FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 15

After only a few hundred yards, Sophia's muscles and lungs began to burn. While the thick, leathery pads on her feet provided excellent shock absorption and insulation, they could not make up for the fact that the rest of her feet were still anatomically human. Every time the ball of a foot struck, the ankle and arch wanted to flatten out to dissipate the downward force being exerted. To keep the uninsulated part of her feet from striking the ground, she had to keep her legs stiff. At the same time, she had to push off the ground with enough upward force that the top of each foot would be able to clear the snow. The result was an unnaturally stiff and bouncy run that required muscles that weren't typically used for such movement.

Gasping for breath, Sophia slowed to a walk before stopping entirely and dropping into a crouch. A gentle breeze chilled the backs of her bare feet. She pulled her pants down slightly to cover them, partially exposing the top of her sparsely furred butt and tail nub to the cold. Looking around, she surveyed her surroundings and sniffed the air. To her disappointment, there was no hint of another wolf in the air, and she still had a ways to go to reach the mountains.

"Whine."

The high pitched sound surprised her, and it took her a moment to realize it had come from her. Her human mind, unnerved by the strange sound, became acutely aware of just how unfamiliar the body it now inhabited was. Although she had steadily been getting used to it, her clothes still chafed her fur uncomfortably. New muscles on her backside twitched and spasmed in response to her movements or seemingly at random. Every time she heard something, she felt her ears automatically try to orient themselves towards the source.

Feeling something cold and wet under her nose, Sophia curled her tongue up and over her lip to lick it off. To her consternation, her tongue couldn't quite reach her nose. She tried again before realizing what she was doing and that the length of her tongue had not been something that had changed this round.

Sighing, she reached up with her hand to wipe her nose, pausing briefly when her hand revealed the end of her nose was flatter and rounder than the angular protrusion she was accustomed to. The skin of her nose felt rough, yet surprisingly sensitive. Even more sensitive were the two groups of stiff hairs that were now embedded in between her upper lip and nose. The hairs were short, only a couple of centimeters, but just brushing them was enough to make her face twitch.

I wish I had a mirror, Sophia ran the backs of her fingers over her otherwise furless face. I probably look really silly.

All ruminations of what her face looked like disappeared as a slight breeze carried a faint, but enticing scent into her nostrils. Her body went rigid and her ears perked up as her brain analyzed the scent. She didn't recognize it of course, but this particular combination piqued her wolf side's interest all the same.

Something nearby, Sophia silently turned her head in the direction the scent had come from. A small animal, above the snow. Young and healthy.

All of her attention on the scent, she placed her hands into the snow, oblivious to the biting cold. Now on all fours, she quietly oriented her body towards her quarry and tilted her ears forward as best she could. Lowering her head, she slowly moved one hand forward before matching its motion with the opposite foot. Step by step, she silently stalked forward. The scent steadily grew stronger as she got closer and the animal still hadn't noticed her.

After a couple dozen yards, she spotted her prey - a gray rabbit, nibbling on some twigs. Sophia's mouth watered as she closed in on the unsuspecting animal. Her hands were freezing, but the promise of filling her empty stomach kept her going. She automatically froze as the rabbit's head turned to the side. Luckily, it didn't see her and it soon went back to nibbling on the branch. Carefully, Sophia resumed approaching the hapless bunny. Instinctively, she slowed her breathing to almost nothing and time seemed to slow.

A little further... The thought of sinking her teeth into lean muscle sent a thrill through her. This is awesome! My first hunt!

A few feet away, she stopped. Leaning back, she put her weight on her rear "paws". With a burst of energy she shot forward with her mouth open. To her delight, the rabbit was caught completely off guard. The animal's eyes went wide and started to move its legs to get away. It was too late though, and Sophia's sharp front teeth clamped down hard as she pressed her face into the rabbit's furry back. Her flat human mouth didn't allow her to bite with much more than her premolars, but their grip was solid.

I caught it! A thrilling feeling of accomplishment surged through her.

The rabbit began thrashing violently and squeaking. Caught by complete surprise, Sophia's eyes went wide and she reflexively relaxed her mouth muscles. Immediately, the rabbit slipped free and bolted into the darkness. Too stunned to give chase, she watched it disappear into the hills. A mouthful of fur was all that remained. Crushing disappointment flooded through her, and her knees bent to the ground.

It's not fair! Then, her mind finally processed what she had done and a wave of revulsion briefly displaced the disappointment. Oh my God, I nearly killed a rabbit and I was enjoying it! What am I doing?

She suddenly became all too aware that her hands were deep in the snow and had gone numb. Stinging snow flew into her face, briefly blinding her and to make everything worse, her stomach growled pitifully. Leaning back on her knees, she put her hands under her armpits in an attempt to warm them. Her claws catching on the fibers of her coat was a pointed reminder that she wasn't quite human at present.

Wolves eat meat, Sophia shivered and tried to spit out some of the fur, thinking longingly about her warm bed. Wolves kill, but I'm not a wolf. I'm just a foolish girl and I want to go home!

Something wet fell onto her tongue and she licked her elongated teeth. The faint taste and smell of blood from the rabbit entered her awareness... and she found herself craving more. That she liked the taste of rabbit blood horrified her, but it also excited something at the very core of her being - something that fervently told her this was her home.

But I'm a... wolf tonight, right? She reasoned, trying to assuage any human misgivings. Maybe it's okay for me to kill to eat... right?

Cold and wet knees reminded her she was kneeling in snow. Standing, she rose to the balls of her feet and sniffed the night air. The scent of the rabbit had disappeared, but a new scent was on the wind. It seemed... familiar. It was faint and she couldn't describe how or why, but it was something she recognized. Turning towards the hills and mountains, she began trudging towards it.

Walking uphill, in the snow, in a way her feet were neither designed nor accustomed to was arduously slow. Several times, she had to pause to catch her breath and give her sore muscles a break. The scent was growing stronger, and she never stopped for long. Although she still didn't know how she recognized it, she found it comforting. The moon was directly overhead by the time she made it to the trees.

As she crested a hill, she paused once again to catch her breath. The wind picked up then and she turned her head away from it and out over the hilly landscape.

Everything is so bright, but why does it seem blurry? Blinking her eyes, she tried to clear them.

She had been so focused on the vastly expanded power of her nose that she hadn't paid much attention to her sight. Looking around, she realized her perception of the world had changed beyond her nose and ears. A strange glow suffused everything and she could make out what was under the shadow of a nearby tree almost perfectly. Yet, objects further away almost looked like they had been smudged. Squinting, they became slightly sharper, but still blurred.

She shrugged. Strange, maybe because of a wolf's better night vision?

Turning her back towards the mountains, she closed her eyes, tilted her head and took a long, deep inhale with her nose. So many scents surrounded her and she wanted to investigate them all. The fragrance of pine needles and sap hung heavily in the air - she certainly had no trouble recognizing that one. However, the scents of myriad dead stems, stalks and leaves were there too. Despite the cover of snow, she could smell the faint off-gassing of the soil. From the direction of the town, the wind carried the scents of human habitation - which made her distinctly uneasy.

Nearby, some kind of animal had been through earlier in the day, its scent still clung to its tracks and the tree it had brushed against. Curiously, Sophia walked over to the tracks and got onto her hands before lowering her head to sniff them more closely. She didn't recognize the animal of course, but her brain committed every last chemical marker to memory so she'd recognize it if she came across it. For that matter, she could make out the scents her brain now associated with rabbits, but they were too diffuse to have been recent.

Cold fingers reminded her to get back onto her feet, but not before she took the time to mark the tree and ground with her urine. Turning towards the steaming liquid, she sniffed it contentedly for a time. It was a strange mix of human and wolf, but otherwise it was healthy and distinctive. Most importantly, it was unquestionably hers.

My territory, she grinned as she pulled up her pants, not concerned in the slightest that she had gotten some pee on them or that her claws had torn the fabric.

A strong waft of the smell that had been luring her further into the mountains drew her attention back towards her quest. The scent smelled similar to hers... In fact...

Her eyes widened, "a wolf!"

Excitement and trepidation flooded through her. Another wolf was nearby; was it part of a pack? Was it trespassing on her territory? If it was part of a pack, she'd have to avoid it. The Alpha female might not be happy to have a potential challenger. On the other hand, if it was a lone male wolf, maybe he'd be willing to form a new pack.

All of her senses were on high alert and her ears were constantly trying to shift which way they were pointing to check for sounds. Craning her neck, she sniffed the air, trying to get as much information as possible. It was faint, and coming from... there!

Without a second thought, she began sprinting as fast as she could in the direction the smell was coming from. It didn't take long for her legs and lungs to start burning, but she pushed herself on. Climbing a particularly steep incline, she found herself using her hands in conjunction with her feet, curling her fingers so her claws dug into the ground.

It was awkward moving on all fours at first, but the increased traction her changed hands brought was welcome. Unlike human nails, her claws were closer to extensions of her digits and the sensation of them pulling on the bones in her fingers as they struck the ground took some getting used to. As she climbed, her brain quickly learned how to coordinate her movements and it began to feel like she had always moved this way.

This feels right; my paws belong on the ground.

At the top, Sophia reluctantly resumed a two legged pose to warm up her hands. Leaning against a tree, she thrust them under her armpits. Despite her hands feeling like ice, the rest of her felt like it was on fire. Instinctively, she let her mouth fall open and partially stuck out her tongue. Steam looked like it was pouring out of her mouth as she panted.

Oh yeah, wolves don't sweat, despite feeling extremely hot, no sweat had formed on her skin. I guess I can't either now.

With her clothes and fur combining to trap body heat, her tongue couldn't seem to evacuate heat fast enough. If she didn't do something, she felt like her own metabolism would roast her.

There's no one around; I guess I could take off my clothes for a moment.

Summoning up what energy she could, she grabbed the base of her sweatshirt - taking care to avoid tearing it - and pulled it over her head. The chilly night air immediately found the sparsely furred skin on her stomach, arms and sides and she shivered. Immediately, her skin felt like it was being pulled in a thousand places and her fur puffed out.

Oh, so that's what goosebumps are for! She stretched her shoulders back, thrusting out her chest; the sudden shock of the cold against the parts of skin that were still relatively unprotected made her feel absolutely alive. If only I had a full coat of fur...

Along her front, it felt like someone was gently pulling at her skin. Looking down, she saw her human nipples had grown stiff in the cold, as had her new pairs of lupine teats below them. Giggling, she brushed them, enjoying the sensations. Unexpectedly, she felt the similar tugging sensation at her waist, and she pulled her sweats down to her ankles. To her surprise, there were two additional nipples that she had missed.

Ten nipples in total, she counted and felt her face heat up as blood rushed into it. Just how many pups does a wolf have?

For a brief moment, she envisioned suckling wolf pups and her right hand cupped one of the teats near her belly button. Subconsciously, she shifted her hips wider and shifted her weight forward. Down below, she felt heat rising.

No! She pushed back against the unsettling desires of the wolf that had taken up residence in her mind and the image vanished.

Now that her sweatshirt and pants were no longer trapping heat, her body cooled off rapidly and her panting stopped. Having her entire body exposed to the air felt strange. Areas where her fur was thickest, her skin felt quite warm, but everywhere else rapidly chilled in the night air. Her upper back felt like it had a thick blanket that covered her shoulder blades and neck, but rapidly tapered off along her spine.

Wait, that smell I've been following suddenly got a lot stronger, her nose finally got her attention. I recognize that smell...

Her ears swiveled, followed by her head and then body. She completed the turn and her pure joy filled her.

"Shadow!" She exclaimed to the wolf that was now somehow only a few yards away, watching her.

Then her joy turned to embarrassment.

"Oh..!" Sophia exclaimed and crouched down, covering herself.

"Uh, hi!" she squeaked shyly and grinned sheepishly. "I'm a werewolf tonight!"