I sighed contently as I wriggled closer to his brothers. It was warm and safe. Mum was outside, hunting for something to eat; we were too young to join her yet, but when I fell asleep, I dreamed of it. I dreamed of chasing game throughout the forest, of high barks and fearful snorting. I was chasing a deer, its hooves rhythmically thundering on the snow. It was cold, and snowing lightly. Little clouds of white air we exhaled with each breath. I was running with one of his brothers, a wolf with a color a shade than my own. My brother was quicker. I turned up my speed, determined not to lose from him. But just as I was about to catch up, the other wolf vanished with a shrill yelp. I turned, but darkness was closing in on my sight. The snow changed into blood and cold was replaced by heat. Fearful snorting from the deer became my own.

      I woke up with a high whine. Something was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. I hadn’t just dreamed the smell of blood and fear, and even the shrill yelp seemed to linger in the air. Yet, I was sure I was awake: I wasn’t grown enough to hunt yet, and I was not alone. My brothers moved around me, under me, over me. I started to growl, teeth baring, at anything that threatened us. But nothing did. There was nothing to be heard outside of our den, just absolute stillness, and slowly I realized that that was what’s wrong. The forest always made sounds of its own. Wind passing through the trees, birds flapping away or singing, a squirrel hastening into a tree, a rabbit zig-zagging through the bushes. But now it was quiet. We waited as silent as the forest itself. And then suddenly, it wasn’t quiet anymore, and I heavily wished it was.

      “C’mhere, boy,” a voice spoke, and he was speaking to me, for my brothers had shuffled behind me into the den. I hurriedly followed their example, retreating from the hand that smelled like Mum and blood. But the hand was quicker. I was yanked out of the den, into a different sort of darkness. I shrieked but they shook my body back and forth, effectively silencing me. Everything went white, then black, and then there was nothing.

A/N: Hello, dear reader! This is my first story on AFF, and first fanfiction as well. This story is for this year's NaNoWriMo. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Warning: The story will contain mature content such as violence and . I will mark the individual chapters as rated-M if that's the case, and give a warning before the chapter begins.