“No, no,” she whispered, forcing herself to breathe. “I don’t want to fight.” She lowered the plank to show she wasn’t trying to attack. The wolf’s eyes followed the movement. When she let the board fall to the sand with a dull thump, the animal’s lips lowered a fraction, though its muscles stayed taut.
Hands open and fingers spread, Noemi took a slow step backward, then another, never tearing her gaze from the wolf’s. She bent her elbows outward, palms facing it, a universal sign of I’m harmless. At the same time, she tried to make her voice calm, soothing, though it trembled. “Easy, boy. I— I’m not here to hurt you.”