Good thing he didn't eat her. This one isn't a romance fic. Just a friend fic. :)

:Friends:

"Will you stop that infernal racket?!"

Penalyn jumped and almost fell over a log. The whistling died on her lips as she steadied herself. She turned and stared wide eyed at the large shaggy creature lumbering toward her. He was glaring and his lips were drawn back in a snarl. She paused and looked at him closely. Normally she would put hoof to path and sprint away from a wendigo, but this one was…unusual. He was 8 feet tall, covered in glossy black hair. He had a book in one hand and a quill behind one ear. He smelled more like charcoal and ink than blood and rotting meat.

"Are you going to eat me?" she asked curiously.

He shuddered in horror. "Of course not! I have no idea where you come from. You could be infected with any number of parasites!" He paused and looked her over carefully.

She had long blonde hair and forest green eyes. Her tunic was tight over ample breasts. Her haunch was covered in a thick golden pelt. Her hooves were painted red. "Wait a minute. What are you?"

Penalyn shrugged self-consciously. "I'm a faun."

The wendigo snorted. "Fauns are male. You are not male. Therefore, you are not a faun."

She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I was cursed, okay? And it wasn't even my fault! I can't help it if Amaler's boy toy had a thing for me, now can I? I never encouraged the little hobbit! Besides, I had my eye set on a much more lofty goal. The Queen's son, Sir Zakanidus was so close to being mine!"

Heldon could only stare in exasperation as she went off on a tirade about jealous witches and lost opportunities. She trotted back and forth and flung her hands about in an unnerving manner. He briefly considered eating her just to shut her up. However, he had just bathed in the creek and was reluctant to get blood in his hair. Finally she wound down and huffed angrily.

"Don't you agree?" she asked crossly.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Look, just stop the whistling, okay? It gives me a headache." He turned and headed back to his abode. He had only gone a few steps when he noticed her shadow along side his. He paused and looked over his shoulder. She was looking around the area, a few paces behind him.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Penalyn smiled brightly. "Following you."

He snarled at her impertinence. "Why?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm lonely. I can't hang out with the other fauns. They go all horn toad on me. The nymphs don't like me because I'm cursed. The hippocampus says he wants to be friends, but I think he's just looking for an easy meal. The phoenix keeps sneezing soot. Trolls and ghouls stink, and the unicorn keeps going on and on about how beautiful she is. Oh and those harpies? Serious anger management issues!"

"I do not encourage visitors." He tried to glare at her, but she was looking at a couple of fairies riding on a bumble bee.

"So it's just us, then?" she asked absently.

He gaped at her. "No! It's just me!"

Penalyn shook her head sweetly. "Aww, don't worry. You're not alone anymore. I'll be your friend."

Heldon sputtered and tried to think of something to say, but she linked her slender arm through his hairy one and tugged him further down the path.

He slumped in his chair grumpily. That faun was going to be the death of him! No matter what he said, she simply refused to go away. She was loud and energetic and a menace. It had been four days since they had met and he hadn't known a moments peace since. She chattered endlessly. She never seemed to sit still. And worst of all, she kept invading his personal space!

He had went to bed early that first night in an effort to escape her. He had awoken at dawn to find her curled up beside him on his bed. When he ranted, she just patted his arm comfortingly and offered him a clutch of pixies she had caught before coming to bed.

Then she had interrupted his morning bath the next day. He was waist deep in water when she appeared and sat down on a boulder. She had asked him question after question. Where was he from, did he always use this shape, did he have any family, etc. All he wanted was a few minutes of privacy to clean the cave dust from his hair and she was determined to hear his life story.

If it wasn't for her knack of finding the most delectable foods, he would have broken her legs and left her to die. No way was he eating her. She'd give him indigestion. Besides, he grudgingly admitted, she was kind of pretty. And she was soft and warm against his back at night.

She followed him everywhere. She was always at his side. He admitted she was useful at times. Like the day the villagers nearby tried to destroy him. Seeing a female faun had distracted them. Having that female faun go on a rampage had deterred them. A few well placed kicks, and the curses she screamed had convinced them he was being punished enough already. Heldon chuckled. She really was fascinating sometimes.

Penalyn snuggled closer and pressed her head against his back. He was so warm and soft. She sighed contentedly. When she had first been cursed, she had cried every night. She had dreamed of all the balls and parties she had attended, She had imagined the prince would find her and rescue her. She had been sad and alone and scared. Then she met Heldon. There was something about the gentle wendigo that drew her in. He would never admit it, she was sure, but he carried a great deal of loneliness inside him. He wasn't like the others, and being the oddball was never fun. Suddenly Heldon pulled away and rolled over. He looked at her closely.

"You aren't going anywhere, are you?" Penalyn smiled softly and shook her head. A tenderness stole across his face briefly. He reached out and pulled her into the crook of his arm. "Fine. But I don't like it," he groused. Penalyn smiled widely and snuggled against his chest. Above her head, Heldon grinned slightly, glad his thick fur hid his blush from his only friend.

As the years passed, each generation in the village spoke in proud tones of the bloodthirsty faun and the bookish wendigo. They never feared invaders. The faun kept the forest clear of anyone who could be a potential threat to her friend. They also never worried about their crops. The wendigo had a partiality for the pixies that normally plagued farmlands. It was a mutually beneficial agreement. They kept the location of the beasts secret and the beasts kept them safe.