AN: Once again, I must tell you how privileged I feel to have you all reading and reviewing this fic! It makes my heart go weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !

And I know so many of you are waiting so patiently for Kurt to discover everything! Keep trying to be patient. Just remember the old saying of being careful what you wish for! ;-)

Also, some did some fan art for me and practically made me go into shock. It's incredibly beautiful and you should all check it out! thepotatostabber. tumblr. com/ post/ 20464107175#notes (just remove the spaces)

And just gonna give my wonderful betas yet another shout out! I love them so much. And one of them thinks Takota should have been named Greg. You can all decide for yourselves which name would have been better. (You'll meet Takota this chapter).

ENJOY!

The Wolf of Aldyr

~10~

The Lost Being Found

They waited, Val pressed down as low as he could get in the tall grass and Kurt right next to him, leaning into his side more than he really had to. Their eyes were on the highway, ready to ambush yet another caravan of slaves destined for the Jotunn city.

This had become their life over the past few weeks. Kurt and Val would gather information from the surrounding villages and work out where the slavers were coming from and where they were going. Then they would take them by surprise, a task that had become much easier ever since Kurt found a bow he could use inside one of the palace's rooms. He had it clutched now in his right hand, the wood cool and smooth against his palm. It was a far finer bow than anything he'd ever made himself

Once they freed the captive humans they would lead them back home again, always warning them to return to their homes in the most inconspicuous way possible.

It was a system that worked mostly because the Jotunn who gathered captives weren't normally the same ones that lived among the cities and villages so it seemed to be taking them a long time to figure out what was really going on. The people they freed seemed to be getting along alright too, at least, no worse than before.

Kurt loved it. He had never fought so actively against the Jotunn before and for the first time he felt he was really achieving something. If he really had his way, he and Val would be going straight into the villages themselves and exterminating the giants for good. But there were simply too many Jotunn.

Every night after Kurt crawled into bed, Val would join him in the dark. And every night Val would take his hand, and just like that, they'd fall asleep. At least, that had been the routine until last night.

They'd forgone trailing slavers that day and had instead found a lake to go swimming in. They splashed around and had races out to a little rock island. Kurt won every time. The air had been filled with their laughter and for the first time in so long Kurt didn't have a care in the world.

When they returned to the palace late that night Kurt had been exhausted but so whole and happy that when Val finally laid down beside him he moved right over to cuddle beside him.

Val had tensed for a moment. Kurt could feel it in the way he stilled and his arm hovered in the air before finally relaxing and falling across Kurt's waist.

Something fluttered inside of Kurt. He blessed the absolute darkness for hiding the blush he could feel on his cheeks. Val felt so warm, and having his arm draped around him made Kurt feel like he was where he belonged.

Kurt inched closer and nuzzled against Val's bare collarbone as Val began idly running his hand up and down Kurt's side. It felt so nice to be touched like this.

The material of Kurt's tunic began to bunch and, after a moment's hesitation, Val's hand slipped underneath. Kurt held his breath as shaking finger tips touched the skin of his waist.

His head tilted back and he felt his nose brush against Val's.

All at once the air seemed to be humming. Kurt's heart rapped hard against his ribs. Their noses brushed again and Kurt could feel Val's breath on his lips. Still, Val continued to rub their noses together. He moved slowly and teasingly, sending tiny little sparks down through his veins so that Kurt was aching for him to close the distance.

Finally, Kurt's hand flew up, fisted in Val's hair, and pulled him into a kiss.

It was perfect. Val's lips felt so right pressed against his own. They started moving, carefully, at first, testing each movement of their lips. Kurt explored Val's hair, running his fingers through it and feeling the way it curled around them. He tugged it again and their weight shifted. Val rolled on top of Kurt, pressing him gently down into the mattress as the kiss became deeper. Kurt's mind felt light like he'd suddenly transported into a dream.

Kissing Val was so natural. It was strange. He knew next to nothing about the man on top of him and yet the feeling he got from being so close was undeniable. It was something he'd felt only once before.

Kurt finally broke the kiss and they both searched for air as they rolled back to their sides. Kurt pressed his face into Val's shoulder.

"Kurt? What's wrong? Are you crying?" Val's hand was on Kurt's face, lifting it up and carefully wiping away the few stray tears that had started rolling down it.

"I'm sorry," said Kurt placing his own hand over Val's. "Everything's alright. I'm so happy right now. I'm just missing someone."

"Someone? Your father?"

"No, though I miss him too. It's someone who died a long time ago. But I'm sorry, I shouldn't be talking about him to you."

Val's voice was so soft and caring when he spoke Kurt could practically feel his heart speed up at the sound. "Kurt, it's okay. You can tell me anything."

Kurt took a breath before answering. "His name was Blaine. And I loved him."

Val started to withdraw his arm and Kurt hastened to hold it in place. "But he died so long ago, Val. I was only thirteen when it happened. It's just, ever since, I've been so lonely. He was my very best friend for years. We did everything together. Then he was gone. There was a time when I thought I'd never be happy again. I learned to continue on, but it's like I lost something without him. Yet, here with you, it's like I've found it again."

Kurt sought out Val's mouth in the dark to kiss him again and this time it was Val's face that was wet with tears.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt," he said. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. I know what you mean, though. I've been so lost and lonely Kurt. Being here with you makes me feel complete again."

Kurt's curiosity came back full force. He longed so much to know what happened to Val and why he'd found himself under this enchantment. But then Val was kissing him again and he allowed himself to be distracted.

They continued to kiss, languishing in the feel of each other until exhaustion finally hit them. Then they curled together and slept with their arms around each other.

Now it was the day after and Kurt still felt like he was floating on a cloud. He'd woken early in the morning fresh and light. He had barely eaten a single crumb of breakfast. It was like sleep and food were unnecessary. He was existing off the pure energy of being in love.

As they waited he tried to calm his giddiness down and focus on what they were about to do. Then the carriages appeared on the horizon, coming down the highway. There were three of them this time, all surrounded by Jotunn. Nothing Kurt and Val couldn't handle.

When they were close enough Kurt got up on Val's back in one swift movement and they raced forward.

Kurt strung up his bow and started firing watching two Jotunn hit the ground before any of them even knew they were under attack. The power Kurt felt was exhilarating.

When they got close enough Kurt jumped off Val's back like usual and continued to fire while Val went to work tearing at the giant's throats.

The two of them fought like never before as if the kiss they'd shared had awakened something inside of them. They were strong, fast, and the Jotunn were defeated within minutes.

When the captives emerged from their carriages, they surrounded Kurt and Val happily babbling how they'd heard stories of the boy and Valandi the wolf and had been hoping to be rescued by them. Kurt was pleased to have answered their wishes. It felt strange to think that stories of him were being passed around. He wondered if they had reached Aldyrgard yet and if his family knew that it was him who was rescuing people.

They escorted the people home as usual and then set off for home.

As they walked through the woods they began to hear a frantic high pitched cry coming through the trees. They followed it, stopping to listen every the noise stopped until Kurt's eye caught a rustling in the bushes.

He slid down to the ground and crept over to look behind them. There, hopping around the leaves was a sparrowhawk. It was pretty young, judging by its size and coloring. It was making a great racket and dragging its wing along an angle that made Kurt wince.

"Hey there," said Kurt softly.

The sparrowhawk screamed even more and started scooting away.

"Shh, shh, hey, it's okay," said Kurt, getting on his knees and reaching out for the bird. It cowered and cried terribly, but Kurt kept inching closer until he could rub his finger along the top of its head.

After a moment the bird began to quiet down and eventually it even let its eyes close as Kurt continued to rub its feathery head. It was clear that the poor bird's wing had been broken somehow. When he thought he earned the sparrowhawk's trust he carefully scooped it up in his arms and brought it back to where Val was waiting.

"His wing is hurt," said Kurt. Val leaned forward to sniff and bird and it screeched at him before turning and pressing itself closer to Kurt. Kurt couldn't help but laugh even though Val seemed offended by this. "I wouldn't worry. It's just that you're kind of intimidating in that form, Val."

"I don't mean to be," he whined. Kurt laughed and kissed Val's forehead which made the wolf's mood brighten considerably.

"I'm going to keep him," Kurt announced. "Help him get better."

Val nodded. "I'm sure you'll be able to make him better in no time. Are you going to give him a name too?"

Kurt thought for a moment. "I'm going to call him Takota. It means friend."

"Maybe friend to you, but he doesn't seem to want to be friends with me."

"Oh he'll come around," said Kurt happily as he climbed up onto Val's back with the sparrowhawk still cradled in his elbow. "Remember when we first met I shot you."

They both laughed.