Starlight: Revelations
#4 of Starlight
Chapter 4 - Revelation
Characters and Story copyright Katya Saint Croix
Original Concept copyright Lurking Dragon
Veiling myself in the shadows of alleyways, I continued to move ever closer to the castle gates. The soldiers I encountered found themselves under a sneak attack that ended much too quickly, pouncing them from behind and slashing out their throats if they were alone, or doing so to the nearest and working my way through the field of soldiers, jabbing my knife deep into their stomachs, contorting my blade around inside of them before slashing it free and moving onto to the next victim. This rather savage act was the only way to move quickly and silently, as it made nearly no sound and gave the soldiers little time to act or defend themselves.
Hatred was burning in my eyes much like the Hellfires that burned deep inside the depths of the Netherworld. Not just hatred toward my father, who betrayed those who swore fidelity to him and fought for his name, but hatred for the world, as it seemed to just turn its back on the loyal Aranians who were being slaughtered for no apparent reason. The whole idea of fighting seems so useless; so pointless in its fiery endeavor to make men and woman fight simply to prove who is the best or most honorable in battle. It's a painful reality when you see that the world needs to fight to survive. Combat is all a soldier will ever know, and the world will always be full of soldiers. War will never truly end...
I don't know how long it took me the castle gates, or how many people I had senselessly murdered in the name of life and revenge, but it was taking its toll on me. Fatigued from my duel with Dakar, and emotionally broken at the simple fact that for the first time in my life, I killed someone, and not just one person, but countless people who probably had a family waiting for them to come home. Not only did I deprive a child of their parents, one or both, but also I deprived a mother and father their sons and daughters. I wanted to cry, but any sign of weakness would lead to my own downfall. My dagger, dripping and glimmering with the scarlet blood of the men and women that I murdered, was a constant reminder that this was no dream, and that my life was slowly becoming a nightmare.
Realizing quickly that entry through the front gate would be nearly impossible, I had to think of a way to reach the royal garden, where Malik and I agreed to meet. The walls were tall, but the corners were formed on perfect angles, granting me the option of scaling the wall via 'corner crawling', jumping against each wall forming the angle to elevate myself up and over the wall. The only problem with this was that it was possible that soldiers were on the other side, and since I would be hopping down, I would be completely vulnerable to arrows and blades during the descent. My other option was to make my way through the dungeon's town exit, which would grant me darkness of which to conceal myself should the need arise. The dungeon was my best bet, but it also meant that I would need to fight my way through the castle for at least fifty meters, which could pose equally as dangerous as jumping over the wall. The wall would be the faster route, but overall, it would probably be safer to go through the dungeon.
While amidst my wild ponderings, my eyes drifted toward the sky. The moon was almost completely overhead, shining down on me with its tender blue hue. It was high moon, midnight... I no longer had any choice. I had to jump the wall.
Bracing myself for the long climb, I drew a long breath. Hoping that no one would see me, I leaped into one wall, kicking off its rough texture to the adjacent wall, and repeating the pattern for several feet. Grasping the ledge tight, I pulled myself up just enough to look over. Not a guard in sight, but there were traces of blood along the finely ornate path, and also along the walls engulfing the royal garden. These were traces of battle... Leaping down from the wall, landing silently, crouched low to the ground; I looked around for any possible survivors or stragglers. I couldn't afford to be found. In the distance, the faint sound of clashing metal and grunting. Someone was currently engaged in battle.
"Malik..." Rather then heading for the agreed meeting location, I decided to investigate the source of the noise.
Along the narrow passages, I discovered further traces of battle, as the bloodstains become more prominent, the walls scratched and chipped by the whirling blades and powerful flail striking against the sturdy material. As I drew ever closer to the location of the original noises, everything fell into a deathly silence, as if the battle had ended and the aftermath of death's arrival was surging across the field of combat, taking with it all the souls of the fallen... The sound came from nothing at all...
"Wha..? But there was fighting here... I'm certain of it." I knelt in the small clearing, feeling the cold, soft Earth and the lush greenery that concealed it.
I knew, for a fact, that this was the location of the battle, yet this whole clearing was completely unscathed by the supposable hard-fought battle. Why was it that this place would bear no marking of a battle if this were indeed the location? Such an answer eluded my grasp and left me curious, craving to know the meaning of this complex situation.
"I've found you at last, Starlight-le Saint Mark." Came the familiar voice behind me.
Startled, I reflexively leapt forward, landing facing the shadow-veiled person with my dagger drawn and my heart racing. As they slowly emerged from the shadows, I was overcome with shock as I discovered my friend, Malik, adorn in Corinthian battle vestments.
"M-Malik!? Why are you dressed like an enemy soldier?" My arms dropped to my side as I rose to meet him on eye level, loosening the grip on the dagger's hilt.
"Foolish child, you mean to tell me that you have to figure it out?" A wicked grin swept across his face, "I am a Corinthian. Why else would I be second in command of this kingdom?"
"You mean..."
"Yes. You're just a pawn in our game."
"Just what are you talking about?"
"Dakar and I struck a deal. You see, I am the prince of Corinth, and in order to become king, father has asked me to conquer my own kingdom. Since I don't really like my parents, I struck a deal with Dakar, trading him the Corinthian throne for Arania's. Dakar knew that Corinth was the fairer kingdom, so he was glad to agree to let my army destroy everyone inside it while he left with the Noble Guard to crush Corinth and take it as his own."
"You bastard..."
"It gets better. Since you are the heir to the throne, you have to make a choice... I can kill you and take the throne, or you can live by my side as my queen!"
Is this what the world was truly like...? Was the world full of Men just wanting power, and going to any extremes to take it? It feels like it. Power is the root of all pain in. Those who have too much power, those who seek to upset the balance of the world... They weren't part of the world at all. Clutching the dagger ever tighter in my paw, I narrowed my eyes on Malik's figure. Kill him, be killed, or marry him and give him the only thing I actually have... myself. There was another way, and the thought of it filled me with both sorrow and resolve.
"Alright... I've decided...." I lowered my gaze, a look of defeat flooding my face as I slowly approached his figure, "I'll be yours"
"Good girl." He smiled coldly as he outstretched an arm to me, pulling me into his embrace as I drew near, forcing his lips against mine and kissing me with a fiery, almost lusty passion, leaving me no option but to return his kiss...
That kiss would be all he took from me. With his guard lowered at my unwillingness to fight, I drove the dagger deep into his side. As his face filled with twisting pain, I wrenched the blade back and forth many times, ripping it from his body in the bloodiest fashion one would possible imagine. As he fell to the ground, I looked down on his dying form. I had no sympathy about inflicting a mortal wound upon him. I didn't care how much it hurt me to do it. In the course of a few hours, I had become cold, emotionless to the world around me despite the death that seeped from every bit of essence that it contained.
"W-why... I...could have...given... you...everything..." His voice was weak and breathy as death slowly began to overtake him.
"I'm not giving up my home for the likes of you... Allow me to return something to you!" Gritting my teeth, I knelt and drove the dagger deep into his throat, my face full of spite and rage, as if I was enjoying every minute of his suffering, "Die, and let your soul forever be tormented with the lives your people stole today..."
I grabbed the sword from his belt, an elegant long sword with an almost elvish design, trimmed with golden thread and a fine cloth that I could determine the material of and affixed it to my belt. Quickly turning away from his dying form, I veiled my eyes with my arm, tears following down my cheeks like a tranquil stream. I may have become cold, but I still had remorse. Walking away from his death stricken body, I entered the royal garden once more. There was nothing left for me here. I, alone, could never defeat the Corinthian army. Standing beside the fine cobalt well, gazing down at my reflection within its hallowed depths, I felt the desire to simply drown myself within its waters.
When would the fighting end...? When would the struggle for power and status finally cease and the world, letting everyone obtain the peace that they long for? What was the point to fighting, dying, killing, and leaving people stricken with grief...? Did anything in this world even have a reason for its existence?
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From the bushes, a figure watched my every movement, intrigued by my movements, my actions, my fantasy. The deep green eyes almost had a blue tint to them, concealed flawlessly amidst the azalea and hibiscus planted along the property line. While I remained lost in my fantasy world, the figure crept ever closer, as if stalking its pray, veiling itself in the many shadows cast by the large playground. Drawing ever closer to my form, entity slowly licked over their lips and...
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Lowing the bucket slightly into the well, I stepped into it, lowering myself down via the pulley. Stopping just as the bucket lightly touched the surface of the water, I found my mother's engraving, a simple circular marking ?. The small, almost hourglass shape was my mother's crest, Gemini, rotated as if to secretly mean 'key' as well. Veiled beneath my armor was a simple memento of my mother, her ring, which bore the same insignia as marked on the wall. Pulling it free of my chain mail, I pressed it lightly against the marking on the wall. As the shape slowly pushed inward, the wall began to shift slightly, opening as if it were a door. Pushing the earthen door, I slowly entered the dank corridor that was concealed behind it. Dimly lit with lanterns, it became my assumption that Dakar used this passage to slip out of the kingdom before anyone could notice. Sealing the entry after myself, I began to walk down its faintly luminescent passage. The strong scent of mildew and mold covered every inch on the space, giving the place the smell of rotting corpses, gagging anyone to take even one breath of it's putrid air. Suppressing the oncoming sickness, I moved quickly down the vestibule. All was fine until I discovered that my point of exit was a dead end. There was nothing at the end of this passage...
"Ok... Mother probably had another secret door around here somewhere. The question is... where?" Pausing briefly, I leaned against the large stone wall at the far end of the passage, nearly screaming as the rock gave way and I collapsed outside, in the rolling Anubian Hills, about a mile south of the courtyard, "Yeah... really clever mom..."
Even though I don't care much for mom's choice of concealment, I wasn't about to complain. Lifting the large boulder-like slab back into its position, I drew a deep breath. I wanted to look at my home one last time... Walking to the top of the hill that I found myself on, I gazed out into the distance, the dancing lights of flame and ember were accented by the char-colored smoke that rose from the village district. Tears found them way into my eyes, the simple sight of my home's destruction tearing into my very soul. It pained me gravely to see it ablaze, but in order to move forward on the road of life, we must often turn back to he source of our wandering. Sensing my lowered guard, a shadowy figure emerged from the narrow valleys below and slowly drew closer. Before I even had a chance to act, the figure leaped onto me, and in a fearful last effort, I began to struggle for freedom.
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"'Ey. Relax mate. I'm not gonna hurt'cha" Opening my eyes, I found a young Rooian, a human-like Kangaroo by comparison, staring down at me, having perched herself upon my tummy, "I fancied you were having fun, an' I wanted to play too!"
Calming down from my panicky state, I took a moment to access this Rooian's overall character. She wasn't much taller then I was, maybe an inch or two, and didn't feel overly heavy, but please don't get the impression that she was heavy-set. The tan colored fur and hair looked almost as it were all the same thing, even though her hair ran down to her lower back, making it about five inches longer then mine, which only goes to my upper back. The hazel eyes just added to the rather cute blended array of browns.
Her facial features were soft and delicate, like that of soft Sakura petals in late spring, when the flowers began to drop their petals, and her fur had the soft scent of eucalyptus, completing the definite Australian feel. Though one would expect a child such as her to be garbed in at least some kind of garment.
Try to understand. Since all the aliens on this planet are animal-like in shape, though not completely so, we don't usually mind walking around our bare fur. Nothing shows, since the natural density of our fur and bodies keeps more private regions concealed without offending anyone. There isn't a chance that we'll have a wardrobe malfunction unless it was completely intentional. Rooians and both Alluatran and Aspartian foxes fur keeps our bodies concealed all the time, though the story with Draconians is a completely different one. Since Draconians are what people like to refer to as 'raptors', since they resemble the ancient Raptors that once roamed the Earth some several billion years ago, their body lacks fur to conceal their bodies. For this reason, both male and female Draconians an identical in form, both having flat chests and several scales that folds over an apparently similar private area. Outside of the bedroom or medical lab, the only way to discern between them is by listening to their voice. The females have a higher-pitched tone of voice. Similarly, Dragonian, what people see as 'Wingless Humanoid Dragons', use a similar body method to prevent the absolute need for clothing. In general, for an alien, wearing clothes is a completely elective thing. Not like anything shows otherwise...
"You should introduce before you pounce someone... or at least make your presence known. I think I wet myself..." Folding my ears back, I pushed her frame from its perch atop me and stood up, working out the wrinkles from my attire, "I'm Starlight-le Saint Mark."
"I'm Katie Rose, its nice to make your acquaintance miss wet-foxy" Katie chirred softly to herself, bounding up and down on her tail slightly, "You might wanna go get changed. You are beginning to smell." She turned her nose up slightly, pinching it closed with almost a mocking grin sprawled across her face.
In a huff, I walked inside my home once more, greeting by Sally's curious gaze as she looked up from the cooking she was reading through. I guess she assumed that I grew bored of my new playground, until she recognized the faint tang of urine that hung about my form.
"What happened...?" Sally slipped from her seat and scooped me off the floor, giving my fur a sniff to confirm her thoughts.
"Just got caught by surprise, mommy. Katie pounced me when I wasn't looking and I got scared." I folded my arms across my chest, "She's kinda mean."
"Now dear, she isn't mean. She's just very playful."
"You mean you knew about her before you sent me outside?"
"Of course. Kathy, her mother, and I have been close friends since we started school together."
Carrying me upstairs and into the bathroom, Sally pulled out some lightly scented moist towelettes, giving me a few of them as she set me on the floor. Leaving alone while she went to find me a change of clothes, I disrobed and tossed the now soiled clothing aside before wiping myself down with the towelettes. No matter how much I wanted to, having wet myself in fear made me feel very unclean.
Sally returned a moment later, carrying a change of clothes in one paw, and what appeared to be training pants for foxes in the other. I don't know if I were shocked at her suggestion or merely so terribly embarrassed that I lacked the ability to blush, but in either case, I was incredibly mortified.
"You have to be joking..." I just stared with a dumbfounded expression spread across my face.
"As you can see, I am not. I just don't want accidents like this to occur again, that's all. At least this way, we won't have to worry about laundry." She set the clothing on the floor next to me, picking up my pile of soiled clothing from the corner, "I try to afford laundry duty if I can help it. I make James do it."
I guess it was her attempt at humor that made the situation a little more bearable, though the lavishly pink trainers with the princess designs from the ancient Disney corporations. Even though Disney ceased to exist in 2419, their products were still rather famous, particularly the childish images on infantile paraphernalia. Even though Bandai bought out by Disney to increase their airtime and product variety, Bandai would be bought out by CLAMP, who took to the production of Anime since their mangas were always best sellers, in 2430. Grimacing the thought of actually wearing it, I pulled them up my waist and slipped my tail through the conveniently placed hole for it, Sally giggled softly and patted my head.
"You look so adorable, Star." She was just pouring salt in the wound.
"Thanks, mom...." I pulled on the new jean skirt and orange tank top, adjusting the hems to, hopefully, keep the pink trainers with Disney princess prints concealed beneath them.
I guess now would be a good time to reveal some information about Sally. Though one can assume that her often overtly mothering stature would make her rather unbearable. As Sally left my company, I decided to scope out a little information on her, and the best place to start would be in the office. Slipping into the room without being noticed, and took a moment to gaze across the soft earthy colors of rich browns and luscious golds. The oaken décor of the room added to the hearty aura that made the room warm and very inviting. Stacked upon the tall bookshelves of stained oak were, what I perceived to be, thousands of books, spanning from ages long past to present day, covering a variety of topics ranging from health care to cooking. One book, in particular, caught my eye, as it's non-formal appearance made it sound out from the others like a single goldfish in a tank of guppies. I was fortunate, as it was only on the second shelf and just barely in my reach. Pulling it from its resting place, I plopped down onto the floor with a soft crinkle and peered into its pages...
It was a diary... but not just anyone's diary. It belonged to Sally, the one I had longed to know more about, to understand her motherly attraction to me and simply to understand how she felt about everything...
_June 14, 2719
Dear Diary,
I met someone really sweet today. His name is James, and he's an Aspartian fox like me. I was feeling really lonely, since today is my 18th birthday and dad is away on a business trip. He left me enough food and money to make it through the week safely, but the lonely inside my heart is one I cannot simply ignore.
I miss mom... I was only 12 when she died, but my memories of her burn strongly in my heart. Dad hasn't been the same since she refused the rejuvenation to save her life. You see... Mom was born with a rare illness discovered in the late 24th century known as Kirin's Disease. Dr. Kirin was a brilliant human. His works helped to discover cures for Leukemia and Cancer, but there was nothing anyone can do about Kirin's Disease. The disease doesn't destroy the heart, the liver, the lungs, or the immune system... It takes something far worse then that: a person's mind. The disease slowly destroys a person's brain until they cannot handle living anymore, and the person's body shuts down..._
I might have the disease as well... and I can't risk passing it onto my child, should I ever have one. I don't want her to ever go through what I had to...
Anyway, where was I before all this? Oh yeah! James is a real sweetie. He's a junior this year, but he's got a lot of talent. He has a passion for music, and is really good as soccer and English. He wants to become an English major. For a boy, he's really smart. It's rare to meet a boy with a GPA above 3.8.
Graduation is only a week away now. I'm kind of nervous. I really wish mom were here for me right now...
A mother's love can help to heal any pain, no matter the caliber. This is what my mother always told me, and it held true today when I met James.
We have PE class together, and the girls were going to do weight lifting today, since commissioning for the next soccer season was about to start. James was playing soccer with several people today, when someone made a bad tackle and plowed into his leg. It was a pretty bad sight, since James was screaming bloody murder and crying like a child. I wasn't even to the weight room when I heard the scream and I went running. The coaches were rushing out as well, but I managed to get ahead of them. I knelt down next to James and examined the leg. I want to become a nurse in the future, because I love to help people. It didn't look broken, but it was swelling up and he couldn't bend his knee. It was a pretty bad sprain, but it would heal in a few days. I held his hand and stroked his head softly, smiling reassuringly to him. I don't know if it was my kindness or perhaps it was just the comfort that I brought him, but he calmed down quickly. I stayed by his side while he was carried off to the nurse's office, and stuck by his side for the remainder of the school day.
He's kind of cute...not my type, but he's cute. Smart, athletic, and cute...
Well Diary... I'm going to go out for dinner tonight. I'll treat myself on this night, my birthday, and go have a nice dinner...
~Sally~
Ok, this managed to explain a few things, like why Sally is very motherly, how she met James, and why she doesn't have any children. It also showed that Sally is 44 years old, since her birthday is June 17, 2701, and this was May 26, 2745. It still left me wondering about a few other things though... like what the 'strike' system meant, and perhaps more about herself, other then she was very attached to her mother... Just as my mind began to wander, I found an entry dated yesterday, and the information within struck me like a truck going 200 km/s...
_May 25, 2745
Dear Diary,
It's been a long time since I last wrote an entry in my diary hasn't it...? It's been almost 20 years...
A lot of things have occurred... I mean... the last time I wrote in my diary was the day I got married to James. I just wanted to write an entry in it, for old time's sake...
Since me and James are incapable of having a child, for his is sterile from an illness, and I refuse to have a child because I have Kirin's Disease, we signed up to become Penitatas parents. Rejuvenation is still fairly new to the world, but the concept is so sought after that the world's population isn't decreasing. To help fix the problem, a new series of spaceships have been created, known as the Genesis Crafts, to help colonize other worlds.
Today was a surprise for both James and I, as we finally got the child we wanted, even if the terms were rather bad. Her name is Starlight-le Saint Mark...
As I read through her datapad while James slumbered deeply next to me, I felt like I was being torn to shreds. This... child had gone through a hell far worse then I had to face when my mother died. She was an orphan...
I don't know how she survived all these years, being able to keep herself out of a dark depression after becoming an orphan... To add to the mix, her foster parents died in a fire at their home, and she barely survived. It was if the whole world was just trying to punish this innocent child.
She keeps herself locked away, at least in her own heart, and it seems the more James and I try to make her feel like a child again, she fights back, as if she's afraid of her own childhood. I can't give up...
Star is, at least to me, a beacon, a chance to finally have the child I've always wanted, only one who isn't affected with Kirin's Disease. I want to be able to hold her close to my chest, to know she is really my child... to know she loves me as I love her. Even if she is a Penitatas... in my heart, she is my child..._
I can't give up on her. I just hope I make a good mother for her...
~Sally~
She knew all about me... and she wanted to make all my pain go away. My tears landed softly in my lap as I hung my head, crying silently in thought of how I made her suffer so in the last few days. I got the answer I wanted, but it left me feeling as if someone twisted my soul into a knot and then cut the knot to pieces. My whole body ached and I couldn't move...
"Star?" Sally poked her head into the room, gazing at my teary form sitting in the room, "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry mommy..." I tilted my head towards her slightly, closing her journal and clasping it close to my chest, "I..."
Sally didn't say anything as she walked over and scooped me into her arms, holding me tightly against her chest as I wept. She spoke not a word as she stroked my head softly with her paw, taking a seat in the office chair, waiting to speak as if she didn't even know what to say...
"I read your diary..." I pressed a paw lightly against the fabric of her shirt, "I didn't know... about your mother... or how you felt about me..."
"It's alright. I don't blame you for your curiosity into how I've been acting toward you since we met..." Sally sighed softly, "I've just always wanted a child..."
"And I've always wanted a mommy..." I looked up at her, a slight smile spread lightly across my muzzle, "We are what we both wanted..."
"I know, dear, but..."
"It's alright. I don't mind being treated like a toddler if you don't make a really big deal about it... but please don't tell anyone about it."
"Deal." She beeped my nose softly, pulling me into a big hug, "I'll try not to make it completely overt, just promise you'll behave."
"Fair enough." I kissed her cheek softly and hugged her back, "I better get back outside. Katie is probably looking for me."
"Actually, she's in your room right now."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Go have fun sweetie."
"Ok, mommy!"
I slipped from her warm embrace, scampering out the door and towards my room. I noticed Katie rummaging through my toy chest, giving me a chance to get her back from pouncing me earlier. As I snuck up on her, I guess she sensed me coming, swinging her tail about to trip me, and succeeding in doing so, causing me to fall into the floor next to the ruler and meter-stick from my earlier bouts of play.
"Ow!" I rubbed my leg and looked up at you, "You play rough."
"Sorry." Katie giggled softly and helped me up, "What's with all the stuff?"
"Mommy gave them to me to play with for awhile." I let my gaze go about the room.
The legos were strewn about the room in a chaotic array, as the explosions that erupted in the village send the rubble flying in a multitude of directions, the box, which was suppose to represent the castle and kingdom gates, was overturned, a large hole in the side from an accident stabbing of the meter stick through the side... The rubber band gun was sitting atop the desk, where the archers stood, raining down a hail of fiery arrows upon the villagers below...
"So... what were you playing?" Katie poked my side softly, bringing me back to my sense by enforcing a giggly reaction.
"I was a knight in the kingdom of Arania. The kingdom was attacked, and a whole bunch of things happened..." I turned to look at her, a grin stretching across my muzzle, "Wanna play?"
"Sure! I love to play knights!" She picked up the meter stick from the floor and swung it around a bit.
Sally must of have been listening in on us, as she mysteriously appeared with another meter stick in paw, handing it to me with one of those 'play nice' kind of glares that make you feel like you are being watched every moment of your life. I didn't mind it, grasping my 'sword' lightly in my paw, slipping it through a belt-loop on my skirt before looking to Katie once again.
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"Hey. Stop struggling!" The figure pinned me to the ground and pulled back their hood, revealing a young girl, apparently in her mid-teens, what I would venture to be around 17 or so, her long corn silk hair flowing down her back like a river down a cascading waterfall, her cool green eyes looked upon mine, "I'm not with the Corinthians."
"W-who are you?" I finally managed to topple her, scrambling to my feet and reaching for the hilt of Malik's sword, which I had previously claimed as my own, "What do you want?"
"I'm Katie Rose, a member of the Black Guards of Kouriya." She brushed several locks of her face, her paw stroking across the side of her muzzle lightly, "You are also God-sent, are you not?"
"You...."
"Are just like you. Her Majesty calls me the a Rooian, claiming I resemble A creature she encountered on a journey...she called them 'Roo'."
"..."
"You don't trust me do you?"
"Should I?"
"That is for you to decide. Her Majesty sent me to find you, heeding your mother's final promise."
"My mother's...promise?"
"Yes. As with my mother, yours was touched by heaven, granting them wisdom beyond all others. Her name was Aika Saint Mark, was it not?"
"..."
"I assume the answer is yes. That must make you Starlight-le Saint Mark."
"You know quite a bit for a Kouriyan..."
"We are quite knowledgeable in many regard. Come, we must go. The Corinthians will come looking for you."
I knew she was right. I would only have an hour to get away from the kingdom, my home, before I would be found... This child... Katie of the Black Rose, as I would come to know her by, was my only lifeline. Her black robe concealed beneath it a breastplate of finely crafted darksteel, a metal similar to that of steel, only much stronger, more durable, and having a dark, almost char-black coloration to it, dressed in plates of ivory and gold. Draped about her waist was a simple sash, which struck me as very strange, as such an article would simple be a hindrance to her in combat; however, it held fast, as if it were made of steel and chain... My only conclusion is that her belt was produced from a vast quantity of Scared Cloth. Hanging from her sides were two long swords, forged from a bright and shining metal known as Mithral, lighter then steel, but slightly stronger. From the outline on her cloak, it was also evident that she concealed a longbow of sorts beneath her robes. She was a skilled fighter, and in time, I would see that firsthand.
Setting out in the crest of moonlight, the moon beginning to dip behind the mountains, casting it's cool blue light across our path, as if it was guiding us on a journey that would take us to the far end of the world.
"We'll rest in the caves of Kilgara pass... They won't be looking for us there." Katie walked on steadily, the moonlight giving her eyes an almost icy glaze.
"Right... Lead on, Katie of the Black Rose."
Katie simply grinned at me over her shoulder, forcing a similar grin across my muzzle. My journey to understand the night's events had finally begun.