“Yao,” Shijen called.

“Be right there!” The bartender hurried to finish serving some other guests and bustled over to Shijen’s table by the window. “What can I do for you?”

Shijen pointed discreetly behind his hand at an enormous young man with dark brown hair and blue eyes in the corner near the front door. “Who is that?”

Yao followed Shijen’s finger then began a whispered conversation. “Ah! The young Bear Tribe master. He says his name is Standig Tragen. Ring any bells?”

“Standig… well Tragen is the Bear Tribe leader's family name.”

Yao nodded. “I believe you are looking at the new Bear Tribe leader’s younger brother.”

“What is he doing here?”

“He is friends with the wolf princess.” Yao leaned in to add conspiratorially, “close friends from what I’ve gathered.”

Shijen shook his head. “You think he’s here to court her? She’s only sixteen.”

Yao shrugged. “It’s as good of a guess as any. I understand that the princess has been writing a lot of letters back and forth to the Bear Tribe again this year. Then again, she writes a lot of letters to several of the tribes.”

“I told you last year, didn’t I? Huo Lohse Lang is going to be a heart-breaker.”

“Yes, yes, you did,” Yao said dismissively.

The tavern doors opened again and a young woman in a bright red dress walked in. Her black hair fell long and silky down her back to her waist, her eyes mostly brown with just enough green in them to notice. She was pretty-- lean but curvy with sharp facial features distinctive of the Wolf Tribe leader's family.

The girl looked around the tavern and spotted Standig in the corner. A big grin spread across her face making her eyes crinkle in the corners. “You're early!”

Standig looked up at the sound of her voice and smiled back at her. “Hey, Lolo! Good to see you.” He stood up to greet her, revealing just exactly how massive he was.

Lolo stopped short of giving him a hug to track his full height. She shook her head, teasing. “You really need to stop growing, already. Pretty soon, you’re going to be hitting your head on the ceiling. How many inches did you put on this year?”

Standig seemed bashful about this question. “Only three.”

“Only three. Only three!” Her laugh was infectious. “You know, people usually grow long and lean and save the filling out for later; you’ve managed to grow tall and broad all at once. It must be a bear thing." Huo Lohse clicked her tongue a few times. “Well, should we get going? If you’re anything like my brothers, you're probably starving.”

Standig nodded and Huo Lohse helped him collect his bags. As the pair left, Standig had to duck and turn slightly sideways to fit through the doorway.

“See what I mean?” Shijen said, pleased with himself. “Heart-breaker.”

Yao just shook his head. “The exchange starts next week. Maybe they made plans to travel together. The Dragon Tribe is pretty far from the Bear Tribe, after all.”

“You were the one that implied they might be dating,” Shijen said, surprised by Yao’s backtrack.

“Their body language was wrong,” Yao said simply.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, the princess is treating him like one of her brothers, not a suitor.”

“Well, what about him?”

Yao shook his head. “Not sure. He was hard to read.”

Shijen shrugged. “Time will tell.”

Yao seemed lost in thought for a moment and then chuckled to himself.

“What?” Shijen asked.

“Oh, I was just thinking. If those two did end up together, he’d have to bend in half just to kiss her.”

The friends shared a laugh over the mental image.

Back at Pack Hall, Huo Lohse made sure Standig was well-fed before getting him situated in a guest room for the week. She stood in the doorway to chat with him while he unpacked.

“So, did you bring them?”

“It would be silly if I forgot them. They’re the whole reason I’m here a week early,” Standig said. He pulled a bundle of papers out of one of his bags and tossed them on the bed. “Philige asked me to make copies of them instead of bringing the originals. By the way, speaking of Philige, he wanted me to tell you 'thanks again for the farming research'? He said you'd know what I'm talking about. And he wanted me to tell you 'it worked'."

Lolo smiled infuriatingly.

"You're not going to tell me what it means?"

"There's not much to tell, honestly. It is what it sounds like. I did some research on farming techniques a while back, he expressed interest in my findings, so I sent him the report. Apparently, it was helpful."

Standig shrugged and went back to his unpacking. "Well, so how about you?" He returned to the original subject. "Any breakthroughs?"

"I practiced meditating with my brothers with mixed results, but we never came close to what you and I experienced the last time we did a partner meditation together."

Standig wasn't sure why, but he was delighted to hear this and had to work to contain his smile. "That's too bad," he said, trying not to laugh.

"Jerk! I know I suck at meditating," Lolo said indignantly.

Standig busted up laughing as she crossed her arms and scrunched her nose up at him. "Well, that's why I'm here now. Where do you want to start?"

"I'd like to read the records you brought, maybe talk about them, and then go from there."

Standig leaned over to the bed and tossed her the papers. "You'd better get started, then. There's a lot there. It took forever to transcribe it all."

"Would you mind if I took notes in the margins or marked things?"

"Feel free. I planned to let you keep those."

Huo Lohse forgot to be annoyed with him. "Really?!"

"I still have the originals at home, and- Oof!"

Lolo hit him with a sneak-attack hug from behind. "Thanks, Standig," she said and took off out the door.

The next couple of days Standig and Lolo spent quietly together. When Lolo came across something interesting in her reading, she'd read it aloud for discussion. "This says that the longer two people have known each other, and the deeper their relationship is, the easier it is to achieve what is called a 'merging of the minds'."

"Makes sense to me," Standig said shrugging.

"So then, why was it so easy for us to connect when it's so hard for me and my brothers to connect? I've only known you a couple of years, and only spent time with you for a small fraction of that, whereas I've almost never been separated from my brothers since birth."

"Maybe we just connect on a deeper level?" Standig suggested.

"I don't see how. I mean, don't get me wrong. Yes, we're close, and we've already been through a lot together. But you know how close I am with my brothers."

Standig thought about it for a while. "Last year we had a lot of shared… trauma, maybe, that brought our emotions closer to the surface. Is that a fair way to put it? Could it have been a fluke just because of those experiences? I suppose it's also possible that I'm just better at meditating, so making a connection is easier."

"Hm. Food for thought," Lolo said and continued reading.

After a while, Lolo got up to stretch. "Standig, what do you think this year's exchange will be like?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I asked Philige about his experience with the Dragon Tribe, and he said that they were strict and intense, but that he learned a lot."

"Qingchi and Rensui said similar things. Rensui said he's never had such sore muscles, and Qingchi said it was a bit of an endurance test, but the dragon culture is rich and fascinating."

"Interesting," Standig said.

"What is?"

"Well, their statements are all pretty vague, but they all seem to suggest that we're in for a lot of physical training and some great cultural lessons."

"That's assuming, of course, that they haven't changed their curriculum in the last five years." Lolo changed the subject back to partner meditation. "I think I'm ready to try meditating with you. What do you think?"

"Let's do it," Standig said, a little surprised. "One of the things in those papers, I don't know if you've gotten to it yet, says that meditating in a location significant to your relationship can enhance the experience."

"Yeah, I read that. Are you thinking of anywhere in particular?"

He nodded. "I was thinking-"

"Wait! Let me guess. It should be somewhere fairly private. What about where we held the bonfire by Crescent Lake?"

Standig shook his head.

"Um, maybe the classroom? Or the sparring field? The courtyard is definitely not private, but we spent a lot of time together there."

He shook his head again.

"Alright, I give up."

"The big climbing tree in the woods."

"The one you ran away to?"

He nodded.

"Well, it is private. I'm just not sure how me trying not to pass out is significant to our relationship."

"Just trust me," Standig said.

"Alright, I'll defer to your judgement."

The friends left through the front gate and turned left to move down the hill and into the woods. Lolo was on autopilot to her tree, the one she liked to sneak out at night to climb over a hundred feet up to take in the night sky.

"We'd probably better stay on the ground for this," Standig stated the obvious.

Lolo raked a pile of pine needles to the side with her hands and sat on the mossy ground with her legs crossed. Standig took his position across from her with their knees together.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Standig asked, suddenly a little nervous.

"Are you?" Lolo asked, hearing the trepidation in his voice. "We don't have to do this if you're uncomfortable."

"No, I'm ok. It's just that, even after spending a year studying partner meditations, I'm still not sure what to expect."

"From what I've read, there's such a huge range of possibilities that it's almost impossible to predict what will happen. We just have to be prepared for what could happen. Maybe with practice we'll be able to control the outcome eventually."

Standig exhaled a deep breath. "Alright." He took her hands in his and rested them on his knees. "Let's see what happens."

Standig closed his eyes and started breathing slow, steady breaths. Lolo closed her eyes and worked to match her breathing with his. As her body relaxed with the breath, she became increasingly aware of her senses, the smell of pine and dirt, the heat of the sun filtering through the trees, the sounds of birds chirping and creatures scurrying….

She felt Standig's pulse under her fingers, strong and steady, and wondered why he chose this place to meditate in. As her mind caught hold of this question, she seemed to hear a wolf cry far, far away in the distance. The heat of the sun was replaced by a warm, summer's night breeze, the wolf spirit she was host to seemed excited momentarily, and, even though her eyes were closed, she seemed to see lights-- a river of tiny, swirling lights floating in the breeze. She’d never seen anything like that before, but it was beautiful.

Another breath in and then out. The wolf cry faded away with the exhale, and the scene was replaced by an overwhelming sense of fear and an unpleasant, sticky sensation on her left leg. She startled when she realized she was feeling blood and accidentally broke the meditative link between Standig and herself.

“You ok?” Standig asked, genuinely concerned.

Lolo grabbed her left leg. No blood. “I think so. That was really strange.”

“What was?”

“I thought there was blood on my leg.”

Standig seemed disturbed but not surprised by her statement.

“Any ideas why?”

Standig didn’t answer.

“Ok. Let’s start with you. What did you experience?”

“It’s hard to know where to start,” Standig said, sorting out his thoughts. “I seemed to see things, this tree, except I knew it so well even though I’ve only ever seen it a few times.” He paused to think. “It felt like I was climbing the tree up to that big branch, the one I was sitting on when you found me that time I ran off, and as I breathed, it felt like... and maybe this will sound crazy... it felt like I was breathing in the whole forest. The sounds, the smells, a full moon, everything I could see from up so high. It was euphoric in a very primal sort of way.” Standig stopped to look at his friend. She was giving him a funny look. “What?”

“Well, it kind of sounds like you experienced my connection to this place. I’ve been coming here for years, climbing this tree at night, especially when there is a full moon. And, while I wouldn’t exactly word my feelings the same way, you could describe my experiences in this tree as having a sort of primal euphoria to them.”

“So then, what did you experience?”

“I experienced two completely separate things, actually. Both of them seemed to have something to do with this forest. The first was a scene. I heard a wolf crying in the distance and saw millions of little lights. I’ve never seen anything like it before. And then the scene disappeared, and I felt like I was climbing down this tree with blood on my left leg. For some reason I can’t explain, I just felt terrified.” She shuddered.

“You’ve never seen anything like it before?”

“Huh?” That was not what she had expected him to say. “The lights? No, never.”

“Are you sure?”

“What a strange question! I think I’d remember seeing something like that.”

Standig’s eyebrows knit together. “You said you come here all the time, especially when there is a full moon.”

“I did.”

“What do you do when you come here?”

“I climb the tree and take in the night view.”

“Anything else?”

“What are you getting at, Standig?”

He took a deep breath. “I have a confession, Lolo.”

“Ok?”

“I followed someone into the woods one night that summer the exchange was here. I didn’t see who exactly, but they went into your room afterwards, so I assumed it was you.” Standig paused and braced himself for an angry response, but Lolo just laughed.

“I wondered how of all the trees in this forest, you happened to pick the one I’ve been coming to for years to sulk in! Well, so when you followed me, what did you see?”

“Uh, um,” he floundered as he had been preparing to apologize and defend himself. “Well, I saw you climb this tree. And then, I heard you, you know….”

“I know what?”

“You howled… like a wolf.”

“I did what now?”

“You howled.”

Genuinely surprised, Lolo wasn’t sure where to go with this information. “And you’re sure it was me?”

“I just said that I wasn’t, but I assumed it was you because the person I followed went into your room afterwards. Unless, someone else goes to your room after dark?” Lolo didn’t respond right away so he added some details. “The person was the right size, and had the right hair to be you.”

“No, no, it was definitely me. I just have no memories of howling like a wolf.”

“You really don’t remember?”

“I’m telling you, I don’t howl, Standig. I may be a wolf spirit host climbing trees under a full moon, but I don’t howl.”

An awkward silence settled between them.

“So, what about the floating lights?” Lolo asked.

“Well, when I heard the wolf call, the lights seemed to come out of the forest somehow.” His memory felt hollow and seemed to lose some its magic now that Lolo didn’t share it.

Huo Lohse could see the disappointment on Standig’s face. “Look, I don’t think you are making this up, Standig, but, I’m sorry, I really have no memory of these events.” She paused to search his face. “Then what about the second part? Climbing down the tree and the blood?”

“That’s when I helped you climb down the tree after you came to find me.”

“Why were you bleeding?”

“It wasn’t my blood, Lolo. It was yours.”

She felt something in her chest twist horribly. “Is that why you were so scared?”

He nodded. “That was the first time I felt afraid to lose someone.”

***

“Shen-shen,” Lolo called, “watch out behind you!”

Standig was preparing a sneak attack against the almost seven-year-old. Xiao Shen wheeled around and squealed as Standig seemed to come out of nowhere.

“Get your sword up!” Lolo coached.

But the excitement was too much for Xiao Shen, and he ran away from the oversized bear laughing and shrieking. Lolo blocked his retreat and caught him.

“Save me, Lolo Yi!” Xiao Shen said between screams. He clung to her legs while Standig swiped the air around him.

“Be gone, great savage monster!” Lolo said in a silly voice, pointing to send Standig away.

Standig stuck his lip out as if to pout and hung his head sadly to walk away.

“Wait!” Xiao Shen called after him. “It’s ok, scary monster, you can still play.”

Standig’s pouty face was replaced by an intentionally toothy smile, and Standig started to chase Xiao Shen again.

“Xiao Shen!” someone called from across the courtyard.

“Hey, Shen-shen,” Lolo snagged the fleeing boy to redirect his attention, “your mom is calling.” Lolo pointed across the way, and Xiao Shen ran to his mother.

“Bye, Lolo Yi!” he yelled.

Lolo smiled and waved.

“Thank you for watching him, Lolo,” his mother waved too.

Lolo watched the mother and son leave.

“Hey, Lolo,” Zizai called as he crossed the courtyard, “you’ve got a letter.”

“Yay! Who from?”

“Not sure, but it’s from the Dragon Tribe, so my guess is either Shanti or Jadu. Well, probably Shanti. Here.” He handed her the letter and waited expectantly.

“Was there something else?”

Zizai blushed and started stammering. “I, uh, I was just wondering….” He saw Lolo’s and Standig’s questioning expressions and lost his nerve. “Nevermind.” He left.

“Ok...” Huo Lohse opened the letter.

Dear Lolo,

How are you doing? Things here in Pahaad have been quiet. I wish we could hold the exchange here so you could meet my dad and see my home. Pahaad is beautiful in the summer, and we have the most fragrant herb gardens. I know you like gardening. Sage, Thyme, Arnica, Yarrow, Hyssop, Oregano, Mallow, and Eucalyptus have been my favorites to study this year. They all have so many uses! You should take a close look at them.

You are probably preparing for the exchange here at the Dragon Tribe. I wanted to warn you that I won’t be attending this year so you shouldn’t wait for me. Please tell everyone!

Shanti

“Oh no!” Lolo pouted. “Shanti says she’s not going to be at the exchange this year. I was looking forward to seeing her tomorrow.”

“Did she say why?” Standig asked.

“No. It’s strange though. Why wouldn’t she attend her own tribe’s exchange?"

“Is anything wrong at home?”

“It doesn’t sound like it. She talked about how beautiful Pahaad is and even sent me a list of some of her favorite herbs she’s been studying this year. Not the kind of stuff that suggests something’s going on.”

“Can I look?”

“Sure.”

Standig scowled while reading the letter. “Lolo, have you ever discussed gardening with Shanti before?”

“Yeah, a little. Why?”

“Have you been pen pals this year?”

“Not especially. What are you getting at?”

“I don’t know. There’s something off about her letter. I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

“What’s bothering you about it?”

“Just why would she tell you that she’s not going to be there without any kind of explanation?”

“Maybe she has some personal reasons for staying home,” Lolo shrugged.

“But the rest of her letter makes it sound like everything is all fine and normal.”

“Shanti is friendly, but she’s also reserved. Maybe she just wanted to assure us that all is well so we aren’t worried about her.”

“Maybe. I don’t know, Lolo. You know her better than I do. I’ve just got a funny feeling.”

“I respect your hunch. Frankly, to some extent, I share it. I’m just not sure what to make of it.”

“Well, that makes two of us.”

***

Huo Lohse and Standig left for the Dragon Tribe the next morning along with four of Lolo’s brothers, Zhongyan, Haowan, Lingdao, and Zizai, and a young Wolf Tribe first year named Fengli. Fengli was an early admit into the exchange and showed incredible military intuition. He stood at five feet and nine inches, with black hair, broad shoulders, and a commanding presence.

As they approached the narrow mountain pass into the Dragon Tribe’s territory, the group ran into Durfein, another friend from the exchange.

“Durfein!” Lolo was excited to see him. “How are you?”

“I’m well.” He bowed slightly to the boys standing behind her and they returned his bow.

“So, tell me, what are you studying this year?” Lolo asked eagerly.

Durfein couldn’t help but grin. “The dragon’s are allowing me to study with some of their armorers this summer.”

“You’re going to make armor?!”

“That is what an armorer does, Lolo.” Durfein laughed.

“I know, but that’s so cool!”

“I’m a little nervous though. They want me to make custom armor for General Yudha for my final project.”

“The Dragon General?”

Durfein nodded.

“That’s intense, but I’m sure you’ll do great! You always do the coolest projects.”

The group of trainees arrived at Dragon King Ajigar’s palace a few hours later. The main territory of the Dragon Tribe was nestled in a large valley surrounded by tall mountains. The mountains themselves created a natural barrier between the dragons and the rest of the world with only a single pass-- the ones the trainees had entered their territory through-- connecting them to the mainland. The palace was tucked against the mountains deep within their territory.

As they approached the palace steps, a guard halted them. “You are here for the exchange?” he asked.

Lingdao spoke for the group. “Yes, sir.”

“I have orders to take you to the training camp.”

“Are we not supposed to pay our respects to King Ajigar?”

“Those are my orders.” The guard moved to lead the trainees northward away from the palace, and an additional group of eight armed soldiers moved to surround the group of students.

Lolo turned to Standig who leaned down so she could keep her voice low. “They’ve got a man for each of us.”

Standig stood up straight to look around and count. Eight students, eight soldiers plus an escort. He leaned back down to whisper to Lolo, “you’re right. And they have us surrounded.”

“And Durfein doesn’t know how to fight.” Huo Lohse looked at Standig, communicating a shared, silent anxiety. Standig nodded, and the friends moved to make the rest of their group aware of their tactical situation.

Lolo took Durfein and Fengli who were closer to her height while Standig talked to her taller brothers. “Fengli, we’re surrounded,” Lolo whispered.

Fengli glanced around his peripheral vision and nodded before moving into a position at the rear of the group.

“Durfein, move to the middle.”

“Why?”

“Hopefully, nothing, but we’ve been surrounded, and if a fight breaks out, we can protect you better if you’re in the middle.”

Durfein looked around nervously. “You think they plan to hurt us?”

“I don’t know, but something feels off. Just stay alert.”

Durfein nodded and casually moved to the middle.

Lolo looked behind her. Standig had taken up the rear with Fengli, and her brothers had arranged themselves to have two of them on either side of Durfein. She was on point. “Excuse me,” Lolo said, putting on a bright smile. “What was your name?” She sped up slightly to move in side-by-side with the palace guard leading the group. Behind her, her friends sped up to keep the group close together, and the soldiers surrounding them sped up to keep their positions.

The guard seemed surprised to be addressed.

Lolo continued to smile at him as though she didn’t have a care in the world. “Yeah, you, sir. What is your name?”

“Aagyaka Paalan, captain of the palace guards.”

“It’s nice to meet you. What should I call you?”

The captain hesitated. “Captain Paalan.”

“Great! So Captain Paalan, what can you tell me about this training camp we are going to?”

“It’s where we train our military.”

“Is that why you’ve brought so many men with you?”

The captain stopped and the whole group came to a halt. “What are you really asking?”

Lolo took a moment to calculate her next step. “Since we are being candid, captain, I’m asking why we’ve been surrounded by eight armed men, nine if you count yourself.” She felt the tension her words created, heard the soldiers twitch and her friends shift cautiously behind her, but she kept her eyes fixed on the captain.

“What is your name?”

“I am Huo Lohse Lang, the daughter of Wolf Tribe Leader Lang.”

“You are rather astute for someone so young, trying to endear yourself to the perceived enemy,” Captain Paalan mused. He turned to look behind them, saw the tactical formation the trainees had assumed, and the corner of his mouth twitched. “And I see you’ve communicated the tactical situation to your friends.” He turned to face Lolo again. “Very good. I take it that the young man in the middle is the trainee that wrote in to request an apprenticeship with one of our artisans in lieu of military training? You’ve adopted a defensive position around him.”

“Well deducted captain. Yes, this is Durfein from the Badger Tribe.” Lolo continued to stubbornly stare the captain down.

“Fine then. Let me assuage your concerns. We have no intentions of attacking you. The escort is a formality as we enter a restricted military zone.”

“Forgive me, captain, but I don’t find your explanation particularly comforting.”

“Suit yourself. If I were you, I probably wouldn’t take my word for it either.”

“Why are we entering a restricted military zone, Captain Paalan?”

“The exchange this year will be held in the training camp. I’m not privy to the details.”

“We will be taking orders from the military, not the palace?”

“That’s right.”

“Why isn't the palace involved in the exchange this year?”

“Again, I’m not privy to the details. My orders are only to escort you to the training camp.”

Lolo searched the captain’s face carefully and decided to cautiously trust him. “Proceed.”

The captain bowed slightly to her and continued toward the camp. Huo Lohse moved back to take her position behind him, and Zhongyan moved up to her right side.

“What do you think, Lolo?” Zhongyan whispered.

“I think we can trust the captain, but he is a palace guard. The rest take their orders from the military. I don’t trust them. Keep your eyes open.”

Zhongyan nodded and returned to his position behind her, communicating her assessment to the rest of the group.

The walk into camp felt like it took forever, but it probably only took thirty minutes. Once in the camp, Captain Paalan met with a military lieutenant for a hand-off of the trainees before returning to the palace.

“Captain Paalan,” Lolo caught his attention as he passed her, “thank you for the escort.”

The corner of the captain’s mouth twitched again, and he nodded at her before taking his leave. “Princess.”

The military lieutenant introduced himself as Lieutenant Beraham and had the trainees follow him into a registration room, the soldiers assigned to them still accompanying them. The registration room was equipped with a long desk behind which stood rows of lockers.

“Give me your full names, your titles, and which tribes you come from,” Lieutenant Beraham ordered, taking a seat behind the desk and picking up a pen.

“I’m Huo Lohse Lang, daughter of Wolf Tribe Leader Lang, and these are my brothers, Lingdao, Zizai, Zhongyan, and Haowan.”

“I am Fengli Daozi, citizen of the Wolf Tribe.”

“I am Durfein Anam, son of Badger Tribe Leader Anam.”

“I am Standig Tragen, brother of Bear Tribe Leader Tragen.”

“You will now check-in your swords and be issued practice swords.” The lieutenant said this casually without looking up from his registration book, but Huo Lohse knew better. The trainees were being disarmed.

“Why are you taking our swords?” she demanded.

The lieutenant sighed heavily, leaning back into his seat, looking bored. “All new cadets are required to surrender their swords when they begin training.”

“We are not cadets,” Lolo protested. “We are invited guests of the training exchange.”

“Are you not here to learn about the Dragon Tribe?” he mocked. “Your training this year will follow the same regimen as our new military cadets. I’m sure you will find it instructive and challenging.”

The armed soldiers behind the trainees advanced ever-so-slightly forward. The message was clear: surrender your swords, or fight. Lolo exchanged looks with the other trainees, turned back to the captain, and forced a smile before handing him her sword.

“There. That wasn’t so hard.”