Inside the smell of pine wood was almost as strong as it was in a true forest; it wasn't overpowering, but rather a clean scent, healing in and of itself. The first room that I walked into was vast, what looked to be half of the entire building, empty for now. But I could imagine it, drawing on my experiences with infirmaries of this kind. This first room would be a waiting room, with benches along the walls and a scattering of chairs. Beyond the separating wall, there would be several private rooms for healers and patients, with more rooms on the next floor for long-term illnesses and injuries…like mine.

Standing in the doorway leading into the second part of the building was the Redguard I knew as Eponis White-heart, looking over her new domain with a small smile. She gave a half-turn to look over the main room, and gasped when she saw me standing on the threshold of the door, shivering in Adian's cloak, shifting my weight from side to side to dislodge snowballs that had been worked their way into the Bristleback leather. "Taima Shadow, out of those wet things! You're going to catch your death of cold!"

I grimaced as I unclasped the cloak from around my neck, letting it drop to the smooth wood floor. Just because we were inside didn't mean that it was warm. I shifted my weight to one leg and reached down to begin unwinding the leather from my feet, hopping on one foot to keep my balance.

"Oh for the love of the hunt, let me!" Eponis snapped, worry making her voice sharp. I braced myself against the wall, and extended one leg, allowing Eponis free access to the leather bindings. She peeled them off my feet, muttering under her breath as she did so about foolish werewolves who thought they were immortal. As soon as both bindings lay on the floor next to the cloak, she pointed me upstairs, ordering me into the first room on the right.

Climbing the un-sanded stairs proved to be an experience comparable to the one I just went through, and I was glad to open the door into the room in question. It looked to be the only furnished one, though that wasn't saying much. The low bed was piled high with wolf pelts, and smelled like the rooms downstairs: of fresh pine wood. Just below the window that looked out over the town was a small stand holding a chipped pitcher and basin, the former holding water I knew would be icy. There was another small table nearer to the bed, and a large wardrobe across the room. Not a bad place to recover in, when all was said and done.

I collapsed onto the bed, not wanting to move another step until I was better. A knock sounded from the door as I stared up at the ceiling, and just as I looked over, Eponis entered, a basin balanced on her hip, steam arising from the contents within. She shook her head as she made her way over to the bedside, placing the basin on the small table near the bed.

Muttering under her breath about follies, she washed my feet in the hot water, banishing the last tinges of the frost and snow. As she wrapped clean, warmed bandages around my feet – a precaution, she loftily declared – I was reminded of something. "Eponis…do you have a spare set of clothes I could barrow?" I gestured downward to my fraying undergarments, "I look like a Berserker."

That earned a small grin, and she nodded, "The hunters brought all of my things from my home in the colony today; they might be a bit tight on you, though…Arndis Firebrand's things would fit better."

"Does she have a spare set? I don't want to take the clothes off her back…"

Eponis smiled, "Of course. She gets most of her things from the smugglers she kills…she'd got upwards of twenty shirts and pants, all lined in fur. I'll go see if she can loan you some." With that she stood and collected the basin, closing the door tight behind her.

I sighed to myself as I returned my gaze up to the ceiling, and then closed my eyes. Knowing Arndis Firebrand, the simple task of fetching clothing could take hours, depending on what she needed to finish up before she could attend to this. I might as well rest now, while I had a chance, in the first real bed I'd been in for well over a week.

I don't know when I drifted off to sleep, or how long I slept, for I did not dream. I was awakened by the slam of my room door, and I shoved myself up, smiling when I saw that it was indeed Arndis Firebrand, her arms piled high with shirts and pants. Seeing that I was awake, she dropped the heap of clothing on my bed and began to sort through it, tossing shirts to me as she found them.

"This one should fit, and that one…not sure about this one, try it and give it back if it's too small…oh, look at this one, it's trimmed in ermine…" she held the shirt up to admire it for a moment, then threw it on the growing pile on my chest. "Made me look hideous, keep it or burn it, I don't care. Hmm…these are all too small…I think this one would be too big on you, but you're welcome to it. Pants…do you have pretty long legs?" She glanced down, then shrugged, "I guess they'd fit, might be a bit long, but better long than short, yes?" Without waiting for an answer, she began to throw pairs of pants at me as well.

I couldn't help it; I threw back my head and laughed, burying one hand in the pile of clothing to keep it from falling off. "Arndis! I think that's enough! I'll be fine, really!"

"Are you sure?" She asked, worried. "Days and nights are getting colder…wouldn't want you to freeze because you were too stubborn to accept a little help…"

I snorted, "Arndis, I'll be fine. Trust me."

"Now, where have I heard that before?" Arndis raised a finger to her chin in mock thought. "That's right, before you attacked that rouge, and just after you caught Swamp Fever—as Ebony put it, 'I didn't know you could throw up like that as a werewolf!'—and when you…"

I cut her off with a gesture, feeling the heat rise into my face, "You don't need to count every time I was wrong, Arndis."

"But it's so much fun." She sighed, "In any case, I'd better get back outside before the werewolves start fighting again." Turning on her heel, she left me with the stack of clothes atop my chest. I lost my battle not to laugh, and did so with abandon, head thrown back, one hand holding the mountain of clothes so they didn't spill onto the floor.

The rest of that day and that night passed quietly, with little to disturb me. The change came and went without incident, the pack scattering to the far ends of the island, each werewolf seeking out their own special hunting grounds.

As per Eponis' orders, I stayed near the Gathering Place, dispatching a Reikling Raider who thought that a limp equaled weakness. The bloodlust sated, I spent the night in quiet contemplation, listening to the calls of my species-kin, wanting so much to join them…But White-Heart had put her foot down, and said that after I had made my kill, I was to come straight back to the clearing to wait out the night: no running, no hunting, and no fighting.

I was bored stiff, but Eponis White-Heart had reassured me that the less I moved the leg and the shoulder, the faster the wounds would heal. And the faster the wounds healed, the sooner I could be running all over Solstheim…So I stayed near the Gathering Place, watching the constellations turn around the North Star, greeting the werewolves who stopped by to keep me company.

By seven in the morning, the pack was wandering into the Gathering Place, yawning from their long night. Most made their way to the conglomerate of bedrolls on one side of the clearing, seeking out their beds. Some dragged dead Bristlebacks and Horkers over to the fire pits, others dropped supplies off at their worksites before lying down, asleep on their feet. Those that passed me, resting on the step leading into the infirmary, called their "good-mornings," to me, not expecting an answer as they focused on one thing; getting into bed for a few hours sleep before they got back to work on our town.

"Taima Shadow?" I smiled, looking up as the rich voice of the leader of the pack sounded in front of me. "Do you have a moment? We need to discuss something…if you'd rather rest, of course…"

I shrugged, "I've been napping on and off all night; I'm fine. What do you need?"

He gestured, and six werewolves appeared, three on either side of him. I recognized Boromor, standing to Adian's right, but the other five were unfamiliar. These must be the Council that Eponis was talking about…None of them were very old by most standards, but in werewolf terms, when death by old age or the consequences thereof could come as early as thirty…they were ancient. "Taima, this is Svetlana, Vanya, and Jelena," Adian indicated the three females to his left, who were studying me with as much curiosity as I was studying them, "And here is Zev, Calo, and Boromor you already know."

The big Nord in question winked at me, grinning. The graceful white-blond named Svetlana stepped forward, extending a hand in greeting, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Taima Shadow. Among the pack, there is much said about you."

"Little good, I'm sure," time to rest during the night or no time to rest during the night, I was still unused to being awake this early, and the desire for sleep made my tongue sharp. "All about how I managed to endanger myself and the rest of the pack with me, how I almost got myself killed numerous times…"

Svetlana shook her head, "None of the sort. More along the lines of your courage, your love for our species and our kin, and your knowledge of the island and all its inhabitants, from the Reiklings to the Imperials."

"Blind courage, perhaps," I argued, "and a scout has better knowledge of the landscape; just ask Pegasai Ranger. As for my love of my pack…it's nothing any werewolf doesn't feel."

"I think I see what you mean, Adian," one of the males—Zev, I think—commented, a wiry smile on his face.

"What?" I asked, looking from face to face. The only answer I was given were growing smiles on their faces. "What?" I repeated, desperate now to know what Adian had said about me.

The male in question shook his head, and took a seat on the step next to me, the Council finding spots to crouch or sit nearby. "Taima, why didn't you say you'd been in the Imperial Legion?"

It took me a few moments to realize what he was talking about, and a few more to remember. I couldn't stop an embarrassed flush from rising into my cheeks as I shrugged, "That was…Hircine, three years ago now. When I came to Morrowind, I was an outlander, a foreigner, greeted with cool hostility. I joined because…because the Legion welcomed me and my skill with a blade. Suddenly, I wasn't so alone; I had friends and a place to stay in almost any town and I was paid. The better I was with a sword and the more missions I did, the more I was respected and the more drakes I was given."

"And the higher you were promoted," Boromor prompted, his voice soft.

"Yes," I admitted, leaving it at that.

"You rose to the rank of Knight Errant, didn't you?" Vanya asked, her question rhetorical.

I nodded, amazed in spite of myself, "Yes. How did you…?"

"I used to be in the Legion as well, and there are still people in it who owe me favors. The captain at Fort Frostmoth told me. You were transferred up here…?"

"To help the Captain," I nodded, "I reported in, did an assignment or two, then he gave me a few days off, which I used to explore some of the burrows of the island, and got savaged by a werewolf." I shrugged, not wanting to comment more on the subject. It was still painful to talk about my choice – need, really – to distance myself from the Legion.

If Adian noticed my discomfort, he chose to ignore it, continuing on, "Do you have any experience organizing guards and patrols, hearing out reports, that kind of thing?"

I nodded, puzzled, "Yes, that's why they sent me up here; General Darius, my commanding officer, recommended me, saying I had a commander's mind. I used to help him with the reports for Fort Darius, the Legion fort in Gnisis, then later did the same for Fort Frostmoth up here." As Adian nodded, I continued, "But that was years and years ago, before I became a werewolf. Why bring it up now?"

Adian clapped me on my good shoulder, grinning, "Knight Errant Taima…how does being Knight Protector of this little town sound to you?"

My jaw dropped away from my face. Knight Protectors were in charge of the various forts all over Morrowind, and everyone – even the natives – listened to them on matters of defense. "But I…I'm not even a Knight Bachelor! You can't promote me two ranks all at once!"

"Watch us," Boromor retorted.

Vanya agreed, "You're higher ranked than I am; I used to be a Champion. And so long as you've got the recommendations and the qualifications for being a Knight Protector…"

Svetlana added, "Plus you've got the experience, more than anyone else can say in this pack. We need someone who can organize our guards and our patrols, and you're the best one for the job."

"Please," Zev rolled his eyes as I opened my mouth to protest, "Don't try to argue the points; you know we're right." He looked to be the youngest on the Council, though that wasn't saying too much; his dark hair already shot with silver threads, "If you want proof, look at what you just did! Organized the entire pack into search parties after thinking about it for how long? Five, ten minutes, maybe? Flyer said that it was your plan to attack the necromancer and retrieve Hethan from behind. And you were the one who led the colonists to us."

"Then I was the one who was careless and led the colonists right to my home!" I snapped, "I was the one who the pack needed to rescue from a Silver Trial!"

"Rescue? True, but it was just payment for a debt or two," Calo remarked idly, testing the edge of his axe. "Nothing you wouldn't have done for any of us."

Quiet Jelena nodded, "Think of it as another chance, Taima. A chance to be what you could not have been in the outside world."

I couldn't argue that, but a word she had used burrowed its way into my mind, insisting that it was important…I shoved the thoughts out of my head, and looked pleadingly around the semicircle of werewolves, "The pack won't agree to this."

"Want to bet?" Boromor asked, "I could use the gold."

"The pack doesn't need to agree," Adian pointed out, "It's the Council that decides ranks such as this one."

I looked around the semicircle again, noting the stubborn set of their eyes, and then brightened, "But the pack leader can overrule them…" I trailed off, remembering that it was Adian Thunder who brought this to the Council's attention. Smiles lit their faces as I swore through my teeth, turning to Adian, "You, pack-leader, are evil. Trapping me into it like this…but fine. You have your Knight Protector."

Adian clapped me once more on my good shoulder, "So glad you saw it our way. Get some rest, Knight Protector. Today's going to be another long day in our city of werewolves."

One by one, the Council drifted off, leaving me alone. Adian was the last to go, but as I watched him make his way over towards the bedrolls, a thought like a thunderstorm crashed over me. I leapt to my feet and ran after him, calling his name until he turned, one eyebrow arched. I blurted out as I drew closer, "I have the name for our town." As his other eyebrow raise, I took a deep breath and said simply, "Second Chance. Because that's what it is for all of us. A second chance at life."

Adian's eyes widened, the words forming on his mouth as he rolled the two words over his tongue. He frowned thoughtfully, "Second Chance implies that there was a First Chance, town before this one. Shouldn't we just call it Chance?"

I snorted, "Of course there was a first chance. We all got one chance at life, then we were savaged by werewolves. We had to flee, had to sacrifice what we loved for survival. But now, we have another chance at town-life, another chance to live around people. A second chance to have what we could not, a second chance to love, to marry, to live. A second chance at everything. It was all I ever wanted during those three years that I was exiled, and I'm sure the majority of the population feels the same, even the elders."

Adian nodded, "With that, I can sympathize. Second Chance…I like it. I'll talk to the pack later today, but I think you're right; I think they'll agree with you on this."