The sky up ahead –or what could be seen of it- was dark with storm clouds. Just the way he liked it. Rain pelted down upon his dark fur, and a quick shake of his black head sent droplets of fresh, rainwater showering on the shrubbery around his large, bulky body in a wide arc. Staring at the ghostly forest for a few seconds, lightning flashed in the sky. But only some of the bright light filtered through the thick canopy, so it didn’t blind him like it usually did. But the rumbling growl that followed was just as it always was; extremely loud and earth-shaking.

Lifting up his dark muzzle, the Young Hellion howled out to the heavens, just as another splintered flash lit up the sky and rumbling growl met his dark furred ears. His drawn-out howl lasted for a few seconds before it stopped, and everything went quiet for a few seconds. Whenever there was a storm, he howled out his sadness and grief, because it reminded him of the day almost all of his family had died. All but him and his sister, Neith.

Almost all wolves would be hiding in a den or in the large roots of a tree in this weather, but the Young Hellion didn’t care. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, and right now, he just wanted to explore the intriguing forest. Thunder and lightning were completely harmless (unless if you were struck by it), especially under the thick canopy of the Ghastly Woods. It even shielded his large, bulky body from some of the rain.

If the thunder had boomed out just a few seconds later, the Young Hellion would have heard the ling, drawn out rough sigh that came from a fae just meters away from himself. But in the semi-darkness and rain, it was hard to spot another being without touching them. Especially if they had a dark-coloured pelt such as his. Which was very handy in some cases, yet hindered him in others.

But as another splintered lightning flash lit up the evening sky, a rusty brown and black small figure was seen by sharp, bright amber eyes for a fleeting second. The Young Hellion almost considered it a trick of his mind, but curiosity overcame his mind. He may as well find out of the figure was actually there. Maybe it was a wolf, though he doubted it. Most were hiding by now. It was probably just a fox searching for somewhere to rest for the night until morning.

Breaking into a trot, the Young Hellion followed the trail left by the rusty brown and black figure. It was hard to follow the trail in the rain and semi-darkness, but leaves pushed to the side and twigs on the ground showed the way. The scent was also another participant in his challenge to find out exactly what the figure was. It smelled like a wolf, but the rain also made it hard to define it. The wolf scent could just be that the fox –or whatever it was- had gotten into a scrap and acquired it on its fur. But who knew?

Unaware of his close surroundings, the Young Hellion walked into a bush and stepped on something sharp. He let out a loud yelp. His ears flattened against his skull as he lifted up his paw. It hadn’t done any damage as it was mostly the sudden pain that lanced through his paw. But it didn’t hurt enough to stop him from trotting onwards. Anouke hoped that the figure hadn’t heard him, but it was likely because his sudden outburst had been loud, especially to himself.

He had barely walked twenty meters when lightning flashed yet again and suddenly the figure was there, just a few feet away from him. Cocking his dark head to the left, the Young Hellion strained his bright amber eyes slightly to see the figure before him. Now that he could see it, the figure was clearly a wolf, albeit an extremely tiny one. It was more the size of a fox than a wolf; barely reaching up to his well muscle-toned chest. A white muzzle and underbelly was clearly seen against a rusty hue coat, with dark grey hairs along the wolf’s face. The wolf had a bony build, making it look almost scrawny. Yet, if he looked closer, the hint of muscles beneath its coat was seen. But the most striking feature was the deep, warm-copper eyes that were set into a kind face. Oh yes, the wolf was also female.

A smirk came upon the Young Hellion’s face. He could have real fun with the female if he wanted to. As he stood there, staring at the fae with his head cocked to the left and a smirk on his handsome face, the tip of his brown tail twitched to the side as he lifted up his right leg –which was all white- and flexed it calmly. Whenever he met a new wolf, he always did that, but why, he didn’t know. “Look at us here. Running away from the storm, are we?” His voice was deep and soft, yet also full of volume, like a bass guitar. He would attempt to make the fae trust him, and then he would extract valuable information from her.

Oh, how he would toy with her mind.