Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Emily Hansen loved the heat and everything that came along with it. Nothing beat the feeling of warm cement beneath her feet or the smell of sunscreen at the pool. Absolutely nothing.

So naturally, when her father broke the news that they would be moving away from her hometown in Gatlinburg, Tennessee to Forks, Washington, Emily ran away in tears.

She ran and ran until her bare feet met the soft dirt of the woods behind her neighborhood and collapsed. Emily just simply wanted to lay there, surrounded by nature and it's sweet, sweet music. All around her it seemed that the birds began to sing their goodbyes and were soon joined by the chorus of the crickets.

A smile spread itself wide across her long face. Emily would never forget this moment for as long as she lived.

Above her, the sun was beginning to set. It's fading rays shot through the canopy and dappled her face in an array of yellows and oranges. Emily felt the warmth to her bones, reveling in the last light like a reptile on a rock.

In Forks, I will never feel the sun on my skin, she thought somberly. Not like this.

It was only when the sun had hidden behind the horizon that Emily sat up. There were leaves in her hair and dirt between her toes, but she did not mind. She wrapped her thin arms around herself, creating a bit of friction against the cool, summer breeze. If she did not get up now, Emily's father would be forced to come looking for her. Which was the last thing she needed to add to her already expanding pile of misfortune.

Emily gingerly rose to her feet and stretched out her long legs. Her brown eyes scanned the trees before heading in the direction towards home. Emily had visited these woods since she was a little girl, as her dad would always let her tag along on his hunting trips. It was he who introduced Emily to the harsh beauty of the wilderness, and she had loved every bit of it since.

Leaves crunched under her heel as she approached the tree line, but after picking up on a separate set of footsteps behind her, Emily paused mid-stride.

A twig snapped.

Not wanting to startle whatever lurked behind her, Emily carefully turned her chin towards the right shoulder. Her eyes strained and her heart beat fluttered as she saw the beginnings of an ear. Underneath the growing light of the moon, the creature's pelt gleamed of silver.

The breath caught in her throat as she beheld the creature before her.

A relieved smile crept its way across Emily's face.

"Oh, it's you." She breathed, turning fully now.

The doe raised her head to her, its black eyes bright in remembrance. It knew her.

Emily stepped comfortably towards the thin animal, reaching out her hand. The doe mirrored the girl and stepped forward as well, sniffing her outstretched palm.

There was a brief moment when the doe allowed for Emily to stroke her ear in unwavering trust. The girl was just as much a part of the wild as she was, as it could sense it in her blood. It sang to her.

Another twig snapped, but this time it was not a deer. It was something worse, much worse.

The doe's ears instantly rotated in the direction of the guttural growl, it's leg muscles prickling in response. It didn't even stand a chance.

And neither did Emily.

The grizzly bear charged them both, aiming mostly for the doe in the center. Emily hardly had any time to fall back into the brush just as the predator's claws caught the doe's slender form. Emily watched in horror as the doe's legs snapped under the bear's massive weight.

Her eyes pricked with tears as she watched the bear tear the doe's insides apart, blood spilling onto the forest floor. All Emily could do was cover her ears to stop from hearing the doe's desperate screams for help. It was the most horrendous sound she had ever heard. That, and the sound of the bear's teeth gnawing into flesh and bone.

It was a strange and indescribable feeling that washed over Emily as she witnessed the life leave the doe's mouth and disappear into the night. It was like she could feel it's soul leave the doe's body, something Emily thought to impossible. Still, she sat frozen in the brush unwilling to move and be heard from the bear.

The bear's feast seemed to drag on despite Emily's desperate yearning for it to leave. How much meat could a doe possible have for a bear of that size?

It seemed that the gods above heard her silent prayers for the savage beast began to cease its feeding and wander off. The dark mass of thick fur and muscle faded into the tree line as Emily watched and waiting before even attempting to run.

And then she ran like hell.

Emily had crossed a vast amount of terrain in her haste when the horrid sounds of growling could be heard behind her. It seemed she had not waited long enough.

The adrenaline pumping in her system didn't fail her, however, as she kept a safe distance between her and the beast. Just up ahead, Emily could see the beginnings of a road.

A weak cry escaped her panting lips as she neared the asphalt. She was so close she could count the number of steps it took until she reached the other side.

11...10...9...8...7...

A sudden and powerful force swept her feet out from under her. Emily hit the ground with a thud and a cry.

The bear was upon her in seconds. It reared its ugly head back far enough that Emily could see the massive canines that protruded from its mouth. The doe's blood could still be seen matted around its muzzle.

Emily released a blood-curdling cry.

It lunged for her, clamping its jaws onto her waist and it shook Emily with the force of ten men. She could feel the muscle and flesh tearing as teeth met her pelvis. Another inhuman scream ripped through the night as it flung her further into the forest.

Black spotted her vision as she struggled to remain conscious. Thick, black blood oozed from the gash on her side and she knew then that she was going to die if she continued to do nothing. Even if she didn't stand a single chance against the bear, she had to at least try.

Her mind searched for any details her father could have told her about bears throughout their many hunting trips together, until she found what she was looking for.

With a faint but determined grunt, Emily flipped herself onto her stomach and hid her head beneath trembling arms. The motion sent another gush of blood to come spilling out of her, but the adrenaline was still pumping hard.

The bear pounded the earth as it ran to her mangled form, and planted a heavy paw onto her back. Emily stifled a cry as it bent down to sniff the back of her neck, leaving behind big globs of saliva.

She remained deathly still as the bear continued to sniff her, sending its weight harder onto her back. One more push and Emily knew her spine would snap.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Emily awaited the final blow that was to come. Faint prayers could be heard tumbling from her trembling lips as she knew she would join her mother soon.

But the blow never came.

Instead, there was another growl in the distance, and then another. The bear lifted itself off of Emily and roared at the newcomers.

Emily knew who had come before she had opens her eyes to see.

They were wolves, a whole pack of them.

Tears welled in Emily's eyes as she beheld them warding off the bear with their teeth bared. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever witnessed.

Eventually, they charged the bear from the clearing and left Emily alone once again. Blood continued to pool from the gash on her side when a single wolf emerged from the tree line and approached her.

It was clearly the Alpha. Emily could tell from the way it walked towards her with its head held high.

The Alpha's stone grey pelt shimmered beneath the moonlight. It lowered its snout to better smell her and began to lap up the blood from a thin cut that ran across Emily's full lips to her chin.

Emily hadn't noticed the bear's claws anywhere near her face until now. It seemed that even when she was left staring into the jaws of death, Emily's focus was elsewhere.

The Alpha ceased its licking. Emily mumbled a thank you in response, thinking it would rejoin the pack, but instead the Alpha sat back on its haunches and remained on guard.

She thought then that the wolf was her guardian angel, protecting her from harm.

Its ears flicked at any subtle sounds and disturbances that occurred deep in the forest around them. Emily could tell it would not leave her side until help came, as she was unable to move due to the extent of her injuries.

Half of her face was still pressed against the dirt as she hummed the words, "M-my angel."

The Alpha seemed to understand her as it whined in response, meeting her gaze. There was something vaguely familiar about its amber eyes that Emily could not place. It made her feel safe.

In the distance, several footsteps could be heard approaching the clearing. The wolf instantly snapped its nose in the direction of the noise, but when there was a distinct male voice calling out Emily's name, the wolf got to its feet and ran.

"Emily!" The voice bellowed, "Where are you?"

Emily attempted to respond, but it was in vain. The only noise that left her mouth was an ugly, gurgling sound. It seemed that only the wolf could understand her speech, after all.

There was a pause in the footsteps as Emily's father reached the clearing where she lay unmoving on the forest floor. A gasp left his lips as she ran to her, crouching to better see his daughter's face.

His eyes met hers in an instant.

"Oh my god." He cried out, caressing her cheek. "Help is on the way, don't you worry baby."

Tears spilled over the rim of his tired eyes and all Emily could do was half smile back.

Sirens were heard approaching in the distance, and the look of pure fear in her father's eyes was the last thing Emily saw before her whole world turned to ash.

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