It’s no secret that Mal is pretty much the perfect guy. At least to me. I wrote Mal as my fictional perfect man. Shawnee is very grateful for this decision. ::grin:: Anyway, Mal had a bit of a rough start in the world. His feral nature often interfered with his ability to function in a regular environment. That is, until he met Caden. In our short below, we see Caden and Mal’s first connection as boyhood friends. This is where their epic bro-ship began.

Cheers,

Max

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Bully

by Max

�� �� ��Shouts echoed from the far corner of the school grounds where a group of kids cheered on a fight. Snapping punches and crunching blows against the body of the victim caused both jeers and cheers. Caden dropped his backpack and shoved his way through the crowd, accidentally tossing a fifth grader a few feet back.

“Knock it off!” he shouted but to no avail. He watched as a long-haired copper-skinned boy beat the crap out of a guy twice his size. The kid on the ground fought back at first, but eventually surrendered to covering his face and pleading for a cease-fire.

“I said knock it off!” Caden’s voice boomed out of his twelve-year-old frame, quieting most of the crowd. He grabbed the aggressor by the shoulder and yanked him off his victim.

“Get off me!” he turned and swung in Caden’s direction, but he caught the kid by the middle and shoved him into a nearby tree.

“You’re going to kill him,” Caden’s voice growled deeply against the shoulder of the boy. “Calm down.”

The raging kid settled at the down at the command, releasing his grip on Caden. He panted heavily, his fists balled tightly at his sides. As the crowd dissipated, Caden released him.

“What’s your name? You’re in my dad’s pack,” Caden asked when they were alone, taking a step away from the boy.

“Michael,” the boy mumbled. “You’re the Alpha’s son.”

“Yeah��� What were you thinking? The kid was human.” Caden gestured toward the blood-spattered ground.

“I wasn’t.” Michael lifted his lip at Caden in a half-snarl.

Caden punched him in the shoulder. “Get ahold of yourself, would’ya?”

Michael growled and punched him back. Caden shoved both of his fists in Michael’s shoulders. The oddly casual exchange continued with neither of them making much of a dent in the other.

“Wanna ditch and go for a run?” Caden glanced over his shoulder at the brick building where students flooded the doors to return to class.

“Yeah, fine.”

Caden snatched his backpack off the ground and nodded toward the woods behind them. In bad temper, Michael stomped along beside him. They walked for about ten minutes until the trees thickened, shielding them from the sight and sounds of the neighborhood. Caden dropped his bag, removed his clothes and shoved them beside a tree. Michael followed suit and crouched down, digging his fingers into the ground as the change rolled over him. Bones snapped and popped, reshaping his body into that of a wiry black wolf. His face contorted painfully as his nose and mouth elongated into the snout of his species. Caden dropped to all fours beside him. His change came over him in a smooth, practiced manner. His chocolate-brown fur rustled as he shook himself out. They boy wolves shared a glance. Caden nodded toward the northern part of the forest and they ran together.

Equally matched in speed and agility, the adolescent wolves lept over fallen logs, tumbled through brambles, and raced along the clearing by the river.

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