The Battle of Sasion Valley was one of the shortest, yet most brutal battles. The Fae decided to march to the borders of the Nothern Lupine territory in an attempt to invade their lands. To this day, their motives are still unknown. The Northern Lupine lands are barren and dry. There is very little growth and the weather is harsh. It is also littered with packs of the great Kintara wolves. Only the Lupine knew how to get to their city. Those who tried were killed before they even got halfway.

It is suspected that the Fae were jealous of the power over the wolves that the Lupine had and wanted to try and take their wolves and magic. Another theory is that the Fae wanted to make slaves of the powerful beings, much like they had with the Sirens and Mer. To show the rest of the world that they are the dominant race.

The Lupine were made aware of the incoming attack on their lands and met the Fae at their borders. It is recorded that the Lupin leader, the Solavar, rode on the back of a wolf the size of a warhorse. Leading an army of Lupine beasts and their wolves. The Fae were slaughtered. Their blades could not pierce the skin of the Kintara wolves who spanned from the sizes of large dogs to warhorses. They tore the Fae to pieces, their sharp teeth piercing through the Fae armour. The Lupine were just as deadly as their wolves. Their size, speed and strength along with their brutal fighting techniques were far superior to the Fae. Very few Fae survived, leaving the valley painted dark red with the blood of the Fae. Those who did survive were those who fled before the battle began. News spread quickly of the Faes humiliating defeat. Other races stopped fearing them. The centaurs especially. The Fae's longtime enemy. So battles began to break out with the two races. The Centaurs were winning for a while. They pushed further into the Fae lands than they ever had before.

It was the humans who helped the Fae in the end. Forming an alliance which began with the slavery of the Centaurs.

-The History of the First War of Vivelle. Chapter Fifty-Four, Verse Nineteen.

I wake with a start. For a few seconds, I forget where I am. Then, my eyes adjust to the dim light of the moon streaming through the window. From my guess, it is about three am in the morning. The sky is dark and the moon high. My muscles ache slightly from yesterday, but I feel rested. I don't know how much sleep I've had but I decide I need to go. The longer I stay, the more danger I put these people in. So I quickly pack up the small bag I had carried in with me and sneak down the stairs. The little home is silent all but the soft snores coming from the rooms. I go to their table as put a few gold coins for the food and hospitality along with a little note.

Thank you, Ana.

I jump as someone sighs behind me. It is Iwan's mother, Emmaline. Her huge figure looms in a large shadow before me as she steps through the doorway.

"I thought you would be up at this hour," she says with her thick, sharp accent. I stay silent as she crosses her arms. My heart thuds in my chest, not sure what she is about to do.

"You are quite trusting for a young woman in your position," she frowns. "Most would not find it so easy to sleep in the home of a stranger whilst they are on the run." She is still sceptical of me. I don't blame her.

"I was too exhausted to even think about it," I reply, telling the truth. I've not slept properly for days. I didn't properly go to sleep at all during the three days it took to get here. Even during the trial, I was spending my nights either planning or practising for the coming tests. Sunset was at seven pm which is when I fell asleep. I am guessing I've had eight hours roughly. It was a deep sleep and more than I've had for a while.

"We easily could have killed you whilst you slept or stolen the riches you carry," she tells me. She is right. It would have been so easy for them to do anything to me. I need to be less trusting if I am to do this.

"A little trust has to be given if I expect trust in return," I tell her. She narrows her eyes and lets out a short laugh.

"Come with me," she says and ducks out of the door. "Do not worry young city lady, I will not harm you." I frown for a seconds before deciding to follow her. We are silent as we walk through the small town. There are no candle lights from inside houses and the only noises are from nocturnal animals. We get to the water edge and walk along it for a while, the rock faces now dark shadows around us. Emmaline leads me over some rocks and around a small corner. I stop when we get to a small cove. The water laps at the thin strip of sand which glows under the beaming white light of the moon. We go onto the little beach and I look out at the dark waters. The moonlight shimmers on its surface.

"Again, you are so trusting," Emmaline mutters under her breath.

"Why have you brought me here?" I ask with a frown.

"You did not get to bathe," she says. "So here you go," she says as she points to the lake. For a few seconds, I think she is joking. "These waters are the cleanest in all of Vivelle. We use it here for everything. It will be cold at first, but your body will get used to it," she shrugs as she strips off all her clothes. I look away, wanting to be respectful.

"Do not be a prude, city girl," she says. I look back at her. She must be in her early eighties, yet her body is still broad and muscular. Her skin is wrinkled but only slightly and even in this small amount of moonlight, the olive tone seems to glow. It is her breasts which are interesting and what I can't help drawing my eyes too. Unladylike I know.

The skin both above and on them are covered in lots of little white lines or scars. Each little spot is equal in size and looks as though they've either been cut or burned into her skin.

"Do you know what these are?" she says as she enters the water.

"I do," I tell her. I want to join her, but I don't want her to see my mark.

"Come, girl," she says. "This water is very refreshing," she tells me. With a sigh, I begin to strip. I am trusting her again. How easy would it be for her to push me beneath the surface and hold me under? I strip down to everything but my loose white shirt. She shakes her head.

"You city girls, always protecting your modesty," she says with a shake of her head. "It is just some skin. We all have it. Though I suppose when you are property, those who own you are the only ones who have any say in what you can and cannot wear and display." I don't reply as I place my foot in the water. The cold temperature burns my skin yet it is a pleasant feeling. I push myself further into the water until I can no longer touch the bottom. For a few moments, the burning cold is unpleasant. After a few moments, my body begins to numb off and the water begins to feel more pleasant.

"It is lovely, isn't it," she says. I nod my head. It is oddly relaxing and refreshing at the same time.

"I come here often at this time," she says with a shrug. "Though these people have accepted me fully, they do not want to be reminded of what I am," she tells me. I look at her chest again. Her breasts are now under the water, but I can still see some of the white lines.

"What do you know of these?" she asks about the cuts.

"I know that they are marks of either murder or battle," I tell her. "That every time you kill, you mark your chests to keep count. It is what Savages do. You are proud of it. At least that is what we are taught in the city," I explain. She narrows her eyes.

"You are a curious girl," she says. "You do not look at me with the same wide-eyed fear like the others have."

"As I said, I have met Lupine before and I do not believe all the lies that are spun in the city." She is quiet again before she speaks.

"This Lupine you met, how? The only Lupine in the city are those locked in your prisons," she says. I don't answer as I let the memories swirl in my mind. "Ahhh," she says as she examines my expressions. I forget that her senses are largely heightened. I am guessing she can see pretty well with the light of the moon for her eyes to adjust too. "Your expressions say a lot," she tells me with a smirk. "Let me make a guess. Your journey is going to take you to the Lupine territories?"

I look at her, not wanting to give any of my plans away.

"Let me give you some advice about that place," she tells me. "The stories about my homeland are mostly true. There is only one city. The city of Talson. It is where most of the Lupine population live. It is an old, crumbling city sat in the middle of hundreds of miles of dry wasteland. There are a few villages deep in the deserts too as well as some farmland. Also deep in the desert. The Deserts themselves seem endless. It is dry and hot and the landscape barren. Only dull brown sand or random stones and boulders which spend all day being heated by the sun. Then, there are the Kintara wolves. Hundreds of packs live in these barren lands. They will tear you to pieces. So my advice is to find some Lupine. There will always be groups patrolling the borders of their lands or stealing food from the villages. Get them to take you to their city and hope they don't kill you," she shrugs.

"What would stop them from killing me?" I ask. She shrugs.

"Just tell them you are fleeing from the city and have some information the Solavar may want," she tells me. "That might be enough, or they might just kill you."

"That's promising," I mutter under my breath. She chuckles deeply.

"Just don't try and navigate their lands by yourself. Trust me, you won't make it. Only the Lupine understand their paths through those lands and only they know how to avoid the wild Kintara wolves," she says. "Trust me, getting them to take you with them is a much safer option." I nod my head.

"Thank you," I say with a smile as I begin to feel a little cold.

"Come on city girl," she says as walks out of the cool water. "You have much travelling to do to get to North," she tells me. I shake a little as I exit the water and I quickly pull my clothes back on. Emmaline throws me a dry top and I quickly put it on. I get dressed quickly and dry my hair and the two of us head back to the little house. We don't go in. Instead, Emmaline leads me around the house to where Trouble waits in the stable. He snorts when I come in, happy to see me and well-rested. Together, Emmaline and I put the saddle on. It is hard as he keeps moving. He doesn't like the saddle. Warhorses are normally ridden bareback and only given equipment during battle. However, we need the saddle to hold all my bags. He doesn't have a bridle, however. We'd never be able to get it on.

We eventually load him up. Emmaline gives me some more water and food which will last a while and together we check I have everything. I tie up my hair into a bun and pull my hood over my head. With ease, Emmaline lifts me onto the back of Trouble.

"Follow me," she says as she walks out of the stable. I check behind me, just to make sure I've left nothing.

We don't walk through the village this time. Instead, I am lead to a small river that leads away from the fjords.

"Use this river to get out of the village. You can follow it for many miles. It doesn't get deep and the water is always slow. It takes you further from the main road so it will be harder for your tracks to be found when you get out. Be careful though, try to leave as little trail as possible. Stay off the main roads and out of towns and villages. Stick to the wilderness," she tells me then smiles softly.

"Do not worry, Ana," she says. "If anyone comes here, I will not tell them of where you plan to go and my family won't say you were here either," she says.

"Still," I say to her. "Get rid of any trace of me or Trouble. If they even so much as find a hair, you're dead," I tell her.

"Don't worry about us. We've helped plenty of girls." I let out a humourless chuckle.

"None of those girls have anything on who is hunting me. Trust me, Emmaline, the people after me are extremely dangerous and excellent at tracking and hunting." She crosses her arms. "If there is anything to find, they'll find it."

"Okay, city girl," she says with a frown. "But remember, not everyone will be like us. Do not trust anyone." I nod my head.

"Thank you," I say to her. She smiles softly again.

"Get to the Lupine lands, little city girl," she says. "Be happy with the Lupine lover you are running to." My heart flutters nervously with how right she is. "You deserve it," she says. If only she knew all of it.

I nod my head and gulp.

"Thank you," I say to her. She nods and slaps Trouble softly. We start moving forward at a trot, the water splashing softly. I look back but Emmaline is gone. I take another deep breath and urge Trouble on. Our journey starts again.