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    “Undoubtedly this new friend of yours has nothing to do with your distractions,” said the woman as if it was nothing to do with her, but her voice’s tone was enough to awaken a burning rage in Sofia.


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    The tension on the young woman''s lips eased as she realized her mother''s words were true. The woman was a true monster, as cold as a glacier and as efficient and lethal as a goshawk, but her targets had always been cinanthropes. She never attacked a human, not even by accident. Abruptly Sofia looked away and grabbed Kas''s leash. Helena, as if that warning from a potential weredog had been nothing more than background noise, resumedher task of getting ready to go out. She took the balaclava and put it on, putting great care in hiding her golden curls within the fabric. Without another word, and hoping she was gone when she returned from her walk with her dog, Sofia went out.


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    A rustle in the undergrowth behind her made her turn around sharply, with her heart pounding and her breathing quickening. Intently, she focused on her surroundings, trying to make out something in the darkness, a darkness she could pierce with her privileged sight. The forest was quite dense, with thick undergrowth, rocks and a wall of towering trees that stretched as far as the eye could see. Even though she was able to see clearly, Sofia could not tell what was hiding in the vegetation. However, somethingcaught her attention, something that had gotten caught onthe branches of a bush. Trying to make as little noise as possible, she walked over toit and picked it up. It was a tuft of white undercoat that gave off a familiar forest scent, as if the creature was a spirit born from the very roots of the pine trees.


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    She heard another rustle of movement through the vegetation, right behind her. The creature had circled her like a predator would. Biting her lip, Sofia turned around and tried to make out something among the plants. Again she saw nothing but a dense forest witha thick foliage of ferns and bushes where anything could hide. However, she was certain of one thing, that cinanthrope was capable of moving very stealthily. The noise she had heard had been deliberate. The creature was not trying to ambush her, he was givingaway hislocation. Hewasn’t lettinghimself be seen, but the simple fact of making his presence known meant that he was giving her the benefit of the doubt. Sofia took that one opportunity, she didn''t think she would have another.


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    Then she saw it, a slight movement among the vegetation, just enough for the silver rays to reflect in the creature''s pupils, making them glow. Under any other circumstances that would have been a terrifying sight, but Sofia knew the cinanthrope was not going to do her any harm. Attacks on people did happen, but they were very, very rare and almost always in self-defense. Cases of cinanthropes preying on humans to devour them were simply unthinkable. Despite that, her mother hunted them, firstly under the excuse of their unproven dangerousness, and secondly because fur, fangs and claws fetched a high price on the black market.


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    The click of the rifle''s bolt sent a shiver down her spine. Scared, she looked in the weredog’s direction, and to her surprise their eyes met through undergrowth. There was no malice in that creature. Only the most absolute incomprehension of why they were chasing him when he had already moved away from the humans. Why they wanted to eliminate him as if he were vermin. Why his life was worth less than that of a lamb that would have ended up on some plate anyway.


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