Vulfu: The Primal Series

Chapter 3

By the time I felt like it was safe enough to try to get away, it was fully dark out, and though it was early July, because we were higher up in the mountains, the night air was chilly. I’d waited, sitting with Mowha, munching on a collection of berries and seeds, earning a glare from Vulfu when I refused the dried meat she offered to me. In fact, he was so bothered by it, that he stormed over and tried to force-feed me, which only had Mowha fighting him back while I retreated into a corner. He poked at my sides, and held out my arms, like he was showing off how skinny I was. But when he tried again and I practically broke my neck craning it away to keep him from shoving what I was pretty sure was deer into my mouth, Mowha intervened and other members of the group came over to argue, too.

The older woman I’d met my first night, the one who looked to be the oldest of the group, was backing Mowha, along with another who looked to be in her late-thirties, repeating over and over, “Gweebruh jugra Mowha! Mmuh, aghaal!”

Meanwhile, the only other male, besides the two boys, was on Vulfu’s side, silently backing him. I didn’t know his name, but he was around Mowha’s age, maybe a bit older, judging by all the grey in his hair and heavy lines around his eyes and mouth.

Kray and Dow, meanwhile, were taking this opportunity to actually take the forgotten meat, splitting it between the two of them after sneaking off with it while everyone argued. By the time anyone realized that the food in question was gone, they’d finished, both wearing identical, secretive wicked grins on their faces as they settled back into their furs in the center of the room, as if they hadn’t moved at all. Kray even cast me a mischievous, little smile, as though hoping I’d keep their secret.

As Vulfu began scanning the space for the meat, his furious expression shifting to one of confusion, Mowha took the opportunity to snatch me up and carry me to our little burrow. She set me down amongst the furs, huddled together, listening as Vulfu furiously raged, the deep, tenor-like murmur of the second older male speaking quietly to him like he was trying in vain to calm him down. Eventually, he managed it, and though there was still some growling and heavy pacing outside the narrow entrance to our sleeping spot, things quieted down.

I rolled over, turning my back to Mowha as I tried to get comfortable when my head pressed into something hard on the fur I used as a pillow. Thinking it was a rock, I grunted and felt about the space as I groped for the offending object, only when my fingers found it, it brushed against a smooth, rounded surface. Curiously, I held it up to one of the cracks, squinting to see in the low light, to find it was an acorn.

I furrowed my brow in confusion. The cracks weren’t big enough for one of these to fit through, not to mention that acorns didn’t grow on redwoods. Where the heck did this come from? It was like someone had deliberately placed it on my pillow. I figured maybe Kray or Dow had done it as a practical joke, and tossed the acorn aside, setting back into my spot as Mowha yawned as she rolled over, too.

As the moon rose higher, the sounds of night filled the air. I could hear the sound of the evening breeze rustling the leaves and the sounds of the crickets in the distance. Beside me, Mowha had fallen into a deep sleep, her heavy breathing a comfort to me as I lay next to her. For a moment, I felt guilty at the thought of her waking up to find me gone. She seemed to really love looking after me, but she was not my mother. My mother was somewhere in the city, expecting me home by tonight or tomorrow afternoon. What would she do when I didn’t show? The thought of her being sick with worry was what spurred me to give leaving another try. I wouldn’t let my blindness hold me back.

I had no idea how late it was, only that once everyone else quieted down, I gave it a little more time, waiting to be certain that they were all asleep.

Don’t fudge it up by being a klutz, Stephanie, I told myself. As if I didn’t have enough factors to deal with; the deep wilderness around me, my lack of sight, predators, getting even more hopelessly lost by going in the wrong direction… my clumsiness was just another tick to add to the list of things working against me.

Because I’d spent my evening in what I started to call, The Dome, when I carefully maneuvered myself out from under Mowha’s snuggle and slid through the opening, I remembered enough of the layout to direct myself to where I needed. The pile of furs they used for seating were arranged in a corner, which I began to shift, sliding the stacked pile beneath the opening along the edge of the wall that would lead out. Given that I had no chance of reaching the mouth of the exit without some form of help, this seemed to be my best bet.

However, the moment I clambered up on top, the soft, springy give of the hides really didn’t do much to assist me. They slipped off of each other, shifting beneath my weight, making it difficult to keep my balance. I ended up carefully, but not without a struggle, pushing a larger boulder they used to mash their herbs and other florae over and somehow managed to roll it on top of the hides, holding them in place and adding more height. I paused, listening, only catching a low snore from one of the chambers, before I crouched and jumped as hard as I could from the rock. My fingers snatched onto the ledge and, pressing my feet against the wall and shimmying up, I was able to pull myself into the passage. I felt around for the smooth sections the others used to grip, pressing my weight to the bottoms of my feet and to my shoulder blade to keep myself from falling out, and slowly worked my way up.

It took a long time, much longer than I’d anticipated, and even though all I was wearing was the spotted hide I’d been dressed in earlier in the day, I was sweating. Several times, my clammy grip slipped, and I almost fell down the tunnel all the way to the bottom again, but by pressing my weight to my feet and back against the sides of the rock, I managed to prevent that from happening, not to mention, from seriously hurting myself. But by the time my head poked out of the exit, I wiped the perspiration from my brow, glad that the tie in my braid had held my hair away from my face. I was barefoot, but I remembered how soft the ground had been earlier. I wasn’t too worried.

However, I’d completely forgotten about the ninety-degree incline that led down to the forest floor. Though I tried to copy Mowha’s movements, I made it only a couple of feet down before my sweaty grasp failed me completely and I fell. I hit the ground hard, the air completely expelled from my lungs, and I gasped while my eyes watered. Rolling to my side, I wrapped my arms around myself as I coughed and hacked, sucking in breath after breath of oxygen. I was just lucky that I’d made it down as far as I had. A fall from the top would kill someone.

Stupid, Stephanie… you’re such an idiot, I scorned myself. I wasn’t strong, a climber, anything of the sort. I was weak, and an easy target for others. I couldn’t defend myself in any way. I just got cocky because I’d made that first climb. But I rushed into the second one, thinking of my mother, of home, of my safe, warm bed, and all things familiar. I hadn’t rested enough to prepare to climb down the steeper wall.

Eventually, my breathing began to even out, and though I had tears streaming down my face still, at least I was getting enough air now. I moved to my hands and knees, taking a minute to fully recover before I straightened and peered around the darkness. I’d managed to make it this far. And really, that was probably the hardest part. Now I just needed to pick a direction and walk. With my back to the rock, I remembered that, when we came inside earlier, the sun had been sitting in a certain direction, signalling west. So to go south, I turned myself and began walking in a straight line.

The moment I left the clearing, my confident stride slowed, but I kept my hands extended, sliding my feet forward as I tested each step, feeling my way through the blackness of night. Overhead, through sections of the leaves and branches, I used the moon as a mark to keep myself going in the same direction. As long as the moon was shining from behind, then I knew I was going the right way.

Every step I took where I didn’t fall, trip, or find myself face-planting into a tree, I felt victorious. I pictured my parent’s faces when I saw them again, could taste my mother’s infamous chocolate chip cookies that were my favourite, my bedroom and records, clean clothes, hot baths…

But the longer I walked, the more I reflected on my short time with these wild people, and the guiltier I felt about how I was leaving them. Mowha had been incredibly kind and caring. She had saved me. I tried to make myself feel better by remembering that my stay had been so brief, that I was sure she would get over my flight quickly.

And then I pictured Kray and Dow; the only two who had me close to laughing.

Nope. I barely spent any time with them. They would move on with their shenanigans without another thought of me.

Vulfu…

Vulfu and his handsome face, his intense looks, and domineering ways. Thinking about him now had me flushing in the dark, my stomach giving a little jolt as I thought about him holding me.

At the very thought of his sharp gaze, I stumbled. Cursing silently to myself, I straightened, looking around the darkness to ensure my direction, and continued on.

Until…

A roar broke through the night, echoing through the forest, its rage evident and powerful. I halted midstep, freezing in place for a heartbeat or two before I let my foot gently touch the ground, and my head whipped around as I gaped over my shoulder. Even if I could see, I doubt it would have been much. It was just endless blackness behind me, the bits that were illuminated by the moon a blur. The furious call was soon followed by a higher-toned series of whoops and bips. The sounds belonged to them, I knew it. And judging by that loud, piercing roar, I knew immediately what had happened.

Vulfu… for some reason, it was his name that came to mind. That broken, raging bellow sent a shiver throughout my whole body. For the briefest moment, I hesitated, and that realization that they knew I was gone, that I was even wavering in my escape, scared the hell out of me. I broke into a run.

I raced through the forest, branches whipping at my face, my legs, my feet catching on sharp stones to the point where I began to limp along in agony. With each step I could feel a razor-sharp sting charge up my legs, my feet aching, and the wetness gathering beneath each step only told me that the cuts were bleeding heavily.

WHOOP! Bip! Bip!

The call echoed through the trees, a little closer than before, but it was not as piercing. In fact, as I continued running in this direction, I stopped hearing it altogether.

Panting hard, still tripping and stumbling noisily through the trees, I wondered if I’d somehow gotten away. Were they not following me? Were they letting me go? That hope comforted me, though another, small flicker in the back of my mind felt a sting at that. It didn’t feel good. I was exhausted, injured, blind, running through the wilderness in the dead of night, hoping that I was actually heading in the right direction, and for some reason, a part of me, some tiny flickering piece, was actually hurt by the indifference of those who had cared for me for two days straight.

That Vulfu is indifferent, my brain corrected me.

I sagged against a large elm, taking a moment to catch my breath. I bent one of my legs forward, hoping to inspect the condition of my feet, but it was too dark to see anything more than a splotted, dark mess on the soles, with leaves sticking to them. I slid down to the base of the trunk, seeking relief by removing the weight off of them until I started moving again.

That was when I heard the footsteps.

It was quiet, almost like the sound of leaves rustling on the bushes, but I didn’t feel a breeze. I pressed back against the trunk, getting low to the ground, listening to the deep rumbles in the distance grow louder and louder as they came nearer. I made myself curl up as small as possible, afraid to even breathe loudly when several dark figures came crashing through the underbrush. I hid my face beneath my dark hair, trying to hide in the shadows, listening to their voices snap at each other.

I recognized the raspy voice that belonged to Dow almost immediately, while Kray’s was more baritone but with less of a growly edge to it. They were arguing with each other as they tore branches back, spanning out in the area.

The next two voices made me tremble. One was very deep, his rumbling a sign of his age, while the other sent a little shiver racing up and down my spine. Sharp, deep, each bark laced with a snarl… Vulfu. The other one must be the elder male who had backed him earlier over the meat. The elders weren’t as loud as the two youths, and though I could sense the urgency in Vulfu’s tone, he seemed reasonably calm. That, or he was just incredibly focused. I didn’t dare look up to try to catch a glimpse of him. It would be useless without any light and the distance between us. So, I remained where I was, as still as could be, until they passed by, still searching.

I couldn’t believe they actually banded together to follow me. Why? Why did it matter that I stayed with them? It's been two days… I doubted any of them were so attached that they would go through such trouble to get me back. Either way, I wasn’t ready to give up my life outside of this wilderness to just throw it all away and stay. I had a family to get home to. I missed all the comforts of society. That was my driving force.

So, I waited until the forest was silent again, save for the crickets, and the occasional owl, before I carefully got to my feet, wincing as the pain began to hit me, and turned another way, what I think must have been east. They were heading in the direction I wanted to be but if they backtracked, well, I’d stumble right into them. I needed to put some space between us. So, I slowly made my way deeper into the woods, trying to ignore the prickle at the back of my neck and wandering further into the dark, all the dangers very much on my mind. Each step was agony as the pain in my feet became sharper and more intense, my adrenaline from earlier wearing off with each passing minute.

The farther I tracked, however, the more uncomfortable I became. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and though I couldn’t see anything through the blackness, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was suddenly being followed…

I stopped often, peering around me, desperate to make out something, or at least see enough to reassure myself that I wasn’t being paranoid, but the fact that I was so limited only made me feel more vulnerable. I began to move faster, wanting to put as much space between me and the threat as possible, but that only resulted in me tripping up, or getting caught in brambles.

RAW!

That strange, off-key call had my heart stopping, and I threw myself against a tree, holding onto it tight as I pressed my cheek against the bark, eyes wide. What in the hell was that?

RAW! RAW!

It reminded me of Mowha and the others, but it was masculine, only… with a much higher pitch. Were there more groups of people out here? How many could there possibly be? How have they been here so long without being found? But then something came to mind, something I’d forgotten about over the past few days given the trauma I’d gone through.

The headless people, Stephanie… remember the story Jen told you? The Headless Canyon? The missing men and bodies were found without their…

Oh God!

RAW!

That was much too close. Too close!

I tore myself away from the tree and ran headlong into the darkness, my hands out before me as my heart threatened to crack my ribcage. I could hear whatever had made that sound come thundering out of the blurred, black forest, closing in.

I was being hunted!

They weaved in and out of trees behind me, easily keeping up with my pace. Were they toying with me? Though I tried to look back over my shoulder, the shadows all blended together. The sound of their pursuit storming through the trees around me, first on one side, then the other.

“Help!” I screamed, diving towards a thick bramble of shrubs, crawling army-style through the grass as thorns and sharp twigs jabbed at my arms and legs. “Help me!”

The hunter landed heavily behind me and began to tear apart the shrubs, trying to close the distance between us. I slid through the smallest of cracks, hiding beneath the most dense tangle of thorny branches for protection, and did my best to cover my head. When I took a chance and peeked through my arms, I could make out the frightening individual, who was furiously ripping apart my shield, sending leaves and broken limbs flying over his shoulder. Even in the pale light of the moon, with him this close, I could make out enough of him to know that he was someone new. Not a member of Vulfu’s group.

His skin was deathly pale in the moonlight, his black hair shaggy and unkempt. Though he was much leaner than any of the others, his muscles were still pronounced enough to let me know he was not someone I could take on by myself. He looked insane. He hissed and snapped, his large, dark eyes bulging in his skull as he locked onto my location and worked his way in, ignoring the sharp stings from the thorns.

I screamed again, trying to move back even further, out of his reach. The fawn skin I was wearing protected most of my body from the pricks and sharp edges, and I used that to my advantage to hide deeper. But still, his filthy hand managed to reach my ankle, and I shrank away as far as I could, the thorns now digging into my bare arms and legs. I was absolutely terrified of this animal. He was the farthest thing from a human I’d ever seen… savage, with a cruelness about him that promised nothing but malice and pain. What would he do to me once he caught me? Would he attack me? Eat me? I didn’t know.

Inspired by a sudden idea, I reached out and pulled back on a particularly thorny branch, ignoring the sting as I craned it towards myself, careful to not break it, bracing as he continued toward me. When he seemed close enough, his sallow face now leering as he spat in my direction ready to snag me free, I released the branch. It swung at him, striking him right in his ugly, bulbous eyes, and he reeled back, shrieking like a wounded animal. I took the opportunity to slither deeper into the bushes, my tiny body finding its way through the smallest openings that I hoped would buy me more time for… well, I didn’t know what. I guess I hoped he’d lose interest or… or…

WHOOP!

Though he was still howling in pain, the monster turned in the direction of the call, while I felt my heart lift.

WHOOP! Bip! Bip!

A barrage of rustling, heavy footsteps were sprinting, rushing through the woods, barreling in our direction. With an enraged roar, my attacker quickly turned, forgetting about his pain, and furiously thrashed to reach me again, though he kept his face back. His arms crept through the openings, his dirt-caked fingers reaching, his eerily long nails blackened from the earth. He looked desperate like he was trying to grab me before…

“Bip! Bip!”

More figures emerged from the darkness, forming a semi-circle behind my pursuer, far enough away that I couldn’t see clearly. One blurred figure, the tallest of the four, dominant and assured as they moved forward several steps, though he kept a comfortable distance between himself and the madman who was still trying to grab me. He barked at the crazy guy, a series of sharp snarls that I recognized immediately belonged to Vulfu.

I exhaled a long, shaking breath at the sound of his voice, relief now flickering to life in my heart. Though I was still cringing away from this feral one, I now had hope that somehow, I’d be saved.

Vulfu barked at him again, his tone more demanding, and the beast who was almost shoulder-deep in the shrubs in his attempts to reach me suddenly reared back to face him, screaming like an animal before pointing in my direction, calling Vulfu aghaal with a sort of sneer. Though I couldn’t make out his face, I noticed how Vulfu’s blurred shadow turned in my direction. I leaned forward into the light so he could see it was me, and I prayed I hadn’t pissed him off enough by running away that he would leave me to this animal.

The moment I was certain he saw me, he went absolutely still for several seconds, before his head whipped to the raving man and released a growl from deep within his chest, followed by a flurry of words, each one sounding furious, fierce, and threatening.

Mr. Bug-Eyes here didn’t seem to like that, because he began spitting filth in his direction, his sounds somehow sounding less attractive and intimidating, rather coming off more whiny and pitiful.

Whatever he said back to Vulfu, it was not taken lightly. Vulfu moved so fast, feinting towards him that the feral man actually lurched away in fright, falling over on his side, before righting himself and quickly disengaging. He retreated to the side, though he lingered, his pale, ratty face now out of my line of sight. But Vulfu’s shadow moved closer to me, careful and slow, like he was being cautious. Carefully, he pressed down on one of the branches concealing me and peeked in. His light eyes found me at once, and at the sight of me sitting there, trembling, he let out a deep, shaky breath, like he was relieved.

“Stevvy… chomm.” He extended a hand toward me, offering for me to take it. The moonlight reflected off the veined muscle of his arms, promising strength and safety.

I was so grateful for his gentleness, the safety he offered, that I had to take a moment to catch my breath. I felt like I’d been holding it in during that entire interaction, and now, seeing that all was well between us, I couldn't believe that I somehow escaped another close brush with death. I stretched my arm out to reach for him, ready to take his hand, but the moment I did, the savage creature let out an enraged, high-pitched shriek, and sprinted to Vulfu’s back.

“Vulfu!” I screamed, pointing at the oncoming assault, while the other three members of his group roared and advanced to try to protect their leader, but they had remained too far back to reach him in time.

At my shout, he instantly retracted his arm and spun just as the rival threw himself at him. He didn’t have time to get out of the way before their bodies hit each other hard, the sound emitting a heavy thudding smack before they rolled over the grass by my hiding spot. I cried out at the sight of this crazed animal wildly raking his blackened nails over Vulfu’s body, leaving angry, dark marks searing open on his golden skin. Vulfu kicked up, rolling them over, away from where I was still hiding, and managed to get up onto his knees, lifting his insanely agile foe up in his arms. Rising to his feet, he ran at a tree, crushing the man against it hard, but not hard enough to get him to stop.

“Stop it!” I shrieked, tears streaming down my face at the sight of Vulfu being ripped to shreds by the man’s overgrown nails, which looked more like claws. “Leave him alone! Please, stop!” I scrambled to try to pull myself free, ignoring the sting from the thorns as they pulled at my skin. Before I could untangle myself, Kray and Dow appeared before me, Dow reaching in to free my animal-skin dress from the brambles, while Kray extended his arms for me to grab onto. I did, grasping him desperately, while also crying out, “Vulfu! You have to help him!”

Kray pulled me free, thanks to Dow’s quick work unfastening my dress and hair, and all three of us then shrank back into the shadows.

“Wait! Vulfu!” I cried as he fell to the ground, carrying the beastly excuse of a human with him, rolling them across the ground as he landed punch after punch to the leaner man’s body, trying to get him to stop. Kray climbed an elm, easily pulling both of us up through the branches to a safe point, with Dow close behind. Wait, where was the third one? The older male who was with them? I didn’t see him anywhere. Why wasn’t he helping?

The fight between Vulfu and this stranger was vicious. The latter was moving so fast I would have thought he was on some sort of drug by the frenzied way in which he moved, all while spitting and screeching in that unnerving off-key way of his. Vulfu pummeled him again and again, smashing him into trees and crushing him to the ground, but the man didn’t seem at all fazed. Tearfully, I watched helplessly from my perch in the tree, guilt pooling in my gut. If I hadn’t run away, then this wouldn’t be happening. If I hadn’t gone in this direction, I might not have come across this man at all.

Stupid, stupid, Stephanie!

There was movement in the shadows, a figure circling the two as they fought, as though guarding the fight from others. Why? This must be their missing companion, but I could not fathom why he would hang back instead of saving his leader. Was this some stupid honour thing? Fuck that! I wanted him to go in and rip that beast off of him!

Vulfu rose to his feet, his attacker on his back, still clawing and biting with an insatiable fever, like a crazed lunatic. Vulfu however, was calm, his movements sure and deliberate as he reached behind himself, grabbed a firm hold of the attacker’s throat, and hauled him in a high arc over his head until he smashed him into the ground with a thundering quake. Before the man could collect himself, Vulfu positioned his body over his enemy’s waist, seizing his throat again, holding it up so they were face to face, before he released an ear-splitting roar, reminding me very much of a lion or a bear. The man’s black hair fluttered back from his face, his eyes blinking quickly against the air, only to curl his lip, lifting his hands to continue his assault.

But Vulfu was done.

One hand snatched at his adversary’s upper jaw, his fingers reaching past his teeth, while his other hand firmly gripped the lower, his fingers delving completely into the man’s mouth. Without hesitation, he pried it open, pulling, pulling… wrenching it apart.

I felt my stomach roll at the cracking sound of bone and muscle, the sick pained moan that gurgled up from his throat the only sound he could make as Vulfu forced his mouth open to maximum capacity, gaping at the sky.

“Stevvy jugra Vulfu! Vulfu aghaal!” he hissed in the feral man’s face, and as his arms flexed, a deafening crack echoed through the trees as the jaw broke apart, the mouth stretching so wide, I knew he’d broken it. But Vulfu kept going, prying it so far that the skin began to rip. I wretched and buried my face into Kray’s shoulder, unable to watch another second of this. I was so relieved that Vulfu was alive, but this barbarity was something I’d never witnessed before, and it made me want to throw up. I could hear more cracking, more tearing of flesh and muscle and felt lightheaded.

Vulfu had literally ripped this man’s skull open.

The forest was silent now. Even the crickets had stopped in the midst of the brutal fight. As it calmed, I could hear the heavy panting from below, then the soft tread of footsteps moving into the small clearing, followed by the rumbles of murmured conversation. Below where Kray and I were perched, Dow began to descend, smoothly making his way as though he climbed trees all the time. For all I knew, he did. Kray hoisted me up, hugging me to his front as he followed suit, carrying us both down with ease, one-handed I might add, until we hit the soft ground.

Finally, I forced myself to look, and though it was a blurred, bloody mess, it was enough that I lurched away from Kray and buried my face into the shrubs, throwing up the small supper from earlier. As I heaved again, though I was certain there was nothing left, I felt a gentle touch on my back, carefully stroking small circles between my shoulders, and a hand pulled my braid (which at this point, had partially come loose) out of the way.

When I heard them address the others, I knew it was Vulfu who was at my side, comforting me when he was the one who just killed somebody. I could hear Kray, Dow, and the older one move around, and it sounded like they were dragging away the body judging by the shuffling, sliding sound upon the ground. Good, I wanted it far away from me. My head was reeling from what had just happened, and I couldn’t believe I just witnessed a murder. Though, at the same time, it seemed like Vulfu had given this guy plenty of opportunity to stop, to let it go and leave before he took that last drastic step. And he had endured a barrage of slashes and bites from the bastard. In a sick way, I was glad the other man was gone.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and slowly righted myself, feeling slightly light-headed. When I gradually lifted my gaze to tentatively meet Vulfu’s stare, I took in all the bloody claw marks on his body, the bites, every wound he’d taken and endured, and felt my heart break into two. His hands, which I was certain would be covered in blood given what he’d done, looked surprisingly clean, and I noticed the sheen on the grass, by our feet, like he’d wiped them before touching me. When I met his eyes, his expression was filled with concern.

“Stevvy gwuhk?” he asked, his brows furrowed as he moved his hands over my arms, noting the itty-bitty scratches from the thorns. I wanted to laugh at the way he seemed so distressed over my simple grazes, while he was standing there looking like a Jackson Pollock painting.

“I’m okay,” I breathed. Cautiously, I reached out to lightly touch a nasty-looking gash on his shoulder. He didn’t even flinch but watched as I looked him over. He puffed out his chest, like he was proud, showing off. Was he serious? He thought I was into this? “Think again, Buster. I’m not into blood and guts,” I murmured, even though I knew he couldn’t understand me. “We need to get you cleaned up… you will definitely get an infection if we don’t get this taken care of,” I said, gesturing at all his marks and wounds.

“Stevvy chomm hum,” he said, ignoring my concern for his welfare.

I shook my head. “I don’t understand you,” I sighed, wearily. I needed to find a better way to communicate with him. This thought crossed my mind when the other three reemerged from the darkness, prowled over to us, and waited for further instructions.

“Stevvy…” I could see his face screw up as he fought to think about how to talk to me. He looked around and pointed south, in the direction I’d been heading, then shook his head, his brows pulling together angrily. “Hum. Hum!” he snapped, pointing back the way we’d come.

“Home?” I asked, putting together what he was trying to explain. “My home is there. That way,” I pointed south again. “Stevvy, go home.”

Vulfu released a short, angry huff at that and jabbed his finger in the direction of his group’s location and said again, “Mmuh! Hum! Hum! Stevvy jugra Mowha…” at the mention of my caregiver, I felt another twinge of guilt. Mowha… God, I hope I didn't hurt her feelings by running. Before I could get too lost in my guilt-spiral, Vulfu tipped up my chin and bent down to press his face close to mine, and murmured fiercely, “Stevvy mmuh gweebruh, jugra Vulfu.”

I sighed heavily, hating that I didn’t understand what he was telling me. I just shook my head sadly and pointed south once more. “I’m so sorry… but I don’t belong here. I belong there. Home.”

When a growl began to build deep in his stomach, I reminded myself that I just watched this man rip another’s skull open, but for some reason, I knew he’d never physically hurt me. Not like that.

“I am so thankful for everything you’ve done for me. All of you,” I added tearfully to the others. “And Mowha… she saved me. I would have died. But I’m not one of you. I can’t stay. I need to go. Stevvy go!” Again, I pointed south.

The other three, Kray and Dow in particular, absolutely quivered when I finished. They both glanced nervously up at Vulfu, then each other, and they took off through the trees, heading north back home. The old one, however, though he was less agile, gave his leader a timid look, like he knew something bad was coming, and slowly turned to follow the other two.

Vulfu’s lips were pressed tight together, his light eyes narrowed, almost hidden behind his dark lashes. Gradually, his upper lip curled back, and he snarled at me. Snarled! I flinched away, surprised by his hostility, only to have his hands whip out and seize me, lifting me into the air to swing me around to his back. I cried out in surprise, but he just turned and ran after the others, taking me with him.

“No, Vulfu!” I shouted over his footsteps as he sprinted. I tried to slide off, but he wasn’t having it. He then pulled me to his front, forcing my legs around his waist, causing my animal skin to rise so that my bare privates were pressed into his lower stomach. I squeaked in horror and tried to retract myself, but he simply spun us into a tree, pressing my back against it, though I’ll note, not even half as hard as he had to the man he’d just killed fifteen minutes ago. He hooked my ankles together, then wrapped my hands around the back of his neck, all while barking sharply at me, like he was telling me off or something.

“Stop it!” I snapped, about to release my hold to try to slide down. “I’m not going with you–”

Vulfu then pressed my shoulders back into the tree, the bark sharp against my skin, and he growled in my face like he was threatening me. “Stevvy jugra Vulfu!”

“Stevvy no… whatever the heck you just said! Stevvy go! Go!”

“Stevvy mmuh g’oh!” He smacked his palm against the tree, getting more riled up.

Clearly frustrated, he pulled me away from the trunk of the tree for just a moment, before he shoved me back with a harder thud. I grunted from the impact, my forehead bumping against his chin. Before I could say anything, Vulfu used his hips to press against me, holding me in place to the rough bark, cupped my face in his hands, and craned my neck back, running his tongue up its length.

I gasped, eyes wide, shocked at the rather intimate, but animal-like, gesture, and my body trembled in response. Goddamn that was hot. He ground his pelvis against mine, rubbing hard, his breath coming out in hard, quick pants as he continued to languorously run his tongue along the side of my throat, and my jaw, before his teeth nipped at my earlobe, making me quiver. From beneath his hide pants, I could feel him grow hard, his length becoming a bulge beneath them, which he rubbed over my pussy again and again.

“S-stop, Vulfu!” I gasped as he rubbed strenuously against me, a feeling I hadn’t felt in years now flickering back to life. “Stop it… okay? Enough!”

“Stevvy mmuh gweebruh. Vulfu yahv. Mowha gwuhk Stevvy gwod. Vulfu jugra Stevvy… vashra!” On that last word, he practically hissed between his teeth, his breath racing over my skin. He pressed more urgently against me, his hands moving to my hips to tug me close, rubbing me hard against his groin, making me wet. God, I haven’t felt this way in so long…

“V-Vulfu… Stevvy… Stevvy… go,” I gasped as he swooped in to suck on the side of my throat.

“Mmuh!” He moved me faster, pulling me away from the tree, only to sink to the ground, sitting upright as he continued to slide me forward and back, his eyes closed as his head fell back to face the night sky. “Mmuh, Stevvy!”

I could feel how wet I was becoming, that tingling, thrilling rise that I missed now reawakening, slowly building in my lower belly. It made me tighten my thighs around his waist, as though I wished to stop this, even though I was certain that was the last thing my body wanted. In a way, I did wish for it to stop, as the echoes from my past began to ring in my head like a bell, reminding me of why I hid myself for so long. But another side seemed to be awakening, and I held onto his biceps as if clinging to him for help, my tiny hands not even close to reaching even halfway around the large, rock-hard muscle, and let him guide my body, moving it faster.

“Oh my God…” I moaned, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to focus, while at the same time, I kept trying to chase this feeling. “Stevvy go… home…” I sighed, the sounds of my wetness sliding over his hide pants filling the air.

“Stevvy hum jugra Vulfu…” He hissed between his teeth.

This man tore another one apart. He lives in a cave. He and his people don’t even have fire! For chrissakes, Stephanie, pull yourself together and snap out of it! My brain screamed at me, while my pussy snarled at it to shut up. I’ve denied myself this feeling for so long now, and she was hungry!

When Vulfu ground me down and rotated his hips up into me, I let out a soft whimper as that delicious build only got stronger.

“Vulfu khukgwo Stevvy…” He ran his tongue up the side of my throat again and sucked hard on the side. “Vulfu gwukh. Gwukh gweebruh jugra Stevvy… vashra!” he snarled and moved a hand over, his thumb now sliding over my clit. I groaned at the touch, my legs reflexively tightening even more, and I buried my face between his pecs, hanging on for dear life. He circled it, toying with it before he pressed harder and began to madly stroke it, earning a choked cry from me. He stopped for just a moment, like he was about to untie his pants to release himself when he squeezed his eyes shut and muttered, “Stevvy jugra Mowha…” he hissed between his teeth, like he was reminding himself of my adopted mother, and stopped undoing his ties, instead focusing solely on my clit, massaging it with just the right speed, pressing hard enough to make my hips buck against him.

Oh God!

That pulsing, tingling build was just on the cusp of release like it was toeing the line of complete torture and absolute bliss. I felt like my skin was on fire, but as close as I was, my mind held me back from going completely over the edge.

Vulfu released a frustrated growl and, with his other hand, he reached up and yanked at the cord tying my dress closed, roughly dragging the top part down until one of my small breasts popped free. He latched onto it with his mouth, sucking so hard that I finally fell.

My cry echoed around us, my whole body tight like a spring that finally burst free, and that rushing electric current shot out through my body and back to my lower belly again, like a wave. Even with my past, I don’t remember feeling it this strongly, this forcefully. This orgasm had me shaking like a leaf, feeling so loose and overcome from that addicting feeling I’d avoided for so long, that I collapsed in Vulfu’s arms. He rumbled appreciatively in his throat, grunting as he finished, pressing his bulge against me, guiding my soaking pussy over his pants slowly as he came, too.

Holy shit… I can’t believe this just happened. But my brain was so drunk on the lingering rush and overcome with exhaustion that I couldn’t even comprehend when exactly he started carrying me back. He held me the same way, one arm tucked under my butt while the other cupped the back of my head. My legs were suspended in the air on either side of his waist, my face pressed into the warmth of his bare chest, not even fazed by the blood that was drying by this point.

As I slowly snapped out of my cloud of bliss, we entered the clearing around his home, the massive redwood reaching up higher than all the other trees around us, the boulder an enormous shadow at its base. Vulfu swiftly carried us up the steep incline until he found the entrance hidden by the massive fern. Before he began to wriggle his way down, he quickly tied up my dress and I realized I’d forgotten my boobs were still exposed to the night air. I was so drunk off of him that I didn’t even notice. Cradling me close, he shimmied into the tunnel until we finally dropped into The Dome.

There was a loud commotion at our arrival, a flurry of bodies and shouts swarming us, and I found myself ripped out of his hold and cocooned in anothers. Mowha hugged me tight, wailing as she rocked back and forth in her seat before she pulled back and began to inspect all my scratches and light grazes.

“I’m fine…” I slurred, still in a state of shock over what just happened.

I went from running away, lost in the dark, to hiding from this very group of people, then rerouting myself, to being hunted by an even more wild, feral stranger, then saved by Vulfu and his men, was dry humped to the best orgasm I’d ever had in my life, and now dumped right back where I started. I was reeling.

Mowha curled up on a fur with me. The other two women gathered around, offering me a water skin and some of the fresher fruit and greens. But my eyes were locked on Vulfu, who settled some distance away with the three men, his shadow blending with the others as he began shuffling through their stores, seeking out different bowls like he was searching for something specific.

“He needs your help more than I do,” I said, pointing at him. “Go help, Vulfu.”

At my voice, he stopped, his form turning slightly in my direction, but it was too hard to make out anything without more light. The older woman got up and moved over to him, grabbing what was needed and settled at his side, helping wash him down. She didn’t seem to be mad at him anymore, not like she had earlier during the whole “meat debacle”.

When my gaze flicked over to him again, the darkness swallowed him up, hiding his face from me. I wanted to ask him what the hell that was. Was he taking advantage of me? Or was it just a way to shut me up so he could carry me back here without a fight?

Either way, I wasn’t getting an answer tonight, not when Mowha lifted me up and carried me back to our little burrow. I let her tuck me in and cradle me close. Tonight, to help myself sleep, I dreamt I was in my mother’s arms again.