Grey Rougue

Stag

Chapter 1

Wolves are known for their abilities to hunt as a pack. To work as a team. My father strongly believed in trust, brotherhood and belief. Lately, one particular quote of his haunts my thoughts, "To become a successful hunter, one must have trust." I never fully understood my father and his quotes. Half the time, I was pretty sure he made them up. I've always been a naturally good hunter, and I've always worked on my own. Why would I need trust when I can already feed myself?

I try to forget my past, focusing on survival and moving forward keeps me busy enough. Never staying in one place is how I've gotten this far and it's how I intend to continue. Unfortunately for me, I attract a lot of shit. Don't get me wrong, I love a good fight, both in wolf and human form,  but it's not great when you just want to move on.

Ahead of me, I spot a young Stag grazing near the river, completely oblivious to the dangers around him. He seems so sure of himself, never glancing up and checking his back. Head down and unaware, he makes the perfect target. Hidden by the tall grass, I slowly make my way towards him. He could keep me going for a couple of days and I am starting to overstay my welcome in this small town. The dominant pack here have already started to pick up my scent. Before I am able to get close enough to pounce, I hear a snap to my right. The young stag lifts his head, and remains still. Eyes darting around, he sees no danger, but quickly moves on.

Damn. I stay low, unable to locate the source of the sound. Frozen and breathing shallow, I wait. It can't be another wolf, and it can't be a human. I would have smelt them a mile off. Shrugging it off as a bird or small mammal, I sit up and he

ad towards where the sun shines over the river. As the dust and dirt of the day leaves my grey fur, I ponder which direction I shall head to. To the North, is another small town which I've been to before. Never having any trouble there before, it seems like a sensible idea to return for a week or so.

"You know, you need permission before coming onto our territory"

I jumped, and remained still, frantically trying to smell out the voice behind me and to see if they were alone or not.

"Turn around, little one"

I slowly turned around and faced an older man, smiling at me with a shotgun at his side. How did he appear without me noticing? I must be losing my touch.

The older man noticing me eyeing up his shotgun, "You shouldn't be worrying about that, little one. You should really be concerned about what happens when the other find you. I hate it when they target the young ones"

Distant howls and snarls can be heard now. The old man gets distracted and turns around. I take this as my only chance to escape and make a run for it. Over the river and up the rocks on the other side.

"Good luck!" I hear as I continue to run as fast as I can. Splashing behind me confirms that the others have located my scent. The chase is on.