The memories scattered like water drops as she motionlessly traversed the endless void. Her previous life burned in a flash; the smell of grass, the thrill of a chase, her most precious memories evanesced, leaving her spirit naked. Liberated from most of the burden, it charged into the life where time made sense once again.
She flushed her eyes wide open and cried from the bottom of her lungs.
She matured, shaped into a young woman, calm and attentive; but her mind was always wandering. She couldn’t find peace, not in her violin, nor clinging to a new man in her bed.
Until one day she met a wolf.
She was escaping from a thunderstorm, speeding on an empty road between fields, when some movement grabbed her attention. She pushed the pedal to the floor, bringing her car to a screeching halt. The wind rumpled her blonde hair when she hopped out; her nostrils flared, her dark red eyes looked around. She saw a wolf resting at the side of the road.
As she approached it, the grim reality became clear. The animal was dying. She stroked over its rib cage, examining the broken bones, raised her bloodied hand. A sleeping thought deep inside her started to unwrap as she inhaled the thick scent of blood.
The wolf opened its eyes and looked at her. Its chest contracted one last time. She stared into its soulless eyes, imagining its spirit leaving the body.
And then her mind exploded with images and scents. She was running through the forest, her paws hitting the ground, launching her into the air, forward, faster and faster. She was free, finally, from all the superstitions, from all the obligations and morals.
Her spirit never let go of one little piece of her past life.
She howled, her voice breaking as her body fell to the ground, quivering from toes to ear tips. The pain was impossible to withstand, yet her mind didn’t black out. She glanced at her arms, covered in her own blood and white, irregular patches of fur. Another spasm twisted her, and she heard her bones cracking. That was the last thing her human ears heard.
She rose to her paws, shrugging off the pain. Arched her back, stretching, flicked her tail a few times, getting used to it.
Noticing the carcass in front of her, she nosed its muzzle and whined, but it stared into the sky with an empty glance. There was nothing here for her anymore.
Her tail swished as she breathed in with a full chest, opening herself to scents she couldn’t name. One, though, was familiar – a smell of hot metal.
She looked back at her car, reached into it and pulled the keys with her teeth. She kicked the door closed and strolled across the field, towards the nearby trees, wondering how the squirrels taste and if she can continue driving naked afterwards.
