The Hound and the Fox
a Sansan fanfic (also on AO3)
Rating: Mature
Fandoms: Game of Thrones (TV), A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms
Relationships: Sandor Clegane/Sansa Stark
Characters: Sandor Clegane, Sansa Stark
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, (Meant to be historical but can be read as modern), Stranger is a dog, Cabin, Shapeshifting, Shapeshifting Sansa, self-sabotaging Sandor
Length: 3492 words
"I've heard of men who turned into wolves, but never a woman who turned into a fox."
In which Sandor Clegane lives in a lonely cabin in the woods, and rescues a fox who turns out to be more than meets the eye.
The sound of a woman's scream pierced through the night and woke Sandor. He shot up in bed, immediately wondering if the sound had been a remnant of a nightmare he was having. Sometimes he dreamt of the fire that destroyed his face and in part made him the man he was. But such dreams were usually silent.
As soon as Sandor laid back down, there was another scream. It was definitely human, which was odd, because nobody lived near Sandor. That was the whole point of living in the woods, to escape the noise and troubles of other people.
Sandor slowly got out of bed, waking his dog, who always slept on the floor near him. "Come on, Stranger," he said. "We'll never get any sleep if we don't find out what that is."
Sandor pulled on some proper clothes; he knew better than to go traipsing through the forest in nothing but his skivvies. There were low branches and brambles, thorns that would cut anything that came near. He lived in the thickest and darkest part of the woods, but that was exactly how he liked it. He then exited the bedroom and grabbed a lantern, as well as his shotgun; there was no telling what could be lurking outside his door.
Sandor and his dog left their cabin and slowly began to make their way in the direction of the screams. Whatever it was out there, or whoever it was, was clearly in agony. Sandor had heard tales of forest spirits tricking men into following them into the deepest, darkest woods, but luckily he didn't believe in such things. He trudged through the brush with only the warm light of the lantern to guide him, unsure of what he would find. It sounded like a woman, but what woman would be out here at this hour? He didn't have any neighbours for miles, and he was unsure if any of them had wives or daughters. It must be a cat, he thought.Those fuckers have human screams, don’t they? I'll put it out of its misery and we'll be back to sleep in no time.
The screaming grew louder as Sandor wandered through the woods, and he knew he must be getting close. He was also getting agitated, as he would much rather have been snoring away in bed. He didn't really need much sleep, but he did thoroughly enjoy it, except for when he was having nightmares.
Stranger trotted ahead, clearly smelling something interesting. It wasn't long before they found the source of the sound, and to Sandor’s surprise, it was a fox. He had had no idea that such a small creature could make such a bone-chillingly human sound, but now he understood why: the poor creature's leg was stuck in a bear trap and was bleeding. But it stopped screaming as soon as it saw Sandor, and stared up at him, frozen in fear.
This was nothing new, of course. Most creatures, human or otherwise, were frightened of him. That was part of being scarred and ugly and big. The last time he'd gone into town he heard people whisper of a monster in his part of the woods, a gargantuan one with half a face, and it didn't take a genius to work out that it was him someone had seen. That someone, whoever they were, had embellished the tale a bit, but he still knew he was the monster.
Sandor knelt down slowly so as to not upset the fox any further. This wasn't his bear trap, it likely belonged to his closest neighbour, a man called Mormont who as far as Sandor could tell was a hermit like him. Normally, Sandor would have just killed the critter and made a hat or something out of its fur, but there was something about this fox that made him hesitate. Its eyes were blue, an odd colour for a fox, and strangely hypnotic. He felt oddly compelled to help this creature, and so he reached down and freed it from the trap. The fox immediately tried to stand up, but couldn't, as its leg was too badly wounded. Sandor sighed and looked at his dog Stranger, who cocked his head as if to say, "The hell are we doing?"
Sandor shook his head, but at what he didn't know. If he didn't help the fox, it would surely die, either by bleeding out or by being attacked by some sort of predator. But he also recognized that this was an odd thought to have: he was a predator, and he should have been taking advantage of the situation. But somehow he couldn't, somehow he didn't have it in his heart to kill this fox that looked up at him with such bizarrely human eyes. His shotgun slung across his back, he delicately picked up the fox, and carried it home.
The entire walk, Stranger trotted beside Sandor with a look of confusion on his canine face. He was a hound dog, he knew what his prey was. In fact, in this moment it seemed he knew better than Sandor. But they walked back to their cabin, and Sandor gently placed the fox onto his armchair before lighting a fire. It was autumn, and the night air had been chilly. He knew that if he had been stuck in a bear trap in such weather, he'd want a warm fire as well.
The fuck am I doing? Sandor thought to himself as he gathered some supplies to help dress the fox's wound. This is ridiculous. A few years of solitude and I've gone soft. And yet, he still found himself kneeling down beside the armchair. He gently took the fox's back paw in his large hand, and it flinched at his touch, before quickly realising that he was only trying to help.
The wound was deep, but Sandor had seen worse on both humans and animals, and he was able to bandage it easily. The fox seemingly understood that it was going to be all right, and it curled up on the chair and fell asleep.
Still sitting on the floor, Sandor let out a little sigh of relief. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Stranger cocking his head at him again, clearly perplexed. "What? It doesn't hurt to do a good deed once in a while," he said to the hound.
I'm explaining myself to a dog, he thought. I must have really lost it.
Sandor got up from the floor and took off his boots, tossing them by the door as he always did. Next his coat came off, and that was discarded on the floor as well. He turned to walk toward his bedroom, and whistled for Stranger to follow. But the dog stayed where he was, laying on the floor, staring at the fox.
"No, you can't eat it," scolded Sandor. "Or the good deed will have been for nothing. Come on."
A small snarl flickered across the dog's lips. There was something he didn't like, or was confused by, but Sandor had no idea what. The fox was obviously no threat to them, and Stranger normally didn't have a taste for foxes anyway - he vastly preferred rabbits. Sandor shook his head at the dog and began to walk to his bedroom, his back turned to the armchair. Suddenly, his dog began to whine, so Sandor turned on his heels and immediately saw why. In the fox's place was a young woman, the most beautiful Sandor had ever seen. She was entirely nude except for the bandage that was wrapped around her leg, and her waist-length auburn hair. Her skin was as pale as moonlight, and she looked as peaceful as she was stunning.
He silently decided that this was, in fact, a dream, one far more pleasant than his normal nightly terrors. He picked his coat off the floor and delicately draped it across the sleeping woman, then turned back to his bedroom. This time, Stranger dutifully followed.
—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—
The next morning, Sandor woke up slowly, having nearly forgotten the events of the previous night. He had decided that it was a dream and that was that, until he trudged into his den to find the fire still going and his dream still sleeping in his chair.
"Bloody hell," he whispered to himself.
The woman stirred ever so slightly, and Sandor found himself uncharacteristically panicked, unsure of what to do in the strange case of a strange woman being in his cabin. He decided to just stand there as she opened her eyes, which were, of course, a mesmerising shade of blue. When the woman saw him, a small smile crossed her lips as she sat up in the armchair. "You saved me," she said. Her voice was beautiful and delicate, just as she was.
Sandor nodded awkwardly. "That I did."
"Thank you," replied the woman. Sandor couldn't remember the last time he'd seen such a warm smile directed at him, much less from a woman.
"It was nothing," he said, but it was something. In fact, it was everything. If he'd known that saving foxes led to such a lovely woman sitting in his chair and looking at him like she wasn't afraid, he would have done it more often. The way she looked at him made him almost forget that most people saw him as a monster, disfigured and hideous.
Sandor’s coat was still draped across the woman, and she tried to offer it to him, holding it out and saying, "I believe this is yours."
"You can keep it." That was a damn good coat, but the young woman had nothing else to wear, and he desperately needed her to stay covered, or his mind would be flooded with the ungentlemanly thoughts he'd been too tired to think the night before. He didn't want to frighten this girl, especially when she possibly still needed his help.
"You are so kind," replied the woman. "I wish there were more people like you."
Most people would think otherwise, Sandor thought, but he bit his tongue. "Are you hungry?"
"Famished!"
"All right. What do people like you eat?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to punch himself. Shut the fuck up, you dumb bastard, he thought to himself.
"People like me?" joked the woman. "You mean women?"
"I mean, women who turn into foxes. Or foxes who turn into women. Whichever one you are."
The woman laughed softly. "I could eat anything."
"Eggs? I've got a chicken out back."
"Of course."
Sandor nodded and left the cabin, leaving Stranger inside with the woman. He did have a chicken out back, a grumpy old hen that didn't even have a name. He didn't purchase this hen, she just showed up at the cabin one day and made a nest, seemingly understanding that he would provide her with protection from animals that would eat her in exchange for eggs. Sandor was now wondering if this hen was secretly a woman, too.
Sandor gathered some eggs and headed back inside, where the woman was raking her slender fingers through her red hair, and Stranger sat on the floor watching her. Sandor immediately set to work in the small kitchen, heating up the wood stove and cracking the eggs onto the pan. As he cooked, he occasionally stole glances at the woman wrapped up in his coat. He'd had no idea that anything could be this beautiful. But then, when he looked up to glance at her again, he saw that she was already looking at him. When their eyes met, she smiled.
Go on, you idiot, say something, he thought. "I've heard of men who turned into wolves, but never a woman who turned into a fox."
The woman smiled shyly and nodded. "I believe I am a rare case."
"Your family– are they foxes as well?"
"I have no family. Not anymore."
"Neither do I."
"You have your dog."
Sandor chuckled. "He's not really family, more of an old friend. His name is Stranger."
"A good name. What is yours?"
It wasn't until this point that Sandor realised he didn't know the woman's name, nor did she know his. "Sandor."
"Sandor," said the woman. The way she said his name sent a pleasant shiver up his spine, and he wanted to hear her say it again and again. "I'm Sansa."
"Your name suits you."
Sansa beamed. "You think so?"
Sandor wanted to say, It's as beautiful as you are, but only nodded instead. He didn't want to frighten away the only visitor this cabin had ever had. Normally, he thoroughly enjoyed his solitude and loathed any sort of attention, but then again, he normally never saw anyone as enchantingly gorgeous as Sansa.
Soon the eggs were ready. Since he lived alone, Sandor only had one chair at his small table, so he pulled the table and chair toward the armchair so he could sit and eat with Sansa. She smiled warmly when he handed her her plate and fork.
"You are too kind," said Sansa. "I don't know how I can possibly repay you for what you've done for me."
"You don't need to."
"You saved my life. Perhaps when I can run again, I could hunt you a rabbit."
"Your life is worth much more than a rabbit."
"I could bring you my weight's worth in rabbits?"
"That's not what I meant," said Sandor as he shook his head. "Besides, that's what Stranger is for."
"I must find a way to repay you."
"Having breakfast with an ugly bastard like me is good enough."
Sansa frowned slightly. "You shouldn't speak of yourself like that."
"I shouldn’t speak truthfully?"
"You should, but that isn't the truth. You've been nothing but helpful."
"So maybe I'm not a bastard then," chuckled Sandor, but Sansa had a stern look on her face.
"Nor are you ugly. You should treat yourself as kindly as you've treated me."
"I don't plan on having to rescue myself from any bear traps any time soon."
Sansa furrowed her brow at him in frustration. "Now I remember why I live as a fox rather than a girl. People are such horrid creatures."
"Sansa, I didn't mean it like that–"
"I shall be gone soon enough and you won't have to worry about me."
"You're still injured. You can't go back out there."
"Why do you care?"
"I–" That question had thrown Sandor off. Why did he care? He had always wanted to be left alone, but perhaps that was only because he hated the way people reacted to his scars. This was the first time someone had ever truly looked at him as if he didn't have them. "I think I know how you can repay me."
Sansa’s eyebrow shot up. "How?"
"A kiss." The words felt dirty coming out of Sandor’s mouth, but that was all he truly wanted.
Sansa cocked her head at him, the same way Stranger looked at him when confused. "That is all?"
"Yes."
"A kiss, in exchange for rescuing me?"
Sandor nodded.
There it was again, that dangerously beautiful smile Sandor felt himself growing addicted to. Despite barely knowing this woman, this fox, he only wanted to make her happy. The way he saw it, such a beautiful woman deserved to feel nothing but joy. He was actually surprised to see her smile at his request; he'd almost expected her to react in disgust and fear, but thought it was worth a shot anyway.
Sansa had been curled up on the chair, with her legs tucked under the coat with the rest of her, but now she slowly tried to stand, bracing herself on the table with one hand. The coat slid off of her and onto the floor, revealing her slender and pale frame. Sandor had never seen a woman so unashamed and unafraid of her own nudity, and Sansa was unsurprisingly lovely from head to toe. He tried desperately to keep his eyes on her face as she shuffled around the table to him, her leg clearly causing her pain. Instinctively, Sandor reached out his hand to help steady her, and Sansa shifted herself so that his large hand found itself on her waist. A chill ran across Sandor's entire body as soon as he touched her bare skin. Balancing between the table and his hand, Sansa limped over to him, and when she was closer she threw her arms across his shoulders to steady herself in front of him.
Sandor couldn't believe the beauty before him. He allowed himself one quick glance over her body, and was in total awe of her.
Although he was tall, when he was sitting he was nearly eye-level to her, and he found himself lost in her sapphire eyes. He was sitting with his knees apart, and she positioned herself between them. His hand still around her waist, she leaned toward him, slowly but with a look of determination on her face. She closed the small gap between them, gently kissing Sandor on his lips, sending a shockwave of emotion through his body.
Sandor wished that moment could last an eternity, with her soft lips on his. She tasted of honey, lemon, and blood, and he had never been happier in his life.
Then, Sansa’s leg failed her, and her knees buckled. But Sandor still had one hand around her waist and his other quickly moved to stabilise her as well, and he kept her from falling. This ended their kiss, and although a flash of disappointment did cross his mind, all he cared about was Sansa’s safety.
To his surprise, Sansa giggled and allowed herself to fall up against him, leaning her chest on his. It seemed that Sandor's comments of self-hatred were by now forgiven, and for a moment it almost seemed that Sansa was enjoying this as much as he was. She must not have seen a human man in quite some time, thought Sandor. Otherwise she would know how ugly I am. But still, his arms wrapped around her waist and he pulled her closer.
"Can I ask you a question?" asked Sansa
"Of course."
"How did you get your scars?"
Sandor sighed and anxiously scratched the burnt side of his face. "My brother burnt me when we were children."
"That's terrible."
"There are worse things that could happen."
"Knowing that doesn't make it easier, though." Sansa's eyes studied him intensely. "Does it hurt?"
"No."
"Can you feel it at all?"
"A bit."
Then, to Sandor’s surprise, Sansa leaned in again and kissed him on his burnt cheek. All sensation on that side was normally dull, but he felt her, in his soul. Whatever this woman was, she was bewitching him in some way. Sansa then moved her face to Sandor's ear and whispered, "That was to thank you for breakfast."
"You're welcome," muttered Sandor. His heart was already beating incredibly fast, and when he glanced down and saw her breasts pushed up against his chest, he felt as if he was going to explode. Without thinking, he ran one of his hands up and down her back.
After a moment, Sandor said, "It would probably be best if you stay a while, while your leg heals."
"Would I pay you in a kiss each day I am in your home?"
"Perhaps."
Sansa smiled. "And a kiss for each meal we share?"
"I suppose."
"And perhaps I could pay it all now?"
A smirk crossed Sandor's face. "If you wish."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sansa's lips were on his again, this time kissing him deeper than before. Sandor kissed back and ran his fingers through her auburn hair. Yet again he wondered if this was a dream, but he decided that if it was, he no longer wished to wake up.
Sandor wrapped his arms around Sansa and lifted her up, eliciting a small gasp from the woman. He stood up, and she continued kissing him, even wrapping her legs around him as he carried her to his bedroom.
—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—☾—
The fox woman never did leave Sandor’s cabin, even when her leg had healed entirely. Sandor allowed her to make herself some clothes from his old shirts, and together they spent their days walking through the woods and hunting. Occasionally on their walks Sansa would strip off her clothes and transform into a fox, chasing down small animals for them to eat. Other times, Sansa would strip off her clothes and beckon for Sandor to do the same, and they would make love in the grass, hoping that old Mormont wouldn't stumble across them. But even if he ever did, they wouldn't have noticed. Sandor remained as entranced by Sansa's blue eyes as he had been the first time they met, when he and his hound saved a fox from a trap.
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SanSan Russian Roulette | Summer 2021
Here they are! The results!😄 But first, here’s a reminder of the game’s rules:
-Your prompt fill should be at least 500 words (one-shot or multi-chapter fic). You can post to the platform of your choice (AO3, FF.net, Tumblr, Twitter, etc.).
-Please tag "SanSan Russian Roulette 2021" on AO3, Tumblr, or Twitter so we can track all the wonderful fics!
-Post by 31 July—For multi-chapter fics, you’ll only need to have posted the first chapter by 31 July. You can post sooner than this. If real life crops up and your fill will be delayed, just post as soon as you can. If you’re unable to fill your prompt, please reach out to maroucia or sansanwritersguild on tumblr or @Mod or @...Maroucia… on Discord.
Now here are the prompts:
1. To Fleurdeplume: “Dusk. Secret meetings. Stolen kiss. Sansa looks like a little bird but deep down, she's a wolf.” (From Lysae).
2. To TheImmaculateBastard: “Inspired by a tweet, "I don't know what just happened, but I was at an animal shelter before work and a toddler walked in, pointed to me, and said “I want that one”. His mother looked at me and said “you can’t have that, that’s a grown man”” (From Lorel).
3. To Jadedelcinismo: “Sansa is in love with Sandor and is jealous of someone in his life. Canon/AU, your choice.” (From Missy-1978).
4. To Vermilion_Sunrise: “Sandor tucks Sansa in bed after her first day as Queen in the North.” (From Prettybadmagic).
5. To Meganfence: “Fight, argument or other disagreement. Open to interpretation, minor or major.” (From Redbirdblackdog).
6. To Sharkaria: “Sandor discovers he's got a good eye for photography. He fills his time taking pictures of his urban landscape, until he spies a Little Bird Muse...” (From Glamgrowl).
7. To Missy-1978: “Kinda stole this from the Discord, but I love a forced marriage trope! Maybe Sansa got left at the altar and Sandor steps in last minute. Or a role reversal where she has to marry him to save his honor. Something fun and unexpected, can be modern or set in GOT world.” (From Atomic-bomb-shell).
8. To TailBobSquid: “Jumanji AU - either a game that they are playing comes to life or they get sucked into a game that they are playing.” (From ReadyReaderOne).
9. To Prettybadmagic: “Sandor is going to do it. He's going to do the kiss your best friend challenge. The friend he just happens to have been in love with since day one.” (From Islandida).
10. To Glamgrowl: “Feel good and funny modern au where all Starks are alive and well. Sansa makes the first move on Sandor even though she's not sure she's his type as he is much older and works a blue collar job. (Please no Joffrey bashing) Cameos from other Starks would be awesome but not necessary.” (From Rayne).
11. To Glitterswitch: “Bakery/coffee shop AU Stranger is Sandor’s service animal.” (From OrangeTabby).
12. To LittleWolfBird: “Sandor joins the Stark family traveling circus when he sees a casting call for "freaks." Bonus points for Sansa on trapeze or tightrope.” (From GlitterGoth114).
13. To Diverse.lorde: “Sansa playing her high harp (or other instrument) and singing a song that she wrote about/for Sandor.” (From Neleam).
14. To Lysae : “Sandor finds out Sansa made him TikTok famous after a video of him goes viral: Sansa: hey can I have x/can we go to y? Sandor: no. Sansa, in a sweet voice: pretty please? Sandor, huffing: fine (Daddy on the end of pretty please would be lovely, but if Daddy Sandor isn’t your thing, no problem).” (From TailBobSquid).
15. To OrangeTabby: “Mafia AU, fancy party. Dominant Sandor, thirsty Sansa Sandor in a suit, hand tattoos, creeping neck tattoo, whiskey - Sansa thirsting.” (From Meganfence).
16. To Neleam: “Sanson Stark has always been the dutiful yet idealist second son of House Stark. Sandra Clegane is a Silent sister who has been disappointed by the very songs she once admired. A knight of the Seven and a handmaiden of the Stranger unexpectedly find comfort in each other.” (From Jadedelcinismo).
17. To Redbirdblackdog: “Sansa gets her first tattoo by none other than the famous tattoo artist "The Hound". When she's in pain, she exhales slowly and Sandor says, "Good girl". Sexual tension ensues. (This prompt was inspired by a meme.)” (From Thequeen--in--thenorth).
18. To Thequeen--in--thenorth: “Following a tumultuous few years, Sansa has spent every penny she's ever earned on a quiet cottage, surrounded by forest and wildlife. Not long after moving, a strange man appears in the pond near her home, half-alive and unable to remember anything about himself except his name: Sandor.” (From Suzi).
19. To Atomic-bomb-shell: “Crust punk modern AU. Sandor is a crustie squatting in the backyard of an abandoned house. Sansa is a friendly neighbor who offers him a warm meal and access to her laundry room.” (From Diverse.lorde).
20. To Lorel: “Sansa manages a gallery in King’s Landing. After storming out of a fight with her boyfriend, she drives off into the countryside. That’s when she sees the most amazing art behind some dusty glass in a car repair shop. Now all she has to do is convince the artist, Sandor, to do a show at her gallery.” (From Vermilion_Sunrise).
21. To GlitterGoth114: “Walked in on. Caught in the act. "Can opened, worms everywhere." (From TheImmaculateBastard).
22. To Islandida: “Robb comes home from war with a big loyal man behind him. Sansa never thought she'd see her brother again let alone *him*. Modern au or canon.’’ (From LittleWolfBird).
23. To Rayne: “Modern AU: After finally getting out of an unhappy/controlling relationship with Joffrey that desecrated her self-worth, Sansa enrolls for self-defence classes with martial arts Master Clegane, who proceeds to build up her self esteem and fighting skills while the two fight their mutual attraction.” (From Fleurdeplume).
24. To Suzi: “Prompt submission -- passionate time travel.” (From Sharkaria).
25. To ReadyReaderOne: “Sansa leaves with the Hound that night. Their journey thru Westeros is loosely similar - Arya, Twins, etc. They find Elder Brother to help Sandor. After healing, all 3 head for Braavos, and the Dragon Queen. Lots of friendship/bonding b/t all 3; both defend Sandor from Dany. Devoted sansan, HEA!’’ (From Glitterswitch).
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