The Wolf Kin

They say that it is a curse, turning into a wolf. They say it makes you a beast, a creature unloved by man and God alike. A filthy abomination, brought about by the tinkering of a witch, the unholy act of sacrificing a child to the moon. Yea, that is what the humans say. I happen to think a little differently. My name is… well, I'm not sure. I suppose I have several names, when the townsfolk see me. I have been called Brenston, I have been called Wolfie, I have even been called Spot by some unimaginative child whom I encountered as I made my way through the cobblestone streets. My favorite name to be called is Sir Tobias, given to me by a peculiar old lady who stank of cat and rat droppings, but who had been kind and gave me scratches along my spine and scraps from her hand. I learned early on, it is not wise to be rough in such encounters, for the hand that fears you is the hand that beats or withholds foods. In the forest, free of the seeking eyes of the people, I am fully myself. Running through the forest on my two legs, jumping logs and splashing through streams or small rivers. My human skin is the same golden tan as my fur, and when I look in the still waters of the nearby lake, my eyes are the deep blue of the evening sky, with hints of darker colors flecked across them. I remember being younger, and mama saying my eyes were blue as the deep, whatever that means. It's been many years since I last saw my mother, she had the lightest hair, nothing like my own dark brown mop atop my human head. She had the prettiest voice, and I remember her laughter. Thinking of it now brings tears to my human eyes, though it doesn't do the same for my wolf eyes. Is it because they are gold-brown, and not blue? Is it because my feelings of missing mama retreat when the wolf side of me decides to hunt? I don't remember much else from when I was so young, it seems as if I'd been in the forest forever after mama left. The townspeople are nice when I approach, so I'm not that lonely. I rather enjoy my solitude, away from the angry eyes and mean shouts when I leave the forest as a human. They called me names and threw stones at me, causing injuries that hurt my body and head for days, but that was when I was but a pup. Now, my legs were long and lean, strong enough to leap more than halfway up one of the towering trees, much bigger than any man or building ive ever seen. My human arms are strong, able to drive off the bears that often attack, and though I've never killed them, I've driven away the huge moose and giant deer that still clomp their way along the rivers nearby. I'm hunting, the feel of wind brushing through my fur, the tense fire in my muscles as I crouch, ready to spring at the white tail deer I had been tracking for hours. I tense my hind legs to prepare for the final dash, when a rattling bang causes me to jump, and the creature I had so carefully tracked springs away, snorting and huffing his alarm. The last glimpse of it I catch through the trees is the white flash of its tail before it is swallowed up by the surrounding foliage. Furry ignites in my still empty belly, and I whirl around, searching for the crashing sound that had caused me to lose my query. A few yards up an incline, where the people had a road, a carriage had rolled from the road to land against a tree. One of its wheels were still spinning crookedly in the air, and I quickly realized the large object was on its side. The horses that had been drawing the carriage were loose from the straps, one was standing and chuffing nervously, the other was on the ground, its front and hind legs were twisted awkwardly. The scent of blood caused my empty stomach to growl audibly, and temptation drew me closer. No movement came from the crashed vehicle, though the horses let out panicked whinnies when they noticed my presence. The one unbroken skittered away, leaving its struggling companion behind as it put distance between us. I felt my lip draw back to expose my fangs, though I felt a touch of compassion for the wounded animal before me. Better a swift death than to struggle in pain longer, i think to myself as i launch myself forward into the sweating and chuffing equine. Its last whinny of defiance cut short as my savage jaws clamp onto its jugular, and after a brief struggle, it was over. The warm meat felt good in my stomach as I gulped down as much as I could from the fallen horse. Full and content, sleep was heavy upon me before too long. With a soft sigh, I moved toward the carriage to sleep, pressing my back against the wooden boards. I was awoken by the voices of men, and the glow of flames. My eyes were far more suited to night hunting than day, so the four men walking toward me from the road were not hard to see at all. A low growl rumbled in my chest, my kill was too close to the men for my liking, and I would defend it. It had been too long since I had such a full stomach, and there were still many days worth of meat left on the horse. The men paused at the sound of my growl, and the glint of blades reflected the firelight of the torches the men carried. Their clothing was not that of the townsfolk, it was more rugged, dirty, and the scent of desperation clung to them. They were thieves, and possibly the reason the carriage had veered off the road from above. Unbothered by the likelihood of thieves, I had begun to move out of the way for them to get what they came for, until a sound came from the carriage behind me. I glanced behind to witness the door lurch upward, the glimpse of frightened eyes and pale hair had a snarl rip through my curled lips. The thieves had moved forward at the movement from the crash, and I couldn't stop myself from launching myself between the men and the mysterious human trapped within the crash. Fear scent hit my nose as I snarled within the circle of light that was cast from the torches, causing a few of the men to stumble back. Several things enter my mind at once, humans fear wolves, humans fear signs of violence, and I was both a wolf, and covered in blood from the horse. The men stumbled back further once they caught sight of me, their voices harsh as they speak a language I'm unfamiliar with. One man stepped forward to swing his torch at me, but my speed was too much for him. I leapt forward, my jaws closing on the wood of the torch just above his hand. The crack of splintering wood was beyond satisfying as the torch was yanked from the man's hand, and i dropped it at his feet, leaping backward as he kicked out at me. The flames licked along the man's pants, catching it aflame, and causing the men to begin shouting. One man swung his torch at me again, but was retreating quickly so that the flames came nowhere near me. I huffed as two of the men grabbed the one whose pants were burned, and the final man strived to hold me back with his flames as they moved away further back toward where they'd come from. I watched them go until the flames faded, then I turned toward the crash behind me. Curiosity drove me to do what I did next. I shifted back to my human form, then moved swiftly to the carriage. I jumped nimbly up onto the flipped side where the door was, having clicked back into place as the person inside seemed to be too weak to shove it open. It was simple for me to grab the handle and rip it from its hinges, perhaps it hadn't been as stuck as i thought previously. Surely no one was weak enough to be trapped within a door so easily removed, right? I look into the carriage, noting the earth and leaves that had burst through the now broken window that had framed the opposite wall, the ripped and toppled curtains and cushions. Everything was in soothing cream and brown colors, other than the blood red curtains. My eyes caught movement as the human that had been inside finally took a breath. I wondered how long I had been observing the internal decor of the toppled vehicle, but I didn't spend much time dwelling on it as I studied the human female before me. Her eyes were an odd silver color in the pale light behind me, and her hair was just as pale. Her dress was ripped and torn, made filthy by the earth that had erupted on her and smears of blood from some small cut. Her face was grimy, though it looked almost as pale as her hair in the light of the moon, which I found fascinating. I'd never seen someone so pale before, though I'd seen many people with light colored hair. I mentally shook myself, taking in a breath to speak to her, and the most interesting scent bathed my tongue. Jasmine and pine, a combination I had not experienced before, but the woman smelled of both. The scent caused my heart to hammer in my chest for some reason, and I was confused by the rush of emotion that raged through my human body. I gritted my teeth to suppress a low growl, and offered my hand and spoke the first words I had spoken in many months. "Let me help you?" My deep voice was husky and had a slight rasp. Though I had howled and growled and whimpered as a wolf, it had been a very long time since I had used my human voice, and it could be heard. The woman hesitated a moment longer, fear in her eyes, before she reached for my hand. The moment our fingers touched, it was as if lightning struck me, or I had grabbed another electric fence. Sparks and tingles spread up my arm and along my body, making me feel the most amazing warmth. I felt my eyes widen with the contact and the woman gasped softly. Her eyes were locked on my lips, before moving to my eyes. A quiet, half suppressed voice whispers in the darkness of my mind, though not enough to distract me; "Mate…" Mentally shaking myself again, I pull her as gently as possible up onto the upturned side of her carriage, then try to smile softly. It was odd to smile, I didn't spend much time in my human form. She smiled back, a small and timid smile, but it made my heart flutter in my chest and a deep blush to rush to my face. I am once again surprised by my reaction to her, I had never had this reaction to a human female before. Then again, I had never seen one I considered so beautiful before. I felt a pull to her, and I marveled at the emotions rushing through me. What was happening to me? "Thank you." Her voice was soft and melodic, instantly hypnotic and made my heart feel as if it did a flip. I placed my free hand to my chest, surprise on my face once more. She studied me with her silver-colored eyes before speaking again; "where are we? Where is my driver? I was sleeping, when suddenly the whole carriage was in the air!" She spoke in a soft voice, her eyes looking around us. Finally, her eyes landed on the felled horse and they filled with tears. For some reason, those tears had a wave of agony rip through me. I wanted nothing more than to pull her against my bare chest and comfort her, though I had no idea why. "Oh, Trojan, I'm so sorry." Her tearful voice murmured. She wiped her tears away with the heels of her hands before looking at me with the most beautiful scowl I had ever seen. "I demand to know who you are." Her demand made me smile, an honest smile that brightened my face in the darkness of the night. "I am… Tobias. That is what I am called." My voice rumbles in my chest, and I find it surprisingly pleasing. I give her a pleased grin and she returns my smile with one of her own, filling me with a feeling I only got when mama would tell me I did a good job. Somewhere between pride and giddiness. "Tobias? Is it alright if I call you Toby? I am Elizabeth, but I prefer going by Liza." She spoke softly, looking down at their hands, still entwined together. Neither had let go of the other's hand once she was free of the crash beneath them, and oddly neither wanted to let go. "Liza…" I say the name softly like a prayer, then stand up, suddenly aware of the chill of the night and the scent of blood that hung around us. I may be strong, but even I would struggle against a bear or one of the large cougars that stalked the nights. "You must go, not safe here." My words were clipped, not as refined as her flowing speech, but she understood me nonetheless. Standing, Liza took a few steps to the edge of the toppled carriage before looking back at me, frowning. "Where is the nearest village or town? Can you take me?" She asked in a more confident voice, though I could see she was forcing the confidence. Without a word, I step past her and drop gracefully to the ground, then offer my hand up to her. She carefully takes it and I help her down, supporting her weight as she climbs partially down before jumping the rest of the way. Keeping her hand, and the delightful tingles that came with it, I began leading her up the incline she had so recently descended. Once we reached the road, nothing but a dirt trail cut along the forest with few spots for grass to grow, I could see the distant glow of lights from the lamps and electric light bulbs the town had installed. We walked amicably along the road in silence, still hand in hand. I wondered if it was because Liza couldn't see as well as I could in the moon lit forest, or if she too felt the sparks that danced along my skin at the contact from hers. Probably the former, as she cursed as each time a rogue branch tripped her, or a vine of some sort snagged her dress with reaching thorny branches. By the time she had tripped a third time, we were close enough for her to catch glimpses of the town through the trees, and she recklessly hastened her step. She would have fallen hard on yet another obstacle in her path had I not caught her in time. Holding her close was like a splash of cool water on a summer day, or like the sudden relief of a pain I didn't realize I had, but now understood the absence of it. Curled in my arms, Liza's head rested for a moment on my shoulder, one of her hands on my chest as she gathered her courage and strength to continue on. I didn't blame her for struggling so hard, middle of the night and being a crash victim was hard on anyone, especially a human. Her courage left an impression in my mind, and I admired her greatly for it. As if realizing she was captured in my embrace, Liza pushed herself away from me and attempted to brush her dress off, though it was far past savable at this point. She looked at me with a blush on her cheeks and cleared her throat. "Thank you for helping me, Tobias, but I'm afraid I'll have to take it from here. I dont have my purse at the moment, but I could have payment sent to you post haste for your aide, where is it you live?" She attempted to seem regal, her chin held high and it did a confusing thing to my stomach. The sudden distance left me feeling cold and confused. "Forest." My voice rumbled again as I spoke and I cleared my throat, confused by the emotions surging through me. "I live in the forest." I spoke as clearly as I could, though I was unused to speaking any language. Liza looked alarmed and confused for a moment before she shook her head with a laugh "you live in the forest? Do you have a cabin or something in it? Or a cottage? Where shall I send your payment?" I was confused by her question. Why would I have a cottage or cabin when my fur keeps me warm, and I use a hollow log for a den when it rains? I merely shook my head and shrugged. "Payment? What is… payment?" I decided for the moment to ignore her question about cottages and cabins, those were human structures I was not permitted into. "You mean you expected nothing when you saved me?" She asked incredulously, her face flushing with some color in the yellow-orange lights from the human electricity close by. "No one is ever that generous, what is it you wanted then?" "I…" hesitating, I began to wonder what I did want. I knew what I didn't want, and that was to let go of her hand and never see her again. I was surprised once again by my emotions, as I had never felt particularly attached to anyone before. "I want to see you again." I spoke softly, half fearful of her rejection of the thought. A thoughtful look crossed her features, and I watched as a dimple formed on her cheek as she bit her lip. "It would be entirely improper for me to meet you again out here like… well like this." She motioned to my body, and I realized she meant that I was unclothed. I felt heat rise to my cheeks as I understood somewhat. I would get clothes, I swore to myself. Anything to see her again. I felt my lips curl up at the corners in a smile as I thought about it. I could do that, I thought. "Clothing? I have clothing. Come when the sun rises at midday, I will be here for you." I took one of her hands in both of mine, feeling the softness of her skin and the tingles that spread like wildfire down my arms. It was a soothing feeling as I breathed in her jasmine and pine scent. "I… alright I'll come see you again, but only as payment for helping me." Liza stammered out, her pale eyes wide at my actions. She reached up with her free hand and patted the back of our clasped hands, and I let her go feeling exhilarated. I felt like I could run through the forest as hard as my human legs would take me, and I would never get tired. I watched as Liza picked her way along the remaining length of road and hurried into the town. Once my view of her was obstructed by the homes and cottages of the townsfolk, I turned and raced into the forest. I felt a swelling in my chest and I leapt over a log, shifting mid leap and landing on all fours. A howl of exaltation pierced the night as I threw my head back in pure excited joy. Why a mere human could bring these emotions to me, I didn't understand. I wasnt one to question many things, so i decided to enjoy the feelings rushing through me.