I kicked my heels idly against the boulder I sat on, enjoying the warm sunshine on my skin. At the far end of the valley, storm clouds towered high into the sky, rapidly approaching.

A couple of horn calls rose through the air; one of the camps calling several patrols back in and sending fresh ones out. The trees blocked my view, so I listened carefully, picking out three different "return" calls.

One of the calls came from somewhere farther up the valley, the same direction we were going. I frowned, making a mental note to tell Shane tonight. Once the horns fell silent, I used my knife to whittle more tiny strips of wood off the sapling I was turning into my new spear.

I examined the stick from a few angles and decided it was good enough. I knelt down beside my tiny fire and held the tip near the flames. Keeping a close eye on the tip, I slowly rotated the spear to prevent any burning or scorching, but kept it close enough for the fire to force the moisture out.

After several sessions of heating, my knees were sore, and the wood was fire-hardened and starting to show signs of its time near the flames. I set it to the side and checked the nearby flatbread, which had finished cooking. I moved them to the side to cool and tossed dirt over the handful of burning twigs. The last thing I needed was someone catching a whiff of woodsmoke or cooking food.

A rumble of thunder had me scowling at the dark clouds before giving in and retrieving my rain cloak from the saddlebags. I packed everything up and stashed it in the lean-to, where it would stay mostly dry until sunset.

The advancing storm clouds grumbled their displeasure at being forced into this mountain valley, and the sky beneath them became hazy with heavy rain. I hoped the storm would send the patrols back to their camps, but since I wasn't hearing any horns, that likely wasn't happening. I added more branches to the shelter while waiting.

When the first raindrops cascaded down, I wrapped my rain cloak tightly around me and sat under the small lean-to. The wind began to pick up, even in the sheltered clearing. Milly had been grazing under the cover of nearby trees, and she moved deeper into the shrubs for more protection.

I slid farther under the lean-to and watched the treetops whip back and forth as rain began to fall out of the sky.

A faded beam of light peered out from behind the departing storm, a parting farewell before it disappeared behind the mountains. My boots squelched in the flattened grass as I emerged from the lean-to.

I took my time stretching after being hunched under the shelter for so many hours. It had kept most of the rain off me, so my clothing under my rain cloak was dry, as was my gear and supplies.

Milly emerged from the trees, surprisingly dry after the downpour. Her saddle pad and saddle had remained dry in my shelter, so I quickly toweled her down and got her ready for tonight's journey. I fondly hoped every soldier in this valley had soggy bedding and wet trousers. If they were huddled around fires to dry off and stay warm, they wouldn't be out here trying to find us.

I was just cinching Milly's saddle when Shane trotted into sight. The now-familiar orange and green shimmer reflected in the countless water droplets on the grass, glittering in interesting patterns.

"You missed the big storm," I told him. "The food is still in the lean-to. Give me a moment, and I'll grab it."

"I can get it," he said, veering toward the lean-to with the same focus my brothers displayed when hungry.

"It's in the oiled paper in my backpack."

Even with the vague permission, he paused, staring at the backpack longingly, but was held back by manners.

"You can open it. There's just a few survival supplies in there," I said, right as Milly swung her head around to grab onto one side of the bit in my hands, playfully tugging at it.

He glanced back at me to doublecheck, only now noticing the tug-of-war taking place behind him. With my hands now getting speckled with mule drool, he decided it was better if I didn't touch his food.

When he opened my backpack, he easily spotted the paper-covered objects in my nearly empty backpack. As he pulled them out, he peered at something inside. Reaching back in, he pulled out a small tuft of what looked like fur from this distance.

He gave me an incredulous look. "You stuck me in your backpack?" There was an edge of lingering anger, but nothing close to what I would have expected.

"When the bandits were looking for us," I said, finally managing to wrestle the bit away from Milly, who tossed her head with a whicker. "It was the easiest way to transport you."

He looked between the backpack and the tuft of fur several times, his breakfast temporarily forgotten. Milly reached for the bit again, and I tucked it behind my back. With my free hand, I reached over and scratched behind her ears. She sighed in resignation and happiness, finally letting me ease the bit into her mouth without any further antics.

After tightening and adjusting the halter straps, I let her nibble on leaves while I ran my hands through the wet grass to get the drool off.

"When you said my day form was twice the size of a cat, I thought you were exaggerating. I was small enough to fit in your backpack?"

This time, there was no heat in his words. I stood up to see him watching me with a puzzled expression.

"There wasn't much room to spare, but yes."

His gaze moved back to the tuft of hair.

Since he seemed to want to know more about his "day form", I quietly added, "You barely weighed anything. Maybe twice as much as my cloak? I tried talking to you a few times, but I'm guessing you weren't aware of it."

"No. When the sun rises, it starts the shift to my werewolf form, and I black out. Even if I'm in werewolf form when it starts, I'm unaware of what happens around me." His lips set into a firm frown, still staring at the fur and my backpack.

I checked Milly's saddlebags to ensure nothing was digging into her sides, waiting to see if Shane was going to continue this conversation or change the topic.

"Was my fur really this tattered and worn?"

"Yes, although I wasn't aware any had fallen off. None did when I picked you up or set you on the ground."

He grumbled, but eventually said, "One day, I might have to stay in werewolf form when the sun rises and ask you to check if the necklace still materializes."

I nodded slowly. "If that day comes, let me know, and I can take a quick peek."

After setting my backpack down, he stuck the tuft of fur into a pocket and brought the second paper-covered wrap over to me.

"Thanks," we both said at the same time.

Our eyes met for a long moment. Only now did I realize just how much we had come to trust each other. He was trusting me with his secret, becoming more open, and even thinking about letting me see his day form again in an attempt to solve a riddle he couldn't. I was trusting him to get me out of these mountains alive and not kill me for knowing his secret and the extreme vulnerability it created.

Somewhere deep down, we had come to a deeper understanding, almost like some barrier between us had been torn down.

The distant rumble of thunder had him glancing at the dark clouds and asking, "That storm is leaving, right?" He took a bite of his breakfast wrap while scanning the horizon.

"Yes. Oh, and there's at least three camps in this valley," I said, before pointing and giving more details, particularly regarding the one ahead of us.

"I'm betting they're camped by the bridge," Shane said. "How much did it rain today?"

"Enough to fill my pot without the rain catcher."

He frowned at that news. "That's a lot of rain. Some of these roads flood this time of the year, and we'll have to watch for mudslides. I have a sinking feeling the creek leading down from the mountain peak is going to be next to impassable after so much rain."

"Please don't tell me we're stuck here."

He shook his head hard, finally looking back at me. "No, with luck, we can get over the creek. If not, a few other trails lead into the previous valley. We'll just have to make sure we watch for company, and on that note, I should do a better check of the area."

He finished the last bit of his wrap and pulled off his necklace. With a final look at me, my guide bounded into the forest.