And now I know that there’s something much worse than being killed at the hands of my insane brother: dying from boredom.
“I guess there’s only one thing left to do,” I say to the wolf. “I need to give you a name.” His eyes go wide in surprise, and for a half-second, I wonder if he can understand me. I frown at him, and his eyes go back to normal.
“Fido,” I say, jokingly, and there’s no mistaking it. This time the wolf definitely glowers at me. “No? Hmm, okay, how about Spot?” He sits and cocks his head to the side. No, he doesn’t like that. I should give him a real name, but what?
I sit on the bottom step and the wolf comes over to me. I pet him while I think, then finally, I place my hands on his head and smile.
“Wolfy,” I say, finally. “I’m sorry it’s not very original, but seriously. You should see how cute you are.”
Wolfy hates his name, but I get up and start walking off toward the path, anyway. If he wants to follow me, he’ll do so regardless of his new name. Surely he must belong to someone. He seems so tame.
Not like a wild wolf.
Not like a wolf at all, really.
I get a nagging feeling, like I should press. If he is a shifter, why isn’t he showing me his human form? If he’s a changer, like Jeffrey, maybe he’s bad. Maybe he’s evil. Did Jeffrey send him? I tense, slightly, before realizing that I’m probably being paranoid.
He’s no normal wolf, but that doesn’t make him automatically bad.
I turn and sure enough, he’s at my heels, following me closely behind. I don’t know why, but as I step onto the footpath my grandmother has marked, I can’t help but feel a little safer with him by my side. I should be worried, but I’m not.
Somehow, I don’t think he’s going to give me a hard time or suddenly attack me. If anything, Wolfy is like my very own, personal guard dog.
I wonder what he would think if I said that to him.
“Well, Wolfy,” I say, and I can practically hear him sigh. I chuckle. “How long have you lived in the woods? I’ve only been here three days.” Suddenly it seems like so long. “Three fucking days. Ugh.” I glance back and he’s cocked his head, like he’s listening, so I keep talking.
“I realize I’m a little crazy,” I say. “Talking to you like you can understand, but bear with me.” I step over a fallen log and jump in a leaf pile, laughing like a little kid, then I keep going. I have to.
I don’t really have anything else to do but move forward, one step at a time.
“My Grandmother used to bring me here,” I tell Wolfy. Someone needs to know. Anyone. Even a wolf. Even if he ends up betraying me. Someone should know my story before I’m gone.
Before I’m nothing.
I keep walking, my eyes scouring the woods for the next little yellow stone as I do. I know there’s got to be a place around here that’s good for hunting.
Not that I can do much with my little pistol.
What I need is a freaking bow.
“Every summer,” I say. “Every summer we’d pack up and come out here, just the two of us. She taught me to hunt, to fish, to climb trees. She taught me everything.”
I scour the woods as we walk and I can see Wolfy doing the same thing. Observant little thing,
isn’t he? I haven’t seen any evidence of other people in the area, which is a good thing. It means I’ll be able to be on my own a little bit longer.
What am I going to do when Jeffrey finds me?
Do I really have a chance out here?
Is there any way he won’t discover my hiding place?
I walk along the path and suddenly, I feel scared. I don’t want to think about it, but the truth is that at some point, I’m going to have to figure out how I’ll face my brother.
He has resources I can’t imagine, resources I wouldn’t believe, so why would I even try to hide out here?
I don’t think he knows about the cabin, but all it would take is one shopkeeper to mention my grandmother’s old hunting habits, one misplaced deed, one random receipt…and he would find me.