In this chapter, the halfwolf tells Yulan that he has never seen anything like the one in the cave. He wonders if the council will let the half-wolf wake up before the others kill her. The halfwolf asks Yulan why he is different from the other animals, and he answers that they call them monsters because they make it easier for them to be killed. Yulan tells him that his mother is dead, and that he is wandering the desert until he finds tuya. He tells his mother that he hears someone hurrying and that they are coming for them. He asks her to stay down, but she tells him to let her fight. The wolf tells her that he was summoned into her ancestor's womb, and she forged the mask, and why she is so hunted. He says that he will give her what she needs, and in return, she will give him full control over her body. They will be free, he says, and they will be able to see each other's faces for the first time. He promises to return to Yulan when he is free.