They ran for about a half an hour before stopping. Vin climbed off of the large wolf's back and muttered his thanks.

"Next time I don't need your help to escape. This is the second time in two days."

The wolf snuffed at him and stretched out on the ground. Nathan helped Ezra down from his horse and then saw to taking off the saddles. Vin gathered a stack of firewood and built up a good blaze before settling down again. After a while, the wolf got up and walked around the campsite. His ears perked up with each sound before moving on his patrol. Nathan noticed that he was moving with a limp.

"Is he alright?" he asked after a while.

"He insisted on carrying me when he was shot a couple of times. He was the one shot with silver, not me." Vin huffed as he threw another stick into the fire.

"Why doesn't he change back into a human?"

"He will when he's ready."

The night was cold and the wind made things worse.

"You know," Vin said, eyeing the wolf which had settled down near Ezra, "We could use Chris. He's pretty warm."

Even though he was still in his wolf form, the glare was still visible.

"Would you mind Chris?" asked Nathan, hoping to at least keep Ezra warm.

Chris wasn't able to say anything, but he stretched himself out so that he was laying on his side with his belly exposed. Nathan pulled Ezra into the warmer space on Chris's stomach. The wolf dipped his head in invitation for Nathan and the man took the space just behind the wolf's front legs. Vin didn't wait to be invited, but just took the other side of Ezra. A large foot pushed him away and the youth glared at the smirking wolf. When the black head went back down, Vin crawled back to his place near Ezra. Chris made an excellent windbreaker and pillow. The four of them slept all night without any interruptions.

Nathan and Vin woke up first. Nathan went to start a pot of coffee and boil some water because he noticed that Chris's and Vin's wounds were not healing. Mostly Chris's were a concern to the healer. From the shallow breathing he heard last night, the wolf wasn't doing too good with the poison inside of him. Vin had gone into the woods for a call to nature and was taking his time coming back.

While the two were busy and distracted, Ezra began to stir.

He had been having a horrible dream about a gigantic wolf coming out of nowhere with red glowing eyes. It tore into him, tearing him into shreds before finally eating him. He jerked up suddenly and looked around in confusion. The first thing he saw was Chaucer hanging out by a tree with two other horses. A noise to his right made him see the familiar back of Nathan Jackson. He sighed in relief. He wasn't sure how the man had found him, but he was definitely going to owe him one. Laying back down on his furry pillow he began to relax.

Who knew Mista Jackson owned such fine furs.

He was enjoying the pillow when he suddenly frowned. For some reason it felt like his pillow was moving. Very slowly up and down. Shifting a little to see what he was up against, he practically leapt out of his skin to get away. Nathan had turned around and Vin had emerged from the woods to see what was the matter. Ezra looked around in confusion, but for some reason everyone was looking at him as if he was the one who had lost it. Nathan he knew, but the scruffy looking young man beside him was unfamiliar. Unfamiliar still was the huge jet black wolf he had been using as a pillow. It had woken up when he yelled and Ezra began backing away from it warily.

"Mista Jackson, do you mind explaining what is going on? Who is he and why was I sleeping on the beast that tried to kill me?"

"Chris ain't the one that bit you." Vin answered before Nathan could try and calm his friend down, "I mean if he did then he'd of killed you sooner than anything. You have no markings showing you were bit. Chris's bite couldn't do that."

Ezra looked at the man. His attention torn between looking at the wolf who was eyeing him and the young man.

"And you are sir?"

"Vin Tanner. That there behind you is Chris Larabee."

Ezra turned to where Vin had pointed and saw the last of the transformation as a naked man took the place of the huge wolf that was there moments ago. The man had several bullet wounds and his blood looked black. Chris grunted in pain, ignoring the other man who wasn't sure where he should be looking as he walked over and grabbed his bags. Pulling out his clothes, he slowly put them on.

"You should let me help you with those wounds before you finish dressing." Nathan said.

"Vin first." Chris said, pulling up his black pants and putting his gun belt on.

Vin muttered something about being fine, but let Nathan see to his leg. The bullet was lodged in the bone was removed cleanly. Nathan waited for his medical instruments to clean again before taking care of the blond.

"Hurry up I'm freezing my ass off." Chris grumbled.

Ezra watched as Nathan went over to start removing the bullets. Chris had picked up a stick and was holding it tightly as Nathan dug into his skin to remove the first one. The branch snapped in half as the man, or beast tried to keep himself from hurting the healer. Ezra felt like he was missing a great deal of what had transpired and he wanted answers. Especially with the new questions that were forming in his head. Vin sat down next to him and offered him some coffee.

"Your horse came into town with you half dead on it. Nate took you to his place, but the townspeople were ready to kill you. Probably suspecting you were bit. You coming into town like you did early in the morning right after a full moon." Vin explained.

"Bite mark?" Ezra checked himself, but he didn't see any traces of anything resembling a wound. In fact, some old ones were gone too.

"They're gone now. You healed. Weren't like that two days ago. Huge bite mark going across your side. We honestly weren't sure you were going to make it. Bites like that can either kill you or turn you."

"And then someone else will kill you." Chris added and hissed when Nathan pulled out the last bullet.

Ezra watched in fascination as the wound began to close up slowly. He turned to Vin and noticed that the man's leg wound was also completely healed. "So you're telling me that my body did that, and that I'm like you all now?"

"Not quite. There are different ranks among us."

"I know I'm going to regret asking but exactly how many are there of you all?"

"Well I belong to a pack that's about thirty. Me and Chris aren't technically together. He's what they call a lone wolf."

"You said something about ranks?"

"Yeah, I'm a beta in my pack. There are omegas and alphas. Omegas are usually low rankers and are lone wolves. Alphas are the leaders of the pack and can change humans into our kind with a bite. That's if the bite doesn't kill them."

Chris made his way into the woods to do his business, the only sound he made was from the silver spurs clinking as he went. Ezra noticed them.

"You all. I guess me too now. We're susceptible to silver correct?"

"Yes. If shot or hit point blank in the head or heart it can kill us. It takes a steady hand to pull that off when ones of us is coming at them though." Vin laughed but stopped when it looked like Ezra was going to be sick. "You alright?"

"Just need time to process."

"How about we eat." Nathan suggested.

Chris emerged from the woods, his hair dripping with water and looked spiked. Ezra watched him cautiously as the man in black began drinking a bottle of whiskey he had in his bags. When the food was ready, everyone ate in silence. Vin ate the leftovers before Nathan could even finish offering.

Man must have a fast working metabolism. Was everyone else's thought.

"So you said you were attack by one of us correct? A werewolf?" Vin asked suddenly.

Ezra nodded, "It was pretty dark out, but I recall seeing this huge black creature coming at me. It had big glowing eyes—"

"What color?" asked Chris.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What color were the eyes?"

"Red."

"And he was alone? You didn't hear anymore wolves?"

"No."

Vin frowned, "What's an alpha without a pack doing around these parts?"

Chris went back to drinking from his bottle.

Ezra looked to both werewolves, "Is that significant? For an alpha to not have a pack?"

"It means he's trying to make one." Chris said, "By force. He's changing people so that he will be stronger."

"Stronger?"

"An alpha is only as strong as his pack. Without a pack, it's strong, but can be easily killed. He's basically on the same level as a beta." Vin explained.

"But I'm not a part of his pack. Am I?" Ezra asked worriedly. He wasn't feeling at all happy about his new situation.

"Not yet, but that just means he's going to come for you at some point. He'll call upon the sire and you'll go willingly." Chris said without feeling.

"And you aren't the alpha that bit me?" asked Ezra, trying to make sure.

"I'm not an alpha." The words were said with resentment.

"I heard stories of you being an alpha though." Vin said, "If I didn't see your eyes the other day, I would've thought you were one."

"To be an alpha you have to have a pack. If you don't then you're just a lone wolf."