I awoke sore for my father had not been very happy when I returned home the night before. This may have not been one of my hospital visits but it had been pretty bad. I now had many cuts on my face in the shape of my father's knuckles, multiple bruises on my arms from him grabbing me and a sprained wrist. It could have been much worse, yes, but that did not ease the pain. I winced as I sat up, feeling a shock of pain radiate through my body. At dusk I snuck out of the house, clad in hiking gear, and ran towards the river. My mind had not wondered from the dog-boy ever since his sighting. Who was he and how did he...change? Many theories had run their course through my head but I had still not settled on one. Mutant? Science experiment? Alien? Mythical creature? Or maybe just maybe I had been mistaken...no. No, I had seen that boy turn into a dog no question about it.

Oh come on! It's impossible! You're just imagining things.

Am not!

Are too!

Am not!

Then how do you explain it? Hmm? A person turning into a dog? Please!

I know what I saw!

Well obviously you don't because you couldn't have seen that! You're crazy!

Then technically you would be too so how about you just shut up?!

Fine! I will, but don't come crying to me when you figure out I'm right!

Ugh. I hate having internal debates.

Trust me the feelings mutual.

I reached the creek and hopped across the rocks to the other side. Once there I ran to the meadow where I had seen the boy. Nothing. No trace of him what so ever. I ventured further into the forest past where I had ever gone before. I found many things a water fall, a foxes den with little cubs playing outside, a ruin of an old cottage that had long since fallen, a meadow covered in the blossoms of mid-summer, a lake that shone silver with the moons light, a pond inhabited by frogs, fish, and lilly pads with many colors of dragon fly dancing with the glowing sparks of lightning bugs. So many beautiful sights but no sign of the dog-boy. The moon hung high in the star dotted sky. I hung my head and began to walk back towards the river. I snapped my head around when I heard the snap of a twig. I climbed a tree and once more searched for the origin. I watched in silence as four very large wolves came trampling through the trees. The grey wolf that was leading came to a sudden halt with the others following simultaneously. My eyes widened in shock as one by one the wolves began to shake and blur then in the blink of an eye turned into three men in their late teens or early twenties. I let out a small gasp, barely audible to human ears. But then again whatever these people were they were not human. Three heads snapped to where I was hiding. Uh oh. I dropped from the tree and took off in the opposite direction.

"Get her!"

Oh shit!

Not good!

I ran as fast as my feet would take me, but it wasn't fast enough. Someone barreled into me knocking me to the ground. I struggled but I couldn't break the grip that was binding my hands behind my back.

"Ok here's how this is gunna go kid. I'm gunna let you up and you are gunna come with us without a fight understand?"

I stayed silent. The knee that was holding me down jammed into my back making me yelp in pain.

"I said do you understand?"

"Yes!" I yelled into the ground

"Good," I felt fabric being tied tightly around my hands, almost cutting off the circulation. Someone grabbed my elbow and pulled me to my feet. I let out a scream that had the potential to shatter ear drums. The man holding me slammed his hand around my mouth and pinned me up against a tree. My back collided into the rough bark sending a sharp pain up my spine. "Will you shut up?! You insolent little human!"

Oh no he didn't!

Oh hell no!

I brought my knee up and hit him in a very....sensitive place. He groaned and fell to the ground releasing me. I sped around him and towards the river....um which way was that again? I was lost. Lost and being chased by a bunch of lunatic wolf people. Oh how wonderful. I continued to run through the dark forest, trying my best to not trip or run into a tree. My hands were still bound and it was very hard to balance. I fell to the ground when someone barreled into me.

"Now, that wasn't very nice sweetheart," the rough voice of one of the men said. He wrenched me up by my elbow. I opened my mouth to let out a scream but his hand snaked over my mouth, silencing me. "Ah, ah, ah. Now, keep your mouth shut sweetheart, before we make you." he began to drag me through the underbrush, pulling me back the way we came. The other wolf people came into view. The man holding me brought me in front of the man whom I kicked. His shaggy dark brown hair was hanging in his coal black eyes. He stalked forward with a death glare burning holes into me. A sharp stinging pain shot through my cheek when his callused palm met my face.

"You're going to regret that little act of defiance, whelp," he said through gritted teeth.

I felt a sharp pain against my skull then everything went black.

* * * * * * *

I awoke to voices.

"What are we going to do with her?

"Well that all depends doesn't it?"

"I mean if she doesn't have the gene."

There was a long pause. "Well, we can't leave her alive knowing our secret, now can we?"

Another long pause. "No I guess not."

Not alive?! Oh no, no, no not good! I tried to stand up but my hands were bound around some sort of pole. I looked around and saw...canvas? I was in a tepee? The soft light of early morning shone through the small hole in the top. Duct tape kept my mouth closed as I tried to scream.

Dude, you are so screwed.

Will you shut up?! You are not helping!

I struggled and struggled but to no avail. I wasn't going anywhere.

"Hey! Danny! She's awake!" all three men from before came in, with the shaggy brown haired one leading.

"Well, hello there" the leader said, "so glad to see you up. I'm Danny by the way." I just stared at them scrutinizing g every feature. The one called Danny was tall and muscular, probably in his mid-twenties. His eyes were a deep brown that was almost black but a small glint of red hinted at the edges of the pupil. His face was strong and angular, all hints of child-hood roundness, gone. A mocking grin spread across his face with glistening white teeth under the tanned skin. He wore only a pair of cut-off jeans. His feet were bare and covered with dirt. They all looked frighteningly similar except that the one to his left had blond cropped hair and the one too his right had a light brown buzz-cut. They dressed the same too. Sheen of sweat covered their extremely muscular chests.

"This is Jason," he nodded his head to the blond on his left, "and Gage" he jerked his thumb to the guy on his right. "Now, we just need to run a few...tests." The one called Gage knelt down beside me. Light glinted off somthing matalic as he pulled it from his pocket. as he advanced the object towards me a recognised it as a swiss army knife. Shit. I pulled away from him flailing my legs in a desperate attempt to escape. Jason came to his aid and held my shoulders keeping me still. I couldn't fight against his strength. Gage dug the knife into my forearm letting my blood drip onto a metal plate. Jason released me and they both walked back to Danny. Gage studied the plate, turning it side to side in the sunlight. He nodded his head to Danny.

"Good, well then no time to waste!" he rubbed his hands together and in the blink of an eye Jason was holding me still with Gage pulling my head to the side, exposing my neck. Danny lunged and placed his mouth against it. He pit down sinking his razor teeth into my jugular. A horrible burning pain began to seep through my veins, pulsating trough my body until every part of me was on fire. And then, as quickly as it began, the burning stopped. Suddenly I was floating in a cool ocean, just lying on my back, drifting with the waves. I began to sink in the water. I tried to swim back to surface, but I couldn't find my arms or legs. I sank deeper and deeper, pressure growing every second. My lungs burned for air as I was crushed by the weight of the water. Down, down, down, farther and farther I sank deeper and deeper into darkness and death. My lungs were on fire, begging for air, but I could not resurface. Deeper and deeper the pressure grew smashing me like a can in a trash compactor. The pressure grew and grew and my lungs burned for air, yet neither did death nor the bliss of unconsciousness claim me. It was now pitch black and the pain was getting worse and worse. And then suddenly I broke surface.