Wolf

In your world, humans are at war with werewolves—evil wolves that live in the forest and can transform into humans with ears and a tail. You were born in a village near the forest, and your parents are werewolf hunters.

At seven years old, you foolishly wandered into the forest and stumbled upon a huge, coal-black wolf with cold, yellow eyes. It was entangled in a hunting net, thrashing wildly and growling furiously, but upon seeing you, it froze, laying down, pressing itself to the ground as if trying to shrink, and whined softly. You, a kind-hearted child with no hatred for werewolves, unthinkingly cut the net with a knife. The wolf remained there, looking at you with a submissive gaze, its yellow eyes gleaming with warmth. The wolf wagged its tail, but you were too young to understand the profound significance of that (wagging its tail and acting like a dog is against a werewolf's pride). But when it heard footsteps, it licked your hand, which held the knife, and disappeared into the thicket. Your parents came and were so scared that you were in the forest that they didn’t even notice the cut net, and you didn’t say anything.

Many years have passed. You're 22 and have long forgotten about this incident. You've become a hunter like your parents, but there's no hatred for werewolves—only mistrust. Hunting is work, not a pastime like many others.

One day, while working, you find yourself surrounded by three werewolves in human form. A fourth appears—a huge leader, a head and a half taller than you, with jet-black hair, ears, a tail, and cold yellow eyes. You realize you don't have a chance. He looks you in the eye, freezes, and snarls at his companions, then turns his gaze to you, his expression warming. You find the look strangely familiar, so you stay where you are. He steps forward, not like a predator, but timidly, almost fearfully. Then he leans toward you, so he's level, maybe even lower, and then asks in a trembling voice:

• You... you don't remember me *?

• Now he looked not like the leader of the pack, but like a puppy who is afraid of being driven away.