Nic was munching on an apple the next morning, while Caleb packed their equipment onto the horses. Nic was a useless packer – a new revelation; Caleb was relieving him of the duty. Nic's first attempt ended with the saddle sliding off from the unequal distribution of weight. Spirit had not been happy and pounded Nic's left foot with his hooves. Spirit was a beautiful animal, smaller than Mordo, shiny coat and intelligent face. Non of which diminished how much Nic despised him.

  As if he could read his thoughts, Spirit looked at Nic. Blades of long grass stuck out of his muzzle, slowly disappearing as the animal chewed. Spirit trudged towards Nic and nudged his hand.

"So you like me when you want food, do you?"

The horse rubbed his forehead against Nic's shoulder.

"He is taking to you," said Caleb, as he was tying the cooking equipment to Mordo's saddle.

"Only because I have an apple in my hand." Nic fed Spirit what was left of the apple.

"It is more than that, believe me.” Caleb grunted as he lashed the equipment. “A Pyra forms a strong bond with any animal if given the chance, you just have to allow it to happen."

"How?"

"Accepting the animal for who it is.”

“That is ridiculous!” Nic snorted.

“For instance;” Caleb continued. “Mordo will do anything I ask as long as he knows we will both be safe in the end. He does not enjoy taking risks. As for Spirit, he thinks he knows what is best for him and does not trust your judgment. You have to accept that, and allow him to see that you also have the best intentions for his wellbeing. He is a bright animal, he will understand your tone of voice, but if you keep calling him names he will rebel and in his own way, call you names back."

Nic scratched his horse's black forehead, "You told me Mordo saved your life. Did he save your life before you came to Tjorin?"

"That he did. He risked his life for mine. And remember he does not like to risk anything."

"What happened?"

It was a while before Caleb answered his question, "An assignment gone wrong." Caleb stopped, staring into the distance.

"Caleb?" Nic asked softly. He had to repeat himself before Caleb awoke from his daydream and turned to face Nic.

"There is a lot I still need to explain, but I am not in the right position to tell you anything." Caleb looked around the camp, making sure he had packed everything away.

"But you promised!"

"And I intend to keep that promise, but not now."

"Then when?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is it something dangerous?” Nic could feel himself becoming impatient. He pushed Spirit away as he received another nod. “Is it something I should know about?”

“Nic it is better you know none of it now.”

“And if I want to know?”

“It would do you no good.”

“How is that logical? I could walk into exactly what you are trying to hide me from and then what? I’ll guess my way out of it? What is so dangerous that you have to hide from me?”

“Dangerous is not the right word,” Caleb grinned, but Nic could tell it was a way to avoid more questions.

“By the Gods! Are you going to tell me when I am in the middle of something I can't escape from?"

"I will tell you as soon as I know the full story.”

"Don't lie to me, Caleb. I am not a fool. If you had secrets you could not tell me then you should have never promised me anything!" Nic found himself shouting at Caleb unnecessarily, but the anger kept on flooding through him. It drowned out the voice that was telling him to calm down. He stood, too much energy flooding his muscles.

"Nic, there is no need to shout and - "

"Don't tell me what to do! I will shout if I want to shout. I am walking blindfolded into something that risked your life! How do you think that makes me feel?" Calm down. Why am I getting so worked up about this.

"You don’t need to worry about it. For all I know, it is not a worrying matter, but at the moment, the less you know the better."

"Don't give me that teacher-student talk."

Caleb did not reply for sometime. “I am doing this to protect you, Nic.”

“And I am just supposed to believe you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” Nic stood up and pushed Spirit away as the horse almost reared in front of him.

“Because I made a promise to your mother that I would protect and keep you out of danger.”

“You also made a promise to tell me everything once I decided to come with you.”

“And I have told you who I am, have I not?”

“That is not the point!”

“Then what is the point?” Caleb shouted back, but the anger that had flashed in his eyes quickly disappeared. “I am sorry. I did not mean to shout. I understand 

"You know what?” Nic said through a bitter smile. “I am done. I am going back. I have had enough of being lied to." He threw his hands over his head and approached Spirit.

"Nic, you don't even know the way back."

Nic stormed up to Spirit and swung onto the saddle. The horse grunted in protest, but did not throw Nic off like he had on numerous occasions. Taking it as a sign of what was best for him, Nic dug his heels into the horse's flanks. Nic chose the direction, unsure if it was right or not. He looked behind him to see if Caleb was following him. Their trail was empty but Nic drove Spirit faster just in case. 

Nic replayed the scene in his head, and the more he thought about it, the more he realised he had over-reacted. Spirit was slowing his pace, and was nervously looking around the forest. Nic noticed the animal's unease and started to do the same. The trees seemed to grow thicker here, forming strange shadows that seemed to reach out towards Nic, attempting to trap him. Spirit started to panic, his muscles quivering and his neck in a high arch. Nic patted the stallion, trying to comfort both of them. Spirit slowed to a walk, ears twitching nervously. 

The terrain became increasingly uneven; Nic knew he had gone the wrong way, but turning back meant risking another encounter with Caleb. 

The more he looked around the more he realised that even if they did turn around, Caleb would never find them. They were now lost in the large Aldo forest. Caleb had not followed him and was probably never going to. A shadow darted from a bush, making Spirit rear unexpectedly. Nic was caught unaware and felt his hands loose grip and his body slip off the horse's back. He hit the ground hard. His leg landed on an exposed root and his head on another. He felt his head crack and warm blood trickle down. He lost consciousness for an undeterminable amount of time, but when he woke, pain seared through his skull and back. Nic’s head dropped to the side in pain. At least I can still feel my legs and spine, so I don’t think anything is broken. Thank the Gods. 

He opened his eyes and when his vision focused, he saw two sightless eyes staring at him. A blood streaked face, blue as ice. Leaves covered the body, making it seem almost invisible. Nic screamed. The arms of the corpse were broken and purple bruises covered the man's face or what was left of the decaying flesh. Nic tried to push himself up, but fell back unsuccessfully. Nic tried again, but this time a strong grip pulled him up.

"By the Gods Nic! You say you are no fool, but then you go and do the most foolish of things. You could have –“ Caleb noticed the dead man under the foliage. He gently lowered Nic onto a root and then made his way to the man. He moved the body onto its back and he felt around in the man's pockets.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

Caleb never replied, instead he started pulling the body out of the tangle of roots and leaves.

"Caleb! He is dead! Leave him." Now that Nic’s senses were returning, he could smell the foul stench of decay. He retched.

"I can't just leave him here!"

"Why not? He is dead and it is better we don't meddle into things we don't know." 

"Things you don't know."

"And whose fault is that?"

Caleb’s back straightened, "Yes, you are right. Nic, meet the reason I was in the Aldo."

"What? How can - "

"His name is... or was Hari. He was a good man, a good pyra, who met an unfortunate end. He was missing and they sent me to look for him."

Nic's head was pounding. He reached back and felt something warm and sticky. His hair was matted to his scalp from the damp blood. This was all too much to take in. It was a good enough reason, but it just seemed so simple after the stories he had been conjuring in his head. A more pressing matter now was why this pyra had gone missing and who had killed him.

"Is that all?"

"No, but that is all I am certain of."

"So there is more."

Caleb was heaving the body as he was talking and his voice betrayed his impatience with Nic's enquiries. "Of course there is more, but it is not for sure. No one knew Hari had gone until we noticed his disappearance and even then, Pyra Cassador had not issued any orders for him to leave, and I only received information on where he had gone, weeks after he left.”

"Who is Pyra Cassador?"

"Nic please, can't we talk about this later?"

"I don't know if you will tell me later and I want to know." A wave of pain came over Nic, he clenched his teeth, leaning his head into his palms. Caleb sighed before he replied.

"Fine. Pyra Cassador is what you could call the leader of the pyree."

"I never knew the pyree had a leader."

"Everyone needs an individual to keep things in order. He acts as a guide for other pyree since he is the,” Caleb grunted. “I suppose he is the oldest. We go to him for advice or he comes to us asking favors, or tasks that he does not have the time to complete."

"Did he send you?"

"Yes, he did."

"Is that where we are headed?"

"Yes, my aim was to report to him as soon as possible. I was going to tell him that I was unable to find Hari's body, but I did find his crest and so I figured something happened to him."

"You found his crest, when did you find it? What is a crest?"

"That ring I bought from the market, do you remember?"

Nic thought back and could vaguely remember the ring Caleb bought at the festival - the old rusty ring that had looked worthless to Nic at the time. “What is a crest?” he repeated again.

“A pyra’s identity, in short terms. But I will explain more when you start your training. It’s... complicated.”

Nic rested his head a little and watched Caleb pull the body out of the tangled roots. "What do you think happened?"

"I don't have to think, I know."

"How?"

"By studying his wounds and the marks on his body. See here." Caleb pointed to seven lines that ripped the chest, "A Goblin claw. There are many more all over the body, telling me that he was ambushed. I just can’t figure out how he ended up this far into the wood. He also has bite marks on his legs and his one calf is missing. Probably a kuvas. It is too decayed to tell."

"A kuvas?"

"A dog like creature except much more vicious and they eat any kind of raw meat. They are almost the size of a fully-grown pony and are as strong as an ox. They are not too fast though and cannot keep up a speed for too long. Goblins train them as their mounts."

Nic felt a shiver run through his body. What a terrible way to die. He looked around the forest nervously. What would they do if a kuvas or goblin stepped out of the shadows at this instant?

I think I would faint from shock. Nic's head was swimming in assumption and distress.

"Is that what attacked you over two months ago? Did they injure your leg?"

Caleb stiffened and scratched his middle finger. He looked away from the body and towards Nic. The big man nodded and Nic understood that he did not want to discuss the matter further.

"We should bury him." Caleb said.

Nic nodded and forced his body to stand and walk to help Caleb.