Chapter One (1)

For the past couple of days, I have been pretty overwhelmed with this frustrating sense of longing. For what exactly though I wasn't so sure. Loneliness crept onto me, slowly consuming my thoughts like darkness and I found myself craving some companionship.

I have lived alone for half of my life and I'm pretty used to solitude. In fact, I thrived off of it. I have become self-sufficient and independent but nowadays, my outlook on life seemed to have changed a bit.

I found myself wishing to be surrounded by family and friends, laughing and sharing my moments with loved ones. I wasn't so sure what brought these old feelings and thoughts along and Serena, that witch wasn't much help.

So I ventured for the into the wilderness, looking for answers, or at least something to sate me for the moment and bring me some sanity at the very least. I left my sanctuary and my only friend and ran through the forest with no destination in mind, letting my paws guide me.

I ran as fast as I could, skillfully weaving in and out of the dense trees. The wind felt amazing in silky golden fur and I pushed myself to run faster. I ran up north, I watched the landscape change from warm shades of green and brown to white with grey hue. On cue soft snowflakes began falling and I stopped to watched them, not having seen snow in person before.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment, taking big lungful of crisp and fresh air. The ache in my chest and the raging storm of thoughts in my head seemed to disappear for a moment and I just that small moment of clarity.

I inhaled once more but paused as I felt something weird, catching an unfamiliar scent. My eyes opened and my ears perked up, listening for any sounds as I tensed my muscles, ready for an attack.

After a moment of silence, I heard the soft padded footsteps of another wolf approaching. I turned to the source of the sound, I watched as a grey wolf emerge from the shadows.

It was a little smaller than me, shorter than me by a couple inches. It also appeared a little skinnier than me but still carried strong muscles under its fur. Its muskier scent revealed it gender.

'Male'

I watched it cautiously as it took a tentative step towards me. I quickly looked around, checking if he had friends nearby ready to attack me. Realising he was alone, I looked at him again.

He was rogue. Like me.

My fur bristled and I let out a low warning growl. I was even more on the edge, unsure of his intentions towards. Rogues aren't known for their friendliness.

He let out a small whine and lowered onto his stomach, his ears laying flat on his head. I stopped growling, feeling even more confused at his display of submission. He took that as a good sign, crawling towards me. I lowered into an attack pose, not sure if it was a distraction to attack me from underneath.

He paused a couple feet in front of me before rolling onto his back, revealing the soft fur of his underbelly and ultimately exposing his neck. I stood up straight, tilting my head at him in confusion. He let out a little bark/yelp before slowly coming closer.

I sniffed him again and the lack of other scents around him confirmed to me that indeed he was a rogue. Again, I was even more confused by his behavior.

He sniffed the air around me, probably wondering what pack I was from. My fur color was clear evidence I wasn't from these snowy regions. The browns and golds stood out against the pale landscape.

He leaned closer, his wet nose touching the side of my face and sniffed some more. I pushed him away with my paw backing up, ready to continue my journey. Before I could walk away, I felt a tug on my tail and I yelped, turning around and snarling at the bold male.

He whimpered a little before I heard the sound of bones cracking. I watched as he shrunk and the grey fur disappeared to give away to creamy skin.

"Please, stay. I haven't had human contact in ages," he held his hands out and took a step closer to me. Seeing the desperation and loneliness in his eyes, I dropped my sneer, huffing before shifting myself.

Once I was done shifting, I looked at him raising a brow and crossing my arms over my naked chest not caring.

I watched as his eyes raked over my body, lingering in certain places more than others, before snapping back to my face and giving me a sheepish smile. "I thought you were a guy" he explained. I rolled my eyes at him.

'That's it'

'Is this guy even a rogue?

I kept my thoughts to myself before he decided to question me a little. "Are you a rouge too?" he asked. His voice was deep and soft and his face was still young. He couldn't have been any older than 18 years.

"Yes," I replied. My voice was a little rough from the lack of use.

"You're not from around here," it wasn't a question but I still nodded.

"Where are you from?" he asked.

"You know for a rogue, you ask way too many questions," I shot back narrowing my eyes at him, he couldn't have been a rogue for long, judging from his trusting nature and eagerness for company which also confirmed my earlier suspicions.

"Tell me, how long have you been a rogue?" he scratched the back of his neck and looked away from my gaze after I asked a question of mine.

"About a year now," he mumbled. A dark look crossed his features and I refrained from asking the reason he was no longer with his pack.

It was quite a sensitive issue among rogues.

"Well, I stayed. Now what?" I asked. He looked back up at me and gave me a brilliant smile and I wasn't used to seeing such display of happiness.

"Wanna go hunt for some food? Find some shelter?" He suggested, clear excitement in his voice. I gave him a nod, watching as he shifted into his grey wolf.

He looked at me expectantly and I shook my head at his eagerness before shifting, He gave me a wolfish grin before taking off in a sprint.

Feeling the adrenaline starting to build up, I bolted, easily catching up to him with my impressive speed.

He glanced at me before letting out a small howl and running even faster. I let out one of my own before following suit.

For a while we continued racing each other, until he finally pulled my tail again, initiating an intense game of tag. It was the most fun I had in ages and I couldn't help the small smile that popped up.

The sun had set and I watched as it slowly disappeared over the horizon and painted the sky in beautiful colors. I had successfully caught a deer and fed already, but the male rogue was still eating. I shifted and waited for him to finish, sitting in the snow and continuing my admiration of the nature around me.

After hearing several cracks, I heard soft footsteps approach before I felt him sit next to me. He stared ahead like I did, the hill we perched on providing a magnificent view.

"What's your name?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Conan," he breathed. I nodded.

"What about you?" He asked, turning his face to look at me.

"Athena," I replied

"Ah," I raised a brow at his expression but didn't question him. Silence fell over us once again and I watched as the sky darkened further and the moon shone brighter, casting a mystical glow on the snowy landscape