Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Title: The Wolf Girl's Mate
Summary: A wolf found a dying woman in the middle of the forest and rescued her…shapeshifter AU, ShizNat…Chapter 1 edited and revised but no plans have been made to continue the story
Disclaimer: Mai-Hime is owned by Sunrise
Chapter 1: The Mysterious Scarlet Goddess
Somewhere in the middle of a forest on the outskirts of Fuka, a huge, gray wolf pointed her muzzle at the sky, breathing in the usual forest scents when a peculiar scent caught her attention. It was the scent of blood, human blood and lots of it. Despite the danger of venturing out too far alone, the wolf decided to investigate and access the dangers by herself before alerting the pack. As the alpha, she has the responsibility of, first and foremost, protecting them. No harm would ever threaten her pack if she could help it. Navigating the thick undergrowth on silent paws, the scent of fresh blood gradually became stronger and the wolf subconsciously tensed her body in preparation for a fight.
It wasn't long before the trees and bushes began to thin out, revealing a small clearing where the scent of blood was the most potent. Emerald green eyes widen in equal parts surprise and anger as the wolf took in the aftermath of a brutal attack. The gray wolf approached the body warily in case the attackers are still around though she couldn't help but whimper in sympathy as the wolf investigated the clearing for clues to piece together what actually happened.
A woman lay in a pool of her own blood, bleeding out from multiple lacerations. But from what the wolf could tell from underneath all the blood, the worst was the gaping hole in the woman's abdomen where blood was flowing out freely. And the shine of intestines peeking from the wound had the wolf heaving in reflex, glad that she's not human at the moment. It was a gruesome scene but there weren't any paw prints or scents to indicate a wild animal was the cause so the wolf can only conclude that it wasn't an accident especially since she could pick up the faint scent of humans at the edge of the clearing – a small group, three or maybe more. On closer inspection, the wounds did not look like they are from claws or fangs and it only confirmed her theory.
Hovering over the dying woman for one last time, the wolf swore her heart skipped a beat. Even on her deathbed, the woman was beautiful, too beautiful to have been murdered by a lowlife and left in a forest to never be found. The wolf could see that the woman's long locks was a light honey color and looked well cared for beneath the all the blood. And looking at her vacant reddish brown orbs, the wolf imagined that in life, they would probably be a beautiful but unusual color of wine and they would be expressive and sincere. The wolf can only imagine what the woman's life used to be like before as she padded away slowly from the crime scene, leaving a trail of bloody paw prints. A distance away, she sighed, her eyes sad as she took another look back at the woman who had somehow effortlessly captured her heart. A howl in the distance told her that she should be heading back but the throbbing pain in her chest had her walking back towards her first love. Checking that the woman was still holding desperately holding onto life, the wolf vowed to save and protect her even if it requires a literal miracle.
Breathing in several deep breathes, she stilled her mind for the transformation only to be distracted by rustling. The wolf snarled in frustration at the scavenger that must have also followed the scent of blood in the air. Hackles raised and teeth bared, she lunged at the smaller predator with the intention of scaring it away and with a yip, the fox quickly disappeared back into the forest. Distantly, she was surprised it had taken this long for someone else to come sniffing around.
Her second attempt at transformation was more successful this time around as she felt her bones crack into place and her fur recede from her body to grow into a curtain of cobalt locks, followed by pale skin and a set of fingers and toes. It's always a peculiar feeling to change forms because while she's aware that it's probably extremely painful to rearrange her body like that, it doesn't feel like anything at all though it's always disorienting to suddenly have dulled senses. By the time the transformation's complete, it had only been a few moments and the only remnants of her canine counterpart were her prominent canines and her now visible wolf-shaped birthmark on her hip. Her emerald eyes and toned musculature remained though her furry ears and bushy tail disappeared.
She quickly got used to her human body and knelt into pool of blood, a bare arm cradling the woman's limp body as the other hand gently tilted the woman's bruised and bloody chin upwards so that the wolf girl can access the dying girl's lips. "I don't know what this feeling is but if I want to have any chance of saving you, I'll have to do this."
Leaning forward, the girl was once again dazed by the woman's almost ethereal beauty and she vowed again to always protect her from harm even if she doesn't even know the woman's name yet. A light blush inevitably crept up to stain her pale cheeks as the wolf girl belatedly realized that she had been staring at the dying woman's lips for awhile. "Huh?! What am I doing daydreaming?! This is not the time for this." The bluenette shook her head in frustration as she tried to regain her focus on the matter at hand. Not even a miracle can save the crimson-eyed beauty if her heart gives up the fight.
Unbeknownst to the wolf girl, as the dying woman breathed her last, she regained consciousness. She felt no pain though her body felt heavy and she could not move even if she wanted to. Memories flitted through her mind's eye – memories of her father, memories of her childhood, fond memories all as if everything that happened for the past few years has been erased. "Ara, is this what death feels like? No pain? No nothing?" The honey-haired woman wondered as she finally noticed the girl holding her ever so gently.
As crimson orbs fixed themselves on a very naked and very oblivious cobalt blue-haired, emerald green-eyed girl, she thought the girl must be an angel and it felt warm to be in the embrace of this angel. She continued to gaze serenely at the angel before her as the angel mumbled something she couldn't quite catch through the haze of numbness and the strangest and yet the cutest expression flashed across her face. Fine blue eyebrows were furrowed together, almost creating a straight line as a look of frustration graced her angelic features. The crimson-eyed beauty couldn't help but let out a small smile as the thought crossed her mind, "Ara, is this cute, little angel frustrated that I died in such an ungraceful and messy way?"
Cursing softly, the wolf girl stopped her own inner musing and finally returned her attention to her task at hand. She was surprised and relieved to see the woman had somehow defied the damage to her body and regained consciousness. The woman was even smiling a little and it only emphasized how naturally beautiful she is. But it also worried the wolf girl that she might be running out of time.
In a rushed panic, she instinctively leaned forward to capture soft lips, thus, channelling some of her life force into the woman, effectively binding them together for all eternity. They would share the same life force and their soul would be intertwined with the other, incapable of being separated. Their path would forever be crossed no matter how far they physically stayed away from each other. If one of them were to somehow die whether from injuries or old age, then the other too would soon follow suit. And if the honey-haired woman still died despite all, she would be giving up her own life as well.
Crimson eyes widen when the angel leaned forward to kiss her but while chaste, this kiss felt very different from the ones she was used to. It was sweet and gentle, taking no more than she was willing to give. She felt protected even though she was essentially being kissed by a stranger and soon relaxed into the kiss. The kiss lasted for a few short seconds where warmth spread through her entire being and she thought that it'll finally be over as gradually she slipped into darkness once more.
A/N: I formally apologize to those who read this story and have been waiting for an update for years. A lot has happened but I will not ask for forgiveness. I have no plans to continue the story to its conclusion because I have changed and it was a different person who wrote this. Once again, I apologize. I thank you for your patience all this while.