There are tales of skinwalkers, shapeshifters, were-creatures, or the Navajo yee naaldlooshii—supernatural humans who can turn into one or more other creatures. But seldom is it spoken of an animal who can turn into a human. I didn't know any of this when I saw her begging food in the historic Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco before disappearing into the tame wilds of Golden Gate Park. I only knew that she intrigued me in a way no other woman ever had and I was determined to learn her secret. I didn't realize then that it was a secret that would change both our lives forever.