Alan was by all definitions an ordinary human noble. He was tortured daily by the affairs of the court which he both loved and hated. He was a member of the Rundil family who was semi-famous and not really special for anything. In fact, their most recognizable trait was their normalcy. At least by the standards of the Alaverian nobility. This is why they all had to work hard to gain recognition and an important rank within noble society. Alan wasn't doing a bad job himself. Unlike the rest of the nobility, he was hard-working and intelligent. Not like super smart, but smart enough to get through plots and legal conspiracies. And those who know nobles, especially human nobles, will know that this is indeed quite an achievement. Alan's life was normal, just like him. He had his routine. Get up early, breakfast, lollygagging, work, chat with nobles, lollygagging, attend the last noble party, work in his office, sleep. In thirty years of his life nothing disrupted his streak. His routine continued and ordinary people were sure that Alan left marks in the ground by regularly walking on the same path, on the same street, on the same sidewalk. Oddly enough, he wasn't unhappy with his life like he thought he was. at first. He knew, of course, that there were better things in life, but since he himself had never known anything other than noble comfort and a secure routine, he didn't know much about them. But that would soon change. His entire life was about to turn around and explode, scattering all the blue-blooded squierles around. If that makes sense. Since this is a story about nobility, that's probably not the case. They tend to be like that. All ...... middle of paper ...... h him. Yet he didn't let go. He didn't have to. Life is not about letting things go, but about accepting them. As if Alan and his wolf became one. And the wolf ran as far as he could. He ran until he heard screams of his kind. Other wild beasts. The souls of those who broke all bonds. I shook off the chains. By transforming into a wolf, a wild creature, Alan became more human than any human he had ever known. For what is the standard by which we define what is human and what is not? Does the fact that we were born as a specific creature make us that or is it something else? Is this a virtue that we must learn or acquire? Or is the only important thing to just run free and let others do the same? The screams were heard all night. Some souls felt chills run through their bones. And others felt the cold night air in their lungs giving them life..