The End and the Beginning

The screeching of tires. The sharp sound of shattering glass. Darkness.

Seventeen-year-old Aiden Cross opened his eyes—or what he thought were his eyes—only to be met with a strange scene. A snow-white wolf stood in the distance, its fur shimmering as if bathed in moonlight. Its icy blue eyes locked onto his, piercing through the void that surrounded them.

"Am I… dead?" Aiden's voice echoed, uncertain yet calm. He had never feared death, but he hadn't exactly planned on meeting it this early.

The wolf didn't speak. Instead, it tilted its head, almost as if amused.

"What… are you? God?" Aiden asked, trying to keep his thoughts rational. He was a man of science, a prodigy who had delved into physics, biology, and even philosophy. None of it, however, could explain this.

The wolf's eyes glowed brighter, and a deep, resonating voice filled the emptiness—not from its mouth, but everywhere at once.

"Your time in your world has ended. But your journey has not."

Aiden's heart—or whatever he had now—pounded. "Journey? What does that even mean?"

The wolf stepped forward, and the void around them began to shimmer, forming images of towering forests, fierce creatures, and glowing orbs of light.

"You will be reborn. Not as the human you once were, but as a wolf—weak, unremarkable, insignificant. Yet, the path ahead is yours to carve. Will you rise… or perish?"

Before Aiden could respond, the wolf lunged, its form dissolving into pure light and enveloping him.

Then, nothing.

Aiden woke up gasping—if wolves could gasp. The scent of damp earth and moss filled his nostrils, far sharper than any smell he'd experienced before. The world was vivid, alive in ways his human senses could never perceive.

"What the…?" He froze, looking down. His hands were gone, replaced by white fur-covered paws.

"Oh no." His voice was a growl now, low and guttural. He scrambled to his feet—or paws—stumbling before managing to stand upright. He caught sight of a stream nearby and rushed over, staring at his reflection.

A small white wolf stared back. Its fur was scruffy, and its eyes were dull compared to the majestic creature he had seen before.

"I've been reincarnated… as this?" Aiden muttered, his growl echoing.

Suddenly, a loud roar shook the forest. Aiden's ears perked up, his instincts screaming danger.

"I need to get out of here," he said, trying to run but tripping over his own legs. "Damn it, stupid wolf body!"

He forced himself up again, determination flaring in his chest. Whatever this world was, he wasn't going to die on his first day.