Panacea

Prologue: A Battle of Beasts

Location: Elathan

Territory: Sun Pack Forest

4 Months Ago...

Journeying through fresh, puffy snow was a simple task for such large paws. He'd always liked watching his claws disappear beneath pure white, especially when he had hints of red from that day's kill.

Journeying through this snow, however, sent his ears back in annoyance. The snow was hard as rock and scuffed the pads of his paws after each step.

And he'd taken many, many steps so far.

When his next step didn't make a dent in the icy white he released an aggravated growl. His bones started shifting and cracking immediately.

Within seconds the large, silver wolf turned into an average sized man with tanned skin and brawny muscle. His dark brown hair was cut at his ears and his large eyes remained the same vibrant green as the wolf's. Black and gold paint was messily smeared around the man's eyes, dripping and smudging along his cheekbones as he hurriedly dressed.

Once the shift was complete, he planned to smash and kick his way through the damn snow. Maybe if he found a sturdy enough stick he could even stab at the white.

He lifted his now covered leg and prepared for a fight with nature, when his ears twitched. He brought his foot back down before going completely still. His head tilted slightly as he scanned his surroundings.

"Reveal yourself."

Silence.

He felt a crazed grin creep onto his lips.

Were they trying to follow him? Had they already been following him? If so, for how long?

He continued scanning, looking for any sign of movement. The trees seemed to sway mockingly in the harsh winter breeze, and the sound of whistling wood drowned out any wolf that might've been there.

After a final glance behind him, he made a show of smashing his foot into the crunchy ice before him. Then again, and again, until it became a steady walk.

Beneath the dead branches of a once lush and glorious forest, a pair of eyes remained on the silver haired man. And when the owner of these eyes saw the man begin stomping through the snow once more, he released a tense breath.

He would need to be much more cautious from now on. He never imagined this is what Lightning Pack wolves looked like. The wolf before him looked strong, even in his human form.

He didn't want to imagine what a wolf like that would do to a scrawny boy like himself..

•••

The scrawny boy found himself hiding behind a larger tree, void of leaves. He'd continued following the silver haired man that entire day and now, in the middle of the night, he saw his opportunity. The man was burrowed under furs, sleeping soundly and right next to his covered body was a satchel... food..

The scrawny boy's stomach turned at the mere thought, cramping up and forcing him to grip the tight skin in an effort to stop the pain.

His stomach hadn't seen food in nearly 5 days...

The boy gulped, fear riddling his body as he forced himself to shift. If he didn't do this now, he'd never gain the courage. He'd die here, in unfamiliar territory with no one to acknowledge his end of existence. A lonely way to go..

No, if he was complacent with dying then he should have just stayed with the Sun pack. He didn't trouble himself with freedom just to cower at his first opportunity of survival. It was a simple satchel; he'd sneak over, take the food and hide before the Lightning Pack wolf even noticed.