───※ ·❆· ※───

My teeth sank deeper as the thick, coppery taste flooded my mouth. The once awful taste had long numbed my taste buds. Instead of being disgusted, it aroused my satisfaction.

Feeling my prey, a plump wild rabbit, stop moving, I relaxed, thanked the goddess for the meal, and started eating with gusto. The four years that had passed taught me the pleasure of hunting and the instinct to dominate that once slept at the back of my mind awakened.

It was always exhilarating. Feeling the adrenaline, thrill, rush, and a great deal of patience all at the same time made hunting addicting.

'As expected, it is delicious!'

After years of living in the wilderness, I had long figured out how to survive alone. Learning how to hunt was a must.

I scanned the surroundings and bit into a dark-colored fruit that was emitting a pleasantly sweet scent. This wild berry was my favorite.

Its juice immediately filled my mouth, the freshness washing my palate clean. But it was a pity.

'If only it could reduce the venom from that snake.'

I checked my back leg and tried stretching it.

My right back leg had been bitten by a snake when I was hunting. Its poison affected my limbs, causing my muscles to feel nonexistent, but fortunately, it wasn't deadly.

'It'll surely need an hour or so for the venom to go.'

After all, I didn't know how to treat it, so I had no choice but to wait and see.

After waiting for a few minutes to digest my food, I searched for a space in the large clearing and began digging. My claws easily dug into the soil with practiced ease.

'This should do.'

I dug a hole before tossing the leftover waste of my meal and burying it nicely, preventing an onslaught of decaying smell in a few days.

I patted the dirt and decided to take a nap. Turning to the trail that led to my home, I froze.

Something was not right.

My ears perked up, but I couldn't catch anything out of place. After paying close attention to my surroundings, I noticed the odd silence that permeated the air.

I took a deep breath to fill my lungs and smelled the air for anything suspicious. I warily scanned the surroundings and paid close attention to any movement in the forest with vigilance.

'Run!'

With that single thought, my limbs sprung into action. I dashed through the thick shrub that led to an escape route. However, my speed was very limited.

Despite failing to identify anything that could pose harm to me, my gut told me of an impending danger as alarm bells rang inside my head.

My sense of danger was tingling. It had been a long time since I was subjected to this predicament.

'Am I being hunted?'

Not long after, powerful footsteps chased after me. As if mocking my short limbs, the steps came closer and closer.

'Oh no, shit!'

An angry growl hot on my heels made me run harder.

I ran at the top of my speed, determined to shake off the one on my trail. I pushed against the forest floor hard.

I blinked, and the world suddenly turned upside down. The dirt road before my eyes became the sky with leaves covering the blue scene. The white, fluffy-looking clouds floated leisurely.

With a loud thump, my breath was momentarily knocked out of my lungs, followed by a slight pain.

Confused, I blinked twice and wondered, 'What just happened?'

I shook my head and tried to stand up, intending to continue my escape.

Just as I caught my breath, a heavy pressure pressed me back down into the dirt. My eyes widened as a threatening growl sounded above me, followed by a commanding order.

"Shift!"

I froze and unconsciously gulped in unease. Being talked through telepathically for the first time after the long solitary years feels weird.

The pressure coming from him bore a huge weight on me, making it hard for me to breathe.

"I command you to change into your human form or you'll pay for your life!"

As if interpreting my lack of response as an act of disobedience, the pressure coming from him thickened.

Unable to fully react as the strange voice echoed inside my mind. But the midnight black wolf bared his sharp fangs. His eyes glowed with aggression and threat.

His huge form hovered over me, dripping with menace.

Pinned tightly beneath him, I unconsciously whimpered. My claws instinctively revealed themselves. Pressing the urge to free my limbs and slit his unprotected throat, I bit my molars hard.

'How can I shift as you said when I can't do it even when I tried to do so for years? Staying in this tiny beast form is not my choice.'

I screamed helplessly inside my mind, and I knew it was futile.

He wouldn't hear me.

After calming down, I realized a very important thing: how does he know that I am a werewolf? Currently, I am no different from a wolf cub, and others usually think that I am one.

My heart pounded against my chest fast. What if...?

I trembled, shrinking my small form as tiny as I could while ignoring the stinging sensation on my neck.

Knowing full well that he had the chance to snap my neck with a single bite.

I gingerly stuck out my tongue, my ears folded, and showed him my belly. Trying so hard to appear cute and harmless.

The midnight black wolf's eyes bore straight to mine as if contemplating hard, appearing perplexed. His head tilted slightly, and yet the pressure emanating from him did not lessen.

I nervously wagged my tail against the forest floor, immediately sweeping the dried leaves and dirt.

After waiting for a few minutes, his voice once again rang inside my head. His confused voice sounded innocent as if he was truly thinking hard.

"Strange, why do you want me to eat you?" He asked while his tongue licked his lips silently hinting at his anticipation.

As the moments passed, my panic gradually subsided, and I began to comprehend the situation I was in. My mind raced with thoughts; despite our unsavory position, I couldn't help but relax.

He had a fresh, soothing scent, somewhat calming my tense nerves.

"Why are you not responding?" The enigmatic figure inquired, breaking the silence that enveloped us.

In response, I chose to communicate through the vigorous wagging of my tail, an instinctive expression that conveyed my emotions more eloquently than words in that peculiar moment.

With each passing moment, my strength continued to wane as the venom's insidious effects persisted. The precarious nature of my situation, coupled with an unrelenting curiosity about how this stranger had discerned my werewolf identity, left me momentarily unsure of my next course of action.

"How can you be so small?" he mused, a pause punctuating his words. "Anyway, I don't think this place is for you to loiter around, mutt."

In response, I maintained a stillness, my ears folded, and tail crooked, as I tuned into the voice resonating inside my head. Fortunately, the absence of malice in his tone and the imperceptible lifting of the pressure surrounding me offered a glimmer of reassurance.

I didn't dare move in fear of provoking him and proceeded to act with great caution. Just as I was about to sigh in relief, the gigantic paw that was pinning me down suddenly shifted.

I sucked in a cold breath in pain, and my eyes rolled back as I fell unconscious.

His paw pressing accurately on my wound made me want to curse his head off before everything is filled with darkness.

...

"...pets are like that; you have to be very careful with them. I remember the wild duck my cousin had; it actually dived down the throat of a croc."

My eyes fluttered open from the strange voices that were dancing by my ears and the constant jolting.

"It was very saddening. She cried her heart out for three full nights and then fried the poor duck's eggs," the feminine voice, possibly from a woman, continued.

I raised my head with difficulty while trying to move my limbs. The familiar lack of cooperation of my numb hind leg was normal, but I found my other limbs strangely immobile.

"The duck eggs must have smelled delicious," someone remarked, their words echoing through my sluggish senses.

The continuous jolting jarred my dazed mind awake. Amidst the surreal experience, the lingering scent in the air hinted at the identity of the person engaging in conversation with my captor.

"It sure is!" a voice chirped, revealing a sense of oblivious cheerfulness that sharply contrasted with my dire circumstances.

A clamp-like grip held the scruff of my neck. My legs were bound tightly together, and a ribbon was visible before my eyes; my mouth was securely tied with a rope.

What does he want from me? Luckily, he does not seem keen on killing me, at least not yet.

After checking my state, I paid attention to my abductor's conversation while keeping my guard up but eventually failed.

Knowing that my body is desperately seeking much-needed rest, my vigilance wanes. I blink my eyes, fighting for consciousness.

"Right, fortunately we found it. The snake is ten meters long with dark tan and dark-edged scales. It's a real beast, I tell you."

The soothing scent enveloped my sense of smell, lulling me beyond calmness into oblivion despite my dangerous predicament.

For the last time, I remembered the look in the wolf's eyes: a look that one gives to a tasty prey.

───※ ·❆· ※───

Gaaah, who wants to be eaten?

Note: Part 1/2 and 2/2 merged