The PureLights of Ohm Totem

by Brandon Ellis

  The PureLights

  of

  Ohm Totem

  A NOVEL

  by

  Brandon Ellis

  First Edition, February 2013

  Copyright © 2013 All Rights Reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author.

  ISBN: 978-1484177792

  Editor: Julie Clayton

  Senior Editor: DB Gregg

  Blue Heron Publishing, Inc.

  www.brandon-ellis.com

  Dedication:

  To the child inside each and every one of us.

  Prologue

  It was nightfall. A snow leopard looked to the north, feeling a group of dim eyes burning deeply into her snowy pelt. She knew they'd killed before and she knew they wanted to kill again.

  The wind howled against her body, making the snow leopard’s fur cling to her skin. Leaning into the heavy gusts as she walked, she dug her claws deeply into the earth to remain upright. Her eyes were mere slits, protecting them from the flying dirt and ash swirling violently in the air. The once lush, sacred land was now burnt to a black cinder. Smoke rose from the ground, spinning wildly in the harsh wind. The old dwellings, formed from earth and fallen branches, were mostly gone, turned to embers smoldering in charcoal.

  She stopped near a river's edge, facing a mountain range to the west. Like black silhouettes, the mountains stood amidst dark gray clouds. She turned her head to the north, sensing the group of eyes hidden behind a shadow of trees. They were still watching her.

  She took a deep breath as a flicker of light flashed above, casting black shapes from clouds, trees, boulders, and smoke across the land. She sat on her haunches, folding her long tail over her paws, staring patiently ahead. More than just instinct had led her here.

  She looked at the night sky as the gray clouds parted—one half flowed north, the other half south—revealing a star-filled canopy.

  Suddenly, she winced. A comet streaked through the sky, painting a crystal-blue gash across the stars above the mountains. Her eyes intently followed as the comet slowly vanished into the western horizon. Then she nodded to the sky, as if communicating with it in some mystical way.

  Dropping her gaze, the snow leopard eyed the ground. A rolled up scroll, which wasn't there a moment before, lay in front of her. She paused, then placed a paw on one end of the scroll, then nudged the opposite end with her nose, rolling it out to reveal gold paper thickly outlined in black.

  She stared into it. Suddenly, a word formed, then more, until the scroll was filled with words. It read:

  Two children from a forgotten land, ancestors of the Island of Ohm Totem, one being of the Night Walkers and the other of the Sacred Heart, will purify the energies, bring back the old ways, and unite the PureLights. They will put an end to the coming Shiver.

  ~ Windstorm Prophecy

  Removing her paw from the scroll and nosing one end toward the other, she rolled it up and gently grasped it in her mouth. She stood on all fours and sniffed the air. Danger was near.

  Another blast of wind unbalanced her. Closing her eyes until the wind slowed to a slight breeze, she turned and slowly walked to the east until she stopped at a large dwelling mound half-burnt to the ground. It gave off heat, but little smoke. She sniffed. It was empty of life. She glanced once more at the ruined land and felt the heavy pain of sorrow sink deep within her. Everything around her was dead—her friends, her family…everything.

  Lifting her head, she stared to the north once more, narrowing her eyes as she studied a thick fog hovering over a sparse stand of trees in the distance. Still clutching the scroll, she gave a loud moan and watched the fog for several more moments, waiting for a reply.

  Nothing.

  Turning to leave, she noticed something on the ground. It was something important—fresh tracks. She sniffed intently—panther scent. Her head jerked up and her eyes widened. He's alive and he was here only moments ago. Why didn't she sense him?

  Just then, she heard several yelps and turned to face seven white wolves cautiously walking toward her. With bristled fur and ears pulled back, they advanced with low growls. It was a display to induce fear, but wasted on the snow leopard.

  Backing up slowly and moving her head left to right, she studied each wolf as the group began to surround her. The closer they came, the tighter she held the scroll. Suddenly she stopped, surprising and confusing the pack. Their usual slaughters involved a chase.

  Then a flash of light silently appeared from above. The pack looked up as the light changed from white to crystal blue, coloring the land and then slowly fading away. Something about this omen told the pack that tonight’s prey was different, something they'd never encountered before.

  The pack leader glared at the snow leopard as he let out a loud, throaty growl, saliva dripping from both sides of his mouth. He had a scar on the side of his face. He had been in many fights.

  The wind picked up from the north just as the leader crouched and leaped at the leopard with bared teeth.

  She easily side-stepped the attack and the leader landed directly on the spot she'd just occupied. His jaws were still swiping in vain at empty air as another wolf sprang. She spun out of the way, swatting his backside and sending him further than he’d planned. His outstretched paws dug into the earth as he landed; stopping him from slamming into a burnt tree.

  The snow leopard sat down, calmly looked back at the leader and exhaled as she placed the scroll on the ground. She licked her paw, wiped her forehead, and picked up the scroll. She gave a slow blink of the eyes and started to purr, seemingly content with the situation.

  The leader pulsed with adrenaline as he jumped at her again; thrusting his feet out, hoping to knock her over at the shoulders. She crouched, twisted toward him and deftly moved under his body as she flipped onto her back and briskly planted her feet on his stomach and pushed firmly in the direction he had jumped.

  The wolf, surprised, landed much further away than intended and lost his balance, somersaulting head over heels and yelping with pain. When he stopped tumbling, he shook his head, flinging dirt and ash from his fur, and then sprang to his feet. He gave a high-pitched growl, signaling the pack to form a line in front of the snow leopard. Growling in unison, they obeyed. The leader barked an order and one by one they attacked.

  And one by one they missed.

  Finished, the snow leopard shook her body like a wet dog and sat back down on her haunches.

  The leader signaled for the pack to regroup. They formed another line, standing to the east of her, blocking a throng of trees that formed the outskirts of an enormous forest.

  She stared longingly beyond the pack to the forest’s edge. They knew it was her only escape.

  She looked up to the night sky as a thin set of clouds whisked by, uncovering a full moon. Her brow crinkled in worry. She must find the panther. The wolves, crouched low, were ready to attack. This time it was the whole pack all at once.

  The snow leopard had had enough. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Instantly, the growls stopped and seven thuds echoed through the air. She opened her eyes and the wolves lay on their sides, breathing deeply and looking comfortable enough to be sleeping in their own dens.

  She bowed her head to them, and with a flick of her tail sped off toward the wall of trees.

  Once there, she paused just before entering the forest, blinking softly and purring in gratitude for the precious scroll held within her jaws. Then she leaped, vanishing into the shadows of the thick forest.

  Chapter 1


  Zoey sat on a large, thick branch in a majestic maple tree looking out over the forest below. She could almost touch the beautiful orange and pink hues painting the sky by a disappearing sun. Many twelve-year-olds, and adults for that matter, would be frightened to be up so high, but Zoey couldn't imagine any place more peaceful and safe. Just as the sun dipped below a horizon of distant forest, the crickets hiding amongst the rocks and shrubs below began an ancient twilight chorus.

  She heard another sound, but realized it was her tummy. Time to go home to join her family at the dinner table. It was Friday night supper, something she didn't want to miss.

  Tucking thick auburn hair behind her ears, she took a final deep breath of sweet forest air. She slowly began her descent, checking carefully for the best footholds so she wouldn’t slip, and hummed her favorite tune. Suddenly she stopped, glimpsing movement from below.

  “Zoey?” said an unfamiliar and gentle voice.

  Where did that voice come from?

  Zoey pushed away a leaf-covered branch obstructing her view, and was very surprised to see a handsome gray wolf staring up at her.

  Zoey knew right away that it was male, and felt strangely at ease in this wolf's presence.

  She pried her gaze away from the wolf for a moment to look around for the source of the voice. She saw grass spread in huge clumps throughout a meadow surrounded by the forest. A massive, twisting tree standing alone, but magnificent nonetheless, stood at the far end of the meadow. It had a hazy golden aura around it. Or was that just the sunlight somehow reflecting off of it? She couldn't tell.

  Then she had a strange feeling that she’d been in this maple tree overlooking the forest many times before, but couldn’t actually remember when, and she couldn’t quite recall how she had arrived here in the first place.

  The voice!

  Her thoughts spun back to the voice she had heard moments before.

  Who had called her name? Zoey eyed the gray wolf, searching into its deep blue eyes, as if the answer might somehow be held within them. Her brow furrowed as she noticed something else rather odd. What was that peculiar teardrop-looking object embedded in the fur between his eye brows? She squinted at the object, trying to figure out what she was looking at while the wolf remained motionless. The object looked like a glowing violet crystal of some sort. Then she noticed a crystal of the same color set in his chest. The rock crystals were beautiful, she thought, but who would put such things on an animal?

  After a few more moments of staring, Zoey sighed with resignation. She had the feeling that the wolf was quite content just to sit there looking up at her and she wasn’t sure how to respond. She wanted to leave, but also knew that she might disturb the calm, and then who knows what might happen? She wished the wolf would walk away, finding another tree or another person to stare at.

  “Please leave. I want to get down,” Zoey said out loud, knowing full well that a wolf, or any other wild creature in the forest, would never understand what she was saying. She wondered if she'd have to stay in the tree for hours. I hope not. Her stomach grumbled again and she rubbed her tummy.

  The gray wolf’s sparkling blue eyes mesmerized her. She felt a tingling sensation in her body that she’d never felt before. The wolf slowly stood up on all four legs and bowed his head to her. Then his mouth moved, and to her utter amazement, he spoke.

  “Yes, I can do that,” he replied.

  Zoey’s eyes widened and she shivered with fear. There was no way she was getting down. Not now, not ever—or at least, not until that talking wolf left the forest completely.

  “Please, I mean you no harm,” the wolf calmly said. “I only ask for your help.” He peered intently into Zoey’s eyes and her fears dissolved. The wolf seemed to radiate a sense of calm. “We desperately need your help,” he quietly pleaded.

  Before Zoey could recover from her shock, a large, dark green reptile emerged from the grasses and slinked quietly toward the wolf. The wolf took no notice; not even twitching a whisker. He was entirely focused on Zoey.

  The reptile halted and looked up at Zoey. She could see now that it looked like one of those Komodo dragons she had once seen on the Nature Channel, except that this dragon had burning red eyes full of rage that seemed directed at her! Zoey quivered, feeling a chill run through her body from head to toe as the repulsive reptile glared at her. The dragon inched closer, never taking his eyes from Zoey. Each step hissed against the dry grass, searing blackened footprints into the ground, followed by wisps of acrid smoke. Zoey quickly tore her gaze away, breaking the spell.

  Dark clouds suddenly appeared in the distance. They were approaching fast, casting ominous shadows across the forest, turning day into night. A shot of lightning pierced the sky, then a moment later thunder rumbled, shaking the earth.

  Zoey’s hands weakened as fear consumed her, squeezing the air out of her chest. The dragon had stopped a few inches in front of the wolf and seemed to be sizing him up. Still, the wolf didn’t budge or take his gaze away from Zoey.

  “Please help us,” the wolf implored. “Remember, Zoey, who you truly are.”

  The dragon hushed the wolf’s words with a roar that echoed deep into the forest, ringing loudly in Zoey's ears. The roar, it seemed, instantly summoned a downpour of rain that fell hard and fast against the canopy of branches above them.

  The dragon leaned forward, almost touching the gray wolf’s chest with its nose. Rain pelted against the dragon’s hard, scaly skin and slid off, making a slime-covered mess on the ground. To Zoey’s astonishment, the rain didn't seem to touch the gray wolf at all.

  The dragon took a deep sniff, inhaling the scent of the gray wolf’s fur. He began to walk in circles around the wolf, creating a rising mist with each stride. The wolf remained motionless, and seemed to convey a calm whisper of love to Zoey until the mist completely surrounded him, hiding him from view.

  The rain got louder, landing with increased force against the bark of Zoey's tree, and her grip started to slip.

  Thunder and lightning rolled across the now blackened sky, and a ferocious storm let loose.

  The dragon turned on Zoey, revealing a wicked smile. She could see he had crystals on his forehead and chest, too. Only his were solid black. Her stomach churned, and waves of nervous energy crept through her body.

  The mist forming around the wolf spun faster and faster, like a small whirlwind.

  “What’s your name?”

  Zoey gasped, startled by the frozen, low voice of the dragon, but she refused to take her eyes off the growing whirlwind surrounding the wolf.

  “I said,” he repeated menacingly, “what is your name?”

  Zoey snapped her head around and looked deep into his scalding eyes. A wave of anger rose from her belly. “Leave me alone!” she yelled.

  The Komodo dragon pounded his right foot on the ground and the tree shook fiercely, unlocking her grasp and flinging Zoey’s legs off the branch. She tumbled backwards, flipping in mid-air, as she screamed and closed her eyes, waiting for her body to hit hard on the ground.

  ∞

  “Zoey, keep it down.”

  Zoey bolted upright in her bed. Her face was clammy and her breath was quick and heavy. She nervously looked around the room for any signs of forest, the gray wolf, or the Komodo dragon.

  There was nothing but the darkness of her bedroom in the pale moonlight.

  She sighed in relief. She was only dreaming. And just to make sure, she pressed firmly on the mattress, assuring herself that she was in her own room, awake and safe.

  “I’m trying to sleep,” her older brother complained.

  “Okay, I’m sorry Coda,” she said with a heavy breath.

  “Yeah, goodnight Zoey, and try to have a better dream or something.”

  For some reason, unknown to Zoey, Coda was always a little nicer to her in the dead of night, which wasn’t always the case during the day. He was thirteen, only a year older than her. But like most older brothers, he didn't like his younge
r sister following him around everywhere he went, which she tended to do. And, to make things worse, he had to share a room and bunk beds with her. Their parents didn't have an extra room in the house. Only two. They had one room for the kids and one room for the parents. Zoey knew Coda didn’t like that, but neither did she.

  A drop of sweat trickled down her forehead, taking her away from her thoughts. She wiped it away and poked around the sheets that were wet with sweat. She sighed, realizing she was hot and exhausted because she had just woken up from a frantic dream.

  Was it a dream?

  It felt real, more real than any dream she'd ever had. The dream terrified her, and yet, in a funny way she felt wonderful at the same time. It was that gray wolf, she thought, that gave her the nice feelings. There was a certain familiarity about him that she couldn’t quite place. And that maple tree, and that twisting tree, and the meadow—had she been there before?

  Help? She wondered, why does he need my help. He was so beautiful and calm.

  She quickly shook the thought away. "It's just a dream," she said out loud.

  Coda's arm dangled off the edge of the top bunk. "Zoey! Shhh!" The moonlight gleamed through their window and silhouetted Coda's face as he peered over the edge. "Be quiet!"

  "Okay," replied Zoey. She knew she couldn't sleep in the damp bed, so she waited until she heard the deep breaths of slumber coming from her brother before she pulled her sheets off and got out of bed. She stretched her arms and legs, letting out a big yawn during the process. There was no way she could get any sleep after that dream.

  She tiptoed over to her dresser and opened a drawer as slow and quietly as she could, making sure not to waken Coda. She grabbed dry underwear and a long t-shirt, but as she turned in the semi-darkness she accidentally kicked something. Whatever it was, it smashed against the wall into tiny pieces, scattering all over the carpet. Zoey froze and held her breath.