DISCLAIMER - T.P. owns all.

CHAPTER 4

Kodi yawned and stretched. Allowing herself to slowly wake up, she remembered the events of the last month. After her memories had been shown to New Hope's authority, she had been somewhat distant from them. She liked Tobe even more than before though, after he had protected her and held her as she cried. It wasn't embarrassing or awkward, it had felt comfortable.

Extracting herself from the haystack in which she slept, Kodi planned out her day. Even for a prisoner, she did have a lot of freedom. She hadn't gone back to the cell that she hated so much even once. Even when she pushed Tobe into the latrine as they were cleaning it or when she 'accidentally' soaked Numair with a bucket of water perched on a door. Neither had done any harm anyway. At least the refugees were starting to accept her.

Kodi walked to New Hope's gate. As she had hoped, Lady Kel was there. Kodi really liked her and Daine, although she tried to act as if she didn't care. Any woman who gave her the time of day and could fill the hole in her heart for an older female role model was welcome.

"Good morning!" Lady Kel said. Kodi tried hard to hide her wide grin. "Where are you off to this early in the morning?"

"That's what I'm here for. I wanted to ask you something." Kodi crossed her fingers for luck and held them behind her back. "I wondered if I could leave New Hope. Not forever. Just for the morning. Honest."

Kel smiled. "Alright. One condition. You take an escort." Kodi's heart sank. She had secretly hoped that Kel would trust her. "The truth is," Kel admitted, "That Tobe has been annoying me greatly the past few days. He says that he wants to do something more than hang around New Hope. Really, you would be doing me a favor if you let him along with you."

This time Kodi couldn't keep the grin from her face. "I'll go get him."

When she returned with a drowsy Tobe, Kodi was back within five minutes upon the time she had left. Distracted by the youths' playfulness, Kel almost forgot her duties as commander.

"Wait!" Kel called to their retreating backs. "Be careful! Take this hunting horn!" Kodi ran back to fetch the horn. "Blow it three times if you need help. Don't worry; there shouldn't be any raiders about."

Kodi and Tobe frolicked like children in the fall leaves in the woods. They threw leaves at each other and knocked each other into leaf piles. The leaves had never been so colorful or the air as fresh as that autumn morning. Forgetting all their cares, Kodi and Tobe larked about. Finally tired out, they flopped into a leaf pile. Tobe's forehead wrinkled in concentration.

"Kodi, why don't you like your magic?" If it had been anyone else, Kodi wouldn't have answered. This was Tobe, however, her friend who just wanted to help her.

"The one part of my magic that I like, I'm trying to forget and I hate the other part." Kodi said vaguely yet truthfully.

"I don't get it." Tobe was confused. Anyone who didn't know Kodi's past would be.

"I like my wild magic, but my ma had it and she's dead." Kodi's voice cracked.

"You don't have to tell me this if you don't want to." Tobe offered. Kodi shook her head and continued.

"My other part comes from Him. I hate it but I need it." Kodi said. "I wish I could tell you more, but I can't." Tobe's arm snaked around Kodi's shoulders in an awkward sort of hug. Kodi leaned her head up against his. They sat there for a moment.

Kodi sprang up. "Race you back to New Hope!" she challenged. Tobe responded by running. Cursing, Kodi took a different path through the woods. Tobe was out of view as she gave it her hardest effort. She might beat him if she ran as fast as she could. Entering a large clearing, Kodi heard heaving panting behind her.

"You breathe like a winded bull!" Kodi taunted. There was no answer and the panting got closer. "You won't beat be!" Kodi shouted as she extended her stride a little bit more. She came around a clump of trees and stared down in shock, still running. Tobe was in front of her, but something was breathing behind her. Looking behind her quickly, she moaned in fear and tripped on an outstretched root.

"Tobe!" she screamed as she went down. Rolling over quickly, Kodi saw a huge dog/wolf closing the distance between Kodi and it. She could hear Tobe shouting, but she knew that he wouldn't get there in time. Scrambling for footing, fright made her wobbly and clumsy. Fumbling for the hunting horn, Kodi tripped again and then the dog was upon her.

Putting its paws on Kodi's shoulders and pinning her to the ground roughly, the dog was huge. Staring at its blue almond eyes, Kodi could only stare as its weight held her. The dog leaned closer, meeting her gaze. Suddenly, the dog was knocked away by Tobe. Getting up, wincing as she straightened her bruised shoulders, Kodi blew the hunting horn quickly. Dropping it, she rushed to help Tobe.

The dog should have mauled Tobe by now, but it hadn't. It just looked to be wrestling with him, almost as if it were having fun. Not even thinking, Kodi whistled the way that her brother had taught her; joining her thumb and forefinger and putting it into her mouth. The dog looked up and extracted itself from Tobe delicately. It then briskly trotted over to Kodi. Surprised, Kodi stared at it.

It was a he and he was a huge dog, slightly bigger than a wolf. Looking at him close up, Kodi could see that he was the breed favored by Scanren nobleman and royalty; the husky. He had a cream underbelly, legs, and front. His back was black, mixing with the white in some places. The back of his neck and ears were also black. The black crept onto his face, but ended just above his eyes, except for a streak that came out a few inches onto his muzzle. The husky's fur was a couple inches long and sitting down, his head came up to Kodi's waist.

"Well." was all that came out of Kodi. "Dogs like you are expensive. What are you doing about with no owner?"

"What is he doing attacking you?" Tobe snapped.

"Aw, he was just playing." Kodi said although she wasn't even sure of it. "Anyway, he isn't causing any trouble, is he?" The husky chose that moment to bark sharply twice and then howl. Shivers crawled up Kodi and Tobe's spines. Not that they were afraid of wolves, but this dog sounded like one.

A clang of metal at both sides of the clearing made them look up. At one side was Kel leading two squads of men. On the other, raiders were running towards Kodi and Tobe with spears raised. Kodi gave Tobe a look.

"At least we had a good reason for blowing the horn, even if we didn't know it at the time." Tobe said as they started to run to the New Hope rescuers.

"I think us getting attacked by a dog is reason enough." Kodi argued reasonably as she sprinted, ducking an arrow from the bandits. The mentioned husky ran beside the pair.

"I don't know. As you said, he wasn't actually causing any harm." Tobe pointed out as he dodged a spear.

"Forgive me if I didn't check to make sure you weren't in serious pain before I tried to save your life." joked Kodi good-naturedly. "Next time I'll wait until I see blood." The three of them ran behind the line of King's Own.

"Report." ordered Kel as she kept her eyes on the bandits. The Own were shooting to keep them at bay. Tobe snuck a look at Kodi before he went to attention, eyes filled with mirth.

"We were just in the woods…um well…Kodi blew the horn… its complicated. I'll explain later, okay?" Kel nodded and led the men in a charge.

Kodi tossed Tobe a spear, keeping one for herself. They were about to charge themselves, when Numair spoke from atop his horse where he was working battle magic.

"Lady Kel told me to tell you that you're to stay here and not to put yourself in any danger." After the glare they simultaneously gave him, he muttered. "Well, don't shoot the messenger."

The fight with the bandits was over in another minute and the rescue party was on its way back to New Hope. Tobe explained the events of the day, starting with when Kodi got chased by the dog, with Kodi nodding at the appropriate parts. Through the whole thing, the husky stayed right by Kodi's side. Kodi didn't mind. She kind of liked him.

"Numair?" Daine said quietly, gesturing for him to fall back behind the soldiers. "Something isn't right with the dog." Numair turned around, alarmed and Kodi stiffened indignantly, also stopping. Tobe was far behind her.

"What is it, Daine?" Numair said, just as quietly. Neal, Kel, and Dom were heading their way, noticing them falling behind.

"Well," Daine said hesitantly, "I can't reach him. Tobe wouldn't have noticed, because he can only talk to horses. Kodi wouldn't have noticed because she keeps her magic locked up and hidden." Kodi made a face at Daine, who grinned and continued. "I can't talk to him or get any thoughts from him."

"I don't know," said Numair carefully. "Maybe he's a sorcerer trapped in a dog's form. More likely, he is a spy. We will have to lock him up and interrogate him."

Kodi was livid. "Interrogate a dog? Are you mad? Don't even bother answering that, I already know the answer." The adults' faces were amused, including Numair's. They hadn't ever heard Numair talked to like that. Kodi knelt down smoothly and buried her face in the dog's fur, throwing her arms around him. The husky turned his head towards hers and touched her face. Touched by the show of emotion, Numair cleared his throat.

"I suppose that he hasn't done anything wrong yet. If he does anything unnatural, you have to come to more, alright Kodi?" Kodi smiled up at him gratefully.

"Come on, Dog!" she shouted as she ran into New Hope, a skip in her step. "Oh, Tobe come on!" Tobe rolled his eyes but followed.

"Canine?" Tobe suggested.

"No, that's stupid!" Kodi said, stroking her new friend's fur.

"Well, I've been through every other animal name in the realm." Tobe said and he wasn't exaggerating.

"That's the problem." Kodi explained patiently. "Something for an animal just doesn't fit. You should try human names." Tobe grumbled.

"He's your dog. "Um, Anton?" Kodi shook her head. "Toric? Youden? Clastic? Numair?" Kodi grinned infectiously.

"Tempting, but no. I try to refrain from insulting my new friends." Tobe and Kodi dissolved into peals of laughter.

"Jamus? Madon? Captus?" The last name Tobe had read somewhere in a history book. Kodi stopped laughing immediately.

"No." she said flatly. "No. No. No."

"But why? It fits him and he likes it." Tobe protested. It was true. The husky had perked up a bit when the name was mentioned.

Kodi hesitated. She had kept her past to her self for so long that she was hard in bringing it forward. Habits were hard to break and some things were just too painful.

"Captus was my brother's name. He…died. He was nine. It was a year after my mother's death. I was only six."

"I'm sorry." Tobe didn't know what to say.

"It's alright. You didn't know." One solitary tear ran down her cheek, but she brushed it away quickly. She was getting too emotional lately. She would have to work on being more like her other self.

"Captus." Kodi rolled the name on her tongue, her Scanren accent coming back for the moment. "You're right though. It does fit. My brother would have liked me naming my friend after him."

"Captus it is." Tobe said. He knelt next to Kodi and drew his dagger. "In the name of the memory of a noble boy, I dub thee Captus, protector and loyal friend." Tobe tapped the dagger on both of Captus' shoulders and Captus gave a small nod of his head that resembled a bow.

Kodi looked adoringly at Tobe. She didn't mean too, but it just happened. Tobe stared back at her and leaned forward. Kodi watched him come closer and closer. You don't need this, she thought. Remember your mother? You can't trust men. Your mother loved your father, didn't she? Look where that got her, six feet under. Come on, push him away…

Tobe's lips were on hers. Startled Kodi stiffened, but then relaxed, closing her eyes and leaning into him. It felt well, nice. Besides what harm could one kiss do? Tobe broke away red-faced.

"Um. I have to, um, go." He clumsily got up, grinning crazily. Watching him,

Kodi felt her insides melt. She could also feel a grin on her face and correctly guessed that she also looked a bit insane. Captus looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

"What harm can a kiss do?" Kodi said to him. "A lot, I guess."