Tarik awoke in a rainstorm, Lishay was curled at his side, shivering.

"T- tatik?" asked Anushka from behind him.

"Yes?" he said, not taking his eyes off Lishay.

"Im c- c- cold"

"We all are" he told her "come over" she dragged Lashay's now soaking cloak over to them. She lay down next to Lishay and shivered, she tried to extend the cloak so Lishay could be covered by it as well. "keep it for yourself" Tarik said "I've got her" She looked at him scepticaly as he pulled Lishay closer to him, accidently waking her up.

"What? huh?" said Lishay, as she left the land of dreams.

"It's alright" said Tarik "just cold and rainy"

"Yeah, very cold" She pulled him closer to her. "but I've got you, don't worry"

"I'm not worried about myself!" he huffed "I'm worried about you!"

"Well I'm worried about you, Tarik!" She had always acted like the mother of the group, fussing around him and doiran like they were her children, but it was that caring that made him like her.

"Fine" he said, letting her shelter him from the storm.

------------------------

Everything was soaking, but that wasn't the worst part, Anushka was up on her feet spear in hand.

"What is it?" whispered Lishay, getting out her bow. She was the second best archer Tarik knew, Abeke being the best one, but she was definitely more graceful and beautiful then Abeke, or was that just Tarik? He couldn't tell.

"I'm not exactly shure" she said "footsteps, I definitely heard footsteps"

"Thoghs would be my footsteps" said a familiar voice. Tarik spun around.

"Who are you?" asked Anushka in a menacing voice. Lishay loaded her bow and trained it on the spot where the voice had come from.

"I thought you would have heard of me" the handsome (so now we all know who this is XD) man stepped out from the trees. "My name is Zerif" Lishay let an arrow lose on the man, but Zerif stepped calmy to one side.

"Don't waste your arrows" Tarik told Lishy, she nodded calmly, and stood face to face with Zerif. Tarik stepped between Zerif and the girls. Zerif reached for his sword but then stopped. His eyes glazed over and he stared right at Tarik.

"You" he hissed "I thought I killed you! how did you ssurvive?"

"I- I don't know" stammered Tarik, scared of Zerif even more now that he was under Geathons control. He pointed his sword at him, Zerif made no move to his own blade.

"Girl" Zerif suddenly shot past Tarik and to Anushka's side. Tarik ran at him and held up his sword to strike him down, but zerif held up his hand and stopped the sword. He was wearing the iron bore Tarik realised, annoyed, and even more scared now. Tarik drew back next to Lishy, and tried to think of a way to get Anushka out of Zerif's grasp. "How did he sssssurvive!" Zerathon yelled at Anushka.

"I found him!" blurted Anushka "I had the antidote to snake bite on me," she continued "I gave it to him"

"How did he make it passsst dawn?"

"Lumeo" said Tarik "he gave me extra strength and kept me going" he released the otter who went to stand proudly on his head.

"No one survives my bite and gets away with it. I will deal with you myself" to Tarik's surprise, Zerathon then ran off into the woods, and towards where Tarik's thought stetriol was.

"We really should get going" said Lishay

"Yes I need to see them again" said Tarik "make sure there alright"

"You act like you are their father"

"I am" he said "Meliln and Rollan's fathers are both dead, Abeke's fathers no good, Conor sees me more then his father" Lishay smiled and shook her head.

"You are so silly sometimes"

"Can I help?" asked Anushka.

"With the battel?" asked Lishay "no way"

"Yes way!" said Anushka, "if I can kill in the shyvana I can kill on the battlefield!"

"It's very different," explained Lishay.

"I still want to help!" she said "please?"

"Oh Anushka, you don't even have a spirit animal"

"I am older than the fallens bonded partners, yet you trust them with everything. how is that fair? why is it like that!?"

"They are......different"

"And so am I"

"They are bonded to the four fallen, do you need more of an expansion?" asked Tarik, slightly annoyed

"Yes I do, just because those are their spirit animals, does it say anything about them"

"Their spirit animals can protect them in battle, and give them strength and abilities, you don't have that power"

"But I'm the most skilled hunter in all erdas!"

"Have you ever entered an conpations?" asked Lishay, flatly.

"Well um no"

"So then how do you know?"

"Anushka this is for your own good" Tarik put his hand on the young girl's shoulder, and a sudden image of Abeke flashed through his head. Anushka and Abeke looked alike, if it wasn't for the fact Anushka's preferred weapon was a spear, while Abeke always welded the bow, but the biggest difference was that Abeke was younger. If he stood the two girls side by side he would be able to tell that, even with Uraza, Abeke looked less capable.

"Please Tarik" she said, her voice soft. He looked to Lishay, who was shaking her head.

"Lishay" he whispered, and moshend for her to follow him. Anushka stayed put with Zhamin and Lumeo, while Tarik and Lishay walked a little way off.

"I think we should let her try," Tarik said.

"Are you crazy!" cried Lishay "she doesn't even have a spirit animal, she won't last a minute!"

"Imagen her standing next to Conor Abeke rollan and Meilin," Lishay ndded "then see who looks more ready to fight, who would you want to put out on a battlefield and hope they survive?"

"Anushka"

"What's more she wants this, the others had no choice, I know Conor and Meliln would have rather stayed in their homes with their kind loving families. She is willing to go out there, she is choosing this because she believes in herself, and we need to do that too"

"I suppose"

"Come on we need to get to that battle or Ollvans plans will be ruined, the Greencloaks need every advantage they can get" they walked back to Anushka.

"You can come" said Lishay, solemnly "but remember this is your choice not ours, and you can return whenever you want" Anushka nodded.

"I promise I won't let you down, I- I won't let the- the" she took a deep breath "I won't let the Greencloaks down" Tarik smiled.

"Thank you Anushka" he said "and if Ollvan askes, your spirit animal is in passive form on your foot"

"But if I was to have a spirit animal the tattoo would go on my- oh right so he can't see it" she laughed, Tarik smiled.

"Right then well we better get going"