Eleonora finished gathering the necessary herbs. Her fingers, numb from the increasing cold, carefully closed the small gate to the garden, making sure it was securely shut. The snow was now falling more heavily, forming a white curtain that blurred the contours of the forest. She adjusted her coat, hugged Kwan to her chest, and began the return journey.
Then she heard it.
A crackling sound.
Not from branches moved by the wind... but from something moving forward.
She stopped.
Her heart leapt violently. Kwan let out a soft whimper, restless. Eleonora held him tighter and moved forward slowly, each step measured, each breath held. The trees rose darkly around her, and the silence, broken only by the falling snow, began to feel oppressive.
As she was about to leave the grove, a figure emerged from the white mist.
A wolf. Large and gray.
Motionless. Eleonora froze. Her eyes widened with instinctive terror. She took a step back. Then another.
But danger already surrounded her.
A second wolf appeared on her left. And on her right, a third.
Three pairs of eyes shining with hunger.
—No… —she whispered.
The animals began to close in around her.
The puppy, trembling but determined, stepped forward and let out a sharp bark. He tried to look big, standing between her and the wolves. The closest one was the first to react: he advanced with a low growl.
Kwan lunged before Eleonora could stop him.
It was an instinctive, brave... and reckless act.
The wolf rammed him with its shoulder and knocked him aside with one blow. Kwan rolled in the snow, let out a whimper, and lay there, stunned, his side wounded.
—Kwan! —she cried.
There was no time for more.
Eleonora grabbed a thick stick, half buried in the snow, and barely raised it when the first wolf lunged. The impact was brutal. She twisted her body and swung the blow with all her strength. The wood resounded against the animal's side, deflecting it just enough to avoid its fangs.
Another attacked from a blind angle. She raised the stick as a shield and the jaws crashed into the wood with a terrifying crunch.
Snow flew around her amid growls and heavy breathing. Eleonora struck again and again, driven by pure instinct. One of the wolves staggered back, stunned after being hit in the snout.
She seized that second.
She ran to Kwan, lifted him in her arms despite the pain that was already beginning to throb in her leg, and fled.
She didn't get far.
A wolf managed to bite her before she could get away. The pain shot through her leg like fire. Even so, she kept going, almost crawling, hugging the puppy to her chest.
Her strength began to leave her.
When she couldn't go on any longer, she carefully laid him down in the snow.
—Hide... —she whispered, breathless.
A nearby crackling sound froze her. Kwan, despite the pain, pricked up his ears and, hearing the noise among the trees, crawled until he disappeared into some frost-covered bushes.
Eleonora leaned against the trunk of a thick tree and hid behind it, trying to control her breathing. Her heart was pounding in her ears.
The growl sounded again.
A wolf had followed her.
She sensed it before she saw it: the hot breath, the slow footsteps on the snow. The animal circled the tree until it found her.
And when it lunged...
A shadow emerged from the bushes.
Kwan.
The puppy threw himself at the wolf's throat, sinking his teeth in with desperate ferocity. He wasn't strong, but he bit with everything he had. The wolf roared in pain and shook his body violently. He managed to break free, but not before receiving a gash on his neck.
With a brutal movement, he threw Kwan into the snow.
The puppy fell heavily, this time seriously injured.
The wolf, bleeding, took a few steps back, confused and furious.
And yet, Kwan had managed to hurt him.
The wolf, his fur stained with his own blood, turned his head toward Eleonora. His eyes glowed with renewed fury.
She barely had time to pull herself up against the tree trunk. She raised her arms in a desperate attempt to protect herself. The claws tore through her coat, sinking into the fabric with a harsh sound. The animal's weight pushed her backward.
The jaws descended.
Then... a shot rang out. The roar shook the forest.
The wolf was disoriented for just a second. It was enough. Eleonora gathered her last remaining strength and struggled desperately. Her hands pushed against the animal's chest; her legs slipped on the snow. Both bodies rolled down the icy slope, hitting the hard ground and hidden roots.
In a final burst of energy, Eleonora pushed with all her might.
The wolf was thrown forward and crashed into some sharp rocks. The impact was sharp and final. Its body lay motionless.
But Eleonora couldn't stop.
She continued rolling downhill until her body slammed brutally into a fallen tree.
The world fell silent.
She tried to sit up, but something held her back. She looked down.
A thick splinter, part of the torn trunk, protruded like a spear. The tip had embedded itself deep into the right side of her abdomen.
The pain was indescribable.
The air escaped from her lungs in a choked gasp. The snow began to turn red beneath her body.
Then she saw movement.
Kwan was staggering toward her, wounded, dragging a paw. Each step seemed to take enormous effort, but he didn't stop.
Eleonora, tears mixing with the snow on her face, reached out a trembling hand and stroked the little one's head.
—Good boy... my brave little one...
Kwan whimpered softly, resting his muzzle against her chest.
She swallowed hard, feeling the cold begin to numb her.
—Go home... find Haru...
The puppy stared at her, as if he understood every word.
And he obeyed.
Eleonora watched him walk away into the white storm, his small silhouette disappearing among the trees.
Alone.
Hours later, Haru burst into the house in a panic. Darkness had already fallen over the village. He searched every room, opened doors, called her name over and over again.
—Eleonora!
But there was no answer.
Fear began to consume him.
He went outside. The wind cut through his skin and snow pelted his face.
Then, in the dim light, a figure staggered out of the snow-covered street.
Kwan.
He was badly injured and covered in blood.
—Kwan!
Haru ran toward him, horrified. He knelt down to examine him, but Kwan barked urgently, tugging at his pants with his muzzle. Then, summoning impossible strength, he turned and ran back into the forest.
—Kwan! Wait!
Haru followed him without thinking. The snow fell furiously, making every step difficult. The wind whistled through the trees.
Suddenly...
Another shot rang out in the distance.
The sound froze his blood. In that village, guns were only fired for hunting... or for killing wolves.
Terror drove him on. He ran faster, stumbling, getting up, no longer feeling the cold or fatigue. Kwan led him, staggering but determined, until he stopped in front of a fallen tree.
And there...
Eleonora.
Her body lay broken, motionless against the red-stained snow.
Haru fell beside her, sinking his knees into the snow. The world crumbled around him.
—No... no... Eleonora... open your eyes... look at me... please...
He held her awkwardly, trembling, brushing her hair away from her bloodied face.
—I'm here now. Everything's going to be okay. Do you hear me? I won't let anything happen to you. I won't leave you alone again...
Kwan moaned beside her.
Eleonora's eyelids fluttered. Her eyes opened slightly, unfocused at first, until they managed to find him.
—Haru…
It was barely a whisper.
—Yes, it's me. Forgive me... I took too long... —his voice broke—. But I'm here. I'll take you to the village right now. You'll hold on. You're always stronger than you think.
He tried to lift her up, but she let out a slight moan. Blood continued to spread beneath her body.
—No... not anymore...
—Don't say that —he replied, shaking his head—. Don't you dare give up now. What about our flower shop? You said we would paint the door dark blue. We haven't discussed that yet.
A shadow of a smile crossed Eleonora's pale face.
—Azul claro… no oscuro…
—Okay, light blue —he insisted desperately—. And we'll put those bells at the entrance, remember? The ones that ring when someone comes in... and you'll say I chose the loudest ones.
Her breathing became irregular.
—Haru... listen...
—No. I don't want to hear goodbyes. I want to hear you scold me for leaving the tools lying around. I want to hear you say I bought too many seeds again...
Tears ran uncontrollably down his face.
Eleonora raised a weak hand and brushed his cheek.
—Thank you... for loving me...
Haru's world shattered.
—I will always love you. So stay. Stay with me. I beg you... don't leave me alone...
Her fingers clung weakly to his coat.
—You won't be alone...
—I will be —he whispered, broken—. Without you... I will be...
She looked at him with infinite tenderness.
—This... isn't a final goodbye...
Haru shook his head desperately.
—Don't say that...
—When the time comes... —she continued in an increasingly faint voice— we'll meet again... I'll be there... waiting for you...
Her eyes sparkled for a moment, as if looking at something beyond the snowy forest.
—No matter how long it takes... I'll wait for you, Haru...
—I don't want you to wait for me —he sobbed—. I want you to stay.
A tear slid down Eleonora's temple and disappeared into the snow.
—When you see something beautiful bloom... think of me... and smile...
Her voice became nothing more than air.
—I love you...
Her last breath dissolved in the cold.
—Eleonora... no... look at me... look at me...
He waited.
But her chest did not rise again.
Haru held her tightly, rocking her on the snow as if he could still protect her from the world. His cries rose toward the gray sky, mingling with the winter wind.
And in the midst of his deepest pain, a small, cruel hope was planted in his heart:
That someday, somewhere, he would see her again.
The memory slowly faded.
It vanished when Haru felt a damp touch on his hand that brought him back to the present.
It was Kwan. Now an adult.
Haru stroked him, his eyes still heavy with sadness, but also with determination.
— Helping that girl... is what Eleonora would have wanted.
Kwan barked softly, as if agreeing.
Haru stood up, took a deep breath, and whistled.
—Come on, guys... we still have to pick up the new member of the family.
Rain and Iris ran toward him, wagging their tails with contained energy.
The three dogs walked alongside Haru, disappearing into the cold winter light.