The victory left a bitter taste in his mouth that weighed heavily on his soul. The now merged wolf's spirit inside began to stir. The need to run wild and free ran through his bones. It had been ages since he last thought of the animal who kept him alive all those years while he hid from the world, from himself.

His love and true hope for happiness brushed up against him, bringing Elwin out of his contemplation. Two alpha wolves who surrendered their identities as forest elves to Silvertree for a cause greater than themselves now stood on the battlefield triumphant.

The couple joined Fraeya and her friends who turned back towards town. When the rest of his pack moved to join, he shook his head and left them to lick their wounds and mourn.

Soldiers and common folk alike bustled inside the courtyard, moving the dead and cleaning the debris left behind by the invaders. Elwin looked at the smashed front gate lying on the ground and an oddly familiar bear lying dead nearby, short of a head.

Fraeya ran to her father, hugging him fiercely. He knew the elf's name once but cared little for it now. Beluar seemed to be comforting the only family he had left, Ezella.

I wonder how she would react if she knew exactly who saved them.

Keerla's behavior puzzled him the most. No one greeted or comforted her, neither did she seek it out.

Sitting alone on a bench nearby was Alma. He rejoiced in seeing her alive and well. Emotions overwhelmed him and he howled, "I love you, Mother," startling the crowd nearby.

Vanima nudged him towards Alma and said, "Why don't you perform another miracle and tell her yourself."

Realization weighed heavily around his neck, and he nodded. "Only if you tend to Keerla. She could use the company."

Silent nods followed and the two wolves moved to their respective destinations, no one daring to interfere with the wild beasts moving freely among the survivors.

He glimpsed Keerla bending over to pet Vanima, then focused his attention and the power within the necklace to form a mental connection to his mother sitting in front of him.

"Hello, mother."

He could sense her trepidation and warring emotions upon hearing a voice she long thought dead. The mental link between them not only made mental communication possible but also shared any stray thoughts, emotions, or desires. He poured his love into her and hoped.

"Elwin?"

"Yes, mother."

She fell to her knees in tears and hugged him like he was a flower about to fly away with the breeze. Firm but gentle.

"I thought you were dead, my son."

"If not for the forest god Silvertree's timely intervention, I would be. He gave me a second chance when no one else alive would."

Her initial joy at finding her lost boy was drowned out by shame and guilt. Alma did nothing to save Elwin the day he watched his mentors die only to return and be exiled for a crime he never would have committed.

"I don't blame you, mother. Do you wish to know what happened to father?"

Alma wiped away her tears and pleaded, "Did you find him? Does he live a new life too?"

Elwin let out a deep breath and watched hope die in her eyes. "Our god offered the same choice to him as he did for me. Be reborn and become a champion against the darkness. My father didn't falter in his conviction but that mattered little when he faced the dark god's most powerful minion alone without any chance of victory."

She buried her face in his fur and let the year's worth of unshed tears flow like a river bursting through a dam. He stroked her consciousness with his mind and whispered, "Fear not, mother, for I avenged him but know that the darkness still lingers in the shadows."

He pulled back and looked into her soft brown eyes. "You must do what I can't and remind our people who saved them this day. Silvertree protects us all, but we must put our faith in him."

Alma cupped his head in her hands and kissed his forehead like she had done so many times before. "You have my word."

To any onlooker, his mother would look foolish having a one-sided conversation with a wolf. Elwin found it comforting that she didn't let that small fact get in the way.

Backing away, prepared to say his farewell, Alma surprised him by lunging forward and pleading "Please don't leave me, my son. I've been so lonely."

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Elwin turned to Vanima being pampered by Keerla and howled, "Bring me Cithrel. I require her."

His mate sat up and rushed toward the front gate without a word. Keerla watched in puzzlement as the wolf ran. Elwin sat quietly next to his mother, letting her pet him.

It didn't take long for Vanima to bring Cithrel back and present the young female wolf to him. He linked both women to the previous mental connection with his mother and spoke, "You have suffered enough under my leadership, Cithrel."

She shook her head vehemently but was cut short when Elwin said, "I have a special request for you." This caught the wolf's attention and she sat there wagging her tail in anticipation. "From this day forth, you and your offspring shall safeguard those that seek to protect Silvertree and all that he stands for, starting with my mother."

Alma heard the entire exchange but remained silent. Elwin offered his spot next to his mother to Cithrel and grinned when Alma placed a gentle hand on the wolf's head and began stroking her fur. Satisfied, Elwin turned away and trotted toward Fraeya who stood next to Beluar and Keerla discussing the day's events.

"You were so awesome when you leaped from the top of the wall to kill the bear after it bashed its way into town."

Fraeya shook her head and replied, "Thank you, Beluar. Almost as impressive as the moment you squealed at the gorilla."

Everyone, even Beluar, chuckled at her quip.

"Like the time you..." Keerla's comment was cut short when Elwin made a connection between the three elves along with him and his mate.

Admiration for the archer's prowess flowed from his mind and into Keerla. Elwin voiced his thoughts, "I wish I could have spent more time getting to know you."

She bent down and ruffled his fur, "Right back at you."

Elwin turned to Beluar and attempted something that should have been impossible. He dove into his memories from another life and plucked them from his mind so he could show this elf the truth of his father's death.

Beluar stood next to Elwin the elf, both translucent and standing in the forest. The elf turned to Elwin and cried out, "What have you done to me? Where are we?"

"Inside my memory. Specifically, the day your father died. Now watch and know the truth, but do not act. We all know the past can't change."

Elwin, Trivana and Chiyan came into view. They talked and glided across the ground without a care in the world. The dark god’s hidden minion charged. It didn't take long to realize they were no match for the beast, it could escape inside the moving shadows covering its body. Both veteran warriors echoed the same demand to Elwin.

Run.

Chiyan, Beluar's father had been the first to fall. Beluar stared as the monster cut his father down with its claws. Trivana held on the longest, giving the inexperienced elf a chance to run, and run he did.

The memory flashed forward to Elwin lying on the ground, bloody under Beluar's fists in the town’s courtyard, venting his frustrations. Once more it moved forward in time, but now Elwin lay in the dirt, exhausted and unmoving as the beast moved in for the kill. A bright light flashed, and the memory faded bringing them back to the present.

Beluar stood there sobbing, not bothering to hide his sorrow. Fraeya and Keerla moved on either side and placed a reassuring hand on his arm and shoulder respectively.

Elwin spoke into the mental connection. "Beluar, we both lost a parent to that beast. I only wish to part on good terms." The sobbing elf managed to nod.

So caught up in the moment, no one but Fraeya reacted when he mentioned his father. She opened her mouth to speak but he only shook his head and announced, "It's time for me to go home."

She bent low and embraced her furry protector. Fraeya whispered, "Please stay. I don't want to lose you again."

He moved to sit by Vanima's side and said, "My place is in the forest with my pack and mate."

Comprehension and acceptance bled into the mental connection from Fraeya and Elwin could feel the warmth of her love for him. He held on to his resolve and said, "I'm passing on the responsibility of protecting our people and the forest to you. Wear this necklace and be my mother's blade."

They all stood speechless. Before he could change his mind, Elwin bent his head low and pawed at the necklace until it slipped off, severing the connection.

Goodbye, my friends.

He turned and walked toward the broken gate, looking back once to watch Fraeya pick up the necklace and hold it to her chest. Satisfied, Elwin glanced at Vanima and howled, "Let’s go home, my love."

***

Fraeya watched Elwin leave, a small gem sparkling in the light in her hands. She noticed that the elders, including the old crone, being escorted by the guard captain's men had reached the courtyard.

She raised her voice and proclaimed, "I nominate Alma to replace Ciyradyl on the elder council and I will be her blade. No longer shall we live in ignorance of the truth. We must not repeat the same mistakes of our past. Do any object?"

To no one’s surprise, Ciyradyl objected to the point of hysteria. With screeching protests, she shouted, "How dare you hand my seat on the council away to a dried-up prune that should have died with the rest of her family!"

Fraeya jogged over to Ciyradyl, grabbed her by the arm, and started tugging the flailing woman toward the front gate. "If you recall, I told you to step down if we survived the attack. I also mentioned banishing you if you made it difficult."

Fraeya heard a commotion and turned around to see Keerla standing over an elf with three arrows sticking out of his chest and two others bleeding on the ground next to Beluar holding a bloody sword. She offered a smile and asked, "Anyone else wish to object?"

No one offered, so Fraeya continued to pull Ciyradyl past the gate lying on the ground and unceremoniously tossed her into the dirt. "You are hereby banished from Unn Thalor and the Wataki Soma tribe. Ignore this at your peril."

She turned back to the crowd in the courtyard and proclaimed, "Any who wish to join her may leave in peace but know that death shall find you inside these walls if you return." A few of the old crone's guards joined her and helped the elf back on her feet before walking away.

Fraeya joined Alma next to her new companion, Cithrel. She nodded to the woman and stood at attention. Alma coughed and spoke to the crowd, "We owe our very lives to the forest god Silvertree and his champion. We shall construct a statue of a buck and wolf to remind us all how close we came to death."

Cheers erupted and the crowd started chanting, "Alma! Alma! Alma!"

Elwin's mother leaned in and whispered, "Why are they chanting my name?"

Fraeya shrugged and replied, "The soldiers did the same to me during the battle. Your guess is as good as mine." Cithrel, caught up in the moment, howled which only made the two women laugh as they started back home, wolf not far behind them.