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He huffed at her ridiculous question. Puffing out a breath from his long snout that ruffled her hair. His tongue lolled at her frown. A small frown. A sweet frown. He licked at his lips, as her frown turned to a smile. A smile that he had not expected her to show him, when he had first shown her his full, lunar-induced form. She had only ever seen his half-human, half-wolf shape before and she had accepted that form of his affliction readily enough. But this form was different. One that he only assumed every so often, when the moon was especially strong and close and its tides that tugged at him and pulled at him were stronger and dragged him into this lager, hairier, more lupine form.
He had waited in the garden for her, when he had first turned this way. Hiding in the dense shrubbery. Hiding from where she was, nearby, in the house, his fortress abode. He had howled for her to come out and find him. Unable to speak. Being reduced to non-verbal forms of communication, when fully turned like this. Howling and hiding in the shadows, he had waited for her. He lay down, a huge loaf in the greenery, tucking his limbs beneath him, even though they were tense and taut and ready to unfurl and leap him over the wall and flee from her fear and rejection. Expecting her to scream and run from him. But instead, she had confounded him. Instead of running, she had crept closer, tilting her head, frowning up at where he hid, as she pushing aside the branches and vines, drawing nearer, to try and grab a better view of him.
"Who's there…?"
He had released a small whine in answer to her query. Dropping it at her feet, like a tremulous gift.
"Hello…?"
Another soft, small sound had been placed on the ground, left there, for her to collect, between her and him. This time, it was a scared whimper. One that had him tucking his tail between his legs, under his body, the tip still wagged though.
"Hello…? Is that you in there, William…?"
She drew closer and he drew back. Waiting. Fearful, but hoping. Another small whine fell at her feet, as she closed the distance. He froze, as she drew a branch back and allowed the full light of the gravid moon to fall upon where he crouched. Allowing the moon to light his fear up and probably hers too.
"Oh! Is that you? But… You're bigger than usual and…"
He stayed deathly still, as she crept closer. Waiting for her scream. Waiting for her to flee. Waiting for her refusal. Waiting for her disavowal of him.
"William… Why are you hiding in here…? You look bigger than usual… What's happened…?"
He huffed at her.
"You're bigger… But I know it's you! Your eyes! They're so bright! And big… But they're the same beautiful hazel colour that they always are… Will you come out of this hedge? Why are you hiding from me? I've seen you like this before. I know that I'm safe with you, that you won't hurt me, whatever form you're in…"
Another huff, and he moved, standing up on all fours, pulling himself up, to tower above her.
"Oh! Um… You're so… big!"
He wuffled at her and the swish, swish, swish of a full-feathered, wagging tail was heard.
"Oh, William… What are you doing out here, come on, let's go inside, it's so cold out here…"
And from that moment on, he knew that he was as safe with her, as she was with him.
But tonight she had asked him that odd question. Tilting her head and frowning, as she was wont to do, whenever she asked such daft things of him, like this, like she had just done here and now.
"What's the difference between Vampires and Werewolves then? You're both monsters, both scary, both have sharp teeth… You don't eat blood, but you eat raw steak! And that's as bloody as it can be! I know that you don't have an aversion to garlic, because you stole my cooked steak, with the garlic sauce on it, right off of my plate and et it with no problems at all! Although the terrible smell afterwards… that came from your arse! Yes, you can laugh at me, I know you are, but you weren't laughing when you were the one who had to sleep outside that night, you stinky old stinker!"
He rolled his eyes, huffed and ran his tongue around his teeth at her merriment. Then he bared them for her. Showing her just how sharp they really were. And just how very different from a vampire they were. He had killed several, when he had found them slunk too close to his territory, when out patrolling its perimeters. Easily finding them, because they smelled so wrong. Reeking of the death of others. They were readily dispatched, but never eaten. They tasted wrong. Of dust and death. So he always left their dismembered remains on the edges of his large territory. Leaving them there, for the others of their roost to find. Leaving them there as a warning for them to keep out of his domain, the heart of which was his fortress and her.
"Will you let me see… See if I can see what the difference is…? We you allow me to do an inspection…?"
He huffed and nodded at her. Then watched, his gaze and snout following her, as she walked around his huge, hairy form. Smiling a wide, lupine smile, as his ever wagging tail, brushed her face and caused her to giggle.
"So… you're full of fluff, unlike a vampire then? And you don't keep to a human form. Hmmm… you're such a silly big fluff…" She paused to rub her cheek along his furry pelt, sighing at the softness of his fluff. Losing herself in the fluff of him. Floofing his fur back, the opposite way it should be and running her fingers through his even softer underfur that hid beneath the longer guard hairs of his grey coat. Reaching underneath him to run her fingers through his even softer belly fur.
"Oh but I could just spend hours rubbing my face and cheeks in your so soft floof like this, William. You're like the biggest, softest teddy bear!"
He stayed sitting for her. Freeing soft huffs and sighs, as he knew how this inspection always went and that he would be there a good long while yet.
"So soft…" She allowed her fingers to travel lower and lower. Teasing him a little. Giggling, as her fingers made his flesh twitch, when she followed the fluff trail lower, making him huff some more, as she tried to find out where that big wave of fur was sprouting from. He held himself back, glad that it wasn't mating season, as he wouldn't have been able to do so then. She would have been ravaged. In his lesser, half-lupine form, she was still able to take him, but in this form, no. He was glad that the two seasons rarely met. That was another bridge that he would have to cross with her some day, but not now. Just now, here, her teasing fingers raised his hackles and not anything else.
"Hmmm… big, soft fur…" Her fingers stopped their teases and she stroked back upwards and away from where she'd yet to touch him. Her trepidation at his largeness, shifted her away from where she wished to stay: as close as she could to his soft, warm, safe comfort. Even though he was a ravaging beast when the lust overtook his half form. When he became slightly too much for her her take and a tad more than enough for her to handle. She didn't like to think what he'd be like, when his lust took over this bigger, more beastly form of him. So, fear overtook her curiosity and she moved her fingers up and away. Stroking his belly now, poking him a little there. "My, Mr Wolf, you've such a big… belly!" She giggled at his huff, as she finished her circuit of him and returned to face him again, stroking his long, soft snout.
"Big claws… Big long snout… Big dribble… And my, what big teeth you have, Mr William Wolf…"
He bared his fangs for her, opening his mouth. Daring little red to tease the big, bad wolf some more. Showing her his teeth. A small growl was a leaking out of his impatience at her teasings. But his ever-wagging tail was a leaking out of his acceptance of them too.
"No growling. Hush now, my beautiful big boy… Now… I've read that vampires can withdraw their teeth in, so they're not poking out all the time. Yours aren't like that, are they?"
He rumbled and grumbled at her words and her fingers that stroked his snout and sought to touch his teeth. But he opened his mouth wider and waited to see if she would dare to tread where none had ever done before and lived. Allowing her the opportunity to take over. Voluntarily allowing her to explore his deadly fangs that could crush the leg bones of a cow with one snap of his sharp-lined jaws. He huffed and puffed, just as his fairytale counterpart, but she didn't blow away or back down. He kept his claws and teeth away from her and waited. Whining and whimpering, his tail still thumping, as she stepped closer and ran her fingers along his teeth. Even the back ones were inspected and touched. His muscles twitched, as he held himself as still as a fairy fart, while she was so close to him. Closing his eyes, he waited for her to step back. Holding himself so still, even as his jaw ached.
"Hmmm… Yes… Big teeth that stay as they are. No retraction at all. Yes, you're such a good boy for staying so still like that. There. I'm all done, now. Come on, it's time for my good, big boy to relax, yes?"
He closed his mouth and whined, knowing what reward she meant. The best one ever. Butting her with his head, he shoved at her and moved her back to the lounge, shifting them both there, where he could lie at her feet, his head in her lap, her small fingers stroking his face, his snout, the soft grey hair between his big ears.
All of his terrible insecurities and fears that he might hurt her, flew away, as he lay at her small feet. While his overlarge, long head, lay in her small lap and her fingers worked their magic upon him. Soothing his fears away, allowing his large chest to fill with love at her acceptance of him. Allowing her to lead the way and have full control over everything that made him, well, him! Lulling him to sleep there, as he lay with her there, at the centre of his fortress.
The beast that was always within him, was ever tamed by her gentle beauty. That was the difference between this werewolf and any sorry vampire.