꧁༺ 𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓵𝔂 𝓝𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓭𝓮'𝓼 𝓛𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽 [.𝓒𝓻𝓲𝓶𝓼𝓸𝓷. 𝔁 𝓚𝓸𝓾𝓻𝓪 ] ༻꧂

[.Crimson.]

The dense forestry that draped from the skies above to the blades of grass below appeared to be just shy of suffocating with how thick that some of the evergreen trees grew in, blocking a majority of the sunlight that would have otherwise glittered along the dew soaked floor in refractory bliss. This was the normal accord for the day, a five mile trek from her modest hut that was adorned in pine needles and only showed signs of life when the smoke spilled from the center of the roof in the dead of night. Belladonna sighed wistfully to herself, clutching the pouch along her left hip even tighter as each crack of twig below and screeching of birds overhead caused oval ears to flick forward and listen intently. Her instinctual fear almost enough at times to steal the very breath from her lungs, in turn forcing breasts to heave in an effort to regain precious oxygen.

Today was a necessity - to venture outside of the comfort of her safe haven and barter with the townsfolk for vegetables and fruit that were much harder to tend and grow inside of the constant shade. Not to mention, it was a method that the redhead faun used to ingrain names and faces to memory should any of them cross her path later on to decide if they were a friend or potential foe and viable threat. Vibrant blue optics looked both ways before continuing onwards, having stopped at some of the shops in the town and purchasing the newest harvest of eared corn and green beans. 'These will pair wonderfully with the tomatoes I purchased but two days ago!' She mused with a cheerful smile on delicate features, only for that reverie to be broken by a sound of pure agony and the copper tinged scent in the air that tainted the once crisp taste. Blood, and a lot of it if the smell was anything to go off of.


Bella did not even hesitate and instead bounded toward the scent and the anguished cries, only to come across a hulking man that was sprawled along the path and breathing shakily at best. The human did not have long for this plane if there was not timely interference, an herbal concoction that the faun tended to keep readily on hand in case of such an emergency. She bridge the final inch or two and knelt down onto the bedding of grass below with a soft whimper, clearly noting the gashes both fresh and oozing with a mixture of crimson fluid and what looked to be tree sap in places as a messy attempt to mend ebb the flow on his own. Her svelte frame being draped in a modest green sundress that went down toward her calves in length, choosing to remain quite prude in terms of how much skin was shown to outsiders in fear of attracting the wrong sort of attention.


"Here, drink this for me - you only have so much time." She ushered him into a seated position, with the head of him resting against her lap albeit it long enough to undo the cork of the potion vial and force down half of the glowing green liquid that was likely to house a bitter taste on the end of it. Bella did not even blink when the male had moaned outright, as if put off by the lingering aftertaste and the faun took some pity and grabbed onto a flash of water and held that up to his lips to wash it all down. She cringed awkwardly as the human sputtered a little more before all but passing out, now the only proper solution to come to mind was to bring him back to her home and ensure his safety before sending him on his way in a day or twos time.


It was a little difficult to carry him back along with the produce, having to bite down onto the satchel between her teeth and heft the massive body along while walking backwards. By the time they made it back the rest of the way, her skin was all but glistening in a sheen of sweat and plush lips parted to bring in a gasping breath. 'I can keep him on the other side of the hut in the spare room for the time being, perhaps even feed him a proper meal if he wakes up long enough to partake in lunch.' Her body turned around to focus on the recently stoked fire that burst into a healthy flame and licked across the metal pot that housed a multitude of ingredients, all being stewed good and proper to make a hearty meal. Belladonna did not hold much concern for the stranger just yet, after all he looked normal enough and due to the severity of his wounds - no mere human male could manage to get a jump on the spry faun in such a weakened state.

"I just wish you were lucid enough to give me a proper name to call you by..."​

 

[Koura]

The plan had been simple. Marcus and his kinsband had tracked the southbound trade caravan from the distance, planning to ambush the wealthy traders when they reached the ancient woods. They had counted the fires during the night, certain that they could overcome the few guards that protected the wagons. Marcus and his men would cut down anyone who dared to oppose them and pillage the wagons, fleeing to the highlands before the trade barons could muster any sort of coherent response.

They considered their actions righteous — the trade barons and their lackeys had sacked one of the vargar settlements earlier in the spring, establishing a trading post where once a healthy kindred had lived. Nearly fifty good men and women had died so that the Southerners could cut down the highland pines and ship them south to build their vast houses. The Southerners called Marcus and his kin savages and beasts, treating them like they were little better than animals.

Once the caravan had reached a fording place, Marcus and his kinsband had fallen upon the southbound caravan with battle cries on their lips. The guards had turned to face the nomadic vargars, steel meeting steel as men fought and died. Fresh blood had covered the distant road that ran across the ancient woods. The city-dwellers had given Marcus and his men a good fight. One of his strongest men had been cut down during the first few chaotic moments, Jurgen dying with bloody froth on his lips. Angered by the loss of his friend, Marcus had allowed the spirits to take over him, his muscular frame twisting and warping, the tall chieftain taking the shape of a varg — a werewolf.

Seeing a man-wolf brandishing a large axe in his claws, the cowardly Southerners had faltered, the raiders cutting down two of the guards with relative ease. Just when Marcus had thought that his kinsband had won the day, a dozen or so guardsmen had charged out one of the wagons. The ambushers had become ambushed, the well-disciplined men slowly surrounding Marcus and his warriors. The fight had been fierce and the vargars had sold their lives dearly. For every kinsman that fell, two guards laid lifeless on the ground. Yet eventually Marcus had found himself standing alone, the werewolf surrounded by a dozen or so soldiers. He had split a man's skull with his axe before a guardsman had pierced his side with a spear. Another man had snuck behind him, sinking his blade into Marcus' back and leaving him bleeding profusely.

Figuring that he could not win against ten armed men, the vargar chieftain had fled tail between his legs, his inhuman stamina allowing him to push through the guards despite his injuries. Shaken and needing to tend their comrades, the surviving southerners had not pursued him, the grievously wounded werewolf half running, half limping into the woods, putting as much distance between him and the caravan as he could. Marcus had run until nightfall, collapsing beneath a tall oak as the pale moon climbed on the sky, blood staining his grey fur.

Slipping in and out of consciousness and too weak to maintain his wolf form, Marcus' flesh began to melt and warp, leaving him writhing in agony, his pained cries echoing in the dark woods. Eventually, unconsciousness claimed the badly injured vargar chieftain, his dreams filled with visions of bloodshed, leaving him reliving the final moments of his last battle time and time again. He could still smell the blood staining the ground, the cries of the dying ringing in his ears.

When Belladonna stumbled upon the scene, she saw a tall and muscular man sprawled on the forest floor, his long dark hair sticky with mud and filth. The stranger was slightly over six feet tall, his shoulders as broad as an old aspen. Rather alarmingly, the man was also naked, seemingly having no possessions about himself. His breath was uneven and raspy, his face pale, his lips purplish. She did not need to step much closer to see a large gaping wound on the right side of his burly chest, dried blood covering much of his belly and his thighs. His long dark hair was a mess, his tangled curls covered with dirt and mud.

Luckily for the young healer, her patient proved to be somewhat cooperative, the wounded man opening his mouth for her, coughing weakly as she poured the contents of the potion into his mouth. Yet his eyes remained closed, his skin clammy and cold against hers. The tall man was at the death's door, his spirit barely clinging to his body. A weaker man would have certainly perished, so grievous were his wounds. Still, he would manage to cling to Belladonna as she half carried, half dragged him to her place, the old man quite not present even if he could stumble along.

"Marcus," the tall man managed to gurgle in response, his voice but a whisper. Somehow her words had reached him, the tall man slowly clawing his way into consciousness. "Water, please," Belladonna could see her patient trying to lift his arm but failing miserably, the fingers of his right hand twitching for a moment. He would, however, manage to turn to face her, Marcus trying to make sense of what he saw, his dark eyes resting on the faun. "Allfather," he gasped, naming the god of his people. He had mistaken the young faun for one of the valkyrja, benevolent spirits of war that carried the slain to the afterlife. "I am dead, am I not?" he asked no one in particular, his voice trembling softly, grief ringing in his words.

 

[.Crimson.]

Bella noted the way her eyes tended to linger along the broad muscle and the long hair draped along his sides caked in blood and clay from the earth, it made the male appear vulnerable in a sense that spoke to the faun and lowered a guard that was usually kept up at all times. She gasped out at the arm that attempted to lift itself up, able to hear the whisper of a name that almost became drowned due to the crackling of the split logs as they flickered inside of the fiery embers. The faun managed to reach out and grab onto a cup that held the water he so craved and maneuvered away from the stewing contents of the pot long enough to tend to her patient by bringing the nourishing liquid up to his lips. His head would be angled up again to avoid the act of choking on it, the position caused the petite faun to be all but unconsciously looming over Marcus in the process.

Her expression darkened a little at the timber in his words, a kind of rasp in them that made the very hair on her arms stand on end in kind. "No, you are not in the afterlife but inside of my hut at the moment. If not for my intervention, you would be though." Bella reasoned with a certainty, Marcus barely clung to the last tiny thread of life when the faun had stumbled upon him and if not for quick thinking would have bled out and succumbed to the injuries in the end. Though the grief stricken tone he managed caused the redhead femme to balk a little, as if he seemed displeased to still be among the land of the living. "Marcus, was it? Why on earth would you wish for death?"

It easily perplexed the healer to find a human that wished for the sweet embrace of death, usually they were the type to cling to any hope of survival and even sought out forbidden means to obtain what was auctioned off as immortality. Bella knew the methods to be a complete farce; a pricey garment or reagent said to make the owner impervious to damage only for them to test it and end up cut down within the day. She began to produce some of the contents in her pack, bandaging and a thick ointment that was used for the aching muscles associated with ingesting the healing potions the faun brewed up because while the wound itself became halved in size if not closed completely the bodies reaction to healing remained unchanged.

Bella felt the way her fingers would tremble a little as they came into contact with the bared skin against his chest and abdomen, thankful that the contact remained minimal and simply a means to coat the affected area in the salve and immediately a linen freshly woven from flax the faun harvested throughout the forest would bandage over the area and keep the small gashes still present from taking on anything to develop infection. Her head tilted to the side as if focused on the task and tuning out anything else in the process, only looking triumphant and minutely pleased when Marcus had bandaging across half of his broad chest and muscled stomach.

"There, your body should have a proper chance to heal and not feel much of the ache associated with the draught I had you take earlier." Belladonna mused with a smile, thinking that perhaps if she did a good enough job in tending for the human it might be enough to warrant a reward of sorts from him upon his return to the village nearby. She could admit to saving him on instinct, but bringing him back to her humble abode was something entirely selfish to a degree and thought that saving him might be beneficial to her personally. "For the first two to three days you will notice a persistent pain, it will feel akin to the area being doused in fire at times and burning to no end. Do not be too alarmed by this, it is the price that I paid for defying the natural order and mending what were meant to be fatal wounds."

The faun might be a gifted healer and one of the best in the area, but that always came with a price to pay for meddling in the affairs of mother nature. Those who chose to walk the path of a healer were destined to bring joy along with the pain, it was why she chose to remain solitary in her ways and refused many visitors even if they came to call on her. Bella did not wish to become deeply attached to anyone only for her to be the very reason they would likely end up leaving this world. Her methods attracted attention from both walks of life, the thankful patients that were saved and the deadly people who wished to have the healer pay the price by her own pound of flesh.

"Until the time comes that you are able to support your own legs and walk, the only option is for you to remain here. The walk back to the village is much too dangerous for you to make alone, not to mention it would be dark before you got there." Her gaze fell on him as if now getting the chance to properly see the man, and his daunting presence just now began to shine through a little with how big and intimidating he truly was.

 

[Koura]

"Hut," the tall man groaned, his eyes not quite managing to focus on the young faun. It was perhaps for best that Marcus could not move his limbs, confused as he was. A man as large as him could have easily broken the small woman. "Where am I?", he insisted, sounding almost upset, his voice groggy and weak. "I thought I died," she could hear him talking to himself, the visibly confused man not quite engaging her, his gaze wandering from her to the ceiling and back.

Hurting, Marcus slipped into a wolf dream, reliving the past even as he lay at death's door. While his mortal shell lay crippled in Belladonna's hut the old vargar chieftain was stalking an elk under the full moon, his breath steaming in the frigid winter air. His strong limbs carried him across the snow-covered forest, the scent of his prey lingering in the air. Another of his kind ran alongside him, Marcus turning to glance at Freya, his mate, offering her a bestial grin as they slowly gained on the magnificent beast. His inhuman blood sang with the joy of the hunt, his heart thrumming in his chest. The keen senses allowed by his wolf form made the world feel so alive around him, Marcus able to hear the hurried steps of the elk as they slowly, but certainly gained on it.

In the present, Marcus groaned softly, his expression pained. Yet his eyes remained closed, his body limp. Belladonna could tell that the grievously wounded human was far too weak to be a threat to anyone. He stank of blood and death, his breath shallow and uneven. He stirred into consciousness when she touched him, soft moans escaping his lips as she tended to his wounds. The old man was a cooperative patient, never moving to hinder her efforts, barely awake as she spoke to him, most of her words never registering in his mind. Marcus knew that the spirit was talking to him, yet somehow his mind refused to grasp her words. "Yes," was all he managed to utter before he began to cough violently, fresh blood dribbling from his lips.

"Walk," he murmured, confused, groaning as he shifted his weight, pain running through his body. Sighing softly, Marcus slipped into unconsciousness once more, his expression soft.

In his feverish dreams, the old chieftain chased Freya across the moors, her playful yelps causing something to stir within him. Marcus could feel bestial hunger burn within his loins, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he dropped down on all fours to run a little faster. The sweet scent of his mate filled his mind. The coming of spring had left them both needy and craving for a release. He could tell she was fertile, her musk tickling his snout. They both knew how the makeshift chase would end, Marcus catching up with Freya and tackling her down, the two werewolves nipping and clawing at each other.

In his dreams, Freya would feign resistance, allowing Marcus to pry her legs apart and bury his head between her thighs. Dreaming, he recalled lapping her sex, the varg running his long tongue against her folds as he devoured her hungrily, his manhood aching hard. Driven by the all-consuming urge to mate and breed, he kept licking Freya until she groaned wildly, orgasm causing her insides to cramp violently.

"Freya," Marcus whimpered, reaching to touch the young faun, mistaking her for his dead lover for the briefest of moments. The rather naked man rested his large hand on her shoulder, his fingers oddly warm against her skin. "What are you doing here?" He sounded dumbfounded, delusion ringing in his voice. Wincing in pain, he leaned back, another soft whimper escaping his lips. Much to Belladonna's dismay, the human slipped into unconsciousness once more, his dreams warping into the darkest of nightmares.

Marcus dreamed of walking into a burnt settlement and seeing the bodies of the slain lying on the ground. Anger and disbelief brewed within his chest, a faint more of hope glimmering somewhere within his chest. Marcus relived the moment he had found Freya dead, the young woman grasping her round belly, their unborn child having died with her. He could recall how she had remained beautiful even in death, her expression oddly calm despite the blood marring her body. He could feel the anguish that gripped his body, grief driving him near insane, his blood boiling with barely contained fury.

The old man whimpered as he slept, lost in the past, having to relive the moment he wished he could forget. It had been almost fifteen years and still, Freya's death haunted him. "No," Marcus murmured, his expression pained, his voice ringing with despair. "What," the old chieftain grunted, blinking. "Where," he sounded more coherent now, his dark eyes seeking out the faun. She could perhaps tell that his body was healing all too quickly for a human, his flesh slowly knitting together, his smaller scars melting into his skin as if they had never been there. "Who are you?" Marcus managed to ask, his voice far firmer now.

 

[.Crimson.]

Bella tried to remain focused on the task, though the utterance of a singular word; a name gave her an odd sensation coiling inside of her stomach. Just who was this Freya? She had heard tales before of that name inside of the village walls on the lips of some of the elders, the moniker of an ethereal but extremely deadly beauty. There was mention of a war of sorts between the able bodied men and the dubbed vargs of the north, but the delicate wisp of a faun chose to remain ignorant of the ways and pastimes of the wolfen kind if she could help it. Some of the members of the southern tribe were keen to wander inside of her woods before, and each one of them had met an ingenious trap that was of personal design - the ones who were lucky were snagged by the steel variety instead of poisonous vials that were designed to make the blood inside of their very veins to boil and writhe in inexplicable agony.

She could determine the warmth that crept back into his skin and by those means the palm of the hand now seeped to her in kind. For him to call her that meant he was not the least bit lucid, instead entangled in the feverish dreams and it became a case of mistake identity. In comparison, that one hand managed to cover quite a bit of pallid skin along her shoulder and even dwarfed most of the skin in places. That was not what gave the young faun pause, but the way that his eyes quickly began to regain a semblance of presence when the drought she provided should have easily rendered the male unconscious for the remainder of the afternoon well into the twilight hours of early evening blanketing the skies outside.

'How is he awake all of a sudden...' Bella felt how her instincts began to give off warning bells, some soft and din while others blared inside of her head and caused the interior of her skull to ring. The doubt and color both draining from her features as the small scars were disappearing before her very eyes and the hulking male was now alert and demanding some form of placating answers. Only now did the scent on the wind give the prey animal a proper whiff, and on it there was an unmistakable tinge of a predator - a wolf, to be more precise. Bella noted the way her legs and arms began to shake violently, as if the muscles underneath were primed and ready to make an attempt at fleeing at a moments notice.

"My hut...I have invited a damned predator into my oasis." The words were outright tinged in disbelief and obvious fear, flashes of light inside of her memories recalling the very day her brother and mother were cut down by Marcus' kind. Fauns were usually seen as an easier prey for them, whether it was for sport like her older brother had been or the sinful notions of the flesh that her mother became victim to. Still to this day the young femme could hear the anguished cries, her mother begged for death; for a mercy that never came until her dying breath was taken. Belladonna instructed to hide in the brush and not move for any sort of sound, only around four years of age when it all took place.

She had not even noticed the newfound warmth until her mind was back in the present, the bottom half of her dress by now soaked through in a fresh puddle of warmth and the inside air of the abode now reeked of urine. Bella tried to force her legs to move, to do anything, except for linger there and remain limp and useless in the hard cut gaze directed straight at her. Both her body and head quivered in sync as Marcus demanded a name, but trying to force words from her throat was a difficult task as the windpipe inside closed rapidly and each breath began to hold a trailing wheeze with it. "B-Belladonna."

Even getting that one singular word out had been tedious and difficult, not to mention the way her body was now soiled and the warmth it had before now became somewhat clammy as the temperature changed in the span of mere minutes. Somehow both legs were finally able to push her into a standing position, but that only made the evidence of the soiling more present to Marcus since the light had now hit the darkening stain on the green fabric. "No - you are no longer welcome here!" The words frantic and babbled out, by this point her entire small frame reeked of fear and a tangible one at that. "You live, now begone." Tough choice of words for a faun that was on the bottom part of Marcus and his food chain indeed. "Leave me in peace."

 

[Koura]

The beast could hear and smell Belladonna piss herself, his senses far keener than hers. Marcus' nose wrinkled softly, his eyes slowly focusing on the young faun. The old man smiled like a beast, groaning softly as his corrupt flesh began to knit itself together. Sinew bound with bone, flesh grew anew as dark energies ran through his body. The potion she had poured into his mouth had saved his life, fueling his inhuman metabolism that allowed him to survive wounds that would be lethal for anyone else. Seeking to serve others, she had doomed herself. She had brought death incarnate into her dwelling.

Stretching his aching limbs, Marcus pushed himself up and turned to face Belladonna. She could see him scowling, hunger gleaming in his dark eyes. "Belladonna," the beast mouthed her name, almost as if he was trying to make sense of her. Taste her. Feel her. The tall man wiggled his nose, grinning as he could now also see how Belladonna had soiled herself. In his eyes, the small faun was nothing but prey. The musky smell of urine was intertwined with the scent of fear, the tall man finding himself slowly becoming aroused. Inhaling deeply, he savored her terror and dismay. In the back of his mind, Marcus knew he wanted her.

Her scent felt oddly familiar, the beast almost certain that he had hunted down one of her kind before. "You are no valkyrja," Marcus growled softly, amused as he was slowly coming to his senses. "I know what you are," he smacked his lips, his voice brimming with confidence. He knew she could not hurt him, the poor faun entirely at his mercy. He could do with her as he wished.

The tall man wobbled a little as he stumbled towards Belladonna, the gaping wound on his side almost fully healed, a few drops of blood running down along his side. "Woodling," Marcus called her, using his kin's word for her kind. "You are just a woodling, aren't you?" With his body mending, he was slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. He could smell the old wood and the herbs dangling on the walls. He could smell everything, the cacophony of scents leaving his nose tingling. "Cat got your tongue?" the beast mocked Belladonna as she stuttered, Marcus slowly walking towards her. He could feel savage hunger stirring within his body. Hunger, which left no room for other thoughts. Hunger, that he would need to sate.

Much to her horror, Belladonna could see Marcus' flesh start to melt and twist, his dark hair growing longer and thicker. She would know all too well what would happen next. Growling like an animal, the tribesman stumbled around the hut, his expression pained as his body grew larger and larger. His joints popped as they warped, his very bones swelling and crackling beneath his flesh as allowed the beast to take over. The two were one and the same, Marcus had never been ashamed of his bestial side. Among his kin, lycanthropy was considered a gift from the gods. His eyes were now different as well, the dark hue replaced with tainted yellow.

"You smell delicious," he told Belladonna, flexing his wrists, his long claws scraping the floor as he crouched down. If the young faun were to drop her gaze, she could see his manhood erect between his legs. His cock was swollen and leaking precum, the sticky liquid dripping on the floor below. "I don't think I'll kill you," Marcus chortled, saliva dribbling down along his chin. "You did save me after all." He felt that the gods might have punished him for slaying his savior. Besides, he rather felt like playing with his prey.

"I want to taste you," he growled softly, stumbling towards Belladonna, his claws missing her small body as he tried to snatch her into his arms. The beast was still slightly disoriented, his movements slow and clumsy. "Or maybe I should fuck your brains out," Marcus gloated, his tongue lolling out of his bestial snout. "You would like that, wouldn't you, sweetie?" In reality, he well knew just how terrified she was. How she wanted nothing to do with him. The beast merely wanted to stroke her fear, to see the young faun crumble before his eyes.

 

[.Crimson.]

Bella wanted to flee, to put any amount of distance between her and the creature that now stood before her. Each cracking of joint and popping of bone as it slid into proper position caused goosebumps to litter across both of her arms, it was horrifying to listen to much less witness as Marcus would slouch only to be brought to an even taller vantage point with one last resounding 'crack' Crystalline blue optics held a distinct fear inside of them at the mere mention of toying with her, knowing exactly what he meant by that particular turn of phrase and resolute to sooner die than allow it to happen. Lungs expanded against the length of her ribcage, certain that if she tried any harder the bones would end up simply cracking under the immense pressure and make her entire chest cave in on itself.

"I would sooner see fit to die!" She cried out in a tone that portrayed horror at the mere suggestion of it, barely managing to dodge the claws that were intent on grabbing onto her tiny frame and ending the game of cat and mouse between them. Silken spun curls of vibrant orange hair framing either side of the faun's face, some even becoming caught between plump lips that were parted to try and rasp in ragged breaths as the panic made it more difficult to breathe and the ache became much deeper.

Bella could feel the way her blood ran cold, the inkling of fear that started in the pit of her stomach only to spread and envelop her chest and throat and in doing so cutting off precious oxygen supply. But even as she scrambled to come up with a way out of this mess, the way to the front door was outright blocked by Marcus and the delicate wisp had never made an emergency exit; something which was causing her internal monologue to involve colorful cursing and profanities. It was then that it hit her, the similarities between this varg and the voice of the one that had ordered the capture of her mother all of those years ago.

"It was you..." She muttered out in disbelief, not expecting the beast that partook in ravaging her poor mother to still be among the land of the living. This revelation only caused that panic from before to linger against her skin and cause it to tingle and pinpricks took over as the anxiety from the situation began to finally take its toll. Without even knowing it, tears had sprung up into both eyes and all she could manage to do was bring both hands up and attempt to squash the anguished wail that still came through regardless of the meager barrier.

'No no no' Bella felt the way her legs began to sway back and forth below her, giving it maybe a minute or two before the limbs gave out under the added weight of stress and sent the faun tumbling down onto the floor of the hut below. Her legs attempted to push back out again, only for the momentum to cause the length of her dress to become tangled inside of his claws and the material covering her chest ended up ripping into multiple shreds of tattered fabric. Harsh hiccups came up as the petite thing tried to cover herself with both arms, refusing to just give in and allow the brute anything past the glimpse he had gotten before her mind had the time to react.

Bella did not make it far, in fact the corner of her hut was as far as she could achieve before the strength in those muscles gave out completely and left the vulnerable prey at the complete mercy of the literal wolf in sheep's clothing. It had been her bleeding heart that brought this onto her doorstep, and now the price to pay for such a foolish action would end up being that very pound of flesh so many others attempted to get. Only this time, Marcus wished to keep her alive instead of string her carcass up like a hunting trophy.

"Stop, oh gods no - no more!" Bella tried to reason that screaming at a time like this would do little good, but her mind refused to simply give in and allow the wolf to have his way without some form of challenge from his prey in kind. Even if that fight was in the form of hands and fingers trying in vain to push the brutish male away, only for one of those same hands to be grasped and held high above her head and ensuring that the faun had nowhere left to run now - Marcus had managed to subdue the pretty little doe in a matter of minutes and would certainly savor the privileges that came with it.

Due to the position, he had a chance to gaze upon the modest breasts that were put on display. Globes that were covered in satin smooth skin, a creamy diluted peach in hue and adorned by twin areola that were almost the color of a ripened berry ready for the harvest. Fear was a potent emotion, and despite the way the faun's mind was screaming at her own body for reacting in such a way - the flesh was keen on the eyes savoring it like a being dying of extreme thirst. "D-don't touch me..."

 

[Koura]

There was no escape, the beast standing between Belladonna and her only way out. "We are going to play, you and I," Marcus gloated, his voice brimming with mockery. A feral smile flickered on his inhuman lips, the fiend visibly enjoying himself. Growling, he feigned to lung at the distraught faun, chortling when she shied away from him. "I think we'll have quite some fun," he grunted, reaching to wrap his fingers around his cock, giving it a few soft strokes as if to make sure she'd understand what he had on his mind. As the beast touched himself, more of his precum splattered on the floor, his inhuman length already rock hard. The beast wanted to relieve the ache in his loins badly, the all-consuming urge to mate clouding his judgment. She was all he had on his mind.

"Yes," the beast growled. "I feasted on your kin. I ravaged your kinswoman," Marcus taunted Belladonna, pausing to lick his lips. He could remember gutting the male, the poor creature trying to grasp his intestines as they slipped through his fingers. He had died a slow, painful death. Drunk on the scent of blood, he could remember raping the older female, the small faun far too weak to defend herself. "I pumped her full of cum and ripped her belly open," he chuckled dryly, his eyes resting on her prey as he spoke. "I ate her womb. She kept screaming until the very end." Belladonna could hear the mirth in his voice, his lips curled into a bestial smile. "How about you, woodling? Are you a maiden? Have you laid with a man?" Marcus didn't expect her to answer, his words meant to shake her to her very core.

Freeing his hands, he lounged at the anxious faun, his claws tangling with the cloth of her dress, tearing it asunder and exposing her chest. "You look a lot like her," the beast snarled, taking his time with her. Belladonna could not run nor could she hide. She was at his mercy, the wolfman was determined to play with her at his heart's content. He pinned the small faun down with contemptuous ease, holding her hands in one of his claws. Marcus would have been able to overpower Belladonna even in his human form. Against a werewolf she had no chance, the beast dragging her around as if she were a ragdoll.

With the timid faun unable to fight back, Marcus dug his claws into what remained of her soiled dress, tearing the cloth apart with ease. The beast paused for a moment to admire the small creature, pressing his hand on her chest. "Soft. Just as she was," he growled softly, ignoring her meager protests. He grasped one of her breasts with his hand, feeling her out, wondering if she was an untried maiden. Nature hated virginity, all creatures seeking to breed and multiply. None could remain untouched forever.

Close as the beast was, the scent of his musk washed over her, overwhelming her senses. Grunting, Marcus forced his knee between Belladonna's legs, prying them wide apart. "You don't make the rules here," he snarled, mocking his prey, his cock brushing against her thighs, his sticky precum staining her bare skin. His hunger was palpable, the way he touched her making it painfully evident how he craved her. Needed her. Lust burned brighter than a thousand suns back in his mind. The brutish monster was determined to spill his seed into the small female, allowing nothing to get in its way.

Panting softly with arousal, he leaned closer, running his tongue between her breasts, tasting the small woman. He licked her breasts, his long tongue rough against her nipples, Marcus murmuring happily as Belladonna squirmed beneath his weight. He allowed her no chance to escape, the poor young faun having to come to terms with her mortality. The beast played with her, teasing and tormenting her. "I'll make you mine, woodling," Marcus grunted, his large hand finding its way to her undergarments, his claws digging into the soft cloth. Tugging hard, he pulled her panties down, the waistband digging into her flesh before coming apart, the beast discarding the torn garment

With her pussy exposed, Marcus eased himself between her legs, his coarse fur brushing against her thighs. "Stay still," he snarled, trying to thrust his swollen cock into her, his length pressing into her folds. His manhood was hot and slick against her pussy, his precum clinging to the thin fuzz covering her sex. "Spread your legs," the beast commanded, growling as he did so, hoping that the terrified faun would obey him, making it easier for him to ravage her. Belladonna could both hear and feel his growl, his chest pressed against hers as he kept grinding his hips against hers. Eventually, the beast would manage to force the tip of his cock against her entrance, slowly pushing his bestial length into her.

 

[.Crimson.]

Her initial thought was to try and hold the beast at bay, at least long enough to hopefully come up with some clever plot that might allow the faun to escape his corrupted grasp. But nothing that was within eyesight looked like it would help in the current situation, not to mention the way that razor like claws took to running across bared skin in a manner designed to make sure that the female felt it and would try and squirm to get away from the invasive sensation. Problem was, the only method of moving away from it involved allowing Marcus to slide in between recently parted thighs and place her body into a totally different predicament. It was not like this was the first time a male had touched Bella in this manner before, after all some of the market vendors inside of the villager were quite eager to accept other dubious forms of payment if the curly haired faun was short on coin that day.

She felt the way her breath caught inside of her throat, a hiccup and a cough mixing together and letting out a sound that was much more pitiful and demeaning. It replicated something similar to a mewling child, one of her own kin that had been struck so hard with fear that it threatened to stop the fragile creatures heart on the spot. Bella refrained from speaking anymore and instead did as she was told, allowing silken thighs to part and give the varg a proper glance of the delicate little flower that was being spread right in front of him. It was blush pink in tone, crested on the top with a nub of similar color that was almost throbbing at this point despite the fauns protest. Either side coated in a sparse amount of light orange hairs that were curled toward the ends but soft to the touch, where most pubic hair might be coarse and unruly hers seemed to be smooth and kempt.

Her eyes instantly became glued to the side as if attempting to stare at the wall and avoid engaging the beast that was in the process of mounting her like a prized rutting trophy. No, just because the wolf had managed to subdue her body did not mean the same could be said for the spitfires' mind and thoughts within. Freckles that dotted along the apples of either cheek became more prominent as the blush became deeper, able to both smell and hear as his bestial cock was pressed to her entrance and the tip managed to pry apart slick folds to find solace within the heated tunnel. She wanted to scream, cry - to beg for all of this to be one cruel nightmare that she could wake up from any second now.

But no, even as delicate wisps of lashes were lowered and opened again, Marcus still loomed over her and the bestial visage only added to the imminent threat. Spit soaked areola were left to dry and the sensation of his drool becoming soaked into the skin caused a whimper to sound out in kind. Bella could not believe her own ears, despite this being essentially glorified rape the traitorous pussy that resided between her legs was by all terms soaked in a clear and viscous liquid that dribbled down and onto the flooring below with how much managed to seep out. Tendons along the sides of her neck stood out as her head fell back at the first thrust inside that managed to bury him in to the base, though the knot was still outside and likely to be kept there until he succumbed to his own orgasm and filled up the faun's womb until it was fit to burst.

"Ah - ah, so deep." She whimpered out as if unable to keep those words private, even if the way that it sounded indicated that the female was enjoying the repeated stabbing to sensitive nerves inside of her walls. One such deep and pressing thrust managed to graze a bundle inside that made the poor thing scream out, but what appeared out of character was the way that her legs sought to wrap around his waist and effectively pull Marcus in that much deeper on the next pass and even keep him there a second or two longer. "Please Marcus, it's too much!"

 

[Koura]

"Yes," the beast growled as he sank his monstrous cock into the timid faun, shivering with pleasure as her insides clenched around his length. "Just like her," he murmured happily, pulling his hips back a little, only to thrust himself deep into her pussy. Marcus could sense and smell her arousal, his nose wiggling. "You like this." Bella could hear her rapist calling her out, his voice dripping with mockery. "You are dripping, aren't you?" he asked her, trying to force the young healer to become aware of her own body. "Are you in heat?" Having had no real dealing with the woodlings, the beast could not be certain. The small female certainly smelled like she was fertile, her scent only fueling his arousal. Oddly enough, it didn't seem to matter that she wasn't of his kin or that she had a somewhat alien scent, the smell of her arousal sufficient to elicit the most primal reaction from the man-wolf.

"Ah," Marcus grunted as he felt his cock brush against her cervix, the small faun deliciously tight. There was precious little Bella could do, the beast having her pinned against the floor, her traitorous body slowly, but surely betraying her. The beast growled with arousal, shivers of pleasure running along his spine and leaving his fur standing. Allowing his prey no mercy, the beast plunged his length into the young faun with ferocious force, each of his thrusts causing her small body to shudder. Trapped as she was, the terrified healer had no choice but to hope that her assailant would be done soon.

"Your body needs this, doesn't it," the beast taunted her, mischief gleaming in his blood-red eyes. "My little woodling slut," he murmured, already claiming Bella as his own, his scent clinging to her skin and hair. "Your womb craves this." Marcus huffed, the beast brimming with confidence born from experience. Bella was hardly the first woman he had ravaged.

True to his word, Marcus took his time with his newfound plaything, the man-wolf ramming his length into her time after time, his swollen cock leaving her insides chafed and sore. Each thrust would have Bella's stomach bulging gently, his girth visible through the skin of her toned belly. To make matters worse, the knot at the base of his manhood kept hammering against her folds, further leaving her bruised and battered. Marcus grunted happily as he fucked the small fault with abandon, his saliva dribbling down along his chin and on her neck, the occasional splatters warm against her skin.

Fury incarnate, the beast ravaged her body with all his might, Marcus focusing on his pleasure, seeking to spill his seed into the whimpering female. Her protests fell on deaf ears. "More!" the chieftain rebuked Bella, smirking as he felt her wrap her legs around his waist. Her mother had reacted to him the same way, his touch and scent overwhelming the poor creature. The faun had climaxed before she had died.

Slick with both her fluids and his precum, his cock was now moving with relative ease in her tight sheath. Grasping her hips in his hands, Marcus pushed himself up as he quickened his pace, watching almost mesmerized as his cock sank into Bella's swollen pussy, the small faun filled to the brim. "You want me," the beast grunted, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. "You want more, don't you?" he grunted, certain that he could claim Bella as his own. Certain that he could make her his.

Yet, even the fury of a lycanthrope had its limits, the beast slowly but surely approaching the point where there was no return. He drank deep of her surrender, her whimpers music to his ears. His heart beat like a drum, his blood singing the oldest of songs as he kept ramming his cock into her. Marcus reamed the poor faun, his rage and lust a terrible thing to behold, the veins on his arms bulging as he pressed down, his eyes wide open.

It did not take long before Marcus felt the familiar tightness enveloping his balls and slowly climbing along his length as he now desperately sought his release. Bella's moans and whimpers pushed him over soon after. When the man-wolf came, he did so with a feral grin on his face, brutally forcing his knot into her tight little pussy, further stretching her already aching insides. Roaring with pleasure as he came, the beast pumped her full of his cum, much of his virile seed spilling into her womb. Each violent twitch of his muscles forced more of his essence into her, Marcus pulling the young healer into his arms, his cock lodged in her cunt. Even if Bella might have wanted to pry herself free, she was stuck on her rapist, the beast gently stroking her back as if to calm her down.

 

[.Crimson.]

Bella desperately wanted to rebuke him, to tell the brute that her body was unable to take much more of the current form of breeding without giving out completely. He had already poisoned the insides of her mind, tinged with thoughts of pleasure that should not have been there in the first place. The bulging nature of her slim stomach made it so that the femme whimpered and cried out, knowing that for him to be so deep it would caused her pleasure in the moment but inevitable pain for a day or so after. Still, there was a sensation that made the redhaired faun pause, trying to make some sense of the bloating pressure that came when his seed began to pour freely into that of a fertile womb and barely stutter out a yelp. Vibrant eyes looking down only to witness the way pale skin was growing quite taut and rounded, and despite best efforts to free herself from his grasp all Marcus did was pull her closer to him and refuse to let her go.

Her ears shifted back as that knot inside of her was able to rub across sensitive glands that were still very much firing off sensation, each time it so much as gingerly twitched caused her body to react in kind until shivers engulfed the petite frame in an orgasm that appeared suffocating. Bella cried out to know that her delicate little pussy was achieving orgasm by the very beastly tool that had raped her, still there was little that she could achieve with his knot lodged inside of her and refusing to budge. "N-no more, pull it out of me" She knew that Marcus could not do what was asked of him, but the fear inside of her breast had brought the words out regardless. Pert breasts heaved up and down with each ragged attempt at breath, wanting to be free of this man but at the same time something prevented her from saying it out loud.

That was how the pair stayed entangled for upward of around a full hour, with Bella being transfixed and soothed by the way Marcus would stroke her back and whisper sweet nothings that made the poor faun even forget where she was for a time. Something about those robust arms that could hold her so tight and make the healer feel oddly safe instead of in danger, it left the red head quite perplexed and uncertain about just what would become of her now that Marcus had developed a kind of interest in the petite faun beyond her healing capabilities. She somehow stayed with her legs willingly locked inside of his own, not aware just yet of how his knot could pull free and it looked like the beast was not going to tell as long as his prey remained willing.

"Surely now...this means you will leave?" Bella whispered with bated breath, pushing back the ache that came and pulled at heart strings like a practiced violin. Even if Marcus left, it would certainly change nothing and the solitary lifestyle that she preferred would remain unscathed. But something told her he would actively refuse, a telling nature in those eyes that peered back at her as if somehow insulted that the faun even made such a crass suggestion in the first place. "What is here that you could possibly want enough to remain so close to the human village?"

Belladonna finally saw fit to detach herself from him, even if all that it did was uncork the seed that had been bottled inside and now came sloshing out in violent globs and stained both her inner thighs and the flooring below them. There was a chance she could become burdened with child, but it should have been quite slim since this was merely the beginning of a heat cycle and not the middle of it when the faun became soaked and desperate. That was the time when her womb welcomed the potent seed that surely led to the presence of a child growing in her belly. "My heat has...barely started. This likely meant nothing if pupping me was your goal."

 

[Koura]

"Even if I could, I wouldn't," Marcus murmured, brushing off her complaints. Coming down from his climax, the beast held the small faun against his broad chest. His embrace was almost suffocating, the werewolf much warmer than the small female. Close as she was, Bella could feel his heart thrum in his chest, her thick fur coarse against her soft skin. The beast's slowly calming breath kept rustling her curls, his musky scent rubbing her as he marked her his own. His presence was overwhelming, the timid healer being forced to feel all too much at once even after he had spilled his seed into her.

Sensing her distress, he would roll on his back, allowing Bella to lay on him even as he kept stroking her back, his claws occasionally reaching to fondle her rump. Now that Marcus had her in his arms, he figured he could just as well enjoy her. "Leave?" he growled softly, the beast leaning his head back. A soft sigh escaped his snout. "I have nowhere to go, woodling. My kinsmen are dead. My tribe exists no longer," he explained, his voice weary. "My mate is dead," Marcus added, sorrow ringing in his voice. "Slain by the Southerners." That particular tidbit wasn't particularly helpful. All important human settlements were located south of the highlands that the werewolf tribes called their home.

"I didn't expect to live," Marcus murmured, propping himself and causing his knot to press deeper into the young faun. "I thought I was done for," he admitted, his claws poking into Bella's rear. "Yet here I am. You are a skilled healer," the beast admitted with a hint of admiration in his voice. "I didn't exactly plan to come this far south either." The old werewolf chuckled dryly. "Things just went awfully wrong. We were supposed to ambush a caravan. People who had killed my kin. Avenge them." Marcus had a hard time recalling the events, the cries of his men still ringing in his ears, his grief palpable. "We were ambushed instead," he added, figuring that Bella would be able to deduct the rest. She had found him at death's doorstep.

"As far as I know, I am the last of my kindred." There was a short pause, the beast murmuring something under his breath. He hadn't expected to live. The wounds he had suffered should have seen him to the Allfather's halls along with his warriors. "There are other tribes, further north. But they wouldn't take me in," the beast grimaced. There was plenty of bad blood between the northern tribes. Some feuds were generations old. Marcus' grand-grand-sire had been a bellicose man with few friends. Bloodmaw they had called him. The old wolf had spilled a lot of innocent blood in his days, his hunger having known no bounds.

"So here I am with nowhere to go," he muttered, glancing around. "Can't really walk to the closest village and ask for work." He scoffed softly. "This?" reaching between her legs, he scooped up some of his cum on his fingers, rubbing them gently together. She could now smell his seed, the enticing scent lingering in her nose for the briefest of moments. "Just me using you to feel good," Marcus admitted. She could tell he was not ashamed of his actions. The beast knew his true nature. "When the lust takes me, I can't really think." His long tongue lolled out of his mouth, amusement ringing in his tone. "And you felt so good." It was as if he thought that his pleasure excused his actions.

"Maybe I'll stay here for a while," the beast mused, inviting himself over. "You have a cozy little hut." Marcus found himself rather enticed with the idea of putting a pup in the young faun. She smelled young and fit. She'd make an excellent mother, he figured. "You wouldn't hate that, would you?" he asked her with a soft grin on his bestial lips, his claws gently scritching her lower back.

 

[.Crimson.]

Bella desperately wished to have something come to mind that would be able to negate his current plan, but all that broke through the fog overcoming her mind was the notion of just how strong Marcus was to be able to steal the breath from her lungs with a meager hug. At least he had not done all of this with the mind to impregnate her, though who was to say if that mindset would remain if the older wolf stayed inside of her hut much longer. It was said that a faun when in the thralls of her heat it could permeate the very air so bad that a good mile or so reeked of sweet clover and enthralling herbal. A scent no doubt designed by mother nature to entice a potential suitor when the time came for them to call, but now it might very well end up sealing this doe's fate. "You say this now, but in perhaps two to three days the scent in this hut will be do suffocating even you would surely succumb."

She meant no disrespect by saying this, just stating logic and facts while Marcus no doubt already made up his mind about staying for a while and perhaps live by the grace of her feminine company both in and out of the bed. Though Belladonna did scrunch up her nose in a cute manner at the vulgar terms he used, not to mention his recount of the actions mere moments prior were tickling at his male ego. "It is not like I am able to force you out, we both know that in comparison the strength I possess is negligible compared to your own." This was said between clenched teeth, clearly the doe did not approve of it but there was no way for such a petite thing to overpower Marcus even if he were still drugged and out of it. "Though if you do stay, there will be some rules. First off, do not think of me in the light of one of your prior females. I live in solidarity by choice, not being a fan of company." Belladonna would try and maintain a kind of aura that spoke of faux confidence, meanwhile on the inside her heart was beating fast and the faun was seconds from blacking out.

"You are not to treat me like some common whore. If you stay, you are expected to find ways to earn your keep." Her gaze flitted to the stores nearby, noting that a few were running dangerously low and going outside on her own at this hour was not wise. "I require herbs and such to make the remedies that I sell. You will assist me in gathering them." Bella said with a sort of finality to it even if a part of the female knew that Marcus could refuse and knew the faun held no real cards in this back and forth negotiation. "Since I do not partake of anything related to meat, you are responsible for your own hunting." Bella noticeably paled at the mere thought of a morsel of meat passing her delicate lips, just knowing it had been a poor creature much like herself prior to being taken down for meager sustenance.

"Next time, I will truly question whether or not to save some poor soul on the edge of death." The faun sighed gently and felt the way her back and body relaxed into the gentle scratch of his nails, something about the motion soothing even knowing that all it took was a little more pressure to turn her into pretty ribbons. "After all, it seems like I will be preoccupied with you for some time." Hips tried to sway back and forth a little bit to try and relieve the ache that lingered there, wincing when Marcus still refused to budge from inside and the knot remained stubbornly intact even now. "Also, we will fashion a bedroll for you because I refuse to let you sleep with me every night." Bella somehow knew if she allowed it, the varg would take it as an invitation and the doe could wake up to a similar situation all over again.