Archive of Our Own

Dick crept between the trees silently, placing each step with precision and care.

The cold, winter wind blew around him relentlessly, covering his surroundings in unforgiving white. Dick’s white fur coat, one he made just last winter from the furs of a white fox. It was his first kill of the winter, and Dick was proud to wear its fur as a trophy. The little minx had been stealing from his food storage, and Dick, while considerate, was not going to share with an animal too lazy to actually hunt its own food.

He blended in perfectly with the white and the blacks of the forest. The snow did not crunch beneath his feet, too soft and light.

Dick held his bow tighter in his hands. He had been tracking the deer for a week now, following tracks and trails. The deer was alone this winter, and normally, Dick would help the poor animal find its way back to its herd, but it was too far into winter to do so now. The deer would surely die within the next couple weeks of cold, starvation, or a predator.

Dick spotted a movement in the shadows ahead of him, and he tensed up, ready. His eyes narrowed, catching the slightest of movements.

There was another dash of movement to his right this time. Dick turned, raising his bow, drawn and ready. There was yet another shift on his left this time. Dick’s lips pursed. It was moving far too fast to be a starving deer. It had to be something bigger, or something that worked in packs.

Dick’s head whipped to his right again when he heard a slight crackle of stick breaking. Dick peered into the darkness. A moment later, two amber eyes met his gaze. Dick had his bow pointed right between the eyes, string taut and his fingers ready to release at any given moment.

There was a low growl coming from the direction of the eyes. Dick saw a flash of white teeth. Half a second later, Dick found himself tackled down into the snow. His bow flew out of his hand, the arrow flying out in the wrong direction and hitting a tree with a sharp thump. The bowstring twanged and snapped against his fingers, and Dick hissed as his hand throbbed in pain. It was not the first time, it was not even the hundredth time that had happened but it still hurt like hell.

As Dick was pinned back in the newly fallen snow, he looked up and met the eyes of a humongous wolf. It growled in his face, baring its sharp teeth and snapping at his face.

Dick did not flinch. He just groaned quietly under the weight of the large wolf. The wolf was way bigger than he was. It used one paw and easily pinned him down.

“Ow, that hurt, you big brute,” he wheezed. He raised his hand and showed the swelling mark of where his bowstring had snapped against his fingers. “Look.”

The wolf gazed at it for a moment before leaning down and gently licking it. Dick grimaced as a heavy sandpaper-y tongue scratched over the mark and dribbled wolf slobber all over his hand.

“That doesn’t help,” Dick said. The wolf snapped at him playfully again and nuzzled his neck. “Okay, okay,” Dick laughed, reaching up and patting the wolf’s neck. “Miss you too, Jay, but seriously, you’re suffocating me.”

The wolf pulled back and stepped off of Dick. Dick sat up, dusting snow off of his jacket. He stood, only coming face to face with the huge wolf. Dick smiled and put his hand on the wolf’s jaw, scratching lightly. “How’ve you been?” he asked softly.

The wolf snuffled and nuzzled him again, nosing under the hood of his fur coat and into his neck.

“Jason!” Dick laughed, pushing the wolf away. “You can’t scent me now. I’m in the middle of hunting! Ugh, now I have to go wash off your scent in the river again.”

Jason growled threateningly.

“I can’t smell like a predator and successfully hunt prey, Jay,” Dick said. “You know that. You smell like the biggest and baddest of this entire forest. The only reason you catch anything is because you’re damn fast, unlike me.” He gave Jason a pointed look.

Jason seemed to roll his eyes. He reached out with a large paw and pulled Dick’s bow over again and pushed it towards Dick. Then, he lowered himself to the ground, the sign that he wanted Dick to get on his back.

Dick frowned. “What’s up?” he asked, picking up his bow and slinging it over his shoulder. “Everything okay?”

Jason just flicked his powerful tail once as an answer. Dick frowned deeper and climbed onto Jason’s back. He slung a leg onto either side of him, pulling himself parallel to the strong body below him. Dick twisted his fingers into the thick furs on Jason’s neck and pulled himself close, taking a deep breath. Jason smelled like fresh snow, but also like home – smoky, warm, and inviting. No, Jason is home.

The second Dick pulled himself into place, Jason took off running, bolting through the forest at breakneck speeds. Dick had to bury his face in Jason’s soft fur because he cannot keep his eyes open against the sharp winds. The hood of his coat blew off his head and the wind bit at his ears until they were red and they hurt.

Dick squinted slightly through Jason’s fur to see the blur of the dark forest flashing past. They continued on for half an hour, moving through forest after forest until finally, Jason slowed to a trot.

Dick sat up and let his frozen fingers release Jason’s fur. He looked around in surprise. “The village,” he said aloud. “You brought me all the way here?”

Jason walked them to the edge of the village and lowered himself to the ground. Dick jumped off, patting Jason’s slightly wet fur in confusion. “Is there something wrong?”

Jason shook his large wolf head and started off in the direction of their house. Dick ran after him. They reach the modest teepee that is what they call "home". Jason ducked through the doorway and Dick followed him inside. Jason circled the room once and transformed. When he came back up, he grinned at Dick.

“Welcome back, Dickie!” he stood and spread his arms for Dick.

Dick let his bow and quiver drop to the ground and gave Jason an amused but suspicious look. “Why’d you bring me here? You knew I was in the middle of a hunt.” He stepped into Jason’s embrace and wrapped his arms about his husband, secretly glad to feel the warm flesh under his hands again after several weeks of being alone out in the cold forest.

“What if I just missed you?” Jason asked, running his hand through Dick’s wet hair.

“You better not have brought me home because of that,” Dick warned. “I was so close to catching up with that deer…” he trailed off and pulled back.

Jason was still smiling at him. “Okay, maybe it wasn’t just that,” he admitted. “B asked me to bring you back.”

Dick’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Chief? Why did he want me back?”

“Because,” Jason said, grinning even wider. “Your baby brother was born yesterday.”

Dick’s eyes lit up. “Really?!” he squealed. He leapt into Jason’s arms again, wrapping his legs around Jason’s waist. “Oh, did you see him yet? Is he cute? Is he here?” he gasped.

Jason laughed and kissed Dick on the lips. “Yes, he’s here. He is in the midwife’s home right now, with his mother.”

Dick made a face. “She’s still here? I thought she wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.”

Jason snorted. “She did, but the midwife commanded her stay until the baby was a couple months old at least.” He gently let Dick down and walked over to grab a shirt to wear. He slipped it over his body and also pulled off the loincloth that is usually the only thing covering him during his transformations. He pulled on a pair of simple pants as well. “Want to go see him?”

Dick nodded excitedly. He shucked off his coat and tossed it onto the ground haphazardly. Jason rolled his eyes and picked it up, folded it and placed it with the other clothes.

Dick waited for him impatiently at the entrance of the teepee. “What’s his name, Jay? Is it Bear? I’ve always wanted to have a dog named Bear,” Dick mused.

Jason snorted, taking his husband’s hand before leading them out of the teepee. “Your little brother is not a dog, Dickie.”

“I know that,” Dick said. “But it’s just a name. Did B even name him yet?”

“Damian,” Jason said softly. “His name is Damian.”

“Damian,” Dick said wondrously. “So he doesn’t have a native name?”

“He does,” Jason said. “Dason, Chief.”

Dick smiled. “As he will be one day.”

“As he will be one day,” Jason agreed. Then, he snickered. “Guess who his protector is.”

“He’s already got one?” Dick asked, surprised. Usually, only children of the tribe get wolf protectors, and usually at the age of thirteen.

Jason shrugged. “You know how B is. Worried, but doesn’t show it. Yeah, he’s got one.”

“Who?” Dick asked.

“Little Luta,” Jason said.

“Clark’s kid? But he’s six!” Dick said. “Luta hasn’t even gotten to the age where he can change yet!”

“Exactly,” Jason said. “But Little Luta’s so excited about it,” he said. “He’s been standing by the midwife’s house every second he has free just dying for a look at the baby chief he’s supposed to be protecting.”

“And Clark allows him to?” Dick asked, surprised. “I’ve never even seen Jon out past sunset, let alone out of Clark’s sight.”

“He trusts B,” Jason said. “So I guess he trusts that their camaraderie will be carried on with their sons as well.”

They made their way up the quiet village. A few of the women cooking outside, getting an early start on breakfast, smile and wave at them, welcoming Dick back.

Dick smiles and waves back. He squeezes Jason’s hand and leans against Jason’s shoulder.

“What is it?” Jason asked.

“Nothing,” Dick said softly, staring up at the quickly lightening sky. “I’m just thinking of when I first came here, and when I met you.”

“I remember,” Jason mused.

Dick came to the village when he was only ten years old. Bruce was the chief of the village, the leader of the pack. His parents died early on from protecting their pack from a rival group, and to protect him, the people of their village sent Bruce away to live in the city. Bruce grew up hiding the secret of his family.

He went through his first transformation, usually around the age of ten, alone and without a massive celebration usually thrown. When Bruce was twenty, however, he was ready to come back and take over the pack.

It was then that he found Dick, just a normal human boy, whose parents got in the crossfire of a vengeful love affair gone wrong and died. He took Dick in as his own son, and brought him back to the village.

Dick was shunned at first. He was not born of the tribe, so he was excluded from a lot of traditions. Dick felt even more alone, and he was given more reason to believe he was different.

As Dick grew older, he stopped caring about what the other villagers thought of him. Bruce had more important things to take care of, like getting the pack used to his control and exerting his power over them. It was difficult and sometimes Bruce forgot about Dick. Dick did not mind much.

He kept himself busy by spying on the lessons fathers of the tribe would pass on to their sons. He made himself his first bow and arrows, and he had the scars on his hands to prove it.

A few summers passed, and Dick grew strong running wild in the forests by the village all alone. He learned how to move like hunter, how to think like a hunter, how to act like a hunter. His skin had a myriad of scars, and the soles of his feet became tough. His skin grew darker from the summers’ sun, and his hair grew longer. Dick started bringing back game he shot, always keeping feathers from the birds, or the pelts of the animals. He would make himself handsome clothing and stick the feathers into his long hair.

The girls of the village started taking notice of him, much to their mothers’ dismay. In one summer, Dick must have kissed all the girls in the village and sneaked out to the swimming hole a hundred times at night.

One day, however, he made the mistake of going with a girl who was not very good at keeping things a secret. She babbled about her adventures with Dick, and a couple other girls overheard. They got jealous, each believing to have caught Dick’s attention solely.

Soon, the entire village learned of Dick’s nighttime activities with their daughters. There were heavy repercussions. The pack turned on Bruce, deeming him unfit to be leader of the pack. They shunned him and cast them out of the village.

Bruce was angered by Dick’s selfishness and they had a heated argument. Bruce snapped at one point, and he transformed and just left. Night fell quickly, and Dick was alone to fend for himself in the wilderness.

The first night was not so bad. Dick climbed a tree and slept in the branches of a large pine. However, the next night, the weather suddenly changed. The winter storms blew in early, and Dick did not have anything to keep himself warm. He stumbled around the forest, lost and alone, hoping to find somewhere to wait out the relentless winds.

The cold made him slightly delirious, and Dick fell into the river that night. Dick remembered very clearly that his last thought was that he was as good as dead.

But he woke up on the side of the river, and nothing around him was familiar. He was still as cold as ever, and just barely alive. Dick could do nothing but lie there and wait for death.

That was when Dick met Jason.

As Dick lay there, he heard heavy panting above him. He cracked his eyes open to see a large werewolf peering down at him. Dick saw a necklace around the wolf’s neck with three small blue beads on it. It was a symbol of the village.

Dick actually recognized the wolf. It was the son of the man who challenged Bruce first and took over after Bruce was cast out. Dick had seen the boy around the village before, and he had eavesdropped on a few of his lessons. Taos, he was called. His Americanized name, Dick could not remember.

Dick knew that the pack would be hunting for them after casting them out. It was the cruel game of playing with one’s food. So Dick accepted defeat. He closed his eyes slowly and stretched his neck out.

“Just do it,” he croaked. “Just kill me.” For a long time, the wolf made no move to do so. Dick became impatient. “Just kill me and take my body back,” he growled. “You want the credit, don’t you? Just kill me already!” He opened his eyes to glare at the golden eyes.

The wolf just stared at him impassively. After a few seconds, it leaned down and snagged the back of Dick’s wet shirt with its teeth and started dragging Dick away from the river.

Dick had no idea where they were going, but when he was set down again, they were in a cave, protected from the winter winds.

Dick drifted in and out of consciousness from then on. The few times he came back to consciousness, he noticed a few changes. A fire was built in the cave, and several stones were stacked up in the entrance way to keep out as much of the snow as possible. Another time, he saw a boy tending to the fire, watching Dick closely from the other side. When Dick awoke again, the fire had gone out, just a few embers sparking.

Dick found himself curled up against the thick fur and a strong, warm body.

He nearly let out a sob of relief. He must have shivered because the wolf brought his tail up over him and nuzzled Dick’s head gently, a strangely comforting gesture. Dick squeezed his eyes shut to keep out the tears as he pressed himself further into the wolf’s soft fur. If he was going to die tomorrow, he was going to enjoy these last few moments of true comfort. He nearly laughed bitterly at the thought that it was ironic that the enemy he was curled up against would be the one to bring him the most happiness before his death.

“Thank you,” he whispered into the dark grey fur before falling asleep again.

When Dick woke up again, there was cold sunlight streaming in through the cracks in the rocks. The fire was up again and the smell of something delicious cooking made Dick’s stomach growl.

He pushed himself off the hard floor and rubbed his eyes. A boy sat nearby, chewing slowly and watching him with bright eyes.

Dick eyed his meat jealously, but made no move to ask. He was obviously prisoner here until they took him for execution. He pulled his legs up to his chest, pushing against his stomach to stave off the hunger.

“You should eat,” the boy said. He reached over to the other side of him and pushed a stone bowl towards him. It was filled with cooked meat, a bit burned, but looking delicious.

Dick stared at him. “You can speak English?”

The boy nodded. “My father taught me.”

At the mention of the boy’s father, Dick turned away again. “He’s probably also going to teach you what happens to traitors,” he said bitterly. “I’m not hungry.”

“You are,” the boy insisted, pushing the bowl towards Dick again. He smirked slightly. “And don’t be so quick to judge. I do not agree with everything my father does.”

Dick looked up in surprise. “So you aren’t-”

The boy shook his head. “No. You are safe here. No one will find you, I promise. We are about a hundred miles from the village.”

Dick blanched. “How did we get so far?”

“I do not know how you got here,” the boy admitted. “I just found you by the river. I ran.”

“A hundred miles?” Dick asked.

The boy nodded. “I prefer to be alone. Village life… is not for me.”

Dick chuckled weakly. “I agree.”

The boy nodded at the bowl again. “Eat.”

Dick pulled the bowl towards him and slowly picked up a slice of meat with his fingers. He lifted it to his mouth and ate it. Juices flowed down the sides of his mouth and it was the most delicious thing Dick had ever tasted.

“Good?” the boy asked.

Dick nodded enthusiastically. He swallowed and ate another piece. Then another. After he was somewhat sated, he remembered his manners again. “What’s your name?”

The boy hesitated a brief moment. “Jason. You may call me Jason.”

“That isn’t the name you father gave you, right?”

Jason snorted. “No. My father named me Taos, meaning place of the red willows, which is where he met my mother. But he sleeps with her and with another woman at the same time,” he sneered. “I do not go by that name, nor the Americanized one he gave me.”

Dick smiled. “Alright then. Jason. I’m Dick,” he offered.

Jason nodded. “I know. You are… notorious among the village.” His eyes widened a little. “Did you really lure all the girls of the village out to the swimming hole one night by singing?”

Dick made a face. “Uh, have you ever heard me sing? I sound like a dying beaver,” he snorted. “Yes, I did invite girls down to the swimming hole, but I didn’t force them to come. And they’re the ones who ask for kisses. I don’t just dish them out.” He sighed heavily.

Jason was silent for a few moments. “The village people burned down your home.”

Dick winced silently. “It’s not my home anymore,” he said softly. “I don’t think it ever was. I don’t- I don’t have a home.” He gave Jason a weak smile. “I guess I’m kind of like you. A lone wolf. But… obviously not an actual wolf.”

Jason smiled back, and Dick felt the sudden urge to embrace the boy.

“How old are you?” Dick asked.

“Fifteen,” Jason answered.

“Then what are you doing out here alone? Don’t you have responsibilities of a protector?”

Jason shook his head. “The child I was supposed to protect died of pneumonia two years ago.”

“And you weren’t reassigned?”

Jason shook his head silently. “I did not want to be. I cannot bear losing another someone who is close to me.”

“So you went off on your own,” Dick concluded.

Jason nodded. “You do not have a protector, right?”

Dick laughed coldly. “Protectors are the sacred rights of children of the tribe. I’m an outsider, Jason.”

“But you grew up in the tribe,” Jason said. “You should have one. You came of age within the tribe.”

Dick just shrugged and watched the flames leap and dance. “I don’t need a protector,” he said. “I’ll watch over myself. And if make a mistake stupid enough to cause me death, I will accept it nobly.”

Jason smiled. “You have spirit,” he said softly. “Maybe… I can be your protector. I think I need to protect someone to- to find myself.”

Dick made a face and shook his head. “I can’t ask you to do that,” he said softly. “You and I both know what being one’s protector entails. You would have to give your life for mine.”

Jason frowned. “Being one’s protector is a very honorable thing. To die knowing you saved another’s life is not something to be ashamed of.”

“I can’t ask that of you. You don’t know me. I’m- I’m nobody, Jason.”

“But you are somebody! I have seen you hunt, I have seen you learning and trying and listening when you think no one is watching. You work harder than anyone I’ve ever known. If anyone deserves a protector, it is you.” Jason’s face pulled into a sneer. “I do believe a protector is honorable, but I don’t think it is honorable if the one I am protecting is useless. I don’t think the women and men of the village and spend their days in the safety of the village perimeters need protectors. The protectors should be with the warriors, with the hunters, with the leaders. Like you.”

Dick smiled a little. “Your words are very sweet, Jason. Thank you.”

“So you will accept me as your protector?” he sounded almost hopeful.

Dick still shook his head. “No. But if you decide to remain friends with me, someday you may understand.”

Jason pouted for a few seconds. Dick started feeling drowsy again and lay back down on the stone. He winced as a pebble dug into a sore spot in his back and he turned over, his back to Jason. A few minutes later, his eyelids start drooping. As he drifted off, he felt a large, warm body curl up around him, and Dick felt a sense of satisfaction before falling asleep.

Dick snapped out of his daze. He smiled and leaned closer to Jason, who had suddenly grown taller than him.

“You had quite the reputation,” Jason laughed. “Something along the lines of village slut, wasn’t it?”

“Well, then you married said village slut,” Dick snorted.

“You know,” Jason mused. “You’ve never taken me to that swimming hole. Is it still there?”

“I think so,” Dick said. “But it may have dried up too much to swim.”

“Pity,” Jason sighed.

“There is this place I found about eighty miles east of here,” Dick mentioned. “I passed it on my way back from last winter’s hunt. But it was during spring time, after the snow melted, so it was a bit dangerous, but around summer, it should mellow out.”

“We should spend the summer there,” Jason said. “You have no need for summer hunting anyway.”

“I suppose not,” Dick said. “But I wanted to spend the summer here, actually.”

“At the village?” Jason asked. “You hate it here though.”

“I don’t hate it,” Dick said with a small wince. It was slightly untrue though. Dick did not enjoy staying at the village. Even though it was not as bad as before, people still stared at him. There were a few of the younger women and men that accepted him now, but the older generations still held their prejudice. They especially did not like that Dick married Jason, one of their strongest warriors.

So Dick spent a lot of time in the forests, honing his skills and just being alone. Jason had always been highly against Dick being alone in the forests all the time. Jason often traced Dick’s scent a few times per hunt. Dick always caught him, but pretended not to. It made him a bit exasperated but also a bit endeared.

They approached the house of the village healer, who also doubled as a midwife. Her apprentice was outside, sweeping.

“Dick!” she said cheerfully when she saw them. “You’re back early!”

Dick gave her a small smile. “Yeah, I heard the chief’s boy was born yesterday.”

The girl nodded. She glanced at Jason, a brief flash of annoyance marring her features. Dick gave Jason’s hand a light squeeze. The girl was a year younger than Dick, and her name was Eileen. She was one of the first girls that Dick “fooled around” with. And even after Dick’s shameful reveal, she stayed oddly loyal.

She was very upset when Dick returned and announced that he was getting married to Jason.

“They’re inside.”

“Thank you,” Dick said. He pulled Jason into the teepee.

Jason leaned down and whispered in his ear. “I don’t like her,” he said.

“I know you don’t,” Dick whispered back. “But she’s not bad.”

“She’ll steal you away from me, if I’m not careful.”

Dick just rolled his eyes. “Seriously?”

“Really,” Jason insisted. “She knows you have a weakness for pretty wolves after all.”

Dick elbowed him in the ribs sharply. They approached the other side of the teepee, where a small crib had been built. An older lady fussed over the softly crying baby. Dick walked up excitedly and peered into the crib.

The child was small, his little fists waving in the air, demanding attention. Dick gasped softly. “May- May I?” he asked the healer.

She smiled at him and nodded. “He is your brother, is he not?”

The healer was one of the elder generations that accepted Dick easily into the village. Dick reached into the crib and picked up baby Damian.

The boy’s eyes opened and blue met green. Dick was immediately taken by the child. He held Damian close to his chest, cooing softly over him.

“Damian,” Dick whispered softly. “My little Damian.”

“Woah there,” Jason said. “You’re starting to show more affection for that little brat than you are towards me.”

“Don’t call your future chief a brat, Jay,” Dick chided softly, his eyes never tearing away from Damian. Dick brushed a thumb over the top of Damian’s head, brushing away thin strands of black hair. He was surprised to see the mark of the wolves on there. “But-”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, I told you. B is overly protective.” He snorted. “Your little chief is going to be the first wolf with a protector.”

Dick laughed. “If he’s anything like Bruce, he’s going to hate that.”

“Well,” Jason said. “There’s nothing he can do about it now.”

Dick smiled down at the baby, bopping his nose gently. “No, I think he can. Dami, you carve your own path, okay? Don’t let whatever is set up for you bring you down. Be strong, be brave, be whatever the hell you want, okay?” Dick gently set the now sleeping child back into the crib. “You know, I think he’ll be just fine.”

As they made their way out of the house, Jason pulled Dick behind a teepee quickly. They ducked behind a large tree, and Dick gave Jason a confused look. “What was that?”

“I think you’re right, Dick.”

“About what?”

Jason’s eyes shone brightly as he took both of Dick’s hands in his. “We can carve our own paths. We don’t- We don’t have to stay at this village. I can’t leave because I feel the obligation to stay, and you can’t leave even though you hate it here because I’m holding you here.” His hands tightened on Dick’s. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life making trips between you, my love, my life, my world, and this false home I have built here out of the sense of duty drilled in me.” Jason reached out and put a hand on Dick’s heart. “You have a wild soul. You shouldn’t be chained down by me.”

“You don’t chain me down!” Dick protested, already fearing the worst. He stepped closer to Jason and clung to his shirt. “Jay, you’re all that keeps me going. You’re all that I care about. You are my wilderness, Jay. I’ll follow you anywhere you go. If you don’t want to keep making those long trips, I’ll stay here in the village with you. I’ll stay!”

“No, my sweet Dickie,” Jason laughed softly. “You’re misunderstanding. I’m saying, we should leave. Leave and never come back. We’ll run wild together with only the wind and moon for company.”

“You would want that life?” Dick asked. “There’s- There’s no settling, no home.”

“You’re my home, Dickie. And if I’m yours too, we’ll be fine.”

Dick pulled himself closer to Jason. His eyes filled with tears. “You’ll leave for me? What about B? Damian? Your family?”

“My family don’t like me much anyway,” Jason said. “B is fine on his own now, isn’t he? He’s never said a word about you leaving on your own, and he never comes to visit you when you’re back anyway. And the boy…” Jason hesitated. “Leave him a note for when he’s older. Maybe those words you just told him. Let him know there’s someone out there that believes in him. And maybe one day, you can come back to see him.”

Dick swallowed hard. “Okay,” he said. He pressed his face into Jason’s neck and breathed in the smell of home – smoky, warm and inviting. His lips curled into a small smile. “Yeah. I think the winds have been calling to us for far too long now.”

“Perfect,” Jason said. He pulled back and grinned. “Let’s make a quick stop back at the teepee so you can grab your coat, bow, and quiver.”

At Dick’s nod, Jason transformed, becoming a huge grey wolf, tearing through the shirt and the pants. He shook his majestic head and lowered himself to the ground. Dick swung a leg over onto his back and pressed himself down into the thick fur.

Dick closed his eyes and smiled as Jason started running, his rhythmic footsteps echoing the beats of his heart.

And as the sun rose over the horizon, a boy and his wolf strayed from the pack to start their carve their own futures.