chapter 4

"I don't understand..." Farkas whined, scratching his head in confusion. He was finding it harder than anyone to understand why anyone would want to attack his wife.

"They don't think I'm the Dragonborn, or they don't believe?" Ayah scowled, shifting in discomfort while Lovejoy cleaned the wound on her hip.

After the attack, while the guards cleaned away the bodies, the companions had returned to Candlehearth, shaken and unnerved. Kodlak hadn't said a word and sat, ghostly pale, in his father's lap.

"They came all the way from Solstheim just to attack you?" Vilkas mused. "Have you ever been there?"

"I don't even know where it is AH!" Ayah yelped and winced. The mixture Lovejoy was applying burned and stung.

"Whose Miraak?" Aela was reading the note for a fourth time, trying to pick out anything that could be useful.

"I don't know." Ayah growled, glaring at Lovejoy. The young girl hummed softly as she finished up cleaning the wound and began to thread the needle ready to stitch it closed.

"Maybe he's something to do with the Daedra?" Aela looked up from the blood stained paper. "I wouldn't be surprised."

"Daedra?!" Vilkas looked horrified over at the huntress.

"Solstheim is notorious for daedra related happenings." The huntress shrugged.

"It's notorious for being the playground of Hircine." Teagan shuddered.

"And how would you know that?" Ayah cocked a curious brow at her cousin. Teagan shrugged, his face deadly serious.

"I went there once with a band of Reavers. We were interested in the mines there. We planned to set up camp in an old tomb that was linked to one of the mines and steal the ore as it was being mined."

"You're such a lovely person Teagan. I don't know why you didn't become a companion sooner." Njada spat.

"Hey!" He spat back. "I'm not proud of what I did. But it was who I was. Still am a little." He huffed. "Anyway, we planned on taking the ore. But once we'd landed on the island..." He shuddered a second time and glared down at the mead tankard in front of him. "We were attacked. We were so unprepared it was ridiculous and most of the men were slaughtered. I didn't see what did it, not face on. But the creatures were...were crazed! Crazed beasts with the organization of men!...It was insane."

The members of the original circle looked between each other. It sounded like an attack by werewolves. Feral ones maybe.

Teagan noticed the look Aela and this cousin were sharing and shook his head. "Its not what you think. They weren't wolves."

On his father's lap, Kodlak's ears twitched and his interest was suddenly peaked. Intently, he began listening to Teagan, listening for details.

"They were bigger than wolves. Bears maybe. I didn't believe they existed."

"This is nonsense." Njada huffed.

"Is it?" Hingor interjected. "When I wrote to Ayah all those years ago, there were four of us heading to join the companions. Only three of us got to Jorrvaskr though. The fourth was eaten by a werevulture I tell you!"

Njada snorted and rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe her ears. "NONSENSE." She spat again as she stood. "If this is what we're going to do all damn day, I'm going to my room."

Without another glance to her shield siblings, Njada left and table and headed for her shared room.

"Maybe you should join her Ria." Ayah murmured lowly. "You too Lovejoy."

Both women looked between themselves and Ayah before standing silently and following after their older shield sister, once Lovejoy had finished stitching of course.

Mog, who'd been stood against the wall, quietly listening to the conversation, cast Ayah a glance before nodding. She knew when it was time for her to leave and grabbed hold of Hingor as she headed for the steps. The elf wriggled and struggled, cursing and yelling to be let go, all the way down the steps.

Kodlak remained silent and still. He didn't want his mother to notice he was still sitting there on his father's lap and send him away too. He wanted to know what uncle Teagan was talking about.

"I knew there were werewolves on Solstheim." Aela whispered once the non-beast blood members had left. "But werebears too? Perhaps other things?"

Kodlak's little heart fluttered with excitement. This place. Solstheim. It sounded amazing. There were others like him and his family there!

"There are really werewolves on Solstheim?" Farkas asked dumbly. The huntress nodded.

"Aye. The place used to be crawling with those with beast blood. I'm not sure how many are left now though. Teagan? When did this attack happen?"

Teagan thought for a moment, absently scratching his throat. "I dunno...'bout six, maybe seven years ago? It wasn't long before you all found me."

"Seven years?" Ayah sighed heavily. "A whole population could be wiped out in a year and a half."

Her cousin grunted and threw his arms in the air in defence. "I dunno then Ayah! That was just what happened to me and when. I dunno about anything else. I'm not an expert!"

Vilkas had been silent for a long time, his mind whirling as he thought. His finger tapped his bottom lip absently and his eyes narrowed on an empty plate on the table.

"The Northern Maiden."

"What?" Aela, Teagan, Ayah and Farkas asked in unison.

"The Northern maiden. The ship they used to get here from Solstheim. We could go to the docks and ask the sailors."

"Ah Villy. I knew we dragged you around with us for a reason!" Teagan laughed.

"Shut up Teagan." Vilkas ground out, sparing the man a dirty look.

-oOo-

"Excuse me?"

The sailors aboard The Northern Maiden paused in their work to look over to the docks.

"I was wondering if you could help me." Vilkas called over to them from the dockside. "I need some information on some men you brought over from Solstheim."

The sailors mumbled and muttered between themselves before one of them finally turned to Vilkas, peering at the companion over the top of a crate he was carrying.

"You'll need to talk to the captain" He said, nodding over to a blonde haired nord man carrying a small axe and currently working on fixing a broken barrel.

Vilkas glanced over his shoulder to Farkas, Ayah, Aela, Teagan and Kodlak before jumping from the dock, onto the boat with ease. Farkas Followed, as well as Aela and Teagan, who beckoned Kodlak to come too. The little boy bit his lip and took a huge leap, landing safely on the boat.

Ayah stood hovering on the dock, obviously reluctant to follow.

"Come on Ay!" Teagan laughed and held his hands out to her.

"I'll wait here..." She murmured and stood back from the edge.

"Suit yourself!" Teagan shrugged and gently nudged Kodlak forward. Her son looked back at Ayah curiously as he was lead away and Ayah forced a smile to reassure him.

Vilkas spoke with the captain, Gjalund Salt-Sage, for several minutes, before finally shaking the man's hand once they were done. He turned, expecting to speak with Ayah, but found the Harbinger hadn't joined them on the vessel. He gave her a puzzled look as he walked back toward the dock and stepped off the boat.

"Not one for the sea I take it." He Joked.

Ayah, to his surprise, gave a sheepish shrug and turned her eyes away from the ship, down toward her hands.

"Maybe a little bit. What did he tell you?"

"He said that those men boarded at a place called Raven rock in Solstheim. They'd paid in advance and spent most of their journey to themselves.

"Great. That's truly useful." The harbinger frowned.

"He did say he'd take us to Raven rock if we needed to investigate though." Vilkas told her. "I suggest we consider it. We don't want any more attacks."

Farkas carried Kodlak off the ship and over to his brother and wife. He chuckled as his son took a strand of his messy black hair and tickled Farkas's nose with it. Gently, he swatted at his son's hand, smirking as the boy dropped the hair and covered his eyes with his small hands playfully.

"Now I can't see." Farkas laughed.

"If you can't see me, you can't hit me." Kodlak grinned.

"But what if I fall into the water?" Farkas teased his son by lifting his foot and dangling it over the edge of the dock, just above the water.

Kodlak let out a squeal of fear and released his father's face to wrap his little arms around Farkas's neck for safety.

"Its alright pup." Farkas chuckled as he comforted his boy, kissing his head and stroking his back. "I wouldn't let you fall in."

"I think we need to take a moment to consider our options before we go rushing into anything Vilkas." Ayah muttered, watching her husband and son.

-oOo-

Teagan's fist hit Ayah's dining table with enough force to topple the tankards sitting on it, causing the contents to spill everywhere.

"Hey!" Vilkas yelped as his tankard fell into his lap, covering the companion in mead.

"I can't believe this!" Teagan yelled across the table at Ayah.

"Stop shouting!" She hissed back, bracing her knuckles against the wood to lean in.

"No!" Teagan shouted louder than before. "I can't believe you're doing this to me! I've been there, I know about the place. I've seen things! You can't just leave me here to...To baby sit!"

"I will not have your crazy antics endangering us or my son!" Ayah raged. "You're a liability Teagan and I will not have it. I'm taking Aela, Vilkas and Farkas and you will stay to look after Kodlak while I'm gone!"

"But I wanna come to the wolf island too..." Kodlak whined softly from the wooden stair he'd perched on when the shouting began.

"No. No! And that is final. Kodlak you will remain here with Teagan." His mother told him forcefully as she turned to face him. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Maybe it would be good for him..." The huntress drawled from her slumped position at the table. She'd been watching in amusement all night as the cousins argued over whether Teagan should come or not. "Kodlak would get some experience in the field." She added, looking over her nails.

"No!" Ayah snapped at the older woman. "Absolutely not! We both know that island is under Hircine's thumb Aela. What kind of stupid idea is it to even consider taking my son, who has such strong wolf blood, into that? It's bad enough we're going. Though I have no doubt you're looking forward to it." She spat in the heat of her anger.

"Hey!" The Huntress finally snarled, sitting up and placing her hands on the table. "You forget who you're talking to Ayah. Don't you dare speak to me like that!"

"Well don't you dare suggest such ridiculous ideas!" Ayah snarled back.

"Alright, that's enough." Vilkas held an arm in front of Aela to keep her from lunging from her seat, Farkas doing the same for Ayah. "I must agree with Ayah. Its best that Kodlak remains on the mainland. Gods only know what havoc could come if Hircine were to take control of the boy."

"I'd kill him myself..." Ayah hissed quietly. "No one takes my baby."

"Now that I'd like to see." Teagan chuckled to himself. "And the strangest thing is, I believe she would."

"Don't think you're off the hook!" Ayah's attention suddenly returned to the former bandit. "I mean it Teagan. You will stay here and you will watch my son with your life, or so help me I'll make your life a misery when I return!" She growled at him, her eyes burning.

The flames that danced in her eyes put an end to any and all argument Teagan had. But it did not dampen his plan.

-oOo-

In the early hours, Kodlak had crawled into his mother and father's bed once again and had curled up between them. Luckily, his mother and father had enjoyed some alone time earlier in the night, when their child had been fast asleep in his own bed.

But this didn't mean Kodlak's sudden intrusion had been welcomed.

Kodlak had gone to his mother's side of the bed, tugging at the furs that covered her to be let in. That had stirred Ayah from her sleep and all the fidgeting the boy made as he climbed into bed with them had woken Farkas.

Now the boy's parents lay wide awake, facing one another, with Kodlak sound asleep between them in the bed.

"He can't keep doing this..." Ayah sighed quietly.

Farkas gave a grunt and gently fluffed his boy's hair as he slept. Kodlak was every bit the image of his father, without the stubble of course. The little boy had even taken his father's war paint style as his own and just like his old man, refused to wash it off most nights. It left his face dirty and grimy looking, something his mother couldn't stand and bath night at Jorrvaskr often became the comedy event of the week for the other companions as they watched Ayah forcibly cleaning her husband and son.

That night however, Kodlak had been compliant when Ayah had bathed him and his mother couldn't help but rub her finger over his dirt free cheek. Kodlak stirred a little but remained deep in slumber as she did so.

"He'll miss us while we're away." His father's tired voice rasped.

"We've been away before now." Ayah frowned, her eyes leaving her son to rest on Farkas. Her husband yawned and made a half hearted shrugging movement before settling again.

"Aye, but we weren't leaving Skyrim before." Farkas replied.

Ayah shook her head. "Is this some subtle way of trying to get me to take him with us?" She asked him frankly.

"Whut?" Farkas grunted dumbly.

"Nothing darling." She finally sighed and resigned herself to watching her son sleep. Farkas did the same, though he was still a little confused.

Silence fell over the three for a long while and Farkas eyes began to droop.

"Do you think I'm overprotective?"

Forcing his eyes open again grudgingly, Farkas looked over to Ayah, her pale blue eyes shining in the darkness of the room. He could see she was frowning, her eyes on their son. Farkas would never point it out but even though Ayah was still in her twenties, she was beginning to look weathered, much like many women in Skyrim who had burdens to bare.

He frowned as his mind began to wonder what he looked like, what with him being a good few years older.

"Farkas?"

His wife's voice cut through his thoughts and the only answer he could think to give, having forgotten her question, was a grunt.

"You weren't listening, were you?"

He looked up to answer her. To tell her he was, but suddenly lost his words when he saw his wife's faintly amused smile.

"Sorry love." He whispered shyly.

"I forgive you."

Ayah reached over Kodlak to touch her husband's prickly cheek. She wasn't surprised when his hand covered hers, holding her soft palm to his warm skin.

"Ayah?"

"Hm?"

Farkas seemed to hesitate with whatever he was going to say next. It wasn't a new thing with him and Ayah had learned to be patient with him, allowing her husband the opportunity to express himself without patronizing him by stuffing words into his mouth like his brother often did.

"I know you feel we shouldn't..." He said slowly, still chewing at his lip as he thought. "But I...Maybe we should have another child?"

Farkas's request hit Ayah like a ton of bricks and without thinking, she wrenched her hand back. She saw Farkas's sudden, sad change in expression and could only imagine what sort of horrifying look she was giving him.

"Oh Farkas." She smiled sadly, knowing she must have hurt his feelings. "I'm sorry love." She reached to stroke his cheek again and was very relieved when he leant into her touch.

She shouldn't have been as shocked as she was. She knew that. In Skyrim, it was normal for Nords to have large families, with many children. Most of it was about passing on bloodlines or keeping certain traits or careers in the family. But Ayah sensed it was more about Farkas's sweet nature than anything else.

He'd been amazing with baby Kodlak. For many nord men, it was the joy of having children, but never really having to raise them. Most of it was women's work. Farkas however, had grasped the task with both hands and had even put Ayah's nose out of joint more than once because he wanted to have a part in every aspect in his new born son's life.

She wouldn't say it out loud, but the big, foreboding nord warrior was definitely built to be a hands on father.

"You know how I feel..." Ayah sighed. Kodlak's...nature...was a heavy weight on her shoulders and she felt cornered at the thought of having another child.

Sure, she could cure herself and Farkas and their next child would be beast blood free, but that left Kodlak alone with the curse and Ayah felt choked up at the idea that she'd condemned her first born son and then abandoned him to face his fate alone.

"I don't know what to tell you..." She whispered, tears burning her eyes.

Farkas gave a slow, understanding nod and stretched his neck to kiss his wife's head gently. "Don't worry dear. I won't push." He said simply and lay back with a smile.

Ayah was astonished with just how easy Farkas got over things. Even after nearly six years of marriage, she was still finding things to be in awe of him for.

"You're...You're not upset?" She asked him dubiously.

Farkas shook his head and gave a lazily grin. "Nope. We have Kodlak and I'm happy. It would be nice to have more whelps, but I can deal."

-oOo-

Kodlak woke to an empty bed. His sensitive hearing could pick up the sound of his family already moving about Downstairs.

With a yawn and a stretch, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. His mother and father's armour was gone, as well as their weapons and Kodlak gingerly climbed out of their bed, his feet softly padding about the wooden floorboards as he shuffled from the room.

Still sleepy, he made his way across the landing, past his mother's collections of weapons and armour and down the wooden stairs, taking one stair at a time. At the bottom, an apple dumping in hand, stood his uncle Vilkas. He turned his head as the little boy neared and gave a warm smile.

"Morning lad." He chimed and forced the last of the apple dumping into his mouth, leaving his hands free to pick his Nephew up.

Vilkas squeezed the boy tight, his cold armour making Kodlak shiver. Planting a soft kiss on the boys head he carried him over to the table where his mother, father, Aela and Teagan were sitting.

"Someone slept in." Vilkas grinned and placed the boy down on his feet beside the table.

"Someone didn't sleep in his own bed again last night." Ayah muttered, reaching groom out her son's bed hair with her fingers.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Aela asked him. Kodlak shook his head and tried to lean away from his mother's hand as he fingers tugged at a knot in his hair. "Then why didn't you sleep in your own bed?"

"It was cold." He grumbled and slipped under the table, emerging on the other side beside Teagan and his father.

"That's no excuse." Aela scolded him lightly. As much as she loved Kodlak, she was sceptical of Ayah and Farkas's parenting skills, believing they were too overprotective of the boy.

Ayah doted on the child, constantly coddling and fawning over him.

Farkas was a little rougher with the boy, play fighting and roughing the lad up. But he wasn't very stern. Nord father's were meant to be the enforcers of the family. Farkas was far from forceful and often left it to the huntress, Ayah or even his brother.

In her option, they treated their son like they'd treated their puppy, Rex, before him.

Farkas grabbed the back of Kodlak's shirt, pulling the boy up and onto his lap. Kodlak laughed as his father growled at him and began tickling him playfully.

The huntress rolled her eyes at the flippancy shown to her.

"So?" Teagan looked expectantly over at Ayah.

"So what?" His cousin frowned over at him as she made a meat sandwich for her son and placed it on a plate along with an apple. "Kodlak?" She called him, holding the plate out to him on his father's lap. The child, red in the face from laughing, gratefully took the plate and began to devour the sandwich.

"So when do we set out for Solstheim?" Teagan asked with a sweet smile.

"WE set out late tonight. YOU however will stay here, remember?" Ayah ground out in her annoyance.

"Me too?" Kodlak mumbled around his sandwich.

"You're staying here too." His mother informed him.

"Awww..." He whined, pouting as his father took a bite out of his sandwich. "But I wanna see the wolves!"

"You know what a werewolf looks like Kodlak..." Ayah told him lowly. She hated talking to the little boy on the subject. But it was something unavoidable. Kodlak was both very curious, and very excited by the mention of others with beast blood. It was only natural when he himself was that way inclined. But his constant and almost desperate need to seek out others like himself was hard on Ayah.

Aela took him under her wing a lot. Even if she encouraged him in ways his mother didn't approve of. Farkas too was perfectly willing to run with his son as a wolf, just not as often as Aela. Vilkas flat out refused and Ayah could understand why.

As for herself. Well. Ayah knew her son would forever be a beast. It wasn't something they could remove like their own curses. She didn't want the child to believe he was something terrible. An abomination. But at the same time she stressed to him the need to be discreet.

When the full moon rose, Ayah happily obliged her son. But at no other point did she relent.

"Are there lots of them on that island?" He asked warily, almost sensing his mother's discomfort, but not willing to drop the subject just yet.

"Apparently so." Aela drawled.

"And werebears!" Teagan snarled playfully, snatching Kodlak from his father's lap and roughing him about while the boy laughed.

"Alright. Enough." Ayah snapped.

The room fell silent and Ayah fidgeted in her seat.

"Sorry momma..." Kodlak murmured after a while, staring down at his sandwich pitifully.

"Oh sweetheart." Ayah sighed, watching her son. "I'm not angry at you. Never think that. I just don't like...talking about things like that."Kodlak nodded and began eating his sandwich again quietly.

Feeling worse than ever, Ayah felt the start of a headache throbbing behind her eyes.

"Sooo...We definitely can't come then?" Teagan probed.

Ayah refused to answer Teagan again. She refused to acknowledged his immature attempts to get his way. Merely shaking her head, Ayah sighed heavily and shot him a warning glare.

-oOo-

"Uncle Teagan! come on!" Kodlak hissed over his shoulder as he and the older man ran through the streets that night.

Ayah and Farkas had kissed Kodlak good night and said goodbye. They weren't planning on leaving until the little boy was in bed. Much to their surprise, Teagan had offered to put him to bed and had carried him up the stairs as Kodlak's parents and companion family prepared to leave.

However. Teagan's unusual show of kindness had had an ulterior motive and no sooner had the boys been up the stairs, they'd scaled out of one of the windows, onto a lower roof and down onto the street.

Teagan had pack two bags and placed them in an alley not far from the house, ready for collecting as the pair ran to the docks.

They'd collected the bags without a hitch and were now running to beat Ayah and the others to the docks.

"Hang...on." Teagan panted pathetically behind him.

Kodlak began to slow, his frustration building at Teagan's lack of stamina. "Come on Teagan!" The little companion ground out. "Momma and papa will beat us there and then we can't go!"

Teagan swallowed thickly and nodded, pushing himself forward. "Run on ahead then. You remember where, right?"

Kodlak nodded and sped off ahead, leaving Teagan to wonder how the boy managed it. Perhaps he was getting old?

-oOo-

The companions took their time on the way to the docks. They met the others at the gates to the city and said their goodbyes. Njada, Ria, Lovejoy, Mog and Hingor were planning to continue their assignments while the Harbinger and higher circle members were away.

"Be careful." Ria murmured to Vilkas as the others talked. The younger twin cracked a slight smile and tilted her chin upward to kiss her gently.

"I wont be away long. I promise." He whispered and touched his nose to hers, watching in amusement as the imperial woman blushed.

Much to everyone's frustration, the intense relationship the pair had started when Ayah had first joined had faded somewhat and it had become strained and, at times, awkward.

Vilkas and Ria would go from being completely devoted to one another, much like Farkas and Ayah, to not being about to be in the same room as each other in a very short space of time. Many of their shield siblings were beginning to believe it was a waste of time and they should give up on the idea of being together. But Ayah was insistent that they keep trying.

Vilkas wondered if it was out of pity on her part.

Currently though, they were on good terms and their time spent in Windhelm had been pleasant with each other's company.

"I love you." Ria whispered, her hand reaching to stroke his jaw.

"And I you." Vilkas rasped back against her ear, enjoying the shiver she gave.

"You ready Vilkas?" Farkas slapped his brother's back without warning and Ria gave a yelp as the younger brother nearly toppled onto her.

Growling and clinging to Ria protectively, Vilkas shot his brother an angry glance. "Aye. Now I am."

Aela stood watching the twins with a blank expression. Fools. They were both getting soft... not that Farkas hadn't been to start with.

Two dark shadows caught her attention out of the corner of her eye and the huntress turned her head to see two figures, one larger, possibly a man and one small, possible a child, slinking through the gates that lead to the docks.

She couldn't help the smirk that crept across her face.

-oOo-

"Shsss!" Teagan slapped his hand over Kodlak's mouth as they crept between barrels and crates on the dock as the other companions were making their way down the steps, heading for the Northern maiden.

"How are we gonna get on?" Kodlak muffled against Teagan's hand.

Scowling, Teagan looked about. He noticed many of the sailors were carrying crates and barrels onto the ship, ready for the day long journey.

"Kodlak." Teagan smirked. "Trust me. Ok?"

The boy nodded and Teagan crawled through a narrow gap between the crates. He waited until it was clear and the next sailor had taken a nearby crate before motioning for his cousin's son to follow him. Kodlak kept low and quiet as he navigated the containers around him. Through the gaps he could see his mother, father and uncle stood on the dock beside the ship, his mother talking to the captain.

"I...get sea sick..." She explained, already a little green in the face.

"You're kidding." Gjalund laughed. "Nord's are born sailors."

"Aye..." Ayah scowled. "Well this one isn't. And I'm not keen on this. I'd rather take a dragon."

Kodlak paused, only for a moment to watch his mother talk. Before he'd even realised who it was, two intense green eyes peered at him through the gap he'd been spying through.

"Aela!" He gasped, nearly falling backward into the other crates.

The huntress's eyes narrowed, but surprisingly, she glanced over to some empty barrels on their sides beside the boat, as if directing him to them. Kodlak nodded quickly and crawled over to Teagan, who'd also seen the the barrels.

"Get in." Teagan grunted, stuffing Kodlak into the barrel with a squeak, along with his pack. "Now stay quiet." He whispered hastily and put the lid onto the barrel before righting it.

Next, he attempted to climb into one, but found his armour too much to fit. Teagan huffed and puffed and forced himself into the barrel with such force, it began to roll, hitting other barrels and knocking them over.

The other companions jumped and turned to see what the commotion was. Ayah's eyes widened in horror at the sight of Teagan sticking half in, half out of a barrel.

"Teagan!" She barked.

"Oh! Oh Hi Ayah!" Came his muffled reply, as he began to struggle to get out of the barrel, instead of in.

Rage suddenly flaring in her chest, the Harbinger stormed over to the barrel and slammed her foot into the wood. The barrel splintered under the force of the impact and Teagan freed himself with only minor injuries. Namely, a splinter of too.

"What are you doing here?!" She snarled down at him.

"I, er..." Teagan dusted himself off somewhat and stood, his eyes glimpsing over at the Barrel he'd stuffed Kodlak into. "I came to say goodbye!"

"From a barrel?" Vilkas cocked a sceptical brow.

"Aye. well... yea. That did look a little suspicious " The former bandit laughed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Where's Kodlak?" Ayah demanded.

"He's back at the house, sleeping..." Teagan told her quickly. He watched her eyes narrow on him and he gulped, praying she'd let it go.

"Go home and see if he's ok. I mean it Teagan, how dare you leave my son alone!" Ayah growled and Teagan almost laughed. She'd brought it!

"Aye!" He grinned. "I will! I'll go now! But Ayah..." Teagan took a casual step back, his hand tapping on Kodlak's barrel. "Remember. Everything you need is in your pack. I double checked before leaving the house. Have fun and stay safe!" He yelled, hoping Kodlak would hear him clearly through the wood.

Ayah stared at her older cousin like he'd lost his mind, but Teagan smiled and kissed her cheek as he passed, heading back into the city.

"I swear that man is on skooma. I swear it!" She told her shield siblings in disbelief at his behaviour.

Behind her, a sailor picked up the barrel containing the Harbinger's son and carried it aboard. Aela watched with a inward sigh of relief as the sailor placed the barrel down gently and another man strapped it in place.

The last thing the huntress wanted was for them to lose the precious cargo inside without even realising just how precious it was.