She-Wolf

Everyone went blind, except me.

The government took us kids and made us all experiments. Something about studying the way we interacted with social media visually…the plan was to adjust our sight to offset other factors, long-term and detrimental psychological effects that had been proven with research.

What we really think, contrary to what they say, is that they were trying to see if they could enhance any psychic abilities within us. We came from a tribe that was well-known in the area for our spiritual practice. There was a longstanding history of oracles, passing down the practices of “third sight” through the younger generations. I was one of the ones primed for the “gift” in my tribe.

My best friend, Shawn, was blind like everyone else, but had a new ability. He created fire from his hands now. At first, we thought it was merely a strange skin disorder. Flakes of skin were falling from his hands all of the time.

Then, one day, smoke started coming out of his fingertips. It wasn’t skin that had been coming off, it was ash. The burning sensation was not from intense itch and irritation, but from actual fire trying to make its way out.

We all lived off of the grid. Once the experiments failed, we were dumped off into an unknown no-man’s land. We had lived simply before, but now we were truly in the wild. There was definitely an adjustment period. Shawn, before we understood what was truly going on with him, kept setting fires everywhere. It seemed that we could get no respite. I often wondered why the government even let us live at all, surely, they should have just killed us off?

Then, one day, I found the Portal.

It happened one blustery day, when I was searching for some food for us, hoping to find some berries, anything. It had been a few days since we were able to get a good find.

The tree was ancient, and massive. Its branches draped like long, thick fingers, beckoning to me. I was tired, and the wind had drained me. It wasn’t cold that day, but the air was crisp and constantly whipping at me. I was about to take a rest and sit up against the trunk, when I noticed a large beetle, blackish blue. It seemed to glow from within. How strange, I thought. It got stuck in some sort of sappy goo on the tree. I put out my finger, hoping to help it along. The sap began to glow a bright, shining gold. It appeared as if a metallic, glowing thread was running through the tree like spindly veins. The whole trunk started to glow golden.

A ZAP struck through my finger from the lit goo, and everything faded away from my surroundings. I was shot back with full force, smashing into the ground. My head felt as though it was spinning. When I regained myself, and I looked up, I was no longer above the ground by the tree. I was in an underground space, surrounded by trunks and roots, with a little opaque pond in the middle. The earth was damp and dense, spanning the whole floor.

It was a little sanctuary of trees, but with only glowing amber light, and no apparent source for it. I can only think to describe it as a little underground, earthy sanctuary. Little fairies, to my delight and utter shock, were zipping around with glee. One landed on my shoulder and blew out pixie dust, which floated into my ear. I felt a tingling sensation that started in my ear canal, but spread throughout my whole body. I felt warm all over, like a nice blanket was wrapped around me.

A low, quiet, rumbling sound started. A hum vibrated through the space. An oak tree slowly sprang from the pond in the middle, birthing itself from the pond. And then, it started speaking to me. Well, a voice started speaking to me. I associated it with the tree, but it seemed to echo all around me, from everywhere all at once.

It said: You, young one, have a gift. I am here to show you what it is, and how you can use it. The humans are failing us all. You and your friends, your family, can help.

“Uh-um-“ I started to stutter. A shushing sound blew through the trees. Trust, the voice said, and one of its branches started to grow and extend, moving towards me, like a hand reaching out. The branch landed on my shoulder, and I was transported again.

I felt different. At first, I could not discern how exactly. I felt more grounded, alert. My sense of smell was heightened. I was picking up the scent of…warm blood. I looked down, but I did not see my two human legs. I saw two front furry, white legs and two large paws. I started to shake with fear. What a strange dream, I thought. I hope I wake up soon.

No dream, the voice said. Trust.

I took a step with my paw. I was surrounded by snow in the forest. My paw sank into the white blanket. It was ice cold, and the feeling of my paw pads expanding in the landing of my step was strange. My hind quarters shifted with the weight; my spine, extending out, not down, shivered. How can you describe what it feels like, your body in a new form, existing in space completely different than you have known all of your life? I was low to the ground, well, relative to my human height, which was actually somewhat tall (5’8). My shoulders were strong, though narrow, and my legs were sturdy and guarding my belly.

My ears pricked up, as foliage shifted with movement. The smell of the warm blood hit me strong. Food. My belly stirred. I saw a flash of brown, and without thinking, purely on primal instinct, sprinted full-force toward it. Next thing I knew, my jaws were secured around a soft little neck. As my sharp teeth sank into the velvety flesh, the warm blood gushed out into my mouth. It was exhilarating and satiating at the same time.

And then, a vision flashed through my mind.

A war taking place on scorched, blackened earth. Barren land. Men and women slashing each other’s throats, smearing blood on their hungry faces. A tall willowy man sneered at me, his lips curving up into a devilish grin, blood dripping down his lips. Dead bodies lay crumpled and dismembered. Heaps of them.

The man started stepping on one pile of bodies, as if climbing up steps. His foot mushed an already mushed head, and he positioned himself as if he had just stridden upon new land for the first time. Triumphant. He pulled out a machete hanging on his belt, and struck down on one of the body’s necks. He retrieved it, and held it up as if holding up newly discovered treasure.

The blood-covered mass of people stopped what they were doing. The enemies had all been slain. They jeered and hooted, thrusting up their arms with excitement, celebrating.

That’s enough for now, said the voice.

I woke up, human again, lying by the tree, back in the outside world.

I smelled smoke. With a panic, I ran back to camp. Part of me had been hoping that it was just a cookout, but somehow, I knew it had happened again. Shawn had started another fire.

I saw flames overtaking our camp, but none of my tribe cohorts. My whole body shook with fear and stress. Try it again…the voice said. I knew instinctively what she meant. I concentrated all of my energy into changing my body into wolf-form. My bones cracked, and my body began to morph. I felt a buzz of energy circulating through me, as my arms turned to wolf legs, my spine lengthened out, and my height and vision changed.

I could smell them. They were about three-quarters of a mile out, on the run, I could tell. My wolf nostrils flared with a twinge. Someone else was with them; there was a new human smell, one that I could not recognize. I started to sprint, tracking them down. I could feel a sense of danger, panic.

I followed the new scent, racing at full speed, my wolf legs white blurs before me. And then, I lost the smell. I halted to a full stop, swinging my head in both directions. Which way?

Suddenly, a group of large men in government military uniforms sprang out from behind me. One strode up to me and shot me point-blank in the head.

I woke up, my heart thumping against my chest at an alarming rate. I was in blackness…and something heavy and tight was fixed to my head.

I heard a muffled voice. “She lost, again.” A second voice replied.

“Re-run the program. She made it further along this time.”

Shock paralyzed my body. A game? I thought to myself. There is no way this could be…a game. The events began slipping from my mind.

Five minutes later:

Where am I? I felt sweat sticking against my face, pressed into what felt like thick foam. It was heavy and suffocating, like a helmet or something.

I heard a deep voice. “She’s cleared. Take her to her cabin. She’s too tired to re-run the program now. We will do it tomorrow morning.”

The thick material was pulled off, sliding from my head. I felt the release of the pressure, but everything was still dark.

I realized: I was blind.

I felt strong arms lifting me. They placed me on something hard, firm, and cold. The feeling of air rushed past me as I was moved, on what I imagined to be a gurney of some sort. But who knew for sure?

The last thing that happened, was that I was lifted and slid into a cold, tight space. I tried to extend my arms. They hit hard against cold walls. I reached above me, again being blocked. My body started convulsing from fear. I was in some sort of…tomb-like thing.

From there, I lay awake in blackness, trying to remember something, anything. All I could drum up was the arms lifting me, darkness, this tomb.

A strange, yet familiar voice echoed around me: You’re almost there…keep trying. Trust.