For three whole weeks, I stayed with Suzaku, Lelouch, and Nunnally on the Kururugi Shrine. Living with them was beautiful and peaceful, since I apparently had nowhere to go.

One day, when I walked down into town for some food, I came upon Lelouch being beaten up by six Japanese boys. Suzaku was with me, and he watched as I ran down to help Lelouch. I let out a scream as I ran up and kicked the leader of the boys in the face, knocking him backwards.

At seeing this, the other five boys backed off in shock and ran to help their leader up.

Lelouch looked up weakly and saw me standing in front of him to protect him. "Serena…?" he said, groaning intensively in pain. He raised his head but then he collapsed again.

Facing the six boys, I snapped, "What the hell is wrong with you? What business do you have with beating up my friend?" Seeing that they were trying to get past me, I jumped in their way. "You do not touch him. I will make your life a living nightmare if you do." I turned and looked at Suzaku, who was standing nearby. Suzaku, take Lelouch away from here. I'll meet you back at the shrine when I'm done with this.

Suzaku nodded and came over, helping Lelouch up and taking him away. When they disappeared into the trees, I turned and faced the boys again.

"Surround her," ordered the leader, and the other five boys did. They made menacing cackling noises. I was shocked at first, and saw with ease that I was greatly outnumbered.

But then, in the very next second, I lost control of myself and let out a battle cry, mercilessly attacking the boys from all sides, pounding and punching and slapping and kicking.

By the time five of the six boys were down, the leader came straight for me, yelling something unrecognizable. Narrowing my eyes in anger, I spun around and when he reached me, I kicked him so hard where it counts I could swear I heard something snap.

The boy groaned in pain and fell backwards, holding himself. After that, I spun around and began yelling every Japanese curse that I could remember from a book I had read when I was seven.

By the time I finished cursing, I was hyperventilating, holding my chest and running off into the woods, back towards the Kururugi Shrine. When I had arrived at the shrine, Suzaku was the first to greet me.

"Serena, you look out of breath," he said. "Did those guys beat you?" He began to look protective.

I waved the situation off and shook my head. "No, Suzaku, I took them out myself," I said. Not to mention that I also yelled every Japanese curse there was after that, my friend, I added through telepathy.

Suzaku's eyes widened in fear. You actually did something like that? he thought back to me, and I nodded with satisfaction before he and I went over to the storehouse.

Later that day, the four of us went fishing, since it depended on our dinner. Me, being a pro at hunting and fishing, had no difficulty at catching fish whatsoever (Lelouch was not as lucky).

After I had caught a huge carp, I heard a twig snap, and my head snapped upward, listening carefully to the noises around us. I smelled cougar, but why would it be here? In the next second, a loud roar was heard and a cougar jumped out from the side, right at me; it was in attacking position.

Shocked from this, I pushed my friends to the side, and the cougar landed in a lopsided direction.

I turned and faced the cougar, and I was shocked when I recognized his face. "Remus Sanders," I snarled. "So you've come for a brawl, haven't you?" I demanded.

Remus stood up and turned to me, chuckling evilly, his golden eyes blazing with hot fire. "So the pup daughter of Dachi Winters still lives, eh? I'm surprised," he said. "But now, maybe it is the time you finish you off."

"I think not, Remus," I snapped. I turned to Suzaku, Lelouch, and Nunnally. "You three, take the fish and go back to the shrine. I'll meet you there after I'm finished with this."

"But Serena…" Suzaku tried to protest.

"Go now!" I ordered more firmly, and I phased into my wolf form. My fur was a dark reddish-brown with a lighter undercoat. My green eyes still shone bright. I stood on two legs (as did Remus) like a human would normally and snarled violently at Remus, claws out and teeth bared.

Suzaku and Lelouch fled with Nunnally, and a great fight ensued between me and Remus. We clashed endlessly for five long minutes.

At one point in the battle, Remus said behind my back, "No wonder your mother was ripped away from your life. She has such a mindless daughter who cannot fight properly."

That did it right there. My eyes shone gold and I whipped around, leaping at Remus and jumping onto his face, biting into his left eye, violently ripping it off. Remus yowled in pain, trying to throw me off, and I eventually let go when I ripped out his eye socket.

When Remus turned and faced me, his left eye was nothing but a bloody hole in his face, as I had also torn some skin off as well. I was shocked at what I did, but then my wolf instincts snapped back as Remus came barreling towards me; I leapt up and sliced his left shoulder open with my fangs, causing him to flee. He dropped something as he ran off into the woods.

I stood up on two legs as I picked what he dropped up with my hooked claw. It was a cross necklace with blue and brown jewels. I recognized the necklace in two seconds' time. This necklace had once belonged to my mother. Remus and Romulus must have stolen it from her when they attacked. I put the necklace around my neck, washed the blood off my face in the river, and raced back to the Kururugi Shrine on all fours.

When I arrived back to the shrine, my three friends were already there, thankfully unharmed. "I'm back, you three!" I called, and Suzaku and Lelouch looked up, overjoyed to see that I was unharmed.

"Serena, thank goodness!" Suzaku said, getting up and running over to me, hugging my big wolf neck. "I thought that guy had killed you. Who was he, anyway?"

"He was Remus, Romulus' younger brother," I answered vaguely. "He is the younger brother of the one who murdered my mother."

"What made him run away?" Lelouch asked, and I looked at him.

"He fled when I wounded him," I said. "I cut open his shoulder, and it bled nonstop, causing him to quit the battle and flee."

"Is that a necklace you're wearing?" Lelouch asked next, seeing the cross I was wearing, and I nodded.

"This once belonged to my mother, but now I have to protect it since she is no longer among the living. But now what is most important is now you know why I am a wolf. I am one of the Beast People," I told Lelouch and Nunnally, and Suzaku nodded in agreement with me. "My father, Dachi Winters, is the current Alpha of the wolf clan. My mother was the Alphess, and I am their heir." I opened my paw, exposing my Beast Mark to them. "I am the only one out of my siblings that was born with this ancient mark, and it is why I am here. The Black Demons seek my life, but they'll try to get to me by harming you lot, but I won't let that happen. If any Black Demon comes here, they will be my prey, mark my words," I said grimly.

Suzaku, Lelouch, and Nunnally looked at me in shock, but they knew full well that I meant what I said.