A thick fog had crept up from nowhere. While most cursed its arrival, six secret plotters could not have wished for anything better. The meeting place was under the ancient yew tree in the castle gardens of Snow White. Two were already there and waiting for the final four.

The haze almost completely hid the third member of the party to arrive, blending him perfectly into its white shroud. Paw shook claw in greeting, 'Welcome, dragon. I am Polaris, Luna's father and this is Ara, my wife.'

'The pleasure is all mine, Son of Altair, and Daughter of the Stars.'

Daughter or Son of the Stars was a traditional greeting given to wolves whose lineage was unknown to the speaker. Arc bent his head to let Ara touch his horns with her nose. 'Thank you, dear friend, for watching over my cherished daughter.'

'It has been a joy. She's quite a hot flame, are you sure there's no dragon blood in her?' The three friends laughed together for a while before Arc got down to business, 'I don't know how much your sons have told you, but there is one thing they won't know and I think it best to tell you alone - Luna is pregnant.'

Ara gasped, not sure whether to be delighted or worried. 'When are they due?'

'Not long, I'd say within the week. You may have lodgings in my humble dwelling for as long as you wish.'

Their conversation was interrupted by the clumsy entrance of their youngest son. Polaris glared sternly at the incompetent Sirius. 'Do you reckon they know we're here yet, Sirius?'

The red wolf shrugged his thin shoulders nonchalantly, 'They wouldn't know if I banged on the window and howled as loud as I could, the music's too loud.'

The assembly was almost complete, and became whole with the silent, stealthy ingress of Mira and Draco. Polaris took it upon himself to start the proceedings, 'We all know why we are here.'

'Wait. Someone is not yet here who should be,' Arc held up an admonishing claw. The five wolves looked at each other, they were all there, who could possibly be missing? Arc shut his wings with a snap and a stranger appeared. 'This is someone who should be introduced. His name is Tamarisk and he is Luna's one true mate.'

No one knew what to say or do. No one, that is, except for Draco. He stepped forward and grasped Tamm warmly by the paw, 'If you are the mate of my sister then you are most welcome, Tamarisk, my brother. I am Draco.'

One by one the others were introduced and received with an amiable grin, a nod or an odd nervous itching of his left ear. The meeting was about to get underway again when Sirius shifted slightly and stepped backwards right onto something furry that squealed and spat before sinking dagger-like teeth into his ankle. The creature chattered angrily at the grounded wolf, 'Yah stupid wolf, mind yer clumsy feet! Almos' crushed me!'

Ara looked down at the sinuous chocolate brown body that still worried her son's paws, 'It's a ferret.'

'Not jus' any firrit, darlin', I'm Furo. I'll speak t' yah, not that idjit,' Furo glared venomously at Sirius, 'I'm lookin' fer a wolf called Luna, p'raps y' know her?'

'How do you know Luna?' Sirius had managed to get up, but was hopping about trying to staunch the flow of blood from where Furo had bitten him.

'What'd I jus' say, idjit? Anyhow, I helped her try to escape. Said I'd find her, got dis fer me trouble,' Furo indicated to his broken fang.

'It seems that my daughter's found some useful allies.'

'You her father?' Polaris nodded to the ferrets friendly smile, and finding himself unconsciously beaming with paternal love. 'You must be very proud of her, she's a fine wolf.'

'I am proud of my daughter, as I am of all of my children.'

'Be proud of yerselves too. Without knowing you were there she'd 'ave died or gone mad. 'Specially you, dragon.'

Only Arc knew the honest truth of Furo's words, and he had the scars to prove when she had been on the borders of insanity. Yet every time she had bounced back. 'Now we are eight and here for only one reason: To help Luna. I believe she has fallen into bad and evil company. Now we must decide which way to go.'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Clad once more in her old, weather-worn leather tunic, Luna was alone and surrounded by the stealthy fog whose very movement felt like icy fingers stroking her spine and beckoning her deeper into the night. She resisted the urge to run into anonymity and sat on a stone bench sculpted into the shape of a resting dragon, giving free rein to her anguish. The barbed shafts shot by Vermeil Riding Hood's bitter tongue had struck deep into Luna's heart.

Music from the ballroom had struck up again, bringing fresh waves of sorrow and tears. It was a world that neither she nor her ill-fated cubs would ever get the chance to know - the world of humanity. She could have stayed in that room and suffered the insults, but it wasn't only Vermeil, they all thought the same, she could see it in their eyes, their hatred, their fear. It wasn't fair.

She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts and self-pity that she didn't notice someone walking up behind her until he placed a hand on her shoulder. She leapt up in fright, preparing to attack the stalker. Breathing a huge sigh of relief, she recognized the mist-hazed face; 'Prince Wendell. Please don't do that again. I nearly jumped out of my skin.'

Wendell wiped a rolling teardrop from Luna's cheek, 'Were you crying?'

Luna scrubbed a paw across her eyes, trying to obliterate the evidence of her previous distress and managing a wan smile, 'It's all right. I'm fine now.'

The blonde Prince sat next to her, his eyes hazel glowing with sincerity, 'It if was because of what Queen Riding Hood said, for all it's worth, I think she's wrong.'

'Why?'

Wendell battled with his conflicting emotions, on the one hand there were all the stories he had grown up with, on the other there was Luna, 'If you loved him so much he must have been a good wolf.'

'Thank you, that means a lot to me that the one who will control my fate in the future cares so much about who the lowliest of creatures feels. I will be honoured to have you as a King.' Wendell turned away so she did not see him blush. Luna hardly noticed. 'Do you remember your Grandpa?'

'He died just after I was born. What was yours really like?'

'His name was Altair, that is the most important thing that he wanted to be remembered for. That he had a name. He was a good wolf; he told me stories, played games and taught me all I know about being who I am. He was a grandfather, a friend and a teacher all in one superb being.'

Wendell thought hard. Luna's description contradicted harshly with the emotionless, evil creature that he had been taught to believe that the Big Bad Wolf was. He was not the Big Bad Wolf after all; he was Altair. It paid well to heed another's opinion after all. It was still difficult to believe that he had been lied to by all he knew. 'Was he really your grandfather?'

'Yes.'

'Why wasn't I told what he was really like?'

' Maybe those who told you about him never knew or maybe they just couldn't believe that a wolf could be like he was. Then again maybe they just didn't want to believe. There are those in this world who would do anything to see us all dead.'

Tears welled up in Luna's eyes once more. Wendell couldn't bear to see the unhappiness that he thought he had caused, not the rest of the world. 'Would you like to dance?'

It was Luna's turn to blush, and she did so to the roots of her pricked ears before averting her eyes coyly, 'I, I don't know how. It's so different to the way I know.'

Wendell gently pulled the wolf to her feet and placed her hands on his waist, 'I'll teach you, don't worry. Just follow me.'

Slowly at first and then more comfortably the mismatched figures waltzed through the white shroud, one a blonde young boy in and impeccable, imperial white suit, the other an adult female half-wolf in a short, forest green leather tunic that was much patched and repaired. It was this odd sight that met the eyes of Snow White's Jubilee guests. The tall glass windows illuminated the courtyard immediately outside onto which the unwitting pair had danced. The entire throng watched in silent astonishment as the duo waltzed in perfect step like benign spirits of the mist, one dark and the other fair.

When the music stopped the partners bowed to each other almost automatically, still as yet unaware of their observers.

'You danced very well for a first time.'

'It was all due to your leading, my friend.' Luna kissed the boy gently on the cheek. 'If you carry on dancing like that you'll have all the girls after you.'

The hair on the back of her neck prickled and she suddenly became aware of the wide-eyed stares of the visitors. She whispered some final words of gratitude through Wendell's fair hair; 'Thank you for caring enough to look out for this simple, common wolf in her hour of need. You'll make a fantastic Monarch, future King Wendell.'

When the Prince turned to reply, the wolf had already vanished into the all-encompassing fog leaving only the eerie echo of a howl in her wake.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Queen Riding Hood II had suffered with insomnia ever since her mother had disappeared. Nightmares of horrible deaths and the howls of barbarous and vengeful wolves haunted her dreams until she was too afraid to sleep. The sight of Luna that evening had only added to her fears. Secretly she feared the wolf terribly but did not dare to show it and so buried her fear in contempt.

Unable to bear the suffocating stillness of Snow White's castle any longer, she pulled a thick robe over her nightgown and silently crept along silent corridors and descended hushed stairways until she reached a door leading out into the castle gardens. Slowly turning the knob, she entered the white, swirling world outside. Dawns first fingers were beginning to break through, casting ghostly shades in the fog.

Bravely stepping out into this illusory realm, she breathed in grateful lungfuls of the damp air. A cracking twig behind her made her stop her stroll abruptly. She turned to face the unseen enemy, but saw nothing but the shifting haze. Gripped by the icy claws of fear, she quickened her pace, all the time feeling the hunter's eyes on her back like hateful beams of cold sunlight, stalking her stealthily, waiting to pounce. Occasional snaps of dry twigs or rustles of the undergrowth gave away its presence.

A pheasant shot out of a bush nearby, giving raucous calls of panic and alarm, right across the woman's face. She screamed and broke into a run, her heart pounding painfully against her ribs. She heard the pursuer also loping behind her, coursing her skilfully through the gardens, over lawn and past tree with practised ease while she blundered along painfully, tripping over exposed root and creeping plant. It seemed that all of nature was against her.

With a loud sob of relief Vermeil spotted the door and grabbed the handle thankfully, swinging the door inwards and slamming it behind her without even looking to see if she could spot the marauder. With her breath coming in ragged gasps, the Queen of the Second Kingdom tripped and stumbled up the stairs to the relative safety of her bedchamber.

Luna watched the slamming door with a mixture of pleasure and disappointment. She was pleased that she had taken a bit of revenge on the evil-tongued woman who had insulted her family, but disappointed that she had not seen her hunter. Still, the memory of her fear might deny her sleep for a while and plague her mind. If she never knew what the evil in the mist was she never knew when it would come back. The thought brought an odd, twisted grin to Luna's face, making it ugly and unpleasant.

The clearing of fog that had exposed her for a small second disappeared and the haze enveloped her completely. With the slight breeze came the muffled sounds of a cockerel crowing. Her predacious blood now fully aroused, the suggestion of Furo the ferret came back. The mighty appetite of a wolf never sated, she thought that perhaps she'd take herself off for a quick bite of chicken. What a shame that Furo had not been there, he would have appreciated the joke, she was sure, and the celebratory pre- breakfast sport.

Licking her lips in anticipation the wolf made for the chicken coop, consoling herself in the knowledge that she wasn't just eating for one.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dawn had well broken when Snow White was rudely awakened by the sounds of frantic squawking. An argument and a cry of agony followed it, along with the noise of rattling chains and a door being slammed. Unable to see the commotion from her chamber window, she hurriedly put on a robe and went to discover the cause of the fuss for herself.

Halfway down the hallway Snow White met the instigator of chaos. Covered in blood and feathers, bound in chains and muzzled with rope, Luna was being dragged along backwards kicking and snarling all the way. This portrait of wild ferocity, sporting an impressive set of teeth and the willingness and knowledge to use them, bore very little resemblance to the sophisticated young woman of the night before. Fighting the urge to run from the untamed demon drenched in the blood of others that had been delivered onto her floor, Snow White stood firm and watched as impassively as she could as the wolf was thrown hard to the marble floor on her back. She made no sound, but just glared balefully at her captors.

'What is the meaning of this disturbance?'

The guard bowed low to the Queen, 'Forgive us, your Majesty, but we found this animal in the chicken pen.'

The other guard held up the rent and battered carcasses of three large hens and a mighty cockerel, 'It had already killed these when we got there and would've killed more if we hadn't got there so quickly.'

Snow White noticed a rapidly expanding pool of blood originating from one of the guards, 'Are you all right? You're bleeding.'

'It bit me, Marm.' The long, sanguinary gash inflicted by Luna's teeth was brutally obvious and had ripped through two layers of thick cloth to tear the flesh beneath.

'It probably would've killed him if it got the chance,' blurted out the second guard. A muffled noise that escaped from the bounds of the rope sounded suspiciously like a snort of disgust.

'Go and see my personal physician. You may have seven hundred gold pieces in compensation for your injury and six weeks paid convalescence. Loose her muzzle and leave her to me. I'll see that it doesn't happen again.'

The second guard gingerly untied the rope that held Luna's dangerous jaws shut. With a sharp twist of her body, Luna snapped at his wrists, clicking shut a hair's breadth from his flesh. The guards retreated hurriedly from the shining teeth and grinning maw. With the slamming of the door denoting their exit, Luna gave full vent to her merriment, tipping back her head and roaring with laughter. For someone who hadn't had a lot to laugh about over the past year her effect on the guards was undeniably comical. Still gurgling with spasms of mirth, Luna contorted her chained body until she was able to stand upright, thinking with regret of what a shame it was that she didn't have a paw free to wipe the joyful tears that coursed down her face. Snow White, however, didn't find the situation so amusing, 'This is no laughing matter, Luna. Why did you bite him?'

Still trying to stifle the fits of giggles that still threatened to overwhelm her, Luna replied; 'Because I was enjoying myself. He just came up and grabbed me. It hurt, I panicked, so I bit him.'

'What were you doing in the chicken coop in the first place?'

'I got the idea from a friend. It's a wolf, it's what I do.'

'Lie steal and kill?'

Her previous good humour evaporated with this handful of salt being rubbed into open wounds, 'No, hunt, kill and survive. I was hungry, angry and bored, they were there, it happened.'

The Queen now regretted her sharpness at the sight of the pouting wolf. Her maternal nature came once again to the fore and she started picking the downy feathers from Luna's blood-matted hair and noting the deep scratches on the left side of her face, probably from the spurs of the warlike cockerel. 'You don't have to survive here, my little wolf, you can live.'

A fit of vile temper washed over the wolf and she pulled as far away as her manacles would let her, 'Live? You call this living? What have you given me in exchange for my freedom, chains and prisons? Survival is my life, I want to hunt, to kill and to live. That's what it means to be a wolf. I can never be human, no matter how hard you try, I know that now. There is no skill or enjoyment to be had in being given a piece of butchered meat.'

'Oh, Luna. What am I going to do with you?'

'Your decision, not mine.'

'I now find it very hard to believe that you were innocent when I found you.'

'I killed nothing, I had no need to. I had other things on my mind. Anyway, it would have been foolish to do it when I was already there. If I was plotting a massacre, or merely calling in for a quick snack, I would have done it as I left.'

'Then who did?'

Luna locked Snow White's glare, each word said slowly and menacingly, 'I killed nothing.' And as a byword added, 'It is not the way of the denizens of the wild to betray each other.'

'Then why were you in the village?'

'Because I wanted to feel what it was like to be normal, not hunted. To dance and feel freedom for once in my miserable life. Pity, we almost pulled it off.'

Snow Whites face was sad and cold, 'I'm sorry, Luna, but I don't believe you. I have now seen your true colours. I gave you that collar to give you freedom. If this is the way you behave with your liberty I will take it away and you will live like a wild beast and not as a trusted companion. Furthermore, you have committed an unforgivable crime in both my eyes and the eyes of the guards.'

'What, killing a few chickens that you were going to slaughter anyway?'

'No, you attacked one of them and so they will fear you and treat you with contempt rather than respect, as you have already seen.'

'I didn't notice any difference.'

'You have lost my respect for you as well, and my trust. You will be taken back to your cage as you are and be left to reconsider your position and your attitude. I hope you will earn my confidence again, Luna. I would hate to see you live out your life in a cage. Guards!'

As a fresh pair of guards entered the room to take her away, Snow White looked away, unable to stand the look of pure venom emanating from Luna's hostile yellow. 'Remove her to her cage and leave her there. I will decide her fate later.'

Luna fired her parting shot out of pure rage, 'By my fur and fang, you'll regret this day! I may be a wolf, but I'm not stupid. You'll pay the price for imprisoning this huntress. I'll make you and all your hypocritical peers weep bitter tears, just you wait and see!'

'Threats like those are like dust on the wind the wind, Luna - worthless.'

'Even the smallest grain of dust can blind you if the wind in which it sails is strong enough and it knows how to get in your eyes. Wolves don't make idle threats, Your Majesty,' Luna spat before turning her attention to the guards, 'Take your filthy hands off me or I'll rip 'em off!' I can walk, aye, and I can bite, too, just ask your friend. He won't ever forget that wolves have teeth and know how to use 'em!'

The wolf stalked out, slamming the door like thunder behind her. With a sigh of sorrow and grief Arc's words on the night of the storm came back with a flash, "Her heart is fragile, betray it and you might find yourself in deep water." The hole had been dug and she had jumped headlong into it. Echoes of the wrath of the tempest now in the outraged cries of a restrained wolf as the guards caught up with her.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The moon had risen full and white, pale light flickering briefly over the Kingdoms as turbulent winds pushed the dark scudding cloud across its stark, cold face.

Still fuming with insane energy Luna paced the confines of her prison cell muttering poisonous curses against Snow White, which she had every intention of carrying out. The rising had been a new experience for the wolf - it had hurt. Usually the transformation was painless, even pleasurable, but tonight had been different. From the first peek of the moon's brazen head over the horizon, the sharp jolts in her stomach had been excruciating. Her first thought was for her cubs, but maternal instinct told her that they were fine and calm. What was going wrong? Whining with the pain, long forgotten advice and warnings came from somewhere deep in the back of her mind.

"Your wolf blood entitles you to all the glories of the hunt of the full moon. However, this gift comes at a price. Within you all lives a beast, a monster waiting to get out, though this is not the wolf, and don't let anyone tell you this is so. Give rein to that dark side and the Lady of the Moon herself will punish you. If bad intentions lurk in your soul it will cause agony every time that the hunters moon rises. Some would say this is a small price, but it will destroy all that you hold dear. Remember."

Once the pains had subsided Luna realised what her Grandpa had meant about some saying that some called the pains a small price for what you received - she felt fantastic. It was like being reborn, the life that flooded through her was new and she felt unconquerable. The craving for blood was stronger, sure, but it was worth it. Unbeknown to her, her eyes had taken on an unhealthy reddish tinge to their normal liquid gold colour.

As an additional punishment she had been denied meat and this did not improve her humour as a blood-craze had taken her in completely to its red- shrouded depths. The shrill, mocking voice emerging from the shadows made her almost lose her head completely, 'My, my, that's a pretty collar you wear.'

'Shut up.'

'Ooh, temper, temper. How do you fell wearing it, do you like it?'

'What sort of a question is that? Of course I don't like it. It makes me look like more of a slave than I am. It was supposed to give me freedom, but wearing it I am not a wolf any more I'm a dog. It couldn't be more blindingly obvious if I started doing tricks on command.'

'I couldn't have put it better myself. Besides, that collar also has a spell on it. Since your escapade this morning the hex is that you can't harm another living thing. Try it.'

'I'd rip your filthy tongue out if I could get at you.'

'Here, take a bite out of me if you think you are wolf enough to do it.'

The Stepmother slid her withered arm through the cast iron bars of Luna's cage. With untold speed and a snarl of delight Luna leapt forward joyously to seize the wasted flesh. Just as her fangs touched the saggy skin terrible pains shot down her spine causing her to reel backwards with a yelp. Her teeth had not even furrowed the Stepmother's arm.

Coloured stars continued to burst in front of the wolfs' eyes as she recovered from the shock, 'What was that?' she whined.

'Like I told you, my poor dear, a spell to stop you harming anyone or anything while you are in possession of my darling stepdaughter. Even if you escape you are sentenced to starve to death. See, she wants to keep you a pet forever.'

'Can you get it off?'

'I would if I could, Luna, of course I would. Still, you're safe enough, but your cubs.'

'How do you know?'

'I'm no fool, nor is Snow White, and I know what they do to animals born in this place. They're either sent away to live their lives like yours here, in captivity, or they are killed.'

'No!'

'Ask the lynxes, if you can. Their kits, all four of them, were placed in a sack and drowned in the lake simply because no one wanted them.'

Orageuse buried her green eyes into Luch's thick neck ruff haunted by the memory of her only kits. The pair had never dared to mate again after that incident for fear that they would conceive. Luch's distant, pain-filled eyes told Luna the truth of it.

'And you?'

'If you help me you can rear them in peace and freedom. Trust me, Luna.'

'Yes, I think I do.'

'Good. A week from now we will end it.'

'That soon?'

'The sooner she's gone the sooner we can enjoy our new lives, no longer outcasts, free to do as we please.'

'What do you need me to do?'

'Lock her in your cage, that's all.'

'Really?'

'And keep out of my way.'

'Done.'

The fatal pact was sealed with an exchange of gifts, a leg of finest venison for Luna and a small, carved bone knife for the Stepmother that Luna had shaped while idling away the prison days using a flint shard. Both traitors turned, well pleased with their gifts.