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his teeth and Jonah would never know. Irritably, he gave himself a shake and put on snowshoes. Not exactly the same as his paws, despite the description people sometimes gave of the lynx having snowshoe feet, but they would help keep him from sinking into the snow.
    He set off for the cedar grove.
The deer steered clear of him, which suited Jonah fine. No sense taming deer and have them sitting ducks for hunters. They didn’t deserve to have their edge of fear worn off because Jonah helped them out once in a while.
The only deer he’d ever half-tamed was the fawn he’d splinted a leg for. That little guy had got himself shot the following year, and while many deer got shot, Jonah felt guilty about it. So, yeah, that was the end of deer pets.
After he felled the first tree, Trey appeared. As wolf. Somehow this form made Jonah feel a lot more comfortable. While he knew Trey and Enigma were one and the same, the proof was reassuring.
But he said, “You shouldn’t have come here.”
Trey looked up at him, solemn and blue eyed.
Wiping the sweat from his face, Jonah added, “Your scent is going to scare the deer away.”
Trey jerked his head up towards Jonah.
“They’re used to my scent.”
Trey turned around and headed back, and Jonah felt a pang, perhaps a momentary panic. “Wait,” he shouted and Trey stopped. “I’m almost done, then we can leave together.”
He felt stupid now, but Trey just settled on his haunches and waited him out. So Jonah resumed his work on the second tree, the ax slicing away more and more of the trunk until he could push the tree over.
“That’ll do it.” Gripping the ax, he walked towards Trey and suddenly felt at a loss, not used to explaining himself and his routine to anyone. He pointed to his right. “I, uh, usually walk this circuit. Partly because I can’t stay inside all day and partly because it’s got a good view, especially after a snowfall. But you don’t have to come. I just ask you stay away from the cedars I cut down, so the deer can eat.”
Trey probably thought it was strange to be concerned about deer, given that they both hunted and ate them. But Jonah had particular rules about what and who he killed, and the rules were important to him.
It took a good hour to walk up and around the path, as it always did, but the long view down from the ridge made Jonah feel better, and Trey-the-wolf seemed to appreciate it as well.
“It’s best in winter. Once the leaves arrive in spring, the view gets cut off by the trees. Nice in the fall too though.” He glanced to see if Trey was listening and Trey gave a low bark of acknowledgment. That made Jonah smile. He kind of wished Trey had stayed wolf. Then again, there was something to be said about having company that could talk back, no matter how stressful and alien it felt.
Not that he was ready for Trey to be human again, at least not immediately. As if he knew, that entire day Trey didn’t shift. When Jonah bedded down for the night and the fire began to die, he finally asked, “What are you going to be when I wake up tomorrow?”
Trey looked up from the rug.
“Human?”
He gave an unwolflike nod.
Jonah swallowed. He could handle it. “Okay. I’ll try not to be so alarmed this time.”
It was supposed to be a joke, but he didn’t hit quite the right note.
Then Trey did something odd. He rose and leaned against the cot. Jonah wasn’t entirely sure of the message, but he imagined he was supposed to feel reassured.
His arm seemed to move of its own volition. Craig and he used to wrestle a lot when they were young; his mother had been affectionate. Still, Jonah had never touched a shifter. Tentatively he gave the top of Trey’s head one awkward pat.
“Well. Good night, then.”
Trey circled around and settled down on the rug again. It took Jonah longer than he liked to fall asleep, and he couldn’t figure out if he was dreading or looking forward to tomorrow morning.

Chapter Five
    Jonah woke with a start, sucking in