“Rala?” Garran asked, scratching behind his right ear.

“No, Steward. I am not Rala,” the wolf answered, struggling to get to her feet. “Your healer was well-versed with ritual magic, it appears.” Teya’s body wavered on the spot slightly so Garran placed his hand on her shoulder to steady her.

“I’m really going to need someone to explain to me what is going on,” the wolfkin said rubbing the bridge of his long nose between his forefinger and thumb.

The wolf placed her paw gently on Garran’s leg, “Your Primdakta. . I am sorry. She.. has given her life so that I can..” her voice faded.

“Go quickly unto the Peaceful Berceuse, Primdakta.” he said softly, then continued, “I assumed that is what happened. Though I still do not understand why.”

I didn’t ask for any of this. I didn’t want this. I just wanted to find Sius, he thought bitterly to himself.

“I know you are seeking your friend. I am sorry that this gift has come to you at such a tumultuous time. But we rarely have a choice in the roles we are given in our lives.”

“Fantastic, so you can read minds now, or could you read them before, too?” his voice dripped with sarcasm.

She sat down on her haunches and leveled her gaze at him. “No, actually,” she said, matching his tone. “That is not one of the powers bestowed upon a Bastion--or Guardian. Bastions serve and protect the power granted on this realm. It is why I was sent to find you. This was all prophesied by your seer.”

Garran’s voice softened. “I am sorry. You have lost so much. Rala said something about your powers being tied to Aegis’ plane and that is why you…” he scratched nervously behind his ear.

“Died? Yes. There is something that is causing Aegis’ powers to wane. Because the Bastions are, in essence, an extension of Aegis himself and Bastions share that connection with his celestial power, what happens to one, happens to both. Furthermore, because of my weakened state, I could not travel back to the Celestial Plane even as a spirit. I think Rala knew that. And I think that may have a lot to do with her… decision.”

Garran furrowed his bushy brows in contemplation and his puffy tail twitched as he processed the information. “But aren’t the Darkfrost part of that connection too? If he imbued us with the power from the Verikanfang doesn’t that mean we would be affected somehow too?”

The she-wolf eyed him for a moment, thoughtfully. “This is a good question. One that I may not be able to answer. At least, not fully. Your great awakening-- this Verikanfang as you call it--was a gift from Aegis, yes. But when it was gifted, that magic evolved and grew as did your kindred over time. Therefore, that power resonates within the Darkfrost, separate on this plane, though still as a power granted of Aegis. It is through the faith provided within your people that feeds into our--into the Celestial Plane.”

Garran’s thoughts were brought to a halt as an icy gust blew stinging wind atop the mountain they had been sitting. He looked up at the nocturnal sky. The stars that had twinkled at him not long ago were beginning to be blanketed by thick, dark clouds.

There will be a storm soon, and it’s getting to the baying hour. We will need to find shelter, he thought to himself.

Teya apparently had the same thought as she looked up at the sky and said, “Perhaps we should discuss this further from the cave, Steward.”

Garran picked up his maka’s blanket and rolled it up with care. As he gathered his other belongings from the empty gravesite, he asked one final question that had been on his mind since meeting the she-wolf. “Why me? I have no magic. I am ordinary at best. Why have I been chosen for this role?”

Teya’s different colored eyes softened at the question and she gave him a toothy grin, her long canine tongue lolling out to one side of her mouth. “Everything is ordinary in the beginning. A pine tree is just a seed in the beginning. But then grows into its own unique shape by the end. You are as special as your fur pattern. Besides, I have answered this question for you already. You just need to believe it. You are a protector at heart. You are traveling through this harsh land to find your friend out of loyalty and honor. When I told you about the waning powers, your first question was about the safety of your people and not of yourself. You are brave in battle and will be formidable once I teach you to harness the powers within that amulet.”

The wolfkin instinctively reached up and put his clawed hand on the amulet. I’d all but forgotten about this thing, he thought to himself. “You are going to teach me the incantations of a dakta?” he asked.

The she-wolf shook her head, “No. I am going to teach you the powers of a Steward. But let’s find shelter from this storm first.”

Garran stood and shook his tail vigorously to dislodge the frozen snow from his bushy fur. I could really go for a dip in the hot springs. My fur is getting unruly, he thought to himself. He carefully brushed off his leathers, his hand sweeping over the stitching on the left side and he stopped abruptly. Swallowing down the emotion threatening to erupt, he turned to head back down the cliffside.

Snow was beginning to fall as the two made their way back down to the cave. They would need to shelter there and wait out the inevitable storm. As they approached the mouth of the small grotto, Garran had a thought. He took the branches that he had gathered what seemed a lifetime ago and set quickly to work.

First, he took the most brittle sticks and placed them on the ground just down the slope from the cave and covered them with snow to camouflage them. “If anything sneaks up on us in the night, we will hear them coming,” Sius’ voice rang in Garran’s mind from one of their many hunting trips. Sius always found a way to get some basic survival skills training out of a situation.

Garran then took a small hunting knife and wedged off the ends of the remaining few sticks until they had sharp points. Using some rope he had in his pack, he fashioned a snare just outside the mouth of the cave. Teya watched with interest as he delicately covered the rope with snow to disguise it from view.

“Well aren’t you the unexpected ‘cub scout’?” she chuckled.

Finishing his work, he stood and looked at Teya. One side of his lips curled up into a humorous smirk, “Wolf jokes. Nice. If mindreading isn’t one of your strengths, sarcasm appears to be. Though, I believe the term you are looking for is ‘pup’, not ‘cub’. ‘Cub’ is reserved for more primitive species like felines..” Garran scoffed at the last word. Anything that licks its own fur to clean itself is barbaric, he thought.

It was not long after that the two new companions settled down in the rear of the cave to rest. They had opted not to build a fire, lest they draw attention to their small sanctuary to any passersby that wanted to also escape the now-raging blizzard. Teya lay curled into a ball a few feet away from Garran, facing the mouth of the hollow. Garran lay with his back against the cave wall near where he had found Sius’ arrow. He held the broken shaft between his fingers, spinning it back and forth mindlessly. Sius. I’m coming for you, Sius. Just hang in there. . Wherever you are, he thought as he swallowed hard and closed his eyes.

Garran awoke to the sudden noise of a twig snapping. Teya’s head snapped up too. They looked at each other briefly as they listened intently for any further noises. Both of their pairs of recessed, cuspated ears poised to detect any further sound. The wind from the blizzard had died down considerably, but snow still fell lightly outside. It was deathly quiet, and still quite cold.

Garran slowly pulled down his blanket and silently reached for his mace and shield lying beside him while never taking his eyes off the mouth of the cave. Something had definitely stepped on the sticks he’d buried, and the next few moments would determine the intellect of whatever creature had triggered the noise.

He heard a faint huff, like a quick exhale of breath from some creature and then he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. It was quiet, but still audible to his ears. A cackle. A soft, answering grunt and then another cackle penetrated the yawning silence. Gnolls apparently always hunted in packs.

Frick, he cursed to himself. No Sius to get you out of it this time.

As a split second decision, he swallowed his fear and pushed the shield to his back. Then, placed his mace on the ground next to him and swapped to Sius’ bow and quiver of arrows. He was nowhere near as skillful as his wolfkin friend, but the bow did have range at its advantage here. Not to mention, this cave was quite shallow and his aim needn’t be pin-prick accurate at this range to do damage.

He crouched on the ground to make himself as small of a target as possible and readied the bow, nocking an arrow. In his peripheral vision, he saw that Teya had also crouched, her ears laying flat on her head and her lips curling back, revealing her white teeth in a silent snarl. The massive wolf had moved a few feet away from Garran, likely to give room for maneuverability in case of a fight.

There they waited, an eternity of a few seconds for their foe to come into view. He could hear them now, just outside the cave. Another moment and they would be in view--

Garran then heard the unmistakable sound of his snare being triggered, the frayed rope snapping sharply and the spiked sticks springing upward towards whatever had triggered them. A shrill yelp of pain pierced the cold night air which was answered by snarling and the sound of scuffling. The injured creature quieted marginally but continued to whimper.

The source of the snarling grew louder and it cackled and barked sharply, one of the barks actually sounding like the word ‘wolf’. They are communicating their attack, he thought with a shiver. Teya was growling audibly now, her muscular body, stretched tight and ready to spring.

Finally, the recognizable silhouette of a gnoll appeared at the entrance. The hunched figure was medium-sized for their kind, but still 7 feet tall at at least 250 stones heavy. Anticipating the arrival of the creature, Garran let fly the arrow he had nocked.

Another piercing yowl echoed within the cave, causing Garran to recoil from the noise. The arrow lodged itself in the gnoll’s left pectoral muscle. The screaming creature grabbed at the arrow, breaking the wooden shaft off at the entry point, and staggered backwards to the snowy ground. By Garran’s calculation, the creature didn’t have long before its chest cavity would fill up with lifeblood and it would succumb to its wound.

The next gnoll peeked around the corner, but Teya was ready for it and launched herself at it. She bit down hard into the thing’s shaggy wrist and it yelped in surprise as the large wolf snatched him backward and they tumbled, snarling and grappling with each other into the cave.

Hoping Teya could handle herself for a moment, Garran quickly nocked another arrow and steadied the bow for another attacker to enter. This time a hulking silhouette of a massive gnoll appeared at the cave mouth. Garran did not hesitate. He loosed the arrow and heard it thunk into something solid. The arrow hit about chest-high on this gnoll, but it did not stop him. The great creature took a step into the cave and dropped a large chunk of bark to the ground, Garran’s arrow lodged deeply into it. This creature had anticipated the shot and had used the bark as a shield. It was also holding a massive long-handled axe in its other hand.

The hyena-like visage snarled at him, and it fixed Garran with a vengeful glare. The right side of the creature’s mouth was gnarled and misshapen from a previous battle wound, and several teeth were missing and broken on that side of its hideous face. Garran drew in a breath from sudden recognition. This was the same massive gnoll from 3 years ago. The one Garran had hit in the mouth with his mace; the same one that had very nearly killed Garran. And no Sius to save you this time, Garran thought again.

Garran could hear Teya and the smaller gnoll still scrapping off to his right, and he heard the whimpering, and now wheezing from the two injured gnolls still outside the cave. The massive creature before him stood there for a moment sizing Garran up. He was clearly the leader of their little band. Garran had a breath of a moment to decide what to do. He could either nock another arrow, or grab his mace beside him and go toe-to-toe with this creature.

Garran bore his sharp fangs and growled, “I see you’ve upgraded your weapon. I’m not one for rematches typically, but I don’t guess you’ll take ‘no’ for an answer.”

A moment passed where the gnoll and the wolfkin stared at each other. Garran with his empty bow, and the creature with the axe at his side, both of them seeming to wait for the other to move. All at once, the gnoll reached down with his free hand to grasp the long-handled axe with both hands, and charged.

Thinking quickly, Garran dropped the bow with his left hand and grabbed his mace in his right while rolling to his left. He landed on his stomach, nose in the cold dirt, and felt the impact of the axe clang hard on his metal shield that he had slid to his back earlier. The metallic clang reverberated off the cave walls.

Well this is precarious. You’re on your stomach facing away from your enemy, he heard his friend’s chiding voice in his head.

He kicked out behind him with his left foot and felt it connect with his foe’s ankle. This unexpected maneuver plus the momentum of his opponent’s swing, sent the creature stumbling forward to the ground, allowing Garran a moment to regain his ground.

He pushed up quickly and adeptly, getting to his feet. In one fluid motion, he slid the shield from his back, over his shoulder and onto his arm in a practiced manner. His wolf companion was giving the smaller gnoll a solid fight. The creature swung at her with a stone handaxe in its uninjured hand, but with her low center, she nipped at his feet that forced her opponent to jump to keep his balance. There was still nothing Garran could do to help her.

At this point, the big gnoll was back on his feet and preparing for another strike. I’ll just tire him out, Garran decided and the two traded a few more blows. He was beginning to feel the invigorating hope that he would be able to outlast his foe when he heard a wolf yelp in pain. He glanced over at his companion and the gnoll. The gnoll had abandoned his axe and was brandishing a small metal dagger at the wolf. He had somehow flipped on top of Teya and was trying to push the weapon down into her chest.

Garran did the only thing he could think of and hurled his mace as hard as he could towards Teya’s mangy attacker. The head of the massive weapon connected with the side of the gnoll’s temple with a sickening thud, and the creature fell off of the wolf, unconscious.

Garran looked back at his own opponent and now realized his error; he no longer had a weapon. Seizing on this opportunity, the leader gnoll lunged. Garran brought his shield up and blocked one attack and was able to dodge the next, but it was useless. The gnoll would eventually get a swing in.

Staring at the scene unfolding before him, it was as if time had slowed. The two downed gnolls-- one likely already dead, the other at the very least, unconscious--lying still and lifeless. The large gnoll coming at him with fury in its eyes, and now a fourth silhouette darkening the entryway of the cavern. It limped into the cave, still whimpering from when it had stepped on the spike trap. Teya, bleeding heavily from her front right paw, was preparing to advance on the newcomer.

He could feel everything. The cold from the air outside, the wind of the unrelenting blows from the big gnoll’s attacks whipping past his ears, and the heavy weight of the sigil around his neck. The sigil, he thought. Instinctively, he grabbed it with his now-free mace hand and yelled, “Aegis! Protect us!”

An explosion of silver light erupted from the amulet outward sending everyone in the cave flying backwards. The limping gnoll at the doorway was flung off the ledge and out of sight, presumably now on the rocky bottom of the crevice fifty feet below them. Garran was flung backwards and his head smacked the cave wall with a crack. His vision beginning to blur and fade, he saw the massive gnoll get blown backwards and heard the sickening crunch of bones breaking as the thing’s body connected with a jagged rock jutting from the wall. The creature’s eyes rolled back and it slumped to the floor at an awkward angle. He looked around for Teya, but his vision was fading quickly.

“Teya?” his voice echoed off the cavern walls.

“I am here… Steward,” her voice stammered in an audible wince.

“Are you ok?”

“I will be. My wounds are superficial,” she said, still breathing heavily.

“Still think it’s a good idea to let me wield the powers of Aegis? I’m pretty sure that wasn’t supposed to happen,” Garran said weakly as he felt himself drifting towards unconsciousness.

“Well, you appear to be wielding the power of sarcasm just fine, so it’s a good start,” she said with a soft laugh. “We still need to train you on the rest.”

“I’m going to rest first,” he heard himself say. Then, drifted into the blackness of unconsciousness.