He kept walking. Walked almost a week before he found the perfect place. Small cave far away from everything, surrounded by thick old forest. Entrance was narrow, more crack on the wall than actual opening, but he managed to squeeze in and found spacious cavern, bottom of it covered with soft sand.
*This’ll do.*
He dropped his knapsack. Sword and cloak followed. Boots he had discarded few days ago, they had been chafing. Stretched his back and breathed deeply. Listened small cracks and creaks from his vertebrae. He had taken on the habit of walking slightly hunched, to disguise his enormous size. It felt good to be able to relax and breathe.
He spread the cloak over the sand and curled on top of it. He didn’t have the slightest idea of what he was going to do next. He had achieved his goal. He had gotten away from her. He had let her go. Marie. He could only hope she would be safe and happy.
He closed his eyes. Burrowed to a better position, digging his hip and elbow against the sand under the cloak until he found comfortable position. Right now there really was nothing else to do, but to sleep. He’d found something later.
He woke up shaken and disoriented mere moments after he had fallen asleep. Last echoes of his own whimpering drove him out to the night. It was wrong. He knew he wasn’t supposed to follow his instincts, not charge after the deer he found standing just outside of his new home, but it gave him a plausible excuse not to analyze what exactly in the dream had made him feel so utterly helpless and terrified.
It was equally wrong to sink his jaws to deer’s stomach and tear out huge, steaming chunks of still warm flesh right after he had managed to bring it down. For the past year he had eaten only cooked meat. Waited patiently, drool dribbling from the aroma, when it sizzled and crackled above their campfire. What was the point doing it now? It was wrong, but who the hell would care if he ate his meals raw?
His hunger sated, what ever demons from his dreamscape driven away he was able to turn away from the carcass and walk to a small stream nearby to clean off the gory evidence of his banquet with cool water, rather than just lick it off.
His own reflection on the sparkling water mesmerized him. Generally he had avoided reflecting surfaces. Now he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight of it. Hunched on a rock, head lowered. Moonlight giving eerie glow to his silver streaked fur. He wiped off small speckle of blood from the side of his snout. Bared his teeth. And promptly fell from his haunches on his back. First instinct telling him to run from the creature staring back from the black water.
Marie had trusted him. Had trusted the creature he had become. It had been easy to push away doubts and insecurities when everything she did gave him the impression that it was okay. He was a little different from the outside than most people, but with her it didn’t matter. Now, alone, every nagging thought and doubt came back tenfold.
For the past year he had kept telling himself that the beast was gone. Real beast was as good as vanquished. Purged from his body and mind. Silent whispers he kept hearing every now and then he had put away from his mind, dismissing them. After everything he had been through, it wasn’t strange if his thoughts strayed every now and then.
He slinked back to the cave. Emptied his knapsack to the floor. Revolvers, few silver knives and bullets. A map. Plate. White shirt and black trousers. Huge shirt and equally huge trousers. Marie had made those after he had nearly gotten caught. He didn’t like to wear them. She had done her best, cloth was soft, and both shirt and trousers sat on him, but they had felt somehow wrong. Now he put them on before he curled back to sleep.
He woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside. Werewolves were nocturnal creatures by nature, but it had been easier to avoid getting caught when he stayed on the same rhythm with Marie, so he slept through the night and traveled with her during days. His cloak was thick enough to filter off most of the sunlight from his face and sensitive eyes. He shook off the sand from it and pulled it on before he walked outside.
Immediately forest around him fell silent. Beast had woken, and animals could sense it.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Logan has some adjusting to do.