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Yuri and her hunter companion examined the boy as he moved about the large stone human dwelling performing mundane tasks that she had no name for. He was big, bigger than any wolf she had seen so far. Granted Yuri was a pretty young wolf herself. "Why does he do such mundane human tasks?" Guro asked and growled softly, "It's so unnatural to watch our brother wolf doing such things and using those human tools"

"Guro you are a fool if you are thinking what I think you are" Yuri said softly and continued to watch the young man.

"But he is a slave here! A wolf should be wild and free, not chained to some big stone den!"

"Quiet! If he is a wolf than he'll here you growling in these bushes! We are only to observe, not interfere. The shaman was very specific in his instructions and we can't be found by the humans. Even the ones who aren't really human" Yuri said and turned her soft white furred body around to face Guro. "You know the shaman won't like it if we kill anyone just to get a brother wolf that is possibly the strongest of our race that's not a royal!"

"I still don't like it! And look at how he hides his ears in human form, he won't hear us" Guro protested.

"I think it's very clever of him"

The boy, unaware of his audience, continued to do the chores around the keep. "Rolf" another young man smaller than Rolf said as he emerged from the keep, "Didn't your father tell us to meet him in the forest for training?"

"I remember, but unlike you Bruin I have chores to do!"

"It's not my fault your father won't let you join his own band of sell swords!"

Rolf looked hurt. "I don't know why he doesn't trust me in battle" Rolf said and gave Bruin a sad look.

"Awe, don't let it get to you Rolfy! You just leave it to your Big Brother, I'll talk to him!"

"Big brother, you're smaller than I am!"

"Shush! I'm two years older than you Rolf! You just grow too fast" Bruin said and looked a little annoyed.

The two continued into the forest with a pair of swords in hand. Yuri and Guro followed them to a clearing in which a dangerous looking human stood with a sword in hand. As soon as the boys entered the clearing he charged at them with his sword in hand. Blades met as the boys worked together to try to score a blow on the grey haired man, but he was beyond the boys skill as fighters. "Look at that!" Yuri gasped and woofed her surprise at what she was seeing.

"What's so impressive about that? He's losing"

"Not that, he's using a sword! A wolf using a sword! I thought it was impossible" Yuri woofed in surprise.

The old man motioned for the boys to stop. "Did you hear that?" he said as a nearby wolf realized how loud she was being.

"Too... tired...to... go on" Bruin said and dropped to his knees breathing and sweating.

"How do you fight like that father?" Rolf asked the man distracting him from the forest.

Dorian Lionheart laughed and shouldered his blade, "I fought in the beast wars boys" he said and turned to face his pupils, "I know now that I made the right choice, but I hope you boys never see war as I did" he said and turned away.

Guro growled at the mention of the beast wars but Yuri nipped him to quit him. "You fought the beast-men?" Bruin asked.

"The Anima you mean"

"Ugh, yea, them" Bruin said unsure of how to respond.

"I won't date myself in front of you youngsters! Ha! That was the past anyway, ready yourselves because here I come!" he said and leapt at the boys.

Bruin scrambled to get up, but knew he was not nearly fast enough. Rolf stepped between his father and Bruin and parried the blow. "By the gods Rolf, that was a good parry" Dorian said and danced with his son as they engaged in one on one combat.

Yuri could tell the older human was not fighting as hard as he might, but she could also see the power in his arms testing the young wolf in front of her. She marveled at Rolf's strength. Wolves weren't known for being strong in their human form only her eldest brother, the prince Turu, was known for strength in his human form. If Rolf was this strong in his human form than he would be nigh unstoppable in his two wolf forms.

Rolf knew he had overstepped his stance when he felt his father's knee slam into the back of his thigh, but through the pain he managed to pull away and ready his sword for another attack. "Impressive, but your form is sloppy" Dorian said and lunged.

"Rolf!" a young girl's voice called out and distracted him for a moment. It was all the time Dorian needed to land a heavy blow to the side of his son's head with the blunt training sword. A resounding crack echoed through the forest and Rolf collapsed. "Father!" the girl shouted as she saw the blow and watched her brother crumple.

"I guess he's not that great of a fighter" Guro said and laughed.

Yuri watched the human girl rush to Rolf's aid. "His head is hurt" she said and reached to remove the rag tied around Rolf's head. "I have to stop her" Yuri said.

"Stop"

Raina looked up from her fallen brother to see a beautiful girl around her own age stepped out of the woods. The first thing she noticed was the girl's ears. They were furry and pointed. She wore loose clothing and a bushy wolf tail extended behind her. "A Beast-man" Bruin shouted and pulled Raina behind him.

"Hush your foul mouth Bruin!" Dorian said and looked up at the young she-wolf standing at the edge of the forest. "I apologize for my pupil's rudeness Lady Wolf, but we are weary of the Anima in these parts and you should be weary of humans if you are wise"

"Inith del morain uni hath ses du caniris Ruro" The She-Wolf said in a strange language.

"Is that his name than? I didn't know... You must leave this place. That life is not for my son so long as I am alive" Dorian said and brought his sword up. "Fini del ses caniris du Ruro vester anisa" Dorian replied in the same language.

The she-wolf turned and disappeared into the forest and was gone with little more than the rustling of leaves. "What was that about?" Bruin asked.

"You will not speak of this to anyone and not a word to Rolf! I will severely discipline you both if you do!"

...

Rolf Awoke in his bed the next morning with a splitting head ache, "You're awake!" Raina said surprised to see her brother trying to get out of bed.

"Gotta... get... to my... razor..." He said and stumbled to the water bowl in his bedchamber. Raina had noticed what looked like a beard growing on Rolf's face since the night before.

"I've never seen you shave before?"

"Shave... three times a day" he said and began to lather his face.

"Well I'll just let you be than" Raina said and started toward the door.

"Thanks" Rolf said without turning to look at his sister.

Rolf attacked his beard in the mirror. He knew all too well what it looked like when he didn't shave. Since the age of 12 Rolf had been in a losing battle with himself, every day it became harder and harder to hide his secret from those closest to him. He sighed when Raina left and pulled the bandana off his head. His short hair tumbled out and around two furry ears. He'd tried shaving them, but after cutting his self had decided against it. Now he just tried to hide them. The ears had always been there, but his beard was a different matter. When left to its devices it covered his face in a strange pattern of red and brown hair that looked very inhuman. His hair grew down his back to his ass in a thick bushy mass. His chest was covered in hair too and if he didn't wear armor nearly all the time he'd look like he had fur all over himself. Being a mercenary was a good excuse for wearing armor all the time so nobody asked many questions. "What are you?" Rolf asked his reflection in the tiny mirror.

When Rolf finished cleaning himself he walked out only to find everyone packing. "Get your stuff together" A man Rolf recognized as his father's second in command, Captain Ford, said and tossed a bag at Rolf. "Pack light, we've been deployed to the boarder of Tanir and Galla. Seems a wars broken out and the nobles of Tanir are paying us to turn Galla regulars into meat" Ford said and laughed.

"But I'm not part of the Lionheart mercenaries" Rolf protested.

"You're father left explicit instructions that you join as a rookie before he left. He didn't tell anyone where he was going, but he did accept the bid for our services, so we're off to war and you and Raina are coming with us!"

Rolf didn't think he could protest to his father granting his only wish for the past three years. Rolf packed his things and joined the other men as they began to march west toward Galla.

Yuri and Guro followed close behind the group of mercenaries. Yuri could feel the winds of fate blowing softly through the woods. There was something happening in the world and soon she and Guru might not be able to stay a secret from her ward. Dorian's last words still echoed in her head. "The chosen one Ruro is not ready" he had said.

From what Guro had told her Dorian had left the other human traveling south towards the dark forest and her own lands beyond. She didn't know what he knew about Rolf, but she would have liked to talk to him. Any human who could speak the Lupe language was rare, but how had he learned it?

The band of mercenaries moved quickly and camped light. Rolf had barely been away from the keep so he had no idea where he was headed. Raina camped with the two healers in the troop. They had a wagon and horses but everyone else walked. Normally Rolf might have protested, but lately he was found himself spending more and more time slipping into the nearby woods and running ahead of the group. More than once Rolf had seen shapes running along with him and he thought they looked like wolves, but they never attacked, only his keen eyes caught them running through the bushes.

About a week into the trek Rolf noticed that he had forgotten his razor. His beard was spreading over his face faster than ever and his hair was getting unusually thick. When the Ford called a halt to the march Rolf helped Bruin set up the tent they shared and then slipped into the forest. He had seen a lake hidden on the other side of the dense bush. He decided to take a risk and bathe in the lake. Rolf hadn't taken off his clothes and armors the entire trip and his own smell was getting pretty powerful. He slipped out of his gear and clothes and pulled his helm and bandana off. To his surprise he could hear the men in the camp about a quarter mile from where he was standing. And that wasn't all he could here either. Someone was watching him and their heart beat was louder than a drum beating in the forest. "Who's there?" Rolf asked and twirled around to face the bush nearest to him and farthest from the forest.

"Woof?" a large black-brown wolf said as it stepped out of the bush.

"Oh, just you... You know I've been seeing you two more and more over the last few days. It's almost like you've been following me" Rolf said and bent down to scratch the wolf on the head. "By the gods I'm glad you aren't Bruin. These alone would be hard to explain, not to mention the fur" Rolf said and ran his hand through the very thick hair that seemed to have gotten thicker and more abundant since the last time he went shirtless. "At this rate I'll look more like you than a human!" Rolf said and laughed.

Guro watched from shore as Rolf waded out into the water and began swimming in the cool lake. This wolf was defiantly strange. Guro hated being wet more than anything and he'd do just about anything to avoid water. Beyond that Guro was beginning to grow fond of this big dumb cub. Granted Guro himself was probably younger than Rolf, but the way he acted made Guro think of him as a cub. He was the biggest wolf Guro had ever seen, and King Canins was a very big wolf. Guro ventured to say the Rolf would even be bigger than the tigers that were always loading their size and strength over the wolves. Eventually Guro tired of watching Rolf swim and he padded back into the forest.

Rolf emerged from the lake to find his wolf friend gone. He sighed and began dressing. He could hear the wolf nearby and sounds of the men getting ready for dinner rations to be passed out prompted Rolf to hurry and dress. Donning his smelly armor was almost too much for Rolf and he found that he much preferred to be without clothes at all. Why he did he couldn't say, but it was just too stuffy in the leather and chain linked armor. The world seemed to dull as Rolf tied his bandana on and put his helm over his head. He never realized how much his senses were cut short by his need to hide his deformities. Everything that might have been hearable before was now only a faint throb against his ears. Rolf found though that if he strained he could at least hear a few sounds from camp. It was still far better than a human's hearing, but not all he was capable of.

"Where'd you run off to?" Bruin asked when Rolf emerged into camp, "I saved some dinner for you! You can thank me later"

Rolf attacked his meager rations and Guro growled from the bushes. If he hadn't noticed how little Rolf was eating who knew what the cub might do. When an Anima gets hungry there's no telling what they might do. Attacks on humans weren't common, but also not unheard of. As the humans began to stagger off to bed hungry and tired Guro began to hunt. He found a good sized boar and took it down with ease. He made sure to cook the meat just close enough to Rolf's tent to allow the cubs sense of smell to find him. It would be a bit of a test, just like when they had followed him in the forest to see if he would see them. Guro wanted to see if he could awaken the cubs sense of smell and maybe a little more than just that.

Rolf woke to the sound of his own stomach growling at the smell of pork roasting on a nearby spit. The camp was silent so Rolf knew nobody was cooking it in camp. In fact the smell seemed to be coming from the woods. Part of Rolf knew the proximity of the camp to the Gallan boarder made venturing out at night dangerous, but his stomach felt ready to rip out of his gut and go on its own accord.

Rolf stole through the quiet camp and into the forest. His ability to sneak about surprised him, but as loudly as his stomach growled he was sure everyone would soon wake. He followed the smell out of the camp further and further into the woods. When he came upon a small clearing where a large muscular hairy man clad in naught but a loin cloth was cooking a great boar over a fire he could hardly believe what he was looking at. This man looked like him! The man had furry pointed ears and a beard that grew in exactly the same way that Rolfs did. His hair grew all the way down his back and onto a furry appendage that looked like a wolf's tail. He had thick fur like hair covering his whole body and it mirrored Rolfs in where it was thick on the chest, groin, legs, and shoulders. At first Rolf was afraid to enter the small clearing, but curiosity forced him to emerge from the bushed. "Hello Ruro" the strange man said with a stranger accent and looked up at Rolf.

"My name if Rolf"

"That's what the humans call you, but your real name is Ruro, just like I am Guro and Yuri is Yuri" he said and looked at me sadly.

"Where is this Yuri?"

"She has left to track your father she said. I am here to track you" Guro said and looked at Rolf with a neutral blank expression.

Rolf might have said something else, but his stomach growled loudly and demanded he eat soon or else. He turned to the hairy man called Guro and asked, "I was wondering if I could have some boar?"

"I will not share my kill with a human..."

"But I'm not... At least I don't think I am..." Rolf struggled with himself and finally his hunger won him over. "I'm not human" he said and pulled his helm off and his bandana along with it.

"I see you are Anima too" Guro said and looked at Rolf's ears. "If brother Ruro would like to feed with his brother Guro than he must assume his Anima form" Guro said and looked into Rolfs green eyes with his golden ones.

"I don't understand"

Instead of wasting time with meaningless words Guro stood and reached into his spirit. The wolf was always there and more than ready to come out. A green glow of light spread over him as his human form dropped to all fours and very quickly and fluidly turned into a large black-brown wolf. "Do you understand now Ruro? You are Anima, like I am Anima. We are not human"

Rolf felt like something terrible was happening to him. The man who had looked like him looked like the wolf from earlier. All his life Rolf had fought to control the wild nature inside him, but now more than ever it clawed at his mind trying to burst from inside him and be free at last. All at once Rolf felt like he was on fire. His skin tingled and a green light began to engulf his body. He dropped to all fours as his armor seemed to disappear and he was suddenly very exposed, but covered in his own fur. His face changed in front of him and soon he was looking down his muzzle at the other wolf. Rolf growled because he didn't understand what was going on. The other wolf looked at him smugly and knocked the cooked boar off its spit and onto the ground at Rolf's feet. The hot meat was barely a snack and Rolf looked at the wolf sadly as his stomach growled again. "Hungry" he said in a language he didn't know he knew.

"Than we hunt" Guro said and took off into the forest, Rolf close at his hide paws.

Back in camp Bruin awoke to find his self drenched in cold sweat. The sound of wolves howling in the night made him shiver and think about the beast-woman from the week before. He rolled over in his sleeping bag and tried not to think of Wolves lurking in the forest outside his tent.

Morning found Wolf-Rolf asleep next to Wolf-Guro. They had curled up together after eating a young buck they had caught and killed together. "Morning" Rolf said and stood on his four legs, "I need to get back to camp!"

"You are Anima Ruro!" Guro said and stretched where he lay, "You should leave the humans behind and come join us! We are your true people and we will accept you for who you really are!"

"But my comrades and Raina; they are going to war with Galla and I can't just let them die on the spears of another country while I run around the forest!" Rolf said sadly. "No, my duty is to my family, not my race. Whatever race that might be, I will not abandon my family"

"But pretending to be human will be even harder now! You are a fully fledged Anima and you will have to hide very well to fit in" Guro said and gave Rolf a skeptical look.

"I must try" Rolf said as he concentrated on being human again. The first sound his body made was an audible ripping sound as his armor fell away from his abnormally large form in strips, "By the gods!"

Guro looked up at Rolf and nearly pissed out of fear. The boy was easily taller than any human should be. He looked to be an easy seven feet tall and by the looks of his muscles a good 400 + pounds. Rolf didn't lose any fur, or his claws, or his tail, or his fangs, they just retracted into a more human looking form. "Like I said before; you won't be able to hide anymore"

Rolf looked down at himself and ran a hand through his thick fur. He had always feared that he might one day be a monster, now he was and for some reason he didn't care. In fact he kind of liked his new forms. Something inside him though whispered greater power though. In his mind the wolf begged to be joined with his human form, not just be released from its prison of flesh. "I have three forms" Rolf said and turned to Guro.

"Than you are a hunter like me" Guro said. "The hunters command the battle field while the singers command the moon's magic"

"Moon magic?" Rolf began to ask, but a war horn burst the relative quietness of the morning air.

"You might need that third form soon enough, looks like your human friends are in trouble" Guro said and bolted into the forest towards where the sound came from.

The change from human to wolf came much faster as Rolf leapt and landed on all fours. He took off into the forest and after Guro, the sounds of battle getting closer and closer with each step.