Teddy Glover sat on the banks of a stream as it passed through the forest with his knees propped up to his chest and his shoes planted firmly in the round stones. He let his head fall onto his knees as a brisk breeze brushed across his cheeks and cautioned him against trying to touch the water. Instead, he fixed his gaze to the sparkling water as it glinted in the midday sun.

He'd gone to the forest to do something but he'd grown tired and stopped to sit down and gather his thoughts. Somehow in that time– that time to gather his thoughts– he'd managed to forget what he'd been doing originally. Teddy's mind was always scattered with a million thoughts and sometimes he neglected the ones he was meant to be focused on. Teddy hated that he was forgetful, it was one of his least favorite parts of himself, but he simply couldn't get his mind to keep track of what was and wasn't important.

Under the emerald green canopy cast by the tall aging oak trees that lined his way, the boy allowed his mind to wander and attempted to steady his breath. He'd been walking in the forest for a while, and surely had enough time to sit a moment. It was a chilly day, he thought, but not quite chilly enough to lure Teddy home before he figured out what he was meant to do. Being in the woods was a wonderful feeling to Teddy, he enjoyed his solitude far too much; being in his own company he could finally think things through clearly. It was a moment, one of few, to drink in the silence and absorb the calm energy emanating from the water.

As he let the water hypnotize him into that place between sleep and awake his problems didn't feel quite so heavy as they had before. It was a simple headspace, like a child running gaily without care over hills and brambles enchanted by every passing tree. Teddy loved everything about the forest. He loved the smell of the trees, the feel of the leaves as they crunched beneath his boots, the quiet of the wind, more than anything he loved the person he could be when he was alone. It was like everything in the world was put to right. Nobody was there to appeal to, nobody to disappoint.

In his childhood he'd spent hours crafting foot-trails and running through the shaded woods during the summers. Often resigned to himself, the boy had many such lovely afternoons. When he had nobody else the wise old trees were his truest companions.

He knew where the moss grew, how the ground became more treaded and packed down when he was nearing the town, and how to read the underbrush for his own previous steps. Navigating an abandoned forest was not a skill many people were jealous of, but it was the only one Teddy would credit himself as having. He'd learned to navigate the woods all on his own after getting lost a few times as a child. He was a quick learner, and he enjoyed the subject.

Teddy's home, not far from the outskirts of the forest, was a small town where he could rarely ever catch a moment to himself. It was called Belford Bay, and it was built into the cliffs of an inlet harbor. There, Teddy lived in a small parish rectory with a priest and his aunt, a senile old nun, who'd taken him in when he was just a baby. As the child of the priest, everybody knew Teddy, they'd watched him grow up... and now they watched for him to make a mistake.

Teddy shook his head trying to clear it of his thoughts. Letting himself worry about all the things he could be doing at home was useless. He rarely could steal away a moment to clear his head, and worrying just like he always did wasn't any help with that. Various thoughts drifted in and out of his focus in a random sequence. It was colder in the forest than in town, where the sun could warm the cobblestone streets of the Massachusetts fishing town. Usually Autumn wasn't freezing, but Teddy could clearly feel the distant threat of a dark winter in the air that made his cheeks flushed and rosy. Fall was Teddy's favorite season in the forest. He loved the way the leaves fell lazily down to the ground, carpeting it in their warm hues.

As Teddy watched a particularly scarlet leaf drift to the ground he was reminded of his own red sweater which he'd meant to grab from his desk chair but forgotten before going out. He had figured he wouldn't need it, but in the thick of things he longed for the comforting warmth it provided. Fr. Charles had bought him the sweater, and he didn't wear it nearly enough... which made him feel ungrateful. It was one of the few new clothing items Teddy owned and the boy was fond of it, yet he worried Fr. Charles might think the whole thing was a waste.

Teddy stopped himself again with the reminder that nobody truly minded if he wore a silly old hoodie or not. Again he attempted to push himself back to a more peaceful mindset, but his chilly bare arms were a reminder of his selfish attitude. Teddy pulled his sleeves down so they covered his forearms and tucked them under his knees for extra warmth.

He longed for the freedom of being able to detach his consciousness from his sentient body which always seemed to weigh him down with some problem or care he couldn't get away from. When Teddy's mind found its way back to the fact that he'd neglected to put the dishes back in the cupboard and instead left them on the drying rack, he stood up with a sense of finality.

Teddy was not going to be able to find whatever kind of peace he was looking for out in the forest. He was too scatterbrained, too distracted. When he couldn't get his mind to focus and stop worrying, it was time to go home and try again at a later date.

Whether or not Fr. Charles would be worried, Teddy knew he had to get home, if only to be sure he was wearing his sweater and the dishes were away when the man returned. Those little things tended not to bother others, but they consumed Teddy's mind. He constantly worried people felt he was ungrateful to those who cared for him, so he made sure there wasn't the smallest opportunity for things to appear that way.

The boy stretched, brushed off his pants, and looked from side to side trying to gather a sense of where in the forest he'd wandered off to. He was about a mile and half from the farthest edge of Belford; he could tell from the density of the trees and the angle of the sunlight as it dappled across the forest floor. For some, being so deep in the woods might be a thing of fear, but not to Teddy. It didn't matter how far he walked, so long as he was in that forest he could always find his way back.

Teddy let his hands run over the tips of the purple wood sage flowers that bloomed across the makeshift path and let out a startled "Oh!" as the remembrance of what he'd come into the woods for washed over him. He scrunched his eyes shut in annoyance with himself for his thoughtlessness.

Damien, another boy from town, had entrusted Teddy with the very important task of gathering flowers for the corsage the older boy had neglected to buy, and Teddy had forgotten.

"Stupid scatterbrain!" Teddy scolded himself pushing his hand against his forehead. With such an awful screwup as that, Damien would never trust Teddy to do anything for him ever again. Or worse, Damien might not allow Teddy to go with his friends to the dance, and then Fr. Charles wouldn't let Teddy go at all. He'd be stuck at home with Sr. Matilda for another night in, and at that rate he'd never get to do anything.

The small boy looked around frantically. Autumn wasn't necessarily known for being abundant with flowers, but if anyone could locate them in the forest it was Teddy. Still he had only an hour before Damien's lunch break ended and Teddy was meant to have the corsage finished.

Teddy grasped at the wood sage and tucked in his pocket before Periwinkle caught his eye further off in the distance. There was a large patch of the meadow flower growing not far from the clearing at the edge of the stream. He clutched at the flowers and tucked more into the pockets of his pants with a few stray buds falling to the ground.

The sight of a few yellow flowers caught Teddy's eyes and he pushed even deeper, away from the clearing and further into the forest, grabbing as many as he could hold and wishing he'd thought to bring some sort of basket. The flowers were overflowing from his pants pockets, but he still worried he didn't have enough. Of course, whatever he could fashion was going to be rudimentary at best, and certainly wouldn't feature the usual large roses Damien could've gotten if he'd gone to the grocery store in the next town over earlier in the week, but he hoped he'd be able to come up with something that would satisfy the other boy.

With his chest heaving heavily at the strength it required to pick his way through the dense forest, Teddy's footsteps slowed and he paused against a tree to tie the laces of one of his shoes. He knew vaguely where he was in relation to the town, but there was one more place where he knew flowers grew, and he knew he needed to head there before going home.

Teddy was just about to begin heading away from the tree when a strong rustling sound came from beneath a bush not far from him. He turned slowly, careful eyes scanning the area and could see nothing out of the ordinary. Still there was a strange foreboding nature to the sound, and in its wake was only silence. It was as if every bird, insect, and critter that made a noise had ran in fear from whatever was hiding in the bush.

Another strong rustling sound came from the bush. This time Teddy could see it, and it was getting closer. The sounds were getting louder. Whatever it was, he had no intention of messing with it.

The boy's breath went still and he felt his face pale and go cold as he waited for whatever was causing the sound. It was too big, too powerful, too forceful to be something as small as a rabbit or a squirrel, not this was something big.

It must be a fox or a coyote. Teddy wagered. Either way he was going to have a difficult time defending himself if it proved to be vicious. 

Part of him screamed to run, but he knew he likely wouldn't be able to outrun whatever it was. Another part of him urged him to play dead or attempt to appear friendly, but he worried that wouldn't work on whatever was coming.

In a frozen stupor Teddy slowly crouched down with the only sound being the crunch of the leaves beneath his weight. If he could think clearly, he might have attempted something different, but the only thing Teddy could think to do was to steady his breath. His nose was inches from the leaves of the bush as he looked between the leaves and yet he could see nothing.

That was it for a moment. Just his breath which heaved haggardly in his chest, and the gentle lull of the wind.

Then jumping from the bush inches from his face came a giant flash of gray-brown and Teddy tumbled back from his crouching position faster than he could decipher what it was. His head smashed roughly into the back of a tree as he felt a heavy weight pressing down on his chest.

His eyes remained clamped shut and all he could feel was the thump of his heart raging around in his chest and sheer terror at what might be waiting for him when he opened his eyes.

When he'd built up the courage Teddy peaked one eye open and could make out the large head of what appeared to be a wolf hovering inches from his face. The creature had its two front legs perched on Teddy's shoulders holding him in place. Teddy's eyes were frozen open in fear as he felt the hot breath of the wild creature tickle at his cheeks.

The animal had a dark brown head and back which transitioned into a light honey brown across its chest and haunches. At the belly and the ends of the paws the wolf had stark snowy white fur that masked the giant claws. Teddy felt no scratch from where the wolf's paws dug into his shoulders, but he knew the animal could slit his neck with only its claws if it wanted to.

Whether intentionally or not, the wolf was holding Teddy in place. He couldn't run, couldn't even attempt to fight, and couldn't get his voice to work well enough to call for help. Teddy was resigned to his fate, the animal need only scratch him with its claws or knick him with its teeth and he would perish.

His feet, which were barricaded on either side by the hind legs of the wolf, shook wildly with terror. The wolf was so large that it was nearly as long as Teddy was tall and stretched from one end of the boy to the other.

Sensing the motion, the wolf leaned down, ever closer to Teddy's trembling face. As it did, the boy's mind raced in a million different directions.

There are no wolves in Massachusetts, Teddy thought. You shouldn't be here. Then he remembered that the wolf probably didn't particularly care where it was supposed to be. But still, it wasn't meant to be there. Logically Teddy knew that and yet– the animal staring just a few meager inches from his face was no large runaway dog. It was wild. Its pink tongue hung garishly from its massive teeth... bone crunching teeth no sane person would trust within their home.

They're never going to find my body, Teddy's head turned to. Will anyone even want to find my body? By the time anyone made it, his corpse would be so mangled it would be unrecognizable, of course that was only if anyone could even be bothered to look. Certain his demise was imminent Teddy thought of Fr. Charles and how he hadn't thought to tell him where he was going. He felt guilty for not wanting to spend the evening with Sr. Matilda. He felt angry for letting Damien talk him into doing some useless errant. He wondered how long it would take Damien to realize he was gone.

He wondered...

He wondered...

He wondered why the wolf hadn't eaten him yet.

Teddy's mind snapped back to the present and to the fact that the wolf still stood holding his shoulders, jaws inches from his face, and yet had made no move to kill him. Why hasn't it moved? He wondered. What are you waiting for?

Time surely could have been moving slowly for Teddy in such a state, but still his wide eyes watched as the wolf just stared at him. When Teddy let himself, the wolf locked eyes with him and held contact.

It's almost like he's looking back at me.

Teddy's breathing remained rough and detached, not quite replenishing the amount he needed in the moment. The wolf didn't move, nor make any inclination that it intended to harm him. Rather its eyes remained locked on Teddy's somehow daring him to look away. locked eyes with Teddy, somehow daring him to look away.

It's just an animal. Teddy told himself. If it wanted to eat me, wouldn't it already have?

And yet he couldn't force himself to believe that, no matter how pretty a thought it was. The frightened boy found that he could no longer turn away even if he wished. His gaze was locked into the amber colored eyes of the massive creature. The color was too vibrant, almost too intense to be real. Wolves were supposed to have brown eyes, he thought, or an icy blue. This otherworldly golden hue seemed completely out of place.

As the wolf remained still, Teddy's breathing finally began to settle. His back was firmly pressed on the forest floor, his head to the old tree.

The eyes of the wolf almost seemed to carry emotion, they almost seemed like they were human as opposed to the eyes of an animal. They almost seemed...

"Teddy!" A voice called over the noise of the silence. There was the rustle of heavy footsteps not far among the trees, and Teddy's head shot over to the sudden intrusion. He couldn't quite make out whose voice it was, but they were clearly looking for him. "Teddy!"

Teddy turned back to the wolf, not wanting to let his guard down for long enough to give it more of an advantage than it already had, but only caught the sight of its tail as it scampered off.

He lay there waiting in disbelief, unable to accept the fact that the creature had just gone away. Teddy frowned, brows furrowing, and looked frantically from left to right. The wolf was nowhere to be seen. It was as if it had vanished just as quickly as it had come. Surely it needed to make noise as it ran away across the forest floor, and yet he could see nothing– and yet it was nowhere.

Still unable to get himself to move Teddy let his head fall back onto the tree and looked up at the sky. His whole body ached from the stress. The adrenaline still coursed through his veins and his breathing remained ragged.

"Teddy?" The voice called again. It was only a few feet from him. Damien popped into view just above Teddy's face with an incredulous look.

"Damien?" Teddy asked in confusion. "What are you doing out here?"

"I came to get you, doofus. Fr. Charles found out you'd gone out into the woods alone and panicked when you didn't come home." Damien explained angrily. "Now what the hell happened?"

Teddy tried to sit up on his own, but stumbled backwards, and Damien had to help him to a standing position. Upon standing up, the blood rushed throughout his body and Teddy was hit with a piercing pain in his head from where he'd hit it on the tree. He winced at the sensation and smashed his eyes shut.

"I... I'm not sure..." Teddy attempted. His gaze was still fixed in the direction the wolf had gone and he blinked to be sure he couldn't still see the wolf in the distance.

"Seriously, what the hell happened?" Damien asked again. "You were just grabbin' me some flowers, how do you screw that up?"

"I told you, I don't know," Teddy repeated. He attempted to take a step but fumbled it and Damien had to hoist him back up to a standing position. In the movement Damien's hand brushed the back of Teddy's head and was covered in thick red blood.

"Shit!" Damien whispered, brushing his hand off on his apron. It left a brownish red blotch on the otherwise pristine general store green smock. "Let me look at your head."

Teddy begrudgingly turned so that Damien had a clear view of the injury.

"Shit." He repeated. "You hit your head pretty good... it's probably gonna scar."

Teddy could feel Damien's fingers in his hair as he inspected the wound and hissed as the boy made contact.

"Sorry," Damien grunted, noticing Teddy's discomfort, but he didn't sound sincere. "Here."

Damien handed Teddy a handkerchief from his front pocket and Teddy looked at it strangely for a moment.

"It's clean," Damien insisted.

With no better option, Teddy pressed it to the wound to stop the blood from running down his neck and ruining his shirt. It was an old shirt, but Teddy still would hate to have to ask for a new one, and it could be alarming to have blood on his clothing.

"Thank you," Teddy nodded. "But, you didn't need to come here... I could've found my own way back. I know you and Julie were meant to spend your lunch break together."

"It's whatever," Damien ran a hand through his short black hair, pushing it back into place. Regardless, he still had a disgruntled look about him. "Did you finish it?"

"Not yet," Teddy frowned, weary of disappointing the boy. "But I've got the pieces," he gestured to his pockets, "And I just need to get home and–"

"Well it better be finished. I want everything to be perfect for tonight, or-"

"Or I'm not going," Teddy completed for him. "I know. It'll be done, Damien, I promise."

"Okay, then let's go back before Fr. Charles loses his shit."

The two boys stood for a moment, both breathing heavily for different reasons. Teddy was suddenly struck with a thought...Had Damien seen the wolf? If Teddy had really imagined it, though he'd never had so vivid an imagining awake, then Damien certainly wouldn't have seen anything.

"When you saw me on the ground... when you were yelling," Teddy paused as Damien looked up at him with a glare. "Did you happen to see anything?"

"Dammit Teddy, just tell me what happened!" Damien demanded angrily.

"I really.... I must have fallen over," He lied. "It's all a blur... I thought I might have seen a... a coyote... or–"

"Or what, Teddy?"

"A wolf."

"Don't go spreadin' any crazy stories," Damien scolded. "Look, you hit your head... maybe you just imagined it. Whatever it might be, you shouldn't go gettin' people riled up if you aren't sure. You know how this town gets about wolves."

"What?" Teddy frowned.

Damien rolled his eyes but said nothing else on the matter. Teddy wasn't sure what Damien was talking about, but had a good sense of when he was getting on someone's nerves, so he quieted himself before he could go and make anything worse.

"You know how to get back from here, right?" Damien asked.

"You're lost?" Teddy shielded his smile from view.

"No." Damien puffed up his chest. "I'm just a little turned around."

Teddy paused to gage the position of the sun and then checked to see which side of the trees the moss had grown on, "It's this way," Teddy said with an air of finality. 

Damien nodded grimly and started off in the direction Teddy had decreed. Teddy waited an extra moment looking back behind him and into the foliage. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary– no sign of any wolf.

"You comin'?" Damien called in annoyance, presumably aware he couldn't get back if he let Teddy out of sight.

Teddy nodded and met Damien on what small space between the thickly grown trees passed for a path. He wanted to look back again, but he wouldn't let himself.

(A//N) For those who may be unaware Fr. is the abbreviated title of a Catholic priest meaning Father, and Sr. is the abbreviated title of a Catholic nun meaning Sister. Teddy has a bit of an unorthodox family, so that will be relevant.

Also, if you want be sure to tell me your favorite color in the comment section down below! Happy Reading!