Its warm wet breath was melting my frozen nose and cheeks. It was just standing there, its dark brown eyes motionlessly staring into mine, assessing. No matter how stiff my legs were from the cold, they got frozen solid to the ground. I didn’t allow myself to take another breath. Either the wolf was blind and lost its sense of smell, so it had no idea I was standing in front of it, or it was assessing the best way to tear me apart to satiate its hunger.
Its white fur was blending with the snow. Such white snow, almost void of any footprints except mine and the beast’s. It let out a deep breath, as if wanting to warm me up. Nobody would want to eat something completely frozen to the bone in such a cold. Not even a wolf like this one.
It kept staring at me, its head now a bit tilted to the side. Maybe it thought it would be a shame to paint such a pristine color with my blood. It took a step forward.
I winced. Please don’t. I don’t want to be dead, even if it is a dream. Another deep exhale warmed me down to my icy bones, giving me at least a bit of warmth.
Something rustled in the bushes nearby, the wolf whipped its head there instantly. I darted. I twisted on my feet as quickly as I could and I darted away. I made my numb legs run, the chill and sudden rush of warm blood making them burn and itch. My lungs were burning with the abrupt influx of freezing air. All my instincts kept screaming at me to run as fast and far as I still could.
I passed a few birch trees, finally treading deeper into the forest, the snow now only up to my ankles. I didn’t dare turn back. The beast would have me within a few leaps if it tried hard enough.
The coughing made me stop. My lungs were giving up the flight. Coughing like my life depended on it, I turned around. The white birch trees and snow resting among them didn’t show any other movement. The air was only filled with my coughs and the mist escaping my lips.
Did I lose him? Did I really manage to run away from it?
I slumped against a smaller tree’s trunk to catch my breath. This was really a horribly long vivid dream. I just needed to wake up soon.
A chill slithered down my spine, warning me, telling me to gather the remaining strength and get on my way again. But that white fur, which I wouldn’t forget for a long time, flashed through the trees in front of me. I could run back. I turned but a rusty brown fur was creeping closer as well.
So it had a friend. My throat bobbed. Who knew how many others there were, how many others were waiting to feast on my numb body. Even if this was supposed to be a dream, a tiny voice deep down inside of me kept whispering, what if this was real?
My nails dug into the bark of the birch tree, reminding me I could feel pain here too. The heart beating in my throat and ears wasn’t getting any calmer.
Snow scrunched close to me. I whipped my head around just to see a man calmly walking towards me, his hands leisurely in his pockets. A person. Finally, a person. My tensed heart almost melted at the thought of another person near me, in this forest filled with wolves. His white hair was the same pure pristine white as the snow.
Only when he approached close enough to me did I realize he wasn’t wearing any proper warm winter clothes. How was he not freezing in this cold?
I breathed the air into my hands in hopes of warming them up, but my body was just too cold. The man stopped a few steps from me, quietly staring at me. Or was he worse than the wolves? Was he a worse beast than them? The thought of another fellow human here reassured me that there was a way out, yet why didn’t I feel any safer? He quietly stood there, watching every small heave of my chest, every tiny movement, like a hunter watching his prey.
He took a step closer. My back hit the tree.
He sighed almost in annoyance, forming a misty cloud around his mouth, as his hand combed through his messy hair. “Who are you?” He asked me with a cold bite in his voice. His eyes whipped at me from the snow next to his feet.
“W-What do you mean, who I am? Who are YOU? Look at… What… Wolf, person, WHERE…” The words coming out of my mouth were not making any sense anymore. The rusty brown wolf stealthily appeared behind him. And he probably didn’t even realize it. I pointed to it, but the man didn’t even turn his head around to look at it.
“Just give me your name.” The cold annoyance in his tone sent even more chill through my body. His direct stare filled with contempt screamed danger. The corners of his lips sagged as he was growing impatient, so I quickly answered, “Zoele Chamberwood.”
A chuckle came from behind his back. “Chamberwood? Does she put the wood in the hearths? Who could ever think of such a name?!” Another man showed up, almost rising from the white-haired shadow.
“QUIET.” The chilly retort made him shut up and take a few more steps away from the dark. He wasn’t wearing any top, just similar brown pants as the one still pinning me down with his stare.
“Zoele, what are you doing here?” He asked carefully, knowing that he spoke to turn my attention away from that half-naked one with rusty brown hair. They had a secret which they didn’t want me to find out. Were they aliens? How could they keep warm in this freezing cold without almost any clothes on?
He cleared his throat, bringing my stare back to him.
“What are you doing here, Zoele Chamberwood?” He repeated, this time using my full name.
“Here? Where exactly is here?”