It was far too long ago- that last encounter. It left the city swollen with dieing humans and pathetic wolves scrounging for food…

Bubonic plague. In short, that was the black plague that whipped out 1/3^rd of Europe's population. People died and it was the rats that had carried it to them, their cities, and into their lives. Who would have known at that time that to prevent the bubonic plague all you needed to do was bathe regularly; clean yourself with soap and water. Still 'till the 24^th century though, there was no cure… but the human race, now in the midst of technological break through, had proclaimed that it would. Nothing short of the super collider conductor, the research would cost millions, and just the same it would have danger. No. Not splitting atoms and creating an atomic explosion but instead, they would need to recreate the disease.

Of Corse, ethical activists had problems with this, in order to get the cure for a dangerous and deadly disease they'd need to infect some one with it! However, though they detested the fact of sickening a person or a thing- it needed to be done. They chose the first animal; A pig would be used because it was similar to a human. But the first pig- Phoebe- died early on. They knew that the animal would die, but they still needed more time. A rat's small body would be engulfed in it quickly because they were too small. A large animal would collapse under it's own weight and weakness. They needed a large animal that no one would notice gone- related to a K-nine.

They first thought of using a dog, but the prospect of killing man's best friend was heart breaking! They moved to the man-killers of the K-nine world, wolves. Though they were misunderstood, and some loved them, they were still used because they were the only feasible animal of use. They named the female Gracie. They gave her a small dose of the bubonic plague, multiple tests were done on her at a time, radiation, chemicals, even the unethical things, like regular folk herbs, but nothing worked, instead the radiation had morphed the disease into something more deadly- much more deadly.

The humans that handled Gracie, wearing hazmat suites, obtained the virus. They were quarantined but that wouldn't stop the air born virus. It moved and every time the gate was opened to allow food in, it moved out. Soon it had quickly infected all of San Diego. This new disease was then thought of as a super power by the military and the biological warfare began. Once the US dropped the first viral bomb on the eastern hemisphere, they were able to bottle and use the virus themselves, quickly spreading it like a wild fire. Where humans once dropped like flies, they were now dropping faster then flies and quickly the virus had consumed half of the worlds population.

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It's the break of the 25^th century, but no one is counting, because the humans that are still living are soon to be dead and they know it. Many have killed themselves and their family, crime has spread and the hot summer days have melted away, the cool frost from winter soon brought the hopes that it would kill the virus as it had way back in Europe, but alas the super virus could not be stoped. It's now into the winter and new things are occurring to the wildlife.

Rabbits have become larger, mice have grown tusks. Raccoons loose their stripes and trade them for spots and solid colors. Animals are all changing but Gracie's generation went further. It seemed that Gracie didn't die, in fact she had offspring and fifty years later what had occurred? Colors of unnatural shades started appearing on a young wolf's pelt. As pups they looked normal enough, but grew into this mutated phase. Some grew abnormally long claws, other's sharper, longer teeth, but perhaps the most interesting factor would be the colors, neon wolves appeared… but the neon wolves were direct descendants of Gracie. These wolves were treated with utmost respect! The rest of the wolves were maroon's and scarlets. Purples and pinks. Greens and blues. There was no end. Soon, wolves with rainbow colors and stars on their pelts appeared. They had jagged lines, or spotted paws. Ocelot designs and flame socks… Who knows what could happen in the next couple of years… for now, they must live through the cold winter.