He was in a bright room. It was so bright that the shadow that suddenly appeared in front of him almost blinded him more than the light. The shadow seemed shapeless at first, but as Dust strained and squinted his eyes, the shadow took shape. In front of him stood the shape of a deer with the shoulder height of about 2 meters and antlers that reminded of a crown more than natural antlers. Dust looked at the creature in front of him for a few seconds or minutes, he could not estimate the time.

He was about to extend his hand when the creature tilted its head. Hesitantly, Dust extended his hand and waited to see if anything would happen. When the creature paused in its position, Dust placed his hand between the bases of the antlers. The moment his paw touched the creature's head, he could just see the creature's eyes light up before all at once he was sweating in his bed.

It was still pitch dark and Dust didn't know how long he had been asleep, but he felt wide awake. He opened and closed his eyes a few times and for a moment he could still see the outline of the creature behind his eyelids.

He climbed out of his bed and crept to the window so as not to wake his sister. As he looked out, he could see that the sky was already getting lighter. As Dust sat back down on his bed, he closed his eyes and tried to make sense of his dream.

What was this creature? It didn't look like any species I know. Was it watching me? It seemed... intelligent. He tried to remember details but the only thing he saw in his mind's eye was the huge silhouette and the flashing of the eyes when he touched the creature.

A few minutes later, he heard Ash stir and get up. He looked over at her and says quietly, "Well, awake already?"

"I could ask you the same thing. You're usually the one who oversleeps, aren't you?" replied Ash, still a little sleepy.

"Had a bad dream or something. Well now it's probably not worth sleeping," Dust said, turning completely to face his sister.

Ash sat up as well and rubbed his eyes, yawning and stretching. Then half seriously and half teasingly asked, "Well are you excited little brother?"

Dust pulled his backpack from under his bed, looked at his sister and asked challengingly, "Just a little bit. What about you?"

"Apparently not quite as much as you," she replied and they both giggled.

About an hour later, the sun was high enough to cast some light on the clearing Dust called home. He and Ash went down to the first floor of the house and made their breakfast in the kitchen. It was still early, so the only other person in the room was Flare, who was already chewing on some bread that had been freshly baked the day before.

When he saw the two, he waved at them and when they sat down with him, he said good-humoredly, "Well, you're actually over-punctual! Then we can leave on time later and not walk too long in the midday heat."

"I was also surprised that Dust was up so early. He probably couldn't sleep much from excitement," Ash replied, lightly pinching her brother's side.

"Ouch! Yeah, that's one way to put it," Dust said, thinking about his strange dream again.

They ate their breakfast and just as they were finishing more residents of Heimathain came into the room. The three talked for a while until Flare said at some point, "Well I think it's time. Shall we meet at the entrance?"

Dust and Ash nodded and went to their room to get their things.

When they had retrieved their bags and still supplied themselves with water hoses, the two went to the largest opening in the tree wall. Waiting next to Flare were Grayhaze, Even, and Cloud with Dust's little sister Hope, whose fur pattern resembled Dust's but had the black and white halves of her body reversed.

Dust and Ash hugged their mother and sister and shook Grayhaze's hand. The old cat said with a somewhat proud undertone, "Well, take care of yourselves. I don't want any of you to get eaten by any creature of the forest."

Dust laughed nervously, but his grandfather's firm handshake reassured him. He straightened his back, looked Grayhaze in the eye, and said as confidently as he could, "I won't let you down! Whatever is in the delivery, I will bring it!"

"I have no doubt about that. And if something should happen, remember your training. The way you worked our targets, no opponent should be a problem," Grayhaze replied, patting his grandson on the shoulder.

Dust grinned broadly and was about to leave when Even grabbed him by the shoulder. Dust turned to her and before he could react, she threw herself around his neck.

"Please come back safely!" she said into his shoulder.

Somewhat puzzled, Dust squeezed her for a moment and when she let him go again he replied, "Of course."

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment and Dust could have sworn Even's face was coming closer to his. But he heard his sister whistle and went to her. 

"Ready?" asked Ash.

Dust nodded and they waved again to those around them as they walked off. Hope walked a few more feet after them before rejoining her mother. Dust noticed how his grandfather looked thoughtful for a moment, but the expression disappeared from his face after a second. Even looked a bit pensive as well, but Dust found her behavior of the last few days strange anyway. 

As the village disappeared among the trees, Flare said with amusement, "She's totally into you!"

"What- Who?" stammered Dust, a little thrown off his game.

Flare and Ash exchanged a look and this time Ash said, "Well who do you think? The one who's not really being inconspicuous about her affection towards you!"

Dust frowned for a moment but then it came to him. "Even?! Aw shucks, she's just being nice to me," he said slowly.

Ash and Flare laughed out at the same time. "Yeah, right, and what do you think that was all about?" laughed Flare.

Dust had to think for a moment and then he buried his face in his hands. "She was trying to... Ah I'm an idiot!" he groaned and had to stifle a laugh as he threw his head back into his neck.

"It's no big deal brother," Ash said still laughing and nudged him, "So, are you going to take the chance?"

Dust rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and looked down at the ground. "Well I don't know. I-I mean she's nice and all but..." he fell silent.

"Oh don't worry about it. There's still a lot of Felinae, so don't rush into anything. I mean my brother didn't get together with his current husband until he was 24 either," Flare said, putting a hand on Dust's shoulder.

"So you have four years left," Ash chuckled.

"Very funny. So you have two years left sister," Dust teased with a sideways glance at his sister.

Ash whistled appreciatively and replied exaggeratedly, "Not bad. Hope you're as good with the blade as you are with the words."

"Speaking of the blade," Flare interjected, "are you excited yet?"

Dust looked at him questioningly, and was even more confused when he saw that his sister seemed to know what the black and white tom was talking about.

"Oh he didn't tell you then," Flare remarked when he saw Dust's expression. "The shipment we're picking up. It's swords for you and a few others in the village."

Now Dust knew what they were talking about, too. When Felinae in their tribe completed their basic training, they were given their own sword of traditional Felinae design and with the owner's name engraved on the quillons.

"Does that mean I'm done with training?" asked Dust excitedly.

"Well you haven't gotten your final test yet. So your blade may very well not be there," Ash replied thoughtfully.

"Oh yeah right," Dust said a little dejectedly. He remembered the eagle Ash had shot down mid-flight and even more so the Sickle Claw, a bipedal predatory lizard about six feet tall that his brother had killed.

Ash seemed to have noticed because she said in her soothing tone, "But knowing Grandpa, I'm sure he's thought of something. Let's just wait until we get the shipment and then we'll see if you get one too."

They walked on silently for a while until Dust noticed something on the path ahead of them. He walked to a churned-up patch of ground that, at first glance, looked like normal tracks of deer. But instead of the tracks of wild boar or deer, it was the tracks of something else.

"What's that? Have you guys seen anything like that before?" asked Dust over his shoulder.

Ash and Flare also knelt around the spot and examined the ground. 

"Looks like battle scars. Is that a wolf? But it's too big for that," Ash puzzled.

"Then there would be blood here. Also, these are human tracks here" Flare pointed to a print that was clearly from a human.

"Whatever this animal is. It's... as big as we are" Dust noted in shock as he compared the size of the paw prints to his own. He stood up and tried to follow the animal's scent, which wasn't difficult at first, as it had snapped enough branches and trampled enough plants along the way. 

But soon the trail got lost in a clearer part of the forest. Dust cursed and turned back to Ash and Flare. "Nothing! The trail gets lost, I'm afraid," he announced in frustration.

"I followed the human trail, but it's not going anywhere either," Flare replied, equally frustrated.

Ash took another look at the spot on the ground, then said, "Let's just hope nothing happened to the person. I'd rather investigate this further too, but we have to keep moving or we won't get there in time."

"You're right. Let's go," Flare agreed with her and the three continued walking through the forest.

Dust looked behind him once more at the churned ground and thought, There are no wolves that big. And what happened to the human? It doesn't add up.

"I've heard of creatures that are a lot like us, but look more like wild dogs or hyenas," Flare interrupted him in his thoughts.

Ash shook her head and replied, "Yeah but they live way too far east of here and only move in groups."

"Maybe it was just a very big wolf and the human was able to scare it away without getting hurt," Dust reasoned, but he realized for himself that couldn't be true.

They went on for about two more hours until Flare said, "All right. I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry!"

Ash and Dust nodded in agreement, so they sat down on a fallen tree nearby, where they ate a snack.

"Next time I'm in Woodford, I'll ask if anyone is missing," Flare said with his mouth full, "at least that's the closest human settlement before the forest."

"But why would someone walk that far into the woods alone, and off the beaten path to boot?" mused Dust over the bread he was eating.

Ash shrugged her shoulders. "Wouldn't be the first self-proclaimed adventurer out here in the forest trying to find new species of animals or this old elf city."

Dust had also heard of many people who entered the Jewel Forest in hopes of fame and adventure and were never blessed again. Most of them were probably eaten by a dire lizard or dragon, or fell victim to one of the other myriad dangers in the eternal green. He knew there were many strange things in the depths of the forest, but giant wolves were new to him. Especially so close to the edge of the forest.

When they were done eating, they packed up their things and continued walking in the same direction as before.

"When are we going to get there?" asked Dust, trying not to sound annoying.

Ash had to chuckle and answered, "If we keep going like this and nothing comes up," she thought for a moment, "we should be at the meeting place in about three to four hours. That's where we'll set up camp for the night and hopefully receive the delivery tomorrow. Why do you ask? You're not exhausted, are you?"

"No way! I could probably march on until morning!" replied Dust more confidently than he really was. In fact, his feet were starting to hurt.

They spent the next few hours coming up with the most diverse and crazy theories about what had happened to the human and the wolf. Dust especially liked Flare's idea that the human had turned into a wolf, but he was aware that this would only be possible through very powerful magic. The kind closely guarded by the most powerful mages in the world.

As dusk began to fall, they reached a clearing where the distinct tracks of many camps could be seen. Ash and Flare picked a spot at the edge of the clearing and began to set up their small tents.

"Can you go find some firewood already, brother? You can leave your tent here and we'll set it up," Ash said from under the leather tarp that made up their tent.

Dust put his backpack with the other two and headed into the undergrowth to look for suitable sticks, which he managed to do fairly quickly.

As he made his way back to camp, feeling the distance he had traveled in his feet, he noticed a swath in the bushes. If that wasn't one of us, it was a pretty big animal, he thought. He knelt down to look for tracks, but instead of the cloven-hoofed tracks of a deer he expected to see, he saw the same large paw prints he had seen at noon. This time they were much better preserved, which made Dust notice something he had blamed on poor preservation at the other track. 

One, two, one, two, he counted the individual tracks several times, why do they all look like hind paws? He traced the ferry a bit and then compared the tracks to his own. Only hind paws. It only walks on his hind paws, so it must walk upright.

Suddenly, a frightening thought occurred to him and he checked the direction the trail was going. Relieved, he realized that it led away from the clearing. He tucked the firewood tighter under his arm and hurried back to camp. 

Once there, he saw that Flare and Ash had just finished setting up the three small tents. Only now he noticed how dark it had become in the meantime.

He threw the branches between the tents and said excitedly, "I found traces of that wolf again! It was around here and he walks on two legs, like us!" 

Ash and Flare gave each other a questioning look and Flare replied, "Real slow. How far from the clearing was this and how fresh were the tracks?"

"About a hundred meters west of here," Dust considered for a moment, "and the tracks must have been made sometime today."

"It's too dark now. We'll have to keep extra watch tonight in case whatever this is comes back," Ash said, starting to build the campfire.

"And you're quite sure about what you saw? We can't afford to joke around out here," Flare said doubtfully to Dust.

Still upset and now somewhat indignant, Dust replied, "Of course I'm sure! I can show you the tracks tomorrow."

"Very well, I'll take the first watch. After that, it's your turn Dust and then Ash."
They nodded to each other and began to eat dinner, being careful not to cause too much light and smoke.

After dinner, Dust went to sleep immediately to be rested enough for his watch.

He heard the crackling in the undergrowth and immediately got to his feet. Then he saw the movement in the bushes right in front of him and knew that the animal would be big. Very big. Too big for him alone. 

He wanted to go wake the others, but at that moment the branches in front of him broke apart and a shadow of fur, teeth and claws leapt at him and before Dust could fight back or flee, he was pinned to the ground by the creature. Two widened eyes seemed to stare directly into his soul as the fangs drew closer and closer to his neck.

Dust closed his eyes as he suddenly heard the beast say his name. It was a deep rumbling voice that kept repeating his name.

All at once the voice changed to Flare's calm voice and when Dust opened his eyes again he was no longer in the claws of a beast, but in his tent and Flare was poking his head through the tarps.

"Wake up, it's your turn to stand guard. And don't you go to sleep. If we get eaten by sickle claws, I'll come from beyond the grave and curse you," the cat said, winking at Dust.

Sleepily, Dust sat up and asked, "Have you seen any?"

"Yes a small pack. But it's just these little things. The most they'll do is steal our food, but watch out anyway."

"All right, thanks Flare," Dust said as he climbed out of the tent.

"Did you have a bad night's sleep? You look like you've seen a ghost," Flare remarked.

Dust smoothed his fur on the side he had been sleeping on and replied, "Just a bad dream. I dreamt that this wolf or whatever it is attacked us."

Flare put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly and said, "Don't worry about it. There's a very simple explanation for it," he yawned briefly, "I'm going to sleep now, good luck Dust."

"Thank you and sleep well," Dust replied and sat down on a tree stump.

How am I going to be a good hunter if I'm already so afraid of some animal? he thought as he stared into the darkness.

The next few minutes were quiet and Dust began to calm down, but then he heard the bushes rustling near him. He was about to sound the alarm when he heard a sound that was a mixture of a cat's purr and a bird's call.

Dust went to his backpack and pulled out some salted meat. Then he sat back on the stump and threw some of the meat on the ground in front of him. "Come on, I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered.

Shortly after, four small creatures jumped into his field of vision and sniffed the meat. They were about half a meter high, feathered lizards that resembled birds in their physique.

As they began to eat the meat Dust grinned and tossed them some more. "You guys really are small," he said softly. That means there are no bigger ones around. At least I don't have to worry about that.

He watched the sickle claws eat some more and sank deeper into thought. Will my sword be with the delivery? No, I haven't proven myself yet. But if I don't come out of the woods, I'll never be able to outdo Smoke. He sighed and watched the sickle claws disappear back into the forest when there was no more meat.

Dust spent the next few hours pursuing similar thoughts, walking the edge of the forest by their camp, always expecting to be ambushed by a giant wolf-like monster.

When his shift ended, he made his way to his sister's tent, stuck his head between the leathery sheets, and whispered, "Ash, hey Ash. Wake up, it's your turn."

All that came from the gray tabby at first was a tired and annoyed groan, but when Dust didn't let up, she straightened up from her sleeping bag.

"You should get a quiet shift, there's just a pack of little sickle claws creeping around".

"I hope so. I'm really too tired for any trouble" Ash replied yawning as she climbed out of the tent.

"And what if that wolf...thing comes?"

"Then I'll wake you and Flare up and together we'll get the village a new trophy," Ash said with a wink, "Now go to sleep."

They said their goodbyes for the rest of the night and shortly after Dust settled back into his sleeping bag and fell asleep rather quickly. It was a restless sleep filled with dreams of wolves, the urge to prove himself, a glowing deer-like creature, and the fear of failing.

Most of these dreams he had already forgotten before he woke up again, but one he would be able to remember days later. 

Dust was standing in a huge stone room or cave, he couldn't tell for sure, looking into a pool of water in front of him. The water was an unnatural light blue and seemed to glow slightly, and small ripples covered the surface. Small vibrations went through the bottom, causing the water to almost slosh at Dust's feet. Just as he wondered where he was, several beams of light erupted from the water. To Dust's surprise, they bent and moved like legs or tentacles. Dust tried to back away, but realized in a panic that he could not move his body. At that moment, a ball of pure light rose from the water and Dust saw only white. He closed his eyes, but the light was strong enough to shine through his eyelids. All at once it was dark and he opened his eyes again. Around him now there was nothing but darkness and a small shining dot. This dot came closer and out of the light peeled the shape of the huge deer Dust had seen the night before. It stopped in front of Dust again and touched him with its muzzle. There was a flash of light and Dust heard a soothing voice say, "It begins again. Find it and fulfill the duty of the claw." 

When darkness fell again, he was back in his tent, sweating.