5

(Harry's Dream)

His paws pounded against the earthy forest floor in a rapid repetitive beat. His breath came in deep powerful breaths from his large powerful lunges, bigger in this form than his bipedal form. He was fast, much faster in this form than the other which was based more around power and agility at close range. This larger faster form was better suited for endurance while the other form was more flexible, and his larger heart pounded in his ears which were able to detect sound from miles away no matter how faint. Such sounds as the prey animals stalking the forest or more importantly the echoing howl of the one he was here to observe.

As the howl went up, indicating that his subject had located his target and had started hunting, he egged his body to run faster. The thrill of the speed, the power, and most importantly the freedom was unmatchable in most other forms of personal pleasure and happiness. The forest around him blurred and the moon, full and shining brightly above him, seemed to sing to him in a way only he could understand. It did not control him, but it loved him and it always watched over him when it was there. Providing its protection as best it could, that was why the first hunt was always held on a full moon.

He crested a hill with an outcropping of rock and looked out over the forest from above. The vantage point gave him an excellent view of his surroundings. But most importantly it gave him a view of the clearing below him. Suddenly a large tusked warthog of the magical variety burst from the foliage, and by magical he meant that it was bigger than a human. Six feet long and four at the shoulders with two long arching tusks jutting from the jaw the warthog was a powerful creature. Though the creature that was chasing it was just as powerful. Out of the forest sprung a brown blond Lycan, the Lycan changed in mid air between his four and two legged forms and tackled the warthog to the ground.

The massive beast gave a screech of panic and anger and thrashed around trying to either throw the Lycan off or gore it with its tusks. But the Lycan was having none of that and slashed viciously at the beasts flank, another screech and the wounded warthog reared and the Lycan went for the kill razor sharp teeth finding their way to the beasts neck. A simple twist and tear and its throat was ripped out, blood spilling all over the ground splashing everywhere. The Lycan dropped the carcass of its kill and rose its head high howling deeply at the night sky and the moon shining down on him.

Harry made his way down from the outcropping of rock and into the clearing where the Lycan stood over his kill. With a shudder of both his body and the shadows he commanded he shifter, losing a significant amount of weight and rising up on his back to legs. He walked the rest of the distance between him and the Lycan. The Lycan was 7 feet 9 inches in his two legged form, young but a good proper size and strong of body and sharp of mind. He towered over the Lycan at 8 foot 3 inches full grown and weighed almost 120 pounds more than the youngling. The male stood straight and proud his emerald eyes glowing like moon light surrounded by black where white once was in his human form.

Harry stopped not three feet from the Lycan and his kill. He appraised the youngling and his kill with all seeing eyes taking in every detail of the results as well as what he had witnessed leading up to said results along with everything he had seen earlier that night during the other test. Finally he gave a half pleased half amused growl low in his throat and a single nod. The tension in the younglings eyes vanished at once replaced at once by relief and joy. The youngling the leaned his head up and to the left over his heart bearing his throat in a sign of submissiveness and respect. A common sign among the Lycans, to bear ones throat to another meant you were placing your life and your honor it that persons hands, normally a superior would bear his throat less than the subordinates Depending on how much less he bared his throat measured the amount of respect put into the gesture.

He bared his own throat to the youngling, the exact same amount that he had bared to him. Pride filled his eyes making Harry smile a fanged grin. A human gesture but acceptable now that the first hunt was over, unable to resist any longer the youngling threw himself at him yipping in glee knocking them both over onto the ground. From then it devolved into a play fight between the two something they both enjoyed as there was no real force behind their blows or bites. Though he still pinned the boy out of necessity it was all in good fun and they both new it. Finally tiring they broke apart, he took the scent of the youngling in smiling, like always he reminded him more of his mother though there were traces of him in the sent as well his mother dominated this one. But that was ok like all his mates she was strong and bore him many fine pups like the one before him, his pride and joy, his son.

Not his only son, not by a long shot. But he loved all his children, his sons and his daughters and his mates who gave him his children. The beginning of his race, his people, the Lycans. His son hoisted his kill over his shoulders, it was his responsibility after all and the father and son pair started running back through the forest path, back home. He was slower than normal but that was to be expected due to the trials he had faced that day, ending with the first hunt, and now he was carrying his kill it was expected that he would be a little slow. As such it was almost an hour later before they reached the end of their path. A strong wind blew towards him carrying with it the scents of his pack. Looking at his son he gave him a nod and his son let up a mighty howl which was answered after only a moment.

Suddenly there was the sound of beating paws and almost half a dozen pups all in four legged form came pelting down the path yipping in excitement and joy and their brother and father returning. Harry turned four legged and met the pups as they reached him jumping up and down trying to climb on his back and licking his muzzle. He playfully pawed and nudged at the pups and they squealed in mock fright ant his antics. They noted his newly christened son next and leapt at him as well trying to get at the boar he carried. He chuckled at his little brothers and sisters and a growl from Harry got them to back off.

Reaching the den Harry's eyes landed on the rest of his pack, the pups at his feet bolting back to their mothers and siblings. Two of his mates one with blond fur and another strawberry blond came up to him and nuzzled him in greeting before the blond went to his son and greeted him as well. The similarities between the two were easily recognizable as she was his mother and she shifted to a two legged form to greet her child. He gave a gruff bark at his son and pointed with his snout indicating that he should finish his job. His son nodded and walked away with the boar and his mother, he would take the boar and prepare it for the pack but he would not take any of it for himself. A hunter was not allowed to eat his own first kill, the pack came first after all and after he was done he would stand watch under the full moon for the rest of the night protecting the pack while the slept, when the sun came up he would be considered a man in the pack and allowed to go on hunts with his brothers and sisters.

The strawberry blond at his side still on four legs nudged him and pointed in another direction, towards the nursery indicating that he should go there. The pair then started walking greeting the other mates and children as he passed them through the clearing, the nursery was made out of spun branches, leaves, moss and bushed and was quite large on the inside. As he walked in he noticed three of his mates, a ginger and light brown standing over a dark scarlet red wolf with blue green eyes. She lay on the ground with the other two standing over her tending to her with care. The reason, well she was round with pups and was currently giving birth.

A moved quickly behind her and laid there letting her lean against him in support. She whined slightly and burrowed into him, he licked her neck and ears in encouragement. He tried to be there for all his pups births and so far he had been successful in that endeavor. He had been through all this before, giving encouragement with his presence. It took several hours but eventually nature came through and with a painful whine his new children entered the world. Three of them all little girls, they were all beautiful and he nosed them taking in their sent and nudging them up against their mother as she cleaned them. He nosed her again and she hummed against him before he rose up and made his way out, her sister wives would take care of her now and the puppies and she needed to rest after giving birth.

The blond furred she wolf approached him again her son off in the distance finishing up with the boar. She rubbed up against him and motioned for him to follow her. He did wondering where she was leading him. It became apparent fairly quickly though when he caught a certain sent, pure human. A female to be exact and then she came into view as he rounded the corner. She was young, but not young enough to be below his age limit, she looked like she had just reached it. She had a loose cloth toga wrapped around her and clasped at the back of her neck. Her hair was long and luscious and her eyes wide and full of lust.

He had forgotten that it was her time, that was the reason she was here. To going him and his pack as his mate and to give him more Lycans. There was no need for words as his mate left him and the human woman alone, he shifted back to a two legged form his shadows whipping around him during the change. His organ released itself from inside his body and the woman unclasped her robe and turned bearing herself to him. He took her quickly and strongly and when he finally reached his peak and claimed her womb he bit her shoulder finishing the mark. This was the reason he could only change women, to change them they needed his bit and his seed. The drawback being that he could not bring any men into his pack for strength the good thing no other males competing for head of the pack, that would be annoying to deal with. Suddenly his head got heavy and the world blurred around him and it all went dark.