1 Prologue

  I was running for my life. My mother told me to leave the house, run away. She'd deal with whatever these people needed... I didn't want to leave, but I knew I had to escape. As soon as I walked out, the men in black robes spotted me. Their robes were adorned with a symbol: a sword plunging through a crescent moon surrounded by a flame. I knew who these people were. The Dark Shadows, and I knew who they were after: me. I ran and ran for my life. I dashed through the forest, pushing rocks and branches out of my way or leaping over them until I came across a waterfall. The men pursued, closing in behind me. I had a choice: to jump, or be taken prisoner.

        I heard a branch snap. I quickly looked behind me and saw them. "Come with us, and you won't get hurt," one of them growled. I didn't listen- my only option was to jump. Gathering my thoughts, mustering my courage, and praying there weren't jagged rocks at the bottom, I leaped off the cliff and into the rushing water. When I was in the current, I couldn't move my arms and legs very well. I tried to swim, but I couldn't. Everything was numb. I was under the fast flowing water for a long time. My lungs ached so much for air. I felt like I was going to drown. That is, until someone pulled me out. My vision was blurry, but it looked like a person. A boy.

        "You need to get out of here." he said. My vision was still distorted, but I could feel him picking me up. I could hear the troops shouting, looking for me.

        "Help me..." I whispered faintly.

        He carried me through the forest. Not long after he started running everything went black.

(14 years later)

        My name is Riko. I'm eighteen years old. I'm a ninja who works for a man who took me in. I think of him as my father as well as a teacher. My sensei has four other students; three girls; Lila, Lilu, and Kerin-- along with one boy named Austin. Together we're all like a family.

        I'm a bit different from everyone else, though. I'm a half-demon.  My demon side is a wolf, so I look like a human girl with wolf ears, fangs, and claws. Not only that but I have some of the abilities of a wolf; a keen sense of smell, and incredible hearing.

        I was like this the day my sensei took me in. This is very useful in missions. My sensei gives the mission, and we complete it. I thought nothing will ever change and that my life would always be with my "family". Honestly, I wanted nothing more than that. But one day, our sensei called us in for a mission unlike the others.