Chapter 51: Beneath the Silver Moon, part I

"I think we're lost here or maybe the trees moved while we were sleeping?" Alistair quipped lightly. As he paid more attention to the shifting trees and the eery silence of the grove they were walking into, he failed to see a low branch and bumped his head against it.

"Alistair, watch where you're going! Last time you were this clumsy, we had a High Dragon on our tail!" Hadrian shouted at his fumbling lover but the harshness of his tone was beset by a gentle smile on his handsome face. Sounds of laughter echoed around the party of seven. Even Sten emitted a strange noise, which could have been easily mistaken for a snicker or, at least, the Qunari version of one.

"Oohh! You fought a dragon and didn't invite me? Tsk, tsk," the clear Antivan accent cut through all the others like a knife through hot butter.

"Hurmph. I don't think that Hadrian's brother minded that," Leliana remarked and realizing what she said, covered her mouth with one of her hands. It was too late though and Hadrian's head swiveled to meet the elven assassin so quickly that the movement looked painful and even Zevran thought the silver-haired warrior's neck would break from that unnatural move.

However, instead of finding disapproval in the Warden's eyes, Zevran found them to be inquisitive and something else that made him turn away.

"So, anything delicious to spill while we're at it?" Leliana continued, trying to break the slight tension between human and elf. The ice breaker was unnecessary for Hadrian merely smiled at the elf and then he too joined the redhead in trying to coax out any information from the rogue about his and Fergus' discussion.

"Why this sudden interest in my affairs?" Zevran laughed albeit a bit nervously. His hand brushed the air in a light casual move but everyone in the party had seen that gesture often enough to indicate that Zevran really didn't want to talk about it and was trying to defer their attention somewhere else.

"One way or another, we'll find out," Leliana promised darkly but her green eye winked at the elf before disappearing into the thick bushes ahead of them.

"If you three are finished discussing Fergus' chance of evading Zevran's predatory tactics of seduction, can we turn our eyes to our current quest, please? Your rabble has scared off any potential dinners and I'm not going to cook those insects again."

The witch's complaint didn't sour the cheerful moods of her companions. The presence of elfin archers pointing their arrows at them, however, immediately brought all of them back up to the seriousness of their situation. Even Zevran was caught off guard and the elf cursed in another dialect as he didn't have time to even grab a hold of his short dirk hanging off his belt.

"Hold, shemlens! You are not welcome here!" A voice cried out to them and a short brunette strode towards them, stepping a few feet away from the rest of her people.

"I am not a shemlen," Sten growled in annoyance but stayed where he was. The brunette's eyes grew perturbed at the sight of the ashen-skinned giant that easily towered over her short stature. However, unafraid or perhaps confident that her archers could easily take the group down, she walked closer to the rogue.

"Are you the one who leads?"

"What? Me? Pfft. It's too much work to lead this band of misfits," Zevran scoffed at her question, not at all bothered when one of the archers threatened to let loose an arrow at his person.

"So you're telling me that one of these shemlens leads you all?" It wasn't the brunette leader who asked him that but that same archer, a scowl marring his otherwise handsome features. If Zevran hadn't found a delicious human to work his seductive moves on, the male elf would certainly attempt to charm the archer into his bed.

"Quiet, Eryan," the female elf barked at the named archer, her disapproval showing in the way she glared angrily at him. "While they may show no respect for our boundaries and our laws, we will not treat them the same."

"I am Hadrian, a Grey Warden," the Warden spoke out, stepping forward and partially blocking the archer's view of Zevran. Intense blue eyes stared at the elves who stood poised in front of him, weapons ready to draw at a moment's notice. "Are you the Dalish who live here?"

"Manners from a shemlen, a not unwelcomed surprise," the female muttered underneath her breath.

"I am Mithra. What brings you and a company of well-armed mercenaries to the Brecilian forest?" As she asked Hadrian the question, the female leader signaled the others to lower their weapons. They did so but Hadrian and his friends were under no illusion that the elves would simply just roll over if provoked.

"A Blight has come and we're looking for those who honor their promises." Zevran emitted some sort of noise in disagreement but Hadrian elbowed him in the ribs hard.

"The Keeper has spoken of this to us. Any Warden business will have to discussed with him. Follow us." The blonde turned her back on them and escorted them to where the Keeper was.

As they approached the camp, with the aravels in sight, Mithra turned to Hadrian. "Only four of you can enter the camp at a time. The rest will have to remain here." Where we can keep an eye on you and keep the four as hostages if anything happens. Hadrian knew what she was implying but it would have caused further friction between the two groups if said explicitly. Also, a human Warden seeking help from the Dalish was not a sign of gentle change in Thedas.

Hadrian nodded in acqiuescence, though he disliked the idea of splitting his group into two in an unfamiliar area, and asked his companions for their opinions. Morrigan's wish to join them was what surprised the silver-haired Warden the most, given her penchant to stay anti-social when given the opportunity. Wynne was a close second but the older mage only wanted to ask around for a certain someone and then return back to camp.

Alistair was non-negotiable and Hadrian shook his head, more to chastise himself than his lover. Honestly, had he learned nothing while being in a relationship with the warrior? The blonde would sooner die than be parted from him.

Thus, with two mages and two warriors entering the Dalish camp, the others remained behind, left to their own devices. Bodahn and his boy luckily had valuable items to trade with the elves, via Hadrian and his group, thus enabling those who stayed behind to finally have decent meals cooked for them.

-o0o-

"So, Aneirin has found them after all," Wynne murmured quietly but Hadrian heard her all the same. He squeezed her shoulder to show his delight in her finding possible closure with a personal regret.

"It may be possible for him to have discovered people of his kin. The Dalish are not known for turning away one of their own," the dark-haired witch said in what could possibly the most polite or nicest tone she ever utilized when talking to her friends. Friends...what an odd word for the witch to use nowadays. If the others had been perplexed at her odd statement, they had the manners to not show it. Or rather, Alistair had the patience to not goad her with his inane one-liners that used to drive her mad earlier in their quest of gathering allies.

Instead, Hadrian gave her a small smile for her indirect support of the elderly woman.

"Well, we can explore the forest first, get our bearings before actually dealing with the werewolves. Then we'll head back and switch up so one of you can get some rest."

By 'you' Hadrian meant the mages as both he and Alistair wanted to stay together, particularly at this time of the month, with the moon nearing her fullness in the night sky.

"If Wynne wishes to pursue this Aneirin, then I volunteer to stay at the camp. It's not wise to enter an unfamiliar area without someone of particular skills." Morrigan stated and Hadrian agreed with her. The trio escorted the dark-haired witch back to camp and Leliana came in her stead, a little confused at the switch-up.

"Oh, and here I thought I could finally get some rest from fighting a dragon and seeing Andraste." Her smile eased Hadrian's worry that he might have forced her to accompany them. "Then again, having Zevran for company is not really resting either."

All three laughed at that truism, not out of spite for Zevran, but because they knew him to be the annoying, loud-mouthed little bastard that he is.

The group's banter continued as they explored the outskirts of the forest but it quickly hushed having come upon a group of monstrous beings, biped creatures that resembled their smaller cousins but the resemblance stopped there.

Their initial encounter with the tainted wolves was as dramatic as any encounter with a foreign species could get. However, this became personal, almost intimate, to Alistair's shock and anger.

The taller of the four that loped easily to them on the bridge snarled at Hadrian and he charged at the human so fast that the others couldn't stop him from easily tackling their leader down to the ground, on the opposite side of the bridge. Three wolves blocked their passage but did nothing more. Alistair tried to force his way through them but one of the werewolves, a blonde one, pushed him and snarled a warning at the blonde warrior.

"Get out of my damn way!" Alistair hissed back, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. Seeing the large monster charge his lover and then being denied passage scared him, more so than the time with the High Dragon. It also angered him that someone dared to touch his lover and he felt something stir restlessly within his soul.

Whatever had happened next, Alistair couldn't really recall. All he remembered was seeing Swiftrunner about to bite down on his lover's shoulder and then nothing except red.

It was the smell that roused him back but it emanated from the creature that laid beneath him, limp and bloodied with blood running in thick rivulets from a single gash in the chest. A strange taloned hand grasped the leader of the werewolves by the throat and tightening it every second until Swiftrunner was gasping for breath. Kill him. Show this tainted creature who the true Alpha of the wolves is. The dark, velvety voice whispered seductively in the back of his mind.

Another howl ripped through the air and before Alistair could finish him, something small and white crashed into his side. The force of the newcomer neatly threw him off balance but the blonde managed to roll over his back and leaped to his feet in one graceful movement.

Swiftrunner's hoarse gasps of breath and the smaller wolf's growls were the only sounds heard in the area around the four humans. Wynne knelt at Hadrian's side, the leader still dazed and concussed from the tackle. Leliana had four arrows nocked at each wolf, aimed at the most vulnerable points of the creatures. Alistair had positioned himself between his downed lover and the intruder who dared to deny him his rightful kill.

If Alistair had been in his right mind, a small jest about talking wolves would probably have lessened the mounting tension between the two groups. However, he was more attuned to his growing instincts and viewed the white wolf as a challenge, one that needed to be dealt with quickly.

Suddenly, without warning, the white wolf reared its head back and released a howl that reverberated throughout the forest. The sound made everyone's hairs stand up and before anyone could move, the white wolf ran deeper into forest's hearth, with the rest loping after it in long, easy strides.

The sudden departure of the wolves stunned the remaining group, except for the tall blonde, whose posture was still tense, as if the man was debating on whether to chase after their enemies or stay.

Wynne was just about to ask Alistair if he was okay when the other Warden whirled around. His appearance frightened the two women, with his darkened eyes and clawed hands. Leliana so much wanted to defend herself with her bow and arrows but she knew that any weapon drawn at him would only antagonize the blonde warrior.

Instead, the redhead stood very still, although every muscle in her limbs twitched with the urge to fight or flee.

"Leave us," Alistair growled in a deep and dark authoritative tone, sounding as if the man was long used to being obeyed. "Now."

"Alistair, he's still hurt," Wynne countered, her hand hovering over Hadrian's limp. The anger in those dark eyes softened into something else at seeing the silver-haired man lying so still and unresponsive. Blood covered the side of the man's temple and it only cemented Alistair's decision to order the two women to leave them.

"You can do nothing else for him, Wynne," Alistair said and he gathered Hadrian into his arms, emitting a soft sound when Hadrian's head lolled against his shoulder. "I will not ask again."

"Wait! Alistair! Come back!" Leliana shouted but the man and his precious burden had already been swallowed up by the denizens of the Brecilian Forest.

"Well, that was exciting," Wynne murmured as she rose to her feet. "I believe we should listen to Alistair and return to camp, Leliana."

"What? No, we have to go after them!" A scowl marred the redhead's pretty face.

"Something tells me that this matter of the wolves can only be resolved by those two. It appears as if they would understand the wolves' plight. Perhaps the only ones."

"I-of course," Leliana acquiesced, a little reluctantly. "What will we say to the others? I'm sure Zevran won't believe us nor Morrigan."

"They are not stupid enough to go into the forest alone. Besides, I have a hunch that this storm will dissipate soon."

As the two women slowly and warily made their way back to the camp, the sun had started to set behind the tall trees, with the moon following closely behind. Full and glowing brightly in the darkening sky, it shone down upon the forest and gave light to those that despaired their unholy existence into this world.

-TBC-

A/N: Yes, I know! Another cliffhanger, I think. Next chapter will hopefully go into details of Zevran's memory of his talk with Fergus as well as the much anticipated smut between Hadrian and Alistair. Review if you want to read it!

On a side note, I just want to thank the following people for their review of chapter 50: Richard071464, kdarnell2, vansx, Denfree, Snowhelm, and Kami no Raijin.

For others who I haven't heard from recently (you know who you are!) I miss you all (most notably david9999, Sculla, kogouma, and Biganimefan2)!