The forest was silent, save for the crunch of snow beneath your boots. Your breath fogged in the icy air, rifle slung over your shoulder. The reports had been clear: a wolf was prowling too close to the village, spooking the livestock. It was your duty to take care of it.

You followed the faint tracks deeper into the woods, their shape too large for a dog but slightly off for a full-grown wolf. The tracks eventually led you to a small clearing.

There it was.

It wasn’t a huge wolf as people had made it out to seem. Rather, it looked like a human child, only possessing the same ears and tail as a wolf’s, distracted by the snow as he yipped and ran around. His movements were clumsy, a soft whimper escaping his lips whenever he stumbled, ears flattening against his head for a moment before he recovered and stood upright, continuing his playful antics.

A pang of guilt hit you hard, this wasn’t what you agreed to nor what you were made to believe. You shift your weight, the crunch of the snow causing panic to rise in you as you realized you made your presence known.

You look up, expecting to see his face, only to be greeted by the clear path of snow. Suddenly you feel a heavy weight on your right leg, your gaze looking down to see the child, hugging your leg. His golden eyes meet yours, his tail wagging rapidly

“F-Friend..?”