I watched Katja from my den. She sat at the lake for a while then moved to a tree and rolled over so her back was to me. This human! She hated those people and that village so why is she devastated that she lost it all? I'm being insensitive I know. I looked at the food and sighed. I don't know why she wouldn't eat; I know she is starving; I can still hear her stomach rumbling from here.

She shivered and I stood gathering a fur blanket in my mouth. I went to her side, throwing the blanket over her, and then I turned and ate the food she had left.

I went back to my den laying down to sleep in the entrance so I could watch her. Katja kept waking up and shifting; every time she did, I would watch her to make sure she was alright. Every time she seemed disturbed. I wondered if she was having nightmares but didn't want to add to them by waking her up.

No human would sleep well with a beast near them; if they are having nightmares and then wake up to one, it would be worse. I thought when she woke up for the eighth time. I watched her settle back into sleep and sighed laying my head on my paws.

***

The next morning I stood and stretched. Leaving the den, I saw Katja was still lying where she had been, but she had kicked the fur off of herself, and something was different. I lowered my nose into the soft breeze that carried her scent to me. She smelled wrong so I went over to her with my nose low so I could pinpoint her scent. She smelled of a human with an undertone of a scent that was like one I'd smelled before in my life. Then, as I got closer, I found a sickly sweet smell coming from her. That was when I saw she was shaking and hot.

I morphed into a human and picked her up. She groaned in pain shifting in my arms. I carried her to the den and laid her down on the furs that were laid out to be my bed. She groaned again as I took a cloth and wetted it from my bucket full of fresh water. I started to wipe her head with the cool water.

Poor human. On top of everything else she gets ill. I can see why everyone in the village called her unlucky. Things always seem to happen to her. She continued to shake and shiver as I wiped her down with the cloth to try to bring her temperature down. I haven't done this since before my sister...

My thoughts trailed off as she briefly became conscious. "Can...I get you...another drink?" She said in a weak voice.

She thinks she is serving me in the tavern. "Only if you have one with me." I said smiling down at her.

"I should get on..."

"You can have one." I said sitting her up and offering her a water skin.

She drank deeply from it then I took a sip. "Better?"

She shook her head looking around the den. "It's dark in here. I should open the shutters."

I chuckled leaning her against the wall. "This is my favourite place to have a bite to eat. Try this." I pulled out a slice of bread and offered it to her.

She nibbled it as I made a watery broth for her. When I turned around she was asleep. I smiled finishing the food. I put the bowl to one side to cool and wiped her face again.

"What..." She asked, coming awake again; she shifted with her eyes closed.

"Shhh Katja. You are sick... probably because you are half starved."

She groaned trying to move away from the cloth. Her eyes came open and I smiled at her. "Why... help me?"

I picked up the bowl and offered her a spoonful. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you Katja. Now eat up."

I fed her as much as I could with her fading in and out. I gave up halfway through the bowl and laid her down. After several hours of me wetting the cloth and wiping her with it to cool her off, her fever broke. She finally fell into a restful sleep.

I morphed back into my beast form and climbed out of my den. The evening had set in and I sighed. I should probably find her a new village to live in. I doubt she will want to stay here. Let me think... there's the village under the mountain and the other village just east of that one. I could take her to the failed kingdom but that is most likely to end the same way. I will go and check out the two villages I know of, then I will find others if I don't find what I'm looking for. I need to find one with a woman to take her in.

I looked back into the den at the dim shape of Katja lying asleep on my bed. She is young yet and needs someone to look after her. I will do my best for her until I can find someone. She won't want to stay with me. I looped off in the direction of the nearest village to see what it was like.

I opened my eyes to the dark space around me. "You're awake." A gruff voice came from the darkness. I turned to where the voice came from and met a pair of yellow eyes. I followed the eyes to the mouth full of teeth that glinted in the dark. I jumped and screamed, trying to get away from the beast, but I was weak. "Calm yourself human. I didn't save you to hurt you now."

I stopped trying to get away from them now my mind was coming back to what had happened. Duha pushed a plate of food at me with her nose. "Eat, please. I know you didn't eat much before and then you spent two days ill. If you don't eat you will die."

Looking at the plate of cooked meat and fresh bread I wondered. Where the hell is this beast getting fresh bread? "I'm not hungry." I said.

"Because you haven't eaten. Please, I don't want you to die, that is why I saved you." Duha's gruff voice sounded sad as they pleaded with me.

They let out a soft whimper sound that made me look at the plate again. Picking up the plate I looked at the food. Now it was closer to me, I could smell the beef, and the bread was fresh. It made my mouth water and my stomach wake up. I took a piece of the meat and took a bite. It was the most succulent and tasty piece of meat I have ever eaten.

Duha started wagging at my pleased sound. "I'm glad you like it. There is food and water here in the den and you are welcome to take another bath in the lake. I must go out for a while but I will be back soon."

"Wait! Your leaving?" I said, feeling panicky.

Duha chuckled. "I will be back later Katja. We need food so I will hunt."

I waved the bread at them. "You hunt bread?"

Duha laughed and wagged harder making a soft thump thump sound as their tail hit the floor. "I make the bread. I hunt the meat. I will be back by nightfall."

They left the den. I licked my fingers looking around the place now my eyes had adjusted to the darkness. It was a large dirt hole in the ground with gnarled roots embedded into the walls and ceiling. It wasn't tall enough to stand up straight even in the centre. There were alcoves with jars and pots with labels on them and even an iron cooker on the other side Duha has made this hole quite homely.

I wonder how long they will let me stay. I looked down at the half-eaten food on my plate. Why did they save me? Why are they looking after me? What is in it for them? So many questions, but I can't ask them this. I must not be ungrateful either.

I finished my meal and shuffled out of the den into the midday sun. I stripped off the fur dress and slipped into the cool water. Two days asleep has left me less than fresh. I will wash up and then cook something as a thank you to Duha. I scrubbed myself and dried off using the cloth left on a low branch for that purpose and put my dress back on.

Walking back to the tree I was about to slip back into the den when I heard a strange noise. I turned and screamed at the huge spider standing silently behind me. It rubbed its fangs together making a hideous hiss noise.

I backed up to the tree and tried to scream again but my voice box wouldn't work. I truly am the most unlucky person in the world! My village is burned down and I get rescued by a beast just to get killed by another, as I start thinking about living! I can't even scream for help.

My legs trembled at the sight of the spider, finally giving out when it moved closer. Why did it have to be a spider? Couldn't I die in a freak landslide or a tree falling? Why do I have to be killed by a gross thing like a spider?

Duha leapt in front of me. "Ariaddney what do you think your doing?" They snapped at the spider while growling low and threateningly.

"Ah, lone Wolf. Just who I was looking for. Tell me why you are harbouring a tasty human?" The spider asked.

Duha growled and the spider hissed. "That is none of your business Spider!"

The huge spider hissed and leached forward making Duha bark. "This one is young and alone. When they are they are ripe for the picking." The spider's voice was full of the hissing sound that made my bones turn to jelly.

Duha growled laying their ears back. "State your business, Spider, or I will rip your legs off."

"Such harsh words for a lone beast! Dragon is calling people in. The cave in the north pass is where he wants us to meet."

Duha gnashed their teeth. "Why tell me this?"

The spider turned and started to leave. "Even the lone Wolf will need a family one day."

With that, the spider disappeared. Dragon? Dragons are real! "Are you hurt, Katja?" Duha turned to me and sat.

"Y... yes... that is no, I'm fine." I stammered.

Duha looked back over their shoulder. "Ariaddney is a pest, but I doubt she would have killed you.... me on the other hand." Duha muttered the last then sighed and looked up at me. "Come on let's get you in the den."

Duha stood and nudged me with their wet nose. I gladly slipped into the den, happy to put the giant spider out of my mind. Duha went to the furs they had as a bed and laid down on them. "Duha.... why did that thing call you a lone wolf?"

Duha looked around at me and sighed. "I have been banished from staying near other beasts."

"Why?"

Duha laughed. "The same reason you are alone in the world. I lost everything. My family and friends were all gone, and after that, most people avoided me, so I was alone. I have been looking for someone to take you in, so you don't end up alone like me."

They are alone in the world like me? "Is that why you saved me?"

Duha stared at me and then shook their head. "No. I saved you because you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago."

I shifted closer to Duha. "Are you going to see Dragon?"

Duha growled. "Why would I help the people when they didn't help me?"

I moved closer as Duha watched me creeping up on them. I retched out a hand and gently stroked the soft fur of Duha's back. "Maybe they couldn't help you. They get attacked, too, from what I have heard. Beast people are hunted by us."

Duha laid their head on my leg. "I have been alone a long time Katja. I haven't needed the help of anyone. Now they ask for my help..."

Duha trailed off as I moved my hand up to their head and stroked the soft fur between their ears. "They are asking for everyone Duha. That's what the spider said. So let's go and meet with the Dragon."

Duha watched me with their big yellow eyes and sighed. "Why not find some humans to look after you? You are barely more than a pup."

I laughed. "I'm not a child."

"I said barely. You are young and need a person to show you how to grow upright."

I smiled. "Humans haven't been nice to me so I choose you." I said scratching behind one of their ears.

Duha lifted their head and looked me in the eye. "You choose me?"

"You are the first person to be nice to me. You didn't have to be, but you saved me from the bandits and cared for me while I was sick. That's more care than I've had from a human. I was abandoned by everyone except the old woman who took in abandoned children. She was nice enough but she didn't care for us when we got sick."

They shook their head. "That is not how to pick a role model."

I sighed and put my arms around their neck. "Please Duha." I hugged them gently and felt how tense they were.

Duha licked the side of my face as I let go of them. "Fine."

I smiled. "So will we go?"

Duha rolled their eyes and stood, stretching. "I suppose we could, but we will need to get supplies, and you will need to get your strength up. The north pass isn't too far but for a human, it might be hard going. Especially a human that has been half starved."

I nodded. "Alright, so you gather and I will inventory what you have."

Duha gave me a long look and then shook their head. "No. I know what I have and I know what I need. What did you do in that village?"

I looked over at the cooker. "Nothing. Nobody would let me do anything because I was unlucky and everything I tried failed. The only work I could get was cleaning and serving in the tavern."

Duha shifted drawing my attention to them. Duha's body started to change; their fur started to slip under their skin, their face changed shape, becoming more human, their ears shrank down to the side of their head, and the big fluffy tail slipped away behind them. There before me sat a woman. Duha frowned at me as she crossed her legs. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Her gruff voice was now slightly higher in pitch a more smooth.

"You're a woman... more than that... you're the woman from the tavern." I said pointing.

Duha looked down at her naked body and grinned "I am what I am. My body is female yes. I was in the village, yes, in the tavern, yes. I was trying to get a hot meal I didn't need to cook myself. Mind you I think that man was overcharging for the slop he served."

Duha grabbed a fur dress pulling it over her head. "I don't understand."

Duha sighed. "You don't need to understand Pup. Come and let me show you how to sow."