Flying. That was the only word that came close to describing how Ren felt. The trees around her blurred together. Her paws skimmed over the ground, barely leaving the air. Wolves ran beside her. They were all sprinting, pumping their legs faster and faster. Ren had never felt more free, more powerful. Her wolf half was in complete control now, no human thoughts holding it back. She was wild. And she was hungry.

Some of the wild boars in front of them were losing ground. Ren's jaw ached in anticipation. A few wolves advanced towards a single boar, separating him from the others. He was massive, bigger than two or three wolves combined. Sharp yellow tusks protruded from his snout. He grunted loudly, warning the wolves to stay away. The boar turned to run in a different direction, but realized that he was surrounded. He would have to fight.

A wolf leaped onto the boar's back, clinging on with his claws. Chaos erupted as the others joined the attack. Ren crept closer, avoiding the boar's tusks slicing through the air. She sank her fangs into the boar's neck, tasting hot blood. Wolves around her did the same. Knees buckling, the beast squealed one last time, and he collapsed to the ground. Ren tore into the body, ripping past wiry hair and tough skin. The meat underneath was sweet. Tender. Better than anything Ren had ever tasted.

After they had all eaten their fill, the wolves made their way back through the forest. The thrill of the hunt had been intoxicating. Ren had never hunted with so many other wolves before, and she never could have imagined how exhilarating the experience would be. It was almost enough to make her forget what her mother had told her last night. Almost.

She realized that Ame was beside her. She hadn't noticed before.

He stared at her, his eyes wide. "I didn't know you could be so...aggressive."

"Me either." She was feeling more like herself now.

"I kinda like it."

Ren laughed. "Don't get used to it."

Taro caught up with them, grinning. "What did you guys think of the hunt?"

"I loved it!" Ren said.

"It was good," Ame said. "I thought I would prefer hunting alone, but I was wrong."

"If only you could stay here," Ren said. "Then you could always hunt with a pack."

"You're leaving?" Taro said.

Ame nodded. "I have to get back to my forest in a couple of days."

Taro turned to Ren. "Don't tell me you're planning on leaving too!"

Ren felt Ame's gaze burning through her fur. "I haven't decided yet."

"You should stay here," Taro said.

"It's up to her," Ame said.

Ren didn't say anything else until they reached the cave. She saw her mother talking to another wolf deep inside. Ren quickly looked down when her mother met her eyes.

"Please tell me my mom isn't walking over her," Ren said.

"She's definitely walking over here," Ame said.

Taro waved at the black wolf. "Mizuki! Ren's right here!"

Ren glared at Taro. She was liking him less and less. "Why did you do that?"

"Your mom said that you're angry with her. You'll never decide to stay here if you're angry with her. So you should talk to her."

"Stop pushing her to stay here!" Ame's voice was strained. He was trying hard not to yell. "It's her choice."

"Thank you," Ren said to Ame. He obviously didn't want her to stay with this pack. She knew he didn't want to lose her. But he wasn't pressuring her like Taro was. She respected that. Anyways, she barely knew Taro. He had no right to tell her what she should do.

Mizuki was in front of them now. "Hi guys," she said. "Mind if me and Ren go for a walk?"

"I'm busy," Ren said.

"Doing what?" her mother said.

"Um…."

"Ren, just go with her," Ame said. Mizuki cocked her head.

Ren sighed. "Alright."

"Good!" Mizuki said.

Ren looked over her shoulder as she followed her mother into the forest. Ame nodded in encouragement.

"You've got this," he whispered.

The forest was quiet. It felt like days had passed since she had gone hunting with the pack. Her mother walked slowly, staying next to Ren.

"You're angry," she said. "I get it."

"No mom, you don't 'get it'."

"Ren, please."

"I don't want to talk about this!"

"But we need to talk. Not just about this. About everything."

"What do you mean?"

"I know that you're not just upset that I lied to you. It's more than that." She stopped walking. "I've been a terrible mother. An emotional wreck."

"Mom."

"No Ren. You need to hear this. I was never there for you. Never."

"Yeah."

"And I'm so sorry. But that's not enough to change what I've put you through all these years."

Ren hadn't expected her mother to bring up the past. It had always been something they pushed aside, didn't talk about. Ren felt suppressed emotions and memories surfacing. For the first time in her life, she didn't push them back down.

"You've done things that I wish I could forget. The way you blamed me for your problems. How you screamed at me for no reason. The days you were too depressed to get out of bed. Or the times when you completely lost your mind. I had to take care of myself and you. I had to deal with being a wolf on my own, on top of everything else that came with growing up."

Her mother was crying now. "You deserved better. If only I could change the past…"

"Mom, just listen," Ren said. "When I ran away, I met Ame. He completely changed the way I looked at life. I didn't feel alone anymore. I was happy. Ready to put the past behind me. Then you showed up, and everything came rushing back. The pain. The anger. But I decided to give you a second chance. Then I found out that you had been lying to me. Can you even imagine how I felt?" Ren's entire body was trembling.

"I can't," Mizuki said. Tears still fell from her eyes.

"And now here we are. Part of me wants to forgive you so badly!" Ren sighed. "But another part of me doesn't want to forgive you at all."

"I understand...if you don't want to talk to me anymore."

It would be so easy to tell her I never want to talk to her again, Ren thought. Did she really want that, though?

"Look," Ren said. "In a couple of days Ame's going back to his forest, and I have to choose whether I stay here or leave with him. I don't want my anger to affect that decision." She looked into her mother's eyes. "Everything that's happened between us is in the past. We should move on. Can we just start fresh?"

"Yes!" her mother said. She was crying even harder now. "Yes!"

"That means no more secrets. Ever."

"I promise. I've changed, Ren. And I'll prove it to you."

Ren felt her own eyes tearing up now. "When we were at the lab, I told you that I loved you. I meant it."

"I love you more than you could ever know."

They nuzzled noses and headed back. Ren's mind felt so much clearer, her steps so much lighter. Now, she only had one more problem to deal with. Should she choose to stay with this pack or not?