EP: hey guys I'm back open for business here is chapter 8 of Another Player. But first I'd like to ask, I got a review from Stapet telling me he liked the unusual battle scene with Derek, the lethrblaka, and the fethrblaka. Tell me what you thought about that scene in a review if you'd please. If you do I might write more strange battle scenes. And I am pleased to say that this my dear readers is when this story should start to get really interesting. also remember that mental speech is in italics

Previously: "Hide it if you must, I will find out eventually. Eragon stay the same, people think I am more powerful than you but I'm not I am far weaker than you, not in physical energy but of will. I do things that you would never do because you have limits, while I may have limits I force my not to know them. your limits are what make you strong, they protect you from being corrupted, Eragon, don't try to be more like me is what I'm trying to say if you do then I fear all hope is lost for all of us, not just you and me, but the entirety of the Varden and the empire as well, you have a responsibility to uphold to the entire world as the last free dragon rider not to be corrupted."
"I think you'll be needing this back then" he says attempting to hand me the book
"no that book also holds the secrets of the Ra'zac in it, I heard what you are planning to do with your cousin, a brave thing to do indeed but family is family a suppose. just bring it back to my tent before you leave for the black spires, I don't want to know what would happen if Galberatorix got his hands on this book again…"

A new beginning

We had all settled in with the Varden, Eris and Derek were constantly in their tents or traveling around the varden's camp in search of plants and herbs that could be used in potion, they often times went alone and other times they went with the herbalist Angela who had a large cat with her, after many conversations with this strange woman she finally revealed to me that he was a were-cat, a race thought to be all but extinct since galberatorix had risen to power over 100 years ago. Just before a week had past Eragon had come back to my tent in order to return the book he had borrowed from me in order to get some edge on the ra'zac, even though Eragon now had the abilities of an elf he felt that the edge would come in handy at some point or another as the ra'zac were powerful foes. A day after he returned the book he had left
The days after that life returned to normal, or as normal as life could be among the Varden, I caught myself at the urgals camp a lot of the time, other times in nasuada's tent, even at the tent that served at du vrangr gata's HQ. most of all though I was In my room by myself, I was never a very social person to begin with, but the large crowd and tight spaces of the Varden's camp along with everybody still gawking over my battle with Arya every time I walked by.
A few days had past and Saphira was seen flying towards the Varden.
A huge group had gathered around the only suitable spot for her to land without trampling dozens of tents, the center of the Varden, just at the bottom of the hill Nasuada's tent sat upon. Though the group had gathered which consisted of all the major leaders in the camps and the urgals alongside the dwarves it took Saphira another ten minutes to reach the Varden. I extend my mind out to the great blue dragon now circling above us only to find out there are only three minds, Saphira's, Roran Eragon's cousin, and a female who is supposedly Roran's bride to be. But Eragon is nowhere to be seen.
A few minutes later Saphira had landed and I walked into a conversation between A dwarf I did not know, Arya, Nar Garzhvog, and Nasuada.
"Grimstnzboritg Hrothgar adopted Eragon into his family and clan, that is mine own clan, as you know, and we owe him the loyalty of law and our blood" said the dwarf. The. Arya knelt and started to unlace and retire certain sections of her boots.
"Saphira, where exactly did you last touch Eragon's mind?"
A brief silence ensued
"And have you any idea what path he was intending to follow?"
Another brief silence
Arya then sprung to her feet but before she could say anything I made myself noticed.
"Arya I am coming with you, not to mention a woman traveling by her lonesome looks suspicious"
"No Aaron you cannot run as fast as me and I will have to search everywhere possible in the shortest possible time if I wish to find Eragon"
"You once again underestimate my power" I say closing eyes, I did not use the ancient language for what I was doing was not magic but something else entirely. I opened my eyes and they were now golden, then my body started to transform, fur started to grow on my body and I sank to my hands which were rapidly transforming to paws, the cloths I was wearing which consisted of a pair of leather pants and a thin woolen shirt ripped and fell off my body as they were bent in ways they were not meant to. When the transformation was complete I was standing before the group completely transformed into a new body, the body of a wolf. I mentally contacted the entire group, "I will run with you Arya, but I need excessive amounts of water if I am going to run, I can carry it on my back if somebody could find me a small sack"
I stared at the animal In front of me in amazement his white and grey fur rippled in the slight wind that blew through the camp, his golden eyes gleamed in the setting sun, his breathing was surprisingly normal even though he had just worked powerful magic, even without the ancient language and the transformation had only taken a few seconds.
soon a soldier came back with a small sack filled with water-skins it had a single strap that would wrap around my stomach most comfortably.
"Go ahead" I mentally tell Arya as this body cannot actually form words from its mouth.
She kneels down once again to knee hight and takes the sack from the soldier positioning it on top of my back as she would a horse's saddle, then she reached underneath my stomach and tied the straps together, securing the pouch which was full of water-skins.
"Let's go" she says, and she bolts, running faster than any human possibly could, I follow, running along side her just as fast as the small elf.
We keep mental contact at all times knowing we could have to stop or slow down at a moments notice if we saw anybody at all on the road, though we had the advantage, we both had enhanced sight, Arya being an elf and my wolf sight. All in all being a wolf wasn't too bad but there were certain disadvantages to Being a dog, namely the fur, it was constantly hot out even though clouds were covering the sun. Though I did have to admit the fur was nice during the winter months, I had found myself transforming into this form a great many nights when I had done something wrong and was punished to sleep outside, I had to admit honestly though the claws were worse, have you ever tried to cut your nails without opposable thumbs? We kept our minds linked but for the most part Arya and I ran together in silence, only stopped every couple of hours for us to take a swig of water then continue onward. Eventually we were both exhausted and had to stop for food, however by that time night was falling upon the endless land we were traversing. We had pulled off into a small clearing a good mile from the road as to avoid being spotted.
"So are you going to tell me?" She voices out loud
" Let me How I can become a wolf?tell you I did not use magic, well I sort of didn't use magic."

"how can you, sort of, not use magic?"

"Don't light a fire!" I say urgently as I feel what she is thinking"
"Ok..."
I walk over to her lay spread my body alongside hers, half laying on her half not, my outer coat of fur automatically warms her body.
"You realize this is slightly awkward knowing you are actually human right?"
"You were cold and lighting a fire would give away our position"
"Thank you" she says laying an arm on the ground next to me.
"You may lightly scratch my head or back like you want to."
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that" she says with a smirk scratching my neck just below the base of my head.
My tail wags slightly back and forth as she does.
"You probably won't"
"So are you going to tell me now?"
"Alright. I was traveling one day up north, in the northern part of this spine. You see I had once eaten like elves before this accident, it was three years ago that this happened.
*flashback*
"It was a cold winter day, the snow had fallen, the trees had withered, and the animals had gone away to their underground holes in order to wait out the winter. I had been running from the empire's soldiers before I went deeper into the spine. I had heard the same stories everybody did, galberatorix had once lost half of his army in the spine, and I had found this true! Many times on my adventures into that place did I find broken shields half covered in leaves or snow and rusted swords dropped carelessly to the ground as their owner had fled from some unknown terror all with galberatorix's insignia engraved on them. However unlike most people I did not believe the spine was cursed, for in fact many of my greatest success' came out of the spine"
"Success' meaning what?" Arya said cutting me off
"New plants and animal species, I catalog them." she simply turns her head to give me a strange look.
"What a guy can't have a hobby?"
Another strange look.
"Just continue with the story Aaron..."
"I was walking along not worrying about the noise I was making as I didn't hunt animals instead i ate the berries i knew were edible, and there was nobody around for everybody was too scared to travel this far into the spine. However I did see something unusual that day. Night was starting to fall and I brushed through some trees into a clearing, that is when I saw him."
"Saw who?" She asks cutting me off again.
"Do you want to finish this story or not? You know for an elf you sure are impatient"
She scowls but is quiet
"There was a white furred wolf laying In the center of the clearing, it's back was turned to me, it's breathing was heavy and that's when I knew it was dying. This wolf was an outcast of the pack it had been thrown out and left for dead. The wolf had not eaten in days by my reckoning and I was about to absorb its energy and let it die in peace, but then... Something happened, Something not normal. It was some sort of magical superpower, something more than even a hundred elves could match, perhaps it was spirits, but it was something amazing nonetheless. the wolf and I were surrounded in a complete circle of multi-colored magical energy, as you know the color of magic depends on the caster as with Eragon It is blue, as with you it is green and as for me it is now white, my magic used to be red but now it is white. After I was released from the powerful magic I looked up to find the wolf gone! It was only then that I realized that I no longer had hands and I felt a sudden craving for meat, and I now had the instincts and abilities of a wolf. I got up off the ground and smelt something, it smelt like fresh meat so I followed it, soon it found a small rabbit den."
I stopped there for I knew Arya would not like to hear of the killing of innocent animals.
"In any case after I had my fill of a meal I ran as fast as I could south, not stopping for anything except to drink and eat. Many a time after I had exited the spine I had to dodge arrows and spears of men. It was only once I had reached my uncle's home that I felt safe. He however came out with a bow himself and I reached my mind out as quickly as possible and mentally shouted. Uncle it's me!"
"Aaron how did you get into that wolf body?"
"It was only weeks later that we found out what had happened, my soul and body had been bound to the wolf's making us one and the same, I now knew everything he did and he now knew everything I did. I could neither rid myself of his soul or his body even though we studied for weeks and in all the vast collection we had, we could still not find anything on how to rid me of it. After that my uncle taught me how to harness it, allowing me to transform between either body at will, and even how to fight as a wolf too."
*end flashback*
"Though I never forgot the taste of meat and even though I am disgusted by eating it, I have to. Meat contains the nutrients wolves bodies need in order to stay strong and fit, you see wolves are not like humans or elves there is a certain nutrient in meat that strengthens bones and muscles but it only reacts to a chemical in certain animals bodies, in other words they need to eat meat, they cannot chose to, and if they do try to resist it they will die of starvation for they will become too weak to do anything."
"So there is no magic involved in transforming between bodies you simply toggle which body you wish to use?"
"Exactly and as for souls our soul is one i do not have a split soul is what I am trying to say."
"That is truly amazing" so you can transform at any time, even right now?"
"Yes but I don't think you want me to do that"
"Why not"
"for one my fur is acting like a blanket for you right now and is keeping you warm, secondly if I were to transform into a human you'd have a naked man laying on top of you."
"ok you can stay in your wolf form, I like you better like this anyways, your fur is warm and very soft."
"Thank you" I say with an attempted smile but only succeed in baring my teeth.
"You can sleep Aaron I'll take the first watch"
"I usually don't sleep Arya, and what sleep I do get is horrid."
"What do you mean?"
I stay silent. Then after another questioning look from her I get up and walk away. I am still in the clearing but just barely, just enough to where the tree's create a shadow over me so only my outline is showing. The moon is full tonight as I see through a gap in the branches, I raise my head and look up at the moon and howled, it was a long howl though nonetheless it amazed Arya who was now sitting up with her back against a tree, for as the howl progressed I spun it into a poem, 'twas a sad poem I had written, it was the first poem I had ever written. I was ten when I had written it. i had trouble defending my mind and the poems my uncle taught me to help did nothing for I could not memorize them. And while the poem I had written wasn't very great for it had none of the characteristics of a decent poem it had helped me with a great many things, defending my mind being one of them, coping being another.

the darkness comes
the darkness falls

with love my heart
has lost all hope

there is no hero to this story
no happy ending

only when death rules supreme
will the fools know

silence, in dreams…

I snapped my maw muzzle shut and the noise stopped, a few seconds after I stopped an entire quire of wolves joined in, howling the same tune I had just finished. Each wolf that joined in came from a different direction, one east, one west, one north, and one south but we could tell they were traveling in pairs for there were eight distinct howls. They repeated the tune over and over again, each beast had a new sound coming from its muzzle until it sounded as though there was a full quire singing and weaving music along to my poem, it was truly something to behold and Arya just sat there, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, Her eyes had a look of pure wonder in them.
"Get some sleep Arya."
"Oh, ok. She says simply, stumbling over the words as she does so. She then lays back down as I softly pad over to her and sit down...
Hours later you would find what looks like a woman and a wolf laying down, the wolf had its head on her chest and looked as though it was asleep, however if you even entered the clearing said wolf would bolt upright and growl at you, if you did not leave by then you would most likely not live to tell the tale.
The next morning they both woke up, it was still early morning and the sun was just starting to peek its way through the trees.
After refilling our water-skins we started our run again, this time the road was much more populated and we had to cut off of it many times, we had a run in with a traders caravan once where Arya managed to steal the forest green dress she was now wearing. As the roads became more and more crowded we decided it would be far better to walk than to run as there was a much higher chance of getting caught, even if it annoyed me greatly not being able to run it was necessary. Directly after Arya stole the dress she had changed her facial features to look more human, her eyes were now more rounded and as we're her ears. We always kept our mind linked in case trouble started to brew.
Eventually we fell in with a group of traders who were heading north to Eastcroft
"Arya if anybody asks why you are traveling alone or about me tell them you are not alone and that I am your loyal companion who listens to your every word." Unexpectedly nobody asked about either of those things and the day went in without incident. Soon we were only a good mile or so outside Eastcroft.
"Arya he is here"
"You are right, the birds sing of his coming and the plants bloom in anticipation, even the worms dance in their halls of dirt."
We attempt to get off the road but they start asking questions when we do and are therefore forced to stay with the trader's caravans. Soon it is nearly dark and the sun is going down as we enter the town.
I slowly pad alongside Arya though the rapidly emptying streets, people hurrying back from their errands to their respective houses before the curfew comes into effect. We are both completely calm as a younger looking guard approaches us.
"I haven't seen you around here before" he directs towards Arya
"I am meeting my brother here so we may travel to Dras Leona together"
"Hmm is that your beast?"
"Aye he is my protector, I wouldn't dare travel alone now would I?"
The man chucked at this but then said "just make sure he doesn't cause any trouble. Before I forget how long is your stay?"
"Just tonight"
"Then you're looking for cheap lodging, I suggest the wayfarers' house down by the main well."
"Thank you" and with the we were both on our way.
When we got walked in the door there were a good four or five dozen people that filled the room.
We walked up to the bar to ask if we could rent a room.
"Do you have a room available?" Arya asked a large woman who was serving drinks.
"Is this your dog?"
"Yes he is my protector I don't go anywhere without him"
"We'll you're just in luck we have one room left. Just make sure he doesn't cause any trouble."
Arya paid for the room, the woman handed her a key then left as we went to go sit down, as soon as Arya sat down I laid next to her stool as somebody familiar walks in... My mind however is then caught off guard by some men who are pestering Arya. She manages to stay calm though obviously they are annoying her in their drunken stupor, no doubt attempting to find someone to share a bed with for the night... I let out a low growl as one of them, no doubt the leader of their small group steps forward and he immediately takes the same small step backwards again. Just then Arya's face tightens and her features look shocked but her composure is quickly regained as the lead man speaks again, I ignore the whole conversation but one of the disadvantages of being a wolf in a crowded place is that everything is ten times louder and the room is full of people and drunkards attempting to be heard over the rest of the crowd, I do this until somebody I do know comes to the table.
"It seems to me, gentlemen, that the lady would rather be left alone. Now you wouldn't ignore the wishes of an honest woman would you?"
The man scoffed at this, " an honest woman? No honest woman travels alone"
At this a growled, making myself known to the crowd.
"Eragon ignored me however an said
"Then allow me to set your concerns to rest for I am her brother and we are traveling to go live with our uncle in Dras-Leona."
I growled again and the men backed off a little more
"Also it seems as though her pet is a little irritated with your company as well, I have encountered a wolf before gentlemen and if this one has any wild side on him you definitely don't want to be around when he loses his temper." At this the men went back to the bar to pester some other poor woman.
Eragon then slipped behind the table and sat next to Arya. I could not hear what they whispered in each others ears but I could feel Eragon's emotions, as well as Arya's but Eragon's were very confused, he felt love, hatred, disappointment, a very small amount of hope, but mostly there was a deep friendship the was
Not only found in Eragon's mind but Arya's also, an extensive trust between partners, a bond that was cut from the earth to be forged in the fires of love, shaped in the tides of war, sustained through arduous training and rejection, a bond that was only cooled when in the heat of battle, but even then the trust was still there, everlasting, and unbreakable.
By now their conversation was over and they headed upstairs as Arya gave me a look that told me to follow. I caught up just as they entered the room, as soon as I was in Arya closed and securely locked the door. I later by the bed as Arya undid the brooch that held her cloak on an Eragon removed the headband he had covering his ears. It was Eragon who broke the silence.
"So who is your friend?" He asked "an elf friend who showed up at the Varden? Or just a bewitched wolf?"
As he said this I contacted his mind as well as Arya's though not knowing who it was he recoiled from the contact throwing up mental barriers in order to protect his mind from the potential invader. Until Arya put a hand on his leg saying "it ok" and he allowed me in, all I said however was
"Hello Eragon"
"Aaron?"
"Yes" I say licking my body clean from the days activities
"How are you, A wolf?" he finished
"It's not magic if that's what you're wondering but I shall explain tomorrow once we are on the road again"
"Saphira said you stayed behind to kill the last ra'zac and to explore the rest of helgrind. Is this the truth?" Arya asked and I knew this would be a conversation I would want to hear.
"It's part of the truth"
"So what is the full truth?"
"Eragon made me and Arya both promise that whatever we heard we could not repeat to anybody unless he gave us permission. After we gave the oaths he re-accounted his tales of Helgrind, finding a man named Sloan, and his journey to Eastcroft.
"So the ra'zac and Lethrblaka are dead for good now" I add after he had finished
"Yes"
"Good now I can finally stop watching my back."
"You should have killed him" Arya said after a moderate silence.
"Maybe, but I couldn't"
"You were a coward, just because you find a taste distasteful is no reason to shirk from it"
"Was I? Anybody could have killed Sloan, what I did was much harder."
"Physically, but not morally."
"I didn't kill him because I thought it was wrong!" He said slightly raising his voice.
"Every man has a line he won't cross Arya."
"I don't" I add in finishing one paw and switching to another, licking my claws clean first.
"Aaron you're, different." He says pausing in the middle as If he was searching for the right word. After he said this I removed myself from both of their minds ignoring them and focusing mostly on my own devices, namely my cleaning. Soon however the two lay down, Arya on the bed and Eragon near the door, Arya had entered the elves strange way of sleeping that most called their "waking dreams" but Eragon had not, I could feel his emotions shift from surprise, to cunfusion, to anger and understanding, to love, to frustration, all within the span of a few minutes. His cycle repeated throughout the span of hours late into the night.
"Eragon" I say simply, mentally contacting his mind with my own.
"What is wrong? I feel your emotions, you are confused and hurt, something happened between you and Arya"
It wasn't a question but he answered.
"It is none of your business Aaron go to sleep"
"I cannot, I do not sleep at normal intervals like you do Eragon, not to mention if the emotions flowing through your head were any louder i doubt Arya would be able to sleep either, But in any case I will simply have to block you out" I said exiting his mind, shuffling around on the floor again to get comfortable. Soon we are all asleep...
The darkness still enveloped the small town when we had awoken, Arya opened a widow and the two jumped out, I did the same with an incredible display of agility and strength did a front flip out the window landing on the opposite side of the wagon they were behind.
"Show off" Eragon said simply and we ran, we ran between houses and around carts, through empty streets and dark alleyways. Eventually we arrived at the outer wall, there were a span of thick posts scattered along the wall and leading up it, from experience I knew these helped hold the walls together and are also a great escape route.
"You first" says Arya
"Please after you"
She sighs impatiently saying, " a dress I somewhat breezier than a pair of leggings Eragon."
He does not make any other comments but starts the journey swinging from pole to pole, then Arya goes up, and sits next to hit,
"Watchman!" They shout and unison.
But he is already gone
"Where is Aaron"
"Shhh."
The watchman passed without issue and I came out of my hiding place, which was between a couple of boxes and underneath some loose dirt, the guard walked right past me and did not notice at all. I jumped out and up, grabbing onto the first post with my teeth I drag myself up on top of it, then I launch myself to the next landing firmly on each post every time.
Soon we were outside the city walls and running again, this overjoyed me greatly even if we were potentially running from the empire.
About five miles outside the town when we were sure nobody was following us, we stopped, Arya then dug out a few handfuls of dirt from the ground and uttered a spell that I could not hear, water then filled the hole, at this point I nuzzled Arya's leg and said
"I'm going to scout ahead" and without waiting for her to reply I take off through the tree's again, soon I was on the main road, once again running, the win blowing through my fur felt good and the physical exertion of running was more than enough to make me overjoyed, it was good to do something physical other than dodging swords, and using elf like acrobatics in order to get in and out of battle quickly while still managing to deal significant damage.
In any case I was on a job, however I stayed within range of Arya and Eragon's minds which was a good 15 minutes out, soon they were running towards me, so I waited, I had seen no patrols on the road so far and therefore was confident of safety.
Once the two Elves had caught up we began to run again. The day went by quickly as did the night, soon morning was upon us again and we began our run again, every once in awhile we encountered a patrol of enemy soldier but we were always in the company of other travelers, by now it was mid afternoon and I sensed a group of twenty soldiers ahead, I was going to warn Eragon and Arya but judging by their emotions they had already found out, the land was flat, there was no place to hide, if the soldiers stopped to question us we would have to fight we saw the plume of dust from the soldiers a half hour before we could even make out the shapes if bodies and horses and we knew that they could not see us at this distance as we had enhanced sight and they did not, therefore we continued to run for another fifteen minutes before we stopped. Arya then pulled her skirt from her pack and tied it over her leggings while Eragon worked on smothering his palm and my entire body in dirt as I explained.
"Wouldn't it be strange to see a traveling dog this clean?"
So after he padded me down I once again rolled around and that sufficed.
After the better part of an hour our two groups met and we moved off the road silently holding our heads low. The soldiers stop, I don't listen to the conversation that ensues between Eragon and what must be the lead horseman, I do however listen to the emotions flowing around in the soldiers minds, the lead rider is impatient, and annoyed. Throughout the group there are many other emotions flowing but I don't get time to study them all for Eragon throws the stone he had picked up earlier sending it strait through a mans skull and that is when I attack, I leap onto one man, jaws open wide and bite down on his face quite literally tearing it from his skull then I jump back off of him back flipping to avoid the incoming spear being thrown at me, I see them go whizzing under me as my primal instincts kick in making everything seem like it is in slow motion. I jump from soldier to soldier, avoiding their spears, biting crucial body parts, or injuring them so Arya or Eragon could finish them later, one by one all the soldiers are either dead or dying on the ground and Arya goes back to finish the job.
We set out moving as fast as we could after that, I looked backed onlu once... The crows were starting to descend.
After that we had decided to stay off the main roads lest we risk another encounter with the imperial soldiers.
That night we all sat by our measly fire a few miles off the main road I had gone hunting and Eragon had refused the extra rabbit I had offered him, so at Arya's request I had eaten both of the rabbits outside the camp raw, a mix of tastes flew into my mouth every time I ate raw meat, it was revolting to my human body yet still so delicious and addicting when coming from the perspective of a wolf. When I was done I licked the remaining blood from my muzzle and joined the two elves by the fire, in the distance a pack of wolves howled as they taught their young how to hunt, after I had initially transformed my uncle had taught me everything about the nature of wolves to their habits and hunting styles in that they excelled, wolves were probably one of the closest rivals to humans in comparison of hunting skill, no longer did I think them simple minded animals any more, nor any other animal, not after I had shared every thought of one, even one so young. The wolf I had been bound with may have been young but his life was full of memories and emotions, yes emotions comparable to a human. The wolf I had been bound to was mated to one of the alpha's many daughters, this was a problem you see for one day he had failed to catch the buck that the pack had been hunting and it cost him dearly, the alpha gave him a scar on his face that is no longer visible for I used magic to fade it and grow fur on top of it again as I thought it made him look ugly, after the alpha had given him the scar he had challenged the alpha, this was a big mistake. The alpha wolf tossed him about like a rag doll and that was the last straw, he was left for dead by the entire pack, even his mate whom at the time was carrying a litter of pups. Even as I remember this loneliness and longing fill my heart as his mind fills mine with the passionate mating sessions and the excitement of a new litter of pups, the love he felt for his mate was something amazing, he had protected her from everything that came their way, had hunted for her, and had caressed her with his body when she fell ill to some unknown disease. As I walk back over to the fire I notice that underneath Arya's eyes were slightly swollen and red, she had been crying but was also frequently looking over to admire a single blue Lilly planted in the ground eventually we smothered the fire with dirt and laid down to fall asleep, once again I had decided to take the first watch, however, before any of us could get settled Arya sat up, completely alert for something I knew not what.
"We are being watched, whatever you do don't use magic or it could get us killed."
"Who-" Eragon started but he was cut off by a quick "shh" from Arya.
In the distance, a cluster of multicolored lights appeared. the lights were constantly changing in shape and size, making it hard to focus on just one as they moved swiftly through the tall grasses. Then the humming started, it was so loud I resisted the urge to dig a hole and climb into it, even pinned against my head my ears still throbbed with the sound, and with my enhanced hearing it felt as though my entire head was exploding with the sound. Eragon's mouth opened but I didn't hear anything come out all I heard was the humming, never ceasing, never fluctuating in pitch or volume. Then one of them approached Arya I would have dove in front of her but I was rooted in spot by the humming. Arya's face remained calm even when it reached out with a single tendril of multicolored light and touched her hair, then there was a smell of burnt hair in the air as Arya reaches out and touches the orb of glowing light and it changes to a golden color, a look of pure joy radiated on her face and there was nothing in her emotions that otherwise betrayed it. Next the orb came to Eragon, and much the same thing happened. Then it came to me and it reached out a tendril and stroked me, I reach my head back but then it turns red, blood red, the others follow suit turning red also, and it backs away quickly as the humming turns into a screech and they all disappear in unison as though they were all part of one being and the screeching stops. As soon as it does I walk silently out of the camp laying down just outside the clearing. I can hear my two companions talking in the background but I don't listen instead i ponder my own thoughts and the obvious message that the spirit had sent me, I didn't even sleep in the clearing that night and only slept after Arya kneeled beside me and tapped my shoulder at which point I just rested my head in her lap as she sat down and fell asleep
Mid afternoon of the next day the Varden had come into sight, we swiftly gathered our composure and walked towards the group of horsemen who were galloping towards us. Then I saw Saphira, she dove strait to the ground flattening her wings against the sides of her body, just before she hit the ground she opened them again catching the air and pulling up then dropping to the ground a good twenty five yards away. The men had reigned in their horses but left them where they were a good ten yards away in order to refrain from frightening them more.
"Greetings Saphira the queen of the skies" I say being the first to mentally contact her other than Eragon who heard our entire conversation.
"Greetings Aaron, master shapeshifter. do you fare well?" she replied using a title nobody had called me before.
"Aye just a bit tired is all, I need to bathe and clean the dirt from my fur, it has a ghastly itch to it"
"I know the feeling." she says giving a mental chuckle "when sand and dirt are stuck underneath your scales though it's a lot harder to get out"
"I do not doubt that it is, however much I enjoy this pleasant talk though I must be going, I shall see you when we meet next then?"
"Indeed" she replied, and with that I exited her mind.
I walked forward but was stopped when one of the men that had come from the camp said,
"sir Nasuada insists on seeing yourself along with you miss Arya, and you sir shadeslayer" he says looking at each of us in turn.
I kept walking, not looking back, but I did contact Arya one last time.
"If you would could you please have Nasuada send me a new set of cloths?"
She acknowledged me with a quick nod, the movement betrayed the fact that she was not human i acknowledged her with a feeling of gratitude then continued my walk, all I hear Arya say was
"Let him go" as I exit the range of hearing. I think to myself as I walk away,
This is who I am, who I was meant to be, I am meant to walk alone amongst thousands.
The trip back to my tent was quick and silent, I was discreet about it of course hiding in the crevices between tents and such, and eventually I made it back to my own tent and went inside, I lay on the floor and am soon asleep.
When I awake it is to the sound of a sharp tapping upon the wooden post which held the front part of the tent up. I went over and opened the tent to see none other than Arya standing there with a fresh suit of clothes, her facial features were back to normal, she was also carrying another set of cloths that I assumed were for me. Without a word she set them on the bed and politely waited outside. Soon I was human again and fully clothed. I then invited Arya into my dwelling pulling up a wooden stool for me to sit on politely giving her the small yet comfortable cot.
After the formal elvish greetings we start our conversation.
"So" she says simply
"So what?" I ask pretending ignorance.
"Last night. What happened?"
"Arya I don't normally confine within anybody and I normally don't find any use to anyways..."
"Aaron we are like kindred spirits, we think alike, we fight alike, and we feel alike. Let me tell you now sometimes holding things in can be more painful than letting them out."
"Then first tell me why you were crying last night, once I am satisfied with your answer I shall give you my story."
She sighed but began anyways.
"Gil'ead" she started
"I am queen islanzadí's ambassador, it was my duty to protect Saphira's egg and carefully transport it between the Varden and Ellesméra, I traveled along with two of my, it pains me to say friends. We were just exiting the expanses of du weldenvarden at night when we were ambushed by urgals and a shade name durza, my two friends were killed instantly. The shade took me to Gil'ead where he tortured me in nearly every way possible. The reason I was crying last night Aaron was because Eragon had asked me how I had felt during my imprisonment, therefore I told him. Now I do believe it is your turn.
"Alright" i say sighing "the spirit last night formed words, he didn't say much, all he said was you are not what you think you are. Then it acted shocked, turned that blood red color, and you know the rest, what I saw inside its memories was even stranger however. I saw my Parents, and I saw me, almost as if it knew me or something."
"Is that it?"
"Afraid so, I've been trying to figure out what it meant and how it would possibly be able to know me."
I motion towards her leggings, quickly changing the subject
"It's too bad, you looked good in a dress."
"Unfortunately dresses make work harder and they aren't too terribly comfortable."
"Hmm" I say simply
"It is late I should be going"
"Yes, sleep well Arya." And With that she left, leaving me alone in the dark tent I had learned to call my home, at least for the time being...

EP: hey guys hope you liked that chapter! As you should all know we are now into brisnger. I'm looking forward to the challenge of writing in the new book. How did you guys like the bit of Aaron being part wolf? Is Arya being too ooc? I'm attempting to make her less harsh and self reserved than CP wrote her in an attempt to take this story in a romantic direction as I labeled it as such. In any case let me know what you think and I'll try to do some Q&A if you all are up for asking some questions, just remember I can't give away too much of my master scheme :P also note I probably won't make too many chapters this long again.

Word Count: 7087