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	Thea sat in the chill of one of the castle rooms, her brown gaze staring impatiently out a clear portion of a narrow, stained glass window. A wolf with a short pelt of black-marked gray laid curled near her feet, his head resting on his paws and eyes half closed. Master Graden—a man Thea enjoyed comparing to a mouse who sniffled every couple sentences, and cleared his throat in the ones between—stood at the front of the small room, droning on about the history of Scientists and Mages. With the rumors of recent sightings of Scientists going around, her mother had thought it wise she be further educated on the matter. Much to Thea’s displeasure.
	Outside, beyond the castle’s north wall, a series of trees struggled to compete with the wall's height. Their leaves were a mix of summer’s last green and the fiery colors of fall. A gentle breeze kissed the tops of the trees, making them sway just enough for Thea to notice over the distance.
	Her impatience turned to longing as she glanced to the sky to judge the time. It had been months since she had seen her best friend, Byrce, and now, at long last, they were to meet in the castle garden, in their usual spot. But Master Graden had gone off on yet another off-topic rant, further extending his lesson.
	“Forgive me, Master Graden,” she began as he sniffled for the umpteenth time. The wolf raised his head at the sound of her voice, his ears twitching as he looked up to her.
	Confusion crossed Master Graden’s face at his interrupted thought as he looked to her, his graying hair glistening slightly in the light from the window from the amount of grease he used to keep it in place.
	Thea stood casually, her palms on the carved table in front of her and the sleeves of her emerald, floor-length dress draping downward.
	The wolf, Zane, got to his feet with a yawn.
	 “I appreciate the time you’ve set apart for this,” she lied, “but it really was scheduled for a poor day. I have a previous engagement I must attend to.” She stepped toward the door, her eyes and fake smile still on Graden. “Tomorrow would be a more suitable day.” [i]But [u]never[/u] would be ideal,[/i] she added to herself. 
	“But your mother—”
	“Will understand, I’m sure.”
	[i]Father, on the other hand…[/i] She hurried to the heavy door and pulled it open enough for her and Zane to walk through side-by-side. Her father’s inevitable lecture for cutting the mousy man off early would be worth it.
	“Until the morrow, Master Graden!” she called as the man sniffled and opened his mouth, his eyes wrinkled in irritation.
	Before he could protest, Thea shut the door behind her and the wolf, and hurried down the hall, gripping her skirts to keep from tripping on it. Once she thought she was a safe distance away to avoid him seeing her when he left, she stopped and looked to the wolf.
	Zane looked up to her questioningly, a long-healed scar marring his snout, and she grinned.
	“Let’s see if Byrce is here yet, shall we?” She reached down and rubbed his head, before hurrying down the halls, her speed this time fueled by hopeful excitement. 
	Zane easily kept up, running beside her on quiet feet. As they neared a bend in the hall, his ears flattened against his head, and he growled softly as he took a slight lead.
	“Zane!” She drew out his name with a roll of her eyes, trying to regain a position at the front. “It’s probably just one of the—”
	Before she could finish, she turned the corner at the same time as her eldest brother, Cedric, nearly running into him. Thankfully, with a surprised shout, she managed to nimbly avoid him, her body twisting just enough to prevent a collision as he skidded to a halt.
	Unlike Thea with her mother’s heart-shaped face and fiery-red hair, the front tied up in an elegant braid wrapped around her head, Cedric was the spitting image of their father. He kept his wavy brown hair short. He had a strong, oval face that was, at least according to him, handsome, sporting a bit of stubble. The only feature that may make onlookers guess the two were related were their dark eyes.
	“Cedric!” Thea placed a hand theatrically over her heart, and gave an exaggerated sigh as Zane hunched down slightly beside her, growling. “You really [i]should[/i] watch where you’re going,” she teased with a smile.
	Cedric glared down at her, his tallness only making her look that much shorter. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting a lesson this afternoon?” he snapped, his bushy eyebrows raising. Dressed in armor no doubt for a sparring session with the knights, he rested a hand leisurely on the hilt of the sword hanging around his waist. He turned his glare toward the wolf as it moved protectively closer to Thea.
	“Aren’t [i]you[/i] late for sparring practice?” she taunted, raising one eyebrow and reaching down to stroke Zane’s neck to try calming him.
	Cedric snorted. “Off to see your little dog friend, I take it? I heard he was here.” He jerked his head toward the hall behind him. “Heading to the garden, I believe.”
	Thea’s face lit up. Byrce had made it. 
	“You’re more [i]dog[/i] than he is, Cedric!” Thea responded lightly.
	He crossed his arms as Thea gathered part of her skirt once more, and hurried around him. “Why don’t you two just marry and be done with it?”
	She laughed and turned, grinning and walking backwards a few prancing steps as she called back to him. “You’re just jealous I actually have a real friend!”
	With that, she and Zane raced down the corridor toward the outer castle gardens, leaving Cedric standing alone with a dark scowl on his face.