:<i>No,</i>: her voice in his mind was firm with conviction. :<i>No. Father ALWAYS comes back. He wouldn't leave me. Not unless something was wrong.</i>:<br/><br/>She turned to face Oskar again, this time sitting up, a pale blur against the darkness of the tree. She looked him over, closer than she had in the restaurant. His clothes were as odd to her as the rest of the people in the town, he was taller than she would stand in her human form, and his brown hair and eyes made him look inviting for some reason. As a wolf, she could smell the distinct<i>bird</i>scent of him.<br/><br/>Why had he followed her? She could think of nothing nefarious, having never been exposed to such a thing. But his words still echoed in her mind, "There are those in this world, Jane, who would like nothing else but to get their grubby little meat hooks into us." Why would someone want such a thing? But the scream and stony face she had encountered in the café were indications that he knew what he was talking about, even if she didn't. The realization came to her that there was no way she could find her father on her own.<br/><br/>Jane paced forward to sit in front of him, hanging her head. :<i>Will you help me?</i>: