Days had past and Kysa had finally run out of tears. The Rakdos had driven them from the Ruined City. Every time they stopped, the madmen always seemed to find them. The Ruined City was now crawling with cultists. It had ruined before but it was habitable, the Rakdos were turning it into their own personal playground. The ruins sat bloodstained and on fire. Most of the destitute had not escaped and were their lives were in the hands of the Rakdos. Few escaped like Kysa and Rican who were forced south into Contested Turf, instead of north towards Set-Ulla like the wolf-rider wanted.

Kysa had hardly spoken since they lost the younger boys. Her eyes had lost all trace of their fire. Rican had been bonding with the Selesnyan man, much to Kysa's dismay. She wouldn't say it though; she couldn't be motivated to do anything but sit. She had scarcely slept, when she did visions of Edkar and Tav forced her awake. They had finally established a small camp in an overgrown block. It had been a gateless area until the Gruul reclaimed it for nature. Now it was a forest littered with broken buildings and remnants of streets.

Eldmir, the Selesnyan elf, had chosen to stop here, because various forms of wildlife scampered around for hunting and because it didn't seem to be too full of Gruul and the Rakdos didn't leave to Ruined City. They had nearly run into some clansmen fighting over a meal but they had avoided them and were camped on a wooded rooftop. Eldmir remarked that no Gruul would bother climbing all the way up here.


It was night. Eldmir sat against a tree, loosely clutching his bow in his sleep. Rican had curled up beside him and Kysa couldn't locate Fora the wolf. She must have been off patrolling or hunting. Kysa had begun to nod off. She was terrified to go to sleep, the nightmares were overwhelming. Sleep took her, he couldn't fight it anymore.

Kysa began to dream. In her nightmare she sat in the family room of her childhood home. Her parents and three brothers sat at the opposite end talking amongst themselves. Kysa couldn't make out what they were saying; their words were in a language she couldn't identify. She shouted out to them but her voice was gone. She stood up in slow motion. She wanted to run to them but it was like trying to run through an ooze. It felt like hours passed before she had made one step of progress. She let out more silent screams as her family turned to her. She cracked a smile that quickly disappeared. Her face showed only despair, as she saw they had no eyes. She gazed in horror at the black voids where eyes should have been. In them she could see orange sparks. The sparks grew in number rapidly. Flames poured over the area and Kysa was alone in the inferno. The cackling of Rakdos cultists rang again in her head. She clutched her head and shook violently.


She sprung away when she felt a wet nose poke her neck. She was staring Fora in the eye. The wolf nuzzled her neck, whimpering. She grasped the wolf around the neck and held tight. She was comforted by the warm fur. She collapsed into Fora and began sobbing again. Eldmir grabbed her shoulder. Kysa sniffed and looked up at him, his strong eyes reassured her.

"Sorry I woke you," she mumbled.

"You didn't. Fora did. She told me you needed help. She wants me to teach you how to overcome this."

"She wants? Eldmir she's just a wolf." Her voice barely a whisper, "how can you even help? Can your Conclave bring Edkar and Tav back?"

"Within the Worldsoul no one dies, not truly." The elf sat by her and held her hands.

Kysa's response was just to hang her head in defeat.

"Kysa, you are stronger than this tragedy. You need to be reminded of that. We could all feel your power, your life-force through the Worldsoul. Your spirit was warm and intense. That's why I was sent to get you to come to the Conclave." Kysa barely responded until she felt Fora press her forehead against Kysa's back. The wolf encircled her with her body and laid her head on the wild woman's lap. Kysa scratched Fora's head. She almost smiled.

"Kysa, let me show you. Let the Worldsoul console you. Just close your eyes and I'll let you feel what I feel." She glanced at Fora. The wolf looked her dead in the eye; its big golden eyes shinned in the moonlight.

"Fine." She closed her eyes and gripped the elf's hands tightly. Eldmir did the same. He steadied his breath and a faint green glowing ring encircled the three of them. The ring twisted up their bodies connecting them by a thin green strand of mana. This empathic magic was so strange to Kysa. She felt her heartbeat slow to match his. She felt his hands become rough and warm somehow, she could hear so much clearer but she couldn't feel Fora warming her back anymore. She realized what was happening, she felt what he felt. This realization made her fling her eyelids open.

"Eldmir stop." She crossed her arms. She felt offended somehow.

"It's fine. I remember the first time I felt my senses be replaced with someone else's. It's terrifying but I assure you this will help. Please let me start again."

Kysa exhaled deeply and nodded.

Ready for it this time, she was able to bear the feeling of being in someone else's skin. Once the empathic link formed she could feel what Fora was feeling too. The bond between Eldmir and the wolf was unlike anything she had ever felt. She could smell all the scents that humans couldn't. She was warmed by having fur and her instincts dominated her mind. She felt him concentrating and then she could hear singing. It was faint at first but it grew into a chorus of voices all singing together in perfect harmony. The oddest thing was that each voice was identical. It sounded like an entire choir of one woman copied over and over again. This choir she could feel was led by another voice. Though identical to the rest it was louder and crisper. It was as though all voices came from this other one. Once the voices reached their height, she saw ethereal strands of light wiggle and dance behind her closed eyes. The strands were many shades of green and cream. Kysa was in awe.

"The Worldsoul is the will of Mat'Selesnya. Mat'Selesnya is the embodiment of nature. Through her we can feel all of nature," she heard herself and Eldmir saying together. He lead her deeper and deeper into the choir. It felt like walking in a crowd of people all cheerfully singing the praises of life and nature. They went further amongst the choir until she heard familiar voices. She could hear Eldmir, and somehow Fora. She had no idea how she knew it was the wolf's voice, or even that wolves could sing. There was something else among the chorus of the conclave, something deeper caught her attention. She didn't feel Eldmir notice it. Somehow her own senses had entered the Worldsoul. It was weeping she heard, she finally realized.

Someone is crying. No. Not someone. It's so many people. So many voices. They need help. They're in pain. They're yearning for freedom.

Eldmir's strong voice broke through her thoughts, "Now we just need to find you."

"Me? But I'm not a Selesnyan. I'm not in the Worldsoul."

"You aren't, that's true. But this is the will of nature itself. I am connected to many others alive and dead. They know how to tap into nature itself. To feel every living thing on Ravnica. They know many things, and since I am bonded to them through the Worldsoul, I know them too." It was no longer Eldmir's voice she heard. It was a woman's, her voice was fierce and primal yet somehow gentle and comforting.

"I don't understand."

"Right now, I am speaking to my leaders. I have allowed you to feel as I feel. This is the Conclave you hear. We mean to help you. Our shamans can view all natural beings in the world at once. They felt you appear some time ago, it was as though someone had set fire to the Worldsoul."

Before she could ask another question, warmth spread over her.

"This, Kysa. This is you. This is what we all feel. Rather, this is what we felt. You are a mystery. Your soul runs warm. No one at the Conclave can explain it."

The warmth expanded. It grew hotter and hotter. It reminded Kysa of a time in her youth when she had her first crush on a neighborhood boy. It flustered in her chest. Her whole body was tingling.

"All life is connected. We are all leaves on the same tree. You, me, all the people, the plants and the animals, even those that are no longer with us. I'm showing you this because you need to know that no one is ever truly gone. I'm not saying you have to join us. I just want you to overcome this." It was once again Eldmir speaking. "You are strong."

He was cut off by a strange feeling. "Kysa?" He felt her tug away from him. He felt her burning soul return. "Kysa, what are you – HOW are you?"

Kysa forced her senses away from the elf's and away from the Conclave's. He dove all of her being into the Worldsoul and through it. She felt like she was running through the streets of Set-Ulla again. Her feet stung from the nonexistent pavement. Through sheer stubbornness, she broke through to the other side. In her mind races the lifeforce of everything on Ravnica.

"They're alive!" She shouted, the fire returned to her orange eyes.

"What? Kysa? Who?"

"You told me I was connected at that moment to nature; I figured that meant I was looking into the entirety of life on Ravnica. I broke through; I didn't want you guys guiding me. It isn't worth it to walk a path made for you by another. I had to do it for myself."

"That's crazy Kysa. The only way to establish a link to the Heartbeat of Life is to first connect to the Worldsoul, through the eldritch magic stored there one can commune with nature in perfect harmony."

"I wasn't looking to meditate." She said bluntly, "I was looking for my boys. You said it was all life, so if I could find them it meant they were still alive. And I did! And they are!" Kysa had jumped up, startling Fora.

"But you've never trained, it took me years to join the Worldsoul and you bypass it and take advantage of it." He looked dumbfounded and frankly jealous. "We were only able to do that because Trostani learned to do that and there were other dryads who through the years have uploaded their souls and talents into the Worldsoul. We were borrowing their magic and you just abused it." He sounded like he was scolding her.

She brushed it off, "I don't care about your rituals and your years of training or borrowing from dryads. You introduced me to the Heartbeat of Life and I took over the conversation. I could feel Edkar and Tav. I could feel their hearts beating. But more importantly, I can still feel them." Kysa hadn't been aware of that fact until she heard herself say it. A look of shock appeared on their faces when they realized what that meant. Rakdos don't leave survivors; what the Rakdos don't kill they make into slaves. Rakdos cultists ran the slave trade amongst other guilds. He gave her a reassuring look. "They're still alive and that means we can find them one day. I still feel them, and you, and Rican and Fora and," she brought a fist into the tree nearby, "and this tree, the grass, everything." She closed her eyes and took his hands again. "This time feel what I feel."

He cast his empathic magic once again, but this time in reverse. He felt his body become warm, her excitement his own. And truly there was no denying it. This was the Heartbeat of Life he felt, but it lacked the control of the Worldsoul. It was chaos. A swirling mass of souls and lifeforces. His mind was racing through the Heartbeat. It was like a presence in the room that you could see, but knew exactly who it was. Through his bond with Fora he managed to allow her access to Kysa's soul as well.

The three of them sat like that for hours. Basking in the warmth of life, and the comfort of everyone they knew. It was true, Eldmir felt as though he was sitting with his friends from the Selesnya. He could find his sister asleep in her bed, her husband and their child too. He felt the other soldiers of Set-Ulla. He even felt the trees in his garden.

They opened their eyes and sat in silence for a moment. She grabbed him up in her arms and squeezed tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. Hot tears ran down her face, but she was smiling.


Morning came and Kysa had never had a better sleep in her life.

She stood and lightly jabbed Fora in the haunches, waking the giant wolf. "You make a great pillow by the way." Fora responded with a yawn and a stretch. But Kysa somehow knew the wolf was happy to see her.

"Good morning Kysa," Eldmir had already woken up and gathered some fruit for breakfast.

"Morning." Kysa snagged a fruit and chomped on it, juice exploded from it. "Thish ish good. What ish it?" she asked through a mouthful of greatest fruit she'd ever tasted.

"I'm actually not sure,"

She spat the fruit on his face, "What!? Just given me random probably poison fruit!?" Rican was awoken by her shouting.

"No," he wiped off the chewed fruit, "But I saw some Gruul down there eating it and I took the rest when they left. They seemed fine so I assumed it was safe." She eyed him warily as she took another bite. She threw a fruit to Rican.

"Morning, kiddo."

"Morning Kysa." Rican rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "What was all the commotion last night?" he mumbled. "Were you two kissing?" The boy puckered his lips and made exaggerated smooching sounds. Kysa smacked the back of his head.

"Eat your poison fruit you brat."

Rican picked up the fruit and began happily munching away. It's not like Kysa hadn't thought about it. It just didn't seem appropriate, she was too emotional last night, she decided. It would have been a mess. A ruckus below startled her out of thought.

"What is that?" she blurted out.

Eldmir squinted to the distance, "It looks like-" before he finished Kysa had started bounding down from the rooftops toward the sounds.

Kysa landed atop a tree nearby. Three viashino were heckling a short redheaded man. The man looked weakened but the lizard men hadn't laid a hand or claw on him and he wasn't winded, Kysa couldn't make heads or tails of him. His red hair was long and greasy; its length was exaggerated by his lack of height. His long face was stricken with panic and orange stubble, but his eyes. Kysa could see something in there. He was taking in everything around him. She could almost hear the gears whirring in his head. Along his scrawny arms and exposed legs were thick marking in red and orange and green. Underneath them though were jagged dark purple lines. Kysa couldn't recall seeing those purple skinrunes before, but the others were fairly common.

The biggest of the three viashino lifted his club high and charged. Kysa brought him down first. She leapt on top of its back and in surprise the lizard warrior dropped the club into her waiting hand. She slammed it down onto the viashino's head with a satisfying crack followed by a hiss. He crumpled underneath her.

"One down!" She dodged the other viashino's strikes; this one was a woman she could tell. Their scaly skin mad melee combat difficult, but Kysa had the big guy's club. She brought it into the viashino's claws. With her free hand Kysa uppercut the lizard woman in the jaw. She heard teeth crack and blood dripped out. She must have bitten her tongue. Another hiss and another collapsed Viashino.

"Two-" The third viashino was the scrawniest, but he had a large serrated steel blade for the end of his tail. He drove it at her head. She blocked with her club but he wiggled his tail past it. Blood shot from the cut on her face. The viashino warrior wrapped his tail around the club and flung it to the side. She winced but stayed on target. She brought a fist towards his face. He grabbed it in his claw, lightly piercing the skin on her hand. The same happened to her other fist. He exposed his teeth in either a snarl or a smile; Kysa had trouble reading viashino facial patterns. His shot his tail at her again and again. Kysa bobbed her head side to side. He reared his tail back, ready to get her this time. She rammed her head into his snout. A tooth fell out to the hard ground. It took the wind out of both but he fell to his knees first. Kysa looked back to the big one and the female. They had already ran away hissing and swearing under their pained moans.

"Some friends you got there." She wiped the blood from her forehead.

"Go ahead! Do it!" The viashino had a hand clasped on his face.

She gave him a confused look, "Do what?"

"Give me a warrior'sss death." He hissed.

"No." The warrior's eyes widened and so did the scrawny red haired guy she saved.

"Do it," he shouted.

Kysa let out a sigh and extended a hand to help the warrior up. "No. I'm not here to kill anyone. Just the opposite actually. I just wanted to save this guy." She announced, jabbing a thumb towards the sickly man behind her. "You guys both look Gruul. There's no reason to fight, you've both been through enough if you're in the Contested Zone. Besides you shouldn't fight the weakened or the sick. The only ones who deserve to die are those who hurt innocent people."

"He's Tazzz-Al!" The downed viashino hissed.

"So." Kysa made a point to make him notice her hand by slapping him in the snout where she headbutted him. He accepted it and stood.

"My brother and sssissster and me are from the namelesssssss clan. They are taking our territory"

She slapped him again, "That's stupid." She barked. "He's clearly not one of the ones taking your land from you. Look at him."

He was a sight. He was clearly Gruul but he lacked the typical size of a Gruul human. His fur clothes hung loosely on his thin build. The Taz-Al were clearly not used to making clothing in his size. He must have been a city dweller before and found the clans to be an escape, she deduced.

"What's your name guy?" She asked, turning to face the man she saved.

"Orzan. Orzan Tanro. Taz-Al druid in training. I was looking for some herbs this far south and ran into-"

"I know the story from here thanks." Kysa interrupted.

Eldmir atop Fora landed nearby. He had an arrow ready for the viashino. Fora was snarling loudly at Orzan. Rican watched from behind the Selesnyan.

"Wait." Kysa ordered.

Fora went stopped and stood straight but Eldmir held his arrow ready.

"I've got this." She reassured him and he put away his bow and arrow. "Now you, Tanro! Taz-Al have all the turf from here and up north to Set-Ulla right?"

"Correct." He looked skeptical.

"Good. You're going to lead us there. That's your clan's land. It should be easy."

"I suppose I could but why do you want to go there. No offense but you seem right at home here."

She looked at little Rican hiding behind Eldmir, "I need to take the boy back there. So what do you say?"

"I guess it's the least I can do to repay you for rescuing me. It's a couple days travel from here and I've got what I came here for so I can get you there."

"Great, now which way is north?" She looked around, totally lost. Orzan pointed and they began walking.

"Kysa, are you sure about this? You want to go back to Set-Ulla?" Eldmir asked, having dismounted Fora and was walking beside her.

"I figure it's the best I can do for Rican. He deserves someplace nice." She grabbed the elf by the collar of his armor and pulled him close enough to feel her hot breath. "But I swear. If you let him or me get brainwashed I will beat your head in." There was both a tone of seriousness and jest in her voice. "But other than that one condition, yes we will be joining the Conclave with you." She gave him a genuine smile.

Eldmir noticed the scrape on her forehead. "Let me fix that for you," his hands glowed bright green as he placed them on her.

"Oh yeah, head wound. I would have forgotten if you hadn't said anything." She chuckled. "Are you going to follow us the whole way to Set-Ulla?" She looked back. The viashino was walking slowly behind them. "Well come here." Kysa commanded impatiently. The viashino ran up to her and knelt, much to her and Eldmir's surprise.

"Let me join your journey." He begged.

"Uh, yeah, okay." Kysa managed. "You aren't mad I kicked your ass?"

"Yesss, well no. My people ressspect ssstrength and passssssion, and you had enough to beat the three of usss. I want to join your clan."

"Listen Gruul. We aren't a clan." Eldmir glared at the viashino.

"Haha, yeah we're more like a family," Rican piped from atop the wolf.

"What they mean is ... we're not Gruul. So-"

"Ssstill. I want to join you. You beat me in combat. My life is yoursss by honor."

"I suppose that usually means killing you?" The viashino nodded. Kysa thought for a time before saying, "Okay. C'mon. You got a name? Or do I have to make one for ya?"

"Kysa what are you doing?" Eldmir had an intense whisper, "He could be dangerous."

"I beat him and two more pretty easily so probably not. Besides the more the merrier." Kysa grinned at him. The elf frowned back at her.

"My name isss Sssalixxx. But my brother and sssissster call me ssshhhanktail." Salix looked excited Kysa thought. It was still hard to tell with him.

"Well alright then Salix Shanktail. Welcome to our clan." She shook his hand vigorously and lifted him to his feet. "As long as you leave Tanro alone. Got it? You're in my clan now and we don't have a problem with the Taz-Al."

"Fine," Salix hissed softly.

Kysa brought her hands to the back of her head, elbows to the sky. She had the brightest smile on her face and the fire in her eyes was burning hot. Orzan slowed down enough to be beside Eldmir.

"I don't trust him, viashino, let alone nameless clan viashino, don't give in this easy. He'll try to kill me again, I know it."

"Listen Gruul, because you are a living being I must respect you as you're part of nature. But as a barbarian who threatens the peace the conclave is trying to cultivate, I don't trust either of you."


Night had fallen and the party had taken shelter in a cave they had found. Kysa chased Rican and Fora, there were happily making noise playing their game. Eldmir started the fire and sat down between Orzan and Salix. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife, until Orzan broke it.

"So how did a wolfrider end up this far out in Gruul turf? You guys usually stick to the area around Set-Ulla."

"I was looking for Kysa, but when I found her we were chased out of the Ruined City by Rakdos." Eldmir answered suspiciously.

Orzan's was staring deeply at the fire. "Enough Rakdos to drive out a Selesnyan knight and her?" he flung his hand at Kysa. She had Rican in her arms and was spinning around. Fora tackled her and they all laughed. "That many Rakdos don't come down here like that."

"I agree. I had my suspicions but I didn't want to talk about it with Kysa. She gets emotional and she hates Selesnya already. It seems like to me they were hired to ransack that place. That and the fact that they took prisoners instead of murdering them. My guess is Orzhov." The two men somberly stared at the dancing flames.

"Makes sense to me. They're always hiring someone else to do their dirty work. I honestly didn't think the Syndicate had that much influence around this area."

"That's what I don't understand. I don't know who's behind it, but I intend to find out the minute I get back to Set-Ulla." He turned his head right and looked Orzan. "You don't look like a Gruul to me. No offense but you look like you belong in the market square not this savage place."

"I wasn't born Gruul no. I lived a nice Gateless life with my father. Well, nice isn't the best word," he gave a fake smile, "Awful. Awful is definitely a better word. I ended up in the Simic. The old one." He clarified. "Then the guilds fell and I hit rock bottom. The zonots opened up but I didn't like what I saw. I'm very leery of the new combine. There's something wrong with them." He shuddered at the memories. "Then I left them, and found out that rock bottom wasn't the worst a life can get." He looked at the playing people outside. "I found an old friend in the clan. She picked me out of the gutters, gave me a reason to live. She vouched for me with her higher ups and they let me in. I've been training as a druid ever since. I just feel better inside since I started practicing druidic magic."

Eldmir grinned but his eyes were sad, "That's because nature has that effect on people. It purifies the soul. It was hard for me after the Guildpact broke. Selesnyans were lynched by the hundreds. They came for my sister, Fora, and I, but we were saved by an old Simic who was there studying the collective mind of Mat'Selesnya. My sister married him and left. They both work in Zonot X now. They're apparently very good at their jobs."

"Bah! Lousy Sssimic, always thinking, never acting." Salix added. He sat a distance from them with his knees in his chest and his tail wrapped around him. "Sssimic did this," he untied the spike from his tail. He waggled the stump to the other men. "They wanted viassshhhino parts for sssomething. I wanted to keep mine. They didn't want me to do that. I tried to essscape but they took a good bit of my tail." He retied the shank to his stump. His red eyes glowed with the fires reflection. "I've done nothing sssinccce then but get ssstronger. Gruul will retake Ravnica. We will crush our oppressssssorsss."

"That's the sentiment I hear a lot around the Taz-Al." Orzan tried to be polite to his traveling companion. "They don't like the idea of civilization at all. Berra, that's the Taz-Al leader's name; she calls herself the Scion of the Old Gods. I have no clue what that means but that woman scares me more than anything I've seen in my life. That being said, she has a big heart from broken and discarded things like me."

"Kysa is the same way. She adopted Rican and two other boys, despite living alone with no job. She stole food from the Set-Ulla market twice a week. She evaded capture every time. She had actually broken three of my ribs in the past." Eldmir chuckled and grabbed his side. "Finally I decided to find her myself. I told her it was for the Conclave but I just couldn't let her starve out there. She deserved better. She deserved-"

"You?" Orzan interrupted.

The elf stood indignantly, "I was going to say the Conclave's safety. Her boys deserved to live in a house with a garden and never have to worry about food again. And if we happened to get close after that, well" He trailed off. Salix let out a hissing laugh and got a glare thrown at him from the Selesnyan. "Something to say, savage?"

"That'sss a compliment from you Ssselesssnyan. A Gruul man doesssn't hide his feelingsss. Emotion isss everything, it keepsss you alive and it letsss the people you love know you love them. If you have the hotsss for the clan leader then embraccce her. And do that mouth touching thing you people do." He opened his maw and wiggled his tongue at the elf.

"We aren't a clan! And you know nothing of courtship lizard." Eldmir barked at Salix.

Orzan chuckled. "The nameless has a point. I recommend telling the clan leader before you get to Set-Ulla."

"Why is that barbarian?"

"I may have just met her but this Kysa woman is chaotic."

Kysa walked into the cave, Rican dangled from her neck by his clasped hands. "Have you guys seen Rican? We were playing and I think he got lost." The two were giggling uncontrollably.

"KYSA. I'm right here!" Rican yelled and yelled. Kysa held a hand like a visor.

"Rican? Is that you? No are you a ghost?" Fora nudged Rican onto her back. The wolf barked cheerfully. "Fora! You brought Rican back from the dead." She turned and whispered loudly to Eldmir, "I think Fora's a necromancer." Everyone laughed as Kysa and Fora sat around the fire.

"So Orzan, how close are we?" Kysa asked.

"We should be there before sundown tomorrow."

"Sounds great, though I will miss this tasty Gruul cuisine." She pulled some of the animal they were cooking off and chomped down on it. "Oh and Shilaxh. I thoughtsh of a name for my clan. We're the Valf Clan."

"Valf? What doesss that mean? Sssome sssilly human word?" Silax chuckled.

Kysa swallowed her mouthful of meat. "Wolf Clan. Y'know 'cause, really, she's the alpha of the clan." She scratched Fora's belly. "But Valf does sound way better. I like it! Valf Clan it is!"

Eldmir rolled his eyes, Kysa thought it was an odd gesture for someone his age. Or more accurately the age he looked. "We need to get some sleep now if we want to stick to the schedule."

"Fine!" Kysa shouted in exaggerated disappointment. She hoisted Rican off Fora and walked over to the corner of their cave. "C'mon, little brat. Bedtime."


The sun was setting when they approached the Selesnya Guildgate that led back into Set-Ulla.

"Looks like this is goodbye," He nodded to the pair of Clansmen, "Savages." They grinned.

"Actually," Kysa was unsure how to say this next part she didn't want to disappoint him but she knew what she had to do. "I'm not going. I want to stay here with the Gruul."

"Kysa." Eldmir and Rican said in tandem.

"No," tears were welling in her eyes, "In the Heartbeat of Life I felt something awful. There are so many people trapped and in servitude. I have to save them from this corrupt society." She crouched down to muss the boy's hair, "and you, I want you, to become a strong warrior with the Selesnya. Always keep your individuality. Always remain free." She stood and turned to Eldmir. "I want you to keep an eye on him. Train him well, and when he can hold his own in a fight, I want both of you to join the Valf Clan."

"Kysa you can't be serious."

"I am." She grabbed the sides of his helm and pulled it off. She kissed him on the lips, "Now I need you to keep him safe until he's a proper fighter. Then you find me. I know you know how. It'll be easy," Kysa didn't hold back the tears anymore, "by that time I'll be the clan alpha of the entire unified Savage Grounds and I'll have Edkar and Tav." She was smiling and crying again. Rican started to sob too. "Oh shh," she picked him up, "this isn't goodbye. It's like I'm sending you on an important Valf Clan mission. You get stronger than this old elf here and then I'll let you run the clan." She kissed his cheek. "Okay?" the sobbing boy nodded and she set him on his feet. She kissed Eldmir's mouth again.

"Yes clan master," he choked, "I'll see you soon. If Rican's anything like you we'll be back before you guys can turn around. Fora lets go." He held Rican's hand and turned towards the gate. "Fora?" the wolf walked to Kysa and licked her hand. "I thought as much. Keep her safe, do you hear me?"

Fora let a sad bark, and then panted.

"See you soon!" Kysa shouted as they passed through the gate. "Get strong Rican! Love you!" She lead her two clan members, Fora and Salix, and their companion Orzan away from the gate and towards the Taz-Al turf.