The snow cloaked the ground with a white sheet. Two lone wolves, an adult and a pup, walked through the snow, and a boy was under a tree, shivering and crying, his tears like crystals in the moonlight. The pup barked and ran over, causing the boy to flinch, but her tail wagged, comforting him. She nudged at his messenger bag, and his blue eyes lit up.

"You're hungry?" the boy asked. The canine barked again, and he took out a small plastic bag of beef jerky, slipping a piece of meat out and holding it to the young wolf. She happily took and ate the beef jerky before hopping into his lap. "My name's Fletcher."

"Her name is Artemis," a voice echoed. "After the moon." Fletcher's eyes darted around, his strangely silver hair falling over his right eye.

"Who's there?" He saw a silhouette in the snow.

"I am Wisakachek. I once gave two of your species the power to be skilled hunters, but one disobeyed my instructions." He saw the boy's beef jerky.

"Want one?" He handed Wisakachek a strip which he scarfed down immediately. He accepted the rest of the bag and scarfed the jerky down.

"Sorry. Your meat is delicious!"

"I don't mind. I should go home soon. Hikaru is probably waiting for me."

"Is that your girlfriend? Aren't you a bit young for that?" The spirit god's grin caused a blush to tint Fletcher's face.

"N-no! Hikaru and I are just friends!"

"Right. Prove to me that I can trust you, and I can help you."

"Okay. I'll be back tomorrow!" He waved to Wisakachek before leaving.
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Two weeks later...

Fletcher

I ran into the woods, carrying a few pieces of pork chop for my new friends. As they ate a few minutes later, Wisakachek took me into the clearing to meditate. He told me to leave my jacket, so I was shivering in my blue sweater and jeans, my butt numb from the snow soaking through the denim.

"Do not worry about the cold, Fletcher," he comforted. "The wolf possesses warmth not only from his fur, but from his soul. Today, I will teach you its secrets. We must meditate and focus our power into our hands. This will help a spark ignite and a flame burn within us." I closed my eyes and held my palms close in front of me.

I thought of my mother and little sister. Her new favorite. I pushed out all negative thoughts: neglect, sorrow, and... jealousy? No. I felt something warm in my hands and opened my eyes to discover a lukewarm white flame in front of me. Wisakachek nodded in approval.

"Well done, my friend. I have come to trust you through these past two weeks. Perhaps I can share my strength with you so that you can escape your neglect, but..." His eyes faltered.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Last time I trusted a human with my powers was 500 years ago. And one of them betrayed me and was cursed to become a monster in the night."

"You mean the first Werewolf?"

"Yes. There has not been a Freeshifter since then. You will be able to become a wolf at will and join the pack, but you mustn't use your powers to harm humans." Wisakachek and I nodded.

"I accept and will not misuse my power." Almost immediately, I felt extreme discomfort as my hands and feet stretched. I fell to all fours as gray hairs poked out of my body. It was painful, but simultaneously, my senses were improving as well. I could hear the rustle of the leaves, see game yards away, and smell all the smells the forest had to offer. My face stretched into a muzzle, and my human ears retracted in exchange for pointy ears on top of my head. I had become a wolf, larger than the others. I shook the snow from my new fur and stretched so my spine shifted and gave me more comfort.

"Well done." The spirit god smiled before noticing tattered cloth. "Oh dear." I saw my clothes torn apart.

"Man! That was a new pair of jeans!" I whined. Not even my briefs survived, so my dignity was under threat of being thrown out the window.

"Yes... that happens now. You'll need time to adjust to your new form's strength and speed, so--" Before he finished, I was already padding towards the next clearing, slowly speeding up before sprinting, full speed, through the woods.  Wisakachek ran alongside me as a wolf, but with the pleasure of the wind in my fur, I didn't care. This was more exciting than anything else. "Okay. Nice start, but can you hunt?"

"Hunt?" I repeated, understanding wolf now.

"Yes. You need to in order to be a wolf."

"Sounds good. Where're we going anyway?"

"Artemis' father, Creed, is the Alpha male. He wanted to teach you, so I'm going to take you to him," Wisakachek explained, veering left. I nodded and ran next to him. We dove through the trees and finally found the rock formation on which a pack of gray wolves were gathered in a neat assembly. Creed, the wolf on top with deep, hazel eyes, called for everyone's attention, and the pack fell silent.

"All right!" he boomed. "Today, I will be showing my daughter Artemis the Way of the Hunt. I shall need volunteers." Several wolves got up and approached the rock. "Starlight." A she-wolf with light patches and blue eyes stepped forward. "Nightpelt." A darker male approached and sat down obediently, green eyes focused. "Firepaw." A reddish male approached. "Any more volunteers?" I stepped forward.

"I wish to learn how to hunt," I declared. As everyone glanced at me, one wolf shook his head. But Creed smiled.

"Very well. I will teach you everything I know."

"Alpha, we cannot bring a human," a red-eyed wolf protested. "Surely we can--"

"SILENCE!" the Alpha roared. "I shall not hear this, Shadow. Especially not from my Beta. But you may come to help teach the new guy." Shadow huffed.

"How'd I get demoted from Beta to assistant teacher?" he muttered under his breath.
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I returned to town, too afraid of humiliation to change back into a human now. I would wait until I got home. I had enjoyed the deer meat from the hunt, and after saying goodbye, I left for home with a full belly. At the park, a girl with black hair in a ponytail and golden eyes caught my line of sight. She was staring at the fountain, her blue dress and jacket providing warmth. I padded over and recognized her.

"Hikaru!" I tried to call, but she flinched as a bark reached her ears instead.

"What was--" Her eyes met mine and widened as she backed away. "Y-y-you're a... a wolf!" I saw the terror in her eyes and sat down, shaking my shaggy silver fur free of snow. "A big, beautiful wolf." The girl walked closer, holding her hand out as she knelt a few feet from me. "It's okay. Don't be afraid." I padded towards her and sniffed her hand. It smelled like lilacs. Must have tried her mom's perfume, I thought, remembering that smell from last year's Christmas Festival. I nudged her hand, and Hikaru pet behind my left ear. I blushed and leaned, enjoying the soft rub. I felt my tail wag involuntarily as I looked up and smiled, letting her pet me. Her snow boots were in the snow, and her leggings had snow sticking to them. I saw her get up. "Sorry. I have to go now. Bye."

"Wait!" I called. She turned and tilted her head.

"Did you just... talk?" Hikaru knelt down again and smiled.

"I... did?" I thought.

"There it is again!" She smiled. "Maybe you used telepathy? But do you sound familiar? Nah. Anyway, I really should go. Bye." Hikaru walked away from the fountain and towards her house. I smiled and walked back to my house.
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Emilio

I watched my parents unwrap the package. They took out an amber stone with a tiny sun inside it. It was the Sunstone, the treasure of the Vampires of my clan for generations. The werewolves were approaching.

"Take this stone and go to the Eclipse Temple," Father ordered. "We will hold off the hunters." I shook my head.

"Father, I'm strong too. Let me help."

"No," Mother shut my protest down. "You are too important to the prophecy. Now go, Emilio." I reluctantly nodded and ran towards the sunlight, my skin protected by the Sunstone's power. I heard the hunters stampede into the cave at my parents and held my bow. No. I won't run. I can help, and I will fight. The black and violet spade tattoo on the back of my right hand glowed as I created an arrow of dark energy and nocked it. I drew back the string and loosed it, striking and stunning a man nearby.

"Hm?" A man with black hair down his beard and on his head turned, revealing a Chinese dragon tattoo coiled around his right arm. "The runt is fighting?"

"Emilio, leave now!" Father yelled. I persisted, shooting a few more hunters in the same fashion before the man focused energy into a dragon tattoo down his right arm. He aimed and thrust his fist forward, and I narrowly dodged the giant blast that followed. I saw the way his teeth were clenched. His right sleeve was torn off, and he was immune to the cold. I backed away before focusing on my cape and shifting it into large bat wings. Father sighed and nodded.

"You just couldn't leave, could you, son?" He turned to the man with the tattoo and the remaining five conscious hunters. "I am Raul Kurogane of the Dharc Clan, and I shall defend our home!" Father declared.

"I am Akantha Kurogane of the Dharc Clan, and I shall stay strong!" Mother joined in.

"I'm Emilio Kurogane of the Dharc, and I shall fight by the sides of my parents!" I roared the third declaration. "We, the Kurogane family, shall defend the vampires of our clan from dishonorable attackers like you!" A deep chuckle rumbled from the man's throat and grew into a loud, hearty laugh.

"Bring it on! I am Ryu Aoi, vessel of the Storm Dragon and your destruction, vampires!" He roared, lunging at us. I extended my arrow into a javelin and thrust into the ground, remembering my training.

"Shadowstorm!" I called, calling forth a vortex of darkness underneath Ryu and pushing him up, but he made an ice shield beneath his feet with the snow.

"I don't think you know that ice and snow are my winter turf!" The man charged his arm, now formed as a dragon head cannon. A vortex of water rose up the tail of the mutant weapon and formed icy cannonballs, the first of which was shot at us. I tugged my javelin out and thrust it at the cannonball, destroying it as the Sunstone glowed. My polearm shattered like glass smashed on the ground, and I growled. "It's over!" He gathered the other cannonballs and merged all the water into a giant spiked ball, blasting it and propelling it forward.

"WATCH OUT!" Father yelled, running in front of me to take the blow.

"No! It's not over!" I yelled, the Sunstone glowing as a golden shield protected Father. I  stared at it. "How..."

"He has the Sunstone! Get him!" Ryu snarled. I felt myself be lifted by a certain energy, and Mother's psychokinesis pushed me out of the cave. I flapped my wings, and Father called to me.

"Emilio, fly to the Eclipse Temple! Save yourself!" he ordered. Seeing no choice, I obeyed and flew up, but I heard one last thing as the cave entrance glowed.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!" Ryu screamed.

"Good luck, my son," Mother called before a blast exited the cave, incinerating some trees and causing our escape route to cave in. I flinched at the explosion and felt tears sting my eyes, but I fought them as a voice echoed.

"Don't cry, my son. Stay strong, no matter what." I heeded Father's voice and flew for the Eclipse Temple.

"I'll avenge you, Father. Mother," I muttered. "I swear in the names of Lord Ambrogio and Lady Selene."