One of the "stream writing" pieces I had done today, averaging about 2,500 words. I rather like the way this came out, though it took three hours to write simply because I drug my feet on it so much. I... I'm not sure how well this feels to anyone else, though I would love feed back. The characters are purposely vague and underdeveloped.

Please let me know your thoughts?


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The Wilds Within
By: Wisty

Why is it so bright? Blinding. It feels like I’m floating in a void. Hearing, feeling, even sight - all have failed me. Why can’t I move? I can see mists eddying in the distance, throwing tints of grey into my perfection, staining it with color. It hurts to look at.

Gravity finally hits me, wrenching my conscious being towards the center of wherever it is I’m inhabiting. The sensations start to return to me, one by one. The mists condense and solidify into splotches. Those contort further as color seeps through them, breathing a life into the still unidentifiable shapes. It makes my head throb from the intensity of the sensational overload. I can see greens and browns blotching the shapes, making them distinguishable as... trees?

The pain! Feeling returns to me with a stab. I momentarily block out the quickly focusing world in hopes to ease the horrid feeling of my skull being torn open. Finally it subsides, and I begin to feel a chill spreading along my body. I open my eyes once more, the pain less intense now as my eyes begin to finally focus on the towering redwoods around me. Their scent reaches my nose - a bitter, pine-flavored air that bites at my nostrils - as I look to the canopy worlds above me.

A few moments later, panic begins to set in. I couldn’t have gone deaf, could I? Why was this place devoid of sound? I stagger to my feet, my balance horribly lop-sided. Fortunately the monstrous trunks are kind enough to support me. I try to trudge forward, the undisturbed dirt at my feet yielding easily, creating a small indent. I can hear the satisfying (and relieving) crunch of small stones in the dirt as it yields beneath my weight.

That’s fortunate.

I begin to gather my bearings, gyrating slowly around the trunk of the dark-skinned tree. The dirt shows no sign of life, no tracks, and no other plants. My eyes scan the horizon; the mists have settled in a couple of miles away, allowing me to see the randomly distributed trunks of more lumber giants.

How did I get here?

The place is beautiful, if refreshingly lonely. It was a world away from the overwhelming life I’d lived in the city. I’m surprised I even know what a tree looks like any more. The entire area fades from one tree to another, bringing a look of confusion to my face. How would I know where to go or where I’ve been? I suppose it doesn’t really matter as I set off to find something, anything really, to relate to. I begin to walk.


It’s what seems like ages until I finally reach the misty section of forest. Curious, I step into the dense, hanging curtain, only to hear a snarl beside me. Surprised beyond belief, I jump to the side and trip myself over a root. The snarling grows louder as I prop myself up on my elbow; the mists have become suffocating with their proximity, coating me in a blue-grey curtain that affords barely a few feet of visibility. I see a glimmer of white, jagged and sharp, looming closer from the mist. Louder and louder, the haze makes way to a creature of black fur that flares outwards in aggression. As my eyes begin to focus on the color once more, I can see the shape of a wolf beginning to take form in front of my eyes, though the bared teeth worry me.

It lunges towards me, and I instinctively fall backwards once again, curling up as to protect myself as best as I could from those dagger-like teeth. My eyes clench shut as I prepare for the impact that never comes. A gust of wind and nothing more caresses across my still naked body. I dare to open my eyes after a few moments to see the creature sitting in front of me, staring at me with no trace of aggression in its eyes. I struggle to bring myself back to an upright position as the wolf does the same, drawing its lips back in a snarl. Afraid to incur the beast’s wrath, I lie down again and remain there, my mind racing.

How would I ever get away from this creature without getting gored, or worse, eaten? It was unusual to even see a wolf, let alone be... babysat by one. After what seems like forever, the wolf gets up and licks my face - the tongue is surprisingly warm and smooth for a wolf. I take that as my cue to move again and struggle to roll over onto my stomach. I’m not greeted by a growl, so I continue my ascent.

Curiously enough, it allows me to fumble to my knees, and then onto my feet with my palms touching the ground... but the moment I take my hands off of the ground, it growled again, it’s tail bristling. I quickly drop back to the uncomfortable position of all fours and look at the wolf. I began to wonder if it could understand that I was harmless or not. It flicked its tail again and turned away from me, walking into the hazy curtain that hung around us. It stopped just at the edge and turned to stare at me, as if it were asking me if I was going to join it. Awkwardly, I nodded to the wolf (as if it had even asked me a question) and began to walk on my hands and feet.

It felt weird to say the least; my body, a whole six foot two, thinly built form, lumbered in a discordant unison as I alternated my hands and feet. I imagined I must have looked like an idiot, but real stupidity would be to get myself killed. As I approached the wolf, it began to walk again, deftly forging our path through the cloudy forest. We walked for what seemed like hours, days even, and every step became more natural. My back legs learned to bend a little so that I was walking on the ball of my foot, while my arms remained fully extended. After a while, I was able to walk at a pace that allowed me to keep up with the wolf.

Despite the awkwardness of the strides and position in which I had to walk, I found that it felt like second nature to me. When the wolf wasn’t looking, I’d try to stand on two feet again; the first time I did, my muscles had become so sore that I toppled to the ground immediately. I suppose that this was for the best anyways.

While we walked, I could see the mists in the distance beginning to thin, but no details made their way to me. Finally, I could hear more sounds in the fog, like running water and playful (yips. I suppose the wolf was taking me back to its home, though the apprehension began building once more. Just because this wolf had taken affection to me, would the others show the same kind of trusting love?

The terrain begins to shift as well, turning from a tall, looming forest to thicker, denser growths of birch, oak and poplar trees. I have to dodge and weave between smaller trunks, the soft, lush grass beneath my feet so welcoming after the untrodden dirt beneath the Redwoods. I look to the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bright blue dome I’d missed for so long... but only clouds, a patchy grey ceiling on the world I was blessed with. The ground has become uneven, with small rocks scattered here and there between hills and ravines. I find it difficult to negotiate such an area on all fours, but the necessity is greater than his discomfort. Finally, my guide stops for a brief moment and lets out a yip.

Silence. It lasts for what seems like an eternity before I hear the crackle of sticks in the distance. I close my eyes, hoping to catch the soft, tell tale footfalls that I had grown accustomed to during my travels. Nothing reaches my ears, but a gust of wind buffets my face, causing me to jump backwards in shock. My eyes shoot open to stare into the deep, marbled amber eyes of an older, brown-furred wolf.

I tense immediately as he begins to stalk around me in a small circle, his tail held measured and constant. I’m not quite sure of what to make of the experience until he stops once more and growls.

The forest around me comes alive once more as more wolves seem to simply appear from the trees. Shades of black, grey, white and straw all materialize in front of my eyes. What I presume to be the alpha wolf stops in front of me once more, the massive black wolf snarling quietly before he swats my face. I feel the claws tear across my face down to my cheek, but the warm rush of blood never comes.

I’m confounded; I don’t understand what is happening. The scratches grow hotter on the side of my face, and I can feel the warmth beginning to spread. He growls and stands back, as if inspecting his handiwork, the rest of wolves circling slowly around me. The look in their eyes is knowing, understanding even. A soft lick on the opposite cheek brings me back to reality... what I understand is my reality. The mist begins clearing around me as the burning sensations become near intolerable. I want to shout, scream in agony but no words - not a sound escapes my lips. I look to my right, to see a wolf canting her head to the side, as if inviting me to follow her. The wolves begin to disperse, including my guide, so I do the only thing I reasonably can.

I follow her.

My face burns more, the heat spreading to my body now, though it doesn’t hurt. It’s... comforting almost. I hear the water growing louder, the sound’s timbre growing stronger as the noise crescendos into a thundering roar. She walks along the rocky-soiled bank until she brings me to a tumultuous pool of water below a waterfall. A small rumble from inside her throat and a flick of her tail directs me to a smaller path that winds along the side of the falls. I can feel the spray of the water coating my body, not really cooling the heat that’s spread through my core and slowly worked its way down towards the ends of my limbs.

It all seems so surreal, but I can feel, taste, smell, see... hear the surrounding around me. It has to be real. Without a second thought, I begin to climb the path towards the top, a few rocks slipping beneath me. There’s something that feels great as I climb upwards. The sensation is indescribable. It doesn’t matter, because it feels right to me. I can hear the roar dying slowly as I ascend, until I finally reach the zenith of the hill.

The trees are dense, thick and dark near the top but lighter down towards the bottom. At the top is a spring, a natural spring that fed from an underground source into a pool of still, crystal clear water. I slowly walk forward, able to smell water’s clean scent. Delicious. The burning was finally disappearing into the tips of my fingers. I pause a bit, just looking at the water, stopping to reflect on my life in this place so far. No hunger, no fatigue, no time. It all passes effortlessly, and I couldn’t want it any other way... but there was a finality I could feel ensconced in that beautiful fluid... yet the more I stare, the more I want to just taste the cool refreshing liquid running down my throat.

A rustle to my side broke my reverie once more, and I could see the Alpha standing beside me. Watching. Waiting. Soon, the straw colored wolfess appears beside him, watching me as well, that look of encouragement in her eyes. My resolve is made as I turn to face the pool. I stalk closer, each step bringing me closer. I lean my head downwards, the action feeling t natural and... Right. The cool mist rises from the water, caressing my lips gently so that I stop a few inches away. My tongue flicks out and shatters the glassy surface of the water, the cold liquid splashing upwards into my mouth. I begin to drink, but every drink only makes me thirstier.

I only feel satiated once the Alpha puts his paw on my head and pushes my face into the water. The cold shock makes my eyes dart open to stare into the slowly rippling surface. I could feel the heat growing beneath my skin once more, and as it spread to the rest of my body, I was shocked to see the face staring back at me wasn’t the one I knew. A steely grey muzzle dripped with water, an icy blue pair of eyes - my eyes - stare from deep in the thin face. I jump a bit and look at the rest of my body, swinging around in circles while I looked over my body. The heat had vanished entirely, and my entire body was covered with a soft wiry fur, the blue hints in my fur showing clearly in the slowly brightening clearing.

My heart slows a bit as he looks at her, then to me. He growls, the sound welcoming to me. He walks off, and then the wolfess follows after, giving me a welcoming lick on the cheek. I whimper my thanks, curious as to how my new life was going to work... or why I had even come here. It didn’t matter though. I felt like I belonged here.

Everything was becoming sharper, clearer and cleaner as my body slowly adapted to that of my new comrades. Wolfen in shape and function, it flows easily. As I descend the path once more, I see the wolves waiting for me at the bottom, a look of welcoming sadness in their eyes. One by one, they begin to howl, the sound haunting as it echoes through the forest. It lasts forever, and I want to join... but fear holds me back. A lick to my cheek infuses me with courage once more, and I allow my jaws to spread wide, the keening wail echoing through the forest, stronger than the rest. I’m home... home at last, and I couldn’t feel happier!


“Goddamit, Don’t you DARE do this! I swear to God if you give up now, I’m never going to forgive you for this! COME ON!”

“Mrs. Falis. I’m sorry...”

“NO, He can’t be!”

“He died on the operation table... He opened his eyes briefly and just stared at the light. He... growled... and then flatlined. We tried to revive him multiple times, but his heart kept failing. I’m sorry...”

The sandy-haired woman collapsed to her knees, staring at the polished tile floor in silence... Slowly, she began screeching like a banshee, the wail saddening and fearful, as primal as the call of the wild.