Child of Nature

The early rays of morning sunlight were peeking through the entrance to the den when the girl opened her eyes. Most of the pack was still sleeping around her. She remained still for a moment, luxuriating in the warm, furry cushion of her pack brother's body that her head rested against, but gradually she began to move. And as she stirred, so did Tailchaser, who had been her pillow for the night. His dark eyes looked up at her lovingly, and she smiled and tenderly scratched his head.

Nightsong, who was the closest thing the girl had ever had to a mother, came trotting into the den with a pair of fresh killed rabbits in her mouth. She dropped them in front of the girl, and took a small step back. It had never been uncommon for Nightsong to do this; to go hunt some small game early in the morning to bring back to her. As usual, Blackmane, the alpha male, stepped up to sniff at the kill, and at Nightsong. Blackmane didn't much like members of the pack running off hunting on their own, but Nightsong had been doing this for her every few days for as long as the girl could remember. She remembered seeing Blackmane growling at Nightsong for it a few times when she was little, but in the end it was decided that Nightsong was simply looking out for her cub.

Of course, Blackmane still didn't approve, especially now that the girl was old enough to hunt for herself. And it certainly didn't help matters that Blackmane wasn't particularly fond of the girl in the first place. He was one of the ones in the pack who took a while to warm up to her, as they recognized the inescapable truth that the girl understood very well herself: she wasn't one of them. Not really. She wasn't a wolf. She honestly didn't know what she was, but it didn't really matter; the pack was the only family she had ever known. They had cared for and protected her when she was little, and she had learned to hunt and howl with them.

Blackmane turned his nose away and walked on. He was the leader of the pack, but Nightsong was indomitable in her love for the girl. The girl picked up the rabbits, and offered one to Tailchaser. His tail wagged happily, and he snatched up the animal in his hungry jaws. The girl smiled, and brought the other rabbit to her mouth and bit into the fresh meat.

When she'd had enough, she offered what was left to whoever was interested; Frostback came and took it. She stretched, and pulled the pelt that had once belonged to Greedygut off of her naked body. She still missed Greedygut; he was one of the first friends she remembered having. Sleeping under the warmth of his furs helped keep his memory fresh. Although she did sometimes find it awkward that she was forced to rely on someone else's pelt to stay warm at night since she didn't have one of her own. It only served as a reminder that she was different from the rest of the pack.

The girl crawled out of the den and greeted the warmth of the morning sun that filtered down through the trees. Her posture was low to the ground, bent at the knees, supporting her weight on her fingers most of the time. She looked to where Moonbeam's litter of pups were playing with each other; it was beautiful sight. One of the pups came up to her and whined. She smiled, and lifted the pup in her arms. He began planting friendly licks on her face. It was always wonderful to bond with wolves when they were this young; Tailchaser had only been a pup when she bonded with him.

Still, as much as she loved the warmth of the family that had raised her, in recent turns of the seasons she had begun to feel a certain longing for... something. Something the pack couldn't provide. She didn't know what it was. Maybe it had something to do with the nagging feeling she'd always had at the back of her mind that she didn't really belong with them. Perhaps if there were other creatures out there like her, maybe she longed for their company. She'd often wondered where she'd come from; she knew she couldn't have been born of the pack. She did all she could to fit in, and they accepted her, but it could only do so much.

As she set the pup back down and let him rejoin his brothers and sisters, she felt the longing she'd come to know well rising up inside her. She needed a little time alone, and she knew where to go for that. She began moving off in the direction of the stream; she might feel better after she bathed a little.

She put a foot in first when she got there, letting it adjust to the chill of the water as she slowly stepped into the shallow flowing stream. When she knelt down the water came up to her midsection, and she began splashing it over her body, washing off the grime of nature. It was relaxing; physically, anyway. She simply didn't know how to fill the hole in her heart she'd come to live with.

As often happened when these thoughts came to her, she found her hand moving down her body to the special place below. It had been a few turns of the seasons ago when she discovered the strange and pleasant sensations that came from touching the opening between her legs, and she found herself often compelled to luxuriate in them when she felt the way she did now. Her fingers slid over her cleft, and her body shivered.

She let her eyes close as she slowly rubbed the small nub that protruded down there. Her breath quavered with the tingle that ran through her body. She allowed her thoughts to drift into oblivion, knowing only the bliss of what she was doing now. Her fingers steadily began moving faster, and her hips began to move, churning up ripples in the water. A low moan escaped from her lips. She felt heat rushing into her face as her pace increased. Ultimately she knelt forward in the water on her knees and one hand, gasping out her excitement as she did so, her fingers now moving at a frenetic pace. Her face hovered just above the surface of the water as her mouth hung open and she steadily drove herself into a frenzy... and at last her head snapped up and she screamed out her release.

She finally relaxed, taking a moment to catch her breath. And now that the moment was over, her thoughts returned to her. It didn't matter how many times she did what she had just done; she still didn't understand it. The wolves certainly didn't do anything like that. Why was she so different?

Suddenly her head turned in the direction of Nightsong's howl. Nightsong was alerting the pack that she smelled something coming, and something that could prove to be a potential threat. The girl hurried out of the stream, running on two feet for more speed in the direction that Nightsong's call was coming from.

Before long, Tailchaser came running up to her, carrying her spear in his jaws. She took it, giving Tailchaser a quick scratch on the head in thanks, and the two of them continued on to meet up with the pack. She'd crafted this spear herself a long time ago to make up for her lack of natural killing jaws so that she could participate in the hunts. For whatever Nightsong was detecting now, she might potentially need it.

They rendezvoused with the pack near a thicket of bushes, and most of the wolves were on edge. The girl often wished for a wolf's nose, that she might know what they smelled that had them so worried. Blackmane ultimately decided it was in their best interest to avoid whatever was coming, and turned in the direction of the den and grunted for the pack to follow. But the girl wanted to know. She couldn't smell like a wolf, but she could still see. And she wanted to see.

She turned to a tree, stuck the point of her spear into the ground and began climbing. This was one of the few advantages she had over the wolves; they couldn't climb like she could. She had dexterity that they didn't. She stopped her ascent as she heard the stern grunt from Blackmane. The girl turned her head and whined in protest. She just wanted to see what was coming. Blackmane grunted again, but as always, Nightsong stepped up in the girl's defense. The girl nodded for the pack to continue back to the den; she'd rejoin them shortly. Blackmane turned away and the pack moved on.

The girl climbed higher. She peered out into the distance, toward the clearing down the hills below—and her eyes bulged in wonder. She'd never seen creatures like these before. Except for one: herself. These creatures, whatever they were, resembled nothing so much as herself. She couldn't see them very clearly from where she was, yet she found it hard to look away. There were two of them. They seemed like they were communicating through some exchange of intricate vocal sounds, and their bodies were covered in strange patterns of animal skins. One carried a long spear similar to her own; the other had a long curved branch of wood with a length of twine joining the ends, and on his back was a set of long feathered sticks.

The girl remained frozen, wondering what to do. If these creatures really were like her, should she go to them? She just didn't know what would happen if she did. She'd been longing to know where she really belonged, but she didn't want to lose her family. The pack was everything to her... wasn't it?

Suddenly she heard a rustling in the bushes below her, and she looked down. A third one she hadn't noticed before was on his way up the hill. The girl began to panic. She wasn't ready for these creatures to see her. She hurriedly scrambled down the branches, and leapt down to the ground—and there he was in front of her. He just stood there, staring at her. The girl instantly grabbed her spear and fearfully held the stranger at bay. He made no moves. He only stared.

And the girl stared back. Whatever he was, he was like her. Whatever she was. And something else was instantly clear: he was a male. And she was a female. She didn't know how she knew that, but she did. She looked up and down his body, which was decorated here and there with what looked like deer hide or something like that. He had dark hair that reached only to just below his neck; much shorter than hers. But the primary thing she found herself fixated on was his eyes. Those deep, dark eyes that gazed back at her curiously. And the longer she gazed into those eyes, the less afraid she became, and the more compelled she felt to come closer to him.

The man began making more of those intricate vocal sounds. Was he trying to communicate with her? She knew how to communicate with wolves. She had no idea how to communicate with one of her own species. She only stared back at him, still holding that spear, which she was slowly beginning to relax. The man's friends began calling for him, and he called back to them. She didn't know what sort of interchange was going on between them, but she knew what her priorities were. She couldn't really be sure he wasn't a threat, and she'd never forgive herself if anything happened to the pack.

And as if responding to her thoughts, the girl began hearing Nightsong howling for her to come. She needed to return to the pack, or Nightsong was going to start worrying. The girl slowly began backing away, keeping her gaze on the man steady as she kept her spear pointed at him, warning him not to follow. Then finally she turned and ran to return to the den.

Most of the pack was still on edge when she returned; Blackmane, Frostback, Tailchaser and a few others were tensely standing watch outside the den, while the pups and their mothers had retreated inside. The girl made up her mind to include herself inside the safety of the den. She crawled into the opening, and one of the pups happily bounded up to her as she did. She smiled at the enthusiastic greeting, lifting the cub into her arms and holding him lovingly. The pleasure of knowing a cub's simple, unconditional love was just what she needed to relax herself, her thoughts as turbulent as they were.

The rest of the day remained mercifully uneventful. The pack went on as they always did, and by evening they were prepared to take the chance of going out for a hunt. The girl declined to join them; she still felt too absorbed in the thoughts that had been plaguing her all day. She couldn't rid her mind of the image of the strange man. Everything about him had been so alien to everything she knew: the strange coverings on his body, the elaborate sounds he voiced to his brethren, the way he stood so perfectly upright on two feet...

She clutched Greedygut's pelt about her, remembering the eyes he had that looked at her... the face of that man, the face that she began to realize had been appealing to the eye. And as she continued to picture that man's face, and the body it was attached to, she also began to notice the acute wetness that was developing between her legs. She didn't know why or how, but one way or another, she knew she wanted to see him again.

At the sound of a whine of curiosity, she looked up, seeing that Tailchaser had remained behind to stay with her. She smiled, giving him a scratch on the chin. Apparently he could see that all wasn't right with her, and like the true friend he was, he was here for her.

And that was where she needed him to be. She was going to go find that man. The girl snatched up her spear and moved to the opening, gesturing with her head for Tailchaser to follow. Again, he whined curiously, but followed after her nonetheless.

After a while of searching the forest, the girl began noticing a smell she recognized, having smelled it once before in her life. She remembered once seeing a tree that was struck by lightning and burst into flames; that was what this smelled like. There was a fire somewhere near. And as she looked into the sky, she discovered the smoke that she could follow to determine where it was.

It wasn't long before she reached a place that looked down over a clearing where a small fire burned on a small pile of sticks, with the three strange creatures sitting around it, making their verbal exchanges and laughing while they ate. The burning light of the fire danced about in the shadow of night, and through it she could see his face. She just stared at him, suddenly feeling oddly warm...

She turned her head at Tailchaser's nervous little whine. He was watching them warily, not wanting to get any closer. The girl knelt down to him, and gave him a few subtle and head gestures and grunts, conveying what she wanted him to do now. And he looked at her very curiously. She wanted him to return to the den; she'd follow after him shortly. Right now she just wanted to stay here and keep watching. If she needed him, she would only be a howl away. Tailchaser didn't like the idea, and she had to repeat the notion a few times before he finally, albeit reluctantly, turned and hurried off.

The girl now turned her attention back to the men around the fire—and saw that her mysterious hunter had spotted her. Her eyes went wild, especially when he arose from where he was sitting, voicing something to his companions, and moving in her direction. The girl frantically tried to collect her wits, not knowing what to do. She clutched her spear tightly and awkwardly began running, quickly stumbling to the ground after only a few steps. When she managed to get to her feet again, he was already standing over her.

The girl clumsily raised her spear, her breathing nervous and shaky. He continued approaching, effortlessly pushing the point of her spear aside. The girl's heart hammered the inside of her chest as he came ever closer, slowly lowering his head down to bring his face on level with hers. He was close enough now for her to feel his breath on her skin. The spear dropped from her hands as she stared into his eyes, utterly mesmerized by them. And then his hand touched her face, and her heart skipped a beat.

It took her a moment to grasp what happened next. Her eyes closed almost involuntarily, and she was feeling an utterly alien sensation in her mouth. It was a moment or two before she realized that what she was feeling was his mouth joined to hers, with his tongue probing inside for her own. She didn't understand why this was happening, but as it continued, she gradually grew to understand that she liked it. His hands took hold of her shoulders and began gently forcing her down, and she slowly began sinking to her knees.

When their lips parted, she found herself staring again into his enchanting eyes, and reached her hands up to his face, that beautiful face that was exciting her so. It had a certain roughness to it that hers didn't have. And slowly her hands journeyed downward, exploring more of his body. She reached his chest, feeling how it was built hard and strong, and as her fingers began sliding under the flaps of his deerskin vest he proceeded to remove it. His body was such a fantastic mystery—

She looked further down, noting how something was bulging inside of the covering he wore from the waist down. She slowly, carefully began reaching for that, but stopped when his hands reached out for her. Her breathing almost stopped when his hands slowly moved over her breasts and began gently caressing them. He leaned forward, wrapping his lips around one of her stiff nipples, sucking it into his mouth. Her body shivered at the sensation, and her mouth hung open to let out her gasping breath. Her whole body tingled with awareness, feeling more alive than she had ever been.

She luxuriated in this until his head rose again and gazed into her eyes—and she leaned forward and closed her eyes, welcoming once again the meeting of her mouth with his. Never in her life had she known such pleasure as this. She passionately melted into him—until she gasped sharply at the sudden feeling between her legs. She pulled away from his lips and looked down, seeing his fingers stroking the place she had come to wonder about. She found her mouth unable to close as her breath quivered, overwhelmed by the feeling of having that place touched by another. He leaned forward and applied his lips to her neck, slowly again pushing her such that she began lying down on her back. She was totally at his mercy, and she loved it.

He moved back briefly, and she looked down at him. He pulled at the binding that held his lower coverings about them, and began sliding them down—and her eyes bulged at the huge thing that came into view. He knelt down over her, and she stared up alternately at him and the thing he had down there, suddenly just as afraid as she was enticed. He took hold of it and lowered himself over her... it was touching her now. It was touching the outside of her opening. And it was pushing. It was trying to force its way into her. Her heart thudded in her ears. She felt the lips starting to part as the thing continued slowly but surely moving into her...

It hurt. What he was doing was hurting. Her eyes squeezed shut and she began to squeal, until his mouth stopped hers. It was a welcome feeling; and the pain, however intense, as he continued holding his length inside her was gradually beginning to fade. She grew more curious as it began sliding back out, and then suddenly slid back in again. And again. And again. And as he continued this pattern, she grew to realize she was starting to like it. Having that thing inside of her, moving the way it was... she began to move with it, writhing about beneath him. Her mouth released an audible moan. She wanted more. Her legs rose up and wrapped themselves around his waist, wanting to drive all of him inside her. Another moan let loose. And another.

The sounds she made began steadily rising in intensity, as did the sensation she was feeling. She wanted only for this to go on forever; and with every passing moment, it was only getting better. It didn't take much longer for her to reach the point of explosion, her body arching up beneath him, her head leaning back and releasing an incredible scream. And then something happened: the thing inside her stopped moving, while something else, something fluid, was released into her.