Invar suddenly awoke in a small cave stripped of his armor and shirt. The cave was cold and damp but the small fire gave of enough light to see the blizzard outside. The pain in his side had not abated, nor had it stopped bleeding. The bandage was soaked in warm blood and the once white linens were dark as clay. Sari soon appeared before him, red glowing rod in hand.
"Thank the gods you're awake. Didn't want to have to be the one to wake you for this." Sari said as she raised the iron to head level.
"Believe me, sister. You'd still be the one with the easy job here." Invar said between coughs.
"Fair enough. Catch." Sari threw Invar his leather bracers and an empty water skin. "Let's get this over with sooner rather than later." Invar placed the skin in his mouth and bit down with his molars before grasping the bracers in his two hands. Once he had lain down flat, Sari restrained him with her forelegs. Sari turned her eyes to Invar's.
"Ready?" Invar took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and nodded. The pain of the stabbing was sharp, but Invar would've rather been stabbed a hundred times than this. Through his own groans of pain he heard his own flesh sizzling like meat on a spit. His legs flailed as the iron continued to melt his skin away. It seemed like hours had passed before the iron was finally removed from his skin. Even so, the burning sensation remained.
"That's it. You're done. It's over. Okay? You did it." Sari said, placing her hands on his shoulders. Invar's breathing finally calmed, though it remained heavy. He let go of his bracers and spit out the water skin. "You did good, brother. You were right, she didn't hit anything important, you should be fine." Sari said as she returned to her feet. Invar let out a sigh as his breathing returned to normal and laid his head on the floor. "Get some rest brother. We're almost done." Invar crawled his way to his bedroll, falling asleep almost before he had made it in completely.

The following morning the blizzard had abated, replaced with a sky devoid of anything but the pale blue of winter. Invar groaned as he stood up for the first time and his discomfort continued through breakfast, dressing, and packing, but he was alive, and right now, that was enough. The siblings departed their cave and made their way to the summit. The climb was treacherous as the previous day, with ice and steep slopes forcing them to backtrack. Invar's side gave him grief as he climbed up the steeper portions of the path while Sari seemed to wince ever so slightly at each step her front legs took. The pain was easy to ignore as they approached the summit of the mountain. Finally they were there. The summit. This place they had always been moving towards, even if they didn't know it. As they climbed to the top they encountered five hooded figures standing in a circle.

It was them, it had to be. The 'Dark Weavers.'
"Welcome, children." Came a voice from among the crowd. "What do you seek from Taho's children?" The voice was young, yet refined. Invar couldn't picture a face to match it.
"You have to know why we're here, I want my humanity back!" Sari said marching towards the circle, which remained motionless.
"What are you doing!? We need to be diplomatic here!" Invar whispered as he grabbed Sari's hand.
"It's quite alright, child. Emotions are often fickle things, driving us to work against our own benefit." Came a second voice from the circle.
"And of all emotions, anger proves the greatest detriment." Said a third voice.
"But still, it can prove useful. Would you not agree child?" Said yet another voice.
"For it was anger that brought you to us before. And anger has carried you here yet again. Came the final voice. Sari fell silent.
"Do not think we have forgotten you, Sari Talaus. The children of Taho have long memories."
"Far longer than yours, it would seem."
"Why don't I remember you? Why don't I remember deciding to come to you in the first place?"
"Our lord heard the curses uttered towards your life, child. He saw your displeasure, your drive, your desire for freedom."
"It is people like you who our lord seeks to help. He bestows upon them new life."
"In your anger you opened your mind to him. He bought you to his children where we gave you freedom."

"With respect, we were wondering if Sari could return. She want's to be human again. Can you make that happen?" Invar asked as he stepped forward.
"The children of Taho bring creatures unity of form and soul. You would ask us to undo this?" Sari nodded.
"Yes."
"We may not pull two from one, only the contrary. Sari Talaus and her horse were once two beings, now they are one. We can no more change this than one can grow two men from one child."
"But Taho's children are thankful for you, and can provide another way back to your lost life." The hooded figures turned and stepped outwards, revealing Anya's broken body in the snow. Her breathing was faint, but present.
"This one has caused us much grief and robbed the world of many of our lord's creations."
"But you have laid her low, you have avenged the deaths of our brothers and sisters."
"For this, we offer you a way to the old life you seek."
"What is this 'way?'" Sari asked.
"You and Anya will become as one, just as you became one with your horse all those months ago."
"Your form will be human to all mortal eyes, and you can return to your old life as you wish."
Sari swallowed. "And Anya?"
"She will be a part of you as much as your former horse is now. Her body and soul one with yours but her mind supplanted by your own."
"So, dead then."
"In a manner of speaking. You only require her legs to return to your human form, do you not?"

The siblings stood in the snow with their mouths hanging open. Sari looked at Anya's shivering body on the ground.
"It's the only way, sister..." Invar said as he grasped Sari's hand. "We've come too far already. They're offering you your humanity back. You can't say no to this! Not now!" Sari remained silent as a tear rolled down her left cheek.
"Anya tried to kill you Sari. We thought she had killed herself for Arkn's sake! What choice is there here!? She deserves this, dammit! YOU deserve this!" Sari remained silent as the night as she began to shake her head, her cheeks stained with tears and her hooves shivering in the snow. "Sari" Invar said as he clasped his free hand to Sari's "even if you don't take up their offer, they'll kill Anya anyway. You won't be saving anyone. Please sister..." Invar squeezed his sister's hand a s tears began to stream down his face as well. "Be human. Come back to us. Come home."

Sari turned and smiled to her brother before leaning down to embrace him as the two began to openly weep.
“You know what we have to do, brother.” Sari whispered as they embraced. “I’m not asking you to like it, I’m just asking for your help, one last time.” Invar thrust his eyes shut and squeezed his sister tight as he nodded his head. The siblings released their embrace as Sari turned to the five hooded figures.
“I’ll do it.”
“As you wish, child.” The first voice replied.
Two of the weavers escorted Sari towards the circle.
“You’ll need to help Anya, she’s too weak to survive the procedure as it stands.” Invar said, following his sister.
“The ‘monster hunter’ is strong enough, she will survive long enough.” One voice retorted.
“Really? She’s lost an eye, been trampled, fallen off a mountain, and nearly frozen to death in the span of a few hours. If you operate without helping her, she’ll die of shock the moment you cut her open.”
“If she dies during the operation, I’ll die too. That wouldn’t help anybody.” Sari said as two weavers began to remove her armor.
“Very well, child. It is a risk, but you are right. The subject’s expiration would doom the procedure. You two! Bring life back to this dying vessel.”

The two remaining weavers knelt around Anya and laid their hands of her as they chanted in a strange tongue. Anya’s breathing began to become heavier until her eyes opened. She tried to squirm free of the binds but was unable. When Invar saw that Anya was awake, he quickly charged the lead weaver, striking him across the face with his sword hilt. Sari quickly kicked one of her attendants away as she unsheathed her sword and engaged her second. With the other weavers rushing to subdue Sari, Invar made his way to Anya as the remaining weavers drew their weapons.
“What have you done, Invar?” Where am I?”
“At the moment we’re trying to save your life. So if you’re done being a bitch we could use a hand with that.” Invar said as he cut the ropes binding Anya.
“What is this?” Anya asked as she looked up at her old foe.
“A second chance.” Invar said extending his hand to Anya. “Sari gave hers up to give it to you. I suggest you take it.” Anya looked over to see Sari fighting off the Dark Weavers before looking back up at Invar and finally taking his hand.
“This isn’t over.” She said as she came to her feet.
“Not yet it’s not.” Invar said as he handed her the knife she had stabbed him with only hours before.

Invar and Anya charged into the weavers fighting to restrain Sari. Both were weakened from their injuries but fought with ferocity nonetheless. The weavers were surprisingly skilled with their blades, parrying and dodging strikes like masters. The blades rang like temple bells across the mountaintop as the wind once again began to sing.
Invar could feel himself growing faint from fatigue as the fighting went on. The weavers had to be tiring too, right? They seemed to be vivacious as the moment the fight began. Hammering their blades against his ever weakening defense. Out the corner of his eye he spotted the first weaver he had struck down was rising to his feet and drawing his sword.
“Anya! On your left!” Invar shouted as he blocked a thrust at his arm.
Anya kicked her foe in the nethers and turned her head to get a good look before turning back forward and kneeing her opponent. The weaver twirled his sword as he approached Anya, his previously calm demeanor a distant memory. Anya charged the weaver and locked swords with him, both combatants growling through their teeth. Invar stumbled at the next strike from his opponent. His heart felt ready to burst out from his chest. All the while his opponent appeared fresh as when they had begun. The pain in his side throbbing like a second heart. This had to end now. Invar raised his arm as his opponent struck, embedding the sword in his forearm. As he screamed, he plunged his own sword through his opponents neck and loosed it with a tug to the side. The world seemed to slow as Invar watched the head fall to the snow-covered ground, landing almost gracefully in the soft powder.

Invar couldn’t even feel the pain in his arm as he turned his head to see behind him. Invar saw as Anya began to get the better of her new opponent, cutting him at the knees before lopping off his head in one fluid motion. Invar finally turned to see Sari.
“Centaur! Eyes left!” Anya called out from behind. Before Sari could react, her opponent shredded her legs with a swift strike from a dagger his off hand. As Sari fell to her knees with a screech, her opponent raised his sword with a grin. Then it happened. Like the first strike of lightning. The all too familiar sound of a blade burying itself in flesh. As Sari looked up, she saw the blood drip from the neck, a dagger hanging out its side. The corpse fell to the ground, throwing a puff of powder into the air as the snow turned red.

For a time the three stood there silently, the snow collecting on their clothes. Invar at last broke the silence with a grunt as he dislodged the sword from his arm. Sari struggled to her feet as she kept her eyes firmly fixed on Anya. Finally, after staring Sari down for what seemed like minutes, Anya dropped her blade. Invar made his way to his sister as she leaned down to embrace him and the two began to weep.
“I’m sorry, Invar. I know this isn’t what you wanted.” Invar couldn’t bring himself to speak and so he squeezed his sister ever tighter.
“Why?” Came Anya’s voice. “Why throw away your chance to be human again?”
“I didn’t.” Sari said after a moment of silence. “Today I proved that I’m not a monster. No matter what I look like or what people like you think.” Anya clenched her fist.
“So what now? We’re all supposed to be friends now? Is that it?”
“She did you a favor, Anya.” Invar said as he turned to face her. “She helped you wipe out the weavers, not to mention saving your life. She’s twice the human you are.” Anya let out a huff, turned and left down the mountain. “What will you do now? You know you can never come home now.”
“Well, you came to accept me right? I wouldn’t say it’s impossible.” Sair said with a slight smirk.
“Well, on the not so off chance that the town isn’t as open minded as me…”Invar reached into his pocket and pulled out Sari’s armband. Sari let out a chuckle as Invar fastened it to her forearm before leaning down and hugging her brother once again as the sun began to set.