"They're here, but it looks like they're not the only ones."

As the first ray of day light broke through the treeline it was a sign the forest was awakening from its slumber. They say the earliest hours of the morning are when the forest is at its most tranquil. All was quiet save for the occasional snap of a twig or crunch of a leaf. However, on this particular day the soft thud of footsteps accompioned the usual peace. For this group of predators rising with the sun was pratically instinct. They were making their way as silently as possible through the thick treeline. This area was new territory and who knew what lurked within its depths.

While the atmosphere was relaxed and joyful when they first arrived. It didn't stay that way for long. Kris sent out Xiumin to do a prelimary scout of the area and during his run he caught wind of something unknown. He was quick to report it to Suho, their pack's lead hunter. Tracking was his speciality. When he first caught the scent he was perplexed, but determined to find the cause of whatever it was. However, Suho became increasingly distressed as he followed the trail. There was something sickeningly familiar about the scent and his stomach churned at the thought. If his intuition was right than they were all in grave danger and his intuition was rarely ever wrong.

The scent was spread thinly throughout the area, but ran strongest within the forest. He still had yet to pinpoint the exact spot and that made him all the more anxious. When he shared his findings with Kris he found the feeling was mutual. Kris wasn't as apt at tracking as Suho was, his strength layed more in hand to hand combat, but even he was able to catch faint traces of it when Suho pointed out spots where the scent ran most clear. Kris had been on edge ever since.

Snap! Snap!

Sehun! How many times does Suho have to remind you to focus?

On this particular morning, Kris, along with Suho, was out exploring the forest when Suho thought it would be a good idea to bring along their youngest, Sehun, a rather small grey wolf with white paws and glowing yellow eyes. Suho had found him near death in middle of the forest. He brought him back to the pack and thankfully Lay was able to heal him back to full health. He was tiny in size compared to the rest of them, but he more than made up for that with his pure spirit and undenying joy for life. It wasn't long before the rest of the pack grew to love the small wolf. Kris was apprehensive about letting him join, but after a week of being near the pup even the ever so cold hearted Kris seemed to warm up to him. However there were still times, more often than not, where Kris found his patience stretched thin becuase of how their youngest was acting. Now with the unknown threat lurking within their new home it was not the time for distractions. Sehun, who at the sound of being scolded had lowered his head and was now pawing hesistantly at the ground. Kris knew he didn't intentionally mean for his actions to cause distress, but this was a testing time.

Kris... Suho spoke up. Did you forget he's just a pup? This is why we need to teach him. He's still learning how to handle everything.

Kris barred his teeth at the him. He risks the safety of all of us. We've come to far and sacrificed too much for his childish antics to end it all. Perhaps we should have left him.

Suho froze and his eyes hardened ever so slightly. Kris didn't realize weight of his last statement until he heard Sehun let out a distressed whine. Suddenly, there was a flash of silver and white and the next thing he knew Suho was on top of him growling and pinning him down with his massive weight.

Enough!

Suho's coat shimmered with the rising sun illuminating strands of black and grey mixed within his silver fur. The light caught his eyes for the briefest of moments showing a tinge of red blooming within his normally amber irises.

I understand you're on edge, we all are, but that doesn't mean you can take out your frustrations on us. We're a pack and you're our alpha. It's high time you started acting like one.

It was a low blow. But what Kris said was out of line even for the current situation they were in. Kris growled and immediately threw him off. If it were any other wolf it was a guarantee that their head would have been ripped off by now. But this was Suho, his closest and longest friend, and what he said had a ring of truth.

It's not like I asked to be a leader. I wasn't given a choice.

Suho had straightened up by now and was staring at Kris with a knowing gaze. The red from his eyes had completely dissipated leaving only a striking amber in its place.

You always have a choice. You just haven't realized the true extent of the one you made yet.

Somehow Suho always had the innate ability to know just what to say and when to say it. Perhaps this only applied when it came to Kris, but it has happened one too many times for it to be considered a coincidence. Kris didn't say anything in return. He only returned the gaze Suho gave him with one of his own. Then with the slightest nod of his head he turned towards Sehun who at this point was seated by a tree with his head down. When he heard the sound of approaching footsteps towards him his head immediately snapped up only to have it snap back down again at the sight of his alpha. Kris had to admit he liked a lively and hyper Sehun compared to the tense and subdued one before him. Kris stopped feet away from the repenting wolf and signaled for him to lift his head. When Sehun finally did so Kris saw a myraid of emotions swirl through those yellow eyes. Emotions such as apology, uneasiness, hesitence, repentence, but perhaps worst of all- fear. Kris saw fear reflected back at him through the young pups eyes and he felt something inside him stir. The last thing he wanted was for Sehun to be afraid. Suho was right. They were a pack and it was high time he started acting like the alpha he was.

Sehun, you wanted to learn how to scout right?

The said wolf gave a nod, eyes unsure of where his question was leading. Kris met his gaze then got up and walked a few paces away towards the heart of the forest.

Then come. It's high time you learned how to be useful in this pack.

Sehun, who was still unsure sneaked a glance at Suho and when he received a firm nod in return, bounded forward to join his alpha. Gone was the fear and hesitation as Sehun tried his best to keep up with Kris's long strides. Perhaps a bit of unease stayed within him, but when Kris looked down along side him and caught sight of an energetic and lively grey wolf with his tounge lolling out towards the side of his mouth and eyes showing the utmost excitement at his first lesson in scouting. Kris thought they were going to be okay. He was going to be okay.

As the two of the strode forwards deeper within the forest Suho watched them fondly from behind. The corners of his snout curled in what was an attempt at a smile. It was a small step, but it was a step in the right direction. Out of nowhere something moved in the bushes a couple feet away. The slight rustle of branches was enough to have Suho stand on edge and gingerely approach the source of the noise. Just as he was about to reach the spot a squirrel popped out from within the bush and skittered away up a tree. Suho let the tension fade from his muscles as he watched it climb higher into the tree. He turned, took one last glance around, then slowly started to follow from behind. Unbenounced to him something growled softly from the treeline above. In the next moment, there was a slight rustle of leaves and then a sickening crunch.

He was crouched low, almost to the ground, as he moved through the trees. His steps were slow and deliberate. He made sure to stay silent in his approach. Just a few more steps and he would be within range to strike. One. Two. Thre-

Snap!

The rabbit looked up from its grazing and bolted away in the other direction. Lay chastised himself for becoming so careless in the last few moments. He sighed and straightened up. Well there went his catch for the day. From a short distance away he could hear Chanyeol getting ready to pounce. Not too long after there was the sound of rustling and then the crunch of teeth biting through bone. He heard the distinct sound of the deer giving one last squeal before giving way to the otherside.

I told you I would get it in under two minutes.

Chanyeol's smug voice floated into his head and Lay rolled his eyes. Modesty was never one of Chanyeol's strong points. Lay shook his head at the statement and strode over to where the said wolf stood. The deer lay motionless in a pool of blood below Chanyeol's paws. He sniffed at it once and grimaced. Fresh kill never failed to give Lay a strong sense of discomfort.

I never said you couldn't. But did you have to make such a mess?

Chanyeol looked down at the lifeless deer and shrugged his shoulders.

Meat is meat.

The two wolves were assigned hunting duty for the day. After a week without a proper food source everyone was starting to feel the effects of not feeding for an extended period of time. It was time to get some fresh meat into everybody's system and what better way to do that than go explore and hunt in their new found territory? With most of their group gone for scouting it was obvious who had to go out. Lay clenched his jaw and looked away from the mess on the ground.

Whatever, but you know we're going to need more than one measly deer right?

Well, Chanyeol the blood off his snout. It would help if I wasn't the only one doing the hunting. If I knew you were planning on lazing around I would have told Kris to let me go alone.

Taking away a life is not something I enjoy doing. Lay growled and met Chanyeol's gaze. You know that.

Chanyeol didn't look convinced. Come on, I know you don't believe in that crap.

He stepped closer until they were nearly touching side by side.

The adrenaline that runs through our veins. The thrill of the chase. The pounding of our heart in our ears. The moment when you can feel the life struggling within your jaws. All that strength. All that power. Don't tell me you don't enjoy that.

With each word that Chanyeol spoke he took delierbate steps to circle around Lay. Lay, who stood still and watched Chanyeol's movements out of the corner of his eyes. Chanyeol was always the more wild one out of the bunch. He was the one that perferred the excitement and thrill of everything that had to do with what they were. He had no trouble adjusting to their new life. More often than not, Lay wondered if the wolf was just plain crazy or psychotic.

I do feel it. Lay kept his gaze steady. But not everybody is an adrenaline junkie like you Chanyeol.

Chanyeol stopped in his tracks. Suddenly the air around them was filled with the sound of Chanyeol's loud laughter. Although laughter in the form of a wolf sounded more like choked wheezing. Lay merely rolled his eyes at Chanyeol's reaction choosing instead to hone his senses onto a particular spot deeper within the forest. His ears twitched and he took off sprinting in the next moment. Chanyeol, who had yet to get over his laughing streak, hadn't realized Lay was even gone until he heard muted steps coming his way. He paused long enough to see Lay drop a dead rabbit by the deer.

Amused, Chanyeol strode over for a closer look.

I thought you didn't kill.

Lay was still panting slightly from his run, but his words came out steady.

If it's for the sake of our pack I'll do what is necessary.

Chanyeol grinned and nudged at the rabbit with his paw. There was a certain glint in his eyes.

Not bad little wolf.

Lay snapped at him playfully while Chanyeol expertly dodged.

Hey, I'm older than you. Respect your elders.

Chanyeol only barked out another laugh.

The day wore on as the duo continued to hunt. This forest was unfamiliar territory so they were cautioned to maintain as low a profile as possible, which was hard to do when you're two abnormally large animals. Luckily for them the part of the forest they were in seemed uninhabitated by anything else except deer, rabbit, squirrels, and the occasional chipmunk. Though Lay was sure if he wasn't there Chanyeol would have run off on a manic rampage scaring whatever else that might have been out there. It was better for him to take out his energy chasing deer than people anyways. By the time the sun was lowering in the sky the two had caught five deer and a handful of rabbits. Chanyeol even managed to bring down a large buck. Lay didn't hear the end of that boasting for at least another hour. Even Lay, to his distaste, brought down a small doe. They caught a few squirrels and chipmunks here and there, but those were too small to even bother bringing back to the pack. So they mostly ended up becoming mid day snacks for Chanyeol while Lay stood off to the side and did his best to ignore the sound of crunching bone and tearing flesh.

Dusk was just beginning to set upon the landscape when Lay and Chanyeol finished dragging the carcases back to their new home. The setting sun set off a myraid of reds, oranges, and pinks across the sky turning the forest from a dazzling green to muted black. The two wolves were too preoccupied to really enjoy the change of landscape as Lay was busy at one of Chanyeol's shoulders to clean a wound. He was also silently scolding Chanyeol for getting careless and letting himself get cut from a particularly sharp branch.

His damn enthusiasm was going to be the death of him Lay thought internally as he gave a few final to the cut. It had stopped bleeding, but it wouldn't start to heal until Chanyeol regained some energy.

Damn crazy wolf. Lay chatised. You're recklessness is going to get you killed one day.

But I'm not dead yet. Chanyeol chortled. And what's life without a little fun?

Lay snorted and was about to retort until he heard soft steps approaching. He turned and saw the eldest in their pack striding towards them.

I always know you guys are back when I can hear your bickering. How did the hunt go?

Xiumin! Chanyeol exclaimed as he bounded up to the older wolf. Great! You should have been there. I beat my record of most kills in the least amount of time.

We were not bickering. Lay scowled. Chanyeol was just acting up again.

Chanyeol snickered. You're just mad because I got more kills than you.

Lay let out a low growl.

Stop it. Xiumin interjected. You two can sort out your relationship problems some other time. For now, let's eat. I'm famished.

Chanyeol immediately pounced and dug through the pile of deer stacked before them. He dragged out the buck he brought down earlier and took a large chunk out of its belly. Chanyeol's snout, already red from hunting, was drenched in a fresh layer of blood as he tore pieces of meat away from the carcass. Xiumin casually pulled apart a small doe, while Lay stood off to the side gazed into the forest.

Don't you think we should wait for the others? He let out a small whine. I mean they aren't back yet and-.

Relax. Xiumin his snout. The last thing Kris wants is for us to be hungry.

Lay didn't turn his head away even when Xiumin dropped a dead rabbit by his feet.

Eat. The elder ordered. You need to get your strength back and staring off into the distance won't help you do that. There's plenty of meat for them when they get back.

Xiumin returned to his meal after nudging the rabbit closer to Lay and as much as Lay destested fresh kill the allure of meat was too tempting. After a near week of living off his own fat reserves it was getting increasingly harder not give in to his instincts. Some gave in more easily than others Lay thought as he glanced over at Chanyeol who was busy devouring the buck. Lay pawed at the dead rabbit by his feet. He salivated at the thought of devouring the rabbit. Xiumin was right he needed the energy. Just as Lay was about to take a bite a sudden rush of pain stabbed his heart. He yelped and knew the others felt it too when Xiumin growled and Chanyeol stopped stuffing his face full of deer meat.

The guys-

Something's wrong. Xiumin finished for him. His ears flattened against his head. We need to go. Now!

Chanyeol! Lay barked. Lead the way.

Chanyeol grinned. Looks like we're about to have some fun.

He took off sprinting into the forest a second later, his form nothing but a blur of brown and red, with Lay and Xiumin following close behind. As rash as Chanyeol was he was the next best tracker in their pack after Suho. It wouldn't be long until they would find their other half. Lay prayed they would arrive on time.

Creak. Creak.

The slow rock of the swing offered Asuna the gentle atmosphere she was craving for. The morning had since come and gone and with it the sun seemed to disappear behind the clouds. Now all that remained was a grey overcast that held the promise of an early spring rain. Asuna breathed in the damp air and closed her eyes. Ever since she and Mira returned from their little excursion into the forest something felt off. She just couldn't shake the feeling something was terribly wrong. The dream she experienced didn't feel like a dream at all. In fact, it felt much too real. Asuna opened her eyes and frowned. There was no way that would ever be possible. Dreams were meant to be just that- dreams. The frown on Asuna's face deepened, her eyebrow's forming an almost permanent crease in the middle of her forehead.

Yet, why didn't it feel like one?

Incidents like what happened earlier in the forest weren't unfamiliar territory for Asuna. However, they didn't start out as dreams. For as long as she could remember she would get strange mood swings throughout the day. One minute she would feel perfectly fine then the next she would be crying with joy or shaking from anger. She was always more sensitive to what other's around her were feeling and she had the strange ability to sense whenever something was wrong. One time her father was in a rush to get an order fulfilled for his shop and accidently left the bandsaw on. Unknowingly, when he reached for a plank of wood he was met with several, razor sharp blades. He was lucky his hand wasn't sliced clean through. Asuna was only a toddler at the time but the moment her father cut his hand she felt her heart squeeze painfully and she burst out into tears. Her teacher eventually had to call her mother when she wouldn't stop crying and mumbling something about daddy getting hurt. Only later did Mrs. Kim find out what had happened to her husband. There were many more instances similar to those ranging from pleasant to horrendus. Sometimes they involved her family and friends while other times they were about complete strangers. There was never a pattern to the events, they just happened. Her mother merely said that she was good at noticing the little signs people gave whenever they were feeling a certain emotion. It was just a fancy way of saying she was observent. Still, it didn't explain how Asuna seemed to sense whatever was happening the moment it was occuring.

But the mood swings came and went.

Asuna was 13 when she had her first vision. It was a simple one at that. In it she was in her father's shop and she saw her father shaking hands with another man. He was smiling and it seemed like he had just sealed off a large business deal. It happened so quickly Asuna merely brushed it off as nothing, a mere day dream, taking note that perhaps getting two hours of sleep the previous night wasn't her best idea. But when Asuna got home the first thing she heard was the happy cries of her father as he swung her mother around the living room. When he saw Asuna standing by the doorway he placed her mother down and happily strode over to give her a bone crushing hug. He said that a man came by the shop today and requested he help design his new home here in the town. The man had offered a large amount of money for the task and stated that no one else seemed fit for the job besides him. Overcome by the joy her father was feeling Asuna failed to put the pieces together.

There were more to her visions than Asuna originally thought. More so, they were draining to her health. Whenever a vision would cross her path Asuna would get dizzy spells and extremely painful headaches for as long as a week. They didn't occur right away, but the symptoms always built