wolf in the city

She tried to change destiny, but only found herself playing along...
She can feel the bone-chilling stare on her back. A tingling sensation down her spine as the stare surveyed her. She did not dare to turn around, for fear what she might face. She crossed the street, and then crossed it again. The cold stare still bore through her back. She panicked and crossed the street again. And then the idea hit her, it was a wolf. From the bottom of her soul, she knew, a wolf is hunting her or, haunting her. Her mouth went dry and every her hair on her body seemed to be standing up... She felt a sudden rush of chill as if the wolf was breathing down her neck. The thought of it was just overwhelming. She felt lost and alone in the ever-engulfing darkness of her thoughts. As her eyes lingered around to an ever increasing awareness of her surroundings. A crowd! A crowd where she could blend in and disappear into the many wandering bodies... She felt relieved as she sprinted toward the crowd that spanned as far as the eye could see. Then the image of a great white wolf filled her mind, its amber eyes gleaming, and its lips pulled back in a soundless smile.

It was like running into a hurricane as all these noises and images flooded her senses. Becoming part of the crowd, she tried to make herself vanish... trying to blend in... As she did so she noticed the crowd to be so mindless... destructive... purposeless... lifeless... a breathless mob... Expressionless faces came and went. Not a glance was spared to her as she wandered through the crowd aimlessly. She battled against the current. Fighting against its will but suddenly found herself floating along with the current. The mobs eyes began to fix on her, judging her, condemning her, when in truth there was no one. Vulnerability ate at her like a poison, a parasite taking over her body, a virus. Slowly... painfully... ruining her... She'd give anything to make it stop, but she found herself to endure this alone. Her thoughts became so loud that she felt that they had been heard by the viscous mob around her... She was like a prey trying to escape the inevitable... her fate... Being lured into a trap, into the labyrinth where there was no way out... She felt its gaze pierce through her shell and into the ghost within. Watching in a distant, silently laughing at her struggle against the mob, it was stalking its prey. Still cold, still emotionless, the eyes of a hunter flashed the pity from a hunter to its prey. A challenge! An insult! She assumed. With a flaming fury, she responded to this insult, this challenge. And along with this fury came determination. She stared at that the wolf right in the eyes and vowed, "I shall destroy you" The wolf's expression began to soften into a rueful smile. Then with a great leap, it dissolved into the mist beyond.

She went home, familiar ground is always a good battlefield. The she paused. Is the wolf physical? Like answering her call, it appeared. Its ghostly shine illuminated her dark room! It looks magnificent! Ghostly! Breathtaking! She quaked at its magnificence and then dragged herself away from the sight. She laughed silently at the irony knowing that it's going to kill me and that I am marvelling at its beauty. She smiled and before she could lash out it dissolved into thin air, again. She released her stress with one great sweep and shattered her mirror into millions of pieces. She waited as the clock ticked away~tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock~ All the fear blocked by fury had come back. One by one, the images of fear began to submerge her into an endless darkness. She was drowning in the poison, unable to breathe, unable to surface. She started to thrash, lashed, and struggled to be free. Yet the fear lingered fog, like death, like tangled desire. It lingered, clung to her, and gnawed at her. She could feel the wolf's stare penetrate her wooden door, towering over her, engulfing her. Every single nerve screamed "danger"every sensation spelled "chaos". Crouched in the corner, she stared at the door. The presence flicked across the room. Her eyes widely searching its position. Then it died. No movement, no sensation. It's like falling into a pitch-black realm with no escape. Then all her fear exploded, she shrilled. Her voice sounded empty and hollow in the room. So desperate. The wolf appeared in a halo of silvery light. At that moment, it seemed to be like a saviour. She stifled a sob, and hurled herself onto the wolf with all her fury. Expecting to fall through the wolf and onto the floor, she landed on the warm body. She was startled, and then all actions came at once. She bit, gnawed, and clawed at is shining fur. With an effortless sidestep the wolf cleared the way. She hissed at its power then lunged again. This time she lashed out both mentally and physically. All her fear, anger, despair, and hatred shaped themselves into a sword of vengeance. Her enemy was the wolf, and she will kill. She intended to wound it, and she drew blood. Sparkling red essences of life flied through the dark, tainted everything they touched. The sweet smell of blood stimulated her every sense and her heart leaped. Yet, she felt no joy, but an emptiness. There's no way back now. She had no choice but to finish what she started. The wolf was corned, yet it never lost one bit of his dignity. The hunter became the prey...She moved in for the kill. The wolf stared at her with its haunting eyes. As the blood spurted out from its heart, its massive shoulder hunched together. With one great leap, it displayed all its power and grace. Then, it was gone, leaving behind flowers of red...
Heaved a great sigh, she glanced around the room. It seemed so empty, so dark, and so depressing. Where's the glory? The joy? The triumph? Her body and spirit ached with an emptiness that too great to bear. Then, realization dawned upon her. From the shattered mirror on the floor, she saw her own eyes. Her reflection stared back at her. She was the wolf.