her, she fell asleep almost instantly.

In the middle of the night, she woke up suddenly. The fire died, leaving garnet-colored embers. Everything was quiet and hushed, and the cave remained warm and pleasant. A dark shadow stood sentry in the opening of the cave, his long horns betraying him to be Shape-Changer. Donna stood up quietly so as not to wake anyone. Gilbert was snuffling and snorting softly in his sleep, curled into a tight ball.

 “Shape-Changer,” she whispered, “Don’t you ever sleep?”

“I sleep a few minutes during the day, off and on,” said Shape-Changer, smiling. “Like many animals. I don’t need much sleep. I am not like humans, you know.”

“So it’s not just the shape-changing?”

“It’s...

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