Page 7 of Entering a New World

“Water!” I shouted, tears pooling in my eyes. “You really showed me where to find water!”

Heading closer to the edge of the lake, I felt my legs shaking, exhaustion settling into my bones. I’d been awake since five AM and damn, I was thirsty as hell.

Dropping my backpack next to me, I went to my knees and pulled out the water bottles, then proceeded to fill both of them to the brim. The water was so clear it looked like regular drinking water I might buy in a store. I just hoped it didn’t have any bacteria in it. Bacteria were small enough to be undetectable.

Raising a bottle to my lips, I sighed as the icy cold water hit my tongue. I drank a big gulp, a second one, then a third one, until the dry feeling was washed away. The water tasted like heaven. Taking a fourth sip, I let my head fall back and stared at the canopy above me. Dark greens were mixed with bare branches, and yellow, brown, and reddish leaves. The sky above was a light grey, announcing the fast-approaching nightfall.

“Thank you, Wolfie,” I said upon turning around to my strange companion. I smiled, raising my bottle at him. “I don’t know how you knew what I was saying, but… thank you.”

I wanted to hug the damn thing again. It was like a pull deep inside my chest, urging me to seek the wolf, to leave the shore of the lake and head over to where the wolf was patiently waiting.

“I’ll just fill up the bottle again, and then… do you know of a place for me to stay? Please say yes.”

The wolf yipped in what I hoped was affirmation and kept watching me like… like a wolf eyeing his prey. Just without the about-to-kill-and-eat bit.

I hurried along, following him back to the thick underbrush we’d just walked through.

Not gonna lie, but my heart sank a little at the prospect of having to walk all the way back through that utter hell of tugging twigs and thorns. Fortunately, the wolf took a turn to the right and trotted along the edge of the bushes. I sighed in relief, as walking over the almost bouncy forest floor was so much more comfortable than trudging through the never-ending sea of man-high bushes. Not even the thick roots crossing our path could deter me. Actually, it was quite the opposite; they helped me get up steep inclines, functioning as nature-given stairs.

Still, I hoped I wasn’t going to have to keep walking for much longer. The water might’ve helped to restore a bit of energy, but all the walking made my stomach growl in hunger because, of course, I hadn’t eaten anything today. Photoshoots didn’t turn out good if you were bloated, so fasting for a day it was—at least that’s what I’d heard and since I didn’t have any prior experience with modelling, I’d just followed that advice, thinking I’d reward myself with poutine or a pizza afterwards.

No matter where the wolf was leading me—that was if he was leading me anywhere—I had the strong feeling I wouldn’t get my poutine or pizza anytime soon.

The air grew colder and colder, and it felt like it was raining, while in reality it was just a very fine mist of sea water. The wind was blowing right at us. That probably meant we were heading back to the beach? I mean, the air definitely tasted more salty than it had at the lake.

Oh, I kinda wished I could’ve stayed there.

A yawn escaped as I made the descent down another small hill, my wolf patiently waiting for me at the bottom until I’d caught up to him.

Then he turned around and yipped. As weird and illogical and utterly crazy as it was, by now, I knew what this meant. He wanted to make me aware of something.

Turning my head, I studied the forest lying ahead of us. Thick trees, small trees, fallen trees and tons and tons of leaves and pine needles covered the floor. In the distance, I could see more of those fucking horrible brushes as well as… cabins.

I might’ve shouted a little in relief. Located to my left, there were a couple of small cabins. I started running. The exhaustion chased away by the prospect of people living in those cabins, of someone being able to help me get out of this fucking ridiculously impossible situation.

However, as I got closer, I realized the situation wasn’t quite as amazing as I’d hoped. Yes, there were cabins, but they didn’t look like someone was living in them. There was no glass left in the windows, green moss covering the outer wooden walls, and the steps to the first cabin looked rotten, like they might collapse as soon as I stepped onto them. Still, they were cabins.

I stopped as soon as I stood right in the middle of the small… settlement? If three cabins in the middle of nowhere could be called a settlement. Slowly spinning around in a circle, my chest filled with a mix of dread and relief. Dread because I still hadn’t found a way to get out of this situation, and relief because at least I’d have a roof over my head tonight.

The sky above had changed from a light grey to a very dark grey, reminding me that the day was almost over. Whatever I wanted to do about my stay here, I’d have to do it tomorrow. For tonight, I’d have to hope that no predator—other than my wolf— would visit me in one of the cabins.

Speaking of my wolf… I turned around to find him standing a couple of steps behind me, looking almost smug—which he had every right to be.

“I have no idea how you did this, but… thank you,” I said. “Again.” I snorted and gave into what some part of me was urging me to do ever since he’d shown me that lake. I ran towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck.

Insane, I knew, but I still did it. And it felt… good. Weirdly right. Which definitely wasn’t what I was supposed to be feeling upon hugging a wolf so big my arms barely reached around his neck.

“Thank you,” I whispered against his scratchy, coarse, but oh-so-warm fur. “Thank you so much.”

The wolf yipped again, but this time, I didn’t know what he wanted to tell me. You’re welcome?

He took a step back, and I reluctantly released him from my embrace.

He yipped again, then turned his head in the direction we’d been coming from. Another yip, another look to me, then back to the forest, and back to me again.

“Do you have to leave?” I asked, still not really expecting an answer. “Because you can, you know. I mean… I’ll definitely stay here for the night. Maybe tomorrow I can find a cabin that’s actually inhabited, but for tonight, this is perfect. So… thank you.”

My heart sank as the wolf actually started walking away, albeit slowly. He looked back at me a couple of times, but in the end, he started running and was gone within seconds.

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