4 Erikson the Werewolf

It was early morning when Calder and Cassandra woke up to leave. The bandit was still asleep and recovering from the ordeal. They packed up silently and left the bandit with a piece of meat next to him. They kept to the roads so that they would end up in the next town by nightfall. They heard two birds squaking and fighting in the air about midday when one crashed to the ground hurt and bleeding. The other one chased after it but was swatted by Cassandra. She picked up the small bird and started chanting a spell that healed and revived it. The bird awoke flew into the air happy and singing to its savior. Smiling, they continued on the long winding road casually talking, not seeing so much as a few birds and small mammals. It started to grow colder as night crept about them the town not far away, the sounds and lights of a town celebrating something pleasing to the two.It was the festival of the slaying of the werewolf, Artose.

The townspeople danced around a large bonfire with colorful garments and masks that resembled wolves and a hunter, Garan the Great. A play was to be held later that night, but Calder and Cassandra only wanted to eat and get some rest for leaving tomorrow. They stopped at an inn where Calder bought a room and their meal for the night handing the inn keeper some coins, who told a worker to take up some soup and bread to their room. They ate the hot soup happily and went to bed. It was near midnight when the two were awoken to the screams of townspeople and the smell of blood and something that reaked. A man was thrown through the window into the wall beside Cassandra's bed, who shrieked in terror.
"Oh my lord, what is happening outside!" she yelled jumping out of her bed to her bag and grabbing her book of spells. Calder had already jumped out the window when he came across the savage looking, blood covered beast.
"So you're the foul smelling beast that threw that poor man through the window," Calder glared drawing his sword. "What do you want with these people?"
"I'm not interested with these people young Calder," the beast smirked "it's you I'm after. They were just a pre-meal snack"
"How do you know my name?! What do you want with me?!" he shouted becoming concerned. "Who sent you?"
"So many questions, yet so little time to have fun," the beast said, "well I'm Erikson, I'm a werewolf, and I've been sent to find you." "It just so happens that I found you in a town the was celebrating the tragic death of my older brother to these stupid little villagers," he growled, "so I decided to have a little fun to intise you out of your comfy bed." Erikson picked up a small boy who was unconcious and bit his forearm and the set him back on the ground. "Ah to be young and so easily altered," he chuckled wiping the blood from his mouth.
"What did you do to that boy?" Calder shouted charging at Erikson who grabbed the boy and lept high into the air and landing on the inn.
"If you would be patient you'ld see my dear boy," Erikson said mocking Calder.

3 Bandit Trouble

Night was approaching as Calder and Cassandra set up camp for the night. Cassandra watched in marvel as he whipped his blade through a tree as though nothing had happened to the tree until he pushed some of it down. She always loved to watch him use his swords and the way he handled them with ease and power. She retrieved one of the books from her bag and read out a spell with her palm held out facing the small pile of wood. A small flame burst from her palm into the wood which had a slight pop as it hit the wood, setting it ablaze.
“I’m going to get some food for us,” he said pulling a large dagger from the side pocket on his bag, “I’ll be back soon.”
He disappeared into the forest with deadly silence, while she stayed in the camp setting up an area for them to sleep on. It was near pitch black in the forest as he tiptoed through not stepping on a single twig, his eyes accustomed to the darkness through years of hunting. He passed dozens of small animals including squirrels and birds, but he was only hunting for something larger that would feed them. Meanwhile back in came Cassandra was finishing with camp setup when she heard a group of men coming her way on the dark road. She turned to where her book ways on a rock, picked it up, sat down, and calmly waited for the men to pass.
“What do we have here?” chuckled one of the men walking up to her.
“I don’t want any trouble from you,” she said smiling a little.
“Then why don’t you just give me a big smooch,” the man said pulling out a knife and tapping it on his cheek.
“I think I’ll pass,” she said getting off the rock and opening her book.
“Well then you’re gunna get trouble from us!” said the bandit smiling grotesquely.
“I Thought you were going to say that,” Cassandra said smirking as she looked into the book and started reading the fire spell.
“Your prayers won't save you girl,” that bandit said moving closer.
She finished reading and the fire ball hit the bandit in the chest with an explosion from igniting some small bombs tied to his vest knocking him to the floor singed and in immense pain. Calder hearing the explosion, letting a dear escape, and shot through the forest back toward camp.
"Your dead girl!" the two other bandits yelled pulling out small swords from their waist and starting to charge. they had taken two steps when Calder burst through the trees lopping their heads off with one spinning cut.
"Thanks for the help brother, but i could have taken them both," she said smiling wryly.
"I heard the explosion so i can as quickly as i could," he said wiping the blood from his sword by thrusting it into the ground, "I didn't have a chance to get any food though."
"If they didn't have any food on them we can get some tomorrow morning," Cassandra said walking over to the living bandit who was now crying. "Sir do you have any food?" she asked him kneeling over his burnt body, " if you do i can heal your burns."
"In the backpack," he coughed pointing to one behind him as carefully as he could. "There is some pork and beef we got from a farmer," he said.
"You mean stole, right?" Calder said opening up the backpack and pulling some out.
"Yes," he said, "so will you please help me, I'm sorry!"
"Fine," Cassandra said flipping some pages and reading a different spell. The bandit's burns slowly disappeared as she continued reading the spell until finally his skin was back to normal leaving a hole in his shirt where the bombs and the fire ball had exploded. Calder took the other to bodies into the forest while the bandit rested and Cassandra set out her mat to sleep on. Calder returned a half hour later to them both asleep. He put some more of the tree on the fire, sheathed his sword and did likewise.

2 The Thief

“We need to pack light so we won’t be slowed down too much” he called from his room as he put some clothes in a satchel along with the charm his mother had given him as a baby. He opened a side door in his room that had only a large case in it that had a very old and valuable sword in it. It may have been very old but it was crafted by the best smith in the world and was fused with magic so it would not rust or break. He strapped the sword to his back, adjusting the one on his belt so that they would not hit each other, and walked out his room into the main room in the house. It had a fire pit in one corner and 2 book shelves in the other packed with old and new books, all his sister’s. She snuck past him and grabbed one of the books from a mid level shelf and placed it in her bag along with the old book and some clothes for the trip. They were about to leave when, “Oh wait I for got something!” she said dashing into the kitchen. “Come on Cassandra we are wasting daylight” he whined stepping outside. “Calm down Mr. Impatient,” she giggled cramming some food spices into the already full bag. She was a good cook and never liked plain food, it always had to have some mixture of spices to be truly good to her. The two left down the old dirt road running along the right side of the river passing a few farms on the way to town.
Immediately after arriving in town they saw a young boy spring out of the second story window onto the lower roof of the local doctor’s shop with a bag of medical items, tumble to the ground, winced, and took off running. Dropping his bag, Calder leaped after the thief and was upon him within seconds. “Drop the bag and I won’t hurt you,” Calder commanded pouncing on the young thief and pinning him to the ground. “Get off me jerk! I need this for my mother,” he cried squirming under Calder. “What’s wrong with her,” he asked calming down. “She’s really sick and I need to help her but I don’t have any money.” He mumbled the shame showing in his face. “Good thing you stopped that damn trouble maker when you did young man,” hollered an old man as he hobbled up to them. “Please don’t make me give it back,” the thief whispered as the two got up from the ground Calder’s hand tightly around the base of his neck. “Don’t worry sir I’ll pay for the medicine,” said Calder pushing the thief toward the doctor. “I don’t see why you’re helping that good-for-nothing thief, but as long as it’s getting paid for, I don’t care one way or another,” said the doctor shaking his head in disapproval. Calder handed the doctor a few gold coins from his pocket and the doctor returned to the shop. “Here’s your bag brother; why did you just help him out, shouldn’t he be punished?” asked Cassandra plopping his bag down beside him." “You should help others that are less fortunate than yourself,” said Calder turning back to the thief, “what is your name anyway?” “My name is David, and thank you for helping me out,” said the thief who was now staring at Cassandra. “Not happening kid,” grunted Calder as he turned around letting the sheath of the sword on his belt hit David in the lower back. “Ow!! What?! What did I do?” he asked rubbing his back. “Next time work for the money so you can buy the items, don’t steal them,” said Calder turning back to his sister, “we really should be leaving now.” The two left David standing in the middle of town, a confused look on his face, holding the bag of medicine. "I'll repay you for this one day, I promise," David said turning and walking down a different road back to his home.

1 A New Journey

“…. I think I’m reverting…………..it won’t be good………….”

He found the entrance of the forest and his body where he had left it, the same agitated disposition on his face. “What will happen if I actually revert?... and what will happen to my friends” pondered Calder and he reentered his body. He belted his sword, the hilt cold and frosty from the crisp morning air, and headed back to his home near the river. “Little sister, I’m home,” he called shutting the door as quietly as possible. “Good just in…ti….i…. [Achoo!!!], time” she blurted walking into the hallway, “I need some things from the market for breakfast this morning.”
“Sure thing and I’ll pick up extra because I’m going on a trip to see an old friend.”
“What for?” she asked wrapping her blanket tighter around her frail body. His little sister, Cassandra, was always a small frail person but what she lacked in physical ability she made up in love for all living things. Cassandra had only recently come to live with Calder that fall and was now adapting the areas cold climate. “To reminisce” he said. This was a common excuse and she knew that it was better to not pry further into the matter.
As he turned to walk out the door a crippling pain overtook him, tossing him to the ground like a rolled up doll. “Oh my!” she yelped running to him trying to get Calder flat on the floor. “G...get the old book and read from page 823,” he gasped trying not to burst into tears. She dashed out of the room to return seconds later with a tattered, dusty book and started to read a spell over him. Long painful minutes past as he was eventually relived of the terrible pain. He propped himself against the door and slowly regained his strength. Standing wearily he mumbled, “That’s also why I’m going to see the Dark Mage.” “But what is that about? What happened to you?” she cried. “I’m not exactly sure yet but it has something to do with our mother and my father.”
Though they were brother and sister they were only related by their mother, Calder being half angel and half demon while Cassandra was full angel. “If your going to have this happen during your journey I need to be there to help you,” she said. She coughed from accidentally slamming the book closed sending most of the dust flying around her. “I wouldn’t usually let you go on any of my trips but I don’t think I'll be fine by myself this time” he said shaking his limbs free of the strain that the pain had caused.