Chapter 2

Werifesteria

v. To wander longingly through the forest in search of mystery.

For the past couple of days, I had been overwhelmed with this sense of longing. For what exactly though, I wasn't sure. Loneliness crept onto me, slowly consuming my thoughts and I found myself craving companionship.

I had lived alone for most of my life and was used to solitude. In fact, I thrived off of it. I became self sufficient and independent but as of late, my outlook on life seemed to change.

I found myself wishing to be surrounded by family and friends, laughing and sharing my moments with loved ones. I wasn't sure what brought these sudden feelings and thoughts along and Diana, the old witch, wasn't much help.

So I ventured forth into the wilderness, looking for answers, or at least something to sate me and bring me some sanity. I left behind my sanctuary and my only friend and ran through the forests with no real destination, letting my paws guide me.

I ran as fast as I could, skilfully weaving in and out of the dense trees. The wind felt amazing in my golden fur and I pushed myself to run faster. As I ran North, I watched as the landscape change from warm shades of green and brown, to whites and greys. Soft and fat snowflakes began falling and I stopped to watch them, not having seen snow in person before.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment, taking a lungful of crisp and fresh air. The ache in my chest and the dark cloud of thoughts in my head seemed to disappear for a moment and I just enjoyed the small moment of clarity.

I inhaled once more but paused, catching an unfamiliar scent. My eyes opened and my ears perked up, listening for any sounds as I tensed my muscles, ready for an attack.

After a moment of silence, I heard the soft padded footsteps of another wolf approach. Turning to the source of the sound, I watched a grey wolf emerge from the shadows.

It was a little smaller than me, shorter than me by a couple of inches. It also appeared a little skinnier than me but still carried strong muscle under its fur. Its muskier scent revealed it was a male.

I watched it cautiously as it took a tentative step towards me. I quickly looked around, checking if he had friends ready to attack me. Realising he was alone, I looked at him again.

He was a rogue. Like me.

My fur bristled and I let out a low warning growl. I was even more on edge, unsure of his intentions towards me. Rogues weren't known for their friendliness.

He let out a whine and lowered onto his stomach, his ears laying flat on his head. I stopped growling, even more confused at his display of submission. He took that as a good sign, crawling towards me. I lowered into an attack pose, not sure if it was a distraction tactic to attack my throat from underneath me.

He paused a couple feet in front of me before rolling onto his back, revealing the soft fur of his underbelly and ultimately exposing his neck. I stood up straight, tilting my head at him in confusion. He let out a little barkyelp before slowly coming closer.

I sniffed him again and the lack of other scents around him confirmed to me he was indeed a rogue. Again, I was even more confused by his behaviour.

He sniffed the air around me, probably wondering what pack I was from. My fur colour was clear evidence I wasn't from around these snowy regions. The browns and golds stood out against the pale landscape.

He leaned closer, his wet nose touching the side of my face and sniffed some more. I pushed him away with my paw, backing up, ready to continue my journey. Before I could walk away, I felt a tug on my tail and I yelped, turning around and snarling at the bold male.

He whimpered before I heard the sound of bones cracking. I watched as he shrunk and grey fur disappeared to give way to creamy skin.

He stood before me, in all his naked glory, dark eyes pleading behind strands of dark hair. His pale skin made his dark features stand out even more.

"Please, stay. I haven't had human contact in ages," he held his hands out and took a step closer to me. Seeing the loneliness and desperation in his eyes, I dropped my sneer, huffing, before shifting myself.

Shifting was a funny feeling. For werewolves, it was painful. Every bone in the body would break and restructure itself and the skin would spilt to give way to fur. The pain would become bearable after a few shifts but it still remained nonetheless.

For me however, it wasn't painful. I quite enjoyed shifting actually. It'd feel like my body was liquid and soft and I could morph into anything I wanted.

Once I was done shifting, I looked at the man, raising a brow at him and crossing my arms over my naked chest.

I watched as his eyes raked over my body, lingering in certain places more than others, before snapping back to my face and giving me a sheepish smile. "I thought you were a guy," he explained. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Are you a rogue too?" He asked. His voice was deep and soft and his face still young. He couldn't have been any older than my 18 years.

"Yes," I replied. My voice was a little rough from lack of use.

"You're not from around here," it wasn't a question but I nodded. "Where're you from?" He asked.

"For a rogue, you ask too many questions," I narrowed my eyes at him. He couldn't have been a rogue for long, judging by his trusting nature and eagerness for company.

"Tell me, how long have you been a rogue?" He scratched the back of his neck and looked away from my gaze.

"About a year now," he mumbled. A dark look crossed his features and I refrained from asking the reason he was no longer with his pack.

It was often a sensitive issue.

"Well, I stayed. Now what?" I asked. He looked back up at me and gave me a brilliant smile. It was a beautiful smile and I wasn't used to seeing such displays of happiness.

"Wanna go hunt for some food? Find some shelter?" He suggested, the excitement clear in his voice. I gave him a nod, watching as he shifted into his grey wolf.

He looked at me expectantly and I shook my head at his eagerness before shifting. He gave me a wolffish grin before taking off in a sprint.

Feeling the adrenaline already coursing through my veins, I bolted, easily catching up to him with my impressive speed.

He glanced at me before letting out a small howl and running even faster. I let out one of my own before following suit.

For a while we continued racing, until he pulled my tail again, initiating an intense game of tag. It was the most fun I had in ages and I couldn't help the small smile.

The sun had set and I watched as it slowly disappeared over the horizon and painted the sky in beautiful colours. I had successfully caught a deer and fed already, but the male rogue was still eating. I shifted and waited for him to finish, sitting in the snow and continuing my admiration of the nature around me.

After hearing several cracks, I heard soft footsteps approach before I felt him sit next to me. He stared ahead like I did, the hill we perched on providing a magnificent view.

"What's your name?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Conan," he breathed. I nodded.

"What about you?" He asked, turning his face to look at me.

"Artemis," I replied.

"Ah, the goddess of the hunt. How apt," I raised a brow at his words but didn't question him. Silence fell over us once again and I watched as the sky darkened further and the moon shone brighter, casting a mystical glow on the snowy landscape.

"Where are you from Artemis?"

"Southwest," I mumbled, tilting my head up at the sky, entranced by its beauty. It remained silent for a moment before I felt warm fingers gently trace the markings on my back and I sharply turned towards the boy besides me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-," he blushed and looked away. I could see the way he tensed, as if waiting for me to lash out at him and I let out a soft sigh.

It was obvious he used to be an omega in his last pack. They were often wrongfully mistreated as second class citizens.

"It's okay. I'm just not used to soft touches," I gave him a small comforting smile and gently grabbed his hand, placing back on my spine where he traced the patterns carefully.

"I've never seen these kind of tattoos before. Most werewolves don't have such intricate patterns," he murmured, leaning his face closer to my back to inspect them further.

"A witch did them for me," I explained, thinking back to Diana.

"Did it hurt?"

"Like a bitch," He let out a short laugh at my response. He leaned back away from me, resuming his earlier position besides me, but tilting his body to face mine. His eyes raked over my naked form and I chose to ignore his darkening eyes.

His fingers reached out, this time brushing the tattoo on my sternum, lying just between my breasts. I wasn't much to care for modesty but I stilled at the rather intimate contact. Still, I didn't push away.

He trailed his fingers down to my left thigh where there was more ink. He took a moment to admire the intricate sun and moon tattoo before he moved his hands onto my forearms where there were small matching strips on each.

His hands paused as he looked down at the pattern on each. He swiftly grabbed my arms and yanked me forward, the sudden movement making me fall forward into him.

His arms wrapped around my waist and I pushed my hands on his toned chest, leaning my head back to look at him.

Before I could speak, he moved his head down and pressed his lips against mine. I froze.

His lips were soft and the pressure of them against mine sent small tingles to my stomach. He let my arms go and cradled my head in his hands, one of them tangling in my messy waves. An involuntary gasp escaped my lips and he took the chance to tilt his head and deepen the kiss, pushing his tongue into my mouth.

I pulled away.

"We're not mates," I began.

"I know. I won't take this far I promise. I just-," he paused, huffing a breath. His hands untangled from my hair to run through his own and tug at his floppy strands.

"I understand," I said, leaning up on my knees and turning his face back towards me. It wasn't the first time I had run into a particularly lonely and horny rogue. Some I entertained, some I didn't.

Regardless, werewolves were hormonal creatures with animalistic needs, one of which being the need to fuck. While most werewolves remained pure for their mates, rogues had less chances of finding their mates due to their nomadic behaviour. As such, they would lose whatever inhibitions they had and act on their desires.

I was guilty of the same thing.

I licked my lips and his eyes flashed down to my lips and I smirked. I moved so I was quickly kneeling between his spread legs. One of my arms snaked around his neck, my hand tangling in his hair and tugging back his head so it was titled towards me. I let my other hand softly caress his jaw, enjoying the way his eyes watched me closely and his lips parted.

I leaned down, my lips brushing over his softly, pulling away before he could press harder. I repeated it a couple of times and I smirked at the soft groan that escaped his lips at my teasing. Holding back a laugh, I pressed my lips firmly against his, holding his jaw as I pushed my tongue into his mouth, fighting for dominance.

His hands gripped my hips, pulling my body flush into his.

We spent the night kissing and exploring each other's bodies before we curled up in our wild forms and fell asleep under the stars.