An Appetite for Love Page 14

  She picked out a white cotton dress with satin embroidery and a white veil. This was not how she planned to spend her wedding day, but she was going to go along with the charade. It took her a few minutes to try on the outfit, and then she walked over to a full-length mirror and inspected her image. She looked radiant. Her long, brown hair cascaded down her back and her full breasts, supported by her bra, stood markedly out. It was no wonder that the Alpha wolf had fallen for her given her marvelous cleavage.

  She sat herself down on one of the armchairs in the room and made small talk with her female escorts. “How long have you been in the service of the Alpha wolf?”

  “Many centuries, human,” responded the female wolf to the left.

  “And has he ever had sex with a human before?” inquired Erica.

  “No, you’ll be the first.”

  The way the wolf made the statement seemed to imply that she should feel honoured. But she had nothing but scorn for the Alpha wolf. Then she thought of another question: “What do you know about Igor?”

  “Igor has always been the black sheep of our tribe. He is high in rank but he does as he pleases. He has never been very good at following orders and has gotten into many arguments with our Alpha wolf. I wouldn’t be surprised if taking you and having sex with you was the last straw. I think he might be put to death for this.”

  “Where is he now?” asked Erica.

  The she-wolf paused for a moment as if to weigh whether or not she could trust her. “He is in the market square in chains. Once our people observe him and judge him to be a traitor, he will be marched over to the gallows for execution, in all probability.”

  Suddenly a loud siren sounded. It startled both Erica and her guards. “The bears!” exclaimed one of the she-wolves. “They are coming!”

  She took advantage of this momentary break in their gaze to quickly scan around the room for something that she could use for a weapon. There was a stainless steel letter opener on one of the bureaus. Perfect. She snatched it up and stuck it into one of the folds in her elaborate dress in concealment. In a pinch this tool could be used to puncture the windpipe of an aggressive wolf either in human or animal form.

  “Come with us, girl,” snarled one of the she-wolves. She obliged and followed them back out of the room and down the corridor once again. The siren became louder and as she approached the open air, she could see many dozens of wolves and wolves in human form running this way and that. She glanced up the hill and saw a formless group of brown fur running in their direction. She decided the time was now to act. She crept up behind the larger of the two she-wolves and grabbed her face from behind. She jerked her chin upwards and brought her letter opener around in a circular arc and planted it into the she-wolf’s throat. A geyser of blood spewed forth and her body became limp. The other she-wolf was not as easy to overcome. They turned to face each other and she saw fury in the other she-wolf’s eyes. The she-wolf lunged at her with her claws and took a swipe at her face. Erica leaned back, barely dodging the blow. Another strike at her abdomen this time, and she dodged this attack as well. Now it was her turn to strike out. She executed a front kick into the she-wolf’s mid-section. Her target instantly crumbled over. Erica then brought her fists together and smashed the she-wolf in an upwards arc, crushing the animal’s face. The she-wolf crumpled to the ground. There was no time to finish her off. Erica dashed forward and made her way towards the market square. She had to find Igor – and fast.

  Her eyes darted about the camp. She figured that she would have to head north, towards the center of the village, if she was going to be able to find the market square. Most market squares are in the middle of the town. She raced, dodging wolves and wolves in human form every which way. She glanced up on the hill and saw that the brown mass was now more than half-way to the valley. She ran faster than she thought possible, and in a few more minutes reached the market square. There was Igor, suspended in a cage with shackles and chains keeping him in place. She ran up to the bars and kissed him through the gaps.

  “Igor.”

  “My love. Are you okay? I am sorry, I did not foresee an ambush. I hope they did not hurt you.”

  “I am fine. I need to get you out of here. We need to escape.”

  “There is a key. Or was a key. You have to find it. Check the chests over there by the houses,” Igor motioned towards a group of wooden structures about twenty yards away. She darted in that direction and frantically opened chest after chest. All she could find were some pieces of armor and some woolen clothing. In the last chest that she checked, the sixth one, she found a key ring with about five or six iron keys attached to it. She raced back to Igor.

  “Is this it?” she asked, holding up the keychain for Igor to inspect.

  “We’ll have to see. Try them. The key hole is right here.” Igor motioned towards the key hole with his head. She saw that he had cuts and bruises on his face and chest. Her heart sank as she realized they had been mistreating him. She nervously attempted each key. On the third attempt, the rusty lock clicked, and she was able to open the iron door.

  “What about your chains?”

  “I should be able to handle these.” Igor summoned a herculean amount of strength and as he flexed against the restraints the chains began to shake and eventually break. He let out a howl and was suddenly free of his bondage. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Igor grabbed her hand and the two of them ran towards the village gates – only to meet a gigantic brown bear with razor-sharp claws darting towards them. Igor let out another ferocious howl and charged to the attack. His fangs bared, he swiped at the monstrous animal… And connected! The attack was stopped and the bear swerved aside in pain, growling and whimpering at once.

  “Let’s keep moving,” suggested Igor. Hand in hand, they pressed onward until they were out of the gates and on their way back up the hill. They managed to bypass most of the bear insurgence and after about fifteen minutes of their upward journey were finally at a point where they could stop and rest. Erica got off of Igor’s back and they stood and glanced around. Looking down upon the village, now, they saw a mixture of black and brown figures cluttered around the various buildings. Some of the figures were lying limp on the ground, it was possible to see, and some were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Every so often, between the mayhem, would be a splotch of red contrasted upon the white snow. Igor was breathing heavily.

  “I think we are safe for the time being. Let’s head back to my cabin and rest ourselves. We need food and sleep, and I need to treat my wounds. They are not severe, but I don’t want to risk infection.”

  Once back at the cabin, they entered the main room and sat down on the cot. Igor stripped naked and boiled some water, readying a towel to be used to clean his wounds. By this point Igor was in human form, and his body was something to behold. Not for the first time, she took in his very fit appearance. From his well-toned chest to his muscular legs and impressively hung manhood. A sudden thought occurred to her. “Lay back,” she whispered.

  Igor, who was clearly in pain from his wounds, reclined down onto the cot. She knelt down between his legs and positioned her head directly in front of his cock. “I am going to suck your dick,” she whispered. She did not hear a protest. After she was done they cuddled for a while and then used the boiling water to dress his wounds. “We need to do something about the bears,” he said.

  “Well the settlement is probably being overrun as we speak. I am not sure there is much we can do,” she replied.

  “You are right. But there is one thing I haven’t told you. We have to start thinking about how you are going to return home. And I have an idea.”

  “I don’t want to leave without you,” she interrupted.

  “Well I am getting to that. Since we are so far in the wilderness and lack the proper provisions (and I am not sure we can return to the settlement to stock up), we have very limited options. There is a teleportation pod lying deep in my town which I am pretty su
re is our only hope. The only problem is I am not sure exactly where it is being kept, and now is the worst time to be going around searching for it. We can wait for a bit here but eventually when we go back down there we will either find the town in ruins and under bear control, or a scattered wolf population that probably considers us to have kill-on-sight status.

  “How long can we hold up here for?” she asked.

  “Well I have provisions for about a day or two. And then we are going to have to head back down and find that pod.”

  “If we do find the pod, can you accompany me back home? I mean, can we both ‘fit’ on it?”

  “We can take turns teleporting back. The pod has enough energy for at least two trips, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Do you know how to work it? I mean, is it a complicated device?”

  “When I used to live in the town I was an engineer. I helped construct the pod and I remember how it works.”

  “Hold me,” she requested. She felt very scared and nervous and alone. She wanted nothing more than to feel his arms wrapped around her and to feel safe. They cuddled for a while and after a few minutes of silence he asked: “Are you hungry? I can make us some more mutton stew.”

  In all honesty, she was famished. Her exertions in the town had taken a lot out of her and she could really go for some of that stew. It was probably the best mutton stew she had ever had and she needed its warmth and to have the feeling of a full stomach.

  Igor moved about the cabin, preparing the meal. Erica propped herself up on her elbow, lying on her side and watching her man approvingly. It took him about a half-hour to make the meal and set the table. The table was a simple wooden thing in the center of the room and the utensils consisted of crude wooden spoons. She got up and sat herself down across from Igor and the two of them started their meal. They ate in silence for a few minutes, exchanging the odd glance. She saw love in his beautiful big eyes and he saw sexuality and desire in hers. She couldn’t wait until the next time that they made love. Little did she know that they would be intimate many, many more times in the future.

  “We need to start preparations for our return to the town,” explained Igor. “We will sleep here tonight, and then tomorrow morning make our way to the hill’s precipice and use my binoculars to inspect the state of the town. The battle is likely finishing up by now, but it will be clear on the morrow who has won.”

  “I trust you Igor. Whatever you feel is necessary, we will do,” agreed Erica.

  “We need to get you dressed in a more suitable outfit. That dress is not going to keep you warm on our journey and it doesn’t provide the best mobility either. I have some loose-fitting slacks and a warm cloak and shirt that you can dress yourself in.”

  Igor reached out and held Erica’s hand. He motioned for her to stand up and the two of them stood facing each other for a while. They held their gaze for some time until Igor broke it to size up her body. He marveled once again at the beauty of her figure. He then slowly undid her dress and removed it down to her waist. He unclasped her brazier and let it fall to the ground. Her ripe, tender, buoyant breasts fell heavily on their own accord. Her nipples stood erect and became yet firmer as Igor’s hands traced her areolas, sending feelings of delight through her body. He cupped her milky smooth breasts and massaged them, rubbing them around in circles. He brought his face closer and gave them each a moist kiss. Erica moaned in pleasure. Igor then slid a hand down the back of her dress and removed it further until her ass was exposed. He slid down her satin panties and cupped a cheek in each hand. He massaged the spheres of her ass parting them ever so gently and probing lightly within her crack with curious fingers. She moaned again as her ass cheeks were spread and as her pussy dampened fingers found their way again into her most sensual regions. He slid off her clothes completely and took a step back to fully and completely behold her nakedness. She smiled at him and then took a step towards him and kissed him on the mouth. “Let’s get you into this new outfit,” he said.

  After she changed she felt comfortable. The clothes were not at all restrictive and they fit warmly and loosely. They spent the rest of the night talking and went to bed at a reasonable hour. The cot was not large but they slept together comfortably enough. In the morning they ate a hearty breakfast of beans and toast and packed a knapsack with some basic supplies: binoculars, dried meat and fruit, bread, a first aid kit, and a multi-functional pocket knife. They made their way back to the top of the hill and then stood for a while gazing down at the town below. Igor took out his binoculars and surveyed the snowy landscape. “It looks like the bears have won,” he said. “We must proceed with the utmost caution. If my instinct is correct, the teleportation pod is at the back of the village. We should flank the outside of the town and enter through the back. There is a cave imbedded in the ground a few feet from the southern wall which we must enter. It opens into the alchemist’s quarters which houses the pod.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” said Erica with as much cheerfulness as she could manage.

  They descended the slope, making sure to take a large path around the town and keeping a safe distance from carnage. They came close to a bear or two and, steering away, luckily crept by unnoticed. It took about an hour to reach the southern cave and when they did they slowly approached the opening, making sure that they were not followed and that there weren’t any bear or wolf scouts in the area. They crept into the cave and were met by a stale, mossy odour. Strange insects crawled around the rocky floor and walls and thick vines decorated the ceiling, hanging down and blocking their path. They followed the rocky, earthen path and eventually came to a small wooden door that was wide enough for one person to enter at a time. “Let’s hope it’s unlocked,” said Igor. He turned the iron doorknob with a forceful grip and pushed. The small wooden door swung open smoothly and with a squeaky creek. Igor crawled through first and then helped Erica come through next. Once through, they found themselves kneeling in the far corner of a great hall with tall wooden walls and hardwood floors. Along the walls were several metal tables with experimental contraptions. Everything from glass beakers to test tubes and water distillation contraptions could be seen. But the item of interest to Igor and Erica was the circular metal platform at the far end of the room. They approached the contraption and as they neared it a shaky voice broke out: “H-e-l-p m-e….”. Low and behold, huddled in a shadowy cranny was the Alpha wolf himself! He was sorely beaten and his fur was dampened with fresh blood. He had several wounds across his chest and torso. It looked as though he had been stabbed or clawed. An imminent death seemed an inevitability.

  “I hope you rot in hell,” said Erica before Igor could interject.

  “Easy, Erica,” said Igor in a soothing tone. “Let’s not be so hard on him. But there is one thing I’d like to be made clear,” and Igor addressed the Alpha wolf. “For centuries your tyrannical rule has been the bane of our peoples’ existence. You governed with an iron fist and took no prisoners. And worst of all, your maniacal machinations almost brought an end to the woman I have come to love. We will not help you, and soon the bears will find you here where you sit. You have tried to hide from them but you will not last long. We are now going back to Erica’s home and once there you will be forgotten. Enjoy the rest of your (short) life.”

  Erica and Igor took turns stepping onto the pod and with a few presses of buttons and adjustments of knobs they soon both were on their way back to Erica’s home, thousands of miles away.

  The next morning as Igor and Erica lay in her large, quilted bed, a sublime grin worked its way across Erica’s lips. “I love you,” she said, still staring at the ceiling. “I love you too,” responded Igor who also grinned widely.

  They made love once again and as they each came to a simultaneous climax Erica screamed his name so loud she later wondered if the neighbours had heard.

  “What are we going to do with the rest of our lives?” wondered Erica aloud.

  “Whatever we want!” respond
ed Igor blissfully.

  Erica and Igor spent the rest of their lives in harmony. After a while they forgot about the struggles they faced in the snowy wilderness and the crash and the chaos. They set into a tranquil rhythm of work, play, and family. Their love-making was a nightly occurrence and never did they stray from the love that brought them together. Igor was, and would always be, her saviour. As they aged, and as their kids grew and found love in their own right, the bliss of their togetherness made their romance eternal.

  One day while on a ski vacation in a snowy part of the country, Igor and Erica sat by the fire in a wooden cabin and stared in silence at the dancing flames. All of a sudden Erica’s skin started to feel tingly. She stood up and as her back arched she dug her nails into the wall. Within a few brief moments she shifted into a magnificent blue-gray she-wolf.

  “You transformed!” exclaimed Igor delightfully.

  “So I did,” replied Erica with more than a hint of surprise in her voice.

  “I suppose all our love-making has transferred the ability to shapeshift over to you.”

  “It took long enough!” Erica jested amusedly.

  They cuddled that night while in wolf-form and knowing that their bodies were now completely in sync made their love seem even more real (if it was possible).

  *** THE END ***

  The Panther’s Lair

  A Shapeshifter Romance