"Oh my God! You're hurt! You poor thing!"
He could hear the real emotion in her voice this time. He knew she wasn't a threat now. He moved his head up and down again and watched her carefully. She slowly moved her right hand towards the lower pocket on her coat. He followed the movement but didn't make any noise.
She carefully pulled out a shiny red and silver packet, showing him that it wasn't anything threatening. He continued to watch her, but he visibly relaxed when he saw that it was a food packet and not a gun. Taking this as a good sign, she carefully peeled the packet open and removed a dark brown bar. Taking it by her forefinger and thumb, she gently tossed the bar in front of him.
Giving her a look of 'Don't you dare move!' he slowly lowered his head and sniffed at the bar. The smell brought back memories, flashes of ladies in frilly dresses and their laughter while they popped little brown balls in their mouths and smiled. Taking one more look in her direction, noticing that she hadn't moved, he slowly picked up the candy and started to chew. The taste was sweet, with a nutty flavor mixed in. He quickly swallowed the food bar and looked at her again.
"Sorry, that's all I have on me."
Her voice clearly conveyed that she really was sorry that she couldn't give him more. He continued to stare at her, waiting for her to make the next move.
"I have more food back at my campsite. If you promise not to bite me, I'll give you more."
This time she had more confidence in her tone, growing bolder with the fact the giant wolf hadn't attacked her, and somehow, it understood her. He studied her for a few seconds and then moved his head up and down, chuffing through his jowls. She looked to her left and then slowly began to step in that direction. She continued to face him, watching to see if he moved. He let her get several paces away before taking a step to follow her. He didn't want to panic her at this point, especially if she was willing to give him more food. She kept looking back over her shoulder so she wouldn't trip over any branches, and she slowly walked back to her camp.
She stopped at the edge of the small clearing where her tent was set up, and there was a small pit dug into the ground with wood in it. She waited for him to come closer, but he stayed several feet away. Still not completely trusting her yet, he waited for her to go into the tent and retrieve the food she had promised. After staring at each other for several moments, she finally broke the silence.
"You really won't bite me?"
The fear had crept back into her voice as she realized she would have to turn her back on him to open the tent and get the food. He slowly moved his head side to side. She shivered as she realized that the giant wolf had once again appeared to understand her question. Moving slowly, she turned and opened the tent flap. Reaching inside, she pulled a large backpack out of the tent and carefully opened the top. She pulled out a bag of beef jerky and slowly tossed the pieces at him one at a time.
By the third piece, he was standing within throwing distance and was catching the pieces before they hit the ground. When the bag was half-empty, he looked at her and moved his head back and forth, signaling that he didn't want any more. He continued to stare at her for a few seconds, then licked his chops and began to look around the campsite. He didn't see any immediate water source. The look of recognition suddenly flashed on the woman's face as she caught on to what he was looking for.
"Ooooh shit! I bet you are really thirsty after eating all that salted beef. Let me get you a bowl and I'll get you some water."
Her voice was normal now, with no trace of fear. She opened another pocket on the backpack and pulled out a small silver oblong container. She flipped open the lid, removed all the other items from inside, and set the bowl on the ground. Reaching inside the tent again, she pulled out a large jug and filled the bowl with fresh water.
He waited for her to back up; once she was several paces away from the bowl, he stepped forward and began to lap up the cool water. He emptied the bowl, then stepped back. He looked at the bowl and then at the jug in her hands.
"You want more?"
He chuffed his response this time and waited for her to refill the bowl. She slowly walked up to the bowl and refilled it. After she stepped back to where she had been before, he walked forward and lapped it all up, leaving the bowl slick with his saliva and blood. Now that he had satisfied his hunger and thirst, the pain from his wounds returned in full force. He decided he would trust this female human.
Slowly, he lowered himself to the ground, grunting in pain as the shattered ends of his ribs shifted in the wound. Finally resting on his side, he laid his head down and closed his good eye. Several minutes passed before he heard her move. He let her get within arm's reach before he opened his eyes and looked at her. He didn't move his head; he just laid there looking up at her.
"What happened to you? That looks like a bullet wound. Did someone shoot you because you attacked them?"
Her questions just streamed together in a rush as her anxiety showed through. He continued to just look at her, not moving. Finally, realizing that he wasn't going to do anything but look at her, she calmed down and took a closer look at his wound.
"How are you still alive with that gaping hole in your side?"
This time her voice had true emotion in it; she was really concerned and in awe of this giant animal.
"You must be as tough as you are big."
Taking one more look at the wound, she met his gaze and seemed to come to a decision.
"If our agreement still holds, I'll bandage your wounds."