"Stop here!"

"Here?"

"Yes!"

"Dude...It says: private property, no trespassing," read a sign from the van driver.

"It's 2 a.m., no one's going to care that we're going into a forest at this hour!" one of the passengers replied.

"Can't we go to your house, Tom?" the driver asked again.

"I don't know...I'm too stoned...do what you want," stammered a border collie in the back seat, regretfully playing a guitar.

"Come on, Duncan, don't be a chicken!" shouted the fox in the passenger seat in the dragon's ear.

"All right! Fucking hell, Sean, you're unbearable..." growled the young draconid, moving along the barely visible path of the wooded property.

The three friends traveled a good distance until they came upon a large glade with an old cabin, they got out of the van and shone with their cell phones as they explored. The place looked abandoned decades ago, a small vegetable garden had grown wildly, scattering pumpkins and tomatoes across part of the clearing, another building a few steps from the cabin was completely destroyed, possibly a storehouse.

"Looks like someone died and had no heirs..." muttered the dragon.

"Of course he had heirs! We!" shouted the fox, and kicked the door of the hut, which fell heavily to the ground.

"Sean! Fuck... Could you respect just one thing in your life?"

"Sure, though it won't be an old house abandoned for who knows how many years..."

After lighting up the interior, the three boys entered the cabin. The furniture was bathed in dust, with every corner adorned with cobwebs, some so large they looked like a bridal veil. The only thing that seemed to have survived the years was a long couch that stood in front of a stone hearth that still retained the remnants of its last fire.

"Did you hear that?"

" What thing?"

"I don't know...it sounded like something blew up..."

"Duncan...it's an old house, there's a thousand sounds."

"That wasn't a creak I heard, you dumb fox..."

Tom, advanced directly to the couch and plopped down, not caring about the dust, turned off the flashlight on his cell phone and began to play soft chords on his guitar.

"Good idea Tom, let's light a fire and spend the night here!" shouted Sean.

"Here?"

"Yes! You go get some gas from the truck, I'll get some branches outside," the vulpine ordered, punched the dragon on his shoulder and ran out of the cabin.

Duncan grunted and reluctantly walked outside, in the dark of the night all was silent and it seemed as if someone was watching him from the thick of the forest. The young man shook his head, trying to forget that uncomfortable feeling, he pointed his cell phone towards where he had parked his vehicle and walked in that direction.

"Fuck!" shouted the dragon as he arrived next to the van, his legs trembling as he shone his light.

"Sean! Sean, get over here quick!"

The shouts reached the fox's ears, who dropped the bundle of firewood he had gathered and ran through the darkness to where his friend was.

"What happened?"

"Look at the tires!"

"Oooh fuck!"

All four tires of the van were destroyed, thick claw marks could be clearly seen in the rubber. The scene filled both males with terror, they lit in all directions around them, trying to find the culprit.

"To the cabin, quick!" shouted the fox.

The dragon and Sean ran desperately toward the cabin. Heavy, rumbling footsteps could be heard all around them, like a herd of horses, making the earth tremble as they surrounded them.

The fox leaped over the broken-down door into the cabin at the same time that a shout behind him announced that his pursuers had caught up to Duncan. As he approached the old couch, the canine was not there, leaving only his guitar broken in half.

The violent sounds continued to torment Sean, leading him to hide behind the sofa, covering his head with his hands.

A huge figure obscured what little moonlight was coming through the gap where the door used to be and, unafraid of the other male's presence, he advanced with a firm step. He dropped down on the couch and was silent for a moment.

"Come out of there and face me like a man. Since you had the gall to break down the door of my house, be like your friend who stood here alone," growled the huge stranger.

Sean came out of his hiding place slowly, with his tail between his legs and his hands behind his back as if he were a frightened child. In front of him stood a huge wolf, of monstrous proportions, unkempt black fur, and completely naked. His chest, arms, hands, legs, testicles, and fangs screamed power, violence, and dominance. The fox began to tremble, it was clear he was not dealing with a normal wolf.

"I'm surprised you're so small and bold at the same time. Didn't your mother teach you to respect the territories of other packs?"

"I'm so sorry...Please release my friends and we will leave."

"You will leave?"

"Yes! We will never set foot here again."

"The way things are going, that seems more like a gift to yourselves than an offer to us."

"We have nothing more to offer you..."

"Sure you do, you can always offer something else."

"Do you want our truck?"

"No, we're not interested in your material things."

"Then what?"

"My offer is simple: you and your friends will serve us for a year and then you can leave."

"That's crazy!"

"The other option is to be devoured, you are free to choose."

Sean swallowed saliva and stood thinking for a moment while the huge beast stared at him with his huge yellow eyes and clenched his thick hands on the old couch that was creaking from the terrible pressure.

"It's not too complicated, so choose..."

"But... Why me? What about my friends?"

"Your friends have already chosen, only you are left, you scared rat."

"Well... I'll serve."

"Good boy, let's go."

The big wolf stood up and the two males walked out of the hut, the fox in front and the wolf's thick hand gripping his shoulder. Outside, bathed in moonlight, stood Ducan and Tom, accompanied by three other large lupines.

"Bad news, boys, no midnight snack."

"Fucking hell...they attacked Grandpa's house, we should kill them," protested the werewolf standing next to Tom.

"Easy, Barras, if any of them try to escape before the deal is done, you have permission to tear them apart as slowly as you wish," replied the wolf holding Sean, who appeared to be the leader.

"It's been seven years since we've seen anyone around here...could we treat them more carefully than last time?" said one of the wolves guarding Duncan.

"Yes, besides, this is a dragon and I remember Grandfather had said they were endangered," added the other male, who looked quite a bit like the canine next to him.

"Well...the twins get the dragon then."

Hearing this, the two werewolves behind Duncan bumped fists in celebration of their spoils.

"I like this one, he hasn't uttered a word since we found him," Barras assured them, nudging the border collie amicably.

"Then the dog is yours, Barras."

"Why are you splitting us up?" asked Sean.

"Because you're not going to go a whole year unattended, each invader is assigned someone to make sure they don't cause trouble," explained the wolf next to the fox.

"So I'll stay under your watch?"

"No, the alpha of the pack is not in charge of these things, when we get to the village I will assign you to someone else."

"A village full of beasts like you?" groaned the fox.

"Yes, a village without disrespectful rats like you," growled the alpha.

The situation clarified, the seven males set out on their journey into the heart of the forest. Illuminated only by the faint moonlight that crept through the branches of the trees, the group advanced through the arboreal labyrinth that seemed to be infinite in all directions and unnavigable in the dark.

The journey was devastating for the young invaders, the uneven terrain added to the confusing terror of the situation they had gotten themselves into kept them alert despite the accumulated fatigue that was slowly taking hold of them. In front of each of the college guys they had a tower of fur that they were following closely.

Sean and the alpha were the last of the group and, more than once, the fox thought about escaping as his guide slowly advanced, but one situation in particular brought the young man to his senses: a thick branch, the size of Duncan's chest, got in the way of the big wolf who, with no effort at all, grabbed it with one hand and snapped it as if it were a dry twig. The supernatural strength of these creatures made it clear that there was no escape, if they could do that to a tree, how long would it take them to reach a fugitive who could barely see his nose and was moving almost on all fours on the forest floor?

Suddenly, among the tall pines, small fires were glimpsed in the distance, which the group reached relatively quickly. The first torch announced the beginning of a large clearing in which at least ten huts and two large warehouses could be counted, all built of wood and stone.

The first steps of the young intruders into the village caught the attention of all the residents, who interrupted their sleep to go out and watch the group return, with more members than had left.

Sean's breath quickened at the sight of endless fierce faces, with thick snouts and fangs the size of his fingers, abundant fur, deep yellow eyes, and a musculature that only men living in a wild environment and in a constant state of survival could have. All present were males, young adults with shiny fur, mature ones with duller shades, and old ones with grayish or white manes, all were naked except for one old white wolf that had several bone ornaments on his neck, wrists, and beards. This same striking white wolf was the first to approach the group of newcomers.

"Who are these people, young Yulka?"

"These three were destroying Grandfather's hut, Elder Corwen," replied the leader of the group.

"And what do you intend to do with them, young alpha?"

"They will pay for their offense with a year's service to the village."

"Only a year?"

"They only broke a door, old man."

"And they broke into our territory, you should have killed them without a word."

"Of course not, they're stupid puppies and besides there's a dragon among them."

"They're not puppies, puppies don't walk alone at night and besides they don't even respect the very rules imposed among their own kind. It's stupid of you to bring them to our home."

"We're not going to kill anyone for such a small offense, my grandfather didn't do it, my father didn't do it, and I'm not going to do it!"

"Then maybe it's time for some other male to take over, someone who really understands the danger of the outside world!"

"And here I will be waiting for the challenge, as tradition dictates!" the alpha sentenced with a loud shout that silenced even the nocturnal insects in the forest.

The elder growled, disapproving of what the pack leader had just said, turned his back and made his way back to his hut before being stopped by Yulka's booming voice.

"Stop, Corwen!"

The bones in the old wolf's fur rattled as the male turned to listen, already grimacing with annoyance on his face.

"This little one, that I brought with me, was the guilty one of the damage. I want him to remain in your care and for you to dispose of him as you see fit. With his welfare in mind, of course."

It was the first time the alpha had ordered anything to the old Corwen, who nodded silently as the rest of the village watched in silence.

"You heard the alpha, go with the old man," Barras ordered Sean.

The fox nodded and carefully approached the white wolf, who turned without a word and slowly walked off towards his hut, rattling the ornamental bones with every movement. Sean took one last look at his friends before closing the door to his new home.

With nothing more to see, the rest of the inhabitants went back to sleep.

"We're done here. Good job, Barras, Mika, and Ursha, get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll explain the rules to the prisoners," Yulka indicated.

"Yes, boss!" nodded Barras.

"Mika, you'll sleep on the floor."

"No way, let the dragon do it."

"No. He's our guest, he's not sleeping on the floor."

"Fine... you guys will know how to organize yourselves, I'm going to sleep." Yulka said, and left as the twins continued to argue.

Barras shook his head, grabbed Tom's arm and they both walked away.

Duncan stood waiting while the two wolves continued to decide where each would sleep.