Powerful claws sunder the ground beneath long, lupine legs as you find purchase in crags of untended asphalt, propelling yourself forward through the streets of Haven's Forbidden Zone. You've broken the pack's laws and joined your friends on a secret mission of discovery, but you weren't prepared to deal with the humans' capacity for cruelty. Youthful curiosity has given way to fear, and now the only thing on your mind is escape.
The military base looms dark and menacing on all sides, the waning light of the setting sun casting long shadows that grasp like claws, snapping at your heels as they chase you back toward the comfort of home. Your thick coat of fur bristles as you run, and hot breath heaves in your cavernous, bestial chest. We should never have come here.
"Don't move! Stay right where you are!"
Your paws twitch, and you duck low, dropping to all fours and picking up speed in an effort to distance yourself from your assailant, dimly aware of your three companions following your lead.
"I said don't move! Another step and I'll shoot!"
A sharp tug at your shoulder drags you to a halt. It's Tiva, her shrewd eyes narrowed and calculating, brown muzzle tight with worry. "Stay put. Shots will bring more soldiers."
"That's more like it. Easy does it." A mottled gray uniform camouflages the soldier against a backdrop of aging urban decay. Nerves crease the man's forehead, collecting small pools of sweat as he takes a step toward you and your friends. His hands tremble despite the fact that they hold a semiautomatic rifle, and he stinks of fear.
Were your mind not preoccupied with more pressing matters, you might wonder if the man has ever even seen a group of werewolves before. While transformed, you're adapted for both fight and flight, combining the advantages of lupine speed and agility with human adaptability. The result is a towering and deadly hybrid, equally at home on two legs or four. Your pack's feral forms terrify soldiers newly appointed to Haven, but veterans quickly grow complacent, underestimating you as little more than a gang of wild dogs.
A sharp whine catches in Dena's throat as the soldier shifts his weapon toward the four of you with a nervous jerk. "We were only curious," Dena whimpers. "We didn't see anything!"
But you did see something. Something horrible. And your world will never be the same again.
"We've got to do something," Tiva whispers. "He might have already radioed for backup. We can't get caught here!"
She's right, and you know it. Even if the humans let you go, there will be hell to pay with the pack elders for four adolescent werewolves breaking the codes of conduct and sneaking about on military territory. All you have to do is make it out, and you'll be home free.
Most humans can't tell one werewolf from the other in lupine form, although Lapu's unusual blond coat could prove a problem down the road. If you manage to escape, he'll need to lay low for a while.
Your eyes dart to each of the three other wolves, and Lapu gives a slight nod. It's time for action.