Alone in the Woods

Chapter 3 - The Hunter

My first encounter with another human was… not great.

I'd gotten good at navigating the forest. I knew the trees, and the trees knew me. The underbrush would part when I asked and the animals would offer assistance if I needed it.

I decided that I wanted to explore the edge of the woods. Wolf mom had given me warnings about the area but I felt confident I could handle it. Reaching the bounds of my previous ventures, I began to greet the trees. Many were far younger than the ones near the den, and greeted me with a bit more spirit. I'd long gotten used to the lack of words involved with such greetings.

Befriending the trees got cut short by a pained noise of a deer. I rushed to check on it, ready to offer healing. I had never met this particular deer before as the forest had many. She had been fleeing when I reached her. But this one was different. She had an arrow in her side.

I spoke telling her I was a friend and that I could help. My left hand lit up with healing magic, as the right went to remove the arrow. I warned her before pulling the arrow free. The doe let out a smaller pained noise as my magic soothed it and mended the wound.

She was thanking me when her ears twitched and she tackled me to the ground. Another arrow had flown by and nearly struck one of us. I yelled for her to run before turning to face the attacker.

I couldn't spot them, so I asked the trees and the bushes to help. The brush parted reveling an older man, grey in his beard and a curse muttered under his breath. He was dressed very medievalesque.

"What the fuck. You could have hit me with that arrow." I said with bitterness in voice. The man said something in a language I'd never heard of before, before notching another arrow. "Fuck."

I bolted, asking the plant life to cover for me. The bushes that had parted closed once more while a young tree moved a branch that was struck by an arrow.

I made it a fair distance away before a pain struck my leg. A fucking bear trap. I fell over howling in pain. I tried to pull it off but I was unfamiliar with how it worked, and I was in no state of mind to figure it out. I asked the trees but they could not help. I yelled for any animal that could hear me.

A raven answered my call. He could not free me, so I told him to find my wolf mom. On black wings, he left me with my message.

I surged my healing to soothe my trapped leg. It was all I could manage.

The snap of a twig nearby drew my attention. I whimpered as quietly as I could. Hoping not to alert the hunter if he had pursued.

A moment later I heard a familiar howl. Wolf mom was close and she was calling for me. Whatever had broken the twig did not come closer, though it was too stealthy for me to notice otherwise.

I decided to risk howling back to wolf mom, letting her know where I was. Less than a minute later she was there at my side. Scolding me and fretting over me in equal measure. I offered apologies and asked for her to help. The raven flew off before I could thank him.

Her massive jaw tore into the iron trap, breaking it. With the force holding the jaws of the trap together thoroughly dismantled, I freed my leg and finished healing it.

I told wolf mom what happened and she made it clear I wasn't to come this close to the edge of the forest again. I apologized for worrying her and told her it wouldn't happen again. She also told me that if she ever spots the hunter in this forest she'll rip him limb from limb.

At that we go to head back to the den. I go to walk but she tells me to get on her back. I protest but eventually give in. Kids take my advice, don't ride a giant wolf both bare back and in the nude. It's not fun.

There was no dinner for me that night. She was treating me like a misbehaving pup. Though we still snuggled to sleep, my sleep that night was restless.