Here's a shorter part for today. ____________________________ Lois awoke slowly, slowly becoming aware of the light that filtered down from the trees. It was far too dark. With this realization he sat up, carefully bracing himself so he wouldn't fall out of the tree. He found, however, that he was no longer in the tree, but sitting against it. He glanced about, trying to get his bearings, but could find nothing familiar anywhere. "Nervous?" a voice asked from nearby. Lois turned quietly and faced the figure, finding a tall, hooded figure who stood against a tree, hood pulled back so Lois could get some idea of what he looked like. It was a little vague in the failing light, but he could see dark, shoulder-length hair that was tied just above the shoulders, some rough facial hair that made him look like he had been on the run for days. It was a familiar face, one that he had seen many mornings after finally shaking pursuit after a high-profile assassination. The face wasn't just like the one he saw in the mirror then, it was the same face. Lois decided not to respond, letting the reassurance that this was all just a dream quiet his panic. He dropped the pack that he had been carrying over his shoulder, reaching in to draw out a long-stemmed pipe. He didn't give the apparition the satisfaction of thinking it had rushed him, and instead took his time readying it and lighting it off. He took a few puffs, then gave a quiet sigh. "I think we've been through this meeting before," he commented. "Indeed. Tell me, Lois, the last time you smoked was right after our last such meeting, was it not? Of course it was; I'm you, I know that smoking is reserved for times when I need to still my frayed nerves." "That's funny, the part about you being me, I mean," Lois said, playing with the tip of the pipe as he tried to figure out how best to use it with his muzzle. "See, last I checked we look nothing alike." He gestured to himself, still Cursed and looking nothing like the much younger, less furry man that stood just off to the side. He ever pulled his tail around to demonstrate the amount of difference between the two of them, grinning around the pipe. The human laughed, stepping away from the tree. "I remember that pipe," he mused, changing the subject. "I believe it belonged to some self-styled noble, quite a disgusting man if I remember." "Don't worry, I made sure that it was thoroughly cleaned before I even considered placing it in my own mouth," Lois commented. The apparition chuckled, shaking his head. He looked Lois over and shook his head grimly. "For a man that has so thoroughly refused to consider returning to the assassin's trade over the past few years, you certainly have no trouble flaunting the spoils of your earlier triumphs." "There is no law that says that tomorrow's success cannot be built on the mistakes of the past. Refusing to acknowledge my past would be just about as deadly as returning to follow those paths once more." "You just have not come to realize just how much a part of you being an assassin is," the apparition scolded, narrowing his eyes. "Someday you will again be a terror in the dark, and it will not be our conversations that convince you. It will simply be to you what you always should have been, and always will be." "If that is true, then why do you insist on prolonging this meeting? Why do you insist on coming here at all?" The man smiled, stepping back a few paces. "I remain here as a reminder of your past, and an omen of your future. I come here not to convince you to go back, but to assure you that you will go back. You are me, just as surely as you are an assassin. That coat of fur may be a convenient hiding place for now, but it only serves to conceal the man you are." As he spoke these words, his form shifted, changing rapidly in front of Lois' eyes. Where a man had stood a moment ago, an ermine identical to himself stood, smiling at him coldly. "In the end, you and I are one and the same." Lois jerked awake, barely having the presence of mind to grasp a nearby branch to keep from falling to the ground. He took a few breaths and tried to clear his head, and finally looked down to see if Gerard was still there. He was relieved to see the stag's hidden form under the strip of material. A few more moments passed, and he finally got his wits about himself enough to check the time of day. Oddly, it seemed little changed. He sighed and dropped from the tree, moving over to his friend. He wasn't certain whether he had slept through an evening, but at this point he decided they had waited long enough to get moving. He carefully awakened the stag, bracing just in case his friend panicked. The deer's eyes did shoot open in shock, but he calmed as soon as he saw Lois crouched beside him. "We need to start moving," Lois whispered. The stag nodded, and slowly stood with some help from the ermine. The injured leg did not look particularly encouraging, but a few moments of testing verified that Gerard would be able to hobble about at a high enough pace to make for the Keep. Lois took a deep breath and nodded his approval. "All right, let's go." Lois had soon prepared everything they could use in their journey south, and the two of them started making their way slowly south. The going was slow because of Gerard's leg, but there was no helping it. Lois simply hoped that no one saw them out here. He kept his eyes out just in case, but with only two of them he couldn't guarantee that no one would be able to track them down without him noticing. At least Gerard's form was still graceful enough to limp along quietly. It was something at least, and it gave Lois some hope that they would make it back undetected. At this point it was their only sure hope for survival. !DSPAM:4e700f32316681804284693!