Vivian
Birds chirping woke me up with a pounding headache. I sat myself up in my wolf form, feeling disoriented and uneasy.How long have I been out?
Looking at myself, I could tell it must have been at least a few hours. Some of the smaller cuts in my white fur have been closed up, only dry, crusted blood remains.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3x4yQfIu0f
I froze as my eyes scanned the area around me. I was no longer in a meadow. I was in a dense forest filled with thick trees that were more vibrant than normal. Actually, all the colors around me were more vibrant. The smell of the forest was off too. It smelt more rich, filled with more scents that was almost overwhelming. Forests I’m used to had dull, faded scents, even as a wolf with a better nose than a human.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79jPnQb23I
A rustling sound came from a nearby bush on my left. A small rabbit jumped out to stop at a patch of long, green grass. I narrowed my eyes, as I took note that the rabbit possessed a stronger hue of brown on its coat.
I shifted as I prepared to lift myself off the hard ground. The rabbit turned its head in my direction and I paused to look at it more closely. In the middle of its forehead, it had a small, white horn jutting out. Upon seeing me, it scurried back into the bush it came from.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpccmR3D9tK
A horn?! I must be losing my mind. None of this makes sense.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlk1rN38lzI
But the more I walked and took in my surroundings, the more afraid I was. Everything was a striking color that wasn’t natural. The animals I passed had odd appearances, like the rabbit with the horn. All I could think, to rationalize the situation, was that I was hallucinating or I hit my head. That I was seeing horns that’s weren’t really there and colors that are too bright.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVO1r4nUzEt
But what got me thinking otherwise was when I stumbled upon a fairy flying past with pixie dust trailing behind it.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWubY3yPzPd
A goddamn fairy!73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqjggSOx0g
It was too real for me to be making up. With my eyesight, I could see every little detail as she fled past twenty feet away. The tiny facial features with cute little freckles, a barbie-sized orange dress, and the fairy’s light blue wings fluttering on her back.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3ohYOoZ6k
Maybe I’m on another planet? Another dimension?73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQo33DIp0N7
Oh god. I really hope not. Both of those would make it so much harder to return to my world.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz03VGpeOOH
The more I think about it, the more I rule out the possibility of landing on another planet. The animals and plants are too similar here to be a completely different planet. The smells are almost too similar as well. This world just makes them overwhelming with the intensity of them. Of course there’s no fairies in my world, but I’ve at least read about them in children’s books.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RU1eH9eBB
I lightly limped along in the forest, getting farther and farther away from the area I was in. My heel was annoyingly painful, hindering my idea of scouting out a comfy cave I could be resting in.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSCdzkrvZ9S
Maybe it was a bad idea to put so much distance from where I first woke up. It may be the only way I can get back to my world.
But do I really want to go back?
Whether it’s this world or my own, I would still need to carve myself a life from scratch. I’d still be the lone wolf seeking for a place where I belong and won’t be hunted down.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXyN3ore8f
The only major difference is that I know what to expect in my own world. I wasn’t ready for a fairy, straight out of a storybook, to fly past. I began to feel my nerves building up from all the possibilities of what could be lurking in this world. What if I’m not the biggest alpha predator out there? What if there’s also dragons like in fairytales as well? It would take one snap of its large jaw to break my bones and devour me whole. I snicker, there’d be no telling of whether I could even return the favor and rip a chunk off before that happens.
So maybe I do want to go back.
I felt uneasiness as I made my way through the forest. The unknown of the world around me is not helping my anxiety. Paranoid, the sway of the breeze and rustling of bushes from small animals had me whipping my head side to side.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3V5gm8W9M
My heel on my back paw was throbbing and still had fresh blood running alongside it.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg76ZWCVcF2
One step at a time Vivian, you can do this.
First item on the list is getting myself cleaned up. This wound on my heel needs to be cleaned before it gets infected.
Fortunately, it doesn’t take long for me to locate a river. I feel my nervousness subside a bit. At least this world is parallel enough to give me the same advantage in my own world with my knowledge of survival. Years of running around in wolf form with no home keeps you light on your toes.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLWPUL0uNd
Since wolves and humans are such social creatures, there’s a stigma around lone wolves. Many believe that without a pack, a wolf becomes feral. This is true, but only to an extent.
In reality, a lone wolf only becomes feral when they are in wolf form too long without a pack. It’s understandable when wolves become feral since many choose to stay in wolf form, as their human side is the most vulnerable. When a lone wolf is wondering another pack’s territory, they definitely don’t want to be caught in a weaker form. Hell, I would prefer my wolf too but the risk is too great. I’d lose my mind to my animal instincts and I’ve come so far already to gain my freedom. To combat becoming feral, I always change to my human self once in awhile. The more time I spend being a human, I found that I could go longer as a wolf.
I quicken my steps to the water’s edge. I scan the trees and foliage for potential threats while my ears perk up for noise. Birds are heard singing in the trees and the river produces a steady noise. Nothing seems out of the ordinary that I can tell, which probably isn’t much.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28tpX4MX3X
Peering at the water makes me realize how parched I really am. My tongue feels like sandpaper as I inch towards the water. Hopefully there’s no odd sea creatures I should be watching out for because I lower my snout over the blue water and take heaping gulps of the refreshing liquid.
When nothing comes up to bite my snout, I risk bathing my wolf in the cool water. I almost purred in relief when the cold water hits my cuts and sore muscles. After a few minutes, I trudged out of the river, my coat feeling heavy with all the water on it. I decide on shaking out the excess liquid like a dog to dry quicker.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBWhoCjXQg
It would be so much easier to bathe in human form, but I can’t risk endangering myself. I’ll need to stick with this form until I can find a safe enough place to shift.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lFsw6TO1p
A small ways down the river sat a large rock which looked comfy enough to tend to my wounds. I scurried on over, eager to rest, and laid down to clean myself. Basking in the sun as a lapped up my cuts, I thought of my next step.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqpaADEuQ3
I’d love to find a nice secluded shelter to call home for even a night. I lifted my head to peer at the sky. Speaking of night time, it was almost dark in my world and this world is just now starting to turn to dusk. Was there a time difference?73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15pB9DWiAz
I huffed, thinking I should start my trek to find shelter. My stomach growled in protest. I wasn’t looking forward to going to bed hungry again. But thinking about all the countless monsters and creatures in fairytales that can come out after dark gives me the strength to power through another night of hunger.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWbFUbXQIA
I tilt my head downwards to check on my cuts. Most of them are healing nicely with my saliva coating them, except my heel. There were decent sized teeth marks in the area that was concerning. The bloody gash worked overtime to let the red liquid flow downwards onto the stone. It was a disgusting sight. My saliva wasn’t enough to coat it and stop the bleeding.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtsQewrZsJ
It just had to be my heel that damn wolf bit at.73Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdY2m6vMhea
The stupid thing is just going to keep reopening with my walking. What it really needs is to be bandaged to stop infection. That’ll have to be dealt with where I rest for the night.
