Welcome to Gaia! ::

Katriel could smell another werewolf nearby. She normally would have left the area immedietly--no sense in fueding over turf when she was a wanderer--but with his scent, she also caught the distinct smells of despair and fear. She had to at least check it out.

She tracked the werewolf to a slave market. The injustice was rampant. Creatures of all types were chained, bought, sold, even rented like cars or cheap tuxedos here. Katriel became determined to get her fellow lycan out of this hell hole.

Finding his cage was easy. She waited until after hours and then crept up behind him.

"Hey--PSST! You want out?" she hissed.

Katriel whipped out get set of lock picks and made quick work of the cheep lock. She crept inside the cage and also unlocked the collar around his neck.

"Keep low and keep quiet," she whispered as she lead the way out of the cage, through the market and up the hill to where her beat up old truck was parked. "Get in!"

She started the engine and backed down the dirt road. Maneuvering her vehicle expertly, they were traveling down the interstate in no time at all.

"Whew," she sighed. "Well, welcome to life. I'm Katriel, but don't call me 'Kat' unless you want to get punched in the gut. What's your name?"

"This is going to hurt," she warned him. Using her sharp nails, she caught the edge of the tape and ripped it away. "Sorry. I have some baby oil in the back we can put on it as soon as we stop. So, you were telling me your name?"

"No problem," she said dismissively. "I couldn't let you rot in there. Is there anywhere I can drop you off? Where's your pack's territory?"

"Then we're two of a kind," Katriel said.then she gave him a sideways glance. "There's a bottle of water under your seat--you sound like you could use it."

She thought for a moment. She should have guessed that he has no one to go back to; good packs didn't let members sit in servitude. She wasn't looking top settle down any time soon, but the wolf in her couldn't abandon him.

"If you want to travel with me, there are a few ground rules," she warned him. "Rule one, don't get fresh. There's not going to be a lot of privacy on this rig, but don't read anything into it. Rule two, don't hunt humans and don't hunt in human form. Nothing wears out a welcome faster than unexplained homicides. Think you can live with that?"

"That's good. I take it you were bitten, and not born?" she ventured. "I was born, and I've met some others who were born who want to follow the old legends of human-hunting. Anyway, we're only a few hours away from a National Park, if you want to see if we can track down a deer or an elk for dinner. Or I could spring for burgers at a drive through. It's all meat to me."

"Since we're in the run, let's not press or luck," she voiced her thoughts. "Drive through it is."

She exited the freeway and pulled up to a fast food joint. She ordered ten double cheese burgers and five large fries and two orders of onion rings. Then she followed the signs to the local camp ground. She purchased a camping pass and parked the camper truck.

"I don't usually stay so close to people, but this us the last place anyone from that place would look for you," she explained. She got out of the cab and gestured to the camper on the back. "Come on, let's get some baby oil on your face--it's still all red--and some food in your belly."

"Ray, call me Katriel," she admonished gently as she opened the door to the camper. "I would apologize for the mess, but I have no intention of ever cleaning it up. Come on in."

Inside the camper it was compact and cozy. Homemade quilts covered the bed and the seats. Katriel folded out the table and set the food on top. Then she ducked into the tiny bathroom and found the baby oil.

"Here," she said, drizzling some in her hand. "Let me."

She gently smoothed the oil on his face, paying careful attention to his mouth. She gradually expanded her ministrations to include his jaw, neck, and shoulders where the collar had chafed his skin. She ended with a tender massage on his shoulders.

"There. After you shower, we can make sure the rest of you gets the same treatment," she predicted. "Now we feast!" She passed him a burger and some fries.