Running.

She was running.

She could feel the wind flowing through her hair [fur], threading through them. The fresh air of the midnight forest filled her lungs, and the crumbling sound of dry leaves beneath her weight sounded like music in her ears.

The forest was [always] her playground. She was the predator, vicious and powerful. And that man ahead was her prey, weak and painting. The poor [pathetic] thing ran between the trees, hoping in vain to lose her. She laughed [growled]. A deep sound grumbled in her throat. How foolish he was, even if he could miraculously disappear from her sight, his stinky smell was still strong enough for her to track down.

Ran as fast as those scrawny legs could carry, that bastard should have known he would never be able to run away from his crime.

The moon was high in the sky. As much fun as it was, the time was up. It was a game over now.

Bending her legs, she leaped on the man, easily pinning him down with her strong front pawns. She glared down at his terrified face, imposing. His mouth gasped like a fish on the land, too scared to form a word. So pathetic. Where are the guts he possessed when he killed a whole family in cold blood just for some feeble money?

Her mouth pulled back into a snarl. To think she was about to have this dirty man's blood inside her mouth was enough to irk her. That disgusting taste would always somehow linger for a week...

Well, a job was a job.

Not wasting more time, her razor fangs shrunk down on his neck.

:::::::

Yaya jolts awake, bolting upright on her bed. Her ears are ringing as she tries to catch her breath. Clutching the blanket closer to her chest, she can feel her heart racing inside her chest. Her palms are drenched in sweat.

That dream again. Yaya has lost count of how many times she was woken up by it. The strange thing is, she never seems able to remember what exactly it was about. She knows they are the same dream due to the lingering feeling, but the images were blurred and mixed together. Every time she attempts to recall, a splitting headache will assault her to the point she's forced to stop.

Whatever it is, she doubts it'd be anything worth it.

Letting out a sigh, Yaya wearily rolls off the bed and stands up. It's better not to dwell on it too much. She drags her legs to the bathroom, eagerly to rid of the copper taste that, for some reason, manages to get inside her mouth.

Just a wonderful way to wake up...

:::::::

Yaya exhales as she finally sits down on her usual seat in her class, the farthest corner of the room and near the windows. Pulling out a novel, she makes herself to be as small as possible, so that no one will notice her.

It's a habit Yaya has developed after years of being bullied. Even though she moved to Kota Hilir two years ago, her stomach still does flip-flop if someone stares at her for too long. In addition, people around here often give her a strange look, inquisitive and inspecting. She understands she was an outsider, but it creeps her out for being treated like that.

One mistake and all hell will break loose, Yaya has that thought. Thankfully as long as she stays low-key, nobody will bother her. Though in exchange, she barely makes any new friends when her first semester is about to end... not that she minds that much, actually.

"Heyo, Pinkie."

A voice snaps Yaya out of her train of thought. After overcoming the initial startle, a scowl knits her eyebrows at the nickname taken by her habit of wearing pink. She greets back, not bothering to lift her eyes off her book.

"My, to what do I owe this great pleasure being graced by your presence, O high and mighty Solar the Fabulous?"

The young man, Solar, just chortles at her sarcastic remark. Easily, he slips down next to her.

"My fair maiden, if you held me in such high regard, should you at least feast your eyes on my fabulousness instead of that boring book?" Solar grins, resting his chin on his hand. Yaya merely rolls her eyes. Even without glancing up, she can sense his eyebrows are waggling suggestively at her, teasing.

"Good sir. Let's wait for the next thousand years and I will reconsider it." She retorts, turning another page and almost losing her composed facade at the dramatically dour look Solar is making.

"Dang. Even that is too much for an elf. Can you lower it for a bit? Maybe a few hundred years?

A giggle involuntarily slides off Yaya's lips once he elbows her in a playful manner. Although it may not look like it, Solar's actually one of a handful of people she allowed to get into her small circle. The two of them met back when she first moved to Tapops high. Since she sat right in front of him, they were often paired in school projects. 

Naturally, the young man initiated a conversation with her. Yaya at first had been wary of him due to his popularity. But after she found out about their shared interest in science, they quickly became closer. Some theory discussions here and there led to casual chat and teasing. Before she knew it, Solar turned into someone she could call a friend, or a best friend if she was bold.

"Seriously, can you at least spare your most favorite person in the world a glance?" Solar pouts, which to Yaya, appears rather cute in some ridiculous sense when she accidentally turns toward him at that shamelessly ambitious proclamation. 

He isn't wrong. Solar's the first person to make Yaya feel welcome ever since she moved into Kota Hilir and crack open the tight doors inside her heart. However, there's no way she'd admit it. Knowing him, that smug man would never let her live it down the moment he knew.

"Is there anything to see?" Continuing to feign arrogance, Yaya mockingly huffs, hiding the curl of her lips into her book. She adds while trying to ignore the faint heat on her cheeks. "Besides, who said you are my most favorite one? I have my own standard."

Solar gasps out loud, which Yaya hopes she hasn't gone too far with her joke for he almost looks genuinely shocked. Before she can mutter out an apology, he suddenly grabs her shoulders.

"Who?" She leans back as Solar involuntarily brings his face closer to her. "Who is that bastard that matches your standard?!"

"N-No one! I was just kidding, Solar!... and everyone is looking." Yaya hisses in a mix of whisper and squeak, pushing her book up to create enough space between them for her to breathe. A blush has married her face while Solar blinks before regarding their surroundings. Sure enough, the whole class has dropped whatever they are doing and watching them with great interest.

Solar immediately releases her shoulder and jumps back as though she was a hot iron.

"What the heck are you looking at?! Don't you folks have any better thing to do?!" He growls at their audiences, though his red cheeks lessen the warning. Yaya slumps down on the table and pants her face to the cover of her book, willing for the heat to go away. Lucky for the two of them, the professor walks in at that moment, making everyone hastily scatter back to their seats.

With a relieved sigh, Yaya sits up for the class. The blush in her cheeks has cooled down enough for her to be confident her hair will cover the rest of it. Still, she sneaks a glance at the young man beside her who is uncharacteristically quiet. 

For Solar to be this flutter is nearly non-existed.  In any circumstances, she has never seen him lose his cool from the day they knew each other. Because according to him, it's 《unprofessional and unsightly》.

She wonders what was gotten into him today...

:::::::

Yawning, Yaya rubs her eyes after finishing her projects. In the end, she failed to ask Solar since he apparently determined to avoid her at any cost. He had refused to meet her gaze during the class and once the bell rang, he had dashed away with a half excuse before she had the chance to call him. 

She understands he might feel embarrassed, but wasn't that a bit excessive? He even left her to have her lunch alone. 

An exasperated sigh flows out from her, Yaya glance at the corner of her desk. 1:30. The sigh of the cartoon sun shape alarm makes her frown. She has to seek Solar tomorrow. She fears she might have offended him somehow and if their friendship is bleak by it, she will never forgive herself.

SMASH!! CLATTER!

Yaya nearly jumped out of her chair when clamorous and shattering sounds echo downstairs and the glasses of her windows shake slightly, like something just crashed into her house. 

Whatever that is, it's big and did quite a damage based on those noises.

Seized by fear, Yaya stays rooted to her chair. Her house is rather far from the residential area so it's unlikely someone with the right mind would pay her a visit at midnight. She's torn between two choices, either stay put or brave up and go to investigate. She chooses the latter because there's no guarantee whatever was that broke into her would leave her alone. Better come to it first and makes a move before it does.

After a few minutes to brace herself, Yaya peeks out as she carefully cracks her door open. The coast is clear. She tiptoes to the stairs, grabbing an umbrella on the way for good measure. Thankfully it's a full moon tonight. The pale light is enough for her to see through the darkness. She doesn't want to alert her intruder about her presence by turning on the light.

Yaya holds her breath as she slowly creeps down the stairs. This's better not some stupid thugs or thieves who thought a house near the forest border is an easy target, because she will make sure they'll regret it. Twelve years of training in material arts isn't something she does for fun. They can ask Solar for verification from that one time he thought it was a good idea to sneak up on her from behind–

What greeting her in the living room almost makes Yaya drop her "weapon" out of shock.

The smell of blood stinks in the air. In the middle of wood frames and glass mess that once were her windows lay a large form. At her choked gasp, it turn around. A beast, or to be precise, a large wolf, whose body is covered in black fur that can blend well with darkness. And Yaya has not known wolves' eyes are so... immersing. Mixed between amazement and awe, she stares at those green orbs shining under the soft moonlight. They easily can put the highest qualified jade and emerald into shame.

The deep growl snaps Yaya out. Instinctively, she flinches and shifts back, clutching the umbrella, the only mean to protect herself from the dangerous and probably unhappy animal, in a death grip until she realizes something seems off.

The wolf's right side is ripped open. Yaya can see blood drenching its dark mare, dipping to the floor of her living room. Despite its ferocious growl, the wolf appears rather weak. Swallow pant escapes its mouth as it lays on the large, crimson puddle formed by its blood.

It's going to bleed to death at this rate.

Yaya swallows hard. Part of her is telling her to leave it be and save her life.  All in all, this is still a wild animal, a carnivore at it. Yet against her judgment, she finds herself slowly putting down the umbrella, showing she means no harm while trying to approach the injured wolf. 

She has gone mad, someone would say and Yaya wholeheartedly agrees, but something in that wolf is reminding her of her younger self.  She's an orphan. Her parents and her little brother had passed away ten years ago in a severe accident, with her the only survivor.  For an unknown reason, no relatives had come for her after she woke up in the Rintis Island hospital. She lost everything, her family, her home, and even her memories. If not for tok Aba, the kind old man who was also the one discovering her at the point of death and saving her, taking her in, she honestly isn't sure what would become of her now.

Maybe that's why Yaya can't find it in her heart to turn away. Wild animal or not, it's still a life and the wolf clearly needs her help, right now. She will do it not only for it, but also for her and her late Atok.

"Hey, hey, easy, easy... It's okay. I won't hurt you, I promise." Yaya coats in the most gentle tone she can mutter, lowing herself to the ground. Flued by the new resolve, she crawls slowly at the wolf who keeps growling. Although it feels weird to speak with an animal that definitely doesn't understand a thing that came out of her mouth, she needs it to calm down first, or else how she can help it when it bares its fangs at her?

Putting both of her hands out, Yaya lets the wolf see they are empty. "See, there's nothing. I won't hurt you so please, let me help you. You're bleeding."

The wolf draws back. Green eyes never leave her. Its snarl has stopped but the low grumbles inside its throat still continue. Taking that as a good signal, Yaya approaches it with more confidence while continuously mumbling the soothing words.

When Yaya is about a finger away from its snout, the wolf remains still. She smiles until suddenly a sharp pain explodes from her right side. Her breath hitches in her throat.

Her arm has been clutched in between the wolf's fangs.

Yaya opens her mouth for a silent scream passing through. The pain is so abrupt and so fast that she barely registers what's happening. Tears gather at the corners of her eyes. She can feel how those razor teeth sinking into her skin. A low growl rumbles inside the room. The wolf's breath is hot and burnt. Its green eyes are wide and round, reflecting her own terrified face. 

A choked pant past Yaya's lips. Fear and bewilderment. Between the two of them, she doesn't know who is more panicked. At some point, a thought flicked past her mind. Yaya then finds herself doing something that neither of them would expect.

She circles her other arm around the wolf's furry neck and pulls it closer to her.

"It's okay, No one's going to hurt you." Yaya repeats the words into its fur like a mantra over and over. The smell of musk and of forest in rain fills her lungs. Her head is spinning. The pain must have messed up her defense mechanisms, or she's indeed just out of her mind, but against every logic, it's feeling right to do so.

"I'm here. I'm right here..." Unknowing to Yaya, her fingers begin to wander to the spot behind the wolf's ear. She scratches it in a reassuring manner. Most of the feeling in her right side has gone by numbness. In a daze, she suddenly remembers the words that tok Aba used to say to her age ago when her dreams were still plagued by nightmares.

"–I won't let anyone hurt you."

None of them notices the faint pink light glowing under the collar of Yaya's shirt, where tok Aba's last memento for her, a pendant lays, before fading away, bringing the pain along with it.

Yaya doesn't know how much time has passed as the low growl slowly quiets down until there's only silence. A few seconds later, she feels the jaws that clap down on her arm loosen and the wolf pulls back. Letting it go, she flops down on her arses. She releases a shaking relieved breath. Her right arm is numb and a bloody mess, but the bite seems shallow.

Apparently, she's not the only one who sees it. The wolf lets out a weak whim while licking its mouth. As though regretting its actions, it laid its head back on the ground head between its front pawns, glancing up at her submissively.

"R-Right... Uhm, right. Your wound. Stay still, alright? I will be back soon." Yaya mumbles, regaining her sense. She manages to prop herself up, wobbling a bit on her leg before having to lean on the wall for support.

Limping to the bathroom, Yaya grabs some clean towels, a warm water bowl, and a medicine box. She doesn't even have a mind to warp herself up and immediately heads back. The wolf remains on its spot on the ground, too weak to move somewhere else. Green eyes stare back at her in the dark, luminous like morning stars.

Yaya attempts to sit down, which's more like falling on her arse, beside the wolf. She only turns on the hallway light, not wanting to risk startling the finally calmed-down animal. After being sure it won't bite her again for getting close, she carefully removes all the wood pieces and glasses clinging to its black fur. She tells it all the way about what she's doing. Despite having only her left hand, she manages it somehow.

Once the wolf's mare is cleared, Yaya goes for its injuries. At once, she can't help but grimace. The slash on its side looks like being cut by a sharp, hot burned object. Aside from it, the wolf is also covered in scratches and minor burns. Her heart instantly fills with anger at whoever had caused this.

Must have been those poachers. Yaya scolds inside her head. This wolf's one of the lucky ones for surviving so far. The gash has stopped bleeding somehow, but still needs to be treated.

Squeezing one of these clean towels, she turns to the wolf who has been silently watching her. Yaya shows it the damp towel.

"It gonna hurt a bit, but please try to bear it with me, ok?" She says. Much to her amazement, the wolf grunts in reply. Parting it for mere coincidence,  Yaya tries her best to wipe the blood near the wounds as gently as possible. Even so, she still draws out a few yelps and painful growls here and there, to which she hastily whispers a sorry to the wolf. 

Since it surprisingly behaves, Yaya's able to finish dressing all its wounds with just one hand. During that, she discovers there's a leather collar around its neck, holding a small insignia. It's made of green gemstones, strange triangle-shaped that reminds her of a paper plane, or a leaf perhaps? Anyway, it explains why the wolf managed to calm down so fast. It must be someone's pet before it got attacked and wandered into her house.

"And... done!" 

Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Yaya smiles proudly at her work. Nursing may not be her best asset, but at least her guest is cleansed and does not end up like a mummy. She watches with a smile as the wolf curiously sniffs the white bandage warping around its body. 

"Well, who is the brave boy?" Getting carried away, Yaya coos and pats its furry head, totally forgetting the fact it just almost bit her arm off a minute ago. "Of course you are!"

To her pleasant surprise, the wolf responds by leaning its head further in her hand. Its tail waves slightly from side to side. It even stands up to lick her cheek whilst Yaya giggled as its wet tongue ticks her. She tries to stop the assault in vain until a hiss slips off her lips when she accidentally jolts her right arm.

Instantly, the wolf stops. It steps back, allowing Yaya to check on her arm. However, she is more wonder how it seems to give the bitemark on her arm great attention before whimpering and bowing its head. Sadness and, if she dared to say, regret shimmer in those green orbs.

Wasn't someone too smart for their own good?

"Hey, it's okay, it was not your fault," Yaya says, amazed by the wolf's intelligence. She slightly turns her body so her injured arm stays hidden. She can take care of it later. "See, no big deal at all. It's just a small scratch. It will heal in no time. "

-Hopefully. she inwardly added. Although the pain has become numb, it's still stinging a great deal if Yaya moves the wrong way. Then again, it isn't something an animal should be concerned about, she thinks.

The wolf titles its head, looking rather unconvinced. It stares at her arm for a while before moving closer. Yaya shivers a bit when its breath fans her skin, the black snout almost touching her arm. Still, she remains in her place, curious about what it's gonna do.

Certainly, outright licking her arm, specifically, the bitemarks, is the last thing she'd expect. Yaya yelps in both surprise and pain. She recoils, falling on her side and writhing on the ground.  Hot tears flow freely down her cheeks. The wound is burning like it was on fire and she can't enough to even breathe. Only the question of why flashes into her mind.

Yaya vaguely feels something wet draped on her cheek. Blinking her blur vision, she sees the wolf attempting its best to wipe away the sweat and tears clinging to her face with its tongue. It repeats gently bumping her head with its, whimpering softly as though to comfort her.

Eventually, the pain is subdued. Panting, Yaya turns her body so that she's lying on her back. She can hear her blood racing inside her ears and her breaths rasp her lungs. From the corner of her eyes, she could glimpse a pile of black furs with two green orbs watching her worriedly as her frantic mind tried to grab what the hell was that.

"You know... if saving a wolf means getting torment as a reward, I certainly won't make a habit out of it." Yaya joked tastelessly, placing the uninjured hand on her sweat-drenched forehead. The wolf comes and nudges her cheek with its snout again. She sighed and closed her eyes, letting the remaining tears roll down her face before they are licked clearly by her troublesome guest.

Yep, Yaya now is certainly something wrong with her. It is unbelievable how on earth she has yet to freak out. She's alone in her house with a freaking big wolf that can have her as its midnight snack any time now and still remain relatively calm.

Unconsciously, her fingers trail down to her right arm. Yaya halts, her eyes snapped open. She scrambled to sit upright and turned the skin to face her in pure bewilderment. Her mouth drops open.

In the place where a bitemark's supposed to be is a white scar. There's only a dull pain lingering that confirmed its existence.

"W-what- this- How... How is it possible?!" The words rush out while Yaya presses, and rubs up and down her new, fresh scar. It's real and it's hers for sure. But, but, but HOW?!

Then something clicks in her head.

"Did you... did you just heal me?" Yaya asks, facing the culprit who simply tilts its head at her innocently while letting its tongue out at the side of its mouth, giving off the impression of a wolf's smile. Its tail sways behind its back. 

She holds her gaze for a minute before her shock melts away. Yaya reaches out her hand and the wolf immediately approaches her, rubbing its head against it.

"Poor thing, no wonder you was hunted..." She murmurs sadly, scratching behind its ears and the wolf panted happily. She then cups its head and gently turns it to face her. "In that case, stay here, at least until you are fully recovered. My house is remote and I live alone. No one would know you are here... I will protect you."

The wolf blinks before leaning in to rub its forehead onto hers. Yaya giggles and gasps when its wet tongue begins to assault her cheeks once more. 

"I'll take it as a yes then." Laughing, she stands up and guides the wolf to a clean room. It wastes no time to settle down on the carpet there. Yaya smiles, carefully covering it with another clean towel. This action may be deemed unnecessary for the wolf already having its fur, but she still does so. It's almost December and the weather around here always seems chiller at night. The last thing she needs is to risk the wolf getting hypothermia in its vulnerable state.

"Take some rest, I bet you had been through a lot today. I will check your wound again tomorrow." Yaya gently rubbed the animal's head one last time and give it a kiss. At this point, talking with it no longer feels weird to her anymore.

As if understanding her words, the wolf rest on its front paws and closed its eyes. Its body becomes relaxed, proving its trust in her to keep it safe. The corners of Yaya's lips raise up fondly. She gathers the dirty towel, the bowl, and the medicine box left in the living room and brings them to the bathroom. She will do a cleanup tomorrow.

For the first time in her life, Yaya feels thankful for living alone as she returns to her bed. Imagine how freaked out her housemate would have been once they found out there was a wild, massive black wolf sleeping inside their kitchen.

Author's Note: 

A contribution for the three years old abandoned fic I saved on Wattap when I was into Werewolf and fantasy stuff (which I'm still into). It felt like a waste to leave it as a draft so, yeah, hope you enjoy a few chapters of it ~