“Me? Why am I in bad shape?” My tongue had loosened ever-so slightly from the shock of his warning. He stood and faced me. Yes, he was male. But his face wasn’t entirely human. No, his face was scarcely human, almost solely lupine in appearance and posture. His wolven eyes searched me as though sizing me up as a meal.

“Yes, they’ll like you. Pretty, young… they’ll probably have you before they begin the experiments. If you can bear it, it’ll be a welcome delay.” He’d lost me. Have me? Did he mean… and what experiments?

“Yes, I do mean that. You should work on not thinking aloud.”

“Then answer my other question. What experiments?” I felt my voice grow hysterical. Why?

“I don’t know,” he answered, keeping a level tone to contrast my tension for which I still had determined no source. His silver fur glowed orange; he must have once had light hair. “They’re different for each. I doubt they’ll try genetic engineering on you; you’re too thin. Not enough body fat to support another animal’s DNA.”