the long run [attn. Anton]

[silhouette]

It was cold. Sohvi supposed that made sense, because it was cold out, and she was… well… out. Had been out ever since her father, or at least the man who had raised her tossed her out of his home and called her a demon. As if it was her fault that she had crazy dreams and that her eyes had changed from almost black to something a lot more yellow. Sohvi was convinced that a lot of kids her age went through changes like that. She sat by a little pond, staring at her own reflection. Her eyes, mostly. They were so strange, it was hard to get used to them.

 

Other things had changed too. She’d noticed that when she came near a village at some point. Oh, the smells. The horrid smells. She had never realised that humans stank all that badly. There had been a sense of mirth somewhere in the back of her head, which told her that someone thought that was very funny. That disturbed her too, because she’d never had things like that in her head before. She fled from that presence as well as the village. It was a lot harder to get rid of the presence though. It was around her, all around her. Sometimes nearby, sometimes farther away, but always questioning.

 

Sometimes they went away for a while, when she thought of a certain image. The snow, and the reflection of a person on that snow, in the sun. It was hard to describe, and yet when she pulled that imagine into her mind, the prodding sensation went away, only to be replaced with other images. She saw one of a young wolf, staring at the sky. When she looked up at the sky with him, she saw thousands and thousands of stars. “Eyes High.†She’d muttered when the image faded. There was a sensation of amusement again, as well as a bit of pride, as if she’d done something right for the first time in her life.

 

She was thrilled with that sensation, for as long as it lasted. The truth was, Sohvi was getting more than a little worried. She’d taken very little with her when she ran. In truth, nothing more than the dress and the shoes she was wearing. It hadn’t even been her favourite dress. It was dark blue, and while it fit her well enough, it was definitely not her favourite cut or colour. She liked Taraboner dresses, or even the ones from Mayene, which her mother had always said were scandalous. They made a person look beautiful though. Well, some persons at least. Sohvi was pretty sure she was a lot cause, with her straight hair and her full lips, and her lack of broad hips and apple cheeks.

 

She picked her cheeks again as she stared into the pond, trying to get some colour into them. Ah, she could hear Rita now. Her youngest sister, no more than eight months older than her, complaining about how she could never take Sohvi anywhere, because Sohvi was too ugly. And then there was Runa, her second to youngest sister, who had said there wasn’t a bonnet deep enough to hide her horrible face. In a way Sohvi was glad to be rid of them. At least now no one would call her ugly again. But it also meant she was without a family, and without a home. And it was getting cold, and the coat she took from the washing line was far too big and not really warm either. All in all, Sohvi realised that things were looking down for her. A single tear slid down her cheek as she yearned for the time when her mother had still loved her, and when she didn’t have voices in her head.

 

~Sohvi Darwin

Shimmer

 

[Wayfarer]

It had been quite a fair bit of travel, or so Anton reflected as he made his way one step at a time. It wasn't as far as he had gone before, but nevertheless it a was a decent distance between here and the Wolfkin Stedding, especially going through the Mountains of Mist as Garen's Wall was impassable. And as usual, he preferred to travel on foot rather than by horse. More so since he had undergone the changes that had made him what he was now, Wolfkin.

 

Trusting his own feet above anything else, it made the travel slower going but it kept him from getting fat at least. Especially when he had to push the pace as he did, he wasn't one to slouch when it came to retrieving a cub to be taught the ways of the Wolfkin and the wolves of Amadicia had been quick to send the word along. So, here he was, after a girl that was dressed in a blue dress that had seemed to be there but not. How Anton wished that the wolves could speak the common tongue instead of being entirely dependent on images. Some of the wolves who ran with humans for a long time learned to think in the human way, but Anton had never paired himself with another.

 

It was also a good sign that the wolves here had taken care of the girl, nurtured her as well. They were already teaching her rudimentary things and in a gentle manner as well. Her treatment was far gentler than his own, something that would hopefully make it easier for her to agree to come along. In fact, it would be a dream come true if he could have an easy pick up for once. He'd heard of them happening, but they must have been simply myth because he had yet to track someone down and have them simply come along with a minimum of fuss. No, there was always a problem of some sort, it wouldn't be the Howling without it he supposed.

 

There she is.

 

Spotting a figure in blue sitting by the waters of a small pond, Anton was glad that her back was to him. He wanted to close the distance a bit first. He wondered if she was pretty, the Stedding could certainly use a few more women with some obvious charms. Too many men there, and Anton in many ways preferred the company of women over men, beyond the more obvious reasons as to why.

 

Stopping a good twenty feet away, Anton stopped and spoke loudly. "Good day, I was wondering if you knew the way to Amador?"

 

 

Anton Averdal

Farpaw

[silhouette]

Something had changed in the images that had been sent to her. By the wolves, she supposed. Which was insane, and yet not. In a way it was easy to accept. Not that she had, no, far from it. She was not a wolf, and she was not a demon. And yet the images, and the sounds that filled her mind had made her feel at home. Gave her a sense of not being alone. So she’d listened and watched, as the images and senses changed. A man this time, which was strange, because the wolves had never shown her any men before. As she saw more of him, a sense of distance came to her. Not in actual miles or paces, because that seemed to be beyond them, but just a sense of being very far away, and of walking a lot.

 

Sohvi was so caught up in these images that she didn’t notice the presence of another in her clearing until he actually spoke. She bolted upright and turned around, holding her bonnet to her chest. “wha? Who? Amad…†she started, getting ready to bolt. Then she noticed the man’s face, and the thoughts of the wolves started to make sense. Was this the one they’d been telling her about? And was that a good or a bad thing? What if they had been trying to warn her about him? She decided not to take any chances.

 

Slowly backing away, she waved to the left. “I’m pretty sure it’s that way.†She said. Just a few more steps. She turned, and ran, just a few paces to make sure the pond was in between her and the stranger, who was in fact not a stranger because she’d seen his image in her head. “This is all mighty confusing.†She muttered, thinking back on how simple her life had been before the dreams and the eyes and the getting kicked out of her house by her father happened. Today would be a market day, and Jon would mock her and tell her all his friends thought she was ugly, and then old Marty would try to touch her backside or bosom and then her mother would make her a cup of tea and tell her that all would be well. With a sigh she stared into the pond again, seeing her face with the strange eyes. At least old Marty wouldn’t try to grope her anymore.

 

~Sohvi Darwin

Shimmer

 

[Wayfarer]

She was startled the way that she reacted to him, she was skittish. In fact, she was worse than skittish, fear soaked her every fibre and was what led to her running about the other side of the pond. Anton was tempted to run and chase her down, but there was another thing he could try. Besides, if all else failed he could still chase her down but to have someone willingly follow was always preferable as well as faster. Shrugging off his pack, he dropped his stave and sat himself down. Rummaging through his backpack, he searched with his hands as he spoke to her.

 

"Ah, good, cause I really don't want to go there. With your eyes you'd do well not to either." The look of surprise he got brought a smile to his face. "I have the same eyes as you girl, gold. There are people who don't like us very much for the mark we bear, but they do so out of fear more than anything else. In fa- Wait there."

 

Finding the apples he'd picked a couple of days earlier, he sat three of them on the ground next to him as he took a bite of the fourth. Chewing thoughtfully, he had a feeling that he might end up chasing her anyway, but he had to try his luck nevertheless. "I'm Anton, but no doubt the wolves warned you I was coming this way. They call me Farpaw, but then thats not entirely true. You know what my name truly is no? The wolves here have taken care of you as best they can, but I am here to take you to your new home. There are others like us, and they can help you understand what is happening."

 

Picking up one of the apples he held it up to her as he spoke. "Here, take this one." Lobbing it over the water, Anton smiled as she caught it. "But, you have my name. Would you give me yours?"

 

 

Anton Averdal

Farpaw

[silhouette]

Apple. Damn yellow eyes and people and Amador and wolves, it was an apple. Sohvi caught it with ease, and polished it clean with her sleeve before taking a bite, looking very content. Beyond content. Her tummy had been reminding her of it’s empty state for over a day now, but she couldn’t very well go and steal food, now could she. It dawned on her that Anton, as he called himself, probably hadn’t grown these himself either, but that wasn’t her fault, right? She pondered on that as she took another bite. What did eating stolen food make her? Probably something less bad than a wolf or a demon child.

 

It wasn’t until she’d finished the apple that she realised Anton had been speaking to her. In fact, he’d not only been speaking to her, he’d been explaining things to her. “How am I supposed to know if you’re like me? I can’t see your eyes from here.†She said. She did take one step closer though. “And even if you are like me, I don’t even know what I am yet. My father… well, the one who raised me, he said that I’m a demon, and I haven’t seen any evidence to counter that yet.†Another step. There were more apples. Light, she was hungry. There was that sense of amusement in her head again, something that urged her on, telling her to trust this man, who was Farpaw, and yet not.

 

She was still about twenty paces away from him when she spoke again. “I’m Sohvi. Sohvi Darwin. I’m from a farm, not too far away.†She waved in the general direction of where she thought the farm was. Apples. Would he mind if she took one? Or maybe he could throw one her way again. “I… don’t know what they call me.†She lied. Instantly the image of the shadow on the snow, with the sunlight reflecting on it came into her mind again. It was almost blinding this time. “There’s snow.†She said, as if that should explain everything. “There’s snow and… a reflection and… Shimmer. I think that’s what they call me.†It was an odd word. “Shimmer.†She repeated it to herself, getting used to the sound if it.

 

She looked up and found that Anton was a lot closer than he had been before. The apples were still at his feet though. With a start she stopped herself from moving any closer. Damn her. Had she been listening at all when her mother told her not to go with men she didn’t know? And yet she knew Anton, or Farpaw. And he had apples, and those looked so much better than anything old Marty had ever tried to offer to her. She looked up at his face again. "Your eyes." she muttered. "They are like mine."

 

~Sohvi Darwin

Shimmer

 

[Wayfarer]

It seemed like his plan was working, something that Anton was grateful for. He did not envy the idea of chasing the girl down and he preferred to have her trust. Of course, he had to prove worthy of it, but that was something he felt he could manage. As long as he didn't startle her at all, that was the risk that came with dealing with a girl so timid. He was thinking about what had made her so when she mentioned her father, no, foster father. Demon? Well, they were in Amadicia, but then others had similar stories from elsewhere. Foolish ignorance, and it was the innocent who paid the price for the narrowminded bigotry of others.

 

Sohvi Darwin, now that was a nice name. He barely managed to keep himself from frowning as she lied to him though. There was a certain wrongness that one felt from a lie, another thing that the wolves had imparted him with. An inbuilt lie detector, it had certainly made many things easier though it also on occasion made things harder when it was someone you liked that lied to you. But, then maybe thats what made the Wolfkin so different, they couldn't lie to each other because they could not hide the truth from their fellows. A stray thought of Aran crossed his mind, he wondered whether his friend would last the day in the stedding. The man took to corruption like duck to water.

 

Shimmer. That explained the images he had been receiving, he had not known how to interpret them for certain. The name suited her, so cautious it was like she was only half there. Maybe she'd make a good watcher someday if the name was anything to go by. The Trackers had certainly made sense for him considering his own wolfname.

 

And there it was, recognition as she got closer. Smiling up at her as she spoke, he nodded and reached for one of the apples. Holding it by his fingertips up to her, he spoke gently. "Yes, and we are not the only ones. To the ignorant we are demons, we are darkfriends, we are mad and we are a whole host of other vile names. But those of us with the eyes know ourselves to be Wolfkin. But here, take this apple before we continue, my arm is getting tired."

 

She was quick, the apple was swipped from his hand and she danced back a couple of steps. She had far too much energy as far as Anton was concerned, Light willing he would not have to chase her. "We are human, but for those of us that are wolfkin there is a wolf within us that lays dormant. When the time is right, we begin what is called the Howling. Our eyes turn gold, our senses begin to improve and we are able to communicate with the Wolves through images."

 

"But, there is a problem during the Howling. The wolf within us wants to take over completely. Without help, the wolf takes over and we do become mad. Thats why I am here, you will need help to get through it, the same as I did. Amongst the Wolfkin I am a tracker, it is my duty to find those like you who are going through the Howling and bring them to our home where you will be safe. From there, the Sages may help you so you do not lose yourself and you may pass through the Howling a different person, but much stronger for it."

 

 

Anton Averdal

Farpaw

[silhouette]

Snatching the apple had almost been more than Sohvi could bear. Too close, it was all too close. She could smell him and hear him and see him too clearly, and he seemed to be right in her face half the time. She realised that he probably wasn’t trying to be intrusive, but light… if he was right and she was having wolf thoughts, then the wolves in her had some seriously overbearing senses. She bit into the apple again, more to distract herself from things than because she was hungry, even though she was. Other things were more important though. Trackers, the Howling, not demons, everything. The thing in her head told her he was right and that she could trust him, but Sohvi didn’t even know if she could trust the voice in her head.

 

She backed away some more, needing time to think. “How do I know you’re not lying?†she asked, eying him suspiciously. Her father had always said that demons were bad, and that they could ruin lives, just like darkfriends and shadowspawn. She didn’t want to be shadowspawn. “Just because the thing in my head is telling me you’re ok doesn’t mean you actually are.†She said, sounding angry now. Whatever anger she had in her, it wasn’t enough to push the fear aside. People hated her already. People already thought she was disgusting and ugly and vile and wrong, and she didn’t want them to think that even more. She didn’t want to scare away the few people who liked her.

 

But what about those others? Were there others? Or was he like old Marty? Was he just lying to her because he wanted to have his way with her? It was all so confusing. It was too much. Sohvi sat down where she was standing before, and started sobbing. All the tears that had been saved up during the past few days were streaming over her cheeks. “I don’t know anymore.†She choked out between sobs. “I don’t know what to do. Why does it have to be me? Why not Rita? They would have forgiven her!†and on she sobbed, letting out a high pitched whine every now and then.

 

~Sohvi Darwin

Shimmer

[Wayfarer]

Anton nodded at what she said, she was cautious as her namesake. Not necessarily a bad thing, but she would need to be able to trust and that was something he could at least get help with. He certainly wasn't going to give into the temptation of going over to her and trying to console her. He definitely didn't want her running, that much was certain. That would ruin all the good work he had managed so far, and he had yet to truss someone up and throw them over the first packhorse he found and carry them the entire way. He certainly didn't wish to start now.

 

Reaching out, Anton smiled as he spoke briefly with another. The young one had wanted to come sooner, but Anton had wanted him to wait in reserve. Now seemed as good as time as any to play him. All cards on the table now, and where she might run from him, she knew the wolf that emerged from the nearby treeline. Black, he was young and lean and his youth was apparent in the care free way he almost trotted over. "You may not trust me, but I think you will trust him."

 

That got Sohvi's attention. Anton could have listened in to what Eyes High was saying, but that would have been rude and not his place. Whatever it was it worked though as the girl didn't move, not even when the wolf stopped before her and fixed her on the spot with his stare. Then, with no warning, suddenly darted forward and licked her face. The squawk she released didn't hold the fear that had permeated her earlier. Anton was just glad that Eyes High had been here at the time. It made him wonder sometimes what it would have been like if a companion had found him rather than the pack that... Well, that was history now, the only way was forward.

 

"As you can see, he's not just in your head. There is one thing to remember about wolves, they can't lie. Furthermore, they can tell when someone is lying and they don't like it a bit. That ability will come to you soon and you'll be able to tell truth and deceit from night and day for the most part. But for now, you can know that Eyes High cannot lie to you, even if you are not ready to trust me yet."

 

Taking up the other apple beside him, he smiled at Sohvi. "Here, catch." Tossing it to her, his smile grew as she snagged it from the air. But more importantly she was captivated with her new companion. He would let them become acquainted with one another for awhile, and when Sohvi was ready, they would be able to begin their journey.

 

The journey home.

 

 

Anton Averdal

Farpaw