Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Grave Encounter

“I don't know how this happened to me.” Anthony heaved.

“Well actually I do.” He tried to chuckle but the pain in his abdomen worsened.

He glanced down again to take a look at his wound. The large stake pierced through his lower torso, far left of his belly button. Although it seemed like it missed all of his vital organs, the wooden sharp root that pierced him was deeply connected underground and impossible to remove. He thought he could just sit up and be fine but his fear of bleeding out scared him to no end, and the root jutting from his body was a bit too large. He thought about waiting for help but no one knew he was out here. He didn't have a wife or kids who would worry about him. His parents were in a different country on a vacation.

“Shit, I don't even know where I am.” Anthony commented.

Most of his blood had stayed inside his body after the large fall from the hunting stand. The stand still clung to the tree by a few bolts and his rifle landed far left of his current spot. His newly conjoined root was coated in a crimson blood. The thick red fluid started coagulating as he had been laying there a while now. The light had begun to fade as dusk turned to night. The air grew frigid and biting and the various animal sounds started to echo through the rustling trees. The ground felt hard to lay on and was cold since it was the eve of winter.

Anthony knew he was going to die alone and cold in the middle of these god forsaken woods. He felt sorry for any person that found him weeks from now. He also felt a great fear that maybe an animal would get to him first before he would bleed out.

“Oh god if a wolf or coyote gets here they are going to start with my hands or feet and then rip apart my neck.” Anthony began to tear up.

“Birds will probably start pecking and gnawing at my eyes."

“Or god forbid a bear will just begin tearing pieces off me in random order." Anthony sobbed.

“I can't believe it came to this.” He cried, still struggling to accept his impending doom.

“No wife. No kids. Mediocre job. All my friends moved on without me." Tears streamed down his face. His reddened and puffy cheeks stricken with the salty water. His regrets just seemed to mount. The wasted days studying, the lack of high school parties or romance. Missing out on young love. Missing out on marriage.

Anthony tired himself slowly but surely as his energy began to wane. The loss of blood and pain combined with the overwhelming dread and emotions had tired him severely. The lack of water for the past hour or two he had been stuck, had left his mouth full of cotton. He had grown pale and weak, he struggled to lift his arms now and could barely move his legs at this point. His tattered clothes were covered with dirt and the dry leaves of the large trees surrounding him. The ominous black trees jetted toward the darkening sky. The branches coming from each one sporadically pointing out in every direction reminded him of thin and boney fingers and arms. Anthony knew the lack of leaves signified the ending of autumn and the beginning of the usual long winters in these Appalachian mountains.

—

As another hour, or two, or ten passed, he couldn't tell how long it had been. Anthony's vision started to deteriorate. The black at the outer rims of his vision creeped closer and closer to the center. The various wild howls and moans of animals and the forest could no longer keep him awake and aware.

“Ahh…. I don't ... .uhh. I can't…. anymore. I'm sorry….” He whispered, his fatigue reaching its zenith.

He glanced to his left one last time and saw the expansive darkness with his rifle in the distance. The scope seemed to be shattered from what little he could see but it might still shoot.

“Might still function, unlike me.” He laughed to himself causing his wound to hurt once again.

Out of nowhere, he heard the creaking and crunching of wood and leaves to his right. He looked and saw a large wolf sniffing and prancing around his area. It was a beautiful creamy gray with surprisingly bright eyes to be so dark. The brown pupils stood out ominously against the pitch black backdrop of the forest. The wolf saw Anthony and began growling and barking. It bared its sharpened canine teeth and its grayish gums. As it approached closer the wolf realized the human's incapacitation, smelling and spotting the blood on him. Seeing Anthony as the easiest meal of the night.

Anthony sighed, completely defeated. Finally accepting the quicker death at the hands of a predator was good enough for him.

“Better than being killed by a twig.” He smiled to himself.

“Circle of life and all that shit.”

The large wolf continued its growling and approached the injured Anthony tentatively.

His final moments were interrupted however. A large terrifying shriek or scream rattled through the woods. It sounded sort of human, but was so shrill and violent surely he had to be mistaken. The wolf heard this noise and immediately panicked. Its ears flattened and tail tucked between its legs. Its fur ruffled out of fear. It turned around on a dime and darted into the underbrush at breakneck speed.

“What the hell was that? Hallucinating while dying?” He asked himself as that warm permanent sleep started to pull on him stronger now.

A large thumping now started to radiate across the ground. Anthony could feel the thumps of something large coming towards him. The dirt beneath him was growing colder and still felt wet from the morning dew. The last things Anthony saw before slipping into that forever nap, was the rustling and swaying of bushes and a cute white deer with large and ornate style antlers he had never seen before. Anthony assumed it had to be at least a 12 or 16 pointer.

“Beautiful….” He whispered with his last breaths. He slipped into that ever familiar deep dark. It felt as if his mind was sinking, like only his soul or thoughts were slipping away and his heavily injured body was left behind. The deer was a large blur as it approached closer to him and then everything went dark.

—--

Anthony stood in the dense and pitch black forest. He was very familiar with the woods. He had grown up in them, but where he was now he didn't recognize in the slightest.

“Where am I?” Anthony asked himself. His breath was visible in the dark as it seemed to get colder and colder. He hugged himself tightly and it felt like pins and needles in his fingers tips and toes. Anthony glanced down and saw his lack of clothing. He panicked. His toes dug into the cold and wet dirt and he noticed his fingers started to turn black and die. He tried to move but every step of his was sluggish and labored. The darkness was all consuming, it even started consuming his limbs as the frostbite affected his toes now. Anthony stumbled, catching himself on a dry and cracked tree. A short distance away he could see a dim light emanating from a small cave in a cliff face. He approached slowly and weakly. He walked into the cave relaxing in the minor warmth compared to the outside. The light flickered from a small fire in the center of the cave. The light danced across the darkened slate walls and ceiling. Small pictographs and drawings covered the walls and seemed to be drawings of people and hunters and animals being eaten. Anthony lowered his dead hands to the stone and felt the odd texture through his palms. The rocks were extremely smooth like polished gems from those witch stores he used to see. Anthony fell to his knees now curling into the fetal position. He was so tired and cold.

“Somebody….please.” He spoke softly, staring at the dimming flame.

Then Anthony heard it again. The loud horrific shrill cry coming from outside of the cave. It sounded like a lady screaming but with the bravato of something else. The noise sent tingles down Anthony's freezing body and his hair stood on end. Something didn't feel right.

A massive gust of icy wind whipped at the cliff face. The wind penetrated Anthony's secluded spot, completely snuffing the fire in the center of the cave. Anthony inched to the very back of the cave and continued to hold himself tightly. It didn't help, there was no cover inside from the frozen wind. His hands and feet were completely black with frostbite now. The dead flesh connected to his body seemed to affect the rest of him as well like a terrible sickness. It continued spreading and reaching higher and higher up his appendages. The disgusting limbs clicked and clacked on the smooth stone like metal on glass. He was bathed in pitch black once again.

Scratching on rocks and rustling trees were all he could hear. The rustling of the bushes outside of the cave mouth grew louder and louder. Something was approaching. Anthony couldn't move. He stared at the cave opening with immense fear.

The small head that suddenly appeared was just that sweet albino deer from earlier. Anthony sighed in relief, until it contorted and the rest of the being came into full view.

It wasn't a white deer. It was a deer skull with dark and empty sockets that lacked eyes at all. The ornate antlers were large and scratched across the rocks on the cave ceiling as it approached. No longer seemingly beautiful like he thought before but more like an imposing looming dread. They shot upward and outward in an odd twisting and spiraling style that seemed unnatural for a regular deer. Its teeth trailed all around the jaw of the skull and were pointy and sharp. Every tooth seemed like a canine. Its sharp clawed hands braced itself using the stone walls for support. The fingers cut rather smoothly through the stone. The rest of its body was almost entirely black and furred with even larger tufts of fur at its neck. The fur circled the vacant skull much like a lion's mane. It seemed extremely emaciated as most of its bones were visible through the various skin and fur. Anthony continued to stare in shock and fear as it drew ever closer. Anyhony saw its peculiar feet with each step. They were digitigrade like many animals, but had very elongated toes with its own set of razor claws on each end. Its thighs were large, round, strong, and flexed with every step. It loomed over him as its chest heaved and the breath was visible slipping from its deer bone jaw. It leaned closer and closer bringing the ashen skull to Anthony's face. His fear was palpable and he was frozen in place. His skin that wasn't tainted by frostbite was white out of fear. It stared deep into his fearful green eyes and he stared back into its dark abysses. Then it clicked and chortled odd sounds. The rest of the world seemed to die off while the creature made its noises and moans. The moans sounded like moans of death and pain and echoed into his chest. Its sounds changed pitch and volume over and over until something parallel to English was spoken.

“H ...e - llLL….p – Y….u-U.” The beast uttered in a chattering and gurgling tone.

—--

Anthony awoke suddenly in darkness. He was sweating profusely and the pain in his abdomen was still somewhat prevalent. His body was soaked and he glanced around nervously looking for that formidable creature.

“A - a dream?” He panted.

He reached down towards his wound and found that he was no longer speared. As his eyes adjusted he saw that his wound was covered in some kind of dressing and that he was no longer in the middle of the woods. His shirt was missing but his pants were still on. It was very dark and all around him were stone walls and floors just like the cave in his dreams, they just lacked the random scribblings. However, Anthony began to panic.

“Dammit where am I? What happened?” He asked himself.

Anthony struggled to move his fatigued and injured body. He felt around the floor in the cave still trying to gain his bearings. He heard the dripping droplets of water echoing somewhere in the cave. He felt the various dry foliage and sticks littering the cave floor like a bird's nest. He glanced behind him to see the cave opening . Through the vines hanging over the entrance the sun was already setting in the far off distance. The last light cast eerie shadows across the cave walls.

“Sun set? Why am I in a cave? What happened? Who saved me? How long has it been?” The questions flooded his mind.

Anthony noticed the nip in the air hadn't left and he searched the room for his shirt or anything to cover himself with. He turned away from the cave entrance and trudged carefully towards the dark end of the cave. Unfortunately, he wasn't careful enough and tripped on something hard like a root or stick, falling chest first into the solid ground.

“ow…. Fuck…. You think after almost dying by impaling myself I would be more careful.” He wheezed nervously.

Anthony sat up and dusted off his pants. He rubbed his arms and chest making sure nothing was on him, or he hadnt stabbed himself….. Again.

He looked down at the peculiar first aid covering his wound, except his attention was grabbed by what he tripped on.

All around him were bones of animals. Various ribs and deer and bear skulls littered the entire section where he stood. Fear and panic rose to the front of his mind. He stepped backwards stepping over leg bones and spinal vertebrae. He looked down at his feet and right between his steps was another skull…

A human one.

“Fuuuuuck i have to go.” Anthony panicked. His breath picked up and his temperature rose. He turned to run out of the cave shirt be damned. As he did, he slammed into a firm yet soft….. Something. He was knocked down and stared up at whatever he had run into. Fear consumed Anthony's face. The creature from his dreams was right there before him. The color drained from his body and goosebumps littered his skin. The deer skulled abomination, stood tall and had to hunch inside the cave to fit. It stepped loudly into the cave. Its clawed toes echoing after each step. The antlers occasionally graced the cave ceiling in a nails on chalkboard manner. The being glanced down at Anthony with those black and vacant eyes and stared directly into his soul. Anthony, horrified by his nightmare come true, scrambled backwards on all fours until his back slammed into the smooth stone walls. His body and hands were fumbling over the bones of what he assumed were previous victims.

“Ill be joining y'all soon," he thought to himself.

The terrifying creature reached its sharp clawed hand towards Anthony. Anthony reflexively closed his eyes, resigning himself to his fate.

He waited….

Expecting those sharp claws ripping through his throat, or piercing his eyes into his skull, or stabbing directly into his heart.

He waited still.

Then he felt a small fumbling and gentle touch right around his wound. He opened his eyes to see the deer monster prodding and checking his injury and the wet dressing around it. The sharp claws made him doubly nervous but his confusion was louder than his fear. The bandages were extremely rudimentary, mostly just a clump of leaves and moss that actually worked somehow quelling his pain. However, Anthony winced at the touch on his tender bloodied flesh. The creature reflexively pulled back but growled deep and guttural, causing Anthony to gulp.

“Sorry I can't help it…. That hurts.” He whispered, now confused why this creature was helping him and checking him.

The being bent down further towards Anthony's wound. It made small huffs and sniffs around his injury. Anthony remained still, confused and slightly concerned. The creature perked up quickly after its examination, the dark crevices for eyes staring deep into Anthony.

“Uhh what?” He whispered in fear.

The creature cocked its head diagonally. Huffing a large breath right into Anthony's face, until it turned around and dashed out of the cave, now on all fours. On all fours the monster didnt seem to have issues like it did when it walked around bipedal. Its antlers weren't in the way and it was obviously faster by leagues.

“Uh okay.” Anthony spoke as fhing dissappeared into the outside world.

He rushed to the cave opening peering out into the barren forest. He stopped abruptly as he realized this cave was very high up on the edge of a cliff. A few pebbles cascaded down the cliff side taking several long seconds to reach the ground. He had no way to get down on his own, and no way to climb higher either as the face was extremely sheer.

“Son of a bitch. I'm stuck here with that thing.” Anthony huffed nervously.

“I gotta get outta here before it gets back.” he panicked.

Anthony gazed out and saw the forest below was foggy and blackened. The trees all seemed crooked and dead and bark was an unnatural color. The area was gloomy and made Anthony uneasy just looking at it.

“Where is this? I have been all over these woods but I have never seen a forest or trees like these ....” Anthony questioned.

Anthony watched as the sun set behind the distant mountains bathing him and his setting in a vast blackness. The usual howling and animal noises were nowhere to be heard. It was eerily quiet. The lack of insects or bird noises exacerbated Anthony's fears. Even the wind didn't seem to blow around or rustle any of the bushes or trees.

“Okay okay lets think. Maybe I can make a weapon out of these bones.” Anthony postulated.

“A club? A sharp spear or knife?” Anthony runs through and examines various bones of the dead animals and humans. He felt sick digging around the remnants of what used to be living beings. He found various leg bones that could be used as clubs. Several were smoothed in certain areas from the constant rubbing on the stone floor. Other bones were bleached and many were demineralized due to the acidity making them brittle and crack easy. Anthony test swung a few and many shattered on impact. He found some smaller arm bones like radius and ulna and hoped to make a dagger or knife. He found the least brittle ones and quickly began grinding them across the stone floor to create some sort of edge. The grinding bones on stone made Anthony cringe but he soldiered on. He had no idea when the monster would return.

The darkness didn't really affect him much as his eyes were adapted well at this point. The silence was alarming and concerned him greatly. Anthony secluded himself carefully in a small alcove inside the cave. He hoped he was invisible enough that he could surprise the beast or maybe even slip by and take a chance climbing down the rock face. He waited and waited, biding his time to strike when the monster appeared.

It crept into the den, different compared to last time. Behind it, it dragged the carcass of a large brown bear whose head was almost completely severed. The neck was barely hanging on by a few strands of muscle and flesh. The bear's body was bathed in dark blood and trailed its fluids all across the rocks. The creature skulked creepily with its prize and the deep empty sockets had an luminescent red fire in the center this time. It peered around the cave quickly, looking for him he assumed. The creature seemed to panic as it hadn't seen him yet. It dropped the bear's body completely on the cold floor and scampered around the cave desperately in search of its human pet.

“Why is it searching so frantically?” Anthony asked himself.

The monster looked around the bone piles and saw nothing. It checked the mouth of the cave for any signs he might have left. It seemed confused and returned to the center of the cave. It paused and stood oddly still. The red dots in the center of its hollow eyes seemed to dim more and more. It growled and snarled slightly. Its long wiry tongue snaked out of its deer mouth and seemed to taste the air like a snake.

“i swear I have heard of descriptions of a creature like this….” Anthony thought to himself.

“it couldn't be though…”

The being lowered itself to all fours almost in an attack style position. It scraped its clawed hands and feet across the stone creating jarring noise. It examined the surroundings again hoping to see him.

“A wendigo?” Anthony whispered in his mind.

As soon as the term echoed in his mind the creature cranked its neck 180 degrees in an instant. The red dots in those abyss for eyes stared at him creepily, burning holes right through him. Anthony clutched his homemade knife tighter. His fingers white knuckling on the makeshift weapon.

“Foow UN d…. -yyyU” the beast gurgled as it dashed straight for him on all fours at top speed. It seemed like the animal was going to slam right into him or cleave him in two like it had the bear. Anthony braced himself after the shock of the creature's speech, ready for his annihilation as it bolted toward him. He held his knife out shakily, not ready for whatever he had to do next. However, he miscalculated again, and the being pounced on him. It yanked the small bone from his hand and looked down at it like it was some weird gift or trinket. It slammed its hand into a fist, crushing the bone instantly with little effort, and almost turning it to dust. It then grabbed him by the neck, the long claws surprisingly gentle nestled around his throat while the cold palm held the nape of his neck. It dragged him across the cave towards the bear cadaver, while he kicked trying to support himself but his feet mostly dragged behind him. The being released him in front of the bear corpse and Anthony gasped slightly with a little more access to oxygen now.

“What do you want?” Anthony asked the wendigo. Now aware of its small capacity of speech.

“Eee -t” I growled.

“Eat?” Anthony glanced down at the cold bear body. Then back at the wendigo, shaking his head no.

The wendigo did not respond but lowered its head towards the bear's open throat. It opened its big deer jaw and tore at the deep red flesh and muscle inside the bear. It plunged its hands into the cadavers sides and tore open the flesh. Its intestines and guts spilled outwards onto the cold cave floor. The wendigo's all white skull was covered and stained with the red blood as it continued slicing and ripping at the flesh with its claws and teeth.

Anthony stood there awkwardly, staring in disgust and horror. The wendigo caught his lack of ingesting and shredded a large muscle across the bear’s back and offered it to him. He gestured against it, feeling sick.

“No, no thank you.” He stated calm as can be, trying not to make an enemy out of it.

The wendigo stared back at him inquisitively. Or angrily, he had trouble reading this thing. The red dots seemed to grow brighter. It aggressively grabbed Anthony by the shoulder and pushed down on his body hard. It forced him to his knees and Anthony crumbled. It then gestured towards the meat again demanding he eat it.

“I…. Uh…. I can't." He stated with a begging tone, hoping it would show some mercy.

Its eyes grew even brighter and it stopped eating completely. It stared into him and waited and waited. Never turning away waiting for him to eat.

“N …-ooow.” it growled deeply, scaring him to his core.

Anthony took the meat from the wendigo's hand. The sliver of muscle was grossly cold and very wet. The blood slid past his fingers and dripped to the floor. The beast stared still. Anthony brought it to his face hesitantly and opened his mouth. The stench was horrible and heavily metallic as well. He sunk his teeth in the raw red meat and gagged immediately. He didn't pull away but powered on. He struggled with his blunt teeth to slice and cut through the strong and thick muscle. He pulled and pulled tearing away a decent chunk that slid around in his mouth with copious amounts of coppery blood that seeped from it. His body was rejecting it and he kept gagging over and over. He was ready to spit it out when the wendigo wasn't looking, but the monster was still eyeing him.

“Good…” he tried to throw on his best smile, holding the cold blood flesh in his cheek.

The wendigo didn't fall for it. The red fire in its vacant sockets dimmed a little bit but it did not turn away.

Anthony braced himself and swallowed. The meat slid down his throat and he swore he could feel it land in his stomach. He gasped after his ordeal of a meal. His eyes watered. The wendigo, now pleased with his consumption, turned away and continued with its munching. Anthony wiped away the red splotches around his mouth before it started to harden. Anthony shuddered from the meal and the metal taste in his mouth. He wandered over to the alcove he was hiding in earlier. He wasn't trying to hide again or anything he just wanted to sit and think, and the small section made him feel the most guarded.

—--

The chomping and gnawing continued for a while until the wendigo had stripped it down to nothing but bones. To Anthony's shock, it even ate some of the smaller bones crunching and grinding them around in its mouth. Its face was still covered with blood until its long tongue snaked out and cleaned its boney face. It threw all the large bones over in the corner where the rest resided. It was dark and it had been eating for a while. Anthony was tired, but his body wasn't letting him sleep around such an anomaly. It traveled to the other end of the cave towards the weird makeshift nest of dead foliage and sticks that he had woken up in.

“Oh so its its like a nest…” Anthony thought to himself.

It laid down much like a human would. Its appendages were tucked in tight like a fetal position; initially facing him.
The wendigo growled harshly and loudly now. Anthony stared in concern at what was wrong. It stared right at him. The red fire in its eyes was completely gone, replaced by the familiar dark hollowness. It eyed him closely.

“What?” He asked with a hint of concern.

“Rrr– ess …T.” It snarled at him.

“Oh, um alright.” Anthony accepted the situation and laid down exactly where he was in the alcove. The lack of shirt was rough and no blanket made it even worse. The cold stone chilled his bones and skin was covered in goosebumps. Luckily, the wind was still nonexistent, but it was icy nonetheless.

The beast gurgled and grumbled even louder now, seemingly upset still. Chattering its teeth in anger? Anthony guessed

“What? I'm doing what you said….” Anthony questioned, his words hanging in the air.

It didn't respond a second time, instead it turned its form completely so it faced away from him and was pointed directly at a cave wall. It stopped its sounds and steadied its breath.

Anthony watched the back of the being facing away from him. Its slender black furred body was a peculiar one. It had an oddly hourglass shape for such a voracious eater yet skinny frame. The fur seemed almost pristine and was probably soft.

“You would think the fur would be all matted and gross but it looks pretty nice.” Anthony commented in his mind.

“Wait what? What am I talking about?” he questioned.

Anthony watched the small heave of the wendigo's body as it breathed softly and calmly now. The sudden exhaustion pulled at him strongly. Staying up and the still painful wound made him weak and sleepy. He felt nervous sleeping around such a monster but he figured if it was going to eat him or kill him it could have done it when he was impaled on that stake.

“Why didn't it?” Anthony mused.

His thoughts were interrupted when the wendigo made a few loud snoring noises that echoed around the cave walls signifying its deep sleep. This calmed Anthony down and he slowly slipped into his own much needed rest.

Chapter Text

Nightmares

Anthony was there again.

That odd cave bathed in the familiar flickering light of the fire at the center. The slate was smooth and cold to the touch. The fire seemed to crackle on the dry wood delicately positioned in the middle. The wind wasn't whipping like last time. The markings on the wall were there again and depicted something a little different than what he initially thought. The brown-reddish pictographs seemed to show animals and humans again but it was different. The pictures felt out of place and twisted. It seemed to depict humans all alone, cut off from the rest of the world and from nature. The stories played like a comic as he followed the events around the edge of the cave. It showed the small human drawings slowly getting lost, losing sight of their home and village. They wander deeper and deeper into the forest trying to escape but failing again and again. The pictures then change; they seem more scratchy and labored as it shows one friend eating the other.

“What the hell? Wait, I know this. My grandma used to say:

‘Those deep enough in forbidden woods will be challenged. They will hear the echo's and calls of something ancient and evil. If they fail and consume their fellow man, then all is lost.’

“Is that what this is depicting?” Anthony questioned.

He thought that was the end of the story but it continued. The ancient cave comic dragged on now with the one friend wandering the woods alone. The art style grew sloppy and aggressive. The brown trees were now black and the small drawing of the last human began to contort. Suddenly his body was longer and hands were sharper. The drawings were even more violent and haphazard as Anthony continued the walk across the last of the cave wall. The long gangly human was painted black with a distorted and misshapen skull until the drawings suddenly stopped. The story ended as abruptly as it began.

“Why am I seeing all this?” Anthony asked, searching the recesses of his mind for some kind of help or divination. He knew a bit about wendigos and how they came to be. He was born in the Carolina mountains; he heard the stories in passing, and never gave them much thought. However, he had always assumed they were just that…

stories.

Folklore to scare children of the dangers of the forest. His grandmother also always told him to never speak their name but he had always taken her for a rather eccentric and superstitious type.

“Maybe I should have paid more attention to those myths and gibberish because it could really help me right n—” Anthony was interrupted.

A vile slurping and sucking sound was emanating from behind him. He turned slowly to see the wendigo again facing away from him. It crunched and cracked while its teeth chattered and gnawed on something out of view. The light danced across the animal's furry and relatively skinny frame. The black fur shone brightly while bathed in the orange glow. The creature slowly turned its head ominously. In its deer jaw, it held a human heart, delicately, like it was holding something sacred.

Anthony was shocked at such a horrific sight. He was still getting used to the monster and its garish eating habits and tendencies. He was going to turn away in disgust until he saw who she was consuming. At her feet lay a mostly destroyed corpse. A man's chest cleaved open with the lungs and intestines splayed out and chewed. The neck was sliced and torn open and the vocal chords were visible. The lower jaw was completely severed and the tongue hung there out the open as it dribbled and oozed blood. Every cut and orifice seemed to leak fluids and matter, even the poor bastard's green eyes were bleeding….

“Wait…” Anthony paused.

He looked closer. Seeing what was left of the man's visage, those eyes, and those pants. He knew that body better than anybody else. It was him…

“That's me….” Anthony gulped as he turned pale and started to sweat.

He made eye contact with the wendigo consuming his body. Its vacant empty hollow sockets suddenly burst to life with that luminescent red fire he had seen before. He swore he could see the freak grin a boney, terrifying smile, before violently snapping its jaws shut. Anthony's heart still in her mouth squeezed and pulsed briefly as it exploded in her mouth when her sharp teeth sunk into the muscle. Blood shot violently across her jaw and fur as blood sprayed from his ventricles and arteries. He felt a profound pain in his chest.

—--

Anthony awoke with a start. His heart was beating a mile a minute while he clawed at his sweat slicked chest and face to make sure he was still alive and intact. His heavy breaths were visible in the cool night air.

“Damn it, what is it with these nightmares? They all revolve around that thing and me; and also dying i guess. I think just being near that thing is causing issues for my brain.” He pondered, curious if that was a byproduct of the beast or it was doing it on purpose somehow.

Suddenly, his damp body chilled almost immediately as his fear subsided and thoughts were interrupted. The cold air coiled around him. He glanced around to see the wendigo was still in its nest snoring rather loudly. It still held itself and didn't seem bothered by the frigid temperatures.

Anthony's teeth began to chatter and he hugged himself tightly as he could and tried to hide away from the cold gusts. His alcove did little to protect his still shirtless form.

“Thank god I at least have pants and socks.” He stammered, his arms unable to recover the heat he was losing.

Anthony laid back down on the slate floor and curled up to conserve as much heat as he could. He laid there for what felt like an eternity; facing that dark cave wall waiting for the sun to rise. His teeth chattered louder and his body was like chicken skin. His bones felt frozen and he found it difficult to move. He tossed and turned again and again and ended up facing the center of the cave. He glanced briefly at the wendigo in her nest and she was ominously staring at him with those dark sockets lit with that intimidating red flame. Anthony was put off by her deep and probably angry gaze. The beast huffed and Anthony apologized figuring his noises and movements awoke her.

“Sorry.” He whispered.

The beast glared at him. It abruptly stood up and approached him on all fours in a slow stalking manner. Anthony scrambled and panicked hoping it wasn't upset enough to kill him. He tucked himself deep into the alcove.

“I'm sorry, I'll be quiet this time, I promise.” He pleaded.

The wendigo approached him slowly but surely, with that fiery burning gaze as its head cocked diagonally like it was examining his reaction. It reached out its hand towards him and Anthony held his breath on instinct. The beast grabbed his skull firmly and dragged him across the cave floor. Its sharp fingers dug into his skull but it was still trying to be soft enough not to crush him outright. He was dragged over towards its nest as Anthony kicked and tried to support himself. He pleaded and apologized profusely trying to get the beast to spare his life.

“Wait wait dont eat me ill do whatever you want. I didn't mean to make so much noise, I'm just cold. I'll be quiet now.” His eyes started to tear up as he was trying not to get brutally killed and eaten like he had seen in the dream.

Yet its sharp claws never sunk into his chest or eyes. His jaw remained intact and his heart was still firmly placed in his torso although beating a mile a minute. The wendigo released its grip on his head and he was dropped into her nest. The dead foliage and twigs were still warm with her heat and felt a little better than the rock itself. They crunched underneath his weight and he looked back up at the monster in fear. It stood over him, before settling next to him in the laying position it was in earlier. However, this time it left one arm up and open as an invitation.

Anthony stared in confusion.

“Uhhhh……” Anthony rambled in utter bewilderment.

Sensing his lack of understanding the creature grabbed him by the arm abruptly. Jarring Anthony, he was spun around and grabbed from behind and pulled in close in a little spoon embrace.

“Wait what are—.” Anthony was cut off by the wendigos clicks and gurgles before it spoke:

“C… Old…..S-l-....eep.” The wendigo spoke sort of softly into his ear.

“How am I supposed to sleep like this? Being held by a monster.” He whispered to himself.

Then he felt it. The warm silky fur that clung to his back like the softest blanket known to man. Its arms snaked around his waist and one around his bare chest. Its claws trailed terrifying and titillating paths across his firm muscles rippling underneath his skin before they found a comfortable spot to latch to. It felt odd being touched so….. Intimately by a monster but it felt nice. Like something Anthony had been missing or wanting deep down?

“Yeah right” he chuckled in his brain.

The beast's heartbeat sounded very quiet, but had a strength that echoed into his own torso from his spine. The rhythmic beating of its heart and the plush fur that replaced his shirt was actually quite nice. He even felt some smaller yet plump mounds on his back also covered in satin fur.

“Wait. There is no way.” Anthony thought skeptically.

“Is this thing a female?” he questioned in his mind. Anthony didn't really know if that mattered or not, but was terrified of this thing whether male, female, or something in between. He shook off his new discovery and tried to focus on resting so he could formulate a way out of here. It was odd being held by such a creature but not entirely terrible. Her large skull was over his head and his upper back and neck were cushioned right into her chest. Anthony was going to tuck his legs in like a ball, but the wendigo stopped him by draping one of its large and muscular thighs over his legs. This sort of intertwined his legs with hers. He hadn't realized how round and thick her thighs were. Sure he saw them earlier, but feeling them on his own skin made him a little nervous and uncomfortable. Then again she was like the perfect walking heater, so maybe he should stick it out rather than trying to sleep in the cold again.

“Wow, you're so warm. This is……nice.” he complimented.

—-

The wendigo purred at his compliment and took pride in its ability to keep warm, as well as many other things. Its eyes glowed an even brighter red at his words. The wendigo adjusted its hands wrapping around Anthony's body. She wanted to test and learn about her new investment. Well at least before the next full moon. It slowly snaked its hand from his chest to just beneath his neck. Trailing its claws, careful not to cut her human. Feeling his muscle tucked beneath his soft and warm skin. She moved both hands in sync, trying to memorize every bump and curve of his form. She felt him hold his breath out of fear. She found that small action…. Cute? He still didn't understand his new position with her but she gurgled to herself in what she thought was a laugh. Her other hand draped over his abs moved a little as well, just enough to test the waters. She kept her palm still but rotated it to let her fingers dance closer and closer to those cloth coverings of his. Her sharp nails danced right above his coverings and she could feel the hair there between her fingers. She caressed this part of him for a minute but he seemed weird as he held his breath again and his core seemed to twitch. Her hunger was pushing her, she knew he was new and not accustomed to her yet, but she had to have more.

—--

"What the hell is it doing?” He panicked. First it was that odd gurgling noise it made and its hand was dangerously close to his neck and throat.

“It trailed up my chest slowly like it was going to cut me.” He was sweating.

“She could slit my throat in our sleep or choke me out.” he thought.

His thoughts were swiftly pushed aside as the creature's other hand started to move. It seemed to twist and move and its fingers began dancing across the sensitive skin above his waistband. She ran her claws back and forth slowly through his happy trail. His body involuntarily twitched out of fear or interest or something. The odd tantalizing touch was a shock to him he hadn't prepared his mind for. It had been forever since he was touched by somebody, or in this case, something else, in such a way. He held his breath fearfully, scared of what she might do next.

“What if she started gutting me right now?” He thought.

He was scared but something in his primal brain made him more nervous of what she would do instead of killing him. Because deep down, he understood she wasn't slicing or scratching, she was exploring.

“What if she …. Touches me…. -” He stammered skeptically in his brain, unable to get out the last words.

He shook his head back and forth gently to rid his head of these outlandish ideas.

“No, there is no way. It's just readjusting its hands and stuff. It couldn't be interested in me like that.” He chuckled quietly to himself in a nervous tone.

“Yeah, she is just keeping me warm.” He said almost believing it. That was until her fingers found his waistband and delved underneath for just a second.

Anthony yipped and spoke high pitched and nervous.

“WELL UH…. Goodnight.” He blurted out in the spur of the moment.

—-

She noticed his jerk and weird noise. She quickly pulled her lowering hand back to his abs. She held him slightly tighter as her fingers dug into his skin ever so slightly. Her fur bristled and she pulled him close so she could better give him warmth and feel his soft human skin across her chest and stomach. She knew it was an odd mix of want and possession. She felt her eyes betray her and glow an even brighter fiery red. She was surprised how upset she was at his curt dismissal. She wanted more of him. She had her usual hunger for flesh, but this hunger was different, and she had come to hate it. That odd ache and appetite that was full force every full moon and had always made a fool of her; no longer. She had found a way to take care of her issue. Whether he understood it or not, he would help her, he had no choice. She had been penetrating his mind and dreams and she knew if he were to be accustomed or ready for her by the next full moon, she had to kick it into high gear. The more he saw her, the more he dreamed of her, that fear would dissipate. She needed him to want it, just slightly enough to claim him. Luckily, the full moon was a week or two away and she had some control over herself.

She thought back to her previous heats, her body remembered them best. She hated the impending full moons. She could feel them coming days in advance. A storm would brew in her bones that only grew and grew until it unleashed like a whirlwind on the fateful night in utter loneliness. She had never had a way to relieve the pressure and overwhelming heat. Yet the nervous twitching mess she held close would change that.

She remembered the last moon.

Laying in her makeshift nest, clawing at her groin and thighs in desperate attempts to relieve that awful heat and ache. Laying by bodies of deer and rabbits she had brutally slaughtered and eaten hoping the act and consumption would replace her release. It didn't. It never did. She held herself howling in the dark cave begging for a release. All she received in return was her own yells and screams echoing off the walls in a twisted mockery.

But those times have passed now.

—--

After Anthony's outburst, he tried to focus on going back to sleep as it was still very late, but his mind was still replaying the wendigo's previous actions. However, he heard the occasional growl and gurgle slipping from his monstrous big spoon that would jolt him from his dozing. He knew she was awake because she hadn't released those loud snores yet. He was terrified of what she was thinking.

“She could be thinking about how to eat me, or when to eat me…” he paused.

“Or worse she might be thinking of something more….intimate.” He finished with a shudder.

“I need to find a way to escape.” He huffed to himself. He finally found a moment of silence and peace as he drifted off to sleep once again. Scared of whatever nightmare would plague him now.

As the rem sleep hit him, the foggy images started to plague his mind. This time they flew by in his mind. It made him queasy and his head started to ache.

—---

The first dream was abrupt and out of nowhere. He was cleaning himself in a nice warm river, far warmer than it should have been. The river banks were blanketed in a thick layer of snow but Anthony felt perfectly warm. He was completely unclothed and his toes squelched in the silt in the river. The water trickled down his frame and his hair was wet and stuck to his forehead as he cupped the water and brought it to his face and chest over and over again. The sudden crack of a twig behind him made him pause and turn around hesitantly. He saw her again. The ominous wendigo watched him closely as he washed. Drool dripped from her teeth and jaw and her breath was visible in the cold winter air. Anthony thought he would be nervous or scared, but surprisingly he enjoyed being viewed like this.

“Why is she watching me? Is she enjoying this?” Anthony questioned with a smirk.

As he scrubbed his body his skin started to change and itch. He scrubbed harder and his skin began to fall apart in his hands. His eyes widened. Blood and flesh came off into his hands leaving behind muscled flesh oozing with blood. The fresh water all around him turned crimson. Anthony gagged as more and more skin washed off his body. He went to speak but his teeth began falling out of his mouth with no resistance. Blood pooled in his mouth and gushed down his throat. The coppery taste made him gag more and stomach started to ache. Anthony fell to his knees in the river and stared at his reflection in the water. He saw his visage and saw his eyes had disappeared. All that remained was his empty eye sockets that dripped blood into the river. Anthony cried in defeat and in utter pain, the tears came out as more blood. Then the vision faded.

—--

The second dream, Anthony awoke in his childhood room but he was still his grown self. He awoke there screaming and his father burst into his room. The door practically came off the hinges and the lights from the hallway penetrated his darkened room. He rushed to his side like he was a 6 or 7 year old boy.

“Are you okay? What's wrong?” His father questioned, placing his hand on Anthony's shoulder in a small yet comforting touch.

“Wait what? Is this another dream?” Anthony asked, now aware of the bizarre dreams and when they start.

“What? dreams?” His father asked in a confused tone.

The moment was interrupted as his father lurched. His father had a small trail of blood drip from his lips until his chest exploded in front of Anthony. Anthony watched in horror as a sharp clawed hand burst through his dads chest cavity, splattering his dads blood all over his face. The hand twitched, covered in his fathers fluids, before yanking its appendage free. His dad crumpled to the floor like a ragdoll and all that stood behind him was that ominous and ever-present figure. The wendigo licked its fingers clean while staring at the horrified Anthony. It gurgled and chirped and its eyes were two bright balls of red in the twilight of his childhood room. Anthony's heart raced and chest started to hurt.

“Is this going to happen every night? Am I just going to keep having neverending nightmares while I'm trapped in the woods with a mind breaking monstrosity? He yelled in this dream.

“What do you want from me?” Anthony pleaded for an answer as his eyes started to mist, and his psyche was on the verge of snapping.

At the question, the wendigo paused its slurping of his fathers blood. It cocked its head at an awkward angle and stared right into Anthony's soul. It opened its jaw and its long sinuous tongue fell from the boney maw. It chortled and clicked going through the usual pitches and volumes until the broken english echoed from its skull.

“Y…..ou–UU.” The monster screeched, causing Anthony to wince and cover his ears at the horrendous echo.

As the volume died off, so did his vision. The blackness crept into his eyes again and he knew he was on to the next.

—--

The next dream was more familiar to his current scenario. He was naked again, stranded in the blackened woods and freezing cold. His feet sunk into the cold wet dirt and wind whipped through this weird valley creating a haunting howl that reverberated in his skull. He was running through the woods unsure of why he was sprinting. The branches flew by in a blur with several sticking out far enough to clip or cut his skin. He reached a large clearing with knee high reeds. The wind was calm and the colors all looked normal for once. In the center of the expansive clearing was the usual culprit. The wendigo stood there gauntly. Its long and gangly limbs, its emaciated frame, the deep and white skull topped with the ornate antlers.

“What's the plan? You want me right? Why? To eat? To torture? Lets get it over with….” Anthony yelled at her. His anger was visible across his face. His brows furrowed and his face turned red. He approached her ready for a confrontation. He knew that nothing would stop him in this realm, its a dream after all.

The wendigo continued its long and awkward glare. Not speaking. Not chirping. Not moving. The red balls of fire in its sunken and empty sockets were the only moving part.

Anthony reached just before the monster. It loomed over him as it continued to leer down at him. Anthony stood with his chest out feeling emboldened by his anger and the safety of his mind.

“So, are we doing this or what?” Anthony pushed at her waist and abdomen as that was about as high as he could reach on her.

She stumbled back slightly. She approached him carefully and seemed to inspect him closely. She must have noticed the couple small cuts he received from the branches. Anthony expected a tussle or some kind of grappling but she just seemed to sniff at the cuts across his face and arms. Her warm breath wafted across his sweat glazed skin and offered some minute comfort from the cold air.

“What are you doing? Smelling me?” Anthony angrily spoke.

He attempted to push her deer skull away from his body trying to get her sharp teeth and pointy antlers away from him. As his hands touched her skull instead of the growl he was expecting, she started to vibrate. Anthony was shocked by the revelation and opted to touch her skull again out of a morbid curiosity. When he did, a smooth yet alien purr emanated from her skull. The deep resonance radiated into his arm, and then to his chest. It vibrated his heart and he felt an abnormal feeling within him. His blood seemed to pump faster and his heart beat stronger. His breath quickened and he had no idea why. He quickly retracted his hand. The wendigo brought her face close to his cuts again. Instead of pulling away or pushing her off again, he just let her inch closer and closer. Suddenly, her jaws opened, Anthony twitched in trepidation. Her long slimy tongue snaked its way out of her spikey mouth and began lapping at his cuts. He was stunned by her sudden affection and worry for him.

Is it actually concern, or a taste test?” He thought to himself as she continued to lavish his flesh with utmost attention. The tongue coiled and writhed like it had a mind of its own. It wrapped around his arms and slid up and down and coated spots in a film.

“Hopefully these are healing licks.” He laughed in his head.

She pulled away again and now focused on his face. She tried to get closer and lick his cheeks and forehead but he backed off. She followed his steps backwards attempting to get at him still. Anthony shuffled backwards until his heel caught on a root and stumbled backwards landing on his butt. The wendigo took the opportunity to pounce onto Anthony. Her large sharp hands splayed out across his broad chest covering it completely and holding him pinned to the dirt floor. The cold dirt beneath him seemed to warm with the heat of his body and her weight on top of him. Her lower half rested upon his waist and legs. The soft fur embraced his groin and hugged him like a silk black blanket. She bent her arms, bringing her chest towards him. She lowered her skull right into the crook of his neck.

Anthony squirmed, not used to the intimate moment and touch.

“I uhh… can you let me go?” He breathed heavily. Trying to focus on his escape and not being tricked by the monster manipulating his dreams.

She didn't answer.
Her tongue slipped out again and lapped at his sensitive neck. There weren't even any cuts there. He tried to calm his heart as it attempted to beat out of his chest. He tried to grab her or move his arms but she had his upper body pinned completely. Her tongue dragged across his neck and traced his jaw. As it got closer and closer to his mouth he could feel the heat she was putting off in between her legs.

“Wait, does she want this? I don't understand?” He whispered to himself.

Her groin heat rested right in his lap and caused blood to pump to his member.

“Wait. Do I want this?” He panicked trying to make sense of his emotions and his body reacting to the monster above him.

She purred and finally that tongue slipped into his mouth. Her hum reached a high pitch as she tasted him.

—-

Anthony finally awoke. Not with a start this time. He saw the stoney ceiling lit by the noon sun. “Already noon?” He asked himself. He sat up in a rush feeling completely alone. He was missing the furry embrace of the wendigo keeping him warm. He turned towards the center of the cave and saw the wendigo staring at him intently. The dark sockets hiding deep secrets and hidden intentions. She continued the stare not breaking it. She seemed to sniff and lick the air with a huff of her breath.

Anthony looked down and felt his rigid length rubbing against his pants from his nocturnal escapade. He blushed and adjusted himself. He looked at her again and she was still breathing heavily and sniffing the air with big inhales.

“You smell me don't you? You smell my…. Uh….. Ya know?” Anthony asked while he gazed back at her with reddened cheeks.

“Y-..ee….s-S.” She growled in the positive.

“What's the meaning of your actions? What's the point of all this? Keeping me here against my will? Keeping me trapped in your cave? Turning me on?” Anthony asked out of genuine curiosity and concern and glanced away in embarrassment.

She pointed a long boney claw at him.
“Mmm– aT T…..ee.” She groaned in an uneasy tone.

“Mate? Me? Does that require me to be locked up all day and for you to constantly assault my mind?” he spoke angrily.

She cocked her head in skepticism.
“Ppp---re….paiii—R.” She gurgled in response.

“Prepare?” He asked, confused and concerned for what the monster was getting at, trying to find a way out of the cave and away from her.

She nodded, her antlers bobbing back and forth.

“Okay I don't need that. I just need freedom. I don't want to be cooped up here all day. I don't want you altering and changing my dreams. I don't know what you mean by "prepare” but we can talk like normal people.” Anthony tried to reassure the beast without losing his life. He knew this was probably his only way to escape. Being allowed outside might give him an opportunity to make a run for it. So, he leaned into the narrative.

—-

She nodded, accepting the simple terms. She accepted his request for minor freedom and more simple communication, but about a week and half was all she could take before her mind and body would be corrupted by the full moon. Her body would take over that fateful night and anything slow would be out the window. She already found it difficult not to lick and taste him. He was always in close proximity and the ease of access made her want to smell him and taste him frequently. The sweat and wounds in his dreams tasted delightfully sweet and salty at the same time. The sultry heat she had felt between his legs was enrapturing and almost put her in a trance and, by the forest, that sweet warm taste of his tongue on hers made her pant. Finally, when he woke up, that deep powerful erotic musk his lower half emitted made her partially feral. Just thinking about it made her drool from her mouth and her eyes to ignite those small red fires. The heat in between her legs stirred and she drooled minimally there too before she got her instincts under control again. However, he was right; if she were to make a mate of him, she could not imprison him just like any other human meal she would rip apart and pick clean. She needed him comfortable enough and open enough to accept her as his.

Maybe she should take him to clean himself like in the one dream, and maybe find him new upper garments for the coming cold months.

The two stared at each other until she broke the silence.

“Baa…T-hhe…” She snarled.

Anthony looked at her flabbergasted, unaware of her random train of thought.
“Bathe?” He asked with a skeptical look.

Chapter Text

Psycho

She knew of a perfect place to clean himself. A natural hot spring further up the mountain above her cave. It was a tad too close to the other woods beyond her territory but she wouldn't let him out of her sight, so it didn't matter. She crouched in front of him and gestured to him to crawl onto her back. His arms hesitantly reached around the fur of her neck. She didn't mean to, but she purred softly as it radiated from her throat as his hands ruffled through the tufts of fur around her neck. As she stood to her full height, she could feel the extra weight of the human hanging off her and his feet dangling behind her.

—-

Anthony was still confused by her speech.

“A bath? Now?” Anthony questioned himself.

She crouched in front of him on all fours and gestured to him to crawl into her. He nervously approached her and wrapped his arms around her neck. The furry lion's mane around her skull was surprisingly smooth and seemed to swallow his arms completely. Her fur tickled his face as he buried it into her back. His hands locked together at her chest and he could feel her chest rising and falling. His hands accidentally graced her plump mounds and he couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed but she didn't seem to notice the accidental touch.

Anthony tried to see where they were going through the forest of dark fur all around him. He watched as she approached the mouth of the cave. He was afraid they were going to fall outright from the relatively sheer drop. However, she locked her long sharp claws of her hands and feet into the stone walls and began scaling upwards. Anthony looked down to see his dangling feet and a crisp 30ft drop. He panicked slightly as his heart beat faster and he tightened his grip reflexively. He buried his face into her fur again having always been slightly afraid of falling but not of heights. She crawled up faster and faster. Her sharp nails sliced through weaker rocks and dug into stronger ones. Finally, they reached an abrupt plateau.

The wendigo stopped, standing tall on a flat space no wider than a sidewalk. Anthony continued to hold on not realizing she probably wanted him to let go now. She growled low and he caught the hint. Anthony released his grip, falling a couple feet until he landed firmly on the stone path. He prayed he wouldn't stumble or trip while up here because the drop seemed to triple in distance now.

“Uh, we are a bit high up ... What is this about a bath?” He nervously chuckled.

She stared at him for a long moment. The vacant empty eyes in her skull were not showing any bright fire this time. She suddenly turned with a low mumble and started following the rocky trail that coiled around the mountain face. Anthony hesitantly followed behind her being sure to hug the mountain side away from the sharp edge. The wendigos antlers occasionally scratched across the mountain and claws would casually dislodge a rock or two that would tumble loudly until crashing into the soft ground 100 feet below.

Anthony could only gulp and follow closely behind her.

Anthony trailed carefully as he watched the sun in the sky. It was covered by a healthy amount of gray clouds but he could tell it had already begun its descent. It must have been 2 or 3 o'clock as the wendigo stopped. Anthony bumped into her soft yet thin back and looked up to her. All she was doing was pointing. He followed her gesture to a wide opening at the top of this mountain. Steam seemed to rise from everywhere and blinded him until he waded through it. He spotted crystal clear water that oozed steamed and various smooth rocks surrounding various small water filled pools. In the center was the largest pool of water. The whole scene was beautifully serene and calming to Anthony after the rough times and nights he had been having.

“Wow this is awesome. My very own hot spring.” He laughed heartily.
The female monster nodded simply at his quip and sat on a nearby damp rock, facing the large pool. Anthony approached the water and got down to his knees to run his hands on it to check the temperature. His knees dug into the stone painfully but the hot water was perfect. It soothed his aching joints he didn't realize were in pain. It easily washed away the dirt underneath his nails and in the crevices of his palm.

“Oh man this is going to feel like heaven.” He whispered to himself.

Anthony glanced behind him with a smile just for it to falter as he saw her staring ominously. Her dark, black sockets flickered to life with pinhole size red flames. Anthony hadn't seen those fires so small before. He assumed it had to be tied to her thoughts or emotions. Her deep gaze made him feel exposed and didn't quite want to strip down in front of the beast.

“Well she is naked all the time and I don't make a fuss…” Anthony paused.
“Well I haven't really seen much though. But I doubt she cares about modesty like a human would.” He concluded, thinking carefully about the situation.

Her deep stare into his form continued and he turned away from her so he didn't feel so gawked at. He faced the large steaming pool and took a long deep breath. He nervously lowered his pants, pulling each leg from the cloth. Of course, with the shirt long gone he didn't have to worry about that and stripped away his socks. He heard the smallest huff emanating from behind him, but let it slip from his thoughts. He gently stepped into the waters. It rippled around his calves and thighs as he waded deeper into the healing elixir. The steam clung to his skin. He brought handfuls of water cupped in his hands to his chest and face. The water smelled like minerals and beaded down his chest and arms. The surface of the water rested just below the small of his back and just above his buttocks. The tantalizing display proved almost too much for the wendigo.

—-

She had watched him the whole time. She had only seen him naked in those dreams of his, and it never stood out in those realms. However, seeing the steam dance around him and water run down his peculiar frame; she could feel the flame in her eyes growing. The way his muscles were tucked away underneath his smooth damp skin made her squirm. Her small purrs erupted out of her unable to control them. Her tongue fell from her mouth and next thing she knew she was stepping towards the pool.

She crept towards the water bipedally. Sinking quietly into the water with no sound. The heat bristled her fur, and the water slickened it. She approached him from behind in awe as his body was shining and rippling, so easily watchable due to his lack of fur.

—--

Anthony felt the hair on his neck stand on end. He figured it was the piercing eyes of the female watching him. So, he turned around and jumped as she was now directly behind him looming over him.

“Is everything alright?” he asked.

She held her deep burning gawking with no words.

Her eyes were burning like small suns and the fur on her neck, although glistening, was puffed out. He raked his eyes down her emaciated yet strong frame. Her plump furry breasts led down to her thin waist, and culminated at her wide hips. Her curves were surprisingly voluptuous and Anthony didn't know why he was thinking that or, more accurately, didn't care to admit it. He glanced further down and saw her thick thighs were swallowed by the water and her groin rested right above the surface. This was as close she had ever been while face to face.

“You're a bit close.” He huffed slightly as his face reddened.

She didn't answer. Just growled softly, stepping even closer. Her slim body was just a breath away from Anthony now.

He accidentally caught a view of a prominent patch of extra luxurious fur at her groin. It was lustrous looking and something deeper in him begged him to touch it. He nervously raised a hand, unable to control his body anymore. He reached for that soft patch with one hand while the other was ready to grasp her waist. The coo in the wendigo's throat echoed out into the water and banged off Anthony's tight chest.

The intimate moment was cut short as Anthony heard the falling and cracking of rocks behind him. He whipped around to see a hiker in the distance coming closer and closer from the other side of the mountain. He panicked, turning to look at the wendigo, who was gone. She disappeared quickly leaving behind a strand of fur here and there and the heavy ripples of the water from where she rushed off. Anthony focused his attention on the approaching human, as it may be his one chance to get out of here. He rushed towards the edge of the water towards the hiker.

“Someone there?” A feminine voice asked.

“Yes yes…we have to leave NOW!” He yelled.

The hiker dressed in a puffy purple coat. Her blonde hair pulled up tight and covered by a simple black baseball cap. She wore baggy cargo pants with big hiking boots.

The women caught a glimpse of Anthony at the edge of the hot spring, his lower half still shielded by the water.

“Hey, I know you…. You have been missing for 2 weeks.” She said in a shocked tone.

“Yeah yeah that's great we need -….” Anthony paused.

“Two weeks? What, that's impossible?” Anthony complained.

“We need to get out of here, I need to talk with the rangers.” Anthony begged as he stepped free from the water.

The hiker glanced down at his exposed lower half. Small, imperceptible, instinctual, and barely noticeable, by most.

—-

She was stalking from the shadows. Hiding in the steam and clinging to hidden boulders and rotten tree trunks littered through the spring. She saw the female, she smelled her and disliked her communication with her male. She smelled fresh and lovely and would no doubt taste fantastic. But she had to be smarter. Her mate needed clothes, correct? Well this female has the upper cloth that he is missing. She also had to make an example of the female human. The male was hers to talk to, hers to watch, hers to approach. Then it happened, that small brief glance.

She saw him.

Saw the hidden part of him that should belong to her.

Unacceptable.

Her eyes exploded like a nuclear bomb and she screeched so loudly it made the two humans wince and cover their ears. The gurgling horrific scream was like that of a dying deer and screaming woman and caused surrounding birds to flee in terror.

—--

“You need to leave… just go.” Anthony begged the young women

“Bring the ranger back please.” He begged.

The hiker nodded in obvious panic and sweat and turned to leave quickly. Anthony didn't know why he told her to leave him, it just came out. Maybe deep down he thought she could escape and he could keep the beast at bay for her retreat. He knew better though.

He had seen what she had done to a full grown bear.

The bones of animals and humans alike in the cave.

He accepted it before he even realized it.

The wendigo descended on her like lightning, pouncing on her from above. The hiker's scream was loud and blood curdling.

“AHHHH WHAT IS THIS… HELP ME!” she pleaded desperately, staring back at Anthony expectantly. Her eye contact froze Anthony completely. He wanted to interject but couldn't will his body to interrupt the violent exchange. The wendigo saw their eye contact again and screamed at the defenseless hiker she had pinned to the rocks. The Wendigos terrifying scream rattled the hiker's brain and made her ears bleed.

—-

She had grown tired of this human's gaze at her male. Was she threatening her status? Was she attempting to steal what was hers? The looks had to stop.

She grabbed the human girl's head firmly on both sides of her scalp. Her eyes were burning yellow for the first time in forever. She arched out her sharply clawed thumbs and brought them to the intruder's eyes.

This would take care of those looks.

She drove the nails into her eyes so slow she could feel the saline seep from her eyes and the jelly ooze onto her claws. The resistance was minimal as they glided into her optic nerves. The wendigo cooed happily at her success while the hiker female shrieked and pleaded for it to stop and for it to end. She pleaded for the pain to stop and kept repeating that she couldn't see. The hiker clawed at her own face and her monstrous hands in vain attempts to free herself. She pulled her nails from her destroyed eyes as blood gushed from her sockets and dripped across her face, streaked down her cheeks and scalp, and collected in her hair. She shrieked still but her breath was ragged and voice shrill and broken.

—

Anthony watched with a gag and horror written across his face as the blood ran all across the girl's face and pooled on stone beneath her. The small river of blood trickled toward the spring water where Anthony stood shin deep. He stood there frozen, still bare and was growing cold from the temp and the ghastly sight he was bearing witness too. The poor girl was dying slowly and painfully. It was unusual, the wendigo had only ever killed things quickly and ate them even faster. Why was she different?

Like she heard his thoughts Anthony caught the gaze of the wendigo as she snarled at him and approached closer to the water. She dragged the girl painfully across the smooth rocks by her skull. The hiker breathed heavily and tried to cry and screamed for help again and again.

“PLEASE HELP…” She sobbed, while she clutched at the monster's arm trying to free herself or at least support herself. The beast stopped right at the edge of the water near Anthony and stared at him. She slowly raised the human girl's head from the ground before abruptly slamming her down. The girl's cranium crunched and cracked slightly. Her screaming became quiet, and she seemed to groan and ache in a dazed wounded state. The wendigo held its terrible emblazoned stare at Anthony's soul as she raised the girl's head again and slammed down once more. The blood squirted out splashing around Anthony's legs and waist tainting the water he was standing in. The water turned a bright crimson and the hiker just seemed to gurgle and was no longer capable of speech.

One final raise and horrible slam. She crunched and cracked again. The splits and tears in her skull oozed the last bit of blood in her skull and her noises had stopped completely. The wendigo pulled the purple coat from the limp cold body. It handed it to him with no words, just a simple growl. He held the coat in hands.

“F-for me?” He nervously asked.

“Shhhhh….ER---T.” The monster creaked and gurgled as the fire in its eyes seemed to dim.

Anthony couldn't help but just look back at the monster in shock and a deep fear. There was a darker emotion lurking, buried deeper in him. One that he couldn't bring himself to label; or one he so desperately wanted to be false. He had caught the gist of her terrible stare down. She killed the poor woman because of him, for him? Because he was talking to the hiker, because she looked at him, because he needed a shirt? Anthony had no idea she was so possessive and violent over him. This was it.

He had no escape.

The first person he had seen in apparently two weeks was tortured and brutally killed right in front of him, just because she looked at him.

The wendigo would surely rip apart anything or anyone that got close to him, or anything that threatened her territory and control.

It would never let him leave.

What terrified him the most was that maybe he didn't want to leave. She killed for him. Held him at night. Got him a shirt he so desperately needed for the coming cold months.

“I think I'm far more screwed than I initially realized.” He huffed. He sat in the knee high water feeling cold and defeated.

The wendigo saw his sullen face and grabbed the jacket from him and placed it across his back with a smooth gentleness in attempt to soothe his unnecessary agitation she could smell in the hot steam.

“What is with her?” Anthony questioned in his mind, further confused by her loving act.

“She is soft and sultry one moment, and then violent and dangerous the next.” He sighed.

“Thank god I'm somehow on her good side.” He huffed in utter defeat.

-----

All was lost.

Or maybe something new was on the horizon.

Chapter Text

Insight

Anthony sat there. Still in the warm water with that bloodied purple coat draped over his shoulders. That poor hiker, he didn't even catch her name, but he figured it didn't matter now. Just another missing person in these god forsaken woods. However, something she said still stuck with him.

“2 weeks? That's impossible. How long was I knocked out? I remember waking up and it's only been a day or so since then, right? There is no way I was knocked out for a week and a half.” Anthony questioned.

The wendigo remained behind him after putting the purple coat on her prize. Her large hands rested on his shoulders. She could feel the heat from just beneath the cloth and the steam rising from his body. She didn't understand why he was so downcast. Was he upset with her?

Upset because he got bloody?

Upset because their time together interrupted?

She was upset that that tramp had intruded on her private viewing of him. The human witnessed his intimate core better than she had. She seethed at the thought, huffing a bit and blowing air at the back of Anthony's head. Not only that, but he was almost going to touch her. That outstretched hand of his and his eyes so thoroughly locked on her form. She couldn't forget it and wanted it to happen again. Maybe she could get that moment to occur once more.

She leaned down towards the head of her mate. Her breath wafting across the crook of his neck. She felt him shudder underneath her breath, surely that was a good sign.

She found these humans odd, while she acted on feeling and instinct, they seemed to overthink and panic about everything. This was super obvious during their last moments and final gasps for life. Some fought back and some hid. But obviously he was a little different, she didn't want to eat him… well not in the normal sense.

She let her long coiled tongue fall from her boney mouth. She tried to lick at his cheek but he seemed to turn away from her.

“Stop.” He whispered.

She froze. Tongue still mid lick.

Surely her licks and purrs would make him feel better but he wasn't allowing her access. Maybe he was still cold or cave sick and wanted back. Maybe he was sleepy?

She inches closer again attempting to lick at him. But instead he pulled away even harder this time. She cocked her head diagonally, utterly confused. She was trying to get that intimate moment back from before they were so rudely interrupted.

Anthony felt terrible. Felt horrible from rejecting his savior and host. She could easily kill him, but she didn't. He was grateful for that, but was still traumatized from the horrific murder he witnessed.

“Im wearing her clothes for Christ's sake.” He thought to himself.

Anthony stood abruptly. He marched around the pool to his dry and folded pants. He pulled them from the ground and hastily put them on in a huff. He didn't look at the wendigo. He couldn't.

He heard small squeaks that sounded like whines coming from directly behind him. He sighed deeply before turning around now fully clothed. The wendigo was on all fours hunched low right before him which startled him. She looked at him with skepticism and her eyes were an odd blue fire in those empty sockets. He couldn't remember if he had seen that color in her before or not.

“What do you want?” He said rougher than he intended.

She winced at his stern voice. She hadn't heard this side of him before. She didn't like it. Who does he think he is? This was her territory after all. Even after she so graciously offered to share it with him as her mate he would speak and act against her?
He was hers. What has changed?

That stupid human female…

She growled at the thought that that purple freak had stolen her males desire even in death. She had torn her apart but she still lingered, her scent on the jacket, in his mind, she had to get him back…

She shoved her skulled head into his chest, forceful and unrelenting.

Then came the licking. Coarse, slow, deliberate. Her hot breath steamed against his skin. She rubbed her scent into him, dragging it across his chest in long, territorial strokes, overwriting every trace of the dead human female.

She bumped her bony muzzle against his jaw, insistently, yet making sure that her antlers wouldn't gouge him.

Anthony tried to turn away, but a guttural growl stopped him; deep, thunderous.

She continued.

Scenting him again. Claiming him again.
Over his chest, down his ribs, up to the vulnerable hollow of his throat where his blood pulsed strongest.

Around his neck, she lingered. Smelled like hers.

His body warmed and his breath hitched. Her body was crushing against his. Her earthy animalistic musk almost suffocated him. Her antlers bobbed back and forth, almost gouging out his eyes or cutting into his neck. She was scenting him….

He knew deep down why she was doing this but he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

“Okay okay…. alright…. I'm sorry.” Anthony whispered, trying to appease the beast.

She had recognized these words before. She purred happily. She nudged him with her head again pushing him towards the directions of the cave. She stood upright dwarfing him and began walking in front, leading the way back. She knew she would come back for that woman's human flesh later, now she had to get her male comfortable back at the cave. She wanted to hold him.

The impending full moon was approaching. She wanted to pamper and hold him before she would slip and claim him completely. Hopefully he will be prepared soon…

—-

The walk back was simple enough. Anthony followed closely behind her as she led the way back down the mountainous trail. The atmosphere seemed a little odd and awkward. Like something had changed or shifted in her demeanor. She seemed more interested in his movements, constantly looking back to make sure he was still near and following. Her earthy musk had grown shallow due to her time in the water but the damp stench was now overpowering his senses. As they reached the middle of the trail she stopped and grabbed him abruptly. Without warning, she brought him into a tight embrace and slid down the cliff face towards her lair. Her large sharp fingers wrapped around him in a twisted version of a hug, slightly digging into his skin.

His heart quickened and he felt the thunderous beating of her heart, hidden behind her soft and surprisingly voluptuous chest. Anthony hadn't really paid much attention but her excessive fur worked well to hide her breasts. Her heavy breaths were humid and hot. Her fast movements and steps were rather dizzying but were enamoring like a peculiar dance.

His cheeks warmed until his naughty stupor was interrupted as they came to a quick stop. They had arrived at the mouth of his new home.

He knew there was no escaping this or her. She was everywhere and smelled and watched him constantly.

“She manipulates my dreams for Christ's sake.” Anthony thinks to himself.

After seeing what the wendigo did to that poor hiker, he figured outside help was useless and highly unlikely to boot. But whatever he had done to be spared he had to continue doing.

“Living in servitude might be better than dying.” He huffed silently.

She dropped him inside the cave before she suddenly left again. Anthony was left confused but would take this short time to collect his thoughts and maybe develop some better bedding for himself so he didn't have to sleep with her to stay warm.

—-

She knew the night was going to be another cold one. As soon as she dropped off the male she rushed down the cliff face from the cave. She hurdled through the forest at break neck pace. She needed to find a way to warm him at night that wasn't just her embrace. The addition of that jacket would help a little but surely not enough for the coming cold months that were on the horizon. She stalked the dark forest, the dim sunlight unable to penetrate the ominous woods. The various tracks and smells of the area spread in all different directions.

“Fur” She thought to herself.

She examined a collection of tracks and found a rather large set of hoof marks. She sniffed and traced the tracks through the darkening forest.

The sun was finally getting lower and lower in the sky about to gently kiss the further mountains in the west. Her eyes adjusted to the shadowy woods quickly.

She approached a large clearing with tall grass which she used in one of The humans dreams. In the epicenter was a large older buck with large antlers. It grazed quietly with another doe or two and a younger deer.

She stalked closer and silently avoiding the crunching leaves and dry cracking branches. The animals' heads occasionally perked up and examined their surroundings before going back to their grass again and again.

As the wind died down abruptly and the swaying grass came to a subtle halt, she waited for her moment to strike.

With a large and violent leap into the air, she descended down on the unsuspecting buck. Her right hand balled in a fist came down like a hammer on the poor animal's back. The blow immediately crunched its spine, paralyzing it. It shrieked in horrific pain causing the other deer to scatter and birds to fly away in haste. It crumpled to the ground braying and screaming. Putting the animal out of its misery she punctured its soft skull with her left hand like a knife, silencing it permanently.

She carefully took the corpse and severed its hide from the muscle using her sharp scalpel-like claws. From neck to belly, she peeled away its soft skin revealing the more tasty organs and muscle. Before she could delight in the tender morsels she carefully removed as much blood, muscle, and fat from the fur as possible, hoping to please her male with her gift.

—-

It had been maybe around an hour since his new roommate had left.

“Hard to tell time with just the sun now.” Anthony huffed.

He didn't know what she was doing or if she was mad or left him for dead.

“Maybe this cave was his now? Maybe this was a good chance to leave?”

The thought of leaving should have inspired him and given him hope but it only filled him with fear and dread.

“I- I don't know if I could escape her. She would just find me and drag me back to this sedimentary prison.” Anthony panicked at the mere thought of her angry with his escape.

Ripping his arms and legs off and drinking the blood that comes from them. Gouging out his eyes or splitting open his skull to eat on this dura matter. Anthony couldn't help but think of all the terrible ways she could rip him apart and eat him if he stepped out of line.

He shuddered at the thought of his lifeless corpse or bones decorating her cave.

Anthony took these moments to scour the cave for his own enjoyment and to hopefully find a way to make his permanent stay more comfortable. Her side of the cave with her nest was mostly just dry grass rocks and bones. There were deep scratches and markings all across the cave but nothing of note.

To his dismay Anthony caught the sun creeping deeper and deeper past the mountains, drenching the surrounding forest and cave in blackness. He huddled in the alcove he tried to hide in not long ago. He pulled the new purple jacket around him trying to hold as much heat as he could. He shivered while the moon started to climb into the sky.

“Fuck! I think it's growing even colder. This jacket helps, but it won't do shit if it snows.” Anthony thought.

He questioned how he would make it through winter or how his monstress planned on keeping him alive during a blizzard.

His musings were cut short as the crumbling and tumbling of rocks graced his ears. He found himself about to rush to the mouth of the cave to see if it was her but he stopped himself.

“Why am I happy she is back? She is like a warden… I don't understand.” He questioned himself and what she was doing to him.

She skulked into the cave with a large fur and those all too familiar glowing red fires in those empty eyes. She beelined for him, intimidating him and putting him on edge. She shot out her long gangly arm with the large fur draped across it.

“What's that?” He questioned.

“F-f… uuuu-rrrrrr” she gurgled.

Anthony just looked at her with confusion written across his face.

She threw the large fur over his shoulders and it reached all the way down to his calves like a cloak. The fur on the outside was soft but the interior touching him was rather odd and sticky. He assumed it was from some animal she had maimed and eaten. However, it was a nice soft brown color.

“Is this for me?” He asked.

she nodded but continued staring at him like she was waiting for a response.

“I…. Um…. Thank you. I needed this.” He answered hesitantly.

The fire in her eyes burned brighter for a mere moment but she turned away quickly and headed towards her own bed. Anthony stayed put and she rustled around until she finally got herself into a comfortable position. As she laid down and stared at Anthony across the cave. Her fur seemed bristled and her breathing was slightly elevated.

Anthony had wrapped himself tightly in the newly acquired blanket and laid on the hard rocks separate from her. Her gaze was unnerving but her eyes had changed once again. They were that rare cerulean blue.

“I don't know what the colors indicate but I guess they have to be tied to her emotions? Is blue sad or concerned? Is the red angry or excited?” Anthony quietly asked himself.

Despite his rambling and jumbled thoughts her stare was still piercing through him.

“What?” He asked her.

Her gaze deepened and she gestured to her small nest.

“Hmm? I have this blanket you gave me, I should be fine through the night…” He trailed off.

She huffed loudly and turned away from him, leaving him to stare at her back and rethink his choices.

“Shit.” He whispered. He tossed and turned, a little scared to fall asleep afraid of what she may do to him in his mind. The events of the day were already deeply scarring; he didn't need to relive the nightmare again or suffer some new atrocity in his subconscious.

He faced the dark obsidian colored walls and could hear her subtle breathing and her loud heartbeat from across the room. Her musk was still prevalent as ever and he could smell her on this animal fur he was wrapped in. As he slowly began to doze off a random softness embraced him from the behind. Long limbs wrapped around his waist. Sharp claws latched around his hips feeling the sharp nails pinching him even through the animal skin. Heavy humid breaths reeking of copper flooded around his neck and head. Through his slight movements he could feel her furred chest behind him cushioning his back nicely, and her bony maw at his head.

“Oooookay…. She has followed me to my side of the cave and is holding me again to sleep. I thought the holding was for me but maybe it's for her?” Anthony asked.

“Whatever it takes to not die.” He continued to convince himself.

As soon as he uttered that he felt a long warm slimy appendage snake down the nape of his neck and wrapped towards the front near his adams apple. He shuddered and got goosebumps all over. Anthony didn't expect the sudden touch and he rather enjoyed it. It was different and unique. Even if it was from something dangerous it still felt nice to have someone or something touch him like that.

“How long has it been since I was touched like this?” His mind drifted

Anthony snapped at those intrusive thoughts trying to focus on sleeping as the tongue continued to coil around his neck and would occasionally grace his face but deftly avoided his mouth. Her gurgling and purrs radiated throughout his body. His body grew tired and his mind even more so. He was petrified of how she was going to try and manipulate him or terrorize his mind.

—--

She enjoyed holding him. His strength and lean muscle was noticeable even through the clothes and blanket. He may not be as strong as her but not much was. His taste was interesting and wholly unique to just him. Human flesh and blood was gratifying and delicious but he tasted better in a whole new way.

The way his sweat slicked skin felt across her tongue was intoxicating. Holding him close and feeling his relatively broad back against her own chest was enamoring. She could sense his growing unease and his tired state. She felt his body relax as he slipped into a deep sleep.

The full moon was a day or two away, she had to make him understand what was coming and what was going to take place on that night. She didn't know why but she might even be looking forward to it this time. The countless moons without a mate, the relentless strive to please the fire within her without assistance…

All that changed with the wounded male delivered to her doorstep.

She just hoped he would be able to handle all that she would unleash on him soon.