Prologue
Sakarri thought her lungs were going to burst as she ran through the unusually silent forest, but the sky was darkening she was running out of time almost there she thought trying to ignore the voices in her head telling her she was too late, but she ran on I must hurry her every nerve was screaming for the wonderful change from man to beast, to turn into something much stronger and faster than a human No she argued silently to herself They will find me if I do she shuddered at the thought. Her only source of calm from her current state of dread was the whistling of the wind in her ears and the drumming of her heart as she pushed her pace faster to a sprint, the trees moved in and out of the shadows as she rushed past creating dark green blurs in the fading light. Before long she saw an opening in the trees and slowed her run to a trot as she ducked through the small gap, She was in a clearing surrounded by pine and spruce trees that created a wide berth around her she stared at the ground a few feet away; she had found what she had been searching for; his body lay facedown in a bed of dried pine needles, lifeless and unmoving. Without thinking she rushed forward and knelt by the broken figure "No…" she whispered to the darkness, she didn't realize she was crying until se felt a drop of moisture land on the back of her hand then another "No!" she whispered this time more forcefully shaking the body with her hands "Wake up!" she cried but then froze as she heard him groan softly "Sakarri?" he whispered trying to upright himself but only managed to flip over on his back before she pushed him back down "Yes I'm here" she answered a soft smile forming on her lips Oh thank goddess I made it she thought silently the happy reunion was short lived as Sakarri heard a horrifying hiss of anger from behind her "They're coming" she told him hurriedly "We have to get you out of here!" she was in the process of grabbing his shoulders to pull him up when he stopped her "No, You go" he said looking her in the eyes and giving her a forced smile "Your life is more important than mine" she stared back caught between the instinct to fight and to flee "No! I won't leave you!" she answered without hesitation "You must!" he argued then added silently "I…don't want to lose you, Sakarri…not again" he reached up to touch her face but suddenly his eyes went wide and he fell back to the ground unconscious once again, she slumped helplessly next to him she was about to try and pick him up when she heard more hisses and low growls from the pines she saw about ten pairs of eyes all glowing a deep red against the black dark she narrowed her eyes and let out a growl of her own, she had made her decision it was time to fight either kill or die she turned to the oncoming enemy and felt the prickling of her skin once more and this time she let the change take her. Her fur sparkled against the moonlight as she bared her fangs at the trees, letting out a howl like a war cry she leapt towards her attackers….