Two young boys are moving through a sparse woodland, with the older, brown haired boy looking to be around fifteen years old and the younger, red haired boy looking to be around ten years old.  The two of them quickly move through the woodlands, with the older leading the younger.  After about a half hour of moving through the forest, the two boys come across an injured wolf lying on the ground.  “This looks like it’ll be easier than we thought, Leo,” the older boy said.

“But isn’t it injured?” Leo asked.

“That means that it will probably become more cooperative if you treat its injuries.  Besides, it’s about time that you learn how to treat a wound,” the older replied.

“It won’t attack us?” Leo asked.

“Follow me, but you have to do the work,” the older replied as the two of them start to approach the wolf.

The wolf notices the two of them, but does not panic upon identifying them.  The older stands to the side of the wolf while Leo kneels down beside it and examines the wound.  Leo identifies the wound as a bite, but can’t identify the animal that inflicted it.  “Nick, how do I treat a bite?” Leo asked.

“The first thing you need to do is disinfect the wound.  I gave you herbs for that before we came here.  Do you remember which ones?” Nick asked as he squatted down.

Leo takes out the herbs and puts them on the wound as the wolf whimpers.  “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine.  Keep going.”

Leo continues the treatment with bandaging the wound.  “Nothing is broken, so there is no need to use a brace.  I just need to bandage it, but make sure it is not tight enough to cut off blood circulation,” Leo explained.

Completing the treatment, the wolf stands and walks around in a circle before turning to the boys.  “You know what we’re here for.  Make a pact with Leo,” Nick ordered.

A ball of light rises from the wolf and moves towards Leo.  The ball of light deflects off of him, and the wolf runs away terrified.  “It didn’t work, did it?” Leo asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Nick replied.

“Nick, how did you get your pact with a wolf?” Leo asked.

“It’s a secret,” Nick answered.

“Come on tell me!” Leo pouted.

“We’ll worry about that later.  It’s getting late, so we better go find something to eat.  We’d better find some berries before the sun goes down,” Nick said, changing the subject.

Leo and Nick gather fruit for the rest of the day before settling in inside the forest for the night.  As the two of them lie on the ground, Leo starts talking.  “Nick, is there something wrong with me?”

“Of course not.  What would make you think that?” Nick asked.

“I couldn’t get a pact with a wolf even though it was so simple.  How am I supposed to make a pact with something bigger if I can’t do something so simple?” Leo asked.

“Don’t let it get to you.  Times have changed since we were younger.  The persecutions have lightened up, so we can take things slower,” Nick answered.

“Nick, how many things did you have a pact with when you were my age?” Leo asked.

“That’s a secret,” Nick quickly answered.

“Hey, which Herald do we have to look out for while we’re here?”

“This is Serpora, so Stan would be stationed here.  Supposedly, he’s the least dangerous of the Heralds, so that is why we’re here.”

“Could you beat him in a fight, Nick?”

“I don’t know, and I’d rather not find out.”

“Can you make a pact with one of the legendary beasts?”

“We’d have to find one of them first.  No one has seen one in about a decade.”

“That was when the person with the Phoenix appeared, right?”

“That’s right, and after defeating the Matriarch, he was never seen again.”

“Do you think he’s still alive somewhere?”

“If he were, then the persecutions wouldn’t be going on anymore.”

“Hey Nick, which of the Heralds killed Mom and Dad?”

“I don’t know.  They were taken to Ota like so many of the others.  Coup and Nat are the two Heralds that are there all the time since the Phoenix Polymerist appeared to guard the new Matriarch.”

“How strong are the Heralds?”

“They’re bad news.  Stan is the weakest one and he alone can decimate an army.”

“What are we going to do when we’re older if the persecutions don’t stop?”

“Then we’re going to be forced to fight them.”

“How many of us are left?”

“Not that many.  We’re not going to be able to count on them for help.  It’ll just be the two of us.”

Leo and Nick hear something moving through the shrubs.  Neither of them makes a sound while they hide.  A group of men emerge from the shrubs and look around.  “More orphans?” one of them asked.

“Who they are doesn’t matter.  The boss just wants bodies.  Let’s take them.” another answered.

“Leo, watch carefully.  This is what you must do should anyone discover you are a Polymerist or threatens your life.”

Nick steps forward.  Hair begins to emerge from his skin, completely covering his body as his skeleton changes shape.  His teeth become sharper as his jaw changes and his senses become enhanced.  “A Polymerist!” one of the men screamed.

Nick has become a wolf and pounces on one of the men.  Without hesitation, Nick clamps his jaws around the neck of the man, silencing him.  As the others begin to turn to run, Nick jumps on them, one by one, wrestling them to the ground before closing his jaws on their necks.  After the last one has been silenced, Nick returns to his human form.

“If you can’t silence them, expect a Herald to arrive within twenty-four hours.”