She was beyond hunger now. She welcomed the biting cold. She called to the wind one last time. She called her name, "Miki."

She was the last of her kind. Hated by the humans and despised by the wolves that she looked like but was not. She was an anthrop wolf, possessing the body of a wolf but the mind and knowledge of a human. Once her kind were revered as gods, royalty, and kings but now they were hunted and hated by all.

She kissed the ice and snow. She curled up against the cold and closed her eyes. She knew it would be the last time. She was prepared to leave this world now, taking with her the legend of her kind forever.

Cikuq pushed his sleigh. He only had four dogs left and they could no longer pull the sleigh through the fresh snow without his help. He was far enough away now that he no longer could smell the horrid exhaust of the snow mobiles his people now used. His grandfather had taught him the old ways, all but lost to his people now.

Cikuq yearned to return to the ways of his ancestors. He had prepared well for this day but a fierce storm two days ago had claimed two of his dogs. It seemed to be colder now. Perhaps his grandfather was right, the big ice would return soon to make everything right again. A new ice age would be welcome to him.

This was a good place he decided. He could make a camp here. It was more than fifty miles away from the nearest track. Cikuq began to carve blocks of compressed snow to make an igloo, quickly getting the round base started.

Something on the barren horizon caught his eye. It appeared to be the carcass of a wolf. Food was scarce here on the Artic wastes. It probably would not be fit for him to eat, but it might be suitable meat for his dogs. Cikuq trudged over to the carcass in his snow shoes. Yes, it was a wolf, and fresh too from the look of it.

He bent down to gather it up and was surprised to find that it still held some warmth. It must have died very recently or, just maybe, it might still be alive? He held his hand to its muzzle. Yes, there was still some breath. He decided to see if he could revive the animal. He noticed that it was a female, a little bitch.

It appeared to be not much older than a pup and perhaps he could raise it to work as a sled dog. The dogs might be wary of a wolf at first, but he could introduce it to them gradually and get the dogs to accept the wolf pup. After all, malamute dogs were not that far removed from wolves.

Cikuq tucked the pup inside his parka, sharing his body warmth with the nearly dead animal. He took it back to the beginnings of his igloo. He was pleased to feel that it was beginning to stir, regaining consciousness. He set the pup down in a pile of furs to help it stay warm as he finished building the igloo. Awake now, the animal regarded him with strangely knowing eyes as he worked.

His dogs caught the scent of the wolf pup and they began howling in protest. Cikuq spoke sharply to the dogs and they quieted down. The dogs knew that they were to rest here, and they quickly dug themselves shelters in the snow to keep warm. Soon the igloo was completed and Cikuq took the pup inside with him. He melted some snow for himself and for the pup and it lapped up the water. He offered it some dried meat and the hungry pup quickly accepted the treat and ate it.

Cikuq was pleased to see that the pup might live. Surprisingly it seemed to have no fear of him. Perhaps it came from a northern wolf pack that was far removed from humans. He said to himself, "Well now, little wolf, we must think of a name for you." Suddenly the name "Miki" came into his mind, just as though someone had spoken it.

Cikuq had an eerie feeling as though there was some unknown presence here in the igloo with him and the pup. He looked more closely at the animal and was struck by its eyes. There was a strangely knowing intelligent look to its eyes that the man had never seen before in any animal. "No, I must be imagining things," he thought, trying to dismiss the notion from his mind.

"Thank you for saving me." came a thought, as sharply as though it had been spoken aloud. The Eskimo man saw that it definitely came from the pup and his eyes widened in surprise. The animal seemed to be smiling at him.

"No, I must be going crazy," he thought, denying the idea of such an intelligence.

"No one wants to believe in my kind anymore." came another thought, this time with much sadness. "People would rather see my kind dead and gone forever. I am prepared to leave you, human, and go away to die. I would be dead now if you had not rescued me."

Cikuq regarded the wolf pup warily, wondering at the thoughts that came to his mind so clearly. Finally he asked "What are you?", realizing that this was more than a wolf pup.

"Some call me an anthrop wolf. As you see, I appear to be a wolf but I am more than that. My mind is partly human, and indeed I am a cross between wolves and humans. My father was an old man, and I am the last of his seed. He had many children like me, but the others are all gone now. I am the last on my kind."

Chills ran up Cikuq's spine. "My grandfather told me of an old legend about creatures like you. It was such an old legend and so unlikely that even he did not believe it. But he wanted me to know as much as possible about the old ways that had been handed down to him. Most of my people are no longer interested in such ways, preferring the soft life that the white man has brought to them."

Miki smiled at him. "It is good that you honor the old ways, human. Few do anymore. My father thought that he was the last of his kind, but perhaps he was wrong about that. It is good that you have chosen to escape from the others and come out here to make a life for yourself."

Cikuq was still uncomfortable with this legendary creature. "Grandfather told me that the legend said that creatures like you steal away the spirits of people and drive them mad, making them see things that are not really there. I think perhaps it would be better if you leave me now. I will not kill you but I do not trust you either, wolf creature."

"Well, that is better than I would expect from most humans. Most fear my kind so much that they would kill me as soon as they realized what I am. That is how many of my brothers and sisters died, killed by human hunters who wandered into this wilderness. But if you are willing to listen let me assure you that I will do you no harm, human."

"Indeed I can be a help to you because I know many of the old ways that were lost long ago, even to men like your grandfather. If you will let me stay with you I will be your companion and a help to you. I can help you hunt down prey and we can share the kills together. Yes, and enough to feed your dogs too. Once I get my strength back I can even help pull your sleigh. I will get the dogs to accept me."

"And there is something else. On cold nights we can snuggle together to keep warm. You have no female with you and you may get lonely. I am a female you know, and I would be willing to help you that way too." Miki seemed to be laughing at him he thought.

For just a moment when he looked at her Cikuq imagined the creature as a beautiful girl of about 13 winters. His mind must be playing tricks on him. Her suggestion that they might couple together caused him to see her as a desirable girl. He shook his head and looked again, and saw Miki as a wolf once more.

"Well Miki, I don't know. You may be trying to bewitch me. Know that I will be on guard with you in case you try to steal my spirit from me. But I suppose we can give it a try and see how things work out. By the way, I am called Cikuq." He realized that he had called the creature by the name she had given him through her thoughts.

"Cikuq. That is a good strong name for such a brave man. And thank you for calling me by name. No one has called me Miki in a very long time, not since my father was alive. By the way although I am small for a wolf, I am not just a pup as you thought. I have lived through six winters now."

Like a huge hammer the wind battered the walls of the igloo. "The big ice has come," Miki said, "You must bring the others inside or they will freeze."

"But they have not accepted you."

"Fear not, Cikuq. I can speak to them and they will understand that it will be life or death for them. Under such circumstances their natural enmity for me will be forgotten."

"You can do that?"

"I am wolf and not wolf. I am human and not human. I have the power and knowledge of both and more. Yet without a companion I have no will to go on living. There is one more thing you should know about me. I can help you see things as you would wish them to be. It is not that I am forcing you to see things, but I simply enable your own imagination. You wished to see me as a girl for a moment, and so you did."

Miki seemed to be very honest with him. He did not know if he could trust this ancient creature but he had little choice. Without the remaining dogs both of them would die. Cikuq left the igloo to bring in the dogs.

Miki no longer wanted to die. She wanted to live. She wanted to see the return of her kind and this brave human male would make a suitable mate. He had almost been right when he said she would steal his spirit but that is not what she would take. She would take his heart and make him love her.

She called to the wind and the power she sought was granted to her. She no longer felt weak, her energy was renewed. His heart would be hers now. She knew the storm would last a long time and she would use that time to draw him even closer to her. His own imagination would help make him hers.

Cikuq felt strange as he brought the four dogs into the shelter of the igloo. They whined at first at the presence of the wolf creature but somehow she spoke to their minds and the dogs settled down. Just that quickly she had caused them to accept her. When the man was done covering the dogs he heard his name.

"Cikuq," Miki called in a soft voice.

He turned and saw her under the furs. She no longer looked like a wolf but a beautiful young human girl of thirteen winters. Indeed she was the embodiment of everything that he considered to be beautiful. He remembered she had told him that she could enable his imagination and he saw now that it was true.

She lowered the furs off her breast. Cikuq was drawn to her soft warm flesh like a hungry pup to his mother's teats.

"Come to me, Cikuq, and feel the warmth of my breast."

He shed his parka, gloves and boots. He leaped the short distance and landed next to her. He put his hands on the soft flesh and strangely felt the need to suckle. He held her in his arms and put one of her nipples in his mouth and sucked like a new born baby as she crooned to him.

He lifted his head and inhaled her scent. Her aroma was like the fresh fallen snow. Like the midnight sun, God's lights in the sky, all the beauty of nature, along with the tearing of flesh, and the blood of life and death.

He guided his hand across her skin. She was soft and warm as sunlight on his face, but her lean frame spoke to him with the coiled power of a wolf. Yet he did not feel the need to fear her.

She was giving herself to him as he was to her and it was an unspoken pact of respect and love. He shed the rest of his clothing. They continued to explore each other's flesh as the storm raged around them.

Miki guided his hand to her pubic mound and placed her other hand on his cock. They kissed. The dogs watched and yawned. He opened her small lips and began to explore her cunt. She stroked his shaft.

Cikuq felt her small bulb and he caressed it between his fingers. She gazed into his eyes and softly said, "Take me."

He laid on the warm furs. He watched her open her legs and saw the pink puffiness of her inner walls enticing him to enter. He raised himself above her. She reached for him, took his cock and guided it into her. It was the young hunter's first time as it was hers.