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Stone and Wolf (Part 4)

He dreamt that night. It was a luxury to sleep fitfully enough to dream. His exhaustion from battle and lack of rest the past two nights had left him without energy. Crag had been trained not to let him sleep if he knew Lyke didn't need it. In this case Crag curled right up next to him, and Lyke fell asleep to the rise and fall of the great beasts' flank. In his dream, Lyke stood upon a parapet of a gargantuan castle, overlooking a bleak, open landscape. He wore noble garments. He had become aware he was dreaming at this point, and instinctively reached down with his left paw to grasp the hilt of his sword. He felt nothing. Looking down out of disbelief, he saw only fine, gold embroidered black and purple cloth.

"What would High King Lyke need a weapon for?" He turned on the spot to discover Ilisha looking at him from the shadowed entrance to one of the grand, tall towers. He could not see her face, but she looked like she wore similar vestments.

"Umm... just looking for my sword... It never leaves my side..." She giggled a paw to her mouth. Lyke squinted. From where he stood she looked painfully thin.

"You got rid of it, remember? You said you didn't need it anymore." This worried Lyke greatly. He thought to himself that if he was not dreaming this, he could think straight. He should just walk over to her. Why can't I just walk over? My paws won't move.

"Ilisha... Come closer... I can't see your pretty face." She didn't move.

"Why? To remind you of how you failed? I won't do that to you again, my love. You can never see me again... That's the price you said you were willing to pay..." Lykes' heart raced.

"Nonsense!" He barked at her. "What could be worth more than you to me Ilisha?" Just then, his paw's glowed with a sickly greenish light. He raised them up to his face and stared. It was beautiful. It felt wonderful to just produce such energy. In fact, he was sure this was not all he could do. In longing for his sword, he produced a shimmering spiritual copy in the thin air in front of him. This took only a thought and a wave of his paw, and... something else that escaped him. But that didn't matter now. He took up the sword, eyes wide with wonder.

"You see, Lyke. You just can't look at me again. You can't face what caused all this. What your fate will be as well." The sword disappeared. His mind now focused back to Ilisha... How could he have ignored her just to play with his new powers? It just felt so good...

"No... It doesn't have to be this way... Please come out, dear. I don't know what I said earlier, but I would like to see you. I miss you so..." He heard her heave a sigh. Her figure shifted its weight in the door frame.

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yes!" Lyke answered without a second thought.

"Very well." Ilisha stepped forward into the pale light of the morning sun. Her noble clothing hung on her like curtains on a rod. Her body had become thin and weak. She wore a blindfold, yet she smiled. He cringed away from her. He could deal with all of what he saw, but one thing that repulsed him beyond all others was just the simple fact that Ilisha had no fur.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" Lyke cried, and fell to his knees. Ilisha created a similar sword in the air in front of her and held it aloft as she approached him.

"Don't be sorry for me, Lyke my love. Be sorry for yourself." He suddenly felt nauseous. He clutched his sides and almost vomited. Then, he convulsed as he realized he had no fur either.

Lyke jolted awake. His heart was pounding. In a moment of fright, he touched himself all over to make sure he had fur in all the places he had it before he fell asleep. Crag growled deeply, yet softly as he lifted his big head. Lyke patted him.

"It's alright, Crag. Just a dream." Lyke noticed he had sweat through his fur. "Ha... Damn. I haven't done this in a while." He picked himself up. "Come on. We've wasted enough time." Crag got to his feet and shook himself off. They had slept against a giant tree that the name of which escaped Lyke. Its great roots tangled around its base, and its gnarly bark was thick. This forest had a fair amount of these trees, but most where smaller.

It was getting dark out. They had traveled all through the day since they left Racalli. Now, judging by the light of the near full moon, it was past midnight.

"Anything in the woods move while I slept? Creatures?" Lyke asked as he mounted. Crag nodded. "I'm guessing they were no problem. What where they? Raccoons? Squirrels?" Crag shrugged. "Ah well... Let's try to get out of this pass before sunrise, okay? Let's go!" They set a brisk pace northward, but slow enough to conserve Crag's energy. Lyke kept low as the shadows and trees went past. He had been unhorsed... or un-cated by a low hanging limb a couple times. This would be a bad time to have that happen. The metal war spears where heavier than his javelins, and longer. They clicked together every one in a while when Crag was forced to make a small leap over large undergrowth or fallen logs.

Lyke fell into a dream-like state. Reality was whooshing past him, not all around him. The later of those places was where he usually liked to keep it. Now though... The darkness and moonlit dapples seemed ethereal, hauntingly unreal. His mind idly analyzed the dream he had. He had many questions concerning it that he almost wished he could ask the Racalli elders about what it might mean. Something told him that he would not benefit from their answer. These where the only thoughts in his mind until the light of sunrise caught his attention and forced him to look up, out of his head and forward through the trees.

He was so glad that the scenery had changed a little. These trees where smaller and sicklier than the ones previous. Crags paws kicked up little clouds of dust. The land was drier here. Lyke leaned forward and put his paw on Crags' cheek.

"How are you doing?" Crag gave a gruff nod and deep throated growl. He wanted to keep going. "Good boy. Just let me know when you want to stop and we can take a breather." Lyke knew that Crag would run himself to exhaustion if Lyke didn't make him stop. He was prepared to let him run that far this time however. It was imperative to get to that castle.

As his gaze shifted to the right without conscious thought, he stopped something out of the ordinary in the dry earth. There was little undergrowth now, so he could hardly miss it. Distinct horse tracks in a small clearing.

"Crag! Slow down and double back to the right! I think I spotted some sign of Ilisha!" Crag nearly skidded to a halt as he turned his body on the giving soil. Lyke had to hold the violin strap to keep from falling off. The clearing approached once again and Lyke jumped to the ground, wanting any excuse to stretch his stiff muscles. His tuck and roll was sloppy, and the spears clattered loudly. He ran the little ways remaining into the clearing, brushing aside some thorny bush with the back of his sword. Crag stopped just short of the clearing, knowing better than to spoil the evidence. Lyke stepped with care up to the base of a dying tree. There were indeed horse prints here. It had been tethered to the tree by the looks of the bark. If it was Ilisha who had been here, this would have been Ara, her horse. His gaze swept the rest of the area with a trained eye, his nose constantly taking in new air to catch a scent. He longed for the smell of her fur close to him again. Ruffles in the ground indicated a bed roll had been laid down and slept in for at least a few hours. After poking around this imprint, to his delight, he discovered wolf prints. It looked to him like females' foot-paws. He got down on his paws and knees and sniffed the ground around the imprints. The scent was too old. He imagined he smelt her like she was right next to him for a fleeting second. At this he shook his head to clear it. "Damn... There's hardly any scent at all... This is old... about five days old I'd guess. That concurs with the elders' timing..." His eye caught a small patch of white against the sandy tan of the ground. After snatching it up, he found it to be a tuft of Ilishas' fur. He kissed it and stood from his position. "Grooming herself again." He chuckled to himself. He was just glad she still had fur. As much as he would like her scent near him again, he would have hated to have found all her fur at this clearing. Lyke approached Crag and deposited the tuft of off white fur into the holes of his violin. A warm smile crossed his lips as he mounted again. "That enough of a breather? Let's get to that castle!" As he said this, and Crag started off once more, Lyke looked back at the mountains. They had made it out of the pass.

How much farther is this castle? He thought. They gave me four days rations... two days in, two days out... I've been going a day already, and no sign of a castle. A thought struck him. Wait... If they know it's two days on horseback to the castle, they set me up so I have precious little time to spare once I get there. Clever bastards. "Pick up the pace Crag. We're pushing this journey thin as it is. Let's ensure we'll at least have some time to enjoy the scenery once we get there." Crag sped forward, the air now whipping at Lykes' face. Then again... How much food could Ilisha have possibly brought with her? She's been traveling what...? Six days now? Two to get there, I assume. So she's already been there four days...How much could Ara possibly carry? Oh what am I worrying about? I'll probably find her riding back this way in a matter of hours, apologetic, and guilty for leaving me and everyone else to pursue this foolish errand... Lyke could not maintain this optimism for more than a few seconds. His contented smile faded. Oh Moon... Ilisha... Please be safe... And I want to find you, not some blind, furless creature clinging to the stone walls of an empty and forsaken castle. If that's the case... No. It's not the case. It will never be. Even if it was, I would not abandon her. She will come back with me, no matter how much magic taint she absorbs! No matter what it does to her! No matter what it does to me! ... No matter how much the Racalli Village elders make me believe stories about haunted ancient castles... Lyke laughed to himself. The elders seemed silly now. He would find Ilisha, and return to laugh in all their faces. Ilisha would no doubt have swiped some priceless artifacts, and they would return home to the southlands like heroes.