Deep growls drew her attention. Slowly she turned around and saw the furry bodies of a dozen wolves. Their eyes glowed like beacons of light. Their dagger sharp fangs were ready to rip her apart. Every instinct in her body told her to run but how could she outrun a pack of wolves? She dropped her suitcase and swung the stick as they surrounded her. One stick against a pack of wolves. She backed up, tripped on a log, and fell backwards on the grass. The only thing she heard was the sound of her heartbeat. Paralysed with fear her only hope was that they would kill her quickly.

Suddenly a huge wolf with silver and black fur jumped in front of the pack and growled loud and deep. He held his head and tail high, his ears perked forward in a display of dominance. Immediately, the other wolves rolled on their backs and whimpered before crawling and running away with their tails between their legs and hid behind the pine trees. This wolf wants the blood lust all to himself, she thought. Terror crept up her spine.

The wolf turned, cocked his head to one side and stared at her with his deep green eyes. They almost appeared to be human. Sophie felt hypnotised as the eyes penetrated her very soul. Despite her mortal fear, she stared back at the wolf. He towered over her and was only an arm’s length away. She blinked, closed her eyes, and waited for him to rip her throat out. That is what wolves did. Instead, the wolf gently licked off a tear that had fallen down her cheek. Was she dreaming? She felt the hot air from his breath on her face. She opened her eyes and once again gazed into those emerald green eyes.

The stallion whinnied and the spell was broken. The wolf left her, stepped up to the horse, and then licked its muzzle while wagging its tail. In the wolf’s company the horse should have reared, but instead the stallion calmly went back inside its stall.

Petrified, Sophie watched as the wolf trotted back to her. It sat while wagging its tail and lifted his paw in a gesture, like a pet dog trained to shake. She took a deep breath of relief.

Her voice trembled. “So you are not going to eat me?”