My parents looked at me oddly as I dragged them through the woods. I know they were just humoring me. But I know what I saw. I was wandering through the woods when I saw her. She was sitting in a tree like a predator. She was staring at me curiously as she moved a knife around in her hands like a playing card.

She was slim and muscular with a grace I've never seen before. She had dirty blond hair in a high ponytail and bright green eyes. She was wearing a pair of black ripped up jeans and a long sleeved black shirt. More knives than I've ever seen in one place were strapped to her. She looked like a warrior ready for battle.

I blinked to make sure she was real. But it only took that second for her to disappear. I searched for her but she left no trace. It was like she was never there. I left my sandwich on a nearby stump as a peace offering and ran home. I told my parents all about it but they thought I imagined it.

But my mom finally decided to humor me saying that if there was a girl then they couldn't let her stay in the forest alone and my father nodded along with her. I waited an hour to be sure she found the sandwich. During that time I sat staring at the clock. It was the longest hour of my life. The second the clock read 4:00 pm I was up and out the door.

I dragged my parents to the forest while I explained my plan. If the sandwich was gone then I had proof. If it was still there then I didn't wait long enough for her to find it. My dad kindly pointed out that it could have been eaten by an animal, but I ignored that possibility and traced my way back to the stump.

Once I found it I just stared at it for a minute. The sandwich was gone and in its place was that knife I saw her playing with. It was stabbed deep into the stump like a flag. My parents stared at it with shock.

I turned back to them with a smug look on my face, "I told you she was real!" My parents ignored my gloating and went into adult mode. My dad huffed, "Fine. There is a girl. We need to find her. We can't just leave her out here alone." I used all my strength to rip the knife out of the stump and studied the sharp blade, "Easier said than done, Dad. She's like a ghost. You blink and she's gone." I was going to say something smug again but before I could a low growl echoed behind me.

I turned around and saw a rabid coyote. It was wobbling back and forth and had foam dripping out of its mouth. It had a half dead crazed look in its eyes. My dad jumped in front of me and mom to shield us, "Stay back! Both of you! It's got rabies!" The coyote instantly lunged at my father startled by his yelling.

It was coming at him, teeth bared and ready to rip him apart. It was too fast for him to dodge it. "Dad!" Suddenly I heard a whoosh and a gust of air whizzed right by my ear. The coyote fell to the ground still snarling, only a foot or two from my father. There was a throwing knife embedded deep in its shoulder.

We all spun around to see the warrior girl leaning against a tree twirling one of her many knives between her fingers. She calmly gazed at the coyote as it growled at her like it wasn't dangerous at all, "I'd move before it gets up." Her voice was like steel dipped in honey. I caught a glance of her teeth. She has fangs? They were exactly like wolf's teeth and looked just as sharp.

We all immediately scrambled out of the way when she gestured for us to move. The coyote responded to the movement and ran at me. I wish I could brag about how I was really brave and hit it, but I was just staring at it frozen. Before it got to me she was suddenly in front of me in the path of the coyote. I didn't even hear her move. She moved with inhuman speed and grace as she dogged its claws. The second she got close enough to it she stabbed it right in the heart without even flinching. It was dead instantly.

She turned and looked at me her naturally cold expression thawing slightly, "That was payment for the sandwich." She turned around to disappear into the shadows again. But my mom spoke up, "We can't just leave you out here!" She looked at us annoyed and scowled at my mother, "I'll be fine." I held out my hand and looked at her with puppy dog eyes, "Please, come." She looked at me and my outstretched hand as she ran a hand through her hair. She growled like a wolf as she took my hand, "I got tamed for a damned sandwich." I smiled at her and pulled her back with me to the house.