The cold was intense. My blood seemed to flow sluggishly at the tips of my fingers touching the white snow in this forest. I was in the forest now. I didn't remember how I had ended up here. Wait. I tried to recall how I found myself here. I closed my eyes, trying to trace the untouched corners of my brain. Ah. It was futile, I couldn't remember anything. I opened my eyes again. The cold sound of the night wind was chilling in my ears. Faintly, I could hear the howling of wolves in the distance. Also, vaguely, the sound of owls could be heard. Strangely, I felt no fear at this moment.
I remained standing in the same spot since I had suddenly found myself here. Despite the atmosphere that was fairly dark, the moonlight was still enough to help me see dimly. Oh God, this cold alone was something I couldn't bear, it pierced into my bones. I looked around, hoping to find a sign that could guide me where to go. Any sign. But there was none because all sides were identical. Rows of pine trees and their shadows appeared the same in every direction I looked. The only difference was the howling of wolves coming from my left side. I couldn't even identify which way was my left. So, I decided to head towards the wolves howls. I was still the same as a moment ago, I wasn’t scared at all.
I
began walking on the expanse of cold-white snow scattered in every direction as
far as the eye could see. The snow was so thick that it made walking a bit
difficult. As I walked, I still tried to recall how I had ended up here. No matter
how hard I tried, I couldn't remember anything. I eventually gave up. The
distant howling of wolves could still be heard faintly, but it seemed to be not
far from my current location. Occasionally, I glanced back to see how far I had
walked, I wasn't sure, but it felt quite far. Around me, there were only rows
of pine trees covered in snow, and new flakes joined after falling from the
sky. I gazed at the night sky, there were no stars at all, only a shyly visible
crescent moon.
I
arrived at a river that seemed not too wide. The reflection of the night forest
painting was vivid on the calm surface of the river in front of me. Some parts
of the riverbank had started to freeze, leaving only the middle section
unfrozen. It seemed that winter was still in its early stages. Not so long I
was captivated by the painting on the unfrozen surface of the river when
suddenly my eyes stopped at someone across the river, sitting and staring
sharply at me. I hadn't really paid attention from the beginning, it seemed
like she noticed my presence before I noticed hers. Our eyes met. The sharp,
vigilant gaze dominated. She was a girl with white-braided hair on each side of
her head, reminding me of a college friend who was often called strange due to
her unusual eccentric hairstyle.
I
then greeted the girl. Before she could respond to my greeting, suddenly, she
ran into the forest on the other side of the river. Without thinking twice, I
immediately crossed the small, apparently shallow river, and began to enter the
forest in the direction the strange white-haired girl was running. I could
still see her running away from me. I called out to her, but she showed no
signs of slowing down. I kept chasing her. The howling of wolves, which
initially seemed faint, slowly became louder. From a distance, I could see a
glow of light, and the strange girl ran toward it. I kept chasing the girl. The
sound of wolves' howls got closer, so did the glow of light, right in front of
me. Finally, I arrived at that place.
Right
when I arrived at that place, it became clear what lay before me. The glow of
light I had seen earlier turned out to be a bonfire. And around that bonfire,
people gathered. I could count them, there were eleven in the crowd. The people
in the gathering stared at me with the same sharp and vigilant gaze as the
strange girl before. Their intense looks held a sense of caution. They all fell
silent. So did I. And I could see the strange girl among them. A sense of
restlessness mixed with anxiety crept over me. The cold, snowy night that had
been piercing through my bones seemed to intensify, but simultaneously, it also
began to fade because of the bonfire before me. The crowd continued to gaze at
me. Their attire was peculiar. I didn't even know if there was a fashion style
like theirs.
A
slightly older person among them stepped forward and began asking me about who
I was and how I ended up here. Finally, I attempted to explain everything,
expressing my confusion about finding myself in this forest. They exchanged
glances with each other before turning their gaze back to me. They gathered
around the bonfire, seemingly discussing something, as if taking a poll on what
to do with me. The older man who had questioned me earlier eventually said that
I could join them while waiting for the morning. After that, I could decide
whether to go alone or follow them. He mentioned that they would continue their
journey north the next day. Finally, that night, I joined those people. The
atmosphere, initially a bit tense and cautious, slowly became more amiable as
they provided me with food and drinks. And indeed, I was extremely hungry at
that moment. We spent the night eating and drinking around the bonfire. Then,
they started singing and dancing around the bonfire. I just sat there,
observing them. Suddenly, the strange girl I had followed until I reached the
gathering came towards me, extending her hand to invite me to dance with them.
I tried to refuse because I couldn't dance, but she insisted. Well, eventually,
I stood up and joined the group of people in dancing.
It
felt like it had been ages since I had danced, especially tonight. I remembered
the last time I danced was at my high school graduation farewell party. I
couldn't dance, it made me nervous. But tonight, for some reason, I felt like I
could let go of everything. I followed the strange girl, dancing freely without
any pattern. It was as if I had merged with nature, the melodies of the song
were melancholic yet soothing. I forgot about the wolves howling I had heard
earlier. I couldn't hear it now. While dancing, I asked the strange girl if she
had heard the howling of wolves. She smiled and said that she had heard it.
That was strange. Because I couldn't hear it at all. I asked again if those
people weren't afraid of the wolves that might have been lurking in the woods.
The girl stopped dancing, then pulled me away from the crowd. She said she
would show me something.
She
still grabbed my hand and led me into the forest, leaving behind the crowd and
the bonfire. I kept following her. Finally, we reached a small river, seemingly
almost as wide as the river where I had encountered the strange girl earlier.
She instructed me to look at the river. I could clearly see the reflection of
the night forest painting. She told me to look closer. I approached the river
and tried to sit. Somewhat blurry. I tried to look again, it was still a
reflection of the forest painting. Then, I was startled by something in the
river's reflection. It was the reflection of my own shadow. The reflection sent
a slight shiver down my spine. It felt unreal. How could this happen? I
continued to stare in disbelief. The girl approached me and joined me. Then I
saw the reflection of her face in the river. Both reflections surprised me and
left me utterly incredulous. The strange girl remained calm beside me, gazing
at me. I still couldn't find my words. I tried to look again at the reflection
of our faces in the river, hoping to see what I expected. But it was the same.
The reflection of our shadowy faces remained unchanged and continued to give me
chills. Was I intoxicated? This didn't make sense.
So,
I was a wolf. The girl was a wolf. What about the people who had been dancing
by the bonfire earlier? They were also wolves. A group of wolves. The strange
girl smiled and affirmed it. After that, she invited me to return to the crowd
of people, I mean, to the crowd of those wolves. The girl had walked ahead. I
stood, watching her disappear into the forest towards the glow of light beyond.
Still with my disbelief and trying to process this. The hair on my neck tingled
slightly. I felt both horror and a sense of greatness at the same time. I
walked towards the light and followed the girl. I was a wolf. And I would go
back there to dance with them for the rest of the night.
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