1 Prologue

They hunted her down in the dead of night. The sounds of scattered hoofprints thundering across wet grass echoed throughout the forest. This was no ordinary game these three hunters were perusing. This was a beautiful, sleek white wolf that they were after. It was running past the trees with great speed, making sure not to drop the bag it had gripped tightly within its mouth. They didn't care if the animal itself was alive or dead. No, what they wanted was the large, burlap bag it had in it's mouth. If they caught the wolf, then they could have its spoils. Oh how they would do anything to obtain its spoils.

Grabbing a bow from his back, one of three hunters raised his bow. He took aim at the noble wolf as best he could while riding on horseback. Then, with keen precision, he let go of his arrow. The wolf's once white fur had been tarnished with a fresh coat of red blood. She howled in agony at her sudden new injury, collapsing into a crumple of limbs and pain. "A direct hit!" he cried. "Grab it!" yelled one of his companions. The wolf's eyes grew in horror as the man who had shot her got off his horse. She knew she couldn't lose this satchel. She couldn't break her promise. The man loomed over her. "There ya go, nice wolf..." he sneered as he reached out to take the bag. The wolf's eyes glowed with a renewed anger and with a turn of her head, her teeth sank right into the hunter's arm.

Malevolent glee quickly turned into fiery rage as the hunter withdrew his arm. "Damn mutt!" he bellowed. Now was her chance! The wolf snatched up the bag and tried to run away as fast as she could with a wounded leg. "After that wolf!" the hunter yelled. Afraid to talk back to their leader, the others snapped their horses reigns. The wolf limped as fast as she could. She had to escape. Suddenly, the once thick darkness was broken by a distant light. Could it be her chance? Realizing that this could be the only to survive, the wolf put all the strength that she had left into running towards the light. She dodged tree after tree as it tried to ignore the pain within her leg. She was there! She could see the light getting closer!

All of a sudden, the dense cluster of trees and logs disappeared as it was replaced by a wide, open field. There, in the middle of the clearing, was a large three storied mansion, surrounded by a tall, black iron gate. Above the gate was a red and yellow crest with a jagged "S" in the middle. The pointed edges on top of the gates glistened with rain drops. A large marble fountain poured water in the middle of the grassy court yard. Thick, withered ivy seemed to be climbing up the brick walls of the gorgeous residence.

The wolf stared at the locked gates. She could hear the hunters in the distance. There wasn't any time to lose. She had to get to the other side. Scanning her surroundings, the white wolf discovered a wall of tangled vines climbing up the side of the gates. She ran to the vines, climbing up the wall with her nails until she was at the top. With all of her strength, she tossed her body over the fence and into the front yard just as the hunters reached the premises.

The hunters pull their horse's reigns. Their eyes widen as the crest above the gate. "I knew it! It's in league with that monster!" the short hunter said. The hunter with a bow scowled. "It's no use. We would surely get devoured if we step over that gate!" Realizing that there's nothing they could do that wouldn't involve a grizzly death, the three men decided to head into the wet woods once more.

The wolf sighed. She rolled over and stared at the inky mansion. For a second, she thought she saw the silhouette of a very thin person standing in front of the attic window. A blink later reveled that the shape had disappeared. The wolf gripped the bag tightly within her mouth. She knew what she had to do. With what little strength she had left, the wolf limped across the path towards the large, oak doors. It's legs shook as it climbed up the slippery stone steps and as she reached the top of the steps, her legs gave in and she collapsed.

As the wolf lost consciousness, the last thing she saw was a figure of a person reaching down towards her neck.