Running. Running through the Dark, wet forest that surrounded La Push, the Indian reservation in northwest Washington State where I was born and raised. I wasn't 100% sure how long I'd been running, or the reason I was running out here, in the dark, in the first place. Anybody that knew me, knew I wasn't the biggest fan of being out by myself in the middle of the night. Not that I was scared... of course not. It just always felt like somebody- or something- was watching me, waiting for...well, waiting for something. Hell if I know.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps running hard off to my left. A steady, rythmic beat that wouldn't normally freak me out.

But normally, I wouldn't be alone.

In the dark.

In the middle of a dam forest running from God only knows what.

Fear sat in my gut, making me feel queezy and pushing me to run harder and harder, flying over the moss covered floor faster than I had ever gone before. Stumbling over roots and fallen logs, and cursing my way through the thick underbrush should have slowed me down, but the pure, uncensored fear kept driving me forward. I had to throw my arms up in front of my face to keep the low hanging pine branches from hitting me too hard. Out of nowhere, I burst into a small clearing. It was about the size of a soccer field, but round in shape and full of evening glory flowers: my favorite.

The woods around this area were full of clearing about the same size, but this one was special, familiar even. It was "our" special clearing. The same clearing that my now ex boyfriend and high school sweetheart, Sam Uley, had taken me to when he proposed to me. This was a place I loved, a place that was full of happy memories from my past, before everything went to shit. Story of my life, right?

All of a sudden, as soon as the mysterious footsteps had appeared, they were gone. Sensing I was alone and moderately safe from whatever was trying to catch me, I slowed down to slight jog, and then stopped. Damn, this place was peacful. I saw a fallen log that we often used as a makshift bench, and sat to catch my breath. When I actually opened my damn ears and listened, I noticed that there we no sounds. At all. No cricket song, no call from the nighthawks flying above, and no wind. See? Nice, calm, an-

Twigs snapping broke me out of my momentary revarie. I twisted my neck quickly to the right, trying to see whatever may have made the noise. It was a full moon tonight and not a cloud in sight, but I still couldn't quite make anything out. But...

There! A few feet away from where I had run through the tree line, I saw a pair of golden yellow eyes staring back at me. I felt like I knew those eyes...they seemed familiar in a strange, unnerving way. As soon as I made eye contact with whatever it was, I heard a low, rumbling growl come from the same direction. One of those growls that lets you know you aren't welcome, and that you definitely ARE in danger. I stood up, with the intention of turning around and running again, fully convinced that whatever was making that growl was definitely the same thing that was chasing me earlier.

But of course, I'm a bit of a dumbass and a kluts, and forgot about the log I had been sitting on. I lost my footing and landed square on my ass with an ungraceful "fuck!". Hey, I never claimed to be a proper lady, ok? Dusting my hands off, I finally remembered the reason I fell in the first place, and looked up. What I saw in front of my was something so beautiful and so goddamn terrifying, it made my nightmares look like a happy place. the creature standing before me was some kind of horse-sized wolf, black as night and with a mouth full of dagger-like teeth.

"Stay back! Stay the fuck away from me!", I yelled. But the wolf simply growled again and kept advancing towards me. I crawled backwards as far as I could, until my back was against a boulder. Suddenly, the wolf was standing over me, staring right down and through me.

"Leah...Leah...Leah, get up".

The fuck? That couldn't...there's no way that voice could've come from the wolf...

Right?

The wolf threw it's head back and let out a howl so wild, so free, and so damn bone chilling, all I could do was stare in awe. I could remember my father telling me stories about wolves that used to live around the reservation, but never had I seen or heard one in person.

As the wolf finished howling, he backed up. "Leah, up now!", it said. I was frozen in place, and I was 110% sure that pissed it off. It lowered it's head and bared it's teeth, fully prepared to attack me.

"Leah! Leah, get up now! If you don't, you'll regret it!"

How the hell did this thing know my name? Or know how to talk?

"Leah! Move it, come on!"

The last thing I saw was the wolf jumping towards me, jaws open and claws coming right for me. With no way to escape, I sat back and prepared myself. What a shitty way to go, right?

"LEAH!"