Exhaustion.

That's what they all felt as Fenris, Winter and Wynne continued down the forest path, following the tip-off that Alistair had received. Bruiser was a few paces in front of them as he tracked down his master's scent, or tried to.

Winter had fallen asleep against Fenris' chest, having become too tired to walk any further and since they only had two horses, she and Fenris would swap regularly so they could both rest their feet. But now they were both too tired to continue on foot.

The hope for finding Hawke was slowly dwindling between Winter and Wynne; as much as Winter tried to continue the facade to keep her uncle happy, but the elf could see right through her. Fenris was the only one left with full determination to find Hawke- his Hawke.

Fenris had no idea where they were anymore, with all of the forest paths looking the same. He was relying on Bruiser's expert nose to try and track down Hawke. The mabari had managed to track down something but what that something was was completely unknown to him.

It was already mid-afternoon and the first rays of summer were piercing through the gaps between the leaves, causing the forest to become more constricting and suffocating. The heat of the Ferelden summer had not come into full-swing yet, but Fenris had noticed how Wynne and Winter started to wear thinner clothing and less layers. He would probably never get used to how cold Ferelden was to him compared to Tevinter.

Suddenly, the mabari stopped dead in his tracks, sniffing the ground before barking to Fernis. The elf quickly shook Winter awake so she could stay steady on the horse and he jumped off to investigate what Bruiser had found.

Tracks were still freshly imprinted in the dirt; what looked to be halla hoofprints, wheel tracks and...Giant knuckles and weird round feet of a much larger animal?

"Are we close? Is it her?" Wynne asked, slowly getting down from her horse to investigate with Fenris.

Fenris hmm-ed to himself, "Elven clan came through here with some other large creature. See how all the footprints are similar to mine?"

To prove his point, Fenris showed Wynne his footprints; the clear indent of the leather padding he had for his heel but his toes were visible.

"But these tracks aren't elven," he knelt down beside the prints that were walking along side the weird-knuckled creature.

"Well the boots aren't small enough to be a dwarf or big enough to be-" Wynne was interrupted by another bark from Bruiser. He had wandered a little ways into the forest and came bursting out of the bushes, dropping a now slobbery book into his hands. Fenris recognised the leather-bound book immediately.

"She's not too far away," Fenris spoke softly, his voice breaking with emotion. He looked up to Winter with the first genuine smile he had done since they first started the search.

"Then what are we standing around for?" Winter chuckled before Fenris re-joined her on the horse, and they all followed Bruiser who was now bounding down the path.

The entire group now had a renewed sense of hope. They were close, and they were going to get Hawke back.

"So how did you come across Hetty?"

Hawke was watching Valania as she sprawled across Hetty's back, lying their casually as the lumbering beast snorted in annoyance.

"Well, nuggalopes are extremely rare and expensive. I…'found' Hetty in a human village a few years back," Valania smirked, reaching up to scratch the back of Hetty's ear.

"So how did you 'find' her?" Hawke made sure to use air quotation marks with her fingers to empathise the point.

Valania's smirk suddenly dropped as she gently traced the small scars near Hetty's neck, "The humans were planning to eat her, since they deemed her to be a...Rare delicacy. They kept her locked in a cage and beat her."

"We only came across her because we needed to trade with some of the locals; we were running low supplies and humans always want the furs we get from when we hunt, but anyway! The minute the humans left Hetty, I got Feynlen to pick the lock and we rescued Hetty! Although back then, she was just about light enough to be carried."

Hetty raised her head to glare at Valania, "No! I'm not calling you fat! You've just grown up."

The nuggalope snorted and continued trudging along, making Hawke giggle at the bond between the elf and the oversized nug.

"What are your plans once we reach Orlais, Bethy?"

Hawke's heart twisted with guilt. She hated lying to the young elf who she now deemed a close friend, but this was for Valania's safety after-all. The elf still hadn't asked her about that night in camp where her tears turned into steam. She was grateful for that.

"I'm trying to find someone. Someone who can hopefully...Fix this mess," Hawke smiled sadly and Valania nodded, not pressing the issue.

"Can't you stay with us? I think Deshanna has finally accepted you as one of us now, and I've definitely learnt a lot since you arrived!" Valania emphasised her point by summoning a fireball in one hand (without setting fire to the surrounding trees) and a soft yellow ball of light in the other hand, indicating Valania's healing magic.

Whilst Hawke's healing magic had always been green, and Anders' had been blue, Valania's healing magic had a soft yellow glow to it. Hawke guessed it was down to the fire that Valania had both in magic and in her spirit.

Then why wasn't her healing magic the same colour? Sure Hawke kept a cool persona but inside her was that raging inferno she struggled to control now. Yet her magic maintained it's cool blue. Could it be related to her father? She never remembered her father having healing magic, but his barriers always held a light blue tinge to them.

"Bethy?"

Hawke shook her head to get her out of her daydream, "Sorry…"

Before Valania could speak, Hetty suddenly halted in her tracks, her ears flattening in worry as she turned her head to look behind her. Valania carefully balanced herself on Hetty's back as she stood upright, using her elven hearing to try and pick up the sounds Hetty was hearing.

"Two horses, one dog. Can't determine how many people though, although none of them are on foot," Valania whispered.

"What's going on?" Deshanna appeared behind them, the whole clan stopping after they realised Hetty had snorted in alarm. The halla had also become a little restless.

Now Hawke was starting to hear the pounding hooves of the horses. They certainly were in a hurry, but were they after the clan?

Deshanna and Valania quickly organised the clan; getting the aravels to speed off ahead with the more vulnerable elves as a few hunters, Deshanna and Valania stayed behind. A couple of the archers hid in the trees.

Hetty stood her ground behind the group as Valania hopped down, grabbing her staff and getting ready in her usual battle stance. They were getting closer.

Deshanna's storm magic crackled in her hands and the tension between the elves was beginning to suffocate Hawke. Could she maintain her control of her inner

inferno whilst she helped the elves? Or would she end up destroying them all?

To try and cool down her inferno, Hawke started coursing cold magic through her veins and frost started gathering at her hands.

That's when she saw them.

She first noticed his stark white hair and how it had gotten longer. His fringe had almost covered his eyes and he seemed to have started tying it up at the back. He had also lost a lot of weight and looked exhausted.

"Trinity!" He called out to her, hopping off his horse.

Time seemed to slow down as Hawke froze to the spot in a panic, Valania trying to shake her back to reality as she stared at Fenris with wide, frightened eyes. Then the inferno started.

Valania squeaked as her as Hawke began to heat up, almost burning the elf's hands. Steam had also started to leave her eyes and Hawke tried her best to cover them, but the burning fear inside her began to consume her.

She took a step back, realising she was leaving burnt boot prints on the floor. She needed to run. She couldn't hurt him. She couldn't hurt Valania or Deshanna.

When Fenris realised Hawke's panicked state he slowed down, as if he was approaching a wild animal. That just upset Hawke even more.

"Hawke…"

"Wait...Hawke? Bethany what's going on?" Deshanna demanded, tending to Valania's hands.

"I..I..Just leave me alone! I don't want to hurt you," Hawke screamed as the steam poured out of her eyes even more, slowly backing away from the clan she had helped protect.

They were staring at her now with frightened eyes, moving out of her way as she took a couple more steps back. It was only Valania who had a concerned look on her face, which quickly shifted into a threatening glare.

With newfound confidence Valania stood in front of Hawke, facing down Fenris, "Who are you and what do you want with Bethany?"

"Bethany?" It was now Fenris' turn to be confused, his eyes darting between Valania, Hawke and the trees. He had already counted five archers training their arrows on them. He felt a small hand on his shoulder as Winter stood at his side.

"Well yes, that is her name," Valania rolled her eyes, "State your business or leave."

"Bethany is not her real name," Wynne replied coolly, trying to calm the hostile situation, "Her name is Trinity Hawke. Bethany is- was her sister. We have been searching her for months since she ran away."

Valania stared at Wynne completely dumbfounded, trying to think on her feet as Deshanna taught her. A Keeper must think quickly, but carefully when the need arises. Keep your friends and family close to you.

The Dalish elf turned to her friend, the one she had known these past few months as Bethany, the one she had saved and would now call a sister. She watched as the grass singe underneath the woman's feet and the steam pouring out of her eyes as she tried to cry. 'Bethany's' eyes were wide like a cornered halla's, but she remembered 'Bethany' speaking of the people before her, especially the white-haired one:

"One of my...Closest friends was an escaped slave from Tevinter. He was unlike any man I had met; as dangerously handsome as he was with a greatsword, with hair as white as the snow on the Frostbacks. He would have died to protect me, as I would have for him."

"What happened to him?"

"I don't know where he is now, probably being as stubborn as ever and looking for me. But when he does come for me, please do not attack him. He will kill every last person who gets in his way."

Valania hastily re-gathered her thoughts and lowered her staff, nodding to the archers to lower their bows before turning to 'Bethany'.

"It seems like your 'friend' has found you, Bethany. Perhaps you should go with them to Orlais."

Hawke shook her head rapidly, panic now fully in swing as her skin began to set aflame, the fire crackling and lapping around her fingers as she hastily took a few more steps back. Her eyes darting to all the petrified faces of the clan when she suddenly noticed a figure in the trees. Her eyes widened in terror as she saw Anders, the Anders from the nightmare that caused her to flee in the first place.

His eyes were still missing and blood poured out of them, and exactly like the dream, his head suddenly exploded. Just like what happened when she killed him back in Kirkwall. Hawke screamed as she fell to the floor in a heap, her hands covering her face as a pool of fire started to seep out from underneath her.

"Hawke!"