My Novel

[MENTAL]

Chapter 1


The clink of metal hitting metal came from the other side of the pile of unwanted wood. She was sitting in its shadow, hunched into the small gap that it left by the wall. A gap that was barely big enough for her to fit in but she'd managed to get into it anyway.
They were walking past her; she could see them as well as hear them. The clinking of metal came from the several weapons they carried on them. Various sharp and dangerous weapons that could easily end someone's life. Someone like her who had broken the laws that kept the people of the city together.
A self-satisfied smile was on her face as she watched them all pass, all three of them. Three men against her, only a girl that wasn't even fully grown yet. And they still lost. She couldn't help but lose respect for them because of that. How could she respect and fear someone so weak.
It was a good thing that they didn't know where she was and hadn't seen her while they'd passed. Though that was hardly surprising considering how well she had hidden herself behind the pile of wood. No one would have seen her or known that she was there. In her opinion anyway.
At least she had the food. Her crime had been necessary for her survival, her thievery hadn't been because she was bored and had nothing better to do. It had been because she had no choice but to steal the food that she needed to keep living. There was no way for someone like her to earn a living and buy food, and with no parents to take care of her she had to do it herself. In whatever way she could.
She slowly emerged from her hiding place, hooking her fingers into a gap in the paved road and pulling herself out of the hole that she had hidden in. Getting onto her feet when she was out and just brushing some of the dust off herself. Something that was unnecessary because it didn't help her shabby appearance much.
The paved street was covered in mud. And dust in the dryer parts. The stones used to pave the road were cracked and uneven, worn out from years of use. It was the main street in the poor part of the city, where everyone spent their whole day trying to earn a living by selling what little produce they managed to get from their crops. Each family only having a small piece of land to grow their crops on.
She looked around as she stood there, her grey eyes looking through the crowds to make sure the men had gone. She knew that they wouldn't be back, they rarely ever looked for her long. She wasn't worth their time, a petty thief who didn't steal anything that they really cared about. And they didn't like to be in this part of the city, it made them feel dirty, like they would get contaminated by the disease of poverty.
Anahi resembled the people around her, wearing rags that couldn't really be called clothes. Pieces of material that were scraps left over from garments that were made for the richer folk of the city. She'd gotten them from the seamstress in exchange for a favor or two. They were tied together with string that she had stolen from a street vendor in a different part of the city. She had no shoes.
Her whole body was grimy, her skin pale underneath all the dirt. The sun didn't shine in these parts, it was always cold and wet. Her hair was jet black and hung down to under her shoulder blades in messy layers. Her hair was straight but it was knotted and unkept. She didn't have time to worry about her appearance. And she didn't care what people thought either.
She was different than the people who lived her though, she had a feline grace about the way she moved. Her limbs were long and she had a lean, muscled build. There wasn't much meat on her body because of lack of food so she was thin, and smaller than some people her age, resembling someone a few years younger. She was almost an adult, though she didn't know her exactly age because she didn't know when she was born. Day and years didn't matter to her.
She had started to walk down the street, eating the fresh bread that she had stolen as well as the dried meat. It wasn't something that you could get around here, she'd gone to the castle kitchen for it. She had a way of getting into the castle without anyone even knowing that she was there. Until they realized that something had gone missing. But by then she was always gone, they have never managed to catch her even though they know who she is.
She wasn't aware that there was someone following her, being absorbed in her actions. It wasn't every day that she stole fresh bread. Usually she was too late and the bread had already been taken to the dining room for the royalties' breakfast. They ate fresh food every day while their people suffered around them. Anahi didn't have any respect for the king and queen. They left their people to suffer while they got everything they wanted. To her that didn't seem fair at all, and wasn't it their job to make things fair for everyone?
She kept walking towards a small alleyway between two rundown buildings. Following her daily routine of stealing her food for the day then climbing up onto the roof of one of the buildings to watch everything that went on in the city. From there she could even watch who came and went at the castle.
The person who had been behind her followed her into the alley, walking faster as he caught up to her and grabbed her by the arm. Instinctively Anahi spun around, trying to pull her arm away from him. "Let go!" She yelled but he put a hand over her mouth as he pulled her towards him and let go of her arm so that he could put his arm around her to try and keep her arms down. She had dropped the food and was trying to get his hand off her mouth.
"Shh Anahi, stop fighting." His voice was quiet and calm.
Anahi stopped as soon as he said her name, frowning. She didn't know how he knew what her name was, no one did. Because she never told anyone anything, she never talked to anyone. She always kept to herself and she has never had a reason to tell anyone her name. It would just make it easier for them to catch her.
She looked up at the man who was much taller than her, he was tall but thin and had shaggy greyish blond hair that hung down to his ears messily. His eyes matched the color of his hair and she couldn't help but stare into them for a moment or two. He had let her go but it took her a few seconds to realize this because she was too busy looking at him. When she realized she took a step back, away from him. She had a scowl on her face now.
"What do you want?" She glared at him angrily as she spoke, she didn't like him sneaking up on her and grabbing her by the arm much, and it was confusing her because she didn't know who he was. She knew most of the people around here.
"You should come with me." His voice held a tone of authority as he spoke this time.
"Why?" Anahi was suspicious of the man, not sure what he wanted or where he would take her if she did go with him.
"Because I said so."
"That's not an answer. I'm not going anywhere with you."
She was backing away from him more now, but he gave a step forward every time she stepped back. She would run out of room soon, the alley was only so long. She didn't like this. She wasn't scared of him but she felt threatened.
"You have no choice, my dear. And neither do I. I have to take you to Ash or he'll have my tail."
"Who the hell is Ash?" She'd stopped backing away, she was getting more and more confused. She was just guessing that he meant figuratively when he mentioned a tail. Since he didn't have a tail. And she had no idea who Ash was or why this person would want her.
"You'll see when we get there. But we need to hurry because he's waiting for us."
"Where is he?"
"Stop asking questions and just come. You'll see when we get there."
"I'm not going anywhere unless you answer me."
"Stop being so bloody.." He threw his hands up, not being able to think of a word that would describe the way that she was acting at the moment. But he was losing patience with her. He didn't want to drag her there but he was starting to think that it would be the easier thing to do.
"So.. what?"
"I don't know. Just shut up and come with me. Before someone comes looking for us."
"Why would they come looking for us?"
He lost patience with her and grabbed her by the wrist tightly so that she couldn't pull away from him. He started walking back out of the alley, dragging her along behind him. She was trying to pull away from him but he was holding her wrist too tightly.
No one even looked at them as he pulled her with him as he walked down the street. Everyone knew her, everyone knew that she was a thief so they would only assume that she had stolen something from this man and he wanted it back or wanted her to be punished. There was no one who would do anything to help her because they were too busy worrying over their own lives and families to worry about a thief being dragged down the street by an unfamiliar man. He could be her relative for all they knew.
She kept trying to pull away from him in an almost childish way, digging in her heels and leaning back. He was looking very annoyed and he stopped walking, turning towards her.
"The more you struggle the longer it's going to take to get there." His words were impatient and he pulled her closer to him before he bent down and picked her up so that she hung over his shoulder. Then he started walking down the street again, faster this time
Anahi was too shocked to do anything, she had never really had anyone catch her so she had never had anyone trying to take her somewhere against her will. She didn't know how to fight back effectively to get them to let her go. And she was curious as well, wanting to know who Ash was and why he wanted her enough to send someone to come and get her. She wasn't going to ask him, she would just stay silent and sulk for now.
It didn't take too long for them to get to a house on the edge of the the poor part of town, just inside the area where people who were better off lived. Where the houses looked better and neater in general. The street too was less worn too. He carried her into one of the houses, through the front door and down a hallway into the kitchen. She couldn't see much since she was hanging over his shoulder.
She could hear a chair scrape against the wooden floor and cups being put down. She felt him stop walking before he bent down and put her on the table so that she was sitting down. He was looking calm again instead of impatient like before. She still had an angry scowl on her face as she glared at him then looked around.
"Thank you Alchemy. I hope she wasn't too difficult." Anahi watched the man who spoke, he was much older than the one who had dragged her here, Alchemy she was guessing his name was. And she was guessing the man who just spoke was Ash. She decided that she would glare at him now, considering that he was the reason she'd been brought here.
"She has a considerable amount of spirit." Alchemy walked to the other side of the table and sat down on a chair, leaning back on it as he put one foot against the table.
Anahi looked around the room again. There was one other person in the room, leaning against a doorway which led out to a small yard with piles of wood in it. For a fireplace most likely. He was looking at her curiously. Not much older than she was, a few years maybe. His hair a golden blond color and his eyes almost a warm golden brown.
Ash went and stood in front of her, his intelligent brown eyes watching her in a thoughtful way. She glared at him again as she just waited for him to do something. His light brown hair was short. Anahi was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with him watching her so closely and she shifted where she sat, the anger going away. She didn't know what to do now. She was already here so she couldn't exactly just run off, she had a feeling they wouldn't let her do that anyway.
"What?" She asked, feeling very self-conscious with him just staring at her.
"I'm just think about what the best way to tell you everything is." He was looking very thoughtful as he glanced at Alchemy.
"Tell me what?"
"A few things you probably won't believe."
"Just tell me."
"That's the problem. I can't. It's too complicated to just explain in a few words."
"If you don't tell me I'm leaving."
Anahi could hear Alchemy get up off his chair behind her but she didn't look back, she was watching Ash to see if he would say anything to her or not. When a light brown wolf with grey streaks through his coat appeared next to Ash she looked at it in surprise, pulling her legs up onto the table and looking around to where Alchemy had been, not seeing him there and then looking back at the wolf with a fearful but curious look.
"How..?" Her voice quivered a little as a confused look appeared on her face. She looked at Ash for an explanation.
"Simple." Alchemy was the one who spoke, jumping onto a chair next to where she was sitting. "Animal. Human." On the word human he was a person again, looking fully human. She hadn't even seen the change, it had been too fast, a blink of an eye.
Anahi just stared at him, her mouth slightly open but she was speechless. And motionless. She didn't know how to react to what she had just seen. It was impossible. But yet it had just happened right before her eyes. Ash watched her as she stared at Alchemy in disbelief, a small smile on his face. She was taking it well.
"What does this have to do with me?" She asked in a confused way as she looked from Alchemy to Ash.
"That's the hard part to explain." Ash was still thinking as he tried to come up with the best way to explain it so that she would understand.
"I'm listening."
"I'm going to guess that you haven't heard any of the stories."
"No."
"Don't interrupt, just listen. A long time ago the whole of Antrik was filled with people who could shift from one form to another. Half human and half animal. One man could not, only one man was fully human. He held a grudge against the rest of the population, because they held an advantage over him. When he fell in love with a beautiful woman he forbid her to shift. She only agreed because she loved him too."
Alchemy got up loudly and walked over to where there were some cups hanging off hooks, taking one and pouring something into it. Both Ash and Anahi watched him but then Ash looked at her again.
"As I was saying. I don't know all the details but he somehow managed to become a leader, convincing several others to give up shifting. They formed a small army and he began to dictate the rest of the land, forcing everyone to stop shifting and punishing anyone who even thought about disobeying that one rule. Over the generations they all started to lose that ability and became fully human. There were only a few who escaped from all of those things, they were so far in the middle of nowhere that no one even knew about them. They are the ones who made it possible for the few people who can still shift to be able to do that."
"I still don't understand."
"I said don't interrupt. I'm not done yet. The blood of that one man is the same blood that runs through the royal family now. The king has that same hatred for people who can shift. And he has found out that there are still some of us who can. And he's trying to change that, to once and for all eliminate shifting from the world. We need to change that, to get him to forget the hatred that has formed over the generations. I don't think he realizes that what he's trying to do isn't the right thing."
"We know that you can get in and out of the castle without them knowing." Alchemy walked back to the chair he'd been sitting in, the cup in his one hand as he sat down on the chair again.
"You can shift Anahi." Ash watched her carefully to see how she would react to this information that he was giving her.
"I can't." She said simply, as if what he had just said was the stupidest thing she had ever heard.
"Yes you can. You just haven't learnt how to yet. But we can teach you."
She shook her head. She didn't believe him. If she could do that then why didn't she know, why hadn't she already done it? Even by accident. This just all seemed too much. It still didn't seem real to her.
Ash looked at Alchemy and raised his eyebrows before he turned and walked out of the room. Alchemy got up and followed him. Anahi had watched the silent communication and her grey eyes followed them as they walked down the hallway and into another room. She just kept looking in the direction they'd gone, too confused to leave or do anything. She was still trying to get her head around everything they'd just told her.
"It's easy, you know. To shift."
Anahi jumped at the sound of his voice. She'd completely forgotten about the guy in the doorway. She turned to look at him, he was still standing where he'd been before and he was still looking at her with the same curious look on his face.
"All you need to do is think about it." His voice had a slight rumble to it. "But you need to have the right animal first or you just confuse your body."
She was listening to what he was saying, she couldn't help it. "Think about it? Is it really that easy?" She was curious about it, you couldn't help but be. Maybe she could do this whole changing thing. If it was as easy as he said it was. She watched him nod and could feel the corners of her mouth turning upwards a little. Maybe she would try it, just to see. "But how do I know what animal?" She asked him.
"Ask Ash. He'd be able to tell you. He can usually tell. He's the one that figured out that you can shift."
Anahi frowned when he said that. She turned her head to look towards where they'd disappeared. She was starting to think that this could be a fun little adventure.
"Flint! Come in here for a second." Ash's voice came from the other room and it seemed urgent. She watched as the guy went from the doorway to where the other two had gone.
She got off the table and walked around the room, opening some of the cupboards and looking inside. Just keeping herself entertained by having a look around. It wasn't long before she saw Flint come out of the room, heading out the front door in a rush.
It made her even more curious and she walked down the hallway towards the room they'd been in but before she got to it Alchemy stepped out, blocking her way. He was frowning, obviously thinking about something important.
"Come on. You're coming with me." He was distracted. And remembering what had happened before when she didn't want to go with him she decided to just go with him this time. "This way." He said, turning her around and motioning at the back door.
She turned and started walking towards the back door, when she got outside she stopped, not sure which way to go because there was a tall stone wall surrounding the whole yard. Alchemy walked past her and climbed onto a stack of logs and then onto the wall, sitting on it with a leg on each side as he leaned down and offered her a hand. "Are you coming?"
She nodded and walked over to where he was. She didn't take his hand because she didn't need his help. Jumping onto the log pile gracefully and pulling herself up onto the wall easily before standing up on it. Her balance perfect as she looked at Alchemy with a small smirk.
"Cat." Ash was standing by the back door watching them. After he spoke he turned and went back inside.
Anahi looked thoughtful. But then her attention was forced back onto what they were doing. Alchemy was climbing down off the wall on a ladder made of stones sticking out from the rest of the wall. She followed him down onto the ground and turned around to look at the forest. She hadn't even realized that there was a forest behind the houses.
They walked into the trees, it was darker and colder. She shivered a little as she kept following Alchemy, wondering where they were going. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, her hands running up and down her upper arms to try and warm them up a little. Alchemy was walking faster and faster, looking around them the whole time.
"What are you looking for?" She couldn't not ask anymore. She wanted to know.
"No what. Who."
"Who are you looking for?"
"You'll see."
Anahi was annoyed now, because he wouldn't tell her. He hadn't answered any of the questions she'd asked him so far this morning. When he did answer he always told her that she would see. It just made her want to know even more, she didn't want to wait to find out, she wanted to know straight away.
"Can't you just tell me?" She asked impatiently.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I can't."
"That's not a reason."
"It is a reason. And if you don't shut up right now.." He'd turned around to face her while he threatened her angrily. He couldn't finish the threat before he got distracted though. He held a finger up to her, motioning for her to be quiet as he looked around and listened carefully. "Shit. Come on."
He had grabbed her by the arm and was pulling her along with him as he walked quickly through the trees in a different direction from the one they had been going in. Anahi almost had to jog to keep up with him because he was walking so fast.
"She's not here. And we have to hurry and get out of the forest."
Anahi was about to ask him why they needed to get out so fast but she decided not to, since he probably wouldn't answer her anyway. She just kept following him, not that she had much of a choice with him holding onto her arm.
When they got out of the forest they stopped on a small dirt road that ran along the edge of it. Alchemy turned to look at the trees again, a troubled look on his face. Anahi looked at him and then at the trees. He had let her arm go again and she rubbed it lightly where he'd been holding it. "I swear I'm going to have bruises on my arms tomorrow from you dragging me." She said angrily as she looked down at her red arm and then back at him.
Alchemy turned and started walking along the road away from her, a sad look now on his face as well. Anahi stayed where she was, watching him. But when she realized that he was just going to keep ignoring her she turned to follow him, running a few steps to catch up with him before she just walked next to him. She didn't say anything while they walked, something just made her keep her mouth shut.
They kept walking for hours and she was getting tired and hungry now. She was finding it harder and harder not to say anything to him. He seemed to be deep in thought. They were in the middle of nowhere, with nothing on either side of the small road that they were following. She couldn't see anything or anyone, just empty fields and a few hills.
"Why are you still following me? You could have just gone back to doing whatever you do." At first she didn't realize that he was talking to her so she didn't say anything but then he stopped and looked at her.
"I didn't realize I had that choice. Considering that you've been dragging me around everywhere and told me several times that I have to go with you." Her tone wasn't friendly, she was annoyed and angry that he would tell her now that she could have left, while they were far away from anything and she had no idea where they were.
"Well it's no use anymore. She's gone, the king's not at the castle anymore and won't be back until next winter. You don't even know how to shift which means you'll be no use to us." He was speaking impatiently, looking even more troubled than before. He was feeling as if the only hope they'd had was gone, he was starting to believe that anything they tried would just fail. They were at too much of a disadvantage.
"So everything I've had to go through today, including walking for hours out into the middle of nowhere, for absolutely nothing?!"
Before he could answer there was the sound of hooves hitting the earth, drawing rapidly closer to them. They both looked in the direction that it was coming from. Flint was sitting on a chestnut horse, slowing down as he got closer to them until he finally stopped in front of them. He was leading a black horse who had quite a few things tied to the saddle. He got off the horse and pulled the reins over its head and taking hold of it with the same hand that was holding the other horse's reins. He looked at the two standing in the road and knew instantly that they'd been arguing before he'd gotten there.
"I didn't bring you a horse Alchemy because I just figured that you don't really need one." He said, looking at the tall man before he looked over at Anahi. "I have everything that we need. We'd better stop for the night though, the horses are tired since I had to get to you quickly." That and he could tell that Anahi was tired too. But he wouldn't say that.
Alchemy nodded his head, looking down at the ground. He turned and started walking away from the road without a word. Going towards some hills that weren't too far away. Anahi watched him then looked at Flint. "Does he always do that?" She asked him.
"Pretty much. He's not always the best with people. He usually prefers to be alone."
"But instead he's stuck with me."
Flint couldn't help but smile at her comment. She was definitely right, Ash had given Alchemy the job of looking after her for the time being. Flint was just there to help out. He started to follow Alchemy, leading the two tired horses. "Come on. We'd better start walking or we'll end up losing him. And then we'd have to try and find him again."
She nodded and started walking with him, looking at the horses for a second. She'd never had a chance to really get this close to them before. No one owned a horse where she spent her days, the closest she'd been to one was when she sneaked past the stables at the castle. They were bigger than she'd thought they were.
They kept following a short distance behind him as they went over the hills and down into a sort of valley. You couldn't see it from the road because it was hidden by the hills. It wasn't a deep one, more like a big ditch that ran through the earth. There was a small stream that ran through it and about five trees in a cluster next to it. Everything felt damp to Anahi and she looked up at the thick clouds for a second.
Alchemy had stopped by the stream and was cupping his hands to scoop up water and splash in onto his face to help get all the dirt off it. He pulled off his shirt and used it to dry his face before he got up and walked over to where Flint was untying everything from both horses' saddled and throwing it onto a pile on the ground. Alchemy picked up a bundle and untied the rope that held it together, putting on a clean shirt that was light dusty green in color. The sleeves hung down to his elbows, almost making the loose shirt seem too big for him. He picked up a few more things and walked over to Anahi who was just sitting on the ground watching them. Dropping the things onto the ground next to her.
She looked up at him calmly as he turned to walk away again, going back to the pile of things and finding what he needed to start setting up camp. Flint finished untacking the horses and went to help him set up the tent and start a fire so that they could make something to eat. Anahi didn't watch them for long before she picked up the things that Alchemy had dropped next to her.
Clothes. She was reminded of how cold she still was, there was a light breeze and it was getting darker. The temperature would keep dropping as night drew closer. She pulled on the black pants where she sat, it felt strange but she guessed that she would get used to it. And appreciate it when it kept her warmer than she'd ever been. The pants were made of fine wool, making them soft. They only came down to below her knees but she wasn't complaining. The shirt was made of linen and light blue in color. She tied it around the waist with a bit of rope. There was also a grey hooded cloak that she pulled around herself, tying it at the neck. She looked at the leather boots for a second before pulling them on as well, it felt strange to her to be wearing something on her feet. It wasn't something she was used to. She stood up, it felt strange to be wearing so many things. But she already felt a lot warmer and somehow more comfortable as well. She'd taken off the rags that had served as her clothing before and it lay in a dirty pile next to her.
Both Flint and Alchemy looked at her when she stood up, just watching her for a second before they continued their tasks. Flint had a small smile on his face, it had been his idea to get her some actual clothes and he was glad that he had thought of it. They had finished setting up the tent and had made the fire. Alchemy was busy preparing some food for them, cooking the meat and getting some of the other things too.
Anahi untied the cloak and took off the boots again, carrying them over to the tent before putting them down. She walked to the stream and sat down next to it, letting her feet go into the cold water. She reached down and wet her hands before she turned her head to look at where the other two were. She got up again and walked upstream a bit, past where the horses were tied to a tree each, their ropes long enough so they can graze on the surrounding grass. She looked again to make sure she was out of sight before she undressed, putting everything neatly on the edge of the stream before she walked into the cold water, sitting down in the middle of it. The water wasn't deep and barely reached her shoulders while she sat. She washed herself quickly, not wanting to stay in the cold water too long. Then she got dressed again and walked back to the campsite, sitting next to the fire to warm herself up again.
She ran her fingers through her wet hair, getting out as many of the tangles as she could. Her skin looked even more pale now that she was clean but the fire cast an almost orange glow onto her. The air had gotten dark, the clouds blocked out any light from the moon or the stars. It was a rare thing to see stars around here, there was always too much cloud.
Flint had gotten two plates, each with a piece of meat and break on them. As well as two apples. He walked over to where she sat, sitting down next to her and giving her a plate of food and an apple. Alchemy was sitting on the opposite side of the fire, staring into the flames as he ate his own food silently.
Anahi was hungry, her stomach had reminded her of that over and over again by rumbling. When Flint handed her the food she smiled at him in a thankful way when she took it. She didn't say anything as she started to eat her food. No one spoke, everyone was too hungry to talk at the moment, each person just wanting to fill their stomachs for the moment. Anahi kept glancing at Alchemy, he still looked troubled and she had a feeling it had something to do with the person they had been looking for in the forest, and not finding that person. She would ask Flint later if he knew, she would do it when Alchemy wasn't there to hear.
It didn't take them long to finish eating their meal, there wasn't too much to eat. Flint took her empty plate and put it with his next to the fire. He would clean them later. "You should get some rest." He told her. "And I should too." He got up and started walking towards the tent, glancing at Alchemy before going into it.
Anahi nodded and got up when he did, following him into the tent, she had stopped to look at Alchemy as well, wondering if he would sit out there all night. She had picked up her cloak while walking into the tent and she tied it around her neck again before she lay down close to where Flint was lying. There were several blankets there and she picked one up, covering herself with it as she lay down on another one. It felt nice to be so warm and it made her fall asleep quickly. It didn't take Flint long to fall asleep either.
Alchemy sat staring at the flames for another while after they'd gone to sleep. Just thinking. About what had happened and what might happen in the near future. He was worried, he couldn't help but be. He finally decided to give in to the exhaustion and went into the tent, closing the flap before he lay down and pulled a blanket over him as well and going to sleep.

[MENTAL]

Chapter 2


It was still dark when she opened her eyes, the flap of the tent was open and she could only just manage to see outside to where the fire was burning. She didn't know whether it was burning from the night before still or whether one of the other two had gotten up to relight it again at some point during the night. The sun would be showing itself soon, she always woke up at the same time each morning. Early enough to slip into the castle to get breakfast before the royal family got up, but before the sun came up.
She pushed the blanket off her before moving into a sitting position. She could hear Flint's breathing next to her so she knew that he was still asleep. But Alchemy wasn't there. She crawled out of the tent without a sound, moving carefully and slowly. When she was outside she pulled her cloak around her more and pulled on her boots that had been lying just outside the tent. They would keep her feet warm. It seemed colder here than it usually was in the city. Maybe it had something to do with there not being much shelter.
It was quiet too, the only things she could hear outside were the horses, the water and the fire. Her hearing was impeccable as well so she was sure that if there had been anything else to hear she would've heard it. She didn't look around, just watching the fire while moving towards it to warm up again. She should have brought the blanket out with her.
"Sleep well?" Alchemy's voice made her jump, she hadn't realized that he was there. If he'd made a sound she would have heard him so he must have been sitting very still. He was watching her, sitting just out of the circle of light that the fire cast around itself.
"Better than I normally do." She was looking at him but she couldn't see him clearly, just a rough outline of where he was. But that was fine too, just as long as she knew where he was she was happy.
"That's good. We've got a long day ahead of us." He was already sounding tired in her opinion, he must have been up for a while already if he was tired. And they hadn't even started going anywhere yet. She had a feeling that they were on their way somewhere.. And wherever they were going was far away too. Why else would Flint have brought two horses and as much stuff as he had. She didn't even know what all of it was.
Alchemy got up from where he was sitting, moving closer to the fire and used a stick to move some of the logs on the fire that had turned red because of the heat of the flames. It sent up a few sparks but they died quickly as they moved through the cold air.
The edges of the clouds were starting to get an orange tinge to them, which meant that the sun would be showing itself soon. It rose quickly here, within minutes it would be high enough to see. Then it would slow down its progress again to travel across the sky throughout the day before going into hiding again. Anahi was still sitting next to the fire but she was watching the clouds as they started to change color.
Alchemy had a cup with him as he walked down to the stream, filling it with cold water and then making his way into the tent, tipping it onto the sleeping Flint. "Wake up, big boy. We have to get going." His voice was amused and Anahi turned her head to look into the tent just in time to see Flint jump to his feet as the freezing water hit him. It woke him up instantly and he wiped at his face to try and get the cold water off him. Alchemy held a blanket out to him and he took it, quickly drying his face with it before he followed Alchemy out of the tent.
Anahi was surprised at how calmly he had just taken being woken up that way. He didn't seem to be angry or annoyed at all. She didn't know exactly what her actions might be if Alchemy had done that to her but she didn't think she would do nothing about it. But maybe that was just her.
She watched as the other two started to tack up the two horses quickly, completely intrigued with how fast they were doing it. She stood up and walked over to the black horse was, standing a step away from it and just looking at it. Alchemy was tying some things to its saddle and he looked over at her while he tested everything to make sure it wouldn't come off as soon as the horse started moving. Anahi was reaching out towards the horse's nose with her one hand slowly, her fingers trembling slightly.
"He won't bite." Flint's voice made her jump in surprise and she turned her head to glare at him as he walked past her to get up onto the chestnut horse.
"Come on. Up you get." Alchemy told her, stepping back from the horse and motioning to the saddle. He had a small amused smile on his face.
Anahi's face became even paler and it felt as if her heart had stopped beating as she just stared at Alchemy.
"You're not scared of him, are you?" He asked her, his tone amused. He wasn't mocking her, he just found it funny.
"No." Her tone was defensive and almost angry that he would think that she was scared of something.
"Come on then."
She went to where he was standing next to the horse slowly, not wanting to give him a reason to laugh at her. She tried to reach up with her foot to put it in the stirrup but she was too short. The horse wasn't exactly a small one either. Alchemy put one hand under her thigh and pushed her up, using the other hand to push her other leg over the horse. She hadn't even had a chance to react to what he was doing before she was sitting on the horse and he was holding the reins up for her to take.
She was still looking shocked as she took the reins slowly, her hands shaking a little. She put her feet in the stirrups before looking over at Flint. She would have to use him as an example to follow so that she would know what to do. They weren't saying anything which had to mean that she was doing it right so far. Either that or they just wanted her to fall off.
Alchemy had walked to the fire and was picking up some damp sand and throwing it onto the burning wood to smother the fire. Anahi looked over at where the tent had been but there was nothing there. She hadn't even seen them pack it up. They must have done this often. Her mind was in a bit of a haze at the moment, the ground was a long way down and she wasn't exactly feeling that comfortable sitting on the horse.
Flint was letting his horse walk closer to hers, stopping him right next to her and looking at her with a reassuring expression on his face. Alchemy had turned into a wolf and had already started moving away from them at a jog. Anahi was watching him, still fascinated with the whole concept of being able to change into an animal. If she hadn't known that it was him she would have just thought that it was just a normal wolf.
"Have you ever been on a horse before?" His tone was calm as he asked her and he was watching her with a curious gaze.
She shook her head after a second, watching him with a look on her face that warned him not to say anything to make fun of her. It wasn't her fault that she had never had the opportunity to get close enough to even touch a horse.
"It's easy. You'll get the hang of it really fast. At first just hold on tight and try to get used to the way the horse moves. It'll be much easier to balance when you're used to the horse."
"How do I make it do what I want?"
Flint quickly went through all of the basic things with her, giving her examples by doing it himself. She watched him closely and when he was finished explaining it to her she nodded. It seemed simple enough, as long as she could remember everything that he had just shown her.
She tapped her heels against the horse's side lightly and almost carefully as well, being thrown backwards a little when the horse started to walk. Flint let the chestnut horse walk next to the black, watching her so that he would be able to help her as soon as he needed to. Anahi had natural balance so after a moment she was fine with the horse walking underneath her and she started to smile happily. Flint smiled too as he watched her, it was good that she didn't seem to need his help at all.
"What are their names?" Anahi wanted to know what their names were because she always found it interesting to hear what people named their animals.
"They don't have names. The person who I got them from had too many horses to name. So he leaves them all unnamed."
Anahi thought that not naming them was unfair to them, she decided that she would think of appropriate names for them both instead of just choosing any old name that she could think of right now. She would get to know them better because your name had to reflect your personality in some way or it was all wrong and could have bad effects later on in life.
She was used to the horse's movements under her so she didn't really notice it anymore. They were just going along in silence now, the horses following the small dirt road towards somewhere that she didn't know about. She was kind of starting to look forward to seeing where they were going. A feeling of expectation was settling inside of her as well.

The sun had made its way to right above them in the grey sky, its rays of light only barely making it through the grey clouds that were growing darker each day. There was a steady wind blowing, making the air even colder. he air was heavy with a storm starting to threaten the travelers.
Anahi hadn't seen Alchemy at all since he'd gone off ahead of them. Her and Flint had kept up a good pace with the horses but she was getting tired and the cold wasn't helping much. She had her cloak pulled around her, the hood up over her head as well to try and keep as much warmth trapped as she could.
Flint seemed to be getting anxious, every time Anahi glanced over at him he was shifting in the saddle and staring ahead of them as if he was waiting to see something. She was starting to think that he was waiting for them to get somewhere specific. She still didn't know where they were going because he hadn't told her and she hadn't asked him either. They hadn't really spoken much while riding at all, it had been a very quiet trip so far.
The silence was being broken though, and not by any noises that the horses were making. She could hear something, like plenty of noises all at the same time. She strained her eyes but she couldn't see anything yet, just some trees in the distance. She looked over at Flint and saw that he was frowning. He looked over at her as well and his frown turned into a slight smile.
"You should pull your hood forward a bit more to hide your face." He told her in a calm tone.
"Why?"
"We don't want people seeing who you are. Not yet."
"Why?" She was getting suspicious, they were just giving her orders again and again without telling her why she had to do the things they were asking her to do.
Before Flint could answer her Alchemy appeared in front of them, standing as a man in the middle of the small road waiting for them. The two horses stopped in front of him.
"Pull your hood forward Anahi and sit up straight." He was talking with strict authority and Anahi opened her mouth to protest. "Don't argue, just do as I say. It's for your own good." He said before she could get a word out and she scowled as she pulled the hood of her grey cloak forward more to hide her face. She sat up as straight as she could as well, holding the reins of the black horse lightly.
The horse had dropped its head, its nose tucked in slightly. It was because she was sitting up straighter. She noticed that the reins had gone looser and tightened them a little, glancing down at the horse's head and seeing that it had lowered. She frowned slightly but decided that it was fine, she'd seen the horses do that when the royals had ridden past and she'd always thought that it looked really nice. A slight smile settled on her face as she thought about the fact that she was sitting on a horse that looked better than most of the horses that were in the royal stables, pitch black and big.
Alchemy had turned around and was walking away from them again, except that Flint was following him. Anahi hadn't been paying attention but she tapped her heels against the animal's sides lightly and went after them, noticing that the noises had gotten louder. She could make out buildings too now, made of stone that blended in with the grey clouds. There was an eerie look to the place as they got closer. There was no one outside the buildings and the whole ground was paved with stones between the buildings as well.
Flint jumped off the horse he was on and looked up at her with a small shake of his head to tell her to stay on her horse. She watched him out of the shadow of her hood, turning her gaze onto Alchemy too every now and then. She was waiting to see what would happen. Both of them seemed on edge as they started to walk down the paved street of what seemed to be a tiny town.
A short man appeared from a dark gap between two buildings, making the chestnut horse that Flint was leading jump away in surprise, snorting suspiciously. Anahi's black horse was calm, the only thing that actually showed he was noticing what was going on was his ears turning this way and that to catch any sounds.
The man was shorter than any man Anahi had seen before, he barely came up to the horses' chests. He had scruffy hair and a long beard as well, the hair almost completely white. All you could see of his face were his sparkling blue eyes and his nose. His mouth was hidden somewhere between his mustache and his beard. Anahi was fascinated by what he was wearing, his clothing were a bright blue color decorated with silver thread.
He was looking at her, she could feel his gaze. She wasn't going to squirm under its intensity, she sat up straighter, a proud and determined look now on her face. But he wouldn't be able to see that.
The old man had a smile on his face as he turned his attention to the horses, taking the reins of the chestnut from Flint. Flint walked to the side of the black horse, taking the reins from her and pulling them over the horse's head before giving them to the old man as well and then he held his hand out to Anahi and helped her down off the tall horse as if she was a really important person.
When she was back on the ground she stood still, she could feel the weakness in her legs and knew that if she gave a step she would stumble and she had a feeling that would be a very bad thing to do at this exact time. Flint was still holding onto her hand to support her without making it obvious that that was what he was doing. He had a blank expression on his face. Alchemy had a cold and almost harsh look on his face as he looked at the old man and raised his eyebrows as if to ask him what he was still doing here.
The old man seemed amused at the look Alchemy gave him and turned around before leading the two horses down the isle between the two buildings. Anahi watched them disappear then looked at Alchemy but he had turned his back on her and Flint and was knocking on a large wooden door. She could hear it being unlatched from the inside before it swung open. Alchemy stepped inside the building and Flint started walking towards the door as well. She walked with him, her first step or two a little unsure but then she got used to being on the ground again and walked easily next to Flint into the dark building. The door shut behind her and she turned around to look at it but it had shut by itself because there was no one there.
"I bet you're hungry. You wouldn't have eaten any breakfast." Anahi looked to where the voice came from and saw an older woman, short with long grey hair that hung in waves down to below her shoulders. She was lighting candles on a sturdy wooden table and looked over at Anahi with a friendly smile. "He didn't give you anything to eat this morning, did he dear?" She asked, her voice having the same qualities as a gentle breeze.
Anahi shook her head.
"You can take that hood off in here, you're safe. And the cloak too, the fire should warm the room up soon enough." Anahi hadn't notice the fire in the corner of the room at first but she did now.
She was still standing by the closed door as she raised her hands and lowered the hood slowly before untying the cloak a little uncertainly, her eyes staying on the woman. She took the cloak off and Flint took it from her before hanging it on a hook by the door and then walking over to sit on the floor by the fire to warm up. Both him and Alchemy seemed to know the woman. And as Anahi looked at her more closely she seemed to have a strong resemblance to the man who could turn into a wolf. Though his features were more similar to that of a wolf than hers were.
Alchemy had gone and sat at the table, watching her calmly, his expression happy almost. No, more contempt than happy. Like he felt safe and at home. He was just leaning back in the chair in a relaxed way.
The woman went over to a pot that stood close to the fire, carrying three bowls and she dipped them into the pot one at a time, handing one to Flint and carrying the other two back to the table. She put one in front of Alchemy and one on the other side of the table before looking at Anahi again. "Come eat some soup, it should make you feel better."
Anahi walked over and sat down at the table, she wasn't completely sure of all this. Things kept changing from unfriendly to friendly around her and it was really starting to confuse her because no one wanted to explain anything to her. Even when she asked, which was why she had stopped asking questions and was just trying to figure it all out for herself now.
She looked at the soup, just the smell of it was making her stomach growl. She picked up the spoon that was lying next to the bowl and started to eat the warm soup, looking around every now and then. The woman was just busy doing things but Anahi wasn't sure what exactly she was doing. Her attention was mostly on finishing the soup, which she did quickly.
"Come with me, dear." The woman said, holding her hand out to Anahi. She took the woman's hand lightly and stood up from the chair, glancing at Flint who was too busy eating his soup to notice what was happening. She walked with the woman into another room that was lit by several candles. Anahi noticed that there were no windows but she didn't say anything as she let go of the woman's hand and looked around. There was a bed and some other pieces of furniture in the room.
"You'll be staying in here whenever you come through here." The woman said. "Now, my name is Evona." Her tone was friendly as she walked over to a chest and pulled out several things before putting them on the bed.
"Anahi." Evona didn't seem to know her name so Anahi decided to tell her. She walked closer to the bed to look at what the woman had pulled out, she had glimpsed a light purple and silver. But it was wrapped in a dull grey blanket so Anahi couldn't be sure.
Evona caught the girl's curious looks and unwrapped the dress before picking it up and holding it so that Anahi could look at it closer. Anahi walked over to the woman and let her fingers lightly touch the material which was smooth.
"It's silk. And I think it should fit you perfectly." Evona said and Anahi stared at her with a surprised look.
She wanted to say something but she had no idea what to say to this woman who had just given her a room to stay in and was saying that this beautiful dress would fit her perfectly.
"Don't worry. I knew you were coming. There's a lot of things that Alchemy doesn't tell you. But don't mind him, he's never been overly friendly."
"He doesn't tell me anything." The mention of Alchemy not telling her anything snapped her back to her normal self. She was still looking at the dress though.
"Thought he wouldn't. I'll have a talk to him about that. Now, get out of those clothes. We can't have you not looking like a proper lady." Evona's tone was strict but in a friendly and almost motherly way. She opened another door and Anahi followed her curiously as she walked into another room that had a bathtub in it, made of stone with smooth round pebbles lining the inside. There were holes below it leading down to a fire underneath the bath. It was filled with water. "Come on, before the water gets cold."
Anahi frowned as she looked at the bath, she had never taken a bath before and no one had even offered her one either. The motherly way that Evona was acting towards her made her obey though and she undressed a little hesitantly before walking over to the bath and getting in. The warm water felt nice and she relaxed pretty fast.
"Wash up and then get into that dress. I'll leave it all on the bed ready for you."
Anahi looked at her and nodded before giving her a grateful smile then watched her leave and shut the door. Anahi just let the water warm her up for a few seconds before she sank down into it completely, getting her hair wet as well. She tried to get some of the knots out of her hair as she washed it, washing herself slowly and just enjoying the feeling of taking a bath.
When she was done she got out, trying the get some of the water out of her hair by putting her fingers around it tightly and pulling it down. It made it dryer but not completely dry. There was a piece of cloth lying on a chair close by and Anahi picked it up to dry herself with, it felt nice to be clean for a change. All of the dirt washed off of her pale skin.
She walked out into the bedroom again and looked at everything laid out on the bed. She got dressed slowly. Everything fit her perfectly and it made a happy glow come to her cheeks as she smiled happily. The dress came down to above her knees, the top of it fitting her body tightly down to her hips where it then became looser and almost flared out a little. She loved the light purple color of it and the silver thread that was used to decorate it with swirling patterns along the bottom of it. It was also decorated around the waist but in a more subtle way. The dress didn't have sleeves, it just had really thin straps running over her shoulders. The back of the dress was just under her shoulder blades and the front went straight across at the top instead of making some sort of a shape. Anahi also put on the black boots that were there, they came up to below her knees and had to be tied together with string that went around and crossed over several times. It took her a short while to figure out exactly how it worked but when she did she tied the strings together tightly so that the boots fit snugly on her feet.
She sat down on the bed, just letting her fingers run over the smooth dress when she heard the door open behind her. She turned her head and saw Evona walk into the room. She smiled at her happily, she couldn't help it. Evona looked pleased to see Anahi so happy with everything and she smiled a pleased smile as she walked over to the girl.
"Let's get those knots out of your hair." She said as she picked up a brush off a table close to the bed and walked over to where Anahi was sitting and sitting next to her.
"I don't know how to thank you."
"You don't need to. I made it specifically for you."
Evona had started brushing Anahi's knotted hair carefully, not wanting to pull her hair and hurt her. It would take a while.
"But how could you have known?"
"I know a lot of things, my dear. More than some people realize or want to believe."
Anahi was confused. "How?"
"I have my ways."
"You're avoiding my questions just like Alchemy does." Anahi stated almost thoughtfully. Evona just smiled but didn't say anything else as she kept brushing Anahi's hair.
When Evona was done brushing Anahi's hair it hung down to her middle back in several smooth layers. Her hair now straight instead of a tangled mess. Her hair parted straight down the middle as well and it had a bit of a shine to it too now that it was clean and it contrasted with her pale skin in a striking yet beautiful way. She wasn't so pale that she was grey or white, and nor was she sickly, she just didn't see the sun much.
"You've got big things ahead of you, Anahi." Evona's voice was almost affectionate as she spoke and Anahi turned her head to look at the woman with a questioning tone but she decided not to ask any questions. Evona seemed to know even more than Alchemy and Flint did, but she wouldn't tell Anahi anything either. It was almost starting to get frustrating because she wanted some answers.
"Come on, let's go show those two boys out there what a lady should look like."
Anahi got up with Evona and followed her to the door. When she walked out into the front room and looked down at the ground almost shyly. The dress swayed around her legs as she walked and she felt almost awkward being dressed in something so beautiful. It was only a day ago that she had been dressed in rags.
Alchemy turned his head to look at Evona and Anahi and he was so shocked when he saw her that he started to fall off his chair because he was leaning to the side too much so that he could turn more to have a better look at her. But he stopped himself from falling by quickly taking his feet off the table and putting them on the floor almost noisily as he turned himself on the chair. He didn't say anything as he looked over at Flint, a slight smile coming to his face as he gave Flint a look that said they didn't need to worry after all.
Flint was staring at her from where he sat by the fire still, his mouth actually open slightly. Anahi looked over at him and such a warm look was in his eyes that it made her blush but she didn't know why. She looked at Evona who was smiling happily, pleased with the effect Anahi's improved appearance seemed to have on the two young men. She walked over to the table with Anahi following her, sitting down in one chair and pulling the other one out for Anahi to sit in.
Flint's eyes followed Anahi, his expression was one of slight disbelief. He had seen her blush and it made him slightly embarrassed too. He turned his head to look at the fire now, still paying some attention to the three at the table.
"So, where's Ash?" Evona asked, looking at Alchemy.
"He didn't come."
"Why's that?"
"Didn't want to see you." Alchemy had a slightly teasing tone to his voice and Anahi looked at him, a slightly surprised look on her face. She hadn't realized that Alchemy could be anything but annoying calm and cold. He seemed to be teasing Evona affectionately and he even had a happy smile on his face.
"After last time I wouldn't think he'd ever come back here."
"What happened?" Anahi asked curiously, it seemed like it could be an interesting story.
"I kicked him out of my house and made him sleep out in the stables with the horses." Evona's tone was amused.
"What'd he do?" Anahi looked at her and waited for another answer but it was Alchemy who answered her instead.
"He criticized her soup." He gave a laugh after he said it. "Poor Flint ended up eating his soup so quickly that he almost choked but then she just asked him if he had something to say too and he quickly stopped himself from coughing. It was a funny thing to see."
She looked over at Flint who was smiling guiltily. He was looking over at them but he didn't say anything to contribute to the conversation that had started.
"Ash avoids eating soup anywhere now. He usually just takes the bread without the soup instead." Alchemy said as he put his feet back on the table and leaned back on his chair.
"Good. That should teach him to have something to say about the way people cook. You don't tell a woman how she should do things." She looked over at Anahi. "You remember that Anahi, don't let these boys ever tell you what to do. Just stand up for yourself."
"Don't get her all stubborn and defiant. I'm the one who has to deal with it." Alchemy said looking at Evona.
"That's your own fault. If you just answer my questions I'll be much more agreeable." Anahi told him in a defensive tone.
He looked at her with an amused and daring look. "I don't think you can handle the answers."
"How do you know if you don't answer me?" She returned his daring look across the table, her grey eyes icy and threatening.
"I can just tell."
"How?"
"I have my ways."
"Oh for pete's sake! There you go again! Avoiding the question and not answering me." Anahi was annoyed again now.
Evona started laughing. "Your definitely going to have fun with these two as traveling companions Flint." He just looked amused as he kept watching them from where he sat by the fire.
Alchemy had a smile on his face as he kept watching Anahi with an amused but still daring look on his face. She just glared at him across the table.
"You just wait until she learns a few things Alchemy. Then she might just make you answer her." Evona said in a matter of fact tone.
"I'll be teaching her most of these things so she'll just have to remember that whatever she knows I know too." He said, still watching Anahi as if he was waiting for her to do something, as if he was testing her.
"She might just be smarter than you. You never know."
"I'm sure I'll be able to keep a step ahead of her."
Anahi let her gaze turn into a calm one, her eyes still icy. She let an almost sweet smile appear on her features too as she looked at Alchemy.
"I'm sure you will." She said to him, her tone matching her smile. She let her arms rest lightly on the table in front of her, her fingertips pressed together.
"Oh look Alchemy, cheeky too." Evona said. "It's too bad I won't be there to see you try to teach her and keep up. She's got potential."
The daring look had gone from Alchemy's eyes and he looked at Anahi with an almost approving look which just made her a little more confused but she didn't let it show as she just let the calm expression stay on her face. Alchemy took his feet off the table and stood up. He didn't say anything as he walked to the door and left. Anahi was starting to think that he had a split personality or something, because he had just been acting completely different to how he had acted up until then.
Evona stood up as well and muttered something before smiling at Anahi almost affectionately and then going off through another door that Anahi hadn't even noticed. She stood up as well and walked over to the fire before sitting down by it as well, crossing her legs in front of her as she faced the warm flames.
"I've thought of names for them."
Flint looked at her with a curious expression; he knew that she meant the horses.
"Smudge of Trouble because then we can call him either Smudge or Trouble depending on the situation. And Taboo."
"Why does the chestnut only get one name?"
"Because Taboo is a good enough name to go by itself." She spoke calmly and smiled at him, pleased with herself for coming up with these names. They seemed good enough for their purpose and she liked them even if no one else did.
"I like them. They suit the horses."
She was happy that he liked them as well and it was good that they had that sorted, it made her feel better.
A slightly thoughtful expression came onto her face and she turned to face him. "Ash said cat." Flint had a thoughtful look in his eyes as he watched her curiously still.
"So, think cat." He told her as if it was simple enough.
"But how?"
"You just think about it, focus on the image and it comes naturally."
She frowned and let her gaze move onto the ground and she started to focus but then looked up at him again. "An exact image?"
"Preferably. But for the first time just an idea is good enough to work. But you have to concentrate hard."
She nodded and looked down at the floor again before she just started to let 'cat' run through her mind over and over again, in her mind's eye seeing just a silhouette of a cat running down a stony street dodging people and just being like a shadow against the wall.
Flint watched her carefully, wanting to see whether she would be able to do it or not. She could feel a strange feeling spread through her body. She didn't know whether it was just her mind playing tricks on her or whether something was actually happening. It was making her feel a little lightheaded. Very lightheaded actually. The image in her mind was starting to just fade into complete darkness as she fell over. Flint caught her before she hit the stone floor, not wanting her to hurt herself.
He moved to get up, putting one arm around her shoulder and putting the other around her legs just above her knees so that he could hold the dress against her legs as well while he picked her up, getting up at the same time. He carried her into the bedroom that was now hers and put her on the bed, pulling a blanket over her before he walked back out, shutting the door behind him.
Evona was standing there and watching him, she gave him an approving nod before she turned and disappeared again. Flint just walked back to his spot next to the fire, a thoughtful expression on his face as he stared into the flames again.

[MENTAL]

Chapter 3


Everything around her was pitch black as she opened her eyes, her mind settled in a state of confusion. She still felt somewhat lightheaded and couldn't remember what had happened at all. She frowned as she rolled onto her back, groaning as she felt how sore her legs were. She didn't know why they were sore.
She sat up before trying to find the edge of the bed. She was just guessing that she was on the bed but she didn't really know. When she felt the edge of it she crawled slowly closer, groaning again because of how sore it made her legs. She turned before getting off the bed slowly and then just standing there. She didn't really know which way to go to try and find the door.
Holding her hands out in front of her she gave a very small step forward without hitting anything. She gave another small step and hit her shin against something hard. She gave a small yelp of pain before reaching down to grab her shin, hitting her arm against the same thing, making it fall over and hit the cold stone floor. The sound made her jump and she stood there completely frozen.
The door opened, making her jump again in fright as some light filtered in. "Good. You're up." Evona's motherly voice almost came as a relief to Anahi's ears, replacing the silence. She turned her head to look at the door that wasn't fully opened, seeing Evona standing there and watching her. Even the small amount of light was enough for her to see everything surprisingly clearly. It just made her realize that her head hurt even more than her legs did.
"Come into the other room, dear, there's breakfast waiting for you. It's already light outside." Evona said in a soothing tone as she walked closer to where Anahi was standing and put a comforting arm around her shoulders before leading her through into the other room slowly. Evona knew exactly what Anahi was feeling, which was why she knew what to do. "There's some nice tea too that will help with the pain."
Anahi was frowning slightly, walking into the dim light of the other room made her head spin and she felt herself go lightheaded again for a second before she forced her head to clear. Evona helped her over to the table and she just dropped down onto the chair by the table and leaned with her elbows on the table, letting her head rest in her hands.
Flint came through another door with a small smile on his face and he looked at Anahi with an expression of pity. "It's the riding that made your legs sore." He told her calmly as he went to sit down on a chair next to her at the table.
Anahi lifted her head to look at him, a smile appearing on her face. "That's what I was thinking it was. But my head hurts more."
"That would be from last night when you tried to turn into a cat. You passed out."
Anahi frowned even more as she watched him with a questioning look on her face. She couldn't remember that exactly, she could remember concentrating hard on something and then.. nothing.
The image of a black cat hiding in shadow came to her, its grey eyes seeming to look straight at her out of her mind and it was almost eerie in a way. It was as if the cat in her mind was trying to tell her something. It appeared out of the shadows to let the light pick out its pitch black coat of short hair, making it shine in an exaggerated but beautiful way. She let her mind follow it as it made its way through a thick crowd of people, walking with a calm confidence that was expressed clearly through the way it moved with grace and poise. It seemed to look back at her once more before disappearing into shadow again.
"Anahi." Flint's voice sounded a little worried and she snapped out of it, looking at him, her expression thoughtful.
She was about to say something to him about what had just happened when Evona put a cup of hot tea in front of her, its smell sweet. Anahi looked down at the cup and bent her head down to breathe in the smell of it some more. She decided not to tell anyone about the car in her mind, she had a feeling it had something to do with her ability to change into a cat. She wanted to figure this out for herself though, instead of having someone else tell her what it meant and why it had happened. She didn't need them to tell her everything, even though they did need to tell her some things.
She let her hands go around the cup, holding it loosely and letting it warm up her cold hands while she waited for it to cool enough so she wouldn't burn herself when she drank it. Her expression had turned into a happy and relaxed one, a smile on her face and the frown gone completely. She kept staring down at the cup, not even noticing that Flint was still watching her with a worried expression.
Evona put a bowl of something in front of her with a spoon in it for her to use. She looked at it and wondered what it was. She wasn't used to getting breakfast, other than what she would steal from the castle. But that wasn't anything like this.
"Porridge. Made with oats. Its a good way to keep up your energy." Evona said as she looked at Anahi before putting a bowl in front of Flint as well. She smiled at Anahi before walking away again calmly, like she did this every morning of her life.
Anahi picked up the spoon and tried a small amount of the porridge first, it wasn't a taste that she was used to but it was a nice taste that she wouldn't mind getting used to. She started to eat it slowly, keeping her one hand around the cup, forgetting that Flint was there at the table as well because her attention was on her breakfast and her own thoughts.
It didn't take her long to finish eating and she put the spoon down to put both hands around the warm cup again. She lifted it to her lips before taking a small sip of the warm liquid. It tasted sweet. She didn't know what exactly the taste was because she had never had anyone who could teach her about this sort of thing. She had never had tea before in her life. But she was taking all of these new things in her stride, as if they weren't really that new to her at all.
The tea was cold enough not to burn her so she drank the rest of it as well before putting the cup down and looking around. Everyone had disappeared from the room. Flint's empty bowl was on the table still but he had gone. She hadn't even noticed him go and she wondered where he had gone now.
Evona came back into the room with a hairbrush and piece of string though and she walked over to where Anahi was sitting with a smile. "They're waiting for you outside."
Anahi listened to her but just stayed quiet as she closed her eyes, feeling Evona brush her hair like she had done the night before. It was only because Evona had done it before that Anahi didn't react different from the way she did now. Then she felt Evona do something different with her hair and she opened her eyes, a questioning look on her face.
"If we plait your hair then it'll stay out of the way." Evona told her in a calm and patient tone when she saw the questioning look. She finished plaiting it and tied the end with the string so it would stay like that. Then she took the brush and started to walk away again. "Just go through that door over there.." Evona pointed at a door that was halfway open. "And wear your cloak, it's cold outside." She smiled before walking into another room.
Anahi reached back with one hand to feel her hair, it felt odd to her but she liked having it out of the way. She had never thought to tie up her hair before even though she had seen other people with their hair tied in various different ways. But she might do it from now on, if Evona would teach her how.
She stood up from the chair, her head already starting to feel better, and her legs too. She walked over to where her grey cloak hung and took it off the hook before tying it on around her neck. Then she walked over to the door that Evona had pointed to and walked slowly through it, just letting her eyes adjust to the light outside before she stepped out completely.
She could hear both Flint and Alchemy's voices coming from around the corner and she walked along the path that was there, feeling the cold slowly close in around her. She pulled the cloak around her but left the hood down. It wasn't that cold yet. There were thick grey clouds in the air which blocked out a lot of light from the sun. She could feel the pressure of a storm building up, it hadn't been this bad the day before while they had been traveling.
When she saw them she stopped and just watched. They were on a horse each, Alchemy on the black horse that she had been riding and Flint on his chestnut. They hadn't noticed her yet. The black horse was backing up quickly, tossing its head and not doing what Alchemy was trying to get it to do at all. She could tell that he was getting frustrated. Flint was laughing at him, which wasn't helping the situation at all because it just made Alchemy more annoyed. She decided to walk closer, they were in a large field with grass that came up to her knees. It was a good thing that she had the boots on or they would've tickled her legs.
When they noticed her Flint stopped laughing and Alchemy got off the black horse before leading it over to where she was standing. He handed her the reins impatiently before he walked off, coming back a second later with some things that he put down in the grass. "Tie your horse to that post over there. You don't need him yet." He told her, his tone perfectly calm.
She did what he said, curious as to what they were going to do now. It was easy enough to tie the horse and he stayed where she left him patiently. She walked over to where Alchemy was and looked down at the things he'd put in the grass. He picked up a bow and a few arrows, handing her one arrow as well as the bow. She frowned as she took them, looking at them before looking at him. He picked up another one for himself and then walked deeper into the field. She followed and noticed some targets that had been set up.
She'd watched people practice archery before, as well as many other things. And she realized that he was going to try and teach her how to use all of the different weapons. She wasn't sure why he would want to do that but she didn't care. It had always fascinated her and she had always wanted to try so she wasn't going to turn down the opportunity now that it was given to her.
She easily got the arrow into position on the bow and held it up in the proper position, pointing it at one of the targets. Alchemy was busy getting his own bow and arrow ready and looked up, about to show her how to do it when he saw that she had already done it. He looked completely shocked as he stared at her for a second before looking up at the amused face of Flint who was sitting on his horse watching them with interest.
"Do you know how to use a bow, Anahi?" Alchemy asked her, watching her hold it.
"I've watched people do it but I've never done it."
What she said just shocked Alchemy more because he had never heard of anyone learning to use weapons by watching other people use them. He decided to test and see if she actually could use it or not. "Try and hit that middle target." He told her and watched her closely.
She nodded and aimed at the target he had told her to hit, pulling the string back so that it was by her ear, a look of concentration on her face. She let go of the string, the sound of the string returning to its original place resounding in her ears for a second as she watched the arrow fly and hit the ground. She hadn't even noticed that the string had hit her arm but as the disappointment of not hitting her target came to her the dull pain of her arm did too and she looked down at it to see that it was red.
Alchemy could see now that she didn't really know how to use one, she just knew how to get it ready and the basic concept of what to do. He walked over to where she was so that he could stand behind her, putting his one hand on the one that she was holding the bow with and moving her hand around slightly so that her wrist was further away from it and her arm out of the string's way.
"If you keep your arm out of the way it won't get hit by the string. It's a simple mistake that everyone makes." he told her. "That's why you didn't hit your target, you flinched as soon as it hit your arm and you didn't even notice." He added, letting go of her hand and giving her another couple of arrows. "Keep practicing." He told her and then walked down the field towards the targets so that he could pick up the arrows after she shot them.
He was pretty sure that he wouldn't get hit, because even if she did aim at him and was a good shot he would still have a good chance of dodging the arrow because she didn't have a strong enough bow to get a fast enough shot.
Anahi watched him walk over to where the targets were and waited until he stood behind them and faced her again to make sure that he would be able to see the arrow if it did go in his direction. She didn’t really want to hit him, even though he did deserve it in her opinion. Since he kept telling her what to do and never explained the reasons behind anything to her. She was starting to get a bit more used to him though, but that didn’t mean that she was starting to like him, because she definitely wasn’t. She was just tolerating him because he was teaching her things she wanted to learn.
She got a new arrow ready and aimed at a target next to him again, keeping her wrist out of the way like he’d told her to. She pulled the string back easily and made sure that her aim was still good before she lightly let it go, hearing it quickly go back to its original place as the arrow went soaring through the air. It hit the target, but it got the edge of it instead of right in the middle. But it was an improvement on the last try at least. She didn’t hurt herself this time either.
Alchemy just watched her calmly, taking note of what she did and deciding that he didn’t really need to tell her what to do. She was doing well without his help. He would just stand there and watch her calmly.
Anahi frowned slightly, a fiercely determined look appearing on her face as she put the next arrow in place and looked at the target again. She aimed and pulled back the string, watching the arrow as she let go of the string. Her eyes followed it towards the target but it well short, planting itself firmly into the ground right in front of her target.
She was starting to get annoyed, even though she had only shot a few arrows so far and they were the first ones she had ever shot. She wanted to get it right, she knew that she could and she wanted to prove that. She wasn’t sure who she wanted to prove it to though. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone, she could possibly just have been trying to prove that she isn’t a worthless, dirty girl without a home. She didn’t feel like that same person that she had been only three days ago. Everything was changing for her.
She shot another arrow, watching it hit the bottom edge of the target. She was sure that she was doing it right and she was starting to think that either the bow or the arrows were faulty. She should have hit the middle of the target by now.
Alchemy started walking back towards her and she paused as she watched him, waiting for him to say something to her about the way she was doing things. She watched him walk straight past her and to the pile of things, not sure whether she had to wait for him or keep shooting.
He picked up a different bow and some different arrows and walked back over to her, holding them out to her with one hand while he reached for the one that she had with his other hand. He still didn’t say anything which annoyed Anahi a little. But it was easy enough to tell what he wanted so she handed over the bow and arrow that she held and took the other one from him.
It felt a little heavier as she held it in her hand, the wood used to make it was smooth. There was nothing fancy about it. She took a new arrow from him and fixed it into place before taking aim again carefully. This bow felt different to her and when she started to pull the string back she found that it was harder than with the other one. The string was much more stubborn than the other one and it didn’t want to be pulled all the way back. But she did it.
The twang of the string after she released it was louder than the other one and seemed to echo in her ears as her gaze stayed fixed on the arrow and the target, willing the arrow to hit it right in the center.
When the arrow his its mark a huge smile appeared on her face and she looked proud of herself as she turned to look at Alchemy.
“That’s only one. What about the rest?” He said. His tone was perfectly calm and his expression completely blank. It made her want to hit him, he should be proud of her for at least getting it once. She was still only learning how to do this. She heard the sound of a horse snorting and looked up, remembering that Flint was there too. He seemed to be proud of her, giving her a warm smile and a nod of approval which made her smile again as well.
She took another arrow and tried again, hitting the center of the target again. This bow seemed to work a lot better for her. She repeated her success with another couple of arrows.
“I think that’s enough. I think you can do it now.” Alchemy said from behind her. “Go and get your horse. Keep the bow and arrow.” He told her calmly. He was looking at the targets and when he was done talking he started to walk over to them again. Pulling the arrows out of the target and the ground when he got there, before walking back to where he had been.
Anahi did as he said, going to where she had tied her horse and untying him before leading him over to where Alchemy stood. She wasn’t sure what he was expecting her to do now; he seemed to think that she could read his mind. But of course she couldn’t do that.
“Well, get up on him. He’s no use with you on the ground.” Alchemy was still speaking calmly.
She glared at him for a second before going to the horse’s side, pulling the reins over his head before she pulled herself onto him with some difficulty. The bow and arrow made it harder because she had to try not to drop them. She managed to get onto the horse without dropping anything though and she made herself comfortable, holding onto the reins with her hand that wasn’t holding onto the weapon. She looked down at Alchemy so that he could tell her what to do next.
Flint rode up beside her though and reached down to take the other bow and arrow from Alchemy before he looked at Anahi. “This is where the fun starts.” He told her and she was sure that she heard excitement in his tone.
He turned his horse towards the targets, getting an arrow ready and leaving the reins completely as he gave the horse a light kick to urge it into a run. He aimed while sitting easily on the cantering horse. Anahi didn’t even see him shoot the arrow but she heard it hit the target and looked towards it, seeing the arrow quiver where it had landed. She looked a little surprised and then a bit nervous when she realized that she would have to do that too.
Flint rode back over to where she was, the horse snorting and tossing its head. “Now you try.” He told her with a reassuring smile.
She dropped the reins onto the black horse’s neck before getting an arrow ready as well. She decided to do that while the horse was standing still because she would have enough trouble with everything else that she needed to do. When she arrow was ready she urged the gelding on, bouncing slightly at first because she hadn’t gone at this pace before. But she got used to it quickly and sat easily in the saddle as they got closer to the target.
She waited for the right moment before she let the string go. The arrow missed the target and flew right over it, landing a short distance behind it. Anahi let the horse go in a wide circle as she got another arrow ready, concentration clearly showing on her features. She had to get this right no matter how many times she had to try.
When she had the arrow in place she kept her aim on the target while she got the horse to go towards it again. She concentrated on what she was doing, letting herself just move with the horse as if they were one thing instead of two, working together as a team.
She hit the target in the middle this time and she patted the horse’s neck before taking hold of the reins with her one hand again and going back to where Flint was watching. He looked proud of her and he clapped his hands lightly as she got closer. She felt her cheeks get hotter and she smiled at him before she looked over at Alchemy.
“What now?” Her tone was almost daring, and she wondered what they would want her to do next. This was fun and she did really enjoy finding out that she was actually good at this sort of thing, even though she had never done it before.
“You need to keep practicing.” He told her before he started to go over to the target, moving it further back.
Anahi watched him and took the arrow when Flint offered it to her. Then she got it ready and set her sights on the target. Alchemy was standing a few steps away from it, watching her and waiting for her to try and hit it. She assumed that she needed to go along the same path as before, so that it was farther away from her. She was sure that she could still hit it, if she concentrated enough.
She kicked the horse’s sides lightly so that he would canter down the side of the field while she aimed the arrow carefully at the target. Just as she let go of the string the horse shied away from something in the grass, changing the direction of the arrow only a fraction. It seemed to go straight at the target at first, but then you could see that it wasn’t.
Alchemy tried to step out of the way but the arrow came too fast, he felt it penetrate his thigh. A look of pain crossed his face but then he bit his teeth and just frowned, trying to keep his expression calm. Anahi was shocked when she saw that she had hit him, she didn’t really know what she should do now. Flint watched with a shocked expression as well, he was used to Alchemy being able to get out of the way of arrows, usually by shifting into his wolf form because it was smaller and harder to hit. This had been completely unexpected to all of them.
The pain was spreading all the way through him now, instead of just staying in his leg. Alchemy closed his fingers around the wooden arrow, taking a firm hold of it before he pulled it out slowly. He had to bite down hard on his teeth to stop himself from screaming out in pain. The arrow had gone quite deeply into his leg. When he had pulled it out completely he just dropped it onto the ground, pressing the palm of his hand firmly against the wound to try and stop the bleeding.
Flint got off his horse and walked over to Alchemy, putting an arm around him to support him and help him walk back towards the house. Anahi just watched, still too shocked to really do anything.
“Let me take your horse, young lady, and you go see if he’s all right.” It was the short man who had taken the horses when they arrived that spoke to her. She jumped when she heard his voice; she hadn’t known that he was even there.
She got off the horse and let him take the reins, not really taking much notice of him as she ran to catch up with Flint and Alchemy. She caught them just as they were going into the dimly lit building and she followed them in, worried that something would happen to her because of what she’d just done.
She still had the bow in her hand but she dropped it close to the door when she went inside. Flint helped Alchemy over to a chair and sat him down next to the table before he went to one of the doors.
“Evona?” He called out almost quietly into several rooms. “You might want to come and help.” He added; worry coating his words as he turned to look at Alchemy again.
Alchemy was starting to feel more and more pain, the initial shock having worn off and now just being replaced by more searing pain. He held onto his leg tightly, his hands shaking a little. He didn’t let his expression show how much it hurt though, he still looked calm. His eyes betrayed him though; Anahi could see that he was in pain by looking at them. Their light, almost dull, tan color looked clouded instead of sharp and clear like it usually did.
Evona appeared out of another room in a hurry, taking one look at Alchemy before she smiled an amused smile. “She shot you, didn’t she?” There was laughter in her tone, but in an affectionate way.
“Yes, she did.” Alchemy’s words were sharp and almost angry as he turned his eyes towards the older woman as if he expected her to do something about it.
“Thought she might.” Evona walked over to him, she had a strip of cloth in her hand and when she reached him she tied it around his leg where the small wound was. She tied it tightly so that it would stop the bleeding. “Come on, you’re supposed to be a tough man. It’s not that bad.” Her tone was still amused as she spoke to him, giving him an affectionate pat on the shoulder as she stood up again and walked over to a small shelf.
“Flint, could you go get me some water.” Evona turned her head to look at Flint as she spoke and when he nodded and walked off she turned to the shelf again. She picked up a few things before walking over to the table and putting them down, pulling another chair closer and sitting on it. She looked over to where Anahi was standing and watching them with a worried expression. “Done worry, dear, he’ll live.” Her tone was comforting as she spoke and Anahi nodded her head slightly.
She walked over and sat down on another chair on the opposite side of the table from where they sat, so that she could still see what Evona would do though.
Flint came back with a bucket of water and he put it down next to Evona before he walked around and sat down next to Anahi. Evona silently thanked him before she picked up a small cloth and a bottle of clear liquid from the table, opening the bottle and pouring a small amount of the liquid onto the cloth.
Anahi was fascinated, she could smell the almost sweet smell of the liquid, but it smelt sharp too and it felt like it was stinging the inside of her nose. She didn’t know what it was.
Evona untied the strip of cloth again and took it away, it had worked and stopped the little bleeding that there had been. She pressed the wet cloth against Alchemy’s leg and he tried to jump up from the burning, stinging pain but she had a firm hand on his leg to keep him where he was. He just bit his tongue to keep himself quiet while he looked at her angrily. “Was that really necessary?” He asked her angrily.
“Maybe not. But it’s good for you. And it cleans it up a lot better than just water. So stop complaining and toughen up.” Evona’s tone was affectionate as she spoke and she lifted the wet cloth from his leg, finding a clean part of it before she wiped the wound completely clean.
She dropped the cloth into the bucket of water and rinsed it out before she continued cleaning the wound, dropping the cloth into the bucket again when she was done with it. She picked up a clean and dry strip and tied it around his leg again, not as tightly this time though. She hadn’t even gone through the effort of getting his pants out of the way, she just cleaned them with the wound because it wasn’t a serious enough injury for her to worry about too much.
Anahi still looked a little worried. She didn’t really know how much she had actually hurt him. But Evona didn’t seem to be too worried which made her feel better, like it wasn’t that bad. It probably did seem a lot worse to her since she had never really injured anyone that she knew, even though it had been an accident. Actually, it was his own fault for putting the target so far away and then standing next to it. Even if she was good at aiming he should have been more careful about where he was standing. It could have been a lot worse than this.
Flint put a hand reassuringly on her shoulder; he was still sitting next to her. “I think he’ll be fine.” She looked over at him and he grinned at her. “That should teach him not to stand by the targets.” His tone was joking as he spoke and he looked over at Alchemy.
Anahi looked over at Alchemy as well, she couldn’t help but smile at what Flint said and she saw Alchemy glaring at him in a good-natured way. She didn’t really understand Alchemy at all, one second he was all emotionless and the next he was being nice and actually acted like he cared. He seemed to have a lot of mood swings to her. But maybe she was wrong and making things up. She wasn’t sure because no one else seemed to notice; unless they were just used to him acting that way.
“You’re supposed to be practicing. Don’t think just because you injured me that I’m going to let you off.” Alchemy spoke to her in a friendly but strict way and she frowned as she looked at him. “Come on, get going.” His words were more demanding this time and it made her get up off her chair instantly.
She was frowning as she walked to the door. She had just shot him in the leg and he was being nice to her. Maybe the pain was messing with his brain or something like that.
Flint got up as well and followed her outside, going and getting the two horses from where they were kept and leading them out into the field. He waited for Anahi to come and take the black’s reins before he mounted the chestnut. She got up onto the tall black horse and then looked over at Flint, not sure what she was supposed to be practicing. The bow and arrows were gone so she couldn’t really practice with them, unless someone went and got them. She didn’t know where they were.
“I’ll show you some more things on the horse and let you get used to him a bit more.” Flint told her, gathering up his reins. “What did you call them again?”
“Smudge and Taboo.” Being reminded that she had actually named the two horses made her smile again and she slowly forgot about Alchemy as she just paid attention to Flint so that she wouldn’t miss anything that he showed her. She was eager to learn anything new and she enjoyed being on the back of the horse, no one would look down at her when she was on the black horse’s back.
“Oh yeah, that’s right. I think we can just go for a ride around the town. You’ll have to keep your face covered with the hood though.” He told her, a slightly apologetic look on his face when he said the last part. He knew that she probably didn’t want to keep her face hidden.
“Why?” She still didn’t know why anything was happening and she wanted to see if she could get any answers out of Flint. He seemed to be the only one so far that would answer anything for her.
“Alchemy’s orders. He didn’t tell me why either, just said to make sure that no one saw what you looked like.” His answer was honest and he let the chestnut horse, Taboo, start walking at a relaxed pace along the edge of the field. Anahi let Smudge follow, asking him to walk next to the other horse though so that she could still talk to Flint.
“Does he ever tell you anything?” She wanted to know whether Alchemy only avoided her questions or whether he avoided everyone’s questions.
“Sometimes. Usually Ash is the one that tells me what I need to know. Because he knows that is he doesn’t then Alchemy won’t either. I don’t even know where we’re going at the moment. But it has to be important if we’re visiting Alchemy’s mother.” Flint had a thoughtful expression on his face as he spoke, looking over at Anahi with a small smile before he looked at where they were going again.
“Alchemy’s mother?” Anahi wasn’t sure who he meant but she could guess.
“Evona.”
“I thought so.” Her tone was almost triumphant. She had been sure that Evona was somehow related to Alchemy.
“That’s why he’s a lot more relaxed at the moment. We usually only come here if we have to go somewhere far away. Because he has to get himself ready for whatever we have to face.”
Anahi listened to what he said, interested in finding out more but not really wanting to ask too many questions in case Flint stopped talking and telling her things. If he kept talking then she would just stay quiet.
“When you were in the forest, was there someone else there?” Flint looked troubled as he turned his head to look at her, the question seemed important.
“No.” Anahi shook her head a little, frowning as she tried to think back. She knew that there hadn’t been anyone, but now that she thought about it Alchemy had looked very worried when they were there. And he had been looking for someone or something. “Who was supposed to be there?” She was very interested now.
“Don’t worry.” He looked at where they were going again, a troubled look on his face. “You should put your hood on now.” He told her, glancing at her again for a second.
She pulled the hood over her head, making sure that it hid her face from anyone who might look up at her and she let her horse stay close to Flint’s. She still wasn’t sure why it was so important for no one to see her face but she would just do as they said for now and try again to find out later.
It seemed like Flint wouldn’t answer any more questions that she asked him so she stayed quiet, looking around them as they made their way closer to some grey buildings. Going between the buildings, through an ally and going straight into the middle of the town made of stone. Anahi couldn’t see anyone outside. She could hear a few doors slam shut and she tried to see which doors they were but all of the doors that she could see were firmly shut. Everyone in this small town seemed fearful of strangers. She didn’t really blame them, she would be too. But she was sure that they wouldn’t appear that threatening.
She noticed again how everything was dull and grey; it made her shiver even though the cloak was keeping her warm. The air around her felt thicker than it had in the field. A storm was definitely coming; it was only a matter of time. And the longer it took for it to come the bigger she was expecting it to be.

[MENTAL]

Chapter 4


“Shh.” Anahi felt a finger on her mouth as she heard the sound and she was suddenly aware of someone very close to her. A frown on her face as she tried to see who it was but it was too dark.
She pulled her arms out from under the blanket and pulled the hand away from her face with her one hand while she reached next to her with the other, trying to find a knife that she knew was nearby. She’d left it there the night before. Alchemy had told her to keep it with her at all times.
“Anahi, just stay still.” The voice was a whisper and she thought she recognized it but she couldn’t be completely sure. She opened her mouth to scream but instantly felt a hand put over it to stop her. “It’s me, it’s okay.” She listened carefully to the voice and pushed the hand away again but calmly this time. She knew who it was now.
“What are you doing?” She asked, making sure to keep her voice at a whisper too as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, forgetting about the knife because she didn’t need it anymore.
“Hiding.” She felt him sit down next to her on the bed. It was too dark to see him.
“From who?”
“Just some people who are looking for me.”
Anahi had turned her head to look in his direction even though she couldn’t see him. She thought that his answer was stupid; it was obvious that he would be hiding from people who are looking for him. But who would be looking for him?
“Alchemy is trying to make them go away. They can’t find me.” Flint’s voice sounded almost eerie in the darkness, his tone too confident for the situation.
“Why?”
“Because if they find me they will kill me. They’ve been looking for me for years.”
“What did you do?” Anahi felt him tense next to her and knew that he didn’t want to answer her. But she wanted an answer. “It must have been something bad.”
“It was.”
“Tell me.”
“I killed someone.” His tone was hesitant and he spoke quietly, like he was ashamed.
“That’s not that bad.” She knew a lot of people who had killed someone; it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary in her life.
“It was a prince.” His explanation came a little more calmly.
That explained why it would be different from just killing anyone. And it would also explain why people have been looking for him for years because of it. She didn’t really know what to say to him but even if she had thought of something to say she would’ve been interrupted by the door opening. She turned her head to look at it as the light of a candle started to flicker in the darkness, lighting Alchemy’s face in the doorway.
“Sorry to send him in here but it was the only place they wouldn’t look.” Alchemy’s voice sounded tired and Anahi could see dark rings underneath his eyes as well. She knew that he hadn’t been sleeping much lately.
Flint got off the bed and started making his way towards the door slowly; it was still dark inside the room.
“Are we still leaving this morning?” She asked while getting out from under the blanket and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed to slip them into her boots. She was wearing her light purple dress that Evona had given her. She had gotten a few more dresses while they stayed here. They had been staying here for quite a few days now and she had learnt a lot of things in those few days about weapons and how to use them on and off the back of a horse. It had been very interesting but they were supposed to leave today to keep traveling to where they were supposed to be going.
“Yes. But we’re going to take a different way.” Alchemy had let Flint go through the door and he stayed standing by it to keep it open for Anahi to go through as well. She walked through quickly and then waited as Alchemy shut the door behind them. It was too dark to see without a candle so she had to wait for Alchemy to lead the way over to the table before she sat down.
Alchemy put the candle down on the table, picking up another candle and holding it to the flame to light it as well before he started to walk around the room and light several other candles so that there was a dim light and you could see where things were.
“Everything is ready to go. We were just waiting for you to wake up.” Alchemy walked back to the table and sat down as well. “Do you want something to eat before we leave?” Anahi had gotten more used to him being nice to her; she was starting to understand his personality a bit more.
The way that he acted towards people depended on a lot of different things, some more important than others. She was still trying to work out what some of these things were but she knew that if he was worried or upset in some way then he wasn’t nice to people. Depending on how upset he was. When he was in pain he tries to forget about it by joking and using humor. When he was in a good mood and had nothing to worry about then he was always nice. But every since he’d stopped sleeping he just seemed to be too tired to be mean to her. And she almost felt sorry for him but there was nothing that she could do to help him.
“I’ll be fine. I ate extra last night just in case I didn’t get breakfast.” She gave him a small smile before getting up. She was trying to be nice to him to make him feel at least a little better, so that he didn’t need to worry about her as well. “I just need to get something and then we can go.” She said before picking up a candle and going back to her room, getting the knife in its leather sheath and put it inside of her boot. She was used to carrying it there because it was easy to reach.
She walked back out and put the candle down on the table again. Alchemy was sitting with his head in his hands and she wasn’t sure whether he was asleep or awake for a second but then he lifted his head to look at her. She was sure that she glimpsed a disappointed look in them.
He didn’t tell her what was making him worried no matter how many times she asked. She really wanted to know though, because then maybe she could help. Even though he had said that there was nothing she would be able to do.
“Come on, let’s get going. I think Flint’s already on his horse. He’ll just want to get away from the guards.” Alchemy got up off the chair and headed towards the door that led out to the back fields that they had been using to practice in.
She followed him and when she went through the door she saw Flint waiting for her with her horse ready to go. She smiled at him before she went and got onto the tall horse. She was excited to travel again; the change in her life had made her a lot happier because it actually gave her meaning. She didn’t know what that meaning was supposed to be yet but at least she knew that there was one.
Alchemy had already turned into a wolf and was heading across the field at a steady pace that he would be able to stay in for almost the whole day without getting tired. Anahi knew where they were going this time, Alchemy had explained to her how to get to where they would be camping the night in case they got separated. She was guessing that they would be taking the second route through the bush, since the guards would be using the roads.
Flint held her cloak out to her and she looked a little surprised that she had forgotten about it. She took it from him and put it on though, feeling a lot warmer with it on. She didn’t need to pull the hood up to cover her face so she left it down.
She didn’t need any help with the horse anymore, she knew everything that they could teach her and she had found most of it easy to remember and turn into habits.
Turning Smudge towards the forest as well before she let him walk at a fast but comfortable pace. Flint stayed next to her on Taboo, letting his smaller horse pick its own pace to keep up with the taller animal. The two horses were used to being together so it was easy for them to match their paces with each other. Alchemy was disappearing into the trees; he would go ahead because he always made sure that there was nothing they had to be careful of. So that they could stay out of as much trouble as possible.
Anahi wasn’t completely sure of what trouble they were supposed to be staying out of. It was just another thing that no one had told her, just assumed that she would know. But she had no way of knowing all of these things that would normally be learnt while being part of society. She had no idea of any of the things that were going on in the world that she lived in, she had been too busy taking care of herself to take any notice of anyone else.
“There’s a big storm coming.” Anahi stated the fact simply, just letting Flint know in case he hadn’t already noticed the increasing darkness of the thick clouds overhead.
“How do you know it’s a big one?” He asked, turning his head to look at her calmly.
“Can’t you feel it? The way that the clouds are getting ready for it, just holding out and waiting?” She was looking up at the dark grey clouds as she spoke, her voice calm and a small smile on her face.
“Just looks like any normal clouds to me.” Flint looked up at the sky as well but he couldn’t see how they were any different from normal clouds this time of year. He could tell that it would rain but he didn’t know whether it would be a storm or how much rain it might even be.
“It’s going to be a big storm. It’s been getting bigger every day so far, the longer it takes for it to come the bigger its going to be.” She looked at him with a disbelieving look on her face. She was assuming that Alchemy wouldn’t know about the storm either.
“I believe you.” He said with a laugh, amused by how she seemed defensive over even the littlest things.
“Good.” She smiled as she spoke but her voice was still somewhat sharp. She couldn’t help but be defensive, all she had done her whole life was have to defend herself against everything.
All the shock from everything that had happened had passed and she was a lot more comfortable with what was happening. Anything was better than the life that she had before all of this happened.
A howl came from somewhere in the forest that they were now in. The trees were spaced far enough apart for the horses to fit through together easily, the sky was still visible and it was almost as light as it was outside of the trees. But the trees grew closer together the further they went into the forest.
The howl had been urgent and warning and it rang out loud and long before it stopped. Flint frowned and then looked over at Anahi. She didn’t hesitate as she gave her horse a light kick and sent him into a fast canter through the trees. She leaned forward slightly as she tried her best to steer him around any trees but he did that well enough himself, understanding the need to go fast. Flint followed her, his horse taking a moment to gather enough speed to catch up and keep up because of being shorter.
Anahi knew that something had happened; there was no other reason why Alchemy would howl like that. She knew each of his howls by now and he had a certain way of howling when he wanted to tell them to go a different way. This was him asking for help.
She moved the reins into one hand and reached for her bow with the other before letting go of the reins completely. She’d hooked the reins over one of the things tied to the saddle so that it wouldn’t slip over the horse’s head accidentally. She reached for an arrow as well and got it into place, ready to shoot if it was necessary. She was completely confident with a bow now, especially from horseback. It had been a challenge that she had welcomed.
She heard a yelp come from not too far away and she caught the shape of a wolf being flung against a tree out of the corner of her eye before she saw a tall man stand up and try to get out of the way of something. Before she could see what it was she felt a harsh impact to her side. She felt herself fall to the side but she couldn’t stop herself from falling and she hit the ground hard.
She still heard the dull thud of the horse’s hooves as he kept cantering away and she rolled onto her stomach before pushing herself up onto her knees and then getting up. She turned to pick up her weapon and to have a look at what knocked her off the horse but she was pushed against the trunk of a tree, the bark digging into her through her clothing. There was a hand on her neck and the other one was stopping her from moving her arms, though she wasn’t sure completely how because she couldn’t see much.
A man’s face was close to hers but turned to the side as he yelled at someone. “Did you get ‘em yet?” His voice was rough and almost raspy and Anahi could see several signs on his face to show his older age, his hair was graying and he had a short beard that was graying as well.
Anahi squirmed, not liking the feeling of being pinned against something. She was strong and she’d always stood up for herself, she wasn’t about to let someone stop her from defending herself and her friends. She managed to pull her arms from where they were being help and pushed against him.
He was taken by surprise and stumbled back a step or two but it didn’t last long and he went to hit her. She dodged it though, hearing his fist hit the tree and his cry of pain. She was on the ground again, trying to find her bow and arrow that had fallen with her among the dry leaves and sticks that were several inches deep. She couldn’t feel it anywhere and she heard swearing coming from the man.
She turned to look at him quickly so that she would be able to react to whatever he did, she saw that he had pulled a knife out from somewhere and he was coming towards her. She could see rage clearly outlined on his features. It didn’t make her scared, but it did make her a little worried. She wouldn’t be able to get out of his way fast enough. Unless..
“Think cat, think cat.. Think black cat..” She muttered to herself as she concentrated hard on the image of a black cat. The cat looked at her, a look of calm confidence in its striking grey eyes as it turns and disappears.
She felt herself get lightheaded again and it felt as if the world started to spin and everything started to go black. But then came back, from a different view though. Everything seemed sharper and she could pick up several more sounds. The sounds of fighting and struggling came from not too far away from where she was. She had to look up to see the face of the man, completely shocked. But then he seemed to get over it and went to lunge at her with the knife.
She turned herself around, it felt odd and she realized that she had four legs instead of two. She could feel the lightness of her body and how easily she moved with speed and accuracy. The leaves seemed a lot bigger but she ignored them, now was not the time to be fascinated by all the little things, she had to get out of the way before she got hurt. And she needed to help Alchemy and Flint.
Running a few feet away from the man she turned and went behind a tree before clambering up it. Everything came naturally; she barely had to think about what she was doing. There was a low branch that went close to another tree next to it and she ran easily along it before making a short leap onto another low branch and then jumping to the ground, landing lightly on her feet.
She made her way quickly over to where the sounds were coming from and her eyes picked up the shape of Alchemy easily, he was lying on the ground clearly in pain with two men with swords. They were aiming the points of the swords at him, threatening him but she didn’t take the time to listen to what they were saying.
Running over to one of them silently she jumped up against him, using her claws to make her way up his back and to his neck before just scratching at his skin viciously. The man was confused and in pain as he tried to work out what it was that was attacking him. She made sure to keep out of his reach as he tried to grab her, biting at him as well now.
Deciding that she had done enough damage she jumped off of him easily, trotting confidently towards the other man, something similar to a smile on her features. Her grey eyes were fierce as she stared at him daringly. He was backing away from her, having watched what she had just done to his friend. He turned to run but Alchemy managed to reach for a knife and threw it at him, getting him between two ribs. Anahi watched the man fall to the ground, hearing someone approach quickly from behind. She spun around and caught a glimpse of the man that had attacked her before.
Before she could really react there was a flash of golden tan, accompanied by a deep roar. She didn’t get a chance to see what it had been before she saw Flint getting up off the man before he walked over to where Alchemy was laying.
Anahi made her way over to where they were as well, sitting two feet away from them and curling her black tail around her legs. She watched them both turn their heads to look at her, seeing big smiles appear on both their faces. She had a smug expression on her face as she turned her gaze to the side a bit as if to say that it had been no trouble at all.
“Well look at you. A little black cat. And a fierce one too.” Alchemy actually sounded proud of her as he spoke and she turned her gaze onto him, pleased with herself for being able to achieve the only thing she hadn’t managed to do so far after meeting them.
Flint didn’t say anything but his smile was enough to let Anahi know that he was proud of her as well.
“Where’d the horses go?” She asked them, staying in the position that she was in calmly as she watched Flint turn his attention back to Alchemy.
“I tied them to a tree not too far away, to keep them out of the way. Didn’t want them getting hurt.” Flint’s voice was perfectly calm as he checked several cuts on Alchemy’s side and lower back. The cuts were bleeding and needed cleaning but they weren’t too deep. Flint stood up and held out a hand to Alchemy, pulling him onto his feet as well.
“You going to stay like that, Anahi?” Alchemy’s tone was amused as he looked down at her. She gave him a nod and a smile before standing up and going ahead of them, she could tell where the horses were now, listening to the quiet sound of their breathing and one of them paw impatiently at the dry leaves. She liked this, being a cat definitely had its perks.
“We’ll have to get to a stream or a river to clean the cuts before they get infected.” Alchemy was talking to both Flint and Anahi and he had a bad limp as he followed Anahi but he refused to let Flint help him. The leg that the arrow had gone into was better but it still got sore when the muscle was used too much. And when he was attacked they had hit his leg right where the old injury was, bringing back the pain. He couldn’t put too much weight on his leg but it wouldn’t be too long before it was better again.
“There’s a river that’s not too far.” Anahi was right next to him as she spoke and he jumped slightly, he hadn’t seen her come back to his side. But he would have to get used to her sneaking around and sneaking up on him now that she could turn herself into a cat. He wouldn’t be able to pick up on any sounds while she was in this form because she didn’t make any.
He reached down and picked her up easily, she made a low growling noise at the back of her throat, not happy at all that he was doing this. He laughed at her in a friendly way before he raised his other hand to stroke her head. She hissed at him before turning back into a human and pushing his hand away from her head as she felt her feet on the ground again. He couldn’t exactly keep hold of her while she changed shape. He laughed again before putting an arm around her shoulders and leaning on her slightly with some of his weight.
“You going to let me ride on your horse with you? Since I can’t exactly walk properly now.” He asked her, his voice and expression calm now.
“I probably don’t have a choice.” She was just talking calmly as well, a smile on her lips though. She didn’t mind Alchemy so much anymore; she was actually starting to like him. You just had to get used to him.
“Not really. I just thought I might ask anyway. Just so you don’t say that I never ask you anything and always just tell you what to do.” His voice had a slightly playful tone to it. She just shook her head and kept helping him as they walked to where Flint was untying the horses.
He had untied some of the things from her saddle and tied it to his so that there was room for someone to sit behind the saddle as well. “You get on first and then Flint can help me up.” Alchemy told her and pulled her arm from around her shoulders before waiting for her to get up onto the horse.
She got on easily and got her seat before she watched Flint push Alchemy up onto the horse behind her. “Been a while since I was on a horse.” His statement was made almost quietly. Anahi decided not to ask him why that was though, thinking that it might be a sensitive subject. And Alchemy had enough things to think about at the moment without her reminding him of other things.
Flint mounted the chestnut horse as well before he looked at Anahi. “You’ll have to lead the way, since you know where the river is.” He told her before waiting patiently for her to lead them to the river so that they could get cleaned up.
“I don’t know where it is, I could just hear it.” She said calmly, concentrating on all the different sounds to try and pick out the sound of running water. She noticed that her senses had stayed sharpened even though she was back in her human form and it pleased her to some extent. It made it a lot easier to find the sound of the river again and to follow it as she picked up the reins and turned the black horse in the direction of the water. She just let him walk calmly instead of rushing, not wanting to make Alchemy fall off and hurt himself even more.
They walked in silence as each of them just let their minds take in what had just happened. Some of the men had disappeared and would no doubt be telling others what they saw. A man who turns into a wolf, a girl who turns into a cat and Flint. But Anahi couldn’t work out what the blur had been, she had just seen the color that resembled that of flints golden blond hair. But she hadn’t seen enough to know what he had been, but he had not been human when he’d attacked that man. She was sure of it.
It was only a few minutes before they got to the small river and the horses walked slowly and carefully over the rocky shore of it to get to the water, lowering their heads to take a refreshing drink of the cool liquid.
Anahi waited for Flint to help Alchemy down before she got off the horse as well, just leaving them by the water and trusting that they wouldn’t go anywhere. She kneeled down next to the water, cupping some of it in her hands to splash it onto her face. She wasn’t too dirty, a few spots of dirt here and there on her cloak but nothing drastic. And her dress was still perfectly clean, surprisingly.
She realized suddenly that whenever anyone shifted and then shifted back their clothes were still the same, as if they hadn’t turned into an animal at all. That was very interesting to her because she didn’t understand how that could possibly work. Maybe she would need to ask someone about it later, when they were in a better mood to answer questions.
She looked up as she heard the rumble of thunder in the distance, it was too light still to see the flash of lightening but she knew it was there. And she knew that the storm would be coming very soon.
She heard someone walking along the rocks and she stood up before turning to watch Flint made his way downstream from where they were, wondering where he was going. She walked over to Alchemy who was sitting against a large rock next to the water’s edge. He’d pulled his shirt off so that the wounds were exposed to the cool air. He was holding a piece of wet cloth against one of the cuts on his side, grimacing as it stung. The cuts were deep but not too long and they would hopefully not take too long to heal.
Anahi picked up another cloth from a pile of their stuff that was lying just a small distance away from him. She wet it in the river and turned to Alchemy, giving him a moment to lean forward slightly before she started to clean the cuts on his lower back as gently as she could. He didn’t make a sound but she knew that it hurt him; he kept cleaning the two cuts on his side while she cleaned the ones on his back. When they had cleaned all of the cuts she rinsed out the cloth before twisting it to get as much water out of it as she could before putting it by the pile of things again.
She picked up a bigger piece of cloth before ripping it into several thin strips then turning back to Alchemy again. The strips were long enough to go all the way around Alchemy’s body and she made sure that the strips covered all the cuts before she tied their ends together tightly so that they wouldn’t undo themselves.
The cuts needed to stay clean or they would just get worse. Alchemy rested his hand on his side where the cuts were, a look of pain on his face. He looked at her gratefully though before he tried to stand up, groaning in pain before sitting down on the rock that he’d been leaning against.
“What’s Flint doing?” He asked her, looking in the direction that Flint had disappeared in. She looked in that direction too but she couldn’t see Flint anymore.
“I don’t know. He didn’t say anything to me.” She told him calmly. “Want me to go see?” She turned her gaze onto him as she waited for his answer; she wanted to know where Flint had gone as well.
When he nodded she turned and walked downstream as well, she didn’t get far before she found Flint, he was walking back in their direction and he smiled when he saw her. He walked closer to her before taking hold of her hand and then turning downstream again, pulling her lightly along with him as he went downstream a bit more and then towards the forest, he walked to the edge where the trees started and then stopped.
“I found where those thieves have been camping.” He told her in a pleased way. He let go of her hand and walked closer to their camp, a place for the fire had been set up and there was already a small tent put up as well.
She looked at the campsite and then smiled. This would make everything a lot easier for them because they wouldn’t need to set up their own campsite now.
“We should go and get everything and bring it here.” She told Flint almost excitedly before she turned around, turning into a cat before making her way back to Alchemy. She could get across the stones much easier as a cat, and a lot faster too. When she got to him she turned back into a human though.
“Flint found the camp of the thieves that attacked us.” She told him calmly as she held a hand out to him to help pull him up, he took her offer gladly and groaned in pain as he stood, holding onto his side lightly. The worst cut was one that had gone just underneath his ribs; it was the deepest one too.
“I’m going to take a guess and say that we’re staying there until tomorrow then?” He asked with a slight smile, he knew that he couldn’t travel at the moment.
“There’s a big storm coming too. So it’ll be better than trying to travel some more now and getting stuck in the storm. At least we don’t have to do the extra work of setting up a campsite either. It’s already been done for us.” She spoke calmly and with a smile as she picked up all their things, carrying it all in one hand as she went to the horses and took hold of their reins in her other hand.
She turned to look at Alchemy who was still standing in the same spot but he gave her a nod to say that he was fine. She couldn’t really help him much at the moment; she would take everything to the campsite and send Flint to help him. She started to walk towards where the campsite was again, taking it slow so the horses wouldn’t hurt themselves by slipping on the loose rocks that were hard to walk on. Flint was already on his way to go and help Alchemy when she got there, he had seen her lead the horses and guessed that their friend needed help.
She didn’t need to say anything to him as she watched him go before turning her attention to untacking the horses and putting all the gear where it wouldn’t get wet in the storm and so that it was all still ready to easily be put back onto the horses if they needed to do it in a hurry.
She didn’t notice Flint and Alchemy get back because she had put their sleeping things inside the small tent. When she came out she just saw them both sitting by the fire, starting to make some food for them. It wasn’t that late yet; they hadn’t really had much of a chance to get far before they had been attacked. But Anahi was already tired and the dark clouds that were lower in the sky now were making everything seem darker too.
She went and sat by the fire as well, sitting between the other two and pulling her cloak tightly around her. She wasn’t exactly cold but the tenseness in the air because of the coming storm was making her a little paranoid. She didn’t like storms all that much, they usually scared her. Nothing good had ever happened to her so far when there had been a storm.
Flint held a plate of warmed up travel food out to her and she took it, seeing the slightly worried look on his face. She smiled thanks at him and to show him that she was fine before she started eating. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she held the food in her hands; she had forgotten that they hadn’t eaten anything that day.
She finished her food quickly and then sat up more, suddenly remembering something. “I forgot to pick up my bow after I fell off the horse. I think I should go and get it.” She said in an almost anxious tone, the bow had been specially made for her sot that if was perfect for her. It was made of a nice dark colored wood that was almost grey instead of brown. It was made plainly because the color of the wood was enough to make it unique and she loved it. She didn’t want to lose it because of being negligent and forgetting to take care of it.
They watched her as she stood up but they didn’t say anything, they weren’t worried about her going off into the forest on her own, she could take care of herself. And it wasn’t even dark yet. It was slowly getting darker though.
Anahi started walking quickly in the direction that she thought they had come from, she wasn’t completely sure but she needed to find it. She would know if she was in the right place if she saw the bodies, and she would just be able to tell. She was good at remembering places that she had been in. She kept walking quickly but it was further than she’d thought it was and the trees were thicker there, blocking out more of the little light that still remained in the day. She watched the air grow slowly darker until she had to look carefully ahead of her in order to not walk into any trees.
She was listening carefully for any sounds; she didn’t want to be caught off guard. She had two knives with her, one in its sheath in her boot and she other tied to a leather belt around her waist, the one on her waist was much longer, almost like a small sword instead of a knife.
She was frowning as she walked as well, she couldn’t see any bodies anywhere but she was sure that she was in the right place by now. She stopped walking and looked around, noticing all the small details. This looked like the place where they’d been attacked but there was nothing there, no trace that anything had happened. It was strange and unnerving. She felt as though she should just leave and go back to the safety of their temporary camp but she needed to find her bow.
She started to look around quickly, squinting to see more clearly and she shifted her feet in the leaves as she walked just in case it was hidden under the dry leaves that covered the forest floor. After a few minutes she found it and she picked it up, checking it for any damage.
A sound similar to the rumbling of thunder but less threatening came from behind her and she turned around, surprised and a little alarmed. She couldn’t see anything; there was just deep shadow in the direction that she was looking because of the trees blocking the light. She knew that the sound wasn’t thunder and she heard it grow louder, it had to be an animal that was making it.
She started to step backwards slowly, not wanting to turn her back on it though because she didn’t know what it was. It was coming closer to her slowly. Whatever it was sounded happy and maybe pleased with itself too, it was like the purring of a cat except louder and deeper. She tried to look more carefully and she could make out two intense green eyes in the darkness. She felt her heart skip a beat before it started racing, she was alone and she needed to get out of there.
Even though she could take care of herself and was good at defending herself she still wasn’t completely confident in all of her skill and felt more reassured if there was at least one other person to help her if she couldn’t defend herself well enough. She didn’t even know what this thing was, since she couldn’t see it. So she didn’t really want to take the chance to find out. She backed up a little faster before she turned and started running.
The sound of laughter followed her for a short distance before it faded and finally went away. Her heart was still racing as she slowed down a bit but still kept making her way over to the campsite quickly. When she got there she just put the bow away and sat down silently, her face even more pale than usual and a troubled look in her eyes, which was unusual for her. She rarely ever worried about anything anymore, things were better than they had ever been for her so she didn’t think that she had anything to worry about.
But those green eyes had stared at her so intensely that she felt as if they were still on her; there was something about that thing that made a shiver run down her spine. She was staring down at the fire but she looked up to see both Alchemy and Flint staring at her with worried and questioning expressions.

[MENTAL]

Chapter 5

The wind had suddenly picked up, howling through the trees in warning of the rain that followed closely behind it. Large drops of water that suddenly fell to the earth to soak everything underneath it, pulled down by the earth’s gravity.
Anahi looked up at the clouds, the drops of water already leaving her head and shoulders soaked. She didn’t get up but stayed where she was though, she was used to being out in the rain because of not having a roof to shelter under. Unless someone took pity on her and let her into their house for the duration of the storm. But the rain was taking her mind off the green eyes that she had found in the forest and it had distracted her two friends enough for them not to ask her what she’d seen.
“Anahi, come inside the tent. You’re already soaked.” Flint’s voice wasn’t worried; it was calm but slightly commanding. He didn’t want her to get sick because of staying out in a storm and then with the wind too. It was too cold.
She looked over to where he was standing at the entrance of the tent, holding the flap open so that she could get inside. She hadn’t even realized that the rain had put out the fire; there was smoke coming from the now saturated pile of wood and ashes. She stood up and went to the tent quickly, going inside and sitting down next to Alchemy. Flint shut the tent flap then sat down as well.
The wind was strong and Anahi could hear it against the side of the tent but the tent barely moved because of it. It must have been tied down well. The sound of the storm going on outside was almost deafening at certain moments, the thunder and lightening had started too, the thunder joining in with the sound of the wind and rain to create an overdramatic melody that was very interesting to listen to if you paid close enough attention to it. It was like the sky was expressing its emotions through the only way it could but Anahi wasn’t sure what emotion that was.
Alchemy was lying down with a blanket wrapped around him, the wind and rain was making it a lot colder than it had been a few hours ago. And he was in quite a bit of pain too so he had decided that he would go to sleep and hope that it would help at least a little bit. Neither Anahi nor Flint could really help him much; they didn’t know anything about medicine or where to get it out here.
Flint was getting his own sleeping place ready so that he could go to sleep as well. They would need to get some good rest while they still could. He had a feeling that this delay would cost them and Alchemy would just make them keep going for longer the next day and the days after that to make up the time they had lost today.
Anahi watched him lie down and go to sleep as well, listening to the breathing of her two companions until she was sure that they were both asleep. She couldn’t stay inside the tent; it was making her feel claustrophobic. And those green eyes were still bothering her. She wanted to know what it had been or she wouldn’t be able to sleep, it would just keep her mind from being able to rest.
She turned into a cat, her small black figure blending in easily with the shadows inside the tent as she silently jumped over Flint and slipped through the small opening in the tent flap. It was easy enough to do that without waking them.
When she was outside she turned back into a human though, the wind making her gasp and she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head to try and keep it warm. Then she pulled the cloak around her more as well before she started walking to where she had seen the eyes. She needed to satisfy her curiosity and she had two knives with her like she always did, in case she needed to defend herself against what she found.
It didn’t take her long to get there, she knew the way to go now and she didn’t need to try and remember. When she got there she stopped and just looked around but she couldn’t see anything. She could feel her heartbeat, a few beats faster than normal. She wasn’t sure what she expected to find but she knew that there was something here. She heard a sound behind her and turned around quickly, her whole body tense and ready to react.
“Calm yourself down, Anahi.” The voice was charming and confident; it almost had a happy purring sound to it as well.
Anahi felt herself calming down as she just looked at the man who was standing there, leaning against a tree. He was watching her, his eyes a bright green color. She felt self-conscious as he watched her, as if he was looking right through her. It was like he could see what she was thinking even and that scared her a little.
Her breath was making a small white cloud in front of her as she held onto the cloak in an attempt to keep in the warmth. Her grey eyes were focused on him, curious but cautious too. She wasn’t sure what to think about him, or what to do.
“Who are you?” Her voice came out more cautious than confident and Anahi hated that for a second, she needed to be strong, to show that she was independent and could take care of herself. That she didn’t need someone to protect her because she could do it herself. She couldn’t show that by being cautious around a stranger that she happened to meet in a forest.
“Whoever you want me to be.” He had a charming smile on his face as well now, his voice the same as before.
His answer sent a shiver up Anahi’s spine. She wasn’t sure why. Something about him was just warning her not to trust him. But she was drawn to him, she found him interesting already. She gave a step closer to him, a thoughtful expression on her face now.
He was tall and muscled; she could see that even though he was wearing a thick black coat over dark pants and a light colored shirt. His short black hair was messy and spiked up from him trying to shake some of the water out of it. He was standing where the rain wasn’t as bad, so that he wasn’t getting any wetter than he already was.
“But what’s your name?” She decided to try a different question. She wanted to know who he was, just because he seemed to be an interesting person.
“Nyack.” He stopped leaning against the tree and stepped towards her calmly, reaching a hand out to her. She put her hand in his, not thinking about what she was doing. He pulled her a little close. “Let me have a closer look at you.” He said before he pushed her hood down.
Anahi just stood still, her eyes still focused on him. Every time she managed to get herself to stay calm and confident he did or said something that made her cautious again. She wasn’t sure whether she should even consider trusting him or not.
“Very pretty. Just like I knew you’d be. But they wouldn’t listen to me. No, they said you were just a filthy little street girl.” His tone turned cold nearer the end of what he said, like he was angry at those people that he spoke of.
“Who?” Her question came out calm although curious. Did he have something to do with what had happened to her? She wouldn’t be surprised.
“Don’t worry about that Anahi.” He told her, his tone comforting but still charming as he ran the back of a finger lightly along her jaw. “You should come with me. Leave those other two in the tent while they’re still asleep.”
She stepped away from him. She wasn’t sure what to say to him. She didn’t want to leave her friends behind but she had a feeling that she would get to where she needed to be faster if she went with him. It was all very confusing because she didn’t know what her future held for her, she still didn’t know why they needed her help to do whatever they wanted to do.
“No?” He asked, raising his eyebrows at her. The purring sound that had come from the back of his throat was now closer to a low growling sound, threatening in a very subtle way. “They don’t care about you. They’re just using you for your talents because you have a lot more potential than they do.” His words were cold but still charming, like he was only angry at them for not caring about her.
She was getting even more confused now. She didn’t know what he meant and why he would know all of this. She let her gaze drop to the ground as she started to think.
“I can help you achieve whatever you want. T o get whatever you want.” He spoke slowly, his words tempting as he walked around her. She was watching him again.
“Don’t listen to him.” Alchemy was standing in a shadow, looking worn out and angry. You couldn’t even tell that he was in pain except that his movements were a little slower and restricted as he moved closer to the other two people.
Anahi turned her head to look at him, a growl coming from Nyack who was standing next to her.
“Alchemy…” Nyack said his name with cold amusement then laughed. The sound was pleasant to Anahi’s ears but she ignored that fact for now while she paid careful attention to the two men. She felt as if she was missing something, they knew something that she didn’t and it was something important.
“Where is she Nyack? I know it was you because no one else would be able to catch her.” Alchemy’s voice was angry and threatening as he came even closer so that he was standing right next to Anahi as well. He put a hand protectively on her shoulder, as if claiming that she was his. Anahi was curious though, wondering who they were talking about.
“It was easy too. With you not there to help her.” Nyack’s tone was now mocking, a smirk on his face as he stepped backwards happily. He was still confident, not feeling threatened at all by Alchemy.
She felt Alchemy’s hand disappear off her shoulder a moment before she heard a growl and then saw a tan and grey wolf leap at a black panther that seemed to have come out of nowhere. She was shocked when she saw it but then realized that it had to be Nyack since he was no longer standing there. That explained the purring sounds that she had heard, a panther was just a much bigger and wilder form of a normal cat as far as she knew.
Alchemy had been fast enough to still have the element of surprise, his jaws clamped onto the panther’s ears, sinking his teeth into anything he could and then shaking his head violently before he felt claws dig into his stomach. He yelped, letting go of the now torn ear. He turned into a human, pulling out a knife from his belt and managing to slice along the panther’s shoulder blade before Nyack pushed him off, using his big paws and long claws. Then he made a sound that was like a growl and a hiss mixed together before he jumped towards Alchemy again.
When he landed there was nothing though. Alchemy had turned into a wolf again and moved out of the way fast enough for the big panther to miss him. He turned into a human again though and went towards Anahi, pushing her along so that she would go with him while he started to walk away, looking over his shoulder the whole time so that he couldn’t be taken by surprise.
Nyack watched him, sitting comfortable now and purring contentedly. Blood covered his torn ear, almost running into his striking green eyes. The cut on his shoulder was a deep one as well and it was bleeding too but the blood almost blended in with his black coat so it wasn’t very visible.
“See you later Alchemy. You always were weak; I don’t think you would have been able to protect her even if you had been there.” His words were still mocking and smug too. You could see that he was smiling even in his panther form.
Anahi turned back to him, a confused and questioning look on her face. Her sensitive ears had heard something that the other two had missed because they seemed to be so focused on hurting each other.
A big cat had padded closer to the group, his paws big and barely making a sound on the earth despite his massive size. Still an adolescent he wasn’t even full grown yet but he was bigger than most animals already. His mane was long and shaggy around his head and along his chest and part of his stomach. It would get a lot thicker as he matured more. The creature was perfectly calm, almost relaxed as he came into view.
When Anahi saw him she smiled, knowing who it was straight away. She hadn’t been able to figure it out until now but it made sense to her.
The lion let out a roar before giving two bounding steps and then pushing its massive weight towards the panther with its back paws, its claws digging into the earth. Nyack turned his head to look at the lion when he heard the roar but he couldn’t get out of the way fast enough to avoid the heavy creature. As the lion landed on him he fell to the ground with a loud thud before trying to turn himself and get onto his feet to get out from under the almost dead weight of the lion.
Alchemy was laughing next to Anahi and she turned her head to look at him. “Flint will sort him out.” He told her, wiping the knife on the ground before putting it back where he had got it from. Anahi turned her head to look at the two fighting creatures again.
Flint was using his big paws and his weight to keep Nyack pinned underneath him, being almost playful in the way that he did it. But Nyack managed to get himself out from under the lion somehow and he tried to run but Flint was surprisingly quick for such a big animal and he used his claws to grab onto the black animal that was his enemy. Nyack spun around with a hiss, swiping at Flint with his claws and getting him on the leg before running off into the shadows.
There were four red lines along Flint’s leg now but he ignored it as he kept his eyes focused on the direction that Nyack had gone in. Alchemy started to walk over to him and Anahi followed him as well, not wanting to be left alone at the moment. She wasn’t completely sure what had just happened.
When she got to Flint she let a hand rest on his neck, feeling the soft mane underneath her hand. He turned his head to look at her then to look at Alchemy.
“Since we know that he’s been following us do you think we’ll be able to find her?” Alchemy asked, looking down at Flint with a worried expression.
“If we follow him. He would have kept her with him or at least close to him because he would be too scared that she’d get away from anyone else.” Flint said as he turned into a human. Anahi took her hand off his neck as she watched the two of them curiously.
It was still raining but Anahi hadn’t really taken much notice of it. All three of them were completely wet though and she could feel the chill of the wind every few seconds now. It was making it hard to keep her attention focused on what they were saying and she missed a few sentences before she managed to pay attention again.
Alchemy nodded before sighing and then looking at Anahi. “I guess you’re going to want to come.” He said in an almost thoughtful way.
“Of course. You can’t leave me behind.” She said, her tone calm and slightly defensive. She wasn’t going to let them leave her behind if they were going to go off and do something especially if it was something that would be interesting.
Alchemy nodded his head and whistled loudly. The two horses cane trotting towards them, each one with a halter on and a rope tied to its halter and around its neck to keep it off the ground. Anahi didn’t know when they’d done that but she guessed that they knew something was up and was ready to come after her before she even left. Apparently she couldn’t hide anything from them.
Flint untied the rope from his horse’s neck and tied that end to the halter as well to make it into reins and then he told Anahi to do the same as her horse came to stand by her, his head low and his eyes curious. Every time she was with him she kept realizing over and over again how smart they were. She did what Flint had done so that the rope would work as reins and then she walked to the horse’s side to let Alchemy help her up onto his back.
She had ridden bareback before. She watched as Flint got up onto the chestnut’s back as well and then as Alchemy turned into a wolf. He put his nose to the ground as he went in the direction that Nyack had disappeared in, picking up his scent before following it at a run. They needed to catch up to him quickly, before he got too far away from where they were.
Anahi and Flint followed him on the horses, urging them through the trees. Neither of the two riders really needed reins or anything like that to communicate with their horses, because it was like the horses read their minds and just acted on their thoughts instead of their signals. It was only because they were used to each other.
She was concentrating hard on where they were going, the sound of the horses’ breathing and the pounding of their hooves were filling her ears. She couldn’t see much in the dark, there wasn’t much to see anyway. She was curious to see who this person was that they were going to go and rescue from Nyack. She could tell that it was someone who was important to Alchemy.
A different sound broke through the others suddenly and she could see light through the trees now as well. It was the orange light of a fire. And it had to be a big fire too. But the sounds were that of a struggle. She didn’t hesitate to urge her mount faster through the trees, going ahead of Alchemy and Flint, getting there first.
She saw Nyack trying to pull a young woman with him, her hands and feet were tied tightly but she was still fighting him and refusing to go with him, insulting him and trying to bite him whenever he got close enough. It had been a small campsite but everything was on fire now. Burning quickly too. There was a grey horse standing close to the fire, looking very nervous and fidgety as it waited.
Anahi rode her horse right up to where the two people were and the black horse reared up before striking out at Nyack, making him let go of the woman and back away until he was out of reach.
The light from the fire picked out the subtle highlights on the stallion’s coat and Anahi’s hair, making it shine. Her grey eyes were fiery as she glared at Nyack, he was her prey, her victim. The horse came back down onto all four hooves and Anahi urged him on again, sending him straight for Nyack. He had turned into a panther again and hissed at the horse before swiping at him with his claws when he got closer.
The stallion shied away before he turned and kicked out at the black panther with his back hooves, hitting him hard against the side and sending him sprawling to the ground. The stallion tossed his head and snorted, Anahi was holding onto his mane as well so that she wouldn’t fall off. She wasn’t used to not having a saddle and it was a lot harder to stay on when the stallion moved suddenly.
Nyack had turned into a human again and he was lying on the ground groaning in pain, trying to get up so that he could leave. Flint and Alchemy had gotten there too in the meantime, Flint was trying to put out the fire, the rain was helping but the trees were thicker here so the rain wasn’t as bad. Alchemy had gone straight to the woman, untying her and he was hugging her now, just making sure that she was okay.
Anahi calmed her horse down before just letting him stand, watching Nyack. She would leave him to get on his horse and get away. She still found him interesting and she was sure that he would leave them alone now. Since he had probably just realized he couldn’t defend himself against three of them.
Nyack struggled to his feet and Anahi could see that his shoulder was still bleeding and his ear too. He would probably have a broken rib or two as well from the kick he’d gotten from the horse. He made his way over to the dappled grey horse and pulled himself up into the saddle with some difficulty. The horse was still skittish and didn’t want to stand still, which made it even harder for him to get on.
As soon as he was on the horse he got the horse to go straight into a gallop through the trees so that he could get away. He looked over at Anahi while he did so as well, and she was sure that she could glimpse a thankful expression on his face. She had basically just saved his life by not killing him or letting one of the other two kill him.
When he was gone she went closer to everyone else. Flint had managed to put out the fire which made everything almost pitch black again, it seemed even darker because there had just been light and now it was gone.
“Where’d he go?” Alchemy asked, he seemed relieved but angry as well.
“He left on his horse.” Anahi told him calmly as she got off her own horse, letting him just stand there while she walked over to Flint.
“Why’d you let him get away?” Alchemy asked her, his voice completely angry now.
“What was I supposed to do? He’s hurt anyway. He’ll leave us alone now.” Her tone was defensive as she glared at Alchemy in the darkness, she could still see enough to know where he was and to see him.
“You should’ve kept him where he was so I could’ve dealt with him. He needs to pay for what he did. He’ll just do it again Anahi. He’s not going to leave us alone, don’t you get that. He’s supposed to stop us from doing what we have to do. He works for the king.” His voice was raised and he’d stood up, standing in front of her and pointing a finger at her accusingly.
“And how am I supposed to know these things if no one tells me?” She yelled back at him.
He looked like he was about to hit her but before he could do anything there was a hand on his arm and he turned his head to look at the woman that they’d just saved. He seemed to calm down instantly, his expression softening as he put an arm around her protectively.
“Leave her, Alchemy. There was no need to do anything more to him, he would have learned his lesson. He’s been punished enough.” Her voice was gentle and caring. She looked over at Anahi with a friendly smile before she moved away from Alchemy and over to her. “Thank you.” She told Anahi before giving her a hug.
Anahi wasn’t sure what to do but she hugged her back, looking a little uncomfortable. She wasn’t used to strangers just coming up and hugging her. And she still felt like yelling at someone some more, but she couldn’t really yell at anyone if this person was being so calm and making everyone else calm down as well.
Anahi found her very pretty. She had short brownish red hair that flicked out at the ends a little. Her eyes were a very dark almond color. She was almost as tall as Flint and she was quite thin. She was wearing a loose black dress that would have been nice once but it was ripped in several places and covered in mud. She wasn’t wearing any shoes.
“I’m Eleni.” She told Anahi before turning back to Alchemy and taking hold of one of his hands. “Can we go back to your camp? I’m dying for something to eat and a warm bed.” She said to him almost pleadingly and he nodded.
“Can we borrow your horse, Flint?” He asked him and Flint nodded before he went and got the chestnut horse, leading him over to them and letting them get on before he gave them the rope that he’d been holding to keep the horse still. Eleni was sitting behind Alchemy on the horse and she was holding onto him while lying against him as well, her eyes closed.
Flint walked over to Anahi as they started to ride off. He sighed before he sat down against a tree. Anahi went and sat down next to him, leaning against him because it was more comfortable than leaning against a rough tree.
“You’re a pretty big lion.” She told him, her tone a little teasing.
“A pretty big lion that’s not getting anywhere near enough sleep because of you.” He told her, smiling. He was tired, all this running around and not getting much sleep was starting to get to him as well. He needed a lot of sleep to keep his energy levels up and a lot of food too.
“Why because of me?”
“You’re always getting yourself into trouble and Alchemy too. Then I have to come and save both of you.” He wasn’t angry as he said it; his tone was happy and relaxed. He didn’t mind having to jump in and save them every time. That was what he’s there for.
“I think you should blame him, not me.”
“Maybe. But you’re still the one that gets in trouble every time.”
“Still his fault.”
“I don’t think you running off into the forest in the dark is his fault. That was your decision.”
“Fair enough. I’ll try not to run off in the dark alone next time, I’ll wake you up and take you with me.” Her tone was teasing again as she spoke and she smiled at him playfully.
She wasn’t tired at all; she liked to be out in the dark. She was used to having to do things in the dark when she couldn’t be caught instead of broad daylight. Maybe the fact that she was a black cat had subconsciously contributed to that, because if she was in her cat form then she’d be under cover in the darkness and very easily spotted in the day.
“I might have to tie you to a tree then, so you can’t go anywhere and I can get some sleep. Or better yet, I can just tie you to me. Then you can’t go anywhere when I’m sleeping because you’ll have to drag me with you. And I’m pretty heavy.” He told her playfully.
“I’m sure I could manage to get away. It’s not easy to tie me up, just ask anyone who’s tried it before.”
“Are you going to be nice and let me ride with you or are you going to make me walk back?” He asked, pushing her up so that she would stand before he got up as well, pressing his hand against the rough bark of the tree to push himself up.
“I think you can walk. I wouldn’t want to burden my poor horse with your weight too, since you’re so heavy.” Her tone was teasing again and she looked over her shoulder at him when she said it, she was walking towards her horse already. The stallion was grazing on some grass that he’d uncovered by pawing at the ground.
Flint shook his head at her comment. “You’re being very mean to me.” He told her.
“Fine. Come on then.” She said in an exaggerated surrendering way as she got onto the tall black horse and held onto the rope lightly while she waited for him to come and get on too.
Flint smiled at her before he walked quickly over to the horse. Putting a hand right behind her and the other hand a bit further back to try and push himself up, leaning over the horse’s back. Anahi gave the horse’s sides a light tap with her heels to make him walk forward.
“Hang on a second.” Flint protested, swinging his leg over the horse’s back before he shuffled forward so that he was sitting closer to her. Anahi just laughed at him and when she was sure that he was sitting on the horse properly she tapped his sides again lightly to get him to go into a canter.
Flint didn’t need to hold onto her, he was so used to riding that he could keep his balance on the horse easily. Anahi just steered the stallion through the trees calmly back to the campsite before slowing him down and then letting him stop right next to it. Flint jumped off the horse and then held a hand up to Anahi to help her down, he knew she didn’t need his help but he still wanted to offer it anyway.
She took his hand as she swung her leg over the horse’s neck and then slid down onto the ground easily.
Alchemy was sitting next to the fire, a relieved look on his face. He still looked tired though and Anahi was almost starting to worry about him. Flint let go of her hand and went into the tent so that he could go back to sleep again, he’d had enough running around tonight. If he didn’t go to sleep now he would never be able to get up in the morning.
Anahi walked over and sat down close to Alchemy. “Is she okay?” She asked him calmly, still not sure who Eleni was supposed to be and what she had to do with what they were doing either. She would find out eventually though, she knew that. But she was worried about her, even though she was still a stranger to her.
“She’ll be fine. He didn’t hurt her. She wouldn’t let him do anything to her.”
“Why did he have her?”
“To get to me. He was trying to throw us off course, so that we wouldn’t be able to stop the king. He knew that we would try to save her. But I wasn’t going to, if we didn’t just happen to find him in the forest I wouldn’t have tried to find him.” His tone was guilty as he spoke and he ran a hand through his hair. “I would have left her with him.”
“She’s safe now, we’ve got her back so you can stop worrying and get some sleep too.” She told him reassuringly. “I’ve just been told how much trouble I am and how I keep everyone from being able to sleep. So you’d better catch up on your sleep now before I do something else.” She added in a more playful tone as she stood up again and walked into the tent as well.
She went and laid down next to Flint, it was cold away from the fire; she hadn’t noticed that until now. She pulled a blanket over her before moving closer to him, she could just steal some of his heat. Since there were four of them now they’d need to take up less room for everyone to fit anyway.
Alchemy had watched her go into the tent before he stood up and made sure that everything was still fine and where they’d left them before he went to go and sleep too. He would be able to sleep a lot better now that he knew Eleni was safe with them instead of with Nyack.

[MENTAL]

Chapter 6

A splash of icy water on his face woke Flint up quickly and he sat up, wiping the water from his face as fast as he could to try and get the cold to go away.
“Wake up you sleepy lion.” Anahi called out to him playfully before she left the tent again with the bowl that she had used to carry the water.
Flint noticed that it was very light outside the tent and that he was the only one in it still. He stood up and went outside, the brightness making him squint for a few seconds before he could look around. Anahi was the only one there, and the two horses.
“Where’s Alchemy and Eleni?” He asked her sleepily as he rubbed his eyes lightly and then yawned.
“They went for a walk a while ago.” She was standing by the horse, just stroking his neck but she turned to face Flint. “Did you get enough sleep?”
“No.”
“So a day and a half isn’t enough time to catch up on your sleep then?”
“A day and a half?” He looked and sounded surprised. Anahi just laughed at him.
“Alchemy was going to wake you up yesterday but I told him to leave you so that you could sleep.” She told him. “And I didn’t get into trouble either. So it can’t be my fault that you don’t get enough sleep.”
“You should’ve woken me up.”
“And be blamed again?”
“Maybe.” He smiled as he said it. He started to look around for something to eat, finding some travel food by the fire. He picked it up and started eating while he looked over at Anahi to see what she was doing.
She wasn’t wearing her cloak, the weather was quite pleasant at the moment and she didn’t feel so cold. The rain had cleansed the earth, the air now heavy with the smell of fresh damp earth. Everything was refreshed.
Her hair was just hanging loosely down her back and over her shoulders and it shone in the light that managed to get through the canopy of trees that she was standing under. Flint was just sitting and watching her as she stood by the stallion and put his mane all on the same side before stroking his neck again. She could feel that someone was watching her and she glanced behind her, noticing Flint’s eyes on her and feeling a little self-conscious as she turned towards him.
“What?” She asked, her tone was automatically defensive even though he hadn’t even said anything.
“Nothing.” His voice was just calm as he spoke, shrugging slightly as well as he made himself look away to look around the campsite again.
She looked at him suspiciously for a few seconds before she just went over to him to sit down next to him.
Just at that moment Alchemy and Eleni came back, she had her arm linked with his and was leaning against his shoulder as they walked. A sweet and happy smile rested on her face as she glanced at Anahi and Flint before she just let go of Alchemy to go and sit down.
“Why haven’t you packed anything up yet? We could’ve left already.” Alchemy’s tone was a little irritated as he spoke while looking at everything before his accusing gaze settled on Anahi. She just glared back at him angrily though, opening her mouth to speak but being interrupted by Flint.
“I just got up. We were just about to start packing everything up.” He told Alchemy calmly before he stood up, pulling Anahi to her feet as well. Then he just started to pack everything up as quickly as he could, Anahi just helped him. She had an angry look on her face though, she didn’t like how Alchemy just expected her and Flint to jump at his every command like he was some sort of superior figure they were supposed to worship.
While they were gathering up everything in the campsite and strapping it all onto the saddles of the two horses Alchemy was standing by Eleni, a pleading look on his face while she was gently running her hand up and down his arm and saying something to him. Anahi couldn’t quite hear what she said but it made her curious and she found an excuse to go a little closer to them, just enough to hear.
“I’ll be fine, love, honest. He caught me off guard the last time and it won’t happen again. I have to go and warn them.” Eleni’s tone was gentle and reassuring as she spoke to him but Alchemy didn’t seem to believe a word of it.
“I can come with you.”
“No. They need you more than I do.”
“They’ll be fine, Flint knows where to go and he can make sure to keep her out of trouble until I catch up with them again.”
“Alchemy, listen to me. I don’t need you to protect me.” Her tone was becoming more firm now and she let her hand rest on his cheek before she kissed him lightly on the lips and started to walk off into the trees.
Alchemy stood there for a few seconds before he watched her walk off. Then he turned back to see if Anahi and Flint were ready to leave. He noticed that Anahi was close enough to have heard at least part of his conversation with Eleni. He glared at her for a second even though she wasn’t even looking at him before he just started walking off.
“I’ll go ahead of you two to make sure Nyack’s not waiting anywhere for us. Try not to fall too far behind.” His tone was a little impatient as he just turned into a wolf and started trotting away without even giving them a chance to argue or say a word.
Anahi looked at Flint questioningly just as he looked at her as well and he gave a small shrug to say that he had no idea what was going on before he secured the last of the things onto Taboo’s saddle before mounting. She just climbed onto the black horse’s back as well and made herself comfortable in the saddle before taking up the reins.
The sun had already reached its peak in the sky and would start its downward curve soon, it meant that they only had half a day worth of travel before they would have to stop and make camp. But Anahi had a feeling that Alchemy wasn’t going to let them stop, he didn’t seem to be in a happy mood and they had already missed a whole lot of travelling because of her getting into trouble and causing delays and because they had left Flint to sleep through the whole day before. She felt a little like it was her fault but she wasn’t going to take responsibility for it.
They just rode in silence, with Flint leading the way because he knew where to go. Anahi grew bored though and after a few hours she urged Smudge into a trot to catch up with Flint and ride next to him.
“Where did Eleni have to go?” She asked him curiously, looking over at him.
“I don’t know.” He looked at her calmly. They were still walking through the forest and every now and then one horse had to fall back behind the other so they could squeeze through the trees.
“How can you not know?”
“Because Alchemy tells me about as much as he tells you.”
Anahi went quiet and just let her mind wander as she tried to work things out while she just let the black horse follow slowly behind Flint. When it started to get darker she grew hungry and cold so she just pulled out her cloak from one of the saddle bags and tied it around her neck before pulling it around her so that she could try and warm up.
The trees were getting fewer now, the starry sky becoming more visible through the tops of the trees as the forest slowly disappeared until the horses stepped out onto a grassy plain. The moon and stars created a dim light, picking up slight highlights on the blades of grass to make them almost glow a little in certain areas as the land curved and created gently slopes and low hills. Trees were scattered here and there over it.
The blades of grass moved and danced as a light breeze caressed the tips of it and softly brushed against Anahi’s cheeks and pulled a few strands of her smooth black hair into her face almost as though to tease her. Flint felt the breeze too and he looked around suspiciously as he shivered slightly.
A smile rested on Anahi’s face as she followed the breeze back across the grass, finding it odd that it seemed to change direction every few seconds and seem to only blow over a small area at a time.
She felt it over her skin again, feeling it move the cloak off of her one shoulder. She turned her head to look, her grey eyes searching for something and for a moment she was sure that she could pick out the shape of a hand as her hair moved over her shoulder to hand down the front of it and frame her face.
“So beautiful.” The words were barely audible to her and she gasped slightly, the voice had come from nowhere and it lingered on the air for a few moments.
Flint felt a shiver run down his spine and he looked at Anahi, seeing the captivated look on her face he stopped his horse next to hers.
“Anahi!” His voice was a little louder than he’d meant it to be but he needed to get her attention onto him.
She looked at him but it was as if she didn’t register that he was there as she continued to listen to the melodic voice on the wind.
“Don’t listen to her, Anahi.. Don’t listen. Block your ears.” He told her, his voice anxious as he reached over to touch her arm.
The breeze turned into a fierce wind that whipped around him, lifting Taboo’s main and pulling at his tail and Flint’s clothes like it was trying to get him to fall. The chestnut horse became anxious and he pranced as he tossed his head up, his eyes rolling.
Anahi watched and the musical voice turned to a high pitched hiss that hurt her ears. She frowned as she watched Flint struggle to control his horse but Taboo just put down his head before he took off across the grassy plain. Anahi turned Smudge in the direction they had gone before she urged him to go after them, she didn’t want to lose sight of him because she didn’t know where to go and she didn’t want to get lost out in the middle of nowhere either.
She could hear the wind moving through the grass behind her, like a sinister creature stalking its prey. She felt her heart start to race as Smudge reared up suddenly, causing her to lose her balance and fall backwards. Her weight moving back made the horse topple over backwards but she managed to push herself out of the way so that he didn’t land on her.
She scrambled to her feet as fast as she could but the black horse had already gotten up and was bolting into the darkness, disappearing and blending in with the dark night sky.
Anahi felt the breeze across her skin again, softly trailing along her shoulder and her neck before playing with her hair.
“Dear, dear Anahi.. So pretty, so very pretty.” The voice was mesmerizing and she found herself just standing perfectly still as the grass moved around her, just listening.
She didn’t notice the dark clouds gathering above her head or how it got darker and darker by the second.
A shadow was slowly making its way stealthily closer to her, its paws touching the earth silently as he closed the distance between them. Stopping only a short distance away from her, quiet purring coming from him before it grew louder.
Anahi knew the sound, recognized it from the last time that she’d heard it and she froze, scared to turn around but she couldn’t avoid him.
Nyack turned into a human before he walked closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder to turn her around to face him.
“I forgot to thank you, Anahi, for letting me go the other night. It was very brave of you to face Alchemy’s anger afterward.” His words were friendly, reassuring even.
She wasn’t sure whether she could trust him, Alchemy and Flint had seemed to think that he was bad, he was supposed to be the enemy. But he wasn’t hurting her; he wasn’t even doing anything to threaten her.
“I can give you answers. Anything you want to know. I’ll tell you.” This time his voice was laced with a seductive charm.
Anahi listened and relaxed as a slight smile came to rest on her features. “Anything?” The offer he made her wasn’t one that she could turn down easily, Alchemy never wanted to answer her and she wanted to know things.
Nyack nodded. A smirk rested on his face as he kept his green eyes focused on her grey ones as his hand moved down her arm to take her hand. He started to walk backwards slowly, pulling on her hand gently to urge her to follow. She did so as if she was in a trance of some sort, the light breeze still surrounding her.
He led her to where the grass was longer and the trees grew thicker, where the darkness was so absolute that it felt like a presence.
When he stopped she did as well and she just watched him until he let go of her hand, the connection between them broken and she was instantly aware of her surroundings as she looked around, but she could see nothing.
But in a few seconds there was light as Nyack lit a fire. There still wasn’t much to see in the small area that it cast light on, there was no campsite or anything of the sort.
She looked towards him again before she sat down close to the fire, feelings its comforting warmth as it beat away the cold darkness.
“Why did you have Eleni.” She asked him, she was curious and he had said that he would tell her anything.
“She was spying on us.” His tone was calm, that tempting undertone to it still as he made his way closer to her and sat down next to her. “I thought it was very rude of her and I wanted to teach her a lesson.”
“Why was she spying on you?” She didn’t mind him sitting so close; she was beginning to like him, even if it was only because he answered her question.
“Because Alchemy sent her to. Silly of him, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.” She frowned slightly, she suddenly realized that he had used the word ‘us’ before. “Who’s with you?” She asked, suddenly curious.
His smirk grew as he stayed quiet. Wind played with the flames before a male figure sat on the opposite side of the fire. His one leg straight out in front of him and the other bent at the knee as he let his elbow rest against it as he leaned forward slightly, playing with a long knife by running the flat of the blade across his hand before he turned his head to look at them.
Anahi just stared at him, even more fascinated now. She was surprised when hands suddenly covered her eyes and she tensed slightly before she heard laughter that almost sounded like a song. The hands were removed and a woman appeared out from behind her to go and sit down with the man.
They were both clothed in semi-translucent clothes, the fabric layered in certain places to make it thick enough not to see through. It seemed to float around their bodies loosely, like it was lighter than the air surrounding them. Their hair was blonde but so light that it was almost pure white, the woman’s hung down to her waist in beautiful waves while the man’s hair was a little below his ears and straight and feathery.
“Aya and Zye.” Nyack’s calm voice made Anahi snap out of it again and she took her eyes off the pair to look at him again. The contrast between the other two and Nyack caught her attention and made her more curious but she daren’t ask any questions at the moment.
“We’re elementals.” Aya’s voice drifted easily across the fire in a pleasant way as it made its way to Anahi, it was almost like you could see it. “You turn into an animal, we turn into air.”
“We can be your greatest friend, or your worst enemy.” Zye’s voice was a little harsher on the ears as he smirked almost evilly, a harsh wind cutting through her for a moment before it dropped as suddenly as it had come up.
Anahi felt a little threatened by him and she shivered before pulling her cloak around her more as if it would keep her safe from him. But as he watched her his smirk disappeared and a sweet look replaced it.
“Of course, we’re your friends Anahi. You’re wish is our command.” He commented, his voice now being more like Aya’s though it was deeper and had the effect of a warm breeze on a cold morning.
“If, you decide to help us.” Nyack added. “But we’ll let you rest. Get some sleep so that you can think it through.”
“You’ll have to leave the others, forget about them.” Aya had moved over to Anahi now, embracing her lightly, like she was a good friend. “We’ll have fun together.”
“And you won’t have to worry about being told what to do.” Zye cut in.
“Sweet dreams.” Aya’s last words drifted through Anahi’s mind as she fell asleep within a second. Pleasant images of possibilities filling her head.


She opened her eyes to see Flint’s face above hers, his expression one of concern. His one hand rested on her cheek while the other one shook her lightly, she could hear his voice calling her name.
When he saw that she was awake relief flooded through him and he pulled her into a tight hug before he let her go and made her stay sitting up as he kept kneeling next to her.
“Are you okay?” He asked her, sounding worried.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“They had you, didn’t they? Filled your head with nice little dreams?”
“What are you talking about? They just talked to me.”
“You don’t get it. They’re trying to manipulate you so that you’ll go to them and turn against us. They’re trying to stop us from making things better.” His tone was anxious now, like he was panicking. Anahi hadn’t seen him be anything but calm before and she was a little surprised at how he was behaving.
“Calm down Flint. I’m not going anywhere.” She said as she watched him stand up and walk off.
“That’s what you’re saying now. But I know how they work, I know how they plant that first little idea in your head to let you think about it until you come up with something you can’t resist and think that it’s what they offered you when it isn’t.” He was rambling quickly and she was having trouble following what he was saying.
“Stop talking. They didn’t do anything to me, they just said that they were my friends and would help me…” Her voice drifted off as she started to have trouble remembering everything that had happened, it was slowly fading away and she could hear a quiet ‘shhh’ at the back of her mind.
“I don’t care what they said to you, Anahi, it was a lie.” He said, he was walking quite fast and Anahi had to jog to catch up to him before she just let a hand come to rest on his back.
He stopped walking and turned to face her, frowning.
“What’s wrong, Flint?” She asked him, starting to feel a little worried about him now.
“Nothing. Just…” He sighed and seemed to calm down as he just stared down at the ground, running a hand through his hair. “I was worried.”
“About?”
“You.”
She was a little taken aback by his answer and she stared at him for a second but then she shook her head. “No, it’s more than that.” She said as she kept watching him, noticing the troubled look in his golden eyes. “What happened Flint?” She wanted to know why he was so freaked out about this.
“Because, they’ve tried it on me. And they almost succeeded in getting me to abandon Alchemy and to join them to plot against him. But Ash saved me, he made me wake up and see sense. He’s good like that. He saved me from them.”
Anahi just watched him, understanding his reaction a little more now, she gave him a reassuring smile though. “Well, you don’t have to worry about me. I can resist it, they won’t steal me away from you and that grumpy old wolf.”
Flint didn’t seem to be convinced as he turned around and kept walking. Anahi noticed suddenly that she was back in the middle of the field of grass where she had fallen off of Smudge. She looked around before she just hurried after him again.
He walked to where he had tied the horses and when Anahi saw the black horse she ran over to him, flinging her arms around his neck happily. She had thought that he would’ve been gone and that she wouldn’t be able to find him again and she was thrilled that Flint had been able to catch him and bring him back to her.
She saw that Flint had mounted his horse and she quickly did the same so that she wouldn’t be left behind.
Flint had calmed down more again now and he was going back to his normal laid-back mood. As the horses started to walk calmly side by side he turned his head to look at Anahi with a slight frown.
“Don’t tell Alchemy about it, will you. It’ll be my head he bites off.”
She looked at him before she nodded.
“I was supposed to keep you safe and I thought that we would be able to take a short cup across the plains. I should’ve known that they would be there, waiting for us.” He was just thinking out loud now and Anahi listened to him with interesting, he was acting different from his normal self and she was wondering why.
“Flint. Why is it so important to you that I don’t get hurt?” Her tone was just sweetly questioning, almost innocent. Her grey eyes were resting on him as she waited for his answer, smiling slightly as well.
“Because, we need you.” He answered quickly, looking slightly uncomfortable at her question but then he gained his composure and just looked at her confidently. “You’re a vital part of what we have to do.”
She just smiled happily, reading between the lines of his answer and knowing that it was more than that because Alchemy would let her get a little roughed up before he’d rescue her if she went out and got into trouble. But Flint seemed to try and save her every time before anything could even happen to her, like he was waiting the whole time for the opportunity to be the hero.
A comfortable silence settled between them as they traveled around the edge of the grassy earth, avoiding the forest as well and just staying on the boundary. At some point they started to follow a shallow river downstream, walking in it part of the way where its bottom wasn’t as rocky and hard on the horses’ hooves.
When it was almost starting to grow dark again a silent figure appeared next to them before slowly making its way closer to them. The landscape surrounding them was rocky and grassy; they had left the trees behind when they had started along the bank of the river so the wolf didn’t have much cover to hide in as he approached. But he didn’t need the cover, he was friend not enemy.
Anahi spotted him first and she watched as he went a little in front of them to jump up into a boulder and sit down, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth as he panted to catch his breath.
When Flint saw him he seemed relieved and relaxed completely as he let his horse stop close to the canine. Smudge stopped walking when the other horse did as well.
“What took the two of you so long? I’ve been waiting for hours.” Alchemy’s tone was impatient but not very angry yet, it was almost as if he was worried too.
“We had a little accident with the horses spooking.” Flint commented calmly before Anahi would have a chance to say anything and he looked at her to make sure that she still wasn’t going to say a word to Alchemy about what had really happened. She just looked at the wolf innocently and smiled.
“Can we make camp now? I’m starving.” She said to Alchemy, her tone calm and tired.
He turned into a human before he nodded, his eyes carefully looking over the two before he turned and climbed off the boulder. “We should be safe enough right here. You two don’t really look like you can go too much further anyway.”
Anahi let Smudge walk out of the river before she dismounted and started to quickly take everything from the saddle to set up camp. She was used to it now and she could do it fairly fast without even having to think about it too much. Flint just followed her and did the same and they had the whole site set up in only a few minutes while Alchemy built a fire for them. He felt like he should at least contribute a little to it since he normally expected them to do it all and they looked like they were about to pass out.

[MENTAL]

Chapter 7

Anahi woke up very early in the early morning, her grey eyes opening to the darkness of the tent. She only had to share it with Flint now because they had taken the extra things from the bandit’s camp and now had two of most things. Of course, Alchemy had claimed the spare tent as his straight away in that authoritive way of his and no one could really argue with him.
She turned her head to look over at the sleeping shape of Flint, moving onto her hands and knees and leaning over him to make sure that he was still fast asleep before she backed herself as silently as she could out of the tent.
When she got outside she quickly looked towards where Alchemy’s tent was set up a short distance from theirs. There didn’t seem to be any movement inside of it or anything that she could hear. Changing into a cat quickly so that she could walk away from the two tents silently, changing back to a human when she was far enough away for any sound she made not to wake up the two sleeping men.
She just went to the edge of the river before sitting down on a big boulder, its rough surface rubbing against her bare legs. She was getting so sick of having to sleep in her dress, sometimes it got a little uncomfortable but she couldn’t really do anything about it, because she had to share the tent with Flint and she didn’t really want to sleep without anything on while she was in there with him.
Her eyes had moved to the forest that was quite a distance away, its dark looming form calling her towards it, towards what might be in it. She yearned to see those sharp green eyes, that dark man… And those two pale people with him, the twins. They had intrigued her more than they had scared her and she was curious about them, about how they shifted into wind instead of an animal. Were there more people out there like them? Or were they the only ones that were just that bit different?
She just sat there and wondered about it all while her mind was free to wander without the scrutiny of Alchemy. Some days he just made her uncomfortable with how much he watched her. But she was getting used to it slowly.
She forced her attention away from the shadowed trees where her answers rested with Nyack; she still had to make up her mind about whether to abandon Alchemy and Flint to go to him. She wanted to, so badly, but she couldn’t leave her friends. Because, despite her occasional dislike for Alchemy she still considered them almost like family. It was the closest thing she had ever had.
Looking towards the clear water of the river that slowly travelled downstream, creating weak little currents that carried bits of leaves away from the tree it came off. It made her realize how long it had been since they had been in that dull grey town where Alchemy’s mother had taken care of her and let her take a bath.
She slowly undressed before she walked over to the water, stepping into it and gasping slightly at how cold it actually was, goosebumps covering her whole body before going away gradually as she grew used to the temperature of the water.
She lowered herself down into it slowly, using her hands to scoop up the liquid and pour it over the rest of her body that was still above the water level. Just washing herself and enjoying the feeling of becoming clean.

A small little creature scurried through the tent, climbing onto the warm lump under the blanket before twitching its nose curiously to take in its scent. The little light brown mouse getting a fright when Flint suddenly groaned in his sleep and turned onto his back. It managed to keep its balance though, running almost like a hamster in a wheel to stay on top of him.
Flint noticed the movement in his subconscious state and it made his mind wake up slowly. He opened his eyes after several long moments to stare into the tiny black eyes of a mouse, jumping slightly in surprise before he just took a close look at it and then smiled sleepily.
“Good morning Anexter.” He muttered quietly before turning his head to look towards the entrance of the tent, noticing that it was only just starting to get lighter outside and that Anahi was missing from her place between him and the exit.”You didn’t happen to see Anahi did you?” He asked, looking back towards the mouse.
“Yes, I did, and good morning.” The voice that came from the mouse was quiet and shy. Anexter just got off of Flint to appear as a human to sit right next to him with a self-conscious but happy smile.
“Are you going to tell me where she is?” Flint asked slightly impatiently, he kept worrying now that Anahi might leave. He felt guilty about having let her be kidnapped for half the night by Nyack and the elemental twins. Alchemy would kill him if he found out as well and Flint didn’t really want that to happen.
“She was bathing down in the river.” The boy’s cheeks went red and his gaze turned down towards to ground. “She’s pretty.” He added very quietly, Flint had to listen carefully to catch what he said.
The boy had feathery light brown hair, his eyes black instead of having a color around the pupil. It looked quite strange, though in an interesting way. He was only around ten years old.
Flint looked at him, too shocked to say anything. He wasn’t going to make assumptions though he was guessing that Anahi wasn’t wearing anything while she was bathing and Anexter had seen her naked. Flint’s mouth was open slightly as he looked at the boy, not even noticing Anahi climb back into the tent.
“Who’s this?” She asked in a cheerful tone as her grey eyes settled on the stranger, she felt a lot better after washing herself. And to think that she had never used to do that, she had just never known how good it felt to be clean.
“Anexter.” Flint looked over at her with an amused expression, Anexter having shuffled into the corner of the tent to try and hide in it. “And he just happened to tell me that you were busy bathing.” Flint’s tone was a little playful now as he raised his eyebrows at her almost curiously.
Anahi opened her mouth to say something but instead just ended up making an offended squeak before she looked at the boy, unsure of what to do. But then anger seemed to go through her and she went to move towards him to grab him and shake him or something to try and teach him that you weren’t supposed to look at a girl while she wasn’t dressed.
But just as her hands were about to touch him he disappeared and a mouse ran away from her. She instantly turned into a cat and leaped at him, her paws reaching out to grab hold of his tiny body but he managed to get away and go in under the blankets that were covering Flint. She tried to follow, her black fur rubbing against Flint’s side as she tried to sneak after the mouse angrily.
It tickled Flint slightly and he moved away before picking her up gently and putting her on the other side of him, ignoring the fact that she was hissing at him and digging her claws into his hand.
“You two better stop fighting before Alchemy comes in here.” He told them in a tone that attempted to be calm and strict but just ended up amused.
Anahi glared at him, still in her cat form. Anexter had appeared from under the blankets to sit on the other side of Flint as a boy, watching Anahi wearily. He was scared of her now and it was quite obvious in his fearful eyes. Anahi’s tail seemed to have a mind of its own as it moved slowly, the tip curling slightly before falling back onto the ground, her tail twitching every now and then as well. Licking her lips as she kept watching Anexter, making him tremble where he sat huddled.
“Ash is waiting for you.” The words were barely audible as Anexter spoke, his eyes never leaving Anahi.
“Ash is here?” Flint was a little confused as to what Ash was doing here.
Anexter nodded before moving slowly towards the entrance of the tent before he quickly scampered out of it and ran towards the river to disappear among the rocks as he turned into a mouse again.
Anahi had let him run, an amused smirk on her face as she turned back into a human and started to run her fingers through her long black hair to untangle it. Flint watched her for a second before crawling past her and out of the tent to walk over to where Alchemy was standing and stretching outside of his own tent.
“Anexter says that Ash is waiting, did you know that he would be here?” Flint asked, just standing a short distance away and watching the older man.
“Yes, I knew. We were supposed to be here before him but with all of our delays he beat us here. We’d better hurry up and go see him though.”
“I’ll get Anahi and the horses.”
“We can leave the campsite as it is for now and come pack it up later.”
Flint nodded before he turned and went back to the tent, poking his head into it. “We have to go, now.” He told Anahi before he took his head back out again to go and catch the two horses, not tacking them up or anything as he led them to the tent.
The two horses still had their bridles on, since it was easier to tie them up or catch them that way instead of just letting them run around without them.
Anahi stepped out of the tent with a confused look on her face but she didn’t ask any questions as she took the black horse’s reins and moved to his side before pulling herself onto his tall frame, settling onto his back before looking at Flint who’d done the same on the chestnut.
Alchemy had already disappeared downstream of the river, not waiting for them because Flint knew the way. Not that it was much of a secret anymore.
Anahi let her horse follow after Flint’s as he led the way down along the riverbank, over a bit of a hill before going towards a big stone archway that seemed to just stand in the middle of nowhere. But as they got closer Anahi could see that the stone had intricate designs engraved into its rough surface, giving it an odd texture and appearance as the sun picked out glistening little highlights in the stone. She couldn’t help but let her horse pause there for a moment so that she could run her eyes over the arch that they were passing through, in awe of the detail of the design that had been carved into it.
“You can look at it later.” Flint’s voice broke through her admiring train of thought and she looked towards him, blinking a few times as she regained her focus on what was happening.
She couldn’t see Alchemy anymore and it hit her that it was a very strange fact because he hadn’t been that far ahead of them and they were in a relatively open area where there were no places to hide behind. Her eyes suddenly picked up Flint’s form wavering in front of her, becoming transparent before disappearing completely. She gasped as her horse’s head and neck began to do the same before she looked down at herself and realized that she too was disappearing into thin air.
It only took a moment after noticing this before she could hear voices and laughter and the general noise of a crowded place. She looked up and saw people. It surprised her greatly and she stared at them, not hearing Flint talking to her or noticing that Alchemy had come to take hold of her horse’s reins to lead him through the people towards a house.
It had changed into a scene of small stalls of produce with chattering children begging their mothers for a piece of fruit as a morning snack while they shopped for the things they needed for their daily meals. They were all dressed in finely tailored clothes of earthy colors, browns and greens delicately adorned with dull gold and yellow thread. They seemed to blend into the landscape of the grassy plain dotted with wooden houses, the roofs having branches growing from it as though the house was the base of a tree and not a building that had been constructed.
Few eyes were turned towards her though she glimpsed hope in all of those that were. She felt herself stand out against them with her pitch black horse and purple dress. But she didn’t feel like it mattered, enough people were ignoring her for her to be at ease with the attention that she did get.
She noticed that the children wore pendants around their neck, each one with a different animal and she started to work out that these people were like her and her companions, that they could shift and change their forms. The pendants were probably to help the children achieve their alternate form more easily and remember what they were.
She was suddenly saddened by the fact that she never got to have any of this, it seemed to peaceful here and she knew that had she been with these people her life would’ve been much easier than it had. But the emotion didn’t linger in her mind too long before disappearing as they stopped in front of a house. A big grizzly bear was carved into the thick wooden door of and it was larger than the rest of the houses.
Anahi got off of her mount before walking with Alchemy and Flint towards the door, not noticing that someone was leading the horses away. Her mind was having trouble to keep up with everything that was happening now, it was all too much for her to comprehend in so short a time.
The door swung open silently before any of them had even had a chance to knock and she saw Ash standing there with a happy look on his face before he stepped out and put his arms around her like they were close friends who hadn’t seen each other in years. She didn’t hug him back, just frowning uncomfortably and waiting for him to let her go.
“Welcome to my real home, Anahi. There’s some people that you have to come and meet, they’ve all been anxiously waiting for you to arrive.” His deep rumbling voice calmed her mind and made her focus on the situation as she followed him into the house.
“Why?”
“Because, you’re an important person to these people. You can help them n ways that no one else can.”
She stopped herself from protesting against that fact as she followed him into a large room were several people were sitting at a table eating their morning meal. They all stopped their jovial chatter to look at her, some in shock and some with good-natured smiles.
“She’s so young.” A voice spoke out; expressing the man’s surprise and Anahi looked at him with an offended scowl, making him seem unsure of himself for a moment before he continued his breakfast.
“Anahi, meet Obatan and his son Chantz.” Ash spoke in a calm rumbling voice, gesturing towards an old man and then a much younger one in turn.
Anahi looked at Obatan, taking in his worn features, his skin quite rough in appearance with wrinkles covering most of him. He had grey hair and a wise look in his dark grey eyes as he looked at her in a friendly manner. She felt immediately in awe of the man, realizing that he must have some form of power just by the way that he appeared. He was quite a large man though his appearance was misleading because he was not as old as he seemed. She could see that he had a lot of strength in him as well and knowledge and she curtsied to him politely before offering him a sweet smile. It was a little unusual of her to do something like that but she received an accepting nod from the man that made her heart flutter with pride.
When she looked at Chantz she subconsciously cocked her head to the side slightly, he reminded her somewhat of Flint. He seemed to be around the same age. Although he was quite a bit smaller than her friend, he was lean but muscled and had the same golden colored eyes and the golden brown hair though his was a lot shorter and straight. His hair also had black highlights in it here and there that were subtle and almost unnoticeable unless you really looked at him. He was busy eating, not really having noticed what was going on but he looked up at her and smiled.
She returned the smile shyly before looking at Ash with a questioning look, she wasn’t sure why she had to meet these people or why she was so important to them but she was curious to find out.
“Come, sit. Have something to eat, I bet you haven’t had breakfast yet.” Obatan’s voice was deep and a little husky as he spoke to her in a friendly but demanding tone. She looked at him before sitting down at the table, taking the plate that was offered to her by the man who had spoken earlier.
He held his hand out to her as soon as she had taken the plate and put it down in front of her. “I’m Quibble. And I’m sorry about before but I was expecting someone at least a little older than you with what people have been saying.” His tone was genuinely apologetic and Anahi shook his hand with a slight frown.
She didn’t really know what people have been saying about her but she decided that she would need to try and find out because she didn’t want them to be saying things that weren’t true.
The man’s appearance was quite strange to Anahi, his hair oddly white and his eyes bigger than the average size though they were a warm hazel in color. He seemed tall though he was sitting down and she couldn’t be completely sure. He was skinny and lanky though from what she could tell he was eating more than some of the others.
She didn’t say anything to him as she continued to get some food for herself, just listening to them talk as they started their conversations again. It didn’t seem as though Ash wanted her to meet any of the other men specifically and her eyes moved towards Obatan and Chantz, wondering what it was that made them so special compared to the rest of the men.
Alchemy and Flint walked into the room and found themselves some seats at the table, Flint sitting down in a chair between Anahi and Quibble after greeting the man warmly. It was obvious that her two companions already knew all of the people here or had at least met them before she had.
Flint and Chantz exchanged looks and Anahi couldn’t quite pick up what emotion was behind them, it seemed friendly enough but somehow hostile as well and she looked towards Chantz who continued to eat and talk with a smug smile on his lips. It made her quite curious to find out how the two knew each other; she could see the resemblance again now that they were in the same room.
They just continued their breakfast in relative peace despite the festive mood that surrounded the big wooden table. As the food slowly disappeared so did the men, Obatan being one of the first to leave with the reason that he wanted to go and take a nap while his food settled before he started about his business.
When there were only six of them left and the food had finished the whole roomed seemed to sigh in relief as it went quiet and the mood relaxed.
“I’m just curious, did Flint ever tell you about me Anahi?” Chantz’s voice held his curiosity but it also held a bit of smug amusement as though he already knew the answer to his own question, his eyes turning towards Flint.
“No, he didn’t.” Anahi looked from one to the other questioningly.
“I didn’t think so. Flint, you going to tell her or do you want me to?”
Flint glared at him though he kept his mouth shut, just silently letting Chantz understand what he was thinking.
“Don’t worry, brother, I won’t tell her everything. Some of it has to stay a mystery or you lose that charm that you seem to have by not saying anything about yourself.” Chantz looked from Flint to Anahi again. “Flint and I share a father, though I can’t really say that our mothers even resemble each other remotely.” He spoke calmly, his tone just informative.
Anahi listened and smiled, it made a little more sense to her now when she looked at the two of them. But it just gave her even more questions to ask them but she didn’t say anything as she let Chantz keep going with his story.
“I can’t tell you who our father is other than he’s a liar and a cheater and deserves everything that he has coming to him. He raped my mother, took advantage of her while she was in no state to defend herself or deny anything that he wanted. She’s dead now.”
Anahi shifted in her seat a little uncomfortable, the tone that he was talking in was surprisingly intense and his eyes seemed accusing as they rested on her, as if it was her fault. But as soon as he finished talking his eyes softened and he smiled at her warmly before getting up.
“Excuse me. I have some business to attend to.” He said before he turned and left the room.
Anahi looked at Flint with her eyebrows raised slightly, seeing that his head was bowed and his eyes turned shamefully towards the floor.
“Flint, who is your father?” She asked him curiously.
“Its not important.” He barely got the words out before he got up abruptly and left the room before she could say another word.
Anahi looked at Alchemy and Ash who were talking to each other, obviously pretending to be captivated by the conversation that they were having. Anahi knew they were just trying to keep themselves out of what had just happened and that neither of them wanted to answer any questions that she might ask.
She sighed loudly before she stood up and went after Flint, not really sure where he had gone but she would probably find him eventually.
The house was a lot bigger than she had expected and much bigger than it looked from the outside as well. She found herself getting lost in the long hallways which were lined with smooth wooden walls that she couldn’t help but run her fingers along as she walked.
Every now and then a door with detailed carvings of a human transforming into some animal or just of a human being alongside an animal somehow would interrupt the smoothness of the walls. Anahi had to stop and admire each door individually. They were all shut which made her wonder what was hidden behind them.
At first she didn’t dare open any of them to see but after reminding herself that she wasn’t scared of anything or anyone she opened the next door that she came to slowly, peeking her head through it first to make sure that no one was inside.
The carving on the door had been one of a woman from behind, standing with her hair blowing in the wind and her arms outstretched on either side of her. Above her was a bird of prey, Anahi’s guess was that it was a hawk. The bird had been created so intricately that she could see and feel the texture of its feathers.
When she looked inside the room what she saw was a bedroom decorated beautifully with wooden furniture that looked like someone had spent days rubbing the surfaces smooth. Other than the earthy colors the only color that had been used had been light blue with some white as well, making it resemble an almost clear summer sky. Anahi stepped into the room to admire the rest of it as well.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” The calm voice came from the doorway, making Anahi jump before she spun around to see Eleni standing there and watching her.
“Yes, it is.” She commented a little guiltily, guessing that this was probably Eleni’s room; she could see how it suited the woman nicely.
“Everyone who is exiled by the mortal humans and the king are welcome here. Obatan welcomes everyone and gives them each a room with the carvings on the door there to represent them and what they stand for.” Eleni was running her fingers over her bedroom door while she spoke. But then she looked at Anahi with a smile. “Would you like me to take you to your room?”
Anahi looked curious as she walked closer to her, nodding at the offer before she smiled happily and followed as Eleni led the way down the hallway and around a few corners as well.
“Those who have families get given a small house of their own instead of a room in this house. Obatan likes to take care of his people, he’s like our very own king.” She continued to explain while they walked.
When they reached a door made of a darker wood, the color of it nearly black with beautiful patterns running along its surface to make it appear even more mysterious. There was a cat carved into its surface lower down, the rest of it displaying a complicated scene of trees with a stone building behind them though it was only part of the building. Anahi stared at it in awe, the mystery of the picture in front of her mesmerizing as she tried to work out what the building was but it was near impossible.
She opened the door, gradually revealing the dark interior of the room filled with the dark timber and deeper colors like dark purple and a dark blue. Some light flooded in through a window, dark grey silk drapes hanging in front of it. Eleni left her to explore her room as she walked back to her own. Anahi gladly accepted the privacy as she closed the door behind her and continued to take a closer look at everything.
She couldn’t believe that this was a room just for her, a home for her to live in where she was welcome. She’d never had anything like this before, except when they had been with Alchemy’s mother in the small stone village. She found another door and opened it to reveal a closet filled with clothes. After running her fingers over the soft fabric of each garment she pulled out a blue dress and held it against herself, giving into the temptation to try it on.
It fit her perfectly, the neckline coming low on her chest and fitting nicely over her shoulders with loose short sleeves. It was a dark blue that complemented her grey eyes and dark hair. It was decorated with a dull grey thread as well as black thread and it fit tightly before becoming looser around the waist to hang down loosely to her knees. It felt good to put on a clean dress instead of wearing the one that she had been wearing for several days now.
Taking a few strands of hair from the front on either side of her face and pulling it back and making a small plait before tying it with a bit of black leather, it would keep her hair out of her face though it still hung loosely over her shoulders.
Thinking about what Eleni had said made Anahi think that Flint must have a room as well somewhere and she left her room to go and look for one that had a lion on its door. It took her quite a while because there were a lot more hallways than she had expected them to be.
When she found it she took a moment to stare at the door, taking in the big head of the lion in from of her with its extensive mane surroundings its powerful expression. The carving had a hand reaching over to pat the lion’s head and pull back part of its mane though to Anahi it seemed as if the creature was staring straight at her, making her a little nervous as she knocked on her door.
“Flint?” She asked as she pushed the door open lightly, seeing his shape sitting on the bed.
He didn’t even look up when he heard her come in, just sitting with his head in his hands. She walked over to him slowly and sat down next to him, putting a hand lightly on his shoulder.
Turning his head he looked at her, his golden brown eyes warm and caring as they moved over her.
“Chantz was telling the truth. My father did rape his mother. He acts like it’s my fault but I don’t even have anything to do with him anymore. He has disowned me. Those people who were looking for me when I ended up hiding in your room… He sent them to kill me; they’re still out there looking for me.”
Anahi listened to what he said with a slight frown and a curious expression as she watched him, taking her hand off his shoulder and just turning towards him, pulling her legs up onto the bed as well and crossing them in front of her, careful not to fall off the bed. She wasn’t going to ask him again who his dad was since he hadn’t taken the question too well before.
“You’re not going to take his side, are you Anahi?” He asked her in an almost desperate tone and she couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. Though she pushed the pitying emotion aside and looked at him with a calm and slightly strict expression.
“Don’t be silly, Flint. You’re my friend. And it’s not your fault, you can’ control what your dad does. I’m not going to take sides.” She told him, her tone slightly offended that he would think she’d pick sides.
He smiled at her happily and just the expression on his face and the look in his eyes of happiness and relief made her smile back at him.
“Thank you.” He told her in a warm tone, reaching over to put a hand on her cheek. He leaned closer to her and Anahi just looked at him with a frown, wondering what he was doing. But then she felt his lips against hers and Anahi felt her heart skip a beat before her whole body tensed up and she moved away from him. She felt confused and she frowned as she looked at him for a second, seeing his apologetic look before she got up quickly and hurried out of the room to go back to her own.
She wasn’t sure what to think about what had just happened, it wasn’t anything that had happened to her before and she didn’t know what it meant either. When she got to her room she just climbed onto the bed, turning into a cat and disappearing between all of the pillows so that no one would find her, just hiding away while she tried to think about what had happened.