In that moment he was in the arena closest to me, his looming form towering farther above on its raised wooden surface. His orange hair curling down into a massive beard dripping with sweat as he steadied his breathing, his muscles seeming to pulse with life.

His shirt, now tossed to the side revealed his well developed self as he wielded two axes the size of his head. Each one identical to the next except the blades, the left a crystal blue, and the right a vibrant red of a similar material. 

Suddenly he began to dance with his foe, the light and quick maneuvers showed off his control. Yet went about portraying his strength in a mesmerizing manner. I suddenly found my eyes tracing along as if following an unseen energy as a warm, yet subtle glow in the morning light appeared around him. 

Before I could look to his circling opponent whose body was still hidden behind Wender’s form, I caught the woman's gaze once more. She smiled pulling back the fabric on her arm, the next moment flexing her well muscled arms in an imitation of Wender as he stretched in preparation for the next move. I smiled doing the same, the action lifting my cloak and getting a laugh in response. I moved back as a companion of hers suddenly peered over the edge of the railing far above, a rather feminine tea cup in his hand. 

Shyly I looked back towards the arena not wanting to meet the new person’s gaze after their sudden appearance. The feeling of an insatiable curiosity pierced my hood, the feeling bringing the memories of the wolf back. It quickly vanished, but the memories did not.

 Looking on to distract myself, Wender’s opponent had finally shifted his stance and they had begun circling each other. The both of them obviously prodding for an opening with each step. The still unkown man clad in robes of purple and gold, in his hands a massive spear. The rod as thick as a tree, and the spear head while ornate in its golden coating and bulky by its size was by all means menacing due to its sharp edge. 

 

Suddenly Wender yelled, his opponent just as prepared with his massive spear. The width as much as a young tree and the blade most likely of even more weight as it glowed with each of his strikes in retaliation to Wenders seemingly random swings. 

An overhand first with his right bringing his left in a swift motion to block the spears thrust that forces the man to jump back. But the motion is carried through Wender now swinging horizontally with his left and bringing his right in an underhand that forces the spearmen to drop dodging the first strike and blocking the second. However the next strike was not from the weapons, the man's gaze so fixated on the golden tools that he didn’t see Wenders massive booted foot kicking his spear and him out of the arena. 

Below the sounds of groaning as the man raised his hand in a salute. The two of them starting to laugh and getting some cheers from the crowd. Seeing my chance I clapped as well, but the action was unfamiliar and didn’t sound right. Just as I stopped, Wender suddenly turned after helping the man back up onto the stage. His eyes catching mine as I pulled back. 

He smiled patting the man on the back who shook his head and dashed off to a group of students I hadn’t seen before who had been resting in the mountains shade. Then he started walking.

Ah what do I do?

Suddenly I felt very shy, my years of isolation coming to me in shattered memories of a repeating cycle. But whether I moved or not, the big man still came closer. Managing to close the seemingly massive gap in a few moments. 

He must have realized something from my behavior because as he drew closer he crouched down. So as where previously I had only reached to his lower thigh, now my head came up to his chest. 

Meaning I still had to look up. 

“Hey little lass.”

He smiled his hand reaching out, his massive palm open to the sky. I myself reaching out with my own managing to grasp two of his fingers in my own.

“You doing alright.”

I nodded smiling. 

“That's good. Think you can meet everyone?”

I paused for a moment looking over to where a group of boys were laughing with the man in robes. They loooked to be having fun, all of them glowing with the same energy I had seen enveloping Wendr during his fights if not dulled and less refined. I nodded, letting go of the tree. 

I immediately regretted it.

He mirrored my nod smiling some more as I was suddenly sitting on his arm once more. I gasped, but as no sound came it just looked like I was shocked for words. 

Like a fish.

He started laughing as he looked down at my face. 

“Haha, don’t you worry. Oh and I’m Wender by the way.”

I nodded wishing I could talk. Thinking I could show that I can’t with my hands I realized he had them pinned within the warm folds of my cloak.. However it was very warm so I merely shrugged as I went along with him. 

After passing the first two arenas, which had seemed too tall before now lay far under me. He waved to the group sitting in the shade. A few having realized our presence hit the others pointing.

“Everyone say hello, too... “

He paused looking me up and down, after a moment he realized I wasn’t going to give a name and moved forward. 

“We’ll say little wolf, cause the ears.”

Suddenly I was surrounded by a bunch of kids, Wender bending down so that I could stand. Thankfully while they were all taller, they weren’t towering giants like the adults. Yet.

Compared to me anything taller feels too tall.

A few offered names

“ Kylus” Shortest besides me, wore a large belt that wrapped around him three times.

“Grespin” Tall, and had very vibrant green eyes and dirt brown hair.

“Capit” A bit on the larger side he shook my hand the feeling like it was getting crushed, his smile hiding his intent. Jokes on him though as I reached to shake the next his perplexed look as he met my immovable grip made me smile. 

The next in line however was familiar.

“I’m Tirus.” I smiled nodding, his grip firm yet gentle unlike the others. His eyes a fine golden brown that matched his dark orange hair. Looking along his arm he had more muscles than I expected and various tattoos to match them that seemed to shine in the fire light of the enclosed space. 

Suddenly Wender’s face was above mine as he looked Tirus in the eye, my head only managing to come up to Tirus’s chest. “Eyeing her already are we.”

Just as suddenly he let go pulling back as the others smiled and hit him, marking a few jeers as Wender cleared the way.

“Alright, she’ll get to know you all in time. For now, just be happy you gotta to see her.”

They all smiled, except Grespin and Capit who had already turned away.

“Alright Segris, get them started. I’m taking her upstairs.”

The man in purple robes that had been fighting before started corralling the group of boys out towards training dummies of bronze. However as Wender picked me up once more, much to my dismay. I could still hear the whispers and realized the reason for Tirus’s curiosity.

“Did you feel how cold she was?” Kylus’s voice rang out as clear as a birds.

“Yeah, it was like. Ice.” Hearing Capit’s response I covered my ears gaining a look of sympathy from Wender who reached the stairs just as the final words sounded from Tirus.

“She’s kinda weird I guess.”

I looked to Wender, but he just shook his head.

“It’s just how it is, you’ll be fine.”

He smiled, trying to lighten the mood. This time I finally pointed with my arms at my throat. He frowned as we walked up the dark wooden stairs. Opening my mouth I tried making sounds, what came out closer to a gentle wind with nary a sound.

He smiled seeming to understand.

“Can’t talk?”

I smiled feeling a sense of fulfillment at being understood, I nodded as quickly as my head would allow. The sway of Wenders steps as he climbed making them appear more exaggerated.

I shook my head refocusing my eyes at his laugh.

“That’s alright, we weren’t expecting you to talk until you were ready anyway. We’ll just think of this as the first step.”

He patted my head shifting me in his arms to give me some more freedom. Just as we arrived before mass of unfamiliar people.

Looking around there were many tables, each set in preparation. Near the window a group of eight sat drinking tea and talking. I blinked pulling closer to Wenders chest the warmth comforting as some of the people in the room turned to us. 

The women and mysterious man from earlier that had leaned against the railing caught my eye smiling. She hit her companion on the shoulder spilling his tea. He frowned, but smiled in my direction anyway. 

As we drew closer I realized how big everyone was, even the women who while shorter than Wender was still twice my height.

“I say, we send them to the forest this year.” A large man at the head of the table leaned against the wall, by his side two massive swords. 

“I agree, but then we’ll have to have three of us watching. Can’t have the incident from two years ago happen again.” The man by his side received many nods of approval as Wender took his seat beside the red robed man, various metal plates covered with inscriptions layered over like armor. 

“The noble houses are going to intervene.”

“Of course it's their heirs that are going out to train… why hello.” 

As Wender set me down beside him those that didn’t notice me before suddenly did. A few of them opening their eyes wide to match my own which had been taking in the differences between each of them.

Looking to my left it wasn’t a burly man like some of the others, but a straight backed scholar of some kind. He glanced at me his glasses rather crude and weathered by time as he wrote symbols in a grand book with which he balanced his tea cup on. 

I smiled, but he only looked away as if his interest had been subdued. Beside me a rather loud snort sounded from the giant.

“Well hello to you all as well.”

A few grumbling nods and greetings to Wenders words, and we were on to the next topic. 

Me.