Lone Encounter

Lone Encounter
A lone grey wolf slowly walked through a snowed out valley. He’d left his pack a long time ago, feeling he wasn't cut out for such a thing, that he’d be better off alone. Less to deal with, less pain and drama. It was just him and the ground beneath his paws. Things were never easy for him, he’d always felt out of place, so instead of staying in one location, he simply walked, and walked, and walked. Never connecting with any other animal that happened to come along on his path, and if anyone did, he’d simply push them away.

He’d tried many times to connect with other animals, never caring if it was from a different species, he’d even tried to find a mate at one point, to give it a try. But he always had doubts within him, and it only lead him to failure and more pain. Thus, giving him the mindset that he was meant to be a lone wolf, a very lonely wolf.

One day, he’d stumbled upon a gathering area, where other animals met and socialized, groups were formed, different races, different species, different levels of the food chain, it didn’t matter. However, the wolf simply walked towards a twisted tree, a sense of familiarity emanating from the tree, and laid down underneath it, away from the others.

His light grey eyes observed them, filled with disgust. He wanted nothing to do with them, he would simply rest for a short time and move on. However, as he scanned the area his eyes fell upon a fox, alone and away from the others, just like him.

The wolf laid his head down and observed her, curious as to why such a creature would not be with the others. For the next several hours, he watched her from a distance, studying her, observing her, and he realized she wasn't much different from himself.

No other animal seemed to notice her, it was just him who watched her whenever the opportunity came. He noted that all she did was work, whether it would be gathering food, or the task of digging a hole in the snow for a reason he didn’t know, he assumed a den for her to sleep in.

Night befell the area and the other animals slept as the moon rose into the star lit sky, everyone except for the wolf, who still laid under the twisted tree, his eyes almost shining in the darkness. He breathed out a steady breath as he got up and began to walk away from the camp, heading due west, deciding it was time to continue his journey.

The lone wolf walked past the fox’s den, stopping for a moment and glanced inside, seeing the female fox inside, fast asleep, curled up in a ball to keep herself warm from the cold air. He let out a steady breath. The wolf still felt the curiosity he had with the fox, his temptation to stay to observe her a little longer overgrowing his desire to leave.

“Leaving so soon, traveler?” The wolf turned his head to see another one of his kind standing a few feet away, a female. She had a dark coat and brown eyes, “Why not stay a while longer?”

He gave a low unthreatening growl, “I do not have time for such feeble things.” His voice was dark and menacing, unwelcoming, “I have more important things to do than to waste time in this place.” He said as he began to walk away.

“Well you seem to have time to stare at the fox all day,” She said, making him stop in his tracks, “I’m Dot. What about you, what’s your name?”

“None of your concern!” He growled, “My name is my own business. Now return to your,” He glanced at the area at which she came from, a group of animals that contained a bear, and two rabbits all resting in a cave, he noted that the cave was fairly large, even with all of them inside there was still plenty of room inside, “Pack... And leave me be!”

“You don’t need to be so hostile, you know.” Dot said, taking a few steps forward, “Why don’t you join us?”

The lone traveler turned to face her, narrowing his eyes at her, “I prefer to stay away from... Others.” He replied. The wolf glanced down at the fox den, one more time before he began to walk back to the tree he had stayed under and laid down under it, closing his eyes and deciding to stay the night.

****

His eyes slowly opened and he raised his head after his night’s rest as the clouds covered the morning sky. He looked over in the direction of the fox to see that she was awake and organizing her food supply. He let out a calm growl and laid his head back down as he observed her. He didn’t know why she suddenly sparked his interest, why he was so curious about her, he just was.

“Why don’t you go talk to her?” A familiar voice asked, his eyes shifted to the left and he let out a sigh of annoyance. Dot looked down at him, this time in the company of one of the rabbits.

“Didn't I tell you to leave me alone?” The wolf asked, lifting his head up off the ground.

“There’s no reason to be so isolated, we’re all friends here.” The rabbit said.

“This is Lux, Lux this is the lone traveler I was telling you about.” Dot told her.

“Hi!” The rabbit said in a friendly tone, “Nice to meet you.” She said taking a step forward. Only to have fangs lashed out and an aggressive growl in response, “Jeez, you really are hostile...” Lux muttered.

The wolf got up and began to walk away, towards the fox, the only safe haven left. He muttered things under his breath about how annoying they were and how they’d better hope he didn’t have a craving for rabbit and wolf meat. The fox glanced at him as he approached her and her home, but didn’t say or pay any attention to him, just continued to work on organization.

Dot and Lux smiled, “Mission accomplished.” They said as they began to walk back to their cave, where the bear and other rabbit were sitting.

“Did it work?” Nio, the bear, asked.

“Is he going to talk to her?” Llina, the other rabbit, asked.

“Nio, Llina. All we can do is sit back and watch to see if the two lone animals will interact.” Dot replied as she and Lux sat down next to their companions.

The wolf laid down on his side with a sigh a few feet away from the fox, every now and then he would glance in the fox’s direction, “Doesn’t she ever stop?” He whispered under his breath, “... Doesn’t she take a break or relax?” The answer to his questions was right next to him, roughly five feet away.

Every now and then the fox would glance in his direction, unsure as to why he had chosen this area of all places to lay down. The wolf didn’t know what to do, for the first time in a while he was unsure of what action he should take.

The wolf sighed, “... Do you ever take a break or relax, Fox?” He suddenly asked, looking in her direction, she stopped what she was doing and looked at him for a moment, then shook her head slightly. The lone wolf stared at her for a moment, then shifted his gaze forward, “...I see.” He breathed.

The fox stared at the wolf for a moment, wondering why he suddenly asked that question. She was so used to not being noticed that it caught her off guard. The wolf glanced back at her, feeling her eyes on him. They locked eyes, and for the first time in a long while, the lone wolf, this feared predator, felt uneasy as he looked into her eyes.

How is it that this little fox, this innocent creature, making ME, a wolf, feel this way? He pondered. The fox took a step forward, cautiously, her eyes falling on something that she wished to investigate. The sound of snow giving way as her paws came down on it, filling the wolf’s sensitive ears, causing him to spring up, teeth bared and ears folded back, a low growl emanating from his throat. The fox’s ears folded back, and she lowered herself to the ground, frightened slightly by his action but not retreating. Her pace was slowed, but not halted. The wolfs growl halted and he straightened out, ears relaxing to their normal upright positions, realizing the mistake he made. Before he could apologize for his hostile action, the fox raised her head up once she was close enough to the wolf, her snout close to his, he froze. The fox stared curiously at the scar that ran across his snout.

Her eyes were filled with curiosity, the question; How did that happen? was asked by her own innocent eyes. The fox eventually backed away and stared at the wolf, waiting for an answer.

The wolf looked at her for several seconds, then closed his eyes and lowered his head, “No, that is something that I am not comfortable sharing that with you.” He stated, “That is something I shall keep to myself.” The fox stood up, she wasn’t content with that response. When she found something interesting, something that caught her curiosity, she wanted to know about it. The wolf figured this out in a heartbeat. She didn’t utter a word but by her expression and body movement, she persisted, asked him again. He gave a low growl, “No.” She took a step forward, same question. The wolf tried his best not to get upset by her consistency, “No.” She tried again, “I said no!” He snapped, revealing his sharp teeth, an aggressive action against her. The fox took several steps back, the wolf straightened out and blew out a breath of annoyance then turned to leave the area, feeling he’d spent enough time with her. If he stayed, she would just continue, but he knew a curious fox wouldn’t stop because of a negative response. The wolf returned to the twisted tree and laid down, “Stubborn fox...” He caught sight of the other wolf, Dot, and her other friends approaching him, leaving the safety of their own large cave to talk to him, Oh how I loathe these infernal--! He thought, letting out an annoyed and angered growl.

“You know it isn’t very good for you to just push people away,” Dot said as she approached the lone wolf, “You can’t stay alone forever--”

“I’ll live how I please.” The wolf shot back.

“Aren’t you lonely?” Nio asked.

“No, I’m not.” The wolf answered immediately.

“How? How can you not be lonely?” Llina asked.

“Because I am a wolf who does not mind being alone and gets annoyed very easily by all these questions you're asking me.” He growled.

“I don’t believe you, wolf. Deep within your own heart you feel the cold, dark, empty feeling within it. Buried beneath all the arrogance and denial you carry. I don’t know what happened that made you this way but all I can say is that if you continue like this... You will never know the warm, bright feeling of having creatures around you who will care, respect, praise, trust and love you for who you are. You will never acquire what it is that you truly want...” Dot told him, “A family.”

“I don’t need a family. I’ve lived long enough on my own and I’m doing just fine.” The wolf responded.

Lux took a small step forward, not forgetting about her last interaction with him, “But everyone needs a family-”

“Well not me!” He growled through his teeth as he lowered himself to her level, “In the end family and friends will only leave you behind when the opportunity comes.”

Dot and her friends all looked down at the ground, they knew this was pointless, they wouldn’t be able to crack him this time, but they knew that with time, the more interacting they did the sooner it would be that he would accept the truth.

****

Another day passed in the gathering area, the wolf continuing to stay under his twisted tree, watching as animals came and left, though the ones that he wished would leave didn’t. The fox seemed to be more aware of him glancing at her every now and then, though he didn’t do it as often. The wolf didn’t understand why he was still staying here, though it didn’t matter, he knew that the place he would call home would be awaiting his arrival, no matter how long it took.

Things won’t change... They haven’t changed in all the moons I’ve been alive. He thought to himself as he closed his eyes. He felt a presence near him, he opened his eyes to see someone he didn’t expect; the fox had somehow managed to get close to him without him noticing until she was only a few feet away. She stared at him with the same eyes as before, “What is it, Fox?” He asked.

She didn’t say anything, again her eyes telling him what it is her mouth would say, I want the answer to my question, please. Her eyes said.

The wolf stood up, “I thought I made it clear I wouldn’t share that with you.” He told her.
The fox glanced to the side, “Is it so wrong that I ask?” She finally used her voice. It was soft and almost soothing to the bone.

“Yes! Yes it is!” He responded, “It’s something personal and none of your business!”

This didn’t seem to stop the fox, “It’s just a scar, what’s the big deal?” She made it sound so innocent, made it look so innocent, it was difficult for the wolf to remain under control.

Damn this little creature and her persistence! The wolf thought as he took a step back, Why do I feel so helpless with this one, no matter what I do she’ll just keep coming. It doesn’t matter if I lash out or tell her to go away kindly it’s not enough!

“What is so wrong about a scar and it’s back story?” She asked.

“What so wrong?! What’s so wrong about the back story?! It’s wrong when it’s a reminder that you’re a failure!” He snapped. His eyes widened slightly once he had realized what he had said, he glanced to the side in an annoyed fashion, he saw Dot and her friends inside their cave. He could see them whispering things to each other, he let out an annoyed growl. The wolf was silent for a moment then sighed, closing his eyes and lowering his head, “... My older brother.” He responded, “After he betrayed me, ambushed me, and stole leadership of my own pack...” The wolf fell into silence for a moment, avoiding eye contact with the fox, simple staring at the white, still, snow, “My own blood deceiving me... Claiming to have beaten me in a fair fight... That was really won by treachery... Banishing me from my own lands once he had power...” The wolf sat back down, “So you ask what’s the big deal? This serves as my reminder, that trust is nothing but a hollow tree, empty and full of nothing. In the end you can only trust yourself...” The fox stared at him for a moment, then proceed to lay down, giving him the impression she wanted to hear the story. He didn't understand why she was listening to him, why she cared about what he was saying. He was nothing more than a stranger to her, an animal who basically invaded her property and her personal space. Nevertheless, she still looked at him with curious, intrigued eyes, “Why?” He asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“Only an animal who understands what it’s like to be alone can truly understand another.” She said, “I want to know your story.”

“You want to know my story...” The wolf asked as he approached her, and sat down in front of her, “... Then you should get comfortable, for it is a long one, Fox.”