an Everlasting Pursuit

seventy seven

A large, intimidating, hairy-ass wolf stood right in front of me. Its head was enormous, easily the size of my torso alone. He licked his lips and shook out its fur, briefly showing the way-too-many-inches teeth that hide inside. His tongue darted out next, lapping at his nose before he fell to his haunches.

I eyed the rippling muscle as he shook his fur, how they bent and stretched as he forced himself to sit. At sitting height, he still towered over me. His paws, large and dark like the rest of him held two inches claws that could easily tear my skin like paper.

I gulped, my eyes wide as I finally raised them to look into his eyes. Deep blue, just as the sky above us, blinked back at me. He cocked his head, studying me, and a part of me wondered if he was going to come closer or stay where he was.

"Asra?" I whispered.

His head bowed, dipping as his nose twitched. A nod.

How was this the man I had grown accustomed to? How was it even possible that he could turn into a monster, a beast? The laws of physics and nature made no sense. Everything they ever taught us in the past, we ever believed, was ruined.

I pushed myself to my feet, stumbling slightly on the uneven ground. It caused him to growl softly, dipping his head again. I nervously wrung my hands together, my heart pounding in my chest. I was sure he could hear it. His ears had to be bigger than my hands.

Despite seeing him in fur before, it still made me nervous.

He barked softly, a whisper of communication that had me jerking. The bond tightened, the strange string tying us together shaking as an ache formed in my head. He was focusing on me, the feeling tightening as he hesitated his next step. He moved slowly at my sudden fear, dropping his head and shoulders so he appeared my height.

Now just two feet away, I could smell the musky earth that coated his fur. It was as dark as a shadow, fluffy and soft looking. I wanted too... I so wanted to touch it again. Was he truly Asra, or just an animal? Could they lose their minds? Forget everything and kill a human?

Nature was curious. Why did they shift into a fluffy dog?

"We are one, you know that, not two separate entities but one whole..."

I sucked in a soft breath as my fingers whispered a touch over his forehead. His fur was still soft, tickling the skin beneath my nail. The bond held me; wrapped me in a little bubble and whispered that things were great. I felt the ache in my temple, and a fullness in my chest.

It was a weird feeling, but for once, I let it take over me.

My palm fell into his fur; thick and dense. My fingers scratched, stroking along his pale skin beneath. He cocked his head, allowing my hand to go further down his neck and into the soft, baby fur at the back of it. I noticed this last time he let me pet him, and assumed it was so thick here to combat any attempting kill shots.

My hand moved back up, mesmerised by the way his fur felt through my fingers. Fingers trailed up to his head, stroking along the softness of his ears. They twitched in my hand, which caused a small giggle to escape my lips that had the wolf freezing. With two fingers, I trailed the slope of his eyes, pausing when those dark blue eyes locked onto my own.

His head was so large compared to my hand, and my fingers were inches from being torn off. It would be so easy, and I couldn't stop it from happening.

Intrusive thoughts were strong tonight.

A sudden wetness along my wrist alerted me back to the present, and my eyes dropped to find the wolf lapping at my wrist. His tongue was flat and wide, slightly rough to the touch as he wrapped it around my wrist. I stared wide eyed, watching as he began to groom me. His tongue moved upwards, along the crook of my elbow and bare shoulder. Goosebumps rose on my flesh, pebbling my skin at the strange sensation. And just when I finally thought he was done, those sharp teeth got too close to my face and a large wet slobber wrapped itself around my mouth and jaw.