Instinct to Protect

When she left the room, she found Kitchi with his hand over his eyes. She did not know if he was crying, but she could see that he was in pain.

"Death is not the end." She said softly.

Kitchi cleared his tight throat. "You do not have to comfort me. I know what death is."

"You do not have to believe me." She smiled. "Death is simply shedding of the flesh holding the soul. The free soul perhaps moves on to a greater world. Maybe, it finds its way to another place and gains another form. But, it is not destroyed."

"You really think so?" There was a childish hopefulness.

"I know so."

The two people began walking to the communal area towards the subdued conversations of the formerly rowdy party.

"Are you leaving?" Kitchi asked in a hoarse voice.

He did not have the bravado of an alpha at the moment.

"Yes."

"When will you return?" He paused. "I feel like I'm losing two people in one blow."

Aisling stopped walking and looked at him. "Kitchi, do not hold on to something just because you think that you should."

Kitchi looked at her with passionate green eyes with a glow that betrayed his underlying animal. "How do you know that we are not meant to be? You won't even give me a chance."

He stretched his hands to hold her shoulders, and she knew his intention to kiss her. Her silver eyes showed a hint of disappointment and anger. Before he could touch her, the forest vines around him grew and bound his hands and feet tightly.

"Do not do something that you will regret, Kitchi. And do not make me forget our acquaintance." Aisling said.

Kitchi looked cautious for the first time, and a little hint of fear and hostility appeared in his eyes.

Aisling was not offended. Alphas in changeling communities were always loyal to their own and had a relentless drive to protect them. The threat from an outsider would cause their baser protective instincts to arise.

"What are you?" He asked. His voice was guttural, and his face had changed a little.

He had never thought of Aisling as a strong fighter. He might not have supported her moving into the local area during her initial application if he knew her to be more powerful than he was. Strong outsiders could threaten the safety of the pack.

However, she had been a highly recommended healer looking for a peaceful place to rest. And she had helped all of the local packs on countless occasions. She was the best healer in the area, and she had never been stingy about teaching changeling doctors.

Now, feeling her magical power, he wondered if he ever knew her.

The instinct to shift and defend against her strength arose in him, and his body began to change.

Aisling waved her hand casually, and the energy which had surrounded him to help him go through the change disappeared.

"I am many things, Kitchi. But you cannot win against me. At heart, I am a pacifist. I restrained you for your protection." She released him from the vines, and he looked at her with vigilance. Without a care, she walked ahead of him.

Kitchi felt shame when he remembered how he had behaved. "Aisling…"

"You don't need to say anything. We will consider this a mere by-product of your grief at losing a close family member."

"I am sorry, Aisling."

She nodded. "Do not allow your instincts to override your reason except when the time is right. You are young and impulsive, but other people are not as kind as me."

Kitchi did not understand the words at that point, but he would.

"Now, you should break the news to your people. I am leaving."

Kitchi felt an emptiness in his heart as she shimmied away.

"When will I see you again?" He asked.

"In your moment of need, then I will appear." She lifted a hand in the air and waved.

On top of a dark tower, a tall man stood overlooking the glory of Farallon City. His eyes of molten gold had an intensity and a power that could not belong to an ordinary man. Even the air around him seemed unsettled by his majesty.

A soft chime disturbed his contemplation. He took a clear phone out of his pocket and looked at the short and concise message from Ammon about the progress of the mission. He had received word on the soldiers who had been sent to find the target.

The three had interacted with her, but they had failed to retrieve the woman.

He had expected as much from what he had found out about her, which was not much. She was an unusual woman with a wild streak. He had ordered Ammon to ensure that only malleable soldiers, the youngest that were available from the mid-level, be sent in because he was certain she would not react well to being manhandled or otherwise forced to go with them.

The man tapped a few times on the screen and responded. He ordered that all her desires be followed. She was not to be coerced or disrespected. He wanted her to be brought to Farallon without souring her mood…

He could not lose her now.

He had been looking for the mysterious woman for half a year, but she had seemed non-existent on both magical and technological fronts for a long time. Her desire to remain hidden had been obvious.

Then, she had popped up on their radar three days ago without precedence.

In fact, she seemed to be calling out to his soul. He had felt her attempts to use her powers to look at or into him as soon as she showed up.

Of course, her efforts were unrewarded. She did not have enough power to search for or look at him on a spiritual level. While she was almost invincible on the seven continents, her abilities were quite limited in Panthalassa.

For a moment, he had been tempted to respond to the challenge and use the channel she had opened to look at her.

For the first time in thousands of years, his curiosity had been peaked. He had long forgotten how emotions felt. Everything felt like nothing to him. Only his memories of duty and responsibilities allowed him to hold on.

That hint of curiosity had reminded him of the feeling of life. It felt seductive and powerful, and it filled him with longing for something that he could not touch.

He did not want to lose that feeling.

He was afraid that if he looked at her, he would lose it.

So, he chose to turn his eyes away and enjoy that feeling of curiosity for a little while longer.