Tristan had been having trouble sleeping a recurring dream had been plaguing his mind as if had been for many years now..
The sun had not long set and the evening meal was just finishing. Tristan's father Grayson entered, a tall and well built man, had not long returned from fetching wood for the wood burner. The family home did have electricity, but it tended to give their position away to the hunter. At the moment the family home was the only place of true protection from a world of indifference.
Grayson moved to the sitting area of the home were the rest of his family sat, his wife Evalyn, his oldest son Alistair, who was 18 soon to be turning 19, his oldest daughter Daniella, who was 15 and at the age where nothing was fair and his youngest son Tristan who was 7. Kissing Evalyn tenderly on the forehead " All is silent my dear, it seems the woods have held off the hunters for this night." Sitting down next to his wife he put his arm around her holding her close, causing Evalyn to fumble her knitting, but she smiled softly and fell into his warm embrace.
The couples adoration for each other was clear but it was short lived as Alistair came storming down the stairs panic in his voice. "Dad! Hunters are coming I see the torches coming" He went to the window and pointed out to the beams of light merging in the tree line. A burst of glass smashing caught the family by surprise with a bullet tearing through Alistair's shoulder causing him to fall the ground, Grayson acted immediately dragging his eldest son to him checking the wound. Thankfully the bullet had gone through the body entirely and missed the bone by inches. Alistiar pulled himself up looking to his father for any kind of advice, Grayson opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the scream of Daniella who was upstairs. He bolted upstairs to find his daughter fighting with a man wielding a silver knife, Grayson growled deeply and the hunter turned his head to look and that was all he had to do. Daniella took his head twisting it sharply so his neck broke killing him instantly.
" That's my girl c'mon we have to go" Grayson said taking his daughters hand and rushing downstairs to find Evalyn tying Alistiar's arm up to hold it until it healed. Tristan was huddled in the corner holding his kness tightly, trembling with nervousness, he had never come across hunters this determined before. Alistair pushed a table up to the smashed window, turning around he ran over to Tristan picking him up and returning to the family. Tristan huddled up to his mother who held him tightly in her arms.
" Come out you beasts and fight! Why cower away like the dogs you are?" One of the hunters shouted as they banged against the door. " It is not a fair fight and only beast I can see here are you!" Alistiar roared loudly back putting himself in front of Daniella. The door began to give way to a barrage of axes and boots, Grayson looked to Evalyn and nodded. Crouching down to Tristan she spoke tears brimming her eyes " Tristan you need to hide okay? You can hide under the house until the hunters go away Allright?" Tristan nodded " But what about everyone else? You can fit too" he spoke pulling on his mothers sleeves. Evalyn smiled softly " no we can't sweetheart, they would know we hid there and then you'd be hurt too" Evalyn said opening a small hatch underneath where the family was standing and popped Tristan inside, she smiled softly kissing him on the head and added " Remember what we told you about the wolf and when he comes? Even though your changing on the outside, you are still you on the inside, never forget who you are. Understand Sweetheart?" She pushed Tristan down locking the hatch.
The family stood as one as the door broke down, they all changed into their wolf forms and fought as well as they could even with axes and bullets tearing flesh apart from bone. As body by body dropped to the last growl, blood seeped through the floorboards dripping onto Tristan coating him with the blood of his family. The hunters left after a while, he had no idea how long they had stayed celebrating the kills of the century, taking fur, blood, teeth and anything that resembled werewolf culture.
However Tristan stayed under the house for days sobbing uncomtrolably to scared to move incase the hunters came back. He couldn't help but listen to the voice at the back of his head, telling him to get revenge on his families killers and revenge of the world for hating his kind. Tristan's viewpoint changed that night, they all had to pay in blood. He finally crawled out, covered in blood and dirt. He may have lost a family but he had gained a new mentor to aspire to, the comforting voice in the back of his head.
Tristan awoke suddenly covered in sweat and his blood, scratch marks over his body began to heal quickly. Sitting up he ran his hands through his hair breathing quickly. He couldn't run away from that dream even though he ran when he was seven it still haunted him.
Standing up he walked around his cave for a while, his hands tracing over the claws marks scratched in the walls some old and some new Tristan tried to contain the wolf in him when he was human but sometimes his emotions got the better of him.
Walking out into the evening air he breathed in deeply, he wondered how Anna was getting on her house should have been finished by now since the fire. He didn't know what it was but he wanted to see her, perhaps it was the reason that she accepted him for what he was and he had never had, never in his life.
Walking through the forest he smashed a couple of bear traps not wanting his animal companions to be hurt, the metal itself was flimsy really for someone as strong as him. He come to the clearing before Anna's house he stopped and sniffed quickly, no one was there it was so strange. Walking to the back door he knocked on it softly not wanting to punch a hole in the door.
