As the days seemed to pass, the two made it to their third day after leaving the woman's cave. They could still feel her presence even after walking several miles away from her. Jayce still kept his trophy attached to his hip while he walked, but Terek could only look at his hand. He still wasn't entirely sure what to think of the whole situation.
"Why now… Why did it have to be us?" Terek questioned out loud, still focused on his hand while walking through the woods.
"I had a feeling something was different about us… I mean growing up and being the only one until your village took me in and meeting you…" He pats Terek on the back firmly. "Let's worry about this later and focus on getting back."
Terek could only nod in agreement. His mind still bouncing between everything. Now that they have auras, even that made him wonder. He then shook his head and looked up, seeming Jayce trudging ahead of him in the snow, almost back into the forest.
Hours soon fly and night was rapidly approaching. The two decided to quickly make a small shelter for them as they were no where near a cave. They sat under their made shelter and started a fire outside to keep warm.
Morning came by and Jayce was already getting ready for the trip back. The head of the Drake was still wrapped up as he places it back on his belt. Terek sat up seeing him moving. "Nothing on your watch?
"I heard movement not too far away but from the smell it seemed like it was one of the Guardians." Jayce answered and began to stretch. "We cleared so much distance yesterday, we should be home in an hour or two."
"Let's get moving…* Before Terek could continue, Connor in his Lycan for drops down from above them and surprises the two.
"As your final day of the trial, you must return and face your last challenge. Luc and I have followed you both through this and with our approval, you may proceed to said challenge." He places his hands on their shoulders firmly but carefully so he doesn't scratch them with his claws. "I'm proud to see you two both grow and have had the opportunity to train you both."
They look at eachother for a moment then Jayce looks down. Terek looks up at Connor. "Connor… Once we finish this trial… We need to see the Prophets to confirm something. "
Connor was confused. Did he miss something or say something? "What's with this all of a sudden, Terek? You two have never questioned them. Why now?"
"Because we have reason to believe there's a third…" Jayce chimes in, his hand on the back of his head as he kept his eyes down.
The older Guardian sighs. He thought to himself that if there was something to happen to these two young and skilled men, the village would be in trouble. "Let's get you two back first. I feel you both have plans when we get back anyway." He glanced to the the bags the two carried on their hips then turns toward the village. The three wall for an hour before returning home and greeted by everybody within. The Chief and his father stood at the village center waiting for them both.
Connor leads them to Vincenz and his father then shifts back to a human. The Pack of Direwolves and Timber stood and laid out to the trios left watching as they returned. Terek could see how anxious Timber was to see him home, but he had to see his father first and she could feel it.
"Now that you've completed your survival, I see you both have somethings you want to show us." Vincenz could see the sack hanging from each others hip.
Terek pulls his off his belt and opens it, revealing the spikes from the Arctic Drakes. "We ran into Arctic Drakes and their alpha."
With those words, everyone in the village began to talk and mutter to one another until Connor silenced them. Jayce opens his revealing the head of one o the Drakes.
"I knew nobody would believe us so I took one of their heads. I didn't really realize how big it was until now." Jayce said softly as he held it over his head without an issue. The head was larger than his arm.
Vincenz was still processing what he just hears and witnessed. Then regained his thoughts. "I can see you two taking down the pack, but how did you manage the Alpha?"
Jayce and Terek couldn't tell them about the meeting. "We made it chase us out into the ice fields. The beast spared us since there was bigger food." Terek looked over to Jayce as the thin young man told them of the encounter, except their meeting in the cave.
Vincenz was stunned by this story and smiles as he looks over to Connor. "Theirs sounded more eventful than ours old friend."
Connor didn't day a word but instead he busted out laughing.
"Now that you have returned, take your trophies to the Blacksmith then once he his done, meet me in the training yard for your last step." He tells the two then walks over to Timber who was still anxious. "You may go with him." He tells her as he pays her back.
The large dark Direwolf jumps up and quickly runs over to her bond, Terek and nudges against him.
"I told you I would be back, girl." He rubs her back as three of them walk in the direction of the blacksmith.
"You're not going to tell them are you?" Connor walked over to Vincenz with his arms crossed. It was nice to reminisce but now he had to be serious.
"I will… In the training yard once they prove themselves. I need to make sure they're ready if what the Prophets told me earlier are true." Terek crossed his arms.
"I understand." His old friend stood beside him before smacking him in the back. "You should get prepared then. They're about to witness the best Lycan we have."
Jayce and Terek walked up to the Blacksmith's building and walk into through the door. On the opposite side of the room, a muscular man stood behind a forge an anvil, hammering away at a sword he was making. "Seeing how there's two of you and a Direwolf, I assume your father sent you Terek?" The man kept his eyes on the on his project then dipped the sword in barrel slowly, steam covering his bulked out arm then he hangs the blade up to dry. He turns around "I have seen generation after generation come and go through that door." His face covered by a mask to hide his face. The mask was made of an unknown metal and only revealed his eyes.
"My father sent us here to see what you could do with these materials." Jayce sets down the large head on a table as Terek held his sack of Arctic Drake spikes.
"I sensed you weren't just here to talk." He chuckled then walked over to the materials to inspect them. "You killed Arctic Drakes on your own, the both of you?" He looks at spikes and the head. "I'll see what I can do." He says with a smirk. "But first, what weapons would you boys prefer?"
The two looked at eachother then back to the Blacksmith. Terek had an idea but it was clear Jayce was set on something as well.