The old Fae castle is absolutly breath taking. It looks to be made of some type of crystal. It glitters shades of pink, blue, purple, green, and red in the setting sun, the oranges and blues and indigos of the sky its back drop. It's bigger than I thought it would be, and thats saying something, and looks completly untouched by the war that claimed its previous owners and time. I can see six towers from here, though there could be more that I can't see.  There's a path that leads up to it about twenty two yards to our left. There's about ten miles between us and the castle, but I suddenly have the urge to enter it now. I have to be there. Something in there is calling to me.
  I need to see it. Learn all of its secrets. Explore the rooms. A hand falls on my shoulder and I jump, turning my head and raising a hand to my chest. It's Lyson. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I turn back to look to it, nodding. "Do you feel it?" I whisper. Out the corner of my eye I see his slight frown. "Feel what?" The call, I want to say. But it's clear he doesn't feel it. "Never mind." I smile slightly and pull away from him. His arm drops and I turn to face the whole group.
  "Two of us should go ahead and check the next stretch out. Once we leave the cover of trees, we won't have any protection, and we'll be exposed. There's no telling what is out here. There could be animals not found by our home. And others heading to the castle." Because you can never be to careful of others, I add silently. Despite the pull I feel tword the strange beautiful castle, my instinct to abandon this is still strong. "Why don't you just fly above us?" Cade asks me with wide eyes. Lily pushes him. "Shhhhh Caden." She hushes him, her small etebrows arched in a frown. I smile slightly. "That's alright Lil. He doesn't know." Now Caden frowns. "Know what?"
  "There was a law against flying in the cove." Narc answers for me. I nod. "I never learned how to fly. I just like showing my wings sometimes to remember my parents." Caden looks down. "I'm sorry." Lyson pats his head. "Its okay kid. Maybe she'll be able to learn here, yeah?" Caden smiles again, looking up, and Lily bounces. "That would be so cool! Could you take me flying when you do?" I nod, picking her up. "Sure. But first, I have to learn."
  "Samuel and I will scout ahead." Narc says, looking to Lyson who gives a small nod. I look to Sam. "That okay with you?" Sam nods. "We'll be back in a flash." He smiles at me and kisses his sisters cheek before taking off in a flash. Sam and Lily are pureblood vampires. Caden is a werewolf, and Narc and Lyson are were tigers. Narc shifts into his tiger form and takes off to the road, while I step back into the trees with Lily still on my hip, Lyson guiding Caden back as well. "What do you think the castle will be like?" Lily asks, and I look to it again. Lyson answers. "Maybe like the cove. Before the wars, castles are where the Royal families lived. But now, I think we're just going to be learning the new ways of the gods." I nod. That is a possibility. But I really don't have any idea of my own what it will be like. Or what I'll do. I do know that I will find my place here. I can feel it. "Will I be able to visit my mom and dad again?" Lily's voice is quiet now, and I look at her. I can see in her eyes that she misses her parents, and smooth herbrown curls.
  "Maybe. And maybe they can visit us too." I say this to comfort her. There is no guarantee that our cove still exists. The Elders refused the call of the Gods after all. But maybe us coming will have been enough to save our home. I hope deeply that it is. I cannot stand the think that those I grew up with would no longer be there if I were to return. Caden grabs my hand, and I look down to give him a smile, lacing our fingers together. He's nervous.
  Soon Sam is back, and a minute later Narc runs up, smoothly shiftly back into his human form. "The road is clear." He informs us. Sam takes Lily from me. "So is the valley on both sides for a few miles." I turn my eyes to the sky, and only see a few birds. "Full speed ahead then?" I ask. "Can I ride on your back again?" Caden asks, looking at Lyson who smiles, and shifts before laying on his stomach. Caden lets go of my hand, clapping and climbing onto Lysons back. Sam shifts Lily from his hip to his back, where she wraps her arms around his necks and he grabs her legs. I feel a wet nose nudge my hand and look to the side. Narc has also shifted back into his tiger form and is standing next to me. In their animal forms, both men come up to my elbow. I raise my hand and gently pat his head. The brothers have both been trying to get me to ride them, but I've insisted on traveling on my own. Riding one of them seems a bit too personal, but I enjoy petting them. Their fur is always soft, though its slightly dirty from the amout of time we've been outside. Sam picks up his pack and carries it on his front. Narc nudges my hand again, but I shake my head. "Maybe you should ride him." Sam says softly. I look to him. "You haven't been sleeping much, and you didn't eat anything." I roll my eyes slightly. "Stop worrying so much. I'm fine. If we keep a steady pace, it looks like we have maybe five hours of running." He sighs, but says nothing more, running off. Lyson follows right after, Caden squeeling and laughing on his back. Narc nudges my hand one more time befire following.
  I wait a moment, my eyes glossing over the land, then the castle before I take a deep breath and take one step forward, then another. This is it for me. No going back now. Soon I'm running with the group, bringing in the rear. I glance back at the forest once, then keep moving forward. To my new life.