An encounter on the mountain (1)

Emma felt a cold shiver run down her spine as she stared into those intense green eyes. Fear kept her rooted to the spot, and she was too scared to even breathe.

The wolf had now stepped all the way into the light, and the first rays of sunlight caught on its jet black fur, making it shimmer with green tinged highlights.

They both stood still and stared at eachother for what seemed like an eternity. Emma felt some of her fear dissipating. At least it hadn't attacked her, so maybe it was just curious. That didn't mean that it wasn't dangerous though.

With a deep breath, Emma dared to start moving backwards and slowly away from the wolf. She instinctively felt that turning around and running away was a bad idea.

Unfortunately, the movement trigger something for the moment she started moving so did the wolf. It paced towards her at a fast trot.

Seeing how fast it was closing in, fear got the better of Emma and she started moving quickly towards the trail.

Nervous about exposing her back to the wolf, she whipped her head back to keep it in her sights. This proved to be a huge mistake. With her focus on the wolf, she didn't pay enough attention to where she was going and her foot caught on a petruding root. She stumbled and felt her ankle twist, followed by a sharp jab of pain. Before she knew it, her torso hit the ground hard, arms and legs stretched out to each side.

"Ouch!"

Thinking that the wolf must be just behind, and might jump her at any second, she scrambled to her feet as fast as she could. But her ankle must be badly hurt because it buckled as she put pressure on it. Loosing her balance, she fell backwards onto her behind and hit the ground with a loud thump.

"Oh no no no no" she sobbed. She was screwed.

Shaking in fear and pain she lifted her eyes, and looked straight up into those brilliant green eyes.

The wolf was so large that even sitting, she had to tilt her head backwards to accomplish it. Emma gulped nervously. She couldn't help noticing the wolf's sharp white teeth. Was she about to be eaten by this terrifying beast?

The wolf looked down at her calmly, cocked its head sideways and let out a soft whine. Emma held her breath and didn't dare to move a muscle.

The wolf lowered its head and sniffed at her injured ankle, then looked up at her and whined again.

Emma frowned. Was that concern she saw in the wolf's eyes? Could canines feel concern?

As she looked into those green eyes more deeply, she suddenly felt her whole perception of the situation change. She no longer felt like she was looking into the eyes of a beast, but a conscious being.

With that shift in perception her fear vanished completely.

Furthermore, she felt a sudden strong sense of recognition as she studied the expression in those green eyes. Unexpectedly, her heart suddenly swelled with a complicated mixture of emotions she couldn't quite decipher. But her fear was completely gone, and she felt calm and collected.

The wolf had its head cocked to one side again, and she now felt it looked so adorable. She smiled cautiously at the creature.

"You scared me there, boy. Don't you know how huge and terrifying you look?"

She must be crazy, talking to a wolf like it could understand her. But she couldn't shake that strong feeling that he understood every word she said.