Chapter 26 - Seed of Hope

788 I.C, March 3, The Pierced Veil: Bathroom, Midday

I reached under Clyde's arms, held his chest, propped him against the corner, and eased him down. He remained in place but his head tipped to the side while I fetched for the shower head. The filth baked into his fur had proved to be a challenge, and this was going to be his third bath.

It's been a day and he's still unconscious...

I sprayed his head, combed the fur with my claws, and felt tufts loosen while the water grew murky.

At least his presence in the aether is growing... A sign that he's improving...

I inched closer, grabbed some shampoo, rubbed chest, and moved onto his throat. It felt rewarding to see hints of white return to his fur, and it stirred something strange in my mind. An emotion that sapped my hatred of its strength, and turned anger into a heartache, yet I was compelled to continue.

Maybe it's the fact that you're unconscious... You're less annoying that way...

The thought made me smirk while I pulled his arm into my grip and began to lather it. Moments later I felt something in my hand, a twitch. I looked down up at his and my heart jumped a little when I saw his eyelids flutter.

A split second later his eyes flashed open and his body jerked with an audible gasp. His pupils grew in shock, and his feet began to kick. A pitiful whimper followed and his arms flailed at me in an attempt to get away from me.

"Stop fidgeting," I ordered and gripped his arms.

The whimper became a shrill yelp while he wriggled in panic and began to slide back against the wall. His legs hit mine, shifted my balance, and forced me to lean over on all four. In mere moments he was laying on his back, staring up at me, while I loomed over him on all four.

"Will you stop?" I said in annoyance and glared down at him.

Clyde kept struggling but his strength quickly waned until he could barely move.

"Are you done?" I asked.

Clyde's muzzle remained open in shock while he glanced around the bathroom. He then focused on me for a moment, before looking down between our chests.

I let go of his arm for a moment and snapped my fingers, "Hey, eyes up here."

Clyde blinked and slowly lifted his gaze until our eyes met once more.

"Are you still in there, Clyde?" I asked.

"Am I... Am I dreaming?" Clyde whispered.

"I wish you were, but apparently your body found this to be the perfect moment to wake up."

Clyde moved his free arm, reached toward his chest, and touched the stitches that held his hide together. He yelped in pain, and squirmed for a moment, before his eyes grew like saucers, "I don't understand."

"About the tiles underneath your cage?" I asked.

Clyde gulped and made a slow nod, "Yes."

I flashed him a wolfish grin, "A joke, you know? A friendly game. Very humorous, wasn't it? Kind of like the games the rest of you used to play with me. You know the one, 'Is today the day I die?'"

Clyde's face relaxed, his muzzle closed, and for a moment he seemed merely stunned. Seconds later his lips began to tremble, his eyes watered, and a high pitched whine began to fill the bathroom.

"Please don't..." I pleaded.

His muzzle opened a little and a choked whimper escaped, and tears began to trickle from his eyes. The whimper turned into a mournful howl and his expression twisted with misery.

"Clyde..." I whispered.

Clyde's wet tail squirmed between his legs, his hands moved to cover his face, and he tipped to the side while curling into a fetal pose.

Damn it...

788 I.C, March 3, The Pierced Veil: Bathroom, Midday

I reached for another towel, took it from the wall, and crouched beside Clyde. He remained motionless when I started rubbing the towel along his back.

"Have you noticed yet?" I asked.

Clyde's ears perked but he didn't answer.

"You'll have to make choices soon. Ones that will determine what happens next, you should prepare for that," I whispered.

A weak but hoarse voice came from Clyde, "What have you done to me?"

"That much should be obvious, use your brain," I said.

"... It's not possible. This is a trick. You couldn't have... The blessing is..." Clyde murmured.

"Deny reality if you will, you've grown to be quite a master of that," I said.

Clyde whispered, "What are you going to do to me?"

"That depends," I answered.

Clyde moved a little, turned his head, and strained to look up at me. His blue eyes focused on me with a strange intensity that made me stop for a moment.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I can feel you," Clyde whispered.

I tipped my head a little, "No shit?"

Clyde gulped, "In the aether. I can feel the aether... It's warm, I haven't felt it in years."

"The Master's Blessing cut you off completely, didn't it?" I asked.

Clyde lowered his head once more, "Yes, it did."

"Do you realize what this means? Not just for you, but for all of Everwinter?" I asked.

"I'm not stupid, Avery. I realize what it means," Clyde whispered.

I inched closer and whispered in his ear, "Do you know what the Master's Blessing truly is? A parasite meant to suck the life out of you. Can you guess what would have happened if it had been left in you for a few more years?"

Clyde's ears clamped to his head, "No."

"Did you ever wonder where all the obsidian came from? The supply rooms were always full of it, we even had a laugh about the strange shapes it would come in."

Clyde made an audible gulp, "You're lying, that's sick... Why would you even suggest such a-"

I interrupted him, "I have pieces of Cujo upstairs. I also have pieces from one of the younger wulfkins in the camp. One of them started to rot, while I used the other one to craft some new constructs. The obsidian worked quite lovely, but I guess that's because it was so fresh."

Clyde drew a shaky breath and knit his hands into fists while I kept talking, "You've felt it over the years, haven't you? How it grew from your ribcage, invaded your spine, and kept reaching higher. Judging by the growth, it would have reached your brain within a few months. I wonder what happens then?"

"Stop!" Clyde pleaded.

"Reality is harsh, Clyde. What do you think other wulfkins will do when they see you? When they realize that the hallmark of a wulfkin is no longer there?"

Clyde clenched his eyes shut but didn't utter a word.

"It's time to get up, come on?" I said and stood up.

Once more he ignored me.

"Suit yourself," I said and snatched hold of a towel to wrap around my midsection.

Once done I walked to the door, pushed it open, and left Clyde behind. To my surprise it took little more than seconds before Talwin emerged from the corridor and approached me.

"Everything all right?" Talwin asked.

"Clyde woke up, but he's busy moping so I figured I'd give him some time," I answered.

Talwin stopped and raised his brow, "Moping, well... That's one way to put it. Are you just going to leave him in there?"

"If he wants to drown himself then that's his choice. If he pulls it together though, like I expect he will, then he'll come looking for me," I answered.

Talwin brow lifted a little higher, "... and you're just going to let him wander the guild on his own?"

"He's intelligent enough to realize that we're his only lifeline. Besides, he's so weak that he can barely walk, let alone hurt anyone. That being said, I'm going to keep an eye on him through the aether."

Talwin glanced away for a moment and pondered it, "If you say so."

"How's dinner coming along?" I asked.

"We're working on it, in fact that's why I was looking for you," Talwin answered.

I nodded, "I'll just fetch some clothes and be right with you, OK?"

788 I.C, March 3, The Pierced Veil: Dining Room, Evening

"Can we trust him?" Leonard asked.

I raised my brow, looked up from my plate, and swallowed, "Clyde no longer has his powers and I'm not sure how much damage his body has taken. But for now he'll remain quite weak."

"That's a surprisingly vague answer, coming from you," Leonard said.

I smiled back in response, "No, you can't trust him, yet."

Casey leaned over the dining table and focused on me, "If we can't trust him. Then what do we do with him?"

I glanced over at Casey, "The keyword was 'yet', but I'm working on it."

Casey glanced over at Leonard for a moment and then focused on me once more, "But he was at that wulfkin camp, wasn't he? Did he... I mean, was he part of what they did?"

Talwin raised his voice, "We don't know yet."

Talwin... I know you want to save everyone... But are you prepared to face what could be an ugly truth?

I turned my attention to Leonard, "Leonard, did you have a chance to look at Clyde earlier? Now that he's no longer cloaked by the Master's blessing."

Leonard nodded, "I did get a chance to see him when you carried him into the bathroom. Why?"

"Your power, did it reveal anything?" I asked.

Leonard drew a deep breath and lowered his gaze to the table, "It was faint, but..."

"Yes?" I asked.

Leonard looked into my eyes, "How close are you to him?"

I raised my brow, "At present, not very close. But I'm not sure what that has to do with anything?"

Leonard clasped his hands, "I saw people like him at the slave markets. The ones that couldn't be salvaged because they were too broken."

"Too broken?" I asked.

Leonard made a solemn nod, "Mental breakdown, confusion, panic, chaos."

"I'm not so sure that's a bad thing," I answered.

Leonard's eyes widened in surprise, "Huh?"

"Clyde is steeped in the teachings of Everwinter and my time with him over the last few days has proven how indoctrinated he is. The only way to recover from something like that is by being broken and reforged."

Leonard bit his lip, "Unless it goes too far and he ends up insane?"

There was a gentle tap on my arm and I looked over to see Talwin trying to gain my attention, "I'm going to go see Clyde."

"I'd rather you wouldn't," I said.

Talwin froze for a moment, and then looked at me in wonder, "Why not?"

"Clyde is busy processing everything that I've told him. If you approach him now then you'll risk becoming a target for his anger. Give him time, and let him come to us, please?"

Talwin eyed me carefully, "A friendly hand, understanding, kindness can also help."

I nodded, "It can, and it will. But now is not the time. Your method comes later in the process."

"How can you be so sure?" Talwin asked.

I pointed at myself, "I'm wulfkin, he's wulfkin, and this is what my instincts tell me. I know how that sounds, but please trust me on this."

Talwin drew a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "... Alright."

788 I.C, March 3, The Pierced Veil: Lounge, Night

I poured another glass of wine while Talwin walked up to the bar, sat down on the opposite side, and observed me in silence.

"You're angry at me?" I asked.

"I'm not angry. I just don't like being left in the dark," Talwin answered.

I smiled back, "Ask, and I shall answer."

"What are you planning to do with Clyde?" Talwin asked.

"That depends on what will happen soon, but the plan is to give him a chance to set things right."

"Leonard said he was near a mental breakdown," Talwin objected.

I took a sip from my glass, "You and I both know that he was stuck in his own delusions."

"And I thought you said you regretted what you did," Talwin retorted.

"I do regret it, Talwin, and I should have handled it better, but I didn't."

Talwin closed his eyes for a moment, "Clyde is in the hallway outside. He's looking out of the windows."

I smiled to myself and nodded, "I wanted him to see the city. The lights, the blimps, the many thousands that live and breathe in this city."

"You led him along the windows?" Talwin asked and looked up.

"I took a very specific route through the guild and touched as much as I could to leave a trail for him to follow," I answered.

Talwin's expression softened a little and he tipped his head, "You do care for him..."

I averted my eyes and took another sip, "Of course I do. It's the reason his betrayal hurt so much."

"You seem ashamed of that, why?" Talwin asked.

I tipped the glass a little and moved my hand to make the liquid swirl, "I'm conflicted, not ashamed."

Talwin looked toward the door once more, "Seems that he followed your trail."

"Your presence might hinder things," I whispered.

"You want me to leave?" Talwin asked.

I glanced up, "Wulfkins may not seem like it, but they are both loving and caring to those that they trust. To everyone else they're expected to be tough bastards. It would help if you could stay out of sight."

Talwin took his glass, stood up, and looked toward the windows, "Then I'll just hide on the balcony?"

"It's nothing personal, Talwin... I love you, you know that, right?" I whispered.

Talwin held his glass near his chest and his smile grew wider, "I know, and I understand. How about you teach me more of wulfkin customs later on?"

"Sure," I answered with a smiling nod.

Talwin walked up to the curtains and then glanced back, "You should say it more often, you know?"

I glanced at him in wonder, "Huh?"

Talwin chuckled, pulled the curtains back, and covered himself from sight, "Love you too."

Mere minutes later the lounge door, opened, and edge of two white ears poked into the room. After a few moment Clyde glanced into the room, and started staring at me. I threw him a glance, promptly ignored his presence, and took another sip from my glass.

After another minute of silence, Clyde approached with careful, aided by holding onto the chairs he passed. He then stepped up to the bar, glanced around nervously, and placed a hand on the polished counter, "Avery?"

"Yes?" I murmured while focusing on the tapestries.

Clyde inched a little closer, leaned onto the counter, and whispered with a faded tone, hoarse from crying, "What do you want from me?"

"If you need to ask, then you still don't understand," I answered.

Clyde lowered his head for a moment, and then sniffed the air. Seconds passed before his eyes were drawn to the bottle on the counter, "Is that... Krobian wine?"

"Yes, it is," I answered.

"May I-" Clyde's voice was cut short when I reached out, and moved the bottle until it was outside of his reach.

Clyde stared at the table, in silence, while his ears clamped against his head. It made him look miserable, pathetic even, since he didn't have a single piece of clothing on his tall but lanky body.

"You've taken everything from me," Clyde whispered.

"Oh?" I asked and glanced over at him.

Clyde swallowed audibly, "My pack, my powers, my strength, my family, my future... Everything."

A toothy grin grew on my face, "Anything else you wish to add?"

"You're a..." Clyde gritted his teeth for a moment, and then grew silent once more.

I focused on him, "Go on, say it? Let's see if you can still bring yourself to say it."

Clyde eased himself onto a chair, "I..."

I set the glass down and raised my brow, "Yes?"

Clyde lifted his arms and rested his head against his hands, "The ritual that gave us our blessings. Do you know what it entails?"

"I could wager a guess, but it would be more interesting to hear it from you," I answered.

"We were gathered in front of the Master's tower. The entire class, including Raymond, but you weren't there. We all noticed it but we forced ourselves not to think of it."

"Go on?" I said.

"You remember what it was like outside the doors of the tower. The power radiating from within, an unnerving cold that made your nerves tingle. Our bodies may have changed, but the aether still lived within us, and that sensation remained the same."

"I know the sensation, it seeps into you, sapping you of strength. A chill that reaches deep into you essence and pulls at it," I whispered.

Clyde slowly nodded, "The doors opened on their own, and the darkness within... It trickled onto the floor. It pushed the light away and soaked it up like a sponge."

"Let me guess, the adults remained behind, while you were told to walk upstairs, and you found yourself in a giant room, filled with statues, and-"

Clyde knit his fists and gritted his teeth, "Corpses, wulfkin corpses, all over the place. Infested by blue crystal. They moved, they walked, and they whispered through the aether. Driven insane by hunger..."

"And then?" I asked.

Clyde stared me in the eyes and whispered, "You make it sound like you've seen them."

"Oh, I have," I answered.

Clyde blinked in confusion and lowered his head once more, "We were like toys in the Master's grasp. He marched our bodies across the room, pinned us to the walls, and he spoke. He spoke to us... Inside our minds."

Clyde paused for a moment and shook his head, "It felt like daggers in our ears, every syllable stabbed at our hearts, and it screamed in our minds."

"What did he look like, the Master?" I asked.

Clyde shut his eyes, "Darkness darker than dark, a hole in the world surrounded by shadows. If you turned your head and watched it at the edge of your vision, then you could almost see something. Hidden inside the darkness."

"What happened next?" I asked.

Clyde eased his hands onto the counter, and let his claws rake across the surface, "The Master would give us his blessing, if we swore ourselves to his covenant. Any who refused would become like the creatures that infested those halls."

"And so you did," I said.

"We swore, and something emerged from the darkness. Floating creatures, a radiant blue, dancing through the air, carrying spikes of crystal. They settled on our chests and..."

"... the parasite was implanted," I added.

Clyde began to pant while he glared at his own reflection in the counter, "We all know what the adults sounded like in the aether, a scorching void, screaming. Imagine what it's like to become it. A deafening sound, roaring within your chest, humming with such force that you can feel it in your teeth. It's something you never get used to, even when you manage to smile, it's still there, reminding you. After that we were thrown out of the tower. My father was there and I rushed up to him. I looked him in the eyes and... he knew... we all knew. Deep down we all realized that what we had been given was actually a curse."

"But nothing ever changes, and given the chance, you would do the same to your own children," I said.

Clyde looked up with his fangs bared and snapped at me, " What choice d** o **** we have!?**"

I slammed my hand in the table and snarled, "You had the choice to do many things, but you would not budge one inch from your path and the delusions you clung to! You're pathetic! A disgrace to your blood and the bond we shared!"

Clyde visibly shuddered when I leaned over the table and barked at his face. It almost made him fall over while he cowered and his muzzle dropped open.

"I know..." Clyde said with the whisper of a mouse.

I eased back into my chair and drew a deep breath to calm the sudden fury that had gripped me.

Clyde looked down at the table and stared at his reflection while tears began to drop, "I know... I know, Avery. We could have resisted, we should have, but we had already made too many choices."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Do you think we liked turning on you? Don't you think it hurt to refuse when you asked me to spar? The shame, the anger it invoked, the fear and relief that we didn't face your fate. You look on us and you see nothing but monsters. We may not have helped you, but most of us never lay a hand on you."

"Bullshit," I whispered.

"Doros ordered us to chase you, and we did until you grew tired and collapsed. A few of the others hurt you, because they truly are monsters, but most of us just stood there, watching. Doing our best to ignore the... noises."

"Those 'noises', were my screams for help!" I snapped.

Clyde cowered until his nose almost touched the counter, "I know that, but my point is..."

"Yes?" I asked.

"You should know how pervasive our culture is, they drill it into us like facts of life. You still remember that, yes?" Clyde whispered.

"I remember it well. Even if I didn't consider others to be animals, I still thought myself above them. Even the best among others were little more than peddlers capable of brewing good booze."

Clyde raised his head and sought my eyes, "We had to make a choice. Follow the rules of our society and push you away, or become an outcast. I chose and the others did as well, 'you' were no more. That was the first step, a choice that defined the start of a path, and for every further choice we made, the stakes grew."

"Meaning?" I asked with a skeptical glance.

"We were supposed to be above you, you were nothing. Yet you became Seer, and you flaunted your powers. What conclusion were we to draw? We couldn't accept that you were still you, it would have broken us. So we made another choice: You were an animal who served the purpose of a useful tool, no more than a quirk."

Clyde paused for a moment and gulped, "We tried to put you in your place, but you resisted, you fought back in whatever way you could. What conclusion were we to draw then? That there was more to you? It would unravel everything we knew, and it would mean that we made the wrong choice. So we laughed at you instead, and it became a game to terrorize you, and we assumed that the elders allowed it in order to amuse us."

"You couldn't even be honest with yourself, in secret?" I asked.

Clyde gritted his teeth and scraped his claws against the table, "I couldn't! The mere thought filled me with doubt, and fear. You were wrong, we were right, there was no other option."

I tipped my head a little and leaned onto my hand, "Go on?"

Clyde eased down and lowered his head once more, "Training started. We were ordered to hunt... and to kill... We were sent on missions far into the wastes. I defended myself with good conscience, because the 'people' in the wastes are nothing but mutated monsters."

"And then?" I asked.

I watched Clyde fidget while he clutched the table and gritted his teeth, "When you took the Star... When you defied the Master and overturned centuries of unchallenged rule... It changed things... The Master screamed with such fury that the entire castle shook. It was the worst sensation I have ever felt, it burned me from the inside, it seared my mind, and all I could think was of was a way to end it. We just needed to get the Star back, and if we did that then everything would go back to normal."

"But that was only the start, wasn't it?" I asked.

Clyde nodded, "The raids started. Weakness wasn't tolerated any longer, all of us had to kill, and eat. I was teased, beaten, threatened, and I did my best to stay in the shadows of it all. But for each day that passed, things kept changing. The alphas grew harsher, the hunger gnawed at our minds. Then the black armors were distributed, and it made everything that had happened so far look tame in comparison. None of us blamed the armors at first, at least I didn't..."

"What changed your mind?" I asked.

"My father contacted me. He ordered me to not wear it, he pleaded with me, begged me not to do it. I've never heard him sound so scared before."

"I see," I answered.

Clyde looked up, "I wore it, for weeks, but I didn't change, at least not like the others. Am I... safe?"

I leaned closer, "Magic is used to alter what already exists, and because you starved yourself, the armor had nothing to work with."

"So if I had..."

"The others changed to reflect the acts they committed, rather poetic, isn't it?" I asked.

Clyde shrank and his ears folded back, "They were your friends, Avery... Your kin, we all-"

I interrupted him, "They were monsters, and they were put down as such."

Clyde closed his eyes and rested his head on the table, "... I know."

"Did you have anything else to say?" I asked.

Clyde blinked for a few moments and then closed his eyes, "You've forced me to face the reality of things, and now I find myself in a nightmare. Wulfkin society doesn't deserve to exist in its current state, we are evil. Yet I still care about my family, the ones back in Everwinter."

Clyde looked up with a voice that shuddered on the edge of bawling, "I was often selected to keep watch during the night. It was lonely, agonizing even, but I often wondered what it had been like if it had been us out there. The three of us."

I took another sip from my glass and listened.

"I don't know how to say it in words that sound less hollow... But I understand, or rather, I am forced to understand, that as much as we like to think that you did this to us, we actually did it to ourselves. I am sorry for not being a better friend, a packmate that is worthy of standing by your side."

"I begged you in the garden, and you wouldn't even let me stay there," I said.

"I had business there, you had to leave..." Clyde whispered.

"What business?" I asked.

Clyde pulled his hands back to the table's edge, "I was seeing the one who replaced you."

My ears perked in wonder, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Clyde stared at the floor, "I trusted you, I looked up to you, Avery. I cared for you in ways that..."

I glared at him in wonder while Clyde grew oddly silent, "What are you saying, Clyde?"

Clyde gulped, "Roan is gentle, smart, and understanding, with a devious edge, just like you. But we didn't belong to the same pack, so we spent time in private. Precious moments, where we could speak of things that no one could ever be allowed to hear. You were in the way of that, in fact, your presence hurt in ways you couldn't possibly understand. So you had to leave... I had to make you leave."

"You could have told me, given me a hint, anything that would have made my life just a little more bearable."

Clyde gritted his teeth once more, "I couldn't... Even if it had been the right thing to do."

I rubbed my temple and eased up my voice, "I have another question for you, one that I'd like you to answer honestly."

Clyde slowly looked up, "Okay?"

I bit my claw and said, "What did you do to make Cujo proud?"

"Avery... I... Does it matter?" Clyde whispered.

"Yes, it matters," I answered.

Clyde placed his hands on his lap, "I did what I had to... They would have eaten me otherwise..."

"Did what?" I asked.

Clyde's lips began to shiver, "What will you do to me, once I have nothing more to tell?"

"That depends," I answered.

"That's not very encouraging," Clyde whispered with a strained gulp.

I tipped my head, "So you did do it? How did they taste?"

Clyde gritted his teeth in an instant and snapped, "No, I didn't! Not that!"

I leaned closer, "Then tell me, and don't lie. Because Cujo's logbook may have told me more than you suspect."

Clyde stared at me as if I had pushed a dagger in his heart, "All right. Fine... I'll tell you..."

"Go on," I said.

Clyde drew a wheezing breath, and spoke, "I don't know the name of the place, we never do. Cujo just points us in a direction, and we walk. By the time we arrived it was early night and the villagers had gone to bed. The orders are simple: Capture a few who are in their prime, eat everyone else, and don't set fire to anything."

"And your part in it?" I asked.

"Cujo was kind. In a way. He worried about me, or rather was concerned what the others would do to me if I fell behind even further. I believed him, because the others were getting increasingly..."

"Crazy?" I asked.

Clyde pondered it for a moment and then shook his head, "Feral, not crazy."

"Feral?"

Clyde sighed and closed his eyes, "It's difficult to explain. Their scents became nauseating, yet I could feel it pulling on me at night, something primal, bestial. The effect fed on itself among the others, and sometimes their sense of self faded away. It was scary, sitting by the campfire, looking up, and realizing that the others were staring at you as if pondering whether you were food or an ally."

"And then?" I said.

Clyde continued, "We were subtle, sneaked into the village, and started entering the houses. I stayed in the background, as usual, but... Cujo had made arrangements."

"Meaning?"

"I followed one of the others into a house and he waited until I was in the middle of it all. Then he pushed me into a wall, rushed out, slammed the door shut, and blocked it."

"The ones in the house woke up?" I asked.

Clyde nodded, "Of course they did, and they started screaming. In an instant the entire village was starting to wake up, and the blame was going to be put on me."

"What happened?" I asked.

"The male in the house, the father, he came at me with something. I had no choice, so I cut him down."

"Then what?" I asked.

Clyde looked up, "Do we have to go on? I don't want to remember."

"Yes," I answered.

Clyde bit his lip to the point that he drew blood, "It's easy to say that others are little more than animals. But when that man sank to the ground, pleading, and begging for his family to be spared. It hurt..."

"What happened next?" I asked.

"Before I knew it there was another trying to get past me. It was instinctual, and I struck her down as well. She kept repeating: Run! Run! Run!"

"I take it there were children?" I asked.

Clyde gritted his teeth once more, "I would have let them run... But they kept screamed, over and over."

"Did you strike them down?" I asked.

Clyde looked up, "The other wulfkins, they lose themselves during these fights. They do things... Horrible things... If they had come into the house and found me standing by the children, then they would have eaten me as well. I had no choice, they were all as good as dead anyway."

"What did you do?"

Clyde started panting, "I did what I had to do in order to survive, I didn't want to, but I did it. I cut them down, it was over in moments. To your eyes I must be a... murderer, but I was just trying to survive, that's all."

"I'm sure they'd be relieved to hear that it was nothing personal," I said.

Clyde reached out his hands toward me, "They're dead, they've passed on. But I'm still alive... and I don't want to die, Avery."

I raised my brow, "You're bargaining?"

Clyde's hands began to shake, "I'm not going to survive this... Am I? This is your version of a trial, and all you're waiting for is an admittance of guilt. So that you can kill me."

"Are you guilty?" I asked.

Clyde clamped his eyes shut, "Just do it then! Kill me rather than torture me like this!"

I rose from the chair, stood tall, and slowly began to circle the bar. Clyde opened his eyes once more and watched until I stood beside him. Still shaking he lifted his gaze and fixated on me with his blue eyes.

"Please, Avery?" Clyde pleaded.

"You've admitted to killing them. You admit that they were innocent. If they had been wulfkins, what would your punishment have been?" I asked.

Clyde's hand reached for his throat while he made another forced gulp, "Death, at the hands of their relatives."

"And since there are no relatives here?" I asked.

Clyde's eyes became like pinpricks and something cracked within him. His scent grew stronger with the raw essence of fear and new tears trickled down his muzzle.

I leaned a little closer, "Do you think the others in this city will have any mercy for you? Do you think the others in this building will? Do you think Everwinter would have any mercy for you?"

Clyde began to shake like a leaf and his expression began to twist in panic, "N- No..."

"If I let you live, then I'd go against wulfkin law, and the revenge that the people of this continent demand. Tell me, Clyde, what should I do?" I asked.

"I... Don't know..." Clyde whispered with a shaky whimper.

I reached out with my hand, clasped his throat, and he did not try to stop me. His eyes focused on me while I tightened my grip a little and felt the beat of his heart.

"Upon fleeing Everwinter I ended up in an old farmstead occupied by a pair of old humans and the coyote you've seen. They bound me to a bed, and feared me, but they were unwilling to kill me. I on the other would have easily killed them if they got in my way, it's not something I wanted to do, but I was willing to do anything to protect my own life."

Clyde kept shaking in silence while his eyes desperately sought to keep contact with me.

"I do my very best to avoid situations where I have to kill innocents, but if I was truly forced into a position where I had no choice, then I'd do it. To protect myself and others I care about," I whispered.

Clyde's eyes grew like saucers, while he kept focusing on me.

"I am giving you one chance, Clyde. Mercy that no one else will give you. Fail to obey my orders or harm others when there is no need, and I swear that I shall find a way to make you immortal, cut off your head, and bury you in a box somewhere deep underground. Understand?"

Clyde choked out a distorted 'yes' and fervently nodded up and down against my grip.

"You will not tell anyone else of what you did during the raid, do you understand?" I eased up, let go, and watched Clyde clutch his throat while he wheezed for breath.

"Yes," Clyde answered with tears dripping onto the white fur on his legs.

"You will sleep in the basement, and when the sun rises tomorrow you will be waiting for me in the kitchen. Do you understand?" I asked.

"Yes," Clyde answered and looked up.

"Good, now be on your way," I ordered.

Clyde rose from the chair in silence, and walked off.

788 I.C, March 04, The Pierced Veil: Kitchen, Morning

The sun is rising... This is the kitchen... I think... I'm where I'm supposed to be...

Clyde shifted his weight from one paw to the other, glanced around, and sniffed the air. He felt out-of-place, strange, disoriented, confused, and the sensations kept jostling his mind like a horny rabbit.

That's what he said, right? Kitchen... Sun rising... I'm here as ordered... Soon...

He covered his groin, it felt weird to stand in the nude, stripped bare.

I deserve it... I'm a bad person... What am I doing... I can't think straight... Everwinter...

Clyde reached up, rubbed his temple, and glanced out the window while focusing on the rising sun. Something felt wrong inside his head, there were urges that pulled and twisted. There were no foundations to draw any longer.

Who am I? What am I? Where am I?

Clyde shook his head and clutched his ears.

Did he drug me... No? But there's something with me... What did he do to me?

He looked toward the stairs and felt his heart pick up pace. His gut tightened in fear, and he felt his struggling to hide between his legs.

Avery killed Cujo with ease... He's challenging the Master... Insanity... Yet...

Clyde let his gaze drop and panted while staring at his paws.

It shouldn't be possible... But it is... I can feel the aether within me... Burning with radiance...

I feel... Alive for the first time in years...

His vision and he stared in confusion while more tears began to drop on the kitchen's stone floor. He couldn't stop it despite wiping his eyes.

I wish... I wish for...

His thoughts unraveled with the sensation of something strange. A presence approached, not through sound or sight, but through the aether. It made him look toward the stairs and he blinked in confusion.

Within moments the stairs creaked and Avery descended with the coyote behind him. It felt strange to see him like this, black fur, big coat, piercing red eyes, and teeth that glinted like polished marble.

They said the red eyes were a sign... But I never paid it any heed... Until I saw him like this... A wulfkin...

Clyde felt himself cover and his tail squirmed between his legs. It was instinctual but he knew the purpose well enough, keep your scent down, lower your head a little, avoid staring. Prove that you bow to his power, show that you are loyal to your-

"You're here," Avery said and stopped at the edge of reaching distance.

Clyde raised his head a little, met Avery's gaze for a moment, and then lowered his head with a nod, "Of course, you ordered me to."

A scent wafted from Avery, it oozed across the short distance between them, and Clyde pulled a deep breath. It tingled inside his mind and the sensations from earlier kicked up a notch. The pressure grew inside his mind and he blinked with the sensation of something encroaching on his mind.

It suddenly seems so clear... Why couldn't I see it before?

Raymond had tried to take the place as leader of the pack, but he had failed miserably. Cujo tried to do the same, but it never latched on, and the pack was simply too different.

Avery inched closer, and held something out with both his arms. Clyde blinked in surprise, focused on it, and saw a pile of clothes held by clawed hands.

"These are your clothes," Avery said.

"Mine?" Clyde whispered.

Avery inched a little closer, "Something wrong, Clyde?"

The strange miasma of invasive thoughts seemed to fade, and Clyde felt his heart calm while he stood tall. Avery may have said one thing, but he meant another: 'Do you reject the favor I show you?'

Clyde reached out, gently eased his hands around the clothes, and pulled them back until they rested against his chest. The scent that wafted from the clothes were clear, Avery had worn them, his scent riddled the fabric.

He felt his tail grow slack while he stared at the clothes and understood its meaning: 'You will wear my scent, your actions will reflect on me, do you understand?'

Clyde hugged the clothes tight and looked up to meet the red eyed gaze, "Thank you."

Avery raised something else in the air, a key held by two claws, "This is the key to your room."

Clyde looked up at key in wonder and felt his eyes grow wide.

Is he serious? I'm not misinterpreting? He's offering me... His protection? His...

"My... room?" Clyde whispered.

Avery stepped closer, grasped Clyde's hand, eased it open, and then placed the key in his grasp, "Everwinter will no longer recognize you as their own, and you are a foreigner to this nation. You belong to me now, and this room is where you'll find sanctuary when I have no need of you. Understand?"

Clyde's muzzle wavered while he clasped the key in his hand. The thought of belonging to a pack, and to work without any doubt whether it was right or wrong, it was a tempting proposition.

"Are you... serious? This isn't another game? A trick?" Clyde whispered.

Avery shook his head, "I promise you, Clyde. That this isn't a trick. I'm giving you a chance, to stand by my side once more, do you accept?"

Clyde gulped and felt his tail lift while his ears perked up, "Yes. Yes I do, Alpha."

Avery's expression remained steadfast, pondering, thinking, and judging. After almost a minute Avery's expression softened, and he reached out with his arms. Clyde eased into the embrace, felt the padded hands wrap around his back, and the muzzle wedging itself against his neck.

The scent grew stronger, and it screamed of what his mind had told him so far. Belonging, a pack, alpha, friend, family, wulfkin... and a scent of coyote mixed into it.

Clyde wrapped his arms around Avery, squeezed, and held tight.

The sensation in the aether seemed to spike, it tingled across his fur and made his skin buzz with the sensation of life. To his surprise there were small and colorful motes of magic flickering in and out of existence around all around the room.

The sight of it made something click in place, the Master's blessing might be gone, but something else had returned, a power which carried with it more warmth and potential than the cold abyss could ever offer.

"I missed you," Avery whispered.

Clyde felt a whimper in his throat. In moments it turned into a sniff, followed by a choking gasp.

It's good to be back...