Perhaps I would have enjoyed the thrill of riding down a waterfall if it weren't for that ride stealing me from my family, me getting partially smashed by a log on one side and smacked by the lake's surface on the other, or having my nose fall dead-center into an anthill upon swimming to solid ground, of ALL THINGS.

Yelping, I jumped up with the force of a wolf about to collapse right into that very anthill, shaking off most of the clinging fire-ants. I retreated back into the water, dunking my snout into it, hoping to drown the stragglers.

I did not sign up for this. I didn't. All I wanted was to catch a fish with my sister. Why did this have to go so wrong?

The fiery sensation left behind by the bugs cooled off unusually well. When I surfaced, I felt . . . well. I didn't feel exhausted anymore?

"Huh?" I turned around, looking at the falls, the clear, clean blue sparkling of the water, the mist spraying at the base of the waterfall, the sort of lively glow that surrounded the place. I wasn't sure why, but it seemed like the lake was blessed by the spirits, full of energy and rejuvenation.

Who knew that crazy stream would lead here? It seems . . . peaceful.

I took a few more steps into the water, fully turned towards the lake. I wanted to . . . just swim right into it. I wanted to swim forever.

"You know . . ." I murmured while water washed over my chest, covered my chin, the edges of my lips, "it'd be nice to live here . . . with . . . e-ever-everyo—"

"No! Get back!" a strange, high-pitched cry startled out from behind. "What are you doing? I said get back!"

I ignored her, the top of my head disappearing into the lake. It was fine. I could breathe underwater, right? Every wolf could.

A violent tug on the skin of my neck pulled me out of the water, my lungs screaming as soon as air was introduced back into them. I hissed and gasped, body going limp with the motherly grasp on my scruff.

Her teeth dropped me gently on the ground a ways away, but I could see the anger creasing her face. She was a darkly colored wolf, her fur nearly black unlike my gray fur, with a few scars lining the tips of her ears and pelt. Her eyes were a light yellow, almost pretty if not for the suspicion boring into me. This was a wolf different from any I have ever seen.

I haven't seen any wolves apart from my family . . . but she gave off a vibe that I couldn't understand, like how I imagined lions in the stories. Fierce. Something no one really knew until it bit them.

"Uh . . . um, thank you?"

"You're a pup," the stranger growled. "What's a pup doing here without his mother?"

"Er . . . she . . ." I began, but her poised haunches and tail made me stop. Can I dare to trust her?

"She what?"

This wolf saved my life. Why am I hesitating? Maybe she can help me get home. And . . . I don't really want to find out what might happen if I lie to her. "I fell in. The river. During the storm. She was . . . separated from me."

The midnight she-wolf grunted. "Fell in, huh. You stink of river fish."

My stars, thank you. Great welcome. I sniffed, feeling smaller in my skin. No level of sarcasm would get my dread to go away. In fact, I was pretty sure she had heard my inner retort and was about to snap my ears of in repayment. I'd believe it.

"Alright. Runt, do you know who I am?"

"N-no . . .?"

Her eyes narrowed. She smiled without amusement, revealing her long, sharp fangs. "Do you know where you are?"

"No . . . Somewhere downstream."

"Aren't you just the brightest of the bunch." Her head tilted towards the falls, though her body blocked my view of it. "Hypno Falls, home of Fernshroud's greatest curse. Those that taste its waters are compelled to drown here. There's an underwater pit here. Once you dive into it, there's no coming out."

My paws were shaking. "What?" A curse? They're real? I thought curses were just stories, not real. Not something I would ever have to face. "Am I going to drown now?"

"Only if I let you. As long as you don't look at it until the next full moon, you won't be tempted."

"What about the river? I came from the river and I was fine —"

"It's not the water. It's this lake. But I'm not about to tell you anything else about it," she said, nudging me to stand. Oh. I had been sitting.

I'm so scared. Mom . . . Dad . . . Moonlight . . . I'm sorry. I never should have went out last night . . .

"You're lucky I was on patrol. Otherwise you'd really be a stinking fish."

I shivered. "W-what am I gonna do? I have to go home . . ."

"Come with me."

I flinched, swiveling away from the falls just in time. The pack wolf had moved around me, walking pointedly through the pine forest. The trees were so big, so dark, with needles that poked every which way and a buzz of life and energy pulsing within it.

The leaves and dirt crunched and crumbled beneath my feet. A scent I've never smelled before engulfed me, of something spicy and crisp yet filled with an underlying muskiness. There were bugs here, birds, squirrels, all sorts of wonders that I'd heard about peeking past the branches or hiding in the bushes.

We traveled quite a ways, past a set of tracks that looked too big to be a rabbit's, past a giant pine tree that dumped a pine cone on my head, and soon her pace slowed. I realized that my refreshed exhaustion had worn off partway through the journey, as I was panting by the time she stopped.

A large clearing spanned out in front of us, dens dug into the sides of a slope, rocks and plants protecting them from rain. Wolves were lounging about, chewing on prey, playing under the shadows, lapping water from a pool in the center of camp, staring, yes, and lots of staring.

Wolves wouldn't eat other wolves, right?

An old wolf grinned horribly at me, licking his chops. RIGHT?

"U-uh, w-where—?"

"Welcome to the Fernshroud pack, little one," my escort said proudly. "You'll be staying here until you're grown. Unless someone decides to come and get you. I can't wait to meet them."

She ducked into one of the dens. I was quick to follow. I didn't want to find out who was the hungriest and I especially didn't want to try running.

It was dim inside, just like the dens back at the beach. I tumbled accidentally down into another wolf's bed, feeling the soft pelt of someone else pressing against me. She smelled like a mother, like milk and dust and the herbs of the forest.

"Oop! Careful there," another voice said — that mother, and upon lifting my gaze I saw kind amber eyes. "Who are you?"

"M-my name is . . . Nova," I said uneasily, tiredly, feeling the prickle of oily tears at the back of my eyes. "A storm blew me into the river and I came here. I-I want to go home!"

The new wolf glanced up. "Slice?"

Slice, the midnight wolf, radiated control. Her words were cold, demanding. "Sprinkle, I want him to stay here with you. Your pups died but you still have milk. Consider this a consolation."

I hissed in a breath. Sprinkle waited a moment before responding. "He . . . doesn't smell like he's from here. What if he's from another pack? Aren't you . . . concerned?"

"Not in the least," she said. "My guess is that he's a Lonetrav's stray. A rouge's unfortunate babe." I started to hate her smiles.

Sprinkle tucked me under the fluff of her chest, looking wistfully past a point over Slice's shoulder. "When he grows, don't hurt him, Slice. Please don't hurt him. He doesn't deserve that. His mother —"

A horrifyingly loud bark reverberated in the small cave. Terror rippled through my bones, caused me to tuck myself into the smallest ball possible. Sprinkle went stiff and quiet.

"Don't forget who's alpha here," Slice growled, flexing her claws in the dirt. "I won't tolerate trespassers. No matter how much of a runt he is, he'll be treated like everyone else. I'm going to find out where he came from. Then I'll decide what to do with his filthy pelt."