Ash shifted uncomfortably. Thunder growled in the distance, shooting threads of green lightning across the sky. "Puck. Puck was...he was a friend, once. I wasn't ashamed to call him that. Back then, the three of us would often meet one another in the wyldwood, away from the condemnation of the courts. We didn't care about the rules. Back then, Puck and Ariella were my closest companions. I trusted them completely."

Ash's voice was soft with memory as he continued. "We were hunting," he explained again, "following our quarry into a territory none of us had seen. The wyldwood is huge, and some parts are constantly shifting, so it can be dangerous, even for us. We tracked the golden fox for three days, through unfamiliar woods and forest, making bets on whose arrow would finally take it down. Puck boasted that Winter would surely lose to Summer, and Ariella and I made the same boast in reverse. All the while, the forest around us grew dark and wild. Our horses were fey steeds whose hooves didn't touch the ground, but they were growing increasingly nervous. We should have listened to them, but we didn't, stubborn pride leading us on like fools."

"Finally, on the fourth day, we came to a rise that plunged down into a vast hollow. On the other side, trotting along the ridge, was the golden fox. The hollow separating us wasn't deep, but it was wide and filled with tangled shadows and undergrowth, making it difficult to see what was down there. Ariella wanted to go around, even though it would take us longer. Puck disagreed, insisting we would lose our quarry unless we rode straight through. We argued. I sided with Ariella--though I didn't see the reason for her apprehension, if she wasn't willing to go forward, I wasn't going to make her."

"Puck, however, had other ideas. As I turned my horse around, he let out a whoop, slapped Ariella's horse on the rump, and kicked his own steed forward. They plunged over the edge, racing down the slope, with Puck yelling at me to catch up if I could. I had no choice but to follow."

Ash fell silent, his eyes dark and haunted.

Isiea quietly listens. She wants to sleep, but she also wants to listen.

"... what happened then? "

He gave a bitter laugh. "Ariella was right, of course. Puck had led us straight into a wyvern nest." He explained what it was so they would know. "It's cousin to a dragon. Not as intelligent, but still extremely dangerous. And highly territorial. The thing rose up out of nowhere, all scales and teeth and wings, lashing at us with its poisoned stinger. It was enormous, an ancient drake, vicious and powerful. We fought our way free, the three of us, side by side. We'd been together so long we knew one another's fighting styles, and used them to take down the enemy. It was Ariella who landed the killing blow. But, as it was dying, the wyvern whipped its tail out one last time, striking her in the chest. Wyvern poison is extremely potent, and we were miles from any healers. We...we tried to save her, but..." He paused, taking a shaky breath

,, She didnt make it? ,, Isiea guesses quietly.

Lise could figure out what happened after.

"She died in my arms," he finished, making an audible effort to compose himself. "She died with my name on her lips, begging me to save her. As I held her, watched the life fade from her eyes, I could only think one thing--that Puck had caused this. If it wasn't for him, she would still be alive." His voice turned steely. "I swore, on that day, to avenge Ariella's death, to kill Robin Goodfellow, or die trying. We've clashed several times since, but Goodfellow always manages to slip away, or throw me some trick that ends our duels. I cannot rest while he lives. I promised Ariella that I would continue hunting Robin Goodfellow until one of us lies dead."

" This is just...my personal intake on this, but Puck has already died, so..."

Isiea is silent for a long while. ,, That was a [male genitalia] move on Pucks part. I understand why youd want to kill him for that. ,, Her tone seems sincere, but its hard to tell with Isiea.

Ash had lost someone he loved because of Puck's actions, a prank that finally went too far. "It doesn't matter." Ash shifted away from them, his voice cold. "My vow is binding. I cannot rest until I've completed my oath."