A woman cradled a child,merely an infant,while she sat on a log in the midst of a forest.
"Hush,my child. He mustn't hear you,"the woman whispered to the infant in her arms. The babe gazed up at her and grasped her weary fingers in its small grip.
A wolf appeared out of the misty haze surrounding the forest. It had a silver pelt that gleamed under the moonlight,which made its blue eyes gleam in the dark. "We must hurry,madame,"it urged to the woman.
The woman peered over at the wolf and then back at the child in her arms. The infant smiled a little toothless grin up at her and cooed softly. She leaned over to plant a kiss the forehead of the infant.
Lifting her head,the woman told the wolf,"Take her. Keep her safe. I'll hold him back."
"Joyce,please. I have many guards at camp. You are safe,"the wolf pleaded with a slight whimper.
Heaving a sigh,the woman strapped the blanket holding the babe to the wolf's back. The wolf didn't move,nor did it make any remark. "Silaluk,I must stop him from harming her,"the woman said.
The she-wolf dipped her head hesitantly. "As you wish."
The woman suddenly started to change. She stood on fours,her bones cracking and popping. Her nose elongated and twitched at the abundance of smells. Her ears moved to the top of her head,swiveling in each direction at the common sounds of the forest. A tail sprouted and hung down. Ebony black and opaque white fur covered her body. as the transformation completed,she wriggled out from her clothes in a new form. A wolf.
The woman,now a black and white wolf bounded off through the emerald green foliage of the forest.
The baby fussed as Silaluk shifted her weight. "I will protect you with my life,Wolf Spirit,"she whispered and turned,padding into the darkness until it enveloped her. All that was left was an owl among the trees,hooting somberly before taking off with a single flap of its large wings.
