"Er, yeah…"

"Dan?"

"Just wait, alright?"

Dan led Phil into the trees, which soon grew thicker and thicker. Phil vaguely recognized the path Dan was leading them on, but soon he was on unfamiliar ground.

The air was a bit chilly, and the terrain was a bit rough and uneven. Phil was a bit uncoordinated, and slowed Dan down a bit. He was glad he'd left his glasses his on, otherwise he was certain that he would tripped a few times over tree roots and rocks.

"Are we almost there?" Phil said eventually, realizing how tired he was growing.

Dan stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry, are you alright? We can take a bit of a break, if you need it."

"I'm fine, but yeah a break would be nice."

"It is a bit farther than it seems for me. I'm used to going back and forth all the time."

"Right," Phil sat down on a nearby tree log, taking a breath at the relief of taking his weight off of his feet. He wasn't what you'd call a heavier person, but he was definitely heavy in his height so he still experienced your garden variety foot ache every now and then.

"I've just been on my feet all day already."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you all the way out here." Dan squatted down near Phil, reminding him for a moment of the way a dog would sit.

"No, it's fine. I was far too curious to pass up the opportunity. You're sort of a fickle being."

"I'll try not to be from now on."

"That'd be kind of nice," Phil said, earning a small laugh and a grin from Dan. He smiled back.

Phil watched as Dan's eyes flicked about to watch their surroundings as they grew a little quiet.

At the sound of wind rustling the tree leaves, he would look up, or when a squirrel scampered up a tree, he would look in that direction as well.

It was almost as if Dan suffered from a bit of ADD, but Phil figured that, being way out here, it paid off to be aware of your surroundings.

And apparently, he lived out here, so he had probably learned, at some point, that it was best to be more observant.

"We are almost there, actually," Dan assured Phil.

"That's good." Phil stood again and Dan followed suit. "Er, lead on, I guess."

Phil did feel loads better and he followed Dan. The terrain seemed to smooth out just a bit more again, and soon Phil could see the trees thinning minutely.

"I didn't realize the woods were this extensive," he said to Dan.

"Yeah. We're almost there now."

Through the trees, Phil could see an opening, a clearing where sunlight fell onto this really old looking house.

"Oh," Phil said as realization dawned on him.

"Yeah."

"How long has it been here?"

"A very long time. Mom lived here… and so did my grandpa. It was built ages ago."

Dan had always seemed so ambiguous to Phil that him having grandparents really struck him as a strange idea.

"See that there," Dan pointed to where the earth just a bit further than the small cottage, dipped. "There's a stream that runs through there. I generally always get my water there, and wash my clothes and stuff."

Dan seemed a bit embarrassed.

He wasn't exactly homeless, but didn't quite have all the luxuries that Phil did. Phil suddenly realized that he took for granted his electric stove, cold fridge, and hot showers.

They continued on toward the small house.

"I think it's beautiful, Dan."

They had reached the edge of trees and upon closer inspection of the cottage, Phil saw that it was made mostly of brick. There was a chimney at one side, and Phil imagined that during the winter Dan would light a fire and sit beside it.

"I sort of just make do with whatever I find when it comes to food."

"Dan, how did you manage to pay for lunch at the restaurant the past few days?"

"Right. Dad was a CEO of a big company and had loads of money in his savings, which was passed to me when he died…. I've sort of got loads of money in a safe in there."

It started to make sense to Phil.

"Why don't you move someplace else then?"

"Well, cause this worked for me. I sort of grew up with mom here, so it's sort of all I really know. Also, I wouldn't have met you, so I'm glad I never did find someplace else."

Phil smiled, but wondered, "Where is your mom now?"

"She's… Well, she died."

"That's awful, Dan."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss her. But I can say I'm no longer grieving."

Phil wasn't sure what to say.

This wasn't quite like anything he had experienced before and Dan wasn't like anyone he had ever met.

What exactly are you supposed to do in this sort of situation? He couldn't exactly just take it in stride that a man he very quickly developed some quite profound feelings for, was living in the woods without any proper human interaction or entertainment.

He knew Dan well enough that he would not respond well if Phil showed him pity.

"Are you… happy here?"

"I… think it's a very beautiful and peaceful place and I have everything I need. But, I mean… I was lonely," he conceded, "but because of what I am… I would have been lonely no matter if I had been around loads of people or remained here. I was made to be lonely until I met you."

Phil was completely perplexed by Dan's words, but he just continued and said, "Do you want to see the inside? It actually is quite nice."

"Er, yeah." Phil said, following Dan as he finally led him across the clearing to the old wooden door.

Phil's first impression had been that the cottage was very small, but it was definitely bigger than it originally seemed.

Phil stepped inside after Dan, his feet landing on hard concrete.

Everything was a bit dim, but Phil could see there was a very old sofa across from a fire place. Dan went over to the mantel where a box of matches were sitting.

He struck a match, and carefully raised it above to light the candles in a makeshift chandelier. Well, it was a chandelier, but instead of light bulbs, candles were to be lit.

There wasn't really a kitchen, but a dining table off to the other side of the room as well as a few cupboards. Using a match, Dan lit an oil lamp which was sat on top of the dining table, as well one that was near the entrance to the cottage on top of an end table.

There was an archway which led to a smaller space where Phil could see a bed, and shelves full of books.

"You weren't kidding when you said you read a lot."

"No," Dan laughed. "I wasn't."

Phil was enchanted by the small cottage, full of candles and books and cozy furniture and a rough, brick fireplace.

"So, I don't know if you wanted to stay for the afternoon, or anything, but I can light a fire."

"That sounds nice."

"Alright, well you can sit anywhere you like. That chair there reclines. It's my favorite, besides my actual bed."

Phil sat in the recliner that Dan had gestured to and knelt before the fire place. He had bits of crunchy fall leaves and newspaper and balled some of that up. He pulled a tray of wood closer to him and made a teepee of chopped wood.

He struck a match, and carefully slipped it into the teepee near the kindling and it wasn't long before Dan had a fire warming the room.

"I haven't sat by a real fireplace in a very long time."

"Nice, isn't it?" Dan looked away from the fire, and smiled at Phil. He rose from the floor and then sat on the sofa where he sort of curled himself up.

"I can kind of see why you chose to stay."

"Yeah," Dan grinned.

They both gazed at the fireplace.

Phil had a soft smile on his face, and he was beginning to nod off. He looked over at Dan who continued to gaze at the fire, but suddenly Phil's vision blurred and Dan became a very dark, smaller figure. His vision would come back into focus and he'd see Dan there, but then the blurriness would return and he could only make out a shadow.

He succumbed to sleep, and when he awoke the light had grown much dimmer outside.

Dan was kneeling before the fire, stirring it up and adding another log of wood. He heard Phil stirring and inhaling deeply and he looked over at him.

"You slept for quite a while," Dan said.

"Yeah," Phil sat up, letting the recliner return to it's normal position. He cleared his throat and realized he wasn't wearing any glasses.

"I've got to get back…" he mumbled. "I don't feel like walking that far," he groaned.

"You can stay if you like." Dan stood and grabbed Phil's glasses from the mantel to pass them to him.

"We should go back for some dinner at least, though. Even if I skip out on work tomorrow," Phil said as he slid his glasses into place.

"You're not going to work tomorrow?"

"Well, I'm thinking about just calling in and saying I won't be able to make it."

"Well, if you want to go back to your place, we should go soon. It's getting dark."

"Right."

Dan grabbed a bucket of sand and tossed it over the fire, effectively putting it out. It grew very dark in the small cottage, yet instead of a foreboding feeling, it felt rather peaceful. Like a sanctuary.

Dan led the way back to Phil's house and the terrain soon become inconsistent again and Phil nearly tripped over the roots of a tree.

Dan had caught him by the hand, and Phil looked up as he righted himself, smiling at Dan. That familiar rush went through him and Dan smiled back.

They continued to walk with their hands clasped until they reached Phil's home.

Phil led Dan up the porch steps, and unlocked the door, letting them both in. He put a movie on for them, but let it play as background noise for himself.

"So, are you actually going to skip work tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'd sort of much rather stay here and be with you."

Phil began to do some prep work for dinner. He brought out some steak to de thaw as well as some potatoes to rinse and scrub.

Dan ignored the movie and lingered in the kitchen with Phil for a bit while he worked on their food.

All of the things that Dan had explained to him began to swirl about in his head.

"Dan, you said something earlier and I'm still confused by what you meant."

"What was that?"

"You said that because of what you were, you were made to be lonely… until you met me."

Dan sighed. "It's really hard to explain. I'm not… normal. I'm not like you. I mean I'm like you, but not like anyone else you've ever met probably."

"Dan, what are you getting at?"

"I'm not exactly human."

"Okay. Good one, Dan." Phil grinned and nearly chuckled.

"I'm being very serious, Phil."

Phil was a bit struck by the tone that he used.

"Ar-, Are you?"

"Yes. And I mean, I am human, but there is a part of me that's more than that. I am sort of… your soul mate."

"Soul mate?"

"You don't believe in that sort of thing, Phil?"

"Well, I'd never really thought about it."

"Well," Dan reached out for one of Phil's hand, pressed it firmly over his heart and immediately he felt the surge of energy passing between them both. "Think about that feeling, Phil. You feel it, don't you?"

Phil gulped, but answered, "I do," in a small voice as he glanced down at his hand splayed across Dan's chest through his black, long sleeved shirt.

"Can you explain what that is? I was created and conceived just for this; this-, connection, this energy, this… perfect companionship." Dan had grabbed hold of Phil's other hand as well.

Phil stared unblinkingly into Dan's deep brown eyes. "I'm you're perfect companion, Phil."

"Dan," Phil struggled to speak. The buzzing that ran through him, the electricity that he felt passing through Dan and into himself, and then back again was like nothing he had ever felt.

He had never felt so alive.

Dan brought Phil's hands to wrap around his waist, and embraced him properly for the first time.

"I love you, Phil. I am physically incapable of loving anything more than I love you."

"I love you, Dan."

They were sort of in sync, as Phil pulled back and Dan placed a hand at his cheek, already leaning right back in.

They were a breath away from each other, and Phil couldn't quite remember what breathing was.

He was sure that the two of them could power an entire office building together. His heart was pounding, but his mind was somehow quiet.

He shut his eyes to the feeling, and when he opened them, it looked as if Dan was glowing. He wondered if he looked the same way to Dan.

Phil could count the eyelashes around Dan's eye, and see the flecks of gold amongst the warm brown in his eyes.

He shut his eyes once more and felt the warm, soft lips of his perfect companion against his own, softly moving and persuading.

Dan's mouth left his own, and when Phil opened his eyes, he couldn't believe what he saw.

Dan was glowing. Just faintly, but he had a bit of a luminescence. Phil stepped back to take in the entire image and suddenly Dan was changing before his eyes.

Every gear shifted into place in Phil's mind.

The brown eyes didn't change once, but Phil watched, entranced as Dan's long lean body suddenly didn't look quite as human. Phil removed his glasses as he continued to marvel at what he was witnessing.

I think I'd be a wolf too, Dan's words echoed in Phil's mind.

Dan's soft brown hair at the top of his head began to grow and cover his body head to toe.

Despite the brilliant transformation, Dan was able to strip out of his clothing so that they were in a pile beside him and Phil was soon looking down at the brown-eyed wolf he'd been encountering in the clearing amongst the trees.

Phil lowered himself to a kneeling position, his legs weak and wobbly. He left his glasses on the kitchen tile beside them.

"Dan?"

The wolf had at first been sitting and he rose to stand in front of Phil, eye to eye.

He never really made the connection, that being in the forest in that clearing with this wolf, made him feel exactly the same way when he was with Dan.

This wolf that had Dan's eyes and hair color and affection for Phil.

"Dan."

Large paws on his chest pushed Phil back into the kitchen floor. Luckily, he caught himself on his hands a bit, but still slipped.

Dan looked down at Phil in concern, but he was alright so he smiled up at his companion and then a long and warm kiss was left across the side of Phil's face.

Dan settled, laying across Phil as if he were his dog bed.

"I really wish I had realized sooner."

Dan turned his long snout to look at Phil.

"Are you going to be like that for a while now?"

Dan stared deep into Phil's eyes for a few moments and suddenly there was a voice in his head that was not his own.

I can change at will, but sometimes I can't stop it if I'm feeling upset or very immensely happy. Like I am now.

"Will you change back soon then?"

Yes, but I'll be naked.

"I can move to the other room…"

It doesn't bother me to change back right here if it doesn't bother you.

"It doesn't."

Dan slowly moved off of Phil, accidentally pressing a paw into his ribcage a bit too hard and he let out a breath as he sat up.

Sorry 'bout that.

Dan sat on his hind legs, and slowly, his pale, human skin began to be revealed again and Dan was once again the way Phil recognized him best. However, he was very naked, sitting cross-legged on his kitchen floor. He rested his head in his hand, which was propped up on his knee by his elbow. He looked far more contented than Phil had ever seen, despite his nakedness.

Phil quickly stood and walked the few feet to grab the extra blanket he kept hanging on the back of his couch.

He knelt in front of Dan, throwing the blanket around him, and then mirrored Dan and sat cross-legged.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner. I'm not the only with this sort of… ability, I guess you could call it, and others have tried to share this part of themselves with their companion a bit too soon and sometimes things don't go as smoothly."

Phil put his glasses back on.

"I wish I'd been smart enough to realize. I mean, just seeing you for the first time, in the forest, made me believe it might have been a dream."

"You're very smart, Phil."

"I don't know…"

Phil slowly stood and helped Dan up.

"No wonder you freaking like steak so damn much." Phil suddenly blurted and Dan chuckled, holding onto the blanket. Their laughter filled Phil's house.

Dan dressed and Phil finished cooking.

Phil shamelessly would reach out and touch Dan, even if it was just by brushing his hand by his shoulder, or to touch his hair throughout the night.

And as they lie in bed they spoke softly.

"I'm glad you know now."

"I am too."

"I love you, Phil."

"I love you, too."