Chapter 12

It was an interesting array of personalities, and reflections of their former places in the human world.

Claw was big, powerful, and had many scars that showed his prior life as a fighter in the Pens of Cheston. He had survived there for over a year, killing fellow Arcans just to survive in their bloody, gladiatorial games, then forced to eat the flesh of his opponent when he was butchered, and often the flesh of other Arcans bought for no reason other than to feed the fighters. Claw had gone over a year eating nothing but the flesh of his own kind. Because of that, Claw was almost jumpy and quick to react to any unknown sound or touch with violence. He was quick to anger, and had a mean streak in him gained from having to entertain people who had come to watch Arcans rip each other to shreds. But despite that, he had a very real fear of humans, a fear that made him even more violent because he hated them, yet he feared them. His feeling of helplessness gave him a hair trigger, a trigger that often went off on the others. Claw was not very social as Arcans went, for he'd spent the last year seeing all others of his kind as Arcans he might have to kill, so he would not form bonds. That made him ill-equipped to travel with other Arcans, and caused him to become something of a pariah among them… which only made him angrier. But Clover wasn't afraid of him, and his absolute reverence for the Shaman made him meek and supplicant to her, and to Kyven as well. In the year he'd been in the Pens, his only dream he allowed himself was that someday he'd be free, and his white knight in his dreams was a Shaman. He'd freed himself, being sent to Alamar to be sold there as a fighting Arcan, slipping his collar, then breaking out of his cage and running. The Masked had found him and passed him along through the Network, a series of Masked in villages and lone outposts and cabins in unpopulated areas that funneled Arcans from human lands to Haven. Claw had come from Cheston, then was taken across the Smoke Mountains from another mining village in the far south of the Free Territories called Veroke. Claw would have been a problem had Clover not been there, for she was already gently and carefully soothing him and showing him that the other Arcans were not his enemies. He knew that already, but a year of conditioning was not easy to shrug off.

Teacup was the most social of the three. She was very young, only six, exceedingly small even for her age, and was very chatty and outgoing. She'd been raised on a tobacco farm, like many Arcans in the Free Territories were, and was being sent to Riyan for sale when she escaped by virtue of being chained to three other Arcans that did. Teacup hadn't been quite intent on escape, young and idealistic about her chances of landing a master that would put her to work in someone's house, since she was so cute and perky, but she really had little choice. The biggest irony was that after they were free of the chains, the other three were captured and Teacup, fearing being punished for escape when she never intended to escape in the first place, continued to run. She was found by the Masked and put into the Network, and here she was. She was very talkative, very very Arcan with her need to touch, and she was energetic and enthusiastic. Now that she was free, she was rather taken with the idea of life away from the humans, almost as if she had to be free before she fully understood and appreciated the life she left behind. She was now quite excited by the prospect of seeing the mythical Haven. Teacup wasn't afraid of humans at all, she was actually rather infatuated by them, by their strange diametric personalities. She was also bold to the point of recklessness, not afraid of things she should have the sense to be afraid of… like Claw. She just couldn't seem to comprehend the fact that Claw was not raised in the same benevolent environment she had been, and tried to treat him like any other Arcan.

Patches was the other extreme. She too was young, only seven, but she had been very harshly abused by humanity in her short, young life. Raised in a rich household, she had been the recipient of a great deal of physical abuse by a drunken master and a cold, sadistic mistress. Patches' parents were abused, the family's children were abused, the two owners abused anyone and everyone in their house. She would be beaten by the man and had her hands plunged in boiling water and cut by knives by the woman. Her parents were also abused, but unlike her, they had been broken completely by the humans. They accepted their abuse with complete docility, always saying that they deserved them, and did not protect their child from similar treatment… but what could they do? Patches grew up subjected to daily abuse and became fearful and docile herself, at least until she grew up. When the woman burned her with a hot poker, Patches realized the crystal in her collar had faded, freeing her to retaliate. She killed the woman with the very poker she'd used to burn her, waited for the master to come home, then stabbed him with a knife, killing him. She took her collars off her parents, who then attacked her for killing their owners, so completely they were broken. Patches fled from that house in Beran and was found herself in the care of the Masked after nearly dying of starvation out in the wilderness. They had to nurse her out of her shell, help her get over her trauma first, but when she was well enough to travel, they sent her on. Patches was very nervous, very submissive, and very dependent, despite her traumatic upbringing. She was deathly afraid of being alone, and almost never left Teacup's side, having attached herself to the young raccoon. But, in the short time they'd been together, Clover had become the mother that Patches had never had but always wanted. Clover's gentle, sweet demeanor had utterly charmed the young panda, and she received from Clover the kind of warm, unconditional love she'd always craved but never received.

Three Arcans, three very different Arcans, but they shared a common goal now of seeing Haven. Claw wanted a place where he would never have to be afraid of humans again, where he could regain his dignity and try to shed his fear and hostility towards his own people, which had been ingrained into him in the Pens. Teacup wanted the adventure of living by herself, of learning a trade and earning her own way without being told what to do. Patches wanted safety, to be in a place where she could feel safe and secure, a place where there were no humans to abuse her and people who would be nice to her.

Their reactions to Kyven were different, but expected. Claw was reverent towards him because he was a Shaman, otherwise he would be very aggressive and hostile, as he was another male, and Claw almost always had had to fight other males. Females weren't as big and strong as males, and it was a poor, quick match when they were pitted against each other. Teacup was very curious about him because she was curious about everything and everyone, more than willing to talk with him for hours and hours if he allowed it. Patches saw him as another authority figure, like Clover, but she wasn't as friendly with him. Clover was kind and gentle, urging Patches' obedience with love, where she obeyed Kyven out of reflex and a little fear. She didn't know him and her view of authority figures was a negative one, but when she was afraid, she was more than willing to seek him out for protection. But she always looked at him as if she expected him to start beating her at any minute, and that made Kyven a little indignant. As if he'd ever do something like that.

They moved steadily northwest, into progressively smaller and smaller hills, over three days. They would run at a pace that let the very domestic Patches keep up without exhausting herself, which Kyven figured wasn't much faster than the horses of the Loreguard chasing them, eating the remains of the kills Kyven made for them the night before. Then, when they bedded down for the night, Kyven would hunt. Claw wanted to hunt with him, but Clover kept them at their camp, understanding that Kyven's method of hunting was virtually unstoppable by the prey. If he could find the deer, so long as they weren't downwind of him, he would catch them. He would kill one or two deer each night, which was enough to feed all five of them, then give them food to last them through the next day. One deer would suffice, were Kyven not so dependent on large amounts of food he needed to recover after practicing magic until he all but passed out after bringing the food back to camp.

How they slept also reinforced Kyven's observations. All of them but Claw slept together, in the typical Arcan fashion of seeking comfort and reinforcing social bonds by sleeping together, while the cougar Arcan slept by himself on the far side of camp, or in a nearby tree. Patches slept huddled against Clover and between her and Kyven, seeking their protection even in sleep, and Teacup slept on whichever side pleased her at the time, even occasionally splayed across all three of them. Kyven was too exhausted to keep watch, but Clover didn't set any watch at all, she just let everyone sleep. That was because both Clover and Claw were very, very light sleepers, and both of them were up and investigating any sound that caught their attention. Clover would hold them in camp until Kyven awoke from his magic-induced slumber, they would eat breakfast–which was quite large for Kyven–and then they would head out again.

After three days, they came out of the hills and onto a flat plain that was dotted with grassy fields interspersed in the forest. The grassy fields were strange to him, for he could see no reason for them. The surrounding forest was relatively young, probably regrowth after a forest fire, which didn't explain the holes in the forest. They did, though, allow them a few sun-drenched stopovers to rest, eat, or refill water skins in streams.

It was at one of those streams that they saw their first unfriendly face. It was a trio of large canine Arcans, naked and clearly wild, creeping out of the forest warily to investigate the five newcomers. Clover stood up and regarded them coolly for a moment, then raised her hand and pointed at them. The three Arcans started and then bolted back into the trees, and seconds later there was a loud noise that echoed across the field.

"Who were they?" Patches asked fearfully, sidling up against Kyven unconsciously.

"Feral Arcans," Clover replied.

"Feral? What does that mean?"

"It means they're no more than animals, child," she answered.

"How does that happen?" she asked. "I mean, what made them that way?"

"Birth," she said, a little sadly. "Some Arcans are just born that way, child. Born with no intelligence, only instincts. We don't understand how or why it happens. It's not a disease we can cure, it's some kind of condition. But some regress to that state if they're abused enough. The sadder part is, the children of feral Arcans aren't feral themselves, they learn feral behavior from their parents. We are social creatures, child, very dependent on each other. What those children learn from their parents is very, very hard to undo. That is why when humans catch feral Arcans, they believe they tame some, where some always remain feral. The ones they believe they tame are actually normal Arcans that were socialized as being feral, and are retrained to be more social. It never works completely, they always have a great deal of trouble interacting with the social world, but they do learn some rudimentary skills. For the humans, that is enough. Any Arcan that can push a plow or clean a table is good enough."

"That's so sad," Patches said. "Are they dangerous?"

"It depends," Kyven said. "I've had no problems interacting with wild Arcans, but that's because I seem to know what to do. But if you don't approach them right, they can be violent."

"You have an unknown scent, Kyven," Clover told him. "They don't know how to respond to you, so you can approach in a non-threatening manner. I, however, don't have that luxury, so I must be much more careful. If they've ever come across a coyote before, then they'll react to my scent based on that past experience. Since you're, unique, you don't have to roll the dice as to whether they've encountered your kind before."

"Ah. That would explain it," he nodded.

"So they wouldn't attack me?" Patches asked.

"That would depend entirely on how you approach them," Clover told her. "Kyven would be the one to explain that to you."

"There's a technique to it," Kyven said when she looked at him. "It's one quarter approach and three quarters luck."

She gave him a look, then actually laughed. "You've been attacked before?"

"In a manner of speaking," he said lightly. "My last approach to a wild Arcan was with an overly amorous wolf, who was then very unhappy with me when she realized we weren't compatible. That was when it got very nervous, since she had me on the ground under her."

Clover laughed, Claw smiled, but Patches and Teacup just gave him strange looks. "What does that mean?"

"If you don't know, then you're too young," Claw announced.

"I'm not that young," Teacup said pugnaciously. "So she screwed you? How could she tell you weren't compatible?"

"Clearly you've never joined with a raccoon," Clover said with a slight smile. "If you would have, then you would know."

"There's something that happens in a female if she's compatible with the male that's fairly unmistakable," Kyven told her patiently. "When that didn't happen, she knew she'd wasted her time with me, and got very unfriendly. At least that was the way it seemed. She had to know I wasn't a wolf from my scent, so I think it's possible she did it just because she was lonely. The lack of compatibility just reinforced her instinct to reject me after she stole my kill and took what she wanted from me."

"Even feral Arcans seek companionship," Clover nodded. "Even feral, we are social. That is why you saw three feral Arcans, child. Feral Arcans will band together and form packs if they're of generally similar species. Canines will form packs, foxes form packs, cats form packs, and rodents and other smaller species will form packs."

"Why do we just let them go?" Teacup asked. "Wouldn't they be able to live with us?"

"They eventually run away," Clover shrugged. "So when a child is found to be feral, it's raised to an age where it can survive on its own, then let go. They are happy being wild and free, and they also serve to help discourage the humans from trying to settle the frontier. So in their own way, they protect Haven."

"But they're dangerous to us… how does that help?"

"Ask any Arcan in Haven, child, to choose between the threat of feral Arcans and the threat of humans, and guess what they will say."

They encountered more wild Arcans over the course of the day, and one group that was not quite so wild. They were naked and appeared to be wild Arcans, two male canines, a tall one with black fur, several scars on his face and torso and a missing right ear, and a shorter one with mottled gray and brown fur, but Clover didn't chase them away. They ran up as Claw had to be held back by Clover and Patches hid behind Kyven, then bowed before Clover. "Shaman," he said in greeting.

"You're looking well, Longtail," she said, taking his hand and then nuzzling him. "Everyone, this is Longtail, and that is Strongjaw, they are sentries for Haven."

"We're that close?" Teacup asked.

"No, you're still a good two weeks or so out from Haven," the other one, Strongjaw, answered. "We're what you might call advance scouts. We look for anyone moving towards Haven and send a warning if they're unwelcome, like humans."

"Another week of running," Teacup sighed.

"What brings you to me, my friends? Trouble?" Clover asked.

Longtail shook his head. "We just happened across you by chance, Shaman," he answered. "Would you like us to run with you for a while?"

"Ah, I think that would not be a good idea," she said, looking back at Claw. "My large friend here escaped from the Pens."

"Ah, well, I hope you find your peace, friend," the canine said with a nod to him. "Just know that we are no longer your enemy."

"I'm trying, but it's not easy," Claw answered.

"I was once in the Pens," he said, turning and showing them his back, where he had been branded with a circle and two lines, leaving behind a scar upon which no fur grew.

"The Champion's Brand!" Claw said in surprise. "How did you escape?"

"The ship sending me to Alamar sank, and I swam to shore," he shrugged. "Just persevere, brother. In time, you'll find peace as I did."

"Longtail, spread the word. There are humans on horseback following us. They are not to be interfered with. We are luring them into our territory so we may capture them alive," Clover instructed

"I will spread the word, Shaman," he said with a nod.

The two canines left them, and they ran on with no more breaks until sunset. Clover had them camp in a small clearing, which for them was little more than spreading blankets on the ground and sitting down for a meal of the venison Kyven had killed the night before. Kyven ate the share he'd packed for himself and then started removing his clothes after the sun went down, and Clover announced she was started a fire. When Claw asked her why she was starting a fire, she replied, "the fire also scares wild Arcans away. They fear fire." She had Teacup and Patches collect firewood as Claw was tasked to dig up the grass to form a safe place to start it.

"So handsome," Clover teased him when he pulled off his pants and stood naked before them. "I'm still waiting for you to keep your promise, brother," she teased.

"If you can wake me up, be my guest," he answered honestly, which made her laugh.

"Why do you sleep so heavily?" Teacup asked him.

"He is still in his Walk, child," Clover answered for him. "He is still learning the ways of the Shaman. It is very tiring. That is why he sleeps so deeply."

"You're Clover's apprentice?"

"No, Shaman do not teach other Shaman, small one," she answered. "We are taught directly by the spirits. That is what the Walk is about. Kyven is a totem Shaman, and his totem is still training him to her satisfaction."

"What does that mean?"

"When I ask spirits for aid, different ones may answer my call," she answered. "But Kyven is only answered by one. He has a special relationship with that particular spirit."

"Not necessarily a good one," he grunted.

"You don't like your spirit?"

"Not at the moment, no," he answered honestly. "But I still obey her, because she is my spirit."

"Huh. Weird, I thought you'd be friends or something."

"That's what I thought at first too," Kyven said with a low growl. "It's dark enough, Clover. I'm off to hunt."

"Good luck, brother."

He heard Claw when he bounded off. "Why does he do all the hunting, Shaman? I can hunt."

"Kyven has advantages which we cannot match," she answered simply. "It is his niche. Let him fill it."

"But I feel so useless here!"

"You must learn to accept your own, Claw, that is your primary task with us," Clover told him as he bounded into the woods and quickly was out of earshot.

Kyven ranged out into the forest, staying quiet and invisible, while he searched for deer, watched for Arcans or monsters, and also backtracked quite a bit to see if he could see how close their followers were. He kept going back the way they came, nearly an hour back, but he saw no fires. He was almost a little disappointed over that. He wanted to see Danna again, he wanted to talk to her. He gave up on trying to see her and ran back towards the others, and got back to the job he was doing, hunting. He tracked down deer about an hour after moving back towards the others, deer that were even bigger, seeming to get bigger and bigger the further they moved towards Haven. He stalked in from downwind, on all fours, slinking into position to make his attack, when the deer seemed to become alert. They stopped and looked around, their ears flicking back and forth to listen. Had he made too much noise? Clover would tease him if he came back after so much time empty-handed, not after talking him up to the others. Kyven started when a pair of gray foxes dropped to the ground from the trees above and landed on one of the deer. One of them ripped into its hindquarters with its claws as the other hung off its shoulders, the clamped her jaws on the doe's neck. An ambush from above, clever! The two grays drove the doe to the ground, and Kyven had to wince a little bit when the male slashed the belly of the doe before it was dead, spilling its entrails to the forest floor as it kicked and jerked. Kyven watched as the female sank her fangs into the neck of the doe repeatedly, sawing her teeth back and forth savagely, until the doe collapsed and remained still. Once it ceased struggling, she joined the male at the belly of the doe and began to feed. Kyven watched the pair for a moment, saw that they seemed to be cooperating with each other. The female surrendered the liver to the male, but the male handed her the kidneys. Those had to be a mated pair.

He left them to their meal on silent feet, and chased after the rest of the herd. They bolted quite a ways and then slowed down, alert and wary, but they had no defense against him. He got literally within reach of a large buck, then executed the hunting move with which he'd has the most success. He leaped into the air and crashed into the back of the buck, catching it off guard, and his weight immediately drove it to the ground. Kyven had to avoid the buck's antlers as he snagged his claws into it while the rest of the herd scattered, and mirrored the female gray's move of driving his fangs deep into the buck's throat, crushing its windpipe. The buck struggled under him, but his claws held it fast, and it slowly succumbed to death.

He picked up the buck and shouldered it, surprised that it was so heavy, then trudged back to the camp, guided by his memory and his magic. Any time he felt he was drifting off the path, he used a bit of Shaman magic he had improvised, asking the fox which way he should go in the form of a Shaman spell. She would respond, and he'd get an immediate insight into which way to go. He got close enough to see the campfire, and carried the buck out into the clearing. Clover's silhouette appeared in the firelight, her eyes glowing amber as she looked out with spirit sight, and she came out to meet him. "What took so long? I was getting worried."

"I checked our backtrail, and I ran into some wild Arcans that made it a little harder to find a kill," he answered as she fell into step with him. "I think we can get by with just this one. It's fairly big."

"They'll get larger as we go west. Once we're past the Inner Sea, we'll start seeing redtails."

"What are those?"

"Relatives of deer, but much bigger," she answered as he dropped the buck to the ground. "There are also bison out there, but I'm not sure you'd want to tackle one of those without magic of a weapon. They're the size of a large bull and weigh so much you'd never move it once you killed it. One bison could feed all five of us until the meat went bad, and there'd still be half of it left." She knelt and put more wood on the fire, and he knelt by her. "Peaceful, isn't he?" she asked, looking at Claw. "I have hopes for him. It won't be easy for him to reacclimate… it never is. But, we start a new phase tonight," she said with a slight smile. "One of the best parts of the job," she added.

"What do you mean?"

She gave him a direct look, which made him flush under his fur a little. She meant to have sex with him, probably as a trust-building exercise.

"Ah," he said delicately.

She chuckled. "I do hope you don't have human sensibilities."

He nudged her. "Does screwing a girl with two males playing cards in the same room count?"

"That sounds Arcan to me," she winked. "And to think I passed a prime chance at you back at the cave because I thought you wanted privacy."

"Live and learn," he teased.

"You owe me now, brother," she shot back, nudging him with her shoulder.

He reached out boldly and grabbed the base of her tail, his thumb and forefinger pressed against her buttocks. "I can get you ready for Claw," he purred in her ear, his other hand sliding up the fur on her stomach, then coming to rest over one of her furry breasts.

"You need to go the other way," she teased in a low voice. He chuckled and did so, sliding his hand back down her stomach, over her pubic bone, and then touched her intimately. She growled softly in her throat as he explored her with his fingers, being abundantly careful because of his claws, as he licked her on the cheek and muzzle. She closed her eyes and let him do as he willed, then she sighed and licked him on the cheek. "You're much more adventurous than Arcans," she teased. "Most Arcans would never think of doing that. Most males would have tried to bend me over without any kind of play."

"Humans are depraved," he told her, which made her giggle, then take in her breath when he rubbed her genitals gently. He wasn't quite sure why he was being so forward, so bold with her, but it just felt… right. She had told him before she was inclined to him, she had just invited, he was responding. That, and days of yearning for Danna had certainly put him in the mood for some serious distraction. "I'd better let you go to Claw before I do bend you over," he said, removing his hand from her genitals but sliding it up and down the length of her thigh.

"If one of the girls isn't feeling frisky, I'll come take care of you," she winked, licking him on the nose.

"Not quite sure how to ask."

"Just ask," she winked. "If she's up to it, she'll say yes. If she doesn't feel like it, she'll say no. And won't think a minute past that."

"I may have to do that," he noted as he let her go.

"If they won't, I will. Just don't tire yourself out tonight, brother. Save yourself for me. You'll need it," she winked.

Kyven stayed at the fire as she got up and went out to where Claw was sleeping, away from the others. She knelt by him, and Kyven opened his eyes to the spirits to see. She put her hands on his chest, which started him awake, but he just laid back down when she pushed him back to the grass, rolled him fully on his back, and deliberately straddled him. Claw seemed to respond immediately to that, his penis becoming quickly erect, and Clover wasted no time, holding his erect member as she lowered herself onto him. Kyven watched to make sure he wasn't going to attack her for a moment, but when he started kneading her breasts, he knew that Claw was much more interested in the sex than he was afraid of the contact. Clover seemed to be enjoying it, but Kyven saw it for what it was. She was getting him used to contact with Arcans again, and starting with something his instincts wouldn't deny… sex. But Kyven didn't think it would take him long to adjust. He showed no fear of the females, not really, just a wariness.

He certainly could use some similar activity. He went over to the two young females, who were sleeping, and knelt down by Teacup. He put his hand on her stomach, which woke her up. "Teacup," he said in a low whisper. "Are you feeling a little frisky?"

She looked up at him, then grumbled and rolled over, swatting at his hand. "In the morning," she declared blearily.

Strike one.

He went around them to Patches, but hesitated. The girl had been abused, and odds were, some of that abuse was sexual. He wasn't sure how she'd respond to his proposition… but his erect penis was telling him to try. He nudged her gently on her shoulder, and she opened her eyes and rolled back enough to look up at him. "Patches," he whispered, "I really hate to ask this, but I'm in a bit of a mood. Are you feeling frisky?"

"I don't–" she started, then saw his erect member. He saw the sudden tightness in her eyes, and she timidly rolled over on her back and opened her legs.

That just took the mood right out of him. He knew he shouldn't have asked; odds were, now she'd see him much more threatening, more like the authority figures from which she'd escaped and not a protector and nurturer the way Clover was to her. She closed her eyes, which made him sigh, and he leaned down and licked her lightly on the cheek. "Nevermind," he said quietly to her. "I'm sorry I asked, I should have known better. Go back to sleep."

He padded away from her, wanting a little distance, if only to make her feel more comfortable. He should have realized that asking her was a bad idea, so he needed to give her some space, and make it abundantly clear to her that he would not ask anything more than she was willing to give. He would go hunt up another deer. It would give him something to do, and he wouldn't have to listen to Clover and Claw and stay in a state of excitement.


Patches rolled up on her side and watched him drop to all fours and pad off away from the fire, into the night, then she blinked in surprise when his body just seemed to melt away once he was away from the firelight and entered the murky darkness further out. She was shocked that he didn't take what he wanted, shocked and a little bewildered. Taking her was what they always did. She didn't know any other way, and it was never very good. Sometimes it didn't hurt, if the master was too drunk to hit her while raping her, but he'd just walked away. Was she not pleasing to him? Didn't he want her? She was confused, so confused she just laid there, until she heard the groans and growls from the other side of the fire and realized that Claw and Clover were doing it too. She sat up and looked, saw Clover atop him, and from the look of her she was… enjoying it. Enjoying it? She never enjoyed it. But then again, it didn't look like Cover was being raped. If anything, she had to be raping him, she was the one on top, the one in control.

A girl raping a boy? Why would she bother? Why willingly do something that didn't feel good?

But… Clover did seem to like it. She kept gripping Claw's shoulders, leaning down and licking him on the face as he held her by the waist. She bit him, but not hard, holding his neck in her jaws as she seemed to shudder on top of him, then Claw growled deep in his throat and grabbed tight to her, holding her, pressing her hips against him. Clover's tail writhed behind her, then it dropped to the ground between Claw's legs. She giggled and licked Claw's nose playfully, then leaned down and whispered something to him. He patted her on the hips, then let her go. She climbed off of him, patted him on the shoulder fondly, then sidled back around the fire with a very satisfied little smile on her face. She saw Patches sitting up, looking at her, and came over and sat down beside her. "I'm sorry if we woke you, child," she said softly as Claw rolled over on his side, away from the fire, and settled back to sleep. "What's the matter?"

"Did you like that?" she asked directly.

"Oh, very much so," Clover said with a little smile. "Claw has a sexy body, and of course, he has quite a large dick."

"I never liked it," she said quietly, hugging her knees and putting her chin on them.

"You've never made love, child. All you've ever known is submission to a horny master, who was probably quite rough with you. There is no pleasure in being taken, child, but there is much pleasure in giving."

"That's what my mom said, but it never was."

"You have to desire the man, child. And I dare say you had no desire for your master."

She shook her head on her knees. She shivered a little when Clover put her hand on the girl's back, stroking her fur. "Did Kyven ask you?"

"He did. I don't know what I did wrong, he just walked away."

"I dare say you submitted to him, like he was your master," she said sagely. "That would turn Kyven off quickly. He does not find that attractive. He was asking if you were willing, not demanding you to surrender to him. Be honest, child. Do you think he looks nice?"

"He's gorgeous," she said immediately. "I love his fur. It's so soft!"

"Now imagine that fur all against you, everywhere," Clover said in a soft, gentle tone. "Wouldn't it feel nice?"

"It would feel wonderful."

"Well, if he asked again, now that you know he doesn't want you if you're not willing to be with him, how does that make you feel?"

She was quiet a moment. "Afraid," she admitted. "It's never been anything but scary. My master would beat me while doing it to me. To me, it's nothing but pain and humiliation."

"Well. Patches, do you trust me?"

"Of course!"

"You trust that I'd never do anything on purpose to hurt you?"

"Of course you wouldn't. You've been so good to us, Shaman."

"Then will you trust me now?"

"Uhh, I trust you," she said, but she squeaked a little when Clover reached over and pushed her hand between her leg and torso, urging her off her legs. She pushed the girl until she was leaning back, leaning on her hands, and gave the coyote a strange, worried look when Clover slid her hand along her red-furred stomach.

"Close your eyes," she said in a gentle, reassuring voice, which Patches obeyed. "You've never known anything but fear and pain, Patches. You need to learn that there is sweetness to it. Patches glimpsed a look at the Shaman, and saw that her eyes were glowing brightly with a yellow radiance, as they always did when she used he magic. "Now, child, feel." The Shaman put a single finger on the crown of her pubic bone, over her genitals, and the panda sucked in her breath when she felt… pleasure. It wasn't intense, it was a gentle kind of warm, sensual pleasure that started down there and radiated up through her. The panda closed her eyes and leaned her head back as she felt something she'd never felt before, felt actual pleasure down there, in a place she'd always associated with pain. It lasted a long, sweet moment, and then it faded, making her sigh a little. "Now, did that feel good?"

"Y–Yes," she answered. "It felt very good."

"That is just the palest shadow of how good it can feel," she said simply. "When the male attracts you and you want him."

"It really can feel good?"

"It can, if you like the male," she winked. "Now, do you like Kyven?"

"I, I don't know. He's a Shaman, but he's–he scares me a little."

"Kyven? Scary?" Clover said, then she laughed lightly. "Dear child, Kyven is anything but scary. In many ways, he is just like you," she said, tapping her on the nose.

"Me? How?"

"He's struggling through a very strange and unfamiliar situation," she answered. "He is on his Walk, which, I can tell you, can be very, very unpleasant. He's already faced some very harsh trials on his Walk, and now he dreads what might come next. Does that sound a little familiar?"

Patches blinked, then nodded.

"He came to you seeking comfort, and when he saw it bothered you, he left you be," she reminded her. "Doesn't that show he cares about you?"

"I… I guess it does."

"So, think about it, child. Think about the fact that he'll never force you, he'll be very gentle with you, and now you know that it can feel very, very good. But not tonight. If you came to him tonight, he'd think you were still trying to give yourself to him out of fear. I'll comfort him tonight, but tomorrow… well. You might feel differently by tomorrow," she said with a smile, leaning over and nuzzling the panda. The Shaman patted her on the thigh warmly, then got up, stretched languidly, and then wandered off to where they'd designated as the place to go to relieve one's self.

Maybe… maybe Clover was right. If what she'd felt was just a little thing compared to what it could be, well. And Kyven was quite handsome to her, with his soft, soft fur and gentle eyes, and how he let her sleep with him, between him and Clover. She'd woke up this morning curled up against him, and he had his arm over her, and it felt so warm and safe…

She blinked, remembering that feeling Clover gave her with her magic. Was it really better than that?

She laid back down and closed her eyes. Maybe there was something different to it when she was willing. She could try, she supposed. If it was, then it might feel nice, like that feeling had. If it was wrong, well, it wasn't like she hadn't faced it before, and at least Kyven was gentle.

She drifted back to sleep, considering the possibilities.


Clover watched the girl through spirit sight as she relieved herself, smiling slightly.

There was more than one Arcan in the party that needed healing and therapy, and she had plenty of experience with the state many of them were in when they reached her to know how to go about solving their problems. It was what Clover did best, and what she loved to do, and that was to take beaten, timid, scarred Arcans and make them whole again, teach them the strength of love, the beauty of self-confidence, to love themselves again and learn to love others. She'd deprogrammed Arcans like Claw many times, and had also gently guided little ones like Patches away from their timidity and fear, showed them that there was no longer anything to fear, and watched them blossom and grow into independent, strong, caring, and social Arcans.

They were both well on their way. Claw had received his first gentle, compassionate touch, and Patches had just learned that sex wasn't always a traumatic experience when one was with the right male, that it could be sweet.

Shaman magic could be quite… versatile.


Clover kept her word, at least. When Kyven returned with a yearling, she pulled him away from the fire, into the grass, and she fulfilled her promise. Clover was a very gentle lover, but also very, very demanding, and quite… durable. She quite literally wore him out, then put him on his back when he was too tired to go on and kept right on going. She seemed to have total control over both him and herself, and didn't allow either of them to orgasm until she was totally satisfied and he was totally exhausted… but what sweet exhaustion. She literally had to walk him back to the camp, and was highly amused by it. "You wouldn't last a day in a Shaman's bed, Kyven," she teased, poking him in the ribs lightly. "No stamina at all. My second session of the night, and I wear you out? The reputation of the Shaman is in jeopardy."

"Hush, you," he shot back. "Come have a little talk to me after I finish the Walk and can channel maintained spells, and we'll see just who begs for mercy first."

She laughed delightedly, leaning against him. "It's a date," she promised as they returned to the fire. "Do you feel better now?"

"Much, thank you, Clover. It was wonderful. And as you can see, I'm literally weak in the knees because of you."

She giggled as they built the fire back up, then she led him over to the girls and laid down. Patches had been curled up with Teacup, but let go of her and turned to him in her sleep, nestling up against him. He put his arm over her and closed his eyes, hoping that she wouldn't see him in a poorer way in the morning, that she took his leaving her as an apology for bringing up something he should have had the sense to not bring up. He drifted off to sleep with his nose in Patches' hair.

He awoke with her virtually in the same position, curled up against his stomach, with his arm over her, but she was awake, awake and exploring the fur on his upper chest with her fingers very tentatively, very delicately. He decided to ignore it, startling her as he rose up on one hand and yawned, then he looked down at her. She looked a little frightened of him, and that stung a little, but he just put it behind a smile and patted her on the shoulder. Teacup, Claw, and Clover were already up and about, eating his deer, so he looked down at her. "Morning. Aren't you hungry?"

"Not much," she said in a timid voice, just laying there.

"Listen, about last night. I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry," he said, patting her shoulder. "I should have realized what kind of place you came from and never asked what I asked. I frightened you, and I'm sorry. I won't do it again, I promise."

"It–It's okay," she said, looking up at him. "Thank you for caring about me."

"I'm a Shaman," he said with a gentle smile. "It's what I do. But here's a secret," he said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "I like you, and I'm glad to help."

She gave him the most curious look as he got up and pulled on his breeches and shirt, then joined the others at the carcasses to get breakfast himself. Patches put on her clothes herself and joined them, joining him at the yearling rather than eat with the others at the buck. Kyven thought that was a little odd, but he accepted her presence, even handed her choice parts of the carcass, which she ate with little enthusiasm. "I'm still not used to this," she said quietly.

"Eating venison like this?"

"Eating meat," she answered, taking another bite. "All I got to eat back–well, it was bread and scraps. Almost never meat, my parents always took all the meat. If not that I'm a panda, I may have starved."

"Why is that?"

"I actually prefer plants, but I can eat almost anything, even twigs and leaves," she answered. "I'm not like you and the others. You're carnivores. I'm an omnivore."

"I like vegetables," he protested.

"I mean, your system can't handle twigs and leaves. Mine can."

"Ah. So, you could eat tree leaves if you had to?"

She nodded. "They don't taste very good, but I can. I mean, I did. There was never much food left for me," she said in a small voice, looking away.

"Well, those days are over, Patches," he said, patting her shoulder. "You won't be eating leaves again unless you want to."

She gave him a shy smile, and took the kidney he gave her and bit into it.

They moved faster that day, since Patches was strengthening and capable of running faster and longer, and Clover seemed to think that they needed to go faster. The pace was still almost leisurely to him. But the increased pace didn't translate into more distance, for an afternoon storm slowed them down and got so severe that they took shelter in the forest as fierce winds whipped through the region. The storm raged for over an hour, and when it was over, it was nearly sunset. "We'll set camp right here," Clover decided, "but we'll have to get an early start tomorrow. We need to increase our pace, so rest well. Tomorrow will be long and hard on you."

Kyven pulled off his wet clothes and shook the water out of his fur, then sat on his haunches as he waited for the sun to fully set and twilight to take hold, so he could go hunting. "It's going to be a wet night," Teacup said distastefully, looking at the soaked forest floor.

"Range out and collect firewood, ladies," Clover ordered. "Claw, could you sweep the area for any hiding dangers?"

"At once, Shaman," Claw said, and he turned and bounded out into the gloom.

Kyven was surprised by two pairs of hands that touched his back and shoulders. He glanced back to see both Teacup and Patches touching his fur on his shoulders. "Do you mind, Kyven?" Teacup asked.

"Knock yourself out," he answered, lowering his head. He let them run their hands through his fur, and he rather liked their attention, for they were gentle and honestly curious about his fur, which, everyone told him, was quite exceptional.

"I love how soft he is," Teacup said, putting her face against his shoulders and nuzzling his fur. "I've never met anyone with fur like this."

"And you won't," Clover said with a smile. "Kyven is a very rare breed of fox."

"Hurry up, girls, it's almost dark enough for me to hunt," he told them.

"Why do you only hunt at night?"

"Kyven's breed of fox is nocturnal, and his coloration allows him to blend with the darkness to make him almost impossible to see," Clover answered. "He is perfectly suited for hunting in the night, and none of us can match him."

"Just about," Kyven agreed. "I can sneak up on them to where they can't get away."

"What's it like to hunt?" Teacup asked.

"It takes concentration and care," he answered. "I have to get to where I can sneak up on my prey, but also pay attention that something else doesn't come along and attack me at the same time."

"Do they fight back?"

"The deer? Not really, their first instinct is to run. But I also make sure they don't have the chance to try."

"Then what might attack you?"

"Wild Arcans or monsters," he answered. "Last night I came about fifteen seconds from getting ambushed by a couple of wild Arcans. Alright, ladies, let me go. It's time to go get tomorrow's food."

"Good luck!" Teacup called as they let him go, and he stalked off into the trees.

"I seem to recall telling you two to gather firewood," Clover said teasingly as he retreated.

Kyven didn't have to go far to find dinner. About twenty minutes after padding off, he smelled deer on the ground, and marveled for a moment. It seemed that here lately, his senses had been becoming more acute, particularly his nose. Was he settling more and more into this Arcan body? Would he become more and more Arcan? He already was. He'd totally adopted Arcan customs, he was completely used to his tail and his fur and his muzzle, he could speak perfectly now thanks to Old Gray, and he felt completely comfortable. Would he feel so comfortable standing naked in public if he were human? Who knew. There was no telling, really, and the only thing that seemed to make him want to regain his humanity now that he felt totally safe was Danna. Thoughts of her kept making him want to be human, so he could have a chance with her. Even now, just thinking about her made him think of looking at her with spirit sight, seeing that beautiful body of hers–

Not while he was hunting. He didn't want the deer to see him with an erection and get the wrong idea.

He followed the scent of deer, stalking through the night, and found them. It was two bucks, practicing fighting for dominance for the upcoming mating season, pushing at each other with their antlers. Kyven hesitated a moment, speculating on them. They were way too much food together, but the big one was probably enough for all of them. Clover said she wanted to increase the pace, so carrying less food over the day would probably be best. But, he wasn't sure exactly what she wanted, so he decided to be safe about it. He would kill two deer, the smaller male and then go find something small to make up the difference. He channeled silence over both bucks, then skulked up into position as they took notice of the sudden loss of sound, their tails rising in the air as they separated. He vaulted and slammed into the side of the smaller buck, returning to visibility, which made the other buck bolt as his sparring partner crashed to the ground. Kyven latched onto the buck and delivered the killing bite, holding it down as his jaws suffocated it, then hoisted it over his shoulders and carried it back to the camp.

The camp was much different when he returned. There was a fire going in a prepared firepit, and the entire campsite was totally dry. Claw was laying on the far side of the fire, already asleep, while Clover sat with Teacup and Patches by the fire. Teacup was giggling, then all three of the females gave him an assessing look as he dropped the buck to the ground. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Clover said with a slight smile.

"Something tells me I'm glad I'm not done hunting yet," he said, which made all three of them laugh as he dropped back to all fours and stalked back into the darkness.

It took him about an hour to find what he was looking for. He stalked up on a quartet of deer, which included a small doe that looked to be only about two years old… perfect. He channeled silence over the four deer, which made them fidget a little, then pounced on the small doe. His weight drove her to the ground, and he killed her with his bite to her small neck, his fangs puncturing her main artery. She twitched as she bled her life out onto the forest floor, and then went still, her form shimmering to darkness to his eyes. He collected up his prize and carted it back to the camp, and found them all laying down. He dropped the small doe by the buck and tended the fire, then sat down a moment to gaze into the flames and relax after the long day.

A hand on his shoulder surprised him a little. He looked up and saw Patches seating herself beside him. She was quiet a long moment, looking down at her hands, then she put her hand on his knee and turned towards him. "Kyven, about last night."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"You had nothing to be sorry about," he told her simply. "I'm the one that was in the wrong."

"I, I just–" she looked away. "Clover talked to me after you left. She told me something."

"What did she say?"

"She said it's not scary and it doesn't hurt if you like the boy," she answered. "That it can feel good."

"I suppose it does," he answered. "I'm no female, I can't say positively what they feel, but I'm pretty sure that they like it. I know I like it," he chuckled.

"I–We–Kyven, I like you," she said with a bit of confusion, gripping his leg.

"Are you asking?" he asked, looking her in the eyes, seeing if she was defensive or tight. She looked decidedly nervous, but he didn't see any sincere fear.

"I–yes. I'm asking."

He leaned over and nuzzled her, then leaned close to ear. "One thing, Patches. This is for you," he told her. "If at any time, you feel afraid or uncomfortable, I'll stop. If I think you're becoming afraid, I'm going to stop," he told her, reaching over and putting his hand on her waist. "Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"And you won't get angry with me if I stop if I think you're not ready?"

"I–no, I'll try not to be."

He understood how delicate this could be. Patches had been abused, badly abused, and he had no idea what Clover said to her to make her want to try this so soon after being rescued from her abusers. But she was reaching out, and he understood his duty to her. He had to be careful, he had to be gentle, and above all, he had to show her that it could be pleasurable. If this went badly, she might shut herself off from everyone and live out her entire life afraid of others. She had put her trust in Clover, and now was putting her trust in him. If they betrayed that trust, it would destroy her. He caressed her waist lightly and licked her ear, then continued. "I'm going to touch you, Patches," he whispered to her. "Everywhere. Will you let me?"

"Yes," she breathed back, her grip on his knee increasing.

He honored his duty to her. He was slow, gentle, and very careful. He built her up to it slowly with caresses and touches, nuzzling and licking her face. He felt her freeze up the first time he touched her genitals, stimulating her to be ready for him, almost making him stop, but then she relaxed and buried her face in the soft fur on his neck, nuzzling it vigorously as he explored her. He felt her breath against the fur on his chest quicken as he rubbed her gently, until what he felt under his fingers told him she was ready. He debated putting her on top, in control, but he felt that being on top of her was more appropriate, allowing her to build a new memory about being in a submissive position. He saw the tension in her eyes when he gently rolled her onto her back, but when he leaned down and whispered "only for right now, I'll let you be on top in a bit," she calmed down considerably. He felt her little claws dig into him, trembling, when he locked his eyes on hers as he entered her, saw the tension appear there, but then it faded when he fully entered her and hesitated, allowed her to comprehend that he wasn't just raping her, that she had the chance to speak up when he asked her directly, "do you want to go on or stop?"

She made a quiet little noise, then closed her eyes. "I–go on," she said, a little breathlessly, gripping him.

He distanced himself from it enough to pay close attention to her. He was fully aware of the fact that he was having sex with her, but he wasn't doing this for his own enjoyment, he was doing this to help Patches overcome her fear of intimacy. He watched her face closely as he continued, being slow and gentle, not in any way giving her any feeling that he was being rough or forceful, and he was rewarded the first time she gave a little gasp, and then moaned slightly. She was enjoying it! That spurred him on, but he still remained careful, going from treating her like glass to having more normal intercourse. She was surprised by his change, but not afraid; in fact, it just made her enjoy it more. The one time he tried to slow down, to see if she was still willing when she stopped making sounds, she just gripped his fur painfully and pressed against him. He was actually startled when he felt her climax, sucking in her breath and snapping her eyes open, almost in shock and fear, then her eyes lost focus and she all but melted, giving out a long, ragged groan. Her climax triggered his own, and he clutched her small body as he lost himself in the moment, feeling her small, short little claws dig painfully into his back.

"Wh–What was that?" Patches asked in a gasping breath. "I never–that was incredible!"

"Congratulations, you had your first climax," he panted in her ear. "Want to take your claws out of my back now? I think you drew blood."

She squeaked and let go of him, but did run her hands through his fur languidly. "Did, did you like it?" she asked.

"Very much so," he answered. "Did you like it?"

"It was nothing like–yes, I liked it. I didn't ever believe that could feel so good."

"I'm very glad to hear that," he told her, nuzzling her. "You're well on your way to putting your last home far behind you, Patches."

She gave him a strange look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, this is a part of your healing," he said, putting his weight down on her a little to focus her on what they'd just done, "and I'm honored you chose me to help you take this first step. It touched me, little one, touched me deeply."

"You didn't want to?" she asked, almost incredulously.

"Dear girl, you have the nerve to ask that now, after we already did it?" he asked with a playful smile, licking her on the cheek, which made her giggle. "I wanted to, very much. Boys can't fake it when they want to, there's this glaring visible sign we're interested," he said dryly, which made her giggle again. "But there's doing it for fun, and then there's doing it because it helps. You needed to learn that what you suffered in your last home isn't all there is, Patches. There can be sweetness in it."

"There was," she said in a whisper. "Is it like that all the time?"

"Depends," he shrugged. "Depends on your mood, depends on the male, depends on his mood, depends on a lot of things. If you took comfort from Claw, it would be much different. He's not me. He has different tastes, he has different likes. I'm not saying it would be good or bad, but I am saying it wouldn't be the same."

"Oh. Thank you for being so kind to me," she told him, looking up at him.

"It was my pleasure, Patches. Literally," he grinned, which made her laugh, and her laughter sent a twinge through the member still inside her that made him highly aware of it, and her, and sparked desire in him. "Mmm," he hummed, "I seem to recall promising letting you on top. I seem to have broken my promise. Unless we do it again, of course," he hinted throatily, pressing his nose against her cheek.

"You want to do it again?"

"Do you want to?"

"Yes!" she declared. "I've never been on top before. What do I do?"

"Whatever you want," he said, rolling them over and putting his hands on her waist. "Whatever you want."

She was clumsy at first, but finally settled down and found that she could find just as much enjoyment out of being the one in control as she'd had being the one controlled. He didn't measure himself or take any precautions at all, he just ran his hands all over her and thoroughly enjoyed it as she did whatever pleased her. The second time was very short because she was quite energetic about it, having sex with him quite hard and fast, almost as if she sought to have that feeling again as quickly as she could. She climaxed just minutes after she started, and her climax triggered his own, holding her hips and holding her against him as they shared their pleasure.

She collapsed on his chest, and he ran his clawed fingers through her fur carefully so as not to scratch her, and she literally fell asleep. Kyven chuckled and leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. Clover came over and sat down beside him, giving him a warm smile, and rubbed the top of his muzzle. "You are Shaman, my brother," she told him simply in a soft voice. "Well done."

"I guess there are many things a Shaman can do without magic," he mused, stroking Patches' hair from her face.

"You knew what she needed and gave it to her. You cared for our flock. That is the Shaman way," she said to him. "We don't just serve the spirits."

"I see that," he nodded. "What did you say to her?"

"It wasn't what I said, it was what I did," she winked.

"Huh?"

"Let's say that sometimes, a touch of magic can set someone down the right path," Clover winked, then she leaned over and licked him on the cheek. "Carry her over to us. Don't sleep alone."

He did so, and they bedded down for the night. Patches curled up against him, and he put his arm over her protectively, even as Clover rested against her back and put her arm over her as well, surrounding her with warmth, love, and protection. It was exactly what she needed to heal, and the Shaman would provide it to her.


Things slowly began to change, both around them and among them.

They pressed to the northwest for over a week, and the further they went, the cooler it became. The trees were larger and thicker, the strange meadows vanishing, as they pressed into relatively flat terrain. But then, one early afternoon, they came out of the forest and Kyven found himself looking at a sea of grass. There was not a tree anywhere before them, absolutely nowhere. The forest just ended, and this sea of grass began.

"The grasslands," Clover announced as they all stopped and stared. "Now do you see why I had you hunt so many deer last night, brother?"

Kyven nodded. There was nowhere to hide out there if one was hunting, only very gentle rises and falls in the land. Clover had stocked them up for this journey, he realized. She had him kill four deer last night, and for the first time, she and Kyven dried the meat and loaded their packs with them.

"What happened to the trees?" Teacup asked as they stared.

"A fire, a century ago," she answered. "It burned the forest to the ground, from a hundred minars behind us all the way to the Inner Sea. In the years since, the forest has only grown back to this point."

"It must have been some fire," Teacup mused, looking around.

"It will be fast from here. This is open, safe country, my friends, in which we can run freely. So come."

They all dropped down and loped off, at a decent rate. Patches had strengthened considerably during their trip, her Arcan body rebuilding quickly and allowing her to run further and faster with each day. There was nothing but gentle rises to impede their view, which allowed them to see everything around them. Kyven made out quite a few rabbits out on the plain, and a small herd of huge animals to their south. He caught up with Clover and pointed them out with his nose, and she laughed. "Bison," she told him. "I'm surprised to see them so far east. I've never seen it before."

"Are they tasty?"

She laughed. "Yes, they are, but good luck bringing one down without using magic."

"That sounds like a challenge."

"That's a warning."

He surveyed the massive animals, only slightly smaller than Taurons, then chuckled. "I think I'll take that warning."

"I knew you were wise," she winked.

They stopped up a small hill up from a fairly deep stream, after crossing it, stomping down the grass to form a flat place that actually hid them once they laid down in the knee-high grass. If it got any higher, they'd be forced to run on their legs tomorrow because of grass in their faces. They made no fire that night, and for the first time, Clover posted a sentry. Claw was tasked to watch over the camp first, then Clover, then Kyven, allowing the young ones to sleep. Claw was eager to do it, eager to finally feel like he was being useful, but he also obeyed Clover's commands and woke her up. To Kyven's surprise, Claw laid down with them, on Kyven's other side from the girls, probably feeling secure enough to share space with the Shaman but not trusting himself. Clover woke Kyven up for his shift, and she replaced him between Claw and the girl. Kyven opened his eyes to the spirits and kept watch over the night, remaining silent, sitting on his haunches with just his head over the grass to minimize his visibility in the moonlight. The moon was waxing, approaching full moon, and it cast the sea of grass in a ghostly white light that was visible to his nocturnal eyes, interlaced over the vision provided to him by his spirit sight.

The night passed without note, as nothing bigger than mice moved… until the false dawn streaked the eastern horizon. Kyven was looking at it, seeing the sky lighten to a purple, when he saw them, just at the far reach of the horizon.

Five horses.

Kyven ducked down until only his eyes were over the grass and peered, squinting with all his might to see more. He saw five horses, but only four riders, and they were too far away for him to make anything out.

"Clover," he called quickly but quietly. "Clover!"

"Mmm?" she asked, rolling and sitting up.

"Horses," he called. "From the east."

She slinked over, low, then poked her head up to his level and looked in the same direction. "Your Loreguard officer is quite determined," she said quietly. "And resourceful. Those horses are running faster than horses can usually run. They must be using crystals."

"What do we do?"

"We're far enough out. We take them here," she said, looking back. "Claw," she called. "Wake up the girls."

"Yes, Shaman! Wake up, wake up!" he said with a low hiss, shaking the girls by the shoulders.

"How do you want to do this?" Kyven asked.

"If they keep at the pace they're going now, they will be on us before dawn," she noted, "and we'll have the darkness. The only one that matters is the captain, Kyven. The other men may be either chased off or killed. Wait. The hunter is with them," she said, pointing to the right. He looked that way, and saw Toby, running at magical speed, splitting off to the right. "They can track you, somehow," she deduced. "Look, the hunter is moving off to flank us."

"Let me take care of the hunter," Claw said as he came over to them.

"No. Claw, your duty is to protect the girls. These foes are using a great deal of alchemy. They are our job. Your job is to defend the defenseless. Do you understand?"

"I–I want to fight!"

"Your days of fighting are over, Claw," she told him simply. "Now you only defend. Remember that. You have earned your peace, and I will not take it from you."

"But Shaman–"

"That is the end of the matter," she told him. "The girls need you, Claw. If we fail, then it falls upon you to take them to Haven. They are your responsibility."

Claw looked stricken, then he nodded. "I will make sure they make it alive and well," he declared.

"That's a good boy," she said with a charming smile. "Now take them. Go that way," she said, pointing. "Quickly!"

"Shaman," the two girls said in unison, but she just smiled and shook her head.

"You have earned your rest, my children. Go to your rest. Leave the invaders to us. Now go. Go!"

The three gave them a stricken look, then turned and fled to the northwest.

"Brother, I hate to say this, but they can track you."

"Bait," he grunted.

She nodded. "They know I'm a Shaman and will be watching for me. What they don't know is that you are a Shaman, or that you can come up on them without being able to see you. So we will wait for them at the stream, it is too deep for the horses to cross easily. I'll circle them and attack from behind when they reach the stream, what I need you to do is hold their attention so I can take them."

"What are you going to do?"

"Kill them," she answered. "All but the officer. We need her alive."

"Alright," he said, steeling himself for the task. "Let's go."

Kyven and Clover slinked down the hill slowly and carefully, keeping in the grass, then the coyote veered off to the left and began her long circle to get behind them. Kyven swam across the stream, shook the water out of his fur, then hunkered down in the grass and felt the coolness wash over him as he blended into the shadows the grass created, then he could do nothing but wait. He waited what seemed like an eternity, his ears straining for any sound, as he went over what he had to do and the best way to go about it. He wanted to blind them all, but Clover would be behind them, and she might be blinded too. So what he needed to do was incapacitate them–

Silence. He would silence them all, that would confuse them and prevent them from communicating. That would give Clover the chance to strike. Yes. That was the plan. Silence them, then hold their attention until Clover struck.

Now that he had a plan, he waited with more confidence, but that confidence fluttered when he heard the horses' hooves in the distance, felt them in the ground beneath him. He saw them after a moment, five horses with four riders charging right at him. He felt the nerves rise as he heard them slow down as they either knew he was there or saw the stream, then he saw them through the blades of grass. She was leading them, wearing a chainmail shirt that had a tear in the right shoulder. The three men with her slowed with her, one leading the horse, and the woman held something out. "He's straight ahead. Let's water the horses and then keep moving."

They couldn't see him. It was so clear they couldn't see him that Danna's horse very nearly trampled him. The horse shied when he scrambled out of the way, which caused her to pat the horse on the neck and look around, down near its feet, probably looking for a snake or rabbit that might have spooked it.

She didn't see him.

They all dismounted, and Kyven realized he'd made a dreadful mistake. Clover was working to get behind them, and he'd allowed them to get past him! Now she'd be coming at them from where they could see her! He had to turn them, and he realized that his only option was to reveal himself and flee back across the stream. But before he did that, he didn't want them to have an easy time of it. So he stalked up to the edge of them, to the horses, where one of the men was patting his horse on the neck, his black rod slung in a holster on his hip. Kyven slipped to his rear quarter, reached out, and pulled that rod from his holster with deft, light precision. He had no idea what it was or how it worked, but he knew how to swing one like a club. He swung hard, swift, and true, clubbing the man in the temple with his own weapon. There was a sickening crack, and blood flew in an arc as Kyven's Arcan strength caved in the man's skull.

There was chaos. Shouting, horses whinnying as Kyven gave a booming shout, startling the horses, then turned and dove into the water. He wasn't a very strong swimmer, but his jump had given him enough momentum to get most of the way across the deep stream. He scrambled out of the stream and looked back, saw the men jumping on their horses, but he also saw Danna staring at him in shock, her face disbelieving.

She was looking him in the eyes, and his eyes were open the spirits. She knew his secret now, she knew that he was a Shaman.

The other two men plunged their horses into the stream, chasing him down, but Kyven struck first. He channeled lightning, aiming not at them, but at the stream itself. Lightning blasted into the water, and then the two men and their horses screamed as they were electrocuted. Both men slumped from their saddle and fell into the sparking water, where their chainmail jacks quickly dragged them under the water, not to resurface.

Kyven himself learned an important lesson out of it; never channel lightning while wet. Part of the shock fed back into him, leaving his fur standing on end and making him feel all tingly and numb. He tried to shake it off, and when he did, he was staring right into the eyes of Danna Pannen.

"No!" Danna screamed in a strangled tone, yanking a pistol from her belt and pointing it at him. "You're a Shaman!" she said in a wrenching tone. "I don't believe it!"

"Danna," he said, raising his hands. She looked angry, and humiliated, and frightened. He had no idea what she was going to do. Was she going to shoot him? She'd said she wanted to capture him and take him back to see how it happened to him, but now she knew the truth. Would she just shoot him and be done with it? He thought about some way to retaliate, disable her, but he didn't want to hurt her, even now. "I'm sorry," he finally said.

She lowered her pistol a little. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you the truth."

"Truth? The truth? You're a Shaman!" she screamed. "You lied, you cheated my truth crystal! You were never a human, you just killed the real Kyven and took his place using some kind of magic to masquerade as a human!" Her eyes widened. "You lured me out here!" she gasped, and she raised her pistol.

Kyven heard steps to his right. He glanced and saw Toby charging at him at a speed faster than any human could ever run, his snaring whip already in his hand.

Kyven reacted out of pure impulse. He turned to face the new threat, raised both hands before him as if to fend the man off, then closed his eyes and flinched away as he channeled the burst of light. He didn't see it, saw nothing but a bright flare in his closed eyes, but he heard Toby cry out and heard tumbling. He opened his eyes and saw Toby tumbling on the ground, but the magical tether was lashed against Kyven's shins, wrapping him up. A quick look showed him that the blast of light had affected Danna too, as she had her free hand to her face, over her eyes, hunched over. Kyven was wrapped up, but Toby was blinded, and he knew he could get free if he pulled the whip out of Toby's hand. He turned and lunged the other way, pulling the snaring line taut, but Toby doggedly kept his grip on the handle, and caused Kyven to fall to the grass. Brazenly, Kyven rolled over and grabbed the line with both hands, sticking them to it fast, but it allowed him to jerk savagely on the line, pulling again and again, until he finally pulled the whip free of Toby's hand and caused it to evaporate. He scrambled to his feet, glanced at Danna, and then froze. She was again looking at him, and she had her pistol leveled at his heart. Her eyes were flat and cold, and he knew she was going to pull the trigger.

The sound of the gunshot ripped through the air. Kyven felt himself flying, the ground and air trading places wildly, then he landed in the grass, tumbled, and fell headfirst into the water. He sucked in a lungful of water, making him gag and choke, clawing himself back to the surface where he expelled the water from his lungs and coughed violently. He was waiting to feel the pain of the bullet, but it never came. What had happened? He looked behind himself and saw Danna standing there, her smoking pistol in her hands, her eyes wild. He looked back, and saw the grass flattened. He crawled out of the stream and got over the grass, and he saw the still form of Claw laying in the grass, blood seeping from a hole in his shoulder, not looking to be a fatal wound.

What happened? Did Claw knock him aside? Why did he come back when Clover told him to go?

"No!" Danna said in a strangled tone, throwing the pistol down and drawing the other one, aiming it at him, and pulling the trigger. It clicked harmlessly, making him flinch, and she threw that one down and drew a shockrod from her holster and leveled it at him as he finally got the sense to run. But he didn't take two steps before the snaring line again wrapped around his legs, and he tumbled to the ground.

"Ayah, Ah need him alive!" Toby barked.

"He's a Shaman!" she shrieked. "Kill him!"

Kyven got back to his knees and saw Toby rushing at him, snapping the snaring line to tangle Kyven's torso and his left arm. But before he could take three steps, he was suddenly catapulted off to the side as if struck by some invisible, giant hand, the whip coming out of his hand again and freeing him, and he scrambled to his feet to see Clover behind Danna, a hand on her shoulder as the other pointed at Toby. Kyven saw Clover grab Danna by the scuff of the neck and physically hurl her over the stream, to crash heavily almost at Kyven's feet. "Watch her, I'll deal with the hunter!" she called, then she dropped to all fours and bounded over the stream in a graceful jump, then raced off after the hunter.

Danna jumped to her feet and drew her black rod and pointed it at him, but nothing happened. Her eyes widened and she pointed it at him again, but again it did nothing. Kyven stalked up to her, which made her recoil in fear, then turn and try to strike him with the rod, using it like a club. It struck his palm and held fast as he grabbed it, overpowering her, then he wrested it from her hands, reached out and grabbed her by her chain jack, and dragged her over to the cougar by force. He threw her down to the ground and put a foot on her, reached down and grabbed her hands in tandem until both of her hands were being held by his one, and he leaned down to see if Claw was alright.

But he was dead. His eyes were open and vacant, and his body was unnaturally cold to the touch, as if he'd been dead for days.

Claw had saved him. He knocked Kyven out of the way and took the bullet, and he died. He died saving a Shaman. Kyven felt crushed that Claw had come so far, was so close to Haven only to die, but the Arcan in him saw that Claw had died in a manner of his own choosing, and for an Arcan, that was always a good thing. Claw was almost worshipful of the Shaman, for him to die saving one's life was the ultimate honor to him.

"May the spirits bless you, and keep you, and watch over you always," he said somberly, softly, reaching out and closing the cougar's open, vacant eyes, then putting a hand on his chest in a final gesture of farewell. But his kind tone evaporated when he turned on Danna, his eyes hot and his fangs bared. "You killed him!" he growled.

Danna looked up at him fearfully, then her eyes narrowed and went flat. "I was trying to kill you, Shaman," she spat. "I can't believe I fell for such an obvious trap! Lured out into the wilds by a Shaman. I just wish I could gouge your eyes out before I die!" she screamed, and she started kicking and struggling, trying to get free of him.

"Kyven," Clover said, dragging the inert form of Toby Fisher along with her, by the scruff of his shirt. "Oh, no," she said in a quiet, shocked tone, dropping the hunter and rushing over to Claw. She put her hands on his face and recoiled, then put them on his chest. Then she knelt by him, put her forehead on his chest, and wept.

"I just wish I didn't waste my last shot on him if it hurts you," Danna said spitefully, and Kyven was shocked in himself when he slapped her hard on her belly, hard enough to knock the wind out of her. She laid there, gasping for breath, and then put his free hand on Clover's shoulder, comforting her in her time of grief. She sniffled and rose up, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and then stood up. "Kyven, take the two humans to the camp, strip them, then tie them up. Then collect the horses. I'll go find the children and bring them back. Then we will go on."

"Should we bury him?"

She shook her head. "We take him home, so he may rest in sacred ground and find peace for always," she declared in a breaking voice. "He will be buried on Firetail's Hill," she proclaimed.

She dropped to all fours and bounded off, leaving him with Danna. He dragged her by the hands as he went to the unconscious hunter, grabbed him by a hand, then dragged both of them back up the small hill. Danna recovered enough to kick and curse as she struggled to free herself of his rock solid grip on her hands, but he really didn't care that much now. He'd thought of her, dreamed about her, even fantasized about her, and now she had killed one of his friends while trying to kill him. Had Claw not been there, he would be dead, he knew it. The woman he'd been infatuated with tried to kill him. Everything he thought he felt for her vanished almost instantly at that thought. She was no longer the woman he wanted to become human again to pursue, she was a Loreguard enemy.

When they reached the flattened grass that had been their camp, he dropped Toby, dragged Danna away from him, then put a foot on her stomach threateningly, digging it up under her chain jack and shirt to put it on her bare belly. He let go of her hands and grabbed the tail of the chain jack and jerked on it, sitting her up roughly as much as she could go with his foot on her stomach, making her yelp in pain. She punched at his leg, but he leaned down and boxed her in the forehead, knocking her back to the grass, dazing her long enough to grab her shirt and pull it off her, leaving her naked from the waist up. He switched positions and put his foot on her neck, his claws punching into her skin as a warning should she resist, and she settled down quickly once she got her senses back, understanding that in that position, a flex of his foot could kill her. He stripped off her boots, then jerked her trousers off, leaving her enticingly and sensually nude. Despite what she did, he still had a weakness for the sight of her beautiful body, and he found himself staring at her for a long moment, unable to resist admiring her. He blinked and put his head back in reality, then took his foot off her neck. She glared up at him murderously, but the cold stare she received in reply cowed her. She was now defenseless against a Shaman, and that fact had hit home. Her life was literally in his hands, and he could kill her in a split second, without even making a single move. And she knew it.

For the third time in his life, he was tempted to commit deliberate murder, to avenge Claw. And to his shame, the only thing that saved her life was her looks. He couldn't bring himself to do it, kill the woman he'd been pining for since the day they met. She was literally saved by her body.

"Move, I dare you," he growled at her, his glowing eyes boring into her, and he stepped back and turned to the hunter. He systematically stripped him naked, then collected up the clothes and gear of both of them and bundled it together, then picked it all up. "You are naked and defenseless, Danna. Go ahead and run while I go gather the horses, and see how far you get. Then see what happens to you when I track you down. After you killed one of my own, I don't think you'd like to piss me off right now."

"And I'm not supposed to feel something for the men you killed?" she spat back.

"You chased us," he snapped in reply. "Had you left us alone, they wouldn't be dead. And neither would Claw. Their deaths are on your head, not mine. I was just defending myself against you, nothing more, nothing less," he growled, then he turned and left her in the camp.

It took him about ten minutes to gather up the three remaining horses. He put all Danna and Toby's gear in a pack on one of the horses, then led them carefully through the stream in a train, avoiding the dead men and horses still laying in the water, and took them back to the camp. Danna wasn't there, but Teacup and Patches were, as was the unconscious Toby. Teacup was clutching onto Patches fearfully as they looked at the sleek, naked human. "Clover went after the female," Teacup told him fearfully as he led he horses up into the flattened grass. "Is Claw dead?"

He sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry. He was shot. But he saved my life," he admitted.

"Well, I think he would have liked that," Patches said quietly.

Clover returned, carrying their packs and dragging a struggling Danna by the hands. "I told you to tie her up, brother," she chided.

"I forgot, I'm sorry. I really didn't think she'd run. She has nowhere to go."

"She is not an Arcan, brother. She does not bow to inevitability. She has to be watched constantly or she'll try to escape. Take her," she said, tossing the woman by the hands, making her land hard on her butt in the middle of the camp. "I'll go get our friend and prepare his body for the journey so it doesn't decay."

Kyven used his foot to push Danna onto her side, then he stepped on her hip, hooked his claws into her skin and pulled, forcing her to roll over on her stomach or get her skin torn by his claws, then he stepped quite deliberately on her lower stomach, his smallest toe within her patch of pubic hair, his claws coming to rest on her hip and upper leg. "I told you to stay here."

"Fuck you," she retorted, spitting at him spitefully.

"You're just digging your own grave, Danna," he said coldly. "The table has been turned. You're the slave now, and we are the masters. How would you like a taste of what humans do to Arcans, Danna? How would you like to experience what I have since this was done to me?" he asked, motioning at himself.

"What the fuck does it matter? You're just gonna kill me when we get there, so why shouldn't I fight? Maybe I can take a couple more of you with me!"

"You will do no such thing," Clover said calmly as she returned, carrying Claw's body. She laid it down gently, which caused the two girls to rush over to it, kneel, and hug his dead body. "You belong to us now, woman. Get used to it. We will treat you with far more dignity than our kind receives from you, but only if you behave."

"Fuck you, whore!" Danna spat, but then she gasped and gave a ragged cry, her body tensing up as Clover channeled a spell into her body. The woman gave out a ragged cry, then collapsed to the ground, panting.

"Mind your manners," Clover said calmly as she knelt by the hunter.

"What did you do to her?"

"A spell that gives pleasure, but so much that it almost feels as pain. Though not painful, certainly not pleasant," she answered as she turned the hunter over and put her hand to his neck. He felt her channel a spell, and saw magical power flood into Toby's body. "There," she said with a nod, then she came over to Danna and put her hand on Danna's neck. The woman moved to resist, but the spell began, freezing her in place. When it was done, she touched her neck quickly after Clover removed her hand. "Now, understand this, human. You are now bound to us."

"What does that mean?"

"What pain we feel, you will feel. If we die, you die," she answered. She held out her hand and jabbed her short, thick claw into the pad of her palm, which made Danna yelp in pain and clutch her hand. "So go ahead and attack us, human. You will only hurt yourself. And mind that if you get too far from us, you will feel sicker and sicker, until you are all but paralyzed by your illness. So, let her go, brother," she said simply. "Let her stand up."

The instant Kyven removed his foot, the woman squirmed around and bolted. Kyven gave Clover a curious look, but she just smiled and watched. Kyven did as well. She got about five hundred rods, then slowed down and hunched over, the sound of her retching audible all the way from there. She tried to keep staggering forward, but she was doubled over, both hands on her stomach, until she turned around and staggered back towards them. Her steps became less and less uncertain, and then she stood up and took her hands off her toned belly, blew out her breath, and marched slowly and angrily back towards them.

"And thus she is controlled," Clover said with a mild smile.

"You have got to teach me that spell," Kyven noted.

She leaned in and whispered in his ear. "It is only temporary, but she does not know that, does she?"

Kyven had to chuckle. Guile and deceit was something that Clover practiced as well.

"I will drain the crystals from all of their equipment and take what we may use from the three dead," Clover said. "But I will not drain the crystals in their horses' shoes. They have crystal-based horseshoes that let them run faster and longer than normal horses. Very clever," she said with an appreciative nod. "The horses will need that to keep up with us."

"We're taking both of them?"

She nodded. "The spirits wish it. They have an interest in him."

Danna stomped back to them, giving them ugly looks, standing there defiantly with her hands on her hips, not even trying to cover herself. "I will find a way to escape," she stated.

"Try all you wish, dear," Clover said in a patronizing manner. "But in the end, you will go where we tell you and do what we tell you. Any misery you find on this journey you will only bring on yourself. We will treat you as you treat us."

"I won't lie down like a dog for you," she spat.

"We wouldn't ask it of you," Clover shrugged and turned from her, going to the horses.

Toby woke up after Clover finished draining the crystals and stripped the dead Loreguard of their useful equipment, and received the same speech Danna did. He too tried to run when Clover urged him to do so, and he too came back after tasting the effects of the spell. "Ah guess Ah'm yo' guest fo' a while," he said ruefully. "Ah do hope y'all don't mean tah' keep me."

"I'm not really sure what they'll do with you, hunter," Clover said honestly. "The spirits wish us to take you. They see something in you we do not. Perhaps they wish to employ your services, I suppose. You are, I understand, a man for hire?"

"Ah ain't nevah worked fo' Arcans befo'," he said with a chuckle. "But Ah wouldn't be against it if the pay is good, and Ah don't disagree with what y'all want me tah do."

"Hire a hunter?" Teacup said in astonishment. "Why?"

"We employ the services of many humans, Teacup. Dear child, remember, humanity is not our enemy, it is the governments and ideals of some portions of humanity we oppose. We hold no ill will against the humans. The Masked is mostly human, child, who side with us against the oppression of their own people. We do not hate them. We love them and cherish them. If the hunter is agreeable to work for us, he will find us to be fair employers who pay well."

"Ah'll think about it," Toby said simply. "Ah won't have much else tah do."

"It is but one possibility, hunter."

"Toby. Mah name is Toby."

"Toby," she said with a smile. "You are our guest now, Toby. Understand that we will treat you as you treat us."

"Ah understand. That's mah own policy."

Danna glared at him darkly, then when he looked at her, she seemed a little embarrassed, making a move as if to cover her breasts and pubic hair, but then realizing that it was a futile gesture, especially since he stood there naked as well.

Kyven had to admit, Toby was quite handsome, all lean muscle, and was well equipped in a way that would please women, nearly Kyven's own size… though Kyven was graced in that department.

"Here is what will happen," Clover called to them all as she picked up Claw's body. "You will ride the horses along with us. All of your gear has been drained of power and your weapons will be left behind. You both already know what awaits you if you run," she said simply. "So you may ride with us, or lay convulsing in the grass until we deign to come back for you. You will be given your clothes back after I go over them to make sure they hide no surprises, which will not be right now, so prepare yourselves to ride naked at least until our first stop. We must be away from this place quickly, before the dead attract scavengers we would prefer to avoid. Oh, yes, Toby. You weren't conscious when I demonstrated this." She again jabbed her claw into her palm while holding Claw's body, which made both Toby and Danna grab their own hands in pain. "You are bound to us. Any pain we feel, you will feel. If any of us dies, both of you die as well. Keep that in mind should you conspire to escape," she said with a little half-smile. "Come brother, let's secure Claw to a horse so we may continue."

Kyven sighed and nodded, and helped her with the somber task. After it was done, after he was tied across a saddle and his tail tucked into the stirrup, Kyven took stock. Danna was standing, almost red-faced with anger, her arms crossed beneath her bare breasts, but Toby was sitting casually on the grass, seemingly comfortable with things. Trinity, but that man was a mystery. He seemed just absolutely unflappable. He was just as calm in his captivity as he'd been being Kyven's captor, and almost as polite. If Kyven were in their place, he'd be afraid, not angry or calm. Kyven went over to the girls and picked up his clothes, and nudged them. Teacup was staring at them with amusement, but Patches looked decidedly afraid, holding onto the small raccoon tightly. "Get dressed," he told them in a low tone. "It's time to go."

They looked at him and nodded, and reached for their clothes. Kyven put on his breeches, then pulled his shirt over his head and settled it into place. He handed Clover her clothes, and she took them with a short nuzzle to his cheek, a nuzzle that produced a very strange reaction out of Danna. She looked infuriated, then humiliated, then coldly angry.

Trinity… she was jealous? She'd just tried to kill him not a half hour ago! No, her jealousy was unconscious, he realized. She'd had the same kind of interest in him he'd had for her, he saw, but it was dead now, but some traces of it remained. She had been interested in him when she thought he was human, interested in him, not his condition, but now he looked in her eyes and saw only hate. She thought he was an Arcan who had killed the real Kyven and took his place.

In a strange kind of way, if you looked at it right, that was what happened.

It was a cruel twist of the knife, he contemplated. He had been so infatuated with her, and now he finds out she'd been infatuated with him too… but now she thought he was the enemy, knew that he was a Shaman. She'd tried to kill him, but had instead killed Claw. He was angry with her about that, but she had right to be angry with him for killing three of her men. Then again, if not for Claw's disobedience in coming back, he'd be alive right now, and Kyven would be the one who was dead. Either way, one of them would have died here today. He felt a little guilty in thinking that he was glad he was the survivor. But it was over now, before it ever had a chance. She hated him now, her very gaze at him would make a weaker man shiver… and her gaze did not leave him. She kept her eyes on him at all times, followed him with her eyes, and the hate never left her stare.

And such did dreams die.

He sighed and waited as Clover had the two of them mount, and they looked rather strange and silly sitting naked in their saddles. Clover got their attention. "Stay between me and Kyven," she told them. "Now let us be off before a Wolveran arrives."

Kyven saw that riding naked was going to pose problems for both of them. For Toby, it was dealing with his loose genitals, and for Danna, it was her breasts bouncing up and down violently as she urged the horse to start out after the coyote. Well, with luck, they wouldn't be uncomfortable long, just until they got far enough away for them to stop so Clover could inspect their clothes.

Odd that he cared for their comfort, for at that moment, Danna would probably kill him just out of spite, despite knowing that act would kill herself. He guessed that even though she hated him, he didn't feel the same. He was more disappointed and angry than he was hateful. Angry that she had attacked him and killed Claw, and disappointed that something he'd been dreaming about for weeks was obviously never going to happen.

He sighed and started out after the girls, who didn't want those horses behind them. Why was it that his life was just such a mess since he decided to walk down this path?

The fox taught him that life wasn't fair. Trinity, was that being proved now.

Chapter 13