As the car weaves through the country lanes, you gaze along field after field, thinking about what it is you are hoping for. What you want to find when you reach your destination. You just know that if anyone is going to understand the way you have been feeling or the emotions you have been trying to process, it could be the people here.
You stare out at the road ahead, determined to find logic in the decisions that have brought you this far. You allow your mind to wander back over the past few days, reviewing them one by one. Firstly, your chase from a few nights ago, the fear, intensity and excitement of being tracked, hunted. Then the results of said hunt, as your predator ravaged you, took you, for everything you were worth. You felt the heat radiating from your crotch as you thought over it all again. Then you remembered the almost withdrawal you had felt, unable to bring yourself to orgasm since then. In your desperation, you had turned to online forums, even starting to consider the possibility of werewolves. Then in an act of utter despair, you went out looking for your hunter, eventually finding a wild animal and allowing yourself to get scared and run home.
Almost by instinct, one hand lifts from the steering wheel, passing over your arm and onto your opposite shoulder, then drifting up over your neck, feeling the faint scars from his bite. You feel so stupid, you have to get passed this! You were even allowing yourself to visit this nature reserve, a wolf sanctuary, telling yourself it will help you to get over any fear of wolves. Deep inside, you feel that there is more to this than what you are admitting, you just couldn't come to terms with the truth yet.
As you pull off the road, onto a gravel track, you pass into woodlands. As you descend deeper and deeper into shadows from the trees you start to feel trepidation at what you are doing, then the woods open up to a group of fields surrounding a farmhouse with a few outbuildings and a barn. You pull up to the farmhouse, confused. You can't see anything even remotely to indicate that this was a nature reserve at all. You pull out your phone to check the website, finding no signal in this area. This doesn't surprise you, you had barely seen another car for the past hour on your way here.
You get out, wandering across the clearing as the sun trickles through the treetops to light the trees ahead. Just then, two young wolves emerge from the woods, running and jumping over each other as they enjoy the morning sun. You feel your eyes drawn to their strong legs and muscular torsos, watching their sun-dappled bodies stretch and flex as they circle each other.
You look up around the farmhouse yard and at the outbuildings, looking for any sign that you may be at the right place. Just as you begin to consider turning around and going home, you look to the door of the house and see a man standing on the front porch, watching you, examining you.
As you walk toward him, the man descends the steps to the yard and you get a better look at him. Back in the city, you wouldn't have looked twice at him but as he gets closer, he reaches out a hand to greet you, and you see that he towers over you, being nearly a foot taller than you. You begin to look closer, seeing a striking face, his mouth and cheekbones shaded with a thin layer of stubble. His scruffy hair framing the piercing eyes as they seem to look straight through you. You suddenly notice his outstretched hand and realise you have been staring silently as he awaits you to meet his hand with your own. You rush forward, taking his rough-skinned hand in yours, as he takes hold of you. You form a mental picture of those hands pulling you in, holding you, gripping you tight and his face closing in on you.
You realise he has been talking and you cannot even recall a word of what he has said to you, so you try to focus on him just as he comes to the end of his welcome.
"...so, I was glad to get your email, but I have to admit, I'm a little confused as to how our little reserve may be able to help you at all?"
