LYKOS

"What exactly are we supposed to be doing here?" I ask Eryx as we weave through the crowded market in Mitropolis.

"We need supplies for the den!" Eryx answers irritably with a tone that suggests it should be obvious. Except it isn't obvious. Actually it's kind of strange, we never come to Mitropolis to get supplies, unless Eryx has a habit of coming here on his solo trips. I purse my lips and look at him, really look at him. There's an edge to him today and by the sound of his answer he almost sounds defensive.

"Eryx, you're not telling me something. Come on, why are we really here?" I try again as he stops in front of a fruit vendor. Instead of answering Eryx simply grunts and starts picking different fruits and angrily shoving them in his bag.

Ugh! He can be such a grump! I let out an exasperated sigh and start looking around. The different scents mixed in the air make my stomach grumble. That's definitely not hunger. Ugh! I hate crowds! I think to myself, tapping my foot impatiently while I wait for Eryx to finish whatever conversation he's decided to spark up with the vendor.

"This place stinks!" My wolf Aniketos grumbles and I can't help but agree. Of all the animals I can shift into, my wolf is one of the few I have a connection with.

"Let's burn it all down!" My dragon Kael growls sounding alarmingly excited.

"Absolutely not! I mean I'm definitely tempted but not a wise move," I chide and he goes quiet, sulking somewhere in the corners of my mind.

Bringing a shifter who likes solitude and has an exaggerated sense of smell to a place like this is a bad idea. I pretend to be occupied but I see the vendor's arms waving about and pointing from the corner of my eye. Aha! I knew it! Something's definitely up with Eryx and his little impulsive decision to bring me to this market.

Once Eryx is done receiving directions we're off to Goddess-knows-where. Eryx makes a show of stopping every now and then to pick edible ingredients and tools that we definitely could've gotten back in Khoros. Come to think of it, Eryx barely ever brings me along to get supplies and unlike this time, at least one of the other guys is always with us. I couldn't help the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was up. The curiosity was eating at me. Eryx was busy talking to a vendor when I caught a flash of black and blue locs from the corner of my eye and my head immediately snapped in that direction.

It couldn't be! Could it? I looked around best as I could even though my view was constantly being obstructed. I didn't even notice my feet moving as I tried to move people out of my way so I could confirm what I'd just seen. Then I saw them again, flowing down the back of the woman's coat as she walked. I'd recognize her anywhere.

I sniff the air, trying to get a lock on her scent but it's too crowded. Now, if only she could turn around. It was as if she heard what I was thinking because the next thing I know she turns around, her gray-blue eyes fixing on me, tilting her head. I find myself frozen, unable to move as she takes me in, my gaze locked on those gray-blue eyes, the heat from them palpable as she observes me like I'm a specimen in a lab.

"Run! We need to get closer!" My wolf, my dragon and my lion, Leon, yell in unison. Just as I lift my foot to take a step, a cart passes right in front of me, obstructing my view and by the time it's gone so is she.

"Kid! What are you doing?!" Eryx's voice booms behind me, snapping me back to reality. The moment I turn around Eryx's eyes widen ever so slightly as he takes me in. I can't imagine what my face looks like to elicit that reaction from him but I'm too distracted to care.

"Come on, we're going home," Eryx grunts and turns around.

It takes me a moment to gather my bearings and force my feet to follow him, my head still snapping from side to side and my eyes roaming keenly, hoping to catch another glimpse of the ghost who's been haunting my dreams, one who apparently may be real. Or maybe it was all in my head. Fuck! I curse internally as my mind races. I'm so lost in my head that I don't even pay attention to my surroundings until we step into the clearing where our den is.

Once we get into the den Eryx walks straight to the kitchen, dropping the bags that contain edible items and barking at me to unpack before he leaves. Once the front door clicks shut the other guys flock to the kitchen as if they were waiting for Eryx to leave.

"What happened?" Sofoklis asks as he grabs a bag and begins to unpack its contents.

"Yeah! What crawled up his ass and died?!" Xanthos says, his eyes fixed on the door with a frown on his face.

"Where did you guys go?" Daedalus chimes in. I barely get a moment to answer before Orfeas steps in.

"Guys! Come on, give the kid some breathing room. What is this, an interrogation?!"

I let out a sigh of relief, shooting Orfeas a grateful glance as the other guys fall silent. Daedalus goes out into the backyard to tinker with some of the tools Eryx brought. He's our blacksmith of sorts, he can make any kind of tool and our weapons too, including the traps we sometimes put out whenever we suspect trouble has followed either one of us. The other guys decide it's time to cook and I decide to participate no matter how much I'd rather be locked in my room at the moment. I feel like if I don't do something, anything, my head will implode.

Once the cooking's done I rush out, my wolf itching to be let out. It's only when I shift, tearing through my clothes that I realize I forgot to pick up a change of clothes.

"It's nothing they haven't seen before," Aniketos grunts as he takes over my limbs, rushing into the trees.

I run and run, shifting back and forth between my wolf form and lion form until my limbs burn from exhaustion. That's when Kael takes over. I fly until I'm completely winded. Only then do I dare return to the den. Once I trot out of the trees and into the clearing, my body begins to shift. I curse when I remember I don't have a change of clothes, running into the den and straight to my room hoping no one notices me, especially not Xanthos, I'd never live it down.

It was always my wolf and I until I turned twenty-five two years ago and suddenly I was shifting into a lion, then into a dragon. That's when I met Kael and Leon. With all three it requires way more discipline to keep myself in check. All three of my forms tend to have wild tempers. It took me a while to learn to keep them in check but once I connected with them it was much easier. A chuckle escapes me as I remember the guys' reaction when I shifted into my lion form. It was even funnier when I shifted into my dragon form. However, I don't shift into my dragon or my lion form in front of them as often as I do my wolf. They're still... adjusting.

Once I'm dressed I head to the kitchen and my stomach grumbles loudly as the scent of food wafts into my nose. Thankfully I find the kitchen empty so I fill a bowl and sit down to enjoy my well earned meal. I listen for the guys, trying to locate where they are. Eryx isn't back yet, Daedalus seems to still be in the backyard, Xanthos is napping in his room and Sofoklis... I smirk to myself as I locate him in Orfeas' room and I tune them out immediately before I hear something I'd rather not hear. Those two have been seeing each other for years and for a long time, they kept it under wraps until Xanthos called a "family meeting" one night to let them know we all kind of knew so they could drop the sneaking.

As I step up to the sink to clean my bowl I realize the sun is about to set and I feel a strong urge to go out and watch it. I climb to the roof in a huge leap to get a better view, reveling in the breeze and the sound of the birds. My mind feels strangely quiet given how jumbled and racy it was before. A peace settles over me, a peace that feels foreign, drowning out all my worries, questions and shadows. As the darkness of the night starts to seep in and the sun is out of view I jump.

"Watching the sunset now, that's different," Eryx's voice echoes quietly from behind me and I find him sitting on the steps near the front door.

"Yeah. What's up with you? You've been acting weird all day," I say as I sit next to him. He looks... disturbed.

"Nothing, hate crowds," he grumbles, his gaze fixed on the treeline.

"Eryx, you're my family. I know you're used to taking care of me but I'm old enough to be there for you. Whenever you need to talk, even though that's not really your forte, I'm here," I say to him, clasping his shoulder and squeezing with a seriousness that makes his head turn to me and stare wordlessly for a moment before he turns his attention back to the treeline. I decide to sit with him until he decides to go inside.

"Kid, thanks," Eryx says quietly, placing his hand on my shoulder as he stands with a grunt and heads into the den.

I sit on the steps for a while longer contemplating. I know Eryx has his demons, besides losing his best friend, my brother, and the rest of my family that had become his own. Sometimes, days like today, I feel his pain coming off of him in waves and I wish I could help, I wish I knew how to help him ease that pain but all I can do is be there, be present, even when he's shut down. When I finally step back into the den I bear the guys' cheers in the living room and follow the sound.

"Hey! Whereeee have you beeeen?" Xanthos slurs, lifting his cup in the air towards me and the other guys laugh at his expression.

"Outside," is all I say as I take in the scene around me, noticing Eryx's absence.

"Do you wanna join us for some wine?" Sofoklis asks, holding an empty cup out to me and sounding much more sober than Xanthos.

"Sure," I smile at him, taking the cup and pouring myself some wine before I pick an empty spot to sit as I listen to the guys share funny stories.

About an hour in I decide to retire to my room despite the guys' protests. As I lay on my bed staring up into the darkness my thoughts roam to the mysterious woman. Was she even real?

"You know she is," Aniketos says and I can feel him rolling his eyes. I have to find her, make sure she's real for myself and not just a hallucination but where do I even begin? This would've been so much easier if I'd caught her scent.

"Follow your instincts," Kael's gruff voice echoes in my head and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Typical Kael, the most cryptic of my forms.

"Don't you mean wise?" He teases and this time my eyes roll of their own accord, drawing a chuckle from him. It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep, images of that beautiful face, those long wild locs and gray-blue eyes flashing behind my eye lids as I do.

The sound of knocking and Xanthos calling my name wakes me up from my deep slumber and my eyes flutter with a frustrated groan. It's not even sunrise yet. I get out of bed and unlock my door, opening it just a smidge, squinting at Xanthos with annoyance.

"Uh... H-hey..." Xanthos starts rubbing the back of his neck, his face slightly tinted pink and a sheepish look in his eyes. Strange. Xanthos isn't usually the nervous type.

"Xanthos, today, please," I say impatiently when he doesn't speak.

"Right! I-I just wanted to... I didn't do or say anything stupid last night, did I?" He speaks his eyes avoiding my gaze.

"No, not that I remember, why?" I ask, my brows furrowed in confusion as I watch him fidget.

"Oh, good! Thank you!" He says exhaling deeply before he turns around, taking a few steps before he turns to me.

"Sorry for waking you up," he says quietly then disappears.

Huh! That was strange! It almost seemed like he was afraid he'd said something that he shouldn't. Something that was meant to be a secret. I don't have time to sit and contemplate Xanthos's strange behavior because I suddenly feel a strong tugging feeling in my chest. My body moves on autopilot as I clean up and get dressed. I leave a note pinned to Eryx's door to let him know I'll be back later and leave the den with no clue where I'm headed save for the pull of my instincts as they guide me.