The Howl In The Woods

It was a quiet night, not unlike most nights. The wind flowed through the branches of the looming trees, frogs croaked down in the creek bed, and crickets chirped a lullaby to lull those who listen asleep. I laid in bed listening to the sounds of the night, my eyes grew heavy as I began my decent into sleep. A faint sound that I have never heard came from outside my home. My eyes shot open, no longer being weighed down by sleep. I sat up and looked toward the window in my room. My room had a few cloths on the floor, a nightstand right next to me, and a window to the far left wall, with a desk and a chair on the windows right. I gazed out of the window, wondering what caused the irregular noise. The moon shined down onto the front of the house, the tree line was void of anything that could have made the noise. I almost thought I was just hearing things, until I heard a more audible sound. A howl cut through the night. This time I knew I wasn't hearing anything. Curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to get out of my bed and investigate the sound. I put on a jacket, a pair of boots, a lantern, and a lighter. I walked downstairs, through the kitchen, and out the door. The sound of the gravel beneath my boots, caused all noise in the air to disperse. Before I lit my lantern, I looked up at the black sky, littered with stars shinning as bright as the moon. I lit my lantern and continued down the gravel path. I walked for a couple minutes, listening out for the howl. I reached the gate at the end of the path, opening it, and continued into the woods. The gravel path made a smooth transition into dirt, allowing the sounds of the woods to return, even louder than before. It felt as if the very forest itself was alive. Another howl, sounding much closer, shot through the air along with the whistling of the wind. I turned toward the howl, and walked off the trail. I was determined to find whatever was howling in the woods. I walked through the forest, stepping over fallen over trees and brush. A sound came from behind, I spun around and looked up into the trees. A barn owl sat upon a branch, cooing as it turned its head in curiosity. I unknowingly mimicked the bird. The birds head returned upright, as well as lifting its wings before taking off. As it began to fly, another howl came from deeper into the woods. The barn owl followed the noise, and I followed suit. I began to pick up pace to keep up with the owl, feeling as if the bird was connected to the howling. I continued to run until ran into a clearing. Bioluminescent mushrooms littered the area, some of which were bigger than normal. A boulder covered with moss colored a pinkish blue, sat in the middle of the clearing. What sat on top of the boulder though, was truly a sight to see. A wolf with speckled fur that shined just as bright as the stars. With turquoise eyes, and horns like like an elk, the shined slightly less than its fur. Small leafy fines were strung across the horns of the wolf. The barn owl from earlier flew above the wolf, landing on a looming willow tree above the moss covered boulder. I looked at the wolf, I felt connected to it. The wolf and I met eyes, and I felt as if it was looking into my soul. After a couple seconds of the wolf looking down at me, it turned to the sky, and my eyes looked up to the sky as well. The moon was above the clearing, causing all of the mushrooms to glow brighter. Lights from the mushrooms floated out and landed on the ground, growing more, smaller mushrooms. The clearing became brighter with every new mushroom. It felt as if it was a dream, but with every light that brushed passed my arm or leg, reminded me that it wasn't. The wolf howled into the night sky. With a final glimpse at the majestic creature, my vision became blurry, and I closed my eyes. Birds chirped as rays of golden light shined in through my window. The rays of light shined in my eyes, waking me up. I sat up, tired as if I had been asleep for the entire night. I checked the clock across the room, it read 9:00 AM. The memory of the night before began rushing back, I got out of bed and starting running back out into the woods. I just had to confirm that what happened last night wasn't a dream. I ran and ran until I made it into the clearing. Mushrooms littered the area, but none of them glowed. A boulder was in the center of the clearing, however the moss was green in color. I stood their baffled at the discovery, until I heard a coo from a nearby tree. I looked up into the tree, and a barn owl sat on one of it's branches. It tilted it's head in curiosity. Unknowingly, a smile grew on my face, finally knowing that the night before, and the howling in the woods, wasn't a dream.