The Born and The Bitten

Prologue

The sound of careful footsteps was faint against the natural sounds of the trees swaying against the wind, and an owl softly hooting nearby. The darkness made It hard for the young male to see, which made him squint in order to focus on the dark shapes in front of him as he trudged through the forest barefoot, a compound bow clutched by his right hand and a sheath of arrows stung over his back.

A full moon that should have been bright white in the sky, shedding light over the plains, forest and distant mountain range, was dark and distant, covered completely by black clouds and accompanied by the harsh whistling sound of violent wind.

It had been many years since he had used the bow, and his skills had probably faded away by now, however he knew it was essential to hunt. He knew the consequences were far too dire otherwise.

A glint of brown fur in the distance caught his eye. He stood as still as he could, edging slowly towards a tree that he could hide his figure behind. The wind was blowing towards him, which only made it easier for him to smell the beating heart and blood of the animal, encased in muddy fur. He knew instantly that it was a young doe. He clenched his jaw tightly as he could feel the beginning of his K-9 teeth trying to make their way through at the scent of a delicate meal.

The doe was eating moss from the roots of the trees on the earthy ground, and while totally distracted, the male rose his bow and slowly loaded an arrow into it. The draw sting rested against his cheek as he pulled it back with his right hand, holding it steady as he targeted the doe. Once he was in position, on his exhale he released the string which sent the arrow plunging through the air.

There was the slight sound of the doe's cry – one that seemed to make the whole forest fall silent for a second. Assuming the animal was dead, he left his hiding position and ventured back out into the open, following the smell of the animal's exposed blood that was carried by the air.

The scent got stronger, and his mouth salivated at the thought of his meal. Just as he padded towards it, a fleck of grey caught the moonlight and broke the black darkness around him. The hair along his neck stood on end as he caught another scent- an intruding and obnoxious odour that smelt of matted fur, rotting meat and dried blood, with the hint of wet dog.

He quickly drew his bow once again as he stared at the beast in front of him, that was red with blood from his kill. Next to it laid the doe with an arrow though its eye. The beast was large, and stood about the height of a horse, with grey matted fur with tufts missing, ears that looked chewed at the edges, and a gnarled snout that was riddled with silver scars which was drawn back into a snarl to expose its yellowed teeth. He stared into the yellow eyes of a wolf he recognized, but never came to fear like he did at this moment.

The beast snapped its teeth at the air, sending spits of saliva onto the ground below it. It lunged at him before he had time to release an arrow in its direction. The driving force of the heavy wolf knocked him over onto the soft damp ground below him, causing him to gasp for air as one of its large paws pressed the air out of his throat.

''You better scamper off before I have the strength to shift again.'' The male wheezed, causing the grey wolf to sneer down at him, dribbles of saliva falling on his face.

The young male started to see spots in his vision as he continued to gasp for air- the wolf wasn't letting up.

A growling from behind them drew both of their attentions towards another wolf, much scrawnier then the grey one, but also younger and stronger. It was a sandy beige colour that stood out against its back drop of darkness, and unlike the huge grey, scar free with a perfect shiny coat.

The grey wolf lunged at the other, and as it leaped off the male's body, left a deep gash along his throat, just missing the windpipe. He grasped at his neck in pain, feeling the warm wet liquid spill out and over his clothes.

''Danzel!'' He gasped as he watched the young wolf get hounded by the other, and a series of squealing noises shrouded the forest as they snapped and snarled at each other. He took his chance to gather up his bow, and aim for the grey wolf's chest.

The grey wolf let out a screech as the arrow was driven into its chest, and it fell off the beige wolf and shuddered on the forest floor.

They could watch as the fur on its body seemed to retreat into its skin, the claws seemed to retract and paws began to take the shape of human figures. Its snout shortened into a face, ears sliding down its head only to transform into human ears.

In a few moments, a human body was in the place of the wolf as if it had never existed at all. A rugged, dark haired man was laying on the ground, clutching the left side of his chest where a single bloody arrow stuck out. He rolled onto his side to get a good look at his attacker.

The beige wolf had also transformed, into a young boy with a Korean look about him.

''Danzel?!'' The man wheezed and spluttered from the ground, glaring up at his son in a look of complete shock and betrayal.

He turned his dark gaze to his second attacker. ''Northern scum?!'' he exclaimed so hard that a dribble of dark coloured blood spilled over his bottom lip and onto his bare chest.

''Wait until the next moon, Karakoff.'' The young male said, ''I'll come for my revenge.''

But he didn't have to wait- Karakoff's eyes were rolling into the back of his skull and he was foaming at the mouth. His whole body began shifting in and out of his wolf form whilst convulsing, a mixture of human screams and wolf yelps could be heard throughout the forest.

''You know what that means!'' Danzel exclaimed, and they both exchanged a glance before jumping into action and trying to steady Karakoff's body so they could attempt to salvage him. As soon as they did, the body gave one last exhale before shuddering back into its human form and then going still.

Seconds later, distant calls and howls from different members of the Eastern pack could be heard in the distance. They knew their Beta was dead.

Danzel and the second male exchanged a glance.

''Run.''