Zane gave a yelp when Bryce nudged into him on his way forward. He snapped slightly at him, then turned to make chase, but stopped to look to Thea with a whine and pawing at the ground.
	Thea, with a smile that echoed in her eyes, swirled back around with a twirl of her skirts, and hurried after Byrce. Though she knew she could not keep up with the speed of a wolf, she ran, just as eager to leave the castle behind her as her friend seemed to be. Zane kept a steady pace between them, trying to split his focus between the wolf ahead of him and the girl behind.
	Hidden among a rather dense gathering of shrubs, face shrouded in shadow by the hood of a cloak, a pair of eyes watched the trio race toward their “secret” passage. With everything from the figure’s form to the neigh imperceptible beat of its heart masked by a small device in the figure’s gloved hand, the gentle whoosh of a contented sigh went unnoticed. With a smug air, the figure stood from its crouch once the three were out of sight, and turned back toward the castle.
	Thea reached the passage last.
	Ivy clung to the castle’s outer wall stretching to either side of her. The vines hung in a sheet from about half-way up the massive structure, where the stones took on a smooth texture preventing the plant--and any invading forces--from finding any footing. Near where one side of the wall met the other, Zane waited impatiently for her.
	She gave him a quick rub between his ears, got on her knees, and pushed part of the ivy aside. A tunnel not much larger than she was on hands-and-knees waited beyond, the vines untouched for years. She crawled through it as quickly as she could, Zane at her heels. The vines fell back into place behind them, casting the already dim tunnel into near complete darkness.
	It did not take long to reach the other side, which was guarded by an illusion to make the entrance look as solid as the rest of the wall.
	Thea emerged on the other side where her friend waited. Now covered in dirt and a couple spider webs Byrce’s fur had not cleared away, she stood. Wasting no time in attempting to brush herself off, she looked to where her friend waited as Zane exited the tunnel. She smiled lightly at his posture, a posture he always took when they were out together. A posture of high-alert she had seen Zane take on many occasions. Except, of course, for the grin Byrce wore that only a werewolf could give.
	She eyed him suspiciously for a short moment, wondering what laid behind the lupine grin, then glanced toward the east where the river waited. 
	“Last one to the river’s a skinned lizard!” she shouted over her shoulder as she raced off toward the water.
	Zane gave a bark in surprise when she suddenly took off through the dense trees surrounding this part of the castle, and hurried after her.