Is this a cheesy Wishshipping werewolf AU? It might be. I've borrowed a small element from Selkie mythology, though not the 'forced marriage' part because ew. I have no excuse for the delay in updating Heart of Magic beyond writer's block and work being a bitch, but sorry anyway to those waiting on that. I also have no idea if this will be a longer thing or just one chapter's worth with Implications. Let me know if you think it should or shouldn't. Note that Jounouchi's appearance is mostly based off the recent colour re-release of the manga.

Either way, have fun.

There's a wolf in the woods.

That was the refrain Yugi heard in his head, over and over, as every crunch of snow and ice underfoot seemed to echo around him. The villagers had whispered it to each other, some angered, some not. But they were all afraid, even his grandfather. The stronger and younger residents took it on themselves to track and kill the creature, and today Yugi had finally managed to earn his own place on the team. He patrolled to the north of the village, ostensibly the 'easy' path, the one well traveled by merchants and travelers from the lowlands. But snow covers all it touches eventually, and soon Yugi found himself going far off track, until he was scrambling up fallen trees and crawling between ice cloaked boulders, praying they didn't slip under their own weight and crush him.

He didn't know what all the fuss was about, to be honest. Wolves were common pests and little more to their little village, tucked away in the looming shadows of the mountains and forests as old as the sky, and he'd never put much stock in them. The cattle their fields fed were immense, stoic creatures that formed a wall of solid muscle at the slightest provocation (though he'd never been afraid, their gaze was soft as old felt). Their sheep were guarded by vicious dogs, trained to kill even bears (and they squabbled like puppies over thrown sticks).

Dangerous in a pack, for a lone traveler perhaps, but surely nothing to warrant such fear.

Then again, he WAS a lone traveler.

One particular wolf was the issue then. Maybe it was a man-eater. A merchant had stumbled into their village a few weeks before, a gibbering wreck of a man who'd gotten lost en route to the next ridge. But, aside from where branches and thorns had torn at him as he fled through the forest, he was unharmed. Oh, he'd certainly been chased within an inch of his life, but the immense beast turned tail and fled at the first sign of civilization. He could barely describe it, beyond 'huge' and 'yellow'.

Had Yugi been paying attention to his surroundings, he would've noticed that the branch he'd picked out to grab on jumping a small river was far too weak, even for someone as slight as him. It collapsed into splinters at his grasp and he had a few moments of sheer annoyance before the shock of plummeting into unbelievable cold overtook him, immobilizing him.

The river was narrow, but far deeper than it looked. He'd been warned about them, rivers that had been shaken and twisted by earthquakes until they'd turned on their sides, cutting impossibly deep ravines into the land while still looking as innocent as the babbling brooks in his mother's favorite novel.

Huh. He was drowning now, wasn't he? The surface seemed so far away from his paralyzed hand. He should've known the river was dangerous, nothing that flows so quickly even when the lakes freeze is good news.

He was going to die here, and he didn't even get to see the wolf. His grandfather would be heartbroken, for he was the one who encouraged Yugi to try his luck at tracking it down. His mother would dig out the old rifle she put away after giving birth to him and kill the wolf that killed her son, even if its fangs are clean.

Not even the wolf would find his body.

There's a human in the woods.

The first thing Yugi felt was the cold air, nipping at his fingers. He didn't remember taking off his gloves (or indeed, the rest of his clothes). Nor did he remember leaving the frigid water. In fact, aside from his slightly damp hair, he was pretty much dry. And warm, though not quite enough for comfort.

The second thing he felt was fur. Dense, heavy and all over him. Wirey in some places, soft as fresh cotton in others. The smell was pleasantly familiar though itself unpleasant; the shepherd hounds chasing the flock through an overflowing river sprang to mind.

His eyes crawled open, to see that it was a wolf's pelt, easily big enough to comfortably cover even the largest bull with plenty to spare. Whoever had put him in it had had the foresight to fold half of it underneath his body, shielding him from the snow and rock beneath. Even halved, it was still large enough to almost completely drown him, same as the river had tried to. He pulled his fingers underneath it, with no small effort since his arms seemed heavier than lead, and it was then he noticed the colour.

'Yellow', he decided, was woefully underestimating it. Guard hairs were caught by what little light filtered through the dense conifer trees, some bright as wheat, a scattered few burnt amber, though the majority were closer to red gold. The dense, softer fur underneath was more unified, a mild blond. A pelt like this wouldn't look out of place on the back of a king. This must have belonged to the wolf that chased the merchant. Dead already... A shame, a skin this gorgeous in death would've been even more glorious in motion.

His clothes hung from a branch, strung up by sticks and thin rope. They still dropped little beads of water, not even beginning to freeze yet, so he couldn't have been out of the water for long. Clothes he didn't recognize were also hung up, an unfamiliar style that looked more suited to far warmer climates than here.

He closed his eyes again, for what he was so sure was only a moment, but when he opened them again the blue skies above were dimming orange fire, the shadows long and implacable in their approach. He shivered, worse than before, but it didn't help. He couldn't keep his eyes open much longer...

Something moved, obscured by his own fading vision, while sound seemed filtered through the snow. Something else was there, something human shaped that growled and shook his shoulder. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying but he got the gist of it.

"Cold," he managed to stutter. "Help..."

The stranger sighed, then pulled up the wolf pelt. The wind kicked up at the worst moment and wrenched a gasp from Yugi as it tore across his exposed skin, before they slid close against him and pulled the pelt back over, this time covering the both of them.

Yugi shamelessly pushed his cheek against the stranger's chest. It couldn't have been all that much warmer than his own in reality, considering he had no clothes on either and was out in the snow, but to Yugi it nearly burned. Broad, solid and muscular, a few scars slashed here and there that caught against his own skin a little as he rubbed his face against it. Yugi's arms ensnared the stranger's waist almost automatically, though the stranger seemed a little hesitant to return the gesture and he felt rather than heard him awkwardly clear his throat. He was far too cold to care, though he did pull back briefly to try and catch a glimpse of his savior's face.

Red had crept down the stranger's neck all the way to his chest, so he followed it up to equally stained cheeks. He was about his age, with a strong jaw. That same slightly red gold as the pelt fell over his forehead like a mop, a little tangled. His eyes, though they were resolutely looking away, were soft too. A beautiful hazel brown like nothing Yugi had ever seen before.

The stranger cleared his throat again. "I, uh... I don't know how to start fires. Sorry."

So that was his voice. Rough, hoarse like he hadn't used it in a while, an accent Yugi had never heard before. His words were deliberate, like he was carefully remembering each syllable. Yugi tried, but he couldn't find the to speak in return and settled for pressing closer against him instead, shaking his head and hoping his acceptance got through.

"I'll get you back to your village in the morning, 'kay? There's a wolf out here. S'not safe."

Minutes seemed to drag by as drowsiness slowly overtook Yugi once more. As the sunlight through the trees faded, maybe he thought Yugi was more asleep than he was, because then he heard the stranger mutter to himself, "Why is there a village?"

He wished he could answer, but the dark fog of sleep took over, right as the stranger finished with, "S'not supposed to be anyone..."