What Once Was Mine

[Gerwald Lechner]

Ger was pretty sure neither of them had planned to spend the entire night in the woods, but the morning sun had been the only thing to make Gerwald stir as it hit his eyes. Katrine was still with him, both had spent the cool night together as wolves, and when Gerwald stretched out, his fur was clearly visible. It was the longest he had remained in his wolf form without returning to human shape.

He licked his legs as he stretched them out, then started to lick the top of the head belonging to the white wolf. Everything came natural, very natural, as if this was meant to be. It was easy to be this way with Katrine, and Gerwald suspected it was the most honest he could be. As the wolf he knew what he wanted. The wolf always knew what it wanted.

His eyes moved over to the open carcass from the night before. He was surprised nothing had come along to take it during the night. Perhaps the foreign scent of the wolves made other predators cautious. What could be taken for a smile formed at the wolf’s mouth. They had conquered the wood. Biting into the flesh, Gerwald took a couple of bites before he turned away from it, not as interested as he had been the night before.

They needed water, but Gerwald wasn’t going to move until she was awake. His snout nudged her, holing she would get the idea they needed to move, or head back to the ship. Both of them would need to wash before the day could begin.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

It had been an almost peaceful night. Katrine had found no cause to wake during the night. Her sleep wasn't dreamless though, memories mixing with visions that had made her dream restless slightly. She wouldn't remember them but they had made her stir in her sleep more than once.

When her eyes had fluttered open, it had been because of the nudge. Her head rose above the grass, looking up the male wolf before laying back down, her body stretching before her jaw spread as she yawned. It felt the most comfortable sleep in a long time, one that didn't require any of her family at her side to keep her safe. She was an Elder, a Nightmother and a beta and yet when she slept, she felt like a little girl, missing her family. None of that seemed to exist in her thoughts right now, not as the sapphire gaze glanced over to Gerwald before she'd stand, upper body lowering as she stretched again.

The animal worked on instinct, bending her head to lick the fur on her back that had been on the grass throughout the night though she'd only gotten a few licks in before realizing she needed something more. She glanced back over at the other wolf, head slightly nodding before she'd walked further into the woods, knowing full well she was going. It hadn't been too long ago that Katrine had found warm spring water not far from where they were, moving towards it at a slow pace. She wasn't awake fully yet to move any faster and kaf was definitely on her mind already.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

He still stretched waiting for her. His yawn was a general indication that he wasn’t fully awake despite the nibble of food he taken. Gerwald noticed the waking wolf, and just watched, his tail wagging as she headed into the woods. He followed eagerly, though his mind was telling his tail that there was too much excitement without caf. The groggy mind needed the stimcaf if he was going to fully wake up.

This time Gerwald didn’t know where they were going. He had explored the forest, but this was a part of it he had never been before. The smell was different, unique. Water, he smelled it, but this was different than the spring the rycrit used as a watering hole. Ger was curious about where they were going. He loved the woods and could get lost in them for days if he had the time. Unfortunately he already had to report back to the Knights as it was everyday.

The soft ground between his paws told him it was fertile soil, unlike the rest of the planets desert surface. It was ideal for the Lupine, and the Mandragora. Gerwald was suddenly curious as to whether or not he would have to be claimed to be trained by Katrine. Either way he would do what was needed. He’d promised to be around her more often. If this was going to happen when they were together, he was going to ensure he saw her a lot more often.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Katrine knew the water was nearby, her paws moving faster towards it as she drew nearer. She could hear him coming after her, the Lupine's ears far more sensitive than in her form but it was the first sight of it than she darted forward, jumping to the small pool of water, letting it slash around her. It wasn't too deep and the water arriving into it was warm but it was exactly what she needed right now, sinking her head it, getting herself completely went before moving over the natural shower, letting it pour over her fur, head rolling back slightly as she began changing on instinct at the warm water.

And she was just enjoying the water falling onto her white fur that she didn't even realize when that very fur received, making way for human skin and hair, the water continuing to fall over her long blonde hair suddenly emerging as she continued changing. Katrine only realized what was happening as she felt her bones altering and her body coming up higher above the spring water, feeling the water bouncing off over her nose now.

In a moment, she would be completely human and after the moment of realization passed, Katrine completely focused on the warm water she was enjoying.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

There was water, he knew he had smelled it. A small pool, and yet large enough for a bath. How Gerwald desperately wanted to feel the water. His eyes never moved from Katrie as she made her way into the water. She began to change, and by the time his paws had touched the warm spring she was fully human. Gerwald began to change with each step. It felt like an invitation whether it was or wasn't. His coat needed to be clean, but he knew the blood would still be on his beard after changing. He needed to wash before they came back to the ship.

Even though Gerwald was a Lupine, he knew the sight of blood in his beard would draw looks he did not want to explain.

The water was warm, and where he had changed at first because Katrine had, he was now changing because of how it would feel against his skin. He continued to move toward the fall, it wasn't just about feeling the water against his back, but about being with Katrine. They had been wolves for the better part of the last day, and Gerwald knew he this was a life he could only have dreamed of having before. It was a life he could only have with her. No one else could offer him this life. It was in this way they were truly equal, because they were both truly Lupine.

His feelings were complicated, and where they were complicated the wolf would choose. Gerwald knew the wolf would decide.

He pushed his head under the falls and lifted his face to wash the blood out of his beard. His hand ran his hair back, pushing it down his shoulders where he could keep his eyes on Katrine. The portion of her body that was visible to him was looked over extensively. Where he may have been a little shy the day before, conscious of giving her the privacy her arms had tried to keep, today he was not. Today he drank her in. Her body and form were perfection, even with the height difference. All it would take were three simple words... instead he only spoke two...

"Good Morning..."

Gerwald moved closer... he was far beyond any boundary to her personal space.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

Head titled, her palm rubbing into the side of her neck as the water washed over her skin before she repeated the process the other side before lifting her other arm too and letting her fingers go through her already wet hair. Katrine had enjoyed the water for the moment, before she'd noticed the changes against the surface, letting her now Gerwald had joined her, eyes moving slightly to take notice of him changing.

Sapphire gaze watched as he drew nearer, joining her under the fall, pulling back his hair. All the while, she could feel his eyes on her but Katrine got distracted by a spot on his beard, hands coming free as one of them moved up to his face, fingers gently passing over the stain to remove it.

After that, he'd greed her and moved closer. Katrine suddenly became aware of the space he'd cut into. Not her but him. Her eyes traveled to his torso before looking up, noticing just how close he had gotten, palm moving to his chest and stopping him for a split second as she took in. Then after a moment, realized it was easier than she'd expected. Her mind only needed a moment to fully adjust before her palm moved. "Morning," she finally said, looking back up into his face. A tiny smile spread across her face.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Gerwald must have missed a spot of the blood on his beard. It was always a frustrating thing, and if it were not that he decided his beard was one thing of Stewjon which would remain, he’d shave it off. Gerwald suspected it would come with great protest, beside he liked the feeling of a woman’s fingers in his beard. Katrine’s touch did not bother him in the slightest. It should have, but the pull he felt toward her was much stronger than any sense of what he should or should not be apprehensive about.

Her hand stopped him, briefly, but it was not a pause that went unnoticed. His smile dimmed, though returned when she greeted him with one of her own. She had said they needed to figure this out together, and Gerwald was still wrestling with the idea of claiming. It was a foreign idea to him. What came close to it was as much a foreign idea to Katrine. Their worlds were so far apart, and yet here they stood close...

A rough, war calloused hand, moved to Katrine’s shoulder. It was natural. He took in their height difference once more before let his hand slide down her arm just above the elbow. Her skin was softer, smoother, than he expected by the look of the markings which covered her body. For his own part his skin was clean of such things, but his scars told the story of a different kind.

His body screamed that he had been made, and lived, for war. Some were not noticeable, but others... they could not be hidden from anyone’s eyes. Her body was that of a witch and nightmother. A witch and a warrior, two wolves. Perhaps it was the pull, maybe it was desire, likely it was both, but Gerwald bent his head and kissed the white wolf.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

His hand came to her shoulder but she just kept looking up at him, feeling the skin of his palm slide down to her elbow. Her mind was at a war, reminding her she normally had an issue with her personal space invaded and another asking for him of his hands on her. The longer he held her arm, the first voice grew quieter and the second louder. Eventually, it blocked out the first one completed as her breath hitched slightly. Katrine didn't even realize she was staring at him.

Those blue eyes weren't as blue as hers and yet, they were blue enough. Too much even. Katrine managed to blink, trying to regain her train of thoughts but she was no longer aware of the water around them or the one falling down. She vanished into a place that was neither real nor spirit, where the spirits couldn't find her, where there was nothing but her own voice and the presence of the other wolf. Katrine had never felt such a calm before, it was captivating.

And in that world between worlds, he drew nearer and kissed her. Her heart stopped beating for a split second, taken by the kiss; startled by it in her calm place. Her heartbeats picked up quickly and sped up, all of it in a split second before her lips responded to his. One kiss she had been given, another she had given though none of them had quite been anything near wanted as this one had been. Beneath the water, her feet shifted to her toes, giving herself a little bit of a height boost as her body leaned into his.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

Their difference in height was less than ideal, but in the moment it didn't seem to matter. As their lips touched Gerwald knew he would move the sky above and the earth below to find his way to her. It was a strong feeling, deep, and settled in at the core of his very being. There was something very different about this kiss, and it only made him want the woman more. That was why he could not break the kiss, save only for air, and when he had taken in another breath, he moved her again, this time lifting her off her feet to make it much easier.

In this state, and this form, Gerwald was much more physically stronger than the woman. Neither of them would deny that. What Katrine lacked in physical strength was made up for in power, and the commanding presence which exuded from her when it was required. Even in the way her hand on his chest had been enough to make the beast pause, Gerwald knew she held a certain power over him that he would never break. This was his advantage, and it was not about proving his strength, but exerting himself in a way that only her equal should be allowed.

There was also a hunger, raw and emotionally charged. What Gerwald desired in that moment was not complicated. Katrine would either allow it, or she would not. His lips tore from hers only to find her jaw. If she wanted the beast, then he would be the beast. While he understood that he was both the man and the wolf, Katrine had seen something even through the drunken stupor of their first meeting. Gerwald was a beast both without and within. He had embraced it, now it was time to live like it more than he had already begun to.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

It was a disappointing second in which the kiss broke even though her own lungs inhaled the needed air she didn't consciously think about needing. The lift to meet his height was welcomed, feet wrapping around his waist and arms lifting to find his shoulders. It felt kinda amazing holding on to him the way she did, the warm spring all around them.

They were kissing again, she was responding to every action in a way that was less practiced and more the way it came naturally to her at this moment and it felt perfect completely. Matching, right. In a heartbeat, Katrine knew she wouldn't have traded this moment for any other. He was going to be hers as she was going to be his but despite their short lives, there was no rush. Katrine had once told Karna she found the word dating to be excess as Witches claimed right away but she found it suddenly wonderful just to be enjoying her time without, rather than immediately going for what was essentially one of the most important moments in a Witch's life. No, she could have this; they could have this right now. They could get to know each other, they could enjoy their time together without marking their flesh. She'd said what she'd said about the Witches but Katrine loved the fact that her parents had claimed each other and she very much wanted that in her life.

Right now, there was only the present and those thoughts were somewhere in the back of her mind, vivid and important but clouded by the desire of the now. Gerwald stopped kissing her again but this time, he moved them to her jaw. Her first instinct had been to make his mouth come back to hers but only a few short seconds, her head rolled slightly back, giving him better access, realizing she liked that too. Katrine still hadn't found anything in his actions that she didn't like but right now, she was really liking what he was doing to her, her limbs holding on to him, refusing to part.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

There was something feral about everything that was happening between them. The person that his mother had raised him to be was long gone. Nothing about what Gerwald did was timid or cautious. In this instant it should have been. What he was doing was only going to lead to hurt and pain, but he WANTED this, her. Gerwald couldn't see her as the nightmother, or the witch. She was the white wolf, the Lupine. No one would be able to see in her what Gerwald saw in her. Even those who would see the Lupine, the beast that she was, they would not understand it, not like he could. Every ounce of restrain that he had held himself to the night they met had vanished.

Each kiss had purpose. Gerwald was intent on tasting every centimeter of her body. His mind was only focused on the moment that passed between them, and everything else in his world was lost. This was a different reality. There was no Stewjon, there was no Confederacy or Mandragora. The Knights Obsidian did not exist. It was her, and it was him, and they were the only two beings in the universe that mattered in that moment. His hands shifted and moved, wandering all over the bare skin which had become the altar at which he had chosen to worship.

Everything his mother had told him was a lie, a lie meant to protect him, but one that had denied him of who he really was. This... this was who he was. Gerwald was the man that had walked into Katrine's suite looking for his shirt. He was the wolf that had played in the woods, the mind which inquired of the new world she had opened to him. Gerwald was the hunter, the wolf which killed without thought or remorse, and he was the beast which ravished now.

His lips only left her skin to speak briefly.

"I want to have you..."

The words were not asking for permission, but telling. Katrine's desires were not one sided, but rather they were mutual. He moved to take what he wanted. Only she had the power to stop him.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]

 

[Katrine Van-Derveld]

It was a bubble, a pocket in time and space. One wasn't even supposed to exist in the now; the other here. They were here, both of them. In their own space, away from everything. Even the voices in her head were gone, quiet, leaving them in peace at the moment.

Everything he was doing, her Katrine provided more room, enjoying every action, every second of it. She loved this, and not just in what stories told but what was now real and powerful.

The Witch had always been curious, the wolf had wanted but neither had experienced until now. Katrine had already surrendered to what he wanted of her, without even realizing she had done it, letting out quiet sounds as she enjoyed it.

As he stopped, her head leaned forward. Sapphire gaze refocused on him, her irises a little hazy now as she watched and waited to find out why he'd stopped. I want to have you..., the words had reached her, her expression darkening slightly as she found herself understanding just what she was being told. There was no question, no request his voice. The wolf wanted. Both of them. Katrine didn't speak though, leaning in further to kiss him again with an intent. Words to explain weren't necessary, Gerwald needn't have asked any kind of permission.

[member="Gerwald Lechner"]

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

There was no permission given, because Gerwald didn't ask. There was neither an attempt to stop what was happening. Both of them wanted this. From the moment they had met on Stewjon this is where things had been heading. Two Lupines who had once thought their families were the only ones left had found each other. It was their one chance to find their exact equal. The pull he had felt toward her was much deeper than fascination. He couldn't even call it desire, possession was wrong as well. Even though he said he had to have her... he wanted her to have him as well. Everything was mutual, intent, desire, and passion.

He had to say what he wanted, whether the words had been needed or not. Katrine had told him, and there was something in him that needed to tell her. Perhaps he was finally understanding what she meant about how her parents had claimed each other. Gerwald would have never had much of a choice on Stewjon, but here, he did. She didn't just want him, but she wanted him to want her also. It must have been what she meant when she talked about her father and mother.

Gerwald said no more. Katrine's kiss was enough to silence him. His body, his actions, the movements he made, they would speak for him. Everything he wanted in that moment would be clear by the way he moved with her. His shirt had been his excuse to see her, the bait she had used to make him agree to see her more often, but that was no longer needed. Gerwald no longer needed an excuse to see Katrine. He just simply would, and when he wished, and he had no doubt she would find him when she wanted to. There was no more pretense, just the raw desire of who they were.

The Lupines had found each other.

[member="Katrine Van-Derveld"]