The Witch and the Wolf

Note: I wrote this for someone that never bothered to read it, so if you have any comments or suggestions I'll be happy to hear them! Please enjoy!

In the depths of an ancient forest, near a fork in the creek that ran down from the hills, there lived a solitary witch named Sapphire. Her cottage sat in the midst of a large clearing and was covered in moss and vines, looking very much like part of the landscape. She lived there peacefully with her little fenced in gardens of vegetables and medicinal herbs and a brood of hens that roamed around during the day eating grass and bugs and keeping the mice and rats at bay. Seeing what the chickens did to the mice they caught always horrified her a little, but it was a necessary evil.

Early one spring morning, before the mist had fully settled into dew, as Sapphire was letting her chickens out of their hutch, a pained howl cut the silence of the woods and brought a chill down her spine. She knew these surrounding woods, and the last known wolf had been hunted down by local villagers almost fifty years ago. The sound hadn't been as far away as she would have liked. She wondered if she should put the chickens back in their coop, but the birds seemed entirely unphased and she decided against it, figuring that they would run to roost should they sense impending danger.

Only an hour later, as she was weeding the garden, she heard a commotion in the trees and looked up in time to see a large, black-furred wolf breach the edge of the clearing her cottage was in. They locked eyes as it staggered forwards, several arrows protruding from its body. The sound of a human hunting party came through on the breeze shortly after and Sapphire reacted without thinking. She quickly jumped to her feet and ran towards the huge wolf, urging it to its feet and helping it towards the door to her little house, the hunting party drawing ever nearer. Once she got the wolf inside, she shut the door and quickly went back to her place in the garden. She was pulling up more weeds as a group of five men cautiously breached the edges of the clearing. They were from two of the nearby villages, and they knew where they were and who she was. After a brief, whispered conversation, one of the men was pushed towards her by the other party members.

"Uh, 'scuse me miss," he began, taking off his hat out of respect. "You haven't seen a wolf pass through here, have you?"

She shook her head without breaking eye contact.

"Um, only, the blood trail leads directly here into your, uh, yard?"

Sapphire stood up, brushing the dirt from her hands.

"I would know if a wolf came through. I said no. Be on your way."

The memory of Ted the Newt, who was not a newt in body, only in mind, was still fresh in his head and the man nodded and backed away.

"Right Miss. I'm sure you're right. Sorry for bothering you." He said before placing his hat back on his head, turning, and hurrying back to his party. After another hushed discussion, they turned their heads as a group to look at her, and then left the way they came.

Sapphire waited for the sound of the retreating group to fade away into the woods before she scurried back to her cottage to see to what she was already thinking of as her patient. The wolf had collapsed next to the fireplace, its black furred side rising and falling laboriously with each breath.

She sat next to the wolf, holding her hand over its face and closing her eyes in concentration. A calming aura flowed over the wolf's body, sedating him and alleviating some of his pain. Sapphire quickly got to work removing the arrows and applying medicinal poultices.

When she had done everything she could, she wiped her brow with the back of her hand and sat back on her heels. The wolfs breathing already sounded better; less like fighting for air and more like settling into a deep slumber. Sapphire stood, stoked the fire, added a few more logs and washed her hands in her kitchen basin. She tended to the rest of the day's chores, checking in occasionally to see that the wolf still breathed, deeply and in slumber. At the end of the day, she sat before the hearth, the wolf at her feet, still fast asleep. Before she made her way to bed, she sent the last of the days energy as a healing power into the wolf.

Adjacent to the main room she used as her kitchen and living room, Sapphire's bedroom was separated by a floor-to-ceiling set of shelves and a tattered curtain that was held back with a tie. She unfastened the tie, letting the curtain swish across the opening before she began to undress. She normally slept in the nude, as it was most comfortable to her, and tonight would be no different. In the little room, her bed took up most of the space, leaving room for a small dresser at its foot and narrow alley of walking space along the side nearest the entry.

Sapphire dropped her clothes, kicking them into the corner before sliding her nude body between her bedsheets and blanket. She sighed in comfort and drifted off to sleep.

*** *** ***

In the darkest hours of the night, the wolf awoke. He lay still in front of the fire, letting his fine sense of smell explore the room for danger before risking moving. Scenting that he was currently alone in the room, but not the house, the wolf opened his eyes and peered around. When he determined the room to be free of threats, he stood up and shook the poultices and dirt off his shaggy pelt. Then he began to shift. Fur and tail receded, limbs straightened, clawed paws turned into feet and hands, and before long, the shaggy black wolf was replaced with a man. Where black fur had been there was now smooth, tanned skin. His hair was long and black, done in braids along the top of his head with the lower sides of his scalp shorn close to the skin. Eyes that been yellow were now a rich, deep brown and rimmed with thick, dark lashes. They darted around, taking in the details of the room that he hadn't been able to take in with the mind of a wolf. There was not a single sign of injury on his lean, lithe form as he stood and inspected his surroundings, as naked as the slumbering witch in the next room.

The dramatic differences between the way a wolf and man experienced the world made it difficult to fully remember between the forms, but Skaldi knew his wolf had instinctually felt that this was a safe place, and the fertile human woman in the next room was someone he could trust with his life. As a man, he was a lot more skeptical. He searched around, nose still more capable than any normal human, for any signs of danger. His sinuses tingled as he smelled the collection of herbs, mushrooms and minerals that were stored in jars on shelves in her kitchen. The only piece of silver she owned was a small bell. She had several knives in the kitchen but nothing that screamed "danger" to him. Finding nothing of concern in the current room he padded quietly across the floor to just outside of the curtain blocking his view of the woman beyond. He paused again, listening to the soft, rhythmic breathing of deep sleep, before he reached out slowly and pulled back the curtain.

*** *** ***

Sapphire had begun to overheat in the warm summer night and had pulled her blanket down in her sleep until her entire torso and one leg lay open to the night air. Skaldi's eyes immediately set upon her exposed breasts, pale in the dim light of the half-moon through her tiny bedroom window, before he looked up to her slack, sleeping face, and then trailing down again to take in the long, shapely leg that threatened to fall off the edge of the bed. He looked back up, taking in the long brown hair that trailed across the pillow as he inhaled deeply through his nose, instinctually taking in the intoxicating aroma of a woman in her most fertile days. The pheromones she put off had an immediate effect on him, causing blood to flow lower in his body. He grit his teeth against the urging of the wolf inside him to ravage the woman in front of him immediately. He wouldn't belittle himself as a man to take advantage of an unwary female, but neither could he convince himself to turn away and leave the house entirely, like he knew he should. He had been on the run for so long, separated from his pack and hunted by wary villagers many times during his travels. He needed to get back to pack territory but the idea of a safe, warm place to sleep for a night or two was too enticing and the potential for a cooked meal and a friendly voice won him over. He sighed and was about to return to the place in front of the fire where he had woken up when his shift in weight caused the board beneath his feet to creak.

Sapphire's eyes snapped open and immediately spotted the figure in her doorway holding the curtain aside. She gasped, partially sitting up, before she relaxed back, letting her breath out in a woosh.

"The wolf." She said quietly, a smile starting to form on her lips.

Skaldi stood frozen momentarily, wondering how she knew, before memories from his wolf bubbled to the surface and he recalled the calming energy and the poultices, and he realized that she was a witch. He nodded.

"Yes." He whispered in a voice he hadn't used in many months. Sapphire's eyes trailed down his body this time, noting that he was semi-erect, her small smile growing by a millimeter or two before she met his eyes again.

"You seem to be feeling much better now." She said with hint of mirth. "However, I recommend you get some more sleep until morning, and I certainly can't send you back to the rug in front of the fire looking like that."

She shuffled aside on the bed leaving an open space for him. The witch grabbed the covers, pulling them up and holding the side closest to Skaldi open with her arm.

"I've only got one blanket, if you don't mind sharing."

Skaldi stood still, waging a losing battle in his mind, the part of him telling himself to run growing smaller by the second. Slowly, he stepped forward into the room, and crawled into bed next to the witch. Sapphire covered him with the blanket, making sure he had enough and was comfortable, and then cuddled up next to him, arm across his chest and leg slung across his own. He was surprised and intrigued by her boldness, but before he could make a move the damned woman fell back asleep.

"Fuck." he groaned quietly, staring up into the dark room as the witch breathed slow and shallow. However, she had been right about him needing more sleep and it didn't take very long for him to drift off beside her.

*** *** ***

About an hour after sunrise, having been well-trained by terrifying means to never make noise any earlier, the sole cockerel that Sapphire kept began to crow. The pair began to stir, Skaldi taking a deep breath in, scenting the surroundings and Sapphire groaned slightly and slid her leg up his thigh, coming dangerously close to body parts that were beginning to stir back to life.

"How are you feeling now, wolf?" Sapphire murmured, her voice husky from sleep.

Skaldi stretched and rolled onto his side so he could look at the woman next to him. Sapphire looked back at him, expectation in her eyes and a smile on her full lips. He couldn't hold himself back anymore. Gripping the back of her head he pulled her into a deep kiss, his tongue exploring the depths of her mouth. Sapphire let out a small, breathy moan as they kissed, tongues swirling together. His hand left her hair and trailed down her body, gripping her ass and pulling her closer, drawing her top leg up over his own. He was fully erect now and she could feel the hardness between them.

"Mmm, much better I see." She muttered, briefly breaking the kiss.

Skaldi chuckled deeply.

"Yes witch, I feel better. Thank you." He kissed her again.

"My name is Sapphire." She said when he gave her a moment to pull away from his full lips and strong tongue.

"Skaldi." He replied.

His hand moved from her rump to her breast, leaning down and drawing the tight nipple into his mouth. Sapphire gasped as he bit her gently before pushing her onto her back and going after the other breast. She let out a satisfied moan, her hand coming up to cup the back of his head as he sucked and nipped. Skaldi's hand slid down her body and between her legs, the wetness he found there making his dick throb. He moved his head up again to ravage her mouth while his fingers swirled in the slick seeping from her slit. Sapphire moaned into Skaldi's mouth, spreading her legs to allow him better access as she kissed him back, tongues swirling together in a rhythm that matched his questing fingers. She angled her hips up, moving against his digits as he rubbed circles over her clit. Sapphire's breathing became rapid and she moaned and mewled, her hand on Skaldi's chest, nails digging lightly into the skin of his pectoral. He slipped two fingers inside of her, stroking the inside of her canal as his palm pressed and ground against her nub. She broke away, unable to kiss while she focused on the mounting pleasure between her legs.

"Gods, yes." She hissed between moans. "Don't stop. Please don't stop."

Again, Skaldi's cock throbbed, pressed against her plush hip as she writhed on the bed beside him. Sapphire's moans became louder and quicker, her passage tightening on Skaldi's fingers, hips rising up and up until he felt her pussy start to flutter and she fell back to the bed. He continued to slowly stroke the inside of her, extending her orgasm as she wriggled and twitched, moans sounding ever more desperate. Finally, he withdrew his fingers, bringing them up to his mouth. He maintained a dark, lust filled gaze with Sapphire as he licked them clean with deep groan of pleasure.

"You taste like the rain." He said huskily.

"Allow me the pleasure of tasting you back." Sapphire replied as her breath started to come back to her.

Skaldi grinned and rolled onto his back as Sapphire struggled to sit up, leaning in to kiss him deeply. She got to her knees, continuing the kiss as her hand slid down his chest, his belly, lower. He groaned as she gripped his cock and begun to stroke him gently. After a moment Sapphire broke the kiss and scooted further down the bed, climbing between his legs so he could watch her begin to lick and tease his cock with her mouth. She swirled her tongue around his tip while she stroked him before boldly taking as much of him into her mouth as she could in one go. Skaldi groaned deeply as his hand came up to grip the back of her head. He barely resisted the urge to hold her by the hair and thrust as deeply into her mouth as possible and penetrating the confines of her throat. Sapphire bobbed up and down, saliva dripping down his shaft as she used one hand to cup and massage his testicles. She squirmed as she licked and sucked, need rising within her again. Sapphire left him with a long, slow, parting suck as she raised up and crawled up his body, unable to wait anymore before feeling his cock deep inside her. She kissed Skaldi deeply while she straddled him.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "What about-"

The witch laughed and held a finger to his lips, stopping him mid-sentence.

"Do you think I don't have potions for that, wolf?"

Sapphire leaned her whole body forward again and kissed him while she grabbed his dick with one hand, angling it so she impaled herself on it when she lowered herself again. They both groaned with satisfaction as she slid down his cock and sat with him thoroughly sheathed inside her. Skaldi gripped her hips and watched as she began to move above him, moaning and gasping as she rode him, the walls of her pussy tightly hugging his cock in a hot, slippery embrace. It didn't take too long before Skaldi felt himself getting close to release and he began to pull Sapphire down onto himself harder with every thrust.

"Not yet." She whispered, looking into his eyes, a strange flash in their depths indicating the use of her magic.

He felt a curious, almost pleasant pressure around his balls that somehow kept him right there on the maddening edge without allowing him to actually cum. Thankfully it didn't take Sapphire much longer to approach her second orgasm and as she came she released her spell and Skaldi erupted inside her with a loud groan, pulling her down onto his cock as deeply as he could.

Sapphire let herself collapse atop him, head on Skaldi's shoulder and breasts smooshed into his chest, while his cock was still twitching inside her. He held her with one arm as they regained their breath.

Eventually Sapphire got up and crawled out of bed.

"Breakfast?" She asked, while pulling a fresh dress out of her dresser drawer and putting in on.

"Please." Skaldi replied, not moving from the bed. His eyes followed her around the room as she moved.

Sapphire smiled at him as she passed by the bed on her way out of the room.

"I suppose we'll have to find you something to wear." She said.

*** *** ***

After a breakfast of eggs, toasted bread and salt pork, Sapphire managed to scrounge up a pair of trousers for Skaldi to wear while in his human form. He stayed on with her for nearly a week, warming her bed at night and helping her with chores during the day. The chickens seemed to have a particular interest in him, and followed him anywhere in the clearing that he happened to wander.

*** *** ***

It was a fine evening and the two were warming themselves in front of the fire after finishing the evening meal. Skaldi spoke, eyes not leaving the flickering dance of flames in front of him.

"I'll be leaving tomorrow." He said quietly.

"So soon?" Sapphire asked with a sigh.

"My people are waiting for me. I need to get back to my pack." He explained. He saw Sapphire nod in his peripheral vision.

"Then go you must." She affirmed quietly. She turned to him, a smile on her face. "Then let us make this a memorable night."

She stood and went to her shelves, grabbing a small jar and a strange metal clam-like thing full of holes. She filled the metal clam with herbs from the jar and latchet it closed before hanging it over the flames by a small chain. Once the herbs were smoldering, she removed the device and gently swung the metal contraption around to allow the smoke to permeate the room before she set it down in front of the hearth to continue emitting smoke.

Skaldi found the scent pungent but the effects of the smoke were rapidly felt. His felt all the tension leave his muscles and the lights and colours in the room took on an almost rainbow shimmer. He looked up at the witch who almost seemed to be glowing as she twirled, skirt flaring around her ankles, smoke coiling around her body like a snake. She breathed deeply, body moving to music that only she heard, twisting and swaying in a sensual dance meant only for the eyes of the man in front of her. As she moved her arms through the air, Skaldi began to see trails left behind and the clothing she dropped as she danced seemed to continue moving long after it had landed.

Naked, languid, skin shining with dewy sweat, Sapphire took Skaldi's hand, pulling him up to standing. She pressed her body against his, kissing him deeply. He wrapped his arms around her supple body, pulling her in tight. She broke away just long enough to whisper "Fuck me, wolf."

"Gladly." He replied with a growl.

He ravaged her mouth with his, hands kneading and pulling at her curves as he slowly walked her backwards towards the bedroom. Sapphire's hands trailed down his body to the front of his trousers, quickly unfastening them and pushing them down his hips. They dropped to the floor and Skaldi kicked them off, backing Sapphire through her curtained doorway until the back of her legs hit the bed.

She gently took his hardening cock in hand as she sat, face at the same height as Skaldi's groin. She gave him a lust filled look before taking him into her mouth. He groaned as she began to lick and suck, the sensation somehow simultaneously heightened and dulled by the strange herb the witch had burned. His hand fisted in her hair as she bobbed up and down on his cock, moaning as the sensations increased her own desire.

After a few minutes she needed stimulation herself and pulled away, panting and eyes half lidded with lust. She scooted up on the bed, her hands on Skaldi's hips pulling him to mount her. He slipped between her legs as she adjusted herself on the bed and thrust into her as soon as he was aligned. She gasped aloud as his cock buried as deeply into her as was possible. He kissed her, tongue thrusting into her mouth much the same way. He held there, penetrating her deeply and focusing on his mouth on her mouth, tongue dancing with hers.

Sapphire began to moan in desperation, needing movement and friction to keep her going. She pushed her hips against his in hopes of spurring him into motion. The masculine chuckle he let out at her need only heightened her desperation.

"Please!" She whined against his lips. "Please. Please."

He had enough willpower to draw back slowly, but after he slammed back into her, he couldn't resist fucking her as hard and as fast as his body was able. Her cries of ecstasy echoed around the clearing the hut stood in, disturbing the chickens in their slumber and startling a number of local faunae.

Her legs drew up, crossing over his back, pulling him in as she felt herself closing in on orgasm.

"Gods, please, yes!" She begged.

Skaldi felt himself approaching climax as well, the tightness, wetness and heat that grasped at his cock dragging him closer and closer. Sapphire moaned and writhed and begged beneath him, her nails digging into the skin of his back, her legs tight around his hips. He thrust into her harder, faster, until she screamed his name as she came and he unleashed his torrent of cum inside her.

Skaldi collapsed next to her on the bed, both of them panting to regain their breath. Eventually, when she felt less hot and sticky, Sapphire cuddled in next to him and they fell asleep.

*** *** ***

The morning came too soon, and before the rooster crowed, Sapphire had gotten up to make a solid and protein rich breakfast. Skaldi awoke to the rich smells of salted pork, fried eggs, and fresh bread. There was another aroma in the air that was new to him, something he couldn't place. He climbed out of bed, making his way over to where Sapphire was bustling around, setting her little wooden table for the meal. He hadn't bothered to put the trousers back on, knowing that he'd be taking them off again in just a short time when he began his journey.

"Good morning." Sapphire said with a smile, handing him a cup of steaming, dark liquid.

"I've saved it for a special occasion. Traded some very potent and rare mushrooms for it. It's called Khatve."

The smell was rich, earthy, and slightly acidic. He took a sip and the flavour burst across his mouth, smooth, dark and energetic. He took another swallow as he sat to eat with the witch and finished two more cups before he finished.

Refreshed and energized, fully healed from the injuries and arduous journey he's sustained prior to his stay with Sapphire, Skaldi stood, ready to head back out and make the rest of the trek back to his home territory. She walked him to the door, kissing him deeply as he stood at the threshold. When she pulled away from him a black leather thong hung from his neck with a blackened chicken skull pendant hanging from it. Something rattled inside and when Skaldi looked through the hole at the base of the cranium a blue gemstone sat impossibly large inside. How it had come to be in there without breaking the skull in any way had to have been magic.

"A memory, and a beacon." Sapphire explained. "Should you need the aid of a witch, crush the skull, and I'll see you."

Skaldi nodded.

"Thank you." He said.

He gave her another quick peck on the lips before changing into wolf form. The leather thong had been wide enough to hang around the wolf's neck comfortably, and the blackened skull hid camouflaged in his fur. His golden eyes met hers again for a moment, his tail giving a soft wag, and he loped off back into the forest, disappearing from sight.

"The winds be at your back." Sapphire whispered, a hint of magic behind her words, before going back into her cabin and closing the door behind her.