When Toby and Ranger found the boy, they carried him to the car and drove out of town.
They were on the road for half a day before the boy woke with a gasp. Toby was startled awake with a kick to his side.
He coughed. "Looks who's awake."
The boy stared at him with wide eyes before turning look out the window, his breath was fogging the glass.
"I don't know who you are or what you want, but we have to go save our-"
Ranger cut him off. "We don't have a faction. And, no, it's too dangerous we can't go back."
"But...I saw.." the boy's eyes closed, and he wrapped his arms around himself. Toby and Ranger exchange a look in the rearview mirror.
"Look, kid, I've had a long day." Ranger sighs. "We'll discuss what you saw in the morning and decide what to do, then."
As soon as Toby's head hit the pillow last night he went straight to sleep. The next morning while he was getting ready for the day the smell of something cooking reached his nose.
Toby left his room and entered the kitchen where the boy was at the stove and Ranger was stuffing his face at the table.
"Toby! The kid can cook!" Ranger said, gulping down his glass of water.
The boy turned from the stove holding a plate. It had eggs, sausages, and bread on it. "The name is Elias, not kid."
Elias dropped the other plate on the table and grabbed a notebook off the counter. Toby took a seat at the table and dug into his food, it tasted like heaven.
In seconds he had cleaned his plate.
Elias dropped down beside him, opening to a page with a half-finished sketch on it. "Can we talk now? You can start by introducing yourself."
Ranger shrugged. "I don't see why not. I'm Ranger. That's Toby.
"Pleasure. The Ravenous wolves plan to start the Four Year War again." Elias whispered. "And they're going to take my faction our first."
Toby cried, "Four Year War?" at the same time Ranger asked, "Ravenous Wolves?"
"Yes."
Ranger leaned back in his chair. "What do you suppose we do about that?"
"Is that a trick question?" Elias snapped. "We need to tell the leaders, obviously. But first I need to find Elsa Daley."
Toby choked on his water and Ranger fell out of his chair. Toby cleared his throat. "Elsa..?"
"Yeah." Elias looked up at them. "Do you know her?"
"I..uh.." Toby glanced at Ranger for help. "We..um.."
Elias pressed. "Did you see her? Where is she?"
"We saw her from afar. Someone jumped her, then killed her." Ranger said, getting to his feet. "We rushed over, but she had already lost too much blood."
Toby was torn between patting Elias's back and giving him a hug. The expression on the kid's face would've torn any person's heart in half.
"So...you tried to save her?" Elias muttered.
Toby nods, going along with the lie. "We did. Her last request was that we find you and keep you safe. She knew that you were...different."
"And you'd do that for a stranger. Why?"
"Because we're like you," Ranger answered. "We're in hiding."
Elias frowned. "Well, we can't hide anymore. The factions are in trouble. There's no telling when the Ravenous wolves plan to ask the warriors from Nightblade warriors to come looking for us."
"But if we reveal what we are and what we can do... they'll kill us," Toby muttered. "After what happened to my family..I can't."
Ranger nodded in agreement. "He's right Elias."
Elias closed his notebook and got to his feet, scowling. "So you'd rather sit by and watch other innocent families get murdered?"
Toby looked away.
"You'd watch them bring this faction to the ground? Watch innocent children being slaughtered?" Elias cried. "They're starting a war for Pete's sake! No one is going to be spared, no stone will be left unturned."
Toby shouted, "You don't understand, Elias. If the warriors find me, they'll torture me!!"
"You're from..."Elias trailed off.
Ranger lashed out by slapping him across the face. "You dickhead. I hate your faction!"
"Ranger I-"
"Have you any idea what your faction did to me?" Ranger roared. "Do you?"
Tears streamed down Toby's face as he clutched his cheek.
"You kidnapped us because I tried to hide my wife and daughter, you tied them up, shoved them into a room, and beat the hell out of them." Ranger's chest heaved. "I was forced to watch them be killed, then cut into little pieces."
Toby bit his lip. "I was there, Ranger. Me and your daughter were friends. I tried to help them escape but I was caught." he squeezed his eyes shut. "You have every right to be pissed off and if you don't forgive me, I understand. I've never forgiven myself."