Greece, 1230BC

Sweet birdsong sounded through the air as Lysandra skipped through the undergrowth and brush, her brother, Arcadius following behind, a handcrafted spear in his hand as he jogged behind her, his slow running placing him almost directly behind her, his dark blue eyes watching the surrounding area for an unsuspecting animal that would become their dinner for the next few nights.

Lysandra gave a sweet, gentle laugh as she spun around, running backwards as she looked at her older brother by seven years, her guardian since she was just eight, a mere four years ago. They'd been fifteen and eight, respectively, when the wolves that howled only during the full moon came and ravaged their village, Her mother, her father, her five older brothers and one sister, as well as her sweet baby brother and sister, the twins, hadn't been so fortunate to survive the night of horrors, and no amount of praying to the great Gods atop Olympus could remove those horrific memories from her innocently young mind.

Blue eyes fixed her with a stern look. "Eyes front, Lysandra," he ordered firmly, the twelve year old doing so immediately without an argument. It might have been her names day, but that didn't mean she still mightn't end up on the receiving end of a harsh scolding, something that was never fun. Had her father still of been here, she would of been shown around the village and told that within two years, she'd be having a family of her own.

But Arcadius would never do that to her. Although it was tradition, she knew he always frowned upon the marriages of children to grown men. It hadn't been something she had wanted either, but she didn't have rights, at least then, but now, with Arcadius as her guardian and her father of all intents and purposes, she did to an extent.

A snarling, snorting noise from the bush closest to them drew their attention, and as quick as lightening, Arcadius threw his spear. It sailed through the air and landed with a wet sounding thud, a fat boar falling out of the underbrush, the spear clean through its body, dripping red. The animal gave a final snarling, stuttering noise before it too fell silent, rolling onto its side limply, giving one jerking shudder before it became deathly still.

A triumphant smile drew at the lips of the older boy as he strode forward, pulling his knife from its sheath so he could cut the pieces of meat off they needed and let the wilderness have the pieces they couldn't. He gestured towards his younger sibling. "Lysandra, the basket." He called, the dark blonde haired twelve year old with equally blue eyes ran forward, the tightly woven basket of reeds and sticks being placed beside him so he could place the meat in there as he went along. A linen cloth lined the bottom of the basket as to prevent any blood dripping out when he laid the meat there.

Lysandra grimaced at the sound of tearing wet flesh. It had never been her favourite thing to do in the world, hunting that was, but if it meant survival, she could do it, no questions asked, but her skinning of an animal was sloppy and inexperienced, whereas Arcadius could expertly cut away the edible meat without wasting anything. She was the opposite, having only been asked to hunt a handful of occasions when he was too ill to stand, let alone track down a meal for them both. She tended to favour the edible nuts and berries that lurked around the cave they called home, something he detested, but ate, for her sake and her sake alone.

The coppery smell of blood permeated the air, and although he didn't hear it, she did -the sound of a soft snarl drew her attention over towards a small cliff face, merely about five metres high. It sounded like another animal, but it wasn't one she'd ever heard before. The sound was, human, almost, but tainted with something else. It sounded foreign.

Curiosity getting the better of her, and with Arcadius still slicing away at their dinner for the next few nights, at least, she silently walked away, venturing further towards the sound. It sounded as though it were coming directly from the bottom of the ledge, on the ground underneath it, and she walked over slowly, her heart pounding as the noise got closer and closer, suddenly stopping.

Dark blue eyes peered over the edge of cliff hesitantly, widening when they laid upon a man down there. He was godly beautiful; golden hair fell down to his shoulders, pale skin glittering from the overhead sun that beamed down relentlessly upon them. He wore the clothes of a wealthy man, but they were tattered, a thick black sludge covering his torn white skin through the tears in his garments, but no blood stained them.

Puzzled, she furrowed her brows. Could he be dead? Could he be a God, sent down from Olympus as a test to man? She made her way carefully down the rockface, crouching beside the abnormally still man. He was unearthly beautiful, his eyes closed, not even moving beneath their lids like Arcadius's did when he slept, when he dreamt. She couldn't even see his chest rising.

She placed her hand on his chest, pulling it back when the thick black sludge covered her fingers. She inhaled sharply as she realised with a growing dread what it was. She recognised it instantly now up close to it. The same grimy substance had covered the bodies of the deceased villagers, her parents and siblings included, when the wolves had torn into their soft flesh. It came from their bite and their claws. She inhaled sharply again. What were the wolves doing this far from where they usually were again? Horror lanced straight through her chest as her fear spiked dramatically, her heart rate tripling in a instant.

"Lysandra!"

Blue eyes shot heavenwards just as Arcadius came into view, blood painting his shirt as he clutched the woven basket, his blade sheathed once more. He stared down at her. "What are you doing?" He demanded.

Desperation to save this strange godly man kicked in. "He was attacked by the wolf men!" She cried upwards and he cursed a forbidden word that would certainly get him sent to Hades and the Underworld. He clambered down. "Get away from him!" He demanded. She shook her head adamantly, black staining her fingers. "No! He can be saved! We must save him before they return to finish him off tonight! We both know they will. I cannot live knowing I could have prevented a death and did nothing to stop it!" She cried out.

He opened his mouth to answer but closed it as the man gave a wheezing sound, eyes opening and staring up at nothing, the faintest tinge of red making the older sibling freeze. "He's one of the immortal creatures they hunt, Lysandra," he commented rigidly, his whole body stiffening as the man slumped once more, giving the occasional jerk as the offending venom ran through his system. Lysandra looked to him, furrowing her brows. Arcadius shook his head. "We take him, they'll kill us on the spot, not turn us into one of them for punishment, just outright kill us for conspiring to help their sworn enemy. We must go. Now." He stated, striding forward to snatch her away.

Lysandra jerked backwards away from his reach. "And I still cannot live with knowing I could have saved him but instead doomed him to a fate worse than death! Let me help him, let me heal him! I have some salve and ointment that can draw the venom out in time before it kills him in my trunk, and I have fresh bandages to cover his wounds to make sure no venom re-enters his wounds and kills him! I would rather die knowing I did everything I could to help save someone desperately in need than die like a coward who took the easy way out. If they're venturing this far north, then they will find us eventually!" She reasoned.

Arcadius was quiet for a moment before he thrusted the basket of meat towards her. "I'll take him, you take this. If he kills us both through his maddening hunger, then its on you." He stated harshly, pushing the basket into her arms before he effortlessly picked up the unconscious man, his bulging muscles helping keep the man of average weight and height in his arms.

Her blue eyes shone with admiration before she began to search for a way back up the cliff edge, the basket of fresh meat clutched tight to her chest as her brother followed behind her, the golden haired stranger hanging loosely in his muscled arms.