Here are the meanings of the names:
Lycaenion means 'Little she-wolf' (hence the title)
Callum means 'Dove'
Freki - A wolf and servant/companion of Odin in Norse mythology
Eira means 'snow'
Remus- In the tale of 'Romulus and Remus', two twins were found and raised by a wolf in the forest. Remus was later killed by his brother in an argument about after whose name should the city they built be named. (aka Rome)
Gideon means 'mighty warrior' (Also, I just liked the character from Criminal Minds)
Saga- Goddess of poetry and history in Norse mythology
Uri- (well, I'm pretty sure was a Goddess, but now I can't find where I found the name . But also the name of Gokudera's box animal, if I'm not mistaken)
Tyr- Norse god who got his hand bit off by the Giant wolf (and son of Loki) Fenrir. Tyrsday=Tuesday
Sköll- According to Norse mythology, Sköll is a wolf, forever chasing the sun and one day will finally devour it during Ragnarok.
Skadi- Giant Goddess of skiing and winter, from Norse mythology
Armada- A fleet of warships
Alpan- Underworld Goddess of Love from Roman mythology
Regin- Shapeshifter and son of Hreidmar (Norse mythology)
Can you tell I'm a fan of Norse mythology?
She was barely 9 years old when it happened. Lycaenion Andrews was born and raised in Wyoming. She and her family would visit Yellowstone every year. Her favorite part was the wildlife, especially the wolves and coyotes. She'd always had a fascination with animals and they never seemed to really mind her—even the most vicious of attack-dogs would stay relatively calm in her presence. She was always confused as to why they reacted so differently to her, than to others, but had just thought, 'Maybe I'm special?' and was always grateful for it.
Of course, like any other little kid, Lyka had an imagination. She would come up with ridiculous scenarios as to why she was different. Many, she thought were embarrassing and silly as a younger teen. One of the most memorable for her was when she thought that she was the princess of the animal kingdom and was adopted because her real parents were in some kind of danger and didn't want her to be hurt.
When she turned seven, Lyka learned that she could communicate with animals and they would obey her commands. She was so excited about her newfound ability. It was strange, she thought. They didn't actually speak; it was more she-reads-their-minds and they-understand-what-she-says. When they communicate with her, she 'sees' what they think in her head. As she got older, she realized that it was some sort of telepathy.
She would always go off into the woods at the edge of their neighborhood to play with the animals. Lycaenion learned a lot from them, even picked up a few traits from them, she thought; having better hearing than average and her nose was a bit more sensitive than most. Or maybe it was just that she learned to be more observant than most people? Either way, the animals in the forest became both her friends and teachers. She named them, as well. Freddie was a squirrel that was her almost-constant companion throughout those few years. Feathers was a crow that liked to cause mischief and wreak havoc.
Lyka had kept her ability a secret from her parents for a while, knowing that if they knew the reasoning behind her disappearances, they'd never let her leave the house! Her brother, Callum, always knew, though. She told her twin brother everything. One day, when she was eight, she was being bullied by a boy her age who threw rocks at her. Lyka started to cry and before she knew it, all the animals in the immediate area had rushed over and started growling, snarling, hissing, spitting, and cawing at the boy, who took off and ran to his mother. Her own mother, who had just come running out of the house after hearing her wailing, nearly fainted at the scene. Spike, the neighbor's dog had started to lick the blood from a small cut on her forehead when her mother regained her composure and ran over. Swiftly picking her daughter up, Amanda Andrews sprinted back inside the house and locked the door.
That was the day Lycaenion told her parents about her connection with animals. That was about ten years ago. Two years after that incident, she and her family moved to Great Britain because of her parents' jobs. She was terrified of leaving her forest friends behind. She had other friends, sure, but Lyka wasn't as close to them as she was with the animals. They seemed sad about it, too, but with the combined help of her brother, she found comfort.
The family of four moved to a small town close enough to London that they could get there easily but far enough away so that they couldn't smell the pollution too strongly. Thankfully, for Lyka, their new house was near woodlands as well. Every day, she, and occasionally her brother, would go out into the woods and explore. After she did her homework, of course. She never got lost because a coyote she named Simon had taught her how to track 'prey' and find the way back home when she lived in Wyoming.
On one of Lyka's little adventures, she met a few wild dogs. She learned later, that they had never been owned by anyone. The leader of the strange pack—Lyka called him 'Freki', because she was going through a Mythology-obsessed phase, particularly Norse—was a German Shepard mix. 'Eira' was an all-white female Akita. The other dog was a mutt with red-brown fur she named, 'Remus' because he had reminded her of the twin from the story. He was the biggest of all three but he was also the most timid.
The trio had accepted the girl almost immediately and soon, it became a regular thing for her to run off into the forest and meet them by the stream. Unless they were out hunting, which Lyka learned quickly what their patterns were for that. As the years went by, more members of the pack joined and were born. Of course, several died, as well—they were in the wild! They had no one to feed them or protect them from diseases and such, although, she did give them Frontline and heart-worm medication when it was time to. Lycaenion wanted her friends to live as long of lives as they could!
By the time she graduated High School, there were fourteen members of the pack, including the new puppies. Remus was the only one of the original three that was left and he was getting old. He was about nine-years-old, getting close to ten. Freki and Eira had had three puppies before they died and they were each about six-years-old, now, each with their own pups.
It had become a habit of hers to literally 'run-with-the-pack' at least once a day ever since her Junior year. That was because she was no longer required to take a P.E. class anymore and so had no other exercise. And it was unbelievably fun.
Maybe you're thinking, "Well, do her parents know about what she does?" Yes, they do, now. After that incident with the boy, they advised her that she should try to keep a low profile, but allowed her to go off as long as nothing else happened. Lyka tells them all about what she does and where she goes, enjoying their awed faces.
One day, during the summer before her first year of college, she was in the woods heading toward the pack for their daily run. She had planned to be in the trees all day to sketch and so she brought a small backpack with a water bottle and an apple, as well as her drawing tools. She informed her parents that she would be back by about five o'clock. Callum was still sleeping even as Lyka walked out the front door. "Be careful," her mother called as she headed out the door. It was something Amanda always said to her family, but after nineteen years of hearing it, Lycaenion disregarded it boredly. She was careful; she just got into a bad situation this time.
She was greeted with a playful and happy bark as she approached the pack. Several members excitedly got up to sniff her and then wagged their tails as their noses confirmed that it was their friend. Lyka heard a THUMP, THUMP as a certain rust-colored old mutt wagged his tail as he relaxed on the ground, staring up at her with brown eyes. She smiled and walked over to Remus, who lifted his head up to greet her.
"Lazy old coot," she said to him. He seemed to grin up at her as he lazily lifted his paw and touched the young woman's leg with it. "Alright, who's up for a run?" she asked. Lyka had felt uneasy since she left the house this morning and hoped that by running, the feeling would go away. The dogs all rose excitedly, even lazy old Remus stood and looked at her expectantly. Grinning, she silently debated whether or not to leave her bag here until they came back. She quickly decided that, 'Hey, it's not too heavy; I'll just carry it'. Lyka rose to her full height—about 5"4—and stretched.
She walked over to the 'starting point' that they used. The dogs all lined up in their own formation next to her as she said, "How about the lake, today?" It wasn't really a lake that she was thinking of, but that's what she had grown to call it. It was more like a large pocket in the stream/river. Balancing on the balls of her feet, Lycaenion got ready to sprint once the whole pack was lined up. She felt the beginnings of an adrenaline rush in her veins as she counted aloud to three.
She counted slowly, chuckling as she watched Gideon—the only son of Saga and Remus—impatiently twitch and whine. Uri, a mutt and mother of Tyr, Sköll, and Skadi, snapped at him for being a nuisance. Lyka laughed again before finally shouting, "THREE!"
They took off. Armada and Freki (named after his grandfather) were in the front, with Alpan—Remus's granddaughter—and Lyka catching up fast. She was soon in the front, beside Armada and his son and gaining speed. She was determined to get to the lake first. Her lungs and throat burned and her legs were starting to protest, already. The young woman was glad that she was wearing jeans because they kept running right through little bushes that would normally create burning scratches. She jumped over and ducked underneath all obstacles that got in her way.
Finally, they arrived several minutes later. Just as they reached the shore of the pocket in the river, Lyka spotted a certain branch and continued running towards it. It was being held just over the sand and a fallen tree. She jumped up and grabbed it, using her own momentum to pull herself up. She sat down and carefully twisted around to face the rest of the pack as she took off her backpack and hung it on the branch that she was sitting on. Once the whole pack was present, she jumped down from her perch and took off her shoes and socks. Then came her jeans that she hung on the branch. She reached into her backpack and took out an old oversized T-shirt and pulled her tank-top off. She pulled on the T-shirt but before she put her arms through. She then took off her bra, and hung it up next to the shirt.
Now that she had the giant Tee on properly, Lyka walked into the cool water. Some of the dogs followed her and started playing with one another. She made sure to keep close to the fallen tree, so that if the current started to get strong, she could grab onto one of the branches. She took in a breath of air and dunked her head underneath the water. Swimming closer to the tree, she opened her eyes under the water. Lycaenion watched with interest as the fish swam out of her path. Once she got to the tree, she grabbed hold of one of the more sturdy branches and rose to the surface for air. Brushing the wet hair out of her face, she leaned onto the fallen tree and branches for support. She took another deep breath and closed her eyes, letting her body recover from the run.
With her eyes closed, Lyka let her mind go blank, listening to the sounds of the woodlands. She listened to the splashing and barking of the dogs just a few feet away. She felt the cool water as the weak current pushed against her legs lightly. The birds chirped merrily as they flew overhead and fluttered about in the trees. She could've fallen asleep in such peace. In fact, she almost did.
What awoke her from her trance was the frantic shuffling of feet on dead leaves and twigs. The dogs all paused, some growled. Lyka cautiously made her way closer to the shore, keeping her shoulders barely above the surface. Once the water was waist-high, she slowly rose up, never averting her eyes from the rustling bushes. Her wet T-shirt clung to her body as she inched closer to the bushes.
Lyacenion's heart pounded in her ribcage and she could almost feel the blood in her veins as adrenaline kicked in. Suddenly, all of her rising panic stopped abruptly as she inhaled a familiar scent.
"You're an ass, Cal," she spat, turning around and returning to the branch holding her clothes once her twin rose from the bushes, a smirk on his face. Lyka noticed he was carrying a backpack.
"Aw, come on, how did you know it was me?" he asked, defeated.
"You reek like a big brother," she answered, nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders. She snickered when he sniffed himself and made a face. "Now turn around; I have to put my clothes back on." Lyka made sure that Callum was facing the other way, letting the dogs smell him, before throwing her shirt off and redressing. When she turned back to inform Callum that she was decent, she laughed at his face as he bent down, mocking Remus as he sniffed his face. Caught off guard, Cal quickly turned his head and was attacked by the old dog's tongue.
Callum let out a cry of desperation as other dogs joined in. "Agh! You wanna help me out, Caenie?" The older twin dramatically reached out toward his sister over the dogs in mock-desperation.
Grinning, Lycaenion replied, "You hang out with those red-headed boys too much." She walked over to her brother's outstretched hand and pulled him out of the literal dog-pile. Cal took in an over-exaggerated breath of air as if he had been underwater for a long time. "You're such a dork," she complained, hitting him on the back of the head.
Grinning sheepishly, Callum followed his sister back to the tree that she had hung her belongings on. She swiftly pulled herself up onto the branch and reached into her backpack to retrieve her hairbrush. Lyka raised an eyebrow at her brother's silence as he sat at the foot of the tree while she brushed out her wet locks. She knew something was on his mind; he was never quiet unless he had something important to say.
Staring out at the river, Lycaenion asked, "What's wrong?" She already had a feeling she knew what he was thinking about. Lyka had been snooping in her brother's room ever since the first summer he returned from 'Hogwarts'. She was honestly only a little surprised that a school for witches and wizards existed. She was much more surprised that her brother was a 'wizard'. He used to tell her EVERYTHING that went on there. He told her about the creatures and people he heard about and met. The whole concept seemed so surreal to her and yet, relieving; it meant she wasn't alone. Werewolves, vampires, hippogriffs, phoenixes, trolls, even unicorns—they all existed.
His last few years, however, Cal had kept the information he told his sister to a bare minimum. Lyka knew that he was trying to protect her from something, but she was so frustrated when he wouldn't tell her things. She started to really look through all the things in his room that were even remotely wizard-related to figure out what was happening. To her luck, her brother had subscribed to The Daily Prophet and rarely got rid of any issues. She was amazed by the moving pictures in the paper. It was one thing to see them in frames, another to see them on printed paper. That's how she found out about Snatchers. They were coming after all 'muggle-born' witches and wizards. That included her brother.
When Callum didn't answer her, she looked down at him. He was frowning in deep thought, arms crossed. Skadi was at his side, placing her head on his knee and looking up at him. The dogs could tell he was upset.
He sighed and placed a hand on Skadi's head. Finally, Cal spoke. "Things have gotten complicated. In the Wizarding world, I mean." He stole a glance at his sister's form on the tree branch. She gestured for him to continue. "There's this evil man—wizard—that people call the Dark Lord, because we can't say his name, anymore. Everyone thought he was dead, but he came back. Anyway, he thinks that Mudbloods—that's wizard slang for muggle-born—should not be allowed to have wands and go to schools like Hogwarts." Cal paused, gathering his thoughts. "There's this boy—he's only a few years younger than us. His name is Harry Potter. He's fighting for our freedom because somehow the poor kid has the ability to do so. I think he can do it, but he'll need help. Right now, the Ministry—basically the government—has sent out these people called 'Snatchers' who are supposed to go out and bring back or even kill muggle-borns and blood-traitors." By now, Callum was fuming. Lyka hopped down from her branch and sat down beside him. She put her hand on his shoulder. He suddenly looked up at her calm face, his eyes wild in contrast. "Lyka, they're all insane killers. They were released from Azkaban to 'Snatch'!" The younger twin was surprised. He almost never called her by that nickname.
"It's okay, Cal, they won't get you; I won't let them," she said, meaning every word. Although she was hoping to calm her brother, he just got more frantic.
"No, no, Caenie," he pleaded, grabbing her shoulders and looking her in the eye. "You can't get in their way; they'll kill you, too. I won't let my little sister die because of something she has no part in." Callum let his words sink in for a moment before continuing, "Stay out of the woods. They know that many people are hiding out in forests and so they come out here, looking for them."
Lycaenion swallowed. Stay away from the pack? She couldn't do that. Especially if there was danger in the woods. "You know I can't," she said, softly.
"Caenie, please," he begged, shaking her shoulders in frustration. "Please, you have no part in this, I have to leave and I need you and Mom and Dad safe."
Suddenly, Lycaenion was angry. "If I'm not a part of 'this', then why would you tell me anything about it? Why not just leave? Whether you like or not, you know I'm a part of this, and I won't let you just leave like this without me. Do you even know how to hunt without guns or knives? Or how to track? Do you have any idea what a good campsite looks like? Or what plants are poisonous and which can cure illness?" Her face softened when Cal looked away. "Because I do. And since I know how to hunt, I know how to throw these 'Snatchers' off your trail. I can help you, Callum. I can guarantee that it'll be better and easier on the both of us if we stick together."
"They use magic, Caenie; it isn't that easy to lose them," he argued, averting her eyes. He knew she was right, but he didn't want her to get even more involved.
"But it'll be easier if you have someone who knows what they're doing." Standing confidently, Lyka knew the battle was won. "Come on. If we're leaving then we have to get supplies." She held a hand out to her brother who reluctantly took it.
"Already done. I was planning on leaving right after I told you, so I already have everything." He pointed to his backpack. Lyka raised an eyebrow.
"That contains money, a tent, sleeping bags, clothes, food, a lighter or matches, medicine, a first-AID kit, and all other necessities?"
Cal smirked. "It's called an undetectable extension charm. It makes the inside a lot bigger, without the outside of the bag changing."
"Cool, but what about my stuff? I thought you weren't planning on me coming along?" She put her hands on her hips.
"Oh, yeah, right. Forgot about that." He scratched the back of his head, nervously.
"Yeah, I knew you would." Lyka packed all of her things back into her own back pack, before suddenly turning back to face her twin when an idea came into her head. "Hey, do you think you could charm my bag, too?" She held out her bag to him. Grinning, Cal took out a stick—his wand—from his pocket and cast the charm on her bag. "Okay, let's go back so I can get my stuff," Lyka suggested, walking back toward the house, Cal following closely behind.
Suddenly, the younger twin stopped and turned her head to the side, hearing the snap of a twig. The dogs picked up on her uneasiness and started sniffing the air. Remus stepped in front of Lyka and growled threateningly. The old dog's ears were pulled back and his tail was raised in warning.
"Who's there?" Lyka demanded, bending her knees and raising her fists in a defensive pose. She cautiously scanned the landscape with her eyes, trying to spot whoever was there.
"Well, well, what gave us away?" a man asked, walking forward. He swaggered forward arrogantly and Lyka almost burst out laughing at his attire. He was wearing plaid pants! She did, however keep from expressing her amusement once she noticed the red band of fabric on his left arm and the three other men surrounding the two siblings. They were Snatchers.
'Brothers-in-law' Armada and Regin stalked forward protectively in front of their human friends. Lyka could feel the temptation to jump at the stranger radiate strongly from Armada. She looked to Armada in warning as she sent a message to him silently.
Armada, no!
The mutt let out a snarl, but did not move. Hesitantly, Lycaenion raised her eyes from the dog, back to the Snatcher. "One of you stepped on a twig and you smell different from everything else," she answered him calmly. "How long have you been here?"
"Oh, we heard something about extension charms once we got close enough," the man answered. He took another step forward, cautiously eyeing the angry-looking Rottweiler named Armada as he growled again. Lyka felt her brother tense at the Snatcher's words and turned to look at him.
Cal's fists were clenched tightly and he was nervously looking from one Snatcher to another. His eyes never settled on one in particular for too long. Lyka took her time studying the four men as they, in turn, studied the siblings. The one behind them wore a hood, so she couldn't see his face, but she thought she saw blonde hair. He was the same height as Callum but thinner. The Snatcher to her left had long, thin, dark hair and a face that suggested that he wasn't entirely human. His nose was wide and flat, reminding Lyka of a dog. She thought she had seen him before. The Snatcher on her right was also strange. He had some sort of dark make-up around his eyes, mimicking a mask and reminding Lyka of a raccoon.
Finally, Lyka returned her eyes to the man in front of her, who seemed to be the leader. She now noticed the faded red streak in his dark mane. She couldn't really call it hair because it was so unkempt and everywhere. It seemed like his hair was supposed to be kept back in a half-heartedly tied ribbon. She saw that his eyes were a dark blue color and that he was staring back and forth between herself and Callum.
When he first caught a glimpse of the pair, Scabior had thought they were lovers, but upon closer inspection, he realized that they had similar features. For example, they both shared the same auburn-colored hair and hazel eyes. Siblings, then. Though they looked similar, he could tell that their personalities were very different. The girl was acting calm and assessing the situation. She held her head high and looked ready to fight. Her brother, on the other hand, was freaking out and hesitant. He looked ready to run for his life and Scabior was sure that if his sister hadn't stayed, he would've been long gone, already.
And then, there were those dogs. They all stood on-guard, just waiting for an excuse to jump at him and his men and tear them apart. Scabior had noticed earlier, that the girl seemed to be able to communicate with them. It was a curious thing. He wanted to know more.
"What're your names?" he asked, catching the brother's twitch of panic. Scabior smirked.
"Andrea and Michael Cavalier," she answered, without missing a beat. Scabior knew immediately that she was lying when the boy visibly relaxed. Now he knew for sure that they were siblings, though; she didn't give her brother a different last name.
"How about telling us your real names?" Scabior asked, cockily taking another step forward. The other Snatchers followed cautiously. Damn the dogs. They couldn't get close enough to the siblings.
As soon as he finished his sentence, the girl turned to glare at her brother, putting her hands on her hips. "You scare too easily," she scolded. Scabior chuckled silently as he watched the much taller boy almost cower in the face of his sister.
Suddenly, he was knocked onto his back, by something with sharp teeth, claws, and an eardrum-bursting loud bark. It was the Rottweiler from before. With difficulty, Scabior managed to push the dog off. He started to stagger back up, when another dog sunk its teeth into his left arm and pulled. He knocked that dog off, and stood quickly, running off in the direction where he saw a flash of auburn hair.
Lycaenion knew that the dogs couldn't hold off the men for long, so as soon as they leapt forward, she grabbed Cal's hand and ran for it. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but that didn't matter, right now. They just needed to get away, and quickly.
Lyka led the way through the trees, zigzagging, trying to lose their pursuers, who had already gotten away from the dogs. They were fast, but Lyka was faster. Unfortunately, Callum was not. He tripped over a fallen branch he didn't see and fell to the ground.
Spinning back around, Lyka reached down to try and help him up, but it was too late. The Snatchers had caught up to them. The animal-like one grabbed her and held her arms back with his own. He let out a feral growl when she struggled in an attempt to get her arms loose. The other two lackeys were restraining Callum, who was still on the ground.
"Let him go!" the girl cried, thrashing about in Fenrir's hold. Scabior smirked, clutching his injured arm as he sauntered over to her.
"No," he said, leaning in close to make her uncomfortable. A sudden wave of her scent hit his nose and he inhaled in deeply. Scabior noticed her squirming and his smirk grew. "I don't think we will," he almost-whispered, staring in her face to savor her fear. His smirk faded however, when he caught a blur rush at him from the corner of his eye. The old, rust-furred dog came rushing at him. Quickly, he threw a hex at the beast and watched as it fell.
"No!" the girl shouted, struggling harder against Fenrir. "Remus!" Remus? As in Remus Lupine? No, it couldn't be, there was no way that was a werewolf. It was just a coincidence.
Scabior was pulled out of his thoughts when Fenrir actually let go of the girl. "Oi, what the hell do you think you're doing, Greyback?" he shouted, trying to intercept the girl. The only problem was that Fenrir was protecting her. Scabior got his answer when he looked at his eyes. They were glowing yellow. Scabior looked back at the girl. Her eyes were the same. What the hell was happening?
He didn't have a chance to try to figure that out because Greyback was attacking the other two Snatchers that held down the brother. He didn't respond, just kept the Snatchers back while the siblings ran. Once they apparated away, Greyback returned to normal.
He shook his head and blinked. "'The hell happened?" he demanded.
"You let them get away, you idiot!" Scabior yelled. "You helped them get away! What the bloody hell were you thinking?"
"I don't know," he answered slowly. "I couldn't. It was like…"
"It was that girl," said Erik, the Snatcher with dark mask-like make-up. Everyone turned to him, surprised—he never talked—as he continued. "I saw her, her eyes were glowing. She was controlling him, somehow!"
How was that possible? That girl wasn't a witch; she didn't use a wand, at least. Was she like Scabior? Had she received superior senses from a werewolf's claws just as he? No, it wouldn't explain how she was controlling Fenrir. Perhaps Umbridge would know? Should he ask next time they went to the Ministry? Thinking about it, he might have to.
The twins hit the ground running. Literally. They both fell to the leaf-covered forest floor, panting. Callum recovered first, being more used to apparition than his sister. He stood and looked around, recognizing the area vaguely. They were somewhere near Hogsmead.
"W-what just happened?" groaned Lycaenion. Cal reached down to help her up back to her feet.
"We apparated here," he said, grinning. 'Apparated'. Lyka remembered reading about 'apparating' in one of her brother's Hogwart's books.
Reaching her feet and dusting herself off, she asked, "And where is 'here'?" She heard her brother laugh nervously and before he could respond, she looked at him displeased simply stating, "You don't know." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, like a parent waiting for their child to apologize for breaking something.
Another nervous laugh escaped Cal's lips as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "W-well," he started, "Not exactly, but I know we're near Hogsmead." Lyka's eyes lit up as she recalled her brother's various tales about his adventures in Hogsmead. Wait, wasn't that close to Hogwarts? Could dementors be in Hogsmead, as well as at Hogwarts?
Frowning, Lycaenion voiced her concerns. "Wouldn't dementors be in Hogsmead? I mean, it's pretty close to Hogwarts and—" The younger twin was cut off by her brother's paling face and realized her mistake. The shock on Callum's face soon changed into uncharacteristic, incredulous anger.
"How do you know about the dementors?" he demanded, pointing an accusing finger at her. "I know I haven't told you about them and you've never even met my wizard friends before!" Their roles were now switched. Now, it was the angry big brother who scolded his guilty little sister, instead of the usual brave younger sister scolding the timid older brother.
Lyka kept her eyes averted as she answered him very quietly. "Ever since you stopped telling me, I decided that I'd find out what happened on my own. So, I started snooping whenever you weren't home." She paused and stole a glance at her still-fuming twin. She looked back to the ground when he crossed his arms and motioned for her to continue. "I read the books that you got for Hogwarts and every article in each issue of the Daily Prophet that I could find."
Lyka looked back up at the sound of a frustrated sigh only to watch as her brother started pacing back and forth, resisting the urge to tear his hair out by the roots. She felt more guilty now, than ever, looking at her brother as he cursed himself for never realizing what she was doing.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "You wouldn't tell me anything…" her voice faded off in the middle of her sentence.
Sighing, Cal turned back to his sister. "You weren't supposed to know about the wizarding world; you weren't supposed to have anything to do with this!" Callum took in deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. After a few moments, he said, "Let's move. We should try to find somewhere to set up camp, for now."
Lyka nodded and followed him, deciding it best not to talk. She knew that on the rare occasion when her brother did get angry, he stayed that way for a while.
They had found a decent spot for camping and set up the tent together, after Cal had set up enchantments around the campsite, so that no one could see them. They barely talked to each other. Lyka's reason was so she couldn't upset Cal further and Cal's was because he had been thinking a lot.
The twins were currently sitting in around the fire in front of the tent. Lyka was finishing up an apple from the bit of food Callum had been able to bring along. She tossed the remains into the fire, causing it to crackle in protest. Cal had been staring into the flames for a long time and Lyka almost laughed as a frequent thought came into her head, believing fatigue was setting in.
He reminds me of Gambit.
That's right. Her brother, Callum, reminded Lyka of the Marvel comic book character that blows crap up with playing cards, Gambit. Okay so he didn't have a beard—or even much stubble—or his awesome eyes, but his hair style was so similar to many drawings Lyka'd seen of Gambit. The right half of his hair was a bit longer than the left, which barely reached his ear lobe.
Although Cal didn't flirt with every skirt he sees, he loved to tease. That was another way he was like Gambit. He even wore an olive green jacket that reminded her of Gambit's long trench-coat, even though it definitely was not as long.
Lyka's mood darkened once more, however, once she replayed the events of that afternoon in her head. She had never seen her twin so frustrated before. It troubled her to think that her snooping really bothered him that much. She sighed quietly, defeated and tired, staring into the fire just as her twin was.
After a few moments more of silence, Lyka decided that she should head inside the tent before it got too cold and go to sleep. She was currently wearing one of Callum's spare jackets he had packed, but she was still cold. She was about to stand up, when, surprisingly, Cal broke the silence.
"I knew the war was coming," he said softly, still staring into the yellow and orange flames. "I knew it was coming fast, even if the others didn't think so. I knew Harry; he's a bit younger than us and was in Gryffindor, but he was one of my friends. He always knew the Dark Lord was alive, and I believed him. That's why I couldn't tell you, anymore. The less you knew, the better protected you and our parents would be." He smiled pathetically and shook his head, rubbing his temples. "I thought I could finally be the big brother who could protect his little sister again. I couldn't even keep a secret from you."
As Lycaenion studied at her twin, she couldn't help but think how old he looked. She smiled. All this time she had thought he was so immature and care-free, but now she saw that it was the complete opposite. She stood up and walked over to her brother's slumped figure, and sat next to him.
"You did, actually," Lyka said, turning her eyes back to the fire as she continued. "I never knew how much you worried about that. You kept that from me." Cal turned his head to look at his sister. Lyka smiled as she turned her head to face her brother once again. "Besides, 'we're twins; we're not supposed to keep secrets from each other. We're supposed to work together and wreak havoc among the single-born people'." That, finally made Cal's mouth crack a grin. She had quoted his 10-year-old self.
Man, that was almost a decade ago. Almost half our lives…
They were both quietly remembering that day. Ever since their first day of school in the UK, Lyka had been bullied by a particular group of children and refused to tell her family about it because she remembered what happened last time. Three boys and two girls named Richey, Mikey, Henry, Destiny, and Mallory. Looking back, Lyka mused about how well their names fit—especially Mallory's, the poor girl. 'Luckless' was definitely a curse of a name and went hand-in-hand with 'fate'.
On one day in particular, Lyka hadn't been at the normal place the twins would meet at to walk home together. Instead, she had been cornered behind one of the small buildings, trying her hardest not to cry her eyes out from the childish insults thrown at her. All she had done was pick up a young bird that had fallen from its nest. The two girls and Richey had seen it and teased her about getting a made-up disease from it.
"Just let it die," Richey commanded, irritably. "It probably has some disease anyway." Mallory reached forward to slap the poor bird out of Lyka's trembling hands. Out of instinct, she pulled the bird closer to her chest and kicked Mallory's leg. She hadn't meant to hit hard, but Mallory started wailing. Lyka, in turn, started crying when Richey began to pull at her hair. She pulled the bird as close to her as she dared. It had started to struggle, sensing Lycaenion's distress.
All of a sudden, the sharp and painful tugging on her skull stopped as Richey was tackled to the ground harshly. Lyka looked up through now-tangled brown locks to see her twin brother rolling around on the ground with her attacker, each fighting to overpower the other. It was then that Lyka had noticed Destiny's absence.
And it was just a moment or two later that one of the yard duties finally arrived on the scene, Destiny in tow. "What is going on here?" the middle-aged woman asked, harshly. She went over to Mallory, who had stopped wailing enough to claim that Lyka had broken her leg. The woman took one glance at it when the girl lifted her pant leg enough to show a red and broken-but-not-bleeding patch of skin below her knee. Then, the only adult turned to Lycaenion's tear-stained face and disheveled form, eyes softening a bit. "Did you hurt Mallory?"
Fear was clearly written on her face as Lycaenion nodded, her bottom lip trembling. She knew she couldn't speak. And luckily, she didn't have to, because Callum had come rushing to her aid. He pulled his sister into a hug and quickly told the yard duty, "They were bullying her."
The woman was about to ask why, when the bird in Lyka's hands started chirping and flapping its wings, not liking its confined space. A look of realization crossed the yard duty's face once she saw it. She suddenly turned to the three hell-raisers with her hands on her hips. "You three need to go to the office, now." The shocked looks on their faces were priceless and Cal stuck his tongue out at them. Unfortunately, the woman turned to the twins as well, though her expression softened slightly upon seeing Lyka's state again. "You two as well. C'mon." She started to walk in the direction of the office, when Lycaenion spoke up for the first time.
"W-wait." Her voice was shaky and quiet, but all eyes were on her. She held up the bird in her hands. "H-he fell." Lyka looked up to find the nest in the tree above them. She couldn't reach it, but the yard duty might. Silently, she pointed up at the nest, hoping the grown-up would understand what she meant. Wordlessly, the yard duty picked her up and Lyka carefully set the bird down it the nest. It chirped a 'thank you' and she smiled. She knew that the chick was almost old enough to fly and wasn't injured badly. It would heal in a little while.
That was the day Cal had decided that there would be no more secrets between them, causing Lyka to spill the beans about the bullying. After that, the twins stuck even closer together than they had before. Instead of going to a spot at the front of the school to meet, as soon as Lyka left her classroom, Cal would already be there, waiting for her. It was an unspoken promise that he wouldn't let what had transpired that day happen again.
"I wonder how those assholes are doing, now," Callum commented. The five little demons had only gotten nastier as time went on. Well, four, really. 'Mikey', now known by his full name of 'Michael' had fallen for God. He was tolerable, now. He wanted to convert every person he could to Catholicism, but at least he wasn't spouting insults and spreading rumors about her. In fact, he made a point to apologize as much as possible for it. Lyka had long-since forgiven him, though. Even when they were younger, he never participated in making her miserable much; he was just doing what his friends were doing.
"I don't really care how they are. I'm finally free of those leeches," Lyka took in a long breath of air and sighed loudly. "Even if they've been replaced with new ones," she continued, thinking of the Snatchers they encountered earlier. She started laughing as realization hit her. Lyka leaned her weight on Cal's arm as she started speaking. "I just realized something. We're in the beginning of a war—a Wizard War..." she paused, rethinking her words. "We're on the run, in the middle of a warfield. We're right under their noses—we could be found at any minute and taken, yet here we are; reminiscing about my childhood trauma and laughing."
Callum remained silent, thinking of a much more recent trauma his sister had endured just four years ago, and that had came back with a vengeance just two years ago. He pulled his left hand out of his jacket pocket and wrapped it around Lyka's shoulders, squeezing. It had taken months after the last incident to get her used to human physical contact again, though she still tensed up when touched, sometimes. She had even rejected Callum for a few weeks and it had sparked a fiery rage inside of him. How dare He do that to his little sister. No, she hadn't been raped; He never physically hurt her. But it had been mentally and emotionally scarring for everyone.
Lyka knew from the way Callum held her shoulders what he was thinking about and it made her frown. Sure, she was still upset about it; hell, she had never dated anyone after that, but that was mostly because no one had caught her eye. Cal needed to get over it, but she knew it was just because he loved her. Still, it annoyed her that her brother was more bothered by it than she let herself be.
Lyka lifted her head from Cal's shoulder and said, "Hey, Vegeta, stop thinking about it, you might accidentally go Super-Sayan." Callum cast a relieved smile down at his twin, before playfully ruffling her hair.
"You're right," he agreed. "It's been 'over nine-thousand' years since it happened."
"I know I'm right." Lyka let out a yawn. "I also know that I need to sleep." She stood up, stretching. She heard and felt her muscles pop as she did so. Lyka stepped over the log that she had just shared with her twin and took only two steps before she was at the tent. She turned back to her brother with a raised eyebrow. "You comin'?"
Cal shook his head. "In a minute," he said, standing and stretching. Lyka frowned. She knew that look on his face. He wouldn't sleep for hours, if at all.
"Go to sleep," she warned, turning her back to him and entering the tent. Lyka was sure she would never get used to their charmed shelter. She walked to the right side of the tent. Her 'bedroom' was in the far right corner of the tent; Cal's was on the far left.
Lyka didn't stop walking, even as she kicked off her shoes and fell onto her bed. She fell asleep almost as soon as her body hit the mattress.