A/N: As always, I don't own anything. Please enjoy and review.
There is a legend followers of Artemis tell, a story of two young disciples, their names have been long since lost but it is a myth of a wolf and a maiden, or a hunter and a wolf, depending on who you ask. In every story, they are devoted followers of the Hunt. The truth of the tale has distorted over times and retellings. In some, they are lovers from youth who set out seeking adventure, in others, they are warriors on opposing sides and their love quells an old conflict. In rare versions, they are a team, partners, wives and equals, one gifted with supernatural abilities, the other with great courage and they fight against great injustices.
The truth is much simpler than that and starts in a way no one would ever expect.
Red sniffs, testing the air. She pads forward, paws sinking slightly into the soft earth as she attempts to locate her prey. Her face rises to the sky, staring at the almost perfect moon.
She shakes herself and kicks out her hind legs, not allowing the wolf to take over. Her nose returns to the ground, seeking the scent when there is a twang from behind her and before she can dodge, a silver bolt embeds itself into her back leg.
A howl escapes her and her head snaps to the Hunter – only someone trained would be carrying silver bolts – as she approaches, crossbow steady in her grip as she reloads. The moonlight highlights her narrow face and the fact there is no fear in her dark eyes.
Red tests her leg gingerly and – ignoring the burning sensation – considers it a minor issue. Just as the Hunter is about to fire, Red pounces, forcing her entire body weight onto the Hunter. She hears the clang as the crossbow drops to the forest floor and the slight hiss as a knife leaves its sheath and it is high time for Red to leave.
She pushes off the Hunter and bounds away – the best she can with an injured leg. She quickly disappears into the underbrush to lick her wounds and consider her next move.
Red groans as she regains consciousness, sunlight streaming through her window. She is suddenly glad she paid extra for her own room as she notices the mess she made as she stumbled back last night.
She lifts the blanket and examines her wound, cursing again. It would have been nearly healed by now if it hadn't been for that nasty silver.
The smells from downstairs eventually encourage Red to rise from the bed and limp to her basin, washing and redressing the wound. It is more of an inconvenience than anything but she was simply glad she has another two nights of transformations to speed up the healing process.
She pulls out a dress, deciding she hopefully won't need to manoeuvrability of pants today and the skirt will help to hide her wound from prying eyes. She grabs her necklace from the nightstand, pulling it over her head, the bow and arrow of Artemis falling between her breasts. Traditional necklaces are made from silver but she's pretty sure the Goddess has bigger things to worry about than minor changes to pendants.
Once she is satisfied with her appearance – what she can see in her warped mirror – she makes her way downstairs for some breakfast.
She didn't have time to eat while transformed last night and that always leaves her famished the next day, evidenced by the way she digs into the eggs and sausages provided.
The tavern is nearly empty at this hour of the morning, most patrons having their own work to do but Red's head snaps when she hears footsteps on the landing, bringing scents of earth, grass and most distinctly, silver.
The steely-eyed woman – Hunter, she corrects – makes her way to the bar to order some breakfast and finds a table across the room from Ruby. She scoffs at her luck, of all the inns she decided to choose, she had to pick the one with the Hunter who actually managed to put a bolt in her.
Red scoops her last remnants of breakfast into her mouth and makes her way out of the tavern. There is no way the Hunter will be able to recognise her out of wolf form but she doesn't like to take chances, especially when she has a job to do.
Their eyes lock as Red reaches the door, freezing like the rabbits she so often devours. The other woman's gaze is hard and fierce but Red sees something deeper, a loneliness she often feels herself.
She pulls open the door before she can do anything idiotic and exits the building, breathing in the fresh air. She filters out the scents of people and the stench that comes with and focuses on the surrounding forest, until her lungs are filled with pine and damp earth.
Once calmed, she decides to pick up her trail from yesterday to make some progress before nightfall.
There is a peace that can be found as she races through the trees, paws barely touching the ground. She is connected to her environment, to the world and there is peace and that is the danger. If Red reveals in the peace for too long, the wolf will rise and take control and if she resists the peace, she will lose mastery of her form. It is a slippery slope, a dangerous battle, but one Red relishes every full moon.
Its power is strongest tonight and she feels it through her veins, unable to resist howling, grateful for her strength. The scent of the other is stronger tonight, likely savouring the same sensation Red is.
There is another scent – weaker, hidden – but Red detects it all the same, earth, grass, and silver and she treads cautiously, not wanting to have to deal with another bolt in her hide.
Both scents are growing stronger when Red hears a whine and a metallic smell invades her senses and she can almost feel the rage that must be building. She picks up her pace and emerges in a forest clearing to see the Hunter facing off with a copper wolf, one who was already bitten the bolt out.
The Hunter is quickly reloading, not backing down as the wolf approaches, growling and for a moment, Red waits. Her target is here, a nuisance to the wolf community evident by the fact – Red tests the scent of the wolf – he, she decides, brought a Hunter to his doorstep.
She had come to send a message about sticking to meat that won't come to bite them all in the ass but clad in her wolf skin, she sees an opportunity. The moonlight fills her and she wishes for them to destroy the other, both dangers to her kind.
It is Red who bounds forward, not willing to let more human blood be spilt while she is under the influence of her wolf and pushes into the other wolf as he leaps at the Hunter. They struggle on the forest floor, biting and growling. She seeks his mind as she does so, coming up against his barriers but pushes against them, as much a fight as their physical one.
She smells the surprise of the Hunter and hopes she will not be an issue as she bares her teeth at the other wolf's throat and he opens his mind to her, unresisting.
What is your name, foolish one?
Quinn.
You know humans are off limits, Quinn.
Their meat is so much sweeter. We are the hunters! Why must we follow the whims of those who live in fear of humans?
Because, a sweet meal in your belly is not worth the death and pain you will bring to those who co-exist.
Cowards.
You are the coward. This is your final chance, act out of line again and you will truly discover what it is to be prey.
Red nips at his throat, drawing blood and tasting, becoming more attuned to his scent. It would be very hard for him to hide from her now.
He bounds away when she moves off, whimpering all the while and Ruby turns her golden eyes to consider the Hunter, crossbow nocked.
"You saved me," it's a statement rather than a question and the Hunter lowers her crossbow with a sigh.
"I hadn't realised you could be intelligent in wolf form," the Hunter mutters, likely to herself but Red hears it anyway and does her best to emulate the human expression of disdain on her wolf's face.
The message seems to get across as she detects the flush spreading across the other woman's cheeks.
Red laughs, which comes out more as a yipping noise and then leaps away, the night cloaking her from the Hunter's view.
Red spends her next day casually observing the Hunter, whom she eventually learns is named Marian. Marian surprises Red by loitering, she had expected the Hunter to leave and wonders if she is going to attempt another attack on herself or Quinn.
She looks up to the sky on her seat in the town square, feeling for her power. It is the last night of the transformation but the moon has weakened enough that she could likely resist the change if she tried.
Her eyes wander back to Marian, in a deep discussion with the blacksmith, likely having additional weapons forged. Red takes a moment to observe the other woman, her proud stance and educated tongue already setting her apart from the rest of the villagers. She is dressed in pants and a shirt, practical and patched, the only concession to style seeming to be her purple cloak.
She idly wonders how many knives she has stashed about her person and dismisses the thought that it would be fun to find out. Her attraction to the other woman comes as no surprise to Red as Marian is quite the beauty, especially with her obvious wit and courage. But she is a Hunter and that thought should quell all of Red's ardour. She stretches out her body in an attempt to flush the emotions out, wondering if it is an effect of the primal emotions the wolf feels.
The deal seems to have been completed as Marian walks away, smelling pleased. She is distracted from her path back to the inn by some children in the square, aiming slingshots at pigeons. There is a little girl sitting on the edge of the group, obviously wishing to join and likely told to sit out by the boys.
Marian walks over to her and removes her cloak, carefully laying it next to her before squatting at the girl's level. Red is distracted from what they are saying by the necklace that dangles out of Marian's shirt and finds its golden twin in her own shirt, rubbing the bow and arrow.
She sits back on the bench bitterly, wondering how two worshippers of Artemis came to be on different sides. Artemis was Goddess of the Hunt, wild animals, the Moon and forests. How then could Marian hunt those who could only reveal themselves by one of Artemis' sacred symbols?
Soon enough, the girl is using her sling shot with the boys and actually manages to hit one of the pigeons, quickly scrambling to grab her prize, likely to go in her families' cook pot. She considers Marian then and wonders which one, if any one of them, would have Artemis' favour.
Red is correct in her assumption that Marian would return to the forest that night. What she had not expected was to see Marian seated in the same clearing she saved her life, crossbow intentionally left out of reach.
If she hadn't been able to hear the other woman's heartbeat, she would have guessed she was completely calm, still in control of the situation even though she was literally asking to speak with a werewolf on the night of a full moon, fading though it may be.
Red pads forward, no longer attempting to hide her presence and Marian's eyes snap open, her heart rate spiking. Her eyes are still steely and her voice is steady, Red is impressed.
"I was hoping you would come," she says clearly and Red dips her head.
"Is there a way for us to talk?" She ventures, "Or do I have to interpret your growls and snuffles?"
Red frowns at that – as much she can in wolf form – and cocks her head to the side, a question.
"I vow not to hurt you," Marian says, pulling out her pendant, "I swear it on the Lady's name."
She considers, head still tilted to the side. She should walk away, most would consider it suicide to reveal their human form to a Hunter. But Red is nothing but curious and allows her body to change, fur receding and limps extending.
Red stretches, adjusting to her different form and moves to sit before Marian, who is gaping in shock.
"You?" Marian whispers incredulously. She quickly pulls her cloak off and passes it to Red as she sits, Red accepting it after a moment. She often forgets after being the wolf that skin is something that needs to be covered.
"What did you wish to speak about?" Red asks huskily, clearing her throat.
"You saved my life."
"That's not a question."
"That's not an answer."
Red sighs and adjusts on the ground, not finding it as comfortable as when she is in her other form.
"What of it?" She asks impatiently.
"Why did you do it?"
"Quinn has taken enough lives, I would not have been doing my job if I let him take another."
"You have a job?" Marian asks, surprise lacing her tone.
"What do you think we do?" Red snaps, "Laze around for most of the month before we go on rampages?"
"I had never really considered it."
Red sighs, her anger suddenly leaving her, "And that is the problem."
"Then help me understand," the other woman says, leaning forward slightly, "You let him go, even after he killed people."
"We don't like to kill our own kind, he's had his warning and if he chooses it ignore it, we will deal with it," Red explains evenly.
"'We', I've never heard of a community of werewolves."
"Oh no," Red laughs, "I'm not going to give you all our secrets."
There is a pause before Marian says quietly, "You don't have a bite mark."
Red tilts her head, considering, "Do you know I worship Artemis as well? I leave her offerings and often pray to her. Many werewolves do. Goddess of the Hunt, Moon and wild animals?" Ruby laughs, "Many consider her our Goddess. Although, obviously, we cannot use the traditional silver for our pendants."
Marian looks surprised, rubbing her own pendant as Red considers, "My Granny worshipped, secretly, I never thought much of it until I abandoned my magical cloak and discovered I was a werewolf," she raises her voice slightly, revealing a truth she doubts most Hunters realise, "I was never bitten or scratched, like my mother before me. My Granny was the one who was bitten and you and your kind would kill me for something I was simply born with."
"That's impossible," Marian gapes.
"And yet here I am," Red smirks.
"I'm sorry, it just goes against everything I was taught."
"I would say you still have a lot to learn."
"Then teach me," Marian whispers, eyes sincere, "Help me learn."
And with that request, their strange alliance begins. It would be a long time before they commenced the romance of legends, it is after the close calls, sharing of knowledge and heartbreak and the trust builds that one night, after Marian pulls a bolt out of Ruby's thigh and they laugh over the wound that their lips touch and some would say it was always meant to be.