It was the longest night of her life. Torn between the desire to change into a wolf ant and run away, and the horror of imagining what the villagers would do if they knew about her ability, Bug sat under the hitching post. Hiding her face behind curly hair, she tried to calm the constant shivering. The air temperature had fallen significantly, but no one bothered to offer her a coat or blanket. The men who changed each other every hour smelled like hot coffee and a fireplace. Some kept their distance and only stared at the hunchback girl with a mixture of fear and disgust, while others berated her and tried to provoke her. The blades of axes reflected the light from torches. 'Will it end in the morning? How? What will the elderly couple do?' It was hard to believe that they would get into a dangerous situation just to bail her out. But she was their only worker, dealing with all the hard and routine tasks. So, the only hope was to bet on their greed.

Hugging herself by the shoulders, Bug stared at the distance. Darkness had fallen onto the forest, and she sensed no movement behind the hedge of evergreen hollies. The swarm must have been living its regular life, with workers performing the usual set of tasks and soldiers patrolling the nest grounds. The girl sniffed, burying her face in her knees. The collar felt suffocating and hurt her neck every time she moved. 'It's okay. I'm glad I met them. They will be fine... I wish I could thank them for everything,' fighting back tears, Bug turned away from the forest. The place she longed to escape to every day was now out of her reach.

Exhausted from constant tension and fear, the girl started nodding off. It felt like a few minutes had passed when a sudden noise woke her up. Once again, the square was filled with people. Whispering at first, their voices sounded louder and louder. Bug immediately noticed the head of the village, an old man with gray hair and a beard. She didn't expect mercy from him. Still there was no trace of pity in his dark brown eyes and the girl's heart ached. Without interrupting, the man silently watched and listened to the villagers. The smooth buzz of constant talking was finally interrupted by a familiar voice: "She changed just before sunrise," said Ehsan triumphantly. "I saw her grow horns and hooves."

Bug slowly looked around. She wasn't seeking support, but at least some sign of disbelief. The boy's words were clearly a poorly made-up nonsense, yet there was no trace of doubt in the adults' eyes. 'It's not fair. They all know me from childhood. At least once, just once they could have trusted me.' Ehsan's face remained serious, while his eyes laughed at her so openly that girl snapped.

"It’s not true! I didn't turn, I didn't!"

"How dare you accuse my son of lying! You wretched thing!" the woman, whose hand was lying on Ehsan's shoulder, angrily shouted at Bug. No one could stop the enraged mother. She stepped forward and slapped the girl. Bug covered her cheek with her palm, trying to calm the throbbing flesh. Tears started to run down her face. Unable to control her boiling emotions, she shouted at the woman: "He is a liar! I didn't turn! I have no hooves or horns!

"Ha! So, you are a monster!" the boy jumped between his mother and the hunchback. Triumphant smile, he pointed at Bug. "She is a witch! She used magic!"

The village head glanced at the elderly couple. Both stood quietly, the woman’s face turned pale. The old man leaned on his cane and gazed at his feet. Finally, he patted his wife's hand and said, "She fooled us. She fooled everyone. After all we've done for her, she turned to magic, that cursed soul in an ugly body."

They were surprisingly ready for this turn of events. But she only noticed now the specific folders on the boys' shirts. Using their clothes as bags, they brought "ammunition" to the square. Such twisted readiness made Bug's heart sink deeper into despair. She hoped the village head would send her to the capital, but if the worst came, she hoped for a painless death. While adults were wary of her, teenagers' eyes glimmered with delight.

Sticky tension, similar to that during a tax collector's every visit, hung over the square and almost eclipsed the morning sun. Despite the cool air, Bug greedily breathed as if she were suffocating. The first step was the hardest to take. The grown-ups hesitated. Just like always, while adults tried to behave in a civilized manner, teenagers turned into wild beasts in an instant. The first stone, thrown by one of the boys, caused the others to exhale in thrill. Bug covered her shoulder, pressing the bruise with her palm. When she noticed another swinging movement, the girl tried to escape. The chain stretched and pulled her back. A few stones hit her at the same time. Someone started wondering if it wouldn't be better to hand the girl over to the authorities. Bug heard those rhetorical questions, trying to cover her head.

There was no way to escape the hail of stones. Those who didn't bring any, were resourceful enough to spit and curse at her. Bug tried to avoid the flying rocks. Alas, the chain was holding her, restraining her movements. She was at the center of a small circle, within which she was the sole and very convenient target. The hunchback girl, who was always the third wheel to the villagers - now they finally got the justification to get rid of her. Even better, she was labeled as a witch and erasing her from existence was a virtuous thing to do. She felt on her knees, exhausted from futile attempts to resist and escape. After numerous hits, her body ached and felt numb. Her left hand dropped limply - a precise stone thrown by one of the teenagers broke her wrist. Her helplessness only added to the villagers' enthusiasm. A few women grumbled at those who blocked their children's view. Someone came up with an idea, and the joyful kids continued watching the execution while sitting on grown-ups' shoulders.

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The people were too indulged in the lynching of the girl. They were reckless enough to gather at the square without leaving any guards. Then again, they were protected by the soldiers of the wall, so they relied on patrols and allowed themselves to enjoy the execution. The noise was loud, and it took a few seconds for someone to start listening for a particular sound. One by one, as if covered by an unrelenting catastrophic wave, humans went silent. In the silence, the hissing sound pierced through the cool air. It was close, too close, and filled no more with warning but with rage.

Bug recognized the owner instantly. The crowd blocked her view, but in an instant, it moved with screams and shouting. Those who were standing at the back turned around and faced a furious monster. Its mane's black fur was disheveled, and its robust mandibles and sharp fangs were prepared to strike. Infinite joy turned into horror. Teenagers turned to run, knocking down children on their way. Women cried for help; their husbands rushed to find any weapon that could slow the beast down. In a blink of an eye, chaos took over the square. The village head called out, appealing to reason, but his voice was drowned out by the screams.

The elderly couple ran away before Bug lifted her head and looked around. A few men faced the monster with axes. It took only a couple of swings of powerful paws and the humans were thrown back. Their neighbors came to rescue and helped the wounded get to safety. In less than ten minutes, the square was empty. Only the hunchback girl and the wolf ant were left.

When Bug's eyes met Kindhearted's golden ones, all her fears came to life. He witnessed her miserable state and recognized her scent. It was the same scent he followed through the trail she took so often from the village to the nest. And when she didn't show up all night, the worried wolf rushed to search for her. Like any other long and delightful dream, this one was over. Whether he was angry with her for hiding the truth or pitied her, it didn't matter. The girl covered her face with an unwounded hand.

"No, please don't look. I'm not a proud hunter or hardworking worker. I'm nobody, just an ugly helpless outcast…"

The clacking sounds of claws on pavement made her stop. Sobbing, the girl removed her hand blocking the view. Kindhearted was beside her. He moved his muzzle closer to the chain and grabbed it with his mandibles. She reacted too late. The wolf squeezed the chain tightly, but the metal was too strong for him to break. He tried harder, but it didn't work. Instead, chitin cracked on one of its mandibles. The girl winced at the sound. She could feel the pain hurting the wolf's flesh under the chitin covering.

"Stop," pleaded Bug, pointing at a weapon dropped by one of the men. "Bring me an axe, please."

Kindhearted let go of the chain and moved towards the weapon. He sniffed at the handle before carefully taking it into his mouth. When he brought the axe to the girl, she used it to remove the collar. She tried to be careful, but still cut her skin on her neck slightly. All this time, Kindhearted patiently waited, glancing only at the street from time to time. Finally, the heavy chain fell onto the pavement. The girl lifted her head, looking again at the wolf's eyes. There was no contempt or condemnation in his gaze. He was relieved that he had found her in time.

"So you came for me."

Kindhearted looked bigger than he remembered. Was it because his fur was disheveled or because she usually saw him only when she was a wolf herself?

Even though the people had already run away, Bug could still hear their screams and footsteps. They were still nearby, and without a doubt, they would return soon with pitchforks, bows, and arrows. It would be best to leave now while they still could. She looked around the square at the houses, paved road, outdoor counters in front of shops, every bit of civilization where humans belonged. The wet nose touched her cheek and sniffed. Bug lifted her hand and gently stroked the furry muzzle.

It wasn't a difficult decision to make. The girl smiled and hugged the wolf's neck. A pair of mandibles carefully wrapped around her waist and a few moments later the square was completely empty.