4.

"It's not funny!" Aleu tries to say with authority, but Kila continues to roll around on the snow floor, laughing hysterically.

She wishes that things could be better among the group, but they look just as amused as Kila. Sitka has a wide smile on his face and looks on the verge of chuckling as well. Nuju looks rather emotionless, but she sees his quivering lips as they threaten to form into a grin.

Aleu releases a savage growl as she starts pacing the small empty clearing she and her Betas are meeting in, wondering how to get her wolves to see the seriousness of the situation. Finally, Sitka coughs in a way to rid himself of his smile while lifting one of his legs and gently kicks Kila as a way of letting her know to get up.

"Sorry Pack Leader," Sitka apologies, but Aleu can still see him fighting to keep a grin off his face.

"What is it that you don't understand?" Aleu finally asks as she turns on the Betas, "I would have thought this would have shocked you."

"Oh it did," giggles Kila, "a wolf that can stand on his hide legs and have the arms of a human," she is now choking as she tries to keep down her laughter, "a wolf who is part man, I got to admit Aleu, I never thought you would be one for storytelling."

"It's not a story!" Aleu finally yells, wiping the amusement off the wolves' faces, "It happened and he is real, a wolf that walks like a man and looks capable of wiping out the entire pack."

Silence greets her, a positive sign to her that the Betas are finally giving her their full attention.

"Aleu," Sitka speaks softly, "I have seen many things in the wilderness, but I never even heard of a…man wolf before."

"Same here," Kila speaks up as she looks to her leader with a rather apologetic shrug.

This is when Aleu realizes that someone hasn't spoken up yet. She turns to the remaining wolf, a certain grey wolf to be precise.

Nuju is silent and he is looking down at the floor with a puzzled expression on his face and for some reason, it fills Aleu with unease.

"Nuju," she says slowly, "are you alright?"

He blinks once before looking up at her and says, "This is something I'll look into, what you describe sounds familiar…but I do not believe its name is man-wolf."

"Wait," Sitka says, "you heard of these things before?"

"When you gaze at the stars as long as I have," Nuju tilts his head back as if to back his claim, "then you learn a thing or two about our strange world."

"As long as you have?" Sitka asks, "I'm pretty sure we are the same age."

Aleu ignores the previous comment as she walks up to Nuju and asks, "What do you know about Eran, Nuju?" She couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement threatening to overtake her, will she finally learn something about this wolf…or whatever it is that Eran is.

Nuju frowns slightly for a bit before shaking his head and says, "It has been a while…but the description is certainly memorizing…and disturbing." He looks into Aleu's face, "I don't know Pack Leader, but I fear that your new-found friend may not be the type of person we should be associating with."

Aleu didn't mean it, but she growls at him, "I know he is different Nuju…and a bit frightening, but that is no reason to turn him away."

Nuju bows his head, "Forgive me Pack Leader," he says civilly, "but these are bad times to be meeting unnaturally new friends."

Curious, Aleu tilts her head, "and why would you say that?"

She should have anticipated it, what else could be expected from Nuju as he glances up to the brightening skies as the sun rises, but they can still see some stars visible.

"The red star is bright," he says in a solemn tone, "a very bad sign foretelling of trouble and spilled blood."

Normally Aleu wouldn't pay mind to Nuju's rambling, but this time it is different, and the other Betas notice this as well. Nuju usually spoke in an untroubled voice, so to hear him speak of such terrible woe and death in a grave tone fills them with concern, no matter how often they ignored his stargazing tales.

Aleu gulps a little before asking, "And what about that other part? What do you mean when you say Eran is…unnatural?"

Nuju is silent as if he is in deep thought before saying, "Have you ever seen anything like him in nature?" he asks, "Or even heard of anything like him? From storytellers or birds or even from the conversations we have heard from men?"

"I…" Aleu trails off before looking at the other present wolves. Kila looks mystified and anxious while Sitka wears a cautious and tense snarl on his face.

"Exactly," sighs Nuju, "I have heard of him though" this comment alone earns him more attention than any other pass murmuring of the stars as the Betas and Pack Leader watches him.

"There have been tales told from long ago," Nuju says, "passed down from one knowledge seeker to another throughout the ages-"

"What's a knowledge seeker?" Kila interrupts with a pup like fascination plastered on her face.

Sitka rolls his eyes, "I'm guessing it's someone who seeks knowledge."

Nuju nods his head, "Yes, my uncle is a knowledge seeker, he was the one who taught me how to read the stars."'

"At least we know who to blame for that," Kila mutters into Aleu's ear, but she ignores the she-wolf before raising her paw and gestures for Nuju to continue.

"It is unknown where the stories have come from," admits Nuju, "many wolves believe they came from these lands," he looks around at the forest they are in, "others believe they originated from the frozen east, others from the dry south, or maybe even from isolated lands floating out in the great ocean. There are even some beliefs that they crossed from the lands across the water to here by using an ice bridge like we did."

"Wait," interrupts Aleu, "Who are they? And what stories do you speak of?"

Nuju regards the wolves as if debating whether to tell them or not before he finally speaks.

"They go by many names: wolven blights, two-legged ones, grave stalkers, cursed ones." Aleu tries not to shiver, but in truth, these are sounding like horror stories being told to misbehaving pups and the true terror here is the possibility that such tales are based on facts.

Nuju continues, "They walk alone, they rarely move in packs, they are few in numbers yet they strive for territory. Killing if they so wish. They only reveal themselves at night and disappear during the day for some unknown reason or another. No one knows where they originated from or what it is they are, some believe they are a part of a dying race, some think they are crossbreeds spawn of men and wolves-" he pauses while Kila snickers at this, "But some believe it is a curse brought on by magic users."

Sitka quirks an eyebrow, "Walking wolves created by sorcerers, oh I should have seen that one coming."

"Shush," Aleu hisses at him before signing to Nuju to continue.

"As I was saying," the grey wolf says, "No one knows where the stories came from, but so far that's all they are, stories. I for one have never seen anything to suggest the existence of such creatures, and to know one personally…it's downright unbelievable, I can't tell whether this is a remarkable discovery, or a great tragedy waiting to unfold."

Aleu feels her throat go dry before forcing out, "W-what makes you think this could be a tragedy?"

Nuju shrugs, "there have been rumors about these creatures attacking men and they aren't…gentle."

"What do you mean by that?" Kila asks with a tinge of fright on her voice.

"Well…they haven't been confirmed," Admits Nuju, "but there are the possibilities that these human-like wolves are stronger than menfolk, have the speed of a wolf and the savagery of a feral."

"Oh great," Sitka remarks as he slaps his forehead with a paw, "so if these legendary creatures do exist, and if they're as dangerous as you say they are, and there's one now taking up residence in the forest, then we are in trouble aren't we?"

"No," Aleu suddenly exclaims, "no, just because some of these…things exist, then that doesn't mean they are all dangerous, this is like when a feral attacks a man and in turn the humans believe all wolves are bad."

Sitka grumbles at the comparison, but the other two Betas nod in agreement.

"Besides, I believe Eran is here to stay," Aleu states, "so, whether we like it or not, we need to be friendly towards him if we wish to coexist, got it?"

None of the Betas argued, nor do they look pleased with the prospect of being allies with a creature that can tear them apart with little trouble.

Aleu nods to them, "good," she says before releasing a yawn. She has been up all night trying to round up her Betas to inform them of the encounter. It's just now becoming morning, but maybe she can take a nap for a few hours. Then she remembers the agreement she made with Eran earlier and moans when she realizes she will be up late again that night so she can show him around.

"Well, I'm going to go see if I can catch some sleep, so if you will excuse me," Aleu turns to take her to leave when Sitka speaks out.

"Aleu," he says, causing the she-wolf to look over her shoulder and right at him.

"What if Eran is as dangerous as Nuju claims?" he demands, "how are we supposed to fight something stronger than menfolk?"

Aleu looks at each Beta in the eyes; Sitka with his strong gaze, Kila with her slightly round ones and Nuju and his steady sight.

She finally sighs, shakes her head, and says, "Let's just hope for the moment that we can win a potential ally and not another enemy to be wary of."

The Atlantic Ocean-1917

Kyle moans before hurling over the side of the ship once more.

"Jeez Shames," Eric says with a twisted expression, "Is there anything you haven't upchucked yet?"

"My pride," Kyle manages to murmur before spewing out whatever is left in his stomach.

Eric slowly shakes his head, "Why you joined the Navy is beyond me."

"I agree," the sea sicken Marine says before looking up and shivering.

The ocean looks boundless, which is what scares him, they are in the middle of nowhere with no land in sight. It looks like a nice day with blue skies overhead and the crystal clear waters slowly lapping at the forefront of the ship, but the whole thing greatly unnerves him. There is also the fact that he is trapped on a ship that is full to bursting point with over two thousand Marines and twice as many Sailors as they perform their duties. Here and there, enlisted men sprawl across the deck, leaning on the railing or standing in the corners for there is nowhere else to sit.

Kyle, Oliver, and Eric are among the unlucky lot who are forced to stand upright next to the railing, causing their legs to cramp up and limbs to tire. This, by no means, makes Kyle's queasy stomach feel any better. He doesn't believe he is seasick by the constant rocking of the ship, he feels it has more to do with the emptiness of the Atlantic and the feeling of being powerless while being at the mercy of the waves as he is forced to endure the unimaginable torture.

"Well look at the bright side," Eric says in an attempted cheerful voice, "this is a good way to gain your sea-legs, and look how great that has benefited Dublin here."

He gestured to their smaller companion who has fallen asleep while standing, resting his head against his rifle that is being propped up by the crook of his shoulder neck while the base is planted between his feet.

"How can he sleep in a time like this?" Kyle demands as he places two steady hands on the railing in an attempt to steady himself.

"Why not?" inquired Eric, "I mean sleeping is a good way to pass the time, especially now, according to the squids we are almost to France."

They lapse into silence as they slowly let it sink in. France, Britain, and Germany have been going at it for about three years now with no apparent end in sight. Slowly his mind thinks back to the small movie house he and Tom would use to go to after a hard day at school. There was a small hole in the side of the building they would peer into and watch daily showings since they didn't have enough money to watch cartoons daily. He remembers watching the news wheel before the feature presentations were shown; black and white images of men running through burning fields, rifles cracking, bullets firing, artillery blasting, and airplanes flying high in the air until they go down in a turmoil of smoke and flames.

The occasional tussle at school is the closest thing Kyle and Tom have ever come to being in war; however, it wasn't until now though did it fully sink in. Here they are, sailing far away from the land of their birth, to die in a foreign land. Back home all you had to worry about was getting a broken bone or a sprain, and of course, coming up with ways to explain to your parents why you have a black eye. Out here though you get killed and there's no way of recovering from that.

Kyle has always told himself he doesn't mind dying, his life as the son of an abusive drinking father isn't glamorous in any way, but now he is thinking differently. Maybe it's because of Tom after their mother passed away that long ago it was always his older brother who had his back, especially when their father was off on one of his drunken rampages. His brother was ways full of life, always flirting with girls and fantasizing to get rich schemes with Kyle daily. Together they felt invisible. And now his brother is out in the middle of the ocean waging war on the high seas while his little brother is going to do all the fighting on land.

He never really thought his life would turn out like this. He and Tom pretend of course to be soldiers, but to be here now appears to be surreal. He thought he lived life with no regrets, but now all he keeps thinking about is what he had done in his past life; cheating at school, not being a very helpful farmhand, and not trying his hardest in calming his drunken father down.

He tries to shake these thoughts off. He can make amends when they return home…if they get home.

His thinking is interrupted when someone releases a long yawn and Oliver slowly opens his eyes while casually opening and closing his mouth.

"Had a good sleep?" Kyle asks in hope of starting another conversation.

"Yeah," Oliver mumbles before falling silent, halting all conversation for the trio.

They stand in silence with only the crashing of the waves in the background before Oliver speaks up again.

"I had a strange dream," he says with a slightly furrowed brow.

"Yeah what about?" Kyle asks, wanting to think of anything but the reality of death.

"It was so weird…I dreamt of my dad's old Ford model T…what does that mean?" questions the young Marine.

"Maybe it's a vision," suggests Kyle, "you know, you'll come home and your dad will give you his old model T."

"He gave it away to my sister when she went off to college," replies Oliver.

"Well, that will be an awkward situation when your dad asks for it back so he can give it to you-" Kyle barely finished saying that when he freezes. The boat shudders as a multitude of feet shifts and they hear a horn being blown. The one sounded only for enemy contact.

The three friends feel the sudden urge to run, to seek cover, but they could not move, nobody could move, everyone is forced to hold still with terror and fury in their eyes. The fear, always present has returned, they may have taken the oath and claimed to lay down their lives for their nation, but they are still young, kids at that, no one has yet to live out their lives; they don't feel ready for death. The anger almost overtook the fear though, this is unfair, all their training, all their preparations and the enemy has decided this is how they are to die? Out on the ship without having a chance to so much as to raise their arms and defend themselves?

Oliver has begun to quiver while Eric's face becomes stone still, whether in preparation for death or battle Kyle hasn't the slightest notion.

As for himself he has no idea how he looks, but he feels his face tense and his muscles unmoving, he grips his rifle and wonders how far he can shoot with the thing and if the enemy will come close for him to aim and let off a shot. But can he make it? On the roving seas, on a windy day, shooting a target that is moving on the water as his target bobs like a cork?

Just as his thoughts become drastic, the anxiety lessens and the alarm fades away, leaving everyone confused. The only movement they can see is the sailors as they along the railing, trying to get from one end of the boat to another. Eric reaches out and stops a sailor who still had dread woven within his eyes.

"Hey buddy," Eric says, "what's going to happen?"

The man looks around with clear dread before reporting in a squeaky voice, "German sub was spotted on the other side of the ship, but it's stalking away."

The Marines look among each other in concern. A single sub can bring down a ship, will they be that lucky to have encountered a submarine only to have it allow them to live for a couple more weeks? Hesitantly they return to their little huddle, the sighting of the enemy is a cold reminder that this is war and in a few hours, if they reach the shore, they will become more associated with the fear, as well as the hatred.

Nome Alaska-1925

Kyle has just barely opened the window and pulled his pained body within before the sun rays struck his fur and he writhes on the floor.

He bites on his arm as he tries not to scream as the change takes him once more. His fur burns and singed hair fills his nostrils. His finger and toenails throb until they pop off and newer but smaller ones take their stead. His face caves in on itself as the snout molds back into his skull and his ears folds back and buries themselves back into his body as his human ones carve their way back out the side of his head. Blood is dripping by this time, his entire forearm is just about to soak in it, but soon his sharpened fangs lose their grips as they fall, landing with the patter of raindrops as his dull canines return and fill his gums back up. Finally, his legs shrink, and his tail retreats, and before he knows it, he is human again, lying on the floor as he pants and tries to recover from the change.

He moans as he holds out his arm and inspects it. He has left deep gashes within the limb and blood oozes out, but he watches as his skin slowly spreads out over the wounds and slowly the blood disappears and his arm is left whole.

There are nights he curses his wolf body, but on other nights he is thankful for it.

So what kind of night was last night? He rolls onto his back and places an arm over his eyes as he tries to think of what had occurred less than an hour ago.

Aleu…what a strange yet musical like voice. Her grey body and light tan underbelly still come to mind, along with those ice-blue eyes. He has no idea why he hid from her, she doesn't look like the type who would attack him out of spite, but after all these years he has decided not to take any chances.

So what about tonight? He agreed to come and have her show him the local area, and that could benefit him very much. He can learn where to hunt, where to hide, and if worse comes to worst, an escape route if he needs one.

But that would mean spending time with Aleu.

It's not that he doesn't like her, far from it; she is the first person who saw what he is and didn't attack him or run away screaming. The fire of courage and curiosity burned within her eyes as she regarded him with a look that looked close to being wondering. She is interested in him and that's what makes him hesitant. Does she truly wish to help, or is she just doing it to further study him, have him as more of a project rather than a friend?

And what about her pack? What if they choose to attack him? She can use what knowledge she has gained from him and use it in their favor. Kyle has learned a long time ago that mystery and fear are his best weapons, he could lose them if he reveals everything about himself to Aleu.

Should he go tonight? What if he doesn't? Then if he meets her again things may turn out badly. He can't risk having wolves as his enemies, not the ones who roam and patrol the forest, his one, and only sanctuary.

He sighs, looks like he is on for that date with Aleu, at least he knows she will be respectful and curious. It is nice, her knowing what he is yet not being afraid. He has shown her his biggest secret and she didn't shy away from him or…

His biggest secret. His biggest secret is that he is a man who turns into a wolf, but now he realizes that Aleu doesn't know that he is a wolf who turns into a man.

He stands up while grumbling about his luck. So much for that, now he has to watch his step otherwise she will regard him as a freak if she learns he can shift from a wolf to a man and vice versa. Things can't get any worse.

He stands and stretches, but figures he should try and get some sleep before going into town today and find a job, he doesn't have a lot of money left after buying the shed and he's going to need more if he wishes to build a house of his own.

He yawns and looks out the window and freezes.

Watching from the cover of some bushes are small beady eyes and there is a scent that is carried on the air, one that could only belong to one thing. A dog. It's too late, somehow they fit the pieces together and they know he is not of the natural world.

Are they going to run him out of town like what happened to him last time? The dog doesn't move one bit, he can see the eyes squint as if in anger. He is probably here to watch and nothing more.

Kyle glares back and releases a snarl, hoping the wind will carry the sound to the animal before he closes the window.

Looks like things have just gotten worse.