“How can you smell that?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied, “I just can.  Maybe it’s whatever is keeping me from shifting.”

Cynthia stopped in her tracks.  Enough was enough.  It was time to get to the bottom of this. 

“What’s going on?” she asked, crossing her arms.  Alex faced her, bowed his head and rubbed at the bridge of his nose with his fingers.  She furrowed her brow in frustration.  “You had a golden opportunity to get rid of a bear and you hesitated.”

“I’m not a murderer,” Alex said quietly through clenched teeth.

“I know you aren’t, but this is war,” she urged, “at this point, it’s us or them.  This battle needs to end so we don’t lose anyone else.  Who knows what that bear did to your father.”

“This whole fight makes no sense,” he started, “Why are we fighting a group of shifters that never showed any signs of aggression before?  Hell, I’ve been served in a restaurant run by bears in the past and they never so much as looked at me funny.  Something made them this way and rather than figure out what it is, we’re just going to wipe them out?  How is that any different from what they’re trying to do to us?”

Alex spun on his heels in frustration.  Cynthia knew she’d struck a nerve; she reached out and hugged him from behind. 

“I’m just worried about you,” she said, “Your heightened senses, your terrifying black wolf; I’m scared by how much you’ve changed.”

Alex rotated around her embrace and his arms coiled around her shoulders, he held her close enough to whisper in her ear.

“Everything will get better,” he said, “I promise.”

She wasn’t entirely sure he believed it, but she accepted his reassurance.  She saw now that she needed to be there for him, there was no way he could do this alone.  As long as she was there, she knew he’d find a way to overcome this.

A chill came over the evening’s air and it stung her nostrils with each breath.  They needed to start moving quickly.

“I really think you should shift,” he said.

“And, I already told you that we’re in this together.  Let’s just go fast.  Are we far?”

Alex sniffed at the air. 

“It’s close,” he said, “let’s run.”

He held her hand tightly and pulled her along, quickening his pace to a jog.  The rocks from the cliff soon gave way to mud, which eventually became grass.  The fog broke, and Cynthia gasped when she could finally see further than ten feet in front of them.

Evergreen trees spread out as far as the eye could see, rolling through tall hills and rich valley.  It was a sea of green.  A low rumbling fog poured between the thick forest and filled the gaps between the trees. The moon was occluded partially behind a trail of thick clouds that stretched over the night sky.  The most beautiful part for Cynthia was seeing the evening stars fill the darkness above them.  There wasn’t a single space you could look that didn’t have light radiating down.

Beautiful.

If only it weren’t freezing, she might have spent more time taking in the sight.  Alex pushed against her shoulder to get her attention. He pointed out in the distance a small log cabin on a hilly clearing.  Its chimney bleated out tufts of thick smoke and the fire inside illuminated the tiny windows.  Cynthia smiled at Alex and again they resumed their run.  Knowing their destination lightened their step and within minutes they closed the gap.

The log cabin looked somewhat similar to the cabin in which they’d spent last night.  Perhaps it was fate that they would find somewhere like this waiting for them.  The front door was latched shut and mounted by heavy iron hinges.  The pine needle covering the roof was in a state of despair but still held firmly.  Stacked beside the house was a bundle of wet lumber with an old rusted axe. 

“I’m going to go knock,” Alex said.

“Are you crazy?  You haven’t got any clothes on.  What would you do if you opened the door to a naked person in the middle of the night?” she scolded.

“It depends, is it you?” he joked.  Cynthia slapped him in the arm.  “Okay, fine, I’ll just have a look in the window.  Wait here,” he said.

Cynthia nodded while Alex stalked toward the window.  The only sound she heard was the rustling of the trees in the wind and the calls of birds on the hunt. 

After peering for a moment Alex motioned for Cynthia to join him.  He stood to his full height and walked to the front door which opened without a fuss.

It wasn’t very large inside.  The heat from the small fireplace licked at a slowly rotating haunch of meat spinning over the fire.  A wash basin sat against the wall nearest the door with a plate and cup waiting on top.  In the center of the room was a single rocking chair covered in knit blankets.  Against the wall to the left was a bed that screamed for company.  However, despite the amenities, the cabin was empty.

“Who would leave a place like this?” she wondered.

“Let’s make this quick,” Alex said.

Cynthia plopped into the rocking chair.  The heat from the fire had baked the blankets to perfection and all the tension and cold left her in an instant.  She probably could have fallen asleep right there if smell of the meat on the spit wasn’t so intoxicating.  She brought herself close to the fire and picked at the meat on the spit, tearing a piece off to satisfy her hunger. 

Ham.  So delicious.  The juice from the meat rolled down the back of her throat.  Considering her hunger, she was surprised she didn’t wolf down the entire piece in a single bite.

“It’s not the best thing I’ve eaten,” she said, taking more, “but it’s the best thing I’ve eaten today.”  She handed some to Alex and he gobbled it down without a second thought. 

“This looks promising,” Alex said.  He kicked open a footlocker on the floor at the end of the bed.  Inside were bundles of plaid clothing fit for any mountain man and a pair of thick hiking boots.  Alex hastily donned the shirt which sagged on his chest, and tugged on the only pair of jeans that remained in the locker.  They were a tad large but as long as he held them up with his hand they were alright.

It’s a shame he had to cover up.  Cynthia shook her head to keep herself from staring.  Alex looked ridiculous but that was hardly the point.  He would be warm. 

“Here, if you want one,” Alex said, tossing another red plaid shirt to Cynthia. 

“I’ll be fine with my fur,” she replied, throwing the shirt back. 

The door behind them creaked open.  Alex was lucky to be behind the opening door and almost invisible to the intruder but still he froze in place as the stranger entered.  Cynthia’s eyes went large as a bushy bearded mountaineer got an eyeful with his one good eye. 

The stranger clasped his hands and prayed to heaven.

“Thank you lord,” he said with a raspy old voice.

Alex snuck up behind him and pulled the man’s jacket hood over his face before shoving him to his bed. 

“What the hell!?” the man shouted while he scrambled with his jacket on the bed, “who did that?!”

Cynthia giggled but knew it was time to go and she sprinted for the door. 

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Alex said, closing the door fast behind them.  They sprinted for the tree line.  Cynthia called out to her wolf and it obeyed, taking over her body.  The familiar pain of the shift sent shivers down her spine as her muscles tore and bones crunched into their new place. 

It wasn’t long before they heard the frustrated voice of the mountain man echo through the hills, cussing up a storm.  It was nice to be warm again.