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Shadowdale, 1372 DR. 3rd day of The Fading.

When Aiden awoke, his pains were mercifully muted. His arm didn't hurt nearly as much, and must had been properly set, splinted, and wrapped judging by the way it felt. His mother must have given him a potion. He didn't feel strange though. The other kids normally complained that they felt funny when she gave them sleeping potions.

He could smell the dusty scent of the feathers in the bed he was sleeping on and the wool of the thick quilt he lay under. The underlying odor of the oak and cedar that the house was built with tickled his nose. Strange...he normally never noticed the smell of the house. He also smelled something else...something faintly earthy. He opened his eyes slowly and tilted his head to the side. Just like last month, his mother was sitting there, though she had a smile on her face this time.

"I thought I'd lost you as well," she said.

"Not quite," he replied. "Close, though."

"I should never have let you go out without Scruff. We spent three days searching for you. Scruff couldn't find your scent after the rainfall."

Aiden didn't have a response for that. He should have taken Scruff along. Being attacked by the beast he'd seen could indeed have proven fatal for him. Looking around him though, he didn't see the enormous gray mutt.

"Where's Scruff anyway?" he asked.

Leda turned and looked toward the doorway. Aiden followed her gaze, and saw the dog peering at them both from around the doorframe, hiding from him. Scruff saw Aiden looking at him and let out a low peculiar whine and ducked back behind the wall. That was weird; he'd never known Scruff to hide from any of his family.

"At least you still have your bow. Your brother would have been disappointed if you'd lost it." Leda said. Tears welled up in his eyes at the mention of his now deceased brother. His mother sniffed a bit and wiped her eyes with her hand.

"Your father had an urgent message from the keep," Leda said. "He should be back around sundown. Storm said you mentioned bandits and capture as they were taking you over here. Scruff says you smell like something dangerous and wild."

With that, she leaned forward and narrowed her eyes at him. "What really happened?"

He and his brother had pulled dozens of pranks together. They found out the hard way that they couldn't fool her. She could sniff out any lie, be it deliberate falsehood or simple omission. Maybe distraction would work, he thought.

"Scruff said I smell dangerous? That's quite a trick. When did he learn to talk?" he joked with a grin.

His mother's lip didn't even twitch. His smirk faded as he realized she was totally serious.

"I know exactly what he's thinking, just as he knows what I'm thinking. He's been my friend since long before you were born," Leda said.

Perhaps distraction was a bad idea. Now he was thoroughly confused, knowing that dogs rarely live more than a decade. He'd thought Scruff was nearing the end of his years. He waited, puzzling over that. He was starting to think his mother was pulling his leg, but she looked far too serious. Knowing it was useless to lie or hide something, Aiden took a deep breath.

"I camped out the night I left, and the next day I took down a deer. That night, when I was coming back, I was attacked. Some giant beast. It bit my arm and I was afraid it would eat me. I ran." He stopped and took a breath. "When I stopped, my arm was bleeding and twisted around. I tried to fix, but it hurt too much. Somehow I managed to fall asleep. When I woke up, I realized I'd sprained my ankle as well."

Leda looked at him, clearly expecting him to go on. When he didn't respond, she said, "And the missing clothes? Being gone nearly a tenday?"

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Aiden thought for a few moments before replying. "I must have slept for a couple days the night I was attacked. Someone wrapped my arm, possibly gave me a sleeping draught. There was a message carved on the tree where my stuff was. I tried to walk, but it was slow going. That was the day it rained. The next day after that, I woke up in a tree. I have no idea how I got up there. Something must have dragged me up there. I had to jump down." He cringed at the memory.

His mother was listening intently. He paused a moment and then continued. "Yesterday, when I woke up, I was naked. I wasn't where I fell asleep either, same as the previous night. I've no idea how or why. My clothes..." He shook his head. "They were pretty much trashed...ripped seams and everything. It was like an animal decided to play with them. So I left them."

Leda stared at him for a few moments, completely silent. Eventually, she blinked and pursed her lips.

"So...you went out hunting, were attacked by something, fell unconscious for three days, then walked for another three days through Drow, bandit, and monster infested forest, despite a broken arm and sprained ankle. It sounds like you had a busy week." Leda paused for a moment before continuing, her voice nearly a yell, "What if you'd broken a leg instead? You could have hardly walked home then! What were you thinking, going out hunting without Scruff? You could have died! I've already lost one son, and I don't want to lose another!"

She leaned over and grabbed him around the chest, squeezing him hard enough that he was having trouble breathing. Finally she let him go and sat on the bed next to him, tears running down her face.

"Don't ever do that again. You take Scruff with you whenever you go out. You hear me?"

He nodded.

She wiped her face with one hand, and stared at him for a few moments. Then she began chanting in a language that he had never heard before, and began making hand gestures. Her hands began to glow faintly with green light.

He panicked and began pushing himself back toward the wall. His own mother was a mage? Icy tendrils of fear rushed through him. She reached out to touch him. He jerked, trying to get away, but was slow, too slow. The green light flared.

His mother moved back to the chair again, smiling at him, a twinkle in her eyes as if she was holding back laughter. He just stared at her, heart racing, chest heaving as he sucked in air. As he sat there, he realized his arm had stopped hurting.

"You should see your face," she said, then burst out laughing, unable to contain her amusement. Eventually she managed to get her breath back and continued, "It almost makes up for all the silly pranks you and your brother pulled." She sobered for a moment, clearly thinking about Norin.

He fought to slow his breathing. It was his mom, there's no way she'd have done anything bad to him. Still, the thought that she was a mage wouldn't leave him. Eventually his heart stopped pounding. She just smiled at him, clearly amused that he'd been so afraid.

His stomach rumbled quite suddenly, interrupting his reverie. Leda stood, turned to the door and paused a moment. Scruff slunk into the room, head held low. Leda stared at Scruff for a second, and he lifted his head and looked at Aiden with a whine. Then Scruff walked over and rested his head on the edge of the bed, looking up at Aiden.

"We'll talk more about your adventure later. Don't tell anyone, even your father, about waking up naked. I've got a feeling why you did, but I want to talk to a friend of mine first."

Leda turned away and headed out of the room saying, "I'll be back with something for you to eat. I'm glad you're home safe." Aiden just stared at her as she walked out.