ELDAD

On the bright side, we are not dead. Worst case scenario, we don't know where we are. But Xanwed hasn't gotten us, that much is certain.

Cyran is awake, and looking at me with a queer expression. 'What is it?' I ask, sitting up. It requires a lot of effort than usual, and a headache begins as I do. 'I saw your dream again', he says quietly. 'Cyran, you said you'd stop', I say resignedly. 'I did stop. Last night it just filtered in. Your mind is fucked up, Saelyna'. I don't want to talk about the crazy dream I had, where Jerran and I were back together. The twist was that we both were wolf-genn.

Most times I try not to think about the guy that jilted me. Other times, I bring myself to. That way I have someone to blame everything on. That way, I can allow myself to feel emotion.

I take time to examine our prison. It's a room, but it has six corners and the air inside here is colder than usual. For some reason as well, I can't summon the magic like I did back in the woods. And I can't see a door anywhere, so we're trapped properly.

'I think they got us in from the roof', Cyran quips, pointing up at the thatch ceiling, where there's a square outline that's barely perceptible. 'Yes, that's it', I mutter. 'We could hoist each other up, and open it'. 'Yeah, yeah, maybe'. Cyran sits up and asks, 'What do you think happens to us now?' I shrug. 'Honestly, I don't care. We're away from Halden now, aren't we?' 'Yes. And we're with the raveners, Saelyn. Could anything be worse?' I shrug. 'Saelyna, what's wrong with you?'

I lean back on the wall and close my eyes. 'I'm tired Cyran. I need to get some sleep'.

But I can't. I keep thinking of the dead guards and the wolvens that had attacked them. The blood, the screams, the crash. And most of all, the man in black.

RONN

The pack is up and running when I return from the scout with Edril and Seirmon. The wolves are being fed, the plants are being watered and the new prisoners have been sheltered already. I don’t see Caivan anywhere, so I assume he is back at the council. And everything falls back to me per usual.

The village of Eldad lies beyond the Halden Woods, veiled by the magic of the Revian plants. We are all wolvens, so we operate like a hive, like separate parts of one mind. Each one does according to his/her ability, not too small and not too much either.

Sleep is all I crave at the moment, though. A long nice nap. ‘Nice work, boys’, I say and stretch as we walk past the first couple of huts, ‘I’ll be at the cave’. Eldrid raises a brow. ‘what?’ ‘Gylen hasn’t returned since yesterdey’, he says. I shrug. ‘Yeah, so?’ ‘Shouldn’t we be worried?' Seirmon asks.

Right. An ex's concern. 'If I know Gylen, he's gotten carried away hunting squinards. And if he's longer than usual, that shouldn't bother me. Gylen is a grown wolfen. He can handle himself'. I turn away before they can ask any more questions, or say anything more.

The cave overlooks the village atop a treacherously rocky incline. It is where the alpha meets with his beta, gamma, delta and theta. I happen to be none, so I'm not restricted to treating the hall with respect.

I find a spot in the darkest part of the cave. I take off my coat, and turn it inside out, place it on a rock and curl up to sleep.

I don't expect to sleep long. The disturbance comes in form of a low howl, a summoning call from Seirmon. I'm supposed to be afraid for something but I know it's just Dylan, and I wonder what trouble he has gotten into again.

But it's not trouble. Oh it could be but probably worse.

Caivan walks in a breeze, like his feet are made of feathers, and I see my brother hoisted over his shoulder. 'Get Veesa! Quickly!' he says and runs to the healing hut. I'm left standing there, feeling helpless.

I knew I couldn't get a good sleep.

CAIVAN

I have never liked this room. It is a reminder of how weak we really are, and no matter how primal or feral we might be, we all succumb to something. An arrow through the eye, or worse.

Veesa examines the wound with ill silence. The arrow seems to have gone deep enough that I cannot see the pupil. The side of his face is a bloody mess. I do not have any expert opinion, though. I'm not blind either and I know the chances of his wound healing is very slim.

She straightens after a while and looks at me without expression on her face. I hate it when she does that. There is no way to guess diagnosis. 'So. How bad?' 'Bad enough', she replies, 'He might have lost this eye'. She digs in her bag and pulls out a salve then rubs it in the gaping hole gently. Gylen is unconscious, under the influence of poppian drip. 'It'll take a while. If he doesn't heal…' She shakes her head and takes up her bag.

She doesn't leave though. 'What is it?' 'You haven't seen him, Caivan'. 'Maybe'. 'If you are going to be alpha….' 'Which I'm not'. She sighs. We've had this conversation before, and I keep my face straight as I had done. She might be my aunt, but she is not forcing the mantle of alpha on me. No one has that right.

Veesa nods and walks out. Ronn walks in immediately after her. He stands next to his brother, a friend etched in his perfect features. They don't look alike. While Ronn is the silver-haired, tall, slender, charming, charismatic leader, Gylen is brown of hair, has a slimmer face and stouter than either of us.

I tried to remember when I first saw Gylen. It was after mother had died. While everyone else offered their condolences and tried to show their sympathy, Gylen simply asked me where I thought mother was. Of course I had no idea where she was, but I liked the question. It gave me something to think about, and it took my mind away from the grief.

I suddenly feel the urge to ask Ronn where he thought his brother was. Ronn wouldn't care anyway. His relationship with his brother isn't exactly a bonding one. There's nothing like the one we share.

'Is he going to be okay?' Ronn asks flatly. 'I suppose. If he doesn't heal, well…' 'He'd looked better with an eye patch anyway', he mutters. 'You honestly do not feel anything? Pain? Guilt? Something?' I ask, more out of curiousity than anything. He looks up at me with those chill blue eyes. 'No. Not really'.

____________________

I mount the ladder to the top of the hut, 10 feet above the ground. I don't have to wonder who's idea it was to keep them in the store room. Ronn is the only one with that kind of intelligence. Not surprising.

I drop into the room and startle the twins in the process. Or just the guy. The girl keeps sleeping, curled up against the wall. The other one looks up at me with a mixture of fear and relief and confusion. Then I remember we haven't met officially.

'Hello, elf. I see you're well already'. He doesn't reply, just stares at me. 'I'm sorry about all this. Ronn has…interesting ideas about hospitality. I'm Caivan. You might not recall, but I happened to…' 'What are you going to do to us?' he asks blankly.

Oh. He's from Halden, how could I have forgetten. The tales spun by the king's court ferments in the southern towns the most. They've given us names, raveners and devil-fangs being the mildest of them.

I don't bother relieving him of his beliefs though. Everyone has a dark side, and the wolvens have an even darker side.

I point at his sister. 'Is she dead?' He follows my finger with that bemused expression. 'Gods, no. She's just a sound sleeper'. 'That's comforting on multiple levels. I haven't met one, a sound sleeper. Except Ronn, that is. We wolvens are woke as cockerels. You'll love it here, I'm sure'. He doesn't say anything but he pushes up further the wall. 'Are you hungry? We have lots of food I'm sure you'd like as well'. 'I'm not hungry'. I shake my head. 'Yes you are. I can hear your stomach rumbling'. He looks away.

At this point, I'm surprised I've not lashed out already. But I just found my best friend's body in the woods, and I have a meeting due in a short while. They are bound to put me in a worse mood, so the best I can do is try to feel better.

It's definitely not by offering food, but I think this time it might.

I'm about to tell him my wolven brothers do not leave leftovers, when I hear her heartbeat quicken unnaturally. 'I'm not leaving without her', he says quietly. 'Really? Well, we don't have to worry about that. In fact, she's probably plotting her escape. Her heart's rate is unusually high'. She remains still but only for a moment, before turning to face me.

If she is surprised to see me, she does a good job hiding it. Her green eyes are as luminous as ever, and I find myself staring at them longer than I'd normally allow. I still wonder how an elf could possess such lupine eyes. 'I see our paths still cross each other's. Good morning'. 'Where are we?' she asks sharply. 'Eldad. It is a settlement for humble folk like us, where you can rest…' 'Why were we kidnapped?' I grin at her. 'Come. See for yourself'.