Summer slumped slowly into autumn. After Father Garshom's donated a few sundries for my boy, I avoided the village. I noted the occasional stranger in my forest, grim-faced hunters of both genders, hard men and harder women trying to find two-footed prey. They were not after four-footed prey based on the deer they could have bagged but didn't.

These hunters who walked like soldiers started at the rotting carcass of the Prince's dead mare and searched from there. More than half had no search plan. The other half was too methodical. By the time the leaves were falling, all had seen the spring in the cleft of the escarpment but none climbed to inspect it, assuming it was just a spring. I was feeling quite proud of myself for having found this hideout.

I assumed these so-called hunters would head home for the winter and I could pay another visit to the priest to get some clean clothes for my boy. It was getting a bit ripe in my cave.

There was a second kind of hunter pushing into my territory. I guessed they were elves based on the cleverness of the traps and snares I found. Each one was crafted on the spot with natural materials found in the forest. The traps were small and tailored to catch small animals like rabbits and squirrels. I had a lot of fun raiding the traps and taking the dead rabbit or squirrel back to Andray. The smaller animals were easier for him to dress than something as big as a deer. We had quite a mess to clean up that one time I brought a doe into the cave. I won't make that mistake again.

The maples had just started to drop their leaves when I returned with a rabbit from one of the snares. I watched as my boy skinned it, which was impressive since the fingers of his left hand could not close all the way and the wrist did not move at all. He was self-taught in the art of skinning small game. His first few attempts were rather, well...let's just say they were interesting.

Once he had the skin off, I would put it in the little stream below to rinse it overnight. Tomorrow or the day after, I would need to catch a deer so he could tan the small pile of rabbit skins already cleaned and fleshed. He was rather amazing. The poor kid spent most of his time over two years reading. He knew how to process the skins based on all the books he had read.

He was chatting about the three different types of rabbits in my forest when I heard something out of place. I sat up and put my paw over his mouth. He knew what that meant and he shut up. He snuffed the candle with wetted fingers so it wouldn't smoke.

I silently backed into a pocket of shadow that I knew would hide me from anyone entering the cave. By the time the intruder reached a point where Andray could see, I would have a clean jump onto an unsuspecting back and neck.

The intruder was almost as silent as me. I didn't like the loaded short recurve bow. I was getting ready to jump when Andray spoke up: "I would appreciate it if you would put up your bow, or at least not aim it at me. I can't walk so I won't be running away from you. I would appreciate knowing your name if you are one of my stepmother's assassins. It's just good manners to know the name of the person who plans to kill me."

I suspected he was saying this so I could determine whether to pounce. He had developed a whole opus of different plans depending on who might intrude on our cave. This told me he had observed something about our intruder which left some doubt in his mind.

"You're just a boy," a musical alto exclaimed in surprise. Her accent was that of the green elves. "I know I saw a big mountain cat steal a rabbit from one of my snares."

She was a tall girl, maybe 15 or 16. Like all green elves, her skin was a bronze brown and her hair was the yellow of wheat. She had the pointy ears and amber eyes common to most elves.

"Oh, yes," Andray smiled innocently, "that would have been Fuzzy. She brings me things to eat because I can't walk."

"You said that before. Why can you not walk?" She was poised to move instantly if she needed to.

"Wait, I will show you," he struck a match and lit the candle. He pulled the blanket off his legs, "there, my lower left leg has departed this life. I really can't get anywhere without the help of Fuzzy."

She straightened out of her hunting crouch and removed the arrow.

"So, no leg," she frowned in thought. "You are the missing Prince Andray Nordweg." She peered at him in confusion. "The announcement we received said you were 13. Was it wrong?"

"Oh dear," he sighed in resignation, "I am 13. I'm small for my age and my voice hasn't broken yet. Everyone thinks I'm younger than 13. Are you going to take me back? I would ask you not to do that. This is the second time someone has tried to kill me."

"Why do you believe your life is not safe?"

"I was jumped during the wolf hunt by some ruffians, tied, gagged, and tossed on the ground to soil myself. They planned to toss me in a cage with a hungry bear so my death would look like an attack."

"How did you escape, prince who can not walk?"

"Fuzzy rescued me," he smiled as if his rescue was an ordinary event.

"Fuzzy the mountain cat?" She laughed. "It is not believable that a mountain cat would rescue you or anyone else. You expect me to believe your story without some kind of verification or eyewitness?"

"No, I would not expect that, which is why I have proof." He leaned to one side to make contact with me, "Fuzzy, would you be so kind as to collaborate on what I said?"

"Meow." We cougars meow, caterwaul, scream, and purr just like your household mouser.

"What?" She spun around and saw me hiding in the shadows. She fumbled for an arrow but lost the chance to attack because I jumped her. Even when I pinned her to the ground with my paws, she was trying to pull out a knife to fend me off.

I smeared a big slobbering lick on her face to show I meant no harm. Then I exposed my back to her as I walked over to Andray.

"Yuck," she wiped her face with her sleeve, "that stuff's worse than dog slobber."

"Yep, sure is," Andray wore a face that could only be described as angelic.

"Alright, Fuzzy," she sat back up, "is it true the prince's life is in danger?"

I nodded yes.

"My father sent me here to scout the scene of the wild animal attack," the elf explained. "I did not expect to find a human princeling. On our side of the border, we've known about the suspicious fire that injured you and killed your sister. If you followed me back across our side of the border, the worst that would happen would be safe passage through elven lands to some other human kingdom.

"If you are tired of your life as an assassin's target, you should follow me home. I doubt you would survive the winter, even with your fuzzy friend helping you. No one crosses the boundary of the seven tribes unnoticed so you would be safe from any murder attempts."

Andray frowned, "how can you make such an offer? You don't know anything about me. We've just met."

"Prince, you have the best recommendation in the world sitting next to you. The gods must favor you because they have placed a spirit beast by your side. So long as you're with Fuzzy here, few elves would turn you away."