A strange sound woke him. A sort of cackling. The young child bolted upright, scanning the darkness for the source of the sound as he huddled behind his shield. Who was on watch? Surely they heard—
A different sound came up behind him: a tinkling sound, like the sway of a lantern—
The boy was about to turn when a dark mass leaped over him, colliding with something unseen, a dim sphere of light the only visual evidence of its existence. The light soon died as the dark creature mauled it to death. The creature turned to face the small boy. Pale glowing eyes blinked away to a noble blue in the firelight.
A wolf! The boy lifted his shield. He began fumbling for a stench bomb, then stopped. Details jumped out at him: the intelligent eyes, the cut shackle on its paw, the markings. The boy's eyes flicked to the snoring Champion and back. He lowered his shield the tiniest amount. "You're— but, how? How did you get here?"
The wolf regarded him warily.
More dots connected in the child's mind. He scanned the camp, keeping his shield up just in case. Who was on watch? The wolf hadn't exactly been quiet. Everyone was accounted for in their bedrolls, except—
The boy turned back just in time to see the wolf's tail disappear into the trees. He waited. After a moment he heard footsteps, soon followed by the missing Hero emerging from a slightly different point in the forest. "You alright?" the Ranch Hand asked quietly. "I thought I heard a Poe earlier."
The boy frowned at him. "I'm not stupid."
"Oh?"
It was so obvious he felt insulted. The eyes, the facial markings, everything matched. "You're—" His voice failed him as worry crept in. He eyed the Champion again. "Does my— I mean, does the Champion know? That you're… not just a wolf?"
The Ranch Hand was stunned. "You're really sharp." He sat next to the boy. "Yeah, he knows. Him, Time, the Smith, and the Veteran all know."
"But not the others?"
He shook his head. "I don't know what their reactions would be, and I'd rather not risk it. Don't want anyone mistaking me for a wolfos."
"But, they're fine with you as a wolf?"
"Only 'cause the Champion vouched for me. Speaking of, there's some things I've been meaning to ask you."
The boy shrank back.
"How do you know the Champion? You recognized me as a wolf, and you've stayed pretty close to him since we found you—"
"I'd, rather not say." The boy hugged himself. Already he could feel the fear threatening to steal his voice. "I don't, want, to ruin anything."
"Ruin?"
He started rocking.
"I, take it your voice is gone again?"
He nodded.
The Ranch Hand sighed. "Alright. I'll keep my questions to myself then." He stood. "Get some rest."