In the wilderness, under the moon, a figure, a blur, raced.
If one were to glimpse it, they might say it was an animal or maybe a human.
It was both and neither.
It was Fenris, running on all fours like a wild beast.
His knees and feet shifted, broke, and reformed in ways no human body could.
This speed. This energy. This power.
The wind tore past his face.
Being hunted was a burden he couldn't escape, but this made it all worth it.
"Time for some altitude," Fenris said.
He leaped toward a tree. His claws, both hands and feet, sank into one of the thick branches. He pounced again and again, rustling leaves and shaking the entire tree down to its roots whenever he landed wildly on a new one.
He didn't make every jump, but that was fine. It would have been too easy if he had.
Every time he fell, he found another tree and leaped once again, jumping toward the farthest branch he could find.
This feeling of invincibility he had whenever the moon was out, what was the point of it if he didn't test it and push how far he could go?
He jumped to branches several tens, even dozens, of meters apart.
He never wanted this to end.
Sadly, his fun was coming to an end.
He felt his energy being drained. With a heavy heart, he looked up. The moon's radiant figure was slowly fading.
Dawn had come.
"Damn," Fenris cursed, landing on the sandy ground.
Checking the map, he was glad to see he was close to Luna's hometown. A distance that would have taken someone on horseback days had taken Fenris just hours to complete.
"Only an hour's walk to get there. But first…" Fenris said, holding his growling stomach.
"Running always gets me hungry."
He listened, shutting his eyes for maximum effect.
There was constant tapping and hopping in a rapid pattern.
"A jackrabbit. No, too small."
He listened again for something a little bigger.
He heard a powerful, gentle purr mixed with a snore.
"A bear."
Fenris considered hunting it.
"No. From the sound, it's most likely a grizzly. I'm hungry, but not that hungry."
He listened some more.
Gentle walking. Slight dripping of water.
"A deer!"
Fenris stopped using his enhanced hearing and walked toward where he had heard it. Hearing was one thing, but it wouldn't help him catch his prey.
Scent was another factor. Smelling deer droppings in the morning was just something he had to do to get breakfast.
He halted after walking for half a mile.
He spotted the deer drinking from a pond. Fenris crouched as quietly as he could, hiding behind the tree.
The deer's hearing was exceptionally sharp—not as sharp as his, but still good enough to spot him if he made a single misstep.
He prepared himself, bringing out his claws and fangs.
He took a step forward. He mistakenly stepped on a branch.
The deer's ears twisted. He was spotted. The deer dashed away. Fenris leaped toward it.
He landed on the deer and tumbled with it. It fought for its freedom, but it was useless.
Claws were thrust into the deer's neck, restraining and killing it. It didn't take long for the deer to stop moving.
Proud of his successful hunt, Fenris chowed down with his razor-sharp fangs, ripping the flesh and feasting on the deer's meat, bones, and internal organs, leaving nothing but the antlers and the hooves.
Walking away, he wiped the blood from his jaws. His carnivorous nature as a werewolf allowed for such things. No need to waste time making a fire to cook.
Looking at the map, he arrived at the town. It didn't have a name. Most towns didn't, unless a noble family had claimed it as their own.
"Now, where to look?"
And so he started. He asked everyone he could about Luna, giving the same descriptions every time: purple hair with crescent patterns on her clothes.
To his disappointment, no one knew anything about her, which was frustrating and at the same time strange.
The town wasn't that large. At best, as Fenris could tell, barely over a hundred people lived here. And most of all, why wouldn't this town recognize having a blessed one?
They were sought after and rare, enough for their town to be recognized even.
"Did she lie to me?" Fenris thought, defeated.
After hours of investigating, and desperation that scared the townsfolk, Fenris found himself at an inn.
Just like the tavern he had been at a day ago, there were bards playing cheery music.
'What are they so damn happy about anyway?'
'Maybe it's the fact that they aren't being hunted.'
'Or the fact that they have family and friends that love them.'
'Yeah, probably those things.'
Someone threw Fenris a key at his table.
"Your room's ready for ya," an overweight barkeep said, smiling.
Fenris didn't respond. He reached for the key but was stopped by a smaller, gentler hand placed on top of his.
"I haven't seen you around here before," a blonde woman said. "I see you've rented a room. Perhaps you and I can…"
The woman stopped. She felt a chill in her bones. All her hair stood on end, and goosebumps appeared all over.
Her eyes locked with Fenris's, and it was terrifying. His gaze was dark and cold. The woman felt like she was in a cage with a wild animal.
"I… I'm sorry."
She stood and walked away, not looking back.
The barkeep laughed loudly.
"Looks like we got a lady scarer over here. Why didn't you give the poor girl a chance? You may not be the finest maiden, but she's alright."
Fenris didn't respond. He stood and walked away.
"Oh, before you go, I put a bath for you."
Fenris halted.
"I didn't request that."
"You didn't have to. Son, you reek of blood. It's scaring off my customers."
Fenris still didn't respond to the man's kindness and headed to his room.
"Flames, the least the kid can do is say thanks," the barkeep muttered.
A hot bath was different from one in a stream. But on this occasion, it was perfect for Fenris' body. So was a small bed and not a tree trunk.
The moon was out, but its energy did little to cheer Fenris up.
Now shirtless and on his bed, the moonlight illuminated the cramped room. His thoughts dwelled on Luna, both on her and how he had failed to find her, but that wasn't all he thought about.
He toyed with his necklace: a leather cord and a metal wolf's head.
He had had it for as long as he could remember. With it came a memory, a woman whose face he had long forgotten. But he did feel a sort of warmth and safety he had felt with no one else.
Not even Luna. Maybe it wasn't a memory. Maybe it was just a figment of his imagination.
Either way, it helped him sleep.
Waking up the next day, Fenris decided to leave. There was no point in staying in this town.
The barkeep, seeing him leave, tried to persuade him to stay, but just like always, he paid no mind.
Exiting the town, Fenris stopped. He sniffed the air. He wasn't sure, but he felt he smelled a similar scent following him.
But from where?
"The inn? There weren't many people there. Maybe they're just on the same path."
Fenris kept walking. The person behind him followed. Now he had no doubt that he was being followed.
From the steps, he deduced that the person was a woman. At first, he thought she might be a hunter, but he neither smelled steel nor heard it rattle.
Besides, hunters rarely if ever traveled alone.
So who was this woman? He had to find out.
He went into an alleyway. The woman followed. He ambushed her.
Both arms were tightened around her shoulders, and she was slammed into the wall. Fenris wanted to rip her apart.
But he froze.
Her face stunned him. It was familiar and at the same time foreign.
"Luna?"