Winter was coming to an end, something that was already beginning to show in the changing weather. Cold had been receding with each passing day, giving way to a warmer, spring-like temperature, and that had made the snow melt, dressing the landscape in a radiant greenness. There were still a few patches in areas that were usually in the shade, but almost all of the white blanket had melted. The vegetation, nourished by the humidity and heat, had begun to grow vigorously, covering itself with tender sprouts as bright as emeralds. The birds had also entered the season, beginning their courtship songs and the construction of the nests where they would raise their offspring.

That afternoon, to make the most of the warm weather, Sofia decided to go jogging for a while. With each step she took, she inhaled a breath of air, which she then slowly released through her mouth. A multitude of smells entered her nose, among which, as always, stood out the smell that pines spilled over the hills surrounding El Cerro. For an instant she closed her eyes and allowed herself to visualize her surroundings through what her nose and ears perceived. She heard the chirping of birds, the sighing of the breeze flowing through the branches of the trees and the almost imperceptible step of a predator lurking in the vegetation. She smiled.

“I know you're there.”

From the bushes the predator leapt out, dressed in his human-like disguise, and cornered her against the trunk of a nearby tree. With a smile on his lips, he let out a playful growl, to which Sofia responded with an identical growl and a defiant glare. It was only play, and he was grateful he didn't have to pretend to be human when he was with her, although Sofia would not deny that she enjoyed the closeness they shared. She liked the feeling of his fangs nibbling at her neck, the warmth of his body and his scent; that masculine musk that mingled with the scent of pine, earth and greenery, and which at that moment had another subtlety added to it.

“I know. If I had wanted to, you couldn't have noticed my footsteps,” said Dave with a little smile.

“You're so full of yourself!”

Sofia gave him a gentle push and slipped out from under his arms to start running again. The boy followed her, with a smile so bright that it lit up his whole face as fell into step with her. While they jogged, Sofia stole him a furtive glance and a soft blush appeared on her cheeks. He was different, and not just because he hadn't repressed his nature for two months. Ever since she had discovered his secret, he was more relaxed, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His behavior towards her was also more natural, more laid back, which was to be expected since he no longer had to pretend. Sofia smiled. She loved the complicity of sharing that secret with him.

“Did you put the false trail?” Sofia asked.

“Yes. Tomorrow I want to go out to the area near the stream. I've detected the presence of mouflon and I want to try my luck. I've left a trail a bit higher up, in the area near the fern meadow. It's reasonably close to the last track I left, so I'm hoping he'll stay there looking for me so I can hunt in peace.”

“What about that roe deer smell you're carrying? It's roe deer, isn't it?” Although he had shown her many of the different smells of the forest, she still doubted with ungulates.

“Yes, it’s roe deer. I've... used the opportunity to leave another evidence,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. A sheepish smile appeared on his lips and his four small fangs came into view.

Sofia glanced sideways at him and smiled. The sunlight filtering through the branches of the trees brought out the golden color of his hair and the blue of his eyes. He kept his gaze straight ahead as he ran and his breathing flowed in rhythm with his steps, but he seemed relaxed after having let himself go. Biting her lip, she allowed herself to lower her gaze down his body. The weather was warm so they were both dressed in a T-shirt and shorts that concealed far less than the tracksuits they usually wore in the winter. Sofia couldn't say she disliked what she saw.

Both his legs and arms were strong, with hard muscles but without being exaggerated like those of bodybuilders. Every time he put his foot on the ground, his calf muscles showed under his skin. His entire body was covered with a considerable amount of whitish-blond body hair that made him look more grown-up than he was, but unlike humans, his was softer. It was a shame that he was wearing such a loose T-shirt because she'd had the pleasure of seeing what was under it, and she wouldn't have minded another look.

“Hum? What are you thinking about now?” asked Dave when he caught her looking at him.

“Nothing in particular. I'm glad that we can talk so freely about this,” answered Sofia, blushing.

“Me too,” he replied, smiling. It was that wide, spontaneous and sincere smile that made butterflies sprout in her belly.

Sofia hadn't told him that she was really drooling over him because she thought he was really hot, but the answer she'd given him wasn't a lie either. After that night, not only had they hatched plans to keep Rodrigo away, she had also joined him several times on his outings into the forest. Sometimes, while Sofia was exercising, he would follow her as a dog, and it was worse than going with Kas. At least the dobermann usually ran alongside her, but Dave wandered back and forth, he got distracted with the smells and sometimes he disappeared in the undergrowth for a while and appeared soon after.

The full moon had risen since twice since then, and Sofia had kept him company, though she hadn't spent the whole night with him. They didn't just do dog things, like run through the woods and follow tracks. They had also played cards, and they had chatted, at least as much as they could, considering that he, when he was in his natural form, couldn't talk. However, Dave also needed to be a dog and give vent to his instincts, so eventually he left to go hunting and Sofia, unable to keep up with him, returned home. That was something that bothered her a lot, and the feeling of being trapped in her hairless human body hadn't lessened since the first night they shared.

“What you did was crazy, but...” Dave let out a quiet sigh and smiled. “I'm glad you did it. I'm glad we got our routine back, that we can meet up to study and to take Kas out. Most of all, I’m glad that I can be myself without being afraid of what you'll think if you ever see my fangs or... or my tail, or anything.”

“Don't overdo it with the studies either, Dave. You're not repressing your nature now but you're still pushing yourself with your studies. You need to relax a bit, especially during exam periods. You're doing better than you think.”

“Don't worry, I've learned my lesson and I'm trying to do other things besides studying. Sadly I don't have my piano or my video games, but there are other things I like to do as well.”

“Piano? You can play?”

“Yes, I can play,” said the boy, blushing a little. “It's still at my parents' house, and I'd like to get it back when I pass the public exams and find an apartment to live in. I want part of my old life back. God, I hope I don't end up stationed in a big city. I think I'll go crazy if I don't have a park or a forest nearby to go for a walk.”

“A walk? Now we're calling it a walk?” said Sofia, giving him a playful shove with her shoulder.

“You know what I mean!” Dave started to laugh and Sofia joined him.

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The laughter died down when the two teenagers simultaneously realized something they had not thought of; when they finished their training at the Civil Guard Academy in Baeza, and if everything went well, they would be able to ask for a posting. Even if they asked for the same posting, there was no guarantee that they would both get it. It could be anywhere in Spain, and then it would be more difficult for them to see each other and keep their friendship. They exchanged glances that said what words dared not. They had both become very important to each other and the thought of ending up hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away horrified them.

“If you pass, what would you like to specialize in?” Dave asked.

“SECYR, the K9 unit.”

“You're pretty sure about it.”

“Yes, ever since I decided to join the Civil Guard I've known what I wanted to do. You?” Sofia asked.

“I'll settle for being a regular officer, patrolling, taking reports, issuing fines and solving whatever comes up. I don't have any big aspirations and I don't want a position where I have to play the hero, risk my neck in an infiltration or anything like that. I just want to be able to help people. Maybe I'm a little idealistic, or a little boring,” he said, twisting his lips into a sheepish smile.

“What are you, some kind of knight errant?” Sofia laughed a little.

“Something like that,” he replied, scratching the back of his neck.

“Kissy! Kissy! Where are you?” said a familiar, feminine voice.

The two teens slowed down a bit. As they came to a bend in the path that wound through the trees they saw Lola standing by the edge, looking towards the forest depths with concern. As always, she looked fabulous, even when she was dressed in the most casual way, with a short skirt, matching t-shirt, sneakers and a light-colored blouse that completed the outfit. However, seeing her so distressed made Sofia feel a certain sympathy for her, instead of the usual disgust.

“Lola, what are you doing here?” Dave asked when they reached the girl's side.

“Oh, it's you two. I was looking for Kissy, my cat. I usually take her out so she's not always cooped up in the house. She always goes into the plants and I lose sight of her, but she doesn't usually wander off. I haven't heard her in a while and I'm starting to get worried, because she's never done this to me before.”

Sofia and Dave exchanged a meaningful look and nodded at the same time. There was no need for words, they both knew how dangerous the forest could be, and what they had to do. They were, after all, going to be cops, and helping others was going to be their duty. Disliking Lola was no reason to deny her help when she needed it, even if there were too many rotten apples who took advantage of their position in the law enforcement corps.

“We'll help you find her,” Sofia said.

“Would you really do that for me?” Lola looked at Sofia with a mixture of suspicion and gratitude.

“I'm brusque and rather difficult, but I'm not a monster, Lola. We'd better hurry. If it gets dark we'll have a harder time finding her.”

“If we split up, we'll cover more ground faster. We'll have a better chance of finding her,” said Dave.

“I don't know the woods. I've never been off the path,” said Lola, daunted by the maze of trees in front of her.

“Don't worry. We’re familiar with it. I'll go with you,” Sofia replied.

Dave nodded and, after agreeing on the areas they would each comb, they dived into the forest where he broke into a run as fast and quiet as a deer. Sofia took Lola in the opposite direction. She seemed like a completely different person, so worried, so small, as fragile as the stamen of a flower. Her haughtiness and pride had been reduced to nothing by the worry of not knowing if her cat was alright, and that was something Sofia could empathize with because she would feel the same way. They belonged to different worlds but there was always something that was able to bring two people together, no matter how different they were.

“The moon will be full tonight, I think. Do you believe those things Rodrigo says?” Lola asked in a whisper.

Sofia rolled her eyes. Rodrigo had become the new class freak, and all because he was becoming more and more outspoken with what he called the Ghost of El Cerro. Now he was obsessed with the idea of showing everyone that this being was a real werewolf, and to do so he had set up some photo-trapping cameras and went into the woods on full moon nights. Obviously, neither the cameras had captured anything, nor had the cinanthrope appeared, because the fool was talking openly about his plans in front of the very same werewolf he wanted to capture. Naturally, she couldn't tell Lola any of this.

“No, the full moon is tomorrow and Rodrigo, besides being out of his mind, is a bad person. I've seen him and he's just a mastiff, but he won't let himself be caught and thank goodness, because that wretch wants to shoot him.” Sofia clenched her jaw and had to control herself not to growl.

“But why? What did he do to him?” asked Lola, horrified.

“To Rodrigo? Nothing. Miguel’s father lost a lamb and the mastiff ate it, and since then they haven't left the poor animal alone, especially Rodrigo. He's obsessed with him.”

“Do you think he could do something to Kissy?” Lola covered her mouth with one of her thin hands and looked at her with teary eyes.

“I don't think he's fast enough to catch a cat. Besides, he’s usually deeper in the forest. It's unlikely that we will see...” A bark echoed through the trees, not far from where they were. “Him...”

A second bark rumbled through the forest, and then a third. Sofia felt her whole body tense. It wasn't a play bark, it wasn't a greeting, and he definitely wasn't hunting. It was a call for attention. She recognized it because Kas barked the same way when he wanted to show her something, and because a part of her had the language of her ancestors burned into her blood. Then he appeared, and in the forest gloom, his white fur was so visible that even Lola could see him without a problem. The mastiff. The cinanthrope. Her best friend.

“You jackass!” she mumbled through her teeth, suppressing the growl she felt in her throat.

The last thing they needed was for a blabbermouth like Lola to know there was any truth in Rodrigo's words. If people started to believe that there was something strange going on in the forest, it wouldn't be long before it was full of onlookers.

“Is that a mastiff? It looks like a wolf,” said Lola in a whisper.

“Or a very big Samoyed, but right now he's our best friend. Follow me!”

The cinanthrope turned tail and, still barking so they could follow him, began to run. Sofia and Lola did the same. The creature was nothing more than a flash of white in the distance, appearing and disappearing among the tree trunks, and if it hadn't been for his barking Sofia would have lost him a while ago. It was obvious that he was trying to be seen as little as possible so that he looked only like a big dog. At first sight, a cinanthrope on all fours was not very different from a mastiff, but a closer look revealed details that were not consistent with a simple canine.

After a while of following the cinanthrope through the forest, they reached a place not too far from the path where the undergrowth was thicker. The animal pointed at something on the ground at his feet before disappearing into the vegetation. As Sofia and Lola approached, they saw that there was a Siamese-colored cat lying on the ground next to a dismantled snare. She was wearing a pink collar with a little heart on it, and perhaps that was why she was still breathing, albeit with some difficulty.

“Kissy!” Lola burst into tears. “No, Kissy, no.”

The girl, who always avoided getting dirty, dropped to her knees on the moist forest soil and put a trembling hand on her unconscious cat. Sofia unceremoniously pushed her aside and bent over the unfortunate creature to give her the kiss of life. She had been on the verge of suffocation and was having a hard time restarting the machinery. Sofia breathed three breaths of life into the cat and on the fourth Kissy awoke, her first reaction being to scratch her savior in the face. The feline's sharp claws opened four long scratches on Sofia's left cheek, and she jerked away with a growl she couldn’t control.

“Kissy! Thank goodness!”

“Be careful. She just woke up and still doesn't know what happened to her or where she is,” said Sofia.

Lola held her cat, who was disoriented but conscious, and hugged her. As she turned to Sofia to thank her, her words died against a mouth open in an expression of surprise. Sofia brought a hand to her cheek, where she should have had four perfect scratches. Nothing. Not a scratch, not a scar, nothing. The worst thing was that Lola had seen the wounds close in front of her own eyes.

“Shit...” she mumbled, aware that she was not going to be able to get out of that predicament easily. “Don't say anything about this to anyone, please. You'll put me in danger if you do.”

To Sofia's surprise, Lola smiled determinedly and nodded.

“You offered to help me when I needed it and you saved Kissy. I will keep your secret, you have my word.”

Sofia smiled gratefully. Lola didn't understand, she couldn't understand that this was the other clear symptom that determined if one was a cinanthrope. A human could have an exceptional sense of smell, be stronger, faster, and even manifest some cinanthrope behaviors. No human would ever suffer burns in contact with silver, no human's eyes glowed in the dark, no human had large, dog fangs and no human would heal as Sofia had healed.

She hoped that Lola was being honest, because if her supernatural nature came out, she would be in a lot of trouble, and not just her.