Aellisia's eyes slowly flickered open, her head pounding with the pressure that seemed to have built up inside it and a low groan escaped her lips as she tried to blink her fuzzy vision back into focus. It was dark around her but as she rolled over she realised she was covered with her furs, rolling herself fully over onto her back she heard Eahlswith's voice, full of panic echoing inside her head.
'Aellisia! Are you well now? You screamed something and collapsed and then I could not feel you and then the Human male said something and wanted to hurt you! But the Human female hurt him instead and He ran off and the-'
Feebly Aellisia raised an arm and focused on her friend who had rushed toward her and was now frantically sniffing her face and body.
"I'm ok for now Eahl, my head hurts and so does my throat, but I'm ok for now."
Smiling at her friend Aellisia gently reached out and ran her hand over her friend's muzzle and planted a gentle kiss on it before opening her eyes again and locking their gazes.
"Slow down, and explain things properly, I can't understand if you speak that quickly."
Booping her friend on her snout lightly to reprimand she smiled again and sat upright a little straighter before speaking again.
"Now while I have something to drink, explain everything, Slowly, this time, and in order ok?"
Eahlswith's tail was wagging frantically behind her and finally, she sat down on her haunches with her huge tongue lolling out the side of her mouth with her golden eyes fixed firmly on Aellisia.
'Fine, firstly what happened to you? I could feel you getting angrier and angrier through our bond, and then when I arrived at where you were resting I heard you shouting something, but the words were not the language of the humans nor your language.'
Aellisia had found her pack next to where she had been laying and found a waterskin that still had some water left in it. The others were missing and she decided she'd ask after Eahlswith had brought her up to speed.
"I honestly don't know Eahl, Mathio had been grating on my nerves for some time, he looked at you with anger and disgust, and I knew that given his tone when he thought we couldn't hear him that whatever he was saying to Zilia was probably filled with the same venom he had in his eyes. As I learned to understand the Human tongue I was able to make out some of what he was saying and it appeared I was correct in my assumptions and the words he used truly disgusted me."

Aellisia paused to fight through a wave of dizziness as the throbbing in her skull increased for a few moments, before receding into a dull ache. Clearing her throat and pressing her palms into her eyes to ease the pain, she waited a minute before continuing her story grateful that Eahlswith knew when she had more to say and would wait for her to finish before pestering or interrupting her.
"After I told him I wanted an apology and for him to cease his behaviour his target shifted, and he started acting the same way towards me that he had towards you, even his tone and the way he spoke of me shifted dramatically. I didn't understand why this was until I spoke to Zilia and she explained that it was related to stories that he had been told and his father who had been badly hurt by a wolf in the past."
Aellisia took a moment to feel out what effect her words had had on Eahlswith and could feel a simmering undercurrent of anger emanating from her friend. Taking a deep breath she chose her next words carefully.
"I think, based on what she told me, that Mathio's father may have been related to what happened to your pack."
As soon as the words left her mouth she felt a surge of anger explode out of Eahlswith and saw her golden eyes narrow as a low threatening growl erupted from her throat her lips slowly curling to reveal her fangs. Immediately Aellisia sent soothing thoughts and feelings through their bond, hoping to ease her friend's emotions before she spoke again.
"I don't know for certain Eahl, it was just the impression I got, along with my own personal suspicions. I never asked either him nor Zilia directly, but the concern I had about the situation, along with the way he spoke about both of us built up in me more and more. And finally the last day or two he turned to directly insulting both of us and even dared to say that we couldn't be trusted, that we would turn on Zilia and him and the town they live in."
Shuddering slightly she turned her gaze away from Eahlswith and felt the same anger she had felt at that time flare up inside herself for a moment as she sought to suppress it.
"I was just so angry Eahl, after everything we did to help when he asked us, after saving Zilia and sharing our food and water, protecting and guiding him. I was so disgusted and angry that he dared to accuse us of planning to betray him and Zilia and their home, I... Snapped. It felt like something else took hold of me for a moment, my head started buzzing and I remember shouting at him, I don't know the words I used but I saw things Eahl before everything started to fade I saw other faces and places when I looked at him, and then everything went dark."

For a long time, neither of them said anything. Aellisia could feel the anger in her friend simmering down slightly, but her own emotions were all over the place. Confusion and anger warred with frustration and sadness. Eventually, it was Eahlswith who spoke first, her tone laced with barely-held anger as she tried to control her feelings.
'I see, when the human Female returns I would like for you to ask her directly about the human male's father and his possible connection to my pack.'
When Aellisia nodded to confirm she would, Eahlswith let out a huff and then took a moment to reign in the feelings that were surging through her at that moment. When she felt ready she continued to tell Aellisia what had happened after her collapse.
'After you fell to the ground the humans were agitated, and the male stood up. He was shouting at the female before he pulled his weapon out and kept gesturing at you while he did so. The female shouted back at him and tried to stand but he pushed her down and turned towards you. I stood in front of you and tried to warn him off but he started to shout at me as he approached with that shell on his arm still yelling in his own tongue'
Aellisia could feel her friend's anger flare briefly as she spoke of the events that had followed her collapse, and for her part, she could feel her own anger at Mathio return as Eahlswith spoke to her.
'I prepared to attack him as it was obvious he meant to do you harm while you could not defend yourself. However, the female had managed to sneak behind him while I distracted him. His anger at you and I seemed to blind him to her presence and when he made another move towards us, she acted quickly. I lunged at him and he tried to hide behind his shell but the female lashed at his back with the small weapon on her hip and it sank deep into his shoulder. He turned towards her and as he did so I rammed him and sent him sprawling across the dirt. He shouted at the female and managed to hit me across the side when I tried to finish him off. By the time I could focus on him again, you had started shaking and screaming, he took the chance and while I was distracted fled into the forest. The human female helped me, and held you to calm you down, and when you had finally stopped she helped place you on one of your furs so I could pull you to somewhere safe.'

Aellisia was shocked at the events that had transpired, but there was a small part of her that was somehow not surprised. Mathio's hostility had become more and more clear as they travelled together and it was clear that he thought he could kill them both when she collapsed. However what surprised her the most was the fact that Zilia had helped them, even turned on Mathio when he tried to harm them both. She felt a deep and abiding sense of gratefulness and respect for the woman, it could not have been easy turning on the person you had been travelling with especially one that Zilia had seemed to know quite well. And the fact remained that they had only travelled together for a few weeks, could it be that the woman trusted Eahlswith and herself more than the man that she seemingly had known for a few years? Aellisia resolved herself to find the truth of the matter when Zilia returned to wherever they currently were. Eahlswith had waited for Aellisia to absorb the information that she had shared with her, letting her friend take a few moments to gather her thoughts before she continued speaking.
'We travelled the rest of the day, and the human female kept checking on you as you seemed greatly unsettled, intermittently crying and speaking as you called out strange names in your sleep. By the time we reached this place she was exhausted and in pain forcing us to stop. I watched over you both while you slept, and she tended to you during the day, but we were running low on both water and food so she went to a pond nearby to gather water not long before you awoke. She should return shortly, and I have not caught the scent of the human male since he left so we should be safe for the time being.'
As Eahlswith finished the tale of their journey while she was unconscious Aellisia found that she felt more and more grateful to Zilia, it was obvious she had gone above and beyond to aid them both, and she would need to thank her for everything when she returned to them. But for now, she would ensure that at least they could be warm overnight, and could eat something cooked.
"Eahl can you find her and help her return safely before finding something for us to eat? I'll get the fire started while I wait, there are a few things that I need to speak to you both about later."
Aellisia immediately felt her friend's feelings of reticence at her words, but she fixed her with a stern gaze that Eahlswith knew brooked no argument. It was one that she had grown accustomed to in their time together. With a huff of annoyance, Eahlswith gave her a look of disapproval before loping off into the surrounding forest.

As she waited for her friend and Zilia to return, Aellisia stretched the stiffness out from her muscles, enjoying the feeling as her joints popped. There was much on her mind as she did so, the memory of her mother and father was still vivid, and she revelled in the knowledge that for the first time since she had awoken she had tangible proof that her memories weren't lost, merely locked away somehow. Aellisia didn't know how to return to the place she had found herself while unconscious, but somehow she knew that there was a way for her to return, and to reclaim more memories. Although it wasn't in the way she had hoped, travelling with the humans had indeed helped her reclaim some of her memories, and now she knew why it was that whenever the humans called her 'Aelven' it had felt off somehow. The truth of her true heritage shone in her mind and left her feeling a sense of fulfillment and loss, for she did not know what happened to her parents and the memories she had recovered were those of her childhood only. Shaking away the melancholy that threatened to overtake her Aellisia began gathering sticks and fallen branches around their small camp before setting up a firepit. The pain in her head had eased considerably as she worked and the mindless task she had set for herself helped distract her from her own obtrusive thoughts and by the time she got the fire going its warmth soothed her further. Aellisia found herself staring into the flames and closed her eyes, one thing that she wanted to do while she had a moment's peace to herself was something that she felt was incredibly important. She didn't know why her mother and father had wanted her to hide her Comharra Teaghlaich from humans, but for her right now it was a tangible link to her parents and she needed to feel it, to show the mark of her family not hide it away from the world. And so Aellisia focused, letting herself feel the mana in her the way her mother had shown her in her memories, she didn't know what else there was to learn about it, but she felt as though she were merely scratching the surface when she followed the instructions her mother had given her. It felt like there was slow-moving ice that flowed through her veins, and as she let her mind explore the feeling she could feel that this strange substance filled every vein in her body, it was sluggish and thick as though it could not move properly but most importantly it felt like it was connected to a deeper reservoir somewhere in her chest. Slowly cycling the steps she needed to follow through her mind she willed the mana to reveal her mark and could feel the concealment on it slowly lifting as the mana inside her moved towards it. Aellisia did not know how long she sat there, but the strain of moving her mana like she was doing left her panting with a thin sheen of sweat coating her. Finally, like something inside of her flipped, she felt her mana turn off the concealment she could feel was hiding her mark. With a gasp, she felt a sudden heat on her forehead and her eyes snapped open and she sucked in a lungful of air as dizziness threatened to overwhelm her. Long moments passed as she waited for the world to stop spinning around her. As her senses slowly started to come back she heard rustling off to her side, and as she turned she saw Zilia's shocked face staring at her before the woman cried out in joy.
"Aellisia! You're back!"