Hello! Okay, so this is just a little thing I've been writing in my downtime at my summer job. I just felt like writing my spin on one of those Hawke meets Anders back in Ferelden sort of stories.

I picture Marian being like 17/18ish with Carver around 12/13, and Anders like 21/22. Hopefully I wrote Carver alright. I think he's hilarious in his own way, but like Aveline says-he's a bit of a tit. Also, forgive my Hawke. She's just a cheeky teen still trying to get through her awkward years. She doesn't quite have all the skill and confidence of the Champion of Kirkwall yet.

But whatever, here's the first part!

Hawke

"I bet that I'll get something before you!" The pudgy adolescent pushed past his older sister at the mouth of the woods outside of Lothering, sword already drawn. "How much do you want to bet?"

A few panicked birds fled from their nests in the bushes and flew alarmingly close to Marian Hawke's head. She yelped and ducked, nearly dropping her bow. Patience, Marian. Do not kill your brother, she thought in her mother's voice.

"Sure Carver. You're the greatest hunter around," she replied with an eye roll, pushing her now frazzled ebony hair out of her face. "Good luck chasing a deer around with a sword."

"Well I'm not about to use a bow," he replied. The boy rolled his blue eyes. "Those are for elves and women."

"Well you," Marian said, grabbing one of his chubby cheeks, "are not going to hunt our supper tonight, baby brother."

Carver scowled and batted her hand away. "Watch me."

Marian laughed and strode ahead down the path. "Lighten up, Carver. And hurry, poor Beth's probably dying of boredom in her healing lesson. The sooner we get supper the better."

The eldest Hawke child liked the woods. No matter what village they traveled to, there was always a forest nearby. They'd camped in dozens of them while roaming around Ferelden to avoid the templars and though one might be more thick with trees or another might have a stream or more exotic plants, some things were a constant. She'd grown fond of the sound of wind whispering through the trees and the crinkle of leaves beneath her feet.

Their father had been teaching her how to disappear into the treetops and how to aim a bow. But now that the twins were older he spent his downtime teaching Bethany magic and it was Marian who was tasked with teaching Carver to hunt, much to the boy's chagrin.

Carver complained throughout their mile walk into the wilderness until they finally approached a grove. Marian paused, listening for the sound of deer walking gingerly nearby or rabbits diving into the underbrush, however Carver trampled on.

"Ugh!" He exclaimed, lifting his boot up for inspection. He'd stepped in a pile of brown pellets. "Andraste's flaming—" The boy smeared the offensive turds onto the grass. "Bleh."

Marian had to fight a smile. "Well, at least we know there are deer here somewhere."

Carver grunted. "What now?"

The girl was already hoisting herself onto a low branch of a nearby tree. "Now we wait."

Marian straddled a thick branch a few feet higher up and eased back so she was leaning against the trunk. She moved her bow onto her lap and relaxed, keeping one eye on Carver below while listening for anything around.

The boy first leaned against the base of the tree, arms crossed over his chest like a miniature guard standing outside a castle. However he soon abandoned that stance in favor of pacing only a few moments later—carefully looking down at where he stepped, Marian noted.

When watching her brother became boring, the girl allowed herself to close her eyes for a bit. Malcolm had always warned her to be completely aware while hunting but she'd been up late last night practicing archery in the cornfield when everyone had gone to sleep and had to suppress a yawn. She knew her mother had sights on her growing out her hair out and ceasing the bow practice, wanting her to marry one of the farm boys in town or to even travel to Kirkwall to salvage her maiden name and take up with one of the noblemen there. However Marian had other plans.

She imagined fighting for justice in the King's Army or sailing to Antiva to join the Crows-or maybe just to get lost in the crowd. Maybe she could travel to Orlais and try to make pants fashionable for women. No, boring. What about Orzammar? That was basically a different country. What would mother say if I found a husband there? She imagined the look on Leandra's face when she brought her dwarven husband home and nearly fell out of her tree.

Marian was fully immersed in her daydreams when she realized that she hadn't heard from her brother in a while. Maybe he finally settled down, she thought. Thank the Mak—

THWACK!

Marian nearly jumped out of her skin. The girl grabbed onto her tree branch for support. Her bow slid from her lap and toppled onto the dirt below. "Carver!"

THWACK!

The young boy was chopping at a dead tree with his sword. "What?"

"You're going to scare every animal in this forest away!" Marian exclaimed. "Stop!"

THWACK!

"What I hunt won't be scared away by a little noise, Marian," he replied haughtily, pushing out his meaty chest.

"Ugh." The girl began making her way down from her spot in the tree, nearly toppling backwards halfway down. "I don't care what father and mother say, next time you're staying home with Beth." Actually, poor Beth had it bad enough as a mage. Sticking her with her twin all day seemed like a punishment.

"Next time you stay home with Beth, and father and I will hunt."

THWACK!

Marian snatched her bow up from the ground with a wince. "Oho, no. Next time father, Bethany, and I will hunt and you can learn to sew with mother."

The boy snorted. "I'd probably be better at it than you."

Marian put a hand on her hip. "Really? That's your big insult?"

Carver scowled again and lifted his sword to hit the battered old tree once more.

"Don't," Marian growled.

He smirked this time and raised his eyebrows, moving the blade a bit closer to the tree.

"Andraste's flaming ass, I swear I'll-"

Carver was about to swing at the tree when a crash echoed through the grove. The sound of breaking twigs and crunching leaves followed it. Something big was moving in the forest through the distance. And it was getting louder. Much louder than a small animal. Was it wolves? Bandits?

The Hawkes froze and Marian shuddered. "Carver, please tell me you can climb a tree."

"Uh…" the boy stared up doubtfully at the gargantuan tree his sister had just climbed out of.

"Come on!" Marian dug her boots into the bark and curved her long fingers around the lowest branch. After hoisting herself up she bent and extended her hands to Carver. He reached out with sweaty palms and clung onto hers with an iron grip. The weight of the boy nearly sent Marian sprawling onto the ground, but she grunted and pulled harder.

"Pull!"

"I'm trying!" she exclaimed. "Gah! You need to stop eating chocolates in bed at night!"

"I don't do that! Did Beth say I do that?"

"Carver, I can hear you munching on it from the other side of the room!"

Whatever was running through the brush was almost upon them. Marian could hear it panting even over the sound of her own strained breaths. She desperately tried to pull her brother onto the branch but his fingers were slipping from her grasp. Maker, forget every nasty thing I've ever said about Carver. I'll give him my dessert for the rest of my life-Fade, I'll even let him win every time we spar if you can just save him from being mauled by a wild animal. Please.

"Marian!" One hand slipped from hers and the boy frantically began grabbing for grooves in the trunk but found none. Finally Carver grunted and let go, falling to the ground with an oomph. "That's it," he grumbled. Marian watched in horror as he drew his sword. Please don't do what I think you're going to do...

With a small battle cry, the boy raised the weapon and rushed forward toward the noise.

"Carver, no!" Marian shrieked.

Hmmmm. Who/what could possibly be coming out of the bushes? ;)