Elwyn woke to grunting and crunching outside the hut. Standing, he felt dizzy and had to steady himself against the wall before moving forward. What ever had been on his pillow still lingered. Fog fuzzed the edges of his vision. Stepping out into the sun blinded him and he stumbled. Large hands easily steadied him. Elwyn reached out and laid his hands on Togar's fore arms.

Screaming, Elwyn gripped harder. But his legs gave way and Togar lowered him to the ground. Knowing his nails were biting into the other man's flesh, he still could not release his hands. Acid poured through his blood and thunder pounded in his brain. Flooding over his mind were thousands of images that tumbled over and into each other. Father, Togar, Mother all moving through his mind together. The stories of their pasts together knotted and tangled up.

Laying Elwyn onto the ground, Togar easily extracted himself from the boy's grip. As soon as the contact was broken, the images eased and began to fade. Air burned into his lungs. Grabbing at his clothing, he tried to loosen the binding around his chest. Brightness continued to blind him. Fire. There was nothing but fire. People burned in the falling houses and hordes rushed over the fallen. A black tide of bodies pushed him down into the hot soil. Large claws dug into his shoulders and bit into his skin. He knew he was not himself now. But who?

A sharp clap brought him back. Togar was hunched down next to him and was now pressing his thumb down onto his forehead. The oil slid smoothly and the scent soothed him. Breathing deeply, he shuddered. The beast that had loomed over him was something for the future. But most of what he'd seen had been called up from the past of this man. Why was the past coming to him now? He'd hoped that he would be safe from the visions here. Instead they had morphed into something more difficult. How was his suppose to understand anything when the past and future began to present themselves folded together like this?

"A spell?" Togar asked.

He continued to apply the oil. He tipped a small vial so that a single drop fell onto the tip of his thumb, then he smeared onto Elwyn's neck, ears, chest and finally onto the back of each hand. With each touch, Elwyn felt himself relax more. Things began to slide back into the fog that he had woken in. The edges soft and the colors blending together. What was this drug? Another sharp clap and this time Elwyn realized that Togar had slapped him.

Pressing his hand against his cheek, he realized that this wasn't Togar's doing. What was happening to him? He started to sit up, but Togar pushed him back down. Pulling up Elwyn's shirt, he applied a thick paste over the stomach and chest. It stunk. But the fog blew away and the world felt firm around him.

"What is that?" Elwyn asked, unable to keep his nose from wrinkling.

"Salve," Togar said.

There was little for him to say, so Elwyn remained silent. Closing his eyes, he gave no resistance to Togar. It seemed that his spells would still evoke the fussing of adults. It didn't matter much the fashion in which this occurred. He had long ago learned that submitting was the quickest way through them. But this seemed different some how. The man did not appear distressed, but instead worked with sureness.

Togar left him and soon Elwyn smelled smoke. He had assumed that it was done, but when he started to get up, Togar again pushed him back. Now, Togar carefully drew on Elwyn's chest with the warm charred end of a stick. It was uncomfortable, but with the last mark Elwyn felt something snap into place. A wall seemed to now stand in his mind.

"What did you do?" Elwyn asked.

"Closed the door," Togar stated.

Finally, Elwyn was allowed to sit up. His mind felt clear. He regarded Togar carefully, but decided to keep his silence.

"Tell me about what you see," Togar said.

Elwyn did not comply. Instead, he got up and walked to the adorned tree. He leaned his forehead against the rough bark and sighed. Everything was so complex. What had father brought him here for? He knew that his stay here was to be a long one. There was no need to explain to him that Togar was now his master. But what was he apprenticing for?

"Come then," Togar said.

Elwyn turned and saw that Togar was now splitting the long bones that had been stacked beside his house. His hands were quick and sure. The tip of his knife pierced into the end of the bone and he then pried until the bone cracked, exposing the soft marrow. Elwyn sat on the ground next him and watched him work for a moment.

"What do you want me to do?"

Togar handed him a small wooden spoon that had a sharp edge.

"Scoop the marrow out into this."

Elwyn took the pot that Togar handed him. He dug at the marrow. It came away in small stubborn flakes. Taking the tool from him. Togar showed him on the bone he had just finished splitting. It was awkward, Elwyn was able to mimic the technique well enough that Togar returned to his work. They spent hours at their tasks without a single word said between them. When the first pot was full, Togar handed him another. When all the bones lay broken, Togar produced another tool and helped scoop out the marrow.

Once these tasks were complete, Togar stacked the bones against the house where they had previously been. Collecting the two pots, he carried them into the hut and tucked them among the others. After coming back into the sun, he stretched himself while watching Elwyn carefully. The boy was not aware of this observation. He smeared the marrow between his fingers and across the backs of his hands. Mumbling to himself he drew careful circles there.

Leaning over his hands, Togar asked "What's that?"

Looking up and then back down at his hands, he shrugged. Sometimes his mind wandered. During those times, he often drew his fingers in small circular patterns. They meant nothing to him, but they evoked deep feelings. He was not ready to share such things with this stranger. Togar seemed unconcerned about Elwyn's silence. Instead of pushing the issue, he put a small packet into the boy's hands. Unwrapping it, Elwyn found dried meat.

"Thank you," Elwyn whispered.

Something about it made him feel guilty for not talking more. His whole life had been spent keeping these secrets, it was unlikely that they would come out easily now. A desire to tell had always been there. Hiding felt like a lie. Was he such a freak that no one could love him with this burden?

Hooking a finger under the boy's chin, Togar lifted his face so that their eyes met. They were silent a moment before Togar gently wiped the tears from Elwyn's cheeks. Flushing, he felt ashamed. He hadn't even been aware that he was weeping. Feeling as though he was coming undone, he pushed Togar's hand away.

"The meat isn't that good," Togar said as he got up and returned to his hut.

Elwyn laughed softly while he rubbed at his eyes. Despite the disclaimer he had just been given, the meat was the best he had ever eaten. Perhaps it was because he had been so hungry, more so then he'd ever recalled being. But he suspected that it had merit in its own right that exceeded mother's ability to cook.

After eating, Elwyn went back to the adorned tree. This time he stared at the small pieces of bone that swayed with the breeze. They hit each other with a quiet and soft noise. Reaching up, he grasped one between his fore finger and thumb. It felt hot. There was a pressure beneath his fingers and he knew that there was something there. Trying to reach out to it, he came against the wall that Togar had drawn in his mind. Shoving his other hand beneath his shirt, he rubbed away the markings that Togar had made.

"You may not like what those bones have to say," Togar said.

Jumping and releasing the bone, he spun to look at Togar. He had made no sound when he had approached. Or had he been that drawn in?

"Who do they belong to?" Elwyn asked.

"Who?" Togar repeated the question.

Elwyn understood the implication this single word made. But he knew it was true. These bone were not from an animal. They had come from a humanoid.

"Yes. Who." Elwyn forced his eyes to lock onto Togar's.

"Your uncle. Eliate, green fire. The forest's rage."

Togar's were no longer focused. They seemed to be seeing some other place.

"Your mother killed him to save me and I still hate her for it," he whispered.

Silence stretched between them. Elwyn had nothing to say to this. A thousand questions rose from that single sentence, but he could not form any into anything meaningful. Was it the blood between them that had called him to the bones? No. There was some other connection, but he could not grasp onto it.

"Elwyn, green music," Togar murmured and laid his hand on Elwyn's head. "The forest's song."

Abruptly, Togar turned and left the clearing his little hut sat in. He disappeared quickly into the brush beneath the trees. Now alone, Elwyn looked again at the hanging bones. But he no longer desired to touch them. Their presence now unsettled him. Why had mother killed her own brother? He could think of nothing that would lead him to killing one of his family.