A/N: Long chapters won. Thanks for your participation! :D

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Chapter 42

Infection

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Mahariel

Something was wrong - very, very wrong.

The forest was agitated. I could feel the tension spreading through the earth, the anxiety flying through the air like a big snowball that builds up miles down the mountainside until it explodes into some unwarned wanderer. The only difference was that the accumulation of power was not from a single point , but everywhere at the same time.

I felt literally as if I were walking into a bomb.

And this feeling was tenfold worse by the forth day. For some reason, not even the native birds were singing that afternoon. Everything was quiet, almost mournful, strange and still, as if time had stopped.

"Eilleen," Kallian called softly as we walked side by side in front of the group. She was embracing herself, glancing from side to side as if looking for something.

"I know." I sighed, holding my bow firmly. "Can you feel it, Da'shal? The anxiety of a whole world manifested through subtle act of silence..."

Kallian shrugged, "I cannot tell if I 'm feeling the same thing or if it's just my imagination, because of what you told me earlier... "

"The city may have blinded your eyes and muffled your ears, but you're still an elf . "I put a hand on her shoulder, leaning forward to talk near her ear. "The blood of our ancestors flows in your veins too. You just need to read the signs. Nature can tell us so much without words, if you only pay proper attention to it..."

Kallian grimaced, "I don't know, Eilleen. Besides the chills and the silence, I can't see anything else..."

I giggled, "You will not get that from one moment to the next, Da'shal." Kallian frowned . "This place is a whole new world, with a voice and feelings of it own. But it will only talk to you if you are willing to listen."

She growled, crossing her arms. "What 's the point in talking in riddles? I know that it creates an atmosphere of intelligence and such, but it's not so nice for those who listen. I mean, the person feels- Shh !" She suddenly put a hand in front of me, while the other flew instinctively to the dagger stuck in her belt.

"What?" Leliana asked, already wielding her bow.

"Did you hear that?" Kallian asked , retreating two steps. I'd followed her, aware of the suspicious rustling of leaves around us. At this point, almost everyone was already prepared for a possible ambush. "Something is comin-Watch out!"

I shot the first arrow on sight, but that did not stop the shadow from towering over both of us just like a big storm cloud covering the blue sky.

Kallian quickly rolled to the side, narrowly escaping being crushed by the giant creature that jumped out at us. I said "Creature", because I could not tell what exactly that thing was, and by the scared look on the faces of the others, none of them seemed to know .

It was a humanoid being, bigger than a Qunari, hairy and black, with long arms and strong legs . The scariest part was the wolf's head , with long, sharp teeth, and large bulging eyes, with red veins that seemed like fresh cuts made with saw blades.

"Werewolves?" Leliana exclaimed, frightened , her eyes wide when she realized that her arrow, shot in its chest, had no effect.

"Were-what?" Noah asked, visibly surprised as well, his giant sword in hand.

"Werewolves," explained Kallian, shifting from one foot to the other as a way to be ready for a quick response. " Mythological Creatures, half human and half wolf. "

"It doesn't look so mythological from here, " Noah gave voice to my thoughts, watching the beast snarling and digging its long claws into the earth, without moving. It seemed hungry and frantic, as if its mind was on a different plane from ours. Its eyes went from one place to another quickly, never stopping in one spot for too long, as if it had trouble focusing on anything.

That is, untill its black eyes met our group again. It seemed as if some divine force had intervened personally in the troubled mind of that creature, making it finally notice our presence and fervently howl at the sky, causing three other werewolves to jump on us.

The attack was massive and stupidly fast - Noah had thrown himself at one of them, pointing his giant sword without mercy against the stomach of the beast. To his surprise , the bruise didn't stop it, and soon Noah was thrown to the ground himself, with the wolf snarling and biting the air in his direction. His sword was the only thing that kept the human from being eaten alive.

At the same time, Lenna conjured a giant spike from the earth to protect her mother. Her spell was so strong it was absurd, and even so, it barely scratched the werewolf that had jumped on them - It just grabbed the spike with its hands , and took advantage of it to jump right on the top of the Hawkes.

I don't know exactly how they fought that animal because I had my own wolf to take care of. My arrows did not seem to scratch it, despite having penetrated deeply into its flesh. Their stamina was surreal. I thought the Qunari was a tough creature, but next to these things, he was nothing but a fragile existence, like any other. Incidentally, he was trying to protect Morrigan from the fourth werewolf, who was maintaining a more cautious stance around them, trying to surround the two with just the threat of his exposed fangs.

All were apprehensive, that was the truth. It was hard to face the unknown, creatures that apparently did not fall, not matter how many times we hit them. It was not only fear or pessimism holding them back - the excess of caution was hurting the group's morale deeply.

And Kallian realized that; She motioned for me to follow her and Alistair in her non-traditional charge for a rogue. As she ran with Alistair toward the wolf, she motioned for me to aim at the head of the beast. And so I did, making him stagger back. Alistair then used his shield to bash right in the middle of its stomach forcing the animal to fall forward, using his body weight to keep the wolf in place.

That's when Kallian acted - believe it or not , she jumped on Alistair, placing one foot on his shoulder to get enough momentum to fly onto the beast, grab it by the back of its furry neck and swing in the air, placing her knees against the ribs of the werewolf . In quick, well-aimed blows, she began a frantic lunge across the area of its nape and shoulders until the creature finally fell to the ground, breathing heavily in long and deep growls of pain and hatred.

With a nod, we parted to cover our companions.

"Aim for the head!" Kallian yelled, covered in wolf's blood, running toward the Hawkes while Alistair ran to rescue Noah.

I didn't wait to do the same with the wolf that attacked the Qunari - arrows flew into its most sensitive spots, and on the first opportunity, our giant companion firmly grabbed it by the ears just long enough for the witch to brutally freeze its head.

As much as the plan had been executed perfectly, she had to cast her spell twice before it could finally effect the beast.

Amid the confusion, I heard a strong rumble through the air around us, but soon realized that it was not a storm, but Lenna Hawke , who had noticeably use all her mana to cast a spell so powerful that it nearly blew in half the body of the beast that had been mercilessly attacking them.

I'd definitely never seen anything as tough as this before.

The last, and most noticeably stronger werewolf, stayed with Noah, who would still have been struggling for his life under the weight of that massive beast if Alistair had not given it another shield bash in its face. But, to the dismay of the Templar, the wolf seemed to be a lot smarter than its mates - with a brutal blow, it wrenched his shield away and soon changed its prey, leaving Noah free to get up again.

Kallian ran like mad at him, but could not prevent the werewolf from repeatedly biting the arm of the Templar with the ferocity of a demon from the Fade, completely ignoring the thick metal that protected his skin.

After the fourth or fifth bite, Noah finally had time to raise his sword and strike a blow on the spine of the beast that would have been enough to break the bones of anyone else, but had little effect in practice. Even Alistair 's sword stuck in its stomach didn't stop the beast from trying to bite and scratch whatever crossed its path.

The werewolf only stopped when - in a so synchronized assault that seemed to have been arranged in advance - Noah grabbed the wolf around the ribs, pulling it back as Kallian and I held him by its arms, digging my feet firmly into the ground to keep him as steady as possible. Morrigan froze its feet, holding the beast in place, and finally the Qunari held its head tightly, staring at him long enough to gather the strength required to break its neck in a single move.

The beast fell to the side like a sack of potatoes, heavy and still.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kallian asked with some urgency, kneeling beside Alistair. Carefully, she lifted his arm to inspect the damage, the armor appeared chewed like a piece of cheese.

"I think I'll survive," he stammered, helping Da'shal to take the armor off. "Ouch."

"By the Void, it perforated your armor..." Da'shal exclaimed, surprised, looking at the piece of metal covered with bite marks.

"At least I ripped its tooth..." Alistair tried to smile, but all he managed was a painful grimace. I didn't understand what he really meant until Bethany came running up to us, kneeling beside Kallian to get a better look at his arm.

The fang of the wolf was jammed in the joint of his arm.

"Maker ..." Bethany exclaimed, immediately starting first aid. Needless to say that pulling an object the length of a finger out of Alistair's flesh was a very painful process, and that he had to bite his own arm to keep from screaming. I confess, I felt sorry for the human.

The others did not seem injured , at least nothing visible . Surprised and incredulous comments filled the air, but no complaints of pain up until then. However, Noah looked restless, walking from one place to another in his traditional place behind us, away from everyone.

When our eyes met, something different happened.

Instead of ignoring me, as usual, he just called me to discreetly get away from the others. At any other time, I would have been the one who would ignore him, but again my curiosity overcame my caution.

After all, it was not every day that the human had something to say on his own initiative.

"You lived here," he said, rubbing his own arms tightly. "What are those things?"

"I've never seen anything like this in my whole life," I explained, embracing my body. It bothered me a lot to not have an answer when it came to the forest and its ways. These creatures were beyond my comprehension, beyond anything I could have imagined.

Half wolf, half human. That was really possible?

"Elf," Noah called, but Kallian did not give him her full attention. Alistair's healing process seemed to be more important to her than what grumpy intended to say. "What do you know about these werewolves?"

"As much as you, Noah," she replied, glancing at us before turning her attention back to Alistair, her hand resting over his the whole time. "People make up stories, draw pictures. "She shrugged. "I'd read books about giant wolves attacking farms at night to kill the animals, but none of them said anything about this. They were horror stories and fairy tales, nothing more."

"And we're going to meet these creatures. Great," Noah snorted , but before he could run apace for his voluntary isolation, my mouth did the favor of giving voice to my incoherent thoughts.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, and he stopped at the same time. He had not expected that I would show interest, and I did not expect him to pay attention, but still , it happened.

I can not say what or how, but something changed between us that night. Or perhaps it was me that changed, I can't tell for sure. Maybe too much pity, or empathy, or both , but something certainly changed and I could not explain it.

"No," he replied softly, looking over his shoulder before asking, "Are you?"

I just shook my head, surprised at his words. I never expected him to show interest, as well, even more so after our conversation full of bickering and disagreements.

They say that love and hate are the two most effective forces to bring people together. I never believed in hatred as a force of attraction, but it seems that, somehow, it was true.

"Good." He took a deep breath before continuing with his original plan to isolate himself.

Kallian

Werewolves, my friend, werewolves.

To think that one day I dared to say that nothing would surprise me again... I was speechless. Not only me, but everyone. I don't think that anybody would believe it if told them about this. If I, who was kneeling on the ground among the dead bodies of four of them, could not believe, I could not ask someone else to believe.

"How do you feel?" Bethany asked Alistair, who was still lying on the ground, holding his elbow. The healer 's work was flawless, and hardly anyone could have said that he had suffered an injury there.

"Much better," He flexed his arm slowly, testing the recent patches, but not before taking a firm grip on my hand and looking deep into my eyes. "Thank you."

Something told me that he was no longer addressing Bethany, not after that brief, but cute, crooked smile that crossed his face, making me return the gesture unconsciously.

"I still can't believe it," Leliana said, inspecting one of the bodies and breaking the awkward moment between us. I followed her gaze , becoming increasingly shocked by these creatures Not even the thick fur was able to hide the sharp outline of its enormous ribs, or their well-defined muscles.

The strangest thing, however, was their necks.

There was a curious area, between their throats and their shoulders, that had no fur - only a thick, darkened skin. They all had the same marks between their dark pelage.

"I know," I stood up, helping Alistair back to his feet. "But this place is not safe anymore. Their howls may have attracted more of them."

"Tree Hugger," Noah called, and I found it odd to see him trying to participate in decisions. That was quite atypical. "We need a high place, preferably insulated, to spend the night." He walked to the center of the group, thoughtful, with a different determination in his eyes. "We cannot afford to camp in any place without inspecting the ground first, or even setting traps, and for this we will need daylight."

Mahariel put a hand to her chin, thoughtful as well. "I know a place, not far away. " She turned to us, decided. "Follow me."

The task of finding a place to spend the night was relatively easy, since Mahariel knew very well where she was going.

She took them to the edge of a small hill, not far away from the place where they were attacked. The place was open, covered with short vegetation, and had a large stone wall near where they had set the fire. The rebel flames painted the scenery with orange, and the wind seemed to blow stronger than ever.

Kallian was sitting by the fire, embracing her sketchbook tightly, her eyes lost on the cliff. Noah was somewhere down there, she knew, making a final check of the perimeter. He must be nearly done, considering the time that had passed since he had left.

She sighed, rubbing her eyes.

The fatigue was so intense that sometimes she needed to think the same thing over and over again until she could finally understand what was going on. Her body was already failing, and each minute that passed, the more difficult it was to keep her eyes opened. Speaking in a practical way, every long blink was a different trip to the Fade, so much so that her body was desperate for some rest.

The noise of steps crushing the grass in her direction, however, had not went unnoticed by her impaired senses .

" No," said Kallian, still squinting through her fingertips.

"But I still did not say anything!" Alistair protested, feigning hurt.

"Your speech I know by heart," She squeezed her temples, trying to scare away a migraine that threatened to burst at any moment. "You're going to say something about how long I've been awake, complain about my dark circles and ... What's this?"

A potion flask with a purple liquid entered her field of vision, forcing her to look at Alistair. He just simply stared, his expression relaxed, carrying another bottle in the other hand.

"I picked up some fruit while doing the rounds," he said, sitting beside her after she accepted the bottle with an extra dose of suspicion. "We had no cups, so I had to use what was available." He shrugged, smiling in that cute way.

"Listen carefully, Templar ... " Kallian threatened, pointing the bottle at him. "If this is a set up with that Dalish to dope to me..."

"Set up?" He chuckled in disbelief. "She completely ignores my existence. How would that be possible?"

Kallian thought twice before responding grudgingly. She could not imagine Alistair experimenting with plants by himself, not as Noah or Eilleen did. "You have a point."

"Stop being so suspicious," he joked, using the same scolding tone she used with him."What else do I have to do to make you realize that I don't want your bad temper directed at me?"

Kallian giggled, as if she had remembered a good thing. "You've been behaving, that is true."

He laughed. "What can I say? I'm a good boy." The elf kept the small smile on her face, simple and sincere, which soon caught the attention of Alistair. She stared at him with small, sleepy eyes, but no less intense than they were when she was awake. In fact, the Templar had never seen those golden eyes shine so intensely, as if searching for something deep in his soul, and by her expression, perhaps she was enjoying what she found.

And he? He allowed it. Whatever she was looking for, she would find. If there was something in in his caramel eyes that she needed, then it would be hers to use as she desired. His feelings and intentions were exposed like the pages of an open book, as a way of demonstrating his trust in her .

And by the flushing that quickly crossed the elf's cheeks, it was possible that she liked what she saw.

"If I get doped, you two will regret it ." She repeated, looking into the bottle. No matter how she sought, she could not see anything but honesty in the human's words. He had no masks - he was, or at least seemed to be, exactly what he was saying, a quality that sometimes she didn't recognize even in herself.

Then, she finally understood what was happening - why she got so puzzled by it all, why she became angry with herself every time she looked back and analyzed everything that had happened.

She trusted a human, and didn't want to admit it.

With a defeated sigh, she decided to give in and took a sip of that strange drink. At first she felt the characteristic tartness of cranberry, the sweetness of raspberry, but was not sure what exactly it actually was. It was yummy, she had to admit, and demonstrated this by taking two long, thirsty sips, nearly drinking it all at once.

"So, did I pass the test? " Alistair teased, watching the elf licking her lips, to clean the juice that dripped there. That simple gesture caused a restlessness in him, and for some reason, he just couldn't look away from her pink lips.

"Of all the things I could imagine you making, juice is definitely not one of them." She took a last sip before continuing. "As for your question, ask me again in ten minutes. "

He sighed. "I don't have the right to interfere with your free will." He offered his own bottle to her, and she didn't think twice before accepting it. "As much as I want to, I cannot force you to do something you do not want to."

"Wise decision," she countered defensively, looking away into the bottle.

"Seriously, Kallian?" He sighed again, frowning.

"Sorry, sorry," She held up an apologetic hand. "Force of habit." She drank half of the juice before returning the bottle to him. Although not exactly cold, it was refreshing enough to make her feel a little less defeated. That didn't changed her condition, but a bit of comfort was always welcome. "I'm just tired of always having someone trying to tell me what to do "

"We're just worried," He grabbed the bottle and took a long sip, wrinkling his nose at his own creation. Definitely it required a good deal of sugar to suit his taste.

"I know what I'm doing." She lied, hugging her knees. She had told this lie so many times that even she couldn't believe it anymore.

"Don't be so stubborn, elf." Alistair reached for her face, placing his thumb on her cheek, just below the two black semi-circles below her eyes. "Look at the size of those dark circles!"

"Ugh, hands off, Templar," She struggled with one hand, trying to shoo his petulant finger off her face. He, always very playful, continued to pester her until something caught his attention when one of her red locks of hair fell on her face: the thick scar that divided her right ear in half.

Was it still too early to ask about the human that had done this to her, he wondered? Maybe yes, maybe no... but just in case, he decided not to ask. Not yet.

He considered, though, if someday she would tell that tale on her own...

They stayed like that for a long time - Kallian hugging her knees while holding a long, deep yawn and he, just admiring the way the last rays of sun touched her white skin.

And the silence, that might have been unpleasant, was just comfortable. The mere heat of existence seemed enough, while that curious feeling began to spread through Alistair's body, the waves hitting his nerves mercilessly, as had happened before when they were alone in the tower.

"It's about the nightmares, isn't it? " he asked quietly, startling the little elf. Her bloodshot eyes, Alistair concluded, indicated that she had slept briefly while sitting there. Poor elf.

"What?" She asked, rubbing her small eyes.

"What keeps you from sleep," he said, thoughtfully. "The nightmares."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Templar," She stretched her legs, trying to wipe the sleepy feeling away, but all that did was make her feel even lazier.

"I see you thrashing while you sleep." He flexed his legs, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. She just relaxed her shoulders, undoing her embrace as if the world had just collapsed over her head. "Every night, since Ostagar. Your murmurs wake me up."

She smiled, not really amused by his comments. "Sorry if my problems disrupt your sleep."

He decided to ignore how much the sarcasm of her words hurt him, and continued from where he'd stopped. "You always wake up scared, sometimes dig your hands into the ground so hard that I can see the blood dripping from the corner of your nails. Then you bury your head on your arms and try to sleep again, always hiding your eyes. Unless the fire still is lit ... then you keep staring at the fire for hours into the night, and sometimes you stay that way until morning." He crossed his arms on his knees, almost whispering. He knew it was more than the common nightmares of Grey Wardens, by her extreme reactions. It was not fear, it was dread, simple and brutal. " And I just watch, not having much choice. You've pushed me away so many times in the past that I became afraid that you would just kick me out of your life, thinking that I'm intruding too much."

"Ah, Alistair," she sighed, half beaten, half guilty, bringing a hand to her face, hoping that if she pressed her cheek for long enough, strong enough, maybe the situation could be solved by itself instead of giving her a hard time to try to explain it aloud.

"But this has gone too far," he continued, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. His expression, despite sounding harsh to the ears of the little elf, was serene. Sad, but serene. "It's killing you, and now I'm willing to intrude."

"Then you decided to dope me?"

He chuckled. "In five minutes ask me that again." She raised one of her eyebrows. "Okay, okay, sorry," He raised one hand, drinking the rest of the juice with a single gulp, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "The point is... I 've involved myself indirectly, so ... I thought it wouldn't be fair to intrude in your life without offering anything in return first."

"From my point of view, I'm losing anyway," she muttered between her teeth.

"Ouch." He rubbed his temple, feeling a little discomfort there. "Have I told you how temperamental you are?"

"Have I told you how nosey you are?" Kallian was losing her patience very easily because of her lack of sleep, and having a human peeking into her most secret and sordid affairs did not help much.

"That's not easy for me," he admitted, still rubbing his forehead, trying to organize his thoughts. "All I ask is a chance."

"Fine," She sighed, rubbing her eyes indifferently. "Go ahead."

"When Duncan... " He cleared his throat. "When Duncan died... That night, I cried. "He looked away . "A lot. It's not easy to expose myself that way, but that's what happened." He paused, looking at the sky before continuing. Kallian remembered how bad Alistair had been that week ... quiet, introspective, isolated... And just how helpless she felt for not being able to do anything. "In the following days, I was standing. Fighting. Following you through the forest, but ... But deep inside, I was falling apart." He sighed. "My mother, she died when I was born... and... well, I was an orphan, and Duncan... He was the closer figure of a father that I ever had in my entire life. It was difficult, and... I still cannot say his name without feeling my throat close up. Argh."

If at least part of what he said was true feelings, she could understand at least a little of what he wanted to do.

"Alistair?" She called, putting her hand on his shoulder after seeing the Templar bowing his head with a strong expression of pain.

"Only a strong migraine." He rubbed his face with both hands, trying to dispel the pain that was now spreading to the side of his head. "I'll survive."

Kallian just waited, watching the Templar squirming slightly in place, as if looking for a comfortable position to sit.

After a while in silence, she asked, unsure, "How do you get rid of the ghosts?"

"I talk to the Maker," was his answer, short and direct.

"Oh ... right." Kallian rolled her eyes, failing to hide the disappointment in her voice. But, after all, what could be expected from a Templar?

"I'm serious."

"As you may have noticed, Alistair, I'm not the religious type." She stretched her legs, placing her sketchbook on her lap. "Also, do you think your god would waste his time listening to the prayers of an elf?"

"I didn't say prayers." He smiled sadly. "I spoke of words, only."

"And it not the same thing?" she huffed.

"No" He looked away. "I don't ask for anything, or give thanks... I only speak."

"So that's your marvelous plan? Talk to an imaginary friend?"

"Just between us, Kallian ... if you could talk to someone real, you would have already done so."

Kallian opened her mouth to answer, but no sound was emitted. Who would have thought that he had put so much effort into considering her, to the point of understanding the problem as deeply as he did?

He may never be able to find the heart of the problem, but he was walking in the right direction.

"Did he answer you?" Of all the things she was thinking, these were the words that came out of her mouth.

Alistair chuckled weakly, "Only Leliana has that privilege, remember?"

The elf smiled, too. "I forgot, sorry."

"But, no, he didn't answer me." He smiled sadly. "But I like to think that there is someone out there willing to listen."

Those words made Kallian's heart sink into a pit of sadness, finally realizing what exactly was hiding behind his defensive shield of jokes - loneliness.

As much as he was strong, someone who put the welfare of others above his own, deep inside, he was lonely. Someone who always had to take care of his problems by himself, without support or consideration from his parents.

If she did not have the support, even indirectly, from her family in her fight against the Lion ... She would probably be long dead.

It was not pity she felt - it was sadness, pure and sincere , with a little bit of compassion added in.

Kallian took a deep breath.

"I... I'm afraid to go to sleep," she admitted, before realizing what she was doing. In her head, it seemed the right thing to do - if he offered her a part of his soul, there was nothing more fair than that she do the same.

More than that, maybe deep down, she wanted to offer him comfort, something upon which he could rely, if needed.

Alistair just waited in silence, giving space for her to feel comfortable enough to find her own pace. "My nightmares, they…. they are all too real ... I'm sick of it."

"You are afraid of nightmares, but are not afraid of werewolves?" he joked, in an attempt to wipe away the heavy fog that hung over their heads.

"Werewolves bleed," she shrugged. "The intangible is what worries me the most."

"Intangible?" He thought for a moment. "Like what?"

" Well-" she began, but Carver interrupted them so suddenly that the elf nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Kallian, we need to talk to you," The human said, with Lenna beside him. His sister looked like his accessory, according to Kallian, since she always seemed to be glued to her brother. Perhaps to ensure that things went as she wanted?

"Um ..." She looked at Alistair, who just shrugged irritably. "Sure."

"We're leaving." Lenna said bluntly after the elf stood. "I had enough of Ferelden crap for a lifetime." She pinched her eyebrows in a clear act of disgust. "I can bear the presence of the Grey Wardens, but werewolves? This is too much."

"Tell me, what the hell is your problem?" Kallian asked, crossing her arms. "You hate the Wardens, that is very clear. You don't let anyone forget." The elf stepped forward, imposing her five feet presence of boldness on the mage. "Now, you come to us, offend my friends, attack me for no apparent reason and now arrive with this arrogant attitude as if we were the ones who owe you something?" She opened her arms, as if waiting for a dazzling explanation for her question to fall from the sky. "I don't expect any show of gratitude for having saved your smart ass, but the least I require is respect."

"Respect?" Lenna laughed. "Spare me. Only by being Grey Wardens, you have lost that right."

"What I have done, then?" Kallian asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Your kind are always plotting things. Acting under the table," Lenna took a step forward, easily towering over the little elf. "And you are no different, with this Lyrium smell coming from your body."

"You're crazy," she said, but could not bring as much conviction to her words as she had expected.

"Explain yourself, then." Lenna challenged, smiling. Beside her, Carver had lost count of how many locks of hair he had plucked over the misbehavior of his sister.

"Go ahead." Kallian then opened her arms, so suddenly that Lenna 's hand instinctively flew to her sword. "Find your Lyrium. Be my guest."

Lenna only observed, her dark blue eyes reflecting the same challenging gaze as Kallian. Beside the elf, Alistair was already standing, feeling the headache turning into a blistering anger, spreading through his body at an alarming rate.

If that freaking mage dared to do something to her... She better not try it.

To his surprise, however, the mage just lowered her head.

"You're right. My behavior was not the best, and for that I apologize. "She made a brief apologetic bow, surprising Carver. "Thank you for helping us, but it's time to part ways. May the Maker protect you in your task."

As much as her words caused most of them to lower their guards, Kallian didnt let herself be fooled by the soft words of the mage - she had noticed the strange concentration of power in her hand from the very beginning, and was watching her movements really closely. So it was no surprise when an electric discharge flew out of the hands of Lenna , launched specifically towards the little elf.

Kallian reacted at the same time, jumping to the side and startling everyone. For them , Lenna had done no more than a movement with her hands, so slight was the attack, but the elf knew better.

A smirk appeared on the mage's lips, "So that's it ..."

"What the hell are you ..." Kallian said through gritted teeth, walking towards her holding the hilt of her dagger, but Lenna just took a step back, with both hands raised.

"I don't know how you did it, elf, but I would stay away from the Chantry if I were you." She laughed sarcastically. "The Templars would kill you at first sight."

"What are you talking about?" Carver asked, ready to separate the two.

But neither responded. Alistair had never seen their leader as angry as she was now, looking at Lenna Hawke . If intentions alone could kill ...

"Don't you dare-" Kallian began.

"Goodbye, Grey Wardens." Lenna turned her back on them, glancing at Kallian one last time over her shoulder. "May the Maker have mercy on your friends."

"Enough!" Kallian growled, determined to kill her. "Time to greet your Maker personally, you son of-."

"It's not worth it," Alistair grabbed her elbow before she could march towards mage, and it was with great regret that she stopped. The urge to punch that sarcastic little face was so great that even breathing seemed like a secondary need.

"I'm sorry, Wardens, really." Carver bowed his head in shame. "Our family is grateful for the help and the escort, but we decided to try to reach Gwaren as soon as possible." He scratched his head, somewhat baffled, before turning to Alistair. "Can you give us a minute?"

Alistair stared at him with a scowl, suspiciously. Not even the news that they would finally be rid of the Hawkes seemed to be enough to silence the wave of anger that increased within his veins.

Only the warm touch of the little elf on his arm made him come out of this uncontrollable trance.

"It's okay, Alistair." Her little hand now gave two pats on his back . "I'll talk to you later."

"Okay," he agreed grudgingly, giving one last sharp look at Carver, who faced him with the same intensity.

"So I think that's it," said Kallian when Alistair was out of the earshot . "Where are you going?"

"Free Marches," he replied, taking a last look at the Templar before returning his attention to the little elf. "Kirkwall. Our family has a legacy there or something."

"Sounds like a pla..."

"Come with me." He interrupted, before she could finish her sentence.

" What? " Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"You dont need to do this." He said, holding one of her hands. "You don't need to stay in Ferelden, only to die. Come with me."

"I can't, Carver," She gently pulled away, running a hand through her hair, slightly embarrassed. "There are things I need to do, things that bind me to this place that I cannot ignore."

"You're a incredible woman, Kali," She shuddered upon hearing her childhood nickname. "You're beautiful, brave... deserve better."

"Thank you, but ... " She sighed, starting to get annoyed with the direction of this conversation. "You have my answer."

"Okay." Carver couldnt hide the disappointment in his voice. "So ... Goodbye ?"

"Farewell, Carver," she smiled, holding out her hand to him. "Thank you for everything you did for me and for Shaw. We will never forget it."

Carver shook her hand, but was not able to resist the strong impulse that spoke louder that any sense he might have had - he pulled the little elf to himself, settled his other hand on her neck and closed the distance between them at once, pressing her soft lips to his in a kiss filled with repressed desires.

Kallian just stared, transfixed with this unexpected reaction. How could she have possibly imagined that the human would try to kiss her? That was outside of all reality...

While those thoughts were bombarding her mind, the human hand traced its way into her hair slowly, possessively, while the other tried to pull her by the waist closer to his body. The scene was somewhat unusual, and even Noah blinked a few times to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

The one who didn't like any part of what he saw was Alistair - the blood in his head throbbed so strongly that he could no longer hear any of what was happening around him. The pressure in his ears was so intense that it seemed that his eardrums were going to jump out of his skull. His jaw was locked and the veins in his neck bulged as if they were thick ropes stuck into his skin.

A low, grotesque growl rumbled from his throat , but no one seemed to notice the storm that was forming there.

Kallian's brain only clicked a few seconds later, when she felt the warm tongue of Carver brushing her lips, trying to deepen the kiss. It was then that she remembered how her body worked, and her strength returned almost three times stronger just to push the human to the tree beside her, pressing him against the sturdy trunk - while her elbow was dangerously plunging his neck, and her dagger was already at hand, with the tip of the blade stuck mercilessly to his side.

"Never dare do that again," she growled, turning the knife just enough to use pain to emphasize her words. She already had killed others for much less than that, and Carver, as much as she had sympathized with him, would be no different . "Never."

"Hands off my brother!" Lenna growled, casting a Force Spell at the Elf. She jumped back at the same time, the blood dripping off her dagger as she stared at the mage angrily. There was no way she was taking one more ounce of shit from Lenna Hawke. She would see the mage dead first.

"Alistair?" The frightened voice of Leliana cut through the air, but it was only Noah's startled exclamation that made the elf divert her eyes away from the mage.

"What the fuck?" Coulsand had his sword in hand, exchanging shocked glances with Mahariel as he retreated a few steps.

Then, she finally followed their gazes to Alistair.

The buckles of his armor were bursting one by one, due to all the muscle mass that his body was gaining. He was literally expanding exponentially - arms and legs swelling like a balloon, breaking the metal and tearing his clothes. His hair was growing down to his neck and shoulders, creating a thick layer of the light brown fur that was quickly expanding to the rest of his body.

His fingernails grew into long claws, and with every deformity that his body suffered, his bones creaked loudly, as if they were breaking to fit into the new body. It was completely bizarre.

"He is turning into one of them..." Mahariel said, the serenity that her voice usually held was totally lost.

Alistair then lifted his now wolf head to the heavens while his last cry of pain tore from his throat, mingling with the sounds of the dusk to finally become his first bestial howl, marking the end of his transformation with the falling of the night.

"Alistair?" Kallian called, breaking the stunned silence that dominated the group. She couldn't believe what had just happened to the Templar. If she had not seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed it. They had been talking only a few minutes ago, right there, sitting and drinking fruit juice. Now instead their was a beast, apparently from the very depths of the void.

How, she wondered, had that happened to him?

Her heart was pounding, fear pulsing through her veins. Fear of not knowing what to do, not knowing what caused it, and worse, afraid of what it could mean.

He had turned into a monster... That meant she would have to kill him? Or worse... They would have to kill him and she would be forced to watch it?

"Draw your weapons." Noah commanded, in his eyes was the clear intention of eliminating the danger before anyone could get hurt.

"Nobody move," Kallian cut in unconsciously with a plea of desperation, which was soon lost between the ragged and unsteady breaths of Alistair.

"You've lost your mind?" Noah growled, his eyes fixed on the movements of the beast.

No, that was not right, and the thought filled her body with anguish. She didn't want to kill Alistair, didn't want to kill her friend. How the affection for him had reached such level, she didn't know, but she was willing to fight against Noah to prevent him from attacking.

Even though she didn't know exactly what to do.

"Alistair?" she called, taking a step forward. The wolf then turned his attention to her, the long, sharp teeth bared. Unlike the other werewolves, his gaze was focused, and seemed to reach into the soul of Kallian without hesitation.

Those bloodshot, caramel eyes, weren't at all compatible with his gross body - they were soft, sad, and perhaps most importantly, silently pleading. Or at least that's what Kallian wanted to believe.

Alistair was there, inside that wild beast, and of that she was sure.

Her eyes never lied about a person. Her eyes never decieved her through all these years, and what they saw at the time was her dear friend trapped in the body of a bloodthirsty beast.

And what her heart said, was that she had to find a way to save him.

"Alistair, look at me," she commanded, now with enough courage to get closer. She walked with her hands outstretched, both as a sign of peace and a request for calm, and with every step taken, the more mesmerized the wolf seemed to become with the approaching of the elf . "I know you're there, Alistair, listen to me..."

"I don't think that's a good idea..." Mahariel whispered, her bow ready, but without knowing whether or not to point it at him.

"Wonderful," Morrigan said, for the first time that day. "We're going to lose two birds with a single shot."

"Shut the hell up, witch," Noah growled, earning a sarcastic smile from her. "Elf, come back here."

Ignoring Noah again, she took the last steps toward the brown wolf. His breathing had calmed from her presence, and this gave her the last bit of courage that was needed to finally raise her hand in his direction.

"Elf!" begged Noah, torn between moving and killing him once and for all, and at the same time, afraid that his movements would trigger the fateful conclusion that sooner or later this crazyness would become.

Exactly the opposite from what they thought, the wolf just lowered his head, mirroring the gesture of the elf until both were standing just a few inches away from each other. She could feel the heat emanating from his body, just like she felt the tips of his fur brushing against her fingers. In one smooth gesture, she closed the distance, touching the top of his head.

On the other hand, Noah let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, feeling slightly relieved. Was it possible that a beast like that, really had the awareness level that Kallian believed he could?

The answer to that question, along with Noah's panic, came quickly and violently - as fast as a flash, the wolf's head lowered like a guillotine, teeth spreading the blood of the elf everywhere as he bit her fragile flesh repeatedly.

Mahariel acted first, arrows flying from her bow towards what was once Alistair, to try to stop the attack, but it was too late: With a strike without mercy, he slapped the semi-conscious body of Kallian against one of trees, and all that was heard was the sound of bones breaking and the desperate cry of Noah.

"Kallian!"

A/N: Cliffhanger :3 Mwahahaha!