Welcome all fans of Red Riding Hood, as well as fans of mine who wandered into the page by accident.
As the title says, This is my original work Cloak and Fangs. It's a romanticized disambiguation of the fairy tale and an old idea I've had since I was a wee lil lad. It's obviously evolved since then, but the idea is mine and no one else's. I use elements of culture and tech in an AU Earth from eras of the Renaissance to the Victorian Era. There is the occult present, alchemy, and elements of the gothic within.
One BIG BIG thing. I am only releasing this one chapter publicly. As opposed to other works I have with a base off a copyrighted content... this story is my own original brainchild from top to bottom. Thusly, this story will be exclusive from here onwards on my atreon with a 'P' under the same name as my account. XD
I am releasing this first chapter here, amongst all other venues I use, because I most definitely want to garner your interest and support. If this isn't your thing, no worries. This is a labor of love for me and I hope to play it out.
Anywho, I'll stop boring you with the details and let you decide if this is worth the plunge.
"Where is it?" a voice called out to no one in particular, small hands rummaging around in a large chest.
The girl made tepid grunts and huffed slightly, moving things both big and tiny to find her prize. With an 'Aha!', she finally pulled out a hooded red cloak, throwing it over her shoulders and tying off the front.
Dressed for a trip, the girl began to gather items in a satchel.
Some apples. Some bread. A pastry.
Scarlett Ryder was her name, with eyes of mossy green, reflecting that of nature, and hair that was as brown as the bark on trees. Freckles lightly dusted her face just below her eyes, her skin a paler peach.
She lived alone in her cottage at the edge of a town called Stone Glades, a dense forest at her home's back and surrounding the town. Being at the age of twenty-three, she was often looked upon with curiosity for not looking to get married as so many other women in the town had well before her age.
Scarlett had her reasons, of which she cared not to tell the onlookers who seemed to be critical of her motives, justified or no.
Sitting down to pull the laces on her long boots, she looked out the window and noticed the cloud cover, internally remarking that she needed to hurry before any unsettling weather came in.
Grabbing her satchel, the girl rushed out the door, red cloak flapping behind her with the light breeze that rushed in.
Her grandmother resided within the forest, none too far, but still far enough to worry over the distance when weather or darkness were a factor. So, Scarlett offered to bring her food and such occasionally, since it was tedious for an old woman to visit town all the time for supplies. She was also too stubborn to move closer, greatly voicing her disdain for living in such close quarters with all the 'noisy' people.
Raising her hood, she walked with speed and purpose into the forest, a gust of wind trying to lift up her knee length skirt. She might have felt a chill if Scarlett hadn't worn stockings. It was still a bit too early in the season for warmer clothing, but her instincts told her it was right.
The trees canopy above her rustled with an erratic breeze, leaves letting small beads of light bleed through at random. It was still daytime but the pattern above her looked like twinkling stars.
There was a crunch of brush and pebbles beneath her boots, echoing in the tranquil forest.
Eventually she could hear the rush of a stream, with a bridge coming into her line of sight. To her, that meant she was halfway to her destination, picking up her pace to cross the wooden structure.
Upon reaching it, however, she heard a groan and a small scuffle, the girl pausing to look around. She couldn't see nor hear anything following the previous noise, making her slightly worried. In the middle of the bridge, no one could sneak up on her without giving themselves away, unless…
She looked over the railing of the bridge, seeing a leg pull itself under, another low groan made Scarlett leap over the railing and land on the bank of the creek.
Under the edge of the bridge… was a boy, likely her age, if not within a year or two. It was hard to tell with his face in the shade. He was dressed lightly, in black tattered wraps on his hips and legs, with a loosely fitting top that looked a bit worn itself.
Her eyes gravitated towards the hand he had holding his side, fingers coated in blood. Instantly reacting, the hooded girl pulled a cloth from her satchel and moved his hand to look at the wound. It looked as if a sharp object sliced into him or grazed him.
There was a whine from him, seeming almost canine in tone, making Scarlett perk up to give him a curious glance. His head dipped but eyes looked up, shining a bright amber with blue at the center of his iris.
"How are you fairing?" she asked, reaching into her satchel once more.
"I'm fine," he remarked simply, voice soft and sounding a bit husky in tone. The hooded girl rolled her eyes and put the apple in his open mouth, having soaked the cloth in the stream and putting it to his wound.
There was a definitive whimper and a crunch as the boy bit into the apple.
"What happened?" she asked definitively, hearing him hiss in pain as his eyes flitted up and down, from her own eyes to the hand on his wound.
He opened his mouth to speak once more…
...until heavy footfalls shook the bridge above, a slew of curses pouring forth from the foul mouth of a gruff sounding man.
"By the blazes," the voice yelled out, "where did that damn beast go!?"
The boy seemed to shrink into the underside of the bridge, his breathing stilled and eyes going wide with fear.
Scarlett was confused, having looked into his eyes and seeing an odd sight, aside from his fear. His pupils became slits, reflecting something more akin to a wild animal. It was even more so reflected in his demeanor, the boy curling against the underside of the bridge and using the shade to its fullest effect to look like he wasn't there.
Another set of boots stomped on the bridge, with huffing pants sounding out.
"What are you chasing?" a second man asked while trying to catch his breath.
There was the click of a musket being cocked, the man above apparently having reloaded his rifle.
"I saw that beast that everyone talks about," the first man spoke low and in a deadly tone.
"The wolf?"
"It's more than that. That damn thing is something unnatural. I saw it turning from one form to another, so I shot it."
The girl raised an eyebrow, keeping quiet for reasons unknown to her, but was more concerned about the strangely silent boy.
"You think those werewolf legends about these woods are true?" the second man, who seemed more sensible in tone, questioned. There was a sigh from the first man.
"I don't know but I wasn't about to let that unholy sight turn into my demise," came a fiery retort. The duo's footfalls began to take them off and away from the bridge.
There were minutes of solemn silence, with tepid stares between the two.
Once she was sure the two men were far enough away, she chanced voicing herself by asking, "Did that have anything to do with you?"
The boy's eyes widened, his body shifting uncomfortably. Her own eyes narrowed at him.
"Before you answer, remember that I have a hand on your wound and I can give it a good press…"
"They were hunting me," he barely muttered, his gaze looking down and away from anything in particular.
Scarlett laughed slightly.
"It's not like you're actually some sort of werewolf," the girl sassed sarcastically. "Those two are just belligerent morons. If we get you back to town, I'm sure we can help you better. We'll tell others about those two as well. I couldn't see their faces, but…"
He grasped her wrist rather tight, with her feeling him shaking.
"No… please," he pleaded.
The hooded woman finally got a good look at the dark haired male, with the sun peaking out to reflect off the stream and cast a shimmer on them both.
She didn't notice before, but the boy's head, with hair of onyx black, had ears that seemed to mimic a wolf, with silver tips.
Scarlett gasped and fell back, the boy reaching out to grip her arm and steady her.
"You actually are…" she began, with his ears pinning back in fear of her tone. The look on his face melted her heart, hardly believing this boy was the beast her village liked to spread the tales of all so often.
A beast that hid itself among other humans, feeding on them and using its ability to look like them to garner favor and keep others from attacking them outright. When the moon was full or they chose to, their form was supposedly far more violent and feral, or so the stories went.
In front of her now though… was a boy that seemed far more scared and confused by his predicament than she was by the now brittle validity of those tales.
Speaking of tails… Scarlett now noticed the wispy silver tip of a long black one that whipped back and forth behind him.
"What's your name?" she managed to speak, still unsure how to approach the unknown factor of the strange animalistic boy before her.
With both of them now steady, the blue amber eyed boy squatting in a most feral position, he worked his mouth, unsure what to do for a moment before muttering, "I'm… F-Fenr… Fen. Just Fen."
"Alright 'Just Fen', I'm Scarlett."
"Don't take me into town," Fen barely whispered. "They won't understand. This isn't the first time I've dealt with… those kinds of people."
"So are you…?" Scarlett began, letting the boy finish the implied question in his head. He nodded, standing up and holding his side.
"I'm not a beast though… I didn't ask to be this way," he spoke softly, turning away, but still keeping his gaze locked onto her.
Her hand reached out to clasp his own, as she spoke, "I didn't mean to make you think that. You seem nice… and really gentle. Are you going to be ok?"
"I heal quickly," the boy replied, giving her hand a squeeze and releasing it, beginning to walk away.
Getting up, Scarlett called out, "Wait!"
He paused a second, turning to glance once more at her.
"Will I… see you again?" she barely mumbled. His ears twitched, seeming to hear every word easily.
"You… want to see me again?"
The girl nodded, grabbing her satchel and stepping closer to him.
"I have to make sure you're ok," came her reply.
Fen smiled.
"Will you be making a return trip along this path tomorrow?"
"Yeah… I have to deliver some stuff to family in the woods," she supplied.
Pulling away, he spoke to her gently, "Stick to the path. I'll find you tomorrow then."
"Alright…"
0000000
Coming up to her grandmother's home, she ran up the stoop and gave an energetic knock to her front door, stepping back to patiently wait. It wasn't long before she heard the bar that held the door closed moving with a grinding thump, the heavy door swinging freely to allow her entrance.
Inside, her grandmother stood smiling and dressed to cook.
"You're just in time," she called out in a soft tone, gesturing for her granddaughter to come in. "I was making a stew."
Walking through the threshold, Scarlett lowered her hood.
"Thanks, Gran," the girl responded, taking a seat close to the heart, a fire lit within and a pot hanging above with a simmering stew. She could smell the savory meatiness of it, taking a long draw of breath to let it soak in.
Several minutes passed with near silence, the hooded girl having spooned many mouthfuls of delicious stew into her maw, her grandmother staring with a kind smile and waiting patiently for something to pass.
"So… something on your mind?" she asked evenly, taking up a piece of wood, beginning to whittle at it with a small knife. "Usually, you are quite vocal as soon as you enter the door."
Gulping and trying to figure out how to approach her recent eventful encounter in the forest, she instead tried to focus on something else entirely. It didn't work but she was able to find a compromise that involved not revealing the whole truth.
"I came across some hunters shouting about a beast or something," Scarlett mentioned. "They seemed pretty dead set on the belief that it was real."
"I'm sure they were just seeing things," the elder woman said with a shrug. "Nothing to fear, my child."
"Do you know anything about werewolves? Or the tales they tell about them around the village?"
"Of course I do," her Gran stated as a matter of factly, "but they are simply tales. I'm old enough to know that people always like to tell a good tale. Maybe there is a hint of truth to them, but most telling them like the attention."
"Just humor me," Scarlett offered, setting her now empty bowl down to listen intently.
The older lady sighed, giving the younger a smile as she detailed, "There are many such tales that span decades around this area telling of monsters that bridge the gap between man and beast. Werewolves are basically the center of them all in this region, but little proof has been shown that they exist. Some hunters like to talk about the work of a pack of feral wolves or maybe even a gruesome murder and paint it as the work of such a thing."
The red hooded woman mulled the explanation over, choosing her next words carefully.
"So,... they aren't real?" she inquired curiously.
"I never said that," her grandmother sassily rebuked. "Whether they are real or not is not the question you posed to me. I merely tried to impart to you that you can't listen to tales that might be leaned by fear and malice against things that are different."
"Oh…" Scarlett breathed.
0000000
Leaving her grandmother's home, after a short farewell, Scarlett trudged back down the path, her feet feeling as heavy as her mind.
The sun was fading fast behind the treeline, an orange glow lining the horizon with its burning brightness. The wind was picking up, cloud cover rolling back in to create a multi colored sky.
"Oi! Girl!" a gruff voice called out, seeming slightly familiar to her. She turned, being greeted by a rather large and imposing man who seemed misshapen and unkempt, hefting a musket rifle and patting a knife at the sheath on his hip. "Have you seen a beast around here?"
His voice struck her the same way as the man who was furious from earlier… though his words seemed more slurred. A thought occurred and made Scarlett look to the other side of his hip, a bottle that looked empty hanging from it's fastening.
He was drunk now, his friend from before likely gone for the evening.
"I have not," she replied simply, trying to make her path away from the potential drunkard.
Despite the distance between them, he somehow closed the gap quickly and gripped her arm in a vice.
"I asked you a question, girl…" he slurred. "Show some respect to your elders and answer."
"I told you I have not seen any such thing!" the hooded girl yelled out, twisting herself around to pull her arm from his firm hold.
She was unfortunately struck across the face, thrown to the ground and gasping in shock.
"You can't give me such lip," the hunter spoke low and with malicious intent. He lowered himself, raising a hand to cup a cheek and use his thumb to brush away a lock of hair. His face closed in, the stench of alcohol burning away at her nose from his breath as she tried to push him away.
The man used an arm to pin her leg painfully, with Scarlett ready to scream, the hunter's weight pressing increasingly so upon her.
"I'll have to teach a rebellious girl like you a lesson…." came his aggressive tone, the hand on her leg gravitating higher, much to her panic and fear.
The weight was suddenly lifted from her, with the hunter's eyes going wide as he seemed to be pulled away against his will.
A growing growl, shortly followed by a savage snarl, echoed through the forest, as a dark figure almost effortlessly lifted the hunter up and gave him a tentative sniff. The creature seemed disgusted, turning his face away and tossing the hunter several feet away, his pained grunt sounding out as he hit the ground rolling.
Quickly rising to her feet, the hooded girl began to turn and run, stopped short by a tug to her cloak.
Rounding with a furious fire in her eyes, ready to strike, she hesitated upon seeing a familiar sight.
The boy, Fen, was before her, blue/amber eyes trained on her and tail swishing in an agitated fashion behind him.
"Are you alright?" he spoke in his soft voice, casting a glance towards the stirring hunter, recovering from his recent toss.
"I'm just fine," she voiced angrily, tugging her cloak from the boy's grip. She hadn't a chance to observe him too much before, denoting his average height and lean build, looking well toned in form with arms that seemed a bit larger than his frame might suggest. He stood almost a head taller than her, though that didn't say much, as she was barely taller than five feet to begin with.
Giving the hunter another look, she realized how imposing his frame was, being something that seemed twice the size of Fen's own likeness, giving way to confusion at how he so effortlessly threw him aside like an empty knapsack.
Seeing the hunter stir, his mouth parted and a snarl left it, scaring the hooded girl. She clearly saw fangs protruding from him, ready to rip flesh asunder.
Fen calmed down almost instantly when he turned to see her look, making the quickest transition from looking like a fierce predator to a scared and timid animal. It greatly jarred at Scarlett, her heart feeling a small tug in response.
"I'm sorry," he barely whispered, backing away from the hunter.
The boy seemed ready to run, pausing to give her a glance and seeing the older man struggle to rise to his feet once more. Shaking his head in some internal struggle, he darted with inhuman speed towards her, picking her up and leaping into the trees.
From branch to branch they leapt, with Scarlett hanging on for dear life, the wind rushing past her ears and making her hair flail about wildly.
After many minutes of such leaps and bounds, Fen finally relented to stopping and letting his quarry down from holding her in a cradle position in his arms. He began panting from sheer exhaustion, doubling over to catch his breath.
The hooded woman knelt down and tried to help, resting a hand on his chest and trying to feel the beat of his heart.
What she hadn't expected was that her hand would not touch fabric, but the deep v-neck of his tunic, with her hand resting upon and digging into a very dense though soft layer of what could only be fur. The girl felt like she should have pulled back, with such a thing seeming unnatural in this setting, but Scarlett found herself curling her fingers to dig in slightly, relishing the feel.
Much to either one's surprise, a deep rumble emanated from Fen's chest, making him blush in reaction to it or possibly even her.
Trying to deflect the awkwardness, having pulled her hand back, the girl stated, "You came back for me…"
"I was… worried."
"That's my line," she fired back. "You were the one shot and somehow walking away."
He lifted his shirt, giving her a glance at the previous spot where the wound would have been…
...to which she was greeted by smooth flesh and a small pink mark, like a faded scar.
"I came back because… I never thanked you…" he voiced, tone shaking with a lack of confidence that seemed very well exuded during his short fight with the hunter.
Scarlett began to laugh heartily, falling backward and clutching her middle as her legs kicked.
"You came back to… thank me?" she was barely able to bark out between giggles.
"Is that so difficult to believe?" Fen supplied in inquiry to the boisterous and chuckle bound woman.
Finally ceasing her laughter, she gave him a kind smirk, saying, "I just find your simple intent rather cute."
The dark haired boy blushed further, his cheeks becoming a darker red, ears twitching and tail flicking. He crouched low and went on all fours, stalking closer to her and sniffing the air.
Suddenly, she felt like she was on the defensive, blushing as his nose came within inches of her face. There was the clear sound of him drawing short but rapid breaths, taking in her scent and making her self conscious of it all. His head dipped down, nose digging into her neck and causing Scarlett to let out a small gasp.
Something warm and wet raked over the skin on her neck, with the only viable assumption being that it was Fen's tongue.
The hooded girl yelped and shuffled back awkwardly, trying to distance herself from the strange boy before her, completely unprepared for the odd show of affection… or whatever that was.
"Sorry," he whispered, backing up and sitting back. "I just thought you smelled… familiar."
"Familiar or not, you don't go licking my neck!" came her furious complaint. The wolf boy's ears pinned back, his face looking rather downtrodden and chastened. It softened her heart to see such a pure boy acting as he did, so honest and without hiding his emotions.
Sighing, she followed up by telling him, "Just… try to ask me before you go doing things like that… alright?"
He nodded feverishly, happy at a chance to quell her anger. Fen came in close again, tail swishing around happily.
"Can I accompany you to the edge of the forest?"
This surprised her, remembering that he seemed so well against going anywhere near town before.
"I thought you didn't want to go into town?" Scarlett began in question.
The boy's ears dipped once more as he thought on it, replying with, "I don't, so I was going to accompany you to the edge of the woods and let you make your way without me."
"Fair enough," the girl conceded. "I won't stop you… but will you feel safe?"
"I… can hold my own," he offered half heartedly, looking away and trying to hide a dejected look.
Scarlett cupped his cheek and turned Fen's face to meet her own, pressing her forehead to his as she spoke, "Don't force yourself to follow me if you don't feel so inclined. I'm a big girl. I can handle myself."
With eyes wide and casting a glance up towards her own, his cheeks warm and glowing red, he looked down and gave her a timid nod, backing away with a quivering lip.
"Goodbye, Scarlett. I'll see you tomorrow still, I should hope."
At that, he got up and turned away, leaping into the dense canopy of trees.
The hooded girl felt a bit abandoned, not knowing exactly where she was left to pick herself up and scout the way back.
To her enormous relief, there were the distant flickers of torches and smoke trails of the town nearby, with her home a not so distant blip within sight.
Almost without an ability to measure time, her dazed footsteps took her through the threshold of her home and into bed, collapsing with barely the mental energy to bar her door and light a fire in the hearth for the night's coming chill.
Sleep came almost too quickly, her eyelids becoming heavy and closing with finality towards rest.
0000000
The next few days were met with passing meetings and soft spoken conversations. It was quite clear to Scarlett after only the first such meeting that he was not very social in any aspect, his demeanor and approach to interactions being more animal than human.
The hooded girl was finding herself much in preference of it, to be honest, with his proclivity to be as he was towards her a boon of pure hearted honesty and will.
Men had tried to court her rather crudely before, treating her as more of a commodity to the home than an actual person to be considered. The hunter's drunken and fumbling failed attack on her was not the first attempt, as shocking and off putting as it was. She was never truly taken advantage of, but there was no lack of trying on occasion.
Fen was different. He was clearly intrigued by her, though whether romantic or purely animal curiosity, she could not say as of yet. To think he was some bloodthirsty werewolf seemed a laughable delusion at this point, with her interactions of him denoting a rather sensitive and fearful boy who only wanted companionship.
Even so, it was rather obvious that he wasn't human. His differences did make him wary of others, with it being evident when walking together and his ears would perk at every sound that seemed human or human influenced. A rifle shot. A trap snapping shut. A spark of stones to start a fire. Even heavy footsteps breaking branches.
Despite all the reservations, Scarlett found herself interested in knowing him further, wanting to spend more time with him.
On her back stoop, staring out into the forest, like she had taken up doing for the past few nights, the girl watched the swaying branches and leaves in the fading light of the sunset.
It was about time for her to think about heading in to fix herself something for dinner and possibly head off to sleep.
Getting up to go inside, she heard a groaning sound, freezing and turning to see someone limping and shuffling towards her home.
"Scarlett…" Fen's voice called out weakly, with her having instantly recognized his soft tone. She bolted to him across the gap that lie between them, catching the dark haired boy before he could fall.
Nearly dragging his limping body all on her own, she was about to get him up into her cottage and set him into the chair in front of her hearth, the light from the fire illuminating the problem that affected him so.
His tattered clothing was ever more so, with multiple tears and cuts across the wraps and other such fabric. Blood seeped slowing from many shallow wounds, his leg being of greatest concern, with a sizeable gash running along the outside in a diagonal fashion.
"What happened?" she called out to him, his eyes heavy and dazed, barely able to look her straight in the eye, let alone respond to her.
"Hunter attacked… I ran… and then…. A bear…" he barely mumbled to her, Scarlett rummaging through her supplies and getting out as much bandaging cloth as she could, filling a pot with water and sticking it over the fire to warm it.
Sighing in reaction to his short explanation, the hooded girl found a bag of herbs, dipping the poultice in the water and pressing it to his most concerning wound.
Fen whined and whimpered in pain, trying his best not to thrash but still digging claws into her chair.
….claws?
The light was flickering, but her sight offered her a view well enough to see what was different.
Fen was definitely changed in some manner, with his face covered by a dark fur that seemed dense, though soft. His arms and legs were similar, with longer fangs and his hands beginning to resemble paws with claws.
"Are you… changing?" she dared to ask of the boy.
His eyes went wide, lifting a hand/paw to stare intently at it with fear, then drifting his gaze to her, eyes watering slightly.
He tried to get up and run, putting too much weight on his bad leg and falling to the floor.
"Woah! Stop moving, Fen," she pleaded, trying to guide him back to the chair once more. He meekly fought against her, tears now falling liberally from his eyes, staining the fur of his cheeks. "What's wrong? What did I do?"
"It's not you… it's me…" he breathed, a raspy whisper to his voice that made her heart break to hear, a pain coming to the surface that she hadn't felt from him yet. "There is another side of me… that I don't want to come out. I'm scared…"
Eventually endeavoring to sit him back down, Scarlett let the inquiry go, hoping to allay his fears later, though his seeping wounds took precedence.
Working expeditiously, she laboriously made sure to bandage and cover any wounds she could find. In the process, she had to remove most of his clothing, needing the shredded garments he wore out of the way, barring a stray scrap of fabric getting lodged underneath a bandage and agitating a wound.
Though she felt a bit guilty thinking so, she mused about the form that lie before her. With the loose clothing on previously, it was difficult to ascertain the level of musculature he had, what with seeing the wolf boy throw a man larger than him with ease.
He looked like a man that was turning into a feral creature, a lean build with less meat on the bones than most men she knew, but well defined. She placed a hand on his chest, the dense and short fur feeling very soft, almost like the furs that hunters brought back for use in clothing.
His eyes hazily focused on her hand, a deep rumbling growl vibrating his torso, followed by a tepid whine.
"Is that… part of your process?" Fen asked in a hushed tone, uncertainty lining his voice.
Scarlett saw his face flush, smiling up at him as she couldn't help but compare this boy to an animal in his reactions, with the most recent one reminding her of a neighbor's pet during a belly rub.
"Sorry," she remarked. "I got a little distracted."
Thankfully, he hadn't seemed to pick up on anything, cocking his head to one side and swiveling an ear towards her. There was an innocence to his way of thinking that tugged at her heart strings.
Shaking her head at the last thought, the girl made final adjustments to his bandages, stepping back to allow him to try moving a bit.
Fen gave himself a curious stare, immediately using his hands to tug and flick at the bandage edges.
"It's itchy…" he whined, ears pinning down. Scarlett was having a difficult time not breaking into a smile at his antics, each of which was oddly cute in her eyes.
"But they'll keep unwanted things out and allow you to heal properly," she managed to say in a serious tone, smacking a hand of his away from the neat wrappings.
"I'll be fine…" he murmured weakly.
"Then why did you come to me?"
Fen's eyes bulged out, blinking in mild surprise, as it seemed even he didn't seem to know exactly why. Grabbing the blanket that was provided to him, he covered himself.
Lowering his head, he muttered, "I was scared… and alone."
The flickering gaze up to Scarlett's eyes, blue/amber eyes casting down and away, as if contemplating something he may have done wrong, struck another cord within her.
"Alright… but why me? And why would they attack you like that?"
"I don't know…," Fen barely spoke. "It was the same hunter from before and he seemed bent on capturing or killing me."
He took a breath and continued, "As for why I came to you… I think it's because you don't treat me like they do. I'm… hu… a person to you."
"Were you gonna say 'human'?" She asked almost rhetorically. He nodded, looking at his hand/paw in lamentation. "What's this other side you're so scared of?"
Fen's eyes locked onto her, pupils now confined down to predatory slits, a low growl to his voice as he said, "I'm a werewolf, cursed to walk as neither human or animal, but a fusion of both. When I'm calm, I can retain my more human form… but during full moons or when I'm in great distress… my more primal side comes to the surface."
"A-alr-right," she stuttered at first, clearing her throat in an effort to collect herself. His words weren't so imposing to cause her nervousness so much as the intimidating stare from him now. "But why does it scare you?"
The wolf boy's eyes reverted back to a more rounded and human look, with a hazy and glazed detail to them now that seemed as if he might shed a tear.
"I can't control my other side… not well at least," Fen's tone voiced softly, a small amount of cracking to it. "I've hurt people in the past and I fear what I'll do every time I feel close to changing."
"You don't seem dangerous to me," Scarlett spoke, moving in closer. The wolf boy tensed up and dipped his head down, digging his chin into his collarbone. Her open hand pressed to his chest, with the upper portion exposed from the blanket. Her fingers dug into his chest fur, running side to side and causing his breathing to grow slower.
His chest rose high and fell slow, the fur seeming to disappear mostly, giving way to human skin once more. Fen's fangs receded and claws turned back into nails.
The hooded girl could feel his heartbeat become slow but still seemed powerful, with each beat sending shivers up her arm.
"See?" she told him, giving the boy a kind smile. "You aren't dangerous. And I won't hurt you."
Hope you enjoyed this!
Another thing...
I'm also releasing this today specifically because, as of three years ago today, it was the day I asked out and began dating the love of my life, of whom I've based my main female lead off of.
Yes... I asked her out on April Fool's day. Surprised? I was. I didn't even know until she called me the next day wondering if asking her happened to be a joke. I was almost tempted to say yes to tease her... but then I might never have heard from her again. haha.
Thanks again for your interest!
