The castle was quiet as the moon rose, shining its silver light on the pair that stood at the gate. Ruby eyes peered restly down the path, searching for signs of movement. It wasn't long before the sound of paws on the snow reached his ears, of course the other figure was able to hear them long before he was.

"You could have told me he was close Lord Storlin."

"I have told you that you can call me Aksel."

Alois ignored him, greeting the wolf who trotted to him with a pat. He took the thin tube that had been secured to his hind leg, and led the way inside to the warm library.

Alois sat in what had become his chair, the wolf settling in front of him with a sigh, turning towards the fire. Aksel took his own seat, content to wait in silence while Alois read the latest news from the Capital. The two of them had talked in length about what Aksel had done for several thousand years for the village, and Alois had insisted that this knowledge was the way that they could bridge the gap between Humans living there and Icchorian. Aksel had been understandably reluctant, stating that he had in fact still taken an innocent life, the villagers would not likely want to meet with him.

Unable to argue the point further, Alois had decided that for now he would drop the subject until some time had passed.

Now his attention was drawn to the letter he was unfolding. It was from Alexander, and would likely mean that Yulian had finally made some part of his plan clear. He read through it quickly, finally looking up at Aksel's patient gaze.

"He is making his move. He will set course for the Golden Ones once he is able to be certain of their location. Once he knows it will take him around three months to have the soldiers and resources prepared. We need to warn them. " Alois stood, pacing the length of the rug in agitation. "If he is serious, his forces will number in the tens of thousands. And Alexander mentioned some kind of new weapon in their ranks. He is going to try and get information on it, but it is supposedly immensely effective against an Icchorian in Human form."

Aksel tilted his head at this information but voiced nothing. Alois finally came to a stop before him.

"Will the Golden Ones be able to make a stand against him?"

The Icchorian was quiet for a long time, mulling over his limited knowledge about his brethren. "If the attack is unexpected, they would not be able to pool the necessary power. They would fall."

Alois ground his teeth. "How long will it take us to get there?"

Aksel watched him in slight amusement. "I will need to make certain preparations to leave the castle. That will take me several days. Then we will have to travel without coming in contact with any Human civilizations, and possibly in territory infested with Vadallat. With the two of us, we can move relatively quickly though. I would say it will take us a month of hard travel."

"Vadallat. You claimed those were the Icchorians who we have been seeing in the last few years. The ones that are wild now?"

Aksel nodded. "It is the way of our kind to form bonds and contain our Beast forms. Although we can exist in those forms, it is harder to remain in control of our minds. More so for some than others. The Vadallat have forgotten what it means to be Human."

Alois was quiet for awhile as his gaze found the flames a momentary distraction. "You are still willing to travel with me?"

Aksel had to stare at Alois for a moment before he was sure that Alois had asked the question. "Of course. I will just need a few days to set the castle up with the proper measures to be sure that the cold is held at bay. It should hold as long as I live." His fingers found the familiar softness of the fur about his neck. "I will not allow them to suffer anymore."

Alois felt a pang at his words. During his time with Aksel he had learned that the incident with the boy had been something that was in fact a complete accident. It hadn't mattered that the boy had picked up something from within the castle, he had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Aksel had been in isolation for a long time, and the close proximity of blood had overwhelmed his normally collected senses.

He had expressed his shame at not being able to control himself, and even told Alois that he was prepared to die to meet his just fate. Alois simply replied that he was much more valuable alive than dead, and that he was lucky that he no longer served the King. The Icchorian had smiled at that, but the heavy weight of his guilt had not eased.

Alois had to admit, seeing this side of Aksel had blown away all conceptions that the Human Clergy had beat into the minds of the Capital's inhabitants. They were capable of feelings, thoughts and building societies that rivaled their own. And in a month's time, he would see one of those for himself.

"Do what you need too, I will inform Alexander of our plan and gather supplies. Once you are done, we will head out."

Aksel nodded, smiling to himself at what he liked to call the 'commander tone' that Alois would have now and then.

"Sir yes sir."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alexander was sure that he was alone, though he checked once more. He knew he had the loyalty of most men here, but there were some who were newer- fresh from the Capital and could not be confirmed in their loyalty. He could not risk exposing any portion of their plan to ears who would be willing to gain favor from the King. He shuddered at the thought of Yulian discovering their story to be false, and what he would do to those who hid the truth from him.

Once he was sure, he opened the letter that had been left for him in the forest, marvelling once more at how the Icchorian had trained wolves of all creatures to deliver messages. He shook off the thought, pulling out a pair of thin glasses that helped with his eyesight when dealing with the intricacies of the written word. It did not take him long to read through the letter, admiring Alois’s neat handwriting with some appreciation before throwing the letter into the fire. He warmed his hands as he mulled over what he had read. Alois had left with Aksel some days ago, leaving some kind of lingering power to keep the village safe. They were going to keep north for some time, then steadily wrap down to the southeast until they were clear of the King's territory. They had to travel at night, due to Aksel's weakness to the Sun, but encounters with other Humans were less likely that way. Alois had spoken briefly on how Aksel did not seem built for travel, but never complained to Alois even as the former Hunter pushed them harder each night. His former Captain had also seemed to complain that Aksel was far too large for them to acquire horses, and that the journey on foot was out of his realm of prior experiences.

Alexander wasn't surprised that the rest of his squad came in then, Nai sparring only enough time to knock once. They took places about the room, looking expectantly at him. He grinned, filling them in on what Alois had revealed in a hushed tone, still not willing to risk word reaching the King that Alois was still alive.

"So, we should just sit here and wait?"

"If what Alois thinks is true, then we will be summoned soon to form the King's army. We'd be heading there ourselves soon enough."

"We would be his enemies though." Nai shifted from his perch against the fireplace mantle. "There is no way we could turn our hand against him in battle. And I seriously doubt he could convince Icchorians to differentiate between friend and foe on the battlefield."

The room was silent at this declaration. Each man was lost in his thoughts, until at last, Engel broke the silence.

"Should we risk everything for one who may be an Icchorian?"

Alexander stared at him, gaze narrowing. "It hardly matters. Even if he is an Icchorian or not, it doesn't change him as a person. He has been loyal to us, and led us even when the King would have given him the world. If that doesn't show his true nature, then nothing can."

"So what do we do?"

"We provide information for as long as we can. When the order comes to go to the Capitol, we don't go."

Muto was watching the conversation with an apparent interest, perking when he heard Alois's name. He'd been despondent these last few days, and was growing restless. Nai had commented that there seemed to be a certain clarity about him lately, and it might be necessary to have him examined. At Alexander's statement he jumped to his feet, eyes blazing with thought, darting between the three other now alarmed men. Alexander stood, hands held out in a calming gesture.

"It's ok Muto... we are not leaving right now. We are safe here." He spoke quietly, slowly approaching him.

Muto's gaze locked onto him with an intelligence that had not been in his eyes before. His brown eyes were shining in the firelight, almost golden. This made the Captain pause, the other two men cautiously coming up behind him to peer at their quietest squad member.

It was with a raspy voice, thick from disuse that Muto finally spoke. "We must get to his side. Now."

Silence filled the room, each man too stunned to say anything. This frustrated Muto, and he stomped his foot, voice dropping to a growl. "Now."

That word was filled with such command, that Alexander found himself nodding before his thoughts could catch up. He shook his head, clearing away his stupor.

"What are you saying Muto? Is Alois in danger right now?"

Nai seemed to still be in shock, eyes roaming over Muto's form, noting how he stood differently than his normal slouch. "You are speaking..." He murmured.

Alexander focused on the man before him, seeing him differently. They had always assumed him damaged beyond recovery, and had become use to his eccentricities over time. But if he was coming out of whatever had damaged him, them they would have to reconsider how they treated and responded to him.

"We go to Alois. Leave now."

Alexander was almost unable to understand him due to an accent to his words, thick and slurred a bit. He wasn't able to place it, that had always been something Alois was better at. It seemed as if his native language was rougher than their own. If Muto was coming back to himself, he would perhaps listen to reason.

"If we leave now, he would lose the only access to information about the King that he has. We need to stay as long as we are able."

Muto shook his head. "Then I go." He pressed his way passed Alexander, making his way to the door.

Nai seemed to snap out of his reverie then, quickly moving to intercept him. "Hold on. If you plan on going, we can do this and still maintain our connection to the Capitol." His gaze fell on Alexander. "My family has a stead out to the east, you can send myself and Muto there on an assignment to gather something from them. We can use that as cover and find our way to intercept Alois. Is that alright?"

Alexander couldn't begin to formulate thought at that moment, everything seemed rather unreal to him. "Why do we need to intercept Alois?"

Muto growled. "Tell him. Betrayal." He grew frustrated, eyes growing wider. "Stop. Stop betrayal. He doesn’t know, he couldn’t know."

Alexander frowned. "Betrayal...does someone know about him being alive?" His gaze found Nai.

"If that is true, we have to tell him."

Alexander nodded. "Gather what you need. Take two horses and leave at dawn. You will have the advantage of speed. Give me the location of your village and I will tell Alois to meet you there."

Nai saluted, and led Muto out of the room, whispering encouraging words to him.

Alexander knew that he would try and coax out any information he could from Muto. The captain sat down with a sigh, rubbing his head in an attempt to fend off the coming headache. It took him a moment to remember that Engel was still there.

"What are you thinking Engel?"

Engel sat down as well, eyes trained on the flames in front of them. "About what has come to light. He is a trustworthy man, and I feel like a fool to doubt him. But I do. Icchorians have never shown mercy or kindness...and that one with him now... he puts me ill at ease."

Alexander nodded. "I know what you mean. But Alois… he has never been normal. I've known him for years now, and his skill in battle is unparalleled in the army… his instincts are sharper, his physical appearance misleading. I think I've always suspected… it has just never mattered. He wasn't a monster like the ones we had seen, ones we had fought together."

Engel listened quietly, gaze turned on him. He nodded after a time. "I understand, it's just going to take some time to come to terms with it." He stood. "But I will not allow Alois to be betrayed. I will go and listen, the men do not think me as loyal to the former Captain as you."

He left with a nod, and Alexander was left alone with his thoughts. He would need to compose his reply soon if he wanted to the wolf to take it. He glanced at the fire, as if Alois's words remained there in the bright flames.

"We will protect you Captain."