CHAPTER 1

Lacie Rowana Manson found a very unusual pet. She has left the house as soon as she was through with her food, Mother wouldn't let her anywhere near the door if she didn't finish her plate of porridge. No matter how good she pretended a stomach ache.

It was Berries season. She usually went to fetch them with her elder sister, Gwenyvere. She will bring along a big basket that they will fill with lots of colorful juicy berries and return home to make jam and smoothies with fresh milk.

Lately, her sister has been inclined to help with the healing chores in their father's medicine cottage, so she has gone for the adventure alone; of course, carrying the new basket that her father had bought, comfortable for her twelve years. Ever since she has learned how to make jam out of berries harvesting them in their farmland has become one of her greatest kill-time.

The canine with abundant fur of an almost grayish-white color was lying among some thickets, she would have failed to remark it if weren't for a mosquito bite that made her bend down to scratch her leg and notice a whitish paw in nearby shrubbery.

All infants wanted to have a pet, and in the eyes of Lacie the wolf wasn't intimidating despite his enormous size, in fact, she found it incredibly beautiful.

She approached the animal stealthily and she didn't want to scare it away, she discovered a red stain of blood on the wolf's ribcage; his eyes were closed and his breathing was almost imperceptible unless you get as close as she did.

The girl smiled at her great discovery as her heart was filled with so much love for the helpless creature, she thought the owner has miss judged it for its size and abandoned it to perish there alone; how cruel, she thought.

No wonder why mother warned her of strangers.

She kneeled next to his body and gently began to caress it with great tenderness.

It was a wolf. But not just any wolf, it was the type that any man would find threatening, yet for Lacie, it simply seemed like a mere dog that needed shelter.

The wolf opened its blue eyes looking as weak as the dim light of a candle about to go out and looked at her.

She was worried about him for her alone couldn't help the poor animal, but she felt so protective of it that she took off in search of her sister to help save the pet that has conquered her heart.

"¡Gwen!" she came yelling from outside the hut and drop her basket of berries on the nearest table.

"Oh, Lacie you have startled me," said Gwen with her palm on her chest. She had been trying to thread a needle for a few seconds now without success.

"Gwen my friend … is hurt" she looked up at her sister with watered eyes.

"Your friend? but where..." Gwen's eyes widened as she too felt preoccupated and hurried to put together a rescue kit for any injuries or fainting.

"¡Please hurry!" Lacie ran to the front door and urge her to come along. Gwen picked up everything as fast as possible and followed her sister.

The nearer they got to the place the more was Gwen's concern, she has not imagined that the kid will be lying hurt in their farmland, and all alone.

The thought of any wild animal attacking them was constantly popping into her mind, even though their father has said not to have seen any in their farmland because it was pretty weird to have an encounter with one on that side of the field.

"Come, he is right here" Lacie passed through a bunch of cornfields not letting go of her hand. Gwen had to manage not to fall in her long blue sea dress.

She was getting ready to give her sister a good reprimand for bringing her friend into such a place when suddenly all bushes were left behind them revealing the biggest wolf, she has ever set sights on in her entire twenty-two years of life.

"No! " She shouted to her sister when she run to kneel next to it. She was scared to the core. Feeling her blood chilled instantly. She tried calling her sister without awaking the beast "Lacie, come with me now" she ordered with a tremulous voice. Still unable to move a single inch she flinched as her sister caressed the beast with no single sign of dismay. If she screams, she would face the risk to wake it up, and as far as she knew, there was nothing more dangerous than a startled wild animal.

"Lacie, we have to get out of here," Gwen said in an attempt to sound as authoritative as possible.

Her sister was very naive and kind she could see a friend even in the most ferocious wolf.

Never better said.

"But Gwen, we can't leave him he is hurt" in that Moment, Gwen Notice the animal's wound that stood out for the bloodstain covering a spot on his rib cage.

Her mouth cracked open as realization kicked in. So, the friend that she has told her that was in danger was actually the beast lying on the ground.

How long has she been around it? What if something has happened to her? She looked around for any sign of danger and then faced the wound. It looked like a great bite or a precise cut with something ten times bigger than a knife.

"Looked he opened his eyes, "said Lacey with joy, but Gwen shouted terrified, and stumbled back almost falling into the bushes "No Gwen, stop shouting you're scaring him" The eyes of the wolf widened and looked at the other human starting to breathe on a faster pace "calm down snowball, everything will be fine" She whispered to their refugee While Gwen stood as still as a statue under the Fixed gaze of the wolf "right Gwen?" Gwen didn't even dare to utter a word as the wolf was still looking at her as if he was trying to figure out her every move.

"We don't even know...its gender" she whispered.

"But he's all alone, someone must have dumped him" The wolf whine moving his paw in a failed attempt to get up "Please Gwen you have to help me with his wound, he's a good dog, I promise he doesn't bite".

Gwen's hand tightened on her kit. how many times has she heard That?

Mrs. Johnson has always told her that The Little Rufus was very kind and that he'll never bite a fly, but at the end of the day Rufus had turned out to be a mean kitten as fierce as a panther.

"Please" Lacie begged her in tears since the wolf couldn't stop whining.

She took a deep breath, not every animal was under the care of Mrs. Johnson and if he was dangerous, he would have given signs of it.

She walked up to her sister and slowly kneeled as well. Now that she could take a closer look at the wound, she was afraid that it was getting infected meaning that she had to take rapid action. She quickly opened her emergency kit and began to remove her tools to initiate the cure.

At first, he snorted when she poured alcohol in a few gauzes, then he flinched when she began to clean the wound and slowly relaxed to her touch.

"Oh, guess you're just a scared big puppy" she muttered amusedly.

She made sure the wound was completely clean but the hard time was when she noticed something stuck into the wound, she explained to a curious Lacie that they were going to extirpate it else it was going to give him trouble to heal well.

"Make sure to maintain him as calm as possible" She gently brought the tweezers next to the little hole and slowly grabbed what she thought was a root, she nodded to Lacie she was ready then pulled it out at once

The wolf yelled but was very weak to make any sudden movements, Besides, Lacie was next to him talking to his ear.

"Everything is going to be alright" she pated him, Gwen was still very surprised that Lacie had not been afraid of the wolf at any moment.

She sat down with her heart throbbing and raise the tweezers to her eyes. she gently took the splinter and studied it closely. It was a tooth, a canine as big as her pinky finger. As she slowly lowered it, she noticed the wolf was looking at her firmly and she decided it was time they return home.

"Lacie... He is going to be alright. We have to go now" She roused to her feet as fast as the shadow and packed everything that she has brought out of her first aid kit "Come let's go, he needs to rest now" Everything that was running through her mind was that a greater or a similar wolf has injured their patient and that sooner or later it will be back to settle the unfinished business.

The wolf closed his eyes and laid completely still as if he agreed that it was time they stay away from him.

Gwen took Lacie by the arm and pulled her away from the wolf "We need to get going" she gently pushed her forward to lead the way back.

"Bye, snowball," she said with a last glimpse behind. Happy that she has helped her friend.

Gwen was still very touched by the experience; she never knew what to think but one thing for sure was that the wolf wouldn't be there by tomorrow.

She heard the rustle of dry leaves and out of curiosity, she turned to look back.

Her heart sank immediately when instead of the huge white wolf, she saw a man standing a few meters away, seeming to look right back at her. She couldn't see him clearly due to that it was getting late. But he was as tall as a tree with a very muscular complexity and had a pile of hair dancing around his face.

But what seemed more perturbing to her was the fact that his eyes were shining yellow in the dim light like two luminous fireflies.