Chapter Four – Under the Surface

Renn's eyes tightened. She stole a glance at the girl in the tree, who eyed them curiously, before looking back to Torak.

"Should we trust her?" she asked in a low whisper.

"I don't know. I know the man from my dream had those clan tattoos, but he had at least a dozen others, too," muttered Torak, drawing his face away from Renn.

"What are you two whispering about?" the girl inquired. She nimbly dropped down a branch and pulled her body into a crouching position, one hand placed on a nearby branch for balance. "And you, boy––where did you learn how to talk to wolves?"

"Do you know of a tall man with long, dark hair?" countered Torak as he inclined his chin. "He has lots of tattoos all over his face and upper-body."

The girl's thin brows furrowed together over her nose. "There are lots of tall men with dark hair in this forest, but I've never seen anyone with more tattoos than those of his own clan. Why do you want to know? Wait... do you mean to say he had lots of different clan tattoos?"

"It appeared so," said Torak, who did not want to answer the girl's first question.

Her expression became one of bewilderment. "But that's––that's just wrong! How could you have multiple clan tattoos?" she exclaimed. Then, squinting her eyes, she leaned forward slightly. "I've never seen either of your tattoos before. Where are you from?"

Torak held back a sigh. This girl was far too scatter-brained for his liking. "We come from the other side of the mountain. I'm Torak, and this is Renn."

The girl's face lit up with excitement. "Really? All the way from the western side of the mountain?! That's amazing! Just wait until my clan hears about this!" She swung down from the branch and landed softly on the ground. "My name is Eko, and I'm from the Pine Marten clan! I'll take you to see the rest of my clan; they'll be very excited to meet you!" She spun around, and her two braids flew out behind her. It seemed that she took for granted that Torak and Renn would follow, for she set off at a quick pace without so much as a backwards glance.

"She seems... friendly," ventured Renn. Torak exhaled through his nose and nodded once.

Perhaps Renn would be safer around other people, he thought. There was only one way to find out.

It did not take long for them to reach the Pine Marten camp. Torak soon learned that the Pine Martens moved camp once every season. He also learned that they were just as kindly as the Chamois. The moment he, Renn, and Eko stepped foot into their territory, they were met with friendly greetings and lots of curious looks. Eko immediately took them to their Clan Leader, who turned out to be a sturdy man of perhaps forty summers. He wore his hair in a single braid like the rest of the male clan members. When Torak and Renn entered his hut, he rose and bowed to them.

Torak and Renn both bowed hesitantly back, as neither was used to being treated so formally.

"Welcome to my clan," said the man with a solemn smile. "My name is Harta. Please, sit down. It's not every day we receive strangers. Eko, if you could kindly take your leave...? I believe your mother needs your help with caring for Adi. His fever has gotten worse."

At the mention of 'Adi,' Eko's cheeks flamed pink, but with the next sentence her face lost all color whatsoever. She said nothing as she fled from the hut, and her absence caused a curiously cold feeling to descend upon the remaining three.

"Forgive me if I seem forward," continued Harta, "but there are some things I must know before I allow you to stay with my people. What are your names?"

"My name is Torak. This is Renn," said Torak. Harta nodded and appraised them.

"Eko mentioned that you come from the other side of the mountain. Is this true?"

"Yes, we come from the forest on the western side of the mountain."

"When did you arrive on our side?"

"Two nights ago. We reached the forest yesterday evening," replied Renn.

Harta relaxed considerably. "Very good. Are you traveling with anyone else?"

"Yes––a family of three wolves," said Torak.

"And two ravens," added Renn. "But they have habit of disappearing."

The Clan Leader's bushy brows rose. "Those two species of animals are not... commonly domesticated. How did you manage to...?" He trailed off.

Torak's eyes flashed with anger. "They are not our pets. They are members of our pack. Of our family."

At first, Harta looked surprised, but soon his face fell with regret. "Ah, I apologize. I did not mean to offend you. I don't mean to pry further, but like I said, I must make sure my people are safe. The wolves won't attack anyone, will they?"

"No, they won't, unless they are provoked," said Renn. "They don't usually stay close if we're among large groups of people. You don't need to worry about them. Is there anything else you want to know? I have some questions to ask you as well."

As always, Torak felt a small bit of amazement at Renn's resolve. Even in the face of a stranger, of a Clan Leader, who was easily three times her size, she still had the courage to take command of the situation, and she never seemed to lose sight of her goal. Torak couldn't help but smile.

Neither could Harta, apparently. He grinned broadly and let out a hearty laugh, slapping his knee. "I respect a woman with such tenacity! Alright, then, I've got one last question for you, and then you can take over the conversation. What business do you have in this forest?"

"We were curious to see what things were like on this side of the mountain," stated Renn in a matter-of-fact fashion. "We're travelers now. We don't really have a destination in mind."

To reinforce her statement, Torak nodded in agreement.

"Fair enough," said Harta, still grinning. "It's your turn now. What do you want to know?"

Torak opened his mouth to ask about the man, but Renn jabbed him in the ribs, and he promptly sealed his lips. "Why are you so cautious about us?" asked Renn.

Harta hesitated––a suspiciously uncharacteristic gesture––and then sighed. "I should have known you'd ask about that. But I suppose that it would be best for you to be aware of the situation that has befallen our forest. Of course, no one is exactly sure what's going on..." Closing his eyes, he raised his hand to stroke his braided beard. "What we do know is that Clan Mages have been disappearing, seemingly without a trace. Our own Clan Mage went missing a few nights ago. No one knows what to do."

"Only the mages?" asked Torak. Surely this couldn't be the Soul Eater problem all over again...

"Yes. Of course, everyone suffers from the lack of mages. Sickness and injuries are difficult to cure now."

Torak's first instinct was to tell Harta that Renn would surely be able to help, but his second thought shot the notion into oblivion, and an icy feeling crept into his soul. Slowly, he turned to face Renn, whose expression was one of deep thought. So focused was she on trying to solve this mystery that she had forgotten the most critical factor of all.

She was a mage.

Which meant that she was in danger.