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Literature Text
Travis sat on a piece of wreckage from the light aircraft and watched the burly survivor carry the body out of sight. The deep snow made each step a battle. Travis stared in awkward silence at the other two passengers, a young couple on their honeymoon, and waited for their companion to return. They all had their share of bumps and bruises, and the young woman was tense with pain from her leg that indicated it might be broken, but at least they were still alive. All except for the pilot.
The large man came tromping back through the snow, empty-handed. With his thick, white-dusted beard he reminded Travis of the mountain men he had read about. They were, in his opinion, the ultimate survivors, and one of the reasons he decided to take this trip to Alaska. His ancestors came from similar stock- tough, hard working souls who shared a close connection with nature. Travis had spent the last twenty-five years sitting at a desk in a cubicle, his only connection to the great outdoors a view of the sky through a window in his office building.
The mountain man continued to take charge of the situation. He got a fire started while the others pulled out the rations and divided them. There was a box of energy bars, some chocolate candies, and a half-empty bottle of vodka which all present wished they had noticed before takeoff.
They each took an energy bar, a piece of candy, and a drink from the bottle for their dinner. They let the woman drink more to help dull her pain. Then they sat around the fire and listened as their unofficial leader described his survival plan. The most important thing they had to do, he said, was wait.
They stretched to food to cover five miserable days. The injured woman's husband spent most of his time cradling her in his arms, trying his best to shield her from the pain and cold. Travis found himself watching them with envy. Even back home he had no one to hold him. He had never felt so lonely or hungry.
Three days after running out of food their self appointed leader struck out to search for help. He ordered the others to stay put, near the wreckage, in case a rescue plane flew overhead and spotted it.
So they sat and waited, lost in a sea of trees and snow.
The thin gray wolf ignored the new snow that fell relentless in the night as it tracked the scent of food. Prey was scarce and it had little strength left to catch it. Now the scent it desired was stronger, drifting up from beneath the snow. It began to dig.
A noise beyond the shelter of the cabin roused the woman from her sleep. She moaned, disappointed to be woken from her only escape from the pain. Wrapping the blankets tight, she pushed herself to a sitting position and looked out the window. The noise came again, closer this time. With the haze of sleep cast off she recognized it now.
Scanning the cramped cabin, she was alarmed to see that only one other sleeper was present. She shook her husband.
"Richard, wake up! Travis is gone and there's a wolf out there! I can hear it howling."
Richard dug a flashlight out from the back of the plane, put on an extra coat, and went out to search for the older man. He grumbled as he slipped past the trees, soon losing sight of the wreckage. One of their companions had already abandoned them. He was in charge now, and for the sake of survival he wouldn’t let it happen again.
Richard followed the man's tracks deeper into the forest. What he was doing out here he could only imagine. Suddenly the tracks changed. He knelt to examine them, confused at how boot prints could appear to become animal tracks.
Travis watched, hidden behind the trees only a few feet away. It saddened him to see his new friend putting the pieces together, but at least he would have something warm to eat now.
The large man came tromping back through the snow, empty-handed. With his thick, white-dusted beard he reminded Travis of the mountain men he had read about. They were, in his opinion, the ultimate survivors, and one of the reasons he decided to take this trip to Alaska. His ancestors came from similar stock- tough, hard working souls who shared a close connection with nature. Travis had spent the last twenty-five years sitting at a desk in a cubicle, his only connection to the great outdoors a view of the sky through a window in his office building.
The mountain man continued to take charge of the situation. He got a fire started while the others pulled out the rations and divided them. There was a box of energy bars, some chocolate candies, and a half-empty bottle of vodka which all present wished they had noticed before takeoff.
They each took an energy bar, a piece of candy, and a drink from the bottle for their dinner. They let the woman drink more to help dull her pain. Then they sat around the fire and listened as their unofficial leader described his survival plan. The most important thing they had to do, he said, was wait.
***
They stretched to food to cover five miserable days. The injured woman's husband spent most of his time cradling her in his arms, trying his best to shield her from the pain and cold. Travis found himself watching them with envy. Even back home he had no one to hold him. He had never felt so lonely or hungry.
Three days after running out of food their self appointed leader struck out to search for help. He ordered the others to stay put, near the wreckage, in case a rescue plane flew overhead and spotted it.
So they sat and waited, lost in a sea of trees and snow.
***
The thin gray wolf ignored the new snow that fell relentless in the night as it tracked the scent of food. Prey was scarce and it had little strength left to catch it. Now the scent it desired was stronger, drifting up from beneath the snow. It began to dig.
***
A noise beyond the shelter of the cabin roused the woman from her sleep. She moaned, disappointed to be woken from her only escape from the pain. Wrapping the blankets tight, she pushed herself to a sitting position and looked out the window. The noise came again, closer this time. With the haze of sleep cast off she recognized it now.
Scanning the cramped cabin, she was alarmed to see that only one other sleeper was present. She shook her husband.
"Richard, wake up! Travis is gone and there's a wolf out there! I can hear it howling."
Richard dug a flashlight out from the back of the plane, put on an extra coat, and went out to search for the older man. He grumbled as he slipped past the trees, soon losing sight of the wreckage. One of their companions had already abandoned them. He was in charge now, and for the sake of survival he wouldn’t let it happen again.
Richard followed the man's tracks deeper into the forest. What he was doing out here he could only imagine. Suddenly the tracks changed. He knelt to examine them, confused at how boot prints could appear to become animal tracks.
***
Travis watched, hidden behind the trees only a few feet away. It saddened him to see his new friend putting the pieces together, but at least he would have something warm to eat now.
Contest: The 7 Day Prompt, January 1st. More information dailylitdeviations.deviantart.…Word count: 690
Word count maximum: 750
Theme word: Eat
I asked him what possible experience he could have with fighting, with killing. He told me his story. As I have already said, it was an interesting enough story. I am sure that similar things have happened many times in the past, though this is the first time I have heard of a specific example. Cannibalism is really nothing new to the world; in fact I am quite surprised that more of my kind do not partake in it. Why is it that so many of us, when in the form of a wolf, remain squeamish at the thought of consuming human flesh as we would any other prey?
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Comments11
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Read something like this once about a werewolf who gets stranded on an island and starts eating the dolphins. That was a really weird one. This is more coherent, the wolf fitting in well with the setting. The revelation is actually a surprise, you think the wolf is just a random animal, but then it is revealed it's Travis. I do feel, though, that some more exploration of Travis' character before might be helpful. I know you said he shows up elsewhere in your writing (and obviously you had a word limit here), but if you were going to rewrite it I'd put in more scenes with him, just so the reader gets a better feel for his character.