Holt Wraith | Minotaur x Reader

Prologue: The Feeling Of Fur

"Missy, go with her." You hear Lily's voice from behind as you venture out into the woods behind your one-story home.

You pout, being a small four year old with a hard head, and you're sure you are old enough to care for yourself. Without another thought, you bolt into the woods, not daring to look back, even with your babysitter crying out to you.

Your fast pace takes you far into the dense woods. And, before you know it, you can't hear Lily's voice anymore.

Your wide eyes look around the forest, but you don't recognize anything. The large trees creak above you, and there's no other sound, not even from any forest animals or birds. So you're left with only your heavy breathing and a gentle breeze.

But then, you see a large shadow dart behind a tree, and a gust of wind follows shortly after, along with darkening clouds rolling in overhead. You glance up in confusion to the sudden storm, but your gaze quickly goes back to the large tree you saw the shadow hide behind.

You giggle, figuring it wants to play hide-and-seek. So, you make your way to the tree. But when you glance around the giant plant, nothing is there, and you're left feeling lonely.

A soft pout graces your pink lips, until you feel an intense puff of air hit the back of your head and cause your hair to scatter all around your face. You grin, pushing the hair away before spinning around and looking straight ahead.

And then your eyes trail up the burly, male-shaped black shadow, and then you lock eyes with white, glowing orbs that are staring down at you past a bull-shaped nose, which matches his bull head, ears, and large horns.

You tilt your head to the side, but you smile up at him. And then you re-examine his body.

He has a human-like chest and torso, paired with a furry pelvic area, furry legs, and large hooves as his feet. Even though he seems to be pitch black and made out of some sort of mist, you still feel the need to feel his fur.

So, you walk towards his legs with you arm outstretched. But when you get two steps close, he takes a large step back, causing you to look up at him and pout. His eyes narrow at you, and he huffs black mist through his flared nostrils.

Then, you give him a harmless, kind smile, one you've seen your mother give you many times before. That expression causes his eyes to widen, like in that moment you remind him of someone.

You keep the smile as you speak in a soft voice. "Can I pet?" you ask, doing a small grabby motion with your hand.

His nose scrunches into a scowl, and he releases a low, guttural growl like a lion. When you drop your hand to your side, and your smile fades from your face, he stops growling, and he stares at you with a blank expression.

He watches you look down at the ground and take a timid step back, giving him the space you think he needs in order to feel more comfortable with you. And then your smile returns once again as you look up at him.

"Here," you say, motioning both hands to the space between you two. "Space if you wanna sit so I can pet you."

You play with the hem of your pale pink dress while you look down shyly. "But if you don't want pets, that's okay too."

You hear another huff from the being, and then you catch him moving from behind your eyelashes. And, when you look back up, you see him taking a knee in front of you. Your mouth widens into a large grin.

He keeps his eyes narrow as he watches your every move with uncertainty. You figure you might scare him if you move too fast, so you timidly lift your hand and stand on your toes, but, to your dismay, you still can't reach him.

He hears you grunt as you stretch your arm out in an attempt to reach his head, and he notices your struggling, so he slowly dips his head down. You smile and glance into his eyes, whispering a quick "thank you," before you rest your palm between his horns.

You shiver at his cold touch, and you slowly brush your palm over his fuzzy head before lifting your hand and pulling back only to repeat the process. This time you place your hand at the bridge of his nose, giggling lightly when you see his eyelids droop at your soothing, warm touch.

You give him a few more pets before you lift your hand and brush your fingers over his left ear. His ear flicks when you barely touch it, and he huffs out of his nose while his head tilts towards your outstretched hand.

You smile at the cute, dog-like gesture. And, figuring that means he's okay with you touching his ear, you rub your thumb on the inner part while your other fingers rub the back. His eyes flutter closed, causing your to giggle, and he leans into your gentle touch, his nose puffing cool air onto your rosy face.

Suddenly, as you're watching his cute reaction to you petting his ear, you hear someone running towards you.

Your eyes widen and you spin around, being greeted by your breathless babysitter and Missy, the medium-sized dog that always follows you everywhere - excluding this little adventure that you decided to take on your own.

You innocently smile up at the teen when she stumbles to a stop in front of you. Before you can get any words in, she pulls you into a tight embrace, wrapping her arms around you as if you'd fly away if she were to let go.

Missy starts sniffing the ground, walking towards the area of the shadow creature and reminding you of his presence.

"Meet my friend!" you chime in your high-pitched voice.

You wiggle out of Lily's grasp and motion behind you before you spin around to face the shadowy being. Your smile fades and your arms drop to your sides.

He isn't there.

Missy sniffs around where he once was standing, and then she looks up at Lily, her gaze full of worry. You merely pout at the empty area before scanning the trees, hoping you might see him again.

You want to say goodbye in case you don't see him again, but it seems he was in a rush to leave. Then, a thought pops into your mind; Lily and Missy must've scared him, you conclude.

The teen gives Missy a knowing glance, and then you feel Lily grab your wrist and start tugging you towards the house. With a heavy heart, you comply, walking with your head craned to gaze at the woods behind you.

And then, you turn your attention to the sky. The dark clouds stay in place, and you furrow your brows, being sure that means that your friend is still nearby. But when you look back at the trees, you see no sign of him.

Finally, you give up and turn around, following Lily and Missy back home.

The feeling of the creature's fur still lingers on your hand, so you're sure that means you didn't imagine him, right?

1,247 words