The Beast
I leave my den and raise my nose to the wind. I waste no time running back to the clearing where I found the woman last night. Caution tells me that I shouldn't go back to where the archer had been, but I need to find her. She made me feel calm, even now the rage hasn't returned. I can still feel it lurking in the back of my mind, but it's not overwhelming. She made me feel safe; I want to return to her side so I can keep her safe in return.
I get to the clearing and she's not there. I howl mournfully, hoping she responds, but I'm met only with silence. Panic starts to fill me, What if she's gone? What if the attacker killed her? The rage returns as the panic rises. I try to fight it back, but fear has shattered what little hope I'd been holding onto. I howl and the rage crashes back in.
I snarl at the sky and turn around in circles. The rage demands that I discover what happened to her. The stable part fears that when I find out I'm going to lose myself completely. I find a faint trace of her scent and start to follow it.
When I get to the edge of town, Too many scents blend together and I can't pick hers out of the mess. I snarl and stalk the streets. I can feel the gazes of townsfolk through their windows. One gaze lingers, I turn to snarl at the onlooker.
I find myself looking at a golden haired child. She stares at me with fear in her eyes. We stare each other down as I approach the window. Her eyes widen but she stands her ground, her little face pressed against the glass.
I come to stand in front of her and turn my head to the side. The girl is clearly scared, but stays there staring at me. I bare my teeth and she swallows, her lips trembling and tears rolling down her cheeks.
I’m still regarding the girl when a sweet scent greets me, I turn my head and inhale, it's her. Forgetting the child, I run toward the scent, barreling through the town and back into the forest.
It doesn't take long for me to find her. She's walking along the road about a mile outside of town. The effect she had last night is greatly diminished, the calm starkly absent. I leap toward her before she has time to register my presence.
She turns at the same time and screams, falling backward and landing in the snow. She stares up at me with her eyes wide. The slight scent of fear taints the sweetness and I snarl, angry at her.
The fear fades and she half-smiles, "It's you,"
She raises a hand and reaches for my snout. I snarl and she pauses.
"I'm sorry about last night." She says quietly, "I didn't want you to get hurt."
I snarl again, the rage abating some.
She raises her hand again and this time I let her touch me.
Her touch drives the rage all the way away. I feel myself huff out a sigh as she strokes my face.
"There you go, no need to be angry. I'm going to help you." She says quietly, her hand stills on my face and she closes her eyes.
I stay still, not daring to look away for fear she’ll disappear. I feel something sliding across me, a gentle presence that seems to be seeking something. I let it wash over me, trusting that whatever she's doing will help me. I don't know why I trust her, but her gentle touch soothes my soul.
She breathes out softly and something pops. I stare in shock as an opalescent filigree appears on her skin. Swirling patterns that glitter both ebony black and moonlight white. The pressure against me increases, becoming uncomfortable bordering on pain. I feel something break and the rage is gone. The pressure abates and I find myself relaxing. I remember what I am and pass out.
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