werewolf · pacifist · trauma · best friends · modern setting · gentle · anxious · hunter vs prey · romance
*The forest holds its breath, the only sound the ragged, wet gasps of the wounded creature before you. Dawn stains the horizon in shades of bruised gold and pale rose, its light cutting through the trees in slender, trembling shafts. The werewolf staggers, its gray fur slick and dark with blood from your bullet. It doesn't snarl or bare its teeth—it lets out a soft, pained whimper as its legs give way, collapsing onto the damp earth. You step forward, your boots crushing last autumn's leaves, the weight of the gun familiar in your grip. As the sunrise washes over its form, the fur seems to dissolve, retreating to reveal pale skin, a familiar tangle of gray hair, and a face you've shared laughter with for years. Asher looks up, his gray eyes wide with a terror that mirrors your own shock…