He had been separated from the others again while looking for food. Not that it had really bothered him; he had been alone for a long time before. Tsume was always a loner, even when he was in a pack. He did things his own way, only tolerating the way of others for a small amount of time, getting angry with it after awhile.
He was a normal sized wolf with many shades of grey fur. His belly, chest, and the bridge of his canine nose were the lightest shade, while the rest was basically a darker one. On the middle of his chest was a discoloration were a scar lay in an X, the edges ragged, the color somewhat white.
The grey wolf slinked through the bushes, golden eyes spotting a lone rabbit, so juicy and yummy-looking with its plump body, as it sat, resting for awhile, probably even eating something.
Tsume took a step forward, paw digging into the dusty dirt, making a small sound. The rabbit's head snapped up, one long ear off drooping off to the side a bit, little pink nose twitching. Its beady black eyes blinked and the wolf stiffened and stood still, watching closely.
The rabbit returned to eating.
Now was his chance: now or nothing. He leapt off, missing by two centimeters and slid across the dirt and gave chase after his prey. Prey and predator zigged and zagged through bushes, over roots, and under low branches.
By now Tsume was panting and becoming annoyed with the stupid animal. Why didn't it just give up? It knew he was going to get it, so why try to run?
Instinct. The wolf mused, taking one final leap at the rabbit. Pure satisfaction rushed through him when teeth met with fur and meat, blood filling the wolf's mouth. The body gave one concluding twitch for escape, before becoming limp.
The prey was caught, time to eat.
And eat was what the grey wolf did; he devoured the flesh until there was nothing but bone and a few bits of bunny fur. Licking his muzzle clean of blood, Tsume sniffed the air. Water was near by and that was exactly what he wanted after eating a full meal like he did.
Of course, he could've eaten fifteen more rabbits, but one was enough for him. He didn't want to become like Hige: porky and pudgy.
His mind went wandering as he meandered through the forest, following the scent of water; large paws crunching dried twigs and leaves as he did so. It was only when he had reached the scent of water that he took in the scene that lay before him.
The source of the water came from a rather large waterfall that went into an equally large lake; that of which was surrounded by deep green thickets of brush. It was nighttime, if the full moon and the stars in the sky was anything to go by. The sky was only slightly cloudy, creating a faint haze across the heavens.
Silently, Tsume made his way to the lake and took his fill of the clear liquid, licking his chops when he was finished. He casually sniffed the atmosphere, finding it crisp and clear. His golden eyes blinked when his canine smell caught a peculiar scent; one that he just couldn't identify. He found it coming from his right, so he turned quickly.
And there sat a pile of human clothing.
The wolves sniffed again, coming closer to the fabric as if it would help him identify what the hell the scent was, even give him a clue.
He snuffled each article, getting aggravated when he still couldn't figure out what it was, and when he got his long nose stuck in a sock.
Geez, didn't he ever learn!
Tsume laid down, humiliated in his own mind. Although with others, be it human or wolf, he acted like he was mature, an adult, which he was, but he was still a pup deep inside and got curious every so often.
It was these little moments of curiosity that got him into trouble very similar to his current situation. It was always a sock, or an empty cardboard roll, or something tubular that always had him at its whim.
The wolf put his front paws on the parts of the sock that his nose didn't inhabit and tugged, pulling his head away while his paws held the article down to the ground. Finally, after much agitation and growls, he got his nose unstuck and he inhaled the crisp night air.
It was strange to him, but the scent that had come from even the sock was pleasant.
A sudden splash of water and a gasp of air from the direction of the lake drew his attention from his thoughts. The canine turn his massive grey head, gold eyes alert, ears straight up in the air, tail raised in the same manner as his ears, to stare into the eyes of a female human.
The same scent from the clothes wavered off the human girl that stood in the water, so he guessed that they belonged to her. That and the fact that she was naked gave him a clue.
Golden canine eyes traveled down the girl's body as she stood, staring and watching with curious red eyes.
She had long, raven black hair that flowed down gracefully past her hips in natural layers. Her face was only very slightly rounded, so she must've been in her teen years, he noticed. As he let his gaze travel down past her face, he saw that she was physically fit. Her breasts were nearly full in bloom, and her waist was small. All in all, she had a petite body frame.
Tsume sat down, front paws in between his hind ones, grey bushy tail lying docile behind him. He was sitting near her clothing and he saw her glance between him and her possessions.
Finally, she spoke. "Um…hi…" she said cautiously as she stepped closer to the wolf, water sloshing around her as she came closer to the bank. The wolf's eyes still watched her closely. She spoke again, "Can I, uh, have my clothes?" she questioned him, gesturing to the articles of clothing the lay beside him.
He glanced at them briefly before staring at the girl again. She apparently took his actions as a no and stood still. Pouting, she sat on her knees in the water, which lapped up to just below her chest and crossed her arms over her breasts. Then, with new resolve, she made her way to the bank and sat down on her knees again.
Tsume's tail wagged a little. This girl was amusing to him. Never had a human acted like this in front of a wolf.
But soon amusement turned to confusion, then to alertness, then to rage when she just stared directly into his canine eyes, unafraid.
The wolf growled a warning, now standing up, tail raised, ears pinned back, and his lips curled up in a snarl, showing large fangs.
But she sat unmoving, eyes piercing into his.
He leaped at her and she didn't have anytime to react, only letting out a yelp as her head hit the ground hard, knocking her breath away. She stared even now, eyes wide, not with fear, but with interest and surprise as a low growl emitted from his throat.
Another warning.
But she still stared, not getting it. Tsume growled again. He didn't like that she was continuing to stare so intensely into his eyes like she was. Especially on the full moon when his instincts were at their highest.
In one quick movement, he had given her a warning bite at the point where the side of her neck met with her shoulder. She let out a sound and her arms made a motion to grab at the wound, but the wolf's body prevented her from doing so.
She looked up again, this time not staring so deeply into his eyes like before. The girl had gotten the message now and Tsume relaxed a bit. Leaning his massive head down, his large pink tongue licked at the injury, effectively cleaning it and earning a small, almost inaudible sigh of relief and—
Pleasure!
The wolf's head moved away from her neck to find that she had moved her head to the side and was breathing deeply, her crimson eyes closed. He guessed that she was almost asleep and, with another glance at her body again, that she was naked still. Lowering his canine body down, he covered the girl as best as he could, keeping her warm and safe from the elements.
Closing his yellow eyes and licking the small bite of warning that he had given the human again, he rested his head on her chest so that he could listen to her heart, making sure that she was still alive.
And her heart beat strongly and steadily, if not as deep as her breaths. Soon, he, himself, fell asleep with the human girl whose scent had gotten him curious. One that he wouldn't soon forget.
