I stood there for a while. It was disbelief, I think.

"Hey, Az." He said softly.

Then I tackled him in a hug. Rory nearly fell over, but managed to stay standing.

"You haven't called me Az in ages." I whispered, my voice breaking.

Then he hugged me back.

Rory. My Rory.

"I thought you were dead!" I exclaimed.

Rory chuckled. "Well, obviously not."

I pulled away from him. I studied him. There was only one thing about him that wasn't normal.

"What happened to your eye?" I asked.

His right eye. It was...

Purple...

"This?" He gestured to his eye. "I don't know. That side of my vision is tinted purple. When a monster walks into it...boom. The light up like fireworks on New Years Eve."

I shook my head and sighed. 

Then Rory leaned in closer to me.

"Have you told them about...?"

"No."

"Good." Rory nodded at me in satisfaction. "I got so bored because you weren't there. I even practised my French. Je suis très fluide avec mon français maintenant."

I chuckled.

Of course, Ivor had to ruin the moment.

"Are you two done yet?" He called grumpily. "We have a lab to get to."

I rolled my eyes, making Rory grin.

"We'd better go. I have that empty horse."

-----------

Frostwish watched the pool. She could make out the shapes of the others. Two wolves, side by side, Kajit and Fawn. Two Pokèmon. One was Kia. Dragons, and those who ride them. A goat. Many would call her a 'furry', thought this was not the case, for where she was she was a monster with a human soul. That was Jay.

Then there were Rory and Aza.

"You'd better not get a crush on any she-cat from the Dark Forest."

"For the record, Falconblaze, I'm bisexual, not lesbian."

"Come on, Foxspirit, should I really believe that? You've only had female crushes."

"There was one boy at school who I used to like."

"Ooh...who was it?"

"Rory Hunter. Can you stop harassing me now?"

Frostwish sighed, then backed away from the pool and back to her arguing companions.

Just as she left, a dark stain spread across the calm surface of the Moonpool.

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

Rory had begun to sing songs.

We had been travelling for a day now.

He had begun singing songs in a high-pitched voice, and swayed from side to side. He just wanted to annoy us so we would talk and he would be entertained.

"Is he like this normally?" Petra asked.

"He's just bored." I huffed.

"Damn right I am!" Rory shouted. "Here I am give me something can follow! So I can find my way out from the shadows! Raise your voice 'cus the time is now or never..."

Ivor sighed with relief that he had stopped, and Reuben took his feet away from his ears.

"Come on, Az, you know the words." Rory nudged me.

I ignored him.

"Come on...come on come on come on come on..." Rory urged.

"And if we have to fall, we fall together." I muttered, not singing.

This was going to be a long ride. I was glad my pal was back, but we could still die.

Out of the corner of my eye, a mist wolf stalked us.