AN: This is your author speaking. Just giving you a heads up that these upcoming parts are where I copy and paste re-written chapters from my first attempt at this story. Please ignore the fact that the writing will be changing on and off from now on. Thank you.

He hit the ground and rolled forward, attempting to keep up his momentum, and crashed into some garbage cans that were lying across the alleyway. Groaning, he sat up, his hand to his head as he tried to get to his feet while the world tilted slightly around him. He had just taken a step when a hand grabbed onto the back of his black sweater and yanked him backwards off his feet, throwing him to the ground.

"Freak," the boy standing over him sneered. It was the one that had punched Aaron earlier.

"Wonder what he does," the second boy, the one with the baseball bat, asked, walking over.

Caim sat up but the second boy kicked him in the chest, pushing him back. Caim stared up at them, his breath quickening as he felt his body start to tremble. Not again. Jeez, I'm not going out like this. Not in an alley with my lungs punctured. No way.

"Think it's something that makes him look funny?" the third and final guy, the one with the crowbar, asked. "He's all covered up and stuff."

The first guy took the baseball bat from the second one. Caim wasn't fully sure what he was going to do but he didn't want to stick around and find out.

Jumping to his feet he pushed through the miniature gang in front of him and sprinted off to the sounds of their shouts behind him. Don't stop, don't stop.

He turned a corner and kept running, but then he heard their footsteps slow down behind him and he suddenly felt like something very bad was going to happen…

That's when he ran headlong into a brick wall.

Crashing backwards he let out a strangled shout that ripped up his throat as he fought to stay quiet. From behind him he heard laughter and then the first guy brought his baseball bat down.

Caim barely managed to roll out from under the object but then he felt a foot press down on the back of his neck and he froze. What now…?

"What should we do with him?" the first guy sneered.

I'm guessing that letting me go isn't an option…?

"Let's show him what we think of his kind," the second replied.

A boot connected with Caim's side and he heard several cracking noises. A scream burst from his lips and the foot on his back was removed, allowing him to curl onto the side without the broken ribs. I'm dead… I am so fucking dead!

Another boot was aimed at his chest but it hit his arms instead, causing him to wince. No. No…

With a groan he sat up on his knees, slightly tilting his head up to look at the three guys surrounding him. They all stared down at him, grinning. The first one swung the bat down towards his shoulder but he reached up and caught it, using it as leverage to stand and push the guy back. Caim yanked the bat from him as he felt back and swung it at the third guy, catching him below the belt and sending him to his knees. The second guy came at him with the crowbar and Caim caught it on his baseball bat. The contact sent spasms down his chest and he realized that, if he ignored the adrenaline pumping through his system, he was having trouble breathing.

While he wasn't paying full attention the first guy came up behind him and wrapped his hands around his throat, causing him to drop the baseball bat while he tried to pry the hands away from his neck. They won't stop until I'm dead… The second guy kicked him in the stomach, sending him to his knees as he doubled over. He heard the third guy slowly get to his feet and he felt a spasm course through his body; he thought it was from another kick or hit of some sort, but then he heard the growl.

No. No! Anything but that!

The guy holding him let out a scream and his hands were roughly pulled from around Caim's throat as he fell back. Caim was sent forward, not expecting the sudden release, and landed on his injured side, causing him to yell out. As he fought the overwhelming urge to throw up and pass out he watched a wolf rip out the first guy's throat while the other two hit it with the baseball bat and crowbar. Each hit to the animal sent shocks through Caim's system and he found it getting even harder and harder to breathe. As the second guy raised the baseball bat again the wolf lashed out with a paw, ignoring the bleeding body beside it. Caim had to look away from the crimson flood that seemed brighter than usual on the grime smeared concrete.

The second male brought his weapon up, intending on smashing in the animal's skull but the creature was quicker than that. It leapt at the guy, digging its claws into his chest and sending him crashing to the ground.

Caim didn't know what he heard next: the roar, one of the two strangled screams, or the gunshot.

The gunshot blast echoed through the narrow space, causing Caim's own scream and the third guy's shout to be drowned out by a ringing in Caim's ears and the cry from the wolf as it disappeared the instant the bullet entered its hide. Caim felt a piercing heat on the left side of his waist, as though he was being stabbed with a burning hot needle, and he gasped. The breath got caught halfway as his broken ribs pressed a little too harshly against lungs.

"What. The fuck. Are you?"

Caim heard the third guy slowly walk over and he clenched his eyes shut; he could practically see the male raising his gun level with his head.

"You shouldn't be alive…"

No… I shouldn't. But I came to terms with that a long time ago…

Despite the slightly suicidal thoughts Caim couldn't help but feel the urge to try to get up again. Maybe it was because he had been running for so long, fighting for so long, that his body had an override over his brain to force him to get up again.

Well, he wasn't getting up, but that didn't mean he couldn't try something else.

He quickly rolled onto his back, tripping up the third male who was – Thank you – standing closer to Caim than he had expected. The guy let out a startled shout and fired off the gun reflectively. He tumbled to the ground and dropped his weapon, which skittered across the ground to rest up against a box. Both Caim and the male reached for it from their grounded positions before realizing that they came up short.

The male was the first one on his knees, throwing himself forward to wrap his hand around the firearm. The minute he swung his arm around, ready to pull the trigger, Caim jumped on his arm despite the protests of his entire body, especially when he landed. They fought between them for the weapon and Caim didn't even realize when his hand found the metal and his finger pulled back.