Everyone stood in a circle as they watched the body of the demon. It turned to ash as it was swept away by the winds. Helika stood behind me in pure confusion, as did the rest of the village. I turned and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I believe I need to explain some things to everyone." I dropped my hand and looked around at everyone. "The story I gave you years ago was only half true, the scars on my back are not from the wolf hanging above my door. They are from the demon we saw this very day." The villagers listened in a mix of emotions, some were angry, others were surprised or confused. "I did indeed fight and kill two of them, however that beast you just saw is the one who called the others off. He was controlling the pack as the visage of an alpha white wolf. If he did not call them off, I would be dead." Everyone began to speak in the heat of emotion. "Why didn't you tell us this before Ysellian!?" One yelled, "I knew you were lying to us!!" Yelled another, I stood in the center of these emotions knowing well what was to be expected.
As quickly as they began to speak they all went silent. I looked up and say Helika holding his bow in the air, his eyes fixed on me. He looked at me with disappointment and concern on his face. "Do you think his story would have been believable to anyone would he have come back telling us of a talking wolf?" The village looked around at one another mumbling and shaking their heads. "Ysellian had his reasons for not telling us the whole story, I for one feel its because this would have happened instead." He lowered his bow and smiled at me, "Ysellian Densahy has never done anything to ever endanger this village, even if it meant costing him greatly for it."
I stood listening to him speak as if he admired me. "After many years of training him to become what he is today, I only did a small bit of work to mold him into who he is. He has been branded our second prime hunter because of the strength of his heart!" The other hunters chanted low as Helika spoke. "He is the youngest man to ever be branded, much less branded a prime. He has stood with us from day one trying to prove himself everyday. Even after his name was sung into the winds, he still pushes himself to do more!" Helika turned and looked at me, he placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled. "There is no other man that I would have at my side as prime, than him." The hunters howled in approval beating their chests and raising their bows in the air.
As the village began to join them, Lelienna pushed her way past the hunters and stood looking at me as if I just insulted her. "Your such a self centered ass, you think this is all about you!?" Helika turned and started to open his mouth, I placed a hand on his shoulder and shook my head. "Let her speak." She walked heavily towards me as she spoke. "Just because your prime, just because you were branded so young, you think that excuses your lie? You honestly think we should not have known about something like this!" As she reached me she punched me in the face. Helika grabbed her arm before she swung again. "Stop it Lelienna!" I held up a hand to Helika, telling him to let her go. As he released her she hit me again, and again. She punched and kicked me until she began to lose her focus. She started to stagger a bit as she lifted her arms, tears running down her face as she tackled me to the ground.
She pounded her hands against my chest, not hard enough to hurt me but as if she was throwing a fit. "You got me Lelienna, now what are you going to do with me." She froze as I spoke looking at her through the blood on my face. She dropped her hands and began to cry harder. "I don't understand, why can't I hate you! Why can't I find a reason to keep myself from you!" She sat back on the ground, as I sat up she buried her face in her hands. This was just like the vision I had with the demon only, this feels different, like its meant to happen. I stood and held my hand out to her, she looked up at my hand and then away. As she grabbed my hand to pull her to her feet she wiped the tears from her eyes. As she got to her feet she stumbled a bit, I braced myself catching her as her arms wrapped around me.
She buried her face in my chest as we stood holding each other. I smiled and whispered only loud enough for her to hear, "I love you Lelienna." She shivered slightly as the words left my mouth. I felt her smile against my chest as she spoke, "I know Wolfsbane." Just as in my vision, the winds spun around us as if in approval. Everyone around us looked on in silence as we held one another. She lifted her head from my chest meeting my eyes with hers. She lifted her mouth to mine as bliss washed over me. I held her tighter as we kissed, her lips soft against mine. She separated our kiss slowly, as we both opened our eyes her face began turning red. She looked around at everyone and pushed away from me. She covered her face and ran through the crowd to her home. Helika looked at me with a large grin on his face. "Was that everything you had hoped for Wolfsbane?" I lightly touched my lips, smiling wider than I thought I could. "It was better."
The crowd began to separate as the sun sank lower, torches were lit in the darkness as they went into their homes. I stood for a moment smiling at what happened. Helika patted me on the back as he walked towards the hunters hall. "I guess something good came of that huh?" I turned and nodded as he open the door, I began walking home myself as I watched the sun creep ever lower in the sky. I grabbed a cloth hanging from the side of a trade wagon and wiped the black blood as wll as my own from my face. My father stood in front of our home, nodding as I reached him. "I have something to speak to you about Ysellian, ill meet you inside when your done." I tilted my head slightly as he turned and entered our home. "When I'm done?"
As the door shut I felt a hand lightly grab mine. I turned to see Lelienna standing behind me. "Lelienna, are you ok?" She smiled slightly as she looked at me. "I spoke with your father about how I feel, he believes it is because we are meant to be bonded." I looked at her in surprise as she spoke. "I know I feel it but, I don't know how to show it, these feelings are strange to me and I don't want to rush into something blindly." I gently pulled her closer to me and hugged her. She melted to me as my arms wrapped around her, burying her face in my chest again. "I want you to be happy with your choice Lelienna, if you are not ready then I will wait for as long as it takes. I will stay at your side as long as you will have me. I do not wish to push you into something you are not comfortable with."
She smiled against my chest as she spoke low, "I will try Wolfsbane, but if you tell anyone we are trying to work this out, I will kill you." She laughed softly as she raised her head and kissed me. I held her tight and returned her kiss. I could have stayed that way forever, but she pulled away from me and smiled. "Your father has things to discuss with you, go." As she began to walk away I gripped her hand and spun her back around. "Until the sun shines upon us again Lelienna." She smiled and walked towards her home again as I turned and opened the door to mine.
I closed the door behind me as my father sat in his chair facing the fire pit. "I take it you two are getting, closer." I sat in my chair next to him and smiled. "We are growing together is the best thing to say father." He continued to look at the fire as it crackled, his face was void of expression. My smile slowly disappeared from my face as he looked on. "Is everything ok father?" His eyes closed as he took a deep breath before speaking. "It has been many years since I have received my vision, and since then I had long thought that I changed the path it was showing me. Until today when you were standing over the demon, covered in its blood." I felt pure confusion wash over me as he spoke. "Father we killed it, it won't plague us again. Who is to say that the vision you received wasn't the triumph of our village over the demon?"
Father looked at me finally with a brief gleam of hope as I spoke. "Our village has never been stronger father, new wagons come in daily for trade and story. New hunters want to train under us, knowing full well it was you who trained us before hand. In front of dozens of traders we killed a demon, together." He smiled as I stood from my chair holding and hand out to him. He placed his hand in mine as he pulled himself to his feet. I lifted my arm in between the two of us. "And everyone will know the great elder that held us together for all of it." He lifted his arm to match mine as he smiled wide. "You are the reason I am who I am today father, without your guidance and your wisdom I would have fallen. Without your persistence I would have been prey to a lesser calling. Without your love I would have never survived."
A tear ran down his face as I smiled to him. "You are the great Valin Densahy, son of Nadarien Densahy, greatest hunter to walk our lands since the great fathers of old. As your son I promise you I will push this village into a new beginning of happiness and peace. No man, no beast, nor demon will succeed in bringing us down, this I swear to you." He reached his arms around me and hugged me tight. "You speak as if you were the elder and I was the child my son, you will indeed make a fine leader for this village when I am gone." He took a step back, looking at me with tear filled eyes. I laughed low and smiled, "The whole reason I keep you around is to make sure I don't have to lead, what makes you think otherwise?"
He laughed and pushed my head aside softly as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Thank you Ysellian, perhaps you are right and I'm in doubt for no reason." He kissed me on my forehead and patted my shoulders before heading to his bed. I sat on my bed watching the fire crackle and slowly begin to go out. I lay my head down after an hour of watching the flames dance. I closed my eyes and dreamt of the winter winds through the pines as peace fell over the village again.