The Lone Wolf ( short story)

He continued walking down the empty city street, lost in his thoughts. For far too long now, he had found himself alone. He was now used to his solitude, and had come to accept it. Not only accept it, but actually find great comfort in it. He could easily picture himself like some lone wolf in the great northern woods, far away from civilization, comfortable in his solitude for the rest of his life - and forever free.

Walking along these almost deserted streets like a ghost, lost in the rapidly approaching night, he was truly at home. Another day passing, that transition from the world of the day to the world of the night enjoyed yet again. The setting sun now seemed to set the entire city on fire, and it's brilliant rays of orange and crimson streaked across the sky and transformed the dirty urban streets to gold. Soon those streets would fall into darkness, and a million coloured lights would spring forth like polished gems on a black velvet background.

He turned around quickly, and this time he saw the startled reaction of a mysterious blonde woman walking half a block behind him. It had been the same one he had seen earlier. She looked down, and turned herself towards a shop window. She seemed shocked that he had turned so suddenly, as if she had not expected it. That seemed so strange, and he felt badly for a moment that he had caused that reaction.

He stared at her for a few seconds, and regretted that her quick turn had not allowed him to see her face. All he could see now was her shoulder length blonde hair trailing over the back collar of her long black spring coat. It was still quite cold, and he could see her breath in the golden light of the setting sun. The sunset was mirrored back in the shop window, and traced her outline like some image in a stained glass window.

He started to wonder what her story was. What twist of fate had caused them to wind up walking along these streets at the same time. Whatever it was, he considered himself lucky. He appreciated beauty, and mystery. Even at this distance, he could tell she was different from other women. He wondered what lucky man had her by his side, and why he wasn't there with her now. Whoever he was, he was a fool to not be with her. A woman like this was like a diamond, as rare and as beautiful – and only properly appreciated by a man who knew it's true value.

He turned back around again, and started to walk a little more quickly now. People were beginning to flow out of the offices and stores, and the streets begin to fill quickly with all the lost souls of the city, People who worried about going somewhere, but never thought of the voyage for a single moment of their lives. He found himself smiling at the image that brought to his mind. He had once been like that too, a very long time ago, until he had suddenly awoken from his slumber. That moment of awakening had forever changed him, and it had come as a result of a great pain inside of him that had burst out, and broken him into a million jagged pieces that could never be assembled again. Now he was like that lone wolf, passing unnoticed though the leaves and trees of the forest, silent and focused on his journey on that cold clear spring late afternoon.

Strangely, he felt more alone now, for some unknown reason. The crowds in the gathering darkness enveloped him like the trees of a forest, causing him to go even more deeply in to his thoughts. The image of that woman haunted him, and try as he might he could not let it go. He forced himself to try and forget her, and cursed himself for being such a fool to be even affected in that way by a stranger. That had been his Achilles heel before, allowing himself to open up to women, and then all too often feel the sharp agony that doing that inevitably caused. To have his heart ripped out, that was always the result of his passions in the past

That was why he was alone now, and he had never once regretted his decision. He had built a strong fortress around his heart and soul, and no one was ever going to be able to hurt him again. The thought of this woman, the concept of feeling anything ever again, had made him angry. With each passing minute, the more he tried to forget those feelings, the more they burned into his thoughts, and blinded him to anything else. After another ten minutes spent thinking like this, he knew what had to be done. To not face it, would be to be forever affected by it.

The wolf decided to face his pursuer, and his eyes started to look for his chance.

As he turned the next corner, he ducked inside a restaurant, and closed the tinted glass door behind him. Less than a minute later, he saw her walk by, hands in her coat pockets. She looked a bit lost, and she stopped at the intersection to wait for the light to turn green. She looked up and down the street at the crowds, as if she was searching for something... or someone. He watched her for a few moments, trying to understand her motive – and finding no answers. The pursuer had become the prey, and that brought a smile to his face at the thought of what was about to happen.

In a single motion, he flung open the door, and silently walked up behind her. He placed his hand lightly on her right shoulder.

She spun around with a startled look. She looked up at him in surprise. He looked at her with no expression on his face. After several seconds, she relaxed, and quickly looked down, with a shy smile. That had surprised him. He had expected her to be nervous, but what he had just experienced had suddenly somehow changed him instead.

As he had seen her face, and her beauty, all those sharp words he had wanted so badly to say to her vanished completely from his mind. He had wanted to be angry with her, to demand an answer as to why she was following him around like that. To demand what right she had to do that to him, or to anyone.

The second their eyes had met, he had known why. Those deep green intelligent eyes had told him in that instant everything he had ever wanted to know, everything he had ever wanted to hear, everything he would ever need to be happy again. Looking into them was like the first time one sees the ocean, and discovers an endless horizon that stretches so far in front of you that the very curve of the globe is revealed to the naked eye for the first time.

In a single second, a million shattered pieces had come together, and he had returned again to humanity.

Somewhere far away in those great northern woods, a wolf slowly slid into the tree line, and vanished into the night forever.

Without thinking, he reached over with his left hand, and placed his curled index finger gently under her chin. Her skin felt soft and warm, and he gently raised her head upwards until her eyes met his and locked on them again. Staring deeply into those eyes he could see another world, a brighter future, and possibilities he had never once dreamed to even dare imagine. For the first time in a long time, he felt alive. He felt human.

He felt...

He dropped his hands slowly to her waist, and silently pulled her gently towards him, as her arms slid slowly around his back, and her warm body folded into his, as they gently embraced in the gathering darkness.

It felt as if a key had slid into a lock, and opened the door to another world, a world filled with a future to be lived. A future he had never expected to be a part of ever again.

He placed his lips close to her right ear, and in a deep slow voice softly whispered the only words he had in his mind at that second. .

“ Welcome home, hun, welcome home...”