You may be thinking about Star Hatchling by Margaret Bechard. From the author's website:
Before the star fell near his village and the hatchling emerged, Shem had never known real fear. There were vicious Outsiders beyond their territory, but his family’s strong females had always kept the males safe. But this hatchling, this creature, would scare even an Outsider. And after it molts, its new body is even more hideous.
Shem doesn’t know that the creature is as scared as he is. For the creature is a human, a girl separated from her family on an alien world. Luckily she has been trained in first contact protocol. Unfortunately, Shem hasn’t …
