The sun was already high when Iola woke up. She groaned as every muscle in her body ached, feeling as if she had just a marathon the day before.

Last night after she’d managed to talk to the Guardians, her exhaustion finally catching up to her and her body finally gave out, gravity pressing her to the ground. She would’ve hit the stone floor if not for Makani’s wind buffering her fall, before the wind spirit gently carried her to the bed.

He had berated her for taxing too much of her energy, but even in her drowsy state she caught the note of worry lining the spirit’s harsh words. She mumbled a sleepy thanks, before letting slumber dragged her down.

Blinking groggily against the sunlight, she carefully tried to sit up.

“Finally you wake up. I thought you’re going to spend the day away sleeping.”

She quickly turned her head at the voice, immediately regretting it when the muscles in her neck protested painfully at the sudden motion.

“Easy there, human girl. Better not move too much; you’re still tired from last night.”

She grimaced, focusing her blurry vision until she spotted the transparent man hovering just besides her bed.

“You’re still here.”

Makani scoffed. “Of course I’m still here. Someone should look after you after that stupid stunt you pulled last night.”

A deep chuckle sounded from the fireplace and Iola glanced over to see Fintan, his eyes twinkling merrily in the same color as the fire that surrounded him.

“You should see him yesterday, kid. He was pacing back and forth in worry half the night, asking me repeatedly to keep my fire burning so you won’t get cold.”

Iola raised her eyebrows in teasing as Makani spluttered in indignation.  “Why Makani. I didn’t know you care.”

“I didn’t!” Makani huffed and puffed, refusing to look at her direction. “Just that Grandmother Livne would have my head if something happened to you.”

Iola bit back a chuckle as she shared a look with Fintan, ignoring Makani’s continued protests. The fire spirit’s mouth quirked up in obvious amusement at the other spirit’s action, before he turned back to Iola with a thoughtful face.

“How are you feeling now, kid? All jokes aside, you did have us both worried yesterday.”

Iola tried to move and feel her body, biting back a weary sigh as her muscles ached in discomfort. Slowly she tried to rise up from the bed, feeling nauseous and bone tired. Her head was pounding with a massive headache and her movements were slow, as if she was treading underwater.

“I told you, you shouldn’t try to talk to those Guardians more. You’re lucky that you didn’t exhaust your life force.”

Iola wanted to roll her eyes, but even that seemed like a Herculean effort at the moment. “I know Makani, I know. But I had to do it, you know that.”

The spirit didn’t answer; instead, a gust of wind blew through her, blowing her hair all over the place.

Iola grinned wryly. “Yes, yes Makani, I promised I’ll be more careful next time.”

Once the wind died down and she managed to stand up without wobbling too much, her attention was brought to a small table in front of the fireplace, filled with various foods which weren’t there last night.

“That blonde Teiman came when you were still sleeping and brought those. You better eat kid, get some of your energy back,” Fintan answered her silent question when he saw her glancing at the table.

The thought of eating was enough to make her stomach queasy, but she knew the spirit had a point. Fortunately there was some soup among the food laid out; she didn’t think she could handle a more solid food than that right now. Only problem was all the food was no longer warm and she didn’t quite fancy eating a cold soup.

Fintan gazed at where she was looking and chuckled. “That soup must not be hot anymore; that Teiman left it a few hours ago. Here, let me warm it up for you, kid.”

Iola watched in amazement as a tongue of fire quickly burst out of the fireplace, reaching out to twirl around the bowl over and over again. When the fire died down she reached her hand gingerly to find that the bowl was hot to the touch though it didn’t scald her skin.

As she slowly eat up the soup she grin at the welcoming warmth the food gave her empty stomach.

Fintan mirrored her grin. “Better now, kid?”

Iola nodded, still scooping more soup into . “Yup, you’re better than a microwave, that’s for sure Fintan.”

The spirit frowned in confusion at the unfamiliar word. “….uhm…thanks, I think?”

Iola only waved her spoon in dismissal and continued eating.  After she’d managed to finish the bowl of soup –with much insistence from Makani- and drank some kind of strange-tasting milk, she leaned back in her chair and sighed, feeling much better.

A soft knock was heard from across the room before Zeev’s blonde head peeked out from behind the door. He walked inside once he saw she’d woke up, smile getting wider as he came closer.

“You’re up! You slept for a long time, how are you feeling?”

Iola smiled back. “I’m fine, just overslept, I guess.”

“I thought maybe you weren’t feeling well, and was thinking of calling a healer for you.” He nodded, the smile etched permanently on his face. “But I’m glad that you’re alright.”

There was so much sincerity in his small eyes and wide grin that for a second Iola didn’t know how to react.

Zeev didn’t seem to notice her hesitance as he inspected the food. “Is that all you’re eating? You don’t want more?”

There was a hint of concern lacing his tone and the muffled hum in her mind buzzed louder for a few seconds, soothing her nerves. “Yes, sorry. Thank you for bringing me all these foods, but I don’t think I can eat more right now.”

Zeev looked like he wanted to argue, but finally nodded. “Very well then. Anyway, do you want to see Kahu today?”

“Kahu?”

“Yes. You’ve seen the city just next to the fort, right?” At her nod he continued on. “Well, that’s Kahu, our capital.  Glasnant told me to take you there; he’d thought you’d be bored just staying in at the fort.”

Iola wasn’t sure what to make of it. In one hand, a part of her still felt as if she should resent him and the other Teimans for kidnapping her. But on the other hand, they haven’t hurt her and had in fact, treated her quite well. The contradictions made her had all these conflicting feelings and she wasn’t sure what to think. A quick glance at the spirits showed her that Fintan just chuckled kindly while Makani only shrugged easily, both seemingly have no problem for her to go with the Teiman.

“So? Do you want to?”

Zeev’s gentle voice broke her musing and she quickly nodded. “Yes. I’d like to see your city.”

“Good. And you’ll meet my friends on the way there.”

There was a mischievous pull on Zeev’s lips that made her wonder, but she didn’t have time to ponder too much on it as the man urged her to change her clothes. In reflection, she should’ve been more wary.

Zeev’s friends turn out to be monsters; those scary, huge, fire-breathing, Pterodactyl-like beasts that took her here.

They haven’t stepped outside the fort for long when Zeev suddenly stopped, opening his mouth to let forth a burst of strange sounds, a mixture of whistling and screeching. Before long, loud deafening roars answered him back and Iola almost stumbled in her haste to run away as two glaistigs landed just near them.

Zeev obviously didn’t have her fear since he grinned widely as he ran towards them; arms open wide as if he wants to embrace the beasts. The glaistigs seemed close to him, the way they bowed down their heads so Zeev can pat them and run his hand over their scaly skins. One of the animals nudged him, almost toppling the man, and a deep sound almost like purring rumbled from its throat when Zeev just chuckled as he rubbed its snout, his hand dangerously close to those huge jaws with its row of knife sharp teeth.

It was an amusing sight if Iola was to be perfectly honest; how two scary monsters that breathe icy blue flame, wings that cover the span of a house and were at least five times a human’s height can bowed down and played around with the platinum blonde man as if they were a pair of puppies.

Zeev waved a hand over to her. “Come on! I want you to meet my friends!”

A hand pushed her forward and Iola spared a glare over her shoulder at Alik, who just raised an eyebrow smugly.

Her mood had improved with the plan to go outside the fort, but it immediately deflated when she learned that Alik was supposed to go with them. Zeev had explained rather sheepishly that Glasnant insisted that his First Commander should join the excursion, should any danger arise that threatens her. Iola knew what he wasn’t saying; that Glasnant wanted to make sure that there are more people guarding her while she was outside.

Iola wasn’t sure how she feels about Alik. In the past two days where Zeev had been trailing her she’d discover the platinum-blonde man to be mild-mannered and gentle, wide smiles always ready on his genial face.

But Alik was a different matter altogether. She hasn’t met the other man since that dinner at Glasnant’s room, and her first impression of him during her kidnap wasn’t kind. It doesn’t help that the pierced man had a way of looking at her in a slightly condescending manner, even without saying a word.

Even now he kept quiet, just pushing her again until she was in front of the glaistigs, trembling in fear.

“They won’t hurt you, I promise.” Zeev gently took one of her hand. “Here, rub their snouts. They like that.”

Iola wanted to scream. The thought of putting her hand anywhere near a beast that could’ve easily bite down her entire arm, not to mention her whole body, doesn’t seem comforting at all, no matter how much Zeev said otherwise.

But the blonde man insisted and kept pulling her, until her hand reached one snout. Fighting the shudder that traveled on her arm at the feel of the cold, scaly skin, she began to pat it nervously, and was rewarded by a deep, purring growl.

gaped open. “They like it! And they haven’t bite me yet!”

Zeev seemed offended by that. “Of course they’re not going to bite you! I’ve told you before, they’re my friends, they’re not going to attack anyone.”

Iola shot him a disbelieving look. “That’s not what happened the two times you attacked my friends and I using them.”

To his credit, Zeev looked mortified by that. “Well yes…about that. It was because it was a…hostile…situation, that’s why the glaistigs attacked. But I assure you, normally they are quite harmless.”

He tickled the chin of the glaistig near him and the animals growled in satisfaction. “They’re living beings too, you know, just like peludas and atavos and any others. They could be hurt or sad or angry, the same as you and me.”

Alik scoffed from behind them. “That’s quite an insult, Zeev, comparing me to one of your beasts; I’m much too good looking for that. Now, if it’s you we’re talking….”

“You know what I meant.” Zeev didn’t take offense at Alik’s insult, seemingly used to it. “Yes, glaistigs may not look as beautiful as the other animals, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have souls too like the rest of them.”

The wind blew just a little harder around them; Makani had followed her silently when she left the fort and she was glad of it; the thought of a friend among these strangers comforted her. As the wind continued to rush by, Iola felt the gentle hum in her mind grew. Sounds filled her head in an instant and again she could feel the imagined hundreds of threads crowding in her mind. Before long two louder noises distinguished themselves from the rest in her mind, a mixture of screeching and growls that covered a gentle ignorance, and she felt around to find a pair of threads that were worn and coarse but sturdy and strong. She reached out to the threads, feeling them in her grip.

The glaistigs lifted their heads then, loud roars piercing the air, before they bend down on their one legs and lay down in front of Iola, wings pulled tight to their bodies, heads bowed down in an eerie reverent way.

Zeev gasped as Alik looked startled, quickly striding over to stand between her and the beasts.

“W-what….what did you do?” Zeev whispered, eyes comically wide.

“I…I don’t know.”

The glaistigs made some more noises and Zeev had a frown on his forehead. “I never experienced this before. They…they feel…happy to see you.”

Iola gaped. “You can speak with them?”

The blonde man shrugged easily. “Not actual speaking, no. Animals don’t have as complex emotions and comphrehension as humans, so they don’t actually talk; it’s more more of abstract thoughts and feelings. What I do is that I can feel what they are feeling. And right now, the glaistigs seems happy to see you.”

The wind blew again as the hum continued to buzz loudly. Gritting her teeth, Iola forced herself to take deep breaths and the hum grew quiet again. Schooling her expression to one of nonchalance, she shrugged back.

“Well, I’m not saying I understand what happened either.” She pretended to not notice the inquisitive look Alik shot her as she strode closer to the beasts. “So you’re saying you can communicate with animals, all kind of them?”

Zeev nodded. “But like I said before, I only could feel them and they understood me, too.”

“But aren’t they dangerous? I mean these two, even though they don’t look like it right now, they could easily kill us!”

Zeev shook his head rapidly. “Animals attacked only when they are provoked. Most of the time, they leave us alone. But yes, I do admit that animals need to eat too, and unfortunately some animals consider humans as part of their prey.”

“So it was okay for them to kill people, is that what you’re saying?”

“No, no, of course not.” The blonde man ran a hand through his hair, clearly agitated. “What I meant is, what about other animals that you eat? I’m sure you’ve had your share of cooked meat since you came here. What about that then? Isn’t it just the other way around, how you killed them because you need food?”

Iola have no answer to that and Zeev knew it as he smirked at her silence.

“It’s just the way nature works. A prey eats grass to survive, and in turn predators kill it for