Within the Moonlit Forest
All her life, Olivia has heard stories and warnings about the woods west of the village. Never go there at night, they said. There are monsters on the other side of the river. She obeyed, but lately she has been dwelling on those stories as a solution to her problems. She is miserable. She considers herself a failure, she is a burden on her family, and most people in the village dislike her.
When she goes into the woods, daring death to take her, she expects to find the monster and let it kill her. However, she may find that the true horror of the woods is not quite what she expects.
When venturing outside the village, Olivia's people had a few rules. One was to always tell someone where you planned to go. Another said to never travel in the western woods alone. The third, and most important, was to never be caught west of the river in the woods after dark.
And yet, here she stood, alone, on the west bank of the river, with the full moon lighting her way. No one knew where she had gone. Hopefully, no one in the sleeping village had even noticed she was missing.
This is for the best, she thought as she continued deeper into the forest than she had ever gone before. The elders were always vague about what roamed the woods at night. Few were willing to broach the subject at all. Whatever form the danger took, she hoped she would find it.
There was nothing for her in the village. She was an unneeded burden on all her friends and family - the only person who could not contribute to the well-being of the community. She had failed to develop any useful skills, having tried her hand at everything from cooking to weaving and succeeding at nothing. She was no mere dabbler, either. She was not one who played with a task and abandoned it as soon as she made a mistake. For the twenty-two long years of her life, she had gone to great lengths to prove she could do something right.
When she finally realized that she would never be able to perform any of the tasks traditionally done by women, she turned to the men in desperation. A woman choosing to hunt or work metal was unusual, but not unheard of. However, she did not fare any better. She proved too weak to hold the smith's hammer, and too clumsy to stalk prey.
After trying and failing at every imaginable job, people began to talk. It was obvious that something was wrong with her. Perhaps she was cursed. Perhaps she was merely simple. Either way, most chose to avoid her. Only her family would still talk to her.
Her family - their love and dedication towards her would have been an inspiration had she not felt so undeserving. Her younger sister especially had always provided a great deal of comfort and encouragement. Olivia found her sister's devotion to be the most depressing thing of all. Her sister had always supported her, but she repaid that support by obstructing the next stage of her life. The younger girl had been courted by a boy in the village. They loved each other dearly and wanted to get married, but her father would not allow it until the older sister had been married off. He meant well, believing that if he followed the tradition of marrying off his daughters in order of age, then the older one would have a chance. If he allowed the younger to marry first, it would be a tacit acknowledgment that there was something wrong with his older daughter.
Knowing that she was such a burden on her family, Olivia fell into a deep depression. The specter of her many failures hung over her so powerfully that she could swear it was a living, breathing, malevolent entity. It haunted her dreams as an accusing shadow, chasing her through a dark and twisted landscape. Each dream ended the same way: a huge creature jumped out and tore her to pieces. For many weeks, she never left her room, sighing and weeping as she gazed out the window towards the forest. It was then that she began to dwell on the scary stories from her childhood. Perhaps the answer to her problems could be found in the forest. It was clear that she was no longer wanted, and she didn't particularly want to stay. Thoughts of death weighed heavily on her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to end it all. Maybe if she found the horror in the woods, it would do it for her.
That's why, on this night, she snuck out by the light of the full moon. That's why she found herself deep in the woods and on the wrong side of the river. This really is for the best, she told herself again, repeating the phrase over and over to try to make it true. She moved forward, trying to lose herself in the untamed forest.
The late autumn night held a deep chill as the bright, frigid moon illuminated the stark branches of the nearly leafless trees. Sere leaves crinkled beneath her feet with every step. Every few minutes a sudden sound startled her, making her think that her time had come, but more often than not it turned out that she had stepped on a dry, brittle stick. The shadows cast by the moonlit trees took on a monstrous quality. Out of the corner of her eye, she often thought she saw arms reaching for her, but they were only tree branches or oddly shaped shrubs. She began to think that actually being attacked by a monster wouldn't be as bad as the stress of expecting the attack.
For nearly an hour she wandered aimlessly. Nothing happened. No monsters assaulted her; no dangerous animals hunted. Maybe the stories were just stories after all. She came to a small clearing where shafts of moonlight allowed her to see her surroundings almost as clearly as if it were day. Short scrub brush grew here, and the area was strewn with boulders. There was still no monster though. The trip began to seem pointless. Overwhelmed by frustration and despair, she sat on a large rock and cried.
Her sobs carried far in the still, quiet air. Unbeknownst to her, the sound reached the ears of the very danger she sought. Many minutes of crying passed before she heard a sudden low growl. She stood, wiping her eyes to better see what had found her. It seemed to be a wolf, but it didn't quite look right. The wolf moved closer, stepping into a shaft of moonlight. Only then did she realize that it moved on two legs, not on four. Its gray-furred body was vaguely human-like, though the head clearly held a canine shape. Lean muscles ran through its strangely shaped limbs. His limbs, she realized as her eyes briefly fell on the prominent manhood that dangled between his legs. She would have blushed had she not been so acutely aware that this creature had the demeanor of a killer.
Terror filled her as her survival instincts tried to take hold. Why should I be afraid? This is what I wanted, isn't it? She held her ground as the snarling beast took another step closer. This is what I wanted. I am prepared to die. I want to die. I need to die. Another menacing step closer sent shivers down her spine. I just need to let him kill me. One pounce, one bite - that will solve everything. Yet another step and she saw his dripping fangs, the sharp and deadly claws, and the bloodlust in his eyes. A single thought broke through the swirl of her emotions, clearer and more convincing than all the others - I don't want to die.
She turned and bolted, not truly believing she could outrun this wolf monster, but needing to try anyway. Dodging and weaving around trees and underbrush, she clung to one small and poorly laid plan. If she could just reach the river, maybe she would have a chance. It seemed a distant and feeble hope. Would the river even stop him? Did she have the stamina to run the whole way at full speed? Could she even find the river after purposely loosing herself?
Brambles bit at her legs and tried to snag the hem of her dress. The heavy footfalls of her pursuer were right behind and getting closer. The werewolf's growls, yelps, and pants grew louder. A large fallen log came into view, with no time or space to maneuver around it. Somehow, despite her usual lack of physical prowess, she managed to jump it in adrenaline-fueled desperation. Sadly, her tiny victory was short-lived. The wolf turned the same jump into a mighty pounce and tackled her to the ground. Her vision blanked for a moment as she recovered from the impact. His hot breath was on her neck as he snarled and howled over his conquest.
"No! Please, don't!" she screamed. The wolf tore at her dress, leaving long gashes along her back. She tried to push herself up, but the wolf's paws pushed her down again as his claws shredded her clothes to ribbons and cut through her skin. In a desperate move, she suddenly rolled, drew in her legs, and kicked the creature in the stomach. She took off running again as the monster tried to recover from having the wind knocked out of him. Her ruined dress fell away and she ran naked through the forest. Her gambit bought only a little time. The wolf caught her again; this time he gripped her in a bear hug and bit deep into her shoulder. She screamed in pain as her blood trickled into the wolf's mouth. Not wanting to give her another chance to run, he slammed her into a tree several times before throwing her to the ground. Beaten and bloody, she lay on her stomach, stunned.
With ragged breaths, she tried to lift herself up on her hands and knees, but the wolf's body crashed down on her. Those sharp claws dug into her back and those yellowed fangs gripped her neck. She expected the killing blow to come any second, but the wolf hesitated. With growing horror, she understood why. He had no intention of killing her, at least not yet. He planned on doing something worse.
Something hard and warm poked around her nether regions. She had never felt the touch of a man before, and never seen a bare male body either. What little she knew of such things came from listening to some of the village women speak in hushed tones about what they had experienced on their wedding nights. Even so, she quickly figured out that the thing prodding her was the creature's manhood, and that he intended to steal her innocence. She struggled in vain against his advances. "No! Stop! Please don't do this to me," she cried.
Her cries went unheeded. As soon as the plea left her mouth, the werewolf found the prize he sought. He mercilessly shoved his thick prong of flesh deep into her, taking her maidenhead. Olivia felt a tearing pain as the thin membrane was destroyed. With the wild abandon of a feral beast, the werewolf drove in again and again while the helpless girl screamed in agony.
Even as he violated her, she tried to resist. She tried to push herself up, but all that accomplished was to drive his flesh deeper into her body. She yelled and cried. She begged and threatened. It all fell on deaf ears. The creature was too heavy, and she was fully pinned beneath him.
The flesh that was within her now was long and thick, and it stretched her body in unfamiliar and painful ways. The werewolf slid it in and out with great speed and force. The helpless girl wondered how much more she could take. It felt as if he were tearing up her insides. Through the pain, terror, and humiliation she could no longer form coherent words. Her protests became simple grunts, shrieks, and sobs.
The rhythm of the werewolf's movements changed. His thrusts were slower, deeper, and more deliberate, as if he were trying to shove something into her abused hole that was even bigger than the flesh he had already forced her to take. Whatever it was, it was too big. She was sure that it would never fit, and she prayed that he would give up. She was wrong. The wolf creature made it fit. There was a loud popping sound as the new object, which she finally realized was another part of his member, wedged into place. Olivia screamed as she took the wolf's entire length, feeling as if it were splitting her body in two. Tears streamed down her face as pain exploded through her abdomen.
The screams did nothing to deter the wolf. He resumed his earlier hard and fast style of thrusting, continuing to ignore the girl's pain. Olivia couldn't understand how the creature could keep up his assault. Didn't it hurt him to cram a part of his body into a space that was too small to hold it? It only took a few more seconds before liquid heat exploded within Olivia's passage. She knew it must be his seed. She knew that he had fully defiled her. Marked by his scent, claimed by his touch, and filled with his essence, she collapsed into unconsciousness.
***
Olivia woke up. For a few moments, she almost could have believed that the werewolf's assault had been a terrible nightmare. But there was no way to deny that she was still cold and naked on the forest floor, front covered in dirt and dry leaves, back covered in dried blood from the claw and bite marks, muscles aching from unfamiliar exertions. The wolf was nowhere to be seen.
She tried to sit up, but doubled over in pain from a sudden cramp. Even though her stomach was empty, she felt the need to vomit. The sound of her dry retching carried through the woods, startling small birds and rodents. It lasted several minutes before she could finally get up. Leaning against a tree, breathing heavily, she realized that the cramp wasn't only in her stomach. She felt around her body, trying to determine what hurt. The short answer was 'everything.'
She cried for a long time. She had never felt so violated. Flashes of memory surfaced unbidden, forcing her to relive the worst moments of the previous night. A torrent of emotions and thoughts flooded her mind and all she could do was curl up against the tree until there were no tears left.
After what seemed an eternity, she was able to tear her thoughts away from the past and think about the future, or at least the immediate future. Unfortunately, there was nothing there to make her feel any better. The wolf had defiled her body and ruined her virtue. How could she face her family and the village? How could she explain her decision to go out alone at night? There was no way to deny that she had intended to get herself killed. Suicide was one of the greatest taboos among her people. She could easily imagine what would happen when she returned. Some would probably say that she deserved everything that the werewolf had done to her. Others would be supportive, at least outwardly, but they would still view her as an outcast or a pariah. To have attempted to die before her time, to have lost her virginity before marriage, to have lain with an animal (even by force) - all of that was expressly forbidden. Her reputation would be even worse than before. There would only be more isolation from the community.
At the very least, she could be thankful that she still lived. Trying to kill herself had been the wrong choice. In a way, she had a second chance, even if life would now be even more difficult. It was time to go back to the village. If she stayed here any longer she would die of hypothermia. Facing shame was better than facing death.
Slowly, she got to her feet. It was difficult, considering how her muscles ached and protested. It felt as if there were a fire in the core of her body. She couldn't understand why it burned. Was it a natural side effect of sex, or had the werewolf found another way to hurt her? She had no way of knowing.
Naked and shivering, she set off in the direction of the rising sun, knowing that she couldn't possibly miss the river if she kept walking east. It felt strange to not have any clothes, and she often felt an urge to attempt to cover her nakedness. However, she realized that there was no point as long as she was alone in the woods. She could worry about modesty once she made it back to the safety of the village.
Dark thoughts still weighed on her mind as she walked, but the physical exertion helped stave off total despair. Her brisk pace soon warmed her body and let her stop shivering. By focusing only on the trees and brush in front of her, she could momentarily forget the feelings of utter shame and helplessness that her misadventure had caused. It also helped distract her from the stinging gashes on her back. They still hurt quite a bit, and she hoped they weren't infected.
It took just under an hour to find the river. Olivia felt a little better once it came into sight. The village wasn't much farther. She recognized this as the same spot where she had crossed the previous night. Soon she would be safe again. Without hesitating, she strode into the river. The channel here was broad and shallow; the water didn't even reach her knees. However, after only a few steps she felt as if something were wrong. A tingling started in her feet and worked its way up her legs. Her stomach started cramping until she felt like she would be sick again. The feelings kept getting worse as she moved closer to the middle of the river. Before long, the tingling had turned to a burning sensation and the cramps were causing the most intense nausea she had ever felt. Each step caused a new wave of searing pain to shoot through her entire body. It was the purest agony she could imagine.
She couldn't understand what was happening, but she decided that nothing was worth enduring this kind of suffering. She turned around and bolted for the bank where she collapsed in a heap. Long moments passed before she could bring herself to sit up and examine her legs. The skin was red and raw everywhere the water had touched, mostly around her feet and shins. It still hurt a little, although the unexplainable burns seemed to be healing quickly. She had no idea why normal water would suddenly burn like acid, but there was no escaping the fact that crossing the river here was now impossible. She briefly considered her options.
She knew that the river narrowed significantly upstream, but she couldn't remember how far. It might be possible to find a place to cross without touching the water if she traveled far enough.
On the other hand, she could wait for a search party to arrive. This was probably the better option, but at the same time a gut feeling told her to keep moving. It was as if a little voice were telling her that she was in the wrong place and that staying still was the wrong course of action. She felt inclined to listen to that voice. Anything that involved physical effort would help to block the memories of that terrible wolf that kept running through her head.
Olivia started walking again, following the bank up the river, hoping that it wouldn't take too long to find a suitable crossing point. She did not want to be caught in the woods after dark again, where the werewolf could easily find her.
As she walked, her bare feet pressed into the soft dirt of the forest floor. It was becoming a rather pleasant sensation. At the beginning of her hike, her feet hurt because she was unused to going without shoes. Her soft soles were pricked by sticks and loose debris. Now, though, she barely noticed such things, as if she had been toughening up her feet for her entire life. The sudden comfort made her suspicious. There was no way she could have developed callouses so quickly. She stopped to check the bottoms of her feet. The skin had turned dark and tough, like strong leather. She couldn't guess why, and there was nothing she could do about it anyway, so she tried to ignore it.
However, it wasn't much longer before she discovered that something else was wrong. She no longer felt cold. True, her hard walking had warmed her up, but she should still notice the chilly air. Yet she was as comfortable as if she were in the middle of a summer day. Although it worried her, she knew that she had to focus on walking. There was nothing safe or familiar in this part of the woods, and each new mystery only increased her determination to get home.
She wasn't sure how long she had been walking. The sun was high in the sky now, perhaps past noon. After hours of walking she was only getting farther from home and no closer to a river crossing. She kept looking behind her, expecting to see the werewolf ready to pounce and rape her again. Every so often tears would well up in her eyes and she would start crying again, but she kept putting one foot in front of the other. Nothing else would keep her alive.
Through it all, her body temperature kept rising. She wasn't merely comfortable anymore. She was hot. Her whole body felt like it was burning up, like a bad fever. She thought, with fear and anger, that monster must have given me some kind of infection. She decided to check the wounds on her back. They had stopped stinging, but now they burned and itched instead. Gingerly, she reached behind and touched one of the cuts. It had scabbed over, but there was something else there - something soft. It almost felt like hair. The symptoms were strange and worrisome, but there was nothing she could do but walk faster and hope she could see the village healer before it was too late.
Each step took more effort, both physical and mental. Fear and despair ate away her determination. She would die here. No one could help her now. Everything hurt. Her thoughts were getting fuzzy.
Her abdominal cramps suddenly flared up again. They had never really gone away; there had been a dull ache all day, but now the pain was even more intense than it had been when she woke up. Olivia doubled over and writhed on the ground. She felt as if she would die. The pain spread throughout her entire body. Her limbs felt as if they were breaking and setting and breaking again. Her skin was on fire. Her face shifted, its features flowing to new places and her skull elongating. Or so she thought. It was impossible to think through the pain anymore. It was impossible to tell what was real. She screamed until she lost her voice, and then screamed again when it suddenly came back. But it sounded different this time. It was deeper and rougher, with a rumbling, growling quality. In fact, her scream had become more of a howl.
The pain finally passed. She panted heavily, letting her tongue loll out of her mouth. She felt around her body. Everything was still intact, but she couldn't shake the feeling that her arms and legs had subtly changed shape somehow. She ran her claws through her fur and felt her stomach. The cramping had stopped. She checked her back. The claw and bite marks had miraculously healed over. She was whole again, but exhausted.
It took all her willpower, but she got back on her feet. It was time to keep moving. What was she looking for again? She knew she had to follow the river upstream, but she couldn't remember why. She set off anyway.
It was a strange journey. She lost track of time and place, worrying only about keeping the river within sight. Images flashed in her mind's eye, but she barely understood any of them. She saw buildings full of people, a crying girl, the moonlit woods, a wolf, blood. She saw things that had no true form, all swirling colors and abstract shapes, shades of light and dark. Then her mind began to clear and she saw things that mattered - water, dirt, trees, creatures. Especially creatures. Her eyes, weakened though they were, caught the movements of all the lesser creatures as they fled from her presence. Her nose, suddenly sensitive in ways it had never been before, detected all the telltale evidence of life. She could track anything now. Nothing could hide for long.
With the pain finally gone, she could focus on other things. A new feeling arose, distracting her from her quest, whatever it was. Hunger. Yes, hunger. How long had it been since she last ate anything? She sniffed the air. There was prey nearby, but she would have to leave the river bank to find it. The decision was easy. She turned away from the river and began tracking her quarry.
It took only minutes to locate the weak, wounded rabbit she smelled. She pounced, killing it with a single bite from her new fangs. The blood flowed into her mouth and she drank eagerly. The flesh tore from its bones and slid down her throat. It was glorious - the greatest thing she had ever tasted. The small meal sated her hunger pangs and gave her new strength. She would be able to continue to her true destination.
The wolfess sniffed the air again. The scent she sought was subtle, but she picked it up quickly. She confidently strode through the woods, heading towards the source.
She didn't know how long she had been walking in the wrong direction, not that measures of time meant much to her anymore. Nor did she know why she was so far up the river. That which she needed to find was not too far from where she had started this morning. With her new sense of smell, she would be able to take a more direct route without getting lost.
Some meaningless amount of time passed. The sun was lower in the sky now, but the approaching night did not frighten her. Soon the beloved moon would rise and proclaim her kind's dominance over the forest. Even sooner, she would reach the place where she belonged.
The scent she tracked kept getting stronger. She would be there soon. But even closer was another familiar scent. It was her scent, mingled with the smell of spilt blood and the scent of men. Quietly, cautiously, she went to investigate. A group of men moved about, examining the evidence of a fight. One of them knelt on the ground, sobbing and clutching several bloodied strips of cloth. Although she kept her distance, she could hear everything they said thanks to her enhanced senses. "My little girl is dead," is what the crying man said over and over through his tears. The others murmured various words of comfort. She heard, but did not truly comprehend. Their words were meaningless to her now. The wolfess silently moved away from the group. There were too many of them, and all were heavily armed with swords and bows. Her curiosity simply wasn't worth risking a fight. Better to continue onwards.
The sun was setting as she found the source of the scent she was following. In a large glade where the light broke through the forest canopy, a pack of werewolves like her lounged around, waiting for nightfall. A brief surge of fear made her hesitate, but it passed. She was with her own kind. There was no danger here.
The twisted wolf creature that had once been a human woman stepped into the clearing to face the other wolves. They may not have recognized her scent, but they could tell that she had been marked by one of their own. One by one, they approached her and cautiously sniffed, gaining a feel for her scent. Through their body language, whether it was something as subtle as a relaxation of the muscles or as overt as a friendly nuzzle, they showed acceptance for the newcomer. Why had she been afraid? This was her pack. She approached the wolf that lay on a large flat stone in the center of the clearing - the alpha of the pack. She maintained a submissive posture, never making eye contact. The alpha took a single curt sniff, just enough to ensure that he knew the scent of his newest pack member. Then he went back to ignoring her. As he made no effort to chase her out, it was clear that she had been accepted into their ranks.
One more wolf approached, and she recognized him by sight and smell. This was the one who had awakened the raw wild power within her body - her new mate. They stared each other down for a time. She could almost vaguely remember being frightened by his presence at some time in the past, but that was ridiculous. There was no reason to fear her mate. He would care for her and someday give her a healthy litter of pups. Still, she couldn't help but hesitate for a moment longer as blurry visions of blood, tooth, and claw flashed in her mind. But then the images were gone, and she stepped forward to greet the larger male wolf. They nuzzled briefly before going to their own corner of the clearing. They huddled together and rested until darkness fell and the moon rose to cast its gentle glow over their woods. All the werewolves howled together as they prepared for the night's hunt.