The elven man groaned as Sten picked him up. Linn nervously checked the forest. The Dalish had warned them about the monsters in the forest, more specifically the werewolves, but the group had found more than that. Blighted wolves, darkspawn, and even a bear had attacked them from the shadows. Linn looked at the group to see that, aside from Shale, the group was spent, and even Linn could feel her own tiredness in her very bones. A part of her hated to leave before they'd even seen this "Witherfang", but at least she had been able to speak to the werewolves.

"Let's head back to the Dalish camp," Linn said and watched as most of the group relaxed in relief. "There's something I want to talk to Zathrian about anyway."

The group stumbled back to the camp. As they emerged from the forest carrying the Dalish hunter, the elves ran forward to meet them. Linn looked around the camp for Zathrian. She found him toward the camp's edge and strode toward him with purpose.

"You didn't tell me that the damn werewolves can talk!" Linn fumed at him.

"Truly? And you spoke to them?" Zathrian replied with cool indifference.

"You made it seem like they were feral animals! That they couldn't be reasoned with!"

"I assure you that they cannot."

"And how would you know that if you've never talked to them?!"

Zathrian looked at her with smug disdain before he gestured to the wolf statue in front of him, "Do you know the story of Fen'Harel, shemlen?" the elf asked in an almost mocking tone.

"No," Linn replied as she took a deep breath to try to calm herself. "I don't exactly see the significance of your folktales, but if this 'Fen'Harel' has something to do with this mess… by all means, enlighten me."

"Fen'Harel, or in your language 'Dread Wolf', was one of the many gods in our pantheon. He was the very reason our gods were sealed away, and our people have fallen."

Linn looked at the wolf statue before turning back to Zathrian and asking, "So… you have beef with wolves because of your religion? That's a bit…"

"No!" Zathrian snapped with hatred in his eyes. "It is because of their very nature! Savage, vicious, and unyielding! And that is why you must-!"

"They didn't attack me!" Linn interrupted before she took another deep breath to calm herself. "At least not the ones I spoke to. If they can be reasoned with-"

"They cannot!"

"How do you know? Have you tried?"

"Because it is in their very nature!" Zathrian repeated sternly. "I will hear no more of this! The only way to save my people is to bring me Witherfang's heart. If you cannot or will not do so, then you will need to move on and fight the Blight without our assistance."

Linn moved to argue back, but Zathrian walked away. Her eyes narrowed as she watched him head to his tent. After careful consideration, she didn't follow him. Talking to someone with that much hatred in his heart wouldn't do any good anyways. With a sigh, she noticed that the scornful storyteller was walking toward her.

"I'm sorry, but… Now is not a good time. If you want to complain about humans, I'll listen to it tomorrow, but today… I need to rest."

"I came to apologize," Sarel said, and Linn blinked at him in confusion. "Not about my stories about the humans. Those are true. However, I may have been rash in my judgment regarding you. There are not many shemlen who would care to rescue a lost elven hunter or unite an elven couple."

"Yeah?" Linn replied as she rubbed her neck. "I guess I can't help but be a busybody… So… why do the elves hate wolves?"

Sarel let out a small chuckle and replied, "It is not the wolves we hate, but what they represent. After Fen'Harel betrayed the other gods and locked them away, our people lost much. Once we lived for eons and built halls dedicated to our gods, but now we live as long as men and have lost everything that we held dear."

"But he didn't create the werewolves, right?"

"That is correct, but… Many think of the wolf as an extension of Fen'Harel and have attached what we know of Fen'Harel to them."

"Was this Fen'Harel a maniac or what?"

Sarel looked at her with amusement and asked, "You do not like to mince words, do you?"

"Subtlety is for people without a world to save."

"While many of us view Fen'Harel as a trickster… We do not know much about Fen'Harel. Unlike the other gods and goddesses, he preferred to keep his distance from the elven people. They say that he kept to himself to plot the betrayal of his brethren… But I am curious… What are your thoughts?"

Linn stared at the wolf statue. While still a part of the Dalish camp, it was located on the edge, facing away. Was that to defend the camp? Or was it because the people believed that he didn't have the right to be a part of the camp?

"I think… it looks quite lonely," Linn answered, and Sarel gave her a curious look. "Well… wolves are social animals, and he's all alone. Somehow still included in the pantheon but only because he's a part of history and not because he's remembered kindly… But I might be biased." Linn gave a confused Sarel a sheepish grin before she continued, "I've met a trickster of my own. He's a jerk, and his 'lessons' can be dangerous… But I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him. And… he was lonely too. Perhaps Fen'Harel had his reasons for what he did."

"Other than malice and spite?" Sarel asked, but Linn noticed that he seemed more thoughtful than offended.

"I… I also helped seal away a couple of powerful beings," Linn admitted as Sarel looked at her with disbelief. "Angels… They were going to start a war and destroy… everything. Well, mostly everything. Even the 'good one' didn't care about the 'monkeys' who would die in the crossfire. And the other one-" Linn gripped her shoulder and took a deep breath. "They were both monsters."

"And how did you seal them away? …if you don't mind me asking," Sarel replied hesitantly; his voice contained a gentleness that it hadn't before.

"Sacrifice," Linn whispered as she focused on the statue of the wolf. "Two people I cared about… They chose to be vessels. To save me. After I broke free from one of the beings, I took what was needed to seal them away and ran to find them… I didn't know…" Linn stopped herself as she felt her voice break. She thought about stopping now, but a part of her needed someone to hear this story. "I didn't know my brother Adam had agreed to be one of the vessels. I- I panicked. I knew what I was supposed to do, but… I couldn't ask that of him. I couldn't ask him to sacrifice himself. I told him–... I tried to get him to force the angel out. That we could run away and try later, but… he was braver than me."

Linn looked to the sky to prevent the tears from falling, and Sarel stayed silent, allowing her time to gather herself. The trees swayed in the wind. Their branches moved ever so slightly, allowing sunlight between the gaps. The warm sunlight soothed her enough to regroup, and she turned back to the wolf statue.

"I'm sure the other angels think of me the same as your people do of Fen'Harel… I don't know if he did what he did out of spite, but… I believe he might have had reasons to do what he did just as I had mine, but then again what does a 'shemlen' know of elven deities?"

"No… You have given me much to think about," Sarel mused as his attention focused on the statue. "Ma serannas. I am grateful for your time."

"And to you too," Linn replied, and Sarel gave her a puzzled look in return. "For listening to my story. Ma serannas."

Sarel gave her a small smile of approval. Leliana called for Linn, and Linn quickly said goodbye to the storyteller with one last look at Fen'Harel's statue. Leliana and Rabbit waited for her to catch up, and they walked to the camp together, enjoying the sounds of the forest as they strolled. Every now and then, Linn would catch Leliana staring into the treeline as though searching for something. Perhaps, werewolves? Linn reached out and gently touched Leliana's hand. Leliana flinched before giving Linn a sheepish look almost as though she felt guilty about something.

"Didn't mean to scare you," Linn said quickly. "Just wanted to make sure you're alright. We've had a hell of a day, but I'm pretty sure that the werewolves won't attack us this far out."

"Oh, right," Leliana replied with a glance into the trees around them. "I was… just worried."

"We're almost at camp," Linn reassured her. "If anything jumps out at us, I'm sure Shale would crush its head… For our screams of terror annoying the golem if for nothing else."

Leliana let out a little giggle, but Linn noticed that the stiffness never left her shoulders. It was as though she felt the need to constantly be on guard.

"Ah, there you are," Zevran said as he walked toward them. "We were wondering who would be making dinner tonight."

"Not Alistair," Linn said quickly, and Leliana let out another giggle. "Sorry but that man could burn water."

"I will make dinner," Leliana offered with a smile. "It seems like Zevran has something he needs to ask you."

"That's not–" Linn started, only to be interrupted by Zevran.

"Thank you," Zevran said sweetly to Leliana before turning his attention back to Linn.

With a sigh, Linn asked, "What is it?"

"I was just wondering if you– …I saw you speaking with that storyteller, and I noticed that you seemed… a little out of sorts."

"Oh? Are you worried about me?" Linn asked with a smirk, and Zevran shifted nervously.

"But of course! If our fearless leader were to lose focus– I just want to make sure that you are…"

"Battle-ready? Determined?" Linn asked as she noticed a slight redness on the elf's face. "I'm fine, Zevran. I promise. He just told me a story, so I told him one in return. It… It wasn't a happy one is all. But I'm fine now."

Zevran gave her an uncertain look and said, "But if you ever… Should you ever need to talk… I may not have much to offer, but I can certainly listen."

Linn gently touched his shoulder and said, "Thank you, Zevran. I mean it, but… I just need a little time to relax."

Zevran seemed to have more to say but followed her back to camp. As Linn gathered the supplies that Varathorn had given her, she checked to see if anyone was watching her. Sten and Shale were talking in the distance, and Wynne had left to rest in her tent. Alistair and Leliana argued by the fire as Rabbit watched them intently. Zevran and Morrigan were nowhere to be seen. This was as good a time as any to disappear for a little while.

Linn quickly grabbed her things and sneaked into the forest. Birds chattered above her as she looked for a good place to sit. After finally finding a small clearing, Linn sat down and opened her bag. There were a few blocks of wood and carving knives inside. While Varathorn hadn't been able to give her much more than scraps of wood, that was more than enough for her. Linn took a moment to pick which slab of wood she wanted. Making small cuts in the wood, she slowly and methodically trimmed the wood while humming a tune.

Linn paused to blow on her project. The sound of a twig snapping behind her made her quickly turn to see Alistair giving her an awkward wave.

"Ah, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. Leliana is almost done with dinner," Alistair explained as Linn dusted herself off. "I didn't know you like… uh, is that wood sculpting? No… wood cutting?"

"You mean whittling?" Linn asked with a smile as she put the knives back in the carrying case.

"Yes! That's it!" Alistair said excitedly. "Whittling… So, you like it?"

"I'd prefer to be playing a video game or watching television, but you guys don't exactly have that here," Linn teased as Alistair looked confused by her words. "Short answer: yes. I find it relaxing."

"So… who taught it to you? The whittling?" Alistair asked as he helped her off of the ground.

"One of my brothers," Linn answered with amusement. "Why? Do you want to learn?"

Alistair rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment as he admitted, "Actually, yes if you don't mind. Duncan… he used to carve things in his spare time. He said that it helped him focus his thoughts."

Alistair gave her a wistful smile, and Linn stopped for a moment.

"I'm not very good at it, but I'll teach you. He was… Duncan was a good man. I'm glad to have met the both of you."

Alistair gave her a small smile in return before they continued back to camp. Leliana looked relieved as she noticed the two of them returning. Linn raised a brow in confusion, but Leliana went back to preparing dinner without a word. Perhaps the werewolves had scared her more than Linn had thought.

"Ah, there you are," Zevran said cheerfully as he took a seat by the fire. "You disappeared so suddenly."

"You weren't even here when I left, so technically wouldn't that mean that it was you who 'suddenly disappeared'?" Linn asked as she joined him by the fire.

"Oh? You noticed? I did not know that you were watching me so intensely," Zevran replied with a flirty smile.

"A little healthy suspicion never killed anybody," Linn replied as she took the bowl Leliana handed to her.

"No, certainly not," Zevran replied with a chuckle.

"So what were you up to?" Alistair asked as he gave the elf a glare. "You and Morrigan… You do know that she'll likely turn you into a frog if you make her mad?"

"Then I will try my absolute hardest not to displease her," Zevran retorted with a scowl. "Though I do wonder… if that is true, why has she not turned you into one yet?"

Alistair opened his mouth to fire back when Leliana gave the two of them a stern look. Linn gave her a grateful smile as the two men ate quietly. Morrigan and Sten soon joined them as the sun drifted further toward the horizon.

Linn briefly wondered how Wynne was doing. The Senior Enchanter had looked somewhat drained by the forest today, and even Linn was dreading heading back in the morning. With a sigh, Linn bid the others good night before stiffly walking for her own tent. Stifling a yawn, she crawled into the bedroll and hoped for a less exciting tomorrow.