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“You know,” you tell Jake that evening as the two of you continue through the forest you’ve been travelling through the past few nights, “I know it’s the full moon, but I think you should go out hunting with me tomorrow night.”
He’s been tense all evening, eyeing the moon hanging overhead, just shy of full. This stops him in his tracks, and he turns to regard you with wide eyes. “You’re pulling my leg, right?”
“Not at all. I think it’s pointless to lock yourself up - all you ever do after changing is curl up on the floor and sleep all night. Why not go out with me for once?”
You should have known this would be a hard sell. Ever since you started travelling with Jake English six months ago you’ve learned several things about him. He is enthusiastic, foolishly optimistic, and stubborn to a fault. He is also a werewolf.
He claimed not to hate who he was, and that he was thankful for being turned in some ways because it made it easier for him to hunt the truly evil monsters - like the one who turned him and killed his grandmother. He boasted that he wasn’t scared of himself during his monthly transformations - but when each full moon came around, like clockwork, he would take precautions to make sure he was locked and barred from contact with any other being save for you.
After all, it isn’t like a werewolf could turn - let alone kill - a vampire.
“You know I can’t do that, Dirk. I mean, what if I were to hurt someone? What if I were to kill someone? It’s too much of a risk…”
“But that’s just it,” you say. “You aren’t some murderous beast. I don’t think that you give yourself - or the enchantment Roxy placed on you - enough credit.”
He still doesn’t look convinced and you run a hand through your hair, sighing in annoyance.
“Look, just trust me. There’s no one around for miles and if anything were to go wrong - and it won’t - I’m fast enough to keep up, and strong enough to stop you.”
He hesitates, but then you see his shoulders sag and you know he’s given in.
“Alright, fine. I’ll hold you to that, though. If I so much as catch the scent of a nearby human I don’t know if I can suppress the wolf’s urges.”
You nod. “You have my word.”
With that agreement made, the two of you continue to travel further into the forest and up into the nearby mountain range. You stumble upon an abandoned cabin just as the sun begins to rise, and the two of you take shelter there. As you settle in to sleep, you can sense Jake’s nerves and hope he doesn’t worry himself sick all day.
*
When you wake, you sit up to find Jake sitting in a corner of the cabin absently cleaning his guns. He tends to do this when he’s thinking hard about something and you wonder how long he’s been sitting there dismantling and reassembling that pistol.
He glances up when he sees you’re awake and seems almost startled for a moment before glancing out one of the windows to see the fading sunlight.
“Oh, that time already, huh?” You can taste the nervousness coming off him in waves.
“Seems like. Are you ready for tonight?”
He sighs and finishes reassembling the firearm in front of him, pulling back the hammer and firing the unloaded gun to make sure everything is in working order. Satisfied, he puts the gun in his lap before turning back to you.
“As ready as I’ll ever be, I gather.”
He gets up, tucking his guns back into his travelling pack before undressing. He had learned long ago that wearing clothes during the change just resulted in torn shreds of fabric.
The two of you sit and wait patiently for night to fall, Jake growing more and more tense as time drags on. Finally, just as the last color has faded from the sky, Jake starts to change.
You’ve watched him do this several times now, and it never gets any less weird. He tells you it doesn’t actually hurt, but the sounds his body makes as his bones and muscles and entire body structure rearrange are almost too much for even you to stomach. You watch as he hunches over, his gritted teeth growing larger and sharper, his jaw and nose protruding outwards into a snout. His limbs shift and change shape, and patches of brown fur begin to shoot up over every inch of bared skin.
It’s over in seconds, and soon enough there’s a large wolf sitting in the middle of the room, looking at you with Jake’s green eyes.
You get up and open the door to the cabin and turn to gesture Jake outside. “Shall we go be creatures of the night?”
*
Jake spends most of the next few hours running through the forest, acting like a giant pup - chasing rabbits, mice and other small animals, and yipping excitedly as you race him through the brush. You keep up with him easily, darting after as he tears ahead of you, overtaking him and causing him to growl his displeasure at being beaten. It’s all good fun however, and you continue to trade victories, racing to large rocks or trees and then darting off after the next goal.
Occasionally he catches some kind of animal and trots back, presenting it to you to feed on. You drain the struggling creature before tossing the body back to him so he can make a snack from the remaining meat. There aren’t many larger creatures out tonight, but that’s fine. Jake catches plenty of smaller game as you continue to travel further up into the forest, following the mountain range.
You admit that you’ve never had quite this much fun hunting down your nightly meals. It doesn’t feel like a necessity this time - instead you just enjoy wandering through the night with a friend. Jake’s happiness at running free through the cool night air is contagious, and you find yourself grinning as he runs circles around you, yipping and barking in his excitement. You’re proud that he’s finally letting himself enjoy this part of him.
The tone of the evening changes when during one of your sprints through the woods, Jake suddenly stops, ears perked as he sniffs the air. You pause, watching him as he cocks his head and stares off into the distance. You turn but can’t see anything even with your impressive night vision. You’re about to ask him what’s the matter when he goes tearing off faster than you’ve ever seen before.
It takes you by surprise, and that’s the only reason that he keeps ahead of you when you finally get your wits enough to chase after him. You keep him in your sight, cursing as you realize just how fast he is and how difficult it is to keep up with him.
When you do catch up, he’s hunched down just outside a clearing. When you get close enough you see exactly why he ran off.
In the clearing is a cottage. The lights are out, but you can sense a family of four sleeping inside - probably a huntsman with his wife and children. No one else would be out this far into the wilderness.
You look down at Jake, who is alternating between snarling quietly at the house and whining. You sense his indecision, can taste the turmoil he feels at his animalistic instinct to hunt, to kill, to break inside and taste the human flesh waiting for him.
You’re struck by a moment of indecision - you were so sure that there would be no humans around tonight, that you would have no reason to stop Jake from harming anything. You’re not sure what to do now. Jake is controlling himself - you know he’s capable of it - but for how much longer?
You come to a decision and step in front of him, blocking his view of the house and looking into his feral green eyes.
“Come at me. I know you want to go in there and rip those people apart, but you can’t. Take it out on me instead.”
Jake’s lips lift in a snarl as his hackles raise in warning. He’s trying to tell you to back off, but you aren’t budging. You promised him you wouldn’t let him hurt anyone and you’re going to keep it.
You advance, baring your fangs and hissing at him in challenge. He snarls back at you one more time before hunching his shoulders and pouncing.
You have enough time to lift your arm as a shield before you feel Jake’s teeth sink into it. You grin at him as he growls and clamps down on your arm, the bone underneath cracking painfully. It’s probably broken, but it’ll heal in time so you ignore it for now.
“Good, now come on. Catch me if you can!”
With that you hurl him off of you, several feet into the forest. He skids to a halt just as you race past him, darting off into the woods. You hear his snarl and then his footfalls as he chases after you - away from the cabin and the sleeping occupants inside.
When you’ve covered what you hope is enough distance, you turn to face him. He’s hot on your tail and slams straight into you, knocking the breath from you as you topple to the forest floor. He’s on you in an instant, your vision full of snarling, angry wolf teeth.
“Perfect,” you snarl back at him, “Get that rage out, come on!”
He’s heavier than you, all muscle and brute strength as he bites and slashes at you with his claws but you’re more than a match for him. The two of you tussle and roll across the ground, Jake growling and spitting and snarling and you hissing right back in his face. His teeth sink into your shoulder and your arm again and again, and you slash right back with your own claws and fangs. The air is thick with the scent of blood and aggression.
Then, just as suddenly as your fight started, it’s over. It’s as if all the fight goes out of Jake all at once, and one moment he’s pinning you to the ground, going for your neck, and the next he’s slumped on top of you, ears flattened and growl slowly fading into a whine.
You allow yourself to relax after you realize he’s done and you mentally assess the damage Jake has managed to do. You’re bleeding from several places, blood staining your shirt and pants - but those wounds are already closing. It feels like a few bones may be broken in your arms and hands where Jake’s powerful jaw had bitten down too hard. Those will take longer to heal, but you can already feel the pain fading.
You reach up with your left hand, the one that feels the least injured, and run it through the fur on Jake’s neck. He whimpers at you and you can sense how bad he feels about hurting you, but you shush him, murmuring that he’s okay, that you’re okay, that he has nothing to be worried about. He leans up and licks your face, lapping apologetically at a fading scratch across your cheekbone.
You can see where you’ve left your own marks on him - gouges across his muzzle and along his shoulder blades where your claws had dug in and gripped. You apologize for hurting him, to which he responds by licking your face again, then nuzzling against your neck. It’s a sweet gesture, and you find yourself smiling at him.
“Come on, let’s get out of here.”
The two of you get up and you let him lead the way back to your cabin.
The route you take winds up into the mountains and at one point Jake stops and sits down at the edge of the trail. The view from here is lovely, you have to admit. You’re high enough that you can see the night sky clearly, the stars and the full moon hanging heavy and bright above you. You sit next to him, burying a hand in his scruff and scratching lightly.
He leans into your touch, then looks to the moon and starts to howl. It should be earsplitting, with how close you’re sitting to him. Instead it’s a sad, hollow, note that causes your undead heart to clench.
After a moment, Jake quiets. You continue to absently pet his fur, trailing up to scratch between his ears. He turns and licks your face and he seems happier now - his eyes sparkle with mischief and his lips pull back in what you assume is a wolf version of a grin. You smile back.
“Ready to go back?” you ask, and he responds by licking your face and yipping.
*
By the time you reach the cabin, the sky is already starting to fade from the deep black of night to the dull grey of the coming dawn. You set about shutting the windows and ensuring no sunlight comes in while you sleep, and leave Jake to shift back.
Within moments you hear the telltale crack and pop of bones rearranging and just as you close the shutters on the last window, you turn to see a naked, human Jake wobbling on his feet.
You catch him just as he lurches forward, “You alright there, killer?”
He’s grasping onto your shoulders as he leans heavily onto you for balance, his chin resting on your shoulder. His own shoulders start to shake quietly, and you realize as you feel his breath huffing against your neck that he’s laughing.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he says, “more than fine, really. I’m splendid!”
You smile down at his messy mop of black hair. “So I take it you had fun tonight?”
“Oh heavens, yes!” he exclaims, leaning back to grin up at you. “I mean, all except for the one minor hiccup.” His grin falters a bit. “but I think after tonight I have a little more confidence in myself.”
“Good, glad to hear it.” Your face hurts from smiling so much tonight.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you though.” His smile softens, and he brings his arms up to wind around your shoulders in a hug. “So, thank you, Dirk.”
“It was nothing,” you tell him. Or at least you would have told him, but before you get the chance, he’s tilted his head up and is pressing his lips against yours.
You’re so surprised by the gesture that you freeze, and for that brief moment all you feel is Jake’s lips, chapped and warm against your own. You should kiss him back, oh god you should kiss him back right now dammit, but before you can, he’s pulling back with a nervous expression.
“Oh! Sorry about that,” he says, and his grip loosens from around your shoulders. “Was that ok? I didn’t mean -”
“Yeah.” You cut him off a little too quickly. “That was ok. You don’t have to apologize.”
He laughs nervously, avoiding your eyes and you think to hell with this. It’d be stupid to dance around this issue any longer than necessary.
“In fact, if you tried it again I wouldn’t complain,” you suggest, and he looks up, cheeks flushed a delicious shade of pink.
“Oh, um.” He licks his lips, your eyes following the movement like a hawk. “I think I could do that…”
And he does, leaning up and tentatively pressing his lips to yours again. This time though, you’re ready, and as his lips move against yours you tilt your head and press into it, your lips sliding against one another.
Your arms tighten around his waist as he gets a little more daring and takes your bottom lip and sucks it into his mouth. He gasps as you press him against you, and you take the opportunity to deepen the kiss, licking into his mouth to taste him better.
You’re interrupted for a moment when Jake’s already compromised balance tips him further into you, and not expecting it you both topple to the floor. Jake lands heavily on top of you and immediately bursts out laughing, burying his face in the crook of your neck and you can’t help but chuckle along with him.
You reach up and run a hand through his hair and he hums happily in response. He shifts and settles more comfortably against you - moving so that all his hips and knees and awkward angles aren’t digging into you anymore.
He begins pressing tiny kisses against your neck, and you shiver at the sensation. Then he’s leaning back and tilting your head downwards to kiss you again. It’s soft and uncoordinated - lazy - and you can tell he’s getting sleepy. You’re feeling the same, it’s been a long night, and you can sense the sun rising outside.
“Mm, get some sleep,” you tell him, smiling into the kiss. “We can pick up where we left off tomorrow night.”
“Alright,” he says, pulling back and curling up against you with a yawn.
Within seconds, the two of you are fast asleep, warm and safe and tangled around each other.
