Her pack had died slowly, each falling to mortal injuries or illnesses.  They had been barely six months out from the initial curse and their numbers had dwindled from just over thirty wolves to under five.  The old died first, followed by the young and then mortality began to make its mark on those in between.  Audra had watched, utterly helpless, as her packmates all succumbed to the consequences of the curse.  Aria, her older sister, a gray wolf with bits of black peppered at the ends of her fur, died last, leaving Audra alone.  She supposed that might have been part of the curse as well, her sister had to watch as their pack died out, but also leave Audra alone to fend of herself.<br/><br/>At first, she had hunted, but it was near impossible to catch sufficient game by herself.  All she could manage were smaller creatures like rodents.  It was not enough to live off of and she did not dare try to transform back into her human form.  Though they could not communicate clearly, the pack all seemed to share the obvious fear of shifting back into their human form when they were still alive.  Shifting altered bones and skin and muscles in a way that none of the dared test.  So when hunting did not provide enough food, she moved on to stealing from the nearby farms in the village, as regular wolves would do from time to time.  The autumn had been bitter and only the most skilled of trackers would even attempt to follow her into the forest beyond the village.  It was dangerous for them in the woods, just as it was for her.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center"><div class="bbImageWrapper lazyload js-lbImage" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-single-image="1" data-src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2F78.media.tumblr.com%2Fdf02edaa80052bb00f0f70d5b4e3acc8%2Ftumblr_p3x932RFbq1sy2z51o1_500.gif&amp;hash=3116dfab4a4c7390fd4a5037553f5ced" title="tumblr_p3x932RFbq1sy2z51o1_500.gif">
<img alt="tumblr_p3x932RFbq1sy2z51o1_500.gif" class="bbImage lazyload" data-src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2F78.media.tumblr.com%2Fdf02edaa80052bb00f0f70d5b4e3acc8%2Ftumblr_p3x932RFbq1sy2z51o1_500.gif&amp;hash=3116dfab4a4c7390fd4a5037553f5ced" data-url="https://78.media.tumblr.com/df02edaa80052bb00f0f70d5b4e3acc8/tumblr_p3x932RFbq1sy2z51o1_500.gif" data-zoom-target="1" height="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" style="" title="" width=""/>
<noscript><img alt="tumblr_p3x932RFbq1sy2z51o1_500.gif" class="bbImage" data-url="https://78.media.tumblr.com/df02edaa80052bb00f0f70d5b4e3acc8/tumblr_p3x932RFbq1sy2z51o1_500.gif" data-zoom-target="1" height="" src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2F78.media.tumblr.com%2Fdf02edaa80052bb00f0f70d5b4e3acc8%2Ftumblr_p3x932RFbq1sy2z51o1_500.gif&amp;hash=3116dfab4a4c7390fd4a5037553f5ced" style="" title="" width=""/></noscript>
</div>
<br/>​</div>The chicken had let out an audible screech as she clamped it between her jaws, enough that she knew it would alert the farmers in the house nearby.  Audra took off as quickly as she could, heading into the cover of the bushes and trees in the woods nearby.  They not only hid her, but also provided shadows and darkness that would make it difficult for any human to pursue her.  And yet, as she continued on into the woods, she could hear him behind her, giving chase.  Audra continued weaving through the woods until she was almost certain she lost him, and only then did she intend to settle next to a rather large tree.<br/><br/>She was ready to eat the fowl whole when she heard a sudden whirring and pain instantly blossomed inside of her shoulder.  She had not lost the farmer.<br/><br/>Audra gave a barking cry and left her prey in favor of perhaps saving her own life.  She beat her legs against the pain, trying to get away, to get to the only safety nearby that she knew.  The cottage her uncle had built in the woods.  She had nearly made it to the gate when the feeling of the pain suddenly consumed her, and her body reacted out of instinct instead of intelligence, forcing her to shift back into human form.  Whatever curse the evil wizard had put on her people, apparently it did not directly stop them from shifting, because she was able to change her form without dying or suffering great injury.<br/><br/>She sat near the gate in a state of complete shock, so much so that she did not notice her would-be hunter until he put the cloak around her shoulders, sheltering her from the cold of the morning.<br/><br/><div style="text-align: center"><div class="bbImageWrapper lazyload js-lbImage" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-single-image="1" data-src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tvserial.it%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F02%2Ftumblr_o2sw3vvOFF1s7xoeto3_500.gif%3Fx63298&amp;hash=0bb72a7bd350abb4743f9c40965dac2f" title="tumblr_o2sw3vvOFF1s7xoeto3_500.gif">
<img alt="tumblr_o2sw3vvOFF1s7xoeto3_500.gif" class="bbImage lazyload" data-src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tvserial.it%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F02%2Ftumblr_o2sw3vvOFF1s7xoeto3_500.gif%3Fx63298&amp;hash=0bb72a7bd350abb4743f9c40965dac2f" data-url="https://www.tvserial.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tumblr_o2sw3vvOFF1s7xoeto3_500.gif?x63298" data-zoom-target="1" height="" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" style="" title="" width=""/>
<noscript><img alt="tumblr_o2sw3vvOFF1s7xoeto3_500.gif" class="bbImage" data-url="https://www.tvserial.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/tumblr_o2sw3vvOFF1s7xoeto3_500.gif?x63298" data-zoom-target="1" height="" src="/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tvserial.it%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F02%2Ftumblr_o2sw3vvOFF1s7xoeto3_500.gif%3Fx63298&amp;hash=0bb72a7bd350abb4743f9c40965dac2f" style="" title="" width=""/></noscript>
</div></div><br/>Audra gripped the cloak and suddenly tried to scramble back from him.  It covered one of her shoulders better than the other, and she gathered it about her shoulder as if it were a blanket or a towel, careful not to insert the arrow further into her flesh.	She forced herself to stand, despite the protestation of her body and sore joints.<br/><br/>"W-Who are you?"  She asked.  It was a simple question and she already knew part of the answer.  He was a dweller of the valley, a farmer and apparently quite talented with a bow.  She tried to stand strong, despite the blood she had already lost, but after a moment her knees locked and her head began to spin and Audra stumbled toward him, reaching out with the arm of her uninjured shoulder.  She caught his shoulder and used it to steady herself.<br/><br/>"You should not be here.  These...The forest is dangerous and any manner of creature could harm you here."  She counciled him.  If she was going to die like the rest of her pack, she could at least urge this man to go back to the safety of his home.