Overcompensation

The wolf took a step closer, his presence comforting, but Jessamyn shook her head. "I want to go home," she said. She choked on the words, the weight of her actions pressing down on her.

The wolf's eyes softened with empathy, and he gently nudged her hand with his nose. The luminous glow around him now turned dull.

 Jessamyn looked up, tears glistening in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered, more to herself than to the wolf. She rushed to wear her shoes.

The wolf followed her, his walk not as majestic as before. Yet, he said nothing and waited for her to get on.

Jessamyn's eyes clouded. It was as if a sudden doom descended on her heart, sinking her. She cried all the way back.

The return journey took longer. She was not holding onto the wolf tightly as she did before and maybe that was the reason the wolf moved slower, or it was her guilt weighing her down and as she expected the journey to end sooner, it stretched on.