The wolf left behind a trail of blood, but even that blood trail eventually ran dry when her wound finally healed.
And by the time it did heal, Corryn was thoroughly exhausted and sick with blood loss. She'd gotten a good head start, but after a while she slowed and had to take breaks before moving on, her ears up and alert for signs of that monster. She managed to keep one step ahead by some miracle, and some deep, instinctive part that was still Corryn knew she just had to keep moving until morning, just had to keep hidden until morning...
Finally, she curled up in an abandoned den she dug out weakly to make bigger, and passed out.
When she woke up, she was human again--and she felt like she'd been run over by a herd of horses.
Her body always ached the first day after a transformation, but this morning felt extra special. And it was extra special, because when she sat up, she was covered in blood--and she was not in chains!
Worse yet, her belly felt very full and heavy.
Are you kidding me.
And thus, the first thing she did was vomit quite thoroughly, and though it was disgusting, she was relieved when she found only animal fur in the mess. Still, she felt sick and gripped with terror that she'd broken free, because even if it was only some animal...what if a person had come by? What if she'd been closer to a town and gone there? Gods, she thought those chains were secure!
...Now where the hell am I?
Not near her tree or chains where she'd left, you know, only all of her supplies. And clothes! And sword! She didn't recognize this area, and she was a naked woman covered in blood. Not weird at all!
She supposed she could always make up some story about being mugged and beaten. Except for the part where she bore no injuries. Damn. Not suspicious at all. She looked like a serial killer.
But there was nothing else to be done. Whining wouldn't get her clean or back to her things. She had to try to retrace her steps, track "the wolf" back to that damned tree. And maybe wash off the blood first. It was unlikely she'd meet anyone this far out in the woods, but she liked not to take chances. If she was just a naked woman, not a naked woman covered in blood with no injuries, she could garner a lot more sympathy.
And so, grumbling, she rose to her feet, stretched her achy limbs, and trudged her way toward the sound of water. There was a shallow stream, but it would be enough to wash in, and so she sat by the edge and started scrubbing away at the dried, flaking blood while trying not to vomit again at the thought of what she'd done, and what she could have done.
Because even if it was just animal meat, she'd seen the results of her work, and it was not a nice way to go.