A familiar smell of smoke and charred meat woke Miranda from her sleep, or maybe the real culprit was her stomach which growled hungrily. She stiffly managed to stand and dusting the dirt from her bare legs, she took a second to miss things she had taken for granted like the comfort of her bed, the softness of her pillows and the crisp feeling of clean sheets. With a sigh, she looked around not much had changed and seeing the dimming light outside, it was obvious another day had gone by.

Cautiously Miranda went towards the cave opening, stopping as she saw the bottle of water had been refilled and beside that the clothes she had been wearing on the plane were neatly folded next to it. Without thinking she put them on, glad she had changed out of her usual work attire at the airport before boarding. Ignoring the blood stains on her white blouse she quickly had some water and again the smell of barbecue got her attention.

Keeping close against the rocks, she moved around the side of the formation and once behind it the smoky wisp caught her attention from within the forest. Braydon had said he needed the knife for a rabbit, was he cooking it now?

Hunger won out over fear of coming across her captor and quickly looking around the patch of grass that separated the rocks from the trees, she saw nothing and no one. Her sprint over was quicker than she thought she could manage and spying the small campfire Miranda went to take a step closer when the whine of a wolf made her freeze. The animal sat just to the right of the fire and she rationalized it must have smelt the food cooking too and the fact she was positive it was the same one that had chased her had her heart starting to race in fear.

The pair stared at each other for a moment, the silence was unbearable as the world seemed to be put on pause and Miranda held her breath, unable to get her mind to focus on the problem at hand. Clearly the animal could and getting up, it stretched lazily with a yawn and shaking its coat briskly, gave her a final look before disappearing into the forest. The air left her lungs in a raspy gasp and looking around she found a decent branch she could use to defend herself with if it came back. Though if it brought it's friends, she didn't like her chances.

"Hungry?"

The interruption of Braydon's voice made her scream and using all her energy she swung her branch around through the air with the intent of taking out the threat. Luckily Braydon was quick to move and ducked before the piece of wood could find its target and he quickly stepped forward to take it from her hold.

"It's me!" He yelled, trying to calm her down as he wrestled it from her desperate grasp.

"That doesn't help me at all!" Miranda yelled back, wondering if perhaps she should try to knock him out for a better chance at getting away. Her fingers seemed locked around the wood, and Braydon didn't want to risk hurting her in the process - quickly becoming frustrated at her unwillingness to let it go.

A growl seemed to echo through the area around them and thinking the wolf had come back Miranda dropped the branch, instinctively throwing herself around her captor. It was a damsel in distress move, but woman's rights went out the window with the prospect of having to risk fighting the wild beast.

Braydon went tense as Miranda touched him, his mind going blank as he had no idea how to respond or what to do. He clumsily dropped the branch now he had it in his possession and looked down at the trembling tiny form around him.

"Please don't let it kill me!" Miranda mumbled, waiting for Braydon to do something to defend them. Would he throw her to the creature while he got away, or would he fight it? Then another thought occurred, what if he had it as a pet?

"What kill you?" Shaking his head, slowly an arm came to rest around her shoulders. He regretted his question instantly as she slowly stepped back, looking around them. Seeing nothing she instead looked up at him with tear filled eyes and he struggled not to let himself get lost in their blue depths.

Realizing what she had done, she shrugged out of his hold and wiped her eyes, blushing so her cheeks were on fire. "The wolf, I thought I heard it come back."

"He won't hurt you." Braydon coughed awkwardly, scratching under his chin as Miranda looked at the fire.

"Is he your pet?" Miranda figured it was unlikely, but it would explain why it chased her back to the cave and why it was hanging around humans. Weren't wild animals meant to fear them? Then again she was just one human alone and not much of a threat for a pack dwelling animal. In her current state a Chihuahua could probably take her down.

"No." Braydon snapped, cringing as she jumped at his harsh tone. Sighing he moved past her to the small fire and checked the darkened pieces of flesh. It had taken him some time to remember how to light his fire, and considering the human nature of his new companion, he also had to cook his kill. "Hungry?"

Miranda nodded, slowly approaching as timid as the rabbit had been in its foraging when it first caught his scent. "Yes."

He held up the stick, and she took it eagerly. Without a care in the world she bit into it, amazed at how juicy the rabbit was despite the not very modern cooking method. She was practically drooling as she bit into it again, consumed with the need to eat and her stomach was appreciative of it. The fact Braydon didn't stop staring at her was lost on Miranda until she finished and slowly she circled the small fire to sit opposite of him, becoming anxious.

"Do you have to keep staring at me?"

"I'm not!" He answered, in a tone that she recognised as one she used to speak to her Mum whenever she was being told she was doing something she shouldn't be.

With that outburst, he did look away prodding the flames he took some of the cooked meat awkwardly, not sure about eating it in human form. These days he only fed as the wolf and since he had put so much effort into this, took a bite and struggled to chew it before swallowing. Now it was Miranda who stared at him.

"Do you have to keep staring at me?" He snapped back and a tiny smile threatened to appear on her face.

"Why are you out here?" Miranda dared to ask as she took another stick with what she decided must be a leg piece on. The bones she soon found proved her right.

"Because I am."

"It's clearly been awhile. How old are you?" She kept her voice even, calm - as if she was talking to a scared child.

Braydon said nothing, chewing the meat longer than necessary and only making it that much harder to swallow.

"Well, is it just you out here? Do you have any family or friends?" 'that might be deformed cannibals and come to kill me at any time' She thought to herself.

"Just me," he answered, finally looking at her. With the sun set, the orange light had her face glowing from the darkness and the word beautiful came to mind again. "I'm like Batman."

"Batman?" Miranda blurted without thinking, completely baffled at how on earth he came up with that. She instantly regretted it as Braydon stiffed, sitting up a little straighter and went back on the defensive. "Sorry, I mean, how are you like Batman?"

"I rescued you, I live alone - you're not meant to know who I am. I should only be in my disguise around you."

If she didn't think he was crazy before, she did now. Deciding to play along, she thought about her next question before speaking again. "Why can't I know who you are?"

"You're human."

There. It was said so simply she only nodded, and as his word sunk in goose bumps broke out over her skin. Human?

"So are you?" She spoke slowly, searching his face for something that might tell her otherwise. From the overgrown nature of his beard, maybe he was the reason for all the Big Foot rumors that seem to surround any patch of forest.

"No, this is only one part of who I am."

Enough! The surge of pressure against his temple told him the beast wasn't impressed with him revealing so much of his secret. If there was one thing he knew from his time at home it was humans aren't meant to know his kind exist and the reminder couldn't have come soon enough.

"So whats the other side? Do you turn green and transform into a monster or do you have a suit and cape to disguise yourself with?" Miranda continued to play along, missing the change in his body language as he put his wall back up.

"Don't mock me. I do um, transform. I can't tell you. It's not safe." Braydon got up quickly, covering up the fire and hiding the sight by rolling some rocks over the pit he had made. The rush of smoke from it had Miranda coughing and stopping what he was doing, Braydon dropped down in front of her. "Sorry."

"It's, fine." She wheezed, moving away from him as she started back towards the cave and to her water bottle. She barely had a sip before Braydon reappeared, looking her over as his concern was obvious.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, nothing a trip to the hospital wouldn't fix?" Miranda threw out hopefully, having some more water.

Ignoring her Braydon went to go into the cave when an un-natural thudding broke the silence of night and pausing he closed his eyes and listened more intently. There it was, the thump thump thump of something he didn't know. It was as steady as the hooves of the deer herd when they took off across the meadow and as loud as thunder in the sky. He knew he had heard it before.

"What's that sound?" Miranda asked, finally able to hear it too and looked up to the sky as the sound echoed around them.

Two lights appeared in the distance, much too bright to be stars and the fact they were moving didn't help reassure Braydon and now he knew what it was. A helicopter; but why was it back? Without thinking he grabbed Miranda who instantly starting to kick and scream and covering her mouth he pulled her into the cave and out of sight.

"Let me go!" She bit his hand hard enough to make him let go and using all of her energy, Miranda fought as if her life depended on it. The helicopter flew overhead and stomping her heel down on his foot as hard as she could Braydon staggered backwards and let go. Sending her elbow into his stomach and another kick in his groin, she got free and ran out to the clearing to see the back of what could have been her last chance at freedom disappearing over the trees.

"No!" She gasped, and then she started to run. Maybe it was going in the direction of the crash site, and trying to follow the sound more than anything as the trees made it impossible to see it, she refused to stop. It was just like when she used to do training for marathons, mind of matter - if you can think it, you can do it even if her feet had her constantly crying out as she stumbled and tripped over branches and shrubs.

The echo started to become non-existent and nothing but her desperate breaths and sobs now sounded out in the night. Miranda kept running, though by now it was more of a hurried walk and to her right something else rustled through the bushes making her freeze. A stag dashed past her making her scream in fright and trying to keep the direction the helicopter had gone in, she failed as everything looked the same. Disorientated and out of luck, she slowed her walk to forced steps as her legs burned and muscles cramped. Mind over matter clearly only got you so far and as a few birds became unsettled above her - this was her limit.

Finding a hollow tree trunk, she carefully moved to sit inside, practically falling in as her legs gave out from underneath her and the crunch of leaves and the snap of a twig from outside had her shuffling further in as quick as possible and turning to look the pale fur of the wolf was barely visible in the dark.

Holding her breath, she prayed it wouldn't notice her or if it had it would keep going. Regretting not going up the tree rather than inside it, she had nothing to defend herself with. This was it, maybe in a few months some bushwalkers would come through and find her mauled remains. Maybe it would be bits of bones and it take months for them to analyse it and even years until they manage to work out who she was. Thinking of her dental records, she was glad they were up to date. The forensic people could give her parents closure that way, offering them whatever would be left to bury. Unless the wolf liked to chew on bones and then she was really screwed.

Thinking of her parents had her chest tightening and as the wolf took a step towards the entry, she kicked out at it. Not that it did anything, the creature was hardly bothered by her attempt at keeping it away. A low whine came from it as it dropped to its belly, crawling into the space with her. Miranda didn't move, didn't think, didn't breathe; the wolf simply lying beside her.

Braydon could smell Miranda's fear, he had tracked her the second she got away and if she had looked back after freeing herself from his hold, she would have seen him shift. The make do den warmed up quickly with the pair of them within the log, it would be a good place to spend the night. As the minutes ticked by, Miranda slowly uncoiled from where she had herself pressed up into the moldy wood and slowly she began to calm down. He didn't know what to do, if he left now and then reappeared human she would probably try running again and at least this way, she would know not to be scared of the wolf.

Rubbing his head against her arm, he managed to get her to drop it over his neck. Minutes passed again and slowly he felt the first hesitate sensation of her fingers in his fur. Moving her hand slightly, she stroked his shoulder and then along his spine sending a shiver through him as every fiber of his being was tuned into the gentle sensation of being patted. The longer she dared to the stroke the creature, Miranda was certain she was losing her mind. She was just waiting for it to snap at her, to decide it had enough of her touching it, yet she fell asleep before that happened.

Waking up to the sound of screeching birds outside, Miranda groaned and rolled over as best she could in the curled up position was cramped up in. She was warm, felt reassuringly safe and the soft body she cuddled was nicer than the nothing she had been used to the last couple of days. Slowly opening her eyes, her fingers brushed through the fur, enjoying the mix of coarse and soft hair and the earthy canine smell made her smile. That was until the fact she was laying on the wolf hit her and jumping up with a scream Braydon scrambled to his feet, growling as he instantly jumped out into the wilderness.

Confused, he looked around to find the flock of birds taking flight from the trees and sniffing the breeze, there was nothing out the ordinary. Turning back, Miranda had got out the trunk and was trying to climb up the side of it and shaking his head, he knew it was because of the wolf. With a sigh he calmed down, sitting down he watched more amused than anything else as she managed to get the first step up to the lower branches. He could tell the stretch was hurting her and the yap like bark made surprised her. As she lost her footing and stumbled backwards, he was there for to lean on and once again the fright of the contact had her screaming.

From where she stayed against the tree, Miranda watched the wolf watch her. If anything, the way its jaws curled upwards she would think it was smiling and as if to prove a point, it wagged its tail. Her father used to train tracker dogs in the police force and she struggled to remember much about canine body language. Was it the same with their wild cousins? It's ears were up and alert as it sat there and while she had had asked Braydon if the wolf was his pet, he had said no. Maybe pet had been the wrong word to use.

"Hey there, wolfy." She spoke softly, as if singing a lullaby and hesitantly extended a trembling hand in its direction.

Sure enough it stood and biting her lip in concentration, Miranda prayed it didn't think she offering her hand as a chew toy. Braydon tilted his head slightly, standing he moved towards her and licked her hand before stepping back to give her space.

"Who's a good boy then?" Miranda cooed, trying to work out what to do. Surely Braydon would be after her, though last time he had stormed off the wolf had chased her back to the cave. It didn't seem like it was about to do that now and looking around them her sense of direction was gone. Working out which way the helicopter had gone was impossible and the way back to the cave was just as unlikely. So for now she was stuck with a wolf as company.

"So, do you know where we are?" The wolf came forward and nudged her leg, rubbing against her almost affectionately and then started walking. Since she stayed put, it turned back and whined before doing it again. "Want me to follow you?"

Braydon leaped forward, unsure how else to try and communicate with her. This time it worked and Miranda began to follow him through the bush. The morning sun broke through the gaps in the trees while a lingering fog had the forest feeling magical. Birds flew overhead not bothered by the human and wolf, even the deer they passed only stopped and watched them with caution and curiosity. If Miranda thought her life couldn't be any more crazy, this moment summed it up.

The sound of water had her walking faster and now the wolf followed her. Since it hadn't hurt her so far, she guessed it wasn't going to any time soon and the trees soon gave way to the river. A mini waterfall greeted her as she went to the rivers edge, and without a care in the world she took off her clothes, eager to feel clean again. Cobwebs stuck to her hair and her skin while her clothes were dusty and dirt streaked.

"I would kill for some body wash wolf, a razor, my shampoo..." She gasped as she dipped her foot into the freezing water and looking over her shoulder, the wolfs stare now left her feeling uneasy. There was something wrong with that creature, maybe that was why she hadn't seen it with any others of its own kind. "Warm water, a spa, fluffy towels."

With each step she took into the water she thought of something else that she missed, the homesick feeling taking over. She was snapped out of her daydream as the giant splash came from beside her, the wolf bounding around in the knee high water as if it wanted to play.

"Instead I'm lost in the wild with a crazy man trying to keep me here and his pet wolf babysitting me." Groaning she cupped the water in her hands and started to clear off some of the dirt. The wolf watched her with more interest than she thought any animal could be capable of and for some reason, keeping her underwear on seemed like a good idea.

The wolf growled at that, Braydon knew referring to the animal as a pet would only aggravate it and he needed her to know to stop.

"Whats wrong with you?" Miranda asked, not stopping what she was doing as went over to the rocks and putting her head under the rushing water let her hair be rinsed out. After she was done, she found a nice patch of grass to lay on under the sun and stayed that way with the wolf at her side. She talked about her family, her job and her friends, all of which had Braydon feeling guilty for keeping her and the voice in his head was quick to tell him off with an 'i told you so'.

With her skin warm and dry, Miranda got up and put her clothes back on. She figured the wolf would want to go back in the direction of the cave and from what she remembered last night, the helicopter had gone more this way. She was pretty sure she couldn't have gone to far off course, but what ever the animal wanted of her she was going to do the opposite. "Well wolf, which way to your humans home?"

Saying the word human made her think back to the conversation with Braydon the night before and dismissing it, smiled as the animal whined and started to trot back up the river. She took a few steps after it and satisfied she was following, Braydon started at his own pace, going ahead to check for any signs of danger. He'd only gotten a few meters in front before his wolf stopped him and turning around they found her gone.

Running back he found her scent easily enough and as the wind came by in a gusty blast, it was forgotten. Going back into the forest he moved quickly and with ease, familiar with every inch of the terrain around here and it was the sounds of people talking that had his hackles up. The group wasn't hard to find, their orange jumpsuits making them visible from a distance and listening in, he knew this must have been who was in the helicopter from last night.

"Debris has been found here and here. Since the assistant survived, she probably did too. In the aftermath of the landing, she could have wandered off disorientated. If she found water, we might be able to find her alive." They grey haired man had a board up in the clearing and angling around to see it better, Braydon recognised a map. Lines and circles had been drawn all over it and the old man pointed at something else on the map.

"Well get the dogs out, we have to find her!" Another man stepped forward, his distress more obvious than the others. He was younger too, his dark brown hair was free from any white strands, his appearance not hurt by wrinkles. Some of the men were twice his size and Braydon only saw them as weak. The woman among the group didn't really compare to Miranda and he barely looked in their direction. He did a quick tally and despite how weak some of them looked, he wouldn't underestimate them, especially not as a few strapped guns to their backs and others loaded up bags with supplies.

"Mr Carpe, we know what we're doing. It might be easier if you stay at base and-"

"Of course I am coming with you!" Carpe snapped, cutting off the older man. Braydon knew he had heard the name before, the day after the plane crash. Was it Jay, Jackson, it was a J name - he just couldn't remember what. This Jay person, Carpe looked strong and built better than the others. Had this been a herd of deer, he would be the proud stag keeping them all together and fighting with the younger males to establish his place as leader. He wasn't the one you'd want to pick out of the herd, yet getting him separated from the others to take down did cross Braydon's mind.

The barking whines of dogs had Braydon growling, and instead he shifted to his human form to get a clearer view of what was going on. Another two men appeared with four dogs, the hounds reminding him of the dog in the cartoon movie about the fox and the dog who were friends. This wasn't good. He stopped listening to their search plans, instead shifting back to his wolf and tried to work out what he could do to mask her scent. He ran through the muddy footprints by the river and saw the steps she had taken to cross the water and knew his cave was out of bounds until they left. They were too close and running back there he grabbed what had been the pilots jacket and took off in the opposite direction. He managed to rip off a sleeve and left the bulk of the jacket in another tree hollow, and dropped the arm down by the lake the bears used.

Satisfied that should give him more time to go the other way and throw them off course, he took off up the river. He was getting tired by the time he got back to where she had left him. The miles he had covered during the day more than he was used to. The search team wasn't where they had been, a man remained, talking into black radios and putting more dots on the map as the voices came in. Creeping around the edge of the make do campsite, none of the dogs were found nearby either.

What he did come across was a bag beside a car and seeing the clothing - wondered if that was why Miranda was so nervous around him. He used to wear clothes, she had put hers on - and shuffling around in the bag, found something that resembled pants. Keeping them in his teeth, he felt a little more hopeful, and leaving the camp behind crossed the river. Now he started on the hunt for Miranda, just like everyone else.

Ξ Ξ Ξ

Miranda couldn't believe she had outsmarted the animal. The rocks of the waterfall had been slippery, but easily crossed and she hoped the water hid her scent enough so the wolf wouldn't know where to find it. Vague bits of information from her Dads work filtered through her brain and she knew beagles and hounds could smell a scent months after it had been laid. Rain and water would make that harder and since she was on the other side, hopefully it would be days until it found her trail. Months would be better as long as she could find a way out of here.

The sun was right above her now, the warm day leaving her eager to find a new place to sit down and rest. How much more of this abuse her body could take was beyond on her, and as another wave of dizziness hit, Miranda finally stopped. Holding onto the tree she waited for it pass, and after looking around for somewhere to hide and rest, the bushes that grew around the base of a tree looked like a good place to go and sure enough, crawling underneath them paid off. The thicket had a clear base and shrouded by bushes, she dared to let her eyes close, just until she didn't feel so dizzy.

Deja vu greeted Miranda as she slowly started to wake up. The warm furry body had her feeling safe and with her head no longer against the dirt, her neck didn't seem to ache as much as it had been. Sensing her movement, Braydon lifted his head and reached around to lick her cheek.

"Guess you found me huh?" Miranda asked the animal defeated.

Braydon didn't like how tired she sounded, or how she seemed to struggle keeping her eyes open. She slept a lot, more than he remembered ever doing in his old life. Whining he nudged her awake and got up, leaving her where she was.

He returned in his human form, pulling on the shorts that were too big for him and managed to tie them on tight enough they stopped falling down. Squatting down, he managed to push way back into the small space and Miranda didn't even flinch as he stroked her face.

"Guess you found me too."

"Are you hurt?" Braydon didn't think she was, but something was wrong. He could feel it.

"No, I'm fine." Groaning Miranda sat herself up, shuffling out of the thicket and as she went to stand, Braydon was there to help her. With her face looking down at the ground, as she slowly bought her gaze up, she froze as she saw the pants. Where did he get those from? "You have pants on?"

"Yes. I forget to wear. On my own no one cares." He answered awkwardly, but inside he was feeling like he was making progress.

To his surprise she reached out and touched them, instantly making him tense. His breathing halted and his heart started to race more than it had when he was running as she touched the waistband.

"These are new, and clean!" Miranda didn't care if she breaking personal boundaries. Where did he suddenly get pants from? Pants that were clearly not the right fit.

"Come on. We need to go before its dark."

Braydon didn't hesitate in picking her up with more care that she didn't know someone so rough and big could manage. This whole time he had treated her as if she could break at any moment and yet all she could think about was the pants. And Batman.

He had barely gone a couple of meters when Braydon was left trying not to smile, not only because Miranda was not fighting him as he carried her, but for the fact her arm went around the back of his neck as she held onto him. Her head was half on her arm and half on his chest and looking down, she seemed to be completely relaxed. Pants were definitely a good idea.

What about when she finds out about the humans looking for her?

The voice of his wolf reminded him, and how angry she had been at the river. He didn't want to face that again so he would just have to make sure she never found out.

"Where is your wolf?" Her sleepy voice interrupted the argument that was forming in his mind and looking at her again, he lowered his head slightly and breathed in her scent, using it to calm himself.

"Wolf?" Deciding to play dumb, a tiny smirk of a smile finally appeared.

"The one you have follow me. Where did it go?"

"I sent him away, I'm here to protect you now." Braydon stood a little taller at that, making sure to walk a little faster as he suddenly knew where he could take her.

"Like Batman protects people right?"

"Yeah!" He exclaimed, thinking she was starting to understand.

"So who is the villian you're protecting me from?"

"Everyone. You don't need to be around those people." Braydon snapped.

Those people? Miranda went quiet for a moment, trying to work out what to say next to keep him talking.

"Why? Why are they so bad?" Then the most obvious question of all came to mind, "Braydon, what did they do to you?"

He didn't know what to say to that. How could he tell her about the pack, about his parents? Did she know how it felt to be scared and alone to then be chased away? People were all the same. The ones who aren't suppose to hurt you are the ones who do it the most and out here, he wouldn't have to deal with that again.

Then why have her here? She will only hurt you too. She won't be able to understand. Give her back to her kind!

Again his wolf played the voice of reason and he still had no idea why he felt compelled to keep her with him. He just had to and was only getting angry that the wolf and the woman didn't seem to agree with him or be willing to try and understand.

"Braydon, I could help you?" Reaching out, she placed her hand over his heart and she felt his muscles tense under her palm. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it -staying silent as he kept walking.

---

Not sure if I'm happy with this... It's not boring or dragging along at all?