Wolf
J.C. Leonard
"On a hot summer night would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?"
It was as if I had been sucked into a dream, a purgatory between reality and imagination. I was surrounded by blackness, the intense cold flickered against my skin. My eyes darted all about me, but it was to no avail. I could feel an ever-growing eerie feeling slither up my spine, exploding in my cranium as suddenly in the distance there were voices.
Barely whispers, but voices. They were speaking softly to one another, and soon they began to run together, taking on one single embodiment. I couldn't understand what it was saying, but it sounded like... another language. The voice came without form, and it was neither a man or woman's tone. Whatever it was, it sounded... inviting.
Suddenly the voice drifted off, slowly fading into the darkness, as had everything else. I felt my insides lurch, and my heart began to pound ferociously against my chest. The cold taunted my skin, causing me to shiver in the blackness. My breathing became labored, breaking the eerie silence of the dark.
I gasped in surprise as abruptly the cold vanished, slithering away just as the voice had. I took a deep breathe in and held it, listening for any movement or noise that could reach my ears.
There was a sudden crack of thunder that shook me to my knees, and I felt a tsunami of warmth overrun me as I collapsed to the grass. And as we all know, with thunder...comes lightning.
Again the thunder cracked, shaking the foundation of my unseen surroundings. Now, more than ever, I felt my heart's relentless assault against my chest. I tried clenching my eyes shut, in hopes of awaking when I opened them, but it seemed hopeless. In fear I called out, not thinking of who or what could return my gesture.
The air around me grew hot, and I felt the ground beneath me surge with a fire that tempted me. Again the thunder cracked, but this time it did not frighten me. For in that exact moment I peered up, and for the first time my surroundings came to light.
A bolt of lightning illuminated the sky momentarily, and then I saw something sitting on the edge of a cliff, not ten feet in front of me. My eyes widened when I saw it's silhouette, but as soon as it had come, the light was gone.
I once again grew anxious and afraid. For even in the dead and emptiness of night, I could now see its giant form, and its fur moving in the wind.
I expected to feel as if my body was going to implode, and so many emotions and thoughts were pounding through my head. But strangely the fear left me, and I felt my heart slow to a more steady beat. I then felt enveloped by a warm feeling, as it wrapped around my body, and I caught myself smiling slightly. For the first time in a long time, I felt...secure.
I looked out for the beast again, but its figure had been lost in the darkness. I exhaled deeply, still confused as to what was going on, but never seemed more invited and comfortable.
Closing my eyes, I once again listened intently for anything, and the warm feeling began to lull me into sleep. I exhaled again, and this time it was returned. Out in the darkness, I heard a deep, animal-like breathe and a low growl.
Intrigued and mesmerized, I stared out towards the sound, longing to see the beast once again. For a moment, there was only silence, and I began to feel a disappointing drop in my heart. But then I heard a footstep, and then another just a moment later. It sounded as if they were drawing closer to me, and suddenly I saw it once again, causing me to smile.
The darkness of night seemed to cease slightly around the animal, and I could almost see its face, yet it was turned away from me, peering out over the cliff. It was only then that I began to hear the soft lull of the waves breaking against the beach below.
"Beautiful," I whispered softly.
The beast cocked its ear, and slowly turned its long face towards me. I gasped slightly as its features came to light, and I could see its nose and reddish-brown fur. I oggled the sight of this animal, and was slowly drawn toward its eyes. For as I was staring at it, it was staring back at me, it's big, beautiful eyes fixated on my face, and I could see my reflection in them.
It's eyes told a story of love, adventure, excitement, and friendship, and of heartbreak. And I felt myself pulled into them, as if they were being used to hypnotize someone.
The beast exhaled once again, breaking my focus. Slowly it turned its head back towards the cliff, and then up into the sky. I, too, glanced up, wondering what this animal was looking at.
The clouds slowly parted, and the fullness of the moon illuminated the world, shining down upon me.
Suddenly everything went black, and I found myself waking abruptly in my bed, feeling a flirtacious touch of that warmth linger inside of me. I breathed in deeply and closed my eyes, hearing the howl of a wolf fade into the night.