Bilal turned his head and looked at the furry carcass next to him. A moment of confusion overtook him and he reached out weakly.

"Wolf … what did I do … ?" He pulled the dead animal to him feeling the warmth radiate from him like a furnace. He pressed his face into the animal's fur and clutched him with stiff fingers. Without another thought he released his new tentacles as if he had always had them. In fact, reaching through them felt safe and familiar.

He ...