8

We spent a pleasant evening together in the forest. We roasted the wild rabbit, as Tyler told me, over the fire, which he lit and he also showed me how I could easily make a small fire myself. I was also surprised at how good the meat tasted after it was cooked.

After dinner, I leaned my back against Tyler's chest, facing the fire. Every now and then we would add some wood. It had gotten pretty cold, but thanks to my two heat sources I wasn't even freezing.

Tyler shared stories from his childhood with me, like playing with his brothers when they were little kids. I was surprised enough that he had siblings, but when I found out they were born on the same day, I was shocked.

On my horrified face, he explained that it was rather unusual for werewolves to have only one child at a birth and that multiple births of up to six children were quite normal.

That was unimaginable for me. It must be awful for a woman to have so many children at once and then have to raise them.

When my look became even more shocked after this revelation, he spoke again.

"I probably can't quite imagine how it must affect a person, since you normally only have one child, but for us werewolves this is quite normal. And unlike us, people can get pregnant straight away after giving birth." I listened intently to his stories.

"After a werewolf becomes pregnant and gives birth to children, she cannot conceive again for the next six to seven years. Thus, the parents can fully concentrate on these children and are supported by their whole pack. Maybe it made a slightly different impression on you, but a pack is actually just a very large family led by a leader, who is our alpha and his mate." Tyler was quite right in his assessment. It

seemed I don't really feel like family in this pack, but in the end I didn't really notice it either.

I yawned. It was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open.

"You can rest easy Lily. A few hours of sleep will do you good."

Tyler laid us down with my head resting on his burst. Not even a minute later I was in dreamland.

I didn't know how long I slept, but it felt like minutes rather than hours. Tyler didn't freeze me, but my feet hurt after yesterday's forced march. I woke up when my pillow moved. Tyler was obviously an early riser, an attitude I didn't share one bit.

"Come on little one, get up, we have to go on soon and you surely want to wash and relieve yourself. Even if you have to make do with washing with cold water."

I struggled to my feet and made a face. I would bet that one or the other blister would be found on my feet. But the thought of being able to wash myself and being able to take a sip or two made me get up.

Because one thing Tyler had clearly forgotten while packing was something to drink.

I noticed Tyler keeping an eye on me. When I kept showing a distorted expression with the next few steps, he was quickly at my side and picked me up. I looked at his face. He seemed slightly worried, but when he saw my look he smiled encouragingly in my face.

After only a few minutes we reached the river and to be honest I was very glad that I didn't have to walk the distance.

The river wasn't very wide and didn't seem to be that deep either, as some rocks jutted out. But what really fascinated me was the absolutely crystal clear water. You could see every single pebble on the bottom, as well as a small fish here and there that swam by.

Tyler took off his shoes and socks with the opposite foot and left them on the bank. He also took off mine and put it next to it, then rolled up my pants, a bit awkwardly, to my knees.

Still holding me in his arms, he waded into the water and set me down on a rock that protruded relatively far out of the water, but in such a way that my feet and my legs reached about mid-calf into the water.

The river water wasn't nearly as cold as expected, but still a blessing for my battered feet. Tyler crouched in the water next to my feet and looked at my feet. The fact that he got completely soaked didn't seem to bother him at all.

"I don't think it will work if you have to walk so much again today. You're obviously not used to this. Even if you try to struggle through it will amount to me carrying you and the easiest way would be in wolf form."

I met his eyes. Tyler knew I didn't want to do that at all, but I could I could understand his reasoning, but I couldn't tell how I would react if he were a wolf in front of me.

"Let's just give it a try after you're done here. If it still doesn't work, we'll break it off and I'll figure something out, okay?" he asked me. I thought about it. Then came to the conclusion that I probably had no other choice and that I would sooner or later had to deal with his animal form anyway. Although I would have preferred later by far. But if I was completely honest with myself, I would have hoped for never, but that was probably very unrealistic. I nodded slightly. Tyler's smile

increased and he stroked my hair once, after which he proceeded to wash himself.

When I decided my feet had had enough of the cooling water, I gave my face, hands, and arms a makeshift wash. I also took the opportunity to drink a few sips.

After that I intended to come back to shore but I really underestimated the current. I was almost knocked off my feet and just managed to get back onto the rocks.

Tyler a few yards away, realizing my dilemma, came over and carried me to shore. He probably had far fewer problems with the current than I did. Arrived safely, he sat me down on the dry forest floor.

After I had socks and shoes on, I looked for a sheltered place where I could relieve myself. I could still clearly feel my feet, but it was a lot better now.

On the way back, Tyler met me. "Are you ready?" he asked me. At first I was a bit confused, but I quickly remembered what was to come. We,

or he, wanted to try out how I would react to his wolf form.

He made sure that I sat with my back against a tree and smiled encouragingly before disappearing into the thicket to presumably transform.I wonder

if transforming was as bad as I was imagining?