"Is that what you did last time?" Daine asks, eyebrows raised. "Just sat there and thought about eating me the whole night? If so, you hid it well." And bear-Yuri hadn't been particularly adept at hiding his state of mind. "You might not be a normal bear, but that doesn't make you a lost cause."

She nibbles at her thumbnail, wondering if she should risk mentioning what had happened to her, before Numair put a wall in her mind, and decides she has to. Otherwise, he might never take her seriously.

"I used to forget who I was, before," she admits quietly, twisting her hands together in her lap and staring at the floor so she doesn't have to see his expression. "When I was first learning to use my magic, if I listened too closely to other animals, I'd start to think I was one of them. I'd forget I was human. I - I even ran wild, once." She takes a steadying breath and makes herself look up at him. "That doesn't happen anymore, because I let someone help me. If I can help you, I have to try."