Work Text:
“I’ll love you forever,” he tells her as the moon rises fat and bright among the tree tops, as his fingers slip into claws.
“I know,” she says.
The forest is a silent dream, wisps of snow falling silently to blanket the already covered ground, the trees tall and dead, and no animals to speak of except for the two of them as they wait for the night to call.
His fingers tighten around hers through the change, before sliding into paws. She doesn’t scream, because she knows him. He won’t hurt her, not while he has breath. She kisses his nose, and he licks her face before dancing off into the snow. It crunches under his paws, leaving a trail of perfect prints for the hunters to find in the morning. She laughs and runs after him, running along on top of the snow like a ghost, no prints left in her wake to give them away.
She isn’t afraid, although she thinks in the back of her mind that she should be – but she can’t be. It’s him, her first and only love.
He does a passable imitation of a bark to get her attention back, so she gives it to him. He wags his tail and brushes against her legs, grinning up at her. She doesn’t know how a wolf can grin, but he pulls it off.
She grins and pets him, fingers carding through thick, soft fur. He nudges her hand with his head before taking off again.
She follows him into the night. In the morning the village will find another body. And she won’t care anymore, this time. Because it’s Peter.