As the girl placed her hand on his hide, she’d feel the strong skin also had a smooth feel to it. However Cade flinched visibly at the touch and hissed at her, his tail snapping near her hand swatting it away. He was not about to take help from a human. He didn’t need it and he didn’t want it. The wound was deep, but not life threatening. Even so, there was nothing she could have done to help him. A growl rumbled deep within his chest and he pressed himself further away from her.

Watching the girl again for a few moments he stood suddenly and turned so that he was facing the other way, the wound now exposed to the cold as he settled back into the tree. After a long wait Cade settled his head onto the ground, letting his eyes close. She may not want to get any sleep, but he needed rest. He was hungry, and she smelt good and he hoped that sleep would help curb the temptation to eat her. Being small for his kind he found the winters were harsh when food was low. Fights often broke out over it and more often than not the smaller would lose out. The big got bigger and the smaller eventually died off. Survival of the fittest. It was the way of their kind.