Kiela's paws ached and her back was sore. She had been running for endless hours with the heavy pack of weaponry strapped to her back. Slowly the forest began to look familiar, and with trepidation she recognized scents of shifters she had once known. It was then that she had abandoned the woods and swam along the river, knowing that the fast moving water would mask her scent. The sound of voices floated over the river'a roar, and Kiela silently moved towards the shore. She shook the clinging droplets from her pelt and slid underneath a hawthorn bush. The branches fragmented her vision but Kiela still made out the shapes of three shifters; one of them was Sarae, the moose that had tried to kill her when she was banished.

Kiela hesitated, but then with a wild disregard for her own well-being she shoved her way into the clearing. Immediately the creatures fell silent.
"Kiela?" One of them asked.

Sarae bellowed and charged towards her, huge antlers lowered. Kiela leaped nimbly to the side and rolled over into her back.

"Wait!" She yelled. "I do not mean you any harm. Take me to Ramsea. If she finds me guilty, then you may do as you please. If I am innocent you will have killed me before I could clear my name."

A small fisher slunk towards her. "Fine. Do not struggle and stay in your wolf form. No shifting." Kiela bowed her head in agreement and stood up. The three animals placed themselves around her and they walked through the woods to the village. The second they broke from the trees a mob surrounded them. The shifters attacked Kiela and not even Sarae was able to hold them back.

"Wait!" The moose bellowed. "She wants to speak with the elders!"

The mob backed off, still hissing and spitting. Animals and people alike stood beside each other, hate gleaming in their eyes.

"Why wait?" Someone snarled. "We shouldn't have let her get away in the first place."

"Kill the murderer!" A bird screamed. "Tear out her entrails!"

"Stop!" A small, tagged brown bird dove out of the sky and landed in front of her with wings spread.

"Lono?" Kiela gasped, hope flaring in her chest. He glanced at her with cold, baleful eyes. The hope died.

"As much as I wish to let you all destroy her, she my be able to help us. She may know who the other murders are."

The crowd grumbled but let her go. Sarae took advantage of this and began to lead Kiela to Ramsea'a tent.

"Lono, please..." Kiela begged.

"I don't want to talk to you right now." he said, turning his back on her.

"Come, wolf." The fisher insisted. Kiela allowed herself to be dragged away.

The walk to Ramsea's tent felt like torture. The other shifters stared and spat at her, turning their backs. The large structure loomed before her and Kiela stood outside the flaps.

"Ramsea?" Sarae called. "You have a visitor."

"Come in!" A voice from inside the tent replied. Kiela hesitated, and with a mighty shove the fisher pushed her inside.

Ramsea didn't look surprised. "Kiela, we meet again." she stated.

"Ramsea." she knelt.

"I knew you would come back." the elder muttered.

"There are things we need to settle." Kiela replied, but Ramsea's face darkened as if a storm cloud was passing over it.

"How dare you return!" Ramsea thundered. "You betrayed me, betrayed our people and betrayed the gods!"

"Ramsea!" Kiela fought, desperation showing in her voice. "It wasn't me!"

"Still you deny it." The elder bit out. She paced around Kiela, robes flowing. "We all know it was you that killed her!"

"Ramsea please...," Kiela cried. But Ramsea was dead to her pleas. She drew a shard of sharp shale from her belt and held it to Kiela's neck.

"I'm doing you a favour by killing the demon that you are." She snarled.

"Ramsea listen to me." Kiela babbled. "At the trial it was only my word against Connix's with paltry evidence. Where is Connix now?"

"Banished... for murder." Ramsea murmured. She withdrew the blade and Kiela stood.

"If he has murdered now then why can't you believe that he murdered before? If you look between Sky's talons you will find the red fur of a fox, not my silver fur."

Ramsea sighed. "Kiela this still doesn't explain her broken bones. No fox could've done that."

"Sky was in bird form when she was injured. She shifted shortly after." Kiela explained.

"If what you say is true then you are innocent... Gods child I have wronged you." Ramsea looked at her with shining eyes.

Kiela wilted with relief. "It's alright." she replied. and she meant it. The time she had spent had allowed her to learn and grow in ways that she wouldn't have before.

"Why are you back?" Ramsea asked in amazement. "I would have killed you."

"Sylnav appeared to me in a dream and ordered me back."

"Sylnav appeared to you?" Ramsea asked, amazed.

"Yes, " Kiela answered in confusion.

"Kiela if a god or goddess appears to you that means they have chosen to share your body, to make you their living vessel."

Kiela stared at her in awe. "You mean, I'm Sylnav? She's me?"

"Yes." Ramsea replied. "See if you can talk to her."

"How?"

"Just speak."

"Sylnav?" Kiela asked. Her voice sounded thin and quavery to her own ears. There was silence for a few second before,

Hello, wolf

Kiela looked at Ramsea in wonder.

"You heard her." Ramsea said, not even poison it as a question. Kiela nodded anyways.

"Alright. Tell me what you wanted to say." Ramsea ordered.

"From what I understand Connix was trying to raise Drisnôk." Kiela told her. "He said he needed a blood sacrifice to complete the ritual. That's why he's killing all these shifters. Sylnav told me that Drisnôk is amassing an army. When I was banished I lived in a group with many people, but they didn't shift. They also had an amazing proficiency with weapons. I told them of our plight and they agreed to help us. They will arrive tomorrow."

"That's good. We need as many fighters as we can get. I will send word to the other villages as well." Ramsea agreed. "For now, get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning."

***

"The people of Kitha are here!" The messanger, Xaroc shouted. Immediately the crowds dissolved, people rushing about to ready for their arrival. Each shifter had agreed to share their tent with another, but there were still many people who would not have a place to stay. The shifters had worked through the night to raise teepees, at least 10 of them that would house the remaining people. With all of the frantic activity Kiela had had no time to sort thing out with Lono. He seemed angry with her, a thought thy she couldn't bear.

With whoops and yells a group of people spilled over into the camp, surrounding the shifters.

"Kym!" Kiela called, running up to hug her friend. "You're staying in my teepee."

"They accepted you back!" Kym exclaimed. "That's wonderful! This bag here is mine, the others are not."

"My tent is at the other side of the village." Kiela explained. "I'm sorry but it will be a five minute walk for you." never before had she appreciated her wolf form so much.

When they arrived at Kiela's tent they only had enough time to drop off Kym's bags before they headed to Ramsea's tent for a meeting.

When everyone was quiet the great elder spoke: "My people," she began, "And our friends. This day begins a sad new chapter in our history. An evil power, as evil as we have ever known is set to destroy us. We do not face this alone! We have friends, the people of Kithna who are here to train you and to fight when the time comes. Listen to them for we will win this war!"  Cheers and applause filled the air as the shifters rejoiced.

Kiela listened to them with dread. Sylnav, do you think that we will win?

I'm not sure, young one. The goddess answered tiredly. Last time we had an insider, someone who knew Drisnôk's weaknesses. Now we have no one.

Samah stepped forwards. "I am the Cheif of the village of Kithna. My name is Samah. In the next few days our people will be learning as many fighting skills from one another as is possible. For this to work I need someone to help me. Kiela, could you please step up and assist me?"

Shock filled Kiela and she was barely aware of Kym pushing her into the centre of the circle. Shifters and humans alike stared at her in expectation. She said nothing.

Kiela, divide them into training groups. Sylnav told her, startling her. up until then the goddess had been remarkably silent.

"Okay." Kiela said to herself. "You can do this." She stood up and spoke clearly and confidently.

"If you or your totem is a bird, please meet Pather by the Abör oak. He will show you how to use blades and guards. If you are a small animal meet Kymir Wildheart to do archery target practice. If you are a wolverine or larger, meet Fip and Lee near Lake Fiölir for the Kilangar. Good luck everyone and happy training!"

A/N The above picture is a fisher, in case you don't know why it was. Four more chapters left!