• As the moon rose in place of the sun, soft thumping sounded on the forest floor. It was a curious sound, that which you didn’t expect in a common forest. But one would do well to remember that this was no common forest, for the sound was of something large running through the undergrowth.

    Not a human could have seen through the oppressive darkness in which the cause of the peculiar noise was hidden. There were, however, patches of moonlight that streamed in from the occasional gap of the intricately laced branches overhead. As the shadow ran, the silver luminosity streamed upon the length of its body. It was lean and strong, running with surprisingly lithe movements for something so big. A thick coat of fur protected the body, black as night but distorted by the moon. A slight grunt followed by a soft growl emitted from what was presumably the animal’s muzzle. Eyes of midnight blue, flecked through with silver, shone through the forest. They burned with youth, vigor, and confidence. Within the depths of those eyes swam flickering emotions and a definite masculinity, overshadowed by dark memories.

    A youth stood before his father, a small girl beside her. He grimaced in pain as the man in front of him lashed at him with his biting words for his incompetency and immaturity, while the girl listened with growing fear. The trio matched only in midnight blue eyes; the boy’s coloring was darkened by the sun, the man with a soft tan, and the girl glowing with white skin. The boy had shoulder-length dark brown hair, the man a black crew-cut, the girl a soft brown braid.

    Thump. Thump.

    The yelled words of the youth’s father echoed through the surrounding woods. This time the boy was older, taller and stronger. His head was hung in shame. “By refusing to complete the ceremony, you have given up your right to become a man.”

    Thump. Thump.

    A huge, black wolf stood by a small, white one. They were observing a man beating a small girl. The customary werewolf blood lust was controlled by the black wolf, but his partner could take it no longer. She lunged at the man, leaping with power and grace through the air. Her sheer size was enough to scare away the girl, but it was too late for the man. It was too late for any effort to stop her…

    The black wolf stopped his running. Tears dissolved the hardened emotions in his eyes, but he blinked them away. After all, he did not wish to forsake his name, Gramis Ferven, or boy who sheds no tears.

    The transition between wolf and boy slowly began. The hind legs were the first to change, with the human features sweeping over the body from the bottom. In a few seconds, a boy who was almost a man was on all fours in the place of the wolf.

    Gramis Ferven was breathing hard and fast. His head throbbed with heat and anger as he remembered his father’s fury towards Jalyn’s treacherous attack upon the human’s person. His sister’s fate was sure to be death.

    /The man is dead,/ he thought with anger and desperate frustration. /Why do anything to avenge him? He’s not even one of the Lunis Erim clan./

    A strangled, tearless sob broke free of his breast. He suddenly found himself on the ground, trembling as he cried bitterly and without tears. His sister, so sweet and kind, so new to the world of the werewolves, already was condemned to death. In his mind, he cursed everything, but most of all he cursed his stupidity and slow reactions.

    /Why, why, why…/