Juliette drove back to campus as slowly and carefully as she could, while also being more than a little tipsy. The small country road she was driving on meant it would take longer to get back but, in her current state, was much safer to drive on than the highway. She was supposed to be the D.D for Antionette and her friends. She had quickly been ditched by them and ended up taking one too many sips of whiskey while she had waited for her friend to come back from having "a little fun" with some rando. It took her twenty minutes to realize she had officially been abandoned and would be driving back to campus alone, unless she found a rando of her own. She remembered scanning the room listlessly before deciding against it. She never felt quite as comfortable with one-night stands as Antionette and probably never would. 

Thinking back on it, Lettie couldn't help but sigh a little in disappointment. Maybe Nettie was right, and she was too uptight? She could be having some fun with a guy she found physically attractive at the very least. Lettie just never felt comfortable exposing herself to someone she didn't know. Nettie had kissed more guys before knowing their names than ones she had. Maybe Juliette shouldn't take her words to heart. Lettie was lost in thought and her eyes were not as steady as they would be if she were sober. So, she didn't notice the large onyx creature until it was directly in front of her. She swerved away from it as fast as she could and indeed up several feet into the woods for her trouble. She was lucky to have not hit any trees before she slowed down. 

"Jesus!" She gasped, as she finally stopped. Her breathing was fast and ragged as she tried to calm down. "What was that anyway? Did I almost die trying not to hit a fucking raccoon? No, it was too big for that. Then what-" 

The sound of a deep and guttural howl stopped her. It sounded like it echoed through the whole forest and made her heart tremble. 

"A wolf? I almost hit a wolf!? I guess that's at least larger than a raccoon." 

Juliette rubbed her face roughly and tried to calm her breathing. 

Another howl, but this one sounded a bit more urgent and almost stifled. Like it was trying harder to get the sound out and trying to mask the effort it exhorted. Like it was trying to power through pain. 

The thought that it might be injured got Lettie out of her seat and to the trunk much faster than she would probably care to admit. She was officially half-way through her first official year of her zoology degree, and they had just started learning how to observe and interact with wild animals. Injured wild animals were the most dangerous at first but also some of the easiest to handle once you got a grasp on them. In her enthusiasm Lettie had agreed to do some volunteer work at a local rescue. She was given some old gear and knew how to use a catch pole well enough. As long as the wolf wasn't particularly large or aggressive, if it was injured she would check it. She also had a simple animals' first aid kit with her. Just some wrap and blu-kote but it would do in a pinch. She took the supplies and some beef jerky with her and moved quietly through the forest. She moved lightly and slowly on her feet as she made it closer to the still howling wolf on the road. As she got to the edge of the forest, she could barely see the outline of the wolf on the other side of the road. 

It was massive! Letties' heart nearly stopped as she looked at the wolf which would likely dwarf her in size if it stood on its hind legs. Its muzzle was large and likely hiding deadly sharp teeth. But it was also beautiful, in its own way. Its eyes glowed a bright blue in the moonlight, like a fire that's burning too bright. And what she could make out of its coat showed a healthy black sheen that looked almost tinted blue in its darkness. 

She walked onto the road slowly several feet below where the wolf was. She hoped it would be so focused on what she assumed was it calling for help. A fact that had only just crossed her mind and made this situation far more deadly. But she had only made it halfway across the road before the howling stopped and it looked directly at her. She froze under its intense unyielding gaze. For reasons Lettie could not explain it came off as proud and a little surprised. She stayed exactly where she was and slowly pulled out the beef jerky.

"H-hey buddy. I've got this beef jerky for you. And I have some blue-kote and gauze. Y-you probably don't know what that is. That's fine, it's something that'll fix you up." 

The look the wolf gave her would be kindly described as unimpressed and it turned its head to look away and laid back down. It might have been the alcohol, the adrenaline or both but Lettie was still feeling fairly brave and starting to feel more than a little annoyed. 

"I'm trying to be helpful here. I know the beef jerky isn't the most appealing but I'm not the one who got hurt and almost hit by a car." She yelled the last word and through her pack of beef jerky.

Time stood still as the wolf's head snapped back to her. She started it down, her own green eyes just as unwieldy and bright. It stood fully now, nearly five feet tall on all fours. It growled, low and guttural, no longer sounding as injured as before. Letties didn't allow herself to flinch at the sound and stood perfectly still. Though she could feel her breathing picking up again and her body begin to sweat even in the cool late night air, she still refused to show her fear. 

She had learned that running would just make the situation worse and fully turn their dynamic from predator and predator to predator and prey. Juliette truly could not afford to back down in this moment. 

The wolf bared its teeth, its canines were as sharp and deadly as a knife. It moved toward her slowly and maintained its burning gaze the whole time. Juliette held the pole tightly, she would only have one chance to use it, if the dark wolf came close enough. The wolf stopped about five feet away from her. Close enough that she could see its hot breath in the cold January air. It stared at her, then the catch pole, and finally the forest. It continued growling at her and snapped its jaw before turning to the left and running past her into the forest. She wanted to call out but the words were stuck in her mouth. Before she could process what was happening Juliettes legs gave out from under her. 

Sher sat in the middle of the dark road for what felt like hours but was probably only a minute or two. This may have been the dumbest thing she's done in a while, possibly her whole life. She started laughing as the night played out in her head over and over. From getting dumped by friends to fighting a black wolf! At least she could say her freshman year wasn't boring. 

"Never a dull moment with Julliette Spriggs!" she yelled between laughing as she finally stood up. "Well I'm certainly sober enough to make it back home." She kicked a pile of dirt near the edge of the road as she entered the forest. She turned in the direction of the wolf she had long since lost sight of. "Thank you! Remember to drive sober or get pulled over!" She may not be drunk anymore but she certainly didn't feel sober. In the distance she heard what felt like a reprimanding howl. Adrenaline burned through her veins like liquid amber as she booked it back to her car. She sat inside for a long time letting her heart and mind find their center once again. As she did so she laid her head against the steering wheel and closed her eyes, humming a song softly to herself. In the distance four pairs of burning blue eyes watched her.