Loner

Raya ran through the darkness, letting wind push through her hair, and she felt the wind on her bare skin. She howled with laughter as she bounded over a fallen log flawlessly and landed perfectly and without breaking stride. Her wolf, Amira relished the run and felt the same exhilaration. Raya could feel herself shift, the slight pain of her bones moving and her muscles contracting. She only smiled and yelled out loud; "Alright! This night is yours!" As soon as the words left her lips, she felt the shift much more quickly, and she relaxed her body to give Amira an easier time coming out. As Amira was still shifting they came to a cliff where at the bottom, was a lake that shown under the moon. The light glittered off the surface with the large moon hanging overhead. Raya never stopped or slowed down, and Amira never tried to slow down either. They pushed off the edge with their last step, and lunged into the air above the water. They both howled, each howl sounded primal and their body twirled as they shifted completely and Amira crashed into the water. From that point on, Amira had full control since Raya let her have this night. She ran and jumped and spun and ate until her belly was full of fresh meat. She could still taste the blood on her tongue when she heard an unfamiliar growl. Amira immediately hunkered down behind a bush, silent as she could possibly be. They lived alone in these woods, and all the other packs usually left her alone, respecting the fact that this little stretch of land was hers. She didn't need that much space, why did they suddenly feel the need to enter her territory? Amiras instinct was to protect what was hers and start a fight, but Raya had convinced her to wait and see. At first she only smelled one wolf. Then another, and another. Suddenly she was glad that Raya had talked sense into her because she wasn't sure if she could take on 3 male wolves from a pack. There was another smell now. This was heavy and somewhat foreboding. It reminded her of when she was a young pup and Raya was playing outside near the lake. The sense of fear she had was unfathomable when the scent wafted around her and she heard a snarl that wasn't anything like she was used to hearing from her parents. Lycan! Raya whispered in her head. What was a lycan doing in her little territory? Fear began to well up inside her chest and she knew she had to leave. Rogue, loner, stranger it didn't matter. Lycans were vicious and brutal. They stick to the old ways of their ancestors and still do Hunts. The fear became even stronger upon realizing that she might be at the wrong place at the wrong time. This could be a Hunt, and those wolves might've been the prey. They probably crossed into Lycan territory which to them, werewolf or Lycan, doesn't matter. You were Hunted. So if someone breaks a law inside their territory they can be subjected to the Hunt. It is a law that states everyone found guilty is given a chance by the Moon Goddess to be saved and forgiven. But only if they can run fast enough to the intended goal. When the Hunt begins, it is midnight and the moon full and at its peak. The guilty is then given a 5 minute head-start, and once those minutes are up, the Lycans shift and charge through the forest as if hunting deer or elk. If they catch the guilty, they are then slaughtered and brought back to the pack to have a funeral. Only their bodies are placed beneath trees to stop the light of the moon from ever touching their grave. It is considered the ultimate punishment, to never see or feel the kiss of light of the Moon Goddess ever again. Raya has only known of one Hunt and that was the one that her great grandfather was a part of. He was guilty of trespassing when looking for food, but when given the punishment of the Hunt, he made it to his goal without being caught. The Lycans assumed then that the Moon Goddess wanted him to live, and therefore just let him keep running until he stopped and built his home. The one she now lives in. When a branch snapped she came back to her senses and looked around. Amira hunkered down and moved as quickly and as quietly as she could away from snarling and away from the beast that she was sure was in the woods somewhere. Soon she started to run when she thought the coast was clear only to stop in her tracks just in time to see the three wolves rush past her, not even noticing her there. She took a few steps backwards, trying not to whimper through the stress. Then, not even a few seconds later, this giant blur came flying past her, and barrelled into one of the wolves, biting into its neck and jerking its head in one swift motion to break its neck. Amira couldn't help it, the sight made her hunker down and put her tail between her legs and she accidentally let out a whimper. The Lycan froze, then c****d it's ear in her direction, then turned its head to look at her. They stood frozen for a minute, just staring at each other, one so low to the ground her belly almost touched it, and the other standing tall and blood dripping from his black muzzle. The wolf then turned the rest of it's body to face her and walked slowly over to her to get her scent. The fur on his shoulders and spine lifted as if he thought she was a trespasser, but as he got closer and smelled her a little more, it went down. But the closer he got, the closer to the ground she got until he towered over her, and in her terrified state, she rolled over onto her back and exposed her stomach. What a b***h! She thought to herself miserably. She was weak and she knew it. He did too. This sign of submission was almost as bad as a man peeing his pants. He didn't stop though. Instead he seemed intrigued and got close enough to where his nose touched her belly. Then out of nowhere the scent of cinnamon and anise surrounded her and she almost felt calm. She rolled back over and stood up, backing away from the Lycan. Her ears were down and her teeth were bared. She was embarrassed and it was obvious. The way he looked at her pissed her off too. Like he was amused. His black ears were pricked and his golden eyes were bright with mischief, something that wasn't there before. His tail swayed back and forth and he looked like he wanted to pounce on her and chase her around a little. He even stomped at the ground with both of his paws to make a booming sound on the ground which made her jump and snap at him. His eyes seemed to laugh, but then darkened again when he heard a howl in the distance, calling everyone back. He turned his attention away from her and back to the dead wolf that lay a few feet away from them. He opened his mouth and gently took the scruff of its neck and started dragging it. He caught her gaze once more and it seemed to say "it is what it is". The second the Lycan turned his back on her while easily dragging the body with his teeth through the brush, Amira bolted into the trees, and away from danger. Once safe, Amira shifted back into her human form. She was only a few feet from her house, but stumbled inside quickly anyway. She hurriedly put some clothes on and looked out her window. "What the f**k was that!?" She was breathing hard and rested her elbows on the counter while she looked up at the full moon. Despite how terrified she was, the only thing she could think about was the smell of cinnamon and anise that came off of him. He towered over her and still she began to feel safe, but reason kept the fear inside her. He was so big compared to Amira. Amira seemed to quake inside of her and nearly begged to go outside again and see if she could at least catch the scent. The urge to run outside again was almost overwhelming, but the ache in her legs quelled it. Raya sat down and once she did, she finally understood what it meant to feel tired. Her eyes became heavy and a giant yawn escaped her mouth. "Alright. I'll worry about that tomorrow." She said as she stood and went to her bedroom.