That night was pouring. Thunders struck the sky with ferocious power and lightning painted the land a blinding white. The sharp smell of wet grass lingered in the air. The wolf ran. Covered in mud and bruises, he searched for a safe place to wait for the storm to end. He got separated from his pack but now was not the time to wander the woods to search for them unless he wanted to be found dead.

So he ran, yellow eyes glinting in the dark, scanning the area around him. Then he spotted it. A cave, with a narrow entrance, enough to keep most of the rain outside. He headed toward the refuge and, when inside, he collapsed onto the ground.

— Wolf?

A trembling voice emerged from the bottom of the cave and a young girl peeked out at him, half hidden behind a rock. He glanced at her. She didn't look menacing in her soaked blue dress and damp black hair. The girl slowly moved forward. He studied her movements. She didn't seem scared of him, she was just... cold. So he let her rest her body against his fur.

Hours passed. The wolf was freezing and the thunders won't let him sleep. Yet, his focus was caught by the girl's breath. He could feel it against his stomach, where she had curled up. It was slight and rhythmic and warm. Slowly, he fell asleep and began to dream.

In his dreams that breath became slower and slower, a rustle added to it. The wolf felt the stinging smell of salt at his nostrils. Suddenly, he noticed gentle waves brushing his paws. He was on a shore. The sun was shining fiercely above him. The girl was standing beside him, smiling at the sea, eyes closed. Her hair and dress were now dry, both flowing in the breeze. She inhaled, curling her bare toes into the sand, then exhaled. She looked in bliss.

The wolf waited, alert. The girl turned and sit in front of him, legs crossed, hands rested on her knees. She locked her eyes on his and the wolf could once again see the dark green of the stormy forest. Then he was caught by a strange sensation. He had never felt that kind of cold before, not even in storms like the last one. Why was that? Why did he felt like the light breeze was killing him? Then he started to writhe, pain spreading in each one of his joints. The worst was when it got hold of his throat. He felt like suffocating, he couldn't even cry for help, just pitiful noises emitted from his mouth.

Everything ended as suddenly as it started. The girl was still there, smiling. Humans did that when they were happy, right? He certainly was not. He was enraged. The wolf lunged at her but his limbs didn't follow him. He fell into the sand, rolling towards the sea. It was when he tried to get up that he saw it. His reflection: long limbs covered in pale skin, his paws gone, replaced by hands and feet. All that was left of his old self was a bit of grey fur on his head and glowing yellow eyes.

— You look shocked. Well, of course you are. Don't worry, you'll soon get used to it. My, you're younger than I expected. I'd say... 20 human years? Now, you should already know language, don't you?

— What...? 

He started coughing. He was terrified, he had never made such sounds, only heard them from some human foolish enough to venture in the forest. Then, how come he knew their language? Who was that girl? What did she do to him?

And then the shore was gone.