Chapter 1

Winter

I was just sitting here warming up by the fire. The mountain air felt so good in my lungs. It was a serene place. Up in the mountains. My home for the moment had food readily available. There was even a stream to help keep clean.

I always loved being in nature. It was always my happy place as a child. But it would have been better if I could share it with someone. I have been alone for five years, and I am seriously starting to wonder if I am going to always be alone.

I had been 18 for three months. I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to meet my mate. It would be hard seeing as I am a rogue. But if I found my mate, I would have someone to share my life and experiences with.

The thing is being a rogue has many downsides. I must be isolated from everyone. I don’t have the opportunity to go to gatherings like others who are in packs. If I were able to attend these gatherings, then I could meet my mate. Maybe we would have already met.

Thinking of gatherings just makes me sad. It makes me think of the last gathering my pack had. It had not been a gathering to find a mate but a meeting to inform the pack of something important. It was a horrible day. A day that resulted in me becoming a rogue wolf.

I need to stop myself I can't dwell on this I have a hunt I need to do tomorrow. I have been wanting to get a large game animal and I need to rest. If I do not get some sleep, I will not be hunting tomorrow. So, I close my eyes and fall into a slumber.

I see black smoke, embers, and ash. I smell corpses of burnt werewolves. The stench of death flows through my nostrils. I hear a loud roar. There is a huge salt and pepper wolf, and he has two smaller wolfs with him. They look at me. I start to run. I am just hoping my small frame can carry me away from this scene. I am running while I hear the howls of the large wolfs on my trail.

I shift and continue to run faster than I ever have before. I know if they catch me it is over. I run for what seems like forever. I know I have lost them. I look around and have no idea where I am...

All the sudden I am screaming only to find no one there just the woods and a dying fire, I must have been dreaming. I get up and stretch. I hate that nightmare. It is a regular occurrence. I decide it is time to go for that hunt; seeing as if I go back to sleep, I may stumble back into those painful memories. So, with the idea of fresh meat in my mouth I shift into my wolf; Athena.

Athena is all white except for her soft black tail. She is much smaller than other wolfs seeing as I am quite small myself in my human form. Despite her being so small in stature she is extremely fast. I have had encounters with other wolfs, and I have never had a problem getting away due to Athena's speed. It is one thing I can always count on. Athena's speed has helped me hunt fast game as well as survive in fights. It has been extremely helpful in situations we’ve been stuck in. It's not only Athena’s speed that I am thankful for. It is the comfort of her constant companionship. She is my oldest friend.

I don’t think I could have stayed sane all this time on my own without her. I know many other rogues tend to go crazy. I am not sure exactly why. I'm just lucky my sanity has not been affected. I think that is due to Athena. She talks to me a lot, and her confidence helps me stay focused.

Then I catch a scent on the air. It is an Elk and without another thought I shift. I let Athena take the reins. I let her have complete control. As she is the wolf and I'm her human partner. She lets her paws fly as she runs through the forest following the scent of the elk.

I can smell that we are close to a pack's territory. I know this isn't the best idea to finish our hunt this close to a pack. We are both really hungry though, and honestly if things go bad, I can bolt. I have had tons of encounter with packs, and I have never had a problem out running them. Or even fighting if necessary.

Most of the time I try to stay away from packs and other rogues. Packs are typically not good with lone wolfs. They tend to think we are filthy, or criminals. In addition to that they think we have become feral and need to be put down. Not to mention the other rogues I have come across are not too much better than the packs.

I once encountered a pack made up of rogues. At first, I was excited seeing as I missed the companionship of others. However, they turned out to be horrible, and I had to kill to get out of there. So, remembering that I am close to a boarder I need to proceed with caution.

I do not want to set off this pack’s warriors and fight just to get the elk I’m after. At the same time though, I will fight for my food if I have to. I have done it before and, I will do it again. Hopefully, it will not come to that. I will proceed with caution, but I am going to eat that dam elk!

We finally catch sight of our breakfast. Athena waits a moment to pounce. I tell her after we kill it, we need to drag it back home. That way I can save some of the meat to eat in my human form, and Athena can have more too without needing to hunt again.

She is not happy about my suggestion, but I remind her she isn't going to eat the whole kill and it isn't nice to waste this precious meat. She agrees and watches the elk graze for a moment before she pounces. She tears into its neck and refuses to let go. The great beast thrashes as it tries to get away. Its strength fails however as it bleeds out from the wound in its neck, and it falls to ground. Just as we get ready to eat Athena senses something! We look up from our kill to see big green eyes looking at us. Those eyes belong to a huge black wolf.