Racing paws echoed in the hall and he skidded around the corner as he raced ahead of the rest of the pack. He saw the courtyard up ahead and pushed his legs quicker. Reaching the sunlight, he spun around and slid to a halt as the other racers came to a halt.

"Not fair! You know the place better!"

He sat down and said "No, I'm just the better runner."

Another wolf snorted and said "Lay off the pride, Rafe."

He sat up straighter and said "Someone sounds jealous."

The wolf bared his fangs and snapped "I'll take you on any day of the week!"

Rafe yawned and saw his mother enter the courtyard. She was visiting with the other mothers in their human forms and he watched the other wolves shift. They all look back at him and he stood up. He caught his mother's gaze and left the courtyard. His shoulders sagged when he was out of sight and he walked slowly down the hall.

He heard quietness as he walked back toward the heart of the temple and stopped when he saw Joseph. The man was standing outside Kara's room like usual and he slowly walked up to the man. Joseph didn't budge or acknowledge him as he entered the room and looked around.

"Kara?"

"In here Rafe."

He walked into the bedroom and found her tying her shoes. She looked up when he sat down and a slow smile caught her face. He was the only resident she would smile freely with and she sat down on the floor. He came up to her and she rubbed his ear.

"Not going to try today?"

He sighed and said "I couldn't in front of everyone."

"No one is looking now."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He focused on the image in his head and felt some changes begin inside. His tail disappeared and he felt his front legs become arms. Carefully he opened his eyes and looked up at her. She bit back the laughter at his wolf ears and human body and ruffled his brown hair.

"Keep working on it."

"How bad?"

She rubbed one ear and he sighed. She helped him ot his feet and watched him try walking on two legs. He was still getting the balance down and was making progress considering he had never been in human form before moving in. It had taken him at least a year to learn to speak with his mouth and not in his mind.

"Would you like to go with us?"

He watched her stand and asked "Where are you going?"

"To convince Leon to let me go to the city."

"Good luck with that."

She heard the unrealistic tone in his voice and shook her head. Everyone believed it was a losing battle for her but she needed to go into the city. They had acquired people from the wildneress but she knew there were several families in the city that had children that needed to learn. She led Rafe from the room and they stopped before leaving her chambers.

"Are you okay with your ears?"

He shook his head and sighed "I don't know how to fix them."

She knelt in front of him and said "It just takes time."

He nodded and returned to his natural form. She pushed the cover aside and met Joseph's black gaze as they exited her chambers. He was waiting as usual and she let him walk them down the hall. He hadn't spoken much to her for the last couple years and she was starting to miss it. At first she loved the silence he gave her but once he spoke a regular conversation with her, she needed that conversation with him.

She didn't get one with Leon and the people living with them were complete strangers. Rafe is the only resident she had bonded with and trusted. As much as she didn't want to trust her protector, she did now and part of it was his aid with her nightmares. Leon didn't know anything about him resting with her at night when the nightmares attacked and they never spoke about it. His presence gave her just enough of a sense of being safe that the nightmares were bareable and sometimes they were dreams instead.

They stopped inside Leon's chambers and she watched Joseph take his post against the far wall. He kept his gaze low and she felt Rafe settle next to her. He nudged her hand as Leon entered the room and took a seat on the steps.

"Kara, what is it?"

She took a deep breath and said "I want to go outside."

He shook his head and said "It's too dangerous for you out there. You know that."

Feeling the same annoyance settling in, she took another calming breath and said "There are others in more danger than me. They need our help."

He shot her a look and asked "Where are you planning on going?"

"The city nearby."

Leon cast a questioning look at Joseph and took a deep breath. He slowly looked back at her and nodded. She felt relief slip through her at the brief standoff and he raised his hand.

"You can only go if you never wander from Joseph's side and you go only during the day. I do not want you traveling at night."

She nodded and heard "Take some of the trained young ones. It'll be a good test to keep you safe."

Her relief dissolved instantly and she bit down on the growl growing inside her. His lack of faith in her own skills was unfair and instead of lashing out, she walked out of the room. Rafe trotted after her without question but Joseph stayed behind. Leon waited until he knew they were out of hearing range and looked at the man.

"Do not let anything happen to her this time."

"I won't."

Leon dismissed him to go back to his chambers and he walked into the hall. He hated the idea of bringing more people here but it was not his decision. Leon examined each person trying to live here and has only sent away a handful that were not trustworthy. He walked down the hall and took in the residents in the main courtyard by the waterfall. They were trained as the guards of the place but would be worth nothing if a true battle came.

They could fight as animals but not as humans and that was going to be crucial. He didn't question any fighting abilites in any of the residents here but their lack of human experience was going to be a problem. Kara had to be safe at all times and he didn't trust anyone to fill his position when the time came. He passed all the residents leaving the private courtyard and felt the single presense still out there. When he turned the corner, he felt her before spotting her.

She was sitting at the fountain and listening to the birds. Her eyes were closed and he knew she was deep in thought. These past years he had come to understand each action of hers and how to recognize them without having to ask. The birds quieted when they saw him and he shot them a warning look. His presense still unsettled many around the place and he knew it was because of who he really was.

The darkness in him was waiting for the day to be released and he knew it wasn't going to be much longer before he could no longer hold it back. When that happened he would have to leave and he would never be able to come back. Each morning he felt the day getting closer and it made him keep a further distance from her to slow the connection forming between them. She was beginning to read him and that meant only one thing to their species.

"What did he say?"

He watched her open her eyes and said "Just to keep you safe."

She rolled her eyes and said "I'm so sick of his overprotectiveness."

She stood up and he watched her walk around the courtyard. She caught a branch from the willow and looked up at the birds. They were studying him still and she looked back at him.

"We leave first thing in the morning."

"Those aren't his orders."

She shot him a look and said "As far as he knows, I'm always inside this place."

His eyes narrowed as she walked by and he took a deep breath. It was getting harder to not speak openly with her and he was not willing to speak in their other form. That had been his way of consoling her through her loss and making her feel less alone. She never tried to talk to him like that but if she did it would only make everything worse. He was going to have to start hunting for a decent mate for her in order to continue doing his job while he could.

He understood that would be failing in part of his job as her protector and not following Leon's wishes but he was more focused on keeping her safe. If he allowed this connection to grow it would lead to one thing and he could not put her through it when he was not sticking around forever. The only option he had was to find that mate and to discuss it with Leon. Taking a deep breath, he left the courtyard and walked down the hall. He stopped outside her room long enough to feel her inside and then he headed to the entrance.

He descended the steps and ran into Rafe's mother and friends. They were preparing for a hunt and he watched her turn her own brown eyes on him.

"Joseph, care to join us?"

He ignored the invitation and the women smiling at him like idiots. He shifted on his way through the waterfall and took off in a run once on the other side. The run eased the tension building inside him and he moved through the trees with ease. He followed the old path through the forest toward the city and stopped when he reached the city limits. Staying inside the forest shadows, he studied the lack of life outside in the street and turned back.

He walked slowly to check his retreat for pursuers and came up on the pack hunting. The women were eating their fill and had secured enough to feed all the youngsters. He felt their eyes settle on him as he returned to home and slid through the waterfall. The guards were waiting on their meal and let him pass without a blink. He moved down the hall in silence and stopped outside her room.

He couldn't feel her inside and he stepped into the chamber. It was empty and he walked into the bathing chamber. There was no sign of her and he checked the bedroom. The bed was empty and the firepit was empty. He took a deep breath and slowly looked up at the ceiling.

She had disguised her escape hole a long time ago and until now, he hadn't known she was still using it. Lifting himself up through the hole, he moved onto the cool rock and found her sitting further down. She was staring at everything around them and her eyes settled on him as he drew closer.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"You watched."

"I can see everything here."

She looked away from him and he watched her take in the scene again. Sometimes he felt like she was never a pup he was responsible for but instead a grown woman with a weariness of everyone and everything. The older she got the more she resembled her mother but the scar on her face set her apart and reminded everyone that she was nothing like her mother. Her mother had been raised in a happy, loving environment and Kara had nothing like that once she turned four. She had her entire life ripped apart and was secluded from everything she knew for her own safety.

"You should eat something."

She shrugged and said "Not hungry today."

He looked away from her and knew she was lying. Something was keeping her from eating like everyone else. She hadn't been on many hunts in the last few years and though it pleased Leon for her safety, it left him worried about her health. She was filling out with muscle finally, but she was still extremely lean and that wasn't healthy for their race.

"What is holding you back?"

She turned her hazel eyes on him and said "Nothing."

Her lie slid from her mouth with ease and he let it go. Getting her to tell the truth about something was impossible until she was ready to speak it. He knew he could find out in other ways but he was supposed to keep the trust she had in him, not destroy it. Looking up at the sun, he watched it begin its descent for the night and looked back at her. Kara met his gaze again and they headed inside.

He left her to get ready for bed as he walked the halls one last time. By staying in her room, he wasn't able to be as alert to intruders as he was from his assigned room, so he walked the temple one last time each night. It also gave her time to fall asleep and just maybe not need his aid. He knew if he stopped spending the night with her, the nightmares would eat at her again and could possibly be worse. As much as she did not want to depend on anyone, he seemed to be something she needed for peace of mind the older she got.

"Joseph."

He stopped walking by the steps and met Leon as the man approached. He was out doing his evening walk as well but usually they missed each other.

"Did Kara eat?"

"No."

The man sighed and said "Make sure you make her eat something tomorrow."

He nodded and felt the hand rest on his shoulder. Leon trusted him to keep his granddaughter safe dispite how angry he was about the accident and it eased some hesitation. The man was an enormous part in his life and he knew when it came time, he was going to miss Leon.

"Make sure she gets rest tonight."

"Sir?"

The man chuckled and said "I know where you have been sleeping these last few years. I may be older than you but I'm not ignorant."

"It's innocent."

Leon smiled and said "I know it is. You wouldn't be able to hide it from me if it weren't. Just keep it that way for now."

"Yes Sir."

The man released his shoulder and he turned to leave.

"Her trust in you isn't misplaced. You're not a danger despite what you think."

He looked back at Leon and watched the man leave with a smile on his face. Taking a deep breath, he walked down the hall to her room and stepped inside. Shifting on his way into the bedroom, he hopped onto the bed and settled beside her. She never drew closer to him during the night and it made this arrangement easier on him. Staring at the fire, he let his conversation with Leon come back to him and felt some annoyance settle in.

The last thing he needed was for the old man to expect him to procede with this connection to Kara when she was older. He was closer to her than he liked but it was out of respect. She was holding herself together and had everyone fooled on how intact she was when he could feel the broken pieces of her still inside. She tried everything to keep it hidden from him when he was around but he caught the slight falters in her eyes or in her shoulder height. What gave it away the most was the nightmares every night that she had said were about everything and dreaming about the future in these horrifying dreams was not something she needed.