I Who Should Not Be
Chapter 15
Onika's eyes snapped open when she felt a familiar presence brush her mind.
We disappoint, we disappear, we die but we don't. They disappoint in turn I fear, forgive though they won't.
The familiar voice in her mind made her jump out of Murtagh's arms, spinning to face the dark forest. The sun wasn't all the way up yet, and probably wouldn't be making much of an appearance at all today. The rain, while not coming down as fiercely as it had during the night, continued to pour down in sheets.
Do you remember the answer?
There was no way she was mistaking the voice that time. Murtagh's eyes opened in time to see Onika change into her giant wolf form, every hair along her back standing straight up, her tail low while the tip twitched occasionally. A growl rumbled out of her chest, making the hairs on Murtagh's head stand up. When he stood, she gave a harsh bark.
:Stay!:
Arya and Eragon started and looked over at the Wolfborn, the younger Rider looking to his brother for information. When Murtagh made a 'stay where you are' motion, Eragon nodded and turned his eyes to the Wolfborn. Arya gasped and pointed into the woods. Both Riders squinted and after a few moments saw what had startled her.
Another Wolfborn.
This creature was only slightly darker than Onika, with a long jagged scar that ran from the end of it's nose back to the base of it's right ear. It's eyes closed and the wolf shape melted into the shape of a naked man with dark tawny hair and a few scattered tattoos on his shoulders and chest, the scar marring a handsome face. Arya noticed that the design of the few tattoos on him matched Onika's own.
Onika growled angrily and took a threatening step forward, her lip curling away from her impressive teeth. The man smirked and took a step toward her, keeping eye contact with the female Wolfborn.
:Pack Female…:
:Leader Male be silent!:
Murtagh glanced at Eragon, then took a step toward the newcomer. The man turned toward the Rider slightly, turning his back on Onika. When she saw his attention shift from her to Murtagh, Onika's mental voice boomed in their heads even as the force of her barking growls pressed on their eardrums.
:Same stay!: Don't you turn your back on me!
The man's smile widened and he turned back to Onika, whose eyes had went wide at her words. She shifted to her Tame form without seeming to intend to. Her face was pale.
"So, you still will call me your Same after all this time."
Onika blinked and shook her head, curling her left hand into a tight fist.
"We stopped being… Sames after you left the Pack. You know the… Wild Law."
"So it comes down to the oaths. You took an oath to kill me I assume."
"Yes."
"Before we do this, I have to ask… When did my beloved Same start to speak like one of the Tame? Wasn't one of your oaths as a Guide to keep to all the old ways?"
"Times…change. I speak in… words my friends will… know."
Onika lifted her left hand and opened it so her palm was pointed toward the male. The scarred man glared at the hand, which had cuts from her long nails. The blood gleamed slightly silver as Onika's eyes went out of focus and her hair was lifted by a breeze that none of the others felt. When she closed her eyes, her hair dropped and she lowered her hand. Her voice was tired and sad as she spoke.
"I have seen what you are. The Dark King calls you Cain. You are to take me to him, alive. Murtagh…"
She turned her head so she could see the dark haired Rider and his brother. She turned a little further to see the elf.
"You need to go. Take Mishee. Go. I will follow."
"No. They will stay. You need a witness, right Same?"
Cain's voice was cold as he smiled cruelly at Onika. The female Wolfborn sighed and looked to Saphira and Thorn.
"You will guard her? If I fail, you will run?"
The dragons looked at the tawny female for a long moment before nodding slowly. Mishee shook her head violently, but was quelled by a very human glare from Saphira. The golden creature looked at her mistress desperately and saw that Onika had already turned her face away and was focused completely on the male called Cain.
"May we use weapons, my beloved Same?"
Onika snarled and glanced at his shins, then his waist, then his arms. She could see no straps that would hold weapons. She unbuckled her own weapons and tossed them over beside her dragon, who looked stunned.
:There will be no weapons other than those which the Ancestors First Mother and First Father gave to us.:
:Alright.:
Murtagh and the others backed away, waiting to see what happened.
The two Wolfborn circled each other slowly, growling challenges at each other and never showing signs of submission. Their Tame forms, Onika had pulled off her clothes and put them with her weapons before starting, gleamed in the rain. As he watched, Murtagh tried to figure out what was happening.
Thorn, does Mishee know what a 'Same' is? Why does Cain keep referring to her as his 'beloved Same'?
Because… The male is her, just as she is the male. She smells like him. That was why he was able to surprise her. His scent is so like hers that she didn't notice it until she heard him.
But what is a Same?!
You haven't figured it out? Look at them closely.
Murtagh looked at Onika as she glared at Cain, then he looked at the male, trying to discern what Thorn was talking about. He did look very similar…
He is her brother…no…
Before he could finish his thought, Arya spoke, her voice low, stunned.
"He's her twin…"