“Who’s there?” The high-pitched voice trembled, barely coming through the bars of the cold, dark cell.

A boy paused outside the cell. He debated ignoring the voice, but knew it would only cause more trouble later.

“It’s me,” he said. "I brought you tea earlier."

A soft sigh of relief filtered between the bars and the figure within sagged against the bed. She sat cross-legged, pulling a threadbare blanket around her shoulder and leaning against the slimy wall.

The boy slid down the cold wall outside the cell, leaning his back against the plain grey wall next to the steel bars and resting an arm on his knee. “How are you?”

She huffed a sarcastic breath of air. “How do you think?”

Despite himself, his lips lifted in something of a smile. “Any further pains?”

A pause. “Nothing more than the usual. Thank you for the tea. It helped.”

“Don’t mention it. Really. I could get in a lot of trouble.”

The girl within the cell smiled, despite the flush of pain on her brow. “I won’t.”

“I should go.”

“Please don’t.”

The plea caused the boy to stop in his rise to his feet, and for the first time, he looked into the cell to meet the bright blue eyes of the girl within.

Something in her face caused him to question everything, but he shied from such things. Shied from what it would mean for him if his father were wrong. He wasn't sure he could handle it were his father even more of a despicable being than he thought.

“I-I shouldn’t be here.” He looked away first, his eyes gazing at the brown cavern walls and other empty cells without seeing them.

“Then at least tell me your name, something nice to remember you by, despite my situation.”

He looked back at the girl, with her slim and pale features and pert nose, and something in his heart gave way. He could never stand to see such suffering, but he could only do so much. His hands were tied otherwise, unless something changed. But he knew he could leave her with the Gift of his name if nothing else.

“Lycus.”

~~~❀❦♥︎❦❀~~~

Lycus could not get those eyes from his mind. The way they quirked at the corners in a kind smile, despite the bloodshot rim and the way pain pulled at her face. She was special.

“Lycus.”

Lycus snapped his eyes up, focusing on the man in front of him. The man’s lips pull into a scowl.

“Yes, father?”

“You have the absentmindedness of your mother.”

Lycus understood the underlying derogatory purpose of such a comment. But he thought his likeness to his mother was a feature he could always be proud of.

“You understand what I expect from you?”

“Get close to the girl, earn her trust, and get the answers we need.”

The scowl turns into a nod of approval. “Very good. You understand why we need the wolf? Why we need this?”

“I do, father.”

“Good. Your sister will work with the boy.”

Lycus understood. If he did not get information before his sister, it would not be good. His father preferred a male heir, but if his sister found herself more worthy... well, he wouldn’t be heir anymore. It would bother the boy little—except for the small issue of his sister’s… tendencies.

Now to return to the little cell and see if he could ease the pain of the girl and perhaps gain some useful information about the Guardian and his wolf for his father.