’t afford to turn the heat on. Nope. All I was thinking about was the fact that with Henry, I felt safe.
I felt taken care of.
I felt comforted.
And now in the woods, I feel the same way with the wolf.
I realize I can’t do this. Not without his permission.
So I sit back, and I cross my legs, and I continue to pet the wolf.
He’ll wake up soon.
I hope.