Edited 9/22/2012.
Beta'd by Jueru2003 8/3/2012.

Last chapter Kiran sorted his magic and managed to explore some of his mindscape. He stumbled across a chain whip from one of his Vaults and is slowly learning how to use the weapon. The teen decided what to send as rewards for the Rites, learned more about werewolves, and successfully made several potions after copious brewing failures.

==o0o==

Piercing the Veilf
Warring Minds, Book 1
By Moirae Ma'at

==o0o==

Chapter 9: Going Gathering

Kiran clawed his way out of a nightmare aboutf Sirius falling through the Veil early Monday morning to find Remus standing beside his bed. The werewolf's hand was warm on the edge of his shoulder from where Remus had shaken him awake.

Kiran paled as Bellatrix's insane laughter echoed in his ears, Remus sliding his hand up his cub's shoulder to squeeze his neck in reaction. Kiran flashed the werewolf a weak smile in return before shrugging off the comforting hand and moving to climb out of bed.

Remus ran a careful eye over Kiran before giving the teen a nod and leaving the room to let his cub get ready in peace. The Otis Pack was arriving at dawn and the Alpha still had plenty to do before their arrival; Kiran would be fine.

Kiran had to pause in getting out of bed in order to yawn and crack his back. He was not in favor of waking up before daybreak for any reason and retroactively debated if he should have taken that healing potion again as he shuffled towards the shower. He didn't really have a reason to take the potion last night – he'd spent the weekend alternating between learning more about Runes and handling the strands of magic in his core because the wolves didn't have formal practice on the weekends – but the potion did wake the drinker up healed and full of energy three hours after taking it. He still had a few vials left from the modified sleep potion, although he'd run out of several ingredients for both the healing potion and the bruise balm due to his multiple attempts at brewing the potions.

Thankfully there seemed to be some sort of local Monday Market nearby, so he'd be able to restock ingredients without having to go Brussels. The downside was that the Market opened at sunrise and it took an hour to get there. Evidently weapons practice for the week was cancelled, as several other teens from the Pack were being sent to the Market for supplies and were happy to inform Kiran that the whole group had to get up before dawn because all of the best fruits and vegetables were sold within two hours of opening.

Remus had given them permission to spend the day there as long as they returned before seven and Kiran was looking forward to spending time with the other teens without ending up face-down in the dirt every five seconds. He appreciated all the help they were giving him, but after the first day there really hadn't been much along the lines of actual conversation between him and any of the wolves. Yes, he'd talked with some of the other guys during lunch, but he still hasn't interacted with them as peers. The wolves were friendly, but he missed the close relationship he had with Ron and Hermione and the easy camaraderie he shared with the rest of the Ministry Six.

After a short shower and a quick breakfast, Remus ushered Kiran out of the tent and the teen barely had time to grab his satchel before he was out the door. The Alpha guided him towards the group of teen that were going shopping as he checked Kiran had the shopping list the teen had made over the weekend. The human peered over his shoulder a couple of times, still feeling that someone or something was watching him, but reassured that whatever it was couldn't cause too much trouble with his Guardian around. Taking on a fully-grown werewolf wasn't advisable, but it was possible; fighting an adult werewolf who was defending cubs, on the other hand, was simply a very painful way to commit suicide.

Once Remus was sure that everyone had arrived, he handed the Pack's shopping list to Trystan and waved to Kiran before turning and quickly walking away. Kiran waved goodbye to the Alpha's retreating back before turning back towards the other teens and taking a step back in shock when he found Trystan at his side. The werewolf had been three or four people away when Remus gave him the list earlier and Kiran figured that the group would have already started walking, but it looked like they were waiting for him.

Kiran smiled at the mahogany-haired teen at his side and brushed shoulders with Trystan as he started to walk in the direction the werewolf pointed. Killian and a long-haired teen named Wenlock followed behind as Cadell and Caddock started an impromptu game of tag. The blond twins somehow dragged Idris and Inir – two brothers that had been introduced with Wenlock – into the game, while a quick look back showed Nolan had his head buried in a book as he walked and Reid was talking to Betony and Diantha about something to do with natural predators. In the distance Kiran could see a large group moving through the trees in the direction that Remus has walked, but he looked away when something he spotted from the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Something grey-white was flitting through the trees above them and Kiran shook his head to in the hopes that it would dislodge the idea that light blur was following him. The wolves were all carrying their weapons, including Betony who seemed to be using her staff as a walking stick, and Kiran had one of his serpent knives on his belt – the other was in his satchel – even if he didn't know how to use it yet.

It would be pretty stupid for someone to attack a group of twelve armed travelers, but he wouldn't put it past the Death Eaters or the remains of Fenrir's Tribe. There had been three Challenges for the title of Pack Alpha over the weekend, all of which came from wolves in Fenrir's Tribe – and that was discounting the three ambushes that made Remus keep him inside all weekend. But there was no way for either group to move through the trees forty-feet above the ground, and now he was back to thinking about the grey-white thing that kept following him everywhere.

Kiran finally decided to start a conversation with Trystan to get his mind off his grey-white stalker and cast his mind around for an appropriate subject.

"How do you know them?" Kiran asked as he motioned to where Idris was hanging off Wenlock's arm while the long-haired teen and Inir talked.

"Idris is Wenlock's mate and Inir's mother is my mother's cousin." Trystan gave an oddly soft smile. "We grew up together."

"That sounds nice," Kiran replied, the clear longing in his voice causing Trystan to shoot the human a sharp look.

"You don't have anyone like that?" the mahogany-haired teen questioned curiously.

"We moved a lot," the human improvised quickly. Merlin, he hoped the lady who they said was his Mum had moved a lot while he'd been alive! "Are you apprenticed to anyone?"

Trystan looked down at Kiran and nodded before elaborating. "Enan has been grooming me as his successor since I turned eight."

"So what exactly am I supposed to do with this?" Kiran asked as he reached across his body and pulled the serpent knife out of the make-shift sheath on his hip to show Trystan the blade.

"Nice knife," someone whispered in Kiran's ear. The teen flinched away from the sound even as he turned and pointed the tip of the blade in the direction of the voice.

"Whoa," Cadell said as he raised his hands in the air and backed away. "Hey, no offense."

"Bugger," Kiran grimaced and put away the knife before continuing, "Sorry. I'm really twitchy right now."

"Any reason for it?" Wenlock asked as Killian moved closer to Trystan and reached back to free his war hammer.

"That grayish-white thing," the human pointed towards a light-colored blur that darted in and out of the canopy, "has been following me around for at least the past five days."

"Creepy," Caddock said as he popped up next to his brother and Trystan frowned in the background.

"Maybe it likes the way you smell?" Nolan offered from behind his book.

"He smells like a vampire," Wenlock said as he wrinkled his nose. "It's not that attractive."

"Vamps smell sweet and cold, like someone froze rotting meat," Idris objected as he hung off Wenlock's arm. "He just smells like cold rain and that odd, soft musk of impending death that people who know they're going to die get sometimes. You know, the one that people give off when they actually accept they're going to die."

"It's certainly distinctive," Inir added with a smile for Kiran. The kid looked pretty embarrassed at their frank discussion of his scent and it wasn't like there was anything he could do so change it. Really, it wasn't a bad scent; the cold smell of cleansing rain layered with the soft musk of death and edged with the sharp scent of lightning was rather pleasant in comparison to some of the other wolves' scents.

"Vultures aren't that fast and he doesn't smell like fresh fruit or meat," Reid said as he approached, "so there's no reason for something flying to be tracking him by smell. He's not food and most animals don't purposely track predators like that."

"It only seems to be following me from afar," Kiran said with a shrug, "because I don't think I've actually seen whatever it is."

The group started tossing theories back and forth as they moved through the forest; Wenlock evidently trying to list the most dangerous creatures he could imagine while the twins had dragged Nolan, Inir and Idris into a game of guessing the most unlikely possibilities just so Reid had to find a reason to prove them wrong. Killian kept a wary eye on the flickering grey-white blur while Trystan drew Kiran into a conversation about blades and Diantha walked behind them with a leather-clad arm and a strung bow.

Conversation quieted as they approached the Market and Trystan led them unerringly towards a large produce stand across from a fabric booth. "Wenlock, Inir, Idris, you're with Diantha and Nolan on fabrics."

Those five werewolves moved towards the fabric-filled booth while the other six wolves promptly started to make their way through the crowd surrounding the fruit and vegetable stand and Kiran simply stood there watching them. Trystan hadn't told him what to get for the Pack and the tent he shared with Remus was still well-stocked, so Kiran didn't have anything he needed to buy. The teen eventually wandered closer to the produce stall, but simply ended up hovering at the fringes until one of the wolves caught his attention.

"You know how to pick a good melon?" Reid asked as he held up a dark green oblong in one hand and a pale sphere in the other. "Betony's busy picking tomatoes and the twins already broke two."

Kiran smiled at the teen and walked forward to help Reid. He'd certainly gone shopping enough for the Dursleys, so choosing a few melons wouldn't be a problem.

.~.~.~.

After the wolves were finished paying for the fruit, vegetables, bolts of cloth and thread they'd selected, Kiran fished out his ingredient list and started to walk down one of the market isles that seemed like it might have what he was looking for.

Reid darted a glance at Trystan before plucking the list out of Kiran's hands and causing the teen to stop in his tracks. The redhead simply handed the list over to Betony, who took the self-inking quill Trystan offered and carefully used it to cross out some of the entries.

Betony gave a cautious smile as she handed the list back to Kiran. "We could gather some of those locally."

"Let's go tomorrow!" one of the twins piped up.

"Strawberries!" exclaimed the other blond.

"Endives should be ready for a first harvest as well," Nolan added as he perused a nearby stall for books. "And Syanth was discussing Elderberry Cordial with Betony a few days ago."

"I have weapons maintenance tomorrow with Trahern, then Father is taking me to the treaty." Wenlock looked down at Idris indulgently as the other wolf wrapped the dark strands of Wenlock's hair around his fingers. "Idris, I can't fight if you do that."

"Dad says we have to attend treaty negotiations tomorrow too," Inir said as he grabbed his brother's other hand and raised it. "Beta's kids have to go."

Trystan's disapproving glare promptly stopped the teen from elaborating, but Kiran had utterly missed the last statement because he'd located a clearly labeled apothecary and darted inside to restock potion ingredients.

Trytan and Killian followed the human into the store to get the herbs Syanth wanted while the rest of the wolves lazed around outside. All three teens shortly re-emerged and Kiran folded his list so he could tuck it in his satchel before turning to Trystan. He was done shopping, but he knew the list Remus gave Trystan had more than three things on it; the mahogany-haired teen would know where they were supposed to go next.

Trystan gave Kiran a sideways glance before walking off in a new direction, Killian falling in behind Kiran easily as the human walked next to Trystan. The two teen's arms and shoulders bumped against each other as they moved to avoid people carrying large picnic baskets, but most of Kiran's attention was devoted to looking at the booths they passed.

Some of it was rather interesting, but the group was still moving forward, so Kiran decided to strike up a conversation with Wenlock when the long-haired teen suddenly appeared between him and Trystan. The new werewolf seemed to purposefully brush shoulders with Trystan even as he avoided touching Kiran in any way. The human really didn't have anything in common with Wenlock, and the other teen seemed to dislike him, but he was determined to at least talk to Wenlock before deciding whether or not to avoid the werewolf.

Just as Kiran started to open his mouth, Trystan stopped at a large stall filled with weapons and rocks. Wenlock immediately moved up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Trystan as they spoke to the proprietor while the rest of the werewolves spread out and investigated nearby stands.

As the two werewolves haggled with the stall's owner over the price of weapon oil and coal, Kiran noticed a nearby stand selling amber and odd-looking black fragments. The human teen started to move closer to the stall in order to figure out what the dark fragments were made from – oddly enough, they reminded him of Norbert's egg – but the amber seemed to flicker black from the corner of his eye and gave him the shivers like that creepy smoke-filled ball had in Diagon Alley.

Kiran flinched backward when he saw something grey-white swoop by from the corner of his eye and then abruptly minced sideways in order to avoid getting closer to the crones selling the flickering amber. Kiran's sudden movements made him bump into a nearby stall and he looked down to find an old chessboard digging into his leg.

The teen reached down to move the chessboard back onto the table, but his thumb slipped from the queen's square to the king's, which seemed to sink down under the pressure of his grip. Kiran didn't think anything of the sensation until part of the chessboard's base jutted out as he set it back on the table. He frowned as he removed his hands and found that the king's square was depressed into the board. Break it and buy it, but he had no use for a broken chessboard.

"I see you found the secret compartment, good sir," a jovial voice said from beside the teen.

Kiran winced and cursed under his breath as he turned towards the noise to find a plump old man hovering at his elbow.

"All Isla Studio boards traditionally have a compartment that opens when the king's square is fully depressed," the merchant said with an ingratiating smile. "It's a rather open trade secret, good sir, among those who use the higher-quality chessboards. This one in particular was used to pass love letters between the Marquess de Merode of Westerlo and the Viscount Prigogine in the 1500s. The board itself is made from Persian ironwood and Norwegian spruce, with fragrant applewood as for the base. For only 40 galleons, the entire board and the pieces – which were hand-carved by the Viscount for his lovely lady the Marquess in 1520."

"The position of Marqess de Merode didn't exist until the 1600s," Nolan said absently as he grabbed Kiran's arm with one hand and used his other hand to hold the book he was reading. "We're leaving, but we'll need to come back and pick up the coal before we head home."

"Brilliant." Kiran said as he walked with the werewolf towards Trystan.

"Only twenty galleons, good sir, for hand-carved workmanship!" the stall owner shouted after the teens as they rejoined the rest of the wolves.

"Do we have plans for lunch?" Kiran asked as he walked over to Trystan. "From all the people carrying identical picnic baskets around, there has to be a place that sells group lunches around here somewhere."

"It's not as good as home-cooked food," Trystan admitted with an oblique smile.

"But it's pretty decent for market food," Reid continued with an odd grin.

"Then lunch is on me," Kiran said as he smiled and headed in the direction that smelled like hot food.

.~.~.~.

Kiran and the wolves settled down in a clearing near the edge of the market with the full picnic baskets. Killian settled down on one side of the human while Trystan sat on the other, and Wenlock took a seat next to Trystan so the four of them formed a small half-circle around two of the picnic baskets. Idris leaned on Wenlock, although the two sets of twins formed their own half-circle around another set of two picnic baskets, while Reid, Nolan, Betony and Diantha were in a third half-circle with Diantha closest to Caddock and Reid across from Killian.

No one appeared to be eating, so Kiran reached for one of the baskets and pulled out enough food for his own lunch before settling back with his plate and beginning to eat. That seemed to be the cue for the werewolves, as Trystan pulled out roasted rabbit, shortly followed by Killian and Wenlock grabbing sausages and meatballs respectively.

Once everyone had satisfied their appetites, conversation slowly arose between the groups and the white-haired Nolan darted a glance at Trystan before speaking to Kiran.

"You sounded rather British earlier," Nolan said as he turned the page of his book with one hand and ate with the other. "Did you live there long?"

Kiran froze at the comment and then forced himself to pick up a croquette and eat it in order to buy time.

"It's not exactly normal for us to speak English all of the time," Reid added, "but Fenrir was English and he made the Pack adopt the language, and the Alpha is also English so everyone just continued the practice."

"A lot of you sound British," Kiran ventured.

"We learned the language –" Cadell began.
"– from British speakers," Caddock finished.

"We can't help it if we sound British!" the blond twins chorused simultaneously with rather frightening smiles.

Betony giggled at the two, but Reid simply sighed and reached forward to pull a piece of roasted rabbit from the picnic basket. In direct opposition, Diantha rapped the nearest twin over the head with one of her arrows while Inir flipped the other backwards with part of his halberd.

Trystan, on the other hand, had barely glanced at the twins and was rather focused on Kiran, prompting the human for an answer.

"I guess I learned it the same way; my mother went to school with Remus, Sirius, and other British-speaking magic users at Hogwarts and I must have picked up my accent from her."

"You've got such little variance from a traditional British accent that I thought you might have learned English from a spell," Nolan admitted as he turned another page in his book.

"There are actually spells that do that?" the human asked incredulously as he paused in reaching for a waffle.

"Quite a few actually," Inir added. "Some are language-specific translation spells and others will simply translate the general meaning of any language."

"It's a pity that no one's invented spells that allow people to understand animals." Reid leaned forward to grab a waffle for himself, but stopped at Trystan's glare. "It would make life a lot easier if it was possible to actually speak to dragons."

"I don't think I'd want to know what dragons say." Kiran finally brought a waffle to his plate and smothered in it chocolate. That mother dragon from the tournament in fourth year would certainly have been cussing him something fierce and Hagrid would have never let go of Norbert in first year if he'd heard dragon-style baby-talk from the Norwegian Ridgeback.

"I don't really want to know what my prey says," Diantha admitted casually as she poured chocolate on her plate and snagged a waffle to dip in the liquid. "Hearing rabbits and deer scream as you kill them would really put a damper on things."

"It'd be rather distracting to hear bugs all the time," Idris put it, "especially during a fight. Flies are annoying enough on their own; they don't need any help. Or mosquitoes. Do you think they'd sound like their mouth was full when they suck blood?"

"What's left on Remus's list?" Kiran asked Trystan brightly, ready to try any other topic as long as it didn't involve insects.

"We have to stop by the coal stand to pick up our purchase before we leave, but the leather stand is the only remaining stop on the list," Trystan replied calmly. "Once that has been taken care of, we're free to make personal purchases."

"I need new arrows for fletching," Diantha smoothed her hand down the feathers on one of her arrows. "None of the birds I've shot down recently have had good feathers for fletching and I'm beginning to run out of arrows."

"The coal stand has a whetstone I'm interested in," Wenlock added. "My old one doesn't leave my sword as sharp as it used to."

"Your swords were able to split a falling leaf that landed on the sharp edge when they were first forged," Idris said absently as he tried to feed Wenlock a chocolate-covered piece of waffle. "I think Inir's halberd is sharper now though."

"That's why I want a new whetstone," the long-haired were answered calmly as he directed Idris' hand away from his mouth. "If my blades get any duller, I'll be bruising my opponents rather than cutting them."

"Makes sparring with you way easier," one of the twins commented with a sly smile.

"We actually won a match recently," said the other short-haired blond.

"Even if it was two on one," Inir commented as he tried to sneak the waffle out of his twin's hand. Wenlock had redirected every piece of waffle into Idris' mouth instead of his own and Inir had no desire to deal with a hyper twin if the other chestnut-haired teen ate any more chocolate.

While the rest of the wolves were occupied with comparing their combat abilities, Kiran leaned towards Trystan and whispered a soft question. "Why didn't we pick up the coal and put it in my satchel with everything else?"

"None of us are particularly fond of the smell of coal or the raw weapon oil that the stand sells."

"Even if it's inside my bag?" Kiran asked curiously. He certainly couldn't smell anything, but Remus could often smell things long before they reached his nose.

"The herbs you bought earlier are still rather prominent," Wenlock added crossly as he leaned back against a nearby tree and Idris leaned his head on the taller male's shoulder.

"I would have bought them right before we left if I knew they were going to bother you." Kiran grimaced as he double-checked the latches on his satchel. "Sorry."

"None of the herbs smell bad," Betony reassured Kiran in a gentle voice. "The mint is actually rather nice, even if it is a little sharp, and the rest of the potion ingredients flux in and out –"

"Do you smoke?" Wenlock interrupted belligerently and continued before the human could answer. "It smells like you have tobacco or something similar in your bag in addition to all that mint."

"The scent's a bit closer to a smoky green tea rather than tobacco," Reid commented carelessly as he reached for another waffle.

"That's probably the yerba mate," Kiran responded absently as he started to pack up the remainder of the picnic baskets from his half-circle, Trystan passing him items quickly once he realized what the human was doing. The other half-circles also began to clean up, Inir working to stop Cadell and Caddock from tossing everything haphazardly into the their half-circle's picnic baskets while Betony seemed to be placing everything back into the third group's baskets with excessive care.

"Yerba mate?" Reid asked as he lifted one of the baskets.

"That bitter tea that the South American wolves liked so much," Diantha explained as she lifted the basket out from under Betony's hands and Killian took the basket Kiran had planned to carry. "The really strong one they kept trying to get everyone to drink that none of us actually liked."

"Remus brewed it with mint and then added honey before he gave it to me," the human commented as he tried to pick up the other basket only to have Caddock grab it before he could reach the handle.

Kiran finally stopped attempting to carry one of the picnic baskets and moved to walk next to Trystan. "After we drop these off, we'll head to the leather stand?"

"The leather stand, Diantha's fletching, then back to the coal stand for our order and Wenlock's whetstone," Trystan confirmed as he brushed shoulders with Kiran and subtly herded the human towards the towards the leather stand as the other wolves moved in the opposite direction to return the picnic baskets.

"The Alpha asked for armor-grade leather," the mahogany-haired teen elaborated as they walked. "Dragonhide armor is expensive and hard to obtain. The quantity the Alpha wants to buy would bankrupt the Pack quickly, but leather can at least provide decent protection."

"Would you mind delaying the order for that leather until I talk to Remus?" Kiran asked curiously as he thought about all that basilisk skin just sitting in the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts. "I might know a place Remus could get some good armor-grade hide for cheap."

"We need the leather for the fights that are bound to occur while our visitors are on Pack grounds," Wenlock explained sharply as he stopped Idris from going to look at a stand that sold sweets.

"There's never been dual Pack meeting that hasn't had a fight," Idris added as he pounced on Wenlock and started a playful tussle.

"The hide is usually layered together and inscribed with runes; it will be just as easy to use it under proper dragonhide if you find a good source," Nolan commented as he dodged Wenlock and Idris while switching books. "Layered armor is almost always better."

"Thick hide often limits the wearer's movement to a point that not wearing it improves the odds of survival," Trystan elaborated at the human's curious look. "Certain combat styles require specific types of armor; a knight's plate armor would do you no favors, but fits Idris' style very well."

The mahogany-haired teen paused to look Kiran over. "Chainmail wouldn't cause you problems, but Antipodian Opaleye or Indian Shivkali would complement your chain whip."

"Not Norwegian Ridgeback?" the dark-haired teen asked. He knew dragonhide was resistant to spells, but Sirius had used Norwegian Ridgeback battle robes and boots and made sure that the Remus had a matching set.

"Ridgeback hide is great for boots and robes," Kiran jumped at Reid's voice, "but they don't really have the flexibility needed for a fighting style focused on agility or speed. Jormungandr hide would work, but it's not exactly easy to get and it's not as spell resistant as other hides."

"Is a Jormungandr like a basilisk?"

"Jormungandr is the Norse World Serpent – " Cadell volunteered before Reid or Nolan could answer.
" – a son of Loki who encircles the world – " his twin continued.
" – enemy of Thor – "
" – he who poisons the sky – "
" – and releases Ragnarok!" the twins chorused together.

"They're obsessed with Norse mythology, in case you couldn't tell," Inir commented dryly.

"Basilisk skin would probably be better than Jormungandr," Reid interjected. "Less reactive to sweat and any basilisk over 200 years old would have developed a decent resistance to spellfire."

Kiran blinked at the statement and the redhead continued. "Any basilisk over a hundred years old is hard to kill with magic and the older they get, the more resistant their scales are to spells of any sort. Of course dragonhides are better at resisting spells, but if a basilisk was old enough, their hide would do just as well."

"Would love to get my hands on some of that." Inir sighed as he examined a piece of leather. "My gear's about ready to fall apart."

"I'll see what I can do," Kiran commented absently as he ran a hand down a smooth piece of leather. Hard to believe something that soft could be used for boots or armor.

Trystan caught the comment from where he was bargaining with the owner of the leather stand and had to stop a frown from appearing in reaction to Kiran's odd answer and the proprietor's inflated price. The Pack had a deal with the leather supplier, but evidently the owner thought he could force a better price out of a new Pack representative.

The mahogany-haired teen settled in for a long bargaining session with the leather stand owner and gestured for Diantha to slip off and purchase her fletching while everyone was absorbed with looking at various leather and hide samples around the shop.

.~.~.~.

The next morning Kiran moved in a triangle between the small piles on his bed, the satchel on a nearby chair and his two hyper owls as he prepared for the day.

The thank-you gifts that arrived yesterday with his owls had been sorted according to recipient and he'd written appropriate letters to accompany them. Remus had double-checked the letters for any evidence that could reveal Kiran was really Harry Potter before grinning at the teen and carefully casting a charm on the Weasley twins' letter and the copied Marauder's Manual beside it. The book had disappeared as the text swam across the parchment page before settling back into Kiran's words. Remus had casually folded the parchment to a more manageable size before handing it to Kiran with a smirk. The teen had tucked it in with the rest of the letters and now pulled out the pile of parchment.

Kiran carefully set the letters on the appropriate piles of shrunken gifts before placing rune-inscribed armbands on specific piles and stepping back to run through his mental to-do list once more. Remus had helped him devise the Rune combinations for the bands and showed him how to imprint the House of Black Crest on the gold, although he had been oddly careful to avoid telling Kiran exactly which runes he should and should not combine after looking at his practice work. Either way, Remus hadn't found any problems with his work and the bands were ready to be sent off late Sunday night before the trip to the Market.

Trystan had actually accompanied him back to his tent yesterday when the group had gotten back from the market, the taller teen a cautious presence at his side as he talked to Remus about going to gather potion ingredients with the wolves during the second day of Pack negotiations. The Alpha had seemed oddly relieved that Kiran was going to be away from the Pack meeting areas on Tuesday and had eagerly given permission for the outing. Trystan had left shortly after Remus agreed, bumping shoulders with Kiran once more before exiting the tent.

Kiran paused in his circuit for a moment next to his nightstand and picked up the strange letter that had arrived yesterday while he'd been sorting gifts. The teen had avoided opening the letter until Remus had arrived home and checked it over – Merlin only knew what the Malfoys could have sent him in return for that Vengeance Oath – and it had made no sense the first time he read it. Here was to hoping it made more sense after he'd had time to sleep on it.

.~.~.~.

Dearest Darling Daunting Duke of Darkness and Death,

The Sumsets seem to be rather pleasant, but wandering around once the light-giver has started to descend is bound to attract Caleryman. They don't listen well, because if they did they'd hear the Guarplar whisper of your blood…

Oh, how it sings to the white ones, as Khthonios Kore's did before she gained her crown! But you'll be the chaotic war dance moving through the gates bedecked in gold, the red one singing praises at dusk under the golden tree, the opener of the ways and the guardian of the red crown standing at the gates. For Klymenos has no hold on you now and never will; you have touched not the red fruit of death and other contracts bind your blood to deeper realms and darker dreams.

Flowing silver will serve you well in the halls of time, but I bid thee seek not silver's twin until you've formed the Gordian knot, for those twists and turns will do much better under your hand than something made for another. Turn not thrice silver's sibling lest the never-forgotten walk again and the Demlor spread their wrath among us once again. Trust not the Demlor, though they answer your call, for those vicious lords will bind you more than Aidoneus ever could.

Remember Nargles like to hang around Geengyrports and infest their food and drink, so be careful not to attract even more of them. The finder-stone is absolutely lovely.

Salutations from the Misty White Moon

.~.~.~.

Kiran blinked at the letter and shook his head; sleeping hadn't helped and the blasted thing had to be from Luna because no one else used that particular phrasing. The teen slipped the letter into a book he'd just finished reading before putting it away. He'd figure it out later.

The dark-haired teen moved towards the piles of gifts on his bed and carefully wrapped each pile in the black silk he'd picked up at the Market yesterday. Remus had showed him how to transfer an image onto the silk and he'd ruined quite a few yards of the protective silk before he succeeded in creating a clear copy of the House Black coat of arms and motto. The symbol and words had been spread across the fabric liberally with additional strengthening charms and he'd barely had enough fabric left to wrap the gifts.

Kiran attached the gifts for the Ministry Five to one owl and tied the other gifts to the second owl before taking both owls to the tent entrance and tossing them into the air. The teen spotted the same white blur that had been stalking him for days and promptly darted back inside the tent. He didn't know what that thing was and he wasn't taking any chances.

The teen grabbed his knives from the table by his bed when he re-entered his room and stashed them in his satchel just in case the white blur attacked while he was out gathering. He had no clue how to use the knives, but in a worst-case scenario he could shove the blades into whatever caused problems and wait for Trystan and Killian – or even Caddock and Cadell – to fight whoever or whatever had caused trouble in the forest. Probably wasn't the best idea in the world, but it'd do until he actually learned how to use his weapons for something other than targeting trees.

Kiran grabbed a package of food and empty containers from the kitchen before shoving them in his bag and leaving the tent to go to the clearing where he was supposed to meet the werewolves. The teen hurried towards his goal, not wanting to travel alone when he knew the white blur was stalking him.

On the way to the clearing, he spotted Trystan waiting near a tree and smiled at the other teen when he bumped shoulders with him. The sheathed tip of Trystan's enormous broadsword poked the side of his thigh and made Kiran take a closer look at easy way Trystan moved with the blade. He'd seen the other teen practice before, but there was a difference between handling a live blade in battle and moving with a weapon in normal life.

As they approached the group waiting in the clearing, Kiran eyed the easy way that all the wolves handled their weapons and compared it to the unsure way he treated his weapons after the talk from Trahern. He wasn't sure if he'd ever be comfortable with the idea of killing whenever he pulled his blades and the easy familiarity of the wolves set him on edge despite their friendly nature.

Trystan nudged Kiran's shoulder to keep him walking when he would have paused near the other wolves, Betony moving quickly to walk on Kiran's empty side as the twins, Killian, Diantha and Nolan fell in behind them at a glance from Trystan.

"May I see your list again?" Betony questioned softly as she flicked a glance past Kiran to look at Trystan as the group began to move out of the clearing. "If I know what you're looking for, I can coordinate it with the list Syanth gave me and we'll be able to avoid doubling back."

Kiran handed over the list without a second thought and turned towards Trystan to ask him a question before Betony's voice stopped him.

"The best path would take us by the currants first," Betony put in diffidently as she looked at Kiran and Trystan.

Trystan altered his course at the words, a careful nudge to Kiran's shoulder bringing the human teen with him as the rest of the wolves began to chat amongst themselves.

"Is Syanth going to make Bar-le-duc jelly for the Veela?" Nolan asked absently as he mentally categorized the plants they passed. "With the other Pack in the area, we won't have time this week to de-seed the berries using the traditional method."

Kiran started at that comment and bit his lip to stop himself from asking a question when he heard the twins start to talk.

"We'll pick the berries, but we're not getting involved in the cooking," Caddock and Cadell said in unison as Betony passed them baskets and the twins started to hit each other with the fragile-looking containers.

"They wouldn't ask you two again after last time even if they were desperate," Diantha commented as she glared at the twins and pulled her bow from her back. "Now shut up and stop scaring off all the game!"

The two strawberry blondes quieted down with a glance at Trystan, bounding over to deposit the baskets back in Betony's arms with roguish grins before eyeing Kiran speculatively. A glare from Killian stopped Caddock and Cadell in their tracks and the twins decided climbing nearby trees and jumping from tree to tree was a much safer option than pouncing on the human.

"It's a traditional gift," Betony explained to Kiran softly as she rebalanced the baskets and shook her head at Nolan when the other wolf looked like he was going to pick up a poisonous flower. "The Veela consider the handmade jelly to be a delicacy due to the care it takes to ensure the berries remain whole."

"The quickest way is to get someone to vanish the seeds," Nolan interrupted as he pointed to another flower and Betony nodded that this blue flower was harmless, "but any jam made that way isn't considered to be authentic and finding goosequills in this area can take longer than actually using the quills to remove the seeds. Syanth learned the proper recipe several years ago and it's become tradition to give the gift to French Packs and Veela when we see them."

"She wants also wants blackcurrants for crème de cassis," Betony put in softly as she twisted her fingers in her hair with one hand and gripped her staff with the other. "For the Veela."

"That'll be quite a gift," Nolan commented with a frown as he bent down to look at an oddly colored flower. "Will she have enough time for all of that?"

"Any visit to the Veela Conclave will be a minimum of three weeks away," Trystan responded as the group entered a well-lit clearing populated by bushes covered in thick clusters of glossy multi-colored berries.

"Busy month," Diantha commented as she shot a rabbit that darted out of the bushes at the twin's noisy entrance into the clearing and moved to toss it in her game bag. "Fenrir's ability to increase his own horrible reputation was unparalleled."

"So all the people I saw arriving yesterday are from another Pack?" Kiran finally managed to ask in the lull of conversation as Betony passed out small baskets.

"The Otis Pack of Eastern Europe was the group that received the majority of your Initiation Gift," Trystan replied as he passed a basket to Kiran before carefully reaching out to pluck a large redcurrant cluster from a nearby bush.

"The Otis Pack Alpha is rather nice," Betony commented cautiously as she looked around for the twins in order to give them back their baskets, "but, ah, the majority of that Pack, well, they don't really –"

"They don't like humans," Diantha cut in bluntly as she kept an eye on the white blur that that circled the clearing, "and they don't play nice with other wolves either."

"Otis idiots – " Cadell said as he popped up behind Betony's right shoulder.

" – always give us –" Caddock continued as he appeared at the long-haired wolf's other shoulder.

"– a good fight!" the twin chorused with scary smiles before grabbing their baskets from Betony's hands.

"They are rather inordinately fond of fights that only end in unconsciousness or death," Nolan added as he picked blackcurrants. "And their favorite method to achieve unconsciousness involves making someone bleed out after severing a limb and continuing to attack the disadvantaged or defenceless opponent until they're bleeding everywhere."

"The Russian Pack –"
" – always fights to the death," the twins added cheerfully as they popped a few carmine berries into their mouths.

"And you all have no problem with that?" the human asked as he added another set of glossy white-pink white currant berries to his basket and deliberately avoided looking at any of the werewolves.

"It's not like we deliberately try to find those fights – " Caddock started.

" – we just finish them," Cadell said seriously. "'Sneru þær af afli / örlögþáttu.'"

"Meaning?"

"'En höfum fengit / þótt skylim nú eða í gær deyja; / kveld lifir maðr ekki / eftir kvið norna,'" Caddock continued blithely.

"Anyone want to translate that for me?" Kiran asked again.

"'Mightily wove they / the web of fate;' 'And though we die / today or tomorrow; / None outlives the night, / when the Norns have spoken,' " Nolan translated absently as he examined the carmine berries the twins had just eaten. "Helgakviða Hundingsbana I and Hamðismál."

"You die when you die and that's life. Get on with it," Diantha paraphrased dryly at Kiran's quizzical stare. "They quote that passage a lot."

"Still," Kiran continued with a frown as he watched Betony and Nolan confer in whispers nearby, "you really have no problem with killing other people?"

"I'll take my life over theirs," Diantha replied dryly before loosing another arrow and following its path to retrieve another dead rabbit.

"Trahern said you can't draw a blade unless you're willing to use it," Kiran said lowly as he turned to look for another cluster of white-pink berries, "and I don't think I could."

"Do you blame the Alpha for killing Fenrir?" Killian asked abruptly from behind the teen.

"No!" Kiran exclaimed abruptly as he turned towards the quiet wolf. "The man was a psychotic murder who enjoyed biting children!"

"That's the difference," Trystan said with an odd seriousness. "A purposeful, malicious plan to kill someone is murder. Killing an enemy in battle is honorable and death in defense of self can be nothing less."

"Defense of self?" Kiran asked as he turned to face Trystan, absently noticing Betony emptying a basket before going to pick rich carmine berries with Nolan.

"One strikes harder and faster than the enemy to avoid death," the mahogany-haired werewolf enumerated. "The opponent's demise may be a regrettable consequence, but one does not mourn them. A worthy fallen foe may be honored, but a weapon is simply another tool for those whose drive to live outweighs any other consideration. A weapon is not what makes them dangerous."

"Weapons are just easier than doing it by hand," Diantha said casually as she emerged from the bushes and flicked something off her fingers. "Neater too."

Kiran stared at the red stains on her fingers before abruptly turning back to pick more berries. He didn't think he could kill anything that easily. And, okay, he wanted Tom and his masked minions of mediocrity dead, but even after the fiasco at the Department of Mysteries he'd never considered how exactly he was going to get rid of them. Yes he'd sworn a vengeance oath on all the Death Eaters present the night of Sirius' death, but he'd never considered what that actually meant.

He hadn't been able to cast the Cruciatus on Bellatrix that night and he couldn't think of a clearer indicator that he wasn't geared towards murder and torture like the majority of dark wizards in Britain. He was descended from a number of darker Families according to the Gringotts Inheritance Rituals but he wasn't obsessed with causing physical or mental pain like most of the Slytherin purebloods he'd met but he couldn't refute the idea that even purebloods like Sirius – those from dark British pureblood Families that betrayed their Family beliefs by turning to the light side – still bred true. There was no denying that Sirius was a sadistic bastard in school when he was pranking and even Remus had confirmed that the most malicious ideas in the Marauders had originated from Sirius.

Sirius' letters over the past two years had made it clear that his Godfather – father, he had to call Sirius father – knew he was a vindictive arse and owned up to it in a major way. He'd extolled the Black heritage despite its dark roots and suggested more than one way to get revenge on Snape or Malfoy. Sirius had held a grudge against Snape for decades and freely admitted the Black's tradition of wicked obsessions and dedication to vengeance in a warning about Malfoy. The blond weasel had been raised by Narcissa and Sirius was sure the pureblood witch had enforced the Black's devotion to vendettas on the Malfoy heir. Considering her heritage, Narcissa had been rather proactive in trying to prevent vengeance from Lord Black.

And if Kiran wanted revenge for Sirius' death, then he'd have to plan and train to achieve it and the first step was getting used to the idea of killing people. He didn't think he could ever do cold-blooded murder, but retaliation was fair game and he had a list a kilometer long of names. The only issue was actually killing them and considering he'd never purposely killed anyone, that was a pretty big hurdle.

Betony interrupted Kiran's thoughts as she pressed a basket full of carmine berries into his hands. "These are the Boom Berries you were looking for."

"Oh," the human replied as he looked down at the basket in shock. "Thank you, Betony."

"Half of these are yours as well." Nolan lifted another full basket into Kiran's sight. "Betony wants the other half for healing additives."

Kiran turned an inquisitive glance towards the long-haired werewolf who ran a nervous hand down the length of her hair. "They boost healing and energy. Syanth knows a way to turn them into energy dust after they've been juiced, but the bushes are usually hard to find."

"Shouldn't we gather more then?" the human asked as he transferred the berries from the baskets to containers he pulled from his bag.

"We've already picked the bush more than is healthy for them," Nolan answered as he accepted the empty baskets and passed them to Betony. "If we pick any more there won't be any new bushes next year."

"So we –"
"– should probably –"
"– stop picking –"
" – the currants too?"

"Yes," Betony murmured as she accepted full baskets from the other werewolves. "We have enough berries for now and we can gather more next week."

"Next are elderberries and asphodel." The long-haired healer transferred the berries into containers Kiran offered her before returning the full boxes back to the human so he could store them in his bag. "Elderberries are small trees with white flowers and black berries while asphodel is a tall plant with white flower clusters. They don't grow in bunches, but there should be a few patches of both on the way to the sandy meadow that Trahern sometimes uses."

Betony darted a glance at Trystan at the end of the explanation, but the taller werewolf had already begun to herd Kiran in the direction of the meadow as the two teens searched for elderberry trees or asphodel flowers.

A shout from the twins had the group veering slightly off course, Kiran carefully picking his way through the underbrush while the werewolves appeared to have very little trouble slipping through the thick vegetation.

"That's what you want, right?" the twins chorused as Caddock pointed at some tall white flowers and Cadell pointed at a small tree with baby white flowers and black berries.

"Good job," the huntress told the twins as she fired an arrow at the white blur that had been following them all day. The blur dodged before her arrow reached its mark and Diantha smiled when the white-grey blur retreated further into the trees.

Kiran immediately headed towards the asphodel flowers and tried to snap off one of the clusters. The thick stems refused to break under his hands so he dropped to his knees and rummaged through his bag for his knives. He pulled one out and unsheathed it, laying the sheath on the ground next to his legs.

Kiran raised the knife to cut the asphodel stalks but paused at the feel of a hand on his arm. He followed the arm up to find the mahogany-haired teen looking at his hand.

"Trystan?" the human asked curiously.

"Your blade has an odd shine." The future Weapons Master frowned as he looked at the serpent-decorated blade.

"Any blade that has a shine like yours can influence the natural properties of the potion ingredients," Betony explained softly from her position next to him as she cleanly snapped entire asphodel clusters from their stalks with simple flicks of her wrist.

"What's on your blade anyway?" Cadell asked curiously as he abandoned the elderberries he was picking and reached out a finger to poke Kiran's blade.

The human teen flicked his knife away from the werewolf's finger subconsciously as he tilted the knife to get a better look at the sheen he'd previously ignored. The Sword of Gryffindor had had the same sheen the last time he'd seen it and a fair number of the weapons from his vaults had also gleamed in the bright sunlight; even Trystan's sword had a subtle blue sheen.

Caddock smirked as Cadell missed the blade and took Kiran's movement as a challenge. He promptly imitated his twin in trying to touch the blade with an extended finger, quickly shifting his trajectory when Kiran frowned as a shadow crossed his blade and moved the blade towards a brighter patch of light.

Cadell and Caddock made touching Kiran's blade their new game as the two wolves dropped their baskets near Betony and began to weave around Kiran's obliviously kneeling form.

Trystan's glare stopped the twins in their tracks as Kiran gave up on examining his blade and managed to slip his knife back into its sheath without ever realizing that the twins had been trying to touch the blade.

"I have no idea what's on my knives," Kiran replied as he fingered the hilt of his blade. "They came this way."

Trystan eyed the teen carefully before returning to Kiran's side. "A curved trailing-point blade, like your knives, is intended for slicing. A few judicious cuts and the enemy would lose strength, bleed out and die with little personal expenditure apart from avoiding the blade of your opponent."

The werewolf pulled a thick dagger from his belt and spun it around on his palm for a moment. "Daggers like this are meant for thrusting."

Kiran peered at the blade, tilting his head to the side when he noticed a glossy shine. "This has an odd sheen too."

"It's a byproduct of the process used to forge the weapon." Trystan nodded and flipped the blade so Kiran could grab it by the handle. "Traditional Japanese katana are known for their sheen, although I will admit it is unusual to see the traditional techniques on a Western weapon."

"So why exactly are you worried about my blades?" Kiran asked as hefted the new dagger in his hand. He had to admit that his serpent blades felt much better in his hands even if he didn't know why and was glad that he'd chosen the Slytherin-themed blades despite his aversion to the house.

"The lack of a blunt edge and the odd sheen on the blade make it highly likely your knives are poisoned," Trystan elaborated with an odd expression. "A single cut could bring death to the enemy."

"Cut someone once – "
" – and wait for them to die."
"Not a bad philosophy – "
" – if rather uninvolved."

"Efficient," Diantha corrected. "Almost as good as long-distance kills."

"Isn't it a little dishonest? Fighting with a poisoned knife?" Kiran asked as he used the dagger to cut a stalk of asphodel. Much better than trying to snap the stalks by hand like the wolves were doing.

"You lack the time required to learn a proper knife style and your natural style of combat appears to involve a significant amount of evasion." Trystan's lips quirked. "Given your general built, such a knife is an ideal choice, as a single cut is all that will be required. Once the enemy has tasted your blade, you will be able to avoid your opponent until they collapse."

"That's not exactly fair," Kiran noted as he added another bunch of flowers to his basket.

"The only goal in true combat is to live through it." Trystan frowned at the twins and with a curt gesture forced the two to stop playing tag around the elderberry bush. "There is no higher purpose and all rules are insignificant in comparison."

"And if it's an organized fight?"

"Challenges are a different matter," Trystan replied flatly as the twins rejoined the group.

So he probably wanted to stay away from those fights, well, that or only use his chain whip – which he still wasn't confident in using for anything other than target practice on a log. Not the best option.

"If it's not a Pack Challenge, then your knives would probably be allowed," Betony put in softly.

"Vamps actively encourage the use of poisons," Nolan added absently as he finished picking the bush of ripe elderberries and elderberry flowers. Syanth's elderflower cordial was second only to her elderberry cordial and Betony made a delicious elderflower syrup for pancakes and waffles.

"Why?" Kiran let the hand holding the borrowed dagger swing by his side as the group moved forward to find another elderberry bush or asphodel cluster. "Wouldn't it be easier to just kill opponents?"

"They like to gloat," Diantha said as she fired into the nearby bushes. "It's like a competition with them."

Kiran turned towards Trystan for an explanation, but it was Nolan who answered.

"Vampires' lives revolve around power. It's not enough for them to merely win a fight; they have a driving need to ensure the losers know they've been defeated and revel in proving their superiority. Dead enemies mean vampires are unable to glory in their victory, something vital to their psychology and power dynamics. Poisons allow them the opportunity to win a fight and taunt their opponents at the same time. If they think the person's worth saving they might even offer them an antidote in exchange for their servitude."

"Assuming they used a poison that actually has an antidote," Diantha added with a frown as she returned with a dead rabbit in one hand and an arrow broken in half in the other. "Hunting like that absolutely ruins the meat."

Kiran gave the braid-crowned werewolf a sideways glance at the odd proclamation and shrugged. He wouldn't want to eat anything that had been poisoned either.

"Please point out elderberries and asphodel when you find them," Betony instructed as the twins darted past.

Caddock waved a hand in acknowledgement as the twins disappeared into the brush and Trystan began to herd Kiran back towards their previous path.

A soft touch to his elbow had Kiran looking to his left to find Trystan offering him a flat leather object. He eyed the leather curiously before Killian's nudge to his right shoulder made him realize he was still carrying Trystan's unsheathed dagger at his side.

Kiran grabbed the leather and slipped the blade inside before attempting to pass the dagger back to Trystan. "Thanks."

"You may require it shortly." Trystan nodded the pink asphodel flowers that were visible through what looked to be a newly-cut hole in the bushes. "The twins have decided to frame their findings."

.~.~.~.

After both Kiran and Betony were satisfied with their yield from the harvest of several more elderberry bushes and asphodel clusters along their walk, Kiran paused before he pushed Trystan's blade into his satchel.

"Will I need a blade to harvest silverweed?" the human asked curiously as he fiddled with the dagger.

"Silverweed crawls across the ground like strawberries," Betony replied softly, her voice inexplicably reaching every member of the group as a warning. "Both plants are easy to trample and often shelter small local predators."

"So I won't need the knife?" Kiran frowned at the oblique answer and shoved the sheathed blade into his bag when the long-haired healer shook her head.

"The entire plant can be used," Betony told Kiran diffidently. "Syanth would appreciate anything you don't use in your potions."

"I'll pull it up by the roots then." Kiran shrugged; didn't matter to him if he grabbed just the leaves or the whole plant as long as he had the ingredients for his potion.

"Less time spent in open areas the better," Diantha agreed with a frown as she flicked a glance at the white blur following them in the canopy. "That thing broke one of my arrows earlier."

Kiran frowned and focused on the white-grey thing that had been following him for several days. The damn thing had been following him around every time he left the tent and his nervousness increased every day that they failed to determine what it was.

The path slowly widened until the group entered a large open area filled with a grassy field.

"Strawberries!" the twins crowed in unison as they darted into the open field and headed straight for bright spots of red scattered across the green vines scattered across the ground.

Kiran ignored the two twins stuffing their faces with strawberries and ran an eye across the grassy field before spotting the small yellow flowers of fern-like silverweed. He headed straight for the plant but paused when light reflected off the sinuous curve of something light-colored and moving.

The teen approached the plant carefully only to find a very light-colored brown snake with darker zigzag patterns down the length of its body and a distinctive set of dark markings on its head.

"Snakes; it's always snakes," Kiran cursed under his breath as he shifted the grassy weeds further to the side and eyed the snake. Looked like a girl, the teen thought absently.

He needed that plant but there was no way to get it without moving the snake and he had no idea how to make it move without resorting to Parseltongue. Considering he was Lord Slytherin in all but name, there was no way he couldn't still speak to snakes. Kiran wasn't interested in finding out what the wolves thought of people speaking to snakes considering how everyone from Hogwarts had turned on him in second year, but he still couldn't tell the difference between English and Parseltongue even when he was the one speaking. So, English. He had to speak English and get the snake to move.

"Hey, pretty baby," Kiran coaxed lowly. "Just need you to move off the plant. Hey, hey, don't mean to bother you, just need you to shift a few centimeters, just a few, pretty girl. Real pretty patterns, haven't seen anything like that before; just need you to move – "

"So do snakes actually understand you when you hiss like that?" Caddock asked curiously as his twin popped a strawberry in his mouth over his shoulder.

Kiran froze at the comment. "I was speaking English."

"You may have been speaking English but it sounded like snake," Caddock replied as he picked a few strawberries for his basket. Couldn't eat them all or Betony would guilt them all to death with that ever-so-mild manner of hers.

"Real friendly snake, but definitely a snake," Cadell added with a grin as he popped another strawberry in his mouth.

"I was speaking English." Kiran repeated woodenly.

"Either way, might want to pay more attention to the 3-ft snake," Caddock said as he pulled Kiran away from the silverweed and the advancing snake.

"Looks like a viper," Cadell commented as he drew his sword before joining Caddock in his position between Kiran and the snake.

The reptile paused as the Parseltongue was hidden behind the two predators. She had wanted to talk to the dark-headed snake-speaker, but that didn't appear possible. "At your command, Speaker."

"It's gone now." Kiran slipped past the twins and tossed a grin at them once the snake had disappeared. "You two mind pulling a few silverweed for me?"

"No prob." Cadell secured his sword again before reaching down to yank up a few plants. The wolf passed the dangling silverweed to Kiran while Caddock proceeded to pick more strawberries for Betony. "You need more than that?"

"No, nine is enough." Kiran laughed as he watched Cadell pop another strawberry into his mouth. "They are pretty long, after all."

"Not as long as that snake," the more talkative twin replied as he added another few berries to his basket. "How did you make it move?"

"I asked it politely – "

"Is that what you said when you were hissing?" Cadell prodded as he shoved a strawberry into his twin's mouth.

" – in English," Kiran finished firmly as he shoved the silverweed into his bag. "I was speaking English the entire time."

"Not what it sounded like to us!" the twins chorused before they offered Kiran two gorgeous red fruits. "Strawberry?"

.~.~.~.

The group left the grassy open field for a meadow filled with red poppies and dotted with small pockets of delicate blue flowers. The group gathered both flowers, taking care to gather as many blue poppies as possible so Kiran could use them in his potions.

Once Betony and Kiran were satisfied with their harvest, the group backtracked to a clearing they'd passed earlier that day. They'd certainly passed a number of open areas over the course of the day, but Kiran was sure they'd pass this one before because it had been the only one he'd seen that had a circular pond.

The ground looked as if it had been ploughed by a meandering farmer with faulty tools, pale green half moons and scraggly light tan roots strewn across the dark soil. The grass and scattered flowers from earlier had been much more attractive.

"Drunk farmer?" Cadell guessed as he checked his sword.

"The mines are over 12 kilometers away," Trystan frowned. "It's time to head back."

"We'll keep it short," Caddock promised as the twins disappeared into the brush.

Nolan immediately moved to gather the palest crescent moons with an odd sort of care. The white-haired werewolf took pains to keep the endives out of the sun as he moved them into a covered container as quickly as possible.

"Those are asphodel roots," Betony gestured to the large group of exposed tan roots near Nolan as she moved to gather endives in a different part of the clearing. "Syanth would appreciate any flowers."

Kiran opened a section of his satchel and started moving the asphodel roots into it, paying more attention to his thoughts than to his surroundings. He was sure they had a few more hours before sunset, so Trystan's decision to head home surprised him. The group hadn't really had lunch, but they'd certainly eaten enough berries to tide them over and the wolves had excellent night vision; there was no reason for them to go home.

The teen fell into a repetitive haze as he moved across the quiet clearing, eventually stopping to gather the scattered roots near Nolan's kneeling form as the werewolf used his hands to unearth additional endives from the disturbed soil. The rustling in the nearby bushes barely registered – it was probably the twins – as he bent down to pick up a flower.

Kiran jerked his head up when something warm and wet splattered across his face and arms only to find himself eye to eye with a slobbering boar. The throbbing pain in his arm where a tusk had pierced through his bicep came in a distant second to the shock of finding a boar where Nolan had been kneeling.

Something whistled past his face and he watched an arrow lodge at the base of the animal's ear. When the boar backed away in pain, Kiran shoved himself away from the animal, somehow managing to find his footing in the newfound mud and jerk his arm off the boar's tusk.

A hard grip on his other arm pulled Kiran away from the boar's thrashing head as Killian and his war hammer slipped between Kiran and the irate animal. Trystan passed the human's shocked form to Betony as Cadell and Caddock burst out of the bushes behind the boar and moved to flank the creature.

The twins harried the boar whose shoulders reached mid-chest with taunts and careful sword strokes, alternating sides in an attempt to confuse the large creature as Killian aimed his war hammer at the beast's tusks. The quiet werewolf landed a powerful overhand blow to the right tusk, fracturing the tooth and sending shards flying. The airborne fragments forced Trystan to dodge as he drew his sword while the other three werewolves around the boar dodged or blocked the shards.

Kiran blinked in stunned shock from his protected position behind the wolves, finally registering Nolan's trampled form beneath the boar's hooves, the eyes of his crushed skull glazed in death as his previously pristine white hair became stained with bloody mud. It had been the Nolan's blood that had splattered across his face and bare arms earlier when the boar had suddenly charged out of the bushes and trampled Nolan to death.

Soft hands on his bicep and a low whine at his elbow encouraged Kiran to focus on Betony as the healer removed patches of fabric from the wound and tried to stop him from bleeding out through the hole in his arm.

"I know it hurts, but we have to get this clean before we can bind it," the healer murmured soothingly as she worked to muffle her keen. "You'll be fine, just a few more seconds."

Kiran shot her an odd look before shoving his opposite arm into his bag and pulling out his wand. Healing charms would be faster and the basilisk's bite had hurt worse; she was worrying for nothing.

The teen pointed the rowan wood at his arm and muttered Episkey as he tried to ignore the fact he could see straight through his arm. It was in the same place as the wound from the basilisk's fang and Kiran frowned as the spell didn't work. It should have worked; there was no reason for it not to.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on his magic before trying the spell once more, being extra-careful with the wand movement and pronunciation. His wound slowly began to knit together under the sputtering flow of magic from his wand and Betony's surprised eyes. Something about his wand didn't feel right, the magic stopping and starting without regard to his will before finally coming to a halt as the last of his new skin sealed closed. At least he didn't have to worry about how to disguise the basilisk's mark now; he had a new story about how he received the circular scars on his arm and the wolves could back it up.

When Kiran finally refocused on the fight, the twins had closed in and backed the boar against a tree while Killian used his war hammer to block the boar's forward charges, effecting holding it in place as Trystan landed judicious hits to the large animals' hamstrings.

Diantha stood ready with her bow, carefully shooting each arrow the moment after Trystan retreated from his forays in order to avoid injuring any of the fighters while she harried the feral creature from a distance.

Kiran fingered his wand before shaking his head with a frown; maybe he could provide cover for people from the DA because he knew how they moved, but he'd be more likely to hit one of the werewolves than the boar right now and his wand was acting up.

Next to him, Betony gripped her staff firmly and rose to her feet before settling into a guard position beside Diantha. The huntress flicked a dismissive glance to where Kiran was sitting in the dirt with his wand before returning her attention to the fight.

Kiran flushed at the look and pushed himself to his feet just in time to see Trystan dart away from the boar as the animal collapsed to the forest floor. Caddock and Cadell kept their swords out, but relaxed their stances as Killian gripped the boar's left tusk with one hand and pinned down the broken one with the heavy weight of his war hammer. The silent werewolf make sure he wasn't blocking Trystan's way as the mahogany-haired werewolf slid his sword through the front of the boar's chest to pierce its heart.

Trystan shoved his sword deeper until it the hilt was pressed against the boar's hide before twisting it to ensure maximum damage and sliding it out. He nodded for Killian to release the boar's head and Diantha kept a wary eye on the animal to ensure it didn't injure anyone during its death throes.

Killian slung the shaft of his war hammer across his back and darted a look at Trystan. The mahogany-haired werewolf's glance at Kiran told him all he needed to know and he nodded at his blood brother as he moved to check on the human. The twins bounced behind the stockier male as Diantha kept an eye on the boar and Betony moved forward to check everyone for wounds.

"Not a bad kill," Caddock grinned at his twin as he bounced on his toes, raising his voice to be heard over the dying squeals of the boar.

"Gotta be bigger than anything Jurgen's taken down," Cadell grinned back as he twirled his sword to flick blood off before sheathing it.

"Nolan's dead," Betony said quietly moved past the group to collect what remained of white-haired werewolf once she was certain the rest of the groups' wounds were superficial in nature. She could put something together if she had to, but Syanth would be able to do a better job once they were back with the Pack.

"'Kveld lifir maðr ekki / eftir kvið norna,'" the twins chorused solemnly. "May his soul fly free and fast to Vanaheimr under the wings of ravens to learn at the knees of the gifted Vanir."

"None outlives the night, / when the Norns have spoken," Kiran quoted quietly under his breath as the fact that Nolan was dead hit him. The twins' attitude towards death was almost disturbingly casual, but considering their beliefs it made at least some sense. For them, the Norns had declared that Nolan would die today and he had, but if Kiran hadn't wanted to go gathering then they wouldn't have been here and Nolan wouldn't be dead.

Killian flicked a glance over the ripped fabric of Kiran's shirtsleeve to check on his wound before giving a puzzled frown at the scarred skin. Even he couldn't heal that fast and he was a werewolf.

The quiet teen turned to walk back to Trystan and inform him of this new development, allowing the twins to see Kiran's stricken expression and mistake the human's guilty silence for shock at their words.

Both twins nodded in unison before crowding around Kiran in order to clarify their words.

"He was bitten last year and he spent more time with his books than he ever did with us," Caddock stated with a shrug before he bumped Kiran's right shoulder.

"We're sorry he's gone, but he's not Tribe," Cadell continued from his left. "We'll mourn him with the Pack, but it's more like a distant cousin or acquaintance died than anything else.

"Large tusks," Diantha deliberately mused aloud as she looked over the dead boar and frowned. "A Russian boar shouldn't be this far south."

"Think it followed Otis down?" Betony asked as she returned to the group, tucking the shrunken container filled with Nolan's remains safely into her own satchel. She always brought a large self-shrinking container when she went gathering just in case Diantha killed something larger than could easily be carried back; it was the first time she'd used it for a body.

"Too big for a Russian," Killian's voice carried across the clearing as he moved back towards Trystan. He'd taken down a Russian boar before and it had been nowhere near as large.

"But it'll get us at least one fight with the Otis idiots, right?" the twins whined in unison. "Good excuses for fights are hard to come by!"

Across the clearing from the twins Trystan levered his sword to break open the boar's ribcage in preparation for removing its organs and taking the meat back to the Pack. Killing such a large boar was an honor in and of itself, but bringing the meat back when they had another Pack visiting would serve as proof of the kill and could only enforce the Alpha's position. The meat would also be welcome considering the feast that would occur within the next few days.

The teens froze for a moment when they heard something large crashing through the bushes before springing into action. Caddock and Cadell pivoted to defend Kiran and Betony while Killian loosened his war hammer as he crossed the last few steps to rejoin Trystan. He wasn't going to leave his blood brother to deal with whatever appeared without some type of backup when the first surprise had been a boar three quarters of his own formidable height.

As Trystan removed his sword from the dead animal in reaction to the sound, a female boar burst into the clearing to charge Trystan and Killian.

Killian dodged the attack easily, but the carcass of the dead boar obstructed Trystan's movements and the new animal managed to sink a serrated tusk into Trystan's stomach with sickening ease.

Killian swung his war hammer at the boar's head in retaliation as Trystan pressed a hand to his bleeding stomach and worked to raise his sword against the creature. The sow moved to avoid the blow and tore Trystan's stomach wound open frther before tossing Trystan into a nearby tree with a meaty thud.

The injured werewolf managed to slash the wild sow's right eye with his sword as he was thrown, but immediately crumpled to the ground with a choked groan after impacting the tree. The sow took a step towards Trystan before Killian's swipe at her back leg forced her to turn her attention back to the bigger threat.

Diantha took a deep breath once the boar's head was clear and calmly loaded her bow before taking aim to loose an arrow that pierced the wild pig's left eye.

Cadell and Caddock shared a glance before advancing forward to help Killian defeat the wild sow as Kiran looked at Trystan's inert form with horror. He'd bled like crazy when he was pierced in the arm; he didn't want to think how much blood the wolf was losing after being gored in the stomach twice. It didn't help that the blood from the stomach wound was forming a growing puddle around the mahogany-haired male and Kiran could only watch in dismay as the boar stayed between the injured male and the rest of the group.

==o0o==

Author's Note: I'm still working on sending PMs to my reviewers for the past few chapters, but you have my apologies if I miss your review in my replies over the next month or so. If you don't have an account on FF, the reply should be on my profile page.

Thank you all for your comments; they've been inspirational and crucial to finishing this chapter. I'd also like to add a thank you to my beta Jueru for identifying a problem in the final scene (the rewrite after our conversation doubled the word count of scene and made it flow a lot better).

I'm moving at the end of this month, but after that I have a full two weeks with absolutely nothing planned as I get used to the new area. Half of the next chapter has already been written and I should be able to finish Ch 10 in my two week lull in life (hopefully).