Chapter 6

The brothers had walked off into the woods to have their conversation. Since I hadn’t watched them leave, I had no idea of the direction they’d taken.

“I need to use our trusty outhouse,” I said when my legs finally felt usable again. Heading out to the porch, I surveyed the clearing before asking, “Do you happen to know where it’s located.

“I’m assuming it’s hidden behind the building,” Kenzie offered. “I didn’t see it when I was starting the generator, but I wasn’t looking for it. My guess is it’s back there.”

“It’s a bit odd to hide an outhouse, isn’t it?” I asked with mild annoyance.

“Do you really want a shithouse sitting in plain view of the cabin?” Kenzie asked with amusement. “Not to mention what happens when the wind kicks up.”

“Egad,” I said with a roll of my eyes as I stepped off the porch and headed toward the back side of the cabin. “What did I get myself into?”

“There’s my city girl,” Kenzie teased. “Do we need to mark the trees so that you can find your way back?”

“Very funny,” I called over my shoulder as I left the clearing to search for the outhouse amidst the trees that bordered it. “Just finish unpacking and setting up, will you? I’m getting hungry.”

“Unpack and set up?” Kenzie exclaimed. “How long do you plan on being?”

Her unbridled laughter floated back to me as I continued to walk while flipping my middle finger without looking back at her.

My bladder was about to burst and I saw no signs of the outhouse. If I didn’t find it soon, I’d have no choice but to go where I stood.

Not only was there no outhouse in sight, but I was feeling a touch of trepidation over the distance that was building between me and the cabin. I’d been so preoccupied with thoughts of Noah and the unsettling effect that he’d had on me that I’d paid little attention to my surroundings. Kenzie wasn’t far off with her suggestion to mark the path that I’d taken. It might have proven useful.

Studying my surroundings for the first time, I realized that I’d gone much further into the wild than I’d intended and wasn’t altogether sure of the direction I’d walked in.

The adrenaline that coursed through my veins as my mind whirled with scenes from all of the horror shows I’d watched over the years where monsters or predatory wildlife hunted humans in the woods and did unspeakable things to them, including eating them, caused my bladder to threaten to give way on its own if I didn’t immediately empty it. Seeing no alternative, I dropped my pants to my ankles and squatted where I stood.

The silence of the forest was assaulted by the seemingly amplified sound of the almost endless stream of my urine beating against the debris on the forest floor. A sense of uneasiness came over me to the extent that I felt panicked. I mentally begged my bladder to finish relieving itself quickly so that I could hurry back to the cabin.

I was just fastening my pants when a low snarl caught my attention. Almost frozen with fear, I slowly looked to my right. There, just a few yards away, stood an enormous snow white wolf. Had I not been so terrified, I’d have delighted in admiring its thick, beautiful coat. Unfortunately, my eyes were locked on the long, solid looking fangs that it displayed.

I squeezed my eyes shut while I thought on what to do. Running would be foolish since the wolf was close and much faster than I was. Could I use my psychic abilities to speak to it telepathically? I’d done it a few times with domestic dogs and cats. Even if I could, would it do me any good to tell it that I meant it no harm? It was a wild creature and a predator, after all.

My heartbeat was so strong that it pounded against my eardrums, making it difficult to hear much else. It was for this reason that I didn’t hear Noah approaching.

“What are you doing?” he asked with a hint of agitation. “Did you just urinate?”

I opened my eyes with a start to find Noah standing with his hand on the back of the beautiful, yet super scary wolf and a look of annoyance on his face.

“We have an outhouse for a reason,” he continued. “Your urine is going to attract the wolves in the area, or worse.”

“I was looking for it,” I feebly explained while not taking my eyes off the wolf.

His face softened a bit as he said, “You’re not an outdoors kind of person, are you?” When I vigorously shook my head, he asked, “Can I ask why you came up here with Kenzie?”

Seeing that the wolf was content to stand next to Noah and have its ears scratched, I allowed my body to relax enough to converse with him.

“I needed to get away and Kenzie thought this was the perfect opportunity,” I explained. “I’m not a total idiot when it comes to the wild. I’ve just never had the opportunity to enjoy it like this. It’s all new. That’s all.”

“I see,” he said as his mesmerizing eyes studied me. After an uncomfortable silence that felt like hours, but I guessed were only seconds, he added, “This is Snow. He lives in these parts. Since you’ve ventured into his territory and he’s now aware of you, you might as well get acquainted.”

As he moved toward me, the wolf did the same. With a renewed panic, I quickly stepped back.

“Stand still and let him smell you,” Noah practically barked. “This can go good or bad. The choice is yours.”

“If I let him smell me, will it go good?” I meekly asked.

He nodded and said in a low tone, “That’s what I’m hoping for.”

Snow’s moist nose felt cold as it brushed against the back of my trembling hand.

“You’re hoping?” I said with obvious distress.

“Just stay as calm as you can and let him sniff you,” Noah ordered.

After what had to be the most torturous few minutes of my life, the wolf completed its sniffing of my entire body. I doubted it left one inch out. When it finally walked back to Noah, I heaved a sigh of relief.

The fear that had kept me standing like a statue gushed from me like the waters that were held back by a dam that suddenly broke. The result was my legs failing me and the world going black.

The sound of a wolf howling was the last thing I heard before I slipped into oblivion.