by L A Moore
Copyright July 25, 2018
Table of Contents
Chapter 17
Chapter 29
Chapter 316
Chapter 418
Chapter 520
Chapter 622
Chapter 723
Chapter 824
Chapter 927
Chapter 1034
Chapter 1136
Chapter 1239
Chapter 1341
Chapter 1448
Chapter 1551
Chapter 1658
Chapter 1765
Chapter 1867
Chapter 1973
Chapter 2075
Chapter 2183
Chapter 2286
Chapter 2391
Chapter 2494
Chapter 2596
Chapter 26101
Chapter 27111
Chapter 28119
Chapter 29121
Chapter 30122
Chapter 31129
Chapter 32131
Chapter 33132
Chapter 34134
Chapter 35137
Chapter 36142
Chapter 37145
Chapter 38148
Chapter 39152
Chapter 40154
Chapter 41156
Chapter 42162
Chapter 43165
Chapter 44166
Chapter 45170
Chapter 46173
Chapter 47174
Chapter 48177
Chapter 49178
Chapter 50180
Chapter 51183
Chapter 52186
Chapter 53188
Chapter 54194
Chapter 55197
Chapter 56202
Chapter 57203
Chapter 58204
Chapter 59206
Chapter 60210
Chapter 61213
Chapter 62216
Chapter 63218
Chapter 64222
Chapter 65224
Chapter 66225
Chapter 67230
Chapter 68233
Chapter 69234
Chapter 70236
Chapter 71245
Chapter 72246
Chapter 73248
Chapter 74249
Chapter 75252
Chapter 76253
Chapter 77257
Chapter 78259
Chapter 79263
Chapter 80268
Chapter 81270
Chapter 82271
Chapter 83273
Chapter 84274
Chapter 85277
Chapter 86280
Chapter 87281
Chapter 88283
Chapter 89289
Chapter 90291
Chapter 91295
Chapter 92297
Chapter 93298
Chapter 94300
Chapter 95307
Chapter 96310
Chapter 97313
Chapter 98316
Chapter 99318
Chapter 100321
Other Acknowledgements323
Previous Works323
Chapter 1
He stalks through the forest, foraging for food: the sky clear and the sun shining down on him through the trees; his giant feet leaving little proof that he had recently traversed the area, despite his size. He stopped and sniffed the air mid stride, a bush of wild blueberries having caught his attention. He sniffed them out, locating them a little ways down the mountain. Reaching out, he began gathering the berries carefully and purposefully popping them into his mouth, eating plant, berries, and all. A twig snapped in the not- to- distant area and he stops to listen. He can hear the birds chirping, a waterfall not too far away, a deer as it moves along in the woods, and the squirrels above him running from tree to tree; but doesn’t sense any danger. He continues eating, devouring handful after handful of the delectable little berries when he once again hears another twig snap, this time closer. Humans don’t usually venture this far into the Appalachian Mountains, but still, he must be careful to avoid them. He stands still again listening carefully and sniffing the air. He’s not too afraid of being found, after all almost no one believes in their existence, but he still feels bound by his family’s laws to stay hidden. He can smell the human now; it’s a female. He can’t risk her seeing him in his true form, or his family would forbid him from taking his true form again. Fear races through his body, making the long hairs that cover his body stand up on end, and awareness and alertness settles in; his animalistic predispositions taking over. Silently he takes a step and transforms into a chipmunk and inches closer to the human, curious what she is doing this far in the woods alone. Carefully he makes his way further down the mountain, scurrying over fallen trees and through the underbrush until he sees her.
Chapter 2
Poppy inched closer to the blooming pink bud of the dogwood tree. Careful not to scare off the bee that just landed on the tiny bud, she aimed her camera. She began to fire away, taking dozens of photos, one after the other in the hopes one of them will be her saving grace for her photography class. She had been following the same bright yellow fat bee for some time, but every time she would get close enough to get a shot, she would inevitably step on a branch or break a twig and it would move off again. She wasn’t sure how far off the trail she had gotten, but she wasn’t worried as she had consistently been moving up the mountain; all she would have to do was go back down the mountain until she found the well-kept trail again. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye she spotted a small chipmunk watching her, standing up on is haunches. She turned and began taking pictures, not wanting to miss the opportunity. “That’s it little chipmunk, just hold still!” Poppy whispered to the chipmunk as she fired away.
The chipmunk ducked under the large fallen tree it had been standing on and peeked out curiously from the underbrush.
“You’re a curious little fellow, aren’t you?” Poppy asked the chipmunk, taking a few steps closer to get a better shot of its little face poking out from under the huge fallen tree.
All of a sudden the chipmunk ducked its head back under the tree and disappeared from her view.
“Where did you go? Come back little buddy, I just want to get a few pictures of you.” Poppy explained, as if the chipmunk could hear her and stepped up to the massive tree to look behind it. She had been expecting to find the chipmunk again, but nothing could have prepared her for what awaited her in its place. A large Eastern hognose snake stared straight back into her smiling face, coiling up, ready to strike should she get any closer. Poppy screamed and jumped back, stumbling her way away from the fallen tree and back down the mountain; she ran as fast as she could go, eager to get away from the snake and back to the relative safety of the trail. That was enough photography and wild animals for one day; if she got her shot she did, and if not, she would just visit a local park instead and shoot birds and squirrels. Passing this class was not worth her life.
He slithered his way up over the tree and watched as the human made her way screaming down the mountain and nodded good riddance to her. It served her right, coming this far out on his mountain and then to have the audacity to take pictures of him, as if he had wanted her to. At first, he had tried not to scare her, but once she had it in her head to follow him about, he had had to act fast, so he had ducked behind the tree and transformed into a harmless Eastern hognose snake that he knew would scare the hell out of any self-respecting human female with any bit of common sense. Once he was sure she was far enough away, he transformed back into his true from and made his way back to where he had stashed his clothes. On the way back, he couldn’t get the female out of his head. Her hair had gleamed like shining copper, and hung in large rivulets of curls down her back from the high pony tai
l she had contained it all in. Her heart-shaped face was like a canvas for her deep blue sapphire eyes, lined with a dark smattering of long lashes, high cheek bones, and lush red lips that begged to be bitten. Where had that thought come from? He didn’t want to bite her lips; he didn’t even want to see her on his mountain again, did he? No, certainly not. Why, any woman who would come into the wild wearing those ridiculously short khaki shorts and that tight fitting white undershirt with that tantalizing lace trim just over her ample bust, thankfully covered by that equally ridiculous blue plaid long sleeved shirt that did nothing for her figure. Nothing, that is, like those short shorts had done to show off her quite delectable derriere and long milk white legs that looked from his vantage point like they went on for miles, from her boot encased foot to her hip. No, he certainly didn’t want to see her back on his mountain, no sirree. He wanted to see her in his bed, naked and writhing beneath him with all that copper hair spread about her like a halo. That admission stopped him dead in his tracks, and for a moment he forgot where he was and where he was headed. Clothes, right I need to find my clothes! Had he not been fully accustomed to being naked and hairy out in the wild, he might have been embarrassed about his blatant aroused state, but since he was, he traipsed through the forest with his manhood firmly in check before him pointing the way. By the time he made it back to the tree he had stashed his clothes in, he had finally calmed down. But his thoughts remained with the beautiful copper haired beauty that, in only moments, etched her firmly in his being. He dressed with one thought on his mind, he had to find her; he had to know her name, to know everything about her, and, most importantly, to claim her for his own.
Poppy ran all the way down the mountain and back to her red Jeep wrangler, the memory of that icky snake still fresh in her mind, and, in that moment, all thoughts of being a nature photographer were put on a definite firm hold. She would have to contemplate another area of photography to specialize in, but she was sure running into snakes and other dangerous wild creatures was not high on the list of job requirements she was looking for. What had she been thinking? She could have been killed. Of all the stupid things to do! She thought. You got to get a grip girl! She added to herself, pulling out of the parking lot and heading home. It didn’t take long for her to make the drive from the state park to town, and from there to her small house on the further outskirts of town, away from the state park. She got out and grabbed her water bottle from the center console, her canvas backpack that all her photography stuff was in, and her camera from the passenger seat. Now that she had had time to calm down, she was eager to see what she had caught on camera. Carefully, she lugged her equipment into her single story bungalow. She had not long ago moved in, and she took a moment to stop and look at the exterior of the cute little house she had just rented. She had fallen in love with it from the moment she had seen it. She loved the stone steps leading up to the ample wooden porch wrapped in wrought iron and strong thick post. It was the color she loved the most, it was a bright blue with an equally bright green front door that was offset by big picture windows. The upper level had an additional big picture window and that is where her bedroom was. She loved looking out that window each morning as she woke up and seeing the sunrise. Even the roof was beautiful, even though it was a white metal roof, because it w matched the elaborate white trim. It had called to her wildish nature immediately and she had had to have it. It had taken a bit of finagling with the land lord, but they had quickly come to an agreement on the one bedroom tiny home and, since two weeks ago, it was hers. She smiled at the little cheery house and went inside, setting her keys on the little table by the door that was empty except for a large blue bowl that she used as a catchall, and sat down on the wine and purple padded bench, laying her gear down beside her to pull off her boots and tuck them beneath the bench along with her others. She slid on her fluffy, hot pink house shoes and padded down the little hall on the light wooden floors, passing her collection of her favorite photos from her favorite photographers which served as her daily inspiration. She reached the gently curved archway of the living room/office and went through. The walls were the same color as the hallway and throughout the house, an agreeable gray. She liked that the least about the house, but she had done her best to cheer up the inside with bright pops of color in nearly every shade of the rainbow which she supposed clashed a bit, but she didn’t care. She loved color, every single color, accepts of course the dull boring ones, and loved being surrounded by them. Her turquoise rug framed the room and her red couch and purple chair with the lime green pillows cushioned the room nicely, while the pink and orange frames held her own pictures that had inspired her new career. In the middle stood her bright yellow coffee table, and on the other side of the couch and between her chairs stood matching end tables. To the sides sat brightly painted bookshelves which matched her desk that sat on the other side of the room. She walked over to her painted multicolored desk which pulled from all the colors in the room, and flipped on the hot pink desk lamp, and plopped down in the turquoise desk chair to plug in her cameras SD card to check out her photos. She carefully went through the whole collection, and laughed when she reached the ones of the chipmunk. If she didn’t know any better she would swear he wore a look of sheer indignation at having his picture taken. Then she got to the ones where he had been peeking out from under the fallen tree and took note of the obvious curiosity that he wore upon his face. It was then that she remembered why she had wanted to be a nature photographer in the first place. She had wanted to capture animals in their own habitats and show their beauty and charm. Unfortunately, the big, the bad, and the scary also came with the sweet and innocent and harmless. She hoped the chipmunk had gotten away, and not become that big snake’s next meal. She was still shaken up by the snake encounter and wasn’t sure if she could ever achieve her dream of becoming a nature photographer, but she knew in that moment she would try again.
Ari, now dressed, quickly made his way down the mountain hoping to catch up to the copper headed vixen, but knew it was probably futile, even with his enhanced speed. When he reached the bottom of the mountain, all that remained was her lingering scent. She smelled of clean soap and peaches with a hint of vanilla. It was an intoxicating combination and it was not soon a smell he would forget. All that was left was for him to locate the girl. Which, he had to admit was a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack as she could be anywhere. He walked over to his black Chevy k3500 and slid into the driver’s seat; for now he would head home, and start checking around town tomorrow. He drove in silence, his mind still wondering over how he would manage a meeting once he did find her. Once he reached his two story, hand- hewn log cabin deep in the woods, well past the state park and far from town, it was nearly dark, which meant supper time. Thankfully, his Mama always kept him well fed with a hot meal delivered right to his door from hers. Of course, it helped that she lived on the shared property in her own one story cabin. His family owned several hundred acres of land, most of which was mountainous, which suited them just fine. He parked and walked into his cabin, the hand hewn wood continuing inside to the flooring and the walls. His Mother had helped him to decorate it, and it suited him just fine. There were deep plush rugs, blankets, throw pillows and curtains all in shades of deep brown and cream which somehow went together quite nicely with the wrought iron and glass tables and deep brown leather couches. She had accented with punches of bright red to offset the dark colors in frames and vases set here and there and carried the same color theme throughout except the bathrooms, which were done in black and red alone. He walked over to the fridge and poured himself some water and then walked down the hall to his office. He sat at his desk and tried to work, but words failed to come to him. Usually after a day spent walking around in his true form he would have plenty to say, but not today words escaped him which wasn’t good, considering he was a nature writer for a prominent wild life magazine. Just then there was a knock at the door. He rose and went to answer the door
, knowing full well it would be his Mother with his dinner.
Chapter 3
“When are you going to find a girl and settle down?” she said, shoving a plate at him and walking in, immediately righting all that was wrong in his living room. Picking up dirty clothes and righting pillows and folding blankets. “I’m not getting any younger and you need someone to look after you. You need a wife!” she insisted.
Avianna was a force to be reckoned with, and it looked like he had found himself on one of her bad sides. “Hi Mom, it’s nice to see you too.” Ari said and kissed her cheek. “Dinner smells nice.” He added to sweeten the deal.
“You need a woman to cook for you.” Avianna insisted.
“Well, as it happens, I did meet someone today, well, sort of that is.” Ari said, sitting the plate down at his table.
“Well don’t keep me waiting; tell me all about her!” Avianna said, delighted he had finally found a woman.
“I’m not sure, but she’s beautiful, and she’s a photographer, I think.” Ari said and sat down and began uncovering his plate. She had brought him a wild salad foraged from nature, a baked potato with butter, and a steak, medium rare, just like he liked it. “Mmm, this is heavenly!” Ari said, taking a bite of his steak.
“Did she see you in your true form?” Avianna asked angrily.
“No, I’m not that stupid. I changed into a chipmunk before she could find me, and then changed into a snake when she got too close. Which is why I don’t know her name, but I’m already half in love with her as is. I’ve got to find her Mom.” Ari explained between bites.
“Well, it’s about time I must say. I want grand babies someday you know!” Avianna stated.
“Yes Ma, I know you want grand babies, a whole bunch of them.” Ari said, laughing as this was a standard conversation every time he met a girl.
“I think this one might just be the one. That is, if I can find her.” Ari said, this time not laughing but very serious.
Chapter 4
Poppy sat up going over the photos she had taken that day, going over each one carefully to find just the right one to turn in to her teacher the next day. She had finally narrowed it down to three- one of the bee and the flower, and two of the crazy little chipmunk; one where he was standing up, and one where he was hiding. She couldn’t decide which she liked best and wished she could turn them all in, but the assignment had been to bring in just one nature photo. She set them aside and decided to choose in the morning. She got up from her desk and made her way through the curved archway through the hallway and to the kitchen, which had its own curved archway. She pulled out the pasta and sauce and then the rest of the pack of ground meat from the fridge. She boiled the noodles while browning the meat and once it was done, combined the two and poured the sauce over the top. It was a simple meal and it suited her just fine. She ate in silence, standing by the stove, and put the rest away for tomorrow’s meal. She longed to cook more elaborate meals but, with it just her, she failed to see the point; instead sticking to the quick, easy, cheap, and filling meals like spaghetti. Once she was done she cleaned up the dishes and put them away. With that chore done, she went back to the hallway and went to the bathroom, changing out of her shorts and shirts into a pair of bunny print flannel pjs and pink tank top. Then she washed her face and pulled her hair down brushing it thoroughly before putting it in a bun to sleep in. Going up the stairs, her thoughts once again returned to the chipmunk and she decided then that she would use the picture of the chipmunk looking indignant. It really was her favorite. That decided, she crawled into her loft bed and drifted off into a deep sleep.