It was going to be a great day. Yeah, a great day. If you just ignore the fact that guys with dogs and a military helicopter are trying to hunt us down, we could probably take a break and sunbathe for a while. Sometimes his own sarcastic nature got the better of him and he grimaced at the prospect of being captured. The wolf had opened the distance between them while he was lost in himself, and he had to work twice as hard to catch back up to her.
The sun reached its zenith and looked down to find them still moving at impossibly dangerous speeds along the razor-sharp crags and crevices of the mountain. Through the morning he had not heard the helicopter again nor had he heard any howls from pursuing dogs. Surely those agents must have figured out that they had followed the creek in the wrong direction. They had to have backtracked and followed the creek eastward by now. The helicopter had, in all likely hood gone back to wherever it was based out of to refuel. He had no idea how far away that would be or how safe that made them.
The air was getting colder, and he could only guess that they were moving higher as well as going north. The wolf was running with an untiring iron will that impressed him thoroughly. Is she still mad at me? He hadn’t thought about the insult since he had been woken up last night but now as he was settling into the familiar rhythm of following his guide his mind was able to drift and brought him back to last night. What had I said that insulted her so badly? He decided to just let it rest and not worry about it. He had apologized for what he had said and if she was still going to be sore at him for it, well, that would be dealt with later. That didn’t stop him from feeling guilty about it though. He had to make it up to her somehow. If she had been human, he could have bought her flowers but what on earth could wolves want that she couldn’t get for herself? He shook his head and followed his guide northward.
After some time had passed, they came to a dark low-ceilinged tunnel. He could just make out the light at the end of it. The light shining through the opening at the end of the tunnel was no bigger than a small fly. The tunnel was dark and long. It would shield them from the sun as well as any unwelcome visitors from the sky.
He sat down opposite his companion near the opening of the cave, where the light of the late afternoon was filtering into the dark space allowing them to see without difficulty. She sat bolt upright with her head toward the entrance of the cave. She wasn’t going to let her guard down. If she had been human, he would have sworn that she was intentionally avoiding looking at him.
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He looked at her. “I’m sorry if whatever I said upset you.” The wolf didn’t acknowledge him or that he had spoken at all. “I’ve tried to remember but I can’t remember exactly what I said.” He lowered his head knowing that he was not getting anywhere with his companion. She continued to look out over the mountain crags and crevices that they had traversed to get here to this cave.
He raised his blue green eyes. “You saved me last night. I know that this doesn’t mean much but I’m sorry for whatever I said last night. I said it without thinking which is probably why I can’t remember it.” He shook his head. If anybody else could see him trying to talk to a wolf and apologize to her for something that he said that she probably couldn’t understand he would be laughed at for the rest of his life. But that is precisely the reason why had left all those people behind to live among the animals and nature in the first place.
He leaned toward her. “I’m sorry.”
The wolf remained rigid, with her gaze fixed outside the cave. For a moment he thought that the wolf would snub him once again. He looked at her, pleading with her through his eyes, and she made the smallest movement of her head. That movement brought her eyes to lock onto his and he saw her nod her head ever so slightly. She turned back toward the cave entrance, and he leaned back against the tunnel wall. He knew in that glance that she had forgiven him, but the incident would not go unremembered.
It was late afternoon and soon the old man would set, leaving his mother to take her place. That was good. The night would be cool, and they would be able to move a little more freely. The men pursuing them would have to have the helicopters light to search and the sound of the machine would give them all the warning they needed. He knew he should get some sleep while he could. The wolf would probably want to move as soon as the sunset.
The she-wolf sat still watching and listening at the entrance of the tunnel. Looking at her he was struck with just how beautiful an animal she was. She had a sleek, shiny coat of black fur and her gold eyes were intense and alert. She had kept him safe and led him to this spot away from their pursuers.
He rested his head against the cool rock of the tunnel. He could sleep easy knowing that she was watching and guarding him. He shifted his butt around on the rock floor till he was as comfortable as he was going to get. He looked down toward the exit of the tunnel. Looking into the darkness with that small hole of light at the end gave him some comfort. They had an escape route should they require it.
He allowed his eyes to close. He felt safer now than he probably had any right to feel. His she-wolf companion was keeping watch and he felt comfortable. The solid rock under and behind him cooled his worn body through his skins and he drifted off to sleep.