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"My God. I feel like I'm swimming in blood. That was a feast."

I slowly open one eye to gaze at Jedrek, 'That's what happens when you go without food for a long time. And when you have Whitetail buck. They're extremely filling.'

'And fattening. Look at this fat belly.'

I look over at Tiergan who is laying on his side staring at his stomach, 'You just ate. Of course it's going to be fat.'

Tiergan pats his belly, 'I know that, but I mean look at this. It looks like I'm pregnant or something.'

I sigh as I push myself up, straining at the unwanted effort, '_I _look like I'm pregnant, and just got up like it too... I need to run this off. Can't keep being lethargic. Come on Jed, let's run.'

"Where to?"

I stretch and pop my shoulders before walking over to him, 'I don't know. Somewhere. Maybe home because I can smell the sun.'

Jed furrows his eyebrows, "You can smell the sun?"

'Yea. I know it's weird, and I kind of don't care. It's just one of my... skills.'

Tiergan stands up slowly, 'What does it smell like?'

I close my eyes and feel Jedrek tug on my fur as he works on mounting, I picture one sunrise as I project, 'It's warm at first... very light, no real scent, just warm air you know? It slowly turns into a wonderful arrangement of morning: dew, light breeze, flowers, trees, birds, bugs, everything, yet nothing all combined together. But then it gets hot. And it hurts. It feels like your nose is on fire, and you can't breathe and your nose is going to combust at any moment just from the heat, then it calms again, becoming warm air again as the world begins to react to it.' I open my eyes and feel a tear roll into my fur. Tiergan stares at me as if I did suddenly combust. I raise an eyebrow, 'What?'

'It smells like that?'

'If I focus on it and don't search for other scents, yes. We're at the first stage of warm air right now, about another half an hour and we'd see pink on the horizon as we start heading towards morning.'

Tiergan tilts his head, 'You have it timed?'

I start walking towards home, 'I've only watched the sun rise for days on end before...'

I feel Tiergan's nose touch against my jaw, 'I'm sorry things were so bad for you before. I wish I could have made it better.'

I shrug, 'Life's not fair. I learned that early.'

'Too early for your own good. You've hardened against the world.'

I stop for a moment, 'I am not.'

Tiergan rumbles with laughter, 'You work Tech Support for God's sake. You're hardened.'

I open my mouth, forgetting I can't speak with animal vocal cords, and let out a squeak.

He rolls over, and over, and over, barking with intense laughter the entire time, 'What was that?'

I frown, 'I wanted to berate you.'

He laughs some more, 'Epic fail.'

I feel a growl rising in my throat, my muscles tense, I lower my front legs and readjust my back legs, and pounce. I snarl as I land on Tiergan, my teeth going for his throat. He turns his head a split second before my jaw closes around his throat, and I grab the nape of his neck instead. He freezes as soon as my teeth lock together. I feel his breathing become more rapid, his muscles twitching underneath the weight of my body.

Tiergan tucks his tail, 'I'm sorry Alpha.'

I slowly relinquish my hold on his neck, and lick the spot, cleaning the blood droplets I accidentally drew. 'Forgiven.'

His body relaxes into a softer form as he rolls onto his back, exposing throat and belly. I paw at his chest, 'Stop. I overreacted and you know it.'

He rolls over and noses my jaw, 'But I was also out of line.'

'And I drew when I shouldn't have.'

'Your teeth are sharper than normal, what do you expect?'

I stick my tongue out at him, 'So I'm a freak now?'

"Haven't you always been a freak?"

I gasp and crane my neck to look up at Jedrek, 'Rude.' I shake myself slightly and ruffle my fur, playfully making it hard for him to stay mounted.

Jedrek's voice shakes from the bouncing motions, "Thought... you said... you weren't... a bronco?"

I stop ruffling, 'I'm not, I'm being very nice about that comment.'

"Seriously though Kyden, you are pretty based on the images I saw from Tiergan."

My jaw drops, 'You gave him images?'

Tiergan folds his ears slightly, 'How can I not? You move like liquid when you run. Even when burdened by a... ugh... rider.'

'And you didn't share with me?'

Tiergan gets a funny look on his face and cocks his head to the side, 'You want to see how you look? Doesn't a mirror suffice?'

I scratch at the ground, digging up some dirt, 'Not when I run.'

'You want to see what you look like when you run?'

I fiddle with the dirt I dug up, 'Yea. I've never been able to see it and I was clumsy before the change so running "like liquid" as you say is a huge step up.'

'You were clumsy as a child?'

I huff at him, 'You don't remember rescuing me do you?'

'That was YOU?!' He thinks about it for a moment, 'Oh man, that was you. Oh honey,' Tiergan pushes his forehead against mine, remembering when I fell into a crevice in the forest where we grew up as children.

I remember being stuck in there for days, unable to move, scared and alone. I lost count of the days I was waiting for help, watching the sunrise and sunset above my head. I remember hearing howls late one night, the shadow of a wolf above my head. I felt no fear, nothing mattered anymore. I felt snuffling in my hair and a bite on my neck as I was being pulled up from the rock. The scrape of my skin on the rock was horrible, reopening the wounds I received during the fall. There were tongues on the cuts, warm and wet, trying to aid the healing process. I feel the agitation rolling off some wolves, curiosity from others. I curled into a ball, wishing the wolves away. I was alone, I didn't belong, so why were they being nice to me? I opened one eye and looked at the moon. Then everything changed. I felt a cold chill down my spine, spreading to every nerve in my body. My eyes suddenly hurt, the moonlight was so bright. My body ached. I curled tighter and closed my eyes, but it hurt to be so small. I clenched my jaw from the pain but that hurt too. I bit my tongue and drew blood. I could feel the wound closing on itself as my body refused to be small and began expanding. I heard the sound of my bones cracking into new positions, felt a vibration of the bones changing shape but I didn't care, I wanted the cold to stop. Everything hurt and was cold all at once. Then it stopped. The wolves howled a triumphant song, but I didn't understand. I felt a cold nose in my ear and heard a soft voice in my head, 'Arise little one.' I jumped at the voice in my head, and fell quickly. Why was standing on two feet awkward? I saw my paws then. Brilliant white in the moon, sharp claws that dug into the dirt and leaves of the forest floor.

'I... changed.'

'Yes young one.' His voice softer and calm.

I shift uncomfortably, 'But, I'm not old enough.'

I felt the nose against my jaw, 'The change comes when you are ready. You are obviously ready, it would not have come if you weren't.'

I heard a new voice, young and icy, 'She looks funny Alpha.'

'Hush.' The Alpha replies.

I look up to the Alpha, a large brown wolf. 'I look funny?'

'Pay him no mind. He doesn't know his place.'

'But she does look funny Gunner. She should know.' A whispery voice said.

I felt tears form and began running. Not going anywhere in particular, just running. I felt muscles stretching, elongating my stride. The trees flew by. Branches brushed against my fur. They should have been hitting me, but I avoided them without even thinking. I smelled water: cool, clean and pure. I sped up and slid to a stop at the water's edge. There had to be some mistake. I was looking at a stranger. I lay down and stared at my reflection. Even if the change happened, I shouldn't look this way.

There was a patter of one set of paws behind me, 'You look just fine to me. And you run faster than anyone in the pack, there's something to be said about that. And I don't smell any blood on you so you ran straight through a bramble bush and managed not to get cut once.'

'She's a freak is what she is.' I shivered at the icy voice.

'Shut it Ryan. What would you know?'

I heard the sneer in Ryan's voice, 'I would know that I am normal. Just like all the other wolves in the pack.'

I felt the frustrated stamp of a paw in the dirt, 'She is a wolf.'

'No she's not Tiergan. She's a freak.'

A black wolf appeared over the shoulder of the white creature in my reflection.

'She's unique.'

A growl came from behind us.

'Enough, children.' The soft voice of Gunner was harsh now, a warning against a fight.

'Yes Alpha.' They answered in unison.

'Leave her Gunner. She'll be no use to us,' The whispery voice returned, 'The prey would see her coming a mile away.'

There was a rumbling accentation from the pack.

I felt Gunner shift to face the voice, 'Zarita. Her smell doesn't drift like ours. Only Tiergan was able to keep up with her. She'll be fine.'

'We all have doubts Gunner. She's not like us. She'll never fit in.' The whisper spat out the last sentence, making me tuck my tail.

'So what, we cast her out to fend for herself? She'll never survive.'

A rust colored wolf appeared at the lake, studying me intently, 'She has a fighter's spirit. And if she can outrun the pack she can outrun any danger she might encounter.'

The black wolf in the pool nuzzled the ear of the white being as the large Alpha came over to the left side.

The brown wolf sighed, 'Fate will hold her future. I wish to remain with her for now, to give her instructions to her new life. In the morning I will ensure she has a new home. This is my word as Alpha.'

My paws felt a tingling as the wolves wandered away.

The soft voice commanded, 'Shift.'

I put my head between my paws, 'I don't know how.'

I saw a blur of images in my mind, comforting pictures combined with feelings of love and care. I felt I would never know these feelings again, but the change overwhelmed my mind's workings and I returned to my tattered clothes and human skin.

A tanned pair of arms wrapped around me, encasing me in what felt like a fatherly hug filled with a comforting aura. "I'm sorry they don't understand Kyden. I met your mother when we were young. She was a fine hunter. You will succeed as well. And I am always here you know."

I sighed, "I know Alpha."

The arms pulled away, but the aura was still there, "I'm not your Alpha any longer. You are your own Alpha now."

"I don't know how to lead," I whispered.

He knelt down and looked directly into my eyes, "It comes with time. The feeling that what you are doing is right, even when others doubt your abilities."

I looked at the ground, "Then why am I leaving, when you know you're right?"

Gunner sighed, "You never miss a thing do you? You're leaving because if you stay, the others won't accept you. Although it appears that Tiergan has."

A gangly teenager, Tiergan walked over to Gunner's side, "It's not fair Big Guns, she's no different than we are. She runs better, she'd probably track better, and I couldn't find trace of her scent anywhere but in her paw prints."

Gunner looked saddened, "I understand that, you understand that, but they don't. They're not open minded like we are. They see her as a threat because she is daughter to an Alpha and can probably hunt better on her own than certain members of the pack together."

Tiergan grinned, "Like Ryan?"

"Yes, like Ryan. Poor boy would get himself lost if he was ever separated from Zarita."

I smiled.

Tiergan beamed, "Look at that Guns, that's the first smile I've seen on her."

Gunner put a hand on my cheek, "It does make her pretty doesn't it? Come on Kyden. We need to put some new clothes on you and get paperwork together."

We started walking, "Where am I going to go?"

"I'm not sure baby girl. I took you in when your grandparents passed, but I can't keep you now. I want to. You have no idea how much so."

I grabbed his arm and hugged it, "I want to stay with you Gunner. Why can't we run away and leave the pack for themselves?"

He stopped short, "Because Alphas cannot leave their pack, pending certain circumstances..."

Tiergan jumped in, "Like being challenged for position and beaten, overthrown by pack rule, or death."

I rolled my eyes.

Gunner patted my arm, "He's just trying to help sweetheart."

"So if I stay you'd be overthrown by pack rule and we can be free right?"

He frowns at me, "Your grandparents would not have approved."

"Oh, right."

"Don't worry. I'm sure your next family will be more loving than I was. Just remember to be alone when you shift, do it only at night, and be good. I'll always be with you in mind."

I open my eyes and see Tiergan staring at me. I can see that look in his eyes. Where have I seen that look?

"Are we going to go home anytime soon? It's probably been 15 minutes."

'Sorry Jed. I just relived the hardest hour of my life.' I start running for home.

"When was that?"

'When I said goodbye to the only man that loved me as I was, when others refused to accept me.'

Tiergan butts in, 'In other words, when she got kicked out of the pack.'

I sigh, 'I wish I could have stayed.'

'But you wouldn't have gotten here.'

"And I would have eaten that warm potato salad."

I crane my neck to look up at Jedrek, 'But I wouldn't have made it for you to eat it in the first place.'

"True."

Tiergan bumps against my side, 'Stop fussing over the what ifs. You're happy right?'

I focus on sharing sight with Jedrek, quickly putting a black cover on the immense happiness I feel at this moment, afraid that if I show it it will disappear.

Tiergan charges forward and stops in front of me, 'Right?'

I slide to a stop, 'I was perfectly happy until this stunt. I love running Tiergan, let's go.'

Tiergan shifts and moves slowly out of my way, 'Yes Alpha.'

I feel Jedrek lean closer to my head to speak, "Seriously though Kyden, you are happy here right?"

'Jesus, do you think I'm suicidal or that I'm going to run away or something?'

"Well, You didn't really answer."

I roll my eyes and dodge a low branch that would otherwise hit Jedrek in the face, 'Yes I'm happy. I like school, I survive my job, I have you guys for friends, I have reliable internet, and there's a forest and a river basically in our backyard.'

"You really love running huh?"

'I'm free when I do. It's just... amazing. Like flying.'

Tiergan fights to keep up for a moment, 'With how fast you run, I can believe that.'

I bound over the fence in the backyard and skid to a stop right in front of the back door. 'Well that was fun and exciting.'

Tiergan shakes, 'Yes it was.'

I look up, 'Jed, I need you to dismount so I can change please.'

"Oh, right. Sorry."

He puts his right foot on the ground and swings his left leg over my back, letting go of my fur after he's righted himself.

'Did you not want to dismount?'

"Well.... not really. That was a lot of fun."

I quickly shift back to human form, the freedom of the leaves and trees flitting away, "It was fun. We'll just have to do it again sometime, huh?"

I feel the dripping sarcasm in Tiergan's voice as he changes, "Oh sure, maybe we'll make Jedrek a member of the pack while we're at it."

"Don't be mean. It was fun and you know it." I stare at him, 'You can't hide secrets from me.'

He frowns and projects to me, 'Damn you and your empathy.'

I stick my tongue out at him, 'I'm sensitive to other forces, just like you.'

Tiergan rolls his eyes, 'Don't remind me. I can even feel his elation.'

'Be thankful he's not like Duncan.'

He sighs, 'I am. Every minute of everyday I am.'

Jedrek looks back and forth between where he heard our voices, "Guys? What's going on?"

"Just reminding Tiergan of something. Let's get some sleep guys."