Lycanthropy; The Ascend (#Wattys2018)

Chapter 6; The Alphas

It was a calm autumn day; frosty chill and the sweet surrendering scent of the morning dew filled the forest. The only movement within the canopy was the occasional bird, startling in within the leaves or a squirrel dashing up a nearby trunk. The sky was a brilliant baby blue which could only be seen in fragments, like scattered pieces of an impossible jigsaw puzzle behind the colourful leaves that looked as if they were dipped into several different colours of paint; each leaf unique like the black nose of a canine. Autumn leaves from the tall trees lay scattered on the forest floor; each of them turning brittle brown; there was a sound like dried cereal being crunched underfoot, pushing their papery remains deep into the soft soil by the large paws of the newcomers. 

They ran side by side, paws pounding the damp forest floor, with a speed so supernatural for a wolf. Sometimes one of them would leave the other's side and run away and back playfully, barking at each other as they went. It was one of the happiest days of Leslie's life and she enjoyed every moment of it. As time passed, they reached the snowy areas of the island further north. It crunched underneath their paws and they paused after a while to play in it; rolling in the cold substance, kicking snow onto each other and wrestling in a never-ending game. They looked like the happiest puppies on earth, except they were nothing close to pups physically... They would be almost as tall as a full-grown human and almost double the size of a normal grey wolf, fangs and claws sharper and longer and certainly stronger.

"I love this place.." Leslie thought to Zy, speaking telepathically as she rolled in the snow, sending it flying into the air while she wagged her tail. Zy got up and walked over to her, looking down at her with amused eyes, touching his nose against hers while she lay and bared her teeth at him playfully. With a swift move, Leslie reached up and grabbed his nape, bringing him down forcefully to lay next to her.

"Hey! That hurt." Zy whined, looking at her with a humorous sad expression as she got up and stood above him, tail wagging.

"It meant to." She brought her head down a bit, so that their noses almost touched and he watched her, daring her to do it.

"Is that so? Why?" He attempted to touch her nose, but she jerked her head away teasingly before bringing it down again.

"You can't just nose-kiss me without my consent." They stared, lost in each other's eyes, but Leslie got enough after a while and swiftly licked the male's snout with her long crimson tongue. He shook his head, confused and surprised as she darted off again, yelping gleefully. He took a while to process what happened, but then he was up; sprinting after Leslie with a bark. After a while, he caught up and they continued making their ways to who-knows-where, exploring their new home. 

Time passed by and suddenly it was almost evening and they haven't realized they were hungry; ravenous in fact. They slowed down, now walking on the rotting leaves of the forest floor; they decided they would rather hunt where Zy wasn't a huge black warning sign for potential prey in the white snow.

"I found a recent scent..." Leslie let him know as she sniffed the ground and followed it slowly and quietly, with Zy close behind. The forest was reasonably quiet, so they had to keep as quiet as they could. The scent was getting stronger and Leslie decided it was a rabbit; hard to catch. Which meant they had a difficult hour ahead of them. After a while, they spotted the lone rabbit who was currently munching on some autumn berries from a nearby bush. They paused, sharing a look before nodding slowly. Zy began making his way around the trees and the rabbit, making sure to stay hidden and quiet, calculating every step while Leslie stayed put and watched it. They discussed their tactics; because Leslie was faster and lighter than Zy, she would herd the rabbit towards him and he would ambush and kill it. She waited for him to get into position, but the rabbit was already alert, disturbed by something. She wondered what, because they didn't make any noise. Then, it was time.