The sound of horses whinnying echoed through the night as the fire crackled and popped, pluming sparks into the air.
Ella sat cross-legged in front of the fire, running her hand along Faenir's back as the wolfpine lay splayed out beside her, his head propped on her knee.
Yana lay unconscious to Ella's left, a woollen blanket pulled up over her shoulders, her fingers wrapped around a small pendant that hung from her neck.
The elf, Farwen, sat to Ella's right, holding her hands so close to the dancing flames it set a knot in Ella's stomach.
"Does that not hurt?"
"It used to," Farwen replied, without turning her head. "A long time ago. But no, not now. Not anymore."
Ella waited a moment, expecting the elf to elaborate, but nothing came. Farwen just sat, her eyes lost to the fire.
"Yana and Tanner," Ella said, looking over towards the sleeping woman. "They are married?"
To Ella's surprise, the elf let out a soft laugh. "No, they are not. Though I never truly understood the concept myself. Everything must be a grand gesture with you humans." A silence hung in the air for a few moments before Farwen spoke again. "Yana and Tanner are not 'married,' but they are what my people would call Ayar Elwyn. One Heart."
"Ayar Elwyn," Ella whispered to herself as she looked over towards Yana. "It's beautiful."
"That it is," Farwen said, with a slight nod of agreement.
Both Farwen and Ella sat for a while, letting the crackling of the fire fill the silence. "Farwen, where are we going?"
"We are going to Tarhelm, in the Firnin Mountains, just north of Greenhills. You will be safe there. And with luck, Tanner will not be long behind us." Farwen turned her head, pulling her hands away from the flames. Her eyes fell to Faenir, whose head was still draped over Ella's knee. "The wolfpine, you raised it from a cub?"
"We all did," Ella said, scratching the top of Faenir's head, receiving a grumble in response. "Our father found him abandoned in Ölm Forest almost five summers ago. He's been a part of the family since then. I'm sure they're worried sick about him… As they are for me."
Farwen nodded, her eyes fixed on Faenir, unblinking. Something in the elf's stare changed. "In five hundred years, I have only ever known one of your kind."
"My kind?"
"The wolfpine," Farwen said, leaning forward. "He moves with you, feels you. Even now, his heart beats with yours. Don't tell me you can't feel it."
"What in the gods are you talking about?" The elf wasn't making any sense.
In a flash of steel, the elf pulled a knife from somewhere beneath her mantle and lunged towards Ella.
Frantically, Ella threw herself backwards, crashing into the dirt as she pushed herself away. But as she did, Faenir leapt to his feet, snarling and snapping at the elf. But he didn't attack her. The hackles on his back were raised, his teeth were bared, but he didn't move, a deep growl resonating in his chest, inches from Farwen.
The elf didn't move either. She kept her knife raised and her eyes locked on Faenir's. "Incredible…"
Ella's heart pounded, and her throat tightened as she stared at Faenir and Farwen, inches from each other's throats. She looked over towards Yana. The woman still slept, her chest steadily rising and falling.
"What are you doing?" Ella yelled, anger pulsing through her veins as she pushed herself forward onto her knees. As she did, Faenir dropped lower to the ground, the growl in his chest growing deeper, more primal, his eyes locked on Farwen's.
"You truly do not know?" Farwen narrowed her eyes as she looked at Ella, searching her. The elf slid her knife back inside her mantle. She seemed completely unperturbed by the growling wolfpine. "When I pulled my knife free, what did you feel?"
"What do you mean, 'what did I feel?' I was terrified! Why did you do that?"
"And he defended you." The elf said, ignoring Ella's question.
"Of course he did. He is my family. You protect family."
"But he didn't attack me. Does any animal hold back when their family is threatened? Has he ever held back when someone has attacked you?"
"I…" Ella turned her gaze to Faenir. The wolfpine stood inches from Farwen, his eyes watching her. "No, but… you weren't attacking me, you stopped."
"Precisely. You saw that I stopped. You hesitated because I stopped. You told Faenir to stop." Walking past Faenir, Farwen reached down and grabbed Ella by the forearm, pulling her to her feet. "Ella, whether you believe it or not, blood of the old druids flows in your veins."
Farda sat on the edge of his cot, his hands laced behind his head, his eyes closed. Outside his tent, the crackling of campfires and the chatter of soldiers filled the night air. With a sigh, he sat up and rolled his neck to the left, then around to the right, then back again, opening his eyes as he did.
Reaching across, he slid his hand into the pocket of his coat, which lay across the back of the chair beside his bed, and pulled the coin free, flipping it back and forth in his hand. "Fate is fluid," he whispered to himself. "It changes with every decision that is made. It is utterly out of our hands and completely within our control at the same time."
Holding the coin out in front of him, Farda bit down on his lip, tasting the slightest hint of iron on his tongue.
He flipped the coin.