***

The next morning, Sam saw her and One-eye off. One-eye was mostly silent, but Lynn thanked their host a bunch of times. They finally entered another meadow again. Time for more walking, Lynn told herself.

They had walked for a while when they suddenly heard a voice behind them. "Wait! Wait!"

Lynn turned around to see Sam heading her way faster than any wolf she'd ever seen before. He caught up with them and stopped, panting deeply.

"What's so important?" One-eye grumbled.

Sam caught his breath for another moment before speaking. "I've been thinking ever since you left. How about... maybe..." He approached Lynn. "Would you like to stay? Just for a few days more?"

Lynn felt flabbergasted. She hadn't expected Sam to say this at all. "W...why?" she asked.

Sam awkwardly scratched with one front paw in the grass. "I've just... I've been alone for such a long time now. And when we talked last night... I thought... I just..."

"You don't want to be lonely anymore?" Lynn inquired.

"You're friendly, and I like that. I could use a friend, I mean." Sam looked her hopefully in the eyes, and Lynn looked away. "I really don't want to be pushy, but since you seemed to be looking for a home, I could give it to you. Temporarily, I mean. While we think about a better solution."

Lynn looked over to her right to meet One-eye's gaze. She then glanced back at Sam. "Can my father come, too?"

Sam's ears drooped ever so slightly. He'd clearly hoped that only Lynn herself would stay. Lynn felt bad for him, but knew she couldn't leave her father behind. I'm sorry, Sam, but we're a package deal.

"I mean, it's fine, I suppose," Sam said. "As long as he doesn't try anything funny!"

"He won't! I'll keep him in line, I promise!" Lynn barked in response before One-eye could say anything.

"Good, then it's decided!" Sam piped up again. "Come on, let's go back."

***

Days had passed, and slowly but surely, Lynn started to get used to everything. The scents and sounds of the new forest. Sleeping below the stars. Having water so nearby. And, most of all, Sam's company.

She felt glad to be around someone other than One-eye again. She loved her father dearly, but with Sam, for the first time since losing Abbie, she felt like she had someone around her she could call a friend again.

At first, she'd worried that maybe Sam had asked her to stay because he wanted to make romantic advances toward her, something she didn't want at all. But it had become clear to her in the past few days that his relationship with her was meant to be purely platonic. Sam was just a wolf who'd felt so lonesome ever since he'd lost his family, however that may have happened, and Lynn was glad to have some new company again.

She did at first worry about One-eye, who didn't seem to be fond of the idea of staying in another wolf's territory without claiming it as his own. But he mostly spent his time dozing about in Sam's home, and, honestly, Lynn didn't blame him. He's had such a hard, long life, and he's so old. He deserves to enjoy his last years in peace, not in the hurry to constantly flee and provide for us.

Sam seemed to agree with One-eye staying and relaxing most of the time, too. He'd even taken to giving Lynn hunting courses, though she'd yet to actually catch something.

Currently, he was circling her while they were in a calm part of the forest which seemed to be devoid of prey.

"No, lower. Come one, you won't catch anything with that stance!" Sam criticized her stalking posture.

"Like this?"

"Did One-eye teach you to hunt like this?"

"He's just shown me some positions, but nothing more."

"Okay, first of all, align your tail with your spine. You're not a dog, don't curl it. Second, ears... erm... ear, should be flat. And wipe that silly grin off your face!"

Lynn hadn't realized that, in all her concentration, she'd made a really silly expression. "Whoops!" she said with a laugh.

"I'm the best hunter ever, so I'll teach you the best hunting tricks ever, get that?" Sam responded. "You'll be catching rabbits and shit in no time."

"Will I?" Lynn felt uncertain about it. After never having been taught hunting when a wolf of her age should be good at it already, she really doubted she'd catch anything by now.

"With my awesome tips, sure you will!" Sam stuck his nose haughtily up in the air with a sly smile. "Come on, it's time for practical lessons. Let's get going to the prey-rich part of our territory!"

Our. Lynn felt glad of his friendship yet again. Could it be that she and One-eye had found a permanent home at Sam's land?

***

That evening, Sam took her apart. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you," he started awkwardly.

Lynn tilted her head. "What is it?" Is he going to ask us to leave after all?

"You...don't happen to be part dog?"

Lynn raised an eyebrow. "No, why?"

"Well, it's just that a curly and short tail is highly unusual for wolves. And your eye and collar..."

My eye and collar, of course! Lynn looked down at the red object around her neck. She'd been wearing it for so long now that it'd started to feel as if it was a part of her. She didn't even really think about the fact that she was wearing one anymore. She felt the same for her mechanic right eye.

"Oh, it's not what you're thinking! I was never a pet," she quickly explained. "A while back, I was taken by some hunters. Their dogs scarred me, resulting in me losing my eye. Their humans put this cybernetic eye on me and gave me this collar. One-eye came for me and helped me escape, but we never really took these off. I honestly don't quite know why..."

"I mean, I get keeping your eye, as it makes you able to see better. But your collar? I'd have gotten rid of it long ago."

Lynn moved over to the pool she and Sam were sitting beside. Turning on the blue light in her eye, she could see her own reflection. She only now realized truly how unnatural it looked in comparison to Sam. She looked back at her friend.

"Take them off."

Sam looked alarmed. "I didn't mean—"

"No, you're right. They don't suit me. I'm a wild wolf. I'm no human's pet. I don't want these on me anymore."

He blinked. "Are you sure? Even your eye?"

"There's plenty of one-eyed wolves who get by just fine, I'm sure," Lynn pointed out. "I don't want these near me anymore. Please, Sam."

He nodded. "Okay. Hold still."

Carefully, Sam closed his fangs around Lynn's collar. She felt them press against her throat and realized how dangerous this might actually be, but she didn't want to back down. Sam suddenly gave a firm yank, so firm that she was unprepared for it, and she fell over. Sam released her. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Let me get a better grip with my claws."

They repeated their action, except this time, Sam managed to sever part of the collar. "I'll have to gnaw through, but it's tight stuff. So this could take a while."

Carefully, he kept chewing on the red object, and, bit by bit, Lynn felt her neck become more and more free. After a final firm yank, it broke.

She looked at the snapped collar in Sam's mouth. Only now did she realize how it had actually been quite tight on her neck for a while now. She felt free right now.

"Now just this." She moved to her cybernetic eye with her right front paws and caught her claws under the edge of the thing, removing it from her face with a quick movement. It landed in the grass with a thud. The light on her eye instantly went out.

She blinked a few times. She knew it would take time to adjust to being half blind, but she didn't want to look like a human's pet any longer. She was a wild wolf, like Sam.

Only then did she realize that Sam was staring at her. Shit, my scar! She quickly covered her eye scar with her right front paw. "I'm sorry, I should've said something to prepare you! It's an eyesore."

Sam shook his head. "Oh, no, I didn't mean to offend you! I was just taking in what you looked like without these attached to you."

Lynn repressed a sigh of relief. "Can I take my paw away from it?"

He nodded. "I don't mind scars. Hey, I can look at your father just fine, can't I?"

She carefully removed her paw. Sam looked at her for a while, but he didn't downright stare at her. It was more a look of curiosity than malice or disgust.

"Now if only I could get rid of that dog-tail of mine," Lynn commented sarcastically.

Sam let his tongue loll. "You should show yourself to One-eye like this."

Lynn nodded. "You're right!"

The two wolves moved over to where the old wolf was taking a nap. "Hey, Dad!" Lynn said enthusiastically.

One-eye opened his eye. "Huh, what's up?"

"Don't you notice anything about me?" Lynn shook her head so her hair was away from her missing eye.

One-eye raised his eyebrow. "Your eye! It's gone! And your collar!"

Lynn nodded proudly. "I've been carrying these on me for so long. But they now remind me only of the past. Back when you didn't like me. Back with Abbie and the Clan. I don't want to be thinking about the past anymore. I want to be a legit wild wolf, like you and Sam!"

"I wore a cybernetic eye for a long while, though," One-eye commented. "You'll have to get used to living with only one eye to see if you want to no longer wear yours."

Sam approached and dropped the eye and messed-up collar on the ground from between his jaws. Lynn moved over to them and buried them in the soft earth. "I don't want these any longer."

"Well, okay, then. That's mature of you, Lynn," One-eye commented, sitting up.

She smiled.

***