The guard to the left just nodded to the other guard before they opened the doors. Naomi and Denzel headed in and waited at the pedestal. The leaders walked out of the secret passage and waved them over. Naomi looked towards their seats confused as she walked over with Denzel.
Denzel asked, sounding hopeful, “Did you find a life partner for me?”
Topaz shook her head, “No I'm sorry, but it seems no one wants to be a life partner to a former humie.” Denzel hung his head.
“There is still time. Maybe someone will offer to be the life partner at the ceremony today,” Leander offered.
Naomi asked in surprise, “He’s going to that?”
Gwythyr answered, “Of course. He might find a life partner there and even if he doesn’t he deserves to receive his weapon.”
Acacia laid a gentle hand on Naomi’s shoulder, “Come with us. Denzel, you go with Leander and Gwythyr.”
Naomi looked at Topaz and Denzel, surprised, but followed. She was led into a room that looked like dressing quarters. There was a makeup desk with a mirror, a closet filled with hundreds of clothes and shoes, and in a corner a changing area. There was also a circular couch in the middle of the room.
As she looked around in wonder, Naomi asked “What is all this for?”
“You and Denzel are going be the guests of honor at the ceremony, and we can’t have you wearing just anything, little caracal,” Topaz chimed.
Acacia rummaged through the closet as she inquired, “Hey what color Topaz?”
Topaz looked at Naomi with a keen eye, “Get the black one in the far back, the one code named Trace Star.”
Naomi and Topaz sat as they waited; Topaz played with Naomi’s hair as she thought about what to do with it. Naomi’s ears twitched at every sound, though it didn’t take long for Acacia to emerge from the closet with a black dress in hand. It was a sleek silk, one shoulder dress. The shoulder had a black guard piece ending in a rounded “W” that was flexible and looked like it was made of scales. There was a slit in the back of the dress, perfect for Naomi’s tail. The base of the dress was an elegant slant so that one side stopped at the ankle and the other stopped just above the knee.
The dress itself had a discreet red design on the front and back that looked like claw marks. Acacia also held a little black remote with only two buttons on it. Naomi looked at the dress in wonder--she had never seen a dress more beautiful.
“Here you go. Topaz, can help you put it on while I grab the shoes? You're going to look amazing, little caracal,” Acacia said as she handed Naomi the dress. Naomi nodded as Topaz walked with her behind the changing screens. Acacia sent her leopard aura out of the room to the boys to let them know which dress Naomi was wearing and to see how they were doing.
Topaz helped Naomi get the dress on and then smoothed the fur on her tail that had been sticking up. Naomi tried not to flinch at her touch especially when she started touching the tail. It felt strange having someone touch her tail, but Topaz was so gentle that her touch almost felt like it wasn’t there. Acacia came around the screen and held some glossy black half inch heels. The heels were like those on boots, but slightly smaller. The shoe itself was open toe and only had straps at the ankle. Naomi smiled but then looked curious. She asked, “What is the remote for Acacia?”
Acacia replied glancing at the remote, “Oh this is for a little surprise. The dress has a special feature I think you’ll love.”
“Really? What does it do?” Naomi gleamed in wonder as they walked to the makeup table.
“Well one button is for your dress the other is for Denzel’s outfit. Press your button and you get battle armor instead of a dress, same for Denzel,” explained Topaz, “This armor is some of the finest we have, we call it the Red Wolf armor.”
Naomi continued, as Topaz straightened her hair, “Wow cool! Wait, why would I need an armor dress?”
Acacia answered, distracted by searching for something for Topaz, “The First Fangs and their family are always invited to this ceremony. Unfortunately, Leander doesn’t trust humans anymore, so he wants you and Denzel to have extra protection.”
Naomi took note of what Acacia said about Leander, surprised to learn anything about him. Normally the leaders didn’t make connections with others easily due to their work, so it was rare to learn anything about them.
Topaz finished by braiding strands from both sides of Naomi’s face to a point at the back where she made a small bun. Acacia nodded with a smile to Naomi, “You look good in a bun, or braids for that matter.”
“I never thought to put braids or a bun in my hair. I like it,” Naomi said as Topaz slid a metal long pin into Naomi’s braid. The long pin was similar in style to chopsticks but hid a secret blade that would be released with just a single flick. The pin was sleek black with a red claw design down the length.
Once Topaz and Acacia were ready, and Acacia's aura had returned, the girls headed back to the meeting hall. The boys were already there waiting. Denzel was wearing a simple dark green shirt, black jeans that looked like they had claw marks on the legs, and a black leather jacket with a scale design on the cuffs of the jacket. He wore black leather shoes. When Denzel saw Naomi he couldn’t help but smile.
“You clean up nice Humie,” Naomi said teasingly, her different colored eyes gleaming in the light.
“You look amazing Naomi,” Denzel blushed.
Leander put a hand on both of them and nodded towards the door. Acacia quickly handed Naomi the remote, to change the clothes to battle armor, as she signaled to keep it secret until needed.
Together they all headed towards the ceremony in phantom drawn carriages. The phantoms looked like horses made of thick grey smoke. Naomi, Topaz, and Acacia in one carriage while Denzel, Leander, and Gwythyr rode in another. Naomi kept glancing at the weapons that lay on Topaz and Acacia’s laps. Topaz held a lance; it had an arrow-shaped shaft and a long thin blade. Luckily it had a retractable blade to reduce the space that it took up on her lap.
Acacia held a set of simple broad daggers, the hilts were covered with nice leather. Naomi had noticed Leander and Gwythyr also had weapons with them too. Gwythyr held a steel Fukiya or blowpipe in his hands. When Naomi saw it, she figured he probably had a few darts hidden in a sleeve. Naomi saw that Leander had whip at his side; the tip was split into three prongs.
They made it to the ceremony arena in short order, then headed in via a side entrance. They went in and found a room just on the other side of a wall from the arena. Naomi peeked through a spy hole designed into the wall, and she saw people still finding their seats--the place was packed! On the arena side of the wall the spy hole was hidden by a painting of the Cryptic people, that was Egyptian in style. The spy hole was in place of an eye of a person in the painting.
Leander and the others were sitting on couches or chairs set about the room, Leander and Acacia were having some water. They were waiting for Gwythyr to stand up signalling they would head out. Although she and Denzel were the only young Cryptics in the room, Naomi knew that other Cryptics who had gone through the Feralizer with her a little over a week ago, would be meeting them in the arena, as well.
A few minutes went by before Gwythyr got up and started to head out. Leander followed close behind, then Acacia and Topaz. Naomi and Denzel followed last. They walked out in a straight orderly line towards the platform in the middle of the arena where there was a microphone waiting on a stand. The only difference to the stand from what it was a little over a week ago for the Feralizer, was that there were several racks of weapons behind it now. Naomi looked at each weapon with curiosity, wondering which one would be hers.
Naomi stood with the leaders and Denzel next to the platform, while Acacia spoke the opening lines into the microphone.
“Greetings my fellow Cryptics. It is now time for the Receiving Claw Ceremony. Today the young Cryptics who underwent the Feralizer a little more than a week ago will be receiving their eternal weapon. But first I would like to announce that we ha
ve a new Droga in addition to our rare caracal!”
She waved Denzel and Naomi over to stand beside her. Naomi scanned the crowd for familiar faces as she stood up on the platform; almost instantly her eyes landed on Denzel’s human little sis. The girl was sitting with her parents who had a look of surprise on their faces, as the girl seemed to be pointing at either Naomi or Denzel.
The father stood and leaped the small wall to the arena ground before rushing towards the platform. Leander reached for his whip, fearing the worst, but then saw that Naomi and Denzel seemed to recognize the man, so he relaxed himself. The father reached the platform and hugged Denzel as he said into Denzel’s ear, “I thought we would never see you again, Hunter! What happened to you? You crazy boy don’t ever scare us like that again. Now, uh, why did she call you a Droga and why do you have a fin and cat ears?”
Denzel looked at his father in stunned silence. Naomi answered, instead, as she separated Denzel from the man, “He is no longer your son, as he is no longer human. He is a Cryptic with a new name. He is Hunter no more; he is Denzel the Droga. Now return to your seat First Fang, we have a ceremony to get started.”
The man glared at Naomi, whose ears lay flat against her head, “His name is Hunter, not Denzel. Now reverse whatever spell you put on him, you Loki. He won’t be your next Droga.”
Naomi snarled, as he had hit a nerve, “I am not a Loki. I am an Anansi! Now you should show some respect, because of your son undergoing the Brazen claw we can’t mess with your family. Now go back to your seat before I am forced to break that promise.”
A flash of fear crossed the man's face before he turned away and returned to his family. When everyone had calmed down, the ceremony began with the Anansi’s weapon receiving. A few people were called before it was Naomi’s turn; she simply turned, as Denzel stepped back, to receive her weapon. She was given a double-bladed short sword by Leander. Naomi drew the sword and split them, so she could show her weapon to the people. The hilts were elegant leather with a gold tassel at the end of both. What they couldn’t see was a faint painted design of an attacking tiger on the blades. The blades were made of titanium.
Then Denzel was called up to receive his weapon, as Naomi snapped her blades back together and sheathed them. Denzel stepped forward and looked at Topaz who held his weapon. His weapon was an elegant saber. He drew the blade and saw a faint painting of an attacking dragon on it. Attached to the hilt was a silver tassel. The blade of his saber was also made of titanium.
Denzel sheathed his blade as another name was called. When all the Anansi had received their weapons it was the new Loki's turn to receive their weapons. Naomi watched as several were called up. Then, towards the end of the Loki’s, she saw him. She had heard Acacia call his name just before she saw him--it was the Loki that Zeke had a crush on. His name was Dante! His weapon was a pair of sickles, the blade part was made of titanium-colored blue, while the staff part was hickory wood.
Naomi looked over towards Zeke and saw he had a big smile on his face. Naomi smiled back, then went back to facing the audience as she waited patiently. The shadow Beasts were called up and when it was Zeke’s turn, he was given a spear with a steel blade. The staff was made of hickory wood. She smiled at Zeke as he received his weapon, then waited until everyone else had received their weapons. Naomi saw the siren with the dolphin tail receive her weapon, a japanese steel fan. Naomi found it an interesting weapon, though it seemed a bit limited for combat.
Naomi thought long and hard as people received their weapons. She thought about her time with Denzel, his former family, and her part in it all. She thought of how she would enjoy training with him, or when she saw his ears go red with blush. She had noticed after the first day that he would blush whenever she smiled.
He has feelings for me but does he even notice? Do I have feelings for him? Naomi thought about these things but didn’t know the answer until the end of the ceremony when Leander made an announcement.
Acacia handed the microphone over to Leander as she went to stand with the other leaders. Leander spoke into the microphone, “Thank you, everyone, for joining us today, but before you go I have one last announcement to make. Denzel our Droga has been in search of a life partner for the past week and today is his final day. I ask that anyone willing to be his life partner please step forth.”
They waited for a breathless few moments, and as they waited, Denzel looked among the people in the crowd to see if anyone stepped forward. No one did and Denzel hung his head in sorrow until he heard footsteps make their way to where Leander stood with the microphone. He glanced up and saw Naomi now held the microphone and was looking at the crowd. Naomi said boldly, “I volunteer to be his life partner!”
The crowd reacted with mixed emotions, some gasped in amazement or horror, some cheered for the Droga, the humans cheered for the simple fact it was a former human. A few booed, but one Cryptic merely walked away. Naomi recognized the person as Esme the kelpie. Esme stopped at Denzel’s former family for a minute, then left, followed by the family.
Leander and the other leaders patted Naomi and Denzel on the back signaling it was time to go. They left kinda hurriedly back to the room they had waited in earlier. When they finally got back to the room Leander sat down in a chair with a sigh of relief. Topaz sat next to him and said, “Well kid, you sure know how to surprise people. I’m pretty sure no one saw that coming.”
Gwythyr teased as he sat down next to Leander as well, “Especially Leander his reaction was priceless!” Leander punched Gwythyr in the arm seemingly embarrassed.
Naomi and Denzel sat on a large couch with Acacia. Naomi spoke, “I didn’t even know I was going to do it until I actually did it. But now all I can think about is the prophecy you told me about. What does it mean and how do Denzel and I tie into it?”
Acacia answered calmly, “Well clearly Denzel is the human and you brought him into our world, though at the time we told you we didn’t know much. I suspect that he will change our world by the mere fact that he is a human that became a Droga. Never before has such a thing been heard of.”
Naomi asked confused, “So the prophecy is fulfilled?”
Topaz chirped in, “No clue, we will just have to wait and see.
Leander interrupted, “I doubt this is over. Don’t forget, there were some mixed emotions out there. Denzel will have to work to gain the peoples’ trust. Heck, the humans probably didn’t help him with their cheers--they probably think he will be their inside man and weaken us till we are vulnerable so that the humans can wipe us out.”
Naomi gave Leander an unamused glare as she said, “Clearly you have issues with humans.”
“I’m being realistic,” Leander retorted defensively.
Naomi snapped back, “No you're paranoid and defensive and I wonder why. Why do you hate humans so much?”
Leander and Naomi glared at each other in silence. Gwythyr rested a calming hand on Leander’s shoulder as he spoke, “Maybe you should tell them.”
Leander nodded with a sigh. “I don’t trust humans because they are responsible for the death of my sister. It was years ago when the peace was uneasy and young. She and I had been on a hike in the human realm when we were ambushed. We were unarmed and my sister had been born with a bad leg. She couldn’t run fast enough and they killed her in cold blood.”
Naomi looked at Leander with sorrow, “I understand why you would hate them, now. I'm sorry for your loss.” A hush fell across the room until Acacia urged everyone to head out to the carriages that were waiting outside. A surprise was waiting outside for them instead of the carriages. The carriages were graffitied and knocked onto their sides, the phantoms that had been pulling it had vanished, and most likely had run off. The graffiti read:
Down with Cryptics! Humans shall reign! The Droga is our warrior, humans will thrive!
The leaders, Naomi, and Denzel looked at the scene in surprise. Then suddenly from out of nowhere, many items fell down from above and went splat. In
place of where the items landed were pools of red liquid that looked like blood. Then came the loud thud! A manikin landed on one of the broken carriages. It was dressed like Naomi in a black dress, cat ears were on its head, but that wasn’t what horrified them: it was the blade sticking out of the manikin’s face. Attached to the hilt was a ribbon that read:
Die, caracal bitch!
Chapter 11
“We need to get out of here now. Everyone change quickly into your battle armor, and then transform. Acacia you ride on Leander, Topaz you ride on my back,” Gwythyr ordered. Everyone did as they were told and they took off at a fast run. Naomi transformed into a caracal as Denzel transformed into his wild form. Leander became a cougar as Gwythyr transformed into a mountain goat with gold horns. Acacia hopped onto Leander’s back and grabbed a small handful of fur for balance. Topaz hopped onto Gwythyr and grabbed hold of his horns as if they were handles. The odd-looking group took off at high speeds, with Leander leading the way. They took only the hidden paths until they came to the training area and were forced to cross the field. They took it slow and cautious as they crossed the field, as they felt like there might be danger nearby.
They were near the middle of the field when they were attacked. The father--Denzel’s human father--charged at them with a long sword at the ready, but that wasn’t what caught them by surprise. It was Esme, the kelpie--she was watching from the other side of the field with a weighted titanium chain at her hip. The group scattered before Denzel’s human-form father got to them. Gwythyr was the slowest to get out of the way of the man’s wild swing. His sword caught Gwythyr in the hind leg and sliced deep before Gwythyr got out of range.
Gwythyr collapsed from the pain, sending Topaz falling a short distance past his head. Naomi saw what happened and doubled back, charging at the man. The man was distracted with Topaz and Gwythyr. Naomi caught his attention by leaping up over him, then swinging a clawed paw at the man’s legs. She caught him with her claws and sent him falling to the ground startled. Naomi quickly transformed while he was disoriented, then grabbed her sword and held it at the ready. The man swung his right leg towards her, hoping to knock her down as he turned onto his back. Naomi simply backflipped out of the way.
Cryptic Wonder- the Awakening Page 5
