Snippet #2466030

“Honest opinion, here. Do you think the gift is too much?”

Darren quirked a brow, glancing between both boxes, each brow alternating for each direction he looked. Motioning towards the right he pointed. “I think that would be a bit...much, Aiden..but then again it’s not just from you.”

“You think she won’t like them?” Aiden sighed, looking between the boxes.

“No...that’s not what I meant. She will like them. She likes..pretty things and I know you will get…Quite the reaction from her. I just think you should have stuck with the first one and let it be at that.”

“You think I should give up.” He stated simply, his voice flat.

“I...well…” Darren adjusted his hat, half covering his face before tipping it away from his eyes. “Honestly...I think you come on strong. I think you are just scaring her away.”

Aiden stared at the larger box for some time before shrugging. “She was just really prou-.”

“I know. I know you’re thinking behind it. You are trying to give her something that was lost. I’m just saying..it comes off strong..”

“But Deidre is the one who made it for her...Darren, you really think-?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters.”

“No..it doesn’t…” Darren smirked. “No offense Aiden...but I think I know my mother better than you do..”


Six Months Ago...Raven’s Nest


Darren was rolling several small pieces of parchment together and tying it with twine to a Raven’s leg, whispering words of encouragement to the bird before releasing it. He chuckled at himself, watching the creature circle several times before flying off in the direction of the White Shadows. Now it was off to go wake up his Uncle Jakey.

-Annie-

I haven’t given myself too many moments to sit quietly and think for the past few days since I left. I returned to discover my Mother is still very much alive and here, taken under the Captain’s wing. She was someone I had met at the Ball...someone Jake knew as a child...the same redhead I saw flash behind my eyes when I encountered a dark eyed stranger in the wilderness. Luckas. It was like a fabled creature one would be unsure of if it was mischievous and curious or if it was hell bent on something more sinister. It was just the way he hid in the shadows and I couldn’t be sure if he was following me. Turns out, he is someone very special to my Mother. I’m afraid for her, truthfully. He seems like a complicated fellow but I kind of like the guy.

Words will not express my utter despair and joy that is swirling beneath my feet. She is beautiful, strong, and wise except when she looks inwardly. She tries to so hard to not hide herself, but I guess that is not easy when that was all she ever knew for so long. She almost reminds me...when I look into her eyes, of something fragile that was shattered to pieces more than once and somehow pieced back together. The atrocities she has endured because of those people...because of my Father..I am heartbroken. I have never been one to hate. I have never wanted to kill someone so bad in my life..and It scares me. I don’t want my Mother to have to see my Father ever again. He twisted her mind so far, I don’t know if she could handle the encounter. I want to protect her, to take this burden from her. I told her that every woman deserves a man who makes her forget her heart was ever broken and that if she feels that way around Luckas then she can’t hide from it. She just hugged me and said when she looks into my eyes, I help her forget the pain. Nice dodge Mom. She just deserves so much and yet I see her spiraling down a dark path. Maybe it’s unfair of me. She’s not all dark and dreary. Her smile is contagious and so is her laugh. It’s crazy how much she secretly fears everyone around her, but they are drawn to her like a moth to the flame. It’s true. You meet her and you can’t help but love her and want to protect her.

-D-


Present Time


“Darren?”

The boy blinked. “What? Sorry.”

“Again?” Aiden snickered.

“What? No..well yea...but no I was just thinking about..”

“..Something besides the leader of the White Shadows?”

“Aiden, you said Deidre was apart of the last scouting party that went out. You mentioned her being upset..you were as well about your friend..What happened?” Darren placed a hand on the man’s shoulder for a moment before pulling back respectively.”

“...the place was rigged with traps. It was...an unfortunate lapse of his attention to his surroundings.”

“Aiden..Do I look like the Captain? I didn’t ask for a report..”

“He was ripped in half...ok?” Aiden scowled. “ He just...something exploded..so she said. They of course...no one from the wagon escaped but from what I hear..the Captain only got...a few things, minor useful things..out of them. Well besides the wagon full of explosives. We think they were meant for Newhaven.”

“But nothing..else?” Darren swallowed, remembering the cages and human remains discovered at the abandoned camp.

“...Thankfully...no...but at the same time…”

“Captain believes there are more wagons…and that my Father messed up. He messed up bad. We are hoping…”

“That it will start a cascade effect.” Aiden finished. “..You and I are going out with the next rotation.”

“I hope we find something...soon…But...Aiden…? What did the Captain do with all those explosives?”

Aiden snickered and shook his head. “You know I don’t know that...for sure...just that they are being dispersed...appropriately.”



Six Months Ago...Raven’s Nest

Essence couldn’t have been asleep more than an hour when she stirred, her form slowly rising to a sit up position. Her face was covered by massive amounts of thick curls, her head drooping forward along with her shoulders making her appear she would lay back down along her pile of pillows. Crawling out of her blanket, she rolled to her right onto her knees so that she was positioned quite close to Luckas, her head gradually turning from left to right in a continuous searching motion only to pause and move in the opposite direction. Violet eyes peeked out past her curls in tiny slits, dull and almost faded in color like the green gown she’d always wear for bed. They appeared worn and distant. In one fluid motion she rose to her feet with such ease, someone might as well have picked her up in the effortless way she moved. Yet, when she stood her form swayed slightly as she stepped outside of her tent and began circling both her tent and the Oak it was positioned against. From her side, steady along with each step, Tala heeled, whining softly up at her. The wolf tried several times to use her snout to deter Ess from her path, trying to lead her back into the tent, but Ess always spun as if she were dancing, still lost in her trance like search.

The familiar brown fog rolled in, thicker this time, so much that Ess felt almost suffocated until a warm breeze brushed across her face. Stepping forward, her eyes narrowed as she tried to see through the fog, searching all around her until the distant giggles reached her ears and began to follow blindly ahead. “Jakey, I’m going to find you..I always do. Can’t we play another game?” Ess spoke not even very loud, but her voice echoed and rolled as the fog parted and there before her stood the great oak. She didn’t see the boy standing at her left, but merely felt he was there and turned, unsurprised to see those sweet blue eyes smiling up at her. As before, when he spoke, the voice did not match the visage of the small boy, but mimicked that of the adult version. “Ess, stay back. You can’t stop it. You can’t change what you know will happen.” The boy’s smile faded, his hand finding hers and giving a firm squeeze, he leaned back in an attempt to lead Ess away. Instead, Ess lead the boy forward, tightening her grip on his hand as well, not wanting to let him go. He didn’t struggle, only sighed as he kept in step at her side.

Luckas woke up when he felt movement, mentally protesting a bit as he realized it hadn’t been very long since he’d fallen asleep, only opening his eyes when he noticed that he wasn’t hearing the usual sounds of the woman and wolf breathing in their sleep. He sat up with his sight still a bit blurry and confirmed that he was in fact alone inside the tent. “Lady?” He mumbled, scratching his head a bit in confusion before letting out an annoyed sigh and making his way out of the tent.

The Nest was always just quiet enough at night to be peaceful, it almost created the illusion of vulnerability, when in reality the place was nothing but. In that silence it wasn’t difficult to hear the sounds of a woman walking and the occasional whines of a wolf following her closely. Even if he couldn’t, Ess hadn’t wandered very far, although she seemed to him as if she was wandering around aimlessly. Luckas tilted his head to face her as he stood watching for a moment before following after her as well.

After another lap around the oak, Ess paused, her eyes closing a moment before she knelt down to Tala’s level. Placing her hands upon the wolf’s shoulder blades along her back, she rested her head against Tala’s and smiled slightly before pulling away and standing back on her feet. Again her body swayed, the whites of her eyes appearing as her eyelids parted, turning around to face the tree.

Ess stopped when she saw the Oak, standing with a curious strength, the fog changing to smoke that swarmed and enveloped the mass before her. Protectively she pulled the boy behind her and let go of his hand. “Stay, Jakey...”

“No, Ess. You stay. Just let him burn...” The boy protested.

Ess turned around and knelt before the boy and pulled him into a gentle hug. “I won’t let either of you die, Jake.” She whispered before standing and turning back just as the flames started to spread. The figure wasn’t clear at first, trapped against the tree; a shadow with glowing, grey eyes staring back at her.

Ess was on the move again, this time circling the fire pit in front of her tent, the flames settled and soft which gave the appearance they were dying. This time when she stopped, her eyes widened, still dull and lifeless except for the reflection of light dancing in her pupils.

Luckas was watching Ess at first with a mix of curiosity and amusement. It was somewhat clear that she wasn’t seeing a thing of her surroundings, even though she seemed to be seeing something, once realizing that it wasn’t hard to reach the conclusion that the woman was dreaming; sleepwalking. Luckas had heard before that one should never wake a sleepwalker, and at this point he wish he had bothered to ask a healer if that was actually a fact or not. He wasn’t sure if it was best to try and wake the woman or just let her wander and try to keep her out of trouble. He didn’t have to think much on that fact however; the decision pretty much made itself when Ess started heading towards the lit fire.

“Lady, Lady, Lady...” Luckas started calling after her as he followed, trying to get her attention, but still a bit reluctant to just grab her and shake her awake.

“Ess, Ess, Ess...” The boy called, grabbing her hand once again. “What are you doing?”

Essence shook the hand loose and snarled. “Stop it. My life is not your decision, Jake. Every time I come here, you tell me the same thing over and over: The hardest ones to love, are the ones who need it the most. And now you want me to just turn my back?” The woman pushed at the boy and ran forward towards the Oak, feeling the warmth of the flames around her feet as she worked to free the figure before her. The shadow faded as the fire grew hotter, her eyes focusing on Jake’s blue eyes as the darkness appeared by his side, slowly coming into focus. Ess managed a smile through the fear that crept inside and it wasn’t for the victory in her stubbornness or the fact that she was indeed sacrificing herself for something she cared deeply for; it was for the very aspect of the dream she was able to change, however slight.

Tala growled, leaping forward she bit into Ess’ hand, trying to pull her back. Essence simply growled back as if she were mocking the wolf, and pried the mouth off her hand, revealing minor teeth marks and a bit of blood. Ess wasn’t even fazed, instead stepping up onto the short rock wall that bordered the flames, one foot after another forward into the fire.

Luckas groaned as his attempts to get Ess’ attention failed and even Tala’s efforts didn’t even seem to faze her. He didn’t have much left to do but one thing, and he didn’t waste much more time with thinking about whether it was a smart thing to do; he grabbed Ess by the waist and used all his weight to pull her away from the fire pit. “Come on Lady, this is not how you play with fire... Wake up! Wake up.”

A perfect overlap of illusion and reality; dream and awake melded together as the figure focused in her mind. She awoke staring into those same eyes, the grey darkening to their proverbial black as her own brightened into their traditional, violet glow. Pure bewilderment entranced her gaze, her hands finding Luckas’ arms around her waist and naturally left them resting there. Ess’ thoughts were of her dream and who she had saved from the fire and as she looked away from Luckas to take in her surroundings, an ironic laugh awkwardly resounded at her friend. Who was saving who? As it dawned on her, her lips parted in a luscious smile. This awkwardness was nothing like when Aiden had picked her up into his arms; she didn’t want him that close. Luckas, on the other hand was different entirely. “Why is it, whenever fire is the subject of interest, you are somehow involved?” She whispered faintly.

Luckas sighed somewhat relieved, but not in one bit amused by the whole situation; an annoyed expression on his face as he stared at Ess, still holding onto her as if to make sure she wasn’t wandering off again. “What’s so funny, Lady? If this is your idea of a joke, I’ll have you know I’m not very amused. In fact this is the less amused I’ve been around fire ever.” Raising an eyebrow curiously he added. “And if this is not a joke, then... What was it?” He asked, looking around as if trying to find some explanation lurking around.

Ess’ smile was thoughtful as she spoke, whispering into Luckas’ ear. “Irony...is what I find so amusing, my Dear Luckas. The irony of my nightmare; the irony on how I could almost control the entirety; the irony of how this was another example of how my dreams are coming to a reality.” She paused quirking a brow. “..At least in a way...but I wonder If I still am dreaming, and if I am, I think I’d like to hold onto it for just a little while longer.” Ess carried a certain kind of charm in her words, almost a tantalizing, teasing sweetness as she pushed to avoid exactly what had just occurred. She did all she could to hide her embarrassment, instead shying her gaze away coyly. “Besides, if this is what I need to do to be this close to you, then maybe I should go back to sleep.” Ess giggled, her fingers gingerly squeezing Luckas’ arm.

Luckas winced internally as he became very aware of how he’d been clinging to Ess as if she would vanish otherwise, but outwardly he just nodded his head slightly, pushing his annoyance with himself and the whole situation out of the way the best he could. “Remember that I said it’s not true that you can’t die in your dreams, Lady? That’s certainly not amusing.” He mumbled, pulling her a couple of more steps away from the fire pit before releasing his hold on her waist. “Besides... You are already closer than anyone else. There’s no need to jump into any fires now.” He added; a playful smirk breaking through his seriousness as he spoke. “So what was about this nightmare that you found so ironic exactly?” He asked casually, reaching for her hand; the one Tala had bitten, and raising it to eye level to check on it. “You should wash this bite, you know... Not that it is serious, but enough to break skin...” He pondered, brushing off a bit of blood with his thumb and giving a light shrug.

A shiver traveled from her waist and along her arms when Luckas moved away. Forcing herself to hold onto her sweet smile, it barely faltering, her mind focused on the chill upon her skin from where it was warm a moment ago. “I’m always happy for the reminder that my death would not be very amusing, Luckas. It wasn’t meant to be...”Her tone softened just below a whisper as she listened to Luckas speak. “I always remember what you say..” Still she smiled as her eyes flickered from her friend’s eyes to her hand, unaware until that moment that she was bleeding and that the skin felt slightly itchy; surprisingly she wasn’t in any pain. “Huh...Did you bite me to wake me up, Luckas?” She teased, purposely skipping over his question on her nightmare. Ess instead thinking long and hard if she wanted to answer and how exactly to answer, unsure exactly of what it all meant. The silver lining of her irises flashed as she muttered a bit of her answer. “...Each time I witness the dream, another irony is realized; something comes true; my subconscious forces me to realize what I thought was buried beneath the fear.”

Luckas stared at Ess with an eyebrow raised curiously. “Did I bite you? Of course not, Lady. If I was to bite you I’d make sure you’re awake...” He snickered. “I definitely would not bite your hand.” He added playfully, with a little grin. “No, this was Tala’s doing. She was very concerned for you as well.” He let his gaze wander from the oak tree to the fire pit and then back to Ess as he heaved a small sigh. “The dream with the burning tree again?” He asked; a subtle look of concern in his eyes as he recalled the bits and pieces he’d picked of the dream on previous occasions. “But you have not... Gotten out of bed like this before, have you?” He frowned slightly, going into thought for a moment, opening his mouth as if to speak again, but changing his mind. After a moment of silence he looked at her hand again and gave a half smile. “Do you have clean bandages or am I going to have to go steal from the medics?” He chuckled. “Or I could tear a piece of my shirt for bandages, I’ve seen guys do that and it always looks somewhat heroic... Although, this is my only shirt at the moment.”

Ess lips came together in a comical, pouty pose; the look of disappointment in her eyes was unclear if it was honest and true or a harmless jest. Her eyebrows rose curiously, still holding her pouty look, “Ooh? I wonder what I would have to do to get bitten then..” She pondered, not really expecting an answer. Turning her gaze downward, she retracted her hand from Luckas and let Tala sniff at the minor wounds, her smile returning. “Good girl, as always..” Ess giggled when the wolf began to lap at her hand in a careful, nurturing manner. Nodding to Luckas’ question about the burning oak, she sighed. “What does an Oak tree represent, Luckas?” Glancing back up she continued, “Strength...and what does it mean to me? It reminds me of innocence, as well as strength and how it all began with something so small it almost went unnoticed before one day surprising the world with it’s magnificence.” She looked back down at the wolf, her other hand gently patting the wolf along her snout. “And...in my dream...the tree doesn’t burn. It attracts me, calls to me more and more now and in the beginning the boy was faceless. Now, the boy is revealed to be Jake, as I remember him...with a...” Ess shrugged, “Minor difference....and the figure who I always work to save, has also always been faceless...” Ess trailed off, thinking Until tonight. “Looks like, at the same time I was protecting this shadow of mine, you were protecting me. Another example of the Irony I speak of.” She finished, not quite mentioning the figure had been Luckas, but not denying it either. Ess also kept to herself, the familiar repetitive message that was always spoken in those dreams, afraid of coming off as foolish or maybe seeing things that aren’t really there. Wouldn’t be the first time. “..And no, My Dear Luckas...I’ve not acted out my dreams, per se before...although...” Ess sighed, “I have been sleep walking...ending up in the most random places.”

Tilting her head to the side, Ess held back a laugh, the dimples at her cheeks appearing like tiny pits when her smile broadened. Looking around, as if lost she shrugged, “Medics have the supplies, if you really feel it’s necessary..” Pulling her hand back from the wolf’s nursing, she snickered causing herself to cough in her amusement. “Heroic huh? You secretly want to be my hero now or just a case to case basis?” Essence turned, sending a sly wink in Luckas’ direction.

“Hmm...” Luckas mumbled as he listened to Ess speak of her dream, he could almost swear some words of her story were spoken only inside her mind and he almost wished it was within his abilities to listen in, but he didn’t ask any more questions. “Ironic indeed...” He scratched the back of his head, giving her a curious look as she mentioned having walked in her sleep before, not seeming all too glad to hear that. “I can’t always be here to rescue you, Lady... May I suggest you tie yourself to the oak or something? Just in case?” He played, smiling although his concern was genuine; he really couldn’t be there at all times, although he couldn’t deny that he’d very much like to. “Good girl, Tala.” He whispered under his breath, glancing down at the wolf with an appreciative smile. “I’ll go get those bandages then, Lady... Be back in a minute.” He said, turning to walk away, but stopping to answer her final question. “And it’s not really my intention to be a hero or a Knight-in-shining-armor in any way, Lady. I’m not cut out for that kind of stuff... I’m much more comfortable with just being your shadow. If that’s alright with you.” He smiled over his shoulder as he started to wander off to snatch some supplies.

Essence doubled over in a fit of giggles, “Oooh..first it’s biting..now it’s tying me up?” Smiling she shrugged, standing back up straight so that her curls bounced along her shoulders, cascading down her back. “Not sure if tying me up will actually work..or how i’d do it myself..” She muttered knowingly, rolling her eyes. As Luckas wandered off in search of medical supplies, Ess’ smile widened so far she thought her face would crack, noting the way Luckas mentioned he’d rather be her shadow. “Smarter than you let on...” She breathed quietly to herself. Resting her hand along her chest, beside her heart, she glanced down at her tattoo and then back over at the Oak to the spot Luckas was usually found. Violet eyes burned, sparkling deep in thought, “My...shadow...”

A Few Days later…


“Psst....Aiden...you awake?” She whispered, a bit of urgency and childish excitement in her voice that squeaked when she remembered she was trying not to wake the others. A tired groan suddenly sounded like the loudest thing ever especially when the air was oddly silent; not even the sounds of insects echoing in dawns light.

“Ess..?” Aiden rubbed at his eyes and slowly sat up, quirking a brow at the woman’s wide smile masking a look of worry that laid beneath her eyes. “What’s wrong?...Wha..?”

Ess covered Aiden’s mouth with her hand which brought him to silence. “It’s time...get your stuff..” The redhead stood, turned and walked back out of the cabin without mentioning what she meant exactly but by Aiden’s hurried footsteps it was obvious he knew. Tala had begun a difficult labor early on in the night and something seemed off in the struggle the wolf was having with the first whelp and many still to come. With the wolf’s age, Ess had been afraid for her furry friend and was doing all she could not to think about it so not to add more stress to Tala’s situation.

The kennel Aiden had built was quite large with a separate, dry bedded area of hay, sheltered for weather accompanied by an enclosed grassy area of three or four yards, fenced in with a gated door that was now open. Shaded beneath the foliage, it was almost hidden and made to look like a den, to which Tala seemed to find instant comfort. Puppy was unusually protective of the den and even though was a gentle and patient soul most times, actually bared his teeth when Ess and Aiden approached. The Beast Speaker lowered his head in a submissive gesture, kneeling until he was actually on his side. Puppy nudged Aiden with a sort of approval before the man stood once again, moving to Tala. Others in the camp were stirring now, curious to the sudden excitement during the night, but Puppy wouldn’t let anyone else besides maybe the Captain, get close.

Tala’s belly seized and shivered amidst her heaving panting as more time passed, Aiden working feverishly to ensure Tala’s comfort and attempting to help breech the first welp. It felt like forever but when the first pup escaped it’s confines, Tala was a natural, brushing Aiden aside to cut the umbilical cord and tear the amniotic sac. Furiously she worked to clean the pup off but was soon accompanied by another and then another. Ess and Aiden had no choice but to jump in and assist, desperate to protect each one, cleaning them off enough so that Tala could finish after each one was freed from their tiny prisons.

“One...three...” Ess began counting as she stared at the freckled array of colored pups appearing before her; Tala helping the blind and deaf children to their first meal. Most latched on for milk with no further assistance but there were two who seemed to struggle. One, the last to be born; the runt, was a deep, sheer black. The other was grey with white trim around it’s paws and along it’s belly. At first they fell upon one another trying to find their mother’s milk and as the black one finally latched on, the other slowed and grew quiet.

“Seven....seven pups....My, My Tala you do have your hands full.” Aiden beamed, washing his hands in a basin of water. Tala looked at the immobile pup and began lapping at the tiny body and Aiden grew quiet, a saddened cloudiness taking over his eyes.
“..Six....” Ess whispered softly, slowly reaching for the pup. It wasn’t breathing and even though they tried all they could for the little soul, he was already too far gone. The soft grunts and squeals similar to a pig were drowned out by Tala’s mournful whine. She stared at Ess who was still holding her cub. Something passed between the two in an unspoken understanding, the wolf clearly feeling sorrow for the loss but quickly turning back to tend to her other cubs.

“I’m going to bury him..” Ess sighed, wiping a few tears. It didn’t take long of course to dig a hole big enough for the tiny creature, which she did just beneath her Oak tree. Another silent prayer and the act was done. Six cubs survived, which was better than anyone could expect but something changed in Tala’s eyes. Most didn’t notice it, except those who knew the feeling of losing a child. Some didn’t think the wolf would really notice or remember. She’s just an animal.. They whispered but never did they dare do so around Aiden because he knew different and so did Ess. It did matter and she did remember, but life goes on..

~~~
Two weeks passed so quickly, Essence spending so much of her time with Tala and the pups that she was there when they first opened their eyes.

“They will all have blue eyes at first but most will change as time passes.” Aiden had explained to her one day as Ess sat beside the tiny grave now scattered with budding Irises. As time went on and the pups were able to see and hear, they were quickly becoming harder to keep up with. Thank goodness for the children who never tired of following the pups around as they stumbled and rolled on all fours. They were surprisingly agile and a bit larger than expected by the time a month went by.

When the pups reached two months old, Aiden swore they looked the size of three months. They had also managed to meet everyone in the camp who in turn always kept an eye out to ensure they didn’t leave the perimeter. There was the biggest of the lot, a male, who resembled a tiny brown bear, with golden brown eyes. The largest female was all white with one blue eye and one golden. Then there was the one that most resembled Puppy; a male with pointed ears and a longer snout and reddish, rust, grey-like fur, but with Tala’s sapphire blue eyes. The second female was splattered with whites, browns, and blacks so that her face took on the appearance of wearing a mask; leaving white around the snout and mouth and piercing yellow/golden eyes. The third male with slate grey fur, frosted blackish ends, had the appearance of a thick mane, giving the illusion he was as large as his older brother. There was no ignoring the calculated, golden-amber stare that followed any who would cross it’s path. Finally, there was the smallest but still quite large, male of the pack. The runt. He was black as night and leaner than the others but still just as strong if not quicker. Ess couldn’t help but love the deep browns of his eyes and his annoying, persistent curiosity for all things.

Both the black and bear-like cubs were probably her favorites, if one could get her to admit to such. They were also the best of pals as they were always wrestling and sleeping together. It was poetic to Ess because it appeared that the strongest and the weakest of the pack were equals and ignored all ranks and thus were stronger together. They tended to sneak up on the others and pounce the females but the white one would always get the best of them in the end. She was stubborn and a force to be reckoned with when ticked off. One day she chased her pesky brothers into their den where they refused to leave until next sunrise. The masked female was more carefree and she didn’t bother with her brothers most days but spent more time tackling their mother with a determined need for attention. The other two males; the rust colored and the dark grey one, were mostly fascinated with the company of the Guard and it’s Captain. If they weren’t constantly trying to partake in the training spars, there were sideline, barking and howling mockeries at the losers. Most times if Ess needed to find them, they were either hanging out with the children or wrestling with Puppy. Some days it was a wonder who was babysitting who.

With the pack eating solid foods already and their ever budding curiosities, Ess felt it wasn’t too early to start training the little fluffballs. Besides, they were already making it quite obvious who was who in hierarchy within their ranks, even if only in ‘title’ as they all played together as equals. Not to mention how they were already accompanying Tala and Ess on hunts, even if they were still too young to hunt themselves. The intelligence was awe inspiring and the possibilities were endless of what kind of wolves these cubs would become.

“Why does Luckas get a furry friend? Can I have one too?” Darren had playfully complained to Ess one morning while rolling around with a few of the pups, letting one attach to his ear and tug on it hard. “Ow! No you can’t drag me..” He laughed.

Essence chuckled. “It doesn’t work like that, exactly. If one chooses you and you are ready to take on the responsibility, then yes. You have my blessing.” Quietly she stared at the small spectacle and smiled at the little wolf cub, thinking the mischievous girl drew a bit of blood on Darren. “Maybe you’ve already been claimed by our little masked crusader right there.” She partially joked, laughing again when the cub stared between them and began barking in this high pitched noise, as if she were chirping like a bird. Spinning a circles a few times she dashed over to the Oak, bounced off the trunk and leapt on top of Darren to land clumsily against his chest. Darren groaned, taking a sharp breath. She had taken the wind right out of him.

“She does that a lot.” Darren mumbled sitting up.

“What, kick your ass?” Ess laughed hard.

Darren scowled trying to hold back a laugh. “No...well yes...but no that’s not what I meant. She seems to sing or talk quite a bit I’ve noticed. Reminds me of a songbird..which I guess is weird because she’s not a bird..she’s a wolf. Aren’t you fluffball?”

The pup adjusted herself when Darren sat up, placing her paws on his shoulders, her cold nose pressed against his in silent understanding before covering his face in kisses.

“Oh, now you’re quiet.” He complained, ruffling up the pups fur. “You need a name besides masked crusader. Mom apparently can’t figure out what to name all of you..”

“What’s wrong with my name for her?” Ess teased, the pup turning to bark up at her in protest. “Ok ok..So give her a name then. You can take her with you when you go to sleep. Bond with her some more and maybe she’ll follow you around like Stalker does Luckas.”

“..Stalker….really?” Darren quirked a brow at the choice of name. “Guess it makes sense…” He paused, scooping up the pup into his arms and nuzzled the furry face. “How..about Sora..” He looked back up at his Mother. “It means songbird.”

Essence leaned over her son and kissed the top of his head. “I think it’s perfect..”

Darren smiled, staring thoughtfully at Sora for a moment before turning back to Essence. “Mom...when do they start to howl?”

Ess kneeled beside Darren, several of the pups rolling around in play still. “Well...Sora here already does howl. We were doing it together yesterday. Watch..” Ess whispered, leaning into the pup as she began to howl softly at her. Sora sat back on her haunches, tilting her head curiously, her ears flopping a bit in her curiosity, front paws tap dancing in the dirt in excitement.

Darren laughed, joining in with Essence and Sora responded by tilting back her little head and letting out the tiniest, squeakiest howl that went on for almost a minute. Darren and Ess stopped their chorus to chuckle, a couple of the other wolves pausing in their play to stare curiously at them. Tala stood up, wagging her tail a moment at Ess expectantly and the woman nodded. “Sound the alarm Tala…”
Tala began her beautiful, mournful howl soon followed by Sora which lasted a few moments before the other pups attempted themselves. Ess and Darren sat for the longest time in silence, as if hypnotized and didn’t even notice Aiden and a few others from the camp that had hurried over in haste at Tala’s call. Once they saw the pack ‘singing’ together, they also sat and stared until their chorus ended. All except two of the females: A white puffball and Sora, who continued to sing an enchanting tale known only to them. Well and maybe Aiden.

~~~~~
About A Month Later..

“Jemma...I’m so sorry...” She whispered, wandering in the direction of the river, further from Luckas but closer to camp. Keeping her head low, she kept her eyes towards the ground as she passed a few people, happy that they barely paused to notice her presence. At first, that is. Ess was so focused on the memory of her friend she didn’t pay much attention to where she was going and actually looped through and around the heart of the camp twice before she was noticed and someone spoke up.

“..Uh, Sweetie...you alright?” A man’s voice asked. Ess ignored the question, oblivious it was even directed at her. ‘Sweetie’ was definitely not a nickname she carried in the camp, so it had passed in one ear and out the other.

“...Hey...are you lost? You seem, lost..” Another voice rang, causing Ess to look up to search for perhaps someone that didn’t belong in camp, but recognized her fellow brothers and sisters of the Guard only. A look of confusion crossed her features but she pressed on, not giving it much thought otherwise. She felt tired, as was expected and she feared if she sat down she would indeed fall asleep. Since that was against sound advice, Ess kept on her feet, absently overhearing mumbles behind her.

“Who....where....Does the Captain know? Shouldn’t someone find out? You do it if you’re so concerned.” That was when she felt a hand rest upon her shoulder, instantly shrugging it off. Don’t touch me..” She muttered, turning to face Deidre, a concerning and sad smile crossing her lips.

“Hey there...something I can help you with, Darlin’?” The woman kindly asked. Gradually her eyes widened and her smile faded to a slacked jaw in a surprised shock when she locked eyes with Ess as she responded. “What is it Dee? Do I look like I need your help? What is everyone’s issue...” She groaned glancing around to notice a few others were standing around her, staring. “What do I have to do to be left alone!?” Essence snarled, turning to push between a couple guys so she could ‘escape’.

“Was that...?”

“I don’t know...”

“Should we get the Captain?”

“Captain is away right now...may not be that extreme...”

“Should I get Aid-”

“No...I wouldn’t....”
~~

“There’s no fish.” Irvin mumbled, an annoyed tone in his voice. “You want me to sit here like an idiot holding a stick, and there is no fish. You’re just messing with my head aren’t you?”
Jake chuckled in response and gave the boy a careless shrug. “Maybe. I already told you, you need to learn to be more patient... Whether you accomplish that by catching a fish or holding a stick like an idiot is actually pretty irrelevant. Pick one and make your peace with the task instead of whining about it.”

Irvin snorted in annoyance, but didn’t complain again, staring intently at the waters of the river as if wanting to see for himself. Jake watched him almost just as intently, but his behavior was much more relaxed than Irvin’s as he sat by the water. He had thought anyone would very much enjoy sitting by the river holding a stick after several days of just sparring, but it seemed the kid wasn’t convinced this was all there was to it. That was probably a good thing, some level of paranoia always proves useful in the end. When Irvin finally stopped huffing and muttering under his breath, Jake thought he heard sounds coming from the center of the camp, and he let his attention be caught by them. It wasn’t exactly a commotion, but more like a growing sense of confusion. “I’ll be right back... Stay here.” He told Irvin as he jumped to his feet and started to walk towards the camp. Upon reaching the center he caught bits and pieces of conversations here and there, attentions focused on this little blond girl who Jake had never seen around camp. The girl didn’t seem to be older than eight years old and at first Jake was, much like everyone else, wondering how she’d gotten there and if she was lost or in need of assistance, it was only after a few moments that he noticed how she seemed confused by people’s reactions, asking to be left alone, then he noticed her eyes and the scene immediately made sense to him... To a point at least. He did understand that Ess had changed and was unaware of it, but he didn’t understand why.

Jake remained standing where he was until he caught the attention of the woman who had been hanging around the blond child despite her annoyed protests and signaled her with a nod of his head, after which she proceeded to slowly push the rest of the Guard members back to their normal duties. As she did so, Jake made his way towards Ess and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, just firm enough to make clear he wasn’t going to let her brush him off, starting to walk her towards his camp as he spoke. “They’re confused because you don’t look like yourself right now, Ess.” He explained simply. “Why are you wandering around as a little girl? Is something wrong?” He didn’t ask who the girl was just yet, even if he was almost certain she was someone; the only times he’d seen Ess change without noticing, she changed into people she knew. For now he just planned to lead her somewhere quiet.

Instinctually Ess tried to shrug off the hand that was lightly gripping her shoulder, but only attempted it once, immediately recognizing her friend by auditory and visual confirmation. She lifted a brow at him, her curious look of confusion fading to one of disbelief, staring for a moment as if Jake was clearly joking. Ess let a minute or so pass before she responded, letting the words sink in. “I didn’t though...What?”

All around the camp there were buckets of water that hung from hooks outside of each cabin for the men and women during their work day and even a few scattered upon the ground for Puppy, Tala and their offspring as they roamed. Ess hadn’t been paying attention to where she was going, the tip of her foot colliding with a wooden bucket of water causing ripples to multiply and disappear below. Leaning towards the reflection her expression was not one of shock like someone may expect, instead her eyes softened and she kneeled down, gripping the edges of the bucket firmly as she focused on the image of her departed friend, Jemma; straight blond hair, sun kissed skin, a tiny button nose and even a few freckles along her cheeks. Slender fingers reached out towards the mirror image, skimming the surface of the water as she tried to grasp what was only an illusion and clearly not there. Ess forced a sad smile, reddish tears streaming down silently before she covered her face in her hands and standing to continue along with Jake. “I’m so sorry...” She whispered. “I let you die....over and over..again.....I let you die...So pretty...such a waste...” It wasn’t clear exactly if her words were directed at just the memory or the failed exercise as well but as she walked, all other sounds went silent and all she could hear was Jemma calling out her name. Ess’ hands snapped away from her face and over her ears, snarling in frustration, knowing she wasn’t really hearing her friend; at least she didn’t believe she was. It was almost like an echo.

“I called for him... .over and over....It didn’t matter that I knew he wouldn’t come...It didn’t matter that he was dead...I still called to him when Jasper....” Ess’ voice cracked through a heavy sob, fighting to catch a breath. “Da.....Daaa....” Ess whispered to herself, shaking a bit when she realized she was no longer in the center of camp near all those people. She turned away from Jake absently noting a rustle in the bushes a little ways off but fell back into her silence.

Jake was silent as he watched Ess as they walked, catching bits and pieces of her words, but not exactly making much sense of anything. He understood that girl was dead and he caught a mention of Jasper, which meant that this wasn’t something recent, but the man’s involvement was not in any way a good sign. Upon reaching his camp Jake went over to a bucket of water by his tent and got some into a metal cup. Ever since the days had started to get warmer Irvin had gotten into the habit of freezing the water solid in the morning, even though the ice melted quite quickly the water kept cool for a few hours still. He couldn’t deny it was a smart idea, but he had warned the kid that if word got around camp of what he could do he’d never be left alone, especially when summer came around. The still partially frosty water made the metal cup cold enough in Jake’s hands to make his fingers ache slightly, but he didn’t quite mind it and brought the water to Ess, pushing the cup onto her hands. “Here, drink.” He stated, watching his friend with concern in his eyes and wondering if it would be a good idea to try and get her to talk about whatever was troubling her. Words escaped him though, and before he could finish his thinking he was already asking questions. “Who are you? I mean, you know, who was she?” He paused for a moment as if trying to keep himself from speaking further, his next words coming out in a whisper, although they seemed somehow more audible. “Why are you sorry?”

Ess stared off, spacing out into the trees, not noticing the cup in her hand until the cold tingles began to spread along her fingertips. A subtle groan echoed from her, her free hand falling to her stomach as it twisted in another wave of nausea. Slowly she took a sip and then placed the cup down atop a rock, still not wanting to sit. “I didn’t forget what I was told...just don’t think I can keep anything down..right now...ok?” Ess muttered in defeat, resting her cooled fingers along the back of her neck, her eyes closing in response as it sent a pleasant feeling down her back. When Jake began his mini array of questions her eyes snapped back open, her gaze falling back to her feet. “Her name...was Jemma, Jacob. She was my best friend....my only friend...and she died because of me...” Ess quickly turned, hiding her face as a quick fit of dry heaves passed over her, more painful than the last but only because nothing came up. When she thought it was over she stood back up straight and sighed. “What happened to her...what happened to me...” She turned to face Jake, looking up at him warily. “I’d rather suffer through that a thousand times...if I knew it wouldn’t have been for ‘Nothing’.”

Jake sighed softly, holding back not to push Ess to continue sipping the water, she didn’t seem well to him at all, and he was starting to form suspicions in his head as to why that was... Why were these memories coming back to trouble her now all of a sudden? A small frown crossed his features but he willed it away as he nodded at her answers. “Look, I don’t have all the information here, but then I don’t I really need it to know that what happened to her, to you, was in no way your fault. It was their fault, you know that. No matter what anybody says, you were innocent, Ess.” Jake went silent for a moment or two before he started again with the questions, taking a seat on a log near his fire pit, eyes always fixed on his friend. “Why is this troubling you now? I mean, it’s been a long time, something must have happened to bring it up.” He didn’t ask what he really wanted to ask, he didn’t think he could do that in a non-confrontational way when he could see that Ess was clearly physically ill, instead he just waited to see what she would choose to tell him.

Again, Ess cradled her face in her hands, silent sobs shaking her. “It was my idea to escape..how could we escape? Stupid...Didn’t pay to have friends...” Gently she massaged both her temples, opening and closing her eyes to focus more on the water sitting idle before her than the memories still running rampant through her mind. Ess felt like she was still on repeat so she reached for the glass once again and forced down a few more sips of water. Heaving a sigh, she wiped at her tears accumulating along her jaw, simply nodding up at Jake as he spoke. “I know...I know...I feel like...I’m facing certain things..for the first time, Jacob...Do you understand? It’s because I failed and maybe I’ll get to try again..” She muttered, trying to explain to a point but her mind was still fuzzy so it didn’t come out quite clear. It was as if more than one thought was jumbled together when she spoke. That, and she felt like she shouldn’t tell Jake what she had been up to and that apprehension showed as she shyly looked away from her friend. Technically she really wasn’t suppose to talk about it. “You know...you remind me...of my father a bit, Jakey.” A sad smile appeared again as she thought how it wasn’t just similarities in appearance but also the mentality of her father and it was quite fitting if she was honest with herself; Jake being family and all, in a way. Ess was afraid slightly of hearing Jake’s disapproval and probably more. She didn’t think he’d listen. “I’ll be ok, Jakey....it’ll pass...Like most things tend to.”

Jake ran a hand through his hair, still watching Ess with concern although relieved to see her drink more of the water. He noticed how she didn’t really answer his questioning as to what had happened, but the hints were there, subtle but there. Jake frowned only slightly when she mentioned trying again, but his expression softened when she mentioned her father, the remark catching him a bit off guard. Jake stood, quietly making his way to Ess and wrapping one arm around her in a gentle embrace. “Alright now, brace yourself... I’m going to tell you a couple more things you probably already know...” He stated firmly. “Your friend, well, we don’t know how long she would have lived if you hadn’t befriended her, or suggested you try to escape, but we do know that in the time the two of you were friends, that girl had someone in her life who cared about her, someone to remind her that she mattered. If there’s something I’ve learned is that sometimes just not being alone is everything. Maybe having a longer life, without any support, in that place, would have been worse. I don’t know, but you shouldn’t blame yourself because it was simply an impossible situation.” He paused for a moment and then added with a small sigh. “Look, I know you’re up to something you’re not exactly telling me. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but just ask yourself if you really think it’s the best idea to let your overprotective little brother draw conclusions on his own... Especially if you plan on doing this again... You know me, whether I like it or not, I’ll always have your back.”

Ess sighed, leaning her head against Jake’s chest as he spoke. Closing her eyes she was so silent she could hear her friend’s heart beating. A familiar, sweet scent of burning pine mingled with smoked game, fresh herbs, and wild moss clung to Jake’s shirt and gradually anointed her curls. It was a gentle reminder of her own father, minus the herbs. Those who dabbled in poisons tend to smell of herbs, even more so than those who cook with them.

A subtle breeze awakened her eyes when she felt hair tickle her skin. Smiling up at Jake she noticed the deep reds had returned, and the more she relaxed (as much as she could in that moment), the more Jemma’s features melted away back into her own. “I wish...he could have met you, Jake. You would have liked him, I think...I know he’d have loved you.” She pulled away, still smiling through the occasional streak of reddish tears giving a small shrug. “I am doing better than I thought I’d do, considering the mental strain. No bleeds, right?” Quirking a brow she added, “So..You think I did for Jemma, what you’ve done for me? Could you imagine...who I would have been...if I’d never met you?” Her smile faded but she shook the idea from her mind. “It was my idea, sorta...well...it’s just...all this...is a part of my training you see. I mean, Luke did have a point....if I can deter his mind tricks, then technically I may be able to keep anyone out. Apparently, I have an advantage...” Ess trailed off noting the look she was receiving as she spoke yet she lifted her head high as if she were a bit proud of herself but fell quiet again. She knew there was no avoiding it and technically she may have been talking about it but it was Jake. He was her only family left, in a sense, besides Darren. Her problem had always been bottling up her fears when it came to Jake and no matter what she continued to think of herself she knew she needed to remember to give him a chance to be her family even if there were those moments where she knew he’d not be too happy with her decisions. She had to remember to accept his concern and that he did love her. “Jake...”

Jacob tried the best he could, but it was impossible to keep an angered spark from crossing his eyes at the mention of Luckas. He didn’t say what he was thinking though. He did understand how this could be helpful to Ess in the future, he just couldn’t bring himself to accept the idea of Luckas messing with her head for any reason. Much like everything else though, it was not his decision to make. “Alright... I see...” He mumbled softly, forcing a small cough to try and clear his voice. “And... Where, if I may ask, is Luckas right now?” He asked, noting his tone came out a bit more upset than it should and he shook his head. “Never mind... That doesn’t matter... Now at least.” He sighed scratching his chin idly as he looked over his friend. “How’re you feeling? Does your stomach hurt? Are you sleepy? Have you eaten anything today?” The small wave of questions was cut short as Jake abruptly turned his head towards the source of some noises coming from the bushes, an intrigued look crossing his eyes as he caught traces of movement.

Ess went back to nursing her glass of water, positioning herself against the rock so that she was leaning for support. “He’ll be back...I just couldn’t stand to have him around after everything that he saw...embarrassing and shameful don’t even cut it, Jake. Only reason I can stand to have you around is because you didn’t see...you don’t know. Maybe, I thought I’d do a little better than I did.” She shrugged at his array of questions. “..Everything hurts...course I’m sleepy, but Luke told me to not go to sleep for a while...and yes I ate...but that was kind of pointless since it all came back up. Ugh..and no I don’t want anything to eat...” Ess covered her mouth as if in fear she would get sick again, even though there wasn’t much in her belly. “This training thing with Luke is proving more of a challenge than I thought. I mean...I can’t even get him to attack me. I tried teasing, mocking, joking, and I even turned into Aiden. He won’t raise a finger against me...I need to find...a way to really piss him off.” Ess’ eyes glowed, a mischievous smile curling her lips as she looked back over at Jake. “And..before you tell me once again how you don’t approve of my methods...Jaakey....how can I tick off Luckas? Who is someone that gets under his skin?”

Jacob half smiled as he thought he caught a glimpse of dark fur moving amongst the bushes, but his expression turned serious again as he listened to the answers to his questions. “I don’t understand, I thought... Luckas had gone through your memories before... Hasn’t he already seen... Everything?”Heaving a small sigh, he opened up his tent only to catch a glimpse of a white blur running past dragging one of his boots. “No, damn it, bloody wolf...” He muttered out, already losing sight of the pup in the tall grass. “Third time this week.” He sighed in annoyance, going through his things for something. “So you want me to give you advice on how to piss off a psycho so that he’ll want to attack you? Why wouldn’t I approve something like that?” He asked in a sarcastic tone, resurfacing from his mess of things with a small teapot which he proceeded to fill with water and hang over the fire. “I’m making you some tea, should help with your upset stomach.” He informed, sitting at a log by the fire. “You can sit if you’re tired, I’ll keep you awake, don’t worry. An hour or so and it should be safe to get some sleep.” Jake went silent for a moment, fiddling with random locks of dark hair in the back of his head as his thought. “Hmmph... I probably shouldn’t tell you this, because I don’t like it... Not at all, buuut... I will, because I know I can’t change your mind about it anyway. Besides, I’d much like to see his face, heh...” Jake chuckled to himself for a moment, a devious look crossing his blue eyes. “You should take Lena’s appearance, and just... Be as condescending as you possibly can. That’ll push him right over, trust me.”

Ess finished off the water and set the cup down beside her. “Jake....He hasn’t seen everything....no...not everything...but plenty still.” She whispered, her voice fading away as she drifted into thought. Clearing her throat she added, “Not to mention all he saw in Jasper’s head...I just..don’t think about it...but maybe that’s my problem.” Essence was momentarily distracted by Jake’s sudden cursing and only just caught the end of Kaya’s white tail disappear in the grass. Kaya.. A small chuckle escaped, quickly cut off by a cough and minor choking fit. “Meaning Wise Child or Forgiveness” “Pretty mischievous if you ask me.” She whispered to herself remembering how the pup had been drawn to Crys during one of her visits, by the sweet melody of her flute. Still the wolf spent most of her time in camp, keeping Jake on his toes.

When she quieted, Ess thought she heard a yip and a flustered yowl echo from behind her and as she turned, she caught a brown fluff ball somersaulting out of the bushes to land beside her. The wolf pup shook his confusion off and let out a small warning howl and leapt back into the bushes with a whine as he collided into something. The foliage came alive with chaos, shifting and swirling wildly as if by some strong wind until moments later a black wolf pup rolled out of the bushes, its brother trotting proudly behind him. “Aww...look, it’s my mini Stalker...and the little bear looking pup. Probably should give him a name..”
Lifting her gaze upwards and back towards Jacob, her smile faded, a puzzled look crossing her face. A bit unsure of what Jake just said to her, she wondered if she heard right.

“Uh...Jakey...you’d be ok with me looking like Lena? Acting like Lena? Honestly..I don’t want to disrespect you by taking her form, so you sure? I...only met her twice...you’d have to help me with...some details...” Ess paused to look back down at the wolf pup, muttering over names in her head. ‘Bear...Little Bear...hmmm won’t be little for long...’ Stalker sat up on his haunches and barked at his brother, tilting his head curiously as if waiting for a response of some sort to whatever question he was asking. The pup began hopping around Stalker playfully growling as he teased his brother by always remaining just out of reach. Stalker yawned, looking bored and turned around so his back end was facing his brother and laid down. ‘BearWolf...WolfBear...’ Ess sighed, trying to remember if there were any other terms that may sound better but carry the meaning ‘Bear’, her thoughts drifting back to a story her father use to tell her when she was small, her favorite character’s name meaning bear: Beowulf. She repeated it to the pup who seemed satisfied enough with the name, barking in agreement. “Hm...Beo for short?” Her eyes softened as she watched the pup prance over to Stalker and lazily drape his large body across his brother’s back and closed his eyes.

Jake watched the pups curl up together to sleep with amusement, seemed like the little furballs were just everywhere now. It would be more than interesting to watch when they all grew to full size. Hopefully the white one would stop stealing his things though, because that was surely bothersome. And awkward when Crys had return them later. Jake couldn’t for the life of him understand why that wolf kept doing that... And he figured he just might have to talk to Aiden about it if it kept happening. Shaking his head as he took the teapot out of the fire and found two cups to pour it into he snickered. “I’m pretty sure Lena would be amused. So personally I don’t mind. You’re family just as much as she was, more so than her in a way.” He gave a small shrug, automatically adding a spoonful of honey to each cup before handing one of them out to Ess. “It’ll help your stomach settle... What kind of details do you need?”
~~~
A couple days later…

She did it for the wolf’s own good. Locking him up wouldn’t hold the small pup for long, but long enough to make her point. There was no denial. It couldn’t be helped to enjoy it, just a little bit and there couldn’t be distractions. It would be like hitting two birds with one stone.

A swift kick to Luckas’ side and it began, a plain looking but still sharp sword with freshly sharpened edges, pointed just above the man’s skull. While he was in mid response, she sent another foot into his lower back this time. The act was powerful as if she fueled by some mighty purpose and yet her smile and mocking gaze hid her eyes from view, her tone relaxed and nonchalant . “Boy. Pick it up..” She commanded, pushing with the point of her boot another sword within Luke’s reach and took a step back outside of the tent, swinging the blade so that it tore the flap of the tent clean off, morning rays of light piercing through. “Are you too weak? Or are you afraid? Do you speak Boy or are you going to stare like an idiot?” Jamming the sword into the dirt she quickly tied back her long, jet black hair before retrieving the weapon. Casually she rested it upon her shoulder, swinging it lazily as if she were growing bored.

The look on the woman’s face was a mix of amusement and annoyance, a hint of weariness in minor lines beneath her eyes. Those details were the hardest to get down because they were so subtle as well as finding clothes that the healer would have worn. Jake had helped with that, finding white robe like pants and shirt that were extremely comfortable and easy to move in. The way Lena had stood when she spoke and held herself was another thing she had help with, fooling even Jake for a bit this morning, when she showed off the finishing touches. Now the real challenge would be going on minimal experience, practice, and knowledge of how the woman fought. This was going to be fun.

“..Be as condescending as you possibly can. That’ll push him right over, trust me.”

Hopefully this would work. Enough taking it easy, even if she was anything but. No more childish toys or letting him storm off in frustration. She wasn’t sure how much of a natural instinct to protect one’s self from injury would kick in with Luckas. Sometimes it seemed he liked the pain so much more than putting in an effort. It was apparent on both sides if they were to really help one another, they were going to have to hurt one another.

Luckas woke with a sharp pain, a groan escaping him as he tried to open his eyes and make sense of what was going on exactly. “wha-...” Before he even got the chance to finish his
mumble he felt pain again; this time recognizing it as being a kick to his back.

“Boy. Pick it up..”

Luckas growled as the second hit brought him back to consciousness abruptly, his eyes flashing red momentarily at the words that reached his ears. It couldn’t be... Real... It couldn’t be... Her. Luckas pushed himself up to his hands and knees, his fingers reaching out to feel the metal of a blade lying on the floor by him. Luke felt his eyes sting as the sunlight reached them, raising his head to stare up at his attacker snorting in anger as Lena’s ghost mocked him, his hand finding the hilt of the weapon and closing a tight fist around it still on his knees inside the tent. “Go back to hell, witch... Leave me alone.” He muttered out, still unsure of whether he was actually awake or stuck in a vivid dream. He felt awake, his body hurt from the blows, but his disoriented mind had trouble comprehending what he was seeing before his eyes.

The Lena clone chuckled, “Hell? So you believe in Hell?” Nodding a bit, she spun dragging her sword through the dirt to kick it into a brown fog that encased Luckas in a passing sand like storm. She advanced, moving to kick out his knees, lazily holding the blade at the ready. “Is that where we are now? Perhaps I am just another ghost here to haunt you or maybe the problem doesn’t lie with me, but with your own mind.” Using the momentary cover of the dirt cloud, she sidestepped and leapt so she could be behind Luckas. Her voice echoed and seemed to come from all angles with this approach and so she continued. “You acknowledged me, so either way, now you’ve made the illusion of me, quite real. So, what do you do now, Kid?”

Luckas jumped to his feet when a brownish cloud of dirt rose from the ground and pretty much blinded him; even if only momentarily, he disliked the idea of losing sight of that woman.He wasn’t standing for long however, as he soon felt another blow hit him in the knees and throw off his balance. Luke stumbled forward not completely steadying himself as he pushed to make his way out of the tent, rushing as if he meant to run away, but stopping after just a couple of steps; his grip on the sword so tight his entire body was shaking from the tension. If he took the time to think, really think, of what was going on right there and then, it wouldn’t be so difficult to understand, but thinking in itself was difficult now. He couldn’t get his mind to settle long enough to tell himself this made no sense and so he continued to treat this ghost as a reality. “What I do, depends... You’re in my head... Are you in my head...? If you’re in my head then I am you, if not then maybe I’m dead... And this is hell... Where else would we be, you and I? Or you’ve come back from the dead just for the sake of tormenting me some more... So which way are you pushing me now? Huh? You want to make me kill you again, or just return the favor? WHAT do you want?”

The woman didn’t respond with words but with steel, purposely striking at Luckas’ sword and dragging her blade along his to straighten in a defensive stance. Taking a deep breath, sparks flew as she swung right for Luckas’ head, expecting him to duck the attack but she was already slicing downwards in a vertical maneuver that added to a flurry of merciless advances. “Stupid Boy...” She spat. “If I’m in your head and I am you...or even if I am a ghost, why are you seeing me? It isn’t a matter of what I want. THINK. Do you even have a brain in there? Maybe the only way to rid each other of this Hell, is for you to face it. Defend yourself!” Taking a leap backwards she spun, sword outstretched horizontally, moving as a windmill caught in a storm. “What’s left if you couldn’t use your ‘Talents’? Strike me down, if you can...” She snorted in playful mockery.

Luckas’ eyes widened at the woman’s actions, holding the sword in the stance he had been pushed into and awkwardly trying to keep the blade between the woman’s sword and his flesh as she struck at him. Luckas retreated some at the advances, the look in his eyes unusually frightened for a split second before his expression shut down completely. “What the hell does that matter? We’ll never know now and whose fault is that!? On my experience so far, facing hell only helps you burn faster.” He scoffed.

Lena kept Essence at bay the more and more she felt herself drifting into character. It didn’t matter how much she knew exactly about the woman for what she did know was that she was starting to get under Luckas’ skin. For a moment, she forgot herself so that she would believe she was actually Lena. The focus in keeping the glow of her violet eyes hidden was starting to dwindle so she kept up with the advances, drawing the attention to her slashing at Luckas’ shins, forcefully bringing the hilt of the sword abruptly towards his face in an attempt to knock him down. She was daring in attempting to bombard attacks she would never have been able to pull off a few months ago, pushing herself to deliver more than a few cuts and bruises upon her friend. Before there was hesitation in causing serious harm to her friend, but now she knew if he wouldn’t defend himself and let it happen, it was his own fault.

“So, whose fault is it? Mine? Yoooours?” She snickered through tight lips. “Sometimes, you have to burn to ash in order to come back as something stronger, no? I mean, look around you Luckas. You haven’t even noticed how empty the camp is.” Lena scoffed, stepping back a few paces to extend her arms as if about to present a show. It was true, the area was quiet and there was nothing around. Ess had made sure to clear the area in order to prevent any interruption, no matter what anyone heard coming from her camp; they were to stay away. It was almost eerie. Lena shrugged, “Didn’t even notice how she’s gone, did we? What would you say to her being taken, right under your nose because you were too much of a coward to raise a sword!? Where is that wolf of yours? The Captain? My Nephew? Oh, maybe I’ve overstepped and forgotten myself...don’t you only care about yourself? What a waste of time...”

Luckas’ time with Adam had paid off; and right then and there was when it was apparent just how much. Sure, he still hadn’t tried to make an advance, not yet, but he had done a decent job of not getting slashed open by the woman’s sword. His balance was thrown off here and there by trying to keep up with her attacks, but he managed to stay unharmed and standing. If he wasn’t way too angered to even realize what he was doing he might have been proud of himself. That wasn’t the case though. Even if in some level, in some part of his mind, Luckas felt that something was off even for a hallucination he couldn’t bring himself to care or question. The mere sight of Lena standing there and demanding things of him made him ill, her words were poison pushing fire through his veins and everything else simply melt away in its flames.

“You have no... Right...” The words were barely strong enough to completely break the silence, Luckas stood still as the woman stepped back from her advances his entire body shaking from head to toe at her words. He didn’t look around as she told him to, his head remained lowered so that his eyes were hidden underneath strands of sweaty hair. Inside his mind Luckas was screaming, he was shouting so many obscenities at once he could barely make out his own thoughts, he was screaming so loud his ears were ringing, his head was filled by a sharp agonizing ache, but still as he spoke his voice was so soft it would’ve gone unheard hadn’t their surroundings been so silent. “And who are you to talk, Witch? Who the fuck do you think you are? Don’t pretend you ever cared how this would end, don’t pretend you ever really wanted to help me, you... You only kept me around because I was useful... You only gave a shit while you needed me for something... Just like everyone else... Just like everyone else... Well, you know what... In the end, I’m always the coward and the monster and the fool, because, guess what; you can’t fix me, you never could... No one can... This... THIS... Is who I am. No amount of hell can change the facts.” Luke’s voice sounded soft still, but he was far from calm; he felt as though he was drowning and burning all at once, the fire spreading painfully to every part of his body, the pain so intense he barely felt himself move, raising the sword and rushing towards the woman standing before him, slashing blindly without as much as caring if the blade hit steel or flesh. All he wanted was for this to end, he didn’t care how. “Is this what you wanted!? IS IT!? THIS IS THE LAST TIME I DO ANYTHING YOU SAY! I’M DONE... LISTENING TO YOU... I’M DONE... I DON’T OWE YOU ANYTHING ANYMORE!”


To say that Essence was surprised, was an understatement. She hid it well, responding with a wide sneer and heckling laughter, her mind racing to understand the bits she was absorbing. Not knowing too much on Luckas’ and Lena’s arrangement, she had looked upon it as a mutual agreement, even if the terms were not completely known to her. Luckas’ words slowly began to sink into her and in some ways cutting deeper than expected. It didn’t matter if it was or not directly targeted at her. It didn’t matter if she herself had or had not treated Luckas as such because in that moment she began to understand a bit more that lurked inside her friend. It was something she was quite familiar with herself. Ess had actually paused, momentarily distracted on Luckas’ words when he attacked. ’Stupid.’ Essence thought to herself as she just avoided a sword to the face, yet it sliced through a few inches of her ponytail; the black loc falling into the grass, changing back to a burgundy curl. It was in the next few moments that would prove to her just how much Luckas was absorbing in their training realizing even some things she was sure she had never taught him.

Ess was trying to focus on the wonderful progress that was unraveling before her, starting to actually struggle against some of her friend’s advances. At one point their swords locked, each of them pushing against the other, trying to throw one another off balance. “Spare me, Boy...like your only reason for sticking around me was to get something out of it...even if the choice wasn’t all yours. Who says I am trying to fix you?” Shaking a few strands of hair from her eyes, Ess purposely locked hers with Luckas’, a sudden brilliant flash of violet enveloping her stare, giving herself away but her features of Lena remaining. The mini stand off was shattered, when she moved to stand down first, Luckas’ sword grinding down along her blade and slicing her forearm. Ess simply smiled, her gaze darkening. “For the record.” The woman muttered in her own tone. “I thought I was doing you a favor by not going easy on you, no?” Again she moved as if to back off but instead lept forward, knocking Luckas’ sword so it was parallel with his body, and headbutted him square between the eyes. Fluid and easy her next steps were as she brought down his wrist still holding his weapon, against her raised knee, quickly knocking it to the ground and raising her own up to his throat as if she meant to run it clear across his flesh. Ess spoke with hints of anger in her voice, as if she were giving a warning, “For the record...I am not EVERYONE else...and-”

Without warning Ess was brought to her knees as something knocked out her footing. Amusement crossed her features as they melted back to hers when she let go of the illusion, finding a black furball tightly latched to her ankle, growling dangerously up at her. To Ess’ delight, Stalker had finally managed to break or dig out of his personal prison to join the session. The wolf looked slightly confused when her features changed and relaxed his jaw a bit, sniffing at her curiously. “Good boy..” Essence whispered, releasing the sword and uttering a command in unison: “Disarm.” Stalker released Ess’ foot and cocked his head in a confused daze, his growl fading to a soft whine. It was going to take some time for him to understand but Ess was still very proud of the wolf. Gently pressing her wrist against his snout she forced his mouth to open and placed her wrist inside and repeated the command again before pulling back her arm. “Good boy.”

Luckas didn’t seem to mind the fact he had lost his sword so much, as soon as it slipped out of his hand he simply stood, only barely feeling the ache where he’d been struck in the forehead, his expression was blank for the most part as he stared at Ess, watching as Stalker growled biting at her ankle. Some amusement momentarily crossed his features as the scene reminded him vaguely of the time Tala bit him; a mix of honest surprise and gratitude momentarily breaking through his rage, his eyes softening only a bit as he looked at the pup, before his expression shut down to a completely vacant and emotionless one. Slowly Luckas started to move, picking the fallen sword from the ground and turning to walk away without another word, stopping a few steps away and sinking the blade into the dirt before resuming his walk.

Essence remained where she knelt, watching Luckas curiously in his silence before he turned to walk away. Her first reaction was annoyance but she held back, fists clenching slightly as she thought about it some more, her gaze softening finally. As Stalker moved to follow Luckas as he left, Ess reached for her forearm, making sure to put pressure on the wound. It didn’t hit a vein but it was deep enough and worth more of her attention actually than the wolf bite on her ankle. “Luckas...You did very well...Luckas...” She called after him. When he was almost out of sight she yelled after him, “I’m really getting use to watching you walk away! I bet I could pick you out of a crowd from your backside only!” Ess grunted, letting Luke disappear and went about tending to her wounds mumbling a bit to herself. “Can dish it out but can’t take it...pffft..”

Luckas wasn’t sure how long he had walked for exactly, only that he didn’t stop until it felt like hours had passed. In reality it might have only been a few minutes, he couldn’t really tell. He was aware that it was probably not fair of him to be this angry, all things considered, but he couldn’t really help it and it was just better to walk away and sit someplace quiet until it passed than to stick around and risk shouting out all of the unpleasant things going through his mind. Finding a quiet spot not too far from one of the main paths of the camp, Luckas sat by a tree, not seeming at all surprised to see Stalker jump out from one of the nearby bushes and run to pounce onto his lap with a tiny growl, biting down and persistently tugging on the cuff of his shirt in an invitation to play, eventually letting out a disappointed whine when Luckas didn’t react to his advances, nudging at his hands with his nose as if saying he’d settle for some pats and scritches instead. Luckas ignored the pup’s advances for a few more moments, lost in his thoughts, before finally giving in and idly running his fingers along the back of the wolf’s neck in a soothing manner. “Bad... Wolf...” He mumbled under his breath, amusement crossing his eyes as Stalker began to settle down, stretching across his legs and letting out a long yawn as if ready to take a nap.

“Not so fun on the other side, is it?” A voice called from the trees just beyond Luckas’ line of sight; not that he needed to see in order to know it was Jake.
“You speak as if this was my first time on the ‘other side’... Or my worst... Maybe that seems terrifying to someone like you, but me... That’s where I go to unwind... Jakey-Bear.”
“Oh, so that was you unwinding? My bad, I seemed to have mistaken it for a rage fit.” Jake chuckled, stepping out of his hiding and leaning casually against a tree opposite Luckas. “I still think she was a tad bit soft on you, Lukey, but then that’s also why my involvement in these little games of yours needs to be somewhat... Limited, right?”
“You were a lousy consultant, Jakey... Lena would have never uttered the words ‘my nephew’ to me, she would have mentioned you by name. You left that detail out, because that’s one of the many, many, things you hated about that woman... But she’s dead now, so you can’t admit to that.”
Jake snickered. “Oh, no... I forgave her... Didn’t even occur to me to mention, really. That is one unresolved issue I don’t have, pal. I hated Lena, a lot, and for some things I was right to hate her, but I did truly let it all go when she died. See, I don’t have the emotional range of a potted plant, so I was able to understand and accept some things.” He shrugged dismissively, letting his gaze wander around the tree branches over his head as if he was bored. “...But hey, shouting like a maniac and storming off are good substitutes for facing your demons and accepting them... Keep up the good work.”

“Fuck you.” Luckas muttered out, the aggressiveness in his words seeming to bring Stalker to attention as the pup lifted his head and barked in Jake’s direction in a perfect imitation of Luke’s gesture.
“Did I hit a nerve, Lukey?” Jake chuckled. “Are you going to try and stab me now too? Because that would be fantastic.”
“Don’t...” Luckas stopped himself to take a moment to breathe before he continued. “Don’t call me that.”
Jake arched an eyebrow, his expression filled with amusement as he stared down at Luckas in visibly fake confusion. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly.”
“You fucking heard me... DON’T call me that.” Luckas repeated, nudging Stalker from his lap and standing up. “Twins help you if I have to say it again.”
Jake blinked a couple of times as if trying to process what he was hearing, and then broke into a fit of mocking laughter. “Oh, my... The irony!” He exclaimed, choking in his laughter.
“Piss off.” Luckas muttered. “I mean it...”
“I don’t know, Luckas... You don’t sound like you mean it...”
“Don’t you have some Wolves to annoy, hm? A redhead to chase? Whatever else you do in your spare time? I’m really not in the mood for your crap right now. So yeah, I mean it; Piss. The hell. Off.”

Jake opened his mouth to answer but whatever he was going to say was completely lost to him the moment he felt something warm soaking his pants causing him to wince and look down to see that Stalker was casually taking care of his business at his feet. “Oh, come on!” He muttered. “Really!?”

Stalker huffed in Jake’s direction as he finished before casually trotting his way to sit next to Luckas, looking up at him as if expecting praise. Luckas held back his laughter and gave the pup a visibly forced scowl and mumbled amongst escaping chuckles. “Stalker... No... Bad... Bad puppy...”

Jake shook his head seeming unsure of whether to laugh or be angry so he walked away in silence in the direction of his tent mumbling about his ruined pants. As soon as the man was out of hearing range Luckas fell into a small giggle fit, kneeling down to pet the wolf. “Served him right for being an asshole, right?” He chuckled.