Snow
Zake
“Bloody hell!”
I curse out the bloody humans as the razor-sharp teeth of the snare sink into my leg. Crimson blood spurts out at every attempt of trying to free myself. My white fur and the snow around are now soaked with my blood. This has happened to so many of my pack members, I just never thought I would also be counted in that number. I can’t help but lament.
The world is so big, why would they invade our territory? Not just invade but cut down our trees, set fires and booby-traps, destroy our homes and kill us like this.
My heart is pounding from the pain and anger. The more I try to free myself is the more these sharp teeth sink in. I can feel it cutting into my bone. It is either I keep trying until my leg is amputated or I wait until they come and kill me.
I am weighing my options when a human girl shows up. My heart jumps into my throat. I can’t believe that my life is ending at eighteen. I just got my wolf. I have not even met my mate.
“Poor thing. Don’t move. I will help you.”
Maybe fifteen years old. Plain black jacket, blue jeans, black sneakers and a backpack. She sounds shaken and…kind.
“No human is kind,” my subconscious rebukes me.
I have mixed feelings as she kneels before me and looks at the snare.
“Damn it! I am so sorry, little wolf. I will help you.”
“Little?” I question in my head and bite my tongue. I do need her to help me. Whatever that means in her world.
I watch her take out a sharp rod from her backpack. I swear I am going to snap her tinny neck before she stabs me with that. I am ready to fight to death and take her with me all the way to hell when she sticks it on the side of the snare and tries to force it open.
“Damn it! Hold on, okay?”
Her voice is shacky before tears roll down her cheek. She impatiently wipes them away and tries again.
Wait, it she crying for me?
She winces and shakes her hand. At first I thought it was soaked with my blood, until I noticed the laceration on her finger. It is hurting her to force this thing open, yet she persists.
It is a good ten minutes of her hurting herself, cursing, and crying before I feel my paw again. She did it! But why?
“Don’t move,” she warn when I put weight on it.
“Here, let me treat it first. It will hurt a bit,” she tells me before taking out a first aid kit from her bag. The legend is true after all. There is a little human who helps out and gets rid of the booby-traps. We thought Beta Marcus was delirious when he told the pack.
“Holy shit!” I curse out when she pours the alcohol over my paw. It stings like hell.
She stops and blows over it.
“There, there. It will hurt a bit, but I have to sterilize it, or it will be infected. We can’t have that now.”
A few minutes later, she has bandaged my paw. That is when I analyze the situations. This is not normal. I am a wolf as far as she is concerned yet she does not seem worried that I could eat her. She talks to me as if she is aware that I can hear her. Well, she does not seem to expect an answer, but still. I doubt that normal human girls behave like this.
“I am so sorry. We are a horrible species. We destroy everything. You are so wonderful, yet we do this. I am sorry.”
I am supposed to run before other humans show up, but she is now hysterical and apologizing nonstop.
“Hey, don’t cry. Let’s just call it even. You got me out of the trap. You are not horrible.”
Argh, she is weeping. Women!
“I am sorry. I did not even give you a name. How about Snow?”
Her voice is croaky from that crying.
“You are so white and fluffy…” she continues while I look at her in disbelief. She wants to name you. Humans are so entitled. Who said I don’t have a name? And Snow, out of all names, seriously?”
As if she can hear me, she explains her choice of a name. “Snow is mysterious and nostalgic. You shall be Snow.”
Snow is very much prone to evaporating at high temperature. I don’t like it. I am an emerald wolf. A special kind and royalty. I can’t be Snow.
“You like it, don’t you?”
She repeatedly blinks her eyes. She is going to cry again.
“Argh, don’t look at me like that. Fine, Snow is cool,” I concede and rub my fur against her. She is kind and saved my life. I guess a nickname won’t hurt.
She laughs as if she can hear me before taking out a sandwich and offering me half. I wonder if anyone ever told her that wild animals can be dangerous. Like, she could be my lunch not her sandwich.
“You should probably head home now. You don’t want Dad to find you here.”
I look at her.
“He hates your kind. Well, he hates everything except money. You happen to be his paycheck.”
I have so many questions about this, but shifting into my human form will spook her.
“Just go, Snow. Avoid the riverside and east border. There are too many booby-traps there. I can’t dismantle all of them without him noticing. Maybe you should take your kind and leave Elim.”
I listen attentively. She obviously thinks I am an ordinary wild animal. Well, a harmless wild animal.
I am about to leave her when she pulls me back and literally throws me behind the tree. This little human is really strong.
“Hide!”
The hushed tone tells me that there is danger lurking round.
“Father?”
I watch the stout eighty kilograms men approach. He glances at the snare before glaring at her.
“What the fuck did you do?”
I wince when a slap lands on her face. She stumbles and holds on to the tree I am hiding behind.
“Someone dismantled my traps on the West side as well. It can only be you.”
She frantically shakes her head at his accusation.
“You did it,” he says before roughly grabbing her hair.
I am about to pounce at him when my eyes meet hers. She shakes her head before her eyes land on the bulge on his hip. He has a gun. I can’t fight, nor can I outrun that.
“I am sorry, Father. I just can’t stand seeing the animals get trapped in that. It is horrible. This is their home.”
The man is now fuming. So, he is the one killing us.
“Who died and made you their savior?” he roars so loud even the birds fly off.
“It is Christmas time. We should be kind and mother said we are to care and live in harmony with the wildlife. She…”
“She is dead! Don’t tell me about what your mother said. I have fucken bills to pay and where is she?”
I gather from this that her mother is not in the picture. Poor thing.
“You think I am cruel? Who the fuck feeds and clothes you? How did I get so cursed to have you for a child?”
My heart bleeds for her. The tears rolling down her cheek break my heart. She saved me without a second thought. She knew how much trouble and abuse she would endure yet she still saved me.
“You are grounded. You shall fend for yourself until you fix all my booby-traps. Stay the fuck away from my house!”
With that, he storms away and leaves her letting out a sigh of relief.
It is freezing out here for a human, yet he wants her to fend for herself. How can a father be so mean and cruel to his own child? How can he bear a child so different from him?
She wipes away her tears and flash me a smile.
“It looks like I need a shelter. Go on now. Your mother must be worried sick.”
I don’t move. I have to see that the shelter she finds is warm and safe. I owe her that much.
I follow her to a cave. She does not seem scared at all as she crawls inside.
“Don’t be scared, Snow. This is my secret hide out. It has everything I need. Don’t tell anyone.”
I would laugh if I was in my human form. She is the bravest girl I know. I lick the wound on her hand, check the cave and not find any sign of danger. It is warm too. Not only that but she has a blanket folded in the corer and some snacks. I guess she spends a lot of time here.
