She felt the rumble of Arne’s growl before she heard the creak of the shed door. With her arms tightly around Arne, she slowly lifted her head.
The wolf was twice as tall as Arne; Katalina clung onto her dog as he made to attack. “No, boy, he’ll kill you,” she whispered.
The wolf stopped a few feet away. Katalina stilled, her eyes locked with his. He studied her with his dark eyes, his head tilting ever so slightly. Katalina’s heart beat a hard, fast tempo. Holding her breath, she dared not move.
The wolf before her was made up of shades of darkness. With jet-black fur that seemed to absorb the shadows themselves, it would have been invisible, if not for the few silver flecks in its eyes and the dapple of moonlight across its back. Silently, the wolf stepped forward, not even glancing at the growling German Shepherd in Katalina’s arms.
Katalina sat helpless as he moved closer, yet as the wolf gazed at her, she didn’t feel afraid. It stepped forward again; so close she could no longer hold Arne back. The dog latched onto the wolf’s side, yet the wolf didn’t seem to notice. Fearless, the wolf’s head came within inches of hers. Just one bite and her face would be in shreds, but the wolf didn’t bite her; instead, it looked at her for a second longer. Katalina could count each silver fleck in its eyes; feel its warm breath against her face. She yearned to touch it, to see if its coat was as soft as it looked, but then the wolf was gone, with Arne knocked aside as if he were a Jack Russell. Finally, she breathed again.
For a second, she was filled with the desire to chase after the wolf. For just a moment, she felt empty without him. She felt as if he’d taken a piece of her with him. She shook off the feeling, dragging in a deep breath to clear her mind. Unconsciousness called to her, darkness beckoning. She didn’t fight as it took over. Clinging to her dog, she drifted off, forgetting the world for a short blissful time.
The next thing she knew, someone was shaking her awake, whispering her name.
“Dad?” Drowsy and confused, her head felt thick and her eyes heavy.
“Katalina, wake up. We must go.”
“What? Dad?” She opened her eyes to see the boy’s face hovering above her, his hair in his eyes.
“Can you stand? They’re still out there. We need to escape,” he said urgently, standing upright and glancing nervously toward the door.
Seeing his face brought back all her memories. Rather than crying, she focused hard on the boy’s face. Seeing only urgency and no malicious intent, she forced her voice to work, “I-I think s-so.”
He helped her up, wrapping his arm around her waist, but the pain of moving was too strong. Blacking out for a second, she went heavy in the boy’s arms.
“Shit, you’ve lost too much blood,” he muttered, trying to keep her upright.
Biting back a cry, Katalina attempted to make her body move, only to find it uncooperative. Arne whined at her side, licking her slack fingers.
“I’m okay, boy,” she whispered to her dog.
The boy let out a low whistle, and seconds later, someone else entered the shed. He looked to be of similar age to her. His features so similar to the younger boy holding her, she numbly wondered if they were related.
“What’s taking so long, Toby?” he growled, walking toward them.
“She can’t walk and I can’t carry her,” Toby answered with a glare.
With the aid of the grey morning light coming in through the open shed door, Katalina could see they were both naked. She gave a startled yelp as the older boy stepped forward and lifted her easily into his arms.
“Shush,” he murmured, cradling her against his chest. “You’re safe now.”
Carrying her out to the street, his feet were quick across the pavement, but his arms held her strong and steady. Katalina relaxed against him, studying his determined face. His hair was the same color as Toby’s only shorter, his blue eyes darker and more serious. Toby was now a wolf again. His blue eyes scanned the street as she was placed into the back of a pickup truck, an older man at its wheel. The wolf jumped into the back, too.
“Ready?” the driver called.
“Go!” the older boy called as he jumped in beside Katalina.
Katalina’s heart gave a startled leap as she realized Arne wasn’t in the truck too. “WAIT!” she yelled. “My dog, where’s my dog?”
Struggling to sit, she looked over the side of the truck. “Arne!” she shouted.
“Shut up! You’ll have the whole street awake!” the driver reprimanded.
The truck stopped as Arne scrambled into the back, limping his way to Katalina’s side.
“Good boy,” she murmured, slumping back down.