My legs are too weak to move. I swallow hard, my throat as dry as sand. “You’re…you’re…” “Frightening?” His low voice emanates from deep inside his bear form. Like the kelpie I once met, his lips don’t move when he speaks. My eyes return to those round ears. “You’re so…” Another step closer. “Terrifying?” Something melts inside me, a calm breaking through the dark storm of my emotions. “Fluffy.” He halts. “What?” I take a step closer, ignoring the pools of blood all around us. “Can I please touch your fur?”
