A beautiful girl sat on a clearing within the forest, surrounded by flowers that only bloomed at night, as she picked them one by one. Her beautiful black hair swayed along with the wind as her as the moon's pale light fell onto her bronze skin.
From behind her she heard a snap, causing her to turn. "Spot?" her voice poured from her mouth like silk.
Out of the forest's darkness came a creature almost two times her size, that stared at her with glowing blue eyes. When it came into the light, silver fur shone under the moon, and claws sharper than knives stabbed into the ground with each step it came closer.
When she was just an arm's reach, the creature brought a clawed hand to rest upon her cheek. It was one of the most dangerous creatures known to man; a werewolf. She did not scream. She did not run. She did not face it with fear.
Instead, she smiled so tenderly and held the silver paw with affection, "Hi, Spot. I made this for you." from the ground she picked up a crown of moonflowers. "It would look so lovely on your fur!"
The werewolf huffed and knelt on the ground for her to reach him, watching her excitedly place it on his head.
"Now isn't that lovely?" she sat beside him on the grass with the same pretty smile upon her pink lips.
Softly, he rested his snout on her lap, the space being too small for his entire head to lay on.
In a gentle manner, the teenage girl petted his head, "You know, today the boys captured the largest wild boar I've seen my whole life. Just a while ago we had an enormous feast just to celebrate."
It was always like this. She would enter the forest late at night and sit in the same clearing, waiting for him to arrive. Although he couldn't speak to her, he could understand. She would mostly talk about mundane things, but anything was fine really.
The werewolf would never tire of her rambling, just the sound of her voice made him happy. It's been like this for almost a year.
"Spot, you do know that I am not one to pry, but curiosity is quite a fickle thing! I was wondering where you go as a human, and that perhaps if you wished it so I can visit." said she a little bit embarrassed at her question, hoping that he wouldn't think of her as a nosy girl.
A small growl emitted from the werewolf's throat, as his bright blue eyes stared at her as if questioning her behavior.
"I-I mean I greatly enjoy your company as a werewolf! Don't get me wrong. I just... wanted to know what you look like." she stammered as dark pink flush covered her cheeks. The werewolf huffed and stood up on his two hind legs, making her panic, "Spot, I'm sorry! I won't ask it again!"
Now on all fours, he nuzzled her face as if reassuring her that he wasn't mad.
She giggled and hugged him, circling her small arms around his furry neck and petting him again and again. When the werewolf stood up, she too was brought along with a yell of surprise. The girl laughed and held on until she was high up the ground.
The werewolf looked on bored as she slowly slid off of his body, and watched as she fell back on the ground with an 'oof!'.
She rolled around the grass with laughter pouring from her mouth, and her beautiful white dress becoming stained with green. She stopped when she noticed him turning to leave.
"Are you going already?" she asked a bit sad. It was still early.
The creature did not reply, and instead brought all paws to meet the soil and with one effortless move, sped through the forest with speeds impossible for man.
She stood up and yelled as loud as she could, "Goodbye!" she waited for a while, until she heard a strong howl emit from already so far away. Grinning, she turned to head back to the village. It was time to go home.
When morning came, you can see a boy walking to the village; a brown sling bag on his shoulder. He wore a beanie on his head and leather clothes.
"Gabriel!" at the sound of his name, he turned to face the one who called it; his bright blue eyes coming into view.
The handsome boy grinned and his feral teeth showed, "Hey!"
"Are you going to come hunting with us today?"
Gabriel shook his head, "Nah, I don't think so."
"That's not fair, Gab. You never join us for hunting."
"I don't really like hunting. I got somewhere to be, see ya." Gabriel waved the other goodbye, and walked into the village with his hand on his bag's strap.
The town was bustling with life, especially through the market. It was quite a hassle that his workplace was just through here, but nonetheless struggled to make it through the crowd. When he arrived, he looked up to see the usual logo of the bookstore.
With the jingle of bells, he said, "Good morning."
The store's owner smiled, "Good morning, Gab. I was just about to finish placing the new books in the shelves. Care to help an old man out?"
His eyes sparkled as he dropped his bag on a chair, "There are new books?" he knelt in front of a crate containing the literature, and grinned.
"Yes indeed! Finish up here, I have to go look after the front."
"Sure." he said not even looking at the other's direction, "I'll do just that..." he closed his eyes and picked out a random book, "Right after I finish these."
Time passed, soon the crate was empty and all the books were scrambled around him as he hummed a tune. Gabriel flipped through the pages, each word, each sentence, each paragraph making him drown in wonder.
When he reached the last and final page, he sighed in sadness and satisfaction. "Why... why does it always have to end." Gabriel lied down on the floor and pouted, looking out the window.
His keen eyes caught a flash of curly dark hair, and immediately he ran up to the window. His face pressed onto the glass. There she is! Her usual bright smile and her bubbly aura.
Gabriel stared on with eyes that showed pure affection, until he realized his behavior. Embarrassed he pulled his beanie down until it covered his face and huffed back into the rows of books.
"Gabriel, are you done with the books? You've been in there for a long time."
"Ah!" he completely forgot, "Uh, yeah I'm almost done!" Gabriel picked up the books on the floor, careful with each page, and started doing the work he was supposed to be doing hours ago.
He glanced to the window behind him, and with a small amount of disappointment, noticed that she was gone.
Well, that's that.
"See you tomorrow, Gabriel."
Gabriel waved the old man goodbye, a couple of books already packed within his bag. "See you later."
It was already half past noon. It would take him a while to get back home, he would need to hurry if he wanted to read the rest of the chapters. Gabriel held the bag's strap and made his way out of the village towards his home.
Yep. He lived very far away from the village. It wasn't his choice, it was his mother's. Before she had died he had been raised in the same house he lived in right now. Sure it was a long walk, but at least he had a warm up every time to start out his day.
Halfway through the walk, he felt an electric pain go through his entire body, making him fall down gripping his chest. His eyes were dilated and his breaths were becoming rapid. This was... oh no.
Gabriel wiggled and jumped up and down. Nu uh! No way! Not again! He ran around in circles and waved his arms around, occasionally making a random jump. He is not going through that again.
He continued his strange dance for a while, until the electric feeling finally went away. Good. Gabriel breathed in deeply, and then exhaled. Time to go home.
"Spot!" yelled out the girl, hoping that somewhere in the woods the werewolf would hear her. She felt a hot breath from behind her neck, and she turned to see his snout close to her as he was standing on all fours. "Good evening, Spot!"
The werewolf sat down and sniffed her as a greeting.
"I have so many things to tell you about! Starting with--" The creature made a noise that sounded very close to a sneeze, "S-Spot?" she knelt in front of him and petted his fur.
The werewolf rolled onto it's back, and closed his eyes.
"Are you alright, Spot?" His electric eyes opened slowly, but this time his pupils were very small, "Spot?" the wolf growled at her, causing her to take a step back. Not out of fear, but caution.
Out of nowhere werewolf whimpered and fell back, stumbling.
"Spot, what's going on? Whats wrong?" she tried to check if he had any wounds, but before she was even able to make it closer, the werewolf turned and fled, "Spot!? Spot, where are you going!?"
But there was no reply.
Once again, Gabriel made his way into the village, his sling bag around his shoulders and a different colored beanie on top of his head. He pushed through the crowd of the marketplace, and fell onto the front door of the bookstore.
With the jingle of bells, he said, "Good morning." he was a bit glum today.
"Good morning, Gabriel."
He dug through his bag and took out the books he had borrowed yesterday, "I'm going to return these."
"Sure thing, when you're done, please look after the front. I have an errand to run."
With a nod, Gabriel heard him leave. After returning the books, he sat at the front desk, staring out into space.
He messed up.
Gabriel groaned and lied down on the desk, pulling his beanie down to cover his face. He knew that it was happening, but he still thought that it would be safe to go to that place during the night.
"Stupid..." he grumbled to himself, "Urk!" the same electric feeling ran throughout his veins, and he had to stop himself from throwing himself off of the chair.
Next time he would not make the same mistake.
"See you tomorrow, Gabriel."
Gabriel waved the old man goodbye with a smile, "Bye, old man."
"I'm not that old, you know!"
He laughed and bit his lips, his pointy teeth snagged on his bottom lip, "You look old to me." before his boss could make a playful argument, he ran away, "Bye!"
When he was already out of the village, he slowed his pace to that of walking. His grip on the strap of his bag grew tighter. There was this book that he really wanted to read, but he needed to read it only when he got home. The was his rule. Always.
Gabriel fell on his knees and breathed in a sharp breath, "Not again!" he panted as his hands made marks onto the dirt path. He rolled around the floor, until he hit a tree, and rolled again into the opposite direction, this time rolling into a bush.
He lied on the floor panting, until the feeling went away. He needed to get home, and sleep.
Right after he finished the book.
"Spot?" she looked around, her brows furrowing with worry. She's been here for almost half an hour, and yet the werewolf was nowhere to be found. She sighed and fell onto the moonflower covered clearing.
There was definitely something wrong with Spot last night. He never left early, and there was just something about the way his eyes looked that didn't seem right. It was like she wasn't even looking at the same werewolf.
She lied down on the grass, her brown eyes staring up into the sky, drinking in it's beauty. The stars, the clouds, the darkness, and the moon.
Maybe if she waited a little while longer he will come back.
"Gabriel!"
With a jerk, Gabriel woke up, his face covered in red marks due to lying on his arm for too long. "Yes!?"
"You've been sleeping for a while, boy. Have you been up late reading that book you borrowed?"
"Uh, y-yeah. I was." it was a lie.
"I admire your love for literature, most kids don't have it."
Gabriel laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. He wasn't able to finish the book, heck, he wasn't even able to open it to the first page. He was too busy worrying about something.
He didn't sleep the whole night because he was thinking about her.
He couldn't help the guilt that stabbed his heart. She was always there, but last night he didn't go.
Gabriel pulled his beanie down and banged his head on the desk with a groan, "I'm so stupid..." no matter what he chose he regretted each decision.
"Goodbye, Gabriel."
He waved the other goodbye, holding his bag that had the same book inside of it. "Goodbye."
His walk outside of the village was normal. Thank goodness for that, because he wouldn't know what he would do if he ended up in that condition surrounded by lots of other people.
Gabriel's eyes glanced at his bag, seeing a small peak of the book's green cover. He really wanted to read that book. With motivation, he quickened his pace, but he just couldn't help staring at his bag. He wasn't able to read it yesterday, so he was now insanely curious.
No. He wasn't allowed to read the book when he was still walking home. Rules. Rules must be obeyed.
But then he heard the book's whispers... telling him to open up his bag and reach out for it. To read it. To finish it.
He mustn't. He really must not.
"Gah! Why is this so hard!?" he opened the book and sat down near a tree.
He had failed.
She was walking towards the usual place that she and Spot would meet, but tonight she wasn't so sure if the werewolf would even show up. She had waited for hours last night, but there was not a single sight of his silver fur or his blue eyes.
On her way, she came across something that wasn't there before; a boy about her age sleeping against a tree with a book on his face.
Strange. She crouched in front of him, her dress pouring around her sides, and took a closer look. Out of curiosity, she slowly slipped the book away, reading it's cover quickly, and then turning back.
She was overwhelmed with the sight of him. Pale skin and such handsome features. He was quite a looker. How in the world had she not noticed this man? He was resting close to the village.
What were the color of his eyes, and what was under that beanie? She tried to reach out for the hat.
Gabriel inhaled in his sleep, but he did not expect the scent that invaded his senses. He opened his eyes fast, and gasped when he saw her.
When electric blue eyes met with her brown ones, she couldn't help but be surprised. Those eyes were beautiful.
Gabriel backed away as fast as he could away from her, panicking. What was she doing here!? He fell asleep? He slapped his face at the realization. Of course.
"Wait, don't go away." he stopped at the sound of her voice.
He breathed in her scent, a mistake that he would regret. Her scent... her intoxicating scent triggered something inside of him.
She saw his eyes, and a sense of familiarity hit her, "Y-Your eyes--Ah!" she fell onto the ground, her face colliding with the surface and her eyes shutting with pain.
Gabriel panted, his eyes sharp and he showed his feral teeth. He held her down, facing her back. Nails that resembled claws dug into her shoulder blades. Such pretty brown skin.
Skin he wanted marked.
"W-What are you doing!?" somewhere inside of him, he heard a voice scream at him not to hurt her, but he was too far gone right now. He just had to.
Mark. Mark. Mark. He needed her marked.
He growled and bared his fangs, prepared to strike. Her high pitched scream ripped through his ears, and the sound of teeth ripping through skin met both of them.
She shook from beneath in fear, him but opened her eyes when she felt no pain.
Gabriel fell and backed away, panting. He managed to get some sense into himself before it was too late. Or maybe it was already too late. His heart stopped at her expression looking at him with horror.
He grit his teeth. This wasn't how their first meeting was supposed to go.
She looked at him with wide eyes, why wasn't she hurt. Flowing red met her vision, and glancing down, she gasped. His arm... it was bleeding red with a large bite mark upon it's skin.
"W-what's going on..." she whispered. She took a step closer.
Gabriel went bug eyed at her next reaction. Had she no sense of danger whatsoever!? He just tried to rip her neck out and she decided to approach him? He tried to back away but was met with a tree, she was already too close.
She needed to confirm something. "Your eyes... your face..." it should be obvious now, but... one swift movement and--
She was met with shocks of silver locks upon his head.
"Spot..."
Gabriel held his arm, and shook his head. His cover was blown! Years of keeping it a secret all wasted all because he decided to break his rule just once.
"You're Spot, aren't you?" this time she said it more clearly.
Gabriel gulped. There was nothing he could say to that. Slowly, he nodded.
A smile formed on her face, and she was overjoyed with happiness. "I knew it!" she jumped and gave him a hug, "Spot! Spot!" Gabriel hissed in pain when she came in contact with his fresh wound, "Ah. I'm sorry! I forgot."
He looked at her with a raised brow. He knew that she was a strange girl. She was unique. One of the reasons that drew him to her the day that they met, but her behavior in this situation just proved her to be more eccentric than he originally thought she was.
"I can help you." she held her dress and ripped out a piece of cloth, "Hold still..." from out of her basket, she brought out a flask filled with water and poured it onto his wound.
Gabriel held in his cry and breathed even breaths as she treated it.
"Can't you... say something?" she asked not meeting his eyes. "Like, what you were trying to do?"
Gabriel observed his bandaged arm, nodding in approval. Nicely done.
"Spot?"
His gaze quickly switched to look into her eyes, and in that moment the world seemed to stop. The sunset waved from above the sky, and the trees giggled when the wind tickled their leaves.
The electricity shocked him, and because of it he smacked his head on the tree as hard as he could. Intentionally.
"Spot!?" He groaned and held his his head. "Oh my goodness..." she giggled and rubbed his forehead, "Silly..."
Internally, Gabriel whimpered. She didn't know how hard he was trying to just stay in control. He sniffed when she tried petting his head. As of the moment, he was not a werewolf.
"Josey... please don't..." he mumbled.
"You talked!"
Gabriel blushed and looked away, "Y-yeah..."
Josey grinned, "Spot... my little spot. We meet at last."
Both of them looked at the side of the sky opposite to the sun, to see the moon rising right next to it.
Gabriel paled, which was an amazing feat considering how pale he already was, and faced Josey.
She tilted her head, "What are you so afraid of? I loved you first as a wolf than as a human."
Red flushed his face, and he started rambling incoherent stammers.
She giggled, "Spot, you are too much."
"My name's Gabriel!"
Josey blinked, "Oh..."
The moon shone over his human skin, and made it glow in a radiant silver. Gabriel bared his teeth, but not in a threatening manner, and his eyes flashed the brightest of blues.
Josey noticed this, and smiled so lovingly. They both looked into each other's eyes, before she jumped into his arms.
"Carry me, Gabriel!"
Gabriel's books lied next to the tree alone in the dark. The trees whispered to each other, as if speaking of what they had witnessed. A werewolf and a human. The winds carried their messages, until another joined the music of the night.
Somewhere in the distance, a howl like no other filled the sky... and a string of giggles along with it.
THE END
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