"This is your destination." The raspy, deep voice whispered from behind her as she felt herself tumbling to the ground scratching her knee as she went. The sound of a truck pulling away was all she could hear in the background. She tried to pull the bag off her head and undo the ties that were keeping her legs together. Now what had she gotten herself into?

She tossed the bag to the ground beside her and finished untying her legs. At least it was pleasant enough. The air was clean and not too cool. The trees were still in bloom; so, winter had not yet set in. The mountains, she could see in the distance, simply went higher into the sky. So now she knew she was in the mountains. Perhaps along a mountain pass. That was the last time she'd play poker with truck drives heading to Europe or anywhere for that matter. They always cheated and then she ended up paying the price. She'd just been lucky they didn't ask her for sex or force it on her either. On the other hand, she'd also not needed the unscheduled road trip into no man's land.

She stood and brushed off her pants. So what was here? She turned around in a small circle looking around. In one direction the road continued on into the high mountains and in the other direction it looked as if it were going down. She looked across the road to a valley which seemed to just keep going down. She swallowed hard not really wanting to go there. She turned and faced what lay behind her. The ground went up into spotted fields of trees and fence line. There was a road, gravel in nature, just behind her which seemed to lead somewhere beyond a group of trees.

This seemed to be the best choice of action. She began to walk. What would she say to the strangers when she knocked on their door? As she walked along she tried a few statements in her head.

"I was just out walking and got lost. Can you tell me where I am?"
"I was kidnapped by a truck load of drunks and they dumped me here after they raped me."

"My car broken down a few miles back, could you call me a taxi?"
They all sounded so lame. She glanced at the gate which was now coming into view.

"I could tell the truth. I lost a bet in poker. I had no money left to back up the bet so they decided that I'd pay the price in a gifted vacation into the unknown." Right who'd believe some bimbo would go that far. Better stick to a lie.

"Wolfe Acres," she read from the sign attached to the gate in bright reddish letters. The gate was locked, of course.

Hummm, she wondered. How do I get inside? She walked away and sat down on the hillside just behind a tree. Her stomach was hurting and now she regretted the fact that she'd refused to eat in the truck when she'd been offered some food that smelled like spoiled skunk. She leaned back and found that a raspberry bush grew just behind the tree. With greed she started picking them dripping them into her mouth just as soon as she picked them. They tasted like milk and honey.

"Are you enjoying my raspberries?" A deep male voice asked her from behind. She stopped chewing and turned around. How much bad luck could a girl have in one day? She asked herself and swallowed hard.

"Well sir," she started talking before she even looked up. She'd found it was always wisest to start talking before you choked up. "I was out wondering around and got hungry. I sat down for a rest and saw them." Her eyes traveled upwards to a tall, rather large, not heavy man, standing only inches from her backside.

The orange tinted hair on his head and face seemed to glow in the sun's light. He didn't appear angry, nor did he appear friendly. He simply seemed to just want to know. This was an odd feeling.

She took a few steps away from him, but he stepped forward too; He always seemed to be leaving a few inches between them. He didn't touch her, nor did he scare her. He just stayed near her.

"Well, I have to go now," she finally managed to say after backing up towards the gate for a few minutes while he kept on her tail.
Suddenly, he stopped walking and put his head in the air sniffing. "If you plan on going up the mountain," he cautioned, "now wouldn't be the wisest time to go."

She also looked in the direction he indicated.

"Why?" She asked, feeling very much at a loss.

He looked back down at her. His green eyes glowing like oversized walnuts. "Wolfs roam the lands."

"What?" she questioned and turned back towards him. He was gone, but the gate stood open as if to invite her inside.

She glanced around. If there were free roaming wolfs around here the best place to be wasn't where she was. She started walking towards the gate. Where was this place? Free roaming wolfs? Who allowed wolfs to roam free on owned land these days she wondered.

The wind whispered by her ear as she moved beyond the gate. She felt as if she'd left one world behind and entered another. Yet, when she looked over her shoulder it all looked the same.

In the distance she saw a building. That must be the main house she decided and kept following the gravel drive because it led in that direction. The homestead seemed to run on for miles. Parts were high up into the sky while other parts were low and seemed like hallways leading to the other parts. The building, she noticed as she drew nearer to it was constructed out of stone. Pure stone held together by sand and something else. In sections stones had become dislodged and were lying in disarray on the ground. Some had been broken while others looked ready to be used again. In other areas the building seemed to be holding together, but at any moment could fall in given the right circumstances.

I'm not so sure this is the place to get help, she decided and turned back towards the entrance only to be greeted by several huge wolfs who seemed to be wondering around on the front lawn.

She began backing up towards the front door that did not have a porch. The wolf's ignored her and found places to lie down and enjoy the pleasant weather. She just kept backing up until she collided with the door.
Now what she asked herself as her fingers encircled the knob and she twisted it. To her surprise it opened and she fell inside.

The same deep voice greeted her as she tried to sit back up and gain her footing.

"Welcome into my home," he said flatly and moved into her line of vision. His orange hair and bright beard were not as intense in the dimmer light, but his green eyes still looked at her sharply and sparkled. His jeans faded and his shirt worn only seemed to add to his charm, not decrease it.

"I'm sorry," She shuddered standing back up and checking her scratched knee for further damage, "but there's wolfs out there!"

She pointed towards the door which stood open and the animals she'd just mentioned, looked in at her from the outside.

"Yes," he whispered, sounding not in the least concerned about them. "They roam everywhere and keep my property free of visitors." He closed the door and turned back to her. "Or at least they did."

"So what's so valuable about your property that you want to keep everyone away from it?" Now he was drawing her attention. What game was he playing and did she want in? Was there money hidden somewhere? Did he run a whore house? Did he do off the road racing with those wolfs and have a hidden racetrack?
She moved towards the door trying to look like she intended to go, but really she wanted to stay. She brushed the side of her already torn pants leg against one of the stones that had become dislodged inside the house, and she heard the sound of ripping material. The sting of a new cut overwhelmed her and she sat down.

"That sort of thing happens often around here," he remarked. "It's unwise to get too close to the walls." He walked over to where she sat on a very uncomfortable, falling apart chair and brushed his fingers across the cut.
"A little fresh water from the creek and you'll be ready to roll in seconds." He remarked and opened the door for her.

"You've got to be joking," she remarked and didn't stand. "The germs in that water would be enough to kill anyone."

He smiled and walked out the door without looking back.

That man is a raving loony bird she decided as she got up from the seat and started walking towards the hallway just to the left of the front door.
This time she avoided any of the stones that seemed to be sticking out from the hallway. About halfway down and near a throw rug placed at just a section where the walls seemed to make a little square she saw something amazing. She at least found it amazing.

Two stones were missing from the wall where a vine had found its way inside and was growing down the hallway. Purplish flowers from this vine, with big blooms graced the rest of the hallway that seemed to go on forever.

She stopped walking and sat down in the little chair which graced this small section of the hall where the missing stones were. The day had been long and she was tired and hungry. Her knee wasn't aching as bad, but she felt just a little sick. She closed her eyes, just for a moment, and was fast asleep.
"Did you enjoy your nap?" the same deep voice asked her. She felt fingers on the knee she'd damaged. She opened her eyes quickly unsure what to expect.
Standing before her was the man with the orange colored hair. In his hand he held a bottle of liquid and a sponge. She looked down at her knee and watched as the scare scabbed over and healed.

"All better!" he whispered and turned away from her heading down the long hallway.

"Wait!" She yelled after him and jumped to her feet in pursuit.
He kept walking at the same pace never looking back or side to side. The hallway seemed go forever. The more she ran after him the further he seemed to be away from her.

"Wait," she screamed after him as he turned towards a door his left and disappeared.

All of a sudden she was standing in front of that door. It slowly opened. Beyond the door was the most beautiful field of green grass she'd ever seen. In the meadow, along with more wolfs, stood the man. His orange colored hair seemed longer. She took a step into the room and the door behind her dissolved. The man was petting a wolf. The hairs on the top of his hand seemed to be covered in the same fur as the wolves. Something seemed odd about him.

He glanced up at her as she grew nearer. The orange fur on his hands hung long around his wrist and they began to change from fingers to claws.

"Welcome to your destiny," he said.

She stepped backwards. He wasn't a wolf was he?