DISCLAIMER: Once Upon a Time and its characters are the property of ABC. No infringement is intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Written for the FSAC Dead of Winter 2012. Thanks for all your hard work and for letting me play again ladies.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
FEEDBACK: To Geekgrrl.lurking[at]gmail.com
A Pack of Two
By Geekgrrllurking
A cold wind whips around you but you take no notice, as your thick fur bristles, trying to keep you warm on this pristine winter night. The pads of your feet barely touch the ground as you dash through the freshly fallen snow. Before you are open fields, forests full of tall swaying pines and looming mountain peaks beckoning you to roam their timeless heights. You resist their call, focusing instead on the promise you made and fully intend to keep.
Your breath comes in heaving gasps, hanging heavy in the frosty air. Your constant companion, the full moon, hovers high above, its silvery light showing you the way. In this moment you thrill to be alive, wild and free, at one with the world around you.
And so you run.
You run not from who or what you are, not even from what you have done, or the fear of what you may still do. There is no shame or horror or mind numbing fear fuelling you, like you have done so many times before. No, tonight you are running to something instead, to warmth and light and a gentle touch. To someone who has seen the depths and darkness of your very soul and have not judged you or found you wanting. Tonight you are running to the one place where you know you belong, where she is waiting for you to arrive at long last.
You are coming home.
You skid to a stop as you emerge from the scrub brush of the forest, into a small clearing, your heart pounding in your ears. There is something there, just on the wind, teasing you. And then you catch it, a scent in the crisp air, your nose twitching as memories wash over you, flooding your senses. You smell the husks of the tall grasses around you, the gently flowing water from the creek, the carcass of a recently skinned buck hanging to dry near the wood cabin, all these things are mixed with the first hint of smoke. Your logical mind beats down the irrational fear of fire, as you realize that there is something else mingled there, something just beyond your senses, on the edge of your animal mind.
In a burst of joy you realize that it's her, Snow White.
The name flashes through your mind and you lift your head and howl with delight to the fading stars, welcoming the first rays of dawn starting to peak into the brightening sky. Not much time now, you race forward, bounding through the fields and drifts, laughter threatening to bubble out of you.
The door to the small cabin ahead opens and you see a woman step outside, her beauty steals your breath away. There truly is no one fairer in all the land, the Evil Queen be damned. She has not noticed your approach as she focuses instead on gathering wood from the pile, preparing for breakfast most likely. She glances up just as you bound down the path and pounce upon her. Together you fall into the snow, your prey captured beneath you as she calls out in surprise.
Snow's eyes flutter open and she glances up at you, fluffy flakes falling on her flushed cheeks. She gasps and something in her gaze softens as she realizes who it is. A giggle erupts, the vibration of her body below you sends shivers of awareness through you. Something languid and heady shifts inside you and time seems to still. Slowly you dip your muzzle to sniff into the warmth of her collar, the soft fur of the hood framing her face as you lean in inhaling her scent and placing a soft lick to the salty hollow found there.
"Red…" Snow murmurs but you merely nuzzle closer, your cold wet nose tracing the cord of muscle up her throat as she surrenders herself to you. She sighs and offers you her throat, the alpha deep within you howls with pleasure. The pulse of her desire throbs beneath your jaws, but you simply drop tiny licks and nips to her tender flesh and move up to her cheeks.
Beyond the forest, dawn breaks over the mountains and light bathes the land. You barely notice when your body shifts, changing back to your human form, you are so caught up in Snow's warm welcome that you hardly feel the transformation.
This time when you dip your head, your full lips press against Snow's flushed skin. You feel her fingers thread into your hair, pulling you closer still.
"You're home," Snow's eyes meet yours, and you watch them grow dark with desire as her hands move across your bare skin, her knowing touch marking you as her own.
"As much as I love doing recon with those crazy dwarves of yours, I promised that I'd be back in time to celebrate the Solstice with you," You whisper into the soft dark curls at her temple, breathing her in. You feel her move beneath you and want nothing more than to claim her as your own, making your very own little pack of two. "And here I am."
"And here you are," She sighs softly, her fingers trailing down your spine, and you realize that she is the one to do the claiming. You turn your head and find her lips, tasting the heat of her mouth as she opens to you, and welcomes the wolf in. You shiver in your nakedness, but it is not from the cold. Still Snow finally pulls away and smiles up at you.
"I think we need to take this inside," Snow whispers against your skin and you growl softly in agreement, your body pulsing at the promise in her words. Together you dash inside out of the cold and into the comfort of the small cabin, finding your way to her still warm bed.
Home at long last.
The End