• Prologue
    The fog came in the night. Perhaps it was early morning, Ashyl couldn’t tell for she had been running most of the night and so she had lost track of time. Small blessings, she thought, 'at least I won’t have to know how long my life is measured in; minutes or hours.'
    She laughed dryly to herself and smiled, 'yeah right, seconds is more like it…' She pushed her trembling legs into a trot again while pressing a hand to a stitch in her side as if to make it go away.
    Suddenly her legs gave out and she went tumbling to the ground. She gasped in pain and pushed her bloody hands onto the sidewalk while slowly getting to her feet. Through the night a howling came—triumphant and evil.
    Her eyes widened in fear but she didn’t cry out, no to do so now wouldn’t give him enough time to escape. ’I must keep going, I can’t let him live like that for an eternity…’ Slowly she pushed herself to a stumbling walk along the hiking trail. A large bush ran along the trail and Ash slowly knelt down and crawled into the small space under the overhanging branches.
    Through the fog she could see the town lights twinkling merrily. A small Christmas parade jingle rang out and she could see a row of car lights marking the place where the 16th annual Parade was proceeding. Briefly she remembered the many times she had stood at the edge of the road watching as Santa, snowmen, and merry elves alike all paraded by. She remembered the smell of hot chocolate and the peppery taste of each candy cane…’I don’t want to lose this!’ She thought in anguish.
    Suddenly through the white fog, red lights gleamed. At first Ashyl thought that there were cars going in the other direction because they looked remarkably like tail lights. That was, of course, until she saw the huge wolf as he bounded through the trail and almost right to the spot where she had made bloody handprints on the ground.
    He growled in satisfaction and put his nose to the ground and continued up the path towards where Ashyl waited—frozen in fear.
    He got closer and closer until he was right up to her hiding place and then he lowered his head until he was looking at her with one intelligent green eye. A voice seemed to speak in her head, “Come Little One, won’t you continue to run? The Game has just started and I don’t want to finish it right away, we only get some fun once every couple of years when some stupid mortal such as you stumbles upon our secret.”
    Looking into the wolf’s eyes she suddenly gained courage, “Well, that’s too bad because I’m done running. I know longer care what you do to me for my life has no meaning anymore, because of your Pack and you the one person I actually cared about is now bewitched by your Dark Magic.”
    The wolf pulled back his lips to reveal teeth set in an impish smile, “Oh, you do have some fight left in you. Well now, what would you do if I said I could save him? Sure, there would be a price but if you are willing to pay then I see no problem in letting your love go free. You will remain a servant of the Pack for you lifespan in exchange for his freedom. Will you agree to this proposition?” He made a crackling growl, that was meant to be a laugh, in the back of his throat.
    Ashyl looked the large black wolf up and down, and swallowed her doubts. She then spoke, “Fine, do what you must but know that I will never let another such as I fall into your trap. Maybe one day someone will get the power to destroy you so you can go back to the depths of hell where you belong.”
    The wolf smiled again and stepped closer to her. His mouth closed around her wrist and he lightly tugged her into the clearing where the new moon was just starting to show through the clouds. Ash’s gray-blue eyes were fixed on the moon and the wisps of clouds that still covered it. Her eyes widened in sudden understanding and she looked at the wolf who suddenly changed before her eyes. Now crouched in his spot was a guy.
    He slowly stood up and dusted off his black sweater and jeans. His sapphire eyes met hers through his wire-rimmed glasses and he once more smiled a predator’s smile. “You understand now, don’t you?” he asked in a light tenor voice. He took a step towards her…she took a step back.
    Above them a wind seemed to spring up from no where, shaking the bare branches and pushing an ice-riddled breeze right in Ashyl’s face. The cool air pushed down into her lungs and seemed to still them. The truth was sinking in slowly…
    Werewolves, as well as many other immortals, took it upon themselves to test their mortal brethrens cunning. Riddles, puzzles, truth-laced lies was another part of their twisted Game. You will remain a servant of the Pack for your lifespan in exchange for his freedom. You will remain a servant… for your lifespan…“You…You can’t. I never agreed to that!” she exclaimed in fear while stepping back once more. He just shook his head. She blinked…and he was suddenly right in front of her. He pressed his lips to her frozen ones while smirking. Slowly he trailed down her cheek, neck and finally he rested his lips against her shoulder. Her lips were burning…rejecting this damned creature’s touch. ‘He took my first kiss…he took my life…He took my humanity from me.’ Ashyl though in dismay. ‘I have given up my life for him, may he learn to live now. Oh, Tristan… you must live for both of us now.
    He looked up into her fear-glazed eyes, “Oh, but I already have.” Then her bit her. Pain, sharp as a blowtorch, started to swirl around the wound. Each circuit of the swirl seemed to bring changes.
    Enhanced vision…Ashyl looked around in shock to see bark that was peeling from a tree yards away. The sharp teeth of her creator and the blood that was slowly staining the pearly enamel. Shapes that seemed to appear and disappear… mythical creatures that humans could never see.
    Improved hearing…Now she could hear the small scrabbling as small animals fled into their dens. A lone owl, confident in its maneuvering, fluttering over head. The steady heartbeats of her pack mates and of their Leader
    Increased sense of smell… The blood that was slowly dripping of her shoulder to meet the snow. The frozen clarity of the winter. His scent that was slowly drifting over to mark her as his.
    Her shoulder wound was already starting to clot. The werewolf venom speeding through her veins and poisoning her body; transforming it into something that she had once hated.
    She screamed and then howled as under the new moon’s rays she changed. Her eyes glared at the man--full of rage and sorrow. Blue met gray-blue and locked in a silent battle of dominance, after many long minutes the white wolf turned her head away. Defeated she stood up and padded over towards the man. Two wolves bounded through the clearing and back towards the den, one pitch black the other a pure white. White snowflakes slowly fell down from the black star-speckled sky covering up the last traces of Ashyl Night.
    'These are my memories, after many decades i am finally able to tell others... When the new moon appears and you feel shadows stalking you, don't look back...just run.'