Two weeks had passed since Darian returned from Arbrook. Life in Brookhaven fell back into old routines - hunting in the woods, helping Mara around the cottage, playing with Talia. But underneath the familiar rhythms, everything felt different now.

With Thomas living with them, there was a new energy in the house. He and Darian were constantly together, whether doing chores or just playing around. Mara doted on the boy, treating him like a second son. Even little Talia had taken to following Thomas around, begging him for piggyback rides and stories.

But even as Darian enjoyed having his best friend by his side, his mind constantly wandered to the city, wondering if he had passed the exams. The waiting gnawed at him. He threw himself into chores, trying to distract himself but whenever the postman came to the village, Darian's heart would leap into his throat, both dreading and hoping for news.

I don’t know why I’m so nervous, I’m almost certain I got full marks in the exam. It doesn’t make sense…but I guess feelings rarely do.

The only bright spot was the letters from Lila that arrived every few days.

"I can't stop thinking about the exam," Lila confessed in one letter. "I keep going over every question in my head, wondering if I got it right. The waiting is driving me mad!"

Darian could relate. He wrote back, "I know exactly how you feel. I've been helping Ma with the mending just to keep my hands busy. If I think too much, I'll lose my mind."

But there was one thing Darian held back from sharing, even with Lila or Thomas - the strange experience of seeming to travel back in time. It had happened twice now, once when the panther attacked and again when the bandits attacked.

He scoured the village for any scrap of information on such magic. But in a place where even mentioning mages could get you branded a heretic, there was little to find.

Late at night, when everyone else was asleep, Darian would sometimes slip out into the woods. He'd find a quiet spot and concentrate, trying to summon the magic that had saved his life. But no matter how he strained, nothing happened.

"Why did you work before, but not now?" he whispered to the uncaring trees. "What am I missing?"

Only the wind answered, whistling through the leaves like mocking laughter. Darian would trudge back to bed, frustrated and no closer to answers.

The only thing in common between the two times it happened was that I died…do I really need to die in order to activate that power?

The thought did not excite him at all, what if the next time he died it didn't work? He really wished he could find a real mage to question. But magic was feared and hated here. The few mages who revealed themselves were quickly arrested by the templars or chased out by angry mobs. Most people went their whole lives without ever meeting one.

I guess I can only wait until I enter Royal Academy, Darian told himself. That is if they even let me in.

With corruption running rampant in the kingdom, Darian wouldn't be surprised if they were to find an excuse to reject him.

It took a few days before Thomas was ready to head back to the forest. Darian didn't push him, knowing his friend needed time to process what had happened with the rabbit. But when Thomas finally approached him, bow in hand and a determined set to his jaw, Darian felt a surge of pride.

"You sure about this, Chom?" he asked as they stepped into the forest. "We can always wait a bit longer if you need to."

Thomas shook his head. "No, I want to do this. I need to do this." He glanced at Darian, "That is, if you're still willing to teach me?"

Darian bumped his shoulder. "'Course I am. What are best mates for?" He grinned as Thomas relaxed. "Now c'mon, I'll show you where I set my snares."

They walked deeper into the woods, Darian pointing out good spots for traps as they went. "See here? How the brush is all trampled down? That's a game trail, that is. Perfect spot for a snare."

Thomas knelt to examine the flattened grass. "How can you tell what made it? Could be deer, could be rabbits."

"Well, you've got to look for the scat, haven't you?" Darian poked at a scattering of small, round droppings with a stick. "These here are coney raisins. Means we're in the right spot for catching our supper."

Thomas wrinkled his nose but looked closer. "Coney raisins," he repeated. "Lovely."

Darian laughed. "You'll get used to it. I’ll set the first one."

He demonstrated how to make a simple loop of wire, securing it between two springy branches. "The trick is to make it big enough for their head to fit through, but small enough that it'll tighten when they try to back out. Like this, see?"

Thomas watched closely, brow furrowed in concentration. "Let me try the next one."

They moved a little ways down the trail, finding another likely looking spot. Thomas fumbled a bit with the wire at first, his fingers clumsy and uncertain. But with Darian's guidance, he soon had a passable snare rigged up.

"Not bad for a first try," Darian said, examining it with a critical eye. "Might catch us a scrawny leveret, this one."

"Hey!" Thomas protested, but he was grinning. "I'd like to see you do better, oh great hunter."

"Is that a challenge?" Darian raised an eyebrow. "Alright then, Chom. Let's make a bet. Whoever bags the biggest beastie gets out of mucking Widow Liley’s goat shed for a week."

Thomas' eyes gleamed. "You're on."

They spent the next hour setting snares. Darian found himself forgetting, for a time, about the events of that first hunting trip. It felt good to just joke around with his friend like this, no shadows hanging over them.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

As the sun began to dip towards the horizon, they were both sweaty, scratched up, and grinning ear to ear.

"Want to check the traps tomorrow and see if we caught anything?" Darian asked as they hiked back.

"Definitely!" said Thomas. "Then can we try some fishing too? Oh, and see if that old bog near Barrow Hill really has frogs as big as hounds!"

Darian just laughed. It was a good feeling doing something he was talented at and be the teacher, not the student.

As they got ready to head back, Darian's eyes suddenly grew wide as he spotted a dark shape slipping through the trees behind his friend.

"Wolf!"

Thomas whirled in terror, stumbling back from the treeline. He expected to see a menacing grey form stalking out of the trees. But the only movement was a few fluttering leaves in the evening breeze. Thomas turned slowly back to his friend, frowning.

"Very funny. What wolf?"

Darian couldn't contain his laughter at the look on Thomas's face. "Got you that time!"

Thomas rolled his eyes and gave Darian a light shove. "Not cool, I thought I was about to be eaten!"

"By that little guy?" Darian pointed at the ground where a small russet wolf pup was sniffing around their feet. "I think you're safe."

Thomas's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa! A wolf pup?" He knelt down and held out a hesitant hand. The pup gave it a curious lick, his bushy tail wagging.

"I can't believe you found a wolf pup!" Thomas exclaimed as he scratched behind the pup's ears. "What's he doing out here alone?"

"I rescued him from a trap a few weeks ago," Darian explained. "Poor little guy got his paw caught. I couldn't just leave him there."

The pup bounded over to Darian, nuzzling his hand affectionately.

"He's really taken to you," Thomas observed.

Darian smiled. "Yeah, we make a pretty good team. I named him Rusty."

Thomas tilted his head thoughtfully. "Will he stay tame? I thought wolves were too wild to keep as pets."

"I'm hoping if I raise him young, he'll be loyal," said Darian. "We'll see. For now, he seems happy sticking close to me."

Rusty seemed to approve of Thomas' scent and licked his hand enthusiastically. The boy laughed and squatted down to scratch behind the pup's ears.

"You're just a little rascal, aren't you?" Thomas murmured affectionately as Rusty flopped onto his back begging for belly rubs. "Hard to believe you'll be a ferocious beast someday."

Darian smiled as he watched his two friends bond. He hoped Thomas would help keep his secret. His Ma still wasn't too happy about him spending time with the pack.

Soon Rusty was racing circles around them, nipping playfully at shoelaces and pouncing on stray leaves. The boys took turns tossing sticks for him to chase, laughing when he returned with a branch far too large to carry.

As Darian watched the pup bound energetically after another tossed stick, a troubling memory surfaced in his mind. He remembered Rusty's lifeless body being dropped on the floor.

Darian shuddered. That image was burned into his memory even though Rusty would never remember that.

And I hope he never has to experience that…

Darian knew that the panther wouldn’t come near the outskirts of the forest, but it was there somewhere in the forest, waiting for another opportunity. He couldn't risk letting it harm Rusty again. But the panther was too dangerous to tackle by himself, he would have to find a way to get together a hunting group from the village.

"We should head back before Ma begins to worry," Darian said. He knelt down and ruffled Rusty's fur. "I need to hand you over to your guardian, boy.”

Rusty whined and tried to climb into Darian's arms. Thomas looked puzzled. "You're not keeping him as a pet?"

Darian shook his head. "He's meant to run wild and free.”

Leaving Rusty waiting reluctantly, Darian slipped into the trees and gave a low whistle. After a few moments, a large grey wolf with intelligent yellow eyes came out from the underbrush.

Thomas stumbled back with a yelp. "Darian! W-wolf!"

"It's alright," Darian soothed, stopping the wolf's approach with a hand. "This is Rusty's aunty. She’s been here this whole time; you just didn’t realise it. She'll take him back to the den."

The she-wolf watched them patiently as Darian coaxed Rusty forward. The pup greeted her with happy yips and face licks. Thomas slowly relaxed as he realized the large wolf meant them no harm.

"Will he really be okay out here though?" Thomas asked anxiously.

Darian smiled as Rusty tumbled playfully with his aunty. "He has his pack now. And I'll still see him around the forest, I'm sure."

"I suppose you're right,” Thomas nodded. “This was great by the way! I can already tell I'm going to be a master hunter in no time with you teaching me."

Darian just chuckled and clapped his friend's shoulder. "Patience, my young apprentice. You've only just begun your training."

As they walked back towards the village, Thomas turned to Darian with an eager glint in his eye. "Hey, what about that cave we found before you left? The one with the weird symbols? We should go check it out tomorrow!"

Darian paused for a second, wondering if those strange symbols were related to magic or rin…or maybe some other mysterious energy. "First thing in the morning, we'll head out there and see what we can find."