The Beast was afraid, terrified actually, that his Maker, his God, his Lord would find him. He begged the forest to protect him, to hide his ebony fur in the shadows, to carry away his scent in the wind, to hide him from the evil. He wandered aimlessly through the forest, which did not welcome him today, it did not promise protection, and it did not entice him to hunt. The Forest rejected him. He knew it. This fact hurt more than the anger of his Maker. Still, he felt better in the Forest than in the city. He made his way through the darkness, awaiting the arrival of the White Demon at any moment.

The moon cast a silvery glow on everything around. Somehow it didn’t seem to caress his fur as it did before. But the Beast knew why. It was a punishment... He chose the Demon and death instead of the Forest with its endless stream of life. Innocent people died because of him... He killed them and their death now weighed his shoulders.

He stopped somewhere in the unknown, and a desperate, lonely howl clawed its way out of his throat. Oh, he didn’t even realize how lonely he felt until the Forest echoed his broken voice. The darkness was silent, refusing to answer his howl.

Oh, how the Beast cried for someone who could share this messed up reality with him, how he cried for someone who would explain the rules of this new twisted world to him, for someone who could lead and teach him. The Beast knew all too well that his Maker was not someone he could trust and follow. He refused to give in to him again, even though it just made the loneliness twist in his chest painfully.

But then the Forest seemed to take pity on him and finally answered him. It brought to him the sound of footsteps, footsteps of a predator, silent yet hiding power. Panic seemed to seize his body immediately, but he chased it away. He knew the Forest would never seem to come so alive around him if the White Demon was coming. No, as the wind played with the leaves and the ground grew warmer the Beast knew the visitor was a welcomed one. He envied the visitor, oh, how much he envied them the way the Forest greeted them and rejoiced at their presence.

One part of the Beast, the logical part, wanted to start running, the other wanted to fight, but both were buried under the pressure of something else. Hope... Hope that this visitor might chase away the loneliness and answer his many questions. A wolf suddenly emerged from the depths of the Forest. A werewolf to be more precise. He was slightly smaller than the Beast, but he shared his massive muscles and bear-like shoulder joints. The wolf’s fur completely captivated the Beast though… Unlike his ebony, thick fur, the visitor’s fur was thinner and shinier and the color of sun itself. Bright as molten gold, interwoven with streaks of white that looked like rays of light. The wolf's amber eyes studied the Beast with undisguised interest and curiosity.

The wolf took a few graceful steps to the right as if he wanted to circle around the Beast. In that second, the ebony wolf forgot the loneliness and excitement of the new wolf. Instead, cautiousness spread through his veins, and he let out a low, threatening growl. The golden wolf stopped immediately, and his gaze shifted from the Beast’s body to his eyes. There was a challenge in them. For a moment, neither of them moved, measuring each other's power. The golden wolf was only a few inches smaller and a few pounds slimmer, otherwise they were quite the same. What is this? Did the puppy find a little friend? There it was, the terrible voice of his Maker he had been expecting the whole night. The Beast automatically pulled his ears back, as if he could escape the voice.

The golden wolf just cocked his head to the side. He's weak… You can beat him. His Maker’s voice persuaded him sweetly. Kill him. It was a simple command so full of power it robbed the Beast of all reason and control. Pure rage seemed to explode in his chest, and suddenly he wanted nothing more than to sink his fangs into the wolf's neck. He wanted to please his Maker… Show him that he wasn’t weak, that they could hunt together. His Maker, God, Lord, Father, Alpha, would finally be proud of him…

So suddenly as if pushed forward by the shadows he lunged at the surprised golden wolf and crashed into him with all his weight. He growled with pleasure as the wolf landed on its back. The monster's claws sank into the stiff muscles that formed the wolf's shoulders. The wolf howled in pain and went limp, giving up without even trying to defend himself. Weak fool! The Beast thought, disappointed at the ease of his victory. He wanted more! He wanted to feel the flesh tearing under his fangs and claws, he wanted that endless rush of adrenaline and to feel the primitive despair to survive as their skills and experience clashed in a deadly fight. This was not enough…

Madness seemed to burn in his amber eyes, and his jaws snapped at the air right in front of the wolf's face. The wolf simply whimpered and turned its head to the side, revealing its soft neck. The wolf's submissiveness evoked twisted pleasure in him for a second. Mine! Mine! The Beast thought giddily. Mine to kill, mine to control… The wolf belonged to him, surrendered to him, and bared for him the most vulnerable part of their body. The Beast now held the wolf’s life in his own jaws. Suddenly he knew that if he released him now, the wolf would remain with him, obeying all his orders.

Oh, but it was too late… The Wolf Demon sent a new batch of powerful hatred into him. You will be forgiven! Take his life and come back to me… The voice sang in his head. And so the Beast did exactly that. He clenched the wolf's neck in his jaws, enjoying the desperate whimper and futile twitching of the wolf’s body under him. He tasted the wolf's blood on his tongue and his stomach immediately twisted in disgust. His whole body seemed to reject such an atrocity and the dark presence surrounding his body seemed to disappear and his mind seemed to brighten. Feeling stunned and shocked at his own actions he released the wolf’s neck. Fortunately, he only left a few bloody smudges on the wolf’s fur. The wolf beneath him trembled desperately, probably still seeing death in his eyes.

Why did he do that? He promised himself that he would not submit to the Demon and here he was with blood on his tongue once again. He whimpered sadly and gave the wolf the most apologetic look he could muster. The Beast felt defeated, guilty, and most importantly, lonely. He let his Maker down… again… He couldn't kill… again… And this time he hurt the only creature that could’ve given him any hope. With his head low, he began to back away from the golden wolf. However, after a few steps, he felt the wolf's soft fur and the warmth of its body on his face. The Beast leaned against it, eager to get rid of the cold that surrounded his heart and the heavy rocks of guilt weighing down his shoulders.

The wolf pulled away first, licking at the Beast’s face, and then trotted slowly into the Forest. The Beast, understanding the golden wolf’s request, followed him into the dark Forest in search of prey. It didn’t take long for them to find the unfortunate creatures. The poor doe stood no chance against them. But the Beast was less interested in the doe and more interested in the wolf. A strange sense of camaraderie and the simple joy of running by another one of his kind seemed to warm him from the inside. He found himself examining the wolf's every move. It seemed to be the perfect balance of speed and elegance, strength and cunning. A top predator. The Beast delivered the final bite to the doe’s throat feeling a delightful pleasure when the golden wolf’s fur brushed against his. They shared the catch, and the loneliness disappeared… The darkness in his soul was replaced by the brightness of this wolf.

They ran all night through the Forest, not caring for the Demon or the humans. The Beast had never felt anything better than running beside that wolf. The same joy seemed to gleam in the wolf’s eyes as they huddled together, waiting for morning to come.

The shift came easily to the Beast. As soon as the golden wolf also shifted, the Beast grabbed their arm. He wanted to take them home… Show them his den and share with them everything he had. The Beast registered the wolf was talking to him, but he simply didn’t care. Though he looked human, the Beast still held all control. He dragged the golden wolf home despite the protests, stopping only at the bedside. The golden wolf sighed then nudged the Beast onto it whispering some soft words and wrapping a blanket around him. The Beast dragged the wolf down and fell asleep holding on to his new companion.