The rays of light shone through the trees and warmed Wesley's face as he rested on the grass. The animals were loud, with the birds tweeting and the local doe gossiping about which stags were the best. It had been a long time since he had felt this peaceful. In the distance, he heard the sounds of footprints. They were heavy and didn't bother avoiding sticks and leaves. A hand pulled at Wesley's shirt and yanked him to his feet. There were three men, each of them holding a weapon and had a scar of some sort. The one in the middle, who had a grip on Wesley, was holding a hunting list. Wesley's name was on it along with a few other names. 

"Are you that cursed boy Wesla?" The man asked. 

"N-no." Wesley said, alarmed at the weaponry the men were holding. 

"You look like him." Another hunter spoke. 

"Yeah it is him! Look at the shadows!" Someone else said.

Wesley's eyes grew wide as he began to panic. His heart beated faster and faster as he realized there was no escape. The shadows underneath them began crawling up Wesley's legs and arms as his stress grew. The hunter dropped him and pointed out his sword. Pushing himself to his feet, Wesley bolted away from the hunters. There were more than just three. He could hear them shouting orders to each other and alerting the whole forest. It seemed that they were hunting for more than just him. Wesley jumped over a boulder and kept running, not paying attention to the direction he was taking. 

The shadows on his legs and arms spread around his body until it enveloped him entirely. His body morphed from the young man into a wolf-like monster. The monster had two horns on his head, pure white eyes without irises, and a long white tongue. Now on all fours, he was able to speed through the forest at a faster pace. His head turned back to see if anybody was chasing him. The second he looked, he smacked headfirst into another person. Wesley wobbled for a moment before collapsing on the ground with a thud. 

The Virens forest was a good place for anyone who wanted to get lost. Pirates, ruffians, and anyone with stolen treasure. The jiggling coin she had while she was running was sure part of the problem. “Oh man, I really don’t want to have to throw this.” Now, it wasn’t the men’s treasure. It wasn’t even hers. She had been hired by a family to retrieve it from a group of bandits. The area had been clear when she sneaked in but the moment she stepped out she found herself surrounded.

“You’re a bloody wolf in human skin!” The men were chanting.

Well, shit she had been actually been lured into a trap. So, this would be her payment and she managed to kill the first wave.

When she realized she was outnumbered she went on the run. Shifting had been easy and the coins were on her back. There were arrows going past her and luckily she was nimble. She looked behind her as her feet had her traveling faster than they could keep up.

THUD

“Oww,” she managed to get out with a wobble. She saw the other wolf and she was scared for a moment but she realized he was in just as much trouble. “LOOK OUT!” She bucked him from his spot with ease as an arrow grazed her leg. “COME ON!” She took his ear and pulled. “They’ll catch us!”

She was a sandy color when the sun went through the thick leaves. Her eyes were two different colors. “I know a cave!” She dragged him and pulled him along until they could run. She wasn’t about to leave a wolf alone in this mess. She got him into the cave and dropped the bag of gold on the ground. Her form shifted back having lost the clothing she had been weaving.

Long blonde curls were free and down to her hips as she leaned into the cave wall. She held a finger up listening. “Okay, they are gone… but we’ll have to stay here for a while.” She turned to her new wolf companion. “I’m Hana but we should probably get a fire going. It will be cold soon.” Her arm was still bleeding but at least she hadn't been hit with anything silver. This would heal.

He felt himself being dragged by a stranger. Realizing that he couldn't hesitate, he sprang into a run and followed her lead. He could see the cave and was desperately running to get to safety. He slid into the cave just in time and paused to listen for the hunters. After a few moments, he looked over to his companion, only to see her in her human form. She was beautiful, with long curls and lovely pair of eyes. Her eyes had two different colors, which fascinated Wesley. Unable to transform back, he remained in his wolf form and began sniffing around the cave.

A smell of some flowers drifted to his nose. Around the edge of the cave was a variety of fresh marigolds. He snatched a few with his sharp teeth before presenting it to Hana. As his heart calmed down, the shadows of the cave surrounded him then melted away to reveal a 20 year old man. Wesley, realizing that he was still holding the flower in his mouth, quickly stood up and wiped down the stem with his shirt. 

"Sorry!" He said with a flustered face, "That was probably weird. Um, this should help with disinfecting cuts. Me and my- I mean I've used it a lot in the past." 

Wesley handed the flower over to her, the flower still had its roots connected since picking things up with teeth rarely led to a clean cut. He began looking around the cave for some stones to begin building a proper camefire. Wesley's eyes and ears were constantly alert even though the threat should have been gone. 

"Oh right. I forgot. I'm Wesley." He said quickly realizing how rude he was being, "Thanks for saving me. If it hadn't been for you they….I'd better stop rambling. So um, how are you?"

Conversation was not his strongest skill. Normally he wouldn't have tried but the fact that she saved his life made him want to try harder. And maybe the fact that she was very pretty. That could have had something to do with it. 

Hana had waited and watched for the hunters to go past them. Stupid animals didn’t even bring hunting dogs with them. “Thank goodness,” Hana slid down the wall of the cave and sat for a moment. There was laughter as she saw the boy transform back. She needed that. Taking the flowers she smirked up at him. “Thank you, not as weird as some of the stuff I’ve seen I promise.”

She took the stems and broke the flowers apart before chewing on them and making a gross paste with her canines. The look on her face must have been hysterical because boy did it not taste great to her. “I can’t remember the last time I had something like this in my mouth… It might have been that rabbit from Mo’Mey… It had coated itself in this toxic plant so when I finally got it…” She made a face at Wesley. “Ma had to spend a week getting the poison out of my system.”

She stood up after applying the marigold and smirked. “They were actually after me. I had no idea I was around another wolf or I would have led them away from you.” The guy was cute and she walked around him and checked him out, for safety was what she told herself. “It’s nice to meet you, Wesley. I’m golden. I just got tricked by a buyer to steal back gold that a bunch of thieves had taken. Come to find out they were werewolf hunters. Isn’t that cool?”

She motioned at her naked body and huffed. “Normally, I get naked before I shift. I really liked that outfit. It was cute and Mother had gotten it for me from Mamlak.” She titled her head a bit. “You didn’t shift back when we came in… Is it because of your wolf form? I apologize if I’m stepping over my boundaries. I’m just a bit curious about people like you…”

Finding sticks right outside the cave carefully she came back and helped Wesley start a fire. “Mind if I send you into town to a place that can get me clothes that fit me? I know some people in Vilpamolan… It’s not that far from here. If pirates are your thing… If you want to… That is. I won't make you."

He suppressed his own laughter into a smile when he saw her face after she began chewing. Her story about the rabbit and the poison made him calm down a little more. If she was uncomfortable around him, she wouldn't have told that story. Wesley began picking up the stones and dried leafs around the cave for the campfire but he was focused on her. But instead of looking downwards, he was observing her eyes. The mismatched color of her eyes was unique and beautiful. 

"I think the main cool thing about that story was you." Wesley said before his face grew red. 

He didn't mean to say it like that. Now it sounded like he was hitting on her! Quickly turning away, he quietly continued his work and began to build the fire at the center, where they wouldn't have to be as close to the entrance. She began to talk about her naked body, which made him blush a little more, but the conversation shifted to his wolf form. He didn't know the best way to describe his….condition. 

"It's a curse…sorta. I guess its like those scars you get after a battle. Only for a curse." He tried to explain. 

Wesley was careful to keep the major details to himself. He didn't want to scare her and some of the parts were still too soon for him to talk about. Hana then began talking about getting clothes from Vilpamolan. He had been there before but as a wolf monster. Wesley didn't know when or even what he did, since his memories of being cursed were scattered. 

"I can do that." He said with a small smile, "Besides I've never met a pirate before. It could be interesting! Who would I be contacting?" 

Despite everything, Wesley was still an innocent village guy at heart. He'd never met pirates, done any real battles with a sword, or had even taken down a monster before. The only thing that was special about his life was getting cursed. Yet he was fine with taking a job like this. It could be exciting! Besides…he also needed to get some clothes for himself. 

Hana blushed a little at his words. Most of the time she kept to herself and men hitting on her were far and few. Wesley seemed like a nice guy and she was sure he hadn’t even looked down at her yet to realize the situation she was in. That meant he was a really nice guy on top of it.

“Oh, I’ve met cursed people too. It’s alright I’m not scared! I’ve met lots of people in my life. You would be amazed at all the people in the world Wesley!” If only he knew just how she had been able to meet that many people.

Hana perked up and got closer to Wesley. “REALLY?! Thank you! It’s super safe I promise. You are actually going to a church. It’s the largest cathedral in Vilpamolan. It’s white and has gold trim. You can’t miss it in a dark city like Vilpamolan. Ask for Freya, she’s the cardinal of the church. She’ll get in contact with my mom and get my clothes. Just make sure to tell her ‘Hana lost her clothes and would like some replacements.’ They should have some for you too!”

That was when she noticed he had lost his clothes too. “Hold on, I have an idea,” she shifted and left the cave. It was ten minutes after that when she came back. In her mouth was a blanket. “I stole it,” She nudged it to him. “Cover yourself up with this when you go into Vilpamolan. The city is full of werewolves they won’t even question it.”

His face became extremely red when Hana moved closer. He hadn't expected to get close to a naked woman in a cave today, not that he disliked it. Hana was smiling and seemed to be happy at the fact he would do this for her. All his concerns about the journey were gone. He got to make Hana smile. That was enough. She left the cave for a few moments then brought back a blanket and nudged it to him. Wesley picked up the blanket and wrapped it around his waist to cover his bottom half. He tied the ends together in a knot and successfully covered himself. 

"Hey its kinda like one of those kilt things." He said with a smile before growing more serious, "Are you going to be okay on your own? I'm sure you could outsmart those idiots but…" 

He felt slightly guilty for leaving her, even if it was for a few moments. After all a trip to the city couldn't possibly be as bad as staying here by herself. What if she got lonely? What if it rained? Wesley pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He had to focus on the mission at hand. He would probably be sent to a small little cottage where there wasn't a lot of people around. He could imagine what her mother was like. An elderly woman sitting by the fire, waiting to hear from her daughter. 

"Oh and how do I get there?" He asked sheepishly. 

He should have asked that beforehand but there wasn't any harm done. 

It was cute how he worried about her. “I’ve been by myself for a few years now. I’ll be fine Wesley. I can survive for a while without you here to protect me,” she let out a giggle before giving him directions.


“Go down by the docks but then upswing to the left towards the market place… You can’t miss it. It’s the biggest white building in all of Vilpamolan. It has pristine stained glass.”

Sure enough, it was the biggest building that was white. No, it was the only white building all of Vilpamolan. There was a large flower garden outside of it that a few clergy members were watering. “You want Lady Fraeya? She is inside. She is the snow elf.”

Snow elves had almost snow-like skin and even more dazzling white hair. She was giving a short blessing as the clergy member brought Wesley in. There were people everywhere getting treatment, food, or blessings. “This young man was looking for you Cardinal Fraeya.”

The woman took a look at his clothing and tilted her head. “Lycanthrope who shredded is clothing? We should have clothing for you but judging by that look on your face… You have a request for the Church of the Mother?” Another clergy member came over with clothes and offered them to Wesley. "Get changed in that room over there and then tell me what you wish us to handle. I promise you that we will do it to our best ability."

After being reassured by Hana and receiving her directions, he began to travel to the Vilpamolan building. He was surprised when she described the building as being large and having pristine stained glass. Maybe her parents were rich? Or that her mother worked for whoever owned the building? He managed to get to the city without any sudden surprises. A few minutes and catcalls later, he arrived at the tall white building that Hana mentioned. Wesley saw the beautiful garden and was tempted to pick some more for Hana in case she needed more medical herbs. But he didn't touch them since they didn't belong to him. He approached one of the clergy members. 

"Excuse me, may I speak to Miss Freaya?" He asked politely. 

The clergy explained that the lady was inside so he entered the building. He tried to pretend he was in normal clothes as he followed the clergy member to the snow elf. People seemed to be running about, going from one place to another with a variety of objects. The elf woman noticed his pathetic blanket wrapped around his waist and guessed that he needed clothes and something else. Before he could explain himself, he was being handed clothes and directed towards the changing room. He changed his clothes and folded the blanket, intending to keep it since it was a gift from Hana. His shirt was a cyan tunic and his pants were brown. Simple clothes but it did its job. Stepping outside the changing room, he approached Lady Freaya again. 

"Thank you for the clothes Lady Freaya" He said, "I'm here because Hana lost her clothes and would like some replacements. And if you want I can pay for mine."

Wesley couldn't pay for his own clothes. He lacked any form of cash or anything that was worth something. These clothes and the blanket had become all of his possessions. But he would find a way to give them coin if they wanted it. He remembered to say exactly what Hana told him to say. He was under the assumption that Hana's mother was a friend of Lady Freaya and that she was a priestess of some sort. 

“Did you say Hana? Blonde girl with miss-matched eyes?” Fraeya directed him with her hands to her eyes for a moment. “Oh, boy… I can tell her mother. Stay right here.” Fraeya opened a portal and left for a few moments.

A whirlwind happened after that. A beautiful redhead came stampeding out. “HANA! HANA,” Angela was running all over and looking underthings. Fraeya came back and held an apologetic look to Wesley.

“My lady… Hana isn’t here. She sent a boy in her stead,” Fraeya motioned towards Wesley.

Angela who had tears in her eyes ran over and took hold of Wesley by the shoulders. “Is she alright? Is my daughter alright? SHE HASN’T BEEN HOME IN THREE LONG MONTHS?! Now, she is alone in the cold Virens.”

“My lady, it is quite warm outside and you taught your daughter how to survive on the lands as a half lycanthrope… She just needs clothes.”

“I TAUGHT HER TO SHIFT AFTER GETTING NAKED. Is she okay? Did someone try to hurt her?” Then it dawned on her. “DID YOU RUN AWAY AND MARRY MY DAUGHTER?!”

“LADY ANGELA, CALM DOWN. You are going to scare this boy. Lady Hana seems fine but you need to calm down. No wonder she won’t come home more,” Fraeya huffed and Angela hugged Wesley to her.

“Rude, my son-in-law will defend me. Won’t you?”