Twisted Wolf : Chris

I woke up in a forest. The moonlight burned my eyes. A headache struck my head like a car crash. "What the hell?" I asked to myself as I put my hand against my forehead. But something was wrong. My hand was not a hand. My hand was a wolf paw. "Oh god," I muttered as I stood up on all fours. "Samuel?" Someone asked from a few yards to my left. "No," I answered as I turned in the direction of the voice. A wolf stood a few yards away, looking at me with interest. The wolf was a calm gray color. "Then who are you?" The wolf asked me. "My name is..." I stammered. I couldn't remember my own name. "Chris," I lied. "Well hello then, Chris. My name is Isaac," The wolf said as he walked over to me. "Who's Samuel?" I asked. "Umm... That's personal business," Isaac stammered. Isaac sat down and tilted his head, eyeing me with immense curiosity. "I've never seen you before, Chris," Isaac said, looking up and down my wolf body. "I'm..." I stammered. "New? Migrating?" Isaac asked. "Yeah, that second one," I muttered.
"Isaac!" Someone yelled. "Who is that?" I asked. Isaac turned towards the voice. A wolf came in at the edge of the forest. The new wolf had a sandy brown coat, which matched the color of the wolf's eyes. "Hello Isaac," The new wolf said blissfully. "Hello Gabriel," Isaac responded, stepping back, next to me. "Who is this?" Gabriel asked, walking over to me and Isaac, until he stood a mere six feet away. "Chris," Isaac said. "Is he your new..." Gabriel started. I could sense Isaac tense up. "Boyfriend?" Gabriel finished. The air was tense and seemed to be anticipating a fight. "What?" I asked, confused. "Yes. Now, can you leave us alone?" Isaac answered. "Okay, I'll leave you two alone," Gabriel responded before sulking off.
"What the hell is going on?" I yelled when Gabriel was out of earshot. "Yeah... So anyway... I'm..." Isaac stammered. "You don't even have to say it. What I want to know is what the hell is going on and what Gabriel has to do with it," I demanded. "Okay. Gabriel was... An old... Boyfriend of mine. We were together for around two years. Then... Samuel appeared out of nowhere, like you, Chris... And then I found out that Samuel was... Like me... So I left Gabriel for Samuel... And Samuel disappeared. So now Gabriel hates me and Samuel is..." Isaac explained. "What did Samuel look like?" I asked, sitting down and turning towards Isaac. "He looked exactly like you, except with a different eye color," Isaac answered, sitting down and looking at his paws with despair. "Well, you know what? I will help you find him. But just remember that I will never kiss you, no matter what," I said. Somewhere far off, a rooster signaled the morning. A few rays of sunlight came through the trees behind Isaac, making him look like a wolf-angel. I turned away when I realized I was staring. "Really?" Isaac asked, looking up from his paws. "Yes. I promise," I answered.
Isaac and I searched until high noon. The only thing we found was someone who knew where Samuel had left for. "Samuel? He left for Toronto," The wolf had told us. Isaac and I sat in the middle of a clearing, eating some deer we had caught. "That was... Great," I said when I finished the deer. "What? You haven't had deer before?" Isaac asked. "N... Err... Yes," I answered, acting like I've always been a wolf. I stood up, and Isaac stood up and walked over to me. "It's at least 300 miles to Toronto, so if we don't start walking, it will take forever," I said as I walked to the edge of the clearing. Isaac walked over to me and we walked into the forest. Isaac and I walked until the moon was beginning to rise. "Isaac. We need to stop and rest," I said, exhausted from walking all day. Isaac nodded and slumped down on the ground, his head resting on his front paws. "Goodnight Isaac," I whispered before laying down, my legs laying in front of me.
Isaac woke me up, licking my front left paw. "Good morning Chris," Isaac said, looking at me with interest. A beam of sun allowed me to finally get a good look at Isaac. His eyes were emerald green, and a small gray scar ran down the left part of his snout. I blinked and stood up. "Let's go," I said as I started walking. Isaac ran and caught up. "So... Anything I need to know about?" Isaac asked, walking beside me. "Like what?" I asked in response. "Well... Please don't think that I was watching you while you slept or anything creepy like that, but in your sleep, you muttered Isaac, and you were smiling," Isaac answered. I couldn't respond. I had never really decided to be straight or gay, to be just bisexual, but Isaac was changing me. I shook my head and started walking along the path, my tail between my legs. "Chris?" Isaac said as he jogged to catch up to me. "It's okay. I don't mind," Isaac said when he caught up, referring to the talking in my sleep. We walked in silence until lunch.
"We'll never make it at the speed we're going," I mutter after finishing my lunch. "At the speed and direction we're going, Samuel would have to pass us if he wanted to go anywhere than where he already is," Isaac mutters back, tracing a path with one of his claws in the dirt. We didn't talk much as we continued walking along the path. The air was still tense from me and Isaac's conversation. There was a rustling in a bush behind us and I suddenly got the feeling that we were being followed. I turned around to look behind me, letting Isaac leave my sight for a second. I heard Isaac yelp and whipped my head around. Gabriel stood in front of me and Isaac. "Hello," Gabriel chuckled ominously. "You've been following us?" I yelled at him. Isaac stepped towards Gabriel and snapped his jaw. I realized Isaac was protecting me. This made me swell with emotion. I ran forward and jumped on Gabriel. We tumbled around, me biting him and him biting me back. We broke apart and Isaac stepped in between us, his back towards me. "Back off!" Isaac screamed at Gabriel. Gabriel got ready to attack, but appeared to change his mind. Gabriel ran off into the forest, his tail between his legs.
I grunted with pain as Isaac licked the wound on my leg. "Why did you do that?" I asked as he stood back to asses the wound better. "What?" Isaac asks back, even though I know he knows what I'm talking about. "Protecting me," I answer. "Answer me this first. Why did you attack Gabriel?" Isaac says, dodging my question. "Because I find him annoying. And... I wanted to protect you," I said, my voice dropping at the end.  "What?" Isaac says, even though I know he heard me. "I wanted to protect you," I said, louder this time. Isaac smiled and shook his head. The full moon was high in the sky, it's brightness seeming to focus on me and Isaac. The pain of the wounds on my legs seemed to disappear as sleep overcomes me.
I woke up in the middle of the night to the sight of Isaac, howling at the moon. "Isaac?" I asked, standing up. "Chris," Isaac responded, startled. "Tell me more about Samuel," I told him. Isaac walked over to my side and sat down. "He was... My perfect match, the apple of my eye, the path I wanted to follow for the rest of my life," Isaac said, his tone filled with sorrow. "You appeared about three days after he left. Samuel, he left without a trace, disappearing as if he was never here in the first place. He had eyes that were the most startling purple, and his coat was the same color as yours. That's what... Set me on you," Isaac said, tears coming to his eyes. I was speechless. Isaac looked me directly in the eyes before walking off and laying down. I sat there, speechless, until Isaac's steady breath calmed me down. "Isaac... Samuel," I muttered before laying down. I let exhaustion overtake me and fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke up before Isaac. I stood up and walked over to Isaac. "Isaac," I whisper into Isaac's ear. Isaac is standing up immediately. "Come on, we're almost there," I said, and me and Isaac started walking. The sun was right above us when we stopped by a stream to eat. "Isaac, tell me more about your home," I said as we ate salmon. "Well, I have three brothers, Clint, Israel, and Jacob," Isaac said between bites. "And what happened between you and Gabriel?" I asked as Isaac finished his salmon. "I don't trust you enough to tell you that," Isaac said, his face turning dark.
We continued in silence until we reached a meadow. Isaac walked into the meadow and laid down with a sigh. Some rays from the sunset were coming through the foliage that surrounded the meadow, giving it a peaceful, almost loving look. I walked over and laid next to Isaac. "Chris?" Isaac asked as I laid down a mere yard away from him. "Yes Isaac?" I responded. "If Samuel isn't in Toronto, where will we go?" Isaac asked, lifting his head to get a clear look at my face. "He'll be there," I assured, and somehow, I knew Samuel was in Toronto. Isaac laid his head back down on the grass and I could see him fall asleep. I fell asleep as well, my breathing in exact synchronization with Isaac's.
I woke up on fire. The meadow burned around me. I turned and ran. I reached a river and jumped right into it. The fires disappeared and I climbed out of the river, exhausted. "Isaac," I gasped before sprinting back to the meadow. I ran over to Isaac, coughing as the smoke invaded my lungs. "You came back for me," Isaac gasped between coughs. "Yes," I responded. Isaac coughed and fell down. I wanted to yell his name, but I knew if I did, I wouldn't be able to breathe again. I bit into his tail and slowly dragged him away from the fire. This felt like it took a whole day, but it only took three minutes to get Isaac to a safe place where we could breathe. "Isaac?" I yelled when we were safely away from the fire. My voice came out as a raspy whisper. "Isaac?" I coughed before passing out from exhaustion.
"Chris?" Someone said near me. "Isaac?" I muttered as my eyes opened up. "What happened?" I asked as I stood up. "You saved my life," Isaac answered as he walked away. I ran and caught up. Isaac had walked to the meadow. "Forest fire," I remarked as I walked into the remains of the meadow. Someone chuckled behind me. I turned around, and was knocked across the meadow. Ash coated me when I stood up to face my attacker. Gabriel stood where I had been standing. I watched as Isaac jumped at Gabriel. Gabriel knocked Isaac aside. Isaac hit a tree and slumped to the ground. I gasped and turned to face Gabriel. I waited for Gabriel to move, interpreting his movements, while he waited for me to move. Isaac moaned, distracting Gabriel for a second. I attacked.
I bit into Gabriel's neck, tasting blood. Gabriel yelped in pain and shook me off. I was sent flying, colliding with the nearest tree. The wind was knocked out of me, but I held on to consciousness. I stood up on wobbly legs. Gabriel's neck was bleeding excessively, but he didn't seem to notice. I could hardly breathe, but I stepped forward and growled at Gabriel. Behind Gabriel, I saw Isaac stand up. "Go!" I exclaimed as me and Isaac attacked Gabriel. Isaac bit into Gabriel's back and I bit Gabriel's neck. Gabriel fell with a thud. Isaac and I let go and stepped back to assess the damage. Gabriel moaned, showing he was still alive. I looked at Isaac and he shook his head. Isaac got water while I scavenged for food. I caught three rabbits and walked back to the meadow. Then, Isaac and I dragged Gabriel to the river Isaac had found. At least three hours passed until Gabriel stirred. Gabriel's eyes snapped open. "What the hell?" Gabriel asked. Gabriel looked at me, then Isaac, the two people that had just almost killed him. "Good morning," Isaac said, his head tilting. "No," Gabriel muttered, backing away. He turned and ran like his life depended on it. "Chris, you might want to wash your fur," Isaac said, and I realized my fur was coated with ash. I jumped into the creek and dunked my head under. The ash washed out as soon as the water came in contact with it. I walked out of the creek to see Isaac eating one of the three rabbits I had caught. I waited and watched him eat. He looked calm, peaceful. Then I noticed a sort of necklace around his neck. The necklace was made of a rough rope, and a strange tooth was tied to it. "What's that?" I asked as I walked over to Isaac. "My necklace? I'll tell you at night," Isaac answered.
The sun showed that it was about dinner time. I sat down next to Isaac and bit into one of the rabbits. "Chris?" Isaac asked. "Isaac?" I responded. "Why did you come back for me?" Isaac asked, and I knew he was talking about the forest fire. I  didn't have an answer. Isaac shook his head and laid down.
I woke up in the middle of the night, remembering Isaac's promise. "Isaac," I whispered. Isaac clearly remembered too. He was standing, his necklace shining slightly in the moonlight. "Samuel gave me the necklace, the day before he left. He claimed it was a shark tooth, but I didn't believe him. Samuel had always said he was a traveler, looking for 'the greater good,' something he believed in with his whole heart. He said the necklace was a souvenir he had found on a beach during his travels," Isaac explained. Isaac walked over to me and laid down next to me. "Chris," Isaac said. "What?" I responded, breathing slowly. "Why did you agree to look for Samuel with me?" Isaac asked. "I... Felt sympathetic for you, and I hadn't known anyone, so I preferred someone I had met and found friendly over a bunch of wolves I had never met before," I answered. Isaac sighed and turned over, so his back was facing me. I didn't move until Isaac's steady breathing calmed me to sleep.
I woke up first. I stood up and shook myself, waking up in an instant. I walked over to the creek and got a drink. I returned to Isaac and found a wolf looking at Isaac's necklace with particular interest. "Hey! Back off!" I growled as I ran to Isaac's side. The wolf looked at me and turned back to Isaac's necklace. Isaac woke up and looked up at the wolf looking at his necklace. Isaac stood up and walked over to me. "That is... One of Samuel's friends, an adventurer," Isaac explained. The wolf nodded. "Mute?" Isaac asked. The wolf nodded. I noticed the necklace around the wolf's neck. It was the same as Isaac's, except the tooth was bigger. "So, Mute, are you a friend of Samuel's?" I asked, sitting down. Mute nodded and sat down. I looked into Mute's eyes and saw that they were a soft, gray color, not rough like Isaac's. "Mute? Are you a girl?" I asked. Mute nodded.
Isaac talked with Mute while I observed. I pondered over every section of her face, from her soft, sterling silver eyes to her perfect ears, ending with her snout, which had a light red scar that was on the left side. I looked over at Isaac and saw that he looked similar, silver eyes, perfect ears, except Isaac's scar was on his right side. Mute's pelt was a light orange tone, while Isaac's was a light brown. The resemblance was uncanny. I shook my head and stood up. "I'll get food," I said as I jogged off into the forest. "Hello Chris," Someone whispered into my ear. I yelped out in pain as I was knocked into a tree. Gabriel towered over me, his body blocking my view of the sun. I screamed as Gabriel bit into my leg. Isaac came running into the forest, emerging to my left. Mute came running out on my right. "Who is this pretty specimen?" Gabriel asked, sweeping Mute's feet from under her. "Gabriel, you are scum," Isaac said, sounding bigger and stronger than he actually was. Gabriel chuckled. I looked to my right for Mute, but she was gone. "Me and Chris took you down once!" Isaac exclaimed, and I knew what he and Mute were doing. Mute attacked, biting into Gabriel's leg. Gabriel yelped as Isaac leaped forward and bit into Gabriel's neck. Gabriel shook them off and turned around. Gabriel shot off into the forest, his tail between his legs. I grinned before passing out.
I woke up with Mute looking at my hurt leg. "Is it broken?" I asked. Mute nodded. I groaned. Out of nowhere, Mute kissed me. I was shocked. Mute pulled away and licked my broken paw. Mute walked away as I looked around me for Isaac. "Where's Isaac?" I asked, but Mute was gone. I was alone for five or ten minutes before Isaac walked in. "Hello Chris," Isaac said, cheerful and blissfully ignorant of me and Mute's kiss. Isaac sat down and his necklace shined. "Isaac, you and Mute probably saved my life," I said. "I returned the favor. You saved my life, twice. I was returning the favor. As for Mute, I have no idea what goes on in her head," Isaac responded. Mute walked in, Salmon in her mouth. She walked over and dropped one fish next to me, and dropped one next to Isaac. She sat down and nibbled on her own salmon. I bit into the salmon, and it tasted amazing. Isaac gobbled his down and laid down. His eyes closed as he drifted off to sleep. "Mute, thank you," I said as I finished off my salmon. Mute walked over, kissed me, and laid down next to me and Isaac. "Goodnight," I whispered as I drifted off to sleep.
The first thing I saw when I woke up was Mute's soft, gray eyes. I smiled as she stood up. Isaac shivered before opening his eyes. Mute bent over and licked my wounded paw as Isaac stood up. "Can you walk now Chris?" Isaac asked politely. I stood up and limped around in a circle. "I can, but slowly," I answered. Mute nodded and we walked away.
Our small pack walked at a slow pace, and by noon, we had reached a mountain. "How far are we?" I asked as there was a crack of thunder. Dark gray clouds covered the sky. Isaac, Mute and I found a cave and entered it as it started raining heavily. Isaac muttered something as he shook himself dry. Mute walked off on her own. I sighed and laid down on the ground. Isaac sat down and played with his necklace. After twenty minutes, Mute came over to me. She nudged me with her nose, and I stood up. Mute and I walked over to her little area. She had written a short poem on the ground. It said:
To this day you've stole my heart
Forever is a long time
But I wouldn't mind spending it with you
When I lay down to sleep
I pray my heart you keep
I was shocked. I turned to Mute and silently thanked her. Mute nodded and walked back to Isaac. I read the poem one more time before walking over to Isaac also.
Isaac had done some thinking while Mute was showing me her poem. "No dinner tonight, and, just looking at the storm, no breakfast," Isaac stated, looking out into the rain. Mute nodded and sat down. I sat down next to her, our backs touching slightly. "Hey, is something going on with you two?" Isaac asked, looking at me and Mute. I turned and looked at Mute, and she shook her head. "No," I answered. "At least, not yet," I whispered into Mute's ear. "Oh, I get it, you guys are cold," Isaac responded, but I could tell he knew. I looked out into the storm and saw a shadow, far out. "Gabriel," I said as I pointed him out, in the rain. "We can't let him freeze," Isaac said, and his eyes showed he was desperate about keeping Gabriel alive. Mute and I nodded. "Gabriel!" Isaac yelled. "Get over here, or you'll freeze to death!" I yelled. A soaked Gabriel walked into the cave. Mute tensed up, and I could tell Isaac was prepared to attack. Gabriel muttered something before walking off to one of the corners of the cave. "Okay, Gabriel has that corner, so I'll take that corner, and you two, can get that corner. Got that Chris?" Isaac said,  gesturing to the corresponding corners. I nodded and walked off to me and Mute's corner. I realized Isaac had thought this through fully. Mute and I blocked one part of the entrance, and Isaac blocked the other part. I smiled at Isaac's ingenuity.
I laid down and stretched out. Mute walked over and laid down a few feet away from me, our paws almost touching. I looked into her eyes and was immersed in her perfect, gray eyes. We stayed like that, lost in each others eyes until Mute's eyes closed and she fell asleep. I let Mute's calm breathing calm me down, and soon I was asleep.
I woke up in a puddle. I shivered and looked up at the top of the cave. A drop fell from a crack and landed on my snout. I shook it off and stood up. There were puddles all across the cave. I looked over at Isaac's corner and saw that he wasn't there. I walked over to the mouth of the cave and peered out. The rain impaired my vision beyond a few feet, but I spotted him, lugging a dead deer behind him. I ran out to help him. Together we got the deer into the cave without waking up Gabriel or Mute. I shook myself dry and walked over to Mute.  "Mute," I whispered into her ear. She shivered and woke up. Mute rolled over and stood up. "Breakfast. We get a deer because; Isaac's lucky, and we had no dinner," I explained as she saw the deer. Mute walked over to the deer and bit off a leg. She gnawed on it as Isaac and I watched. I bit off a leg for myself and sat down. Isaac came over and sat down next to me. "What's going on with you and Mute?" He asked. "Nothing," I answered as I bit into my breakfast. "Tell me," Isaac demanded, but I ignored him. "Hey, I noticed you and Mute have the same scar," I said, changing the topic. "It was... An initiation... Of Samuel's," Isaac said, looking down at his paws. I looked out into the rain and thought about who Samuel was. I looked over at Mute, and she had a tear in her eye. Gabriel walked over to the edge of the cave and stuck his head out into the rain. His head popped back into the cave, drenched with rain. He shook it dry and meandered back to his corner. I sighed and walked off to me and Mute's corner. Then I let sleep overcome me.
"Chris," Isaac whispered into my ear. I opened my eyes to see Isaac. I stood up and saw there were no more clouds. I walked over to the mouth of the cave and looked out. Mute was laying in the grass. I walked out to her side. Isaac followed me as Mute stood up. "How close are we to Toronto?" Isaac asked. "We're about two-thirds of the way there," I guessed. Isaac took one last look at the cave before walking into the woods. Mute looked at me and nodded. Then we walked into the woods after Isaac.
When our party of three stopped, the sun was straight above us. "I'll get lunch," Isaac muttered before walking off. I looked over at Mute. She was writing something in the dirt. I walked over to her and read what she had wrote. Mute had written:
   Chris
   I love you
   But do you love me back?
"Yes," I whispered into her ear. A smile lit up Mute's face. I smiled back, and for a second, we were the only people in the world. There was a rustle and Isaac meandered over. I turned towards him and saw he had a huge bass in his jaw. He dropped the fish and sat down. "How close do you think we are?" Isaac asked as Mute divide the bass into three pieces. "Twenty miles," I answered. "So, if we want to walk twenty miles, we should do that in one day," Isaac reasoned. I looked up at the sun as Mute handed out the pieces of fish. We ate slowly, and when we had finished, the sun was setting. Isaac curled up into a ball and drifted away to sleep. That night, Mute and I slept together.
The next morning, we were walking once again, until we came upon a road. Right across the road, there was a wolf with the same color coat as me. "Samuel!" Isaac yelled across the road. Samuel turned toward Isaac. "Hello Isaac," He said, just loud enough for us to hear. Samuel stepped onto the street. It was then when I heard the car. I looked around and saw it. It was speeding down the road, headed right for Samuel. I took one last look at my friends. Isaac, my best friend from the start, and Mute, who was bearing my child right now, and Gabriel, who was most likely in the forest, watching me right now. Then I ran out in front of Samuel, to save him from the car. I heard a thud, and then the car hit.
When I woke, Mute's gray eyes were there to calm me. "Did I save him?" I coughed. Mute nodded. I tried to stand up, but found I couldn't. "Gabriel," Isaac muttered nearby. "What happened?" I asked, looming around for Isaac. "Gabriel sacrificed himself to save you," Samuel answered, his tone without energy. "Here you go, you deserve it," Samuel said, placing one of those tooth necklaces around my neck. I grinned as I realized that it was over. Isaac and I made it to Toronto.

Epilogue
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As Samuel chatted with Isaac, Mute wrote something next to me. I looked over at what she had written. It said:
   Let's leave
   So we can care for the child
"Okay, but I have to say goodbye," I responded. Mute nodded. I stood up on shaky legs. "Isaac! Samuel!" I called. They came over and sat down. "I'm sorry that I have to leave so soon. I just wish I could have learned more about you, Samuel," I said. "What do you mean?" Isaac asked, and I could tell he wasn't taking my leaving well. "I'm in love with Mute, and I need to raise our child," I answered. There was a moment of silence. Then, I did something rash. "You remember my promise?" I whispered to Isaac. I kissed him before running off into the forest with Mute.

The Final Ending
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I watched me and Mute's son, Gabriel, playing in the meadow. His coat had a thin lair of ash on it from the forest fire that had happened almost four years ago, back when Isaac and I were heading to Toronto. Mute was laying next to me. I looked over at her and remembered back to when we had first met. I had almost attacked her because she was looking at Isaac. "Isaac," I whispered. The wolf I dreaded. The wolf I had left. The wolf I had almost died for. The wolf that had almost died for me.
My thoughts were interrupted by rustling in a bush nearby. A wolf walked into the meadow. Gabriel ran over to my side. The wolf sat down and looked at me. Then I recognized it's eyes. "Isaac?" I asked. "Hello Chris," Isaac responded. Then I realized Isaac's physical shape had changed. His scrawny limbs were now stronger, and his body was scratched up everywhere. Mute sat up. "Is it really you?" I asked. "It's been years, Chris," Isaac responded coldly. "Since what?" I snapped back. "Since you left me," Isaac answered. There was a moment of silence. "We used to be friends. Then you left me, your best friend, for Mute," Isaac said. Mute tensed up. "I... I didn't mean to hurt you," I said back. "Well, you did!" Isaac yelled, his eyes tearing. The next thing I knew, Gabriel was running towards Isaac.
"You can't talk to my dad like that!" Gabriel exclaimed as he bit into Isaac's leg. Isaac yelped with pain. Then, Samuel had Gabriel. "Stop!" Samuel commanded. "Chris, Isaac is just frustrated, because he and I have been searching for you two for a long time," Samuel explained as he dropped Gabriel at Mute's feet. "Why?" I asked. "I need to initiate you," Samuel answered. Samuel reached out and touched my muzzle. Then, he scratched down my jaw at a speed that seemed impossible. I passed out.
When I awoke, I was looking into Isaac's eyes. "Now you have the same scar," Isaac said as a grin lit up his face. "And you are one of us," Samuel said. "A traveler," I finished. "Yes," Isaac responded. "And who is this?" Samuel asked, gesturing to Gabriel. "This is Gabriel," I introduced. "After..." Isaac muttered, looking down at the ground. "Yes, after him," I responded.
Isaac, Samuel and I talked until the sun was setting. "Sorry Chris, but we have to go," Isaac said, stretching. Samuel nodded before walking off into the forest. Isaac walked to the edge of the meadow. "See you soon," Isaac said to me, looking back. "Same to you," I said back. A tear fell down Isaac's face. He turned and walked into the forest, disappearing.
"I'll find dinner," I told Mute. I ran off toward the stream in the woods. I caught some fish and started walking back to the meadow. That was when I heard the howling. It was coming from the meadow. "Mute!" I exclaimed, dropping the fish and sprinting towards the meadow. I crashed through the trees and into the meadow. Mute was howling up at the full moon. "Mute? You can talk?" I asked. "Yes," She answered, and her voice sounded as beautiful and lovely as she was. "Then why didn't you talk to me earlier?" I asked. "It's complicated," She answered. "Tell me!" I demanded, sitting down in the grass. "I can only talk to travelers," Mute explained, stepping closer to me. There was a moment of silence. "Do you love me?" Mute asked. "Yes, of course," I answered. "Because I love you," Mute whispered into my ear.