night in the woods

         The wind started to make the leaves  swirl in circles around me. I pulled me jacket tighter around me, trying to keep as much of my body heat in as possible. Even though it's early June and sunny all day with the high in the lower 70's, it doesn't get warmer at night around here until mid June or early July. As I looked into the night's sky I could see the millions of stars watching over me. They didn't give off much light--not that in mattered, I was staying put until morning anyway.  The star's are one of the reason's I love being out here. Away form the city lights and sounds the world becomes a different place right before your eyes.

         Any other night I would be glad to be out here looking at the stars, pretending that all of haven's angels were looking  down on the world- just to check of everything.  But not tonight. Tonight I was lost. It wouldn't have happened if I just went the other way of the wolf. But what was I going to do, he had me cornered. It was either the woods or get jumped by him. I chose not to get attacked. The good news was I had lost the wolf in the woods, the bad news was I was lost now. The worse part of this was I had no way of letting my friends back at camp know I was lost. I couldn't get reception this far out.

         Far in the distance I could hear water rushing. That told me I was near a water source of some kind. I looked up into the sky to see if I can see the moon. It was high enough I guessed the time was between midnight and two in the morning. “Great. Just Great.” I whispered  to myself “ruffly four more hours until the sun comes up.” I settled into a patch of dirt next to what felt like a dongles fur. I was going to be here a while.

          The wind picked up again, I pulled my knees up to my chest to stay warm. If I ever get out of these woods alive I will learn to have a flashlight and a GPS next time I go camping-which wouldn't be for a while. I knew the trip was a bad idea from the start. Why couldn't we just go to a hotel after graduation. You don't have to deal with wolfs,and dark woods at a hotel.

         A bush a few yards away rustled. I shot up like a rocket, the tiny hairs on the back of my neck were standing straight up. God I hope it wasn't that wolf again. Maybe this time he brought some friends. Which is just what I need to be attacked by a pack of wolfs. Bad enough I was chased into the woods because of one. Or maybe it was something worse then a pack of wolfs-like that could happen--well with the way my night has been going you never know. I looked around for a big enough stick to hit whatever it was with. I know probably not the best idea but I was running on “fight or flight mode” and it was telling me to fight. “H-Hello anyone there?” the only response I got was the whistling of the wind through the trees. Then the sound got louder. “ I know karate. Come any closer and I'll Knock you out.” Again not my best idea, but I couldn't tell it all I had was a stick.  Okay I don't think it would have made a difference but hey a girl can try right?

         “Well, I hope you don't knock out your rescue party.” I couldn't see who it was but I didn't need to. Jacob. Thank God.

         Once I saw the light shining for his flashlight I dropped the stick I was holding and ran up to him and leaped into he arms. Baring my face into his shoulder  “ Oh. My. God. Thank you.” I hugged him so tight I think I could have broken some ribs, or at least creaked them. I felt like I would never let him go.  “ I thought I was going to be stuck here all night.”

         Jake kissed the top of my head. “ Good thing I came then.” he laughed into my hair. I didn't care if he thought this was funny. I was just glad to be in his arms. He raped his arm tighter around me and I could feel the warmth of his body heat.  Gosh how could he be so warm. Here I was warping myself into a little ball to stay warm and he was warmer then anything around us. I think it was because of the sports he played. He set me on the ground, I looked into those beautiful green eyes I loved so much--even though I couldn't see his face but it didn't matter I knew this face by heart.  We stood there for a few more minutes in silence. I could tell he had be looking for a while, his shirt had the moist feeling you get after taking a two mile jog.

         “What are you doing out here anyway?” It sounded like he was trying to keep his voice even, but I could tell he held back the worry he felt. God I hated when I mad him feel like this. I didn't do it often. He always said he worried about me because of my act before thinking nature. I told him about the wolf, but I couldn't look him in the eye-not that it mattered, it was to dark to see anything past my own nose and Jacob's flashlight was pointed down, which circled us in it's light.  It made me feel safe,like heaven was looking down on us keeping us safe in the woods.

         “So..” I said when I was finished “ are you mad?” I was trying to keep the fear hidden in my voice. Jacob hated it when I would go off without thinking.

          But I guess it didn't work as well as I thought. His silence told me he was mad-really mad. I didn't know if he was mad with the fact I got myself lost in the woods,or the fact I was lost in the woods because of a wolf. Quickly his hands cupped  face,his lips found mine. They were warm against mine. My hands soon found his hair, as I pulled him closer to me I couldn't help but think what would have happened if I never ran into the woods to get away of the wolf. As my mind spun into the “what if” moments I soon lost the fact that we were still lost in the woods. I forgot all about the cold air whirling around us, in this moment  I was warmer then I have been all night.

          He broke away just as quickly. I could tell he was looking into my eyes through the dark. “ I'm just glad you safe. I couldn't lose you to.”

         It took me a few moments to realize what he meant. Jacob had lost his mother to cancer last year, which made it ruff on both of us. I loved his mom she was more a mother to me then my own mother ever was. I think that why I would spend so much time over at their house when I was little. The night of the funeral he had told me that I was like his guardian angel, that I saved him a long time ago. I didn't know what that meant at the time. But I soon found out that if it wasn't for me, His dad would have had him move back to Seattle.

         “Come on.” I said as my figures found his and laced together. “Lets get back to camp. Everyone's most likely wondering where we are by now.”

         He didn't argue with me on going back. But I could tell he didn't want to go back just yet. “okay, it's back this way.”  I guess he kept a way of knowing where camp was from where we were.

         As we walked in silence back to camp. I couldn't stop thinking about what he said about the night of the funeral. I might have saved him that night. But tonight he was the one who saved me. I guess that makes us even.