Chapter One:

"Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future" - Oscar Wilde

A Hunter's Price

"Stupid mutt!"

The man didn't think twice as he drew back his leg and kicked the furry animal with all the ferocity of his rage. Ignoring as it gave a weak protest in the sound of a squeak before withdrawing and repeating the action several times over.

The animal in question was fairly small for its kind, a silver colored coat its only protection against the snow the harsh winds blew. The silver also camouflaged the hideous scars burned into the creature's neck and back; though it did not hide the revolting thinness of the canine.

A wolf.

Its tail had been tucked beneath its legs as it attempted to shield itself from the harsh kicks delivered to its side. Fangs wanting nothing more then to bite into the flesh of the man, but knowing that it would only mean more pain in the end.

It had once been a wild creature, beautiful and free as it roamed the forests looking for simple prey such as rabbits or squirrels; but those days had long since passed. The man, a well known hunter of the town in which the animal had been passing, had spotted the creature and decided it would fetch a price unlike anything he had ever imagined.

However, after months of trying to keep the creature from escaping the hunter had come to realize that silver burned its smooth flesh, and had instantly taken a liking to watching the animal squirm under the specially developed chains. The canine hadn't gone to anyone, for everyone who saw it somehow refused to pay the price for what they deemed a "bag of fleas."

Thus the man had begun to beat the canine, a form of entertainment as he sold off his animal meats and other rare breeds of dogs he had gotten a hold of. The wolf, the one whom still growled despite giving into the random outbursts of violence, had been left at the far back of the viewing area, rarely seen by the guests.

That is where he left the creature, feeding it whenever he felt it was necessary or had left over scraps the other animals rejected. The canine expected to die, but secretly did not completely oppose to the fate at the back of the cages. For this wolf had secrets that went beyond human understanding, for lone wolves often died within months of separating from their pack's unless they had a high standing position such as alphas or betas. However, this wolf was the creature that had been hunted for centuries by alphas everywhere; a creature so alluring that its appearance was a rarity if not a cause for celebration if discovered. This wolf was a submissive.

Night had settled in and the hunter had taken each of his creatures into the house except the wolf; merely threatening that it live to see sunrise or die to have its body used for other resources. The heartless hunter had done this so many times to the little wolf that the silver creature had not been surprised when the only sound in the backyard was that of the wind howling its mournful cry.

However, what did come as a surprise was the sound of trampling boots as the hunter suddenly threw himself out of his front door to meet a car that had vaulted into his parking lot. It was late at night, and the canine could barely make out the three tall figures that had stepped out to greet the disgruntled keeper.

The hunter babbled on about wolves, claiming that the two finest ones he had were bundled up in blankets inside their cages, near the fireplace he had so willingly lit up when he'd heard they were coming in to visit.

As the group moved towards the front of the house the wolf watched with unhidden amusement as the hunter fell over himself trying to impress the potential buyers. The two wolves he had captured were indeed beautiful, and would have tried to become mates with the small creature had it not been for their iron cages. The wolves had almost copied the hunter's movements in attempting to impress, only to realize the small female hadn't spared a glance in their general direction.

Yes, she was stunning if it were not for the knots in her dirty hair, or the bones that were slowly beginning to show from the lack of food, but the little wolf wanted nothing to do with other creatures of her kind. Raised in a family where the animal was believed to be demonic, and had often been killed if found, the creature was ashamed of herself; and feared the monsters that would attempt to find her if she had not been taken by the hunter.

"What do you mean he's not good enough?" She heard the hunter squawk from an open window. "He's the best damn wolf I've ever caught!"

Murmurs followed the hunter's voice; a calm argument despite the large mans disgruntled snorts of indignation at the buyer's desires. The wolf that had probably been the boast for the night was the dark black one that had been sitting closest to her area when they had been settled outside. It wouldn't be a surprise if the hunter did not attempt to show off the animal by placing it in the pen that allowed them to run without actually escaping (in other words, a bigger cage).

The sudden light that flooded the yard indicated she had guessed right, and the group followed the hunter as he pulled a struggling animal towards the cage. The dark wolf was desperately trying to claw itself away from the hunter, who was ignoring the buyer's voices by babbling on about the animal's stamina and health.

The little wolf watched in fascination as the wolf was literally thrown into the pen, the hunter urging him to move; which he did with sluggish movements, weary of the reasons behind the sudden freedom he had been granted.

A paw gingerly stepped forward but the creature's dark head kept itself locked on the hunter, waiting for the human to knock it unconscious or attempt to kick it as he often did to her. It moved toward the opposite side of the cage, ears perked as it heard the presence of the small rabbit the hunter had thrown as a feast to the animal. The wolf immediately pounced, and she watched with morbid fascination as the little creature shrieked before it went completely silent, body limp in the mouth of the dark wolf.

Expecting to watch the creature eat the meal the silver wolf was more then shocked to find the hunter suddenly slamming into the ground of the pen, his screams echoing off the walls as the black wolf pounced on his neck to gut the man that had made several of the caged animal's lives miserable.

The men whom had come to buy themselves a canine were suddenly opening the cage as if the creature would not pounce on them, and laughing as the dark wolf jumped onto a man whose black hair equally matched his fur. She was even more surprised to find the wolf calming down and turning back to the cage to pick up the dead rabbit, that he'd thrown aside at the opportunity to kill the hunter.

One of the men, a brunette, spoke softly to the animal as if it would understand each word, "you didn't have to make such a mess. I mean, jeez, this guy was getting our pack but you didn't have to spread his insides all over the snow."

The black wolf looked up and seemed to mimic the snort that had come from the man he had tackled, its chocolate eyes looking up to gaze at the red head with the rabbit still in its mouth. "He's right, but at least we know the other animals will eat the rest of him once they're free again," the man spoke in a tone that somehow sounded fused with power and the promise of violence if his words were not followed.

Finally, the tall man with black hair voiced his own sound, "spit that thing out, we don't need you eating something that man's grown." He nodded his head towards the pen, where the smell of blood was overwhelming, sending the animals inside on a frenzy.

Unsure what the men would do if they noticed her form in the snow the little wolf buried herself deeper into the snow, hoping that her dirty silver hair would blend in with the colors and keep her hidden. The silver had stopped bothering her for the most part, used to the touch of it after months of torture from the hunter. In some ways she felt the lose of not getting to murder the bastard herself, in other ways she was sad he had not had the opportunity to kill her off.

The three men followed the wolf into the house, and she could hear the faint sound of the cages being opened and the patter of animal's feet as they ran towards the body in the yard, all wanting a taste of the human flesh they had been denied before their capture. It was only the knowledge that the creatures were after humans that kept her shivering in her spot on the ground, watching silently as the body slowly disappeared with the scattering animals.

Finally the wolf could stand it no more and closed her eyes to the site, only opening them when the sound of the animals completely disappeared into the night. Inside the small house the men were conversing as if murder had not suddenly occurred in the yard of the homeowner, as if they witnessed death everyday.

She was too weak to turn into the form she had lived with most her life, and pulling at her chains had been something she'd learned was futile and only caused them to tighten around her neck, the young wolf remained in her hidden spot. However, the thumping of a sudden object dropping to the floor near her face had the creature turning her eyes and looking up to gaze into silver depths.

Another wolf, not the black one but the male that had tried so vividly to impress her, had dropped the rabbit in front of her face. He seemed to warn her to escape before more humans came, but nudged the dead rabbit closer before turning and sprinting for the forest without a backwards glance.

There was another reason she was such a small wolf; despite the appearance of an animal the female ate nothing but cooked, human food. It was another reason the hunter found more reason to keep her starved instead of cooking up something in the microwave. So, scrunching up her nose the little wolf kicked away the rabbit and lay down, praying to sleep and remain in the darkness that would swallow her.

However, another sound had her opening her eyes to discover its source. A teenage boy had suddenly sprung out of the house and had started to frantically look around the yard. The three men following with hesitation, looking at the boy as if he had suddenly lost his mind as they peered around the yard trying to find what he also searched for.

"I swear there was one!" The boy shrieked when he noticed his companions disbelieving looks. "It couldn't have gotten away! The dude didn't ever untie it!"

She sunk deeper into the snow, although sent cautious glances around her to see if he spoke of the silver eyed wolf that had disappeared into the forest. Perhaps the creature hadn't been meant to get lose? It was a possibility she wouldn't be too surprised about considering its warning.

"Yahiko, I know we all wish we could find one, but I'm positive you must have been mistaken," came from the black haired man as he addressed a more innocent, younger version of himself.

"I think we didn't save you in time and now you've lost your mind," the brunette spoke with a laugh.

However, unlike the trio speaking in various tones the red head had not once spoken a word, instead gazing at the now empty pen save for the blood staining the white snow. She could not spot his face, but knew that each men spent time with saving captured wolves, for they all smelled of them. The youngest she hadn't quite seen, but guessed he'd been kept inside to avoid witnessing the graphic death of the hunter as he had been mauled by creatures alike.

"Wait, where's the rabbit?" The young boy spoke, and that caught her attention once more as he searched the area, finally spotting the corpse where she had kicked it away. "How did it get over there? The other animals were warned not to touch it," Yahiko, as he had been called, spoke with question.

Suddenly the four stood staring at the long silver chain that had been attached to the back of the house, and without warning one of the men cut it away from the home in brutal strength. It was the only chance she'd get, for they would surely follow the chain link to her end.

Standing up as fast as her wobbly legs allowed the female ignored the sudden gasps and sprinted towards the trees. The sound of running feet behind her a mere motivator as she sped up, her lithe form helping her feet fly effortlessly through the trees as she slowly began to lose the sound of the running men.

Stopping at a spring of water the little wolf observed all its surroundings, praying nothing would interrupt the quick removal of the tightening chain on its neck.

A feeling of warmth flooded her senses and bones began to bend and twist as they formed a shape of a young woman. Her black hair covered in dirt, twigs, and leafs as she very gingerly hooked both thumbs around the silver chain and lifted it over her head. It fell with a small clatter, and suddenly the little wolf once more stood where the woman had suddenly appeared and disappeared.

Once more the little wolf began to run, finally stopping beneath a hollow tree for the night in exhaustion. But the adventure was not over, for this was no ordinary little wolf.

This was the submissive.

Just something I wanted to randomly write. If I get enough people who like it I can continue and write up a next chapter...so, yeah. Just let me know what you think and I'll be sure to continue on with this. I already know what would occur if the next chapter does get requested, so...hope to hear from you!

Oh, and for those who are waiting for an update on my "Depth of Darkness" or its old version, I'm a bit stuck on how exactly to approach it right now so the update might take a while, sorry! I just am not sure where I was going with the story, the direction is a bit lost so I have to search for some old outlines and all that jazz.

Until next time!

Mione