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Luna took her brothers advice and started her way south to cross the Ile foothills to Lycan territory. Throughout her entire journey she couldn't stop thinking about Elest and if they had taken him away or not. Her mind naturally thought the worst had happened and that he'd been killed for harboring a heretic. But she had to continue on, if he did then his sacrifice was to let her live and she wouldn't put that to waste. There were three towns south of Futurda. Helcrest, Listurne, and Tempest, in that order and as Luna hiked south from Futurda, she had bypassed Helcrest all together for fear that the news had spread about her quickly. But as she approached Listurne, the town before the bridge crossing across the Chrisitte River, she figured that the news couldn't have made it this far that quickly and it was time to resupply.

Her eyes took in the town as it materialized in front of her. Its structure was not unlike Futurdas but it was definitely smaller, almost half the size. Listurne was often called the weavers village as its main industry was tapestry and it was actually fairly well known throughout the human world for beauty and elegance. As Listurne come more into view she began to take notice of the tapestries that hung from the walls. They were covered with exuberant designs that made the walls pop out. But as she entered the town the similarities between Futurda had stopped, it was quiet whereas Futurda would already be bustling with activity. It was the early morning and the shops were just starting to open. There were no long lines waiting for them to open, it was just as empty as the night. Her eyes scanned around trying to find a supplies shop while in her head she made a list of things that she thought would be useful. She found one and stood in front of the small shop looking at the wares; it carried different foods and vegetables.

"You are up getting things done early." The shop owner exclaimed. Luna didn't say anything just nodding her head.

"Anything specific you're looking for?"

Luna picked up an apple and looked at it. "Do you have any salted meat? You know things that will last a while."

The shop owner thought. "Uhh, I think I might have some, just hold on for a quick second."

The man ducked under his stand. "I don't usually carry this stuff." He said from under the counter. "But it has been pretty popular recently and I wanted to cash in."

He came back up with a medium sized package that was wrapped in what looked like parchment. "How much do you want?"

"All of it."

It threw the shopkeeper off guard, there was quite a bit in the package. "Ok. Long trip?"

Luna nodded, "what type of meat is it?"

"Oh, it's pork. Salted pork, should last a while."

Luna took the sack she had on her back off and dug into it. "How much?"

The shopkeep weighed it in his hands, "Oh, I would say....hmmm, 30 Lit."

Luna nodded once more and pulled out the coins. She pooled them into her hand and counted, giving them to him as she did so. He took it, counted it again and put them on a small purse made from raw hide then he pushed the package forward for Luna.

"Thanks for doing business!"

She picked it up and placed it in her sack continuing on her way giving the guy a slight smile.

So that's food of the list, she thought, on to a weapon. Her shopping brought her all around the market and she ended up with a simple animal hide tent, a dagger to protect herself, and some flint for a quick fire. Everything she wanted, but it cleaned her out if Lit. She stuffed the things into her bag and left Listurne heading south to The Tempest Bridge. The Tempest Bridge was named after the valley in lead to and it was one of the human technical marvels. The entire thing was made of stone, crafted specifically for the Bridge. It took three years to build with a constant threat from the Lycans who didn't appreciate the idea of humans crossing the Chrisette River. More fatalities stemmed from Lycan attacks than the construction of the actual thing. The distance from Listurne was not a terrible one and Luna was able to reach it by dusk. She had never seen such a structure, even in the human capital of Futurda. The bridge was about two hundred feet long and it spanned over a deep ravine that itself was almost three hundred feet deep. The entire bridge was one large arch with huge stone blocks making up the base of the arch. Along the walkway, that was thirty feet wide, were tall lamps, their light already flickered against the grey in the disappearing sun. Luna stopped for the night right before the bridge keeping an eye on the two human guards that protected the northern side. Luna set up her new tent, lit a fire with her flint. All while having her actions watched by the guards.

"I wander if they know about the news."

She said to herself. Her hand dug into her satchel and took out her salted pork, her hand fished for a small piece and she nibbled on it stoking the fire.

Tomorrow, she would cross the bridge and hopefully be able to reach the base of the Ile Foothills.

Leith sat in an open field. The grass slightly swayed to one side with the wind as the sound echoed through the trees around him. In his paw was a cup, a small wooden thing that held a thick substance. Behind him, the entire town of Kamit was held together in a congregation and each of them also held a cup with the same liquid in it. It was a ceremonial drink, one of remembrance. Others kept coming to him expressing their condolences. This ritual was to commemorate the dead and Leith had been a part of many before but this one was different, for Luyet had died. His breath had been taken from him by Mother Wolf and The Giver for life anew. He slipped from the mortal life in his sleep, a peaceful way of death that most Lycans hoped for. The drink in his paw was made from the fermented juices of a smashed root that grew in the Augret forest. It was special in that they only drank it when somebody had been taken from them or if they slip away. Leith took a sip of the liquid; it coated his throat with a sweet nectar as he drank.

"I am sorry, Leith."

The voice came from behind him, it belonged to a female.

"I know he was not your Father but he did raise you."

She came around and sat next to him, brushing her fur against his. The voice belonged to Kalah. She was about his age and had been in Kamit all her life. She also belonged to the main family and has a chance to one day be the leader.

"Yeah."

Leith let his eyes move up and down her as she sat next to him. Kalah had dark, jet black fur that was a little longer then his. Her scent filled his nose, its thick odor filled him with desire and made some of the fur on his cheeks stand up. He quickly rubbed his face to make it stop. She was strong and had somewhat of a hard heard head when it came down to it. Also, she was a Lycan of few words, never really saying much. Her legs sat bent in front of her, one a little more than the other and Leith looked at her paw delicately holding the cup.

"You know I was never really one for this drink, even with its sweet taste it leaves a bad one after."

Leith nodded in agreement, even though he really did enjoy the drink. He eyed her paws delicately holding the cup. One of them moved to her side, the one next to him. He did the same and gently laid his on top of hers. Kalah straightened her legs.

"You know Leith. Now is your chance."

He gripped her paw, she let it happen.

"What is?"

"Your chance to get out of here. It's not hard to see that you want to."

Leith gave a slow nod. It was true, he did want to get out and nobody was here to stop him now. He let out a sigh, and again glanced at the girl. He wouldn't deny himself, he did have a little attraction to her. Enough to make him actually think about second guessing what he wanted to do. She stood up, Leith followed and the two walked paw-in-paw through the crowd drawing some looks from them. They traced back to Leiths hut where they stopped in front and lifted the other paw to meet each others.

"You should take your chance now, nobody is around."

Leith nodded again, he smirked. "You know, I may stay."

But Kalah shook her head. "Go, you have always talked of leaving this place."

Leith sighed and sputtered a bit nervously. "It may seem foolish but I....I have what you would call a bit of an affection for you."

She chuckled. "I could very well say the same thing."

The two stared awkwardly at each other for a little bit. Slowly, they began to move closer, almost muzzle to muzzle. Each paused right before their noses touched before interlocking muzzles. The kiss was brief, but full of young affection. Affection that would have to be short lived. Kalah backed away. She didn't really say anything and just turned around back towards the field with all the town inhabitants; leaving Leith behind. Leith ducked into the hut and packed a satchel with some things, including his books and slowly exited the dwelling saying goodbye to it. As he started in the opposite direction of Kalah, he began to think. She had never done anything like that before, to anyone. She liked him, but her solemn, quiet attitude didn't really attribute to approaching him. He tucked away the image of her walking away into his mind, fully expecting never to see her again, as the Lycan made his way into the forest. His plan was to head west toward the Ile Foothills and eventually cross them to the Tempest plain. There he would study humans at a close advantage point, or so was the plan. His stomach fluttered, now it was really happening, no turning back now.

Luna chewed on a piece of pork as she stamped out her fire. Over at the mouth of the Bridge two guards watched her with glaring eyes. She tried to keep her own eyes on the watchers as she worked without them noticing her staring. She packed up her things and once everything was set away she hiked her bag on her back and started towards the bridge. Each of the guards kept their eye on her as she approached. The two were standing at each side, not with perfect posture, but slouching slightly against the spears in their hands as if they had been there for quite a while. This crosser would hopefully bring them some entertainment.

Luna approached cautiously. The two men, now seeming much larger, started to close the gap between them forcing her to stop.

"Hello there."

One said, not exactly in the most welcoming voice. Luna kept her mouth shut.

"What is your business at this crossing?"

Once again, she stayed quiet. "Is it, trading? Hmmm?"

The other one spoke up. "Are you a merchant? Or just traveling?"

"No no, I don't think she's here for travel Percival, look at her bag." He pointed at it with the base of his spear. "That pitiful thing would never suit for a long time in the wilderness. That or she's going off to get herself killed."

The one named Percival chuckled. "Now that you say it, she does seem a bit under equipped. Do you need any help? Little girl?"

Luna innocently reached around her back to grasp the small dagger she had hidden under her clothes. "No."

"No?" The unnamed one said. "You don't want any help from two big strong men like us?" Percival chuckled again. The unnamed one was obviously the funny one.

"No, I'm going to Tempest for...family."

The excuse was pretty believable, or at least it sounded believable to her. But the two guards narrowed their eyes.

"Family huh? Who?"

"My Father." Luna said immediately, "He came down here to work the forges."

Percival rubbed his chin. "The forges huh. What does he make?"

Luna was growing tired of this babble, they were just trying to stall her and get entertainment out of her, the verbal way and probably the physical way.

"How should I know? I have never seen him work. Now will you let me be on my way?"

Percival took a step back to let her through, but the unnamed one didn't move. He was still determined to liven up his boring life.

"What's in the bag you got there?"

She didn't really know what to say, should she say a weapon? Food? Clothes? Either way it all seemed bad, but fortunately for her Percival came to her rescue.

"Leave the girl alone Greshim, she's obviously not going to do anything."

Greshim stood for a second still staring at her before he moved. "Fine, go on."

"Thank you."

Luna brought her hands back to her sides and walked through the two guards forcing herself not to look back and make it look like she wasn't sincere about her plans.

The bridge under her feet felt different then the dirt and gravel that she had grown used to. Its stone felt firm, sturdy, and proud. It was more than just a bridge for the Humans; it was a symbol of their dominance and their assertion into Lycan territory. Even as Luna crossed it she felt a little pride in what her species was capable of. The Crossing at Tempest was amazing to say the least, and the drop, looking now from in the middle was dizzying. But the end was in sight and another human innovation donned the horizon. Large vertical windmills harnessed the power of the Tempest Valley and its winds to power forges that burned day and night creating the power and infrastructure of Human industry. The tall vertical posts with cloth extending from their sides harnessing the wind numbered in the dozens. Once she made it to the other side Luna could see a clear path to Tempest that, it itself had numerous windmills within its walls. Smoke bellowed from it showing that all the forges were in full swing creating various weapons and other supplies. Although the main output of Tempest was its weapons which they created for the Elif and their military purposes usually for battle with the Lycans. Luna glanced to the east and saw the Ile Foothills, but they really didn't seem like hills now. But she had heard about a pathway that lead through it and hopefully it wouldn't be too hard.

"I guess this is it." She breathed to herself.

Her feet took her east towards the hills, across them lay the unknown Lycan territory which was her destination. Inside, it felt as though her stomach was in her throat. She will not probably see another Human for a long while, a good chance never again. But a chance at survival was better than certain death, and by her own people none-the-less. So, with some uncertainty but mostly confidant with her decision she headed off to the hills.