Author's Note: This is my first submission so any and all feedback is more than welcome. My main goal here is to improve. The story is set in one of my alternate histories so don't go looking up any of the terms or peoples, though as you'll see, everything is heavily based on Roman culture and language, so if you have any suggestions about how I can be more accurate on those things please share them. Some things I've changed intentionally, but there are many things of which I'm simply unaware.
There's not much in the way of sex in this first chapter, but believe me it's coming, and soon. This is mostly an introduction of the main character and a bit of setting development before events get moving. If you came because of one of my tags, please don't be angry, all that will be coming in future chapters, and much, much more.
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Maranea Gnaea Equitius ran across the grassy field toward the tree line as fast as her bare feet could carry her. She knew without looking back that the greatwolf was behind her, closing the distance rapidly and the thrill of fear helped her surge forward so that the wind roared in her ears. As she neared the edge of the open field she aimed her headlong rush toward one of the thinner trees standing vigil at the border between forest and meadow. When she reached it, she flung out a hand, catching the trunk and using it to slingshot her body a quarter turn without losing any of her momentum. Her hand burned from the friction of the trunk but she was satisfied to hear the crashing of underbrush as her pursuer tried to match her turn, sliding and thundering through brush and small saplings in the process.
Mara hurtled through the trees, threading her ways through the narrowest gaps and over the most treacherous ground light as a deer. Her lungs burned and the Griefer's dagger twisted in her side, but the sound of the wolf tearing across the forest floor behind forced her to ignore her protesting body and run even faster. She leapt across a creek running through a wide and deep ditch forming a wordless prayer to the inhabiting sprite to entangle her pursuer and allow her to escape. Perhaps the sprite couldn't hear her, perhaps she ignored the request, or perhaps the wolf was simply too powerful to ensnare. Whatever the case, Mara heard the wolf clear the ditch and continue his pursuit almost as soon as she had regained her balance.
Panicking now she tried to gain some ground by repeating her earlier trick of using a tree to turn, but the wolf had anticipated her move and actually sounded closer than it had before the turn. Mara's breathing had become ragged and her pace had begun to falter. She knew she couldn't continue much longer. She spotted a hedge of thorn bushes with two small trees growing in front and formed her plan in the instant before her next stride hit the ground. She turned, ran till she was within a few feet of the prickly plants, leapt toward the trunk of one of slender saplings, then leapt again toward the other trunk taking her even higher. She grabbed on to the second sapling and was adjusting her weight to leap over the hedge when the wolf's snout punched her planted ankle, knocking it away from the
She fell to the ground hard, driving what little wind she had out of her lungs. She struggled to rise, but her exhausted body refused to respond, and she only managed to kick her legs feebly. She could see the wolf with its jaws opened wide as it drew closer. Mara's scream echoed out into the trees as the cavernous maw flew at her face and she closed her eyes.
Something wide and wet slapped Mara on her cheek and slid toward her open mouth leaving a slimy trail in its wake. She shut her mouth, giggling as the tongue repeatedly hit her on the lips tried to find its way to the source of all the air and noise. "Stop it... Regalt, stop!" she said as she turned her head back and forth while trying to push the big wolf's head away. Her protests did no good, and the wolf only tried all the harder to explore the inside of her mouth with his tongue.
Mara never heard the sound of the two footed pursuer approach, only the forceful, though definitely amused voice saying, "Enough Regalt, get off her." Regalt's response was immediate. The tongue stopped its assault and the giant animal padded to the side of the tan skinned young woman in her mid twenties, who had emerged so silently out of the woods, as if she had always been standing right there. The wolf sat at her side, not in the tame way a dog would sit by a master, but in the companionable way, leaning up against her legs as he might lean against a fellow member of a pack. The young woman stroked his head with that same detached casualness as she eyed Maranea there lying on the ground.
Mara caught her breath enough to speak, "I got a lot further that time."
The woman didn't stop stroking the wolf's head as she grinned. Her white teeth stood out against her tanned face, which at the moment was lit with amusement. The grin had more than a little of the predatory nature of the wolf at her side. Mara knew that smile well, and didn't think twice about it. That was just how Vereta was. Mara couldn't remember the first time they'd met but she'd heard stories about it.
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It had been many years ago. Mara had only been only a little girl at the time and had fallen while playing on the bridge her father's men had been constructing over the river. Her Father, brothers, and all the servants had run after her, but the current had been too swift, and Mara hadn't known how to either fight or escape it. The helpless pursuers had been forced to watch her be thrown into rock after rock. At some point Mara had lost consciousness and simply floated as if dead. The men continued to sprint after her, but most of them admitted they thought she was dead already as she floated down the river so still and limp.
Just as the first of them were beginning to tire and falter, a dark shape streaked out of the trees on the far bank, sprinted across the uneven and slippery stones of the river without slowing, and leapt into the freezing water, and swam to Mara. The pursuers had barely had time to realize the shape was a raggedly dressed person when a giant greatwolf had bounded out of the woods and sprinted to the stony rapids ahead. It jumped out onto the rocks racing to get ahead of the little dark person in the water who was trying to keep Mara's head above the water. The wolf straddled a narrow, swift bit of the river flowing between two stones that just barely cleared the white foamed waters. It planted itself firmly as the dark haired wild girl had struggled to make sure she would flow through.
The beast leaned out and clamped its jaws around Vereta's shoulder and torso as she had been swept past while she maintained her desperate hold on Mara. The huge animal lifted the two young girls out of the water as easily as it would land a fish, then it released its hold on Vereta and began to snuffle and lick her with obvious distress and concern. Vereta had ignored the greatwolf's inspection as she performed her own on Mara's pale little form. She had continued to rub and slap at the little girl's face and body till the crashing feet of Julian, Mara's eldest and swiftest brother, had drawn her attention away.
Mara had asked her brother to describe that moment so many times she could see it almost as clearly as if she'd been awake. Vereta's eyes flickered between the crowd of running men and Mara, who had just begun to convulse, regurgitating the river water she'd swallowed or inhaled. She had paused there for a moment of indecision while her wolf started to growl behind her. Julian had continued his headlong charge alone, panicked with fear for his sister. He was yelling, waving his arms above his head and preparing to fight the wild girl and animal together for her if need be. He told Mara how Vereta had taken one more look at Mara. Later he would recognize the concern in that expression, but at the time he'd been too upset.
Finally, just when Julian had been sure he was going to have to make a fight of it, Vereta had turned and leapt onto the wolf's back, wrapping both her arms and legs as far as she could around the huge wolf's torso. The greatwolf had immediately bounded away, leaping across the water from stone to stone as easily as if the girl on its back was just a butterfly. When it had reached the far bank it had stopped, allowing Vereta to dismount. The girl and Wolf had stood there for a long moment. When she saw Mara begin to cry and cling to her brother, she had turned and disappeared, still dripping, back into the woods.
The rest of the day had passed in a blur for Mara. Her grandmother had been convinced that the Buria, the Lady of the Wolves, had manifested physical form to save her daughter from the River Crone and had spent the entire day making sacrifices to the wolf lady and praying to various gods and goddesses to punish the River Crone for her wickedness in trying to steal an innocent. Mara had been constantly surrounded by concerned family and servants. Stenius, Mara's father, called a halt to all work on the bridge and had the women prepared a feast in celebration of the day's good fortune. The day had ended in the reveling that could only come from a narrowly averted disaster. The short notice feast soon devolved into an excuse to drink large quantities of largely undiluted wine. Most of the revelers seemed to forget the entire reason for the celebration, but Mara forced Julian to tell her over and over again how she had been rescued by the wild, tangle haired, wolf girl.
For the next few days, Mara bullied Julian into searching the forest for her rescuer. Julian teased her incessantly about her infatuation, but Mara didn't let him bother her. Julian was almost eighteen already, but he was Mara's favorite sibling. She could always get him to play with her and when he teased her it didn't feel as mean as when Lacius, her youngest brother, teased her. She also knew Julian was just as curious about the mysterious wolf girl as she was. The result was that he ended up devoting the better part of his free time to helping Mara tromp about in the woods calling for her strange heroine.
After the first day was unsuccessful, Julian suggested they try bribery instead. The next day they each saved part of their lunch meal and took them into the woods. They set up a miniature altar and placed their morsels upon it. When the offering was set up to Mara's satisfaction, she and Julian backed off a ways. They had waited for a while in silence, but nothing happened. Mara had begun to get bored and started a tickle war with Julian. This had been going on for a while and Julian was playing one of Mara's favorite games, where he let her put him in any position and she tried to hold him there while he broke free. He had just begun to pretend to struggle when her giggling had stopped and she'd gasped.
