The grey wolf chased me relentlessly through the forest. No matter how fast I ran, the horse in front of me barely came closer to my reach. I turned back to look, to see if I had pulled away or at least created distance, but I had not. He walked just off my hip. The eyes, the eyes, their cold moonlight silver knowing look. I thought I could feel him smile. I could feel his pleasure as he toyed with me in the hunt that never finished.

I woke up out of breath, panting in a puddle of my own sweat. "Fucking hell." I sat up and took a drink from the glass of water beside my bed. When I blinked, his eyes haunted me, daring me to dream again.

I had dreamt of him all night. since we had returned. The growing light of sunrise told me that I would not get a chance at comfortable sleep again. Whatever tricks my mind wanted to play had worked. In every dream I ran for my life. In every dream he, they, it, that creature just watched. Heckling, laughing, taunting me.

I found a seat by the window and took the time to appreciate the stars before they faded in the morning light. Their twinkle brought me back to the lake, into resting my head on Achilleus' shoulders and listening to his stories. I thought of the Ghalene, the innocent daughter of the god who had died for nothing. Somewhere out there in the sky, her star shimmered bright and proud through the pain that she had endured.

Somewhere out by the lake, the grey wolf that haunted my dreams was dying alone in a cave. As terrifying as he might have been, he hadn't attacked. He was crippled by the princes bow for the crime of hiding in a bush and watching us. I sighed out a groan "damnit" and stirred to my feet. Living things shouldn't suffer for no reason. The stupid wolf shouldn't have been there, but it shouldn't die for that. I cursed myself under my breath as I pulled on a simple gown and a leather satchel. I didn't have a plan in the slightest. To start I walked quietly to the library, keeping to the long dreary shadows that the faint lamp let linger in the stone corridors. I picked up a field medicine guide from an old war and stuffed it in my bag. Humans and wolves couldn't really be that different. A war guide would teach how to dress an arrow wound. But what would I need when I got there. Bandages probably, maybe a splint to steady a bone if it broke it.

It was a long walk to the infirmary. A cold dry room full of empty cots and shelves full of various concoctions. I wandered from shelf to shelf and gathered a few clotting salves and regenerative drinks that helped soldiers to recover. I had seen them used a few times. They weren't pleasant to watch, but the results were remarkable after a few days of sleep. I wandered to the other side of the room and stuffed a few bandages, a splint, and a tourniquet. There, If he will let me help I should have what I need, I can take the arrow out and patch it up, it will be fine... but how to get close. I thought for a bit about how I might win its trust. If I was hiding in a cave alone I wouldn't trust very many people. Not unless I knew they didn't want to hurt me. I would be cold, and hungry. I grabbed a blanket off the shelf and snuck my way to the kitchen.

The kitchen was huge. This early in the morning there were plenty of servants getting ready for the day. Luckily, with my hair a mess and my clothing so simple they hardly paid attention to me. I ducked around tables with massive cuts of meet prepped and wandered back the the pantry. Berries, fruits, nuts, grains. They would be easy to transport. I realized after shoveling the third handful of pecans in my bag that wolves didn't eat nuts. Great job Aryanna.I scolded myself. Meat. I needed meat. I walked back over to the tables that seemed to have an endless supply of steak and lamb. Sure, just a few cuts of it. I wrapped two portions in a cheese cloth and stuffed it in a pocket on the side of my bag before scampering off to the stables.

The ride to the lake was a beautiful wash of sunrise hues and waking critters scurrying in and out of their boroughs. It would have been rejuvenating if every sound that my mind made up hadn't pushed me towards insanity. my knuckles were white around the handle of the dagger I wore on my thigh. It was small but sharp. Against a wounded wolf It might protect me, but there wasn't much else it was good for.

When I came to the lake I road along it until I came to the blanket that we had abandoned. "Alright buddy." I said patting my mount on the neck. "This tree looks good. Just don't leave me behind out here or Ill never get home." I chuckled nervously. I checked the knot twice to make sure I wouldn't be abandoned.

"okay..." I thumbed into my bag and took out the steaks. It was probably better to lead with food. He has an arrow in his leg. He can't hurt you. I slowly crept towards the formation of rocks where they grey wolf had fled. I followed a trail of dried blood until I came to the mouth of a cave that the creature was surely in. I took a slow breath and listened. Was it awake, was it alive.

I held my hand out with the meat and pivoted myself slowly into the cave. "I have some food for you buddy.." I said in my sweetest voice.

A gruff quiet voice came back to me. "Unless its cooked, it won't be much good for me." The voice chuckled.

I froze in place and gave my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness at the back of the cave. A massive man built like a mountain sat against the wall with an arrow through his thigh. He was hairy, with long grey hair on his head and a rugged grey beard to match. Our eyes locked together and I knew immediately who was in front of me.

"You're the wolf!" I blurted out.

He took a deep inhale and rested his hands on the ground palm down at his sides. "A dangerous accusation to throw in these lands. I was passing through in the early morning and was mugged."

"I don't believe you. I saw you last night, you were stalking the prince and me."

He coughed harshly and shifted a into more of a comfortable seated position.

"Our stories may have to differ then." He said sternly.

I nodded and stepped into the cave. "Well, I do have food and medicine if you will accept it, If you were mugged you deserve a little kindness." I sat the satchel down on the ground and sat the meat on top of it.

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He waved his hand dismissively at me. "Don't bother. Save your resources, I am fine as I am."

"You are hardly fine." I scoffed. "You're nude in a cave with an arrow through your leg, I'm not sure how much not fine a person can be really. Besides, these resources were meant to help a wolf anyways, they aren't wasted on you."

The strong man took another thoughtful breath. "Do you have a name for me to thank you by?"

"Arya." I said.

"I am Inigo, and I thank you for your help." He gave a timid wave "If you get sticks I know how to make a fire." He said.

"I can make a fire as well, let me be helpful, you just rest. We will take a look at that arrow once we have good enough light." I excused myself out of the cave to gather wood.

The bushes and grass along the lake would not make for a good fire. They would be too fresh, would make too much smoke for such a little cave. I wandered out behind the cropping of rocks and found a dead bush and dry grass.

It wasn't hard to break it down into something manageable to carry. The fire might require a lot of attention with fuel that was so small, but it would get hot enough to cook the meat, and bright enough to fix the man's wounds.

As I scavenged around for larger chunks of wood I started to consider his story. Inigo had claimed to have been mugged passing along the trail.

I didn't buy the story. I could have looked around the trail for signs of a struggle, or discarded supplies that the muggers didn't care to carry but I didn't need to. I could feel it when I looked at him. I would recognize those eyes from anywhere.

When I returned to the cave, Inigo showed me how to light the small fire by striking a rock with my blade to make sparks. We worked in silence until the flickers settled into something stable. I placed the steaks on stones that circled around the flame and sat across from him with my back to the other wall.

"Why were you in the bush last night?" I asked, breaking the silence with the thought that had been eating at me the most.

"I told you. I wasn't." He insisted.

I could feel that he was holding back. I was so sure it was him. No matter how much I wanted him to admit it, I realized that he wouldn't confess. A werewolf had no business being so far past the west woods. If any one found him, it wouldn't take much imagination to think of what would happen.

"Then it wasn't." I said sharply, harsher than I meant. "There was a wolf here last night though. I had thought that he was a threat, but I'm afraid that he might not have been. That he might have been hurt for nothing."

I looked up from the fire and locked eyes with the man. They made me shudder. "You must travel these roads a lot, any smart traveler knows the lay of the land so you must know plenty about wolves," I started to imply.

"I know a few things." He confirmed, raising a brow.

"If there had been a large grey wolf hiding in a bush, watching me... why would he be there?" I asked, leaning forward in search of an answer.

Inigo leaned forward slightly, thinking for a moment if he cared to play around with my hypothetical, I could see him thinking through each word before he said it.

"I would imagine he may have been keeping a pack of red wolves away from your horses." He leaned back against the wall "just a guess though."

"I never said anything about the red wolves..."

"a lucky guess then" He dismissed.

A pensive silence hung in the air between us. Without the crackling of the fire there may have been no sign of life in the cave at all.

I finally leaned forward to flip my steak, the motion forced me to feel the need to break the silence. "If he was doing that, I imagine I should be thankful."

I almost saw the corner of his lips pull back into smile but he covered it up by leaning forward to flip his food as well.

"If you hadn't shot him, I imagine your gratitude would be well received."

I nibbled on the inside of my lip as I watched him come to rest against the wall again. I looked down to his wound then back to him. "I'm sorry."

Inigo gave a gentle sort of nod and cleared his throat. "It is done, it's in the past."

"If we had known, we wouldn't have shot you"

Inigo laughed. "I'm sure you would like to think that. Your prince acted out of fear. If he had held his composure he wouldn't have shot at all. A wolf my size wouldn't have left bodies behind to identify. It takes more than a wimpy arrow to take me down. At least, more than that to take me down in any way that is meaningful."

"We were both afraid." I said, quick to defend our decision.

"of course you were, I'm terrifying, fear is a very human trait, there is no shame, and no judgment."

"a human trait? Do werewolves not fear?" I asked, in disbelief.

"we do, just differently" he said, calmly, not so all against sharing the emotion. "I fear for my pack, and for the village we call home. I fear for their safety. That fear does not hold me back though, it keeps me sharp."

"Do you live in a village here?"

"No, if did, I would still say no, I'm sure you understand"

"I do," I nodded "it was a stupid question." I reached over to my bag and started to lay them to the side, I could feel inigo craning his neck to get a better look at what I had brought.

"Are you a doctor?" He asked.

"No, but I've read books" I explained.

He laughed so loud that I thought the cave might come down on top of us. "Princess, I don't want your medicine."

"You doubt me, just because I'm a princess?" I could feel my face turn hot. I knew what I was doing, he would be fine. If he didn't get treated it would get infected and kill him.

"No. I doubt doubt your confidence. But I don't want your medicine." He confirmed, reaching over and picking up the steak with his hand. He took a bite.

"Inigo, if I don't treat you, you will die here."

"I know."

"Are you crazy?"

"No." He said calmly. "It's a great honor to have a choice in where you die. Man people don't get such an opportunity."

I was stunned. How could any man so readily face his death, especially when survival was an option. "I- don't be stupid. I will stabilize it and help you to the infirmary, the doctors will help you. You will be free to go back to your village." I promised.

He gave me an apologetic smile. "Princess, I come with you. My wound healed, your princess connects the dots, my head rolls." He took a look around the cave. "I'd rather die here, under the stars, with a beautiful lake, and the sounds of nature."

"So I've come all this way for you and you won't let me help you?"

"You came all this way, yes. You gave me a choice, you gave me a warm last meal, for that I am thankful."

The energy bubbling in my chest made me want to reach across the fire and slap him until he came to his senses.

I could reach over and yank the arrow out, he would have no choice but to let me help.

"Princess, look at me." He said, but I couldn't make myself look into his eyes again. Not knowing that I couldn't help him.

He raised his voice "Look. At. Me." My eyes snapped up to his. I could feel my grip clamp down on a bundle of bandages.

"Princess, you did a good job, you found me and treated me with dignity, that's more than any of your people can say. But it is time for you to go. I have made my choice. The kindest thing you can do is accept it."

Silently I looked away. "You can have the other steak."

I closed my satchel and crawled back out of the cave. I left the bandages and salves in case he changed his mind. In case he didn't want to be saved he somebody like me.

My heart hammered in my throat just like it had last night. My hands trembled. This fear was worse than last night.

Last night I knew I could nothing.

I determined in the moment that my hands wrapped around the horses lead that the worst flavor of fear was having the power to do something, but not being able to.

I found my way onto my mount and spent a moment to find my voice. "Last chance!" I called out. But the wolves voice did not respond.

The ride home was not beautiful. The critters that crawled around in the grass could not console me in the moment. Having spent my life shut up in my bedroom, it was hard to imagine a loneliness that might sting more.

Riding away from the lake was a special loneliness because I didn't feel alone. Every time I shut my eyes, his stared back at me.