"Should I come out?" I asked across the packlink.

"You can peek out, but play shy," Conrad said.

Vera was still sitting, so I edged forward and poked my head under her stomach, peeking through her front legs. This spot was visible to all the rogues, who blinked in surprise at the sight of my size.

"Oh. I didn't realize you had a pup with you. She's cute."

Considering all they could see was my head between Vera's forelegs, a lot of the cute aspect was due to my Comforter's aura trying to make any wolves want to protect me. Normally, it wasn't this noticeable – and it wasn't something I could control. Perhaps being part of a small nomadic group in no man's land was amplifying that aspect of it.

One woman stood up as she gazed into my eyes, as if entranced, and began walking over. The longing echoing through her mind made me lean into Vera as I tried to suppress my aura even more, to no avail.

"I think my aura has entranced her, much like when Vera couldn't leave me alone, but I've never seen such a strong reaction before," I whispered worriedly.

Vera's ears went back as she gave a low growl of warning. The sound snapped through the woman's daze, and she stopped and shook her head. The sound also had the other four rogues on their feet with hands on their weapons. One reached out to snag the woman's arm and drag her back to their group.

"Vera," Conrad said disapprovingly. "Cool it. She meant no harm."

She stopped growling, but her hackles remained up, still a clear warning that she didn't want anyone coming any closer.

The older rogue who had previously noticed my aura narrowed his eyes. "If you want to remain, shift to your human form. We won't touch the pup, but I don't want you lunging at us after we welcomed you to our campfire."

Her ears remained pinned back as she glared at him. The older rogue didn't look away from their staring match.

"Please?" I asked her. "Then we can stay and keep talking."

She glanced back at me before reluctantly shifting. I somehow doubted that seeing her human form – even if she was sitting cross-legged – was going to help the rogues relax. Small scars criss-crossed any visible skin on her arms and legs, with a couple on her face and neck as well. She had a dagger on her belt, although the sheath looked like it had been dragged behind plowhorses for a few days.

Slowly, the rogues sat back down, although they remained on edge and ready to react at a moment's notice. The woman who had walked towards me rubbed her hand over her temple, still out of sorts.

"I wasn't going to harm her," the woman quietly murmured. "She just reminded me of the daughter I lost a few years ago. Her fur was brown, too."

Vera exhaled sharply, now torn between keeping them away and sympathizing with the woman. In a cold voice, she said, "Perhaps, but rogues who claimed to be friendly slaughtered my three children and thought they had killed me as well, a mere month after my husband died in a mudslide. I'm not about to take any chances with Julie."

"I can understand that," the woman slowly said, although her eyes drifted back to me, clearly still wishing she could hold me.

This was the first time I had ever seen someone in need who wanted help while I tried to suppress my abilities. It felt almost like a violation of the powers that had been gifted to me.

I took a step forward and looked up, although I couldn't see her face from this angle. "I know it isn't wise for me to go over there, but can she sit beside you? She is also hurting. Nothing in her mind indicates she might harm me."

Vera remained silent, although I could feel the conflict in her thoughts. Like any mother, the safety of her children came first – and she seemed to have unofficially adopted me somewhere along the line.

Trying to break the tension, Conrad asked the rogues, "Are any of the nearby packs willing to trade with rogues? We are getting low on supplies."

One of the men replied, "The Frenset Pack to the north is the most tolerant of rogues. Max of three allowed in at one time, though."

"What do they usually prefer to trade for?" Conrad asked, glancing at me when I whined and nudged Vera's knee with my nose.

"Depends on what you have. Fresh berries or other delicacies are usually the-"

"Alright." Vera said suddenly, her voice still cool. "You can sit nearby, and if she comes to you, you can pet her. I know the pain of loss."

Everyone stared at her in shock – including our group. It took the woman a few moments to process her words, although she quickly stood up.

"Wait, Aimee. What are you doing?" A young man reached out and grabbed her hand, worry etched on his face. I opened up my senses a bit more to confirm the matebond between them.

"I- I-" She paused, looking frustrated at her inability to explain what she was feeling. Turning her head, she gazed into his eyes as she mindlinked him. He slowly nodded and released her hand, although he didn't look any less worried for her safety.

The woman sat down on Vera's other side, leaving a seat's worth of room between them. I jumped into Vera's lap and tilted my head at the woman. Silence reigned around us, making me glance at our observers.

I asked Conrad, "Can you talk or something? I want some of this attention off of us."

Conrad picked up the discussion that had been interrupted. "So, fresh berries and other edibles are the best received? What about furs?"

The rogues ignored his attempts, watching their friend sitting near my rather unpredictable guardian. I somehow doubted they were going to relax until the woman had touched my fur without Vera exploding.

I nuzzled Vera's hand before jumping down – promptly somersaulting as I tripped over my own feet. If they didn't know I was a klutz before, they did now. Vera's hand reached out to brush my fur in an apology for not catching me. I wolf-grinned and glanced between Aimee and her several times, shifting half a step away with each turn of my head – just like a rascally puppy bent on escaping her mother.

Finally within Aimee's reach, I tilted my head at her and wagged my tail. She slowly reached over with one eye on my reactions and the other eye on Vera. I sniffed her fingertips and raised a paw before tentatively batting at her hand like a cat.

A smile bloomed on Aimee's face as she wiggled her fingers and lowered them a bit so I could reach them easier. Vera no longer glared at her, but still watched like a hawk, ready to pounce at the smallest misstep.

Aimee gradually pulled her hand closer to her, slowly drawing me near enough for her to wiggle her fingers on her other hand and distract me while she slowly reached out and stroked my fur. I sat down and yapped playfully at her. The high-pitched sound echoed around us.

With each brush of her fingers, my abilities strained with how I had suppressed them – still amplifying their effects through the contact.

"She's a Comforter," the older rogue commented thoughtfully. "I've never heard of one ever being seen in no man's land."

The other four glanced at him in surprise, before taking a closer look at me, only now realizing the truth. Even though she was human, I could almost see Vera's hackles rising.

"Well, now you have," Vera said in a clipped tone, now focused on him.

"I'm surprised I didn't recognize her aura earlier, although it's very faint."

With my cover blown, I let my aura return to its usual strength, noticing how they blinked as they felt the change.

"Is that why I was drawn to her?" Aimee asked, gently running her hand through my fur again.

"Yes," Amber said from her seat on the other side of the campfire. "She can't control it – her mere presence pulls people to her when they want peace and healing."

"Can I pick her up?" she asked Amber.

Amber raised an eyebrow at Vera, but before she could reply, I jumped onto Aimee's lap and flopped down. I shifted my aura to calm and reassure, mischievously rolling upside down and waggling my paws in the air.

Learning to loosen up was an important step for Vera – and a hard one. She was taking it better than I had expected, but she was far from thrilled with my easy acceptance of strangers.

With the contact, Aimee wasn't tense or uneasy, although her companions made up for it, even with my aura since they were resisting its effects. Aimee gently shifted her hands under me and cradled me in her arms, rocking me slightly from side to side.

"I'm fine. Comforters have this effect on lots of people, especially if they have any sort of emotional hurt," I told Vera, who still resembled a short-tempered guardian angel who'd rather sprout fur and fangs than wings and patience.

"If that is the case, then it's no wonder many rogues are drawn to Comforters. Quite a few have sad pasts, and deep down, even more wish to belong – and your aura makes them feel accepted and loved."

"That is the point of being a Comforter – to help with the unity and peace within the pack and maintain the mental well-being of its members."

Now that Vera wasn't as tense, I shifted part of my aura to help Aimee with her own memories. From what I was sensing, she had mostly moved on but yearned to be around children. In a pack, she would have been the perfect babysitter and would have partially filled the hole in her heart that way, if she didn't have more kids of her own.

The older rogue finally replied to Conrad, "Yes, short-lived fruits like berries are the easiest to trade. We just came from the pack, so we have some things if you feel like bartering."

"I really miss bread," I commented across the packlink, rolling back onto my stomach as I gazed longingly at a loaf sitting by the fire.

"What do you want for a loaf of bread?" Vera asked, her eyes never leaving me.

"Is it for her?" the older rogue inquired, following her gaze.

"Yes."

"Then consider it a gift for bringing her to visit," he said, getting to his feet and walking over to the loaf I was staring at. He picked it up and handed it to Aimee, who broke off a small piece and offered it to me.

My tail wagged like crazy as I took it and wedged it between my front paws to nibble on the crunchy crust.