The Wolves Return
A few hours later, Belle came running from the castle. She hurried inside the stable and told me we were escaping. Flinging open the gate, she instructed me to take her home. I was only too happy to have the chance to escape this strange land of fearless wolves, dark castles, and living harnesses. I never minded the idea of having an adventure, but this was too much.
Not far from the castle, I heard something in the bushes. Fearing the worst, I panicked.
Oh! What a relief! It was only a flock of birds!
Suddenly, I heard Belle gasp. When I heard low growls coming from something hiding behind the trees, I didn't stop to find out what it was. Besides, I had a feeling I already knew, and I wasn't about to stop and see if we could talk things over.
I was really beginning to hate those wolves! Even their determination seemed more human than lupine! It wasn't like they were just hunting for food, and I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time; it was like they would stop at nothing to catch me. Was there no escape from the monsters?!
I don't know if you've ever run through an unfamiliar area of woodland at night with about four or five of the most vicious wolves in Europe at your heels, but I wouldn't recommend the experience. A few started leaping; I couldn't tell if they were after my throat or trying to reach Belle, but I wasn't too fond of either idea. In an attempt to defend myself, I kicked one of the wolves. I didn't know it at the time, but I had broken its forelimb.
Still, the pack had not given up the chase. When I fell through the thin ice of the frozen river, I thought all was lost, but I managed to escape while some of the wolves started to drown.
It looked like we had escaped the pack. In a few days, this would all be a distant memory, something to brag about surviving, or maybe even something to laugh about.
Where in the name of Madame de Beaumont did those five come from?! I thought we had left the wolves far behind us, and now five more were in front of us! Was this even the same pack? Were these the wolves we had just left, or had we been chased into an ambush?!
Oh, this was officially perfect! Belle had fallen off my back, and my reins had become entangled around a tree branch.
Belle started fighting back using a stick. A little tip for anyone who finds themselves surrounded by a pack of wolves: Don't try hitting them with a large stick. It won't do you any good. All you'll do is make them more eager to attack you. In fact, if you have to fight wolves at all, why not just use a real weapon, or better yet, what's wrong with avoiding a wolf attack in the first place?
Twelve of them?! How did all these wolves keep appearing out of nowhere?!
If I told you what happened next, you'd never believe me.
The wolves ate us, and we died.