I ran through the forest. People were after me, guns in their hands. I continued to hear the blasts of those guns as they were fired rapidly at me. I had to get away from the hunters. My paws pounded against the cold earth as the sun rapidly set. Move faster, I willed myself.

Finally I heard it. The howl of a brother. I quickly turned toward the sound and continued in haste.

Another howl could be heard from the depth of the forest. I wanted to call back to my brother, but I couldn't stop. If I did I would die by the guns of the hunters.

But the humans were no longer close to me anymore. The shots stopped as I got further and further away from their shouts and the barking of my domesticated cousins. They had the life, those dogs. They had humans waiting on them every day. They didn't have to worry about going hungry like my pack. I envied the dogs that slept in the warmth of a fire and were fed two to three times a day. But I wouldn't wish to be domesticated. No, I enjoy my freedom.

I slowed from a brisk run to walking. I paused and listened to the forest around me. I could hear the sound of the wind through the trees, and the occasional hoot of an owl or a squeak of a mouse, but I could no longer hear the clunking feet of the humans. I thought it was safe to call to my pack.

I lifted my head and let out a howl. I waited for a response. My ears moved when the howl reached my ears again. The same wolf was calling back to me. I panted before slowly making my way in that direction.

Suddenly I stopped. Something was in the woods waiting for me. I let out a growl of warning and growled louder when the human stepped out of the bushes toward me.

"Don't be afraid," he told me. "I don't want to hurt you." I didn't believe the human and continued to growl my warning. The boy took a step back.

He was no more than a human pup. He was smaller than the humans who had been after me. He had short red hair with black tips. His eyes were gold and his skin was pale. I looked him in the eye and he was the first to look away. This surprised me slightly. Humans do not normally look away. "I followed the call," he told me. "I wish to join your pack if you would let me."

I don't know when I had stopped growling, but I had. I stood up strait on all four of my paws and watched the human boy with curiosity. What was he trying to pull? Join my pack? A human?

"My name is Seth. I don't have any family anymore. Please, I want to be of your pack." He took a step toward me and I didn't move. I let the boy come closer before jumping on him. I knocked him to the ground easily and placed my jaws around his throat. I squeezed the small neck gently before pulling back. The boys' eyes were wide. I had just established dominance over the boy.

I moved away from the shaking boy and began to walk away. Then looked back asking him whether he were coming along or not with a small bark. Seth stood and followed me. He placed a hand on my head and began to pet me. I let him. He was now part of my pack. My family.

The boy became a shape-shifter a few months after he joined my pack and learned the ways of the wild. He became the second rank in the pack. Seth was a fast learner, but made mistakes that I knew would cost him one day. I hoped that wouldn't be soon.

Yet, that day did come when I had become old and Seth was an adolescence in human years. He was hunting away from the pack that day and that was mistake number one. He should have stayed with the others. I was with the new pups of the pack helping the new mothers. My mate among them was nursing our three pups. They were rambunctious young souls. I nudged the smallest with my head and headed out to join the others of my pack in the hunt.

When I found them Seth wasn't among the ranks a gun shot went off. Everyone in the pack looked in the direction of the loud noise. I howled wanting Seth to call back letting me know he was okay. He did, but the howl was cut off suddenly and it died away into a yelp of pain. I ran from the pack quickly and made my way over to Seth hoping that I could get to him in time.

My paws hit the ground as quickly as possible. When I found my adopted son he was surrounded by his blood growling at the guns that were pointed at him. I growled and lunged at the hunter that was staring my boy in the face.

The human was stunned at my attack and yelled in fear as I bit into his arm. His gun shot off toward the tops of the trees and birds flew away squawking curses at the hunter. I ripped into his soft flesh tearing his arm apart. His screams pierced the air even after I released him.

Turning toward Seth I growled and told him to get away from this area. The shape-shifter whimpered that he wouldn't. No he told me he couldn't. I looked down at his legs and saw that one of them was badly wounded. Blood ran from the wound and pooled around him.

The sound of a gun cocking caught my attention. The human boy had his gun aimed at us again and was shaking all over. He was scared.

I growled at him and stepped protectively in front of Seth. The boy shot the gun again and the bullet flew past me and hit Seth in the side. He yelped in pain and began whimpering. That is when I attacked the human who held the gun. I bit at his neck and chest as he screamed and thrashed around.

How dare he attack my son. How dare he shoot him. I could not stand watching him in pain and I was glad to kill the human. I bit his throat and pulled my head back with a jerk feeling the warmth of his blood in my jaws.


Suddenly a loud bang was heard and pain flared within my chest. I yelped and released the dead human. I collapsed to the ground knowing the boy had somehow shot me.


"No," Seth yelled. I don't know when he had changed back to his human form but I knew from the words that he had. "Don't die," he told me. My boy crawled over to my bleeding body and put a hand on my head. I whimpered as he laid his head down on my own. I could feel the tears of the human Seth as they bled through my fur. I licked his face. I was worried for my pack brother. He had bullets in him and it would probably kill him in time. I whimpered again and Seth told me not to die for the second time again. But I knew I would die soon.

Darkness surrounded me as my breathing and my heart rate slowed down. I could hear Seth yelling the word 'no' over and over again louder each time. Then right before I was completely smothered by death I heard the lone song of the wolf. The song made by a human.