Chapter Three: Mage Art

This may be the most dangerous, deadly thing Torak is ever going to lead the wolves into. He would regret it so much if any of them got hurt. He was going to the Raven Camp to apologise to Renn. e didntHe didn't believe he was totally in the wrong, but for Renn he'd do anything. He stayed with the Seals for a week though he had got what he gone for. He didn't want to seem like he was using them by leaving so soon. He did have fun staying with The Seals (he always does) but it didn't stop him thinking about Renn. Renn would forgive him, Torak thought hopeful. They were meant for each other. Half his life was with Renn, maybe the best part of his life, even. Torak had it all planned out in his head. He would march into the Raven Camp ask where Renn is, find her, beg for forgiveness, she forgives him… Well, its not the best plan but it will work. It's not much of a walk to get to the Raven Clan from the beach but Torak was so nervous it almost took him another week. He looked down at the wolves. Wolf was excited. He recognised the smell of the camp.

"I'm excited too," Torak said. "Pack-sister?" Wolf immediately snapped his head up. Ears standing straight up he bounced off into the camp. Torak couldn't wait till Renn found him. Darkfur, beside Torak couldn't sit still anymore and ran off after Wolf followed by Pebble. He let the wolves do there job and waited in the shadows for what felt like five hours and stepped out into the light. It took a while for everyone to spot him. But when they did… It was like a huge wind had flown through the camp, all of them whispering Torak's name. Fin Kedinn stepped out from behind one of the tents. Fin Kedinn looked so sick and old. It was horrible to see him like this. But Torak smiled so big it hurt his checks. He waved and Fin Kedinn walked towards Torak just as happy.

"Torak, my son. You are home! How proud I am to see you here," Fin Kedinn said in a hard croaky voice. Almost like a frog.

"How happy I am to see you," Torak said. Fin Kedinn hugged him awkwardly. It felt like Torak was holding him up from falling over.

"TORAK!" Some lunatic called from the other end of the camp. He hoped it was Renn so bad, but a very crazy Dark came running at him at full speed.

"Dark, slow down! Slow –" Dark smashed into Torak sending them both miles back into the trees. "Dark, um… hello!" Dark stood up immediately and pulled Torak with him.

"We've missed you so much." And then he saw Renn.

…

Renn sat lonely in her bed, thinking, wondering. God, I'm getting huge, Renn thought. She stood up off her sleeping sack. What are people going to think? The children have already teased her for being lazy. If only they knew. Most of the women knew. She didn't tell them, but they just knew. A woman always knows. Renn was absolutely certain Fin Kedinn knew now as well. He kept dropping hints about her future and who will be in it. She never got to see him though cause she sat in this tent all day. It's frustrating to be so immobilised.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" and screaming that wasn't Renn either. She had become girly. "I'm crazy, I'm crazy," Renn muttered. She had started seeing things now. Wolf ran up to Renn and jumped onto her. Renn could feel Wolfs rough fur under her fingers. "I can feel things. I need help." Darkfur came in after Wolf and leapt at her. The weight was too much and she fell onto the floor. "Why did I do that? Its bad for the baby and it kind of hurt me!" Pebble came round the corner of the tent and covered her face with licks. "If the water is there its real or maybe I tipped a bucket of water over my head? BERA!" Renn screamed. She was getting very nervous. This hallucination was getting so scary and so real. She lay on the ground for a minute before someone finally came to help her. Of all people it was Dark.

"Oh my god Renn! Torak is here. Wolf is here! They're all here," he ran off without even helping her get the wolves off.

"Off," Renn said in a stern voice and to her surprise they all stepped away and looked up at her sheepishly. She reached her hand out to Darkfur and grabbed some fur. Is it real? "Darkfur?" Renn said quietly before taking the wolf into an embrace. Wolf and Pebble got excited again and jumped all over Renn. She couldn't believe they were here! She hadn't seen them in two weeks, almost a moon! She'd missed them so much. It ached her heart to see them, knowing that she may never see them again. She forgot about Torak waiting outside and lay down with all the wolves in her own little piece of happiness.

"Torak's here." A ruff-ish type voice said. Renn sat up immediately. No one was in the room; it was just she and the wolves.

"Who said that?" She said. "Hiding are you?"

"Torak misses you," she couldn't even explain what kind of voice it had. It wasn't a voice. It was weird, it's like it was in her head. Maybe it was? Maybe she was making it up.

"Is it you Wolf? Darkfur?" She looked down at the two.

"You miss him," it said again. None of the wolves were moving. What are you? Renn felt like shouting. But Bera popped around the corner.

"Renn. Go. See. Torak. Now," she commanded.

"Were you talking to me before?" Renn asked.

"What are you talking about Renn? Go see Torak now." Renn pushed the voices out of her mind and followed Bera out of the tent. The wolves skipped happily beside her. God was she nervous to see Torak. What if he had come to say goodbye? Well her mind said he missed her. But yet again, it was her crazy part of her mind that said that. Bera ran ahead of her, which was a surprise since she was never very fond of Torak. Oh God… Renn gasped. Torak is here, at the Raven Camp. It didn't really dawn on her before. She was too distracted with the wolves. But he is here after their awkward goodbye she will have to confront him once again. Actually talk to him. She could here excited chatter from the north end of the camp. She stopped on the edge of the tent and took a deep breath before revealing herself. She spotted Torak instantly; he was looking at her. She walked awkwardly towards him. He watched her; the whole way even though Dark was busy chatting away to him. When she reached them Dark stopped after a stern look from Fin Kedinn. Renn felt like singing out at the sight of Torak. But she stood tall.

"So you came after all, did you? The Seals weren't satisfying?" Renn sneered. She had been talking like a bitch so much recently it had kind of stuck with her. She ignored everyone around her and tried to concentrate on just Torak.

"Leave them to it now, shall we?" Fin Kedinn said, leading a reluctant Dark away. Torak waited till they were out of hearing distance to talk.

"Can I just start by saying sorry and then I'm going to ask 'is there anyway you will forgive me?'"

Renn sighed the anger flushing away from her with a wave of love. "Torak of course I'll forgive you because you have as much right to be angry at me as I am with you!"

"Maybe," Torak said. "We do have a bit to talk about. Why don't we find somewhere to sit?" Renn agreed and led Torak to her tent. He said it was weird she was staying with Bera but she told him to zip it. She sat on the ground in her tent and he sat down with her.

"Can't believe you just forgave me like that. I was expecting to beg!" Torak grinned.

"Yeah. Yeah, now lets hear the important things. So I'm guessing your going to tell me about the Seals?" Renn smiled.

"If you want to hear?" Torak said sheepishly.

"I want to hear and then I'll tell you what I've been doing."

"Okay. Well it all started at least two moons ago-"

"Two what?" Renn screeched. "That long? I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"Renn if you want me to tell you don't interrupt." Renn nodded her head and motioned for him to continue. "I had a dream. It was more of a nightmare though. I was at the Moors and a man was there. I thought he was my Fa but in the end it turned about to be myself and I was staring into my reflection in a lake. He was telling me that all Soul-Eaters must be killed and I kept telling him they were. Well in the end he told me – I told myself – that not all of them were dead. Narrander."

"The Walker? He's no longer a Soul-Eater though, is he?" Renn said.

"That's coming up Renn. Let me finish the story. So when I had that dream I thought maybe if I followed the doppelganger to The Moors he would tell me what he meant. So he was there – that's when you saw him – he said no one ever stops being a Soul-Eater. They all must die."

"If they never stop and they all must die doesn't that mean-"

"Renn! Let me finish." Renn looked worried but agreed to keep quiet for now on. "That night he was in my dream again. It was at Black Beach around the corner from The Eagle Heights. He told me you intervened with our conversation so he had to finish it. He didn't really tell my anything important just more pestering about having to kill Narrander." (Renn gasped) "I thought he wanted me to go to the Black Beach as well. I said I wouldn't. I was going to stay with you and forget his rubbish but we had that fight and it kind of made me re-think things, you know? So I did. I left you and went to visit the Seals. By the way I think Darkfur wanted to go with you instead of me," Torak said.

"Oh really?" Renn's chest puffed up with pride.

Torak laughed. "Yes. Anyway when I got to the Black Beach he told me where Narrander was. Well he sort of told me. He said:

"May the truth come out through twisted dreams,

Narrander, son of kings and queens,

You can only find what you need,

This is what can take the lead,

Through caves, rivers those things at best,

But alas the heart will do the rest."

"A poem? This is getting weird," Renn mused. "Someone making a joke, maybe?"

"That's what I said and a joke? Who has the power to get into my head for 'just a joke'?"

"I guess so," Renn murmured.

"But he said to take it seriously so I'm… kind of worried," Torak said quietly.

"Torak, you can't kill Narrander and that would also mean you'd have to-"

"I know Renn! But I don't know what to do!" Torak said, frustrated.

"Torak you realise if you have to kill all-"

"Renn," Torak sighed. "Nothing you say can change what's been done. I have thought about it and I think I may have to… do it."

"Do it? As in, kill Narrander?"

"Yes," Torak said quietly.

"I'm not going to go off at you Torak because in a weird way I kind of think your right. What the doppelganger said is true, they will always be in some way a Soul-Eater. But seriously Torak you're not remembering-"

"Dinner you too," Bera popped her head around the corner of the tent. She was smiling unusually... "Have you told him, Renn?"

Oh I see, Renn thought. Think… Think… "Yes I'm about too Bera," Renn put on a fake nervous smile. Renn took Torak to dinner hand in hand. Dark smiled when he saw them and he'd saved two seats.

"What was Bera talking about Renn?" Torak whispered during dinner.

"Oh Bera… has – found a… new mate. Yes a new mate," Renn smiled to herself. Quick thinking.

"Yeah," Torak sighed. "She seemed way more happy than usual." Before the last course Kedinn made a little speech mostly welcoming Torak. They ate fresh meat that Torak gulped down ("Too much Seal food") but Renn was too nervous to eat. Torak was back and he hadn't even noticed she was fat. She couldn't see how he couldn't tell. She was almost a balloon. Maybe he was too sucked into his own story to even notice the drama going on at home. But fortunately or unfortunately for Renn she didn't have to tell Torak because Fin Kedinn seemed to do it for her. Fin Kedinn stood up and everyone fell quiet.

"This dinner was not just a welcoming for Torak but a celebration is in order and its just fantastic that Torak happened to arrive on this very night. It seems we have an unexpected guest joining our clan. A member who is warmly welcomed by all of us. So a toast to Torak and Renn," Renn looked down. She couldn't face Torak right now. At the time all Renn could think was: How could Fin Kedinn betray me like that? Not even talking to her first? She blushed red from anger not embarrassment. "And there unborn child." There was a huge crash form beside Renn. Torak had fallen backwards off his chair. His face. Oh his face. His eyebrows were drawn down in a frown. He looked up at Renn. His eyes at that moment would haunt Renn forever. He looked deep into her eyes and then down at her stomach. He gasped before leaping of his chair and running – sprinting – to who knows where. Renn jumped up to follow him but being pregnant she found it very hard to run. She saw up in front of her getting further and further away. She started to fell dizzy. Something hit her stomach from the inside. It was a light hit but it still freaked her out and she collapsed to the ground in a shriek. This got Torak's attention and he turned around instantly, when he saw her on the ground he ran to her. He dropped to his knees beside her.

"Renn?" Torak said urgently. "Are you okay? Is the… baby okay?" Renn sat up. The punching was still going on in her stomach but it tickled more than it hurt. She giggled at herself for over reacting.

"I'm fine. Its just…" She grabbed Torak's hand a held it to her stomach. When the baby kicked Torak jumped back to his feet. He was nervous but she patted the ground beside her and he reluctantly sat down beside her.

"Was that…?"

"Yes Torak. He or she kicked," Renn was smiling but it turned off just as quick. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you-"

"How long?"

"What?"

"How long," Torak snapped. "How long did you know?"

"Since we left the Seals," Renn barely said through tears that started to poor down her face.

"What?" Torak said more gently now she was crying.

"Since we left. Since we left The Seals," Renn yelled at his face.

Torak sat motionless. Renn waited for him til he was ready to talk. It took some time and it was nearly pitch dark before he made a move. "Renn," Torak said soothingly. Torak leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Renn's shoulders. "Even though you kept this from me, I'm trying to be angry but to be honest: I am so happy!" Torak laughed. "I never ever thought it would ever be like this for us! I've been arguing with myself to be betrayed and annoyed at you. But I'm to happy to be angry."

Renn's already red, dry eyes started to cry again. Not her silly weak crying because she was pregnant. But proper, real crying because this was so amazing to hear from him. She pulled his face to hers and they left to the tent repeating what started this little baby off…

…

Torak woke the next morning way before Renn. He stayed in his sleeping sack pretending to be asleep so no one would disturb him. He needed time to think through all that he'd found out. He found out Renn was pregnant. First he was frightened of the truth, then angry for she had not told him, then grateful it wasn't sickness that had her weak, then extremely happy, for he was having a baby. He felt stupid not realising sooner. All the weird things she was doing and not even having the slightness realisation. He never thought something like this could happen to him. He knew he could never have a proper family, but that wasn't for him to decide. He had a beautiful baby on the way. He was excited to be a Fa. He was going to the best. He was going to be just like his own Fa. Though his baby wasn't going to be faced with the same destiny as Torak. It isn't fair to do that to him. Well it's not really fair to bring a baby up into a clan less environment... With no friends. No real family. No real home. What was Torak thinking? This is the worst place for a baby to be brought up in. The baby would have no real life ever and it was because of his father... His father's entire fault. Torak's entire fault. This baby can't have the same fate as he did. Torak sat up from in bed. No more pretending to be asleep he had to confront Fin Kedinn.

Fin Kedinn wasn't hard to find. In fact he was right outside Torak's tent.

"Fin Kedinn?" Torak gasped in alarm standing on Fin Kedinn's foot. It felt like a million bones broke in one crunch. "Are you alright?"

"Quite the opposite, Torak. I wanted to talk to you. Fancy taking a walk?" Fin Kedinn said in his new croaky voice.

"Of course," Torak said. They walked off into the trees. Torak tried to stay as close as possible to Fin Kedinn as it looked as though he was about to crumble.

"I'm not well, Torak. I haven't been for a while and I've told you and Renn this but I can't hide its been getting much, much worse." Of course Torak and Renn knew this. He was so pale and at times he had no voice but a croaky squeak.

"I know Fin Kedinn," Torak said. "But you have held through this long. Its almost like you can't die." Torak tried to smile.

"Exactly why I've brought you here Torak. I can only trust you. Can I trust you?"

"Anything," Torak said slowly. This sounded more like a deathbed conversation, not what Torak encountered at all.

"People around do seem to think I am, how you say, un-die-able? But I am on my last breaths and Dark especially is still talking about the future. A future everyone thinks I'll be in," Fin Kedinn took in a weezy breath. "I'm preparing everyone for my disappearance by simply disappearing. Torak, don't look at me like that. Of course I'm not abounding this clan. I'm just simply hiding away. I'll still be watching over. Just letting others make the decisions."

"That's not going to help anything though, is it?" Torak said angrily.

"They need to be able to live without me. They rely on me way too much it's not healthy. Now another thing I wanted to talk about because I'm not discussing this with you. Can we sit down? I'm quite tired." Torak helped Fin Kedinn onto a log and sat down beside him. "Renn."

"I'm not angry at all Fin Kedinn. I was just thinking–" Torak said quickly.

"Torak. I want Renn to be the next Clan Leader."

"Eh?" Torak gasped. "Haven't we been through this with the Raven Mage thing?"

"I've made it quite obvious how much I trust you but I don't think Renn should follow you anymore; with your Narrander search? I think you should do it alone."

"But I'll come back for her when I'm done." Torak didn't remember telling Fin Kedinn about Narrander but maybe Renn had passed it on.

"You'll never be done Torak. You're going to be chasing or killing someone till you're like me," Fin Kedinn laughed shakily.

"But we have a child-"

"I think you know what I mean when I say 'would you want to bring someone up into your world'?"

"I'd be a good Fa-"

"But do you want your son to have the same consequences you had when your father left you?"

"My Fa was the best Fa-"

"Your Fa left you with a mission. A mission that almost killed you!"

"But it led me to Wolf and-"

"Renn doesn't want to follow you anymore. She called it another one of your crazy missions."

"She wouldn't say that-"

"Wouldn't she-"

"STOP INTERUPTING ME!" Torak exploded. He stood up and marched off. Fin Kedinn never trusted him. Never. Fin Kedinn never wanted Renn to be with Torak and his last wish before he died was for him to leave Renn forever. Well who am I, Torak thought. To not obey great Fin Kedinn's orders? Torak left the clan sight without grabbing anything. Not even Wolf.