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I can see the outline of town just through an opening in the woods. I have never been this far west but I've heard about this outpost, Columbine Spring; it's in the middle of the forest. It sits at the base of some cliffs. The river diverted to feed the town. Danny's quiet, but I suppose that's normal for his type. I'm a bit freaked out. See, I've got this secret. One that's probably gonna get me shot. Or accused of being a raving maniac, if I'm wrong. But given his interpretation of things, I'm pretty sure he got himself nipped by a werewolf. Why? Well, see I am one. Not the one that nipped him I assure you. I was too busy trying to not get killed by the Savage Wilds that were hunting me. They run all over these parts, parties of the nomadic types that don't want any part of society. They just stay to the deserts and thicker forests.
Fortunately they were driven out of most of the San Gabriel trail by the locals. Sadly, I've heard that the Savage Wilds hunt my kind for the pelts. By the way they were chasing me I'd believe it. See, if you manage to actually kill one of us in animal form, we don't revert like in the old movies. But our fur is like spun silk and worth a fortune. Those who don't know better, and that's most, just think they killed some kind of hybrid wolf or large dog. I think even the Savages aren't sure.
The fact that Danny is healing so fast and that fever last night have me worried for the kid. But maybe he'll be lucky. Some don't change, some die, and other's end up like me. All alone trying to figure it out. I had been alone for a long time before I started running with a pack near the Neutah outpost, but I lost track of them on a running and they didn't seem so keen on having a defective pup like me around. See, ever since I was a kid I've had almost no sense of smell. Don't know why, but that's how it has always been. As a wolf, it's there but just barely. Having never experienced the area's scents before, I got overwhelmed and spun around. When I explained, they violently pushed me out of the pack.
Was on my own again, until I met Molly and we had Melissa. Thought things would be good and they were for a while. Then that bastard came while I was runnin'. They were all alone, and I was too busy smelling flowers in the town center to know what was going on. A better wolf would have heard them. Would have stopped what happened... I am not a better wolf.
“Hey Danny? Why don't we stop at the local pub, I'll buy you a few pints and a bed for the night?”
It's the least I can do for the poor bastard.