Tarik lay on a bedroll under the tent that Marci had placed him in after he fainted. His head spun, and he was covered in sweat. The smell of Marci's herbs and antidotes added a disgusting stench to the small space that he was in. He was still unsure as to why he was still passing out, nothing was wrong with him. Marci sat on a chair to his side, mixing some herbal leaves together to get rid of his dizzy spell. Lumeo sat next to Tarik's body.

Marci carefully approached Tarik with the leaves in a small bowl and took a knee beside him. When he looked up at her, her face was pretty, with a sharp jawline and hazel eyes. She had been taking care of him for a few hours, and the sun was slowly beginning to set outside.

"Drink this," Marci said, handing the small bowl to Tarik and gently helping him sit up. He wobbled slightly, and struggled to keep his head up. With a shaking hand, he took the bowl.

The smell was just as awful.

"It stinks," Tarik tried to hand the bowl back to Marci, but she pushed it back to him.

"It will help with your dizziness," she said. "It isn't supposed to taste as sweet as Ninani's Nectar, it's just to help you. Now stop being so stubborn or you can suffer without it."

Tarik grunted, "Right."

He gulped down the crushed leaves without hesitation, almost gagging at the taste. Marci watched with an amused expression before retrieving the bowl from Tarik. Lumeo also looked amused, and Tarik coughed.

As Marci stepped away, Tarik lay back down. His thoughts wandered back to his argument with his mentor. Perhaps he really had spoken harshly to Ricko, but surely he would know what was going on? Why, what seemed like an army, was hunting Tarik? He remembered how Ricko had tried to stop him from being so loud, and then they were attacked.

He thought about LaReimaja and the bright future she sacrificed for him. He silently thanked her in his head, before the tent's flap opened. Tarik's heart sank at who had entered.

His mentor, Ricko, stepped into the tent. "May I?"

"Of course, he's awake now. Just dizzy," said Marci. "I can step out if you want?"

"If you don't mind?" Ricko said trying not to sound demanding. "Sorry, I just have to discuss some matters with him."

Marci nodded and left the tent. Ricko pulled up a chair next to where Tarik lay. His head still spun, so it looked like the entire room was moving. Tarik closed his eyes, but listened.

"Look, I never really got the chance to bond with you like i did with Lishay and Dorian, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. I lost you for a long time and understand that what you experienced wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. I understand why you're mad," Ricko stopped.

Tarik was listening, but said nothing.

"I'm not here to give you a lecture about feelings, but as your mentor, it is my duty to protect you. Olvan gave me the task to train and guide you until you were experienced enough to go on your own as a Greencloak. During this time, it doesn't mean for you to take your anger out on me," Ricko finished.

Tarik opened his eyes just a little, and saw that Ricko was looking away. His dizziness had gone away almost, then Ricko turned to look at him. They both stared at each other for a short moment before Tarik looked down and pulled his knees to his chest. He wasn't entirely sure how to reply to his mentor, but figured that saying sorry would calm the tension.

"I'm sorry," said Tarik. It was very difficult to understand how Ricko was feeling at this point.

Ricko turned away again. "One day, you're going to be a mentor. You'll then understand how hard it is to keep the new ones happy and out of danger. You'll get attached to them without realising it, treating them as your own children depending on how old your recruits are. The people you train will follow in your footsteps for their entire Greencloak life."

Tarik couldn't imagine himself as a mentor. The thought was startling, and totally not something for his liking. He stroked Lumeo's head. Why would anyone ever want to follow in his steps?

"It's also a mentor's job to keep their recruits alive," Ricko continued. "I need to keep you three alive. Just work with me, and we can figure things out. We're a team, after all."

Tarik nodded.

Ricko left the tent, and a moment later Marci poked her head in.

"You okay?" asked Marci.

"Yeah," Tarik replied.

"We've got a fire going, if you're not feeling dizzy anymore then come out and eat something."

---

The sound of the fire crackling was calming. Tarik sat next to Lishay, and on Lishay's other side sat Dorian. Zhosur lay outstretched in front of the fire with Lumeo curled next to his large paw. Dorian's horned owl flew somewhere up above. It was already night, and the adult Greencloaks were in a conversation about their greatest battles.

"So Alec, you're one of Olvan's finest warriors too?" Ricko asked.

"Apparently so. My brothers too are said to be fine warriors as we are called 'the chosen ones'," Alec said with a small smile and a flush of embarrassment.

"How interesting, who are your brothers again?" Lishay joined in.

"There's me, Finn, Jake and Eric," he replied. "I'm not sure if you've ever heard of them?"

Tarik heard something in the bushes a few feet away, but seemed to be the only one who noticed it.

"I think I have," Lishay said, and then started saying something else which Tarik wasn't listening to.

He turned around to look into the forest around their camp. He looked back at the others, mainly at Ricko who was eating a bread bun. He looked at Dorian, but he was reading a map of Eura. He heard the noise again, it sounded like rustling. Something was definitely out there.

Tarik excused himself from the conversation and started making his way towards Marci's tent. He walked behind it, out of sight from the other Greencloaks. He wanted to see if the sound would follow him to the other side of the camp.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. It was eerily quiet, too quiet. He could hear the hushed voices from his group. Tarik sighed deeply and was about to turn and head back to the campfire before he heard multiple twigs snap.

Tarik narrowed his eyes at a creature in the forest. He could see the outline of what looked like a large animal and he stepped back. Lumeo squeaked and ran toward the creature.

"Lumeo!" Tarik whispered harshly. But the otter stood in front of the animal, sniffed it and squeaked again.

The animal stepped into view. It was a large mountain lion with blue eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. Tarik's jaw dropped in shock. This was an animal he knew. This was Lynk's spirit animal, Fang. Tarik froze, unsure of what to expect from him. He was glad that Fang was still alive, even after last time he saw the cat. Fang had a scar on his shoulder from where he was struck with an arrow at the river that Tarik had been rescued from.

Fang sat down a few feet in front of Tarik and lifted his head revealing the golden amulet. Tarik squinted at what he was seeing. Even in the dark, he could see another object attached to the amulet. Fang was waiting for Tarik to take the object.

It was something wrapped in silk, silk from Nilo. He unfolded the soft silk from the object, revealing...

A rock?

There were words carved into the medium-sized rock. Tarik looked at Fang, then Lumeo, who were both watching him. Tarik looked down at it, pointed the words towards the moon, and read it.

Caylif and family in danger.

Return home  at once.

Tarik read the words over and over again, his hands shaking. When he looked up, it was just Lumeo who was looking at him.

Fang was gone, but who wrote this?

Tarik's body stiffened and tears wobbled in his eyes. His family and Caylif were in danger. He had to go there immediately. He would have to sneak away in the night, board a ship, and get to Nilo. But that would mean leaving Ricko, Dorian and Lishay for Tellun knows how long. He could imagine his family, who may or may not even be alive, suffering in their own homeland. He pushed the rock into his pocket. He knew he couldn't tell the others. They wouldn't let him go alone, and this was something he had to do alone. Whatever danger his home was in, he had to leave now to save it.