A wretched wailing noise pierced through Torak's sleeping mind like an arrow through a waterskin, immediately waking him from his slumber.

He sat bolt upright, nearly banging his head on the crossbeam of the small shelter. Torak quickly glanced at Renn who had just woken beside him. Her long hair was messy about her face and her black eyes were wide with alarm.

Simultaneously they got up and raced outside towards the noise.

'My Dakati!' the mother wailed from her position on her knees, clutching desperately at a small wooden fox toy. Dread dropped like a rock in Torak's stomach as he realised what had happened during the night. He angrily berated himself – you fool! You should have stayed awake! You could have caught the demon in the act!

Her mate placed his hands on her shoulders and knelt beside her, drawing her close for a hug. Even from his distance Torak could see the silent tears on the large man's rough cheeks. In a matter of moments, the entire clan seemed to be outside in the dawn air. They looked on with sympathy and anxiety. Several murmured uneasily, touching clan-creature skins and drawing their children close to them.

The raw grief of the mother and father was so awful to experience that Torak turned away, unable to stand it. He glanced at Renn, and saw her delicate face was full of sorrow for the stolen child and his family. He knew he had to do something immediately to help the clan, and make Renn happy. He saw the mage emerge from his shelter, looking crestfallen and grim. He quickly made his way towards him.

'I'm going to track it. It can't have gone far.'

The mage nodded and placed a large hand on his shoulder, 'thank you Torak. If you need anything, do not hesitate to let us know.'

Torak gave him a weak smile and left him. He told Renn what he was doing, and then left her to start his task. He focused his mind, trying to block out the cries of the mourners and began to scan the area for clues as to what happened last night.

ooooo

The Bear mage and the Bear clan leader sat alone together, watching the fire dance wildly in the main shelter which resided in the old bear cave. The mage scattered a handful of small bones onto the flames, chanting and rocking as they cracked and splintered in the heat. The fire burned briefly purple, casting a plume of foul smoke upward that stung their lungs and made their eyes water.

'The bones say the same thing over and over, yet it cannot be true.' The mage whispered, his voice rasping in the smoke.

'What does it say?' the leader asked, watching his companion rocking back and forth. Kanuk's ochre painted eyes pierced his suddenly, and he jerked back in shock at the wild, hungry look on his face.

'They say, he was born on midsummer's night, that he runs with the wolves,' the mage hissed, looming closer through the smoke and grasping the leader's jerkin in a powerful grip. 'That he has powers!'

'What powers?' Leos whispered, fearing the answer. If this young man Torak had power to defeat the Soul Eaters, who knew what he was capable of. Suddenly the dark haired, tawny-skinned youth he'd spoken to yesterday seemed like a different person.

'He is a spirit walker!' The mage's eyes were incandescent with fervour, and his voice shook from the emotion that was passing through him.

The Bear clan leader's jaw turned slack. 'No, that's impossible!'

'It is true! The bones do not lie. This is how he defeated the Soul Eaters once and for all.' He let go of his jerkin, easing back into his previous position. He watched as the flames leapt and danced in the smoke. His voice was calmer the next time he spoke, but there was still an undercurrent of intensity that the leader found unnerving, like the eerie calm before a thunder storm. 'Do you know what this means Leos?'

'That he can help rid us of the demon?'

'Yes.'

'But how? How do we ask him to use his power?'

'We don't,' he frowned deeply, 'at least not yet. You will talk to the fair red-haired girl; find out all there is to know about the spirit walker. Once we have a clear idea about what we're dealing with, we'll make a plan. His power is the answer to our prayers, but he could be more dangerous than we know.'

Leos nodded, consenting to the plan so far. He hoped that somehow they could get Torak to defeat the demon with his power. He stood and made his way to the tent flap that led outside, turning one last time to see the mage's coat-clad back, 'I'll go talk to the girl.'

ooooo

Renn lay her hooks in the shallows, delicately arranging them so they wouldn't be obvious to the fish or get knocked away by the current. She straightened up and made for the bank to make some more hooks, when she was Leos walking down the gentle slope to meet her. He was smiling his warm smile and she immediately returned the gesture.

'How's it going?' he asked as he reached her.

'Fine. I feel a bit useless for not being able to help Torak track though.' She adjusted her hair which she'd tied up to keep out of her face. 'So I thought I'd fish.'

They both sat down and she began twining the hooks out of brambles. He watched her white hands moving delicately and skilfully, avoiding the thorns and weaving the stems as she crafted the fishing line. The silence was comfortable and the sun warm on their backs, and Renn was glad of some company.

'I never asked you before, but are you and Torak...' he gestured vaguely with his hand, hoping she would get the message. Renn looked up as he spoke, and the question made her forget all about the brambles in her hands. Are she and Torak anything? A bitter and dejected feeling arose in her.

'If you're implying we're mates, we're not.' Her voice sounded sharper than she intended.

Leos nodded quickly, looking a little surprised. 'But, do you think you will be one day?'

She began twining again to quell her churning emotions. His question echoed in her head and all her worries from yesterday came back to her like a surging wave. Will they ever be mates? Would he ever ask her? Would he even want to?

She thought back to all the times he had avoided her touch recently, and drawn back from her kisses. It felt like their flame had been snuffed out by some force she didn't understand. It hurt like a knife in the chest to think of him not wanting her romantically, but she needed to face the truth. It was becoming apparent to her that they would not be mates. She decided to be honest with Leos and tell him what had been burdening her. His face was so open and honest that it made her want to tell him everything. She'd only met him a few days ago but she already felt like he was a close friend, despite not knowing much about him.

'I don't think so.'

He nodded again, 'that's a shame. You seem to have a close bond.'

'We do. We've been through a lot together,' she smiled sadly and glanced at him. 'But I don't think we'll ever be more than friends.'

Renn could have sworn she saw a flicker of something in his eyes as she said that, but it was gone as soon as she saw it. 'Ah, he sounds like the type who waits too long.'

She gave him a questioning look.

'When I was younger, my best friend fell in love with a lovely girl called Amburi from the Fox clan. But he postponed telling her how he felt because he was so nervous and unsure of himself, by the time he worked up the courage to ask her to be his mate, she had already joined with a man from the Beaver clan, and he was heartbroken.'

Renn pondered that for a while. Could it be that Torak was just nervous and shy around her like his friend? She pushed the thought away. How could he be nervous with her? They had been friends since they were 12 and knew each other better than anyone else in the whole forest. There was nothing to be nervous about.

She turned her attention back to the sandy haired young man beside her. 'What about you? Who is your mate?'

His face saddened a little bit as he replied, 'I used to have a mate, about 9 summers ago, but she died of a terrible fever. I want another mate now, but I haven't found anyone I feel affectionate towards.'

Renn's heart rang out in sympathy for Leos. She couldn't imagine the pain at losing a mate, especially in his youth. She reached out and touched his strong forearm to comfort him. He placed his hand over hers, his large fingers lightly squeezing hers, and smiled in his lopsided way.

'I'm sure you'll find a woman soon.' She assured him.

'I'd like that.' He replied softly with such tenderness in his eyes that made her stomach flutter. She removed her hand from his, brushing a strand of hair away from her face and trying to hide her growing blush unsuccessfully. What was happening to her? Renn went back to intently threading the bramble hooks, not daring to look up at him again until her cheeks returned to their usual whiteness.

'So, how did Torak manage to defeat the Soul Eaters? You were with him presumably?' Leos asked after a while. His voice sounded back to its usual smoothness, and he sounded just as curious as he did when they met by the river for the first time. Renn decided to indulge him in the story of defeating Eostra with the help of Wolf and Dark. She cut out the part when Torak kissed her. The thought of revealing that would only make him ask more questions about their relationship, questions that she didn't want to think about. As much as she enjoyed Torak's quiet nature, it was nice to be talking to someone chatty and she found herself enjoying having a new friend.

After Renn had finished recounting the tale in as much detail as she could remember, she looked at his utterly astonished expression and gave a sharp-toothed grin. Then she stood and pulled on the strap of twine holding her hair up. Her red ochre waves spilled over her shoulders and down her back gently. She ran her hands through to loosen some of the curls and enjoyed the transfixed expression of Leos as he stared at her red locks. 'I better put these hooks out.'

Leos watched with a strange feeling in him as Renn walked down to the water's edge. Her red waves blew about her like branches of autumnal trees caught in the wind. She crouched to put the new hooks in place, and he found himself admiring the soft curves of her figure, which were accentuated in her bear clan dress.

He admitted silently to himself then that he found her attractive. What man wouldn't? However, he had seen many attractive women in his life, and yet none of them held the shadowy mystery that Renn did. Her eyes were sharp and black like a raven's, and her skin snow white. Her hair was the colour of the sacred deep red ochre they painted with on the cave walls.

He shook himself out of his wandering thoughts. Leos reminded himself of the talk he'd had with Kanuk in the cave shelter. He needed to ask her more questions, find out more about Torak. They desperately needed the spirit walker's help but he understood that they had to wait a little while. He had thought spirit walkers were a myth until Kanuk had read the bones, and a part of him still couldn't believe it was true.

If Leos found out through talking to her that Torak was dangerous and a threat to the Bear clan, he didn't want her travelling with him anymore. It wouldn't be safe. He would keep Renn here with him, away from the spirit walker.