A/N: As promised, here is the other part I mentioned…

~~ Kellan ~~

After finally managing to get a little sleep, Kellan was jolted awake when he felt as if his air supply was being cut off. If felt like something was trying to strangle him, although it didn't feel like hands, but something else. Raising his own hands to his neck, he found nothing was there, and he breathed in sharply in panic. His fingers scrambled to find something, but came up empty as the thing around his neck pulled tighter. Finally, the feeling faded, and he gasped for breath, his chest burning where the odd markings were.

"By the angel-…" he muttered, shakily rising to his feet. Something cut his side, and he hissed, pressing a hand to the wound and feeling blood. Whirling around, he drew his sword with his free hand, although he found the forest was empty, and there was not another blade in sight. It was as if he was trying to fight an invisible enemy, and he half wondered if it was all in his head.

Starting through the trees, he headed towards base, scanning the faeries there. Asking a couple if they'd seen Aspen, he found that no one had any answers. Running into Sol, he took a moment to collect himself, finally sheathing his sword.

"Have you seen Aspen?" he asked, and Sol raised an eyebrow as he shook his head.

"I-… I need to head to the Towns," Kellan said, quickly. "It's an emergency. I'll… just get some supplies, then I'll be back." The supplies part was mostly a lie, but he couldn't explain anything to Sol at that moment.

"Don't be long," Sol said, and Kellan turned away before he could study him for too long.

It was mostly a blur as he made his way to the gate to get to the Towns. While it was a shame that he hadn't been able to find Aspen to take him to the warlock, and he felt a little guilty about it, he decided that it was probably safer for Aspen if he wasn't involved. Aspen had his own problems to sort out, he knew, and it was better if he didn't get him involved in anything else.

Once he made it to the Towns, he started through the streets, planning on asking around to find a warlock who could help look at the red markings on his chest. He did not feel like he was being attacked anymore, which was a relief, but the markings were burning, and he felt more tired than usual. He drew his cloak around him further, to hide the blood on his shirt from the cut on his side. He figured he could deal with it later, when he was back at the Hunt.

On any other occasion, he might have been relieved to be away from the Hunt for a little bit. He felt the pressure with the vote coming up, and as if all gazes were upon him. He sighed, doubting his trip to the Towns would help much with it.

Stopping to ask a couple of shopkeepers if they knew of any warlocks who could help, he continued on in the direction he was pointed in. With any luck, he might be able to see someone that day. Glancing at a tavern as he passed, he could hear some merry sounding chatter. He had no idea what day it was in mundane time, or even what time it was, although judging by the fading light, he suspected it must be the early evening. Turning around a corner, he only had a second to glance down the street, noting that the pain had faded a little.

There was a sudden swish of fabric and a sound of some quick footsteps which made him reach for the hilt of his sword, but before he could turn around quick enough, something hard hit his head, and his vision faded to darkness as he crumpled to the ground.

I'll definitely write more on this later, and perhaps this isn't the most eloquently written. I realised I stuffed up when I had Kellan show Aspen the markings. Haha I hadn't intended on that, but it ended up happening, although I'd always intended on Kellan going to the Towns alone. Whoops. Now Kellan will feel even more guilty. Anyway, I just had to come up with a little more inventive reason of why he went there on his own. ;)