The hike started off uneventfully. The forest was alive with the sounds of birds and rustling leaves, the air crisp and cool.
The tour guide shouted while we are walking, “Don't go to the off limits zone. Remember, this mountain is full of wolves and other dangerous species.”
Melanie led the way, her pace brisk, as if she had something to prove. I trailed behind, lost in thought, until I felt the empty space around my neck.
My necklace was gone.
“N-No... It can't be.”
Panic surged through me. It wasn’t just any necklace—it was a silver pendant Lucas had given me when I was a child. “A reminder of how much you’re loved,” he’d said. It was my tether to the family I sometimes felt I didn’t quite belong to.
“I’ll catch up,” I called to Melanie, who didn’t bother to stop.
I went back and looked for the slight shimmer of silver on the forest floor. Here, the light looked dimmer and the trees denser. The sounds of nature dwindled as I continued on, giving way to an uncomfortable quiet.
Then came the first howl.
It was distant but haunting, reverberating through the trees. My pulse quickened as I realized just how alone I was. “Hello?” I called, my voice trembling. “Is anyone there?”
Another howl answered, closer this time.
Fear began to creep in and around me like the forest's shadows. With the weight of the stories I had previously discounted bearing down on me, I quickened my pace.
The growl was barely audible at first, but it got louder with each stride. As two black wolves with strangely bright eyes sprang out of the darkness, my breath caught in my throat.
Their fur blended in with the darkness, and they were big. Their growls chilled me to the bone. My head whirling, I froze.
“Stay back,” I whispered, knowing they wouldn’t understand.
One of them lunged. I stumbled back, tripping over a root and landing hard on the ground. My chest heaved as they closed in, their teeth bared.
Suddenly, a thunderous growl echoed through the forest.
The strong figure of a golden-brown wolf was a whirl of action as it sprang into the conflict. It slammed into the black wolves and drove them furiously away. With its deliberate and accurate movements, the golden wolf's presence was overwhelming.
“W-What's happening?”
The black wolves snarled, but they were hesitant to confront it more. Their brilliant eyes vanished into the darkness as they withdrew into the shadows with a last roar.