It was dark. But it was warm. I nestled into my mother's fur, the silene of the night echoing through my ears, the only sound were the crickets singing. I was happy. I was loved. My brothers and sister figeted and whined beside me, hungry for milk. I joined in, removing myself from my mother's warm black fur. Snow flurried around the old barn, the straw my mother had laid out for us sucking up warmth from the lantern beside us. I didn't know who lit the lantern, but there it. wus, rusty and old, the glass looking as if it would shatter with each flicker of flame.

My mother pulled us towards her and let us feed on her milk. It was after we had eaten that the noise stated. We were full and sleepy,about to cuddle up into my mother's fur once more, but subbing voices and screams came from the village a couple hundred feet away. People were running from it, my sleepy eyes only seeing blurry figures running through the open doors of the old barn. We were surrounded by panic and rushing feet.

I wish I knew who lit that lantern

CRASH

Flames erupted on the straw, my mother scooping us into her mouth by the scruff of our neck one at a time. I was first. She rushed me out of the barn, and with a wild look in her eye, sped back into the burning barn. She came back. with my brother, an ember burning her soft, raven black wolfs fur. Her eyes gleaned a brighter yellow against her brown face each time she brought back one of my siblings from the burning barn. I was scared of what would happen to the old barn that we called home. Where were we go? Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched my only home crash and burn to the ground

A howl echoed through the night.

My mother froze in place, my third sibling in her mouth. Fear flashed through her eyes. Behind her stood a large, jet black, mangled wolf, a red aura about him, and eyes that were so crimson they looked like flames coming out of his socket. Hunks of fur looked to be torn off of him, scars in every part of his muscled bady. I shook against my brother, and mother dropped my sister. She fell to the ground with a whimper onto her back, hastily flipping over and limping towards us, huddling against me.

The black direwolf growled, his fiery eyes flickering. He snarled, showing his long sharp teeth, readying his body for a pounce, tensing his scarred body. Mother whined and backed away slowly, her head bent towards the ground. My siblings and I stayed behind her. "Please, not this way." She whimpered. "Don't take the children!" But he keep coming near us. He growled and snarled with a hitch in his voice. Mother kept backing away, trying to get us to a safe place, trying to get my last brother, who was limping behind the monster.

A small whine broke the tensity between them. My brother was hobbling to my mother, his leg shattered into pieces.

The huge wolf turned his head. I was silent, paralyzed with fear as the wolf looked at my brother, an evil expression upon his face. The wolf onend his jaws wider and wider, until I thought that they would hit the ground, Saliva tinted black dripping from his mouth. He pounced. Blood and fur was sprayed everywhere. My mother's eyes widend, tears sparkling against them as she ran towards me and two of my siblings as the wolf tore my brother into small pieces. My sister and I started towards the wolf, grief and anger flashing in our eyes. Mother gripped the fur on the back of our necks, barely holding onto the three of us as she ran into the forest.