Chapter 10 Savior

I don’t have a great plan, so I’m not expecting to find the wolf or much information about it, but I still want to try. I have pepper spray in my pocket, though, so if I happen to find it and get attacked, I should have a higher chance at defending myself. I don’t remember them telling us that exploring the forest was off-limits as long as we stayed in the campgrounds. I shouldn’t have any issues with this.

I start at my window, hoping to find tracks. A few campers are lingering throughout the area, but no tracks.

There isn’t a single piece of evidence that points to the wolf being real, except for the grass. I bend down to look at the grass at the base of the cabin. The grass in two large patches is pressed down as though something stood there. It has to be from the wolf.

“So bored you’re playing with the grass?” Kai’s teasing voice breaks through my focused thoughts.

I look up at him from the ground, “So bored you’re stalking campers?”

It’s a valid jest considering he’s found me almost every day since the start of camp. I stand up so I don’t look like I’m kneeling at his feet.

His cheeks redden softly. “I’m not stalking you, I promise. But I couldn’t ignore you looking at the grass so intensely.”

“I thought something might’ve fallen from the window last night, but I don’t see it.” I cover.

If Beth doesn’t believe me about the wolf, he won’t either.

He glances at the spot. “Yeah, I don’t see anything.”

It’s silent for a few beats, and although I like looking at his face, I’m in the zone of finding more out about the wolf.

“Listen, would you like to hang out with me tonight? It’ll be just us two at the pond.” His near-perfect smile makes my answer easy.

“Yeah, that sounds like fun. Just come get me when you’re ready.” He looks thrilled at my approval, but someone yells his name from the front of the cabin, making him give me an apologetic look and run off to them.

Wow, so now I have a hangout, date, whatever it could be called with Kai tonight. Tomorrow night I have a party in a spot called ‘the clearing’, and right now I’m on the hunt for the big wolf. This week has been eventful.

With him out of sight, I turn my back to my cabin, looking up the path the wolf went. And I follow it. It leads me further away from the camp and closer to the woods. I don’t see any signage saying this is off the property line. I stand at the trees looking back at my cabin to understand what it would look like from here. It’s a clear sight from here to the back of my cabin and the side with my window. Maybe that’s why the wolf came to my window, because it was right in its path, a chance of fate. I continue into the tree line, it’s shaded from the trees overhead.

There is a dirt path that has been built through the trees ahead of me. Not having any other sign of where the wolf might have gone, I get to the dirt path. It’s a lot fuller in here than I imagined, making me scratch my legs and arms on random branches and sprigs jolting out from the bottom of the trees and the bushes.

My legs take a great step onto the cleared dirt path, looking down both ways. One way leads up a soft incline while the other leads straight forward.

Would the wolf have even taken a path? I would assume that most wild animals avoid humans in total. But, as if in answer to my question, I spot a paw print on the inclined path to my right.

A huge, definitely not normal wolf-sized print. I guess a wolf does follow the path.

I walk up the path, taking in my surroundings in hopes of seeing something else that may give me a hint. The incline gets sharper as I continue, forcing me to stop and take a breath. There haven’t been any other sets of tracks, nor has there been any evidence of a wolf at all. So I’m starting to feel this is a waste of time. At least I enjoy the woods; otherwise, this would be even worse.

I start my walk again, hopeful I’m almost to the end of the incline. If only I knew what awaited me at the top of the incline. A set of four large paw prints with two large human footprints directly in front of it. It looks as though someone barefoot stood right in front of where the wolf stood.

My mind can’t process why these would be here. It’s weird enough for the wolf prints, but why would a person walk out here barefoot? And why would they leave prints right here, perfectly placed in front of the animal’s prints? It’s warm at night here, but I still can’t fathom someone walking barefoot. Did the wolf kill someone? But there isn’t blood anywhere, not on the path or around it.

I look up at the sky, noting that the sun is starting to set. Kai wants to go tonight. If I don’t start back at the camp now, I won’t make it.

So I leave the great mystery of footprints and walk back down the path. The only issue is I can’t remember for the life of me where I cut onto the path.

I try to keep my steps quiet in hopes of hearing the camp. But I don’t at all, and it’s getting darker. It’s dusk, and I still don’t see or hear any sign of the camp. I feel like the incline is done, but I can’t tell how much further I have to go.

I’m about to give up and start pushing through the brush until I find it when I hear footsteps approaching me. I feel in the pocket of my shorts, my hand wrapping around the pepper spray, ready to use it.

A boy a bit older than me walks into view. He looks a little surprised to see me, but doesn’t show it for long. He’s tall and muscular with dark tan skin and black hair.

“You lost?” His deep voice asks.

He’s a strange boy on a trail alone, but maybe he’ll be my savior.