Chapter 1

Wendy laughed as the flying fish flew around her head and between the snow-covered stone and wood buildings. The blue and silver creatures would jump out of the canal and fly around for a few minutes before diving back in. Most of the townspeople thought they were pests, especially the rowers whose boats were at the risk of tipping over when the fish got too close. But Wendy loved watching the fish. She loved animals. And she hated humans.

She never told any of the Venyerans about the grudge she held against them. If they knew they'd think her a traitor. Her mother wouldn't let her outside anymore and she would lose the trust of her father. She was coming of age, and they would be expecting more of her. But did she really care? Such was the question she asked herself every day.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an ear-piercing bang and the subsequent squeals of the fish. She quickly got up from the bench she was sitting on, looking for the source of the sound. The first things that caught her attention was a fish lying in the snow, its dead body smoking. The others were laughing and cheering. The hunter who had shot the fish waved back with his left hand while keeping his right one on his hand cannon. After the noise died down he patted the cannon and lit another match, putting his hand over it so the fire wouldn't be put out by the winter wind.

"Does anybody else want to try?"

"No! Don't!" Wendy ran over, stopping when she realized she was cut off by the six-foot-wide canal in between her and the hunter. She breathed a sigh of frustration as she watched an elderly woman step up to the long metal rod and take aim. A few fish were still playing despite just seeing their friend die.

"Move out of the way, girl!" a man called out to her from the other side. "You don't want to get shot, do you?"

She put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "Why are you killing those fish? They didn't do anything to you."

"They're a pain in the ass when you're on a boat," the man responded derisively.

"And besides, we aren't just doing it for fun," another man added. He pointed to the dead fish. "They'll provide food for the hungry. It's a much more humane way of fishing than piercing their tongues with a hook and slitting their throats. Don't you think?"

Wendy gulped and mustered up the courage to shake her head again. As a vegan she still disagreed with them. "You don't need to eat fish. There are many other ways to get the same nutrients. And they actually have a lot of acid in them-"

"Nobody has the slightest clue as to what you're saying," the hunter said with a smirk. But he pinched the end of the match, extinguishing its flame and making the lady who was about to use the cannon frown. "The question is, do you?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

He sighed and pulled a longsword out of a sheath at his side, holding it up so Wendy could see it. "Do you know why I carry this sword, young woman?"

"So you can kill animals? Other people?"

The hunter frowned as he put the sword away, facing at the crowd. They looked just as shocked as him. "You don't know about what's been happening recently?"

"I don't care about your business as a hunter." She tried to sound unconcerned, but was overcome with curiosity. She looked at the hunter expectantly. 

"Damn, ignorance is bliss," he muttered, taking the hand cannon off its stand. "You must not have left town, or you would've been eaten immediately. Every since last month we've had reports of monster attacks. Like your stupid flying fish, but worse. Beasts that can and will kill you on sight. This is alarming since monsters haven't attacked in years. We thought we'd scared them all off at that time."

Wendy scowled. It sounded too much like an excuse for him to kill animals. Monsters didn't exist. No animal would hurt her. Why do humans have to be so deceitful, so insincere? And how does this give him reason to kill the fish?

"Promise me you'll be careful, all right?" the hunter asked, his expression now one of concern. "It's my duty to protect you."

"You're being too soft on the bitch," the first man said. He pointed at Wendy. "Stop making a fool of yourself, girl. You look like just the kind of person that would side with the monsters. If you do just that, then we'll have to consider you to be one of them."

"That's all very well," Wendy replied calmly. "If there really are monsters, I bet they're a thousand times more humane than you are."

"You wanna go, sister?" the man shouted. The rest of the crowd walked away from the scene, whispering each other anxiously.

The hunter glared at both of them, setting the hand cannon on the floor. "You fools, don't waste your time bickering. We must cooperate if we're going to overcome the monsters once more. Apologize to each other right now."

Wendy and her new rival lowered their heads, their faces red. The man realized that it would be better if he shut up and let her discover the monsters for herself, while Wendy told herself that getting the others angry would only make things worse.

"I'm sorry," they muttered simultaneously. Without another word they stomped away as it was starting to get late. But in spite of all the hunter had said, Wendy wasn't prepared for the nightmares.

 

*   *   *   *   *

 

No matter what position he got in, Kozel couldn't make himself comfortable. The cold, jagged pebbles of the cave floor dug into his skin, and the air was so cold his fire seemed to do nothing. He wished he hadn't trapped himself in the cave. He wished he hadn't gone where he wasn't allowed to go.

During the war between humans and monsters five or so years ago, he had gotten himself injured and his comrades abandoned him. He got better, but was still in the middle of a battlefield and since then had been unable to leave the immediate area because, alone, he would be killed immediately. There were dozens of dead bodies from the conflict, which left him with most of the supplies needed to survive. But it was a miracle that he had been able to do so on his own and for so long. As Kozel's last resources started to deplete, he relied more and more on hunting rabbits, deer and bears. With the coming Winter all the animals were either hibernating or cuddled up in their dens with loved ones.

Kozel sat up and leaned against the cave wall, pushing messy black hair out of his face so he could see what little there was to see. The fact that the cave was so spacious made him feel all the more lonely. He wondered how he hadn't gone insane yet.

"What do I do?" he asked out loud, as if someone could hear him. "I only have a few days' worth of food left, and no more clothes or medical supplies. How much I'd give to be able to leave the grove and go get more stuff. Or even just someone to talk to. I don't want to die alone."

He looked around, hoping to see someone there in his weakened mental state. It took him a while to realize no one was there.

"I wonder if everyone back home remembers me. Probably not, I doubt it. But would I recognize them? What if I saw them and thought they were bears, and killed and ate them? What if someone killed and ate me, and I'm in Hell right now? Then I'll never leave. . ."

The fire flickered as a gust of wind blew over it. "As if it's trying to snuff out my soul," Kozel sputtered. "Wait, what? Oh well. Do I have some more fire in my bag?"

He rummaged through the bag that was lying next to him, looking for some fire to replace the current one if it died out. There were a lot of useless items in his bag: playing cards, a knife and whetstone, some paper, jars of ink, quills, a box of matches. He finally pulled out something he had never seen before, but of which he knew exactly what it was: a small bag of oranges.

"Oh great, here's some fire! Let's add it to the ring to make it bigger." He threw the bag into the dying flames. It quickly smothered them and put them out, putting the cave in total darkness. "No! What happened there? Fire, you were my last friend and you left me."

Little did he know, putting out the fire saved his life as the smell of burning wood disappeared. Not long after, he heard an enraged shout in the distance.

"We know where you're hiding! Come out and we might think about sparing your life!"

Kozel gasped. “Humans…”

2: Punishment

Chapter 2

It alarmed Kozel that the hunters searched for him at dawn. He looked down at his hands, unwilling to hurt anyone. He had already considered the probability of trying to make friends with them, which would mean the world to him.

"If you come out right now then we might consider not slaughtering you," the hunter yelled. Kozel heard the sound of multiple swords being unsheathed, guessing that there were about a dozen men standing outside the cave. He hoped they hadn't really noticed the entrance, an inconspicuous little crevice in a hill surrounded by thick shrubbery. He didn't want to kill.

He got the same feeling he got every morning, the feeling that sent shivers up his spine every time.

As he stood facing the cave entrance his breathing became three times as fast, and his body was so tense he could hardly move. He watched on in horror as his hands grew claws and his feet turned into hooves. His previously fragile and wasted body became muscular and twice as large, tearing his clothes and allowing him to see the black fur underneath. His vision became clearer and when he moved his furry hand in front of his face it moved in slow motion. He could smell the remains of the fire as if it were still there, the humans as if they were right in front of him, and his own fear. He heard the shouts ten times as loud, and his own heart taking on a different beat. His head had become that of a goat from Hell.

None of this hurt him. At least not physically.

His mind wasn't as frail as it was before, but he would deny that it was his. He grinned and licked his lips, walking towards the hunters. 

"Do you bitches wanna play?" he called out. His crimson eyes fell upon the armed men, who gasped. Six dropped their swords, and two were paralyzed with fear. He laughed, his voice echoing throughout the valley and scaring hundreds of birds out of the yew trees in which they had been hiding.

One of the hunters kept his sword pointed at Kozel. "We've never seen a monster before. I must say, you aren't what we expected."

"I believe 'kaipra' is the correct term for what I am," Kozel replied. His eyes glowed. "What did you expect?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, maybe a little bit less . . . you know, not looking like-" He swiped his sword at the monster in front of him, in that split second feeling a week's worth of pride. He had finally tracked down the monster after 8 days of desperate searching. He had saved the town of Venyera from a vile creature that was too powerful to be anything other than a hazard.

Kozel kicked the sword at the last moment, causing it to bounce back and decapitate the hunter. As he saw the head rolling in the snow and staining it dark red, the hunter's face a perpetual scream of terror and surprise, he was overcome with an incomparable sense of pleasure.  

"I'd give that a ten out of ten, how about you guys?" he asked the other hunters as he picked up his prey's sword and began swinging it in an arc to get a feel of the weapon. He had never touched one before because there was never a need for it, but he wanted to look menacing.

The hunters' shock quickly became ire. They uttered a battle cry and, all at once, charged Kozel to avenge their slain leader. He was startled by their courage but amused nonetheless. He chuckled to himself.

"You think you can beat me?" he bellowed as he punched the closest hunter in the head, hearing that satisfying crack. The man fell to the floor, but it only made the other hunters angrier. They swarmed their enemy mercilessly. 

As strong as Kozel was, he couldn't fight surrounded by hunters without getting multiple wounds. His hide was tough but only lessened the effects of the injuries he got. As he turned around to fight them all at once, he stabbed someone in the heart with his sword and scratched another to his left, the other hunters hacked at his body and smashed the pommels of their swords against his head. He rammed into a hunter with his horns, but in doing so left his torso open. The hunter slashed him, leaving a deep cut and ribbons of blood dripping down his coat. Kozel ignored the pain and continued fighting.

Another human jumped on him, placing their legs over his arms and their head in between his horns to avoid being hit. He yelled and wrapped his hands around his throat, causing him to stagger and cough. But instead of giving in, Kozel dropped his sword and did a backflip, knocking over the hunter and kicking the rest in the face. He grinned upon the sight of the pain in their faces and the broken limbs hanging loosely at their sides. As he got back on his feet there were three hunters left, the other eight lying dead in the snow.

"Well someone won't give up," one of them said. He laughed and sheathed his sword. "You see, we need to defeat you somehow so you'll stop getting so close to our town."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kozel growled. The thought that they had mistaken him for another kaipra, and then reminding himself of the comrades who abandoned him years ago, enraged him. But he wanted to hear what the humans had to say and was losing his strength, so he kept a defensive stance.

The hunters looked at each other, visibly worried that the monster they were looking for was still out there. But the youngest one sheathed his sword as well and looked at his partners.

"Guys, I have an idea. Let's go with plan C-"

"Plan C? Are you crazy?!" the third one shouted. "We can't trust him enough."

"He wouldn't be a problem if we went with it," the hunter assured him as he grabbed a tiny crossbow from his belt. "We need to spare his life."

"What, are you too weak to kill me?" Kozel mocked. He picked his sword back up and ran towards the hunters, but the crossbowman was too quick. The dart struck him in the shoulder. He looked at it with confusion and annoyance, then with surprise as he found out what it was.

The hunters watched him slowly shrink and morph back into a human. His horns and claws withered into non-existence, and his hooves turned into bare human feet. His fur disappeared leaving behind a pale, relatively hairless body except for the long black hair on his head. His senses faded, but he could still see the mangled bodies, smell the sweat on his face, taste the blood in his mouth, and feel the freezing air nip at his skin. All that remained of him was a thin young human man in torn shorts and covered in dirt, snow and blood. He recalled nothing of the battle, but knew that he had murdered those people. It was him.

"Go away. I don't want to hurt you."

The hunters burst out in laughter, dropping their weapons and embracing each other. The one who had debilitated Kozel was congratulated. After a few minutes they stopped laughing and looked around them, remembering that they had lost eight of their men to the creature that knelt before them, shivering from his loss of fur.

"Follow us," a hunter said, gesturing to Kozel. The dart had fallen off, and he didn't know how long the injection that kept him in his human form would last.

He looked up at the hunter who had spoken. How could this even happen? Am I really still a killer? His wounds were becoming more noticeable. They weren't too serious and had healed quickly, but had lost a lot of blood in the fight. 

"Get off your ass!" the hunter shouted. "We don't have all day. You should be glad we spared your pitiful life."

"Wha- what are you going to do to me then?" he asked, getting up slowly, trying not to look at the corpses or the hunters whose friends he had killed. He didn't mind the pain. At least he still had his life. But his mind was still full of fear.

The hunter crossed his arms. "Come with us and you'll see."

He let them tie his hands behind his back and walked with them through the forest to the other side of the mountain. As always, he hoped that he would be able to control himself next time he changed form. He was born a beast, but couldn't help wanting to be a human. He was too afraid to talk to the humans due to the immense guilt he was feeling. The humans kept silent out of the knowledge that he could turn back into a monster at any second.

On the way to Venyera, the hunters injected Kozel many times more, just to be safe. He was swaying from the side effects of the chemicals shot into his body, struggling to keep his eyes open and his feet moving, but once it got dark they left him alone and were almost there. They took a secret route so as to not alarm the townspeople.

One of the hunters knocked on the mayor's door.

"Carac, what are you guys doing here? Who is that?" The mayor looked around for the other eight men in their group.

"This is a monster we found this morning, sir," the hunter answered. "Not the one we were looking for, but we thought you could interrogate him."

The mayor examined Kozel doubtfully. He looked barely alive with serious wounds all over his body, and was obviously struggling to stay on his feet. None of the monsters he had seen his life - and that was a lot of monsters - would ever let themselves come to such a pitiful condition. To defeat them they had to find out what scared each one and get them to run away. No, this man looks more like a victim. Maybe they heard him fighting a monster, and by the time they got there he had scared it away. Either, way, I need to gain his trust.

"Have him bathed and clothed, and his wounds taken care of. Then we need to give him food and rest before seeing what he knows."

 

*   *   *   *   *

 

Wendy woke up screaming. She had never been so willing to get out of bed and start a new day in her life.

That night she had thought about what the others said, and couldn't convince herself that monsters weren't real. The hunter and that one man had seemed so serious. It also wasn't that hard to believe in monsters when she asked her parents, who said that they had never seen a monster but their friends had.

She had suffered a nightmare where she was being chased by monsters and, right before she woke up, got eaten by one. She didn't know what they would look like, but the mystery only did more to send shivers up her spine.

Not wanting to be of reminded of her dreams, Wendy quickly got dressed and ran downstairs to the kitchen where her parents were eating breakfast. Her mother scowled at her.

"Wendy Isadora Sutherland, were you scolding a hunter yesterday?"

Wendy sighed and sat down at the table. "How did you-"

"Someone told me. You have to give them more respect. They caught a monster last night, a monster that could have killed us all, and eight gave their lives in saving us."

Wendy dropped her fork, mouth agape.

"They think it was just a hoax, or a misunderstanding," her father asserted as he took a bite of ham. "Do you think they would really bring a monster in town? And would it really let them?"

"How would eight hunters have died then?"

"I don't know, maybe they're hiding somewhere, to make their story seem more real."

"You have no respect for these honorable young men either. I don't know about you, but I would never have the courage to go out there and look for monsters, knowing that no one's ever killed one before."

"Because you're a woman."

Wendy and her mother glared at him.

"I'm just saying, men are good at some things, and women are good at what we men aren't. Like cooking. This food is delicious."

Mrs. Sutherland got up from the table and left without a word, her husband sighing and putting down his fork.

"What did I do?"

"Alas, we humans are not simple creatures," Wendy responded. She wondered if she really hated humans, or if she just didn't want to be one. Her life was surely a lot more complicated than that of an animal. And animals hunted for food, whereas humans murdered for no good reason at all. What's a monster's life like? What are they like themselves? Hm . . .

Wendy was not a coward. The fact that she had nightmares about being eaten by monsters only encouraged her to find one. Challenge accepted.

"Are you going to eat your food?" her father asked, watching her stare at it blankly.

"Oh, yes." She grabbed her plate with bread and jam, eggs and fruit and put it all in a bag. Then she took a sip of her tea and ran out the door, trying to guess where the monster would be held.

The hunters lived to the north, and if the monster was with them then it would be a good place to look. But she figured it would have been put in some place for holding offenders. A place to put people that would be too dangerous if anywhere else. But she didn't know where to find such a building. She really wanted to see whether monsters were real, and what they were like.

The only way of finding out would be to get into trouble.

3: The Interview

Chapter 3

"So let me get this straight. You literally want me to put you in jail?"

"That's what it's called?" Wendy asked as she held the hunter's possessions over the fire she'd started. "Yes. I'm looking for someone, and the only place I can think of that he'd be is in jail."

He laughed, amused by her courage. "We don't really use the jail much these days. The cells are designed for storing weaker monsters, and humans can easily escape from most of them."

"What do you do with humans?"

"Since we have nothing else to do with them, we just execute them." Wendy yelped and threw the bag back to the hunter, making him laugh more. "Relax, it was only a joke. We're trying to be more lenient on terms of punishment. The town already has enough problems on our hands, and it's important to be united."

"What do you mean?"

He rested the strap of the bag on his shoulder and grimaced. "There's a group of what appears to be hostile entities that comes dangerously close to the southern edge of town. We think they're monsters and the mayor sent out twelve hunters to go find and kill them. They only found one though, so they thought it would be best to take it home for interrogation."

"Monsters are real?" Wendy asked, eyes wide. The both fascinated and frightened her. She didn't know what to think about the whole monsters thing. Surely there wasn't such a creature that was born to be hated by others, but then again it was in their name.

The hunter gave her a weird look, wondering where she had been when they had been fighting in the war. "Yes, they're real. The other hunters were able to keep one in human form so that it wouldn't attack and brought it in last night, saying they saw it with their own eyes.

"Of course, the mayor still refuses to believe that it's actually a monster. The old bastard's been treating it like an honored guest. And the only reason to prove to him that it's a monster is to make it tell us what it knows, and we might even find out about the monsters that keep spying on us but nothing's working. It hasn't said a word. Whatever they're using to keep it in its weaker form must be affecting its mind.

"It's all a shame, really, because now the beast is no use to us. We're gonna have to kill it."

Those last two words hit Wendy like an arrow to the chest. She wished she had burned the hunter's bag. "So you just found this creature, kidnapped him, fucked him up so that he can't even think straight, and now you expect him to betray his friends and family or let you take his life? Have you thought that maybe these spies aren't monsters, but other humans from far away?"

"Yeah, you're right." The hunter rubbed his chin and nodded slowly. "We should just kill it. It's useless. So who's this person you were looking for?"

Wendy felt like strangling him. Maybe I do hate humans. Why do we have to treat others like shit? The environment, animals, now these monsters that I keep hearing about. I have to save that poor creature, the one they captured. But first I have to think of a way to get in there, and him out. After that we'd probably have to escape because everyone would hate me and he is, of course, a monster. Eh, I'll come up with that part of the plan later.

"Actually, I was looking for the monster you speak of," she said hurriedly, coming up with her scheme as she went. "I didn't know if it was real, which is why I asked. As we both have realized, the chances of him giving us information are unpromising. But I have a proposal for you: I might be able to get him to talk myself. It isn't too radical of an idea, since I can talk to animals-"

"Wait, hold on. You really claim to be able to talk to animals?"

"I can understand what they're trying to tell me through their sounds and body language. It isn't that hard. I'm not sure if it would work with monsters, but if you have a better idea I'd like to hear it."

The hunter groaned, putting his hand to his temple. "You're that crazy girl who tried to save the fish, aren't you?"

"I only asked you to stop because that's where I like to relax, and the cannon was making a lot of noise. As for the monster, I only want to talk with it so that I might be of service to my town, or at least make the attempt. Is that something to question?"

"Um . . ." he took a deep breath and considered what she said for a few seconds before nodding reluctantly. "Unfortunately I can't refuse your offer, as the information it could provide is too valuable. But keep in mind that this is a serious matter. We can't let anybody knowing about this other than me, you, the mayor, and whoever else is in there with us. If people know that you, an average citizen, are making contact with a monster, then there will be chaos. All trust would be lost, they would think the government is corrupt, and monsters would take advantage of our weakness and invade. Understood?"

Wendy gulped and nodded, a bead of sweat running down her forehead. "Yes, sir. I understand."

"Good. Now put out that fire. The monster is actually at the mayor's house. I'll take you there."

Wendy kicked dirt over the fire and they left the park for the mayor's house. She was starting to doubt her earlier confidence, pondering over the logicality of her plan. The possibility of setbacks was too high. What if monsters aren't like animals, and I either can't talk to him or can't get him to like me? Does he speak our language? I haven't spoken to animals in a while, because they've all being scared away by the humans. And this guy might not really let me try talking to him.

"Also, you're there to interrogate it, not the other way around," the hunter said as they crossed one of the several canals in Venyera. Wendy looked for flying fish, but all she saw were the women who warmed up the water to prevent freezing. They waved torches over the surface to melt all the ice that fell in and any tiny ice crystals that formed from the cold. Wendy witnessed one of the warmers almost setting a boat on fire, making everybody scream and throw buckets of water everywhere. She giggled to herself.

"What's so funny?"

She looked up, her face red. "Nothing, sir. My apologies. I was just thinking of something."

"You're weird."

She looked around some more, beginning to grow bored and not wanting to talk to the hunter. There weren't a lot of people walking along the stone brick walkways, which she assumed was due to it being lunchtime. The pretty stone, brick and wooden buildings loomed over her silently. She supposed architecture was one of the obvious things that made humans different from humans and monsters.

"This is it," the hunter said, stopping at a medium-sized fortress in the middle of the town. Wendy eyed the castle, albeit critically.

"Why is it at the center, rather than circling the town? If those spies attack then everybody but the mayor will be vulnerable. Does he really need to live in such a place?"

"There's enough room for everybody in here," he scoffed. "We don't have the materials to build a giant wall around the whole town. If we loose our leader the whole town would collapse socially."

"Whatever you say."

They entered the building. Wendy was surprised by all the people busily hustling about the large central room. They seemed to be mostly hunters and servants, but there were other people sitting at wooden desks reading books and writing on sheets of paper. The hunter ignored them, walking over to a stout man sporting fancy green and blue clothes and a curled white mustache. He was talking to a woman who looked much more serious, and when she saw them she hurriedly said goodbye before walking away. The man turned to them and smiled warmly.

"Why hello there, Warren. What can I do for you?"

"We bear good news for you, Mister Mayor. This young lady says that she may be able to get the monster to talk to her."

The mayor's smile grew wider, which Wendy hadn't thought possible. "Is that so? What's your name, dear?"

"Wendy." She was glad that the mayor wasn't as mean as she expected him to be, but was still wary of him. The hunters followed his orders, after all.

"Wendy. What a lovely name. You have no idea how grateful we are; we've been trying to get him to speak all night, but he's remained silent. If he really is a monster, he could have valuable information, information we need to prevent a war between humans and monsters."

I think I'm the only one who wants to avoid conflict. "It's a pleasure to serve you, sir."

"He's right behind this back door over here, in my otherwise empty hall of detainment," the mayor said cheerfully. He lead the mover to said door and opened it for them.

"You fucking asshole! Say something! The mayor took you in cordially, and this is how you repay him? Do you-"

The mayor, Warren, and Wendy gasped as they saw a hunter shoving his sword through the barred iron door. Wendy couldn't see because they were in a long stone corridor with cells facing either side, and the monster was several cells back. The hunter turned to them, putting away his sword and clearing his throat.

"Mister Mayor. I was just . . . encouraging it. Him. Yes."

"Carac, Wendy here would like to try talking him, and we think we might as well since nothing else has worked. If she can't get him to tell us what he knows, then you may take more extensive measures."

Oh shit.

The hunter named Carac sneered at her. "I'd like to see her try. Go ahead, girl. Show us what you've got."

"Aren't you going to put me in the cell with him?" She didn't want to ask such a question, but knew that showing trust would be essential in earning the monster's. And she'd just realized that it would mean being up close.

The three men exchanged nervous looks, not sure whether to be amused or worried. Carac walked over to Wendy and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You have no idea what you're talking about. Twelve highly trained hunters tried to capture it, and only three of us survived. If it turns back into a monster you wouldn't stand a chance."

"Has he turned back since you brought him here?"

"No. We've been using this." He pulled out of his pocket a small dart with a tiny green chamber attached. "Our monster research specialists came up with a new formula to keep them in their human form. We've been injecting him regularly, because we don't know when it'll wear off."

"Then give him another injection. What could go wrong?"

"Giving him too much might kill him," Warren said grimly. "There are chemicals in there that are lethal to human beings."

"But you put it in him anyway."

Carac grinned, holding up his hand. "Hey, on second thought, maybe this is a good idea. If it kills him, then so what? Give the girl a chance."

The mayor sighed, his shoulders slumped. "I understand that any information he may provide is would be very useful, and this is important to you. But I can't watch this. Let me know how it turns out." He walked out the door, leaving Wendy with the two hunters. Carac frowned at her.

"Don't fuck this up. You heard what he said. This is very important, our only chance to find out who's spying on us. And don't socialize with him; this isn't a fucking tea party."

"Don't listen to him," Warren said. "Just do your best. If you could get him to share his secrets, that would be great."

She nodded. "Understood."

Warren stood by with his crossbow ready as Carac opened the gate, and Wendy got a look at the monster. He looked like a regular human being, with long black hair, pale skin, and a bony frame, but had bandages all over his arms and face, and one of his eyes was swollen. He was wearing what looked like some of the mayor's fancy clothes: short white pants, a navy blue shirt, and a green beret. She couldn't see the color of his eyes because he was looking down.

She watched Carac stab the needle into his flesh, causing the monster to wince. Why can't they just give him something through his mouth, so he doesn't have to be in this much pain? It looks like they've been torturing him, but he doesn't seem dangerous at all. I bet people and monsters just misunderstand each other. That's why Mom and Dad fight. But these people would get mad at me if I told them that, because they know more about monsters than I do. All I can do is try to change that.

*   *   *   *   *

Kozel regarded the young maiden placed before him with much curiosity. He had never seen a female human before, and was stunned by her beauty. She was tall and skinny, with long blonde hair, sparkling green eyes, and a perfectly angled face. But what was most striking to him was that, unlike the other humans he'd seen, instead of making him feel cold and guilty she sparked a little fire in his heart that made him feel warm and valued, just by looking at him. His head perked up when she sat across from him.

"Hello, my name's Wendy. What's yours?"

"I- I call myself K-Kozel," he stammered, still shocked by her presence. "I admire your courage in coming here, but you can't. I-"

"I'm staying and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Really-"

"Really."

He sighed, looking at the hunters. They remained silent, crossbows pointed at him. He hoped they wouldn't give him three injections within one hour, because the pain would be unbearable.

"It's nice to meet you, Kozel." She stretched out her hand to him. He remembered seeing humans do it before, so he reached out and shook her hand tentatively, quickly withdrawing to avoid hurting her somehow. She frowned at his action.

"Look, Kozel, I don't know anything about monsters and have no reason to fear you. You have to give me a good first impression. Can you do that for me?"

"I sure can," he snorted. But that time she just laughed with him.

"Great. First of all, is there a more appropriate term that I should use instead of 'monster'?"

He nodded, glancing at the hunters again. "My breed is called kaipra. You can call me that. Er, if you want."

"And what does a ka-"

"Ha!" They all shifted their gaze towards Carac. "It's a monster. That term describes it best. Did I mention that it killed eight of my friends yesterday? I can't imagine how many other humans it's killed."

Kozel's heart sank. He thought that Wendy would hate him, but instead she stood up and faced the hunter, her fists clenched and back stiff.

"Who started it?"

"It did. It said, 'Do you bitches wanna play?' and chopped our leader's head off. Then it slaughtered seven more men before we could put in under control, sparing its pitiful life."

"I assume they call you 'hunters' for a reason."

"Wendy, he has a point," Kozel said sadly. He started to feel his whole body warm up.

Carac nodded, ignoring Warren's anxious looks and pointing at Kozel. "I assume they call it a 'monster' for a reason," he said, mocking her voice.

"Stop, Carac, you're being a jerk," Warren muttered. "We're giving it a bad impression."

"Stop calling him 'it'!" Wendy yelled. "He's a living individual with thoughts and feelings, and was probably just trying to defend himself! Besides, he doesn't even like being a monster."

Kozel did a double take "How do you-"

"A likely story!"

"Wendy, please . . ." Kozel's aches and pains from all the chemicals they'd put in him were twenty times as painful, and he felt like passing out. He got the feeling he always got when he turned into the monster he really was, and knew that the injections were making it feel as if someone had stabbed him in the stomach. He got up from his chair, breathing heavily. "Leave, now. The injection's wearing off."

"Wendy!" Warren opened the door just wide enough for her to run through. Carac aimed as Kozel, waiting for her to leave so he could shoot him. Wendy was aware of that and shook her head. Her eyes were fixed on the kaipra she had just met.

"No. I trust you, Kozel. I know you won't hurt me."

A tear ran down his cheek as he looked her in the eyes. "That's where you're wrong. Get out."

He removed his shoes, belt and shirt so that they wouldn't suffocate him as he grew in size. Wendy's feet stopped working as she saw him grow claws and horns, his feet becoming hooves and his head that of a goat, fur spreading throughout his body and his bandages falling off to reveal numerous battle scars. She couldn't believe he was the same person she had been talking to just seconds earlier.

"Wendy . . ." Warren looked on sadly as Kozel walked slowly towards her. He knew he had failed to keep her out of danger. No matter how weird she was, she was human.

"Fire!" Carac yelled.

They were able to fire six darts in total. Five hit the walls, breaking and spraying green fluid on Kozel and Wendy. The sixth dart his Wendy in the side. She collapsed instantly.

4: Lives

Chapter 4

The chemical stung as it got on Kozel, but that wasn't what concerned him. He kneeled down before Wendy, remembering what had happened before he'd transformed into a kaipra. He remembered that the young lady had shown courage and trust in facing him, only to be shot by another human.

"Get away from her!" one of the hunters said, his voice shaking. They had run out of darts. "You aren't supposed to turn back for at least another fifteen minutes."

"Where's the exit?" Kozel asked them faintly as he dug his claws into the stone floor.

They drew their swords and pointed them at their prisoner. Neither wanted to close the door since Wendy was still inside. "You're too dangerous for us to let you out. We'll have to kill you."

"Well, I suppose we can't all live." He stood up and snapped off the leg of his wooden chair, using it to bash the closest hunter in the head. The hunter blocked with his sword and kicked him in the crotch, while the other hunter grabbed Wendy and hurried away. Kozel hissed as he realized he wasn't as strong as he was before he had let himself get so injured. Blood trickled from previous wounds, the sight of it filling him with an animalistic rage.

"You're surprisingly weak for a monster," the hunter jeered. He held his sword up. "We've never been able to shoot one before, nevertheless stay in a room with one and not get hurt. How does it feel to be so powerless?"

Kozel swung his makeshift club again, charging at the man who was taunting him and had shot Wendy. The hunter stepped aside and used the pommel of his sword to strike him on the back right between his shoulder blades. Kozel fell face-forward, grunting from the pain and dropping his weapon.

"Pretty stupid too."

"What does strength matter? At least I didn't kill my own kind."

"I didn't kill her!" the hunter shouted, kicking Kozel in the side. He groaned and was unable to get back up, causing the hunter to burst with laughter. "She's going to be alright. But it isn't like monsters to be concerned for humans. What are you playing at?"

Kozel ignored him and tried to get up but his enemy kept his foot on his back, pressing him against the cold floor that was saturated with his own blood. The hunter frowned as he noted that the monster was still breathing, although raggedly, and hacked at him with his sword. Kozel flinched but the blade only made a slight red mark against his tough hide.

"I've got to admit though, you just don't want to die," the hunter growled. "Why don't you do so quickly so we can just get this over with?"

"Don't plan on it," Kozel grunted. He'd noticed that his shoulder was soaked with a small amount of the green substance. He turned his head and licked it, cringing from the horrible coppery taste. But it still did it's job. He turned back into a human, catching the hunter by surprise and kicking him in the shin so that they were both on the ground.

The hunter reached for his sword, but Kozel grabbed it first. He stood up and put his foot on top of the hunter so that their previous positions were switched and raised the saber over his head, panting heavily from the physical strain. Before he knew it the sword was stained red, and the human was without a head. Kozel felt both sickened and overjoyed by what he had done, the monster in him fighting for control of his body even though he was in human form. He pushed the horrible thoughts out of his mind and put his clothes back on.

He asked for it. I need to go see if Wendy's okay. The other guy took her away, and I don't know what he plans to do with her.

Careful not to look at the dead hunter, he poked his head out of the cell to make sure nobody else was there and gasped.

Lying on the ground several feet from the door was Wendy and the hunter who had carried her out of the cell. He had pulled the dart off and held it in his right hand. An arrow was sticking out of his chest, the wooden shaft enrobed in smokeless green flames. Wendy seemed to be alive still, but Kozel didn't know for how long. What he did know was that humans were more fragile than monsters.

"Holy shit," he whispered as he ran over to her. She was still breathing, her face was contorted with pain. His gaze shifted to the arrow. I've never seen anything like that. It must have been someone else, a monster. But why would they attack the hunter but not Wendy? I should take her out before they change their mind in sparing her.

He opened the door and gently lifted his human friend, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Her weight was nothing to him, even when he was in his human form.

As he burst through the door the humans gave him strange looks. Nobody seemed to know exactly who he was, The mayor and his hunters were off doing their own thing. He walked over to the nearest human that didn't look busy, a young man with short blond hair and clothes similar to his own. He was sitting at a small desk reading a book and making notes.

"Excuse me, hu- I mean, sir. The hunters accidentally shot this girl, and I need to take her to a healer."

The man looked up and gave him the same look as everybody else. He doesn't seem to understand the severity of the situation. "Then go to the doctor. You don't need my permission."

"Where's the doctor?" he asked, hoping the question wouldn't mark him as a monster. "I've never been there before . . ."

"Is that so?" he snickered to himself and closed his book. "Here, I should have a map. I'll show you where to find it."

"Thank you." Kozel didn't know what a map was, but was grateful for any help the human could provide him. He eyed him anxiously as he searched through a compartment under his desk, knowing that, as far as he knew, Wendy could die any second. The man seemed to be moving that slowly on purpose, and Kozel felt like punching him in the face.

The man held up a piece of paper and showed it to Kozel, pointing to the middle. "So we're right here, at the center of town."

Kozel nodded, even though he had no idea what he was talking about. Why is he talking about that paper as if it's the actual town?

"So you have to walk around here until you get to this fountain," the man continued, pointing with his pen. "Then head north for twenty or so houses, turn left there, and this house here is the doctor's. Got it?"

"How do I . . ." Kozel squinted at the map, trying to get a sense of what the human was saying. He didn't see a fountain or houses. All he saw was a bunch of lines and words.

"Just go through the door and follow the directions I gave you," he grumbled, putting the map away. "To the fountain, and turn left. It's not that hard."

"Oh. Thank you." Kozel walked away as quickly as possible, repeating the directions in his head. It was getting dark already, so he knew he wouldn't have to worry about turning into a monster while with the doctor.

The more he walked through the town, the more it confused him. He figured he would never understand why humans needed to live such complex lives, which he had learned a little bit about from reading books at the mayor's house. His clan didn't need to live in giant houses, they didn't need canals and boats because they weren't too lazy to walk. They didn't need tables or silverware or dishes to eat, or lights to see in the dark. They didn't even use clothes, or beds, or books. But the human way of life fascinated him, and he wished he could stay to discover more about them.

No, he wished he were human.

Not only did they have interesting lives, but humans didn't scare people for fun. They didn't lose control when they got excited or angry. They weren't merciless killers.

However he had little time to reflect on such prospects. He soon got to the fountain, which he had to look at twice to believe what he was seeing. It was made of a statue of a hunter stabbing a monster with the head of a spider. The water was gushing from the monster's wound. Seeing the statue made Kozel feel hot, almost as if he was going to turn into a monster and kill as many people as possible. He pushed the feeling away and looked down at Wendy.

"You would never do that, would you?" he asked softly. "Surely not all humans are like this. Is there not a good side?"

He hurried so that he could get to the doctor, and away from the fountain. Humans started to light lanterns despite sufficient glow from the setting sun. He rushed past them, wondering what would happen if they knew what he was. Would they kill me, like the man would the statue? Though I suppose monsters would do the same to a human. I guess at least humans aren't worse. Right?

When he finally made it to the house with Wendy still alive, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The house looked much like the other ones, with a cobbled foundation, wooden walls painted white, wooden support beams, and a sloped tile roof. It was rectangle-shaped and had a design that was simple compared to other houses yet still complex in Kozel's eyes. He walked up to the door and used the knocker with his foot.

"I don't want your cookies!"

"Please, I need your help. This young woman's hurt."

A woman in white opened the door and gasped. "Wendy! Come in, quickly, and put her on the couch. How did this happen?"

"She was shot in the side by a hunter," he answered as entered and set her down on what he assumed was a couch. The house was well-lit and cozy, with a bunch of objects that Kozel didn't understand. "By one of those darts they use to turn monsters back into humans."

The doctor grabbed a wooden box from a shelf and looked back, her face pink and her back straight. "What? How could they do this to my daughter? She looks nothing like a monster."

"Uh . . ." Kozel took off his hat and fiddled with it nervously. Her daughter! This is your fault. You were the one they were trying to shoot. "Sorry, ma'am. I don't know. I just found her lying on the ground with the dart stuck in her. I don't have it with me," he added.

She shook her head and opened the box. "I never trusted them. I know they're trying to protect us from those horrible monsters, but they go a bit too far sometimes."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Call me Joan. I've never heard of these darts they use, but if it's meant for monsters then it can't be good for humans, especially if it made her faint. The best we can do is try to flush it out of her system." She took a tiny bottle with red liquid inside and poured the entire contents down her throat. "I can't thank you enough for saving my daughter. She could have died if you'd left her there."

"I couldn't just leave her there," he said humbly. But on the inside he beamed knowing he had saved Wendy. The guilt he had been feeling the past few days started to subside.

"Now, what happened to you? Is that blood on your clothes?"

He looked down, remembering that the cell floor had been covered in blood, dirt, and the chemical from the darts. His paints and shirt were stained dark red.

"It's not my blood," he lied. "I . . . I mean, I didn't kill anyone. I was helping my neighbor, who's a farmer, butcher some pigs to eat because he was sick, and . . . I've had the black eye for a while."

"Aww. How nice of you. I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

He bit his lip, assuming no human called himself Kozel. He tried to think of a human name. "Alex Byrnes. But you can call me Alex." He inwardly cursed his stupidity, but Joan smiled warmly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alex. Would you like some tea before you leave? I was just about to make some."

"If you insist," he replied, not sure what tea was. "Will Wendy be okay?"

She pursed her lips and nodded. "I've been a doctor for six years, and the medicine hasn't let me down yet. It's cured all minor cases of poisoning. Why don't you sit down at the table, and I'll get us the tea."

He nodded and did as he was told, sitting at her small round table. Just as when he was eating at the mayor's, it felt strange to be sitting with a large piece of wood in front of him. There were no tables back home.

"So what do you think of those monsters?" Joan asked, setting down a plate with a pot and cups on it. "Do you think they're really trying to plan an invasion?"

"Um . . . They haven't attacked in, what, five years? Why come back now, of all times?"

"Many citizens have been seeing odd figures in the forests, and the hunters caught a monster the other day. A lot of people are worried for their lives."

Kozel laughed apprehensively, not sure how to react. If a new war really did start again, he wouldn't know who's side to be on. He cleared his throat. "We'll have to be on the lookout. It's reasonable to be scared, but we defeated them once. We can do so again."

"Yeah. I hope the hunters kill them all before that happens. We humans are innocent."

He put the teacup to his mouth, remembering the mayor showing him how to use a cup. Another thing that was alien to him was drinking anything other than water. Or anything that was hot.

"Oh! That's not what I expected. I mean, it's good, just-"

"Did you take just a sip?" Joan asked, confused.

"Sorry, I got a bit excited." He shivered as the liquid passed down his throat, leaving his tongue and the roof of his mouth numb. He remembered reading about hot drinks on one of the mayor's books, but at the time hadn't taken it seriously. He tried remembering this for later. "You were saying?"

She smiled and took a sip of her own cup. "I wonder why the monsters would be spying on us, and why the hunters thought Wendy was a monster. I don't know, she's been acting a bit weird lately . . ."

"What do you mean?"

"She got into a little squabble with a hunter yesterday, because he was fishing with a bunch of citizens."

"Fishing," Kozel repeated. He was unfamiliar with the term, and wondered if it meant that the humans were doing something inappropriate.

She nodded. "I know, right? And she knows arguing with the hunters can get her in trouble. I hope-"

He didn't know what she said next, because he started to feel hot and tingly, as if his bones were shifting and his blood boiling. He looked out the window. It was still nighttime.

Oh fuck. The injectionss must have messed up when I turn into a monster.

"Do you have a restroom?" he blurted, remembering learning about such a room when at the mayor's house.

"Of course," Joan replied, a puzzled expression on her face. She pointed to the back of the house. "Over there."

"Thanks." Kozel ran into the bathroom, closing and locking the door. He grimaced as he started to change form, and hastily undressed.

I can't sit in here all night. What if I lose control and eat them? Shit! This is what I get for accepting a human's generosity.

The only idea that popped into his mind was the same one he had when he was fighting the hunter in his cell. He licked himself and his shirt self-consciously. The chemical was definitely still there, he could taste it, but there wasn't enough to make the transformation stop. He dug his claws into his palm and drew blood, hoping the pain would allow him to hat least hold on to his human consciousness, and looked at himself in the restroom's reflective wall just as his head became that of a goat. His mind was filled with wicked thoughts, like plans to torture Wendy and her mother, but he managed to reject them and remain a human on the inside.

Is this what I look like? he thought, touching the wall. His reflection mirrored his actions. He knew he didn't look like the others in his clan since they all had different bodies, and every time he'd turned from a human into a monster he'd been a completely different person. Even in his cell, he hadn't had full conscientiousness. That night he saw himself for the first time.

His thick fur was the color of chocolate under the bright orange lights, his eyes blood red. The green beret that remained on his head and the white pants made him look more human-like, so he kept them on. He was a lot taller and bulkier than he's been as a human, his face unreadable even to him.

He heard an ear-piercing scream followed by a light snapping noise and the sound of someone running and a door closing. He bolted out of the room, claws out, ready to defend Joan. But he was too late.

Wendy was up and staring at her mother, trembling slightly. What stood out to Kozel was the arrow that had ended her life, covered in green flames. He looked back, but the front door was closed and locked.

"Kozel, is that you?" Wendy turned, her eyes wide. He smelled no fear, only sadness and surprise. "How are we here? What's happening?"

He averted his gaze, his shoulders slumped. If he hadn't run off into the bathroom, he would've been there to protect Joan. "Long story short, someone's gone crazy with enchanted arrows, and you got knocked out. I took you here but the murderer must have followed us. We have to leave, before they kill you too."

"But . . ." She looked back at her mother before tearing her eyes away. She wanted to cry, but the situation was all so fast-paced that she didn't have the time to mourn.

"Get a bag with all the things you want to take, and get one for me too." Kozel grabbed his clothes and opened the door. "Oh, and if you have anything you could use as a weapon, that might prove useful."

"Why?"

"Looking outside . . . Your mom wasn't the only victim tonight."

5: Cos We're Survivors

Chapter 5

You never realize how much you care until it's too late.

It was snowing as they left Venyera and the many humans slain that night. The wintry air smothered Wendy, the snow already a foot deep and getting in her boots, freezing her feet. This and the thick silvery snowfall that impaired her vision slowed them down significantly. It felt as if they were moving at a foot a second, which disturbed Wendy since the stranger who killed all those innocent people could be anywhere. They almost got shot by an arrow three times while they were escaping, but got away unscathed and it felt like the stranger was playing with them.

Her heart was filled with remorse. It were as if despising the other humans were what had gotten them killed, as if she should have spent more time with her mother. There was a new top predator in town, someone who murdered more than any of the hunters, and her previous hatred now seemed misguided. But she wasn’t sure.

No, they might not deserve it but . . . well, did they? Should I be sad? I mean, look at Kozel. He doesn't complain about his friends and family being killed by us humans. He knows that there’s nothing he can do for them through sorrow. So maybe I shouldn't dwell on such thoughts either.

She regarded her new friend curiously. Just as she could empathize with animals, she understood Kozel's thoughts as well. She understood that he was different from the monsters of her nightmares, and would never hurt her. He actually looked sort of cute with his little green hat and the blue backpack he had borrowed from her. The kaipra was trudging along several feet ahead, occasionally looking back to make sure she was following him.

"Where are we going?" she called, her breath visible in the frigid air. She increased her speed a little to catch up, but stopped when she almost tripped. Her legs were too numb for her movements to be anything but awkward, and the rake she was using to cover their tracks didn’t help.

"We need to get away from whoever's wreaking havoc in your town," Kozel called back. He stopped and waited for her, brushing snow off his fur and yawning.

"But where to?" Wendy wrapped her arms around herself, the fuzzy wool coat failing to stay the cold, and tugged at her ushanka as if it would cover more of her head. Not for the first time she almost wished she were a monster. Kozel was half naked but if the frosty conditions had an effect on him he didn't show it. She dismissed the notion, however, and they kept walking. "Is there anywhere to go that you know of, like another town?"

He shrugged. "If we can get anywhere without being shot by magic arrows, I'm fine with that."

"Ah. Okay." She frowned, hoping they wouldn't have to sleep on the ground, in the snow. She knew Venyera was only about half a mile behind her, clearly visible in the distance, but they couldn't turn back. Even if it were safe they would see her as a traitor and punish her. That is, if there’s anybody left. She sniffled, the memory of all those bodies haunting her mind. She couldn't resist feeling sorry for the victims of that night's massacre.

"Do you have a cold?" Kozel asked.

"What? No, I'm fine," she muttered, offering a wan smile. He shook his head.

"I heard you sniffling. I can't let you stay out here if it's making you sick. Let's set up camp."

"Kozel, I wasn't-"

He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards a nearby group of pine trees that were tall and dense enough to provide sufficient cover. On the other side she could make out a gently sloping hill leading down to a still gray lake with chunks of ice floating on the surface. It was surrounded by mountainous terrain on all sides, dotted with trees and shrubs. The pale yellow full moon glared at them from above, lining the ash-colored clouds with a sickly golden glow. The snowy landscape was in complete silence and the only thing Wendy could hear was Kozel's breathing.

"This would make a great campsite," he said. He walked back to the trees and started rummaging through his backpack.

Wendy kept her gaze on the lifeless valley for a few more seconds before turning back to Kozel. She figured there was no convincing him to keep walking, and was too tired to try, so she rested the rake she was holding against a tree. "What if someone attacks us?"

"We'll find out if that happens,” he said quietly. He went back to pulling objects out of his pack. Wendy sighed and sat down on a rock across from him. He seemed to have confidence in his abilities to defend them, and with reason, but she didn't want to see any more bloodshed.

"What are you doing?"

Kozel looked up as he took out some blankets and laid them down carefully on level ground. He covered a yawn before speaking. "We need to built a shelter to shield us from the cold. Unfortunately a fire would attract attention, so we can't have that."

"That's a shame.” The cold was suddenly a lot harder to ignore. Once more she wished she could be like him, and have something like fur to keep herself warmer than the coat she was wearing. Kozel caught her eyeing his fur enviously.

"Well look on the bright side, Wendy. In a few days, I might shed enough fur to make you a new coat."

"Ew!" Her nose crinkled in disgust, but after sensing so much anguish from him previously she was happy to see Kozel smiling. "Really?"

"Do you want to make a bet?"

"Nah." She took out her own blanket and draped it around her shoulders, observing Kozel as he used branches to hold up one of the blankets. He had to poke holes through them and cut the fabric with his claws so that the makeshift poles would stay in and they were still a bit flimsy, but after a few minutes he had erected what looked like two cloth dens. One was just big enough for Wendy to squeeze inside, and the other was Kozel-sized but with less blankets. They even had door flaps to keep out the cold.

"It's a little invention of mine," Kozel said with a hint of pride in his voice. "I call it, a tent."

Wendy got up, the blanket still around her shoulders, and studied the tents. Great craftsmanship, especially for a monster. More proof that they can't be as barbaric as everybody seems to think.

"On second thought, we might be able to make a small fire," Kozel added, watching her closely. "If I can do it right."

He dug a hole in the ground in between them about half a foot wide and a foot deep, then, making sure the ground was dry, added a small amount of kindling. He used the leftover sticks to make a grid and lit the fire under it with flint and steel. "Hey, do you like hot chocolate?"

"That would be lovely," she said, wondering if he was serious. She hadn't put in any cups or chocolate when she was packing their bags.

"Cool." He took a mug out of his backpack, put in some snow and chocolate powder, and placed the cup on the cooking grid. The fire crackled in his little oven, emitting a faint orange light that allowed Kozel to see what he was doing. While he waited for the snow to melt and the water to boil he took some rope and threw it around the branch of one of the higher trees.

"Are you planning to hang someone, goat boy?"

"Yeah. I mean no. This is for putting up our packs, so the bears don't eat what's inside. I'll hang them before we go to bed, but thought I'd get this rope set up while you're waiting."

Wendy whistled, looking around their campsite. She started to feel guilty for making him do all the work. He’d found the campsite, pitched tents, started a fire and hot chocolate. She had only been watching him. "Wow, you're amazing . . . Where did you learn how to survive all on your own?"

"I . . . I was . . ." Kozel's eyes clouded as they met Wendy's. However the look disappeared just as quickly and he grinned, bewildering her. Even with her ability she couldn’t understand what he was just thinking. "I had a lot of time on my hands. I think your chocolate's ready."

He trotted over to the mug, took a look inside, and waited a couple minutes. Once it was ready he stirred it up with a little silver spoon. “Here.” He covered a yawn. “Make sure to drink it before it gets cold.”

“Thank you.” Wendy sat back down on the rock and sipped her chocolate, grateful for the warm drink.

“Do you like it?” Kozel asked.

She giggled. Despite his glowing red eyes and long curly horns, he looked like a puppy begging for a treat. “It’s great. Um . . . Is there anything I can do for you, Kozel? I feel bad . . .”

“You mean besides bailing me out of jail and accompanying me on my escape? I’ll let you know if I think of something else.”   
She felt warm inside, but it wasn’t because of the hot chocolate. She chided herself for being surprised by his appreciation just because he was a monster. I’m no better than the hunters if I think that way . . .

“We should probably get something in our stomachs, even if we aren’t hungry. We’ll need more calories to burn since it’s really cold out here.”

Wendy checked her bag and frowned. “All we have is sandwiches. Is that okay with you?”

“To be honest, anything would taste great right now.”

Wendy took some sandwiches wrapped in cloth out of her bag and took one, giving Kozel two. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“What, two whole fucking sandwiches? Are you trying to fatten me up so you can eat me later?”

“Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

“No, I kiss her with my ears. And you didn’t answer my question. I’m worried that you may be plotting to consume me. Earlier tonight you looked at me and licked your lips.”

“Yeah. I bet you’ll taste like chicken.” She unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite, only to flinch and cover her mouth. The bread had gotten wet somehow and was frozen solid. She placed it over the fire, Kozel doing the same. “In all seriousness though, you did look a bit scrawny when you were in human form.”

“Wow. Just . . . wow. I’m not a human right now. And don’t talk with your mouth full. You’re pretty unsophisticated for a human.”

They went on for quite a while, chatting and making terrible jokes, and almost forgot about their late dinner. Wendy got up to relieve herself (something she’d never imagined herself doing) and when she got back Kozel had fallen asleep. She gently woke him up and they went to bed, both of them thinking about how lucky they were to have met each other.

 

*   *   *   *   *

 

He couldn’t remember what had happened when he woke up to see that he was wrapped in some sort of fabric, a triangular cloth structure above his head. Only one thought came through his mind.

Rage.

Kozel tore at the blanket wrapped around him, scratching himself in the process and making himself himself more enraged. Once he was free he tore through the tent, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He had no idea where he was. The last thing he remembered was fighting a group of fighters outside his lair.

“There you are, you sleepyhead. I thought I’d give you a few extra hours since you were really tired last night. When should we start leaving again? Nobody’s come yet, but you never know. We’re still pretty close to Venyera.”

Seeing Wendy made Kozel’s human conscience return, but he couldn’t shake away the animalistic thoughts. He grasped his head as it started to feel as if the monster Kozel had hit him with a hammer. His vision blurred. He couldn’t make out Wendy’s expression or hear what she was saying. Reality itself seemed to be popping in and out of existence, and even though he had just woken late he felt like he hadn’t slept in days. He backed away from Wendy before she could notice and start worrying about him.

“I’m gonna go . . . use the bathroom,” he mumbled. Hoping she wouldn’t follow him, he staggered over and sat behind a bush. His claws twitched, morbid images emerging in his mind and his mouth watering at Wendy’s scent. He vomited.

“Kozel, what’s wrong?” Wendy asked.

“What did you put in those sandwiches?” he replied, trying to sound more cheerful than he felt. He heard the crunch of her feet in the snow as she walked towards him.

“Kozel-“

“Yeah? I’m alright. Sorry, I uh . . . just got a bit excited there.” He stood up and forced a smile, trying not to notice how edible Wendy looked. “So how are you today, young lady? Good, I hope?”

She walked up to him, causing him to stick his hands in his pockets and avoid her gaze. “I’m serious. Is that blood?”

“What . . .” Kozel looked down. His fur and the front of his pants were stained red, which Wendy hadn’t noticed the previous night. His wounds had mostly healed already, as he was a monster, but his fur was still caked with blood. Seeing his injury filled him with anger again and for a second his vision turned crimson as his inner demon struggled for control of his body. He fell to his knees and threw up again. “D-Don’t worry, I-I’m okay-”

“I doubt that.” She crossed her arms, and Kozel couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was reading his mind. “Why don’t you bathe in the lake to wash up? The cold water should clear your head. I’ll wash our clothes while you’re doing that.”

Kozel remembered hearing about baths in one of the many books her mayor had let him read. Apparently humans had the constant need to be clean, so they sat naked in water to get dirt off of them. Of all his wilderness survival skills, cleaning up was not one of them.

“Sorry, Wendy, but I’m not going to take my pants off in front of you. I’d like my privacy, if you don’t mind.”

Wendy blushed and quickly shook her head. “Yeah. I . . . If you go down to the lake and turn left there’s a little stream off to the side where I won’t be able to see you. Just wrap a blanket around your waist or something.”

Kozel sighed. He still didn’t think that taking a bath would serve any purpose, but wasn’t in the mood to argue with her. Wendy helped him up and they walked back to the campsite where he exchanged the soiled pants for one of his blankets and hurriedly walked to the stream Wendy had spoken of. He didn’t eat anything as he didn’t have much of an appetite. However, as he walked away from the camp it became a bit easier to control his emotions.

I don’t think I can stay with Wendy if it’s this hard to stay sane, Kozel thought sullenly. I’ve finally made a friend, and I almost hurt her. But . . . I can’t give up. If I lose control I might never get it back. And even if I could, it would be too late.

As the evilness inside him subsided Kozel tried not to think about it too much, instead focusing on the present. Never before had he felt as awkward as when he was wearing nothing but what looked like a skirt, about to jump into a stream naked so he could be clean even though he would start to get dirty again as soon as he got out. He looked doubtfully at the slowly flowing water, scratching his head.

Well, if this is what humans do . . . maybe it will help keep my monster side at bay.

He looked around and removed the blanket before he could give it a second thought, carefully stepping into the water. At first it looked like it was only a foot or too deep but the stream turned out to be more of a river. He let out a yelp as he did a belly flop into the freezing river, his whole body submerged. He scrabbled out of the water, shivering, hacking and gasping for breath.

“Th-This is harder than I th-thought,” Kozel sputtered as he put the blanket back on. He felt more and more like an idiot. The air was much colder when he was wet, and he still wasn’t clean. “How do humans do this every day?”

“Who are you talking to?”

Kozel yelped again and stood up. On the other side of the river was a human wrapped in a fur-lined parka, the backpack on his shoulders almost as big as he was. In his left hand was a six-foot walking stick, and in his right a saber. A husky stood at his left, staring at Kozel with his head cocked to the side.

“You aren’t afraid of me?” Kozel asked. He looked down, only to realize that he had recently reverted to his human form. Wow. The injections those humans gave me just saved my life. He tightened the blanket so it wouldn’t fall off his smaller waist. “Wait, never mind. I’m just a wilderness survival expert. Someone dared me to swim in this river-“

He gasped, all the air sucked out of his lungs, and his stomach lurched. The monster within him pushed for control over his mind and body. He could feel it trying to turn him back into a monster. I can’t afford to find out if that’s possible. Wouldn’t be very convenient, would it? He grinned at the young man and dug his nails into his palm, but the human didn’t seem to notice what was happening.

“So what are you doing here, sir?”

“I’m looking for my friend Wendy. Have you seen her?”  

 

 

6: Dan

Chapter 6

“Wendy!”

She looked up, having just finished washing the clothes and taking them back to camp.

I must be going crazy if I think I’m seeing-

She gasped when he wrapped his arms around her. All hesitation melted as she blinked a tear out of her eye.

“Dan, is that you? I thought you had to move to Begemot.” They parted and Wendy held his gloved hand in hers as she lead him to the campsite. Dan’s husky skipped after them.

“I thought you stayed in Venyera. What are you doing out here, in the middle of nowhere?”

“There was a . . . an accident, and we had to leave.” She placed the soap and neatly folded clothes on a flat rock to make the situation less awkward. They sat down, Dan seating himself where Kozel had been the previous night. “Did you come just to see me?”

“I’ve been wanting to visit you ever since. It wasn’t until two days ago that they let me leave.” He pushed back his hood to reveal short dirty blond hair and rested his feet near the still-burning fire. “You mentioned an accident. Are you okay?”

She sighed and offered a slight smile. They had just been reunited and she didn't want to ruin the mood. “Yeah. I got out alright, thanks.”

“I’m glad. Hey, on the way I saw this . . . ‘wilderness survival expert,’” he said, making air quotes. “Do you know what that’s all about?”

“Wilderness survival expert . . . ?”

Kozel stumbled into the little clearing, toes curled as he hopped around on bare feet and desperately searched for his clothes. It took a second for Wendy to recognize him as a human.

“Hey Kozel, this is my friend Dan. Dan, this is Kozel.”

“A pleasure,” Dan said slowly. He looked at Wendy as if asking her if she were serious.

“Hello, p-p-person I’ve n-never met,” Kozel stammered awkwardly, trying to step around them.

Wendy returned her attention to Dan, who was staring at her intently with light blue eyes. “Did you see anyone suspicious on your way here?”

“Why? Are you running away from someone?”

“Yeah. They’re probably gone. We’ve been here since last night and nobody’s killed us, so . . .”

“I think I kn-know someone who could h-help us, j-just in case,” Kozel said timidly. He jumped into his pants so he could use the blanket to dry himself. “I read about her. Her name is Adriana-”

“So how was Begemot?” Wendy asked. She and Dan were holding hands again.

Kozel’s smile faltered. He finished dressing and grabbed a sandwich from a box by the fireplace, eating it at a distance from Wendy and Dan as they spoke to each other. The sandwich didn’t taste as good as it had the night before.

“Hey, we might want to go get help just in case,” Dan said eventually. “My dad always told me to prepare for the worst. There’s this lady named Adriana who claims to be a witch. The offspring of a human and a monster. She lives a mile or so across the lake."

“Do you think she would help us? She sounds a bit . . . dangerous.”

“If her parents were a human and a monster, then she’ll likely be neutral. I think she’s even helped Begemot’s mayors in times of trouble.”

“So you really think she’s half human, half monster? Why would a human and a monster love each other? That’s . . . weird.”

Kozel put down his sandwich and walked to his tent before realizing he had torn it to shreds. He slid under the blankets anyway. Dan’s dog padded over and ate the sandwich.

“So should we go now?” Dan asked, standing up and stretching. “Or should we wait until night, when there won’t be any monsters?”

Wendy got up as well. “You didn’t get eaten on your way here, so we should be okay, right?”

“We should,” he said, patting the sword at his side. “Let’s go.”

“Well we can’t go without Kozel. Hey-” She turned around, but he wasn’t there.

“He must not want to go with us. Here.” Dan took off his coat and handed it to Wendy. “Let’s trade. This is warmer than what you have on right now. You can have my staff too, if it helps. Though it seems I left it by the lake, so . . . I’ll be right back.” 

Wendy watched him jog away. She quickly switched coats and looked around for Kozel. “Kozel, where are you? Did something happen? I’m sorry if I did something that offended you. Can we talk about it?”

She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head towards Kozel’s tent and removed the blankets.

“Just looking for my hat,” Kozel said. He put his hat on, his back to Wendy.

“Come on,” she told him.

“I think it would be in your best interest if-”

“No, you’re coming with us. We’ve been together this far, it wouldn’t be the same without you. Besides, we’re not coming back.” She noticed he was shivering and took off Dan’s coat, placing it on his shoulders. “Please?”

Kozel turned around, chuckling to himself. “Ha ha . . . Sorry. I zoned out for a second there. Thanks for the coat, but you should keep that. I don’t think Dan would be very happy if I wore it, and besides, I'll get used to the cold. Let me pack up.”

“I know there’s-”

“Here.” Wendy jumped and Kozel frowned as Dan held out the stick to her, trading it for her coat. “I’ll help us get packed.”

Wendy looked between him and Kozel as they took down their little camp, noticing the weary glances they exchanged. Oh . . . I’m such an idiot.

They quickly fit everything into their bags. Dan made sure that there was no trace of their presence and the four of them set out towards the lake. Dan, being the reliable friend he was, had brought a boat. Kozel stared at the small wooden craft gently bobbing in the water.

“What’s that? It looks familiar, but . . .”

Dan shrugged. “I honestly have no idea. Like, I’ve never seen a boat before, especially since I grew up in Venyera.”

Kozel’s eyes seemed to glow red, and for a second Wendy envisioned him turning into a kaipra and eating him. She shivered at the thought.

“He isn’t from Venyera,” Wendy interrupted. “He’s from, uh-“

“The forest. I’m just a wilderness survival expert,” Kozel said with a grin.

“Then why is he wearing a hunter’s uniform?”

Wendy gulped. She remembered how Dan hated the hunters too. Why can’t we all just get along? “I . . . Kozel, tell him why you look like a hunter.”

Kozel laughed and look down at his freshly cleaned hunter’s shirt and pants. “I was arrested because they thought I was a monster. They gave me some new clothes and stuff so nobody would panic. Then Wendy bailed me out-”

Wendy elbowed him, but Dan just grinned.

“Very well. Come on, let’s find Adriana before it gets too late.”

“So it’s safe?” Kozel asked as Dan helped Wendy into the boat. The dog barked and gently nudged Kozel towards it. He reluctantly got in with them, and the dog hopped in after them, making the boat rock.

“This here is Lily,” Dan said. He patted her before picking up the oars. “She ran away with me when it was too dangerous to stay in Venyera.” Wendy wondered why he was being so nice to Kozel all of a sudden. Though it made her happy, she hated it when she didn’t understand other humans.

“What happened when you left?” Kozel asked, leaning forward. Wendy had a hard time understanding him too but she tried not to think about it.

Dan chuckled as he started rowing. “As you know, those hunters can be quite . . . fickle. They say they do their best to maintain peace, but accuse everybody of being a monster since they look like humans at night, and some can control their form twenty-four seven.”

Kozel looked the way Wendy felt when he said that.

“That’s how I met Wendy, actually. We were protesting their habit of throwing their citizens in jail all the time.”

“So they’re part of the government?”

“Well, you could say that. It’s unbelievably hard to control them, though. I was supposed to become one because my father’s the mayor, but he thought it was too dangerous to stay so Lily and I fled. The next day their captain claimed he had enough evidence that I was a monster to have me executed. Wendy . . .” He looked at her, smiling sadly. “She wanted to come with me, but they never paid her much attention and her parents wouldn’t let her leave.”

“Well, at least we’re together again,” she muttered. “Hey, we’re on the other side already. Who’s-”

The boat hit a small gravel beach, making Kozel flinch. They looked up to see a woman watching them a couple feet away, a look of surprise on her face.

7: Adriana

Chapter 7

Kozel’s gaze shifted between the others and the woman in front of them. He wondered if being more assertive would get them to like him. This was his chance to do something helpful. So he stumbled out of the boat and offered her an awkward half-bow.

“Hi! My name is Kozel, and this is Wendy, Dan, and Lily. Would you by any chance be the lovely Miss Adriana?”

A smile appeared on the woman’s face, but it quickly disappeared. Something about her seemed off to Wendy. Perhaps it was the fact that she looked like a middle-aged version of herself, with the same blond hair and green eyes, and was wearing a stylish black and blue dress despite the cold.

“This isn’t what I expected,” the woman said, ignoring Kozel’s question. “Follow me. We need to have a talk.”

“Wait!” Dan jumped onto the beach and stood in front of Wendy. His earlier patience had already run out. “How do we know we can trust you?”

The woman smiled again. It was an odd expression, as if she knew something they didn’t, and made Wendy rather suspicious of her. But she also felt connected to her somehow. “You’re the one with a weapon. Why did you come looking for me if you think I’ll harm you?”

“Are you not a witch?”

Wendy held her breath and averted her gaze, embarrassed by his bluntness. Dan had always been so . . . protective. But in his defense, there is something about her . . . something I can’t quite put my finger on . . . Have I seen her before?

“Kozel trusts me.”

“True story,” Kozel commented, putting his arms around Dan and Wendy. Dan shrugged him off. “Come on guys, let’s get this shit done. If she turns into a monster I’ll protect ya.” He winked at Wendy, but she only became more confused.

As for how they got to Adriana’s little house, Wendy would soon rack her brain trying to remember. Before they knew it they were walking through a forest sparsely populated with dead trees from which a bird would occasionally fly away, sprinkling powdery snow over their heads. Dan was shooting Adriana dirty looks behind her back and even Kozel was starting to look doubtful. Nobody spoke a word. Lily trotted next to Dan, catching snowflakes in her mouth to entertain herself.

“I like your dress,” Wendy said. She sounded more scared than she intended, and coughed in an effort to hide it.

“Aw, thank you,” the witch said sweetly. She turned around, causing Dan to look away. “It's so hard to find good fashion when you live in the middle of nowhere."

"And it's white so it blends in with the snow," Kozel said.

Dan shook his head. "What? It's obviously black and blue, are you color blind?"

"How do you live out here?" Wendy asked, ignoring them. She figured being nice would give her a better chance of surviving, even though the thought of Adriana having used magic on them scared her out of her mind.

Adriana shrugged, what looked like a mixture of cheekiness and guilt briefly appearing on her face. "It's, well . . . it's complicated. Hey, there's my house." She pointed.

It was more like a cabin, really. The dwelling ahead of them was a small round structure made of rocks neatly cemented together, with a wooden roof, door, and terrace. On the left side was a lean-to with firewood, tools, and a dark brown goat in the middle of lunch. Kozel stared at it, perplexed, and the goat stared back. Wendy watched them amusedly, realizing he must have never seen an actual goat before. A smile crept up on Dan's face as well.

"I really do apologize for the lack of space. I anticipated there to be only two of you." Adriana knocked on the door three times, each knock in a different spot. The door clicked and she opened it for her guests.

"Thanks for letting us stay," Dan said. He had that look on his face, the one he always had when he was trying to look brave in front of Wendy. He led Wendy and Kozel into the house, his hand loosely hanging over his sword. Kozel took one last look at the goat before following them. They entered tentatively.

Wendy blinked. The sudden increase in temperature cause her by surprise. At first she thought she was seeing things, but Adriana had actually teleported them into a sauna. They were wearing soft white towels in place of their regular clothes, and while Dan looked as though he had a bone to pick with Adriana, Kozel sighed, his eyes closed contentedly as he soaked up the warmth. Adriana and Lily were nowhere to be seen, nor the source of heat and light in the room.

"Adriana's the best, isn't she, Dan?" Kozel muttered, grinning. Dan opened his mouth to say something but, remembering Wendy was with them, only grunted and looked up at the ceiling, his arms crossed. "She's quite a woman."

Her house must be a lot bigger than it looks on the outside if this is just part of the house, Wendy thought, trying not to think about the possibility of them being in danger. I wonder what it'll look like. She seems fashionable, so maybe the furniture will be that fancy exported kind rich people have. That would be nice. It was really nice of her to invite us, and provide a free sauna. But what are her motives . . .

"How long do you think we'll stay in here?" Kozel asked. Wendy realized saunas must be something else monsters don't have. "Forever, right?"

Dan stood up and walked over to the door. "I don't know but a few minutes here is enough for me. Sorry, but I have to make sure Lily's okay."

Wendy quickly stood up as well, nodding. "Come on, Kozel. He's right. We shouldn't get too comfortable here anyway."

"But . . . Can't I stay here? You guys can go on without me."

"Once we open the door the steam will go out," she said. "At least that's how I think it works. Besides, we should all be together when Adriana says whatever she wants to say."

Kozel groaned but got up. They walked out into a small room with stone walls and a wooden roof and floor, nearly all the space taken up by a metal fireplace, a dark brown sofa with Lily curled up on it, and a wooden table. Two much smaller rooms branched off to the side, and next to them was a ladder leading up to a loft. There were no windows, so the only light was that from the fireplace and a few candles scattered about, but it was enough once their eyes adjusted. The door they had come through disappeared once Kozel closed it but after all that had happened they weren't really surprised. Wendy just felt slightly disappointed.

"Why hello!" Adriana chirped from what Wendy assumed was a kitchen. "I hope you enjoyed the sauna. Your belongings are by the couch. Get dressed and sit down, then we'll talk."

They did as she asked, Dan checking his pack to make sure everything was there and sitting down next to Lily. Wendy and Kozel sat on either side. Adriana brought some tea and cakes, which she set down on the low table in front of them.

"Are you all comfortable?" she asked hopefully.

"Very," Wendy said, noting that the guys were awkwardly silent. She smiled as she took a mug and cake. "Thank you."

Adriana smiled back and sat on top of the fireplace. "Good. I called you here today to offer you some advice, if you will accept it."

"Are you a financial consultant?" Kozel asked, with his hand raised. "I read about those. We could really use you, because at the moment we don't have any money."

He turned to Wendy. "Money's important, right?"

She winced. "Yeah, but it's not the most important thing you could have," she said nervously. Why does he have to ask a question like that? I can't let them know he's a kaipra. They might hurt him.

Thankfully they didn't seem to care. Dan just rolled his eyes and took a sip of tea. Adriana cleared her throat.

"It will be really important, actually, as you cannot stay out here in the wilderness for too long. Rumor has it there's a dangerous cult on the loose these days. Though I'm not completely sure, it can't hurt to be too safe. You'll need money to support yourself among other humans."

"So we go back to Venyera?" Dan asked, scratching his head.

"No. They'll likely have set up a base there. Your best bet is to go to the nearest fortified town, with soldiers instead of hunters. That would be Serdtsa. But there are some things you should know before you guys set off."

Wendy and Kozel nodded. Dan looked at her expectantly, though he didn't seem to believe what she was saying since he didn't react when she mentioned the cult taking over his hometown.

"Wendy." The witch sighed, a sympathetic look on her face. It didn't really make her want to know what she had to say. "You are a very special person, very attractive. It's not quite magic, but something about you . . . most of the people you meet will go head over heels to please you. This will make it easy to manipulate others if need be."

"Oh . . . great. Too bad I couldn't use that on the hunters." She thought about all the people who hated her back in Venyera. And then those who didn't probably didn't even like her for who she was. They just liked her because she was "attractive." So all those times I thought I earned someone's respect . . . Does anyone besides Dan really know who I am and accept me for it? And when someone did something for me, I was just manipulating them? This can't be real. Surely it isn't. And if it is, I'll find a way to get rid of it.

"I know, it's hard being pretty, isn't it?" Adriana said softly. Once more, Wendy couldn't ignore the feeling that she knew something they didn't, something she hadn't mentioned. "Kozel."

Kozel, who had been deep in thought, looked up at Adriana, fear shadowing his eyes.

"I know it's easy for, well, people like you to ignore pain. But we wouldn't feel it if it were meant to be disregarded. It's like . . ." She bit her lip. "It's like ignoring your parents. Like it or not, pain is a part of you, and . . . it's there to make you a better person, once you come to terms with it. Am I making sense?"

"But I do accept it. That's why I don't let it control me." His eyes glowed red for a second. A shiver ran down Wendy's spine, and she felt as if there were a lead ball in her stomach.

Adriana got up, her face emotionless. She looked at all three of them. "It looks like we're done for now. Wendy and Kozel, you were poisoned from the hunters' darts and the chemical is still in your bloodstream. The tea will get it all out of your system. But Kozel is still injured. May I see you for a second?"

"Yeah," he muttered, getting up. Wendy watched them move to one of the side rooms, which was sectioned off by a curtain. It seemed to be soundproof because Wendy couldn't hear them talking on the other side. Wendy wanted to thank her for curing them but was too late. Dan grunted.

"Well that was anti-climactic."

"Sure was," she replied sarcastically, drinking some of the tea. She noticed Kozel hadn't had any yet.

Dan put his legs up on the table and his right arm around Wendy. "What's up?"

"I . . ." She swallowed and stared at the ceiling. She almost wished he had gone with Kozel and Adriana so that she could be alone, but was grateful for his company. "What are we going to do, Dan? How can we live by ourselves in . . . in . . . that town she mentioned?"

"We'll just have to see. I doubt she would have stopped us if she didn't think we'll be able to make use of her advice."

"She just wants people to spend time with. I mean, the lady lives all alone in a tiny house, with just a goat for company." She lifted the cup to her face, taking in the aroma of the tea so that it might calm her. "Have you noticed the way she looks at us?"

"I could protect us if we're in danger. My dad made me train as a hunter for five months."

Wendy put her tea down. It wasn't working. She blinked as bitter tears welled up in her eyes. "No, it's not you, it's me. I know I'm going to fuck everything up anyway, like I always do-"

"What are you talking about?" He brought her closer to him so she could put her head on his shoulder and smiled fondly, making her heart beat faster. "If anyone's fucked up it's the hunters. You can't compare yourself to them, Wendy."

"Yes I can. You don't understand, none of this would have happened if it weren't for me. I shouldn't have provoked the hunters the way I did. I shouldn't have broken Kozel out of jail, or run away from home and gotten you and Kozel involved in all this. And right after the incident at the jail, someone went crazy and shot everyone. I mean, why wouldn't that be my fault too? I must have encouraged him with all the chaos I caused.

"And my parents, they died too. But I didn't even feel sorry for them, I only felt sorry for myself. I love them, but . . . I didn't think about all the people who lost their lives."

"That's what happens when you're in danger, and you need to get out or you'll die. It's easier to escape if you're focused on doing so."

"Y-yeah, but . . ."

"If you hadn't escaped I would have gone straight to Venyera instead of meeting you at your campsite, and the maniac you mentioned would have killed me." He hesitated, letting what he'd said sink in. "You saved my life, Wendy."

She smiled faintly. The thought of her saving him was hard to believe. "I was just paying you back for all you've done for me. I guess we're even now . . . But Kozel . . . Should we trust him? I want to, he's only been nice so far and I can't believe I'm thinking this. I can't tell you why exactly maybe we shouldn't, for his sake. It's just . . . I- I found him in jail, and . . . I don't know if I should have risked it, you know? He asked me if he should leave us, should I say yes?"

"Well . . ." Dan hesitated. "The hunters probably would have killed him if you hadn't bailed him. So . . . you saved his life too. Damn, you're really good at this. You should make it a full-time job."

Her smile grew ever so slightly. "Thanks, Dan. So what should we do?"

"I am a bit biased. You know I can't trust anyone anymore. He's a wilderness survival expert, right? He could probably live on his own. But you're the leader out of us, so it's you decision to make."

"Since when was I in charge?"

"Like Adriana said, you can control people's minds. Since you're the most powerful one here you deserve to be the leader."

"If you say so." Wendy couldn't have disagreed more but wouldn't dare to tell him. A good leader doesn't take advantage of others. And I do it naturally, without even trying.

"That is, if we can trust her," he said, as if he could read her mind. "She's even stranger than Kozel. You might not even be the person she says you are."

"I hope not."

"Pretty sure she's wrong. She doesn't know you, but I do." He kissed her gently on the cheek. Wendy smiled again, her face blushing.

"Now what are we going to tell Kozel when they're done?"

 

*   *   *   *   *

 

The sun was about to call it a day, and so were Adriana and her guests. She asked them to stay over seeing as it would be wise to set out when they were all rested. Kozel, she assured Wendy when Dan couldn't hear them, wouldn't turn into a monster until noon if the next day.

He and Dan sat on the terrace playing catch with Lily and Adriana's goat and watching the sun set.

"That's one weird-looking creature," Kozel commented, not for the first time. He tried picturing a furless goat with a human head. The image disturbed him.

"You've never seen a goat before?"

He shook his head. "They aren't common, are they?"

"I guess not. And I didn't know they like catch."

Kozel took a deep breath and counted to three before telling him what had been on his mind.

"You can have Wendy."

"What?" Dan turned towards him incredulous. The goat trotted up to him, waiting for him to take the ball out of his mouth. "Really? You aren't into her?"

"You know how Adriana said that people just naturally like her? Like, I might not even like her at all. It might just be her natural charm thing making me think I like her. But you've known her for years . . ."

Dan nodded slowly. "Yeah. It's just . . . We don't know if it'll work between us. It's . . . complicated."

The goat turned away and threw the ball for Lily. She ran off to catch it.

"Hey, why don't we let her decide in her own time?" Dan proposed. He held out his hand. "Until then, let's agree not to fight over something so stupid."

Kozel grinned and shook his hand. "Yeah, man. Totally. Or at least we'll try."

Adriana called them in for dinner. Dan opened the door for him and the four of them ate together, making plans for the next day.

She wanted to share more secrets with them but, to maintain their sanity, kept them to herself. 

8: The Feuig Clan

Chapter 8

Having experienced his first time in a bed, Kozel never wanted to get up.

He poked his head out from under the covers and yawned, looking around for a window to see what time it was. But there was nothing other than the bed in his magic room, and the door leading out. He'd assumed Adriana would wake him up with the magic bell hanging on the wall. Which would be early, since he was going to turn back into a kaipra at noon.

"It was nice of Wendy and Dan to let me go with them," he mumbled as he stared up at the ceiling and stretched. "I wonder why though. They- oh. Fuck."

Either the witch had lied to him, or forgot to wake him up.

He pulled away the covers and sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. His grogginess had disappeared at the sight of fur.

The clothes Kozel was wearing were ripped and uncomfortably small, so he tore them off and reached for the clean ones at the foot of his bed. The pants were still too small. The shirt ripped as he pulled it over his horned head. He laid back down on the bed, taking a deep breath.

"Great. Even if I could turn back into a human, I wouldn't be able to wear this. Why can't I wear clothes just because I'm a monster? I feel like a fucking stripper. And why do I still feel like a human? That makes it even more awkward. And I don't really want to have control over myself. What the hell am I supposed to do?

"And Adriana. The bitch told me she'd wake me up before I turned into a monster. It must be noon now. Wendy and Dan would have left already."

He lay silent for a few seconds before yanking the bell from its cord and throwing it at the door. The high-pitched squeak it made got on his nerves. But he wasn't angry because his "friends" left. He was angry at himself, for having cared.

They were just humans.

He heard a shatter from behind the door quickly followed by several more. Though at first the sound was as unpleasant as that of the bell, the thought of a fight going on painted a grin on his face. The humans would be easier to subdue if they were too busy fighting each other to notice him. Then he would either make them leave, claiming the house as his, or eat them.

Licking his lips in anticipation, Kozel crept towards the door. He stopped right behind it to listen for anything else. All he heard was something faint, a crackling sound, probably a fire in Adriana's fireplace. He thought he had imagined the crash earlier and turned to move back to his bed when a second, similar noise ensued. He yanked the door open, ripping it off the bottom hinge.

The little house was bathed in smokeless emerald flames. Across the room a wooden shelf had fallen with what looked like shattered bottles lying on the floor. A single dark figure stood by the front door, which was melted into the frame, and when Kozel looked at him his vision became distorted. What he could see was the stranger's raised arm and an object reflecting the dim light of the fire. Kozel dove to the side, crashing into the couch as something break behind him. He looked back to see a small explosion that set fire to the spot where he had just been standing. It snaked into his room before the door closed and dissolved into the wall.

"Who are you?" Kozel growled. "Where are the others?"

"Less talking. More cowering in fear," the other man said in a deep, almost calming voice. "Let's see how long you last..."

Kozel jumped off the couch almost too late to dodge the projectile. He slipped on the floor, scrambling away to avoid the ever-growing flames. He didn't want to know what would happen if he touched them.

Now I know it isn't Adriana. But... who are they, and why did they come here?

While dodging he looked around the room to look for an escape when he noticed a window near the melted door. He could have sworn it wasn't there previously. A plan started to form in his mind.

I can't go out the door, so that window's my only hope of getting away. All I need to do is get that bitch out of my way. I wish I could get close enough to tear him to shreds...

"Are you really that bad at throwing, or are you trying to mock me?" Kozel roared, backing up into the kitchen. He ducked when a glowing green object flew over his head. The stranger remained silent.

Kozel ducked behind the counter and rummaged frantically through the cabinets until he found what he was looking for: a reflective metal plate.

He climbed on top of  the counter, holding his makeshift shield in front of him and running forward as fast as he could without stepping on the fire. His hope was that the reflection in the plate would cause the man to be disoriented by his own magic, but another projectile found itself to him, this time while his vision was obstructed. He scowled as the fire hit his shield and burned his hands. The plate itself was badly dented. But he jumped over the fire and kept running.

In the seconds Kozel had left until the next attack, he moved to the window he saw earlier. Instead of trying to block with his shield he dodged once more. The grenade hit the glass and shattered it. Kozel held up the plate to shield himself from the splinters flying through the air. Then he dropped the plate and pushed through the broken window. He cut his hands and face on the sharp glass and tore his shorts but managed to get through despite his size. The window merged with the wall once he dropped onto the front porch. The man was trapped inside.

But Kozel wouldn't risk it, and kept running. He got his leg stuck in one of the chairs as he barreled past the footprints and empty goat pen. Running in a zigzag pattern and to the right so that it would be harder for someone to catch him, he eventually made his way into the forest, at the top of a hill.

He tumbled down the hill into a small partially-frozen pond. Still unfamiliar with being submerged in water, he was quick to climb out. He spluttered and tore the chair off his leg. At first the only thoughts that filled his mind were of anger and vengeance, but as he looked at the chair his expression softened.

That's the chair Dan was sitting in when we were talking yesterday... Oh no. What if they were still in the house?

He got up to look back but lost any hope immediately.

I seemed to be alone with that guy. Either they left for Serdtsa, or he killed them...

Blood dripped from the raw, burnt skin of his palms as he dug his claws into them to stop unwanted thoughts from invading his mind. He realized that he had lost control back in the house and didn't even notice.

I could change any second.

Deep in his thoughts he almost didn't hear the footsteps behind him. When they seemed to be a few feet away he grabbed a leg of the chair and spun around, prepared for a fight. But it wasn't the man. A strange creature stood staring back at him.

"You're an odd-looking monster," they said simultaneously. Kozel squinted his eyes, regarding her curiously. She was obviously a monster. He found it interesting that such a word didn't have a negative connotation for them.

She was about the size of a human, and instead of looking like a humanoid goat she had the head of a dragon and scales the color of red wine. Her slim but muscular body was scarcely covered by black armor. Golden eyes watched Kozel with a neutral expression, but she held her obsidian spear ready. 

"Who are you?" she questioned.

He shrugged. "My name is Kozel. I'm from the kaipra clan, but... I'm sort of doing my own thing now."

"I'm part of the Feuig clan. The name's Aiyx."

I always heard about how monsters from different clans look different, but... it always thought it was a myth. I wonder if they act different too. Maybe not all monsters are supposed to be evil. It's a big maybe though...

Aiyx grinned. "You've never seen someone from another clan either, huh?"

Kozel shook his head.

"Would you like to come back with me, to meet the others? We could exchange war strategies."

"Uh, what's war?" Kozel asked, scratching his head. He accidentally cut himself upon doing so and winced. Aiyx frowned.

"I'm assuming you don't have any other clans where you live. Nobody to defend against."

"No. I guess we do have wars. But they're always too busy fighting the humans-"

Before he could continue, she burst into laughter. "Are you serious? Wow, what a bunch of idiots! Come on." 

He dropped the wood he was holding and followed her as she lead him away, taking one last look at Adriana's house and the chair lying on the ground.

"As I was saying, most of the humans are weak, physically and mentally. But there's been reports about one who can use magic. We think some sort of evolution is taking place, causing the humans to be more powerful. Though they're easily defeated at the moment we don't want to get on their bad side. And besides, there's no sense of honor in killing such a lowly creature. Some might even see it as bullying."

"Oh."

They remained silent as Aiyx waited for him to say more. He cleared his throat.

"Thanks, that's good to know. I've never been that close to a human before. So, you've never seen another clan before. Do you fight each other often? And, uh, are some clans stronger than others?"

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses. That's why we have to be careful about how we fight, because it isn't just about bashing each other's heads until we're all dead or seriously injured. But my clan doesn't always win fights. We women have a hard time getting involved because they think we don't take fighting seriously enough, so our numbers are always low. That's why I've never actually seen anyone from the other clans. I just patrol the area"

Kozel tried to remember what women did back in the kaipra clan, but his memories were foggy. There was one thing he did remember, though.

"That's strange. In my clan, everyone took fighting seriously. But then again, we never really planned anything." His thoughts drifted back to the fight with the hunters, and when he met Wendy. His heart sank.

She might still be there... And Dan...

"So I guess I don't really have anything to offer. I don't want your time, so... I should probably go back..."

"Wait!" Aiyx grabbed his arm, but then quickly averted her gaze and slowly let go. "Like I said, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. You're not from here so you would give us a fresh perspective. Something we really need."

"What would I get in return?" he grunted, a bit more harshly than he intended.

"You don't have anywhere to go, do you? You said you left your clan. Maybe you can stay with us." 

Yeah, maybe not. He crossed his arms. But maybe they could help me take the house back from that guy, or look for Wendy and Dan. I mean, I doubt they would, but it'd be better than trying to find them myself.

"Please?" Aiyx begged.

"Fine." He dug his claws into his palms. "Let's go."

Her face fell, but she nodded. "Okay. It's not too far away."

They didn't say much after that. Kozel wasn't sure whether to be upset and wary of her, or to be friendly in the hopes that it would prevent him from losing control again. Either way, he wished she would say something to prove that she was a good person even though she was a monster. The fact that he would be once again surrounded by monsters set him on edge. He started to feel hot despite actually being cold and wet.

The farther they went the less snow there was. It had been melting on the warm soil beneath their feet, turning it into mud. Water dripped from the trees. Kozel looked questioningly at Aiyx, but still unwilling to break the silence. It looked like everything had thawed just recently.

Finally he smelled roasting meat. It wasn't until detecting such a wonderful aroma that he noticed he smelled like a wet dog, and started to feel bad for smelling bad.

They walked up to a large campsite situated in the middle of a clearing. A spiked wooden fence wrapped around the perimeter over a trench. Behind it and the guards patrolling the area was thirty or so green, brown, and gray mottled cloth tents big enough for a few feuigs, a few meters away from each other. In the middle was a much bigger tent about four meters tall, three wide, and twenty long. Scattered about were tables full of food and drink, chairs mostly tipped over, and what looked like crudely made games. Monsters sat around chatting or walked around aimlessly, looking like Aiyx but in different shades of yellow, orange, or red, plus a few black.

Aw... I thought I invented the tent.

"Pretty nice camp, huh?" Aiyx said proudly. Kozel got the feeling it was a statement, not a question.

"Lovely. Do you live here permanently?"

She shrugged. "Some of us do. We have several camps throughout our land. Some are bigger than others. This is the main one, and the one I live in."

"Cool. How big is your land?"

"I don't know, I'm not good at math. C'mon, I'll introduce you to the others. And don't worry, you'll get used to them. I know a lot of them haven't seen a foreigner either, so they'll be very excited to see you. Let's go to my tent first though, so I can drop of my things."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him past the entrance, towards a tent situated halfway between the entrance and the central tent. She threw her spear in front of it and put her hands on her hips, looking around.

"Now, who to meet first..."

"Aiyx, who the hell is that?"

They turned to see the speaker, a black feuig larger than Kozel point a two-meter sword inches from his face. Another, smaller, orange feuig held him from behind and kicked Aiyx away.

"Never mind. He'll make a great blanket."