Keva didn't look too happy about being left in the dark, and Javier agreed with his alpha's thoughts on this. But They were here to make friends and allies, not question everything they didn't agree with. Keva pursed her lips and with a grunt she walked in Huna Li's footsteps up to the main lodge.

The group of Shape shifters ate in silence. They were all exhausted but they knew that their share of village work still needed to be done. And none of the native peoples seemed to be too worse off from the ceremony last night.

Javier ripped at a large chunk of venison mechanically as he stared blankly ahead of him. He wasn't looking forward to today and he knew that sticky, heavy feeling that had settled down around his shoulders would never really leave him, not till he got a good night's sleep, and maybe half a day afterwards.

The doors to the main lodge opened. Javier looked up and was a little surprised to see not only Yrsa standing in the open doorway, but next to her was Latham.

Yrsa was standing tall, her back was straight, her long blonde hair was done in a long braid that hung down over her left shoulder. Her body was relaxed, but her piercing cool blue eyes were as attentive and focused as ever.

Latham stood arrow straight next to her. His long greying hair was loose down his back, but while Yrsa stood relaxed, Latham seemed tense, wound up for some reason. It was the way he held his shoulders and his back. His bright eyes stared evenly ahead.

Rorric stood up, meeting the gazes of the new comers. He said nothing, and was joined by the rest of the village council as they all rose to their feet. Rorric led them through the hall in a silent procession. Huan Li rose to his feet and moved in behind them, as the rest of the hall followed suit.

When the village counsel got to Yrsa and Latham, there were no words exchanged. Instead, Latham turned around and walked back out into the cold late morning air. Yrsa wasn't wearing particularly heavy clothing, Javier noticed, then again neither was Latham. The pack rose to their feet and followed the procession out the doors. When Javier left through the main doors of the hall, no one was left behind.

It didn't take them too terribly long to understand that they were headed back to the fighter's circle. Javier shook his head, trying to make sense of everything, "Does this mean that they're both healed? Did the galdr work last night or not?"

Neither Keva, nor Michelle had any answers and both shrugged their shoulders. Hysminai, and Soter didn't have any answer for him either. Hysminai should have some idea since he was reborn on the new moon and was a healer, but these people did things very differently than he was used to.

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Yrsa and Latham stepped into the fighting circle, just as they had done a week or two ago. Latham walked to the far end as Yrsa took two short steps into the circle and stopped, watching the back of Latham as he made his way to the far side of the circle.

It hadn't snowed in the last few days so the ground was relatively clear, though the snow that did mat the ground was hard as ice. It was then that Javier noticed that both, Yrsa and Latham, were barefoot.

Latham allowed his body to come to a lazy stop. He turned around slowly and looked towards the village counsel who had taken up their familiar places around the fighter's circle. Latham's blue eyes were hard as he stared at Rorric.

Rorric turned to Yrsa, and in a clear voice asked in their native tongue, "Will the fight continue?"

Yrsa regarded the village Counselman, "It will, if Latham wishes it to." Yrsa felt no malice towards Latham, nor did she feel pity. Through her ordeal she had learned that her pain came from the loss of her father. His choices are what caused him to die. He could have chosen to live. His choices were not to be blamed on the actions of others. Last night, the healing spell had permeated her body, sealing the old wounds and making her whole in ways that she had never known. She felt peace above everything, peace with what happened and what will happen. She could also feel the connection to her rage. Before, it had been like a fire through a clear heavy curtain. She could feel it, she could see it, but she could never touch it. Now she knew that her rage was hers to control, not the other way around.

Rorric turned to face Latham and asked in an equally clear and loud voice, "What say you Latham, will the fight continue?"

The older man shrugged out of his fur vest and shirt and stood bare chested. His hands clenching in fists. No other answer was needed. Yrsa understood and readied herself as she had before. Without warning Latham charged.

The village was not cheering this time around. There was an unnatural silence that had fallen around the people that stood around the fighter's circle. The two fighters collided in that silence, filling the forest around them with the sickening thud of flesh and bone colliding.

Latham fought like a man possessed. He threw wild hey makers and shoulder charges. Yrsa answer was no less brutal. She threw herself at Latham with the same blood fury that she had the first time they fought, except different. Her rage now was a pure, white-hot light that she had never experienced before. It gripped her, and yet somehow, she felt in control.

Both fighters' strength and endurance were super human and the fight dragged on and on. As Javier watched, he began to notice a few subtle things. Where Latham's attacks were wild and relied are pure strength and brutality, Yrsa on the other hand answered with focused counters and controlled punches. It was like watching a heavy weight fight, and the bigger stronger fighter was relying on pure strength. Yrsa, on the other hand, though no less brutal and blood thirsty, her attacks seemed to be planned, like she was focusing her attacks into chosen punches.

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