LYKOS

"Hands up, kid!" Eryx snarls as he swings his fist towards me again and I keep myself from wincing as his knuckles crash against my forearm. Eryx is my mentor, he's been training me since I was ten, since my family died in a Rumarark attack.

"Pay attention!" Eryx snarls again as he moves towards me and I barely block his punches and kicks. "Let's take a break," he grumbles, ruffling my hair as he walks past me with a scowl etched onto his face and I follow him to the table near the tree line. "Same dream?" He asks without looking at me, taking a long gulp of water.

"Yeah," is all I say as I try to catch my breath and watch the other guys train in the clearing.

"How long's it been now?" He asks. "Four years," I grumble, annoyed by the images flashing in my mind that keep haunting me.

"C'mon, let's go for a run, we can finish your training after lunch," he says as he turns to walk into the woods.

I don't question him because that's how much I trust him and because a run may just be what I need to clear my head as it often is. By the time I get to him, he's already shifted into his huge grey wolf so I shift, letting my clothes tear from my body as it morphs. Eryx's wolf is just as intimidating as his human form. My silver golden-streaked wolf takes off after Eryx.

Something about my speed feels different today and it nags at me as I find myself darting past Eryx at a speed I never have before, even on my extra bad days. Images of the girl who's been haunting my dreams for the past four years flash in my mind and I growl loudly and increase my speed, trying to shake the memories off but it doesn't work. The trees become a blur and I can barely feel the forest floor under my paws anymore. A searing pain flashes through my skull and then it all goes black.

"Kid! Kid! Wake up!" Eryx's voice echoes from a distance then suddenly I feel a cold splash on my face and I jackknife up, my eyes snapping open.

"Where...?" I start, my throat suddenly dry.

"Backyard," is all Eryx says as he passes me a cup of water.

"What happened?" I rasp after a few gulps.

"I should be asking you. One minute we're running then you zoom past me, next thing you know I find your wolf floating in the air and your eyes glowing then you collapse," Eryx says as he settles next to me. "Do you remember anything?" He asks and I can feel his stare boring into the side of my face.

"Not much, I was running and I kept having flashbacks of the girl in the dream so I ran faster to shake it off, then a splitting headache, then nothing," I say all too fast.

"We've gotta figure things out before it gets dangerous," Eryx says lowly, staring off into the trees and I sigh.

Eryx is ten years older than me but he's the closest thing I've had to a father since mine died. He was my older brother's best friend but when my family was killed, he stepped up and took me under his wing. And he's the only other shifter I know, so we're kind of close.

"Get dressed!" Eryx says standing and throwing a bundle of clothes into my blanket covered lap.

"Going back to the house?" I ask as Eryx stands.

"I'll be right back, there's somewhere we need to go," he says gruffly before disappearing into our 'den' as the other guys call it.

The thought makes me wonder where the guys are but I shrug it off. I can see them when we come back. Soon enough I'm following Eryx into the woods to Goddess-knows-where, using a trail we've never used before since we landed in Khoros.

"Where are we going?' I ask and Eryx turns to me, raising his brow with a smirk.

"Now you think to ask?" He asks, his voice dripping with amusement.

"I'm just curious. Should I rethink trusting you?" I joke, stopping in my tracks for a moment before following him.

Eryx barks out a short laugh before responding, "Not like I'm gonna kill you or anything."

After about half an hour we come to a cave opening and Eryx walks in without hesitation. I linger at the entrance for a bit before I follow him. After a few turns we come to an opening where there's an old woman covered in a woolen coat facing the waterfall across the cliff. Eryx doesn't speak, he just stands a few feet behind her and I stop behind him.

"Ahh! I see you've brought golden eyes!" The woman speaks without bothering to turn around.

"Uh, my eyes are actually silver. Well mostly anyway," I respond and Eryx elbows my ribs.

"It's the golden part that matters. Come, sit, both of you," the woman says again.

"Nice to see you again, Sybella," Eryx grunts as he plops down on the rock beside the old woman and I sit beside him.

Where on earth did he meet his lady? And when?! He's always training, building something, fighting or disappearing. I can't help gaping at him in surprise as I watch him completely at ease with Sybella, his usual tension absent from his posture. Sybella turns to him and smiles warmly before her violet eyes flick to me and it feels like she's staring into my soul.

"So, Eryx tells me you've been having some interesting dreams," Sybella says, her gaze still fixed on mine and I instinctively elbow his side.

"More like haunting," I grumble as I shift on the rock I'm sitting on uncomfortably.

Sybella stares at me intensely for a few more minutes before turning back to the waterfall and I exhale deeply, letting out the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"For the son of a shifter king, I'd say it's quite interesting," Sybella muses with a hint of amusement and something else I can't put my finger on. Did Eryx tell her that? What else did he tell her? I mean I never pegged him for a chatty Cathy.

"Don't worry, Eryx didn't tell me much. He's grumpier than you," Sybella chuckles and my jaw goes slack. How did she- Is she psychic?

"If that's what you want to call it, sure," she chuckles again and I freeze. How exactly did Eryx meet this lady?

"Maybe he'll tell you one day. However for today, let's focus on your dreams. This strange girl, you haven't met her yet," Sybella says. It's not a question, it's a statement. What else does she know?

"W-what does it mean? Who is she?" I ask and I feel my brows furrow as questions flood my mind.

"You'll meet her when it's time. Your paths are fated to cross, she'll need you just as much as you'll need her," is all Sybella says. Eryx turns to her and she turns to look at him.

"They're linked. As she transforms, so does he. It's unavoidable," she says seriously and Eryx lets out a frustrated sigh.

I'm guessing Eryx was wondering about my little fainting spell. From the way Sybella was speaking I clearly wasn't going to get much more than that.

"Come on, kid. Let's go," Eryx says to me as he stands, wiping the backs of his thighs before turning to Sybella.

"Yes, it's nice to see you too. I'll see you in three days," Sybella says with a smile. Once we're back in the woods I find myself drowning in questions until I can't hold my tongue anymore.

"What was that? And where did you meet Sybella? Hell, when did you have time to meet her anyway?" Eryx stops and turns to me. The look on his face makes me stop in my tracks.

"Remember that time a few years ago I didn't come back to the den for three days and then I showed up with new scars? I got injured in a fight, badly, she healed me. I see her sometimes, her presence is calming and I never have to say anything," Eryx explains and then continues walking.

I noticed the scars but every time I'd tried to ask Eryx would simply change the subject. The rest of the way back to the den is filled with silence. Somehow I have so many more questions than I did before and I can feel a headache coming on. By the time we get to the den it's almost sunset and the guys are already having dinner. Orfeas, Sofoklis, Daedalus and Xanthos fall silent as we walk in, exchanging glances before looking back at us.

"So, where have you boys been?" Xanthos asks teasingly. Typical Xanthos, always trying to ease the tension when things get awkward. I stay silent and wait to see if Eryx will respond.

"Out," Eryx grunts as he stuff his stew into a bowl and disappears down the hall to his room.

"Are you okay kid?" Sofoklis asks, concern shining in his eyes as he looks at me.

"Yeah, thanks," I shoot a small smile at him as I stuff my bowl and join the guys in the dining room.

"We tried to check on you earlier when you were unconscious but Eryx almost bit our heads off. Next thing we know, you guys are gone. I mean, we were worried," Daedalus says in between bites.

"You couldn't at least finish chewing?!" Xanthos quips at him playfully and Daedalus simply shrugs and smiles.

"I'm okay. It was just a fainting spell," I reassure him.

"Uh-huh," Orfeas snorts with a raised brow but doesn't say anything else and I've never been so grateful for his silence.

He doesn't speak much but he isn't as grumpy as Eryx, just mostly silent and one of the deadliest warriors I know. Sofoklis merely gives me a curious glance before focusing on his bowl. The rest of dinner passes with idle chatter from the boys before we disappear into our rooms. As much as I miss my family the boys have become my family since Eryx and I met them seven years ago. Orfeas is a year younger than Eryx, Sofoklis is seven years older than me, Daedalus is a year younger than Sofoklis and Xanthos is two years older than me. All of us have our scars and our demons but we look out for each other.

I settle into bed and turn my lamp off, staring into the darkness above me as the questions from today swirl in my head. I can't help but think about the girl I've been dreaming about since I turned eighteen. Something about her draws me in. Most of the time she's being chased and attacked by different creatures. Other times she's just staring at me, reaching her hand out to touch me, fading away as I reach forward to grasp her hand. Her gray-blue eyes haunt me everyday and most days I don't let it get to me except for the days I have those very intense dreams of her being attacked and I'm powerless to save her. Days like today. A knot forms in my stomach just at the thought. It reminds me of my family on the day they were killed. I couldn't protect any of them, not even my twin sister. The guilt never gets easier.

Wondering why I survived and they didn't. Wondering if I even deserved to live. Eryx always reminds me that I was just a kid but it doesn't quite quell the guilt that gnaws at me every time I think of my family. It's part of why I train as hard and as often I do. Something about this nameless girl though that makes my insides twist. The thought of her coming to harm ignites a rage within me that is unfamiliar to me, a rage I can't control, a rage I need to learn how to tame.

I toss and turn for a while before I give up and just keep staring into the darkness, unable to sleep. As I think about her, I feel a rush go through my body and I close my eyes only to be met with those wild locs behind my lids. She looks like she has a blindfold on and she's surrounded. My chest tightens as I watch a spear cut through the air, hurtling towards her and my body jerks as if to reach out and stop it only for her to catch it and smirk. Her tattooed arms start to glow and her muscles coil, like a predator waiting to pounce on its prey. The women rush towards her at the same time and suddenly she's a blur of glows and limbs as she fights. My body takes that as a cue to relax. Damn! She could probably whoop my butt. I finally drift off to sleep thinking of those gray-blue eyes and long wild locs.