In the first book, Homo transformans: The Origin and Nature of the Species, an old woman played a pivotal role in saving and protecting a young girl who eventually became Mistress of the House of H’Aleth. The old woman always seemed to know where to go and what to do. Her knowledge of medicinal plants, the preparations of potions, and treatment of wounds was extensive. Even more extraordinary was her knowledge of the red and the gray dragons and her ability to communicate with them. She died without revealing the source of her knowledge. H’Ilgraith’s story recounts her adventures as a young woman. It reveals how her personality and her alternate species – a gray fox, a lynx, a badger, and a great horned owl – forged an independent, resourceful, and driven individual. It also reveals how she acquired her extensive knowledge of dragons, potions, and hybrids and came to care for an orphaned child destined to restore the House of H’Aleth. H’Ilgraith’s travels took her far from the relative safety of H’Aleth and deep into territories where danger was ever present. There she encountered animal and humanoid hybrids – some deadly, others crippled and impoverished – all caused by the malevolence of Rex Cassius. During one of her forays, H’Ilgraith, the consummate loner, confronted a gray mountain wolf who tested her patience and changed her way of life.