by Natalie Erin
Wyntier leapt sideways and wretched Nineva out from under the fallen trunk. He pulled his wife to Lukas’ side, and she spun her arms in a large circle above her head. Dark magic spiraled around them until the three companions became encompassed in its smoky veil. Before Ionan could make another move, they were already gone.
Ionan huffed, small flames furling out of his nose. He turned to Allie. “How are you?” he asked her.
She got to her feet. She didn’t appear injured, only frightened. “I’ll live.” She hurried over to Kennu, who was still curled up on the ground.
“Kennu?” Ionan asked.
Physically, he was fine. But there was something about the fairy that was not. He turned his head away, to hide the tears that were falling down his cheeks. “I couldn’t look away.”
Ionan flapped his wings and said, “We must journey home. There’s no telling where he’ll go next.”
Kennu got off the ground and climbed onto Ionan’s back. Allie changed into a lynx and jumped onto the fairy’s lap, and Ionan began the long journey back through the forest. He did not fly, merely weaved his way through the trees quickly. Taking to the air would only cause them to be followed.
“We must reach Kia and Keota,” Ionan rumbled. “Before Wyntier and Nineva do.”
Mirabelle flew ahead, far ahead of her brother and mother. Her heart raced as she batted her wings frantically in a race to get to the Verinian. “Come on, Xiuh! Hurry up!”
“Slow down!” the white dragon whined. “We can’t keep up with you!”
“He’s right, Mirabelle. You need to slow your pace,” Sunset said gently, though her words carried a small, growly laugh.
Mirabelle stopped and waited for her family to catch up. “Sorry Mama. I’m just so excited about getting to meet my father! I guess I keep forgetting that I’m faster than you and Xiuh.” She did a loop in the air and began to glide gracefully at her brother’s side, twirling in a corkscrew as she did so.
“You look so much prettier in the air than you do on the ground,” Xiuh commented. “It’s like you belong in the clouds. You are a dancer and the sky is your stage!”
“You really think so?” Mirabelle did another loop and spun around to face him. “I really do feel more at home up here.”
“Of course you do. You are a dragon,” Sunset said proudly. “All dragons belong in the sky, where there is nothing to stop them from accomplishing their dreams. Up here, the only thing that can get in the way of our power is pure, blue sky.”
“Look! I see the Verinian!” Xiuh exclaimed, pointing with his wing.
“It’s beautiful.” Mirabelle breathed, staring down in wonder at the trees. “I bet it looks so different on the ground.
“Many say that you have not truly seen anything until you’ve seen it as the dragons do,” Sunset said. “From above, everything looks beautiful, no matter how ugly it may be. The simplest of rivers is like a blue ribbon trailing across a green bed of fabric. The trees are small figures, dancing in every breeze. Animals are nothing more than little toys, and flowers are simple little spots of color.” Sunset closed her eyes as she flew and sighed deeply. “Yes, it must be true. You cannot truly see until you see as dragons do. Every detail is caught in our gaze and made a million times more beautiful than it was intended to be. I am amazed every time I look down at nature and its simple beauty.”
“Mama, what’s that?” Xiuh said, pointing with his nose. Several trees toppled over in the forest, accompanied by a colossal roar that could only be from a dragon.
“Is that my father?” Mirabelle asked eagerly, looking closer.
“I don’t know, little ones. Stay close.” Sunset flew above her children, shielding them with her wings. “This place is beautiful, but it is foreign to us, and we shouldn’t take chances here.”
The two young dragons nodded in agreement, and remained silent as they continued on their journey.
Far below, Caini and Shadowin were staring at something small, red and square, interwoven within the grass.
“What do you think it is?” Caini asked, completely perplexed.
“A little piece of fabric,” Shadowin said, and he bent down to pick it up in his teeth. “Where do you think it came from?”
“I don’t know,” Caini said, staring at the fabric. “Let’s go ask Jade if she knows.”
“Good idea.”
The two wolves ran through the forest to catch up to the rest of the pack. They had been scouting for food, but had been distracted by the fabric, as the Verinian was virtually free of litter. As they found the green eyes of their sister, they drew her aside from everyone else.
“What do you two want from me now?” Jade moaned.
“Look what we found.” Shadowin placed the small scrap on the ground and nudged it with his nose. “We thought you might be able to help us figure out where it came from.”
“Like I would know.” Jade shook her head. “To me, it’s just another piece of fabric.”
“So now what?” Caini asked her brother.
“Dad.” Shadowin picked up the cloth and the three wolves made their way through the long line of pack members, finally coming to its leader.
“Dad!” Caini called as soon as the alpha was in view. “We have to ask you something important!”
Lilja looked back at his two children curiously. He was an old wolf now, and his muzzle was graying, as was the rest of his fur. None of the other wolves had yet to win a fight against him, however, so leader he still stood.
“Have you seen anything like this before?” Caini asked as Shadowin placed the fabric before his father.
“I don’t think so.” Lilja eyed it suspiciously, then sniffed the fabric. “It has a strange scent to it, like sulfur. You should bring it to Kia and Keota. It might have something to do with Wyntier.”
“What? Wyntier’s back?” Caini said in a yelp.
Lilja whined lowly. “I had wished to tell you with all your brothers and sisters, but it is difficult to gather you all in one place. Yes, he is alive and he has returned, but we are unsure where he is.”
“Then this must go to Kia right away,” Shadowin said firmly. “Thank you, Dad”
Jade bounded after her siblings in the direction of the fairy queen’s home. “This is crazy! Wyntier’s back? We thought he was dead!”
“Apparently not. If Dad said it, it must be true. He wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t so,” Shadowin said. On his way he bowled into his brother, and the two wolves went tumbling head over heels into the dirt.
“Out of the way, Snapfoot. We’re on important business,” Shadowin growled.
“What’s so important about a strip of fabric?” Snapfoot asked, glancing at the piece of cloth in Caini’s mouth.
“I’d like to know as well,” Midnightstar asked. She’d secluded herself in the shelter of the bushes nearby, but had come out to see what all the ruckus was.
“Wyntier, that’s what,” Jade snapped. “It probably belongs to him. We must get to Kia.”
At the mention of Wyntier, both Snapfoot and Midnightstar snapped to attention without asking any question. The five wolves ran frantically to Kia’s house, Jade filling Snapfoot and Midnightstar in on the way.
When they reached the hut they noticed Kennu sitting on the ground with his back to the door, looking down at the soft green blades of grass that were beginning to grow. Allie sat next to him in the form of a large doe, also looking down. They seemed completely miserable.
“What happened to you guys?” Caini asked through the fabric in her mouth. Genuine concern filled her voice.
“Wyntier and Nineva found us and attacked us. Ionan chased them off, but we can’t find Mom and Dad. He’s looking for them now.” Kennu shrugged.
“Wyntier attacked you?” Shadowin asked, shocked.
“Yeah. He came back.” Kennu sighed, never looking up to face the wolves.
“Don’t worry Kennu. Wyntier won’t hurt you as long as I am here to protect you.” Allie’s normal
ly strong voice was weak and shaky from crying, yet it still managed to bring a smile to Kennu’s face.
“And we’ll protect you, Allie. We’re not kids anymore. He can’t possibly hurt us if we all stick together,” Snapfoot said, stomping his paw down.
“You guys can’t protect us all the time. You have duties to your pack,” Kennu said. “So why did you guys come here?”
“We found this, and we don’t know what it is or where it’s from.” Caini handed the small bit of fabric to Kennu, and the fairy looked it over.
“I think it may be from one of my mom’s dresses,” Kennu told them. “It looks like the one that she tore a few days ago.”
“Oh.” Caini sounded disappointed. “We thought it might be something exciting. Not a torn dress.”
The wolves dropped their heads in discouragement. Allie perked her ears up and said cheerfully, “Well, what if Kennu is wrong and it’s really a piece of a treasure map that was painted on the cloth?”
“Yes...” Shadowin said. His tail wagged as he caught onto the old game. “Maybe it is!”
“We had better find the rest of the pieces so we can get the treasure!” Allie got up and took the form of a snow leopard, poking eagerly around the bushes, flowers and ferns. Kennu and the wolves followed her lead, roughhousing here and there as they began to search for a treasure map that did not exist. Allie and Kennu eagerly played along, dying to get away from the horror they just experienced. The friends romped in their world of make-believe just as had when they were small, before their lives had changed forever.
Hours later, when the friends were still immersed in their game, Ionan returned with Kia and Keota. Kia immediately rushed to embrace her son, wailing, “My baby! I’m so happy you’re safe! Did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine, Mom,” Kennu said, irritated.
“Why did you leave him alone?” Keota asked angrily, rounding on Ionan.
“I had to find the two of you. You were shirking off your duty as parents, as always. Wyntier’s back, and the two of you have chosen to ignore it instead of be proactive. Because of it, Kennu and Allie nearly died today!” Ionan was furious. His giant claws ripped up the earth as he stomped around the yard. The wolves ran behind Kennu in a huddle, avoiding the dragon’s rage.
“We can hide,” Kia said frantically. “We can go somewhere he won’t find us.”
“Running won’t do any good. We can’t pretend otherwise. He’s here, and he will do what it takes to capture Allie again,” Ionan insisted.
“He’s not gonna get Allie. Not while I’m around!” Snapfoot said angrily.
“Or me!”
“Or me!”
“Me too!”
“Me as well.”
The five wolves raised their hackles. Allie shook her tail and said, “I haven’t prophesied in years. I’m not sure if I even have any power left. There’s no reason for him to want me.”
“He will always want you, Allie. You are a prophetess,” Ionan said. “Regardless if you have power or not, he will always seek to capture you, because you were the one that got away. In his eyes, no one gets away from him and survives. He made that clear with Vera.”
The wolves whined at the mention of the Changer. Kia grabbed her son’s hand and said, “What is it you’re holding?”
Kennu gave her the piece of fabric. “The wolves found it. I told them it was off of one of your dresses.”
“That’s not mine. I don’t wear red. It looks like one of Flare’s. It smells like Mt. Deathern.” Kia clutched the fabric in her palm. “But that’s impossible.”
“Aravon,” Allie said, her eyes widening in realization. “He led us right to Wyntier. Kennu, don’t you see? He had blood around his mouth. He’s one of the Ortusan’s working with them. He must’ve brought that fabric back to torment us.”
“But why would he have a piece of his mother’s dress?” Kennu asked.
A few seconds later, the entire group realized why this was an irrelevant question to ask. Kia cried out, turning away from her son. Keota rushed to her and said, “Kia, don’t think like that. We don’t know anything. It’s just a scrap of fabric, Wyntier couldn’t possibly...”
“Get away from me,” Kia snarled, and she pushed Keota as hard as she could. She ran into the hut bawling, and her husband followed. While Keota was attempting to calm his wife, Ionan called into the forest for some scouts and sent them to Mt. Deathern, to see if it was all true. He then proceeded into the hut after Keota.
“Do you think it’s possible? Are Flare and her family dead?” Caini asked quietly, looking up at her friend.
“I don’t know,” Kennu said, an edge of panic to his voice. “I hope not. I don’t see how Von could do such a thing.”
“I could,” Allie snorted in disgust. “I knew we never should’ve trusted him.”
“They’re really loud,” Jade said, her ears flattening at the heated argument beginning to rise from Keota and Kia inside the house.
Kennu shook his head. “I’m used to it. It’s not unusual these days. They keep fighting. I just wish they would stop so life can go on.”
Allie flattened her ears against her head and sighed.
It only took until the next morning for Kia’s scouts to return. Flare and Nicholas had been slaughtered, their bodies left discarded to the elements. Their daughter Mela was nowhere to be found.
Chapter Five
A Glimpse of a Face Not Welcome
Ionan whipped his paw around, pinning Allie effectively and with little effort. The white lion put his teeth to the griffin’s throat and said, “Dead.”
The Changer let her go and sat on his haunches, Allie shaking her neck as he did so. Since Wyntier had attacked them, Ionan had been constantly working with Allie to better her fighting skills. They had seen no sign of the Accompany since, but neither she nor Kennu were allowed to leave the immediate grounds around the hut without an escort. Once confirmation had come of the massacre of her sister’s family, Kia had become paranoid. She asked wolves, bears and mountain lions to patrol the area at all hours to ward off Wyntier and his minions.
Allie doubted he was nearby. Wyntier didn’t like being traced, so he was probably ruminating in a cave somewhere outside the Verinian until he came up with a better plan to kill them all. She was sure of it.
Allie clipped her beak in irritation and snapped, “If this weren’t a lesson and I didn’t know you so well, you would be splattered all over the ground by now.”
“Perhaps,” Ionan rumbled. “But if it were a real battle, you would not have time to go chewing up your foes as if they were someone’s dinner. Have some respect for your opponents.”
Her feathers flattened. “It’s in my nature to be so violent. You know it is.”
“Indeed.” He cleaned his paw. “Griffins are even more gruesome than dragons in their ways. If you were a true griffin instead of a Changer, I have no doubt that you would rip your enemies throats clean, and enjoy the task at that.”
“I may do that already, if I ever run into them.”
“Allakenzie,” he growled. “You cannot go putting yourself in danger.”
“I must protect Kennu.”
“You must also protect yourself. Wyntier is after you, not Kennu.”
“But I like fighting. I think it scares Kennu sometimes.”
“And Kennu’s spasms scare you.”
“Not so much anymore.” She looked up at the sky. “He’s not afraid of them, and so, neither should I. He treats the seizures more like an annoyance, but I can tell he’s in pain.”
“Just as stubborn as his mother.” Ionan shook his mane. “Be mindful to not let him make all the decisions. Remember that this is a partnership.”
“Kennu’s not stupid!” she protested.
Ionan stepped forward. “I know that. He’s a very intelligent young person, just as you are. But Kia’s quick temper and Keota’s lack of common sense in one person is not a very good mix. I know for myself I followed Keota’s ord
ers too obediently when I was younger, when I should have protested his actions at times.”
“But he’s not that way. Kennu’s quiet, and patient. He rarely gets angry, and he never bosses me around,” Allie insisted. “He’s not like Kia or Keota at all.”
“He may be different in some ways, but all of us are more like our parents than we like to admit,” Ionan said. “Kennu does well when things are going his way. But when things are not, he tends to follow the habits of his parents.”
“Kennu would never do anything I wouldn’t agree with. We’re a team,” Allie insisted.
“Your Accompany is your dearest love and your closest friend. As Changers, we are obligated to adore them. We do not have a choice, but do not follow him so blindly and faithfully without question. Remember what happened to Vera.”
“I know what happened to Vera,” Allie said harshly.
Ionan blinked. “Very well.”
He went to lead her onto the next lesson. Underneath her breath, she muttered, “Kennu wouldn’t hurt me. He can’t. I know more than anything that has to be true.”
Kennu gently tried to coax the flower out of its bud, pleading with the young blossom in the dirt. Nearby, his mother watched in anticipation.
“No Kennu, like this.” Kia waved her hand, and at her touch, the flower blossomed into a beautiful pink day lily.
Kennu tried not to be envious. “How can you do that?” he asked, stroking the stem lightly with his finger. “It’s not magic.”
Kia stroked his head. “I’ve always had a special way with plants. If you’re going to run the forest and be king of the Lands someday, you’ll have to do it as well.”
Kennu tried not to make a face as his mother turned away to tend to her garden. He didn’t want to be king. He didn’t even want to be a prince. He’d just been born into the role.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his godfather prance proudly into the yard. He suppressed a groan. He knew this wouldn’t go well.
“Let me show you, Kennu. It’s easy,” Casiff said smugly. He waved his hand in an extravagant fashion, but before he even finished the flower had already went back inside its bud.
