I shuddered as freezing air brushed my skin, causing little bumps to pop up all over it. The cold had only gotten worse over the course of the past few months, to the point that icicles now hung from the ceiling. The fire did only so much to warm the large room.

Thoysal sighed as he walked over to me, carrying an odd bundle of cloth in his arms. "I truly cannot allow you to do this any longer. You might only be in human form for mere seconds, but your lips are already turning blue. Take these."

He handed me the bundle. Holding it to my nose, I sniffed it. Wolf and other odd smells covered it. I held the bundle up, and it fell apart into smaller textile things. "What is this?" I nudged one of the smallest parts with my foot. It was already frozen numb.

"Socks. They keep your feet warm," the vampire replied. "There is also a shirt, a tunic, pants, and a jacket. That should keep you warm enough while you're in human form."

Unsure of how to use it, I eyed the sock dubiously. Thoysal shook his head and kneeled in front of me. "Give me your foot. I'll show you."

I awkwardly handed him my foot, barely able to keep my balance. I couldn't even feel it as he took it, except for a pain in my bones from the cold. He held up the sock. "This is how you're meant to use it." He put my foot in the piece of clothing, before showing me how to use the others.

Soon enough, I was almost fully covered in clothing. Only my hands and my head were still out in the open. Although I wasn't used to the weight on my skin, I had to admit it was kind of nice and helped keep me warm.

"That should help. Could you please shift? Most were-beings have their clothing shift with them, but you might be different," Thoysal explained when I gave him a confused look.

I gave a light shrug, pausing when the cloth rubbed against my skin. I stared at my shoulder and repeated the movement. The skin there became warmer. My eyebrows raised in bafflement; how could the movement make me warm?

"It's called 'friction'. It means that if you rub two things together, you get warm. You do the same with your hands when you're cold." He smiled a little at my antics.

I twitched my nose at the so-called jacket one last time before shifting. Moments later, the clothing was gone, and I had a beautiful tail of flames again. I yipped at it happily. My tail was a sight to behold, and was burning even better now I regularly ate coal.

At Thoysal's nod, I shifted back again. My tail vanished, and the clothes returned. The difference was immediately noticeable. Although it was cold, the cloth provided a warm layer between me and the air.

He gave an approving look. "Good, your magic seems to be the same as other werecreatures. This saves us from having to make a stockpile of clothing for you. Do you like it?"

Just as I was about to answer, howls split the air. Thoysal bared his fangs and ordered, "Put out the fire and hide in the corner. Quick!" Then he was gone.

Reluctantly, I followed his command and put out the fire. I shifted and lay down in the coals. Letting the remaining warmth go was a waste.

Growls made their way through the air shaft. Although the sound scared me, I wanted to look. What was even going on? Why were there threatening snarls so close?

I ate one last coal before sneaking my way out of the cave. With a look at the blanket of white outside, I huffed and shifted. My clothes kept me warmer than my fur could, and I didn't have to worry about my glowing tail.

I crawled up the hill, trying to be as quiet as possible. My eyes easily picked the best route. From the amount of snarls that shook the air, more wolves had joined the fight.

Once reaching the top of the hill, I ducked behind a bush before I took a glance to the battlefield below. My mind was not ready for what my eyes saw. Blood everywhere, bodies splayed open, entrails dressing the earth. Bile rose in my throat with the scene.

I wanted to look away, I wanted to look away so bad, but all my reflexes refused.

Wolves nearly the size of stallions clashed with one another. Claws ripped into pelts and fangs buried themselves into throats. Their cries ringing in my ears only increased my desire to flee. Feral and viscous, these bloodthirsty creatures were unlike anything I'd ever seen before.

A flash of silver gleaming in the light of the moon caught my eye. For a moment, a wave of relief washed over me with the sight of Thoysal, but that relief was soon replace by a sicking churning in my gut. This wasn't the vampire that I knew.

With swift precision, he drove that blade into the chest of one of the beasts before using his whole body to wrench the dagger upwards. The poor creature hadn't even realized what hit it as it collapse to the dirt, its tawny fur soaked in red. The sight of Thoysal eyeing his handy work made me want to puke right there, the coppery scent of blood assaulting my nostrils.

The wolves Thoysal fought with were outnumbered three to one; they didn't stand a chance. Yet, despite the obvious, they fought with the fierceness and courage that I couldn't help but admire. Even as they were picked off one by one they remained unwavering, fearless. The slaughter began to blur, the tears on my cheeks freezing.

I wanted to cry out to them, but the words hinged in my throat. Instinct kept me from revealing myself.

A rumble beneath my feet nearly made me jump. With wide eyes, I snapped my head to the source. There had to be at least a hundred wolves rapidly approaching the massacre, racing up the hill. Their snarls and battle cries filled the air, their bared fangs glistening with fury.

They flooded in, turning the battlefield below into a sea of fur and blood. The wolves Thoysal had fought with greeted the new group noisily. The tides had just turned into their favour.

It took a few moments for my head to stop spinning and see how they divided and herded the original attackers together with ease. Though bristling with their hackles raised in warning, the two groups wolves stood their ground, and the fighting ceased.

The ground below fell still. The eerie silence sent involuntary shivers down my back as I watched. Was it over, just like that?

My question was soon answered when a black wolf that dwarfed all the others parted through the sea of fur. Some of the other wolves even dipped their heads as he passed. His bright blue eyes scanned every detail of the enemies trapped before him. I swallow hard, hoping those eyes would never fall at me like that.

At last, his sights settled on a brown wolf nearly equal in size. Behind him, Thoysal collected his dagger from the carcass of a fallen beast before joining the large black wolf. The blood dripping from the blade didn't faze the vampire in the least. The two's eyes met, as if sharing a private conversation, before nodding in agreement. My breath hitched, and a cold sweat clung to the back of my neck; I didn't need to be told what that meant.

The large blue-eyed wolf let out an ear-piercing yowl before jumping the brown wolf and easily pinning him. Thoysal soon followed up, his face void of expression. He seemed to weave chains from thin air before binding the helpless enemy.

As if on command, those circling the small group moved in unison. The remaining enemy wolves were torn to shreds within seconds while their leader was bound and forced to watch.

A pained cry split the night as the leader mourned his pack, his form going limp in defeat, smoke rising from where the chains touched him. I shut my eyes tight, but the sound of the agonised howl sent me reeling into the bush, uncontrollable tremors racking my body. I hugged my knees close, hoping this was all a dream, and I'd soon wake up in my warm fire.