Power Of The Moons.

Harvey stopped, “Fine you won’t go near him? Then he’ll come to us.” He waved his hand and the wolf came forward. I shrank back as the wolf’s nose came to my face. I expected to feel then its sharp teeth but instead his hot breath and warm tongue ran over my face. I was stunned. The wolf put its head down and its shoulders hunched and suddenly it grew smaller. So its shoulder was at my chest. Harvey lifted me up and placed me on its back. I instinctively started to get off but the wolf bolted forward before I got the chance. I grabbed its fur and hugged myself to the wolf automatically to stop from falling off its back. My hands gripped the thick soft fur of the large creature and I closed my eyes. I got used to the soft rhythm and the quiet pounding of its paws on the ground as we sped through the forest. The wolf was just as fast as Damien.

Finally the rhythm slowed then stopped. I opened my eyes and peeked to see where we were, then sat up but still held onto the wolf’s fur. We were standing on the edge of a steep ravine. Forty feet below the large river flowed strongly. Further up was a waterfall. The wolves ears pricked forward, his eyes focused, and one spot. Then where was a small howl from somewhere below. The wolf howled back and then looked back at me.

“What?” I asked aloud. The wolf snorted then motioned his head down the ravine. I looked down the steep rocks again.
“Yes what about it?” I glared. The wolf let out something like a huff and then pressed his nose to my hand hard. I still didn’t understand.
“Am I holding you to hard?” I asked and the wolf shook his head. And pressed my hand again, I raised my eyebrow. The wolf let out another sigh then stepped towards the edge.

“OH!” I realized what he was doing then held on tighter with my arms and legs. I looked down at the water below and gulped. The wolf jumped straight down and landed ten feet below on a small rock that jutted out. It was hardly visible from the top. Then the wolf jumped down again to the right and landed on another small rock. He jumped three more times before walking along a thin rock trail that was just a foot above the water. He kept his balance easily enough but I still clung to him.

We got closer to the waterfall and the noise of the forest disappeared under the thunderous roar of the water. The trail led right behind the waterfall where the rock flattened and widened into a cave. Another wolf was sitting waiting for us. He was large as well. The wolf came up to me, sniffed, and then sat back down. I started to get off and both of them started to growl so I sat back down on his back.

We waited behind the waterfall for a long while. My arms and legs were tired from the days running with Damien so I laid my head down in his soft fur and yawned. He was so warm and soft it was like sleeping on a bed. It was relief from the hard ground I had been sleeping on the past nights. My eyes began to close slowly.

~ ~ ~ ~

“How is she?” My eyes opened and I saw that I was still on the wolf’s back. His fur tickled my face and I sat up; still holding onto the fur at his shoulders.
The man from the woods earlier, Harvey, was now behind the waterfall. He was shaking the water out of his hair with his hands. “I’m fine.” I said drowsily.

“Good.” He started to walk further back into the darkness where I couldn’t see and the wolf followed him. It was like riding a pony, only smoother. The light from the moons outside didn’t reach this far back and soon I couldn’t see a thing. I could only hear the waterfall behind me getting quieter the deeper we went, and the quiet footsteps of Harvey. I kept my head close to the wolf incase the ceiling lowered but it never did.

Soon in the distance ahead, I saw a dim light and the end of the tunnel. Harvey’s shape moved into the opening and the wolf followed silently. The cave opened up and the ceiling rose a good twenty feet. Above I could see the thick roots of trees. The natural light from the moon poured in through the cracks where the roots had parted the rock giving the room a natural glow.

There were a few of people in the room talking, they turned and looked at me when we entered. Harvey paid them no attention and continued forward through another tunnel. Torches lighted this one so I was able to see. We passed several heavy wooden doors that appeared out of the rocks. Harvey never turned to see if we were following but continued to go through endless tunnels of caves and rooms. The whole underground system seemed to go on in an endless maze.

Finally, Harvey stopped and opened a door. The wolf trotted forward and Harvey followed us and closed the door. It was a small room with a thick red rug on the floor and with a bed with black blankets. There was another small door in the room that was open and past it I could see a bathroom. There were no torches or holes in the ceiling instead glowing crystals that were attached to the ceiling that lighted the room.

The wolf then laid down and I got off his back and he stood back up. The wolf looked at Harvey, “You can go.” Harvey opened the door and the wolf left. I stood and stared at Harvey.
“Where’s Damien?” I asked. He ignored me.
“This is your room. The bathroom is there if you need to use it.” He left and closed the door behind him with a soft click. I tried to open it but it was locked. Of course.

I let out a sigh and used the bathroom. The bed was calling to me so I climbed in and pulled the blankets close to my chin. The pillow was soft and the mattress was comfortable. I let out a yawn, rolled to my side, and fell asleep.