Kevin was on his way home after a successful winter hunting trip when he was attacked. A wolf larger than any other he had seen knocked him to the cold earth, its fangs penetrating the flesh of his left leg. After knocking the beast off of him he dropped his sack of game and pulled out his bow and took an arrow from his quiver. Within seconds of pulling out the arrow he had the string pulled and his arrow aimed at the beast. Normally this was enough to scare off a wolf since they were only after the game he had killed but this wolf had its eyes set on him. Kevin had seen this only once before when a man eating wolf made its way into his village. With out a second thought he let loose his arrow and hit the beasts side and it fell limp. He grabbed his dagger and approached it, it's pelt would be of great use to him and in times of lean game he could not say no to the meat. As he pulled the arrow from its side the beast opened its eyes and snarled at him before taking off into the woods leaving a trail of blood in the white snow. Kevin was tempted to go after it and finish the job but his leg was in no shape to go on the chase. As he limped back into the village he saw his beloved, the daughter of the villages butcher, her name was Siarra. They had known each other since childhood and he started to feel an attraction to her since the age of sixteen but he never told her , he was better with bow and blade than with his words. Fending of enemies both man and beast was easier for him than it was to even tell her his feelings, he knew he would have to tell her before the end of winter or else she be betrothed to a man of her fathers choosing, according to village law if a suitor doesn’t win her heart by the winter of her twentieth year her father had to choose a man for her. He limped his way to her hoping to ask her hand, his bout with the wolf gave him the courage to do so.
As Kevin approached her a foot came from behind a cart of wheat and sent him face first into the cold hard earth. “ Siarra is mine” came the voice of Geoff, the son of a merchant who just recently settled in the village. He had money and good looks, Kevin only had the latter. He watched as Geoff walked towards her, his only hope was that she would not fall for him, by law after a week of him offering himself to her and she hadn't chose him Kevin could make his move. Kevin groaned as he was forced to put weight on his injured leg as he rose to his feet. Before walking to his to his home he shot a cold look towards Geoff “She will be mine” he said before limping back to his house. After cleaning out his wounds and bandaging them he made started the hearth to warm himself and cook the rabbits he caught while hunting to prepare them before salting them to preserve them so they could last the rest of the winter. After eating the one rabbit he didn’t salt he limped to his bed. After his battle with the wolf he was exhausted, he fell asleep within seconds of his head hitting his cot.
Kevin's dreams were unusual. He was running in the snow on all fours, naked but he didn’t feel cold. He stopped at a river and drank from it, he was a wolf, and he liked it. His ears perked as he heard a crunch in the snow from a footstep. He spun around and saw Geoff, he just smiled and kicked Kevin into the river “Your just a stupid dog and I am a man, Siarra will be mine” He said with a triumphant laugh. Kevin snarled as he swam back onto land. Geoff started to walk away still laughing, his voice echoing in Kevin's ears. He couldn’t let Geoff have Siarra, she was his mate, he had to protect his mate. He jumped on Geoff's back and knocked him into the snow. Geoff rolled to his back with terror on his face. Kevin growled and pounced his chest latching his Jaws to his neck and ripping it out. Geoffs blood spattered over his muzzle and stained the pristine snow. Kevin stood on his chest and stared into his eyes as he gagged on his own blood, he watched as life left his body. Kevin howled triumphantly into the full moon over his kill. A scream was heard over his howl and he turned to the source, it was Siarra. She screamed “Wolf!” at the top of her lungs. He tried to tell her who he was and that he did it to save her but could only bark and whimper. Her father appeared behind her with a hunting bow in hand and aimed for his head.
Kevin awoke in a cold sweat. “What a dream” he said to himself as he saw the light of day peaking in from his windows. “Rabbit must of ate a bad mushroom” he said as he sat up in bead. After changing into some clean clothing and changing his bandage he made his way to the tavern for a morning pint. As he ordered a pint of mead he over heard two hunters talking. “Poor bastard, I found him in the woods wearing absolutely nothing, had an arrow wound in his side” one said as he took a drink from his mug “Must of been bandits, killed him and took all he had” said the other. As he listened Geoff approached the bar and ordered an ale“If all goes well I will be married to Siarra the day after the full moon” he said as he turned to look at Kevin. Kevin said nothing but silently wished that a wolf would kill him in the exact manner he did in his dream. Kevin finished his drink and stood up and left. Kevin was angry at himself and Geoff, himself for not having the courage to ask her sooner. He grabbed his bow, dagger and hunting sack, he had to get out his rage and thought why not do something useful while he did it. He came back an hour later hauling in a deer, biggest game brought in since the winter came. When asked how he managed to kill it since they were so fast he just smiled and said “I pretended it was someone I hated”. The deer had more than enough meat on it to get him through the winter and its hide would be worth good coin to the local tanner. As he prepared the meat his mind drifted back to the dream. He shrugged it each time but the thought persisted. He made up his mind to pay a visit to the village temple and to offer the gods some choice cuts from his kill and ask them to help Siarra see he is the better choice of a husband “Might as well toss a few coins to the priests and have them pray to insure success” he said to himself as he wrapped some choice cuts to take to the temple.
He left the temple happy knowing that Siarra would be his. As he made his way back to his home he saw the local rune scryer running through the village, his face pale. “You alright friend?” he asked as he helped up the man after he tripped in front of him. The man only grabbed his shirt and looked him in the eyes and uttered only one sentence before running off again “A werewolf is amongst us! I must warn the elders!”. Kevin shrugged off the mans words, he had done this before after eating what he called “Divining stew” one to many times, the main ingredient was a fungus known to cause powerful visions. Instead of heading home he decided to visit the tavern for a pint. “Is the scryer screaming werewolf again?” asked a hunter, Kevin nodded as he took a seat and ordered a pint of ale “Everyone knows the last werewolf was killed over a hundred years ago” Kevin said as he took a drink of the ale.
Ever since he was a boy Kevin knew of the tale of Wolfsson, a warrior who was raised from infancy by a wolf and he hunted with them. The legend told that he returned to cave of the she wolf who raised him to find her slaughtered and the scent of something that smelled of both man and wolf, a werewolf. He vowed to avenge her death by slaughtering each werewolf he could find and became the leader of men and wolf. After the last werewolf was slain he brought piece between man and wolf and became king of both. But the piece between man and wolf would end with his murder by a man who wanted the throne for himself. He was taught wolves never forgave man for the murder and vowed to steal the kills of all men and at times hunt for them. This story was known by every child, man and women in his village to teach them to respect the wolf and only to kill it if absolutely necessary, but in recent years people took less credence in it and actively seeked the death of wolves whenever encountered. The sun was setting and he was still at the tavern joining the rest of the men in drunken song and story. When he was aware of the time he paid for another round of drinks and headed back to his home, ready to sleep.
For every night for weeks he had dreams of being a wolf and killing Geoff, and they all ended the same with Siarra screaming for help. In order to keep it off his mind he would hunt, each time he would bag large game, with no wolves in sight. While he wondered why they kept their distance he was happy for it, without them to scare off game he was able to get enough meat to last for twenty winters. He ended up giving most of it to the temple to thank the gods for the hunt and would give some of it to families that couldn’t afford to buy enough food. He was being hailed as the greatest hunter in the village. He would smile when he saw Geoff staring at him with hateful and jealous eyes knowing that this new found fame would make him more attractive in the eyes of the fair Siarra. The day he said she would be his was fast approaching and he was getting desperate, showering her with gifts and fancy dresses and jewelry. Kevin knew she would be his, he only had to wait till the full moon set and the sun rose marking Geoff's time to court her would end.
On the day of the full moon he went hunting again. It wasn't long before a buck walked into view, it fell dead as Kevin's arrow hit its mark. Kevin carried it back and took it directly to the temple announcing the full thing was to be an offering to the gods to thank them once again for the plentiful hunts he had had. From the temple he went to the tavern and bought a round for every man in the room. “You seem happy for someone who is going to lose the women he loves” he said with a grin “I will win her heart tonight and in the morning we wed!” he said before storming out of the tavern. Kevin laughed as he left knowing that Geoff was desperate to win her hand. After two drinks he left the tavern to head to his home when Siarra approached him and handed him an iron ring on a piece of twine “Father said to give this to the man I am to wed, I know Geoff still has some time to win me but I want to be yours, wear it on your neck and hide it under your tunic until the time is right” She whispered to him before running off before anyone could see what she had done. Kevin smiled and silently thanked the gods for answering his prayers. He put the twine around his neck and walked to his home.
As the day turned to night he found himself restless “Must be the excitement of winning the heart of my beloved Siarra” he thought to himself as he laid in the bed staring at his ceiling. He tossed and turned as he tried to sleep, but something kept him up. When sleep failed him he stood up and walked towards his window. As a youth he would stare at the moon and ponder why it glowed at night and it would calm him, he hoped it could still do the same for him now. As he looked up at the moon and the light washed over him he felt invigorated, the opposite of what he wanted. His skin started to tingle as he looked up at the moon. He heard a crack as his leg bones changed shape and the muscles around it grew stronger. He looked down to see his feet transform into the large paws of a wolf, and he wasn’t scared, he thought he was dreaming. He stood still as the change rose from his feet, his body growing more wolf like as it progressed, white fur covering him. His pants fell down to his ankles as the change reached his waist, his new tail swaying slowly as leaned on the window ledge for support. His fingers thickened into toes as his hands morphed into paws. As the change made it to his head his hair receded as white fur enveloped his face. Ears rising towards the top of his head, the sounds of the village filling them as he closed his eyes. His mouth and nose extended into a muzzle as his change reached its end. Kevin opened his eyes and sniffed the cold air before jumping out the window. All of his clothing falling to the floor of his home, the only thing he had on now was the twine that held the iron ring Siarra gave him.
Kevin's mind was in a dreamlike haze as he wandered the empty village streets. He followed the scent of raw meat to the butchers shop. He stood on his hind legs and tore down some hanging venison and laid with it, ripping the meat off the bone. “This dream feels more real than the others” he thought as he swallowed the first chunk of meat.. He was about to take another when he heard something from behind the butchers shop. He stood up and went to investigate. “You will be mine Siarra, I am rich I can care for you better than that dog of a hunter Kevin!” He heard Geoff say as he approached the source of the sounds. “You tried to win my heart and you failed! Leave me alone!” he heard Siarra exclaim. At the sound of his beloved in distress he rushed towards her. He growled as he saw Geoff pinning her to the wall with one hand, the other on the hilt of a dagger “If I cant have you no one can!” he said unsheathing the blade. “Unhand her!” Kevin tried to say but only a loud bark came out. Geoff turned towards him, his skin turned pale as he saw the giant white wolf. He pushed Siarra away and tried to run, but Kevin was faster, He ran in front of him, pounced and dug his fangs into his neck and ripped out his throat just as he did in the dreams. The last thing Geoff did before his neck was ripped out was to yell “Wolf!” and jabbed his dagger into Kevin's side. Kevin growled in pain as he was stabbed. He kept biting until he was sure that Geoff was dead. He turned to see Siarra holding a hand to her mouth, she was about to scream when she saw the ring”Kevin?” she said reaching out to him. When she heard some men coming she quickly opened the butcher shop door “Hide!” she said shoving the wolf into the room and closing the door. Kevin listened as she said a wolf came and killed Geoff and ran off into the distance, when the men ran to where she pointed she came into the butcher shop and led him back to his home where she cleaned his wounds. The pain told him what had happened was real and no dream. He whimpered softly his head in her arms seeking comfort from her.
Siarra stayed at his side all night in hopes that he would return to normal when the sun rose. When nothing happened she grabbed a bag of food and some of her fathers gold and quietly left the village with him only leaving a note saying she and Kevin ran off together. They traveled for days, only stopping for sleep and to replenish their supplies, Siarra was determined to get him where no one would kill him. It wasn't long until they ran into a witch, who for a few pieces of food gave them an amulet that changed him back, if he took it off he would change back into a wolf. They settled in a small village many miles away from the witches hut. Soon a story was told about a large White wolf with black points that patrolled the village perimeter at night, only attacking those who would do harm to the village, but no one actually believed it, but some did take notice that the tale started when a man and a women settled in town, talk about the man being a werewolf, but everyone knew the last werewolf was killed over a hundred years ago.
Link
purplepardus
XD ANOTHER PLACE TO FAV!!!