They say that the Mafia is like a wolf pack. Everybody has a job to do, everyone has a position in the pack, everyone is expected to pull their own weight.

You have the alpha leader as the mob boss. He's the leader, the brains, the capo di tutti capi. He's the one who protects the others. He tells the other wolves where to go, where to hunt, when to hunt, what to hunt. He's the guy who can hear the change in his prey's heart rate from ten feet away.

However, the alpha wolf isn't the big bad wolf that Hollywood portrays him to be. He's not the disciplinarian of the group. As the pack's decision maker, he  would never put himself in harm's way.

That's what the beta wolf is for. He's the brute that is pure agression. He'll take down anyone who get's too close to the alpha. If he gets himself killed, no one will really care, because there's always another hardened thug to take his place.

Then there's the tester wolf. This guy doesn't trust anyone he meets. He's always scouting for change, for something new. He'll be hiding out in every corner to make sure that if and when something does change, he'll be there to alert the alpha. His skittishness is essential to the survival of the pack.

The tester wolf also acts as the quality control guy. He makes sure everyone is pulling their own weight within the pack. If someone seems to be slacking off, the tester wolf will create a situation where the wolf will have to prove their worth and their mettle. On occasion, he might pick a fight with the beta wolf. If the beta can't take him down, he doesn't deserve to be the beta anymore.

Lastly, there's the diffuser wolf. He's been called many names throughout the years, such as the Cinderella wolf and the omega wolf. Originally, he was thought to be a scapegoat and at the bottom of the wolf hierarchy. Now, however, more is known about this wolf.

The diffuser wolf is the geeky lawyer to the mob boss. He provides the comic relief to the pack. If two of the wolves are fighting, he'll jump into the intrapack bickering and clown around until everyone's emotions have been taken down a notch. Without him, everyone would be at each other's throats all the time.

The Mafia is known for many things, none of them all too favourable, but the Mafia works because everyone has a role to play and everyone does everything for the greater good of the organisation. Just like with wolves, they'd all willingly die for each other.

Just like with the Mafia, family is everything to wolves. Everything.

*~*~*~*

When Jongdae was first told that he'd turn into a wolf, he scoffed and walked away. Baekhyun, who was told the same thing, also acted as Jongdae did, and the two laughed at the prospect. As if there were such things as werewolves! Besides, the town's local nutjob wasn't the most reliable source.

But within a week, he begun to notice differences in his life. The hair on his arms began to grow longer and thicker. It had also changed into a dull metal grey. He thought he'd seen patches of white in it, but he'd convinced himself that it had been a trick of the light.

He began to wear long sleeves at all times. When he saw Baekhyun doing the same thing, he was temporarily confused before he brushed it off. There was no need to ponder useless suspicions, after all.

Jongdae's diet also changed. He grew hungrier and hungrier, scarfing down meals for two during one sitting. Sometimes, he was so hungry that he wouldn't let his burgers, sausages or any other meat product cook fully before snatching it and wolfing it down, the blistering hot meat burning his throat.

If his mother noticed, she didn't say anything. If his dad ever said anything on the topic of Jongdae's new appetite, his mother always responded with, "Boys will be boys." If he said anything more, Jongdae would snap back by telling his father that he couldn't talk, because he'd had an ever-growing beer belly for years now.

Jongdae was a little surprised by his confidence. Never would he have ever dreamed of snapping at his father. It was obvious by the expression on Mr. Kim's face, that he had never expected Jongdae to give out to him, either.

After several weeks of worry, Jongdae finally snapped. Furious at his father, he went for a walk in the local park. He splashed angrily through a puddle on the beaten track, glowering at everything in sight.

No one was around. People didn't often forray into the forest. There was no wild animals and there was nothing dangerous in the forest, but there had been rumors surfacing in the past couple of months about wild dogs.

Eaten deer carcasses had been turning up, and no one had the foggest as to what was eating them. The authorities had found canine-like bites, so they came to the conclusion that feral dogs or rabie-infested dogs were the cause. After all, they had no wolves, bears, or large predators capable of doing such damage - they had all been shot into extinction by hunters some hundred years ago.

It was dark long before Jongdae had realised it. He was too absorbed in his own thoughts. His stomach growled loudly, piercing the silence that was only broken by Jongdae's footsteps and the chirping of a bird in the far distance. He was absolutely starving.

As he continued to walk, the wind blew across Jongdae's path and he caught a vague scent on it. It was woodsy (hardly surprising considering his location), but there was something distinct about it. It made him even hungrier.

He sniffed, trying to catch more of the scent. There was five deer - how he knew evaded him. It was simply just something he knew, like knowing that a paper cut is infinite times more painful than a broken bone. There's no explanation for it, it's just a fact.

When people describe the transformation into a wolf, they often use the term explode. “I exploded into a four-legged creature”. However, that word is very wrong and inaccurate. Implode would be slightly more accurate, but even that was off the mark.

Without warning, Jongdae's spin curved and he dropped to his knees, small stones and gravel becoming painfully embedded in the palms of his hands.

He let out a sharp gasp as he felt like his whole body was on fire. His hands no longer supported him and he dropped to the floor and curled up in the fetal position, letting out a groan of pain. His senses were becoming sharper as he felt like his arms and legs were contracting into his body and he became a whole lot slimmer.

Jongdae couldn't think coherently nor could he even begin to ponder on the cause of his sudden lancing pain, or what was happening to him. He shook violently for several minutes, the pain became too much for him to bear and he passed out.

When he woke up, everything felt wrong. It was like waking up after a particularly long sleep. He tried to get up, but he when he looked down (very awkwardly),  he saw that he had black paws.

His breathing caught. This was a dream - a very bad one, but a dream nonetheless. Jongdae got rather unsteadily and clumsily onto his four feet and looked around. This wasn't right. What had happened to him?

He tested out his new feet and wondered over to a nearby puddle and stared into it. Pale green eyes on a black wolf's body stared back at him. He was a complete coal black, except for a white spot behind his ear.

His breathing was harsh and ragged. If someone had happened upon him, aside from the terror they would surely feel, they would assume that he had just run a long distance.

The wind blew across him again, brushing his fur so that it seemed off. The scent was on the wind,  still. Yet, to Jongdae, it seemed sharper, more defined, more irresistable.

Before he even realised what he was doing, he had wheeled around and was bombing into the forest at top speed, on the hunt for some deer. Jongdae stumbled a few times, but he still persisted.

Before long, the trees began to thin and he came across a deer herd that was already scattered and running. He didn't think twice before he pounced on the one closest to him, taking it down with his massive weight.

Satisfied, he was set to take a bite when he turned his eyes upon hearing a low growl to look at another dusty brown wolf with his teeth bared. Jongdae raked his eyes up the new wolf, feeling both relieved and a little afraid.

*~*~*~*

Twelve boys marched up the path overgrown with weeds and grass to the front door. The tallest person at the front, Kris, rapped on the door and pressed the doorbell more times than necessary.

An irritated and tired man opened the door with a glum expression. It quickly changed, however, when he saw the boys standing there.

"Oh!" Kim Ryeowook, more commonly known as the village idiot, cried. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Kris said nothing, but he continued to glare at Ryeowook, giving the latter the chills. He pushed past him, walking straight into the house without an invitation. Jongdae followed straight after Kris, but the other eleven hesitated before walking in.

Joonmyun, one of the shorter teenagers, was hesitant. He didn't want to go in. He wanted to call for Kris and ask him to stop, to not go into Ryeowook's house.

"Myun, come on. We have to go in. We've no other choice." Kyungsoo looked the boy in the eyes, trying to make Joonmyun see reason.

"And if it's dangerous?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the the tower Chanyeol's back. He didn't like the fact that Sehun was the last to enter and only himself and Kyungsoo were left outside.

"Then it's dangerous," replied Kyungsoo simply. "But we're not going to find anything out by staying out here, and who knows, we might actually find something useful out."

Joonmyun bit his lip, he was unsure and wavering until he heard a voice growl, "Kim Joonmyun, Do Kyungsoo, if your asses aren't in here within two seconds, I'd be checking my shoes for razor blades for the rest of my life, if I were you."

Joonmyun and Kyungsoo gulped and hurriedly walked in. "That Jongdae is a real ," Joonmyun muttered and Kyungsoo nodded.

"I can't believe we got lumped with him."

"I heard that."

"Good," Kyungsoo muttered defiantely, but low enough so that Jongdae couldn't hear him.

Kris strolled casually into the kitchen. He glanced around at the untidy room. Dirty dishes were piled up in the sink; he obviously hadn't finished cleaning up from breakfast. He jumped up and sat on the kitchen island. He looked down at Ryeowook, who had followed nervously behind.

"Jongdae, back up, you're scaring him," Kris commanded in a soft voice. Jongdae took a step away from Ryeowook, but continued to glower at him. 

Ryeowook breathed a sigh of relief. Jongdae wasn't a person that you'd like to have standing right beside you, breathing down your neck. Chanyeol gripped the backs of Jongdae's shoulders and whispered in his ear, "Don't worry."

"So, there's something you need to explain." Kris jumped off the island and started circling Ryeowook - not an easy task to do in a small kitchen made for four, but was occupied by thirteen people. The eleven others backed up and pressed their backs against the walls.

"L-like what?" Ryeowook asked, trying not to show the excitement bubbling up inside of him. Could it be . . . ?

"You know what happened to us, and you know why," said Kris in a deadly voice. "I'm not stupid."

"What happened to you," Ryeowook repeated in a breathless voice. "What exactly did happen to you?"

Kris grabbed the scruff of Ryeowook's t-shirt and slammed him against the wall. Their faces were only inches away from each other. Kris had a hardened glint in his eye.

"Cut the crap, Ryeowook. Tell us what happened to us. Tell us why it happened to us."

"Well, that -" Ryeowook grabbed Kris's wrist and prised them off of him "you already know. Well -" he glanced around at the four exchange students from China "some of you do."

"Already know? What are you on about?" Luhan piped up, he peered at his Korean friends. "What do you guys know that we don't?"

Sehun glared at the small Chinese boy. There was just something about Xi Luhan - Sehun couldn't seem to take to him at all. He'd avoided him in school, but in light of recent events, he could no longer do that.

"You're talking about that old town legend?" Sehun scoffed, blanking Luhan. "That's not true."

"People aren't supposed to turn into wolves?" Ryeowook asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Well, what other explanation is there?"

"What town legend?" Luhan frowned.

"I don't know, some funky mushroom we ate." Sehun shrugged, once again ignoring Luhan.

"But I'm allergic to mushrooms," Chanyeol said.

Ryeowook smiled. "It's up to you whether or not you want to believe it, but it's the only explanation out there."

"Will someone just tell me what the hell this legend is?" Luhan demanded in exasperation.

"Fine! All you had to do was ask, jeez." Baekhyun said.