Wanted by Alexia Stargazer (ebook voice reader .txt) 📕

My breath showed against the cold air as I ran. I could hear them behind me. They where close. I stopped and looked back, panting, and saw the fire of torches and heard the baying of hounds. I snarled and ran on. The forest flew past me as I lunged forward. I slid to a stop next to a river. It roared before me. I shook myself from my fear stood tall and just as the hounds and man came to circle around me I jumped in. The water sucked me under and to all else I disappeared.
I was tossed every which way while my lungs screamed for air. I felt the mud slide under my paws as I tried to get a better grip to through myself into shallow water. I finally hit a rock and it shoved me up for a split second, I took a quick breath before the water sucked me down again. I swam hard to the left and finally felt the ground under my paws go from mud to rocks and from there to solid ground as I dragged myself out. I pulled myself about two feet before collapsing in a heap. I was tired but I tried getting up slowly. After several failed attempts I stood coughing. After a lot of water that had been in my lungs was gone I walked off into the tree’s.
I woke up the next day five feet from the river. I shook my head, stretched, yawning before listening to see if man and his hell hounds had continued on there hunt. I could faintly hear their hounds. I froze and turned to look across the river. There stood a man with his fire arm. I snarled at him and he froze his fire arm half way pointed. I looked in his eyes watching him before shaking my black head and disappearing into the trees......
I jumped when I heard a whistling sound pass my ear. I growled and looked back at the man to see he had raised his fire arm and shot. I ran on faster until I heard another of my kind. I slid to a stop realizing that I had ran into the grounds of a ruthless pack. I looked around and saw them slipping through the trees, coming towards me. I snarled my warning. The Alpha came up to me. He stood tall, growling for me to submit but I stood just as tall. His gray coat bristling.
“You are trespassing” he snarled. I snarled and snapped my teeth right next to his ear. He jumped back and snarled about to lunge.
“You do not own the lands” I said calmly sitting on my haunches, my head held high. He sat tilting his head.
“I am merely traveling and if you do not leave me I will rip your throat out!” I growled. The rest of the pack came out and started to circle us. His mate came beside him, her black white coat was bristled. I almost laughed. He stood, his tail swished uncomfortably back and forth. I heard the sound of boots breaking newly fallen snow. I looked behind me. Then looked to the Alpha.
“They are coming and my head start is gone” I snarled standing again and starting to move forward. The pack jumped in front of me. There were five of them including the two leaders. I looked behind me, I could hear the hounds baying, getting closer. I quickly jumped with all my might over them to their backs. They growled in frustration. I looked back at them.
“You had better run the humans are coming and they wont hesitate in killing you ruthless mutts” I called to them before racing on..

I raced on, I didn’t think about the pack they where stupid if they couldn’t see who I was every wolf in the area knew who I was. I looked up at the sky and saw the moon. I stopped and sat down thinking, still looking at the moon. My tail swished back and forth before I lifted my head high and let my howl ring out. I was summoning the one the prophecy spoke of, the one who would bring peace between half-breeds like me.
I stiffened when I heard the hell hounds calling out in the distance behind me. I growled and started off again...
I passed a hole and skidded to a stop and went back to take a look and seeing if anything was in it. I was wrong to stop. A cougar screamed at me. I jumped back as she took a swipe. I hoped she would just leave me be but today must not be my day. She followed me out of her hole and we circled each other.
“Don’t do this not now I was only looking for a place to sleep I meant no harm to you or your cubs..”I started. She snarled at me. My senses sharpened. We were about to fight when I heard a branch snap, I quickly jumped out of her way and turned to see a man watching us. I snarled and the cougar turned to see him and almost jumped out of her skin.
“Go I will distract him, They aren’t here for you anyways” I snarled. She looked at me.
“You are the one..” she purred. I snarled again and nodded. She bowed her head and went back in with her cubs. I turned toward the man to see he had a fire arm lifted and already pointed. I bunched all my muscles and leaped towards him teeth barred. He shot to late and the bullet missed by a hair. I landed with my paws on his shoulders. He tried to struggle but I snarled at him. He instantly froze.
“You men think you own everything, every animal here is better then you because we use that but you,” I snorted in disgust.
“You men keep our coats as trophies” I looked up. More were coming.
“How can I understand you?” He asked. My head snapped back down to him and my eyes widened in shock.
“You..” I started but a bullet grazed my shoulder and I snarled snapping my jaws on his uplifted arm. I was startled by the blood but pulled him up and pulled him into a run with me. He stumbled at first but soon he was on his feet and we were both running for our lives. It is said that when we bite a human they become one of us, for him it is sad because he will never live his life, and for me it will mean a long battle. I stopped us at a creak and turned to see him breathing hard and stumbling. He fell just as he reached the side of the creak. I stepped over to him and looked at the wound I had created, I whined when I saw that it had been deeper then I thought.
“I am sorry about the bite but it is partly your fault for raising your arm.” I said before taking the fabric into my jaws and tearing it off. I could then see the wound clearly and started to lick it clean. He groaned and tried to move.
“It will be more painful if you don’t sit still” I said barring my teeth inches from his injury. He looked at me with golden brown eyes and I sat back.
“I have been looking for you for a long time and now I can finally rest.” I said laying down and partly closed my eyes. He moved then to sit up. I lifted my head as he looked at his arm, it was slowly healing. I watched him with weary eyes.
“Does this mean I am one of you?” He asked his voice sounded dead. I snorted and stretched.
“Yes but know this I am not just a wolf I am also human, a shape-shifter if you want a name for it, and that is how I am also known as the ghost wolf of Alaska,” I paused and growled.
“Though I am black they call me a ghost” I barked out a laugh. I looked at him, he was shivering. I stood and sighed.
“The process of changing does take time..” I said starting off. I looked back.
“Come and I will get us to a sheltered place. I have one not to far from here..” I added. He stood, wobbling a little. He came beside me and put a hand lightly on my head. I started away with him in tow. It took us the rest of the night and half of the morning to get there but I finally found my favorite cave. It was an out crouping of rocks that leaned against one another almost like a tepee but more sturdy. I sighed and walked in. The man had stopped at the edge of the trees. I stopped and looked back at him.
“Are you coming?” I asked. He followed me in and we sat down around a pit that sometimes had provided a fire for me when I was in my human form. He shivered and I moved to lay beside him. He stiffened then put a hand on my shoulder.
“I am sorry I had hoped it would have been different but a hunter is what a hunter does” I said laying my head down in between my paws. I heard him chuckle.
“I am sorry I tried to hunt you.” he said. I closed my eyes.
“How come I could understand you?” he asked just as I was about to drift to sleep. I raised my head and looked at him.
“You are who my mother told me about. The one who’s blood is faint but just enough that he can feel the things of nature and understand another of his kind..” I said watching him. He shook his head.
“How is that possible” He asked. I smiled showing my teeth before laying my head back down.
“Sleep I will explain more later when I have rested for not even the strongest of my kind could have made the distance that I did without killing ourselves..” I said yawning. I closed my eyes and felt him lay down beside me curling up into my side to keep the cold out. I sighed and then fell asleep with my senses listening for anything that could be a danger to a new shape-shifter.

I woke a day later growling. I could hear the faint howling of the hell hounds. I stood and looked over to the man. I smiled he was no longer a man but a wolf. His coat was white as fresh snow. I sighed and nudged his shoulder. He stumbled to his feet his eyes half open.
“Whats..goin on” he said groggily. I almost howled with laughter but held it back knowing it would attract the hell hounds.
“We have to start moving or they will find us.” I said starting away before looking back at him.
“Oh and by the way you are now, fully, a shape shifter” I told him. He looked down, then turned in a circle before stopping and looking at me in amazement.
“that fast?” He asked. I nodded.
“Thankfully or else we would be in a sticky situation.” I said trotting off. I heard him run to catch up.
“Wait why is this a good thing?” he asked dully.
“Because you can travel at speed with me” I said obviously. We got about twenty feet away when I heard the hounds closing in. I snarled.
“We have to hurry, come on!” I said jumping