Pearl could almost see astonishment on the wolf's snout since it was attempting to bite off Pearl's head but gnawed his arm instead. Either way, the beast's weight caused Pearl to fall. He poured lifesong into his left arm to wash away the pain and instill the flesh and muscle with strength. The wolf was persistent, gnawing Pearl's forearm with great ferocity. Pearl struggled to reach for the razor on his belt but couldn't do so without letting the wolf rip off his arm.
An arrow whistled over him, hitting the wolf's back. This caused the wolf's grip to weaken a bit. Pearl took the opportunity and reached for his razor which he immediately rammed into the wolf's neck, severing an artery.
It pulled back and collapsed, with blood spraying from its neck. Pearl got back to his feet. He looked back at the cave's opening to find Fern holding her bow with a grin on her usually vacant countenance.
"Nice shot!" Pearl shouted, "Now skin this wolf! It's your punishment for coming out before I told you."
Fern, as he had expected, didn't complain. Contrary to that, she drew out a hunting knife and got to work.
Pearl smiled, then looked at his bloodied sleeve. The wound inside was superficial and had already began healing. The sleeve however needed to be replaced. Acknowledging that, Pearl wiped his razor on the sleeve and used it tear the sleeve off the tunic. The wound inside had already clotted with new skin growing from the edges.
Pearl shrugged his shoulder and made his way towards the plank. The human that lay over it was a Cerhin woman. Her angular features and tall stature made that clear, while bronze skin and hair the color of faded autumn leaves indicated southern descent.
The woman seemed to be young, about the same age as Pearl if not a cycle older. The muscular physique on a scar-less body suggested that she was most probably an athlete. Must have been caught in a maelstrom while sailing to Jenkara for the yearly games. Pearl had heard about it from the Chisel's uncle who had just returned from that town.
What kind of sports did she participate in? Pearl wondered, taking a knee to inspect her injuries. Her right hand, Pearl noticed, clutched the handle of a giant cudgel. It was a strange weapon, the strangest Pearl had ever seen. It was too large to wieldy and had sharp stone protrusions embedded in the side. Bending forward, he reached for the weapon.
As soon as his fingers touched the cudgel, a strange mist engulfed his surroundings. The land beneath his feet faded into a pitch black floor and the sky over him vanished, leaving him in a shrouded abyss. He turned around, looking for Fern, but found only mist. He ran in that direction. In place of trees and the foliage, there was only emptiness. His heart skipped a beat while a chill ran down his spine. He touched the ground, trying to feel the rhythms of Lifesong but found only silence.
"Pearl..." he heard a ghastly voice whisper behind him. He turned to find a large face forming in the mist. It seemed feminine with features reminiscent of the stonewakers, narrow eyes with a turned up nose and wisps of straight hair that split apart over a broad forehead. Pearl was sure that he could see a body forming beneath the head.
"Dear Pearl…" The face whispered, "...bind me. Take...my strength...take...my pain, Dear Pearl."
"Am I dreaming?" Pearl asked himself but the words came out aloud.
"No...this is not...a dream." The face replied, it's body had finished forming. Twice as tall as Pearl, the body's torso was covered with a fluttering knee-length robe made of the same misty wisps as the hair. What horrified Pearl was that in place of limbs there were six pairs of massive wings, with three wings for every limb.
"What...my apologies, who are you?" Pearl asked with a composed voice, trying not to offend this terrifying being.
"My name is...Relkanar'idelan." It answered slowly, "It means...Wind's Wrath, for it is what I...embody. I am one of the...gods of the sky. One of the five...that were tricked...and caged here by...by the Dreamsinger."
"Forgive me, but I am a bit lost here." Pearl told frankly, for if this really was a god, being dishonest to her probably wasn't a good idea.
"I...know," Relkanar'idelan replied, "Therefore...you must...bind me."
"Bind you?" Pearl played along, "How can I do that?"
"Allow me...passage into...you." She replied, "Claim...my essence and speak...my titles. Then...you shall have...my power."
That didn't sound very convincing to Pearl. "What if I am not interested in binding you? No offence intended, it's just that I like the way I am."
"Don't...we all?" She said with a hint of pain in her voice, "However...without binding me...you shall remain here...forever."
"So, it's not a choice." Pearl said.
"I never...said it was." Relkanar'idelan reminded, "Hurry...bind me...Pearl."
"Alright," he cleared his throat, "I bind thee Relkanar'idelan, wrath of the winds, daughter of the sky, weaver of tempests and mistress of storms. Is that enough?"
"Apparently, it is." Her voice had grown firm and so had her features along with her body. The mist around Pearl rushed into his body through the mouth, nose, ears and even the eyes. He felt euphoric. All of his senses were overwhelmed with sensation. It seemed as if he had smoked the strongest blend of herbs that was ever concocted.
Then suddenly, it stopped. Pearl looked up at the goddess, whose countenance expressed confusion.
"She lives," he heard her whisper, "What have I done?"
Pearl's eyes shut close and a face appeared in his mind along with a name. On opening his eyes, he found himself back at the creek, kneeling down touching the club. He looked at the woman, and realised that the face belonged to her. The name! there was a name in his mind as well. And he was sure, as sure as knowing that the sun set in the west, that the name belonged to this woman.
"Eranae Varinus Celenor." Pearl said, looking at her, "I have several questions for you. But it seems that we must bring you back to life first."