Hunted [HOLD!]

Prologue

The forest was alive. It was alive with the breath of a late evening breeze and it was alive with the faded orangey glow of what was once the sunset. It was alive with the rustle of leaves and the whisper of creatures both asleep and awake. But he did not focus on this.

His heightened senses were zeroed in on his prey. His ears swiveled toward the sound of the doe's hooves scraping at the undergrowth in the small clearing. His nose twitched as the breeze carried it's scent straight to him. He eyed it with monochromatic vision, waiting for precisely the right moment.

And then it came. The deer jerked upright, freezing as the breeze reversed direction and betrayed a hint of his scent. But it was too late. He lunged from the side, latching onto the deer's rump and sending it stumbling sideways. It kicked out, flailing, but he had sent it right into the jaws of the others.

They circled the trembling creature, snarling and snapping at its legs and sides. Dropping low to the ground, he moved in for the kill, signaling with a sharp, low bark to his companions.

Lunging forward once again, he latched onto the creatures neck, taking it to the ground and pinning it as it slowly went limp. Before he closed in on that vital organ, he unlatched his jaw and his bones rearranged into those of a man.

Taking a knife from one of his companions, he spoke in a low, gruff voice.

"Dieses Leben für viele. This life for many."

Meeting the soft brown eyes of the doe, he nodded once, and then brought the knife down, ending its life in order to preserve those of his pack members.

For he was the hunter, and all and any he sought were the hunted.