The ocean breeze ruffled Wolfen's golden hair as he leaned on the rail of the ship. He breathed deeply of the salty air and opened his eyes slightly, a faint smile on his face. The province of Carveti grew smaller as the ship sailed onward. "I like the sea. And I like ruling the island," he told Kat. "But, I like the forest more – I suppose that's why I always miss Norwood when I'm away."

"So why are we taking the supplies by boat?" Kat asked. "You could travel through Norwood by land."

"Well, it's faster this way. If we went by land, it would take over a day to travel through Norwood and go over the bridge."

"Oh." Kat studied him a bit. "You're more talkative today," she blurted.

Wolfen chuckled at her bluntness. "I'm in a better mood today," he replied. "Sorry about being so cold yesterday. I just had . . . other things on my mind. But, if Lady Anise can command her own province and army at only fifteen, I am confident in your skills, be you a woman or not. Besides," He flashed her a grin, "you're a ranger. You're familiar with the terrain. Someone who knows the land is a valuable asset in a war."

Kat blushed slightly, unused to compliments. "Well, I'm only four years Anise's senior, and I've never really done this before," she stammered. She lowered her eyes. "But thank you.

Wolfen nodded. "Now," he started, "purely business. I will treat you fairly and equally, as ordered. Nothing degrading, humiliating, sexist, or the like will come to you by me. I can't guarantee that it won't come from anyone else. Also, no special treatment will be given to you. You will have the same hardships as every man around you and if someone spits on your boot, you will take it in stride and continue on with your work. I don't want any brawls. Are we clear?"

Kat saluted. "Clear as crystal . . . sir."

Wolfen smiled slightly. "Good. I know I'd be a bit over-confident if I expected smooth sailing from now on between us, because that is just not going to happen. But, I can hope, right?" He laughed. "It's kind of like this boat." The island of Lisle loomed in the distance, shrouded in fog. "We'll make it. We'll get there. And we'll restore peace to Ishmeria." Wolfen made his hand into a fist, a look of determination upon his face.

Kat stared straight ahead at the new land . . . her home for however long. Unsure of what to expect, she prayed for the best and waited for the ship's arrival.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sorry this chapter's so short – I think the next one is, too. When I started writing this by hand, it wasn't. Anyway, try to put up with it – I know it's a horrible show after the great, long first chapter.

I'll be trying to put in a Prologue, soon, so y'all can get a better idea of what's going on.

~Adryl/Casadrat