The Witch and the Werewolf

The wolf followed the white haired girl through the forest, genuinely curious as to her destination. He was a large canine, white a thick grey pelt and golden eyes; he watched her carefully from the underbrush, allured by her scent and presence. She was a petite girl, a slight build but healthily curvy, no more than 20 years old he guessed. Dressed in paint splattered jeans and a leather jacket over a hoodie, her boots were covered in mud and dirt as she walked down the forest path. Loud music blared from her headphones, a girly punk genre with lots of swear words, he could hear it so easily he wondered how she wasn’t deaf. The sun had begun to set behind the tree line, and he began to wonder where she was headed to so late in the evening. He noticed that she walked within the confines of nature differently than most humans, though he smelt nothing strange from her to assume she wasn’t human. Suddenly she stopped, and so did he as he crouched down and watched. As if she knew he was watching, the girl turned around and gave him a small smile. HE could look at nothing else, he noticed, mesmerized by her. She was like a beam of moonlight. He couldn’t understand the emotion behind her violet eyes before she turned around and opened her arms out. Suddenly the deafening whistle of a train pierced the air as the light engulfed her. Waking up panting and bolting upright, he realised it was just a dream. The girl with white hair and violet eyes was not real, nor was the train or the feeling he had felt rise in his chest as the train consumed her. It was all just a dream. Then why did he feel so restless? Like someone, somewhere, needed him desperately. Him, and only him. Rising from the bed, the tall well built man moved to the large, floor to ceiling windows that covered the north wall of his bedroom. Seeing his reflection in the glass, he made a small sigh of relief. He was still Pine Benedict, he thought as he looked himself over. Every muscle was toned and held a healthy tan, his jaw and cheekbones had soft yet angular features. Pine’s hair was an absolute mess, and he absentmindedly grabbed a black hair elastic to tie the shoulder length brown hair in a messy ponytail. He was chilly, he realized as he looked down at himself; he was dressed only in pajama shorts. So Pine went to the dresser and pulled out a shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He was awake, and there was nothing he could do about it. Plucking his cellphone from the charger, he clicked it awake and read the time. Pine thought he had enough time to go for a run to watch the sunrise and be home in time for breakfast with shower time to spare. Running out of the place he called home, a large building secluded in the woods of a small town in Maine, Pine didn’t bother putting on sneakers. He hated wearing shoes, and would take them off as soon as social priorities allowed. The forest swallowed him up as he ran off the manicured lawn and into the brush, feeling the oxygen enter his blood with every breath that entered his lunges. He pushed himself, feeling the burn in his thighs and calves as he continued. Ducking under branches and jumping over fallen trees, Pine had the agility of a creature who called the forest home. He looked up as the sky began to fill with light, hearing the small birds begin to sing their morning tunes in the canopy. The green leaves rustled with a breeze, and Pine pushed himself even further; finally feeling his legs give out as he reached his destination. Laying on the soft meadow grass, Pine stared up at the sky as it erupted in soft pastels that swallowed up the darkness of night. His mind wandered back to the girl from his dream. Her violet eyes framed in thick black lashes, pale skin, white hair and small rosebud mouth. She was petite, but he could tell she was strong. He wondered if she was real and they had connected through their dreams, maybe she was his soulmate? He chuckled, considering himself lucky if his mate, his luna, his forever girl, was that ethereally gorgeous. Sitting up, Pine thought it would be time to head back. He wanted to shower off the smell of grass and sweat before joining his family for breakfast. Suddenly, Pine felt a pain in his shoulder blade, bringing him to his knee as he winced in pain. Something was wrong, he didn’t know how he knew but he started running again. Only this time he wasn’t trying to push himself. He felt like he was running for his life. Thoughts of the white haired girl filled his mind, and his heart beat faster with adrenaline as he tore through the woods towards who knows where.