“Do you have a problem?” He growled.

“Besides the fact that you just ruined my hunt?” Alren snarled, shaking out her black pelt. 

“That was my rabbit.” He replied.

“I had it first!” Alren shrieked.

“Says who?” The mysterious wolf snarled.

“Me.” Alren growled.

“Really?” The wolf asked tauntingly.

“How dare you?” Alren shrieked. She lunged at the wolf, but he easily dodged and slammed her into the ground. 

“Hey, you’re pretty funny. Now show me what you’ve got.” The wolf barked. Alren charged towards him and bit into his ear. It ripped right down, so he raked his claws down her ear. They sliced two neat lines in her left ear. She whimpered and leapt back. 

“You can have it then. It’s gone anyway.” Alren said as she stalked off. 

She heard paw prints behind her and she whirled around. “What do you want?” She screeched with such fury that the wolf shrank back a little. He tossed a rabbit at her paws. She stared at him in astonishment.

“For you.” He barked.

“Er, thanks.” Alren replied. She picked it up and continued to her cave. He followed her, so she decided to test something. She ran to her cave and went inside. She turned around and the wolf was gone. Alren sighed in relief and started to turn when she saw a flash of silver. The wolf padded out of the undergrowth and smiled at her. “Are you following me?” she asked.

“Maybe.” He replied menacingly. Alren rolled her eyes and curled up in the corner of her cave. She quickly ate the rabbit and rested her head on the ground. She felt fur brush against hers and heard the other wolf curl up by her. She sighed and drifted off to sleep.

When she woke she saw the mysterious wolf still curled up, asleep. She prodded him with one paw. He woke, startled and jumped to his feet. When he looked around and only saw Alren, he relaxed.

“What are you doing, sleeping in my cave?” Alren asked.

“Dunno.” The wolf shrugged. 

“What’s your name?” She asked.

“Zane. Yours?” Zane asked.

“Alren.” Alren replied.

“Alren... What are you doing here?” Asked Zane.

“It’s where I live. And if you’re planning on staying, you’re going to have to hunt for yourself.” Alren told Zane.

“I’m perfectly capable of doing that. And does that mean I can stay?” Zane asked, his eyes gleaming.

Alren nodded and stalked off. 

She sniffed the air. Trees, ferns, and... Raccoon! Oh, that’d make a tasty meal, Alren thought. She tracked it down by scent and saw it. It was on the ground, nibbling on a nut. Alren dropped into a crouch and crept forward. She pounced, but, like yesterday, got a mouthful of silver fur. She lay on the ground, stunned for a while. Then she jumped up and spun around.

“Zane!” She barked.

“I had it!” Zane growled.

“Why do you have to keep trying to kill my prey?” She asked.

“It’s not my fault!” Zane mumbled as he stalked away. 

Alren ended up catching two mice, and a squirrel. She got back to her cave and gulped down her food. Zane got back with the raccoon they had seen earlier and ate that. 

A few months went by, and Zane had become Alren’s best friend. More than friends. They were in love. 

Alren got home with a nice big fat juicy hare and dropped it on the ground. Zane shared it with her, and they wolfed it down. Alren saw that Zane had a small piece of meat of the side of his mouth and licked it off. She laughed and lay down. Soon it would be winter, and they would have to be prepared. Zane licked Alren between the ears and lay down next to her. Suddenly there was thumping on the ground. Alren and Zane shot up at the same time and looked toward the entrance. It was a bear.

The bear stormed into the cave and cornered Alren. She lunged at it, but when she was in mid air, it slammed her down with it’s monster of a paw. The whimpered and wheezed, as all of the air was forced out of her. Zane jumped on it’s back and ripped with his teeth and claws. The bear whirled around, throwing Zane off it’s back. It reared up and stood on two paws. Then it’s front paws slammed down on Zane’s side, crushing his ribs. Killing him. Alren got up, and realized that there was six sharp bones were sticking out of her skin, three on her neck, three on her rump. There was blood on her shoulder from where the bone had been crushed. She had blood streaming from her cheeks, and the scars on her ear started to sting. 

She screeched and charged towards the bear. She ripped one of it’s eyes out and raked her claws down it’s spine. It howled in pain and started to run away. Alren sprang onto its chest and ripped at it. Eventually she got deep enough and ripped out it’s heart, avenging her mate. It fell onto the ground with a huge thump. Alren stood over the bear and howled in triumph. Then she spun around and ran to Zane. He was limp. She nuzzled his cheek and licked between his ear before curling up by him and falling asleep. She stayed like that for weeks, but eventually she needed food. She limped weakly out of the cave.

She ended up catching twelve small mice. She gobbled them up then lay by Zane’s dead body. She went back to sleep and stayed like that for a few more weeks. Zane’s skin was all nearly gone, and he was basically just a skeleton. She got up and hunted again and got about the same amount as last time. She ate it and then ripped Zane’s skull off. She ripped the jaw off and put it on her head. 

She stayed like that forever, six bones sticking out of her skin, and the skull on her head. Somehow the skull formed on her head, and she can no longer get it off. The skull also formed around her eyes, so now it looks like she was born with it. The has the permanent markings of blood down her cheeks, so there is blood coming from under the skull. She still has a crushed shoulder with blood coming from it, so she limps her way around. Alren is rarely seen, and often shy’s away. Then one girl came along...