The pup stumbled out of the burrow, its tail straight up and its ears flattened. Its paws were too big for its body, so it was practically tripping over its own feet with every step. I knelt down, reaching out a hand towards the fuzzy creature. You probably weren't supposed to do that, but I'd never seen a wolf before, especially not a puppy. Was it all alone out here? Coyotes would tear it up- even an eagle or an owl could get their claws on the poor baby and maim it. I couldn't let that happen to such an adorable creature.
I knelt down on the spiky grass and held my hand out to the pup. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you," I murmured softly, beckoning for the animal to come to me. As the pup neared me, two more fuzzy heads nosed their way out from beneath the roots. One pup was a dusty tan color, and the other one was ginger. I stared at them in surprise. I'd never seen wolves with so much variety before.
"Hi there!" I exclaimed, letting the pups sniff my legs. Their ears were pricked forward alertly, but their tails were wagging excitedly as they bounced around me, jabbing at me thighs with their paws and making mock growling sounds at each other. They were so cute. I couldn't believe someone, or something, had left them here. Wolves traveled in packs, that meant that one or more wolves should be here keeping an eye on them. It could be a single mother, and she may have gone out to get food and hadn't come back yet. That meant trouble for me, but if I was mauled for petting the adorable wolf pups then so be it.
I ran my fingers along the ginger one's back, letting the fur stand up with static as I move my hand over it. I was as gentle and brief as possible, making sure I put barely any weight onto the tiny animals. I didn't want to alarm them. This was probably their home, and the safest place they knew. If I scared them off, they might not come back, and then something in the forest would snatch them up.
A low growl sounded from somewhere behind the bushes. I turned around in time to see gleaming yellow eyes and sharp white teeth before a huge ball of fur knocked into my chest and bowled me over. I let out a cry as something huge, sweaty, and reeking of raw meat landed on top of me. Hot breath washed over my face, and a searing pain swept up my arm and my chest. I screamed in agony as razor-sharp teeth sunk into my arm, digging into my flesh. A burning, agonizing feeling spread throughout my entire body. I screamed as I tried to drag my arm away. Blood oozed out of the wolf's mouth, dripping down my arm and seeping into the ground below me. Sharp, stinging needles of pain traveled up and down my arm as the wolf shook my arm like a toy.
The ginger pup barked loudly, and rushed over. I held out my hand and tried to push it away when I heard the wolf give a warning growl. I pressed two fingers gently into its chest, keeping it at arm's length from the angry beast. I felt my whole body growing numb, starting in the toes and spreading upwards.
I looked up at the wolf, tears blurring my vision. I reached up a limp hand and pressed it against the side of its face. The wolf growled in response, but I held it there. I stroked the soft fur on his face. It was a gigantic wolf, probably three feet at the shoulder and nearly twice my weight. All of this was crushing my chest. It had dark brown fur flecked with ginger and a lighter brown color. It was a boy, possibly the pups' father. I didn't blame him for being mad. You couldn't get mad at a wild animal for being a wild animal.
The wolf stared at me, its yellow eyes flashing with fury as his teeth drove a little deeper into my arm. I grimaced in pain, but kept petting the soft fur, a distraction from the agony of having my limb ripped into by a furious predator. I remembered when my cousin was in the hospital for chemotherapy. They brought in this huge St. Bernard every other day to sit with her. It was so well-behaved, and it would lay next to her in bed and let her pet it and cuddle it as much as wanted. It never barked, or growled, or even nipped. It knew better. The petting soothed my cousin. She'd cry when the St. Bernard left. I thought of this as I kept petting the fur, ignoring the glistening white fangs sinking deeper into my flesh. Hot tears streaked down my face, dripping down my neck and onto the soft blanket of grass I was laying on. The edges of my consciousness were growing hazy.
I felt dizzy, and really giddy even though my arm had just been shredded by giant wolf teeth. I rubbed the fur right beneath his jaw, and smiled groggily. "Good puppy..." I murmured. My head slumped back. The wolf's eyes widened slightly. He picked up my arm, slipping his teeth out of my skin. More blood pumped out onto the floor. He gingerly laid my arm over my chest as everything around me went black.