The Hunted (closed)

[saedo]

Corwin sniffed the air again. His lip curled up in distaste. The Humans and their cities always smelled dirty. He longed for the scent of the forests he called home.

But a deeper need called him - the need to mate. As much as he disdained the puny Humans, the Worgen could not entirely survive without them. As strong as they were, they still needed Human females to breed.

The tribes did not care to openly speak of it. To acknowledge imperfection was to acknowledge weakness. But the truth was that for all their physical prowess, the Worgen reproduction rate was abysmally low. Without Human females, the Worgen were but a handful of generations from irrelevance.

Nor would just any female would suffice. Only a small percentage could reliably counted on to successfully breed. The Wolven called these Omegas - a counterpart to the Alpha males that were allowed to breed.

That was the only reason Corwin had ventured this far into the Human city. Individually they were no match for his strength and speed, but Humans often gathered in the hundreds or thousands in their cities. Alone on their turf, he could be at great risk if his presence was discovered.

But somewhere in here was a young Omega. He'd caught the faint whiff of her two days ago. Her scent suggested a firm, luscious breeder - a prize worth the risk of the city. He'd been slowly tracking the scent back to the source ever since.

She wasn't far now. The scent trail was fresh; she'd passed this way little more than an hour ago. He grinned savagely. He'd soon have his target in sight.

 

[redsiren17]

Rachel rode her bike down the street, lit by the dimming light of the sun as it was about to set, already hidden by the buildings around her, causing the temperature to already drop. Her red hair was pulled back into a braid, though some stray strands decided they wanted to fly into her green eyes as she continued on her way home. She was tired, after a long day of nursing exams, and was ready to get home, grab a beer, order a pizza, and watch Netflix for the rest of the night.

She turned right, onto a much more suburban street, getting away from the busy city streets she hated riding on. “I need to get my car fixed,” she reminded herself. It seemed to be taking forever to save up the money to get the lower radiator hose fixed. Going to school and paying rent didn’t seem to leave her much money left to survive off of, let alone save. At the age of 24, that was something she was hoping would change after this last semester of nursing school.

The five-foot-ten redhead hopped off her bike, walking it through a fence gate into the backyard of a home. Once the bike was leaned up out of the way against a wall, she walked up the fight of stairs to the room that was above the garage. It was separate from the house, and for the amount of rent she was paying, she was glad she had some true privacy. Her own bathroom, a small kitchenette, and room enough for a bed, dresser, desk, and a tv. Dropping her bag, heavy with medical books, she plopped down on the mattress. She pulled off the black hoodie she wore, leaving her in the white scrubs she was required to wear for her course and left almost everything of her body to the imagination.

 

[saedo]

Corwin perched in a tree outside the sole window looking in on the female's dwelling. The structure was small as human homes went. He could nearly leap to the roof in a single bound.

His target lay on a mattress in front of the flickering light of a TV. The apartment was otherwise dim, but that proved no obstacle to Corwin. Worgen eyes saw very well in low light conditions.

He was thusfar pleased by what he saw. Her clothes weren't particularly form-fitting, but it hinted at a luscious body. He'd need to see her undressed to be sure, but he suspected she'd have just the curves he'd hoped for.

The throbbing lust in his groin urged him to take a direct approach. He'd hungered for a mate for some time. With her alone, she should make for an easy target.

But Corwin hadn't achieved his Alpha status through careless instinct. For all his strength and speed, being so deep in Human territory was inherently dangerous. Experience counseled patience. For now, he would watch and wait.

 

[redsiren17]

Though her body protested, wanting more rest after such a long day, the redhead moved to a sitting position. She needed to change, shower, and get something to eat. Standing, she pulled the white scrub top over her head, revealing her the light pink bra seeming to just contain her breast, the smoothness of her stomach and the gentle curve of her waist out to her hips. Pulling her pants down, left her standing there in her bra and underwear. She looked at herself in the mirror that was just across from her, turning to the side. She had what most would consider and hourglass figure, though she wished her butt were a little bigger. But, you have to work with what Mother nature gives you.

Grabbing a towel that was hanging off of her desk chair, she made her way into the bathroom. Turning the water on, steam soon started to fill the room while she brushed her teethand removed wwhat little makeup she had been wearing.

 

[saedo]

Corwin watched as the redhead stripped down to her underwear. Her body was more luscious than he'd expected. Her breasts were very large, even for her lanky frame. Still, she carried them well and showed no sign that they affected her poise. Her legs were lean and muscular, causing her thighs not quite to touch at the V they made with her pelvis. She was not one of these soft, squishy females. This one had some strength in her limbs.

The human disappeared out of sight into another room. His ears vaguely made out the rumbling of pipes in her wall; she was running water. Perhaps a bath?

His suspicion was confirmed as she strode out 15 minutes later, her long red hair now dark with moisture as toweled it. She switched to a brush thereafter, combing it to a luxuriant shine as she sat cross-legged on her mattress. When she finished, she turned off the lights. He could make out her prostrate form on the mattress in the ensuing darkness.

Corwin could take her now. She'd be easy to surprise. But he knew too little about the situation to risk rushing in. Watch and wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Corwin devoted three days to caution. He shifted to his Human form and stole some clothing so that he might track her on the streets in daylight. Fortunately being so far from the border meant that no one expected his kind to be here. No one paid him any mind provided he avoided eye contact. He was just some other passerby.

He lost her the first day and had to track her by scent. He couldn't keep pace with her on the bicycle without running and Humans noticed runners. Fortunately, her routine seemed fairly predictable, favoring many of the same destinations at similar times each day. By the third day he was able to predict her path in advance.

He'd also scouted out the neighborhood. He had two escape routes planned if things went wrong, but he was confident that was unlikely. Her apartment was isolated enough to carry out his plans unnoticed. Everything was set. He would take the female tonight

 

[redsiren17]

The next three days were the same routine. Get up in early in the morning, go to work at a local coffee shop, then school for several hours, then home for homework and studying. Rinse and repeat. Finally, Friday night had rolled around. She was thankful that she would be off for the next two days, both from school and surprisingly from work as well. However, unlike most college students who were hitting the bars, she was at home, doing laundry. The nursing program had practically robbed her of any social life.

As if on cue, after bringing a basket of clean clothes up from the garage, Rachel’s cell phone rang. It was one of her classmates, and friends.

“Hey Sam, what’s up?”

Hey girl! Me and a whole bunch of the class are going to hit up Tommy T’s tonight to celebrate the end of the practicals. You should come!

Rachel sighed, feeling defeated. “I can’t, I don’t have the money.”

Oh come on. I bet Derek would buy you a couple drinks. You know as well as anyone he’d been eyeing you since we all started.

The redhead laughed at the idea. Derek was a nice guy, and he was handsome, but Rachel had no interest in him other than friends. There was just no spark, no actual attraction. “I don’t want to lead him on. You know I’m not into him.”

Will you come if I buy you a drink? I’ll even give you a ride. Please?

Her friend was obviously not going to take no for an answer. “Fine,” she finally said, feeling as though she had no other choice but to agree. “I need finish this last load of laundry. So... Give me about an hour.”

Yay! Okay, text me when you’re ready.

Hanging up the phone, she walked over to her closet. She certainly couldn’t go out wearing sweats and an old T-shirt, but she had no idea what else to wear. It felt like all she wore was her school’s scrubs uniform, or jeans and a black T-shirt for work.

She settled on her staple, basic black dress. It hugged her curves and showed off her toned legs as well as a bit of cleavage, but not too much. After putting the last of her laundry away, she slipped the dress on. She checked herself in the mirror, looking herself over up and down, front and back. “I forgot how much I loved this dress,” she murmured to herself, her confidence boosted. The dress just seemed to make her feel like she could take on the world.

 

[saedo]

Corwin frowned. Fortunately no one was around. A frowning worgen is a disheartening sight.

The female - no, she had a name. Rachel. That's what the other female had called her outside her school. Rachel. Yes, that would do.

Rachel was doing something out of character. Her pattern had been to come to this dwelling, relax, bathe, and sleep. Corwin had earlier broken the latch on a window. He had planned to slip in while she was bathing and vulnerable.

But tonight Rachel didn't doff her amorphous white shirt and pants and head for the showers. She started putting on face paint and donned a slinky black dress that tastefully hugged her curves. This was different. Why?

He remained perched in the leafy darkness, watching her slip into her outfit. The frustration was agonizing. His lust was like a caged beast howling to be freed. Her curvaceous form and slender legs beckoned to him. "Take her now," the whispers called.

But he could not take a chance that this change meant something. He would wait.

His instincts paid off. A dozen minutes after Rachel had finished dressing, a car pulled up on her street. A young male got out and approached Rachel's dwelling. A short while later, the pair walked to the vehicle and got inside.

Corwin watched from overhead and fumed. (Humans, like most prey, rarely looked up. Even if they had, he was just another dark lump against the tree trunk shrouded in darkness; their poor night vision would notice nothing.) This was not what he wanted! Damn these Humans!

Snarling, he set off in pursuit. Fortunately, the Human settlement had plenty of shadows for him to hide in, particularly since his speed and power let him race across rooftops as easily as a sidewalk. He was too close to his goal to let his chosen slip away. He would trail her to the end.

 

[redsiren17]

The group of students laughed loudly over the music. Celebratory shots had been taken, and the majority of the classmates had played at least one game of beer pong each. The bar was two rooms, one side containing the actual bar, which was full of patrons buying drinks, and the dance floor. The other side was a bit quieter, but not by much, and had three tables for beer pong, two pool tables, an air hockey table, and a shuffleboard table. The establishment was geared specifically towards the college crowd, the younger crowd.

"Hold on, hold on, rerack! Diamond," Rachel called out to the duo across from her and Sam. They were down one to four. Tossing the ping pong ball, she missed. "Dammit!"

Her friends egged her on as she poured the remaining five cups into one, glad that they severely underpoured to begin with. She chugged the disgusting liquid. The rules were that both members of the team were to drink, but Sam was being the dutiful DD and keeping her drinking to a minimum.

"I need some air. I'll be back." The redhead made her way through the crowds of people and out the door. The cool air was refreshing against her flushed face. She was feeling the alcohol. Not outright drunk, but definitely feeling it.

 

[saedo]

Corwin was not happy. His plan to mate with the female tonight had gone wholly awry. Right now he should be burying his cock in her. Instead he was huddled in the shadows of an alley across from some tavern where Rachel and her handful of companions had taken up residence. Judging by their behavior, they were all thoroughly enjoying themselves. Fucking Humans.

Corwin wrinkled his nose again. Even in the Human form, his sense of smell was quite acute. Unfortunately, this meant he couldn't quite filter out the reek of the alley. A stench of rotting food from the trash cans outside the Thai restaurant at the other end steadily wafted to his nostrils. Underlying that was the stale ammonia whiff of dried pass from at least half a dozen different Humans within tg the last week.

Still, here he could go unseen. Waiting on the sidewalk would place him beneath a street lamp. Humans were not by nature observant, but eventually someone would notice a man loitering in the open like that.

Likewise, watching from inside the bar would be problematic. The bar interior was well-lit, so he couldn't disappear into a shadowy booth. Moreover, while Human senses were dim, they had strong pattern recognition skills. The bar patrons were uniformly young - almost juvenile - and nicely dressed. Corwin was a mature worgen, so his Human form reflected that age and experience. Moreover, the shirt and jeans he'd stolen wouldn't blend in with the natty attire of the Humans. The key to any Alpha's infiltration technique was to blend in; failure at that meant discovery, danger, and quite possibly death. Corwin would remain outside.

The hours ticked by as the Humans talked, laughed, drank, and repeatedly bounced a ball in what Corwin could only assume was some kind of game. Corwin sulked in the darkness. Stupid fucking humans.

After this short eternity, Rachel stepped away from the others. Corwin perked up as she moved towards the door. Perhaps she was finally leaving and his monotonous vigil could end.

Rachel walked outside and stretched her arms. She took several deep breaths, which caused her impressive bosom to strain the confines of her dress. But she made no move to walk beyond the street corner. Damn; she was most likely just taking a break.

Corwin's eyes locked onto another pair of humans exiting the bar. Both male. Like Rachel, he'd seen them inside the bar for some time. All three had a slight unsteadiness to their movements; given the amount of drinking going on inside, Corwin presumed each of them was somewhat inebriated.

But Corwin didn't like the posture of the two males. Though they smiled as they approached Rachel and hailed her jovially, there was an aggressive tension in their shoulders. Corwin implicitly recognized the gleam in their eyes. A lone, attractive female somewhat impaired by alcohol would make a tempting target to a pair of hungry males. These two were hunting and they'd set their sights on Rachel.

Corwin snarled and moved towards the trio. Whether these interlopers recognized it or not, the woman was his.

 

[redsiren17]

Rachel was enjoying herself that night, more sothan she had in a long time. She was so busy being a good student and just trying to get ends to meet, she forgot what it was like to just go out and have fun.

She turned around as the men approached her, hearing their shuffled feet and laughter. She didn't know them, they were definitely not part of their group. Immediately she felt uneasy as they closed in on her. They stood a bit too close for comfort, and obviously had several more drinks than her.

"Hey baby, how are you doing tonight?" he said, leaning to her right with his hand against the pole behind her.

'Gag me,' she thought. We're they going to use lame pick up lines like falling from heaven too? The two young men were just a little bit taller than her, but outsized her easily. "Fine...?"

The other stepped forward, standing to her left. Even with the street behind her, she felt cornered. "You sure are pretty." He reached his hand out to touch her face, but she pulled away from him. "Oh, don't be like that, we just want to have a little fun."

She gave a nervous smile. "Thank but no thanks. I have a boyfriend for that," she lied. Though, she had a feeling that wouldn't stop them from trying. "I should probably get back inside to my friends. See you guys in there."

As she moved to go back, the one on her right grabbed her shoulder. "C'mon, he doesn't have to know. Stay with us."

"Get your hand off of me!" She twisted and tried to push his hand off her shoulder. He let go, grabbing her wrist instead, pulling her against him.

"You're fiesty, I like that. "

 

[saedo]

By the time Corwin could overhear their words, the one with the earring had her by the wrist. His smile bespoke amusement in the same way a cat might smile having pinned a mouse. Corwin had never liked cats.

"Leave her alone," snarled the worgen.

All three turned at the sound of his voice. The men were both quite similar in dress. The shirts under their jackets were cut tight, no doubt to highlight their muscularity. Both were clearly quite fit; their necks suggested strength.

Corwin knew Humans well enough to distinguish strength from power. These two spent time training as Humans did - lifting heavy objects repeatedly. Corwin's muscles did not bulge quite so dramatically as these two, but his had been earned in the wilderness fighting for survival. They might be strong, but they were not hardened.

These males, however, either couldn't recognize the difference or were too drunk to care. Corwin was unarmed and outnumbered, so they discounted him as a threat.

"Hey, why don't you fuck off, asshole?" said the one with both hands free.

Corwin had seen enough bar fights to recognize that Humans usually prefaced theirs with repeated exchanges of verbal threats. Worgen saw little point in such ritual. He'd stated his request and been refused; the time for talk had ended.

Corwin's left jab caught the man just above the right cheek. Clearly untrained, the man responded with a surprised, "Fuck!". Foolishly, he reached up to grab his face, leaving his body unprotected. Corwin's right slammed into man's solar plexus. The man's breath exploded out of him and he sank to his knees.

This interplay gave the second man a chance to react. He violently pulled Rachel out of the way with his grip on her wrist. She tried to fast-step through it, but her high heels slipped on the pavement and she tumbled to the ground.

The second man pulled back and threw a punch at Corwin's head. There was considerable power behind it, but limited control. Corwin rolled away from it, so it only grazed his cheek. He let the man throw a few more wild punches that bounced off his shoulders until he spotted his opening. Stepping inside the man's guard, Corwin landed a quick combination to the man's nose and jaw. When the man spun away, Corwin powered a couple shots into his ribs and another near his kidney. That was too much; he collapsed to his knees and vomited onto the sidewalk.

Corwin stepped back, pleased by his victory. He then turned to Rachel, who was staring wide-eyed at him from her semi-prone position on the sidewalk. A trickle of blood extended from a scrape on her left knee and her dress had a slight tear in it from the fall.

Corwin extended a hand to her. "Are you alright?"

 

[redsiren17]

She watched wide-eyed at what played out before her. She wasn't sure what surprised her more at that point, the two drunks who were preying on her like a piece of meat, or this total stranger who beat the crap out of both of them.

Whatever affects of the alcohol she had been feeling, the whole scene sobered her up quickly.

Rachel took his hand slowly, accepting his help to get her to her feet. "Just a couple scratches," she said, looking down at her knee as she pulled at the skirt of her dress to cover her upper thighs again. "But, I think I'll be fine."

She flashed him a grateful smile. "Thank you."

 

[saedo]

The tussle had sent Rachel sprawling. Corwin paused momentarily as he looked down at her. Rachel's skirt had ridden rather high up on her thighs, showing a rather significant portion of smooth, firm skin. The recognition that the heart of
her sex lay just a few scant inches away set made his nostrils flare.

He focused on the task at hand. The object of his desire was injured. He must protect her.

Corwin waved off her assurances that she was fine. "You are flush with adrenaline," he countered. "Your body is suppressing the pain so you might fight or flee. When you calm down, it will hurt considerably."

Corwin knelt before her and took the damaged knee in both hands. "Hold still." Gingerly, his fingertips probed the edge of the wound. He applied slight pressure, producing a soft whine of protest from her that he ignored. Swiftly, he plucked something from the area that made her wince.

He held up his fingers for her to see. In between forefinger and thumb, he held up a thin sliver of glass smeared with her blood. "Bit of broken bottle, probably," he postulated. "Wound is clean now."

A ragged sound of tearing cloth followed as he tore the right sleeve off his shirt. He wrapped the makeshift bandage around her knee and secured it with a knot. "You should replace that with a real bandage when you get home, but that will do for now."

He stood up and faced her once again. At this distance, her scent was almost overpowering. His primal instincts urged him to take her now. Corwin focused and pushed his libido back. "You should get home and tend to your leg properly. Shall I summon a taxi for you?" Corwin had never actually done that before, but he'd heard the Humans talk of it before and assumed it must not be terribly difficult.

 

[redsiren17]

He probed her knee, eliciting a cry of pain from her, but he kept her from removing her leg from him. Her knee hadn’t been hurting much until he touched her. She made a face as he plucked the shard of glass from her.

"Wound is clean now."

She stared at the small piece of glass, almost in fascination. No wonder why her knee seemed to have been bleeding so much.

"You should replace that with a real bandage when you get home, but that will do for now."

Before Rachel knew it, he had torn his shirt and wrapped her knee in the cloth. “You didn’t of have to do that.” She felt slightly uncomfortable now. This stranger had saved her from a possible rape and now was tending to her injury, when he could have easily just turned a blind eye. “Thank you, really.”

She couldn’t help but give him a curious look when he offered to summon a taxi. He seemed to have a somewhat more formal way of speaking than most people. “I can’t afford a cab,” the redhead said slowly, wishing she didn’t have to turn down his offer. She gave a sigh, rubbing her arms, shaking from residual adrenaline and the chill of the night finally getting to her. “Thank you, though. After all of this,” she waved her hands, as if lumping the recent events together, “I would love to just go home and go to sleep.”

 

[saedo]

“I can’t afford a cab."

Corwin's dark eyebrows knit together. He'd had enough contact with Humans to have a vague understanding of this thing they called money. Trade was not unknown amongst the worgen, but it was always for things that held value. Why the humans ascribed value to scraps of colored paper still perplexed him.

He shrugged. If Human money was required, then he could procure some. After all, Humans usually carried it on them.

The first of the two men had risen to his knees and was now breathing in something much less like a tortured gasp. He had time to wheeze, "Oh Jesus, no more!" before Corwin grabbed hold of his shirt with his right hand and lifted him up.

"She is injured. She needs money," Corwin explained. His eyes narrowed threateningly. "You have money?"

The man's face radiated fear. "Money? You want money? My wallet! Take it! In my back pocket! Jess! Take it all! Just leave me alone man! Please man! Please!"

Corwin twisted the man so that his free hand could reach the man's back pocket. Corwin found the leather wallet and lifted it out. Thumbing it open, he nodded at the sight of green paper. Corwin unceremoniously released the man, who collapsed onto the sidewalk. Corwin extracted a handful of the paper and tosses the wallet to the ground.

He turned back to Rachel. "Money," he declared, holding the green strips for her to see. "Now you get ride home." Corwin jabbed his hand in the air like he'd seen other Humans do and waited.