As I tried to see through the branches to the sky I found it was a lonely world when you had no one to talk to. I wondered what would happen if I went farther into the forest. I could die, or worse, be stuck there forever! I had only just found out about my heritage. If I went into the forest would I have the strength to come back?

"You don't have to do this man. You can stay." Kristian, my best friend had argued with me about my decision to accept my gift.

"No, Kristian, I don't have a choice. I have to lead the pack; it's what I was chosen to do." I had replied.

He was a good friend but wanted to live in a perfect world, one that did not exist. I sighed; the conversation seemed to have been months ago rather than weeks. For the past three weeks, I had wondered around the forest's edge. I heard a branch break behind me but I paid it no mind. I knew it was Kristian; he had been following behind me for quite a while. I went through our conversation in my head again when he came. He was so quiet I didn't notice. He seemed to emerge from nowhere and when I did notice him I screamed.

"Who are you? What are you doing?"

"I was observing." He replied simply.

"What?" I asked kinda creeped out by the fact he was standing over my shoulder.

He didn't pay attention to my question. "Are you Nettie?" he asked, beginning to walk around in circles.

"Umm…" I wasn't sure if I should tell him or not. "Yeah, why?"

"You know what you are? Cause I do." He said playfully.

I was really creeped out now. "Umm…what's it to ya?"

"You're a werewolf. I know this because my clan has about…oh…seven. And they're all looking for a leader." He laughed. "Your father was leader before you and his father before him. Your brother, Kristian, is a wolf as well."

I realized who he was. My mom had explained him to me after I had found out about my father. "You're Jay aren't you? My mom told me about you. My father served under you, that's why I'm here instead of him." I wasn't laughing.

"So you know the truth now? Good makes my job easier. Where's your brother? Oh never mind. You are to lead the werewolves now. Without you they have no leader. I'm sure you won't object." He began walking into the forest, looking back every once in a while to make sure I was following.

During our walk I thought about my father. I had been told he died in a plane crash, that he was flying to China to help the orphans but now, now I knew that was a lie, the cover up story. The truth had been that he was a werewolf and when he went into battle with a rival, he lost. It hurt to think that I had been lied to by my whole family about my father, worse to realize they'd been lying for ten years. He died when I was seven so I don't really remember him.

"Here we are." Jay said when we reached a large meadow, which I later found to be the center of the forest.

There were tents around the edges of the circle and a large golden tent in the middle. Three smaller tents one red, one blue, and one orange formed a triangle around it. Looking around the circle I found the colors of the outside tents to be red, blue, or orange.

"Blue is where gryphon sleep, red shape-shifters, and orange werewolves. The orange tent in the triangle is yours. Feel free to explore, all the wolves are either in their tents or about the forest. Have fun." With that he disappeared into the large golden tent.

I noticed Kristian talking to a girl outside of the red triangle tent. As I got closer I could hear their conversation.

"Yeah he's great, a little crazy but great," Kristian said.

"Seems as Jay and he would get along," the girl replied.

"Oh here he comes." whispered Kristian as he noticed me walking up.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey. Nettie this is Maddie." Kristian introduced me to the girl.

"Hey."

"Hello." she replied.

"Hey." I didn't know what to say to her.

"Is that the only word in your vocabulary?" she laughed.

"Pretty much." I answered.

She laughed some more and soon Kristian and I were laughing too.

"I'm a shifter as is she," she pointed to a crazy looking girl who was talking to a guy with long blonde hair. "That's Cassidy and the guy is Alex, her husband. There is also Alice and Rosalie but I don't know where they are."

We talked for a long time until it got dark and Cassidy and the two others, Alice and Rosalie, came.

"Well I guess I should go…bye." Maddie said.

"Bye." Kristian and I replied in unison.