A/N: Let's check in with these crazy kids...

ENJOY!

"Like I said, I'm a witch, but not a very good one. My parents are very powerful witches, known throughout Everlee. As their daughter it was assumed that I would be just as powerful." Ellaene sighs and hunches over. It was clear to me that she didn't fear being struck like I previous thought, but that she carried the weight of her parent's disappointment in her. "Soon I'll be twenty seasons, the point in which if I'm destined to be a great witch, the Divine Ones would bestow upon me my full witches power. In order to be worthy of such a gift, I must undergo Iter Virtus to prove that I'm ready. That is why I'm in these woods, to display my strength and courage."

Without breaking contact, she turned to face me. Her grey blue eyes were serious, as if what she was going to say next was of grave importance. "It's important to me that I complete my journey. I do not wish to let my parents down. They have worked so hard to teach me what meager powers I do possess. I must receive my destiny from the Divine Ones."

I nodded to let her know that I understood. I was all too familiar with the drive to prove that your life meant something, to make someone proud of you. "What did Alicena mean that our destinies were intertwined?"

Ellaene shook her head. "That I do not know. But she was clear that I should bring you to the Guardians. It is our custom."

"What is a Guardian?"

"They are the protectors of the portals between our world and the human world. Humans only find our world when they are in danger. Like you, they are usually injured. As per our code of honor, we heal them and bring them to the Guardians to send them back to their world."

My gut clenched painfully at her words, but it didn't make sense why. Not wanting to focus on going back home just yet, I pushed my reservations aside and turned my focus back to Ellaene. She was rubbing her thumb along the back of my hand, it was comforting and soothing. It had been too long since I felt such tender touch.

"When will you bring me to the Guardian's?"

Her thumb stopped moving and she looked away. "We should rest here for one more night, then when the sun rises we will head out." With that she let go of my hand completely and I immediately missed her touch and warmth. "Are you still hungry? There are vulpes that I can hunt for meat that will satisfy you till morning."

"I'm fine."

With that she began to lay a few blankets by the fire she replenished, crawled underneath them and never said another word to me till morning.

I woke to the sun on my face and tantalizing aromas. Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I discovered Ellaene cooking something that smelled so good it made my stomach rumble. "Whatever that is, I hope it tastes as good as it smells." I gave a wide smile to her.

To my pleasure, she returned it. "I may not be the best witch, but I can make tasty meals." I watched as she deftly served up breakfast. She took a thin branch that has been partly in the fire and used it like a skewer. When she handed it to me, I had no idea what was on there, but from the noises my stomach was making, it didn't care, it just wanted food.

The first thing on the skewer looked like a fried veggie of some sort. I bit into it and I was surprised by the sweetness of it. I gobbled up a few more of them before I came to something that looked like chicken. Figuring it was better not knowing what I was going to eat, I popped it into my mouth. I moaned as the meat melted in my mouth. In a few more minutes I had finished everything on the skewer.

I looked up toward Ellaene who was watching me with an amused tilt to her lips. "Is the food pleasing to you?"

"Yes, very. Is there any more?" Ellaene nods and holds her hand out for my skewer. Eagerly I hand it to her and watch as she heaped on more food than it had before.

"Thank you, this is very good."

"It's one of my favorite foods to eat."

I smiled. "I think its one of mine as well." Ellaene laughed which filled my body with giddiness. I wanted to hear her laugh again.

After we ate, we worked together to snuff out the fire and pack up our campsite. We bickered a little about my wanting to help carry some of the supplies. In the end I won and Ellaene made a nifty little carrying handle out of some vines that grew nearby.

"Don't forget your sword. Alicena said it would be important to you." Ellaene handed it to me and I slipped the strap over my head so it laid cross-wise over my back.

"Do you know what she meant by that?" Ellaene shook her head.

"No, but fairies do not give gifts easily, so it must be important." I nodded and followed her as we started walking.

"How far is the place where we'll find the Guardians?"

"They live in Latens Hill. It could take us several moons to get there." I had figured by now that moons were her way of saying days. I nodded at her explanation and we walked in silence.

The silence didn't last long as Ellaene began to describe things her world. At times the sights were too fantastical to be real, but they were, in amazing living color. I saw trees similar to pine trees that smelled like lilacs. There were thick bushes that held berries that tasted incredibly like buttered popcorn. Ellaene laughed at me when I filled my pockets with bunches of them.

As we walked she talked about her parents, Aro and Pecia. They were highly regarded due to their powers. Both were from a long line of powerful witches. There was a fondness in her voice as she told me stories of learning from them. It was obvious that she loved them and wanted to make them proud.

"Your parents sound wonderful. You're lucky to have them in your life."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ellaene regard me thoughtfully. "I thought humans also have parents. Do you not?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, humans have parents, I just never knew mine."

"What happened to them?"

"My mom died shortly after I was born. She was sick and never got better. I was raised by her mother, I called her Granny Rose. I never knew who my father was. Granny said he was a thief."

"A thief?"

"That's someone who takes things that don't belong to them."

"Ahh." There was a long pause. "Why would someone do that? Do they not know that it's wrong?"

I chuckled at Ellaene's innocence. "They know, just don't care."

"What a sad place to live," she mused.

"You got that right."

Silence settled over us once again, and this time I welcomed it. I missed my Granny. She worked hard to raise me, and I admired her strength and spirit. It was devastating when she was diagnosed with cancer. Together we fought hard, doing anything and everything we could. In the end, the cancer won. The day I buried her, was the worst of my life. I sold everything and got the hell out of town. It was too hard being reminded of Granny everywhere I went.

"Edward?"

Ellaene's concerned voice broke my morbid train of thought.

"Yeah?"

"You ill? You didn't response when I called your name."

I patted her arm. "I'm fine, just thinking." She smiled at me.

"Do you want to hunt vulpes with me? They're good for long journeys."

"I'd love to!" We quickly set up camp near a grove of trees as Ellaene described an animal sounded like a fox. She studied the area looking for signs of the animal. When she found what she was looking for, she motioned me to follow her.

"Vulpes love to burrow under dead leaves. So look for big piles of leaves." We walked around for a bit when Ellaene halted and motioned to a huge pile of leaves that would move occasionally. Ellaene picked up a rock from the ground handed to me while she pulled a wicked looking spear from a holder under her many shirts. "Go around and when I tell you, throw the stone and they'll come out toward me."

I nodded even though I felt uneasy letting her do the hunting. It wounded some deep primal male instinct in me. Yet, all caveman tendencies aside, this wasn't my world and getting killed after all the time Ellaene spent healing me didn't seem appropriate. When I was in place, she hid so that most of her body was hidden but she still had line of sight.

She nodded, and I threw the stone to the back of the pile of leaves. Almost immediately several vulpes came bolting out of the pile and like Ellaene predicted, they came charging in her direction. Lightning fast Ellaene thrust her spear at two of the creatures.

"Wow, that was fast."

Ellaene shrugged. "We do not believe in letting any creature suffer, even if we are killing them for food. They deserve to die quickly and with honor." In that moment I envied Ellaene. There was such a high moral standard for how to act and it was refreshing.

Less than twenty minutes later there was a fire going and both animals were being roasted over it. I had found more of the popcorn berries and I was amusing Ellaene by having her try and throw them into my mouth. Vulpes smelled and tasted like steak, so while I was eating it, I tried not to picture it as the small furry creature it used to be.

A/N: Aww... both so similar in their stories... Do you want to go hunting vulpes with Edward? Leave me some love!

WVG