The town of Zaesria was devastated by the loss of the sun. They suffered through the hardest times as crops struggled to grow and famine ran rampant through the town. The only other food source was the game in the forest, but every time the people of the village would attempt to hunt in the forest, tragedy would strike. Either they would enter the forest to discover that most of the animals had been slaughtered, or they would never return at all. The villagers began to fear the Forest of Aema, and would only enter it for food, and even then they kept to the outskirts of the wood line. Countless Zaesrians died every day, and many began to despair as the gods ignored their prayers. They suffered and endured, but life was the hardest it had ever been, and many began to lose hope that they would ever see the light sun again.

Nika Hectorsdaughter had never seen the sun in her lifetime; she had been born after it had been taken from the village. But, she had heard descriptions of it. Nika longed to feel the warmth the villagers described; to see bright light illuminate the land and rejuvenate the life in the dying village. But, most of all, she longed to see the colors that splashed across the sky whenever the sun would set. The tales the villagers would tell about its beauty made her heart long to see the magnificent spectacle.

But, the sunset and sunlight were the least of Nika's worries at the time. She was finally of age to be married to her father's choice of a husband. She knew he would choose one of the more noble men of the village, but Nika yearned to be with her true love. She had met him just a few months before and fell in love with the charming man. But, despite how kindhearted her love was, he was not wealthy, and he was not brave, so her father would not even consider him for a possible suitor. It broke her heart to know she would never be with her beloved.

Despite the complications of her betrothal, Nika would often spend hours staring at the Forest of Aema. Because the common villagers were banned from entering the forest, Nika always desired to explore its mysterious depths. What dangers crept beneath the forest canopy and kept the villagers from entering the forest so close to their own homes? Nika was so curious that she would often walk along the edge of the forest, never entering, and simply stare into the shadows of the trees.

And, her chance to enter the forest came sooner than Nika expected. As she walked through the town to reach her own house, she came upon the prophet, Grisha, preaching to a group of people. He stood upon a stone block and proclaimed loudly his theories. Nika did not trust the old man for her father had told her that Grisha had been around longer than he had been alive. It was unnatural for one to live so long, even if he was a prophet.

"The only way to retrieve the sun is through death!" The prophet proclaimed as Nika walked past him, "I have seen it! The sun will return soon, but only after a death!"

"Whose death, oh wise one?" one of the villagers asked.

"I cannot tell whose death it will be, but I know it will happen soon."

Nika scoffed and continued walking. If the sun came back she would be delighted, but she was not going to get her hopes up all because some blind man told her to.

But, as she made it to her house and entered inside, Nika had a bigger shock. A man she did not know standing alongside her father. The two were speaking animatedly, but as soon as they saw her they stopped immediately and turned to face her.

Her father, Hector, smiled broadly as he looked at her, and then said, "Nika, I am glad you are home. I would like to introduce you to your soon to be husband. He-"

"What?" Nika interrupted, her mind going blank in shock, "My husband?"

"Yes," her father said, struggling to keep the smile on his face, "I have chosen a worthy suitor and you will be married tomorrow."

"But I do not love him," Nika protested.

"You will come to love him, he is a very worthy man and he will take good care of you," her father said with a forced smile.

Nika paused and looked at the man standing before her. He was handsome, that was undeniable, but she felt no feelings towards him. If she married him, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

"I do not want to marry him father," Nika said with a wavering voice.

"What was that?" Her father asked, giving her the chance to change her mind.

But, Nika was stubborn and responded back strongly, "I will not marry him father."

Finally, her father dropped the air of friendliness and scowled at her. "You will marry him and that is final."

Nika set her jaw. "No, I will not."

"I am your father!" he yelled, his face beginning to turn an unpleasant red color, "And you will do what I say!"

Instead of responding, Nika turned and dashed out of the door. She headed in the direction of her beloved's house, hoping she live with him from now on, but he was not home. She searched inside and around his hut, but he was nowhere to be found. It took her a moment to realize where he had gone; he had been sent into the forest to hunt.

Of course, she could have waited for him to return, but fearing her father's wrath, Nika took off towards the forest, intending to find her love and convince him to take her in. She arrived at the forest quickly, but as she approached the ominous tree line, she slowed down and stopped before actually entering the forest. Despite her intense curiosity of the forest, there still lingered the slightest amount of fear. The Forest of Aema was forbidden to common villagers for a reason, and while Nika wanted to know that reason, she did not have a death wish.

Finally, she took a deep breath and stepped into the tree line. She waited a second before taking another, and then another, until finally she was striding purposefully beneath the canopy of the trees. Several of the bushes caught at her dress, but she pushed on past and continued on in search of her beloved. She tried to listen, but heard nothing but the sound of her own feet crashing through the underbrush. The trail she followed was obviously not meant for human feet, and Nika found herself tripping over rocks and twigs as she made her way deeper into the forest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Phaedra heard the loud crashing of a human even from her cave deep within the woods. She could not yet smell the human, which told her that it was not close, but she knew it was a human by how loud and careless it was when walking through the forest. Standing up, Phaedra stretched and growled to herself. Most of the villagers knew better than to come so far into the forest. She would have to remind them what happened when they came too close to her domain.

With a snarl, Phaedra set off at a quiet run towards the human. It was easy to know which direction to go in, for the sound of tramping feet echoed throughout the entire forest. Unlike the person, Phaedra moved silently and swiftly, hoping to catch her prey by surprise. The human was not moving too quickly either, for Phaedra soon caught the fresh scent of her target. Doubling her pace, Phaedra ran ahead so as to ambush her victim as it passed by her. She crouched down low to the ground and waited until the stench of human overwhelmed her nostrils. She did not break her cover until the person was directly in front of her. Hackles raised, Phaedra jumped out and blocked the human's path, letting loose a fierce growl as she looked upon the person in front of her.

She was a young girl, with sandy blonde hair and light blue eyes. She looked youthful, as if she had just reached maturity. As the girl's eyes landed on Phaedra, they widened in fear. She then opened her mouth to scream, but, for the strangest reason, she stopped herself.

Phaedra looked bewilderedly at the girl before speaking, "Why are you here?"

The fact that she, a wolf, could speak seemed to startle the girl more than anything. Shifting nervously, she responded, "I am sorry, I did not mean to intrude. I was merely looking for my beloved. He is here somewhere, hunting in the forest."

Phaedra cocked her head and recalled earlier that day hassling some hunters, but she made no mention of it. "You should not be here," she said with a low growl.

"My apologies," the girl responded hurriedly, glancing at her sharp teeth and claws, "I was also curious as to why the forest is banned. I did not mean to go so far into the woods, but my curiosity drove me forward. And, I may be a little lost."

Phaedra was sharply reminded of another curious girl, one whose curiosity had gotten her into trouble multiple times, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. "You came to find out why the forest is so dangerous?"

The girl nodded.

Phaedra chuckled inhumanly. "It is because of me," she said, baring her teeth fiercely. But, the girl did not run away in fear, or even quiver in terror. Instead, she sat upon a fallen log and looked at the wolf strangely.

"What do you do that terrifies the village so much?" She said, tilting her head to the side.

Phaedra did not sit upon the ground, but she did relax the slightest bit. "I have killed many of your people," she said, stumbling a little bit over the words.

"Anything else?" She asked, leaning forward, hungry for information.

"I have sabotaged your village's food source by killing any game before they can catch it."

The girl nodded and leaned back, "It seems as if you have caused a lot of trouble for Zaesria. Are you the one who took away the sun as well?"

Phaedra's ears drooped as remembered why the sun was gone. "No," she said solemnly, "That is not my doing."

"I do not believe you are evil," the girl said abruptly.

"And, why is that?"

"I am not sure, I just feel as if I can trust you."

Phaedra looked curiously at the girl. "What is your name?"

"Nika, and yours, wolf of the shining pelt?"

"I am Phaedra," she responded, beginning to back away from the young girl, "But, it does not matter who I am because you should leave. The forest is no place for a human, and it is late."

The girl looked down, visibly upset. Phaedra tried to ignore it and simply leave. But, as she heard the girl mumble something incoherently, she knew she could not just pretend she did not hear her and walk away

"What did you say?" she asked almost angrily, turning back to the girl.

"I said, 'I don't want to go back', I want to stay in the forest; there is nothing left for me back in the village."

"What about your beloved," Phaedra grumbled, preparing to walk away once more.

"My father will never let me be with him," she said forlornly, "He will not rest until I marry the man of his choice."

Phaedra grumbled in frustration as the girl, Nika, continued, "I wish to stay here with you."

"What?" Phaedra asked, astonished, "You wish to stay here, in the forest, with me? I have killed countless people from your village. I have been the cause of numerous deaths and you wish to stay with me? Forget it."

"Please," Nika pleaded, "I desire a new life, one where I can live freely. My heart will not rest until I am able to abide under my own word. If I cannot stay with you then I will find another place in this forest to call home."

Phaedra sighed and glared at the stubborn girl. She did kind of remind her of herself. "Fine," she huffed, "You can come with me."

"Thank you-," Nika began to say, but was cut off by Phaedra's snarl.

"But, whether you survive is not my responsibility. If you can endure the hardships of the forest, then by all means, enjoy your freedom."

Phaedra then turned and strode back towards her cave, Nika close behind. She worried that the girl would be a nuisance when in reality, she was actually quite crafty. But, Phaedra kept her distance. She refused to become attached to another human being.