Silent.

The world had turned silent again after the storm. Wind had died down, so not even the tree branches creaked under the weight of the snow. The white world gave me the image of having died from the cold, although the clouds of my breath proved I was still alive.

I slung my bow to my back and tried my luck at the stream. I had used up all my food in the days that the storm blew. Going outside during those days was no option since I would get lost three steps out the door. At the stream I might just find some wood boars. These creatures eat the hard grass and thin twigs during winter, so there's always a supply of meat available. As long as they stayed close enough to my cabin and hadn't moved somewhere else.

The snow came up to my knees, the crunching sound of every step echoing around me and betraying my presence. I just hoped any prey I spotted would ignore me for long enough to sneak up on it and kill it. If I couldn't catch something today, I might starve if another storm came down.

I did have my share of luck though and heard the grunt of a boar at the same time I heard the stream. My heart beat faster at the prospect of filling my stomach if I could shoot it. I halted, taking my bow slowly, loading an arrow. With careful, slow steps I moved forward, sliding, more than stepping through the snow. I felt rather proud of how silent I could move. I went into the direction of the sound, keeping an eye out on the slightest sight of the animal. If I scared it, it would take long to find another target.

From the sound of it, it seemed busy eating at a bush. The snaps and crunches of twigs hopefully covered any accidental sounds I made. Tension filled my body and I pulled my arrow, cursing inwardly at the creak of the wood bending. I saw a movement between two trees up ahead and froze for a while. It continued and I let out my breath. I was safe so far.

Sliding through the snow further, I got a better view of it. It was a nice, big boar. It would give me some trouble taking it back, but would be enough meat to keep me going for a while. I wanted to shoot it badly, but I needed a better position to pierce its chest.

I moved sideways, keeping myself hidden by the trees, until I had a clearer shot. Aiming my arrow, I pulled it back further, giving it more energy to kill its target. I held my breath, the boar looked up and bolted before I could release my arrow.

'Son of a..' I let go through my clenched teeth. Something must have startled it. I moved to the stream, hoping to see it near, or a trail from where it went. Reaching the stream I could see it walk down along it further away . My footsteps would be masked by the stream, so I decided to follow it. I might get another chance to shoot it.

A little later I spotted it again at the edge of a clearing. It was pushing its snout through the snow, presumingly snacking on the tough grass underneath it. I kept to the edge of the bank, providing me with some cover while I got closer. I pulled at the bowstring again, moving closer step by step. I might have to wait for it to turn its back away from me, to shoot it in the chest. Judging I was close enough, I aimed my arrow once more at it. It sniffed and rummaged in the snow, unaware of me, then turned its body.

My arrow flew through the air, a thud and squeal telling me it hit the target. 'Yes!' I said, happy to see I could fill my stomach today again as the boar sank through its legs.

I hurried up to it and could almost reach out to it when I saw a Kanis hunter reach out for it as well. At once we drew our bows and aimed at each other.

'Stay away from my kill!' it said, glaring at me over the length of the arrow pointing at my head.

'It's my kill!' I said. 'I shot it!'

'I was the one who shot it! That's my arrow!' it said, its ears pushed flat against its head.

I took a quick glance at the boar and saw another arrow sticking into its other side. 'And that's mine!' I said with a nod of my head.

It's golden eyes moved away from me for a moment, then returned. 'I shot it first.'

'Damned.' I said, not in the mood for childish games. 'It was alive when my arrow hit it.'

My mind went trough the possibilities of getting away unharmed. With the boar if I could help it. The Kanis were not on good terms with humans to say the least. So far any encounter had turned to bloody fights and loss of life.

I tried to measure this one up, calculating my chances of killing or wounding it. It was just a little smaller than me, had the thick grey-brown fur typical for their kind and wore the loincloth and wrapping around the chest like the females did.

'Female?' I said to myself, triggering an even more hateful look in her eyes.

'Got a problem with that!? Do you think you'd be able to take me on just because I'm female!? I'll kill you like I did the boar!'

I focused on her hands again in case she really would shoot me. 'I had no such thought! It was just an observation!'

We glared for a while.

'I'm not giving up the boar!' she said.

'Neither am I!'

'Find your own!'

'Why don't you!'

We kept glaring at each other, the white world silent around us. A grumble from her stomach broke it.

I flexed every muscle in my face to keep it straight while I saw her eyes twitch, trying to keep her focus on me.

Then another grumble escaped and I could see her struggle to keep instilling fear in me. Despite the instant death staring into my face I slowly started to lose the fear for my life. If she did shoot me I would have let out a loud laugh.

I also lost any will to fight her over the boar. I didn't care about her being Kanis, I just couldn't deprive a hungry woman of her meal. 'I'm going to lower my bow.' I said. 'You can have the boar.'

Her eyes grew and lost the hateful look to turn to surprised. I pointed the arrow away from her and relaxed the bowstring. I'd just have to see if I could find another boar or deer at the clearing further up the mountain. I sighed as I looked one more time at the lost stash of meat and wanted to go on my way when another grumble filled the silence. This time it was my stomach though. I laughed out loud at the stupidity. I looked back at her as she lowered her bow and I shook my head. 'Looks like I'm sharing the embarrassment.' I said and gave her a wave. 'Enjoy your meal.'

I had hardly taken a couple of steps when she said 'Wait!'.

'Hmm?' I said, turning my head back to her.

I thought she looked a little lost with one ear standing and one flat, her bow hanging loosely from her hand, looking sideways at the ground. Cute was the word that popped up in the back of my head.

'I can't accept it like this.'

'Why not?'

'Because you're human!' she snapped. 'I won't accept kindness from a human!'

I sighed. 'It's not kindness. I didn't think my chances were good if I fought you, so I yielded.' I said and turned away. 'You won.'

A twang next to my foot grabbed my attention. An arrow quivered in the snow.

'Are you crazy!?' I shouted at her. 'Shooting at me like that!? Were you trying to kill me!?' Stupid question.

She looked like she would stamp her feet and have a fit, but her eyes kept moving from me to the ground and back. 'I will not accept it..' she growled.

'Then I'll take it.' I said.

The sullen look on her face and her eyes moving to the boar and back told me she didn't want that either.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. A chill stroke my cheek. 'Fine, we'll divide the meat.' I said, watching dark clouds coming closer. 'Looks like there's another storm coming, so we'd better hurry.' I looked at her. 'Is that okay with you?'

She nodded.

We pulled out our arrows and took out our knifes. First thing was to cut its belly open and remove the organs. The guts spilled out over the snow, steaming in the cold. I got ready to cut it all loose and throw it aside when I realised I didn't know if Kanis ate those.

'Do you want any of this?' I asked. 'I don't.'

She shook her head and I was somehow glad they didn't eat everything like the wild animals did. Snowflakes came down while the wind picked up. I looked up at the skies and saw the dark clouds coming much faster than expected.

'Shit.. We're running out of time.' I said, cutting faster into the boar.

'We might just have to cut off what we can now and leave.' she said.

'That's too much to waste in leaving here.' I said, looking into the direction of my cabin. 'And if this storm lasts as long as the last one we won't have enough to eat.' I looked back at her. 'Your place is not close to here, is it?'

She looked up suspiciously at me. 'Why do you ask?'

'I haven't seen any of your kind around here before, so I think you won't be able to reach home before the storm hits you. Am I right?'

Her ears flattened again. 'I can make it.'

'I know you're a strong race, but even you won't survive the cold and wind for long. Come with me to my cabin. There we can divide the meat completely and you can wait out the storm.'

Her eyes grew big and she backed off. 'Go with a human!? Do you think you can fool me!? You're just planning on killing me there when I'm not looking!'

I groaned in anger. 'Look, I'm not planning anything other than giving another person in need a place of shelter, all right!? I don't care if you hate me during that time and never come back after you leave, but I'm trying to be nice and show you that I'm not one of those humans you need to fear!' I stood up. 'I'm going to drag anything I can back to my cabin, so if you want to starve or die in the cold, fine by me, but not in this area! You can do that later and far away from me!'

The snow came down harder and formed a thin layer on the carcass. She looked up at me, then away. 'I leave after the storm, and you give your word you won't try anything.'

'I swear upon my skin I will not try anything! Can we go now?'

She nodded and I let out a sigh. We each grabbed a leg and pulled the heavy carcass through the snow up to my cabin. By the time we got there the wind had picked up and we were covered in snow. We entered the entry and I closed the door behind her before opening the inner door. She looked around a little nervous as we dragged the carcass into the corner I used for cooking.

'Welcome to my humble home.' I said, taking off my outdoor tunic and boots and hanging them next to the door to dry.

She looked around the room lit by the lamp on shelves in one corner and the small fire in the fireplace. 'I've never seen anything like this.'

I stoked up the fire with another log. 'I expect not. I build it myself.' I said, taking a dry sheet of thick cloth and handing it to her. 'Here, to dry your fur.' She took it timidly from me. 'The outside walls are made of three layers of planks, keeping out most of the cold in winter and heat in summer, as does the entry I made. I also lead the warmth of the fire through a space above the ceiling to get the most of it.'

She nodded, feeling the warmth with just the small fire burning.

'I've got store rooms in the back for keeping things cold in winter, and a big basement to keep things cool in summer.' I said, feeling rather proud of what I had achieved.

My stomach reminded me of the reason for ending up with a Kanis female at my home. I went and lit the fire under my oven. 'I hope you like the meat roasted.' I said, looking sideways at her. She nodded as she sat down by the fire, still looking around. I chuckled at how quiet she had become, when she was so fierce before.

I cut off a nice piece of the meat, then took the rest of the boar into the freezing store room where we could cut it up later. I seasoned the meat lightly and put it on a tray in the oven. I smiled as I found her asleep in front of the fireplace. She had curled up, her bushy tail wrapped around her legs. My instinct was right, she was cute.

*

'Time to eat..' I whispered, squeezing her shoulder gently.

She sprang up, looking around in confusion.

'Relax, you were asleep.' I said, holding out a dish to her. 'Food is ready.'

She kept her eyes on me as she sniffed the roasted meat. 'What did you do with it?'

'Just a little seasoning.' I said, taking a bite from my piece. I was so happy to eat again.

She touched the meat quickly with the tip of her tongue, let the taste sink in, and started to eat. I was happy to see her enjoying my cooking, her ears upright as if to hear the taste of the meat. She must have been at least as hungry as I was and I joined in her delight to eat. I put the dish aside, seeing her lick her lips with her agile tongue and chuckled.

'What!?' she asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

'I'm just happy to see I made something to your taste.' I said, taking her dish and getting up to wash them.

'I was just very hungry! Hadn't eaten in days..'

I scrubbed the dishes, then put them up to dry. 'You had to wait out the storm too?' I asked, returning to the warm fire with two mugs of water. 'Where have you been staying all this time?'

'Why would I tell you?' she said looking at the fire, the reflection making her eyes burn brightly.

I sat down, putting a mug next to her. 'Just curious. I haven't come across another hut, or any of your kind around here. I understand if you don't want to tell me, I'm a human after all.'

I sipped my water silently, staring into the flames because I didn't want to push my questions about her.

'You're not bad for a human.' she said softly after a while.

I smiled a little. 'I'll take that as a compliment. I'm glad to have met you, despite the circumstances.'

She drank some water, then tried to hold back a yawn. I got up to take my blankets from a shelf and laid them out in front of the fire.

'I hope this'll be soft enough to sleep on.'

'I'm Kanis. We don't need blankets.' she said. 'And these smell of you.'

'Sorry, I have nothing else. And I do envy your pretty fur.' I said, removing the rest of my clothes but my pants. 'Would keep me a lot warmer these days.'

'It's useful, not pretty.'

'If you say so.' I said turning off the lamp, making the fire the only source of light, and moved between my stack of blankets. 'Sleep well.'

I woke up a little later, turned to check up on her and saw her on top of the blankets I had laid out. A smile came to my face and I went back to sleep.

***

I woke up to the sounds of her setting a new fire. It had died down during the night but since the warmth doesn't fade quickly in my cabin it wasn't too cold when I woke up.

I stretched and rubbed my eyes. 'Thanks.'

'I figured you'd freeze if I didn't do this.'

I chuckled. 'Well, it's a lot nicer to wake up in a warm place in winter.'

'The storm hasn't lessened.'

I heard the wind howl outside. 'Sounds like we'll have to stay indoors for a while.'

'I can't..' she said.

I looked at her, seeing her sit uncomfortable, wondering for a moment what she meant before I realised I needed to do the same. 'Oh, there's no need to go outside.'

She glanced at me. 'Yes, there is.'

I stood up and held out my hand to her. 'Come.'

She raised one of her lighter coloured eyebrows. 'Where?'

'I'll show you what I mean.'

She got up reluctantly, ignoring my hand. I led her through a door at the back, down a short hallway and opened another door to a closet. I gestured at the wooden contraption inside with a lid on it. 'You lift the lid, then you can relieve yourself in the hole.'

Her eyes grew wide. 'Do it on that!?'

I nodded. 'Saves me from going outside each time. It all ends in a deep hole, turning into fertilizer for the plants. I only have to make it quick before my butt freezes off.' I chuckled.

She looked at me as if I was crazy.

'Or,' I gestured back. 'you can go outside if you really want to.'

Her ears twitched back and forth with the howl of the wind, then pushed me out. 'Go away!'

I snickered as I left. 'The bucket of water is for cleaning up.'

I looked back from preparing a new roast as she came back.

'Don't look at me.' she growled.

I grinned and closed the oven door. 'Nature calls to everyone.' I said, washed my hands and went to the back.

'Where are you going?'

'My turn?'

She flattened her ears. 'Do you have to?'

'I'd rather not wet my pants in here, if you don't mind. I already had to keep it in while waiting for you.'

'Don't go doing weird things.'

'I'm not really into sticking my nose in certain things.' I grinned and went to find my own moment of relief. When I returned I saw her peeking at me while she sat on her knees at the fireplace, and I couldn't resist teasing her. 'Ahh, the smell of spring flowers..' I said, smiling.

She growled. 'I knew I couldn't trust you!'

I laughed. 'I'm just kidding! I was too busy to smell anything.'

She still bared a fang at me before sitting back at the fire and I snickered. I took off my pants to wash myself quickly at the alcove where I kept a large bucket of water for that. It might be warm inside, but the water was too cool to be comfortable. I used the piece of cloth next to the bucket to dry myself when I noticed her staring at me. She saw my stare and looked back quickly at the fire. I felt a little embarrassed but figured this was the first time she had seen a naked human. I put on my pants after I shaved and went into the room to grab my tunic and socks.

'Breakfast will be ready in a little while.' I said, putting away the blankets.

She nodded, keeping her eyes on the fire.

I sat next to her, warming myself at the fire. 'Will there be someone looking for you?'

Her head seemed to sink deeper on her shoulders. 'Not really..'

I was surprised. The Kanis were social as far as I knew, not solitary. 'No family?'

'None of your business.' she snapped.

'Sorry, you're right.' I said, standing up to get our meal. 'The roast will be ready now.'

I handed her a dish and we ate in silence. She kept watching the fire after I had washed the dishes and returned. I put a mug of water next to her in case she'd like some and took my drawing tools and paper. I had kept myself busy during the last storm with drawing a couple of woodpeckers from memory. I was almost finished.

'What's that?' she asked, looking at me from the corner of her eye.

'I draw when I have nothing else to do.' I said, showing her the drawing. 'Some, I sell when I go to town.'

She looked at it for a while. 'Looks very good.'

I smiled softly. 'Thank you.' I said, looking at it again. Then an idea hit me. 'Would you mind if I draw you?'

Her ears twitched. 'Me?'

'Yes. I might never get another chance to draw a Kanis. And it'll be something to remember you by when you leave.' I said, putting the drawing aside and taking a fresh sheet of paper. 'Although I hope to see you again after this is over.'

'Why?'

'Like I said, to have a memory-'

'No, why would you hope to see me again?'

'Ah..' I said, pondering about the reason. 'I'd like it if we could become friends. I know you hate humans, but maybe there's a chance I can make you think differently about me.'

She huffed. 'No chance, but go ahead. The storm will be over before you can finish it.'

'Thanks.' I said and I sat next to the fire in front of her. 'So, would you sit up for me? Please?'

She looked blankly at me, then huffed again. 'Fine. Only because I don't have anything to do here and you look like a lost child.'

I chuckled and she sat with her legs tucked to her right and her hands in her lap. She looked dignified and strong, like a woman of noble birth.

'Oh,' I said. 'I haven't told you my name all this time. I'm Meless.'

'Kanji.' she said softly.

'Strong name. I like it.'

'Well, get to it.' she said, waving a hand at the drawing board.

I shook the image from my mind for now. 'Of course.' I said and started sketching.

*

Kanji filled me with energy and inspiration and I had made nice progress when my stomach reminded me it had gotten used to food again. I put the drawing board away and stood up, legs and hips stiff from sitting for so long. 'I'm getting hungry. Let's eat.'

She nodded and crawled to the drawing while I walked to the back to get the meat. She had taken the board to look at the drawing and touched it carefully. Her ears stood at full attention and a slow wag from her tail told me she liked it. I wanted to say something but thought better of it. She'd just play it down and I wanted to cherish this private moment. I prepared the meat, this time cutting it in small pieces and using different herbs, skewered it on several straight sticks and took it to the fireplace, sticking them into a piece of wood with holes to roast them near the fire.

'You're not going to ask?' she asked.

'Ask?'

'What I think of the drawing. You saw me look at it.'

I smiled. 'I could see what you thought of it.' I said. 'And I was happy.'

She looked away, fiddling with her fingers. 'I've never seen myself.'

'Not even in the reflection of water?'

'I have seen that. But that's not like this..'

'True.' I said. 'It wouldn't really reveal your beauty.'

Her ears went down a little and her tail pulled closer. 'Don't say that.'

'Sorry. I guess I was a bit too forward. But I won't deny what I've said.' I said, taking the drawing board and looking at her portrait.

I worked further on it while turning the skewers on occasion. When the meat was done I put everything away. She liked the idea of what I had made to have some variation with meals. I told her I could have made something more than meat if I hadn't used up all my reserves earlier. Building the cabin took so much time I neglected to stash more vegetables and fruits.

'Why are you living on your own here?' she asked. 'I thought all humans lived in towns and cities.'

I leaned against the side of the fireplace, throwing the last skewer into the fire. 'Most do. I, didn't feel like staying near people.'

'Did they hurt you?' she asked, pulling her tail closer and plucking on it.

'Not in the physical sense.' I said softly. 'They just kept reminding me of the time I spent with my first love.' She stayed silent and my chest tightened. 'We were crazy in love and planned on living together after I had build our own home. One beautiful summer day we went for a walk in the forest to collect her favourite berries. Then we encountered a bear.' I said, swallowing down a lump in my throat.

'If you don't want to tell..'

I shook my head. 'Might as well tell the whole thing.' I said, swallowing once more. 'We backed off, but moved closer to her newborn without noticing it. It charged towards us and I drew my knife. I stabbed it many times, hoping to chase it away without killing it but it threw me aside against a tree. I heard Gowenn scream. It ran away with her cub and I limped to my love, but she was already gone, her beautiful black hair stained with blood.'

I wiped my eyes, my face hurting from the memories of that day. 'The people in town didn't say they blamed me, but I could see it in their eyes. And I kept remembering moments together whenever I spoke to others, so I needed to get away, find a quiet place to live out my life. I packed my tools and went here to build a new home for myself.'

'Sorry..' she whispered, looking down.

'It's okay, I am at peace here.' I said, then chuckled. 'Unless I'm getting into a fight over food with a Kanis.'

She chuckled and smiled. I liked her smile, as strange as it sounded, and it made me feel comfortable.

She looked down again, plucking further on her tail. 'I suppose I can tell you why I'm here.'

'Only if you want to.' I said.

She smiled a little. 'I guess I'm here for a selfish reason.' she said. 'I didn't want to be bound to the male my mother had chosen for me.'

'Oh?'

'He was strong, which is why my mother wanted him to breed me and provide a strong family. But he didn't care about anything but himself. He saw others, and especially us females, as lower rank to serve him. The thought of being with him disgusted me and I got into a big fight with my mother. She just wouldn't give up on him, so I packed my things and ran away. I had just set up my shelter for the night when the storm hit. It was cold and I didn't have much food with me, so when I finally could get out after the storm and shot my next meal I wasn't in the best of moods when I found a human claiming my catch.' she said with half a smile.

'Heh, I'm glad you weren't feeling worse then.' I said and grinned deviously. 'And I still say it was my catch.'

She snickered and pounced me, growling at me. I laughed, trying to defend myself and wrestled her to the ground, but she was too quick, turning and pinning me on my back on the ground. We breathed hard and grinned at one another.

'You humans are just too weak.'

'I just can't fight against women.' I said, sticking out my tongue.

'I'm not like human women.' she said, baring her fangs in a grin.

'But you're still a woman.' I said, smiling gently.

She looked at me and I thought her golden eyes could see straight into my soul.

A gust of wind hit the cabin and broke our gaze. I checked the fire. 'I need to add another log.' I said. 'And maybe we should go to sleep.'

She nodded and stood up to take the blankets. I placed another log on the fire, watching her put the blankets down in two stacks. I turned off the lamp, undressed to my pants and saw her looking at me.

'Something wrong?'

She shook her head. 'I guess for a human male you don't look bad.'

'Thanks.' I said and crawled between the blankets. 'Sleep well.' I whispered.

'You too.' she whispered.

I was just about to fall asleep when I felt her lift up the blanket and move her back against mine. 'That's just to stay warm during the night and the cold morning.' she said. 'We always do that.'

'I see.' I said and smiled. 'Thanks.' The extra comfort made me fall asleep at once.

***

The next day we still had to spend indoors. We talked a little about growing up and I continued on Kanji's portrait. She looked really good and I caught her smiling gently several times, lifting my spirits. I did feel I'd miss her when she'd left and I secretly hoped the storm would last just a little longer.

We started cooking together, I showed her the drawings I had kept for myself, showed her further around the cabin and told her the fairy tale stories I remembered. She had warmed up to me and I could feel that warmth at night when she crawled against my back under the blanket.

The storm had lessened one morning and we took a peek outside. Snow was still coming down, but it was less and the wind had calmed down.

'The worst is over.' I said, clearing most of the snow around the door. 'It might be over at the end of the day already.'

She nodded and looked up at the sky. 'I can get back to my own shelter..'

A sinking feeling in my chest dampened the happiness I felt. '..yeah..' I said.

'Let's go hunting together when it has gone down. I owe you a good catch for letting me stay.' she said, smiling at me and wagging her tail slowly.

'Deal.' I said, looking forward to see her hunt.

*

It was around noon that we left the cabin with our bows. The sky was still filled with clouds, but no snow came down and the wind had died down to a breeze. We expected the wildlife to take advantage of the lull to move around. It took a while but we found a couple of deer. The breeze came from the right direction so we only needed to move closer slowly and quietly.

I gestured for Kanji to shoot the left one while I'd take the right one. She nodded and we aimed our bows. 'Shoot on three.' I whispered, receiving another nod. 'One, two, three.'

Our arrows hit the deer at the same time and they bellowed before falling down, hers twitching its legs for a short while.

'Nice.' I said. 'And this time we won't have to argue about who killed what.'

She gave me a light smack against my shoulder and grinned.

'This should last a while.' I said, examining the bodies.

'Yes.' she said, looking around.

'Something wrong?' I asked, looking at her.

She shook her head. 'I just think I recognise this bit. My shelter isn't far from here. We must have been going in the right direction.'

The inevitable moment had come. 'Shall I help you take this thing back?' I asked.

She looked back at me for a moment. 'You don't have to..'

I shrugged. 'Might as well make sure you get to your shelter safe and sound.'

She grinned. 'It would save me from hauling that heavy thing.'

'See?' I said and tied a rope around the deer's hind legs.

We dragged the deer across a low hill toward a collection of big rocks.

'I set up my shelter against that, away from the wind.'

When we arrived there she grumbled. The shelter had still been hit by the wind and lay broken against the stone. The hides she used for cover had torn apart and lay scattered around.

'That's not going to keep you warm.' I said, collecting the pieces while she dug through the snow blown into the part that still stood upright.

'I'll have to start all over again.' she sighed, taking her small collection of tools from the snow. 'I might as well go home and become a mate for that, that..'

'No!' I said.

She looked surprised at me.

'I can't let that happen.' I said, taking her hands in mine. 'Stay with me.'

'With you?'

'Yes. You don't need to go back and live an unhappy life there. You can stay with me, I have room enough for two. If we can spend several days together, we can surely survive until spring comes.'

There was something in her eyes that lit up and she smiled. 'You won't mind a Kanis staying for so long?'

'If you don't mind having to share it with a human.'

She hugged me tightly. 'Thank you. You really are a good human.'

I hugged her back, the sensation of her in my arms warming me up inside. She let go of me and gathered her things. I collected all useful skins and draped them over the deer to take back to my cabin. We dragged the deer back to where we shot it, collected the other and dragged them with some effort to the cabin where we hung them and drained their blood.

Inside I stamped my feet to warm them up and made room in the cold storage room. Kanji stoked the fire and prepared a meal in the meantime. We ate before we gutted and cleaned the deer and took them inside. When we were done I filled two buckets of water and added hot water from a kettle on the oven to wash ourselves.

'You've got blood all over your face.' she said and wiped it with a wet cloth.

'So do you.' I said after she was done with me and I cleaned her cheeks and muzzle. 'Hairless does make it easier to wash a face.' I said with a smirk.

'If you like the cold..' she grinned.

'Better be careful I don't steal your fur coat.' I said, giving her a wipe on her nose.

'And what would you do with it then?' she asked, putting a claw under my chin.

'I'd hold it and stroke it all day long.' I said, taking her hand and stroking it softly. 'Loving your softness.'

She smiled. 'Stealing my fur just to stroke it, you're weird.'

'Well, I would prefer to do it without having to steal it first.' I said, looking up.

She chuckled and gave me a light push against my chest. 'I'm no pet.'

'Shucks.' I said and grinned.

'Finish your bath, your naked skin makes me feel cold.' she said, taking off her chest wrappings and loincloth and washed them in the water.

The two small bumps on her chest made my heart skip a beat. It was not like nipples showed or they were bare skin. Just two curves covered in the same fur. But they had the same effect on me that I experienced some time ago. She wrung out her clothing and walked to the fireplace. I was already drawn to the movement of her buttocks and tail, then even more as she bend over to drape the clothing over two logs she had put in front of the fire. She turned around, kneeling down to sit on the blankets when she saw my stare.

'What?'

It took a moment for her question to register. 'Sorry, what?' I asked.

'You were looking at me. Did I miss a spot?' she said, checking her fur.

'Ah, no.' I said, looking at my bucket and wiping my chest with the cool wet cloth. 'It was nothing.' I was glad the water cooled me down. "She wasn't embarrassed to undress because she doesn't see me as a man. A Kanis man that is." I thought.

After I was done I washed my clothing and hung them at the back to dry before crawling between the blankets, thoroughly enjoying the anticipation of warming up my body after all that time in the cold outside.

She saw the wide smile on my face and chuckled. 'What are you so happy about?'

I looked up at the dark ceiling. 'I just got back from the cold outside where the wind has picked up again, there's enough food for a while, the fire's burning and I'm warming up under my blanket. It's a happy moment for me.'

She lifted my blanket, laid down next to me and looked up smiling. 'I think I understand.'

'Your warmth makes it even better.' I said, nudging my shoulder against hers.

Her smile faded a little and she stayed silent for a moment, making the wind outside the only sounds. 'If you hadn't come with me I wouldn't have known what to do.' she said softly. 'I'd be too proud to ask you for help and might have gone home or tried to fix my shelter and be stuck in that place, trying to hide from the wind.'

I moved my hand and found hers next to mine, took it and gave her a light squeeze. 'I would have walked with you to your shelter anyway. If only to feel better knowing you had a good place to stay.'

'You really are a weird human, caring for an enemy.'

'I never thought of you as an enemy. I have no reason to hate because history tells me. In fact, I like having you around.'

She gave me a gentle smile, then rolled on her side to me. 'Turn.' she said, pushing against my shoulder.

I rolled on my right as well, unsure of what she wanted from me until she crawled against my back, her left arm on mine and her muzzle in the back of my neck. 'Thank you for letting me stay again..' she whispered.

I gave her hand on my shoulder a pat, then closed my eyes.

***

The weather varied form windy with snow to quiet and we took every opportunity to go out and get some fresh air. We even shot another boar to add to our supplies. I collected a bucket full of pine cones to give a nice scent to the fire. A couple of birds broke the silence of the forest on our walk to the stream. I talked about a plan to clear an area next to the cabin and grow vegetables, so I wouldn't have to trade for them in town. It would also save me a lot of travel time. She told me their kind never use vegetables, unless there was nothing else to eat or if one was sick and needed to. She pointed out to me the direction where her clan lived, about a day's walk from here.

On our way back to the cabin before the weather would turn bad she slipped on something in the snow and fell with her muzzle in it.

'Are you all right?' I asked.

She looked up at me with her muzzle covered in snow. 'I'm fine.' she said and blew some of the snow of her muzzle with a huff.

The look of her face was cute and funny and I couldn't hold my laugh.

'Hey!' she said. 'Not funny.'

'Sorry.' I said snickering. 'It's just too cute.'

I looked away and the next moment I got a lump of snow thrown in my face.

'Who looks funny now?' she said, a wide grin on her face.

'You do.' I said, bend with my hands deep in the snow, and tossed a cloud at her.

'You want to fight?' she said laughing and made a quick snowball to throw at me.

It hit me on the side just as I made a snowball of my own and threw it back at her. We threw snow any way we could at each other, laughing like crazy. Eventually we fell down on our backsides and panted. I've never felt this warm outside in winter before. And it felt good to laugh this much again, especially because it was with her. I loved to see her laugh.

A roar and breaking of small branches close to her startled us, the next moment she yelped as the bear attacked her, biting and swiping its claws at her.

I felt my heart stop, grabbed my bow next to me on the ground and fired arrow after arrow at the huge beast, shouting for it to come at me. Everything but the bear had faded from sight. I wanted it dead, destroyed.

It roared at me in pain, charged at me for several steps, then sank through its legs after receiving two arrows in its head from me. I shot it twice more to make sure it stayed dead, then dropped the bow and tried to breath again. It took several tries to get air back in my lungs.

I heard whining behind the body and rushed to Kanji, blood all around her in the snow.

'Kanji!' I said, not sure where to look with all the wounds on her body.

She opened her eyes, her breath erratic. 'This is bad.' she groaned.

'I have to get you back inside.' I said, holding back my panic as best as I could. 'Can you take it if I carry you?'

She nodded quickly. 'Better than freezing out here.'

I lifted her carefully while she groaned and bit on the pain. I managed to pick her up in my arms and walked as quickly back to the cabin as possible without making her suffer more. Inside I put her down in front of the fire, grabbed a bucket of water and rags and cleaned her. The wounds were bad and I used two tunics to make bandages for her arms and body. I only had a few remedies available and put the kettle next to the fire to warm up water. Looking through the pots with dried herbs I took the ones I used to relieve pain and the ones supposed to help in times of sickness.

When the water was warm enough I helped her drink the mixture I had made. She had trouble swallowing but she drank it all.

'I'm sorry I don't have anything better.' I said, stroking her head slowly.

She gave me a forced smile. 'You're not like the shaman who knows medicine, but you tried your best. Thank you..' She closed her eyes. 'Let me sleep next to you and I should feel better in the morning.'

'Then sleep tight.' I whispered and held her hands in mine until I fell asleep from exhaustion.

***

Her hands were cold, and she shivered when I woke up. I stoked up the fire, prepared a new mug with herbs and checked on her wounds. I didn't like the dark purple colour around them.

'I'm cold..' she whispered.

'Here.' I said, laying an extra blanket on top of her. The water was warm and I poured it into the mug, stirred it and helped her drink again.

'I feel so tired..' she whispered and closed her eyes.

The sound of her fading voice wrenched my heart. I had to save her, didn't want to lose her like Gowenn. The loss of another loved one would kill me. I watched her sleeping face, realising I did love her. She had grown on me in such a short time, and I wanted to be next to her for the time to come. The mention of a shaman in her clan came back to me and I knew what I had to do.

I quickly cut some meat and heated the oven to roast it, donned the last tunic left over on the one I wore, added an extra log to the fire and packed some of the roasted meat, the rest I put next to Kanji.

'I'm going to get help.' I whispered and gave her a soft stroke on her head.

'Where are you going?' she asked.

'To your clan. I'll get the shaman to come here.'

Her eyes opened wide. 'You can't. They'll kill you when they see you.'

I gave her a smile. 'I won't let them. They'll have to come and save you.'

'You'll die out there if you go.'

'And you'll die if I don't!' I said, then sighed and caressed her cheek. 'I'll save you, even if it's the last thing I'll do.'

I stood up, tearing my eyes away from her. 'I left food and water for you. Have faith and wait for me to come back.' I said, then hurried out the door.

I needed to get my bearing, then tried to hurry through the snow to where her clan should be, hoping the weather wouldn't get as bad as I expected it to be.

**

It did though. Wind came from everywhere and I had to wrap my face to protect it. The fast walk I could manage through the snow made me sweat, but I never got warm because it cooled off immediately. I had eaten the meat during the walk to give me energy, then cursed for not thinking of the walk home. I didn't care for long though, the thought of Kanji getting sicker and dying without proper help spurred me on despite my slowly aching muscles.

A burst of heavy snowfall almost blinded me. I held up my freezing hand to protect my eyes. Unfortunately I didn't see the downward slope in time and slipped, rolled down the hill, crashing a couple of times into a tree before ending up at the bottom, groaning. I wished I could have stayed on my back there and rest. With some difficulty I stood up, glad to have no broken bones but cursed at the gash in my tunic which let in the cold. After taking a couple of deep breaths I continued my trek.

I guessed it was late in the day when I reached a path and followed it to a small clearing, seeing skin tents on the other side. I hurried up to them, happy to have reached her clan and shouted 'Hello! Hello!'. Several Kanis peeked out of their tents and I waved, shouting again. Three Kanis ducked inside and came out. My tiredness caused me to notice too late they had aimed their bows at me. 'No! Wait!' I shouted. One arrow hit me in the side of my thigh and brought me to my knees. I bit through the pain. 'Don't shoot! Kanji is dying!'

A shout from another Kanis made the others lower their bows. I tried to catch my breath while they came closer. The ones with the bows were joined by a female and one male with a walking stick.

He frowned at me. 'You spoke of Kanji.' he growled.

I nodded, biting back the pain in my leg. 'She's at my cabin. A bear attacked her while we were out walking.'

His eyes grew big. 'She was with you!?'

'Yes.' I said, taking a deep breath. 'We met while we were hunting and a storm forced her to take shelter at my cabin. She's been staying since her own tent had blown to pieces by the wind. Please, you must help her! Her wounds are grave and I can't save her!'

'She left on her own choice.' the female said in a low growl.

'Because she was forced to become a mate to someone she didn't like at all! Of course she would run away, but that doesn't matter now, she needs your help!'

The male and female talked softly and the female walked away. 'We can't help her now.' the male said and turned around. 'Go away before we kill you, human.'

Anger filled me and I got up from my knees, grabbing the male by the fur on his back. He spun around fast and slammed me to the ground, claws piercing my throat. 'I said, go away.' he growled, baring his fangs at me. 'We will kill you if you stay!'

'Then kill me! Tear me to pieces or torture me or do whatever you want!' I shouted, then swallowed, my eyes getting blurry with tears. 'But help Kanji.. I beg of you..'

The male looked back at the female who gave a nod after a moment. 'Lead us to her.' he growled and I finally felt better since I left Kanji in the cabin.

One of the other males pulled the arrow out of my thigh, causing me to scream. He grinned while he gave me some salve and a rag to tie around my thigh. The male with the walking stick returned carrying a bag, together with the female. 'What is your name?' he asked.

'Meless.' I said.

'Riona.' he said gesturing at the female. 'Our clan's mother. I'm Gram, shaman.'

'Thank you for coming.' I said.

'Move.' Gram said, pointing to the way back. 'it'll be dark soon.'

*

We walked until it became too dark for me to see. 'Sorry.' I said. 'I can't go further in this darkness. Even when I want to.'

'You care so much for her to risk your life in both this weather and coming to a Kanis clan?' Riona asked.

'Yeah.' I said, thinking it must sound stupid to both humans and Kanis since we're different races, not to mention enemies.

'Hold on to my arm. I will guide you through the dark in the direction we're going.'

Surprised, I took her offer and we made slow progress with me stumbling on occasion and biting through the pain in my thigh.

When we reached my cabin just as it became lighter I was drained. Not just from physical exhaustion, but also from worrying about Kanji. I hurried inside, kneeling next to her to know if she was still alive.

'Kanji..' I whispered, checking her breathing and caressing her cheek and muzzle. 'Don't leave me..'

A faint moan made me hopeful. Gram put down his bag and removed the bandages, examining the wounds.

'It's bad..' he said. 'But there is a chance.'

'If there's anything you need.' I said.

'I might need some of your blood.' he said, checking Kanji's eyes.

I rolled up my sleeve. 'How much?'

He chuckled. 'Not like that, just the passion and will to save another. For now, get me warm water.'

I nodded and stoked up the fire, putting the kettle next to it. Gram cleaned Kanji's wounds and applied salve before bandaging her. Then he made a brew from the herbs he had taken with him.

'Give this to her.' he said, handing a mug to me. 'I need to wash my hands.'

I tried to make her drink, but she wasn't conscious enough. 'She can't drink.' I said.

'Then give it to her mouth to mouth.' Gram said.

I looked at Kanji for a moment, the thought of getting that intimate made me nervous. I shook my head. It was to save her life and I took a drink of the brew, holding back spitting it out from the bitter taste. "Forgive me." I thought as I opened her mouth and placed mine on it, letting the brew flow into it and make her drink it. I was glad she swallowed it and continued feeding her the brew until the mug was empty.

'Live.' I whispered to Kanji, holding her in my arms.

'Good.' Gram said seeing the empty mug. 'Now we need to wait until tomorrow.'

He and Riona made themselves comfortable at one end of the room.

'Aren't you going to sleep?' she asked.

I shook my head. 'Not if I can help it. I want to keep an eye on her.' I said, but eventually I did fall asleep.

**

I woke up from the sound of Gram and Riona fixing a meal and making a new mug of brew. I looked at Kanji's face and thought she looked better already.

'Looks like you did fall asleep.' Riona said, sitting down next to me.

'Yeah..' I said, caressing Kanji's cheek.

'Do you think Kanis and humans can live together?'

I caressed Kanji's ear in thought. 'I don't know, but I think we made a good start.'

Riona nodded, sipping from her mug with warm water and a strong herb. 'You love her.'

It wasn't a question. She was right in her observation. I nodded.

'Does she love you?'

'I don't know. Maybe not.'

'Would you hate her if she doesn't?'

I pondered about that and shook me head. 'I'm human. I couldn't blame her if she has no feelings for me.'

Riona nodded and finished her brew. Gram checked her wounds and vitals while I stretched to get the stiffness out of my limbs. My thigh hurt but Gram gave me a salve and herb to drink, taking most of the pain away.

*

Kanji opened her eyes a little, making me happy. Gram's medicine worked and she asked for water. He made a new brew and I let her drink it slowly. When she had enough she gave me a smile, then fell asleep again.

'Why did her mother force a mate on her?' I asked when I sat back, next to Riona. 'Couldn't she choose one on her own?'

'To survive, a clan needs strong members.'

'But does that make the clan happy?'

I saw Riona opening her mouth, then closing it again for a few moments. 'It has always been this way.'

'I wonder if her mother actually loved her father. And if she didn't, why did she force the same fate on her own daughter when she knows how much that hurts?' I asked, taking the portrait of Kanji from the shelf next to me, looking at her dignified expression.

'Her father was a good mate, strong, caring. Despite knowing her mother wanted to be with someone else, he provided for her.' Riona said, closing her eyes. 'The one she loved had been mated with another female just before. She never said anything, only cried when she was alone.'

I put the portrait back and watched Kanji's slowly rising and sinking chest. 'Then I really don't understand..'

'She had a responsibility to the clan. Like her mother before her, and those before her. Kanji is the first to openly break the tradition. It doesn't sit well with some members. They talked about forcing her into obedience.'

'If they try that, I will be there to fight for her.' I said, anger rising at the thought of Kanji getting hurt. 'I will not let her lose her smile.'

'You would go against the clan?'

'If I had to, yes.'

Riona smiled and shook her head. 'We'll see when she's recovered.' she said and stood up to stretch. 'I'm going out to hunt. I can use some running now.'

***

Kanji opened her eyes fully the next day. She saw Gram working on his medicine, then looked at me. 'You really went to the clan..' she whispered, reaching out her hand to me and took my hand in hers.

Her smile made my heart beat faster.

'It must have been difficult..'

'It wasn't that bad.'

'Hah!' said Gram, not taking his eyes from his tools. 'He was a mess when he came to us, got shot in the leg, and begged with his life to come and save you.'

Her eyes grew bigger. 'You got shot?' she asked, holding my hand tight.

'Just a flesh wound. Nothing serious.'

'He was in pain the whole way back but too stubborn to rest.' Gram said.

'Meless..' she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. 'I'm so sorry..'

I caressed her cheek. 'Forget about me. It's you I worry about. How are you feeling?'

'Everything still hurts, but it's better.' she said. 'I think-' She looked at Riona who just came in from a walk outside. '..mother..?'

I jerked my head to Riona. 'You're..?'

She nodded. 'I am.'

I felt so bad about our earlier conversation that my stomach ached. 'I'm sorry. I said some things I shouldn't have.'

She waved it off and moved closer to Kanji. 'You seem better.'

Kanji nodded.

'Gram and I will go back to the clan. He made enough salve and left herbs for you to heal your wounds. When you're strong again, you two will come to see me.' Riona said, then gathered her things while Gram waited.

'Mother, I'm-' Kanji said softly but Riona gestured for her to stay silent.

'I will expect you soon.' she said, then went out the door.

I hurried outside after them. 'Riona, Gram!' I said and they looked back. 'Thank you for everything..'

They gave me a nod and went on their way.

'Meless?' asked Kanji after I got back inside.

'What is it?' I asked, sitting next to her.

'Will you lay next to me?'

I laid down next to her and she buried her face in my chest. 'My life is yours now.' she whispered.

I stroked her head softly. 'Nonsense, your life is yours. I didn't do it to have you owe me.'

'Then why?'

'Because I want to see your smile and laugh more often.'

'Thank you..' she whispered.

Her soft breathing told me she had fallen asleep again and I pulled a blanket over me to stay with her until she'd wake up again.

***

During the next days I washed and cleaned Kanji's wounds, applying salve and new bandages. I had to help her getting to and from the closet, which embarrassed her a lot, but I was glad she could clean herself because I doubt I could stay unaffected if I had to do that. Seeing her without clothes while changing bandages already tickled my imagination.

When her wounds were healed far enough she began to move around little by little until her body felt too sore. At night she would crawl into my arms and it made me wish to do this forever.

'It's still a little sore, but I can finally move around normally.' she said, stretching her body to test it.

'Don't overdo it yet.' I said, preparing our next meal. 'Make sure you're fully healed before going back to your normal activity.'

She moved up behind me and hugged me. 'I'll be careful. Don't want you to ever worry about me again.' she whispered, rubbing her muzzle in my neck and giving me wonderful goosebumps. 'Will you come with me for a walk when the wind dies down? I want to get out after all this time stuck in here.'

I put my arms on hers. 'Of course.'

*

It was later in the afternoon when the wind had died down and we went outside.

'Brr..' she said and shivered. 'I got too used to the warmth inside.'

'Do you want to go back inside?' I asked.

She shook her head and grabbed my arm. 'You'll just have to do until I'm used to it.' she said, sticking out her tongue playfully.

I chuckled at her cuteness and we just walked around without any specific direction in mind. She sniffed the cool air like it was her first time outside and her ears turned in every direction to the few sounds from the forest.

We enjoyed our silent walk until we came across the half eaten carcass of the bear. She gasped and turned away, holding my arm tight.

'I'm sorry.' I said, holding her close with my free arm. 'I forgot it was here. I should have taken a different path.'

She shook her head. 'It's not your fault. It was just the sudden memory coming back to me. I need to face it anyway.'

I rubbed her back softly. 'You won't have to do it alone.'

'Thank you.' she said and loosened her grip on my arm, looking back at the carcass slowly. 'You shot all those arrows?'

Most arrows were scattered, the ones in its skull still there.

'It went down after I shot it twice in the head, but if I had more arrows I would still have shot all of them, just to cause it pain until the last moment.' She looked back at me, gazing in my eyes. 'I would have torn it to pieces with my bare hands if it had killed you.'

She leaned her head against me until a cold breeze reminded us how comfortable it was inside. We went back and sat at the fire until we could eat. She yawned and we crawled under the blankets.

'Have you ever thought about finding a woman to live with again?' she asked, her hands resting against my chest.

'I haven't.' I said. 'I also didn't think I could love another human being like I did Gowenn.'

She looked up at me with her golden eyes. 'How about a Kanis?'

I swallowed, my heart beating faster. 'I already do.' I whispered and kissed her softly.

She leaned into me and returned my kiss, moving one arm around me to pull me closer. I moved my hand gently along her side, careful not to press against her bandages. She turned her head and opened up her mouth, inviting me to kiss deeper. I turned and kissed her gently with more passion, my fingers slowly sliding through the fur at the back of her head while she moaned softly at the new experience of pleasure.

The experience was just as new to me and certainly didn't leave me unaffected, which she noticed while we were pressed together. She touched me with a little curiosity and more desire.I pulled back, kissing her one more time. 'Is it okay to go all the way with a human?' I asked, caressing her cheek and ear.

She smiled and nodded. 'I found the mate that I want, that is all that matters.' she whispered and pushed me gently on my back. 'Let me show my gratitude for you.'

She undressed me, her desire for me clearly in her eyes. 'I've seen Kanis males before, but this is the first time I get this close to a male, and it's a human one.' she said. She straddled me, leaning gently on my chest and sighed as she moved slowly against me.

Becoming one with her was wonderful. We breathed in unison with her rhythmic movement, experiencing each other intimately in our shared pleasure.
'I can't move any faster yet..' she moaned as our heat built up.
'I wouldn't be able to hold back for long if you did..' I groaned, moving my fingers through her fur while I was overwhelmed by our shared passion. 'I've never felt like this before..'
'You don't have to hold back.' she moaned. 'When I'm stronger you can make love to me all you want..' The thought made her want to heal even faster.
'Kanji..' I groaned, her declaration releasing my last restraints and she joined me in our first moment of bliss together.
She laid down on my chest and kissed me passionately. I answered her passion while running my fingers through her soft fur.
After a long time kissing she slid off of my chest. She looked playfully at me. 'Will you be disappointed if you have to wait for more?'
I smiled at her. 'I already got more than I dreamed of getting. I could never be disappointed in you.'
She pulled the blanket on top of us and snuggled up to me, her head on my shoulder. I stroked her head and held her hand on my chest. 'I love you, my Kanis cutie.' I whispered.
'I love you, my sweet human.' she chuckled and closed her eyes, whispering 'My fantastic protector..'.

***

Her strength returned the following days, enough even to go hunting with me on the better days. We also had more slow sex more often, and snuggled up the rest of the time. She could finally lose her bandages and I made a comb to fix her fur. She loved it when I ran my fingers through her fur and the effect it had inside my pants. We learned every intimate detail of each other's body, including the pleasures it gave.

It looked like the worst of winter was over. The sun shone on occasion, making the white landscape glitter everywhere. We had another walk through the forest.

'It's about time we have to visit the clan.' she said, holding my hand tighter as she looked a little sad.

'Yeah..' I said. 'Are you worried your mother will force you to stay?'

'I don't know. She might, but I only want to be with you.'

'I won't let her do anything you don't want.'

She smiled softly at me. 'You wouldn't be able to win if it came to a fight.'

I leaned closer to her and kissed her. 'I'll still show them what a human is capable of when it comes to his loved one.'

She smiled and kissed me. 'He won't be fighting alone.'

I held her tight and we kissed for a while before continuing our walk.

***

We left early on another partly sunny day. We took plenty of food with us and I had made a sort of large bag from the skins of her old shelter. If the weather turned bad we could crawl together in it to protect ourselves and keep warm.

We were lucky though, and arrived at the clan just before it started to get dark on the horizon. Kanji felt nervous, as did I, and we held our hands tight as we approached the tents. Two males greeted us and gestured at the entrance to the largest tent. 'Clan mother and our shaman are inside.' one said.

I nodded at them and held up the heavy flap that covered the opening in the side for Kanji. I followed he in and found Riona and Gram sitting on the other side of a small fire.

'Sit.' said Gram, indicating two thick folded skins on the ground.

We put away our things to the side, sat down and Riona spoke after they watched us for a moment. 'You look healthy.' she said to Kanji.

Kanji nodded. 'Thanks to Gram's help.'

'I only fulfilled a desperate request from an insane human.' Gram said. 'It's that human you have to be grateful for.'

Kanji looked at me, smiling gently. 'I am.' she said, her fingers touching mine, I slid mine between hers and blushed.

'You know our laws and traditions.' said Riona. 'And I know about the human laws which all say that any contact between our races is forbidden, even punishable by death.'

Both Kanji and I tensed, expecting the worst.

'Then I'll let you know I've taken Kanji as my mate and will defend her to my last breath if anyone tries to harm her.' I said.

'And I fight by my mate's side.' Kanji said.

Riona and Gram kept silent until she nodded. 'So be it then.' she said and Gram unfolded a skin next to him, revealing two thin bladed knives made from bone.

Behind us came two females into the tent and I rose to my feet with Kanji. 'Don't try to stop us.' I threatened, but with just my knife handy I felt it was a hollow one.

'Sit.' said Riona. 'It's not what you think.'

We looked at her and she nodded at our seats. 'Sit.'

I looked at Kanji who gave me a nod and we sat back down. The two females sat beside us and placed food near the fire.

'Even though you had already confessed to loving her to me, I still feel a little surprised to hear you've both chosen each other.' said Riona to me.

'You told her?' Kanji asked softly.

I nodded with a little smile. 'When we got back to the cabin to heal you. I suppose there was no way for me to hide it.'

A tear welled up in her eye and she wiped it away. 'You really are weird.'

'Then there's the part where he told me how bad of a mother I am for following traditions.' Riona said and I felt my face turn red from guilt.

'I didn't mean-' I said but she stopped me. Kanji looked surprised at me.

'You were basically right.' Riona said. 'I let my worry about Kanji finding a good mate get to me when she had no interest in any male.' Kanji looked back at her mother. 'I didn't really love your father when we were mated, but he cared for me so much I did learn to love him in time.' she said to Kanji. 'He loved you from the moment you were born and I became happy with our little family. He recognised the hunter in you and made you a gift before he died from his sickness. He asked me to give it to you when you had found your own mate.'

Gram took the skin with the knives and moved to Kanji, handing it to her.

'These were made from the antlers from the first deer he killed to provide for me. One from the right antler, the other from the left to symbolise both sides of the mating. He wishes you happy hunting in your new life..' Riona said, smiling gently, then added 'And so do I.'.

Kanji handed me the skin and rushed to her mother, hugging her while she cried. Gram sat down next to me while I swallowed a lump down my throat.

'Her father was my brother.' he said. 'And I know how much it took for him to get Riona to love him, but she did end up loving him from the bottom of her heart. She still does.'

I nodded and smiled. 'I'm glad she didn't have to break with her mother or the clan.' I said. 'I wouldn't know how to fix that.'

'You started the first and more than friendly relation between us. I guess you would have found a way.' he said with a little smirk.