White as Snow

Time flew by; seconds turned into minutes, minutes into hours, and Iani remained there, seated in front of her cold cup of tea, her body freezing, still digesting the fact that she was alone. The sensation was dreadful. Simply dreadful. But there was nothing she could do at this point, only accept it. And with a new feeling rising in her chest, she took a deep breath and stood up.

— Wallowing in self-pity won’t change anything! she told herself, her voice echoing through the cold room. — I need to occupy my mind...

Her brown eyes scanned every corner of the small home. The bed was made, the floor clean, the laundry done, and no spider webs were visible in the beams of the low ceiling. There was nothing to do, nothing to occupy her mind except...

— Firewood!

The stock was low; only a few scraps were piled near the fireplace. Since the cold rarely bothered her, there was no need for much wood in the house, but now, it had become a priority. Putting on her worn leather shoes and wrapping herself in an old checkered scarf, Iani stepped out into the white day.

The sun was high, but its rays were still cold, and that would last for many days, well into the end of winter. Some children ran with snowballs in their hands, while others built snowmen with carrot noses. Iani didn’t approach them; she knew they would stop playing if they saw her. Instead of following the trail to the village, she took the path into the forest, where there would be no shortage of branches to fuel a fire.

The trees stretched for meters towards the sky, their bare branches heavy with snow. It was a beautiful, serene landscape, calm and unhurried. With her head full of thoughts, the young woman with brown hair crouched to gather the sticks scattered across the ground. Her rosy fingers, her gaze unfocused, ignoring the cold wind against her face and the nails turning purple. Being there, in the middle of nowhere, with no one, brought the purest sense of loneliness. Unaware, dark spots began to stain the white ground as tears flowed uncontrollably. The image of Lara leaving her invaded her mind, along with many others: the elderly woman who defended her from the village children who pointed at her and called her a pest, the pieces of bread she always shared with the girl when there was nothing else to eat, the nights spent together when the dark still scared her, the games with twigs, the stories. Yes. The stories. Incredible places. Magical kingdoms. Magical creatures. Without a mother or father, all she remembered was Lara being there when she needed her most, and now, she had left. Far away. Far from here. Far from her.

— Stop it! she shouted, her voice echoing through the trees around her. — You idiot...

Lara had her own life. Iani knew that. Her best friend, her mother—if she could call her that—hadn’t died; she had simply gone away to some place. That should have been enough for comfort.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Iani lifted her face. The winds had picked up, and she was now holding a bundle of twigs in her arms. That would be more than enough for the winter. With nothing else to do, she turned around, the trail of footprints still marking the white ground. Her walk had taken her a good distance from the village, but she could still see the smoke rising from the chimneys of the various homes. The thought that no friend would be there to knock on her door and offer hot soup depressed her.

— Stay strong, Iani.

Loneliness terrified her, in some inexplicable way. Just the thought that no one else would be with her was horrifying.

— Stay strong.

Once again, she breathed deeply, repressing the fears and doubts, and took a step forward—but something stopped her.

What is that?

From somewhere in the forest, a sound carried on the wind. Many would have run, but something made Iani stay there, frozen, listening. The sound continued.

— Hello?

Prudence screamed at her to turn back, but curiosity seemed to be in charge.

— Is anyone there?

The lament continued, fueling the nagging curiosity in the back of her mind.

— If this is a joke, I’m telling you, it’s not funny!

The sound grew louder. A cry. A lament. Something so agonizing that it squeezed her heart with each step.

— Hey! Is everything alright?

With a rush of mixed emotions, Iani ran. She didn’t know what she would find, and for some reason, she didn’t care. She just ran toward the sound, as if something were compelling her to do so. Something so strong that it took over her completely. A feeling she had never experienced before.

Her brief run stretched into several minutes until her feet finally stopped. Her chest heaved, her brown hair sticking to her face. Iani stood before a tree with low branches, the only one that wasn’t a pine. Below its leafless canopy, tangled in the roots that rose from the ground, was a wolf pup, its blue eyes and white fur. White as snow. Iani froze; she had never seen such a beautiful creature. The small animal stared at her, frightened, wary, its eyes shining with an intensity that Iani had never thought possible.

— Hey? You were the one crying, weren’t you?

She moved closer, but the little animal recoiled further.

— Calm down. I won’t hurt you.

Her body lowered slowly, her dark eyes locking with the blue ones.

— Why were you crying? Are you hurt?

She didn’t need to finish. It took a moment, but now she could see a large red stain spreading across the ground where a hole in the pup’s belly was pouring out more and more of the crimson liquid.

— Oh my God!

Without thinking much, Iani closed the distance between them. The pup tried to run, but without strength, it collapsed among the roots.

— Calm down, calm down... It’s okay, it’s okay, alright?!

Slowly, her hand touched the animal’s white fur, which stiffened, expecting an attack, something to hurt it, but as soon as it felt the warm touch, it relaxed and stared at her intently as she pulled the branches away from its body.

— See? I won’t hurt you, she smiled. — I just need to get you out of here.

When the last branch was removed, the little wolf could have run away—or at least tried—but it remained still, staring into her brown eyes with seriousness.

— This looks like a gunshot wound. Damn hunters... Shooting at a pup...

With trembling hands, Iani took off her scarf and wrapped it around the small animal. She hesitated to pick it up; she didn’t know how it would react. It might be small, but it was still a wolf.

To hell with it!

A bite would be more acceptable than leaving it to die. Without a second thought, she lifted the pup off the ground. A cry of pain echoed loudly through the forest, filling her chest with anguish.

— Sorry! But I can’t leave you here! she said, her eyes scanning the trail of blood that was disappearing among the trees. — Those men will come after you!

The pup continued to cry, a soul-wrenching sound.

— Calm down, calm down...

Iani didn’t know how, nor why, but she rocked the pup gently, like the mothers did when their children fell and got hurt in the village playground. Slowly, her body cradled the little animal, her chest aching, the anguish consuming her until the crying subsided. When the pup fell silent, Iani didn’t know whether to laugh or cry from relief.

It worked!

She thought, feeling a sense of joy.

— Now I just need to take you home.

Her eyes scanned the trail of footprints; this time, she couldn’t see any smoke rising from the treetops of the forest.

Even if this takes a little longer than expected.