Quest of Fate

Caution Aside

 Feeling consciousness returning, I kept my eyes closed, the feeling of sleepy peace radiating from inside. Stretching, warmth surrounded me. Lifting my arms above my head, I felt against my hand stiff yet soft fur. Eyes blinking open, the first thing I saw was Bellator resting on the other side of a small campfire, strong against the snow piled around it. My mind still groggy, I turned around and swallowed the scream building inside my chest. Curled around me, almost protectively, was the wolf, snoring softly, its' snout buried in my hair. Scrambling up, I ran over to where I had last had my bow, but stopped when fear twisted inside as I found it, broke in two. Remembering the blade I had tucked in my boot, I went to reach for it when I heard someone clear their throat softly. Twisting about, this time I did scream when I saw what was behind me. 

"I believe you are looking for this, aren't you little hunter? And I'm sorry about your bow, but I did not want to wake up with an arrow through the skull, if you understand." He laughed, and my heart about melted.His accent and the sound;almost like warm honey, soft yet powerful. Then shivers ran down my spine as I though of how he had retrieved the knife. The man though kept sitting there, smiling serenely as if the past night was all but a dream.

"It would be bad manners, shooting the one who helped you." A small smirk played on his lips. Helped me?! 

"Helped me?! HELPED ME?! You tried to kill me!" I started pacing, getting angrier with each step I took. It was then I felt the bandages on my forehead. I must had hit my head in my fall. I felt the echo of a headache then. Feeling a small niggling part of me feel grateful, I ripped it out by the roots as memories from last night crept back.

"I saw you, coming out of the brush, snarling with your big pointy teeth showing and.."

I trailed off, shocked at exactly what was coming out of my mouth. I sounded quite mad, even to my own ears. Looking back at him, really looking at him, I was shocked to the core at who he was. Seeing my face, he guessed what I was thinking. 

"Where are my manners?" He bowed deeply, each movement graceful yet haunting, giving away the beast hidden inside.

"I am Stefan Telkavo, your hero, your knight in shining armor." When he stood up, that smirk was back. I gaped at him, trying to understand all that was going on. 

"You...you're the prince." Then something else hit me, and fearing him was childish compared to who I was thinking of.  

"My Liege, you are betrothed to the Queen Catherine, who would have me beheaded for just looking at you." And was I. He was a beautiful specimen. Dark, thick, silky, black hair fell against his shoulders and into his violet stormy eyes. His nose had a certain regality to it, and his mouth, now in a frown, had sensual lips. Dragging my gaze from his face, my eyes followed the lines of his body, from his corded arms, to a built chest, trim hips, and long legs. I felt my face flush as my mind crept to places I dare not go, entranced by this masterpiece of the male form. My mind caught, I did not see the anger that caused his body to go rigid.

"So, you are the little hunter I've heard so much about, aren't you?" His face fell into a teeth baring sneer, his eyes hard and cutting.

"You are her little bitch. Going about doing everything she tells you." His laugh was harsh, grating almost as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I bet you even lick the shit off her shoes, don't you?" 

The anger boiled, causing fire to run through my veins, igniting every inch of my being.

"ENOUGH!"

Both of us were startled by my voice, but  I wasn't for long. "If only you knew," I stormed up to him, and jabbed my pointer finger into his chest with each word, "What my life was like in the castle, you wouldn't be so cold-hearted! Her little bitch! Ha!"

My laugh echoed through out the clearing, and I knew I had murder in my eyes.

"She only wishes! I am out here because my father, great man he is, is at the castle, lying there, dying, while I'm out here tracking your sorry carcass out here in the cold, when I could be there, keeping him company until the end!"

That last sentence bursted out of me with a choked breath and I collapsed at his feet, my heart wrenching. Sobs wracked my body, but I could not stop. My eyes closed, my head in my palms, the brevity of what could happen hit me. "I might not ever get to say goodbye." 

Hands over my eyes, I did not notice the shift until I felt a course tongue against my cheek. Removing my hands, before me I saw a little wolf cub with saddened bright pale blue eyes, forepaws placed on my knees. A small whimper came from the little body as he snuggled himself against me, as if trying to cheer me up. It was working.

"So you can change into a puppy as well?"

I felt a small smile start to grow, as the puppy started panting, giving an answering yip to my question. Laughing slightly, I placed him back on the ground where in a blink of an eye, Prince Stefan was kneeling there, his hand lifted, reaching out towards me. He sighed and the hand fell as he climbed back up to his feet. Reaching out his hand again, I grabbed it and pulled myself up. Looking up, I met his gaze and laughed, embarrassment causing my face to go red.

"Sorry you had to be the outlet for that."

I sighed, realizing the predicament I was in. What was I to do, when the beast was the Prince? Wait. Why was the Prince the beast? 

"Prince Stefan-" He growled softly and I felt shivers run down my spine.

"Please, we are in the middle of the forest. I believe that formalities are useless, don't you?"

He stepped closer and I felt my heart pound.

"Due to the topic of conversation, I do believe you have been left nameless my dear."  

His hand lifted, and he caressed the side of my cheek, down my jaw to my chin. The trail left was heated, causing gooseflesh to break out down my arms. His eyes bored into my own blue-green eyes, heat pouring from them, setting a fire deep in my belly. 

"My na-name is Cara. Cara Lu'Pine, your mag- Stefan." I choked out, blushing furiously.

"Ah, the young one does have a name."

His hand lifted my chin, causing my own dark brown hair to fall from my face, and those eyes, they held some sort of power, holding onto my gaze, causing everything around us to go dark.

 "Cara," he breathed.

Hearing my name roll off his tongue with his honey-filled accent caused the dreaded shivers to spastically run up and down my spine. Mortified at the thoughts running rampant in my mind, I stepped back hastily and stepped on a slick patch of snow. Feeling my weight thrown back, I closed my eyes, waiting for the hard punch of the ground on my back. Having not hit the ground, I opened my eyes and was face to chest, closer than ever. I glanced up and saw Stefan's nostrils flare, as if he was sniffing me. His eyes grew darker as I more felt than heard a growl deep in his chest. My heart pounding, I was surprised to feel that his was as well, causing curiosity to fuel my next actions. Reaching my hand cautiously up, I grasped his cheek. His eyes fell shut, a small smile on his face as he leaned his face into my palm. The eyes that opened though, were ones of a hunter, full of hunger. My heart sped up, beating loudly, sure that he could hear it. His pupils were becoming slitted, gold forming around the edge. His head bent forward, his forehead resting on mine. His nostrils flared again, and he sighed and lowered his head, his face now buried in the crook of my neck. I went stock still, my heart thumping loudly, barely breathing. Stefan then dragged his nose up my neck, along my erratic pulse. All I could feel was the tip of his nose, lightly tracing along my neck, my collarbone.  A trail of heat followed him, causing thrills to run through me. My mind was foggy, unable to form coherent thought, when I felt a sudden nip against my pulse, dragging me back to the present. Did he just bite me?! Shaking my head, I pushed against his chest, trying to escape this deadly cage. Stefan lifted his head, his eyes blinking slowly, as if he was in another world. Those eyes were filled with heat, turning a pale blue, the violet all but gone, a thin line along the outer rim of his eyes.

"Cara. You, you are an angel. A light guiding me through the dark." His eyes started to return to their violet shade, but I knew they were the only thing that hasn't changed. From that moment, I knew that my life was completely different, a new chapter, and, caution aside, I was falling. Hard.