That morning, Sofia had woken up with a smile on her lips and the memory of his scent in her nose. It had been a week since the full moon, but she hadn't stopped thinking about that night. She had spent it with him, keeping him company as he showed her his world, and dawn’s first lights had caught her in his arms, her huntress uniform infused with his scent. Sofia hugged her own blanket and sank back into the memory. Every morning when she woke up in her bed, she fantasized about being in the forest, surrounded by his thick white fur and listening to his heartbeat.

However, they had not repeated the fantasy, although they had met every day to continue their exercise routines. One thing she had noticed was that Dave was much more relaxed. From time to time he still held back his smile, because he had been doing it for so long that he did it without thinking. When he relaxed, however, the real smile would come out, the wide, spontaneous one that exposed his fangs. They weren't always big, but when they ran, or when the moon was high in the sky, it was all too obvious that they weren't human. She liked being able to be like this with him, free of secrets. Not only did it make things so much easier for the two of them, it had also created a complicity between them that hadn't been there before, and she loved it.

“Shit...” she whispered, and tried to cover her blush and idiot's grin with the blanket, though she didn't think the butterflies in her stomach would give her a break.

After a few minutes of lazing around in bed, Sofia decided it was time to beat sloth and got up. She quickly got dressed, groomed herself, and after breakfast hurried to take Kas for his morning walk. When she returned, she saw her mother sitting on the sofa, reading the newspaper on her mobile phone and drinking tea. Any other person would have thought this was an everyday morning scene. Sofia knew she was looking for any signs of the presence of cinanthropes, such as an unexplained attack on domestic livestock, an unusually large dog seen roaming the area, things like that.

“You've been smiling a lot lately,” Helena commented in her icy voice, without looking up from her mobile phone.

“Would you rather I was a bitter person like you?” Sofia sneered as she slung her backpack over her shoulder.

To her satisfaction, she saw her mother purse her lips. Sofia considered it a small victory, for all her life she had lived in fear, and she wasn't about to let her take that happiness away from her.

“No, I'd rather you concentrated on the task you were supposed to take care of. Have you found the cinanthrope already?” asked the woman, looking at her with those cold gray eyes.

“Yes, and I was able to talk to him. The lamb was an accident, the farmer's fault, and he won't go near the meadows. You can forget about him,” Sofia said, her voice much tighter and a spark of fear settling in her body.

“I understand. That explains why you were out all night during the full moon, and why you're all smiles. I was wondering when you were going to realize that that boy isn't human, nor a pup,” Helena commented in a dispassionate voice, and returned to her task of reading the paper.

Her words hit the girl squarely, and wiped the smile off her face. An icy chill settled in her belly, replacing the warmth that had enveloped her for the past few days. Her eyes, as gray as Helena's, looked at the human-skinned monster before her, but there was no ice in them, there was fear.

“You knew...” she gasped, her voice so faint it was barely audible.

“Of course I knew. That boy has no humanity at all, he behaves like a dog all the time and he’s not as subtle as he thinks he is. What I don't understand is why it took you so long to figure it out.”

Because she was afraid. Because that monster in front of her took Angel away from her. Because she didn't want to go through the same thing again, she didn't want to suffer, she didn't want to have to live in fear that one day a hunter would find out he’s not human and kill him. That's why she didn't want to see it. That's why she didn't want to get close to him. Because she knew that she would end up falling in love with that boy who smells like forest, who licks his lips when he is nervous, who has an extraordinary sense of hearing and who is restless on the day when the full moon is going to rise.

The icy cold began to transform into a burning fire that spread throughout her body. The energy in her chest awoke so sharply that for a moment she thought it would hit the barrier and cause her pain, but it did not. It only entered her veins to flow through her blood and feed her instincts. Feeling a strange sensation in her mouth, something she had never felt before, Sofia raised her shoulders, curled her lip and let out a deep warning growl.

“Don't you dare go near him! I'm warning you, don't go near him! if you do anything to him, I'll tear you apart!” she exclaimed, in a voice that sounded much deeper than usual, as if the growl had fused with it.

Helena looked up from her phone, and her attitude changed. She put the device down onto the table, next to her cup of tea, and slowly stood up, every muscle tense and ready for action. This was the same attitude she displayed before confronting a cinanthrope. Sofia had seen it hundreds of times, but never before had she adopted it with her own daughter. A certain unease came over her, but she growled even louder, not backinch down an inch. The stakes were too high.

“Interesting. The moon isn't going to be what will trigger your change, it's going to be that boy,” Helena commented, almost casually, though her whole body was still tense and her gaze was fixed on her daughter. “Put your fangs away, Sofia. I have no interest in hunting that cinanthrope.”

Fangs? Sofia put a hand to her mouth and noticed them. They weren't very big, but a lot bigger than her small, human-looking fangs. A little uneasy, because this was something new that had never happened to her before, she looked at her mother.

“Why should I believe you?”

“Because I've never promised you anything I haven't honored,” Helena said. “Besides, I told you I'm not as much of a monster as you think I am.”

Clenching her jaws to stifle the growl she felt bubbling in her throat, Sofia left the house and began to walk towards her school. A clear blue sky decided to accompany her, sporting a translucent, pale waning moon. Sofia looked up at the monarch of the night, her anger flowing into frustration and rage. The words of that adult cinanthrope were still echoing in her head nearly a week later. She understood Dave, she understood him being angry at having to hide when he had done nothing, but that was the way things were. Yet perhaps because she was young and idealistic, she wanted to believe that another future was possible, one in which they would be full citizens, accepted and integrated into society. One in which she could have told her friends that she was not human without fearing they would reject her. One in which he would be safe.

“Sofia!”

A motorcycle pulled up beside her, and through the helmet visor Sofia could see a pair of sky-colored eyes and the outline of a smile. Immediately the anger and frustration she felt subsided, and her own lips began to bend into a spontaneous smile as a pleasant warmth spread through her body. He had that effect on her, he soothed her, he made her feel safe and calm. Nobody had ever made her feel this way. That's why that school year had been worth it, because ever since she met him she had become a better version of herself.

“Get on, I'll give you a ride,” said Dave, offering her a second helmet he had acquired so he could carry passengers on his motorcycle.

“Awesome, thanks!”

Sofia took the helmet and put it on before climbing onto the back of the motorcycle, right behind her friend. Once she was settled she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her body against his back. When Dave felt his friend well seated on the vehicle, he accelerated and the motorcycle glided smoothly along the asphalt. They could not speak as the engine’s thunderous roar and the thickness of the helmets prevented them from doing so, so they traveled in silence. Not being able to keep herself distracted with conversation meant being very conscious of other things, things related to her friend. The weather was starting to get a little warm, so he was wearing a shirt under his driving jacket. The fabric was thin enough that Sofia could notice his abdomen, which was as flat and hard as a board. She was also aware of the heat emanating from his body, and of his scent, that scent she loved so much. There was no discomfort, not in the way Sofia felt when it was the boy's chest resting on her back, because in that case it was the female that was clinging to the male and not the other way around. The connotations were different.

After about five minutes they arrived at the school, where a tide of teenagers was already streaming through the gates to head to their classes. Dave pulled the motorcycle into the parking lot and headed toward the back, to the spot reserved for mopeds that was at the end of the row of parked cars belonging to the teachers. With a jolt the motorcycle stopped, and the two teenagers got off.

“It's always the same, I can't get my hair right when I ride the motorcycle,” said the boy who, after taking off his helmet, tried to straighten his messy hair in front of the rear-view mirror.

“Let me see if I can fix it.”

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Sofia began to run her fingers through that straight and soft hair in an attempt to comb it a little. It was an action born of affection, but one that required her to get closer to him, for even at her meter seventy Dave was a towering ten centimeters taller than she was. At that moment their gazes met and their cheeks turned pink as smiles tugged at their lips. She wasn't surprised that others thought they were a couple, they behaved like one except there was no kissing.

“That's it. Let's go to class,” said the girl, walking towards the building. “By the way, I wanted to ask you a question. What is a cinanthrope without humanity?”

“Oh, that...” he scratched the back of his head and blushed, a little embarrassed. “They are cinanthropes who are born in the natural form, and usually go months, even longer, without changing. Eventually they change to human form, and stay there until the first change, like everyone else. What makes them different is that they... we find it harder to repress our behavior, the desire to change, and we need to let go of our nature. It's not enough for us to change locked up at home, like others.”

“I didn't know that was possible, of course I didn't know about the tail either,” Sofia tried to imagine him as a chubby puppy with big blue eyes.

“It's not very common, but it's more common than you think.” Dave blushed and licked his lips. “Not having humanity isn't all that rare either. Most cinanthropes lose it over time. It's normal, we're dogs that look like humans, we're not humans that turn into dogs. What happens is that we are raised in human societies, and we are taught to behave like humans and to hide our natural behavior. When we change, we re-integrate with what we really are, and it's easier and more natural for us to growl when we're angry, or pant when we're nervous, than to huff or shout.”

“I understand what you mean. I sometimes find it hard to suppress the urge to growl when I get angry, and I get angry a lot,” Sofia said with a little laugh. It was liberating to be able to talk so freely about these things with him.

“You do a good job of hiding it. I noticed you had some mannerisms, but I thought you were latent,” he commented.

“No, I just learned to have a lot of self-control. My mother scolded me a lot when I showed my natural behavior, and believe me, I was horrible. Living with me was like living with a wild wolf. I'd move on all fours, growl, howl, and as soon as I could I'd run off to find wooded places where I could roll on the grass and sniff trails," she said, and laughed sheepishly.

“Have you thought that maybe you don't have humanity either?” Dave commented, raising an eyebrow.

“Why do you say that?”

“I behaved the same way when I was little. I used to be a headache for my parents.” Again he scratched his head in embarrassment, but there was a hint of nostalgia in his smile.

“I hadn't really thought about it. You're the first cinanthrope I've been able to talk to about this, and there's a lot about us I don't know,” she admitted.

“Don't worry. I'll teach you all I can, and when you change I'll be by your side.”

Dave took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. That look framed by his smile was so full of enthusiasm that Sofia shivered. For years she had been afraid to change, both because of the hunters and because of the risk of rejection that all her kind face. Yet here was this boy, talking excitedly about the moment when her dog nature would emerge. For years, her greatest wish had been to be able to lead a normal life, and now she was daydreaming about waking up in the forest, wrapped by a certain weredog’s arms.

When they reached the school’s door, Sara, who was already waiting for them, greeted them with her usual effusiveness. More and more teenagers were joining the flow of people entering the building, although since they didn't all go in at the same time like when the exit bell rang, no oppressive bottlenecks formed in the corridors. A car pulled up in front of the gate, not one of those rustic things the villagers used to drive, but a black sedan. It was very clean and was driven by a well-dressed man who looked like a civil servant. In fact it seemed to be some kind of official car. The man got out of the vehicle and opened the back door. Out of it stepped Rodrigo Diaz. After exchanging a series of words with the man, he got back into the car and drove off. Crestfallen, Rodrigo joined the stream of students entering the building.

“Well, if it isn't Rodrigo, where have you been for almost a week? Hunting your witch and your werewolf?” said one of their classmates.

“Auuuuuuuuuuu!” Another made a poor imitation of a howl that wouldn't fool a pug.

“Be careful, Rodri, or the witch will put a curse on you and you'll turn into a werewolf too,” said a girl who belonged to another class, but who had also heard the gossip going around the school.

Embarrassed, Rodrigo ducked his head and tightened his pace. Sofia bit her lip. He was an asshole and a psychopath, and she would have liked to punch him in the face, but bullying him was a totally different story. In a fight there was a direct one-on-one where different points of view, mutual insults and whatnot are exchanged. It was a fair thing. A group of people ridiculing a person who is not fighting back was pure sadism.

The worst thing was that he was being attacked and humiliated for being right. After his last run-in with the cinanthrope, he had told the class about what he saw in the forest. As expected people had taken him for a madman, but Sofia knew perfectly well that everything he was telling was true, because she was the witch. That had lasted a couple of days. On the third day Rodrigo had disappeared. She had asked her mother if she had initiated him, but she had answered, with her typical cold and impassive tone, that others had been faster. Who those others were, Sofia had no idea, although maybe it was something related to what the adult cinanthrope had said about 'recruiting him'. Quiet frankly, she was very confused about the whole thing.

“Let's go to class. There's no need for us to be an audience to this sorry show,” said Dave, and started to walk towards the door.

As Sofia looked at her friend, she saw that he was suddenly tense, and the hair on the back of his neck had bristled so visibly that he looked like he was wearing hair gel.

“Hey, are you all right?” Sofia asked, closing her fingers around his hand.

Dave paused, took several deep breaths and only when he was sure he had his emotions under control did he dare to look at his friend. The short hair on the back of his neck had come down a little but was still bristling, and his face showed a marked expression of annoyance.

“I don't like that guy, and you know it. He spent months filling the forest with traps, almost cost Lola's cat her life, he has been stalking me for months and pointed a rifle at me. He would have deserved a good fine or to be forced to volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation center, but this viciousness is...” he curled his lips, showing slightly larger fangs, and turned his head sharply. He swallowed several times before continuing, his voice now huskier, full of the growl he was repressing. “Disgusting. How are they better than him?”

“They're not. They're just a mass emboldened by the group,” Sofia said, looking around at a bunch of familiar and unfamiliar faces.

“Do you know why I was never popular with girls? Why I never had many friends? Because I was in that situation. I was the different one, and being different already gives them the right to treat you like dirt,” he took a deep breath and put a hand to his chest. “I've always been a good person and I've led my Christian values by example, and I'd do it again. It's the right thing to do. What I don't understand is why they punish you more if you are different than if you are cruel. They didn't humiliate Rodrigo when he talked about killing a dog, they do it now that he's telling stories about witches and werewolves.”

Suddenly, he gritted his teeth to stifle a whimper, and curled in on himself, his hand resting on his chest. He immediately began to breathe in long, deep breaths of air, something he used to keep himself from changing when he felt he was about to lose control. In an instant, his two friends were at his side, each grabbing one of his arms, noticing the throbbing muscles against their hands.

“Relax, buddy,” said Sara, rubbing the young man's arm.

“I'm fine,” he huffed several times and raised his head, “I'm fine.”

He was not lying. His muscles had stopped throbbing and his breathing seemed to be slowly returning to its normal rhythm. Since he had stopped suppressing the change, those attacks happened less often than before, and he was able to recover more quickly. In just a couple of minutes he was as if nothing had happened to him, although it was obvious from the look on his face that he was still pissed off.

“Dave, people are assholes, but it's their loss. I've only known you for a few months, but in that time I've seen that you're a sensitive guy who cares about others more than himself, you're a loyal boy and a good friend. All those shallow girls would wish they had someone like you by their side,” Sofia said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze as she smiled.

“Apparently, those girls are more concerned about me being different than about me being a decent person,” he looked away abruptly, and the growl he had been trying to suppress escaped his lips.“Hey, it's their loss. You're my friend precisely because you're different from this whole bunch of jerks and assholes. If they can't see what you're really like, it's their loss, not yours,” she said, looking at him with determination and a small blush on her cheeks. “I know what I'm saying doesn't change anything, that it's not fair to be rejected for being different, but we can do two things; be sorry for our bad luck, or try to be the force of change.”

“It's not that easy. How do you take on a whole school by yourself?” said Dave, gesturing to the crowd around him.

“Sometimes a small action can inspire others. Sometimes we have to be the ones to take the first step. Sometimes we have to lean on those who love us. That's why I decided to become a police officer, because I want to take that first step and help others.”

“God, Sofia, you're such an...,” Dave whispered, looking at his friend in wonder.

The sharp ringing of the bell interrupted his words, which remained trapped behind his lips tightened into a grimace of displeasure.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this sound,” he commented.

“Me neither, but we better hurry. We’ve got class with the Stuck-up, and if he gets to class before we do, we’re getting a good scolding,” said Sofia.

Without wasting a second, the three friends dashed up the stairs. Fortunately they arrived a few minutes before their teacher did and were able to go to their desks without problem. As Sofia pulled her notebook out of her backpack, she thought about the warm feeling in her belly, and the idiot's grin she was holding back with all her might. Dave had never looked at her like that before, as if it was the first time he saw her. She couldn't help but wonder what he had been about to say.

Careful not to let the Stuck-up hear her, Sofia tore off a piece of paper from one of her notebooks and wrote 'I am such an...?' on one of its sides. She then folded it and hissed softly in at her friend, barely a whisper that shouldn't have been audible. As expected he did hear her and turned to her, his gaze inquisitive. To be honest, their abilities sure were convenient.

Sofia showed him the little note and, after making sure the Stuck-up had his back to them, she leaned towards her friend's desk, stretching as far as she could. Dave did the same, and his fingers gently brushed her hand and wrist as he took the paper. When he read its contents he began to blush, but still wrote his reply and handed the paper back to her. This time it was she who caressed his skin, marveling at the softness of his body hair.

When she opened the note there were only two words written on it; 'amazing girl'. Her heart skipped a beat. A horde of butterflies began to flutter across her belly. Blushing, she turned to her friend. His lips were curved in a warm smile, and again he had that look in his sky-colored eyes. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Yes, Angel had said nice things to her, like how she had a good hand at dog training, that she was cute, and that he loved her. That was the first time anyone had simply thought of her that she was an amazing girl.