Closer to the Truth

"The wolf and the fox slaughtered them all." Said a voice from the crystal ball on the table. A pale lady with silver hair and blood red eyes watched the woman on the other side.

"The fox was able to shoot magic from her fingers, she didn't even have a wand or anything. And the wolf didn't seem to be bothered by anyone's swords or arrows. He just ripped their heads off like it was nothing. I thought he killed me as well, but when I awoke he had left me a letter." Ciall's voice filtered through the ball.

"A letter?" The keeper replied.

"Yes a letter with a bag of gold, it said he kept me alive to give me a choice."

"What choice?" The cold silky voice of the Keeper asked.

"The choice to take the gold and live, or go back to you and the next time he sees me he will kill me."

"I see, and your choice?"

"I am going to take down this bloody wolf if it's the last thing I do."

The Keeper smiled at her reply exposing sharp pointed canines.

"Perhaps, this wolf does not know you very well."

"He does not." Ciall replied her black eyes glowing with a cloud of emotions.

"Do you still have the tracker?"

"Yes, but he took everything else. The horses are gone alone with weapons."

"I see, find a geata and return here as soon as you can. We will find a new strategy. One that acknowledges their newly discovered powers."

"Yes, Keeper." Ciall said and her cloud disappeared from the ball. Leaving the keeper alone. She turned her gaze toward a book shelf on the wall her eyes narrowing.

'A shifter that can kill people with nothing but her finger tips and magic.' She thought to herself, 'things are getting more and more interesting.'

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Caith was again in his wolf form and Sionna riding on his back. They raced though forest only taking small food and drink breaks though out the day. They did not stop to sleep for several days with Sionna occasionally falling asleep on his back. Finally they hit a rain storm and Caith decided it was time to take a break.

They quickly set up the tent and entered desperate to be dry again.

Sionna went for the towels and got one for her hair and gave one to Caith who was dripping wet now in his human form.

"Last time we were here I was the one wet and naked. Looks like we changed places." She said with a smile through a towel at him. To her surprise he actually blushed and tried to hide it by quickly drying off.

When he was dressed they sat on the bed and pulled out some food and Sionna pulled out the bottle the elves gave her.

"So this will never run out of wine?" She asked examining it.

"Not exactly, see its not actually never ending. There is just so much wine in that bottle no one will ever be able to finish it in their lifetime. It's like this tent. It looks small on the outside but it's large on the inside."

Oh, she replied taking a small sip. Afraid of what happened last time she drank elvish wine.

Caith has made himself a sandwich and was finishing it off. When he was done he held his hand out.

'Could I have a sip?'

"Of course," she replied handing it to him. He took a swig then looked at her. His eyelids seemed heavy and his shoulders dropped. His normally posture ridged posture was replaced by a crumbled one.

"Why don't we go to bed you must be tired."

Caith let out a sigh and looked down at his feet.

"I am, but at the same time I want to keep going."

"Why?"

"I didn't kill everyone who came after us."

"I know that we froze the Pugot so he wouldn't hurt us against his own will."

"Do you remember killing the water elf you shot out of a tree?"

Sionna scrunched is her forehead in thought. She couldn't really remember anything, only the way she felt.

"No, I can't."

"Well you did, and a woman came to his side. She was so heartbroken, I couldn't, I just couldn't do it. In that moment she showed me she cared more about her lover than gold or even capturing us."

"Well then you spared a good life."

"I hope so, I knocked her out so she wouldn't kill you and I left her a note with a bag of gold. Giving her the option to stop going after us and live the rest or her life in peace. Or she could continue and I would have to kill her the next time I saw her."

"Do you know what she chose?"

"No, but if she wanted to keep hunting us I gave her away to get the compass back."

Sharply Sionna inhaled while letting her lower jaw drop slightly.

"Why would you do that?"

"To give her a reason to break the curse the Pugot was under. And besides I felt it was fair." He added while reaching into his pocket. "I made one with her blood," he said pulling out a compass.

"Why would we need that?" She said peering down at it.

"Because when we find out how to break the curse we need to go help the others. I can't just live my life knowing it's out there."

She bit her lip nodding at his last words.

"I will help you, we can stop this curse." Her smiled was firm and confident when she looked up at him. He offered her a weary smile in reply and leaned down giving her a soft kiss.

"I know that together we can accomplish anything."