After Reynar departed, Boro set about the task of training Thorfinn.
Seeing Thorfinn still looking in the direction where Reynar had left, Boro said sternly, "Alright, lad. You're about to start learning new things now. Don't forget what you've come here to do."
Thorfinn turned and laughed, "I wouldn't dream of forgetting. Can we start now? I've been waiting, restless as a caged raven!"
Boro chuckled. "That's my boy, ha ha. A man can't linger in the sorrow of leaving. Next time you meet him, you ought to have grown so much he's struck dumb with surprise—that's what you should aim for. Enough palaver. Let's get to it. When did you first awaken the 'dream,' and when did you truly become a Skinchanger?"
Though he wondered why, Thorfinn answered "truthfully": "I started having the dreams when I was very small, but I truly realized I was taking the form of an animal around the age of five. I dreamt I was a goat, and even woke up to find I'd left a mark… But I didn't truly confirm I was a Skinchanger until I took in Alpha at ten."
To avoid drawing undue attention from Boro, Thorfinn pushed the events that had occurred around age one back to age five, offering himself a measure of protection. Even so, Boro was surprised.
"Five? Are you certain?"
Thorfinn: "Before I took in Alpha and became a Skinchanger, I couldn't be sure, but now it seems that was the start of it."
Shaking off his surprise, Boro pressed on, "What sort of dreams did you have? No, I should ask… what animals did you take the form of in your dreams?"
Thorfinn thought carefully before answering, "That's too many to count… I've been a hawk, and I've been a stag. A wolf appeared a few times, and a shadowcat was no exception. Oh, the most far-fetched must be when I dreamt I was an ice spider."
This threw Boro even more. He asked with a strange look, "An ice spider? That's a creature of magic. Did you not only dream of animals you'd encountered nearby?"
Looking at the probing expression on Boro's heavy face, Thorfinn couldn't help but feel a little flustered. "Aside from the very first one, it seems… not. Uh, is that important?"
Boro's brow remained furrowed. "It's not necessarily 'important,' but I find it passing strange. It seems different from the 'dream' awakenings I've experienced or heard of since I became a Skinchanger."
Thorfinn asked tentatively, "What's the difference?"
Boro explained, "Generally, the younger a Skinchanger awakens the dream and the more frequently they dream, the stronger their gift is. However, most Skinchangers have their animal companion nearby when they experience the 'dream,' so in their dreams, they are often in the form of that companion. But you… after the initial goat, you had a significant empty period, and you seem to have had quite a few animal companions in your dreams."
Boro was not a handsome man—heavy-set, with a perpetually worried scowl, a flat nose, and a broad, dark-stubbled chin—but the thinking look he wore now lent him an air of wisdom.
"Is there some ill in that?"
Boro smiled. "Perhaps you're simply gifted beyond measure, or perhaps your situation is ill-fated. But now you have Alpha, so it's likely the former. Ease your heart! First, I shall teach you the unwritten code of ethics amongst Skinchangers—what my own master taught me, and the unspoken rule of the Skinchanger's circle. You must remember and live by it."
Thorfinn nodded gravely.
Boro's expression was serious, a mixture of severity and concern. "First, you are forbidden from using a beast's body to eat human flesh. Second, you are forbidden from coupling with wild animals while in beast form. Finally, you are forbidden from occupying the body of another human. This is the most grievous of all. You must remember these three things. You must never cross these lines, save for the gravest necessity."
Thorfinn nodded and agreed, "I have noted them."
Boro let out a sigh of relief, then a sound of lost melancholy. "Alas, there are times when, to survive, most of us will stop at nothing. But… a code must still be kept. Else, we are no better than beasts. We and they must still have a difference."
Listening to Boro's melancholy words, Thorfinn couldn't help but ask, "Boro? You sound as if you've left something unsaid."
Boro gave a self-deprecating smile. "Only remembering an old friend… and the cur he trained. Let's not speak of it. I have other knowledge about Skinchangers I will impart to you all at once."
Thorfinn pondered the 'cur' Boro spoke of but wisely held his tongue, asking no further questions.
"The dreams of Skinchangers are unique. Sometimes, they portend something, perhaps akin to the foresight of the wood witches. The dreams of the most powerful Skinchangers are often the most accurate and closest to the truth. Of course, such prophecy-like dreams rely on your own understanding; if you interpret them wrongly, they are useless."
Thorfinn nodded, accepting the lesson. "Have you had such a dream, Boro? What is the trigger for them? And how frequently do they appear?"
Boro's face lit up at Thorfinn's first question, but the string of rapid-fire inquiries that followed made his head swim.
"I have, but only a few times. As for the rest of what I know, I learned it through the teachings of my master… I cannot answer your later questions, for I do not know the answers myself. All I can pass on are experience and technique; the greater mysteries you must discover on your own. By the way, if you encounter any problem I can't solve, you might ask Thenya. She lives on the other side of the forest and, being a wood witch, is far wiser than I."
Thorfinn: "…A wood witch? One of those wood witches who grant wisdom and healing?"
Boro: "Yes. Though she is very old, her mind is still sharp, which is a rare thing. She seems to have recently taken on a disciple… much like myself."
Thorfinn was filled with curiosity. What did a wood witch look like?
The legends said they were benevolent, helping those who sought aid. Others claimed they were wicked, scurrying rats who stole your life and health, creatures clever folk should shun. Thorfinn held no prejudice against them.
Thorfinn couldn't help but ask, "Is there no danger? What sort of person is… Thenya? Is she as peculiar as the tales say?"
Boro smiled. "Not at all. She is a good person. She has always been kind, loves children, and helps people. Everyone in the village knows it."
Thorfinn smiled. "That's good then. She's sure to take a liking to me; I'm quite likeable, after all."
Boro smiled and turned. "Come on, Thorfinn. We'll go into the forest to learn the next things. Let me see what you can achieve in beast form…"
The combat of a Skinchanger is naught but riding the body of their animal companion. Boro's eyes rolled back, and he entered the body of Tusk. The wild boar, eyes bright and intelligent, shook its black bristles and motioned for Thorfinn to follow, then strode into the forest. Thorfinn was no laggard. He swiftly entered Alpha's body, too, and chased after Tusk.
The shadowcat silently followed the boar. In the wild forest, the wind carried scents—the smell of humans, a faint whiff of smoke, mixed with the light scents of fox, rabbit, stag, and even wolf—many wolves, in fact.
There were short ice fangs on the trees. Even though it was summer here, it was still bitterly cold. Fortunately, Tusk had thick black hair, and Alpha had a warm pelt for insulation, but humans were not so lucky. Darie used to say that many people starved in the last winter. Even the raiders who returned from their raids failed to survive the cold. Mothers and children huddled together for warmth and still froze to death. The fire wood burned endlessly, yet the cold still bit hard…
Tusk plunged through the thickets, kicking up a flurry of snow, and Alpha followed closely, leaping nimbly. Tusk's strong body charged headlong like a battering ram, knocking over everything in its path. They rushed up a hill, down a slope, and arrived at the woods ahead.
The humans were there, in the woods near the village. A pack of nine wolves was lurking, waiting to hunt humans. In their eyes, some humans were bound to come here—perhaps hunters seeking game, or maybe playful human pups. All were their targets.
A lone human is vulnerable. Although humans are tall, strong, and have sharp, keen eyes, their ears are dull, and their noses are poor. So, this wolf pack, led by their alpha, would come here occasionally to try their luck. Humans in a group are the most formidable, but when they are isolated… the situation is quite different.
Men may eat beasts, and beasts may eat men. But when a man eats a man, they become a monster.
Once Tusk confirmed the location of the pack, he charged toward them without hesitation. Boro would drive them away, just as he always did.
Tusk, like a living siege engine, crashed into the wolf pack. His attack was brutal and fierce. One wolf that failed to dodge was sent flying with a yelp of pain… Alpha, or rather Thorfinn, following behind Tusk, clearly saw the alpha wolf gather its companions. After rounding up most of the scattered wolves, it left the area.
Tusk won easily. He stomped his hooves heavily and snarled fiercely at the pack, displaying his might.
Alpha exchanged a look with the alpha wolf. The wolf's gaze was raw with a wild nature, but it did not seek trouble with Alpha. It simply led its pack away. That look held great power. Though it was not a direwolf, it was still fiercely untamed.
This was a cunning wolf. It knew that even if they attacked as a group, they would be no match for this behemoth. They were familiar with one another, after all. As for the wounded lone wolf, its abdomen and a hind leg were injured. That single blow was enough to keep it from standing. Its pack would not wait for it. It would not live long; it would die from its wounds or by Tusk's hooves.
After the pack left, Tusk only listened to the lone wolf's mournful howl. He did not act but waited for Thorfinn to approach. The meaning was clear.
Thorfinn did not hesitate. Choosing the best angle, he cleanly bit through its neck, giving it a quick end. The warm wolf's blood flowed into his throat, palatable and subtly sweet. The wolf's body heat began to dissipate, and with it, its life…