Thicker Than Blood: Part Four

by shadowphoenix

Reflections

Narcissus took the position of leader as they headed toward the Haunted Woods. Silverwatcher followed, and SunTalon took up the rear. Cutting into the brush, the vagabond travelers all felt that they had passed beyond the point of safety. David was slung over Narcissus, and Silver watcher looked on with deep concern. He began to stir.

“How long will the journey through the woods take?” SunTalon inquired from the rear. He was walking sideways, with alert glances both before and behind him.

“Not long…almost an hour, a bit less.” The water was muddy and thick in the bog of the swampy woods. A stench like rotting flesh and bark filled their nostrils, and the low serenade of hunters and prey surrounded the adventurers. A shrill shriek cut through the air, and the shadows seemed to shiver. A large, looming form stood to the left of the group. Silverwatcher saw the gleam of metallic horns on the flanks of this secret silhouette, but her fear and sense kept her from screaming out.

“Not much longer” called Narcissus behind him, feeling the fear of his young female friend. Silverwatcher glanced to her left again, seeing nothing. She returned her gaze to the forward right, and was met with blood red pupils staring into her own eyes. She jumped in startled excitement, and regaining composure, she continued her inevitable approach toward the creature in the shadows. She figured it to be a Gelert, but far disfigured. She wondered, could this foul creature be related to the mutant Jetsam? She then quickly thought to remove her gaze from the creature before she upset its temper. She looked straight ahead, aware of the beast’s gaze locked on her own body. Silver watcher then fell back a little, to walk closer to SunTalon and gain some sense of protection. The sparkling red eyes retreated, and they were once again alone…

***

Sundial rode the Jetsam beast toward the ridge just beyond the woods, which separated the two ice fields where the Haunted woods did not. She grasped onto the beast’s fin hard and pulled for it to turn toward a weak break in the ice ridge, but it did not comply. Instead, the monster jumped and flung the young Shoyru from its back. Sundial landed hard on the ice, and quickly jumped up to dispute the Jetsam mutation but was immediately met with a smashing blow to the chest from its nose. Sundial flew back and crashed into the ridge. She slid down the icy surface and steadied herself onto the frozen lake surface. She braced herself for another hit, but the beast sat still in the water.

“What the…what are you doing?!?” The blood-like pendent about her neck began to swirl with fluid motion, and Sundial stepped toward the beast. “I’ll ask again…what are you doing? Fear me, you stupid slab of sushi! Know that I am your_” Sundial was unable to finish, for the beast had risen into the air, and came down onto her with the force of his entire body…

***

“We are through…yes, nearly through guys!” Narcissus quickly glided through the muddy ice toward the light up ahead. Breaking out from the wooded density, the dim sun seemed brighter than it ever had to their darkened eyes. After their eyes readjusted to the sun, Narcissus led on into the barren ice field.

“I don’t…I don’t see anything, love.” Silverwatcher scanned over the horizon for some sign of movement, but was only greeted by silence, ice, and trees. From across the bay-shaped clearing, to the group’s left, a pack of Lupes broke free from the foliage and padded out into the open light. The lightest of these blue Lupes paused and eyed the interlopers. He then turned and approached Narcissus with apparent caution.

“Who…are you? Did you come through…or from the woods?” The Lupe showed severe interest in the group.

“We did. We came from beyond, and we’re looking for a young man named Diamonn.” Narcissus spoke sternly, and Silverwatcher was quite impressed. “He must help us try to--”

“Diamonn? You must mean Synicle. Yeah, he’s the Lupe that owns Diamonn. Of course, we’ll take you to him! But…why would you want to see that Human pet, Diamonn? If you need help,” continued the Lupe leader as he returned to his waiting troop, “we’ll take you to Synicle.” The Lupe pack began in a trot, and then broke suddenly into a dash that Narcissus, Silverwatcher, and SunTalon struggled to keep up with. The chill did little to help the foreign pets run; on the contrary, the cold seemed to inspire their bodies to tire even faster.

Over the distant horizon, the stark group of life amidst the vast spans of death began to witness a small camp. Almost dots at first, it slowly grew clearer. There were two tents, and a small domed structure with an ice roof, and wall of solidly packed snow. One of the two tents was quite large, but neither large enough to hold a human being comfortably. They were nearly forty feet from the camp, and Silverwatcher doubted her ability to travel the small remainder of their journey. She stumbled, and was scooped up by SunTalon from behind. They slowed to a jog and entered the camp peacefully.

“Here.” The leader of the pack spoke to Narcissus, whom he had assumed was the leader of the unfamiliar band of travelers. He backed away as if in fear, and trotted off toward a small muddy patch of woodland, almost as cautious as when they had first met. As he and his pack retreated, sound stirred from within the dome. Narcissus checked the smaller of the two tents. He paused, and then seemed to nod in satisfaction as he moved to the larger tent. Silverwatcher and SunTalon glanced into the first to find what had interested Narcissus. They found simply a few rags of clothing, but mostly skinned fish and several bunches of edible berries from within the woods.

“Come on, you two.” Narcissus called to his friends with a welcoming tone, and they both followed. He led them into the dome, which was so small that SunTalon had to kneel to enter. He expected it to be a cramped space, but as he entered, the most astonishing sight met him. The entrance overlooked a cylindrical room of thirty feet deep and ninety in diameter, built into the ice lake. A relatively steep staircase led from the entrance down to the center of the coliseum-like den. Narcissus descended the staircase and the others followed in awe. Narcissus was careful not to drop David, whom was by now quite awake and riding on his back, but even he was taken in aspiration by the beauty of this glacial palace beneath the surface. Narcissus began to call out into the room, which only contained a few chairs of ice and leaves, and a bin of ice for preserving food. He was however interrupted by a small tuft of fur rolling out from behind the bin.

“Wha-what the…oh, Hey! Narcecil! You came back for that card game, didn’t you? Well, I’ll just head for my deck, and_”

“No, little guy, I did not. I need to spea--”

“Nonsense!” interjected the small Jubjub “Surely you just need to sit and warm up, and you’ll be ready for a game! Just come and…” The Jubjub’s eyes fell on the exhausted Silverwatcher and SunTalon, and he backed up toward the bin made of ice. “Synicle! Diamonn!” Standing low and speaking to Narcissus, he continued, “Who are they? Shadow, you didn’t bring them before.”

“Well,” began David, “I got SunTalon and his sister Sundial just after I left from you guys, and Narc here brought Silverwatcher home one night after finding her near dead in the wilderness. I wanted to introduce them to you, but you_”

David cut his sentence short at the entrance of Diamonn and Synicle, a virile white Lupe. They approached the visitors, whom had now descended the stairs entirely. Synicle glanced at Silverwatcher, and then turned his gaze to David. “Glad you’ve returned.”

Silverwatcher thought she caught a hint of interest when she looked into the Lupe’s eyes. She kicked herself mentally for thinking so foolishly. They were there for assistance against a rising threat, and she was hoping for assistance with a rising lust. She shook her head in dismay, and looked up to catch Synicle staring somberly at her. A red tint flushed over Silverwatcher's blue cheeks.

“So, what brought you out this far, D?” Diamonn inquired, leaning comfortably on an ice chair that seemed to have the greatest discomfort to David.

“What was that? Oh, we…it looks like we’re twins, bro. The penthouse, it_”

“It has a vacancy? Wow, we’d love to come, but…well, we've kind of gotten used to the Forsaken. Those hotties you keep in the den might warm things up a bit though. Heh heh…”

“What? No! It’s gone! The tower’s gone, and we need your help…not to rebuild it, but to stop what destroyed it from getting much farther.”

Diamonn began to ascend the stairway from which the visitors entered by, and motioned them to follow. When breaking into the overcast light of the sky, Diamonn led the entire group to the larger of the two tents. He entered, preceded by David and Narcissus.

“There’s no room for food. We’ll just…have…to, hmmm…” Narcissus hesitated due to Diamonn pushing aside the berries and fish, and opening a hatch in the floor of the tent. This led to a cellar-like cubicle lined with torches, and gleaming from some unknown metallic objects. Upon entering the new chamber, Diamonn led the group to the center of the room.

“Fortuneone, come claim the sword.” Diamonn gestured toward a golden pedestal in which a large sword was impaling. The Jubjub padded toward the pedestal and jumped up beside the sword.

“Forty what? His name is what?” SunTalon looked on at the commencing ceremony, paying no heed to Silverwatcher’s question. The Jubjub somersaulted and grabbed the sword by its hilt, then slid it from its resting place. As he landed, he released the sword and seemed to catch it with “invisible” hands. It floated noiselessly beside him, and he smiled brighter than a summer sun during a clear noon on Mystery Island.

SunTalon smiled back, shortly, and then walked out to the surface. He sat in front of the dome and bowed his head in silence, looking into a hole in the ice. SunTalon assumed the water here was warm, due to the steam that rose from its surface. He leaned over and found he was right. SunTalon stared hard into the water, at his still reflection, until a small droplet broke the stillness with short ripples. SunTalon somberly wiped his cheek and sighed.

“Friend?” SunTalon looked up to find Synicle standing before him. The others were also pouring out from the tent, and gathering near the edge of the camp. “We’re leaving.”

“I see. I know. Want to join me? I wouldn’t mind some company.” SunTalon glanced up to Synicle’s face, which was still locked in a forward stare toward Fortuneone. Fortuneone, at the moment, was intimidating and aggravating Silverwatcher with a barrage of card tricks and questions.

“I mind. We’re leaving.”

“Then I’ll be there in a min--”

“With our without you.” Synicle remained for a moment longer, before slowly padding forth to the rest of the destined travelers. SunTalon stood and followed.

“What’s up, Talon?” David addressed his pet with concern, for the Shoyru looked quite dismayed. The Shoyru paused, and then spoke.

“I was…reflecting on my sister. On the moment this all happened. She and I…” SunTalon turned his attention to Diamonn and his two pets, realizing that they were the ones ignorant of all this, and that David and Narcissus knew all too well of SunTalon and his sister’s history. “…Well, we used to live in the Light Tower with the Faerie and her sprites. Our mother was learning to become a Holy Shoyru, and Sundial and I were really just there because…well as I said, we lived there. One day…there was an attack on the Tower. All able…all…” SunTalon took a moment to collect himself. “All able fighters were to assist against the raid of the Dark Faeries. Throughout the Battlefield, energy and weaponry raged. Blood was spilled like rain, and bodies were flung about like rag dolls. Our mother…she charged herself to attack a mass of Dark Faeries with Holy Light, a power that only she could do. The other Light Faeries guarded her for time’s sake, and then when she was full and ready…she released the charge. The glowing force went wild into the sky, and formed into an orb. In the confusion, Sundial and I had run onto the battleground to find our mother.”

Taking a seat on the ice, and wrapping his wings about himself, he continued. “We did find her; unfortunately, we were nearest to the Dark Faeries. I say unfortunately because the orb of Holy Light began to swell, and then a deluge of bright bolts rained down on the faeries and us. Two Dark Faeries lunged on top of us to save us, telling us that they were protecting us, that we would be okay. The Light Faeries assumed they were attacking but…our mother’s instinct told her that these were her children’s salvation. She flung her body into the path of the Light Faeries attack on the two Dark Faeries, and…

“When the faeries removed themselves from our bodies, they were burned badly from the Holy Light. They could barely move as they solemnly made their retreat. I stood beside my mother’s body, and realized all she had done, for herself, for the Faeries and for my sister and I. I then vowed that I would take up her dream to become a Holy Shoyru My twin, on the other hand, watched the Dark Faeries with both compassion and spite. Compassion for those that saved her and her brother’s lives while the Light faeries put it in jeopardy, and spite for the Light Faeries for killing her mother. So much so that she could not turn to face me, for knowing that she would see them in the distance. At that moment, as my own vows were made, I could feel that in her heart she too had made a choice. David, her destruction isn’t your fault as a guardian. She had chosen at that moment to become one of those whom had showed her how horrible and reckless the Light could be. I tried to convince her that it was our fault, but she wouldn’t hear it. She hated them now, the Light Faeries. So, in fear, the Faeries banished her, and sent me as her overseer. That’s when…that’s when we came across you, David.”

The entire group stood in silence. Silverwatcher stepped forward and gently licked SunTalon’s cheek, and the Shoyru smiled in gratitude. He stood, shivering a bit from the ice on which he had seated himself, and joined the group.

Diamonn stared for a second, and prepared to speak as Fortuneone interrupted.

“So, Narcissus…is that why you didn’t want to play? Kind of urgent, huh?”

“Yeah, little guy. Urgent.” Synicle slowly walked up beside Silverwatcher and glanced over her shoulder to SunTalon. Narcissus looked back at the three, and then gestured for Fortuneone to mount him so that they could head onward. The three pets nearest the camp began walking, and the two Human minorities began to walk as well.

“I expect you’ll fight well.” Synicle spoke as he looked intently toward the distant horizon in front of them.

“Oh? I suppose. I don’t know much about--”

“Spirit,” interrupted Synicle, “is what I see. That’s what I expect you’ll draw from.”

“I see” was the only response that SunTalon could think up.

Silence.

“So…where are we headed, Synicle?” Silverwatcher asked the Lupe, but was only met with a quick, indifferent glance. “What, you don’t know? Or can’t you tell me? Or has the wilderness isolated you for so long that you’ve forgotten what it means to respect or interact with a lady!” The last statement had the tone of a conviction rather than a question, and Synicle calmly looked toward the flared lips of the Kougra, then into her eyes.

“I’ve actually not been deprived of any female company. Unfortunately…” and as he walked several paces ahead, Synicle concluded, “…most of them turn out to be like you.” Silverwatcher frowned…and then grinned and caught up pace.

By now, all were walking in single file, side by side. And into the distance they walked, toward the dark mist of air rising just beyond the hills. Into the distance, into destiny…and maybe, into worse…

To be continued...