We'll follow you

The she-wolf lowered her head. She listened for every sound. Finally, her animal instincts kicked in. Her long black claws came out. Her teeth were as sharp as knives. "I know you are there," she growled. "Show yourself!"

The area was completely silent. Even the birds seemed to quiet down by her powerful display. Her paw shook as her claws dug in the soil underneath. Her white tail was straight and quivering. The beast's blue eyes frantically moved from left to right.

"I told you she could smell us," a quiet bark was heard from the bushes. The branch next to it grunted, "This is so embarrassing."

"Brothers, brothers. It's no use hiding. Let's introduce ourselves," a third voice whispered.

The first bark replied, "Alright, alright... You go!"

"Me! Why do I have to go? You saw her first!" the second voice uttered in a higher pitch.

Zora tilted her large head confused. "I can hear you, you know?" the she-wolf stated.

"Oh no. She noticed us. Quick, do something," one animal wailed. The hidden creatures mumbled among themselves too quickly for her to understand.

"Let's do it together. Alright? On the count of three. One, two, three!" Jumping out of their hideout, three typical wolves appeared in front of her. They were young and not very big, but still agile and healthy. The first was the largest. His fur was the darkest with patches of white on his nose and legs. The second one playfully swung from left to right. He seemed the youngest, not so much by age but by character. His glistening black eyes and soft brown fur matched his docile nature. The third one was the smallest. His fur was the whitest and fluffiest, making him resemble a dog the most.

"Sorry if we startled you. We were..." The largest one spoke.

"Skittish," said the second one before getting a paw to the nose by the other wolves.

"We wanted to learn who we were dealing with before introducing ourselves," said the first.

"I see," she uttered. "What do you mean, deal with? What is it that you want from me?"

"Well, my brothers and I have been traveling in search of our new home," the third wolf said.

"Forced out by our pack into the dark cruel world," howled the second.

"I'm sorry to hear that," the she-wolf empathized.

The largest wolf grunted at his brother. "Pay no attention to him. He took the decision pretty hard. The truth is our parents encouraged us to go out into the world and form our own families."

"Yes. And we noticed that you were traveling alone. Which is very unusual for such a strong and lovely she-wolf," the fluffy wolf added tilting his head shy.

"Have you lost your pack too?" the second asked.

Zora lowered her ears, moving away nervous. "Oh that is a long story. One I cannot go into now," she barked.

The three brothers looked at each other. "Still, you are alone, are you not?" the largest one said.

"Well, yes but-"

"A lone wolf is a difficult life to have. You may be hunted by hunters and wolves alike."

"I suppose so, but I... I think I can manage," she yelped looking behind her.

"Why don't you join us? We will protect you," the second barked excited. The others nodded approvingly.

Zora was finding it difficult to hide her distress. Still, the truth is, their eagerness made her feel even worse. "I would... You all seem nice. But I really have to continue alone." Her stomach growled louder than ever before.

"Woof... Are you hungry?" the third one barked concerned.

She sat down looking left and right. They observed her curious.

"You are hungry. Stay here. Boys, let's go get her some food," the first stated.

"You really don't have to! I'm fine on my own," she said, but the rouge wolves were already gone. All of them jumped back into the bushes not paying attention to her protest.

With a heavy sigh, she returned to her normal form. Her dress was wrinkled and dusty. Her hair fuzzy.

"What am I going to do now?" she pondered. "They seem friendly but how will they react to see me as a human? Not to mention what will the humans think when I show up in the company of three wild wolves. Perhaps I can explain my situation to the boarder guards. But I'll need to hurry." She looked down from the hill and saw their post. A large pot was boiling on the fire. Lunchtime was approaching.

"I better get down there before the wolves return," she thought and adjusted her hair and outfit. It did not do much, since the stay in nature took its toll. The cook had already boiled the veil and was putting in sliced onions and other vegetables by the time the lone princess reached the post. There was no need for an animal's nose to sense those aromas. Most of the men there gathered around the pot.

"Good. Good. Make sure that the beans are boiled well," their commander boasting his culinary skills.

His subordinates nodded before moving to the side. "What do you think, how many times did he had food poisoning before learning that simple trick?" one whispered making the other snicker.

"Excuse me," the young maiden spoke. The guards stopped talking. They looked at the uninvited guest confused. The girl was well-dressed with a small tiara, but with no entourage or any other sighs of nobility.

She stood up straight and cleared her throat. "My name is princess Zora from The Seven Hill Kingdom. Wife of prince Aidan, the third in line for the throne. On my way to see my good friend princess Anna, I ran into some difficulties. Your help, good men, will be greatly appreciated."

The guards listened to her, stunned.

One by one they approached. "Visiting princess Anna, you say?" he said. "And when did she invite you?"

"Um, last week," Zora lied.

"Where is your carriage? Your servants?" the other stared with a raised eyebrow.

"There were some difficulties... I am afraid they got lost," the princess stammered.

"Got lost? Where?"

"In the forest. Caught in... caught in a trap," she uttered.

"What trap?"

"I, I don't know. I haven't really..." the princess looked down. Her words were not convincing enough, it seemed. The men surrounded her. Her wide eyes watched the men circling around her like vultures.

"Men, get her!" The guard commander yelled.

With a terrified gasp, Zora turned only to find a large net was thrown at her. She struggled to free herself, but the guards holding the net were too strong. As she pulled on the ropes, the guard commander stepped closer. "Nice try creature. Princess Anna is no longer with us. She'd been sent away two weeks ago."

"What? How can that be. Where was she sent?"

The commander grunted, "If you were such good friends, how come you don't know? Are you even a royalty?"

The princess let go off the net. "I swear I didn't know. And yes, I am. If you take me to the castle, I'm sure someone there will recognize me."

The men bursted out into a scornful laugh. "The only thing you will be visiting is the dungeon!" one of the guards yelled. They pointed at the trapped girl taunting her mercilessly.

Zora could not take it anymore. In the blink of an eye, she transformed into a large white wolf. The guards immediately went quiet. Some even fell to the ground from shock. She grabbed the net with her teeth and gnawed at it. Before any of the people there could blink, the powerful creature had jumped over them into the woods over the boarder.

"Quick! Get the weapons," someone yelled.

"Is that the creature the neighboring guards warned us about?" another one added.

"Must be. Quick, let's call them to check. There must be a reward."

The large wolf ran as fast as her starved body allowed it. Scared, hungry and alone, she cursed the day she accepted the quest. She stopped and leaned on a tree completely exhausted. "It's no use. I can't do this alone," she cried gasping.

"Hey, there she is!" a familiar bark was heard. The princess turned around and saw the three young wolves running towards her. One was carrying a dead rabbit.

"Oh," she yelped relieved.

The largest one placed the rabbit near her feet and said, "We were looking everywhere for you. Quick, eat fast. A large group of humans is gathering."

Zora looked at the rabbit's bloody fur. Her animal instincts kicked in. She grabbed the small body and devoured its insides in a manner of seconds.

"Thank you," she said with her snout bloody.

"You're welcome," the wolves replied.

A hunting horn resounded in the distance. Startled, the group ran deeper into the forest.

The boarder patrol, backed up by their friends, roamed the woods. Their heavy swords clanged. Each carried an abundance of arrows fantasizing about being the one to strike down the large beast. Still, none wanted it more than the prince himself. Aidan rode on with the guard commander stern and formal. They stopped at the dead rabbit.

"This is where the beast feasted. Just look at what it did to that poor animal," the commander said shaking his head. Aidan got off his horse and checked the ground. "There are traces of blood" he said. Placing his hand over the grass, an image of Zora being torn apart implanted itself in his mind. He clenched his fist in pain.

"Is everything alright?" the guard commander asked.

"Yes," the prince said standing up. "The beast went that way."

The two rode further.

Not too far away, Zora was standing behind a large bush. It was the only thing large enough to hide her enormous body. The others had continued on her insistence. Her alert ears turned in all directions. "I have to reach the castle soon. If only I can lose the..."

She gasped hearing a familiar voice. "Aidan!" she thought gleaming from excitement. As the riders approached, the wolf carefully peeped through the leaves. "It is him!"

The commander stopped his horse, observing the area. "My Lord, I think the beast went that way. Let me check if it is safe." The prince did not argue. As his companion left, Zora finally saw her chance. She transformed causing the leaves to rustle.

Alarmed, the prince yelled grabbing his sword.

"It is I," she said stepping forward. Her messy hair was filled with leaves and branches. Her dress got ripped in some parts. Not to mention the blood stains left by the rabbit.

He stared at her with a blank expression. Timidly, she uttered, "I'm so happy to see you."

The prince got off his horse, not taking his eyes off her.

"I have so much to tell you," she added. The prince took a few steps forward, close enough to strike. He observed her face carefully. The princess smiled. Her lower lip quivered in his presence. What is he thinks I am a shapeshifter? She unintentionally squeaked, and hid her face from embarrassment.

Aidan softly uttered, "It really is you." The princess gasped putting her arms around him. He grabbed her waist, holding her tight, before he spun her around overjoyed.

"What's that noise?" the commander said, quickly returning.

"Commander, you can call off the search," he said grinning. "This is my wife, princess Zora."

The older guard blinked baffled. A nervous sweat drop fell from his temple. The princess, safe in the arms of her prince, looked at him smug.