Kill!

Soerl was sitting on a roof in the marketplace, thinking about the night previous. About what he had done. He hadn't meant for it to happen. He remembered getting angry. Remembered hearing Poppy cry out in pain. His thoughts after that, well, they were quite simple.

Protect her! Kill obstacles!

Lydia had been viewed as an obstacle. Even after time to sleep, his memory wasn't complete. He did remember biting her. Hopefully the clinic had treated her in time.

He vaguely remembered fighting Jay. Remembered the distinct lack of fear in the man's eyes. His sister was right, something had happened to Jay as well. Were the incidents somehow related? It was rare that his own transformations were triggered by anger, these days. "Am I just making excuses?" The minstrel asked that quietly of himself.

The wolf inside failed to speak to him. It was still resting, even though a portion of Soerl's unnatural strength had been restored.

Lydia. The poor woman. She had done nothing but befriend him and in return he repaid her with a mauling. The thought made the minstrel lower his chin down onto his knees. How did anyone ever tolerate him? How could anyone feel any sort of affection for a... a monster?

He didn't know the answer. He simply shook his head and looked into the sky. His words were meant for the spirit of Honto. "Father, what have I done?"

Soerl had taken refuge in a hollowed out oak tree. Hunters had been coming after him since a couple nights ago. He knew better than to be in a civilized area while the search continued. The forest provided everything he needed anyhow. He'd been eating berries and roots. The thought of meat made his stomach churn.

He settled against one of the "walls" of his temporary shelter. The minstrel hadn't slept much at all since the transformation. He knew, however, that he needed to rest if he was going to stay ahead of those pursuing him. He leaned his scabbard nearby and shut his eyes.

Sleep, however, was not peaceful for Soerl.

His eyes snapped open. He was standing in a long hallway. So long that he couldn't see the end of it, in fact. As he took further steps, light flashed. He could see his reflection everywhere, mirrors lined the hallway on both sides, above, and even beneath him. His footsteps echoed quietly on the glass. There was no other noise. His reflections made the same motions as him.

"Where am I?"

His own voice replied to him, though it wasn't he who had spoken.

"Isn't it obvious, minstrel? This, is your mind. We are all parts of you. When combined, you are the result."

One of his reflections had stopped to the left. It was grinning at him very jovially. Soerl stared at the reflection for a time. This was impossible, wasn't it? He and the wolf had met on some other plane before, but this was different.

"It isn't different at all, pup."

Soerl shifted immediately to look for the voice. A huge mirror hung in front of him. It dwarfed the others in size. A silver wolf sat within it. Its tongue hung out of its mouth, though no noise was audible.

"You! This is all your fault! Why did you take control?!" An explanation wasn't necessary. The wolf would know what Soerl referred to.

"Me?" The voice sounded thoroughly amused. The wolf tilted its head at Soerl. "That was not my doing. You were the one who summoned me. With your anger."

Soerl felt that mentioned anger. Felt it boiling at the wolf's words. He reared back and swung his hand around at the large mirror. No claws came out. His hand bounced harmlessly off the glass. He stepped back and blinked, looking down at his hand.

"Even now, you try to call upon me. How amusing."

The mirror shimmered. The silver wolf emerged from within it. It stopped a few feet from Soerl. "You want control. I see it in your eyes." The canine began to circle the minstrel as though he were prey. "Then show me. Show me you do not need my help."

A long howl was heard before the wolf lunged at Soerl.

Soerl had been hiding in the forest for many days. He came into the city during the nights and dueled, though the main purpose to that was keeping his trail fresh for the hunters. He couldn't say for certain if they knew about Jay and Lydia, but he wasn't willing to find out. The two could certain take care of themselves, but he felt dealing with the hunters on his own terms was best. He had to contend with them for many years, afterall. This way, he minimized the risk to everyone involved other than himself. He was beginning to feel it wear him down, however.

It'd been close to a week since he'd seen Lyric and he hadn't spoken to Ayly at all. He missed his family, but there was little he could do. He had to keep on watching, at least until the full moon was over. Abandoning that duty was neither wise nor prudent. He thought that Ayly would understand, once he had the chance to explain it all to her. It was Lyric he was worried about. After some consideration, Soerl left the forest. He returned to the city in plain clothes and a hooded cloak. Even in the warm weather, no one really seemed to pay any mind that he was wearing a cloak. It accomplished its purpose. He returned to the manor without incident.

He slid past the front door and immediately headed upstairs to look for Lyric. The minstrel was unsure where his wife was, but he knew he couldn't stay long. Putting Ayly and Lyric at risk was something he intended to avoid at any cost. As he got close to Lyric's room, he could see Neria slowly closing the door. She gasped when she turned around and saw the minstrel. He pulled his hood back and smiled a little at the young woman. "Mister Lu-- Soerl, you frightened me." Soerl hated to be called by any sort of title unless it described his profession. "I'm sorry, Neria. It wasn't my intention. Is she asleep already?" The minstrel nodded toward the door Neria had just shut. "No, she isn't. I just put her down to give the mistress a little break. Shall I fetch her for you?" He shook his head. He knew that Neria was talking about Ayly and not Lyric. "Not necessary. Just tell her I'm all right and will be home soon." Neria looked over Soerl for a moment and then nodded and proceeded down the hall. He watched as she went and then opened the door to Lyric's room slowly.

As he stepped inside, a small voice greeted him. "Daddy?" The sight of Lyric shifting to sit up was familiar to the minstrel these days. He was present many times when she first woke up for the day. Soerl smiled at the six year old and moved to sit nearby her on the bed. "Yes, little one, it's me." Lyric initially smiled back at the minstrel, but then she frowned at him. "Where have you been?" He'd visited his daughter a week ago, but his attempts to explain the situation had failed. He was feeling some similar was about to happen. "I'm sorry, Lyric. I've been doing very important errands and I haven't had time to come home." Lyric nodded a little and then crawled closer to Soerl so she could hug him. It was as tight as she could manage for one her size.

It made Soerl happy and saddened simultaneously. He was happy that Lyric didn't seem to be upset with him, but her hug told him exactly how she'd been feeling. The minstrel reached out to his daughter and lifted her with both arms. " I won't be gone much longer. A few more days at most, I promise." He smiled warmly, which was a common expression for him. He kissed the little girl on her cheek and sat her back down on her bed. "Why can't you stay, Daddy?" Soerl was already pulling up the blanket to tuck Lyric in. "Something very bad happened and I'm trying to fix it." Lyric rested her head against her pillow and looked up at her father. She wanted to ask him "What?", but she did not. Soerl seemed to know the question that had been held back. "I'll tell you when I come home." The minstrel leaned forward and kissed Lyric on the forehead, smiling immediately afterward. "Mind your mother. Neria too." Lyric didn't understand why Soerl hadn't been around, so tears had formed in her blue eyes. She sniffled. "Okay."

He couldn't stay much longer, he knew that. However, he didn't plan to just go with Lyric in such a state. Soerl wiped the tears away from Lyric's eyes and then held his hand over his heart. "I swear on my flute that I'll be home, little one. I didn't forget the promise I made you, okay?" Lyric was quiet for a moment, as she studied her father. His expression and his warmth was ultimately what convinced her. "I believe you, Daddy. Come home soon." Another smile appeared on the minstrel's face. He gently moved some of Lyric's golden hair, a trait she shared with the minstrel, away from her eyes. Not long afterward, he opened the window in Lyric's room. "I will, little one." He pulled up his hood and dropped down to the ground, immediately beginning to vacate the area around the manor.

"I will."