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The human appeared to be healing up well. He still had a slight limp and had stayed close to camp over the last few days but at least he could walk most times without the aid of his crutch now. Kendri smiled to herself. A few more days and Chris's ankle should be well enough to support him without much pain, and it was her intention to lead him back to the cabin she called home when that time came. Winter was well on its way to taking hold over the land and the human's crude shelter would do little to help him survive the bitterly cold months that lay ahead. She'd seen how the cold affected him and it was surprising to her that a creature almost totally without fur could endure it. Sure, he did have lots of clothing but somehow she didn't think that layers of cloth, no matter how fine, were the same as a good thick pelt.

Kendri sighed and scratched the side of her muzzle. It was a distinctly chilly morning and her breath condensed into the frosty air, briefly hanging around her head before dissipating. Ice started to form on her whiskers and she felt the bite of the cold air on her sensitive nose. Chris had yet to crawl out of his shelter and she was beginning to wonder if his kind were like the bears and if he was going to hibernate through the winter under that pile of green cloth. That could be possible, she thought, but somehow she doubted it unless his kind were able to survive being frozen into a solid block of ice while they waited for the spring thaw.

A wisp of smoke rose straight up from the nearly dead fire into the still morning air and Kendri stared at it thoughtfully as it danced through the shafts of sunlight that trickled through the branches of the trees. The fire that smouldered at the mouth of the human's shelter was kept burning constantly. She had never seen anyone so dependent on fire before. She shook her head. If all of Chris's kind were like that there must be few trees left where they came from. Fire was a very useful tool and while Kendri understood its uses very well, she did not have a constant need for it. Fire was used mostly for cooking food since only in the deepest cold of the dark winter months did she need to rely on fire for heat.

After stifling a huge yawn, Kendri stood up and stretched. She shook herself, fluffing out her pelt to guard against the cold and wandered over to the mouth of the shelter to check on Chris. She bent down and peered into the dark interior, sniffing. True to form, Chris had pulled himself into a ball under the pile of cloth and nothing of him could be seen except a lump in the middle of the expanse of green. Kendri cocked an ear and listened for a moment to the human's deep, regular breathing. Satisfied that all was well, she backed out of the shelter and added a few sticks to the fire.

The snow squeaked under Kendri's footpads as she walked around the small clearing where Chris had built his shelter. She was a bit restless and pondered for a moment what she should do. Since it looked like Chris would sleep for a while yet, she decided that she would go out and do some hunting. They'd eaten of the deer for three days straight and Kendri was in the mood for something different for breakfast. With luck she might be able to get a few grouse or perhaps a tasty rabbit or two and she smiled in anticipation just thinking about the hunt. She collected her spear, her belt and knife and set out west, heading along the valley and angling down towards the river that lay nestled like a blue-white ribbon among the thick evergreens.

There was not a cloud in the sky on this morning and barely a breath of wind stirred the trees as Kendri jogged through the forest. Her body soon settled into the familiar rhythm of a distance-eating jog and she found that she was smiling to herself as she travelled down the narrow trail. She loved mornings like this where all was still and quiet and cool and the sun welcomed the land to a new day in a clear blue sky. It was days like this that she remembered the simple pleasures of going for a run over the open grasslands, enjoying the freedom of youth and the company of her friends...

Her smile faltered a bit and so did her pace through the woods. Such memories echoed loudly in the emptiness of her heart and it pained her greatly when they sprang unbidden into her mind. Over the last two years she had pushed those old memories so far away that it was almost like they weren't even hers anymore. How she wished that she could just forget such things and carry on as if the last nineteen years of her life had never happened but that task was nothing short of impossible. She couldn't deny who she was and what she had become no matter how hard she might try. Kendri clenched her teeth and picked up her pace through the trees. Another thought that suddenly sprang to mind was that she used to go on these morning runs whenever there was something bothering her and she needed to get away from life with the pack and think things over on her own. She smirked a bit at that thought. Some things never changed.

There had been a lot on her mind lately that was for sure. Questions about the stranger and why exactly he was here had been nagging at her for days and just recently strange dreams had begun to invade her sleep. Painful memories of her past lurked in the shadows of her thoughts like a watcher in the woods and she was beginning to find it difficult to concentrate on anything without being distracted by the growing turmoil in her mind. To confuse matters further, it appeared that she and Chris shared some sort of weird mental connection that allowed for an occasional and very unnerving exchange of thoughts and feelings. All of this new strangeness was building up to the point of overload and the only way she knew how to deal with it was to run away and be alone with her thoughts for a time. She wondered for a moment how Chris was dealing with things on his end. Everything that was happening had to be just as strange, if not stranger to the human as it was to her.

Kendri meandered back and forth through the trees, following game trails and not heading in any direction in particular. Her mind wandered elsewhere on an introspective roller coaster ride and she wasn't paying much attention to what went on around her. Her sensitive ears picked up the sound of running water from the nearby river and on an impulse she turned towards it. Before she knew it she was standing on the ice encrusted bank of the river among the long shadows of the trees that slanted across the untouched snow. Crystal waters swirled and gurgled against a paper thin ledge of ice that was as clear as the blue sky above and her mind flashed back through time to another cold and clear winter day...

...Fire crackled cheerfully in the stone hearth, pushing back the icy fingers of winter that crept in under the walls and the door and bathed the interior of the hut in a warm, flickering light. Kendri was helping her mother as she bustled about the hut, humming a tune to herself as they prepared the noon meal. Several large stones, heated in the fire, were dropped into a large bag full of meaty stew and left to warm the food with their residual heat. The sounds and smells of home enveloped Kendri and she knew happiness and the delight of a close family...

...There was a noise at the door and her little brother rushed in, an excited grin on his muzzle and his tail wagging furiously. "Father's back!" He cried before rushing back out the door. Kendri perked up and looked at her mother. Her mother smiled, a soft smile full of warmth, and told her to go greet him. Kendri rushed excitedly out of the hut and into the frigid winter air at full speed, weaving through the other huts in the village and following her little brother to the edge of the village. Kendri shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun and stared out over the snow covered land. Two people could be seen out in the open, two tall figures trotting across an expanse of pristine snow under a cobalt sky. One of them raised an arm and waved and Kendri and her brother took off across the snow towards the figure, racing to greet their beloved father. Kendri was the eldest child in the family by two years and there had always been a bit of rivalry between her and her younger brother. Kendri had always been the faster and stronger of the two but the gap between them had slowly been closing. She found that no longer could she outrun her younger sibling. He stayed right beside her as they raced flat out across the snow, tongues lolling in the icy air. She couldn't deny it. Her baby brother was growing up...

...Their father dropped his heavy pack to the side and welcomed his pups with open arms and an excited grin. The two youngsters ran up to him and tackled him into the snow. Laughter and yips of excitement rang out into the still air and the elder Wolf was almost lost from view beneath the bodies of his ecstatic pups, while his travelling companion stood by and chuckled at the scene that played out before his eyes...

...Panting happily, Kendri's father shouldered his pack and began walking towards the village. His children raced out in front of him, chasing each other through the snow. Many of the inhabitants of the village emerged from their huts as the group approached, ready to welcome the long absent Traders home...

...Kendri's mother stood at the head of the throng gathered at the edge of the village. Her mate had been gone for two long months and she could barely contain her excitement at his return. She understood that his life as a Trader meant that he would spend long periods of time away from her and the pups, but that understanding couldn't banish the loneliness of the dark winter nights when her mate was away from her. She ran out to meet the one she had missed so much and he met her with open arms and a warm smile. She inhaled deeply of his familiar, reassuring scent and let herself melt into his arms...

...Kendri's father reluctantly released his mate and greeted each of those in turn that had braved the frigid air to greet him. He finally came before the Alpha and his mate and lowered his ears and ducked his head in a sign of submission. He announced that he and his companion had brought many interesting items back with him from his trip to trade with the people to the south but that before he would show them at Council he would like to get a hot meal in his belly and spend some time getting reacquainted with the family that he had been away from for too long. The Alpha smiled and nodded and said that he would call the Council for the next morning...

...The hut smelled of cooking food and fur and warm bodies. It was the smell of home, of security, of happiness. The old Wolf breathed in deeply and closed his eyes as the sensations of home curled around him. He sighed happily and dropped his pack on the dirt floor. He sat down beside the fire and his family crowded around him as they waited eagerly for tales of his journey. A smile was on his face as he opened his pack and presented a gift to each member of his family. He started with his mate. To her he gave a beautifully crafted bracelet made of intertwined strands of a metal that glittered brightly in the light from the fire. Kendri's mother was at a loss for words when she saw it. Her mate grinned at her and slipped it on her wrist. It was a perfect fit and she hugged him tightly and licked him on the cheek. The next to receive a gift was Kendri's brother. He received a knife in a leather sheath. The handle was made of antler and as he drew it from its sheath the blade glinted like stars in the firelight. A blade of metal, not one of stone, a rare and expensive item. Her brother's mouth hung open in shock as he stared at it and her father chuckled at the expression on his son's face. At last, he turned to his eldest child. He had something special for her he said. From his pack he pulled something that sparkled enticingly in the firelight. He told her to hold out her paw and into her open palm he dropped something that made Kendri gasp when she saw it. It was a necklace of such intricate craftsmanship that it took her breath away. Tiny loops of golden metal were linked together to make a chain so fine that she was almost afraid to touch it for fear of damaging it. Her gift lay in her palm, gleaming like a pool of liquid fire in the light from the hearth and she stared at in it awe. Her father smiled at her and lifted the necklace from her paw. A circular pendant hung from it, a delicate rendition of the world carved in dark green stone. Two wolves lay curled nose to tail around the circle that represented the Earth, the Alpha and his mate that watched over all life on the world. Kendri's father leaned forward and looped the necklace around his daughter's neck and nodded in satisfaction as the glittering chain settled in his daughter's grey fur. He smiled happily. It was a fitting gift from a father to his child who was soon to be an adult. Kendri jumped forward and hugged her father tightly, ecstatic beyond words that her father had finally returned home and that he had brought her such a wonderful gift...

Kendri looked up, her eyes moist with remembrance. Why did such happy memories have to bring such pain? She still had that necklace that her father had given to her on that cold day long ago. She hadn't worn it in over two years and kept it hidden away because of the feelings it brought to the surface every time she laid eyes upon it. She looked down to where her paws were clenching her spear in a painfully tight grip. She forced herself to relax and sighed as she let the memories fade into the background. She had been happy once, even though it felt like a lifetime ago. She dropped her gaze to the swirling waters and let the dancing currents mesmerize her for a moment. She wondered if she would ever know happiness again or if she was destined to live out the rest of her years in lonely isolation. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply of the cool air, seeking to calm the turmoil within. It didn't help much.

When she opened her eyes, movement across the creek caught her attention and she found herself staring into the curious eyes of one of her wild cousins. A smile crept across Kendri's muzzle as another wolf emerged from the trees, and then another. Her people had always held their four legged relatives in high regard and to see one was considered good fortune. There were ancient legends that told of a time just after the Beginning of all Things when Kendri's people had lived as their four legged cousins did, running in packs, roaming freely over the land, following and hunting the animals that shared the world with them. That was before her people had begun to make and use tools, before they had learned to speak and when they could still run on four legs as easily as they could on two. Life was simpler in those old times. Hunt, play, sleep, mate. Raise the pups, show them the ways of the hunt, and the cycle would begin anew. Life was brutal and short and memories were fleeting things, often lost in the dim self awareness of a limited consciousness. Pain faded quickly instead of lingering for years.

A sudden longing to join her wild relatives filled Kendri's breast. She would give up everything she had just to be able to forget and to feel alive again. The wolves across the river stared at her with wary curiosity, three pairs of amber eyes that bored into hers with piercing intensity. Kendri wondered what it would be like to run with them, to live the simple life where all of her troubles would seem so inconsequential, replaced by the raw needs of survival. The wolves turned and melted silently back into the trees, one by one. The last one, a lean and rangy beast with fur as black as charcoal, remained a moment longer on the bank of the river, his unblinking yellow eyes fixed on her. He at last turned to join his pack, trotting away and fading ghostlike into the trees. Kendri envied him. Her ears and tail drooped and she turned away from the river with a heavy heart, barely feeling the gentle embrace of the forest wrap itself around her.

It was hard for Kendri to get her mind back on track after the encounter by the river. She wandered aimlessly for a time, her thoughts drifting away on seemingly random tangents. Snow crunched under her feet and the sun glittered through branches frozen into winter stillness. She tried to concentrate on hunting, but the utter silence that surrounded her made it difficult for her to push thoughts and memories away. Fragments of her old life kept trickling back to the forefront. Faces of old friends passed through her mind's eye and bits of conversation echoed in her ears. She almost forgot where she was and was startled when a grouse flushed away from seemingly right out from under her feet. Her heart pounded dully in her ears as she watched it fly away through the trees. She sighed and her shoulders slumped. Her father would have scolded her for making such a mistake, for letting her thoughts distract her from the hunt. Kendri shook her head sadly. What was happening to her that she was so distracted? When Chris had lost himself in the storm, she had known that there would be a price to awakening old feelings, but it had seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Was this her punishment then, to have her mind destroy itself from within? Kendri walked slowly down the trail, the end of her spear dragging through the snow. Her head was down and her tail hung lifelessly behind her as she stared at the snow just in front of her feet. She let the sound of each footstep fill her head as she sought to push away her distracting thoughts.

She came across a spot in the trees where the sun shined through unobstructed and she sat down in the snow there and put her back against a tree. She felt the feeble warmth of the winter sun against her pelt and her mood brightened slightly. Her thoughts wandered to the human and a serious frown appeared on her muzzle as she thought hard. She planned to lead him to the old shack that she inhabited sometime in the next few days and she wondered whether that was a good idea or not. Despite the fact that she had followed and watched him for nearly a week and had spent much time in his company over the last several days, he was still an unknown. She had no clear idea what his behaviour would be like, spending the winter cooped up in an old cabin with someone as alien to him as he was to her. She'd sensed his emotions and what she had felt there had surprised her. He knew fear, but his fear was not of her. He also knew loneliness and the pain of loss and she got the impression that the situation he found himself in made him distinctly uneasy. His feelings and actions towards her had never been violent but he did seem a little suspicious and wary of her. She figured that had to be a normal reaction. She felt the same way about him after all.

Kendri smoothed down a patch of fur on her left arm and looked up into the trees. The occasional exchanges of thoughts and feelings that passed between her and Chris, unnerving as they were, made it seem like they were supposed to be together. She cast a suspicious eye up towards the clear sky. She had almost stopped believing in the Gods over the last two years but now she was wondering if she was being set up for something. She sighed in frustration and closed her eyes for a moment. She did feel better with Chris around, that was the strange thing. Was she so desperate for social contact that she was willing to spend the winter in the company of a total stranger that wasn't even of her own kind? The last two years hadn't been easy on her, that was for sure, but she had learned how to deal with being alone. Why then did she feel drawn to this furless, tailless giant? He had a weapon that called down Thunder from the sky to kill at great distances, a weapon that he could turn against her and there was nothing she could do to defend against it. Yet, she thought as she stood up and brushed some snow from her pelt, that weapon of his would be a great aid when it came to hunting, and hunt they must if they were to survive the dark and cold months that would soon hold the land in a frigid grip.

In any decision, there was always some element of risk. Kendri remembered her father telling her that. It was that risk, he had told her, which sometimes paid great rewards. Kendri nodded to herself as she realized that thought. She would take the risks involved in bringing the human back to the cabin. If all went well, the rewards could be great. She felt a smile grow on her muzzle as she stalked up the trail. Her mind was finally clear and she let herself sink into the hunt. The coming winter promised to be an interesting on to say the least. There was much she had to do to prepare, but first she had to find some breakfast.