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Katriel let the way out to her motorized bike.

"You'll have to stand up on the back for a while--it's not really built for two," she explained as she started up the spunky little motor. "But it has no problem carrying the weight. Point me in the right direction. I'm still pretty much a tourist around here, you know."

Katriel took the trip at an easy pace, even though she was anxious about getting some dinner for her pups. She followed Vince's directions and found her way to the market in down town. She chained her bike in the nearest bike rack and started looking around for a bank. She found one that matched the insignia on the check.

"Just hold on a sec--I'll be right back!" she told Vince. She sprinted into the bank, cashed her check without problems, and came back out with a small wad of bills in her pocket. "Alright, let's find that butcher."

Katriel's stomach growled as soon as she caught the scent of fresh meat. The butcher was a round and smiling man that she liked instantly.

"I need the cheapest red meat you have," she declared without preamble.

"Beef chuck roast its on sale for 2.50 a pound," he replied briskly.

Katriel did the math and said, "I'll take twenty pounds."

"The good dog food isn't any cheaper and my pups have... picky tastes," Katriel said. "On the bright side, this will last them the rest of the week. Do you want to meet them? I don't usually bring people back to my den--I mean camper--but you've been such a help and you don't even know me."

Katriel secured the beef in her well-worn, home-made saddlebags and they took off towards the nearest National Forest camp ground. It wasn't too long before they were pulling up next to her beat-up truck with it's flat-bed camper. She stored the meat in a cooler that plugged into the cigaret lighter. It only worked when the truck was running, but there was still a good-sized chunk of ice at the bottom to keep things cool. Then she went to the door of the camper.

"I would apologize for the mess, but I never clean," she warned before opening it. "I'm not much for the domestic arts. Neither are my bunk-mates. Anyway, Anoki and Liluye might be big, but they're hardly even teenagers, so don't let them push you around. OH--and whatever you do, don't look them in the eyes until they've calmed down. Ready?"

She opened the door and two leggy balls of fur tumbled to the ground. They first sniffed Katriel, snorted and sneezed at all the new smells that were clinging to her, and then mobbed Vince.

Luckily the pups were on their best behavior as they sniffed him out. He didn't smell like a competitor--mostly he smelled like the exhaust from Katriel's motorized bike and the various scents of their day at work.

Then he asked the question. Katriel's heart studdered a moment as she suddenly remembered that some people weren't so friendly to her kin--wouldn't even be very friendly to her if they knew the truth. What was it about Vince that had put her completely at ease over the course of the day? Normally she would have hidden her traveling companions at all costs, but here she was introducing him to them like he was one of the pack. As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Anoki looked over at her with the wolf-equivalent of an arched eyebrow. She wanted to snarl back. Just a little bit.

"They're not going to hurt you, if that's what you're worried about," she assured Vince, trying to side step the question. "They are very well...trained."

"We do alright," Katriel assured him. "We've eaten things a lot worse than week-old meat."

She retrieved two small pieces of roast while the pups were occupied with Vince. She threw the meat to one side and the pups dove after it.

"Can I get you anything? Something to drink, maybe? I have a bottle of whiskey I've been trying to get through, but I'm not one to drink alone," she babbled as she went into the camper and started to search through the cupboards. "There's not much to guard around here. They were orphans that I took on, because no one else was willing to take on the risks or the work. I don't have any ice. Is that ok?"

"I just speak their language," Katriel said as she passed Vince a glass with 2 inches of alcohol in it. "Dogs are submissive without the posing and battles. You tell them you're in charge, and they perk right up like good little soldiers. Wolves don't do that--you have to earn their loyalty. But I'm babbling again. So, tell me about you. How did you end up in the shelter? Not that I mean you're homeless or anything--I'm just shoving my foot deeper into my mouth, aren't I? I'll shut up and you talk now."