Distant Lands
New Friend

I tiptoe through the tall grass with Orion. He is... I mean, we are stalking small prey. We stop and stay completely still.

Orion has his eyes locked on the small animal ahead of him. He quickly dashes forward, going after it at full speed.

I see him run off, and I run after him. I now see him running in the distance. My speed is no match to his, and he leaves me behind in seconds. I run in his direction, but the tall grasses obstruct my view, lose sight of him.

I look around, pushing the grass away, trying to replace him. I hear a noise to my right and go off in that direction. It’s been five months of living out here in the safe house. The first month was the toughest. Damon tried to send me books, beauty products, and other things to help me pass the time.

I appreciated his efforts, but after a month had passed, I started to feel lonely. Having no other human to speak to can be distressing. I don’t think I can stay here any longer, the isolation affects my mind, and my nightmares have increased.

I haven’t been able to speak with Ivan or Damon. The only way Damon has been communicating with me is through the supplies he sends me. But now, he sends me fewer and fewer supplies.

There’s no sign of Ivan. He could at least let me know what is going on. I’m pretty upset with him, and I fear they both might have just abandoned me. I even thought of going back to the ranch or the city. But Ivan had said he would replace a way to send me home. I don’t want to ruin any of his progress.

The only thing that has kept me sane is Orion. I’ve been taking care of him, helping him grow up strong. He grew up very fast and now looks like a full-grown wolf. He has long black fur and beautiful gray eyes. He has kept me company.

At first, he didn’t leave my side, but now that he is older, he goes out into the forest for most of the day. Sometimes he comes back at night or early in the mornings, often bringing back small animals he had hunted.

It makes me very happy that he has been going out more because I know he is a wild wolf. I trust Orion, but he needs to integrate with his kind. Also, I don’t think Ivan will let me take him home.

I hear more movement in the brush. I push myself through, revealing a small beautiful lake. The water is very still, and it’s dead silent. No water moving, no birds chirping. It’s eerily silent.

Out of nowhere, I hear an angry growl behind me. I turn around slowly, and I see a dark brown wolf snarling at me, showing me its sharp teeth, its angry eyes warning me to go away.

I must have walked into their territory. I slowly walk backward, keeping eye contact with the angry wolf. It lunges forward and stops, threatening to attack.

My heart beats out of my chest, and I breathe hard. I back away a little faster. I raise my arms in the air and yell at it, trying to scare it away. Unaffected by my effort, the large animal comes toward me faster and angrier. “Shit!" I panic and without thinking I start to run.

I run screaming for my life. I take out my knife, but I know I’m no match for a wolf, and I start accepting my fate. I feel it inches away from me now. I close my eyes and fall to the ground, ready to feel its sharp teeth and claws.

But I don’t feel any animal pounce on me. Instead, I hear angry growls, yelps, and jaws snapping. I look up, and Orion is fighting the brown wolf. I get up as quickly as possible and start running towards the safehouse.

I know Orion is capable of defending himself. I reach the safe house running inside, closing the door behind me. I look out the window, trying to see any signs of him. Thank god for Orion; I would have been mauled to death if it wasn’t for him.

I grab a chair and sit by the window. I hope Orion survives this attack. If I lose him, I think I’ll go insane, living here alone. I start to see the tall grass in the distance move. I feel relief when I see black fur. Orion comes back with a small animal In his mouth. It looks like some type of rabbit.

I’m also surprised to see the brown wolf following behind Orion. Orion drops the dead animal to the ground, and both Orion and the brown wolf start to tear the animal apart. They both look like buddies, sharing a meal, and the fight from a minute ago is forgotten. I’m guessing this is the wolf Orion has spent most of his time with.

I get up from the chair, and it scrapes on the floor. The brown wolf looks in my direction, and it runs away, back into the bush. Orion looks towards it; he grabs what’s left of the dead animal and runs to join his new friend.

I lay down on the couch. My gut tells me that it’s time to get out of here. I have to start thinking about getting back to the ranch on my own. I can’t live in isolation anymore.

The sun is starting to set. There is no way in hell I will travel in the dark; that’s when the giant spiders come out the most. I get up and grab my backpack and start packing clothing and other essentials I will need while traveling on foot. I roll a blanket and attach it to my bag with a rope.

I hear movement outside. Orion starts growling at something. I look out the window and see him growling at a big man dressed in black. It’s hard to see, and I don’t think I recognize the man. I see him reach behind his back, taking out a weapon.