Web ran, tears pouring down his face, into the dark woods. He stumbled and tripped, crashing into the rough trunks of tree, staggering blindly in the dark. He looked behind him and his eyes widened as he heard the crashing of feet and a pair of glowing eyes. He blinked and sank to his knees as Briar whined at his feet and wrapped his arms around the wolf's neck, sobbing.

"Oh, Briar, I am so happy to see you," Web wept.

The wolf licked his face, tasting the salt of his tears. Web looked up, wiping his nose on the back of his sleeve as a cold mist fell across his face, dusting his hair with tiny raindrops. Leave and branches covered the line of sight to the sky but not one star shone, a sure sign dark clouds covered it, hanging low to empty a steady rain down upon the earth.

Web stumbled to his feet and plodded on, his bare feet cold against the damp ground. Briar whined and followed with an anxious expression as if trying to draw him homeward but Web could not return after running away. Not after what had happened.

The dark thickened around him and the sound of rain falling was all he heard. He began to feel sick and the dizzy feeling of the ginjali working in his blood returned. He swallowed, feeling his stomach heave, and dropped to the ground to vomit up his insides. His breath came in gasps and his heart fluttered as the air became tainted with the putrid smell of puke. He stumbled to his feet as Briar dug his teeth into the cloth of his sleeve and dragged him across the ground into the meager shelter of a small cave in the hillside ahead.

Web crawled into the far corner and curled up, rocking back and forth with moans of despair. His wet hair dangled in his eyes, dark against his pale face. He looked at Briar, shivering in the cold and his damp clothes.

"Galleon," he whispered, and fainted.

Briar licked Web's face but the elfling did not stir. He sat back and whined. After a moment he turned and ran from the cave.

Zionel hunkered low in the armchair, his eyes on the floor directly below his feet. Galleon sighed and looked at him from across the room as he opened the door to his room and let Anialia pass him with Ilune in her arms.

"He is gone, Zionel," Galleon said. "We cannot look for him in the rain and the dark of night. Sleep."

Zionel nodded, his eyes tired. Galleon started to close the bedroom door but stopped as he heard scratching and whining at the door.

"Briar!" Zionel said, the blood draining from his face. The wolf would not have left Web unless something bad had happened to him. He bounded across the room but Galleon already had the door open and the dripping wolf shot into the house. He grabbed Zionel's sleeve in his teeth and pulled him toward the gaping hole of darkness, his ears laid back, whining.

"Something has happened to Web," Zionel said, reaching for his boots and clock at the same time. "I am going after him."

"I will come with you," Galleon said, jerking on his oiled coverings and boots at the same time. He looked over his shoulder as Anialia approached with a lit lantern in her hand.

"You will need a light," she said, handing it to Zionel. She leaned forward to kiss Galleon on the cheek and stood in the doorway to watch them go. "Stay safe."

"We will," Zionel called, squinting as the rain blew into his eyes. He hunched his shoulders and followed after Briar.

The rain had washed most of the scent away but Briar followed the scrapes and traces of the smell with dogged determination, doubling back and double-checking his steps. He called up the dim memories of Web's path to aid him through the stormy night and walked on.

The wind and rain made an uncomfortable mix but the small light the lantern gave burned on steadily, protected from the wind. It flickered over the mouth of a small cave in a hill and Briar's stalwart form as he stood on the hill, looking back at them.

Zionel and Galleon sprinted up the hill and peered into the low reach of the cave. Web's pale skin alerted them to his presence as the lantern light ran over him.

"Web!" Zionel called.

The elfling did not stir. As Briar licked Web's face, Galleon realized he was unconscious. He ducked into the cave and slid his arms under Web's small frame, lifting him in a strong embrace. Worried and dripping, both elves let the wind blow them home.

Web cracked his eyes open and saw above him the same familiar ceiling. He turned his head, overwhelmed with relief to be back at Galleon's house despite all that had happened. It felt good to be out of the cold rain.

A hand touched his cheek and, recognizing it, Web pressed his face against it with a soft sound of appreciation.

"Hey," Zionel said, leaning down over him.

"Mmm," Web said hesitantly.

"It is all right, Web," Zionel said. "We are not angry you ran away. Ada and naneth understand. Naneth says you will not even catch cold."

Web let his eyes rest on the wall opposite. He looked up as Zionel handed him a mug.

"But naneth says you do have to drink this," Zionel said. "It will expel the ginjali from your body."

Web took the mug and sipped the liquid. His face twisted as the awful bitterness slid down his throat. As the memory of the vomiting and dizziness came back, he choked down the rest of the medicine and let Zionel take the mug.

The fire was glowing in the dark, crackling and throwing out sparks. Web turned onto his side under the warm covers to look at it until it faded from his sight and into sleep. He slept uneasily, not sure he wanted to wake up and face Anialia and Galleon. But at least Zionel would be there.

And when he did wake up, Galleon was sitting in the armchair beside him, his face obscured behind the pages of a word-covered sheet. He lowered the paper as he heard Web stir and smiled at him. Web sat up, the blankets falling down off his chest. He could hear the sounds of Zionel's axe cutting wood. Anialia and Ilune were nowhere in sight and no delicious smells from the kitchen marked their presence.

"How are you feeling?" Galleon asked.

"Fine," Web answered, looking down at his hands. "I-I am sorry I ran away. It was not a wise thing to do and I endangered myself . . . and you."

Galleon tossed the sheaf of papers he held onto the small table beside him and leaned forward to take Web's small, shaking hands in his. "Yes, but we found you and everything worked out for the best. We only realized how much we cared about you until your life was at risk again."

Web looked a little uncertain. "C-cared?" Only Zionel cared . . . right?

"Anialia and I could not sleep last night," Galleon replied. "Even after you were found and safely back here, our dreams were still haunted. Even Ilune was worried."

Web remembered the red crayon and smiled.

Galleon coughed and Web's eyes jerked to his face. "Anialia and I can not have anymore children for a while. Ilune's birth was difficult and the healers told her to wait many years for her womb to strength or she will endanger her life and the life of any child she carries. Although we both wanted another child, we have to wait until those years have gone by. But you are grown and you need a family. We would like to be that family, Web, if you want us."

Web's head spun and the old feeling of the ginjali working its dizziness returned but it was not from the plant in his blood this time. He did not know how babies were made, as his mother had died at his birth, and he had little experience with females. All he knew was that they looked different. He had known his father in the cellar and the time with the female healers of the palace healing wing had been the first time he had met a female. So, while the first lines of Galleon's collected speech made little sense, he did understand what Galleon was asking. And he knew he would never say no.

Words choked him and he could not bring himself to force the yes past the happiness on his lips. Unable to speak, he leaned into Galleon's arms and hugged him, silent tears dripping down his nose. He knew Galleon would understand.