Human Mate: Daniel & Emily

The trees swayed in the breeze, the sound of the leaves rustling underfoot, and the late afternoon sunlight filtered through the branches, dappling the forest floor with patterns of light and shadow. Even as a young girl, foraging with her Nana, Emily was drawn to the way the forest seemed to sing to her. One day, while out foraging on her own, she heard a low growling sound coming from behind a nearby bush. Her heart pounded in her ears, she shifted from foot to foot, and readjusted her grip on her basket, getting ready to dash. But as she peered through the leaves, she saw a large, imposing figure staring back at her with bright, golden eyes, crouched and ready to pounce. Emily's heart that was still pounding away leapt into her throat as she realized the creature before her was a werewolf. She heard stories about them from her village elders, how they were savage beasts who roamed the forest at night, preying on unsuspecting girls. But as she gazed into those golden wolf eyes, a strange sense of comfort and familiarity seeped in. She could not place where these feelings were coming from, yet with a surge of courage she lowered her basket and dropped to her knees with a thud. As he watched her come closer to his level, the wolf slinked closer, taking a long breath in, using his tongue to push the scent of the young woman in front of him further into his scent glands. He had never smelled anything quite like her, she was warm and peppery with a hint of citrus, almost like an aged whiskey. The werewolf, whose name was Daniel, the villagers stories spoke of him living past the stream deep in the woods were no sun reached through the canopy of thick trees. He was thought to be a solitary creature, feared and misunderstood by the villagers only a stones throw from the edge of the woods. But when he met Emily, he felt a strange connection to her, a sense of longing that he couldn't explain. The feeling felt similar to how his mother always told stories of how the mate bond would feel, yet here in front of him was a human girl from the very village that feared his kind. After some time considering the young woman, Daniel lowered his head before he began his shift back into his human form. Emily regarded the wolf turned man in front of her for a few moments. She felt shocked and horrified at the sound of bones breaking and skin stretching as the thick chestnut coat fell from Daniel's body. Once fully transformed back he found his hand on the back of his neck rubbing sheepishly as he found Emily's eyes, "My apologies, it's always weird the first few times you see that. My name is Daniel. May I ask yours?" Emily still muted by the adrenaline previously coursing through her veins gives a little cough, clearing her throat as she extends her hand warily. "Emily..." comes a voice that feels foreign to her mouth even though it sounds like a whisper in her own voice. Daniel smiles warmly, "Very nice to make your acquaintance, Emily." he loves the way her name feels in his mouth as if it was more natural than breathing, he reaches forward to grasp her hand firmly, shaking it briefly. Emily finally manages to find her voice, "You're not nearly as large as our stories make you out to be.." blushing a little bit as she feels childish she puts as much stock into the village stories as an adult. Daniel laughs with a toothy grin, his teeth looking perfectly human, "Well I am sure many of the stories about me and my kind are just to keep you fearful, humans fear what they don't understand. My kind are protectors of the forest and the moon goddess looks on us with favor which is why we have been gifted with our second forms." Suddenly feeling like he may be giving out too much information he slams his mouth shut. After all this Emily girl could be collecting information to go tell the men of her village which would spell trouble for him. Emily's mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find her words yet again, surprised a werewolf would have stories, well beliefs, of their own that probably are shared between generations just like her village and family. She was still unsure of the man in front of her, he after all was still capable of turning into a wolf and making her a little snack if he really wanted to...but she had so many questions. Daniel and Emily sat in the clearing they met in for over an hour just swapping stories their respective people's shared with their young over the years. Many of Daniel's stories revolved around different parables told to young wolves to keep them out of trouble and different beliefs around the moon goddess. While Emily's were of many different stories of how humans came to be and why there are seasons and even day and night. Before long the golden glow of the afternoon fades to orange and Daniel perks up as he hears a crunch of the leaves followed by a gentle thud against the packed ground which sounded like uneven footsteps. Daniel gave a worried look at Emily, shifting into his wolf form, giving a quiet bark at her before he bounds off at a speed almost too fast for a wolf. Emily hardly has time to collect herself from the ground before the familiar worried brow of her beloved Nana comes into view of the clearing. "Emily I have been worried sick! Are you hurt? Why would you make your poor Nana come all this way and make sure dinner is late for tonight?" Emily chuckles as Nana asks so many questions she can hardly remember all of them to properly answer her. Nana swats at Emily with her cane before turning back the way she came and leads Emily back to their small village.