Gift of the Moon Goddess

Chapter Three

Thud...Thud...

Her head bobbed up over the bushes toward the center of the forest where she heard the noise. Thinking quickly, she ran towards the bank of the river.

She gathered mud scooping it into the front of her shirt and carried it like a sack back to where the wolf lay. She began to rub it onto branches making the shelter more secure. Back and forth she ran while making sure to coat herself as well to hide her scent.

After she had finally made a good enough shelter while also covering the wolf itself with mud to suffocate the scent of its blood she grabbed one big bunch of mulberry bushes and mints and laid it on the top of the heap.

The mint should help mask the scent of them both.

THUD

It was here.

She jumped inside with the wolf and covered the entrance. She had no choice but to snuggle the wolf, nestled between its front and hind legs. She had her knife at the ready, aimed at where its heart would be, in case it tried to maul her.

THUD…THUD…THUD…THUD

She couldn’t see a thing through the bushes as she lay there, hoping it would be on its way.

It moved again.

THUD…THUD…THUD

She heard a slurping sound. It must be drinking from the river she thought.

BOOM

It plopped itself there on the ground next to the river bank. She heard the water being splashed and clapping.

The monster was bathing, splashing water onto its bloodied face, taking the water in its mouth and spitting it back out.

She closed her eyes, she couldn’t keep her heart from pounding. Harder and harder, it seemed as though it would explode.

Just then, the wolf moved its front leg on top of her rib cage, exposing its chest to her. It nudged her head closer to its chest with its paw the size of her head until she could hear it’s heartbeat. She didn’t move. She stayed perfectly still, listening. Her heart began to slow. Her eyes still shut, she listened and she began to feel calm and at ease.

She was intoxicated by the smell of mint which seemed to be radiating from the wolf’s matted fur instead of the bushes around them.

Still they remained, not moving a muscle. She began to feel the tingling sensation again, like little sparks, all through her body where she lay hugging the wolf. She breathed in and smelt the wonderful mint over and over.

Countless times she visited those mulberry bushes intertwined with mint like vines they grew together. She had sat and picked the berries placing them in jars as she closed her eyes and imagined herself in a faraway land where there was never danger and food was plentiful. She could sleep in peace never fearing for her life. She could swim in a grand lake for hours and sunbathe at the bank.

The beating of her heart had now been beating in rhythm with the wolf. She could feel the pulsating of its blood as it traveled through its veins throughout its vast body. She could feel the beast's hot breath on her head, but she dared not look up.

The monster outside showed no signs of leaving, as it lay down to sunbathe. It fell asleep and began to snore so loudly it shook the forest.

It wasn’t until night fell that the monster retreated, probably to find dinner, leaving the wolf and the girl alone in a makeshift shelter. She had been too scared to sleep whilst the creature remained just a few feet away, but she now felt overwhelmed with exhaustion, her eyelids heavy.

The wolf had not moved a muscle even though the creature had left so she felt it would be ok to rest as well.

Fast asleep she fell and the wolf remained awake. Lifting its head a bit, it looked down at the little body nestled in its chest covered in hardened mud. Its eyes gleamed at her.

She had come to kill it, but something compelled her to save it instead. She smelled like freshly baked bread just pulled from the oven.

The wolf could recall eating the bread provided by its mother as a pup. The wolf felt this immense energy, like the pull of a magnet to her. As she lay beside it, the wolf could feel tiny sparks emanating from the parts of its skin that met hers. It was intoxicating.

The wolf felt as if it had been drugged, too weak to move, but so lost in euphoria. The wolf had to know who she was and where she came from.

It grew dark around them as they continued late into the night. The moon was full and flooded the forest with its light. The wolf could feel the power of the moon, but he also felt something else.

It grew brighter inside the shelter. It thought for a moment that the bushes had come undone and they were now exposed to the moons penetrating light, but this was not the case. They still lay under the safety of the shelter, but were now engulfed in this blue hue.

The wolf looked down at the little human. The light was coming from her.