Tala
I first realized change was upon me when I hesitated before devouring the rotten, half eaten bird. I didn’t quite realize how human my mind was about to become until the change was far too late. From that point on, splotches of black wolf-instinct fades my memory, which I had never possessed before. In the beginning I had gone on instinct, on pure impulse. But now I was thinking, learning. I had started asking questions about my daily routine; sleep, hunt, eat, sleep. I only ate so I could hunt, and hunt so I could eat, and the more this cycle ran about in my newly acquired thoughts, the more boring it became. Soon I needed something, though I didn’t know what. Before my hesitation I never knew this emotion. And I was frightened.
I sought for a cure to this feeling, coming upon a rabbit. I remember chasing it, though instinct kicked in. The next thing I remember is gazing down at the bloody, dead rabbit. Tasting the metallic goo slither over my tongue and down my throat, some flowing between my teeth and onto the pale dirt beneath my paws. A new emotion entered my thoughts, which felt like my heart was being squeezed. This emotion hurt. I looked down at the red blood; the rabbit itself seemed to disappear from my vision. All I could see was red, and this was the first color I’d noticed. My fur was almost void of color, taking on the red of blood around my muzzle. I was as white as snow, though not as cold. I ran from my kill, frightened of myself and what I was capable of. I know this feeling; fear, and it was almost comforting to come across such a familiar emotion.
I came across a boarder marker, almost toppling over in my desperate attempt to flee the stench, though I always did, always fled. I smelt water and dove into it. Vigorously scraping my paws, turning them pink, then back to white. My senses had not turned human, and were now as sharp as my mind. I shuddered to think the only fact remaining; I did not belong here any longer. I followed a river, eating berries and the occasional fish along the way.
Soon raw fish became repulsive, and I thought to fix it though I had no Idea how. So as I ate, I kept a lock or two of lavender close by, drowning out the scent of blood. This also made my food taste like lavender, though I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why. I journeyed in vain to search for humanity. Perhaps they had the reason for my subtle transformation, not one of shedding fur or losing a cub tooth, but the kind of change that forms you into who you are and who you become.
I searched on and on, miles and miles without the sight, smell, or sound of a human. Or another wolf for that matter, though my kind has always been few and far between. Butterflies waft about in the gentle breeze, and crickets sing at night. Before I’d snap at butterflies, but now I let them follow me around, giving the air around me a peaceful tranquility. When my stomach would growl I’d nibble on spiders and fish.
As I followed the river the water made me thirstier with every lap of my black tongue. And I soon came upon a vast river. A river that stretched out as far as my crystalline blue eyes could see. It smelled funny, and birds constantly screamed. The river’s edge would recede, then push back with a frightening force, seeming to grab all unfortunate victims. The pull and push of the water was oddly comforting. Laughter bubbled up somewhere behind me as I gazed in awe at the vast water.
“It’s called the ocean.” A young girl’s voice said in a half giggle.
She must have seen how thin I was for she offered me a small fish. I licked her wrist before gently, as not to hurt or frighten her, picking up the fish and devouring it. I saw these little spider things crawling about and pounced on one. The girl laughed and I turned to smile at her the way canines do.
“Watch your step now!” she cautioned, amusement visibly twinkling in her eyes.
A jet of water shot up in front of me, and I jumped back in surprise only to have another jet spray under my tail, scaring me even more. She laughed harder, this girl all scraped and dirty. She touched my shoulder, and pointed to the holes in the sand. She shoved her hand in one, ignoring the jet of water and pulled out this rock. I didn’t quite understand how this rock was the cause of all my problems.
“It’s a clam silly Tala! Look…” She rubbed a finger over the clam and it opened a bit, showing a pink inside. I sniffed at it, confirming it’s alive as it snapped shut.
“With your learning mind, we can learn together.”
She was no bigger than a cub; I didn’t think I was that large, for she seemed almost full grown. I licked her and she fell to one side, laughing.
“Let’s go Tala, let’s be together.” Her eyes softened, and I’d realized she was just as alone as I.
“I’ll stay with you Little One.” I said, though I don’t think she understood.
We walked along the salty shore, and together we dissected the mysteries of the world.