Aim for the Heart

The snow crunched under Ruby’s feet as she ran through the rock formations of the area once known as Garden of the Gods. Behind her she could hear the pounding of paws and loud howls of wolves calling for the rest of the pack to follow. After dodging several trees, Ruby swung herself around to face them. Set, nock, pull, release; Ruby recited in her head as she gripped the wooden handle of her bow with her right hand. Using her left hand, she pulled an arrow out of her quiver and nocked it. The largest wolf of the pack slowly crept towards Ruby, bloody teeth showing as he snarled at her. For a moment, Ruby studied the wolf’s features. He looked like any other wolf, but something about him seemed… unnatural. The way he moved, the way he snarled, the way his eyes stayed locked with Ruby’s seemed almost robotic. It was almost like the wolf wasn’t present in the moment, yet he was there, slowly creeping closer and closer to her. Ruby, although a bit confused, quickly put the idea aside as the wolf lunged forward. Using her lightning-quick reflexes, Ruby pulled the string of her bow back to her cheek, and released the string. The rest of the pack watched as the arrow flew through the air and found its place directly in the wolf’s heart. A single screech escaped the wolf’s mouth before it thumped onto the ground, dead. The rest of the pack hurriedly scrambled away.