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Shadows of The Forgotten

Assassin's Camp

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a part of Shadows of The Forgotten, by Blackbird26.

The Wolfpack Camp

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Assassin's Camp

The Wolfpack Camp

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Assassin's Camp is a part of Valcrest.


Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crystal Rivers Character Portrait: Sean Fletcher Character Portrait: Indrani Nayar
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Sean had a busy morning. Busy, busy, busy. Another group of mercenaries had been caught hunting on their territory. The man was slightly disappointed to discover Allison was not amongst them this time. Perhaps Crystal had something to do with that; the archer hadn't been spotted in the territory even since her former recruit was executed. Sean thought he would drive her out of her cautious attitude with that, but it didn't work. It was a pity too, because he knew that if he managed to get to Allison, he could easily reach Crys through her. The blind woman had simply made herself disappear ever since he'd defeated her in camp three years ago. Unlike the other traitors who had invaded the territory and committed vengeful acts against him and the clan, Crys hadn't showed herself. It was a pleasant thought to him that maybe she had given up and retired, but that was unlikely. Being an assassin was all she knew, the clan was all she knew, and Crys wouldn't walk away like this. For that reason, the silence was unsettling.

As the active that had been reporting to him finished the accounts of how they had scared the mercenaries away, Sean nodded at the man as to show he understood, and waved him away without a word. These events had become ordinary now, so much that Sean had little to say in response to the man. Sitting back in his wooden chair and looking around the leader's cabin. If those walls could speak, Sean imagined what kind of stories they would be able to give. That house had seen so much, survived so much, that place was in itself a piece of history.

The past three years had been complicated. First was the cleaning and rebuilding of the camp, then there was the death of the Blackpond ruler that set things back a little bit. Turns out, as much Sean hated to admit it, Crys had a point: Sean had no idea who the new King was, or where he had come from. While he was able a keep a mutually respectful relationship with Rory, this so called son of his was another story, and Sean decided to keep his distance from Blackpond except if the new king decided to call upon one of the favors he owed. Then he would, of course, keep his word and answer whatever request the man had: A deal is a deal.

"Sean." An active called entering the cabin and taking a small bow.
"Yes, Alex, what is it?" Sean asked, turning his attention towards the young man.
"Dante already came back from his assignment. You had asked me to let you know, remember?"
"Oh... Right. Thank you, Alex."
"At your service." The active responded, walking out back to his duties.

Sean smiled as the active left the cabin, waiting a few moments before leaving himself. He didn't need to ask if Alex knew where Avius was, he knew exactly where to find his friend. As he walked in the direction of the lake he simply nodded in acknowledgement as some people told him good morning. Even if Sean's demeanor had changed very little with the new title, the man had become a little more introspective than he was as a simple Active, keeping his thoughts to himself and always measuring his words. Those who knew him longer had noticed that change, but then... Leading the Wolfpack was no easy task.

As he reached the lake, Sean found Avius sitting there, as he suspected he would be. "Hey Avius." Sean greeted, simply. Walking over and leaning against one of the trees.
”Hello Sean. Of what do I owe the pleasure?” The man responded, watching him.
Sean had let a chuckle escape him at the words. He didn't think anyone else would have seen his presence as 'a pleasure', it was a little bit funny. Finally he sat down by the edge of the lake himself. "Damn busy morning." Sean stated in a weary voice. "Mercenaries invading again. Although Allison wasn't with them this time..." He chuckled. "I think she just doesn't love me anymore." He stated sarcastically. "Or maybe she thought I would take it easier on them if she wasn't there..." It was an accurate assumption to make. As much as Sean wanted to punish Ali, and all the others who had turned on the clan, he still expected to go back into good terms with the Crimson one day. He held no personal grudge against the mercenaries, all he wanted was to make them see that aiding those traitors would only bring them trouble. He knew well how much the Crimson hated trouble. "It has been three years now. I thought that a few months of retaliation would convince those mercenaries to give the traitors up. I suppose Crystal's friendship with their leader is a lot stronger than I had assumed." He stated, reaching into the water absently. "So, tell me friend... How did your assignment go?"

-------------------------------

[The Desert]

Indrani was a little bit upset for having to leave while Crys was face down in the sand. The assassin was fast, and graceful for a blind person, Indrani had to give her that much... That not to mention that fighting that shadow took a lot of courage. It was without a doubt the deadliest thing Indrani had ever seen in her life, reason why Dastan didn't use his enlightenment in battle unless it was absolutely necessary. It was all very impressive, and right in the best part of it, she called away by the sight of travelers. She would have to ask someone what happened at a later time. Travelers coming from the south... That was far more important than some sparring match. Even this one.

As Indrani reached the southern gates, a group of mercenaries was already organized there awaiting her command. "Open the gates, and position yourselves. Do not move unless I command you to." She stated. As the gates opened, the men circled the incoming group. Indrani walked out and examined the oddest group of travelers she had ever laid eyes on. There, each on their own horse, a man in a mask that appeared to be the leader. A large dark green... Person? A slim white skin man who seemed slightly odd all in all, and a woman who, admittedly, had the most normal appearance in the group. She stood there watching the group for a moment, before finally putting her focus on the leader. The man had the posture of a person who had seen all, or the closest to it all as one could see. His demeanor was calm, respectful even, however it didn't make seem like less of a threat. Indrani wasn't as much of a people-person as Dastan, but she wasn't quick to judge and she liked to think the best of people until proven wrong... However, the last time a traveler came to them from those parts, they lost many of their people, not to mention their homes.

"Excuse my less than welcoming posture, kind sir. However, if is shelter you seek as well as the word of our leader, I must ask that first you state your name." She said giving a wave of her hand, so that the mercenaries would lower their weapons. "I wouldn't like to betray my clan's good reputation of being laid back and over-friendly, but the last outsiders to pass these gates abused our hospitality in the worse possible ways. Reason why I must now take caution."

As she finished speaking, however, footsteps sounded behind her and before she knew, Crys had walked past her and stopped before the masked man. For what Indrani could tell, the blind woman was slightly shocked and unsure whether she would smile or frown. Finally, Crys let out a small half-irritated, half-amused, snicker. "I'll be damned... I was starting to think you had dropped dead somewhere... Sir." She stated.
Indrani frowned slightly in confusion. "You know these people?" She asked.
Crys turned to face Indrani and gave her a small smile. "Not really. I do however know this man..." She nodded slightly towards the masked individual. "Enough to put my life on the hands of any friend of his." With that she started to walk back to the encampment. "Don't expect a warm welcome from Evin, but I'm sure Allison will be more than glad to see you." She stated over her shoulder.
Indrani stood for another moment, but finally she gave nod and the mercenaries dispersed, at which point she gave them a smile. "Well, since Crystal is rather fond of her life for what I know of her... In the name of the Crimson Shadows, I welcome you. If you would be so kind as to follow me..." She offered, walking past the gates and leading them into the camp, under the curious eyes of the rest of the mercenaries. One of them ran, most likely to warn Dastan of the visitors. She only hoped there was no trouble this time.

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#, as written by Sibrand
Even though Sean was his best friend and the only man he would trust with his own life, Avius still found it hard take jokes about Allison from him or anyone else for that matter. Even though he'd been told that Allison and Crystal along with a couple of other actives had betrayed the Pack and seen for himself that Evin had done the same, Avius still couldn't take jokes about the woman he had loved for so long. It just wasn't possible and even though he wanted nothing more than to doubt Seans words about her, the evidence was clear; She had stopped him from performing a tradition done by the Pack through several generations and defied her new Alpha and were now positively helping Evin, a traitor who had not only caused so much damage to the Pack but also caused much pain to Avius personally. He couldn't let this mess pass him by, even though he wished he could.

"Maybe something could be done about that leader of theirs?" Avius thought and came up with several sinister ways of putting someone loyal to the Pack in a leadership position inside the Crimson Shadows. However, for now he kept them for himself seeing as he knew that Sean didn't have a grudge against them, only the people they were protecting. When the question that Avius had been waiting for turned up he sighed heavily and let his hand slide down the quarterstaff slowly.

"An old man, his wife and their fifteen years old son, all dead. No witnesses. No questions asked. I got in, assassinated them and then got out. Nothing special." Avius reported just like he used to; Very short. His eyes darted off towards the encampment as he heard voices from the camp growing louder, however he figured they were just having a laugh or a friendly (or as friendly as it could be in the Pack) argument. Nothing to worry himself over. His attention shifted back to Sean as he sat down next to him by the lake.

"Things are changing in this land and they're changing fast. It might be a breeze when it comes to all the fighting between the cities and the outcast might give us a small moment to breath..." Avius began and let his hand touch the water for a brief moment before puling back, feeling how it was about to twitch again. "...But, we can't stay put forever. We need a plan and we need it fast. Why? Because soon shit will get real and you know where we will be when that happens? In the middle of it." The man rose from his position and put away his weapon as he held his hand as it begun to twitch furiously. The pain was hard and merciless, but he endured it. The pain just reminded him how much he wanted Evin Bana dead and what he would do to slit that sick mans throat. It was a pleasent thought and a bit tad sick, but it was pleasent nonetheless.

"Here's my suggestion. We should stop focusing on taking contracts and staying neutral. That's what Dani and Crystal did and looked what happened." Avius explained and insulted himself in his mind for speaking ill of Dani, but it had to be done. "Instead we should ensure that once the war starts again, we'll be on the winning side."

--------------------
[The Desert - In the ruins of Brightvale]

A smile grew across the leaders scarred and concealed face as he motioned for the rest of his companions to follow his lead as he jumped off his trusted horse named Merlin and led his animal and friends into the very ruins he had been trapped in four years ago. It had changed to say the least and there were more people here than last time and they didn't seem as hostile. They did however, seem very curious about him and his odd company, but maybe that woud prove to be an advantage that he could use. After following the woman into the ruins a couple of mercenaries came up to them and told them that they would feed their horses and put them by the stables. The leader approved and his friends followed his lead. After that they kept on following the woman with the golden eyes.

His meeting with Crystal didn't turn out as he had hoped for nor as he had thought it would be, but it was good enough to see that she wasn't angry with him, or at least not yet. The fact that Evin wouldn't like seeing him again and that Allison sure would be happy made him feel like home again. "I wouldn't have it any other way.", He thought as Crystal had walked away. As they moved on he noticed that people had been starting to follow them to see what this odd group might want with the leader of theirs and who they were. They whispered and bets were even made between some of them.

"Barca will enjoy himself here. However, I believe I'll have to keep an eye on Ace for a while." He thought as he eyed his companions who walked right behind him. Ace was yet not impressed and remained as void of emotions as usual; Barca was smiling and held his helmet under his right arm as he scanned the ruins; Akida remained cool-headed, but he could see that she wanted to go about exploring this place for a couple of hours. Such things would have to wait though as they reached their destination.
A ring had gathered around them as the company stepped forward and soon enough they were joined by a young man with dark brown hair and cocky posture to say the least. Next to him stood the woman the group had been following and in the crowd the leader also spotted a woman he had grown fond of a couple of years ago. However, before he revealed himself to anyone else but the one person who already knew who he was, the leader turned his entire attention towards the cocky guy who he hoped wasn't the leader, but probably was.

"I suppose you're the leader of this fine company of men and women? I have many things to discuss with you if you're willing to listen." The leader said and bowed. Akida and Barca were the only ones who bowed with him. Being the elf that he was, Ace bowed to no one but himself and his father. That was elven law and it was what elves were taught from childhood. If you bow, you're weak. If you bow, you open yourself for a deadly strike even from an ally. When you bow, you might sign your own death sentence. After rising to his former posture, the leader looked over at Allison before returning his hidden eyes back at the man who might just be the leader of this group of mercenaries.

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The air was dense in the forest today. It was abnormally warm for this time of the year, when in just a few weeks, there would most likely be snow small bouts of snow on the ground. The humidity and heat was just unbearable as if Evin was still in the desert. This was nothing like a day in the desert. Just being in this area should have been a death sentence for him. He had been in the bushes for over four hours earlier just outside of the leader's cabin, but had spent the past three hours walking around the camp as if he was just another worker there sitting by the fireplace and listening to a conversation being had by a few of the actives next to him.
"I think Sean has finally scared Evin off when he sent Allison back and killed those Crimsons." The one on the far right said to the two others. His name was Eric. He took a bottle from out of his coat took a quick glance around before taking a sip and placing it back in his coat.
"Yeah! What a coward." The youngest one shouted.
The third one stood up and stretched his arms looking back at the first man. "You know, I heard that he's been seen out in the streets of Blackpond drunk out of his mind. I think Sean finally broke his spirit."
Evin grimaced with his head down, looking out of the corner of his eye where he saw Desmond, the Second in Command limping down the path into the common area. Obviously the poison had worked. It would only be a matter of minutes until he wouldn't be able to walk at all. The poison wouldn't kill, but it would sure make his job a lot easier. What wasn't making his job any easier however was the heat. He was starting to sweat and the makeup he had on was starting to run. The scar he made on his left cheek was no longer there and soon enough his face would be recognizable by almost anybody. He tried to keep his head low, but in his peripherals, he could see a few actives pointing and looking at him with contempt. He knew that they knew, but he needed more time. Just about thirty seconds more was all he needed, but it was impossible now. The few actives that had been pointing at him were now swiftly approaching. By these assassins would reach him, he would only have ten seconds to kill and Desmond would be on his knees unable to move his legs.
The three actives beside him started laughing at a joke about the supposed drinking problem Evin had while Eric took the bottle from out of his coat. "You know Eric, I heard somewhere that Evin doesn't drink, but even more interesting, I heard that he's sitting right beside you." Evin raised himself off the log seat and grabbed the bottle out of Eric's hand, smashing it over his head. Spinning on the ball of his foot, he threw jagged glass right at one of the assassins who was approaching him. This caused him to let go of the sword that he had drawn.
"Protect Desmond and alert Sean!" One of the instructors ordered. That was when Desmond finally fell to his knees unable to move from his position. All of the actives made a barrier around Desmond to protect him, while a couple of others began to sidestep out of Evin's line of sight, just to the left and right of him.
Evin took out a single throwing knife and said, "if you don't mind, tell Sean to go check on his sister. If I used the proper dose, her heart should be stopping in the next twelve to fifteen minutes. Let him know that's what he gets for killing Ali's recruit." Evin quickly sidestepped, avoiding an oncoming attack from behind. "Hold on, I'm not finished." He threw the throwing knife strait up in the air. "I bet that I will have killed Desmond before the knife hits the ground."
Evin wasn't typically a gambling man after he lost 200 gold to Mageria, but he was about to make an exception for this time. If he had calculated his throw correctly, he wouldn't have to worry.
Again from behind, he heard an assassin running towards him. This time Evin wasn't going to be so kind. He turned around drawing his dagger, parrying the assassin's attack. He didn't bother to turn back and make a counter attack and instead ran in the opposite direction of his target, Desmond. It wasn't long before he heard one of the assassins yell, "holy shit!" Evin knew that he won the bet now. That throwing knife most definitely hit the poor man square in the head. Evin hadn't lied either Desmond was now dead and the knife still hadn't hit the ground, but was sitting on top of Desmond's head.
As soon as he appeared, Evin was gone. He hoped that by the time he got back to the Desert, lunch would be made for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Newhaven]

The morning had started slow in Castle Newhaven as it was Ella's day off from her duties. In one way it was a big relief, but on the other hand she really needed something to do with her time. The castle wasn't as fun as she remembered it as a kid, that was for sure. Now all she could find to do with her time was wandering around the halls looking for people who she could talk to. As queen, this was really hard to do though. Most people who wandered the halls were only really there to serve the queen and nothing more. They didn't want anything to do with her personal life and she didn't want to go all tyrannical and ask for them to speak with her. She just wanted to find someone who she could have a normal conversation with. As one of the servant girls walked past her, she asked them if they knew where Mageria was.
"Oh sorry, but I don't know your highness. I think I last saw her in the dinning hall eating breakfast. That was a long time ago." She said.
Ella sighed. Oddly, she hated the respect that everyone had for her. "Thanks."
Ella let the woman pass by while she heading for the dinning hall to see if she happened to still be there. She doubted it however as Mageria was one of those early morning types.

~~~~~

Dominic was sitting at the table, enjoying his small meal. It was a simple salad, like he usually had in the morning after a few hours of practice out in the back courtyard. Today's practice was sub par to say the least. He seemed off his game for some reason. He didn't really bother to harbour on the thought though, and instead picked around his spinach looking for the perfect flavour combination.
"Oh hey Dominic!" He paused with the fork half way to his mouth to look up. Ella was standing in front of him all dressed up like a doll. Dominic didn't see why she would waste so much time every morning to dress up so fancy, but he didn't exactly want to question his queen either, even if she was a pushover.
"Hello little one! Haven't you already eaten? I though I saw you walking around the castle with an apple earlier."
"Yes I've eaten, I'm just looking for--"
"A snack? Eat too much and you'll become fat and ugly like me." Dominic chuckled.
He caught Ella smile just a little. "I don't think it's possible to get much bigger than you." Her smile grew. "I was going to say I was looking for Mageria."
"Why, you don't want to talk to me?" Dominic looked offended.
"If I wanted to hear one of your stories then fine! You know, you could write a novel out of the stories you have."
Dominic just laughed, taking the fork and finally eating the spinach and tomatoes. He put down the fork into the bowl, and picked up the bowl. He had enough of the salad for today, and Ella seemed like she wanted some company.
"Come on, let's go look for Mageria."

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#, as written by Sibrand
Avius understood his friends concern and decided that it would be best to follow his leaders lead and ignore personal feelings and opinions for now. The pack needed loyalty and brotherhood now more than ever and Avius would make sure that there were no doubt amongst their ranks. Suddenly alarms and shout came from the camp and as Sean stormed off, Avius followed his leader with his quarterstaff at the ready. After a short run they reached the encampment and immediately Avius noticed the dead man whom had once been the second-in command of the clan. This could only mean one thing; Evin Bana. Sean thought exactly what Avius was thinking because in the next second he was interrogating one of the actives on why on earth they let themselves be fooled by Evin again. Avius stayed clear of their conversation, but he did notice the bottles of booze lying close to the campfire and he was filled with disgust. These actives had broken one of the Pack's laws and by doing so, also endangered the clan to Evin.

“Deal with these idiots for me.” Sean suddenly ordered as he addressed Avius with his hand before running off towards his fathers old workshop. A sinister frown were carved upon Avius face beneath the cowl that concealed his mouth and nose as he looked over at a couple of other actives that stood nearby. He nodded at them and in within a couple of second, the men who had let Evin bana slip past them and humiliate the clan by killing their second-in command, where on their knees before him. Avius started to walk around them as he pulled out two of the vials that held acid liquid from his belt.

"You all stand accused of crimes against the clan and punishment must be delivered. The crimes are the following ones: Drinking alcohol within the Pack's perimeter, endangering the clan by not staying alert at all times and being one of the reasons the former Second-in command Desmond is not with us today." Avius began as he circled the group of men who were bent down on their knees in the mud. "These are hard accusations my gentlemen and the laws of the Pack demands harsh punishment. I would even go so far as to say that you are all traitors, but I won't. Instead of having death or expulsion, pain will be your teacher on this day!" Avius roared right after Sean had walked past them. Avius threw the vials to the ground and began to wave with his right arm as if he was trying to catch something in front of him. The actives all knew what was going to happen and thus, the ones who were being punished struggled desperately to get lose from their brethren grip, but all in vain. From the burning ground a large ray of fire rose and just like a snake, it twisted its way up around Avius right arm, leaving a long tail of fire behind it.

Time seemed to stop all together as Avius launched his right arm backwards, feeling how the warm whip of fire followed it and then swiped it forward as he aimed it towards the back of one of the actives who were on their knees. A terrible scream filled with pain erupted into the air as one could hear Sean roar from his cabin about what had happened. The instructor continued even when the actives screamed for mercy and promised that they would never let anyone fool them again. He continued to swipe his burning whip of Justice upon their backs. Their creams did not satisfy him, but it gave him a feeling of hope. Hope that these imbeciles would understand the reality of the situation.

Avius suddenly stopped and the snake-like whip of fire that had formed around his arm faded with the wind. He looked upon the actives before him and studied the many burned scars upon their bloody backs. It was a horrible sight to behold, even for the man who had caused them, but deep inside Avius knew that this was the only lesson they would ever understand. Avius sighed heavily as he waved his hand towards the actives that had been holding the punished men down on the ground. They all let go of their grip and backed away.

"This is my lesson to you. To all of you." Avius explained as he addressed the entire camp who had stopped to watch the event. "If Evin Bana or any of the other traitors ever step into this encampment again without being killed, I WILL PERSONALLY HAVE YOU ALL EXECUTED!" He roared without any kind of control behind his words as he turned his back towards everyone and made his way towards the leader's cabin. He entered it, slammed the door shut and faced Sean.

"I want that man dead, and I want him dead now."

----------------
[The Desert - In the ruins of Brightvale]

The leader listened carefully to the man in charge of this large company of mercenaries as he explained the situation to him. Some tea did sound nice to his ears, but that kind of luxury would have to wait for another time. However, it was a conversation that he was looking for and a way to get his message across, one way or the other. When the topic of food and something to drink made its way into the small talk they were having, the man turned to look at his companions. They all nodded and walked off with a couple of other mercenaries to get something to eat and drink.

"Looks like we got another group of jokers and drunks here." Akida whispered and scanned the company of men and women around them.

"You must feel like home, Barca." Ace grunted and didn't even bother to look over at his large and green friend who walked next to him with a big smile across his face.

"Oh, I do! I do so, indeed!" The orc laughed and looked at the men and women around him who backed away from him as they continued to move on through the ruins. The masked man directed his attention back at the commander over these mercenaries and simple stared at him for a couple of short moments as he scanned him. It was rather easy to make out what kind of person the young man was and what his true intentions were. Fortunately, they didn't seem all too wrong to the masked man. Maybe a bit inappropriate, but still not wrong enough for the masked man to pull out his weapon or use lies to cover his true purpose.

"Then let us withdraw to a more private area to discuss my business there. However, I'd wish for two more persons to join our conversation; Allison Blake and Crystal Rivers." He explained and let his gaze wander off towards where Allison stood amongst the remaining crowd that had yet to leave and follow the other three companions to the masked guy.

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"Avius Dante." Crys greeted simply, with a slight smile. "A woman of my caliber... Should I be flattered or insulted by that statement?" She asked a small smirk discretely forming in her expression. "I'm here for two reasons, one that doesn't concern you, and one that does. I will give you both, since you are currently responsible for this encampment and, unlike your leader, I do still feel a certain level of respect for you personally." She brushed her cape aside, showing the katana she carried, sheathed at her belt, and put her flute away safely in a leather casing, strapped to her belt. "First, I came because a great part of me is still buried in these grounds. In spite of it having been twisted by Sean's insults, my family still played a great part in the history of this clan. You can take the command from me, but you can't erase that. Second, I came to see you." She sighed facing the man with serious, almost severe, expression. "And, there are two reasons for that too, you see... I know my mother tried to speak to you on several occasions after..." She paused, and changed her wording slightly. "Before she died. So, I conclude that she would want me to try and do the same. The second, well... You may or not believe me, but I still want the best for the Pack, and as much as I understand that Sean is your friend... He is making a lot more enemies than he can handle. That will hurt the clan in a near future." She nodded. "Now, I'm not saying that you shouldn't support the Alpha, but you, as Second, have the obligation of making sure he's acting on the clan's best interest, and he's not. So what I'm saying is: Do a better job." She shifted slightly where she was sitting. "By the way, that little idiot you two sent to the desert with that sob story? He'll be treated nicely, but don't insult my intelligence by expecting me to believe a word he says."

Having said all that, she opened a smile and added. "Now that I've said all I needed. How have you been?" She asked in an extremely friendly tone.

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#, as written by Sibrand
Avius chuckled slightly at Crystals question if she should take what he called her as a compliment or an insult. However, the pleasantries didn't last longer than so, because Crystal continued on with the reasons she was within the Wolfpack's perimeter for the first time again after 3 years of being away, or hidden in the desert. She explained that she had two reasons why she stood before him and because of not only his position, but also thanks to a certain level of respect she had for him. When she brushed her cape aside when she unequipped her flute, Avius eyes locked themselves upon the katana she carried by her belt; He recognized it somehow, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was for the moment. After a short moment of thinking intensively about it, he let it fall to the depths of his subconsciousness.

After Crystal had mentioned that she was here because a part of her was still buried here, she brought up that she had also come here to see Avius personally. He was of course a bit surprised by this since they had never spoken much before this very moment. However, when she explained that she was here to talk to him because she felt it was probably something her mother would have wanted since Dani had tried to speak with him when she was still warm and breathing. Avius still held onto his old memories of Dani, few as they were, and tried to hide his remorse for such a heavy loss. Sometimes it was easy to ignore all those painful feelings bubbling inside him, but most of the time he couldn't resist to turn insane because of them. They screamed inside him and they cut him in both his heart and his soul, trying everything to get out. All of this came back to him in a single second before his attention rushed over to the girl before him once again.

The last reason for one of the reasons she had spoken of was that she thought he should do a better job because she still cared for the Wolfpack, even though she might hate its current Alpha. While Avius sat there and listened to what she had to say, he couldn't do much more than to agree with her; Sure, Sean might be his best friend and the Alpha over this clan, but his recent actions have pushed the clan against the White Shadows, which is something Dani would never have done. It all felt so wrong. Avius still had no idea why everyone had turned so easily upon Allison and Crystal and started throwing dirt at two dead people they had once adored and respected with all of their hearts all so sudden. He had only asked once and he had never received an answer that made sense to him. However, he had still witnessed what Evin did to the leaders cabin and that was something he would not forgive and forget in a very long time.

In the end Avius chose to ignore Crystals statement about the kid who had left the camp earlier. He didn't want anything to do with that boy anymore either way. She ended her long speech by asking, in a very friendly voice, how he had been. Avius took some time to melt all of this and eventually chose to sit down in the green grass. It was soft and a bit wet, but nice nevertheless. There was so many things he wanted to ask her and tell her, but he didn't want to cause any conflicts now that he had her attention and he most certainly did not want to waste that "level of respect" she seemed to have for him. Unless it was necessary of course.

"I don't know. Things could of course been better." He chuckled shortly before continuing, "I just don't know. I'm not sure if I care anymore either. I'm so confused by everything that has happened around me and yet, It's like I see the everything clearer than before." Avius didn't know how to describe his feelings on how he felt and how things had been going for him and others around him. Everything seemed to be falling apart at the same time as everything almost seemed better than before.

"There's actually something I've wanted to ask you Crystal for a long time now. The other wolves doesn't seem to think it would be a good idea to share with me what actually happened the night you returned and Sean challenged you for the leadership over the Pack. I was away on one of..." Avius refused to speak that filthy bastards name in front of Crystal, "... your friends missions in Blackpond to rescue some healers when it all happened. What I'm trying to ask is, what happened that night? Please, be honest with me, Crystal."

A small smile actually formed itself over Avius hidden lips after he finished; It was his first time saying 'please' to anyone outside of his own prayers. And It wasn't just that, because now he might just get the answers he had been waiting for so long.

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Crys listened to Avius with interest, glad that he had sat down and was willing to talk. He seemed to be very conflicted and confused by everything that was happening. That was good in a way; it meant he wasn't following Sean blindly like she thought he might be. "I understand how you feel, Avius. I do. And I think that things wouldn't be so confusing for you if you didn't care, at least a little bit." She said with a little smile. "Things seem better, but they're not what they once were and people will eventually wonder why. I can tell you why, since you're listening to me for some reason... The laws of the Pack were written based on loyalty. Even though Sean enforce those laws, he can't fully understand what's behind them. He can't inspire loyalty in these people because he asks something of them and is not willing to give. He doesn't trust them."

She sighed slightly and pulled the katana from her belt, sheathed, and put it on her lap. "I was attacked on my way to the desert, partly because I wanted to question Lena about a few things, partly because I wanted distance from the battle that was going on in Newhaven. Halfway there I was attacked by assassins from Blackpond. I lost that fight, and while I was on the floor bleeding out, Sean showed up to tell me why I was going to die and that he was going to leave me there, 'because not everyone deserves a quick demise'." She made a pause and took a deep breath in order to keep her voice calm. "The Crimson rescued me, and I came back after a month, on that day. I was still wounded, and weak, but I didn't know what was happening and was concerned. When I got here, Evin had already figured out what Sean had done, and demoted him. When I told everyone what he did, Sean challenged me, I lost, and that was it. Whatever you might of heard of my father's involvement with the Wolf Hunters and, what my mother did to cover for him... That actually did happen. But I suppose no one takes into account that they just idiot teenagers then, and were nothing but loyal to this clan for over 25 years after that." She shook her head. "See, the clan betrayed me, in a way, and I can't trust them anymore. So, even if Sean was no longer an issue, I have no p[lace here. I still believe that the Pack deserves a worthy leader, and Sean is not that Leader." She leaned back on the gravestone, casually. "Anything else you would like to ask me?"

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#, as written by Sibrand
The woman before him spoke of loyalty and that the laws of the clan had been built upon those concepts. The reason why everything was so different and things seemed broken was because Sean didn’t use loyalty when enforcing his laws; He used fear and respect to drive the Wolfpack forward. Loyalty could bring a man to sacrifies himself to a cause while fear and respect can only last for certain amount of time before the followers learn to overcome their fears and lose respect for their leaders.

As she continued to answer what he had said and what he had asked, Avius heard something that seemed both silly and partly true to his ears; Crystal said that she had been attacked on her way to the Crimson Shadows camp by the ruins when she had been attacked by assassins from Blackond and later on left for dead by Sean out in the desert. These news were shocking to Avius; He had never heard of it from anyone. Not from Evin during one of their encounters (If Evin even wanted Avius to understand the situation or not), not from Sean and not even from any of the other wolves. Not even Allison had tried to reach out to Avius. The assassin felt a feeling of loneliness for the first time of his life.

He stood alone, facing the dark abyss that was life.

The news about Dani and Sebastian and the Wolf Hunters didn’t seem to concern him as much as the recent news about Sean’s betrayal; Sean betrayed the Wolfpack even before beating Crystal in a fight. He was not worthy of the title of Alpah for his treacherous ways. However, this was a delicate matter and Avius would have to tread carefully to beat Sean at his own game. He would haver to gather all the puzzle pieces before beginning. His hand twitched furiously at the pain from the old wound inflicted by Evin. Crystal stopped her speech with a question.

”In my childhood, I remembered living in Blackpond, fighting each and every day to survive even if I lived in an orphanage. From those streets I learned a certain saying: ‘Once a traitor, always a traitor’.” Avius began and let his eyes wander around the graveyard for a bit, ”If what you’ve just told me about Sean is true, then he has no claim over the Alpha role. I can make a deal with you, Crystal Rivers; I can do anything you wish me to do to help you overthrow Sean, but I cannot trust you just like that. Once I start down this path then there is no turning back and I will be considered a traitor to the clan.” Avius explained and rose from his sitting position. He brought his quarterstaff with him on the way up.

”If you agree to my terms then I will fulfill my end of the bargain and then leave the Wolfpack forever. My terms? I want Evin Bana’s life in exchange for me to use my position as the Second in-command to bring justice on Sean for you. I know this is a lot to ask of you, but I want to see Justice be done as much as you do. What say you?” The assassin ended and sighed as he stared at Crystal. One wretched life for another. Allison's opinion about him be damned.

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Crys' expression changed to something between frustration and disappointment at the last words Avius spoke to her and she didn't bother to hide. He had understood everything, except one thing; what she wanted him to do. Aside from that he had demanded something she wasn't able, or willing, to give. She stood up, lowering her head and heaving a sigh. "You didn't understand what I came here for, Dante. I don't want you to commit treason, and leave the Pack: I want to know that the Pack will have a leader after I do what I must. I'm not coming back, because I can't trust the clan anymore and they won't follow me... That makes me just as good as Sean." She attached her father's sword to her belt and faced the man with a slightly intrigued look. "I'm not here to make a deal, I'm here to remind you of what you signed up for when you took your oath and when you accepted Second Command. Besides, even if I was here to make a deal; what you ask of me is not mine to give, or trade. If you want Evin's life that badly, go ahead and take it from him. Don't ask it of me as if it was worth nothing. It's worth something to me."

She stood in silence for a moment, smiling slightly in the cold winter air... Why was it always so damn hot in the desert? Then she smiled at Avius and spoke her final words to him. "I want justice for the Pack, and I will have it either way, if that breaks the clan or makes it stronger is entirely in your hands. Think about it, and leave me a message with the White Shadows when you decide."

With that she nodded her goodbye and began to walk away towards the South.

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#, as written by Sibrand
Not a single word came from Dante has he heard what Crystal had to say nor did he move a muscle. It wasn’t the kind of answer he had hoped for, but an answer he had come to expect from people like Crystal; People who refused to face their problems head on and had to go around an obstacle and use unnecessary methods. It was a cowards path and Crystal seemed to walk on it. Although Dante would love to walk away from such a path, he couldn’t be sure if the rest of the clan would accept him with greater loyalty than the one they have for Sean. He knew he would have to win their trust and earn their loyalty before Crystal strikes at Sean.

Avius Dante watched how Crystal turned her back on him and walked away, heading south towards the desert once more. Whatever her plans might be, Avius would make sure that he would get his revenge on Evin before the end of it all, even if it meant sacrificing himself in the process. However, for now he would have to win over the clan from Sean somehow. The problem was that he had no idea how to do so because he had always been a lone wolf and being the leader over some clan of assassins had been the last thing in his mind. Until now.

The sun had died down in the horizon and darkness was beginning to cloud everything around Avius. However, being the night creature he was, he could see in the dark almost as good as at daylight. The assassin decided to move back to camp and see if there was anything else to do this very late evening. There was nothing more he could do about Crystal. He would have to think about the things she told him and decide wether or not he should act upon them.

When approaching the camp several actives came up to him and they all had the same question on their lips: What happened? Avius wasn’t about to lie and so, he told them some small parts of the truth and let everything else out of the explanation. He told them that he and Crystal had had a peaceful conversation about what happened the night she returned to the camp and was challenged by Sean. Most of the actives dispursed after hearing this, however, there was still one who decided to follow Avius further into the camp. His name was Dova, a bright little fellow who had joined the Wolfpack just a month or so ago. He had yet to find an instructor and therefor, he did some minor things around the camp as well as training a lot for himself. No weapons of course.

”Why is that particularly night so important and such a touchy subject, Dante?” Dova asked nervously, knowing all too well that Avius could decide to punish him for slightest mistake around him.

”Some of the wolves feels it’s a touchy subject because there was such a hugh change then; Crystal Rivers, the woman who’s mother had been their leader for so long and who’s father had been a father figure to almost everyone in camp had recently been declared as dead and all of the sudden she returns. Sean challenge her and defeats her and by the Wolfpack’s laws, he had the rights to kill her off right there, but he was stopped. Allison interfered and a couple of actives and recruits stood by her side as well. They were all branded traitors by Sean. It’s a dark night in our history.” Avius sighed heavily, ”Maybe not as dark as the Red Night, but still.”

Dova seemed to get it, but somehow he just wanted to learn more and more about the history of the clan since their records were slowly being rebuilt after Evin pulled off his little stunt and burned down the leaders cabin three years ago. Much of what once were would never be recovered, but at least they could try. Avius smiled beneath the cloth that hid his face and looked over at the boy as he stopped in the middle of the camp, by the fire that threw the shadows of the dancing flames across the ground in the cold night.

"But rememeber this, Dova; The night is darkest just before the dawn. And I promise you, the dawn is coming."

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Ari had heard the man coming before he had entered the clearing; that, and the memory of Kirsten had ruined her fighting spirit. She waited until after Sean had gone before sitting up and shifting uncomfortably in her muddy clothes. She slid out of them and shifted into a large black cat, her body twisting and turning. She was charcoal colored and her body was covered with lighter patches giving her beautiful spots. She shook her pelt, her eyes glowing and she bared her fangs, stretching out her jaw. Her red nose worked the air, testing it and riffling through it. Finding nothing, her mouth gently wrapped around her dirty clothes and she sprang forward though the trees. Her claws dug into the bark as she clawed her way up, leaping from tree to tree. Her black fur rippled as a small breeze blew across it and she caught the sweaty scent of a man and the sweet deadly scent of a women coming from the direction of the house. She yowled as she passed near it before turning and running the opposite direction.
The trees whipped past her, swiping her face and catching at her paws. She looked over her shoulder, the silver fading from her eyes quickly. She needed to change back and fast, or she could be stuck in this form forever. She slowed, her tail switching back and forth as her ears flickered back. There was water nearby and Ari desperately needed a wash. Her eyes focused on a large tree that was just out of reach for one of her normal jumps. She crouched, rolling her shoulders, and her tail continued to flick back and forth. Her mussels tensed and she leapt forward. Her large paws reached out and her eyes twinkled with triumph as her claws sunk deep into the bark. She slid, causing a couple huge gouges to appear in the tree as sap sprang forth as tears. Ari sprang off to a larger branch where she paused, raising her massive head up toward the sky. Her pink nose tested the air and she leaped down through the branches into a small lake. Her cat body scrambled away from the water, her eyes fading to a silvery green. She had found the water and now she needed to shift.
Her eyes burned silver and her whole body twisted up. She rose up on her hind legs her claws pawing at the air as she roared, her human skin sliding up over her cat form. Black became blonde as she changed, her body shaking horribly as the cold air brushed against it. She fell into the water, unable to stand, the clear spring rising up above her head to engulf her. Her green eyes blinked through the surprisingly clear water and she released all her air as she kicked he way up to the surface. She rose up, only her shoulders sticking out of the water, as she swam toward the edge, grabbing a bit of to rub into her scalp. She did so before grabbing a sharp rock and with a clean slice she cut off her hair. The golden strands clung to her fingers as she tossed it into the brush near the edge of the water. She knew it was rash and childish to chop it off but Sean had reminded her that it could be used against her. Her eyes softened at the thought of his face before she shook her head and screamed. Birds flew up from their nests and feeling slightly guilty she slipped back under the water, the short hairs whishing across her face. She stayed under the cool water until her lungs burned for air and she rose, gasping. Ari looked at hr reflection in the stream, cursing as she realized that her tattoos were showing. They were beautiful but they were her marks, if Kirsten cam hunting or anybody else she would be recognized. She carefully reached up to touch one, the girl in the water mirroring her movements.

Flashback- about 3 years ago->Newhaven

Ari wandered the dark streets of the city. There was no moon here to light her way and so she used her curse to gift upon herself the night time vision of a wolf. She was lost and she had no idea where she was going but her nose caught the sharp smell of ale and so she decided to turn off the main road and into a side alley. She should have seen something, heard something, smelled something for heaven’s sake but she didn’t. The women had sprung from the roof tops and landed on her, knocking her to the ground and pinning Ari to the street. Ari tried to scream but the woman’s hand clamped over her mouth with a rag that smelled sickeningly sweet. She tried to fight, but her body didn’t move and she suddenly found herself very, very sleepy. Knowing she shouldn’t sleep; not here not now, she fought against it, the press of the rag becoming harder against her mouth and nose. Ari couldn’t fight, she slept.
Ari woke in a small room, a blaze flickering nearby and her face stinging like fire. She was tied to a bed and based on the ruckus below she was inside an inn. She shook her head, turning to face an old woman with long silver hair and a wicked smile on her face.
“Now now,” she cackled as Ari flipped against the ropes, “You are going to have a wonderful life, sweetness.”
Ari kept her body still as she slowly twisted her wrists, rubbing them raw with the rope. Her eyes were taking in everything with sharp accuracy; the poker by the fire, the chair by the window, the dagger by the woman’s hip.
“You’re too pretty to be wandering around alone, and there is many a man here who would like to see you,” the woman nodded to the door as a large man entered, his eyes were black as night and his hair gently fell over his shoulders.
“My face,” Ari whimpered, feeling her hand slip in her bonds, her wrists bleeding, “what did you do my face?”
“This mark I have gifted you with,” the old woman spat, standing up and heading toward the door, “Is the mark of the sensual. “
Ari cringed, the mark of a whore. She had seen them before on women walking on the street though they were all different they all shouted the same damn thing, “Take me!” The woman left, closing the door behind her as the man took off his red cloak and walked briskly to the bedside. Ari’s eyes flashed silver and her one bloody hand slipped free from its bonds, her leg striking out at the stranger. He stumbled back as it caught him in the stomach but not before she was able to snatch the dagger that was at his hip. She sliced through her bonds and leapt up, grabbing the hot poker and blocking a blow from the man’s sword. She was only able to defend for his strikes were numerous and quick, his face lit up in a smile, something childish about it. She swiped her hair out of her face and threw the poker at him, watching as he dove to avoid the red hot thing. She turned, diving out the window and landing in the streets below. She lay there, gasping for breath against the pavement before she saw him stick his head out the window, look at her and then duck inside. She struggled to her feet and ran; she bolted out of Newhaven and into the forest.


Reality-Near the Camp

She blinked and grabbed her muddy clothes and dragging them under the water. Stupid memories, they always took her attention and it was the simple things that triggered them. The water was already a murky color and as she washed her clothes the water turned black. She frowned, seeing that the clothes were no better and the water could not take any more dirt. She wished the water clear again and sighed. As if by magic the water began to roil and grow hotter, the dark color becoming clear again. She laughed at her good fortune, quickly washing the dirt from the shirt, and as she removed herself from the water she was feeling much better. She slid on her wet clothes and began the search for some sunlight.
The forest hid it well and it took her what seemed like hours of wandering to find a large patch. She entered it, watching nervously as the deer wandered away from her, but didn’t run. She stood there for awhile letting the sun dry her, carefully watching as the deer wandered around her, finally comfortable with her presence. When she was almost dry her stomach rumbled and she ran back toward the direction of the camp. Thinking twice though she turned, heading east.
It didn’t take her long to find her tree, towering tall against all the others. She kissed its bark gently and walked around it until she found the root she was looking for. She slid under it into the belly of the tree, her home as far as she was concerned. Singing quietly to herself she searched around for something to eat and was pleased when she found a piece of dried deer and an apple. She changed out of her combat clothes and into a beautiful, loose white top and a pair of black pants. She grabbed her bag, a quiver full of white arrows and her favorite bow, richly decorated and crafted with incomparable beauty. Then she slithered out of her tree home and started heading back to camp, munching happily on her deer.

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Ari had finally reached the camp and she had run through it into the place they were letting her stay. She didn’t want to call it home because it wasn’t home, not yet. She still felt new, unwanted and she didn’t have a friend in sight here. She pulled the wolf dagger from its resting place, pulling the blade from its sheath. Her hands scrambled to pull open the tip of the sheath, fumbling with it horribly. She finally got it open, dumping out a light powder. She cursed and scooped some up onto her fingers, rubbing it over the markings and looking into the dagger with a sigh. She had again hidden the markings on her face, no one would ever know of this. Besides, they didn’t count. She’d never slept with someone.
She consoled herself, attaching the dagger to her hip and grabbing her bow before stepping outside. Ari walked through the camp, head held high. She saw and scented how uncomfortable the people were, something was going on. Her eyes burned silver and her ears heard the voices of someone in Sean’s cabin. She twisted as her nose caught the sharp scent of blood. Ari turned and ran toward the scent, readying her bow. She leapt over the fallen logs, ran around trees until she saw them.
She didn’t recognize the woman but she knew her prisoner, it was the same man that had called Sean away earlier. She stepped forward, shifting into a crouch and running her fingers down along the feathers of her arrow, her eyes growing dark.
“Who are you,” she asked, stepping into full view of the women.

Ali was calm as could be, hear eyes and ears open to any bit of change in her surroundings. She knew every face staring at her in anger, people she'd worked with, shared laughs with, people she had trusted her life with... And while three years ago it would be heart breaking to even consider being in this position, today it felt perfectly natural to her; The Pack was the enemy, simple as that, and she'd kill them all to the last one if it came to that.

"Who are you?" A voice asked, and Ali locked her blue eyes on a girl, not much older than Donovan, but whose face she didn't recognize.
"If you don't know me, and I don't know you... You're new here." Ali stated with a little smirk. "Take my advice then: Leave while you can." She fixed her gaze on the girl's eyes and added, in a more serious tone. "And whatever you think you can do to stop me: Don't bother. If I don't kill him another will, and I don't think the Alpha will enjoy seeing his brother dead in the middle of his camp because you felt like trying to save the day."

Her heart stuttered and she carefully unstrung her bow, lowering it. Ari cocked her head, not taking her green eyes from the blue, placing the bow gently on the ground and dropping her daggers right next to it. Brother, of Sean? She took a couple steps forward.
“I have no loyalties to them yet,” she said, noticing the worried look on her face, “They call me Ari. I would just like to talk if that is alright with you?”
Ari didn’t want death, not now not today. Her eyes glowed sliver around the pupils and she sniffed the air. She wasn’t lying about the others and she playfully tossed her hair out of her eyes. She stood awkwardly, waiting for an answer from this girl, her senses heightened.

"We can talk." Ali stated simply, relaxing some, but not taking her attention from the assassins nor relaxing her hold on Donovan. "Doni is not much a pleasant company, but then I can't blame him. And those guys..." She nodded towards the nearby assassins. "They hate me a little bit for this, can't blame them either. What kind of a monster threatens to kill a sixteen year old recruit, right?" Her voice turned into a low growl as she spoke those words giving an angered glare towards the assassins, some of them shifted uncomfortably in guilt.

"He was a traitor." Donovan stated. "He deserved what he got."
Ali tightened the garrotte only slightly as he said that. "Careful, Donovan." She hissed. "And Lionel was a traitor as well, wasn't he? He was buried properly, with his ring, as any member of the clan would be."

Donovan silenced after that and Ali turned her attention towards Ari again. "Allison Blake, nice meeting you, although I don't consider these the best of circumstances." She smiled. "I can hear your heartbeat changed just a bit when I mentioned Don was Sean's brother..." She snickered. "Whatever the reason, I hope you snap out of it soon. He's a heartless bastard, you'll see." She tilted her head curiously when she noticed Ari had sniffed the air. "You can enhance your senses too, or is it some other ability that allows you to catch their scent? She asked intrigued. "That's interesting... And unfortunate, they haven't bathed in a while."

Ari smiled slightly, she was not kidding about the bath that they needed and she blushed slightly as she mentioned Sean.
“Very nice to meet you, though I was it was under better circumstances as well. Donovan,” she said, acting like she knew him to some extent, “I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself; that is unless they enhance the conversation. I care not for Sean, truth be told he frightens me.
My enlightenment, allows me to become any animal I choose. I don’t have to change completely, but can choose to give my body the senses of that animal, so heighten them in a way. I assume you have an enlightenment that enhances your senses?”
Ari smiled back, being pleasant enough, but all the while her eyes were taking in the little details; the cord around his neck, the position of the men, the way Allison was positioned. She wasn’t kidding about killing him and she seemed settled enough to the point where she wouldn’t kill him, not yet. Ari just wanted to be there so that she wouldn’t have the chance to cause more damage to Donovan.

"Oh, Sean can be a very scary monster, can't he Doni?" Ali said, taunting the boy. "Don't take me for a bad person, now, Ari, but I have a few individuals I hold dear, and I'm not very fond of people trying to stick arrows in them; No matter how ridiculous their attempt is."
"Ranged attacks are much more effective against an empath..." Doni started.
"Not Crys, you idiot! She had your level of skill when you were still pissing your pants and she can sense that rage of yours as far as Blackpond. If you were my brother I would beat the crap out of you for being so damn stupid!" She said, in a tone filled with contempt, but yet severe as if she wanted the boy to learn. "Now, listen to your friend's advice and shut up; she's obviously smarter than you."

That said, she put her attention on Ari again. She could tell the girl had analyzed the situation to a point where she had settled with simple conversation, Ali hoped that didn't change, she'd rather not have to kill any recruits. "I can enhance or nullify any of my senses... Which means I can not feel pain for certain periods of time, which is useful, but if I overdo it, it becomes very unpleasant afterwards." She gave a slight shrug, careful not to put more tension on the wire. "I don't mind pain though... It's there for a reason, much like fear... It let's you know what you should stay away from." Her eyes lowered from the girl's face to the bow she had dropped on the ground. "That's a beautiful weapon, is it your work?" She asked in a very interested tone. "You know, I need to craft myself a new bow, mine is getting a bit old..." She said, indicating the black bow she was carrying at her back. "I can't make peace with the idea of retiring it though, it was the last thing my brother crafted before he died. Sentimental value and all that." She said absently, giving a small sigh at the mention of her older brother. She didn't like to think of what Alex would think of what she was doing now. "It's an interesting enlightenment you have. Animals are such wonderful creatures, aren't they? If only we were a little more like them... Well, we wouldn't be standing here now in this situation."

Ari smiled and nodded sharply, her eyes glimmering with some hidden emotion.
“Yes, I crafted it myself. Wandering in the woods as a loner could get a bit lonely. I am sorry about your brother,” Ari frowned and shifted, stretching out her leg, “If you want I could craft you one, though it is only an offer.”
She moved briskly to the bow lying on the ground and picked up one of the wolf daggers, carrying back toward the other girl. She held it out for her to take and quietly said, “This was my lover’s. He disappeared, where I do not know, he could be dead,” she shrugged, “I try not to use it though it comes handy in a fight. I prefer to carry it around, just to keep him close. I would say try the same thing, but a bow is harder to work with. Perhaps you could put it someplace special, a shine perhaps. It is hard to lose someone you love.”
Ari’s eyes flickered blue, betraying her emotions and she carefully turned her back toward Allison as she carried the dagger back to the pile. She turned back to the girl, smiling again her eyes glimmering silver.
“We really are wondrous creatures,” she tilted her head, her ears catching the approach of footsteps; “you might say it’s interesting, but really it’s appealing to my other nature. I would show you, but
”
Ari trailed off, coming back to stand far enough away not to make herself look like a threat but close enough to intervene if need be. Her eyes caught Allison’s and she smirked.

"It is hard to lose a loved one." Ali agreed. "Perhaps I'll burn it, then. In Blackhurst, archers believed that if they burned their bows, as they got too old for use, the weapon would be waiting for them in the Afterlife." She explained absently. "I think my brother would like to have it back, when I can't no longer use it. Besides... The irony of it is just too good. On the other hand, I might craft something else from it. Why waste perfectly good wood, right?" She asked with a little smirk.

"Eeeeh, I wouldn't do that if I were you." She stated, out of the blue. "I can hear you and I can hear them. If there's one heartbeat unaccounted for... Don't test me." She said, opening a grin. "I have my orders, but I'd welcome an excuse to disobey."

As she said that three assassins stepped out of hiding and into the center of camp, angered expressions on their faces.

"Much better." She told them, with a smile. "Isn't it better when we all play nice?"

Then she went on with the conversation as if there had been no interruptions. "As for you offer, take no offense, but I decline. If, or when, I replace this bow I will replace it with one that holds the same significance... For that I'll have to craft it with my own hands and put a little bit of myself into it. I think, and maybe that's just a weirdness of mine, I think that one's bow should be an extension of their person in a way." She chuckled slightly. "I think it is a weirdness, but it's how I feel nonetheless." She added.

As she said that, Sean's voice was heard shouting something, followed by the sound of something being slammed against one of the walls. Many of the assassins grimaced and looked around warily wondering if they should intervene. Ali, however, let out a soft giggle. "Sean's so emotional... Tsk, tsk..." She said, shaking her head slightly. "Perhaps you can show me the extent of your abilities at another time... Whenever you're in the desert maybe. It seems we will be leaving soon."

Ari nodded, not really willing to shift right now. She looked nervously in the direction of the shouting and then back at Allison.
“When I make another journey I will call upon you,” Ari giggled and took a couple steps back toward her bow and daggers, “No offence is taken, I prefer to make my own bows too. It always adds a little of your soul into it.” She turned back to face them, standing tall and proud. “It was quite an honour to meet you Allison, but I best be on my way, before Sean sees me caught up in all this. Would hate to end up dead before I’ve really even started.”
She winked at Allison slinging her quiver over her back and attaching the daggers to her hip. She snatched up her bow and mockingly bowed at Donovan and she smiled at Allison.
“Donovan, it is good to see that you can take advice from a lesser like me, I suggest you keep it in mind next time you find yourself in this situation. But then again, what do I know, right?”
She turned her attention back on Allison, her head starting to throb with pain at keeping her senses heightened for so long.
“Before I leave, I do have one request,” she said hesitating at the tree line, turning back to face them, “When we next meet, I would like to have a little contest, one of archery. That is only if you are up for it?”
She cocked her head waiting for her response, her heart beating rapidly in her chest in fear that Sean would show his face and recognise hers. Her bright green eyes flickered form Allison’s face, scanning the trees. She had been here too long, revealed too much.

Ali laughed slightly at Ari's comments. "Oh, I understand. I wouldn't want to be caught up in this either. And I'm always up for a little competition, although if you beat me I might have to kill you for the sake of my reputation." She joked. "Until then, have a nice day." She added, with a small wink.

Once the girl had vanished amongst the trees Ali chuckled softly into Donovan's ear. "She's really, really, talented Don. I hope she gets wise enough to leave before your brother ruins that. That'd be such a waste."

----------------------------------------------

Crys entered the cabin and immediately walked around the round table, running her hand through its battered surface as if to make sure it was still the same table she had, oh so often, bumped her head against when she was small enough to hide underneath it. She felt a sharp pain in her heart at the memories contained in that place. She was born there, she had taken her first steps there, spoken her first words
 Her mother had died there. It was a lot harder to stand in that cabin than she had ever imagined it would be, yet at the same time, the memories there contained gave her strength in a way. She walked past the table and sat by it, smiling as Sean walked in and spoke.

“You’re in my seat, Crystal.” He complained.
“Excuse me, Alpha, old habits. Do you mind? For old times’ sake?” She asked, smiling at how this bothered him.
“Fine.” Sean muttered, sitting across from her. “What do you want Crys? Why mess with my people after all this time of hiding? What changed?”
“I’ve changed. You’ve certainly changed. I can list about a thousand other things that have changed as well, but it would be a waste of both my time and yours. What I want, what I really came here for
 I want you to leave the White Shadows alone.”
“Why do you think I would want to mess with them?” Sean asked, honestly surprised. “And I don’t believe that’s why you’re here.”
“I haven’t moved against you Sean, I started over, I have absolutely no interest in the Pack anymore. Why are you so afraid of me?” She asked, leaning forward over the table. “What have I ever actually done to you?”
“You haven’t moved against me; that’s true
 What about Evin, and Jake and Allison? You’re honestly going to tell me that you had nothing to do with them?”

Crys shook her head, leaning back on the chair. “You’re dodging the actual question, Sean. And I have no control over what Evin does. I never had it when I was Alpha, why would I have it now? He’s a free man, he can annoy or murder whoever he pleases and he happens to really hate you. I haven’t seen Jake in almost two years, but he hates you just as much and not all the reasons involve me, as I’m sure you recall. Ali didn’t hate you, but now I think she hates you more than the other two, the only thing keeping your brother alive is her friendship for me. The only thing she has done to spite you, aside from saving my life, is aid the Crimson Shadows. You were the one who wounded her hand and murdered a fifteen year old kid who she happened to love like a little brother. I mean, really
 Knowing Allison you didn’t think that would make her want to jump at your throat?”
“I’m not afraid of you.” Sean stated. “And you know what you did to me.”

“Liar, liar
” Crys snickered. “You’re terrified because you know that everything you built is yours as long as I don’t decide to take it from you.” She stated. “Tell me, have you lost sleep thinking about this moment? Have you been up all night thinking about me coming back and taking everything away? Did you toss and turn wondering what was going through my head?” She asked him, unable to hold back a delighted grin as she felt the anger stir up inside of him. “I didn’t do anything to you.” She stated. “Sparing Theron’s life was my mother’s decision. I supported it as much as I would have supported her had she chosen to kill him.”
“You promised me he would pay, remember that? Whatever it takes, you said.” Sean told her. “I waited and I tried not to go insane, because I trusted you, and I trusted your mother, with the only thing that could still give me comfort: Knowing that the man who killed my mother would suffer the consequences. I put that one hope I had in your mother’s hands, and she crushed it. And my father let her do it because she was the great Dani Rivers; the one who exterminated the Wolf Hunters. What a load of crap!” He exclaimed. “And then I discover that your mother and that outsider she married were responsible. If it wasn’t for them there would be no Shadow Hunter!”

Crys raised an eyebrow. “My father was a Wolf, Sean. He joined the Wolf Hunters when he was a child, he didn’t know better.” She leaned back in the chair. “You’re pathetic, Sean. I honestly feel sorry for you.” She stood up and walked towards the door. “Not as much as I feel sorry for the clan for supporting such a weak leader, or for your family for being stuck in the middle of this.” Before she reached for the door, however, Sean slammed his hand against it and got in her way.
“We’re not done yet!” He shouted.”
Crys sighed. “It’s fine.” She whispered, so that Ali would know she was still safe. “You should keep your voice down, Sean. You wouldn’t want you brother to suffer over that temper of yours.” She told him, taking a step away from the door and closer to him. “I said what I needed: Touch the healers and I will make every one of your nightmares come to life, one by one; I swear on my mother’s grave.”

Sean ignored the threat, although Crys could tell he was furious. “Tell me something: How do you do it? How do you get people so devoted to you? How do they trust you so easily? It can’t be just your mother’s reputation, or your enlightenment
 There has to be something else. I mean, Jake
 We all know what’s in it for him, right? Evin was close to Dani, Ali was your recruit, but then... There’s the Crimson; there’s Dastan. Tell me Crys, what kind of spell have you cast on that poor man to make him risk exterminating his entire clan for you?”
Crys snickered. “Funny Sean, you sound so familiar when you say that. Wonder where I’ve heard it before
” She whispered, fixing her eyes on him. “Don’t think I trick people into doing what I want, it’s more complicated than that; it’s beyond your comprehension, even. I will tell you this: My friends have never done anything for me that I wouldn’t do for them, not once, and I like to think they know that. You should take a good look at yourself though, before you accuse me of using people. Speaking of which
 Has Blackpond come to collect your soul yet?”
“My soul remains intact, thanks for asking.” Sean muttered.
Crys chuckled as he said that. “I hope you’re good looking, Sean, because you’re just not that clever.” She told him, shaking her head in amusement. “Are we done now? Or do you wish to attempt any more insults? I have time, but I’m guessing Donovan might be getting tired.”
“Mark my words, Crystal: I’ll make you pay for this.”
She smiled, reaching for the door handle with a shrug. “Put it on my tab.”
“Oh, I will. And, you know
 Whenever you see Jake again, thank him for me.” Sean said casually. “I needed an excuse to break my truce with Newhaven anyway.”
“What are you talking about?” Crys asked, her tone slightly more serious.
“You didn’t know he was back in Newhaven? He was kind enough to let me know, I thought he’d show you the same consideration
 No? Anyway, remember Amalia? Remember the day she got here? Remember the story she told your mother? Remember how your mother used to write everything down; no exceptions? Need I say more?”
Crys frowned slightly remembering the story the woman had told her mother; she had never really seen was actually been told there until just then, and she could feel how Sean was satisfied to be the one to make her reach such conclusion. “It’ll never stick.” She stated finally, glaring at him in anger. “There are no names in those files and the only witness is someone whose credibility is shaky at best.”
Sean snickered. “You’re so naïve sometimes, Crys. I’ve paid enough taxes to the city Council to know that they will take any excuse to get rid of her. Truth is: They’d much rather the way Morgan ran things, he was a sadistic bastard, but he was less of a hassle to the higher-ups.” He shrugged. “Even if they don’t make it stick
 It ought to keep them occupied for some time and, as you know, my dear friend
 Time is everything.”

---------------------------------------------

Ali was holding Doni hostage for what seemed like forever when Crys finally left the Leader’s Cabin. It was hard to make out the expression on her face, it didn’t show what she was feeling or thinking. Sean stepped out right after her, same blank expression. If one of them had won whatever discussion they had
 Neither one of them would show it. She could see on the faces of most Actives that they were hopeful there would be some sort of truce, however she knew better than them. There would never be a truce as long as Sean was alive.

Crys walked past her and the boy and mumbled a “Let’s go”. Ali didn’t hesitate to drag Donovan along and follow Crys out of camp. As she turned her back she could hear Sean order his people to let them go, this time. So, they walked South and when they were far enough from camp, they released Donovan, ordering him to walk away and not look back. Once the boy had gone, Ali finally asked Crys what she wanted to know. “So, is he going to attack the White Shadows like Trevor said he might?”
Crys nodded, leaning casually against a tree. “He has no intentions of going against the Shadows, even after I threatened him. I think the healers are safe, from him at least. Did you find out anything interesting?”
“Sean has a recruit.” Ali stated.
“No kidding? I thought they weren’t recruiting.” Crys said, looking genuinely surprised with the news. “How do you know it is Sean’s recruit?”
“I’m not absolutely sure, but that’s what the Actives whispered to each other when she came up to me.” Ali confirmed. “She’s around seventeen, if I had to guess, pretty and all that. A shifter, talented with a bow, if she shoots as well as she crafts. A real waste of talent, in my opinion.”
“Ali
” Crys chuckled.
“What?” Ali asked, faking an innocent tone in her voice, but knowing it was no use.
“She’s Sean’s recruit. I don’t need to be an empath to know what you’re thinking.” Crys said, in a slightly severe tone.
“I don’t want to kill her.” Ali stated in a serious tone. “I’d much rather save her before Sean infects her with his stupidity.”
“That’s her decision to make.” Crys stated, as if ending the subject. She paused for a moment then added. “I’m going to Newhaven.”
“Newhaven
 Why?” Ali asked, seeming a bit confused with such a sudden decision.
“Sean told me he did something that
 Well
 If he did it, it could end up disbanding the Black Knights, or worse.”
“What’s worse?”
“They could go back to being what they were.” Crys said.
“We don’t want that?” Ali asked, sitting down on a nearby rock, feeling her ears ringing from overuse of her enlightenment.
“Nobody wants that. It’s just bad all around.” Crys sighed. “Sean doesn’t see what he’s messing with here.”
“What can you possibly do about, whatever it is, Sean did?” Ali asked, now rubbing her eyes.
“I doubt there’s something I can do about this, but I would like to see it for myself.” Crys explained. “Besides, there’s someone there I would like to talk to, although she would probably not want to see me.”
“You haven’t told me what this is, yet.” Ali said absently, looking up at Crys as if waiting for her to tell a story.

Crys chuckled. “Another time, maybe. Either way, I was planning on talking to Sheila either way, I might stop by the Castle and see if Sean actually did what he said he did.”

“Alright
 I have one more question for you then: What do you care for the Black Knights right now?
Crys gave a light shrug. “Call it a matter of common courtesy, if you will.” She said.
Ali laughed. “You’re walking all the way to Newhaven simply out of courtesy? Right
”
Crys smiled slightly. “Let’s just say that when people show me kindness I tend to remember it.”
“Oh, so you know this person?” Ali asked curiously.
“We’ve had a conversation once. You remember? It was on the night we got to the desert.” She stated. “I probably won’t spend more than a day in the city, but we’ll see.” She said.

“I remember. And let me guess: You want me to go back and keep an eye on things, because Evin is, wherever the hell Evin usually goes, and someone needs to stay ‘in charge’, right?” Ali asked, not even waiting for the answer, since she knew what it would be. She simply stood up and continued to walk South. “Say hi to Jake if you happen to see him.” She said, over her should her.

As Ali heard Crys’ footsteps walking away she distinctively heard her snicker and mumble the words “Opposing allies”. Wondering what the hell that meant, the archer walked back to the territory of the Crimson Shadows.

--------------------------------------------------

Ari walked carefully along the path. She had just realized how stupid she had been to openly talk to the “traitor”, Allison in front of all those people, it would only be a matter of moments until Sean found out and she would have to answer to him. She ran back to the room, leaving her bow on the bed and grabbing a bag, slipping her dagger into it and her clothes. She stripped down, her body twisting and writing as she changed into a large black wolf. Her eyes flashed silver and then faded to the gold colour of the wolf. She threw back her head and howled, feeling her body lock. She paced back and forth along the door, waiting for someone to open it, her body feeling trapped. Ari began to get nervous, her instincts taking over. Her golden eyes flickered to the window and she backed away, her hackles rising along her back as her lip pulled back in a snarl.
She sprang through the window, the glass shattering around her as she bolted out, the bag strapped to her back. She watched as a couple of the assassins drew their swords as she bolted past and she slid to a halt as the door to Sean’s house opened. She scrambled back, her eyes opening in horror. She relaxed as it closed again, no one coming out. She yelped as an arrow landed beside her and she went into the woods, vanishing like a ghost into the trees, avoiding the next rain of arrows.
Her eyes remained golden as she tried to call upon her curse, erm, enlightenment. She shook, hating herself for using it way too much today. She whined, unable to form any words to express her anger, and the tree next to her suffered the wrath of her anger. She shook her pelt, sniffing at the large gouge marks that had cut through the bark. She sighed and wandered down the path, the bag bouncing along her back, her nose fixed on the ground.
Someone had been along this path, someone who smelled of the desert. Her pace quickened into a trot and she found herself catching up.

Crys walked the path that led to Newhaven without much of a care and not much of a hurry. She knew there was really nothing she could do for the Black Knights, except maybe offer her apologies for not slitting Sean’s throat while she had him alone, however, he had mentioned he needed time for something, and he wasn’t bluffing; which made her wonder what he would actually gain from causing this level of commotion in the Newhaven ranks. A trip to the Inn could maybe give her an answer or two, if she could get the recruiter there to talk to her; wouldn’t be easy, the woman didn’t like her in one bit.

Crys sighed, thinking of what Sean had told her. She remembered clearly when, around seven years ago, this woman, Amalia, made her way to camp asking that she was allowed to stay. She was carrying a bag of coins, a small child and was also pregnant. Crys’ mother decided to let her stay as a worker, but not before she told her story. The woman told, in plenty of detail for what Crys heard, how she was being held hostage in this bandit camp when it was raided by these two ‘strangers’: A man, who seemed to be the leader, and a woman. They eliminated the bandits, but the man wanted to get rid of the witnesses as well. He would have killed Amalia and her small child hadn’t his companion intervened. The woman ran her sword right through him, told Amalia to run away, and not tell a soul. She didn’t tell a soul, except for the Leader of the Pack at the time. And she always filed everything in the archives; absolutely everything.
It was also around that time that the Captain of the Black Knights, the man who was Captain then, was killed by bandits, and Mageria was promoted after him. Crys knew this because the Pack investigated both the Black and White Knight Captains when they sent Jake to Newhaven; that was also in the clan records
 Sean must have put both stories together when Evin made him Second and he gained access to those files. Crys shook her head, not really sure of why she had never put it all together herself. If she had, she would have found a way to make those records disappear a long time ago.

Suddenly, the blind woman stopped walking and slowly moved her hand towards the hilt of her Katana. There’s someone around, but whoever it was she couldn’t hear. She waited for a moment, but nothing. “Who’s there?” She called, gripping the sword and waiting for a response.

Her black ears tilted forward as she heard a woman’s voice. She picked up her pace, running up over the hill, slipping under a fallen log. Ari growled and came forth from the brush, curiosity causing her to walk up carefully to the stranger. Her nose told her that something was wrong with this woman and she barked, announcing her appearance. She crept forward, keeping her head low and brushed her tail gently across the woman’s leg, gently circling her. Her eyes flash silver and she squealed as her body writhed and she became human. Ari stood there, panting in pain from the shift and she smiled, blushing lightly.
“Ari, Ari Lupir,” she said pulling her bag off of her back and quickly pulling on her clothes, “the question is: who are you?”

Crys was intrigued for quite some time as what sounded and felt much like a wolf walked around her in circles, she could sense it was a person however, which made her even more intrigued. Crys had spent a lot of time amongst wolves in her early teens, one of the few good things about her ability was to discover that she could easily get animals to trust her. Although animals didn't actually feel in the same level as humans, they were extremely sensitive to human emotions, and she discovered she could, in a way, communicate with them. This 'animal' however, had a complexity of emotions within that made sure to Crys it was a human being.

Crys tilted her head slightly as she couldn't recognize by sound what was happening then, although she guessed the wolf was taking a human form, a guess that was confirmed as the voice of a girl spoke to her. Crys was silent for a little while before she responded. "My name is Crystal. Crystal Rivers, but I'd much rather be called Crys. And you..." Crys started walking towards Newhaven again, only slower, not to leave the girl behind or draw her too far from camp. "You are with the Wolfpack, no?"

Ari froze, fear and suspicion rising in her mind and a tiny growl rose from her throat. Crys, the old alpha, the true alpha, the one Sean feared. She walked carefully along side of the woman, nodding slightly with a quick and sharp “yes.”
“I am with them, though I use that term loosely. I would say looking to join, but not with yet,” she said carefully, her hand resting on her dagger, “You came back. Why? Was it just to torment, or did you have some other agenda?”
She knew the question was extremely straightforward and most likely boarded on being rude, but she was angry and a curious. Her eyes scanned the woman, searching for a weakness just in case, but her attention was soon diverted from the hunt when a deer sprang across the path in front of them.
Ari didn't trust her and didn't want to but still, she wanted to know more about Crys.

Crys chuckled slightly. "I came to speak to your Alpha. I spoke, I listened, and now I'm leaving. No more no less." She shook her head slightly. "Judging by your already defensive posture towards me, I'd say that you're more with them than you'd like to admit; or maybe more with Sean. I hear he hand-picked you, that's impressive." She stated, stopping when a deer crossed their path. She opened a bright smile as the animal passed as if she ran into a friend. "I had almost forgotten how much I missed these woods." She stated. "See, I was born in this forest, I've spent 22 years of my life here, my parents are buried in these grounds, and Sean took that from me in one day, and I don't mean the day when he challenged me for command, but I digress. So... I do have an agenda: I plan on tormenting Sean everyday for as long as we both breathe; and one day, when the time is right, one of us will have to die, most likely." She said calmly. "Today, however, is not that day. Today I have somewhere else I need to be."

She opened her bag and pulled an apple from it and took a bite of it chewing on it quietly for a while before adding. "That's between me and Sean though, I'd rather no one else got involved, although I see how that's difficult when he's so afraid of me."

Ari nodded slightly, not quite understanding why it was such a big deal to be picked by the Alpha. She felt her cheeks grow hot with colour as Crys mentioned how close she felt to Sean. She shrugged, playing it cool, and continued to walk with the woman before shaking her head sharply and bowing.
“I hate to talk and run, but” she looked over her shoulder, “I must get back. If Sean...”
Ari trailed off, knowing just how much he hated and feared this woman and how much trouble she was getting herself into. She would have loved to stop and talk about the woods with Crys, for felt like she herself was part of the forest.
“What have I done,” she whispered, appalled as she turned back toward the camp, “He’s going to kill me.”
She looked back at Crys, her eyes bright brilliant green, slowly fading to blue as she grew scared and sad.

"Ari, is it?" Crys asked, stopping for a moment. "Don't be afraid of Sean. If he likes you in one bit he'll just hate me some more for trying to 'cast my spell' on you. That's crap, by the way, I can't do that so don't worry about it. If he doesn't, well... We can use people of your talents. Allison seemed impressed by you, and she's not easily impressed." Crys stated. "You seem like a nice person, all in all... I'd advise you to keep your distance from the Pack, but I have the impression that you need to learn that for yourself." She began walking again, taking another bite of the apple. A few steps up the road she spoke over her shoulder. "
The sooner the better."

With that said she waved over her shoulder and continued on her way.

----------------------------------------------------------

[Blackpond – In the morning]

"Hey, mate... I think I found your lady friend. What do I tell her?" Viktor called.

Jake wasn't sure what time of day, or night, it was anymore when he heard the man's voice sounding on his mind. Heaving a sigh he replied. "Tell her you're with me in the dungeons and you have a message for her."

"What's her name, then? And I should probably say something that will prove the messages are really coming from you." Viktor told him.

Jake sighed again, thinking back to the little he and Sham had talked in their way there and in Newhaven to find something that would make the woman sure he was behind the messages. He picked the first answer he could think of. "Ask her if she's having fun yet or if I should cause more trouble."

"A'right... If you think that'll work." Viktor told him, going silent.

The telepath didn't think of his words much, he thought the best way to do this was to be simple and say just what was needed... Focusing on the woman he sent the message to her:

"Hello! Sham, is it? My name's Viktor, nice to meet you. I'm sitting here in the dungeons with your pal Jake... He asks if you're having fun yet or if he should cause more trouble. He also has some things he needs you to know. Let me know if you can hear me."

Sham was trying to shadow Jake from the rooftops as he joined the mob heading towards the Castle. She couldn't follow him directly, but she could catch glimpses of what had to be him, as people were tripped and others that were killed, without any reason that she could see. It was at the crossroads that she ran into the slight problem that it was too far for her to jump normally. Backtracking for a house or three, she went down past to where she didn't think that anyone would be able to notice her with everything else going on. Her eyes flaring greenly, she took a running leap and soared across the way, rolling smoothly once she hit the other side.

Running smoothly over the roofs, Sham finally found a good spot to wait and settled in, drawing her cloak around herself to try and blend in with the roof line, one more gargoyle among many.

Sham was considerably startled, jumping a bit and nearly loosing her seat on her perch before she grabbed a handhold and recovered.
What the hell? How do I tell him if I can hear him?
She moved back from view of the street and made sure that no one was around to see or hear her. Going on the theory that a telepath would be able to read her mind as well, she focused on thinking clearly, as if she was speaking.
Viktor? Yes, I can hear you.

"Alright... I got her attention, Jake. What do you need to tell her?" Viktor told Jake.

Jake thought about how to say what he needed without giving the telepath too much important information, after all... He was very much aware of the fact that this guy could be just anyone. Fact was; he needed to get the message out, no matter how he did it. "I Need you to repeat what I say, word by word, do you understand?"

"Yup, I get it." Viktor replied.

"Alright, tell her I saw Dom in the Castle and she might want to find him because last I saw him he was with... Red Cloak." He said, not wanting to give Lamya's name. He remembered hearing her talk to Dominic and didn't see him afterwards, not that he had much time to pay attention. "Also tell her that the soldiers are alive as far I was told..."

"Hey! You don't trust me, mate?" Viktor argued.

"Sorry, but I trust my eyes better than a random voice in my head. No offense." Jake told him. "Last, but not least. She needs to tell the Captain, and the Captain only, that I have spotted the item Lena told her about. She needs to tell her that as soon as possible, even if it means going back to Newhaven and saying it in person. I have no clue how I got to the cell, and I'm not even sure where in dungeons I am. I just... Appeared here, apparently. Tell her that."

Viktor's voice went silent in Jake's head as he passed the message along, trying to repeat exactly what Jake had told him to say: "Hey, I'm back! Okay... He wants me to say he saw Dom in the Castle and you might want to find him because last he saw him, he was with Red Cloak. Is that a code or was he actually wearing a red cloak? Anyway... The soldiers are all alive and well, as far as he was told. I told him, by the way. And, this seems important: He wants you to let Captain know that he spotted the item Lena told her about. He says this message is to be delivered to the Captain only and as soon as possible, even if it means going back to deliver it personally, sounds serious. He also says he has no clue how he ended up in the cell or what section of the dungeons we're at, I don't know either, sorry. I don't have much time left, so if you got questions or messages for him, you better make them quick."[/quote]

Sham chewed on her lip, torn by indecision. There were two things she had to do and they both led to opposite ends of Valcrest. Thinking quickly, she made up her mind.

All right mate. Two questions, one for you and one for him. Jake's question. Which is more important, the message or Dom? And your question. How do I know this isn't some kind of trick?


"She wants to know what's more important, the message or Dom?" Viktor sent to Jake. "Hurry up, mate, I can't keep this up for much longer."

"Shit." Jake muttered, standing up from where he was seated and pacing around in the cell. Dom was a grown man, and a Knight, but he was completely stupid when around that woman. Maybe if he was good enough of a fighter she'd lock him up too. There was no way to know though, there was no logic to that woman's actions. And then... The King didn't seem to know what he had. The problem was, the moment he found out it would be hell all over again. And his friends could be at risk, not to mention every one else in the land if he finished what the Shadow had started... "Holy shit." He growled. "The message. If you can still reach her as far as Newhaven, then tell her you'll keep her posted if I find out something else."

Viktor didn't waste time in sending the response along, he was almost running out of time. "Message, he says. He also says I'll keep you posted if he finds out anything else. As for your question to me... I guess that, much like your friend, you just can't know. I'm a voice in your head. I can be anyone anywhere. I swear on the Twins though, I'm just a soldier who's been locked up in a cell too long, Miss. Your friend didn't even promise to get me out, he'd only promised he'd try, but I'm betting on it. I've been doing this too long now, I have to g-"

Sham swore quietly and passionately for a few long moments. Jake said the message was more important that anything else, or rather, Viktor said that Jake said that the message was the most important thing. But it could be a trick, somebody trying to get her to leave Jake behind. Taking a deep breath, she followed all the logic paths that she could, trying to imagine every possible outcome. It was hard, she was more of a reactive person than a planning person. Finally she had to choose. Jake was a grown man, the same that Dom was. Worse come to worse, they could take care of themselves. If the message was true, it was apparently vitally important that it be delivered.

Moments later, a non-descript traveler entered the boarding stable and turned in a chit for one of the horses. They saddled it quickly and competently, before mounting up and riding out. They wound their way through the streets of Blackpond, lost in a crowd of merchants as the exited, slowly falling back as they each went their own way. It was only when the traveler entered the forest and was alone when they put their heels to their horse and took off at top speed.

Jake didn’t hear Viktor anymore after he told him what to answer. He hoped the message got through to Sham. He hoped Dominic didn’t get into too much trouble too. He thought the guy was a bit of an idiot, but he’d rather not see him hurt for it.

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Ari ran down the path, shaking her head in bewilderment. Crys seemed so nice, but then again she was out to hurt Sean and doing that would hurt the Pack. Yet it was hard to believe that one person could accomplish all of that just by tormenting another. And what on earth did she mean that she should stay away from the pack? Ari couldn’t just leave, could she?

Her mind tossed around this notion, toying with it for awhile before she came to a dead halt. She was already seeing it from Crys side, and agreeing. She groaned and slowly walked forward, lightening her mood by thinking about Sean. Something in her twisted and she felt giddy until she realised she would have to face him and the entire Pack, answering for her actions today. She reached the edge of camp, taking a deep breath before walking out amongst the assassins. As she walked by they grew hard and silent, glares hitting her like daggers. She flinched internally; you didn’t have to be an empath to feel how much they hated her. She walked briskly past them, keeping her head held high even though her heart was racing in her chest.

Ari breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she had passed the large mob of assassins and she neared her sleeping place. She was exhausted but as she neared the door a hand wrapped around her mouth and nose, another around her arm, and she was quickly dragged into the woods even as she fought back.
“Hush,” growled the sharp tone of Stranger as she got a very good kick right into his knee. Ari fell still and let Stranger lead her into the woods a little ways before he let her go.
“Stranger,” she cried, turning to hug him tightly and he carefully and awkwardly embraced her back.
“What the hell have you done,” he sighed, stepping back, “You do realise that you insulted Sean’s brother and talked like you were pals with Ali. Sean will hear of this and you.....”
“Are going to end up dead or worse,” she exhaled noisily, “I know, I am screwed. But what I did probably saved his life!”
“Maybe, but do you think that Sean and the others are going to see that? Ari,” he shouted, grabbing her wrist and forcing her to look up at him, “You have put yourself in harm’s way. The Alpha maybe your trainer but mark my words Ari, if and I mean if you are given a second chance you will suffer for this.”
He watched as she bowed her head sadly, blinking as he saw that she had sliced her hair short. He gently ran his fingers down it, a little mesmerised by the colour before gently pulling her chin up to look at him.
“You have to be careful,” he said his tone softening, “And what did you do to your hair?”
“Sean cheated when we fought. He used it to pull me down and so I cut it,” she shrugged, “Now no one can use it against me.”
Stranger laughed and smiled lightly, amused by this immensely. He ruffled her hair like a kid’s and she slapped his hand away, glaring at him as she smoothed the wild strands back down.
“Erm, Stranger? Could you take me to find Donavan? I really need to ask for forgiveness for the things I said,” she blushed and looked down at her feet, rubbing the tip of her boot into the earth. She could tell that he wasn’t angry, just worried for her and that what she was doing would help heal at least one of the things she did wrong. Finally he relented, nodding his massive head and resting his hand on the broadsword on his hip.
“I can but I warn you that he may not be so forgiving right now.”
Ari dipped her head and began to follow Stranger when he turned sharply and shook his head.
“Actually, right now is not a good time to see Donovan. He will be with Sean and you don’t want to be running in there as of right now,” he paused and continued walking forward, calling over his shoulder as an afterthought, “Franklin is my name Ari, feel free to use it.”
“Franklin? Huh, if you don’t mind I would like to continue calling you Stranger,” she bounced alongside of him, happy to see and talk with the wolf that had found her.
“Alright,” he laughed loudly, “though I do suggest that as soon as we hit camp you stop drawing attention to yourself, there are plenty right now who would see you dead.”
Ari stopped skipping and withdrew into herself; making it look like “Franklin” had given her a stern scolding and he caught on to her plan and grabbed her arm. He steered her back out of the woods and back to her sleeping room, pushing her through the door. She winked as he shut the door and she lay across her bed, running her fingers lightly down the side of her bow. Ari waited until the voices had died outside of her door, peaking out the window to find that the aria around her was deserted. She cracked open her door, scampering out grabbing only her bow and a quiver full of arrows. She ran through the camp, still seeing nobody around and she assumed they would be at the Alpha’s place, figuring out what had happened and reporting of “the little traitor”. She shook her head and continued running, skidding to a halt as she saw some targets set up down below. Ari made sure that no one was there before walking calmly down and drawing an arrow from her quiver. She carefully nocked it raising her bow in a beautiful arc and turning her body until she got the stance she was looking for. She breathed, taking her time drawing her arm back and breathing deeply as her eyes focused on the centre of the target. Her eyes flashed and she released the arrow, watching carefully as it struck dead centre of the target. She drew a second arrow; repeating the motions much more quickly and her face broke into the grin as that arrow split the other, watching the broken splinters fall to the ground. She lowered her bow, relaxed finally, before walking over and pulling her arrow from the target and collecting the splintered one.
Ari tensed as she felt a hand fall on her shoulder, followed quickly by, “You’re pretty good.”

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“What the hell were you thinking going after Crys, Donovan?” Sean hissed at his brother as the boy looked up at him from his seat with a guilty look in his eyes. “You almost got yourself killed! Not to mention that you endangered the entire clan by leading them to us!”
“What was I thinking? I was thinking that someone has to stand up to her! Someone has to stop her and if you won’t, fine: I’ll do it, because, guess what: I’m not afraid of her!” Doni shouted out in anger.
“Did you? Did you stop her? No! You got yourself humiliated in front of the entire clan, and guess what: Ears don’t grow back, you moron!” Sean yelled back.
Donovan stood up, now glaring at his brother. “Someone needs to stand up to her, Sean. And if you’re too afraid to face her, how do you expect the clan to follow you? I hear what’s being whispered around camp
 They think you’re weak! Honestly, I’m starting to agree with them!”

That was one step too far, and Doni knew it even before Sean’s fist struck his face. The punch was forceful enough to push the boy onto the round wooden table; that miraculously remained intact even after suffering the impact of Doni’s body colliding with it, causing a loud and painful sound. Donovan slid onto the floor, momentarily stunned by the pain and the shock, tears beginning to fill his eyes, even though he would never allow them to drop.

Sean waited a couple of moments, calming himself down and allowing Donovan to slowly recover from the blow, before he crouched down and muttered to his brother. “You’re not a child anymore, Don. It’s about time you start taking the consequences for the things you say and do. This time I tolerated Crystal’s presence here on your behalf, I obeyed the demands of those traitors to spare your life. However it was the last time I allowed anyone to give me orders in this camp. So you better think twice before acting this way again, because if you do, you’ll be on your own.” He warned. “I won’t endanger this clan again on account of your stupidity. Do you understand me?”

Donovan answered with a low growl, instead of words. His ribs were aching badly from falling against the table and he was so angry that he feared any more words would make Sean jump at his throat. Finally Sean repeated the question and he managed to mumble: “Yes, Alpha.”

“Good.” Sean stated. “If you want to be respected, Don, if you want to be seen as a man
 Own up to the choices you make, and accept the consequences. Don’t hide behind the fact that you’re my brother, because you know what? You may always be my brother, but I might not always be Alpha.” Then he sighed heavily and offered the boy a hand to help him up.

Donovan ignored Sean’s offered hand and slowly got on his feet by himself. “Can I go?” He mumbled, looking at his feet.

“Yes. Go get some rest.” Sean answered, moving to his chair as his brother left the Cabin without another word. He sighed heavily running a hand over his eyes, feeling as tired as he had ever felt in his life. Things didn’t get any better when a group of Wolves entered the Cabin seconds after Doni walked out. The Instructors, most experienced Actives, as well as Franklin and Adria had entered the office and stood around him, closing the door of the Cabin without a word to their Alpha.

Sean stood from his seat and gave the men and woman a nod as if indicating they were free to speak their minds, it was Adria who spoke as Sean sat in his chair once more.

“Alpha, two days have passed and no sign of Dante anywhere. We have no choice but to consider him a traitor to this clan.” The woman stated. “Being so, it is required that you choose another Second as soon as possible. If, Twins forbid, something happens to you there will be no one in charge of the clan. We cannot allow that.” The woman stated. “There is also the matter of the new recruit
”
As Adria said that, Franklin interrupted. “The girl has been here for half a day, we cannot possibly expect her to know who the traitors to this clan are.”
“What are you talking about?” Sean asked, speaking for the first time since they entered.
“She engaged in conversation with Allison Blake, as she held Donovan hostage.” Adria stated, shooting her brother a glare for interrupting. “She also fled the encampment soon after.”
Franklin took the word back from Adria. “The Instructors also need to know who will be taking charge of her training.” He stated, giving Sean a look that expressed he was extremely displeased with the idea of any of those men alone with the kid.
Sean picked up the thought behind the man’s glare and opened a small grin. “You’re all fighting over who gets the kid already? Why am I not surprised?” He asked, running his stare through the line of Instructors one by one, making one or two of them shift uncomfortably. “I thought it was clear enough that I’ll be taking charge of her training myself, must I spell everything out for you people?” He shook his head slightly. “As for her transgressions
 I’ll see to it personally. Be sure they won’t go unpunished.”

Sean sighed, leaning back in his seat and staring at the ceiling at the Cabin for a moment or two. “As for choosing another Second
” He started, still looking up. “I’ll have to think about it for a bit. We’ve been through enough Seconds as is, apparently when Evin can’t make them go away, Crys does the job. So I suppose I’ll have to find someone who can survive them both.” He stated, in a slightly bitter tone. “
If such a person actually exists.”

One of the Actives suddenly took a step forward and stammered a question: “W-what
 What did she want after all?”

Sean looked at the man for a little while then answered. “She wanted to know if we have plans to attack the healers; which we don’t.” Sean stated.

“It was a rather long conversation
” One other Active started, but silenced as Sean’s eye locked on him.

“We have a personal history, Crys and I, many things were said, but they do not concern you in the least.” He replied, a bit coldly, ending the subject. Still he asked: “Any more questions?”

The Wolves nodded, quietly, at Sean’s offer to ask more questions and Adria opened the door to leave. Franklin made sure to stay behind as if he guessed what Sean’s words would be and he wanted to be the one to hear them.

“Bring me the kid.”

Ari slowly stood as the hand moved away from her shoulder, turning to face her intruder. He was taller than she was, older, maybe in his early twenties. He was pressingly close, too close for her comfort and she blinked up at him, tossing her hair out of her eyes.
“I’m sorry m’lady,” he said stepping back respectfully. His green-gold eyes shone with laughter though his face remained a complete mask, as he bowed towards her. His eyes didn’t leave hers and his auburn hair fell over one eye, giving him a wild secretive look. She shrugged her shoulders, feeling her breath catch and walked past him, back to where she had left her quiver lying. He followed her back, his eyes running over her body as she turned, raised her bow and loosed another arrow. Ari smiled as her eyes slightly glowed, using her enlightenment for just a moment to listen closer. She heard the air scream as the arrow cut through it followed quickly by the whomp of her arrow as it embedded its head into the target, right in the centre again. She slowly lowered her bow, turning to look at the Wolf that was busy starring at the target.
“What is your name,” she asked, watching as he blinked, but didn’t take his eyes off of the target.
“Alex,” he smiled, still not taking his eyes off the arrow, striding forward and retrieving it for her, “You really are an excellent shot,” he paused, waiting for her to give her name.
“Ari,” she smirked taking the arrow from his outstretched hand and watching as his eyes darkened.
“The girl who spoke to the traitor,” he asked carefully stepping back as she strung her bow yet again. Ari released the arrow and it flew wide, implanting its self into a tree. She ran forward and grabbed it, swearing as it broke before slowly wandering back to Alex.
“Yes I admit, I spoke to her. Funny thing too, I ran into Crys,” she smirked as he glared at her, “I will not apologize for probably saving Donavan’s life. I did what I saw necessary and then happened to go out,” she examined the broken shaft, “I ran into her. She is really frightening and I must say she scares me.”
“You know if this reaches Sean you will die,” he said taking the arrow shaft from her and studying it himself, “You can salvage it.”
Ari smiled at him and he smiled back carefully. She nodded and took it back, placing it carefully into her quiver shrugging slightly, “I do not fear death.”
Alex shook his head, laughing lightly at how calm this girl was. His eyes travelled up the hill to a lone Wolf who was slowly making his way down toward them. He glanced nervously at Ari as she shot again, this time quicker but her accuracy off by a tiny bit. She didn’t seem to notice the other wolf prowling forward and Alex ran up the hill to meet him.
Ari watched mildly amused as Stranger and Alex met face to face, Alex seemed to be talking swiftly to him. Shaking his head as Stranger responded and stepped past him. The red hair flashed and he motioned for her to run. Ari saw Stranger reaching for his sword, Alex for the dagger at his hip. She fled; bolting into the trees and grabbing her bow and quiver. Ari had no idea where she was going and she ran around trees and slapped branches out of her face, their rough bark slicing open her cheeks and neck as she ran. She paused in a clearing, her heart racing and her chest heaving. He would hunt her down, but he wouldn’t know where to start. She collapsed into the centre of the clearing, taking a moment to cry and curl close into the trunk of the tallest tree. She found some peace, knowing that he wasn’t Enlightened and Sean would not be able to find her out here. What she feared were the other wolves. She shook her head, wiping away the tears and the powder along with it, revealing the whorish marks on her face. She cursed lightly and sighed. She needed to do something and so she did, weaving a target out of fallen branches and then shooting arrow after arrow into it, tears blurring her vision. She felt safe.

Sean thought he couldn't possibly be more frustrated, but as it turns out... He was wrong. After what was soon to be a fight was split up and brought to his attention. He sent Alex off, promising he'd deal with the man later. Probably he'd just give him a suspension, there was no need to go further than that. After Alex left he stood with Franklin as the man frowned deeply behind the other man's back. "Let it go, old man." Sean told him, knowing well that Franklin didn't take kindly to people getting in his way. "Which way did she go, did you see?"

Franklin pointed Sean in one direction, but he said he wasn't completely sure. Fine. He'd hunt her down if she wanted it that way. He'd much rather do this away from camp either way. "Can't believe I'm back to tracking down recruits, what am I a damn babysitter?" He muttered under his breath, pulling one of the two axes he carried at his waist to cut through the thick of woods and make his path shorter. It wasn't as hard to find the girl as he thought it would be. Not for a trained assassin. She didn't seem to be trying to hide her tracks. Footprints and blood were left behind on the wet earth and tree branches; apparently she ran, but Sean wasn't in a hurry, his eyes scanning his surroundings for more traces at every step he took.

She didn't look where she was going as she ran, it seemed, but Sean recognized the path. He knew those woods back and forth, every stash ever hidden by a traveler, every rock, every tree. Reaching a clearing he could hear the sound of arrows hitting wood. He stopped, putting the axe away at his belt, before walking closer. As he entered the clearing he spotted the girl, amusement crossing his face as he noticed she had sliced her hair short. Walking a bit closer and leaning against a tree he let his voice break through the silence. "So... Covering your tracks: There's something else we need to work on." He stated, a slightly severe tone in his voice. "You are aware that fleeing can be viewed as admission of guilt, right?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow.

Ari wasn’t surprised that he had found her; probably one of his pet magicians had told him where to find her. She snorted in laughter, quiet enough so that he wouldn’t be able to hear it. She tossed her hair so that it fell over the markings and her eyes burned silver. She could tell he was just slightly annoyed and she carefully thought about her options.
“So you decided to show up,” she said not bothering to turn and face Sean as she loosed another arrow, hitting her makeshift target in the centre, splicing another arrow in half. She walked forward and retrieved her arrows sharply, “If I was running for my life I need not cover my tracks, only out run my opponent. As for fleeing, I prefer to think of it as an escape from you.”
Ari passed him leaning against the tree, standing as far away from the target as possible without a tree in her way. She raised her bow again, prepared to shoot, her eyes narrowing before sighing and unstringing it, deciding she couldn’t and wouldn’t dare ignore or irritate Sean more than necessary. Better to be humble and beg for forgiveness.
“And why is the Alpha,” she growled lightly, “Out in the woods chasing down a recruit like me? Has some news reached your ears about how Ari Lupir dared to speak to Allison? Well I have, I admit.”
Ari dipped her head slightly, not daring to mention Crys and how she stumbled into her. If he knew about that then he would bring it up; but the lack of knowledge as of this point, Ari figured, was bettering her chance of survival. She kept her eyes on the ground, taking a submissive stance and waiting patiently for his punishment.

"What's the point of running fast if you leave a trail? Unless you can run forever, kid, it's useless. Besides, you never know who'll find your tracks. Sometimes the person you're running from is actually the least of your problems." He said absently. "And why would you need to escape me? Do you not love me anymore?" He asked, although in a sarcastic tone, as she walked past him. He waited for her to shoot, but she didn't, which caused him to raise an eyebrow slightly, wondering why she hesitated. As she asked if he'd heard of her talk with Allison and if that was the reason he was there, his expression shut. Of course it was, but for some reason he felt the urge to put off that conversation and be an Instructor first, now that she had brought it up though, he'd have to talk about it.

He sighed looking at her as she stared at the ground. "Yes, I've heard." He answered, walking up to her and pulling her chin up in the same way he had done when she first arrived, his eyes scanning her face he noticed markings he hadn't noticed before, mostly covered by hair, but slightly visible; he'd seen markings like those before, but aside from a momentary frown, he ignored them completely and went on speaking. "What did I tell you, kid? Wolves only bow in respect, and even so, we don't keep our heads down for long. Now..." He paused slightly before reaching the question he wanted to ask, sincerely dreading what the answer might be. "If you have any news I haven't heard yet, now is the time to tell me. Because, trust me, I will hear them eventually." He stated, lowering his hand which, he had just realized, was still touching her face. His eyes, however, kept locked on hers, serious and cold as he asked. "Is there anything else I should know?"

She flinched, not ready for the soft tone in his voice and her green eyes caught his brown ones. That and his words stung her.
Do you not love me anymore?
Ari hoped that he didn’t know what she felt for him and she blushed faintly. Nevertheless, she kept her chin high, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Swear to me that you will not judge me on what I am about to tell you,” her eyes grew pained and she continued after he nodded, “I ran into Crys.” She stepped back away from him and shook her head sadly, already seeing the mistrust growing in his eyes. “We talked for but a moment, I swear I didn’t know who she was until she told me. And I am willing to swear on anything that I did not give her my loyalties or anything. Sean, “she pleaded, “My loyalties lie with you and the Pack. What I did with Allison was to help keep Donovan safe, I couldn’t stand to see him hurt and then when I realized what I had done I fled into the forest and ran into Crys. I didn’t know who she was until she told me and then I grew curious, and when she mentioned you well I guess you could say I grew defensive.”
She backed away from him, stepping back quickly as he felt his anger gathering like a storm around him. Her eyes were moist and threatened to form tears but she held them back, only fearing his response. Her memories kicked in, and she quickly shook her head, wanting to stay focused but she couldn’t help as she whispered, “I fear neither death nor pain.”

Sean was angry as hell. He was angry for every reason one could possibly imagine, and even a few others he couldn't quite understand completely. The fact that he was so angry in itself was what stopped him from immediately lashing out at this girl, for nothing other than speaking to someone she randomly ran into in the woods. That considering she was telling the truth, however, Sean would like to believe that she could make up a better lie. Finally, he sat down under the shade of a tree and decided that best way to go around his feelings was to avoid the subject of Crys for just a little bit more. "I didn't fully explain our laws to you when you arrived." He stated, after a long silence. "It was late, I was rather tired and I foolishly assumed they were simple enough that you wouldn't break them before I got around to it." He scratched his head absently and continued. "There are four basic laws in this clan. Not even my orders should ever go above these laws, and they are in fact pretty simple: Never leave a companion behind; never harm or kill another member of the clan, unless in case of self-defense; Never kill another person unless when ordered by the leader, or in case of self-defense; Never reveal information concerning the any member of the clan, yourself included, or the clan's laws and traditions." Sean listed, counting on his fingers the fours laws of the clan. "Breaking any of the laws may result in an accusation of Treason. Treason may be punished by death, at the leader's discretion." He sighed. "Execution is our more severed punishment, but first comes suspension, second comes expulsion, only in cases when a member knowingly endangers the safety of the clan or openly turns against the Pack, do we execute. Do you see that when you revealed information on yourself to Allison you broke one of those four rules? Do you realize that any information, no matter how insignificant, can and will give them advantage over us? It is a serious infraction." He told her, with a frown. "As for Donovan... He'll have to answer for his actions too. He made us vulnerable by going after Crys and getting himself captured."

Once he was finished with the explanation, he moved on. "You are in this clan as a recruit, still. You have no say in absolutely anything that is decided here and, as far as hierarchy goes, you are less than nothing. It is important that you understand this because, as I said in our first conversation, your Instructor is the one who decides when and if you'll ever be more than that and since you have no say... Your Instructor is also the person whose job is to protect you and speak in your behalf when you do something as stupid as converse with a traitor in the middle of camp. That makes the decision of training you personally a huge hassle for me, reason why the Alpha shouldn't take recruits. Anything you do wrong makes me look bad, because or they'll say I'm punishing you too harshly, which makes me a bad guy, or they say I'm punishing you too lightly, which means I'm playing favorites." He pulled a knife, from seemingly out of nowhere, and began swirling it around between his fingers, obviously trying to decide which path he'd rather take. After a moment or two he asked. "So... What did you make of her? Crys." He asked, his voice filled with contempt as he spoke the woman's name, but still curious for the answer.

Ari was completely speechless. She stood there her eyes flicking nervously to her quiver and then back to his face. For a moment she watched the knife, deciding that he’d toss it faster then she could change or defend and her shoulders fell.
“She is beautiful, and has a good mind,” she paused for a moment, thinking, “I don’t trust her.”
She shrugged leaving it at that and tossed her hair out of her face. She couldn’t help as she thought of her friend who knew everything about a person just by looking at them and how silly the rule was to not reveal anything about yourself. If they wanted to use her against the clan they would be out of luck. She was a nobody and had no say so why on earth would they even consider it. Her eyes darkened as she thought about the shifting thing, but she hadn’t told them much and that would be fine. Her eyes flickered from his face to the knife he was playing with and then back to her quiver. She held her tongue and kept quiet, not wanting to push him over the edge.

"That's true." Sean mumbled in response, a half smile breaking through the anger. "She is beautiful." He stated, watching the girl's eyes as they moved from the knife he was playing with to her quiver, to his face, and then back... He chuckled then, it was inevitable. "Are you wondering if I can throw this knife before you have a chance to defend yourself?" He grinned. "Suppose you concluded that I can, but then, do you think I would?" He asked her, raising an eyebrow. "Can you trust me just enough to believe I won't immediately kill you, not even for this?" He said, putting the knife away, not showing where he had hidden it in his person. "My Second in command is missing. Crys came down here, while I was absent and the clan was under his command, spoke to the man for about five minutes and he vanished into thin air. Which is too bad, because now he's considered a traitor and if he is ever found and captured, I'll be forced to kill him. I honestly hope they don't find him.” He said absently. “That woman can know everything that goes on inside a person in a matter of seconds, did you know? Not inside your mind, kid, but far deeper than that, more private than that. And that’s how dangerous she can be and that's why you should worry." He explained. "Don't ever, ever, stand in her way if you can avoid it." His tone was slightly concerned for a second, but he quickly changed the subject and amusement took its place. "And what the hell did you to your hair?" He asked.

She smiled, her cheeks reddening. “I don’t know what to think about you,” she said walking away and grabbing her quiver, “As for Crys, I’m not worried. Before you call me a fool, I am sure that she has no reason to harm me.”
She turned toward him, standing tall and proud in front of him, demanding some respect. Her eyes were bright and lively, shinning with some hidden emotion.
“Not yet anyways,” she laughed and ran her fingers through her short hair, “As for this I decided it was better to not have long hair when training with the Alpha. Apparently he is willing to take advantage of anything that will help him win the fight. And according to her it’s a great opportunity to be picked by you to train with you. ”
She bowed mockingly, a smile spreading across her face, “It is an honour.”
Ari shook her head, her stomach twisting as she lied, but keeping her face straight. She restrung her bow again taking aim at the target. The arrow make a cracking noise as it sank deep into the wood and she smiled at him gently.
“You always are right,” she laughed lightly jogging forward to snatch up the black arrow, “So how are you going to test my skills at running? Shall I make a run for it and see how long it takes the great Alpha to find me? I am guessing from the look on your face when you first found me, that you think it will be no problem to do it again.”

"Well, that makes two of us, kid."He replied, as she said she didn't know what to think of him. Nodding, as she said Crys had no reason to harm her, he gave a light shrug. "You're probably right. At least for now, but you never know who will have a reason to hurt you in the future." He said, jumping to his feet in a heartbeat when she stood in front of him, making sure to stand taller, and chuckled. "Are you suggesting I cheat, Miss I'm-not-afraid-to-fight-dirty? Don't think it'd be any different with any other Instructor, if anything I took it easy on you. Had anyone else been in that training field you would have been stomped for not getting up immediately." He wasn't kidding, but he couldn't get rid of the amusement in his tone. "And I don't know what words Crys used exactly, but I'm pretty sure that's not what she meant by them." He stated simply.

He leaned back against the tree casually watching her string the bow and shoot. "If you run around aimlessly and leave the same amount of tracks behind, yes, absolutely." Sean replied. "I do think that you can do a better job of it, if you want though. Or at least, I hope so. If it's easy it isn't fun, now is it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Although I guarantee that I'd eventually find you, even if you can outrun me by miles. The great Alpha is an assassin after all, and he has spent most of his life hunting people down." He tilted his head to one side and grinned. "Do you want to bet I can find you again?"

“I’ll bet you anything that you won’t be able to,” she snickered, her eyes brightening at the challenge. She took a step forward, resting her hand on his chest gently and smiled up at him. “Let the games begin.”
With that she left her bow on the ground, sprinting off into the trees, not caring how much noise she made at the moment. When she was sure she had gotten a head start she circled back, making sure to step lightly yet quickly, avoiding the trees and shifting playfully into a small sparrow. She chirped and flew up into a tree, perching on a branch and waiting for Sean to show his face.

Sean withheld a small wince as the kid laid a hand on his chest, absently wondering why the hell she kept touching him all the time. He promptly pushed the thought aside however when she quickly ran off into the woods.
Sean immediately left after the girl not bothering to try and match her speed, rather following her footprints and the sounds of her running. As the sounds stopped, so did he. Moving slowly, following the marks of footsteps on the ground until they disappeared as well. The only trace left was a pile of clothing, left where he imagined she had used her ability. No paw prints visible, Sean opened a little smirk. "Who's cheating now?" He mumbled, although he didn't seem upset in the slightest, simply amused. Scanning the ground, his eyes caught a small feather that was way too clean to have been there long and he crouched to pick it up. Examining it, he quickly identified it as being that of a sparrow. "Humph." He mumbled to himself, standing up and scanning the trees around him, thinking that it would be nearly impossible to find the girl that way. "Flying is just not fair you know." He stated aloud, hoping she'd make a sound so he'd know in which direction to look at least

Ari had nearly died when she had seen him see her clothes and she had quickly shifted from a bird to a panther in a matter of moments. With a small growl she pounced form her spot in the tree, landing onto Sean’s back and knocking him to the ground. She barked in cat laughter, keeping her claws in so she didn’t hurt him. Before he could react though, she snatched up her clothes in her cat jaws, springing away yet again, her body growing slowly freezing into that form for all eternally. When she was sure he was out of sight she shifted, screaming at the horrible pain before gingerly pulling back on her clothes and leaning against a tree, her body shaking horribly. She was frightened, and her eyes stared wide at the trees in front of her, pressing her body as close as she could to the other tree. She forgot about Sean, her eyes and thoughts fixed straight ahead.

Sean didn't even see it coming. Next thing he knew he had been knocked down by what felt like a very big cat. Aside from his pride, he was unscathed. A mix of annoyance and amusement could be seen in his features as he caught a glimpse of the large feline running off with the clothes he had found. He snorted softly, thinking that he should have picked them up when he had the chance.

He was standing and brushing himself off, not in any hurry to run off after the recruit, when he heard the girl scream. That got him in a hurry and he ran, stopping to a full halt the moment he spotted her, leaned back against a tree, shaking from head to toe, eyes wide as if in a panic. Heaving a small sigh he walked up to her and placed in her line of sight, staring into her eyes as if he hoped that'd would give him an answer without him having to ask. As it didn't, he went ahead and asked the question."Hey... Are you alright?" He didn't have to be enlightened and he didn't have to be a genius to know that shape-shifting was a painful thing, but that didn't quite explain why she suddenly seemed so afraid.

Ari trembled, a long red line scathing up her arm from where she had touched the tree that had caused her to shift back so violently. Her heart broke at what she saw, sickness gathering in her stomach. She flinched back as Sean passed in front of her and she couldn’t help the tears that fell from her cheeks. She needed to show him, words wouldn’t, couldn't, explain this and she feared that if she opened her mouth, only the sobs she was holding back would escape.
The silver vanished from her eyes and she grabbed his hand leading him forward into the horror she had seen. The second she hit the clearing she stumbled back, leaning against him gently as her eyes took in all the dead animals hanging from the trees, their innards hanging from the branches. She turned into him, hiding against his chest, hit hard by what she saw. Deer, wolf, lynx, bear, birds; any animal that she had crossed in the woods was there in mass hanging in the killing field. The main tree was decorated richly with blood and intestines, spiraling up with the head of a wolf mounted at the very top. She shook her head sadly stepping back from Sean feeling him tense, she couldn’t tell if it was because she was so close or because of what was behind her.
“Who,” she choked out, her eyes angry and pained, her blood burned and she was dying to sink her teeth into whoever could have done this.

Sean let the girl lead him by the hand, at first not understanding what was going on. Soon though, he froze where he stood as his eyes caught the sight. Not once before had ever seen anything like that, not even coming from the most psychotic of hunters that ever crossed those woods. "... The hell?" He muttered, his eyes still lost in the mess of blood and intestines; wandering through the clearing until they locked on the wolf head. His fists clenched at the sight of it and he felt a wave of anger go through him immediately. He didn't care for animals personally to the point of going around threatening hunters for setting traps, as a few Alphas before him had done, but the wolves in that forest were believed to have been brought to Valcrest by Heart herself to protect her children once she let for the Afterlife, they were sacred as far as the Pack was concerned and hunting them was never permitted as long as the clan existed. It was one of many unspoken laws of the forest. This amount of unnecessary killing was something he couldn't get past all on its own, but he wolves... The wolf head was a direct offense to him, to his clan and to their Goddess of worship. He would and couldn't let it go unpunished.

All that rage building at the young Alpha's chest, however, didn't show in his face or in his tone as he spoke. "I don't know who, but I intend to find out." He said, calmly, putting one arm around her shoulders and pulling her away from the clearing, if not for any other reason, because he couldn't stand to look at it anymore. "We should go back, I'll have someone build a pyre." he stated, a frown crossing his expression. If the person, or people, who did that had stuck around there would be nothing left of them by now. The clan wouldn't take this kindly either, he just knew it; the Pack would be doing some serious hunting today.

Ari let him lead her away, happy to get out the sharp smell of blood and death haunting her. She nimbly avoided the trees that were ashen coloured with small spines. She didn’t know their name but she knew their effect on her enlightenment. She wouldn’t be able to shift anywhere near them and it had deeply shaken her to see all the dead animals around, everything she could become inside a grove of the trees in which she couldn’t shift. It was a personal attack on her, but who? She shook her head and sharply turned to face Sean.
“Whatever you plan on doing, I am coming to help,” she said sharply, anger slashing through her voice. She was glad that it did so Sean couldn’t hear the fear and the tone she always got when she was hiding something. Her face might have betrayed the fact that she was hiding something. She turned and began to head back to the clearing where she had left her bow before turning and ripping a long stretch of cloth from her shirt. Ingoing the curious look from Sean she tried it to one of the spiny trees, kissing the cloth gently. Ari sniffled and glanced at Sean.
“About how far are we from the camp,” she asked, itching to shift and run back to grab her bow and then back into the camp, still as an animal. If it would take a long time she would offer to shift into a horse or something and carry him into the camp after picking up her bow. If it wasn’t far she would stay here, lament for her fallen kin and then go hunting by herself, no one would escape her claws. She cocked her head, shaking slightly as her eyes burned brilliant silver, her hand reaching out to steady herself. Sean was close enough that if she shifted now he could get hurt, and she didn't want that; the thought of him hurt because of her kept her in control, but very very loose control.

Sean was silent for a very long time of walking and what, if anything, was said and done didn't really sink in completely, although it was heard and seen. He was going over what had just happened and as he reached a conclusion he heaved a sigh and mumbled. "We're not far." In response to her question, he had stopped walking however. "Ari..." He called, a very serious tone in his voice. "Don't think I'm stupid enough to assume this is a coincidence." Sean stated absently, looking at her sideways, and hiding his hands in his pockets. "While what was done back there is very personal to the Pack, it's obviously far more personal to you. And while I know for a fact you're hiding something, I'm not going to ask you any questions. I'm just repeating what I already told you, to make sure you understand: You are part of a family now, and that means that if you're missing we'll find you, if you have a problem we'll help and if you get yourself killed we'll avenge you... Whether you like it or not; it's not negotiable." He sighed and continued to walk. "Just try to remember that should you get in trouble."

A few steps up the trail he added. "I won, by the way."

She kept quiet and her heart hammered in her chest. Family. That was something she never thought she’d ever hear again and coming from him it felt like someone had just tucked her in and kissed her good night, something she’d never had. She couldn’t tell if his last words were offering her to tell her secrete or if he just felt like he needed to say it because he did care. The thought made her breath catch in her throat and she smiled slightly.
“Did not,” she laughed lightly, glad that their conversation was turning to try and be lighter, “If I remember I got distracted. But if you want to say you win then so be it,” she gently nudged him, causing Sean to take a step to balance himself. “So then, what is it that I owe you?”
The silver in her eyes hadn’t settled and she was still trying to stay in control. For a moment her mind flickered to some great injustice and she looked up at him nervously, he still had yet to punish her for her foolish behavior. She smiled, wondering if he even remembered.

Sean chuckled as she nudged him. "Well... That's too bad, but I did find you. If I had bet that you couldn't pounce on me from behind, then you would have won. Although, next time you leave clothes behind trying to escape me I will have to set them on fire." He informed, opening a slight grin. "You said you'd bet anything, right? I'll let you know when I think of something then."

They were considerably close to camp when all of a sudden Franklin was walking over in their direction. "What do you think you're doing?" He asked, looking at Sean with a slightly severe expression. "You can't be away from camp for so long when you don't have a Second!" He scolded.

Sean scratched his head absently and sighed, heavily annoyed. "Yes, I know... A Second." He paused for a moment and patted the older man on the arm playfully. "Congratulations, then, Frank. You're my new Second."

"You can't be serious." Franklin frowned as Sean walked past him.

"Sure I am. I thought Avius would be the one to take care of Bana, but... Crys got to him somehow. You won't have that problem, I know that much. I think it's important to up the challenge, Evin will get bored otherwise." He said playfully. When he noticed Franklin's severe look, however, Sean laughed. "Oh, come on... You know me since forever, I trust you. And I know Adria wants the spot, but I sure as hell ain't going to let her have it."

Franklin sighed heavily. "Until you find someone else. Got it? I ain't going to be stuck running this pack of fools while you're out in the woods..."

Sean gave the man a frown. "We were training." He stated, his smile shut as he glared at the man. At this point Franklin's eyes sparkled blue as Sean stared onto them, when they stopped glowing Franklin shot a glance to Ari and muttered. "I'll see what I can do." With that said the man wandered off in the direction the two of them had come from.

As he continued to walk, Sean rubbed his temples with a groan, he absolutely hated telepathy. "Franklin will be leading a search group in a couple of hours. I convinced him to let you tag along with them, if you want. Until then, they will be lighting a pyre in that clearing and... Taking care of the remains..." He said, trying to be careful in his words. "Meanwhile, I have to go be the Alpha. You can go anywhere you like, Ari, but... Keep your head down while in camp, and if anyone asks you're suspended. Got it?" He asked, with a half-smile. Not like Crys had never let one of her recruits off the hook once or twice.

“Like I said, and you can probably see that I don’t have much to offer. As for the clothing,” she smirked, “burn it all you want. Do you have to go?” she asked gently, her face falling slightly, finding that she wanted to spend time with him. As he looked her over carefully she blushed. She nodded and smiled slipping in a gentle touch on his arm before running off after Franklin.
“Franklin! You must be extremely careful out there. Whoever did this is after me,” she whispered gently, quietly so Sean couldn’t hear.

Sean didn’t answer the question as to whether he really had to go; he just went on walking until he reached the Leader’s Cabin. He barely walked in when someone walked in behind him.

“You punched Doni in the face?!” Katelyn angered voice sounded in the room. “What the hell is your problem?!”
Sean didn’t answer at first; he was unlocking the door to his bedroom. Once the room was open he kicked off his boots and went inside barefoot, looking for another pair under the bed. “He got off easy, Kate.” He stated simply, slipping on the boots and tying them as tightly as possible. “He could have himself, and other, killed because of what he did. Don’t expect me to apologize for that.”
“Why is there blood on your boots?” She asked him, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you killed your recruit and buried her in the woods
”
“Shut up.” Sean muttered. “Do you actually think I’d do that?” He asked, looking up at her.
“Of course not
 I was joking. Seriously though: Whose blood is it?”
“It’s better if you just don’t know, alright?” He told her, standing up and grabbing the dirty boots before walking past her and out of the Cabin.

Katie followed him all the way to the lake and stood watching with a concerned look as her brother pulled a piece of cloth and dipped it in the cold water in an attempt to wipe the blood off the boots. “You should throw them out, they’re getting old anyway.”
“It’s my favorite pair.” Sean muttered. “Lionel gave them to me.”
“That’s why you should throw them out.” She replied. “He’s gone, you can’t take that back, and if you want Doni to forget, if you don’t want him to turn out like you
 Then you have to help him.”
Sean sighed, sitting down on the ground and giving up on the blood stains. “What do you mean with ‘like me’, exactly?” He asked her.
“I mean exactly how he acted today. That’s what I mean.” She said, crouching in front of him to get in his line of sight. “You told me yesterday that it was too late for you, but it’s not late for him. Not yet. So you better apologize to him before this gets out of hand.”

“I’ll think about it.” He replied, not really wanting to admit defeat. “He started it though.”
Katie chuckled. “Well you’re going to finish it, or I’ll push you in the lake.”
“You mean you’ll try to push me in the lake.” He corrected. “And I’ll put it on my ‘to-do’ list.” He told her, with a playful grin.

“Oh, while adding things to the list
” Katie said, standing up. “Amalia knows what you did, and she’s not happy.”

“Oh, bother
” Sean muttered. “Who the hell told her?”
“I told her. What if they actually ask you to produce your witness?”
“They won’t want to draw attention to the fact that the information came from us.” Sean replied. “Suppose I’ll have to deal with that now too.”
“She promised he would never tell anyone, and she trusted the information to be safe with us.” Katie stated. “I would be upset if I was her.”
“I would have kept my mouth shut in the first place if I was her.” Sean stated. “It’s not my fault if she was stupid enough to trust Dani in the first place.”

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Character Portrait: Ari Lupir
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Ari paused at the tree line. Here she could view the Wolf Pack camp and she wondered what type of response she was likely to get from the Wolves inside. After all it was her fault that Sean had chased after her to Newhaven and was now injured. She had cost them their leader and as far as she knew he was dead. She should hate Sesh for that, but she found in her walk that she admired the boy. He had something that she didn’t, skill with words. What came from his lips was like poison, sweet tasting truth but it later seeped through her mind, permeating every thought she had. She leaned against the aspen beside her, resting her face against the cool bark. What a cruel fate it would be, to sleep when the snow came, to be stripped bare of all that you had, exposed to the world and elements. Not even the Twins themselves would stand a chance against something so powerful. She kissed the tree, pale lips pressing against even paler bark, and silently Ari wished the tree well. Gathering the courage she needed, Ari took a deep breath and stepped forward. Suddenly she knew what it was like to be the aspen, to be exposed to prying eyes, eyes that judged and sought things from her. The Wolves that had bothered to turn an eye at her hurriedly turned back towards their gossip. She felt herself relax, glad that no one seemed to care, seemed to worry about why she had come back alone. They were just too busy with their own issues to focus on her. She walked down through the paths, searching for Franklin, ignoring the Wolves just like the way they ignored her. In fact, no one moved forward to restrain her or talk to her as she wandered past fires. Most of the Wolves had their head bent low, whispering to each other in excited but terrified tones. Her ears caught bits and pieces from the sentences that were just hushed whispers: attack, Crimson, loss and Shadow. She slid to a sudden stop her eyes widening as what they were talking about hit her full force.

Indrani’s people, the Crimson, had been attacked last night by the Wolves. Why? Her heart raced in her chest, clenching and unclenching her fists as she stormed forward. It couldn’t have been ordered by Sean, he wouldn’t
.would he? No. It was evident that the attack was their loss; the morale between the assassins seemed lower than normal. However there was this sense of fear that could be felt though the air. Whoever, whatever this Shadow was it had impressed itself deeply on the minds of the Wolves that had seen it in action and it frightened them. Ari trembled, her adrenaline kicking into gear as she nearly ran through the people. The Lust made her more sensitive to her feelings and others feelings and right now, she was drowning in the fear. She rushed forward, carelessly bumping into a Wolf who had been backing away from a group of men. He turned catching her arm and dragging her back towards him.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the little recruit,” he snickered, his breath hot against her face. His hand tightened across her arm and it took everything she had not to whimper in pain. “Where you been? Where is the Alpha?”

Ari didn’t answer, biting down on the inside of her lip as he twisted, her skin stretching under his grip and smarting terribly. She couldn’t help the whimper that came from her throat and the Wolf smiled, as if her pain caused him pleasure. He lips pulled into a sneer, right into her face, his eyes darkening with a deep hunger.

“Can’t talk? What’s the matter sweet heart, do I frighten you,” he laughed, glaring at some of the Wolves behind him who muttered their disapproval. “Come on love
talk.” He yanked her arm jerking her body into his before lowering his voice to a dark whisper, “You’re nothing but a pretty object, no fight.”

Ari snapped her eyes to his face, looking him dead in the eye. The corner of her lips pulled into a smile and with a blur of movement she found herself standing over the Wolf, his eyes wide as he lay stomach down on the ground. Her foot was pressed into his shoulder blade, his arm extended out behind him, wrapped tightly in her hands.

“Watch your mouth Wolf,” she snarled before dropping his arm and walking calmly away. Some of the Wolves had stopped in their whisperings to stare at her and her challenger. She walked with a sway in her hips, her head held high as some of the Wolves parted to let her past. He could cause her discomfort but insult was something she wouldn’t take lightly. She smirked as she caught the eyes of another young Wolf, cold calculating. Suddenly she felt as if she could take on all the Wolves here, take them down effortlessly, as casually as if she were swatting a bug that had hit her face. She had survived an attack by Kirsten and his men; elite Hunters that had never missed a kill. Yet she stood here now, in front of the Wolves, shining and commanding. Let them come. She would be a stone wall against the sea, may they break their bodies as they run at her. She could take on the world.
She smiled sweetly, glancing at another Wolf from under her bangs, watching as the Wolf opened his mouth in amazement. She winked at him before moving on. The air became warm around her and her feet floated over the snow as she walked. The torn dress, the fabric rough and brown along the bottom, outlined her form perfectly, clinging to her body to directly define it. The laced up front stretched as she puffed out her chest, making her way to her cabin with confidence. There she would find a change of clothes, her familiar daggers, taken from a dead foe. She tossed her hair out of the way of her eyes, her body language demanding respect and thrumming with a power unmatched. She nodded to a couple of Wolves, their eyes widening as they saw her before hurrying on. Unfortunately, the power she felt and gave off was no deterrent towards attack. Seemingly all the Wolves were away from her sleeping chambers and she walked confidently forward until a body collided with hers, dragging her quickly out of sight behind a building. She made a move to fight back but it was blocked and almost every attempt she made was thwarted. Only after her attacker grabbed her wrist and had her pinned against the wall of a building did she stop moving.

Ari recognized the fire red hair, the eyes
.
“Alex?” she asked, her eyes narrowing as she squinted into his face. He smiled at her nodding and soon his image became clearer, sharper. Ari lunged forward, hugging him tightly and he returned the embrace. His hand stroked her hair, his chin resting on the top of her head as her head lay on his chest. He smiled lightly, breathing in her pine scent.

“I’m glad to see your safe,” he whispered lightly, “Where is Sean?”

“He
.he got hurt, protecting me,” Ari hesitated, feeling his grip tighten on her back.

“How bad,” he growled his voice low.

“I didn’t see the wound, only saw him fall. For all I know he could be dead,” she whispered. Somewhere in the camp a cry arose, a shriek and Ari had the gut wrenching feeling that someone who was Enlightened had overheard them. Alex took her hand again, pulling her towards his own sleeping quarter. She went without hesitation and without quarrel. He shut the door after her and looked deep into her face, his eyes scanning over her face, memorizing every detail.

“Franklin isn’t here Ari, he’s moving to Newhaven in search of you. Adria is in charge and she’s
 That stunt that you pulled, no matter how amazing that was, is going to reach her and now with the knowledge of Sean in someone else’s head
you’re not entirely safe. You will stay here, hidden until Sean or Franklin gets back.”

Ari nodded, content to be left alone for awhile finding Alex’s room to be quite cozy compared to the outside world. The feeling of the power had dimmed, the adrenaline fading from her body slowly. She looked around his room and he smiled gently at her.

“I’ll be back with some clothes from your room and your daggers, I assume that’s what you would like,” his eyes brightened as she nodded. He laughed lightly as her stomach rumbled ominously, adding in its wish for food as well. “Something small then,” he nodded, thinking of the apple he had saved in the chest at the bottom of his bed. Quickly he passed her, walking over to the coffer and throwing it open. From it he pulled several knives, papers, and many different clothes. Finally he found it, sitting shiny and red against his cream colored shirt. He plucked the apple from its resting place and handing to her before turning back to put his things away. When he twisted back to look at her she was gorging herself in the fruit, her teeth cutting through the skin and pulling the good parts from the core. He smiled and patted her head before slipping outside, glad that she was safe in his room for now.
Ari was happy, content to be home. She slipped back into her quite reserved mood, nibbling on the apple given to her by Alex while wandering over to his bed. She flopped down onto it, biting into the apple with a deep crunch. Yes, it felt good to be home.

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Character Portrait: Sean Fletcher Character Portrait: Ari Lupir
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"This is a problem, now isn't it?" Franklin asked. "You can't simply go and kill the Queen without putting Crys in a way too powerful position. Maybe she is just counting on that too."
Sean nodded. "No, my friend... I know Crys, this isn't her doing." He said, leaning back in his chair. "She was probably not pleased with this level of attention." He sighed. "Well... Screw trying to be nice to Newhaven, if this is what their stupid brat of a Queen wants... It's exactly what they'll have!"
Franklin leaned forward in his seat towards Sean, his voice lowering as if there was suddenly someone else in the room. "You are going to take that risk? You would be putting an army or Crystal's hands."
Sean chuckled. "If it was just the army I'd be worried, but then there is all the rest that comes with it. If Crys once thought she couldn't handle the Pack... She'd seen nothing." He snorted out angrily. "They're all just waiting for me to crack, I see that, well... Let's put all the weight on Lady Rivers' shoulders and see how long she lasts. I'm not afraid of Crys... Like I said: I know her."
"That's insane." Franklin muttered. "It's just insane. You are honestly going to involve the Pack in killing a city ruler and leaving someone who wants you dead take said ruler's place? She'd have the perfect excuse to use Newhaven to get to you! And before you argue she wouldn't do it, think long and hard about everything you've taken from her, Sean... Can you honestly say it's beyond her to crush us like insects? And then there's Blackpond: Are you sure this isn't exactly what they want?"
Sean was silent for a moment, thinking of all the facts... It seemed that he was cornered and he didn't like the feel of it in one bit. "You have a good point, Frank, but then... I have to make a decision, it's been a month, and waiting any longer won't make the problem go away. So... Do you have a better idea?"
Franklin sighed softly, not giving any answer and moving on to another subject. "Are you really going to meet Dastan? Will you reconsider doing this in Plains?"
"No. We are doing this in the desert. I need to show good faith if I want this over and done with. Too many losses, and this stupid war is doing us nothing. If I have to bow my head to the Crimson this one time to finish this, then I will do it. Besides... The last thing I want is to give the White Shadows a reason to worry, I still plan on getting back on their good side somehow..."
"You are taking way too many risks, boy." Franklin shook his head, standing up and stretching slowly as if preparing to leave the Leaders' cabin.
Sean chuckled from behind his desk. "Yeah, yeah... You're just worried I'll get killed and you have to be Alpha. Say, Frank, do me one more favor... Would you please find Ari for me, tell her I need to see her and... Make it sound like she's in a lot of trouble?"
Franklin raised an eyebrow at the request and at the look on Sean's face. "What are you up to now?" He asked, a suspicious and amused tone in his voice.
"Just thinking we could all use some cheering up... In times like these..." Sean shrugged lightly, laughing as the expression of his Second became more and more suspicious. "Oh, come on now, just go get the Kid. You'll see what I mean later."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ari stared up at Mageria, slowly rising from her crouched position, to take the quiver and arrows from the woman. She was standing just outside the right of light, her shinny eyes reflecting the light from under her hood. Had anyone glanced at her a moment before she would have looked like a demon. But not anymore. Her hood had been pulled back so that just her face was showing, the soft feminine lines of her lips twitched with a bit of a foxy smile, one corner pulling up just ever so slightly as she accepted the prize. Her tattoo was also clearly visible, the swirling lines seemingly sparkling under the firelight, the little gems in her skin reflecting the light with an almost magical property. Her green eyes flashed, melding with the blue as her lips pulled into a real smile. Her sharp ears caught the hushed whisper as the unsuspecting archers realized that they had been beaten by a woman. There was a momentary hush as she raised the quiver and arrows, the markings there seeming to take off into the night sky as the fire flickered behind her body, her curves more visible now under the clothes as eyes finally saw the truth. The cheer rose then, roaring in her ears as her heart pounded and a giggle escaped her lips. Her eyes momentarily met Alison’s and she could have sworn she saw a flash of red hair that was almost the same shade as Cry’s, and somewhere amongst all the faces she swore she saw someone that looked like the girl Essence. She bowed her head to the men and women who had also taken place in the competition, her hood slipping forth to hide her face once again. Her cat like stance was forgotten as everyone moved onto the festivities, congratulating each other and boasting, passing over bets and many other things. However, if the competitors wished to congratulate the victor, they would have had to move a bit faster.
Ari vanished into the crowd the moment they took their eyes off of her, slipping along the sides of the buildings like a ghost. Tala, the wolf she had first ran into didn’t catch her now as with a running leap her clothes shredded in an explosion of blood and fur, scattering to the four winds looking slightly charred. The only bit of clothing that was unharmed was the cloak that hung down around her massive shoulders and back, hiding the quiver and bow she had secured around her shoulders before slipping off. She dashed through the trees, winding through them and under the guards undetected. She slid to a halt, throwing back her head and howling, the broach on her neck hummed against her fur, the melody happy and loud as it rose into the night sky. Somewhere people woke and clung to their blankets in terror and animals froze as their blood thinned to ice. Then the moon shattered.
Ari woke slowly, her eyes fluttering open as her fingers gently stroked the cloth on her bed, her hair a wild mess around her face and her green eyes lined with tiny tendrils of sliver. She smiled and stretched, pleased at her dream. Hr arms fell to her side and her eyes widened as she caught sight of the quiver placed by her bed. Her fingers moved over the raven, her eyes drinking their fill as her lips pulled into a smile. So it had been real and the dream was just a memory. She had beaten Ali and all the other archers that Mageria had thrown at her and she had proof she was there. Ari abandoned the quiver on her bedside, standing up to move toward a small chest at the foot of her bed. She shoved open the lid, flinching away from the sudden burst of light from the necklace that was lying on top of her clothing. She took the small silver dragon, turning it in the light from the lantern before tying it around her neck. The tiny creature fell between her breasts and settled there, the small ball it was clutching appearing green and blue. Ari pulled up the clothes she had set aside from her tree; a loose white shirt with large sleeves and a tight pair of black leather pants. She tied her hair up with a piece of leather, tightening her corset strings and watching with amusement as the pendent was pushed up atop her breasts as she was squeezed together and drawn upright. She tugged the shirt over her head, shivering as the cloth fell down across her freckled skin, a powdery white. Ari then pulled her pants on, pointing her toes and dancing around the room as she did on last final turn she slid to a halt, starring at a woman who looked shocked as well.
“Oh, excuse me,” she said crossing her legs and staring at the woman who had also crossed her legs, the pants stretching slightly over her skin. “Are you lost?” Ari asked as she took a step forward, the woman mirroring her movements before stepping back the moment Ari did. It was only then that Ari realized that she was looking into a mirror, and that the woman she saw was actually her. She looked older and her hair had grown paler with the dearth of light. Her body was lean but even Ari noticed the animalistic quality to the way her movements connected and even in some of her features. Her eyes were big and her nose slender and her ears sharp. She smiled and the woman looking back at her smiled. Her fingers delicately reached up to touch her lips, giggling as her reflection did the same. She made a silly face, trying out different poses and even growled at herself when there was a gruff noise behind her. Ari wheeled, in her hand the wolf dagger and her lips pulled back into a snarl showing off her fang like canines. It was only then that she recognized Franklin.
“Hi Franklin,” she said clicking the dagger into its sheath attached to her leg. She blushed as she turned back around to the mirror, taking a comb and running it through her long hair and pulling it up into a ponytail. It was shorter than when she had arrived and now she kept it mid back length instead of hip length.
“Ari,” he responded with a nod, watching her with those piercing eyes. “Alpha wants your presence, now.”
Ari turned, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. She had no idea he had been there but his little smirk just barely visible in the corner of his mouth told her he had seen enough. However there was something in the tone of his voice and as Ari sniffed the air she realized that he was slightly worried. She bustled about; rolling her hair up into a tight bun and securing it with the knife that looked like a running wolf. She then grabbed the new quiver, looking around the room quickly.
“Don’t bother hiding it Ari, you’re going to have to explain your absence for the past two nights anyways, might as well bring it. Besides its not wise to keep Sean waiting,” he said placing his hand on the outside of his thigh. Ari nodded and secured the quiver against her shirt, grabbing up the black bow she had taken from her tree the night of her return. She wasn’t supposed to have her weapons anyways, Sean had locked up her bow the moment she had arrived, but he didn’t know about the others she had stashed all though the forest and she was sure to keep it hidden from him if possible. She stepped around Franklin, his presence suddenly seeming so sinister as he gripped her elbow and steered her forward across the camp towards Sean’s cabin.
“How did you guys
”
“Find out that you had left? Did you forget that you were supposed to show up to spar with me yesterday? Now, keep moving,” he shoved her forward, a little smile curling on his lips as he passed a group of younger Wolves. Ari shut up then, keeping her head held high as Franklin rapped on the door to Sean’s cabin and then practically shoved her inside the door. She caught her balance as Franklin stood at the door way.
“You wanted to see me?” Ari asked, her eyes trying to adjust to the sudden change of light while trying to find the Alpha, her fingers resting delicately to the deer horn dagger attached to her leg, “Alpha?”
In the time it took Franklin to go get Ari, Sean had barely moved from where he was seated, the only change in the whole scenario was that the Alpha now had book open on top of his desk and was writing something on it, for a moment or two he didn't as much as acknowledge the other people in the room until he put down his pen an looked up. "Ari. Have a seat please." He gave Franklin a nod as the man's eye lock on his for a second. "Frank, would you excuse us a moment? Set things up for me, Donovan was already informed this morning."
Franklin nodded his agreement. "Alright, boy... If that is what you want to do." He stated, bowing his head momentarily before stepping out and closing the door after himself.

Sean was sure he heard the man laugh outside the door, and shook his head slightly in amusement, going back to writing in his book as he addressed Ari. "Evin Bana was Crys' Second when she was Alpha, the man was a close friend of Crys' parents, he is as much of a friend to her, I believe, and he is a dangerous man. The day I challenged Crys the man burned down the clan records to the last one. Centuries and centuries of history turned to ashes is something that makes one think, and that day I decided I would rewrite history into something I could be proud of. And I may not be proud of myself at moments, but I take pride in the Wolfpack." He finished writing and closed the book, leaning back in his chair a bit. "Now, I won't get into the subject of where you've been, although I am told there was some sort of archery contest going on and I know for a fact Ali and Crys were in the camp where it took place; a camp that is inhabited by the former Black Knights, and a camp I have people watching for the sake of our safety, since they are not at all fond of Wolves... I won't get into that right now. I called you here because a month has passed, and I have come to the conclusion that it would be a waste of time and resources to keep you as a recruit any longer."
Ari didn’t know what to expect as she sat down across from the Alpha. She listened intently as he talked about Evin Bana, not able to help the small sense of dread that worked its way into the back of her mind as he talked about fire and the fiery death of all records. Why on earth would a Wolf destroy all that they were supposed to be proud of? She couldn’t just comprehend what was going on and as she watched his lips move she shifted uncomfortably. It wasn’t until he had finished speaking that she realized the words he had said. Ari blinked slowly, her ears rejecting the words she heard almost immediately. Waste of time and resources? She kept her composure, her face a mask as she waited for him to continue. What frightened her the most was the possibility that she could be forced to leave and all the effort she had placed into the training would be wasted. But Sean wasn’t a fool. He knew that if she couldn’t be a Wolf here she would find Cry’s and Ali, he had to know that. Right? So his only other option, and the one track she sincerely hoped he was headed on, was the one she had prayed to the Twins for. She would Graduate and become a full blood Wolf, a part of the family and an Assassin at last. But it was to soon to be making judgements so she just gave a slight nod, her green eyes searching his face, locking onto Sean’s eyes and starring deeply into them. She waited.
Sean was silent for a few moments, but since Ari didn't speak he went on. "I'll be very honest with you, kid... I'm still a bit torn between making you an Active and denying you graduation. What I know for sure is that keeping you as a recruit would be a waste, there's no more that I can teach you, you made an amazing amount of progress on only a month; which means that from now you'd have to learn from experience. Training, no matter how insane it can get, is never the same as the real situations... So there's that." As he spoke he opened a drawer from his desk and pulled from it a silver ring. The ring had no markings yet, those were to be made after the initiation took place. "But there is also the fact that you take a lot of unnecessary risks, for no other reason than to just see if you can get away with it, I assume. Risks such as wandering into a camp full of armed, expertly trained, soldiers that have more than enough reasons to hate us." He placed the ring on the table, over the closed book. "We wear a ring that binds us to an oath, we say we are born the day we receive it, and from that day on we live with it. If we are honoured... We die with it, and take it to Afterlife with us. If the oath is broken in our lifetime, the ring is taken from us, depending on how it's broken, our lives may be taken as well." He stated, pulling another ring from the drawer, the one that belonged to Alex, and placing it beside the other. "Now, if you receive a ring like this... You will be giving your word to remain loyal to the Wolfpack above all else for as long as you live; and that means you will be required to think of the clan before yourself and before any personal friendship, is that honestly something you are willing to do? Because, trust me when I say this: It may not sound like much of a sacrifice right now, but one day it will."
Ari stared at the two rings, recognising Alex’s without a moment’s hesitation, her words getting caught into her throat as she thought about the sweet red head. Several memories of them playing and laughing engulfed her then and she let them pass. If she had whimpered she couldn’t tell, but the loss of this Wolf still struck her to the core but then, who hadn’t been a little unsettled by his death? She raised her fingers as if to touch the small ring that lie in front of her before letting her hand fall into her lap again. She took a deep shuddering breath and blinked back a few tears, her face turning to the ceiling as she gathered herself again. Was she ready? Sean thought she had done well. But if she said yes this would mean sacrificing her freedom. There would be no more sneaking out for archery contests, and she made a small note to mention later that she was perfectly safe running into the camp as she wasn’t a Wolf yet. But if she did give away this freedom, this wild spirit of hers, what would she get in return. Freedom for what? She closed her eyes, replaying their first training session ever when she found it. Freedom for family. As she looked back at Sean she could tell that he was watching her and this time as she reached her fingers out to delicately touch the two rings that lie on top of the book, her hand did not tremble. She stared at the markings, dragging out the silence before she looked up at Sean with a small grin and as she spoke her voice was strong.
“I am ready.”
Sean waited patiently for Ari to answer his question, examining her expression carefully as he did. It was clear that Alex's death still affected her, but he didn't expect anything different right now. He nodded simply when the answer finally came, reaching out and retrieving both rings from the table. "If you are sure, then... Head to the center of camp and go stand beside Donovan, you will both be taking the oath tonight." Sean instructed, standing up and picking the book from the table to place it next to a few others upon a shelf. "I'll be there in a minute." He added. He knew the entire clan would be out there waiting; there were a few traditions involved with graduating recruits, and it ending in a party was one. Sean was aware that it might be the last celebration they had in a while, and he was sure everyone else could feel it too. Which, more than anything, meant that the clan was going to make this one count.
Ari nodded and stood as Sean did, her eyes trailing his movements as he placed the book away. With a small bow of her head in respect and thanks she turned, walking calmly to the door. She was about to become her dream, the real thing and become part of a whole. After exiting Sean’s cabin she smiled before raising her fist in the air, unable to stop the little giggle that rose from her throat, breathless with exhilaration as tears coursed down her cheeks. Family. That’s what she would have now, a big brother that stood up for her, and now, she would have a big brother to protect as well. She walked forward, taking her time until she had pulled herself back together into the strong woman she had been before. She was a little surprised to see the entire clan gathered around the boy she had previously insulted and as she walked forward, she felt several eyes fix on her. As she took her place next to Donovan she smiled shyly at him, nodding her head in acknowledgement. He looked older that was for sure and as she scanned the faces that were in front of her she thought she saw Franklins smiling face. How Alex had talked about this day, the day she would graduate, how he had even longed for it. Now he would never see. She turned her attention back on Donovan, not able to stop the small stirring in her chest as she parted her lips to speak.
“Congratulations Donovan,” she whispered.
The mass of the Wolfpack was gathered around the two recruits in the center of the encampment, the clan never seemed as large and intimidating as it did when they were all together in one place, however the expressions on most people as well as the tone of their whispered conversations was that of excitement. The air was lighter in the forest than it had been in a long time, and for that alone it was a great night, but for Donovan it was particularly sweet. He has waited for that night for a very long time, and he found himself almost in reluctant to believe it had finally arrived. He gave Ari a nod and smile, when she came stand beside him, he didn't say anything however as he suddenly found himself a bit nervous. Voices were beginning to rise from whispers to loud conversation in the time the two recruits were left to wait. When the voices slowly faded to absolute silence, that was what let Donovan know Sean was coming.

Silence filled the encampment the moment Sean walked into the light of the fire pit that lit the center of camp. He stood before the two recruits and gave each of them an acknowledging smile before he started to speak loudly enough so that everyone in the encampment could hear his words. "The Wolfpack was created with the single intent of standing on the very center of the land, and outside of the war, to keep Valcrest in balance while it cannot have peace; we do not takes sides, and we do not let ourselves in. And even if in some moments we have failed in this task, and in others it's very easy to set it aside in face of personal resentments, this continues to be our main purpose in this world." He walked a couple of steps until he was standing before his brother. "Donovan Fletcher. Place your right hand over your heart and answer: Do you now swear on your life and your honor to live by, and enforce, the laws of the Wolfpack?"
Doni placed the palm of his hand over the left side of his chest, feeling his own heart beating rapidly as he replied. "I swear."
"Do you now swear on your life and your honor to defend this encampment and protect its people, to the very best of your abilities, for as long as you still breathe?"
"I swear."
"Do you now swear on your life and honor to never harm, betray, or abandon any member of this clan for as long as they remain true to this oath?"
"I swear."

Sean then pulled a shiny silver ring from a little black pouch tied to the left side of his belt. The ring was not yet marked with the figures of twin wolves facing opposite directions; representing Heart and Mind. The markings would be made after the new assassins completed their first assignments as Wolves, even so... The ring was visibly that of a Wolf, markings or no markings. He then pulled Donovan's right hand from where it had been resting against his chest and turned his palm upwards, placing the ring in its center and closing the boy's fist around it, and holding it between his hands. His voice now lowering to a more personal tone, despite it still remaining perfectly audible. "With this ring, you are now bound to this Oath until Lady Death claims your soul or you are released of it by the Alpha. Let it be a constant reminder that your life now represents the lives all of those here present, as well all of those who await in the Afterlife." At those words he released Donovan's hand and stood watching as the boy took the ring and placed it on his right ring finger with a satisfied grin. The gesture was followed by a few moments of loud cheering and applause.

Sean calmly waited for the noise to settle before pulling Donovan by the shoulder into a firm hug."You make me proud." He stated before releasing the boy and leaving him where he stood, quietly awaiting while he walked to Ari. Word by word Sean repeated the questions exactly as he asked them to Donovan, he placed the ring in the palm of her hand in the same way and close her fist around it, holding it in his hands and just as he spoke, he spoke to her. "With this ring, you are now bound to this Oath until Lady Death claims your soul or you are released of it by the Alpha. Let it be a constant reminder that your life now represents the lives all of those here present, as well all of those who await in the Afterlife." He then released her hand and leaned forward, a little smirk crossing his features as he whispered. "Congratulations on the tournament, Kid." He winked playfully at her and nodded to the rest of the Woves as he started to walk away from the two recruits. Doni caught the look in Sean's eyes and nudged Ari discretely, nodding in one direction. "Go that way." He whispered, just as someone in the crowd yelled out: "GET THEM."

Donovan didn't look back as he started to run in the opposite direction as fast as he could. Having been born in the clan, he knew it was tradition to hunt down the new Actives and toss them in the lake, he also knew that there was no way to escape the entire clan, but it was more fun to put up a fight. He didn't go far though, and soon he was being carried away towards the freezing water.
Ari nodded at Sean, blushing slightly as he congratulated her and winked. The fire flickered, casting its mesmerising spell as Sean left its comforting glare and Ari couldn’t help but feel a pang of loss as his silhouette disappeared into the surrounding crowd. She looked down into her hand, the unmarked ring resting there gently and casting back the firelight as bright as the hundreds of eyes that belonged to Actives, who, Ari noticed with a small grin, were beaming at her and Donovan. Her attention was stolen though as he gently nudged her, telling her to run in a certain direction right before someone in the crowd screamed. Ari bolted the direction he had told her to go. She didn’t know what was happening but she didn’t hesitate to move, the ring clutched tight in her hand as she heard the voices of a mob headed in her direction. However, she realized with a small growl that he had gone the opposite way of her. If this was a game of cat and mouse, they would do better together.
She spun back, this time running through the crowd as hands tried to grab at her as she ducked and weaved thought the surprised people who seemed more focused on the chase then being charged. Within two or three bounds she thought she could see Donovan and a little ways ahead she swore she saw Sean’s laughing figure. She bolted past Donovan, her eyes burning silver as she moved with deer like quality. But it was only then that he quickly got picked off by the excited Wolves. Ari dipped around what could have been Sean; she didn’t know nor care at that moment, using him for a place to hide, when he too threw her to the Wolves, so to speak. Her body was lifted high up into the air, her shrill giggles and screams cutting through the air as she wiggled in their hands. No was apparently not a word they understood. Her eyes sparkled sliver as she saw Donovan, also being carried away, nearing the lake. So that was what they were going to do, douse them both in the freezing water, eh? Ari let out a bubble of laughter as she realised they were chanting Wolf. What could she say? They asked for it.
Ari tore up in their hands, those that had held her to the sky now lay pinned under her massive black paws. With a cheerful howl she dove forward, leaping over and diving around the Wolves that tried to grab her body and tail as she flew by. Surly they must have heard her coming, she wasn’t being quite about it but they never once turned her direction. The Wolves holding Donovan didn’t see her coming until it was too late, and by then they didn’t stand a chance. Ari bowled into them, knocking several to their knees as Donovan dropped from his high seat on top of them. There was a wave of roaring laughter, as she turned back to the Wolves who were trying to stand up and she bounded across their shoulders and backs to reach Donovan. Her silver eyes shinned as her lips pulled into a grin and she motioned to her back. She wasn’t horse sized, but Ari was unnaturally large for any normal wolf, and she wasn’t going in without a fight!
Sean was having a good laugh watching the actives run around trying to get Ari and Doni into the lake, but his smile began fading slowly as he let his thoughts wander to what tomorrow would bring; and what that past month had brought... Somehow, the words Lena Turner had spoke to him had stuck to his head... Was he strong enough to hold the clan together if something big was to happen? He couldn't help think something was already happening and he just couldn't see. There was this strange calm in the land, and anyone who's lived in the forest for as long as Sean had would know that too much quiet usually meant something was coming. Quietly he paced away from the party and into the graveyard; the only place that was still quiet, and there he leaned by a tree, watching the lines of graves intently... Pulling from his pocket an old, worn silver ring... The one that once belonged to his father. At first he was confused when Sheila had found it in his pocket while treating his stab wound, but then he remembered that Annie had hugged him, and as crazy as it all may seem... It was the only fact that explained how something he had been seeking for years had suddenly appeared in his pocket. He really didn't know what to do with it now.
"You should throw that out... And go back to the party."
"Hey Kate..." Sean mumbled, a little smile crossing his features. "A party isn't a party in this camp unless someone is avoiding it." He told her, putting the ring away in his pocket as he turned to face her. "You knew, huh?"
"That Annie had the ring? Yeah, I knew. She told me, and Doni too, but she didn't want to tell you. She was afraid that you'd react badly... Can't blame her, we all were. You... Seem awfully calm about it actually."
"What can I do about it. really? I would love to punch dad in the face, but he's gone... And Lena is just too scary."
Katie chuckled. "She is scary!"

They were both silent for a bit, Sean's eyes crossed the line of graves and landed on the one with Crys' name on it; that empty grave that he had never gotten rid of. It was reminder a of his failure...A promise left to keep... He couldn't just let it go. Lost in those thoughts he startled slightly when his sister leaned into him, but immediately put one arm over her shoulder protectively. Still he didn't say anything until the girl herself broke the silence.
"You know, when Evin came to see me in the Plains... I was very angry with him, I didn't want to listen, but... Even when we want to ignore things... Sometimes they are just there, and he was sorry. I could see it clearly on his face that he was. I know he did mean to kill me at some point, because he tried, and for the look of him he was either disturbed by what he almost brought himself to do, or by the fact that he couldn't go through with it, maybe both..."
"Why are you telling me about Evin now?" Sean asked, not liking where the conversation was going.
"Because I had seen that once before and I couldn't remember when, but now you just reminded me... It was when Evin came back holding Crys' weapon. I saw that same look in your eyes. You regretted it, didn't you?"
"I didn't regret what I did... I just wished I didn't have to do it. I respected Dani Rivers, and... I even looked up to her, I never had a thing against Crys up until then, and you know what? Those feelings made the truth more painful and my choices more difficult, but they didn't change what I believed was right. Do you understand? Let them say what they will, but you need know, when this is over, that I did what I felt was right."
"Even pushing Lionel against Crys?"
"I did push him, I did encourage him, but I didn't think she would kill him. She always had the choice not to, and I assumed she would make it. It never occurred to me that she would just kill him like that, after everything... I never planned for that to happen, and what I said to her... Was just to make her angry. It wasn't all true. Do you understand?"
"I guess, Sean... I just wish you would... Take care of yourself. You don't seem to realize, or care about, what this is doing to you."
He sighed, pulling her into a tight hug and forcing a smile. "You should go back to the party... It's an important night to Doni... And I think I will just go to bed. Tomorrow is a new day, huh?"
"I guess." She agreed. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just a bit tired. When you see Don will you tell him I want him and Ari both to come find me in the morning?"
"You will be sending them away already?" Katie asked, a bit of shock in her tone.
"It's nothing dangerous... Well, not too dangerous. It'll be fine."
"Alright. I will tell them." Kate agreed. "Goodnight Sean."
"Goodnight, sis." Sean replied, listening to Katie's footsteps as they slowly disappeared amongst the noisy party. Not long after he made his way to the leaders cabin and locked himself in for sleep.
Ari had felt him leave, pausing mid run to cautiously sniff the air. Something was troubling him again, she could smell it. But before she could bound after him, talk to him and maybe get him to release some of his fears she was tackled to the ground. Donovan had chosen against the ride that could have taken them into the woods, a poor choice she had thought and it confused her a little bit but his eyes were alight with joy and his lips were smiling and laughs escaped from his chest, so she had let it go. After all, he knew better right? She could hear the actives laughing, their hands digging their way through her coat as she struggled under them, forgetting all about Sean for the moment and instead focusing on escaping. With one wild kick to the jaw and a snap and a roll she was free of their hands once again. She skirted away from the pond, her silver eyes training back on to her fellow graduate. Donovan seemed to be faring well, but even so the actives would still have them soon. With a growl she ran at them, the ring that was slowly closing in on him breaking the moment she flew past. She stood beside Donovan, her eyes glimmering as she looked up at him, the slight motion of her mussel directing. He glanced at her, giving a slight nod before the actives dove in. There were two loud splashes followed by Ari’s scream as the water stabbed through her skin as she shifted. Water crystals fell from the air, tinkling across some of the frozen patches and across Ari’s skin. Her powder was wiped clean from her face and the silver in her eyes faded slowly, leaving the moon above and the fire below the only two things glowing in the dark of the night. The actives stood on the bank having to have detangled themselves from the pile they had left where Ari and Donovan had once stood, some laughing, some just smiling and shaking their heads. What else could they do?
Ari swam over to Donovan, her wet hair clinging to her face and her lips tinged blue. They had won. Well they had ended up into the lake, but they choose to put themselves into the freezing water and had denied the actives that guilty pleasure. Ari knew that they would never escape the water, but by leaping into its icy cold embrace, she had bested those that would rather have thrown her in. Donovan was wiping the hair from his eyes, his lips pulling into a smile as Ari swam up to him, her ripples slightly disturbing the pattern from which he was treading water. Her teeth chattered as she smiled at him and with a little laugh Ari kicked herself away and toward the shore. She could hear Donovan’s chuckle behind her as he fell in tow, both of them making way to the shore where the actives had once stood.
“I guess their happy that we made the water,” Ari giggled, watching as Donovan climbed the bank, his clothing sending a waterfall back down into the water. Ari watched him from the water, keeping everything but her neck and head under the water as it offered some protection from the loss of her clothing which lay scatted about in small bits. Sean wouldn’t be too happy with the way she was going through clothing, but most of it was hers from her tree. But her thoughts were not left to roam as a shiver ran down her spine and she looked up to see that Donovan was starring down at her, with what emotion, she couldn’t say.
The moment passed and he turned away, walking back to the party as she slowly climbed the bank into the warm night air. Well that is in comparison to the water that had felt like death. She quickly and quietly made her way over to the scattering of cloth, bending slightly to pick through them until she found her ring. She held it in her palm, her finger stroking the thing gently as it glittered in the moonlight, her eyes locked to it as she slowly stood from her crouch and slipped it onto her finger. Her head shot up as there was a loud crash and her eyes narrowed as she saw a group of men walking towards her. Her body quivered and she snatched up her arrows and bow, gathering everything she had left from her transformation before looking up again. The men had come closer, away from the fire light and away from its warmth. She bolted, running through the trees as nimble as a deer before circling back to her cabin, slipping inside. She would have to think of some manner to be able to shift without losing her ring, she thought with a sigh, looking at the silver object that glittered on the table next to her quiver and bow. She quickly got dressed, pulling on something a bit more modest than what she had on before the ceremony. Ladies didn’t dress in men’s clothes, she thought with a sneer as she pulled over the white dress she had been saving for this very moment. She redid her hair, pulling her chin up as she took her ring and slid it back onto her finger. She would discuss the issue with Sean tomorrow, she thought with a grin as she opened the door and walked smack into Franklin.
“There you are you little scoundrel,” he grinned, pulling her into a tight embrace that crushed the wind from her lungs, “You’re missing your own party girl! Get out there and make a name for yourself!”
“Beta,” she wheezed as his arms disappeared from around her chest and instead on her shoulders, steering her toward the fireside. “There’s a problem with my ring.”
“What did you say,” he asked, pulling her to a stop.
“There’s a problem with my ring.”
“No no before that,” he laughed,” what did you call me?”
“Beta, it’s what the wolves call their second.” Ari stared up at Franklin, not sure if he was drunk, her arms crossing over her chest as she stared at him. Her eyes narrowed as his face lit up in a grin, his arm clutching her around her shoulder tighter. “Are you drunk?”
“Twins forbid!” Franklin laughed, his hand falling over his chest, “‘There is no alcohol to be consumed inside pack territory Ari.”
“How do I know you haven’t scurried out to the woods and drank there,” she teased, wincing slightly as she was shoved forward and toward the party.
“And how do I know you haven’t been carrying a weapon in your hair this entire time,” he winked as she reached up to touch the small wolf in her braided bun. He was right, in the end it narrowed down to a needle like dagger but she never intended to use it. He laughed at her face giving her another push toward the roaring fire, “Get in there girl and dance. Enjoy yourself; your ‘beta’ commands it.”
With another shove she was forced into the ring, the music she had heard earlier picking up pace as an active caught her and began to pull her into a dance around the fire. Her feet moved lithely under her dress, easily keeping pace with the man as he pulled her around, darting in between other dancers. She thought she caught a glimpse of Donovan dancing as well but before she could get close enough to see her partner swung her away to the opposite side of the fire. Actives laughed and clapped along, some shouting out insults to other dancers which would set of another wave of laughter. She found herself enjoying it, the way everybody’s cheeks glowed with a ruddiness that hinted toward drink but was entirely false. She too began to feel the buzz, the excitement and cheerfulness that ran through the camp and that feeling intoxicated her. She laughed along with the rest, threw her soul into dancing and even took the chance to lift her skirts above her knees and twirl until she fell down to the ground which again set of another roar of laughter. Her partner had taken the sidelines, along with most other dancers as she wove her way around the fire, dancing and laughing and singing. The music ceased and Ari took a bow, giggling as the actives cheered and she moved out of the firelight. Ari moved around the actives, her eyes looking for Donovan when she caught sight of him with a girl, her heart skipping a beat as she turned away. She was quickly pulled back into the circle, and sat in a group of actives that had first bullied her. They cheered and patted her shoulder, congratulating her over and over until she was sick of hearing the word. Finally her eyes drooped and she smiled slightly, exhausted from everything that had been done that day and the nights lack of sleep was slowly getting to her. She rose slightly and the crowd cheered again, causing her to freeze in her steps.
“She’s going to sing for us!” a voice called and Ari nearly groaned aloud but instead took her place near the fire, her eyes closing slightly.

Welcome to a land of lullabies,
Where everything will be alright,
The world around will laugh and cheer
As Wolves come marching there and here.

Are hearts will beat loud as one
As we raise our mussels to the sun
And our howling will spread hope and fear
As we fight for those that we love dear.

Come my children, come!
Come my Children come!

Family, friends come one come all,
Come and answer the Wolves call.
Join the wild and bring your gear.
We are wolves we shall not veer.

Come my children come!
Come my children come.

Come and join us wild and free
The earth is ours to see.

Her voice faded, the song cut short as her memory failed her, the words that her mother used to roar out gone from her mind as the fire behind her lashed out at the people that had wandered too close. She blushed, her voice still lingering as the Wolves around her stared in awe, waiting for her to continue. She bowed her head, blushing.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered, walking out of the fire light and disappearing as they sighed, some even calling for her back. She ran to her cabin, reaching the door as tears fell from her eyes and she closed the door behind her, brushing the wetness away. There was a soft knock at the door and with a huff she walked over and jerked the door open.
“What!” she cried, pulling short when she realised that it was Donovan, “I’m so sorry, my deepest apologies. I had no idea it was you.”
“It’s alright Ari,” he said softly his eyes shining slightly, “Sean wants us to meet him in the morning, that is all.”
“Alright,” she nodded, sighing slightly. “Well, I’m going to bed Donovan; I’ll see you in the morning. Good night.”
He nodded and she closed the door, falling into the bed a moment later and falling into a fitful sleep.

-Next Morning-

"Just... Tell me the truth Sean. Why did you hurt that woman? That's all I want from you."
"Why bring that up now, what does it matter? It happened ages ago! It's done, it won't bring her back, won't fix anything..."
"It was completely unlike you to do something like that to an innocent woman and I never got you to tell me why you did it. I want to know."
He sighed. "They never pay. If you let them live they don't pay, because they don't care. If they cared they wouldn't live with what they did... They wouldn't just move on like that. Jake couldn't see that... I had to make him care. Was it the wrong thing to do? It was, I admit it, but I'm not sure I wouldn't do it again."
"And can you live with you've done? Or have you become like 'them' now? You... You are better than this."
"No, I'm not." Sean laughed. "I'm not! And we're past the point when you can 'talk sense' into me, because I don't believe a word you say anymore. You are dead to me, Alpha."
Dani chuckled. "Well, you can be better Sean, but that's really just a choice you'll have to make." She stated. "I know this much, kid: Your mother was a good person, she didn't deserve to die the way she did, and it's not fair. Life is not fair, but what you had to go through doesn't excuse inflicting the same on others. Nothing will ever excuse that. Do you understand me? Jake refused to say you did it, and your father thought it was sane to protect you whenever you pulled this kind of stunt, but I always knew better..."
"What are you trying to say?" Sean muttered.
"I know you are doing Sean. I have been Alpha for over twenty years, you don't think I know everything that is said and done in this camp? And I know you, boy." Sean tried to argue, but she didn't let him speak. "What I'm saying Sean... Is that I sincerely hope you change your mind, but if you don't..." She sighed. "I pray the Twins will care for you... Because I don't think you understand what you are getting yourself into and I won't be here to talk sense into you any longer."
"You're not trying to stop me?"
"Of course I am... If I had proof of anything you would be accused of treason, but I don't... So all I can do is give you some advice; let it go Sean. No matter how this ends, it won't bring you peace and no one knows that better than I do.


"Hey, kid, are you listening?" Franklin slammed his palm against the wooden table Sean was leaning against and chuckled when he startled. "Am I boring you?"
"A little bit, yes..." Sean snorted, scooping up the last remains of oat meal from the bottom of his bowl. "What is it you were saying again."
"I asked if you are stopping by the healers before heading to the desert, or if you changed your plans."
"I'm going straight to the desert, I think. Sooner we get this done the better... I'll go to the healers afterwards." Sean replied, setting the bowl aside and rubbing his temples.
"Bad sleep again?"
"Is it that obvious?" Sean muttered. "Was a loud party, that's all...Kept me up."
"I see..." Franklin stated, not seeming convinced at all. "Aren't you supposed to be talking to the new kids about their assignments right about now?"
"You're right, I really should. They might already be at the leader’s cabin waiting." He stated standing up and giving Frank a simple nod as he walked out of the cafeteria towards the leader’s cabin.

The world mocked Ari as she stood outside of Sean’s cabin in nothing but pants and a loose shirt. She dare not step inside, but chose to lean against the walls, near the window. Walls frightened her today. Her stomach growled in hunger and she stood alone, nearly doubling over as her pain caused her to cramp. It was all from hunger but Ari had quickly figured out that nothing she ate would stay down and it was a fight to even get it down without gagging. This morning had not come kindly, she thought as she let out a huff of air, the markings on her face visible once again and her hair quickly pulled back into its long braid. She rapped her fingers against the wall, her sharp green eyes searching for Sean. He was probably still at the dining hall, she realised with a small sigh as she sank to the ground. This morning was also cold and she couldn’t stop the small shivers that crawled up and down her spine because of the cold, or was it the dream. She flinched inwardly, her face becoming a mask as she remembered the entire thing.

The sun shone down though the trees, the snow sprinkled over the aspen with precision and beauty that shone in its light. Small birds flittered from tree to tree, chirping and signing sweet songs to each other with the coming of spring. It was magnificent to see and the girl in the white dress almost blended in if it wasn’t for her long blonde hair which fell in waves down to her hips. Her green eyes were fixated on the path ahead of her and the only sound around her was the crunch of the snow under foot as she walked. Ari walked like a vision, moving carefully thought the trees, her mind consumed by thoughts of the previous days and the life she now lived. From rags to riches as far as she was concerned; the assassins part of her life. She had a home and friends. She wandered through the trees; the light dusting of powder on the ground getting kicked up from the trailing of her dress. It was a bit nippy and her cheeks were flushed red with the cold, the markings on her face standing stark against the virgin snow and skin. She smiled, her lush lips pulling up in the corners as her hand reached out and she ran her fingers along the tree, leaning into it and pausing in her walk to admire it.
A twig snapped in the distance and she was pulled from her thoughts, her head snapping up to look off in that direction, her green eyes narrowing as she caught sight of a women approaching though the trees.
“Who goes there,” she called, her voice sounding as crystalline as the snow around her.
"Fear not, just a lone traveller making her way to the city" spoke the woman with jet-black hair, the armor that protected her torso well hidden under the black cloak. Her twin swords still sheathed, hanging from the two belts that crossed over the armor. Her forearms protected by the same steel that protected the torso, and a dress that would allow her to make fast movements, if needed be. She dropped the hood and the silent cold wind kissed her face. It was cold and that clothing wasn't supposed to warm her. "And yet, you could always help me."
Ari leaned against the tree, wondering how she could have missed this daunting figure stark as a black wolf against a white world. She sighed, realizing that she was again too deep in her thoughts that any assassin could have taken her out if there had been an ambush.
“How may I aid you sister,” she called, returning back to her town’s common greeting of others. She had noted the protection of this other and she cocked her head slightly. Such a display of armor could mean two different things: one, that she was not a good fight or two; she had power that was displayed through her clothing. Ari mentally shrugged, even unarmed she could still put up enough of a fight to cause trouble and it looked as if this stranger wanted none.
"Just on my way to..." the woman laughed when she saw the expression on the green eyed woman's face "By the look on your face you must be a Wolfie... and you surely wasn't paying attention, were you?" she still laughed, the psychopathic sound of it making a few birds fly from their nests. "Doesn't matter where I was going to... since I have something far more... interesting here to deal with." The woman unsheathed her swords, the laughter stopped but a devilish smiled appeared on her face.
“Hell,” Ari cursed, her eyes glimmering. Fight with an opened mind, stay calm, don’t move first. She crouched slightly, the dress she was wearing making it difficult to move, there was the sharp sound of tearing cloth as she ripped it up the side, shivering as the wind caught her exposed leg. Better but it would still make it difficult. “I didn’t want this,” she growled, “May I ask why?”
"What about....." she sprinted jumping and spinning in mid-air her right sword almost doing the down-cut "...just for the fun?" the sword motioned.
“Fancy,” she said moving quickly out of the range at which a strike could be made. “But can you fight?”
From seemingly out of nowhere she withdrew a curved sword, its blade and hilt coloured so that it looked identical to an aspen tree. She playfully twirled it in her hand, the blade light as it sang through the air. She smiled and playfully lunged forward, aiming for the girl’s left leg but quickly bringing it up to strike at her sword arm instead, at the last moment before it could be blocked Ari changed her style again and instead went for her chest. The swipe was true and good, her eyes glimmering with the bit of fun.
"Fancy moves..." she moved her body to the right, watching the woman's sword softly touch the black armor. The heavy cloak and quick movement gave the impression that she floated over the ground while she gained distance. "But that's surely not what you have, eh?" She spun both swords on her hands, when the motion ended both swords were aiming to the ground. "Show me what you really have."
“Convince me,” she said with a wild laugh, her eyes glimmering slightly. She turned and made a run for it, the girl following in the game of chase. Ari ran toward a tree, her eyes burning silver as she flashed, her cat senses coming to her. Her feet hit the trunk and she flipped up and over the head of the woman, landing on the balls of her feet, her body down in a crouch. Her head snapped up, a smile spreading across her features as she saw the bewildered look on the woman’s face. This was turning out to be very fun, she just hoped that the sounds they created wouldn’t cause one of the other Wolves to come running. She could get in trouble with Sean for this. With a yell she jumped forward, spinning and slashing down at the girl’s calves.
"Ah..." she once again evaded the attack by moving to the right; she was angered by the wild moves and lack of strategy. The woman still attacked her and she only dodged them."Fast" another swing that almost hit the woman's face "Strong" only the face moved this time "But you don't actually care to think.... do you?" She avoided a swing from left to right. "Too young to do that, is this not true?" The woman's psychopathic laughter sounded once more. Ari paused, letting her sword point down at the ground as she took a step back, her eyes darkening in anger. “I was always one for defending.” She spun and jumped, her kick aimed for the woman’s shoulder as she began to slowly push her back towards a tighter grove of trees. Ari was getting confused, none of her hits ever reached their targets and the woman had never stuck back. She shook her head and with a growl, launched herself forward. The kick hit her shoulder, although it barely affected her. She walked to where the young woman was driving her. Every step the shadows grew longer, darker. The sound of silence little by little made both deafer. The wind emanated the smell of death. "Too bad thou cannot understand it, little one." Both still moved, the tree that hit her back was nothing but an amount of living darkness. She smiled as she saw the woman's expression."Horror is amazing, is it not?"
Ari flinched, and her eyes burned silver. “I fear nothing! Who are you,” she cried, her sword arm shaking slightly with exhaustion and anger. She could smell the death, the fear, the pain. She knew the woman was flesh and blood just as she was; there was no doubt after her kick had gotten well into the shoulder of the woman. She shook slightly, maybe it was wise to fear her, this woman but yet she didn’t fear, only stood in awe and wonder. The silence sounded deafer than before, the earth trembled, the shadows grew deeper, the air taste worsened. The woman laughed, amplifying all of these sensations. "Who I am is not important. Lady Ari. Just remember these words. Remember them." Everything worsened, bringing everything to the blink of madness. "TemnĂœ rytier sa blĂ­ĆŸi!" And then there was nothing.


Ari bit her lip again, wiping the small bead of sweat that dripped into her eye with her damaged hand. She had sliced open the palm reaching for her hair dagger that morning after she had woken from the dream in a cold sweat and screaming as she cried. The pin lay nestled in her hair again, the only weapon she had on her, and even then she was not going to reveal it until it became quite necessary. The woods, the woman, the white and the black, the trees and the shadows, what did it all mean? What did the dream mean? What did the woman mean? Those words were so foreign; she realised with a small twinge and thought about mentioning it to Sean, then dismissed it. He may know what they meant, but how on earth could she tell him without sounding rabid. She sighed and with another shiver that sent her teeth clacking she looked up to the sky. Twins have mercy, she thought with a small grimace. She would have to appear steady and brave today. Her hand reached up to clutch the small ring that she had tied around her neck with a piece of soft leather. That was yet another thing she needed to talk to him about. Better meet him on the way up so she could discuss it with him as they walked. She stood and ran down the path, making her way to the very beginning when she saw him, slowly making his way up the path. She let out a sharp laugh, having smelled him the moment his foot had stepped onto a branch.
“Alpha,” she called, dipping her head and waiting for him to get close enough before she fell in step with him. She couldn’t help but to notice how exhausted he looked, she swore she saw dark rings under his eyes from a lack of sleep and his lips were pulled into a thin line as they moved forward. “I need to talk to you about my ring,” she said after a moment’s hesitation, pulling it from around her neck.

Sean wasn't at all surprised that Ari had already been waiting on him, although he was forced to wonder where Donovan had gone if he wasn't with her, or anywhere in sight. Maybe the kid had enjoyed the party a little bit too much and was sleeping late. When he finally glanced towards Ari she had already finished speaking for a few seconds. "What about your ring?" He asked as he removed his cloak and casually wrapped it around her shoulders. "And don't you own a coat? We're in the middle of winter, you know." He added giving a more watchful glance as they walked, but not saying anything more.
“Thank you,” she said accepting the coat gratefully, wondering if he really expected an answer to the coat question. If he did, she would have answered no, she had given it to Stephan who was high in the mountains by now and Twins know where else. She pulled the coat tighter around her, catching glimpse of Sean’s glance. She slightly shook her head, not understanding what it was supposed to mean and decided to let it slide. The coat smelled of him, powerful, musky and something else that set her teeth on edge, but best of all it was warm. If he would let her she would run to get her cloak from her hiding place, but until then she would be cold and as soon as he looked cold, hand him back his coat. But in the end she let it slide and continued onto the ring. “I realised last night, if I shift, the ring would break or harm me in the shift, or it might get lost.”
"Huh." Sean mumbled, scratching the back of his head as he thought. "Well, it's not necessary that you wear it on your finger, but not losing it is kind of a big deal. It's also kind of important that you keep it on you, as it identifies you to other Wolves... Not all of us spend enough time in camp to know everyone's faces and names. That's why we have rings and healers have robes and the Crimson wear a random red item of clothing." He stated as they reached the leaders cabin and wandered in. "But... We can think of that later, because you'll be leaving your ring behind for this." He told her, sitting behind his desk and leaning back in his chair comfortably. "I'll explain as soon as Doni gets here. Which should be soon, I hope. I'd hate to have to suspend him on his first day." He joked, giving Ari another watchful stare. "So, do you own a coat? Have you slept the night? Have you eaten? I'm not sending you on assignment unless you're fit to travel." He stated.
“I was thinking about tying it round my neck,” Ari said, sitting down across from him and removing his coat. With a shrug Ari pulled the ring off from around her neck and placed it onto the desk in front of Sean, nudging it towards him. “I slept, ate, and I do,” she responded, everything in her words the truth, but not the whole truth. She hadn’t slept well, nor had she been able to keep her food down and she did own a coat, several in fact if you wanted to count her pelt, it just happened to be out in the woods. She beamed at him, her eyes sparkling at the remark of her possibly going on her first assignment, and she sent a silent prayer to the Twins to have Donovan show up soon.

Sean raised an eyebrow at Ari's answers to his questions; he wasn't all too convinced. "You don't look like you slept all too well, and believe me, I know a thing or two about that. I won't get into detail until Donovan gets here, but this is the kind of innocent looking task than get a Wolf killed fast if said Wolf is reckless. So I expect you both to be in your best condition." He warned, pulling her ring towards him across the table and feeling the smooth surface of the silver with his fingertips, keeping silent as they waited for Donovan to arrive.

It was a few minutes later that the door opened and Donovan entered smiling shyly and apologetically. "I'm sorry... I should've left the party earlier than I did." He stated.
"It's fine, Don." Sean replied. "Just lock the door and have a seat."
Donovan locked the cabin door before pulling a chair and taking a seat beside Ari, giving the girl a brief smile before turning to Sean and patiently waiting for him to speak.
"Donovan, give me your ring." Sean asked, indicating that it be left on the table. "I'm sending you both to Newhaven, to infiltrate the Castle as workers. I need reliable information on the Queen and the White Knights, so I want you to take positions as close to them as possible."
"But Sean... Ella knows my face, she would recognize me the moment she laid eyes on me."
"I know that, that's why she can't see you. You'll stay as close to Thomas as possible without drawing attention to yourself, but if someone as much as give you a second glance; get out, alright? Don't risk getting caught, because if you do, and this goes for both of you, you're screwed."
"Huh... Comforting." Donovan chuckled, placing his ring on the table. "Will I be looking for something specific?"
"You'll know it when you see it." Sean replied. "Ari, I want you find a spot amongst the Queen's maids, stay as close to her as you can for as long as you can, pay close attention to her schedule, who she speaks to in the Castle and who visits from the outside. Be careful of former Wolves roaming the Castle, and..." Sean sighed. "Knowing Ella, I'm pretty sure I need to remind you to keep your temper in check and keep to yourself no matter what happens." He smirked slightly. "Your Highness can be a royal bitch at times."

Sean then took both the actives' rings and locked them within a drawer, looking from Doni to Ari with a serious expression. "Now, look: No one in this camp, aside from me and Franklin, knows of this assignment; the other person who is informed is Sheila at the Inn. You'll arrive at Newhaven and enter the Inn through the sewer tunnels and NOT the front door, once there you will be given clothes to wear, and it is up to you to make your way in the Castle to where you have to be. Avoid being seen together once you're inside, and in case one of you gets caught and captured the other should come back immediately and let me know... Please don't try to be heroic in a castle full of Knights. Whatever you need to inform is to be send through Sheila at the Inn... Castle staff are not allowed to drink there for obvious reasons, though, so make sure to never be seen going in or out. Any questions?"
“One does not simply become a maid to the queen,” Ari sighed and rubbed her temples gently, “Tell me you know how I’m going to get to rubbing elbows with the queen? If you don’t, then I’m sure I have some friends in the castle that could get me in.” She saw a look of scepticism cross Sean’s and Donovan’s face and hurriedly added, “Don’t worry; no one knows I’m a Wolf. They’ll still think I’m a poor orphan girl from the woods.”
Sean chuckled. "Oh, you want me to do the work for you now, Kid? You're an active now; you should find ways to get your jobs done for yourself, but... This is a very important task, so I have contacted a friend that cooks the servants' food make sure one of the girls falls ill so you can take her place. Whatever you do to get there is your business as long as no one asks questions about why a poor orphan girl wants to be close to the Queen of Newhaven." He stated with a little smirk.

"Alright, how close do you want me from the man in charge of all the Newhaven army?" Donovan asked, a slight sarcastic tone in his voice as he grinned at his brother.
"Not close enough that he'll look at you. Stay close to the nobles, that should be enough to watch his movements."
Donovan nodded in agreement. "Alright, well that's all I need to know... I'm going to pack a few things and I'll wait by the gates." He announced, standing up and walking out the door.

Sean leaned back in his seat as Donovan walked out the door waiting a minute in silence, before turning back to Ari. "Anything else, Kid?" He asked, running a hand through his hair and wandering if he would be late to meet Dastan. "I have something I really need to take care of today, and I'm also running a bit late."
Ari turned to watch Donovan leave and then turned back to Sean and gave him a wicked grin.
“I think that covers it, don’t worry Sean, we won’t let you down. Oh and Sean, be careful”
With that Ari sprang to her feet and bowed her head before dashing out the door, heading through the woods to get to her tree, not cabin. Everything from the Wolves was too grand, for this she would have to get dirty, at least for the first part. She tore into a wolf, the cold leaving her body the moment it happened and she ran into her tree, under the roots and into the small cavern that lead to the trunk. There she grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt, her jaws closed around a cloak and she managed to stuff it all into a bag along with her small bone knife. Then, without even bothering to shift back she took off at a run, pack in her mouth as she skidded to the gates a moment before Donovan showed his face.

Setting

6 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Crystal Rivers Character Portrait: Allison Blake Character Portrait: Dastan Character Portrait: Jake Turner Character Portrait: Evin Bana Character Portrait: Annie Turner
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“What do you think you’re doing here?” A voice sounded behind Jake’s back, a note of unfamiliar panic escaping underneath the woman’s words. “Are you insane, Jacob?”
“That’s an interesting question, isn’t it?” Jake smiled, seeming to actually ponder over the possibility for a moment before looking over his shoulder just briefly enough that he could catch a glimpse of Sheila’s expression. “I won’t be long. Don’t worry.”
“You are standing over the Alpha’s dead body, Jake. You can’t be here. Of all people, you cannot be seen here.”
“What’s the worse that can happen, really? They’ll think I did it? Nothing I haven’t gone through before. I’ve killed one Alpha, indirectly as it may have been, and then I was accused of killing another; if she hadn’t come back from the dead there would be no way to prove otherwise, what’s one more? Records are meant to be broken.” Jake chuckled softly. “Aren’t you even wondering if I did it this time? I have to say I’m a bit disappointed by that.”
“I don’t care if you did it.” Sheila muttered. “Just get out before anyone else sees you here.”
“I have a feeling it might be late for that, Sheila.” Jake retorted, reaching for something in his belt, but stopping in his tracks as an arrow flew past his arm. “Ryan. Never the most quiet one. Or the best of archers for that matter... How can I be of assistance?”
“Don’t give me that crap, Turner. Poor archer or not, I can pierce an arrow through your skull from here.” Ryan muttered in response. “Sheila, go find Doni and bring him here.”
“Doni, huh? Didn’t think the kid had it in him...” Jake smirked. “Are you telling me everyone is so terrified by Sean’s little ‘accident’ that no one has even tried to claim his position? That’s just sad.”
“My brother’s corpse is barely cold... We’re not looking to replace him just yet.” Doni responded himself as he stopped just a step behind Ryan. The boy didn’t seemed to have strayed too far from the burial grounds to begin with; Jake didn’t exactly blame him. “Where is the guard that was supposed to be watching my brother’s body?” He demanded.
“Oh, don’t worry, he’s taking a little nap. I just needed a few minutes to pay my respects, that’s all.” Jake shrugged, calmly pulling something from his belt.
“Pay your respects? Are you kidding?” Donovan questioned, not seeming convinced by Jake’s motives; and again, Jake couldn’t exactly blame him. “Don’t move or Ryan will shoot you.”
“Relax, boy. I’m not here to cause trouble. Look...” Jake sighed slowly raising his hand and showing the sheathed hunting knife he was holding.
“That’s Sean’s knife.”
“Yes, the one he stabbed me with three years ago. I promised to return it and a promise is a promise.” Jake smirked. “Although, I won’t deny this is not how I planned on doing it.”
“How did you know Sean was dead?” Ryan questioned, sensing that Donovan might have been softening and about to let Jake go. “What do you know about what happened to him?”
“Heh, and there it is.” Jake snickered softly. “The Wolfpack wouldn’t be the Wolfpack without the bitter accusations.”
“It’s a valid question, Jake.” Donovan pointed out.
“I suppose it is this time.” Jake agreed, kneeling down slowly and placing the sheathed dagger beside Sean. “You sent for Annie and she wasn’t there, so your messenger relayed the message to Alistair instead. When I showed up looking for her as well he told me she’d gone south and to pass the message along. He assumed I’d be pleased with the news.”
“Aren’t you?” Ryan snorted.
“Yes and no.” Jake shrugged. “Did I hate Sean? Did I want him dead? Absolutely. Am I pleased with this? Not really. I don’t know if it’s because I think it’s pathetic or because I think he went unpunished in the end. Well, not unpunished, but not sufficiently punished.”
“We lost our sister because of this.” Doni argued, anger stirring in his voice.
“And now he found her again.” Jake shook his head in clear disappointment, standing up and turning to face Donovan, now completely ignoring the fact Ryan was still aiming an arrow at his head. “Not all of us escape our grief that easily, Kid. In some ways that’s good, in other ways... It’s just painful. Either way, he got off too easy.”
Donovan sighed, silently requesting that Ryan disarm the bow and leave. Ryan was clearly not pleased with the idea, but he did comply, mumbling that he wouldn’t be too far. “Alright; why are you really here? Don’t tell me you’re against breaking promises, because even I know that never stopped you before.”
Jake chuckled at Donovan’s provocation as it was actually quite effective; or would have been in a different context. “Well, Sean and I had a deal of sorts. One we made a very long time ago. Even though I’m not sure I even believe in it anymore, I’d like to think he would keep his word despite everything. So it’s only fair I keep my promises as well.”
“What kind of deal and why in Valcrest do you think he would?”
Jake snorted, not answering the question at first, but eventually speaking. “Back when we were in training together Sean and I agreed that if I died first I was to find your mother and deliver a message, and if Sean died before I did, then he’d find my sister and deliver a message for me. To a ten year old kid’s logic that makes perfect sense, but now... I’m not sure I still believe they would be there. Regardless, I think that if they are then Sean will keep his word, because if the situation were reversed he’d like me to do the same.” Jake smirked. “Although, if there is an afterlife like the Myths explain it, I think our little deal is a bit pointless. Neither of us would get to see it after all. I think we’ve both done enough by now to warrant a trip to the underworld, or whatever you like to call the pits of hell. The closest family I see there would probably be Lena.”
“You think Lena went to hell?” Donovan laughed.
“Eeeh, I wouldn’t be surprised and I doubt she would be either. But I think we’ve talked enough for one day, you and I. There’s places I need to be and I planned to be heading there by now.”
“Fine, Jake, fair enough. Just one thing...” Donovan spoke, following Jake for a few steps as the man started to walk away from the encampment. “...You’re leaving here uncasthed this time, because Crys and I had a really nice talk when she was here... About cooperation and stuff. That and my brother made very clear that he would like this whole hate thing to die with him. That said, if you step foot in this camp again, I will personally put an arrow through your skull. Trust me, I’m better at it then Ryan.”
“Kid, there’s nothing left here for me.” Jake stated simply, not looking at Donovan as the boy walked a few steps behind him. “Let me tell you one thing though: If this whole thing didn’t die with Sean I’ll make it my personal mission to come here and finish the job and no amount of arrows will be able to stop me.”

==========================

Halfway to the desert Crys had just stopped walking. It was like she simply froze in place while trying to process all the things that had gone wrong in the span of one single day. She knew she needed to go back to the desert, talk to Ali, decide on what to do next, figure out how to do what they decided to do. All of that seemed like a very clear part of the future to her. Taking responsibility had already become second nature by now, it no longer felt like the weight of the world placed upon her shoulders like it once did. Being asked what to do wasn’t the problem, not knowing the answer wasn’t the problem. The problem was that it all felt very inevitable to her now, it felt like nothing would make a difference. Maybe fate was just set in stone from the start.

Warmth started to slowly fade and a chill began to spread across the tree branches above as night fell upon the Valcrest forest. The Sun descending as it naturally should felt much different than when it simply vanished without warning. Crys was grateful for that, otherwise she might rightly believe the world had gone to hell a second time. The noted that poured out of the wooden flute at first were confusing; as reflection of her own state of mind, but soon they changed into something different. Not sad, nor happy, nor soothing. The music might have sounded unbearably dark, or maybe eerie, to anyone who might have stumbled upon that clearing in that exact moment. It was the sound of someone standing alone in a room with no windows, no doors, and no light. Someone who sees all roads ahead leading towards the edge of the very same precipice. It was the sound of complete and absolute hopelessness.

“Pride is what keeps you from falling, strength is what pulls you back to your feet. Sometimes the fall is needed, Kiddo. Sometimes that’s the only way forward.”

Truth. He was not entirely a good man, Crys knew that, and he wasn’t always right, but her father had always spoke the truth, no matter how difficult, without hesitation. Sometimes there is no right or wrong. Sometimes the fall is inevitable. Sometimes you find the strength to pick yourself up and sometimes... The fall is permanent. All of those little things he’d told her were now proven truth by these little pieces of her past that would never really be forgotten. Lessons learned, but how well could they serve her in times like these?

The music stopped abruptly when Crys heard a concerned whine; a familiar whine. “Kaya?”

“There you are, you crazy wolf! I should have figured.”

“Jacob?” Crys mumbled, seeming a bit confused still by the wolf’s sudden presence. “What are you both doing here?”

“What are you doing here? I thought you’d be back at the desert by now.” Jake retorted calmly. “As for the two of us, well... Kaya caught up with me a while back just outside the Wolves camp, and she just... Led me right to you. Don’t ask me what brought this up, because the hell do I know?”
Crys smiled sweetly at Kaya, the wolf having dropped something soft on her lap, which Crys assumed was the plush dragon she had not let got of since the party, and was excitedly sniffing the woman’s bloody hands and clothes.“What were you doing in the Wolves’ camp, Jacob?” She questioned, seeming a bit suspicious of that fact. “...And where is Irvin? I thought the two of you were training all day today.”
“The kid and I... We had a bit of a falling out. He followed me to the White Shadows’ camp, but we parted ways there.” Jake muttered the explanation, a tone of annoyance in his voice that made clear that whatever argument there was between him and Irvin was pretty serious to him. “As for what I was doing in the Wolves’ camp, well... Let’s say I was paying my respects.”
Crys sighed as Kaya began to persistently attempt to lick the dried blood of her hands. “Paying your respects?” She repeated, scratching behind Kaya’s ears, trying to get the wolf to stop her obsessive cleaning. “There there, girlie, I’m alright. It’s alright.”
“Paying my respects, yes.” Jake confirmed. “Why is that so surprising?

Crys didn’t answer Jake’s question as she carefully stored her flute into its casing and got on her feet, Kaya’s plush toy hanging loosely from her left hand for a moment before the wolf snatched it back. “Where were you during the eclipse? In the forest?”
“Yes, in the forest, with Irvin.”
“Training?”
“Not in that particular moment, but in general; yes, training.”
“And you heard about Sean’s death in the Shadows camp?”
“They sent for Annie, but she wasn’t there. After the sun came back Irvin and I headed that way. Alistair told me Annie had gone south and that Darren and Evin had gone with her, he told me to let her know that wolves had sent for her. He was the one who told me Sean had died. Listen, just ask me what you really want to know. It’s okay.”
Crys shook her head, the question was there; no point in denying it, but saying it aloud would make everything a lot more real. Finally she walked towards Jake and placed her hands on the sides of his face as if she wanted to be absolutely sure he was looking at her. “What I want is for you to look at me and say you didn’t do this. Can you do that?”
Jake took a long deep breath, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against hers. “I hated Sean. I think he deserved to die for what he did to you. I regret more than anything not slitting his throat three years ago when I had the chance and this... Was not enough for all he’s done.”
“Jacob...”
“No. I didn’t do this. I’ll say it as many times as you want: I didn’t do this. I didn’t do this. Okay?”
“Okay.” Crys agreed, heaving a sigh.
“Okay.” Jake repeated, wrapping one arm around her and pulling her close to him. “You’re shaking, where’s your cloak?”
“Ah. I left it by the lake when I met with Donovan and Ryan there.” Crys shrugged.
“Oh, so for you it’s okay to leave your clothes lying around, huh? Double standards.” Jake teased, removing his cloak and wrapping it around her shoulders.
“Well, whenever I leave my clothes in a naked prostitute’s bedroom, you’re free to give me a hard time, Jakey.” Crys snorted, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a brief hug before returning to the tree she had been sitting by and retrieving her travel bag. “Until then, I’m afraid you don’t have much cause to complain.”
“Whenever...? You know what, not important.” Jake shook his head. “What the hell happened in the desert? You’ve got blood all over your clothes... Annie left the Plains in a hurry... And you don’t seem too eager to go back there, am I right? That’s why you were just sitting here.”
“That’s one of the reasons I’ve been sitting here, yes. I needed to put some thoughts in order, or at least try to. What happened in the desert, well, I advised Jackson to call for Annie in the hopes that she could help shed some light into things, but what it looked like was Dastan flipping out and murdering everything. And I’m not exaggerating that; if there are ten Crimson Shadows left I’ll consider that a miracle.”
“Holy crap.” Jake muttered under his breath, flinching for a moment and realizing a bit too late that Crys had started heading south again, running to catch up to her. “Do you think this has to do with the illness?”
“I’m not sure. That’s why we needed Annie. Jacob, I spent a lot of time training with Dastan, that’s probably what kept me alive in that mess, and I know very well that he would barely sustain one shadow golem for more than thirty minutes or so at a time... Yes, the eclipse didn’t last for more than a couple of minutes, but there were hundreds of those things. Even if the illness caused him to lose control, the effort should have drained him within seconds.”
“Are you thinking... Someone else did this? That it was...”
“An attack? Yes, that’s what I’m thinking. I wouldn’t be the first time, think about it: Someone kicked the Crimson from the desert four years ago. That attack that Sean claimed he had not ordered, and as it turned out he wasn’t lying, and now this. Someone really wants the Crimson gone, that’s what it looks like to me.”

============================

[The Desert]

Dastan had his eyes closed for what felt like a long time now. Even if that meant he could hear the voices of his friends screaming as they were murdered, even if it meant reliving the whole thing over and over and over again; it was still better than dealing with the silence that now plagued the desert. The night had fallen and there was no music, there were no voices, there was nothing left except for silence and fear.

“Why is he in chains?”

“Jackson’s orders, Miss. Said he didn’t want him to try and hurt himself.”

“He won’t do that, unchain him.”

“I... I’m not supposed to...”

“Jackson called me here because he wanted my help, but I won’t do it this way. I want these chains off, and I want you to leave us. That’s not negotiable.”

There was a moment of silence before a pair of hands reluctantly worked to rid Dastan of his restraints. Once he was unbound the silence lingered once more. The mercenary opened his eyes as saw Annie sitting on the ground in front of his. The room was considerably darker than it had been when Dastan last looked at his surroundings; night had fallen. “Wouldn’t your time be better spent on people who may still be helped, Miss Annie?” He questioned.
“And who are you to decide who is worth my help, or my time, Sir?” Annie retorted simply. “This will go as quickly and as easily as you make it Dastan, just answer my questions.”
“To what end? Let’s say my answers lead you to some conclusion... How does that help anyone? It can’t. Just leave me alone.”
“If you want to decide your life ended here, if you want to sit here and wallow in self-pity, punish yourself, cry in the dark, or whatever else; suit yourself, Dastan. I’m not saying you can’t. I’m saying that I’m here to determine what happened with you, like it or not, because those answers are necessary. If not to you, then to your friends and family.”
“Look, we know what happened. Jackson doesn’t want to believe it, but he knows. I know. I should have never left that cell in Blackpond when Crys opened the door. I should have stayed in my cage. None of this would have happened.”
“Tell me about your father, Dastan.”
“How do you know about my father?” Dastan muttered. “I haven’t told anyone about that, except...”
“You told my mother. She kept records, all clan leaders do, with a few exceptions. No one has access to them except for me, don’t worry.” Annie smiled reassuringly, although Dastan suspected she was somewhat pleased to have gotten a reaction from him. “So tell me about your father’s death.”
“Indrani’s father killed him. He had to. My father went mad, so they say... Try to kill my mother when she was pregnant with me. Saying the shadows had whispered to him, that they had said I belonged to them. Not many of the Crimson who were currently with us knew those rumors, but I grew up with them. More so after my awakening.”
“Your father believed the shadows were alive, then?”
“Apparently.” Dastan shrugged. “Before you ask; no. No, I don’t believe shadows are sentient beings. I believe that maybe I can make them seem that way, that the voices are solely severed parts of my consciousness, or however you want to phrase it. As long as I knew that, with absolute certainty, I could always maintain some form of control, except...” He traced the scar across his neck. “That one time.”
“What happened then?”
“Is that not written down in your mom’s little notes, Kid?” Dastan rolled his eyes. “I got ambushed by Blackpond soldiers, there were too many to fight off so eventually they had me kneeled and someone was about to slash my throat open. Everything went black. I thought ‘hey, death is not so bad.’, only I didn’t die. I woke up some time later, soaked in blood from head to toe... the earth was red... there were body parts scattered everywhere... I was too weak to even move though. There was nothing I could do except let the first guards who came across me drag me away to the dungeons. The rest is... You know... History, as one would say.”
“Mhm... Do you know how long you were unable to move?”
“Uh, not really. It was morning when I woke up, the fight happened a few minutes before sunrise, and it was dark by the time anyone found me... So, I’d say a long time.”
Annie nodded in agreement, offering Dastan a flask of water. “Drink. How do you feel now?”
“Fine. Physically at least. My head hurt for a bit, but it passed.”
“Headache? Can you describe the pain to me?”
“I don’t know... Like needles, I think.”
“And do you remember what happened this time?”
“I didn’t see anything most of the time, because no one did, but... I heard everything and I... I saw Indrani getting stabbed... I just couldn’t do anything. I was...”
“Paralyzed?” Annie sighed. “You didn’t cause this. It makes no sense to think you did. Ali told me you started to get confused moments after arriving when you had been fine the whole way from the Nest. I’m pretty sure a telepath either incapacitated you while someone else attacked the camp or took control of your enlightenment. Although, the first option is more likely, the latter would have probably killed you. Do you understand what I’m saying, Dastan? You are not responsible.”
“That doesn’t change anything. I’m still sick, I’m still dangerous, this... Could have just as easily been me.” Dastan stated, hiding his face in his hands. “They’re all still dead. My sister still has a hole through her stomach, those people down there who somehow survived will still relive this day in their nightmares forever. No amount of answers can fix that. It’s over!”

“You know what, Dastan: Fine. You answered my questions, and I said I would leave you if you did. I tend to keep my word most times, so I will. Just one thing I think you’re forgetting, Shaykh: Someone did this. Not you, but someone else. They infiltrated your clan, they entered your mind, they tore your people; your brothers and sisters, to bloody pieces and made you watch. They bound your hands and made you live your worst possible nightmare. So, for those of you left, there still one answer left to give: Do they get away with it?”

------------------

Jake and Crys didn’t talk much on the way to the desert. They both seemed somewhat distracted with their own thoughts, silence lingering between them aside from the sounds of the forest itself and Kaya’s occasional whines as if from time to time the wolf made an attempt at starting a conversation between her humans with no success.

As they started to near the desert Jake finally broke the silence, noting how Crys’ footsteps had started to become more hesitant. “You know, Sheila thinks I did it.” He informed. “She was the one who found me in the cemetery.”
“She would probably say I put you up to it. That’s usually how it goes with her, isn’t it?” Crys shook her head, quickening her pace just slightly.
“So what? Does it matter to you what she thinks?” Jake questioned, continuing to pace calmly after her. “Not everyone who meets has to like you, you know?”
“Shut up.” Crys muttered. “I don’t want that bitch to like me. I just wish she’d stop...” She silenced when she realized she was stepping on sand, taking a deep breath and continuing quietly towards the temple.

Jake could understand now why Crys seemed so reluctant to return to the Crimson Shadows’ camp; the sand was stained reddish brown with dried blood, dead body were lined up neatly for the pyre that was still being built; bigger than anything Jake had ever seen outside of a battlefield. From a distance he could recognize faces amongst the dead, more notable to him were the ones of the few mercenaries who carried him into the river just the night before. He recalled their laughter and their singing as clearly as if they were all still there somehow and he felt as though his heart had plummeted into the pit of his stomach. How did everything go so wrong this quickly? How did this happen?

“Jakey.”

Jake startled slightly when Crys took his hand. He was sure she had kept walking without him, but no; still there.

“Jakey, come with me. Don’t stand here.” She pleaded, pulling him with her towards the temple. “Come, let’s find the others.”

Jake nodded, finally turning his gaze from the dead mercenaries and walking after Crys. A smile momentarily crossed his expression as he watched Kaya dash ahead into the temple and he figured Sora was probably there as well. Although he was not very sure Kaya had the same ability to act respectfully around the sick and injured; the wolf had a tendency to act a bit spazzy. “It’ll probably be fine.” He mumbled to himself, continuing to follow Crys without paying too much attention until he heard voices and realized they had stumbled upon Ali and Evin.

“See, there she is.” Ali pointed out, making somewhat clear that they had been wondering where Crys were.
Crys seemed somewhat amused at her two friends. “Why are you two hiding out here? No one comes here ever... It’s probably full of spiders.”
“What?” Ali mumbled, pushing herself away from the wall and stumbling a few steps forward.
“I’m kidding... Mostly...” Crys smiled. “No, seriously, what are you two doing here?”

The details of the next bit of conversation were somewhat lost to Jake, although he could somewhat understand the fact Ali was explaining to Crys what she and Evin had been discussing prior to their arrival. The only light into the little room they’d wandered into was a faint trace of torchlight coming from the lit areas of the temple. Even in that poor lighting, Jake still caught Evin’s gaze. The two men hadn’t exchanged two words in a very long time, and Jake wouldn’t blame anyone for assuming that it was all due to some remaining hostility; it wasn’t exactly. Not on Jake’s part at least. He simply found he had nothing to say to Evin most of the time, and yet... If anyone had been paying attention to the two men in that particular moment, they would have noticed that there was somewhat of an extensive conversation occurring between the two, which ended when Jacob averted his gaze and mumbled to Crys that he was going to see where Shadow was and how he was doing.

Crys turned her head to where Jake had been standing, the guy not waiting for an response from her before wandering off. She expected he wouldn’t just take Shadow and run off, but considering how difficult this situation was to face, she wouldn’t exactly blame him this time if he did. Turning back to Ali and Evin she sighed. “Well, I suppose it makes sense that someone was behind Perry, and I have a strong suspicion that someone is behind what happened here. If I had to put my money on someone it would be those weird people wandering about Blackpond. For what I hear people talk; the few ones who do, they sound like some type of cult and for what I hear they don’t take kindly to enlightened. We’ve drawn some attention from them since the Inn became operational, but we have been left alone, which leads me to believe they know who we are. I’ve been studying the possibility of sending someone into one of their establishments, but... Well... They know who we are.”
“The people with Red clothing?” Ali asked. “I’ve heard a couple of mentions in Newhaven, but sightings only. It seems they are not as active over there.”
“Well, there’s this house, outside Blackpond, the path is hidden, but enough people heard about it by now that they’ve searched for it. Nick told me of this drunken mercenary rambling about having made it inside. The guy said he just blinked and all of a sudden he was somewhere else entirely. He described it as a pitch black room, where ‘someone with the voice of a little girl’ interrogated him with nonsensical questions and then proceeded to slap him in the face with a dead fish when he got the answers wrong. We... Have not taken that very seriously. Other than that lunatic no one’s admitted to even wanting to go near the place. They’re scared of it.”

Setting

7 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Luckas Character Portrait: Crystal Rivers Character Portrait: Ess Character Portrait: Dastan Character Portrait: Jake Turner Character Portrait: Annie Turner Character Portrait: Indrani Nayar
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[Wolfpack Camp, Otium 16 - Afternoon]

“The Pack laws are clear, Ryan. When the Alpha dies without appointing a Second, the clan votes.”

“There’s no need to vote. Donovan is the obvious candidate.”

“He’s a kid!”

“So was Dani Rivers and she wasn’t the Second when she took over as Alpha.”

“With all due respect, Dani took over after all but a few full fledged Wolves had been eliminated. And the kid’s not Dani Rivers! He’s barely out of training.”

“We should call Crystal back.”

“She’s not coming back, Lawrence!”

Donovan was literally standing in the middle of a divided clan. His expression was empty despite the repeated arguments towards his lack of competence. It had taken him a while, but he had found all that Sean had left behind in the Leader’s Cabin. His brother’s wishes were beyond clear, and if it killed him, Donovan would see them met.

Doni,

I trust no one else. Not only with this, but with anything. As much as it pains me to admit, Bana had a point in killing our Seconds all this time, because; look around you. Look at what the Wolfpack has become now. The shattered pieces of what we used to stand for. I know in many ways I’ve caused this, but if you’re reading this, then it’s out of my hands to fix it. Do you want to know what made Dani the leader she was? Crystal? Their willingness to open up and bleed.

I didn’t appoint a Second in command because what the Wolfpack needs now is not someone’s sense of duty. What the Pack needs is someone willing to bleed. Someone willing to pour their own life into a shattered group of frightened men and women and make it whole again.

What the Pack needs is a willing sacrifice


Donovan opened his eyes to the sight of the entire clan staring at him, awaiting the answer to a question he hadn’t bothered to hear. The boy heaved a long sigh. “I don’t want to be Alpha,” he stated.

The argument resumed following his statement, every voice in the clearing speaking at the same time in a mess of blurred words and discord. Doni let it go on for about a minute before putting both index fingers to his lips and letting out an ear piercing whistle. “I’m not done talking.” He muttered, once the act managed to silence the crowds. “I don’t want to be Alpha, but I will.”

“With what authority?” Lawrence spoke up, stepping out of the crowd to stand before Donovan, the man towering over the teenage boy with a menacing sneer curling his lips.

Donovan smiled calmly, stopping Ryan with a gesture as his friend seemed ready to make the Instructor swallow his words. Doni put his hand in his pocket and fished the ring Crys had given him. He held the object for the clan to see. “Crys gave me this after Sean died...”

“She has no authority in the clan to appoint a new Alph-” Lawrence started, but was interrupted with yet another whistle from Donovan.

“Let me finish, will you?” Donovan snorted. He held out the ring in the palm of his hand. “I want you to look around you, Lawrence. I want you to look at this bunch of frightened, pathetic, broken, losers. At this pathetic excuse for a clan. These aren’t warriors. These aren’t Wolves; not anymore. They’re frightened children desperately searching for someone to blame. Like I said, I don’t want to be Alpha. I don’t want to stand here and say ‘this is my fault’, but I’m willing. I will. I’ll take that burden knowing what it means. So let me ask you, brother, do you want to be Alpha? Do you want this ring? Because if you do; take it.”

Lawrence shook in his resolve immediately. The entire encampment fell into a stunned silence at Donovan’s words. The teenager standing alone amongst hundreds of trained killers, whom he had just called pathetic in about three different ways, watching as the older man slowly backed away from him as though Donovan had him at sword point.

“Anyone?” Donovan offered. His tone was calm, his outstretched hand perfectly steady as he held out the silver ring. “Last chance.” He stated, giving a few more moments. “No?” Finally he closed his fist around the ring and lowered his hand. “Congratulations. You’ve all voted. Ryan is my Second from this moment forward. As for the rest of you; hold on to your ranks while you can. Starting tomorrow things are going to change.”

“What do you mean?” One of the younger actives questioned.

“I mean that Dani Rivers is buried. My brother is buried. And both left more than enough fuck ups to last a thousand lifetimes. Where power lies within this clan is only one of them.”

“You’re changing the clan’s Hierarchy?”

“Not literally, but in a sense.” Donovan answered. The boy snickered at the apprehensive looks being shot his way. “It’s not a concern right now. Those of you not in charge of security tonight, take the day to rest. Breathe. While you can.”

The stunned silence resumed as the clan dispersed. Donovan turned around, heading towards the leader’s cabin with Ryan one step behind. The clan didn’t accept; even less trusted him, but for now he only needed them to listen, to follow. All else would come to them with time. Or so he hoped.

------------

[Raven’s Nest, Otium 16 - Afternoon]

Jake was silent on the trip from Newhaven to the Nest. He wanted to get there as soon as possible and not dawdle on the way so he bound Rick’s wrists together and tied the man with a reasonable length of rope to Shadow’s saddle so that he was forced to keep up. For the most part Jake dragged the mad king behind him, uncaring whenever the man stumbled over his own feet. Why Rick was needed alive was beyond him; the King was barely functional, and even before that he was a worthless excuse of a man. Every now and again he shot a glance to Simon to make sure the man was following as well. As they drew near, Jake slowed Shadow enough that Rick could recover from his latest tumble and he could pay better attention to his unwanted company. “Tell me one thing, Simon... Lamya; what is she to your little group? I’ve met her, I believe, twice... And the only thing that was entirely clear to me is that the woman is insane. Not like good King Rick here; no, but not one word out of her mouth is to be trusted. I’d soon keep the company of a feral cat than someone like her.” Jake kept his eyes on the path as though not actually caring for an answer. “How does someone like that get to be elite in the Blackpond military? That is how you all started, isn’t it? It baffles me. Never took Hastings for a fool. An asshole and a drunk; sure, but not a fool.”

Simon could appreciate the silence that came with accompanying Jake Turner. From what he'd learned as a part of the Conflict, the Turners had a tendency towards stoicism. This was likely a result of the matriarch of the family. Helena Turner was a woman who only ever used her words when she felt there was something to gain from them. At least, that was the impression that Simon had got with the many scouting missions that Hastings had them take to the Healers. Her daughter might not have been the most silent of the bunch, but she was also a rebel in many ways through her childhood and even on into her adulthood. Jake, however, seemed to hold truer to Helena's image. That being said, Simon knew next to nothing about Jake besides what he'd gathered through adventuring his mind on the rare occasion that he could actually tap into Jake's mind.
The silence was suddenly broken when Jake chose to rant about Lamya. It was odd; well, not entirely. It was only odd that he would even choose to go on about this. It completely shattered the stoic attitude that Jake seemed so hard pressed to keep up. He may have seemed to be throwing away the question, but the verbal vomit gave away his morbid curiosity.
Simon thought about letting the question pass, letting it eat away at his psyche. It would have been fun, but he had no reason to keep the Conflict's secrets anymore. Simon's secrets were his own. They were the only ones that mattered.
“I'm sorry to disappoint you. I know some things about Lamya that you don't, but it only leads me to fear her even more. She acts like it’s all a game, but she speaks like her actions have no rhyme or reason. Even fighting to her looks like a game. She fights on a level beyond anyone else that I've ever met and it looks like a predator playing with its food when she really fights. I've never seen her lose a fight and I've never seen her take any of those fights seriously. Hastings feared her, Rory feared her, and clearly you fear her. If you don't, take it from someone who spent his life putting his trust in her: you should fear her.” He looked to see if Jake was even paying attention.

“You spent your life depositing your trust in someone you fear? That is, literally, the saddest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. I think now I might pity you.” Jake stated simply, his eyes fixed on the path still. “I don’t fear Lamya, Simon. I’ll admit that she invokes several different feelings in me, but I assure you fear is definitely not one. Even if she is all those things you say, and possibly more, she bleeds like everyone else.”

Jake pressed Shadow on, making the horse tug on Rick’s bindings; causing the man to stumble just because, returning to his silence for the most part. As much as Jake wanted to see Lamya bleed, as much as he believed the world safer without her, he genuinely didn’t believe her to be worth him going out of his way when he was needed by his crew and his family. If the opportunity presented itself however, he would sure as hell take it. “It is a sad thought... That a city like Blackpond would crumble like it did all in fear of one crazy woman.” Despite calling the situation ‘sad’, Jake couldn’t help the bit of laughter that escaped him at the sound of his own words. It sounded like a terrible joke told by a drunken bard. “Oh how the mighty have fallen,” he snorted.

The horse moved on and so did the world. Simon ignored Rick as he stumbled to keep up. Jake's attitude towards the king was understandable. Rick was nothing more a vestigial tumour in Jake's life. For that matter, Simon was not much better. They were merely two men with intersecting paths on the journey that lead them towards whatever end they were fated to meet. The dagger was what held the two together and as long as Simon needed the dagger, he would find himself in close proximity to Jake. Or at least hunted by him.
Rick made another grunt. This time, Simon looked back to make sure he was alright. He didn't care much for Rick. At least, not beyond the utility of the man. It was his hope that Simon's encounter with the other telepath within Rick's mind would be an opportunity to gain a complete sense of obedience within Rick. Making Rick Simon's servant would have made his life a lot easier. The other telepath was more of a problem than Simon had anticipated, though. Simon had to scramble Rick's mind in order to even have a chance at salvaging any sort of complacency in Rick.
He hoped that Rick would make it just a little while longer, but Simon feared that Rick wouldn't make it much longer until the sickness overtook him.
Simon had held out on Jake for long enough now. “I've looked into the mind of everyone I've ever had a conversation with. I'm looking at your mind right now. I can't control it. It isn't even something I really want to do most times. However, this allows me to have a unique insight into people that I'm sure not many get the pleasure of having. Most minds are like an open book. Unless you're insane, that is. The insane are like a maze. If I didn't know the path through Rick's mind, I don't know what I'd do. Lamya's mind is different than even that. It’s like she has no thoughts. No memories. Nothing. She may bleed like everyone else, but her mind is like no one else's and if that doesn't invoke any sort of fear in you, than I pity you.”

Jake snickered under his breath. “The mind shuts down when you die, Simon. Everything shuts down when you die. And as you and I both know... We’re all gonna die. Sooner or later. One way or another. Am I more pitiful than you for not living my life in fear of someone else’s mind? For surrendering my time to people I consider worthy of emotions far more valuable to me than fear? You’re surely entitled to your opinion.” He shrugged.

The rest of the trip was silent, but the Nest was not too far along the path and as soon as they crossed the borders of the Raven’s territory the three men were greeted by a pair of large wolves; a lean, rust colored male and a white fluffy female. Kaya dashed forward and immediately started to circle Jake and Shadow, sniffing at the horse’s legs and thoroughly annoying the animal. Ward, the rust colored pup, remained seated a bit ahead down the path. Jake stopped Shadow before the horse decided to kick his fluffy nuisance and jumped down from the horse, letting Kaya thoroughly inspect him and lick his face and hands. “Where’s your plush, Kaya? Did you leave it with Crys? Hm?” He asked the wolf, scratching her between her ears. “That’s a good girl, yes you are... Such a pretty girl...”

Once the white wolf seemed pleased enough with the affection given she turned her attention to Jake’s company. Her ears perked and her tail raising slightly, swishing from side to side as she approached them, sniffing. Jake allowed the wolf to explore freely as he untied Rick’s rope from Shadow and threw it at Simon as though handing him a dog’s leash. “Kaya, come here.” He called. Kaya immediately retreated to stand at Jake’s right, ears upright, her mismatched eyes staring up at him in wait of a command. Jake got on one knee and whispered to the wolf, his right hand pointing in Simon and Rick’s direction. Kaya darted towards the men, circling them both with a much more watchful demeanor; all her playfulness and curiosity now gone. “For as long as you’re under my responsibility, Kaya is going to be stuck to your asses wherever you go in this camp. She’s the calmest animal you’ll ever meet, but should you try and step one toe outside the limits of this camp she’ll immediately set off an alarm and hunt you down like rabbits. Another thing; there are children in this camp. You are to stay out of their path and most importantly keep Your Highness over there the hell away from them. Otherwise, you are free to roam. Consider yourselves our guests.”

-----------

[White Shadows Encampment, Otium 16 - early evening]

“Annie...”

“Hm.” Annie mumbled, acknowledging Emily’s voice but not looking at the girl as she walked from the archive to the children’s ward.

“Alistair said that the man who died, the Alpha, that he was your brother.”

“Half brother.” Annie corrected, glancing at the girl. “We shared a father, if one could even say that; I haven’t actually met the man. Why?”

“So that girl who died, his sister...”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry. That must be difficult.”

“It is. And if you tell anyone I admitted to that I’ll deny it.” Annie smiled at the girl and gave a half shrug. “I have a reputation too, you know.”

“I remember my brothers now.”

Annie stopped walking before reaching the children’s tent, the sound of excited chatter and Sora’s barks reaching them. “Enough to look for them?”

“There’s nothing to look for. One of them... Well... He hurt me. The other died.”

“And that’s all you remember?”

“I still don’t know where I’ve been or how I got here. Do you think it’ll come back? I... I don’t think I want it to. If I try to think about it, I feel sick.”

Annie sighed. “I can’t answer that with any amount of certainty, Emily. All I can do is try to help you; whatever happens. Though my mother would say that you shouldn’t be afraid, that if or when the memory comes back it’s because you decided it’s time to deal with it.”

“That’s... What I’m afraid of.” Emily mumbled.

Annie gave the girl’s shoulder a firm squeeze. “We’re all afraid of something.”

“I guess.” Emily half smiled. “I think... I’m going to skip on story time this once, if you don’t mind. I’m not feeling very well.”

-------

Jet black splinters of formerly unbreakable stone crashed down upon the earth with such force that the very foundations of Valcrest trembled upon impact. The deafening sound of the explosion created by the shattering of War’s dark armor combined with the God’s angered roars to create a sound that shook the very soul of every human present in the battle field. The shards flew in every direction, engulfed in crimson fire, scattering throughout the land and embedding themselves into its very core. The warriors of Blackpond fell to their knees and the Knights of Newhaven stayed their blades, such was their shock at the sight. The battle fell into absolute silence as the fallen God, now stripped of his armor, lay fallen on the bloodied ground.

War had never walked the mortal realm without his armor and those who dared glance at his defenseless form described it as the image of a large man with skin pale as ash and hair as black as the surface of his helm, glowing red eyes widened in what could be fear or rage; or both as he continued to scream into the winds. If there were words spoken amongst the wounded God’s roars, they were not in any language known to men.

Whether there were words amongst War’s anguished screams; calling to her, or it was the screaming itself that drew her, is unknown. What those present knew for certain, what they witnessed, was the silent figure of a young girl draped in white silk, golden light emanating from her eyes underneath locks of dark hair. Peace was now walking amongst the stunned warriors; dirt and gore staining the skin of her bare feet as well as the hem of her gown as she crossed the battlefield towards her fallen Brother; her steps calm and persistent.

The young Goddess’ presence caused every soldier in her path to drop their weapons, the battle now forgotten, as they stood in awe of her. This was the closest Peace had ever ventured to the walls of Blackpond, the two siblings never before seen in each other’s company since their arrival in Valcrest. It had been the people’s assumption that there was resentment between them, as there would sometimes be amongst human siblings, but the truth was that they knew nothing of Gods and their ways.

Peace appeared small, fragile, kneeling beside her Twin, but she seemed to have no trouble pulling the fallen God partially onto her lap, cradling his massive form in her arms in a gentle embrace. Peace spoke to her brother, her words sounding to the humans present as unintelligible whispers, her tone gentle and soothing. Gradually the fallen God’s screams faded as though his Sister’s words could somehow ease his pain.

A long time passed and soon there was no longer sound in the ravaged battlefield; no screams, no whispers, not even the breaths of those surrounding the two Twins were heard. Finally War closed his eyes and breathed for one last time, his form disintegrating into specks of golden ash, slipping through his Sister’s hands and fading in the winds. Peace remained kneeled upon the filthy ground for a few moments still, her gaze rose to the skies and the trace of a smile could be seen briefly crossing her delicate features. At last she stood, and as calmly as she had arrived, she now took her leave from the battlefield; the blood and grime coating the previously white silk gown the only remains of the fallen God of War.


Annie looked around as she finished telling the story. There was absolute silence within the white canvas of the tent. Not the children, nor the apprentices had made a sound while the young healer read and silent they had remained once she had finally closed the book to end the story session. One of the younger patients had asked an apprentice earlier that day about death and whether or not there was an afterlife... The girl had been at a loss for words, which in these sorts of situation is quite understandable, and Annie decided that the story might be a good idea. It didn’t necessarily speak of Death or the Beyond, however it spoke greatly of the act of dying; of letting go, and Annie believed it to be the most frightening part of the process. The most difficult even for adult minds to bear. She didn’t ask the children what, if anything, they had learned from the story; she expected they would draw their conclusions and ask what they needed to ask.

“Is this why you give people who are dying a ‘blessing’?” One of the smaller boys asked finally, breaking the silence. “Is that the same thing Peace was doing?”

Annie nodded, watching with the corner of her eye as Irvin stood up and left the tent in a hurry. “Some people think that if a healer prays; calls, to Her on their behalf then Peace will whisper to them and ease their fears. Others just want to hear comforting words, or simply not be alone when they die.”

“Is it true,” Kieran cut in, “that you can only really feel at peace when you die?”

“Some people believe that. I don’t.” Annie shrugged. “I think people expect things like Peace and happiness to be constant; absolute, and so they don’t truly acknowledge the fact that these things exist already in their lives within moments. Death is only that, Kieran; one final moment. It can mean whatever you want it to mean. It doesn’t have to be painful, it doesn’t have to be frightening. It doesn’t even have to be the end.”

“Aren’t you afraid to die, Miss Annie?”

Annie sighed at the young boy’s question. “We’re all a little bit of afraid, Joshua, and no one really wants to die, but whenever Lady Death comes for me, I trust that I’ll be ready.”

--------------

“Irvin, we can’t be here right now. We need to get to the White Shadows. You need to move.”
Jake grabbed Irvin by the arm and shoved him into the trees. “Kid! Move! Now!”

Irvin walked the path for a few miles, but stopped again. “You promised to help me get him! You said...”

“I said I would help you.” Jake corrected him. “That’s what I’ve been doing. It’s what I’m still doing.”

“That’s not the kind of help I needed, Killer! What I wanted; what I needed, was to make him pay.”

“And he will, Irvin. There’s no reason why your life needs to end with his.”

“That’s not your decision; or your business, Jake!”

“Yes, it is my business, Kid. It is my business because I started this. You want someone to hate, you want someone to punish with your own two hands, then I’m here. I put the knife in his hand, I watched him breaking and I did nothing. I wanted someone to pay and I didn’t care who else got hurt. I did. Me. You think you know what you saw, but you don’t, Irvin... Forget who he is now, or whatever else he’s done, that day; on that one day, Sean was just another casualty; same as you. I’m the bad guy in this story. And you’re in denial, because you think it takes the kind of person Sean is now to go that far, but it doesn’t. That’ll be you in ten years if you don’t stop and reevaluate.”

Irvin shook his head, not wanting to listen. Jake was going to say something else, but stopped when he heard movement, lowering his tone. “We can finish this later, right now we need to get going.”

When Jake tried to pull Irvin along with him, the boy pulled his arm from his grasp and punched him in jaw. Jake didn’t even seem to feel the punch and responded by striking Irvin in return and then dragging him along the path by the collar. “Sorry, Kid... We don’t have time for this.”


Irvin had left the tent as soon as Annie finished with her story, not wanting to hear any more of it. He hadn’t told Darren anything of what happened between him and Jake and only really agreed to come along to the story so he didn’t have to talk.The bruise on the left side of his face was stinging still; not to mention his knuckles. The pain was a reminder of a lot of things he wished had never happened. He couldn’t ignore it as well as he had ignored everything else for the past six years of his life. This was a bad idea. All of it. Maybe he would have been better in prison doing that psychotic redhead’s bidding after all; at least he’d be having fun. Irv sighed, walking aimlessly and not paying attention to his surroundings, purposely ignoring one of the healers as the man asked if he was alright, only stopping when he felt himself collide with someone at full force. “Sorry,” he muttered, not sounding sorry in one bit, but stopping and turning to help the girl he knocked over; or so he intended, but when he caught sight of her he immediately froze in place. “Ems?”

The girl looked up at Irvin with wide eyes, crawling backwards away from him and shuffling to her feet. “Can’t be...” She muttered, rubbing her temples. “Can’t...”

“Emily...” Irvin called, taking a step forward, but stopping when Emily retreated. “Come on, it’s me... I’m your brother...”

“No... Nononono...” She whimpered, turning her back to Irvin and wandering off as though trying to ignore a very persistent hallucination.

“Ems...” Irvin called, starting off after his sister. “Ems, stop, talk to me... What happened? Hey...” He ran a few steps to catch up to her and grabbed her wrist. “Stop, please.”

Emily pulled her arm out of Irvin’s grip. “Don’t... Touch me! Leave me a alone!”

“Emily... What...”

“You’re not my brother!” Emily shouted. “My brother’s dead!”

Irvin flinched, not knowing what to say or how to ease his little sister’s distress. “I... Ems...” He mumbled, once again trying to reach out to his sister only to stop in his tracks when she retreated away from him like a frightened infant, tears pooling in her eyes and rolling down her cheeks.He didn’t know if she was in denial, or if truly didn’t recognize him, and he didn’t know what to do or say to help the situation. “I’m not dead.” He spoke softly. “Allan lied to you, Emmy. They just took me to prison. I was fine.”

Emily shook her head, once again rubbing her temples as though it hurt her to think. “No, no, no... I remember... I don’t... I can’t...” She groaned closing her eyes tight. “I don’t know.”

Some of the children had run out of the tent at the commotion, someone had called out for Annie, and the rest of the healers were standing around almost as stunned as Irvin, not sure whether to treat the situation as though he was harassing the girl or as though it was a personal matter, only watching that it not escalate to anything possibly harmful.

“Look at me. Emily, look at me...” Irvin pleaded, “I’m right here.”

“Why? Why are you hurting me? Leave me alone...” She mumbled, eyes still shut tight, hands clutching the sides of her head.

Irvin opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He was staring at the distraught girl in complete and utter shock. He was only startled out of his stupor when someone walked right past him in a blur. Annie had walked a straight line to Emily, wrapping one arm around the girl’s shoulders and starting to lead her away. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll deal with you in a minute.” She spoke over her shoulder at Irvin.

Irv stood there until both girls were out of sight, finally hiding his face in his hands and letting out a muffled cry. The boy sighed, running his hands over his eyes and through his hair. “She’s alive... She’s safe...” He whispered to himself, trying to take comfort in the fact even though the look in his little sister’s eyes was causing him a searing pain in the pit of his stomach.

------------

[Blackpond Inn, Otium 17th - Morning]

“Where are you going, Boss?” Nick called cheerfully, watching Crys head for the door of the Inn.
“Nicholas...” Crys muttered, stopping and turning to face the man. “I’ve told you not to call me that. I don’t like it, alright?” She warned calmly. “I’m going to pay someone a visit. I don’t plan on being away too long. If someone comes looking for me you tell them to come back tomorrow, unless it’s a friend; if it’s a friend you can let them wait if they like.”

“Okay... How am I supposed to know if they’re a friend?” Nick questioned seeming a bit confused.

“Be a good judge of character, Nicky; that’s what I pay you for.” Crys smirked, not waiting for the man to respond before leaving the Inn.

“I want a raise!” Nick shouted after her, snorting as the door closed. “You don’t even pay me anything, crazy woman...” He mumbled under his breath.

The Inn was rarely quiet during the day even when Crys was out, but on this particular day the recruits were training out of city with a couple of the other assassins and the place was completely empty aside from himself. So after a couple of hours of absolutely nothing to do, Nick started stacking empty bottles on the counter in the shape of a pyramid.

Essence had managed to ‘convince’ her wolf companions to remain outside the city, which was not an easy feat by any means. She didn’t think cake would be a good bribe or if they would even understand, but nevertheless she promised it to them. Tala and Beo had managed to follow her every step of the way from the Nest to the desert and now to Blackpond. Ess had wanted them to remain in camp, but the wolves seemed uneasy and so she lost that small battle. She couldn’t refuse the company though on the long ride towards the city, her heart weighing heavy from her visit with Dastan. Ess may not have known the man or his people long or very well, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the party at the Nest just before the eclipse. She wanted to make sure to pay her respects and to make sure Dastan knew he had another friend in her, even if he felt he didn’t deserve it.

Instead of going right back to camp the following day, she felt she needed some more time away; preferably around a female. The Captain was almost never around lately, Deidra was still off doing Twins knew what, and Ess started to feel a bit whelmed with the majority of male friends she had. Not that she didn’t appreciate them, but she really needed a woman’s perspective on things and who better to understand her without even having to speak a word, than Crystal. So since she had never been to the tavern before and perhaps a small part of her hoped to run into Luckas there, she made it her sole mission to waste as much of her day as she could and procrastinating before she had to go back to camp.

Ess kept looking over her shoulder as she walked the streets of Blackpond, unconvinced that the wolves were behaving and staying to the woods. Still they were nowhere in sight when she reached the tavern and stepped inside. As per her habits, she was focusing her enlightenment to mirror a freckled skin teenager with chin length, brown hair, a small button nose and thin lips. She was dressed in black leggings, boots, sleeveless red shirt, and fully equipped to the teeth. Ali’s bow was strung over her back, the quiver of arrows at her right hip, while her left hip carried her relic blade. She simply smiled at the curious bottle tower that was being built, making her way towards the counter where she proceeded to unload several daggers across the bar top and carefully lean her bow along the counter’s edge beside her.

“Anything vintage on the shelf? Or maybe something sweet, handsome? Or am I interrupting your masterful puzzle you have going over there?”

Nicholas had climbed up in one of the bar stools and was placing the last bottle on the top of his tower when the door opened, breaking his concentration. The bottle slipped from the man’s hand and he managed to somehow catch it with his left foot and keep himself balanced on the stool. “Ta-da!” he exclaimed playfully, kicking the bottle up in the air and catching it in his hand as he jumped off from the stool. His gaze quickly observing the weapons laid over the counter and the girl who just entered. “We’re closed, love... You look to me a bit too young to be drinking anyways... If you’d like I could arrange for a glass of warm milk, however.” He offered with an amused smirk, placing the bottle gently on the counter and casually pulling a strand of dark red hair away from his green eyes. “Anything else I may be of help with, love?”

“Closed?” Ess purred, dropping a small pouch of coin next to a couple of her daggers. “Closed to paying customers? Since when?” She turned so that she was leaning one arm along the counter, crossing her legs in a dainty fashion so that her boot heel tapped the wooden wall of the counter. “Such an interesting world we live in, where a person may be old enough to fight in a war; old enough to take a life, but not old enough for alcohol.” Ess let her violet gaze casually drink in the man before her, her smile extending from ear to ear. She eased up on some of her focus, letting her dimples show through her facade as her eyes sparkled devilishly at her current companion. “Would it help if I looked a few years older?” Ess shook her hair playfully so that tiny red curls materialized and grew from her brown locs. When she was still once more, her skin was darker, aged as if from too much sun exposure and yet she still chose to keep the same adorable freckles one could almost connect into an image similar to the constellation of the stars. “Now...about that drink..”

Nick snorted a bit of a laugh. “Well, I don’t make the rules, sweetie, I just follow ‘em... Sort of.” He grinned, not seeming too fazed by Ess’ face changing right before his eyes. “I’m going to be very honest with you now, Miss Essence... For future reference if you’d like to not cause anyone trouble...” The man started while pouring Ess a drink, his eyes flashing slightly as the glass floated away from his hand in the woman’s direction. “If you hadn’t been carrying Ali’s handy work with you I would have pushed you out the door by now for not stating your business.” He nodded towards the bow. “And Twins forbid it ever became known to Jake Turner that I denied his sister a drink... I have a pretty face, I’d like to keep it that way” The man faked a frightful expression and chuckled. “I take it you’ve come for our fearless leader? I’m not sure when she’ll be back, but my instructions are that friends are welcome to wait.” Nicholas poured himself a drink and nodded politely. “Don’t think we’ve actually met though, have we? I’m Nick, the Innkeeper, at your service.” Nick emptied his glass and took a rather exaggerated bow.

Ess’ eyes brightened at the floating glass as it approached, happily gripping the drink and tossing it back. She took a moment to relish how the liquid seemed to satisfy and swell her thirst at the same time, before pushing the glass back over towards Nick for a refill. “I don’t state my business to those I don’t know, to be fair. For all I knew, you could have been a spy.” She snickered, letting a bit more of the mirage fade, giving way to more details of her true face. It was as if piece by piece, an extravagant puzzle was slowly coming together. “And I did tell you my business. Honestly, I just need a friendly face and since your leader is away, I suppose you will do until she returns. You do have pretty eyes.” Ess sighed, letting her fingers trail over her collarbone to find the leather tie to her necklace, her nails tracing the outline of the oak design. “Nick, is it? Can you make anything float?”

“Oh, but I am a spy. Whether or not I would spy on you, now that’s a different matter.” He smirked, refilling both glasses and returning Ess hers by the same methods as before. “I hear you’ve got your fill of stalkers by now however, so I’ll try to contain myself for you benefit. I’m a gentleman that way.”

When Ess questioned whether he could make anything float, Nick once again emptied his glass and then climbed onto the countertop, standing on the edge, arms spread as though he was standing at the edge of a cliff. The man closed his eyes and over-dramatically stepping forward, opening one and peeking around as though surprised at himself when he simply continued walking as though standing on an invisible bridge. With a calm shrug the man sat down, still floating in thin air. “Anything.” He answered simply.

Ess’ smile dwindled, thinking on how much Nick, who was rightly a stranger to her, knew about her. She stared at her floating glass a moment longer than intended before taking it in her hand, this time sipping her drink. “..I am still getting use to this..friends and family thing...but I don’t think I like the idea of people I don’t know, so familiar with particulars of my life.” Ess shrugged. “At this point, what’s one more stalker, really? My number one, black eyed friend though is quite the jealous type, so to not make trouble for you, I suggest not taking up that hobby.”

Essence looked up from her glass, absently swirling the liquid around in its tiny prison, her smile returning when Nick stood on the counter and proceeded to float in midair. Placing her glass down on the counter, she giggled, showing her appreciation by clapping at the display. “I’m a bit jealous, I think. You must be quite popular with the ladies, no? To literally sweep some sweet girl off her feet; to float away in someone’s arms, safe from the world
” She rested her elbow on the counter, her fingers twirling and tugging at her loose curls as they further unraveled across her shoulders, letting her mirage disappear completely. “I bet you’re quite ‘light on your feet’ when dancing, no?” Ess snorted at her subtle joke, her attention falling back on her drink.

Nicholas chuckled, slowly descending onto the ground and staring up at Essence with a sweet smile. “Oh, don’t worry now, I’m very discreet. It is a part of my job to know things about people however. I’m sure you realize Crys wouldn’t waste a talented guy such as myself on simple bartending duties. She’s a smart lady like that.” The man winked playfully. “Oh I’m aware of your favorite stalker, Miss. Are you very possessive of him, though? I won’t lie he’s quite adorable, especially when he gets that confused puppy look in his eyes.” Nick snorted in slight amusement at his own words. Nicholas stood up and poured himself another drink. “I am quite an exquisite dancer, that’s true. Perhaps I’ll attend your next birthday party and you’ll see for yourself, hm?”

“I trust..Crystal, so I guess that will have to satisfy my concerns.” She stated simply with a shrug, finishing off her drink and holding out her glass towards Nick for a refill. “How much are you aware of my stalker?” Ess cleared her throat, uncrossing and recrossing her legs to adjust her comfort. Her eyes flashed suddenly when Nick commented on how adorable Luckas was, her gaze trailing calmly around the Inn as if she were more interested in the decorating than the conversation. “I suppose I am just as possessive of him as he is of me, to be fair.” She squinted her eyes as if glaring at something in particular before returning her sweet smile towards Nick. “The puppy look gets frustrating after a while; trust me. You won’t have to wait another year for a birthday party, if there is one that is. See, my birthday is actually in the Winter time, at some point. Jakey and I just have a tradition of sorts, I guess, to celebrate our birthdays at the same time. Next party then, you’ll save me a dance?”

Nick chuckled, shaking his head as though slightly disappointed at Ess’ statement that she was just as possessive of Luckas. “All the good ones are taken, I swear...” He playfully complained. “How aware? Well, he visits. So we’ve met. Aside from that, Jake asked me to keep him under watch around Crys, as a favor, and told me he was a rather clingy friend of yours. I just... Sensed his tone... Mostly. He didn’t give me any particulars.” The man shrugged dismissively. “He’s not caused any form of trouble and is eventually fun to converse with. Crys seems to find his visits amusing. So I see no issue with letting him hang around here.” Smiling and bowing slightly Nick adopted a rather solemn tone as he promised. “I will save you my first dance of the evening, Milady. I give you my word as a gentleman.”

“Aw, now I’m sure I could introduce you to some charming and handsome bachelors. Not ALL the good ones are taken, but sometimes it does seem like that.” Ess snickered, winking at Nick. “Probably why I’m attracted to the bad ones.” She seemed to relax when Nick briefly mentioned what he exactly knew about Luckas, nodding along slowly with his words. “Lovely!” Ess giggled, standing to reach for the bottle and pour herself a drink. “My son is an excellent dancer, but a girl can use a change of scenery. I don’t think dancing is much of Luckas’ cup of tea; or perhaps it was the crowd thing. You know, I didn’t even get to dance with my own brother.” Ess shook her head in an over exaggerated expression of disbelief. Pausing in refilling her glass she stared at Nick a moment, an amusing memory coming back to her as she backtracked on the conversation a bit. “You know, I always wanted to fly or ‘float’ and Jakey knows that, and well funny thing, one day while we were sparring he went all invisible on me. I’m getting better at finding him, but still need to work on it. Anyways, I heard him trip over something, who knows what, and leap at him, apparently clinging to his back so to the onlooker it looked like I was floating.” Ess laughed, sipping her drink. “You know, it also looked like I was being bucked off an invisible horse too. Anyways, I will hold you to your promise Nick. And please, you can call me Ess.”

“Tsk, tsk, those boys... You say neither asked you for a dance? Well, I’m going to give them a talking to when I see them again.” Nick nodded at his own words. “I got your back, sister.” Nicholas winked playfully as he poured himself another drink. “Heh, Jakey... Jakey... Did he ever tell you ‘bout the time, a couple of years into his training, Sean dared him to make the wall he was leaning against turn invisible? The wall was to a girl’s bedroom... She was changing her clothes... So she screamed and called Jake a pervert for the entire camp to hear. Took months for people to forget it. He was furious with Sean.” The man snorted a laugh. “Dani sat him down to talk about girls and boundaries, he said it was the most embarrassing moment in his life.”

Going silent for a moment Nick examined Ess with his eyes as if very literally weighing her. “You’d like to float, Ess? That can be arranged.” He offered.

“Aw, now don’t be too hard on Luckas. I think he was in poor spirits that day and didn’t seem to know about the party. I bet Jake ’Forgot’ to tell him about it. He really does dislike Luckas.” She snorted, some of her drink coming back out her nose as she laughed at Nick’s story of Jake. “Noooo...What? He never told me that, but I can see why. I didn’t know Jakey could do that..hmm.” Ess coughed through a breath and refilled her glass once again, drinking half of its contents down. “I would have been furious too if I was Jake. Poor Jakey. He grew up with girls as a strong influence so I’m sure that whole thing bothered him. So, I take it you’ve known Jake for a little while then?” Ess smiled nodding towards Nick’s offer to make her float, her cheeks flushing slightly from embarrassment. “Well, how bout we save that for the dance, hmm? You and I Nick, I bet we could make some jaws drop.”

Giggling into her glass, her voice echoed , the sound of her laugh coming off darker than it was meant to. “But Jakey..he’s always wanted to do the right thing, you know? First day I met him, he must have been about seven years old and me? Gosh, I must have been thirteen or fourteen and he witnessed something terrible happen to me. Even then, he tried to save me even before he knew me.” Ess’ smile faded, her tone a bit nostalgic as she withheld her amusement with the change of subject. “He could have been killed, but that was a day I remember that changed a lot for me.”

Nick shook his head laughing. “Poor Jakey. Think he was probably already interested in Crys back then, must’ve not been a comfortable situation, getting ‘the talk’ from her mom.” The man sighed softly, still chuckling, but at the same time seeming slightly saddened by the memory. “I’ve known Jake a while yes... We were the outlanders in camp at that time, me and my brother Justin arrived about a year and a half after Jake into the Pack, and Ali a little while after that. All other recruits had been born into the clan at that time. We didn’t exactly hang around the same people back then though; oddly I only got to know the two of them better after the exile. Well, actually, Ali and Justin were friends, but Justin and I were not getting along at the time and then he... Died...” The man paused scratching the back of his head and laughing awkwardly. “I’m sorry, that took a bit of a depressing turn, didn’t it?”

“I know what it is to lose family.” Ess nodded, giving Nick a playful shove against his shoulder. “Hey, no apologies necessary. It was probably my fault anyways from bringing up death and stuff. Besides, us redheads are a bit erratic when it comes to emotions sometimes and we need to stick together.” She smiled softly, turning the conversation some in a different direction. “Nick, how have you been feeling? I mean, you know...the sickness and all. Do you get nightmares or sleepwalk? I keep getting told to go visit the healers, but honestly, what are they going to do? No one seems to know what is going on, so just seems like a waste of their time. Probably why I haven’t gone.” Ess turned her glass upside down, hanging it over her head as she turned her face upwards, mouth open to let the last droplets of the liquor fall onto her tongue.

Nick smiled appreciatively at Ess for her support, letting the subject rest there. The man leaned against the counter, wincing as the gesture caused the bottle tower to sway. It didn’t fall, thankfully, so he seemed to immediately forget about it. “I haven’t felt anything yet. Doesn’t seem to matter though... One of the healer boys died a couple of months back without presenting any symptoms, he just... Had a fit and...” Nick stopped himself and chuckled. “Damn it, here comes the death and stuff again.” The man snorted slightly as if mentally scolding himself, but then shrugged. “I think they’re asking people to go more to collect as much information on those afflicted as possible. Main reason why they can’t figure it out is that it acts so differently from individual to individual... They’ve been doing their best to alleviate symptoms as well... Maybe give some people a release from pain or a restful night’s sleep here and there... Hasn’t helped Jake much though for what I hear...”

“Lady Death is not to be ignored so probably why she always has a knack for coming up in conversation, hmm?” Ess sighed, nodding along to Nick’s telling of the healer’s sudden death, Darren having been the one who had relayed that story to her. She went over the idea again in her mind that maybe it was sort of an obligation of hers to indeed visit the Healers, if even just to give them some feedback on what she was experiencing. No one could really make her sit there and be poked or prodded in an examination unless she trusted the person enough to endure it. Forcing a smile she leaned in close towards Nick as if to make sure no one else heard her, even though they were still indeed alone in the Inn. “..Maybe I’ll go, if not just to visit Annie at the very least, I mean she is kind of family. Maybe if there were some adorable Healers to stare at I wouldn’t feel so awkward. Are there any sweets gentle enough of the eyes?” Her last words were more teasing, trying to mask the uneasiness the visit did stir inside her. Ess reached for her necklace at the mention of Jacob, all amusement fading, shifting her gaze back towards her empty glass. “..It’s taking a toll on my brother and he just keeps piling more responsibility onto his plate and..I just hope...I’m not the reason if or when
” She cleared her throat, a dry almost manic chuckle escaping her as it was apparently her turn to bring up death again. “Stubborn bitch..” She whispered, shaking her head. “For the most part, I tend to sleep better when a certain someone visits. I just don’t wake up to EVERY noise or seem to have as many nightmares as compared to when I am alone. Funny
”

Nicholas nodded at Ess’ comment about Jake as if disagreeing, but didn’t say anything about it, and focused on her question about healers “Ooh, you’d want Alistair. He’s a piece of eye candy that man. A bit grouchy as of late, and it’s probably a bad idea to ask to see his scars, but he is a good looking man. Mhm.” Nick smiled reassuringly. “Annie would probably want to see you herself though, you being family and all. I’m sure you’ll get along... It’s nearly impossible to not like that kid.”

Nick pretty much stumbled into a bar stool, somehow managing to remain seated and not fall over, the bottles that were piled on top of the counter however tumbled over and crashed behind the counter causing the man to wince and then fall into a fit of giggles. “Crap. Crys won’t like that very much.” He chuckled. “Where is she? She’s been out for hours... Said she was gonna pay someone a visit... Hope she’s not getting into trouble somewhere.” The man shook his head, going behind the counter to pick up the broken glass. “It’s natural to sleep better when there’s someone you trust around to check under your bed for monsters.” He stated casually.

“Alistair, hmm?” Ess waggled her eyebrows and chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind. Why on earth would someone ask to see another’s scars? That is a bit rude, no? If someone did that to me, I’d probably show them, by displaying fresh ones on the one inquiring.” She smiled innocently, the color in her eyes strobing in bright shades of violet before falling dark once again. When Nick stumbled, Ess automatically reached outwards, as if she were going to steady the man, her eyes widening as the bottles came down with a crash. “Are you always this graceful? Should I be worried about letting you lead when we dance?” Ess stretched herself over the counter, lazily rolling over and off to the other side to grab a broom she caught out of the corner of her eye, quietly trying to help Nick clean up his mess. “You can always say it was my fault for the bottles.” She played, giving Nick a wink, her smile only widening. “Did Crys have Kaya with her? If so, Tala and Beo may have found her. Just a thought because I left them outside the city. I’m not very discreet with two wolves following me everywhere. Beo doesn’t seem to get how to be inconspicuous yet, or maybe he just doesn’t care. I forgot to ask him.”

Nicholas smiled in silent appreciation when Ess started to help clean up the mess of broken bottles, shaking his head at her offer to take the blame for it. “No, I couldn’t say that. It was my mistake after all. I’m not allowed to play with bottles.” Nick smiled, and amused expression crossing his features. “Crys took Kaya to Blackwell yesterday... You should have seen the commotion in that man’s workshop, I thought he was going to explode. Today though she sent her off with the recruits to train. She’s really good at keeping them in line. It’s almost the same as if Crys was there herself.” He arched an eyebrow. “Why is it offensive to want to see a person’s scars? I’d show you mine if you want.” He offered, giving Ess a playful wink. “I was clearly not being serious, there was no reason to overreact over a silly joke. People need to lighten up, is what I think.”

Nick moved to pick up a bucket and drop the glass shards into it. “I get it that I probably touched a nerve. In the end though, we’ve all gone through some horrible shit in our pasts, I don’t carry my anger around to throw it at people when they push my buttons; trust me, I could. I don’t take kindly of others when they do it to me.”

At this point the door opened and Crys entered, stopping as soon as she crossed the doorway and frowning severely. “Were you making a bottle tower again, Nicholas?”

“I’m cleaning it up.” Nick sighed.

“It’s the third time you’ve done this.” She scolded. “You’re obviously terrible at it, and you’re breaking all my bottles.”

“Take ‘em off my pay.... Boss.” Nick smirked.

“Don’t push your luck, mister.” Crys snorted, moving to sit in one of the bar stools and smiling. “Ess, how fortunate to find you here. Have you been waiting long?”

Ess snorted, trying to imagine what kind of commotion Kaya caused when visiting Blackwell, a small ping of anxiety swelling inside her as she began to miss her own furry companions. She swept some shards of glass into a small pile and carefully picked them up to put them in the bucket. “How can you not find it rude to ask something so personal of a question, as to an origin to their scars?” Ess glanced at Nick a bit surprised, but shrugged. “You seem like a pretty nice guy Nick but perhaps I am just not a very nice woman. I don’t try to mask that I’m sensitive, but then again, I didn’t kill Luckas when he asked me about this..” Ess smiled, pointing to the dark scar at her left cheek. “So I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t unleash my demons on you either. Maybe it’s the manner in which someone asks then. Scars can be sexy, so maybe I take it close to heart just as I would with unwanted advances.”

Essence held her smile even after Crys entered, shaking her head at her scolding to Nick and his bottle tower. “His tower was actually pretty darn adorable.” She giggled, dropping a few more shards into the bucket before hopping over the counter and seating herself next to Crys. Snaking one arm through Cry’s arm, she gave the woman a half hug before releasing her hold. “Fortunate how? And no, I haven’t been waiting too long, I don’t think. Nick has been pleasant company, helping to pass the time. He is a redhead after all. I bet he could be part of the club, except you know, he’s a boy.” She winked over at Nick playfully, returning her attention to Crys. “I just came from paying Dastan a visit and I guess there are some new ‘wrinkles’ that have come to light, that I feel I need to discuss with someone who isn’t my crazy stalker or crazy brother. But, where are my manners.. How have you been doing these past couple days?”

“I wasn’t legitimately asking, but even if I was... Could always just not answer or say no. If someone wants to get offended fine, but that’s not really my fault for trying to be playful. I guess I’d just rather be judged by my intentions rather than my unfortunate choices.” Nicholas shrugged, picking the last of the bottle shards and dropping them onto the bucket. “Want a drink, Boss?”

“No, I’m good, Nick... And don’t call me that; I won’t warn you a third time.” She scolded. “And perhaps you should make less unfortunate choices so people wouldn’t judge you so harshly, just a thought.”

Nicholas laughed softly. “Fair enough. I suppose I am responsible for my unfortunate choices after all.” He gave Ess an exaggerated bow. “Lady Essence...” He snorted a laugh. “I’ll leave you two to talk. It’s about nap time anyway, I’ve got a long night ahead of me.”

“Have a good sleep Nick.” Crys smiled at the man as he awkwardly stumbled up the stairs. She turned to face Essence, chuckling as the man audibly tripped over his own feet and cursed quite loudly. “Poor boy, he shouldn’t be drinking right now. He’s been up for two days straight. I’ll probably have someone else take over the bar tonight.” Crys paused as if to make sure Nick hadn’t hurt himself before speaking further. “I just came back from that Sam woman’s house. We had an interesting chat. I thought you’d be interested.”

Ess chuckled at Nick as he took his leave, smiling over at Crys. “I like him. He makes me smile. To be fair, I may have indirectly encouraged the drinking. I think we finished off an entire bottle.” Ess tried to mask a small hiccup, her fingers trailing over her daggers that were still placed in a somewhat orderly fashion along the bar counter. She slightly tensed, keeping her smile and light hearted tone when Crystal mentioned having a chat with Sam, the idea actually quite surprising to her. Internally she cringed at the name, her cheeks flushing a deep red as her eyes narrowed. “I take it you had a chat with Jacob? What did Sam have to say? I mean was it the kind of chat you had with Sheila?” Ess laughed, the tone dry and filled with a certain sense of hopeful irony.

Crys laughed in amusement. “No, not quite like Sheila. We had tea and biscuits... and quite an unexpectedly civilized conversation. She avoided questions about her ‘associates’ and their businesses, but when I questioned her about child slavery she mentioned Asher as an associate of an associate. She advised me to ask Darren about his whereabouts. If they are, and I suspect they may be, keeping tabs on Asher’s associates you may want to let Darren know. She didn’t say it but she doesn’t sound pleased with the man at all. She said she would gladly hand him over to me and she meant it.” Crys ran her fingers through her hair and frowned slightly. “There was one more thing that caught my attention. She told me a story that she claimed is the only she has of her mother, the... Story mentioned dragons traveling far from home to lay their eggs... Your father’s story mentioned a dragon egg, didn’t it?”

Ess sat in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time, as she went over her conversation with Luckas the night of her birthday party. There were relevant bits of knowledge that she felt she needed to share with Crystal but she was honestly afraid of it coming off as betrayal of sorts, at the same time; not to mention how this would look if Jacob heard it. Finally she leaned in, lowering her voice to almost a whisper, even though they were clearly alone in the room. “I need to invoke a Sister-Sister confidentiality where Luckas is concerned, granted there is plenty I’m not revealing but..” Ess let out a long sigh.

“Jake told you about Sam and I’s conversation, correct? That night, after I left you and Jakey, I had a long conversation with Luckas. Some things I was told in confidence and I can’t break that trust...however, there are some things that should be discussed. I read Asher’s journal and there are specific mentions of his ‘associate’ that has ties to his business and the fire at my village and my abduction; they are described in terms of a dragon. The symbol, Ali opened our eyes to, of the sword and eye, is in that journal.” Ess hesitated a moment, dwelling on what she should say and which she should keep private before continuing. “Sam said to me, basically that she had Luckas’ memories erased and so I asked Luckas about it. He said, that Sam explained it as a precaution to protect him from her father, who is no longer alive. Something happened to Luckas, it’s not clear exactly, but he said Sam’s father was working to sell him and his brother as weapons to NewHaven at one point when they were just children. I..don’t get that because they were just children, right? How could they be weapons? Apparently that idea failed and he was going to have Luckas and his brother killed, which obviously was evaded. Which brings me to the rumors and things I read in Asher’s journal. I think Asher worked with Sam’s father when he was alive. There are clues linking that idea, so it is possible. Asher clearly didn’t like the person mentioned who took over when his associate ‘passed”...maybe if it is Sam, they were not seeing eye to eye on business.” She shrugged. “I don’t believe for one second though she would just hand Asher over, at least alive.”

Ess ruffled up her loose curls that tickled her forehead and groaned. “When I was in the city before, when I killed Ian, I was in a place where Luckas was approached by a dark skinned man and I caught his name as Zeke, but Luckas was in a rush to get me out of there and soon after met up with me. He didn’t want to answer questions except enlightened were not welcome in that establishment and that he was leading people to believe he was someone else. All of this really seems strange and may not look good, which is why I would appreciate your discretion on certain details with Jacob, until more facts arise.” Ess let out another long sigh, her breath shaky as if she was feeling nervous, tiny beads of sweat appearing at her brow. She bit through her anxiety, refocusing back on Asher once again, but in all truth to the matter, the idea of the man twisted her stomach even more.

“I really find it amusing that Sam wants to give up Asher when she just reminds me of him so much. It is in their mannerisms and how they both seem...territorial about certain things or people. Maybe that’s part of the issue. Maybe, because what he is involved in is no longer a secret, she wants him disposed of. Maybe Sam is involved or maybe she isn’t. Either way it’s bad for her to have it out in the air of her association with him. Matthew is the only other person I’ve told so far what I basically told you, except I left Luckas out of it. Matt says we are getting information daily now on this whole thing but won’t say more yet, just that we will be acting on it soon and to be ready.”

Essence stared at Crystal a moment, thinking back on her dad and the story of the dragon egg, a look of confusion in her tone. “What do you think the stories mean? Do you think they are related? Coincidence that Asher speaks of this associate of his as a dragon?”

Crys opened a reassuring smile, nodding in agreement to Ess’ request for confidentiality. There was no reason why she wouldn’t keep this between them. “I talked to Jacob about the talk you two had, well, some of it at least. When Aiden brought me the wolf armor designs I asked him about Sam’s visit. I also talked to Mageria about it a while back.” She rested her arms over the counter and snickered somewhat bitterly. “The woman’s dragon story, she said she believes it meant she would find her way home one day; to her mother. In that context the dragons would represent her family. It corroborates the idea that the Dragon in Asher’s journal is her father. Sam doesn’t implicate herself in anything, but she doesn’t hide her involvement either; that worries me a little because the woman is smart, undoubtedly. If she’s not hiding this... It makes me wonder what she is in fact hiding.”

Crys rubbed her temples slowly as she paused, giving herself a moment to think. “Ali first spotted that symbol, of the sword and the eye, branded onto the skin of the man who tried to kill her when the Wolves attacked the Crimson Shadows; an attack that Sean stated over and over that he didn’t authorize. He was in Newhaven and his Second was away at the time. I believed him even if no one else did, because Sean would have never given an order like that and wandered off to do something else; he wasn’t that trusting. The woman left in charge, who gave the order on Sean’s behalf, disappeared without a trace.... Now this... The eclipse, what happened to the Crimson... To Dastan. It’s the second attack directed at the Crimson Shadows to happen in such strange circumstances. The first time it was Dastan’s arrival that ended the fight, this time he was incapacitated. According to Annie it would take someone extremely powerful to do all that killing using shadow manipulation, something beyond what Dastan would ever be capable of. And Sam kept talking to me about the greater scheme of things and how we’re all insignificant... If all of this is insignificant to her... What are we missing?”

Ess nodded along as Crys spoke, “What is the connection?” She groaned, palming one of her tiny daggers before twirling it between her fingers as she contemplated an answer to her own question.”Think about it. Two attacks on the Crimson and for what? Who is so adamant on wiping them out and why? What does someone gain from this? Territory doesn’t seem like a likely choice there, but then reasons for war don’t always make sense. There’s greed, power, or to diminish the opponent’s strength and allies.” Ess cocked her head slightly, glancing from her dagger to Crys and back. “Do we know if someone was responsible for Sean?” Ess sighed, tapping her nails along the blade of her throwing dagger. “Do you think any of it is connected; the attacks and the sickness? I feel like all of Valcrest is being picked apart, piece by piece. I just can’t...Hm, if Sam is involved in any way and, like you said; she states we are all ‘insignificant’, then what would be the greater goal? To keep with this theme, if individually we are unimportant, then together..what would be significant?” Ess trailed off, mumbling ideas to herself, unsure of where voicing her thoughts would lead her, but she didn’t feel anxious or stressed when she did so around Crys and it was a bit of a relief to not feel insane around someone when she rambled.

“The Wolfpack doesn’t want to look into Sean’s death too much. They’re afraid of what they’ll find, is what I think. A lot of people wanted Sean dead, but the circumstances... What’s on everyone’s minds; the ones who saw the state he was in, is that he did it himself.” Crys gave a slight shrug of her shoulder, an unenthusiastic laugh escaping her lips. “I’d like to be able to say, with certainty, that it isn’t the case, but I’m not sure. Katelyn was very important to Sean and her death... We all knew that it would be the easiest way to destroy him. We just wouldn’t go that far. Maybe I shouldn’t have given him that much time alone with his thoughts... I could have just ended this. It could have been better that way.” She shook her head, an amused smile crossing her expression. “Look at me grieving for that guy I wanted dead... Then I complain when people call me soft.” She snickered. After a few moments Crys let her smile fade and went into thought. Things didn’t quite make sense to her yet, but there was definitely something on the horizon. “I don’t know what anyone would want with the Crimson, or hold against them, but... We’ll find out. One way or another. This won’t go unpunished.”

After another moment of silence Crys heaved a sigh and changed the subject entirely, wanting to distract herself from the sense of impending doom, even if for a moment. “Did Nick tell you I took Kaya to see Blackwell? She did a number on his shop, but he was interested enough on Aiden’s designs to not be completely furious with me. I have a feeling he’ll make something good for the wolves. I also talked to him about some armor for Shadow, I assume you’d be interested in something for Shockwave as well, right?”

Ess’ mind was temporarily overrun with ideas, theories, and speculations; however that was the problem: They were only ‘what ifs’ She didn’t have to voice aloud what she was thinking, if in fact Sam’s family was the referenced Dragon in Asher’s journal and what that could mean and how far their involvement would be. Perhaps the same people that were responsible for the Crimson were responsible for the burnings, but again, without proof it was just a theory.

Shaking a few curls over her eyes, Essence pushed those thoughts aside, listening to Crys talk about Sean. The woman really had little opinion of the man, granted she didn’t like many of the things she had heard he had done to those she cared about, but she couldn’t hate the man. To be truthful, she had little personal reason to. “I think it shows great character to understand an enemy and sympathize while not losing sight in one’s own beliefs. I think that is a necessary quality for a leader to have, no?” Ess smiled over at Crys, “My only experience around the man was at the ball and my impression was a good one, in my personal experience because anyone who disliked Ebony even for a fraction of a second, I had to hold a certain amount of respect for. Not to mention the woman tried to take a hit out on me, which failed miserably.”

Ess laughed, quirking a brow when Crys mentioned Kaya, nodding along to her words. “Turned the shop upside down, did she? Reminds me of the first time Stalker went to the baker’s shop.” Her shoulders bounced in a small giggle fit, the thought reminding her she had to stop by there for the much promised cake for her furry companions. “Glad that didn’t..disway Blackwell. So, the wolves and our horses will be badass looking and I have yet to acquire any armor for myself. Oh, the irony. I am not too fond of what was lying around in camp, maybe leather is just more my type especially if I’m going to be playing with fire because I don’t want to feel..restricted.” Ess playfully elbowed Cry’s in the arm. “What could be scarier than two redheads adorned in armor, riding their ‘war horses’ into battle with their scaled wolf companions by their side? Jake will be jealous.”

“Aw, Jakey can always ride in the back with me, Shadow wouldn’t mind... He’ll be scary by association.” Crys played, laughing at the thought of what Jake would say if he had heard her. “Yeah I use leather armor when I do... Less restricting... Silent also... And it will save you in most situations. It’s just generally better for us sneaky types... I honestly never understood how Mageria manages to move so swiftly with all that metal on her. Jake said he didn’t mind re-joining the knights but he’s never going to wear that armor again. Although I suppose he’d have sentimental reasons to not want it anymore; besides it being heavy.” Crys snorted as if trying but failing to force a laugh. “You know, I’m really glad you two found each other. He’s been a lot happier these past months, hasn’t thrown himself in any dungeon cells or gotten involved in any other type of suicidal plans; always a good sign. Despite what happened at the party he really is doing a lot better now than he has in years. I hope you do realize that has a lot to do with you. Family makes all the difference when one is feeling lost.”

The way Crystal described the change in Jacob over the past couple months, brought back subtle memories of Jess from long ago. Ess wasn’t sure if it was Crys’ words per se or her tone, but she couldn’t help but think of Jessica. Silence lingered on for a moment, Ess’ hand trembling a bit so that she lost her grip on her throwing knife, letting it thud upon the counter top. A sad smile parted her lips, Ess finally nodding to Cry’s words. “I appreciate you saying that because I do feel a sense of strength that I thought I had lost since he appeared back in my life. I was so afraid and so sure he would hate me or find me such a disappointment or even worse; be disgusted, but Jess was right. She told me long ago that the way he sees me would never change, even when he was old enough to understand what I was involved in and the type of person I was because she said, ‘..Love doesn’t work that way..’ And now, I think he wants to keep that promise he made to me so long ago, about protecting me.”

Ess tugged at a loose curl, pulling it out straight and releasing it to watch it bounce. She repeated the act over and over again as she thought, her smile widening. “Jake was the first person to look at me and see me for who I was; for who I am. I do love him like family, but it’s always been stronger than that for me. How do I explain
” Ess’ eyes darted around the room as if searching for a clue on how to explain what she felt, her gaze darting back to Crys the moment she reached a conclusion. “Finding Jake again, was like finding a piece of my soul that I thought had been destroyed forever. I’ve..only felt like that a few times in my life. Finding Darren was another time I felt that way.” Ess purposely moved on from that aspect of the conversation, picking up her blade once again to twirl and attempt to balance it on it’s point upon the bar top. “I wouldn’t be alive, I don’t think, if Jakey hadn’t come into my life. His presence always felt right as if he had always been there and so I use that as a comparison when it comes to trusting certain men.”

“Hm...” Crys snickered, pouring herself a drink. “I see the hero complex started early.” She mumbled, her tone only half amused. Crys sighed, her talk with Sam still lingering somewhere in the back of her mind. “I’ll tell you a secret, Ess. Well, it’s not that much of a secret, rather something I won’t admit to anyone else again if I can help it... All this time I’ve been angry, I wasn’t entirely angry at Jake. Well, I was a little angry at Jake; he is infuriating as you know, but for the most part I was angry at myself. Otherwise I would have hunted his ass down at some point in the past three years. I didn’t, because I started to ask myself how good we really are for each other and, as it turns out, that was a much more complicated question than I expected it to be. After all, love isn’t a choice, love is absolute, you can’t just decide to shut it down and walk away, but a relationship between two people is a series of little choices. Choices they have to make every day, commit to, and live with. When I looked back on our relationship what I saw was that all the things that systematically broke him down in the past five years happened as a result of my choices. I could tell myself I didn’t know, but I did. Jake was better off in Newhaven, he was happier as a hired sword than as an assassin; working for himself... And the only reason he ever came back to the Wolfpack was because I called. I knew that was all l’d ever have to do to make him walk away from everything he built...” Crys emptied her glass and grimaced at the burning liquid. “Because I needed someone to hold my hand. It seems like such a stupid reason now.”

Crys refilled her glass, but refrained from drinking any more right away. “I wasn’t angry because I blamed myself for the past either; what would be the point of that? No. I was angry because if I was completely honest with myself I’d have to admit that, maybe, together we’re incapable of making better choices. I had to admit that... That particular relationship... Needed to end.” She smiled, finally emptying her glass a second time and pushing it away. “And that... That is why when Sheila made it a point of throwing that fact in my face I reacted by trying to break hers... And then stabbing her in the hand. Not my proudest moment, but I can’t quite say I’d take it back.”

“Pfft, well from what I saw, Sheila needed a good stabbing.” Ess chuckled, slowly shaking her head. “It was intimidating though. Even I made a comment to Luckas saying as such. However, no relationship is easy. I think everyone that isn’t out to destroy the person they love, thinks about it. It’s the struggle that makes it all worth it. I had asked Jake If I was..to Luckas and he said probably and that he deserved it.” Ess snorted. “When is love enough.? It’s like
” Ess let out a long sigh and reached for the bottle Crys was using to refill her glass, topped her off and filled one of her own. She swirled the liquid around the glass, nodding along to her own thoughts. “We blame ourselves because we need something or someone to blame; right or wrong. Knowing is only half the battle, right? It always makes more sense in our heads...it isn’t until we say it outloud do things start to become clearer. I swear..the men in our lives are like puppies because they always find their way back. People make jokes about how men will never understand women and it’s funny for me to think about especially with Luckas in my head, you would think he’d have all the secrets; even if trusting him turns out to be a disaster.” Essence smiled, draining her glass dry and playfully clanging it against Crys empty glass.

-------------------

Ess’ visit had left Crys with a lot to consider. Not just about Sam and what she might be up to, but also things pertaining to past conversations they’d had. The recruits were still out in the woods with Kaya, Nick had gone to sleep, and the Inn was dead silent. Crys retreated to her room, thinking of maybe sleeping a bit herself seeing as she had been struggling with it at night, but she found herself sitting back on her bed with her flute in her hands. She put the instrument to her lips and began to play a familiar melody, her index finger briefly touching the little wolf figurine that sat atop the flute, the gesture bringing a smile to her lips.

[5 months ago]

“The most important things a person can say will always be the ones left unsaid, because there are not enough words to translate what goes on inside the human soul. The complexity of human emotion is not something simple words can capture. A person’s soul, and heart, will not be found in their words... It will be found in their silences, in those little unconscious gestures that seem so insignificant, yet reveal so much to those willing to pay attention. Life... You will find... Is in the details.”

The night was cool and pleasantly so, with only a slight, soft, breeze that seem to exist for the sole purpose of carrying on the soft melody of a wooden flute. As usual, Crys wasn’t all too sure of where the music came from, except that it came from a place deep inside herself, a place too complex for words... It wasn’t a sad melody she played, it was only soft... Soothing... And somewhat hopeful in its essence. It was peaceful, but it didn’t bring the usual feeling of peace, it was peace with something more meaningful behind it, like the silences her father used to speak of. The memories were welcome, and comforting, and that was something she hadn’t felt in a long time, not while looking back at what was past. Stretching her legs where she sat by a small fire pit she smiled quietly, interrupting the music and lowering the flute... Letting all sound fade to a comfortable silence.

It fell quiet, earlier than usual; Tala nestled with her pups, safe within the kennel across from the oak. A heavy weight still pressed upon Ess’ heart as she stared upon the fresh plot beneath the tree, a few blue buds beginning to spring forth in a silent beauty. She didn’t want to think of it, so she shut her eyes to absorb the sweet quiet except for the soft snores of the wolves. One, as always, did not wish to stay silent while the rest slumbered and almost on cue, Ess was prodded by a small cold nose. Opening one eye she grinned bending down to pick up the snow white pup. “Can’t sleep again, hmm?” Ess whispered, pressing a firm kiss upon the wolf’s head. Picking up a tiny comb by her side, Ess began brushing the pup’s fur so that she resembled a white, puffy cloud. The pup cocked its head and yipped curiously, bringing Ess to a stop, straining to listen for what could have procured the wolf’s attention. A gentle breeze came in, carrying a lulled tune on its back. The pup turned to look at Ess before hopping away from her, standing beside the fire light; arching its head back she began to howl. Giggling at the sheer cuteness of the pup, brought Ess to her feet to wander away from the fire and through the shadows.

As the sound grew louder, Ess turned to wave the cub onward to follow her, a low whistle following which sent the pup on it’s heels in a clumsy pounce into the direction of the soothing music. So familiar it was that she began humming it, not realizing that she knew the next few notes before they were even played. The music seemed to die down the moment Ess and Tala’s pup reached another boundary of light. With a sigh, she waited to see if Crys would continue, remaining silent as to not interrupt her moment.

Crys had stopped playing as she felt she wasn’t alone, not because the presence of another person was disturbing to her, but simply because she wanted to give her company the space to come closer and not feel intrusive. Sighing softly she leaned back, resting her back against a boulder she had padded with a folded cloak, her fingers quietly tracing the markings along the surface of the wooden instrument an appreciative smile crossing her features at the insane amount of thought and work that had gone into the object. Before she knew it more than a couple of moments had passed in silence and she once again brought the flute to her lips and continued playing, a few random notes echoing amongst the trees and slowly changing into another soft melody.

Stepping into the ring of light, Ess bent down to pick up the pup, ruffling up it’s fur to keep it silent. Gradually she knelt across from Crys, besides the fire, an insightive smile spreading from ear to ear as she stared in a timid awe when the melody changed to something she most definitely recognized. Her lips formed a childish pout in her confusion, not understanding how Crys knew the song. It was the very same Ess’ father had sang to her when she was a child; the very same she was told, was passed down from family only. Running a few fingers through her curls she choked back a giggle, shaking her head, mouthing in silence her response. ‘Jake...’ Lightly tapping the wolf on the nose, Ess bravely let her voice sneak it’s way into the breeze that seemed to surround them. The calming tone and subdued grace that resonated in synch with the flute sent chills down her arms, gradually rising in pitch to form into words.

"There’s a little bird...
Somebody sent...down to the Earth to live on the wind...
Blowing on the wind...and she sleeps on the wind...
This little bird, somebody sent..."

Ess inhaled, a gentle pause before she moved to the next verse. The pup sat in her lap, wiggling to escape, which proved futile against Ess’ fingertips. A sudden amused expression crossed her features as the wolf tilted her head back, releasing a low howl that coincidentally added a bit of harmony to the song.

Crys was caught a bit off guard when Ess’ voice joined the sound of the flute; the words of the song unknown to her until that particular moment in time. Curiosity and amusement brought a spark of light to the woman’s eyes as she continued to play without a flinch, despite the feeling of surprise and childish delight that had worked their way past her moment of silent contemplation. As the song ended and slowly faded to silence, the silence didn’t last for long as Crys released a small wave of laughter; her tone amused and cheerful as she spoke. “I’m impressed... You found a way to sneak up on me!” She played, sitting up straight and letting the flute rest by her side on top of its leather casing. “You really sing well, Ess... And your little friend too.” She chuckled at the wolf pup. “I’m curious though. Never knew the words to this song, actually... Never knew there were any. It is a... Personal favorite though.”

The pup wiggled out from Ess’ grasp, bouncing and stumbling forward towards Crystal, pausing inches away from her to stare curiously at the flute at her side. Essence smiled, her cheeks flushing to a light pink at the compliment. “...Well I don’t sing around just anyone..and honestly it was you and the music that snuck up on me. I...love the adaptation you’ve given it with that flute...I think..it truly brings out a certain..” Ess paused, quirking a brow in thought..”Oh, what’s the word...release..” She nodded as if satisfied with the term. “...I honestly didn’t expect anyone to know the song but I assume you heard it from Jake? I know he knows the words.” The woman chuckled, crossing her legs out before her and leaning back against her palms for support. “One of many family treasures I keep buried inside my soul. Jake was the first I shared it with. It’s fitting you should know it too, I think.”

“Fitting indeed...” Crys replied in a near-whisper. “I shouldn’t be surprised by this, it’s pretty consistent with what I’ve known of Jake from day one... Always clinging to the past and yet running from it as if it was an angry beast. So hard to get him to understand that it’s just not healthy behavior.” She snickered softly. “What I mean is... He was constantly humming this whenever he thought no one was watching, but he refused to talk about it. If you sneak up on him on a quiet moment you’ll see he still does it. Although, nowadays I’m not so sure if he’s still aware that he does it, some things just tend to become a part of who we are in time, and then we simply stop noticing them. People as well... They become a part of you before you know it, and their habits become your habits... That can be a good thing, or a bad thing though... It depends.” She concluded, a slightly contemplative expression marking her features as if she was genuinely trying to decide which one it was. Slowly the expression shifted back to amusement, her hand reaching for the instrument at her side, fingers resting upon a tiny wooden figurine of a wolf that was glued to the top of the flute. “Your little friend is a music lover, I see... A natural born singer.” She smiled. “Sensitive souls are drawn to music, it seems.”

“Hmm..” Ess kept her gaze upon the cub, the memories of her friend from long ago bringing that familiar sting to her eyes. She sighed, “I..was so mad at him when I thought he had forgotten me; either purposely or by accident from the passing years. It shames me now, to hear how much I am still apart of him but comforting to know because it’s the same for with him owning that piece of my soul. I have his past and you hold his present and future.” When Crys reached for her flute again, the movement naturally attracted Ess’ violet gaze, her smile widening at the tiny wolf upon the instrument. “Ali make that for you?” She inquired, her fingers absently slipping into her pocket to retrieve her own little figurine that was given to her the day Ali and her met. For a reason unclear to her, she had kept it on her everyday since then; even hiding it in her hair when she had no pockets. Several moments of silence passed as she stared into the tiny wooden statue in deep thought. “That tiny friend of mine is growing faster than Tala did. At least, as much as I can remember. Already at that stage where they start developing their own little personalities and stuff..” Ess giggled, “Just like children. Can’t wait for the stubborn ‘teenage’ years. But...” Quirking her other brow she sat up leaning forward when the pup yipped up at Crys curiously. “..They are starting to fixate. This one, has a lot of spirit.” Clear amusement could be heard in her voice as she continued. “Something, I remember you saying I should keep an eye out for. Clearly, all Tala’s pups are spirited, but..” She shrugged, falling silent. “It’s up to them. I would never chain down a free spirit. It’s funny, how even the most ferocious creatures can be lulled or even hypnotized by the right kind of music; the right sound. As long as it speaks to them.”

“Jacob...” Crys sighed. “Has a way of angering people who love him. Hopefully that habit hasn’t yet become a part of him. Either way... The future is uncertain.” She smiled quietly. “And the present is still a bit too tense for my liking.” Another sigh escaped her, but Crys’ smile widened, welcoming the change of subject as she pulled the wooden flute onto her lap, nodding affirmatively to the question. “Ali made it, yes. She says... I’m unbearable when I don’t play. I have a feeling she’s right about that too. It is a great part of my personality, and I don’t feel quite like myself without it. Apparently, not feeling like myself makes me bitchy... Go figure.” A saddened smile crossed Crys’ expression and faded as she added. “Amusing how I got my first flute because I was afraid to lose myself in other people’s feelings... It took me some time, but I discovered there is only one way I can lose myself... And other people’s feelings are the least of my problems... You know, that ‘you’re your own enemy’ thing.” She snorted out a bit of laughter. “Sorry... I’m way too sober to be rambling this way.”

Setting whatever thoughts aside Crys let her attentions fall on the little wolf pup, a curious smile on her face as she nodded at Ess’ words. “Spirit, yes... I remember mentioning it... At the stables. Shockwave, reminded me of Shadow a bit... Of course back then I thought I wouldn’t see Shadow again. We should race them one day... It would be a fun exercise.” Staring at the pup, Crys tilted her head to the side in a curious gesture and once again lifted the flute, playing a few random notes, in no particular order although the sound in itself was pleasant. A delighted look crossed the woman’s eyes as the sound of the flute was joined by a short howl from the young animal. After a few more notes she stopped playing, lowering the instrument with a chuckle. “Adorable. We should start a band.” She stated playfully reaching out and ruffling the little wolf’s fur. “... And isn’t it what we all want, really? Something, or someone, anything, that will speak to us in a different level? The world can be... A very lonely place sometimes.”

'The future is uncertain...'

Essence sighed, “I’m reminded of this every day..That and what we think we know is just another illusion.” Snickering she added, “I mean, so many people that I firmly believed were dead are now walking around Valcrest. Is the world coming to an end or something?” Pushing herself to her feet, Ess approached Crys and quietly sat beside her, giving space between them. Retrieving her flask at her side she giggled, lightly pushing it against Crys’ shoulder. “Too sober for rambling, eh I can fix that.” She played, offering her a drink. “No worries though, I tend to have that effect on people, and who is to say I won’t do it back?”

At Crys’ mention of racing their horses, a strobe like glow lit up her eyes. It had been a while since she had gone riding just to enjoy the scenery and to appreciate all the little things she still loved. Ess knew it was very much needed and long overdue. “Sounds like a plan.” A mischievous grin took over her expression. “Care to make a friendly wager? Perhaps, something the loser would have to do?” Reaching towards the pup, her smile softened. “You know..I still haven’t named these little guys yet. That’s not a very good Auntie of me. Guess I’m leaving it up to them.” Ess shifted a bit uncomfortably, her tone remaining soft and upbeat. “..True, no one wants to be alone. I don’t know what is scarier though: Never finding that something or someone that understands you better than yourself or finding it.” Her mind drifted, purposely shoving aside anything concrete that would start to form in ideas or thoughts. It was easier nowadays to trigger that link between Luckas and herself, little focus needed. In fact, if she reminisced into one of the many memories she now carried that involved him, it would trigger it; even if only for a second. Sometimes it was smells or sounds only, but she always pulled back immediately. Ess wasn’t about to let one of the few things in her life that she could control, spin into chaos. Luckas didn’t need to know how often he was thought of. “..Probably get me into trouble..” She mumbled under her breath.

Crys snickered softly taking the flask from Ess and taking a drink from it. “Just because something isn’t real... It doesn’t mean it can’t be true. I mean, even if reality isn’t what you believed it was, it doesn’t immediately make it meaningless, because... You lived it, and I think that automatically makes it real, doesn’t it? I personally believe that reality in itself depends on our perspective and so... Perhaps the people you believed to be dead were actually dead for as long as you believed them to be. I was dead myself and, I think... In many ways I’m still dead... To a lot of people. To a few I will always be dead because they prefer it that way...” Taking another drink she chuckled. “... And not even close to drunk yet. Perhaps you should ramble a bit too, so I feel less crazy.” She played, an amused expression on her face as offered the flask back to Ess.

The mention of a wager brought back the look of curiosity to Crys’ eyes and she smirked, going into thinking for a couple of moments. “Hmm... Always interesting. Although, if that’s the case, maybe you should consider giving the blind girl a head start, huh?” She joked. “Although to be fair, I doubt that Shadow needs my guidance. You have something in mind to bet on?” Going into relatively silent thinking again, Crys played a few more random notes on her flute, a random and cheerful tune forming itself before being cut to silence as she stopped. “Hmm...” She mumbled, tapping her chin with the flute as she thought. “I guess... It’s scarier not to find it, although, might not be as painful. Depends.” Heaving a small sigh, she shook her head as if trying to push unwelcome thoughts away and smiled softly at the puppy. “So, little friend... What shall we call you, huh?”

Essence opened a warm smile, taking the flask from Crys to guzzle a bit longer than she anticipated of the liquor. “...I..would like to think of myself as a great actress, when necessary...but for some reason my wits are lost as of late, more so than usual. I am trying so hard not to be ruled by my emotions...I don’t even know if it’s possible.” Absently she ran her fingers through her curly bangs. “At least for me..not sure about the rest of the world. It would be nice if all it took was belief to make something real; one’s perception of reality. If it’s real or not, I tend to stay stubborn enough to make those beliefs a reality even if they are not true for the rest of the world.” Ess laughed, her tone hinting at a gentle memory; her own words tossed back into her face. “It’s like...the first day I met Jake..I told him something along the lines of always trusting in yourself because that may be all that’s left in the end. You know I do believe that still, but I also learned it’s good to trust in others too, even though it has been one of the hardest things for me to do.”

Once again passing the flask back to Crys, Ess playfully bumped the woman’s shoulder. “There’s a mini ramble for you, but if you want to know anything just ask. I am sure you have questions for me, no? I know I have questions for you. I feel..a bit lost now not really knowing who my little Jakey is now and yet it’s ironic how much I still see of that boy inside the ‘Man’.” Shaking her head in amusement she shrugged, “We can race...I’ll even give you a head start.” Ess played. “Although I agree, left up to the horses it doesn’t matter. I figure we can leave the bet open. Let’s just say I’ll owe you a favor and visa versa. Not that I wouldn’t help out a friend if asked..” Glancing down at the pup, Ess ruffled up her fur in a gentle but playful gesture, quirking a brow as if she expected the cub to answer Crys on what her name should be.

Crys laughed in amusement as she took the flask and took another short drink from it. “Ever consider the possibility that you may be trying too hard? The human heart is a wild beast, the more you try to restrain it, the harder it fights you. What I mean is... Sometimes people mistake trying to control their emotional responses with trying to control their actual emotions. They try to feel less intensely instead of training themselves to separate. Because that’s certainly harder. What I’m asking is... If you know which one you are trying really.” She took another sip from the flask before returning it. “My father used to say that the only thing that makes our dreams fantasy is our unwillingness to believe in them. He was sort of a ‘anything is possible’ kind of a guy. I find that a comforting thought, whether it’s true or not... Of course hearing stuff like that while growing up might have had an unhealthy effect on my level of stubbornness.” An amused smirk momentarily crossed her features as she sat her flute aside, carefully letting it rest by her side again and readjusted herself so that she was facing Ess. “Well... I’m good with leaving the bet open... It’s always nice to have your friends owe you.” She chuckled, resting her head against the cloak-covered boulder. “I have some questions, but I’m honestly more curious about yours. As I might have mentioned, Jake has changed little from the day I met him. I mean, he’s not ten anymore, but basically still the same person in his best and worst qualities. At the same time, you tell me how much he’s changed... It makes me curious to know what is it you see and what confuses you.” Running her hand through the strands of her hair she mumbled a few things under her breath, momentarily putting her focus on the wolf pup, letting her fingertips slowly graze the animal’s fur as there was some sort of wordless conversation occurring between the two. Smiling back at Ess she continued to speak as if the pause had never happened. “...Well, maybe that was a question after all; what you see.”

Essence nodded here and there as Crys spoke, agreeing with all she said. It was insightful to hear someone speak to her the way Crys was. “Sounds like your father and mine may have gotten along.” She whispered sadly, still holding her smile. “My father use to tell me stories, preaching the same kind of beliefs but I lost hold of those for quite some time. It wasn’t until the dreams became a reality and thus persevering into a darker truth...” Trailing off a moment as if to think over her next words she added, “I know I would rather have the truth, comforting or not than be blissfully unaware. I believe ignorance is what gets us killed. But, what does one do when those truths are indeed comforting?” Shaking her head, Ess snorted in amusement. “Jake and I, even though parted for all those years, seem to subconsciously cling to our demons; to our past.” Heaving a shaky sigh, her smile faded. “He never talked about me, but he never talked about Jess either?” Her tone was in question, half waiting for the answer she pretty much already knew. "The past is a tricky thing...sometimes it's etched in stone...and other times its rendered in soft memories...and if you meddle too long in deep dark things, who knows what monsters you shall awaken...and I think little by little I am finally making some sort of progress, but I worry about Jake. I don’t want it to consume him like it did to me for so long. The sorrow, the emptiness. I did many things to fill the space; to avoid thinking of those painful memories while still clinging to them. So, maybe I went so long avoiding it all, that now everything hits me a hundred times harder. Maybe I do try to control my emotions because I was able to suppress and create new ones for so long.”

Glancing over at the fire, Ess stood to add a few more logs to the flames before settling back down besides Crys. “My Jacob-Bear..” She whispered almost inaudibly. “I know innocence doesn’t last forever and I think that’s at the top of my list of what makes my heart break when I look at him. He still seems to talk plenty but not like he use to. He use to show so much more excitement and curiosity to know about everything and talk about anything. I was there when he lost his father. I was there with him and Jess.” A muffled groan escaped her at the memory before she spoke again. “Jess looks like his mother...” A single tear trailed down her cheek through her painted smile. Clearing her throat she broke out of her straying thought and continued. “Jake has been the same since you met him. I agree this Jacob can be quite infuriating, but tell me...What is your favorite attribute of my brother? What about him touches your soul?” Ess opened a slight smile, her eyes locking on the pup as she curled up between Ess and Crys.

Crys sighed quietly, closing her eyes for moment as if searching for something to say for an answer. Maybe it was about time to stop trying to just not think about the past anymore, she knew that was the one thing that would never solve her problems. Opening her eyes again she nodded slightly as if deciding on words, but let the silence last just a bit longer before speaking in a tone that was far more serene than she felt it should be. “I know why Jake never mentioned you to me. I mean... There is no way in hell I would have let him play dead had I known anything. I would have dragged his sorry ass straight to Newhaven and he was probably just trying to avoid that. Jessica is a whole different story. The most he ever talked about her in the past thirteen years was to mention her death in some way. It’s like he can’t stand to remember her alive. And yet... He keeps that locket close to his heart almost at all times.” Crys shook her head, a noticeable look of frustration in her eyes. “So, this worries me still... This avoidance of his... The fact that I know he’s told me more than he has ever told anyone combined with the fact he’s told me so little, just makes me think that it can’t be much longer until something snaps.” Going silent for yet another moment, Crys slowly reached towards the collar of her shirt, letting her fingertips trace the metal chain around her neck, but keeping it tucked away underneath her clothes. “Jakey is complicated to me... And these are complicated questions because... The things I like the most in him are the usually the ones to make me angry. For instance, one of the last times we spoke before he left he said that people walk away from things everyday, and the he could understand how easy it was to wake up in the morning and just want to tell the world to... Fuck off. What he couldn’t understand was how they could actually do it. It’s like the same part of his personality that won’t allow him to actually leave people behind, as we know he would like to sometimes, also won’t let him let go of anything ever. He literally has to try and fix everything and that’s adorable until you know... It starts to drive you crazy.” She heaved a long sigh that ended in a hint of laughter. “Jake was also that person in my life who said things along the lines of ‘what’s the worse that can happen?’ and ‘why are you so afraid of people?’... My personal favorite was always ‘your left shoe is not the same color as the right one’... That one always used to come after I had already passed about fifty people who were probably thinking the exact same thing. It also taught me to mark my shoes.” She chuckled. “...How about Kaya... For the pup... It suits her... It’s a name with a lot of meanings.”

Ess huffed a tiny sigh and shrugged. “Jake kind of did say fuck the world and walk away..in some ways..and I think he’s facing that now. He seems to want to make right and that part you speak of, that stubbornness I think is eating at him. Think when I saw that, that is what made me want to forgive him and not lose him again.” Leaning back on her hands she glanced up at the sky, brows furrowing as a wave of clouds crept in and hid those familiar stars. “What’s that saying...about losing something and it returning? That it’s meant to be? In times like today, can we really afford to push away those who love us?” Her tone faded almost to a whisper. “Especially if it’s a rarity...” Returning back on a previous thought she spoke up. “He said he believes he failed me and that was a reason he saw it better that I knew him as dead. I would say he’s a bloody fool, but I understand fearing to disappoint those who meant most. Jake means most to me. He looks at me still as if I’m someone to look up to, like he did as a child. I don’t see it...but I do know that if he were to ever look at me with disgust...” Ess shook her head, not even voicing the rest of her thought. “Jess always said that would never be possible; not for Jake. Jess, was beautiful and she had a way of explaining things so they made sense and thus were beautiful.”

Closing her eyes, she went silent for a few moments, a subtle hint of a hum reverberating from her throat before she spoke again. “But things do change...and now there’s....Luckas and Jake doesn’t like to hear me explain how much that guy and I are alike, but I know he’s still got my back. He’s like Tala...very protective and what he gives is unconditional. He...reminds me of my father...now that I think of it.” Ess turned to face Crys. “Now that he’s older too. Makes sense...” Her smile returned, irony glittering in her eyes. “I know I am not well versed in your business, nor is it really my right to know. I understand little when it comes to...’falling’ in love, but....do you love my brother? I was taught to believe ‘Love’ is enough because it fuels strength for so many emotions and motivation that ‘anything is possible.’ Is that not true?” An honest, curious expression crossed her face as she waited for an answer. Ess knew what she wanted to believe but she had not the experience to understand the truth or lie of the philosophy. From afar she had watched how people could be strengthened or torn down by such a concept. She had witnessed how a gesture or single touch could make someone melt or go insane with hatred. It was a tantalizing concept she wanted to be open to but it frightened her more than she could explain. Fear of loss, fear of rejection, fear of betrayal; or the fear of never finding it, as was brought up earlier. “Is this a question of which pain is more bearable? I mean, we all would like to think we’d never intentionally hurt the people we care about, but that’s an empty promise. Least I’ve come to realize. Perhaps, we are suppose to focus on whether that pain is worth the time we spent with them.”

Essence snickered at the name, ‘Kaya,’ rubbing her fingers behind the pup’s ears. “Kaya...” She whispered, looking at the wolf as if waiting for approval. “What does it mean, Crys?”

Crys snickered under her breath at some of Ess’ questions, it felt odd to be asked about matters such as these and realize she had never actually stopped to really think them through all that much. She was taught to deal with things as they occurred, act on what she felt presently and not on what she may or not feel in the future. The future was a huge blank as far as Crys could tell, especially when these things were concerned. Trying to rationalize things and make them understandable actually drove Crys into rather long moment of introspection, which she broke only to give the one answer she actually felt she could give. “It’s a name with several meanings, like I said... my favorite meaning would be maybe ‘home’ or ‘restful place’, other meanings... hmm... Different types of trees I forget, beautiful one, wise child...” She chuckled. “... Forgiveness.”

With a soft sigh, Crys let silence linger once more while she put her thoughts in order. After another moment had come and gone she went back to what the main topic of conversation had turned into. “I feel... Love is such a vast term. Another word that holds a lot of different meanings. Also a great motivator, even greater than fear, I believe, but... Motivation can only do so much for a person. It’s like... Being the greatest warrior that ever lived and not knowing what you are fighting for. It feels empty after a while. That said... Yes, I love your stupid brother. I can’t honestly remember a point in the past when I didn’t love him, or picture a point in my future when I won’t still love him.” She spoke, shrugging dismissively as if the words held a considerably lighter weight than they actually did. “The problem between me and Jake is not about love, or even forgiveness really. I think... The problem is we have a lot of promises left hanging in the air... Promises that were made under circumstances that no longer exist. The life we had back then is gone and until we’re both done mourning that loss, there is no chance of starting over.” She smiled softly regarding Ess with an amused and curious expression. “That’s just... My particular business though. It does not and should not apply to anyone else’s. Or at least I hope not.” She laughed, shaking her head in amusement, her eyes sparkling discretely as she stared at the woman sitting in front of her. “Alright so... I don’t mean to intrude or anything, and so feel free to ignore this slight change of subject, but... You and Luckas... The two of you share a... uh... Bond, of sorts, yes? I’ve noticed some... How do I put it... Some of your responses don’t exactly fit into the subject of Jake, but then... They kind of became a bit clearer when you mentioned Luckas. And on the other hand I have managed to get a couple of rather amusing reactions from him by simply threatening to mention you so... Again, I don’t mean to intrude I just happen to have noticed it and thought maybe you might want to discuss that with someone at some point.”

Essence began to chuckle at Crys’ comment of Jake being ‘stupid’, slowly it escalated into a muffled laugh as she worked to catch her breath. “People at least have a way of surprising us, no?” She hummed at the idea of emptiness, feeling a familiar knot throbbing in her gut. That had to be one of the worst feelings she carried on with for years until she began finding different things to stuff in the gaping hole inside herself. Something she had decent knowledge of what it could mean but mostly she had accepted its existence for so long that it almost melded to be a part of her. “Not so long ago...” She muttered, her violet eyes widening for a split second before returning to their normal size. Ess held her breath for a few moments before exhaling heavily through her nostrils. Letting her eyes close at the mention of her friends’ name, she pushed back a tiny chill that ran up her spine, tiny goose bumps appearing at the base of her neck. “Fair is fair with questions, right? I did ask you a very personal question. My question is, what exactly do you mean by bond?” Opening her eyes again she quirked a brow. “I think we just confuse one another a bit much.” Ess played, forcing a smile. Her mind drifted back to Crys’ answer on how ‘love’ is different to everyone and she couldn’t help but wonder what it was to feel like. “What does it feel like to Love Jake? I understand that’s rather personal, but how would you describe that feeling for you?”

Crys smiled at Ess’ response to her questioning, slowly shaking her head. “Fair is fair, yes, but... I believe you do have a bit more of a right to ask than me, Jake is your little brother after all, no? It’s sort of in your job description to pry on his personal business a bit.” A curious look crossed Crys’ eyes momentarily as she wasn’t exactly sure what she had meant by ‘bond’, it was the closest term she could find for what she perceived, but she didn’t know exactly what it meant. “I think... By bond, I mean... A connection of some sort... Emotions are vague, and not very easy to describe, thus I don’t like to try and speculate much on what I can tell from people. It would be horribly irresponsible, not to mention wrong, of me to do so.”

The question of how it felt to love Jake caused two different reactions on Crys, the first was a slight wince as if she had been startled by the words and the second was a little chuckle that slowly grew into a short fit of laughter. Once she managed to stop and breathe she spoke, still a bit breathless. “Sorry... Just... You just reminded me of when I was last asked this question.” Coughing a couple of times to clear her throat, Crys managed to settle down in a more serious tone. “Almost unfair that I answer it now...” She mumbled under her breath, not hesitating to raise her voice and move the conversation along. “It’s a difficult description to make... almost as if I asked you to describe color to me. Some people have given me some interesting answers, but I still don’t know what makes blue different from yellow.” Picking her flute from her side Crys began to play a few notes on the instrument, eyes sparkling slightly as the random notes changed into a soothing melody, so soft it was as almost like the flute whispered the notes onto the air; as if telling a secret. The softly played notes faded from barely audible to fully silent even though the transition made it clear that the song was still playing somewhere in the back of Crys’ mind even as she set the flute aside once more and began to speak. “In the simplest terms I can think of... It feels as if I’ve taken my heart right out my chest, where it was safe, and placed on the hands of a stupid boy who doesn’t seem to think it’s much of a big deal to just take it and run off with it whenever he pleases. It makes me feel frightened, helpless and more often than not; foolish, because I’ve given someone else power over everything that makes me who I am and that can so easily destroy me... And at the same time, I feel that none of that matters because if there is one person in the world I would trust my whole heart to, Jake is that person... Even when he hurts me, even when he angers me, and even in the one single moment when I hated him... Because at some point, I’m not sure exactly when, the mere fact that he exists in the world just makes it so... Much... Better.” Crys stopped talking, forcing herself to take a long deep breath taking notice of how shaky it had turned out. “I am an empath, and to someone who experiences emotions the way I do... Emotional connections are difficult, letting people in can be terrifying and painful. Jake feels... Warm, and safe... And the world feels warmer and safer because of him.” She sighed occupying herself with petting the wolf pup as she went silent. After a few moments passed she turned her attention back to Ess. “Tell me something... While we have been talking... Have you tried not to let your feelings show on your expression, even though I can’t see your face? I have a feeling that you have, but I’m not sure.”

Ess took in a shaky breath and sighed, relaxing a bit on what Crys was feeling from her and trying to make sense out of the disarray of her emotions. The term ‘Bond’ had thrown her for a loop, momentarily worried if anyone else knew about her and Luckas’ link. Not that she didn’t feel she couldn’t trust Crys, but she thought it best to have as few people know about it as possible. With Jake, she felt almost obligated to share everything with him; if she wanted to or not. As she listened to Crystal answer her question on what it felt like to Love, an embarrassed, almost guilty feeling crept into stomach. “Perhaps it was an unfair question to ask..” She whispered.

'...I’ve given someone else power over everything that makes me who I am and that can so easily destroy me...'

Essence froze, a feeling of nausea passing over her momentarily at the thought, tiny beads of sweat appearing against her hairline. “Warm...and safe...I think that’s a good way to explain that feeling...” She trailed off with a shrug. “Blue...would be my feeling of warm and safe, maybe sometimes cold since blue tends to correspond to water much of the time even though it’s an illusion. Jake’s eyes are blue.. Yellow...” Ess smiled. “Yellow would be like looking into the sun, also warm but blinding. It makes my eyes hurt and water to stare into it, even for a second. I can understand why colors can be confusing to comprehend but mostly they lead into emotions and visa versa; if that makes any sense.” An awkward laugh escaped her, humming in acknowledgement of Crys’ perception of her emotions inwardly V.S. outwardly. “I know it doesn’t matter what I show on my expression around you. I guess you can call it an...’occupational hazard’ that’s never left me. I spent a very long time always interpreting someone else in physical and auditory form to create the perfect illusion. Part of my gift; my attention to detail.”

Crys nodded along to Ess’ words as she spoke of what the colors meant to her, but she wasn’t quite paying attention. She could remember the several times she had a different explanation, some of which she found particularly interesting, but none of them actually made a difference on how she perceived, or rather didn’t perceive, things. “My mother once told me that... There’s color in music... She taught me to play what she felt each color sounded like... Blue sounds like... Something soft... Soothing... Much like waves, maybe. Jakey described it as sinking into warm water after a long day of training...” Slowly she shook her head and snickered. “Blinding... Huh... Is that why yellow is usually associated with fear? Although, it seems to me that the beautiful things in life are usually the ones that blind us... So, Ess... What is your favorite color?” She asked, a look of genuine interest in her expression as she seemed to examine the other woman. “Occupational hazzard, huh? Something else my father used to say... The most important part of being deceptive is to not let yourself forget your ‘true face’.”

“Yellow...fear...creation...out of the ashes of fire, new life is sustained .”Ess muttered as if in a trance, smirking at the idea of fire. “I ..guess my favorite color would be red, but I like all dark colors: blues, greens, purples.. and the metallic shadows of the night sky. I like anything I can get lost in.” Clearing her throat, she began tapping her nails against the side of the flask. “It was easier to ignore what and who I was then, especially when I didn’t know. Guess you could say I wandered around aimlessly numb and careless through the rest of my teenage years. I spent more than half my life pretending and less time sorting out what kind of person I am. I don’t know, maybe I just always knew.”Ess nodded as if to confirm her thought, her mind drifting back to the subject of Jacob. “I bet I could get Jake to talk about Jess..even if only a little. I know what it’s like to not face one’s ghosts. He did bring her up one of the times we chatted.” She shrugged, not really sure where her mind was going with that one except that she was avoiding something within herself, that which she refused to acknowledge. A dull ache began to form behind her ears while she rubbed at her eyes through a defiant yawn. “Crys.....since you are blind...do you dream? I mean...well maybe I don’t know what I mean. Guess was wondering what that must be like.”

“Red...” Crys mumbled. “That’s an interesting color, I’m told...” She trailed off, not elaborating on what made red so interesting to her, and focusing on what Ess was saying instead, absently wondering what numb and careless must feel like; she wasn’t sure she had ever experienced either one. “I always found it difficult to separate... You know, who I am from what I am. It’s so very easy to let ourselves be defined by our place in the world, whatever it may be, than to try and figure out what else is there. It’s something that still confuses me.” Heaving a small sigh she closed her eyes momentarily, allowing her mind to drift off as she focused on the sounds and feels of the camp around them. She wasn’t sure of the time, but a lot of the people had retired for the night or were about to, even those who were still awake were mostly silent. Taking a deep breath she opened her eyes at the question of what her dreams were like. “My mind cannot form images, obviously, but other than that... My dreams are much like everyone else’s... Some of them feel awfully real, some aren’t quite real enough for my liking... Some dreams are of things that were real at some point in the past... I dream about my mother a lot, mostly when I’m stressed for some reason. Which is odd, really. My mom was many things in my life, but she was not a calming presence.” Letting out a small chuckle she shook her head, slowly letting her focus fall back to Jake she sighed. “I’m sure he would talk to you about her, if you push him just a little bit.” She paused for a moment, a small flicker of light crossing her eyes as she added. “He can’t sleep again.”

Ess appeared to not be listening when in actuality all she kept thinking about for a few moments were Crys’ words, ..’who I am from what I am...’. “I...would like to think that both are things that can be shaped in our desired image, in addition to those things we can’t control in life. My position is changing...I’m no longer defined by those lonely, survival terrors I thought I had to suffer with.” Lifting her head up with a hint of pride she smirked, her tone a soft whisper, “I’m no longer someone else’s fantasy to use and abuse.” Ess paused glancing at Crys curiously as she mentioned her own dreams, nodding along with her words which brought Essence a bit of comfort to hear. Quirking a brow she sighed. “Jake doesn’t sleep either, huh? You mean right now or in general?” She laughed, another question forming, distracting her from where she was going with her previous words. “How far is your range to sense someone?” She asked, leaning towards Crys as she awaited an answer.

“Hmm...” Crys mumbled, trying to somehow measure the range of her enlightenment in her mind. “It’s hard to say. Generally speaking, I can sense everyone within the boundaries of this camp. People I know, I can sense at greater distances if I concentrate. And then there are... Exceptional cases...” She paused for a moment before shrugging slightly and moving on. “There are levels of emotions though... There is what I can sense without trying and there is what I could sense if I tried... Those things people are mostly unaware that they carry inside themselves. In training I have been encouraged to take these things and use them, but it’s not something I was ever comfortable with. Keeping some lines intact is a rather vital part of my personal code.”

Going back on the conversation a little, and consequently pulling the focus away from her enlightenment, Crys nodded. “I think, that purpose for some people is something that is, or can be, desired and sought and for others... It just exists. I was born into mine, in a way. I mean, it’s debatable, if one is born an Alpha or if one can become one... If it’s the first then I’ll always be the Alpha, as some like to believe, but if it’s the latter... Then what am I now? It’s tricky, and then I can’t help but wonder what the hell does it even matter anyway? This really hasn’t changed me all that much, not as much as I believe it should anyway... Or maybe that side of me is a bit numb.” Running her fingers through the strands of her hair, Crys released a soft and slightly awkward laugh. “Your turn to ramble now, I think.” She played, letting her laughter fade as she mumbled. “I don’t remember the last time I caught Jacob sleeping.”

“Why is it, Crys, that it’s always easier to give sound advice than to take it? Ironic how we can see others easier than ourselves.” Ess smiled, noting how the pup had fallen asleep, reaching over to give a little scratch behind her ear. “The changes are subtle sometimes, however there. I realized the other day, after I awoke from a random nightmare that my change coincides with the night I met up with Mageria in the city; the night I ran into Luckas again. I didn’t see it or know it then, but..” Essence sighed, gently massaging the base of her neck before shaking her head, tossing her thick curls over her face. “Well there’s lots of reasons for the change and perhaps it started a few years back but I walked away from some old habits and haven’t looked back since that night. Problem is, with that change, I’m still haunted and judged for those past transgressions; even if it’s only myself who is doing the judging. It’s so hard sometimes, though. To NOT forget myself and fall into the actress mode. I always said I’d never show any man the real me, and Jacob doesn’t count.” She snickered, brushing a few curls from her gaze. “Think I’m breaking my own promise. But who knows right? Maybe some promises should be broken.” Ess took a moment to breathe. “So, was that considered a ramble?” She joked. “Well, even if Jakey is awake, I think it’s a bit late to spring on an emotional conversation..I’ll probably wait until tomorrow at some point even though I probably won’t be doing much sleeping myself unless one considers sleepwalking actual rest. But, I don’t want to keep you too much longer my friend.”


[Otium 17 - Afternoon]

Crys was sitting by her desk when Ike knocked on the door. She urged the man in wordlessly and continued to write down notes as he sat across from her. She could hear the man’s foot nervously tapping against the wooden floor and his breathing starting to quicken from the thick silence.

“Have you come here for a reason, Ike? If so, I suggest you speak. I can’t read minds you know.”

“I... I was wondering about something, Crys. If I may ask...”

“Ask, and then we’ll see if you may or not. Like I said; not a telepath.” Crys smiled, lowering her pen and putting her focus on the shaky man.

“I remember that you said... You said... You couldn’t make killers out of us.”

“I did.”

“Is that true?”

“No.” Crys smiled. “You know it’s not true, otherwise you wouldn’t be asking. What you really want to know is why I won’t.”

“Why won’t you? The ginger, up at the Inn, said you were recruiting, but you don’t seem to want some of us to stay.”

“I could make all of you into killers, Ike, because anyone can be a killer given the right circumstances, the right motivations, or if you take away enough of their humanity. I know it doesn’t look that way from where you stand, but there is something me and my crew all share; we are cold at our cores. Were not inhuman, we’re not cruel, we’re not numb to emotions; not usually, but we can be. We can turn it off for a split second, because that’s how long it takes a skilled assassin to take a life. And then we can turn it back on and go about our business as if nothing ever happened. Here one second. Gone the next. And yes I could instill that in all of you, within a year’s time... Less depending on your willingness to bleed. Thing is I know well the toll that takes. A lot of you came to us with nothing to lose, but some of you are here because you lost something you hope to still salvage. I intend your souls to remain intact for when you do. Simple as that.”

“I see...”

“You’re here because your brother was killed and your niece and nephew were taken, isn’t that so?” Crys asked, her eyes focused on the man. “What kind of a family do you suppose a killer would be able to provide those children?”

“Uh... I...” Ike mumbled.

“You’re afraid you won’t find them alive. I understand. And if that’s the case, we can have this conversation again.”

“I guess... I...”

“And don’t feel discouraged, Ike. You’re doing quite well on your training. Irena is one of our toughest recruits. However she is also one of the nicest girls I know. I thought you’d do well as a team for the time being.”

“Yes. I see that.” The man agreed, lowering his head and clearly giving up any sort of argument he still planned on having.

“And if that was all, I suggest you go back to it. I’ll be right down in a minute.”

“Uhm... Yes...” The man mumbled. “Oh... Nick asked me to let you know that Kaya has gone back to the Nest. If that... makes sense...” The man scratched his head on his way out.

Crys snickered. “It makes perfect sense.” She whispered, closing the book she’d been writing on and following the man down to the bar, sitting across from Nick while Ike continued down to the training room. “Those guys are more trouble than I thought.” Crys mumbled.

“I warned you about recruiting so openly, Boss.” Nick shrugged. “Those guys have far too naive notions of what Death entails. It could be dangerous to teach them as much as we have and just spit them back out.”

“Maybe we ought to show them.” Crys snorted.

“Wha...?” Nick jumped in his seat. “What are you saying?”

“The others are ready to start taking on assignments. We’ve partnered them, haven’t we?”

“Boss...” Nick mumbled. “That’s a bit extreme... They can’t possibly keep up...”

“They’re not supposed to keep up. That’s the point.”

“They could endanger the other recruits. Or get themselves killed... This is not...”

“Nicholas.” Crys interrupted the man. “There are things in life that words can never teach, right now they need to learn this to survive. It’s important. Because something’s about happen, it’s in the air, in this town... And once it does... It’s a point of no return. If they’re not ready then, if we are not ready...”

“Boss?” Nick mumbled.

“I’ll make sure they understand the risks.” Crys exhaled sharply through her nose. “Trust me.”

Nicholas flinched at the words. They were voiced in the form of a simple request, but there was a weight underneath them as though she’d had just asked him to follow her into war. “You know I do, Boss.”

“Good.” Crys smiled.

“Just don’t go killing off the newbs.” Nick warned. “That strikes me as a tad bit counter productive.”

Crys laughed. “I’ll keep that under consideration, but I’ll make no promises.” She grinned, standing up from her stool and taking the stairs down to the basement.

[Three weeks ago]

“I’m just saying; we don’t know who these people really are. They ask us to follow this little girl when we barely know who she or what she’s capable of...”

“What alternative do we have, Ike? Do we lay down and die? No one else has offered up a better solution.”

“It looks way too good of an opportunity, if you ask me. These people come to your rescue, say they’re going to help us take back our City; and what’s in it for th-...”

The man named Ike silenced himself the moment the sound of footsteps echoed from the stairs. Crys made her descent as slow as possible, reading the reactions of the other recruits to her presence. She didn’t blame them for the doubt; those men weren’t fighters, they were shopkeepers, bakers, farmers... They didn’t know what they were doing there, only that they needed to do something. Ike was the oldest of the new recruits, already in his early forties, mistrustful, rough around the edges and a loud mouth for sure, but all in all a good man.

When Crys reached the bottom of the stairs, the training room was dead silent. It wasn’t respect; not yet, but apprehension. They’d seen very little of her since recruitment, but they’d heard plenty from their instructors. Crys gestured towards the staircase and a group of cloaked assassins descended after her. “These men and women,” Crys spoke, indicating the group, “are the last generation of recruits. They followed us out of the forest; most of them straight out of basic training, and have been training under my associates, and myself, for the past three years.” As she spoke, the assassins rid themselves of their cloaks and picked up training weapons as though given a command none of the others had been able to hear. “I brought them in today to show you first hand who and what we are. I could make perfect weapons out of most of you within a year’s time, but we don’t have a year and you’re not killers. For now, your goal is to not become victims... Again... And yes, we can help with that.”

Each of the assassins moved to stand before one of the new recruits, awaiting further instructions, much to the new guys’ confusion.

“Irena,” Crys called, drawing the attention of a short brown haired girl, “switch with Randall, I want you paired with Ike. I believe fighting you will do his pride a lot of good.”

Irena promptly switched places with her colleague, smiling sweetly at Ike. “Ello, handsome,” she greeted, looking up at the man. Ike towered over the young girl, not to mention he was old enough to be her father.

“Take a good look at the person standing before you. You’ll share a room, meals, bathroom breaks, and you’ll train together always from now on. I expect that within a month you’ll be giving them a semblance of a challenge.” She pointed at the center of the room, “I want four pairs in the center, show your new partners what you’ve learned so far; the rest stand back and observe. Come on, people, move.”

“Nicholas,” Crys called as the recruits took positions in the center, “Jake’s on his way over. Send him down when he arrives.”

--------------

It was the middle of the afternoon, so finding the Inn empty upon his arrival was not a complete surprise to Jake, he calmly sat by the bar waiting for someone to show up. It’d been a while since he had last been there. The night he killed Joffrey. The place was really looking good compared to the mess it was back then.

“Hey, Jake!” Nicholas’ voice called out behind him and Jake turned in his seat. “Crys wants to see you, she’s downstairs with the newbies.”

“Newbies?” Jake questioned with a chuckle, stashing his travel bag behind the bar counter and following Nick down to the basement.

“Newbies. You know, the recruits.” Nick explained. “We gathered a few since you last came around. They’re a bit reluctant to take orders from the blind girl, so...” Nick shrugged as they entered the training room. Jake was surprised that the noise there couldn’t be heard from the bar. There were four spars going on at the same time between an experienced assassin and a ‘newbie’, as Nick called them. The only person there seemingly able to keep up with them all was Crys, moving amongst the pairs of fighters and issuing instructions here and there to the recruits.

When Jake approached the center Crys ended the fights with a gesture that prompted the assassins to disarm and subdue their ‘opponents’ in a matter of seconds and stand at attention. It was amusing how blatantly clear it was that they had been taking it easy on the newcomers all along; all fights ending with the ‘newbies’ fallen at the assassins’ feet unarmed. Jake didn’t remember ever getting that sort of leniency when he was in training, but he couldn’t deny those guys were more organized and focused than he had ever seen them and Jake had to ask himself how long Crys had been planning to move into Blackpond. It just seemed like she had done too good of a job of it for something she had thought up during a particularly disastrous Castle ball. This looked like ‘years worth of planning’ work.

“I’m impressed.” He declared, smirking as one of the recruits cursed under his breath, pushing himself up from the ground.

“It’s not much, but it’s a start.” Crys answered with a shrug. “It’s quite... Fortunate... That you decided to show up today though, I was hoping you’d help me out with something. If you have some time to spare, that is.”

“Oh well you know me; I’m always willing to help...” Jake smiled, knowing he’d probably regret saying that soon enough. “What do you need me for?”

“Well, Jacob, you see... Those tough guys over there, whom you’ve just witnessed get knocked on their asses in less than a full minute, have been wondering whether it’s wise of them to accept training from someone they have never seen in a fight. And now they’re probably a bit uncomfortable because they thought they had said that behind my back. You have to excuse their naivety... They’re still learning.”

“You want to give them a demonstration.” Jake concluded, nodding his agreement. “We haven’t really sparred in... uhm... Five years? Since Theron’s training, I think, wasn’t it?”

“Something like that.” Crys smiled. “Are you up for it?”

“How could I possibly deny you the opportunity to beat the crap out of me?” Jake retorted with a laugh. “Are we using real gear, or... The toy swords?”

“Usually I’d say real gear, but... I’m afraid I’d be too tempted to put another mark on that pretty face of yours, so maybe we should disarm ourselves.” Crys suggested, calmly ridding herself of all her weapons as well as the thin leather armor she wore. As Jake began to do the same he saw Nicholas hurry upstairs as though he’d forgotten something. Not paying much attention to the man’s behavior, Jake got rid of his cloak, all his blades, his needles, and even his shirt so that it was clear to those watching he wasn’t hiding anything.

“You might want to put that in your pocket, Jakey.” Crys pointed out, indicating the golden locket hanging over his chest. “You wouldn’t want the chain to break or anything.”
“It’s not going to break, besides... It protects me. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.” Jake retorted.

“Probably.” Crys snickered, retrieving a pair of wooden fighting sticks about the size of a short one-hand sword and casually tossing them in Jake’s direction, grabbing another pair for herself. “So you want to assign points for each hit or should we just keep going until someone says ‘stop’?” She asked. “If I recall correctly you cried last time we did that.”

“You elbowed me in the n-...” Jake stopped himself from protesting and shook his head, a faint chuckle escaping him. “You know what... I’m fine whichever way you want to do this. After all, this is a teaching exercise and these are your recruits, no?”

“Fair enough... Until someone says ‘stop’. I assume you still remember what happened last time you tried to take it easy on me.” She warned.

Jake laughed softly, indicating the scar above his eye with the end of his left-hand weapon as he replied. “Vividly.” He smirked, feeling the weight of the wooden weapons. much lighter that what he was used to. “I haven’t used these since basic training. Your father loved smacking us around with these...”

“If he was still alive he would have given us both real smackdown.” Crys replied severely.

“I’m sure of it.” Jake agreed, assuming a defensive stance. “Ready when you are.” He told her, encouraging her to strike first. Just as he said that however, Nicholas came running down into the basement, followed closely by Ali. They both seemed to have ran a good distance straight into the room, not wanting to miss anything. Their arrival distracted Jake from Crys, which resulted in the man being struck painfully in the face by one of her wooden sticks.

Jake groaned as the blow was quite forceful, but he still managed to block the next strike even though his sight actually blurred for a moment. “Ow.” He muttered.

“You said you were ready.” Crys stated simply, a smirk forming across her lips. “How about now, Jakey? Ready now?” She teased.

Jake replied only with an angry snort as he attacked, the sound of wood colliding over and over again echoed through the basement as the training weapons clashed in mid air. It silenced all other sounds as recruits and assassins alike stopped to watch the spar. Of course the newbies were impressed with the display of skill from both sides, but for the assassins there was more to their interest than simply observing the technique, they knew the history between Jake and Crys, most of it at least, and they were waiting for some form of hell to break loose at any minute.

The fight had started out balanced, and somewhat playful, Jake purposely lowering his guard at times and dodging Crys’ weapons as they slashed dangerously close to his face. It was as if they were putting on a little show. The mood changed rapidly at the first few actual hits though, neither Crys or Jake seemed hindered by the strikes they suffered, instead they seemed to be driven by them. Jake managed to strike Crys’ in her right hand, forcing her to drop one of the weapons. He pushed her left handed weapon to the side with his right and struck her in the stomach with the heel of his boot; in the spot where she had once been stabbed. Crys doubled over, momentarily winded.

“Are you holding back or has Death softened you?” Jake scolded, kicking the fallen training weapon to her as she recovered. “Pick it up!”

A few of the assassins flinched at Jake’s words, but Crys simply laughed as she recovered the training weapon. The fight resumed a bit more intense and Jake was now and again struggling to avoid Crys’ blows; the empath now attacking with furious determination, pushing Jake back step by step while the man just defended her attacks. It soon became clear that Jake was waiting for something, because he abruptly change from just defending to dodging Crys’ attack and then quickly countering with strikes of his own, one of them breaking past her guard and striking her with full force across the face. Jake hesitated, but Crys wasn’t so hindered by the blow, quickly retaliating, but quickly striking both of Jake’s hands, face, and ending the fight by kicking his feet from under him. She straddled him and began to swing her right stick once again towards his face.

“Stop.” Jake muttered.

Crys stopped mid-blow, the fighting stick less than an inch from Jake’s skull, and stood up. She turned away and groaned, spitting a bit of blood on the ground. “You almost had me; why did you stop?” She questioned.

Jake slowly pushed himself up, stumbling a bit in his step, still feeling the blow to the face. “I didn’t stop, I just hesitated. Are you alright? You spat blood.”

“Just a little cut inside my mouth. Not serious.” She muttered, rubbing her left cheek. “I’m gonna bruise though. Hmph.” Heaving a sigh Crys glared in the direction of her assassins. “You all enjoyed the show? Good; now get your asses back to work.”

She didn’t have to ask twice.

“Well that was very entertaining.” Ali smirked. “You know... Letting off some aggression instead of just using your words... Very healthy.”

Crys shook her head, stopping when the act became painful. “Just... Do me a favor and supervise the pups... I need to rest my head and I’m sure Jake didn’t stop by just so we could beat each other with sticks; as fun as that was.”

Crys walked past Ali and Nick upstairs to the bar and further to the second floor, Jake grabbing his gear and following after her until they reached a large room that had been made into an office. She leaned against the large desk in the center of the room and half smiled. “So, what brings you?”

“You sure you’re okay?” Jake questioned again, dropping his weapons and belongings on the corner of the room and throwing his shirt back on.

Crys snorted a laugh. “I can take a beating, Jake. Even more than just a beating. I’ll be okay. Is that why you flinched? You felt bad for hitting me in the face? Wouldn’t have stopped you before.”

“I know what you can and can’t take. Doesn’t mean I still won’t hate seeing you hurt.”

“Then close your eyes.” Crys argued.

Jake sighed. “Crys... Just...”

“I’m serious. It was a spar; you were supposed to hit me and you should have kept hitting me until I said ‘stop’. That’s what we agreed on, remember? You were supposed to trust me to know my own limits.”

“I trust you completely.” Jake protested. “It’s just not easy for me to keep things separate; especially when I don’t know where I stand with you anymore.”

“Back there when you asked if Death had softened me...” She snickered. “That was the closest to normal I’ve gotten out of you in years. Because you were never afraid to say anything to my face.”

“I said one too many things to your face last time...” Jake mumbled, walking closer to her and gently tracing his fingertips along the forming bruise on her cheek. “I should have never...” He sighed.

“Jacob... None of what happened in the desert was your fault. It was mine. You know, you were right; I was doubting myself, I was hiding, I was afraid. No one would have seen it, but you. No one else would have so openly called me out on it... Not like that. And I’m not... Angry... Not anymore. Because as painful as everything has been in the past three years... The distance has done us both some good.”

“You think so?”

“I think...” She smiled, leaning into his touch. “I think we’re both very stubborn people and we were so determined to be together that we ignored all the little ways we were hurting each other. I think, I was particularly unfair to you. Cruel at times maybe. Because you are the way you are; you want to fix the world and you want to... Protect... Everything you love and it’s so easy for me to just cling to you when I’m hurting. It eases the pain, but at the same time it puts this weight on your shoulders that shouldn’t be yours to bear.”

Jake sighed softly, leaning into Crys, his hand still holding the side of her face. “I think you’re being too hard on yourself.”

“Maybe. We were kids; practically, when this whole thing started, we didn’t know any better, but we’re not kids anymore, Jacob. We know how naive some promises truly are and how horrifying the world can get. We know that we are... No longer the same.”

“Last time we spoke... You said...”

“I said I was done doing ‘this’ with you. I am done going around in circles... What we had, to me, is over. Because it has to be. Because it wasn’t healthy for either of us. That doesn’t mean that we can’t or that we shouldn’t start over. I never said, and I will never say, that you’re allowed to quit on me.”

“Oh...” Jake mumbled.

“Yeah... Oh.” Crys laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him close. “You do realize I love you, don’t you? Idiot.”

Jake smirked, pressing his forehead to hers. “Of course you do, I’m amazing.”

Crys laughed. “You didn’t hit me in the head that hard, Jakey,” she teased, turning her head and kissing his palm. “But you do have your moments, love.”

Jake snorted a laugh. “I’ll take that compliment.” He lowered his hand from her cheek, frowning at the welt left by the wooden stick. It’d fade in a few days; he knew, but he didn’t like it there.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve had worse.” She whispered. “Do I need to remind you that I actually beat you down there?”

“You say we should start over. You’re right. And you know I’ll do whatever you ask me, but don’t ask me not to worry. That I can’t do.” He said, wrapping his left arm around her waist.

Crys smiled at the words, her fingers toying with a few strands of his hair. “Mhm... I know that...” She answered. “Honestly Jake, there are two things I need from you if we are to make this work and I think they’re simple enough.” She smirked. “Even for you.”

“Fair enough. So tell me; what might those things be?”

“First and foremost, Jakey; no more running. And no more promises. Do you think you can do that?”

“I think that I can, but I can’t promise though.” He snickered.

Crys snorted a laugh, her hand moving from Jake’s hair to put a firm grip on the man’s chin, locking his eyes with hers. “Take this seriously, Jake.” She warned.

“I always take you seriously.”

“Oy, Killer, you in there?” Irvin’s voice called down the hall from the office. The boy’s footsteps drawing near.

“Looks like that’s your cue, Jakey.” Crys smirked. “Off to save the world and whatever.”

Jake laughed softly under his breath, leaning in and unceremoniously kissing her lips. It caught her off guard and for a split second he thought she might push him away, but she pulled him close instead, her body relaxing into his embrace. Just like that, it was as though Time lost all meaning, and they’d both been there all along.

“Hello?”

The sound of the opening door forced Jake to pull away from Crys, a sigh escaping his nostrils at the awkward silence that lingered in the room.

“I’m interrupting something?” Irvin mumbled sheepishly. “The barkeep said I could just come up.”
Crys snorted a laugh. “Sure he did.”

Irvin looked from Crys to Jake with a curious look in his eyes. “I don’t wanna rush you, Killer, but did you ask her? We have to go back soon.”

“No, Kid, just... give us a couple more minutes... I’ll be right down.”

“Kay, sure.” Irvin answered, hurrying out of the office and down the stairs.

“Nick must be really curious to send the kid up here like that.” Crys chuckled. “So, what were you supposed to ask me?”

Jake shook his head, amused at Irvin’s obvious embarrassment, but also a bit annoyed at the interruption. “Right, right... You distracted me.” He snickered. “Uhm... My birthday’s coming up and... I need your help throwing a surprise party.”

“You’re... Surprising yourself?” Crys laughed. “I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Nooo...” Jake laughed out. “It’s for Ess. You know, we never knew what her birthday was growing up so... I sort of shared mine. I haven’t really celebrated my birthday in years, but since we now found each other again... You know... Maybe a party is due.”

“Hm... I seee... So we’re doing this for that sister you never once mentioned in all these years we’ve known each other.” Crys asked, her tone slightly severe.

“Yeah, I know, I’m sorry about that.”

“Please, Jakey, I know why you never told me. You know I would have dragged your ass to Newhaven the moment I found out. I still can’t get it in my head that if it wasn’t for Mageria you might not have ever looked for her.”

“I would have, Crys. I know, I would have. It just happened the way it did, alright?” Jake muttered.

“Remember what you said, back in the desert, when you told me I was hiding, that I was afraid to take action... You told me that it’s stupid to sit around and expect Fate to deliver. That we have to go after what we want. Remember that?”

“I thought about it and I did, in a way, look while I was in Newhaven...” He started, leaning against the desk beside Crys. “When I was living there, I looked for her in every person I passed on the street. I told myself I might not know her face, but I’d know it was her when I saw her... I know her eyes... And I looked. I just... I didn’t track her down, because that I didn’t have the courage to do, but I did look for her. I did want to see her again. I just... I told myself that since I was dead, she would have been over me, that she was okay without me, that it was better if I didn’t...”

Crys reached for Jake’s hand and give it a comforting squeeze. “I know Jakey.”

“I know I was wrong, that both our lives might have been a lot better if I had found her then, but I was afraid. I knew I wasn’t going to be the man Jess and I wanted me to be. The man I told her I would be. I was afraid she’d... Look at me and... She’d be disappointed. She’d turn me down. And I know it’s not reasonable, or fair, of me to feel that way, but I did. And I know that she feels that too, that she worries I might one day look at her differently and leave her. That she still fears that now and... I think, I just want to show her that she’s not alone and that no matter what she’ll never be alone again. Because she doesn’t have just me anymore. You know?”

“I know. We’ll just need to make this party extra special then, won’t we?” Crys smiled. “After all, she’s family; yours and mine, and family always deserves the best.”

“Exactly.” Jake smiled. “So you’ll help then?”

“Oh, you can count me in. Absolutely.” She nodded along to her words. “Now you better be off and I should go back to my recruits... They require a lot of work still.” She kissed his cheek and smirked. “And the world’s not gonna save itself, is it?”


[Otium 17 - Early Evening]

They had made progress. More so, they had become an unit, still Crys couldn’t shake the fear that these people were far from prepared for what they might have to face. She wasn’t even sure she knew what there was to face in the first place. Idly she paced the training room, walking amongst the pairs of fighters, taking note of the sounds of their footsteps, the clashing of their training weapons, their heart rates, breathing... She was pleased at how they had become more focused, calmer, more precise, but it wasn’t enough.

Crys rose her hand and the pairs ceased fighting, standing at attention. She walked to the weapon racks and pulled two short blades, dropping them in the center of the room. “Enough playing with toy swords. One of you, pick those up.” She commanded, drawing her Sai. “Come on.”

No one moved at first. It was clear no one wanted to fight Crys; even less using real blades. It was Irena who made the first move and stepped forth to pick up the swords. “Shall we fight, Boss?” The girl asked.

“Give one to your partner, you’re a team, no?” Crys smiled.

“What?” Ike muttered, glaring daggers at Irena as he took the sword from her.

“Are you afraid, Ikey?” The girl grinned. “We’re fighting two against one after all... I promise I’ll protect you?”

“I’m not afraid.” The man snorted. “I just don’t appreciate having decisions made for me, alright?”

“I’ll take that under consideration next time, Ikey-Wikey.” Irena playfully cooed at the older man.

“A bit late for that now, so why don’t you step forward? The sooner we begin the sooner it’ll be over.” Crys stated calmly. “Do you think the people who murdered your brother did so fighting with sticks, Ike? If you can’t pick up a blade you’ll never be able to stand up and fend for yourself. If you’re afraid to bleed a little, then trust me; you’re going to die out there. I don’t take kindly to that idea. I’m your Instructor after all. If you fail, I fail. And I hate failure.”

Ike was momentarily stunned at Crys’ words, his body tensed for a moment, fist clenching around the hilt of the sword, but after a moment it passed and the man nodded calmly to the blind assassin’s words. “Yes, Boss.”

----------------

[Raven’s Nest, Otium 13 - Night]

Luckas was standing by the oak, back resting against the trunk of the tree, eyes fixed at some random spot in the distance he wasn’t exactly paying attention to. The afternoon after the eclipse was spent in the forest with Stalker, both hunting and thinking things over. Something was off in what had happened and Luckas had his suspicions as to what that could be. The truth was though, that he didn’t want to think about it. After both himself and the wolf had gotten a good deal of exercise Luckas found and shot a small wild boar, dragging the animal back to camp and occupying himself with skinning and gutting the animal; a task made rather difficult by Stalker constantly poking his nose trying to snatch himself some innards or a hunk of meat. It was only after Luke had given in and let the wolf have the boar’s heart that he was able to work in peace. So, as the sun was almost about to set, he rested under the shadows of the tree as the pork roasted over the fire. He’d not seen Ess since he made off into the forest with Stalker, but he was sure she would turn up soon and didn’t think it was necessary to go find her... At least not yet. Besides, even a psychotic stalker can enjoy having a quiet moment to himself from time to time.

“Mister Aiden been looking for that, you know.” A curious voice sounded in Luke’s ears causing him to look around a couple of times in confusion until he caught sight of Lily standing there pointing at the crossbow that lay at his feet.

“You don’t say. Well...” Luckas pushed himself away from the tree and crouched down to the girl’s eye level. “When you next see Beast Boy, you can tell him he’s more than welcome to come and get it.” He spoke, smirking deviously at the girl momentarily before standing up and leaning back against the tree. “Isn’t it past your bedtime or something, Miss Lily? When the sun goes away... that’s when the monsters come out of the shadows looking for pretty little girls, much like yourself... And they grind their bones to make bread... It’s quite tasty, I’ve heard.”
The girl simply chuckled at Luckas, occupying herself with scratching behind Stalker’s ears, the wolf more than happy with the attention. “Jason says that’s just a story, you can’t make bread with bones.”

“No, but you can try... Maybe no one told the monsters that and that’s why they keep trying.” Luckas replied with a snicker.

“You’re silly.” Lily answered, looking up at Luckas and giggling as Stalker whined at her for more scritches.

“Have I not mentioned, Miss Lily? I am quite a gifted fool; everyone always tells me so.” Luckas snickered.

“Have you got any more?” She asked, a bit excitedly.
“More what?” Luckas asked, sincerely confused by what the girl was referring to exactly.

“Stories, silly. Do you know any more?” Lily’s expression turned into a very accurate impersonation of Mageria’s severe glare. “You promised a story if you were still here, remember? And you’re here.”

“Ah.” Luckas arched an eyebrow at the girl and nodded. “Most of my stories are not for little girls, Miss Lily. I’m not sure I have any more to tell, to be honest.”

“Whyyy?” Lily asked, seeming even more curious now. “Are they scary? I won’t be scared, no one’s checked my bed for monsters in almost a year!”

“Almost a year, eh?” Luckas asked, amused. “I’m sure you are very brave, little Miss, but I still think it’s best if we save the monster stories for when you’re a bit older.”

“Doesn’t have to be a monster story, can be any story.” The girl argued, smiling at Luckas.

“Hmm... I don’t know...” Luckas mumbled, finding it a bit difficult to just say no to the kid, after all; he did promise. A promise is a promise.

“Pleease Mister Luckas... Just one story... Doesn’t even have to be a very big story... Can be a really little one.” She insisted, Stalker emitting a few sympathetic whines, staring up at Luckas with his big dark puppy eyes. “You said you would.”

Luckas ran his fingers through his hair, ruffling up his dark locks a few times as he sighed softly and muttered. “Alright, you’re right, I did promise... One little story, and that’s it, okay?”

“Okay!” Lily exclaimed, bouncing excitedly and starting to run off. “I’ll go tell everyone!”
“Wait... Everyone? What...” Luckas mumbled, still scratching the back of his head in confusion as he watched Lily run off to gather all the children.

“So much for enjoying a quiet moment.” Luckas muttered to himself as all the kids gathered around Ess’ campfire, oddly quiet as they sat in a semicircle, facing the oak and staring at him in wait. Lily and Jason were the only kids that had ever been brave enough to interact with Luckas on their own. The others were always sheltered by their little pack. Most of their names Luke had never really bothered to learn. Not only the children, but Puppy, Ward, and a few of the guard had stopped to listen in; seemed as though Lily had really told EVERYONE.

Stalker remained seated at Luke’s side as he stood against the tree, in the same spot, silently looking around as if in search of something, almost as if he didn’t notice there were other people there. This went on for a good while, until some of the kids were already on the last of their restraint and starting to exchange curious whispers amongst themselves. Finally Luckas moved, rather abruptly as if he was snapping out of a trance. “Alright!” He exclaimed, bouncing for a couple of steps and dropping down onto the ground to sit facing the children. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?” He started, picking up a twig that was lying beside him on the ground and calmly waiting while Stalker sniffed his way around the group of children and finally settled down beside him. “First some ground rules: Don’t interrupt me, if you have questions save them for later, if you get bored or frightened, just get up and leave, if you get thirsty, hungry, sleepy, or need to go pee pee, find someone from the Guard, because I’m not going to help you with that. Are we clear? Good.” He smiled as the kids nodded their agreement, idly tracing lines on the ground with the twig he’d picked up. “There are sixteen deities in Valcrest mythology; deities means ‘Gods’ for those of you who don’t know the word, and mythology is a fancy name for ‘stories about Gods’. Anywho... There are sixteen Gods, Mother and Father and their fourteen Twins. The Myths are filled with pretty stories that teach important life lessons to little kids and most adults would tell you one of those, but... I think you guys aren’t too young to learn a little about Lady Death. Most people still think that the best way to deal with Death is to pretend it’s not out there, and not talk about it unless they have to, but one of my favorite stories when I started reading the myths was about how humans were given the gift of mortality. See, back when the Twins first came to Valcrest and one by one they granted humans their gifts, people had never truly known Death. Even though all her siblings had given gifts, except for Life but we’re not talking about him; that’s a different story, Death refused to give the humans any gift. She said people weren’t ready for what she had to give, that they wouldn’t like it, but the humans were greedy and they were curious to know what Death’s gift was, so they insisted. One young man in particular, let’s call him Lionel, spent a lot of his time attempting to reason with Death and convince her to grant humans her gift. He insisted so much and for so long that one day Death finally gave in and told Lionel to bring his whole family and meet her in this nearby cave at nightfall. Lionel agreed, so as night came he and his family walked to the cave where Death said she would be waiting for them. As soon as they entered they saw Death, and in front of her there was a wooden table, on the table there was an hourglass filled with golden sand. ‘This is my gift’, Death said, pointing at the hourglass. Lionel and his family were confused, they had been given time already. When they questioned Death, the Goddess smirked and explained that time wasn’t the gift; the humans had all the time they needed, and the hourglass itself also wasn’t the gift. Since they still looked confused she explained that she and Brother Time had crafted that hourglass and that it didn’t mark the passing of time like a normal hourglass, but in a way only she herself would understand. Death looked straight into Lionel’s eyes and asked if he was absolutely sure he wanted the gift; she reminded him of all the warnings she had given and repeated that they wouldn’t like it. Lionel held Death’s gaze, and persisted. He wanted the gift. So... Death flipped the hourglass. At first nothing happened, the golden sand stayed in the top half of the hourglass, not a single grain dropped as if Time had frozen still. Then Death smiled and explained that from the moment she had flipped the hourglass, time had become limited for all creatures in Valcrest and every time a grain of the golden sand dropped it meant someone’s time had run out. Then she told Lionel that he had been given pretty much everything and instead of enjoying what he had he chose to spend his time chasing after yet another gift, not caring what it actually was and that the time he wasted would never come back. That her gift to mankind was to simply make it so everything else they were given was fully appreciated. Her gift to humanity was to allow them to look at the world bearing the knowledge that nothing lasts forever. She then told Lionel that she had asked him to bring his family so that they could pass along the message. When Death finished her explanation, a moment of silence passed and then... The first grain of golden sand dropped, and as it hit the bottom of the hourglass Lionel also dropped, lifeless, to the floor. Death then told Lionel’s family that the hourglass didn’t mark the passing of time like a normal hourglass; there was no way to predict when another grain of Golden Sand would drop. From that moment on the human race came to know Death.” Luckas went silent for a moment, smirking slightly as he looked over the children one by one. “A lot of people, over the years, since the Twins left Valcrest have searched the land for Death’s cave believing that the hourglass is still there. They believed that if they could break it, they could make the human race immortal again.”

Essence had spent most of her day occupied with the normal routines of training. There was nothing really special about her day for the most part. It was when she had been soaking her feet in the river, that she heard the whispers and chatter of the children. Something had peeked their curiosity in a such a way, that their excitement spread amongst them like a common cold. Tala was lying in the tall grass, Beo and Ward rolling around beside her in a playful battle for dominance. Each time one would conquer and tackle the other it never lasted more than a few seconds before the one at a disadvantage, would wiggle away. Eventually the brother’s rough and chaotic attacks spilled over their mother, Tala seeming barely phased even though they managed to knock her over. Still, the mother wolf just sat there, reacting as if mere flys were buzzing around her head. Occasionally she snapped in the direction of one of her boys, but mostly her ears were perked on alert, listening to the winding down movements of the camp. Ess picked up her feet and stood, grabbing her boots in one hand as someone called to the rusty colored wolf. All three froze, halting their current play before sprinting after the voice. Ess just shrugged and followed from a distance, lazily dragging her feet along the cool shards of grass.

When Essence realized she was being led back to her camp, along with some other men and women of the guard, a mischievous smile traced her lips. Tala and her boys had settled along the tree line where the fire light reached while Ess quietly left her boots beside them and slinked around the shadows to a tree with low branches and shimmied up them. That was when she heard Luckas begin his story. She ever so silently positioned herself adjacent to her Oak tree where she sat along a sturdy branch, dangling her legs so that they were the only thing one could see; the rest of her form hidden in shadow. Ess didn’t move while she and the others listened attentively to Luckas’ words on Lady Death and the curious story of the hourglass. She honestly couldn’t remember hearing it before. It took her back to the nights she would harass her father for stories of her mother but this was different. Still, a childlike awe was frozen upon her face until the moment Luckas paused, Ess rushing to be the first to ask a question before even the children, startling some below her when discovering her presence.

“...If someone were to break the hourglass, why would that make us immortal again? If each spec of golden sand represents one of us, then wouldn’t we all meet Lady Death at the same time? Wouldn’t that be like, ending the world?”

“Maybe that’s why no one has found it.” Lily chimed in.

Essence laughed. “Oh really?”

“Yes, really!” The girl chimed in, standing tall as she spoke. “Maybe someone hid it so that will never happen.”

Some of the other children began agreeing, chatting among themselves until Jason spoke causing the others to fall silent. “...What is done...can not be..undone...If there are people who think they can change it back, then that is just..crazy.”

Luckas was startled for a moment, his thoughts still in the story and the theme behind it. His first instinct was to look for Ess at the sound of her voice, looking upwards and leaning back so that he was nearly lying down on the ground as he stared, amusement in his expression as her question turned into a little debate. He waited until Jason had spoken and a few moments more before finally speaking his mind, shrugging as he scratched Stalker behind the ears. “The hourglass is supposed to represent boundaries, Lady. The amount of sand contained inside a glass is something that can be measured, as opposed to the amount of sand contained... Well... Everywhere else. If it can’t be counted, it’s technically infinite. Like the stars. So, the belief behind the search for the hourglass is that if you break the glass and scatter the sand, our time on this plane becomes infinite again.” He paused, going into another brief moment of thought before nodding. “Jason has a point though, these things can’t be undone... Not in the literal sense anyways. And if someone was to believe the myths to be true, several of them mention that something created by the hands of the Gods can’t be broken. So even if someone could find the hourglass; if it was actually in a cave somewhere, it couldn’t be broken. It would just be a constant reminder that people everywhere are dying.” Luke chuckled, shaking his head. “Then, denial is the first stage of grief for a reason, a great part of humanity has been unable to move on for a very long time.”

Several things went through Essence’s mind at the same time. Many of which she did not voice as she glanced around at the children’s faces, wondering if this was even an appropriate story topic. It was unavoidable though. Death was a part of life. Ess sighed, a grumble of sorts coming from above before she pushed herself off the branch to land just beside Luckas’ feet. “...Like we need a reminder that people are dying..” She breathed, her voice not carrying to where the children sat. Clearing her throat she spoke up this time. “I don’t think it’s denial. We see death every day. We eat the deer and the rabbit and they have to die in order for us to live, no? People grow old and pass on.”

“Right...everyone will die one day.” Jason added, wrapping a comforting arm around Lily as her eyes widened at the thought. Ess turned so she was facing the girl, kneeling down to sit beside her. “..For every death...every time a soul leaves this land, another one is born. Another life enters in it’s place. When you grow up Lily, one day, you will have children and I believe, in a way, that is the loophole to mortality. I believe that we carry those lives inside us and pass them down to our children and our children’s children and thus, we are still immortalized in a way. In a way, we still live forever. We take the good and the bad; the beauty and ugliness with us, just like stories you read in a book.” Ess paused, smiling at Lily, brushing her bangs from her face. “But that is just what I belive, Lily. The purpose of this is for you to think of what you believe too. But if you think too much you may never fall asleep, hmm?” Ess’ internal voice continued on in her personal rant, her eyes moving past the girl and staring off into empty space. 'Maybe, they are the shadows we love and fear. Maybe those shadows are the souls of generations past...watching
.waiting. A reminder that they are apart of us and always with us..' Ess was startled out of her mini trance to two tiny arms strangling her in a tight hug, muttering her goodnights as some of the other guardsmen were trying to coax the children to turn in for the evening.

“Good night Miss Ess! You did a real good job of talking about heaven...I think. Where we go after we die to see our family again.” Lily smiled brightly, running over towards Luckas to say her good nights, Ess only realizing what she was doing when she was just out of arm’s reach, a surprised expression crossing her face.

Luckas didn’t do more than mumble under his breath here and there while Ess spoke. He knew well enough that it wouldn’t be very appropriate to speak his mind about some things in front of the kids. So he kept to himself, doodling on the dirt with the stick he still held in his hand for some random reason, his expression seeming a bit confused as he seemed to be thinking hard on what he was hearing. Shaking his head as though arguing with himself Luke stood, wiping the dirt from his pants as he casually checked on the pork that was roasting over the fire. He was turning away from the fire pit when he caught Lily running at him for a hug. Luke stepped back, nearly tripping over the fire, but catching his balance as he held the girl back with a gesture. Crouching down to the girl’s eye level, Luckas smiled and said something to her in a whisper, winking playfully. Whatever he said wiped the confusion from the girl’s face and caused a short burst of giggles. “Night, silly!” Lily exclaimed, ruffling Luke’s hair and running off to join the other children. Luckas snickered as he watched the kids wander off to retire for the night, his smile fading to a more contemplative expression as he wondered if maybe he should have chosen a different story. Returning to his usual spot by the oak, he sat heaving a small sigh, eyeing Ess curiously as he spoke. “You know, your speech might have killed the point of my story, but that was probably for the best anyway. I should’ve probably gone for something more traditional and boring like... pffft... Dragons and knights and whatever... Lily kind of caught me off guard though and I suppose Death is just what comes naturally.”

Essence quirked a brow at Luckas when he managed to thwart Lily’s attempt at a hug, wondering what he had said to her to make her giggle and run off. Gradually her expression softened to a more defensive, perplexed frown. “I thought it was a good story, Luckas. I thought you made many points in it, but not all I felt like bringing up in front of the kids. At least not Lily.” Ess sighed, turning to stand in search of her boots she had left behind. “I’ll stay quiet next time...Hmph..” She groaned, noting that one boot was now missing and when she stepped into the shadows in search for it she found Beo’s snout burrowed deep into the leather. Instead of snapping her fingers or calling his name to grab his attention, Essence casually tip toed around the wolf, tackling Beo from behind, the wolf’s snout falling further into the boot so now it was wedged over his face. Beo whined, rolling over in an attempt to pry the boot from his face. She laughed at the confused yet sweet look in his eyes as she reached over and scratched under his chin before tugging the boot free from her furry friend. “Mine
”

Luckas snickered simply as Ess said she’d stay quiet next time. “Well, I don’t really plan on there being a next time, but if there were to be a next time, know that that’s not what I meant, and if I had meant it like that, I honestly doubt you would actually stay quiet. Personally, I think the point of stories is to say difficult things in a way that kids will understand when they think back on them years later, but if we were to get into what points a story like this brings up they’d probably handle it better than most adults we know. That’s one of the reasons kids annoy me much less than adults do.” Luckas shrugged, standing up from his seat and picking up the crossbow he had left in the ground, disappearing with it in the bushes for a while as he continued. “Miss Lily will grow up eventually, I like the thought of her looking back on this as a nice reminder of a time when stories were just stories and nothing more.” He added, returning to his spot under the shadows of the oak, now empty handed and snickering under his breath as he leaned against the tree. He stood in silence for a moment, once again lost in a moment of thought. “I’m curious though, Lady. How do you see Death’s gift? From what you said it still seems to me like you’re also trying to find immortality in some way, even if not literal, but maybe I just didn’t understand all that well.”

Essence sighed, nodding some as Luckas spoke before turning back to sit by the fire. She stirred the coals as if contemplating to add more wood to the flames. “Is..it wrong of me...to want her to keep her innocence as long as possible?” Ess whispered. “..Until there is a reason to shatter her sweetness
” She paused, smiling as the wolfs settled down at her feet, resting their heads upon their paws to also stare into the firelight. “..Death is suppose to be a release. It is a blessing, a gift but also a curse. In one light, it ends suffering and pain. In another, it is the central cause of it all. But isn’t that what being human is? Living and enduring pain? It’s a balance. For something to live something else must die. If we were immortal, then those who are truly
’Evil' would be left to roam the land and never stop
” Essence choked, as if something were momentarily stuck in her throat before she continued. “..Which is why those who I have...hunted...do not go easily...They don’t deserve that release. Eventually though it becomes apparent that their death is not about how their suffering comes to an end...but sparing someone else that torment.”

Looking up from the flames, the light dancing in her pupils, she stared over a Luckas. “Some days I want that release...some days I fear it. It’s not even the dying the scares me...It’s if my death would matter...and I don’t know what is more scary. If it were to matter or not. I’ve felt both. One is empty and painful and the other is just agonizing, but not empty.” A sweet smile spread across her lips as she reached down to run her fingers between Tala’s ears. “Like I said...it was a good story, my dear Luckas.”

“I never said you were wrong, Lady, but I think sometimes you mistake innocence with ignorance... I can’t blame you, there’s a very fine line between one and the other that makes it pretty difficult to tell the difference.” Luckas replied calmly, his eyes glancing at his surroundings as he heard movement in the shadows just out of the firelight’s reach, noting that Stalker was nowhere to be seen. “If I believed I had the right to want anything for those kids, I’d want them to not look at death as a release from life, or a punishment for people who don’t deserve life, or a journey; the end or the beginning of one, doesn’t matter. I’d want them to see death for its actual purpose; which is to make it so our time actually means something. Have you ever thought to yourself, or said the words ‘now or never’? What meaning would they have if time wasn’t an issue? What would it matter what you do today, or tomorrow, if you have countless todays and tomorrows to actually make something of yourself? I think the simplest way to be optimistic is to understand that we are born and we die and everything else in between will either count for something or not depending on our actions. If I were to wish anything for Miss Lily, it would be that. Because that is a view on life that may actually not disappoint her completely once she’s old enough to notice just how often shit happens.” Luckas sighed and fell silent for a few moments, listening in on the ruffling in the bushes and wondering what Stalker was up to that was making so much noise. “I don’t want to die, Lady, now more than ever I don’t want to die, but Death by itself will never scare me. Not enough time, not enough said and done, maybe, but not Death. Death is a certainty, Life is doubt; it’s Life that will always scare me most.” As he finished speaking the sound of a low growl caught Luke’s attention and he spotted Stalker waking into the lit area of the camp, slowly dragging the crossbow Luckas had just taken the time to hide in the woods. “Aw, damn it... That wasn’t for you to find, Stalker.” Luckas frowned at the wolf, unable to actually hold a severe expression for too long. “That’s not for you.” He repeated, crouching to poke the wolf’s snout playfully. “Not. For. You.” Turning his attention from the wolf and back to Ess Luckas added. “Tell me something, Lady... Do you believe our time together would really be as meaningful if we weren’t absolutely certain it will eventually end?”

Ess snorted somewhere in between annoyance and amusement, “...I know plenty of ignorance
” Her tone carried a bit of bitterness as she thought on those words as if she held personal resentment towards it like it were a person. A subtle ache crept from her belly to her chest, remembering how often she thought of both innocence and ignorance when she use to look at Jake when they were young. Shaking her head she brought her focus back on the present. “Maybe I am not explaining myself in the correct way...I think I agree with you..in many ways. Yet, I am unsure how to answer your question. I don’t deny all things come to an end and I don’t try to pretend they don’t. With that said, I also don’t sit here and dwell on how it will end and that is not why I hold certain moments so dear. I feel things are as meaningful as we make them if we had all the time in the world or not. It is true though...people tend to waste less time when they live in the moment and not...for it.” Ess’ voice faded as she thought outloud, not purposely trying to hide her words but at the same time not trying to let the world hear her either. “...Maybe that’s my problem..” Essence stood, leaning towards the boar that was still hoisted over the fire and closed her eyes, breathing deeply the aroma. “No. I don’t think our time together would be less meaningful if we didn’t know one day it would end. I do think things are a bit more appreciated, to know it wasn’t all a dream..even if it feels like it can be..” Opening her eyes again she smiled. “Why so interested in what I think, hm? What do you think?”

Luckas nodded as he listened to what Ess had to say although, as usual, he wasn’t sure how much of it he actually understood. He didn’t think it was worth to keep disagreeing on the matter, because when it came to Death it actually didn’t matter. “I already said what I think; death in itself is necessary. If people truly understood its purpose and were actually able to see how precious time actually is I think not nearly as much of it would have been wasted fighting over nothing. And when have I ever been anything less than interested in your opinions, Lady? I usually prefer listening to your opinions than my own... And I can’t say that about most people.”

Luckas took a few moments to silently scratch behind Stalker’s ears. “I don’t think anything in life would hold the same meaning if it could last forever. It’s like saying a loaf of bread has the same value to a nobleman who has never known hunger than to a kid who has to risk his life on the streets for said bread. Sure it’s the same bread, it tastes the same, but it’s worth a hundred times more for someone who knows what it’s like to not see proper food in weeks. Looking back to the story, if that Lionel guy knew that his time was ending, would he have felt it was worth spending chasing after something that may possibly be unpleasant to him? He was warned that he wouldn’t like what he would get, he insisted because he believed there was nothing to lose.”


[The Manor, Otium 18 - Early morning]

Luckas groaned as something collided forcefully with his ribs. He rolled around into fetal position and muttered at whatever it was to piss off, only fully waking up with the sharp pain of someone’s boot striking the middle of his back.

“I said get your ass off the fucking floor!”

Luckas vaguely recognized the male voice, opening one eye to see the redhead boy who’d accompanied him to the Ball. “Fuck off Amber.”

Amber responded by kicking him again. “I can do this all day, fuckface.”

“Fine.” Luckas snorted, sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck. “Give me a moment.” He groaned, pushing himself up. It had just dawned on him he’d spent the night in the hall outside Sam’s door. Her door still closed behind Amber’s back.

“Don’t even think about it. Sammy’s resting and you absolutely can’t see her.” She silenced Luckas with a dangerous glare before he had the chance to argue. “No. I don’t care what you said, or what you did, Dickhead... Here’s what I do know; you hurt her. She’s hurt. So you don’t decide when you see her. You don’t camp outside her door. And you don’t whine for her to forgive you, you pathetic little shit. She’ll come to you whenever the fuck she’s good and ready.”

Luckas flinched at Amber’s behavior. She was serious; one hundred percent serious. Luckas didn’t think he’d ever seen her utter more than a sentence without breaking out in giggles. “I...”

“One more thing, Bitchface... Whatever it is you said; or did, she wouldn’t say and I don’t want to know... If you do it again... So help me, I’ll destroy everything you hold dear in every single way imaginable and I have a fucking vivid imagination. I’d probably start off with that little birdie Marcus has caged in the city. See what your Lady thinks of you if I send a Raven’s head to her with your name on it, Lukey.”

Luke’s fists clenched so tight his nails sank into his palms, but his voice remained calm as he answered. “That threat is... Unnecessary.” He muttered.

“Oh, I don’t think it is.” Amber snorted. “See, Lukey, I’m a free spirit... I like to go along with whatever Life throws at me. I’m not easily affected by things. So believe me when I say; you are far from seeing me angry. I’m as tolerant of your shit as Sammy is; for the most part. I keep you alive, I protect you from Zeke, all... Well, partly because it’s fun, but for the most part because it’s what she wants. The moment that changes... You’re gonna have problems like you’ve never had before; are we clear?”

“Very.” Luckas muttered.

“Good.” Amber smiled sweetly. “You have a pretty face, I’d be sad if I had to tear it off.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.”

“Love ya too, Lukey.”

“Tell me something.”

“Okay... So this one time, Lizzy and I sneaked into Amara’s room with a bucket of pig tripe and some rope and...”

“No... Amber... I have a question!”

“Oh. Why didn’t you just say that?” She frowned. “Well, your loss. That was a good story.”

Luckas groaned under his breath, starting to walk off towards the opposite end of the hall. “Why are you and Sammy so close? What are you to her?”

“Who am I? That’s an awfully personal question, don’t you think, Lukey? I mean, I think if I told you that I might have to kill you... Okay, maybe I wouldn’t have to, but I might want to... Are you sure you really want to know?”

“Yes, I want to know.”

Amber glared intensely at Luckas, not in anger like before, but in a more inspecting way. “Alright,” she agreed, grabbing Luckas by the front of his shirt and dragging him along to her room, closing the door behind them. “You can sit anywhere, if you’re brave enough.”

Amber’s room was, for the most part, a mess of empty and half empty vials, assorted blades and suspicious stains. Upon entering Luckas immediately gagged as a pungent smell of rot invaded his senses. “What the hell is that stench?”

“Hm. Good question.” Amber mumbled, pulling a box from under her bed and rummaging through it. “The fish are still fresh, so it can’t be that. Unless there’s some leftover from the last batch... Sometimes Seth comes in here and drags one under the bedside table.”

“Fis-...” Luckas began to mumble, noting the bucket of fish placed by the door as though that was a perfectly normal place to keep fish. “Of course.”

Amber didn’t seem to give the smell any more thought and simply continued searching the box until she pulled out a file bound in leather. “Here.”

“What is that?”

“My file. All Branded have one.” She answered, matter-of-factly as she flipped through it. “I stole mine about two years ago after I remembered some things from before. Sammy let me keep it.” She pulled a sheet of parchment from the middle of it and handed it to Luckas. “Read this.”

I, Amber Jacobson, hereby declare that I have requested and chosen to undergo the process of Imprinting with full understanding that it is a painful, possibly lethal, and irreversible procedure.

I have been fully informed of, and agreed to undergo, the process of ‘conditioning’ for a period of time seen fit by my handler. I have been fully informed of, and agreed to pledge my allegiance and my Life to, this Brotherhood.

At the end of the note there was the date Amber’s signature.

“Not all of us have had a choice, of course, but those who seek out The Order or request an Imprint, have to write down one of these.” Amber said, taking the document back from Luckas. “You want to know my story, Lukey? I was born in Newhaven, my mother was a... ‘servant’... in the house Sammy’s dear ol’ Dad owned there. See that man, he was not one to respect the Brotherhood’s customs. Once one of the Master’s children manifests an enlightenment he is not supposed to produce any more. Dear ol’ Dad though found it simpler to just get rid of his little buggers once they were out instead of just... preventing them. Thus, I was not supposed to be alive. However, my mother had more than one. And when the executioners came she picked one at random and hid. That was me. My poor little brother didn’t quite have my luck. He was crier, and so it would be pointless to hide him. I was snucked out somehow... Bounced around from shit hole to shit hole... As the children of nobodies tend to do... And at age ten I ended up here... in the lower levels, wearing grey.” Amber put her file away and sat on her bed, staring up at Luckas without any trace of any discernible human emotion. “Things happened to me, as you know they do, down there. I toughed it out sometimes... I fought back others... One particular time it got really bad. I already told you this part. I bit back, thought I was gonna die, but I woke in the sick ward and Sammy was there. She says... She says she saw me and she knew. She knew who I was. She said she felt responsible for me.... That she owed me a life. Any life I wanted.”

“And this is what you chose?” Luke questioned.

“In a manner of speaking.” Amber shrugged. “She asked me what I wanted. Anything. I said I wanted to be someone; anyone, else. She said she could do that, but I needed to be sure. She explained what Imprinting was, what it entailed, that it might kill me. I had nothing better to do with my life. What else would I ask for? I’m perfectly content to serve the Order Lukey. I was never forced into this. I chose. Good thing I did, because clearly Sammy needs me.”

“So you and Sammy are...”

“Sisters. Yes.” Amber snorted. “No one knows, not even Zeke, and no one is to know. Needless to say I’ll consider you personally responsible if word gets around.”

“Far from me to let that happen.” Luke said, frowning at her threat. “Do all Branded have files like that?”

“Well... Most do. You and Matthew, however... I’m afraid not. Sammy destroyed your files while she was trying to hide you from Dad. You were both thoroughly erased from the Order’s records.” She smirked. “Trust me; I looked.”

“If your father was Sammy’s father that means...”

“My blood was tainted; yes. My chances of surviving the imprint were only a little bit above zero and the process was not without risks for her either because of that. As I’ve said before, Sammy saved my life. She says she’s responsible for me, but not the way I see it. She could have left me to die. I wouldn’t have blamed her.”

“Doesn’t it affect you then; this illness?”

“No. The Imprint changes your blood, Luckas. I’m no longer tainted, and I’d appreciate it if you never bring that up again.” She muttered.

“Fine. Sorry.” Luke chuckled, holding up his hands. “I won’t bring it up again.”

“Good. If you know all you wanted to know, Lukey... Piss off, will ya? I have some fun things to do that in no way involve you.”

Luckas snorted, turning and leaving the room immediately. Once in the hall he took a long deep breath, glancing at Sam’s end of the hall, but eventually heading for the stairs. He needed to walk.

--------------

[Desert, Otium 18 - Early Morning]

”Why do we wear red, little brother?”

Dastan mumbled his answer, his voice muffled by warm sand.

“What was that?”

The six year old pushed himself to his hands and knees, repeating his answer as he got back on his feet, wooden sword tightly wrapped by a clenched fist. “Warriors bleed.”

“Warriors bleed.” Tarek repeated. “But we never let it show.”


Blades sang as they sliced open the air in the arena, steel clashing into living darkness as two mirrored warriors danced around each other in the sand. Every move Dastan made was mirrored by his shadow, and its dark blades posed an impenetrable obstacle for the mercenary’s relentless strikes.

Despite the fear that had plagued the Crimson Shadows’ encampment after the Eclipse, some of the bravest younglings had posted themselves around the training area to watch the man’s ‘spar’. Most of them had never seen Dastan wield his blades before, they’d only heard of his skill, and curiosity spoke to them much louder than fear.

The silence echoing through the empty arena, disrupted only by clashing steel, resonated like an eerie melody; one that only Dastan himself truly knew. It echoed in his bones with each strike of his blade, it coursed through his veins with every beat of his heart. It poured out of him with every single drop of sweat and every ragged breath.

”I’m not ready.” Dastan muttered.

“Neither am I,” Vikram answered, “but it’s important you learn now. No one lives forever, little brother. One day it’ll be me in there. Who will free my spirit then, if not you?”

Dastan swallowed hard and nodded to his brother’s words. “Okay.”

“It’ll be alright, just say it after me.”

Dastan stood awkwardly beside his brother as Vikram raised the torch. Lying motionless in the unlit pyre was their eldest brother. Tarek looked asleep if not for the large brown-ish red taint on his shirt. Vikram’s voice was muffled in the back of Dastan’s mind, drowned out by a persistent ringing that filled his ears and head with a dull ache. Even so, he managed to repeat his brother’s prayer word for word.


Tarek had bled through in the end. Enough for all to see. And Dastan had always remembered his brother for that one advice: warriors bleed. As for hiding it... Sometimes that just wasn’t an option.

Dastan stumbled back as his swords struck the shadow’s blades with a bit too much force, the golem mimicking his moves and taking a couple of clumsy steps back. Dastan lowered his swords for a moment, his eyes flickering back to their usual brown before being overtaken with a thick black fog. The shadow’s void features shifted to ones more resembling that of Dastan, dark orbs flickering back at him amidst his clones’ dark features. Dastan buried his blades into the soft sand, removing both his cape and shirt, spreading his arms to the shadow golem, a smirk crossing his features as he whispered. “In honor of our fallen Brothers we ignite this flame...” The shadow advanced quickly towards Dastan, dark blades rising as it rushed in his direction. “...That it may consume these now broken vessels and return them to the Earth from which they came...” Dastan twisted his body away as the shadow’s right blade jabbed at his chest, ducking underneath its next attack, pulling one of his blades from the sand and raising it over his head to block yet another strike. “Send these spirits soaring free into Air’s loving embrace...” He continued to mutter as he kicked at the shadow’s knees knocking it off its footing long enough for him to retrieve his second sword and roll to his feet.

“May their memory linger forever within ours...” His voice sounded louder, a lingering growl underneath his words as he fended off yet another attack. “May their Fire ever guide us...” He slipped underneath another slash, bringing his right sword upwards towards the shadow’s face, meeting resistance and retaliation from the golem, the shadow’s attacks now quicker and more furious, twice barely missing the mercenary’s naked chest. “Now and forever...” Dastan stumbled as the shadow broke through his guard and struck him in the face with the hilt of its sword. “Until the end of our days.” He ended the prayer and regained balance, planting both feet firmly on the ground and rushing into the shadow, blades clashing in a series of furious blows. What had started as a simple exercise had now devolved into a rage-fueled battle, the mercenary dancing with his shadow in a chaotic and brutal display. The fight coming to a sudden end when the shadow managed to sweep kick Dastan’s feet right from under him, burying both its blades into the mercenary’s chest the moment his back hit the ground.

The Crimson boys yelped in shock and surprise as the shadow stabbed into Dastan and then faded, the man remaining on the ground on his back, motionless. They stared at each other for a moment as if wondering whether to run and get someone or check for themselves whether the man was still alive. Eventually the small group paced towards their fallen leader with hesitant steps, stopping in their tracks as they noticed the man didn’t seem wounded in the slightest. One of them dared a step closer and leaned over Dastan, immediately startling as the man’s eyes snapped open, still entirely black.

“Boo.” Dastan whispered, smirking at the younglings. Sending all but one running off immediately. He sat up staring at the one boy who didn’t run. “You kids are not supposed to be out here without a trainer.”

“There are no trainers left.” The boy shrugged.

Dastan sighed. “True, but you’re still not allowed in the training area, for obvious reasons.” He stared up at the boy. “Andrew, isn’t it?”

“Yessir.”

“You’re not as impressionable as your friends, I see.” Dastan snickered. “Not sure whether that’s stupid or smart of you.”

“I’m not sure either.” Andrew said, his eyes scanning Dastan from head to toe. “You’re not hurt?”

“Of course not, kid.” Dastan laughed, jumping to his feet. “You don’t think I’m suicidal, do you? That’s rather counter-productive... As Indrani would say. No... For now it seems I had the situation entirely under control. The healer girl was right; I’m not dangerous yet.”

“Jackson said someone else caused the eclipse.” Andrew said, his tone slightly questioning.

“That seems to be the most plausible scenario.” Dastan nodded, beginning to pace in the direction of the encampment.

“Are we going after them?” Andrew asked.

“I am.” Dastan replied.

“Alone? Why?” Andrew argued. “We all suffered losses, Shaykh.”

“Not alone. There are other people already going after them, I plan to join them.” Dastan put one hand on the boy’s shoulder. “I understand your outrage, kid, but the clan needs to heal and being involved in this only ought to make things worse.”

“I guess.” Andrew sighed. “I just... I wish I could help.”

“You can help.” Dastan smiled. “My sister, your mother... All the others... They’ll need your help. Help them. Don’t wait for them to ask, just do it.”

Andrew nodded in agreement. They both walked in silence until they walked past the stables and the kid stopped. “Isn’t she supposed to be in bed rest?”

Dastan frowned as he followed Andrew’s gaze to Indrani, leaning against the fence by the horse enclosure. “Like I sad, the girl needs help.” He muttered. “Go on and find your mum, kid. I’ll handle this.”

Dastan parted ways with Andrew and walked over to Indrani, leaning against the fence beside her. “What are you doing? You’re not supposed to be walking around.”

“I talked Jackson into carrying me.” Indrani mumbled, staring off at Mirage and the other horses running around inside the fence. “I was sick of lying around that dusty place. I want to sleep in my tent tonight.”

Dastan was about to argue that Indrani shouldn’t be standing either, but stopped himself when he caught the tone of her voice. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” Indrani muttered.

“Come on now, we both know that when you say ‘nothing’ it means literally everything.” Dastan argued. “Tell me.”

Indrani lowered her head until it was touching the fence, a silent sob shaking her. “I don’t want to talk about this with you... Just... Leave it, Dastan.”

Dastan sighed, carefully putting one arm around his sister’s shoulders and pulling her to him. “I can’t leave it... You... Like this.” He whispered.

Indrani sighed, turning to her brother and wrapping her arms around him. “Why are you never wearing a shirt?” She muttered.

“For the ladies.” Dastan snickered. “Indi...”

“Why did no one tell me about Sean sooner?” She mumbled.

“Oh...” Dastan sighed. “Annie’s decision.”

“What?”

“We were only supposed to wait until the fever broke, but... I thought I shouldn’t be the one to tell you and... Jackson couldn’t seem to find a way to...” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I should have...”

“Dastan, I... Doesn’t matter...”

“I hated the guy, but I know how much he meant to you... And I can’t shake the feeling that what happened was in part my fault.”

“Twins, Dastan, don’t...” Indrani protested, clinging to him as her voice cracked and another wave of sobs overtook her. “Don’t... Say that... None of this is your fault!”

“Sean was never behind that attack, and, after this... Someone’s out to hurt me, sis and I feel like I’ve dragged the rest of you down with me. I...”

“Dastan... Stop, just... Stop...” She grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him down so his forehead was pressed to hers. “Look at me... I made a lot of mistakes; with you, with Sean, and they are mine to live with. I should never have acted behind your back... I should have given him a chance. I can’t take that back and it... It’s killing me, but... You did nothing wrong. Do you understand me? And if someone is out to hurt you... Heavens save them... Because once I’m healed I will rip their hearts out. You are my family; my home... I won’t let them take you.”

“Remember...” Dastan started, taking Indrani’s hands in his and slowly lowering them. “When you were six years old and you heard that Jackson broke my arm in training? You didn’t care that it was an accident, or if he was sorry... You chased him down and beat on him so hard you sprained your wrist...” He chuckled. “You were always the strong one. Always the fighter.” He kissed Indrani’s forehead and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. “But this is where I need you to be strong for me. Because this... Is one battle you can’t fight.” He paused, his voice failing as he felt his sister sob against him. “I need you here, Indrani. I need you here because one way or another I am coming home. And if... If it comes to that... Who will free my spirit... If not you?”

“Don’t say that! Don’t...”

“No one lives forever, little sister. Just promise me you’ll be here.”

“Dastan...”

“Please.” He whispered. “I need you to do this for me.”

“I... I promise.”

Dastan silently held Indrani, letting her cry on him for as long as she wanted. Pulling away once her sobbing subsided, calmly wiping at her tears as she stared up at him. “Remember, sis, no matter what happens... I will always love you. And even if I die tomorrow, I will always take care of you. Always. That’s a promise.”

---------

[Desert, Otium 18 - Afternoon]

The entirety of the Crimson Shadows; those still apt to wield swords and fight, had gathered near the edge of their territory at the sight of the cloaked teenager. Donovan looked much older than the last time he’d been there; even if it hadn’t been all that long ago that he’d tried and failed to strike Crys down in the center of that camp. He was clearly not the only one who remembered that incident.

“What do you want here, Wolf?”

Donovan opened his cloak wide and rose his hands; one empty and the other clutching an envelope. “May I please see your Commander, Jackson? I have a message for her.”

“No, you may not. I think we can both agree she’s been through enough.”

“Yes, she has, but then so have I.” Doni spoke calmly. “I’ve just buried the last of my family, and Sean may not have been the greatest of people, but he was my brother and I will honor his wishes; or die trying.” The young Alpha sighed softly. “If she tells me to leave, then I will burn this letter and go, but you’ll at least allow me to hear it from her.”

Jackson didn’t seem very willing to listen, neither did most of the mercenaries around. A handful of Crimson Shadows could still take on a lone Wolf; Doni knew that, but he was standing his ground nonetheless. “Come on, man; we’ve all seen more than enough bloodshed lately.”

“Jackson... Let the boy through.” Dastan commanded, the Crimson leader emerging from the temple with a heavy travel bag slung across his shoulders, sturdy boots on his feet, and both swords sheathed at his waist.

“Yes, Shaykh.” Jackson muttered, turning his back on Donovan without further addressing him, his fellow Crimson follow in his example.

Donovan put his hands down, shaking his head in sincere disappointment at the whole situation. “Suppose I should get used to this kind of reception.” He snorted.

“When you have no actions to your name those around you are bound to judge your brother’s, Little Fletcher.” The man smirked. “It’ll not last forever.”

“Hopefully not.” Donovan shrugged.

“For what is worth, I am sorry for your loss, Alpha.”

“And I yours Shaykh.” Donovan responded, confused at Dastan addressing him by title.

Dastan snickered when Donovan seemed puzzled at his use of the title. “Your hand.” He indicated the boy’s ring finger, now adorned with two rings; his still unmarked initiation ring and Dani’s Alpha ring. “I thought you’re not supposed to use ‘em both.”

“We’re not, but...” Donovan shrugged. “Tradition is not to be set in stone, but scribbled in shifting sand.”

Dastan snorted a laugh. “So it is.”He replied, briefly patting the boy on the shoulder. “Perhaps you’ll bring honor back to your name after all, Lil’ Fletcher.”

“We’ll see.” Donovan smirked.

“Well, if it’s Indrani you want she’ll be where the horses are, or in her tent. I trust you know the way.”

“I do. Thank you, Shaykh.”

“Don’t mention it.” Dastan shrugged, walking past the young Alpha and very casually leaving the encampment.

Doni took a moment to observe the fact Dastan was leaving for what seemed like a long while without as much as a word to his brethren, but then figured he was probably taking things out of context. Not like the man to turn his back on anything; Donovan knew that much.

Just as Dastan said, Indrani was stubbornly on her feet, leaning against the fence of the horse enclosure, observing the animals with watchful eyes. Donovan leaned against the fence as well, heaving a long sigh, not knowing what to really say to the woman. “Hey,” he mumbled.

“Hey, Don. Sorry, I missed the funeral. I was otherwise engaged.” Indrani smirked.

“So I’ve heard. I don’t think you were supposed to be on your feet this soon.”

“You sound like my brother.” Indrani snickered. “You can see he’s not exactly won that argument.”

“I do better sounding like your brother than mine.” Donovan mumbled.

“You shouldn’t resent him so much, Doni. Sean loved you, you know that.” Indrani scolded.

“Aye, I have no doubts he did.” Donovan sighed. “I suppose I just wish he hadn’t left me alone to clean up the mess he started.”

“Hm.” Indrani chuckled. “My clan, our ancestors nearly wiped each other out. Our existence, for generations, has been a mess they created. It has not been an easy one, but we don’t resent them, Don, we honor them. It was their mistakes that taught us to be better. Do you understand?”

Donovan heaved a long deep breath, his body relaxing against the wooden fence in the process, his eyes following Indrani’s gaze to the horses. “I guess I do.”

“Good. It’s important for a leader to never shy away from the past, or their own mistakes, Donovan.”

“Hmph... Leader... I don’t know why I thought I could do this. I’m just a kid barely out of training; as everyone so loves to remind me.”

“Have you been challenged yet?” Indrani asked. “If your clan believes you too weak, or unfit, to lead them, they would want to remove you, no?”

“I’m sure they think that, but no one wants to be Alpha right now, Indrani. Not after Sean.”

“Then you have something the others don’t already, no? You’re crazy enough to want the job.”

Donovan laughed under his breath. “That’s true.”

“So there you have it, Alpha.” Indrani smiled, turning to face Donovan with an inspecting gaze. “My, my, look at you Little Fletcher. You’ve changed since I last saw you. If I didn’t know better I’d never guess this is the same ten year old who kept trying to watch me undress.”

“I... No... That was an accident!” Donovan protested, turning very red in the face.

“You’re still a terrible liar.” She smirked. “It’s okay, now, Doni. Boys will do that. Growing up here I’ve seen more than my share of ‘accidents’.”

Donovan frowned, but didn’t argue his case any further. “Have you seen or heard of Ari, by any chance?”

“She hasn’t come looking for me, no. You’re not... You’re not going to brand her a traitor, are you?”

“No. Of course not. I’m the Alpha, I can nullify her oath, but...”

“If you do that she can never go back.” Indrani sighed. “How long do you plan to wait for her?”

“We’re still in mourning. I can give her a month or two. I know... She was very attached to both Sean and Franklin... Losing them both so fast would have taken a large toll on her, but I can’t excuse her leaving without a word. Not indefinitely.”

“I understand. If I see her, I will make sure to let you know.”

“I’d appreciate that.” Donovan smiled. “Look, I have... Sean left something for you and I... I wasn’t sure on whether or not to deliver it, but figured, best you decide for yourself whether or not you want it.” He mumbled, offering her the envelope.

Indrani’s expression immediately shut when her eyes caught the envelope in Donovan’s hand. “I... Doni... Is it true? What they’re saying... Did he...?”

“Sean didn’t kill himself. He wouldn’t...” Donovan answered, his eyes darkening as he lowered them to the ground. “My brother was a lot of things, but he was not that much of a coward. I don’t believe it.”

“I don’t either.” Indrani nodded, taking the envelope from Donovan’s hands. “I appreciate you bringing me this. I...” She sighed. “I should have given him a chance to speak... Sooner... Before things came to this. The very least I can do is accept his words now.”

“Don’t...” Donovan mumbled, reaching out for Indrani’s arm and gripping her wrist for a brief moment. “Don’t blame yourself for that. It wasn’t your fault, what happened. Sean had done more than enough to warrant your mistrust. He knew that well. Please don’t go on thinking you failed him in any way. That’s not true.”

Indrani shook her head at Donovan’s words, a sad smile spreading across her features, her golden eyes watering as she stared at sealed envelope she was holding. “I know that, but knowing and accepting are two very different things.” She let her eyes meet his and her smile changed, her gaze more stern. “You...” She started, grasping his chin. “You’ve grown into a kind man, Doni. I expect you to never let anyone take that from you. Ever. Do you hear me?”

Donovan flinched at her words, nodding his response with an wide-eyed expression.

“Good.” She stated, giving him a brief kiss on the cheek and releasing her grip on his face. “You run on home now, Little Fletcher. I’m sure your clan will be missing you at this point.”

Donovan snorted a laugh, but Indrani did have a point that his absence would have been noticed by now. “I’ll do that.” The young Alpha turned and began walking away from the fence, stopping after a couple of steps to speak over his shoulder. “Oy, Princess... I noticed you’re just a tad bit short on people, so... Don’t hesitate to call on me... Should you need any help in the future. What are friends for after all?”

Indrani stifled a laugh at Donovan’s offer. It was kind of him, but at the same time the Wolfpack was hardly in a good enough shape to go running to anyone’s rescue. She had meant what she said however, Doni seemed to have grown in the Alpha’s shoes rather quickly; whether he realized it or not. There was no doubt in her mind that he would eventually put things back in order.

Indrani breathed deep, holding Sean’s envelope with both hands, and carefully examining the familiar handwriting on the back. She wondered when that letter was written, how long ago, since her friend had refused to see or speak with her after Katelyn’s death. Annie had assured her that Sean didn’t blame her, but Indrani couldn’t quite believe that. After all, she’d been there right beside Sean when the girl took her final breath. She knew that if she hadn’t been, perhaps he could have made it in time to save her. She closed her eyes for a moment as she opened the envelope, feeling her fingers shake as they reached inside for her friend’s letter, unsure whether or not she actually wanted to read it. Eventually though, she opened her eyes and forced herself to look at its contents.

Princess,

I’ve debated writing this letter. I’ve debated it because if you’re reading this, then I am no longer present amongst the living and, as such, my words may come off now as an act of cruelty. If that’s the case, I am deeply sorry. Still, I thought it best to not leave any pages left unturned in our story. I hope that if this should cause you any pain, that it will not last long and you will inevitably see why I decided this was for the best. Please excuse me if I turn out to be mistaken.

When I was just a kid, on my first day of training, Bastian Rivers looked me in the eyes and asked me who I wanted to be. I didn’t know. I only knew who I didn’t want to be. I didn’t want to be that kid hiding in the woods, frozen by fear. I wanted to be strong on the inside so much more than I wanted to be on the outside. And for the most part, I was. I don’t remember being afraid of anything or anyone ever again... Until I met you. The day we met, that first time we fought, was the most frightening moment of my life. Not because I felt my life was in danger, but because that was when I knew.

I knew I loved you then.

That’s been my secret ever since. My deepest, darkest, most intimate secret. One I could never share, even with my best friend. It has also been my very worst fear; that one day I’d look into your eyes and the words would somehow escape me. Because at some point, Indrani, I’ve come to terms with the fact I could never escape my rage, or the man it’d inevitably change me into. I knew that man could never be worth the dirt beneath your feet, no matter how much he loved you. When I made a conscious choice to become a traitor, with that choice came the price of never being worthy of loving you. And I swore to myself that you would never know. That I would never tell you. If not for any other reason, because I knew what kind of a coward this made me.

I told myself day after day that I didn’t regret anything. I knew I was lying. I regret the path I’ve chosen. I regret it because it meant I could never choose you. For a while I could convince myself that sacrifice was worth it, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t. In many ways I knew it from the start, but it never became more painfully clear than when you said I was dead to you.

If not for Katie, I would have let you kill me, because it was my fault it all came to that. It was my fault because I kept that secret. And you never knew that I would rather die than see you hurt. That I would let a blade through my heart to keep you safe or make you happy. It was my decision to keep you in the dark, to let you doubt my feelings for you, because the truth felt so much more painful to me than that. It wasn’t fair to make you live with it as well.

I’m only writing this now because I was afraid you’d feel guilty. I can’t bear the thought of you thinking you’ve somehow failed me. Thinking that I somehow blame you. Because that couldn’t be farther from the truth. And I owe you the truth, Princess, even though now it’s practically worthless.

I don’t know what fate awaits me, or through which circumstances you’ll find yourself reading this letter. The future is always uncertain apart from the very end and I feel mine is considerably near. I am not afraid. I am no longer angry. Whatever happens, I’ve already accepted. After all, in the end, we all must pay for what harm we’ve caused and I’ve caused more than just my share.

There are too many things I wish I could have said, things I’ll never get to say, and perhaps things would have been different; much different, if only I had been entirely honest from the very beginning. And I’m sorry, Princess. Words cannot express how deeply I regret not being man enough to look you in the eyes and tell you all of this. That I kept this secret under lock and key; that I buried it with me in the end.

I’m sorry that I didn’t have the courage to accept when you offered to take me home with you, that I didn’t have it in me to turn my back on this when you asked. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to show you how much you matter to me, how beautiful and how amazing I believe you are. I’m sorry I never kissed you. Because there wasn’t one day, from the moment we met, when I didn’t wish I had.

I’m sorry I never said that I love you. That I always have. That I always will. And even though I never have been able to forgive myself, Princess, I only hope that, somehow, you will. Because even now, your forgiveness means the world to me.

However, I won’t ask that you forgive me. The only thing I ask is that when my death no longer feels so painful, in a time when these words won’t cut quite as deep as I imagine they do now, that you’ll remember me for one thing, and one thing only, Princess:

Remember me as someone who loved you. Because in the end, that’s the only part of me still truly worth something.

Farewell, Princess.

-Sean


“Sean... Wh-...” Indrani mumbled under her breath. Her sight was so blurred she could barely read her friend’s signature, the shock and confusion masking the fact she been crying profusely onto the sheet of parchment and for a brief moment she was unable to understand why it was so hard to breathe. Sean was right; she never knew. She never saw it, although, now; looking back on their time together, she could. It was there. It had always been there from day one.

“Of all the stupid... Things... You’ve done...” She muttered, glaring at his words. “What made you think this was your choice to begin with? You stubborn, idiot... Piece of shit... Why... You selfish BASTARD! YOU COULD HAVE LET ME HELP YOU! I could... Have...” Indrani’s voice cracked and her knees gave out on her. When some of her fellow Crimson came running in response to her shouting they found their Commander curled up in the sand, sobbing like a child. Something none of them had ever seen her do; not even as a child. The men stood there for about half a minute before simply walking away, afraid to say or do anything to cause the woman any more distress. No one short of Dastan himself had ever been able to calm Indrani, and they knew better than to try and change that now, knowing that the man was halfway across Valcrest.

It took some time, but eventually Indrani managed to stop crying, her golden eyes bloodshot as she reread her friend’s letter word by word. Sean had gotten one thing right; she no longer felt guilt, but now she was angry beyond all belief. “Stupid, selfish, brat... You inconsiderate son of a bitch... Thoughtless jerk...” She sneered, crumpling the letter within a clenched fist. “What right did you have to decide...” She stopped herself, breathing in deep and making to sure to not cry anymore. “It wasn’t too late Sean... You should have given me a chance to show you... What right did you have to give up on me? How am I supposed to forgive that? How am I supposed to...” She snorted, running her fingers through her hair, a bit of laughter escaping under her breath. “Fucking moron... Why would you do this yourself? To me. Things could have been different.”

cron