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Several weeks passed. The silence between the three, once-strong friends was still icy. Lars was still furious at their accusations and lack of support. Finn retreated into the safety of his position as commander, not bothering to talk to either of them unless he was barking orders... as if rank and position meant anything after all they had been through. And, despite Ragnhild's words, all that Aein cared about was that they get back to Queen Gisla's stronghold as quickly as possible so she could be done with the both of them.
As Aein walked down to the bailey, she noted the blossoms had fallen off the trees and fruit was beginning to grow. The days were going too fast. She clenched her jaw. Lord Arnkell would have assembled an army by now. The spring thaw would have long since come and the time was ripe for an army to march. It was as if she just continued to focus on the need to get home, she wouldn't have to think about the devastating effect of Lars's decision.
And what waited in the swamp liked to remind them.
King Vadim's castle came under attack three times since their arrival. It was nothing a fortress full of shifters could not handle, but a party of three was going to have a challenge when they made the journey home.
Aein was glad to have a bow back in her hands to lend some support. It made her feel less useless. She never thought she could ever miss the swamp or the battlefield, but the endless days of nothingness set her on edge. It was as if she had gotten used to the constant fear, the constant life-and-death rush, and now that things were peaceful, she saw enemies in the shadows that weren't there, she looked for problems that did not exist. It was like she had forgotten how to be a normal citizen.
So, she busied herself with training. She went down with King Vadim's guards every day to give herself something to do. Their style of fighting was different. They used not just their weapons, but their legs and hands, too. They had an advantage, being able to shift their forms in mid-battle, so that at one moment she would be crossing swords with a soldier and the next there would be a werewolf in front of her.
The fact of the matter was the soldiers in the Vadim kingdom did not need her help, though. The castle fortifications were strong and the monsters weak in comparison. The one time it seemed like there might be an issue with orcs breaching the walls, the king flew out and burned all of them to a crisp. It was an unbelievable sight to see a dragon fly. The wind from his wings blew across her face as he soared directly above her head.
Unfortunately, the effort taxed his energy to stay in the shift and he spent the rest of the day as a human. The birds were still being dispatched to gather the mushrooms for the king, but none returned yet. No one knew if it was because they had been unsuccessful finding the mushrooms or if they had met a worse fate. It cast a pall across the entire city.
Restless, Aein found herself wandering the castle today. She hadn't slept well. In fact, she hadn't slept well for several weeks. She would wake in the middle of the night with her heart racing for no reason, thinking they were under attack. It would take every ounce of sanity to look around the room and realize there was nothing there; she was safe. Sometimes, she would even sleep on the floor instead of the bed, just because it felt like what she should do. She would have tried to talk to Finn or Lars about it, but they weren't there for her anymore. Ragnhild and Kaleo were so kind and supportive, she knew they would listen, but they couldn't understand. They hadn't been through what she and Lars and Finn had survived. She banged her fist lightly on a tall, stone pillar in frustration.
Finn had been meeting with Kaleo every day to work on his shifting training. He asked Aein and Lars to give him a wide berth. She wasn't sure if it was because he needed to concentrate or if he did not want anyone to see him fail in his early attempts or if he actually did not want them there. She decided today she didn't care. She was going to see what he was doing. If he died in the swamp, someone else was going to have to be able to carry the lessons home, and it might as well be her since Lars had taken to staying as far away from the werewolves as possible. He acted as if they had a contagion he might catch that would force him to shift again.
Finn was sitting in the corner listening to Kaleo. If Aein had not known of Finn's human form, she would have thought it was a master sitting with his favorite hunting dog. But Kaleo was explaining something calmly in soft and soothing tones. It was so different compared with the way the military instructors yelled and barked. Aein stopped, suddenly not wanting to interrupt.
Kaleo closed his eyes and on his face, a peaceful smiled washed across him and his shape changed from human to a stag and then back. There was no pain, no madness like that which struck the people in Lord Arnkell's stronghold when they shifted without the berry. She wondered how it had become possible for the shift to be so gentle. Had Cook Bolstad given them different mushrooms?
But then something happened which took her breath away. Finn was there in his great wolf form and then slowly uncurled, standing on his hind legs and stretching, his body shifting carefully, as if he had to test every inch of the space before he could fill it, until he was standing in his human form. He smiled at Kaleo and then bowed his head, shifting back into wolf like a rubber band snapping.
Kaleo smiled. He stood, resting his hand on Finn's powerful shoulder and turned to Aein. "You have come just in time."
"That was beautiful," gasped Aein. There was something mystical, otherworldly, to the shift. It had been a privilege to watch.
"When one is at peace with what is on the inside, the outside will change to match," Kaleo explained, as if the logic was something that should have been plain to anyone. "Our shape shifts to be a reflection of this." He looked down at Finn. "From here, it is for to him to continue the practice and grow in strength."
Finn whined and then leaped up on to his hind legs, resting his forelegs on Kaleo's shoulder and licking his cheek. Kaleo laughed and ruffled his fur. "He is a good student. But your queen awaits."
Finn jumped down and trotted over to Aein. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and he was practically smiling.
"Well done." Aein knelt to give him a hug around his neck.
Suddenly, she felt the shift happen and she was not hugging a dog, but Finn. Actual Finn in the middle of the day. He tackled her, knocking her to the ground with joy. "I walk in the sun!" he exclaimed and then snapped back into the wolf shape.
"It will take more practice," replied Kaleo with amusement.
Aein picked herself up, wiping the dust from the back of her tunic. "I am sure he will waste no time," she replied, bumping him with her knee. "Perfectionist."
Finn gave a bark and trotted ahead, a proud, jaunty spring to his step. Aein followed. "Are you ready?" she asked gently.
Finn looked at her and barked. There did not seem to be any indecision in his response.
"We should show the king your new trick," said Aein, "and take a moment to say goodbye."