Wolf and the Emerald Gaze

By DrummondType2

One.

Natsuki was finishing up the last bit of work, inspecting her cart. The way her load had seemed to shift when she was leaving Pasloe had troubled her. The last thing she needed was to have the axles break or slip loose, tumbling her goods to the ground.

Everything looked in order. She saw no signs of loose bolts, and no cracks in the timbers of the cart.

That improved her mood somewhat. But only somewhat. She'd been hoping to converse with her protégé, Nao, during a stopoff in Pasloe. But she'd had the misfortune of arriving during the village's annual wheat harvest festival, and Nao was the one who had been "captured by the wolf" and had to be locked in the store house for a week as a part of the celebration. Troublesome. And inconvenient. That slowpoke, Nao, would be the one to harvest the last bundle.

Of course, her foul mood had started earlier, when a knight guarding the road had warned her of the "pagan village" that was scheming against the Lord. She knew the people of Pasloe well, and pagan and scheming were not words she'd connect with them.

But, as it was the time of their festival, she was not going to hang around in the village. An outsider like herself, no matter how friendly and familiar to them, would just be a nuisance at a time like this.

She was, however, not entirely happy with having to spend another night out of doors. While it was true that traveling merchants and peddlers were frequently between towns and had to make due with whatever shelter they could find, usually under the tarps of their own carts, she didn't enjoy the cold air. Summer was ending and there was a decided autumn chill to the night breeze. Oh, the days were still sufficiently warm, and would be for awhile yet, but the chill of the night made her bones ache.

She grabbed a piece of jerky from her stores, and then prepared to hunker down in the cart. However, drawing back the tarp, she received a serious shock.

Laying in the cart, buried under a pile of marten furs, was a young woman. She was naked, which caused Natsuki to blush furiously.

"Wh…what are you doing in my cart?" Natsuki stammered.

The girl opened her eyes. Crimson eyes the color of blood. She sat up, not even bothering to conceal herself with her arms, standing. Natsuki couldn't help but see all of her in the pale light of the moon. She was lithe and lean, but well formed and clearly fit. She had a long, tawny mane of wild hair that went down her back. But she also had the most unbelievable features. Atop her head were a pair of pivoting, triangular ears. And protruding from her back, at the end of what was known as the "tail bone" was an actual tail, the same tawny color as her hair, but with a splash of white at the tip. The girl paid no heed to Natsuki, looking up at the moon, drinking in the pale light. She opened her mouth, and let out an deep, resonating, inhuman howl. Natsuki's horse was startled by the noise, and reared up his head, looking for the source.

"Ara," the girl stretched her limbs, "What a waste!"

She bent over the edge of the cart, picking up the piece of jerky that had fallen from Natsuki's mouth in sheer alarm. She snatched it up and began to chew on it.

Natsuki unholstered the crossbow she had slung over her shoulder, and aimed it at the young woman before her.

"Are you a demon?" Natsuki demanded.

The crimson eyes regarded her for a moment, and a strange, serene smile played across the young woman's face, "You are not from the village, then? Ikezu. To point a weapon at a poor, defenseless thing, such as myself."

Natsuki sensed that she was being teased, and she didn't particularly care for it.

"Who are you?"

"I have more than a few names," the girl smiled, "Perchance, would you have any tea with you? Or perhaps a good wine?"

"No. Now, your name!"

"You want my name? Are you interested in me so much? Very well, I shall tell you. I am Shizuru of the Wisteria Fields. I believe the word in your tongue would be Fujino. Shizuru Fujino."

Natsuki's eyes narrowed, "Interesting. There is a deity from the next town over known as Shizuru."

"Deity? My, my, the imaginations of some people. I am nothing so glorious. Not as great as a deity, to be sure. I am Shizuru, and Shizuru is who I am."

Natsuki looked uncertain, lifting her crossbow and reholstering it.

"Still skeptical? Such a suspicious child you are," Shizuru grinned at Natsuki, "Perhaps I can convince you that I am who I say I am, and not some strange, wayward child who has escaped the basement where her parents kept her to conceal her strange, wolfish disfigurement?"

"Right now, I'd just be happy if you put some clothes on," Natsuki looked away, blushing.

The girl who claimed to be Shizuru looked down at herself, then shrugged, "You human creatures, so concerned with covering up your natural state. Though, I will admit, these bodies, so devoid of fur, are not the warmest forms available. It is no wonder that you wear the skins of animals, then.

"What, then, are your plans for me?"

Natsuki blinked, thinking, "Well…if you are a girl possessed by the Devil, I would take you to the Church. A possessed person has to be Saved. But if you are who you claim you are, I might ask you to travel with me. Having the god of rich wheat harvests along might bring me luck."

The crimson eyes glittered with laughter, "You should remember that there are many kinds of luck, and some of it very bad. Still, I think you're somewhat adorable. However, I should warn you, most humans do not respond well to my true state. I would ask you to put away that weapon you carry with you before I do so."

Natsuki sighed, then unholstered the crossbow again. She set it on the seat of the cart, then backed away.

"Happy?"

"Now," Shizuru stretched, then grinned when she noticed Natsuki averting her eyes, "An incarnation cannot change form without a sacrifice. Either blood…"

She noticed Natsuki blanch at that, and giggled a bit, "That, or a bit of the wheat that I reside in."

"By all means, the wheat?"

Shizuru picked up some of the wheat, and stripped the grains. She began to chew on them. She then clutched her stomach, seemingly in pain. Natsuki was about to rush to her side, wondering if the raw grain had poisoned her. Could it be ergot? She knew that happened with Rye, but was it true of wheat as well?

Before she could reach the young woman's side, though, there was a burst, and Shizuru's right arm had transformed into the limb of a giant wolf.

Natsuki recoiled, falling backwards and landing roughly on the ground. She shook her head, then stood again.

"Then, it seems you are who you say you are."

She returned the form of her body to what it had been, then nodded.

"I am…Shizuru," She smiled, then looked at the young woman before her, "And what is the name of the adorable girl who is so enthralled of my power?"

Natsuki growled, "I don't know anyone like that. But you can call me Natsuki Kuga."

"Natsuki? Summer Princess, eh?" Shizuru smiled, "Yet, such an icy gaze. Well, perhaps it is this autumnal weather that has chilled your expression. Come, this is your cart, and these furs are very warm."

Natsuki sighed, then went to the back of her cart and pulled out a package. She handed it to Shizuru without turning to look at her.

"Put these on," Natsuki said gruffly.

"A gift? For me?"

"A loan. And this isn't a free passage. I expect you to earn your keep."

Shizuru blinked, then grinned, "Mou, but my Natsuki is very strict. Nevertheless, I agree to your terms. I shall earn my fair share for this journey."

Natsuki climbed into the cart, grabbing a blanket and covering herself, "Good night."

"Such a cold summer," Shizuru grinned, "I will see you in the morning, then."

A short while later, Natsuki felt her laying beside her.

"Sleep well, Natsuki," Shizuru smiled, "We'll talk more in the morning."

~~*~~

Morning came, and Natsuki found that while she hadn't slept long, she still felt better rested than usual. She wondered if it was due to the warmth of another person keeping the cold at bay.

Shizuru had donned the clothing Natsuki had provided her, managing to keep her tail concealed beneath the folds, and her ears hidden under a floppy hat.

~Beautiful, but strange~ Natsuki thought of her new companion.

"So then," Shizuru plopped herself on the seat of the cart, besides Natsuki, "Where are we going?"

"You don't wish to say farewell to the village?" Natsuki asked.

"The village no longer needs me. They have come up with newer ways to produce bountiful harvests, and so I will not be missed. But I must thank you, in the end, for my ability to leave. It is only because the bundle of wheat in your cart was larger than the last harvested that I was able to affect my escape. Natsuki is my rescuer."

Natsuki blushed, "Yeah, well…where do you intend to go?"

Shizuru pondered, "Hmm. Well, I have been in that village for many, many years. It may be as many years as there are hairs on my tail. So, perhaps I shall travel with you and see the world."

"Fair enough," Natsuki took up the reins of her horse and snapped them, getting him to begin taking the cart down the worn dirt road, "I am currently bound for the city of Pazzio, to deliver those marten furs. But it will be three days travel. I hope that you're not overly fond of creature comforts, Shizuru."

"But Natsuki is the only creature I would want to comfort me," Shizuru grinned. Natsuki blushed, and Shizuru laughed, "Oh, but you are too easy. This, I think, is going to be great fun."

"At whose expense?" Natsuki murmured.

"So like a merchant," Shizuru teased, "Always thinking in terms of cost. But that makes you adorable, nevertheless. Onward, then, Natsuki. Let us have a little adventure, shall we?"