Disclaimer: I own nothing of Once Upon A Time—not even DVDs D':—but I love it to death! xP

A/N: paragraphs written in italicexempt for headers or footers—are either visions, dreams, or flashbacks. you know, stuff outside Storybrook—Fairy Tale World. :D and thanks to those who reviewed!

Chapter Three - Break of Dawn


Branches snapped, leaves fell, a man ran as fast as he could through the woods jumping along trees that have been cut down and rocks that were in his way. He didn't stop, not even just a second to catch his breath. It's like there was no stopping this man from getting to his destination.

The scent of blood filled the forest as the light autumn breeze blew west. No doubt it was the blood of the deer he struck a few days ago. He had been waiting for it to weaken before pursuing it again. Trails of blood also helped him keep track of where the deer went making it easier for him to catch it when it's at its weakest.

He went on a path going downhill towards a pond under a huge oak tree. Moon light filled the space with such elegant grace, hitting the water making it glow with radiance reflecting the full moon on its surface as it's softly moved by the emerging rays of dawn. And there, beside a rock by the bank rested the defenceless deer waiting for its inevitable doom as the huntsman slowly approached it.

"Shh." he whispered to the poor thing that was trembling in fear. "I am sorry for what I'm going to do. But I need you to survive."

The deer breathed heavily but stopped its tremble understanding the purpose of the situation. The man then pulled out a sharp knife and cut the deer's throat to kill it swiftly—sparing it from a long agonising death.

Tears filled the hunter's eyes as he felt the life of the deer leaving its body and turning it into an empty shell and whispered "Thank you. Your death will not be in vain."

A branch snapped behind him and alerted him to quickly look back and found himself locked eye to eye with a huge black wolf. He stayed still as the wolf came up to him slowly. There was no denying that he felt odd about this wolf. Some wolves wouldn't hesitate to charge towards him or the dead deer which stank of blood. No, this once approached him without those intensions whatsoever. It even looked ill as it walked unbalanced.

As the wolf got closer he stretched out his arm to let it smell his hand—a sign of peace. The beast sniffed his fingers and grazed its head along his palm and arm until it finally lost its energy and fell in the man's arms. He quickly held it tight and sat on the ground supporting the wolf and laid it on his lap and the beast breathed gently with the raise of its chest and stayed still within the hunter's embrace.

The sun finally came illuminating their surroundings with its glorious light. Dawn's always the most beautiful time of the day. The huntsman looked around him for any signs of danger. Apparently there weren't any except if the wolf woke up and decided to eat him. The thought of that made him chuckle and brought him to stroke the beast. It felt cold—

"Wolves aren't supposed to get cold." he whispered.

He looked down at the beast in his arms and found that the beast was no longer there. But instead, replaced by a woman.


A/N: a full chapter outside Storybrook! xD hahahaha~ :P so what do you think? :D reviews ;)