The moonlight is barely illuminating the forest’s floor making it difficult to maneuver. Rhogast has been lost in these woods for the past three nights while searching for the Tablet. Maav said that this Tablet holds the answers to the lost civilization that terraformed this exact forest. There have been noises nearby Rhogast camp that awakes him after his fire turns to warm embers. This is the third time tonight he was woken. Rhogast gets up this time to see what is out there. _What have you gotten me into Maav, _he thought._ _Rhogast looked up and saw moonlight creeping through the canopy. If he didn’t know he was in a forest, he would have thought he was stargazing. He sees a slight clearing ahead and naturally gravitates towards it. His vision is better there. Rhogast sits upon a large rock to catch his breath. That’s when he sees it. The noise that has been following him since he got in the forest. Three wolves are staring at him. An initial panic sweeps over Rhogast as he suddenly feels exposed. Then an almost comforting emotion flows through his thoughts like wind in a lush meadow. Maav always told him that things are not always what they seem to be. _Why do I feel calm? _Confusion now. The three wolves turn their backs to him, but look back almost as if they want him to follow. Without second thought, Rhogast gets up and follows. As he walks, the wolves walk. When he stops, the wolves stops. “The Tablet.” Rhogast said. “The creatures of this region are said to know the way. Will you take me there?” The wolves take off in a sprint forward like something spooked them, howling along the way. _The sun is coming up already? Its warmth has never reached within the trees like this. _Rhogast turned around and saw what spooked the wolves and answered his thought. A bright orange light is flickering 100 yards off or so. _I didn’t extinguish my fire…_

3 Snow White wolves approach. 3 bringers of my demise. A low howl escapes the biggest one, bringing back up. My heart endlessly pounds in my chest, filling my ears will dread. My feet grow hearty holding me to the ground like weights. I just came for a hike, I didn’t bring anything that could help. My heart drops in my chest, I didn’t bring anything useful. I force my feet off the ground and dash with the speed of 10 men. I run breathlessly, no direction in mind. That is, untill I feel the weight of fur on my back. _They caught up. _A small shreek escapes my lips as it’s teeth sink into my shoulder. The blood spills down, being the last thing I see before my consciousness fades forever.

As i step further up, my shoe just barely met the distance. One short leap up, and I’m up. And so are they. Center, small and boney, the long distance. If i can out run him, I’m fine. I only need to out last him. Hunt me down for months. Left, definitely the muscle, flank type attack. Fast, sharp, mean. I can out run this one. But if that’s only my ego talking, lets hope I can kill it quickly. Right, the pup, worst of all. Fresh, glass splintering- bone sharp, razors for teeth. Energetic, so no outrunning this one. Young, he does not know how to be gentle. One bite would snap me, easily. He’s distracted. I have a head start. Jump back, run towards 4:30. 12 is facing the wolves. Hope and pray. Godspeed.

I’d gone off the beaten path. The dirt packed trail, beaten down by decades of hikers, was nowhere to be seen. I was lost in the wilderness of Appalachia. I was a seasoned hiker, but all the same my family had warned me not to go out alone. That one of these days, I would become lost in those hills. And I suppose they were right. They’d never let me live it down if I managed to find my way back to civilization. I’d been hiking for hours now, a tree in the distance had caught my eye, as nature usually does. Usually, I’m fairly good at finding my way back, but the dense fog which had settled over the mountains this afternoon had made it difficult to right my sense of direction. Everything had looked same-y when I turned around. As to not let the fear building in my chest get the better of me, I simply shrugged it off and started in a direction. Keep going straight—no matter what you do keep going straight. I had heard it on a documentary once and figured I’d give it a shot. Something about keeping in one direction that one might find a road at some point. Even if that some point was miles and miles away from the path. I crested a small hill as the fog began to dissipate when I saw it. I didn’t know whether to scream or run or hide. But there, just at the top of the hill I saw them. Their fur was white as snow. Three of them huddled close together, not paying much attention to the human that had entered their space. I crept behind I tree and observed them. Three white wolves. A small pack—perhaps more were somewhere nearby. I couldn’t help but marvel at their beauty. The way their fur rustled in the early October wind. The leaves that swirled around them as they sniffed about the trees as if looking for something. I crept closer, sidling the side of a tree when my foot met with a misplaced branch causing an audible _snap_ to echo against the trees. The wolves turned to look where the noise came from. The largest one, the one in the front met my gaze first. It sniffed the air but did not move. It just looked at me as I looked at it. I felt my heart freeze in my chest. Felt my breath grow slow. This was that feeling. That fight or flight I had learned in AP Psychology. I had a moment to choose. But for some reason I couldn’t figure out how my legs worked. How did I move again? Maybe it was out of fear, or maybe…maybe I was too enamored by them. By the sheen of their coats. By their wide grey eyes. Their breath misting the air. The three of them stood in a triangle formation, simply looking at me. From my own dumb luck, or perhaps from the wolves boredom, they turned away and started down the other side of the crest. I let out a relieved sigh, waiting a moment for them to get distance between us, before I followed after them. When I crested the hill for myself, I didn’t see them again. But I saw the road that led back up the mountain. Where I had made camp with my family wouldn’t be but a mile or two up this road. I smiled to myself, knowing I’d had a guide to help me find my way.

This doesn’t have to do with the picture. Once upon a time, there was a tiny little stinky kitty cat in the dumpster. I kneel towards the stinky garbage cat and stick my arm out. It starts talking in German, “Hallo! Ich Bin Groß Stinken!“ I lift one eyebrow up like this 🤨 . Big Stink jumps on my arm and trails dirt and Cheeto dust. I bring Big Stink home, and notice a missing cat sign! Oh no, someone might take Big Stink. The thing to do was obvious. I go to the store and buy a rat costume, then put Big Stink in it. Perfect. The owner of the missing cat saw Big Stink the next day. For some reason they didn’t fall for my plan and took Big Stink away. “NEIN!” I shouted as the owner walked away with Big Stink, “NEINNNNNN!” The next day, I found Big Stink at my door. She told me in German that she was too smelly for her owner. I officially adopted Big Stink, but of course I kept the name. We had long conversations in German and talked about cats or dogs. I definitely love cats more than dogs…heh heh….anyways, Big Stink is my new best friend. I made her a Cheeto dust pie.

I look at the clock And hear the faint tick If I can do this I have to be quick So I run out the door And grab my coat As I dash to the river And hop in my boat I paddle away And break at the woods Hopping out of my boat A wolf there stood Looks me dead in the eye And starts to growl I’ve never seen wolves Just heard their howl He backs away slowly Then dashes off And I run into a clearing There is the loft I climb into the treehouse And there are my friends I made it to the meeting That wolf wasn’t my end

Wolfs, I see wolves! Yes! I’m free! I’m no longer stuck in that cage if a city! I’ll disappear far far away from there and find my real home. I am among the wolves.

These wolfs look really, really, really cute Oh no, a Wolfpack is his. It’s like a bunch of Hunter killers. We could learn about team work from them Lovely elation fascination Heart rate thumping Heart warming Survival as a pack Cuddle them Wary Warm feeling Nurturing feeling Community spirit Society No greed Selfless service and respect loyalty Altruism loyalty respect honesty and integrity

Striking. Their eyes, glaring at me with an insatiable appetite. There were three of them as far as I could tell. Glorious, wild beasts of the woods. Fur as silky white as a fresh snow fall. They stood frozen, attention up ahead, looking for their next meal. Any movement on my part and I would be their next reward. I slowly shuffled my feet backwards, lifting each leg cautiously through the fall leaves that had fallen. I crouched down behind a half rotten log to remain hidden while I watched. The beady eyes of the beautiful canids continued to scour their surroundings for danger and for food. Suddenly their ears perked up, like satellite dishes readjusting. They'd heard something, and so had I. My heart begin to speed up. Pumping the blood through my veins in a hurried manner. A hunt was close. I didn't want to see an attack but this was a moment that felt exhilarating. It was magnificent, standing probably six feet tall. Dark coarse fur covering its statuesque body. Legs, long muscular legs. A moose on its own is a powerful creature, but against a family of canines, it may have its work cut out for it. Predator meet Prey. Let the chase begin. The wolves move quickly, leaping through the bush, eager for their prize. Yelping with each movement as if demanding their prize make it easy. The moose, in its glory, moves even quicker. Lurching through the trees, deep within the forest. Propelled by its instinctual need to flee, to survive. In its panicked fleeing, it fails to notice another wolf, one seperate from the three in the pack. The lone wolf latches on to its calf. A guttural groan escapes it as it trips and falls. The other three wolves are now approaching, stalking in perfect precision. I close my eyes, holding my eyelids tight as the sight of a kill is more than they can handle. Screams. Howls. Yelps. Nature has fed the wolves of the night.

I see the three looking at me. How did my life get to this point? This morning, I had no problems. I woke and greeted the sun. A few stretches to start the day. My stomach annoyingly announced that it was empty so I started rummaging for whatever I could find. After breakfast, I went for a walk. It felt so good using my muscles that I wandered most of the morning. That was when I felt eyes on me. Dangerous eyes. Eyes desiring to hurt. To hurt me. I couldn’t tell exactly where they were or how many, but I had a feeling I was in trouble. I wasn’t sure exactly where I was, but I bolted. I went as fast as I could, but pregnancy really slows a soon-to-be mother. The eyes were following me. I heard it, then. A waterfall. I had heard that sound a thousand times and knew how to get to safety. The eyes were still following me. Somehow they felt even closer. I waddled as fast as my belly would let me when I got to a clearing. And now here I am. Two are looking at me and the third is sniffing out something behind a tree. I look over my shoulder and breathe a sigh of relief. The dangerous eyes are gone. I feel safe. I step forward and nuzzle my mate as the rest of the pack come loping in to join us. My stomach demands food again. A mother’s work is never done.