Page 6 of The Healer and the Wolf: Part One

The routine was comforting, and I fell into it as I fed my cats, then changed and went about my business. It was relaxing and helped me forget about the troubles of work.

Being home cheered me up enough that I was whistling when I went out to the garden. My cheerful whistling, however, came to a screeching halt when I saw the giant wolf outside my greenhouse door.

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LEO

The woman.

She was here.

I had waited for her. Woman was safe. She’dhelped.Fed me. Watered me. Used magic plants?

And she’d smelled good.Sogood. Good enough toeat.

No, not eat.

Help.

I neededhelp.

She didn’t smell good now.

She smelled… scared.

Why?

Oh. Maybe because I was a wolf, and she was a human.

Wait, human? Humans weren’t safe.I couldn’t remember much, but I knew that much.

And yet… I also knew the woman in front of mewassafe, even if that made no sense. The air around her was softer. Kinder.

I had thought I was dead, and maybe I had been. But then she’d stopped the red and chased off the bears who had hurt me. She’d saved me.

Would she save me again?

I didn’t know, and all my instincts were screaming at me to run, to fight.But I didn’t do either. Instead, I lay on my side and did my best to look… what was the word?

My mind churned slowly, so slowly. Thinking was so hard.Was I even supposed to think? I didn’t think so. Thoughts weren’t for animals.

And that’s what I was, right?

Right?

My head was a jumble of things I didn’t understand, so I just ignored it. Either the woman would help me, or I would die. It was as simple as that.

But after what felt like an eternity, she finally approached me. I made sure not to move a muscle, lest I scared her off like the rabbit and deer I hunted.

She was much lovelier than those, though. Softer. Sweeter. But right when it seemed the woman was close enough to reach me, she turned around and walked away.

I was… sad? Was that what I was feeling? Some part of my mind said yes, but another couldn’t comprehend it at all. Animals couldn’t have complex emotions like that.

Could they?

Footsteps drew me from my clouded mind. The woman was placing another bowl of water in front of me.

Was I thirsty? Yes, I was.Sothirsty.

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