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Okay, this is my own work. It's a rewrite of the story that was in the 'taking the plunge' a while back. I'll just post it up here again. Also, forgive any similarities in the beginning. Character names have been reused, but the plot has been changed quite a bit. Chapters are all at least five thousand words long, so I'll post them in chunks to make for easier reading.

Chapter 1: The Awakening

The light was quickly fading in the horizon as the young man opened his eyes. Black hair fringed his striking brown eyes, which darted about at the expense of forest that grew serenely around him. Tall redwood trees stretched upwards like giants, each supporting its own little ecosystem of plants and animals. Small squirrels scampered up and down the ancient bark, busy with their final tasks as their day drew to a close. The shadow of an owl passing overhead sent them back into their nests.

Above him, the faint outline of the moon was starting to appear, framed by the leafy canopy. A cold breeze passed through the trees, rustling the leaves and causing the young man to shiver. He sat up and examined himself slowly.

“Who am I?” murmured the young man into the forest.

He looked around himself, hoping to find something that might answer him, but all he found were fallen leaves and crushed pinecones. He saw that he was wearing a suit of armour, complete with leather gloves, breastplate and a scabbard, but the armour had no tabard attached to it, and the scabbard was empty. The suit itself was almost brand new, polished to a shine. It reflected the stars that had slowly began to emerge.

A sudden rustle in the dark undergrowth caught his attention, and he quickly got to his feet. The young man was surprised to find his hand instinctively moving towards his scabbard and clutching uselessly at a weapon that wasn’t there.

“Damn.” he said, pulling his hand back up in front of him as a clenched fist. He peered into the inky blackness and tried to get a glimpse of whatever it was.

A small rodent scurried out of the bush, squeaking frantically. The young man reached down and quickly caught it by its bald tail. It looked like either a rat or shrew, and had four minute paws that peddled back and forth in the air.

“Hey, little fella. Aren’t you afraid you might be eaten by one of those owls up there?” he asked the rat, grinning as it twisted its head towards the sound of his voice.

“You’re a cute thing, aren’t you?” he said. “Here, I’ll bring you back where they can’t get you.”

The young man carried the small animal back to the bush he had seen it come out from, wondering what he was going to do next. He couldn’t remember a single thing about his past, not even a faint memory.

Heck, I don’t even know what the hell my name is, he thought. It could have been worse, though. He could have forgotten a lot more than just his past. What if he had forgotten how to walk? He’d be like a newborn child lost in the middle of nowhere, unable to move, with no one to call for help.

He banished the thought and scolded himself for bringing up such a useless idea. There was no use in brooding over such a thing- he’d be better off if he could just make it out of the forest.

A sharp pain in his finger caused him to cry out and drop the rat. The furry rodent made a break for freedom into the undergrowth, having made use of its captor’s preoccupation to nibble a finger. The fingerless gloves hadn’t offered any protection against the rat’s small teeth, and now there was a tiny bite in his right index finger.

He sighed and turned back towards where he had first woken up. His armour had caused an indentation in the ground, leaving a clear silhouette imprint in the dead leaves.

Suddenly, something heavy hit him in the back, pushing him over. He hit the ground hard, wheezing for breath. His heart quickened and his mind raced into overdrive. The young man rolled over, trying to see who had attacked him. His eyes widened and he drew his head back just in time to avoid a pair of jaws that came together inches from the tip of his nose. Hot breath washed over his face, and a low growling sound could be heard.

The young man threw a hand out and grabbed the pointed muzzle of the wolf, trying desperately to gain leverage. He was on his back without a weapon, with a wolf trying to snap at his face. The wolf pushed forward again and nearly bit off his nose. The young man pushed back with his hand, just managing to stop the steel jaws from killing him. The other hand felt frantically around, looking for something, anything to break the deadlock first. The wolf was getting dangerously close, trashing around so as to get closer to its prey.

Come on, come on! thought the young man. There. His hand closed around something fist sized and heavy. Probably a rock, though it didn’t matter. He brought it up and slammed it into the side of the wolf’s head.

With a whimper, the wolf fell off him, sprawling in the dirt. The young man wondered if he had killed it, but the slight movement of the wolf’s side as it took in a pained breath made it clear that it had just been knocked out. Holding up his makeshift weapon, the young man prepared to kill the wolf, certain that it would come back for him if he let it live.

He was about to bring the rock down on the wolf’s head when a paralysing pain ripped through his head. Giving a sharp cry, he dropped the rock in his hand and staggered backwards, squeezing his eyes shut. The pain was tremendous, as if someone had driven a stick straight through the back of his head and into his brain. He dropped to his knees in front of the comatose wolf, feeling a tear stream down his dirt caked face. He gripped his head and willed for the pain to go away.

It didn’t. The pain intensified, and the young man started to see spots. For the third time, he found himself on his back. The spots grew and slowly his vision started to blur into a incoherent mess. The young man struggled to stay conscious, but was only mildly aware of something nuzzling his hand. His eyelids gradually slid shut, and he felt himself falling backwards into a void.

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Forgive any lack of action there might be, I move very slowly. And I'm still learning to write that, anyway.
[EDIT]
I'm a master, now. Check out my post count.

Okay, I'm forced to double post because ONCE AGAIN, no one bothered posting or leaving a comment. [X X X] denotes a pause, change in location, time, or something of the sort.

-----------------
Sorry, Kyle. I never meant for it to happen this way, but we can’t control what happens to us. Goodbye, brother.

X X X

Kyle woke up. His eyes ached for a moment, but slowly adjusted themselves to accommodate the sudden brightness. Shafts of pale light streamed down through the canopy where the stars had been. Small birds chased insects for breakfast, and the squirrels that had gone into hiding the night before had come out to find yet more food.

Something wet brushed against Kyle’s face and the young man jerked away from it instinctively. The wolf had woken up as well, and for some reason Kyle couldn’t comprehend was licking his face. It must have been the wolf that had woken him up, but why? It could have killed and eaten him at anytime during the night, while he lay asleep.

Thinking about the night before reminded him of the pain in his head. Kyle realized in grim satisfaction that he now knew his name. Kyle. He let out a long breath, before getting up to his feet again. The wolf took a few steps back as he did so, watching his every move intently.

Kyle returned it’s gaze as he brushed off the dirt and leaves from his person. Sure, the wolf hadn’t killed him, but it might have just been playing around with it’s food. But why wake him up, then? Did it want to go another round with him again? Looking at how the wolf was just sitting and watching, it didn’t look that way.

Kyle realized what he was thinking and nearly laughed at himself. He tried approaching the wolf slowly, to see whether it would retreat. As he slowly got closer, he found himself wishing he had a weapon to fall back on if things got ugly again. He was exposing himself to the wolf for no reason, without even a sword or the rock from the night before. Probably not the smartest idea I’ve had since waking up, he chided himself.

The wolf watched him approach, not budging from its position. It let Kyle circle around it. In the daylight, Kyle could make out a lot more of the wolf. He saw it had a mix of grey and white fur, and that it’s underbelly was predominantly covered with a coat of white. A long streak of white was splashed along its left flank. It had two tufted ears that perked up at any sound that interested the wolf and a pair of intelligent eyes that glared at Kyle as though they could burn right through him. Strangely enough, the pupils had a shade of green to them, instead of the normal amber that Kyle had expected. Even stranger was the fact that the wolf was wearing a collar. It was a old leather collar, its brown surface faded and starting to peel. Under all that fur, it was barely visible around the wolf’s neck.

The collar forced Kyle to think. If the wolf had a collar, it could only mean that it belonged to someone, probably a woodcutter or some other person who lived in the forest. That meant that there was someone nearby who could help him. On the other hand, the wolf could have run away years ago.

Kyle shrugged and bent down to determine if the wolf was male or female. Almost immediately, the wolf snarled and trotted away, coming to a halt about a meter away. Kyle could have sworn the wolf’s gaze had become almost accusing.

“A modest wolf?” he said curiously. “Alright, have it your way, then.” he added, holding both his palms up. Kyle chose a random direction and started walking, hoping that he would be able to come to the edge of the forest if he kept walking in a straight line.

He took a last glance at the animal and was surprised to see that it was following him.

“Hey, shoo! I don’t know where I’m going, so don’t follow me around like that.” said Kyle to the advancing animal. The wolf stopped where it was and sat down again, but as soon as Kyle started off again, it got up and followed.

Kyle considered trying to scare the wolf away, but promptly dropped the idea. The wolf had nearly taken his face off when they had first met, so there was little chance that it would be scared of just him shouting at it. Throwing rocks at it wouldn’t be a good idea, either.

Maybe it was for the best, anyway. The wolf might come in useful if he got attacked again by something else, and there was nothing wrong with having a little company while walking.

X X X

The sun burned an arc through the sky as the day wore on. Despite not having stopped to rest once, Kyle still had not found the edge of the forest, and the effort was taking a toll on his body. After picking his way through the forest all day long, his legs were starting to burn with fatigue. His stomach kept reminding his weary mind that he needed food and water, but without any weapons, it would have been a waste of energy trying to hunt something. There weren’t even any fruits on the trees around him.

Which was why he was glad when a short bark from his companion brought his attention to a small stream that had somehow managed to push its way through the forest. The gurgling water had been cool and had refreshed him, but he was still a long way from being able to sate his hunger. The occasional berry bush had managed to keep him going for a time, but with no way to tell whether they were poisonous, he had been loathe to eat more than just a few of them.

Kyle settled down near the stream on the second night of his journey. He had been thinking all day long about the single voice he had heard just before he had lost consciousness. He couldn’t remember who was speaking, or even what he was speaking about. All he had was just a single word to go by.

Brother.

Did he really have a brother out there somewhere, beyond the seemingly endless forest? He had been sure that the voice had been male. Perhaps if he could find a town he might be able to get his memory back, however unlikely that was.

Kyle cast a glance at his wolf companion, who was mooching about in the stream. There had been a small number of silvery fish in the waters, but without a fire to cook them, Kyle had thought it better to just stick with berries. The wolf raised it’s paw and deftly swung it through the water, flipping a small fish onto the bank.

<Hungry?>

talking wolf?
didn't notice your story before now but it's nice plz keep it coming :)

This story is off to a great start! Please continue.

Next part. This is all part of the same chapter, since I've fallen into the rule of having book-length chapters when I write.
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Kyle nearly fainted. His heart sped up crazily, and he looked about wildly, trying to make out the source of the voice.

“Where are you?" he said out loud into the trees. His eyes jerked about in their sockets as he tried to peer through the dark. A short bark attracted his attention and he looked at the wolf, guessing that it had found the hidden speaker.

The wolf looked at him. It was still standing in the running water, its catch lying on the bank. The fish flapped about on the forest floor and tried to get back in the water. The movement caught the wolf’s attention and it calmly placed a paw on the struggling fish to hold it down.

Something clicked together in Kyle’s mind. “No… It can’t be.” said Kyle. The wolf returned his gaze.

<Why not?> said the voice in Kyle’s head. It was like hearing someone talk normally, only that it was in your head. Somehow Kyle knew that the voice was female, around his age, and sounded confused.

Kyle spoke, his voice not as strong as he would have liked it to be. “You’re… A talking wolf.”

<I think we’ve already established the fact that I can talk, thanks. Now, are you hungry, or not?> The wolf motioned to the fish it had caught with a paw. It was odd to see such a normal gesture coming from a wolf.

“I’m okay.” said Kyle. I hope so, anyway.

<Okay, but you do look a bit worn out.> replied the wolf. It carried the fish over to a nearby tree and proceeded to devour it. The bites it took out of it seemed almost dainty for a wolf, or any other animal that he could think of. Kyle watched speechlessly as the wolf cleaned the fish to the bone, stretched, and lay down somewhat contentedly.

“I don’t understand,” Kyle said at last. “How can you be talking?”

<What do you mean? Isn’t it obvious?>

Kyle shook his head.

<I’m a shifter, silly. Real wolves don’t talk.> said the voice.

“What’s a shifter?”

The voice was silent for a moment. <Don’t play games with me, Sentinel. You of all people should know what a shifter is. What, did you hit your head on a rock or something?>

”I don’t know,” said Kyle slowly. “I can’t remember anything.”

<That’s unlikely.>

Kyle crossed his arms and sat up. “What does it matter, anyway?”

<Well, for one, it gives me one less reason to tear you apart and eat you up.> replied the wolf, licking its fangs.

“Why did you attack me in the first place, anyway?” said Kyle, frowning.

<Because of your armour.> said the wolf simply. <I thought you were a typical Sentinel, so I attacked first. When I woke up the next day to find that you had gone to sleep instead of finishing me off, I decided to tag along.>

Kyle winced inwardly. He had intended to finish off the wolf. The only thing stopping him had been that painful memory that had knocked him out. He rubbed his head, remembering the torture he had experienced.

<You smell weird, you know?> said the wolf suddenly.

“Really?” said Kyle. He sniffed the air around him, finding nothing of any significance. “I don’t smell anything.”

<Well, of course not.> replied the wolf. <Human noses are way less sensitive than this nose.> The wolf looked cross eyed at the tip of it’s muzzle. Kyle suppressed a laugh.

“So what do I smell like?” he asked.

The wolf took a few steps closer to Kyle and lay down once more. Its head came up and took a few deep breaths. <I’m not sure,> it said, still sniffing. <Like a bird, but not quite. It’s actually a very appetising smell. Reminds me of chicken.> The wolf looked at him inquisitively. <Any idea what the smell is?>

Kyle shrugged. “I’ve lost my memory, remember? I don’t even know what a shifter is.”

<I forgot about that. Should I try to explain?>

Kyle looked about at the surrounding foliage. “Well, it’s not like I’m going anywhere. I might as well try to learn something.”

<Alright.> The wolf seemed to think for a moment before continuing. <The first thing you should know about shifters is that all of them are human.>

“What about you?”

<Haven’t you been listening? I’m human too. Just in a wolf’s body.> The wolf stood up. <Look, turn around, I’ll show you.>

“Show me what?”

<Gods, your amnesia must be worse than I thought. Just turn around, I feel awkward when I have to do this in front of an audience.>

Kyle obliged, turning around and sitting cross-legged facing the tree he had been leaning against. The bark was scratched and pitted, worn with time. He’d barely looked at the tree for more than a second when a voice, physical this time, called him.

“You can turn around now.”

He turned around slowly, fearing what he might find, but instead he saw a girl standing where the wolf had been. She had short hair with a warm brown colour that framed her face, just falling past her lower jaw. Her eyes were a piercing green, a clearer shade than the greenery around her and positioned just above a small nose. Her clothes consisted of a loose grey jacket with a hood, worn over a black shirt that fitted perfectly around her slender frame. She wore a pair of jeans that just about reached her bare feet. The collar the wolf had been wearing was barely visible under her jacket, just as it had been hidden under her fur.

Kyle suddenly felt very cumbersome in his armour. He cast around for something to say, but couldn’t think of anything.

“That’s it?” said the girl, noticing his silence. “No greetings, or compliments, or anything?”

Kyle pulled himself together and blurted the first line that came into his head. “You… look great?” he tried.

She grinned. “Very smooth, but it doesn’t count, seeing as you’ve lost your memory. I don’t suppose you can recall your name?”

“I do, actually.” said Kyle. “Or at least I think I do. My name’s Kyle.”

“I’m Kiara.”

Something stirred within his mind, as though he had heard the name before. He tried to dig deeper and see if he could recall why, but the memory faded like water through a sieve.

“Anything wrong?” said Kiara, looking worried.

Kyle shook his head, trying to clear the feeling. It had all but disappeared. “I’m not sure. I feel like I’ve heard your name somewhere, like it was something important.”

She looked at him blankly. “That’s either very weird, or the worst pick-up line I’ve ever heard. I don’t blame you for it, though. My name’s not common around here, so I guess you would have remembered it better if you’d heard it from somewhere else.”

“I see.” said Kyle. “Any idea where I’m headed towards?”

“Sort of. I know this stream, and I can kind of find my way around using it.”

“You mean by following it?”

“You make it sound too easy.” frowned Kiara.

Kyle decided to change the subject. “What about all that shifter stuff? You’ve only told me one thing about them. And what’s a Sentinel?” He remembered the wolf calling him that earlier.

“That’s gonna be hard to explain in one night. I’ll just do shifters, for now.” She sat down next to him. “Shifters are humans, as you can see. It’s also short for shapeshifter, which is what I am. Basically human with the ability to change into an animal.”

“Any animal?”

“Nope. Just one. And there’s no way to tell what animal a shifter will turn into. Could be a wolf like me, a dog, cat, tortoise or even a horse. As long as it has legs and is bigger than a mouse, there probably has been, or is going to be a shifter who could turn into that.”

“How do you do it?” Kyle asked.

“Well,” replied the girl, “Basically you have to concentrate on it, and a second later, you’ve changed form.”

“No, I mean, how does it work?”

“Oh. That’s something that most shifters don’t know. Even I’m not sure how it works. All I know is that it has something to do with magic, and that that’s why most people don’t like us.”

Kyle was surprised. “Most people don’t like shifters?” he repeated. “Why?”

Kiara shrugged. “It’s not really their fault, actually. You see, towns that have plenty of shifters in them tend to get very little help from the capital. The mages in the capital, most of them hate us. It doesn’t help that the sentinels don’t like us either.”

“Who are the sentinels?”

“Basically the mage council’s private army. They’re the equivalent of the King’s guardians, who are his bodyguards. The sentinels are an all volunteer army, and they only take the ones who pass their tests, meaning each sentinel is a person who is either extremely smart or powerful, and all of them hate non-humans. Most of the mages see shifters as abominations and would like to get rid of all of us. Only the King stops them from going to far. He’s been holding them back from attacking the other kingdoms for years. Even so, they still get around his rules every once in a while.”

She tugged at the collar around her neck. “This is proof of it.”

“What is it?” asked Kyle, taking a closer look at the strip of leather.

“It’s a collar, what it look like?” Kiara said incredulously. “It’s supposed to glow if a certain spell is cast nearby. The mages and sentinels use it to track and identify shifters.”

There was a small silence as she finished talking. Overhead, an owl swooped down from its perch to grab a small dormouse that had strayed too far. The animal saw the approaching shadow and tried to run from it, but was quickly caught by the steely talons of the bird.

Kiara watched the owl go back up to its roost with its prize.

“You do realize what that armour you’re wearing means, right? That you joined the sentinels?”

Kyle’s eyes drifted to his chest plate. “There aren’t even any markings on this armour. How could it belong to them?”

“Trust me. Everyone knows what Sentinel armour looks like. Besides, no one dares to even question them, never mind steal an entire suit of armour from them. The only way to get that armour is to earn it or take it off his lifeless body. That’s why I jumped you last night. I thought you were searching for me.”

“Why would sentinels be searching for you? You said the King was stopping them from harming shifters.”

The shadow cast over them by the tree’s leaves prevented Kyle from seeing Kiara’s expression. She spoke softly and with a note of finality. “It’s a long story, and I’m tired.” She rolled over, away from him. “I’m going to go to sleep. You’re welcome to do the same.”

Kyle got the feeling that she didn’t want to talk about it, but he was fine with it. He had his own secrets to keep. Like exactly how he had remembered his name.
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Thanks to everyone who posted.

shapeshifter cool!!
also is it just me or might these two end up being a couple ^^

Mayyybe.
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Kyle slept dreamlessly, and was woken up the next day by the scratching of a paw against his metal-covered hand. His eyes opened slowly, and he sat up with a yawn. The wolf was back again, and the remains of several fishes nearby testified as evidence that Kiara had already eaten. Kyle felt a pang of hunger biting away at his stomach and remembered that he hadn’t eaten anything filling since waking up in the middle of the forest. He wished he had had some way to build a fire.

The ache kept up with him the rest of the day, as they travelled along the edge of the stream. Its waters twisted and merged with other rivers as it flowed on. Small waterfalls were formed as the stream entered rocky terrain, years of water slowly eroding a path through the stone. The forest around them remained the same, for the most part.

Kyle managed to spot a small group of deer. Their mottled brown hides made them hard to spot against their environment, and it was only their movement that gave them away. They moved away as soon as Kiara came trotting up to Kyle.

<We’re not too far now.> she said. <The edge of the forest should appear sooner or later.>

“Lets hope it’s sooner.” muttered Kyle miserably. “I would love to be able to eat something.”

Kiara didn’t reply. Maybe it was because she had become preoccupied with stalking a brown rabbit nearby. The wolf slunk towards it, body low to the ground. Every step she took was silent, each paw pressing down firmly on the bed of leaves. The rabbit continued to look for food, oblivious.

The wolf was just getting ready to pounce when Kyle purposefully gave a cough. The small rabbit perked it’s ears up at the sound and quickly dived back into it’s burrow.

<You did that on purpose, didn’t you?> growled Kiara.

Kyle feigned ignorance. “Did what?”

The wolf sidled up next to him. <You know exactly what, you pathetic liar. Alerting my prey.>

“You mean my coughing?”

<Yes, I mean your damned coughing! I had that rabbit! It was mine!>

“I’ve got no idea what you’re going on about.” grinned Kyle. Kiara looked up at him and bared her fangs. Kyle was sure that if it was able, the wolf would have been pouting as well.

<That’s right. Keep grinning. I’ll get you back for this.>

Kyle was about to answer when suddenly the forest around him disappeared. He was startled for a moment, having lost his orientation. The colours around him slowly resolved into something more comprehendible. He had reached the end of the forest. He was standing on two edges, between a line of trees and the beginning of a immense grassy plain that was punctuated by the occasional hill. The sun’s warmth settled on the grass without any sort of interference, and the grass was tousled about by a strong wind. In the distance, the faint outline of a range of mountains could be seen.

It seemed that they were standing on top of an unusually large hill, because Kyle had a good view of the surrounding lands. There were a number of settlements in the fields, each a fair distance apart. Small roads the side of strings linked them. Further away, in the backdrop of the bluish mountain range lay a larger blob of white. Kyle guessed it had to be a city. The field stretched as far as he could see, his view narrowed slightly by the forest and a patch of long grass. A big river pushed it’s way towards the mountain, joined by two smaller one as it got closer to the city. There was a small patch of blue that Kyle made out to be a lake, near the city. Sunlight reflected off the water’s surface.

“Well, this is it.” said Kiara, coming up from behind him. She must have shifted back into her human form while he had been admiring the view. “Welcome to the Kingdom of Ashindor.”

“Its beautiful.” said Kyle.

Kiara snorted. “Oh, you might think that now, but just wait until you get closer. The first town is just half a day’s walk from here, from what I can see. If you hurry, we might just make it there before sunset.”

She watched Kyle make his way down the hill and added to herself, “Welcome back, Kiara.”
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That's the end of chapter one. If my posts seem too short, tell me and I'll increase their length.

Post size is fine imo
if the posts start getting too long i always find i'm reluctant to begin reading ^^ really like the way the story is going too. Keep it coming :)

Chapter 2: Scars Don’t Fade

The sun was just starting to set as Kyle and his companion reached the town. The brick walls of the buildings around them were awash with the fiery orange glow, and the paved streets of the settlement were beginning to clear as townspeople entered the buildings to escape the coming darkness, as well as the cold. More than one person stared at Kyle as he walked past, and some actually turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Kyle wondered why people were avoiding him, until he caught a reflection of himself in the display panel of a bookshop.

“Looks like you weren’t lying about this sentinel stuff.” muttered Kyle to Kiara. They were walking down a gently curving street that led further into the town where the markets, as well as inns were housed. Shops on either side of them were making the last sales of the day, trying to make as much money out of the homebound crowd as was possible. Occasionally a horse and its cart would pass by. “The people here look pretty freaked out by me.” Kyle added.

Kiara shrugged, staring straight ahead. “You have no idea,” she replied. “Sentinels aren’t exactly the popular characters around. I don’t blame the people around here. Not much, anyway. Most of them are probably worried you’ll cart them off to Aelios or something.”

“What’s Aelios? It sounds familiar.”

“It should. Aelios is the home of the sentinels. Their headquarters, prisons and training grounds are all housed there. Sentinel land, basically. I used to hear stories about how they would take loads of people suspected of being shifters and send them to Aelios.”

“And then?”

She shrugged again. “Don’t really know. I don’t think anyone has ever gotten out of Aelios. Except the sentinels, of course.”

They reached a junction, where two horse-drawn carriages had stopped for people to pass. Crossing the road quickly, Kyle motioned towards a fading sign that had been surreptitiously tied to a green lamppost with wire.

“The winged boar inn. Right this way.” read Kyle. The words had been hastily painted with whitewash, and the sign was an odd shape that Kyle guessed was probably a bad attempt at an arrow.

Kiara smirked as she examined the advertisement. “The winged boar inn?” she said incredulously. “Gods, they really are running out of names for inns and the like, aren’t they? What’s next, the [censored]’s arse?”

Kyle couldn’t keep a small laugh from escaping him. “Maybe. But at least now we know there are worse names than this one.” He began to stroll down the street that makeshift arrow pointed to. “Come on, let’s go see if they’ve got any rooms left.”

His traveling companion held her hand up. “Oh no, you don’t. I’m not staying in anything that has a name like that. Not if I can help it. And besides, we don’t have enough money. You do realize we can’t get a room without money, right?”

“Not to worry, I’ve got a plan.” said Kyle with self-satisfied smile.

Kiara crossed her arms. “Oh, really? Let me guess. You’re going to threaten that innkeeper until he lets us stay for free?”

Frowning at having been figured out so easily, Kyle asked, “Hey, how’d you guess?”

“Does it matter? And besides, don’t you think you renting a room with me looks just a bit awkward?”

Kyle cringed. “Hey, I’m not like that! Stop demonizing me.”

“Oh, gods.” said Kiara hurriedly. “I didn’t mean that! What I was trying to point out is that you and I aren’t supposed to... like… each other.” she finished slowly. “Wow, that sounded wrong as well.”

“Well, if us sharing a room is just a bit awkward, maybe we won’t have any trouble then.”

“You wish.”

“I could string you up and say you were my prisoner,” suggested Kyle.

Kiara gave him an odd look.

“Or you wait outside until I finish, and then come in and join me.” tried Kyle. “Yeah, that might work. How about it? Do we try that?”

The shifter sighed. “Whatever. Lead the way, Mr. Sentinel.”

X X X

The streetlamps had flickered to life by the time they reached the double doors of the winged boar inn. Inside, the inn roared with the buzz created by the evening crowd. Everybody seemed to be talking, to family, friends, or in the case of an acutely intoxicated merchant, himself. A pit had been made into the middle of the floor where a barbeque had been created. Flames licked at the crisped skin of a boar as the smoke from the fire drifted through an odd hole in the ceiling serving as a chimney.

Kyle’s mouth started to water as he caught the waves of appetising smells wafting from the boar. He suddenly felt ravenous, and remembered that he hadn’t eaten a filling meal for nearly a few days. Forcing himself over to the bar before he was overpowered by hunger, Kyle caught the attention of the bartender with a whistle.

The bartender, or the innkeeper as Kyle guessed, wore a green suit with brown overalls. He had long hair that fell in a plump tangle, as well as a full beard to match. “Greetings, master sentinel.” said the innkeeper with a brogue accent. “And how may I be of service to yourself?”

Kyle started to feel a slight tinge of worry at the fact that the innkeeper showed not an ounce of apprehension, despite the fact that everyone else in his immediate vicinity had already started to edge away from him quietly.

“Room? Ale?” prompted the innkeeper. He pronounced the word ‘ale’, as ‘ahyle’.

Kyle shook his head. “Just a room for the next few days.” he said.

“Aye, a room. They cost five coins for every day you stay in them. Also, you can get food sent up to you for three extra coins.”

“When do I pay?” asked Kyle.

The innkeeper let the faintest hint of confusion cross his face. The expression disappeared after a mere moment. “Well, usually we just charge it straight to your superiors at Aelios, but if you do insist on paying the coins up front, I’ll be more than-“

Kyle interrupted him, trying to take advantage of his discovery. “Maybe you should just charge it, then. I’ve, ah, got a small problem with my purse. It just won’t open, you see?” Kyle smiled weakly, thinking that he had probably blown his cover. He waited patiently for the innkeeper to burst out laughing. It didn’t happen. Instead the innkeeper stood up straight and started looking through the crowd for someone.

“Sean! C’mere!” bellowed the innkeeper over the roar of the crowd. A small boy with tousled blonde hair poked his head out from behind a group of men. He picked through the crowd with ease, banging an empty tray used for serving drinks and food onto the counter. Like the innkeeper, he too kept any thoughts or emotions he might have had about the sentinel at the bar to himself.

“Yes, dad?” he asked, looking at Kyle with a large degree of interest.

The boy’s father gestured at the flight of stairs tucked away in a corner of the inn. “Show our guest to a spare room, and be sure to bring up some food for him later as well.”

Sean ran his eyes over Kyle’s armour, pale blue eyes pausing briefly at his face. “Humph. Right, this way please, then. There’s a room on the second floor that’s mostly isolated, so I think you might like it.”
-----------------------
Argh. My spell checker's giving me grief because I write in British English.

once again nice update :) looking forward to how he'll get Kiara in ^^

Kiara came up to Kyle’s room nearly an hour later to find Kyle had just about finished eating his food.

“[censored]!” she snapped, sitting down on the bed with a huff.

Kyle swallowed the piece of meat he had been in the middle of chewing. “What? What did I do?”

“What did you do? I waited an entire hour for you to come out and tell me to come in, and then when I do come in, I have to check every single damn room to find you! And by the way, your plan’s more or less ruined, because I had to ask the innkeeper where you were. Why the heck are you in most deserted part of the entire building, anyway? And no, don’t answer that.” she said, slowing her words down. “I’m not sure if I want to know.”

Kyle stuck out a fork with a bit of food impaled on it. “I was just going to ask if you wanted a bit of this.” he said.

“What is that?”

“Don’t know. Girl who brought it up to me said it was a fly. Or fry. I can’t remember which one.”

“I’m not hungry, anyway. At least being stuck outside gave me a bit of time to work.”

“Since when did you get a job?” asked Kyle curiously.

Kiara got up and threw a small pouch onto the table. It hit the wooden surface with a ‘chink’. Kyle picked it up and slowly began to realize what it was. “Holy- How’d you get this?” he said in amazement.

“Nicked it.” said the shifter simply, lying down on the bed.

“You’re a thief?”

“Was a thief.” she corrected him. “Until a while ago, I used to roam the streets stealing from merchants. But that part of my life’s over now. Just like a lot of other things.”

Kyle stood up and stretched, having finished eating. “Well, at least you still have your memories. I can’t remember anything.” He tugged at his gloves and with a bit of difficultly, managed to pull them off.

Kiara watched him struggle with the rest of his armour with interest. “What are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m trying to get my armour off, what’s it look like?”

She watched him for a bit longer. “Oh, come over here. I’ll help you take that armour off.” she said eventually, motioning for him to stand by the table.

Kyle was hesitant at first, but Kiara dragged him over to the bed and started working on the joints and attachments that held the plates together. Bit by bit, his armour came off, starting from the neck and ending at the hip. Underneath his armour had been a grey shirt, which had been so light and unobtrusive compared to his armour that he hadn’t even noticed it. The shirt, however, had been drenched in sweat from his journey, and was starting to give off an unpleasant odour. He gripped the edges of his shirt and started to lift it over his head.

Almost immediately, Kiara gave a gasp and recoiled back. “Gods, what is that?” she said.

Kyle instantly put the shirt back on, afraid he had embarrassed himself. “I’m sorry!” he said, a bit louder than he wanted to.

Kiara moved behind him and lifted his shirt up again, looking at his back. “Not that, it’s- Just go look for yourself,” she said, dragging him to a mirror. There was a bit of contortion required to look at his back in a mirror, but Kyle managed. What he saw next made his heart start pounding again.

There, on his back, was a huge tattoo, made solely out of scar tissue. Multiple arcs and lines ran across each other, having been carved out and healed over to form some kind of symbol. Kyle ran a hand over it and felt the individual scars bump against the pad of his finger.

“What the hell? What is this…” he muttered.

“It’s the sign of the sentinels.” muttered Kiara, still staring at the marking. The shapes and lines that had been marked onto his back had been masterfully done, not a crooked line or warped circle to be seen. It was almost as if a brand had been used to do the job. “Those [censored]. They’re insane, doing something like this. Do you think all the sentinels have these?”

“Aye, they do.” the brogue voice of the innkeeper replied. Dropping his shirt back down, Kyle turned to see that the innkeeper had been watching them from where he had been leaning against the doorframe.

“How long have you been listening to us?” said Kiara.

The man uncrossed his arms and pointed to the table, where another plate of food had been set down. “Em, not too long, I reckon. I just came in to bring you another plate of food, since there are two of you in here now.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Mind if I took a closer look?”

Kyle turned around and gave the innkeeper a better view of his back. The tall man didn’t touch the scar, choosing instead to stand back and view it from a distance like a painting. There was a silence as Kyle waited for the innkeeper to finish. Kiara moved uneasily from her place on the bed, trying to get a closer look at the scar as well.

“Beautiful.” said the innkeeper at last.

Kyle put his shirt back on again, wishing he had never taken it off it the first place. “What’s so beautiful about it?” he grumbled, grabbing a piece of bread from the table and dropping down heavily onto the bed. The wood creaked under the weight of his armoured legs. If he had been wearing the rest of his armour, the bed might have just snapped. The innkeeper looked on disapprovingly at the mistreating of his furniture, but didn’t do anything about it.

“Things are beautiful if you learn to appreciate them.” said the innkeeper cryptically. “But that’s not your biggest problem.” he looked at Kyle seriously. “You’re not a sentinel, are you?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Everything. The other sentinels know someone used their name to draw money. They’re going to send someone here to check it out. And when they find you, well, lets just say it wouldn’t be a good idea for you to be around when they come.”

“It still doesn’t mean anything.” said Kyle stubbornly. He finished the piece of bread in his hands and reached for another, again causing the bed to creak violently. “I don’t remember being one of them at all.”

“Believe me, lad, it does matter! Them sentinels will never allow one of their number to walk free, not if they’ve got anything to say about it. Sooner or later they’ll find you, and when that happens either you join them again and live, or they’ll kill you just like they’ll kill every last non-human. And bother arguing.” he said calmly, just as Kyle opened his mouth to protest. “That scar on your back is all the proof they need.”

“That mark, it’s the mark of the sentinels, isn’t it?” said Kiara from her corner.

The innkeeper nodded solemnly. “Aye. All sentinels have that mark, or at least that’s what I’ve heard the travellers say. The mark of purity, the sentinels call it. I don’t think they would know purity even if it came up and crapped them in the face.”

“They’ve got no reason to come after me.” said Kyle softly, more to himself than to the innkeeper. Inside, he wasn’t so sure.

The innkeeper turned to leave. “Then I hope you make the right choices,” he said quietly over his shoulder. “We’ve got enough trouble around here as it is. I’ll bring you a weapon in the morning, then you can start clearing off before they arrive. I’ve never seen a sentinel without a weapon before.”

“Why are you helping us?” said Kiara.

Gripping the door, the innkeeper prepared to close it. “Not everyone is content to just sit around, lass. I’m sure you know that.” The heavy wooden door closed with a soft click that belied its sheer size.
------------------------
If anyone can come up with the design for Kyle's scar, I'd be more than happy to adopt it.

FINALLY I get the chance to read this! It's really great! I wish my characters and settings were this deep.

scar tattoo... nice... and kinda freaky in a kinky way ^^
mystery innkeeper... sweet
this is gonna get even better isn't it?

Thanks to everyone who's posted! Meaning BR and IT'S A LION!. Just one more post and that'll be the second chapter.
--------------------------
Sentinels marched along on either side of Kyle, their faces hidden by their helmets. Each of them wore blue tabards that were embroidered with the mark of purity. Their sign. Around them, smoke filled the air as buildings burned, turning the dark night sky into a haze of light. There were screams in the air. Occasionally, the clash of metal could be heard as the town’s few defenders tried desperately to fight a battle that they must have known they would lose.

Nearby, the occupants of a burning building spilled out onto the street seconds before it collapsed. The sentinels fanned out, blocking the panicked people from passing them. Swords were drawn and the people were cut down quickly. Those injured from the collapsed building were also not spared, killed with neat stabs to the throat. Through his visor Kyle saw his lieutenant, a Sentinel in black armour. The lieutenant made a sharp whistle from behind his visor and motioned with his hand, opening his palm open towards his face, fingers pointed up, then bringing them down into a clenched fist.

Like the rest of his team, Kyle understood the gesture perfectly, and the troop of sentinels split up into groups of four. Kyle’s group moved up to the door of a building with their swords drawn. That was the order. To search and destroy any witnesses. With a kick, the sentinels broke the door down and started following orders.

X X X

The intense pain in his head forced Kyle from his uneasy sleep. His back ached too, but only from having spent the night on the floor with his back against a wall. With a cry, he rolled from his sleeping position, gripping his head. The pain of his fingernails starting the dig into his skin did nothing to alleviate the splitting pain in his skull.

You killed them, Kyle. You killed all those people. You’re just like me.

“No!” he shouted.

Don’t try to hide it, Kyle.

“Kyle!”

Kiara was awake. She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him up. “You alright?” she asked, a look of concern on her face.

Something clicked in his head. Almost on reflex, he spun around, catching her by surprise. Grabbing her arm, Kyle deftly twisted it behind her back. Kiara yelped as a wave of pain swept up from the joint.

“Ow! Kyle! It’s me!” she groaned, holding back the urge to retaliate.

“I didn’t do it.” whispered Kyle in her ear. Kiara stopped struggling for a moment to listen. “All those people, I couldn’t have.” he continued.

“What are you talking about?”

The sentinel realized what he was doing and let Kiara go, sitting on the bed. “I don’t know. It was a dream, or a memory, I’m not sure anymore.” he stammered.

She sat down next to him, gingerly testing the joint Kyle had twisted. “I’m sure it was only a dream.”

He shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. Everything was so real. The screams, the fire. It was like I was there. Like it was something real.” He held his head in his palms. “I feel so lost.”

“Screams.” murmured Kiara to herself. “Kyle, I never told you how I came to be in the forest, did I? Why sentinels were looking for me?”

Kyle lifted his head and shook it.

“I used to be a thief. Roaming town to town, stopping if I needed money or rest. After a while, I settled down in a border town called Kanington, near the border of the forest. That was only five years ago. I was having a nap when it happened.”

Sentinels marched along on either side of Kyle, their faces hidden by their helmets.

“The town was attacked by sentinels, an entire army of them. The town’s own guards didn’t have a chance. They started to kill everyone they could see. It was a cold, methodical slaughter, almost as if they had all the time in the world. And they did. I discovered that the sentinels had surrounded the village, had set its outskirts on fire to stop people from escaping.”

Swords were drawn and the people were cut down quickly.

“I don’t think anyone survived but me.”

With a kick, the sentinels broke the door down and started following orders.

“After that, I went into hiding in the forest. I watched the town get razed from a distance. It’s a horrible feeling, watching people die and not being able to do a thing about it. But I turned away and went into hiding. Somehow, I knew that they would be searching for me. And then I met you.”

There was a sudden commotion on the streets below. Townspeople filled the streets, all running to some distant destination. For a moment, Kyle was afraid that the sentinels had come to raze this town as well.

The innkeeper burst into the room, his face pale. The morning light streaming through the window just about managed to reach the tip of his boots. His eyes ran over the room quickly, checking its occupants. “Listen, you’ve got to get yourselves out of the city now.” he said breathlessly. “It’s war! The message just came from the capital, King Julien has declared war on the orcs!”

Kiara stood up quickly, a shocked expression on her face. “What? Wasn’t the King against going to war all along?”

“I don’t know. Word around is that the orcs attacked first, hit one of the border towns near the forests. The King had no choice but to give in to the mages. They’re rallying for men to fight as we speak. This entire area will be fortified in a few days, so it’s not safe for fugitives anymore.”

“How soon can we get out?”

“Right now, if you want to. I’ve got a horse and cart ready, my son will be driving it.” he bowed his head. “I never thought I’d have to tell anyone about this, but Sean’s a fugitive as well. He’s an unregistered mage who managed to slip through the mages’ screenings. Please, take care of my son for me. I can’t leave this place, but he can’t stay here either. Not with the sentinels moving in.”

Kyle nodded. “If you trust us that much.”

The innkeeper looked relieved. “Thank you.” he said. “I’ll be waiting downstairs. Put your armour back on, and then wear this so people won’t notice you too much.” He threw Kyle a cloak and started to close the door.

“Hold on!” said Kiara suddenly. “What’s the name of the place that was attacked by the orcs?”

The innkeeper closed his eyes, trying to remember. “Kanington, I think. The town of Kanington, on the edges of the west forest. They say it was a total massacre. No one survived.”

X X X

Kyle welcomed the extra weight of his armour again. After days of travelling in it, he had gotten used to it, wearing it like a second skin. Taking it off had caused a slight discomfort, as every move he made had become used to the additional bulk. Even reattaching the different plates felt much more natural than actually taking it off.

The cloak the innkeeper had given him went around his collarbone, like a tabard with sides. It worked like a curtain, drawing around his neck to conceal everything below. Two small hooks went together to ensure it didn’t fall off. Kyle had expected the cloak to be made of a thin, easily movable material, but instead of something like silk, the cloak had been sewn out of a rough cloth that scratched against his arms when he walked.

He climbed down the stairs, fascinated by how the cloak kept out of his way so he would not trip. The opening of the cloak also ensured he would be able to draw a weapon quickly if needed.

Kiara was already waiting downstairs with the innkeeper, discussing the best plan to get out of the city. She looked appreciatively at Kyle’s new cloak. “Nice.” she said. “We’ve decided that the best way out of the city would be to head towards the ports. That way we can skirt the army as they head towards the border. We’ll wait there for a while, then go to the capital.”

“You know, don’t you?” said Kyle. “The sentinels attacked Kanington, not the orcs.”

“That’s why we’re going to the capital. I’m not letting the sentinels have their way. We’ll go straight to the King and tell him.”

“Aye, you’ll try. But what makes you think he’ll listen?” said Sean’s father. “I doubt either of you two could get an audience with the King. It’s impossible.”

Kyle shrugged. “It might be. But I’m not going to sit around and watch people go to war for no good reason.”

“A fine decision if I ever heard one. You might want to take this with you as well.” He reached behind the bar and pulled out a sword, wrapped in cloth. “One of my travellers gave this to me once. Make sure you bring it back to me, whether it’s in pieces or not. And take care of my son.”

“I’ll see to it.” Kyle promised. He wished he could be half as confident as he sounded.

aaw you're making me blush :oops:
I really like the story and I know it's nice to know at least someone is reading it so you can count on me to keep posting :wink:
seems we're getting in trouble with Sentinels next... i'm really getting used to it now... the orders that are supposed to protect the world are corrupt and evil.. can only say it's the same in reality