A heavy force hit his side. He was sent flying to the ground. His face burned with humiliation and shame.

Quickly, he scrambled to regain his feet.

"Pathetic."

Blade, wide as a mountain, strong as an ox, the strongest huntsman in these parts, stood before him, wooden sword pointing at his son's fallen form.

"You will not leave the yard until you perfect this. Do you understand, boy?"

Ryan, heat burning behind his grey eyes and a stone lodged in his throat, nodded jerkily.

"I said, DO YOU UNDERSTAND!?"

"YES, SIR!"

He did not even last three moves before, like a sack of flour, he was again thrown to the ground.

"Useless," his father spat, "Useless!"

"I thought you wanted to become strong?"

"I thought you wanted to bring glory to this family?"

"When I was your age, I was killing bears three times my size! What have you done, hmm? Wandering around with your little followers thinking your something! They wouldn't be hanging around you if you weren't my son!"

Ryan ducked his head, unable to speak.

He knew these things!

He knew!

But!

He just couldn't stand her, that stupid little girl everyone liked, and he hated Van to the bones! He envied! He hated! Oh, how he hated! What he hated the most – was himself!

Through foggy eyes, Ryan saw his trembling arms. Gritting his teeth, he raised the wooden sword.

The door opened - it was his mother. Hands dusted with flour, eyes cold and hard on Ryan, as if disappointed in his weakness, she spoke indifferently to his father:

"That boy is back."

Blade's face changed. With a clang, his sword fell to the ground.

[Impossible!]

Ryan saw the look on his father's face.

His heart, like a stone-cold rock, fell to the pit of his stomach.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Maya thought Finn had some sixth sense when it came to her brother.

Having been forlorn and wistful the past three days, Finn had spoken less and less to her whenever she was braiding her hair. Maya, who wasn't really the extremely talkative sort enjoyed her days hanging around the younger girl anyway.

Finn had taken to wandering around the little stream by the village, like a lost dandelion in the wind. While Maya sewed, she kept a watchful eye on her and made sure she never strayed too far in the waters. Finn liked to play with the colourful pebbles in the stream. Occasionally, she talked to them, as if they could understand her.

Being ten now, Maya had a good four-five summers on Finn and had outgrown that kind of overly imaginative play.

But today, Finn seemed a little more intense than usual. She gestured to the rocks and giggled and clapped. Suddenly, golden hair flying, she leaped up. Short little legs pumping as fast as she could, Finn ran towards Maya.

"MY BROTHER'S BACK!" she screamed, eyes s.h.i.+ny. Her cheeks were apple-red from the exertion.

Maya was doubtful.

"But how do you know?"

Finn grinned, showing her tiny, pearly white teeth.

"Not tellin'!"

While Maya wasn't looking, Finn quickly hid something in her sleeve. Cutely, she sidled up to the bigger girl and looked up at her with s.h.i.+ny eyes.

"Let's go!" Impatiently she hopped up and down, pulling at Maya's sleeve in excitement.

The older girl nodded reluctantly.

_________________________________________________________________________________

The village was congregated at the square, where a young boy sat upon a giant wolf and was feeding it from his palms.

At least twice the height of the boy, the wolf had a feral aura and a black patch on its chest. It was docile beneath Van's touch and gave him dog-like licks whenever it was fed.

The villagers were incredulous, rubbing their eyes. What kind of scene was this? Was that boy with the heroic aura, riding on the wolf… Van? It couldn't be, right?

The son of the adulterous couple? Five years ago, they'd come to the village with two kids that were obviously unrelated, and then dumped them in Mountain Village! Everyone in the village knew the true story – that cheating woman and man had an affair while they were married with children and dumped their children in this village so that they could go off and make their own family without baggage! And they depended on the villages' charity and food to survive!

The son raised by one of those shameless, disgusting people were sure to be no good.

The only thing that slightly redeemed him was that he had an obedient, cute little sister. Having been only months old when she was abandoned in the village and was not corrupted by her parents loose morals - the villagers had pretty much raised her themselves. Van, on the other hand, always looked sullen and moody. Early on, when some sympathetic aunties had tried to help him, he'd look at them belligerently – even the kindest heart would turn to stone when met with that face. An ungrateful brat.

But now, that boy had come back riding a giant wolf like a heroic general in the stories!

The adults were shocked, but the children in the village felt as if their world had been tipped upside down and violently shaken.

What was going on?!?

Ryan's followers stared at each other and then back at Van astride the fearsome wolf. To think that that was the same boy they had been beating up just three days ago! If they even dared to approach now, the wolf was sure to tear off their heads with one bite!

Maya, who'd just run into the square with Finn, stopped in her tracks. She was stunned.

How did that lightly smiling boy atop the wolf even remotely like her impression of Finn's brother? In her mind, Van was a thin, dour boy who always seemed to have something weighing on his mind. As such, he never smiled or joked around with the other children, save for when he was with Finn. But then again, the other children gave him the widest berth possible. His enmity with Ryan probably just made it worse.

As she watched, he spilled some more bean-looking things into his palm. The black-patched wolf s...o...b..red over his hand as it gulped the bean-things down. Then it wagged its tail and pressed its great big head against his hand. Van chuckled. Below their feet were dozens of bamboo baskets filled with gra.s.ses and mushrooms.

She opened her eyes wide and took the sight of him in. He looked different. Somehow, fuller of life, with a feeling of fierceness between his stern brows. She began to feel a sliver of admiration.

How cool was it to tame and ride a giant wolf? Its fur was silver and looked like it would be silky smooth to touch. Surely, Van would let her pet it? Look how cute its ears were, and its fluffy tail!

Maya was, after all, a young girl of ten, and this was the most exciting thing she'd seen in her life!

She took another peek at Van's radiant grin.

As Finn ran forth, she followed quietly, uncomplaining.

"Brother!"

Finn yelled surprisingly loudly for her tiny body. Golden hair a mess around her face, she doggedly swerved the crowds. With nary a second thought for the giant silver wolf, she made a flying leap for her brother.

She only made it part way up. Like a starfish, she stuck to the big wolf's fluffy side. She smashed her face into its fur, clearly delighted, and rubbed it all around. Surprisingly, neither she nor Blackheart were perturbed at all by each other's existence.

Van lifted her up onto the giant wolf's back. She giggled, burrowing into Van's embrace. Happily, she patted the wolf.

"Good woof!"

Blackheart's face turned blacker than his heart.

[Woof!!??]

[WOLF!!!]

Van laughed.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Blade thought he was dreaming. He tried pinching himself, but only left a big red welt on his arm.

He was walking – almost running – towards the village square, still in shock and disbelief.

[None of this makes sense!]

Suddenly, a figure descended from the sky.

A chill ran up Blade's back. His self-preservation instincts screamed, and in an instant, he had drawn his spear.

In front of him, a tall thin figure wearing an imposing silver mask laughed.

"That won't work on me, hunter."

A blue light flashed.

Blade's spear – his life-long companion – clattered to the ground.

The masked man in front of him casually withdrew his hand.

Blade's expression blanched. He kneeled without hesitation.

Sweating, Blade pressed his forehead to the ground.

"Sir Immortal! Please, do not take offense!"

The man chuckled, true thoughts undecipherable from behind the two crescent slits.

"Relax, hunter. If you comply with all my demands, no one will get hurt."

Blade did not relax. He hit his forehead on the ground a few more times and did not try to get up. He stayed in that position for at least five minutes. The masked man was amused.

"You may rise."

Blade did.

"I am here to inspect your village. You will a.s.semble all the villagers."

A pause.

"How many people have exited or entered the village within the last week?"

Blade felt a drop of sweat trickle down the nape of his neck. The hunter had no idea why an immortal would be interested his tiny village.

"All the hunters enter and exit the village daily. We go to the forest and mostly kill deer and fowl… and some boys have been traveling with us to forage for foodstuffs."

The knot between Blade's brows cleared.

"But there has been someone…"