After ten days and no sign of life, with his supplies consumed, Marshall decided to descend from the mountain top.
It was the middle of summer but all the trees were bare.
At the bottom of the path the brook had dried up, leaving only a muddy brown puddle where the clear fresh stream once flowed.
Marshall sank to his knees and scooped water to his mouth. He retched at the foul stench and taste.
Despair shrouded him, was he the only one left? The only one to survive?
A branch snapped, he turned sharply.
The wolf stared at him.

Written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).
To read stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
I hadn’t intended a sequel to last week’s story, but the prompt photo fitted neatly into a continuation. You can read the first part here: THE ENEMY WITHIN, or enjoy it as a stand alone story in its own right.
109 responses to “LONE WOLF”
A lovely post-apocalyptic story, Iain. Just a couple of comments. It might be more powerful if it was a dog that looked at him. And I think it should be rectched, not wretched
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Thanks Neil. ‘Lone Dog’ isn’t as cool sounding a title though. 🙂
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No, but a feral dog is more evocative of a destroyed civilisation
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This fits perfectly with the last one. Nice write.
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Thank you.
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Now to find out whether he can repeat the bonding that started so long ago. Or maybe the encounter is simply the next hot meal for one of them. Nicely done.
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Depends who is the hungriest. Thanks Sandra.
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Powerful story, Iain. Great last line.
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Thanks Jilly
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Kindred spirits or food?
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That is the question.
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What does one do in a world with no resources left?
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Make do to survive, I guess.
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If the hungry beast doesn’t do for him I’m betting the filthy water will 🙂
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It’s not looking good for him in any way.
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🙂
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Very evocative and frightening and I love the double meaning of lone wolf. Must read the first part.
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Thank you so much
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Terrifying. The despair is palpable.
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I must write something happier next week!
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Nicely followed on Iain.
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Thank you
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Dear Iain,
Tense and suspenseful with a double meaning in the title. You left me wondering which of them will be the ‘lone wolf’ in the end. Well done.
Shalom
Rochelle
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Thank you Rochelle, it is a ‘wolf-eat-wolf’ world that they find themselves in.
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Normally, a wolf would have to be sick or starving to attack a human unless it felt cornered. I wasn’t sure if this was a story of a destroyed civilization or that somehow his party of campers, hunters, or whoever, had experienced a terrible calamity.
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If you look at the previous week it is indeed a destroyed civilisation of some kind. Wolves do get a hard press, although to be fair, I never said the wolf attacked him… Thanks James.
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I’ve only heard of a single occasion where wolves made an unprovoked attack on a person and killed him, and it was hotly contested by wolf advocates. Normally, a wolf will get as far away from a human as possible. Of course, if it were starving, that would be another matter entirely.
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Ooooh, excellent. Crackling with tension!
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Thank you Karen
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Nicely done.
Randy
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Thanks Randy
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Hopefully, Marshall and Wolfie were able to come to a mutual agreement!
My FriFic tale is called Solace!
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Perhaps the start of an unlikely buddy adventure!
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Hi Iain,
Good to see we both survived the A-Z Challenge and made a contribution to our usual FF. Do you find it strange after going through something monumental like that, and returning to everyday life and the routine just keeps going, taking you along with it?
I’ve decided to add a song/piece of music to each letter. My daughter dances and one of the older girls did an electrifying contemporary dance to She, which totally amazed me and it was filled with such expressive and acrobatic movement but I’ve attached the song to the very static Venus de Milo and it really does seem rather comical. You have to have a bit of fun with these things.
Getting onto your story, I really enjoyed it and I particularly loved that snap of the branch and the appearance of the wolf. I like the wolf versus the domestic dog, although one of those agro farm dogs would also work or a rabid dog. Being Australian, I’d exchange your wolf for a dingo.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Thanks Rowena, I liked the myth and mystique that comes with a wolf over a dog, such a magnificent animal. As for the A – Z challenge, what I find surprising is how much spare time I know have to get on with other things without having to write and read so many posts every day 🙂
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Yes, I’ve been freed up a lot too, althought there’a backlog of stuff to get onto and I put my name down to perform on my violin in a few weeks. I’ll be doing Minuet by Beethoven as a duet with my teacher does a great job of compensating for my mistakes.
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Ha, wonderful, good luck with that, a woman of many talents!
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Good one! the only one left, indeed. wolves make good companions in the wild. 🙂 Great write.
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Thanks Jelli
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I love that idea – just him and the wolf staring each other out. Wonder what they’ll both do now? Very evocative writing Iain, a nicely desolate feel to this
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Thanks Lynn – team up or fight each other, you can decide 🙂
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My pleasure Iain 🙂
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Yikes – what a scenario! Great writing, Iain.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thank you Susan
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Whoa! I love the idea of a wolf. They are “majestic” yet scary. Those eyes, that stance. Survival of the fittest ~ or maybe these two can team up?
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Perhaps the wolf needs as much help as the man does. Thanks Alicia
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And so ended the last man on Earth. Perhaps it’s a fitting finish for how we treated the world.
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You wouldn’t blame the wolf really, would you?
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Not for an instant!
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Hmmm. Survived what? Perhaps the wolf might be friendly? Nah…
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Maybe, but the wolf looks hungry… 🙂
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Great cliff-hanger in the end…. but at least he got his question answered.
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There is that! Thanks Bjorn.
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I hadn’t read the earlier one first, and thought this one stood well on its own. Great sense of isolation and loss — and the ending does not look good!
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Thanks Joy 🙂
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And so we are left with who wll be the lone wolf…
Great cliffhanger!
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Thanks Dale 🙂
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Good story! I wouldn’t want t be in his place!
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Thanks Dawn
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Great story. Leaves you wondering if this is going to be a nice wolf or a not-so-nice wolf.
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Wolves are beautiful, not sure I would want to be alone with one who was hungry though…
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So it’s one wolf against the other. Who will survive whom?
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Exactly Norma, are you placing a bet?
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No bets placed Iain. Don’t like wolves. Will stay away from any kind of it. 🙂
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Let’s hope this is not the end, but the beginning of a beautiful friendship, like that between the Phantom and his wolf, Devil 🙂
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It could go either way 🙂
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Nice, good continuation from last week but also great as a stand-alone. At least some wildlife has survived.
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We didn’t manage to kill them all off…
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Great continuation from last week, as well as an excellent stand-alone story. I wonder whether Marshall will try to follow the wolf to see whether he has found a source of prey?
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Good idea Penny 🙂
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I can feel the fear
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Thank you
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If it only stared, perhaps he’s found a companion?
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Perhaps…
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Oh MY! He might NOT be the only survivor! Well done! Loved the take on the prompt! 🙂
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Thank you Courtney
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I liked the easy flow of this, the incremental suspense and then a cliffhanger. Good stuff.
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Thanks James
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This flows really well, you really do get a whole story into 100 words! Good one.
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Thank you so much
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Fight for survival! Great images in this one.
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Thanks Laurie
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Wolf or dog he is in trouble, if he does not know how to clean dirty water.
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Ha, well there is that!
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Like Sandra, I was wondering if this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, or the next meal for one of them… great continuation of last week’s story. And the devastation and despair comes through loud and clear.
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Thank you Gabi, the more I think about it, the more I want them to team up 🙂
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This I not the sign of life he wanted😅 kind of reminded me of Liam Neeson’s Grey. It was about post apocalyptic world, but wolves did play an important part in it.
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Not sure I have seen that one, will look out for it. Thanks for reading.
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good story. I like wolf – you have the world ending as we knew it but a wolf to me is a powerful symbol that life can go – man and wolf forged friendship in the beginning – why not again?
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Why not indeed. Thanks Irene.
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Maybe they’ll become unlikely friends in this post-apocayptic struggle. Otherwise they can always try to eat each other to survive. 🙂
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MY money is on the wolf surviving longest 🙂
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It’s a good bet.
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Love the continuation of the story. This sounds like the beginning of a fantastic post-apocalyptic novel. I would definitely read it! Keep the story going… =)
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Thanks Brenda 🙂
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Ah, the notorious Big Bad Wolf and no woodsman with an axe in sight. Not a healthy predicament.
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If only he had brought one…
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Egads! Great story and very suspenseful! This would be a scene in a good horror flick!
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Thanks Nan
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Well that’s left us all wondering! Nicely done.
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Thanks Clare
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Wow! That escalated quick. I would want to know rest of it.
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Thank you
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Great build of tension. Will they attempt to eat each other or combine resources. Marshall is in a bad way either way.
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I’m leaning towards they combine forces and set off on a series of adventures 🙂
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Definite sound of desperation here. Perhaps this is the beginning again, how some wolves became domesticated dogs.
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A fresh start for humanity and the world, maybe that’s what it will take!
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Great story, elegantly told, atmospheric – great last line.
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Thank you
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