"I've become friends with my sister after we talked a lot, 'cosplay' is a really nice topic to start a friendship! What? No, being family does not mean being friends. Are you an only child?

My watery sister is really old, not the oldest but one of the first ones, she knows so many things!

But she does not know everything, she is really helping me a lot!

We are trading knowledge, she shares the stories of olds and I explain some of the things she does not know, their inner working to be precise.

If I don't know something I can just ask my library... But if I don't know what I want to know... I cannot ask!"

-Bee May, the faery of knowledge

"I finally made a friend!"

Thaddeus is a Shadow, he has always been one, his first memories are about Shadow training. That's what makes Shadows so loyal, they just are, they cannot change what they are. His body was aging when he became the Shadowmaster but his mind was still young, he did his job and he did it well.

His king, his friend told him to leave the capital, to go and support a village, he was not needed in the capital, they could survive for a while without him. Now his friend is dead. He hated to be always right, he hoped to not be right this time, thats why he obeyed him. He still took precautions, they were not enough. Then there was Brielle... She was like a sponge, he loved to teach her. But she is no mere Shadow, she is more, her istincts, how she sees the world around her... She is a Shadowmaster, she was like him, probably better than him, that's why Thaddeus taught her everything he knew.

The village, King's Rest it was a new challenge to him. Training new Shadows, finding good seeds and turning them in strong pillars that would support the Arthus kingdom for years. Then there was Sidon... He found him too late, the blood of Arthus flowed inside his veins, he was probably the living being closer to the first Arthus. And he was lost. Fianna, good woman that one, she made Sidon complete, she guided him, he was too strong for his own good, he had no objective. She gave him one, his objective became to protect the villagers, to protect his woman, his family. Sadly that poor woman could not have a child to call her own, Thaddeus tried to send women towards Sidon, both Shadows and normal villagers, he turned them down, gently but with firmness. Sidon lived for Fianna and Fianna lived for Sidon.

Sidon was a pain to deal with... He became the First Hunter so he could not be ordered around, he even sent his hunters to be trained by Thaddeus. Burning his time, time that could have been used to train his new Shadows. One night Thaddeus was inside the forest, once in a while he would summon the Shadows of the village outside the walls, with less chance to be eavesdropped they were able to relax and speak much more freely. It was a very productive night for Thaddeus until he decided to go back to the village, he was caught by surprise. A big hand appeared from behind a Hardwood tree, it catched his throat. Thaddeus got slammed on the tree hard then, he got socked in the stomach. "Hi Todd." The voice of Sidon was glacial, so glacial that Thaddeus thought that he was a dead man. "I do not care about any fake name nor do I care about light and Shadows, BUT I do care about the village, my village." Sidon started, "I love my home, the rules are easy to follow too: Inside the village you follow the Chief's orders, outside of the village you follow the First Hunter's orders... MY orders. Now, now Thaddeus - Sidon spat the name like it was poisonous- are you a villager?" Thaddeus felt how serious the First Hunter was and while he could not talk, he could nod, so he nodded. "Good, so you will follow my orders as we are outside the village - Thaddeus could feel the smile on Sidon even while in the pitch black of the night- you will do your job, you will guide the scouts, you will teach the hunters, you will do what you can to make the villagers live easier. If because of you and your teachings ONE villager dies... I will personally go to the capital and show the King the village and he will Rest there." Sidon dropped him and left, he did not think the First Hunter could speak for so long. Sidon, from that day became both the shoulder to rely on and the hand that slapped you when you were too far gone.

Thaddeus actually missed the big man, the village was destroyed, the villagers scattered in the whole Arthus kingdom, some with Shadow purposes, others just wanted a new start. The royal family was decimated, Brielle was doing a lot of good work and eased his burdens but he had to create a fort from nothing and now he needed to get back the coldstone mines. There were frictions in the fort too, the soldiers thought the villagers were normal civilians and the villagers thought poorly of the soldiers.

Thaddeus was inside his study, it was a sealed room in the middle of the fort, only a single door to come in and out, there were little holes scattered out the walls so they could let the air in. He and his assistant were speaking about what happened that day outside when he heard Sidon's voice from behind. Thaddeus saw the assistant's eyes grow big, the poor guy tried to open the door and call for help, he was no shadow, just a military man and that was a smart move, people appear inside a closed room in the center of the fort? Call for help.

When the assistant opened the door he found two guards sitting on the ground, or better the two guards were laid in a sitting position by a woman with strange green clothes, black hair with purple highlights. He only saw two piercing blue ice eyes then a fist. Thaddeus saw the woman bring the three unconscious men inside the study then close the door. Thaddeus ignored her and turned around, he saw Sidon, Fianna, Little Wolf and the three droppers. There was something strange going on, they did not have the same clothes, they had deer pelts instead of the usual mix of wolf, bear and hare pelts, and more importantly they looked different.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Sidon?"

"Yes Todd?"

"You are different... younger?"

"Oh, yeah... that happened."

"What happened?"

"We fought a wolf, like the one that we found when I got my son."

"And... You got younger?"

"No, I got my as kicked, almost died actually, I slept for a while and then woke up young."

"Oh, I see... So, why is Fianna young too, you look really good by the way."

"Thanks Todd, - Fianna smiled sweetly - when the droppers kidnapped me... they brought me to my family, they were both unconcious. A dropper army, with an ancient one at the head saved them from the wolves, then the snow started... Mira, that girl over there, she brought us to a safe place where we could survive the snow. It was a strange place and when we got out we found ourselves younger."

"That is an answer - Thaddeus nodded to Fianna while glaring at Sidon, who ignored him - I will need to think about what you said, where can we find this safe place?"

"I do not know, we were walking through the snow when we found a place where the snow would not come in. When the Snow was over... the place just disappeared, it was really strange. We thought it was a dream or some allucination but we are here and younger so... A mistery of the forest?"

"I have heard strange things from... Sources... But never as strange as this, we could send people to investigate this but, sending people inside the forest when the snow is falling is a death sentence."

"Talking about death sentence, what is happening, where are the villagers, who is the village Chief?" Asked Fianna.

"The Arthus kingdom got surprised by an alliance, the royal family was almost exterminated and we lost both the coldstone mine and the village. Some old veterans friends of mine came out of the shadows and started helping out, the situation is bad but we are doing our best."

"Village Chief?" Asked Sidon.

"There is no village, this is a fort, I am in charge of retaking the coldstone mines."

"Our people?" Asked Fianna.

"Many died, the one who survived decided to spread out, we helped them settle in, some remained here."

"Annabelle? Kitty? Brielle?" Asked Little Wolf.

"Annabelle is in the capital with Brielle and some of the others, Kitty... Was sent to the South, we needed someone we could trust, she cleared up the various villages and the port cities, no enemy agent survived her."

"Was? - Asked Fianna - what does "was" mean?"

"She... Disappeared, she took a ship."

"Little Wolf cover your ears."

Fianna said and Little Wolf obeyed.

"YOU FUCKING IDIOT! YOU KNOW KITTY! SHE SHOULD NEVER BE LEFT ALONE!"

"We had no choice, she is thorough, loyal, fast and know what she does."

"AFTER WHAT HER FATHER DID! AFTER WHAT SHE GOT THROUGH! AFTER WHAT YOU DID! SHE WAS WITH THE HUNTERS FOR A REASON!"

Fianna was getting riled up, her red hair was flaring a little and her eyes were starting to show some red reflexes, Sidon put one hand on her shoulder and stopped her.

"Are you a villager Todd?" Asked Sidon, the question made Thaddeus shudder.

"Yes..."

"So there is no problem. We got a new bigger home now. We will take a walk to these coldstone mines, get them back and send the army away. Son, Mira can you join up with Bri? Get back our villagers?"

"Really? Split up? I don't want to do babysitting."

"You have nothing you can teach my son right now, he will want to see his friends and you need to make sure he rests."

"Fine."

"Now that we know what to do, let's talk with the remaining villagers then depart, I think Al would want to come with us."

As the family was getting about to leave, without giving Thaddeus much care... To his chagrin. They heard a hubbub coming from outside the study, the door opened.

"Shouldn't be there guards outside uncle Thadd? I really need to tell you about today! A freaking huge Mr. Boar appeared from the forest! And then I broke some of my slashy blades, but they were only steel so I'm not so sad... Then Mr. Antlers appeared and killed Mr. Boar! And he threw me away! Do you believe the gall of Mr. Antles? He threw a princess! Oh and then Mr. Boar body disappeared! With my stabby blades in him! Then I was all bloody and leafy and had to jump in the river to clean up! I had to come back to the fort looking like a lost kitty in a rainy day! And then Mr. Boar was at the fort! Dead! Well... I knew he was dead already but he got moved! And I could get my stabby back! Oh, uncle Thadd, I did not know you had guests! Wait! You are Mr. Antlers!"

The third princess, Phrillia came into Thaddeus study.