Hey guys. Did you like the last chapter? Well I certainly enjoyed writing it! I'm try and be brief here so that I don't bore you. I'm not entirely sure, but I think that the chapters are going to start getting bigger, longer, and more exciting from now on so that means it'll take longer to write them. Thats really all I wanted to say. I just thought I sould tell you guys.

On with the story!

Yumi's POV

"The nerve of that MORON!" Aelita yelled as Yumi finished telling her what happened with William. "To think he thought that you'd marry him at the drop of a hat simply because your father agreed to it!" Yumi smiled at her.

"He was being stupid." she said. "Luckily I managed to find a way to stop it." Aelita nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes. I'm surprised you managed to change your fathers mind so quickly. He's normally so stubborn." Aelita said. Yumi nodded in agreement.

"But I didn't exactly stop it. I just postponed it. Until Ulrich gets back." Yumi said.

"If he gets back in time." Aelita said. Yumi's head snapped up to look at her.

"He will be back in time." she said loudly. Then she took on a forlorn look. "He has too." she said quietly. Almost to herself. Aelita touched her shoulder apoligeticaly.

"I'm sure he will." she said. Yumi smiled in thanks at her before shaking herself out of her sadness.

"Anyway." she said. "How are you and Odd doing?" she said with a teasing smile. Aelita looked away blushing fiercly.

"W-We're doing g-good." she said in a stutter. "Really good." Yumi raised her eyebrow in question, so Aelita elaborated. "He took me into the forest the other day for a picnic. It wasn't much, but he was really kind, and cute, and romantic." By the time she finished talking she'd stoped blushing, and a wistfull look appeared in her eyes. Yumi smiled. She was happy Aelita had someone like Odd. Just like how she had Ulrich. Even if he wasn't there he'd always be in her heart.

'But I still want you to be here.' she thought. 'Please Ulrich. Come back.'

Ulrich's POV

Ulrich stepped up to the doorway of the house. He'd been standing outside it for an hour, maybe two. He just couldn't bring himself to cross the threshold and go in. He was too nervous at what he'd find. He was afraid he'd find out that something horrible happened to his parents. That they were murdered or that they died by some accident. But most of all, he was afraid to find out that they weren't dead.

Don't get him wrong he would love nothing more than to have them there, but he was afraid that if they were alive that he'd find out that they abandoned him. That they didn't want him. And to him, that was worse than them being dead.

He was drawn out of his thoughts as the wolf trotted quickly through the door. Without thinking he followed it in a jog. The wolf stopped a few feet into the house and he stopped as he looked around, realizing for the first time he'd crossed the threshhold.

He looked down at the wolf who had it's head cocked to one side, and it's mouth was twisted into what to him looked like a smile. If wolves could smile that is. As the wolf stared at him he wondered if it had planned this. Too force him to follow inside.

'Can't turn back now.' he thought. Looking around the small entry room he realized for the first time that the house was heavily burned and seemed a little unstable. 'Did a fire start? Is that what happened?'

He stepped closer to the wall to inspect it. A large section of the wall was covered in soot and ash, where as the parts that weren't burned were massive holes that led to other rooms in the house.

'Definatly a fire.' Then his eyes caught something that had gone unnoticed by him until now. He crouched down close to the base of the wall; his eyes boring into a section that was the least burned.

There were five long, deep gashes in the wall. 'This wasn't just a fire' An image flashed in his mind.

Flashback

Ulrich's dad stumbled to the ground from the wound on his leg. He pulled himself up against the wall. Ulrich saw a werewolf in human form dash towards his dad.

"Dad! Look out!" he yelled in warning. He dad dove/stumbled out of the way as the man slashed at him with his claws. Which bit deep into the wall as he missed.

End Flashback

Ulrich stood up and walked into the next room. Like the last it was heavily burned, and destroyed. Judging by the shattered and broken furniture it was a living room. There was a fireplace on the far wall, and he looked in intrest as he saw that their was a consentrated section of soot and rubble around it, starting at the fireplace and spreading outwards. The broken furniture was scattered on the side of the room furthest away from the fireplace. As if it had been blown away.

Flashback

Ulrich's dad dragged him towards the fireplace.

'Dad! What's going on?' Ulrich asked scared. His dad didn't answer as he was to busy tossing a wrapped package into the lit fireplace. It started burning imeadiatly. His dad turned shoving him out the nearest door into the next room. Snarls were heard as multiple werewolves burst into the room.

Ulrich's dad pulled him out of the doorway just as an explosion racked the whole house from inside the room. Several streams of fire streaked out of the door landing next to them.

End Flashback

'We were attacked. But not by the creature. By werewolves?' Ulrich's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 'But this isn't any pack territory. He'd know if there were werewolves nearby.' They may not be as liberal as wolves when it came to marking territory, but they still left a scent everywhere. It's why they were constantly sending out patrols around the territory. To leave a scent.

'So who were the werewolves that attacked us? Rogues? No, they never traveled together. But then who?'

Ulrich stepped through the doorway from the memory, and found a set of stairs leading up to the next floor. He carefully climbed up them, fearing they might collapse. They held his wieght and he gave a sigh of releaf. His hand ran along another gash mark in the wall.

Flashback

Ulrich ran downstairs with a werewolf right behind him. He tripped falling head first down them, which ironicaly saved his life as the werewolf swung its claws at his back missing by inches. Ulrich stopped falling halfway down, and dug his claws into the wall pulling himself up, leaving a shallow gash.

End Flashback

Ulrich reached the top of the stairs and was in a hallway. One door on his left, and three doors on his right. The left door and the middle right one was thrown open as if they'd rushed through them in a hurry.

He stepped through the door on the left. He was in a small room. In it were the remains of two dressers and a double bed.

Flashback

Ulrich burst into the room causing the door to slam on it's hinges. His parents moaned as light flooded the room.

'Mommy! Daddy! Get up! Get up!' Ulrich said jumping on their bed making them flinch and groan again.

'Ulrich.' his mother said slowly. 'It's to early. Go back to bed.' Ulrich jumped up and down, before shaking them even more.

'No! No more sleep! It's Christmas! It's Christmas! Get up! Time to get up!' he said in a high pitched voice. His mother groaned as she hawled herself into a sitting position. She blinked her eyes sleepily before a sly smile crepped across her face. Before Ulrich could move away she'd snatched him up into her arms and proceeding to tickle him to death causing an uproar of laughing from him.

Ulrich's dad turned away from them muttering. 'Be quiet and go back to bed.' The laughter stopped. He turned back to them. They were stairing clamly at him, smirks on their faces. 'Don't you-' They lept at him, all three of them falling of the bed. Only two of them were laughing.

End Flashback

A smile crept onto Ulrich's face at this. After having a look around the room, which consisted of looking at all the burnt items, he left the room moving onto the next one. He surveyed what looked like a play room. There were several toys scattered across the floor, and even a play sword in one corner. He picked it up.

Flashback

'Play with me daddy." he yelled in excitment as he rushed his dad with the wooden weapon. His dad laughed as he engaged in mock combat with Ulrich.

End Flashback

Ulrichs smile grew into a chuckle at the memory. He saw the remenants of a large drawing on the wall.

Flashback

'What are you drawing Ulrich?' his mother asked. Ulrich didn't look away from the wall

'Us.' he said loudly. His mother looked at the crude stickfigure drawing of three people holding hands. As she watched Ulrich began drawing a smaller figure on the ground next to the three figures.

End Flashback

Ulrich looked to the spot where the smaller figure was. The fire had burned over it hidding whatever was there. He shrugged before moving back into the hallway and stepping towards the last room. He stepped through the open door of what looked to be his room. There was a bed, and a dresser. Several clothes laying on the floor along with several wooden play swords.

'Guess I liked swords growing up' he thought. There were several more items in the room, but they were so badly burned that he couldn't tell what they were. He searched through the dresser and looked under various objects, but found nothing of significance. His eye caught the window, and he looked at it to find it shattered and glass covering the floor in front of it.

Flashback

Ulrich woke up to glass shattering, and he shot up in bed to find that a werewolf had lept through his window into his room. Ulrich yelled in fright as he lept from bed and ran out the door leaving it ajar, as he rushed down the hallway.

End Flashback

Ulrich closed his eyes as he slowly assembled the bits of his memory in his mind. They were attacked. One of them came in through his window while the others went through the front door. He rushed downstairs away form the werewolf, and somehow ran into his dad, who then blew up their living room causing the fire that burnt down the house, and then...he didn't know. He was missing something. But what?

He left the room and slowly aproached the last one. He reached for the door knob, and slowly opened the door. He stepped inside, and as his eyes fell on what was inside tears gathered in his eyes. He was looking at a collapsed part of the room where the ceiling had callapsed to the ground. Trapped underneath the ceiling, was a skeleton.

Ulrich slowly aproached the skeleton. It's clothes were still mostly intact, if not a bid ragged, but for the whole, they were in good shape. Based on the clothes he figured out that it was his moms skeleton. His hand reached out to touch it, shaking slightly. His finger touched the shirt, and felt the bone underneath.

Flashback

Several streamed of fire streaked out of the dorrway landing next to them.

'Where's mom!' Ulrich yelled. His father looked at him.

'I think she was up stairs!' he yelled back. Without a word Ulrich rushed up the stairs. 'Ulrich wait!' his dad yelled, but was interupted as another werewolf came out of no where and attacked him.

Ulrich searched through the rooms up stairs until he found the one his mom was in. Part of the ceiling had callapsed on top of her, and fire was everywhere in the room now, burning everything. He rushed forward grabbing onto the piece of roof that had fallen, but quickly let go as it was to hot for him to touch.

The piece that had fallen was unfortunatly the piece that they had reinforced with metal from the basement due to the wood being rotten. Growling in rage and pain he grabbed back onto the metal ignoring the searing pain in his hands. No doubt they'd be badly burned and scared after this. He bit his lip to stop from screaming as the heat seemed to increase.

He may have been nine, but with his werewolf strength helping he managed to lift the metal an inch or two before he had to drop it again. Growling again he reached for it, but his mothers hands grabbed his.

He looked into her eyes and saw sadness in them.

'You can't lift it Ulrich. You're not strong enough.' she said. Ulrich shook his head. He had to try. He tried to grab it but his mother stopped him yet again. 'Leave me Ulrich. It's to dangerous. This place could collapse at any moment.' After a moment she said. 'Besides, I'm already going to die.' As she said this she motioned towards her stomach where there was a long piece of metal sticking out of it. Blood was everywhere. Ulrich's eyes watered. He looked up at her.

'I don't want to lose you. I want to help you.' he cried as tears fell from his eyes.

End Flashback

Ulrich closed his eyes as a single tear rolled down his cheek. Taking a deep breath he looked at his mother again and his eye caught sight of her finger. On it was a wedding ring. He reached forward and pulled it off. He inspected it. Other than a small scratch mark it was undamaged. He dropped the ring into one of his pockets before standing up, and saying a short prayer. And then he left the room. He found what he'd been looking for. Mostly. He still had to find out about his fa-

He stepped onto the stair case and it gave a loud creek. His eyes widened and he rushed forward, but was to late. The stairs caved in and he fell through the hole that had opened up. He hit the ground hard, and was surprised to find it was stone. Gasping, he pulled himself up of the ground and looked around blinking as dust covered his eyes.

He was in a basement. As his vision cleared he became awear of another skeleton a few feet away. His father. He stood and walked over to it. There were no tears this time. After he'd found his mother he'd more or less figured out that his father was probably dead. Based on his memories they loved him very much, and would never abandon him. So the only way that they would be separated was if they were dead.

Ulrich retrieved his fathers wedding ring as well before his eye was caught by a small hole in the wall. It was small. The size of a child. As he looked into it he realized that it was a tunnel that led to the surface.

Flashback

Ulrich and his dad ran into the basement followed by a man with a sword. Ulrich's dad kicked the man in the chest knocking him down. He turned to Ulrich, shoving him towards the tunnel.

'Run Ulrich. Run' he shouted before the man got to his feet and stabbed him in the back with the sword. He fell to the ground as Ulrich ran through the tunnel.

End Flashback

Ulrich walked over to a table. On it was a journal, and a stuffed toy. He picked up the toy and examained it. It was a wolf, small, and most likely his childhood toy that he slept with. He turned to the wolf which had eventually found it's way down the stairs that he now noticed against the wall that lead to the first floor.

He crouched down and held the toy up for him to see.

"Looks like you boy." he said.

Flashback

Ulrich held the toy up to the wolf that his parents had given him.

'It looks like you boy.' he said. The wolf, which was only a puppy at that time, yelped at the toy. His mother and father laughed at this.

End Flashback

Ulrich's jaw dropped slightly. It was his wolf? That's why the wolf had never stopped following him. Why he listened to him. Because they were old friends. He smiled at the wolf.

'Now if only I knew your name.' he thought.

Flashback

Ulrich's parents gave him a large box with holes cut into the sides for air.

'Merry Christmas.' they said. Ulrich's eyes grew to saucers at the size of the box.

'What's inside it?' he asked. They laughed.

'Open it.' Ulrich happily ripped the top of the box open and peared inside. He smiled hugely as he pulled out a newborn wolf. He softly hugged it before laughing as it squirmed in his hands, licking them.

'What's his name?' Ulrich asked.

'You name him.' his parents responded. Ulrich thought for a moment.

'Tsume.' he said with a smile.

End Flashback

(A thank you to Bluedog197 for giving my this idea, and for suggesting a name.)

Ulrich smiled.

"Tsume." he said. The wolf barked loudly, jumping a bit at the name. Ulrich turned to the journal now. It had a name on it that he guessed was his fathers. It was his personal diary. Ulrich smiled. It was something at least. Flipping through the pages he found a note between one of them. Opening it he read,

Dear father,

I fear that we will soon be attacked by the creatures, or by the werewolves loyal to Xana. If either were to attack we would be wiped out. This place has been safe for these few precious years, but now it is in danger. I will be sending this to you through carrier pigeon, and hopefully by the time this reaches you we will be on our way to you. I hope that this letter reaches you well, and that you will help us in our time of need. We will see you soon.

Love, your son

Ulrich sighed. Well that letter had never been sent. And then a thought struck him. His dad had called this man father. This note was for his grandfather. And then another thought hit him. Was his grandfather still alive? He quickly thumbed through the book, and gave an excited cry when he found a map. After studying it for several seconds he nodded and rushed out up the stairs and out of the house.

He began walking swiftly in the direction on the map. If his grandfather was still alive, he'd find him.

Mystery POV

The three werewolves stepped into the clearing. One of them looked around.

"We shouldn't be here." he said. "This isn't our territory." The leader of them shook his head.

"Relax. We were invited here by a member of the pack that lives in this territory. Well be fine." he said as a fourth werewolf stepped into the clearing. The leader turned to them. "Are you the one we are here to meet?" The werewolf nodded.

"I am." he said. The three werewolves settled down now that they knew they weren't in danger. The leader spoke up again.

"So what is the deal you wanted to make with my pack?" The alpha said. The werewolf looked at him.

"Simple. I want you to kill Ulrich Stern." William said.