I didn’t know what I was looking for. My eyes scanned every bush as I walked by, but they all were bare; except for the final frostbitten leaves hanging from their mothers waiting for gravity to take over.

It seemed that I was the only living soul in this forest that dared to venture below the tree tops. I saw birds soar above but their songs were lost beyond the wind howling like wolves though the trees.

As the sun went down I was out of luck, the sky was turning purple as I retraced my steps back to my tree.

“If only the snow had fallen before I ran off,” I thought to myself. Other than the cold I was beginning to accept that there wasn’t much to fear out here, there was only me, the birds and the wolf. I wondered why he ran away; I was very lonely by myself. I had only my thoughts to keep me company and they felt just as sad as I was. Sure he was just a wild animal but he was very kind to stay with me that night.

I remembered the feel of his silky fur slipping through my fingers as I fell asleep…