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For Qiu Tong, the day had seemed particularly ordinary. The sun had risen as it usually had, slight rays pouring in through her baby-pink bedroom curtains. She had gingerly climbed out of her fluffy bed to pad over, lightly pushing the curtain aside to see the sun. Warmth had bathed her skin and she had taken a deep breath, as she always did. Now she found herself lost in the woods, far too concerned to even worry about how she had ended up lost in the first place. The sun was setting soon and this time she wouldn’t stop to admire it. It was dark. She was becoming more frightened as time went on. Any little sound around her made her jump, made her heart leap into her throat, thrumming with fright at her pulse-point. She swallowed lightly at another snap of a twig and whirled around, expecting to be met with an axe murderer, but watched as a small animal scurried away in fright. She sighed.
There was no choice but to retrace her steps and find the path she had stepped away from. How doing that had been a good idea, she wouldn’t know. Surely the others were beginning to worry. So Qiu Tong turned and headed the way she had come—or at least, where she thought she had come. After a while she realized that she had just walked in a large circle, and she leaned against a nearby tree to take a breath. The bark was hard and scratchy, and she pushed away from it quickly to prevent any damage to her soft cotton jacket.
Where am I? she wondered. How will I get back?
Trying to walk a straight path seemed fruitless now. Leaning heavily to the side and trekking in a circle seemed inevitable, so Qiu Tong wasn’t keen on doing that again. The only way to really know where she was, she realized, was to get to somewhere high and observe her surroundings. She knew that their camp was somewhere in the area, and since it was darkening, perhaps she could see the glow of a fire. Even if it was other people’s fire, it would help. She could ask them to escort her back to the others.
Deciding on that course of action, Qiu Tong scanned the area and chose a thick tree. It had large branches starting out pretty low, so it wasn’t much of an effort to heave herself up. At first it was easy, and Qiu Tong angled her body along the branches, slipping through here and there, dipping and ducking, pulling upwards. Eventually it became exhausting, and halfway up she had to pause to breathe in deeply. Her lungs were burning. But it was already close to heavy nightfall, and Qiu Tong didn’t want to be stuck here when the moon was full in the sky. There was still a blink of light left, and she would use it.
Reaching the top took a few minutes, and then looking around the forest a few more. Qiu Tong didn’t immediately notice what she was looking for, but waited and anticipated, heart thrumming in her chest. Finally she saw it—an orange glow suddenly lifted from a break in the trees, and Qiu Tong recognized the area. It was east of her position, so she quickly scrambled down the tree and then headed in the direction. She would need to stop every so often to climb a tree and correct her direction if she veered off, so getting back would take longer than preferred. For the first twenty minutes it went successfully, and Qiu Tong managed to remain heading east, only straying slightly north for a kilometre or so. But then night completely fell, like a thick, black blanket, and she could barely see a tree in front of her.
Noises became almost unbearably loud now, insects chirping and buzzing in excitement. She was only slightly bothered by it, but then she heard a growl nearby, and every muscle in her body froze. In the darkness two bright eyes peered at her, scarlet as blood. Another growl surrounded her, and then one from her left. Qiu Tong held her breath, far too frightened to breath. They sounded like wolves, but she wasn’t sure. Either way, something was peering at her from the darkness, something large and vicious. The growls became louder, almost circling. Qiu Tong’s head swam trying to mentally keep track of their position. Occasionally she heard the snap of a branch, the scuff of claws on the ground and the lap of a large tongue against thick, leathery lips. There was no way she could escape.
Run, and she would be chased and attacked.
Hide, and she would be sniffed out and eaten.
Stand there, frozen, and she would meet the same fate.
She began to tremble and thick tears pooled in her eyes. She hated the warm burn as they streaked down her chilled flesh, and then flinched when hot air blew against the back of her neck and she heard a heavy, large inhale. Fur slid against her back, and then what felt like a large tail slapped against her hip. It was too dark to see the creature, but it was right there, so close that she could hear its breathing, feel its heat. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears with her hands, too afraid to listen. In her mind she saw a large creature circling her, licking its lips.
Ahead the red eyes continued to watch. Maybe that wolf was waiting to join in once the kill had been made, but the wolf close by did not attack. Qiu Tong eventually popped her eyes open, breath shaky and hazardous, and titled her head up to gaze into two glowing, intelligent eyes. The wolf was staring down at her, blinking. She sucked in a gasp and then shuddered when the red-eyed wolf broke the silence with another threatening growl. Suddenly she realized that these wolves were at odds. The both of them wanted her. Only one would get her.
Red Eyes came closer, stalking ever so slowly, a low growl dropping from its throat. The dark wolf almost pressed to Qiu Tong’s side growled in return, but wholeheartedly at the other wolf, not at the blonde girl. Qiu Tong was too frightened to move, but then the dark wolf jumped for Red Eyes, and she took the chance. There was a sickening crash of muscled bodies slamming into a tree and then vicious snarls and rips. Qiu Tong didn’t stay to watch the fight, she bolted. Taking a sharp turn, she headed for what she hoped was still east, and did not look back. Her breaths came out heavy and hard, and her head buzzed painfully as she ran. Air came in with difficulty, but she refused to stop to catch her breath. The wolves were howling in the distance, and then one was cut off suddenly, and a cry of pain and anguish silenced the forest. It went absolutely still, but Qiu Tong did not stop.
Behind her the silence was broken by heavy thumping—paws slamming into the ground. A huff followed the steps, and Qiu Tong fastened hers. She knew she would never be able to outrun the wolf, so she did the next logical thing and dove for a huge tree hollow. The front was covered by strings of roots and leaves, and she pushed past them savagely to get inside. Maybe if she hid quickly enough the wolf wouldn’t see her, and would run right past to search. She managed to get inside, but misjudged herself and fell forward.
The backside of the tree was just as open, and Qiu Tong ended up tumbling down a short hill. Rocks and sticks slammed into her sides and hips as she rolled, crying out in pain until she thudded against the uneven ground. She groaned in pain, and somewhere close by the wolf landed on its feet and released a stream of air. Qiu Tong split her eyes open to watch the string of steam lift from the wolf’s face. Those eyes, glowing a dark, swarming brown, focused on her. Slowly the creature stepped forward. Qiu Tong tried to pull herself away, small fingers pulling at the ground. The rocks sliced into her palms but she ignored the throbbing pain and dragged herself over to a tree. With nowhere else to go, she propped herself against it and then picked up a rock and aimed.
The wolf easily dodged the stone, and when Qiu Tong grabbed a heavy stick and jabbed it in the wolf’s direction, its ears pulled back and it released a long, sad whine. Qiu Tong paused and dropped the stick.
“What?” she asked softly. “Not going to eat me? I’m not much, but I’d probably be tasty.”
The foot of the hill opened up to a clearing, and pale moonlight bathed the rocky soil. It was in this light that Qiu Tong could finally get a proper look at the creature staring at her. It had dark brown fur and wasn’t black, like Qiu Tong had assumed. It was also much too big to be a regular wolf.
Hesitantly the wolf stepped forward and Qiu Tong shut her eyes. She winced, finally realizing that she’d broken a rib or two and that breathing hurt. The footsteps continued to grow nearer, and then Qiu Tong let out a squeak of surprise when something thick, warm and wet slid against her bleeding knee. Her eyes shot open, widened, and the wolf merely watched her as it continued to lick her wounds. As if by magic they closed slowly, one by one, and then Qiu Tong’s ribs seemed to heal on their own and she could breathe again. She sucked in grateful breaths of air and the wolf sat down eagerly, ears still pulled back, tail thumping against the ground. It was… friendly?
“Did you do that?” Qiu Tong asked. “Did you heal me?”
The wolf whined, low and long, and suddenly dropped down onto its front. Qiu Tong watched, and then it rolled onto its back and exposed its belly. This was clearly a plea for Qiu Tong to reach out, but she was still too frightened. She was shocked enough that this huge beast had just submitted to her, and she had the odd sensation that the wolf was trying not to scare her. When she thought about it, this wolf had never growled at her. The other one had. And now that one was gone and this one was trying to help. With that in mind Qiu Tong hesitantly reached out, and then she stroked the surprisingly soft fur of the wolf’s chest. The wolf whined again, and then its chest vibrated, almost as if it was purring.
“I wish you could talk,” Qiu Tong said softly. She sighed. “Then I could ask you if you saved me, and thank you if you did.”
I can. I did.
The blonde pulled her hand away, gasped. She looked down into the wolf’s eyes and saw that it was staring at her, the tail now still.
“Wh-what?” she said out loud. She looked around, thinking that maybe someone near had spoken, but she was alone in the darkness with the wolf.
I didn’t mean to frighten you, the voice came again. But you said that you wish I could talk, and I can. Did I heal everything?
The blonde swallowed. “You…” she said, mouth going dry. “Are you…?”
A lycan? the wolf responded. It gently turned over onto its stomach and then shook the dirt from its thick hair. Yes. I’m Sun Jing. It’s nice to meet you.
“Sun Jing,” Qiu Tong breathed. She could hardly believe that she was in the presence of a lycan. It was common knowledge among the modern people that werewolves and weredogs lived within society. It was uncommon to so easily meet one, though. The stories involving such rare meetings often led to two scenarios. One, the wereperson was murdered or captured. Two, the human was eaten. Since the wolf earlier had seemed pretty hungry, Qiu Tong decided that the stories weren’t so far off. But they never told of such friendly wolves. There were no stories of a wolf so bravely battling one of its own kind just for a human.
The small blonde shuddered as a wind passed and pulled at her cotton jacket, wishing that it would cover her. She curled into herself to seek warmth, and then sighed when the cold suddenly disappeared and softness brushed against her bare legs. She opened her eyes and realized that Sun Jing had curled around her, and hesitantly she reached out to stroke her fur again.
“Why don’t you attack me?”
I don’t want to. I like humans. The wolf huffed. And besides, you’re cute.
Qiu Tong blushed brightly. She felt odd that a compliment from a werewolf made her feel so giddy, but it did. Suddenly her eyes felt heavy.
“I should get back to my group,” Qiu Tong gasped. Her eyelids drooped further. “They’re going to worry.”
Sun Jing snuffed in a way that resembled a laugh, and snuggled in closer. Rest a bit, she said. You took a bad fall, and not all of your injuries are gone. When you wake, I promise that you will be back with your friends.
Qiu Tong did not want to trust so easily and fall asleep, but she did. When she woke again, she felt heavy shoulders moving below her, and soft fur pressed to her cheek. Her eyelids shut and she returned to sleep, and then she was jostled awake yet again. This time she was in strong arms, and she felt the steady rise and fall of a chest, heard the hazard breaths from a human mouth. She managed to tilt her head back and open her eyes far enough to get a look at who was carrying her, and all at once her heart stopped and raced. She sucked in a large breath, and Sun Jing glanced down at her. A heavy blush covered her face, since she was naked, and Qiu Tong heard her swallow as she looked back up and focused on the path ahead.
“We’re almost there,” the brunette assured. Even her ears were pink, and Qiu Tong thought that it was the most adorable sight. She wished that Sun Jing had changed earlier.
“You’re warm,” the blonde whispered softly. She pressed her face to Sun Jing’s shoulder, sighed and drifted off again.
It didn’t take much longer for them to reach where Qiu Tong’s friends had set camp. It was already early morning, with the darkness trading in for very early light. The area was grey, and dying embers in the fire pit told Sun Jing that the other humans had only gone to sleep a few moments ago. She let her nose lead her to the tent that Qiu Tong occupied, and then carefully let herself in. Luckily no one else was inside, and the scent of the small blonde was overwhelming.
Qiu Tong whimpered when Sun Jing placed her down on her sleeping bag, and then a small hand clamped down on the lycan’s wrist. “Stay,” Qiu Tong begged. “Please.” Her eyes shimmered and Sun Jing felt her knees turn to jelly. Her cheeks flamed again, and she nodded without being able to stop. Slowly she climbed into the sleeping bag, uncaring of her nudity—as Qiu Tong seemed to be—and wrapped the blonde up in her long arms. In moments the small human was asleep, and Sun Jing stayed awake to listen to her breathing.
“Thank you,” Qiu Tong muttered in her sleep. She began to tremble even though she was asleep and even though Sun Jing kept her warm enough. The tall brunette frowned in worry, and without wondering why, pressed her cheek to the blonde’s forehead and whispered words of comfort. Qiu Tong relaxed, and Sun Jing soon followed her into sleep.
An unlikely union then formed.