Chapter 1:
The sounds of the Balkan wilderness echoed through the still mountain air as the sound of wolves echoed along the valley walls and then travelled up into the atmosphere. In the pine forests littering the sides of the mountain, the scurry of tiny paws was silenced as the unworldly howls sent chipmunks scurrying through the trees into nests where they hid. A herd of elk looked up and then continued eating placidly as the screams rent the air. They were not worried; the wolves were well-fed at this point and posed no threat to the massive creatures. Then, the voices of the wolves faded into the air as they came up on the top of the mountain one by one. The leader was a large shaggy male with grey fur the colour of the mist and by his side crouched a female wolf, her fur the colour of russet. Shaking her head, the sleek female nuzzled up against her mate and snarled as one of the females tried to get closer to the front. Baring her fangs, she made the other female retreat and growled in triumph. Racing down the mountain, they let out howls of defiance as they cleared everything in their path. The pack was large, numbered at least 50 and all were sleek and healthy as if they had eaten recently, unusual for this time of year in the frozen winter where the Urals and the Balkans crossed. This, the last untouched place of beauty where no human had stepped a foot for many centuries.
Stopping at the clearing of the forest, the pack separated and lay down near the dens they had taken for themselves. The alpha female lay contentedly next to the remains of their meal and sighed as she stuck her paws under her chin. Nuzzling her face, her mate lay down and gave her a look as the telepathic link started to work.
:::You are lonesome for your kind, are you not?:::
The female snarled at him. :::You are my kind, Akela. Why do you say that?:::
The male shrank back under her glare. :::You are so sad tonight, my love. That is why I say what I say, you should know me by now.:::
The female shook her head. :::Merely thinking, Akela. Don't worry, I have the pack to think about anyway.:::
The male nodded and left her as she padded up on her paws and stretched before walking off. Perching on a log, she closed her eyes and then her body began to change. Slowly, her paws shortened to form hands, her snout contracted and the fur gradually disappeared as she became human. Shaking her russet hair, her ice blue eyes looked narrowly around as she began to howl into the darkness and then stopped. Looking around, she sniffed dangerously and then growled as her long claw-like nails drew back out of her fingers. She sniffed the air again and then made her way back to her mate, her hair colour flattering her slim frame and wolf-like body. Laying down again, she shook her head slowly and then drifted off to sleep next to the wolf she called mate.
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Close by and down wind of the wolf pack, two eyes glowed in the darkness as the sound of a rifle being loaded echoed through the stillness but was quickly muffled by the unknown human. Setting the sights of the weapon, the man grinned and loaded a few more bullets.
"Shoot to kill, Maglev. Shoot to kill, the pelts will get us much money in Kazakhstan for sure. But, bring me the russet female alive. I have big plans for her, indeed..."