The Night Hunt (For blondiedegu)

For the past two or three days,the nights were restless for Nick Solem.The human with animatronic dog parts had been awake at night,for something was bothering him.He just couldnt put his finger on it until and only during the night.In the daytime,he forgot about it and carried on his slew of odd jobs around the residential area of the surrounding city.

But in the night,he was kept up....By a certain change in scent of the AFW complex he called his 'home'.Nick would stay awake in the night and fuss over it.And what's worse? It seemed that this new and unfamiliar scent was approaching him.It was getting closer to him.Tonight,everything was building up.....He had to figure it out before it was too late.In the dead of night,Nick set out from the Tension building,following the smell.Into the dark he travels...

The previous week had been nothing out of the ordinary for Nova. The lone wolf had been spending most of her time patrolling her realm and hunting her usual prey of deer and boar, deep in the forest. However, something changed one evening. She realized that it had been several weeks since she had felt the companionship of another creature. She was used to being alone by now, but this sudden sense of isolation took over her, in a way it never had done before.

She would usually pin her hopes on finding others out here in the forest, too nervous to even dare venturing any further afield. But something was different about tonight. She wasn't sure whether it was the light of the full moon, or her overwhelming need for company, but Nova was suddenly feeling extremely daring. Instead of heading back to her den, she would walk to the very edge of the forest and take her first steps out from amougst the trees, and into the unknown....

"This place...."

Nick never really understood why the AFW needed a forest.But,he didnt really question it.This was where the source of the smell was coming from.And it was getting stronger.Nick had to stray off any of the paths that entangled with each other in the complex.He just HAD to figure out where it was coming from.

The full moon above him,though illuminating his way,couldnt stand up to the darkness that was felt from that forest.Maybe he was just afraid.Nick stops just a few feet away from the edge of the forest's tree line.He smelled the air,making several inhaling noises as he did so.

As she traveled further out of her territory, she picked up on an unusual scent coming from the very edge of the forest. She briefly stopped in her tracks to study the it. It was almost identical to that of a human, which could mean a poacher, but why would a human be out in the forest in the depth of the night? Feeling she was probably safe, she continued to follow the scent until its presence became almost overwhelming! As the full moon still shone brightly overhead, she stopped dead when she heard the sound of breathing not too far away from her.. she was not alone....

"Hm...Where are you? And to a lesser extent....What are you?" Nick said to himself aloud,with just enough volume to be heard if one was close enough.Since no one was around,he figured,he couldnt demean himself by doing something to help track the scent.Lowering himself to the ground,he took a few sniffs.His bottom was in the air,and his animatronical tail began to wag in the emotion of mystery.

Sadly,he had leaned forward too much and began falling forward. "N-No!" He yelled.But,Nick still landed on his face anyway.He simply shook it off and stood back up.

Following the breathing, she widened her icy blue eyes and stared in the direction of the noise. From a glance she saw that whoever it was resembled a human in many ways, but this particular person had prominent canine features. She first noticed his tall grey ears...and then the long bushy tail which was very slimier to her own! Somewhat confused, she cocked her head to one side and continued to study the person who stood before her. Before she had a chance to take it all in, he leaned forward and then suddenly feel right in front of her! Nova nervously backed off a few steps whilst the person regained his footing, seemingly un-phased. At this point she realized that her presence had probably gone unnoticed, as her black coat easily blended into the dark night. She felt should make him aware of her presence, but guessed that her wolf exterior might scare him off.... but her longing for companionship was so strong that felt she should risk anything... she took the next few steps forward into the moonlight, where he would hopefully see her more clearly...

Dusting himself off,his grey ears perked up quickly.He felt as if,he was being watched.His head began to look around sporadically in many different directions. "Hello? You're here somewhere.....Please,come out! I-I wont harm you,I think...." Sighing when there was no instant response,Nick looked down.Thats when he saw....Them.A pair of blue eyes,colder than the ice of the frozen tundra,looking at him.

And they were slowly moving closer to him.Coming out of the darkness of the forest,was a....Wolf.Nick fell himself to one knee.He didnt know why,he just felt compelled to.His mouth was agape,a shallow gasp escaping.

Was this it? The source of that scent?

As she moved forward she felt his eyes meet hers, they could have only had eye contact for a few seconds before he fell onto one of his knees right in front of her.
She couldn't tell if his facial expression was that of shock or fear... she wished that she could also reassure him that should would not harm him, just as he had promised her moments ago, but she knew that was impossible in her wolf form.

The night was dead, and the moon was shining down heavily on Nova's back. She longed for him to talk to her, as she didn't want to intimidate him any further...

"Beg pardon for a moment.I just need to check something." He tried to excuse his next action.Nick sniffs the air around him and the wolf.That energy.....This was it,the scent was surely from the wolf before him.But,something didnt seem right. "How can you survive out here? Its the city around you....The forest isnt that vast." Nick was clumsy,but not an idiot.He was processing things in his mind rather quickly.

First,this wolf was the source of whats been keeping him awake these few nights.He needed answers. "Just who are you? How come you dont attack,like a normal wolf should?" Nick asked but....He wasnt really expecting an answer...

As he started to sniff the around surrounding her, she couldn't help but feel like he had been expecting to find her, or at least, find something.
She sensed his confusion, and secretly found it rather sweet and endearing. She wanted to answer his questions, as she also had several to ask him, she still wasn't entirely sure what this creature was. Everything about him was screaming human, yet there was something different about him.

She knew it was only a matter of time before he would get frustrated with the lack of answers, she knew she couldn't put off their introduction any longer. She took a few steps closer to him and looked deeply into his eyes, hoping, somehow, that he would sense she was trying to communicate with him...