Maybe it's my wild, long, wavy black hair. Or maybe it was my slight animal-like grin. Or maybe it was that two minutes before, there was a wolf where I stand.

"So what if I am? Whatcha gonna do about it?" I shoot back at the boy. I bare my teeth, preparing for a fight. All my instincts tell me to flee but one part of my mind is telling me to stay. I've never met a human before, and even though he probably wants to kill me, it's fascinating to be near one.

I watch the mysterious boy's demeanor change, from cocky to scared to angry to annoyed. It seems like he doesn't know what to think of me. That's good, so I have more of a chance of getting away if things go awry.

"I'll tell my father about you. Tell him which way you went, so they can track you. You'll have a den somewhere," he says after looking me up and down and apparently deciding I'm no threat. "Or you can come with me willingly. The choice is yours." He smiles at me, strange metal on his teeth glinting in the moonlight.

I weigh my options. On one paw, I could run away and try to throw them off my trail. Although that's risky, because I've been awake and running all day and I don't know how good these human trackers are, and if they're able to follow me I'll put Ma, Luna, and Bracken in danger.

On the other paw, if I go with this boy I may never see Ma and my siblings ever again. They may put me in one of their animal prisons for other humans to gawk at, or just kill me and take me back as a trophy.

Or there's the unspoken option C. Kill the boy and make a run for it. If I do that, I have a much higher chance of throwing off the trackers and making it home safely. But if I do, I'll become a murderer, no better than the humans who kill so many of the forest creatures. And... some small part of me doesn't want to kill him. He's fascinating, and I can't tell if he's good or bad.

He taps his foot impatiently. I've spent too long thinking, and I might pay the price it seems. "Chop chop," he says. "I don't bite."

The shouts of the humans get louder as they follow the clear trail we made to the small clearing we're in, once home to many small critters that seem to have vanished into the night.

"But I do," I growl, lunging at him. I morph into my strong hind legs push me towards him hard, and I slam into him and knock both of us into the bushes a few seconds before the rest of his party finally catches up to us.

The boy opens his mouth, presumably to shout something to them, but I snarl quietly at him and press my leg on his back. I won't have him give away our already fragile hiding spot. It's a miracle they haven't found us.

The low branches of the bush squish uncomfortably against my body, but offer cover as I watch through the small cracks in the leaves as the men look around the clearing. A few of them look a lot like the boy, which isn't surprising since I heard him call one of them his "father". A father sounds kinda like a Pa, so they're probably related.

Speaking of Pas, mine got killed by the hunters. Another reason why I should hate this boy by default. My, those are piling up aren't they? So why don't I?

One of the men tromps dangerously close to our bush. I can smell his feet, and even with the boots muffling the they stink. Who knew humans were so smelly?

Ma would probably sniff out a human a mile away, and she'd be disappointed what I've gotten myself into. Crouched under a bush trynna avoid detection from some amateur hunters. I'll be in even more trouble when I get home. If I ever get home, that is.

I frown. There's no need to think depressing thoughts, right? I'll get home, I'm sure of this. I'm smart, and I could probably either run or convince them not to kill me.

Finally, finally the hunters leave. I stay there and count one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi... all clear.

I start to crawl out of the bush cautiously, wincing at every snap of a twig. Suddenly, I feel something pull my leg. More correctly, someone. I'd completely forgotten I'd hidden the boy with me, and I watched as he crawled out as well.

He dusts dirt off his fancy dress pants. His outfit is a stark contrast to my woven dress, very wild compared to his nice clothing. He glares daggers at me, but it could be for a multitude of reasons...

Option 1, he's mad I dragged him underneath a hush and ruined his clothes. Understandable, though I don't really get it. Humans have weird fashion sense, my family only needs a lovingly crafted outfit.

Option 2, he's mad that I both stopped him from taking me to his party or killing me and didn't let him go to his family. That wasn't completely intentional, in my defense I was (and still am) scared.

Or option 3, he just met a werewolf. Self-explanatory and true. But does he need to be so harsh with me? I mean, I've already proven I'm not gonna kill him on first sight...

But that doesn't matter, does it? The most important thing is getting out of here safe. But I guess for this guy to cooperate, I need to give him a quick explanation. And assure him that I'm still not gonna kill him I guess.

Fangs and Fates, a Wattpad story.

Word count, 983