dying wasn't what she planned `` lita

[Amanda Loup Garou]

Everything hit fast. Ignoring to have the girl free from the shotgun collar, John was pleading with me, talking to me, yet still I refused. "She deserves it." Snarling, I turn to my mentor, before things went to hell. The girls husband was alive, I felt a ripping hot pain ebb into my neck while a blast of noise rocketed around us. Hot, sticky liquid ran down my neck in rivers, not realizing what it was until I looked. Then, the sound of a flatline as John was dying, in my mind I screamed, the act for vengeance was strong and anger coursed through my body, yet the energy to kill and make them suffer and pay was leaving as my own death was creeping up. This wasn't supposed to happen this way, no, John! You can't die, not yet. I failed his test, but I was ready to let him go, wasn't ready to say goodbye. Everyone else had left me, he was like my father and now. Now he was dead. The cops would probably be pleased, but his legacy would live on!

Jigsaw was dead but he wouldn't be forgotten. I remembered watching the blood pour from his slitted neck, hearing cries and whispers all around me, feeling my own blood pour onto my clothing, staining my red shirt even redder. My life seemed to pass through my vision, from younger days, to the Jaw Splitter trap, to looking at John like my father. Hands slipped along the dirty ground as the survivors seemed to walk away, leaving me to die alone, trying to gasp for breathe but having a hard time, my fingers found John's as I gripped tightly for comfort. I never cried, it was hard for me too, but they dripped from my eyes, pouring down my face as I held on, feeling death creep closer. "John. I'm sorry, please." My voice was a whisper, fingernails scrabbling at his skin, pale and deathly cold. "I'll kill you for this!" I screamed, my throat ached and hurt as I lay down, seemingly to hug the ground below, fingers leaving John's as I would meet him in death and be happy, although it wasn't what I planned.

[Lita Loup Garou]

In some ways, I resented being called back to the Luna for initiations. I was relieved that Lyra, now known as Stryker, was back, along with her daughter. But I was in no mood to celebrate. Things needed done outside the clan. As soon as the rites ended, I made my apologies to Cole, whom I still regarded as Alpha, and took to the roads. Leather boots creaked softly as I tread with care through the woods. I adjusted my vambraces, tugging them securely onto my forearms. My chakram was looped onto my skirt, bouncing against my hip as I walked. As the forest deepened, I began to run, pouring on the speed. I was unnaturally fast, even without shifting into a wolf.

A sprint, for me anyway, took me far from the Luna. Through cities and towns I ran, stopping only at nightfall in some secluded patch of woods to sleep. Before dawn I was up again, moving ever further west. I wasn't aware of why I traveled west, only that I must get there, and to L.A. Strange, since I avoided large cities like the plague. However, in days I found myself in the City of Lost Angels. The thick, cloying air stuck in my lungs. The skyline was not a brilliant blue, instead it was a murky brown, tainted by pollution and waste. "Filthy." I muttered.

I sat in a park, finding a section unpopulated by mortals. My legs were folded under me as I prayed to the munin for guidance. "You have brought me here, but I know not for what purpose. Lead me on, Munin." A fluttering, a dry rustle caught my attention. I snapped my left hand out and grabbed the paper billowing in the wind. I lay it flat before me, and stared at the headlines. "Jigsaw strikes again. The madman's games claim 3 more lives in the past week, each deadly trap more heinous than the last." The paper left out many details, but provided me with enough to think that it was him I must hunt. The munin had sent me this strip of paper, a clue to where I am needed and work that will soon be done.

I stood, ignoring glances and stares from passersby. I must look strange to them, clad in armor. Perhaps they see it as a costume, the weapons surely false. Let them stare. I cared not. Blood called me, a tint on the breeze like death come knocking. I followed the trail of death, seeing nothing but a haze of red as I passed places where murder occured. Some recent, some long ago. It took me no time to find the last scene set up by Jigsaw. Blood covered the ground, the walls. The stench of death had not been cleared, though the body and the "trap" that took his life were long gone. It was supposedly known that Jigsaw was a man, but here, aside from the victim, I scented a female. Interesting.

It was her scent that I tracked from there. A mixture of perverse joy in death games, sweat, and blood. It lead me to a warehouse. Death clung to the place, seeped into every corner, every brick. A swift kick threw open the doors. A male and a female had recently left, but others remained. A dead man, and a dying female. Her heart struggled to beat, and yet there was so much blood. I drew my sword from it's scabbard along my back and stepped quietly through the maze of strange impliments and designs.

The dead man lay upon a table in a room that looked as if it belonged in a hospital. A large hole was cut into his skull. On the floor, to the right of his deathbed, lay a young woman. Her hand clawed for the dead man, even as her dying breathes slipped from her. She'd been shot in the neck, the smell of gunpowder still hung in the air. I crouched before her, laying my sword on the cold tile. "Stop it, reserve your strength, he is gone. The only life left in here, is yours, and that is weakening." I grabbed her hand from the corpse. This was indeed the young woman I scented at the crime scene. The gunshot had missed her vocal chords, but she had lost a lot of blood. I reached up, tearing a strip of the bedsheet. "Lie still!" I commanded her as I began winding the strip of sheet around her neck.

Why was I saving her? Surely she had set the trap at the scene I had just come from. She was a murderer, a lost one in the darkness of her own soul. I should have helped her to die, and yet I was compelled otherwise. I saw that defiant spark in her eyes, the longing for life, the determination not to die. "You aren't ready to die are you?" I leaned in close, getting a heady whiff of her scent. She was close to death, so close that it was amazing she was still conscious. This girl had a strong will. That I could relate to, that I could understand. I felt my eyes shift to gold, then blaze back to blue, fangs replaced teeth as my lips curved into a smile that surely looked sinister. "What would you give to live on? I can save you, but you will not be human. Instead, you will be like me." I placed both hands on her head, my palms pressed to her temples as I let her see what I truly was. I let her see my change from human to wolf and back, I let her watch as my wolf fed on deer and elk, my human form obliterating a small army. She knew me now, as Loup Garou, lycan, werewolf, whatever the term, she knew I was not human. "What would you give? For real freedom, Amanda?" Her name had come to me as I entered her thoughts, sharing with her who and what I was.

[Amanda Loup Garou]

Moments ticked by, how long I wouldn't know, there was no clock around, no watch that my eyes could see, although they were fading, vision dimming as life was slipping, leaving my body, simply knowing death was not far away. No matter how hard I struggled to keep breathing and living, it was getting harder as the seconds kept ticking, my reasons for living still were simple, vengeance. Those bastards would pay for the death of John, even if I had to move heaven and earth, they would die. "Come back!" Words garbled as blood formed in my mouth, quickly spitting it to the floor while I struggled to sit up, to move and follow the ones that had just left. Disbelief however, remained lurking inside me, the thought that he was dead was still making me partly in denial, even though the other half knew he was gone I still wanted him, still wanted to hear his voice and see his eyes as he looked at me like his own daughter.

Then, sounds as faintly away the door was kicked in, the sound of it creaking was ever so faint as the sound carried into the room. The monitors on the far wall sparked to life as a figure walked through, although I couldn't see them, those were there so if any police officers came in I would know and be able to escape. Thats if I had lived and continued my work. A voice sounded from above, a woman crouched before me. "I don't care! I want him back. They will pay, she was supposed to save him, she failed the test." I was wild, eyes crazed as I glared at the woman before half looking over at John. I had failed my test and now he was gone, paid for my mistakes. A faint growl echoed through my vocals.

"I know its weakening. I'm not stupid." Anger rose in waves, making my body warm before I lay still on the cold and dirty floor, feeling dust fleck my clothes and skin as I waited, before feeling cloth around my neck, stopping the blood flow for now and halting death. Half tempted to reach for the pistol that should still be loaded, the energy to actually do something left my will, my body had better ideas, like surviving. "Well aren't you smart." Sneering was something that made me feel better despite the overwhelming sense of lose that plagued my heart and mind, it was a way of not having to deal with the present for now and hurt someone else to kill the hurt that leeched my blood.

Her hands upon my head, I saw what she wanted to see, struggling to push her away before she spoke, staying incredibly still even though I wanted to lash out. I never was one to properly act on my emotions so it was no wonder I was feeling this now. "Save me, I don't care if I'm not human." Would she allow me to finish what I had to do? To have vengeance and make those pay for not finishing their test? At least in my mind they failed, yet part of me doubted the woman would allow me such pleasure. "I am never free." I reached out, grabbing her wrists with both hands which were still slightly bloody. "Just do it." I repeat, looking at her directly with fading eyes, wondering what exactly she had in store for saving me, her connection didn't really show me that. Not that I was worried.

[Lita Loup Garou]

"So you say, but you're giving me reason to think otherwise. If you're not stupid, then stop acting the fool! He's dead, gone, nothing you can do will bring him back. But you may yet live." Already she was trying my patience, which ran thin as it was. These 'tests' she spoke of must surely be the traps set for others, by herself of by Jigsaw. I turned my icy stare from her to the corpse, already beginning to smell foul. I stood and placed my hand on his head, gleening from his mind all I could. Even in death, your mind retains it's memories. Amanda struggled to rise and perhaps stop me, and again I turned my cold stare to her. "Don't move. I won't tell you twice." Images flooded through me, both of John's life, and Amanda's. So she had been both a victim and a protege of the madman. And yes, he was mad. Brilliantly so.

I knelt before her once more. "We will see, won't we, soon enough, if you choose to continue your...'work', as you call it." I picked up my sword and replaced it in it's sheath. I slid my arms beneath her and hefted her up as I stood. I carried her away from the dead man, and into the warehouse. With a sweep of one arm, as I still held her close to me, I cleared the debris and metal contraptions off a table and lay her down. Her breathing was shallow, she was literally at death's door. "This will hurt, but you are no stranger to pain, are you?" I tore the strip of sheet from her neck, ripping away the clot that was forming there. My mouth watered, eager for the taste of blood. I ran my tongue over my fangs, then leaned close. "You will not fight me, not now, and not after. That must be made clear, for I am not saving you only to kill you later." There was no mercy in my stare. I'd seen hundreds upon thousands of deaths, many slain by my own hand. I would not create one such as me, only to slay her.

I struck hard, burying my teeth around her wound. My saliva stung with venom, or the virus that is lycanthropy. A low growl came from me as I worried at her neck, drinking deep of her life's elixir. Her heart faltered, then sped it's pace rapidly as the virus took root. I pulled back to watch the change manifest in her. Unlike vampires, a werewolf is not submissive to it's sire, only to more dominant wolves, and that is not always the case either. Point in fact, I was more dominant than Amanda, and I was also able to instill in my bite a singular tie that bound her to me. Her eyes changed colors, from brown to red to yellow. Her back arched off the table, her hands clawed at it's surface.

"Do not fight the change. Pull it into every fiber of your being!" Her breathes came deep and fast, swelling her chest. "From now on you will be Loup Garou, a werewolf with abilities you never dreamed you could possess. If you wish to live, you will follow me, you will learn what I teach you, and you will do as I say. Should you fail in that, I will deliver you to Death, for I have robbed him of his prey today." I whispered in her ear as she bucked, riding the change. Soon, she lay still, her breathing normal, the wound beginning to knit itself shut. "To properly heal, you must shift." I slid an arm behind her neck and helped her to sit up, then slide to the floor. She was unsteady on her feet, but that too would pass soon enough.

I called the munin, the spirit of the wolf, and pressed this power into her, my hand resting on her chest. "In nomine Munin!" I screamed it to the heavens, and in a thunder-like clap of magick and power, Amanda stood before me as a wolf. "You will not change so easily the first time on your own. But your wound is now healed." I stroked her fur along her neck, where the gunshot had previously been. The change had shredded her clothes. "You will change back, we will collect only what you need, and then we must leave. You will be hunted now, by those who sought you and your...mentor." She longed for acceptance, and had found it from the man lying dead in the next room. I felt no pity for her, and was slightly sickened by her devotion to such a monster. I still carried the swell of power from the Munin as I grasped her front legs and helped to raise her up standing on her hind legs. I forced the change upon her once more, and again, with a thunderclap, Amanda stood naked before me, her forearms in my hands. "Come, let us gather what you need and leave this stinking air, this fouled city behind us." I wasn't really giving her a choice, not if she wanted to live.

[Amanda Loup Garou]

Feeling sick to my stomach, I wanted to kill this woman who spoke about John like that. I knew he was dead, she didn't have to rub it in harshly like that, if she was in my place she would have done the same. Hearing her speak, I rolled my eyes, half annoyed yet unable to do anything. This was going to be a very long while, really I wasn't looking forward to the upcoming minutes. When she touched John, anger again sparked into my body, wanting to rise up and stop her from touching him, yet unable to. Damn weakness! "Don't touch him." I was seething, he was the only father I knew! "Some are not deserving of their lives. I was once like that, but he." Directing my head to John who was dead, the blood turning darker with the passing time, before continuing. "He saved me." Leaving the hospital after an overdose, I was captured, and drugged before waking up with a device on my head. The reserve bear trap, or jaw splitter as some called it. The key I had to find to unlock the trap was in the stomach of my old dealer, who was alive but heavily drugged. Stabbing him with a scalpel, I managed to find the key and rip the trap from my head before it went off. A moment later and I would have had my jaw and head ripped into shreds.

And that was it for talking, my energy levels were wiped, half glad I didn't have to move as the woman lifted me up, carrying me away from John. My eyes locked onto the dead man as I was carried away from his view, the clanging and racket of debris hitting the ground jolted me back to my senses before being layed down. When she spoke, I ignored, until she said I was no stranger to pain. Well duh, state the freaking obvious! Lifting my arms, faint scars from my self harm and old needle marks littered my arms. "No stranger to pain." Muttering those words, trying to breathe more than anything, before the fangs were in my neck. Pain hit me like a truck, more forceful than anything I had ever felt in my life as the venom rushed through my body, the virus clung to each blood cell, delivering it through my system, infecting me with it.

Was I fighting the change? No I wasn't, and really I wanted to tell her to shut it, but had more pressing issues on my mind. That and something drew me to her, more than before now that she had infected me. If she thought I was going to be all loyal and follow rules, well then she should think again. Yes I could do it, but I was more loyal to John, wanting to follow him and even then I didn't listen in the end. This woman would probably regret this, just like everyone else in my life. "Listen here." I speak through clenched teeth. "You think I can pass anything? I failed my last test you-" My words were cut off as the last of the pain ran through my body and I was helped up, my legs feeling unsteady and nearly tripping. Good thing I was being held. I would have fallen on my face otherwise.

Then, before I knew it, I was no longer me but a wolf. Looking down at paws, my fur was dark muddy brown like my hair when I was human, with faded blond pieces which looked almost white in places. My clothing lay in shreds all around me, along with my favorite red top, before I could enjoy my wolf form much longer, I was human again. Dammit! Her and her mojo power. "I have no choice do I? I have to follow." Staring at her, and marveling at the fact my wound was no longer there, I was fast becoming my old self again. "Listen to me. You think I'm going to be someone who follows orders blindly? I'll end up not listening to you, just like John, and possibly getting you hurt or killed." I picked up a piece of metal, running it through my hands before letting it go, it fell to the ground with a clang. "Let us go then." Turning, I sniffed slightly, realizing I was about to leave John forever. "I'm unstable and not right in the head. I know that." My head shook, short brown hair flipped into my eyes, "but you don't know, and don't you dare assume, you know why I'm in this place." The end of that sentence was hit in a growling tone before I began walking, the feeling of not caring right now was the main emotion in my body.

[Lita Loup Garou]

In some ways, I had to agree with her. There were some individuals who were not deserving of life, but who was she to judge them? She was so young! I stopped and turned back to face her. "You have a choice, you still have free will, but now, I will be your conscience until you can make better decisions on your own. If you make the wrong choice, I will be there, and I will force you to make the right choice. I'd rather not, but I stuck myself in this mess just as much as you. I didn't have to save you." Truthfully, I didn't know why I had. Did I really need some smart-mouthed brat following me around? Gods, what had I done!?! "We're all unstable in the head to some degree."

Her next sentence, the anger in her voice brought about my own rising tide of wrath. I stalked up to her with quick movements, backing her up against a wall. I planted both hands against the wall on either side of her face, my palms slapping the concrete so hard it spiderwebbed, cracks newly formed dribbled dust and motar. "Speak to me like that again, and I'll do far worse than have you kill a drug lord to dig out a key and peel a mask from your face. No more masks Amanda. I know who you are, I know who he was. But you know nothing of me. I saved your life, you will not speak to me in such a manner!" I pointed back to the room where John still lay dead, then jabbed my thumb at myself. "When I touched him, I peeked into his mind, I know as much about you as that man ever did. And I know that in his own way, he loved you, just as you loved him. But it's over now! DO YOU HEAR ME?!?" My hands gripped her shoulders, shaking her fiercely, as if I could somehow shake some sense into her. I stopped myself, dropping my hands from her arms.

"I apologize. I dislike being spoken to like a village idiot. I'm far older than you can imagine, I've seen things that put what you and John have done to shame. You have a new life now. What is this, your third chance at life? They say the third time is the charm. So don't fuck it up. I didn't give you this gift only to turn around and take your life. Look at your arms Amanda, look at them!" I took her wrists in my hands and held her arms out between us. The track marks and scars were already fading to nonexistance. "Leave it behind. We're moving forward now." And so we were, I kept my left hand around her wrist as we moved toward the door. "We have to run, you'll be faster as a wolf, but we must leave the city limits. I will help you, but this time you will change on your own, without the aid of the munin I called." I placed my hand over her heart. "Feel it here." Then moved it to her stomach. "Feel it coiled here, inside you. Pull the beast up and out, give it freedom, give yourself over to the animal and be Loup Garou!"

I backed off, already noticing the change taking place. "You can do this Amanda." I knew she could fight the pain, if anything it'd make her stronger, make her embrace the change. When the change was complete, the wolf before me panted from the exertion, but her strength was quickly returning. I knelt and stroked her head, smiling at her for the first time as I locked my eyes with hers. "You've done well Amanda, you should be proud, I am." I kissed her nose, for no apparent reason, and stood. Even in my human form I could outrun half the clan. Long ago, when I was a warrior, I pledged myself to the Greek and Roman Gods. I fought for Ares, I loved for Aphrodite, and I hunted for Artemis. I still held their gifts, though now I prayed more to my Loup Garou ancestors in the form of the munin.

"We run now, for our very lives. We stop as soon as we enter the redwoods." The redwoods were north of L.A., large trees, some older than myself, created this forest. There, we could hunt and rest, before continuing on. And where after that? I couldn't take her to the Luna, she was too fresh, to new to this life. She would rebel instantly. No, I would keep her with me, wandering the world and the wilderness. We raced through the town, two blurs of motion. For hours we ran. I could feel Amanda's joy at running so freely, it was something she hadn't felt for a long time, this pure joy, utter freedom as the wolf. When we came upon the redwoods, at long last, dusk was settling and we slowed our pace. Well away from civilization, we stopped in a small clearing. "We'll camp here. Can you change back on your own as well?" I knew she could, but I had asked anyway. It would be easier to talk here, away from her old life.

[Amanda Loup Garou]

Free will? I snorted at that, but stopped a moment after, shaking my head slightly, the loose strands of hair grazed along my skin, irritatingly and annoyingly so, which meant one hand moved up, pressing the strands away and leaving my skin free of the annoyance. This woman was going to regret this, I mean jeez, I'll end up arguing with her and making more wrong choices, if she was going to be my conscience then she was going to have allot of work ahead of her. A snicker passed through my lips as I dipped my head slightly, staring with greenish blue eyes, "then why did you? Why did you save me?" The question was something I wanted to know and dammit I was going to get it! Well um, hopefully anyway. This woman had saved me yes, and eventually I'll be more respectful, certainly I could see our relationship being interesting. Between us, there wouldn't be much of a dull moment which yes, that did amuse me a little bit.

She stalked towards me, I watched her liquid like, hunting movements with interest, my own instinct to rear up and attack was strong, but diminished the closer she got. Huh, interesting, maybe it was because she had bitten me, infected me with this werewolf strain, so I automatically backed down even though part of me wanted to fight. This was going to be rather irritating as hell the more I thought about it, hands curled halfway into fists before letting go, resting at my sides. Back against the wall, the concrete split as she hit it with her palms, I barely flinched although my heart was beating like a jack hammer. "You know what he knows." Simple words because it was true, unless she managed to find out my whole history from the mind share moments before, if so, damn, they were my own and not for others to see! Although she did have truth in her words. "Fine." It took all my self control not to snap then and there, but held it in. Her shaking me however brought primal fear in me. Fear laced my eyes, body shaking even after she let me go. "Don't ever do that again." My real father did that after or before the abuse started, so it still was fresh pain.

"Your far from stupid, I know that much." I fell silent, partly ashamed of myself for what she was saying, and the sooner we were gone, the better. At least then I could think without constant reminders of what had been. Letting her words sink in, I breathed deeply, concentrating on that part that was so new, yet already I was wanting to be more part of it, calling upon the wolf inside before the changes began. However, pain came along for the ride, yet I was fighting through it, knowing it would only make me stronger. My body wasn't used to shifting like this, but the more I did it, the more I would get used to it, the thought made me smile. When she knelt beside me and kissed my nose, I couldn't help but nuzzle into her, not knowing where that surge of affection came from, but she was kind, and tough at the same time, something that would keep me from going too crazy.

I began to run, feeling the sheer joy and freedom unbound. It was like I had once been chained and kept in a cage and now, the world was open to me. I was just a blur, running, paws hitting the ground as undiluted joy washed over me, scents were a hundred times sharper and more pungent in my nose, the vision I now had was extreme, like a blind man being able to see. Colors, shapes, everything was clear and more detailed. Also I could see further, I saw people moving up ahead, able to steer clear of their path as both the woman and I ran to the redwoods, it was dusk when we finally reached, having run for hours, and even though I should be tired, I was still running on adrenaline. Wanting to speak but not sure how, I opened my jaw, only guttural and primal wolf sounds came out, from a low bark to a growl. Ack, this was going to get annoying if I couldn't speak!

Breathing deeply, I focused on my human self, nodding my wolf like head hoping that I could change back by myself, besides I didn't want help anyway. As the changes began taking place, I was soon more human than wolf, then completely human, feeling the dusk air rush along my naked form, but unlike before, the air didn't bother me as much. Man this was going to take a little bit of time to get used to. "Thank you." Those two words were meant for everything, being saved, changing, etc. I just hoped she didn't think this was a mistake in saving my life.

[Lita Loup Garou]

As Amanda fought to find the strength within herself to change back to human form I began building a fire. It was just beginning to roar to life when she'd completed the change. "It'll be easier for you, in time." Her words shocked me, the surprise apparent on my face. The last thing I expected to hear from her was thank you. As the shock dulled, I smiled. "You're welcome." I meant it. I was pulled to her, intuition told me she should be saved. The pull was just like the moon when she ran the night sky full, or the munin guiding me in my hunt. Amanda's destiny was tied with the Loup Garou, but to what extent, I didn't quite know. Not yet, anyway. "You'll need to eat. You'll find that you need to eat much more now, your metabolism runs higher. Surely you've noticed an increase in stamina and strength, as well as your senses. All these changes require more fuel in your system to keep you at peak performance. We'll hunt soon." The redwoods held plenty of quarry for us. Elk & deer often grazed these woods. I would not subject her to eating an animal raw, she may still be too human and reject the food. No, instead, I would cook the animal over the fire, cleaning the fur to use while we slept.

While the fire sparked and sputtered, I set up a spit to roast our dinner on. "I'll teach you all I know about being the wolf, but we're not hunting in that form tonight. To be sure you can digest properly, I'll hunt and cook the food. Tomorrow, we eat as wolves." Soon Amanda would see the advantages of being a wolf. I needed to find clothing for her as well. When Angel was Lupa to the Loup Garou clan, she'd enchanted my armor and weapons so that they remained intact when I shifted. I was lucky in that regard, as stripping off all my armor simply to shift forms was a task in itself. "You are now part of a long line of werewolves, the Loup Garou. There is a structure to the pack, and there are rules." I glanced up at her from the shaft of wood I was sharpening. It was apparent Amanda had a problem with rules, but these, she must obey. "They're not difficult. We show reverence for other living things. The animals that feed us are honored for their sacrifice. There are those in power above you, a heirarchy within the pack structure. An Alpha, or King, and his wife, the Lupa are our leaders. We have healers and historians, and our Alpha has his 2nd and 3rd in command. I am known as Freyja. An independant Lupa, a warrior for the clan. Though that is a title and not my name. The name given to me by my parents was Lita. I will answer to either Freyja or Lita."

The moon had begun to shine it's soft light through the trees, in the distance owls awoke and hooted at her glow. A breeze came in from the west, carrying the scent of elk and a hint of the sea. I lifted my face to the sky and inhaled sharply. "Smell that? Not the briney salt of the sea, but the stronger, musky scent. Elk. Come on." I hefted the makeshift spear I'd carved and stood. With Amanda at my side, we stalked silently through the woods, closing in on a herd of elk grazing lazily. "Quiet." I whispered to her as we crept closer. The clearest shot I had was a large buck. He would provide plenty of food and a nice pelt for a cot. His sacrifice would be most honorable. Uttering a warcry, shrill and sharp, I lunged forward and threw the spear. It pierced his neck, clean through. The others in the herd bolted for shelter, even while the buck wobbled and fell to his side. I drew my sword and approached the animal. I stroked his neck and flank. "Be still, you have served your purpose well and we honor your life." I leaned down and kissed his cheek, then slit his throat. I saw no reason to prolong his suffering. I snapped the shaft of the spear, rolled the elk, and pulled it free, tossing it aside. "We'll clean it here." I went to work slitting his belly and pulling loose his innards. Some bits would be fine fare if cooked properly, others we had no use of. I saved the liver and heart, both tender and warm. These I handed to Amanda, while I discarded the rest with thanks and reverance. Let some scavenger feed off his life as well.

I hoisted the carcass of the elk up onto my shoulders. "I'll skin him at camp, we'll use the hide to sleep on, the rest, we eat, including those." I pointed to the organs she held. Back at camp I went about skinning the hide from the elk and skewering him on the spit. Blood dripped onto the fire with soft sizzles. I lay my sword in the embers, turning it white hot before applying it to the inside of the skin, tanning the hide. The heart and liver sat on a heated rock at the edge of the fire, cooking faster than the elk itself. When the hide was tanned, I spread it before the fire and sat down, motioning for Amanda to join me. "You asked me why I saved you. I have no proper answer. I was lead there, to you I suppose. The munin, the moon, they all speak to me. They lead me to all corners of the world, and they lead me to you. When the time comes and I return to the Luna with you, we may learn more." That would have to be answer enough for her now. For I had an idea there was much more to it, yet I wasn't sure what it was exactly. I turned the spit from time to time, and flipped the liver and heart to brown the other sides. For a while, we were silent, listening to the sounds of the night awakening all around us. When the liver and heart were cooked, I cut each in half and split them both with Amanda. We ate in silence as well, until I finally spoke as I turned the spit once more. "Surely you have questions. You may ask, and I will answer them the best I can."