Wolf Whisperer

A lone wolf ran.

His paws pelted the muddy forest floor as lightning seared the cloudy night sky. The muffled shouts of the hunters came ever closer as he weaved hastily through the thin cover of trees, his agile mind seeking a way out. He had grown tired of running, of fleeing these predators. Their unrelenting pursuit was draining, and although his heartbeat remained steady, his body grew weary.

His attention wavered for a moment at most, just long enough for him not to notice the tree coverage had ended and emerged onto a road. He also failed to see the oncoming truck barrelling straight towards him until it was almost too late. With little time to act, the wolf tried darting in another direction only to lose his footing and tumble violently to a stop, mere inches from the passing vehicle.

He lay on the ground, his sheer white coat tarnished with mud yet barely depicting his ordeal thus far. The hunters drew closer, their lights blinding him as his panicked heart beat wildly. With an aching pain in his front paw and exhaustion welling up through his body, the wolf admitted defeat. His pursuers shouted orders at one another, but his fatigued mind couldn’t make sense of it. When the sound of a gunshot rang through the quiet night, he lay still, welcoming the darkness as it grew ever closer. Drawing one final breath, he savoured his last taste of freedom.

Anna woke with a jolt. The sound of the gunshot reverberated through her so intensely; it was as if it were real. It was only a dream. It was only a dream. She chanted in an attempt to calm her racing heart. Flicking on the bedside lamp, she scanned her surroundings anxiously for reassurance. Its soft glow barely touched the entirety of her bedroom, but thankfully everything was as it should be. Drawing her knees to her chest, Anna hugged them tightly for comfort as she inhaled deep, calming breaths.

The simple action helped dispel some of the anxiousness left behind by the dream, but it was just the latest in the strange series plaguing her of late. Typically the dreams were random and infrequent, but over the last month, she’d had multiple, all different and all unnervingly surreal. At first, she’d thought they were manifestations of an overactive imagination, but now she was beginning to think the universe was trying to tell her something. What that something was, she had no idea.

Bring. Bring. Bring.

The sudden shrill of her phone sent Anna’s heart racing once more. Spotting the work number flash on the screen as it vibrated brutishly on her bedside table, she debated whether to answer it or not. She wasn’t supposed to be on call this week, but that didn’t always mean much when it came to her job. Deciding it must have been important for them to disturb her, she grudgingly picked it up.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Anna.” Greeted the familiar voice of her best friend and colleague, Craig. “Sorry to call you at such a ridiculous hour, but we have a situation down here, and Percy needs you to come in asap.”

“What kind of situation?” She asked, rubbing her tired eyes.

“The FWS brought in an injured wolf and —”

The image of the white wolf from her dream flashed in her mind and had her shooting out of bed towards her dresser. Rummaging through her clothes until she found a matching pair of dark green scrubs, she put the phone on speaker and threw it onto the bed while she changed.

“What’s its condition?”

“It’s hard to tell without a full assessment, but he’s not in the best shape.”

Anna’s heart dropped. Her stomach churned.

“I’ll be there in twenty.”

Twirling her mess of dark chocolate curls expertly into a loose bun, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. The dim lighting accentuated her naturally pale complexion and the dark rings underlining her amber-coloured eyes. Anna didn’t think herself unattractive with her heart-shaped face, narrow nose and full lips, but these sleepless nights made her look older and more fatigued than usual. Having no time to dwell on her appearance, she stuffed a clean uniform and her phone into a bag and flicked off the light.

Heading downstairs, she grabbed her keys and slipped into her boots by the front door before dashing outside into the downpour. The storm was not nearly as fierce as it had been earlier in the night, but it still had her hurrying to her beat-up sedan. Climbing inside, she prayed it would start the first time around. With fingers crossed, she switched the ignition, and the engine roared to life - thank you. Pulling onto the road, she drove southwest towards the interstate.

As Anna flew down the freeway and towards the zoo, her mind was restless with the possibilities. This happened whenever she got called in for an emergency, but tonight was different because her earlier dream still lingered and made her wonder if it could be the same wolf or just her mind playing tricks on her. Drumming her fingers anxiously against the steering wheel, she tried not to get too far ahead of herself without knowing the whole situation.

Thankfully, it wasn’t much further to the zoo, and she’d managed to cover several miles in minutes due to the storm and ungodly hour. Taking exit 443, she followed the familiar twists and turns leading towards the zoo’s access gate; the night guard, Graham, was already there waiting to wave her through.

Making her way to the car park behind the clinic, Anna threw the car into park and scurried around to the entrance of the building. As she stepped into the front office, she found Craig waiting for her. He was wrapped in a large towel, drenched from head to toe, while his scrubs clung to him for dear life. It was evident he’d tried to towel dry his wet hair because it stuck out in all directions. Chucking at his ridiculous appearance, he shot her a glare and grumbled.

“It’s not funny. My car’s still in the shop, so I had to catch a cab and walk the rest of the way.”

Rolling her lips together to hide her amused smile, she thought it best to shift the topic to why she was here.

“Give me a rundown of the situation.”

“From what we can tell, the wolf is a young adult male suffering from starvation, mild ligament damage and a possible gunshot wound,” Craig explained. “He was reported to have been lurking around the poultry pen of a local farm looking for an easy meal —”

The sounds of crashing and cussing coming from the next room put a pause on their conversation. Pushing open the swinging door that separated them, they caught sight of their boss clutching at his finger.

“The stupid mutt bit me,” Percy grunted when he noticed them.

Anna had to stifle her amused grin as the portly, older man sent a disgruntled scowl towards the cage behind him. Despite being incredibly skilled at his job, her boss had a prickly exterior that tended to scare people and even the occasional animal. When she’d first started here, she wondered how he’d become the head of the veterinarian department. However, it hadn’t taken her long to learn that the man cared deeply for all animals and had a heart of gold underneath.

“Good, you’re finally here,” he said, as blunt as ever. “I need you to work your magic and put him to sleep.”

Thrusting a ready syringe into her hand, Percy stepped aside to give her a full view of their patient. Lying eyes on the beast, Anna felt her breaths shorten and her heart race. Locked in the metal cage was a wolf identical to the one from her dream; although muddied, its pure white coat shone in the bright fluorescent lights. How was this even possible?

Taking a step towards him for a closer look, the wolf’s body went rigid, his hackles going up and ears pulling back. With his teeth bared, a deep threatening growl ripped through his throat. It was only a warning, but it was enough for Anna to refocus and get on with the job.

“I’m going to need a minute alone. The less threatened he feels, the easier this will be.”

While Percy and Craig shuffled out of the room, Anna focused on slowing her heart rate and calming her energy. Animals were incredibly perceptive, and this technique was highly useful not only for keeping the animals relaxed but also for herself. Keeping her head lowered and eyes down to avoid challenging him, she slowly began approaching the cage. His growls intensified the closer she got, but she showed no fear as he was merely trying to intimidate her.

“I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe here,” she reassured him quietly.

Coming to a stop beside the cage, she couldn’t believe the size of him. Despite his dangerously slim waist and waning muscle, his frame was significantly larger than any wolf she’d ever seen. Chancing a glance at him through her lashes, she found his iridescent blue eyes watching her closely with suspicion. Anna couldn’t fault him for distrusting her, so she remained still and waited patiently for him to become more accustomed to her presence.

When his growls eventually started to subside, she carefully squeezed her hand through the bars and injected the sedative. The wolf made no move to stop or attack her, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she managed to remove her hand without incident.

It only took a couple of minutes for the drug to take effect, and as the wolf lay down lethargically, Anna noticed a shimmer of silver buried in his chest hair. Double-checking he was out cold, she opened the cage to investigate. Running her fingers down his chest, they came across something hard and metallic. Pulling it from his fur, she found a silver pendant attached to a long chain around his neck. Carefully slipping it from over his head, she saw on closer inspection that the necklace was round and roughly the size of a quarter. One side was a crescent moon shape made of solid silver, the other an intricate design of filigree that housed four small diamonds. The piece was unique and oddly beautiful as she held it to the light. But why would a wolf have something like this?

“Is it done?” Percy called impatiently from the other room.

“Yeah…”

Fumbling to conceal the necklace as Percy burst into the room ready for action, Anna managed to slip it into her pocket just in time.