Authoress' Note: Please note that any kids reading this might not want to do what Dawn had done and run off into the wilderness thinking you might meet someone like Midnight. I do not support children running away from their parents, even if they tend to give them a hard time. It's called tough love, and unless there are real issues at home, I encourage all kids to bring this up with a trusted adult who can connect them with the proper help needed.

Though when I was little, there were times that I thought of running away, but ended up going back home since I had nowhere else to go...

Getting back on subject, we are now getting into the world of the werewolves since Dawn has crossed the point of no return. What will she discover among her own kind?

~Chibi Mirai Gogeta

Dawn of the Hunter

Chapter 6-Uneasy Welcome

Midnight glanced back at Dawn as she struggled to walk through the forest. While she had eaten, they were walking on uneven ground that had no worn pathways that were riddled with rocks, branches, and roots.

"It would be easier if you were able to shift into your natural form," Midnight noted.

"Natural form?" Dawn parroted. It was almost though the man was speaking a foreign language as she began to catch up to him.

"You cling to the humanoid form almost though you are afraid of losing your identity as one of them," Midnight snorted in disgust.

"Well, you didn't change to your natural form." Dawn managed to point out.

"If I did, you wouldn't be able to keep up with me," Midnight proudly boasted. "Besides, your body currently is incapable of even making that shift due to being malnourished by those land destroyer's dietary needs." The man noted that Dawn was limping slightly and stopped. He noticed the discomfort on her face. "Did you fall recently?"

"Yeah, earlier when I was running away and fell down a hill," Dawn answered truthfully. "I didn't want to complain and..."

"Child of Autumn, you should have told me," Midnight walked towards her and knelt at her side. He examined her carefully, poking and prodding the swollen ankle. "Nothing broken, but with it being sprained, it could get worse if you keep walking on it. Hold on a moment..."

Midnight took a few steps back from Dawn as he muttered something under his breath, far too low for Dawn to hear clearly. In seconds, he crouched down, and his body began to shift from man to beast. It was unlike anything in various forms of movie or animation: his eyes flickered from darkened orbs to a light gray as dark fur began to cover his body. His ears elongated along with his lower face and before Dawn knew it, the black-furred creature that she was accustomed to stood before her. Rising to all fours, he walked back towards the girl.

"Climb on top of me," Midnight told her.

"Would I hurt you?" Dawn asked.

"Werewolves in their true forms are stronger," Midnight reassured. "Your weight is nothing compared to a full-grown bear."

"B-bear?" Dawn was astonished. "You hunt for bears too?"

"When needed," Midnight explained while the girl climbed on top of him. "They are growing harder to find though due to the land destroyers driving them further away. We used to hunt them quite often."

Dawn was in awe. She had always wondered what they were like compared to the picture books she had read in the library. "I'd like to see one someday..."

"You'll get your chance when you are old enough to hunt," Midnight promised. "Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight."

Dawn did as the wolf commanded and in seconds, she felt the wind blowing in her face as he bounded off further into the woods. She shut her eyes, feeling the chill and powdery snow flying.

"How far are we going?" Dawn asked the wolf.

"We're going back to the keep, so it's going to take a few hours to get there at this rate," Midnight explained.

"Hours? I don't know if I'll be able to hold onto you that long..." Dawn admitted.

"You'll be surprised at what you are capable of doing, child of Autumn," Midnight told the girl as he leapt over a fallen tree. "You're not like the humans, and you'll see in due time your true value. When we get to the keep, I'll vouch for you to stay, even if it means that I will need to become your guardian. For now, just hold onto me."

Dawn was silent. Had she always been different? She held on tight to Midnight, her eyes opening as she saw the trees and landscape around her blurring by. She saw nocturnal creatures going about their way, some of which were startled by Midnight's approach. The world around her was far different from the one she had grown up in, and for an odd reason, she felt at peace.

_______

Hours later, Midnight began to slow down as Dawn sat up on the wolf's back in confusion. She saw a clearing ahead, and then, she saw wolves approach them out of nowhere. She noticed that there were a couple dozen of them that were wary of her for some odd reason.

"You brought back... a cub?" one of the wolves asked. "She smells faintly of Autumn..."

"That is because she is the daughter of Autumn," Midnight proclaimed. There were shocks of surprise as Dawn slid off Midnight's back.

"Why would you bring her spawn back with you?" another male voice asked in disgust. "You know that the medicine woman said that she would risk our kind being exposed!"

Dawn was confused. What were they saying? Why were they angry about her being here? The voices were raised at each other, some favoring her departure from the village while others siding with Midnight.

"Enough!" A voice boomed loudly, shaking the treetops so much that starlings flew off in fright scattering into the darkness. "It would do no good to take her back to the land destroyers since her existence could endanger us all."

"She's still weak," Midnight told them all. "She is not a threat in her current state, and she cannot even shift to her true form."

"That makes her more of a liability then," a man told Midnight. "A wolf that cannot shift is a hindrance to us and would only make it harder for her to train to become a hunter..."

"That might be true right now, but she still has the potential inside of her to overcome those setbacks," Midnight told the wolf. "It will take time, but there are signs that she is still in touch with them despite her upbringing."

Dawn saw the other wolves staring at her, some in concern while others holding distrust in their eyes. She held onto the black-furred wolf's hide softly, afraid one might tear her away from the man's protection.

"Until we know the child's intentions, it would be best if we trust Midnight's judgement," the same loud voice spoke as a white wolf came out. He was larger than most of them and instantly, all the other wolves' attentions fell upon him as he approached the black wolf and child. "Child of Autumn, your arrival to our den was not expected, especially since you were meant to die when you were only a few days old."

"Why?" Dawn asked the white wolf.

"Fortune, the seer, saw something horrible that surrounded your fate," the leader spoke in a regal tone. "Usually, she is not wrong about it, but your mother Autumn refused to let you die. Instead, she stole away into the night to save your life, but in the process, she perished at the hands of the Raven Skulls..."

"Raven Skulls?" Dawn repeated the name, almost though it were just a silly name the wolves came up with.

"They are a group of assassin wolves that no one had ever laid eyes on and lived to tell the tale. Long ago, their kind was considered a bedtime story that we told our cubs, but the real-life Raven Skulls were not merciful compared to their story counterparts. They are malicious and would hunt you to the ends of these lands. The fact that you stand here before us is a miracle in itself, but you should not let your guard down."

Dawn nodded, yawning.

"You're already tired? You must operate on the human's schedule if you are exhausted," the leader analyzed Dawn. "Midnight, I leave her in your care."

"As you command, Winter," Midnight helped Dawn head towards the den. She hobbled on one foot due to her ankle still aching.

"Why are they keeping their distance?" Dawn questioned while Midnight finally managed to get her inside his den.

"We never had a wolf from the outside, so they are cautious of you right now," Midnight told her. "Don't take it personally, but they'll warm up to you eventually."

"I hope so," Dawn yawned again and laid down.

"I will be here when you wake," Midnight promised as he curled up next to the girl. Her eyes began to fall shut and before she knew it, she was out like a light.

_______

"Winter, we have no idea what the girl's intentions are..."

"Midnight was a fool for bringing her back to the keep..."

"She was better off with the humans..."

"Silence!" Winter bellowed, his gaze falling upon the naysayers of the pack. "Midnight did nothing wrong bring the child of Autumn back; however, she will have to work harder to revert to her true self."

"She was better off dead," one of the women said in a nasty manner. Her fur was a blackish brown color that made her hazel eyes sparkle in the faint light of the fire. She sat next to a Native male who was sharpening the arrow heads to affix to the arrow's shafts.

"She is a mere child, Willow," another wolf, a male answered. His fur was a mix of grey and white. "If she is unable to hunt when she reaches age, then she is better off being raised by the Natives. At least she wouldn't be as big of a disgrace. She could have passed her genes down to a land destroyer..."

"Disgusting..." Willow's nose scrunched. The idea of one of their kind mating with a land destroyer would be taboo. If she had done that, there would be no form of redemption for the cub—she would forever have given up her chance of reuniting with them all.

"Considering their numbers, they would take advantage of her when she finally reaches sexual maturity," the gray-white wolf continued.

"Which is probably the reason why Midnight brought her here," Winter told the group. "Grey, Willow, in the days to come, I want to ensure that the child of Autumn is fully accepted as one of us. Based on her body language, she was acting almost though we were planning to exile her. It would be a sin if we allowed her to leave though, especially since she is still young."

"You only say this because you are hoping that she is an alpha female," a third voice piped up. He was an older wolf with light-grey eyes and black-grey fur. "Alpha females are becoming harder to come by after all, especially after the great famine."

Winter did not need to be reminded. Several wolf cubs died during that period, reducing the chances of alpha females growing to survive to adulthood. They considered alpha females to be a treasure to them, especially since the tribe needs their guidance and inborn abilities.

"Fortune should be able to scry and see if she is one, Ash," Willow pointed out.

"No," Winter told the three wolves. "The child of Autumn will eventually show her true colors the longer she is among her kind. Besides, we could save ourselves the trouble of bothering her after what happened to her son years ago when he was killed outside the keep by a land destroyer. Bargaining with her would only deepen her pain."

"It's not surprising that she's become a recluse ever since her son perished," Ash snorted. "Then again, she has low hopes for her own daughter to succeed her one day since she doesn't have the capability to see into the future."

"What was that girl's name anyway?" Willow asked.

"They just call her Cecilia, considering that she could never see into the future," Gray told them. "Not only that, but she hardly ever talks."

"Enough," Winter reprimanded the trio. "To speak ill of Fortune's daughter may make her frown upon the rest of the tribe. We ought to be more concerned about the child of Autumn right now and see if she is capable of becoming one of us."

Silence filled the den as Winter walked out towards the field where an old large tree stood. It seemed to tower over the wolf as he approached it with his head held high.

'Nirvana, goddess of all, please give us guidance,' Winter prayed beneath the tree's barren branches. The only answer came from the snowflakes that came raining down from the sky.