The Wolf's Whisperer

Lumen

The wolf woke up after a few hours.

By the time it happened, I had run straight across the room and had already had my rifle prepared in case the wolf was violent, though I resented the idea.

I had a bowl with raw meat in my other hand. I was terrified out of my wit's end, but my determination to help the wolf to get better was stronger.

The wolf seemed confused and disoriented. It looked at the bandage wrapped around its wounded leg as if he couldn’t understand where it came from, and then the wolf glanced around, sniffing the air.

The wolf spotted me at once and growled warningly. I reached for the gun and tightened my grip on it, but I still bent forward a little, showing the wolf the bowl with the meat. The wolf stopped growling and fixed his eyes on me.

The wolf’s unusual hazel-colored eyes surprised me. I had never seen a wolf with eyes like that before, and I couldn’t come up with a satisfactory explanation of how such color was possible. I decided to ignore this fact for a while and took a step forward. The wolf growled again, baring its teeth. I stopped.

“Aren’t you hungry?” I asked the wolf in a soothing tone, much like how a mother would talk to a child, “Look, I have some food for you.” I showed the wolf the meat again, pushing it toward him.

The wolf eyed me, doubt and suspicion clear in those beautiful eyes.

“Hey,” I said softly, crouching while my eyes were still trained on the animal. I put the bowl on the floor. The wolf didn’t budge from his spot by the fireplace, so I reached into the bowl and took out a few pieces of the meat. In one smooth motion, I threw them across the room towards the wolf. I was precise; the meat landed right in front of the wolf. I felt terrible for throwing his food like that, but it seemed like the wolf didn’t trust me enough, so that was the only way.

The wolf didn’t even flinch. He looked at the meat, and while still watching me, he stretched his neck out towards it and ate the few pieces. When he successfully ate all of it, he raised his head and looked at me expectantly.

I felt warm and smiled, “Do you like it? Here, eat some more,” I threw a few more pieces to the wolf. The animal ate them instantly.

I allowed myself another move forward. The wolf plastered his ears to his head, and a deep growl, a clear warning, reverberated in the room. I stopped again, not wanting to make the creature any more uncomfortable. The wolf obviously didn’t trust me. I smiled inwardly. Well, it was normal behavior for wolves, wasn’t it?

“Shhh,”  I said. “Look, I have more food for you here.” I showed the wolf a handful of raw meat. The wolf didn’t stop growling this time. I sighed. “I don’t wanna shoot you. I’d rather let you go, but don’t kill me, please.” I said and made a step towards the door. The wolf obviously didn’t understand and growled even more as I moved.

“It’s okay, you can go,” I said quickly and pointed at the door. The wolf raised his ears and leaned his head to the side. I was at the door in one long stride, and I opened it as quickly as possible. Then I backed from it far enough for the animal not to feel in danger if it decided to leave.

The coldness from the outside streamed in immediately, and to my surprise, the wolf put his head between his front paws, still watching me but not moving from the warm spot in front of the fireplace.

I smiled again and said, “I know, it’s cold out there. It’s better to stay inside. Good choice.” I offered the wolf more meat while making another step forward. The wolf lifted his head but didn’t growl this time. He sniffed at his bandage, and I took that as my cue to change it, seeing that the blood had begun to seep out of it.

I nodded. “Yeah, my work,” I said, and it seemed the wolf understood because he didn’t growl when I made a new step forward. I outstretched my hand with the meat towards the beast while I was still holding the rifle. The wolf ignored the offered food; he was eyeing the gun instead.

I bit my lip. Could it be possible that the wolf knew what it was and was afraid of the gun?

I knew that this was just another madness, and if Val had known, he would not only have called me names but sent me directly to the nearest mental hospital. Yet, there was something in the wolf’s eyes that told me that if the wolf felt safe, he would probably let me come closer.

I set the gun on the floor carefully, eyeing the animal. The wolf was watching me closely, but when I shifted a bit closer again, he didn’t growl. It looked like he was expecting me to offer the meat again.

He let me get close enough to be almost at an arm’s length from him. Then he growled quietly, letting the scientist know that this distance was enough. I understood instantly and dropped the meat on the floor. The wolf didn’t start eating unless I backed away a little. Only then did he take the pieces of meat. I looked into the half-empty bowl and took a new handful, doing the same as a while ago. The wolf didn’t growl anymore, he was eating, and when the meat was gone, he licked his muzzle, still eyeing me, who smiled at the wolf—trying to be as unthreatening as possible.

“Aren’t you thirsty?” I asked, and slowly I backed to the still-open door to close it and then disappeared into the kitchen again.