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The moon and the mountain

Chapter 3: A silent bond

On a brisk summer morning, while the sun is barely peeking out, Aran is returning to Seidrs hut from a visit to the sisters up in the mountains, feeling the gentle morning breeze on his face He lifts His arm to feel the wind, before stepping on to the small terrace of the hut.

"Seidr, good morning old man" Aran says as He opens the door, but there is no reply, Seeing Seidr was not home, He thought of a good way of surprising the old man, with some rabbit stew, He still had some dried rabbit left over in His travel rations, along with some dried greens and gabbage, Making a bit of a mess Aran raided Seidrs pantry for rest of the igredients, potatoes, carrots and spices.

having found what He had been looking for, He pours some water into a pot to cover the ingredients and lights a fire under the pot.

while waiting for Seidrs return as the stew was slowly cimmering,

Aran begun to explore the book shelves in seidrs hut hoping to find some new knowledge that could aid him in the wild,

Finding instead one of the hollowed out ones containing a large disc shaped marble rune with an odd warm glimmer,

not paying much thought for it He leaves the book open on the table and keeps looking for something to read and stumbles on a small old and battered Journey mans notebook, that only says "Bella" on the cover.

'Bella?' his curiosity now awakened, he opens the book and flips the pages, there were only names of places written in it,

which had been crossed out, some of them He recognized from the books seidr had Him read earlier, some of them were ancient forgotten places.

He kept flipping the pages until He got to a page that had a place written on it with a different hand writing, "Kaldr Sund!? What was he looking for? And is it here?" He wondered since it was not crossed out.

there was a short message written under it.

'Perhaps this will help balance the injustice of the past, do not give up on her.

Memories will never die out completely, Time will heal some wounds, Patience helps the forgotten Signed -Klaes-'

Aran gets a gut wrenching feeling that what He was holding in His hands held intimate and personal value for Seidr,

While attempting to place it back in its place, Seidr stepped in while dusting the soles of His boots "Smells good w..." He could not finish what He was about to say as Aran ran past Him saying "Sorry." as He went

"Wait where are You going?" Seidr said as He tried to grab Aran by the shoulder but failing to do so.

"nowhere, I will be back later" He said with shame filled voice.

Seidr confused and dumbfounded now looks inside the hut and sees His books scattered on the work table which does not bother Him so much,

as the breaker stone being out in the open and seeing His small ledger displaced,

He lets out a long sigh and mutters as He smiled "Just like His mother, never ending curiosity and thirst for exploration" - " I know buddy, I know, I need to tell Him about this, but not before the bonding is closer"

Aran having decided to visit the grave of His Mother, now has His mind filled with all the things He wants to ask seidr and conflicted feelings about what His future really holds for Him and how Seidr might react to what he did,

Upon reaching the gravesite marked by Her shield, Aran sits down, silently, as He enjoyes the evening breeze with His eyes closed, attempting to clear his thoughts "What would You do Mother, You must have known Him better than I do" He places His arm on her shield and attempts the same meditation as before this time not breaking away from the vision of Heidi,

a warm pulse envelops Aran as words and images flood His mind

"Mother, Esther, The nameless Gætir, Seidr, klaes" - "You were all connected somehow" 'but how?' He thinks, while opening His eyes again.

As He stood up, the pulse slowly shrinks to envelop His moon emblem making it glow brighter than usual 'the moon?' the pulse intensifies in warmth 'Children of the moon, is that what connects them?'

the pulse now fades away as Aran closes His eyes and drops on his knees "Thank You Mother, where ever You are, thank You..."

Aran now feeling He needs to make amends with Seidr, and determined to learn atleast a bit more about the past, says farewells to His mother before making His way back to the Village.

Seidr having arranged His things back to where they belong, plated Himself and Aran some of the stew, hoping He would return before sun down, had fallen asleep at the table worried over his adopted son,

As aran gets back to the hut He sees seidr sleeping at the table with a tear in hes eye while Seidr sleeps and murmurs "May You roam free and safe son"

Aran begins to move the plates away 'He watches over me even in his sleep' Aran thinks, while Seidr woke up to the commotion "Your back" His eyes light up as He says in a relieved tone "please dont put it away, I have not tasted it yet"

"Your not mad at Me for trifling through Your things?" Aran asked as he relaxed and received a warm hug from Seidr who simply said "Never" before tightening his hug and continuing

"You might act aloof, You might surprise me, You might even drive Me to do things I would not normally do, But You are my Son the only thing that would drive Me mad is losing someone important, And You are the most important person to Me!"

He releases the hug and takes one of the stew plates as He goes back to the table "You cooked this stew for Me, I cant let it go to waste" he said as he took a spoonfull of the stew "Tastes almost the same as that night of the harvest moon festivities all those years ago" he said as he was chewing and a tear rolled down his cheek 'He is as gentle hearted and head strong as You heidi'

"Please, sit down, I can see You have something on Your heart" Seidr gestures Aran to sit down

"As i told You earlier, there are things I can tell you as time goes by, some that I can show You and some I can not"

Aran sits quietly thinking what to ask first while Seidr encourages Him "Take Your time, Curiosity is in the nature of the children of the moon"

Aran nods and asks "Tell me more about the children of the moon, and how You, Mother and Klaes are connected through them" Seidr surprised by the straight forward question that showed no hesitation 'Just like his mother, no beating around the bushes'

He takes a deep breath in and sighs out and asks Aran a question first "How is Your phase morphing coming along?"

Aran replies with a glint of pride in His eyes "Good i think? i can morph granite, sand and basalt, and some woods, crystals and copper, why?"

"Use it on the ground around the hut to erect a high stone fence, What you asked of me, is not common knowledge" Seidr said while directing Aran on the dimensions as Aran drew the menders cube and rune marks necessary for it

"First, I told You why I cannot tell you my true identity yet. But I think I can fill in some of the other gaps in what You know" Seidr goes over to the rocking chair and sits down while Aran turns to face Him.

"Yes, You could say We were connected by children of the moon, in more than few ways, starting with Klaes" Seidr closes His eyes remembering what his friend did in his last moments and reaches for his flask of brännvinn

"The enchantment Used to create Gætirs, it was first performed and perfected by the ancestors of Klaes, He was part of the Ser'Hvalz Family, which is why he was able to figure out who I am" - "You are the 2nd person to know what I say next"

Seidr continues to tell what happened in their last deployment right as the war was drawing to an end, and what Klaes did as his final act and the reasoning behind it.

"As for Your mother and Me, well We befriended a child of the moon called Esther, as well as the Gætir who never spoke a word, we never knew his name but he was close with Esther, so that is how Our little circle of friends grew." - " Also, Sarah, We became friends thanks to You"

"Me?" Aran asks surprised.

"Heidi, Your Mother already was a common friend of Ours, But You, You were a connection, We cared for You together for a while" - "She was a strong person, in someways stronger than Me" Aran was surprised to hear those words, he had never heard Seidr outright call someone stronger than Him.

Seidr takes another sip of brännvinn before continuing "You remember My war stories and about the crafts I told You?, How I had only mastered twisted light besides my knowledge of protokinesis, prior to meeting Klaes"

Aran nods as seidr tosses the flask to Him "Take a sip son, what I am showing you next, is an illusion form of what happened that night You were born, when I started losing the control of My crafts after a mental collapse"

He now hopes 'i wish you never experience the same as I did, son'

Aran takes a sip and coughs "Why did You say Sarah was stronger?"

Seidr placing His palm on arans forehead while chanting in twisted light"Remember it is an illusion, but what You will feel even though temporary was real for Me"

Aran now closes His eyes slowly and opens them again, seeing Sarah shaking in fear gasping for air in front of Him, and as She opened Her eyes again, He could see the tormented sight of Seidr smiling with a twisted grin and tears running down from His black eyes, reflected on her eyes, but not screaming or running. Arans eyes start forming tears as the view advances to the part where Seidr instructed sarah on the purpose of the Rune and Her task.

"Thats enough for now" Seidr pulls His palm away as Aran collapses on the floor and looks at Seidr with teary eyes, and shaking "She did not run, she did not even scream"

"But You, You were going to kill Yourself? For My sake? You did not even k..." Seidr stops Aran and places His hand on his chest "Yes i would have, to protect You, the moment You became Gætir and You opened Your eyes, I felt your gentle heart and strong will, similar to Your Mothers" - "I wanted to keep You and others around Us safe, that was something I knew I had to, no, wanted to do"

Seidr wiping the tears from Arans cheek "Son, Do not fear the dread, face it with Your head held up high and just let it wash over You, and whatever happens never loose Yourself on the way, find something to hold onto"

Aran stands up with a resolute look in his eyes "I am not sure what to hold onto, but is Bella someone for You to hold on to?"

Awe struck and caught off guard by Arans question, he says in a longing tone "Yes, Yes she is" - " The large ritual rune, did You touch it?"

"No, I just looked at it" Aran now curious about it, He had not seen a rune symbol like it before, it had two links of chain and depending on the angle You looked at it they were either broken apart or forged a new

"What is it?"

Seidr smiles gently at Aran while he reaches for the book concealing it

"It is something I made a long time ago, and it was for a very special purpose, but I think I have simply been holding it for You?"

Giving seidr a baffled look before looking at the rune again now in open display

"For Me? what would I need it for, what is it even?"

"A breaker stone" - "The name does not do it justice" Seidr now putting it away as he continues "It is something that can not only break, but if used correctly reforge or strengthen or rather complete something yet not complete, that is the best explanation I can give now"

"Aran listen, it weighs heavily on Me that I can not tell You everything yet, but I need You to gather some things, while I am gone till the next moon"

"Where are You going? Why!"

Aran sensing something is off from the serious look on his face "I need to consult a couple of people, and visit the lands beyond the mountains, I will be visiting the sisters along the way too"

Aran nods and feels assuring comfort from his words, and a bit of happiness

"So what are We looking for? Aran says with steely focused eyes now and making up his mind 'i will not pressure him anymore, but i will not quietly yield anymore either'

Seeing the new found determination in His eyes, Seidr could not feel prouder as He thinks 'Look at You, a dashing young lad, standing up chin held up high and ready for whatever comes'

"We will need two things, a large piece of flint or obsidian and about a half a cup of amber pearls, can You get those?

Aran just silently nods

"Good, rest for now Son, I will ask the elder to look after the hut, leave the stone fence for now" - "We both have a long journey ahead of Us, I have to go and meet someone already, so dont worry If I am not here when You wake up"

As aran heads in for the night He takes a look at Seidr who dusted of his old travel pack "If I do not see You in the morning, Safe travels Dad"

"You as well son, be carefull and alert" Seidr now ready for the journey ahead, pays a visit to the elder before heading for the hill and shrine.

Aproaching the shrine, Seidr spots a welcome sight, both the Guardian and Goddess were gazing at the sickle moon and stars as They conversed.

"Nice tranquil night aint it ladies?"

"Seidr!" Lina runs up to Him to greet the man and rub Her head against His hand, while Donna just silently watches

"Well hello buddy, sorry I have not been around lately" Lina pouts at Him as She notices the travel pack "And You will not be for a while" lina said while she walks back to watch the moon as seidr follows Her "No, not till the next moon, but may I ask You something?"

Linas ears perk as She realizes He is looking towards the den She was born at "Have I seen Them lately?"

"Yes" Seidr confirmed and continued "Have They been well?"

Lina smiles at the man "Yes, the two cubs are all grown up too" a wide relieved smile forms on seidrs face 'wish i could tell Her why' - "Good to hear, have They told you anything interesting lately?"

"Nothing much, they see humans with weird emblems on their capes every few moons, but they are not hunters"

Donna now curious about His reason for travel

"The matter of the two symbols?" Seidr nods as shivers go down Linas back as she senses dread in Donnas voice

"What symbols?" She asks, Seidr now lets out a loud laugh "Aah dont worry about it buddy, besides its gonna be morning soon, You should go see the lilacs bloom"

"How D..." She is cut short by seidr who smiles at Her and says "I just know"

Lina smiles with an excited look in Her eyes and turns around as she heads off "Come see Me when you get back, Buddy!" She shouted at seidr.

Seidr waves at Lina as Donna aproaches Him "Such an innocent soul" she says, "they both are" Seidr replied

"You are heading off to the east past the mountains, yes?"

Seidr nods "I need to ascertain if there is a threat, before the bonding" - "How about the barrier?"

Donnas eyes widen as she tilts Her head

"You do not trust Me? It should hold for many generations more"

"Its not about trust De.- Donna, I do not wish for anything to be left to chance" He said trying to hide His surprise at the unusually calm and friendly treatment He received

"You almost used that word again, why?" She looks at him with her wide eyes again as the morning starts to creep up on them and the Goddes begins to vanish

"Umm well its hard to put it into a short sentence, Yo.-" She vanished before Seidr could finish what he was saying "You are someone special...See You again Bella"

As seidr starts His trek over the mountains, He pays a visit to Linas den, reminding Her to be carefull while He is gone. The harvest moon just a little over two months away now.

Nearly a month has passed as Seidr returns to the village, with nothing conclusive yet, only some troubling rumors, though He finds some solace in the fact that they do not indicate Lina or Aran in the slightest but two things appeared more than once. Relic and ranger, which makes Seidr both nervous and worried.

Having reached His hut at dawn, Seidr sees the village elder a near blind old woman walking out of His hut aided by a walking stick with a small chime on the handle.

"Thank You elder, I am sorry for troubling You" Seidr thanked the elder as He begun to assist Her down the steps, but instead She rejects the offered help

" I maybe old and almost blind, but not helpless" she laughs a bit before slowly walking away and gives Seidr one more parting word "Fine boy that Aran, Heidi would be proud"

Seidr smiles "I know. I know she would be" His voice filled with parental pride.

"Is he around?" Seidr asked the elder, to which She replied "He will be back soon, said He saw something near the forest edge, He would need to get it to You to be *appraised*"

Seidr shuckles a bit to Himself 'must be something special'

As Seidr unpacks His notes and other things and nick nacks He picked up on his travels, he could see Aran from the window walking towards the hut with the Elder in tow now, sensing something is off as the elder looks like Her heart had been ripped from Her.

"Please, My eye sight is not what it used to be, but that shape and that chain, You tell Me its not what I think it is" the elder said with a shaking voice as if an old wound had been violently ripped open, While Aran opened His fist revealing a small blue piece of geode on a silver chain that had an Ouroboros shaped lock. Seidr feeling like a stone was lodged in His throat as memories of past friends, the nameless one and Esther flooded his mind, could only say one word while maintaining His composure "Where..."

As Aran leads them to the site where He found the pendant, Both Seidr and the elder realize it is only a moments walk from the place where the nameless one was last seen alive, and the spot where Esther was seen howling before She was murdered in the night.

"Right there, I saw a glint of it near that tree stump" Aran said as He pointed to a small batch of disturbed mossy ground.

Chills run down Seidrs spine as He realizes something worse may have happened than He originally thought.

"Aran, I want You to do something for Me" - "Can You shift the soil layer by layer here" Aran nods, not realizing what the elder and Seidr already suspect happened at the site.

Inch by inch He moves the soil, utilizing stone shaping and phase morphin, slowly revealing the skeletal remains of a man, with a similar pendant around His neck, and the remains of a fox only a few feet away, Aran now speechless steps back as Seidr silently looks at the remains and finds a near complete arrow head lodged in the mans ribcage and multiple gashes in the bones indicating wounds from spears or blades,

while The foxes skeletal remains had several arrows one of them stuck between two of her neck vertebrae, slowly standing up Seidr walks back to elder with the other pendant.

"The nameless one and Esther" She asked, seidr could only reply with "Yes" she gasps in shock and pain "Aran, remember the books that are heavier in the hut" Seidr asked Aran out of the blue, Aran nods as confirmation.

"Good, there is a herbalist book between them, open the section pain releavers and anti inflammatory, the first four herbs, could You collect them, and some elderflower blooms" - Aran not wanting to stay in the dark asks "Why now?"

"To help us prepare you for my final lessons one of them being basis for nature touch" - "Keep them dry if possible"

Aran nods and tosses the other pendant to Seidr surprising him before saying

"Dont look at me like that, You were going to ask for it anyway. Guessing Your gonna say something about needing to find out what happened also?"

Seidr now profoundly shocked at how level headed he acted

"Son, I could have not said it any better, hurry with the materials, but make sure You have everything you need in Your backbag"

"Ill be carefull, just... Dont over do things." Aran replied with a worried look in His eyes

Aran and the elder now making their way back to the village, Seidr begins to concentrate on meditating on the site while holding the pendants as tethers to the past not realizing the faint blue glow grow as the pendants came closer together,

litle by litle He gets a grasp of it, first seeing the nameless one and Academy officials aproaching him, attempting to coerse Him to joining their side on the war between mountain realm and the red desert realm and asking for the location of the guardian He was bonded to.

As he refused the nameless One was struck down by two spearmen and a bowman, they dug Him in deep to hide their deed 'He never betrayed Her...I am sorry I was not there to help'

next seidr sees as Esther is feverishly spending years trying to find Him, even though She knew what the emblem that no longer glowed meant.

'How did She find Him?'

The visions show Him Esther walking past the tree stump as Her pendant starts glowing, with tears in Her eyes She began to dig up the dirt from around the stump, finally unearthing the other pendant, She begun howling out of sorrow as Her worst fears were realized, She spent that evening mourning and came back at night with hunters on her heels,

'no, please...RUN!' Seidr thought even though this was the past

Arrows now flying from the dark, all hitting their mark, but she did not fall, the guardian kept grieving her lost mate and silently whispered

"I will see You soon my beloved Lapis, I feel tired, would You hold me again", one of the hunters now stepping out of the cover, had an arrow in His hand and was wearing a rangers cape and pauldron, slowly inserted the arrow between the vertebrae, enjoying it as if some sick sport as He shouted into the dark "You fellas ruined the pelt"

Seidrs grief and anger now flaring up as he breaks away, His eyes pulsing in various shades of red for a while

Feeling sick now at the thought of His old brothers in arms decieving Him, saying She was killed by hired trophee hunters.

"NO!" He shouts

Seidrs pyrokinesis flaring as he punches the stump with the solid flame lance arm and shouts again"NO!"

Turning the stump into nothing but smoldering splinters

He stays still in silence for a while, stands up and starts walking towards the shrine with the pendants in His hand, repeating the same whisper over and over again "no more" as He was seething.

Upon reaching the shrine Seidr notices neither Lina or Donna are present, He collapses on the ground thinking 'Wish i could forget too'

"Are You here yet, gues not..." - " dont mind Me talking to Myself dear..." *hmph* "Funny, feels good to say that out loud even if You do not hear it"

He places the pendants on the pedestal and pours brännvinn on them to clean the dirt away

"Sorry, I am so sorry this is the only thing I could do for You guys in the end"

He is about to take a sip of the brännvinn when Donna appears accompanied by a bright flash "Hmmm, Drinking alone, or waiting for someone"

Seidr takes the sip, still on his knees feeling crushed as He says in a broken voice

"Waiting for someone to wake Me from this nightmare, but I am already in good company, I am drinking with three of my friends"

as Donna notices the pendants on the pedestal She is silenced and grief struck by the sudden realization of what Seidr meant

"Are those?" Seidr nods "The very same" - "You would not believe Me if I told You so let Me show You instead" He tosses her the flask while chanting in twisted light as Seidr places his palm on the goddesses forehead "Wha..." she is over taken by the illusion and a moment later collapses, and growls and cries while clenching a thuft of grass in Her hand.

"Academy...AND RANGERS, they died because of someone elses SELFISH GREED!" The goddes strugling to maintain Her anger barely stands up as seidr gestures towards the pendants with his head.

"Would You mind holding on to them for me?" - "He had a name in the end, from what I could gather, given by Esther"

She nods, and says "Please, i need some time, i must think things through"

"Before You go, could You hint at lina to come here, I think She should learn about the bond now"

She nods again, "Will You be a." She does not finish the question but Seidrs answer sends chills to her core "In time, In time dear" Seidr said as He gave her a wink with His left eye that had a dim red glow

Donna shifts Her guiding light to Linas den, then draws it to the shrine before vanishing.

Lina startled by the light emerges from the guardians den "Donna?" she follows the light in a timid manner to the shrine and spots a familiar figure "Seidr!" She picks up the pace and walks up to greet Her old friend by rubbing Her head on Seidrs knee.

"Well hello there buddy, nice to see You too" He said with a jovial tone while giving Lina a scratch under Her chin

Lina looking around afterwards, did not see the goddess anywhere around the shrine "Seidr, where is Donna?"

"She had somewhere to go, I gues tonight is the night i should tell You about the bond"

Lina Perked Her ears and with curiosity filled voice quipped "And the Gætirs, Tell me about the Gætirs" her eyes beamed with excitement.

Seidr now hoping She does not shy away from the bonding if He leads Her up with the details for ceremony and the symbiotic nature of the bond, begins by describing the ceremony, how an Elder as well as Donna would be there to witness it, and how the bond will allow both Her and the Gætir to tap into their inherent potential as well as telling Lina in more detail about the Gætirs role as protectors.

"This is the point where the Elder should be leaving, that only leaves You and the Gætir with Me as the one preparing the ritual, and the goddes as witnesses" Seidr sighs and feels a sensation of disgust knowing what comes next, As lina looks at Him with those innocent green eyes of Hers, Seidr tries to be calm and down play what He says in the following moments and turns His head to watch the moon.

"Which gets Us to the ritual, You will need to break Your transformation as the ritual requires...Blood, from both of You"

Lina now with her mouth open and ears drooped has her tail fur puff up from shock and unbelief as seidr continues without noticing her reaction.

"You will need to sink your claws into His chest close to the moon emblem, but You need to only go deep enough to draw enough blood to cover Your Paw,

while He will cut Your paw so the blood mixes and You place a bloody paw mark on his chest"

Seidr clenches his fist while lina slowly backs further away in disbelief

"That is when I will have to resite the bonding chant" he now slowly turns towards Lina who lets out a Hiss before shouting with tears in the corner of her eyes

"YOU! YOU Want ME! to tear into MY to be protector, My... COMPANION! And TO DRAW HIS BLOOD...To HURT HIM! YOU WANT US! To hurt each other!"

Seidr now seeing the shock and fear in her body language as well as hearing the broken voice of hers, attempts to calm down Lina

"But it h..." Lina not giving Him a chance to continue.

"NO...You do it, if it is so important for Your Precious ritual, You draw his blood, You tear in to them as You watch Him in His eyes!"

She said as she ran away from the shrine with confused feelings, Leaving seidr alone and feeling defeated, Seidr now hoping he did not just drive a wedge between them and lose a friend.

'I am sorry buddy, i am so sorry, but it has to be done soon'

"i know klaes, She is as fragile as a night flower, but there is still the matter of teaching Aran about it too"

seidr sits next to the pedestal looking up to the moon

"Dear, I tried, i really did try! Bella, seems only You can reach her now" Seidr said, hoping His words were heard.

Lina spent the next few days far away from the shrine and the hill seeking time alone in the forests on the eastern side of the valley, 'Why...Why is this necessary, this is wrong, I am supposed to harm someone I may rely on in the future' She thinks while walking towards a clearing in the forest with out noticing a devious ferret trap as She steps into its steel jaws Lina yelps and growls in pain

as She is trashing away, Her side and a hind leg are injured by the stakes that other traps were tethered to, not deep but the wounds bled a bit and seeing it caused Her to panic.

She growls and starts crying in despair 'I am sorry donna...' she thinks while fearing for Her life, when She hears a silent whisper from the tall gras

"Shh, Be quiet and do not move"

"Who are You, show Yourself!"

She shouted while feeling threatened, afraid she was about to be captured or worse.

A wolverine raised His head from the tall grass "Be quite, and stay still" the wolverine said with calm yet commanding voice as He aproached the confused and scared feline

"Ok, this will hurt a bit" - " well alot if i am honest" He whispered while gesturing Lina to keep Her muzzle closed, as the wolverine opens the steel jaws with dexterity one would not expect an animal of that size to posses, seeing Lina able to pull Her paw out of the trap He asks the still shocked feline if she is ok

"Is anything broken? can You walk?" Lina attempts to stand up and yelps as a piercing jolt of pain is sent through Her body making Lina fall on Her side "Nothings broken. But i cant walk" She says with a broken voice

"Thank You, but... You can leave now, I wish to be left alone"

She said while barely holding back tears as Her mind wanders back to what seidr hed revealed earlier.

The wolverine ignoring Her, used His head and neck to get Lina on His back "There are few enough of Us already, do You have a safe place nearby? there is a storm brewing"

Lina surprised at the wolverines actions asks the wolverine in return "Us? Are You a guardian?"

The wolverine sighs "Yes, I have no real name, I was told i was born a guardian of cunning so they just call me cunning,

I chose not to become a shrine guardian so I have no emblem to give me away either, now about that safe place?"

Lina guides cunning to head for the north side of the hill and asks cunning about Him while they travel towards the Den

"You did not feel the call? and You look like a normal wolverine to Me?"

cunning smiles with pride "We Guardians of cunning are born free to choose our shrine, I did not choose one...I chose to travel instead and came here from the east a couple of moons ago, and I like this forest, I find it to be soothing apart from an occasional trapper coming or going, so I decided to stay for now"

Lina quips out with a bit of jealousy "Wish i could travel"

"What should I call You?" Cunning asked.

"Lina" She replied and tried to continue "We are a..."

"No more talking, conserve Your energy for recovery"

Cunning interupted as He continued to carry Lina towards the den,

as they reach the den the storm winds are already picking up,

Cunning lowers Lina off of His back,

the feline was asleep, passed out from the pain and shivering.

"Sorry but this is the best I can do now, i will stay close by for a while, Hopefully You can pull through"

he says as the winds begin to pick up even more, and walks out of the den to feel the rushing gusts of wind on his face

"Mmmhhhh" 'that feels nice, really love a good storm, hope there will be some lightning too' He thought while wandering off.

moments later Aran arrived on the dens entrance, desperately searching for shelter from the storm. Just as He entered the den, skies opened up and the rain begun pelting the blades of grass, causing a soothing humm.

"Phew"

He sighs while catching a breather and starts drawing a menders cube on the wall of the den to create a small patch of luminescence to inspect the plants He has gathered,

instead His attention is drawn to Linas bloodied silver fur and injured form sleeping in the back of the den.

Aran taking a few hasty steps away realizing a wounded animal might lunge at Him at any moment. Quickly steels His mind.

Seeing the mountain lion was hurt, no longer worried over His own well being, now only Thought of helping 'I have to try atleast'

after checking His travel kit, Aran was confident He could help

He made a peble into a small razor blade, And begun to carefully and quietly shave Linas paw and the hind leg from the injured area, and the small bloodied area of Her side. After gently and thoroughly cleaning the area around Her injuries

Aran made small herb and honey poulstices for Her side with some resin to hold them in place and resin dressings for Her paw and hind leg, not noticing the emblem on Linas chest, which mostly was covered by her head, all the while doing so Aran begun to feel at ease at Her presence, like He belonged there, He wanted to pet her and tell her she would get better, but Aran did not want to disturb Her, but neither did He want to leave Her side, however the rain was now finally over, and He needed to return to Seidr.

As He is about to step out of the den Aran starts to feel like there is a stone lodged in His throat and slight discomfort in the gut and chest,

as He looks back one more time "Please pull through, I wish to get to know You better when You are well again"

Aran said as He stepped out of the den, now suddenly staring at a wolverine, cunning stands up on His hind legs and looks past Aran at Lina seeing Her wounds had been cared for and dressed, now back on all fours gazes at Aran and realizes what he is, all the while Aran starts to spread his arms and imitates various growls

not realizing who and what the mountain lion and wolverine were and what had happened, He thought the wolverine was after an easy meal.

"Not this one!" - "You will need to go through Me first" He shouted and continued the imitation growls as the soil begun to turn into hardened spikes around Aran.

Woken up by the commotion, Lina still in pain, Pried Her eyes open by sheer will power, and was able to see a figure in the dark, A man was holding his hands wide apart while making imitation growls at the wolverine that had helped Lina reach Her den,

Now noticing the poulstice and dressing on her side, hind leg and paw, still not able to see the finer details from the back of the den, She could feel no malice from him,

She felt a strong sense of care and concern...directed at her 'You...Helped Me? Who are You?' She thought

her heart skipped a beat as she now begun to feel fullfilment, Lina felt happy and whole,

wanting...Needing to know who this gentle figure is, She attempted to claw her way forward while quietly muttering "Wh-" not able to whisper one word before passing out again from the pain the small exertion caused.

Aran distracted by a noice coming from the den, looks back inside and sees the feline had moved a bit but was out cold again, turning back again to face the wolverine as cunning turned away and started heading back to the forest He now called home.

Cunning shcukles a bit after He was a ways off

'Farewell now fellow guardian, I wonder if that Gætir will be Your bond mate, He will be a fierce protector'

Aran hurries back to the den for one final time before leaving and sighs in relief "the dressings held, stay still for now, I will leave these here just so You do not need to move much" He takes some rabbit meat seasoned with berries from His pack and places them next to Her as well as some dried goat meat after forming a small stone bowl which he fills with water from his canteen,

Aran now holds his palm gently against Linas side making sure She is breathing easy.

"Good bye, perhaps we will meet again"

He says farewell to the sleeping guardian, as he gets that sinking feeling of separation again, and starts heading towards the village.

As Aran walks towards the village He cant shake the doubt in his mind and the feelings He had, still conflicted if He should have stayed instead of returning to Seidr, as dawn breaks he could feel the warmth from first rays of the sun,

Aran could see Seidr is already up and is enjoying a cup of herb and juniper tea on the small deck of the hut.

As He gets closer, Seidr could see the troubled look on Arans face

"What is wrong Son, what happened?" He asked while putting the cup aside and starts walking towards him.

"You are worrying me, say something Aran, what happened?" He said with a clear yet concerned and wavering voice while grabbing him by the shoulder.

Aran lifts His head with almost a blank look on his face and tries to swallow

"Nothing, I just met someone and, I felt something, no I still do but... I feel other sensations too"

Seidr gestures him to go inside

"Get some tea and tell me about it"

After grabbing a birch cup and filling it with the hot brew, He sits down at the end of the bed and tells Seidr about what he felt but not who He had met and where, and the feeling of loss after He left Her side, thinking Seidr would see it as weakness that would hinder the final lessons.

"Is this something you can help with?" Aran asked, not able to process His feelings yet and looks at Seidr who is quietly shuckling away.

"I am serious, what is this? Has some one used a craft on Me, to make Me feel like I am choking, can You help?"

Seidr bursts laughing and sits next to Aran and holds him close with His arm while smiling at Aran.

"Son, You have been struck by the most powerfull craft of them all, Women all around the world have been known to use it"

"Can it be undone?" - "Surely You know a way" He asked Seidr with a confused look, causing Seidr to let out a louder laugh which could be heard across the village

After the fit of laughter dies down, Seidr said bluntly "Son, I cant heal love" Arans eyes widen a bit and His cheeks blush slightly as Seidr pulls Him in closer and asks "So tell me, who is the lucky lady? she must be special to get You under Her spell?"

Aran looks away admitting "I.- Do not know Her name, but I wish to meet Her again and get to know Her better"

Seidr now remembering the task He had given to Aran "How about the plants and elder flowers?"

"I have plenty" Aran points to his travel pack.

"Good, rest for now son, We can start the lessons tomorrow"

Seidr gently pushes Arans head to the pillow after placing His cup on the end table

"You will need Your strength"

"Allright, just wake me up if You need help" aran said as He closed his eyes

'Sleep well Son'

Seidr thought as He closed the window covers and headed out to meet with the elder to tell Her about the up coming bonding, and to Ask the Elder if She had any ideas how to avoid interuptions.

In the next morning, before Dawn breaks, Seidr and Aran are ready to begin Arans training on nature touch, but the lesson seidr needs to teach Aran after that weighs on Him like a ton of bricks

'I hope he will atleast realize how important the bond is for both of Their survival'

As Seidr instructs Aran to go down on His knees and reminding Aran about the materials

"Remember where You gathered the materials?"

"The night flowers, wolf bane, fox ear and fire root from the mountain tree line, elder flower from a rocky patch. Why?"

Aran asks not yet knowing why the location holds significanse.

Seidr lets out a satisfied humm and gives Him a teasing look

"Weeelll, how about You tell Me about the fine lady You met first? Maybe Give Her A night flower?"

Aran blushes and stays silent as He turns His head to look away.

"Aah, dont be like that." - "Your going to have to let Me meet Her eventually too, right?"

Aran stays silent and looks the other direction when Seidr stepped to face Him

Seidr schuckles abit "ok, ok" - "lets continue"

"Remember, You have the affinity of the mountains,

which gives You the stone shaper craft affinity and knack for rock shapers tongue among other things"

Aran now paying close attention as Seidr continues

"Natures touch evolves over the years, and as Your senses sharpen it becomes more potent, also if You travel to more places and attune to that area, it also can grow to encompas whole regions" - "As such, it is best early on to use materials gathered from places that represent Your affinity"

Aran nods and voices out his confirmation

"I see, I think I understand Your reasoning, and I assume live materials work better than inanimate things"

Seidr lets out a laugh "What, no." - "The location matters, And I am not about to make You lug around a bag full of stones, no matter how amusing it would have been"

He continues to laugh before pestering Aran again

"Seriously though, Not even going to give Me a hint on who has You under Her spell?"

"Dad! Really!" Aran uttered with a disappointed and embarrassed tone

"Not even a tiny hint" Seidr asked playfully while making a gesture of *tiny* with His fingers

"No!" Aran replied adamantly while giving Him a stern look

Seidr lets out a sigh "Cant blame a Father for trying"

"Well, place any of the materials in front of You, then touch the ground next to it"

Aran places the fox ear down and places His hand down next to it

"Now close Your eyes, and try to feel it, reach out to it with out actually moving"

Aran begins to concentrate as His moon emblem begins to glow more brightly "I.-I can see it, and the terrain around it"

a faint white ring radiates out like a pulse from the plant traveling past a few houses and the hut

"I can see a part of the village and the hut behind Us"

"That is a decent start, can You sense anyanything else, people perhaps?"

Seidr inquires and teases Aran trying to test his level of concentration

"Perhaps You can sense the girl You met"

he whispered in Arans ear and beads of sweat appeared on Arans forehead as He groaned

"Seriously!"

Seidr schuckles "Good, You held Your composure, but seriously, You sense nothing else?"

Aran calms down and moves His head as if looking around but had His eyes closed as another pulse formed this time ripling and not an even ring, shifting with colors.

"What is it, what do You sense, feel or see?" Seidr asked Aran

Aran keeps looking around "I can see as if i had my eyes open, and when I reach out it feels like I am actually touching things, but I can not see people"

Seidr now thinking out loud "Hmmm it could be your affinity for phase morphing has given You a potential for a novel form of nature touch, that would explain why you cant see people or animals"

"Why?" Aran asked.

"Well the form of Your nature touch, seems to be an amalgamation of the two crafts rather than a pure nature touch, for lack of a better word" - "Lets test that hypothesis"

Seidr smirks and says "Concentrate on one of the stone fence parts, think of touching it"

"It feels cold" Aran said as chills went down his back from the sensation

Seidrs grin widens "Now imagine that the part has the same color as the hair on the girl"

not seeing the smirk on Arans face, Seidr not realizing Aran had no need to change the color of the partly light grey stone pillar

He thinks Aran anticipated the question "Gues You didnt fall for it, huh?" Aran just smiles and says nothing.

"Ok, try turning it from a Pillar to a hollow spire"

Several beads of sweat grow on Arans forehead and face as he concentrates and the pillar slowly grows to three times in height but is hollow now

Seidr lets out a whistle "Expertly done, keep training different shapes on the fence and Your nature touch in general and You can eventually form literal fortifications in mere moments"

Aran exhausted from the efforts nearly falls down before Seidr catches Him "Hey, dont be passing out yet, i still have another thing to share with You"

he said while helping Aran inside the hut and on to the bed 'Maybe it is a good thing he is spent, cant run off after I explain things to him, maybe give Me a chance to calm Him down' he thought

As aran was resting in bed unable to move a muscle, Seidr begun to tell Him about the bonding ceremony and ritual and the symbiotic nature of the bond,

as Aran was there laying still seething with anger and His eyes watering, feeling like a stone was placed on His chest and a sense of dread crept up on him.

"Why havent You said anything, please speak to me Son."

"About what?" he replied with a broken and timid voice

"Anything" Seidr pleaded, now worried that it would be a repeat of what happened with Lina

"What do You expect me to say, After You told me I am to inflict pain and physical harm to someone I AM SUPPOSED TO PROTECT! Someone WHO SHOULD BE ABLE TO TRUST ME! Never mind the fact they are expected to do the same to me, You want Us to scar each other for life"

Aran now turning His head slowly to face away from Seidr as He mutters quietly

"I am not sure which one is worse, if I had died with my Mother, or living a life where I am forced to inflict pain on someone not deserving it"

Those words hurt seidr more than Aran realized, in hopes of soothing Him Seidr placed a blanket on Aran as He quietly made Him a promise

"I will find a way to make it painless"

"Please, let me be alone tonight, let me fall asleep alone" Aran still keeping His head turned away

As Seidr steps out of the hut He takes a look at Aran "I love You son, never forget that" and closes the door quietly, heading out to the hill to spend a night to mull on what He needs in order to keep the promise.

That night Aran had one of the few nightmares He ever had, seeing the silver grey mountain lion in Her den, not breathing and Her tongue hanging limp out of her open mouth, Unresponsive no matter how He tried waking Her up,

the next morning He would wake up trashing and screaming "No! Wake up!" in a pool of sweat, worried His efforts were for naught.

As days went by both Aran and Lina, were worried if they would ever meet again despite not knowing each others identies, the harvest moon, and the bonding grew closer as Lina had finally recovered from Her injuries, She decided to consult the goddess a few nights prior to the full moon, unsure if she would even give her a proper answer or show up at all.

As Lina aproached the shrine, she could see the pedestal was lit brightly, 'Donna must be watching' She thought as the goddess appeared accompanied by a bright flash

"I am also listening, what troubles You, My dear guardian" Donna asks with a worried tone "I have not seen You here in a long time"

Lina sits next to the pedestal and looks down while clawing the ground anxiously "Is what Seidr says true, about the bonding"

Donna spits and hisses as She looks away and confirms "Yes"

"Why! Is there no other way, Why must We scar each other!"

Donna not wishing to reveal Her hand yet, but secretly hopes Lina has not forgotten the promise She gave Her during the guidance, gives Lina a cryptic answer

"The answer you seek lies in Your past ahead of You" Lina looks at the goddess and tilts her head

Donna exhales and looks at the village "Seidr is also working on something it seems"

Lina still doubtfull and unsure of what the future holds, lowers Her head,

Donna seeing the guardian feeling depressed, and sensing something else is bothering Her, decides to change the subject as She notes the patches of shorter fur on Linas paw, side and hind leg.

"Something weighs heavily on You Lina, I can see it, what happened?"

Taking a glance at the moon and then turning to face the goddess Lina tells Donna how she got caught in a trap and how cunning helped Her reach the den.

"I see, but that is not what weighs on You, and I very much doubt Cunning had the materials or tools necessary to treat Your wounds, so how and who?"

"A.-A human, He cared for My wounds and..." Lina said as her breathing quickened while Donna tilted her head and asked to sate her curiosity"Aand?"

"Ummm He left Me food and water" She said awkwardly while fidgeting with her paws.

"I sense there is more to it?" Donnas curiosity now reaching a new height as Lina blushes and looks away as She quietly says "I think... I love him" - " i know it sounds silly, but, I DO!" turning to face Donna again as Her blush only becomes more radiant after seeing the goddes looking at Lina with wide eyes and her mouth open.

Lina continues"And, I am worried.- Worried I will never see Him again, and...And if He even wants to see Me if I do meet Him again"

Donna now begins to gigle as she could think of only one person who it could be 'I might not need to intervene after all' she thought while feeling a sense of deja vu

"Dont worry Lina, I have a feeling everything will work out" Donna says in a teasing tone before asking the feline to watch the star filled sky with Her

"Please, stay with Me for a while Lina, and do share more details if You can"

Lina walks over to the goddess sits next to Her and rests Her head against Donna as they both gaze the stars

"Thank You, so want to tell Me more about this mysterious savior?" Donna said and smiled teasingly.

Both Aran and Lina spent the last days and nights prior to the full moon restlesly. Seidr decided to keep Aran pre occupied and suggested Aran should make a pendant for the guardian to commemorate the bond, Using His crafts and a piece of clear geode and pendant chain, Aran embedded two night flower petals inside the geode crystal forever maintaining their dark purple and silver color, and formed a loop on the crystal to attach the pendant to the chain.

At the evening of the harvest moon, the villagers were feasting and celebrating the bounty of the valley, all except the Elder, Seidr and Aran, who were able to easily slip away due to the elders stroke of genius, Seidr Had quietly spiked the meads with a generous amount of brännvinn,

the villagers now in happy drunken stupor, could not care less if three people were not present, nor did their legs carry them well enough for anyone to wander to the shrine.

Entering the shrine grounds the three were greeted by Donna, while Lina stood silently near the moon dial and astrolabe in Her maiden form.

"Please, go Introduce Yourself" Donna smiled with Her eyes closed and gestured Aran towards Lina

Aran still nervous and anxious looked at Seidr who also smiled at Him "Go on, this night is for You two"

Aran nods and walks over to Lina who was visibly nervous too and shaking in anticipation of what was coming

After standing next to Her for a while in silence, he attempts to break the ice, Awkwardly "I.-I am Aran, Nice to meet You"

Linas heart skips a beat and She calms down a bit after hearing a familiar voice, yet unsure where She had heard it before, still stays silent as She attempts to remember

"Oh, I almost forgot" Aran reached inside his pocket for a small leather pouch and takes out the pendant He had made for Her "May I? Miss..."

"Lina" She said with a cautious tone, while Aran holds out the pendant and Lina bows Her head for Aran so He could place the pendant on Her neck

As Lina holds the pendant in Her hand, turning it and looking at the fragile petals encased in the crystal, Aran having gathered his courage says with a tone of commanding confidence "No matter what You may think of Me after tonight..." - "I promise, I will protect You, like the crystal of Your Pendant is protecting the fragile petals encased inside it, If.-If it comes to it, I will be Your shield"

Lina started to feel a familiar feeling as She was left speechless by the gesture, but worried He would place Himself in harms way for Her.

As Donna, Seidr and the elder aproached the two, Seidr nodded and signaled the ceremony to begin, as the elder begun her speech of acceptance and blessing, Aran took of His wool shirt revealing a bare lightly tanned chest and a moon emblem with a faint white glow.

While Seidr begun to prepare for the ritual in the background, was forming a sharp edge on a piece of obsidian, this being the only way since the barrier did not let weapons past it.

"Please, Join Your hands" Donna instructed the Gætir and guardian, as they held hands, they both experienced a familiar feeling, the same feelings they both had experienced a month ago, and a warming sense of care towards each other.

Lina realising finally whos hand She was holding now remembering why the voice was so familiar also,

She was elated and Her heart was racing as a tear of joy rolled down Her cheek while a momentary lapse in concentration caused Linas hands to change form for a while, Aran noticing this looks down to catch a glimpse of a familiar silver grey color and a patch of fur that was shorter, Realizing He got to meet Her again Arans heart begun to race as well,

but both of them now even more worried about scarring each other begun wishing that they could stop the ritual.

Linas tears of joy now turning to tears of sorrow as She closed Her eyes and thought 'Please, I do not wish to harm Him, I do not want scar Aran, I LOVE HIM! Make this ritual stop, just let us go away from here, Together'

as she squeezed arans hands in desperation, Aran as well was in his thoughts

'Why must we do this, I Love her! I would rather perish than cause pain for Her, I only wish to be with Lina, nothing else, no one else, matters more to me than Her'

As Seidr aproaches the to be bond mates with the sharpened obsidian piece and herbal pain medicine flask on his waist hook Seidr Signals the elder to wait outside the shrine

Aran and Lina with their eyes now locked at each other while Donna begins to signal Lina to break Her transformation "Lina, You need t..."

Unable to finish the sentence She notices as the moon emblems begun to glow brighter and brighter,

Donna signaling Seidr to stop and they just watch, until Arans emblem flashed brilliant white and a white paw emblem appeared, partially over lapping the moon emblem.

Lina and Aran still holding their hands unaware of what happened, as Seidr dropped the obsidian piece and just looked at the two, While donna is hit with a sensation that She had seen something similar in the past and a tear runs down Her cheek before she shakes Her head and regaining some composure

While Seidr says aloud and confirms what had just happened "A silent bond" still awe struck by what had happened, He reaches out for his brännvinn flask, not taking His eyes off of the two. Lina now returning to her true form, and Aran kneeling, holding His forehead against Linas as She quietly purs.

Donna now breaking the silence

"Aran, could I have rest of the night with Lina" She asked while Her eyes widened from curiosity, Aran nods at Lina who moved Her muzzle closer to Arans ear.

"Meet me here tomorrow night, I also wish to give You something"

She whispered to Him while a rosy blush appeared on Her cheeks

Aran nods and stands up after giving Her a gentle kiss on her muzzle deepening the felines blush "I will meet You at sun down" Aran now nods at Donna and puts his shirt and leather coat back on.

"Aran, would You be kind and tell the Elder I will be with Her shortly, You go on ahead of Us"

Seidr told Aran while cleaning the mess he left behind from chipping the obsidian.

"Will do Dad, but I am not heading straight to the village, ill go to the creek first"

Linas ears perk up 'Dad?' after hearing Arans words, She aproaches Seidr with a Puzzled look

"Aran called You Dad, You never told Me You had a son, why?" Lina inquired while tilting Her head, expecting an explanation

"Well, buddy, I know it was not one of My finest ideas, but You both had to be kept in the dark, to keep You both safe"

Seidr said while scratching His head awkwardly as He saw Donna aproaching, Seidr quickly gathered His things and shoved the hot potatoe over to Donna "Dear, remember to tell Her about Aran, Heidi, and why the secrecy on the matter was important"

Before Seidr could scurry off Lina gave His cheek a rough lick catching Seidr of guard "Thank You, for keeping Him safe" She said as Seidr turned and walked off and gave the feline and goddess a wink "See You soon ladies"

Having witnessed the first silent bond in ages Seidr smiles, with His face showing an expression of happiness as He silently thanks Bella

'Thank You dear' as He nods towards Her and starts to walk towards the village with the elder, not realizing it was not Donna who made it happen.

Lina now sitting next to Donna on a viewing stone, seeing the goddess with a blank look for a first time just gazing at the moon "Donna?" Lina said quietly to grab Her attention.

Donna shakes Her head a bit and twitched Her ears "Yes Lina?"

"You wished to ask Me something, I have questions also" Lina looked at Donna who now closed Her eyes and basked in the moonlight as She exhaled slowly.

"By any chance, Is Aran the one who cared for Your injuries, and besides a protector, what is He for You?"

Lina looked at the moon while holding the pendant against Her chest, and replied in a tone filled with admiration and love, and without hesitation

"He cared for me Yes, And I love Him, with all of my heart, Aran said He would place Himself in harms way for Me, he said it without hesitation"

Lina now looking down as She continues "But, I do not want Him to, I would rather be together with Him till the end, no matter how bitter it may be"

Linas words reminding donna of the past, The fate of Esther and Lapis She silently gazes down to the forest 'I hope it never comes to that'

"Then Tell Him how You feel" Donna said while petting Linas head "I now realize keeping You both in the dark about each others existence may have been the wrong path, I can only Hope You can forgive Me and Seidr?" - "As for the need for secrecy" Donna begins to tell Lina about the war, and the fate of the last Gætir and the guardian bonded to him, and how even before the war, guardians became the targets of trophee hunters hired by the courts located in the center of the realm.

"As for the matter of bond and Gætirs, even though they too are children born to strife under the moon, they are enchanted to become one, However..." Lina now curious "However what, Donna?"

She said while turning to face the goddess

"The affinities Aran has, He was born with them He is not just a Gætir He is also a weilder, apart from being more than a protector, He might awaken Your latent affinities as well, due to Your strong bond, which You two created together"

"I have an affinity?" Lina asked with beaming eyes "That means I could help Him too?"

Donna nods and smiles "Would You like to find out?"

Lina jumps down from the viewing stone and on to the concave pedestal and nods

Donna shuckles with Her eyes closed "well seems Your true intuition has already begun to awaken" - "Please close Your eyes, the light will be quite bright"

Lina does as Donna asked and a bright beam of light rises from the pedestal and then slowly dims away leaving two glowing symbols on the pedestal "Open Your eyes Lina, what do You see?" Lina opens Her eyes slowly and sees a rune and a mountain peak symbol

"I do not recognize the symbol" She said as Donna rushes over to see, barely in time before the symbols vanish

"Uruz and mountain" Donna said with a bit of a surprised tone

"what do they mean" the feline inquired curiously while circling the pedestal.

Donna replies with a gentle smile "Well dear guardian, it means You will be spending some time in the village when the time is right" - "Uruz is a healers symbol, while the mountain symbol would normally mean affinity for stone shaping, Your symbol was glowing green and had three peaks which signifies mending"

"So i can use similar magic cubes as seidr?" the feline asked filled with exitement

"Not exactly" - "You will be able to perform more demanding healing crafts without the need of evoking a menders cube or using key runes"

Donna now quietly contemplates what was just revealed and smirks 'I wonder how He will take the news when She shows up to the hut as an aprentice' while She looks down to the village towards Seidrs hut.

"Unfortunately my time for tonight is almost up, stay safe Lina" Donna says as She gives Lina a parting hug before vanishing

Lina jumps back to the viewing stone and slowly falls asleep under the stars, hopefull of what the future holds for Her and Aran.

Mean while,

Sensing someone had followed them Seidr sent the Elder ahead and stayed at the edge of the forest by Himself.

"Care to tell me why You are stalking Me?" Seidr calmly asked while a figure from the darkness lunged at him, stopping short of seidrs flame lance arm.

"Father!...No, Your not My father, why do I sense Him in You? Why can You use the same solid flame lance He did?" Seidr standing silently while lowering His arm and looks at the wolverine.

"ANSWER ME!" cunning shouted

"Are You cunning?" Seidr asked, remembering some of the fond memories imprinted into His mind from Klaes about spending time with a wolverine years before the war.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW MY NAME, WHO ARE YOU! Answer ME"

"I am S..." the wolverine swings at Seidr again before he could finish and shouts "Do not lie to Me!"

'He considered Klaes his father?' he thought

'Bella is still with Lina so She should not hear Me, but better be safe'

"Alright, Alright... just not here, can we go a bit deeper into the woods" Seidr said as the wolverine gestured with His head to lead the way

After a short walk Seidr stops "This is far enough"

"Start talking" the wolverine pressed him

"Do not be startled, I need to protect my identity for now" Seidr gesturing with His hand for the wolverine to come closer while casting a veil of screams

"You want my name that badly, then listen" He whispers at the wolverines ear and Cunnings fur stands up from the feeling of dread and He steps back a pace "You...You are the Forgotten seeker, You are J..."

Seidr closes cunnings mouth

"Do not say My name out loud, Not yet!" He said in a stern commanding voice "I gave You My name out of respect to Your father, as to how I know him, it is better to show You, instead of just telling You"

Seidr begins to chant in tiwsted light and places His palm on the wolverines forehead

not holding back, He shows everything the good and bad, how they met and how they laughed, mourned, fought, lived and bled together, including the location where the remains of Klaes were located.

"He.- He was happy when ever He was with You, I am glad He found someone like You among the rangers" - "I am sorry for My actions earlier, I thought something more sinister had happened"

the wolverine now holding his head down and turns away from Seidr "I will not bother You again"

Cunning says with shame so thick in his voice it could be cut with a knife

"Non sense! Your welcome to visit Us when ever Your ready, after saying Your goodbyes to Klaes" Seidr said with a welcoming smile as Cunning looked at Him over his shoulder and nods before continuing his walk towards the unmarked grave "Thank You...Seidr"

The following day,

at the time of dusk Aran was climbing the hill with his heart and mind racing, anxious of what Lina had in store for him.

As He stepped on to the shrine grounds Aran could see the alluring sight of Lina grooming Herself as the setting sun made Her fur dance in various colors while the evening breeze rocked the pendant occasionally making it shine colors like a prism to the surroundings.

Aran silently takes in the beautifull sight while leaning on the concave pedestal, Lina stretches and notices Aran who was gazing at Her lovingly in silence.

"You came" She said with a joyfull tone while jumping down from the viewing stone and walked up to Him while slowly waving her haunches and tail as she walked to Aran to rub herself against Him

.

"Thank You Aran" she said and rose on Her hind legs to lean on him to give a lick on His lips

"I cant think of anywhere else I would rather be, besides here with You"

Lina blushes a bit and gestures Aran to follow Her under the highest viewing stone and sit next to Her.

"Can I ask You something?" She asked while gazing at the sky waiting for the moon as She leaned on Aran.

"Ofcourse, I do not want there to be any secrets or barriers between Us" Aran replied with a warm tone as he wrapped his right arm around Lina and holding her tighter against him,

Lina first a bit caught off guard by the act quickly relaxes and purs with content.

"I wish to know You better, tell Me about Your past, Tell Me about Your dreams" She asked with an inquisitive and curious tone while giving a loving look to Aran as Lina coiled Her tail around His waist.

Aran exhales and rest his head against Linas and begins to tell Her about the childhood years in the village and how He spent His time traveling the mountains

Also sharing how He met two mountain lions up at the mountain along with the two cubs "They seemed to complete each others sentences, or say something in complete unison" still amazed by it He smiled and looked towards the area where the sisters lived, Lina now gigling with Her eyes closed "Sounds like You met My sisters" - "But, What Do You wish to do, What do You dream of?" Lina asked.

"I never really thought about it but...I would love to travel somewhere else, With You" He said while caressing Her side.

Lina droops her ears and closes Her eyes replying with wavering voice "I would love that...But I am bound to the moon shrine"

Hearing the genuine jearning for freedom in Her voice Aran makes a silent promise to himself 'I will find a way to make it happen'

He rubs his cheek against hers and asks "Lina, Can I ask about You?" he scratches his head and awkwardly continues "I Lik.- No I Lo..." not being able to finish, Lina turned to lock her muzzle with Arans open mouth and shared a deep kiss with him, a string of saliva still connecting their tongues as she pulled her muzzle away as a cute blush adorned her cheeks and her starry eyes locked on Arans "I love You too Aran, Does that answer Your question?" she said while purring loudly.

Aran still ecstatic gently kisses Her sending shivers of exitement down her spine and through her tail and asks Her after pulling away from the kiss "Can You tell me about Yourself" - "You also said You had something for me?"

Lina nods and tells Aran about how She became a guardian, met Seidr and how She watched over the shrine while leading a life of solidute apart from visits of Her sisters and Seidr and some nights She had Donna as company,

making Aran realize how much Lina had to endure over the Years, making His resolve to find a way to free her from the shackles of the shrine even stronger.

"look to Your left, there is a white rune stone in the grass...Could You.- Hold on to it for me?" Lina asked Aran timidly

Sensing it had some significanse to Lina, Aran simply nodded and put it into His chest pocket "I will keep it close"

She gives a lick to Arans cheek and purs while whispering "Keep Me closer, My Gætir"

Aran tries to stand up and stretch, Lina mistaking it as Him leaving, grabs His coat sleeve with Her teeth and drags Aran down on his side

"Heeyy" - "What was that for?" He asked As Lina laid down next to Him

"Please, do not leave, not tonight" She pleaded and whimpered "stay, and watch the celestial dance with Me"

Aran smiled as He gently brought His forehead to Hers and slowly blinked His eyes before assuring Her "I just needed to stretch My legs, besides, I am already gazing at something more Alluring than the stars" Hearing the words Lina elicits a loud pur as Aran caresses Her side and haunches.

the two spend their night gazing at each other and exchanging gentle touches and gestures and further talking about their past experiences.

after that night The two children of the moon spent every possible moment together, spending some of the nights gradually exploring each other, as their bond grew to something stronger as the seasons pass.

Lina becoming more confident with herself allowing herself room for happiness and under the cover of her rust brown disguise travels the lands be it night or day, with Aran, whenever possible, within the confines of the boundaries shown to her by Donna,

Eventually having Her affinities awaken, whenever Aran was not around and the use of the maiden form was possible, she studied and practised Her healers craft with Seidr as well as studying the various books about herbs and plants, helping the villagers every now and then, due to the limitations of the maiden form, progress was slow, but nevertheless steady.

allways anxiously waiting for the Gætirs return, closely keeping a watchfull eye along the route Aran said he would travel, whenever she was at the shrine, waiting for the next time She could spend time with the one she loved.

Aran as well enjoying every moment He got to spend With Lina begun to open up to new experiences and opening up for Lina as well,

Swearing He could feel Linas loving gaze on Him as he traveled the lonesome mountain paths, occasionally crossing paths with fauna of the lands, helping where He could. Sometimes gathering materials For Lina and Seidr.

During those lonely times He is comforted by the knowledge that someone would be there for Him when He gets back from the journeys.

Seidr beginning to hear more disturbing rumors of the academy hiring mercenaries to look for a 'unique relic' in the valley, unable to ignore them He decided to start planning for the worst while making sure any knowledge about Linas and Arans true identities stayed in a small circle.

Often asking cunning to keep an eye on the eastern and northern regions whenever He was able to, cunning still cautios of other humans usually met up with Seidr at the forest near the village, exchanging rumors and knowledge, Surprising Seidr with his resourcefullnes.

The winds of change have begun to blow through the valley, for better or worse like the seasons stay in constant motion, so do the events of the realm.

--------------End of chapter 3------------------