Gazing upon the large glassy pond, I knew the risk was worth it.

The water was still and perfect; waiting to be kissed by the sun's rays of the early morning.  Small flashes of light reflected off the ripples of water as small minnows swam to the surface to snatch the bugs that had gotten caught by flying too close to the swirling green depths.   Soft, luscious grass cushioned my weight as my hind settled into the ground and I adjusted some weight off my front paws; my worked muscles relaxing with every passing moment.  An eager breath pushed past my muzzle as the cool wind rustled through my fur, like a snake winding through thick grass. Lifting my nose into the air, the cold, brisk air and dew of the early morning invaded my lungs; a scent which I had longed to smell so strongly around me.   My appreciative gaze was drawn to the sky, where cirrus clouds wisped across the sunrise-coloured background like an artist had painted them.

From my vantage point on the top of the large hill, I had a clear view of the vast amount of unexplored land below that was full of dense vegetation and small pools of water.  Tree's branches rocked slowly in the wind as their leaves swayed and ruffled in the slight breeze.  Small birds flew from branch to branch and above the treetops, soaring to their heart's content while singing their joyful tunes. Watching them never seized to amaze me as they dived, twirled, and looped through the air, missing branches by inches as they enjoyed the undisturbed environment while it lasted.  Just as I was.

Eerie Pond was the closest to my spot, which was too big to be considered a pond but much too small for a lake.  It was the perfect size for small children from the village to learn to how to catch the trout and pickerel that swam hidden beneath the surface.   I believe it had gotten its name from how green the water was compared to the other sparkling blue ponds surrounding it.   The colour gave it a mysterious complexion, making everyone wonder how deep the pool really was and what was lurking in its depths.

Everything about this place was breath taking as my eyes took in the rare site of the land from East Point View.  My eyes drooped closed as I absorbed my serene surroundings while my body cooled off from the hard run here.   It was worth it.  Sitting at the very top of a quite large hill, I had an eagle eye's view on everything around me.

I felt careless.

I felt free.

Not only was the scenery around me soothing, but I had a sense of security as the nearest thick tree line was a few hundred meters to the left of me.  The line of vegetation provided an out for me if something were ever to happen which gave me a sense of security atop of a hill where I could be easily spotted.  Another bonus, I was only divided from the forest by a fast-flowing, deep, five meter wide creek that I could easily clear and the humans could not without the help of a horse.

My ears pricked backwards as the unsettling sound of panting drew closer.  Quiet thudding of paws hitting the earth in a sprint told me someone was coming.  With my enhanced senses, I could feel the ground barely shake, getting more and more jostling as they closed the distance between us. I relaxed again though, for it was only another wolf.  More so, my sister, Accalia who I'd known since I was little and is now the same age as myself.  Heavy, rasping pants disturbed the quiet atmosphere around me and a tinge of annoyance flitted through me.  Lazily, I swung my head around to peer at Accalia, who had collapsed on the ground in a heap of light blonde and soft golden fur; a colour not usually natural for a wolf.  She exhaustingly looked at me with chocolaty brown eyes with hints of sparkling gold as she lay her head between her spread front paws.

'Didn't you hear me telling you to slow down? You know I can't run as fast as you,' Accalia thought through our pack mind link while an irritated grumble rumbled through her mouth.  Although her statement was serious, a hint of playfulness hung onto her thoughts.  A distorted chortle rumbled from my throat which was supposed to be a laugh as I showed my teeth in a grin.  Well, as much of a grin you can get from a wolf.

'I know, but I didn't want to miss this,' I thought excitedly.  As if on cue, a glow of bright yellow and orange pierced the horizon, glazing everything in its path a dazzling bright yellow.  Ever so slowly, a line of light from the sun's rays appeared and crawled towards my position.  I forced yelps of excitement to settle as I eagerly awaited it to shine on my long, pure white fur.   There was no need for me to accidentally cut off this moment because of a bark escaping and alarming the humans of our presence.  It was so exhilarating just thinking about the feel of warmth the sun radiated on my vulnerable position on this hill.  Never had I been this out in the open for the sun to engulf my body in its care. 

Now, I was finally going to experience it.

Laying down, I placed my head between my paws, gazing longingly at the line of light moving slowly, ever so slowly up the hill towards me.   A dull ache formed in my chest from how anxious I was becoming.  An urgent whine slipped from my throat as I suddenly pushed to my feet and pawed at the ground as if I could pull the sun closer.   It was getting so close.

'Dawn, I really think we should go back to the Den before the sun gets here.   The humans will be up soon and starting their patrols,' Accalia whined, noticeably fearful of our situation yet her argument lacked conviction.   Seeing the beam of light a mere ten meters away, I tried to ignore her.  I could feel the warmth radiating from the source.  I lied down again, my belly comforted by the soft soil underneath me as I hung my head low to my paws, trying to reach the warmth faster.  I could just run to it to speed up the process, but I wanted to feel the tension in my body slowly be released as the heat worked its way up my body.  Slightly giving into the excitement, I allowed myself to pull my body a few inches forward, silently urging the sun to hurry up.  'Dawn... Father is going to be extremely mad if he finds out about this! We should be in the forest by now protected by the tr-' The ground twitched slightly underneath me as she stood beside my lying form staring at the beam of yellow which was only a couple meters away. 'It is so beautiful...' She trailed off, completely infatuated as I was.

Dazed by what I was about to experience, I ignored her babbling.   The inviting line of light crept forward even slower now, tempting me to jump into it.  I could picture myself basking in the heat, rolling onto my back and wriggling in the warmth of the sun atop this hill Father said to never go to.   I could lay here for hours watching my surroundings and observing the birds in their aerial acts as they whistled their tunes of love and happiness to each other. I could experience all of it...

Only a few more feet to go...

Hairs on my neck suddenly pricked sending shivers down my spine.   Instincts took over as I shot to my feet and whipped to face South in the direction of Avalin Valley.  Ears perked, I strained my hearing as much as I could, knowing I had heard the distinctive sound.  The sound coming from the direction of the human's large village.  Adrenaline crept into my system, tensing every muscle in my body, ready to bolt and leave behind the sun that was so close.  Using all my senses, I hastily scanned the flat area for what I knew I had heard.  Random bunches of bushes and trees that enclosed Avalin Valley for kilometres around shifted nonchalantly in the wind, seeming to not have any danger hidden within their limbs.  Switching my eyes to analyze the village in the distance, no sign of movement greeted me which meant it was still a little early for the people to wake.  Focusing on my ears, nothing out of the blue came to my notice other than the gleeful bird's songs, leaves rustling and the breeze whirling around making blades of grass shimmer in the sunlight.  The ground beneath my paws remained still and no different smells reached my nose which slightly calmed my tensed nerves.

Warmth touched my paws first, shocking me from my distressed state which forced me to look down. My heart fluttered by the way my fur seemed to shine in the sunlight as it kissed the white strands, swathing my feet with heat.  I could feel the hotness of the light sinking through my fur and into my skin.   Transfixed, I watched as the sunlight slowly edged up my legs, glazing every strand with a pure, blinding light.   Noticing how easily distracted I was by the warmth seeping into my body, I shook my wolf head and snapped my gaze back in the direction of Avalin Valley.

I needed to concentrate.

'Oh Dawn, it is so wonderful and warm! I've forgotten how good it feels without trees covering most of-'

'Be quiet Accalia,' I snapped, fur grazing my tongue as I nipped her hind leg quickly earning a startled yelp from her.  Veering my attention back to the village, Accalia noticed my uneasiness and followed my stare until she whined frighteningly as her eyes landed on Avalin Valley a few kilometers away from our position on East Point View.

Straining every sense I could muster, an abrupt surge of horror flooded my system making my blood run cold.   This wasn't happening. My will to see and feel the sunrise has gone terribly wrong.

It seemed as if Accalia had heard it too.  She noticeably stiffened beside me, pressing her side into me as hushed, terrified mewls echoed from her throat.

Angry barks resonated from the direction of the village, closer than they should have been.  Except it wasn't just any type of dog that made my back crawl with fear.   Our pack could decipher that sound from hundreds of other types of dogs.

Blood hounds.

With those flappy-skinned mutts tracking us down, that usually meant the humans on patrol weren't far behind with their horses.  Yet humans don't commonly use blood hounds as hunting dogs, they prefer Irish Setters or Labradors which are more graceful and silent when trekking through bush.  A feeling in the pit of my stomach told me this wasn't any ordinary group of patrol that checked the border of the village for danger.

These were hunters.

Charm wolf hunters.

'Accalia, you are going to turn to mist and go back to the Den.  Do not shift back into your wolf no matter what!  The hunters nor blood hounds can track you if you stay in mist form.  Do not worry about me and do not come after me, now go!' I urged, nudging her in the direction of the tree line a couple hundred meters away.   Accalia's scared and confused chocolate brown eyes met my own fearful, yet unwavering ones as she silently believed this wasn't happening.  Yet my mind was as confused as she was.  How did they know we were here?  My scent was hidden and we came from the opposite direction from the village so no tracks were nearby the village's area.

Determined to stay with me, her mind once again touched my own, 'Dawn I refuse to leave you to the hunters.  They will skin you for your beautiful pelt and pierce your body on a spike at the edge of the forest for us to see.  I can't bare losing you Dawn, you are my sister.  I refuse to have the same fate befall you as... Tala.' Her eyes pleaded with my own, the strong emotion of fear holding down my body as she transferred her emotion into me.  But most of all, I could feel her undying love she felt for me behind all of the terror.  Her golden fur shone as the rest of the sun encased our bodies; my fondness for Accalia growing as she stood determined in front of me.  She was very brave for wanting to stay and that was one thing I loved about her.  She'd give up her own well-being in order to save another's.  It was a very admirable part of her, except I could go without her stubbornness that seemed to follow this bravery.

Although every cell in my body wanted her beside me, I refused to have her in such a dangerous position.   The pack could make more half breeds like myself, but it is more difficult to make a real Charm wolf like my whole family.  There is only one way in order to make another Charm wolf and that is by a Charm wolf marking another wolf that is normal.   Once Charm is in the wolf from the mark, the normal wolf and Charm wolf must then mate and the normal wolf will fully develop into a Charm wolf. The offspring also will be a Charm wolf.

I on the other hand, was created by each member of the pack biting the flesh between my left shoulder and neck.  Also known as marking.  The more Charm Wolves that mark you, the more mind links you acquire to each one and the stronger pull you have towards Charm Wolves in general.   With so much of their Charm in my body, it easily ran through my fragile state as a baby, instantly causing my body to shift into a Charm wolf pup.   Ever since then, I'd been able to shift back and forth between human and wolf, but never acquired their ability to shift into mist.   I did however, gain their ability to hide my scent.  While Charm Wolves don't naturally have a scent, because I was born human, I will always have an odor that will follow me unless I cover it.

One last thing that changed about me when I was marked, were my eyes. My eyes used to be a dullish blue, but became tremendously more vibrant, detailed and a different colour all together. My pack had been astonished by my new eye colour and often expressed their opinion on them by saying how purifying, emotional, and soothing they were to observe. It surprised me when I had shifted into my human when I was a bit older and seen my reflection. I shockingly remember seeing two dazzling silver eyes staring right back at me through the water. I was fascinated of how beautiful they were since they seemed to swirl with so many secrets, like the shining moon hanging in the dark, starry night. They were so lively and unique it seemed unbelievable I had acquired them by the pack marking me as one of their own. To this day I am still perplexed at the odd colour, but could spend hours watching the sparkling silver orbs that gazed back at me through water. The pack also didn't help my confusion of the oddly colour because they had never marked a huma-

Malicious snarling and bone chilling howls cut my thoughts short as I saw in the distance a small group of blood hounds break through the treeline and make their way towards us.   Each one of their long bounds across the ground sent terror trickling into my system as we still hadn't moved from the top of the hill.  It was clear they had spotted us seeing their paces pick up significantly.   Branches snapped in the exact place the dogs had come from as six mustangs burst from the brush whinnying loudly while galloping towards us with six riders on their backs.  I couldn't help but notice the one, glistening, pitch black horse galloping further ahead of the other hunters with its rider moving in sync with the horse's muscular physique.  Determined billows of air exhaled from the horse's nose as it pushed itself across the lush green grass, towards our paralyzed positions on East Point View.  This horse and rider stood out against the other brown, gold and multicolored horses charging a small distance behind it.  The mysterious rider on its back seemed like the leader and most set on killing us.  Excited shouts filled my ears as the rider pointed frantically at us before the men out broke into a series of whoops and hollers at their find.  My body finally waking up from its paralyzed state, I quickly turned and pushed Accalia forcefully in the direction of the Charmed Forest; a name acquired from when the humans first spotted my family turn to mist on the outskirts of their town while scouting for prey to eat.

'Accalia, I know you want to stay but this is about your safety, not mine.  I got us into this stupid mess and I will get us out.  I'll keep my scent covered and head towards Hollow Falls straight North from here.   I will be able to hide there until they leave and then I will make my way to the Den after a few hours.' I thought desperately, needing her to shift quickly and be safe. 'If for whatever reason I am not home by nightfall, do not come to find me since it may put you and others in danger.'

Her wolfy brown eyes watched me as she trembled uncontrollably, searching for any sign that I may change my mind. 'I cannot promise that, but I will wait until the sun has almost set. I will tell the pack you went out for an early run and I got too tired to join you. You were also going to spend the day by the ocean on the West Coast.'

'Thank you, Accalia. Now hurry, they are drawing too near for comfort,' I pressed, wanting nothing more than for her to listen to my orders and head to the safe confinements of home.

'They are already too close!' She reckoned after throwing a frightened look over her shoulder at the sprinting dogs and charging horses not too far away.

With my teeth gleaming in the broadening sun in the attempt of a smile, I answered, accepting my own challenge of escaping the blood hounds and hunters.

'I will run.'

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New story! 

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