Shadow knew it had been a stupid move! he still remembered the annoyed almost bewildered and accusatory look on Lan's face...one did not merely practice sheathing the sword! it was highly discouraged and only mentioned once or twice to senior cadets. Now Shadow had his head split open, and it was only himself to blame for it. He had received plenty of glancing blows to the head, but this was first time he practically lunged into it...it didn't help that the welder of the wooden sword was Lan...if he had been going full speed he likely would have died right on the spot.   He half expected Ilia to berate him or berate him and then run off and tell everyone where he was.<br/><br/>Howbeit she didn't do any of that, she told him not struggle, Shadow only manage a whimper like hurt frightened helpless little puppy. He winced as she touched the side of his head tears streamed down his face, however this time not of pain but from confusion. Nobody had ever been so kind to him, sure the Yellow Aes Sedai that had been sent by the Armylin to watch him, did so as well...whether he wanted it or not, but they only scolded him and how useless he was. Naturally one didn't expect sympathy from the Cadres, especially not his cadets...<br/><br/>In an instant Shadow let out a shuddering ragged gasp! he felt as if bucket of ice water had been dumped on him. He sat up, and his rose and fell as he panted like a near born colt taking its first breaths,  everything became clear and the pain in his head and neck vanished....he felt as if he awoken from a dream almost and now he was sitting a pile of daisies.<br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold"> "What did you get yourself into?" </span></span><br/><br/>"Lan," Shadow croaked....then paused... he glanced downward a bit startled at hearing his own voice for the first time...and wondering as what he should say next....<br/><br/>"th-thank-you," he whispered meekly in a low soft barely audible nervous voice. His dark ebony black eyes darted about not sure what to make of everything.  When she asked him if he was alright, Shadow paused as if not entirely sure... he nodded very, very slowly.  His eyes caste downward toward the green grass at his heels... still not sure....not sure what to make of things.  "please...please don't...don't tell anyone," he pleaded. He hesitantly turned to look up at Ilia worried uncertain as to how she would respond to such a request. He swallowed hard and looked away, doing his best to hide the tears slowing falling down his face... he thought of running off, but he wasn't going to head toward the barrack...not like this... not in front of the other cadets. He never felt so conflicted in his entire life. He hadn't spoken a single words in over ten years... Ilia was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen...yet she was going to be a white ajah... Light he didn't think he could live cooped up in the white tower forever, he was going stir crazy as it was...while at the same time he hated the idea her walking around with another warder! Shadow had made a commitment to become a warder...a warder for the Battle Ajah...he felt  rent to pieces... course he had never spoken it out loud but he had sworn it inwardly. The green Aes Sedai had saved him, from the Trollocs they had taken him in.<br/><br/>Shadow swallowed hard, he glanced about nervously not entirely sure how to pose the next question...  perhaps it was best not make things already more complicated than they already were.