FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 30

Gripping the counter, Sophia leaned towards the mirror and stared at her right eye. The normal light brown that ringed her pupil had flecks of yellowish gold within it. They remained even when she blinked and moved her eyes around. Checking her left eye, she confirmed the flecks were present in that one too.

It's barely noticeable, but my eyes are definitely different, her heart thudded in her chest. Were those yellow flecks there after the full moon and I just didn't notice?

Releasing her grip on the counter, she took a step back. From there, the flecks blended in with the normal mix of brown and green of her eyes. She was only able to make them out when she specifically looked for them.

Not everything went back to normal after the last full moon, but that was over two weeks ago. Anxiously pulling her robe tighter, she left the bathroom. I couldn't be changing when it's not a full moon, right? I must not have noticed it somehow.

In her room, she walked over to her desk and grabbed the camera there. Turning it on, she brought up the picture she had taken on the first full moon. The display didn't have the best resolution, but the brilliant gold color of her eyes was impossible to miss. For a moment, she studied the inhuman eyes on the screen. Then, she took the lens cover off, ensured the flash was off and turned the lens to face her. Careful not to jostle the camera, she snapped a picture of her face.

Turning on her laptop, she hooked up her camera to the computer. Once she was logged in, she imported her photos. Finally, she opened both the picture from the first full moon and the one she had just taken and laid them side by side on her screen.

Wow, the same shade of gold and everything. She zoomed in on her eyes in the new picture and then gazed at the earlier picture wistfully. I'll have to see if it spreads at all; at least the color looks good on me.

An hour later, she had slipped out of the house wrapped in her cold weather gear and was making her way through the trees and initial foothills under a mostly clear sky. Able to see what was ahead of her in the daylight, Wolfgirl was able to move much faster than the night before. Despite the treacherous terrain, her recent sojourns into the mountainous wilderness had given her ample experience negotiating the wintery land. It helped too that she was able to quickly find her trail from the night before. Following it, she soon came across where she and Shadow had parted the night before.

The top of the hill looked very different in daylight, but the mass of boot and paw prints confirmed it was the place. Pausing, Wolfgirl sank to her hands and knees to sniff at the tracks. Her tracks had no discernable scent she could detect, but she could still faintly smell Shadow's mark left by the glands in his paws. The mere hint of him gave her renewed vigor. Getting back to her feet, she started tracing the wolf's prints leading away from the spot.

Huh, I wonder why his trail goes to that rock up ahead, she spied an abrupt detour in the wolf's tracks. Ah, that's why.

The odor of Shadow's mark was still strong enough for her to detect as she got within a few feet of the rock. A batch of bright yellow snow lay at the base of the rock. Without thinking about it, she followed what instinct demanded and got to all fours to investigate his mark. The familiar scent invoked a sense of safety, but also an odd feeling of possessiveness she had never felt before.

Shadow marked this territory as his, but it feels like it's also mine somehow. The idea of having territory struck Wolfgirl as both strange and yet completely natural. Our pack's territory.

As she processed the unfamiliar thoughts and feelings, an urge to pee next to where Shadow had marked his territory bubbled up. The urge seemed very important and necessary to Wolfgirl, but a nagging voice told her it was a bizarre desire to have, let alone act on.

It's my mate's and my territory; of course I should add my mark to his. She remained frozen to the spot as she sought to reconcile the conflicting thoughts and urges. It just seems like an exposed place to pee. But why would that matter?

Wolfgirl shook herself and looked around. No one is around anyway. There's no reason to worry and this is what wolves do. I just wish taking things off wasn't such a pain.

Getting to her knees, she took off her gloves before unzipping her coat and unbuckling her snow pants's suspenders. Pulling them down, she slipped her pants, thermal underwear and panties down her legs before returning to her hands and knees. Thinking better of it, she shifted into a crouch instead. Awkwardly, she pivoted and tried to aim in the general direction of the rock while ensuring she wouldn't cover Shadow's mark.

Her stream fell short of the rock, turning the snow yellow. Still, it was enough to satisfy Wolfgirl and the urges faded, leaving Sophia's befuddled human mind to try to grasp what she had just done. The stupor didn't last long as the icy wind against her hands and bare butt soon shook her out of it.

Well, that happened. Sophia hastily bundled up again. I don't know why that seemed so jarring. I mean, sniffing my own pee and poo is technically weirder. But I'm a wolf, well, werewolf and this is my pack's territory.

Acceding to Wolfgirl's renewed urging, she bent down and sniffed her steaming mark. A hint of Shadow's mark combined with hers to form a pleasing mix.

Come to think of it, Shadow's scent is getting stronger...

Wolfgirl started when she felt something press against her side. Turning her head, she saw Shadow staring at her face with an amused wolfish grin. He was angled perpendicular to her body, his tail high and wagging. His thick, luscious fur gleamed in the morning light and she found herself transfixed by how handsome he was.

He let out a chuff and low rumble, 'love you'.

Wolfgirl's heart fluttered excitedly and she smiled, "I love you too."

Backing up and then turning towards him, she let him sniff her face before sniffing his and licking his exposed teeth. After their affectionate exchange, Shadow went to sniff at her still-steaming urine. Wolfgirl bit her lip sheepishly as she waited.

'Good,' he chuffed, looking pleased when he turned his head towards her. 'Ours.'

Wolfgirl's face pulled into a smile at the praise and acknowledgment Shadow thought of her as a pack member.

'Follow.' Shadow let out several barks. 'Show.'

Wolfgirl rose to her feet as Shadow started trotting along the top of the hill they were on. He kept his nose to the ground and Wolfgirl instinctively understood he was tracking his own scent. Walking on two legs as she was, she couldn't detect anything with her much weaker nose. Still, she could readily see his earlier prints in the bright snow.

As they curved around the hilltop, she glanced behind her. Woodbury was clearly visible through a gap in the trees and her gaze lingered on it. From where she was, it looked like a lonely island of reds, browns and grays in a sea of white.

I don't belong there anymore. She paused, finding the sight of the town oddly melancholic. Maybe I never really did. I belong to the wilderness and my love.

'Something wrong?' Shadow's concerned whine stirred her from her thoughts.

Turning, she fixed her eyes on the tense wolf and gave him a reassuring smile. "No, just a little distracted."

Seeing everything was okay, Shadow turned and resumed following his trail. Wolfgirl took one last glance at the town and jogged to keep up.

Wolfgirl wasn't entirely sure how long they had been walking, but it had been for more than an hour. The sun had risen higher in the sky and the shadows were getting shorter. At several places, the wolf's path had been buried by snow falling off the trees or disrupted by another animal. At those times, Shadow had slowed but had still ultimately been able to pick out his own scent.

As the pair wound their way through the rocky saddle between two hills, Shadow suddenly emitted a growl that chilled her to her bones. Her hair stood on end and her heartbeat quickened as she reflexively readied herself to fight or flee. Sniffing the air, she frantically searched for the source of his alarm. Neither her nose nor eyes were able to pinpoint the source of his concern, but she could sense his tension remained.

The wolf began advancing with deliberate steps, his nose to the ground and his ears swiveling in alert. Wolfgirl followed cautiously until she noticed the trail led to a mess of disturbed snow. The wolf trotted to the edge of the mess and began methodically investigating. Covering the remaining distance, she stopped alongside her companion and crouched down. Criss-crossing Shadow's path were similar-looking tracks, but about half as large.

Placing her hands on the ground, she leaned close to the tracks and sniffed. She felt a flash of anger and protectiveness before she even consciously registered the smell. Shadow's smell was certainly there, but there was a similar smell alongside it. It struck her as canine, but neither wolf nor dog.

'Intruders.' Shadow growled menacingly. 'Follow me.'

They're on our territory! Anger and excitement joined to become a raging river.

Shadow began trotting, following a set of tracks leading away from the site. Wolfgirl could see, now, that there were actually two sets of tracks. Adrenaline pumping, she started jogging behind her love. The tracks followed the contour of the saddle for several hundred yards, paralleling Shadow's trail. When another break between hills joined the saddle they were in, the tracks curved down it. Shadow stopped, looking towards where the trail led as his nose continued to sniff.

'Nearby.' Shadow yipped and chuffed.

Does he smell something? Wolfgirl turned her nose upwards, but couldn't detect anything.

Then, keeping his body low, the wolf took off in a sprint while following the tracks. Wolfgirl started running, but the wolf was moving too quickly for her to keep up. It wasn't long before she lost sight of her friend around a bend, while she was left staggering and gasping.

How am I supposed to learn anything if he races off?

She rounded a sharp corner and came face to face with a large tree that had fallen across the gap. Shadow's tracks curved to a gap under the tree. There, his belly had dug a furrow in the snow as he had crawled under it. Struggling to catch her breath, she looked for a way across or around.

Figures... To her disappointment, she didn't see anything obvious.

Getting onto her stomach, she slid herself along the furrow Shadow had made. Cold snow stung her face as she forced her way through and she winced as the top of her coat scraped against the underside of the log. Once on the other side, she staggered back onto her feet. When at last she was standing again, she noticed a faint smell in the air similar to whatever had left the tracks. However, the scent quickly disappeared, leaving the tracks as her only lead. Moving her protesting legs, she started forward again.

Why did I have to become wolfy just in time for winter?

After another few hundred yards, the saddle broadened into a valley and the spacing between Shadow's front and rear tracks narrowed. Picking her way past the barren aspens that grew in the valley, Wolfgirl monitored her mate's faint musk in the air while trying to follow his tracks across the dips and rises in the ground. As she progressed, his scent grew stronger and her fatigue was replaced with a renewed excitement.

The strange canine-like smell that had brought them to this lonely valley also grew stronger. At last, she saw Shadow crouched low in the snow several dozen yards ahead of her. Instinctively, she got onto her hands and knees and crawled towards him. His head turned towards her once before turning back the way he had been looking. Curious, she tried to see whatever he was watching. However, all she could see was a pair of young pines next to a fallen aspen.

Just as she covered half the distance, Shadow looked towards her and ducked his head and ears down.

Wait. She realized he wanted her to stop and stay where she was. That smell... it's close.

Coming to a halt, but remaining propped on her hands, she watched expectantly. Shadow started creeping with his belly close to the ground towards the pines. His ears were back and he held his body as straight as an arrow, looking every pound the deadly predator he was. Holding her breath, she marveled at how he seemed to effortlessly flow towards the spot sheltered by the pines.

Time seemed to slow as something exploded out from under the fallen aspen. Her eyes immediately fixated on the motion and resolved the shape into a visibly terrified coyote. Anger surged through her as she finally saw what had intruded on her pack's territory. Another coyote, a bright red spot staining the fur on the side of its neck popped from the hiding spot and followed its companion.

Shadow burst out of the foliage, his lower jaw and teeth stained bright red. Determined to help her mate drive off their unwelcome guests, Wolfgirl sprang up and started running. It didn't take long to realize her efforts were futile as the coyotes proved faster than even Shadow. The smaller canids soon disappeared from view and Shadow himself slowed before turning away from them.

Her instinct was still to pursue, but at this point, her fatigue was too great and Wolfgirl collapsed onto her knees. She placed her hands on her thighs while trying to catch her breath as Shadow trotted over to where she was. The wolf looked both annoyed and pleased as he approached, his tail swaying slightly behind him.

'Escaped.' he let out a quiet yip when he was only a couple of yards away.

The scent of the coyote's blood drew Wolfgirl's attention and she flared her nostrils, drawing it in. Shadow slowed and then stopped in front of her. Seeming to sense her curiosity, he moved his muzzle close to her face.

Smell.' He chuffed and growled. 'Thieves.'

Not quite sure what she was doing other than it felt right, Wolfgirl leaned close to his muzzle and sniffed the darkening blood. It was canid, but distinct from a wolf and dog's scent. On impulse, she stuck her tongue out and ran it across the red stain on Shadow's muzzle. Her brain zeroed in on the taste and fragrance, filing it away. It was too close to wolf's blood to be appetizing, but that didn't stop her from licking her lover's muzzle clean.

What did I just do..? Sophia pulled away after finishing, her human side asserting control from Wolfgirl. I just licked coyote blood off of Shadow's mouth. Gross.

But in truth, the act didn't feel particularly gross or strange. If anything, she felt exhilarated. The fact she should have felt repulsed but didn't, created an eerie dissonance within her.

What am I becoming?

'Okay?' Shadow whined, his body language conveying concern.

Wolfgirl shook her head slightly and then nuzzled her boyfriend before answering, "I'm fine; that was fun!"

Twenty minutes later, Wolfgirl was leaning against Shadow as the two ate the pre-cooked breaded chicken breasts she had brought with her. At first, the wolf had been unsure of what to make of the breading, but after Wolfgirl had scraped it off, he had consumed the breast in a few chomps.

"I know that wasn't nearly enough for you," Wolfgirl told him when he wanted more. "It's not my fault I can't eat an entire chicken in two bites."

The disappointed wolf took to dutifully keeping watch while Wolfgirl consumed hers. Yet, she couldn't help feeling a sense of paranoia and she paused between bites to monitor their surroundings. Nothing interrupted them, however, and she washed the rest of the breast down with a swig of water. After licking her lips and hands clean, she pulled her gloves back on. Shadow rose to his paws and stretched. Wolfgirl caught herself ogling the way the muscles in his upper legs rippled visibly beneath his fur.

Not now. Wolfgirl forced herself to look away as she got to her own feet, raised her nose and sniffed. I'm still hungry. Those coyotes better not have scared off any prey.

'Follow,' Shadow yipped and growled. 'Quiet.'

The wolf started moving quickly but silently through the aspens. Wolfgirl started following, flinching at the sound of her boots clomping against the frozen ground and the fabric of her clothes rubbing together. After she had only made it a few paces, Shadow stopped, turned and trotted back to her.

'Noisy,' he noted in a way reminiscent of a teacher appraising a student. Then he lowered his head to be parallel with his back. 'Low.'

"How am I supposed to keep up if I'm crawling?" Wolfgirl protested incredulously.

The wolf ignored her protest, instead he licked his nose and turned back in the direction he had been going. 'Prey, scent.'

"Oh, go against the wind?" Wolfgirl asked, realizing what he was instructing.

'Down,' the wolf instructed. 'Follow.'

Feeling a bit bewildered, Wolfgirl did as she was told and got to her hands and knees. She started crawling awkwardly behind as quickly as she could, even more noisily than before. It didn't take long for the wolf to gain a significant lead. When he was about thirty feet away, he turned back towards her.

'Noisy,' he chided when he reached her. 'Faster.'

"Faster???" she asked in dismay, breathing hard. "I was moving as quickly as I could!"

'Learn. Not ready.' The wolf observed gravely, though Wolfgirl got the distinct impression he was enjoying himself.

Without warning her this time, the wolf started trotting away from her. This time, she focused on trying to minimize the sound of her boots and clothes chafing. She succeeded in that, but at the cost of moving much slower.

What, is he expecting me to become a full wolf or something? Wolfgirl continued moving even when Shadow turned back towards her.

'Very slow.' The wolf yipped disapprovingly.

"Yeah, I don't have four legs if you haven't noticed," she snapped in frustration.

'Up.' Shadow moved to her side before nipping at her knee.

What? Wolfgirl dutifully rose so she was on all fours.

'Go.' The wolf let out a short, commanding bark.

She did as she was told, scrambling forward on all fours as quickly as she could with her back arched. Moving that way proved exhilarating as well as quieter and certainly faster than crawling. After about a few yards, she pushed a little too hard with her foot and fell face-first into the snow. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, she looked sheepishly behind her at Shadow who was calmly watching on his haunches.

'Better.' he chuffed to her surprise.

A surge of satisfaction shot through her at his approval. That actually felt pretty good and strangely natural.

Shadow stood and walked over to her, looking very pleased with himself. He yawned as he reached her. 'Sleep. Hunt. Dark.'

Wolfgirl's face fell and she blurted out, "But it's still light out!"

'Sleep.' the wolf repeated and started trotting back the way they had come. 'Hungry.'

"Alright, take me home," she grumbled dejectedly and got to her feet.

On the trip back, Wolfgirl couldn't shake the sensation she belonged on all fours.