Chapter 15

“It’d be warmer if you transformed into your beast form! Hurry!”

“Huh? Wha—?”

Still blindfolded, I froze in confusion as Huey’s panicked voice reached me again.

“Hurry! You’ll freeze to death!”

“Y-Yes!”

I quickly shifted into my beast form. By now, transforming was second nature, and taking on my dog form was no trouble at all. My bare skin was soon covered in fur, shielding me from the biting cold. I shook myself violently, scattering the icy droplets clinging to my coat, and slowly, the trembling in my body began to ease.

A relieved sigh came from behind me. When I turned, I found the drenched wolf staring right at me.

Uh… wait a second. Is this… what I think it is?

Before I could say anything, the wolf clamped his jaws gently around the back of my neck without a word. My head spun in confusion as I realized he was carrying me—straight back to the den entrance.

Once he set me down on the snow, he nudged me forward, urging me to crawl inside.

Umm… Mr. Wolf. Does this mean…?

I glanced back at him hesitantly. As usual, the wolf gave my backside a firm shove, as if to say, Get in already.

W-wait, hold on! Stop! Don’t push me—ahhh!! Stop shoving my butt without asking!!

The moment I crawled inside, a pleasant warmth wrapped around me, as though someone had turned on a heater. As my body thawed, I twisted around to lick the droplets still clinging to my fur.

“Eep!!”

Without warning, the wolf licked the top of my head.

I flinched, but he didn’t stop—his tongue kept sweeping over me, lapping up every bit of water left on my body.

No, this wasn’t the first time. He’d done this before—licked me all over, even. So why was I suddenly squealing and freaking out now?

Ah, right.

It’s because my body’s so cold this time… his tongue feels so warm, so vivid against my skin.

Oh, right—wolves lick their pups not just to dry them, but also to warm them when they’re chilled…

…Okay, enough excuses.

“Yip! Yip! Yip-yip!!”

Taking advantage of my silence, the wolf just kept licking me. I barked in protest.

He only tilted his head at me, looking puzzled.

Wait—am I the weird one here? Isn’t this situation strange? Isn’t this guy… him? Isn’t it weird to be getting licked all over like this?

“Grr… yip!”

Ugh, I can’t talk like this! Experienced shapeshifters can still speak human language in beast form, but I’m nowhere near that level. All I can do is bark.

Frustrated, I transformed back into human form in front of the quietly watching wolf. The ceiling wasn’t high, so I ended up on all fours.

“Geez! It’s embarrassing when you lick me like that—cut it out already!”

“Yelp! Yelp!!”

The wolf—no, Huey—suddenly became all flustered.

Now that I think about it… all those times the wolf acted weirdly nervous—it was him!

“Come on! Barking doesn’t help! Use words!”

“Grrr…”

Huey let out a troubled growl, then turned and sat facing the wall, refusing to look at me.

“What, you don’t even want to talk to me now…?”

And that’s when I realized something.

I’M COMPLETELY NAKED.

Letting out a dumb little scream, I whipped around and pressed myself against the opposite wall, covering my chest and lower half with my hands.

Oh—soft. Squishy. Nice feeling—wait, no!!

Aaaah!! Huey saw me naked!!

N-no, I’m a guy, so it’s not like I have to be embarrassed, right!? But this body is definitely a girl’s body!!

“…You’ll catch a cold staying human like that. If you’ve got something to say, say it quickly.”

Huey’s voice reached me, calm and steady.

Wait—did he change back too? I almost turned to look, but he quickly added, “Don’t you dare look this way!”

Oh. So… he’s naked too.

W-wait, when he saved me from the river earlier, that means… we were both naked back then too!?

So that’s why he covered my eyes!

And now I can’t stop picturing Huey back in the village—his body trained from farm work, probably lean and solid… those strong hands, those muscular arms—

“Eeeeeeek!!”

Realizing what I was imagining, I shrieked in horror. Was that a maiden’s romantic fantasy—or the perverted delusion of some criminal creep!? Either way, I’m doomed!!

“Uh… if you’ve got nothing else to say, I’m turning back now—it’s cold.”

“W-wait!! Um! I—I just wanted to say… don’t lick my body again like that! It’s embarrassing!”

I could feel Huey’s confusion radiating from behind me.

Now that we were both in human form, the den felt even smaller—so small that if either of us reached out, we’d touch. His presence, his breathing—they were right there.

“Huh? But we’ve always been fine like this before, haven’t we?”

“Well, I mean, I didn’t realize the wolf was actually you, Huey... And, um, I thought you were a mama wolf…”

“Wait… you didn’t know it was me?”

“Ugh…”

A heavy sigh drifted from behind me.

“…Figures. I did think it was weird how you were so obediently cuddly with me. So you thought I was your mother wolf, huh? Wait, you didn’t even realize I was male?”

“Ugh!”

At a loss for how to explain myself, I stammered helplessly—until Huey’s impatient voice came again.

“…If you don’t talk, I’m turning around.”

“Eek—w-wait! I’ll talk!!”

Panicking, I blurted out everything: how I thought the awkward wolf was just some weirdo; how I believed he was a male wolf who wanted to be a mom; how I’d secretly been calling him Mama Wolf in my head.

Another deep, echoing sigh filled the den.

“…Sorry.”

Feeling guilty for some reason, I mumbled an apology, though I still didn’t understand what exactly I’d done wrong.

“…Nah. I got to enjoy it too, so let’s call it even.”

“Huh… wait, enjoy it?!”

“Whoa—don’t turn around! I-I’m at my cold limit, so let’s just turn back into beasts already!”

That was the last thing he said before I heard the faint sounds of transformation behind me.

…He ran away.

Sure, my body was still chilled to the bone. Even though it was warmer than outside, the cold still seeped in. I sighed and reluctantly shifted back into beast form. My fur instantly blocked the cold air—ahh, the power of fur truly is a blessing.

I started licking the remaining droplets off my coat, grooming myself for warmth. But when I lifted my head, there was Wolf Huey again, watching me with a hungry sort of look in his eyes.

“Yip!”

I barked sharply—I told you not to lick me anymore!

Huey’s ears flattened as he slunk back, tail drooping limply to the ground.

Oh honestly, look at that pitiful tail! Men, I swear…! (Not that I’m one to talk—inside, I’m still a guy too.)

While I was busy licking my fur, suddenly—chomp!—he grabbed the back of my neck again.

“Yip! Yip!!”

I barked in protest—You’re not giving up, are you!?—but he carried me to a dry patch of ground free of snow and water. Then, without warning, Wolf Huey flopped down and wrapped himself tightly around me.

“Yip!”

I squealed and squirmed, but his strong body gently pinned me in place. I struggled for a while, but the warmth radiating from him gradually melted my resistance, and before I knew it, I’d gone limp, surrendering to his body heat.

Well… yeah. Huddling together is the best way to warm up in the cold.

But then my stupid brain had to go and picture us doing the same thing in human form—our bodies pressed close together—and suddenly I broke into a nervous sweat.

Y-yeah. This is fine. Just the most efficient way to keep warm. Perfectly normal. Totally practical.

The heat enveloping me felt comforting—familiar, even. I realized that warmth had already become something I’d grown used to. But… he wasn’t Mama Wolf after all.

That thought made my face burn. I was, quite literally, being held in Huey’s arms right now, and my heart started pounding uncontrollably.

Ahhh! Stop it! Don’t think about it anymore!

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down—but then I felt another rapid heartbeat pulsing from behind me.

…Huey was nervous too.

That realization made me want to laugh. What were we even doing? This wasn’t romantic—it wasn’t even remotely sexy—so why were we both acting so weirdly self-conscious?

Then, pat, pat—I heard a soft, rhythmic sound.

I turned my eyes slightly. Wolf Huey’s tail was wagging lightly, thumping against the ground.

Wait. Hold on. He’s not nervous—he’s happy!

…Men. Seriously!!