Just before sunrise on the third day, the females left the rendezvous for the shelter of the woods while the males gradually metamorphosed into human form and dressed. Blaze, dressed in dirty cammies that had partially shredded as he’d shifted, shook hands as the men introduced themselves. The females remained hidden to do this.
It was pleasant that morning, and they gathered outside to sit cross-legged in the predawn light as the women, dressed in jeans and tops they had hidden before they shifted, introduced themselves. Blaze crouched, forearms on his thighs so as to remain higher than the others, repeated their names, and learned a bit about them. They lived on the far side of the valley.
“I have much to learn about you all, but there’s no time now for it. I was born in this valley bu
