he two nomads sat on the hot desert floor relaxing after a nice meal of dryed meat and water. Jaden was eating one of his two apples he brought with him for desert, sorry that he had nothing for his furry companian. "Oh Red why do you stay with me What made you follow me that first day." Jaden questiond rembering back to just a couple of months ago when we left the villige to find himself.

"Mother I am 17 now by the time I get back I will be 18. I know you do not whant me to go but it is something I have to do." Jaden spoke with such conviction and she knew that it did not matter what she said he would still go "Ok Jaden just be carfull out there and retern home soon." the compation in her voise would have brought a tear to his eye if he had not already spent all the tears he had at the funral.

She was always so helpful and carring how could he put her thrue this? but, he knew that it had to be done he had to find himself and make changes he could not live around others and understand them untill he undersud himself.

And so with a hug to all his family he grabed his cloak and his walking stick and left the house. As he walked throue the town he thoght about his time there as a child how he met Claire that fatfull day and he wished her well as he could not bare to tell her that he was going away on this jurny. As he reached the gate and went up the hill to were he had playd as a child and he came to think he found Claire sitting atop the great rock on the sommet.

"Jaden I know what you are doing were you realy going to leave without saying good by?" Claire spoke with a sob and a tear in her eye.

"I am sorry I just did not think I could bare to see you right now. I was so hard leaving mother and father I did not no what I would say to you or if I could go throu with it if you tryed to stop me."

"I will not try to stop you it is something you must do so I wish you well and please retern safely and retern soon."

And she kissed him deeply with all there being.

Jaden made it to the other side of the hill and into the woods to the north of the villige befor he could think of any thing his first real kiss took him by suprise and he did not know what to think it simply coused more questions in his already twisted and tangled string of emotions.

"I care deaply for Claire"

Jaden thougt to himself

"but do I love her she is the only person who has ever stud up for me and she was the one who introdused me to my mentor. But something about that kiss did not feel right it was not as powerfull as all the talk clams it should be. well perhaps that is just all talk, I just what to make her happy but I do not think I love her or mabey that is what love is just wanting to make some one happy. OH I JUST DON'T KNOW"

The thoughts filled his head so deeply he could not consentrate he did not even notice the bear behind him that had taken a liking to his pack.

"Oh damm thes woods."

Jaden thought as he turned to free his pack from the branches cought on it only to find it was not branches but a large bear.

"holy SH.."

He exclaimed as he fell to the ground and began to try backing himself up along the rocky ground. As Jaden rose to his feet he made an atempt with fear in his hart to hit the bear with his walking stick. This only angerd the bear and he swatted Jaden across the chest with his masive paw taring his shirt and skin. The bear then went to were Jaden fell and as he atemped to get up the bear agin slaped him this time in the head. Jaden was unconsios for a few seconds and as he came to an anger came over him like it had never befor and he rose looking directly at the bear yelling at it

"do you what to do this then lets do it!!!"

Jaden could feel a strange warmth come over his body and felt as if he were 10 times bigger then the bear as he aproched the bear with no fear left in his batterd body the bear turnd and ran. Jaden was amased he scared away the bear he did it and then Jaden fell uncontios.

"Well should we get back to the trip Red I want to reach the edge of the great forest befor night fall"

Jaden questiond his traviling companion. who agread with a agreing lick to the face.

"Come on then let us move on."

Jaden walked still remembering that eventfull adventure.

When he finaly came to he found that he was surronded by a pack of wolves. Who were not at all hostile on of them licking his face he quickly got to his feet and the wolves scaterd into the woods all except for one. who stayed looking to the woods then to Jaden. Then from deep with in the wood's Jaden herd a loud Howl and the one remaining wolf ran off stoping once to look back at the wounded nomad then running back into the woods.

Jaden continued to walk throu the wood's unsure what he was looking for but knew that when he found it he would know. Many months went by and Jaden meet a few people in the wood's and had many encounters with diffrent animals including three more encounters with the wolf pack. But only one person stuck in his mind a young nomad much like himself yet very diffrent all the same he seemed to be very normal and basic but you could tell that there was more to him a very complex individual who new more than what he let on. The two of them talked and spent about two weeks camped out together discosing there lives and how they each got to were they were know. Finly on one day Jaden woke to find that his new friend was nowere to be found his tent was gone every thing was gone all that he left was a note.