Tamelin turned to Tiff. Her short dark hair gleamed in the evening sunlight. She was so beautiful, yet he was unable to ask her to be his life partner, since she hadn't gotten her tattoo. Mortis, however had. And Tamelin heard all the whispers before. That he and Mortis would make an excellent match. But he wanted Tiff. He tried to persuade her to get her tattoo done and over with, but she was too frightened of the needle the keeper used. She stopped walking and looked at Mortis. Mortis was frozen with ears pricked brow furrowed in concern. Tamelin decided to break the silence. "What is it?" he asked. Just then, they all turned their heads in unison in response to a loud crashing through the undergrowth. Tamelin waved his hands, getting the girls to quickly move to the shadows. He drew his bow and aimed it in the direction of the sound. And that's when the first shemlin appeared.