Through the Eyes you can see the Heart and Soul of all creatures – even Humans. Be sure to look deep into the eyes of Mankind.
The calm, sapphire water suddenly rippled. Mist hung over the surface of the pond, colored with the emerald hue of the deep forest. The air was heavy, and a thin coat of frost covered the wispy branches near the tops of the trees. The wind was quiet; no animal songs stirred the dark silence of the forest; not a single rustle disturbed the stillness of the woods.
A white wolf stood over the sapphire pond.
Water was dripping from its muzzle, and the droplets falling into the pond caused the ripples. The animal moved silently, the velvet pads of its feet not making the slightest sound as it stepped over the fragile twigs of the forest floor. The wolf’s fur was thick, almost unnaturally soft, and the color of freshly fallen snow.
It made no sound as it moved through the forest.
The hair on the back of Wolf’s neck bristled; he could smell an enemy. An image of a dark, menacing Danger crept into his head and filled his essence like poison. His nose wrinkled. The Danger smelled of humans, and of Fire, too. This was wrong. Wolves didn’t have natural enemies.
The Danger wasn’t natural.
Cold fear gripped Wolf’s stomach as he bounded through the dim forest, silent as a wisp of wind in the sky. His muzzle furrowed in a silent snarl. His muscles tightened, and he ran faster than ever before. But Wolf was tireless – he could run like this forever. He knew the forest well. The woods would protect him from the Danger. The Danger could get lost in the forest. Wolf couldn’t.
Wolf slid effortlessly between the looming trees.
Something was wrong.
The smell of the Danger seemed stronger now, but it was also different. Could there be more than one human? Wolf ran faster, but still as silently as always. He searched for the smell of other Wolves, but he couldn’t pick up the scent. There were too few of his kin left in the forest. He bounded down a small, rocky chasm, his feet slipping on the sharp rocks.
Wolf halted. The trees were getting too thick – he was surrounded by the green undergrowth, and there was not enough room to move forward. He sniffed the leaves of the thick, tangled bushes, and flinched back. The Danger was close. Wolf circled around the rocks, his large, ice-blue eyes scanning the surroundings with caution. His head was lowered, and his ears flattened against his skull.
He sensed Prey.
Wolf’s lips curled back over his teeth. Not Prey.
Human.
Wolf snapped around. A chilling wind swirled around him and his whiskers trembled. The scent of a human hit his nostrils hard. A disgusting, burning smell.
Wolf realized he was trapped against the wall of plants and rocks that wasn’t there only a couple of days ago. It was a trap. The fur rose up on his shoulders. He had no way of escaping. His only way out of the chasm was forward, and that’s where the Danger was lurking.
The silver wall of rocks seemed to be closing in on him. Wolf backed up against the cold stone. Mist clouded around him, and he shivered. A quiet growl ripped from his throat. He saw a shadow move near him.
The Danger was getting closer.
The human was standing only a few paces away. He was pointing a gun at Wolf. He was clad in heavy clothes, and the hands holding the black rifle were wrapped in leather. He was eyeing the animal with a cold smirk on his thin, scarred face. Wolf’s eyes glinted with fear and hatred.
“I’ve gotcha’ cornered, stupid mutt,” he grumbled. “What are ya’ gonna’ do now?”
Wolf snarled.
And sprang forward.
A shot rang out in the cold, still silence of the forest.
The Hunter left the chasm with a thin, bitter smile on his face. There was a new scratch on his cheek that wasn’t there before, and there were dark stains on his thick hunting coat. His rifle was down, and smoke was rising from the muzzle.
“Stupid beast,” he muttered. But there was a sorrowful light in his eyes, too. A sparkle that reflected the wisdom of the Wolf. Because everyone knows the Soul of a hunter’s prey leaves a mark on him.
The fog swirled around the misty mountains. The sun was going down, and the orange light cast long shadows over the green, empty forest. A frozen river sliced the woods in half. At the very edge, you could see chopped-down trees, and in the distance – black smoke rising from the chimneys of a factory.
And if you listened very, very closely, and let the ice and stone crumble away, you could, perhaps, hear the broken, helpless cry of the Last Wolf.
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