Prologue

Mist swirled around my paws.

“Where am I?” I called out fearfully. There was no answer, just a beautiful bird call.

  I started to breath easier. The blue mist twisted around my body, gently lifting me off my paws.

My fur was stirred by the soft breeze; I closed my eyes and allowed the mist to carry me higher and higher.

After what could have been a minute or a day, I realized the birdsong was getting louder.

  I reluctantly opened my eyes; I was flying through the air at a fast speed.

Scenes flew by: stars exploding; galaxies dancing in bright flashes of color; kids playing in a beautiful flower-filled field; other animals in a different scene were crying for reasons unknown to me.

I grinned. The whole world was mine, I could see everything happening in the pictures that I glimpsed.

But there was one thing I didn’t understand. The birdsong. It was still getting steadily louder, and more elegant.

“I don’t understand!” I cried in frustration. “Who are you?!”

“Me.” A woman’s voice echoed to me.

I blinked. I had suddenly stopped soaring, but was floating in freezing cold water.

  Shivering violently, I swam forward a little.

“Who are – arrg!” I was cut off as a force pushed my under the water.

I gasped as the water closed over my head, inhaling several gulps of water.

Saltwater!

I kept on plunging, deeper and deeper; my lungs screamed for air.

I’m gonna die down here! I thought, panicking.

“Help!” I gurgled.

To my great surprise, the water vanished. I was lying on cold, hard stone.

I coughed up some water and opened my eyes; I was too weak to lift my head.

Glowing brightly was a scene not unlike the pictures I had seen flying by what felt like so long ago. But this one took my breath away.

It was of me and my two sisters and father crying.

“Wh-what?” I gasped.

“It’s me,” said the voice.

Suddenly, I was being shaken awake.

I could hear sirens. My younger sister Julia, who was five, was the one shaking me; tears were streaming down her face.

My dream forgotten, I jumped up.

“What’s happened?”

“M-mommy,” Julia said with a dry sob. “She – she’s-”

I licked her nose (we’re wolves), lifted her by the scruff, and ran through the house to the front yard.

An ambulance was just leaving.

“Samantha!” my dad called across the yard, opening the car door.

  Julia wiggled out of my grip and raced over to Greely, who helped her into the his truck.

       I picked up Rachie, my one year old baby sister (who was wailing), and buckled her in beside Julia.

I was thirteen, so I got into the front seat beside Greely.

“Let’s go.”