Aaaaand welcome back!
So, my dear friend and I were throwing grenades at this story the other day, and she kindly (not) pointed out that with a week in between each chapter, it might be helpful to have one of those "recently, on..." things going on. I'll think about it, but y'all can just expect one with the next chapter. Maybe.
I can't decide if I like this chapter. It's a 50-50 for me, but when I write the words tumble out onto the page and I hit stone walls if I try to make major edits. Sigh.
Big thanks to sthokatrina, , Phiafairy, Risaia, Yuraookami, Dark Shining Light, Aware Arabian, and Guest for reviewing! You guys are all amazing!
Enjoy!
~BrennaCoris~
Natsu woke with a start, raising his head sharply in the direction of the rustle. He was certain he'd caught a whiff of someone unwelcome, but he was reluctant to leave the golden wolf pressed up against his side for more than absolutely necessary. The events of the previous evening swirled around in his mind, coming together in a confusing snowball that never ceased to fascinate him. He had fought a female and she had managed to pin him on his stomach after a partial shift. He knew of less than five wolves who could pin him at all, and that's when they were decently rested and well fed. Lucy had been tossed around by a fully grown elk - he could smell the dead animal's scent on her - and still managed to hold him down.
He looked at the sleeping female, letting his gaze rake over her lean shape. She had fought, yes, but he had won their fight. He admired her pride, how she refused to whine in defeat as most wolves would do, and her independence, but she was his. He had seen how he affected her and knew how she affected him. The mating bond that most mated wolves he knew had was already active and very strong, increasing their attraction. All that was left was getting her to accept him, something he considered to be a very difficult task still looming ahead of him. He couldn't even be certain she wouldn't fight and run as soon as she awoke.
The sun slapped his back in a wave of faint warmth as it peeked over the horizon, the humans' towers cutting rectangular shadows on the ground. A prickle ran through his side as a reminder of the gashes the female had torn in his side during their fight. Lucy's fur glowed a pale, sunny yellow that radiated warmth and he felt her stir. A brown eye cracked open and she tensed, most likely unused to his presence, before sighing and snuggling further against him. He smirked and nuzzled her neck, enjoying the sleepy growl she sent his way.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked. Her eye opened again and she shifted slightly to be able to glare at him.
"No. You're too warm." she growled. His smirk widened. He loved a challenge and hated losing, and she would be a challenge he would most definitely win.
"So you like the cold, then?" He stood and moved away, leaving her without support. She rolled over with an indignant yelp and leapt up to her feet, shaking out her fur. He watched as the early morning chill reached her through her thick pelt and a slight shiver ran through her body, igniting a pleasant heat in him.
"I hate the cold, you idiot." she spat, moving closer. It became harder to suppress the possessive growl building up in his chest. "Since you've decided to claim me, I get to use you as a heater."
He tilted his head slightly. "A heater?"
"Human thing. It makes heat. M-" She cut herself off, shaking her head. "I don't know how it works, but you're almost as warm as one."
"I'm taking that as a compliment."
"I wouldn't. Heaters smell bad."
"I don't smell bad!"
She rolled her eyes. "Mmhmm, sure. You keep telling yourself that."
He growled playfully as she stood by his side, their flanks touching. "Can you prove me wrong?"
"That's easy. All males smell bad until they get a female to keep them in line."
"I've got you, no?"
"I'm not going to bother keeping you in line. Too much work." She flicked an ear. "Did we have a visitor?"
He refrained from looking too deep into how she said 'we' and not 'I', instead sniffing the air. A faint breeze carried the scents of the forest to him, many layers stacked on one another until they blended into an indiscernible mess. Taking the tangle apart had become easy after years of constant practice, so he quickly noticed the human scent amongst the rest. It had faded since the time he had woken, signaling the retreat of the intruder.
"Some human male." he said dismissively, but Lucy tensed. "What?"
She forcibly relaxed. "Nothing."
"Luce, don't lie to me."
"I'm not. And my name is Lucy, not Luce. Get it right."
"Lucy's too long, and you are lying. Why does the male bother you?"
"It doesn't matter." She moved so she could lock eyes with him, challenging him with her own dominant stare. He returned in kind.
"It does. He scares you." he growled. A shudder shook her frame and she fought to suppress it.
"He doesn't!" she snapped, taking a step forward. He held his ground, keeping his unblinking stare trained on hers.
"You tensed, and you barely flinched last night! How do you call that not scared?" He took his own step forward, their noses nearly touching.
"I'm not afraid of-" She cut herself off, her eyes widening at what she had almost said. He growled low and possessive, sending more shudders running along her spine.
"Who?" he demanded, his voice husky. He used his slight advantage in height to look down at her, to show his dominance. She snarled and snapped her teeth at him while desperately trying to rein in her desire.
"Stop it."
"Who?" he repeated, lacing his words with demand.
"Stop it!" She was panting slightly. Her eyes were still locked on his, refusing to lose the dominance contest they were having, and she bared her teeth. He decided to try a different approach. She was far too dominant to be subdued by clear-cut aggression.
"Luce, just tell me." he murmured softly. She took a step back, caught off-guard by his sudden gentleness.
"No."
"Please?" It was rare of him to ask for anything, but for her he could think of nothing else.
She sighed, dropping her stare. "It's just a hunter. He's been stalking me for a couple weeks now, but he always leaves when I near your boundary."
He blinked. So that's why Gajeel had caught her scent. He was certain that given the chance, she would've avoided nearing their border altogether, but if the hunter was aware of the pack boundary then he would leave her alone once she became a part of the pack.
"Then let's go back to the camp. He should scram once you cross the pack border."
"What if I don't want to?" she challenged. He could see the glint in her eyes.
His shoulders lifted in a carefree shrug. "Then I'll chase you down, pin you, and drag you back to camp like a disobedient pup."
She froze, and he could just imagine her weighing her options in her mind. Her bushy tail swept slow arcs behind her legs and she blinked several times. He snickered quietly and her eyes narrowed, her paw lashing out to cuff him on the cheek before she swept past him with an indignant huff. He twisted to bound after her, poking her shoulder with his nose.
"Why'd you change your mind?" he teased. She shot him a glare that amused him further, making it hard to restrain oncoming snickers.
"First impressions are everything, you idiot. I can't have you dragging me around like a pup, that's for sure."
"So you admit that I could?"
She whirled on him, eyes flashing. "Of course not!"
"I bet I could do it in my sleep."
"I'll fight you right now to prove you can't."
"Challenge accepted. Besides," He straightened out and took three steps back to give them space for advancing. "you were stumbling over your own paws last night. It should be more fun when you're nice and rested."
"Let's not forget that I pinned you on your stomach."
"Yeah, after you cheated with a partial shift."
"I did not cheat!" She lunged at him, snapping at his neck while her claws aimed for his face. He ducked and slammed her shoulder, using his greater strength to send her stumbling. She jumped a bit to regain her balance and dodged his sweeping attack.
"You knew I would let go if you shifted." he said, attempting to distract her with conversation. She was a good fighter, something even he had to admit.
"'Course I did. Why else would I risk tiring myself out?" The conversation didn't throw her off in the least. One of her strikes caught his ear, ripping through the thin skin. Strands of blood soaked his fur. Lucy growled, "You're too slow."
"It doesn't hurt that much. If you want to really injure me, aim for the throat or something." he smirked. Torn ears bled far more then they hurt and shifting would heal the rip with no scarring.
Lucy laughed, and even though her wolf form added a growly undertone he could easily imagine what her human laugh would sound like. A heated wave raked through his body, forcing him to suppress a possessive snarl that would no doubt cut off her laughter.
"I'm not stupid. If I even tried to kill you, your pack would scream for my blood to avenge their first commander." She darted in from the side and tried to barrel him over. He held his ground only by height and strength advantage while thinking of who exactly would bother to come and avenge him.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." he said slowly, and she paused in surprise. Taking the split second he was given, he rolled her off her feet and placed a sturdy pin on her neck and hip. She tested his hold before letting her head fall to the ground in defeat. He knew that was all he would get and didn't push further, instead moving so he could stand over her while she regained her breath.
"Now that… was cheating." she panted. He narrowed his eyes in worry: he had applied a decent amount of force to barrel her over, but he didn't think she'd be so winded.
"Are you okay?" He leaned down to nuzzle her neck.
"Yeah, just… Just give me a second." Something in her eyes changed and she drew a large breath, steeling herself. "Dammit. You're making me go soft."
"How?"
She rolled her eyes. "We've progressed, in less than a day, from me threatening to rip your throat out to having a conversation while you're standing over me, something I haven't allowed anyone to do for ages. Now, get off."
He stepped to the side and she rolled over to stand up, shaking the dirt out of her fur. "I did claim you."
"Yeah. That shouldn't have happened either."
"Are you saying I'm the first to be successful?" He lowered his voice and moved closer, pleased that his words were having an effect on her.
"Something like that." she muttered. He drew level with her and she shot him a skeptic glance. "What did you mean by that?"
"Huh?"
"Not being sure about your pack avenging you. Why wouldn't you be? You're their first commander and everything. Isn't that pretty high up the power ladder?"
"It is, but I've only beaten the second commander once. We draw equal the rest of the time." he growled, and something akin to a giggle left the she-wolf. "He probably wouldn't miss me."
"So, to you, second commander and pack are synonymous?"
"Synonymous?" He tried out the new word, found that he didn't like it, and looked to Lucy for clarification. She sighed.
"It means that one thing is pretty much the same as another."
"The ice prick ain't synonymous with anything. The rest of the world is too good for that." he growled.
"Oh, really?" She eased into a comfortable, loping gait, heading towards the pack border. "How often do you fight?"
"Every day, at least twice." he told her proudly. "I always win."
She stumbled slightly. "He challenges you twice a day?"
"Nah, he's too weak for that."
"So let me get this straight." She returned to her previous pace and kept up with him with ease. "You two… spar at least twice a day, and you always win, but you still manage to tie?"
"Yep!" They sped up to leap across a shallow gully, both sets of paws silent on the landing.
"You are beyond confusing."
"Am not."
"And you act like a five-year-old."
"I don't!"
"Is everyone in your pack like this?"
"Maybe."
She groaned, lowering her head in what he assumed to be a gesture of annoyance. She had so many weird habits that looked very human, but shapeshifters rarely mixed with humans.
"You're weird." he told her. Her head lifted very slowly and she flashed him a gaze that was worthy of Erza.
"Why?" she ground out. Deciding to use their mating bond to his advantage, he moved closed to the glowering female and lowered his voice to the tone that sent shivers down her spine.
"Because you are, and you're weirdness is all mine." he murmured, and, just as he'd predicted, a shudder traveled the length of her body. She tried to scowl, but he let out a soft growl and another shudder cut her off. He ended up receiving a paw to the face, but her reactions were worth it.
"Do that again and I will rip out your throat." she snarled softly, trying to regain control of her shaking body. He took advantage of her pause to pad around her, paying extra attention to the slightly crusted cut on her ribs.
"Does it hurt?" he asked, stepping closer to sniff the gash. No scents of infection drifted up to him and he let her turn to face him.
"No. It's just a bit tight. I'll shift when we cross the border and it'll go away." She moved to resume their previous pace, but her paw slowed as it neared the ground as if she was struck by a thought. "Which reminds me, there's still some elk left over. We should finish it off before we go to your camp, otherwise it'll go bad."
"Sure. Lead the way." he told her, and was rewarded by a surprised glance. He knew most males would demand to know the location of the meat so they could lead, but she was just as dominant as him. Butting heads would get them nowhere, and maybe if he made some allowances for her, she might eventually make some for him.
AN: Quick side note. If the entire mating bond business is confusing, let me know and I can slip in a definition. I'm still working on the borders of the bond, but it's mostly figured out. Until next week!