I stared at the wolves in front of me. Each other they held a hungry look in their eyes. My hands were bound together by their master. The man that stood behind me stepped forward. "Tonight, we have all gathered her for one thing. And only for one thing." He paused and raised his hands. "Tonight we shall all hunt once more as a pack." Howls echoed though the woods. My heart pounded in my chest. "Tonight! The one that kills our offering shall receive great respect for killing the monsters that took our home away." More howls could be heard and barks. I heard several barks behind me and I jumped.

They wanted to kill me. And that I was the offering they had been talking about. And I was going to die tonight. The man that had been standing in front of me walked up to the wolf and kicked it right in the mouth. I winced. It looked like it hurt a lot.

"You fool," He snarled. "To hunt as a pack does not mean that you get to attack alone. Hunting together is what that has kept us alive for all these years. And if you wish to destroy that tradition." He paused. "I suggest that you leave." The wolf whimpered and jumped back into the crowd.

Two men hoisted me up and placed me onto a ledge. One of them had cut the rope around my wrist. The one that had been talking earlier looked at me. He stepped onto the ledge beside me. That's when I got a good look at his face. He didn't look any older then eighteen years old. He held a blank expression.

"Listen, human. There is a river in the woods here. If you can cross it before one of us catches you, you can keep your pathetic life. And if you don't you die. Understand?" I nodded slightly. He pushed me roughly off the ledge.

I landed on my side. I winced at the contact, I looked at my arm. It was bleeding. I heard some growls by my side. I took in a deep breathe and ran. I didn't care where I was heading.

I just wanted to get away from those wolves. I heard a loud howl and several barks again. I picked up my speed and ran farther. Trees ran by me, their leaves and branches whipping my face, arms and legs.

It felt like I had been running for hours but I knew it had only been about five minutes. My lungs were heavy and my legs were like lead. I panted and I took a step forward. I heard a small twig snap and a wolf lunged at me. I landed onto the ground with a loud thump and a wolf on top of me. I reached for a small pocket knife in my pocket.

The wolf bit my arm and I swung the blade. I heard it cry out in pain. I pushed it off of me and ran. I looked down at the blade. It was stained with blood at the tip. I stepped into a small stream of water. Water? I turned around sharply and ran in the direction of the water flowing.

I ran and heard more wolves. I looked behind me and saw three wolves. One of them jumped on my back. I swung the blade and stabbed it in the wolf's side. It whimpered and fell. Both of the wolves stopped and gently nudged the wolf I had just stabbed.

I ran through bushes and heard them follow me again. I heard a loud rush of water. I turned towards the sound of it. I ran past two trees and out of the woods. I stopped and my eyes widened at what I saw. Several wolves stood at the rocks and ledges.

I bolted past wolves in front of me into the water. Several jumped in following me. I swam across almost reaching the other side until a wolf grabbed my leg. It bit down really hard and the water turned red. Others joined in biting my leg and arms. I swung the blade cutting a few and stabbing others. I pulled myself out of the water. I collapsed onto the water. Coughing up what water I had swallowed.

"Well done." I heard clapping. "You managed to get yourself through the woods and past the river." I looked up to the speaker. He was holding a syringe in his hand. I jumped up and tried to run away. Keyword: tried. He pulled me down and crawled on top of me. He sat above me. I struggled against him.

"I don't get it." I screamed. "I thought you said that I get to keep my life. You said that-"

He interrupted me. "You do get to keep you life." I stared at him. "But I never said that you would be free." I stared at him. He pulled off the cap of the syringe and jammed it into my neck.

I screamed. It felt like my whole body was on fire. He got off of me and I screamed in pain. It burned. My body suddenly felt like a block of ice. First, I was burning hot and now I was freezing. I whimpered.

Someone picked me up. I couldn't see his face but he felt warm. But most important he felt safe. I snuggled closer toward the warmth. I let my eyes slide shut. And oddly enough. I knew that there were still some wolves around but for some reason. Just one reason. I knew that this person would protect me no matter what.

I opened my eyes, my head throbbing a bit. I sat up and looked around me. It was dark and the only light was from the entrance of the cave. My neck was throbbing too. I pushed off the blanket. I was about to stand when I heard a growl behind. My body stiffened. A wolf crawled from behind me and laid its head in my lap. My body relaxed a bit for some odd reason. The wolf moved its head and walked away. I watch it walk over to the corner. Something came up and blocked my eyes.

"It's best if you didn't see this." Someone whispered. From what I could hear I definitely didn't want to see it. I could hear bones snapping and it was definitely not pleasant. The blindfold was removed. I looked the person behind me.

It was . . . "Naruto-san?"

"Hey." He smiled at me. He point to something behind me. I stared into coal black eyes. It was the man from last night. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me against him.

"Back off, Naruto. She's mine." I stared at him. I was his? Both of them began to growl at each other. Fudge! I knew it. I should have never entered that lottery.

Hey....... Long time no see. Hoped you guys like my new story. Please review. And uh............ REVIEW. And living hell should be out soon( by that I mean in a week or two) :D

AJH