This story is part of the ‘Seal Upon Your Heart’ Series, find the timeline here.
You can find my fanfic master list here.
“Tala has been always been a wolf and always alone. Now she isn't sure what to think of this wolf she met in the forest, and he's not really sure what to think of her. What will happen when she is asked to give up the life she has always known for the man she loves?” Vilkas/OC
Rated M, for some adult themed content, violence and light drug use.
Chapter One - I’m Not The Only One
I could feel it rising under my skin, the call from Lord Hircine, the call of the hunt. I continued to climb the mountain, forced myself to keep moving despite the rising pain in my chest.
My breathing was cut short as my eyes caught a glimpse of Masser, in all it’s fullness. It had been hiding behind some clouds until now, helping me suppress my beast side. The moons didn’t control my shifts, but the primal connection between my beast and the two celestial bodies that hung in the sky was undeniable. My eyes were locked on the glowing sphere, bathing me in its light.
"Oh, Lord Hircine," I mumbled, "please, help me to control my beast. Please protect anyone I may come across tonight from my claws and fangs."
My breathing returned now, heavy and labored. I smiled. As much as I worried for those around me when I was the beast, I did love the hunt. The prickling under my skin grew stronger and I knew it was near. I crouched in the dirt to prepare myself. The smell of the fresh earth beneath me was wonderful. I loved being in the forest, surrounded by my true home. The sudden crack in my ribs took my by surprise and I cried out in pain.
I had once tried to think of a way to put into words how the change felt, but found myself at a loss. It was painful, but it was also one of the best feelings in the world. Like the soreness that comes after a good run, or a full day worth of manual labor. It felt right.
Breathing became harder and I had to force myself to keep inhaling and exhaling. The snapping in my bones continued and I stretched out my arms in front of me. They were twice as long as they had been only moments before. My hands contorted and bones between my knuckles grew, once they were done I balled them into fists, flexing the new muscles. The splintering feeling my shins grew and I knew they too, were elongating.
The prickling under my skin had grown into a burning as the black hair began to sprout from all over. I cried out in pain again as my incisors grew and cut into my mouth, but my cries quickly turned to a howl as my transformation quickened and overtook me. I raised myself off the ground and flexed my newly formed body that still hummed with the ecstasy of a shift. I sniffed the air and took in all the scents I couldn't before. My eyes glowed with the change as I looked back to Masser, the only one who knew my every secret and still returned to me every night.
I howled again, but this time in acknowledgment of my lifelong friend. 'This is for you, brotherI' I thought as I took off into the forest after the scent of an elk.
I ran, hunched down like a dog as I tore through the woods. The feeling of the wind on my face was wonderful, the scent of the scared elk I was hunting, exhilarating. The smell of fear always propelled me further and faster. Once I was within proximity I leaped, landing on my prey. The elk let out a cry before I tore it's throat out, killing it quickly. I raised my muzzle to Masser, howling. 'You see brother?' I called to the larger moon, 'do you see how I revel in the hunt?'
My victory was short lived, a rustling in the trees beyond the clearing I was in, had caught my attention. My ears pressed flat back against my head. I didn't like this. Most animals would have been far away from here by now.
Hunters perhaps? No, I couldn't smell any of the signs that someone was hunting me, no torches, no silver. I leaned down, preparing myself to run if needed when the scent hit me. It was another wolf. In all my years of running the forest, I had never come across another wolf. My lips curled back over my teeth, and I let a low growl rise from in my chest. I wasn't sure if I should stay and hold my ground or turn and run. Either way, I wanted this newcomer to know I wasn’t to be messed with.
He slowly crept out of the trees. His posture told me that he wasn't sure what to do either. His ears were laid back, but was it in submission, or aggression? I growled again, hoping for an answer. He continued to creep towards me but didn't return my warning. Something inside me recognized his lack of an answer as submission. I relaxed a little, trying to show him that I didn't want to fight if we didn't need to. I was curious. I had never met someone else like me, and this beast in front of me had forever changed that fact.
I tried to think of ways to communicate with him. He had continued to move towards me and had relaxed his posture, but his ears remained back. He was just on the other side of the elk when I thought of something. The only other one I talked to when I was a wolf was the Masser, and I howled to him. So again I lifted my face to the sky and howled. Dropping my head back down I realized he had sat down, his ears had perked forward and his head tilted to the side. He was recognizing my attempt to reach out to him. I decided to try again. I lifted my muzzle and let out a cry. I heard him do the same, and I couldn't help my wag my tail, something I had never done.
We sat there for a few minutes simply looking at each other. Finally, he broke the standoff and leaned over the elk. I lowered my head and allowed him to sniff me. I could feel his hot breath against my fur, it stirred something deep inside me. He whined, trying to get my attention. He lowered his head so I could sniff him in turn. Leaning in towards his neck I inhaled deeply. His scent confirmed by belief that he was a male, but underneath were undertones of steel, leather, and blood. The smell of blood sent a wave of panic through me. Without even giving it a second thought I reached out to him. When he startled and pulled back I gave his muzzle a quick lick, trying to convey my worry. I could see the shock in his eyes at my sudden affection, and I caught the sight of his tail wagging out of the corner of my eye. I reached out to him again, taking hold of his arm.
I scoured his whole body, looking for wounds. Circling around him, that was when I found it, a huge gash in his side. I sniffed it, trying to determine how old it was. He whined. Looking back to his face, I could see that it did pain him. Normally when injured our own saliva acts as a numbing agent to clean the wound until we can return to our original form in a safe place. The location of this but must have kept him from being able to clean it. I nuzzled him slightly, hoping that I was comforting him. I leaned down and licked his wound for him, trying to clean it best I could. Once I finished I sat down on the ground next to him, nuzzling him a bit more, waiting for the pain to subside. I could tell it was starting to work as he began to playfully push at me.
He yelped and hopped up, turning in a circle. I felt a bit childish, but I wanted to join him. I was enjoying spending time with him. I stood up and pushed him back playfully. He turned and trotted away, turning to look at me from about fifteen yards away, whining. His tail wagged as he turned and continued to trot away. I took off running and it didn't take me long to overtake him. I nipped at him as I ran past him, daring him to catch me. He growled playfully and began chasing me. I pushed myself forward, wanting to show him how fast I was, I wanted to impress my new found companion.
I raced up the side of the mountain and stopped once I reached the top. I sat down and waited. He caught up to me, panting. He playfully nipped at me and sat down next to me. I looked to Masser, allowing my tongue to roll out of my mouth as I gasped for air. I couldn't help myself, I raised my face once again to the moon and howled. My tail wagged as I heard him join me.
The sunlight was streaming through the trees and warming my naked body. I rolled over and stretched, feeling the soft bed of my own fur that I had shed during my change back a few hours earlier. I smiled, getting my first good look at my new friend.
He was still sleeping, so I took advantage of the opportunity to look him over without worrying about him seeing. He was a Nord, like me, but unlike me, he had dark hair. It was full of leaves and twigs at the moment, but I imagined it looked nice when it was washed and smoothed. His strong chin was covered in stubble. He was in very good shape like most men in Skyrim were, but he was lean, not bulky. His torso was scarred with what looked like sword wounds, this made my brow furrow. The only things that could leave scars on the body of a wolf were silver weapons, the scars meant he had been in fights with hunters. I couldn't help but blush slightly at catching sight of the dark hair that started at his navel. I knew it led to regions I shouldn't be seeing.
I smiled to myself, pleasantly happy with the body of my companion. I laid back down on the bed of fur and allowed the sun to continue to warm me. I could feel sleep coming to reclaim me when he began move against me.
He groaned as he rolled over.
"Morning," I smiled at him.
"Morning," he mumbled, his eyes still closed. They snapped open. "Morning!" he repeated, remembering the previous night, "did I stay out all night?"
"Yes," I continued to smile.
"By the nine!" he sat up, "what was I thinking?"
I sat up too, "I thought we had fun." I pulled my knees to my chest, a little hurt.
"Aye," he turned and looked in my eyes. "Aye," a smile spread across his face, "that we did Lass."
I stretched as I stood up, lifting my arms to the sky. A shiver ran through me as the coolness of the air wrapped around me.
I stood there staring at him. He had walked over to the edge of the small clearing we had slept in and was standing with his back to me, hands on his hips. I couldn't help but admire his backside, again, the view of him stirred something deep inside of me. I wanted to walk over to him and wrap my arms around his glorious body. I didn't even know his name, but I felt a connection to him that was stronger than any I had ever felt before.
"Well Lass." he turned to face me. "Where are yyyoooouuuu..." his voice trailed off as he got his first real look at me in my normal form. I was very petite for a Nord, not even five and a half feet tall. My blonde hair was long enough to reach my waist and was probably full of loose foliage. My eyes were large and round, with deep blue rings framing my pupils. My pale skin was unmarred, except for one thin, pale scar across my thigh, a faded memory was the only time I had ever come into contact with a hunter.
I began to feel rather self-conscience as he stood there and gaped at me. I wrapped one hand around the side and back of my neck, and rested the other across my breasts.
"You were saying," I glanced around, trying hard not to take notice of the changes that were taking place in his body.
"Oh, I uh..." he fumbled. "I wasn't expecting you to be naked. I mean, I know I am naked," he glanced down at himself and saw what I had been trying to avoid with my eyes. "Oh!" he crossed his arms and cupped his manhood in his hands, "I was just going to ask where you were headed now."
Red flushed his cheeks, and it made me melt to see how embarrassed he was. "It's okay," I dropped my arms and waved a hand in his direction, turning back around to face the other side of the clearing. I really was quite comfortable being naked, and even more so being naked in the forest. I spent most of my time that way. "I am headed back southeast, towards Ivarstead," I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to clear out the dead leaves and clumps of dirt.
"Oh," he dropped his arms back down to his sides, "I come from Whiterun." He turned and looked back over his shoulder.
"Whiterun?" I was surprised. "That's an awful ways away. What brought you this far from your normal hunting grounds?" I turned back to face him and continued to try and pry a rather persistent leaf out of my tangled hair.
"I was found by the Silver Hand," he walked towards me, "they chased me this far south." He held my struggling hand in his own. "Let me help you," he smiled as he toyed with my hair and I felt another shiver run through me. "They chased me almost all the way here."
I gasped. We were close to my home, they had come close to my home. I had never run into hunters in this area, and the idea of abandoning my hunting grounds sent panic through me. He must have seen the fear in my face because he quickly took my hands in his.
"Oh, Lass. It's alright. They aren’t from this area, and know that I am not either, there is no reason for them to come back here," he loosened one of my hands only to brush some of my hair from my face. "I was able to get away from them with only the injury you found last night. And as you have seen, it's mostly healed," he stretched his side so I could see the purple scar running down the length of his ribs.
I reached out and touched it. My fingers looked so small and pale compared to his tan, muscular torso. I ran them slowly down the extent of the scar.
"Oh, Lass," He breathed, his eyes closing.
"Tala," I whispered.
His eyes opened and looked into mine. "Vilkas," he whispered back.
"You have so many scars, Vilkas," I ran my other fingers down another scar on his chest. I couldn't help myself, I wanted to touch every one of them, kiss them and heal them.
"I am a warrior," he said laying his hand over mine, pressing it to his skin. I could feel his heartbeat beneath his chest. I smiled.
"I can see it," I returned my eyes to his, "I can see you in armor with a sword. It seems, right."
"Aye," he sighed, "feels right too. I was meant to be a fighter."
I let my fingers that were resting at his side fall.
"What about you? What do you do where you live?"
"Oh, nothing as exciting as you," I pulled my hand from his chest and walked back over to the makeshift bed. I sat down in the fur and reclined, allowing the sun to begin warming me again, "I simply work on a farm. You know, planting crops and tending to animals." I closed my eyes and turned my face to the sun.
"That is good, solid work," he sat down beside me, "honest work." He continued to look me over, I could tell he liked what he saw, and I reveled in that. His face changed when he noticed my scar. His rough fingers reached out to touch it.
"Where'd you get this?" his face was grim now, all lightheartedness gone.
"I was very young when I got that," I looked at it myself. "One of my first trips out in my wolf form. I happened across a hunter," I laid my hand over his and laced my fingers in his strong ones. "I startled him and he lashed out with the only thing he had, a silver dagger," his fingers tightened around mine, "it wasn't deep enough to kill me, but it hurt, worse than any pain I have ever felt. I almost didn't make it away. I panicked and I changed back into my natural form before he had even realized what had happened."
"And he let you live?" confusion flooded his face.
"I was a little girl, Vilkas, only about five summers. He saw that I was only a child and spared me," I smiled, remember the hunter’s kind eyes.
"By the Nine," Vilkas sat up and rested his head on his fists, "I can't believe someone would turn a child."
"I've been fine," I ran my palm over his shoulders, "I don't really even remember not being a wolf. Actually, I love being a wolf. I love the chase, the moons, the hunt."
He raised his head and looked back to me, "good, I would hate to think of someone who takes to being a wolf so beautifully not desiring it."
I felt my cheeks burn with blush this time. I bit my lip and looked away.
"Tala," he whispered my name and I could feel my whole body grow hot.
I looked back up to him and he was leaning in towards me.
"Ye... yes?" my voice came out husky, I had never felt like this before, my body was burning up and I loved it.
"I..." he cupped my face in his hand. "I feel..."
"Warm?" I breathed.
"Yes," His face was nearing mine, "I have never felt this way before."
"Me either," I couldn't break my eyes from his, "but I like it."
"Me too," he finished closing in on me and pressed his lips to mine. I reached up and tangled my fingers in his hair. I shifted my weight so I could return his kiss, and use both my hands to hold him close to me. We broke for air and I looked into his eyes, his wonderful gray-blue eyes. I heard him growl quietly and he pressed into me again, both hands holding my face now.
He lowered me back down on the soft fur and laid down next to me, his lips never leaving mine. My hands had begun to wander across his broad shoulders and down his chest. His, in turn, moved down my body as well, first running along my collarbone, sending a shudder through me.
I moaned.
He growled again, pleased with my reaction. His fingers lightly trailed down over my breasts and across my smooth stomach. They came to the edge of my womanhood and paused there.
I reached out and grabbed his wrist when he began to venture further.
"Vilkas, I..." I looked into his face again, "I can't."
"You say I'm crazy , cause you don't think I know what you've done
But when you call me, baby, I know I'm not the only one"
Damn this song's tune is awesome! I'm totally addicted to the beat. It's very relaxing to me. I just fell in love the first time I heard this song on my playlist (which I just newly downloaded).
