I’ve found that I don’t need as much sleep as I used to and, with a little practice, I’ve taken to waking up earlier than Kierra.

I use this time to practice, both what she’s taught me and ideas of my own. I’ve gotten quite used to my body and manipulating it into different shapes. I’ve gained a few more templates due to Kierra’s efforts to feed me. I am the complete opposite of a picky eater. If it’s organic, I can eat it. The only one as useful as the wolf template is the dusk hawk, a large brown-feathered bird of prey.

Kierra, my lovable little sadistic elf, sent me on more night excursions. After another terrible experience where something over ten feet tall tried to rip me apart, I wised up. Nothing too big flies through the forest on account of the branches and the dusk hawk gives me a bird’s eye view. It makes it so much easier to find my way home. I’m constantly amazed by this body of mine.

I’ve mastered it to the point where I can not only shift between the forms with ease but shift only a part of my body. For example, I can wear my human skin but my entire insides can be my elemental form. Or I can be human while I change my insides to the ears or the nose of the wolf to give my senses a boost. The only time I’m strictly human is when I’m together with Kierra. I think she likes being stronger than me.

Today, I’m practicing with the bow. A tree 20 meters away has a red dot painted on its bark. Hitting the dot is simple. I’m testing myself by drawing a circle around it with arrows. Adjusting my aim so they go around perfectly is difficult.

Mainly, the activity focuses my mind and allows me to think. And I have a lot to think about.

I managed to weasel quite a few clues out from Kierra about her circumstances. I’m a hundred percent confident that it has something to do with her being a warrior. She said they fight enemies of the forest and are some kind of spiritual leaders, symbolizing strength and honor. She also said that she was trapped here because of something she didn’t do.

The most logical conclusion is that there was enemy she would not, or could not, kill. And if she is trapped here in this forest until she makes that wrong right, then that must mean whatever she needs to kill must be in this cage with us.

I have yet to run into a monster that could fit the bill. I managed to pin the elf down but that was when she was chasing after me recklessly. If she were to stay at a range and use her bow, I’d never see her coming. Again, I’m sturdy so I might manage, but I’m not made of flesh and blood when I don’t want to be. Anything with an eye that can be pierced with an arrow doesn’t stand a chance.

Uwah. If I want to help her, I’m going to have to fight something incredible, aren’t I? I am not looking forward to this but it doesn’t shake my resolve. I’ve already decided that I’m going to help her and that’s that. Nothing else but to do it. The only thing I need to do now is find the thing. Kierra’s cage is very large, with a radius of 200 miles. Covering that in the few hours I have a day when she’s sleeping without her noticing is going to be tough.

Breathing in deeply, I release the arrow on my exhale. The arrow speeds through the air with a whisper, completing a jagged circle. Eh. The angles are off but nobody’s perfect.

A sharp intake of breath makes me turn around. I nearly drop my bow in surprise when I see Kierra standing behind me with an expression crossed between amusement and confusion.

She walks past me to the tree, examining my handiwork. Then she comes stomping back over, her eyes narrowed in a glare that contradicts the slight smile on her face. “You’ve been holding out on me, Lou.”

“No, no. Those were just lucky shots. I’m honestly terrible.”

“There were no scrapes along the bark from any near misses and torn shrubbery from any wide shots. Not a single arrow has touched your little bullseye but instead, you’ve drawn a circle. Such a fanciful display must mean that simply hitting that tiny dot is too simple for you.”

She advances on me and I back up a step. Oh no. What is that look she’s giving me? I haven’t seen that before. It’s a cross between exasperation and something stronger. “This is a, uh, recent development. I’ve been practicing. I’ve been on a lucky streak.”

“This isn’t the first time I’ve seen you. You are up an hour before me every day and come out here to practice. I can feel your concentration from my room.” Another step. “And yet, when we practice together, your mind is adrift with other thoughts.”

“Um, I can explain…”

“There’s no need.” She’s right in front of me, shoulders stiff. “I know exactly what this is about.”

Her arms go around me and she pulls me into her chest. “You don’t need to pretend to be bad to stay with me, Lou. I…I don’t want to hold you here. You have a family out there that probably misses you, a life you want to get back to. But if you want to stay here, then…then…”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” I pull away from her, dodging her hands when she tries to pull me back. “Will you please just say what you want!? You want me to stay, right?”

“I-”

“Yes or no, you frickin' elf!”

“I…want you to stay.” Her eyes are wet with tears and she bites down on her lower lip to hold back sobs. “I’m tired of being stuck here alone. I want to go home! I want to see my family again. I want to show you my village and I want to shoot your idiot father and I want to try that garbage ale you snuck out so often to drink. I don’t want to be stuck here anymore!”

“Okay.” I shush her, moving back into her arms. I can feel her trembling but she still refuses to let even a single tear fall. “I know. That’s why we’re going to get you out of here. Together.”

“No.”

“Whatever this thing is, we’ll find a way to beat it.”

She stiffens. “I never-”

“You said enough. I have no idea what kind of beast you were hunting-”

“Trolls.”

“Huh?”

Kierra sighs deeply. “It would be better if we had this talk inside.”