The next morning I woke to the chill of morning frost covering my body. As I shivered and shock I called myself all sorts of names: idiot, fool, soon to be dead if I didn't get my head out of my ass because I had put my red hoodie in my pack. The one taken off by a giant werewolf.
At least walking warmed me up a bit. By the time the sun was high in the sky I was sweating a little and panting with thirst. There were no signs of streams or rivers and the runoff ditches were bone dry. Back in the real world before everything went to hell in a zombie flavored gift basket I never thought about water, was never truly thirsty.
Twice during the day I saw bunnies eating grass off the side of the road partial hidden by the shade of the trees but I missed both shots. I survived that last desperate fight with the zombie but he might have ended up killing me anyway. My bow was cracked throwing off my shots. Even if I learned how to shoot with the skewed aim, the crack was clear warning that my bow would not be lasting much longer.
Fighting down the urge to wail I started mentally calculating my chances of survival and planning my best options. A human could survive for three days without water but three weeks without food. So finding water was a priority. Staying on the road seemed my best chance but itt looked like I would have to brave entering a town in order to restock my nonexistent supplies.
I trudged alone until the sun was dipping down below the horizon throwing long shadows across the road. I jumped at every crackle of leaves and whistle of the wind through the forest. With my vision limited by the fading light and no safe hiding spot available I was more vulnerable than I had been in a long time.
I smelled the smoke long before I saw the flickering light of the fire. Fires and smoke were a blazing "come eat me" sign so whoever started this one was either sure of their safety or in a group big enough to fight off whatever came their way. Whichever could mean my salvation or another round of 'run for your life'.
I crept along, staying in the shadow and making as little noise as I could, working my way closer to the fire. One lone man sat on a fallen log, two rabbits cooking over the pit as he ate a third. I didn't see a rifle or a gun so a braved a few steps nearer making sure I stayed well hidden until I was certain there was no danger.
Rising his head, the man sniffed the air, his fine features twisting slightly as he took in the scents around him. It was at that moment that I noticed that one of the packs resting next to him was mine, the red of my hoodie peeking out of the loosened top. I was torn between quietly backing away before running for my life and continuing to move closer when he turned, eyes flashing red, and looked directly at my hidden position in the woods.
Hearing the low rumbled growl come from such a human seeming throat sent tingles up my spine. Another shiver racked my body and I found myself hunching over as my body shook and trembled, teeth chattering against each other, and my muscles clinching with the effort.
Desperate I sidled into the wolf's view making sure that each move I made was slow and my hands were well away from my sides. The wolf didn't respond to my entrance continuing to eat his rabbit slowly, enjoying each morsel. My stomach rolled reminding me that it had been quite a while since last I ate. It wasn't until I was just feet away that the wolf tilted his head upward to look at me.
"Could I share you fire? Just for a bit?" I hated the way my voice sounded, high pitched, panicky, and desperate. Yes, I was all those things but I hated that I sounded that way.
"I guess I could be willing to trade a bit of heat. What do you have to offer?" He ate another bite of rabbit slowly, licking the juices off his fingers as he looked me over, his eyes slowly moving over my body with a calculating look.
My heart sank. I glanced down at the pack that contained most of my possessions including anything that I could conceivably trade for a place by the fire. I pulled out a small fanny pack that I had hidden under my shirt. Crouching down in front of the wolf I emptied its few contents into my lap.
"This was my Dad's pocket knife." I held out the red Swiss Army knife for the wolf's inspection. My dad had given it to me a week before the world ended. I was lucky I had it in my pocket that last day.
A seemingly normal hand morphed into a five clawed weapon in a split second. He held it in front of my face twisting his wrist left and right. "I'm doing rather well in the sharp edged weapons area."
Swallowing, I carefully placed the knife back in the pack and gathered up a handful of sugar packets, another rare commodity in the post zombie apocalypse society. There were twenty of them. I hoped the wolf had a sweet tooth.
"Hmmm. That's tempting but I have recently acquired a large supply of salt so I am not looking to carry around any other trading items."
I pulled open a small hidden compartment that was sewn into the side of the bag next to the zipper. Inside was a cloth wrapped necklace. "This was my mother's. It's the only thing of hers I had when the outbreak happened. It's silver. I'm sure it would be worth something."
I held it out to the wolf before noting his expression; amused disbelief. Crap, how dumb could I be? Offering silver to a werewolf. I guess I was lucky that the wolf seemed more ready to mock me for my mistake than take offence and eat me.
"Is that it?" His tone was bored as if having quivering boys kneeling at his feet was a daily occurrence for him.
"Yes." I could feel the prickle in my eyes but refused to let the tears build up.
"Then you really don't have anything to trade, do you?"
With those words my inside froze. I had heard the saying that your heart dropped but it was the first time I had felt it. Like an elevator jerking to an unexpected start, the feeling of falling yet knowing I was standing still, and a sudden chill in my very soul. It was my death knell.
The next shudder took me by surprise twisting me downward as my muscles racked my body in their last ditch effort to keep me warm. By the time they finished I was exhausted and my jaw was in agony from the rapid, machine gun chatter of my teeth. Hell, I'm surprised I still have teeth and not shattered stubs after I finished shaking.
I quickly gathered up my sad handful of belongings, stuffing them into my pack as I stood, wavering briefly as my vision tilted and I fought to keep my balance.
Looking at the cracklings fire I racked my brain for some way I could stay in its warmth. "I saved your life."
The wolf looked smug. "I saved yours as well. We are even on that count."
Another shiver traveled through my body nowhere near the strength of the others making me remember how a body stops shivering before hypothermia and death occurs. You know it's a shitty day when body wrenching shaking is something you look forward to occurring.
"The weather is getting colder. I won't bother you and sharing the heat of your fire takes nothing away from you. You won't even know I'm here. I promise I won't try to steal anything. I just want to warm up."
I realized that my words could be taken as threatening about a nanosecond before the wolf had me pinned to a tree. His eyes blazed as his mouth and nose elongated, becoming canine, complete with razor sharp fangs and flecks of Kujo drool.
"You think you could take something of mine and live?"
"No, no. I was just trying to say I wouldn't be any danger to you." The wolf rolled his eyes starting to look more annoyed than angry. "I mean that's obvious but I wouldn't try anything, wouldn't be trouble."
Growling the wolf let me drop, knees giving out as I tumbled to the dirt and returned to his sear. By the time I regained my footing he was in all appearances a normal man, his wolf features once again tucked away.
"You know you are most likely leaving me to a slow death." I started back toward the fire thinking somewhat crazily in the back of my mind that a quick bloody death was better than a slow frozen one. Stiles flavored popsicles didn't appeal to me.
"Humans tend to die rather easily these days. I don't find myself too concerned over the matter." He returned to eating his rabbit not even bothering to keep an eye on me. I wasn't even important enough to register as a threat.
I could feel the saline burn of my tears and couldn't even gather the strength to care as I begged, "Please? Please, I will do anything." The wolf stilled completely mouth stopping in mid chew and then turned slowly toward me. With a casual roll of his wrist he indicated for me to sit on the log next to him.
I sat next to the older man letting my eyes flutter close as the heat flowed into my body causing another round of shivers. Funny how getting warm is almost as painful as getting cold. The wolf reached over and ran his thumb down the side of my face, tracing its contours from my forehead to the edge of my chin as his fingers ruffled the hair on the back of my head.
"Maybe we can come to some sort of agreement. Maybe some companionship." His voice was soothing and gentle and I found myself struggling not to lean away from his touch and the warmth of his hand as my brain supplies fun and exciting images of the last time I ended up as someone's companion.
About a month after I started my long trip down the hell bricked road I met a trucker. He had been friendly, talking as we traveled a short distance side by side. I was still naive enough back then to think that people were good, that we would all be trying to help each other out on the roads and happily followed him, helping him set up a small camp.
His attack was sudden. The trucker was brutal, ripping clothes and then my virgin flesh as he plowed his way into my body, taking me as he shoved my face into the muddy filth. He finished with a pig like grunt, rolling off of me briefly but it was enough for me to scramble to my feet and run. Blood soaking through my pants and sharp pain radiating up my spine but still I ran until I was far away from his grasp.
I knew I was lucky to survive that day.
But this was different. The wolf wasn't forcing himself upon me even though he was stronger. His touch was gentle as he stroked my cheek giving me time to decide. Part of me, the part with a burning need to be seen as honorable and strong, demanded that I rise up, brush off the offending hand and storm off into the woods with my dignity intact.
But the part of me that wanted to survive knew I didn't really have a choice. If I charged off into the forest I would be lucky if I survived the night much less the week. The weather was turning colder and all I had was a broken bow and a couple of arrows. I was so cold that I couldn't even feel my fingers. There would be no way for me to hunt or protect myself from predators. If I didn't freeze first.
I really didn't want to die.
Nodding my head I moved closer to the wolf, the heat radiating from his body warming me faster that even the fire. I stopped when my knee brushed the older man's and another small shiver racked my body. I wouldn't have been more surprised if Santa showed up when the wolf removed his jacket and tucked it around my quivering shoulders.
Pulling a small piece from the rabbit in his hands he offered it to me, holding it in front of my lips, waiting for me to take it from his fingers. I opened and he slid the piece in letting his finger linger against my lips. I'm not stupid. With the next offered bit I sucked in the hovering finger, swirling my tongue around it before chewing the small bite.
"Oh, my. I definitely think we can come to some sort of trade agreement." His eyes flickered red briefly as he ran his thumb across my lower lip.
Pulling off one of the rabbit's legs, he handed it to me with a smile and a flourish as if to reward me for a job well done. I devoured it in seconds, eating every last scrap of meat, even the white veiny things that I would have never touched back in back in my old life. Once the meat was gone I sucked the bone clean and cracked it in half looking for the last bit of marrow that might be inside.
I was sucking down the last drop when I noticed the wolf's expression as he watched me eat. It looked like a mix of shock and pity but morphed into disgust and anger almost as soon as he saw me return his gaze. I scooted backwards franticly as the wolf loomed to his feet, eyes once again edged with an eerie red. He just stood there looking at me, as I lay helpless at his feet, with his fist curled into his palms until the blood dripped.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad. I'd didn't mean it, whatever it was I did. Really, I'm sorry." I knew it was babble pouring from my lips but having an enraged werewolf standing over you didn't help in the coherent conversation department.
He snarled and turned away toward the fire, picking up one of the rabbits and tossing it into my lap. "Eat." Without another word he changed into a half wolf form, mostly human except for the fangs and claws, and loped into the forest.
I've never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth or in this case a cooked Thumper in my lap. I started eating as fast as I could before the wolf decided he had been too generous and took it away.
I finished every last sliver of meat on the bone, cracking each one to check for marrow and licked my fingers clean as I waited for the wolf to return. After sitting for a while I took the last rabbit off the fire so it wouldn't burn. I was sorely tempted to take a taste but knew it would most likely be my last meal if I did. So instead I wrapped it in the foil that was tucked under a rock and placed it close enough that it would stay warm.
Curling deeper into the loaned coat I let my body slide down the log until I could rest my head against its bark. Hoping I was safe but too tired to worry I let my eyes drift shut to catch a few minutes of sleep in the fire's warmth.
I woke as he lifted me like a small child, carrying me over to the waiting sleeping bag to push me under the warm covers. The wolf banked the fire and buried the wrapped rabbit beneath its coals. Making a last trip around the perimeter of the camp, he lifted his nose to catch any scents then slipped into the bag next to me. I was shifted around as he tucked himself against my back, spooned tightly into the heat of his body. One arm wrapped itself around my waist as he draped a leg over my hips.
I laid perfectly still as the wolf's breath tickled the top of my head. I struggled to keep awake as his heat chased away the rest of the cold. Finally as I felt the wolf fall into an easy and deep sleep, I let myself relax. I didn't dare move in fear of waking the wolf, but after what seemed like hours I let myself drift off.
A hand clutching tightly to my hip as another pawed my penis along with the feeling of someone's hard on pressed urgently to my ass had me awake and fleeing to the far side of the fire before my brain caught up with me. I didn't have time to prepare myself, to push the memories of that horrible day down deep. Just a few minutes to get mentally situated, ready to bite the bullet and I wouldn't be sitting across from a red eyed, furious wolf.
"So much for your end of the trade." He growled and started gathering up his supplies. I sat as he packed up the camp not even bothering to look in my direction. He finished, gathered up all the packs and supplies except one canteen, the left over rabbit and my hoodie. He left without a single look in my direction.
I sat stunned for a few more minutes before gathering up the few things I had in my possession and the items left behind by the wolf. My wolf had headed west. Shifting left and right I thought about my limited options. West seemed like as good as a direction as any.
And when did I start thinking of him as MY wolf?
By the end of the day I was exhausted. My wolf moved quickly so I was forced to quicken my usual pace to keep him in view. He seemed to be making it easy for me, slowing at forks and turn off as if waiting to see if the lone human would follow.
By nightfall I was ready to collapse. I kept going well past dusk hoping to catch a whiff of smoke or see a fire twinkling through the trees but there was no sign of the lone wolf. I gathered pine needles and branches, wedging them against the trunk of a larger tree and made myself a small shelter. It was itchy and uncomfortable but held the little warmth I had inside.
Knowing there was really no one out there listening, I said a prayer that tomorrow would be a better day.