Thanks everyone for the reviews and for reading Thanks everyone for the reviews and for reading.

And here is the language key:

"normal speech"

'animal speech'

personal thoughts

Sorry I forgot it last chapter.

Chapter 3: Awaking

The Stormwing circled the castle several times at a great height. He didn't want to panic any of the inhabitants, but he didn't know what to do really. Sighing, he glided down into the forest and carefully took a perch on a large branch to think.

A squirrel looked out at him from a hole in the old oak tree. It started chattering at the Stormwing angrily when the immortal spoke. "Look squirrel, I can't understand but about half of what you're saying. I'm not here to do any harm. I'm just here looking for a friend. Some wolves said that they brought her here to the Wild Mage." The squirrel looked at him for a minute before scurrying down the tree.

Not long after it came back with a small flock of starlings. They motioned for the immortal to follow, so he took off and flew after them, careful not to clip one of them with his wings. They led him to a shuttered window with a small ledge near the top of one of the towers. They left him there and flew off somewhere.

Figuring that this was the place, he raised one of his claws and knocked on the shutters. He could hear movement inside and the shutters opened showing a young woman with dark shoulder length hair holding a baby boy in her arms. "What do you want?" she cautiously asked, setting the baby down in a crib and reaching for a crossbow.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone, but some wolves from the north said that I could find my friend here. She was in wolf form then, and injured. They said that they brought her to you," he replied as calmly as possible, for even he knew who this person was. The Wild Mage Daine, she could shoot him faster than he could fall off the ledge.

"How do I know that you're not the one that gave her some of her injuries? Some of them came from claws like yours," Daine responded keeping the bolt leveled on him.

"I was, I had just rescued her when an arrow got me in the back and I dropped her as a Stormwing on the other side came at me," he turned slowly, showing scars on his back that had just recently healed. "Look, just tell her that Lunian is here. She'll confirm my story. I promise that I'm not one you need to fear."

"It would be difficult to ask since she's stuck in her wolf form and won't respond to anyone except Kitten."

"She's still that way? Crap, she's gotten stuck again. Look, she gets stuck sometimes and starts to forget who she is and starts behaving more and more like the animal whose form she's wearing. Please let me in so I can get her changed back before it's too late. Please," the young Stormwing pleaded.

This took Daine aback. She hadn't met many Stormwings that acted so human. The last one died in the Immortal Wars. She didn't want to let this one in with that other Stormwing's namesake in the room, but she didn't want to leave the room for this Stormwing to just come in and kill the girl and leave.

Luckily, her problem was solved with Numair coming in the door. "You won't believe what some of the nobles are trying to get the king to…." Numair froze and brought his black gift up making his hands glitter.

"Wait Numair, he says he knows our guest. Take Rikash and put him to bed. Then come back out. He says he can help our guest," Daine said, never taking her eyes off the immortal perched in front of her. Her husband did as she asked and came back out his hands glittering again. Once he stood at Daine's side she said, "We're going to let you in Lunian, but you'd better go only where we tell you." Lunian nodded at this, "Good. Now you see that stone perch? Go to it and only it."

Lunian closed his wings tight to himself and jumped in the room before walking very clumsily over to the low perch. He only opened his wings once when he stumbled then closed them before the humans could think he was attacking. With another jump he landed on the perch and opened his wings enough to catch his balance.

"What's her name?" Numair said, standing between Lunian and the wolf.

"That's a touchy subject. It would be best if she told you herself," came the answer.

"Who was the on that shot her if you're the one that gave her the claw marks?"

"That's another question for her to answer."

"Why should we trust you at all? And how are you going to get her to turn back if we do let you?"

"I'm not asking for your trust. Just give me a chance to show you and to save my friend. As for the other question I'll say her name and some other stuff that has always brought her back before," Lunian said, becoming annoyed. The two humans looked at each other, communicating with looks and facial expressions. Neither noticed when Kitten slipped past them and stood before Lunian.

"Well, hello young one. I don't think I've ever seen a baby dragon, though I have met a couple of young basilisks though. How are you today? Has she talked to you by any chance?"

Numair and Daine started at his voice and were dumbfounded when Kitten nodded and chirped up at him.

"Sorry little one. I don't understand dragon yet. I haven't had much chance to work on it."

"What do you mean by 'talked to Kitten'?" Daine asked, recovering from her surprise.

"On… She can talk to all immortals, including dragons. Why, can't you?" Lunian answered looking confused.

"No. I can't, usually Kitten makes herself clear about what she wants, so that isn't much of an issue," Daine replied, lowering the crossbow. If Kitten trusted this stranger, then he was probably all right. "Do what you need to, then," she said and stepped aside, pulling Numair with her and letting Lunian see his friend. She had become so thin since he had last seen her. Daine had fed her an egg and grounded meat mixture, but she burned most of it off in no time at all.

Lunian hobbled over to the low table where she lay and looked down at her with slight annoyance. He looked back at the mage and asked, "Could you get a blanket to cover her with? She's very modest, you see."

Numair nodded and went through one door and came back with a large but light blanket. He tossed it over the girl in a wolf's body and stepped back. Lunian nodded his thanks and bent over and whispered in her ear so that the other two in the room couldn't hear, "Now look here, Missy Lia, now is not the time for you to be lazing around in a wolf's body. We've finally gotten to Corus and you're going to spend your time asleep. So unless you want that zhir Anduo bastard's men to get here and tell them their story before you get the chance, then WAKE UP!" He yelled that last bit loud enough to make Daine and Numair jump.

With a roll of multicolored fog the wolf disappeared and when it cleared a thin, hazel-eyed girl was in its place. "No need to yell at me, Lunian. I was coming when you said my name. Oh I hurt! Where am I?" she asked groggily.

"You're at the palace in Corus, Tortall. Who are you and why are you here?" Numair said kindly as he tucked the blanket in around her.

The girl closed her eyes and licked her lips before saying, "My name is Ontillia jian Wilima, the cousin to Queen Thayet, and I wish to ask for sanctuary from a man that wishes to destroy the jian Wilima line," she replied very formally before sinking down into the table. "And could I also get some cloths?" she added with a sheepish grin.

Oh yes I'm slightly evil leaving it off like that, but I do have about half the next chapter written already. Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed this chapter.