Over the River and Through the Woods

When I awoke I realized two things: I was alone and I was no longer outside. Even though I was grateful to whoever took me out of the cold the fact that I did not know who it was scared me even more. All I knew was that I was inside someone’s bed and, when I sat up to examine my surrounds, I was naked under some furry sheets. Know I was in trouble. I was naked, in a stranger’s bed.

Naked.

In a stranger's bed.

I needed to get out of here before the owner returned. I gazed around at the room hoping to find my clothes but the only object in the room other than the bed was a small chair that sat next to the closed door. I grabbed the fur, wrapping it tightly around my body, and slid off the bed only to wince when I landed on my feet. My ankle still hadn’t healed up. I hobbled to the door and pushed it opened revealing a larger room. In the room, light from a window beside the front door shone down on a table that sat alone in the middle with three chairs pushed in. Beyond the chairs and table, on the far wall was an unlit fireplace – the most likely place my clothes would be. I was about to take a closer look at the fireplace when the front door started to open. My heart leaped into my throat. Was it my the person who saved me or was it some monster waiting to eat me? I rushed back into the bedroom, ignoring the dull pain in my foot and pressed myself against the wall so as not to be seen.

“First you stop me from doing my job. Now you’re walking this human’s dog,” I heard a cold voice complain as the front door shut close. “What has happen to you Selene?”

“Three things, Zima: one, she’s just a child, an injured one at it. Show some compassion,” replied a another voice, “Two, there is no way I was letting this dog defecate in my home. Three, keep your voice low, she might be sleeping.”

There was a bark, a grunt, and the sound of wood against wood as the chairs were moved. Then all became quiet. Every so often the silence would be broken when someone would rap the table with something. Gathering my courage, I took a peek into the darkened room and my heart dropped into my stomach when I saw who was sitting at the table. In the chair farthest away from the door sat the creature that tried to kill me only moments before, his icy skin reflecting the little light that came from outside. The Iceman had his right arm on the table while his left arm rested on his thigh. He seemed to be in deep concentration, staring at the table which had several small objects on it.

Seated in the chair opposite him, sat a wolf-like creature. I wasn’t sure if it was a boy or a girl but could tell that the wolf seemed really bored. It was leaning back on the chair, arms crossed over the chest, staring at the roof. I then saw Trevor, no longer frozen, sitting right by the wolf’s chair as he stared at it.

I knew if I stayed here there was no chance that I would ever see my family alive. I had to get out now. I quietly inched my way to the door, shifting my weight to my good foot, my back against the wall and my eyes never leaving the two creatures at the table. It was no easy feat but I was able to make it to the front door without drawing any attention. That’s when two major problems popped up into my head. Somehow I needed to get Trevor’s attention. I knew as soon as I opened the door I would draw attention to myself and I really didn’t know how deep I was in the forest.

At the same time I was formulating a plan, the Iceman picked up one of the small objects, moved his hand across the table and set it back down on the table before looking at the wolf triumphantly. That’s when I saw his gaze go past the wolf’s head and straight at me. No longer was my heart in my stomach but now made its home in my throat as the Iceman’s smile turned into a frown and then a snarl. He started to rise from his seat just as my hand went to the handle of the door but a voice stopped us from going any further.

“Don’t you dare move Zima. And you,” the wolf craned its head back until I was staring face to face with it, “It’s not wise to run into the woods if you don’t know where to go, especially if you’re injured. You’d make a nice snack for the Tengu.” My brain told my body to move, to get out of the house and run. My body did start to move but towards the empty chair. The wolf shifted its weight so that it was now sitting correctly on the chair before poking the empty chair with its foot, pushing it back slightly. I sat in the chair, still clutching the fur to my body and stared at the table. It seemed like my supposed captors were in the middle of a game. To my left sat the Iceman, Zima, whose attention was torn between the game and me.

At the center of the table was an old wooden board with horizontal and vertical lines carved into it and on different spaces on the board sat several strange pieces; some were made of wood and others made of what seemed to be glass and to the right sat the wolf, busy tapping its claws on the table, trying to make a move. To my surprise I soon found out that the wolf was female. Dark coarse fur covered her legs and her waist and parts of her arms and her neck, but her stomach was devoid of any fur as was her chest, I soon discovered when I glanced at it before pulling my head up in embarrassment. Her hair resembled the fur that covered her: short and having a mind of its own. The long pointy ears that rested on the top of her head seemed to twitch with the littlest sound. Her face did not have the shape of a wolf but that of a human; small mouth, normal sized nose and so on.

But when I stared at her eyes…eyes with the color of the sun, mixed feelings erupted within me. Her eyes had a calming effect, it made me want to trust her like I would trust an elder but at the same time….at the same time they concealed a wildness that wanted to come out. No one in my village had eyes that color. No one normal anyway.

As if she was reading my thoughts, the wolf’s eyes left the table and turned towards me. I turned my head down and stared at the edge of the table, my face flushed at being caught staring. The wolf chuckled before moving own of her pieces. Once again the room was pitched into silence with the only interruptions occurring when either Zima or the wolf made a move on the board. As the game dragged, on the temperature seemed to get colder and even though I had the fur around me I started to shiver. Suddenly the room became brighter as fireplace behind me ignited and I became warm.

“Sorry about that. When Zima starts to lose he starts dropping the air temperature around,” stated the wolf.

“Shut up Selene,” the Iceman replied finally moving one of his pieces forward on the board. Selene, the wolf, glanced down at the pieces for what seemed to be a minute before picking up one of her pieces – a horse- and smashing one of Zima’s pieces – a castle- off the table and into the fire."Schaakmat.” The Iceman stared at the board for some time trying to think of a move that would save his piece though it wasn’t long until he admitted defeat by hitting his head constantly on the table.

“So,” Selene turned her head to me, “What possessed you to go out into the woods today? Normally your kind doesn’t enter unless there’s a food shortage and last time I checked the village was doing well.”

“W-well,” I didn’t look at her when spoke because I felt like I would offend the two, “o-our dog got loose-“

“And you went to get him,” she finished up, rising from her seat. While Zima was still being a sore loser, I watched from the corner of my eye as Selene picked up all of the glass pieces into her hands before crushing them. When she opened her hands, a white powder was all that was left of the pieces before blowing them away. “The next time you get the urge to go into the woods, contain yourself. I really don’t feel like playing sakk every time I have to negotiate some human’s life.”

“So the reason I’m still alive is because you agreed to play sakk with him?” I was surprised to learn this. Why would a creature of the woods save me, a human, after going into the forest?

“Yes and I hate playing with him, he’s so readable and a sore loser. Plus, I’m a dama person.”

The Iceman stopped his motions and grinned at the wolf. “If I’m so readable, how about you play another game?”

“I don’t think so guardian. Besides you need to do you rounds.” Zima sighed, standing up. I didn’t dare move as he walked pass my chair and stopped next to Selene. He whispered a few words to her before opening the door and disappearing into the woods. The door shut close and I released air that I didn’t realize I was holding in. The wolf placed her hand on my shoulder as if to calm me down but all it did was make me more nervous.“What is your name?”

“S-Sara.” Feeling her long nails grazing my skin reminded me that I was at her mercy.

“Well Sara, I do believe that it is time for you to go home.”

Home? She wasn’t going to eat me? I was getting out of this nightmare intact? I looked at her wanting to say my thanks but with all the shock of the whole situation the only sound that came out of my mouth was a squeak.

“Unfortunately because of Zima’s overzealousness, you clothes were beyond repair when they thawed. You’re going to have to go in that,” she pointed at the fur. I watched her walk over to the fireplace and, with a wave of her hand, extinguished the fire. Now sitting in the dark I could only count the steps Selene took before placed her hand on the back of my chair.

“You ready to go?” I nodded, rising to my feet, ready to leave when suddenly the wolf grabbed me into her arms and started heading for the door.

“Your ankle’s still hurt. Don’t want you straining it again,” she said to me before I could object. She whistled at the table and Trevor followed the two of us, wagging his stumpy tail. As soon as the door closed behind us, Selene took off running into the woods, leaping onto low level branches, while Trevor was sprinting below us and I was left to hang on to her for my life. I heard other noises come from the trees we passed and buried my head into her shoulder scared and yet I felt protected. With her speed it wasn't long until we reached the village.

“We’re here.” I raised my head from my hiding spot and saw the dark yet familiar outline of my village. It was mostly dark with the exception of lit candles that illuminated the homes. We slowly crossed the dust field but when we reached halfway, I saw a group of people head towards us, most were carrying lit torches, and others were holding guns in their hands. I immediately recognized the man, carrying a gun, leading the group to be my father. Trevor, probably happy to see other people, barked excitedly and ran towards them while Selene slowly followed. My father pointed his gun at the dog but pointed it away when Trevor stopped at his feet, stood on his hind legs and placed his paws on his master’s legs. My father dropped his gun and began rubbing Trevor’s head.

When Selene approached the crowd, the men gasped, some uttering "She-wolf," "Wolf," or "Guardian," and started to back away slowly. My father gaze went from the dog to the wolf and I saw his eyes widened as he looked straight at me. Selene moved closer to him and put out her arms presenting me as if I was some sort of peace offering. He snatched me out of her arms and we hugged as if we both had the same fear; the fear that I would be taken away. When we broke the embrace, I looked towards Selene only to see that she was moving towards the forest.

“What have you done to my daughter,” I heard my father yell at the wolf. Selene stopped her departure and turned the crowd.

“Nothing. Though I’d advise you to keep her in bed. She’s not well yet.” He handed me off to someone else and glared at the wolf. “You hurt her?” Hysterical, I watched as he grabbed a torch from another villager and ran towards Selene, despite my screams for him to stop. He stopped inches from her and swung the torch, hitting her in the face. Her head snapped to one side as the crowd became silent. Selene turned her head, her eyes now bright with anger, as she grabbed my father’s throat and lifted him of his feet.

“You dare hit a guardian of the woods,” the wolf growled, “Then you forfeit your life.” Just as I broke away from the villager, she brought her other hand near his face and flexed her fingers making her nails turn into the claws of a wolf. Her free hand was lifted into the air ready to strike but with some power on my side, I ignored the now throbbing pain in my foot and rushed to her side before I grabbed onto her, my face pressed into her waist, my tears dampening her fur.

“I beg you spare my father! He only acts because he is worried for my safety! Please let him live,” I pleaded her. After a moment of tension, I felt the guardian’s body relax and heard my father grunt as he fell on the ground in a cloud of dust. She looked down at me and then at my father who was rubbing his throat. “You are lucky to have a child such as Sara.” She turned around and again advanced to the trees. I helped my father up and looked back at the trees only to see a pair of yellow eyes stare at me through the trees. Then they vanished. The crowd of villagers gathered around me and father and I already knew that with all the questions they were going ask I wasn’t going to sleep tonight.

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