☾ inspired by a TikTok I saw of parc omega in Canada, where you can stay in a cabin looking out at a wildlife reserve and see WOLVES ☾ short writing exercise, will hopefully be completed tonight! ☾ please excuse any errors ☾ if people like it I'll extend the story on ao3

JK stared out the window in awe. A pair of golden eyes stared back at him.

- - six hours earlier - - “The fences will keep you safe,” the bellman informed him as the golf cart pulled up to his cabin. JK nodded - they were definitely imposing enough, towering as high as the two-story cabin and made from gleaming steel.

“Once you’re inside, you’ll feel like you’re in the wilderness with them, but you can sleep comfortably knowing the wolves cannot get in.” “I’ll be fine, I’m not worried,” JK assured him. He wasn’t scared of wolves, not really. In fact, they’d captivated him his entire life.

( “Puppy?” He’d asked his mom, pointing curiously at an image on the television. “Wolf,” she’d responded, and the rabbit hole had opened wide. ) “And you shouldn’t be, our concierge and security staff are available 24/7,” the bellman smiled.

“We usually don’t get solo travelers, so just make sure to let the front desk know if you need anything, alright?” JK nodded and waved the man off, eager to open the door and see the wolves. The entire day had already been magical.

JK had woken at the crack of dawn to drive the two hour journey to the park, car filled to the brim with groceries to live amongst the wilderness for a week (from the comfort of a four-star cabin, of course). He’d stopped first to greet the elk that inhabited the wildlife park.

He passed them carrots as their noses sniffed through his open window. They’d made him laugh, with their curious personalities and eagerness to get more treats, but at the sound of howling in the distance, he couldn’t delay any longer.

JK had checked in as early as possible, and now he stood alone in his cabin, groceries forgotten near the door as he gazed out the window. The hotel had taken great care to polish it, because JK felt like he was out there entirely, with nothing between him and the outdoors.

His hand floated over the window as he took in the snow-covered trees, a river in the distance that looked frozen over, indentations in the snow that only meant one thing - a wolf had wandered here, maybe recently. JK sat down and stared, captivated by the beauty of nature.

--- Waiting for the wolves to show up was maddening. Once he’d gotten enough sense to unpack, JK had made himself a steaming bowl of ramen and positioned himself near the window once more, listening to the sound of nature as he ate.

He’d seen two elk so far, their antlers casting menacing shadows over their face as the sun went down, and he’d seen all manner of birds and squirrels and rabbits, but no wolves. “Sitting here won’t make them come,” he scolded himself with a frown.

His ramen was getting cold, and he still had to wash from the day’s journey. And JK needed to sleep, because the next morning was one of the few activities the park provided - a guided hike through the forest. If he didn’t see a wolf tonight, maybe he’d learn about them tomorrow.

JK was washing his dish when he heard the howl, and the bowl fell into the sink with a clang. He raced back towards the window to see - yes, there it was! A wolf stood near the trees, neck arched upwards as he let out another glorious cry.

And then he (or she? JK couldn’t tell) marched right up towards the cabin. JK wished he hadn’t left the kitchen light on, because the reflection was breaking the illusion and casting a strange hue over the glass, but he didn’t dare move.

He sat on his haunches, nose only an inch from the glass as he tried his best not to breathe, and he waited for the wolf to come closer. It padded leisurely towards the cabins, white fur shining beneath the moonlight as its paws slipped in and out of the snow.

It walked towards the cabin as if it KNEW someone was home, and JK remembered what the front desk had told him - “We place food near the windows sometimes, so the wolves know to come close,” the agent had said brightly. “You’re sure to see one!”.

Sure enough, the wolf sniffed the ground beneath the window curiously, and then lifted its head. JK’s brown eyes met golden ones, and his breath caught. How could they look so human?

Even through the glass, JK felt like he could count the flecks of yellow and green in the irises, and the pupils dilated as they stared each other down. JK knew he was imagining it, but the eyes held so much emotion, as if the wolf was analyzing JK and cataloging him too.

When JK was forced to let out the breath he’d been holding, he was so close to the window his breath fogged up the glass. As he rushed to wipe it off, he saw two other wolves join the first, their bodies partially obscured by the foliage. Three wolves. Just for JK.

The other two came to stand next to the first, their fur a similar shade of white, with spots of brown or gray painting their chest or ears. All beautiful, all majestic, all staring at him through spotless glass. “Hello,” JK whispered, and the glass fogged up from his words.

The wolves didn’t move or respond, just stared at him with that hidden emotion behind their golden eyes. On his knees, JK was barely eye level to the beautiful animals. If he stood up, maybe he’d be taller, but their strength would make it a useless match.

JK knew he was stupid to trust these animals from the wild, but he felt like if he could touch them without the pane of glass separating them, they’d be gentle. Something about their eyes told him, those flecks of gold filled with warmth he’d normally associate with humans -

- or maybe some humans, definitely not all, maybe not even most. JK stayed kneeling until he couldn’t feel his legs, and when he finally shifted into a sitting position, the movement seemed to startle the wolves into action.

The first howled loudly and the other two followed in suit, and then they took off through the trees, leaving JK alone in the darkness. He shouldn’t have moved - he broke the spell.

JK sat in front of the window for another hour until the snow started to fall, filling in the space where their paws had indented. As if they were never there. As if it had been a dream.

“We have one main pack here,” the guide huffed out, his breath visible as the group struggled up the mountain. “The wolves you see are male, we haven’t seen any females with them. We think they’ve got a den up in the mountains, so that must be where the females are.”

“Any babies?” A woman asked eagerly, but the guide shook his head. “Haven’t seen any recently, though you might see some baby bear cubs this time of year. They’re less common, but the snow is starting to clear up, so they might come out.”

“How many wolves are in the pack?” JK asked curiously, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. “Six,” the guide responded. “All white, or various shades of it. They’re pretty curious, so you’ve probably seen them if you’ve been here for a few days.”

JK opened his mouth to speak, but the other woman scoffed. “I haven’t seen a THING,” she said glumly, and JK shut his mouth. “Don’t worry, we’ll put out some food in front of your cabins tonight,” the guide reassured her. “Most people who stay a couple nights see something.”