Lena's POV
It was another quiet evening in Greystone—a sleepy little town where nothing interesting ever happened.
The kind of place where people know about each other's business, where the most exciting event of the week was the farmer's market.
I walked out of the clinic, and locked the door behind me. The day had been a long one that was filled with back-to-back appointments and emergencies.
Still, I loved my job as a veterinarian. There was something satisfying about helping animals heal.
As I made my walk toward my car. the street lights shined back to life. It was weird but comforting—this routine of mine.
But tonight was different, though I couldn't quite figure out why. But I could feel it.
Halfway to my car, I heard a noise which caught my attention. A weak whimper.. I froze, stretching my ears to try to locate where the sound was coming from.
I heard it again, soft and pitiful, like a cry for help. My heart twisted, and without thinking, I followed the sounds.
The sound led me to the end of the woods that was behind the clinic. For a moment, I didn't want to go because I was afraid of going into the woods alone.
But the sound of that whimper pulled at me.
"Hello?" I called out, my voice like a whisper.
The weak sound of the whimper came again, closer this time. I walked carefully through the trees, my flashlight overshadowing the darkness.
And then I saw him—a dog, lying lifeless. His dark fur was covered with blood, and his breathing was very slow and shallow.
"Oh no," I gasped in pity. dropping to my knees beside him. "Hey there, buddy. It's okay. I've got you."
He opened one eye—it was a shocking colour of amber that seemed to pierce right through me.
It was almost… human. But I shook off the thought. This was not the time and place for my imaginations.
Carefully, I took a look at him. His injuries were bad, but not impossible to treat. his paws looked twisted, possibly broken. He needed help, and immediately.
"I'm going to pick you up, okay?" I murmured to him. sliding my arms under him. He trembled a little but did not fight me.
He was heavier than he looked, but adrenaline carried me back to my car.
I got him settled on the back seat, and immediately began speeding home, breaking every speed limit along the way.
The clinic had better equipment for sure but the thought of going back there alone at night made chills crawl down my spine.
Besides, I had enough supplies at home to get him healed until morning.
As soon as we arrived at my house, I carried him inside and settled him on an old blanket in the living room.
He whimpered in pain again, his eyes locking onto mine.There was something that was weirdly intelligent about the way he looked at me, but I pushed the thought aside.
"Okay, let's get you cleaned up," I said, grabbing my first aid kit. Talking to animals was a normal thing for me.
It kept me calm. And the sound of my voice seemed to calm him down.
Cleaning his wounds wasn't easy. He made little painful sounds when I touched the cut on his side, but he did not try to fight me or snap at me.
"I know it hurts," I said softly. "But you're a tough guy, aren't you?"
By the time I finished treating his wounds, exhaustion overtook every single part of my body.I leaned back on my heels, and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.
"There. All done. You're going to be okay."
The dog, he was too big and heavy for just 'dog.' He looked more like a wolf.
But that could not be right, could it? Wolves did not wander into towns like this.
"Guess I'll just call you Wolf for now," I said with a weak smile.
Wolf breathed softly, sounding almost like a laugh. I looked at him, wondering if I was imagining things, probably because of my tiredness.
"Lie down here for now wolf" I said, standing up. "I'll get you some water."
When I returned, Wolf was still looking at me, those strange amber eyes locked onto mine.
It was creepy but also… comforting, in a way. Like he was trying to say something to me.
As the night stretched further, I found myself dozed off on the couch, too tired to even go to my bed.
Wolf lay down curled up on the blanket, his breathing was normal now. A storm had started outside and rain was dropping, making noises against the windows and wind moving through the trees.
In my half-asleep state, I thought I heard a voice—low and rough, but I knew it was definitely human. "Thank you."
My eyes immediately snapped open, and I sat up, my heart pounding in my chest. The room was empty, except for Wolf, who was still lying where I left him.
His eyes met with mine, and for a moment, I could swear that he looked… amused.
I shook my head to remove the thought. "Get a grip, Lena," I murmured, raising the blanket to cover my whole body.
But as I dozed off back to sleep, I could not shake the feeling in my guts that my quiet little life was about to take a turn for something else.