Air that night flowed lightly through the towering pines, leaving behind a rustle as it went from tree to tree. The sky vacant of any clouds; one could say it was the perfect night to watch the stars and stare at the beauty. In retrospect I should have worn something warmer, my fingers and toes were cold and I remember my cheeks being rosy on that crisp March evening. Slivers of steam curled from my mouth. Crickets chirped in harmony with the buzzing of the mosquitoes and the movement of life around me. In tranquility my guard was down and I was one with my surroundings. My tent empty and dark, and my fire no more than mere warm embers crackling against the forming dew. An ear shattering shriek echoed through the woods, the harmony distorted into calamity as all around me the world shifted and panicked. To and through were squeaks and choked chortles. Chaos broke and confusion added to the sounds of pandemonium that shook the forest to its roots

With rumbling feet growing nearer and louder screams, instinct took over. I knew not then what it was but I remember leaving whatever I had behind as I raced through the pines, hair whipping to and through, chest pounding as I lost myself deep into the woods. The howl of wolves reverberating down to the base of my spine. I knew not how long I ran, just that I did until the ground ended. I felt myself lose contact, and for that one second I floated above the ground, my body rigid with fright that my own scream remained cemented in my throat. The river below was ever approaching nearer.

Blood pounded in my ears like a drum; the booming sound repeating, growing faster and faster the longer I fell. I remember feeling as if those were my final moments, just waiting to hit the water and drown in a cold grave. If this was how I would die, then so be it. That never came, nor did the water. The churning water could be heard with its rapid current smacking the stones below. Only a sprinkle of the froth hit me, as the sensation of skin hitting skin was overwhelming. Next thing I knew, he caught me.

Strong arms held me close of a warm chest , with my head tucked into his his. Wind kept hitting us. Then under the glimmering lights of the full moon, I saw strong silver wings. And that was all I remembered from that night.