Chapter 1

We live on a deserted island. Well, no one else lives there but the other animals and us. There are 36 of us all, including Gloria, who is my best friend, and myself. Our “family”, as humans would call it, is tightly knit, and even though we fight a lot, we all still love each other. “Family” isn’t really an accurate word because of the fact that we mate and become lovers with others in this family. Our family is what we would call a pack. We have ranks, mates (as I have stated before), and our own way of life. We know nothing of the outside world beyond the limits of our island, and if anyone else is out there, they know nothing of us.

The leaders of our pack are extremely generous, and have excepted all of us into their lives. Their names are Astra and Alaric. Alaric is what we call the Alpha Male, Astra being the Alpha Female. They are not my blood parents, but I love them just the same.

None of us know our real families. Truth is, we don’t even know where we came from. Calypso and Alden, the elders of our pack, tell us great stories of how all of us, one at a time, appeared on the island. Of course, they don’t know their own origins because they were the first of our kind to live here. They also had no memory of past lives elsewhere.

Calypso and Alden describe our arrivals as miracles from the great Moon Goddess. They tell us how we all, at different points in time, arose in the oddest fashions, my own being found in a tree, lying on a branch. Gloria was washed up from the beach, her jaws full of the warm sand. The oddest of us all was finding Blayne in the corpse of an animal, his front paws sticking out. Alaric almost ate him because he was hidden so well! Of course, I wasn’t here for that moment in history. Blayne is the fourth oldest of the males (not counting Alden and Alaric). I am the sixth youngest of the females, Blythe being the youngest and Lorcan the youngest male.

During this time, I have been slowly introducing you to my pack, my “family”. I love them all dearly, but there is a group that I am so harassed by, it makes me want to tear out my fur. The Predators. They roam the island, only listening to a word Alaric or Astra says on rare occasions. They consist of Rajan, Eagan, Vera, Nuri, Maro, and Makani.

Rajan and Eagan often fight because they both want to be leader of the Predators. Eagan is older, but Rajan is stronger, immediately putting him up for chief position. Vera happens to be the only girl in the Predators and believe me; you do not want to mess with her. The comedian, Nuri, is actually a nice guy. Always funny and cheerful, he is ready to make anyone happy any time of the day. How he ended up in the Predators, I’ll never know. The Adonis of the group is Maro, who likes nothing more than staring in the crystal clear waters of a lake and gazing upon his reflection. He only thinks of himself and never lifts a paw to help. And then there’s Makani. Makani is the second fastest on the whole island, myself being the first. He is kind, but usually gets bullied by older members of the Predators.

Well, that’s not all of my family. There’s Ada, Astra, Blythe, Calypso, Dawn, Edana, Gloria, Gypsy, Juliet and Jiana (the twins), Kalani, Mahina, Rui, Starla, Vera, Zaida, Zarina, and of course myself. And that’s only the females! The males include Adolph, Alaric, Alden, Blayne, Casimir, Eagan, Hadrien, Kade and Kai (the other twins), Lorcan, Makani, Maro, Nuri, Rajan, Ravi, Rinji, Soren, and finally Xiomar. If the math volume I found in the Shack has taught me correctly, that is 32 of us.

The Shack is our source of knowledge from the outside world. One day, as the elders explain it, Alaric was hunting in the woods when he came upon a small, four-walled structure. There was an opening on one wall that was covered by a thick sheet. Pushing past it, Alaric discovered a treasure trove of goods, complete with everything from volumes (which are also called “books” to special, metallic objects. Seeing this as an omen, Alaric banned anyone from ever entering the Shack, even though I go there to learn. The only thing he allowed to be taken out of the Shack was a lot of white, cotton materials, dresses and pairs of pants with shirts. We wear the clothing on a daily basis, even though we don’t need them. The Shack has been my savior, really. I even learned how to read something called Latin and another called English. I suppose English and Latin are ancient speaking languages, because the volume always wants me to speak to myself.

The “books” have taught me many things, from subjects called “Math” to others called “Chemistry”. There are other subjects that I like; for once I found a volume titled in English “World History”. Many things have happened in past times, my personal favorite event in history being the one with a human called Christopher Columbus. He had done a feat beyond my imagination: get into an object called a “ship” and ride it over the ocean. Though I can swim for lengthy periods of time, I cannot imagine such actions as to float on top of the waters in an object!

Everyone on the island is afraid of information, as I think to myself. They are terrified to the bone of things that can be learned, while I am attracted to them. Even though Mahina and Rinji are the island’s researchers, they are even afraid of the information I possess deep within my skull. No one on this island knows how I feel, not even Gloria.

On our island, the waters are warm, the sun sizzling, and the forests thick. We have three mountains total, nine immense lakes, seven extensive rivers, and one majestic waterfall. Though we seem unorganized, we all have certain territories, if you will, which we live by ourselves or with a mate. My own territory is on the mountain, only a mere eight yards from the highest lake, which overflows into the beautiful waterfall. Gloria only dens seven miles down to flat ground in a cave carved into a different mountainside. I sleep in an old, hollowed out fox den that was dug underneath a fallen oak tree.

The island, our island, just doesn’t feel right to me anymore. I often find myself on top of the mountain, breathing in the pressurized air (which I learned about in a “Science” volume) and staring off into the vast ocean. Gloria usually finds me there and tries to get me down, but I can’t stop thinking…I can’t stop believing that there is another place out there, maybe even others like us.

What happens if there are other creatures on this Earth besides the animals and ourselves? What about humans? Astra and Alaric always tell us that humans were never real, and never shall be real unless the great Moon Goddess chooses otherwise. Calypso and Alden say different. They believe humans have existed and still live on somewhere in the world, knowing nothing of our existence beyond a few copies of old volumes that nobody comprehends.

No one knows of our existence. No one knows I’m alive. No one knows Skye, the werewolf who lives upon an island in the warm waters of what is called the Caribbean Sea. No one shall ever know that I subsist, that I live, that I breathe the same air they do. No one besides my pack mates…

“Skye? Are you up here?” a voice called out through the air to me. I smelled Gloria’s scent rise up above the odors of the surrounding creatures. She sat down next to me, the noise of her white dress rustling with the slight breeze. She lay her head on my shoulder comfortingly. Gloria rubbed the top of her head against my jawbone, showing affection in wolf body language. “Do you wish to go swimming?”

“No. Nothing shall cause my sorrow to fade,” I replied to her, my eyes staying straight ahead.

“What about hunting the rodents?” Gloria asked.

“Nevermore may I be good at hunting small rodents with this eerie depression.”

“Not even racing shall destroy your misery?”

That made a smile cross my lips.

“You dare challenge me to a race?” I chuckled, pushing her head off of my shoulder.

“Only if you dare to accept,” Gloria teased. She knew she couldn’t defeat me in a battle of agility.

“I dare,” I remarked as I pushed her arms so that she would tumble over. This way, I had a head start if she even tried cheating. Racing down the mountain always felt good, no matter how bad I felt. I transferred my path so that I was now running in the shallow river. My ears picked up the roaring sound of the waterfall. Good. I needed an adrenaline rush.

Picking up my speed, I got to the waterfall edge faster than usual. I skidded to a halt to look behind me. Gloria was just entering the river now. I smiled as I saw her fingers melt into paws, her hair shorten the slightest bit and turn a grayish color, and her eyes turn yellow.

“That’s not honest!” I shouted at her. “We must stay in this form for racing!”

Gloria didn’t answer me as she got closer and closer, her jaws spread wide, exposing her white fangs into a smile. I turned back towards the cascading water and jumped. My body flew through the air like a sparrow as I dove straight down to the lake far below. There was hardly a splash as I hit the water calmly. I surfaced quickly as I looked behind me again. Gloria didn’t take risks like I did. She sat at the top of the waterfall, looking down.

“You afraid?” I asked her from the lake. She didn’t answer again, but turned around to go down the mountain. I laughed and swam out of the lake. Shaking like a wet canine, I ran towards Waning Beach. Through the forests my feet pushed me through, the sweet music of the birds filling my ears.

I dodged trees and rocks quickly, not stopping to look behind me. Gloria was most likely down the mountain now. I could still beat her even if she was three yards behind me. My eyes reached the place where grass turned into sand. I pumped my legs harder, my body cutting through the air swifter. The ground level changed as I ran onto the sand and terminated dashing short of the water.

Calmly, I sat down on a large rock that jutted out from the shore and over the water, waiting for Gloria. She would eventually arrive. Looking around, I noticed that I wasn’t alone. To my right, on another rock that hung over the sea, was Hadrien. He stared into space, like he always did.

“Good day, Hadrien!” I shouted to him. He slowly turned his head to me. “How are you?”

“Fine…” he replied. Hadrien gazed at me for a while before standing up, his dark hair covering his eyes slightly. “I must leave now. Goodbye.” Within a blink of an eye, he was already in the forest. I sighed. Hadrien was the quiet male. He never questioned anyone, nor did he ever talk in long sentences. I’ve never seen him smile in my life…and I’ve been here longer than he has. I guess he just didn’t like others…well, except for Gypsy. The Moon Goddess matched up those two.

Gypsy was so lonely. She never spoke at all, unless she was approached with a direct question. The only time she smiles is when Hadrien is near her. Once while hunting a she-bear, Gypsy got clawed in the back. Hadrien loyally lay next to her and licked her wounds until she healed (which only takes us werewolves between a few moments to a few days, depending on the size and type of wound). Ever since, Gypsy has always been happier around him.

“Skye!” Gloria’s voice yelled through the trees, shattering my thoughts. I looked to see her back in her original form, running towards me. She had found her clothing again, for the long dress flowed with the wind. Her long legs pumped through the air faster, but it wouldn’t help a thing. I had already won. Stopping next to me on the rock, she let her body fall to the ground. She sighed and closed her eyes. “Am I getting slower, or are you getting swifter by the day?”

“Could be both,” I laughed.

“Are you happy now?”

“Sort of. I’m better than I was. Thank you, Gloria.”

“Of course!” Gloria smiled. “What do you wish to do now?”

“Relax…” I fell next to her and closed my own eyes.

“So the great Skye is tired?” Gloria taunted.

“Never!” I sat straight up and opened my eyes. Gloria, having her own eyes unclosed, looked at me with disbelieving eyes. “You want me to prove it?”

“No…we’ve had enough experiences for today,” my best friend laughed. I sat back down next to her. “Don’t you agree?”

“A little. We need more excitement!”

“No we don’t! We’ve had enough!”

“You don’t take any risks…”

“That’s because I’m brilliant. You’re just idiotic!” Gloria teased. I scowled and pushed her. She pushed back, laughing again. This time, I pushed her with enough force to toss her into the sea. She quickly surfaced and smiled up at me.

“Am I still idiotic?” I asked.

“Only a little!” she replied.

Suddenly, a low, monotonous sound caught our attention. The deep, baritone voice called to us. We both closed our eyes, taking in the sound as if we were hungry plants absorbing nutrients. It was Alaric howling. The secret message encoded in the beautiful sound was meant for all of us. He wanted all to meet, no matter what he or she was doing.

“Hurry! Alaric wants us!” I exclaimed. I grabbed Gloria’s hand and pulled her out of the water. She nodded in agreement as I took off running towards the center of the island…where the clearing was located. Glancing back to make sure my friend was coming, I wondered about what they needed. Were we going hunting? Was it a meeting? Was there information we needed to access? Gloria turned into her wolf form, the gray fur glowing warmly off of the mid-day sun. I would most likely be the first there; the only exceptions being fellow wolves that were closer to the Alphas.

Dodging the plant life, I made it to the large clearing in the middle of the forest. I looked to the sky, remembering that the tops of the trees blocked out the sunlight. This was the meeting area where everyone met. I climbed into my favorite tree and lay on the branch, waiting for the others. To my predictions, I was the first one there. Looking at the wood, memories filled my mind. This is where I was found. This was my “birth place”.

A yipping noise caught my attention. I looked to the north side of the clearing to see Eagan biting and yanking on Adolph’s tail. Sighing, I closed my eyes and focused. Quickly, my fingers melted together, creating a wolf paw. My teeth I held in my normal mouth transformed into sharp fangs twice as durable as diamonds. White fur spread out on my body, warming me instantly.

Swiftly, I jumped down from my position and began to walk towards Eagan and Adolph. “Leave him alone,” I growled in the canine language. There was no other language to my pack mates, only the words of the wildlife. Eagan let go of Adolph’s tail. As soon as he was free, Adolph ran towards the other side of the clearing, near my tree, where he quietly sat by the trunk. His soft, brown fur wasn’t as tough as most wolves, but he still managed to survive.

“Why should I heed to a word you say?” Eagan challenged, his sharp fangs positioned into a snarl. Eagan was one of the biggest wolves I’ve ever known. He stood another head higher than me, his yellow eyes glaring down at me. His black fur had splotches of rusty red thrown onto it like bloodstains after a gory war.

“Because I’m more clever than you shall ever be,” I snarled.

“And where is that proof?”

Before I could mutter an answer, a loud, whooping noise came from behind Eagan. Nuri and Rajan padded out of the forest, both laughing in their wolf forms. Eagan silently growled under his breath when Rajan came next to him. On the outside, they put up a mask of enjoying each other. On the inside, in their hearts, they despised one another. Rajan and Eagan both want to be the Alpha of the Predators, which would give them a higher chance of being an Alpha when Alaric and Astra leave us.

Nuri’s eyes twinkled at the sight of me. He had been harboring a secret fascination with me ever since I had arrived on the island. His beautiful mixed coat of red and gray only made me more attracted to him. But I only enjoyed him as a friend, and nothing more.

Rajan had deep, red fur that made him seem covered in blood. His forceful, red eyes were impossible to ignore. Wolves hate to make eye contact, even if it is with other pack mates. Rajan is the only other wolf besides me who likes to gaze in someone’s eyes. He looked down at me; he was also taller than I was. Though Rajan was almost always evil, deep down, he had a kind heart.

“Leave them alone, Eagan,” he snarled quietly. “Alaric and Astra would be on our tails if they knew you were picking on little pups.”

“I’m not a pup…” I whimpered softly as I turned and padded back to my tree. I hopped back up into it, noticing that everyone was slowly coming to the clearing. Ada and Edana were chatting together, both being followed closely by the future evil pack member, Dawn. After them, Gypsy came, and shortly after her was Hadrien.

The rest of the Predators followed up, Vera bragging to Maro and Makani that she once killed a shark and devoured it. Gloria was next. She jumped into my tree with me, sitting silently in her gray fur. The rest of the pack members all came in a flood. Zaida, Starla, and Zarina walking side-by-side, Xiomar, Soren, and Blayne wrestling on the grassy ground, and Mahina and Rinji avoiding them and talking about new research.

Finally, Ravi, Kade and Kai, Casimir, Rui, Juliet and Jiana, Lorcan, Kalani, and Blythe emerged from the trees. They all looked tired. Anyone with eyes in his or her skulls would have known that this group finished a wresting match.

The talking that was happening between all of us stopped all together as Alden and Calypso slowly walked in from the western side of the clearing, both in wolf forms. They silently stood and waited for the Alphas. Not even moments later, Alaric and Astra appeared from the dark forest. Every single one of us lowered our heads in respect (except for the Predators, who remained silent), waiting for Alaric to tell us to look at him.

“Thank you. You may relax now,” his deep voice told us. We all gazed at him, most with admiring eyes, others with despising glares. His beautiful dark brown coat blended in with the surrounding darkness of the forest. “First, please change out of your canine forms. We don’t want wrestling matches breaking out again.”

Everyone slowly transformed into his or her original forms, most of us not wearing the clothing. We would find them again after the meeting. My sunshine colored hair lit up the area, the darkness seething away in pain with seeing the light. Beside me, Gloria dangled her legs off of the branch, one finger twisting her long, brown hair with eagerness.

“Thank you,” Astra remarked.

“Yes. Now, today during our regular searches, we found five carcasses of hoofed creatures…” Alaric’s eyes narrowed. A slight breeze blew in from the sea, causing his dark brown hair to blow back slightly. “You all know hunting without the pack is against the laws of the Moon Goddess. Even though hunting without the pack is wicked, wasting the meat is worse. The Moon Goddess gave us these forms, and we must show thanks by using everything she has created, which means devouring everything but certain parts of the prey. Admit to your crime now, and you will not be punished for your actions.”

Everyone looked around. Not a soul opened his or her mouth.

“This is your final warning. Admit to it now, and you will not be punished,” Alaric repeated. Still, there was no sound except for the noises of fellow animals from the forest. “Rajan, step forward, please.”

All of us looked at the Predators with loathing eyes. It was an insult to the pack when one wolf, or a small group, hunted without permission from the Alpha and the rest of the pack. It was an even bigger slur when they didn’t eat the meal. Rajan walked toward Alaric with his head held high, another insult to the pack. If one did not approach another of higher ranking with respect, it was dishonor to them.

“Rajan, my son, did you and your group do this crime?” Astra asked, her eyes soft, yet disappointed.

“No we did not,” Rajan replied seriously. A murmur of talking came from everyone, all questioning about the killings.

“Are you positive, Rajan?” Alaric asked once more.

“Yes. I am positive that neither my group, nor I have done any hunting recently,” he said, his eyes avoiding contact with Alaric. At the very least, Rajan did one thing right by not looking directly at our Alpha. “That I can swear my life away to you, my Alpha.”

Another silence followed this. We all understood what this meant. Somewhere on this island, something was hunting. Something with intentions on killing for sport, not for needs. Gloria and I
exchanged a glance. Her jaws were twisted into a line of worry. My own were in an insane smile. Something was going to change. I could feel it. I could smell it in the wind, hear it in the forests.

And for that, I was thankful.