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A crowd of people surrounded a young boy, their faces etched with concern.
Two young girls, his sisters watched him with worried eyes.
He lay beside a rushing river, unconscious, his mother frantically shaking his shoulder.
"Wake up, Damian please." his mother pleaded, her voice thick with tears.
Her tears streamed down on his face but Damian remained still. His sisters clung to each other, sobbing.
'Why is it so noisy?' Damian thought, stirring slightly. A water droplet landed on his face, making him frown. He instinctively reached out, trying to stop the water from falling.
But his hand landed on his mother's cheek.
She was startled, but her worry vanished the moment she felt his touch.
She smiled, a wave of relief washing over her.
"You're fine." she whispered, caressing his cheek.
His sisters ran to their mother, their faces alight with joy.
"Is Damian okay, Mom?" the older sister asked, clutching her younger sister's hand.
The mother nodded, her smile widening. She shook Damian's shoulder again.
"Come on, Damian, wake up. Your sisters are worried about you."
Damian ignored her, his eyes still closed. 'Let me sleep.' he thought unwilling to move.
His mother narrowed her eyes, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face. 'Don't think just because you almost drowned you can do whatever you want.' she thought. She pinched his cheek her touch firm but gentle.
"Wake up, Damian." she said.
Damian frowned but kept his eyes shut, his hand grasping hers.
The mother frowned, but her expression gradually transformed into a smirk as she noticed someone approaching.
The crowd parted, making way for a massive black Wolf twice the size of any ordinary wolf, striding towards Damian.
It stopped, its gaze fixed on the boy, then shifted to his mother. Opening its mouth, it spoke.
"Is Damian alright?" the wolf asked, its voice deep and rumbling.
Damian's mother bowed respectfully, a smile gracing her lips.
"Yes, Chief, but this kid still doesn't want to get up." she reported.
The wolf's brow furrowed as it looked down at the boy.
Then the Wolf look down at Damian and it releases a mighty howl that echoed through the forest.
The tribe members smiled, as they know it was the Chief joking around to scare Damian.
Damian, jolted awake by the howl, opened his eyes in surprise.
He looked at the Wolf, his eyes widening in disbelief. He hurriedly stood up, taking a step back. He continued to retreat until he felt the cool rush of the river behind him.
He looked at it, his surprise turning to fear.
He was certain when he closed his eyes he wasn't near a river. 'I was definitely drowning in the ocean, until I died a slow, agonizing death.' he thought his gaze scanning the surrounding trees.
He was definitely in a forest.
He felt a hot breath on his neck, and a chill ran down his spine.'The wolf.' he realized.
His eyes widening in fear.
He slowly turned, and there it was, the biggest wolf he had ever seen, its black fur gleaming in the sunlight.
He stared at the wolf in shock. 'Isn't this a bit...what's going on here?' Damian thought, confused.
He saw a tall woman, her face etched with concern, walking towards him. She smiled as she reached him and bowed to the wolf.
"Thank you, Chief, for teaching this child a lesson." the woman said, patting Damian's head.
Damian looked from the woman to the wolf, then down at his hands. His mouth gaped in surprise. 'I'm a child again?' he thought, staring at his body in shock.
Then Damian froze. As He heard the wolf speak.
"It's fine, Amelia. Your boy is a survivor, a tough kid." the Wolf said looking at Damian, who stared back with wide unblinking eyes.
The wolf grinned, a low chuckle rumbling in its chest.
"Don't be envious of my body, boy. You'll get stronger like me as you get older."
The wolf chuckled again, assuming Damian was surprised by his form.
"Since he's fine, I'll go first, Amelia. I'll lead the men to hunt for food." the Wolf Chief said, turning to leave.
"Of course, Chief. Thank you for coming," Amelia said, her hand reaching out to pinch Damian's ear.
"Ahhww," Damian yelped in surprise, looking at Amelia in shock.
As the memories flooded back, he realized he was Damian Anemoi, a boy from the Anemoi tribe, a tribe of werewolves.
"Say thank you." Amelia said, seeing that Damian was still dazed.
"Thank you, Chief Svartur," Damian said, bowing respectfully.
With the memories he'd regained, he knew the black wolf was the chief of the Anemoi tribe.
Svartur nodded and rushed toward the forest, while releasing a howl as he run his mighty howl echoing through the trees.
The other wolves in the forest answered his call their howls a testament to the tribe's strength and unity.
Damian watched in wonder, understanding that the other wolves were the protectors and scouts they were the Man of the Anemoi tribe.
He would be one of them, he thought, a thrill coursing through him but before he could delve further into his imagined future,
his ear ached again as his mother started twisting it.
"Now tell me what in God's name are you doing playing at the river? You almost drowned!" Amelia said, dragging him towards their cart, their home.
The Anemoi tribe were nomadic tribe, constantly on the move.
"Ahh, it hurts I'm sorry. I won't do it again
I promise" Damian said.
He remembered that this body had supposedly died drowning in the river while playing with his sisters.'The same as me,' he thought, remembering his own drowning in the ocean.
"Oh, I'll make sure you won't do it again," Amelia said, pulling down his pants.
Damian was shocked. In his mind and soul, he was a grown man, so he tried to pull his pants back up but Amelia wouldn't allow it. She lifted him into her arms.
Damian wriggled, trying to escape her grasp, but Amelia didn't budge.
Her strength was far greater than his, and as a werewolf, she was even stronger than an ordinary human woman.
"Oh, you're fighting me now? Looks like drowning gave you the courage to face me, huh?" Amelia said with a raised eyebrow, placing him on her knee.
"Smack, smack" Amelia started to teach Damian a lesson, a firm but not unkind smack on his bottom.
Damian stopped struggling.
He felt the sting of the slap, and tears welled up in his eyes, not out of anger but shame.
Amelia slapped him a few more times, but she looked at him expectantly.
When she didn't hear him cry out, she was surprised. Then she noticed his tears and thought, 'This kid knows how to hold his pain in.' She nodded, quite satisfied with her son.
Amelia pulled his pants back up, patting his back.
"Go on. Your sisters are still waiting for you." she said, gesturing him to get out the cart.
Damian hurriedly stood up, clutching his bottom.
He looked at Amelia, who was watching him with a raised eyebrow. He sighed before slowly walking out of the cart, knowing he could do nothing against his mother's will.
As he exited the cart, he heard the villagers gossiping about him, their hushed whispers filling the air.
"Poor Damian. He's such a clumsy boy." one woman murmured.
"It's a miracle he survived."
Damian didn't respond. He walked towards his sisters, his eyes downcast. His sisters, sensing his sadness ran to him.
"Damian, are you okay?" his older sister asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Are you hurt?"
Damian shook his head, trying to brush aside the tears that were threatening to spill. "I'm okay." he said, his voice shaky.
He glanced at the massive black wolf, who was disappearing into the forest, his howls echoing through the trees.
Damian's heart pounded in his chest.
He knew his this new life would never be the same as this was a fantasy world he always dreamed about yet it makes him wonder how gotten this body or how his soul gotten to this world, yet he can't deny the excitement in his heart.
He was a werewolf, a member of the Anemoi tribe.
But more importantly this was a new fresh start for him, a new adventure, a new world to explore. Thinking of this, his fist clenched in excitement.
'This time, I will have no regrets,' Damian thought with fierce resolve.
Suddenly, he felt two small arms wrap around him in a tight embrace. He was surprised, then touched.
"Thank gods you're alright." Natasha said, her voice thick with relief. Tears still clung to her eyelashes.
"Don't leafe us Browther," Lucy added, her tiny arms squeezing him tightly.
Lucy, his younger sister, was only three years old, and her words came out in a jumble of adorable mispronunciations.
Hearing Natasha's voice, laced with concern, and Lucy's innocent, childlike words, Damian laughed, a genuine laugh that bubbled up from his heart. He hugged them back, holding them close.
He looked up at the sky, the sun filtering through the branches overhead, and whispered to himself,
"This life, I will make sure no one can destroy my peace."