Prologue
"We simply need the best scientists, the medical supplies, and a few merows to do this!" the man on the platform shouted. "We will live as kings! We will conquer the planet!" he kept shouting, speaking into a small, square piece in front of his mouth which served as a microphone. He was facing the large crowd gathered, all with political rank, and at the cameras broadcasting his speech across the nation.
One of the men in the crowd shook his head. "Why merows? They are animals! What could they do to help us conquer the world?" The man on the platform smiled grimly, glad to be able to make his point in such a way.
"That is the best part! We combine the DNA of our soldiers and of the animals. We will have super-humans! They will obey their superiors without question, the instincts of the animals, and their senses will be better. They will be stronger, faster, and they will be able to see in the dark as well as the light." A few in the crowd murmured uneasily, just as everyone in the nation did.
After a moment the crowd broke into shouts. Why hesitate? They would live as kings! Never again would they have to work for their living, or live on the streets. They would conquer the world. And all at the price of a few lowly merows.
Because merows were animals. Because merows were wolves on Rolana.
The people loved it.
"Then we will do it!" the man on the platform shouted.
More cheers.
His pale white eyes sparked with satisfaction.
Two Years Later
They had done it. They had created the warriors they had planned for two years. They had better reflexes, better senses. Their loyalty was more than just a few muttered words and contracts signed, but imprinted on their minds. And if one broke free, only a few movements were needed to set them straight, just like the wolves their DNA was combined with.
But something had gone wrong.
But they wouldn't stop trying.
There was one thing, something they never would have expected to happen in the least. No one had foreseen it. It was a shock to everyone who knew, but the Military kept it from the expectant public.
The warriors could shape shift into the animal they were bonded with. So far only merows' DNA had been mixed with the humans, but it was only a matter of time. Now the experiments, the humans they had taken and changed their DNA, could shift their form into that of a wolf, a merow.
They had all of the abilities of that animal in that form. They were that animal. The only difference was their line of thinking. But as humans they only retained slight characteristics, the heightened senses and smell, abilities to feel others' emotions.
But for many, it was fatal. Their bodies couldn't handle the DNA reform. Many lost family members who had sworn their lives to help the country, the assist in protecting the nation that now abused their oaths and were killing them off.
Many of the people who both lived and died hadn't been willing. They had been stolen from their homes or barracks to serve their purpose at the labs, as experiments. Only a few were volunteers, trusting their leaders to do what was best for them and the nation. They didn't expect what had happened, and all regretted their decision.
Those who lived were tested even more, to find the differences between them and the failed experiments. Why had they lived and not the others? Was their DNA different, or was their body simply stronger?
They were all lab rats, and they knew it.
But two would not take it. They were the seeds of revolt amongst the prisoners. They were high-strong, free-spirited. They had been taken against their will, and they were planting hope among others who were the same way. They would cause an uproar; the prisoners would break free if they were able to keep it up. So the scientists put them into solitary confinement.
And the two were made to stay there.
"Awreen!" the female of the two shouted. Her arms were outstretched as she tried to reach him. Some unknown force, a security precaution, was pulling them away from each other.
"Lo-Lah!" Awreen finally broke free with one final wrench that made him groan with the pressure. He grabbed her arm and they kept running down the hallway, alarms blaring all around them and lights flashing. They avoided traps and finally reached a door.
He carefully pushed the door open to find five guards waiting for them, weapons in hand. There were no guns, but they had knives and clubs. They were all well-disciplined, no sign of emotion on their faces or regret in their eyes. Only determination.
Awreen snarled, ready to protect his mate, Lo-Lah, and his form became watery. A few of the soldiers blinked in shock, but they raised their weapons. Lo-Lah followed his example and shifted also, both wolves at the end. Awreen was jet-black, with eyes as silver as moon reflected on the water, and Lo-Lah was a timber-wolf with amber eyes.
They were smaller, stronger, swifter, more agile. Awreeen rushed at the soldiers, faking a strike of claws at one of the soldiers. When another came to block him, he bit the other instead, Blood poured from the deep gash as the man fell, unable to move with his wounded leg.
Lo-Lah swiped her claws at another. The man fell, the back of his head open from the force of her blow. Three were left standing, and though they hesitated, they didn't back off. One swiped at Awreen, who dodged the blow and ran to his mate's side. They bared their teeth as they slowly took a step backward, towards the now-unguarded gate.
The men realized their folly and rushed to protect their post, but it was too late. The half-breeds turned around and ran through as swiftly as their legs would carry them, fur rustled by the whipping wind and ears laid back as they tried to gain speed to get away from their pursuers.
They turned left, to the hardest terrain. They could handle it, but knew that the guards wouldn't be able to. They ran so fast over the rocks they seemed to be flying. Their paws only hit the dirt below them slightly before going forward again, and so there was no fear of tripping. Neither looked back, knowing it would do no good.
Finally they stopped. They were miles from the guards by now, and that was if they were even being pursued. Together they shifted back to human form, not all that tired, though they were thirsty. But nothing took away the joy of knowing what they had just done.
"We did it," Lo-Lah said, voice riddled with excitement.
"We did," he confirmed, a grin on his handsome features. He could barely believe it. They were free. They had gotten away. Now and forever, they would never be locked in a cage again. Never. He wouldn't allow it.
But they were freaks now, half-breeds. In human form, they looked no different than anyone else, but there was a difference now and they knew it. They went to their home city anyway, to see if they would be accepted again. But when they saw their friends, talking and laughing and having seemed to have forgotten them already, they knew they couldn't. The military hadn't only taken their DNA away, but their homes and family.
They were on the run from the government. They were outcasts of society. They went into hiding, not telling anyone of their whereabouts. There was most likely no one interested except for the military pursuing them every step of the way.
They visited the town now and again, to check on their friends. They never had any contact, though, for they couldn't. It would put their freedom and, possibly, their lives, in danger.
They were, literally, lone wolves from then on.
So much for the perfect warriors.