It was late afternoon deep in the Adirondacks. I was just finishing up at an ancient burial site that I had been studying in my capacity as Assistant Archeology Professor at NYU. I'd been camping out in the woods with a few students for the weekend, planning to head back to the city in the morning. But at the last minute the others decided to go home early, leaving me the task of recording the rest of the data collected at the dig. Oh well, I could use a little quiet time with my laptop. I didn't have anyone to go home to anyway. I was excited about the new find. My hope was that it would turn out to be one of the most ancient sites ever discovered in this area.
The light was fading fast, so I picked up all my tools, stuffing them in my backpack, and headed back to the campsite.
As I walked, lost in thought, I heard something moving behind me down the path. I stopped and turned calling out "Is anyone there?" No one answered. Probably a squirrel. I didn't like hiking alone way out here and was a bit pissed off that the students didn't stay the last night with me. Note to self, deduct half a grade from their field assignment report. Maybe they'll learn something about dedication not to mention loyalty to such a wonderful teacher, me of course.
Suddenly, a strange mist descended out of nowhere. It was very bizarre, especially for this time of year. It made it even more difficult to see the trail markers I'd left leading back to the campsite. To my dismay, I soon realized I was lost. I hadn't seen a marker in 20 minutes. After wandering around for over an hour, and with the sun going down, I was frustrated and a bit apprehensive.
That's when I heard the sound of a twig break off to my right and what sounded like a low growl. I foolishly started to run, not knowing where I was going, not caring much either as long as it was away from that growl. It was getting darker by the minute which explains why I didn't see the tree root which caught my foot. I fell and when I tried to get up pain shot through my ankle so I sat back down on the ground. There was another sound off to the right, louder this time. The sensation of someone or something watching me just back from the trail was making my skin crawl. I had visions of a mountain lion eating me for dinner!
I heard another growl and the sound of movement was very close. All I had on me was my Swiss army knife which I pulled out of my pocket, hoping I could defend myself. Then I remembered the tools in my back pack and slipped it off, my shaking hands fumbling with the zipper. But before I could get it open I froze.
Standing in the path was the biggest wolf I'd ever seen, all fangs and fur. It took a step closer and as the moonlight pierced the mist I got a glimpse of its amazing blue eyes. It sniffed the air, tasting my scent through its half-open mouth. Another step closer, then another. It was just a meter away now and I couldn't move a muscle, paralyzed with fear as our eyes locked. For a moment, I imagined that I saw intelligence there as it's impossibly blue eyes held mine. My heart was racing and I started to feel dizzy. Wolves usually traveled in packs, tearing their victims to shreds and devouring them, leaving the bones for the weaker ones to gnaw on. I didn't want to die, especially not that way. Funny, how you don't know you're a coward until it's too late.
I must have fainted because the next thing I knew I woke up in a cave. I was alive! As my mind cleared, I saw that I was laying on the ground on some soft furs and there was a fire pit piled high with logs crackling nearby. It was night and only the firelight danced off the walls of the small cave. That's when I realized I was not alone...
"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you" he said, his voice deep and resonant. A man, covered in a bit of cloth, you know like Tarzan wore, crouched near the fire, stoking it.
"Who are you?"
"Does it matter? You are safe here from the beast."
The memory of the wolf came back in full to me then. "Oh my God, that wolf was about to attack me. You chased it away?"
"You might say he "changed" his mind when he looked into your eyes." The stranger said with a little smirk, then he came over and knelt on the furs by my feet. My pulse quickened. The effect he had on me can only be described as some primeval basic instinct. He exuded animal virility. There was something very sensual about the way he looked, the way he talked, the way he moved that seemed to excite me deep inside. As a scientist, my reaction surprised the logical part of my brain, but I forgot all about reasoning when he touched me.
He laid his hands on my sore ankle and I flinched. He smiled slightly. His touch sent tingles all the way up my leg to where it joined my hip, warming me much than the fire. He knew it too, I could see it in his eyes. He told me to relax and lay back while he tended to it. Then he smeared some cool mud-like substance on it, rubbing the soothing material in for several minutes. He laughed slightly when a sigh escaped my lips. He took his time, massaging every muscle and tendon, up into my calf and down into my foot, then wrapped a cloth around it.
"Better?"
I murmured "umhmm. Thank you."
"I've made tea, would you like some?" he offered.
I nodded yes and raised up on one elbow to accept the fragrant steaming mug. I sipped its odd richness as he held it for me in his beautiful hands with their short clawlike nails and tapered fingers with too much hair on the knuckles. He was the strangest looking man I'd ever seen and I couldn't help staring, enthralled. It made me regret that I wasn't an anthropology major, as I tried to remember if homo erectus was the hairy one. That's when I looked into his eyes, his amazing blue eyes. I had seen them before, but I couldn't quite remember where. His gaze held mine until he broke it.
My whole body was becoming flushed as the warm tea flowed down into my stomach. I felt extremely relaxed. I vaguely wondered what was happening to me. "What's your name?" I murmured, finding it hard to concentrate.
