A Bestiary of Love, Betrayal, and Regret: The Wolf and the Cat
1. Whispers in the Pines In the heart of a forest carved by moonlight, A wolf prowled with fire in his stride, Eyes aglow with primal wisdom, And loneliness he never could hide.
She came like silence—paws so light, A cat with fur of velvet night. Her purrs were winds in whisper's guise, Her gaze, a spell beneath the skies.
He watched her walk the fallen trees, She danced through leaves with artful ease. She caught his scent, then flicked her tail, A message clear, a fragrant trail.
They met where silver moss did grow, By water's edge where breezes blow. He bowed his head, she twirled in play, A curious courtship underway.
He offered her a rabbit's bone, She dropped a feather, soft and lone. They shared the meal, they shared the stars, And time dissolved their ancient scars.
In tangled fur and sleepy sighs, The wolf and cat became allies. He guarded her when danger came, She soothed his rage, she tamed his flame.
The forest watched and whispered low, "What strange, enchanted love does grow." They carved their tale in birch and bark, A wild romance, feral and stark.
2. Thread of Fur and Fang She found him bleeding by the thorn, A battle lost, a hunter torn. He growled at first, his pride intact, But whimpered soft when she came back.
With tongue and paw, she nursed his ache, Her feline grace a calming lake. He licked her nose in shy reply, A warrior humbled, asking why.
She said, "I saw you fall and knew That strength alone won't see us through." He nodded slow, her voice a balm, The forest still, the twilight calm.
Their bond grew thick like climbing vines, They met at dusk beneath the pines. He taught her how to track the deer, She showed him where the stars appear.
Her laughter like the rustling grass, His howls a melody that passed. They were no match in tooth or claw, But matched in soul and nature's law.
When wolves would howl, she joined in tune, Their song would wake the sleeping moon. And when she purred, he'd curl and sleep, A beast at rest, in dreaming deep.
3. Beneath the Foxglove Sky One spring, they ran through fields of bloom, Where foxglove grew and bees would swoon. He chased her shadow, fleet and proud, She leapt through clouds like wind unbowed.
They wrestled in the swaying grass, And watched the fireflies flicker past. She nipped his ear, he barked in glee, Together locked in revelry.
They lay beneath a willow's weep, Entwined in fur, both fast asleep. She dreamed of cubs with paws like mist, He dreamed of her eternal kiss.
The future sang in every breeze, A melody to hearts at ease. They spoke no vows, no sacred rite, But knew their love burned ever bright.
4. The Feather and the Fang She brought him gifts—bright bird and shell, Trophies from woods she knew so well. He offered bones and glowing stones, Laid gently down before her throne.
She wore the feather in her fur, He traced it soft, then nuzzled her. Together in the dawn's embrace, They saw the world in each other's face.
5. The Dance of Shadows A wolf and cat in moonlit trance, Their steps aligned in primal dance. He growled a rhythm, deep and low, She twirled in spirals, sleek and slow.
6. Sanctuary of Breath There came a storm one winter's eve, The sky like glass too tense to grieve. They found a cave, a womb of stone, And made it love's immortal home.
He curled around her like a flame, And softly whispered out her name.
1. A Claw in the Throat One night the wolf returned to cries, His brother's howls split northern skies. He found him still beneath a tree, His eyes agape, his spirit free.
And on the wind, he caught a trace, Of jasmine, fur, and feline grace.
A flash of tail, a secret track— The scent of love, the truth gone black. He ran, confused, his heart on fire, Toward the den of his desire.
She greeted him with open purr, But in her claws, he saw the blur— Of blood not hers, and eyes too wide, Of something in her she could not hide.
2. Confession Under the Full Moon She told him soft, beneath the moon, "I did it for us, and far too soon. He would have torn us both apart, He swore to end what we dared start."
She looked away, her whiskers still, "No trial. No war. Just one sharp kill."
The wolf stepped back, betrayed and torn, By love and blood, by oath forsworn.
3. The Silence After Her Song He said no words, his growl was low, She met his gaze, but dared not go.
And so he left her, tail downcast, The scent of love now in the past. His brother gone, his soul cut deep, The cat he loved had secrets steep.
1. The Final Roar In rage he leapt, her eyes wide shut, He clawed her throat and spilled her gut. A single gasp, a dying stare, The wind stopped moving in the air.
Then whispers came—a cruel deceit, A fox had killed his kin, not she.
He fell beside her cooling form, And howled into the dying storm.
2. Ash in the Snow He built a pyre of fallen wood, And laid her down as best he could. He licked her brow, he wept, he prayed, And cursed the lies that fate had laid.
3. Hollow Nights Each night he roamed the forest wide, Looking for her by his side. But all he found were shadows cast, Of memories and love long past.
4. Echo in the Pines The pines would whisper in her tone, And mock him when he walked alone. He tore the scroll that bore the lie, But not before he let it cry.
5. A Lullaby for Her He sang to her though she was gone, A lullaby at dusk and dawn. A song of fur, of fang, of fire, Of love too deep to ever tire.
The cave was silent now. No flick of a tail, no warm breath beside him. Just the hollow crunch of snow outside, And inside— A deeper cold that fire could never thaw.
He curled the way he always did, Spine arched where her body would've fit, But the chill crept in through fur and thought, Settling deep in the marrow of guilt.
He hadn't eaten in days. Every time he hunted, A silver blur danced between the trees, A flicker of whiskers, a faint mewl, That wasn't real.
He buried his nose in old moss, Still clinging to her scent. But it had faded, Like her voice, Like the rhythm of her purr, Which used to lull the winter storms to sleep.
He howled—not to call, not to warn, But to fill the void she left behind.
The snowstorm lifted, and ash remained.
In the clearing where he built her pyre, He saw her pawprints—delicate, fresh. Too small for fox, too real for wind.
He stepped into them, Each one like a thorn in his paw pad. They led nowhere. And everywhere. They spiraled around the clearing, Traced circles in the frozen mud, Like a cat chasing its tail.
He spoke aloud: "I saw you die." And the wind replied: "But you see me still."
Each night since, she came. Not in flesh, not in breath, But in fog curling between trees, In starlight caught on frost.
She whispered: "Do you miss me?" And he would answer, "I never stopped."
He dreamt in layers now. No clean escape. Just memories that rewrote themselves Like claws across tree bark.
In the dream, he was running. Through the old valley where they met. Her laughter ahead, a ghost of joy. But when he reached her, Her fur was soaked in crimson.
He awoke to a growl. His own.
She came to him clearer that night. Eyes bright gold, tail arched in accusation. "You didn't believe me," she said. He tried to speak, but his tongue was stone.
"You let the lie live longer than me."
He wanted to beg— But she turned to mist.
The pines held stories, And she had become one. The wind carried her voice now, Not soft with affection, But jagged, like claws through bark.
He followed the sound deeper each day. The deeper he went, the more he forgot. His own name. His brother's death. His own hunger.
There was only her.
One evening, the trees opened into a glade. In the center sat a stone. On it: her ribbon.
Still crimson. Still whole. Still hers.
He touched it. It pulsed. A heartbeat not his own. A presence. He turned slowly. And there— In the trees' shadows, She waited.
Not angry. Not smiling. Just waiting.
He stepped forward. And then she was gone again.
But the ribbon stayed. He tied it to his own paw.