Despite the howl of the wind and his own heavy breathing, Cade heard the small whimper close by. The girl had made it past the wall, but not yet the river. Somehow he’d managed to get in front of her. Walking over to her he began sniffing around her. She felt cold to the touch, and he knew she was slowly freezing out in the cold. Looking up he walked around her a few times. The village was beyond his boarders, so he could not venture there. So it seemed she would have to remain here for the night. Walking up to the girl he hissed again and moved to the nearby tree.

After a few minutes he’d managed to dig out a sizable hole beneath the roots and walked back over to the girl, taking hold of her coat in his mouth the daemon began dragging her towards the hole, pushing her inside before following suit. He pressed his body up against the hole, blocking out a lot of the wind and the snow. Despite everything, the earth around them radiated with its own slight warmth and his skin felt warm to the touch, though blood still dripped from the wound in his side. He didn’t expect the human to sleep, not with a natural predator so close. But at least she wouldn’t freeze.