A chance meeting.

Chapter one.

 
The golden rays of the early summer sun lit the treetops in what seemed a glorious fire, deep lush green leaves drank from its energy and reflected the rays from every cell they could as the wind almost tenderly swayed them lightly.
From up high in an Oak tree, the Raccoon was viewing a trespasser in his woods while holding on tightly, not making any sounds.
The heat was only bothering him slightly but it wreaked havoc to the small dirt roads making the sandy surface dry and crack and letting the wind blow small clouds of dust around through the bushes. 
The raccoon shifted his position a bit while trying to remain unseen, it was not every day a wolf would tread through his part of the woods but here she was.  
Again.  
He had picked up her scent several times already and he was sure she took in his own too, but somehow he was not afraid of her.

A very uncommon feeling came over him as he watched her coming into his view. A young female wolf, she had dark brown fur like the leaves in autumn and was walking slowly, sniffing up every scent while her ears continually turned and twisted, she was both hunting and on guard.  Her body bore the marks of a litter not that long ago but she seemed to be alone, gathering food perhaps for her youngling. A closer look as she passed under him showed a big scar on her left shoulder, and a few others more down her upper back. Ben could see them glisten as the sun rays shifted the colors of her fur with every move she made.


He stared at her from the branches of his tree high up and concealed from vision as she turned over rocks and sniffed the ground.  Suddenly she yelped out and began scratching the ground, digging hard as the dirt was swept up in a cloud. Moments later she reappeared with a rabbit in her maw, stepping on his spine as her head made a quick turn breaking his neck. Crunching the bones with her strong jaw and sharp canine fangs, tearing off the limbs and quickly devouring the critter. It made him swallow back his doubt. After all, she was now fed, even though it was a small meal for a wolf her size. 

Quickly the raccoon slid down the tree, letting the branches snap alerting the wolf to his presence more then a few leaves got stuck in his fur together with some of the bark juice making them stick.
Having to take a moment to shake them off and pluck at the more persisting ones.

Immediately she reacted, ears laid back and peering at his, her lips curled back and her muzzle still covered int he blood of the rabbit she just tore up. 
she looked ready to defend or attack should the situation call for it, but the raccoon rose to his hind paws, raising one paw in a greeting. “Hello,” he chirped at her with a bright smile.

This took her by such a surprise that she fell back on her rump, her tail folded over her front paws and her jaw open.
The young wolf had to shake her head a few times and blink her eyes to get back to the reality that faced her, a Raccoon covered in leaves and bark juice just popped out in the open, started to clean himself and greeted her. 

“I see you just ate my neighbor, so I am pretty sure there is no more room for a raccoon in your belly. And that is a good thing because I wanted to talk to you.”
Ben spoke with a soft voice, still picking at his dark grey and black fur, the natural mask around his black eyes made it impossible for the wolf to see his intent.

with her bloody muzzle and lips still curled back she barked another warning at him to stay back, “who are you?! Have you been following me?”
standing back on all her paws and fluffing up her neck and back fur to look more threatening.

With a polite bow, the raccoon spread his arms, “They call me Ben,  you can too if you like, I know a wolf needs to feed, especially when she has a pup-  “her neck fur rose even more at the mention of her little one. “ I mean you no harm, in fact, I came to help you. “ he paused there letting the words sink in and she visibly relaxed but stayed on her guard.

“A raccoon helping a wolf? That would be the first, and how do you propose to help me? “

He gave a short snicker, “quite easily, I have seen you around, smelled you, you have the look and smell of a mother, and I suppose its for your little one that you gather the amount of food you do,  but I also know that to hunt, you have to leave him unprotected, probably in a burrow or a cave.  I want to offer you a safe haven. For you and your little one, and enough food to not only survive but become stronger and healthy, and I do not want anything in return…  well, maybe not eating any more of my neighbors.   Think it over, please.  If you want to know more meet me here again.  Ill know when you are around..  these are my woods after all.“
With those words he left her, disappearing into the bushes again letting the leaved twigs form a natural barrier between him and the wolf.
In all honesty, he was shaking under his fur, his heart beating like mad. 
The wolf could have torn him apart in seconds if she wanted to, even if it was out of some form of self-defense.
Slowly and carefully he made his way back to his home while pondering his own actions, as he arrived at the cabin he shook his head. 
"whatever will be will be, she needs the help, or she will die,  and if she decides to kill me, at least this existence will end."