Tarik dreamed that he was in Trunswick. He walked down the streets, down alleyways and passed many shops and houses. But he could not find a single person. The city was deserted, but still in good condition. He walked down another alleyway again with Lumeo following behind him.

Tarik could see a different area up ahead of him. It was filled with chairs that were facing a single bench in the middle of the room. As he walked down the middle of the walkway of the square, he decided to make his way towards the bench. This was the place of ceremony, where children would receive the Nectar of Ninani.

Tarik stood behind the bench and saw a piece of paper that listed the names of three children that he did not know.
Lord Devin Trunswick.
Abby, daughter of Grall.
Conor, son of Fenray.

Tarik did not realise that he had read the names allowed, he looked at Lumeo, who also didn't realise and covered his mouth as if he cursed. Lumeo chattered anxiously and ran up Tarik's body to stand on his shoulder.

"What is it?" Tarik asked his spirit animal.

Lumeo jumped down from him again, did a few flips and sat down, looking at the entrance from where they came from. Tarik was confused at the otter's strange behaviour, but he looked to where Lumeo did and noticed that a heavy fog had appeared, making it hard to see far ahead. He heard heavy footsteps, but they were not human footsteps. The sound became louder, closer.

And he saw it.

The largest wolf he had ever seen in his life.

The wolf stepped out of the fog, it's pelt was a beautiful silver-grey and it's eyes were cobalt blue.

Then Tarik woke up.

~~~

Lishay startled awake as Tarik jolted upright so quickly from his sleep.

"Tarik?" Lishay whispered, "what's going on?"

Tarik shivered, suddenly cold. Lumeo and Zhosur were awake too, now aware of the commotion. The otter sat in Tarik's lap, worried.

"It was nothing, I just had a dream," Tarik whispered in reply. It was still dark but he couldn't hear Ricko and Dorian snoring anymore.

"A dream about what?"

"Why are you two outside?" Ricko stood behind them. Tarik and Lishay did not even hear the tent open. Dorian peeked from behind Ricko like a small child hiding behind his father.

"Umm..." Lishay was at a loss of words.

Tarik froze, still in shock from the dream. The only silver wolf with cobalt eyes that he knew of was the Great Wolf named Briggan. But Briggan died long ago in the First Devourer War. His parents used to tell him stories of the Great Beasts, he knew the ones of Nilo which were Uraza The Leopard and Cabaro The Lion, although Uraza was dead too. He had forgotten some of the names of the others, but still knew the Four Fallen Great Beasts, Briggan, Uraza, Jhi, Essix and of course Ninani and Tellun who were still alive.

He suddenly felt a large hand on his shivering shoulder. Lishay stood up and backed away for a moment, eyes on Tarik and Ricko.

"You two could have been eaten alive by a predator by being out here in the open," Ricko hissed.

"We're sorry," Lishay said, fidgeting with her cloak.

"Briggan," Tarik blurted.

"What did you say?" Ricko grabbed Tarik and picked him up off the ground so that he could stand up, Lumeo fell from Tarik's lap.

"Briggan? Where's Briggan?" Dorian looked around the tent.

Tarik locked eyes with Ricko for a long moment. Lumeo chattered angrily at Ricko for disturbing him.

"What do you know about the Great Wolf?" Ricko asked seriously, his lips were in a firm line.

"I had a dream about him," Tarik said.

Ricko let go of Tarik, suddenly not believing what he had just heard.

"Stay here," Ricko ordered Lishay and Dorian.

Before they could reply, Ricko took Tarik some distance away from the tent out of site.

"Tarik, what did you see?" Ricko sounded panicked.

"I was in Trunswick and I saw him," Tarik said.

"Nothing else happened?"

"Do you know something that I don't?" Tarik's eyes narrowed.

Ricko hesitated, and Tarik noticed it. Before he could challenge his mentor, Ricko clamped a firm hand around Tarik's mouth.

"We need to get out of here," he said, barely above a whisper.

Ricko grabbed Tarik by the arm and rushed quickly, but quietly, to the tent. He told Lishay and Dorian to start packing up immediately.

"What's going on?" Dorian asked.

"Keep your voice down, we need to find the other Greencloak group and get out of here," Ricko handed Lishay some tent pegs that he had collected.

"I don't understand," Tarik began.

"Just do it please," Ricko sounded more impatient.

"No," Tarik clenched his fists.

Everyone stopped, including Ricko. His midnight eyes showed no emotion other than anger. He pulled up his sleeve and summoned his lynx in a flash of light. Lumeo braced up next to Tarik.

"Woah, hang on a minute-" Dorian was interrupted.

"You tell us to stop doing stuff, and don't tell us why? You're keeping secrets from me, I know you are! You, Olvan and Lenori are! As soon as I arrived in Greenhaven, I have almost been killed by the same person multiple times, I have been stolen, locked away for weeks, I've been hunted and somehow no one has said why!" Tarik yelled, his body shook from rage. "Lenori refuses to tell me anything! Olvan doesn't even seem to care, and you-"

"Tarik please keep your voice down..." Ricko interrupted as he slowly began to approach him. Azrael followed, teeth bared.

"Not until you explain everything!"

An arrow suddenly struck the tent and hit Zhosur in the leg. The white tiger roared in rage, startling everyone in the tent. Lumeo ran up Tarik's shirt in fright.

"Zhosur!" Lishay screamed as she ran to her spirit animal.

"Look what you've done! You've given us away!" Ricko was furious.

Tarik stood there, still processing what just happened.

"We've been found thanks to Tarik, prepare to escape the tent because we're under attack," Ricko pushed everyone behind him and moved towards the exit.

"Why are we always getting attacked in tents?" Dorian whined and summoned his horned owl once they were outside.

Tarik could hear shouts of people and a lot of movement around them. A tall man who was well built jumped at him with a sword as Tarik tried to run away. He was knocked back and all of the air in his lungs escaped as he hit the ground. Ricko stopped to turn back, but he was caught in a fight between a blonde-haired woman and her coyote spirit animal.

As Tarik attempted to get up, the man who had attacked him held him down so that he couldn't get up. To his surprise, Lumeo jumped on the man's head, bared his teeth, and started ripping out the man's hair. He screamed and briefly let Tarik go, giving him the advantage of punching his attacker in the nose.

All of these enemies were wearing strange armour, and it was clear that these were Lynk's men. Tarik kicked the man off of him and stood up quickly, kneeing him in the jaw. His nose was already bleeding, perhaps broken, but Tarik was still furious from his argument with Ricko. If he used his enemies as punching bags, maybe his anger would subside.

He pivoted on his heel and began to run towards Ricko who was now a few feet behind him, and Zhosur ran in front of Tarik, causing him to fall over the tiger. Zhosur growled savagely, jaws ready to lock onto Tarik's arm until he realised that the boy was an ally. Tarik stared at the huge cat in shock, until Zhosur pinned his ears back and curled his tail under his belly in apology. Lishay ran over to Tarik and helped him to his feet.

"Sorry," Lishay said.

Dorian was nearby, wrestling with a woman, his horned owl swooped at her and dug its talons into her hair. The woman screamed out, and her spider lunged at Dorian's owl.

"Dorian!" Tarik cried, then Lishay ran towards him.

Dorian was knocked to the ground, his spirit animal tried to fly away from the spider, but it was stuck in the woman's long dark hair. Ricko was caught in a headlock from a larger man.

Tarik had no idea who to run to first.

A group of Greencloaks on horseback came barging into the scene, their horses trampling on enemies who were in the way. Ricko's attacker let him go and fleed, while Dorian was still fighting for his life. Zhosur lunged at the woman attacking Dorian and tore into her side with his large teeth. Her spider spirit animal turned against the owl and pounced on Zhosur.

Lumeo ran to Zhosur, chattering as he pounced on the spider and bit down on it hard. Lishay gave Tarik a hopeful look as they approached Dorian. Ricko finally caught up to them as Lynk's men fleed. A tall Greencloak with pale skin dismounted his horse as three others stayed on theirs and watched from a distance.

"Ricko," the man said with a smile as he approached.

"Kalen," Ricko responded with a smile of his own. Tarik had never seen him smile.

"We heard the noise of the battle and immediately rushed over to help," Kalen ran his fingers through his blonde hair, "we're sorry that we could not get here sooner, we have a healer."

Ricko scanned his own recruits, still talking to Kalen, "thank you for your help."

Dorian sat up and Tarik and Lishay were crouching next to him. They all looked up at Ricko and Kalen, but Tarik's eyes darted to the other Greencloaks behind Kalen.

"Marci," Kalen said, "check anyone for wounds."

Marci stepped off her horse and reached in one of the satchels on the saddle. She approached Ricko's group with a first aid kit, taking her hood down revealing short black hair.

"I'm fine," Ricko said, stepping back a little.

"I'll check you anyway, when I figure out who is in more critical condition," Marci's eyes landed on Dorian.

"Errol and Alec, check that there are no enemies spying on us," Kalen ordered the other two Greencloaks behind them.

Tarik suddenly felt dizzy and stood up quickly, everyone looked at him in alarm as he fell forward. Ricko caught him in his arms as he passed out.

"Tarik!" Ricko's voice faded away as darkness came over him.