Human

By Katie Hanna

I smell the humans before I see them.

Their oily scent mixes with the sharp freshness of wet snow. I catch a whiff of woodsmoke and the faint crackle of a campfire.

My hackles rise. I growl deep in my throat. My wolf pups are asleep in their den a safe distance from here, but I still don’t like humans invading my territory. What if they venture farther into the forest? My pups could be in danger.

It’s time to investigate. I pad along soundlessly, following the musky scent.

Pine trees grow thick along the ridge, blocking my view of the shallow ravine below. That’s where the human scent is coming from. The crackling flames grow louder as I approach, along with a murmur of voices. The first is gruff and wary, the second younger and higher-pitched.

That’s a bad sign. Humans with cubs to protect are apt to be reckless, even violent.

A gap opens in the dense woods, and I spot the intruders. An adult female sits cross-legged on a fallen log, the campfire flickering on her weathered face. A young, scrawny male huddles beside her, warming his hands over the fierce blaze.

They shiver in their thin jackets and trousers. Judging by their clothing, not to mention the heavy guns strapped to their shoulders, these must be soldiers. Hunters and woodsmen always dress more warmly before entering the forest.

Studying their outfits, I notice something else odd. The woman’s uniform is brown, while the boy’s is blue. Like wolves, soldiers cluster in packs, and their colors signal their loyalties. If they’re not from the same pack, why would these two soldiers share a campfire?

The woman shifts, prodding the coals. Firelight gleams on her gun barrel. I growl softly, baring my teeth. It doesn’t matter why these soldiers have chosen to mingle across pack lines. They have invaded my territory. Ventured too close to my sleeping pups. They will pay the price.

I slip between the pine trees like a shadow. I can’t let the soldiers see me until the last possible moment. Surprise is crucial when facing humans armed with guns. I keep an eye on them through the gaps in the trees. My ears are cocked to catch their words, too, though I understand little of human speech.

“Are we safe here, Rahel?” The male child’s voice trembles, though he tries to hold it steady. He seems too young to be a soldier.

“Safe enough for now.” The woman grimaces, her slumped shoulders betraying her weariness. “Keep your guard up, Altan.”

Exhausted as they are, I may not need to kill them. The sight of a wolf may be enough to send them fleeing.

The trees give way to a shallow slope, littered with rocks and smeared with muddy snow. I poise myself at the opening, ready to leap. My belly hugs the ground. My muscles coil in taut anticipation—

Another human bursts from the trees at the other end of the ravine.

An adult male, big and hulking as an angry bear, wearing the same brown uniform as the woman. But he points his gun at her, shouting a word I don’t recognize.

“Traitor!” His bellow echoes like a peal of thunder. “Traitor!”

Quicker than lightning, the female soldier thrusts the boy behind the fallen log. She throws herself on top of him, shielding him with her body. The muzzle of her weapon peeks over the log, and the stillness explodes into gunfire.

The man returns her shots. The loud cracks deafen me like ice splitting in the springtime.

I should slink into the shadows. Let the humans destroy each other, eliminating the threat. But if the boy and the woman die while the man survives…

He is willing to kill a cub of his own kind.

What might he do to my pups?

With a savage growl, I gather my limbs and spring. I hurtle through the air, the snowy ground a blur beneath me. When my paws hit the wet earth, I bound forward, barking furiously.

The man’s gaze swivels to me. His ruddy cheeks drain white.

I charge toward him like an unswerving bullet.

His shout is slurred with fear, but this time, it’s a word I know. “Wolf!”

He swings his gun barrel away from the woman to point it at me. But before he can fire, another crack rings out. The man topples forward, falling on his face.

As I expected, the woman took advantage of my disruption to deliver the fatal shot.

I dash past her, my paws churning the snow. I’ve lost the advantage of surprise. My only hope is to cross the ravine and reach the cover of the trees before she decides to shoot me, too. Every muscle strains to reach my goal. My lungs burn—my flanks heave—

But no gunshot shatters the silence as I run.

At last, I dive between the trees. The welcome darkness of the woods embraces me. I skid to a halt behind a gnarled pine trunk, panting for breath. When the stillness remains unbroken, I risk a glance into the clearing.

The woman tugs the boy to a sitting position. Her palm brushes the snow from his cheek, the same way I might lick dirt from my pups’ faces.

“He’s dead, Altan.” Her gruff voice wavers a little. “The wolf saved us.”

She spots me watching from the shadows. Our eyes lock. Slowly, deliberately, she slips her gun from her shoulder and lays it down in the snow.

Human language may be a mystery to me, but her message is clear. I respect you.

I lower my head a fraction, allowing my tail to droop slightly. Likewise.

We’re not the same, but maybe we can exist side by side… she protecting her family, and I protecting mine. Time will tell.

I turn and slip into the forest, trotting homeward to my pups.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie Hanna is a writer in her spare time and a Hufflepunk all the time.  She has a Master’s degree in history from the University of Memphis, and puts it to work writing historical fiction and historical fantasy.  Katie likes strong women in her adventure stories and Oreos in her ice cream.

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