A gentle howl sounded in the peaceful silence, echoing ever so slightly. Within a serene forest, a black werewolf was currently sleeping upon the ground, albeit his eyelids slowly blinked open once a small purr sounded even closer now.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead…", a soothing voice tickled his ear, filled with a certain amount of amusement. Upon hearing it, the black werewolf almost immediately relaxed, allowing himself to yawn slightly before he rose from the ground. And in front of him, he saw the source of the voice.
Almost gleaming in the light of the sun stood Arou, a purely white colored werewolf with crimson red eyes, and leader of the pack that he himself now called home. And upon further inspection, one could see that she wore a smile upon her muzzle.
"I figured that you'd be here… I presume you haven't heard my howl before? Your packmates are already feasting upon our last prey.", hearing this, the black werewolf's ears dropped slightly, figuring that there was probably little left at this point. After all, it had been his own fault for sleeping in like this…
Witnessing this, Arou merely smiled at him before she crouched slightly upon the ground, pulling his attention to something that he had not noticed up to this point. She nudged a relatively large piece of raw meat towards him with the tip of her muzzle.
"I brought you some of my own savings from last night's hunt, I noticed that you haven't eaten anything yesterday as well… don't hesitate, it's yours, Maren.", her tail wagged ever so slightly as she witnessed the disbelief and hesitation within his eyes.
Arou was the pack leader, strong, ferocious and graceful. Respected and admired by everyone within the pack, she was still seemingly untouchable and kept an air of authority whenever a packmate was nearby. And yet, curiously, ever since she had taken Maren into her pack, whom she had found hurt and alone in the wilds, she would often spend time with him and approach him whenever she would get the chance.
And thus, since Maren had not been within the pack for a long time, he was not aware just how unusual and precious it was that Arou went that much out of her way for him.
For him, all that he could see within her was a friend, one that had saved him from the brink of death when he would have otherwise died alone in the wilds. And for that, he was forever grateful.
…
Several howls sounded within the depths of the forest, followed by multiple steps upon the dirt as a group of werewolves rushed ahead, dodging any trees in their way. Ahead of them, a certain, white pack leader was charging forward, her teeth bared with a predatory snarl. Arou's gaze was always directed upon the fleeing deer ahead of her, albeit the distance was gradually growing smaller with each leap she took with her powerful legs and arms.
However, for the briefest of moments, she glanced backwards at her left side, where she witnessed that Maren was trying his best to keep up with the rest of the pack which was following her, for she was, as always, the fastest of them all.
And she pondered for a small moment.
Focusing ahead again, she bared her teeth once more before she took one last powerful leap and the deer could only look behind itself with horror until Arou pounced upon it, sharp claws tearing through flesh.
The hunt was over for now, and the amount of deers they had caught today were more than bountiful, enough for the entire pack to feast upon.
The rest of the pack came to a halt in the vicinity shortly afterwards, just as Arou removed her claws from her prey once she was certain that it was dead. Stepping away from it, she gave a howl into the air, signalling to everyone that they could now return home along with all the prey they had caught, praying to Hircine in thanks for today's fortune.
And yet, as each and every pack mate took their leave, two of them carrying the last deer back to their territory, Arou didn't quite move yet as her eyes lingered upon a certain one among them all. She was not content yet, she didn't have any chance to hunt by his side…
"Maren, wait."
The black werewolf among the rest stopped with surprise, hesitantly turning around to look at his pack leader. Had he done something wrong…? He had been trying his best to keep up…
She approached him on all fours before she rose upon her hind legs, waiting only a small moment to make sure that the rest of the pack was a fair distance away. She didn't want any interruptions for this.
Before Maren could ask any questions, she gently nudged his head towards a certain direction, earning herself a gasp from him in the process. Always so innocent in her presence…
However, after a small moment, his ears twitched when he heard a certain sound not far away.
"Do you hear it as well?", looking ahead, Arou glanced at a certain patch of bushes. There, within, a small boar was hiding away, one which she had taken note of in her previous pursuit of the deer. And immediately an idea had formed in her mind. Thus, with an inviting grin and a gleam in her crimson eyes, she glanced at Maren, her tail wagging ever so slightly.
"Up for another small hunt without the rest? Hunt alongside with me…", her voice trailed ever so slightly near the end, and with a last reassuring smile, she watched with glee when Maren nodded after a small moment of hesitation.
Getting upon all four, the two werewolves rushed ahead, albeit this time, Maren couldn't do otherwise but look at Arou with confusion when he realized that they were both moving at an even pace, even though he had seen firsthand that she could be ten times as fast if she wanted to be. But in return, Arou merely glanced at him again with a smile and a toothy grin before she focused upon their small prey again.
And before he could embarrass himself in any way by being lost in thought, Maren tried his best to get rid of those thoughts, not paying them any head anymore.
The boar squeaked in fright once it realized that it had been discovered, and it immediately tried to sprint away to save itself. However, Maren was more than self conscious within the presence of his pack leader, and thus, he gave it his all to move as fast as he could. Arou watched with surprise for a moment when he picked up in speed slightly before she howled in praise at his effort before she followed suit.
And soon enough, they were both merely a leap away from their prey. Arou gave Maren a nod, signalling that this kill would belong to him. Thus, with a low growl, Maren leaped ahead and tore his claws into the boar.
In a matter of seconds, it lay dead on the ground with both werewolves making a pause to take a breath. Albeit, even though she at least tried to appear exhausted, Arou was not breaking a single sweat yet.
With the hunt successfully over, Maren grew self conscious once more as he retracted his claws and immediately remembered that he was supposed to give it to the pack leader-
-he gasped, torn out of his thoughts, when Arou placed a clawed hand upon his own. Normally able to brutalize and shred any prey into pieces, the sharp and vicious claws were now merely gracing Maren's own hand ever so slightly, never once harming him.
"Take it. A small extra, if you will… for you."
He only now realized how close she was, her crimson eyes gazing into his own for a long moment while she smiled at him.
At least, until finally, she slowly trailed her hand along his own as she moved it away before she took her leave with a last smile. And only when she was gone from his sight did he slowly direct his eyes towards the dead boar, for it was still a considerable amount of meat, even though it was smaller than the deers they had caught.
For him…?
…
The primal and savage sounds of feeding werewolves sounded in the air as the whole pack was gathered in a large clearing within the forest, each packmate devouring their share of their last hunt. And among them, Maren was silently kneeling on the ground a little further away from the rest of the pack as he ate away on his own piece of meat. Being the newest member of the pack, he felt the urge to keep himself in the background, not wanting to accidentally offend or disturb any of his new packmates. He simply kept to himself as he peacefully ate.
However, unbeknownst to him, he had already gained far more attention within the whole pack than he could have ever imagined. For a certain reason.
A pair of narrowed eyes was regarding Maren as he innocently took another small bite from his meat, at least, until a brown werewolf suddenly approached him.
"Feeding off of Arou's personal savings again? You have barely done anything thus far to earn the privilege of spending so much time with our pack leader, and still, now she is even feeding you? The small, frail and pathetic pub?", Maren stared at the intruding packmate with uncertain eyes.
Svanis, a bulky and brown werewolf with green eyes. Having turned against Maren from the very moment Maren had been taken into the pack by Arou, Svanis had used every single opportunity that he could get to threaten and belittle Maren for receiving so much attention from their pack leader.
"This is my own share of the prey…"
Maren's voice was weak, torn between wanting to stand up for himself and being the newest member of the pack, thus, he was merely new blood within the pack. With narrowed eyes, Svanis growled threateningly before he scared Maren away from his small piece of meat, crushing it beneath one of his clawed feet.
Maren watched with hurt as his small, remaining piece of meat was crushed, and yet, before Svanis could harass him any further, a stern and utterly enraged roar suddenly pierced through the air.
Svanis immediately froze in place the moment he recognized it, and fear began to rise within him as the roar of their pack leader gained the attention of every single of their packmates. And before he could back off, Arou had stepped in front of Maren, a threatening and lethal growl escaping her as she shot a horrid glare at the opposing werewolf.
Thus, every single one of their packmates began to stare at the scene, exposing Svanis openly whereas, before, he was harassing Maren without anyone noticing.
"If I catch you like this one more time, I will rip open your throat… now shove off!", knowing that he was hopelessly outmatched in terms of strength against their pack leader, Svanis went away with his tail between his legs. With another stern growl, every packmate that was staring slowly but surely turned their attention back towards their meal.
Turning back towards Maren, Arou's expression visibly softened before she witnessed the way he was glancing at his crushed piece of meat, sadness reflecting in his eyes. Thus, he perked up with slight surprise once Arou wordlessly but gently took his arm into her clawed hand. She merely shot him a smile before she guided him towards her personal space, where the largest share of the meat was laying on the ground, only reserved for the pack leader herself.
"Eat with me, you can take as much as you want."
Unbeknownst to Maren, even though it was subtle, every single one of his packmates stared at both him and Arou as she shared her own meat with him. It was a strong sign that none of them could miss. Sharing one's food with another… it only implied one, single thing. And the whole pack was utterly taken aback to see that Arou was the one who staked her interest…
Yet, as Maren hesitantly but gratefully accepted her offer and took an ever so small bite from her meat, Arou only absentmindedly paid attention to her meal. For instead, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes with a certain gleam in her gaze, a smile growing upon her muzzle as she watched the way Maren was innocently taking another bite, his tail wagging happily.
He was entirely oblivious to it all.
…
On the next day, Maren was walking along the edges of his pack's territory, where he came to encounter a certain packmate that caused him to smile slightly. Namra, a grey colored werewolf, was one of the few who had been friendly and welcoming to him from the very beginning, always offering their help whenever he was unsure or had troubles to fit into the pack. However, besides Arou, she was the only one to approach and reach out to him occasionally to see if he was alright.
Yet, today was different. As Maren greeted her after a small moment of hesitation, Namra took note of him as she turned around. And still, upon witnessing that it was him, she avoided his gaze with an uneasy expression. Maren stared at her with slight confusion as she remained silent, almost pretending that she had not heard him.
She looked hesitant, as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, before Maren could say anything further, she suddenly retreated and backed away from him, leaving him hurt and only further confused.
What had he done wrong…? Multiple thoughts coursed through his mind, and the outcome was always the same. Internally, his mind and consciousness was blaming himself, thinking that it must have been his fault, that he must have done something wrong that he was not aware about yet.
The entire day, he had noticed how seemingly every single one of his packmates were avoiding him. Whenever he would glance into one´s direction, they would quickly look away, pretending that they were oblivious about it… and his self blaming thoughts only continued to plague him.
Until suddenly, a familiar voice called out for him.
"There you are! I was wondering where I could find you, Maren."
It was Arou.
Unlike every other wolf, she smiled at him as she always did, standing upon her hind legs after she came to a halt in front of him from her sprint. And just like that, his haunting, self blaming thoughts seemed to have vanished into thin air…
Maren felt a wave of gratitude, her warm and joyful expression having lifted his spirit in an instant.
"Mind if I tag along? I'd enjoy a small walk with you.", her tone was warm, and before Maren knew it, his tail was wagging ever so slightly in happiness. Regardless of anything that happened, regardless of anything that ever happened, Arou had always been there for him… how could he ever repay her for her kindness…?
Every packmate that had previously been nearby subtly stared at both Arou and Maren, and even Namra stared at the back of Maren. And unbeknownst to him, there was nothing but regret in her eyes. They had all witnessed their pack leader approach, seemingly with innocent intent.
Suddenly, Arou glanced down at Maren's neck, causing him to tilt his head slightly. Having noticed that a small patch of fur upon the side of his neck was a bit dirty, she wordlessly closed the distance between them before she leaned her muzzle closer to his his own, more than causing him to stiffen slightly.
With a small grin, she merely moved her muzzle close to his neck, a husky whisper escaping her.
"Hold still for a moment…", cleaning and straightening his fur with her tongue, Maren was frozen in place slightly as he stared at her, being taken aback by her sudden action. Yet, soon he relaxed, and just as she pulled her head back with another smile, he merely bowed his head shyly.
"Thank you…"
However, his expression soon changed into one of uneasiness once again the moment he witnessed how every single one of his packmates was staring intensely at him. Especially when he noticed that among them, Namra was staring at him as well. And the moment their eyes met, she merely cast her gaze downward, avoiding his own with regret lingering in her eyes.
What was…?
He was torn out of his thoughts as Arou gently brushed her shoulder against his own, moving in front of him to remind him of her previous request. And thus, she humbly walked alongside him as he hesitantly accepted her wish.
With every small move that their pack leader made, it became more and more evident for the rest of the pack. And it hadn't gone past any of them when they had witnessed the stern and authoritative glance that Arou had shot towards them, letting her intentions be known without a single word.
All while Maren was not looking.
…
As they walked through the serene atmosphere of the forest, they soon came to a small clearing where the sunlight was shining through. Witnessing this, Arou grinned before she suddenly took a small leap forward into the center of the clearing, releasing a hearty howl. She felt so… alive in this moment.
Maren remained a fair distance behind her, albeit even he couldn't suppress a small smile on his muzzle upon seeing her liveliness. It was almost infectious, and neither was he truly used in seeing her like this. Whenever others were around, she would always revert back into the stoic and rather emotionless leader. He was happy that she considered him as trustworthy enough to unwind a little and show a glimpse of her true self, as it seemed.
Although he didn't want to point that out, fearing that she might be offended by that.
"You know… I have never seen your human form before.", turning her head around to look at Maren, Arou witnessed that he was asking with genuine curiosity. She would forgive it, he couldn't have known…
"I despise my human form.", she heard a small gasp from him when she turned her head again to look at the sky.
"It is this that forms our pack, we have no need to revert back to our weak and fragile forms. Ever.", she turned around to face Maren completely, and her clawed hand gestured at herself.
"For this is no curse, it is a most precious gift, why should we ever revert back? We have no need to be among other people anymore, this is the only family we will ever need.", suddenly, she approached Maren with long but graceful steps, going even so far to go beyond his personal space, until she was mere inches away from him. Maren could only watch, almost paralyzed on the spot, as her crimson eyes gazed into his own, her warm breath tingling upon his fur.
And she placed a clawed hand against the left side of his muzzle, tenderly brushing it.
"I don't need to see how you would look like in your human form, your personality is more than enough for me. And besides…", slowly, almost painfully slow, her hand moved down to his chest. Maren had followed her hand with his eyes, until he hesitantly glanced up and into her eyes again, only to see that a small grin was adorning her muzzle.
"... you are far more beautiful in this form either way…"
For a long moment, silence reigned in the air, and Arou didn't cease to gaze into his eyes. And unbeknownst to him, her tail was moving ever so slightly, her eyes constantly searching for his own.
But in the end, Maren hesitantly took a step back, his heart racing at the previous closeness and the fact that he had barely managed to tear his eyes away. What was…? He… he shouldn't…
"I think the sun is starting to set. Should we head back…?", since his eyes were glancing at the ground in contemplation, he didn't witness the way how Arou's eyes widened ever so slightly, a certain emotion reflecting within them, before she hesitantly collected herself and smiled nonetheless.
Albeit it was a little less genuine, barely witnessable to anyone.
"... mhm, we… probably should. I enjoyed our small trip a lot, there are not many ways for me to unwind. I hope we can do this more often…"
"You truly don't mind my presence…?", and one last time for that evening, Arou gazed directly into his eyes.
"... not at all…"
…
Spring was unfolding, and along with it, mating season was soon about to begin. Wolves mate for life, and against what one would presume, Arou had never accepted anyone before. Assuming solely the role as leader of the pack, she had always been untouchable to the rest of the entire pack. Thus, nobody has ever seen her more personal side.
Albeit… there seemed to be an exception to this now.
The full moon was shining brightly in the dark of the night, and, much to Maren's surprise, he didn't expect Arou to seek him out in the middle of the night.
"Arou…? Did you need something?", both of them felt restless, as the full moon didn't just leave a werewolf unaffected. And yet, Arou appeared calm as she beckoned for Maren to follow her for a while, a certain pleading within her crimson gaze.
Thus, of course he didn't refuse and followed her alongside as they walked through the forest, a bit further away from where the rest of their pack was resting. However, he didn't expect her to lead him to her personal living space. He didn't feel like he belonged here, seeing as it was more than likely inappropriate for him to intrude.
But Arou merely smiled against his concerns, putting them aside as she merely brushed her tail against his own before she cast her gaze to the sky, admiring the full moon.
"... the moon never ceases to make me feel… melancholic… in a way, it almost reflects how lonely this world truly can be.", Maren almost gasped as he looked back at her, and yet, after a long moment of silence, Arou turned her head towards him with a smile.
"... but then again, it also reminds me that it has always provided me with comfort, a bright, gentle light that shines in the dark… just like you.", Maren was at a loss for words as Arou regarded him fondly, the moonlight reflecting in her crimson eyes. But… he was merely…
"You are not like the others. You… have always been yourself around me. You have never tried to do anything to gain my favor or attention simply because I'm the pack leader. You are far more innocent and pure than you might think of yourself. Even when others would belittle you, you kept true to yourself and those who care about you…", he tensed when Arou gave him a small lick against his neck.
"... please never cease to be who you are now. Regardless of who tries to belittle you, to mock you… I want to be there to protect you. I want to have you by my side, always…"
And finally, he came to realize just what it was that she wanted to imply with each and every word. With everything that she had done.
It couldn't have been a coincidence that each and every single packmate ignored him, even those who he knew would never do that to him… especially whenever Arou was nearby. It was almost as if they were frightened of him… no, not him. But of their pack leader. And of what she would do to them if anybody entertained the thought of getting between them.
She had tried to isolate him from everyone…
As it dawned upon him, Maren shakily took a step back from her, his entire form almost trembling as he stared at Arou with utter disbelief.
"Maren…? What's the matter?", her voice was filled with concern as he only took another step back, creating as much distance between them as possible. She had always been there for him, it was her who had saved him from death, who had given him a new chance at life, who had given him a new home…
… this couldn't be…
Utterly overwhelmed by all of the thoughts and sensations that overcame him in this moment, he could not take it any longer.
"N-no, I… I…", Arou wanted to reach out a clawed hand, concern and horror now written all over her expression, but Maren backed away even further.
"No! I can't believe it… just stay away from me!"
Arou´s form looked as though it had faltered, her ears drooping as she looked into his eyes with desperation.
"Please, I only… please don´t leave…!"
And yet, her pleas were left unheard as Maren only stared at the ground before he all but fled from her, leaving into the dark of the night on all four of his limbs.
Thus, a silent tear rolled down her fur as she reached out her hand, sinking to her knees.
And she howled towards the sky, one that was filled with nothing but pain and agony.
…
Dark clouds were covering the sky on the following day, signalling that it would soon start to rain. And during that day, unlike any other time, Arou had not approached Maren as she normally used to. The entire pack had noticed that their pack leader was not herself, for even though she did still come after her duties and responsibilities for the pack, she did so in a monotone way, and even a blind pub could see that she was not alright. She spoke with no one unless it had to be.
And yet, whenever she happened to be near Maren, and he happened to look her way, he noticed how she was glancing at him before she abruptly looked away as he caught her. And each time, there was so much sorrow within her eyes. So much hurt and agony, all of it hidden behind a cold mask that she could barely maintain in the face of the rest of the pack.
It was during the next meal, after the pack had been once again successful to catch quite a lot of prey, that Maren was once again quietly eating his share at the edge of the rest. However, this time, he had not yet taken a single bite.
He hadn't realized how long he had simply been staring at the small piece of meat with an empty gaze until a single raindrop fell upon the tip of his muzzle. He blinked, and he cast his gaze towards the darkened sky.
He didn't feel like eating a single bit.
Barely a day had passed, and he felt utterly empty inside. Whenever he felt as though he didn't fit into the rest of the pack, it had always been Arou who seeked him out to spend time with him. Whenever she approached, he always felt as though he broke out of a trance, he felt so much more lively whenever she was simply nearby…
… he felt… happy.
And just like that… he felt as though any warmth had left him.
Until suddenly, he froze.
"...Maren…?"
A voice, frail, almost hesitant, standing in complete and utter contrast to its usual kindness and warmth. And still, it was one that he would always recognize. Turning his head towards the source of it, his eyes met the crimson gaze of Arou. In her claws, she carried a small piece of meat, one that paled in comparison to the usual amount of meat that was normally dedicated to her. And yet, she had claimed none of it, settling only for the small piece in her claws.
The moment she witnessed him move ever so slightly from his spot, she placed the little piece of meat upon the ground, nudging her head close to it.
"Can I remain here to eat…?", and just as he had started to shift from his spot to leave, he froze, glancing back into her eyes in earnest. And he witnessed that she asked an honest wish.
Thus, with no other word, he reluctantly settled back upon his spot, staring back at his own piece of meat before he took a faint bite out of it. And even though he did not see it, the barest hint of a smile had graced her lips upon his acceptance, nudging her own meat a little bit forward before she settled a small distance away from him.
And despite that, as they ate in such close proximity to one another, the tension between them could almost be felt in the air. During the entire time, Maren noticed that Arou had barely eaten anything from her meat as well, and was merely staring at it in the end in an empty manner.
As the time passed, stretched with nothing but silence, and the day was slowly coming to an end, Arou mournfully glanced at Maren at a moment where he was lost in thought, a tear dwelling at the very corner of her eyes. And still, she clenched them shut, barely able to take a deep breath as she shuddered with a suppressed sob, before she slowly rose from the ground to take her leave. She wanted to at least share her meal with him, and he had granted her this much… she wouldn't… she wouldn't betray that trust…
However, just as she took her first steps away from him, she stopped when suddenly, she clenched her eyes shut once more.
And she couldn't hold back her tears anymore.
"...Maren…"
He gasped before he perked up from his trance, and to his utter shock, her fur was stained with tears as her crimson eyes locked with his own.
And before he knew it, he was holding her in his arms just as she threatened to succumb, and he could feel warm tears staining his fur as she cried into his chest.
The ice between them had broken as all of the tension, all of the suppressed feelings and all of their hidden feelings could no longer be contained.
"...p-please… please forgive me…", her voice was reduced to a frail whisper, broken between sobs. And just as he held her, he saw a vulnerability that not a single soul had witnessed before. Their pack leader, strong and untouchable, was crying bitterly against him.
And he could no longer deny his own feelings either.
Slowly but surely, he wrapped his arms around her as well, tears threatening to roll down his fur. In that brief amount of time, he had realized what he was without her. An empty husk, one that was filled with nothing but emptiness. They were both lonely, and together, they had found solace within each other, they had shone like a bright light within the life of the other.
And only when that light had faded did he realize just how much he had cherished and needed it.
