look at me

Her eyes were closed, soaking in the golden warmth of the sun as it blanketed her body. It was a beautiful day—the kind of day that felt almost magical. The air carried a crisp, refreshing sweetness, and the sky stretched endlessly above her, an unbroken expanse of clear blue. She tried her best to push away the dark, nagging thoughts about her situation, focusing instead on the small joys. The day was lovely, and for once, she hadn’t been scolded or reprimanded for several days in a row. That, at least, was something to be grateful for.

A sharp sound abruptly pulled her from her reverie. Her eyes fluttered open, and she froze, her breath hitching in her throat. Her gaze locked onto the figure in the distance, and she couldn't suppress her awe. Even from far away, it was clear—he was enormous. She blinked a few times, her eyes tracing the shape of his body. He was the first wolf she had seen since waking up on the shore days ago, and he was... unlike anything she had imagined.

Her attention was quickly drawn to his head, where a pair of horns jutted upward. Wolves here have horns? she thought, her curiosity flickering to life. Were they taken from a deer and somehow placed there? The thought was absurd, yet she found herself wanting to know. Were they real? What would they feel like under her touch?

His voice startled her, unfamiliar and deep, cutting through the quiet. It took her a moment to process what he had said, her mind lagging behind the sudden shift in focus. "But the weather is perfect," she replied softly, her voice almost timid. She hoped he couldn’t tell how nervous she felt, though it was likely written all over her. Her ears remained upright, twitching slightly in an attempt to appear calm, while her tail instinctively wrapped around her paws. Turning fully to face him, she met his gaze, though she kept her movements slow and deliberate. Inside, her heart raced, and she worked hard to steady her breathing. If he looked closely, though, he might see right through the fragile facade she was trying so hard to maintain.

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