According to his estimate, he has been in the woods for nearly two weeks. His personal jet crashed past the mountains into the deep forests of Alaska on its way to a ski resort. Most of his belongings were destroyed in the explosion, but Jake managed to save a backpack of food, clothes, and a long bowie knife. That was all he had to keep him alive in the wilderness.
Only one thing bothered him: the wolves" howl echoing through the dark, cold nights. Many times Jake would suddenly be awakened by the piercing howls. He would stay up the rest of the night, clutching his knife, ready for one of the beasts to jump out of the darkness. Although Jake liked wolves and was rather fascinated with them, he never imagined that he would be in a situation where he would be amongst them. However, he knew much about the wolves and thus was prepared for any encounters. .
Jake spotted the first wolf circling around his camp on the third day of his second week. The wolf kept his distance, but came as close as thirty feet. During the day Jake had a better chance of seeing him. What Jake saw shocked him. The wolf's fur was full but ripped out in some parts of his body, most likely from encounters with other wolves. Furthermore, his sheer size struck Jake by surprise: the wolf was almost the size of a small bear. Jake has never seen a wolf that looked like that one. .
The fur around the wolf's mouth was stained with a red tint, yet it wasn't bright red, which meant that it has been a while since he last ate and food was scarce. He must have been wandering through the forest for weeks in search for a decent meal. By looking at the wolf's body structure, Jake could tell that the wolf and he were in the same boat: cold, worn out, and starving. Hence, Jake had to be careful; it would not be long before one of them would run out of patience. .
A foul, disgusting smell woke Jake up the next morning. The wolf was standing less than six feet away from him, bearing his teeth and emitting a low growl deep from his lung.
