My feet slapped the muddy earth, my leather sandals reducing to nothing but shreds. Distant howling grew louder. I was running from them. I was the runner of the family.

Family...

That word no longer exists in my life. They're all gone. I'm the only one left. Vicious snarls interrupted me from my grief.

The only one left...?

Pretty soon, I'll be gone too. I never thought this was how it was going to end; killed by a pack of wolves, their fangs already dripping with blood – my parents' blood.

"Run, son..." they had gasped as their strength ebbed away. "Run like the wind..." Cold, hard determination flooded me and I sped off again, my feet pounding against the forest floor. Leaves crackled underfoot as I dodged yet another tree. My aching feet led me up a hill.

I skidded to a halt. It was a dead end. The barking increased in volume. They were catching up and I was trapped. This was the end. I closed my eyes and took a deep, shaky breath.

The leader of the pack paused to bare its teeth. It lunged at me. A spear whizzed through the air and struck the wolf before it had a chance to bury its fangs in me. The body thudded to the ground, blood pulsing out of the fresh wound. The other wolves nosed their leader and whimpered, their voices muffled by fur. They flattened their ears and slowly backed away.

The cowards.

A group of people wearing raggedy clothing emerged from the bushes. One of them, a male, stepped forward. "What are you doing here in our territory?" He raised his spear in a threatening gesture. I shrank back; I knew I was going to get killed sooner or later.

A female placed her hand on the guy's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "He doesn't look like he's from any of the tribes," she assured him. "Maybe he just wandered here by mistake."

He lowered his weapon, his hostility decreasing. "You shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous. Go back home to your family."

My throat closed. "The wolves..." I began before breaking off.

The female frowned in concern. "They...?" she pressed, her voice growing gentle.

"Killed my parents," I finished, trying not to show them how depressed I really was. She glanced at her tribe mates and mumbled something to them before shifting her gaze back to me.

"Come with us," she murmured, taking my hand. "There's a place for you."

The group led me through the trees. The girl smiled at me before introducing herself. "I'm Shade. He's Carlin." She pointed to the person who had threatened me before.

Go back home to your family.

I pushed the thought out of my head and summoned up the best smile I could muster. "My name is Ty."