Conor woke up, his forehead beaded with sweat. Could it be true? Did I just see Uraza's past or was it just random cats? Unsettled, he sat up in his bed and glanced down at the floor. Briggan was sleeping beside his bed but as Conor moved, the wolf raised his head and let out a yawn. Then Briggan leapt to his paws, noticing Conor's expression and padded over, sitting down and placing a paw on his lap.
"What do you think I should do?" Conor asked. He was back in his home in Trunswick, visiting for the time being. The wolf looked at him and is like: Well? What do you think?
Shaking his head, Conor climbed out of bed. He knew it couldn't be a Great Beast since they all died in the last battle against Shane and his army of Conquerors, apart from the Four Fallen of course. Only recently have the Great Beasts started to return. Conor quickly got dressed and headed into the kitchen. He nodded to his mother as he grabbed a biscuit and his shepherd's crook before heading outside.
It was his second week at home after returning from Greenhaven. Briggan had been a help with the sheep, however the wolf had a rough start at first. There was even that incident a few days ago when one of the neighboring farms lost a sheep to a wolf attack and blamed it on Briggan. It was only by examining the carcass was Conor able to prove that the sheep was not killed by Briggan but by another wolf. Not only that, things were still a bit tense between Conor's brothers and Briggan. However, Conor knew that his brothers were slowly trusting his spirit animal with the sheep. Though it would probably be helped by the knowledge that Conor will soon be leaving for Greenhaven again. If they find that out, it would increase the tolerance level for Briggan around the sheep.
"Morning, Conor!" Garrin called from where he stood at the barn. There were a few dogs at his side. Wallace was already unlocking it as Conor came up, munching on the biscuit.
"Where's father?" Conor asked, finishing the biscuit.
"He went to get some feed for the sheep," Wallace answered, swinging the door wide open. "He took Besty with him." Besty was an old chestnut mare that their father had acquired a few weeks ago and already the horse had proven herself capable of helping out. Conor took a step back and sat down, still munching on the biscuit. Briggan sat beside Conor as they watched the sheep stream out into the countryside.
"You should really keep that wolf passive," Garrin muttered as the dogs that slept with the sheep trotted out. Solider, Conor's favorite sheepdog, came over. Briggan and Solider regarded each other coolly before playing together. Conor got to his feet, pleased that Briggan and Solider were finally getting along. At first, two canines nearly had a fight when Solider ran over to greet Conor, the first time he came home. It was only Conor's quick thinking and explaining that let Briggan back down without a fight. Ever since then the two dogs have been mutual towards each other. It was a relief to see that the ice was beginning to thaw. Conor ignored Garrin's remark and followed the sheep with his brothers. It was easy to ignore his older brother's remark when his thoughts were on something or someone else.
As they walked, Conor couldn't help but wonder about the dream. Cats were fighting other cats but stopped each time one cat yowled. It was a different yowl and than all the rest, more commanding than full of pain and anger. It was always the same dream except for this time. This time, Conor saw Uraza, Essix, Jhi and Briggan there as well, but the cats were helping each other against a slew of strange new cats. He couldn't make out the features of the strange cats but he remembered that they glowed with a strange light and something was very off about them. He stopped as Briggan and Solider ran over, both with wagging tails and worried expressions. Briggan reached Conor first and let out a small, worried whine. Conor smiled and reached out a hand which Briggan promptly pressed his head against.
"Are you thinking about Abeke?" Wallace teased as Conor ran his hand through Briggan's fur. Like everybody else in Erdas, Wallace and Garrin knew about the close relationship the four heroes had. It often led to a lighthearted teasing but today, Conor didn't feel like it.
"No," Conor answered. "Something else. I think I need to see Olvan."
"What!" Garrin stopped and looked at him. "You just came back from Greenhaven! You can't go back there!"
"I will leave tomorrow," Conor asserted gently. His brothers exchanged worried looks but relented, they knew they couldn't stop Conor. His mind was made up. Conor lifted his hand and with a flash of light, Briggan became a mark on his arm.
The day went by without a hitch and at dusk, they ushered the sheep back into the barn. The dogs were fed and a few were picked out to be placed into the barn to help protect the sheep. Soon Conor was in his room after supper, packing the necessities he would need to get to Greenhaven.
Olvan won't believe me when I tell him about this. But he must take it seriously. If not, I'll bring Lenori into the discussion.