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As a travel writer, I enjoy solitary experiences. More so outdoor walks. One evening while relaxing at a local lodge in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, I broke this solitude with the company of my German shepherd dog, Wolf. After strolling some several hundred meters into a local park, my hair rose. Fear gripped me, and I could hear my teeth chattering. Suddenly, deep grunts followed. A wild boar! My heart was now beating faster. In a split second, I saw a huge dark figure heading towards me. I could not figure out what it was. Something blurred the sight. An abrupt loud grunt sent cold shivers right down my spine. A wild boar! I confirmed my suspicions. The beast bulldozed its way through the dense bush, clearing everything on its way like an express train. ‘Wolf!’ I gasped. The beast gritted its teeth and momentarily crushed me against the barbed wire. I lost my breath. ‘Help,’ I cried. ‘Help me! I yelled. I thought Wolf was dead. I heard a weak whining. ‘She’s still alive’, I groaned in pain. Having left my cellphone away, the probability of getting help almost was nil. Patrolling park wardens had already left for the day at dusk. I had meandered into the unauthorized side of the park ring-fenced by a thick five strand barbed wire. The beast ripped through my left thigh with its tusk exposing raw flesh. A sharp pain radiated throughout my entire body. I crashed on the barbed wire with the crown of my head. The wire’s sharp ends ripped through my clean-shaven head sending painful jabs down my abdomen. Blood oozed through the sharp jabs on my head flowing over my already wet eyes. Something with sharp ends had entered my right eye. It must have been an insect as it made painful movements to free itself. With a blind left eye, it reduced visibility to zero. Suddenly, I realized death was just moments away. ‘Oh Lord my God, please have mercy on me’, I murmured a short prayer. In the ensuing confusion, Wolf sank her canines on the raging boar’s back, forcing it to make a violent U-turn. Round and round like a merry-go-round, the beast turned, trying to free itself from Wolf’s vice-like grip. Meanwhile, I struggled to free myself from the barbed wire and crawled on all fours a few yards away, praying for divine intervention. What followed remains mysterious to me. The beast’s courage deserted him, and he left. I continued to crawl, pulling my ruptured leg along. I could not tell whether I was heading eastwards, westwards or northwards. ‘So this is how the blind see’, I murmured to myself trying to contain the grueling pain throughout my body. I almost froze to death with fear when I heard Wolf’s heavy breathing right beside me. I thought the beast was back to finish me! I heaved a deep sigh of relief when I realized that it was my dog, Wolf. The feeling of relief temporarily overrode the pain, and I momentarily felt normal. The dog must have sensed that I had lost my sight. She licked my bloody face and limped in front of me. ‘Limping?’ I wondered. The beast had mauled one of the dog’s hind legs. Slowly, I continued to crawl behind the limping dog. Wolf was now my seeing dog. ‘Lead me home buddy’, I mumbled. I was bleeding profusely. My whole body burned like a blast furnace. I thought I could not make it. It was the most painful moment ever. After a grueling one and a half hours, we made it home. It was a long and painful trip.