Adenhale was a rustic little town that had barely changed at all during the decades that Vilkas had been alive. It seemed like the same people lived there no matter how many years went by. There would always be the farmers, the carriage drivers, the chimney sweeps, the blacksmiths, and, of course, the local law enforcement.

"How long have you been alive?" Vilkas's cell mate cut in, curious. Vilkas silenced him with a glare before continuing his tale as if the man hadn't interrupted him.

The faithful servants of the law were unfortunately very trigger happy, especially when it came to the local wolf population in the area. The Lesser Wolves often caused quite a ruckus by killing cattle and raiding chicken coops, and even, when provoked, the occasional attack on a human. As Alpha—

"So you are an Alpha! I knew it!" Vilkas growled.

"Silence, human. You're beginning to annoy me. As I was saying…"

As Alpha it was Vilkas's duty to take care of them, even sacrificing a few so that the humans didn't discover the secret that was hiding deep in the forest: werewolves. Werewolves, such as himself, had been a secret for generations. Of course, they had once been well-known, it was where all the folklore came from, but the existence had been too much on mankind and they made the decision to go into hiding.

"You're a werewolf!?" Vilkas sighed irritably.

"Yes, I'm sure I just made that clear."

"So you can just turn into a human whenever you want?"

"No, it doesn't work that way—"

"Because if you can, you could just turn into a human and escape—"

"If you would just let me finish—" His cell mate kept talking though and Vilkas finally snapped his teeth in warning, sufficiently silencing him. "One more interruption and I will silence you myself." He snarled impatiently and the man gave a mute nod to show that he understood.

In the traditional folklore werewolves have the ability to change into their wolf form once every full moon, an excruciatingly painful process that unleashes a monster upon humanity. However, werewolves had adapted since then. Being human all the time proved to be difficult when residing in the forest, so now his kind only experienced being human once a month.

His cell mate moved to talk again but Vilkas answered the obvious question that was about to come out of his mouth.

"I am able to become human every full moon, which is why my execution date is tomorrow. I will be hung for my crime in your Kind's primitive fashion of execution." The man nodded so Vilkas deemed it safe to continue.

Now werewolves didn't look like normal wolves. The great mountain wolves, graced with the name of Timber, looked small compared to Vilkas's kind. There was no way that humans would mistake a werewolf for a normal one, so they hid deep in the forest and were only roused when something serious arose on the horizons. Werewolves had kept their peace with humanity for two previous Alphas before Vilkas, but when it had been brought to his attention that Adenhale was becoming restless, Vilkas had sent scouts in investigate on a full moon.

His scouts had scoured the taverns that evening and returned later on in the evening to report what they had found. With alcohol on their breaths the two told Vilkas that Adenhale was currently in an uproar. People, rich and poor, were vanishing left and right. Vilkas immediately shrugged the scouts off.

"Tis not a concern of ours. This is clearly a human problem—"

"But Alpha," the first Scout, a lean male, interrupted with a slight tremor in his voice. It was never wise to interrupt a superior, but Vilkas, knowing they would not cut him off unless it was important, let the interruption slide. He gave a slight nod of encouragement and the Scout continued. "The people of Adenhale are blaming the wolves."

Vilkas was astounded. Blaming the wolves for a couple of disappearances? What proof did they have? He voiced as much and the second Scout piped up. This one was female, lithe and agile.

"They have no proof sir, just circumstantial evidence." She paused. "But I believe we have a rogue upon us." Vilkas began to pace as he considered the possibility.

"So there have been bodies?"

"For each person that has disappeared, yes." The first scout spoke again. His voice trembled and Vilkas was reminded of the boy's youth. It had been his first mission and he had been shaken.

"You've seen them then?" He pressed further and the two Scouts glanced at one another.

"We've seen the most recent one sir. It was…awful. There was barely anything left. It definitely looked like a wolf attack, sir." The first scout finished with an uncertain look flitting between the two. Vilkas saw the glance they had shared and repressed an irritable huff. He had to be patient with the rookies. They had to learn on their own what such attacks looked like. Plus, he reminded himself, until now, they had lived in a time of peace with the humans. It was understandable that they were not aware of what such a violent crime would look like. Only the Elders, Aside from himself, would remember such times and be able to confirm what the humans were claiming.

"And you are certain that it is not one of their own kind attacking them?"

Another uncertain glance.

"We weren't able to get a close look." The second scout confessed. "There were humans everywhere and they were only letting the officers near the body, but…from where we were standing, it definitely looked like a rogue's work." Vilkas shook his head, immediately dismissing that idea.

"We haven't had a rogue in the area in years. We would know if someone had entered our territory without permission." Seeing their unconvinced looks, Vilkas finally let loose a growl of frustration. The two scouts took a hasty step back at the warning.

"We weren't doubting you sir, it's just…you didn't see what we saw." Vilkas looked from one determined face to the next. They were convinced of this rogue attack theory. He sighed softly and ran a hand through his hair. Maybe he was being too close-minded on the issue. If his scouts, admittedly talented despite their ages, were saying that this might be the work of a werewolf, then it was his job as Alpha to investigate.

"The law enforcement will not let anyone near the body?" He asked, glancing towards the sky. It was still dark, but he could start to distinguish a hint of light in the sky. It would be dawn soon. He only had two hours left at most. Would that be enough time?

Like any wolf on the full moon Vilkas was in his human form. He had admittedly been counting the hours till the sun rose, but now it was a hindrance. He needed more time to investigate this properly, time he didn't have.

"It's too far, Alpha." The second scout said softly, no doubt guessing what was on his mind. "You wouldn't make it before the sun rose, and they would shoot down any wolf they saw in the area." Vilkas harrumphed his agreement and stroked his jaw thoughtfully. He didn't like what the alternative was, but it was all that they had.

"Then we'll have to wait for the next attack." The surprised gasps didn't bother Vilkas. He was used to having to make such hard decisions. He was perfectly aware that he was condemning another life by ordering them to wait, but he was convinced that was all they could do. They did not know for sure if the culprit was human or werewolf so they could not prepare accordingly. Besides, if it was a human affair, the werewolves had no reason to get involved. It would be a matter for them to settle and they would just fade back into the darkness of the forests. If it was a werewolf, well…he or she would be swiftly dealt with. Until then—

"Round up all the Scouts." He told the two protesting children in front of him. "Be on the lookout for any type of activity, either human or werewolf. We've got to get to the bottom of this. The last thing we need is humans storming the forests and discovering its secrets." The scouts, deciding they liked their Alpha's change of heart, dispersed quickly to spread the word. Vilkas sighed softly and looked to the sky once more. The Elders had warned him that a storm was coming, though they had been spewing nonsense like that for years so he hadn't taken them seriously. What if they were discovered? What would that mean for his kind? Would they be run out?

No.

There were too many wolves in his pack that were looking for any reason to attack the humans. They would leap at this chance to fight for their territory. So which was worse? Being run out or causing an all out war? Both were frightening concepts that Vilkas did not want to face, but all he could do was wait until the next attack. It was the only option he had, so he would tell his wolves to keep their eyes open and their ears to the ground. Maybe they were worrying over nothing, but he had learned the hard way many times that it was better to be safe than sorry. If there was a threat to their existence on the loose, his pack would be ready, and as their Alpha, Vilkas would be prepared for anything.