“And suddenly I am awakened—not from a nocturnal sleep, nor a blurred daydream—but from a life, an existence. Only a moment ago, my fingers were numb and throbbing, the blood rushing to them in an attempt to regulate heat. My hair, a tangle of fire, blazing in the wind, my cheeks, chapped with chill, and my body, shivering in the blizzard. But suddenly, there is quiet in the storm, and I find my self sitting calmly in a drift of snow, warm, and for perhaps the first time, truly awake. There is no other human here, but for some reason, I feel less lonely than ever before. There is no sign of the storm settling, nor is there shelter in sight, but for once, I feel truly safe. There has been no climactic event, nor have I learned any important lesson, but here I am, opening my eyes, and feeling a total sense of well-being fill my whole.
As I close my eyes, in an attempt to save this scene forever in my mind, a single howl begins a chorus of fifty wolves that will carry through the mountains, and then become absorbed in the snow as quickly as it began.”
