Silas' mate

Chapter 4 Whisper in the woods

The forest floor crunched softly beneath Silas' paws as he patrolled the territory's edge. The moon, a luminous orb hanging low in the sky, cast an ethereal glow on the ancient trees. A cool night breeze rustled the leaves, carrying with it the scent of pine and damp earth.

As he rounded a bend in the path, a sound caught his attention. It wasn't the rustle of prey or the hoot of an owl. It was a rhythmic thumping, a sound that seemed oddly out of place in the quiet night.

He crept closer, drawn by the unknown. The trees thinned, revealing a clearing bathed in moonlight. In the center, a figure moved with a captivating fluidity.

Silas froze, mesmerized. The figure wore clothes that seemed more suited to the city than the wild – baggy pants that pooled around their ankles and a top that left a sliver of midriff bare. But it was the way they moved that truly captured his attention. Their body bent and stretched in a mesmerizing rhythm, a silent conversation with the ancient trees that ringed the clearing.

A wolf tail, the color of burnished copper, flicked out from beneath the baggy pants, catching the moonlight. A matching mask, equally detailed and realistic, obscured the upper half of their face.

Silas felt a jolt course through him, a primal awareness unlike anything he'd experienced before. This wasn't just a human enjoying a late-night workout. There was something...more.

The figure, sensing him, spun around. Their eyes, visible through the gaps in the mask, widened in surprise, then narrowed, a flicker of something wild igniting within them.

The air crackled with unspoken tension. Silas knew, with a certainty that shook him to his core, that this encounter was anything but ordinary. This captivating creature, moving with such grace in the heart of the forest, was unlike anyone he'd ever met.

He took a tentative step forward, his voice a low rumble. "Who are you?"