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Alec took a step back in surprise as the wild wolf jumped at him, howling in bloodlust, murder in her eyes as she raised the still bloodied knife. Nesca aimed for Alecs side, meaning to slide her knife between his rips, into his lungs. Alec swung his arm down, his forearm knocking Nescas clenched hand over the handle away from soft flesh. His other hand came down as Nesca fell to the side unbalanced, striking her back causing her to stumble away. He came forward, turning towards her. She regained her footing and turned ducking down as he grabbed at her. He roared and tried to hit her face with a closed fist only to grunt in pain when she moved aside, cause him to hit a wall. He turned towards her again, his back once again at the door.

"I see you learnt your lesson," Alec rumbled shifting his feet, his weight swaying side to side ready for any attack, "You seemed so eager to kill me when we first met. What happened? Grown to love our fucking?" He laughed cruelly.

"Wasn't to bad for a savage."

Nesca snarled and Derek echoed her behind the opponents. Nesca feinted to the left then went for his unguarded right as he shifted to block her. Alec bent at the last moment laughing and grabbed her ear making her yelp. As it slid from his grip he tried to pull her closer, to grab her right knife hand. She ripped herself from his grip and danced back out of reach. Behind her Anula cried out.

Nesca turned to see what was wrong and alec came at her. His fist clipped her shoulder with all the force of the bigger wolf. She was spun from the force and she landed heavily on her side. Before she could leap up she roared in pain, Alec bringing his heavy paw on her right wrist. Her fingers convulsed and the knife fell from her grip as the snap of the broken bone echoed. She whimpered as he placed his other foot paw on her throat. He grinned as he slowly increased the pressure, making it harder and harder for Nesca to breathe. In the corner of her eye she saw the slaver that came up behind Alec step past towards the other four. Dimly she realised that's why Anula cried out.

Her free hand tried to work on the paw at her throat, her lack of air making her vision cloud. She struggled helplessly, choking as her hated foe watched on.

She stood upon a cool smooth rock within the calm gently flowing river near her home. She recognised the standing stone as one of the old jumping blocks. Eons ago, No-fured tried to tame the inner forest and fashioned a stepping block bridge. Legend said that the water spirits of the river rose up in anger and flooded the bridge, blowing the army of burners away. This stone was all that was left when the tribes came out of hiding. She turned on the stone, it was only large enough that two people could sit, only with their knees pressed together.

Only when she had turned around and around for eight rotations did she except she was home. The wind ruffled her fur with a warm embrace and the otters the mauri tribe evolved from swum in circles around her stone, diving for the salmon that travelled to calmer waters. The trees waved from the shore, the shaded walks of her home begging her to dread the paths again. For twenty steps from water to tree line was green grass that never grew taller then her ankles, softer then any mattress she had ever known.

She sat, water streaming from her eyes, a smile upon her snout as she realised she must be dead. She never gave much thought to the afterlife. This was more then she hoped. To see her homeland again. The river was a hundred paces long, from one side to the other, her home just past the trees of the eastern bank.

Birds twittered in the trees and bugs hummed their own songs. She laughed in joy when a fish leaped out of the water, diving back in, avoided the snapping beak of a Torri bird. The bird roosted on a tree near the bank, puffing its feathers in indignation and Nesca could swear it looked embarrassed.

Now she was dead, she was in no hurry to leave, content to drink up the tranquillity of the river. In this state of piece she heard the faint sound of running coming from the trees on the eastern side. As she was dead she found it almost appropriate that her ten year old self would halt in surprise at the edge of the river, catching sight of herself sitting on the Block stone. Both Nescas stared for a time at each other, taking stock of their appearances.

The younger was four foot five and growing, trying to reach the neat six foot the nineteen year old boosted. Her snout was still relatively short and her breast only the slightest bumps on her bare chest. She cared a fishing spear in her right hand, it was almost twice her height. With the dyes from the sacred trees of her home, painted spirals travelled from her nipples down in a V to collided at her belly button in a blazing sun.

The younger tilted her head, sensing a familiarity with the older but not knowing it was herself.

"Welcome stranger to the Paths of the Lupiniro tribe," she said quickly wanting social niceties out of the way, "I am Nesca, Second daughter to Mala, mated to Ludo who is my father."

The elder smiled and nodded at the introduction.

"I too am Nesca." she said back, their voice caring easily over the quiet river. When she became able to mate, she lost her own ties to forge new ones. The younger smiled in delight.

"If this cub could ask a question?" inquired the little female. She adjusted her weight and gestured at the elder.

"Why is their blood on you fur?" she asked. Nesca started and looked down at herself. Blood stained her right hand still. With a rush her fear and exhaustion came back and she shrieked and leaped into the water. The cold shocked her to her core as pain exploded from her wrist and her head, her shoulder throbbed and her entire body demanded attention. She sunk deeper into the black waters, bubbles escaping her snout in a scream.

Nesca came too, mutter words above her. Her throat was sore and it hurt to breathe. Her wrist throbbed with steady pain. Slowly her sight came back and with her bleary vision she looked around. Alec was swinging his fist back and forth, impact muffled in her ears. The blurry orange shape he was beating against the wall was whimpering with every hit. Her eyes focused and she shut her eyes against a high pitched whine which went through her ears. Sound sharpened as it faded and she realised the orange blur was Derek. He wasn't whimpering; he was screaming. Another Tiger was keeping the girls cornered, his eyes focused on any sign of them moving. Nesca noted blood coming from Derek's nose and mouth as he crumpled and Alec started to kick in his ribs. Their eyes locked and he screamed again. She drunkenly moved her head and spotted the knife still where she dropped it. No one but Derek noticed her as she rolled onto her stomach, clawing her way to the prize. She bit back a whimper as she pulled her broken wrist to her chest.

Sandy caught sight of her and her breathe caught. Quickly she looked away before she gave Nesca away. Nescas good hand closed around the knife hilt and she swayed , using her good hand to push herself to her feet. The tiger heard the scuffle and turned to look but Sandy quickly tried to bolt on the opposite side he was turning. With a hiss he caught her head with his fist, she went flying into Anula and Marie. The distraction was long enough that Nesca could stumble to Alec. Gathering her strength she brought the knife up and let it fall, her eyes following its path through the air. In slow motion it seemed to her that Alec noticed her shadow falling over Derek. He turned seeing her, his eyes widening as the knife sunk into his neck with a contented sigh.

Her hand slipped from the hilt, leaving it buried in the soft spot, through his neck and between his collar bones. She swayed again, blackness threatening her sight as Alecs hand touched the hilt hesitantly. He pulled it out, blood spurting in a thick wave from the wound. His opposite hand came up and pressed against the wound. He took a step forward and pressure bloomed from her stomach.

They stood together in a almost embrace, and fell against each other as their life blood mixed.

Nescas head broke the water and she swam to the edge of the river. As she came out she noticed she was completely clean and healed. Her younger self started from her meditative position. She jumped to her paws as the elder sat down with a happy sigh.

"where did you travel!" demanded her young self. Nesca stretched her legs out and rotated her wrists happy to find they were both working fine. She checked the white of her belly and laughed at the unblemished skin beneath the clean fur.

"Somewhere I'll never have to go again." she answered herself. She gestured for the young cub to sit and they faced each other.

"What happened?" the cub said, her ears slightly back in wariness.

"I went on a quest." explained Nesca with a grimace, "one I pray you'll avoid." she added. She leaned forward, her legs folding beneath her so she could lean on her knees. As relief flooded through her an idea came to her. She looked seriously into her younger selfs eyes.

"Nesca do not go on your mating quest to the outer tribes." She warned. The cub tilted her head and faded.

Nesca cried out at the disappearance and stood. She spun in a circle looking for the cub and spotted a dark patch in the water. She slowly approached and gasped at the body floating in the water.

"I sent her away so she does go on her quest." said a voice. Nesca started and looked in the direction of the voice. Anula stood upon the water ten paces from the body and ten paces from the shore. She was clean and unmarked, both their collars gone. Her bare breasts were encircled in the red colour of life and dotes traced her neck down her sides to her hips. She wore a brown animal skin skirt, the left side reaching her ankle, the right to mid thigh. Upon her wrists were bangles and her tail had three red rings positioned at the base of her tail, the middle and the tip. A feathered headdress covered her head, locks of braided and beaded hair hung by her eyes. The otter priestesses brown eyes shinned with understanding and mysteries of the spiritual word.

Nesca took a step back at the knowledge that sprung unbidden in her mind.

"Great one, you are not Anula." she said respectfully. The otter nodded gravely her bangles clinking.

"No I am not." she confirmed, her delicate hand gesturing to the place where they stood, "I took her form so you may know me and not be afraid. I am one of the Spirits of the world. Specifically I am the spirit of the water ways that border your home."

Nescas mind reeled from the revelation, trying to find the courage to speak to this great spirit that had blessed her with her presence. The otter knew her mind and answered her unspoken question.

"All spirits travel the waterways of death. I intercepted you and brought you here." she smiled kindly, sympathy in her eyes. "I thought you would need the tranquillity of this place to infuse you with peace for your destiny. Nescas surprised showed on her face.

"destiny?" she mouthed and the spirit nodded. With a wave of her hand, a wall of water came between them. An image of a shrouded figure stood upon a raised rocky outcrop. The view changed to an air view. On a plain of grass, thousands lay dead, their blood tingeing the earth, moans crying out to muted ears. It expanded further to show a view of a burning land, dark shapes in the sky, spurting destruction from their claws. It went further out to show the world. The land was barely visible through the thick black smog encompassing the globe, the waters black with death. In a instant she saw the world collapse within itself, curling into a small white ball then exploding out, water drenching Nesca from head to foot.

Nesca dropped to her knees her mouth open in a unformed cry of terror.

"No one person can prevent this!" she finally cried out. The spirit came forward to the edge of the water and bent to touch Nescas forehead with a shining blue finger. The wolf rocked back with shock at the rush of images.

A forest with trees as tall as skyscrapers. Winged people flew through the trees and a pack of hunters cried out in the joy of the hunt as spotted deer leaped through the foliage. A tree hut with a two small children before it, mismatched green and blue eyes twinkling as they ran towards her, love spreading from their outstretched paws as the faded from her minds eye.

Nesca slumped shaking.

The otter left her be. Her toes barley touching the water, the spirit floated over the water to the face down body. It floated in one spot, headless of the current, blood dying the water around it. With a gesture the body rolled to be face up. The hard face of alec was slack with death. water had washed his face of its cruelty and with closed eyes the wolf looked almost peaceful. The spirit that looked like anula frowned at this unexpected turn of events, musing to the effect of the sharing of lifeblood.Nesca had killed Alec and he had Killed her in return. their blood mingled within and without and now they were bound together in death.

Nesca needed to be whole to succeed but if Alec was to go to the next life, he would take a piece of Nescas spirit. What worried the ancient being more, as she looked at the still sobbing form of Nesca, was now Nesca had a piece of that dark spirit. She looked back down at the prone form of alec. Praying to the gods that spirits praise, she hoped she made the right decision.

"Child. I must send you back." she said quietly, Nesca started, looking up at the priestess.

"I know the past two weeks have been bad but I must warn you. They will be but pleasant memories if you agree to go back. Many trails await you and many agonies too." she said quickly knowing their time almost up. "You must take Anula and Derek with you and come back to this spot in the real world," she held up a hand for silence as Nesca tried to speak, "no child time has fled, if I don't send you now, your bodies will be to far gone." she gestured as she spoke to Alec, "you are connected now, your spirits joined. I must send him back as well." Nesca cried out in horror but the otter cut her off.

"I have provided. You will escape. Seek the high priestess of the Mauri. Go now." She urged Nesca into the water and Nesca looked up at the spirit as the otter dissolved into the pure form. In wonder Nesca felt the words as well as heard.

"If you are successful, those children will be yours."

Pain exploded inside her and she was covered in blood both her own and alecs. He shrieked into life, blood soaking him and screaming in agony they both faded from the shores of the spirit world back into life.