No, they found me! Nikolas thought as he hid behind another tree.

Nikolas spent most his life running from the Hunters. A group of humans that knew exactly what he was. A wolf shifter. Of course not all humans knew about the different shifters that lived in the world. A bullet flew past Nikolas.

Crap! He thought as he started running again.

Nikolas ran as fast as he could. He has had no sleep for the last three days. He has lived off no food and what little water he had in his canteen strapped to his back. With these Hunters tracking him down, he couldn't stop to sleep, eat, or rest. And because of how tired he was, the Hunters were catching up.

" He's slowing down. Now is our chance. Lets get him." Nikolas heard the hunters speed up.

Naturally, the Hunters were in their all terrain vehicles. Bullets flew by him as he used his hands to cover his head. The forest slowly turned to a bare rocky surface.

"He's getting closer to the cliff. We almost got him."

Nikolas skidded to a stop as he hit the edge of the cliff. He looked down at the ravine below. It was steep and jagged. He wouldn't be able to climb down. The Hunter's all stopped. Hunters filed out of the ATV's. They had him trapped.

"Put your hands up Nikolas! Come without a fight and we won't shoot you." The lead Hunter said.

Nikolas growled. He had to get away. He was not going to be caught by these people. He looked back at the cliff. It was his only choice. He was exhausted. This had to end. Slowly, Nikolas raised his hands. Two of the Hunters advanced on him. As soon as they were close enough, Nikolas roared loudly and allowed the last of the of his energy to flow through him. Fur sprouted over his skin. Hands and feet turned into paws. Fangs extended. The Hunters backed away from the jet black wolf.

"Open fire!" The lead Hunter said.

All the Hunters started firing. Nikolas charged the two, dodging as many bullets as he could. A couple hit him and he winced. He felt his energy leaving him. Against his will, he changed back to his human form. Realizing that he could no longer fight, he mad a quick u-turn and bolted toward the edge of the cliff.

"Catch him!" The leader yelled.

Two gave chase but couldn't reach him in time. Nikolas jumped over the edge of the cliff. Rock bit into skin as he hit the wall of the ravine. He rolled down the side and it felt like hours before he finally hit the bottom. Blood drained from his body. Pain surrounded him.

"We lost him, Sir." Nikolas heard in the distance.

"No. Find a way down there and do it now!"

Nikolas was too tired to panic. All he could think of was his promise to his dad and his old pack. I promise I will not die. I will not give up. I will not stop until I find a way to rebuild our pack. He had made that promise to his dying dad. The Hunters had attacked while Nikolas was off hunting. They destroyed his entire family. He was the only wolf shifter left. And as the blood slowly pooled around his body, all he could think about was the fact that he had failed. With his last bit of strength, Nikolas howled a mournful song.

I'm sorry dad. I failed you and the pack. Please forgive me. He thought as blackness surrounded him.

"Dad, did you hear that?" Kyra asked her dad who was driving the jeep through the canyon.

"Yes, I heard it too. What do you think it was?" Her dad replied. He bounced up and down as the navy blue jeep climbed over rocks and dipped into holes.

"It sounded like a wolf. It sounded like it's sad and hurt." Kyra answered.

"Yep. Poor thing."

Kyra looked down at the ground in front of the jeep. Her dad takes her camping deep in the woods once a year. They were on their way to the camp site. The site was a good 20 miles away from any civilization. Which meant that they would not be disturbed. They packed heavy with everything but the kitchen sink. They had a big tent that was big enough for five people. They had a large survival kit complete with a tracking system, flare gun, and all kinds of medicine and bandages. They had a two month supply of food and water. Extra fuel was hooked to the back of the jeep.

Kyra's thoughts were stopped when she spotted a young man lying on the path.

"STOP DAD!" Kyra yelled.

Her dad slammed on the brakes. As soon as the jeep came to a complete stop, Kyra jumped out and ran to the man. It was easy to tell he had been hurt. Her dad came up to her side.

"Well, he's pretty beat up ain't he. Watch out princess. Let me see him."

Kyra moved away from the man so her dad could get a better look. He squatted next to the man and put his hand up to the mans neck. Her dad stiffened, then quickly moved his other hand to the man's mouth. Her dad started to sweat.

"Kyra, get the first aid kit quickly!" He said.

Kyra fetched the big first aid kit and brought it to her dad. He opened it and pulled out a cloth and some bandages.

"Is he going to be okay dad?" Kyra asked.

"He's barely alive but is living. He's bleeding in man places and needs to be tended to. But I can't do a good job here. I'll bandage him up the best I can for now. We'll take him to the camp site. Go get one of the spare blankets to wrap him in, okay princess."

Kyra ran and got the blanket for the man. She was glad that her dad was a doctor. Dad being what he was would hopefully save this man's life. Once her dad had him all bandaged up, and they had him wrapped up in the blanket, Kyra helped her dad move him into the back of the jeep. And they were off.

Nikolas caught the smell of cooked meat and vegetables. He could hear the fire crackling near by. He was lying on something soft. Where was he? He tried to move his left leg and pain shot up his back. The pain caused him to grunt.

"He's coming to." A female voice said.

Slowly, Nikolas opened his eyes and saw a beautiful girl sitting next to him. She had short brown hair and sharp green eyes.

"How do you feel Mister?" She asked.

"I hurt a little. Where am I?" Nikolas asked the girl.

"Your at my camp site. Me and my dad found you lying in the canyon, and you were nearly dead. We brought you here and my dad doctored you up."

Nikolas sniffed the air. The smell of food called out to the wolf spirit inside him. He was so hungry. The girl must have realized he was hungry.

"Would you like some food? We have some fish and potatoes." She asked.

This girl and her dad had saved his life. Even though he was hungry, he didn't want to eat their food. "No, I'm not hungry." He said.

The girl laughed. "You know your a horrible liar. I'll fix you a plate."

The girl fixed him a plate and handed it to him. He sighed and tried to sit up. Pain lanced through him when his left leg moved. He let out a small yell at the pain and laid back down.

"Kyra!" A male came running up to them. He dropped the wet shirt he must have been washing.

"Dad, the man woke up. He acted like he was hungry so I fixed him a plate of food. When he went to sit up, he yelled." The girl said to her dad. "By the way." She said looking back at Nikolas. "I'm Kyra and my dad is Ben. Whats your name?"

"My name is Nikolas."

"Well it is nice to meet you Nikolas, even under these circumstances." Ben said.

"It is nice to meet you as well. I suppose I should thank you for saving my life. It was very kind of you to help me like that." Nikolas said.

"It was no problem." Ben said with a smile.

These two were kind people. They helped him when they didn't even know him. Just then, all of what had happened earlier today flooded back into his mind. It was night now and the Hunters were bound to be on his trail any time soon. And if these nice people were caught helping him, they would get into serious trouble.

"Um... listen, thanks for everything but I should really leave." Nikolas went to sit up again. A hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"I'm sorry son but your not going anywhere. Your leg is broken and your body is very weak right now. I am a doctor and I know physical neglect when I see it. You have gone at least three says with out food and very little water. You have not slept in a while as well. Your in no condition to travel." Ben pushed his shoulder back down.

Nikolas lifted up more. Even if he was weak, he was still stronger than this man. Plus, because he was a shifter, his leg would heal back in two to three days, four or five tops.

"Look, I'm very thankful for the help but you don't need an extra on your camping trip. I'll just leave and you and your daughter can get back to your trip." Nikolas replied.

"Well I can't just let you leave with an injured leg. Your staying. We have plenty of food and water. There's enough room in the tent for five people. And it's dark out." Ben pushed back harder.

"Trust me, I'm more trouble then I'm worth. You do not want me around."

Kyra's hand joined her dad's as they both pushed against Nikolas. Unable to fight them both, Nikolas gave up and laid back down.

"There now. Kyra will help you sit up to eat while I set you up a place in the tent." Ben said.

Kyra helped her dad move Nikolas into the tent. Once he was covered up, Nikolas practically pass out. Kyra left the tent to help her dad clean up the camp. She gathered the dishes up from dinner and carried them over to the river where her dad was washing them.

"Dad, here is the rest of the dishes." Kyra placed the dishes next to him.

"Thanks princess." Her dad smiled.

"Do you think Nikolas will be alright?" She asked as she helped clean the dishes.

"He'll be just fine. However, there is something weird about him. He seems like a real nice guy but the way he talked, he made himself sound like he's being hunted or something."

"I'm sure he just said that cause he doesn't want us to worry about him." Kyra finished the plate she was washing and grabbed another one.

"I figured that too. But he was in pretty bad shape when we found him. He hadn't eaten in at least three days and sleep was the same way. Yet he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would neglect their body like that."

Kyra agreed with her dad. Nikolas did seem a bit strange. How did he end up at the bottom of that canyon.

"Also, if you noticed, he is very muscular. His skin is tanned. And he's not stranger to pain. Which means what ever he does involves strong physical labor. He works outside a lot. And he has been injured many times before. The only thing I don't get is how did he get the way he was when we found him?"

Kyra wondered that too. But would Nikolas tell her about it? It really wasn't any of her business. But she couldn't help but wonder.

Nikolas woke feeling stiff and hungry. His mouth was dry and his leg ached. When he finally opened his eyes, he found himself alone in the big tent.

"Kyra, you want to go check on Nikolas?" Nikolas heard Ben say.

"Sure thing dad." Kyra said.

Nikolas quickly shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep. He heard the zipper on the tent move as Kyra came in. Her hand touched his bared chest. Her hand was soft and warm as it moved over his chest.

"Dad wasn't kidding when he said you were buff. Was he big guy? And your skin is a perfect tan. I wonder what color eyes you have to go with this short black hair of yours."

Blue. My eyes are blue. But I doubt they are as beautiful as yours. He thought.

"Your abdomen ain't to bad either. I wonder how many abs you have on you."

Nikolas felt her hand move lower. Then he felt the blanket move away from his abs.

"You have quite a pack on you big guy. Lets count and see just how many."

Nikolas felt her move her fingers as she counted.

"One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six." She counted. "Six rock hard abs."

She chuckled as she gently traced her finger up the middle cress of his abs. His stomach and arms twitched. His mouth couldn't hold back the laugh that came out. He couldn't help it. He was so ticklish there.

"I knew you were awake before I came in here." She laughed as Nikolas opened his eyes. "Wow! Your eyes are a piercing aqua blue. That defiantly goes with that black hair of yours."

"What a way to wake up. How did you know I was awake before you came in?"

"I didn't till you told me just now."

Nikolas laughed. Kyra laughed too.

"Kyra? He okay in there?" Ben called.

"Yeah dad. He's awake." Just then, Nikolas's stomach decided to growl. Kyra laughed again. "And he's hungry dad."

"Well help him out here so that we can eat." Ben said.

Kyra helped Nikolas get out of the tent and over to the fire. The doctor had already put a splint on his leg. At least it wouldn't heal crooked. They ate breakfast together in silence. The silence was broken by a wolf howl.

"Dad, do you think that was the same howl we heard last night?" Kyra asked.

"No this one sounds scared. I'm going to check it out. You stay here with Nikolas." Ben said.

Kyra nodded and Ben grabbed a gun and ran toward the howl. Kyra looked at Nikolas.

"Last night, on our way up the canyon, me and dad heard a wolf howl. It was deeper than that one we just heard. The one we heard sounded sad and hurt. Like it was in pain. Then, about five minutes later, we found you."

Nikolas gulped. Had they heard him howl before he passed out? That would be bad if they figured out it was him that howled. Nikolas was sure that they didn't know what he was. He couldn't let them figure it out either. He had to get away from these people soon.

Ben came back into view. He put the gun down and sat back in his spot in front of the fire.

"Did you find the wolf dad?" Kyra asked.

"Yep. Odd thing was, the wolf had been tranquilized. Who ever did it just left him there. They must have been looking for a specific wolf or something."

Nikolas paled. The Hunters were looking for him. He would be caught soon if he didn't get moving.

"Nikolas? Are you alright son?" Ben asked looking at Nikolas.

"Uh.. yeah. I'm fine. Just worried about that wolf is all."

Ben nodded and went on talking to Kyra. All Nikolas knew was he had to get away from these people as soon as possible. He would have to get away tonight.