out. His voice reflected the pain of his shattered heart. Azin turned to see the horror drawn across his face, the look burning into his mind; he could almost feel the elf's pain. The reality of what he'd done came crashing down on him.
"Quickly Azin, morph back into your mouse form and let's go," Fang's urgent voice seemed distant and unfamiliar. Left without the power to move he just continued to stare blankly in shock. It wasn't until he felt a nudging at his legs that he finally began to move. It felt as though he was in a trance as he morphed back into a mouse and perched upon Fang's back. Fang ran into the forest. Azin's eyes were closed, but he could feel Fang turn their course several times to try and lose the Defra pursuing them. His body shook violently, the pain stricken face of Pikam's father still vivid in his mind's eye. It's presence haunted his thoughts. It wasn't long before the overwhelming surge of emotions brought him down to unconsciousness.
He awoke to a bright beam of sunlight shining in his eyes. His small furry tail twitched back and forth as he oriented himself. He was surrounded by tall wet grass, not able to see more than a foot in any direction. it was then he realized he was still a mouse. Azin morphed back and took a fresh look at his surroundings. He was still in the forest. It was a part he did not recognize. He noticed Fang laying down a few feet away from him. "Where are we at?" He asked Fang his voice still a little groggy.
"Just outside of your village," he replied without moving. Azin closed his eyes again, the face of Pikam's father came back to him almost instantly. Guilt washed over him, eating at his insides, "What have I done," exclaimed Azin. He rubbed his head desperately trying to relieve himself of the painful image.
"What you've done is already finished, in the past, there is nothing you can do about it. The question is what will you do now? Will you go back to your own kind?" inquired Fang.
He did not answer right away. His family came to his mind. What would they think if he did not return? What would they say if he did? He could not hide his crime. He thought of Caima and the disappointment he would see on her face if he returned. He could not bear facing neither them nor Pikam's father.
"No," Azin answered his voice trembling, "No, I can't go back now, they would never accept me again." Azin waited for a reply, but when none came he continued, "I should just go with you back to your brethren in the Binal Mountains, after all that was the deal was it not?"
"Yes, it was," agreed Fang quietly. Azin watched for a moment to see if he would say anything else. He was afraid that Fang would not let him go because of his mistake the night before. If he hadn't hesitated then Fang would never have suffered the awful burn on his back. Which only piled upon the guilt he already felt. Perhaps he would be an outcast for the rest of his life.
"Well then that's what we'll do," Azin declared pushing the feelings of guilt aside and forced a hopeful smile upon his face.
"Very well," Fang grinned, not mentioning anything about his burn as Azin thought he would. Rising from his resting place he continued, "I will lead the way. My brethren will be happy to see a powerful beast Defra such as yourself has come to help us. If you will be obliged to fly above as I lead the way." Azin nodded. Fang's approval strengthened his resolve to move forward. Before any doubts could surface Azin took on his black bird form once again.
Azin followed Fang's path from above, his new wolf friend bounding across the land at an incredible pace. The trees became fewer and fewer with every mile that passed until they were no longer in a forested area. The terrain gave way to a flat grassy land which led to Fang running even faster though Azin had not thought it possible. It was not difficult to keep up with Fang in his bird form, but the untiring endurance with which he seemed to run was unbelievable. Azin's wings became sore and tired from the constant beating, only being able to give them much needed rest once or twice during the day and then finally at night when they slept. Their trip lasted for a long three days, the flat terrain beneath them slowly giving way to a mountain range. The mountains towered high into the sky. Their majestic beauty was breath taking at first sight.
He did not pay much attention to them however as they'd been flying for several hours and Azin's wings felt as though they were about to fall off. Each beat took an agonizing amount of effort. Not to mention the concentration it took to remain in his morphed form for so long. As his thoughts began to turn to despair far below him Fang sat down upon the mountain he'd just been running across. His fur blended in with the snow covering its peak. It was the signal that it was time for a break. This realization brought a flood of relief to his entire body. Gliding down Azin tried to keep his exhaustion hidden from Fang, but instead as he reverted forms he collapsed to the ground, his legs refusing to support him.
"Maybe I chose the wrong beast Defra if you're already tired after such a short distance," Fang chided him.
"This is not a short trip! I've been flying for hours on end! I don't even know how you seem to find so much energy," Azin protested.
"Don't worry Azin, we're nearly there, you see that mountain just beyond the horizon?" Fang asked indicating a large mountain just within sight.
"Yea, is that where we're headed then?" Azin asked hopefully.
Fang nodded, "That is where we are going." Azin let out a long sigh of relief and continued to lie quietly while he let his body's exhaustion ease. The hard uneven rock beneath the snow was hardly even noticeable. Letting his mind wander for a minute he found himself thinking of their surroundings. The mountains were really quite an amazing sight. He might have appreciated it a lot more if he hadn't been so focused on flying. Beneath them laid many green valleys full of lakes and ponds. Animals of all sorts made their homes amongst those lakes living out there lives, oblivious to himself and his problems.
These thoughts made Azin ponder upon the greatness of the world and the many trials that life brought with it. He tried to make sense of it all, but the more he thought about it the smaller and more insignificant he felt. He wasn't yet sure how he felt about it. On one hand it made him feel as though no one was there to care about his problems or who he was as a person. While on the other hand it gave him the realization that with the world being so large he could easily pick up and start over again with Fang and his brethren, never having to think about past events anymore. As he let the latter thought linger over him his mind relaxed for the first time in several days.
"Alright, let's get the rest of the way home before dark," Fang said interrupting his thoughts and rising from the ground. Azin sighed loud enough to make sure his unhappiness did not go unnoticed. Lifting himself up from the ground proved to be far more of a task than he cared for. His muscles screamed in protest while his bones ached and popped. He finished getting up only to realize how cold he really had been laying upon the snowy mountain top, a long shiver ran through his body.
"Why can't I just morph into a mouse and ride on your back again," Azin pleaded.
"Because your hesitation in killing Pikam back in your village caused this burn on my back, which would cause me pain if you were to ride upon it," Fang told him in a calm voice. Azin cringed a little remembering their fight with Pikam and in turn the father's face.
"Ok, let's go," Azin said weakly morphing to his regular bird form. Fang grinned with laughter and began to start his course once again down the mountain side. Exerting what little strength he had left, Azin followed Fang beating his wings in long sweeping motions. Fang drove them forward at a rather fast pace, but they still didn't arrive to their destination until after the sun had already sunk beneath the horizon. Arriving at the bottom of the mountain previously indicated by Fang seemed to yield nothing exciting. There was not a single soul to be found, nor any sign wolves ever lived there. "Well where is everyone?" Azin asked anxiously. He was already back in his Elvin form.
"Be patient," Fang told him, "I have to announce our arrival still." A deep howl echoed across the mountain range emitting from Fang's chest. Fang was sitting in an upright position holding his chest out as far as he could man
age. Chills ran down Azin's arms as Fang's howl swept over him. Seconds later his heart began racing faster as the howl was repeated by several other unseen voices very close to them. Fighting his sudden urge to turn and run away, Azin waited as several wolves began to appear around them.
"These are my brethren in whose behalf I came to look for you," Fang first explained to him, but then turned his attention to the wolves, "This is Azin, he has come here to help free us from our problems. He is a beast Defra with great power and potential."
"How can you be so certain that he will help us?" a grayish wolf asked staring at Azin as though he was a hideous creature. The wolf himself was not pretty to look at. His body was marked with the evidence of many previous battles. His ugliest scar began from his shoulder and extended across his entire chest.
"Because I have made a blood oath with him," Fang answered causing Azin to raise his eyebrows. Fang continued," I have helped him kill another of his kind and in return he has come to help deliver us from our oppressors!" His words seemed to please the wolves as a whole.
"Father!" a cry from amidst them came, her tone of voice full of worry. The wolves parted reverently for a full-grown female wolf