Be Sure to Wear a Disguise

"What is it with caves and woods that attract you people?" I ask half heartedly as we stumble into the back recesses of said cave.

"It appeals to the darkness within?" Caan says with a smirk.

"Idiot." Lyris counters, "It's because we're already in the woods and the cave is the best shelter we're going to get."

I nod and look around. It's pretty dark and quiet. There is a small fire snapping and flickering in the middle of our little circle. I lean against Caan, feeling his warmth seeping into me.

"hmmm...warm." I breathe as I lean closer.

Caan chuckles. I am vaguely aware of Lyris huffing, scoffing a little. I open my eyes and suddenly realize how tired I am from walking all. day. long. Lyris is staring into the fire, his green fire reflecting the dancing flames.

"Rin, you should get some sleep." Caan says softly. I almost nod but then I remember something.

"Tell me what you are." I mumble, my hazel eyes flickering up to him.

He bites his lip, and stares into the fire. I'm waiting, and he knows it. I look over at Lyris and notice how his green eyes have flicked up; he's staring at Caan now, too. Caan just waits, consulting the fire, looking for answers in the flames.

"I'm a wolf."

. . .

"You're a WHAT?!?!" I notice how the fire dances as the air stirs from the outburst.

"Shh... Rin, please. Can't you understand that you need to be quieter?" Caan pleads with his voice, but his eyes are staring transfixed at the blue parts of the fire.

I feel betrayed. I'm standing looking at him. The fire dances at the air stirs around it. It's throwing sparks at my calves, but I ignore them. The cave walls, the cave darkness, eat sound. Till there is no sound at all.

There is no crackle of fire, no rush of blood in my ears, not even tatted breathing as I try to comprehend what was just said. My friend, who I trust my life with, who I trusted my life with, is no longer the same. He's the enemy. He's one of them.

Caan flashes his eyes up to me, almost like the cave silence echoed my thoughts out loud. He stands and looks down at me. I want to step back, to retreat, but the fire licking at my feet prevents me.

His fingers wrap around my arms, pleading. "I am nothing like them."

I've hurt him, hurt him right to the bone and soul. I blink and drop my gaze from his. His fingers brushed against my cheek. The warmth makes my skin wake to twitch. I lean into his hand, and then look up at him.

"Caan, I --"

He leans forward and rests his forehead against mine. I stop and look at his face, going a little cross-eyed. His eyes are closed and his face is calm.

"I know. I know you're not." I whisper, the moment of delirium having pasted. "You're not anything like them."

"At least, you'd better not be like them." Lyris spoke up from the other side of the fire for the first time.

Caan ignores him and opens his eyes to look at me. He smiles, and I know that he has forgotten my impulsive remark. Or thought, rather.

"You should get some rest." Caan says. I can only nod.

By now, the sparks of the fire have left permanent burn speckles on the back of my legs. So when I sit back down, the soot and burnt pieces of fabric chip away and pricking my skin. I look at Lyris and he's darting his eyes back and forth between Caan and I.

"Well?" He asks.

"Well, what?" Caan responds, coiling his arm around me as I lean against his side.

"There's more. Are you not going to tell her more?" Lyris almost hisses, but manages to take the sneering bite out of his voice.

I feel a ripple start deep in Caan's chest. It dies out in his throat, but I don't hear a thing. The fire snaps, and I stare into the base of the flames. Lyris huffs a short breath, but says nothing more.

Slowly, sleep tugs down my eyelids and I drift to sleep.



Sleep fell away from me, and as my eyes open, I'm looking at the fire. I notice how it's just a small pile of ash and burnt logs. There is a faint glow from the embers, casting a strange red flicker over the stones.

Part of me thinks that the sound of the logs falling is what woke me. The other part just feels restless. The cave is dark, and there is no light. It's still night. Perhaps three of four in the morning.

I become aware of the fact that I'm laying on my side. Then of the fact that Caan has his arm wrapped around my waist, and is holding me close to his chest. I close my eyes and focus on the feel of his heart pounding into my back.

There is a rustle of fabric and my eyes snap open. Lyris. He's on the other side of the fire, his back to me, but he turns over and his eyes open slowly. His green eyes focus, and then harden. He turns back over, ignoring me.

I sit up and my movement shakes Caan awake. He only rolls over and goes back to sleep. I sigh heavily and move over to Lyris' side. I know he's awake, but I put my hand on his shoulder and shake him gently anyway.

"Lyris... Wake up... please. I need to talk to you. Please." I whisper.

Slowly, he draws himself up, like a beast out of water, and turns to look at me. His green eyes almost seem to flare as the light from the embers catch in them.

"What?" It comes almost like a hiss.

"Come take a walk with me. I can't stand the cave any longer, and I can't get sleep." I whisper, really just needing cold fresh air in my lungs.

He only nods, somewhat calmer, but definitely agitated. With slow deliberate movements, the two of us head outside. I stumble over an unseen rock, but Lyris catches me around the waist. I notice how he doesn't let go, and I know that he notices how I don't mind.

"We shouldn't be outside. It'll leave tracks." Lyris muses silently.

"We're gonna leave tracks anyway." I reply.

The woods are quiet. They do not have the dead silence that was inside the cave. Here, in the air, the trees seem to breathe and the earth seems to sigh. The woods are alive, inhaling and exhaling. I close my eyes for a moment, letting Lyris guild us.

A breeze sweeps the branches together, and the leaves rustle. I open my eyes and feel a faint smile tug at my lips. I look over at Lyris, and he has his eyes turned up. I look up too.

The moon. Bright and full splashing silver beams onto the leaves. The light drips through the canopy and makes shadows out of the veins and branches. The moon is so bright as it filters in through the canopy.

I feel Lyris looking at me, and I turn to meet his gaze. His green eyes are deep and stirring with thought.

"What is he not telling me?" I ask.

"Everything. Everything that you would want to know." He says back.

"Are you going to keep it from me as well? Can't you tell me anything?" I know the reply, even as I'm pleading the question.

"No."

There is a silence then. I look around. The trees are holding their breath. Together, we start heading back, slowly. It's not a far walk and I soon see the wide dark mouth of the cave. I turn to Lyris once more.

"Can't you tell me anything?" I ask.

Lyris stops. I watch him and his face storms over. In the green orbs rages a battle. It looks as though he is battling which is the lesser of two evils. Finally, he looks back at me.

"Caan knew Troy." He says. "And Troy knew Caan."

I can feel the shock numb me.