Riding Wolf (Aise & archonxeno)

---

---

A frustrated sigh escaped from the young girl’s lips as she fondly ran her fingertips her third trap. A snatch-up net that would leave her prey struggling several feet in the air might seem traditionally simple, but as far as Rina was concerned it was much more effective than the bear-traps her fellow huntsmen left lying around. Rina might not have much respect for the intelligence of woodland animals, but she found it extremely difficult to believe that even a dimwitted wolf would stick their foot inbetween a steel pair of spikes laying around unnaturally, and sticking out like a sore thumb in the woods.

Rina like her renowned father was a hunter… or at least she liked to consider herself one, even if her father disapproved, and her fellow villagers mocked her ridiculous dreams. She might not be as strong as most men, but she’d proved her skill with the bow countless times during village festivals, and strength was a pretty insignificant factor if you could shoot down your prey from a safe distance.

Covering her trap with the leaves she’d gathered, her bright cerulean eyes looked down and made the final touches to her trap. Brushing the leaves around to look more natural, before casually tossing half of her lunch ontop; the remainder of a simple sandwich filled with juicy slices of lamb, and a thick coating of homemade sauce that Rina’s mother had developed prior to passing away. A closely guarded family recipe, which she’d promised to pass down to her own kids if she were ever to find the right man….

The thought immediately caused her to scowl with discontent. Countless faces unappealingly flashing through her mind. Ever since she’d come of age, she’d been constantly hounded by the men of the village. Persistently proposed to by men she barely knew, and chastised by elderly women who reminded her of home-making responsibilities, the village had increasingly become a difficult place to relax, which ironically had led to Rina spending more time in the wild, in-turn strengthening her aspirations to become a hunter…

Of course, she couldn’t tell her father that. And although she was armed with a quiver and bow, several flasks, and a short hunters knife, she was actually supposed to be undertaking an errand to the neighbouring village where her grandmother resided. The long-winded journey would have taken half a day had she traversed the main-road like everyone believed, but taking a shortcut through the woods meant that she could cut that time down to half, and spend the remainder planting traps throughout the woods.

Sighing loudly to herself, she brushed the sweat off her forehead, nodding her head approvingly as she pushed her golden strands off to the side. Unfortunately her time here was up, as the ray of light piercing through the thick canopy of leaves overhead indicated that she’d perhaps become a bit too engrossed in her trap setting.

Picking up the basket of goodies she’d set of too the side, she paused one last time. Looking back towards the general direction of where her other traps had been set. With any luck she’d be able to capture something worthwhile. A deer would be wonderful, while a rabbit would suffice. A wolf? Well, a girl could dream, right?

Jason had managed three full years of lycanthropy before his first village had found out his secret and chased him out with burning torches and pitchforks. Since that day, he had lived more wolf than man, though he kept his human form groomed and bathed so he could fit in when he went into town to buy food when hunting wasn't plentiful, or to scout for work her might do. It was difficult, however, not being able to call a place besides a cave in the woods home. He had survived four months since then, and, though he was tired of it, could not come up with a sufficient alternative. And so he hunted, dodging stupidly massive steel traps left for bears, chasing down deer, and other prey. He had hunted with a pack of other werewolves from time to time, and was accepted as one of them after managing to defeat another wolf in a short scuffle, but preferred to hunt alone most of the time.

His wolf form was... unusual, to say the least. Jet black with gleaming green eyes, he stood out as something more than a beast. His speed was unrivaled, though his strength was less than that of his kin. In human form, his hair was the same color as his fur, slightly scruffy and a little lengthy, kept out of his face. It was possible for him to keep certain wolfish traits while in this form, and, when in the woods, he tended to keep the canine ears atop his head, simply for the advantage of heightened hearing.

The werewolf was actually fairly young, only 23 years, having been turned while returning from his work as a miner on the outskirts of town. He had been accepted into the pack six months later, after he defeated the wolf who turned him, as was the pack ritual. His life quickly changed, for, while they were forced to change once a month for the full moon, most of the werewolves shifted nightly or weekly for the hunt, for the euphoria it gave them, the sensation of the kill and the rush of the fight. Jason quickly lost interest in such things, although he did like the way the change and the hunt altered his body. He was now lean and muscular, instead of the weird stocky blend of muscle and fat he had from his work. He was fit and fast and deadly, even human. And he liked that feeling. To be entirely fair, he liked the way the girls looked at him.

But unfortunately for him, no pretty village girl wants to live in a cave with a werewolf, even if he is fit.

He was actually returning to his cave on this particular evening, after a hunt that had gone less than wonderfully, when, lost in thought about his choices in life and how he might change his situation, he accidentally lost all control of his lot in life. Trotting through a small glade, his front paw landed in a patch of leaves, under which one of Rina's trap triggers was concealed. In a tumble and a flash, he suddenly was hoisted up with a loud yelp into a net, dangling from the tree. He was a flurry of whipping paws and tail and snapping jaws but each movement left him more and more tangled, snarls filling the air as he quickly realized his situation. Those snarls became soft growls as he plotted revenge on the man who put him in this situation, and how he would tear him limb from limb.

Her blonde head had barely started to turn away when a loud but unmistakable cry suddenly sounded from deep within the woods. Immediately her eyes lit up with unsuppressed excitement, the contents of her woven straw basket almost spilling out as she dashed almost childishly back through the woods she’d traversed. Having travelled through these woods constantly over the years, she knew for certain that there weren’t any decent paths for travellers to use, and she’d thoroughly checked with several hunters to make sure no one would notice her amateurish traps and ridicule her for them.

Despite all the logic racing through her head, the most definitive thing that assured her was the sound of the cry. While her sense of hearing couldn’t compare to that of a pair of canine ears, she’d picked up the distinctive sound of something wild and feral. A sound highly uncharacteristic of a man, woman, or child. If anything… it had sounded almost canine?

Cerulean blue eyes were momentarily obscured as the girl’s long golden bangs messily fell over her eyes, causing Rina to slow down slightly to shake her head to clear her vision literally and cognitively. Hope had bad track record when it came to Rina, and she wasn’t about to needlessly experience the bitter taste of disappointment. Wolf, deer, or whatever else, she needed to find the creature before it broke free of her trap. Or even worse, discovered by some other hunter who’d take the credit for her hard earned prize.

Clueless as to just how big her catch was, the young village girl slowed her pace to a crawl, not wanting to startle her prey into a second round of struggles. As sadistic as it may sound, she’d always wanted to administer the killing blow herself. Despite having seen her father end the lives of countless animals, Rina hadn’t been allow to deal the fatal blow, nor snap a creature’s neck. She’d be lying if she claimed perceiving pleasure from committing the act, but to her it did feel a bit symbolic. A passage ritual which would officially give her the right to boast her first unassisted hunt.

And god’s be blessed, the prize that awaited her truly was a marvellous one.
Forgetting her stealthy intentions, an amazed gasp of surprise would undoubtedly alert the wolf to her arrival had it not noticed the hushed footsteps earlier. Blue eyes shimmered with disbelief and excitement as Rina allowed herself to stumble into the clearing, her soft pink lips parted in awe, whereas the shock of seeing a wolf in her trap caused her to temporarily forget how to breathe.
“You’re kidding right?” she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.
“A wolf? Really? She continued, her voice still shaky with excitement. She’d always dreamed of catching something big, but never had she expected one to fall so effortlessly into her lap.

Closing the distance between the airborne wolf and herself, Rina slowly reached her hand out towards the wolf, her long delicate fingers trembling slightly as she yearned to brush her fingers through the creature’s pelt. The glossy black fur was a sure sign of the wolf being in its prime, and the lively look in the emerald eyes only confirmed her suspicions. “You’re beautiful… and what’s even better… you’re mine” she whispered, her lips slowly turning upwards with delight as the realization settled itself in. Overwhelmed with her own achievement, and still slightly dazed, her expression was almost affectionate; eyes narrowed ever so slightly to form a dreamy expression that could easily have been mistaken by any man for a love smitten look of infatuation.

Jason heard the slow approach of stealthy footsteps, and tried to turn his head to look at the approaching figure. Unfortunately, the net prevented any kind of movement except the slow rotation as the trap swung those few feet above the ground. He waited impatiently, growling and struggling to catch sight of the approaching figure, and fianlly, after a very long moment of sluggish movement, he saw the hunter who had him imprisoned.

A girl?

Yes, a pretty young girl, maybe a few years younger than he, entered the glade, gazing with astonished eyes at the suspended wolf. He growled, surprised, and let out a slow snarls as she approached and lifted a hand, running fingers through his fur. Perhaps, if he shifted, she would be more likely to release him? Not terribly likely, from his point of view, but then again... If he could get her to release him, he could change back and run off. He had already abandoned his plan of mauling his captor. Such a pretty face and body, a lovely sight... No, he wouldn't kill her. After all, he had been doing so well at not inciting the wrath of the nearby village, and if they found one of their own torn to pieces and dead in the forest.

What to do now? He wasn't sure shifting was a great idea. But then again, being a wolf and trying to shift once she had in in a worse position (like a cage or a collar) could be highly unpleasant indeed. And he might as well see if the shock factor might cause her too listen to him. Perhaps her village didn't have stories of werewolves and their cruel hunts and kills. Maybe she would think he was a god. He would have laughed if he could have in this form, but instead it just turned into a small snort. A god. Right. Not likely. But still, it couldn't hurt to change forms. At least then he doubted a huntress would have any desire to kill him as a prize.

He began the Change, and the glossy black fur began to shrink back into tanned skin, the bones and muscle clicking as they warped his form back into a human. The shape of his skull seemed to melt, twisting his features until he returned to the handsome-faced human man he was before. His tail shrank away and back into his body, fingers expanding from paws, claws shrinking down to fingernails. Soon the Change was complete, and instead of a beautiful wolf hanging in her net, she had a nude young man. "Yours, hm? And how, exactly, do you plan to keep me from running off?" He said, enjoying the moment of surprise he might have earned from that shifting. "I can't exactly see anything in it for me if I stick around. So why don't you just let me down and we'll both be on our way."

He attempted to put some threat behind the words, or at least seem mildly dangerous, but such a thing is rather difficult to accomplish when one is slowly swinging several feet off the ground in and thick net, an undignified nude bundle of limbs and rope. His form was fairly on display, not that the prospect really bothered him too much, but the net was even more uncomfortable to him now that he was in this form, with it's soft flesh and long appendages.