His tired feet pounded across the dead litter of the forest floor, the adrenaline lent him strength, enough for him to ignore the ache in his foreleg, his breath coming in harsh pants, yet he didn’t dare slow down. The lean black wolf was chasing him, though he thought he had lost him in the small clearing, but he could never be too cautious. Furthermore, the black wolf wasn’t alone. He had four more packmates with him and who knew if they would continue the chase with their brethren or not. He almost got caught by the black wolf, if not for the wolf's pack. He slipped away with the pack's footsteps covering his escape. His heart wouldn’t stop pounding. The chase was so reminiscent of what happened years ago. The sound of footsteps thudding behind, knowing they could catch up any moment. The blood rushing in his head. The fear was too much for the wolf to bear. He knew those footsteps are from four-legged creatures, not two-legged, but that didn’t help abate the fear. The only thought in his head was survival. To never get cornered again. To never be in the mercy of anyone else again.

Despite his agitation, he paused a little ways away from his den, making sure to lookout for any intruders or any signs of disturbance, and listen for anyone trailing him. The last time he hadn’t, his entire family suffered for it. The black pull of memories tried to drag him under, most times it was successful, but right at this instant, his survival instinct overrode everything. Making no sound, he entered his den, making sure to camouflage his entry and keep the den invisible. He collapsed at the corner of the well sized den, his legs aching viciously when he slowed his flight and the adrenaline wore off.

His harsh breathing remained, echoing in the small den. He was terrified. He didn’t want any undue attention onto himself. He was a lone wolf, if it wasn’t bad enough. Lone wolves were usually treated with extra caution, and hostile packs might even take it upon themselves to eradicate the threat of lone wolves. It wasn’t rare for lone wolves to join stranger packs, but it wasn’t common. It takes a lot of trust for a pack to accept outsiders, especially for their kind. Because lone wolves are usually wolves that had been kicked out of packs, they tend to have not-so-sterling reputation. Some might be wolves that willingly left the pack in search for other packs, or they were just loners.

But even if they were lone wolves, they would never willingly let slip their true nature. Their nature is the most guarded secret that all of them bore. No outsider should ever know who and what they are. Revealing their nature carelessly meant death. The only way an outsider, namely humans, can know about their existence is when the trust between human and pack is absolute. So far, the only packs that interacts with humans on a regular basis are the royal pack and some of the more powerful packs. Those humans have been with those packs for generations. Their ancestors were the ones who had first gained the trust of the royal prince, and their descendants have been entrusted with the secret.

They helped the wolves keep a low profile, if there happened to be sightings or anything pertaining to them in the human world, they would be the one to get rid of the threat and make sure the wolves remain undetected. Even though most of the wolves are receptive to human help and interaction, they were humans for three days of the full moon after all, he knew he would never place those kind of trust in another human being ever again. Once again, the dark pull of memories tried to snag him, but he resisted. Looking around his den, he tried to anchor himself in the present.

The den was smaller than most, but he was only one wolf, and he didn’t need a lot of space. It was space enough for his human form to move around the den without having to strain. If he stooped, he can more or less avoid banging the ceiling. Not that that hadn’t happened lots of times already. He tries to shut away the human side of him, and even when he was stuck in that other form, he only even moved when he needs to heed nature’s call. He absolutely detested that he had a part of him that were the same as those murderers. He refused to acknowledge his human part, but he was helpless in those three days of the full moon.

He sighed, knowing the full moon was rising in three weeks. He snorted, giving himself a shake all over, as much as he could while he was on his belly. Letting his head rest on his paws, he ignored the hunger pangs. He hadn’t hunted bigger game in a week. All he could catch was smaller preys like rabbits or squirrels. Since winter was arriving, he knew he had to start gaining weight in order to survive this winter. But at the rate he’s going, he’s going to starve even before winter arrives. Heaving another sigh, he tucked his tail closer to him, and tried to sleep; his escape from hunger and pain, if only to fall prey to memories and fear. A twig snapped outside, and he tensed, his lips pulled back instantly into a snarl, and his entire body ready for flight. Was it the black wolf? But how could it be that they have found him already?

He held himself immobile, his ears and nose searching for signs of intruders. But when tiny feet scampered away, he relaxed. He could go out and catch that rabbit, he mused, but he didn’t think his legs could support him even if he did. Slowly, his body relaxed, and his breathing regained the usual pace. He at his weaker foreleg, trying to alleviate the pain, and the motion soothing his frayed emotions. After staying alert a while more to make sure there was no immediate danger, he laid his head down once again, and closed his eyes. And this time, when the memories came, he was unable to resist the tide. 

[a/n: hi guys! im back! i know i said i maybe would update the past month, but work was crappier than i thought it would be.. i would wake up before 6 in the morning and get home after 8 or 9 at night... all i could do was sleep and wake up to work again. im sorry i havent updated, but im trying to pick it up again, so i hope this shorter chappie would hold you for now. i hope you guys understood this chappie??? its kinda like a filler chap but it introduces the main element in this fic, so i hope i havent gotten you confused... >< i'll try to update at least once more before school starts, but no promises. im feeling like i could be sick again, so we'll just see how okie? :) thank you for those who had stuck by and are still reading this. <3 you~~~]