The Unhappy Heart (Book 1 of The Wolfheart Trilogy)

20. A Temporary Cure

Andrea nodded with relief, understanding the reason in his words. She followed Dagen back over to the fire where he knelt and began drawing out a map on a patch of cleared earth. 

"Dagen?" 

He grunted in reply which she took as permission to continue. 

"While I was at Harriet's, I was thinking over all that has happened. Something occurred to me and I was wondering if I had guessed right."

Dagen didn't even look at her as he carefully added the details to his rough outline. "And what was that?"

"I was thinking about that day, you brought the twins back to help you. I remembered that when you made me come out of the tree, I saw you had hit your head on a branch while you chased me. Then I also remembered that when you jumped me in wolf form, it wasn't until you were right up in my face that you saw I was just a girl. And the other night when you got caught, it was because you ran into a wall." 

Here, Dagen stopped his drawing and looked up sharply. 

"Ronan told me." Andrea blurted out without thinking.

Dagen narrowed his eyes. "What else did they say?"

"Not much," answered Andrea, intentionally forgetting about the conversation on phobias. "The thing is, I thought about all these things and it bothered me." She paused and took a deep breath. "You are going blind, aren't you?"

The stick fell from Dagen's hand and she heard him give a hard swallow. After a moment of silence, he gave a bitter laugh. 

"Seems you aren't as naïve and stupid as I first thought. Yes, the mighty loner Dagen, is nothing more than a half-blind dog."

Andrea flinched at his hard-cruel words even though they were directed more at himself than her. "Dagen, I'm sorry. I didn't kno-"

"Don't!" he snapped, turning on her. "Just don't. I accepted it long ago and I don't need your pity. It doesn't matter to me. Everyone knows a blind wolf is a dead one."

Andrea went to answer this. To say something that could convince him otherwise. But the words never came for at that moment she heard Ronan hollering to her. Spinning around she saw to her amazement and utter joy, Ronan entering the camp with his arm around the shoulders of a young boy.

Andrea and Dagen slowly headed over to them, both feeling awkward to meet the wolf in his human form. Rodarn approached them too, his feet equally dragging with reluctance. Just as Andrea was, he appeared to be taking in every detail of the human Felan.

The boy was dwarfed next to the large twin, but Andrea knew he was small in general. She stood shyly, her gaze taking him in. His eyes were the same as before, large and brown with a permanent look of curiosity. Like the twins who were Plains wolves, he was tanned and had brown hair albeit darker, that reached his shoulders. His face was a pixie shape and his ears were slightly pointed as were all the werewolves. He gave her a small timid smile.

"Felan is a nice name and I like it. But I am Torrin by birth, or so my mother called me."

Ronan gave him an approving smile. "It's suits as well as Felan did though."

Torrin nodded. "Aye, I suppose it does as I can now inform you that you guessed correctly. My father is Weylin and my grandfather is Ulric. My mother told me to never speak a word of it, but I don't think she could ever have guessed how things would turn out."

Dagen stepped slower to put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Torrin, what happened to her?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Andrea saw Rodarn make a quick movement and glanced at him. The older boy was staring at Torrin, but occasionally looking to his younger twin with concern. He made as if to approach them both, then seemed to think better of it. Andrea frowned, but turned away as Torrin spoke again.