What Lies Beneath His Pelt?

PROLOGUE: THE START OF THE END

"There you are, Nahuel!" Ghigau mused as the tall and muscular figure stepped out into the clearing. She noticed that something was off about him, specifically the fact that he now wore a pelt. The energy around him was dark and ominous, feral, as if he was a predator.

As she waited for his approach, the memory of her father's bite wound resurfaced and she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. The hairs at the back of her neck prickled and she became cautious.

"Nahuel?" She called out, but he did not reply. He just took in every inch of her body with his eyes. Uneasiness wrapped around her.

The forest was blanketed by thick silence and it was only illuminated by the full moon. The forest that used to be her haven was eerie now, unfamiliar.

"Ghigau. Remember when I told you not to come into the forest during the full moon?" Nahuel said, his tone dangerously low, his words ending in a growl. Even if he had a grin on his face, it didn't quite reach his eyes and a shiver ran down her spine.

"Again with the blame! Weren't you the one who led me here? Why didn't you heed your warning?" She shouted. Nahuel took a step closer and she noticed the feral look on his face.

"What are you afraid of again, Ghigau?" He purred and Ghigau stood straighter. However, before she could say another word, she found herself pressed against a tree. How she got there was beyond her comprehension.

"I am not afraid of anything. You should know that!"

“Are you certain that you aren’t afraid, Ghigau?” Nahuel grinned wider as he rested both hands against the tree, effectively caging her in.

"What are you doing?" She asked, suddenly aware of his glowing emerald eyes.

"Claiming what's mine," he mused as he used his long, pointed nails to cut through the thick fabric she wore. Realization hit her almost immediately.

"You-you're the one who took me before! And the one who bit my father! Why?"

"You are a powerful woman, Ghigau, the kind of woman that men would want to have ruling beside them. I have always wanted you, Ghigau, ever since I saw you when you were by the river. I asked your father for your hand but he refused as I was...what were his exact words?" He started as he leaned closer and continued, "...' a poor and pathetic lame son of a woodcutter that can never protect my daughter…'"

"My father would never say that! He is a respectable man!" She spat back as she positioned her knee between his legs.

"Oh? So when he stole our food and the weapons we created, was that respectable? You have to reevaluate your values if that's the case."

She stopped as she remembered when they were first displaced from their lands. They had nothing on them, no food, no shelter. As the week progressed, she remembered how she saw her father as he carried sacks of grain and meat and some blankets. Whenever she asked where they got it, her father would tell her it was a gift.

"How…" she asked. His grin grew wider.

"Like what you believe, so do we. You're not the only one who can harness energy from your surroundings."

She acted on impulse. She used her head to hit him on his jaw. When he stepped back, she wiggled her way out.

The wind swirled around them but all she could hear was the loud rushing of blood in her ears. He crouched as he adjusted his stance and a shadow passed through his face. He gave an inhuman growl and intricate indigo lines began to form on his skin. She prepared her dagger.

*****

Thank you so much for your support and patience! You can see chapter art from the story on my **, artbyellysse, or my Deviantart, reza-delavega. Do not forget to leave a comment if you want!