the boy apprentice, gone.
rivenwood, shattered. 
indra was gone and he had not seen abel. how many days had gone by? blood stiffened his wounds and wound his muscles into bitter agony. 
the bypass reeked of failure: of his own.
phaedra had come back; there was this at least, though she remained solemn and aloof and thankfully unscathed. when the howl rose over the quiet woodland the man did not want to answer. but half-limp, half-march he did, until the welcome fragrance of duskfire greeted him.
the graf stood before the man he did not know, the woman he had not met, and the boy who was unknown yet familiar. kigipigak was given an empty look, though in truth mahler was thankful for his presence.
"it was ursus. they raided us to settle an old score with one of my own."
mahler suddenly sagged helplessly to the earth, snorting angrily at his own weakness as he lowered to a sitting position. "laurel is vorst off," he murmured, glancing to the bundle of medicine that the wolfess had brought. "my pharmacy too is at your disposal."