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...

Morning had come swiftly for Tarn. He had risen to the sound of Finid and Mira cooking in the kitchen. After rising and joining the merriment that Finid's recovery had brought to the household Tarn had eaten and left for his training session with Master Norgura. As the morning air faded into the waning warmth of midday Tarn found himself sparing in the imperial gardens with an incredible fighter that wielded a blade like he had been born with it in his hand. He was not strong, in fact Tarn had over powered him thrice in this training session, but he moved like lightning. Each stroke was like a flowing attack on Tarn's defenses that moved into another and another until Tarn lost track of the actual wielder and merely felt as though he was the training sword and his foe was all that mattered. In a beautiful dance of blades Tarn fought and fought until the boy left his left side unprotected for a second, but that was all Tarn needed. "Damn you!" his foe said as his sword arm failed him and he stopped his beautiful dance of blade and body.

"I did not tell you that you could rest Endria" Master Norgura called out and approached the two.

In a sudden flash of flowing blond hair the not-boy removed his light practice helm "You're a girl!" Tarn said suppressed.

"And what were you expecting!? A man!? Ha! You're a fool peasant!" she said and pulled her sword up to the ready. "Ready yourself boy!"

Tarn barely had time to adjust to her renewed onslaught. She seemed to move with a flowing power that was beyond Tarn's comprehension. "Why can't I beat you?" she whispered in frustration as she attacked Tarn with stroke after stroke. Tarn was dancing again, but this time it was different, intimate, like an expression of the soul that super exceeded any word that ever existed in his mind. And once again the girl allowed her left side to go exposed of a brief second and she was forced to repeat the events that had happened the last time, but to compound the matter she seemed to collapse of fatigue into Tarn as she dropped her sword. "I must... beat... you..." she said as she fainted and Tarn picked up her weightless body.

"Master, I don't know what to do?" Tarn said as he rose and showed the unconscious girl to his master. "What attack is this?"

"Hahaha, do you know nothing about women boy? This is an attack on your heart, and you'd better not fail or you are useless to me"

"I will not master, but how do I guard against it?"

"You cannot my pupil, you cannot"

Tarn laid her down onto a bench in the magically artificial royal gardens. "Who is she master?"

She is Princess Endria, the youngest child of the warrior king Elric Lucavan. She is studying under me so that she can lead her father's men in a war that will take place in three years."

"How does he know there will be war?"

"The enemy has told us this. It is to be the final war between the black king and the warrior king. Here in Lucavan we I have trained all the king's children and soon you two will finish your training as well."

"But why are you training me? I'm nobody"

"I felt that the earth blade wanted to choose you. You have an extraordinary destiny ahead of you boy. The black king has enslaved the race of beasts. Perhaps you will be the one to bring down his army, but this is not for me to know. I am more concerned with how you are wasting your time yammering, go and start practicing your strokes!"

Tarn did as he was told and practiced of perfecting his form as he moved his sword in slow arcs. Despite his concentration he found himself staring at the beautiful princess sleeping on the bench not ten feet from him. Could his destiny have anything to do with hers? He silently wished to himself that it could.

...

Miria had never had so much fun in her entire life. She loved all the motherly women with whom she trained and listened too. Already she had received a lunar charm that she could make glow by concentrating her mana into. "You are strong in the faith my dear. You will make a fine priestess one day little sister"

Miria had been elated to hear the praise of the women in flowing robes of moonlight. She had marveled at their luminescence and had done everything in her power to be the best she could be for them. She felt like she was learning everything the silver haired priestesses could tell her. When the evening prayers were begun and the priestesses began to file into the prayer hall. The beautiful women began to sing in voices that seemed to turn into silver music in Miria's ears and soon she found that by singing her prayers she too could make this magical sound. All too soon the prayers were over and Mira found herself walking back home.

When she arrived she was greeted by the sounds of Rad instructing Finid in the use of the smithing hammer. She slipped into the kitchen and began to cook. After a while she found herself singing her prayers again. Her chiming voice prayed that the foods she was cooking bless her men with great strength and growth of body, mind, and soul. She prayed for Tarn and his sword practice. She prayed for Finid and Rad to be great blacksmiths, and she prayed for Roy to get some meat on him so that he wouldn't be so tired during his drills. In no time she heard the talking of the four males; they talked around the table about how their days had progressed. She herd of Tarn and his sparring partner, she herd of how Roy had wrestled down a crook who had attempted to steal food from a woman returning home from market, and she herd of how Rad and Finid had finally managed to finish a whole commission and had delivered it to a delighted customer. When the food was ready she spooned a helping onto a plate and gave it to Ambra to eat and then took out the meat, bread, and gravy she had made out to the men. They all eat heartily and laughed as they talked of their days. For the first time since Mira had eaten with her mother, father, and three brothers she felt like she was part of a family again. She felt loved and loved in return. All the lessons of happiness the sisters had taught her that day came back to her as she watched her family enjoy her cooking. She began to notice a youthful glow in Finid, a confidence in Tarn, and even some muscle on Roy and she knew that her prayers had been answered.

...

As everybody finished eating Rad watched their activities. Tarn retired to his room to sleep off his heavy meal. Finid and Miria began to clean up dinner. And Roy bid them all a hearty thanks and a goodbye. Rad knew then that tonight he'd confront the lad's intentions and tell him the price of courting Rad's little sister. "Roy" Rad said as he followed Roy out the door and into the guild halls "I need to talk about Mira with you"

"Y...Yes sir?" Roy said nervously.

"Do you wish to court my sister?"

"I won't lie to you Sir Radich the thought had occurred to me, but I didn't know how to approach you on the matter"

"Yes I understand your uneasiness; I have been told I am not an approachable man. Though I will tell you there is a price to have the privilege of courting my sister Roy"

"Please Radich; I have money if you need it. Anything if it will mean your support in this matter"

"I simply ask you to meet me outside town tonight. By the west wall you will find a large grove of trees. In the center there is a clearing. Be there as soon as the moon rises and be ready to fight for your life. If you can prove yourself I will allow you the means to become part of my family"

...

Roy found himself in the exact place Radich had described. It was a place of rare beauty. Here the frost fire flower bloomed and the ground was warm with their beautiful, if fake, fire. The wispy flowers blew in a cold northern wind that was the constant gift of the frozen mountains to the north. Their swaying motion was what made their dazzling pattern look like fire, but they were as cold as the wind they blew in. Many a man has died trying to warm his body in a dazed frostbitten state of mind. In fact it is said the frost fire flower only blooms where a person's blood had melted the permafrost. Roy stood in the center of these deceptive beauties and waited; waited to defend his life like Radich had told him he would have to. Suddenly he was aware of being surrounded. To his horror he watched as a huge black wolf with red tinged fur emerged from the forest right in front of him. The wolf stopped at the edge of the clearing and howled a long and lonesome call. One by one the howl was answered; first by a very familiar red wolf who appeared just beside the black one. Then a white cub appeared opposite the red wolf. Then three more black and red wolves called behind him. Roy knew he was dead, but he'd go down with a fight. The huge black wolf then ended its howl and padded up to about twenty feet from Roy. The wolf then began to change. First it started to grow and grow; as if it's previous body had been just a part of its whole. It then changed in shape. Its front paws became hand like and its chest expanded with thick muscles that were of a man not a wolf. The beast then stood on its hind legs and looked down at Roy; it was easily taller than anything Roy had ever seen, nearing a good 9 feet tall. The monster towered above Roy, but he wouldn't let it kill him. How would Rad feel if Roy had run away and not been there when he had said to be there? Roy readied his spear and looked up at the beast. "Do your worst!" he said. Roy swore the beast nodded before it crouched and then sprang at Roy.

Roy ducked and sliced the underside of the beast's chest with his enchanted spear. The beast didn't seem to notice though, for it hit the ground and sprung back at Roy. The beast sliced Roy's exposed face as it hit him, but it was a light if somewhat deep cut. The real pain came from the impact of the huge monster's shoulder. Roy was airborne for a moment before he hit a tree and fell to the ground. His eyes began to fade, but the feeling of something wet licking at the blood on his face stirred his mind from passing out. The little white wolf was licking the blood from out of his eyes. It yipped and whined and then hoisted Roy up into a sitting up position. Roy got the message clear. He wasn't going to be killed unconscious; no he was defiantly going to have to fight to die honorably. Roy stumbled onto his feet and then toward the huge beast. "I won't let you kill me like this!" Roy screamed and charged the beast.

Every thrust was blocked every lunge evaded. Roy might have been striking at air, but he was giving no quarter. This beast would have to find a flaw in his form before it could pull off an attack without getting gutted. And then, like lighting Roy's spear actually connected. The blade actually pierced the beast's meaty shoulder, but his success was his downfall for the beast merely grabbed the spear, ripped it out of its shoulder and threw it aside. To Roy's amazement the wound actually closed in and healed in an instant. Knowing that this was the end Roy bent on his knee and submitted to the beast, but instead of the quick end he anticipated he felt a hairy hand on his shoulder. He looked into those deep yellow eyes and felt energy he didn't understand flow into him. The wolves around him put up a howl and then it came. The beast bent down over Roy and bit into his shoulder. All the moonlight seemed to flow into Roy from that bite and when the beast released him he felt as if he had become a sieve for the moons power. As the beast stepped back Roy felt his body begin to change. His legs and arms changed to those of a wolf and his hands and feet into paws. He grew wicked black claws and a tail grew from his rear. Once fully changed he too tilted his head up and howled at the moon. Then the beast seemed to tuck into itself and revert back to a huge black wolf. "You have done well Roy" it said when it was once again fully a wolf again.

"I am your loyal pack mate, Alpha"

"I am Ambra" the red female said.

"I am Finid" the white wolf said.

"I am Drach the smallest of the three elders said.

"I am Kadra the next elder said.

"I am Renir the last elder said.

"And I am Hadrach, your alpha. You have proven worthy to join my pack, do you agree to accept me as your alpha and hunt under my orders?" Hadrach asked.

"I will hunt and give you first choice of my kills" Roy said and knelt in honor of his promise to Hadrachs supremacy.

Roy was a werewolf now, but his human side was still there too. He ran with his pack and together they took down a wild Kaylak that had grown huge on Sinecone fruit. Roy recognized the bittersweet taste of the fruit in the Kaylak's flesh. He felt more alive than he had ever felt before, like he was of fire. In fact he found that as he hunted he was overcome by a burning frenzy, like a rage he could barely control. The tastes of blood he'd gotten as he had attacked the fleeing Kaylak had only heightened his thirst for more. Finally, when he had had his share of meat he found that it was he that all the others curled up too in the den. He had never slept as soundly as he did that night with the pack, but he knew in his heart that there was still something missing, something that Hadrach would now let him have if he could earn its love. Yes Roy was in love with Miria, but already knew that she was special. No bite could ever turn her into a sister of the pack, no, she was actually already a wolf, but she was innocent and would need to find her powers on her own. And when she did Roy would be there to protect her on her first hunt.

When the sun did rise it rose on a refreshed young man who was pulling on his clothes in a very cold forest clearing. Not but two hours earlier he had used his guard keys to unlock a tiny gate in the west wall that led into town through the waterways. Radich, Ambra, and Finid would arrive home well before Tarn and Mira woke up. "Dose the tail ever go away?" Roy asked Kadra.