The sun hung low, slowly setting beneath the horizon, gilding the treetops in golden light.
Outside of town, hidden from view by a copse of trees there stood a small cottage. Its walls of wood absorbed the sun's dying rays, accumulating warmth that seeped into the house, adding new heat to the embers of a fire that mirrored its massive, far away solar counterpart.
But all the beauty of the surrounding forest dyed in swaths of sunset went unnoticed by the lovers within the cottage.
Instead they lay tangled on the couch, gazing at each other. They had long washed of the sweet sweat of their earlier love making and were sprawled on the cushions, hair still damp from their shared shower.
The silver-blonde woman looked up at her lover, blue eyes meeting brown. She gazed upon his stubble dusted face lovingly, smiling as he looked back at her with equal passion and tenderness.
She snuggled further into his warm chest fondly recalling the day they had first met.
She had found him wounded in the woods and saved him.
There in a clearing she could clearly see a man lying wounded upon his back. As she got closer she realized that the blood seeped out from a rather nasty gash in his side. His prone form laid still but his face twisted into this and that obviously conveying his agony. With his stubble and a halo of long, sleek hair he looked lost between elegant and scruffy. She rushed over and reached down to touch him but no sooner had she bent her knees that a thunderous growl rumbled from her right. The sound sent shivers through her, instinct screaming at her to flee. She backed away from the man slowly, the source of the terrible noise coming into view.
The mountain of grey fur and coiled muscle approached the body slowly keeping its golden eyes on her, teeth bared.
'A dire wolf' she thought, amazed and terrified 'Father used to tell me stories but… I never thought I'd actually see one…'
The creature crept closer, causing her to retreat even further and her heart sank as it got even closer to the wounded stranger.
'Is that man it's kill?' She wondered, horrified at the thought. She was about to rip a branch from a tree and run to the wounded man but stopped when the beast leaned in and nudged the man with its muzzle.
The man opened his eyes and tried to manage a smile at it. The beast stared back balefully.
"Gouen…don't worry. I'll be… fine" he whispered between coughs.
The massive wolf gave a soft, growling yip-bark and shook its head.
"I know *cough* I know… Stupid silver dagger…"
This time there was a snarl, a whine followed by a rolling growl.
She stood stock still, amazed by the events unfolding before her.
'That man is obviously dying… and he's having some sort of nonchalant conversation… with a wolf…that's eight times his size…'
She shook her head and pinched her arm, ensuring she was indeed still in reality.
She now noticed that the man had turned to look at her and he beckoned her over weakly with one hand.
"Hello" he rasped a hand making its way to his wound in a sluggish attempt to staunch the blood rushing from it and to hide it from the silvernette.
"'Hello'? 'Hello'?!" she nearly yelled, anger bubbling up suddenly " You're lying on the forest floor, bleeding out as you have a little chat with a giant wolf and all you have to say is a lousy hello?!"
"Don't worry" he coughed "I just need to stop the bleeding. My body heals incredibly fast"
The woman merely scoffed before tearing the bottom of her dress to press upon his wound all the while mumbling something about how men always think they're super human.
"What happened?"
"Well *cough* long story short, some bastard came out of nowhere and stabbed me with a bloody damn silver dagger". The man groaned at the memory, shame bringing slight color back into his pale cheeks.
'Silver dagger?' The woman thought. Silver….Silver!
"You're a werewolf, aren't you?" she asked in an unreadable tone.
Sadness colored the man's eyes and he turned away mumbling affirmation.
"If you do not wish to help me any longer *cough* I understand." The woman seemed to contemplate this for a moment. The villagers would skin her alive if they caught word of her their encounter. After all, this entire town's favorite hobby was slaying beasts of any kind; if it had sharp teeth it was going to become a wall mount.
Scoffing again she ripped another piece from her skirts and beckoned the wolf over.
"If we're to get to my cottage before nightfall I suggest you get your friend to help carry you."
The man's eyes lit up in confusion then softened in gratitude.
"Thank you miss…?"
"Annabelle." She replied over her shoulder "Annabelle Ravenwright."
The brunette coughed and smiled crookedly.
"Valkenhayn Hellsing"
It had been a year since then and they had moved on to become lovers; Annabelle finding comfort in Valkenhayn's crooked smile and he finding solace in her deep silver eyes.
Which is why when the villagers came marching to her cottage in a rage they gazed at each other with wistfully despairing eyes. This day had been coming; they had known it from the start. The pair had prepared for this day and so when they kissed for the last time and Valkenhayn swore he'd return one day, Annabelle held back her tears.
Only when he had fled into the forest, townsfolk on his tail, did she let the tears fall. Salty ache trailed down her cheeks, the lack of his warmth leaving her in agony.
In her pain she sank to the floor, sobs wracking her body as she whispered,
"You better come back… For both of us"
Then she draped herself on the floor, a sobbing wreck, with both hands on her slightly swelled stomach.