Chapter 25: Inspiration *Aliana*

Even though anxiety flooded over me from leaving Asher, in my heart, I know he can defend himself; he had to leave me with that short kiss; making me fall in love with that rogue. It stung a bit in my mind; saying I was in love, and with a rogue even. They didn't feel like my enemies anymore though. The humans were taking their place easily. Soon he won't be a rogue though; hopefully, we will be so much more, both clans, together. It was hopeful, but closer to reality than anyone would expect. I looked around the center of my village, at all the faces; all those worried, frightened faces. They were all terrified of what was coming. They did not know what to expect or for what to prepare. I feared for my people and wanted more information; I needed to know how to save them, and how to protect them.

Heaving a sigh, I proceeded towards the gate and slipped through it unnoticed. I directed my rhiadorn to the south. I was grateful to have another living thing that I was familiar with to be traveling with me. The wind had picked up halfway to the edge of the east and where the cold white powder on the ground began. I took a step into the cold and shuttered a bit, but then moved on. I did not like the cold much, but it was calm and peaceful here in the southern territory; all I could hear was the wind rustling the trees and the cold white sinking under my rhiadorns hooves, with a soft crunching. Every now and then I heard small rustling of the critters throughout the underbrush of the trees.

Then suddenly, an all too familiar scent hit my nose; I completely froze, my heart sped up and I could hear something just paw lengths ahead of me. I slowly slid off my rhiadorn and tied him to a thick tree behind me then I shifted forms ever so carefully and sunk my body into the cold ground as I flattened myself as best I could. It was a white rabbit with blood stained on his chest. He was shuffling underneath a hole in the bottom of a tree; he had not yet noticed me.

He was abnormally large just like the squirrel… Once his head moved towards my direction, I did not hesitate; I lunged my body at the rabbit, set my paws on its back end digging my claws into its skin, then I put its head between my jaws and crushed its skull in my teeth as I tore its body apart. I took a step back, staring at the mangled body in front of me. The red melting into the white, making a small, steaming puddle on the ground. This was the first time that I have gotten to witness what I can do; the real beast inside of me.

I licked around the edges of my muzzle and took in the tinged taste of the tainted blood. It fueled me, heated my insides as my anger boiled inside of me. How could someone turn innocent creatures into brainless monsters. I took a step over the rabbit and proceeded forward, kicking the white powder over the shredded body. Then I stopped in my tracks. Why was the rabbit's chest already covered in blood; what had it been eating? I turned towards the tree it came from, scuffled in the white and found a bone twice the size of the rabbit. It was stripped clean. What could this bone be from? Another innocent creature? I searched around the tree and found nothing. Turning back around towards the direction of the Prophetess' cave, I made my way cautiously through the thickening trees.

Truth is, I did not really know what I was going to ask her, or if she would even invite me in to talk to her. I just know I trusted her, even though she told me not to trust anyone of her race, and why was that? Why didn't she want me to trust her race? I had so many questions scrambling inside of my head, creating a pounding headache. Then, thoughts of my mother fighting in the armor she was wearing when she left, and two swords in each hand. A flash of either a memory, or a foresight of the future. A hammer swung into my mother's side; the queen had been struck. Just like ten years ago, when the king had been struck by a sword. My heart wrenched, and a scream caught in my throat. I should not be here, I should be by her side, helping her save Telaerion.

As my mind was whirling with guilt and things I should have done instead an earthly, fishy scent hit my nose, I knew this scent. As I took a few more paw steps forward I found drops of black blood in the white. I scowled and followed the small trail of black drips. Then it got thicker, and then a puddle pooled just beside a thick tree. I braced myself and peeked around the tree, my breath got stuck in my throat. Laying before me with black blood oozing everywhere, a torn up valcore. It was not as big as the prophetess and there was no stone on its head. My eyes zoned out and I could not seem to collect my surroundings. Everything was stone cold silence, nothing but the wind running through the trees.

Then I jumped at a vicious voice, "What…have…you…DONE!?" A sharp familiar voice spat loudly behind me, followed by a boney set of claws slamming me to the ground, taking my breath right from my chest. I flailed and coughed as I shifted into human, "Wait Prophetess, wait! It was not me!" The pressure against my shoulder suddenly lifted and she stood tall in front of me with her skeletal nose sniffing near the carcass. "Tainted. My…apologies…princess." Her tongue had emphasis on the princess part, but I ignored it, grunting at the pain on my shoulder as I got to my feet. The chill hit my bare skin quickly and I shivered as bumps grew on the top then faded. I hesitated slightly before I spoke to her, "It's getting worse Prophetess, and I need answers. I need guidance, help, instruction, something."

As I was looking at the carcass, I noticed large indents on the skull, large teeth marks. Could not have been from that rabbit; it had small teeth. Then I examined around the body more carefully. Intertwined in the black blood were also spots of red blood. The rabbit had no black blood on it but only red. I did not see any prints on the white ground. Something much larger had to have done this to such a mighty creature; something with a thirst for killing, but who would have a reason to come into this territory. It is cold, bleak, bare, and slightly lifeless. I flicked my tail and went after the prophetess, my mind swirling with everything that could have happened to that valcore.

She gives me a look of a lost soul, a heart that has been torn. Her black, hollow eyes, dripping slowly. "You…should not…be…here." She looked at the torn-up carcass and paused for awhile before she spoke, half to me and half to herself, "That was…Rassik. He was…on…his first hunt…to become…a warrior. He… was…a brother." I stood there staring at her heart breaking. A tear shed from her hollowed-out eye and then she inhaled, shook her massive head, and turned around. She beckoned me to follow her. "I am so sorry." I shifted as I followed and looked back at the young, mangled carcass of the valcore and blinked a small blessing to his soul. I hope he had a good life while he was alive, I hope he makes it to whatever higher power they believe in, the Great Lady.

And now here I was, at the entrance to the cave. I followed the Prophetess through the tunnel with my tail swaying behind me, feeling the sides of the cave walls. I did not know what to expect when my eyes would enter that water again; I did not know what she was going to say. To be honest, I was terrified of what I would see or be told. I looked around the walls and then noticed fresh markings on the floor. I took a step back to see; there was a stone, like the one the prophetess wears, it was broken. Then I see it lifting into the sky to be reconstructed and sent back down again. "I am…afraid." The prophetess' voice was low, and she slowly shifted her head towards me. "I can…not stand…to see…everyone…I become…to care…about…die. Time…after…time…I am…reborn. As…a prophetess…gets old…she dies…and her memory…is transferred…to another. The same…soul…intertwines…with another. It…is painful…to feel. To not…really die, but…to be…almost…immortal…yet…not." She hesitated a long while before she continued. I stared at the small spot on the floor. It was slightly smeared from her and I walking on it. "To never…love. To never…have…a mate. I must…hide…such weakness…from…the clan...they do…not…need…to know…that their…prophetess…is weak."

"You are not weak, Prophetess. You bear a great burden. Your race is vastly different from mine; yet the pains are almost the same. Queen Nicandro…died because she could not give a daughter…that is what I saw last time." The prophetess looked away and then back to me again, "Sometimes…a vision…not only…tells you…of what…has or…will happen…but to…solve…an unsolved…riddle. To make…something…right." She took one of her claws and drew a wolf with a crown on the cave floor in front of her. Then she drew a question mark on top of the crown. "I once…had…a vision…of wolves…teeth bared…blackened…with the blood of my race. The vision…I did not…think…twice about…a vision…from…the past. After…the two…of you came…I looked…again. There are…more races…everywhere. The world…is more…than we can…imagine." She then drew another picture on the ground of an evil looking wolf, and then another next to it of a normal looking wolf with a heart. The prophetess was indeed a wonderful artist. Such simple pictures looked so real and obvious. You could tell she takes time on more drawings than others.

I sat there, thinking of what she said. A riddle, which needs to be solved? Queen Nicandro was praying to the Guardians when she died. That dark forest…the pool into which she was looking. Whoever had killed her, killed the belief of the Guardians. That is exactly what the Guardians meant the first time I talked to them; when I bring them back…I will know what to do, and I will have their guidance. "Why…the sudden…smile…princess?"

"I just need to get my people to believe in the Guardians, they are like your Great Lady. We do not have a higher belief. Everyone believes in the royal family. We do not deserve such credit." A small smile arose across her boney muscles. "Such…a warm…heart."

I looked at her with wide eyes. "Whatever killed your brother, is not only after my people, but yours as well. You said this was not your war, I'm afraid it is coming to both of us; and we need to figure it out, whether I have your help or not." I stared at her with determination in my eyes and she looked back at me with a nervous look.

She heaved a long heavy sigh and shook her head at me then shuffled her feet towards the small pool of water. She dipped her long boney finger into it and then touched it to the tip of her tongue. Her body froze, and the dark sockets of her eyes turned a bright white. I did not know how to react to what was happening nor did I know what to say, but I just stood there staring, and waiting to see what will happen next.