"You're alive! I can't believe you're alive!" Barret said, beaming.

"I thought I lost you!" Eris held him close, neither had let go of the other. For several long minutes, they stood, happy to just know that it wasn't a dream. Finally, Barret pushed himself off of Eris, tears of joy rolling down his face. Wiping them off, he took a good long look at his brother.

"You look… you look old! And armored? Where did you get that?"

Eris laughed. "Not much older than you still. As for this, I have some friends who made it for me, custom forged. Who're your friends?"

"Oh! Eris, this is Haelith and Raine. Raine, Haelith, this is Erisdar. My brother." Raine cocked her head. She had to unlearn the wolf instincts she picked up, but her curiosity got the better of her this time. Haelith smiled.

"It's nice to meet you." she said, walking over, careful not to step on the remains of the Sentinel.

"Good to meet you too. What are you doing all the way out here?" Eris asked, leaning on his glaive.

Barret's smile faded. "Unfortunately, running for our lives. There's an assassin after us."

"Well, that's not unusual. We're usually being hunted."

"No, this is different. It's an assassin from the Brotherhood. His name is Aezr, and he's been hunting me since December. We're headed south, then east to Edinmire."

"Edinmire? That's a long way away. Why there?"

"We have some powerful friends there." Raine answered, walking over to get a better look at him. His armor was polished and fit him perfectly. He wasn't lying, this was custom made for him alone, and it looked very finely made. "Once we get there, we'll be safe. We just have to get there first."

"You're going all the way to Edinmire, but where's your supplies? You'll never make it with what you're carrying now." Eris frowned.

"You forget, I'm at home out here." Barret said with a smile. "I can track a deer on a foggy day, we can make it."

"Well, it'll add a few days to the journey, but I was headed toward a place where we could resupply. A safe haven, just a few days southwest of here. I saw the Sentinel attacking someone, and figured I'd jump in and save the day! Maybe get some coin or food out of it. Never expected to see you, but it's a great coincidence."

"Southwest? There's no settlements southwest of here. Only Hatchet's Harbor is this far north." Barret said with a frown.

"It's not on maps. By design, of course. Like Lyn'Knoll, but no one knows where it actually is. It's called Wenmoor. It's between some hills and a few mountains, and there's a lot of slate in the area. If you don't know what to look for, you'd never find it."

Raine and Haelith exchanged glances, but Barret smiled. "Wenmoor. Well, if it's good enough for you, then it's good enough for me. Lead the way." Eris led them onward, smiling with Barret, who had never been happier. Haelith and Raine followed a short distance behind the brothers. While they walked, they saw just how similar they were: the way they walked, the way they talked, even the way they expressed themselves with their body language was nearly identical. Barret's voice was a bit higher, and was less refined as a result of him being away from people for so long. Eris, on the other hand, had a slightly deeper voice, and his words were clear and enunciated, like he had studied with someone to learn proper speech.

"So, what have you been up to for the last… what is it, six years?" Eris asked as they walked.

"Seven years, and a few months. I've been looking for you. I hadn't heard anything about you, no signs, no whispers, nothing. I did what I know: hunted. Traveled. Survived. For so long, I was alone. After we were separated, I went east, then south along the coast. I went from the top to the bottom of Keidran territory, before going west for a year or so. Went all the way around past Edinmire, then circled up and went back east. I heard about Lyn'Knoll, and figured I'd give it a look. Met up with some other friends, and traveled with them for a while, before making my way back to Edinmire. These two showed up, and I've been traveling with them since." Barret said, smiling as he told his tale.

Haelith made to interrupt, but Raine stopped her. "I know that's his brother, but I think he's being cautious." she whispered. "Don't him everything about yourself, only what he needs to know. There's something about him that just seems off." Haelith glanced over, and sighed.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one. Everything seems too convineint for my liking."

"What about you?" Barret asked. "Where have you gone? How did you find out about Wenmoor?"

Eris chuckled. "Well, after we were separated, I went practically the opposite direction. I went west. I traveled west for a while, stopped in Hatchet's Harbor on the way. I heard there were nomads on the north plains, but never found them. So I went from the east coast to the west, looped around and came back east, learning and listening as much as I could. I wanted to believe that I'd find you again, that you'd be right there, coming back to camp with the spoils of the hunt, but no. I wished for so long to see you. After a few months, I resigned you as dead. I never thought I'd see you again. But now, we can be together! Just like old times!"

"Just like old times!" Barret threw his arm around Eris. Strangely, while Barret claimed to be the younger one, he was taller by several inches.

"Hey Eris?" Haelith asked, walking faster to catch up to them. "How old are you? I though you were the older one, but Barret's taller."

"I'll be thirty two in a few weeks. Which means Barret will be twenty eight come this August."

"Oh. Is it strange knowing that your younger brother is actually the bigger one?" Raine asked, smirking.

"He wasn't last time we saw each other. You've shot up at least two feet in the past few years."

"And you've barely grown at all." Barret laughed, leaning on his 'little' brother. "I'm glad your back."

"It's been a wild journey. Let's start another one." Eris said, looking at Barret, smiling, then back to the two girls, and back toward the Sentinel that had fallen. Erisdar knew that they were not alone, but in this moment, he didn't care.

…

When they stopped for the night, Barret went out hunting for a while, leaving Raine and Haelith with Eris, who sat leaned up against a tree, sharpening his glaive while humming a gentle tune. "Who did you say made you that armor?" Raine asked, drawing him from his stupor.

"Hm? Oh, some friends in Wenmoor made it it for me. They made my glaive too. Before, I was using a spear I fashioned from an old branch."

"It's very finely made armor. It could rival even the Templar armor."

"Well, it was an ex-Templar who made the armor. He used their standard template, but modified it for me. Apparently it was quite the challenge. It's why you'll never see another Ishtaer with armor. We can't wear just any armor, we're too large, and our tails have to be able to move still. I'm glad I have this, but it does get heavy sometimes. Then again, it's saved my life quite a few times, so I'll take the weight."

"Looks like it would be hard to get on and off on your own." Haelith said, but Eris reached up to his shoulder, smiling.

"Actually, it's one of the modifications that he made: magnetic straps." He pulled on the strap, and the entire chestplate came off, hanging loose on his shoulder. "Every piece of armor is able to be almost literally thrown on, and I've gotten very good at it over the last few years. If someone knew how my armor worked, it might be a problem, but no one is ever able to get close enough to figure it out."

"Do you think Barret could get a set?"

"I'm certain he could, but from what it sounds like, we'll just be stopping in for a supply run. It took Kal almost seven months to make, though I suspect that half of that was just trying to figure out how to best modify the armor." Raine furrowed her eyebrows, frowning. She was able to tell when people were hiding something, and Eris was no different. He avoided everyone's direct gaze, tried to take control of the conversation as often as possible, and had barely talked with her and Haelith during the day. She was about to whisper to Haelith when Barret came back, a young buck in tow. "Ah, the mighty hunter returns!"

"Obviously! Certainly better that you with that boar!"

"Hey! You know that wasn't my fault!" Barret laughed as Eris blushed and turned away, but he did smirk at the memory.

"Well, at least we'll eat well tonight. I've got some fennel, basil, and oregano I've been saving for a special occasion, and I can't think of a better time than now." Cutting into the flank of the deer with expert speed, he carved out a large slab, and put it on an iron plate, setting it on top of the fire. Soon, the camp was filled with the smell of cooking meat, seasoning, and coffee. Barret sat down next to Haelith, rather than Eris, happily sharing a cup of coffee with her. When the food was consumed, Barret threw his hammock up into the trees, and hoisted Haelith up to join him. Raine set up her tent near the fire, and crawled in, but turned around to watch what Eris did. He did not have a tent, but took off his armor, and tied it up, before pulling out a thick blanket from the backpack he had, and promptly falling asleep right where he sat, leaned up against the tree, glaive well within reach. Still uneasy, Raine watched him for a while, ensuring that he was in fact, asleep, before finally letting herself fall into the world of dreams.