Svelte!

It was the one word that could describe the moon. Beautiful as she was. Her smile was graceful as she smiled down upon those who only knew darkness. To the humans, they found her romantic. She was a sign of hope, a light in the darkest corner of the world.

The werewolves had a different opinion about her. She was crescent today. Though smiling down on them, she represented an impending doom. Regardless of what she signifies, they were enchanted by her appearance. It was because the silvery beauty was surrounded by the naughty stars running around her, chasing and playing.

Deep inside the forest, were a group of rogue werewolves. Their number was neither small nor big. Among them were women, children, teenagers, youths, and the old. Unlike the organized governing system an actual pack had, they lived freely. Or so it appeared. Most of the people in the group were outcasts who were sent away from their packs for various reasons.

Each had a story to tell. One more bitter than the other. Some were extremely hard to swallow. Regardless, they found peace and acceptance in each other. The atmosphere was lively tonight. The sound of children running around the fire giggling filled the air. Some people were by the open kitchen area roasting the meat that was their meal.

The men were in their group, drinking and playing games of cards. Just one look and you would realize how carefree they lived. Alas! If they had known the monsters lurking in the woods were near, they would have been more prepared.

They were wolves after all. They were supposed to be the monsters, to be feared by the humans. Yet, their case was different. They were afraid of the humans called the werewolf slayers. A teenage girl sat by the fire playing with a stick. Her silver orbs gave the moon a run for its money.

The girl was the newest addition to the group. She looked around impatiently as though waiting for something to happen. Time went by at a normal pace. Soon, people started preparing for bed. It didn't take long for everyone to slumber off, surrendering to their need for rest.

Midnight was upon them in no time, so was their doom. Surrounding them was a group of ten cloaked figures. Their cloaks swayed in the air. Their entire bodies were masked and camouflaged well into the environment. The only part of their bodies that could be seen was their eyes. There was nothing special about them at first glance. They all had ordinary eye colors.

The thing that made one shiver at first glance upon them would be the look of blood thirst in those ordinary-looking eyes. A blood-curdling scream filled the air a few minutes after they surrounded the wolves. It came from the silver-eyed teenager who had been bored the entire night.

This was the first time her voice was heard by the people in the forest. Unfortunately, it seems to be the last time too, for most of them.

Her shrill voice had the desired effect and woke everyone up. What followed was something she would never forget. The minute the werewolves awoke, arrows rained on them from all sides. It was simply their doomsday. They had nowhere to escape to. Neither were they ready to fight. Chaos ensued.

In less than ten minutes, the place that was earlier filled with laughter and joy was bathed in blood. The blood of the innocent. It was no secret that the players were on a hunt tonight. A hunt where none would normally live to tell the tale.

Surprisingly, this time, they did things a bit differently. The man who gave the kill order before, made his way towards the teenage girl who was trying to crawl away, only to bump into another hunter's legs. She hugged herself as sobs racked through her body. She was going to die. This wasn't how she pictured her life to end.

The bitter feeling that engulfed her was no less than the sorrow she felt in her heart. Her life has been meaningless after all. She should accept her fate and bravely welcome death. Despite the pep talk she was having in her mind, her body had a mind of its own. She shook like a leaf in winter. Her tears kept flowing not giving her a chance to catch a breath.

In her state, she was too far gone to realize the things happening around her. All the people who have been with her were already dead. None was spared. You would think that the children and women would be left alive. Well, the reality was cruel. Each one was killed, no mercy was accorded.

The hunters now surrounded the girl that was left alive. The man who seemed to be in charge walked towards the girl and yanked her arms almost ripping them off her shoulders. The silver-eyed beauty gasped in surprise as she finally looked around. At this point, her tears kept falling silently. She hiccups from time to time, looking at the people, silently pleading for her life.

The men scoffed. One of the hunters walked out of the line and punched her hard across the face. She was sent flying back. As though it wasn't enough, kicks and punches rained on her slender body. She looked physically too weak to defend herself from the people abusing her. By the time they stopped beating her, she was bleeding from the corner of her mouth.

A knife was used to violently slash across her arms. Her gray vest was ripped apart by all the knife cuts she received across her body. She was on the verge of passing out from pain and blood loss. Before closing her eyes, she saw brown orbs that looked deeply into her eyes and whispered some words into her ears.

The words sent chills down her spine and horror in her eyes. She was too frightened that she passed out from fear. The hunters looked around the place, not bothering to clean up after themselves, they dropped a piece of paper near the unconscious girl and walked away from the scene. Disappearing in the darkness, as silently as they came.

The night slowly faded as the daylight took over. Unlike the ethereal beauty the previous night showcased, the forest was filled with the stench of blood. Three huge wolves entered the forest and followed the scent of blood. The wolf leading the other two leaped and took off in a run as he speeds towards the direction the scent was strongest.

Not far from where they were, he came to an abrupt halt at the horrible view before his eyes. If he had not seen too many of this spectacle before, he would have thrown up on the spot. He looked up and let out a howl of sorrow. He was mourning the death of his clansmen. It didn't matter whether they belonged to a pack or not. They were still werewolves.

The other two at his side followed suit and howled with him for a very long time. Feeling angry, the wolf shifted into a young man. His striking blue eyes mirrored the emotions that the hunters had before the massacre. He was thirsty for blood. The blood of the hunters. Putting his anger aside, he looked at the other two behind him who have also shifted.

He gestured for them to check for any survivors as he walked around to do the same. The three closed the eyes of the dead and tried to keep them as decent as a corpse could be. Ian's eyes fell on the white paper that lay near the body of what looked like a young girl. He walked towards her and squatted down.

The man picked up the white paper and read the content of the words in it. His brows furrowed together in anger. They went too far this time. Scratching up the paper, he threw it in anger. The paper hit the girl's closed eyes making her moan in pain. Ian's eyes widened in shock. He placed his finger towards her nose to see if she was breathing.

There was nothing. Feeling something amiss, he closed his eyes and concentrated his ears to feel for any breathing. His eyes flew open at once. It was there. Barely alive but she was breathing. "Guys, bring me the first aid kit. We have a survivor." The other two rushed back into the forest and returned with a kit.

Ian wrapped up the open wounds as much as he could. She was injured almost all over. Every part he touched had a wound. Afraid of losing the only person who could help them get a lead, he fired rapid instructions at his companions and carried her away. He jumped up and turned into a wolf midair, expertly placing her on his back.

Ian went back in the same direction where they had emerged from. He was both anxious and excited. Anxious for the girl who looked almost lifeless and excited to extract information out of her once she woke up. "Finally, we have something on you." He thought as he increased his speed.

Somewhere else within the human territory, the hunters walked through the streets in their full garb. Everywhere they went, they were ushered by flowers and praises. Their presence only meant one thing for them. They went on a hunt and returned successfully after getting rid of those monsters.

It was ingrained in their brains. The children were taught from a young age that the werewolves were their eternal sworn enemies. The pastors would preach in the churches, the old ladies would whisper and gossip about them at the marketplace. Heck, even the state rulers mentioned them in their speeches.

The humans lived by the slogan "Terminate the monsters, free the world from pests." It was that serious. Not many could give actual reasons for the hatred. Neither could they explain. They just took things as they were told and accepted them. Contrary to their feelings towards the other species, they worshiped the Black Knight Squad, members. They were their heroes.

Their protectors and soldiers. The agents were loved among the common citizens. Some envied them too. It wasn't an easy thing to be part of them. In this regard, all the agents had one thing in common. They all wore cold faces and had a prideful gait.

Regardless of the reception they received, they marched forward in a straight line like soldiers.

They finally came to a halt at the doors of the most prominent building in the entire state. Their headquarters and home. The building had a total of 50 floors. The highest floor was where the boss resides. The 49th was their training ground and the 48th and 47th, their living quarters. They each took the lift towards different floors.

The two people left behind looked at each other and walked into the VIP elevator. The minute the door closed, they uncovered their faces. One was a man while the other was a woman. The two appeared to be in their late teens. There was tension between them. One looked angry while the other was happily smiling.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you? What is wrong with you? You almost ruined our mission!" He yelled the last part. Colt was seething in anger. This girl never took instructions seriously. He should talk to the boss about their next mission. If she can't listen, she shouldn't work alongside him.

The girl's smile was instantly wiped from her face by his accusations. "What is wrong with you? Do you have a problem with how I accomplish my missions? Well, that's your problem. Deal with it. I am sure boss will be proud of me." She hated it when he was angry at her. What she hated more, however, was when he yelled at her.

The minute the elevator opened, Colt stormed out not waiting for her. She was right. It was his problem. Not hers. Even the boss will ignore his pleas once he comes to know that the mission was accomplished. For now, he just had to swallow his anger and deal with it.

Colt stood before the ordinary-looking door feeling fidgety. He hated reporting cases. This would have been agent 1's work if she had been around. He missed her already. 'Come back soon.' He thought as the door automatically opened. Walking inside, he saluted the man standing by the window with his hands in the pocket.

His broad back gave one a sense of security but Colt knew better. He carried a dangerous aura more gracefully than he would carry that of security and protection. That was just who the man was.

'Was the mission successful?' his modulated voice resonated in the room.

'Yes, sir.' Came the instant response.

'Good. You are dismissed! Wait for my instructions.'

Colt wanted to say more but held his tongue. He saluted the man and walked out of the room. The man didn't bother to turn around. As the door closed behind Colt, a cold menacing laughter resonated in the room creating an eerie atmosphere all over the place. 'Let the game begin!'

And so it began.