Author's Note: it's Chapter 3 of Heart of the Beast! I hope you enjoy.

Loose Chains

Wuuthrad was the weapon used by Ysgramor, the leader of the Five Hundred Companions years and years before... There had been no real "leader" of the Companions since Ysgramor, but the Companions saw Kodlak Whitemane as their Harbinger, or counselor. He was a good man, Sahana thought, tucking her arms behind her head. She stared up at the bright blue sky, settling in the grass.

She'd slept, but she did not feel rested at all. She closed her eyes, yawning. She listened to the people chatter, the birds chirp. Eventually, she heard footfalls coming closer and closer. She didn't bother opening her eyes. "Vilkas." Her usual greeting.

"Sahana." His usual response.

She opened her eyes then, staring up at him. She gave a small smile and patted the area next to her. "Are you leaving or do you have some time to sit back and enjoy the day?"

"I cannot stay long," he told her as he lowered himself down beside her. He looked awkward, just sitting there. Her smile widened at that thought. He looked like he'd rather be hunting sabre cats or fighting bandits. It was likely, she thought, after having known him for a while.

"One should always take a moment to just breathe, I think." She stretched languidly, her smile widening a little.

"You seem to be in good spirits now," he noticed. "Not so long ago, you either looked about ready to fall over - dead - or throttle one of us."

She gave a short laugh. "I thought about doing both," she admitted. "After thinking about it some more, I figured that it simply wouldn't do if I were the one that ended up dead. It was better that I took out my frustrations on those who actually deserved it!" She grinned, her brown eyes sparkling prettily.

They were both silent for a long moment. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, however. They could listen to each other's hearts with their heightened senses, find the soothing rhythm. They were both at ease. He watched as she plucked a blade of grass and lifted it to her face. She ran that blade of grass down the slope of her nose, over her lips and then stopped at her rounded chin. That's when he noticed that if it weren't for her big, haunted eyes, that her face would appear almost childish.

She sighed softly, and then, seemingly only just now noticing what she was doing, flicked the grass blade away. "Where will you be going?" she asked, glancing at him before looking back up at the sky.

Vilkas gave a shrug before saying, "Not so far away. There are three escaped criminals on the loose, working together. 'Small time', I'm told, but still worth something to someone - dead or alive. My purpose is clear."

"Farkas isn't accompanying you?"

"Not this time. I didn't think it was necessary."

Sahana nodded, forcing herself to sit up. "Well, may your feet carry you swiftly and may your sword taste the blood of your foes."

Vilkas gave a curt nod before climbing to his feet. Frowning softly, she watched as he started walking away. She opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it firmly. She glanced away, looked back - he took sure steps. No fear. His purpose was clear.

"Be safe," she called after him. He paused and looked back at her, his eyes holding a question that he did not need to say aloud. She only offered him a small, shy smile. He stood for a moment longer before returning her smile. Afterwards, she watched him until he disappeared.

With Vilkas gone, she ground her teeth. Her fingers curled into small, tight fists. She felt like a fool. While she didn't quite understand it yet, she found herself attracted to that man. She could deal with lust, but this felt different. Even her beast responded to him. New to the Circle as she was, she didn't know what that meant, if anything. All she knew was that it was scary.

Fear...tasted terrible.

Farkas had to smile. While the little blue-eyed girl got better with her blade everyday, she still had a lot to learn. She practiced often. He enjoyed seeing the fire in her eyes when she did. He admired her determination, her heart. He was undoubtedly curious about her.

Yes... He found himself wanting to touch her pale skin, wanting to trace those three little scars below her left eye. How had she earned those scars, he wondered. More than anything, he wanted to feel what her blue-black hair felt like. He bet it was made of silk, just like those impossibly long lashes around her eyes.

He inhaled deeply, breathing in many familiar scents, as well as hers - very distinct; she smelled earthy, but not like Sahana. Sahana smelled of lavender with an underlying stench of...dog. Eleni, on the other hand, smelled fresh - clean, like the air. Instead of scenting dog in her, he got the impression of smoke. Fire. He'd be able to pick her out of a crowd of people now.

He felt himself jump when she looked over at him. Their eyes met. He liked how her smile always reached her eyes. They sparkled, glittered like sapphires. He could drown in them if he let himself.

He lifted his hand, waving a little to acknowledge her. Her smile widened before she went back to training, hitting one of the dummies in the head with the blunt end of her sword before twisting the weapon around and swinging it. She stopped with the blade just barely touching the spot where a neck and shoulder would have joined. Why?

Eleni straightened, lowering the sword. She looked up at the sky. He couldn't exactly see the sky from where he was, so he had to wonder what she was staring at. He lifted his head a little, scenting for trouble. He realized then that the clouds must have darkened. It would rain soon.

"What is it?" he questioned, loud enough for her to hear.

She looked back at him, a small, hesitant smile coming to her face. "It looks like it will storm. The sky got so dark."

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "Why not come on inside? There's a chill in the air." He had a bad feeling for some reason. His brother needed to hurry back.

"Right!" She turned fully and started towards him. "Farkas," she started when she was close, "the Companions...are supposed to feel like a family, right?"

"Is that what it feels like to you?" he asked her in return. What had brought this on?

She thought about it for a minute after they entered Jorrvaskr. "You all look like a family, if a family really looks like anything," she said, nodding. "You seem to act like one, too."

"You speak as though you are not a part of us now. Any one of us would fight at your side, ready to defend you."

Her eyes widened as if this were news to her. She'd heard it before, when she'd been officially welcomed into the Companions. It was slowly sinking in, he thought. He allowed a small smile to come to his face. Her reactions were...as amusing as they were precious.

He sighed. "What do you think? Are you ready to take on an actual job? I can look into it and find us something to do. Our work never ends, after all."

She was silent for a moment, but then she looked up at him with that fire in her eyes. "I'm ready," she assured him and his smile grew a little more.

Thunder rolled overhead.

Chapter 3: complete!