'Run! Keep running! You're almost there!' he thought to himself; keeping his green-flecked blue eyes forward, racing through the surrounding brush and trees. All he could hear was his ragged panting and heartbeat while his feet pounded against the cold earth. 'How could I have been so fucking stupid? I'm going to die and they'll never know what happened to me.'

Dean cursed his foolishness with every crunch of packed snow beneath his feet; every puff of his frozen breath reminded him how his rash behavior has now put his life at risk. He'd been playing around with his brothers on their land, having a good time until Seth pulled a prank; hurt his feelings, and when he saw Roman hide his laugh before standing up for him, he got angry and ran away to sulk.

He ran so far that he not only left their land but ended up in Alaska; crossing the border into Canada from Montana and veered towards the only safe place he knew of once he discovered 'Hunters' on his trail.

Hunters were revered and feared by his people. Their original task since the beginning of time was to be the guardians of his species and others of the supernatural persuasion and; on occasion, distribute justice if any of them crossed a line. They presided over territorial disputes, rivalries, and arguments that couldn't be resolved peacefully. They were fair and thoroughly took everything into consideration before passing judgment; therefore their justice was final when an individual or one of the communities went too far.

Over time something happened; what, no one knows but they tossed out their sacred duty and began to hunt their charges; intent on eradicating them from the planet. It all baffled Dean since the Hunters themselves were not normal humans. It seemed all hypocritical to him but what could he say about legends; they were mysteries of the past until now.

The 'preserve' was a myth among his kind; a rumor that spread through tales told over campfires and passed on from Alphas to their packs. It was an area of vast acreage where they were safe from the rest of the world as long as they didn't cause any trouble while there. The property had its own form of justice; Hunters were not allowed under any circumstances.

Rumor also foretold that the person that owned the property was a woman that was not to be messed with. Not a lot was known about her other than the fact that Hunters and 'monsters' alike feared her. Humans wouldn't dare trespass, Hunters were never seen again if they trespassed, but his kind had free reign to enter provided they behaved. Rumor, fable, myth or tale; every single one of his kind knew exactly where the property lines of this sanctuary was and he was less than two miles from it now.

Dean startled back to reality, whining low in his throat when a bullet zinged by his head, and he mustered up the last bit of energy he had left to put on a burst of speed. The biting wind whipped through his fur coat, burning his throat while he panted heavily. 'There!' he skidded to an abrupt halt on the edge of a cliff. 'I just need to make it down there and I'm safe,' he thought, scouting the area for the best way down.

Finding a traversable spot, he padded down the ice and snow covered rocks, feeling a sense of relief run through him before burning hot pain sliced through his leg. He stumbled; losing his footing and fell the remaining twenty some odd feet to the ground.

The crack of the gunshot had five heads snapping to attention. "You guys hear that," Cassandra asked her beloved Akitas, standing up from the log by the bonfire. "Sounds like someone is being stupid enough to hunt our lands again," she shook her head, snatching up her crossbow and jerked her chin in the direction of the shot. "Let's go weed out the inbred gene pool, shall we?"

The four dogs followed their mistress through the trees, running ahead at her direction, following their senses towards the intruders on their land. The lead animal growled low in his throat when he scented blood in the air, glancing silently at his pack mates before focusing on their prey. The animals reached the rock-face to find four men advancing on a downed man and chose to stick to the brush, waiting for their mistress' instruction. The five of them moved like silent death through the night; their intended targets unaware of their impending demise.

"Looks like you didn't make it, freak, and you've got one of mine in your leg," he placed a booted foot on Dean's thigh and pressed down, causing him to scream out in pain while he and his friends laughed. "Your head will look damn good on my wall; too bad you changed…" he drifted off when the sound of growls grew in volume, coming from all directions.

"You're on the wrong side of the line of death," a disembodied voice floated in with the wind, followed by an arrow that struck the man that shot Dean, right in the heart. "It is a well known fact that Hunters are not allowed on this land…" her voice drifted in from a different direction and Dean kept low to the frozen ground, following her movements now that he caught sight of her.

"Wait!" another called out, moving to throw down his rifle but fell away from Dean with another heart shot.

"And all violators of this rule," she continued; stepping out into the clearing with a deadly glare fixed on the last two, "well, let's just say trespassers could be shot on sight and trespassers that hunt my land pretty much forfeit their lives if caught, and you are so fucking caught," she quickly pump loaded two more arrows, letting each fly within a second of the other and watched the men fall with no remorse in her eyes. "Hey there," she crossed the distance before the second man hit the ground, and knelt beside Dean, rolling him on to his back. "I know you're shot, sweetheart, but I need to look at that head," she brushed his hair back, inspecting the knot near his temple. "You took a good bump on the way down. This is probably the shittiest area to cross on to my land," she sighed, frowning at the angry mark on his face.

"Hurts…"

"I know it does, honey, but I need you to open your eyes. Can you do that for me?" she lifted him to a sitting position, giving him a soft smile when his blue eyes met her black. "Well those are just as gorgeous as the rest of you. What's your name?" she said in a soft tone, checking the focus of his eyes.

"Dean. I'm so cold," he burrowed into her chest, trying to siphon off her body heat.

"I know, Dean, and I have a wonderful bonfire going at my campsite," she ran her hands over his back and arms, trying to warm him up. "I'll take you there, get that bullet out of your leg and get you all warm but I need you to do something for me, sweetheart. I need you to shift," she whispered in his ear, meeting his startled gaze when he pulled back a bit to look at her. "I know what you are and why they were hunting you. You're naked, it's freezing and it's easier to move you in your other form while keeping you warm at the same time. I need you to shift so I can help you," she palmed his cheek; whistling over her shoulder to her dogs. "Don't worry; two of them are your ride back," she smiled when the two in question laid side by side next to them.

"What's your name?" Dean asked through chattering teeth while he gingerly rolled to his hands and knees.

"Cassandra but you can call me Cass," she took in his pained smile before his body began to tremble; bones shifted until his skeletal structure reformed, teeth elongated, and beautiful sandy blonde fur covered his skin. She knew shifting had to hurt with that bullet moving beneath his skin and muscle; it took longer than it normally would but he finally settled. She couldn't help but smile when he glanced up at her with a relieved sigh. It all looked so painful but in the end where once a well built, naked man with dirty blonde hair once knelt, a beautiful wolf stood in his stead. "Dean, I need you to lie across Ares and Apollo's backs. Can you do that, sweetheart?" she nodded her head while he stepped over and all but flopped down across the Akitas' backs. "Let's get him to camp," she patted her leg and the two dogs stood with their passenger, following their mistress through the night.

Dean tiredly glanced at Cassandra and noticed that she ran as fast as her dogs. If he had to swear on it, he'd say that she was holding back so they could keep up with her, and she ran on top of the snow. 'Like Legolas,' he thought with a slight grin before allowing his exhaustion to claim him.

Cassandra chuckled to herself; shaking her head with a smile while running towards her camp.

The next time Dean opened his eyes, he was lying inside of a tent looking up into Cass' eyes while she stroked his blonde fur. "I need you to shift one more time for me, handsome. I have to get that bullet out of your leg and it's easier in your human form. I don't want to cut this lovely fur. Can you manage it, Dean?" He whined; preparing himself to phase, feeling it begin and knew he made it through when his pained cry reverberated in his ears. "That's a boy; now just relax and I'll take care of you," she said soothingly before instantly getting to work on his leg. Dean drifted off after she gave him a local; too weak and in pain to keep his eyes open.

The next time he woke up was to the wind rushing into the tent when Cass let the dogs in with them and carried in some cast iron pots. She arranged them around their sleeping bags before stepping outside one more time to bring in another pot and zipped up the tent. "They're filled with snow," he said after peeking in one.

"Yes, they are but this one isn't," she placed it on the floor next to one pot, used a handheld shovel to fish out a red hot rock and dumped it along with a few more into the snow pot. "I heat the rocks in the fire and then put them in the snow to steam up the tent. It doesn't last long but it is instant wet heat," she winked at him, moving to divvy up the rest of the stones between the other pots. "The dogs can usually hold their own outside but they pack in to provide amazing warmth as well and considering you're short some blood, I figure you could use all the help you can get."

"I appreciate it. I really can't handle shifting again to stay warm that way," he whispered back while snuggling into the blankets. "I assume you're the woman everyone whispers about; the one who helps us when we come here. Why do you do it?" he asked, focusing his big blue eyes up at her while she stripped off her gloves and then sat beside him.

"You could say it is my sworn duty; my purpose in life," she shrugged her shoulders. "May I ask what you're doing here, Dean? How did you end up with those Hunters on your ass?" she asked while untying her boots and pulling them off.

"I was stupid. I threw a temper tantrum, ran out on my pack to clear my head and before I realized it, I was near here with those assholes following my trail. The location of your place is branded into all of our heads so I ran here, trying to ditch them but one of them got a shot off when I was crossing on to your property," he rambled out quickly; his emotions getting the best of him. "I thought I was dead; especially when they followed me over the property line, but then you showed up…"

"Shhh, calm down," she scooted closer to him after removing her coat, pulling the blankets over them. "You got really lucky tonight that the boys and I were still in this area due to the weather. I have campsites all over the property; mostly along the border, and we spend a week checking all of the tents for visitors since I keep them stocked or; in this case, a wolf in distress and asshole trespassers that needed tending to," she ran a hand over her forehead and back through her long brunette hair until she felt his touch on her free arm.

"You killed them for me and don't try to tell me different," he argued when she averted her gaze. "I saw it in your eyes after you dropped the first one. My vision is still super-human even in this form. I saw how angry you were before you stepped out into the clearing. It was more than them trespassing; you were pissed that they hurt me, a stranger to you. Thank you," he squeezed her wrist; his eyelids fluttering when she ran her fingers through his silky hair.

"You're welcome, Pup. We'll be leaving in the morning to the main house so that you can recuperate comfortably so get some sleep," she rested her hand along his hairline before scooting down to lie beside him. "Good night, Dean," she whispered when his eyelids began to droop.

"Night, Cass," he mumbled, drifting closer to her side before settling in.

Cassandra woke a few hours later to Zeus' whine and violent trembling against her back. "Dean?" she rolled over to find the man shivering; his teeth chattering so hard she was surprised they didn't shatter.

"S-so c-cold, Cassss," he stuttered out.

"Shit," she threw the covers off of her, tucked them in around him and pointed; the dogs moving closer to his side at her unspoken command. "Hold on, sweetheart," she stripped off her sweater followed by shimmying out of her pants, getting down to her bra and panties before whistling at the dogs. They moved out of the way so she could lie down. "It's easier for you to lay on me, Dean. I don't want to risk moving in my sleep and hitting your thigh so roll over," she glanced into his blue eyes when he didn't move. "You need my body heat, sweetheart, and believe me, I run hotter than most humans. Come on," she opened her arms wearing a soft smile; helping him settle on top of her and pulled the blankets over them. "If I wake up to you humping my leg, you're a dead pup," she chuckled into his ear, running her hands along the expanse of his muscled back, smiling when he laughed softly into her neck.

"You're so warm, and smell so amazing," he sighed a few minutes later. Her heat moved through his bones, chasing the chill away until he finally relaxed into the soft body beneath his.

Cassandra awoke unbearably hot; stretching her long body before her hands landed on the furry head resting on her chest. "Ares, get off of me," she grumbled, pushing at him until she heard a whine beside her. Opening her eyes, she looked up into Ares' eyes on her left before glancing down to find a panting blonde wolf lying on top of her. "Oh my God, Dean, get off of me! That is so creepy!" she scrambled back, frowning when he rolled on to his back and wiggled his big body into the covers. "Stop laughing! Waking up with one of my dogs lying on me is one thing but a Shifter in wolf form just eww," she scowled at him; finally breaking a smile when he continued to thrash his body back and forth. "I see you're feeling a little better. Are you ready for the long hike back to the house?" she asked while pulling on her pants.

Dean rolled over and sat up at attention; wagging his tail. "You're an adorable little shit," she scratched behind his ears before searching for her sweater. She turned when she heard a muffled bark to find her top in Dean's mouth. "Thank you," she went to take it from him; shaking her head when he held on a little longer than necessary. "Boys, out so I can straighten up in here," she unzipped the tent to let the dogs out and Dean cocked his head when the cold air blasted her bra-clad upper body; she didn't react to it in the slightest.

After Cassandra set up the tent for any future visitors and made sure the fire was extinguished, she slung her pack over her back, shouldered her crossbow and they set out to the main house. Dean limped along amidst the Akitas, keeping an eye on his savior and once again, noticed how she walked on top of the snow while he and the dogs sank with each step.

"If you call me Legolas again, I'll make you sleep outside with the rest of the dogs, Pup," Cass smirked, glancing at Dean out of the corner of her eye when his head snapped up to look at her. "I can hear your thoughts, Dean. It's part of the package along with the ability to adapt to the elements, moving fast on my feet, quick reflexes, strength and hyper-aware senses," she explained when he cocked his head in curiosity. "Didn't you ever wonder why Hunters were aware of your presence and hard to ditch once they picked up your scent? Yeah, I was a Hunter a long time ago but don't worry, I'm one of the good ones," she nodded, absently running a soothing hand over his head in reassurance. "I'll explain everything at the house, after you get cleaned up and I get some food in your belly."

'A Hunter? She sure is hot for a Hunter,' Dean thought with a sideways glance up at her face. 'Get out of my head, Cass,' he huffed when the huntress began to laugh.

An hour into the trip, they crossed a parcel of land that was occupied by another pack of wolves. They were scattered about in human and wolf form going about their day, working the land, cleaning the established cabins and building new ones. A few of the pups ran up to the dogs, keeping a wary eye on Dean while they played with the Akitas. He wagged his tail at one that wandered up to him while he watched Cass exchange pleasantries with the Alpha and his mate.

"If my hearing is still sharp, I could swear you had a run-in with Hunters last night. Did everything pan out alright?" Xavier asked, darting his eyes to Dean.

"Your hearing is excellent as always. I did have four men follow Dean here over the property line. They were dealt with accordingly," she spoke with an authoritarian tone but the wolves could sense her unease. "My people…the Hunters are getter braver these days. More and more of them have been crossing over and forcing my hand. At times I think they are testing my resolve but anyone who knows me or of me would know that is a mistake," she clenched her jaw, her hands fisting at her sides when she glanced at the bandage on Dean's leg.

"I know they weren't on our doorstep but I'd like to thank you for keeping your oath. Since the day you allowed us to relocate our pack here, we have never feared the Hunters or worried about our safety. You honor your people's vow from the old days, Cassandra. We could only wish more of your generation was still around but we're lucky to have you," he held out his hand and she shook it with a proud smile.

"You honor me with your faith, Xavier. I need to get this one to the house, clean and re-bandage his wounds and get him fed," she jerked her head towards Dean.

"I will walk with you to our territory's edge," he followed along, laughing at the pups that ran circles around her companions. "Does your young friend not have a pack?" he asked, cocking his head at the big blonde wolf before looking to his host. "It would be so much simpler if we wolves could speak to others that aren't in our pack when in wolf form," he sighed.

"Sucks that you have to use a Hunter as a go-between huh?" she laughed, glancing down at Dean when he bumped into her leg. "He has a pack. How to get him back to them or them to here will be a task since I cannot leave this land and death awaits any of you that cross its borders. Hunters seem to be gathering along the border, waiting for anyone to come or go," she shook her head with a pout. "I can't see any pack surviving without this little devil around, though. They're bound to come looking for him," she smiled down at him, stroking the fur on his head. "Don't worry, Pup; I'll figure something out," she rubbed his ear after he whined low in his throat.

"When that day comes, Cassandra, we will all find a way to get his people on to this land safely or smuggle him out. All of the packs, dens, prides, sleuths…all the families here owe you our assistance at the very least. We will be there when you need us," he said pointedly, gripping her hand when they reached the edge of the land she allotted his pack.

Dean could sense an undercurrent to their conversation; that he meant more than just the spoken words and knew he could ask but decided to wait until he shifted. He inclined his head at Xavier when they parted ways and kept pace with Cassandra as they continued home.

"Normally I would go around all their lands," Cassandra pointed out a sleuth of bear Shifters ahead. "I mean, it is my property but I've given them safe harbor and a place to call home so I tend to leave them alone unless I'm needed. It's bad enough that they are all in my head; the least I can do is give them this small amount of privacy. Cutting a path around all of their territories would take a lot longer and; while I know you heal faster than a normal human or a regular wolf, that leg is bound to be sore as sin. The house isn't far now, just seems like it," she winked down at him.

'Cass?'

"Yes, Dean," she smirked when he still startled at her answering his thoughts.

'You have all of them in your head?' he whispered in her mind, taking in her nod. 'Isn't that hard on you? Hearing them all the time has to take a toll.'

"Even after all this time, it is still very loud in my head. There is a limit on distance to hearing your thoughts; just like you with your pack, but mine go beyond my land's borders. I can hear every soul on this property and the ones coming near it," she rubbed her eyes, smiling down at him when she felt Dean lean into her leg as they walked. "My people weren't meant to live in such close proximity to this many of you. As far as I know, I'm the first to do something this insane but it helps me know if I'm needed and where so I can get there as fast as possible," she nodded; staring ahead and Dean couldn't help but notice that she didn't answer his question.

'How do they all eat? I mean it wouldn't be cool if the wolves picked off one of the bear cubs. I imagine that would cause a lot of trouble for you,' he glanced up at her while she kept her eyes forward.

"Yeah, that would make my job here very difficult. It actually did when I was first approached to allow permanent relocation. That isn't what this place was about when I bought it but like all things, it changed. It started off as just a reprieve but a sleuth of polar bear asked to stay. I had a hard time saying no when they were hunted by Humans and Hunters alike, so I let them stay. I gave them one hundred acres on the most northern area of the land so they could maintain their peace and quiet. Malakai; their Alpha, isn't the most social man you'll meet," she chuckled, looking down at Dean when he slid his head under her hand for a petting. "I arrange and place everyone based on species and social etiquette. Xavier's pack gets along fine with Erik's sleuth of bear. Hard to imagine, isn't it?" she shrugged, absently running her fingers through his fur.

'Roman doesn't trust anyone. Seth doesn't either. Romeis our Alpha and he's always been the one to find us a new land to claim when we're close to discovery. I think he had some run-ins with other Shifters that were bad. Seth is the only one of us to live outside of a pack for an extended period of time. He wandered on to our land one day pretty bad off…Rome and I found him…there was so much blood,' Dean lowered his head, stopping when Cass dropped to her knees before him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I see him, Pup," she whispered in a choked voice.

'We nursed him back to health and he just stayed. We never asked what happened and he never offered up the story but we knew it was bad. He had nightmares about it for a long time. Kept to himself while keeping an eye on us, I guess to see if he could trust us. And then one day he finally wandered out and sat with us. It was so weird when he shifted with us to hunt the first time. It was the day he decided to join our pack because his voice just popped into our heads. I think we all came to a skidding halt and our kill got away, or so we thought. Seth kept running and came back with the buck while we stood there looking stupid,' he laughed, pulling back and licked her tears from her cheeks.

"Damn it, Dean! I said that was creepy!" she pushed at his snout.

'No, you said it was creepy if I did this,' he pushed her onto her backside with a big paw to her chest, walked between her legs and laid down on her. She squealed, pushing him off to the side where he rolled on to his back and slithered back and forth, laughing like crazy inside of her head. 'I'm glad you saved me. You're pretty fun for a Hunter. The rest of your people…not so much, in fact, they're pricks,' he lay on his side, panting at her.

"It has to do with generations just like Shifters. Our people were more trusting of each other in the beginning because we knew the order of things. The original generation of my people had a path; we were to watch over our charges and only dispense justice if needed. We were called Hunters but I've always considered us more Watchers than Hunters."

'Like Highlander?' he asked with what passed as a grin.

"Yeah, like Highlander," she chuckled. "They also had more abilities than all the other gens; like everything I have plus immortality. I mean, they could die just like the later gens can; killing the heart is the only thing that can kill a first gen, but otherwise they age to a certain point and then stop, looking as they do for the rest of their lives. As I said, our abilities and weaknesses differ by generation, just like your Alphas have gifts that the rest of you don't. The Hunters that were after you; the ones I killed, were of one of the latest gens," she shrugged; a sad smile tugging at her mouth.

'What generation are you?'

"I'm a first gen, Dean, and the last one as far as I know."