Woo okay then. From a short chapter to a long one XD. Hopefully this isn't too much thrown at you at once. Just tell me if it is and I'll make sure not to do it again the the future :.

Don't have much to say about this chapter. It explains some stuff about the main characters though. So have at it!

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Not even thinking, Coen swung his right arm around. The hilt of his sword connected with the beast's skull; the creature gave a dull growl and fell over. Coen quickly jumped up to defend himself, and soon regretted his fast movement as his head spun. But his attacker was still recovering from its own headache, giving him enough time to steady himself.

The animal was feline, certainly, judging from the lithe body and long, narrow tail, although Coen couldn't recall any large cat species that lived in Serdio. In fact, he had a hard time thinking of any kind of large cat native to Endiness. Still, biology was not his area...

The cat had recovered and feigned a lunge at him. Coen held it at bay with the point of his sword, and the two backed apart to size one another up. The man-sized feline crouched, tail lashing back and forth, ears turned back into the blue-gray mane along the back of its neck.

Coen blinked at the cat. I...I know that color...blue mane on a gold cat...

It was attacking again, and as Coen blocked the hooked claws with his blade, he realized that this was no animal he was attacking. No animal wore clothing, even as little as this cat had on.

The cat's hands flexed around the sword, avoiding the sharp edge. The head snapped forward, teeth flashing as the creature tried to bite Coen's face. The knight responded by jerking his sword upwards just far enough to send the message that he could easily slice the cat's throat if he just moved the sword a little higher...

Mane ruffled in anger, the feline withdrew, still pressing against the sword, pushing Coen backwards. Bright green cat eyes glared at the young man from within a mask of blue-gray fur.

No...it can't be her...it can't...

Distracted by this possible revelation, the cat managed to push Coen back to the ground. He winced as the lion-like creature leaned its full weight onto him, pressing the flat of his sword against his chest, three broad, clawed paws against his torso, pinning him to the ground. With little room to expand, his lungs struggled to draw air, and his vision began to spot black. He could feel the feline's fine whiskers against his face, the warm breath carried by a low growl.

I'm going to die...I'm going to die...

The cat seemed to be waiting. Waiting for Coen to realize exact how angry it was before it delivered a final blow. Angry over what, Coen wasn't quite sure...something about the wolf? He was having trouble forming coherent thoughts as he became dizzy from lack of air.

But one thought was clear. A memory, a group of memories, held back by time, only bringing pain to himself and others when they surfaced. The dull, ever-present ache of why? within him.

"...Niira?" Coen managed to gasp.

Silence. The cat didn't move.

Coen felt despair rise in him. It's not her...and I'm going to die now...

Slowly, the large paws were lifted from him. The feline backed away; Coen coughed and shuddered as he could suddenly breathe again. He rolled onto his side, wheezing a few times.

Then the lion-creature spoke. "Who are you?" The voice was low and rumbled with a snarl, but was unmistakably female.

The knight was finally able to get himself into a kneeling position on one knee without feeling dizzy. It can't be her though...she's... He set down his sword to gingerly feel along his sore ribs. Nothing broken...

"Who are you?" she demanded again. "How do you know me?"

It is her. But that's impossible...it's impossible... "You're..." He couldn't find a way to formulate speech out of his tangled thoughts.

She was unimpressed, still sitting back on her haunches--or semi-crouching, he couldn't tell--with her ears pinned back and whiskers bristled.

But she's sitting right here in front of me. Her father would...what would he do? "Your father...he..."

She bared her teeth--a fearsome sight with the double pair of dagger-light fangs in her mouth. "What do you know about my father?"

"Sir Lavitz...First Knight of Serdio."

"Basil."

It took a moment for Coen to figure out the tone in her voice. She was trying to correct him. Of course... "Serdio."

She clearly didn't believe him.

The country was still split when she...died...or I guess 'disappeared' would be a better word. "Doel is dead, Niira. Serdio is a single country now. Has been longer than I've been a knight."

Slowly, she relaxed a bit, claws retracting, hidden away in velvety golden fur.

"You've been gone a long time." A muscle in Coen's leg twitched again; he had never been good at staying put in awkward poses for long.

Niira was silent for what seemed like several minutes. Somewhere above them, the wolf could be heard working its way free of its entrapment. Finally, Niira spoke again. "Who are you?" Her voice was no longer threatening, although heavy with suspicion.

Would she even remember me...? "Niira...it's me...Coen..."

Her green eyes never strayed from him. Then suddenly, she sprang forward. Coen braced himself for the impact.

He was bowled over again, although this time it was the arms of a human that surrounded him, not the claws of a lion. "Coen!" The exclamation was muffled, as she spoke it into his shoulder. "I can't believe it..."

You can't believe it? Everyone thought you were dead... "Niira...where...it's been so long...you've grown..."

"You're the one who's grown." She released him, but he made no move to rise--surely somehow he'd just end up back on the ground again. The girl--she's...I suppose she's a woman now--had propped herself up with her arms against his chest. Brushing a loose strand of dirty blonde hair away from her face, she smiled down at him in that cocky way she always had when they were young. As if she hadn't been trying to kill him just moments before. "What are you doing out here?"

Coen felt quite bruised across his chest, but he said nothing about it to Niira. "I was going to ask you that." More like why, how you're alive.

"I asked first."

"I...er...we're station at the town, and..."

A hint of confusion was making its way across Niira's face.

"Just a routine peace-keeping thing, you know."

"No, I don't know."

Right...forgot. "You really have been gone a long time."

"You aren't making any sense."

Coen place a finger on his leather chestplate--now notched from Niira's cat-form claws--pointing to the shallow stamped design of a stylized eagle near the top. The emblem of the Serdian army; the cut and dark blue color of the shirt he wore denoted the Third Knighthood.

Niira observed it quietly. "So you're a knight now? I always knew you would. You never stopped talking about it when you got older."

"I was seven then, and I did not talk about it 'all the time.' Besides, it would have been strange for me not to be in the army. I just figured I might as well go all the way and become a knight."

"Like father, like son, huh?" There was a bitter edge to Niira's voice as she sat back. Coen knew the tone well, even though it had been years since he had last heard it. Having been born to the First Knight, Niira had grown up around soldiers, and had wanted to be a knight herself. She likely would have become one...except that she was female.

Coen slowly sat up, finally free of anyone pinning him down. He quickly thought of how to change the subject, as it was one he found difficult to talk about himself. "My turn then. What are you doing here?"

"I...I'm not sure... I wanted to go home, to Bale, but...I couldn't bring myself to..." She sounded oddly distance, almost lost.

"Why not?" Coen responded in a low voice.

"I don't know." She turned her gaze to the ground, like a hurt child. Coen was shocked.

Something's wrong... Slowly he reached and and gently touched her shoulder. "The company's leaving for Bale tomorrow. You can come with us."

"I don't know if I should."

Something is definitely wrong. "Niira...you should. You don't know what it was like...after you..." He paused, catching himself before he could say 'died.' "Your father..."

She flinched slightly at the mention of him. Why, Coen had no idea.

"Your father suffered so much when you disappeared. At least let him know you're all right." I suffered. I'm sitting right next to you, and I can't even tell if you're all right or not.

She didn't answer.

"Please. We have a lot to catch up on."

There was a crash from the top of the slope, and then suddenly the red wolf was sliding down between them. It glared at Coen, hackles raised, legs tensed for action. The dappled sunlight that reached the forest floor showed dark spots in the bristled fur. The wolf growled; Coen pushed himself away.

Niira hissed something to the beast, and the wolf's attention was diverted to her, as if it had understood what she said.

"You can talk to it?" Coen kept an eye on the canine, unsure of what its next move would be.

"She's my sister."

"...What?"

"Adopted. Friend. Sort of. It's a long story."

"I was wondering there for a moment..."

Niira gave a sigh of mock exasperation. "Coen, you were never that stupid even as a boy."

The wolf barked, as if trying to add to the conversation. In fact, it did sound much like human speech, so much so that Coen thought he was imagining things when he heard "Wuff says wuff" from the animal.

"Yeah, that's about all she can say in word-based languages."

It...she...talks? "How...useful."

"Her name is Alakyl."

"Wuff."

"Huh. Well...um...sorry I was...trying to kill you earlier..." Something about saying that phrase to what he considered a simple animal made Coen feel extremely dumb. "It's my job to protect the village and such, though..."

"I told her to stop doing that, but she wouldn't listen." Niira glared at the wolf, who lowered her ears.

"Maybe she'll listen now, eh?" Coen stood, retrieving his sword from where he had set it earlier. "Speaking of which, I should go get the pack she was chewing up earlier before I forget. You don't happen to know where the other ones are, do you?"

"She won't tell me."

"Great." Several unaccounted-for magical chemicals just sitting somewhere in the forest for anyone to find. This is going to be fun explaining.

They didn't say much as they returned to where Alakyl had emptied the pack earlier that evening. After several admonishments by Coen on how not to handle the explosive vials, they managed to round up most of the supplies, excluding the rations that Alakyl had eaten. Soon, they were making their way to the town again.

"So..." Niira said softly. "You're a knight now."

"Yes."

"Blue's the Third Knighthood, right?"

"You remember well."

"You serve under you father?"

She remembers too well. Coen grit his teeth, suppressing a sudden wave of anger and guilt. "I did. Not any more."

"Who leads the knighthood now?"

"Um...I do."