Chapter 1: Dreams

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The pounding of paws echoed through the night as the moon climbed high in the sky. Snarls broke out as the pack entered the clearing. The brown wolf stood proud in the center. Never flinching. Refusing to back down.  The grey wolf bared his teeth as he stalked forward into the light. Fangs flashed and claws slashed as blood splattered through the air. The growls of the two male wolves filled the clearing as their bodies crashed into each other. The grey wolf grabbed the brown wolf by his scruff and tossed him into a tree. The sickening crunch of bones shattering sounded over the high pitched scream of the injured wolf. Before his body could touch the ground the grey wolf pounced ripping through fur and flesh. With a last gurgled whimper the brown wolf fell still.

The grey wolf stood panting over the body of his opponent as blood pooled on the cold ground. Raising his head proudly to the moon he howled his triumph. The air shimmered and in place of the animal now stood the hazy form of man. His sculpted body was covered in the blood of his enemy as he continued to proclaim his victory to his goddess. The erie echo of his song filled the clearing as a dark haze settled over the moon blocking the light. As the darkness blanketed the forest the wind began to rush through the trees. The wind's desolate wail filling the air. A bleak loneliness settled into all that heard it's mournful song. Blackness obscured the clearing as the wails turned to a scream. Revenge. The one word repeatedly echoed around the man. Soon the swirling miasma of grief and hatred consumed the forest until it was covered in a dark so deep that even the shadows ceased to exist. Only the outline of the man remained. Surrounded in the darkness. Screaming in pain. Then he too blinked out of existence.

Saffron shot up gasping for breath. Sweat drenched her body dampening the sheets beneath her. Her heart beat an erratic tempo, mirroring the howls from her dreams. As her pulse calmed and her breathing slowed she flopped  back onto her pillow grimacing at the feel of the clammy fabric against her back.

"4:15? Really?" Groaning while she glanced at the clock, Saffron sat back up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. There was no point in her going back to sleep now. After almost a week of the same dream, she knew staying in bed was pointless.

Quickly stripping the sheets from her bed, Saffron threw them in the wash and headed to take her shower. Taking time she normally didn't have in the morning, Saffron straightened her curly hair. Sometimes her hair, ranging from light blonde to the darkest of browns, reminded her of a lions mane. When she had been younger and still traveling with her parents she had asked her mother if she was part lion. Loving her curls and the thought of being different. Thinking how cool would it be to change into some hybrid half wolf half lion. Now her uncontrollable curls just seemed like such a waste of time to try and control. Normally her morning hair routine consisted of a hair tie and water to smooth down the mess. But as she carefully straightened each strand, Saffron was surprised how nice her hair looked. The colors blended making her streaks look purposeful. As if she had spent time and money in a human shop for the mixture. Happy with her efforts, Saffron threw on a flowered dress and searched out a matching pair of flip flops. As the sun began to peak over the horizon, Saffron headed off to work.

The patter of tiny feet followed by bright laughter filled the nursery as Saffron grabbed the last of the shortbread cookies from the oven. Checking the time she saw that it was now almost seven and the first of her charges were arriving.

"Miss Saffron, Miss Saffron, look I lost a toof !" The first little pup lisped as he crashed into her legs. His big brown eyes were wide with excitement, his smile showing the empty space where yesterday one of his puppy teeth had been.

Crouching down, Saffron cupped the little pup's cheek as she smiled proudly. "That is so cool Ryan. Did it bleed?"

"Aha. And mummy said it was yucky and made Miss Cawie cwean it up." His bright laughter filled the room as he bounced up and down in excitement while clutching Saffron's skirt in his little fists.

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