The Hunt

It was a merry chase for Fen'harel, something he had not indulged in for many centuries. Traps and cliffs stood in his way, or the Shifter would disappear into a crowd; it would change his face to that of a woman, or a child, and once a dog. But Fen'harel had the tracker that showed him the path straight and true, and never did he falter. He followed the shifter through woods and over rivers, waiting for the mistake that will end the chase.

If there ever was a mistake, it was the Dread Wolf who made it. He never expected his quarry would have allies. Fen'harel had the Shifter cornered in another game of cat and mouse, and he wholly expected the shifter to slip away like the times before, and he would give chase. But a hand appeared through a Eluvian and pulled the Shifter through, and the looking glass shattered in their passing. The Shifter had gone to a place even the Dread Wolf could not follow, and would not return for many years.

The Hounds

The Shifter did return to his sights eventually, and in his unchanging ways the Dread Wolf set off again for the hunt. The Shifter was much more frantic in the chase now, with none of the finesse from the earlier chase. It covered land much quicker, with no traps laid or cliffs to scale. It disappointed the Dread Wolf, who was expecting the sly cunning in his prey from before.

But the Shifter was not running from him at all. In fact, the Shifter was running towards something. One night, the Shifter set upon a great Keep as the Dread Wolf crested a hill. Fen'harel could only watch in awe as any barrier was shattered, any wall in the way brought down without mercy. Great mages were laid to rest forevermore, fierce warriors with many kills to their name were made unable to notch one more. At the end, with the Keep in ruins and the air filled with smoke, the Shifter came out with a child in arms and a woman trailing behind with broken shackles on her legs. Fen'harel didn't follow so closely this time.

The Pack

The Shifter led the woman and the child to a forgotten temple, tucked away in the Withered Forest. And while Fen'harel watched from the tree-tops, the Shifter activated a cracked Eluvian and let them pass through. The woman, with the child clutched to her chest, thanked the Shifter heartfully before she went in, saying she would tell someone on the other side of the Shifter's continued health. That was how the Dread Wolf learned of his quarry's family.

And if he felt a weight in his stomach when the Shifter called out for the niece and grandnephew to stay safe as they disappeared into the Eluvian, he made no show of it upon his face. And if his breath caught when the Shifter turned around with the most brightest of smiles, no one was there to ask after it.

The Beaters

The chase resumed as soon as the Shifter made it past the forest edge, now in the guise as a young woman. There was again all the wit and traps that the Dread Wolf remembered, the close-calls and the near misses that thrilled him. Often he would forget the true reason of the chase, too caught in the game, until he was led to a completely new face with the same old tricks.

Fen'harel became aware of the others chasing quarry when a town they were passing through went up in flames. The Shifter changed into a great Beast, shielding the townsfolk and drawing the ire of the aggressors. The assailant's armour bore the arms of the Keep that the Shifter put to the torch. In a jealous rage, he set upon the chasers and scattered their ranks. When the men fled before him, he was left standing alone with the Shifter looking on him with curiosity.

The Bite

Fen'harel, having almost reached his goal, was taken by surprise when the Shifter refused to teach him how to change his form. He explained he was not with those of the Keep, and that he meant the Shifter or the Shifter's family any harm. But still the Shifter refused him. In anger, the Dread Wolf lashed out at the Shifter.

It was the second great mistake of Fen'harel during the chase, for he underestimated the power the Shifter held, even after a battle. The raw force of the retaliating attack brought the Dread Wolf to his knees. And while not marked with an visible injury, Fen'harel could do nothing as the Shifter slipped away once again.

The Pitfall

While the Shifter did not intentionally leave a trap that day, Fen'harel still found himself insnared. His very heart was caught by the unwitting Shifter, having fallen from his grasp by the unrelenting show of force. He followed through the chase, but with only half-hearted effort, and was haunted by memories of brilliant smiles and powerful magic

To the great misfortune of the Dread Wolf, the others of the Pantheon caught wind of the chase. Several of the Gods wanted the power of the Shifter as well, and converged upon the Shifter. The Shifter, already in fear of the Gods due to Fen'harel, fled to a place they could not follow and was never to return.

The Cage

Fen'harel, in a cold rage he had not felt before, plotted against the rest of the Pantheon. When he saw his opportunity, he sealed away the other Gods, and forced away the Forgotten Ones. In despair, he himself fell into Uthenera.

Though he come to would regret locking away the rest of the Gods, for centuries his anger did not waver. And by the time he tried to end their punishment, there was no way for the others to return. Fen'harel still lives, weighted with guilt and longing for a love he never was able to fully give his heart to.

The Quarry

What the Dalish never head was how Fen'harel tried desperately not to allow his hopes to take flight when his tracker suddenly lit up again, pointing off into the distance after several thousand years of inactivity.

(A.N. I've come to the conclusion that I like Solas. Also this is a "romance" story, if you couldn't tell!)