Disclaimer: I don't own Tolkien's work. Period. End of story.

A/N ~ I got this out BEFORE I moved! Yay! Perhaps I can pack and write, no? I shall do my best to try...

Dracon

Niyan = Child

Kinwa = A young dragon that is not a dragonling, but not an adult either

Rhûnic

Sertek = Evil Ones

Okahk = My Brother - this titles refers to someone who is not of blood-relation, but it closer than a blood-brother

Avarikal

Dalubas(es) = Master - not always used in a bad way, but not necessarily used in a good way, either

Bold is mind-speech and Italic is Westron and/or Eru-talk.


Tass ~ Task

The lake, fed by the waterfall coming from the mountain, was uninhabited and Noruiel was grateful for that as she sank to her knees by the water, looking at her reflection as it wavered and shimmered in the water below her. She couldn't see the crescent moon-scar under her right eye, but she knew it was there as if it burned. She wasn't sure why she'd allowed Mountain to call her 'Moon' and why she continued to not protest the name now that the other men were calling her such, too, but she did know that when Renegade had called her 'Moonbeam'...it had angered her.

Moon. Moonbeam. Moon-maiden. Little Moon. Moon-girl. So many names she'd been teased by as a girl and even as an adult. So much mocking over the 'coincidence' of a month-name and a scar. Noruiel often had to wonder if people would have sniggered and laughed if they'd known just how she'd received the moon-scar on her cheek. It was something she could only imagine as she'd never told anyone how she'd gotten the mark. She couldn't.

Did that mean people had to tease her for it, though? Noruiel looked into the lake water now and smiled sardonically. "Yes. You've seen that it does." She spoke to the girl in the water and refused to look at the saddened dark blue eyes that would stare back at her, instead standing, looking around and then removing her clothes and the now dirty bandages around her wrists. She slipped into the water with a hiss as she clenched her teeth. It was cold! The half-elf's teeth started chattering soon after she entered the lake, but it didn't stop her from swimming through the water and rubbing her body free of sweat and dirt. Her scalp continued to itch, even in the water and when she touched the spot, it hurt, but the Empath didn't think much of it as she scrubbed the rest of her hair, avoiding the cut gingerly. She had no soap, but it didn't matter. Getting the grime from the sparring ring off was good enough and in a way, it helped ease her temper.

Why did Renegade rub her such the wrong way? When Mountain told her he was a good leader, she'd agreed and she still did, but it didn't make her like the elf any more than she did now; which was not at all. And yet...despite getting 'killed' by him four times, knocked down by him twice and mocked throughout the entire duel, sparring with him had been almost...fun. It had certainly made her work harder than she'd done with Lightfoot.

The half-elf glared into space balefully, not wanting to acknowledge the traitorous thought, but unable to make it go away. She eventually sighed and a chuckle sounded behind her on the shore. Noruiel's head whipped back - looking over her shoulder as she had the presence of mind not to turn around fully - to see Mountain standing near the water, looking respectfully at her head, a bundle in his arms. "I noticed you left for the water without proper clothing to change into." It was the only explanation he gave as he set the bundle down and turned around, walking a short distance away and staying there. The Akira merely looked at his back for a moment before getting out of the water, drying herself with one of the cloaks the large man had brought, feeling confident that he would not turn around until she said she was ready.

Noruiel dressed quickly and then called out to Mountain that she was done as she started running her hands through her brown hair - or trying to. Blue eyes watched the large man turn around and come back toward her with curiosity. Mountain didn't speak when they came within respectable talking distance of each other, only looking her over. His eyes lingered on the bruises on her wrist, the way she held her weight to one side, favoring her hip and the gash on her head, especially the cut on her head. The male raised a brow. "Any other injuries now?"

The Akira sighed, looking away as she focused on her hair, but answered. "My back and...well, butt hurt from falling and my muscles hurt all over, but I don't think anything is seriously damaged." She winced as she pulled hair close to her injury and then started in surprise when Mountain grabbed her hand - gently, but firmly - and stopped her motion, his eyes intently focused on the cut. It made Noruiel suddenly nervous, but she stayed still, watching his eyes as he leaned over her short stature. "Is something wrong?" Her voice came out small and it seemed to snap the large man back into the present. He gave her a reassuring look, but didn't stop examining her head.

"Does it hurt?"

Hadn't he already asked about her injuries? The Akira frowned, but answered anyway, despite her confusion. "A little, when I touch it. It itches, too, and the water didn't help."

Mountain's eyes gained a worried tint and Noruiel stiffened when he spoke. "What did you think you hit it on?"

"A rock by the river."

"Hmmm..." His look was thoughtful again, distant.

"Mountain?"

The large man blinked, looking at her directly. "Yes?" The half-elf searched his eyes, her gift surging forward with intensity at her direct call, reading the male before her swiftly. The Akira went slightly paler at the concern, suspicion and then fear she felt from the large man. She had never felt Mountain afraid. Granted, she'd only known him for three days now, but in the time, she'd never felt him even nervous and it said a lot for his calm nature and laid-back attitude. To have him worried over a cut on her head...it made a chill run through her that she didn't fully understand, but didn't like in the least. Noruiel hadn't realized she'd come to trust the giant of man's instincts or opinions so much until now and her voice was faint when she spoke.

"What is wrong with me?"

Mountain shook his head, denying her question. "Nothing."

Noruiel gave him a look with brown eyes that said she didn't believe him in the slightest and she WOULD find out what he was hiding. The man sighed and amended his first statement, speaking firmly. "Nothing is wrong with you, Moon, but I am concerned about your injury. It doesn't conform to the shape of a wound created by a rock. It's too straight, too precise. I think you might have gotten it from the monster-"

"Sertek."

"What?"

Noruiel spoke again without thinking, barely understanding the words coming out of her own mouth. They certainly hadn't been approved by her! "The monsters. They're called Sertek." She blinked in shock even as Mountain looked at her in a new kind of concern. How in the Valar's names have she known that! She shouldn't have known that. No one did. And yet...the name had just jumped from her lips like it was supposed to be there and in that moment the cut on her scalp had seemed to warm inexplicably. She now reached up to touch it and was again prevented from doing so by Mountain. The large man looked at the gash with keen suspicion again and Noruiel might have laughed at his glaring at her scalp if she had not been completely freaked out by her own words.

Mountain started speaking again, not commenting on her words, which both relieved and worried Noruiel. "I think there might have been a poison or some other type of substance on the -" He glanced at her. " - Sertek's claws or weapon. I have a friend who specializes in poisons and antidotes studying the samples I took from your wound, but in the meantime I want you to tell me if anything changes. Understood?"

The Akira nodded, taking a deep breath, trying to make her stiff body relax again and failing epically. "I am not going to die suddenly, am I?"

Mountain finally smiled. "Do you think I would have let you spar, swim or even get out of bed if I thought you would suddenly die?"

Noruiel raised a brow. "Fine, point taken, but can you tell me what might happen at least?" Besides her mouth running away from her... She watched the large man's face grow thoughtful before he answered slowly. "I think the worst that could happen would be your getting very sick, but I do not think you are going to die from this."

His words eased her apprehension and the Akira took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Fine. I can deal with that." She smiled at Mountain and the large man nodded, saying nothing as the two knew there was nothing more to say at this point. The two stood there awkwardly, unsure how to proceed after such a discussion and Noruiel bit her lip after a moment, wanting to speak, but unsure if she should.

It was troubling her not to know where she stood with Mountain. She was prized back in Avarikalen for her skills in adapting to people, to behaving as they wanted her to, or would react best to, but with Mountain, with Renegade...even with many of the men here as she was slowly coming to see...it was harder, different. With the Leaders of the Rebels she was respectful, curious, assertive and took orders. With Kahilnar she was loyal, told him what he needed to hear regardless of whether he wanted to hear it and she did what he needed her to do. With Gweltari she was understanding, helpful and fun. With Daerhael she was a friend, a confidant, but also a soldier. With the Empaths...she was obedient. She was so many different things with different people that it was hard for her to know who SHE was anymore.

So it was that she looked at Mountain now with uncertainty, dying to ask a question, but unknowing if she should. Her previous Dalubases had not wanted her to question, only to perform, to obey and learn. Sure, Mountain had been willing to answer her questions about her wound a moment ago, but somehow to her that was different than what she wanted to ask about now. And maybe the way he taught was different than the way he spoke to someone who's injury he was caring for? It made her unsure of what the large man before her might want from her. Still, she'd never know unless she asked and he seemed to be looking at her as if he merely waited for her to voice her query. It was strange, but not an opportunity she was going to miss.

"Did I do well?"

She wasn't expecting Mountain to smile widely or the hand that settled on her small shoulder as if he understood exactly what she was asking. And he did. "You did very well, Moon. And for you first time against Renegade, you couldn't have done better."

A frown settled on Noruiel's face at the mention of the elf's name and she looked away from the man's dark eyes again, her own a brooding light brown as she untangled her hair with a bit more savageness than necessary, carefully avoiding her gash this time. "What was his problem? Was I not supposed to spar with anyone? Has he issued a command against it?" Her voice was sarcastic, almost mumbled and Mountain was hard-pressed not to laugh as he spoke, directing the Akira back toward camp as the two started walking. Noruiel didn't question the direction they were taking as she was distracted.

"Ren hasn't issued any command against you sparring against the men and as for Renegade himself...well, I suspect he's just as irritated with you as you were with him. He doesn't like to lose."

"What?" The Akira stopped, blinking up at the large man in pure confusion. "What did I beat HIM at?" As far as she could tell, it was HER who ended up in the dirt! She crossed her arms, forgetting about her hair as Mountain chuckled, very clearly amused at her expense. "Moon, do you not recall what you said to him as you left?"

Noruiel's face broke out in a wicked grin and Mountain chuckled once more. "Exactly, but while you won the verbal battle, you also didn't let him win the physical one, not entirely at least."

"What do you mean?"

"You kept getting up. You didn't give up and that's not something many do around Renegade."

The half-elf nodded slowly, but smiled at the giant of a man, her tone kind as she felt genuine warmth for Mountain, the only man who'd been an instant friend since she'd arrived with the Sercecet. "You don't give up on him." At the large man's curious look - most likely wondering how she knew that - the Akira elaborated, starting to walk forward again slowly. "I can tell you two have been together for a while if not years. He respects you. I sense he doesn't listen to many, but he listened to you on the sparring grounds. And you are fond of him, much like a father to a son, I imagine. You are always trying to show me his good traits and you defend him quickly, even as you acknowledge that he's often in the wrong. You don't give up on him."

Mountain smiled and nodded. His voice was quiet, but deep as he looked down at her, a silent question in his dark eyes. "He could use more people who don't give up on him."

Noruiel looked away, suddenly confused and growing angry for it. Her voice was much harsher than she'd meant it to be. "Why should I refuse to give up on him? What reason has he given me to even want to try and see him the way you do? He's done nothing but hate me since I arrived!" Brown eyes glared fiercely at Mountain, but the large man only looked back calmly and his next words were wise, but soothing, easing Noruiel's anger as if it had never been. It might have been the calmness she felt from him through her gift as well, but whatever it was, she found herself listening to him.

"Noruiel, does the Creator give up on us? We are constantly straying from Him. We give Him very little reason to not give up on us, but He doesn't. We had done nothing but hurt our Maker since our birth, but He never gives up on us."

"I am not the Creator." The half-elf's voice was quiet, sullen and Mountain touched her shoulder gently. "No, you are not, but you can strive to be like Him, to follow His example. You could choose to not give up on Renegade. The results of such an endeavor might surprise you."

Dark blue eyes looked up into dark ones, thoughtful. "Why must I be this person? Why must it be I, of all the people here, who must try this? I don't even like him." Noruiel wasn't sure what answer she expected, but looking at Mountain, she couldn't help but feel that he knew a lot more than she did. Or maybe it was that she felt so lost. Either way, he seemed to have the answers and she was anxious to hear them.

Mountain for his part only smiled. "You were brought to his place for a purpose, Moon. You were placed with Renegade for a reason. I would only see you start to undertake that mission. You were chosen because Eru knew you were right for the task and He will give you the tools you need to complete it." He watched the emotions play across Noruiel's face and her color-changing eyes for a long few minutes before the Akira finally sighed, looking defeated, but grudgingly willing. "Fine. I will try."

She had no idea what she'd just agreed to and Noruiel didn't really want to think about it. She'd do what Mountain suspected was expected of her, but she wasn't going to promise that it was going to go well. And she really didn't want to think about it right now. Really didn't want to. The Akira looked around, hoping to change the subject and saw the perfect opportunity when she saw the direction they were headed in. It was back to camp, but not to her side where her tent resided.

"Where are we going?"

Mountain went along with her change in topic and Noruiel could have kissed him in gratefulness. "The men eat the mid-meal together every day if they can. I thought you might join them since you have not yet eaten today." He said it calmly as they walked along and the Akira bit her lip, deciding not to protest, but worried. Mountain must have looked down at her because he spoke again a moment later without prompt. "Renegade talked to the men last night. They are free to make their own choice about you. Naturally they are curious and would like to meet you."

"Renegade did what!" To say Noruiel was surprised would have been an understatement and the twinkle in Mountain's dark eyes said he was incredibly amused by it. The large man gave her a look. "I told you that not giving up on him might surprise you."

Noruiel did not have a retort for that and so simply remained quiet as they walked, combing through her tangled hair nervously, fidgeting. She found no reason to start speaking as they entered camp either, suddenly feeling very nervous as they neared the fire-pit that was serving as the kitchen for the camp that day. Men milled about her and Mountain, talking, laughing, eating, but every one of them noticed her. Noruiel knew they did by the emotions that started attacking her mind with a vengeful cat's claws. It was painful and she halted from where she'd been following behind Mountain, pressing her fingers to her temples and closing her eyes as she concentrated. Noruiel was used to crowds, yes, but she wasn't entirely used to being the sole focus in a large group of people and she most definitely wasn't used to the crowds' emotions directed at her specifically. It was much different than feeling the random emotions of a crowd that was focused on their own tasks and thoughts.

She now felt those emotions battering her skull and didn't bother pushing them back, knowing a wall would only make the emotions try to get in harder and give her a migraine. Instead she made a fog. A thick fog that dulled the emotions, diluting them as they passed through the barrier. She was not against feeling the emotions as they served as good warnings and indicators, but she didn't need to feel them so strongly to understand them.

The feelings slowly muted down to a volume she could tolerate and the Akira opened her blue eyes slowly when she felt she had adequate control of her gift. Her calm gaze met the many pairs of eyes looking at her with suspicion, some curiosity and a few anger. Noruiel blinked, searching faces until it started to occur to her what exactly it might have looked like she was doing. The Akira smiled, unable to help it, and the expression was cheeky as amusement flooded her quite suddenly. She spoke with clear laughter in her voice. "It was either stop your emotions from pummeling my head or ask you all to tone your feelings down. I thought shielding on my part might be the best option considering. Don't you?" She tilted her head, waited for a response from the surprised group of men for about two seconds before flashing another grin and walking through the crowd after Mountain who'd gotten ahead of her, but was now waiting.

Noruiel joined the large man feeling more relaxed than she had before and her eyes stayed blue as she accepted the food the soldier cooking offered her. Mountain gestured toward the outskirts of the group around them, but the Empath only shook her head, feeling suddenly bold. She offered the large man a reassuring smile when he gave her a look and simply found a bare spot on the ground, sitting down cross-legged with her wooden plate balanced on her knee as she started to eat. She saw Mountain watch her for a moment before he continued to where he'd indicated, speaking with some of the men when he got to his destination, seating himself on the log there.

The Akira turned her attention from him, though, watching the men around her with discreet eyes. They watched her, too and it didn't surprise the half-elf when one she recognized came over, a friendly smile on his face. "Do you mind if I sit with you, Akira Moon?"

"Not at all, Rider, but please, just Moon." She might not have liked the name all that much, but she could tolerate it for these men so long as they didn't keep saying 'Akira' before the alias. Rider, for his part, merely nodded, seating himself on the ground slightly before her and to her left side. "You fought well today." His comment was nonchalant, but holding some respect. Noruiel didn't get a chance to respond, though, as another voice entered the conversation and a man she had not met sat himself beside Rider without hesitation.

"You certainly did and don't be too upset about losing to the Commander, Akira Moon. No one besides Mountain his beaten him in this camp." The new male smiled, his gray eyes full of a childish mischief that Noruiel found instantly likable, but entertaining. His light brown hair, sticking up at odd angles didn't help matters either. He extended his hand amicably. "My name is Loyal."

The Akira smiled, but Rider rolled his eyes. "You might have said that BEFORE you started rattling off, Loy. And she wants to be called Moon." The look the younger man gave the older caused Noruiel to begin laughing and the two men looked at her, surprised. It only served to make her giggle harder before she forcefully pushed the mirth aside, straightening her features hastily for fear she might have offended them. "My apologies. I did not mean to laugh, but I must ask; are you brothers?" They were both clearly of Rohirric origin and they looked to be close in age with Rider being the elder at around twenty-six and Loyal looking twenty-two. The two men looked at each other quite seriously for a moment before they both broke out into laughter of their own and the Akira raised a brow, waiting.

Rider recovered himself first and smiled, shaking his head. "No, we are not related. We are both Rohirrim, but while I was captured as young teen and forced into slavery, Loyal was born here in Rhûn. His parents are Rohirrim-born, though."

Noruiel nodded, slowly testing what she could sense from the two men. Rider seemed slightly bitter about what had happened - understandable - but it felt like he'd also come to grips with it and would not mind speaking of his past. Loyal, was quite fine it seemed. Never having known any other life but that of the East, he appeared unaffected by the fact that he was technically not in the land he should have been born in. Knowing such emotions gave the Akira the security to ask her next question. "How is it that you ended up here, with the Rebels and the Sercecet?"

Loyal answered first, perfectly at ease with speaking. "My parents and I escaped from our Master eight months ago and we made our way here. We'd heard enough about the Rebels to know that they'd take us in and my parents were not always slaves. They saw it as an opportunity to be free again and took the chance. I've been with the Sercecet for six months. It was Rider who thought I might be skilled enough to join."

"Might!" Rider shook his head, smacking the younger man on the back of his skull good-naturally as he looked at Noruiel. "He's the best shot with a bow I have ever seen. The boy is gifted. There is no 'might'." Loyal didn't comment, but neither did he protest, only blushing and looking down with a grin. Noruiel smiled, but turned to Rider, blue eyes curious. "And you?"

The hazel-eyed man didn't exactly hesitate, but he didn't speak right away either. He looked troubled when he finally replied, holding her gaze. "I would like to tell you, but I am unsure if I can trust you and in the Sercecet, that is crucial as we face danger almost every day. We need to be able to trust each other explicitly and until I can say that about you..." Rider pressed his lips together firmly, clearly thinking and Noruiel tried not to let show her disappointment as she studied his own feelings of conflict. He liked her, but he was still uncertain that he should and the Rohirrim said as much. "I would like to call you friend one day, but I am unsure I can until I know more about you."

"Rider-" It was Loyal and the older man held up his hand, silencing the younger as he and Noruiel continued to look at each other. The Akira was suddenly aware of many eyes on them, many ears trained toward them and she looked around, meeting the eyes of the many men around her. She looked down and took a steadying breath before looking up, head held proud and determined. If she was going to be here, if this was where she'd been assigned then she needed to make the best of it. She was on the outskirts of the Rebel Home. These men were on the front-lines. If she could learn to wield a sword for this reason then she could earn their trust for this reason as well. She might need it in a battle to come just as Rider implied. Besides, there was a defiant child in her, a flame that had never died out, that was practically squealing at the chance to anger her superiors in Avarikalen.

Noruiel gave a faint smile at the thought and spoke so everyone who wanted to could hear her. "I understand what Rider is saying and I can not say he's wrong. I don't know you and you don't know me. What's more, you all seem to have some reason or another for not trusting what I am. So ask what you would. Spend time with me. Test me and see if I am found wanting. I will do my best to remain true to myself and truthful with you, this I swear."

There was a short silence before the first question came and Noruiel's dark blue eyes focused on a man no older than thirty-three with curly, long dark hair and the skin of a Haradrim. His accent was from that region, too, if she wasn't mistaken and more than ever, the Akira had to wonder what had drawn these men together and the stories they could tell. "I am called Thunder. I would ask you about your power."

"Speak freely, Thunder. I have nothing to hide." Well, that wasn't entirely true, but she really had nothing to hide that they would ask her about. Noruiel kept her expression neutral, waiting and she placed her plate on the ground, simply putting her elbows on her knees and resting her chin in her hand, tangled brown hair hanging over her shoulder. With the cut on her scalp, the bruising on her wrists and the tired expression on her face, she hardly looked threatening. Everyone around her and Noruiel herself knew looks could be very deceiving.

Thunder regarded her for a moment as if trying to figure out whether she was being truthful before finishing his question. "You told the Commander that you would not waste your power on him. I would ask what you would use it on instead?"

Noruiel blinked, but didn't move, frowning a moment later. "What do you mean?"

"I think what Thunder is trying to ask is would you use it on us?" It was Rider and the Akira gave him a grateful look before answering quite calming, sitting up slowly as she said her words, though, unsure of the reaction she'd get. "I already have."

The effect of the men around her was instantaneous as their expressions hardened and some hands went to weapons instinctively even though they would do them no good against an Empath. The half-elf let them have their moment of anger and fear before looking around with a strange expression they could not decipher. It was somewhere between disbelief and amusement. "Do none of you know how an Empath's gift works?"

"We know very well how it works." The response was growled from a man further back in the crowd, but Noruiel saw him well enough and noted that he had dark brown hair set in dreadlocks and dark green eyes, clearing not Eastern in origin. He appeared rough around the edges with a tattoo starting at the base of his ear and stretching down into his tunic and a couple of piercings in his ears. He was glaring at Noruiel and she held his gaze, her own eyes a dark blue and equally as hard. "No you don't and that becomes more clear to me the more I hear." Her words were firm and she looked at the rest of the men, her expression softening slightly.

"Do you want to learn?"

"You would teach us?" It was Loyal and he looked rather curious. The half-elf nodded. "First I would have you understand that when I say I have already used my power on you, it is only because I can not help it." At the skeptical looks that greeted her words, she elaborated. "The only thing I have done to any of you is read your emotions and that is something I can not control all that well. My gift absorbs emotions without my even consciously trying to do so. I can tell you right now that Thunder is uncertain about whether or not I am telling the truth and Loyal's curiosity is growing, probably because he wants to voice another question. I can feel the distrust and yet interest each of you have in me simply because you are around me. It's not something I am actively seeking to know. In fact, I have to shield all your emotions as when they all come together it gives me a migraine."

"So you can feel anything we feel?" It was the man with the dreadlocks again and his tone was more civil this time, but only by a bit. Noruiel shook her head, but then hesitated. "No...and yet yes. I can not physically feel what you feel and I can not just read every emotion that might run through you if I am not trying to. I just feel the stronger ones. If I were to focus all my power on you, I could read any and every emotion you felt. I would have to focus directly on one person, though, and block out others for that to work."

"Have you done that before?" The question came from Loyal and the half-elf nodded with a sigh. "Yes, but only...only when I had to. It is not fun invading the privacy of another so deeply and I don't enjoy it. The last time I did that was...many years ago and I try not to think of it." Noruiel took a deep breath and looked around again. "I know how to control one or two people at a time, but I am only an Ikatla Akira. A third-level. I am strong, but not that strong. I could not control all of you together if I wanted to, so you have nothing to fear."

"There is always reason to be wary around Empaths if you can not defend yourself against one." The quiet, but firm retort came from a young man of around twenty-four with black eyes and equally black hair that reached his shoulders. He leaned casually on a bow, but his expression said he was anything but joking. The half-elf tilted her head, her brown hair falling further into her face for it and she pushed it back impatiently. "What is your name?"

"Hunter."

"You make a good point, Hunter, but I am afraid that I can not reassure you in a few simple words." The Akira smiled a little. "There are Empaths who do nothing more than strive to do what they can for others. There are a few of my kind who don't even recognize their power, they don't want it or they spend their lives dedicated to controlling it so that they can then keep it hidden. Still there are those who abuse their gift, just as a warrior can abuse his knowledge of combat and his strength. Empaths do not come in one size just as men don't. I can not tell you that you will never have to worry about defending yourself against me. I can see that many of you already have experience with my kind from the way you treat me, but I can say that if you will let me, I can give you the knowledge you might need to keep an Empath at bay for even a brief time."

"Build a wall. It keeps anyone out of your mind."

"No." Noruiel shook her head, chuckling as she stood and met the eyes of the man with the dreadlocks. She beckoned him forward silently and the man hesitated before coming forward, looking not at all comfortable with the idea of being in her vicinity, but also slightly curious despite himself. There was also the fact that the other men were watching him and he didn't want to appearing afraid. The Akira waited until he stood before her to speak. "If I were to enter you head right now and focus my power on you, what would you do?" The way she spoke was without emotion, chilling in a way and the men around her eyed her warily once more. Noruiel ignored them, focusing solely on the male before her who looked back with hard eyes.

"I would build a wall to keep you out."

"And what makes you think I could not simply slip over it? I don't have mind-reading powers. I have the ability to read your emotions. I don't need to see your thoughts to know what you are feeling. Emotions are stronger than thoughts anyway and they don't like being contained. Chances are that while you are trying to keep the EMPATH out, you'll be dealing with your own emotions trying to get out of the wall as well."

The man glared. "Fine, then what do you suggest, Empath? That I let one of your kind into my head without protest?"

"No. I say you don't attract their attention in the first place, giving them no reason to WANT to go into your head." Noruiel raised a brow, folding her arms at the looks she was receiving, this time addressing them all. "Which is harder to overcome; a wall or fog?"

Thunder answered. "Fog. Walls can be scaled, knocked down, but fog is something you can not fight against and you must wait for it to clear on its own."

The half-elf smiled, turning in a circle, her expression pleased and growing animated. "Exactly! Don't you see? You don't fight a power like mine with brute strength, but subtlety and strategy. I don't use a wall or any other type of barricade to keep you emotions out of my head. I use fog, a cushion. I can still feel what you are feeling, but I don't get the message as clearly. It gets confused, softened in the fog of my mind. If you could learn to temper your emotions or create filters, then Empaths would have less reason to notice you and that would be protection in and of itself."

"Why would you tell us this? Aren't these your own people?"

Noruiel looked at the male with the dreadlocks that she'd yet to actually 'meet' and tilted her head, biting the side of her lip in a habit that would become well-known to the men. "What are you called?"

"Windstone."

The half-elf only looked at Windstone with a slightly sad, but also hard expression. "I tell you these things to gain your trust. I will admit that freely, but I also do it in defiance of the ones who took me away from my people. The Empaths are not my family, though, I do have friends among them. They will never be my people." The icy stubbornness and resolve in her voice allowed no room for doubt from anyone, but Rider frowned, standing as well to look down at her - it would appear that everyone was taller than her. It was irritating. "Your people are not the Empaths? Don't you live with them in a separate land or something?"

"I may live with them, but that does not make them my family. When an Empath is discovered in Avarikalen, they are taken to be trained no matter who they are or where they come from. There is no choice for the girl. I have not seen my father or my siblings in ten years and then, right when I thought I could finally go home, I was sent here to the Rebels." Noruiel light brown eyes were fierce. "I tell you what I know because in some way it might one day come to make the Empaths regret taking me from my home."

The half-elf looked away, instantly knowing she'd said too much, but strangely not regretting it as she bent down to grab her plate. When she looked around again, the emotions she felt from the men were mixed, but not nearly as hostile as they had been before. "If you desire it, I will teach you what I can. You only have to ask." It was the last thing she said before walking toward the stack of plates, setting hers down and walking toward the end of the camp that held her tent.

Many pairs of eyes followed her, each contemplating what they'd been told and what they hadn't.


Kahilnar didn't turn from looking at the waterfall crashing with deafening sound some ways from him as Alagos approached him from behind and the shape-shifter was almost grateful for that. Maybe if he did something to distract Kahilnar immediately, the Easterling might not notice Alagos own off state. It was worth a try and Alagos was fully happy to do it. The shape-shifter shook his head slightly as he got closer to the Prince, though. He would have to teach the Easterling to detect noises even within a crowded or loud place, but in the meantime... The white-haired male couldn't help but feel immense amusement when his hand touched the young Roniysr's shoulder and Kahilnar' jumped with something that sounded like a yelp. Green-black eyes turned to glare into laughing amber ones and Alagos grinned.

"Stay aware of your surroundings."

Kahilnar's glare only seemed to grow fiercer, especially when Sharpmist started chuckling as she landed near the waterfall, within hearing distances as she settled herself in the sun. She intended to watch this training session, but not interfere for any reason. She told Kahilnar as much silently, simply with vague thoughts from her mind and the Easterling shot her look, confused. The dragoness only stretched lazily, though, as she answered. "Every dragon has an instructor when they are grown enough to learn how to control their gift and no other dragons are to interfere with how that instructor teaches the young dragon unless what the instructor is doing endangers the young dragon's life. Alagos is your instructor. I'm not going to get involved."

"Why aren't you teaching me?"

"I'm not a shape-shifter." The reply was simple enough and Kahilnar accepted it, but sensed there was another underlining reason that Sharpmist was not saying. He didn't press the matter, though, only looking back at Alagos, answering his comment with a retort of his own, suddenly remembering why he'd been staring off into space in the first place. "I was paying attention. It's not my fault you walk like a damn spirit."

Kahilnar growled it grumpily and Alagos frowned, searching his friend's face. "What's wrong, Kahil?" He was missing something. Kahilnar got annoyed with him, yes, he'd been expecting nothing less with a prank like that, but the Easterling never got so upset about something so small. Not anymore anyway. He'd been fine a moment ago, too, clearly talking to Sharpmist as he looked at her and relaxed. Now he was tense and he wouldn't look the shape-shifter in the eyes, appearing suddenly troubled. Now Alagos watched Kahilnar hesitate, finally looking at the white-haired male, seeming to try and decide something for himself. The black-haired youth finally blurted what was on his mind.

"Are you dying?"

Alagos blinked. "What?" The shape-shifter tilted his head when Kahilnar didn't explain, looking almost ill. Why would the Easterling ask him that? Did he look like he was dying? What exactly had happened last night. Or was this question brought on by more than just what had happened last night? No sooner had he asked the last question to himself that he started to think back on his own state since being rescued. He had fevers on and off, been unconscious more often than he was aware, his power was out of control and if what Sharpmist said was correct, the healers had said he might be sick. It clicked in Alagos' mind and he shook his head firmly, amber eyes meeting green ones steadily. "No. I'm not dying. Perhaps I am sick, but I'm not going to leave you, understand?"

"You can't promise that." Kahilnar's voice was quiet, saddened in a way and it struck Alagos that the last person who'd left the Easterling due to illness had been his mother. The shape-shifter sighed silently and only shook his head again. "Fine. You're right. I can't promise anything, but I can say that I don't feel like I am dying and to a dragon that is important. If we are dying, we know it. Every animal instinctively knows when it's dying and dragons are no different."

Kahilnar eyed the other male for a long moment before accepting the answer reluctantly. There wasn't much more he could do. The Easterling gave Alagos a hard look. "Are you really fine?" He watched the shape-shifter hesitate, something intense running through his eyes before he shook his head. It was as simple as that and Kahilnar didn't press the matter, not yet, though, he did make a mental note to see what, if anything, Daerhael could do with his healing power for Alagos.

"Are you ready for training?"

The question noticeably surprised the Easterling, but Alagos saw a fearful and yet happy excitement come into his eyes when he responded, running a hand nervously through his black hair. "If you think I am."

Alagos allowed himself a small smile. "I do." The shape-shifter stepped back from Kahilnar and sat cross-legged by the water the Easterling had been standing by, the lake lapping at the shore to his left. He remained silent for a time, making Kahilnar slightly impatient, but the Prince didn't speak as he knew better. If he spoke, Alagos would only make him wait longer and in the long run, it was better to wait and see what the shape-shifter was thinking of or even what he might be teaching Kahilnar by making him wait. Amber eyes finally came to rest on him again and Kahilnar gave him an expect look. Alagos' eyes said he was amused, but he didn't break whatever concentration he'd fallen into. A teacher once more. It was how Kahilnar liked him best if he was honest with himself.

"You've shifted twice, Kahilnar, but the timing in which you did so was unfortunate. In both cases you were scared or angry and that has ingrained a bad habit in your mind whether you know it or not. You've mastered changing your form for attack and for escape, but you need to be able to control your shifts now, to do them simply because you want to and that is going to take more work."

Kahilnar frowned and for a brief moment, he was once again the Prince he had been months ago; impatient and not understanding why he could not simply do something as he wanted to. "Why can I not just do it the way I now know how to? If it works then why learn a different way?"

Alagos didn't answer, exasperation, but also irritation flaring in him. Why did he have to explain everything to those around him? Would they never simply trust what he told them without making him prove that he was right? The shape-shifter gave an inward growl, but no outward warning as he sprang from his spot on the ground and toward Kahilnar, his form changing even before he touched the Easterling. The large white Twanres bowled the black-haired youth over, claws drawing shallow cuts that instantly bled and sharp teeth closed on Kahilnar's forearm. Alagos stopped just short of piercing the skin and his amber eyes, alive with the wrath of an instructor scorned blared into Kahilnar's surprised green ones.

"You won't always be feeling fear or anger, Niyan. Tell me what you felt and why."

Kahilnar's answer was prompt and his heart pounded painfully against his chest. He didn't flinch away from the teeth that still held his arm capture or try to shove the large cat off his body, though, simply accepting the punishment received and learning swiftly from it, especially since Alagos had delivered the message in a way he understood. "I felt surprised, startled, but not fearful because I know you wouldn't hurt me. I wasn't angry because I don't consider you an enemy or a threat to me."

"Very good." The reply was growled even in Kahilnar's head and Alagos moved off of him, his teeth retracting from Kahilnar's arm even as his form changed back into that of a human. "You should learn to control what you shift into no matter what emotion you feel or when you shift. Nothing should be able to make you change your form without your consensual knowledge, especially an emotion or any other outside force."

Kahilnar nodded, truly listening this time. His mindset had changed toward Alagos by this point. He was not viewing the shape-shifter as a brother at the moment, but as an instructor. That was what the white-haired male would be to him while he trained. Kahilnar knew it was a better view to have of the shape-shifter right now than the one he'd grown used to. He knew himself. Where he would not question a teacher and would simply obey, he would be himself with a friend, and sometimes when he was himself his faults came to trip him up. As a student, all he had to focus on was obeying and pleasing his instructor. Alagos could be his friend and brother any other time than when they trained.

The Easterling didn't hesitate in asking a question, though, he did so with a great deal more respect than he had the last query. "Can you keep your shape no matter what?" Kahilnar watched Alagos amber eyes grow hard, but haunted and he knew the answer before the shape-shifter even spoke, his voice steady. "I can retain any form I choose even under torture, Kahil. While I want you learn control, I also pray you will never have to test that control in the ways I did."

The Prince nodded, asking no more and Alagos didn't volunteer anything further, an understanding unspoken, but understood by both of them. The shape-shifter took a deep mental breath. He knew what he was doing. He knew that. He had never taught anyone before, at least not about shape-shifting, but neither had the dragons who had been instructed to be teachers to young Kinwa in the Clan years ago. He had never been fully taught by a mentor before his kin were slaughtered, but he'd learned far more on his own than ANY dragon could have taught him. Alagos knew that to be absolute fact and he wasn't conceited in knowing that he was the best shape-shifter in the world at this point. There were so few of them and they were all that was left of their race. Morroch, Tigeki, Kahilnar, Nareke and Yileke - he knew these five to all be younger than him and greatly less experienced in their shape-shifting talent. They were the last, the very last. His gift had shown him that no others of their breed dwelled in Arda. They were all there was and he was the oldest, the leader. It was a silently heavy burden and Alagos didn't want to mess it up, especially not in the area of training a young shape-shifter that had the potential to be one of the greatest. It was with this bold thought in his mind that the shape-shifter chose his next words carefully while still appearing confident.

"Kahil, how is it that your power comes to you?"

The Easterling blinked, green eyes confused as he tilted his head, teeth slightly bared through his partly open mouth. It was very dragon-like gesture and Alagos resisted the urge to smile. It would seem Sharpmist was truly rubbing off on the Prince. "I don't understand the question."

"When your gift comes forward, what does it feel like? Some shape-shifters say it feels like water rushing through their body while others compare it to the thrill of flying. My own power feels like liquid energy. When I call my gift, it surges forward, giving my entire body a jolt. I've learned through practice to simply allow my body to change in that initial jolt. It is the reason my shifting is so quick. What do you feel when you change form?"

Kahilnar didn't think about his answer, the reply coming to his lips instantly as if it had only been waiting to be heard. "Wild. The power feels like lightning, savage, uncontrollable and I...love it. When I changed that day in my father's Throne Room, I knew that if I ever learned to control what I'd just done, I would become addicted to it. It both excited and scared me." The Easterling suddenly felt like he'd said too much, but when he looked at Alagos, he saw the shape-shifter had a pleased expression.

"That's good. Everything you just described is good. The wildness and savagery of your gift that day was a result of it being locked away for so long. Don't worry, it WILL bend to your will. Being addicted to shape-shifting is not wrong, either, Kahil. You ARE a shape-shifter. It's natural to want to do what you were born to do."

Kahilnar frowned. "I don't understand. I am only a quarter part dragon. My mother had more dragon-blood than I did and SHE never changed form."

Alagos voice was quiet. "Your mother made a conscious decision to never allow herself to change her form, fearing she'd have no control over when she shifted. In a way, I think she hoped that if she suppressed her gift, it would subconsciously encourage you to do the same thing. It worked for a time, but you and I both know the ending to this story." The shape-shifter shook his head. "What Vaanya failed to understand was that her gift was not staying away because it wanted to, but rather because she did have control over it. Tremendous control. Just as you will have control of your power."

"You speak as if our gifts are alive, like they have a conscience of their own."

"No, they don't. Our gifts are simply that, gifts. Just as a person might have an aptitude for archery or a talent for swordsmanship, we have skills in the forms of being able to control an element or changing our body shape. My gift of knowledge can seem like it has a will of its own, but it doesn't. It is just another part of myself that I don't fully understand so it seems like a foreign consciousness inside my own. Every intelligent creature has many facets inside themselves and most of us will never understand all of them. Our gifts simply seem to originate from places inside ourselves that we don't know how to decipher, so they seem alive in a way, but they aren't. They can be controlled. We simply have to find the right method of accomplishing this." Alagos tilted his head. "Do you understand?"

Kahilnar nodded. "I think so, yes."

"Good. Now, the way your gift comes to you tells me you are an instinctual shape-shifter. You conform to the situation you are in, sometimes taking a shape that makes no sense to your logical mind, but ultimately helps you in the end. You will learn to control this in time, but it might take longer than you'd expect. Instinctual shape-shifters tend to act before thinking. This is not because they are hot-headed or foolish. It is simply because their gift reacts more strongly to their emotions than their thoughts. I am the opposite of you."

"Will that effect the way you can teach me?"

Alagos smiled a little, the wind teasing his white hair into his eyes. "No. In fact, this is better. I can teach you the control you will have to fight hard to achieve and you will teach me to think in different ways than I might otherwise. It is beneficial for us both." The shape-shifter's voice grew serious and Kahilnar detected the beginning of the strain that entered his word when mind-speech was starting to become difficult once more. "This control I speak of will not be easy to obtain, Kahil. You are not a dragonling or even a very young Kinwa. You will have to learn what most shape-shifters know at a young age. You knew it once...and it is my fault that you no longer do." Alagos swallowed hard and then winced slightly at the feeling it caused in his throat. He decided to ignore it for the time being, though. "I will do everything I can to make sure you receive back that which I took from you as a child."

Kahilnar shook his head and for a moment, it was not teacher and student who stood looking at each other, but brothers, friends and the Easterling spoke without a trace of doubt or anger. "I do not blame you for that, Alagos. I never should have and I never will again. You did what you felt to be right and I have no doubt it saved my life a dozen times over if what you say about me being an instinctual shape-shifter is correct." Green eyes held amber for a minute or more longer until Alagos finally nodded, not speaking, but accepting Kahilnar's words. It was enough for the Easterling and he smiled, stepping back as he resumed his status as a student.

"He needed to hear that." It was Sharpmist and Kahilnar gave her large form a glance, no surprise in his expression that she would agree with him on this. He had known for a time that the dragoness did not have nearly as much disdain toward Alagos as she pretended, but he hadn't told her that, letting her come to terms with how she'd deal with such a thing on her own time. He now gave a brief smirk, most of it in emotion that was felt by the white creature. "I know." Sharpmist snorted at his smugness and laid her head on her clawed feet again, continuing to watch both the two males and the surrounding area, ready to chase anyone who came from the nearby camp away.

Kahilnar looked back at Alagos just in time to catch the shape-shifter's raised brow and folded arms. The Easterling smiled sheepishly, looking for all the world like a child caught in some mischief. The white-haired male only rolled his eyes subtly, but when he spoke, his tone was entirely serious. "I want you shift. Not into the Twanres, though. Change into something that would be considered prey."

The Easterling gave the shape-shifter a purely startled look and Alagos understood the fear that crept into his green eyes as the wind picked up around them. He spoke quietly for it, remembering keenly in that moment his own fear when his mother had asked the same task of him. Granted, he'd been twenty-eight - about six in human years - but the reactions were almost identical no matter what age he had been then and Kahilnar was now. "Kahil, you can do this and I will be right here the whole time. Do you trust me?"

The words captured Kahilnar's attention immediately and he nodded after a moment, remembering the many times he'd posed the exact same question to Alagos. He did trust Alagos, just as the shape-shifter trusted him. It was this thought that calmed the Easterling. His Okahk would not ask him to do something that would harm him, of that Kahilnar had not a doubt. His voice was steady. "I trust you, but I don't know how to do what you ask, nor what animal to pick."

There was a smile in Alagos' voice. "Try a horse. With your orange and black coloring, you will never look like a normal horse, but it's a good form to start off with. To start, just imagine what a horse looks like. Recall their mannerisms and dispositions. Make yourself feel what you think they might. Call your power to you, make it come to you and do what you want." Alagos watched Kahilnar carefully, for even as he spoke, he could see the Easterling's body start to change slowly and then faster.

The Prince's eyes were shut tightly and his teeth stayed gritted as he tried to do what Alagos told him. He knew the moment it was working as the wildness he'd felt only twice before surged through his blood with very little prompting, seeming more than eager to come forth. Calling the power had been easy, but it was controlling it, trying to make it focus on what he wanted that caused the Easterling so much effort, but little by little, he felt the picture and thoughts in his head take hold of his gift and he could literally feel the power molding itself, molding HIM, to what he was demanding of it. The first bone that moved and broke in his body startled the black-haired youth, but Alagos' voice entered his head quickly, soothing.

"It doesn't hurt and you're fine. Take stock and you will find my words are true. Keep going."

Kahilnar didn't dare open his eyes, finding that concentrating was hard enough without looking at what was happening to his body. He felt sweat bead on his skin and he did notice that despite the weird feeling in his body, like something wasn't fitting quite right, it wasn't painful. The Easterling kept this in mind as he obeyed Alagos and felt his limbs snap further, odd sensations coming over his body as his power worked.

And then it stopped.

For a long minute, Kahilnar felt nothing but his own heavy breathing and the beating of his now noticeably larger heart. Then something seemed to probe at his mind and the next thing he knew, his conscious, intelligent thoughts were being pushed away forcefully as something much more primitive and animalistic, something that was on high-alert, wary and wild, took over. Strange desires like the urge to run or eat grass clamored at him. He opened his eyes and tossed his head, not used to seeing out of the sides of his face and disoriented. That was not what bothered the animal inside him, though. It was nervous because it smelled a predator, a LARGE predator. He felt his four feet dancing around in agitation, instinctively knowing where to move, but when he focused on them too hard, he found that he felt off-balance and vulnerable for it. He felt his strange nostrils sniffing the air and the assault of overwhelming smells made him want to gag, but the muscles in his throat didn't work that way. His ears weren't much better and when Sharpmist snorted in amusement, he reared, a familiar, but unexpected sound coming from his mouth. It was a neigh.

Kahilnar had never felt more confused and more uncertain in his life than he did at that moment. He had no control over the animal he'd shifted into and he didn't know how to gain that control. His ears flicked everywhere and he danced to the side, turning until his eye focused on the white-haired male who watched him with a curious expression on his face. Kahilnar snorted, nervous of this new creature who both smelled like a predator, but also familiar.

Alagos seemed to come out his thoughts in that moment and he held up a hand slowly, palm outward and his voice was a welcome blessing to Kahilnar when it entered his head. "Easy, Kahil. I know what you're experiencing right now, but this is an easy form. You can control a horse. I know you can. You're a dragon, a human, you're even part elf. All those species are above a horse, more intelligent, hunters in their own right. Predators. You can control a horse."

His words centered the Easterling slowly even as Alagos' hand settled on his neck and Kahilnar found that if he focused on the animal presence within instead of all the sensations without, subduing the horse's instincts was easy, just as Alagos knew it would be. The shape-shifter wanted Kahilnar to experience what a new form could do to him, though. Strange as it was, the shape Kahilnar had taken in the Throne Room - the Twanres - was not far off from what the Easterling was himself and how he thought. The horse, however, was the Prince's complete opposite and it would give Kahilnar a wake up call to realize how shifting with no control or knowledge of the animal form he was taking could backfire.

Alagos watched Kahilnar's eyes carefully and knew when he was finally in control if only by how unstable the horse suddenly became. The shape-shifter chuckled silently to himself and patted the horse's neck. He ignored the headache he was developing, fully determined to finish this lesson even if he got a migraine for it. Kahilnar deserved to have a competent teacher. "I didn't say push the horse away. You need those instincts, but you don't want them to control you. Understand?"

Kahilnar's head bobbed after moment and he took a step forward, much more steady this time. "How do you talk with this mouth?" The question came with frustration even as the horse moved its jaw, looking incredibly comical and Alagos grinned, unable to help it. "You'll learn." He wasn't going to help anymore than that. Every dragon had to learn how to accomplish mouth-speaking while in odd forms by themselves because only that dragon knew what worked for them. From what he knew, most shape-shifter's had different methods. Kahilnar would have to find his.

The Easterling glared at him as much as he could as a horse and Alagos suddenly gained that curious look again, only this time Kahilnar thought he detected the beginning of astonishment in those amber eyes, as if the shape-shifter suddenly remembered what he'd been so distracted by before. "Kahilnar, what kind of horse did you think of?"

The question sounded strange to the Easterling but he answered, instinctively looking at his body, turning his head to look at his back. "I was thinking of your-" Kahilnar stopped mid-sentence, staring at the pure white wings folded neatly against his sides. His white sides. White legs. White tail. The horse blinked and it occurred to him to ask a question. "Alagos, what color are my eyes?"

The shape-shifter looked visibly uneasy. "Amber." Alagos ran a hand through his white hair, trying to understand what he was seeing. Kahilnar looked exactly like he had yesterday when he'd take the same form. Sure, the Easterling was a bit bigger in size, but that was beside the point. "Kahil, I want you to think of the most recent Twanres you've seen. Not me and not a Tsubasa, but a Twanres. Can you do that?"

The horse nodded and Kahilnar focused just like he'd done with the horse shape. It almost seemed easier this time, more fun to shed the instincts of prey in favor of a predator and his gift was more than willing to be directed to the shape it already knew. The Prince felt his form changing once again and he opened his eyes to see his vision was back in the front of his face, but he was slightly lower to the ground. He blinked, feeling his body just stop and his eyes met Alagos' wide ones.

The shape-shifter was looking at him with such curiosity and excitement that Kahilnar felt jittery and his voice was harsher than he intended. "What!" His tone didn't seem to faze Alagos, though, and the white-haired male shook his head, still staring. "I don't know. I have never seen this before. Not even through my gift, seeing the entire shape-shifter history, have I seen this." His voice was faint, but not worried and Kahilnar felt better for that. It didn't make him any less anxious to know what was going on and he padded to the lake, looking at his reflection.

Seeing a cat-face looking back at him was momentarily startling even though he expected it. Kahilnar quickly looked past that though and blinked, stunned. The last time he'd shifted into this form, he'd been black and orange striped with tawny-gold eyes. Now, though, his eyes were a pale blue and his body a mottled gray. The difference was startling and when he looked up at Alagos amber eyes, Kahilnar knew the significance of such a talent was startling, too.

"How-?" Kahilnar's voice was shaky and he gave a hiss as he felt his power surge. A minute later he was a human again, feeling frustrated that he'd not managed to keep the shape of the Twanres simply because he was confused and worried. It didn't last long, though, as he stood slowly, watching Alagos who was watching him. The Easterling dusted his clothes off and took a deep breath. "What happened?"

The shape-shifter shook his head. "I don't know. I...I didn't know a shape-shifter could do that." Alagos frowned. "They can't do that. Couldn't." He seemed at a complete loss and uncertain of what he should say. Kahilnar couldn't blame him as he felt shaken himself. How had he done that? Was something wrong with him? Or was he just different in a way Alagos didn't even understand? The Easterling didn't know, but if there was anyone he trusted to be able to figure it out, it was the male who stood before him now, his amber eyes looking cloudy as he thought. Kahilnar didn't speak as he recognized that look, simply waiting.

Alagos wasn't seeing Kahilnar at all he gave a silent question to the only One who could answer. He KNEW he'd never seen anything like this before, both in the past and the present, and he needed answers. Was something wrong with Kahilnar or was this a gift unlike any Arda had seen in a dragon? He needed to know and so he spoke to his Creator, uncertain. Eru, should I be worried?

A chuckle answered him and the shape-shifter relaxed, instantly at ease. The words he heard, however, peaked his curiosity to new levels. This is only the beginning, My Son.

What? Alagos almost yelped the question in his mind, but there was no answer and the shape-shifter's eyes cleared until they were looking into the familiar green eyes of Kahilnar. The Easterling looked apprehensive and Alagos smiled. "This is new type of gift. Eru's blessed you with it and I will be the first to admit that I don't have the smallest clue how it is going to work or the limits you'll have."

"Well, that's reassuring." Kahilnar's voice was sarcastic, no longer student. He didn't think he'd be in the role again today and Alagos seemed to sense that, only smiling more widely. The Easterling gave a heavy sight and looked toward Sharpmist who was still watching them intently with her large red eyes. "What do you think of this?"

The dragoness growled. "When are you going to take the form of a dragon?"

Kahilnar snorted out loud. "You are no help." He ignored the battle dragoness' glare and looked at Alagos. "Can I try again?" His own eagerness surprised him, but Alagos looked amused and only nodded. Kahilnar gave him a concerned look and the shape-shifter only shook his head. The Easterling frowned, not convinced. "Your head hurts and you're tired, aren't you?"

Alagos sighed silently, but nodded and simply sat, crossing his legs and resting his chin on his hand, watching, but no longer as a teacher. Both he and Kahilnar sensed the actual lesson was done for the day and now was the time for Kahilnar to see what he could do without instruction if he could do anything at all. The shape-shifter didn't think he'd make a very good instructor if he was unable to speak anyway and right now, his head hurt with the strain he'd put on it today. His throat was sore again, too and he felt tired. Sitting and simply observing was probably the best thing for him to do right now, and he did so, watching Kahilnar with interest.

The Easterling seemed to be thinking hard about what he wanted to change into, but after a time, he gave frustrated growl and relaxed. Giving up on the process he'd used twice now to change his form. "Argh, I don't know what I'm doing wrong!" He was speaking to himself, not expecting an answer and he certainly didn't get if from the person he thought might possibly answer. Sharpmist's voice in his head surprised him. "Alagos is trying to teach you control and while that is well and good once you have changed your shape, why do you have to have such control before you shift?"

Kahilnar frowned, thoughtful. Maybe Sharpmist was right. Or maybe she wasn't. Alagos had said he need to be able to control what creature he shifted into, but did that mean he had to have absolute control of his gift? Or did it mean he had to have complete control over his mind? The Easterling decided to test the theory and called his power again, feeling the wild heat of it flow through his veins. It sought something, he could clearly feel that, but instead of trying to harness the power, this time he just cleared his mind, cleared it of everything but the desire to change his form. Into what, he wasn't sure. Nothing came to mind and for a strange reason, Kahilnar felt that was right.

His power latched on to the thought, finding nothing else of substance the Easterling grinned even as he felt his form changing. Only...it wasn't...and yet, it was. And then it stopped, just like it had twice before. Kahilnar opened his eyes slowly, only to see that he was still at the same height that he'd been at as a human and in fact, his body was still that of a human. Confused, he didn't immediately see Alagos stunned look and instead started studying his body. The Easterling froze, his expression gaining an identical look to Alagos' own as he took in what had happened to him.

He now knew why his back felt strange as he took in the dragon-like wings that expanded from between his shoulder-blades, folded docilely against his back. They were huge, nearly the entire length of his body from his head to the ground and Kahilnar was willing to bet they'd probably be just as wide if he ever learned how to stretch them out. Their substance was like leather, the bones he could see appearing strong and their coloring was a dark green, just like his eyes. He couldn't stop staring at them and so failed to notice what Alagos had.

The shape-shifter's voice in his head was quiet. "Kahil. Tail." Only two words, but they immediately made the Easterling look down lower on his body and his mouth dropped at seeing the long, reptilian tail that lay slightly curled on the ground, sprouting from his lower back, appearing to be connected to his tail-bone if what he was feeling was correct. It was green like his wings, but unlike the wings, the tail had scales, dragon-like scales all tightly woven together. In fact...his arms had them too in certain spots, patches of small scales on the top of his forearms and the back of his hands. Just from feeling alone, Kahilnar could tell they were in uneven, but symmetrical patch on his legs and when he reached up to feel his face, his fingertips encountered a line of thin scales going underneath each of his eyes, spreading out a bit and then thinning again as they traveled over the bridge of his nose.

Kahilnar blinked into space before a grin spread across his face. He saw an answering one come to Alagos face and the shape-shifter spoke slowly in his head, his voice strained but determined. "I have never seen this form. It is good." Kahilnar could only nod and he looked up as Sharpmist approached, looking flabbergasted. It was an expression he hoped to see again and he told the dragoness as much in his mind. Sharpmist growled, but it didn't last long as she studied him, curious.

Eventually she spoke. "This isn't the form of a dragon. Why did you stop?" Kahilnar could only stare at her for a long moment before he started laughing, leaving Sharpmist to glare at him indignity, thoroughly frustrated with her bonded.

Alagos wisely chose to remain out of it, not saying a word to either of them.


Please reviewy! They make me happy and right now, with having to pack for my family's move...I could use some happy! LOL