Mikkel, Whitley, and Drew spread out in a triangular form as they followed Mikotaj and Miloqi through the base of the Whitepeaks. Duke Henrik had been kind in offering them temporary residence as he considered Drew's proposition of an alliance against the Catlords - all things being equal, at least. His less than warm reception was not made better by his open comfort in the knowledge that Bergan had "redeemed" himself of his failure to stop Leopold's takeover by laying down his life for his men during the evacuation of Highcliff.

To say that Whitley's opinion of her cousin had plummeted at that exchange would be a disservice to the impressive transformation into a bear she made, never mind how Drew was the only reason she didn't attack the Duke of Sturmland when she made to charge Henrik.

Mikkel shifted his hold of the sword in his hand and turned his gaze to survey their surroundings. Henrik was not known for his fondness of the Gray Wolves as a whole, and in order to prove Drew's reliability and claim to Wergar's line, Henrik had set forth a quest for them:

Kill or otherwise end the threat a wild wolf of unusual size and intelligence that had harassed the travelers of the Whitepeaks, and he would grant them additional soldiers in Drew's immediate forces.

As they paused at the crest of their latest path, Mikkel scanned the area behind them. The midday was overcast, and so the glare from the snow was nonexistent. Although only their tracks were visible, and the last level plain they had traversed with openings in the mountainside was a mile behind them, Mikkel couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

It was a natural feeling for him to feel a predator's eyes on him, and yet...this felt different.

Like a human intelligence was stalking them.

Looking back, he saw Drew turn to him, both Whitley and the White Wolf siblings pausing their renewed march when the young king asked, "Mikkel, what's wrong?"

"I think we're being stalked," he answered, pulling out a short dagger from his belt and moving to join him. "I feel this wolf will make an attack soon."

"I'll go ahead to draw it out," Miloqi spoke up before Drew could make a decision.

"That thing's maimed dozens," Mikotaj argued, grabbing her arm to stop her. With a scoff, his sister retorted lightly, "Yeah, but I'm nowhere near as obvious a threat as you are. I'll look like easy pickings, then delay it until you guys come along."

Deftly slipping out of his hold, Miloqi jogged ahead of them, leaving Mikotaj to growl with a shake of his head. "She's utterly impossible."

"Guess it runs in the family," Whitley quipped, getting a chuckle out of Mikotaj's unimpressed stare.

"Let's start moving, but slowly," Drew suggested. "We can't get left behind, but we can't catch up too fast either."

Half an hour after their plan started, something in the air seemed to shift. Mikkel strained his hearing to make out their target, and after a minute he heard snow crunching from a run before a feral snarl tore through the air. A shout went up from ahead, and in a blink, Mikotaj raced forward, his Wolf howling to the forefront faster than Mikkel had ever seen from any werelord.

They raced after him, and were in time to see Miloqi partially transformed and wrestling with a ragged looking gray wolf. Mikotaj snarled and leaped at the wolf, tackling it off of his sister and rolling through the snow as Miloqi got on all fours. Drew likewise embraced his Wolf, and charged forward as Miloqi's lunge was countered by a savage kick to the chin from the wolf.

Mikkel darted after him, going right as Whitley moved left. Drew swung his sword down, but the wolf jumped off Mikotaj, who narrowly avoided the strike by rolling aside.

"Watch it!" he growled, and Drew lunged forward for another strike.

The wolf snarled and jumped away, and Mikkel blocked its path. He brought his sword down, the wolf backing up and growling.

This close, he could take in its size. The wolf's head probably came up to Chancer's throat, maybe more. Its fur was slate gray, and sported a scar on the left shoulder. One ear had a hole in it, and the face -

- Had blue eyes.

Glowing, blue eyes.

Mikkel almost froze, and as Mikotaj and Whitley moved to block the wolf's other exits, he once more analyzed the wolf. As the wolf backed up, snarling and swiveling to find an escape, he recalled a werewolf princess. Her warm, brown eyes, the slate gray of her Wolf's fur, and how she had inherited Amelie's blue weremagick.

On instinct, he let his Stag out partially, and he took the chance to try and catch the wolf's scent. As he did, the wolf's hackles raised as he gained its attention, and in shock, Mikkel could only drop his weapons as his Stag retreated in numb wonder at the scent he recognized.

"Scathach?" he asked, just as the Wolf jumped forward and tackled him.

He was immediately pinned to the ground, memories of that day in the courtyard where Scathach had first bested him playing once more in his mind as his skull throbbed with dull pain. She bared her teeth, snarling, and as her head pulled back, he shouted, "Scathach, it's me! It's Mikkel!"

Scathach stopped, though her jaws remained opened. Her crystal blue gaze blinked, and slowly she closed her mouth as her rage was replaced with confusion.

Leaning forward stiffly, she sniffed him. She blinked some more, then her ears twitched before her head turned to the side. Following her gaze, Mikkel saw Drew edging closer on all fours. He had sheathed his sword, and was approaching them cautiously.

"Drew, it's her. It's Scathach," Mikkel said hoarsely, looking back at Scathach. The scar - it should have healed - she should be dead -

Then he remembered the announcement from Leopold. That Vankaskan had been there, and if he weren't so concerned about Scathach and Drew, he likely would have cursed.

They forced her to make the full change into her Wolf, he realized darkly, forcing his attention back to the royal siblings. Drew had neared while Scathach had turned completely immobile. Creeping forward, Drew leaned forward and sniffed Scathach. She didn't move, but she took a sniff of the air, too. Taking the opportunity, Drew came nearer and suddenly exposed his neck. He gave a low whine, and after a moment, Scathach slowly stepped off of Mikkel and approached him. Pushing himself up on one arm, Mikkel watched as Scathach sniffed Drew. She leaned down, took another sniff, then pulled back.

Still keeping his neck exposed, Drew growled softly, "Hello, sister."

Scathach stared at him, and as Mikkel stood up, she snarled haltingly, "W-W-Will....em...?"

She licked her chops, squeezed her eyes shut, and shook her head. Whining, Scathach pulled back, but stopped when Mikkel placed a hand on her back.

"He's your little brother, Scathach," he soothed, getting down on his knees as she turned to look at him. She leaned forward, and he instinctively reached out to cup her face. She didn't fight him, and he wiped away stray tears that leaked out from her eyes as she processed what had happened.

"That's...your sister?" Miloqi asked, and out of the corner of his eye, Mikkel saw her rubbing her jaw.

"Yes," Drew answered, slowly standing. "Vankaskan must have done this to her before Leopold murdered our family."

"Well, I assume killing is off the table then," Mikotaj grumbled, and Mikkel spared the White Wolf a brief but dangerous look. Scathach whined, and he pressed his forehead against her head.

"We won't hurt you Scathach," he promised. Turning to Miloqi, Mikkel questioned, "Can Lady Greta cure her?"

The Seer gave her jaw one last massage before stroking her chin. "Yes, but it will take time," she answered, and Mikkel let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "I may have to offer my own aid, and a few of the junior magisters may have to get involved, but it can be done."

"We'll explain this to Duke Henrik," Drew decided. "Can I trust that he'll understand?"

"By Old Brenn, he'd better," Mikotaj answered, rolling a shoulder. "I may want to settle the score, but I'm not about to cause a diplomatic incident."

"That'd be a first," Miloqi teased, earning her a glower from her brother.

Turning back to Scathach, Mikkel promised, "We're going to help you, Scathach. You'll be free soon."

He kissed her forehead and pulled her close for a hug. Scathach let out a mild whimper, then nuzzled her snout against his cheek. He glanced at Drew - who remained in his werewolf form - and saw the same determination he felt reflected in his king's eyes.

No matter what, they would get Scathach back. She was still his betrothed, and still Drew's sister.

And as Drew had once reminded him, they were still brothers.

viharsarok land of storms (dir. àdám császi)

hello friends of lgbt themed films, this is another one of my berlinale favourites, which ended up tragically bear- and teddy-less in the final award ceremonies.

when szabolcs returns to hungary and leaves his promising football career behind to fix his grandfather's old farm, he's looking for a simpler life, but a local stonemason's apprentice, the return of szabolcs' german roommate bernard and the village's homophobic atmosphere mean quite the opposite. the trailer captures the essential feeling of the film perfectly.

this is not a romantic comedy, though that wasn't made entirely clear in the summary found in the berlinale programme. all the more shocking the sudden outbursts of violence disrupting erotically charged images of humid summer days. in fact, this movie should come with a trigger warning for extreme homophobic violence. which, to be fair, is perfectly embedded in the plot and never comes with any feeling of mere shock value.

regardless, this is not your typical gay angst film. the three main characters beautifully display a variation of ways to explore, come to terms with and act on their sexuality, though ultimately it's the story of a failure. the film manages to maintain a subliminal suspense underneath its melange of tenderness and violence, that sometimes reminded me of love in thoughts, another favourite of mine.