Mated to Chaos

Ch. 1: Running & Hunting

The earth was hard underneath the pads of my paws, my breath coming in pants with the exertion I was putting my body through. I wasn't trained for this anymore. My body was malnourished and ready to give up, the wolf in me refused to drop or get caught.

I could hear them gaining on my tail and almost feel their breaths on my neck, although there was a gape between us, I knew they would hunt me to the ends of the earth. The wolves chasing me where sent out by the Alpha, once he realized I had escaped the hellish dungeon, I had lived in since I shifted. The sun was setting and the wolves behind me had slowed and where backing off, I knew this meant freedom if only I passed the boundary of pack lands.

I pushed myself harder, and continued to run till well past midnight. I only stopped due to collapsing in to the soil into a piled up heap from exhaustion. Hunger was gnawing at my stomach and my tongue hung outside of my mouth parched from lack of water. I laid on the ground panting when the nudging in my mind started. I knew the wolf side of myself was wanting her belly filled with water and food, no matter what state we where in, as well as ready to find a den for the night. I wasn't letting my guard down until many more miles where between me and that wretched Alpha.

Slowly rising onto sore paws, I ambled into the thicket and under brush. My nose to the ground scenting any and all animals or smells I could get. I caught wind of a rabbit and the faint beat of it's heart. The little rodent was scared, as it should be, a predator was lurking around, Me. My hunting skills where just enough to get me by, just like my survival skills. I crept forward slowly, not wanting to startle the already spooked rabbit, licking the saliva dripping from my jowls with the thoughts of food.

Crawling forward into a bush for camouflage, I spotted the rabbit a couple of yards ahead of me, within the distance of it's den. I huffed, knowing I wouldn't catch it in time. I was moving to leave when a snort alerted me to the deer standing in the small clearing ahead of me. In my daze to find substance I had failed to scent the heard of deer, which seemed to have an injured doe among them. A prey I could run down and separate from the herd, one that would feed me for days, if I took it down. I waited and soon the nudging of my conscious was back and growing stronger.

I finally relented to the beast in which I shared a body, she was more than happy to ensure we ate tonight. Crouching low, she slid against the ground in stealth mode, trying to get closer to the injured doe. The grass was just tall enough to cover our back and hide us, a chocolate wolf with tones of white, blended into the forest, not well with green grass. Caution was thrown to the wind when the herd was frightened away by the rabbit. Bolting forward, the she wolf was pushing herself to catch the injured doe, with teeth bared, nipped the doe's legs, effectively sending the doe's heart into over-drive. With her goal set on the doe and the rest of the herd scattered to protect themselves, she knew it was time to bring the doe down before all of our stamina was gone. The muscles under her skin coiled and bunched as she ready her body to pounce. In minutes, our bodies soared through the air and onto the doe's back, claws finding purchase in the hide of the deer as teeth sunk into fur and muscles. The doe bleated out it's cry of pain and stumbled, falling into the hard ground. As the doe fell the momentum of our added weight sent us rolling, after the doe's body rolled over my wolf's, she pushed off from the ground gaining new length of the doe's body. Her eyes locked on to the deer's throat and her jowls open, within seconds teeth tore through the doe's windpipe as a bleated plea for help left the doe's bloodied mouth. My heart ached for the life the wolf and I had just taken, however eating and survival was the way of life.

My wolf panted, the satisfaction thrumming through her was enough to keep herself upright though we where now at our limits. Licking the blood from her lips, she circled her kill till she reached the underbelly of the doe. With claws and teeth, she tore into her meal, gulping down the meat and licking up blood. The herd had come back to the clearing, watching as she devoured their fallen comrade. Soon her belly was rounded, full of venison, she lifted from the ground in search of water.

I sat at the back of her mind, watching from her eyes as she found a stream and drank in greedy gulps of water. Just like with the deer, she had her fill for now. It was time to find a sleeping hole or den for the night. Not wanting to leave the leftovers of her meal, she dragged the doe with her, leaving a trail of blood and guts behind her. As soon as the forest closed back around her, she dropped the doe and started her search for a den or hiding place for the night. After prowling through the underbrush, she came upon a small den big enough for her and maybe two other wolves to fit comfortably, the scent in the den was stale. After marking the den, she traveled back to her kill and to brought in into the den, she tore into the carcass, tearing it into chunks for later. When the deer was in the den and her markings outside the den, she was content to sleep.

Getting control back of our wolf form with a full stomach felt nice, I laid my head along the top of my paws as I watched the entrance of the den that was alight with the moons glow, not trusting I had escaped just yet. With the hum of the nocturnal critters and sounds of the forest I had drifted to sleep bathed in the soft glow of the moon watching over me for now as she crossed her path in the sky.