I've had this story for a while now. For a long time, I couldn't let it go, even though it remained unfinished for years. But it's never too late, I suppose. So I hope you enjoy it, and please, don't hesitate to leave a review. I'd appreciate hearing what you all think of it.
.~*~.~*~.~*~.
There was once a wolf that lived by himself in the forest. He grew up, since a puppy, alone. He cannot remember his parents, nor if he had any. He would often wonder the woods, looking for someone to call his own, to feel the void that would often consume him be filled once and for all.
And one day, that person appeared.
She was beautiful to The Wolf. Hair the color of dark honey, eyes as green as the forest. And her smile. Oh, her smile. It was brighter than the sun itself.
The Wolf would often go see her. He would hide at the edge of the forest, watching The Girl as she went about her business at home. The Wolf enjoyed watching her as she tended to her garden. The smile she wore, and the tenderness she always showed those beautiful flowers of hers. It overwhelmed him with emotions he could not name. He wished she would direct such brilliance towards him. But alas, The Wolf knew it could not be. He was always shrouded in the cover of darkness. And he knew, that if she were ever to encounter him, that smile would ebb away, and he could never bring himself to go near her again.
.~*~.~*~.~*~.
The Wolf remembered the day she lost her parents. She was 11, only a year had passed after The Wolf began to watch her. She had been in the forest, heading towards her grandmother's house to deliver some treats. She wore a beautiful, pure-white hood that covered her feet. As she neared her destination, a sound like crackling lightning rang out from the direction of her house. She froze, unbeknownst to the sound. Only three people lived in the woods. Her family, her grandma, and the lumberjack, none of whom had ever produced such a sound. As she slowly approached the house, a similar sound rang out. Scared now, and a bit curious, The Girl took off running towards her grandmother's house, hoping she would have some idea of what could possibly produce such a sound. When she entered, she screamed.
The Wolf didn't know what to do. He was tempted to go inside, but the fear of having her scream that same way towards him paralyzed him. Soon after, The Girl shot out of the house running, a look of confusion and dismay smeared on her face.
She ran and ran, never stopping for breath. Even though he was a wolf, he struggled to keep up with her. At last, she reached her house. The Wolf skittered to a stop right at the edge of the forest, still not daring to venture any further. The Girl paused at the front door, which was slightly ajar. It was late evening now, and no light could be seen from within the home. Slowly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, seemingly like a small ghost.
That's when it happened.
Another scream was let out, but it was cut abruptly short. Sounds of a struggle could be heard inside. Breaking glass, an overturned table, the kicking of a wall. A sudden thud was then heard and a figure soon emerged from the house.
It wasn't The Girl.
A tall, broad man appeared. He sported a beard and carried an axe. Both his face and weapon were covered in something. A thick, dark liquid that smelled of iron, even from where The Wolf stood. As The Man stepped into the light, The Wolf finally made out the mysterious liquid.
Blood.
The Wolf's eyes widen at the realization of the situation. He strained his ears to try and make out any sign of life in the house, but he could not. Suddenly, the color red was all he could see. Without realizing it, The Wolf had stepped out from the woods and was rushing towards The Man, growling and baring his fangs.
The Man, upon seeing him, froze. He slowly took a step back and raised his axe, a look of annoyance and a tint of fear crossed his eyes.
The Wolf launched at him, teeth sinking into his leg. The Man wailed and stepped back. He raised his axe, ready to strike, but tripped from the weight of the attack and fell back with a groan. The Wolf took advantage and pounced, tearing at The Man's arm holding the axe and did everything but rip it off.
The Wolf was about ready to jump at The Man's throat when a sound stopped him.
Moaning. He could hear faint moaning coming from within the house.
Hopeful it was The Girl, The Wolf all but forgot about The Man and rushed into the house. As The Wolf ran, The Man took the opportunity to get up and stumble away, never letting go of the axe, nor the anger he felt.
Inside the house, The Wolf's nose burned. He could smell blood everywhere. It was smeared on the walls, the carpet, the picture frames. Everything was painted a dark liquid red.
As The Wolf crawled through the house, he was able to detect the moaning once again. It was faint, but it was there. It was coming from the room with the cracked door, barely holding onto a hinge.
As soon as The Wolf entered, he wanted to run. Run far, far away from there and never look back. But it was already too late. The image of teared chests and spilled guts was forever etched into his memory. But that wasn't what truly killed a part of him. It was the view of The Girl. His sweet, innocent girl.
She was laying on the ground between her bloodied parents. There were pieces of glass and wood around her, and a deep gash ran down her face. Her beautiful face. The cut ran from the top of her forehead to the middle of her right cheek, effectively going over her eye and blinding her. Only her left eye was spared.
And then there was her hood.
It was no longer the dazzling white it used to be. No longer soft and pure and comforting. It was soaked, now completely red. A red so dark it was black. What once seemed to tie around her in protection now dragged her down into the pool of death and despair.
The Wolf couldn't stand seeing The Girl lying unconscious in a puddle of her own family's blood. Taking gentle hold of her shirt's collar, The Wolf dragged The Girl out of the house and onto her front yard. He quickly ripped off the damned hood off her, careful not to jolt her, and ran. He ran behind her house, far into the forest, towards the cliff. The Girl had never ventured near the cliff, being forbidden by her parents, for fear of a tragic fall. Even now, with her parents gone, The Wolf knew she wouldn't dare come near the cliff. But even if she did, later on, out of either misery or desperation, The Wolf would make sure she never got too close to the edge.
The Wolf arrived to the cliff at last, the hood still dripping from his snout. Had it not been for the tragic situation, the view would be beautiful. The stars were out and they shone on the forest far, far below. Directly below the cliff, next to the forest, The Wolf could make out of the twirling blue ribbon of a river.
With grim satisfaction, The Wolf released the hood, watching as it flapped towards the icy water below.
The Wolf slept at the edge of the woods that night, keeping watch over The Girl.
It was a strange noise that woke him up that same night. From the position of the moon, he'd say it was a bit past midnight. Immediately, The Wolf looked towards the house and where he had laid The Girl. Strangely enough, he saw her digging. Two cloth-covered forms were laid behind her. She dug and dug and dug all night and the following day. The Wolf watched over her the whole time. Sometimes discreetly leaving her some berries or nuts he'd collect in the forest when he saw she wouldn't stop to eat.
Finally, after a whole night and day of digging, the girl became more than exhausted. It may have been from working, not eating enough, or from crying the whole time she dug, but The Girl finally went to sleep. She fell asleep inside the grave she dug, curled over the shovel. The Wolf jumped in and gently dragged her out, careful not to wake her. Her left eye was swollen from crying, and her right eye was now permanently shut, the scar crossing her still beautiful face. The Wolf brought her inside, the front door remaining open since that tragic night. He brought The Girl into the living room and set her onto the couch, pulling a thin blanket over her sleeping form. The Wolf had feared she wouldn't make it inside by herself, seeing as how she had stumbled up the front stairs, barely keeping upright, whenever she went in for supplies.
As The Girl slept the night away, The Wolf took over for her. He dug the last remaining grave, careful not dump any dirt on the clothed bodies. Hours passed before The Wolf completed the last remaining grave.
Carefully, The Wolf pulled each body into its assigned grave. He thought of covering them up, to help out The Girl a bit more, but he felt that was something The Girl would want—and need—to do.
.~*~.~*~.~*~.
Over the course of time, The Girl created and grew her garden. It was placed right on top of her parents' grave, bringing light and color to them. The Girl had also begun weaving a blanket, the same night she finished burying her parents. The Wolf could tell it was her first time weaving. Her small hands would always be covered in bandages and he would hear small grunts of frustration come from within the house.
But no matter what, The Wolf always remained by her side, even if she wasn't aware of it. He would go to a nearby stream every week and catch her some fish, leaving them at her doorstep before dawn. He'd also collect wild berries and nuts, with the occasional bird or rabbit here and there. He loved seeing her open the door and smile down at his offerings, picking them up with delicately rough hands and bringing them inside.
The Wolf knew he didn't have to. The Girl grew up to be strong. Stronger than he could ever imagine. She'd cut down her own wood, fix her house, tend to her garden, prepare her own meals. It wasn't easy, he knew. She had to learn everything by herself in order to be able to survive. The Wolf was always there though, ready to help with anything he could.
Years passed liked this. Peaceful. Quiet. The Girl's garden expanded, covering her whole front yard. She completed two blankets, although he unfortunately never got a good look at them. But no matter how many years passed, or how The Girl had changed, one thing remained the same: she was beautiful. It didn't matter that she had a scar on her face, or that she could only see from one eye. It didn't matter that she had rough hands, or her skin was dark from working outside. None of this matter to The Wolf. He didn't care for any of it. The Wolf only ever saw her smile. That small, precious smile that at one point had been wiped away for so long because of that man. The Wolf loved her smile. It made her eye twinkle and her face lite up. It brought light into the darkness he hid in, surrounded himself in. It was his saving grace from loneliness.
.~*~.~*~.~*~.
One day, while out in the woods looking for rabbit to hunt, The Wolf heard the sound he feared to hear again. The noise that resided in his nightmares and refused to let him sleep. A scream.
Her scream.
The Wolf sprinted through the forest, running so fast his feet barely touched the ground and he was flying. Flying down hills and over fallen trees, under branches and through bushes. Anything, he'd go through anything, fight anyone, to get to her. To never again hear her scream that scream again.
When he finally got to the clearing where her house resided, he skidded to a stop.
No. It couldn't be. Not after so many years.
The Man stood there, facing The Girl who was on the ground, dress torn. He only had one arm, but it carried the axe. The once blood-covered axe.
He was yelling at her, screaming how it was her fault he was like this. How he should have finished her when he had the chance.
The Man raised his axe and The Girl screamed. That's what got him. That's what made The Wolf finally jump out of the woods, out of the safety of his darkness.
The Wolf ran in front of The Girl and bared his fangs at The Man, who—in turn—stumbled back, surprised. But it didn't last. The Man, infuriated now more than ever, launched forward, swinging the axe. The Wolf jumped at him, taking the hit of the axe on his side rather than let it anywhere near The Girl. The Wolf yelped, but buried his teeth into the man's neck nonetheless, not letting go. The Man screamed, hitting The Wolf again and again with the axe, hoping to remove him. But The Wolf would not let go.
Not this time.
The Wolf took cut after cut, hit after hit, but refused to let go. He teared at The Man's throat, biting and ripping until he touched bone.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but the body beneath his didn't move. Didn't breathe or scream anymore.
Slowly, The Wolf let go, and his body rolled off The Man's and fell to the ground with a thud. His whole body felt heavy, and his fur was drenched. The smell of iron consumed him. He couldn't move.
He could distinctly recognize the form moving close to him. It cried. It wrapped its arms around him and buried its face in his neck. It smelled nice. Like flowers and sunshine. It drove away the intoxicating smell of iron from him.
It was The Girl.
She tightened her arms around him when The Wolf tempted to lick her face. She let out a choked laugh, but it was quickly replaced by a sob.
The Wolf's eyes began to close, refusing to listen to him any longer. He knew he was about to go, go and leave her alone. But he didn't mind. He died protecting her. She'd be safe now. And she was strong. She'd stay safe, even without him. He just wished he could see her smile, one last time.
As if listening to his prayers, The Girl looked down at him and smiled. A sad, teary smile, but a smile nonetheless. Oh, how he loved her smile.
.~*~.~*~.~*~.
The Girl broke down when his eyes finally closed. She hugged him tight, bringing his now-stiff body towards her. She stayed like that, hugging him towards her, for a long time.
When she finally stood, the sun had begun to set. With grim quickness, The Girl grabbed the shovel and began to dig right in the middle of her garden. It didn't take her long, not like last time. When she dug a deep enough grave, she put away the shovel and ran inside. When she came out, she was carrying one of the two identical blankets she made. The Girl wrapped it securely around The Wolf, covering him fully. Slowly, she picked him up and gently placed him in the grave, covering it back up with dirt. She stayed awake well into the night, planting beautiful white roses over his grave, contrasting with the purples and blues and pinks of the rest of the garden.
The Girl finally went inside when dawn came. With a merciless sadness, she entered her room. It hadn't changed much from when she lost her parents.
Her walls were covered in drawings, some new and some very old, of a lone wolf sitting near the edge of the woods, his eyes looking out at her. There were drawings and paintings of a familiar-looking wolf leaving fish and other gifts on her doorstep. There was even one of a wolf digging two giant holes in the middle of the night, two large forms laid behind it on the ground.
As The Girl laid down, she pulled up the other blanket she created. On it, a grand wolf is shown towering over the dark forest. Beneath him stands a little girl. She had only one eye, but a loving smile on her face.