Wilder (An Erotic Fairy Tale) by Scarlet Chill

WOODWORKING
    Rumors floated all around the village about th e hideous beast who lived in the forest.  According to gossipers, he chopped wood for a living.  He was too ugly for a less isolating profession.  And his gloomy cabin was hidden between sinister trees and a wolf’s lair.  Natalya had been curious about the beast for a very long time.
    Twirling her long, mahogany hair around one finger, she curled up with a book in her tiny cottage.  Obsessively curious about the beast, she couldn’t focus on one word of the book.  Just down the lane from her cottage stood the entrance to the forest and the beast’s mysterious world.  Long, leggy, and curvaceous, Natalya was hailed as one of the most beautiful young women in the village.  She could have any man she wanted, but there was something so intriguing about this beast whose face she had never glimpsed.
    Snapping her book shut, she rose from her cozy couch and took a quick look in the mirror.  In her floral spring dress, she looked bewitching.  Natalya thought with an excited shiver how venturing to the beast’s territory might be dangerous.  Townsfolk all said he had lived alone for many years.  Perhaps he hadn’t seen a woman in all that time.  Natalya shivered again inside her cotton dress, feeling goose bumps on her flesh and a familiar yearning in her core.  She might be beautiful, but she was as lonely as the beast.
    Natalya stepped into the late afternoon sunshine and waved to her neighbors as she walked down the lane.  She hoped no one would accost her for a conversation.  She wanted to get to the beast’s cabin well before sundown.  Picking up her pace, Natalya quickly arrived at th e edge of the forest.  The clouds were already starting to accumulate as the sky darkened.  Not quite sure where she was going, Natalya looked around for any sign of civilization.  But all she heard were birds chirping along with the distant howling of wolves.
    Another faraway sound blended in with the animals.  Natalya paused and listened as the sound of an axe striking tree logs became clear.  Strangely, her heart pounded as she knew she was getting closer to her destination.  Should she turn back now?  She looked behind her at the gathering twilight and wondered if she had been foolish to venture into the forest.  Maybe she should have waited until morning.  But like a sleek feline, curiosity had gotten the best of her.
    The chopping sound became more pronounced as she crept deeper into the forest.  Through the trees, she could discern the bulky frame of a man cutting the wood.  But it couldn’t be the beast.  Gasping, she parted her lips with a combination of shock and desire as the man wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.  Tall, bearded, and built like a champion weightlifter, the man was a portrait of potent sexuality.  With brown hair trailing down his chiseled chest and a rugged beard to match, he was the most masculine man Natalya had ever seen.  She watched in awe as he slung the axe over a log, effectively splitting it in half as the muscles in his powerful arms rippled.
    Daring to walk through the trees and introduce herself, Natalya wet her lips, feeling both her mouth and throat go dry.  She slowly walked closer as he remained absorbed in his work.  Staring in open admiration as he stacked a pile of heavy logs, she moved forward until she was directly behind him.
    “Um, hello,” she said hesitantly.
    The man jumped in shock before turning around to face Natalya with a ferocious expression on his face.  His eyes were sea green with luxurious lashes in stark contrast to his ripped body.  She shivered under his intense perusal.  His glittering green eyes took a bold trail from the plump cleavage tucked inside her sweetheart neckline to the lithe legs barely concealed by her skirt.  He continued to appraise her but said nothing.
    “Hello,” Natalya tried again.  She wasn’t sure what to say next and suddenly felt very