The sun was brighter than Lili anticipated, and she had to shade her eyes as she stepped out into the open. A breeze ruffled her dress around her knees and brought with it the sweet smell of grass and pine. But that wasn't all. Somewhere beneath all of that was the smell of fur. It became stronger as the wind dissipated. Lili removed her hand once her eyes adjusted to the light. The sight before her should have scared her, but having Ludwig beside her made her feel a little more confident. Besides, if they were going to do something to her, they would have done it already. They had plenty of opportunities while she was sleeping.

"Are you going to be all right?" Ludwig asked when he noticed her wide eyes.

Lili wanted to hide behind the tall man. At least she would feel safe there. "Yes, I'm fine," she said instead.

Five wolves stared at her, each with a different look in their eyes. The smallest brown wolf seemed to be excited, but the reddish wolf beside it couldn't have looked more bored. Lili recognized him as the one who had transformed earlier. The curly haired wolf and the white wolf both looked like they were grinning at her, but the light brown wolf only gave her a cold stare. She got the impression that it didn't like her very much.

"Hello," Lili said quietly. She wanted to be louder, but her voice had other ideas. "My name is Lili Zwingli. I-it's very nice to meet all of you." She curtsied slightly. Her brother had taught her to be polite in the company of strangers, and she wasn't about to change that just because the strangers happened to be a pack of large wolves.

"Hi, Lili! I'm glad you're not scared anymore," the small brown wolf said. It wagged its tail happily.

"That's Feliciano," Ludwig explained.

"But you can call me Feli!" The wolf jumped in the air, and when it landed, it had become a young man similar in appearance to the other wolf that had transformed. However, this boy wore a big smile, and his curl was on the right side instead of the left. "Can I touch your hair?"

"W-what?" Lili didn't know what to tell him.

The boy, Feli, went ahead and pinched a few strands of her hair between his fingers. "Wow, it's the same color as Ludwig's! He never lets me touch his hair though." He turned to the reddish wolf that he had been sitting next to. "Come look, Lovi!"

"Idiot! You can't just start touching people's hair," the wolf scolded. He mumbled something under his breath that sounded like profanity.

"That's my brother Lovino," Feli told Lili. He didn't seem fazed by his brother's strong words. "He's kind of grouchy."

"I heard that!"

Feliciano ignored him. "The curly one is Antonio, the white one is Gilbert, and the one next to him is Elizabeta."

"Hello," Lili said again. Her voice was a little stronger this time.

"Hiya!" The curly furred wolf shifted into his human form. "You can call me Toni if you want." His hair was just as wildly curly as it was as a wolf, and he smiled brightly at her. A sparkle of mischief shined in his green eyes as he gave her a wink.

The other two next to him also changed. A man with messy white hair stood where the white wolf used to be, and a woman with long brown hair was next to him. The man was pale, which made his red eyes stand out even more, but he had a carefree air about him that softened his sharp features. Lili could not say the same for the woman. Her gorgeous hair cascaded down to her waist and curled gently at the end, but her beauty was dimmed by the deadness in her green eyes. They watched Lili coldly.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound filled the clearing, and Lili clutched her stomach in embarrassment. She didn't realize she was so hungry.

"Was that your stomach?" Feli asked brightly. She didn't need to answer him, her blush said everything. "Come with me! I know a good place to get something to eat!"

Without waiting for her to reply, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the forest. Lili was too surprised to say anything or fight back. The young man didn't even notice that he was practically dragging her along. Once she cleared her head, Lili slipped her hand out of Feli's grasp and slowed to a stop. He turned and gave her a confused look.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I…um…" How did Lili say she didn't trust him? It didn't feel right to let a complete stranger drag her into the forest. There was no telling what he was really up to.

"You don't have to be scared. You can trust me."

His words surprised her. It was like he had read her mind. Lili raised a hand to her face and touched her lips tentatively. Even though it felt like a bad idea, she didn't have any other choice than to trust Feli. Her stomach growled again. He smiled and held out his hand. It was an invitation. Lili didn't have to accept, but she found herself wanting to as the seconds ticked by. Something about his smiling face and warm brown eyes made her tense legs relax. She slowly took his hand.

"Come on! It's just this way!" he said as they began walking, hand in hand.

A little while later, the two stepped out into a sunny meadow full of berry bushes and wildflowers. Lili gasped in wonder as the small paradise opened up right before her eyes. A little stream snaked out of the forest and cut the field into two halves. Feli guided her to it and sat down at its edge.

"It's spring fed, so it's good for drinking," he told her. He scooped a handful of the clear water into his mouth and sighed contently. "Try it!"

Lili carefully knelt down and cupped the cool water between her hands. It reminded her of the water from the well in the middle of Schattenwald, but as she drank it she discovered it tasted much better. She was about to drink some more when something splashed her.

"Ah!" she squeaked as water got on her dress. A laugh came from beside her, and she knew it had to be Feli. Determined not to be the only wet one, Lili threw a handful of water at the young man's smiling face.

"Take this!" He jumped into the stream and flung a big wave toward Lili.

"H-hey!" She scampered to her feet to avoid the water. There was no way she could get him back this way. She set down her basket, unbuckled her shoes, and slipped off her knee length stockings. Gathering up her pink dress with one hand, she stepped into the stream. The cold water glided around her small legs and continued on its way as if she weren't there at all. "Oh!" she gasped as Feli splashed her again.

The two went back and forth splashing each other until they were both soaking wet. They crawled back onto the grass and let the sun dry their damp clothes and hair. A laugh bubbled up from Lili's chest as she lay next to Feli. She couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun. Her laugh was drowned out by the sound of her stomach complaining again. Feli sat up with a start.

"I forgot about your stomach," he said apologetically.

"It's okay," Lili told him with a smile. She felt like she hadn't smiled in a long time either. "That was a lot of fun."

Feli brightened when he heard that. "The berries here are really good. Let's pick some and take them back for everyone."

They got to work picking the plump berries. For every berry they put in Lili's basket, two went into their mouths. Soon their hands were covered in sticky juice, but the basket was full, and so were their stomachs. Lili had never tasted blackberries quite like these. They were the perfect combination of sweet and sour. Just thinking about it made her mouth water. They made sure to wash their hands and get one last drink from the stream before leaving. The sun had reached the tops of the trees and cast long shadows across the meadow. Most of the flowers were beginning to close, which was a sure sign that it was time to go.

"Thank you for taking me here," Lili said as they stepped back into the forest. "It was lovely."

"Let's go back again tomorrow." He nabbed a berry out of her basket and popped it into his mouth. "Everyone's going to love these," he mumbled as he chewed.

His words settled like a weight on Lili's heart. "I don't know if they like me."

"Of course they like you! You're lots of fun!"

She saw the sincerity in his happy face and knew that he wasn't just saying that. He meant it with every fiber of his being. Lili found herself smiling along with him. It wasn't going to be easy adjusting to her new life, but Feli gave her the courage to keep going.

That night she lay on her side at the back of the cave and thought of home. She missed her brother dearly. Was he looking for her? If he was, she hoped he was safe. A shiver went through her body as she thought about this. The floor of the cave was cold and uncomfortable. Even though she had gathered some leaves to make a small bed, the cold seeped into her very bones. She wished for anything warm. A blanket, or even some thicker clothing would do. Anything to ward off the cold.

Something warm pressed against her back. Had her wish come true? Lili turned onto her other side and came face to face with Ludwig. He was in his wolf form, and his eyes were closed, but she recognized his gold fur. Gratitude welled in her chest as she moved closer toward his warmth. He didn't have to do this for her, but he did. She wondered why. It almost didn't matter as the heat radiating off his large body eased Lili's shivering. She was comfortable enough to finally fall asleep. Absentmindedly, her hand reached out and touched Ludwig's fur. It was soft and smelled like the forest. She snuggled in closer and sighed. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.