It was taking a long time to die...<br/><br/>Maybe he was already dead. He felt cold and alone, his mind was ravaged by deep despair. He had given up and openly admitted it. No one would save him from this nightmare. Darkness surrounded him and he felt weightless in the void.<br/><br/>He opened his eyes and jumped when he realized there was a shimmering surface before him, like a mirror yet rippled and swayed like water. He saw himself as he was before, heading to the prom but his jacket was gone and his jeans slightly ripped at the knee. Reaching out, he slowly touched the liquid mirror and his image wavered, distorted by the ripples he had created. When the water calmed, he was now staring at a pure white werewolf, glaring back at him. It moved as he moved, and snorted when he huffed. This was him now. The old Jaden had died in the forest and this was what was left. He felt strong and powerful, but he felt a primal instinct that scared him a little. He felt like hunting, running and killing...<br/><br/>Grasping his furry head with massive paws, he stumbled in the darkness and howled. He fought the urges and didn't want to become a beast like that. He didn't want to kill. It wasn't right...<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">* Hey...sleeping head.....time to wake up....*</span><br/><br/>The voice sounded gentle and caring. It was  a strong presence that proved to him he wasn't alone.<br/><br/>---------------<br/><br/>The wet fur started to chill him and he started to shiver as he stirred. Something was gently pushing on his shoulder and a sharp smokey smell assaulted his nostrils. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling warm tears stain the fur around his eyes. The sky above was an endless blue, offering nothing to help his eyes focus. Puffs of steam shot up from his muzzle, his breath speeding up. He heard the crackle of fire nearby and beneath the overpowering smell of smoke he smelled two other scents that were distinct yet overlapping.<br/><br/>Groaning his head flopped over to one side where his eyes took a moment to focus, then he found himself staring at a wild wolf that was calmly sitting beside him, and a man sitting near a fire. Both were staring at him calmly but with an expression of concern. It was confusing to Jaden. He was now a monster, yet this man sat there smiling and not running scared. And the wolf confused him even more. It should be either running from a larger animal as himself, or baring it's fangs to fight. But it was sitting there, almost smiling at him.<br/><br/>"Rrrrraaaawwrrr..." he growled, the words not coming out. His massive chest rose and fell trying to get the strengh to sit up or even roll over. He ended up on his stomach trying to raise himself up on all fours. He pushed up and stood, stumbling on longer legs than what he was used to and fell again on his backside dangerously close to the water's edge, landing hard on the smooth stones beneath his feet. Pain shot through his backside and he felt a long fluffy tail behind him, now sore from landing on it.<br/><br/>"Graaarrroowff!" he swore, but again his words didn't make any sense. Talking with a snout proved more difficult than he expected. His head swam as dizzyness took hold and he could only hold onto the ground with both hands unless he fall off the world. His gaze fixed on the two sitting nearby and his eyes narrowed. Who were they and why aren't they afraid of him. So many questions...