Fate: Diabolical

A Fated Encounter

Uncertain eyes, somewhat beast and yet somewhat human darted between each other. No one moved as they tried to make sense of what just unfurled. Their eyes saw a young woman, clearly an outsider and barely dressed; stumbling out from the shadows, and pursued by an unknown black wolf, who at seeing that he was no longer alone had turned and fled in one solid motion and was already halfway across the frozen tundra. And yet it was not what their eye’s saw which had them puzzled. The moment this mysterious young woman appeared, a heavy atmosphere fell upon the clearing and a powerful scent wafted through the air. Some of the older and wiser wolves recognised at once and chuckled inside at the still green pups sniffing at the air in confusion. Slowly, from the back a wolf emerged, the largest by far; terrifying and yet beautiful with a thick, shiny coat of black and chocolate brown. The wolves automatically made way for their Alpha, all pointing their nose at his back as he passed, sniffing at the alien scent engulfing him. As his large, padded paws crunched into the deep snow, the air around him began to shift and seemed to thicken, taking on a visible form which ripped and rippled much like water, as a light fog encroached around him. The wolf at the centre, now only barely visible, began to twist and morph and take on a new shape. Slowly the mist dissipated and the wolf’s new form was revealed as that of a man. A man of marble, so tall and imposing and impossibly perfect, bar a diagonal scar carved angrily across his back. He stood against the backdrop of the dark snowy night, naked but un-fazed as he lowered himself down and very gently took the girl in his arms. The pack watched as their master stood with his back to them, studying the figure he held tightly to his chest. The older pack members were impatience for orders. They knew what had just happened and that this mysterious lady was now their Luna, and the instinct to protect her flared ferociously within them. They gnashed their teeth and kneaded the ground with fat paws in fury at the lowly dog who had dared tried to hurt her. Even the younger wolves licked at their lips and found themselves repressing howls in a bubbling rage that they did not yet understand. Their Alpha, forever composed, finally turned to address his pack. His piercing eyes the only thing to betray any emotion, raged like green fire. He offered no explanation, he never did. Only one word he uttered.

‘Fetch’

Eagerness broke from the pack in the form of howls as they sprinted past the fated pair standing in the clearing. He pulled her closer to his chest to protect her from the snow and wind whipping up around them. His dark hair danced wildly in the gust, but his eyes were fixed on her. He remembered feeling at that moment that he would never be able to look at anything else again. He felt a powerful and perplexing sense of relief wash over him. Strange because until that moment he never realised he needed any relief. He finally understood how he had been unconsciously searching for her, longing for her. He had never felt anything as strong as the need to have her love. A strange feeling for a man who had grown so accustomed to not needing anyone or anything.

…Somewhere, in a place that’s not quite here and not quite somewhere else, a girl sat crossed legged in a small, empty room before a bright, roaring fireplace made of stone. She pulled a thick blanket tighter around her shoulders and watched the flames dance brilliantly before her, a look of peace on her face. Outside a storm raged; wind beat angrily against the walls, hidden hinges and screws groaned against the strain, the windows rattled like snakes in their frames as raindrops the size of cannonballs assaulted the thatched roof, but the girl inside remained dry. Her hands were still and softly placed in her lap, she was calmer than she had ever been. She had no reason to fear, her home would stand, would keep her safe, would triumph. No storm, no monster, nothing outside could hurt her here. In blissful ignorance of the witching wind howling her name she held out her hands towards the fire and immersed herself in its heavenly heat…

A small, slightly tormented growl sprung from our Alpha as the woman placed her hand flat on his chest and leaned her face into his naked skin. He knew his life would be different from this moment and he was afraid. For the first time he had something that could be exploited, he finally had a weakness, and he didn’t live a life that was forgiving of weakness. He felt instant guilt for this beautiful innocent’s future, for the horrors she would encounter just for her association to him. The fates had dealt her a very harsh hand. She didn’t know it yet, but she would in time. There was only so much he would be able to shield her from. For now, he would just have to trust that fate would pair him with someone who could handle it, because he couldn’t stop what he had started now. He had stopped caring about the costs too many deaths ago to start now. The kinder thing would be to have her healed up and then let her go, but that wasn’t in his nature, he was a have it all kind of man. He lifted his hand to gently brush a stray hair from her face, leaving a trail of blood on her porcelain cheek.