It was into a cloudless sky that the full moon had risen, shining brightly down on the earth, and it was from this very moon that one young man ran from, trying to hide from its light. But it was to no avail, for no matter where he took shelter he could still feel the change taking him. Daniel cried out in pain as his body's inner structure rearranged itself. He did not know what exactly was happening to him, but he did know that it was somehow linked to this phase of the moon, and that it was changing him into something else. His clothes began to feel extremely uncomfortable, and he tore his shirt off only to find that a thick coat of fur was quickly covering his entire torso, and begining to spread all over his body. "What is happening to me?!" he tried to scream, but all that came out was a strangled howl as his vocal chords changed and his face began to grow out. He could feel his ears begin to move up on his head, and he saw his face grow out as he lost his color vision and the world became black and white. He fell to his knees and when he saw his hands they were no longer hands but paws, and the last thing he felt was a tail sprout from his backside right before the raw instinct of the wolf took over his mind. Daniel pointed his snout up and howled at the moon, then tore off through the streets looking for prey.

Not far from where Daniel transformed, two young men watched him carefully, and after he ran off, they shed their own clothes before they too began to change into wolves. They followed Daniels trail as he ran wild throughout the city, driven by nothing more than pure instinct and the need to feed. They had a mission, to find Daniel and bring him back, and to make sure he doesn't harm anyone while still in his wolf-form. A month earlier, a young wolf also on his first full moon had bitten Daniel in a failed attempt to kill him, and now it was up to Aaron and Mikolaj to make sure Daniel didn't repeat the same mistake on his first full moon. They followed Daniel for a couple hours when suddenly he stopped and sniffed the air. Immediately the other two knew what was going on, Daniel had found his first would-be victim. Aaron and Mikolaj leaped into action, they had to stop Daniel before he bit someone, and sent another innocent person down the same path he was on, or before he killed someone. They split up, Aaron moved to the left and kept close behind Daniel, while Mikolaj swung around to the right to head him off. Daniel stopped just outside a dark alley, and stared into it. The scent of a pair of young teenagers drifted to Aaron's nose from inside the alley, and he knew that these were the ones Daniel was after. He hoped Mikolaj was in position and ready, as he raced after Daniel who now ran down the alley toward the unsuspecting teens. The two girls didn't even notice the wolf running at them until it was almost to them, and they both let out a terrified scream as they saw the wolf leap through the air, hurtling towards them, but just before it landed on them another wolf body-slammed it to the side, and soon the two animals were in the midst of a vicious fight. The girls were petrified, frozen in place as the two wolves battled it out, and they were still too scared to move when they noticed a third wolf approach. However, this one just watched the fight, and didn't even seem to notice the poor girls, both trembling with fear. The battle was soon over, the second wolf being larger and stronger, it soon overpowered the first and with a loud thud it fell to the ground unconsious. The victorious wolf then reared its head up and howled in triumph, shortly joined by the other one. Their howling seemed to awaken the girls from their petrified stupor, and the two of them ran from the alley, promising themselves that they'll never take a short cut through another dark alley ever again.

Early the next morning, as dawn approached, a large grey wolf walked out of the city towards the woods, followed by a stocky young man, of medium height, with a buzz cut and a little stubble on his face. He was carrying another young man, who was unconsious and slung over his shoulder. They walked through the woods heading towards a large, rocky hill situated right in the middle of the forest. The sun was already fairly high in the sky by the time they reached the edge of the hill, where there was an encampment of sorts nestled into a miniature valley created by two ridges thrust out from the hill. There were several caves carved into the sides of the valley, and several people emerged from these caves to watch them as they entered the encampment. There were more people, as well as a few wolves, milling about around several campfires, most of them cooking or eating. The smell of bacon, sausage links, and venison filled the air. This was the wolves den. The travellers came to a halt at the base of a large boulder at the back of the valley. There, Aaron set his burden on the ground, and went off to find some clothes for Mikolaj, before he changed back from a wolf. Daniel began to slowly drift back to consiousness as the now human Mikolaj finished getting dressed, and Aaron once again went off, to inform the pack leader of their success. Mikolaj helped Daniel sit up, and handed him a plate piled with bacon and sausage links, which he immediately began to scarf down. Daniel felt as though he hadn't eaten in ages as he stuffed his mouth with food, and before long he had cleaned off the entire plate.

"Feel better now?" Mikolaj asked him as he leaned back against the boulder, his hunger satisfied for the moment. He looked up at Mikolaj, and that's when Daniel realized he was in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by strangers. Before, all he could think about was the intense hunger and odd craving for fresh meat. Daniel stared at Mikolaj, and he could see the fear growing in Daniel's eyes.

"W-where am I?" Daniel asked, trying to remember how he got here, and who these people were.

"You're in the woods, just outside the city, and there's no need to be afraid, you're safe here, and among friends," Mikolaj answered, handing him another plate of food, and getting one for himself. "Tell me, what do you remember from last night?" he asked between bites.

"Not much, just an intense pain, as though my whole body was.....changing. What happened to me last night?"

Mikolaj had a slight smirk on his face as he answered, "you did change last night."

"What?! What do you mean? What did I change into?" Daniel rambled. Mikolaj's smirk grew.

"Into a wolf," Mikolaj said with an amused voice. Just then Aaron returned, followed by a man who seemed to be in his early 20's, with shoulder length silver hair, and a very serious expression on his face. He stopped in front of Daniel, and looked down at him with piercing, light blue eyes, studying him carefully. To Daniel, it felt as though he was staring right through him and straight into his soul.

"Is this him?" the silver haired man asked.

"Tak, this is the one Miles bit on his first full moon," Mikolaj answered him, his voice no longer amused, and the smirk vanished from his face. "We got lucky, he attacked a pair of teenage girls and we were just able to stop him."

"Wait! I did what?!" a shocked Daniel asked, but his question was ignored, as the silver haired man turned his gaze upon him once again.

"What is your name?"

"D-daniel," he stuttered, as the eerie light blue eyes bore into him. The silver haired man looked down at him a little longer, then a smile appeared on his handsome face.

"Welcome, Daniel, to the pack. My name is Lyko, and I am the alpha-male of this pack. It is under unfortunate circumstances that you join us, but you are now one of us and this is your new home." Lyko held out his hand. Hesitantly, Daniel took it, but he was still very unclear about what was happening, and Lyko seemed to notice this for he said, "Mikolaj here will explain what has happened to you and answer any questions you might have."

"Co?!" Mikolaj shouted in surprise. Daniel turned to face him, and saw that Mikolaj was not very pleased with his leaders decision. However, no matter how displeased Mikolaj was with his new assignment, he respected his leaders wishes, and began to explain to Daniel as the others went off to attend to other business. "A month ago, you were attacked and bitten by a wolf, tak? Well, that wolf wasn't any ordinary wolf. It was, for lack of a better word, a werewolf. His name is Miles, and that was his first full moon after being turned, much like last night was yours. You're gonna have to spend the next two nights here, because you're going to change again, and you're far too dangerous to be allowed to go back home. After that you can leave if you wish, however, I would strongly advise against it. You will find that you are just too different to live as a normal human now, and you will always long for contact with your own kind. Not to mention that every full moon you will change into a wolf."

"You have got to be kidding me," Daniel said, not wanting to believe any of what he was hearing. "What kind of sick joke is this?" Mikolaj only laughed in his face, and his smirk returned.

"That's fine by me if you don't believe it. Though tonight you'll learn that it's true when you change into a wolf again, and this time you'll remember it. Every. Single. Moment of it. Of course, you'll have to be chained up, because you still won't have any control over yourself, and we can't have you killing anyone, or biting them." With that, Mikolaj got up and left, leaving a stunned Daniel to ponder the truth of his new life.

Later that day, just before sunset, Mikolaj returned and found that Daniel hadn't moved from his spot. He still seemed to be lost in thought, and didn't even notice Mikolaj approach.

"The moon will be rising soon," Mikolaj said, startling Daniel, who bolted to his feet. "Easy now! I didn't mean to frighten you." Daniel sat back down, and Mikolaj noticed a familiar look in his eyes. "You can feel it can't you? The wolf inside, yearning to be free. You can feel the change coming," Mikolaj said with a smile.

"Yes," Daniel replied as he looked up at Mikolaj. "I didn't want to believe any of it, and a part of me still doesn't. It's just all so surreal."

"I know what you mean, most people who are newly turned, as you are, feel the same way," Mikolaj said, as he sat across from Daniel.

"What was it like for you?" Daniel asked.

"What do you mean?"

"When you were turned, and when you found out what you are." Mikolaj just looked at Daniel with that smirk of his.

"I wasn't turned, kid," Mikolaj said with a laugh, and then stood to go. "Well come on, you need to get ready for the moon to rise tonight. Let's go."

Mikolaj led Daniel away from the hill and out to the woods. After several minutes they came upon a large stake in the ground, and attatched to it was a heavy steel chain, with a thick leather collar on the end of it. Mikolaj took Daniel over to the stake, and handed him the collar.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked.

"Put it on," Mikolaj answered matter of factly.

"What?! Are you serious?"

"Yes, very serious. I told you, you'll still be uncontrollable when you change, so this is a precaution. Don't worry, you'll be able to take it off yourself in the morning, and tomorrow night you won't have to wear it at all."

"Why not? Will I be able to control myself tomorrow night?" Daniel asked hopefully.

"Of course not. But tomorrow night is the last night of The Change, and it is tradition to have a great hunt on that night. You will be allowed to join the hunt, because that is what the wolf wants, that is what he tries to do every night. No sense in keeping him from the hunt when we are having one anyways," Mikolaj answered with an amused voice.

"What are we gonna hunt?" asked Daniel, afraid of what the answer will be. Mikolaj laughed.

"Deer, of course. What did you think we were gonna hunt? People?" Mikolaj shook his head in amusement. "You better get that collar on, and those clothes off, the moon will be up in a few minutes."

"My clothes off?" Daniel said in bewilderment.

"No, MY clothes. You're clothes were torn up last night when you changed, so we put my clothes on you instead. That's why I didn't change back until we got to the den. Now get moving, there's no time to waste," Mikolaj said, a little urgency and annoyance creeping into his voice.

"Wait, you can controll when you change?" Daniel asked confusedly.

"Not exactly, but no questions until tomorrow. Now get that collar on before I put it on for you. And don't tear up my clothes," Mikolaj responded, a little more annoyed than last time. Daniel did as he was told and put the collar on, but he hesitated to take off the clothes. "Oh, good greef! I'm leaving, but my clothes had better be whole and intact tomorrow morning." And with that Mikolaj turned and ran off through the woods. Daniel shed his clothes, and as an after thought, through them beyond the reach of the chain, so he didn't tear them up while he was a wolf. And then he sat there, and waited. It occured to him that if this was all a hoax, his current situation would be very embarrasing, but the moment the full moon rose above the tree tops and began to shine down on him, he knew it was all true. For at that very moment, he felt the change begin. It was quicker this time, and less painful. He could feel the fur sprouting all over his body, he felt his insides adjust themselves. Before long his vision faded to black and white, and his other senses came alive. He fell onto his hands, which had already become paws, and within minutes the transformation became complete when he grew a tail. All of a sudden the pure, raw instinct of the wolf flooded his mind, fighting for supremecy with the rational part of his being, and in just a few moments it overwhelmed all reason within him. Driven by instinct, the wolf raised his head and howled with delight at his liberator, and this time he was greeted by the howls of his brethren.

The following morning, Daniel rose with the sun, but when he looked down at his paws he was surprised to see human hands instead. Mikolaj was right, he did remember everything from the night before. He remembered changing, and struggling against the chain. He remembered smelling, and hearing other wolves run through the woods, and longing to join them. He remembered finding the plate of raw meat that was left for him to gorge on, and he remembered doing just that, and then he became sick to his stomach. When he was done emptying his stomach of the previous nights feast, he removed the collar, and searched for his clothes. He quickly dressed and was about to head back to the den, when he realized he didn't know the way. So he decided to just sit there and wait for someone to come get him. After a couple of hours, he began to realize that no one was coming for him.

"Just great," he said to himself, "not only is it true that I am a....werewolf, but I've been stranded in the middle of a forest, and have no way of getting back." He stood up and began heading in the direction he thought the camp was in, but as he left the area where he had spent the night, he noticed something was very different. This time he realized that his senses were still very hightened, unlike the day before where they returned to normal after he changed back. They weren't as good as when he was a wolf, but easily much better than a normal humans senses. He was overwhelmed by the smells that came to him, and he could hear every leaf around him rustling in the breeze. Daniel felt as if he was about to pass out from the overload he was getting from his senses, when one particular scent stuck out in his mind. It was vaguely familiar, and he began to follow it as if drawn to it. He picked up his pace as the scent grew stronger, and soon he recognized it very clearly. It was the smell of bacon frying. When he was certain of the direction in which the smell was originating from, he took off running through the woods, and before he knew it, he was back at the hill. He quickly headed for the boulder at the back of the little valley, where he found Mikolaj, leaning against the massive rock, next to a cooking fire, eating a plate of bacon. Daniels first urge was to yell at Mikolaj for just leaving him lost in the woods, and at the moment Daniel was very impulsive. "Just what the hell was that all about?!" he shouted.

"What was what all about?" Mikolaj asked innocently, an amused smile played across his face.

"Leaving me stranded out there like that?" Daniel replied, becoming more angry each moment.

"To teach you," Mikolaj answered.

"Teach me what exactly?!"

"To teach you to use your new abilities. I see you managed to find your way back, which is a very good thing. You should be proud of yourself." Daniel sat down, his anger quickly fading as he thought over what Mikolaj just told him.

"And what if I hadn't found my way back?" he asked.

"Then we would have gone searching for you in the afternoon. Don't be so angry about it, it is done to all who are first changed, that is the way of it," Mikolaj explained, handing Daniel a plate of food. "It is to help introduce you to your newly hightened senses. It is always best when you realize it for yourself, that way you adjust to them more smoothly." Daniel nodded his understanding as he scarfed down the bacon and sausages. "Anyways, now that you know beyond any doubt that it is all true, I'm sure you have plenty of questions."

"Oh I do," Daniel said between bites. "First of all, can you control your change?" Mikolaj smiled and shook his head.

"Kind of. I can't change into the wolf at will, but once I am a wolf, and can remain so for however long I choose, even after the full moon. But once I change back to my human form, I must wait until the next full moon to change back into a wolf."

"Will I be able to do that too?"

"Most likely not. It is different for everyone, and since you were turned it is most likely that you won't be able to control it at all. Most can't," Mikolaj answered while helping himself to another plate of bacon from a nearby frying pan.

"Are there any who can control the change? Like change into wolves at will?" Daniel asked, full of curiosity.

"A few. Only pure-borns can do that, and even then only a few of them. It's a very rare gift."

"Do you know any who can?"

"Tak, I know one, and so do you," Mikolaj replied.

"I do?" asked a confused Daniel.

"Tak, the alpha of this pack, Lyko," explained Mikolaj. "He is a pure-born, and his gift is actually very common in his family. Some say it is because they have been wolves for so many generations. Others say it is because there is actual wolf blood in their line. I honestly don't know, nor do I care."

"Okay," Daniel left the explanation at that. "What about tonight? I'm still not really clear on why I won't be chained up tonight. I remember how out of control I was last night. I went wild on that chain, not being able to run through the forest with the others."

"Well, tonight is the night of the hunt. Whereas the last two nights are just running through the forest, enjoying our freedom, tonight we hunt. You will be running with the pack on the hunt, so your wolf will be quite satisfied, and perfectly safe."

"What about my family, and my friends?" Daniel asked urgently, suddenly worried he'd never be able to see them again.

"You'll still be able to talk to them, and see them. You just need to be careful on nights of the full moon," Mikolaj quickly reassured him, sensing the worry in his voice. "Well, that's enough questions for now. It's time to introduce you to the rest of the pack."