Howls of the Lost | Now Published!

Chapter 1

Note PLEASE READ:
If you skipped the disclaimer, go back and read it. It's quick & has updates about the story as of 10/2023.
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Chapter 1

            The forest was alive around me. Birds twittered away and mice scurried around on the ground, rustling the foliage that had fallen there. A soft breeze blew through the trees, ruffling the white fur that covered my body. Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I allowed every muscle to relax. Over the years I had found that hunting required an immense amount of concentration. Opening my eyes, I exhaled and flicked my gaze over the six or so deer that stood around twenty feet away from where my pack and I were standing.

            The others stirred restlessly behind me as I continued to watch the small herd of deer. Hearing the noise, the largest buck raised his head and scanned the darkness of the trees that concealed us. "Would you guys shut up and stay still?" I thought to them as a low growl rumbled in my chest.

            "Sorry, Tor," Ashlyn replied.

            Rolling my eyes, I glanced back at the three wolves behind me. They all stared at me, and Ashlyn gave me a lopsided smile as she wagged her cream-colored tail. My gaze travelled to David, who almost immediately lowered his head. A sigh dragged its way out of my mouth. He thought I was angry with him. David was like my brother, and he hated when I was upset with him in any way.

            But he was a big boy and he could deal for a few moments until after we had fed. Once I returned my attention to the deer, a tug on my tail caused me to yelp in surprise. In response the buck raised his head again, along with a few of the others. It was all I could do not to whip around and snap at the large brown wolf that had hold of my tail. Michael yanked on it again untl I pivoted to face him. A slight whimper slipped through his lips before he nudged me toward David.

            The tawny wolf's head was still bowed and my ears flattened against my skull in shame. It hadn't been my intention to make him feel. I shouldn't have been so harsh. "Dave?" I called.

            His head rose as he stood. "Yes, Torian?"

            "You're not in trouble," I assured him. "Just be quiet," I teased when his tail began to wag.

            He nodded before moving to his rightful place by my side. "Yes, Alpha," he remarked, his playful side resurfacing. He bumped his shoulder lightly against mine.

            In return I simply rolled my eyes. Alpha. The term was loosely used. For all intents and purposes, I was our Alpha. For the most part we were all still independent. Our story was one of tragedy and woe that I would have to save for a later date. As Ashlyn moved to the side opposite David, I quietly sighed and faced the herd of deer once again. "On my signal," I told my pack, preparing them for the attack. "One, two, three. Go!" Our muscles simultaneously released and we sprang into the clearing.

            Those poor animals never even saw it coming. Michael took down the largest buck while the rest of us picked off what we could. Ashlyn and David attacked a frightened doe together and my kill ended up being another buck. His neck snapped easily, so I was proud of myself for causing him as little pain as possible.

            Silence descended upon us as we ate. Being shifters, we could survive by hunting or taking on our human forms and eating normal food. For the past few months however, my pack and I had kept ourselves continuously in wolf form. While there were other kinds of shifters in the world, the majority of the ones I ran into were lupine, like me and my pack. Beyond that information and what I knew of mates, my knowledge of my kind was slim to none. I was born a shifter and it was all I had ever known, plain and simple.