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Zander had been on the run now for a few weeks and he was tired. Tired of running from the King's men, tired of being away from Rhia now for what seemed like a lifetime, and tired of life in general. He was ready to go hide in a cave somewhere in the southern mountains, preferably with Rhia, and not have to see another human being or Azrein again in what was left of his lifetime. But he knew that would never happen. There was too high a price on his head at the moment for fate to allow him to simply fade into the background of current events. So for now, he just needed to find a safe haven, and lay low for a while, until things calmed down a bit. Then he could resurface, and maybe make it to the next rendezvous with his wife.

He'd made his way south to the base of the Unthal Mountains, and found a large enough cave to be comfortable in for a while. He gathered what food he could easily find around the area and after storing it safely away in the cave, decided to go hunting for more fulfilling fare. It had been some time since he had used his bow, so hunting would give him a chance to refresh his archery skills. The land around the base of the mountains didn't lend itself to stealth, as there were very few trees. Much of the landscape was grassland, so he kept his eyes open for birds.

The sun was setting by the time he headed back to the cave, two pheasants tied together by their legs, and hanging from his bow. He'd eat well for the next couple of days, and then have to go back out again. It was cool enough in the back of the cave, that the meat would not go bad in two days time. As he approached the base of the mountain, a movement caught his eye. He immediately stopped, slid his bow off his back, placed the pheasants on the ground at his feet, and pulling an arrow from his quiver, quickly and silently, hooked the arrow to the bow string. About 500 yards ahead of him, and directly in front of the entrance to his cave, stood a large, red horse. It had formidable horns atop its head, and long, flowing hair on its back. It was facing away from him, so the absence of a tail was quite noticeable. Before he could move though, the horse turned, and it was then he realized what he was looking at. The large male was a Capra, like the Azrein his wife had bonded with. What was her name? He couldn't remember at the moment, but it was definitely one of her breed. He didn't need an Azrein nosing around his cave. For all he knew, this was one of the King's allies, sent south to search him out. He stood there watching the Capra, to see what it was going to do.

It had been waiting for him? For a long time? What could that possibly mean? Zander kept his guard and his bow up, as he returned the capra's greeting. "Well met indeed Azrein, but you have me at a disadvantage. I was not expecting company. How could you possibly have known I would be here, in this place, at this time?" Zander was not a fan of the Azrein. Rhia had been chosen by one of these capra, and she wouldn't come anywhere near Zander. Hell, she took every opportunity to go off on her own anytime he and Rhia were together. He just assumed it was something in his character that the Azrein didn't like, so he assumed all Azrein would treat him with the same disregard. The fact that this male was here, saying he had been waiting for him, took Zander by surprise. He waited for the Azrein to explain itself before making any decision on whether or not to loose his arrow into its chest. He had to admit though that the capra was beautiful. It was so unlike his wife's capra, who was much lighter in her coloring.

Zander had no idea what the capra was talking about, and he said as much. "I have no interest in being yours or any other Azrein's Chosen, so you can just go back to wherever it is you came from, and find someone else to save. My life is just fine, and I certainly don't need one of you getting in the way. Wait...How did you know my name?" Zander had a suspicion, but he hadn't felt any intrusion into his mind. Are you in my head capra?, he asked without words. He'd heard that Azrein could communicate this way with humans, but none had ever tried it with him to his knowledge. In his line of work, he didn't need one of their kind getting in his way. He knew there were those who hated humans, and would have nothing to do with them, but he couldn't understand why this one would be interested in someone like himself.

Zander was struck dumb as the capra entered the cave. He stood there, trying to figure out what had just happened. He'd heard the capra's voice in his head; something that he had never before experienced, and the experience stirred something inside of him. Not entirely sure of what that was, he felt himself drawn forward, and he entered the cave after the capra.

The cave was by no means large, but there was enough room for both of them to stand comfortably. Zander wasted no time in voicing the questions that were racing through his mind. "How is it I heard your voice in my mind, and not with my ears? I thought that your kind could only do that with your Chosen?" No sooner was the word out of his mouth, than Zander knew what had happened. Chosen! Goral had chosen him! This was insane, he thought to himself. He knew enough about Azrein to know that they didn't choose to bond with people like himself. Why then had Goral chosen him? This raised even more questions in his mind, and he was so overwhelmed that he had to sit down.

Zander listened to everything Goral said and had to admit that it was all true. He was tired of his life. Tired of running, tired of being away from Rhia, tired of always looking over his shoulder, always on the lookout for the King's men. He would give anything to give it all up and once again settle down with his wife. He just didn't see how that would be possible. There was a price on his head in the King's lands, and he was smart enough to know that there was no amnesty awaiting him back there, even if he swore an oath to the king himself, that he had changed his ways. Too many lives had been lost, too many lives had been ruined due to his actions. There was no way he could atone for any of the things he had done, and he said as much to Goral. They spent the next few hours just sitting there in the cave, telling each other of their lives. Zander found himself telling Goral of his hopes and dreams, of his dead son and his wife who had been chosen herself by a capra like Goral. He spoke of how they had met, courted, married and eventually parted after the death of their son. He confessed all of the ill deeds he had committed in his lifetime, as if Goral was his own personal confessor, and that somehow in telling him of these things, he would be forgiven.