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Scene #12
One second he was being blinded by light, then the world went dark, in and out of consciousness he went, willing himself to stay transformed. Exhaustion ran amuck through his system, he wanted to howl out in pain, or just curl up under the moon and let the world fade away forever. He had lived far too long with nothing to live for. He felt the urge to change back to human form and simply let the injuries that ravaged his body take his weaker form into the abyss. As the world went dark, he hoped it would be for the final time
She watched as the tiny flakes were scraped off of the windshield before they had even been able to claim residency. She had always wondered if the Dr. Seuss stories about the inhabitants on the tiniest of snowflakes and flowers were true. If so, she would feel bad about the apparent genocide that was caused every time someone mowed a lawn or turned on their windshield wipers. Trying to keep her thoughts on the road she began to trace the snow banks that were already forming on either side of the two-lane that took her to work every day. Noting the discoloration of snow on the right bank of the road she had seen earlier was now becoming bathed in a deep stain of red that was almost black, she decided to pull over and investigate.
Now any normal human being would under no circumstances pull over to the side of the road because they saw massive amounts of what appeared to be blood. The usual reaction would be to lock your doors and call 911 while driving away as fast as the snowcapped roads would allow; but that just wasn't Andes' style. There were two things that seemed to be inevitable in life; death and her being late to work.
Pulling the car to the side of the road, Andes turned on her flashers, pulled her jacket tight around her, and grabbed her massive flashlight; great for lighting dark places as well an effective weapon. Walking towards the stains she now was sure were blood, she flicked on her flashlight to help illuminate the early morning. She surveyed the area for any tracks that might help her identify and find the distressed creature; seeing none, she decided following the blood trail would have to do. She noticed another car pull in behind her as she started to trudge into the woods. Knowing that it was most likely one of her colleagues, Andes moved with more determination because there was no time to waste with their rule books and reason.
Next thing she knew she was flat on her back sinking into a foot of snow that had accumulated over the roots she had just slipped on. After making a snow angel, she rolled over to realize that the object of her quest was but 10 feet away; had she not fallen, she probably would have missed him altogether.
Lying there, next to a snow covered log, was the largest and most beautiful wolf she had ever seen. His silvery white coat would have camouflaged him perfectly in the storm had it not been for the blood matted fur that marred his glorious appearance. Even unconscious he had an air of power, danger, and intelligence about him. She approached him carefully, slowly closing the distance between them;
8ft...4ft... 3ft... before a hand on her arm stopped her dead.
"Andes, you know you shouldn't approach a wild animal, especially alone and in a blizzard when no one knows where you are."
"Oh, don't be silly Joe, it didn't take much for you to find me now did it," looking down at her quarry once again she found herself looking into the most amazing eyes she had ever seen; they were a hard gray, like concrete infused with ice. Considering the loss of blood and numerous injuries that needed immediate care, it would be up to her and Joe to get him to the preserve.
Putting on her best award winning smile she turned to Joe.
"Oh No, I'm not doing it. There are no sedatives; we could harm the animal by moving it, and not to mention the pain of death that awaits both of us if it can get a hold of our jugulars long enough."
"Fine! I'll do it myself," Andes spat as Joe tried to interrupt her usual tirade, "We can call base and they will send transport."
Ignoring his words as she often did, she continued towards the wolf, "Can't you see the state of him? He'll be dead long before they get here. Help or get out of my way."
Removing her jacket and long sleeved shirt, she wrapped the shirt tight around the wolf's muzzle, lifting his head, knowing that Joe would be grumbling to himself as he picked up the other end. Slowly but surely they got the animal into the front seat of her SUV; he was so massive he stretched the entire length of the seat, his head falling to her lap. Once she was situated in the driver's seat about to pull out, she shouted to Joe to call ahead to base and warn them. The wolf's breathing was shallow, but steady. She could feel it on her leg. It gave her a strange and disturbingly arousing feeling that she could only equate to a lover whispering sweet nothings into your ear. She knew she was crazy, but this was even far out for her. She never even had those feelings for anyone in her own species, and yet here she was thinking about a wolf like a school girl with a crush on the boy next door. A wave of relief flooded over her as she arrived at the preserve and found the crew ready to take the gorgeous animal away from her before she went completely lobo loco.
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