While Guinevere knew the detour to the forest would upset her mother, she really didn’t give a darn. She just wanted her hat back. It was her only connection to her father in the world today. If her mother beat her when they returned from the village, then so be it.
With bow and arrow still in ready position, she crossed a small creek and entered the forest, the place where the paw prints took her. The young lady climbed over a log and listened to the sounds of nature: birds chirping as well as gusts of wind that blew through the treetops. Flowers of all colors grew around her, and she heard the distant pecking of a woodpecker as it searched for food. Deeper and deeper in the forest Gwen went, but she eventually reached a dead end. A tall cliff wall blocked her from traveling any further. She stood in a grove of trees, and off to the side was a rushing, violent river.
Birds soared by her head and and started up the face of the cliff. They seemed frightened by something.
As Gwen stood in the dead center of the forest, she heard something. It sounded like a growl, and it was coming from a cluster of bushes in front of her.
As quick as a flash, she lifted her bow and asked, “Who’s there? I have a weapon.” Honestly, she did not feel safe right now. She felt like something or someone was stalking her. However, she had to remain strong. As a future musketeer, she couldn't let a small growl scare her off.
She waited, but nothing came for her. The growling also died down, but then...she saw it! Sitting in front of one of the bushes was her hat! The white feather on top of it gave it away, as well as the old blood stains.
“Huh?” Gwen asked herself. She loosened her grip on her bow and let it hang down in front of her, but she kept the arrow in it. Shocked, she stared at her hat. There is was. It was just waiting for her - awesome.
Chuckling, the young lady put up her bow and arrow. Wow, now that was what she called an overreaction. There was nothing here. She was just hearing things earlier. At least she found her hat. Like a little mouse scurrying across a castle floor, she made her way towards her hat.
Unfortunately, just before she could pick it up and return to her farm, ROAR! A loud roar came from the bush it was sitting in front of!
Only a few seconds later, an animal leaped out of it and landed in front of her hat!
At the sight of it, Gwen yelped and stumbled backwards. Her back hit the cliff wall, and she quickly drew her bow and arrow again. Out of all the animals to make their home in this forest, this was the one that had to find her hat! The seventeen-year-old, aspiring musketeer was staring straight into the eyes...of a wolf!
It was a beautiful creature. The wolf’s under body was covered with whitish, grayish, fluffy fur, but its upper body, head, and tail had dark gray fur - almost black. It had four white socks, as well as a strange, white design on its forehead that looked like a diamond with a mirror inside it. Its eyes were emerald green, and it had hair-like fur running down the coarse of its neck down to the top of its spine. Around its ankle was a chain that looked like it broke off something.
Guinevere had no idea what to do. It was not every day a wolf stole your musketeer hat. Hand shaking, she pointed her arrow at the animal’s chest and prepared to let it go in case it lunged at her. She carefully made her way towards her hat, but the dog snarled at her, and she leaped back when she saw how sharp and white its fangs were. She was in a tough situation. Behind her was the cliff, next to her was the violent river, and in front of her was this crazy canine.
The wolf’s green eyes met her blue ones, and the two living creatures stared at one another.
“Don’t make me shoot you.” Gwen threatened as she edged closer to the wolf. “You just have something that belongs to me. We don’t steal. Stealing is uncalled for.”
Yeah right. Like the wolf cared.
Snarling for the second time, it snapped its sharp fangs at the young lady to intimidate her.
“You don’t scare me.” Gwen openly admitted, although deep inside, she was screaming.
The second she said that, the wolf stopped snarling, and it whined instead.
“What’s your problem?” Gwen asked it, “Don’t tell me you were trying to act big and strong. Why don’t you be like any other dog and run off now? Go on.”
The wolf continued to whine, but it did not move from where it stood. Something about this human intrigued it. Guinevere switched her her bow and arrow off to one hand and reached for her hat with her free one.
The second she did, the wolf’s ears went flat, and it grabbed the hat, taking off with it!
“Oh, come on!” Gwen yelled from behind. She watched as the wolf zoomed by her and leaped onto a platform that stuck out from the cliff’s wall. Panting, it dropped the hat and met eyes with her again. Gwen put up her bow and arrow and approached the wall where she peered up to to the dog. “Come on, boy!” she spoke in her best dog owner voice, and she clapped her hands together. “Come here. Give the hat to Guinevere now.”
The wolf refused. It plopped down on its backside and tossed the hat up onto its head.
As soon as it did, it stood tall and proud and howled into the forest.
“Awoo!”
Oh great! Guinevere sure hoped it wasn’t calling its amigos.
She prepared her bow and arrow once again as she waited for any other wolves to join them, but none did.
“Please,” she begged the curious canine, “That hat belonged to my father. He-He’s dead.”
That grabbed the wolf’s attention. Ears standing up straight, it’s eyes landed on the upset girl.
“The war.” Gwen continued, “It took everything from my family. That hat’s all I have left. Please.”
The wolf continued to stare. At the sight of a tear running down this mysterious human’s cheek, it made up its mind. It crawled down from the platform and leaped onto the forest floor. The hat fell from its head, but the dog caught it in its teeth. Slowly and carefully, it approached Guinevere and held the hat out to her.
She rubbed a few tears from her cheek and reached for it.
“Thank you, boy. Thank you for understanding.”
The wolf nodded as she took the hat out of its teeth.
Gwen set it down next to her and kneeled to the animal. She studied it up and down, and her eyes rolled over to the chain around its ankle.
“Why do you have a chain around your ankle? Here, let me help.”
The teenager reached for the chain, but the wolf growled at her and leaped back. It crouched down in a pouncing position and showed its teeth again. The design in the center of its forehead seemed to shimmer a little bit.
Before Guinevere could reach out and pet it, it took off at a full sprint and hurried away from her. The wolf climbed a hill and stopped at the top of it. Shifting the weight of his paws, he turned and faced the young woman who stood up straight.
With one last, “Awoo!” the mysterious canine disappeared over the hill and left her all alone in the awakening forest.
Thousands of questions swarmed through Guinevere’s head as she made her way back in the direction of her farm. That literally was the strangest thing that ever happened to her. What was that wolf? Why did it steal her hat? Why was it not terrified of her? Was it supposed to be the clue she asked her father for back in the barn? She had no idea. All she knew was that she went into the forest to retrieve her hat but instead met a mysterious wolf.
Little did she know, but something was following her. The wolf. He stayed hidden behind the trees, plants, and bushes and made almost no sound. He didn’t want the human to know he was right on her tail. Stopping on his tracks, he watched as she exited the forest where she ended up back on one of her farm acres. She made her way towards her farmhouse, but the wolf also couldn’t help but to notice something that looked like a carriage parked in front of it. He swished his tail back and forth, crouched down, and snuck out of the forest. The wolf crawled through some tall grass and made his way towards the farmhouse too, but then, his emerald green eyes rolled up to the rising sun. Whining, the design on his forehead suddenly glowed up, and he fell onto his front as a wave of pain overtook his whole body. What was this wolf? This definitely wasn't the last time Gwen would see him. They would meet again, and when they did, everything would change.
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