"Alpha." Anon greeted when I rode Ruddy into the camp. He stood up from where he was sitting against a tree keeping a look out in his section of the camp.

"Anon, I'm sorry for leaving like I did." I apologised as I slid from Ruddy's back only to have Anon pull me into him and surprising me.

"It's okay, I understand why you had to be alone. I was just worried. You might want to speak to the pup though. She's been sulking all day." Anon pulled away with a smile.

"Oh dear... is she okay?" I asked worriedly. "Where is she?"

"She was upset and worried when she woke up without you beside her but right now she's sleeping off a full stomach. The other servants have been looking after her and made her eat a bit too much than what she could handle."

I sighed in relief at that. I'm glad she's being looked after since I wasn't here to do it. "Where is she now?" I asked softly still feeling bad for leaving her alone with people she doesn't really know.

"She's sleeping in one of the servant's tents, the servants name is Sian. She's a girl around about Athena's age so I thought it was appropriate for the two of them to get to know each other." Anon answered as he started petting Ruddy's neck. "I'll go take this guy to Hawk if you want to go and find her."

I nodded my head in agreement. "Okay, I'll do that."

It was pretty easy to find Athena. I was able to both scent her and find her personal mana signature among everyone else in the camp. It was a small tent closer to the middle of the camp for both safety and warmth. I could hear and scent another girl in the tent and I assumed that that was the girl Anon called Sian. I quietly slid open the tents flap and looked inside to see the girls huddled up among piles of blankets and pillows.

I smiled at the sight of Athena curled up in a warm ball looking all comfortable. I started to feel bad for being about to wake her up, bad enough that I was thinking of just waiting to speak to her in the morning. I was about to leave when I saw her move around before her head popped up from underneath the blankets showing her stunning grey eyes.

I heard her gasp before she scrambled from her warmth to fling herself at me, wrapping her arms around me in a bone crushing hug. She pushed her face into my chest while I pulled her further into me, loving the feel of being hugged by her.

"I'm sorry Athena. I didn't mean to leave you like that." I apologised to her as I tightened the hug just a bit.

"It's okay. Anon explained to me that you needed time to think about what Master said to you." Athena said as she looked up at me by placing her chin onto my chest.

I smiled softly at her in thanks while also mentally thanking Anon. But then I frowned at her. "No. You no longer have to call him Master. He's nothing to either of us now, just a bad part of our past we are leaving behind at that ugly castle."

A bright smile swept across Athena's face as her grey eyes sparkled. "Okay!" She agreed happily.

"Good, now I want you to go back to sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." I placed a kiss to her forehead. "I also heard that you need to sleep off some of that food you ate during the day."

"Yeah, I ate so much because I've never been offered so much before." Athena blushed lightly.

I chuckled at that knowing exactly how she was feeling. "Yeah, I know how that is. So go get some sleep and we can talk in the morning."

"Okay. Goodnight." Athena gave me one last squeeze before letting go and crawling back into the tent. I didn't leave until she was once again fast asleep. I then decided that I should go and see Mistress since I left without permission.

There were two armoured, human, guards standing at the opening of the massive royal red tent that was situated right in the middle of the camp. I flashed my fangs at them and they moved away automatically. I walked through the opening to see Mistress and Georgia in a pile of fur and silk blankets. I could tell that they were both naked but their nudity was hidden by the blankets.

All I could see was Georgia's bare shoulders and back as she sat facing Mistress in her lap. Mistress was slowly caressing the smoothness of her exposed skin almost lovingly, that it made me think back to what Anon said about them possibly being lovers or mates. I heard Georgia let out an almost quiet sigh while tilting her head back giving Mistress easy access to her neck.

I feel like I was witnessing something that should be private between the two of them, so I started to back out but stopped when Mistress called out to me.

"I apologise Mistress for interrupting you." I apologised with a slight bow.

Mistress looked at me from over Georgia's shoulder while wrapping her arms around her back, keeping her close while Georgia rested her head between Mistress' neck and shoulder. "Don't worry about it, we were just about to go to sleep anyway." Mistress dismissed my apology easily. "I'm glad you're back, Pet. I understand why you had to be alone so you're not in trouble."

I couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief at that. "Thank you Mistress, though I'm still sorry for abandoning the train because of my own problems."

"I know you are." Mistress assured me with a soft smile. "Go now, we have a ways to go before we get back home."

Home, I couldn't help but smile at that. I also have a home now. If feels good knowing that. "Thank you Mistress. Have a good sleep."

After a short bow I left the tent and headed back to Anon's and my position. I found Anon lying down on the lowest branch of a tree looking comfortable.

"Well this trip has been quite interesting now hasn't it?" He asked in a lazy drawl.

"Yeah, you could say that." I agreed with a sigh while Leaning against the trunk of the tree Anon was in.

"I'm almost disappointed that it's nearly over."

"Don't worry Anon, we still have many years ahead of us to go on another interesting adventure."

"Mmm, I'm looking forward to it." He chuckled lightly.

"So am I." I agreed with a slight smile.

***

The night passed relatively quiet and quick, which I was thankful for. So when day break hit we were quick to pack up and head off. I found around midday that Mistress had kept her promise that we were going around the town I grew up in, instead of through it. It then made me wonder if the cabin I grew up in with my parents was still around. I highly doubt it though since it's been so long. It'd be nothing but a tomb of rubble now. but I still wanted to go, to say goodbye and pay my respects to my family who died protecting me.

At that thought I didn't realise Ruddy had stopped walking until Mistress's voice cut through my thoughts.

"You can go." She said as her carriage passed me.

"Go where Mistress?" I asked while nudging Ruddy to keep up.

"To go to where you use to live." She answered easily.

I hesitated because I did really want to go but, "are you sure?"

"Yes, go now. I want you back soon though." I smiled softly at that.

"Thank you Mistress." I bowed to her slightly before pushing Ruddy back into the surrounding forest once again.

I don't know how I found it by just following my instincts, but I was able to come across a familiar clearing that was overgrown with shrubs and grass. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Though the walls were rotten they are still holding up the main frame of the building, and maybe that was only because of the ivy, but it made it possible to walk into the small cabin.

There was a distinct smell of age, rot and mould when I walked into the cabin but what took my attention the second I walked in was the pile of bones that stuck out of the grass that had crept over the floor. They were still here, even after all this time. I knelt down beside the bones and remembered what they use to look like, full of life and energy. I decided to bury them, well what remained of them anyway.

There wasn't much of them left, probably because of wild animals throughout the years picking at the bones for food. I don't think they would have minded that because they were so close to nature. I also remember my fathering saying something about how when they died, they will become part of nature and help it to thrive.

I buried them together in a shallow hole I used mana to make and gave my respect and my thanks hoping that they could hear me wherever they are now. I felt a strange kind of peace now that I knowing everything, well mostly everything, and finally being able to properly say goodbye.

I went back into the cabin and made a promise to myself to come back and fix it up one day. I was about to leave when I felt a pulse of mana coming from somewhere on the ground. I looked around and finally spotted my father's hunting knife that still looked brand new and never used. I picked it up and suddenly felt a strong connection with it. I knew why when I spotted the mana ruins engraved into the metal of the blade.

This was one of those ancient artefacts like that female Hunters whip that Anon now keeps. I ran my fingers over the ruins on the blade and was amazed by the amount of power that was inside it. I hissed softly when I accidentally cut my finger and a pearl of my blood slipped into the grooves of the ruins.

My breath was taken away as thousands of lives flashed through me. All were of different animals and a rare human life, but all were ended by this knife. That's where it got its power from. All the lives it has taken has built up and made it possible for the wielder to see and live those lives it has taken. I was also amazed by the sight of the lives of those who have wielded this knife also flash through my mind.

Everyone that has used this knife was a hunter and had the utmost love and respect for nature. I saw my father's life last. I saw that he respected every life he ever took and never let the animals he killed go to waste. I smiled down at the knife and knew that it has chosen me as its next host, so I looked for the sheath and once I found it I strapped it to my left thigh.

For some reason I felt more connected with nature more than I ever have before. Ruddy even greeted me with more excitement than usual. I rode him back through the forest while the experiences of what the animals felt while running through the forest made me feel so alive.

"Alpha!" Anon called after me as I got to the end of the train. I turned to smile at him feeling lighter than ever before.

"Anon." I greeted him.

His eyes narrowed at me slightly like he was trying to figure out what was different about me. "Where'd you go and why do you smell like different animals?"

"I went to my parent's cabin, which is still standing surprisingly and I found this. It's my father's hunting knife. Turns out that it's one of those artefacts that are made of mana like that whip you have." I pulled out the knife and showed Anon.

His eyes widened at the sight of it. "I've heard of that." He said surprising me. "It's told that every animal that that knife has taken becomes a spirit that the wielder can control."

"I can also see and live those animals past lives." I told him while also finding what he said interesting. Could I really control these animal's spirits? That would come in handy someday I'm sure.

"Are there any wolfs?" Anon asked hopefully.

"I don't know how to search for something like that yet." I told him while shaking my head.

"Damn, it's been awhile since I've seen another wolf." Anon sighed.

"I'm sorry Anon." I apologised sincerely to him while sheathing the knife.

"It's okay Alpha, you literally just got it, I shouldn't expect you to know how to use it right away." He smiled at me softly.

I froze in surprise when a cry from the front of the train sounded just as we came into a clearing. In a quick instinctual move I bent backwards just as a silver tipped arrow would have pierced through my neck. All senses on high alert I looked towards the trees where the arrow came from to see a human in black leathers kneeling on one of the branches with a still drawn bow.

That's when around fifty others came out of the trees and attacked the train. In battle mode I instinctively started protecting the human servants and guards that were being attacked.

"Get into the carriages, now!" I shouted at the servants while I positioned Ruddy between them and the attackers. I dropped to the ground while defending a young guard. When I saw that only the human attackers and our human guards were the only humans remaining in the clearing I pulled in as much pure mana as possible.

"Sofosor qemmolat! (Earth cover)" I hissed while placing my hands onto the ground and releasing the mana into it. Immediately after the release dome structures of earth rose from the ground and covered all the carriages and horses in the clearing.

I smirked at the human Hunters around me who all looked shocked by the sudden movement of the earth.

"Well it seems you've gotten a bit better since last time my dear." An annoying voice I sadly recognised called out from behind the line of Hunters.

I turned around to face the redhead Hunter I remembered from when we rescued Ashwini and the other witches. "Adelle." I greeted but with clear annoyance.

"Oh brilliant! You remember my name, aren't you a dear." She smirked that annoying grin.

"Sadly." I drawled back with a roll of my eyes. "I thought I killed you?"

"Sorry hun but I'm still here." Adelle grinned.

"Yeah but this time you have no artefact or shield." I smirked right back and was happy when hers fell and turned to an angry sneer.

"I might not, but I have others that do." She snarled just as three people walked out of the trees around the clearing.

Anon growled as a woman completely covered by black leather and a metal mask approached us. A bow was held loosely in a gloved hand while 3 quivers of arrows were strapped hanging from her waist and one on her back. Anon shifted to his wolf form in a splinter of light while I pulled out both my sword and father's hunting knife.

A grinning man even larger than Galen walked forward with his torso bare of any clothing except for a strap that held a long staffed war hammer that had a pointed end. He was facing off against Lucas and Hawk who both held up their swords and flashed their fangs at the Hunter.

Another man a lot thinner than the other males in the clearing faced off against Galen and Mistress who just looked bored by what was happening. I faced the masked person in front of me at the same time as something nagged at me in the back of my head. Great, another person I seem to know but can't remember how or where from.

"What? Are you not going to fight too? Are you too weak without your little toy that you know you'll lose against us without it?" I teased her while worrying why they only have three people and a group of average Humans when they should know that they're going up against Mistress and four other supernaturals.

"Shut up! One of my Hunters are easily enough to go against you unnatural, godforsaken, things! Let alone three of them!" Adelle shouted obviously pissed from me antagonising her.

"How about you stop spouting rubbish and let's get this over and done with?" Mistress stated obviously having enough of all the talking. I was shocked when a spear with a black blade appeared out of nowhere into her hands. She swung out around her body with a grace and ease that it looked like a dance. "Come."

"Cocky bitch." The giant of a man facing off against Hawk and Lucas growled before pulling his hammer from his back and running at the two men.

Everyone started moving then. Human Hunters against human guards while artefact wielding Hunters went against Nightwalkers and a wolf.

The masked person in front of us though didn't move right away so we stood there staring each other down. There were only slits where the eye holes should be and the rest of the mask was a blank dark metal that gave me the creeps. This was definitely not someone to mess around with.

"Shall we?" I asked them while sliding into a stance where I held the hunting knife in my left hand and my sword in my right, my left side facing them.

They bowed their head almost respectfully before also getting into a stance. I barely had time to react before arrows were flying at me with incredible speed. Anon and I jumped apart as the silver tipped arrows came flying at us. As I dodged the deadly projectiles I pulled in as much mana as I could while pushing all my senses to their limits.

With a hiss I quickly raised the hunting knife just in time to stop an arrow becoming imbedded into my forehead. With a spin broken arrows fell around me with only the slightest sound of steel slicing through wood before I stopped and stared at the masked person.

I looked towards Anon who was also surrounded by arrows. I breathed in and calmed my fast beating heart. This is going to be the hardest fight I've ever been in; this person is no joke. I realised, if I'm not careful... I could seriously die by this person's hands.

Please comment and vote if you like the story so far! Thank you!

Also, I know you're all annoyed by me dragging out the suspense of finally learning her name but I promise you that you will find out her name! You might want to kill me but please be patient!!

Love you guys! *(^_^)/*