Rick woke just before dawn, as usual. How he could tell it was dawn she wasn’t sure, though it must have had something to do with his enhanced senses. To her it was still pitch black, the trees obscuring any light from a soon to rise sun.

Laura’s night had been filled with dreams of her brother, but not dreams of his death. She had dreamed about happy times they’d had as children, of playing in the forest near Aunt Joyce’s cabin, of eating donuts out front of the town’s bakery. Craig had managed to make most situations more fun than they should have been, his active imagination more than enough to propel them on the adventures all children engaged in.

The dreams had been pleasant, but Laura still wiped a tear from one eye as she roused herself. Was this how people said goodbye for real? By re-living the good memories?

They went through their usual morning routine, which involved eating a small meal and packing up the tent and supplies. By the time they were ready to set off the sun had well and truly risen, dim light coming in streamers through the trees. They set out without delay.

“We might hit the highway today,” Rick said quietly as they walked. “Hopefully we can hitch a ride into town if we do, but with a guy my size that’s a bit unlikely. We might have to walk the whole way.”

“Either way is fine, we’ve come this far,” she said back. While she was looking forward to the end of their trip, she realized that she might miss some parts of it. Spending days doing nothing but walking and sharing each other’s company had brought them closer, she thought, and whatever tense family situation they were walking into might put some strain on that.

The morning passed quickly. The land here was mostly flat, making the trek fairly easy on them, and the day was unseasonably warm. Birdsong filled the forest around them, and every so often they saw the flash of a squirrel running across the ground. It seemed like a fitting final day.

Laura was beginning to think that they wouldn’t make it to the forests edge by nightfall when a voice called out from their left. “Howdy there!”

Rick started next to her, clearly not having realized that someone was near. They turned to see an older man striding through the trees towards them. He was an older gentleman with a large grey moustache and what looked like friendly enough features. He was wearing green uniform with a badge on the shoulders.

Rick slowed to a stop and leaned down to whisper to her. “Guy moves through the forest really quietly, and he approached us from upwind. That’s why I didn’t smell him.”

She smiled. Rick actually sounded annoyed that someone had been good enough to get close to him without him knowing it. She was a little nervous about the whole situation though. They had to talk their way past this guy to make it to the highway, or this entire trip would be for nothing.

They waited while the man walked up to them, whistling as he came. He had a smile on his face when he stopped to greet them. “Hey there, you two look like you’ve been out here for quite some time! Smell like it too!”

Laura just now thought about how they must look after almost a month of hiking. She had only been able to bathe once during the entire trip, an afternoon when they had come across a small river on a particularly warm day. Not to mention how they must smell.

“Yep,” Rick responded brightly, welcoming grin plastered across his face. “We’ve been out here about two weeks now, just hiking around and camping. It’s really beautiful down here.”

“Where you two from?” the man asked. His tone was friendly enough, but Laura noticed that he didn’t get too close to them and his eyes held a bit of wariness.

“These days we’re living just a bit north of Fort Rupert in Quebec,” Rick answered. “We’re both from Ontario originally.”

“Jeez, Fort Rupert eh?” the man said as he pulled out a cigarette. “Must be cold as beaver balls up there.”

Laura and Rick both chuckled at that. Even though this was something of an interrogation, something about the man put Laura at ease. He seemed well intentioned.

“It sure is,” Laura answered. It wouldn’t seem right if Rick did all the talking. “I still can’t believe I let him talk me into moving up there.”

The man chuckled back as he lit his cigarette. “You two got any IDs I could see? We’ve been having trouble with Americans thinking they can sneak drugs across the border through my park. No sir’ee, not my park.”

Laura punched Rick in the shoulder lightly. “You didn’t tell me we were going to be this close to the border. You know I didn’t bring any ID!”

“She didn’t bring hers along, but I have my passport,” Rick volunteered, kneeling down to fish around in one of the pockets of his backpack. Laura hoped the ranger didn’t notice the straps. They were much larger than those on a normal backpack, in order to be adjustable to Rick’s size when he was shifted. That was an explanation best avoided.

The man stepped in to take Rick’s passport when he held it out, simultaneously holding his cigarette away from them.

Good manners for someone in a position of authority.

He examined the beat up passport for a few moments then handed it back. He looked to Laura. “Sure you don’t have anything on you?”

“I really don’t,” she answered. “Sorry.”

“Ah, well in that case I’m going to have to examine your bags,” he responded, though not unkindly. “Please set them down here and take a few steps back if you don’t mind.”

They did as they were told, Laura shooting Rick a worried glance. He smiled down at her and shook his head as if to say ‘don’t worry’. They watched as the ranger went through their bags thoroughly.

She wasn’t worried about him finding something incriminating. She hadn’t kept either of the guns she had ended up with over the last few weeks, knowing that it was safer to rely on Rick for protection. Their packs were full of the kinds of things you would bring if you were going to be camping for weeks at a time, hardly anything to rouse suspicion.

He spent a few minutes going through every nook and cranny of the bags, digging through each compartment carefully. Finally he stood up and shook his head ruefully. “Sorry about all this. Used to be we didn’t need to bother anyone in the park, but times have changed.”

“No problem, we get it,” Rick said. “Can we pack these back up?”

“Sure, go right ahead.”

They spent a few minutes putting everything back in the packs, a job that was shortened significantly by the care the man had taken when searching them. Everything had been set neatly on the ground, suggesting that these were far from the first bags he had gone through during his time in the park. He helped Laura, handing her things as she carefully arranged them in her bag. In no time flat, they were ready to move again.

“We’ve gotten pretty turned around over the last couple weeks,” Rick said, glancing around abashedly. He was a pretty good actor when he wanted to be. “Which way to the shuttle into town?”

“Shuttles right that’a’way,” the ranger replied, indicating the direction they had been walking when he found them. “Don’t think you’ll make the last one though, it’s leaving in about twenty minutes.”

“Ah well,” Laura said a little glumly. “We’ll have to catch it tomorrow.”

She had been hopeful that today would be the last day. While she had been enjoying the trek, something she would enjoy a lot more was a hot shower and a proper meal. They hadn’t gone hungry during the trip, but their diet had been beyond simple. Dried meat and granola bars, along with the odd root plant that Rick had said was edible. The only break in that routine had come from some fish Rick had pulled out of one of the larger rivers they had crossed. Laura wanted vegetables again.

“Well, seeing as how it’s partly my fault that you missed it, I suppose I could give you two a drive after I finish work today.”

“You sure it’s no trouble?” Rick asked. “We wouldn’t want to put you out any.”

“Naw it’s no trouble,” came the reply, followed by a small chuckle. “Don’t exactly see that many people out here, it’ll be nice to have some company for a bit.”

The both accepted eagerly, thoughts of a clean hotel room dancing through their heads. They followed the man as he set out, leading them in a slightly different direction than they had been heading. Staff parking, Laura supposed.

“Names Arnie, by the way,” he said as they started off. He offered a hand to each of them, shaking them firmly. They gave their first names to him. He seemed to genuinely enjoy having people to talk to, chattering on about how the season had gone this year.

They walked for about half an hour before coming to a small brick building set alongside a parking area. There were only two vehicles there at the moment, both parked next to each other. Arnie led them to the front door and brought them inside. It was what looked like a small park ranger office, with two desks set in a small room. Two of the walls had doorways leading to other rooms.

The room was currently occupied by an older, somewhat portly woman sitting behind one of the desks. She looked up as they entered and guffawed to herself. “Found some more strays, have you Arnold?”

“Yep, they missed the last shuttle today on account of my searchin’ their bags so I told ‘em I’d give them a lift into town when I finish.” He motioned towards a bench for them and plopped himself down at his desk, fingers clack clacking on the keys of an old looking desktop computer. “I just need to finish a few reports and we can be straight out of here.”

Laura smelled it then, a smell she had not had the pleasure of since they had left Blackendale. Coffee. She glanced at Rick and saw that he had already noticed it, which was no surprise. Laura directed her question at the woman, since it was likely her who had brewed it. “Is that coffee I smell?”

“It sure is honey, you two want a cup? I just made a fresh pot.”

They both jumped at the chance, coffee being something they hadn’t had the luxury of being able to carry with them during their trip. It smelled like the low quality stuff common in offices and corner stores everywhere. It smelled delicious.

The woman eyed them up and down as she poured two mugs for them. “Boy aren’t you two rank. You must’ve been out in these woods for a while now eh?”

“Couple weeks now,” Rick answered, gladly accepting a cup. “We didn’t bring any coffee in with us, didn’t have enough space.”

“You been camping for a couple weeks this time of year?” she asked, handing the second mug to Laura. “Pretty late in the season.”

“That’s what I said,” Laura grumbled with what she hoped was good nature. “Rick works in logging up in northern Quebec though, so the warmer part of the year is busy for him.”

“Fair enough, that man’s a lumberjack if I’ve ever seen one,” she replied. “I’m Brenda.”

Rick and Laura shared their names and spent the next hour or so chatting with Brenda and drinking coffee as Arnold typed away at the computer. After a month on the road the coffee tasted like heaven, and Brenda was pleasant enough company. She had a good sense of humor and kept cracking jokes about Rick’s size.

After what seemed like hardly any time at all, Arnold stood up. “Alright, that ought’a do it for today. You okay to close up while I drive these folks in Brenda?”

She snorted and directed a withering look at him. “How did I know you were going to leave me to lock this place up on my own?”

“It’s okay, we really don’t mind waiting,” Laura protested, not wanting anyone put out because of them.

“No no no, you three get out of here, I’m just making sure Arnie here knows that he’s closing up tomorrow,” she replied with a smile.

“You got it Bren’,” he said as he zipped up his jacket.

They collected their bags and headed out to Arnold’s car. It was a battered looking blue sedan. They put Rick’s bag in the trunk, and Laura’s on one of the back seats.

Arnold waved her into the front passenger seat. “Not sure if Rick will even fit up front,” he said with a chuckle.

He was probably right. As it was, Laura had to slide her seat all the way forward to even fit him in the back behind her. There was some grumbling about ‘small people driving small cars’ as he settled in.

Everyone rolled down their windows a bit once they got going, despite the cool air outside. Being cooped up in a confined space really drove home just how much both of them needed a shower.

“Be about an hour and a half to get into town from here,” Arnold said as they pulled out. “You two will probably be looking for a motel, right?”

“You betcha,” Rick said while making a show of sniffing the air. “Seems like we could use a shower. Any suggestions for places we could stay?”

“In Neebing? Not much for choices. There’s a Best Western near the bus terminal, probably best to stay there.”

“As long as they have hot showers it’s fine by me,” Laura said. The motion of the car was making her feel a bit sleepy.

“So what kind of shifter are you Rick?” Arnold asked casually.

Laura started in shock, glancing over at their driver. He looked calm, and his eyes never strayed from the road in front of them.

“Don’t be so surprised,” he said after the silence had gone on for a short time. “You folks have a certain air about you in the forest, and I noticed your pack. Fancy work, that.”

“How do you know about shifters?” Rick asked cautiously, clearly not prepared for the direction their conversation had gone.

“Oh, I spent most of my life out in the forest. Did some survey work when I was younger, a few stints logging up north, that kind of thing. Ain’t as rare as you might think to meet a shifter when you live the life I’ve lived.”

Laura stayed silent, letting Rick make the decision about how much to admit. It wasn’t her secret to share.

Rick thought for a moment, then answered. “I’m a bear, but I bet you guessed that already.”

“Yep, I figured as much. Don’t really have much of a wolf look about you.”

“Did Brenda know too?” Laura asked, replaying their time at the office in her mind. The woman had made a lot out of how big Rick was, but it had all seemed in genuine good humor.

Arnold chuckled. “No, Brenda isn’t like us. She’s an office worker who just happens to run an office at a national park. She’d probably have a heart attack if she ever saw someone shift.”

“Do we need to worry about you knowing about me?” Rick asked. There was a dangerous edge in his voice, something she hadn’t heard often in their time together.

“Naw, I’ve got nothing against shifters,” Arnold said. As he spoke his eyes occasionally drifted to the rearview mirror to meet Rick’s. “Most of your kind I’ve met have been nice enough folks, and I’d hate for you or them to come to harm on my account.”

Some of the tension drained out of the air at that, though Laura was still on guard. The last few months of her life had driven caution into her. Caution or paranoia.

Arnold, however, appeared entirely unaware of the unease he had caused, instead launching into the story of his first encounter with a shifter. The story was funny, and Arnold seemed like a natural storyteller as he relayed it. Before long both her and Rick were laughing along with him. She felt Rick’s hand on her right shoulder, where it gave a brief squeeze. Rick had decided Arnold could be trusted.

They spent the next hour listening to more of Arnold’s stories, with Rick occasionally offering one of his own. It was only Laura who didn’t share. Accepting shifters was one thing, but learning her story would mean aiding and abetting a fugitive, and that wasn’t something to put on a person.

After a lull in the conversation he turned his head towards her a bit, though his eyes stayed on the road. “So what’s your story?” he asked. “Not many humans even know about shifters, let alone fall in love with them.”

“Love? Who says I love him?” Laura asked with a grin.

“You do, every time you look at him,” Arnold answered back, his grin even wider than hers. “I might have spent a good chunk of my life in the wilderness, but I still know a woman in love when I see one.”

Laura felt a slight heat in her cheeks and knew that her face had colored a bit. It didn’t make sense to be embarrassed at what Arnold had said, since it was the plain truth, but emotions didn’t always make sense. Maybe she was just embarrassed at having been seen through so easily.

“Alright, you win, I love the big lug,” she said after a minute. “Not much more to say about it than that. Rick helped me through a really rough time in my life, and now he’s mine.”

“Damn right I am,” Rick muttered from the back, tone shot through with mock indignation. That got a chuckle out of both of them.

“Guess that’s all that really matters then, isn’t it?” Arnold mused. “You thinking about turning?”

That sent Laura’s mind into a spin. Somehow it wasn’t something she had ever really considered, despite knowing that it was possible. She had known it in a clinical way, that it was possible for other people to become shifters. But not her, not Laura Hamilton.

“To be honest, I never really thought about it…” she answered. It was the best she could manage while her mind was still trying to process this new possibility.

“How about you Arnie?” Rick asked from the back, saving Laura from having to follow up her last sentence. “Seems like you’ve known enough of us that you could have turned if you’d wanted to.”

“Nah, that’s not for me,” he said with a small shake of his head. “You folks can do some amazing things, but you carry a heavy load in exchange. Can’t be easy hiding your true nature from the world for your whole life.”

“Fair enough, it is a burden sometimes,” said Rick. His quiet tone said he was thinking over what had just been said, though whether he was focused on the burden of his kinds’ existence or whether or not Laura would want to become a shifter was anybody’s guess. Could it be that he too hadn’t really thought it over?

The atmosphere of the car was quiet for the rest of the ride, Arnold apparently content to let them think things over. The terrain around them was beginning to fill up, highway off-ramps leading to narrower roads.

Soon enough Arnold had turned onto one of these off-ramps, the sudden deceleration of the car pushing them against their seat belts. Laura could see clusters of buildings ahead, the off-ramp apparently leading straight into the city.