Untamed

by Steven Harris

  Both animals are charging at me like two freight trains on a collision course.

  “Get down!” the tiger shouts as he bounds over my head, nearly touching the ceiling, and diving onto the wolf.

  Together they tumble on the floor and begin to snap at each other, viciously. The tiger pushes the wolf, thrusting him towards me. I yelp and lean back to avoid being hit by the wolf’s body. His tail brushes my face as he's flung across the narrow corridor. I witness his body hitting a classroom door forcefully. The wood on the door cracks.

  The tiger quickly charges at the wolf again, shooting pass me, and then gets the wolf pinned onto the floor. Although the tiger has a slight advantage, the wolf continues snapping his teeth and snarling, trying its best to get the upper-hand. I quickly jump to my feet and dash away from the scuffle. I then make a right down the hallway, where more trouble awaits for me.

  Before I’m able to turn the corner, I tense up like a rock again, which causes me to slip and fall as I attempt to stop abruptly. I’m face to face with another wolf, but this one is about two feet away from me. It then lowers to the ground with its ears bending back, showing off its deadly pearly-whites. This one is gray in color with some patches of white near its belly and backside. Now, I’m on the floor, staring into its horrifying yellow eyes.

  “Just the person I was looking for,” the wolf says to me in a deep, feminine, tone.

  Without warning, it snaps at me. I cower behind my arms as I scream defenselessly for help. The beast clamps down on the sleeve of my jacket and proceeds to shake its head, violently. I feel my body jerk left and right like a rag-doll. Then it starts to pull on my sleeve until I find myself sliding across the floor.

  As I continue to get dragged, my mind goes into secondary-drive. I use my other hand to reach into my coat pocket and pull out the first thing I manage to grab. The wolf releases my arm and immediately takes a snap at my face. I stab the wolf with the object I retrieved from my coat. The wolf howls in pain when I stab the beast with a ballpoint pen that’s now protruding from the side of its head.

  The wolf cries like a woman in labor. I stand up once again and run down the hallway as fast as I can. I stop running when I see the wolf and tiger fighting on the opposite end of the hallway.

  “What do I do now?” I think subconsciously.

  I quickly open a vacant classroom door and slip into the darkness. I then close the door, quietly. I stand beside the door, breathing deeply, watching through the glass window. Suddenly, I hear a woman's voice grunting in anger.

  “I was going to take it easy on you bitch,” her dark voice echoes from down the hall.

  My body is turning numb with fear.

  “I can smell your stench.”

  The voice seems to be drawing nearer.

  I begin to scream, but I quickly refrain myself by clamping my sweaty hands against my mouth.

  “I'm going to rip your fucking throat out. And after you, I will find your mother,” the wolf says in an anger.

  I turn my eyes away from the window to collect myself. Not only am I frightened for my own life, but now my mother’s life as well. I press my hands tighter against my mouth to calm my sobbing. A moment later, I maintain control over my emotions and lower my hands from my mouth. Quietly, I slip from the shadows, peeking out the door window once more.

  I flinch back into the darkness when I notice the wolf walking outside the door.

  What do I do? What do I do?

  My mind can’t seem to decide my next strategy. I scan the dark classroom for something to defend myself with. Then I hear the sound of a door whining open in the hallway. Carefully, I use one eye to look into the dimly lit hallway again. The wolf is pushing through the door across from me.

  I watch as the wolf strolls slowly into the darkness. A pinch of safety relieves my pounding heart. A moment later, I begin my next escape plan, which would consist of me opening this door and running down the hall. I slowly reach for the door handle, feeling the adrenaline releasing into my bloodstream; getting my lungs and legs ready for the run. I twist the door handle, softly.

  Before I’m able to pull the door open, I hear a flurry of feet. A millisecond later, I see the wolf shooting out of the shadows and coming my way. I gasp and dive onto the floor for cover. The classroom door soars over my head and crash into the front row of desks. I swiftly turn on my back and begin to scurry backwards.

  The wolf is standing in the doorway, completely shrouded with rage. I can see blood dripping down from its new wound.

  “There you are,” the beast says in a low whispering voice.

  I gulp and continue to scurry back until I hit the wall. Great, I have nowhere to go.

  “You think I would let you get away? You what you did to my face you FUCKING BITCH!” the wolf shouts as it approaches me.

  “Stay back!” I yell at the creature.

  The wolf breaks into a run towards me. I close my eyes tightly and turn my face against the wall. I can hear its teeth snapping at my ear and the warmth from its mouth against my neck. For some strange reason, I’m not being ripped apart. I open my eyes and witness the wolf drifting away from me. Then I see Mane behind it, pulling the wolf by its tail.

  Using his incredible power, Mane yanks the wolf back and flings it against the wall. Sparks erupt from the smashed light-switch, making the lights flicker on and off overhead. The wolf stands on its feet, shaking badly like a wet dog. Mane prowls towards the wolf, but the wolf is steadily backing away like a coward.

  Then the tiger comes prowling in, strolling towards the wolf also. The wolf growls at both of them.

  “You can’t take us both,” the tiger tells the wolf.

  Mane snaps at the wolf, but it dashes away like a fleeing jack-rabbit. It hurdles over several desks and leaps through a window. Finally, Mane and the tiger lose their intensity. Mane looks over at me with piercing eyes. He then begins to approach me.

  “Stay back! Don’t come any closer!” I shout to the lion, but it proceeds to walk towards me anyway.

  “I said back!” I repeat myself.

  Still, he continues walking, ignoring my plea.

  “If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead already,” Mane informs me.

  Suddenly, his black fur begins to fall onto the floor, revealing bare skin. Then I hear its bones cracking and shifting. He continues to walk as the bones in its legs extends. Now, I’m looking at this deformed, humanoid, creature. It rises off the floor and stands on two legs, only to stagger and fall sideways.

  He catches his balance by leaning onto a teacher’s desk. The desk cracks down the middle by its tremendous weight. All of the papers on the desk slide down and scatter onto the floor. This deformed thing begins to shrink in size and stand on two feet.

  Then its body begins to take the form of a muscular man. As he continues to approach me, the limping gradually ceases and his spine straightens. I can't believe my eyes. I just witnessed a lion transforming into a human.

  “I’m not the one you should afraid of,” a man replies to me, sternly.

  I notice that stern face from anywhere. It’s Daniel from my English class. Mane was literally in my classroom the entire time. For the second time today, I’ve witness something so unbelievable that speaking has become impossible…