Nathaly: 

Once again, she woke to the smell of fleecy mothballs and rank rust. Her nose twitched as she covered it with her palm, inhaling deeply and holding her breath to avoid smelling the itchy scent once more. She stumbled to the bathroom and after shutting the door hastily behind her, she released her breath with a deep gasp. After her breathing returned to normal, she pushed off the door and looked outside the window, where the sun had begun to pinprick it's way through the dark. The dawn, albeit beautiful, had become a reminder that soured Nathaly's mind. 

With every passing day, Yasmin Capulet and Orion Montague were slipping farther and farther away. 

Nathaly had spent years strengthening her hold on her composure, and now it was going to collapse in less than a week. One full moon rotation had already passed and the next solstice was silently creeping up on her. How could two young, spoiled royals so effectively dodge them? Every time Nathaly pondered the question it only served to incense her frustration. She pushed the parroting question away as a slow knock echoed through the small bathing chambers.

She opened the door, seeing Kodiak waiting there. He yawned loudly and sidestepped her, slipping into the bathroom. The one inn in the town only had a few rooms and when the three of them had arrived, there was only one large room available. Since Nathaly was loathe to sleep outside she begrudgingly paid for the room. It didn't matter anyways, considering they were leaving today. Nathaly sat on the creaky, rumpled bed. Eithan had gotten up early for a run, as he had since they arrived to the human town. Kodiak, however, seemed inclined to do no such thing, and snored to his heart's content and to Nathaly's despair. 

The door squealed and Kodiak stepped out, fresh and ready to greet the day. Nathaly dragged her gaze away from his tousled hair and his flexing muscles. Sometimes, especially in moments like this, Nathaly cursed herself for being born a girl. Running a hand through her own tangled, oak brown locks, she shifted on the bed towards him.

"Can you smell them anymore?" Kodiak's eyes sharpened as he muttered to himself, nostrils flaring in and out. After what seemed to be another eternal second, Kodiak turned towards her with an apologetic, frustrated look.

Her hope withered.

"They're gone. The wind washed away their scent. Especially if they left a whole moon cycle ago." Kodiak growled, leaning against the old metal table in the corner. Nathaly slumped, though it was to be expected. After getting the same answer for the past week, Nathaly tried not to get her hopes up. Yet, hope still bloomed. A loud crash drew Nathaly's attention towards the table. She shot up when she saw Kodiak curled up on the floor. She rushed to aid him but he held a trembling hand out, stopping her.

"Don't come closer, Nathaly," he rasped, his voice changed entirely. Silently, Nathaly edged away until Kodiak unfurled himself and stretched.

"I'm sorry. The solstice is coming and being in the human world kind of speeds up the process," he pressed a large hand to his temple. Nathaly swallowed and nodded, chasing away the little shadows of fear. Kodiak would never hurt her. She let out a short breath and jumped up once again, pacing.

"Alright. We will leave with enough time to get both you and Eithan far away from the town so you won't hurt any civilians. But we have no lead. I... I don't know where to go from here." Nathaly looked down at her hands, unable to meet Kodiak's gaze. 

He stepped closer to her, grabbing both her hands in his and leading her to sit down on the dusty mattress. His hands eclipsed hers in size and Nathaly almost wanted to tell him to keep holding when he let go. The cool air was a shock against her skin. 

"Nathaly, we will find them. We will complete the mission. They cannot run forever, right?" he offered her a half smile.

"Yes, but how long will that be?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that we will find them. Together." Nathaly jerked her head away from his gentle gaze. 

"I don't have that much time," she whispered softly.

"What?"

"I said, I don't have that much time," she repeated, facing him fully now. "Forget it, you won't understand, Kodiak." 

He was silent for a moment. "Then help me understand, Nathaly."

She whirled on her feet towards him, heaving. "You want to know why? Fine. I'll tell you. Everything I've worked towards my whole life is all for this mission. All the lost sleep, the blood, sweat, and tears. Think about it: all your memories are of training, pain, and exhaustion. Of an extremely heavy duty that no child should ever have to carry. I don't just have infinite time. If you fail, your family won't disgrace you. Eithan's either. But for me, I'll be shunned from the Council, forever. I won't have a home, and the only family I've ever known will be gone." Nathaly felt hot tears scald her skin. "Don't pretend you understand what situation I'm in, because you never will." Kodiak stared at her, which only made the tears fall faster. After a moment of silence he got up and began to walk away.

"Alright. If that's what you want, Nathaly. I won't ask anymore." The anger diminished and in its place came longing. Nathaly felt the pressures of her life, and her mission every day, like crumbly bricks that could fall at any given time if she made one mistake. She wished she could talk to someone about how hard it was to hold the mantle day in and day out, without fail. While her brother had good intentions, he didn't have the patience to sit and listen to her.

"Wait," she called out. He turned to her expectantly. "I'm sorry. That was rude. I don't know anything about your life and it was wrong of me to assume. I'm just at a loss." Kodiak relaxed, broad shoulders dropping as he lumbered closer to her. 

"Like I said earlier, help me understand." 

Nathaly inhaled deeply, and released. "I've never told this to anyone other than my brother before. Talking like this is not something I've done extensively."

Kodiak leaned back on his forearms, tilting his head up towards the flickering orange ceiling light.  "Me neither. But I'm a good listener." 

"My parents died when I was young. I was old enough to remember them, but young enough that I didn't understand why. I always waited from them to come back until Calum had enough of my persistent pestering and just told me that they weren't, and they were dead." Nathaly chuckled hollowly. "Of course, I was too young to understand why. Both my parents had been Novices but my mother had finished her mission before him. My parents believed that they would live their lives happily after my father finished his assignment. Back then, they had the Novices go on the missions when they were older but this time they decided to send us out earlier. My father was called on his mission and... he never came back. My mother didn't understand: all the Council had told her was that he went into the human world and died there. My mother didn't believe them and pleaded them to let her go and find what truly happened to him. But at that point, my whole family was shamed. My mother couldn't handle not knowing what happened to my father. The week after, the Council found her hanging off her balcony, dead. She had hung herself." Nathaly forced herself to calm down, fought against the rising levels of panic. "From then on, Calum and I both were seen as the children of the disgraced, of the diminished. Calum managed to prove his worth and he's a worthy member of the Council, but I had to work twice as hard to prove myself. During testing, the instructors saw my name and immediately looked at me differently. I managed to gain respect but the road was hard. I didn't think I would come out. Failing your mission is the highest level of humiliation you can get. If I don't come back with the two of them then I will never be worthy in the Council's eyes ever again." Kodiak hadn't said anything and Nathaly twisted her fingers in her lap. 

Kodiak rolled off the bed and began to rummage through his bag.

"What are you doing?"

"I think I have a solution," he said, not looking up from the bag. He pulled out an ornate, shallow bowl, decorated with glyphs and symbols inscribed with sparkling silver. 

Nathaly made a face. "A bowl? That's your solution?"

"Just listen, will you? Come," he laughed. Nathaly peeled herself off the bed. Kodiak set the bowl on the splotchy windowsill and ducked his chin. He muttered words in a foreign tongue and Nathaly struggled to recognize anything he was saying. As he finished the phrase, the bowl began to gush clear water, cold and sweet. Nathaly practically fell over in shock. This was not ordinary drinking water, for there was shimmers of silver in the liquid. Kodiak quirked his lips in amusement at her wonderous expression. 

"What?" she managed to say.

"This is an Oath Bowl." Nathaly peered over the ridge. She had heard about Oath Bowls but she had never witnessed one in real life. Kodiak lightly put his fingers under her chin and tilted her head towards him.

"Do you trust me, Nathaly?" after studying his eyes, ferociously beautiful, Nathaly nodded. He released her chin and withdrew a small dagger. He dipped his finger in the crystalline water, then made a small slit in his fingers. His dark blood oozed but Kodiak barely seemed to notice it. Kodiak used his other hand to lift her hand by the wrist. He gingerly pressed his cut finger to the middle of her wrist, where her pulse thumped. Shivers of hot and cold simultaneously wound through her, the feeling freezing her in place. 

"Vežem se za tebe, Nathaly, dok moj zadatak ne bude obavljen."

The words flowed from his mouth like music, rising and falling like the river. Power rattled through Nathaly's bones, soft whispers filling her head. She inhaled shakily as Kodiak took a step back.

"What did you say?"

His eyes bore into hers, intense. "I made a Blood Oath. The strongest one. I swore on my blood and bone." 

Shivers wracked Nathaly's body, goosebumps rippling down her flesh. "You made a Blood Oath? But that means you could..." she trailed off, unable to say the words without choking.

But Kodiak merely inclined his head. "A small sacrifice, if I can help you live your dream." 

Nathaly wound the velvety cloth of the cloak around her finger over and over again. The overwhelming feelings from the Blood Oath still hadn't left her completely, lingering in her mind. But Kodiak's Oath threatened to burn her from the inside out. 

The main street was bursting at the seams with life, vendors shouting and children squealing. The town was simple, effective if nothing else. But even in the pounding heat, Nathaly shivered violently from the Oath. She tucked her cloak tighter and veered towards the petite boulangerie and butcher's shop. The three of them needed enough food for the trip, even though Nathaly was unsure about where they were going. She was unsure about her whole life, really. The shop was empty, aromas of all different types causing her mouth to salivate. She hadn't eaten for hours and hunger ate away at her steely resolve.

The short lady smiled at her, ear to ear. "Hello, dearie! What can I get you today?" Nathaly pushed the hood off her head and scanned the rows of steaming loaves on the shelves.

"Can I have three loaves, assorted, and some wedges of cheese. Oh, and a few pounds of fresh beef, if you will."  The lady nodded eagerly and waddled off, still chatting about utter nonsense. She came back with large, papered parcels that she tucked into a charming basket. 

"You look just like that other beautiful young woman that just came in here just one moon cycle ago." Nathaly furrowed her brows. 

"Oh really?" she said slowly.

"Oh yes! I didn't catch her name, but she had the most beautiful red hair. Like garnets. What a coincidence, two new people here in our tiny town in just one moon cycle! We don't get a lot of visitors often." Nathaly's eyes widened and this time, she couldn't tamp her excitement down.

"Did she mention where she was going?" Nathaly asked, maybe a little too overeager. The large woman eyed her suspiciously. 

"Do you know her?"

"Yes. She's my distant cousin. We were supposed to travel together but she was too excited and left without me. Me and my other family members have been trying to catch up with her." The lady brightened and nodded vigorously. 

"I'm sorry, dear. She said something about Fontana Obtove. That's your best guess, to go to Pamukkale." As Nathaly pushed the door open, the woman called back to her.

"Oh, and tell her that Milly from the bakery wishes her good luck!" Nathaly smiled tightly and nodded. She didn't even bother clasping her cloak again as she flew back down the stone street to the inn. 

Eithan's face twisted in thought as he considered Milly's words.

"Yasmin's always been overambitious. And she's always loved the tale of Fontana Obtove. We just need to get to Pamukkale catch them there."

"Yes, I think we've established that," Kodiak said dryly, but it came out more a snarl. The effects of the upcoming solstice were beginning to affect both of the men. Eithan had torn into the cow leg with almost inhuman speed and Kodiak had began to sound and act more wolfish by the hour.

Eithan shot him a dirty look as Nathaly outlined their plan. "We need to get the both of you far away from here before you fully change. Then we can head to Pamukkale." 

Kodiak nodded once. "Orion would be changing, and so would Yasmin. This will slow their journey down." 

Nathaly pursed her lips then made her way to the door, with Kodiak and Eithan in tow. 

The sun had begun to fall back earlier, making way for the solstice moon. Kodiak twitched, having an inner battle with himself. Once they made their way to the outskirts of the town, Eithan mounted his horse and Kodiak swung onto his wolf, helping Nathaly up. With a snap of the reins they were off, speeding down the barely worn path in the dense woods. Nathaly pushed down her nausea, wishing that she hadn't eaten so much bread and cheese. The night crept up fast, spreading inky fingers across the pale sky quickly. Soon, the solstice moon shone bright in the sky. Kodiak's fur had grown rapidly and Eithan's eyes had darkened as the night had risen. Nathaly quenched her rising fear and focused her gaze on the moon, winking down at them. 

Suddenly, Kodiak came to a jerking stop and Nathaly almost pitched forwards. He jumped off and began to pace wildly, digging his fingers into his hair. 

"Kodiak?" her voice quivered.

"Eithan, get off the horse." he slid off and the horse began to snort, the whites of its eyes betraying its fear. 

"Kodiak? Eithan? Talk to me, what's happening?" the two men began to make unearthly noises and Nathaly backed into a tree. 

They would never hurt me, she repeated to herself. 

Then Kodiak let out a low, bone-chilling howl. 

Nathaly looked down at her trembling hands. He turned towards her, breathing heavily.

"Nathaly, get on that horse." his voice was so low Nathaly could barely understand what he said. 

"No, I'm not leaving you here," she argued, fighting against the urge to run. 

Eithan clenched his fists. "Nathaly, get on the damn horse and get the hell out of here." 

"We can control our urges but we can't entirely." Kodiak raised his familiar eyes to hers. They were the only part of him that hadn't changed. "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you. Please go. We'll be fine." Nathaly bit her lip then leapt on the horse. She caught the last bit of relief in his eyes before his pupils dilated. 

"GO!" he roared, a sound that seemed to shake the forest. Nathaly slapped the flank of the horse and it shot off, relieved to be able to run away. She hadn't gotten far before she heard a snap of a twig, in the trees.

The horse reared, and Nathaly fell off. Stars exploded in her vision as she lay there. Nathaly tilted her head to see the sharp tip of a bow and arrow.

Archers. 

They jumped nimbly from the trees, laughing nastily.

"Look gentlemen! A richie!" he spit at her feet. "You're going to get us money, girl, if you come back with us."

She glowered at the large man. "I'm not going anywhere with you." He smirked.

"Well then," he cracked his knuckles. "I'm afraid we'll have to kill you." Nathaly turned her head again, only to have her skull throb with unmeasureable pain. She braced for the arrows when a thundering roar of fury pierced the sky. Nathaly looked up to see a blur of fur slice at the men, letting them bleed crimson on the floor. Nathaly managed to come to a sitting position and watched the creature tear through men.

Kodiak. 

Another blood-curdling scream reverberated through the trees as Eithan sunk his fangs eagerly into the lead man's neck, clamping down. He collapsed in an instant. Nathaly turned her gaze back to Kodiak, who was now stumbling to her side. Arrows stuck out from his back and side, but his eyes held no regret as he fell to forest floor.