I was stirring somewhere. . . warm. I opened an eye and found myself in some warm structure, on a slab of wood. A house. . . from what I knew. The walls were varying shades grey, trees grew through the floor through to the ceiling, small plants poking through cracks in the walls. I closed my eyes and yawned, startling something in the room with me. I raised my head, and saw a rabbit fleeing. I would give chase to it, but my legs still hurt, I just lowered my head and tried to sleep again. I managed to rest for a while, before. . .

|[=-=]|

I opened the door, but as I did Angel bolted off into the garden. I looked inside to see the wolf still lying on the table, right where I left him. I set down my basket and approached him, I set my hoof on his forehead, checking how he was before he shifted.

'Don't do that to a wolf. . . they will bite you in any other condition.' He warned me.

'Your legs have stopped bleeding, I gave them bandaging but I couldn't do much for your ear.' I told him, but he started moving to his feet.

'Thanks. . . but I should go. . .' he made it off the table, standing on the floor for a few seconds before he fell over.

'Not like this,' I helped him over to the sofa and laid him on it, 'you will be safe here, I promise.'

'It's not me. . . I'm worried about. . .' he told me, 'If they bother trying to find me here they will kill me. . . and they will go for you. . .

'Wow. . . I never found a wolf that actually cares.' I noted.

'I. . . don't-' he began.

'That's why you wanted me to leave isn't it?' I asked, realizing something, 'your "territory" was in the direction of Pony Ville, you. . . were protecting us.'

'. . . I hate what we became. . . Mother wants blood. . . I. . . don't. . .' he told me, I fluffed his pillow, and left for water, 'thank you. . . pony. . .'

'. . . Your welcome.' I left and grabbed a bucket of water, I brought it back and laid it by him, 'but while I can, I'd like to ask you a few things. . . And, you can call me Fluttershy.'

|[=-=]|

'. . . So that's it. . . I'm the smallest of the litter and I was cast out because I gave up the hunt.' I told her, I leaned off the strange "sofa" and licked water from the bucket.

'So sad Runt, poor dear. . .' she told me, 'but your kind are different among any wolves I've seen, you actually speak like me.'

'We are of Grey Skull, my ancestors drank from the Waters Of Mind and were given the power to speak, our heads marked with a grey stain upon our fur, resembling our status.'

'Grey? That's not grey Runt.' She said, inspecting my head.

'No, I guess its technically shine grey, but-'

'That mark is. . . red.' She told me.

'Is that what you call Shine grey?' I asked, only to be ignored.

'. . . What other colors do you see?' she asked.

'. . . Grey, black, grey scale, white bite, tooth white, shine grey, and others. . . why?' I looked at her, her face seemed to mirror an expression I would have when I wondered about something.

'What color am I?' she asked.

'Shine grey mane, tooth white fur.' I answered.

'My mane is pink, and my fur is yellow.' She told me, 'It's like. . . you only see in black and white, oh dear.'

'. . . That's how it's always been. . . all wolves same.' I told her.

'. . . Strange.' She mused, something knocked on the strange door, 'I'll get it.'

She walked off to the door, she opened, after a moment she slammed it shut.

'Hide!' she shouted, before scrambling to the table, clearing the torn and bloody cloths. She wiped off the table, hid the bucket and went back to the door.

|[=-=]|

'Hello Big Mac.' I greeted him as I opened the door, he stood there with a beaver on his back, 'oh, whose this?'

'Applejack said you could help him.' He said, but before he said more, he raced inside and stood behind me, 'Wolf!'

I looked to see Runt still sitting on the Sofa.

'I told you to hide.' I said.

'Wolves never hide. . . and I kind of can't. . .' He said.

'Stay back, I'll handle-' I jumped in front of Big Mac.

'Nonononono, no fighting. . . please. . .' I pleaded with him, he still seemed unconvinced, 'he risked his life for me, Mac please.'

He stood there, stubbornly until he gave in, he closed his eyes and sighed.

'This beavers paws hurt, can you help him?' he asked, I nodded and grabbed the beaver off, 'I'll. . . be here.'

|[=-=]|

I watched for any sign of movement as I sat down on the floor, it laid there with its head up watching me. As I stared it down, it stared me down. We weren't moving. If he didn't, I wouldn't. We sat there for seconds, seconds turned to minutes, and he didn't move.

'It's quiet.' He commented.

'Eeeyup.' I responded.

'. . . Your quiet. . . I like you.' He said, surprising me a bit.

After that, I untensed a bit, but I was still suspicious.

Awfully crafty things wolves are. . . and I am not giving it the chance. . .