Turned out it wasn’t just Beo who wanted to offer me help with the magical quest bestowed upon me. Ight came by just as Beo was stepping out, tucking himself into the room with fluid grace. His large frame seemed comical on the chair when he sat down, and the poor wooden thing groaned anytime he shifted to talk. He had brought with him a scimitar, hanging low at his waist.

“I am not a mage like Beo,” He began, “I can lend my strength as a warrior. If you would like, I can demonstrate my expertise in sword fighting?” He said gesturing to the scimitar.

“Ight, I would be honored to have you.” How could I say no to a massive wolf? Or was it Wolf-kin. “And while you’re here, I something I never got the chance to ask. Do I reek of metal?”

He made a sound like barking, his entire frame tilting back and forth in the chair. A moment later, I realized he was laughing.

“Did Beo say this to you?” He asked.

“Well yes, that and death.”

His eyes widened. “I cannot see the auras of life and death that mages like Beo can and certainly do not know what she meant by that. There is a stench of metal around you and,” He held up his hand, “I mean that as no insult. It leaks out of your every pore almost as if you’ve bathed in molten iron.”

Wonderful. I guess I did reek of metal and everyone but me could smell it.

“Should I take a bath?”

He shook his large head and scratched his chin. “Maybe. I don’t know. It might just be a part of you. What that means, I do not know either.” He looked away after that.

“I have a question for you Druin if that is okay?”

“Ask away.” I said.

“Where do you hail from? Beo said she gave you the name Druin but I would like to know who you were before.”

That is a question I’d like to get answered too. I took a deep breath and told him the story of me waking up in the barren field and making my journey into the forest. About how I’d seen Indra and gotten rescued by Beo and that I didn’t know where I was from or remember anything of my past.

To Ight’s credit, he listened patiently. A couple of times he paced around the room as I described limping away from the battalion running on horseback towards me and meeting Indra. He sat back down on the already protesting chair at the end of my story.

“We ask a lot from you. You have lost your memories, the elemental part of what makes your soul and we ask you to fight for us without truly knowing you.” He said. It broke the silence between us but didn’t make me anymore comfortable. I hoped he wouldn’t ask me to be something I didn’t know I could become, like Mehr had.

I offered him a smile and turned to look out at the evening light from the window. The cicadas had begun their quiet chirping chant while the sunset stained the trees orange red. The forest seemed less gloomy in this light, the pockets of blackness filled with redness rather than pitch black.

“But it is a burden I will gladly share alongside you. The people of Sacred Grounds will forever be in your debt for this and we shall never forget.” He stood up and bowed low at the waist. His black ears brushed the floor slightly and appeared stained red in the light too.

“Ight, you’re making me blush. Beo saved me when I had nowhere to go and I would like to help as much as I can. No promises if I can become a Guardian.”

Ight straightened slowly and brought his hand out, palm up.

“This is the sign of friendship among the Beast-kin, you may lay yours on mine palm up. I would be honored if you would accept.”

I laid my hand on his palm up. A red spot appeared, with an intricate circular pattern and disappeared before I could look at it closer. I look up at Ight questioning.

“The circlet of friendship. A small kind of magic that my house has access to. We cherish our friends and it is a token of my trust Druin.”

With that, he bowed again and stepped out.

That seemed like some sort of omen. I closed my eyes and leaned back, tired of the day. And quite a bit enthralled.

--

Bright sunlight woke me up, unfiltered by the many tree limbs cascading over the window. I had gone to sleep leaning back on the pillow and right onto my left arm. The first moments of being awake were filled with panic as I thrashed around trying to get blood flowing back into my numb arm. I reasoned through that I had not in fact cut off the arm forever and it would just take a few minutes for it to start moving again. When the blood trickled back in with hundreds of microneedles to punish me for cutting off the blood flow, I took a calming breath.

A knock came from the door as I settled back in. How do they already know I’m up?

“Come in?”

Beo stepped through gingerly and looked around.

“What was all that noise? Sounded like a little elephant running around in here.” She asked. She plopped her backdown on the desk and took a seat. She had brought a leather backpack filled to the point of almost bursting and she sported a slender sword on her hip.

“Ah I slept on my arm and was trying to make it come back to life. Anyway, why are you here so early?” I replied.

“Early?” She raised an eyebrow, “It’s almost time to leave. Ight and the others are waiting for us at the front.”

Of course they are.

I got up and began searching through the dresser for clean clothes and a towel. With no luck in the dresser, I moved onto the tiny wardrobe in the room. That yielded several clean sets of clothes and some food stored on the top shelf.

“Do I have time to shower?” I asked hurried.

“Unfortunately… no.” She said and I swear I heard a stifled laugh in there somewhere.

I turned to face her and sighed. Audibly. “Any chance you have a bag I can put clothes and food in. As you very well know, I own virtually nothing besides what I am wearing.”

Beo pointed to another bag next to her own, sitting on the desk. “I already packed for you Druin, thank your lucky stars.”

“Oh you’re a life saver. What’d you pack?” I hoisted the bag on me and took a wet rag she passed towards me to clean my face.

“Ah I’ll tell you on the way, we’ve got time to talk.” And with that, she led me out.