I had to give a lot before I could learn to do this. [ Bader hedged carefully and without going into specifics. It could just have easily been said she had sacrificed a large part of herself to continue blending in with people. Whatever she had been born as, she was no longer supposed to be among humans. ]

Wolves might not exist in abundance anymore, but the irony is some of them survive because a few decent enough people have learned to leave us be. [ That was a complicated and open ended statement if ever there was one. Bader couldn't read minds and didn't need to to know that the details would have just upset him. ]

And by sticking together, of course. [ Bader reached out and laid a hand on Toboe's head, feeling fur instead of hair. That kind of contact among other people came with a lot of social niceties and awkwardness, but they weren't people and Toboe engendered some aort of protective instinct. ]