Those silver eyes were staring at her again today too.

Mia forced herself to not give into her instinct to turn the other way and flee. Didn’t they say that wolves, like dogs, were encouraged to chase after their prey if they saw them running away? Her height was far from anything to write home about; the wolf could probably catch up to her in a single leap.

She’d been tasked by the head baker to send deliveries to the country estates as of late. Normally there was an errand boy who would’ve picked up the parcels, but he was away busy with something or other and she was the newest employee of the shop. And so she went.

‘I thought wolves were supposed to live in the forest?!?!’ She wondered panicking as the wolf showed no sign of moving on, simply standing in the path. She’d had only seen pictures of wolves in storybooks and the texts her older brother used in his studies, but she didn’t imagine them to be quite this large. The beast that stood in front of her was absolutely massive, its fur dark but highlighted with grey streaks that flashed in the late morning light like the swords that were on display at the swordsmith’s.

“Uh, um...” She dared not raise her hands in case the wolf would think it was a threat and jump for her throat with its jaws. Perhaps it was better if she waited for it to make the first move?! But if it came closer to attack then she was done for.

The wolf held its head high, sniffing the air. Was this a sign that she could move? Was it distracted by the smell of food somewhere far away? She inched sideways bit by bit, keeping an eye on the animal.

She had only made a few centimetres of progress when the wolf whined and approached her, its ears flattened and tail wagging furiously. What?! What?! What did it want?! Everything in her body was telling her to run and scream, in that order, but the wolf’s piercing eyes pinned her in place. It pressed its head into her arm and up close, she could see just how large it was, the beast was nearly the same height as her and its paws were bigger than her head.

Too scared to pull away, she could only stand stock still as the beast continued to seemingly inspect her, going from her arm to stepping in front of her to press the side of its muzzle against her chest. Did it want for her to pet it? Was this actually a domesticated animal? She tentatively gave it a few pats on the snout, which was returned with a snuffle and the creature closed its eyes like it was enjoying the sensation.



Earlier that month he’d received an urgent letter from one of his fellow adventurers. A few years ago, they had made quite a living for themselves taking down the dark abominations, later determined by the goddess and the mages of the capital to be remnants of darkness strengthened by the return of the Corruption. Thankfully no living thing had been harmed yet, but if it wasn’t for the appearance of the Saint and the endeavours of the group she accompanied then it would have been only a matter of time before some poor soul fell prey to it and mutated into something one could never imagine in even their worst nightmares.

After all was said and done, his friend had returned to his hometown, settling there to take up the family business, his father ran a brewery and even with the troubles going on, people still wanted a drink or five to forget the gloom and despair. He’d done well enough for himself the past few months, even opening an associated tavern to go with it.

Apparently some remnants of the dark creatures managed to still survive, whether in the far reaches of the land or some remote cavern. Though severely weakened, they still posed a danger to travellers who weren’t used to dealing with dangerous beasts. His friend’s letter detailed the matter of these mutated animals rising from the deep hidden caverns and venturing close enough to the town to be considered a serious threat.

And so he was on one of his daily patrols. The villagers were already informed of his presence and knew of his wolf form, so there wouldn’t be any accidents. He was easily twice the size of any other beastman though untransformed, he stood at an average height. He would go into the caverns to eliminate the source eventually, but for now he, his friend, and a small group of experienced hunters that lived in the region were roaming the territory, looking to finish off any wandering creatures before they got close to the towns and villages. The past several days had been good hunting, but whether he was truly cutting down their numbers or if they had smartened up and lay in hiding for a while, he didn’t know.

Then he found her. Or rather, he smelt her first. An indescribable scent, that reminded him of gentle camomile with the warmth of freshly baked bread, mixed into something alluringly beckoned him to follow. It wasn’t long until he found the source herself, a young woman, dressed in a brown dress with a white apron and walking boots, with a red hankerchief tied over her head. Her hair was a light auburn and tied in a thick braid that reached her waist.

Was this what his father said to him when he was a young pup, that the scent of your mate was almost like a drug, that once you found it, you would be addicted to it forevermore. It sounded frightening almost, until he saw the way his father’s eyes lit up when his mother entered the room, asking about what he wanted for dinner that night. That look, like she was his most precious thing all in the world. Was this woman the one that his heart yearned to be connected with, like how his father’s was connected to his mother’s?

He studied her from afar at first, though it was hard for him to hold back. He could tell from her body language that she was nervous and wary, and who wouldn’t be at the sight of a massive wolf staring at them like they were a piece of meat. It would not do to scare her off, he had no intention of hiding his true nature from her, he wanted whoever who was to be his mate to able to accept him as he was. Over the next few days he would approach her ever so closely, and though she still would stare at him cautiously, his heart was filled with hope that she never ran from him or carried a weapon on her person, as much as he could see.

And today, he finally approached her directly. As to be expected, she stared at him nervously and shook like a rabbit caught in the gaze of a hungry predator. But, she did not run. He tested his luck by rubbing his head on her arm, careful not to press his weight against her small frame and appealed to her, whining and wagging his tail. She took him quite readily, patting him on his snout. He closed his eyes in bliss, enjoying the feeling of her fingers running through his fur. Was this what being touched by your fated one felt like, he wondered. When he showed his form to the villagers at first, the children were delighted and rushed up to pet him and it was a nice enough feeling, but this...

After a long moment, she drew back, and he opened his eyes, silently pleading for her not to leave him. But she had a task to complete and so she continued on her way, glancing back over her shoulder with a puzzled look on her face a few times, as if wondering what was the meaning of this encounter.

‘Oh, if only you knew, my little bird,’ he thought to himself, staring after her until her figure was shrouded by a crop of trees that hung over the country road.