HEAVY RAIN CLOUDS typical of the season made the early morning sky dark as night. The downpour filled the air with a rush of sound through the few remaining leaves and the evergreen needles. Some distance from the road, a fragile shelter made from a tent tarp secured to a tree, several large boulders and a low hill protected the two weary travelers from the worst of the elements.

After poking the fire and adding more wood, Doom checked the security of the bandages around his arm and leg. He reached up to turn the drying clothes hanging on a low branch near the flames’ heat then stirred the stew cooking in a small pot. He smiled as he looked at the panther curled asleep beside him, stroking the ruff of fur behind her head. He smiled more when she nuzzled closer to him. “Wake up, Ti. Supper’s ready.”

Tiwaz raised her head, yawning hugely and stretching, then laying back down atop her cloak. The panther blinked at him sleepily, then looked pointedly at his bandages. He chuckled, telling her in reassurance, “I checked them. They’re fine. They aren’t more than scratches, nothing to worry about. You did a good job bandaging them.” He looked towards the leg she had been favoring since the attack in Crossroads. “How are you doing?” She shrugged one shoulder. “Sorry I hadn’t noticed that wash before the bank gave way under us.”

Tiwaz shrugged again, then rested her head on his unhurt leg. She glanced up at him when his stomach growled loudly as he spooned stew into one of the bowls. Hungry as he was, though, he offered the first portion to her. He frowned when she wrinkled her nose and turned away.

His contentment faded into growing concern. “Ti, what’s the matter? You need to eat. You’ll feel better.” He put his massive hand on top of her head. “You aren’t fevered, are you? It is hard for me to tell unless you’re really bad off.”

She swatted at his hand irritably. He could read her expression when she looked pointedly at the sack with their depleted food supplies, then back up at him. “Don’t worry about the supplies. There’s plenty up here I can hunt or find.”

When she sighed, he put his hand on her shoulders. “Stop that. I know what you’re thinking. You are not useless. That beating in Crossroads nearly killed you and having to start traveling before you healed up… again…isn’t helping. I promise. Once you are completely healed, I’ll start teaching you how to hunt again so you can help.”

He chuckled when she perked up at the promise, though her ears twitched to the side, aggrieved as he put the bowl in front of her. His smile faded in worried earnestness. “Please eat, Ti. You need proper food and rest. You’ve not been eating nearly enough since you woke up at Gareth’s home. It’s worrying me.” With great reluctance, she ate her food without further argument. He nodded in satisfaction and turned back to the rest of the stew.

“The Tavarius family was very generous, giving us this pot and the other things. Luck smiled on us when you met Gareth, even if you did want to gut him.” He did not bother with his own bowl, eating directly from the pot. They both looked up when the wind gusted, the flames flattening briefly before reaching upwards again. “Everything should be dry by morning. Good thing you can change form whenever you want so your fur can keep you warm.”

She raised her head, ears twitched back slightly. “I know not everything got soaked, but you admitted yourself that you don’t notice the cold as much as a panther and it’s only going to get colder the further north we go.”

Growling, she stepped over him and nosed his bandaged forearm, then look at him meaningfully. He repeated with plaintive emphasis, “They’re just scratches, Ti.” She bared her teeth and he held up his free hand in surrender. “Fine, fine. We’ll stay here one more day. Two at most. Would that satisfy you?” Returning to the cloak serving as her sleeping place, she flicked her tail as she turned in a circle and lay back down.

He looked in her bowl and frowned. He sat it in front of her. “Finish it, Ti.” She looked away, growling in her chest. He wagged a finger at her. “Don’t growl at me. That’s barely what you used to eat normally. Since we’re going to stay here a while, I can go out and set some traps.” He exhaled gustily at her continued glare. “I am not so injured I can’t do that much. I’d rather not wait until we have no food at all.”

Still, the panther refused the food. “Please, Ti. Eat it. For me?” She sighed and lowered her head to eat, though her reluctance was undeniable.

Finishing his own supper, he put the pot and her empty bowl aside. “You can fill the water skins and wash everything while I’m out. I won’t be long.”

The weather and sky cover made it impossible to see the rising sun, but Tiwaz backed away from Doom, her body contorting as her form returned to its human shape.

“We cannot stay living under tarps in the forest,” she stated in a rough voice. “And you said your map does not help much up here.”

Doom gathered gear and moved outside the shelter to put things on without risking the tenuous security of the fabric fastened to trees. “Gareth suggested that most of the settlements up here are more tolerant of outsiders who are…different. Character, not external appearances, is what matters most to those who settle here.”

She blinked at him. “You want us to…go where people are?”

“We cannot run away from people forever, Ti.” He put his finger beneath her chin, turning her face up to meet her eyes. “While we were fleeing Alimar, I learned that we cannot survive alone. The captain and crew of the Trade Winds, Harther, Sevren and Marren, the Tavarius family, even those dragons at Dragons Gate. All of them helped us.”

“No one knew what I was. If anyone finds out what I am,” she whispered, agonized. “They will see a monster.”

“Gareth found out,” Doom pointed out gently. “And nothing changed with him. But your control over the change is improving, so really, no one ever needs to find out.”

She sighed, looking away. “If you think it is best,” she finally said quietly. The woman let her larger companion pull her into his arms, returning his embrace.

“I promise you, Ti. I will find somewhere safe for us both. A home to call our own.” He stepped back, letting his hands slide from her shoulders. “But for now, we survive, and that means finding food. I should be back before sundown.” She nodded silently, watching him disappear into the thick forest.