Rind.

The visitor had protested that he was hungry as well as cold, and he had beautiful light golden eyes, and so Gustin caved and was warming some stew over the fire. The Layer took it gratefully and ate noisily at the new low table. Gustin watched him finish the meal with an amused expression. At the end of it, he licked the bowl desperately and then his mouth, glancing casually up at his human host. Gustin felt a pang somewhere low. Opportunity, perhaps, was presenting itself. He edged closer, leaned over the low table.
"So you live around here, then?"
The Layer looked mournfully at the bowl, which Gustin got up to refill, casting a glance backwards at him, interested now in more than the creature's life story.
The Layer gave him a curious look.
"As around here as one can. I stay to the north about twelve miles, ten when Kellan doesn't track me."
"Oh." Gustin set down the soup and settled himself closer to the Layer. He had strong hands, well defined fingers, and his arms flexed as he lifted the bowl and Gustin began to wonder if he was muscled as nicely as the wolfe. Gus smiled a little at the Layer. The Layer grinned back, set the bowl down, languidly stretched long legs out before resettling into a relaxed position.
"So you haven't even told me your name."
Gustin grinned cheekily.
"Well, you may have to tempt that out of me."
The Layer raised a speculative eyebrow.
"Temptation? That's a game I'm quite familiar with."
Gustin smiled broadly, showing bright teeth. He leaned over, close to the Layer's face.
"I've got another game I could show you."
Smoothly, he moved in for a kiss. The Layer regarded him coolly. Gustin smiled a little, nervously, backed up. Maybe it was too fast? The Layer was still staring, only now the stare had turned from cool to cold.
"Despite how little respect you may have for bonding vows, human," he spat, "I will never interlope on another male's mate. The innocence of our original flirtation has ended."
Gustin laughed a little as he realized the confusion. It was pretty admirable of the Layer to turn down what was so blatantly offered; honorable, in fact. And any human worth their salt knew there was nothing hotter than honor. Gustin was just itching to get his clothes off. This would be simple: just tell him the truth.
"You don't have to worry. I'm not Kuskellanar's mate."
A series of emotions and expressions too multitudinous to describe crossed the Layer's face like a spinning wheel before finally slowing to settle on intense.
"You are not mated to Kellanar?" Gustin shook his head. The Layer's smile began to return. Gustin breathed a silent sigh of relief and put on his most inviting smile.
"We're barely even roommates."
"Good. Then you will mate with me. Now."
Gustin's grinned. This day was going a lot better than he expected.

Dotre was here. He could smell it. Fire in his heart, Kellan ran now. He'd been stupid, so stupid. Leaving the human here alone. Of course Adotre had come. Of course Adotre had doubled back. Of course Adotre would smell his heat. Of course he'd have a challenge on his hands. Stupid fucking move.
Snow crunched under his feet. His heart pounded in his chest. Stupid fucking move. He arrived at his front door, skidded into it, sat dazed on his haunches in the snow for a minute.

"What was that thump?"
"Nothing. Come, lay down."

Then the door was dragged open and biting winter air came whipping briskly in.
"Fuck!" the blast had Gustin, now half-dressed, ducking for cover in the far corner of the room. The Layer Adotre, however, was on his feet in an instant, hackles raised, head lowered, teeth bared and sharp for Kellan. Both shifted, growled and circled each other. The wind ruffled their fur, made them look even larger and more imposing. Adotre chanced a bite first, snapping at Kellan's face and nose. Kellan drove him back with a series of quick shoulder swipes before circling back and preparing for a charge. The growls crescendoed as the two separated, rushed each other, and met clashing in midair. Gustin couldn't keep track of who was who and who was on top and who was beneath, but when the movement stopped - as suddenly as it had begun - Adotre was on his side, panting, and Kuskellanar was shifted human above him. Kellan exhaled angrily, one arm firm around the layer's neck in a chokehold. Adotre growled; he had lost the fight, but his animal half still screamed for release, enthralled by the possibility of a mate and unwilling to relinquish such a desirous prize. Kellan tightened his hold.
"Next time, it breaks, Layer."
Adotre amenably went slack and Kellan released him roughly.
"Get out."
Adotre cast one last, meaningful look at the pile of furs where Gustin was just barely visible, then slapped his tail against the wall and left. Kellan watched him go, slammed the heavy door behind him in one last show of strength. Then his attention turned to Gustin.
"Come. Here. Now, Human."
Gustin swallowed. In the fray, he'd managed to cover himself up to decency at least, but he wasn't warm and he wasn't dressed like usual. There could be no doubt about what he and the Layer had been intending to do. Kellan looked evenly into his eyes for a moment. Gustin shivered under the scrutinizing gaze, approached slowly. When he got within arm's reach, Kellan reached out, taking firm hold of his arm and snatching him closer.
"I don't know what game you are playing, human, but it ends now."
Gustin shook his head vigorously; Kellan really seemed to be angry and Gus didn't want to incur his wrath.
"No - no game, wolfe, honest. I - he said he was a friend of yours; I just let him in because of that, I didn't intend..." he trailed off. "I'm sorry, Kellan."
Kellan exhaled heavily and released him.
"You are almost more trouble than you will be worth."
Gustin frowned, rubbed his arm, still standing close to the wolfe, but casually putting some distance between them.
"What does that even mean?"
Kellan glanced sidelong at him. Gustin began to become annoyed.
"Tell me. You've kept me here a month now under the guise of some big plan, but now I'm beginning to think there's nothing to it but exile madness. Am I right, wolfe?"
Kuskellanar growled.
"You are quick to lose your docility."
For some reason, this lit a fuse.
"Don't tell me about docility, Kellan! You keep me locked in this place - a damn prisoner, you don't speak, you don't play, you won't make love to me, and the one time i get an hour - an hour! - of outside contact, you show up and go berserk. And then you act like you can't tell me what you've even got me here for. Well, I've got news, wolfe - I'm a runner. It's what I do. I've run from places a hell of a lot worse off than this, and storm or no damn storm, I'm getting answers, or I'm getting the hell out."
"You are a ransom."
Gustin paused - he hadn't expected such swift capitulation. He turned this over in his head; wait a minute - a ransom?
"Wait a minute - a ransom?"
"Yes. I intend to sell you back to them in the spring."
"Them?!"
Kellan looked at him curiously.
"You don't remember?"
Gustin thought back, tried, but no, last thing he remembered was running through the greenwood and then an attack from all sides, it seemed...
"What should I remember?"
"You were raided. By the nearest Wolfish pack. Intended you for breeding. Storm hit, they had to make quick shelter. A transport tipped. I stole you in the confusion."
Gustin frowned.
"Wolfes raid all the time. I am a drop in the bucket. Why pay ransom for only one human who probably goes unmissed anyway?"
"Not a normal human."
Kellan shrugged, began to wander off towards the fire pit.
Gustin's eyebrows shot up. This was news to him. He followed Kellan across the room.
"Wait, what? You can't just say that and stop. What's not normal about me??"
"You're wanted."
Gustin shrugged. This was not news to him.
"Always have been. Why now?"
Kellan began to poke at the dead embers.
"You run information. You know many things about this territory. You know many things about the Louts, the Psires, and us. You are crafty, clever, and never caught. This has come to the attention of one of the pack's Alphas. He is looking for you."
Gustin swallowed, anxiety level rising. He'd fallen into a trap - this was a trap, the simplest one of all. Runners knew better.
"And you are a bounty hunter. You're turning me in to my enemies to reap a small reward."
Kellan shook his head.
"I am an opportunist, and an exile. The reward will not be small, and this Alpha is not your enemy. He does not mean to harm you, he means to breed you."
Gustin's stomach flipped twice.
"Tell me there's another meaning to that word."
"There is another reason that he seeks you so zealously."
"I don't know if I want to know..."
"There is a superstition - a rumor, of sorts, in the the Wolfish life. Your appearance has coincided with a prediction from the oracles on Arem'mir. They expect that you are the one whose arrival precipitates the sublime fusion of Wolfe and Man. They have heard that you can understand the wolfe."
Gustin furrowed his brow.
"You mean that I speak Wolfish? That's just practice, and many hours of study. Any human could do it."
The fire was relit. Kellan left it and turned to face Gustin fully.
"No. Any human can learn Wolfish. No human but you can understand the wolfe."
Gustin stared blankly.
"I'm still not getting it."
Kellan sighed, walked some distance from Gustin, and shifted suddenly, seeming to collapse into his elegant, furry form. Shaking his heavy body, he took a moment to groom himself before lifting his head to look up at Gustin.
"When I speak in this form, only you can understand. No human before you, and no human since. This is your gift, Gustin, and this is why they seek you."

~:~