A random encounter

Like most of the notable events in my life, this story begins with yet another random encounter in a long series that started before I was born. Unlike most, this one seemed harmless, even helpful.

My plan was to walk through the Cranath pass over the mountains to the foothills of Cranasia. I had no important reason to go there, except that I never visited the northern part of the continent before and my tattered old copy of Wanderer's Guide described it as a pretty nice place where I could stay over the winter and then move down to the coast or any other place that I'd like to see next.

According to the Guide there was plenty of time to make it through the pass, but this year winter decided to start the show a month earlier than usual. On my own I would have ignored the light snowfall and dark clouds on the horizon, and went on, but I met a small caravan whose tracks I was following for the past few days.

At first, the annoyed merchants returning back from the pass were surprised by a random encounter with a lone woman in the middle of nowhere, especially since they thought I must be a lost human girl.

It's common for people who don't know me yet and see me only from a distance to expect a short chubby girl. My head that's a bit too big and my overall non-standard proportions make me look like a small but well fed thing. In a way, it's true. My mother always considered me a tiny sickly little girl, and if she hadn't been kicked out of her tribe, I would have been considered a midget there.

But normal humans who get closer to me quickly realize that I'm as tall as most human males. They usually just shrug and ignore my differences from standards of humanity. Some, especially those who fancy big voluptuous women and can't take no as no, tend to be more suspicious of my origins. Usually right after they find out that I'm way stronger than most human males.

“The damn pass is already full of snow,” the leader of a caravan carrying supplies and various trade goods to the towns of southern Cranasia told me. “There's no way to get through now. We're going to the Fort Iceburrow as a backup plan. You look like a well-traveled and capable lass, but you should consider turning back. Maybe come with us to the Iceburrow.”

There was a sign pointing there at the crossroads I passed yesterday, but my old and sometimes hopelessly outdated Guide described it as a tiny mountain garrison village for rangers and local fur hunters, definitely not a place worth visiting.

Once again, the Guide was wrong. I was used to it. Sometimes I thought that maybe I should get a new edition, but in the end I always decided to keep mine. It made my wanderings more interesting.

Fort Iceburrow became a boomtown about a decade ago when someone found seams of cinnabar worth mining, just a mile from the original hill fort. It was still a small town with maybe two thousands of souls living there, mostly miners and hunters, but it did look like a place I could, maybe, spend a part of the winter. If I could find some work worthy of a wandering princess.

I was lucky. The garrison had its own doctor, an old guy, but his mind was still as sharp as his scalpels and his hands were still sure and steady, though weakened by an advanced age. After I had answered a few questions about setting broken bones and sewing wounds, correctly identified all herbs and potions except few who were his own recipes, he hired me as his nurse and assistant.

As usual, the selling point was that I am a nurse capable of holding a restless patient during surgery without any anesthetics... and I can administer an emergency anesthetic with my fist if it's really needed.

It didn't pay much, but the position came with my own tiny room and food from the garrison kitchen. I was very lucky indeed. The other possible job I considered before I actually looked around the town was working for a local blacksmith. I'm good with horses and I don't mind heavy work. But the blacksmith was a dwarf. I didn't bother asking him if he would take me. He'd be sure I was joking. And he'd get angry if I told him I'm not.

“One last question, Tina,” the doctor squinted at me through his spectacles. “You don't have to answer truthfully if you don't want to. You're not human... am I right?”

I hesitated. Fort Iceburrow and everything on this side of the Cranath mountain range belonged to the kingdom of Sonnerdom which was a bit too harsh on anyone who wasn't either human or a member of one of the generally accepted common races. True magical beings were banned. And hunted down by rangers and night hunters, guys who specialized in hunting monsters on their own turf. One of the reasons for my trek over the mountains was the fact that Cranasia was supposed to be more laid-back about such things.

My hesitation took only a brief moment, but it was enough for him to add: “I'm not judging. I wouldn't even mind if you were something demonic... which you most certainly are not. I've spent a long time around various non-humans and I'm just professionally curious. Your anatomy is slightly wrong, but I just can't put my finger on it. I'm pretty sure you're not magically changed, so it's a puzzle for me.”

I went for the truth, with just a tiny bit of misdirection: “I'm probably some kind of a crossbreed, doctor, although I have no idea who my father actually was.” I shrugged. “My mother was a simple woman. She told me she was in the woods picking berries and had a random encounter with a man she described as a sweet, handsome and slender prince. He actually told her he was a prince and that he'll become king one day. She believed him and let him seduce her. She never saw him again. She didn't even ask for his name. But she believed that I'm a princess until she died.”

“Handsome and slender? You're a lovely woman, Tina, but from your size and strength I would expect an orc... if they could interbreed with humans. Or maybe an ogre, but they supposedly became extinct a long time ago. Oh... sorry. That came out wrong. I didn't mean it as an insult, just...”

“No offense taken, doctor,” I smiled at him. “I was called ogress before. I don't mind it. I was traveling with a troupe for a while and when I told them my story, they started to call me The Tiny Ogre princess. They even wrote a song about me.”

The old doctor laughed. “I know that song. The Ogre princess might be tiny but her eyes are oh so shiny... Is that it?”

“Well... yes.” I was surprised. The old doctor was so nice that I forgot myself for a moment and talked more than I should have.

“That song... ah well, let's forget it,” he said sheepishly.

“Why?”

He sighed. “Damn bards. They were messing with you a bit, Tina. That song is really... really old. Just not very well known. Sorry. I shouldn't have told you. It must felt nice having your own song.”

I wasn't sure what to say.

“Oh... those bastards. But... you know, I don't mind. That song fits me anyway.”

***

Fort Iceburrow was a lot like the place where I grew up with my mom, but way nicer. People were friendlier and it wasn't just because I was all grown and big now. They were just nicer, to each other and to me. Sure, there were some catcalls and indecent offers at first. Although the doctor served the entire town and most of our business came from the endless stream of minor injuries from the mines, we were technically part of the garrison at the original fort. And soldiers are soldiers, no matter what race they are or what kingdom they serve. Or what gender they are. One of the more direct offers came from the only woman in the garrison, a thirty-something years old ranger who looked a lot like an elf except for her ears. I was pretty sure she made it on a dare from the others, who tried and lost against my shy smile and iron-hard refusal if a smile and shake of a head wasn't enough.

It never got past the usual friendly teasing, which was good. Mostly I kept to myself, but I made small talk, told some little stories, even learned some of their names and managed to remember them, at least for a while. I wasn't the only new face in town because some people from the caravan that brought me here decided to stay in town over the winter too. And another small caravan arrived just the next day, with more people to stay for a while or maybe permanently.

I could hear them talking about me, but it wasn't anything bad. Generally stuff like: “What a gentle soul for someone so big. She's so shy. Probably an introvert. Her face is not that bad, too bad she's so fat.”

That fat comment caused a sharp response from the female ranger: “You're blind, you idiot. Sure, she has some fat on her, but look at the way she moves. The way she dresses masks it, makes her just seem huge, but I'm pretty sure she has more muscles than you. Shaped in a way that would make you drool if you saw her without her clothes. Heh, seeing her naked might make me wet if she had shown any interest when I tried to tease her. But she seems shy. Like a virgin. Or a priestess.”

That was the moment when I decided that I definitely don't want to be in the town during a full moon. If something happened, the guys from the garrison would be bad enough, but that ranger... That would be... Embarrassing. Again.

I got asked about my magic wand. Sooner or later people do that when they realize I'm always carrying my huge stick everywhere.

“It's my magic wand,” I said to a bunch of soldiers. Some of them looked at me with a suspicion in their eyes. As I said, that kingdom wasn't exactly friendly to anything magical.

“Like... real magic? You're a wizard? A witch?”

I laughed.

“No. My wand can do only a few tricks, but it was always enough for me. I can do Hobble,” I made a slow strike at the knee of the nearest soldier. He jumped away. I raised my wand over my head and swung it directly down. “This one, if it hits anyone's head, means Sleep. And then there's my favorite, Fly away,” I waved my wand from side to side. “Oh. And there's one more, but I'm not generally using that spell unless someone is really really asking for it.”

“And what's that?”

I smiled at him and swung the heavy wooden staff upwards almost as fast as I could, and stopped just a few inches from his crotch. His eyes popped out. “Castrate. But I don't like to use this one unless I really have to.”

Everyone laughed... even the scared guy, and they all thought it was a good joke.

Some people won't recognize magic unless you really beat them with it.

Overall, though, I settled in rather well. Better than in most places I've been lately. I got to know people in town and in the garrison. I could have made good friends if I wanted to, but everyone accepted that I tend to be shy and a bit of a loner. I'm hard to miss in a crowd, but I thought I was doing a great job blending in.

But then there was this horse who got spooked by a group of hunters arguing in the courtyard. The horse was pulling a cart with an injured miner when it suddenly started to run around wildly and had to be stopped before someone got hurt, so I stepped in and administered one emergency anesthetic to the head of the poor runaway horse.

Half of the garrison saw how I dropped that horse with a single punch. They started to believe in my magic.

“Told you so,” I overheard the female ranger whisper to her friend.

Even though it got me a lot of respect from the garrison, it was a mistake. It caused some of the rangers to take too much interest in me. Especially some of the night hunters, those who were usually patrolling around the town looking for the monsters, made me a little nervous.

I spent two rather happy weeks in Fort Iceburrow. I talked a lot with the old doctor, both on and off the job. We swapped our stories and compared our thoughts on medical theories I knew well enough to dare discussing them. The doctor had spent most of his life down in the capitol, but, for some reason he never told me, he decided to move to the country a few years ago and ended up in the little border town. I liked him. I liked his library even more.

I loved it.

If there's one thing I feel sorry when it comes to my lifestyle, it's books. You just can't carry many books when you spend most of your time on the road and on foot. I tended to stay away from big cities, and most small towns didn't have public libraries. Those few trunks of various, mostly medical, books the doctor had stashed away in his room were just wonderful.

It took me a while to discover that I actually loved to read. That's definitely something I must have inherited from my father. The letters and my mother... Well. She was very proud that she could write her own name. For a pure blooded ogress that was actually a huge achievement. Something almost unheard of.

My natural choice of a mate would be a big and strong guy. That's the type I'm generally attracted to. I guess that's something I've inherited from my mother.

But if the doctor was younger and interested... who knows. Fort Iceburrow quickly became one of the few places I visited on my wanderings where I could imagine settling down and starting a family. If I was capable of doing something like that. Sooner or later, my wanderlust will force me to look for another place in my never-ending quest for my true love.

Or there will be another damn random encounter that will just mess up everything.

And there was another problem, looming on the horizon.

The full moon was getting close.

I was pretty sure I could get by if I stayed locked up in my tiny room, imitating symptoms of some minor sickness. The doctor was so old that he was probably safe even if my curse decided to flare unexpectedly like it used to in the distant past.

But I didn't want to risk an incident... and my wanderlust was already calling. Well... whispering. For now.

I felt happy there and I expected to stay for at least a few more months, up until the spring. There was a pile of books I could borrow and read, but...

I also felt like I was in a trap. Already, after only two weeks.

Getting out for two or three days should help. I did spend some afternoons in the woods outside the town walls, but it wasn't enough. I needed to get away, deeper in the wilderness.

The winter was still very mild in the foothills around the fort. There was some snow, but not much. No one should ask too many questions if I go for a short trip to the wild. Except that there was a full moon.

The damn full moon. It was getting close.

***

I asked the doctor if I could take three days off during the full moon.

“I was thinking about gathering some snowberries. And some other stuff that's most potent if harvested during the full moon. While the weather is still so mild.”

“Don't tell me you're already feeling that wanderlust of yours, Princess.”

He started calling me Princess right away which forced me to tell a bit of my life story to some curious people. But I didn't mind. Like I said... I liked the doctor. Even if I don't remember his name anymore.

“Just a teensy little bit,” I said truthfully. “I'm so used to living on the road it just feels strange staying in one place, especially indoors.”

“The full moon isn't exactly a safe time to be out,” the doctor said. “Sure, the rangers and night hunters are claiming that they've hunted out everything dangerous nearby, but still...”

“I'm a big girl, doctor,” I smiled at him. “And I have my wand. I'll take my bow, too, so maybe I'll bring back an elk or a moose if the hunters left any in the woods.”

“Still... it's not safe,” he insisted.

“It will be safer for me outside,” I said truthfully. “People, even normal people, tend to get a bit crazier under a full moon. And due to an unfortunate coincidence, it tends to be worse for me.”

He narrowed his eyes at me, but then smiled.

“If I hadn't seen you using a silver scalpel, I might...”

I laughed nervously. “No, not that, doctor. It's the time of the month when I tend to be... not so friendly. I snap at people, get angry easily...”

“What do you mean?”

For a doctor, he was a bit slow.

I feigned embarrassment. “This time of month, doctor... My time...”

“Oh. Sorry! Sorry!” It was his turn to be embarrassed. For real.

I didn't want anyone in the fort to think I was sneaking away so I made a show of asking some of the rangers for good places to gather the stuff I wanted to bring back. And of course that led to other complications when the female ranger offered to accompany me.

“I should be heading out for a patrol in that direction in a few days anyway. So we could have a girls' day out,” she said with a big smile.

“No!” I responded with a bit of panic which was actually real enough. “Don't take it personally, but... I'd almost prefer company of a guy, even if people would talk afterward.”

“Hey, easy, Tina. I was just teasing you. It was just a joke.”

“Oh. So you're no longer worried I'd make you wet if you saw me without my clothes?” I asked her.

She frowned. “Guess someone was spreading rumors.”

“No, I've heard you myself. No offense, but... no. I'm not into that. Not just because I'm shy. But I'm no priestess.”

“You heard me?” She was surprised. “I hadn't noticed you...” She suddenly beamed at me. “You're surprisingly sneaky for someone so big. You might make a good ranger.”

Our little discussion had been overheard and someone was spreading rumors in the fort, especially ones so juicy.

It made me very happy, because it stopped all other rangers from offering me company for my little harvesting expedition to the forest.

My shy virgin act was really good. Maybe my father was a bard and I inherited his acting skills.

If he really was a bard, it was too bad that I didn't get his singing voice too.

The last time I tried to sing, all the dogs who could hear me would have committed a mass suicide if they had a way to do it. Or they would have tore me to pieces to make me stop if they weren't locked in a kennel. They had to resort to a loud terrified howl.

The guys in the castle who talked me into singing said that dogs' howling had better melody than my song.

And I refuse to say what the horses did.

***

And so there I was, snuggled comfortably in the small camp I had set up on a deserted hill, protected from the wind and occasional snowflakes by a lean-to. I had a small fire to keep me warm. It also provided just enough light so I could read the book I borrowed from the doctor. I've gathered enough snowberries already and had a few packs of lichen I promised to bring too. The full moon was coming. I could sense it behind mountains, slowly rising up. The ability to sense it was one of the things I got from my curse that were actually useful sometimes.

It was time to relax, sleep and then walk slowly back to the town. I've picked a place where nothing could sneak up on me.

Or so I thought.

“What are you reading?”

“A treatise on tropical maladies,” I responded calmly. The voice that asked the question sounded familiar.

“That's a rather strange book for a woman to be reading in the middle of the winter forest.”

“Why?” I asked. One of the shadows turned into a man in a heavy fur cloak adorned with lots of silver. He squatted down near my fire and asked: “Would you mind if I sit here by your fire for a while?”

“Be my guest.”

It was one of the night hunters from the ranger detachment. I've seen him just once or twice and we exchanged maybe five words. Maybe less.

It was another stupid random encounter. He was patrolling nearby and must have sensed the smoke from my little fire.

“Why do you think it's strange for me to read a book in the forest? I have nothing else to do, I'm not sleepy, so I read.”

“You don't think it's strange that a lonely woman sits in the middle of the forest when she could be resting in the town, only a few miles away? Especially during a full moon?” He sounded amused. But there was an aura of danger, covering him like another invisible cloak. My instincts warned me that this guy could be trouble.

This encounter wasn't so random after all. I might need my magic wand.

“I was told you guys are keeping the area around the town safe. I was gathering snowberries and lichen and moss for the doctor. Some of it is most potent when harvested in night during the full moon.”

“Yeah, I heard about your excuse. About all the excuses you've made. I might be inclined to believe it if there wasn't more that's... let's just say... strange about you, Tina.”

“Like what?”

He smiled at me. “Oh come on. Let's not fool around. Should I list all of it? The way you move. How big you are. How strong you are. How much you need to eat, even though you try to hide it. You're careful when you talk about yourself, but sometimes you forget how much time has passed from the events you're describing as they were yesterday, not decades ago. Sure, most of the people around won't notice, especially when it's a story from another world, but I'm not most people. You're way older than you look. And you feel the need to be alone, away from people... during a full moon.”

I put the book aside and grinned at him. “Is that all?”

“Oh, there's one more thing, but that's the most important one.”

“And what's that?”

“Your magic.”

“You mean my wand?” I've picked up the familiar piece of wood I was carrying everywhere for ages and I shook it at him. With a smile on my lips.

He laughed. “I've heard the story about your wand and what spells it has. I guess with the muscles and power you have it might look like magic to the normals. But that's not what I was talking about. You're very good at masking it, way better than I thought possible, but when the moon was getting close, your control started to slip. I sensed it when you were leaving town and I decided to follow you. Now, with the full moon so close I came to talk with you.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

I was getting nervous. It wasn't the first time when someone noticed the stuff he told me and made a wrong deduction.

“I can sense it from you, clearly. It's strong now. I just don't know what type you are and I'm curious.”

“A type of what?”

“You're therianotrope.”

“A what?” I laughed. It might have sounded forced a bit. He was a hunter wearing a lot of silver. He specialized in hunting magical creatures and he thought I was his prey. And he was toying with me. I was sure he would try to strike me down if I tried to move.

“You think I'm a werewolf? Is that it, oh mighty and wise hunter of everything that skulks in this forest? Why don't you try some of your silver on me?”

That offer made him laugh. It was not the reaction I expected.

“No, you're not a wolf. Your scent is weirdly familiar, but I just can't place it. From the way you look in human form I would guess a bear, but that's not it either. So... what are you? Or are you going to force me to wait until the moon rises?”

“I'm not a werewolf. Or any other were-something.”

“No? Then what are you, Tina? What is this magic I can smell so clearly on you?”

I sighed and decided to tell him the truth.

I almost never do that.

But I was afraid a bit and hoped to persuade him.

Well... I wasn't afraid of him, but for him. I was pretty sure I could take him with the help of my wand, but he seemed... nice. Sure, he was big, strong and dangerous. But he didn't feel evil. More like... cuddly. And he had a pretty face.

I didn't want to break that pretty face if he decided I'm a monster he should hunt.

“What you sense is what remains of my curse,” I told him. “Once upon a time, in a world far far away, a curse was put on me. It might have been intended as a blessing, a gift, but it was a curse that seriously complicated my life. I learned to live with it, but I'm used to being alone around a full moon. It still feels safer when I'm alone, far from the others. And I've actually wanted to replenish the doctor's stock and have some time alone, away from people. It wasn't just excuses.”

“Who cursed you and why?”

“It's a long story.”

“We still have some time before the moon rises. I'm all ears.”

“It was another stupid random encounter. I was camping in the woods, all depressed and annoyed, and I had a brilliant idea of getting drunk. For the first time in my life. All I had was a bottle of almost pure alcohol I've bought as a disinfectant, but I mixed it with some water and some crushed berries I found.

“It was a stupid idea. Few sips was enough to get me drunk and dizzy. I considered throwing the bottle away when suddenly, there was a figure standing in the darkness among the trees. 'May I warm myself by your fire, wanderer?' a woman's voice asked.

“The voice sounded old and weary. I thought it must be some old grandma who got lost. I was so young and naive. I told her: 'Sure, there's enough for both of us.'

“But she was no grandmother. I don't know what she was. I thought elf, maybe. She looked young, but felt... old. Ancient. Now, years later, I'm guessing she must have been some kind of the legendary fae. But she seemed friendly and harmless enough.

“And I was already drunk so when she sat down by my fire I offered her my bottle: 'If you still feel cold, try this. It tastes horrible, but it will definitely warm you up.' I giggled and added: 'I feel like I'm on fire myself.'

“She took the bottle, had a swig and said: 'Well... this is definitely the strongest wine I've ever tasted. Thank you, young lady.'

“I told her I'm no lady. And we started to chat. I told her all about my stupid life. How my mother got seduced by a would-be prince and got thrown out of her tribe. How I grew up in a small mining village and how my mother died in a stupid random encounter with a bunch of drunken miners and I had to run away before I got dragged to the gallows for killing them. I told her how I decided to look out for my father, but I had no idea how I could find him. And recognize him.

“She was a good listener. She wanted me to say more, asked me a few questions. She also drank a bit and passed the bottle back. I got so drunk I told her all about my dreams. How I want to find my true love. A man strong, fierce, great warrior, yet gentle and kind.”

The hunter suppressed a laugh.

“Hey! I was a teenager. Maybe sixteen or seventeen. Possibly younger.”

“You don't know how old you are?”

I shrugged. “My mother was... rather simple. I started counting it myself when I learned how, but I was never sure and neither was she.

“So... there I was, talking to a strange mysterious woman in the forest. Talking about how I want to find my true love, and see the worlds, all of them, and maybe even find the man who was my father. How I want to know if I'm really a princess or not. And then I said: 'But I might as well wish for a fairy godmother. Or a miracle. Or something.'

“She laughed. 'Oh, I don't know about miracles, but fairy godmother, that I can do!' She pulled a short wand out of somewhere and waved it at me. 'You shared your fire and your strange but strong wine with me. You entertained me with your story. I will be your fairy godmother. I'm sorry it took me so many years to find you.' Then she hiccuped and added: 'Truly, a very strong wine.' She hesitated. 'It's embarrassing, but I'm actually not sure what fairy godmothers are supposed to do.'

“I wasn't sure myself and I told her so. 'There was something about three wishes or gifts... no, I'm probably mixing it up with another story.'

“She laughed again, took the bottle from me, had a drink and said: 'Oh, wishes, that I can do. So, what do you wish for, my child? That true love you spoke of?'

“When I nodded, she waved her wand at me and said: 'Done. You will be walking the worlds, still young and beautiful as you are now, until you find your true love. The man mighty and strong yet gentle.”

“I snorted. 'Young and beautiful? Me? Have you seen my face? Can't you see how fat and stupidly huge I am?'

“She wiggled the wand at me and said: 'Sight is not the only sense that's important. You're pretty enough and I'm going to give you some magic that will help you! Everyone will love you!' She waved that wand again and I could have sworn I sensed some weird tingling all over my skin.

“She had another drink and the bottle was empty. She stared at it for a moment, then dropped it down. She looked at me and said: 'I might have overdone it a bit. Your wine is just too strong. You'll have so many suitors you'll have to chase them away with a stick!'

“She started to laugh again. It was so contagious that I had to join her. We laughed so hard it must have been heard throughout the whole forest. Somewhere in the distance, wolves started howling like they were trying to join us. Suddenly, she stopped laughing and looked me directly in the eyes. 'Oh yes. You'll need a stick. A big, heavy stick.'

“I told her that I'd rather have a magic wand like hers. She giggled, stood up and pulled on the branch of the nearest tree. It was the moment when I decided I must be dreaming, because the big branch lost all of the leaves and twigs and just became a big, heavy staff. She threw it at me. I barely managed to catch it. It was surprisingly heavy. She winked at me, thanked me for my wine and fire once again and just disappeared. I took a look at the stick, dropped it on the ground and I fell asleep.

“The next day, when I woke up with my first and last hangover, I was sure it was just a stupid drunken dream... until I found this strangely shaped wooden staff by my side.”

“So... you got this from your fairy godmother?” he asked and pointed his finger at my magic wand.

“Yeah. I don't know who or what she was. Maybe she meant well, but she cursed me for all eternity.”

“Let me guess. The next full moon you found out about your curse.”

“Yeah.”

“Must have been awkward.”

“You have no idea,” I told him. “Luckily, the curse got weaker over time. Nowadays I don't need to get away from everyone around a full moon, but I got so used to being alone in some deserted place that I still do it.”

“That's not how the were-curse works,” he shook his head. “Once you get it, there's no going back.”

“I'm not a werewolf,” I told him. “My curse, like most magic, was just strongest around the full moon. She cursed me with what she promised. Everyone loved me. Everyone, every male, and some of the females, just couldn't help it when they were around me while the curse was active. They wanted me. More than anything.”

“Really,” he said doubtfully.

“Really,” I snapped. “Everyone. Well, luckily, just every mammal. I was lucky that I was alone in the forest when the first full moon came. A bunch of rabbits tried to gang-rape me. Well, pedants would say that it was a fluffle-rape. Then one hedgehog joined them. He was sort of pathetic, but really insistent.”

The hunter started to laugh.

“It's not so funny when a bear tries it. Or a wolf pack. Or a group of previously nice mercenaries I met on the road and I wasn't able to shake off when the moon came up. I had to use my wand a lot.”

He stopped laughing.

“You're telling the truth... Are you?”

“Yes.”

“You... were really cursed with being... irresistible?”

“Yeah. I think it changed the way I smell. As soon as anyone got downwind and smelled me... they just had to try to get me. But it got weaker and wearer and it's no longer working. It hasn't been for years.”

“If it's scent-based... that would explain it. Oh... shit. You told me the truth. You're not a werewolf.”

“No, I'm not! I'm not a werewolf or werebear or any other were-something. I'm not something for you to hunt.”

“Oh shit. I thought you were teasing me. Flirting with me. You seemed like one of those girls who like to talk up until the last moment.”

“What are you talking about?” I was getting angry.

“It all made sense. Even that story about your curse. When you told me that old witch used magic on you so you can find the great and strong male, I was sure she transformed you to some sort of therianotrope. A were-creature.”

“I AM NOT A WEREWOLF!” I generally just don't shout at people. I was really starting to lose my temper. I shook my wand at him. Without a smile.

“But I am!” he snapped at me. “You smell like one of us... I was so sure you were one of us! I thought you must have sensed the fake silver on me, you must have smelled me and recognized me for what I am. I thought you were flirting with me, playing with words while we waited for the full moon when we can change and have some fun!”

I stood up and gripped my wand in both hands.

He was still squatting on the ground and he looked really depressed.

“I'm so sorry,” he said like he meant it. “I'm one of those whose beast is... hard to control. That's why I always patrol the forest alone during the full moon. Oh shit. I don't know what to do. We don't have much time. The moon will rise over the mountains any moment now. I'll try to control it for as long as I can, but you must run! Run away. Maybe... climb up a tree. When I'm transformed, I suck at climbing.”

“I suck at climbing too. And I'm not built for running.”

“Girl, please. Run. I don't want to hurt you.”

I gave him a sad smile. “Well... If that beast of yours is one of those guys who just can't take no as no... I have my wand.”

***

He was actually quite nice. And I could see that he was really struggling to keep himself under control. So I didn't use Castrate although his beast was asking for it.

He also had a rather nice face. In his human form. Even transformed he looked cute and cuddly... until he started to growl at me. I didn't want to risk disfiguring his pretty face so I decided against using the Sleep.

I've stuck to Hobbles and to Flys.

I needed a lot of them.

***

Maybe I should have used a Sleep or two. It might have been easier for both of us.

The regeneration powers of were-creatures, especially when transformed, are legendary. But my magic wand somehow messed with it and slowed it down, close to normal human levels.

The day after the full moon, when we got back to the town, his bones were still being held together mostly by my splints and he couldn't walk by himself, though being a great alpha male, he insisted on trying.

I actually carried him most of the way, but he refused to enter the town like a helpless victim. So he limped on his own, slowly and painfully, while I carried both of our bags and supported him with my hand as best I could.

“What the hell happened to you out there?” a guard on the town wall called to us, then rushed down to the gate to open it for us.

“You wouldn't believe it if we told you,” I replied. “Let's just say it was a stupid random encounter.”

“With a god-damned fairy godmother,” the hunter growled quietly.