He chided himself over his stern actions towards Tekor but there was little he could do now.  As he left them to their breakfast and made his way towards the front of the house. One of the doormen made him aware that someone had arrived.  Crossing the threshold of the wide oak door, he caught sight of Haldor and Kora sliding off their horses and handing the reins to a stable hand.  A warm happiness blossomed in his chest at the sight of Haldor; a welcomed diversion.

Haldor was a wide shouldered, heavily muscled, tall man that seemed to tower over his wife Kora by at least a head.  The thick fur of the mantle he wore was a combination of the apex hunters of the forest.  It marked his status among his own people as someone who was above anything that may seek to do them harm.  His long red hair was braided and adorned with various beads made of the teeth of the animals he slew.

By contrast, Kora appeared thin and delicate beside this absolute bear of a man.  She still wore the mantle of her status, same as he, but it was thinner and more delicate.  Embroidery had been fashioned into the leather straps on her to make it more embellished.  Her long blonde hair was pulled up and back into a tight bun that was adorned with clips and pins made of various bones.

Going to them, Hal was quick to welcome them to his home with a handshake and a hug.  It was then that he noticed just how pregnant Kora was.  

"Truly?  Again?"  He couldn't stop himself from grinning widely and chuckling.  "You've a talent for creating life.  Haldor must be very proud."

Kora turned slightly and gave him a bashful sideways glance.  "I see your flattery is still intact.  Thank you for your words."

He nodded as he stood there just marvelling in her ability for a moment before Haldor gave him a friendly little shove.

"Nothing for me?  She didn't get that shape on her own after all."  Haldor's deep voice resonated through the air around them.

Hal clapped a hand to his friend's shoulder.  "Of course.  Where are my manners this day?"  He looked Haldor over a moment.  "You have gotten fatter, winter will not be a problem for you now.  I am happy for you."

There was a heavy silence that settled in between the three of them before Haldor erupted with laughter.  His laughter was deep and rough as though a bear were roaring out in the night.  Hal let him laugh as he motioned to a servant to come.

"Come Lady Kora, let me save you from this beast for a time.  They will help you inside.  No doubt Malora will be happy you are here.  I know she has missed you."

Kora gave him a light nod of thanks before leaving with the servant.  Hal could do little more than stand there and wait for Haldor to stop laughing.  When the large man did, his whole body seemed to be relaxed before Hal.  

"I'd like to go on a hunt if that's alright with you."

Despite the calm appearance Haldor was giving off, Hal knew what he was really saying.  There was news from the other lords and it could not be spoken of within the walls of his own home.

"Of course."  It came from Hal with a little smile.

Calling out, he had fresh horses prepared.  

"Were you feeling deer or boar today?"  Hal asked as he mounted one of the fresh horses.

He knew that he would have to wait for all the details, but a little hint for what was to be discussed wouldn't hurt.  Deer and boar would mark a conversation that could have parts heard without losing the whole of it.

"Neither.  Elk, or perhaps moose."

He steeled himself at this.  Truly there was to be a great deal to talk about then.  Both elk and moose were hunted in the darker, older, portions of the forest.  Whatever it was Haldor wished to discuss, he didn’t even want their lips to be read.

"Very well.  I know just the place."  

And with that, Hal set them on a quick pace out of his home and out of the town that surrounded it.  The homes gave way to greenery.  The greenery gave way to forest.  The forest gave way to darkness as they entered into the thicker parts of the aged forest.  

"Lord Evik is stirring up trouble."  Haldor was the first to speak.

Hal gripped the reins a little tighter as they maneuvered through the trees.  Evik had always been a trying lord.  More than once he had tested the legitimacy of Hal's reign.  Though nothing he had done had ever been enough to warrant his death, Hal couldn't help but wonder if he should this time.

"He is trying to amass a following.  Saying your blood is weak and womanly.  That El has abandoned you."

Hal's blood began to boil with a rage that he fought to contain.  

"And you know this how?"  Hal's eyes sought Haldor's in the darkness.

"Because I was at the meeting.  He believes me an ally."

Hal halted his horse at that comment as he tried to gather whether Haldor was a friend or foe in this instance.  They were far from home now.  There would be no one to say otherwise if Haldor overpowered him.  No...  He fought not to think like that. He wanted to speak but didn't believe that anything he said would sound genuine at the moment.  He heard Haldor's horse stop and turn.

"I am not your enemy Hal.  Our children will be married.  Our houses will become one.  Ask, and I shall prove it in any way you require."

Closing his eyes, Hal fought to calm himself.  It was not the first time he had heard the news of this type of treachery, and it wouldn’t be the last.  Haldor had stood with him through the other fights, he would stand with him again.

"Forgive me.  I should not have made you feel the need to say that.  You have always been by my side."  He paused a moment before continuing.  "Who else was at the meeting."

"Lord Taver and Lord Bal."  Haldor seemed to spit the names from his lips.  "Bastards, the lot of them."

The reality of the situation began to dawn on him.  This was not a slight thing this time.  Evik was indeed trying to dismantle his title.  Evik and Taver managed lands to the East whilst Bal had lands to the West.  If they agreed, it would be a battle on two fronts with himself in the middle.  Had Haldor agreed to the talks, he would have joined the western front.

"And their forces?"  Hal needed to know all he could.

"Evik will come with his riders, maybe five hundred.  Taver's people have grown many.  His archers number in over a thousand now.  Bal plans to bring skirmishers to the battle.  Both men and women will be allowed to enlist."

Hal was shocked to hear this.  "Women?"

The other man nodded.  "Women.  Says you did him wrong with breaking the marriage agreement for Sasha.  He thought it a proper punishment to see you beaten by a group of women."

Hal thought a long time about this new information.  "We will have to attack before they are able to amass a sizable force."

"My bears are ready.  I had them begin to gather after the meeting.  Once you give the word, we will crush Bal."  Haldor held up a determined fist as he spoke.

Hal nodded in agreement.  "We will also have to send word to Lord Pavik and Lord Kas.  They will help defend our homes while we destroy Bal.  And, with Bal gone, the other two will have no choice but to yield."

They both enjoyed a moment of silence as the plan had now been discussed.  An elk's call echoed through the darkness of the old forest.  The sound of it broke him from his thoughts on the war to come and made him turn his horse towards the call.

"That sounded close.  Thirsty?"  Hal's voice was laced with the smirk he wore.

"Always."  

He watched as Haldor turned his horse in the direction of the call and urged it into a brisk pace.  With an urging to his own mount, he followed after his friend through the darkness.  The darkness seemed to part suddenly as a secluded meadow bathed in moonlight came into view.  An elk, strong and proud, cried out from it's center.  The sound of their hoof falls quieted the large beast as it looked to discern if they were friend or foe. 

Haldor's saddle groaned lightly as he shifted and slid down from it.  "A magnificent beast.  Just look at it."

He was, with every fiber of his being.  Grabbing the lip of the saddle, Hal slid down as well to bask in the power of this moment.  The elk was by far the largest he had ever seen and seemed formidable in all regards.  It was easily taller at the shoulder than their horses by two heads.  Every breath spread out from it's nostrils in thick plumes of misty fog.  

The forest around them seemed to fall quiet as though it were a living thing, waiting with bated breath to see who won this exchange.  Hal moved opposite from Haldor as he shifted into a flanking position on the animal.  No doubt Haldor would initiate the rush so he worked to get himself into the proper position to catch up.  

The elk shifted and positioned itself trying to decide which man it should pay attention to more.  Eventually though, it realized that this was not a battle that it wished to partake in and shot away from them towards the opposite edge of the meadow.  

In a flash they took chase.  The powerful elk managed to gain distance across the meadow but once it hit the darkness of the forest, it was forced to slow and weave.  This was it's undoing as both men leapt upon the creature.  Hal grasped the elk's powerful neck and wrenched it up sharply to break its neck.  The three of them tumbled and rolled in the darkness a moment before sliding to a stop.  

They hovered over the animal a moment before finding a spot to sink their fangs in and drink deeply from the animal.  The sheer age of the animal gave its blood an ethereal flavor and it left both men gasping when they had had their fill.  Sitting back, and propping himself up with his arms, Hal basked in the new warmth that was pumping through him.

"I will never get over this feeling."  Hal said softly.

"Agreed."

He watched as Haldor laid out onto his back with a slight groan.  The man was no doubt feeling just as he was.  It was a sort of high that came with the blood of the older animals they managed to hunt.  It wasn't as strong a high as the one Moonlight gave, but it was still a pleasant feeling.

Laying back, he allowed himself to bask in the feeling more fully as Haldor was doing.

"Did you actually kill the girl?"  

Haldor had never been one for tact where hunting highs were concerned.  It still hurt to be asked but he welcomed this more intimate moment with his friend.

"No.  We sent her away."

Haldor was silent a moment before suddenly bursting out into his familiar deep laughter there upon the ground.  

"I should have known!"

His laughter grated on Hal but he couldn't bring himself to tell him to stop.  Haldor was right to laugh, it may not have been the best choice to make but it was the only one that he could bring himself to do.  Just the thought of killing her with his own hand felt like a stab in the heart with a dull rusty blade.  He was so lost in this feeling that he didn't notice Haldor roll towards him to talk.  Nor did he notice the other man's eyes watching him.

"I apologize."  Haldor's deep voice made the words gravelly and thick.  "I know how much you loved her."

He was snapped from his stupor and met eyes with the other man as Hal continued speaking.

"I would have made the same choice were it me.  The fire she had..."  Haldor got a slight faraway look to his eyes.  "No matter where she grows she will be an honor to you."

Hal wanted to believe him but he couldn't bring himself to.

"As it stands..."  Hal's voice was shaky at first, "she is to be raised as someone else's.  There is no honor in it for me."

Haldor's deep voice chuckled again.  

"You are very wrong there.  She is alive because of you.  If you hadn't done what you did, Evik would have called for you to publicly end her.  The war to come would have been even worse no matter which choice you took.  No."  Haldor pushed himself up off the ground, brushing stray dirt and twigs from his clothes.  "There is nothing but honor in this."

Hal watched as the other man walked over and offered a helping hand to stand.  Taking it, he was pulled clean off the ground by Haldor's raw, unbridled, strength.  

"Thank you my friend."  Hal said, putting a hand to Haldor's shoulder.  "I will do my best to make my son into a man that is worthy of you."

Another chuckle left the larger man as he turned and began heading towards their abandoned horses.  "If he turns into anything like you, then he is already worthy."

Hal watched him go a moment knowing full well that his son had inherited his weaknesses more than his strengths.  There was a strength of character in his son that was admirable but no proof of deeds.  His son had done little more than rebuke tutors and spit unpleasantries.  He only hoped that Hunter was taking his time training his son properly; forcefully if need be.  With this whole Sasha affair, and the war to come, he couldn't afford to have a weak son.