Page 106 of The Lone Wolf Café
I breathed slowly, methodically, as if I were meditating. I was desperate to be calm, transmitting nothing but happy, gentle thoughts into the wolf’s mind.
But despite my best efforts, I couldn’t calm myself. My heart was thumping like a drum, my legs were shaking, and the palm against the wolf’s forehead was clammy with sweat. I knew adrenaline was surging through my body like a roller coaster, and it would take a lot more than just some deep breathing to slow it down.
That was the part of this whole mission that scared me the most. I was on top of a massive wolf’s back, trying not to getthrown off and end up clenched in those hungry jaws, while both my own fate and the fate of the entire village rested on my shoulders.
How could I possibly be calm?
I felt the wolf’s shoulder muscles shift beneath my thighs, and the murmur of the surrounding witches grew from concern into panic. I tightened my grip on the wolf’s head, desperate to not lose control.
Please. Calm. Calm down.
But it was no use. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t send soothing thoughts into Big Red’s mind. Instead, the wolf felt my fear and anxiety, which exacerbated their stress from being restrained. Big Red’s agitation grew, snowballing out of control until they were in a full-on rage.
There was a loud scream of panic from one of the other witches, and the sound of ripping roots crackled through the air.
Big Red was breaking free.
In the midst of my struggle to hold onto the wolf’s shifting back, I spared a quick glance over at Rowena. She was frantically trying to re-summon the vines, her arms waving wildly with her fingers flexed into claws. But it was no use. Every time new vines wove around Big Red’s legs, they snapped before they could grow large enough to immobilize the wolf.
All the other witches were scrambling out of the way, preparing for Big Red’s inevitable escape.
But Rowena wasn’t. She remained locked in place, desperately trying to re-summon the vines even with Big Red nearly free.
I knew she wouldn’t stop. Even once it was too late.
”Please, Rowena!” I shouted, though I wasn’t sure if she could hear me over the chaos. “Run!”
A final, horrific ripping sound, as if Big Red were tearing apart the earth itself, was the last thing I remembered before the giant wolf lurched forward.
Right toward Rowena, who was still desperately trying to recast her vines.
Oh no you don’t.I removed my hand from the top of Big Red’s head, curled both hands around the scruff of their neck, and pulled with all my might.
The wolf let out a panicked howl, tossing its head and stomping in place as it tried to fight off my grip. I pulled even harder, determined to get the wolf away from Rowena, and the big red beast reared up on two paws.
The witches shrieked, scattering like panicked ants amidst the dark field. I fought back a yelp as I leaned forward, pressing my torso flat against the wolf’s back. I clung even tighter to their neck scruff, squeezing my thighs as firmly as I could around their belly.
I wouldnotfall off.
But with Big Red now free, getting me off their back was their top priority. I continued tugging on the wolf’s neck every time they bolted toward the panicking witches, forcing their head back and making them even more agitated.
Deep down, I could feel my heart sinking.
This wasn’t working. I was supposed to be calming Big Red down, not sending them into a rampage. But I couldn’t dwell on it. Right now, my focus was solely on getting Big Red away from the rest of the witches.
I feared them getting hurt.
But mainly, I feared them being bitten. A single fang puncturing their skin would be enough to turn them. Shattering their world forever.
Big Red eventually got tired of me pulling on their neck, and they began spinning and bucking and lurching like a rodeo bull, desperate to throw me off their back. I dug my fingers into the wolf’s fur until they ached, and gripped my thighs around the wolf’s belly until they burned.
I am going to be ungodly sore after this.
But at least now, Big Red’s attention wasn’t on the other witches. The wolf howled and spun and kicked its legs into the air, its frenzy giving the witches plenty of time to run to safety. Including Rowena, who was crouched behind a hay bale. I could barely see her face, but I could tell from her tense, desperate posture how much she wished she could help me. I knew she felt hopeless.
Finally, Big Red paused and turned around, giving me a second to readjust my grip. My muscles screamed in relief at the brief respite.
But then the wolf took off again, this time bolting as fast as they could across the pumpkin patch. I desperately hung on, my torso flailing rhythmically with the wolf’s galloping strides. Behind me, I could see the other witches getting further and further away.
