Chapter one

-An Excerpt of Cody’s life-

My first almost tangible memory was waking to the sound of gunfire and the clanking of chains. I remember each detail like it happened only yesterday. Bodies lay next to me, dead or alive, I didn’t know. The stench of decay and death hung thick over my head. The cuffs and chains around my, wrists, ankles, and neck prevented me from looking around. I didn’t want to anyway; I knew what I would see. I would see hundreds like myself, men women and children alike chained and cuffed to the floor side by side. When the slack chains above me began to move I knew it was time. Out of the few things I remembered, this was one of them, this happened every morning.
The chains tightened and I felt first my arms rise against my will, then my head, after that I rose to my own feet, using the chains connected to the ceiling to pull myself up. The man beside me must have died in the night for he did not stir. I waited silent beside the others, but unlike them I held my head high, proud to be what I was. There were only three things I knew, chiseled into my mind. The first; was my name, Cody. The second; I had the werewolf virus, just like everyone else in the room. What was the difference between me and everyone else there? I was proud to be who I was. I still am.
After that my mind is a blur only snippets of each day I remembered, up until I was rescued from the camps humans called ‘safe’ for us werewolves.
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It was still dark out, only hints of light brimmed the distant horizon, when a large white wolf rose from the cold stiff ground of the cave floor. He was much too large to be any normal wolf; his hair was long and shaggy, his build sturdy and muscular.
Several other wolves still slept around the cave floor: One that resembled a German shepherd lay closest to the back on a raised outcrop of rock. In the cavity beneath it was a sleek black wolf. Farther forward were the other two males, an older grey and a much younger red.
His gold eyes glanced over the four other sleeping wolves before he silently padded to the front of the cave. There he sat down and waited for the sun to rise completely. This was his morning routine; He liked the quiet before the sun rose. In his opinion this was the most peaceful time, a time to reflect upon ones actions the previous day, a time to think about the coming day and what it might hold in store.
It was several minutes before the sky began to turn shades of blue and purple. When it did at last rise, the wolf rose again. With a deep sad sigh he lifted his head to the sky giving a resounding howl that echoed through the cave and caused the other wolves to jump awake by the sudden load sound that interrupted their peaceful dreams.
The German shepherd like wolf was the first to join the white wolf at the entrance. She was shorter and had brilliant green eyes. Her hair was much like a German shepherd’s with the black across her back, around her paws and snout. Her hair was, however, softer and longer then a dog’s. She met the white wolf’s eyes, the look full of meaning.
She then bolted for the trees; one of the other wolves followed, it was black and sleek. The remaining two wolves, the red and grey males, joined the white wolf at the entrance. Not one of them moved or acknowledged each other in any way. Instead they intently watched the trees, waiting. The other two males could not compare to the size of the white one. If anything, they looked scrawny compared to him. After several moments a howl came from the forest. The two beside him howled in answer then they too ran for the trees, leaving the white one alone though he didn’t seem to mind. He simply lay down and watched the trees. He waited alone for some time before four figures returned from the trees, only they were not wolves.
Lifting his large head he looked at the approaching figures, unafraid. A woman with dark brown hair and brilliant green eyes spoke, when they where close enough. A slightly shorter woman stood just behind her, her hair short and midnight black.
“Why don’t you come with us this time, Cody?”
Cody laid his head back down on his paws, uninterested in the offer.
“You can’t stay in that form forever” She pointed out.
Cody remained still. The two men behind the women stayed a little further behind seeming anxious to go. One of them was older with grey hair the second seemed to be the youngest and had short red hair.
“No.” was Cody’s simple answer, but only the woman heard him. One of Cody’s different abilities, was telepathy, but he never abused it. He only used it to speak on the rare occasions that he did speak. To him the mind is one thing a person can hide and it should not be intruded upon without permission.
“Alright, suit yourself.” the woman said sadly, then turned and headed off to the east, toward the human civilization. The city that protected humans was a good two miles away closer then most werewolves would consider comfortable.
Cody watched them go in silence. Almost every day she asked, and every time Cody replied “No.” He hadn’t taken a human form in years let alone ventured into the city amongst humans.
Cody’s ears twitched forward, with his keen hearing he heard the shorter female, the conversation was clear as a bell. “Ven vill you ever learn, Liz? He is never going to come.” Her voice was thick with a Russian accent. Cody remembered when she first joined the pack, then he could never understand her accent, but now it was no problem.
“Some day he will.” Liz answered confidently, glancing back at Cody, knowing he could still hear them. Cody rolled his eyes before closing them again.

~.~.~
Cody waited until the others were out of sight before he stood again. He ran towards the tree’s, just wanting to run. He didn’t know where, he just wanted to feel the wind in his hair. He liked running in the morning when all the scents were fresh and the forest was just waking with the warm rays of sun that glinted off dew drops on long blades of grass, and on leaves in the trees. Making the forest sparkle and shine, the colors vibrant in the early morning light.
He ran for what seemed a very long time. When he slowed the trees had begun to thin. The wreckage of buildings was more noticeable now. Cody always thought the broken buildings overrun with vines of Ivey added a sense of life to the scenery. The entire area had once been a bustling metropolis but nature had reclaimed the area save for one small part of the once enormous city. Seeing this made Cody believe that nature would always find a way to live on even when man kind abandoned her in favor of their man made iron cities.
Cody sniffed the air. He could smell the salty water not far off. He could feel the cool sea breeze and hear the seagulls call. He only had to walk for a short time before coming upon the shore. Once he knew humans had coveted this kind of beauty, white sandy beaches stretching long and wide, far from pollution and corruption. His eyes crested the mass of water before him until they landed on an island a ways off. Standing high and reaching for the sky was the copper statue of a woman with a torch raised to the heavens. Once he knew that was a widely known icon of America, something that would never fall. It hadn’t fallen but had been forgotten which was just as unpleasant. Memories came back to him; hardly a year ago he had came to this very spot with Duke, the eldest of the pack.

“What do you see Cody?” The old grey man sitting beside him asked, looking over the water. “Water, seagulls.” was Cody’s simple reply. Cody, as always, remained in wolf form his words only for Duke.
“Yes, but look out yonder, see there?” the man pointed toward the island where the statue stood tall, still standing after so many years.
“It’s a statue, what of it?” Cody questioned. “That, my dear boy, is the Statue of Liberty. It stands for all to see, a symbol of liberty and escape from oppression.” Duke said. A far away look in his eyes.
“Then it should be torn down. That no longer applies to this land.” Cody’s words, even in Duke’s mind, were harsh and came as more of a growl.
“Don’t be so harsh. The statue was meant to show people that there is still hope, liberty and justice, and here it still stands waiting to be seen, waiting to be remembered.” Duke watched Cody, an intent expression on his face.
“You are a fool, old man. All that stands for is the long forgotten past. A past nobody will remember. There is no justice left. There is no escape from oppression, that’s all that’s left in this forsaken world.” Cody said before turning back to the trees.
“Mankind only needs a reminder, dear boy.” Duke spoke as Cody walked away.

That had been the longest conversation he had ever had with the old man. Since then they had rarely spoken. “There is no escape.” He repeated the words to himself as he stood looking over the water. “Anything or anyone that is different must be controlled or obliterated, that’s the way the human mind will always work” Cody thought darkly to himself “Men run from what they fear that fact will never change” Cody was torn from his thoughts, his ears twitching back; he heard the distinct sound of leaves and twigs underfoot. He sniffed the air, his nose wrinkled, “Human.” he growled to himself. “A perfect morning ruined by humans”
Cody turned to take cover beneath the canopy of trees, but stopped in his tracks. He had mis judged the position of the human. A girl stood there, looking at him. She looked no older than ten. Her hair was short and timber brown. She did not look afraid, that bothered Cody. He knew she would not be alone out here, surely an adult, more then likely with a gun would not be far behind. He needed her to run knowing he would not have time to escape now, now that he had been seen. His ears flattened down and he let a low growl escape his throat hoping the girl would run to whatever adult companied her. She didn’t, she simply stood there and looked at him until a male voice called out somewhere behind her. “Prue! I told you not to get too far ahead!” Prue looked back. “I’m over here!” she called back and then looked at Cody again, still unafraid. “Run.” she told him.
The simple word took Cody off guard; he stood for a second then turned and ran down the beach. What choice did he have? She had told the other human were she was and therefore were he was also. Besides that there might be more then one human in the woods “This could be a trap” Cody told himself.A short way down the beach Cody ducked behind what might have once been part of a building, a large chunk of plaster and brick.
There he waited. He didn’t have time to go further without being seen. He would have to hope that here would be safe enough for now, and if not he would fight before letting himself be shot. He heard Prue skipping down the beach kicking up sand as she went, she was coming towards him. “What is she thinking? First she tells me to run then fallows me anyway”
“Prue, what are you doing?” The man’s voice was close, to close for comfort. Cody was ready to bolt, or fight which ever came first.
“Skipping” she said innocently.
“Well, come on, we should… wait….are those….. Wolf prints?” The voice was uncomfortably close.

Cody tensed as he heard him cock a gun he wouldn’t be able to run now, the man was to close. Cody would have to fight……….