Black Ice-Completed

“Nyota! Nyota, where are you?”

Nyota narrowed her eyes as she hunkered down lower in the bushes as her aunt passed her hiding place.

“You are in so much trouble young lady! First you throw a tantrum because the pie isn’t made and now you’ve gone and ate it before it’s even supper time! And let’s also not forget that you’re hiding!”

Nyota stifled a giggle and slowly eased into the darker parts of the forest. Nyota knew her aunt would never be able to find her, to say the least her aunt didn’t play hide and seek very well so she would use it to her advantage.

As her aunt’s shouts grew dimmer, Nyota relaxed a little and started to look around at all the wildlife. If anybody else came into the woods they’d ask what wildlife was there to enjoy. But Nyota could sense it all. She didn’t know how but she knew that in forty yards or so that there was several rabbits gorging themselves on raspberries. In the other direction a doe was giving birth and then high up in the ash tree were two or three squirrels fighting over a walnut one of them had found.

Nyota shook her dark red hair out of her face which promptly went back to where it had been. Sighing she snagged the ribbon from around her wrist and braided her hair back. She was six and Nyota had yet to figure out why her aunt wouldn’t let her cut her hair. There were many nights Nyota would come home covered in twigs, leaves, and mud, in which case, Veronica would sigh over the mess and spend hours berating Nyota while yanking, tugging, and brushing the tresses.

Passing a blackberry bush, she took a handful of the sweet berries and ate them while she walked. Wrinkling her nose as an errant thought entered her mind, she had to laugh. Aunt Veronica thought she had ate the strawberry pie but instead of eating it, Nyota had given it to an old bear that lived in a cave not far from the cabin. If she ever told Veronica about the bear they’d move and leave the forest, something Nyota didn’t want to do.

She loved these woods, the freedom it offered. The only thing she didn’t like was the heat that summer brought in. It was so stifling with humidity that Nyota would end up getting sick from it. She thought it was curious that while she got sick in the summer, her aunt would get sick during winter.

It wasn’t until the crickets near Nyota went quiet that she noticed the rest of the forest was just as silent. As if all the beings in the forest didn’t want to be found.

Spreading her legs into a stance that would help her run if need be, Nyota started looking around, trying to pinpoint the source of the turmoil. Nyota could feel the eyes on her but she couldn’t find the source.

Glaring into the shadows, she threw back her head and screamed out a challenge. After the echos of her scream settled, silence was the only thing that greeted her. Huffing in frustration, she turned around to head home and froze.

Not thirty feet from her stood the biggest wolf she had ever seen, and she had seen some big wolves ever since she had been able to walk. For whatever reason though, they stayed away from her.

This one was four times bigger than any wolf, with pitch black hair, and ice blue eyes that had a small ring of red around them. Taking a shallow breath, Nytoa turned fully and stared the wolf down, wondering if she was going to die.

She wasn’t scared, it had surprised her and yet it felt so right to challenge this creature that was in her domain. Aunt Veronica had tossed her hands up years ago when it came to trying to control her. Nyota did what she wanted and if she got hurt then she would learn from those mistakes.

The wolf stared at her intently and Nyota could tell that it wasn’t impressed with her challenge. In fact, Nyota wondered if it was trying to figure out the best way to eat her.

Giving the beast a toothy grin, Nyota drew her eating dagger and took a step forward in challenge, “Try to eat me wolf and I’ll rip your throat open from the inside!” she growled and took another step forwards.

The wolf narrowed its eyes on her as it tilted his head, curiosity got the better of him and he promptly sat down.

Nyota’s eyes widened but before she could comprehend that the wolf was not going to attack her, a deep rough voice reverberated through her head, “You are either the bravest creature I have ever come across or the most reckless idiot to live.”

Her mouth dropped open and her dagger fell to the ground in complete bewilderment, “D-did you just speak?” she squeaked out but then had to laugh, “Of course not, wolves don’t speak, especially inside people’s heads!”

“And why can’t wolves speak?” the wolf asked with a tilt of his head.

Nyota frowned, this wolf was confusing, was she having a dream? “Because they don’t have the ability to form words!”

“And yet, if I wasn’t talking it would show that you are quite stupid to be speaking out loud to something that shouldn’t talk back,” the wolf opened his mouth and let his tongue hang out in a lopsided grin.

Nyota growled low as she glared at the wolf, “So far you have called me a reckless idiot and now you’re calling me stupid,” bending down she picked her dagger up from the ground and placed it back in its cover, “You are a mean wolf, and I think I am done with talking to you, good day!” she quipped and started to walk away, intending to go home.

Immediately the wolf fell in beside her and Nyota couldn’t help but notice that she only came half way up to his shoulder. She would possibly be only two bites for the wolf and it would be the end of her. She still wasn’t scared of it though. It felt natural, the empty piece within her felt full and at home.

“You can’t stay with us,” she muttered. Silence greeted her and Nyota couldn’t help but look up at the wolf, who in turn was just staring ahead while his ears twitched with the sounds of the forest coming at him.

“I’m serious! There’s no room in our cabin. Maybe if we moved everything outside then you might fit. But it’s not just that, my aunt will have a heart attack when she sees you. She’s always telling me to stay out of the woods and away from the animals. Not that it even matters that they run away from me,” Nyota bit out in frustration.

Nyota looked up again and saw a great big blue eye looking down at her, “You are lonely?” he asked.

Nyota deigned to answer as the cabin came into view and she rushed to the cabin, not really expecting the wolf to follow her.

She met Aunt Veronica as the door flew open and watched as her aunt’s face went white. Looking behind her, she saw the wolf step out of the forest and towards them. Just as soon as it did, her aunt shrieked and rushed down the steps with her walking staff to stand between Nyota and the wolf, “You are far from home beast,” Her aunt spat and raised her staff defensively, “You cannot have her!”

The wolf slowly came forward, his head tilted to the side as he considered what was to be done. Would the beast eat her aunt? Nyota felt fear and grabbed ahold of her own walking stick, not sure how much help she would be to her aunt. In seconds the wolf was in front of Veronica and was looking straight into her eyes.

Veronica immediately dropped her staff and bowed her head. Nyota could only assume they were talking silently to one another. Confusion erupted as her aunt began to cry. Nyota growled low and came down the steps to wrap her arms around the women.

The wolf glanced down and surprise flickered in his gaze, “Of course she is affectionate!” Nyota jumped at her aunt’s voice, “Did you think she would be a creature without compassion? She has lived her whole life away from the pack!” Veronica hissed.

Not understanding, Nyota tugged on her Aunt’s skirt, “You can hear him too?”

Veronica snapped her head down to look at Nyota and so many emotions flickered across her face. The little girl tightened her arms around the woman. Veronica sighed and slowly eased Nyota away and pushed her towards the cabin, “Please go into the cabin and shut the door, your supper is waiting for you.”

“But…”

“No Nyota, now go!” Veronica snapped as she watched Nyota sigh in defeat.

But felt love overflow her heart when her niece turned around and stared directly into the wolf’s eyes, baring her teeth, “Make my aunt cry again and I will use your pelt as a blanket for the coming winter, wolf!” she snarled and walked away, her body language saying she didn’t want to leave.