The small animals scurried out of the way when they heard the loud footfalls of the wolves that had taken home here in these woods. Twigs broke and dust sprayed as two of those massive creatures ran past them, the dull thud of massive paws echoing through the woods. They chased each other, effortlessly dodging the the dense growth of trees around them. They had ventured far away from their borders but the entirety of Appalachians was home to numerous wolf packs. And these weren't ordinary wolfs, unbeknownst to the humans, who thought the howls they heard everyday belonged to plain wolves, these were mythical beings of folklore, existing in flesh and blood.
Werewolves.
The white wolf snarled at the one with brown fur who growled back in defiance, lifting its head up as if to challenge. Just when it turned to run, the white beast took a running leap in the air, easily tackling the latter to the ground. Dirt sprayed as they rolled over, snapping at each other but none truly biting. They were playing, it seemed. A moment later, it managed to pin down the latter. Being comparatively larger in frame, it didn't even budge no matter how hard the brown wolf struggled.
Not the type to give up easily, the brown beast latched its fangs on the front leg of its opponent, digging in enough to make it hurt but not enough to draw blood, it was holding back. Yet, there was no fear in eyes of the white beast, those fangs could be around his neck and he would still trust her. They stared at each other for a moment, none of them moving, as if they were communicating through mere eye contact. The wolf with the brown coat seemed to give up as she loosened her grip which in turn made the other one relax as well. Her eyes shone with mischief as she took the moment of distraction to flip them over to swiftly race away, playfully yipping at the other. The white beast howled in annoyance before starting into a light jog. He leisurely followed the scent, knowing exactly where she was headed to. There was a small waterfall up ahead, it was their usual hangout spot, a peaceful place away from the pack.
He was bone-tired from running errands for the Alpha. It had been days since he got to spend time with her and he was looking forward to this. However, a loud screech made him stop in his tracks, ears twitching to gauge where the sound came from. He sprinted in that direction, hind legs kicking dirt and mud as he flew through the air at lightning speed. He was the fastest in their pack. His heartbeat picked up, not from the running but because he was worried about her safety. He reached just in time to see a massive black wolf standing a few feet away, its paws covered in blood; blood that was now dripping from her back, turning the light brown fur a shade darker. The intruder took one look at the white wolf, its eyes going wide as saucers at the sheer size and then, it ran off in the opposite direction. A loud snarl echoed in the woods, the white wolf was pissed but first, he needed to check his friend's injury first.
He sprinted toward her and saw brown fur disappear as human skin came into view. Lara let out a groan, clutching her shoulder.
"I'm okay" she huffed out, "Go after him Kai, he's a rogue" she twisted away from him, arms circling around her torso to hide. Being bare after the shift was something most werewolves felt uncomfortable about but it was unavoidable. The shifting process tore apart any clothing or ornaments they wore as their bones themselves reformed to that of a wolf. Kai turned his back on her, not wanting to add to her discomfort. He lowered himself to the ground and barked at her, urging her to climb on his back.
"I'll heal in no time, you idiot! Go catch him" She landed a rather hard slap on his lower back, trying to push him away but her attempts were feeble. She knew Kai wasn't going to move until he made sure her injuries were tended to. He was very protective of her which was heartwarming yet scary at the same time.
He whined again, shifting closer to make it easy for her to climb. Finally, she obliged, placing her arms around his neck as she gingerly pulled herself up, wincing when the gash on her back stretched due to the movement. She grabbed fistfuls of his fur and laid down between his shoulder blades. Once she was settled on his back, Kai got up and headed in the direction of their pack in a light jog, cautious enough to avoid any bounce in his steps.
They had stepped out to hunt, their pack was running out of meat and they had many pups to feed. Usually, they have wolves on border patrol at all times to make sure there isn't any intruder, human, or animal. But since their Alpha was away for two days to meet the new Alpha of the neighboring pack, it gave all wolves a crumb of comfort. Their Alpha was a stickler for rules, not allowing anyone to laze off. The old man had a point though, there had been a surge in the pack wars which meant an increase in the number of rogues that's why he always wanted to be sure their pack was well protected. Kai will have to inform the members to keep their guard up, the rogue had steered too close today.
Within a few minutes, they neared the border of their pack, safely tucked away in a valley in the Appalachian mountains.
When the wooden cabins came into view, Lara stirred on his back, "I can walk now, let me down"
Kai just shook his head, letting out a low growl. The pups cleared out of their way the moment they saw him, he'd never given them a reason but the pups were wary of him. A few members carried on with their daily chores, some in their human form while others in their wolf form. He snarled at the nearest wolf, making him sit up in an instant.
'Be on guard, there's a rogue in the vicinity' He informed through the telepathic link every wolf within the pack shared when they were in their natural form. The wolf bowed his head and took off, dragging with him a few of those who were lazing around. Lara's friends rushed towards them, worry laced their faces as they enquired about her wounds. Someone even managed to throw a long shawl over her to cover her up.
He carried Lara toward a cabin where their pack's healer stayed, the old woman rushed forward, meeting them midway the moment she saw blood. Once they were inside, she helped Lara to climb down, leading her to a bed in the corner. Lara lay down on her stomach, the blood from her wound had already clogged up and Kai silently thanked the Moon Goddess for blessing them with fast healing abilities. She let out a small whimper when the woman cleaned her wound and applied a herbal paste to fasten the healing process. Although werewolves healed fast, the herbs were a precaution to avoid any infections.
Kai stepped away from the cabin, throwing his head back and grunting as he let the shift take over. There were loud cracking sounds as every bone in his body broke up to reform into a human skeleton, his fur vanished giving way to tanned skin. A hunk of a man stood in place of the white wolf, silvery hair falling well past his shoulders, the afternoon sunlight giving a slight glow to his tanned skin.
With long strides, he made way towards his own tiny cabin, located farther away from the cluster of homes in the clearing. He hurried inside to grab a pair of shorts, he was comfortable in his birthday suit but some members of their pack found it disapproving. You see, wolfs are wild creatures and werewolves were their progeny. What was the point of complying with the human's rules of decency when they were creatures of the wild? Kai didn't like wearing clothes, and to be honest, he didn't like any rules in general because most of them didn't make sense to him. He made a face as he pulled on a long shirt and traced his steps back to the healer's cabin.
The sun had set by the time Lara's injury was cleaned and bandaged. She had dozed off on the small bed itself and Kai had stayed by her side, holding her hand.
"She'll be fine by tomorrow morning," The woman said, offering him some food, "Let her sleep here until she heals"
Once he was done eating, Kai bowed low to thank her. Cracking his knuckles, he started walking in the direction they came from a few hours ago. He should wait till Alpha came back but the disputes between them and the Shadow pack will take time to resolve. Who knows? Maybe a fight might have broken out between them because the leaders of both packs were hot-headed. And Kai wasn't a man of patience either, he was itching to sink his claws in the rogue's heart itself. It had hurt the only person who he truly cared for and Kai was going to rip him apart till he begged to be killed.