Creative Writing discussion

((Well here it is. I am looking forward to working on this story with you guys and seeing what we can make of it. I hope that its a good start of a story where we can branch off in many directions, (we'll have to see) but regardless i know we are going to have a fun time.))

Leaves blew down from the sky. The trees from which the leaves had fallen from towered overhead like skyscrapers built too close to one another. Hundreds of Maple and Pine foliage, hundreds, possibly even thousands, of years old make up this sacred forest. Their branches would slightly sway in the cool autumn breeze and even create a quiet whistle noise that seemed to have come from nowhere.

The ground was damp from a light rainfall that had happened earlier that morning. It made the few patches of grass, that covered the forest floor, blend in with the colored leaves and mud. The grass only thickened, however, as the forest trees got more dense. It is said that the most dense part of the forest was the dead center where a very small lake can be found. Trees are only mere feet away from each other and they look down at the lake as if guarding it from the world.

I had been to this lake only once before in my lifetime. It would seem odd to most people that I, a child of the forest, would have only come to these waters one time in eighteen years. This occasion would be my second. I knew that it was not where I should be at the moment, but I could feel that after such a long absence from this place, the water called to me drawing me near. With every ripple on the shore I could hear my name being whispered. ‘Isaac’.

Every step I took was like a grain of sand dropping in an hourglass. The still moist grass would leave dew on my toes from taking steps closer to the lake wearing nothing on my feet but sandaled shoes. The breeze blew the strands of my dark olive hair out of my eyes as I walked up the bank and stood on top of the small hill and gazed down at the entirety of the lake. It was such a beautiful sight to look down at the small lake and see it’s blue waters reflect the trees and the sun. Here is where I felt most at peace, in this place, in this sanctuary.

I stood there looking down at the waters only a couple steps forward and thought about what these waters contain. Power, knowledge, health. The rumors go on and on as to the secrets that lie within the lake. No one really knows what the lake holds. Some say that it is poisonous and some say that it is just another lake as plain as the rest. However, I know that it is different than what people say. I don’t think it will give me power, knowledge, health, or death, I just know that I need it. I need the cool water in my blood, in my body, I need it to be apart of me. I took one step closer to the lake and kneeled down. I cupped my hands and was about to place my hands in. The memories of this lake would soon come back to me. They would return to my mind with just the touch of these waters to my lips. I would remember the events that had once taken place here many years ago. But the familiar voice paralyzed me in a heartbeat.
“Stop.”

There's something missing. I know my name, Kailayni Xysi Passione. I know that i am not always here. That i disappear and reappear and i can't control that. And i know to never ever touch the lake.

But i am drawn to it. When i am manifested, i know nothing. I wonder for hours. But when my eyes lay on the lake, i remember. I know that something is missing. I don't know if i am alive. I don't know where i go when i leave, or when ill come back next, or if i will. All i remember is wondering through the forest, empty.

So, the day that a boy, almost a man, appeared was something ive never experienced before. That i remember. Boy, man. How do i know these words? His hair is of a different color then mine. I know because sometimes, when i feel daring (yes i do feel), i go close enough to the lake to look at my reflection.

This boy reached to touch the water, but you can't touch the water. I made a noise, "Stop." This surprised me. I never realized that the thoughts i heard in me could be made into sound. I like the feeling, the sound. I try again, but i think about it and the sounds don't come out right. But i am too caught in my sound, i forget about the boy for a moment.

Isaac stopped from him place and stood up and spun around. There in front of him was a beautiful girl who looked to be about the same age as him. She was standing there, not threatening, but not in a friendly manner either. It didn't look like she had a weapon or was concealing one if Isaac made any sudden moves. She just seemed to be... there.

However, he knew that he wasn't supposed to be at the lake, and she too knew he wasn't supposed to be at the lake. This girl in front of him could very well be one of the protectors of the lake that Isaac's father had warned him about. The Protectors are a ruthless group that have already touched the lake's waters, already drank it's secrets. And they will do anything to keep it from the outside world. But in this case, Isaacs people of the Forest.

If she were truly a Protector someone else would have shown with her, she would not have come alone. So then.... who was she? Isaac's mind raced through all the possibilities, all of the outcomes that this girl telling him to stop could have. If he fought her, she could have backup hiding in the denseness of the trees and it would only show the Protectors that the Forest People are reckless and hostile. However if he didn't fight, she could pull out a weapon and attack, and he would be killed.

And even though his situation would seem very threatening and life-shaking, he didn't feel scared. He wasn't trembling in fear, he wasn't thinking about killing her. The presence of the girl made him feel... important.

Without being able to think of anything else to say, the words came out of his mouth easier than a fish swimming downstream. "What is your name?" Isaac asked.

He reached out a hand to her. Him asking that was the only way that this situation could end positively for him.

Not this one...

Alden shuddered, the tendrils of the voice lingering in his head as he reluctantly lowered his bow. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to relax the bow string as he took in the scene down at the lake's edge below. His piercing eyes watched as the boy's fingers reached for the water, making Alden's body scream for blood. The possessive instinct was deep, driven there by powerful forces he could not explain. The lake was not to be touched. But he stayed, obeying the contradicting order to leave the boy alone. She wanted the boy, and he wasn't to question why.

It wasn't a surprise to see the wraith girl there. She came erratically, here a moment, gone the next. Sometimes she was there for hours just staring at the lake longingly. He would take action against her, except she wasn't a threat. She was already being punished for her transgression. Alden readied his bow anyway, every fiber in his being on edge as he watched, silent and hidden.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Quickly! He's not to get away!

Rising, cutting through the water, Mela made it to the surface in a matter of seconds within being summoned by her. She peeked at the boy-man as she skimmed just under the surface of the dark water. He was a child of the forest, nothing she hadn't seen before. Except he had to be different. He had almost done it, almost succumbed to the power of the water. She didn't know why but he was important, she needed him. She waited for his hand to touch the surface, her own ready to take his. Except he faltered and turned away from the water, his hand outstretched to something she could not see. She wasn't allowed to reveal herself but now was the time it was needed. He needed to come with her, no matter the cost.

One fast movement and she was there, long tail sprawled on the beach as she reached for him. Her voice filled the air, the wordless song sweet and dripping with promises and power as she reached out closer to the boy. Even though she had been in the water a moment ago, she appeared dry, except for her tail that shone with the power of the water. Pondweed and moss covered her torso, but light aquamarine scales could be seen snaking down the backs of her arms and up her neck to frame her face. She continued her soft song, insisting as she held her hand out for the boy.

It all happened in such a rush. The girl that was in front of Isaac had her mouth open as if to answer, or at least to speak to him, but then a beautiful voice had started to sing, echoing through the trees which made the notes seem like they were coming from every direction. Without knowing where else to look Isaac spun around and looked through the trees for the unknown signer but there was no one to be seen. The slightest movement came from the lake as Isaac looked down at a woman stretching out her hand, and at a creature he never thought had existed.

Mermaids he had only ever heard tales of. Stories from his father, even his grandfather had sat him down and told him about sailors who claimed to have seen men and women with the torso of a human, but the lower half of them was that of a fish. They told Isaac that they weren't real, that the sailors had been delusional and had an active imagination. But here one was in front of him, singing a quiet, beautiful song. She took Isaac's breath away, however he could not tell if that was from the beauty that she had or if it was from the shock of seeing something so different.

The song that she was sining was quiet but as the melody continued Isaac realized that he had heard that song before. 'But from where?' He thought to himself. He searched the deepest part of his mind but didn't know where. It tore at him as the mermaid continued her song. He wanted to remember with all of his heart. Was it a song his parents sang to him as a child when they were tucking him in at night? He didn't know, but he didn't want to let it show that he had any connection with the mermaid. The girl who could be a protector was still behind him, and if he did show her he knew the melody she would kill him for sure. Instead of doing anything he just stood there watching the mermaid reaching her hand to him.

The song faded away from her lips after few moments had passed. The mermaids hand was still extended out to him but she stopped moving closer. It seemed like the whole world had stopped time, and nothing expect everything in his eyesight existed. The wind blew more leaves across the scene and flailed Isaacs hair in front of his eyes.

The mermaid finally broke the silence with something that Isaac never expected to come out her mouth. "Come Isaac, drink these waters. Remember."

The words paralyzed him. Could he really drink the waters? He didn't dare move.

"Come Isaac, drink these waters. Remember."

The words trickled from Mela's lips but she had been the one who put them there. Mela knew she was getting impatient at the boy's hesitation.


Something was wrong. Even as Alden turned and let the arrow fly blindly, he knew it would hit it's mark. The sword landed on the forest floor with a soft thump as it's master slumped before following it. Sliding the small whistle to his lips, Alden blew the silent note, knowing that only her followers would hear.

He fired three more times as he climbed down from his perch before switching his bow for his sword when he hit the ground. He moved towards the shoreline as his brothers emerged from their hiding places in the trees to stop the soldiers from getting closer. He looked to the lake, the mermaid and the chosen ones just in sight. As he locked eyes with the mermaid, he was taken aback by a sudden flash of forgotten memory. A lock of mahogany, the brush of coarse cotton. He couldn't make much of the flash of memories and as fast as it had come it had gone. Shaking himself mentally, he emerged from the tree line and signaled to the mermaid.

Hearing the urgent note, Mela reached more urgently for the boy called Isaac. "Please, we must move quickly." But it was already too late. She only had a moment to scoop up a hidden sheath in the dark waters when Alden was there, scooping her up in his arms. "You either come with us," he told the chosen ones calmly, his gaze flickering over the boy and the girl as he started to head up the shoreline away from the battle. "Or you die."

He supposed it didn't really matter at this point, what his mistress had wanted. The knights had foiled the plan, whether by intention or not. Now it was up to the boy and the ghost girl to choose their path.

"Lead the way." Isaac said reluctantly.

He knew something like this would happen, he knew that coming to these waters was a mistake. How could he have been so stupid as to actually think that no one would've been guarding it? He was angry at himself for succumbing to the lake's temptation, which made him feel weak. Regret was not something that Isaac was used to. So now that he had just made a mistake that could cost him his life, he felt defeated and hopeless.

The man that threatened him turned the other direction, West from where Isaac had originally came. West of Tamnri (tam-ree), his forest village. The man didn't speak and neither did the mermaid that he was carrying in his arms. The girl that was initially behind Isaac also started to follow at the rear. His situation couldn't have been worse. He was being lead into the Protectors territory now. Defenseless and without communication to his people back in Tamnri.

The knights that had been killed by the other members of the Protectors, were they also children of the forest? Isaac wondered. How could they be when Isaac made sure that he wasn't being followed by anyone? The Forbidden Lake is a little more than ten miles from Tamnri and if anyone were following he would have been sure to have seen them... But then he realized that both the girl and the pack of Protectors had been able to sneak up on him, when he thought that he was completely alone.

As they continued to walk avoiding the trees and watching the sun now dip half way across the horizon, Isaac still couldn't shake the thought of so many knights being killed in such a rush by the Protectors. It was only the blink of an eye when it happened, and all of the knights were down on the cold ground motionless, and without life. And if they were truly Children of the Forest, then his father back in Tamnri probably knows that he traveled to the Lake. He didn't want to think of it anymore when there was so much else to be concerned with. He still didn't know any of the names of the people around him. There were so many questions unanswered and he wouldn't get an answer to them because if he spoke he probably would be beaten.

He couldn't help but think of the mermaid's words. How did she know his name? And how did she know he would be there? Did he make the right decision by not touching the waters and going with the mermaid? or would it have been better to take his chances and dive in the Lake with her? The questions made his head pound and he wanted to kneel on the ground and scream, but all he could to was stare at the back of the man's head and follow his every step.

With every step Isaac felt the regret of his decision serge through his blood. Every step embedding it deeper and deeper in his mind. 'This was it' he thought, 'there was no going back to my old life ever again.'

Before Isaac let his regret carry his mind away he looked at the mermaid being held in the man's arms. She didn't look distressed or unhappy about the situation, she had a the slightest smile on her face and wouldn't break eye-contact with Isaac. Isaac dropped his stare and watched the man's feet. All he could do right now was follow. But the smile the mermaid gave him was now his only glimpse of hope, and at the moment he would take any hope he could get.

Mela couldn't stop watching the boy. The pull towards him was definitely explained partially by the way her mistress had desperately wanted him. Usually her Ladyship was quiet in Mela's head, but the way she had ordered her to retrieve the boy...it was the most powerful pull Mela had felt from her mistress. But...Isaac also had a sort of magnetism that was all his own. She couldn't explain why, but he was a far more important piece to the puzzle than her mistress ever wanted any of them to know.

Mela suddenly winced, curling harder against her fellow protector. She felt Alden stiffen slightly, then try to relax as he hesitantly rubbed her shoulder slightly with his thumb. "Is it her absence?" he murmured softly. "Or being away to the water?" He had felt it, the farther they were from the lake, the less he could hear the orders from her Ladyship. Out here, away from the lake, they relied on runners from the lake to bring news and orders. He would feel much better when they reached camp.

"A little of both," Mela shuddered slightly. She peeked back at Isaac before she resigned herself to pressing her face against Alden's chest. They had been hiking for some hours now, losing the trail of the soldiers before they headed to the protector's outpost. Eventually, without the power of the lake her tail would change into legs, her scales would fade into nothingness. Her gills had already sealed and disappeared, the scales down her arm a little more dull than usual. The transformation was slow, and not the most comfortable of activities. "Don't worry about it, it will pass."

Alden pressed on, glad that camp was close. When they finally reached it, it seemed to appear out of nowhere.

The Protectors camp was protected by huge walls that surrounded the entire camp. The walls were made out of the already existing trees that were still rooted in the ground and also ones that were cut down to fill in the gaps. The overall camp seemed to be huge in size which was odd because Isaac didn't see it at all until the man leading him started slowing down.

The walls being made out of trees just made the camp seem like it camp out of nowhere. It blended right in with the forest. It scared Isaac a little knowing that he was now dealing with people who were smart and knew what they were doing. If they were smart enough to hide the camp so well, then they might be smart enough to know who Isaac is, where he lives, and something that even Isaac didn't know which was why he came to the lake in the first place.

The question still rang in his mind as to why the mermaid asked him to go with her into the lake, while she now willingly came to the protectors camp. The only feasible answer that Isaac could think of was that the mermaid was also a protector of the lake. Another factor that scared Isaac. The mermaid already knew his name. She also knew that he was going to be at the lake.

Isaacs blood flowed through his body like water would as if a dam had just broken. But he didn't let that show. The man carrying the mermaid stepped up to one of the walls and then turned and seemed to disappear. The closer Isaac got to the wall he could see that there wasn't a door to enter, it was just a walk way that was no more than four feet wide.

The entryway had blended in with the wall so perfectly! Isaac's mind boggled as to who he was dealing with. The protectors definitely were people that were not to be messed with.

Once inside, Isaac could see that the camp was just as huge as he predicted. Burgundy clothed tents were set up randomly in every direction, some bigger than others. There were dear skins and spears hanging out on racks just off to the side of each tent's entrance. There was even small fires burning with logs set around them in a circle. But there were few people to be seen.

"Ow." Came from the lips of the mermaid.
"We are almost there." The man said to her and just continued walking.

Isaac stared at the his leaders feet, and noticed glowing drops falling to the ground. He looked up to see where they were coming from and saw that they were actually scales falling off of the mermaid... she was changing back into a person? Isaac never thought he would see anything like this in his life, but it was happening.

"Wait!" Isaac commanded almost too harshly as he walked briskly forward while taking off his dirty-cream colored scarf that also ran down his back as if a cape. He then blanketed it over the changing mermaid. "There, you'd get cold."

A confused look was on the mermaids face, and the man holding her just stared blank at him. Isaac stepped back in his place while the man turned and continued walking onward.

They walked to the what seemed to be the very back of the camp. No one followed them, it was just the four of them. And at the back of the camp was a tent that was much larger than all of the rest.

"Follow in but don't speak unless spoken to." The man said and pushed past the clothe that was the entry way.

Isaac and the other girl followed.

Kailyna felt herself follow the characters in front of her. She wasn't thinking, her mind was blank, the farther she got from the lake the blanker it got. But when she laid eyes on the boy, Isaac, it was as if a spark went thro her. She felt drawn. And she followed, wondering how long she would have before she disappeared.

Fingering the coarse but delicate cloth of the borrowed scarf, Mela pondered the boy's behavior. He was generous, even to those he didn't know. Serving but cautious, as he should be. He had proved to be brave, following them into the unknown. Generous, in giving her the scarf and helping the wisp of a girl that comes and goes. Curiosity, a virtue and a sin. One by one she checked off his qualities that were probably the reason she had chosen him. She was still puzzling over the boy when Alden set her down gently. A girl came over and closed off a curtain, separating them from the rest of the tent.

Stepping out of the curtain, Alden motioned the two chosen to follow him deeper into the tent. It had small sections cordoned off with soft curtains, but most of the large space remained open. There seemed to be a glow about the place but no torches could be seen. As Alden moved forward, a figure could be seen peering at something over a large stump that served as a desk. The man had a tall commanding presence, obviously the leader of the camp. Hidden by his cloak's hood, the his face couldn't be seen but his voice was strong, young and old, light and booming.

"You have brought them here."

Stepping down on one knee, Alden bowed his head. "We were attacked at the lake."

"I know."

Alden winced slightly, as if he had been rebuked. He remained still, waiting as the man continued with his work. After a moment the man paused and seemed to peer at the group from under his hood. It seemed like he regarded them for an eternity, still and silent.

"Chosen ones." He paused, power seeming to reverberate in his words. His hidden stare bored into the boy and the girl.

"It is time."

Hasha moved through the village clearing at a leisurely pace. She was glad that her age allowed her to move slowly when she wanted to, though her spine was still too stiff with pride to let her use a walking stick or to accept the help of a strong arm when it was offered. A piece of licorice bark extended from her mouth, as it usually did, and as she chewed on it meditatively she was aware of the scornful, sidelong glances that it gathered from the young man who walked beside her. She slurped and smacked her lips, switching the bark to the other side of her mouth, and chuckled to herself when the youth made a rude noise and leaned away.

The village was full of activity, as people hurried to finish their work before the late afternoon sun could finish fading into dusk. The shared fire in the center of the clearing was blazing away, and women of all ages were gathered around it, preparing dinner for their families. In another few weeks, the early snows would drive people into their separate homes and separate fires, but until then it was clear that everyone was determined to enjoy the ease and camaraderie of the communal hearth.

One of the cooks, a young woman with a stern cast of features, was not chattering happily with the rest, but was instead silent, focused entirely on her work. As Hasha walked past, she reached out a gnarled but nimble hand and snatched the wide scarf from the woman's back.

"Don't mind me, Mogalla," Hasha said tauntingly, winding the scarf around her own neck.

"Mogalci," the young woman snapped, whipping around to confront Hasha. "And when are you going to stop being such an old thief?"

"When are you going to find yourself another husband?" Hasha retorted, causing the young woman to flush and turn stiffly back towards the cookfire. Hasha chuckled at Mogalci's discomfort, and kept moving before the young man escorting her could grow too impatient.

Hasha allowed her pace to quicken slightly, and they soon reached their destination - a long, low building, with a wide verandah supported on lean ash poles. Beneath the awning stood Graham, leader of the Children of the Forest. He was engaged in what appeared to be a serious conversation with several other men - important men, heads of their families mostly.

The conversation broke off as Hasha approached, and Graham stepped forward with a warm smile. "Thank you for coming," he said, taking Hasha's elbow to help her up the shallow steps onto the verandah.

Hasha shook his hand away and climbed the steps on her own, bracing her hands against the top of each knee as she did so. When she reached the top she paused, and looked back at the youth, who was giving every indication that he meant to follow her up. She swished the licorice bark around in her mouth again, then sent a stream of brown-tinted spittle to the ground beside him.

The young man pulled back in disgust, causing muffled laughter to come from the men gathered nearby. The youth sent an angry glare their way, then turned and stalked off without looking at Hasha.

She turned back towards Graham, and gestured over her shoulder as she moved further into the shade. "You have a weak son."

Graham’s eyes followed her gesture for a moment, no doubt watching the receding back of his youngest child, but he did not respond to her comment.

"Well," Hasha said a moment later. "What did you want?"

The village leader looked back at her, then shook his head slightly as if he had forgotten she was there, or that he had sent for her. "Forgive me, my mind wanders,” he said. “Did I thank you for coming?”

“You did,” Hasha replied impatiently.

“Good,” Graham said distractedly. He looked ill at ease for a moment, then quite abruptly spoke again. “I have heard it said that earlier today you informed several of the knights’ wives not to bother making dinner for their husbands tonight, as they would not be returning.” Hasha grunted, and after a brief pause Graham continued. “And that when they asked you when the knights would be returning, you said that they never would.” He paused yet again, and the menfolk behind him shifted uncomfortably. “Is this true?”

Hasha eyed the men behind Graham suspiciously for a moment. Not everyone responded well to hidden knowledge in this place. She remembered several of their fathers from her youth, and not all of them had been kind. Returning her gaze to Graham, Hasha said acerbically, “Of course it’s true. Why would I lie about such a thing?”

Muttering arose from the gathered men, and someone suggested sending out a search party. Not everyone cared for such a plan, claiming that it would be foolish to send more lives after the ones that had already been lost. Others countered by saying that it would be sacrilege to leave the knights unmourned and unburied. One outspoken and irritatingly calm fellow then spoke up, saying pedantically that nature would reclaim the lost men, and that what nature claimed they could not take back.

“Nature won’t have as much use for the armor, boots, and weaponry as the folks hereabouts would,” Hasha commented dryly, poking Graham in the ribs. He sent a half-annoyed glance her way, but agreed with her. Arrangements were quickly made, and the men were disbursed. Hasha was about to make her descent from the verandah when Graham lightly touched her arm.

“Hasha,” he said, speaking low. “My son.” Hasha turned to look at him again, tilting her head back until she could see his eyes and the worry within them. “My eldest, Isaac. He was…I mean, the knights, they were…” Hasha waited, and eventually he put his words together. “If the knights were killed, then what became of my son? Should my wife not make dinner for him either?” he asked with a sad attempt at humor.

“No, she shouldn’t,” Hasha said calmly. Bleakness began to drown the worry in the leader’s eyes, and she went on briskly. “But don’t fret. He’ll return.” The man’s tall frame slackened for half a second, then straightened again. He did not speak for a moment, and Hasha felt herself compelled to add, “He won’t return tonight, nor the next night. But he will return.”

With that, she left him, and slipped quickly down the verandah steps and away from the structure. She had not misled the man – his son would return. Isaac would return as surely as the sun would rise in the morning. What she did not know was what kind of man he would be, nor what fate he would bring upon the village when he did. That knowledge was hidden from her.

At the edge of the village Hasha stopped. Her brow was lowered and her thoughts were dark – as dark as the night that had fallen around her. The time had come, she could feel it. It had begun, somewhere out there in the darkness, somewhere unknown.

Laughter echoed from behind her, and Hasha turned. The village clearing was full of firelight and dancing shadows, as people let go of the day’s toil and settled in to talk and eat. On one side of the fire she spotted Mogalci, who was shyly allowing a young man to wrap his own scarf around her bare arms.

Hasha smiled. She did not usually stoop to matchmaking, but sometimes particularly foolish young people needed a little push. Besides which, she liked Mogalci. The girl had spunk, something rare enough these days. Hasha wrapped the stolen scarf around her thin shoulders, holding it tightly against herself and encouraging its warmth to enter her ancient bones.

Her smile faded slowly. Turning away from the firelight and the laughter, she stared out at the surrounding night and the unknown.

"Bind them." The leader went on to say.

Without further warning, men in hoods came from out of the shadows of the tent that Isaac hadn't noticed earlier. He and the girl beside him were grabbed and with leather belt-like binding were bound at the hands and feet. Their hands were bound behind there back, and when they were finished being bound two of the men stayed behind them and held knives to their throat.

A smile cracked on the man's shadowed face. It was all that Isaac could make out. The leaders age and features were still unknown, but his personality was very prominent.

"Sorry to get, physical, but for this next part you only have two options." He chuckled a sinister chuckle to himself which made Isaac shiver. "Let me go over something. You see, we are the protectors of the Lake. This Lake has powerful waters that can change a persons physical appearance, it can almost do anything as long as the person who drinks the waters has a pure heart."

The man stopped speaking and was walking to Isaac and the girl. He stopped right in front of them and stared Isaac in the eyes and then moved his gaze to the girl.

"The chalice!" He commanded and held his arm out with his hand open.

A man stepped forward and gave the leader a steel cup that would most likely contain wine. The leader then smiled and held it up to his nose and smelled it. A smile of satisfaction came upon the man's face.

"My children. Isaac, child of the forest. Kailyna, child of the mountains. This is the blood of one of our brothers. A protector. Now here is where you have only one of two choices... Drink, or perish." He stated.

Even though his hood covered his eyes, Isaac could feel the man's gaze piercing though him. He took a step in to the side so that he was directly in front of Isaac. He held the cup up to Isaacs mouth.

"Drink." The leader commanded.

He started to tilt the cup, but just before the thick blood could slide to is lips, Isaac pulled back a little.

"No." He softly stated.

The man who had the knife at Isaac's throat tightened his grip and even pressed the knife harder against his skin. The blade was pinching his neck. Then the leader took a step closer and looked up. For the first time Isaac saw the man's eyes. A scar that ran down the right side of his face was the most noticeable feature he had, however the man's age was still unidentifiable.

"I believe you didn't hear me. Drink or die." He said once again and raised the cup up to his face again.

"Not until I get answers!" Isaac almost yelled.

He was trying to buy time. Isaac didn't want to drink the blood in the least bit. Who knows what it could do to him. It was also sacrilegious to what he had been taught back in Tamnri. He couldn't drink the blood, he wouldn't drink the blood. But he was in a tight stop with the knife pressed against his throat, this might indeed be the day he dies.

"How did you know that we were going to be at the Lake?" Isaac blurted. "That Lake is rarely ever visited! How did you know!?"

The man withdrew away from Isaac and then brought the cup closer to his chest and held it with both hands. He started to pace, and after five times going back and forth he finally spoke.

"You may be familiar with this story, Isaac. You are a smart boy after all. 111 years ago a great war went on between three lands. The people of the forest, mountains, and valley fought against each other in a great battle that went on for many moons. The odd thing about that war is that not a soul knows why the war was started, but someone did know one thing. This is the part that you won't know Isaac. The story goes, that throughout the war, there were three unexplained casualties. Three children, one from each of the lands. Not a single person was able to explain why they were all killed at the Lake. Now, there is a legend that says 111 years in the future, three children will come to the Lake... According to the legend it says that you are living the lives the children that perished would have."

Isaac couldn't believe his ears. Just yesterday he was sleeping in his own bed and didn't know that this camp existed so close to Tamnri.

"You said there were three children... Where is the one from the valley?" Was the only question that Isaac could think of.

"They did not show..." The man answered comfortably.

"Why did you capture us?!" He yelled.

For some reason Isaac had grown very angry and felt betrayed. He still pondered how this was all possible, but he knew deep down that it must be true because of everything that had already happened.

"The reason that we had to take you under our control is... It is said that the children that died had a pure heart, and if it is true that they live on through you then you too will have a pure heart... meaning you could have the power of the lake at your will. A power we can't let anyone not with us have." The leader said.

He was standing in front of the stump and looked comfortable. It almost looked like he thought nothing of the things he had just told Isaac. It was unsettling how straight he was with Isaac. It made Isaac look at the girl, Kailyna, for support, but she just held her head down, with her eyes closed.

"Why are you telling me this?" Isaac asked.

"Because as soon as you take a drink, your heart will turn dark as night and you will forget everything about being the chosen one." The man said... "Force him!!"

Before Isaac had anytime to think, he had be beaten in the face and pulled to the ground. Three men were holding him down on his legs, torso, and one on his head. The man who originally had the knife at his throat was now grasping his mouth and forcefully opening it.

Isaac struggled to close his jaw and it seemed to be working, but then another punch to the temple made him almost lose consciousness. His mouth opened just far enough for just the right amount of time, for the leader to pour a small stream of the blood, directly into Isaacs mouth.

The moment the liquid hit his taste buds, it felt like a twenty foot sword was sliding through his body. The men let go of him, and he started to convulse on the floor, struggling, panicking.

Isaac tried to hold on to what thoughts he could, repeating them in his mind, but the chunks were slowly being erased as the pain only grew and grew. The pain was almost unbearable and seemed to go on forever. Time felt like it had stopped completely and the only thing that existed in the world was the pain he was going through.

The convulsions stopped, and the pain eased away. And Isaac looked at the ground confused as to why he was bound and on the ground. He knew that there had been pain inflicted on him, but from who, and how?

A man that Isaac vaguely recognized stepped forward.

"Welcome to the brotherhood of protectors, Isaac."

The enigmatic leader was about to say more except his face was suddenly slapped to the side.

"Treason," Mela hissed, about to go at him again if it weren't for Alden, who quickly held her back. "You know that's not what she wanted!"

"Garren, please," Alden spoke softly, pinning Mela to his chest in an effort to subdue her. She struggled, but at least he was able to now keep her from yelling. "It's the absence of the lake, please do not judge her. She will see reason within time."

Slightly disheveled from the sudden attack, Garren's hood had dropped. A shaven head was revealed, his ebony skin laced with scars and marks from old battles. His dark eyes had settled on the mermaid, his full lips taut as he passed his judgement. "This time only, you are forgiven. Next time it will be the post." He gave a curt nod to Alden before turning his attention back on the boy and girl.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Don't struggle. Please." After casting an uncertain glance at Isaac and the girl, Alden half carried half dragged Mela back towards the flap of the tent. He pulled her outside, quickly setting her down at the base of a tree out of sight so they could talk. Her land legs may have been a little weak from disuse, but she sure knew how to be stubborn. Only after she agreed with a nod that she would behave, he let her go.

"You know what he did in there was--" Mela growled, cutting off at the exasperated look from Alden. She glared, looking away as she pulled her knees to her chest. The weird sensations that came with the morphing was bad enough, but the distress of what Garren had just caused in the chosen ones had pushed her over the edge. Over the seaweed wrapped around her torso, she was also now wearing a tight sleeveless bodice. Leggings covered her new legs and soft leather boots fitted her feet. Her sword was strapped to her hip with a simple belt. She poked at the dirt impatiently, waiting for Alden to speak.

He had felt it as well, the slight injustice of Garren's actions. He understood why she was so upset, but couldn't decide if the feelings were justified. To go against the lady of the lake was treason, but to go against Garren was just as betraying. "He is our leader," he reminded Mela gently.

She blew out an angry breath. "He is a stand in and you know it." Her grey eyes glared into his, defiant and unrelenting in her choice. "He answers to her and you know it. Do you really think this is what she wanted? You know what you felt at the lake."

Alden bit his lip, an unconscious habit. After a long pause, he gave a slight shrug. "There is only one way to find out."

Kailayni felt herself fading. But she didn't feel like she was going to disapper. She begged the Earth to let her stay, and she felt half gone. Mentally there, but not physically. The boy, who's name Isaac was being hurt in front of her. But the men didn't seem to see her.

She felt the Lake calling to her, drawing her, but she felt even more drawn to this boy. And what did they do to him? What was this legend? What was she? She felt herself disappering more, and opened her mouth and screamed. She just did. She didn't know why, but she did. And she made noise.

Itsi leaned forward, almost upsetting her perch on the slim birch branch that supported her. She didn't want Garren to know that she had already returned from her last mission, but his attention was focused on the girl - the strange girl who looked like she was trying to scream, although only the faintest of cries was coming from her throat.

Itsi's own attention was caught by this scene for a moment, just visible through the open tent flap, then she shrugged to herself. That is, she tried to shrug. All that actually happened is that her wings refolded themselves and her feathers ruffled a little. For some reason, shrugging was the one human gesture that Itsi never seemed to unlearn.

She leaned forward even further, then flung herself forward. Stretching her wings as far as they would go, she caught a nice, cool down-wind, and glided swiftly and silently towards the base of the oak tree. Alden and another protector that she didn't recognize were both crouching there, and Itsi alighted on Alden's shoulder, digging her miniscule claws into the fabric of his cloak to help her balance.

:What'd you do to put Garren in such a twist? she asked Alden, tilting her head to catch a glimpse of his face.

"What doesn't put Garren in a twist?" Alden murmured under his breath. Having caught sight of the small bird just before she perched, he wasn't surprised to see her. He was however surprised to see her back so soon. From what he had head, it had been a difficult one. "Back so soon, Itsi?" he asked, raising a finger to softly tease her feathers.

Mela's angry rant came a stop as she looked up at the bird, the anger slowly leaving her face to be replaced with slightly intrigued bemusement. Back in the lake she had somewhat communicated with the fish and wildlife, but none of them were intelligent enough to talk with as if they were human. This bird must be more than she seemed, Mela decided.

Calmed down, she relaxed against the tree with her legs crossed. She picked at a strand of violet hair as she watched her fellow protectors.

The Lake was his home and he loved it in the waters. He was born there, raised there. He never wished to live anywhere else. He sometimes wondered what it would be like to be a human; one that walks the earth with two feet, but he's heard of what the people that walk the lands do to each other and it is nothing that he would ever want to be apart of.

He's heard that they burn each other's homes, kill their neighbor for land, and that everyday is a fight for power. He's heard that the people that walk the earth only care for themselves along with few that they create special bonds with, and take the land for granted. It sounded... sad, to him. He even told his mind that the last thing that he wanted to deal with were any of the two legged humans. And he told himself that since he was very young.

However, years passed and he became more curious as to how the wind blew, how the seasons changed, how everything said by the men who gave the Lake protection existed. They would come to the Lake and he would ask them questions. He, of course, had to speak their language which was taught to him by his mother. But when he did speak to them, it was almost like his curiosity would wander into the land of wishes and dreams and he, for just a second, would want to be a human. But he knew he never would.

Over time, Verran spent more and more time closer to the entry of the Lake. The opening to where the sky was visible. This was the only entry to the lake, and it was a very small entry. However, like a glacier the Lake had a small top, but the bottom was that of an ocean.

From the humans point of view, the Lake almost didn't look like a lake at all; merely just a big pond. However the depths of the water expanded far beneath the forest’s floor and went on for a mile every direction. It was truly a magical Lake with powerful waters because in any normal circumstance the forest floor would have collapsed and the entry to the Lake would be bigger.

One day, while Verran was swimming close the the entry of the Lake, he heard a faint melody echoing through the waters. It was very quiet, but at the same time very lovely, but he couldn't figure out where it was coming from. He looked in the water for any singing mermaids or fish that might be nearby but he couldn't see any. He then swam closer to the entry and the sound grew stronger. Ever note could be distinguished by the time he was just feet from the surface.

The voice, the song made him want to burst through the water and leap through the air from pleasure because the voice that produced the tune was the most beautiful one he had ever heard. Comparing to the ones that he had heard from the other mermaids in the lake, he was sure that this voice had to have come from an angle. But before he upset the water that made up the surface, he stopped and looked for who was singing.

'Remember Verran, these are very special waters. Many of the people from above try to abuse its powers and those with the wicked hearts who touch the waters will die, but those with a pure heart can have a hearts desire.' His mother's words rang through his ears along with the wordless melody that the female was singing.

As subtly as he could, Verran raised his head out of the surface of the Lake, just his eyes and ears so he could hear better and get a glance of the creature producing such a sound. However, upon hearing the notes not being muffled by water, it made them sound ten times better than before. Verran's tale for a moment stopped responding to his mind because of the paralyzing voice and his head lowered below the surface again causing the water to upset more than he wanted it to.

"What is there?" The girl asked startled.

Verran acted fast without even thinking. He slowly broke through the water and showed his torso to the girl.

"Please don't stop singing," he said.

The girl looked very startled and even had her mouth open as if to scream. She also had taken many steps away from the lake from where she was previously sitting.

"You- you are a man.” She said with ease.

“Yes, male in gender, but…” Verran started then got closer and rose the back part of his fin above the water.

The girl gasped quickly, but didn’t withdraw anymore. She even smiled after she took a step closer for a better look.

“A mer-, man.” She stated fascinated. “I had only been told stories about them.”

“Please, sing for me agian.” Verran said not being able to help the words coming from his mouth.

The girl looked at him without saying anything. She then took steps closer to the Lake and reclaimed the original spot she had once been sitting in. A few more seconds passed without either of them breaking eye contact. Verran, waited patiently for the harmony to pass her lips. She then closed her eyes and started to sing.

What could have been hours passed, she sang and he listened and not a single disruption occurred within that time. It was perfect; Verran thought it was perfect, he grew to think that she was perfect. This feeling grew as the sun started lower in the sky.

The girl’s volume decreased to almost a whisper of a song by the time that full dusk had fallen. She stopped singing at what seemed to be the end of the tune and then sat there in the silence of the air.

“It’s late. I better get going.” She said and started to stand.

“Pl- please Miss. Your voice is so lovely! What is your name?” He asked almost in a panic as if she weren’t able to hear him.

“Mela. And thank you. What’s yours?” She responded.

She was hugging herself for warmth. Her breath could even be seen in the cold spring night and her lips were almost purple because of her singing. But the merman, however, didn’t seem cold in the slightest.

“What a beautiful name!” He responded. “It fits your perfectly. It even sounds a little like the first part of melody. And I am known as Verran.”

“Well Verran, It is time for me to be going. It was very nice meeting you and it was very nice seeing you, but if I don’t get home soon I’ll catch a cold.” Mela said started to take steps away from the Lake.

“No, please wait, just a few more moments.” Verran said outreaching a hand to her. “Please, will I see you again? Can you stop by the Lake again soon?”

“I will try, but I can’t promise it will be within the next couple of days.” Mela answered.

“I will wait for you.” Was his reply.

He watched her walk away that night until his vision blended in with the night and the dark wood of the trees. And everyday after that he would come to the surface of the Lake and wait for her hours on hours a day. She returned within two weeks and she sang for him again, with very seldom words exchanged. She returned once again, only a week apart from her last visit, but they spoke more and learned things about each other. And the more they talked, the more times she would visit him a week.

The connection between them was strong and it grew painful to be away from each other. She thought of him in her dreams, and he thought of her when he swam every drop of the Lake. It was a connection that felt special, a connection that was more than just an acquaintance or even a friendship. Verran couldn’t help but think that he was in love with Mela.

“Do you humans, love?” Verran asked one sunset when Mela was at the lake.

“Yes we love. Why?” She responded back a little taken aback by the question.

“Just wanted to know. There are still so many things that I don’t know about humans.” He said.

They were very close to each other distance-wise. Verran was close to the shore, raising his torso with his elbows digging into the sand, while Mela was considerably close to shore than she normally was.

“Why don’t I take you out of the Lake and show you around, you’ll be able to get to see the world-,” Mela started but was cut off.

“I am unable to leave this lake.” Verran said coldly.

There was a bit of silence before Mela responded to what he said, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean it…” Another pause, longer than the first one came and passed.

“I wouldn’t want to see your world anyway.” Verran said and looked away down at the depths of the Lake.

A little offended Mela responded, “Why what is so wrong with ‘my world?’ She asked.

“People hurt and die everyday. Greed is inside of everyone, everyone that isn’t pure.” Verran said sadly.

Mela didn’t respond because she now could see that it was actually true. She hung her head down and looked at the sand as if ashamed of herself for nothing that she had done wrong. There was another great gap of nothing but silence.

“You know, I’m not like them. I’m not greedy.” Mela started. “I just want the world to be happy. I don’t mean just people either, I want the mountains, the forests, the valleys, and oceans to be free to be… happy.”

The wind started to pick up and caused the newly budding leaves to rustle. It took Verran to take hold on what she had just said, but after a moments more of thought his face cracked a smile.

“Mela. Touch the water.” He commanded.

“But you’ve always told me to never touch-,” Mela retorted, again being cut off.

“I know, but trust me know. Touch the water.” the merman reassured.

Mela hesitantly shuffled forward and outstretched her hand and let it hover above the waters. She was shaking because he had told her it could be dangerous if she touched the Lake. But he too outstretched his hand and then clasped hers in his. And together they lowered her hand into the waters of the Lake.

The cool water flowing in between her fingers felt amazing to her nerves. She closed her eyes and could have even taken a nap because of how relaxing it felt, how great it felt.

“Do you feel any pain?” Verran asked.

“Not a single in the world.” Mela responded. “It even feels… relaxing.”

With a deep breath in Verran answered, “You know what this means? You have a pure heart, and that means… if you drink the lakes water why thinking of what your heart wants most, it will be given to you.”

Mela immediately withdrew her hand from the water as if it had just turned into a snake.

“You’re lying!” She exclaimed, but when no answer came from him other than the same look on his face she knew he wasn’t. “That’s, unbelievable.”

“I thought I would like to let you know. This way you get something you’ve always wanted. A long life, wisdom, leadership, a nice husband.” Verran said fading away his words as he finished.

“I already know what I want.” Was her response.

She shuffled a little closer and this time reached both hands out into the water. She cupped them and then lowered them into the water allowing the waters to flow into her palms. Before she could raise her cupped hands Verran placed his hand on top of hers.

“You know, once you do this you can’t go back, and you can’t get another.” He warned.

Mela shook her head and whispered two words, “I know.”

Verran removed his hand from hers and then she raised the cupped water to her lips. It water was very cold when it hit her skin, and when it slid down her throat it felt like a blizzard was going through her body. But that was soon taken over by a warm sensation that was starting in her legs.

Scales began to form on her arms, her legs started to form together and were also being coated with scales. She could feel gils growing on the side of her neck. It was a beautiful transformation that last what could have only been less than a minute. But by the time it was complete Mela was a gorgeous mermaid, perfect tail and fin and all. Everything about her was perfect in his eyes.

“Mela, I- I-,” He began but was cut off when she placed a finger on his lips.

“I’m sure.” She said.

She gave the most playful of laughs and he returned it. They smiled at one another and he took her hand in his. They slid closer to one another and looked the other in the eyes.

((oops yeah there was a part cut off sorry!!! It's really short))

Verran's head tilted forward and hers followed and together, in a combined force of love, kissed in the light of the moon.

One string of onions went into the pile on the cot, and the other was wound around the long straps of a leather satchel with care. The awkwardly-shaped bundle of licorice bark went inside the satchel, and the big wheel of cheese joined the discarded strand of onions. Hasha divided her possessions carefully, sorting the items that she either couldn’t or wouldn’t do without from those that must be given away, lest they spoil in her absence.

Autumn was a foolish time for anyone to begin a long journey, and even more so for someone her age, who planned to travel alone and on foot. It would be wiser to spend the winter beside her fire, and safer as well. Sometimes though, the wiser choice wasn’t really a choice at all.

“…When winter is past, and the lambs are unshorn…”

Hasha half-sang, half-hummed to herself as she worked. It was something her mother has sung to her many times as a child, trying to lull her to sleep with story and song. The lullaby was almost tuneless in Hasha’s ears now, but the words were clear and sharp. They had been echoing through her mind for days.

“…The lines will be cast, and the children reborn…”

Hasha halted, as she realized that she had stopped working, and was just staring off into the distance – or would be, if the walls of her humble cottage didn’t block the view. Annoyed and slightly flustered, she glanced down at her hands, which had been busily tying knots in the fringe of her scarf – a lifelong habit. When she was younger, she had tied so many knots into so many things that the other children had started calling her Hasha Knotted.

A memory floated to the surface of her mind and she smiled, her annoyance fading. She was born to be a spider, her mother had been used to say. Although in truth, the memory was so old and faded that Hasha couldn’t even be sure that it was her mother who used to say it. At this point, she remembered remembering it more strongly than she could recall the memory itself.

Hasha dropped the fringe, and made her way over to a wooden chair, settling into it with a creak and a sigh. Concentrating hard, she willed herself to remember the shape of her mother’s face, the tilt of her eyes, the color of her hair…but nothing came to her. She had always tried to keep the memories of her mother alive within herself, but despite her best efforts, they continued to fade. Only the song remained clear.

Itsi trilled a little, then gave Alden's finger a playful jab with her beak. Ignoring his question for now, she made a quick head twist in the female's direction.

:Who's this? she asked, expanding her mind link to include the woman.

:And why are there outsiders in the camp? she added, hopping across Alden's hand to his other shoulder, and looking back towards the tent. She stretched up to her full four and a half inches for a moment, as if it would give her a better view, then settled down again and looked back at the others.

"A fish out of water." It was a stab at humor but the lifeless smile that accompanied Mela's joke killed it. She sighed, rubbing her arms as she looked towards the tent and wished that it would just be over with. She missed the water terribly and knew it was a pain that would just get worse. More than that, she felt like she was missing something else, something she couldn't put her finger on.

Shrugging gently as to not upset the bird, Alden's gaze flicked back to the tent. "Chosen ones," he told Itsi. "Two of them. Garren did the ritual."

:Hello, Fish, Itsi said with a caw of laughter. Glancing towards Alden, she added, I didn't know you were allowed to go fishing at the lake.

She sent another look back at the tent, and her humor faded. Then a shudder went through her, ruffling all of her feathers and making them stand slightly on end.

:Alright, she sighed, I'm going to go report in. Wish me luck.

Without waiting for a response, she tossed herself into the air, then flew swiftly across the camp and into the open tent flap, leaving the other two protectors to follow or not, as they chose.

Inside the tent it was dark, and the lack of wind drove Itsi quickly to the ground. She hopped forward several feet, giving the almost-silently-screaming girl a wide berth. She stopped near the confused-looking boy for a moment, still bound and laying on the dirt floor. She stared at him curiously for a few seconds, then hopped onto his head and turned to demand Garren's attention.

:I'm back, she announced loudly, for all to hear.

Garren's eyebrows raised as he looked down at her, then slowly gathered in a frown. "Where is Meloc? Surely you didn't forget that when I send you out with a partner, I expect you to return with that same partner?" His voice was cold, and Itsi fidgeted a bit, her claws digging into the chosen one's hair and tangling it thoroughly.

:Meloc's fine, she said defensively. He told me to come ahead and report in. He thought you might want to know, she added cryptically.

"Thought I might like to know what, Itsi?" Garren asked, his teeth beginning to clench.

Itsi stared up at him, and hesitated.

His eyes following Itsi, Alden started to get up to follow her. Whatever news she brought back it was big. He started to go back into the tent when he glanced back at Mela and noticed her hesitation. It may have been the slight frown on her lips or the crease between her eyebrows or the stiffness of her bent knees, but something grabbed his attention. He felt a sudden pang of helplessness, of protectiveness. He blinked, shaking the feeling off as he offered her his hand. "Come on," he urged her gently. "We won't want to miss this."

Taking Alden's hand, Mela followed him inside. They made their way forward, close to the front near the chosen ones but Mela stayed back so she wouldn't be tempted to give another lecture to their leader. They waited, watching the small bird in trepidation.

Itsi fluttered a little, glancing at Alden and the fish-lady as they entered. She settled back down, shifting her weight uneasily and tangling the chosen one's hair even further. Shooting a glance back at Garren, Itsi ducked her head down and fidgeted one more time, then spoke abruptly.

:The one you sent us to retrieve. The child of the valley, she said, pulling herself up and speaking almost defiantly so as to mask her nervousness.

"What about him?" Garren asked after a moment, causing Itsi's head to bob lower again. She recognized the way he was enunciating his words - very carefully, as if he might lose his self-control if he didn't pronounce each syllable just right. She knew what came after this stage too, and the knowledge did not make her any more comfortable.

:He's, uh...Well, you see, Meloc, he...He's dead, she finally said in a rush. The child of the valley, not Meloc, she added hurriedly. The boy she was standing on was starting to fidget almost as much as she was, and Itsi had to hop around a bit to keep her balance. Almost as an afterthought she said, Meloc killed him.

Garren seemed to swell right before her eyes, and she rushed to fit in one last bit of news before the explosion.

:Oh, and Meloc says that he thinks he may have accidentally started a war.

As soon as she was done speaking, Itsi immediately spread her wings to flee the scene. Before she could lift into the air however, Garren's thundering voice drove her back down to earth. She huddled even lower, tucking herself in until she was a barely-visible ball of fluff and feathers, and braced herself for Garren's rage.

"That worthless bastard!" Garren yelled loud enough that it seemed the whole tent shook. "I gave you both the simplest of tasks, and that was to keep the child of the valley away from the lake so all the children didn't meet at the same time, but it appears you couldn't even do that." No response was given by any of the members there, but he still continued on. "I know a perfect way to welcome our newest member to the brotherhood. Unbind him!" He commanded two of the men that were standing watch by the edge of the tent.

Isaac, still laying on the ground, heard the two men's footprints grow closer shortly followed by their rough hands lifting him to his feet and then cutting the leather that was strapped around his wrists and ankles.

Even though he had not the slightest clue where he was or who these men were, he still felt like he belonged among them. He felt like he was part of a family, a place of protection. Even though he wasn't welcomed with the nicest of tones, he felt a connection to everyone in the room.

"Brother Isaac... I am your master Garren and we are Brothers, protectors of the sacred Lake. As you heard, one of our Brother's has disobeyed a command. And we are not ones to tolerate defiance." Garren paused and let out a chuckle that was as sinister as Satan himself. "Your first task is to bring that damn Meloc to my feet! And to be of aid, Alden and Itsi will accompany you." He finished.

"What about the Child of the Mountain and Mela, sir?" Alden stepped forward and asked.

With another sinister chuckle Garren look directly into Kailayna's eyes and took a step forward.

"Don't you worry about them. It's not of your concern. Let's just say that I have 'other' plans for them." Garren said still stepping closer to Kailayna.

Isaac looked at the man who must be the one Garren referred to as Alden. Then back at the girl referred to the 'Child of the Mountain'. Who was this child of the mountain and what was she doing among the proctors? Isaac wondered.

"Yes, sir." Was Alden's response.

"Good. Now, I want you back within no later than three days time. Do not disappoint me." Garren commanded still just a few feet in front of Kailayna. "And one more thing. When you bring Meloc back, I want him alive."

Alden didn't respond, neither did Itsi. But when Alden turned his back to start leaving the tent Isaac and Itsi followed. In Isaac's eyes, they were just obeying a command.

Itsi continued to hunker low as she rode the chosen one - Isaac, she thought Garren had called him - out of the tent. Once they were outside, she untangled her feet from his hair and hopped over to Alden's shoulder. She tucked herself just inside the hood of his cloak and nestled there, close to his ear. The fabric of the hood obscured her view of the tent, and Alden's heartbeat reverberated throughout her small frame, making her feel warm and safe.

She knew that she ought to be speaking to the others, making plans and preparations, but she couldn't control her thoughts. They kept drifting further and further backwards, and the memories were just as painfully vivid as the last time they had forced their way to the surface of her mind.

It was four years ago that she had first met Garren, and everything had changed. Before that, she had been living the life of a bird of the forest, wild and free. The memories of those times were bittersweet - sweet because they had felt perfect, and bitter because they were over.

She hadn't been born a bird - that was a prayer's answer that she had not been gifted with until she was eight years old. Eight long, wretched years, living with her father in a small woodcutter's hut in the deep reaches of the forest. Her mother had died, and her older brothers and sisters had all fled long ago. There was never anyone to soften a blow for her, never anyone to soothe a fear. And all she had wanted to do was fly away.

She was at the lake when it happened - the cold, quiet lake in the middle of the forest, which plunged deeper than the trees rose high. She had never heard any of the stories about the waters, for she had never had anyone tell her a story before. Nor did she fear the forbidden lake, as this was a place where she went when she wanted to feel safe. She certainly didn't know that it could answer prayers, or she would have gone there every day of her life.

And then, one day, she had done something that she had never done before. She had reached out and stroked the surface of the water. She had been crying, Itsi remembered, and her throat was as dry as her eyes were wet. The smallest of waves rippled away from her, and she raised a handful of water to her face. Splashing it on her cheeks, she had felt a little bit better. A moment later, she plunged her entire head under the water, holding it there for as long as she could.

Pulling back a minute later, Itsi had gasped, letting the water stream down her face. Her cheeks were tingling, her lips were almost numb, and her mind had cleared. As rivulets of water ran down her face and into her mouth, a single thought throbbed in her head. Let me fly away.

It had taken weeks to get used to her new form. Learning to fly had been the most exhilarating thing she had ever done, although learning to eat bugs and worms had been a bit harder, to say the least. But most importantly, she never had to go home again.

For two blissful, wonderful years she was free. Flying among the branches of the forest, swimming in the shallows of the lake, and teaching herself to sing. And then the day came when she saw people at the lake. In her life as a bird, the fears and anxieties that had used to imprison her soul had faded away, making room for confidence and curiosity instead. So it was only natural to her at that point that she follow these newcomers home.

They had led her back to the Protectors’ camp, although of course she didn’t know that was what it was called. It had startled her at first, emerging abruptly from the trees into a wide clearing. She had lingered for nearly an hour that first day, watching the people work - digging ditches, putting up tents, and building an elaborate wall using the very trees themselves. And she had come back the next day - and the next as well.

For weeks, she had visited the camp, perching in one branch or another of the wall-trees and watching the progress. It was fascinating to her, and made for a not-unwelcome distraction from her day-to-day life. She had never spent much time around people before, and didn’t miss them, but something still drew her to this place. It reminded her of the lake for some reason, though she wasn’t the sort of bird to spend much time wondering why that was.

But then Garren entered her life. She had seen him before, moving around the camp and overseeing the work. She’d seen him looking at her once in a while as well, but Itsi had always flown off whenever she caught his gaze. Until he caught her of course.

She had landed on the lower branch of her favorite elm, and the bark had immediately given way beneath her. A moment later her feet were firmly embedded in a net of mesh and wire, previously hidden by a thin covering of bark shavings. There was a flash of movement followed by rapid shadows, a terrible but brief squeezing, and then she was inside a wicker cage.

She had struggled wildly, flapping her wings and flinging herself against the sides of the cage, but it was no use. She was trapped. And on the other side of the wicker, holding the cage and staring at her, was Garren.

The days and nights that followed were amongst the worst in Itsi’s memory - certainly the worst since she had drunk from the waters of lake. Garren would wake her at odd hours, whispering fiercely at her when there was no one else around. He was convinced that she was something more than what she seemed, and had trapped her to prove himself right.

“Talk,” he would demand of her, shaking the cage when he became too impatient. Itsi had nearly forgotten how to speak, and had no intention of becoming a human again. She had recoiled into herself in the face of the intensity of his wrath, but he had been relentless - his whispers had followed her into every corner of her mind. But in the end, it had worked.

Itsi had never imagined that something like mind-linking could be possible, and she later learned that it was an extremely rare ability. Thanks to Garren’s heartless insistence however, she had found the capacity within herself, and had eventually started shouting back at him with her mind.

He had been so pleased with “his” success that he hadn’t punished her for talking back, though he didn’t let her go either. He was only the second in command at that time, but his zealotry was already fully formed. Already he had begun pushing his views onto the leader, insisting that all of those gifted by the lake be forced to join the Protectors, or die.

When the choice had been presented to Itsi, it had been ridiculously easy to make. It was some weeks after she had first been caught, and though Garren had let her out of the cage, he had kept a long, thin cord tied securely to her tiny ankle. The other end was attached to his belt, and Itsi was never permitted to go far. The only way she could have hoped to get away would have been to change back into her human form - and that wouldn’t have been an escape at all, as far as Itsi was concerned. So when they asked if she would join, she had said yes. At least she didn’t have to go through what had happened to Isaac.

Itsi shivered in the autumn air, and moved further back into Alden’s cloak. Garren had already started working on his blood magic when she had first joined the Protectors, but the then-leader had forbidden its use, claiming that she had never condoned such practices. All of that had changed once Garren had taken over of course - but so far he hadn’t thought to bind those who had already joined before his ascent to power. Just those who came afterwards, and who were never quite the same again…

Itsi shook herself, then gave a brief chirp of annoyance when her tail feathers got caught in a fold of Alden’s cloak. Pulling herself forward again, she freed the feathers and then looked back and forth between her new partners.

:So, Itsi said slowly, linking to both Alden and Isaac. I hope this goes better than my last mission.

The wood creaked as he walked off of the wooden steps that lead from one of the main structures of the village. It was a personal order received from a messenger that called Arthur to the Graham's office and these kind of orders are usually never for a good reason. And that was true.

Arthur's head hung down and his eyes never left the dirt path as he now continued to his home. A long walk home to gather his thoughts was just was he needed, it might even be the last time that he walks the same route home.

'Normally we wouldn't ask someone not originally from the Forest to be apart of our guard, but we are now on desperate measures and you are one of the view we have left.' Were the words that Graham had just told him.

Arthur wouldn't have minded being apart of the Forest's guard. He even wanted to be in it when he was back getting an education because the others would ridicule him for not being from the Forest... for not truly being a 'Child of the Forest' they call it. He wasn't allowed to get married or be apart of the guard. But now it seems like that has changed.

Being apart of the guard wasn't wast we bugging him, however. Even though the troops that were sent out to retrieve that fool Isaac, Graham's son, had all been reported dead, that was not what was making Arthur scared, disappointed, and sad. The men that were killed were his friends. The young men that grew up with him, and they were now dead. Even though he was sad about their deaths, the thing that was tearing at him was the command he was given by Graham.

Every footstep was heavy and to Arthur it felt like the earth moved every time he hit the dirt ground. As he stared at the ground he knew that his 'grandmother' wouldn't be happy. Hasha, a woman who knew what she wanted and usually got it. Arthur admired her and wished that he could be as free as her when he got older.

Hasha was like his grandmother. She raised him, she fed him, she even gave him a name and a place to stay for the past 20 years. And it all started that very cold night in early winter.

It was windy that night. Even the moon could feel an unwelcoming presence about the night and refused to come out to illuminate the trees or the small frozen raindrops that descended so lightly. Hasha told him that she heard a faint crying, followed by several bangs on the door. She went then to the door only to find Arthur wrapped in a tattered blanket and cradled in a old basket.

She couldn't do anything with the child at the time other than take him in and feed him so she did just that. And as the years went on it was easier to tell that he wasn't a Child of the Forest. He didn't have the dark hair, the facial structure, or even the right shade of color of eyes. This is when Arthur began to be the outcast of the village.

Overtime people have become nicer to him and even respect him and are friends with him. He walks and talks just like a Child of the Forest now, however there is still something that separates him from everyone else; not having forest blood in his veins.

Arthur's walk was just coming to an end as he walked to the front door of the small house and opened it. He didn't take off his worn leather shoes, he didn't even check to see if his 'grandmother' was in the house. He just went straight to the dining room table and sat down, putting his elbows on the table and burying his head into his two hands.

He heard Hasha's light footsteps as she hustled in from the other room. It seemed like she stopped in the doorway upon seeing Arthur's composure of grief. She allowed quite a long moment of silence, which Arthur enjoyed, before she spoke to him.

"What all happened?" She asked him.

Arthur adjusted in his seat so that he was slumping down and had his back sliding down the back of the chair. He slid his hands down his face and then once more readjusted his position so that he was sitting upright in his chair.

"I-..." Arthur began knowing there was no good way to tell this to her, "Graham personally gave me the order of retrieving his son."

Hasha grumbled to herself, and moved forward.

"Botheration," she said a moment later, slowly seating herself at the other end of the table. She pulled a spare piece of licorice bark from one of her ample pockets, and tapped it against the front of her teeth while she thought. Arthur, good boy that he was, didn't flinch.

"Botheration?" repeated Arthur. "That's all you have to say?"

Hasha made a sound in her throat, meant to serve as a yes. She knocked her swollen knuckles against the table a few times, ruminatively, then nodded. "It'll be fine. I'll get Mogalci to look in on the place every few days."

"What are you talking about?" asked Arthur. His voice was edgy and sharp, and he sounded like he might be near the end of his rope.

"Mogalci," Hasha said again. "She can check on the house while we're away. I was going to have you take care of things," she added with a reproachful look. "But now that's clearly not possible." The twinkle that lurked deep in her eye was the only indication that she was purposefully baiting the lad.

Arthur finally caught on to what she was saying and didn't like it in the least.

"You're saying that you're coming with me?!" Arthur almost yelled as he pounded his fist against the hardwood table and stood up sending his chair to the ground. "Grandma, you heard what happened to the guards after following that boy to the Lake! Not a single one was left alive! Whoever has taken Graham's son is a cold blooded murdered and i will not let you go!"

Hasha's response was not one he was hoping for. Instead of yelling back, she simply took her seat at the other end of the table and folded her hands and laid them on top of her lap.

"I didn't know you were the one in charge of me." Was her remark.

Arthur went from looking at her in the eyes to hanging his head in shame. He reclaimed his chair after setting it upright and then held his head in his hands like he had earlier.

"Im sorry grandmother. My anger got the best of me." He apologized. "It's jus that I don't think that it is fair that I risk my life to go after for such and ignorant fool! And you shouldn't have to either!"

Before Arthur said anything else a memory of him and Isaac, crept into his mind all of a sudden and cut off Arthur's train of thought. His flash back started with him and Isaac both at the age whey they were just in the early teens of their age. And Arthur knew this memory was not going to be a pleasant one; few memories of Isaac are.

When Arthur and Isaac were in the same education course Arthur would always find Isaac gazing off into the distance, losing focus, and not paying attention. That was growing up in the footsteps of his father so that Isaac could once be a great leader like his father. Arthur confronted him about this one day and told him that it wasn't good for the child of the village leader to act in such a way. Isaacs response, 'And it isn't good for an outsider to talk to a true child of the forest in such a way.'

The flash back was gone just as fast as it had come and it only made Arthur realize that he hated Isaac. He hated him with all his mind and soul for saying such a cold thing to him. Those words made Arthur feel a tight pain of truly never knowing what it would be like to belong.

"Would you like me to ask Graham to take you off the Guard? I thought being apart of the Guard was something you had always want-," Hasha started but was then interrupted.

"No, don't speak with Graham. My previous statement was foolish and I don't mean to complain about it in such a manner." Arthur said quickly recovering from his grandmother's trials. "But I would just like to address the matter that you aren't coming with me to get this boy! If I die it will be from honor of serving the village that raised me! But if you die, it would be a death done by heist decisions and overconfidence. I can't let you come." Arthur finished locking eyes again with his grandmother.

She did not look amused in the least with what he had just said. It seemed like she had already had her mind made up the second that Arthur told her. And because Hasha was such a stubborn woman, Arthur knew that arguing further would just make him seem like an idiot.

He thought of if for a long time while sitting there. He expected her to respond, but maybe Hasha not saying anything was more effective then speaking because Arthur was beginning to change his mind. He knew not to question his grandmother's wisdom, and if there was something that she knew that he didn't then she must have a good reason for coming with to retrieve Isaac.


"I was given the command to leave as soon as possible, but in order to be well prepared leaving in the morning would be the most appropriate." Arthur said. "Just make sure that you get enough sleep tonight, I don't plan on taking breaks during the day when we are searching."

He got up and started to exit the room while Hasha remained in the same place. As he walked he thought he saw a slight crack of a smile appear on Hasha's face. He didn't look back to see if he was correct but he was almost certain. Making her smile made him smile in return.

Arthur went to his room and then started to undress to his under-layers of clothes. He had a lot to think about that night. And as he flopped into bed, he started to wonder if this would be the last time he ever slept in that bed. However, he did know one thing, and that was for sure. His grandmother was coming along with him on a dangerous task. This act of kindness from her made Arthur's heart feel the final piece of love that had been missing from his life since the day of being dropped of at Hasha's doorstep. That was the piece of being loved by a guardian, a parent, who will risk their life for your safety. This was something Arthur would never trade for the world.

They all left the tent and Alden led them. Once outside the moonlight shown down on their faces and was the only light to their path.

"We are staying at the camp tonight." Alden said without any others consent.

Isaac had been given the orders to retrieve the rouge protector Meloc and Isaac wanted to leave as soon as possible to find him and complete the task. Isaac wanted to prove to his master that he would be loyal and even be the best member out of all the others. But he did feel tiered and didn't want to go against the others right from the start so he followed as Alden led the way to a tent near by.

The tent was nearly void of furniture except for a small table and one raised wooden panel that looked like it might serve as a bed. The floor was standard dirt with a few small patches of grass that were halfway dead due to the lack of sunlight. On this ground is where Isaac would be sleeping.

He didn't mind that he had to sleep on the floor tonight. He thought that he might as well get used to it because for the next couple of nights he was going to have to do the same.

"Here." Alden said and handed him a tattered cloth that looked like a sheet.

"Thank you." Isaac said almost completely stoic from shock of such a gesture.

Alden didn't seem like the kind of person to go out of his way to help another. To Isaac, he didn't seem like he would take away from his own benefit so that someone else could. But this act of...kindness, really showed Isaac that maybe Alden did have a kind heart despite the remorseless face he wore in such a brief time period of knowing each other.

"Bird," Isaac started as he blinked hard to switch his attention to reality after he had been staring off into the distance. "Who is this Meloc? What does he look like and where did you last see him? I want you to tell me everything we know about him. And one more thing, is he dangerous?"

Isaac held his gaze at the animal while he waited for a response.

:Bird? Itsi repeated, twisting her head around to look behind her. What bird?

She waited a moment, giving Isaac time to hopefully become uncomfortable, or at least confused, then spoke again.

:Oh, you meant me, she said, looking back at the newest Protector. The living, breathing, thinking creature in front of you.

"Give over, Itsi," Alden muttered, and Itsi shot him a second's worth of a glare.

:Fine. I'm sorry, she said to Isaac. Happy now? she shot at Alden, who just rolled his eyes.

Turning back to Isaac, she said, I'm Itsi, and made a wry, sweeping gesture with one of her wings. That's Alden, she added, flicking her tail in his direction.

:And Meloc, she continued, Is my partner. Is one of us. You should keep that in mind when we head out tomorrow, no matter what Garren says.

Isaac seemed annoyed with the bird. He let out a big sigh while changing his focus from Itsi to the tents entrance. The thought of running off during the night alone to find Meloc by himself ran through his mind. But he didn't know where his location was and Isaac would need Itsi to lead him to where she last saw Meloc.

Isaac looked down at the ground letting out another sigh. He gave up on the idea of going off on his own. Even though Garren said to get it done as soon as possible, he also said that Itsi and Alden were supposed to go with, and not taking them would be disobeying orders. It made Isaac mad that he had to have them follow as 'back-up'.

"Just go to sleep." Isaac barked at them both but more toward Itsi.

Without another response from either of them, Isaac got on the ground that had grown cool from the falling sun's lack of heat. He pulled the sheet over his body and laid his head against a bunched up bit of cloth from the tent.

Itsi and Alden also got situated to go to sleep. Alden licked his index finger and thumb and then put out the fire on the candle that was on a shelf near him. The light went out and everything as dark.

...

The edges of his vision were blurry but Isaac was able to make out parts of what he was seeing. It was a great hall with polished wooden floors and vast dark wood column leading down it. And in front of him was another figure but was still to blurry to make out.

"Isaac." was said by the figure, but it was muffled and was a voice that Isaac didn't recognize. "Isaac, Isaac! My ---." The figure continued but Isaac was unable to make out the last word because it was too muffled.

Isaac wanted to ask who he was and how he knew his name but the words were caught in his throat when he opened his mouth to speak.

The figure stepped into view. It was a middle-aged man who had a short beard that was a mixture of black and gray. Isaac wasn't able to identify the man, but somehow the man looked familiar.

"Isaac! How could you be such a disgrace? You disobeyed me. You deliberately betrayed me, Isaac." The man said now in a clear voice.

The confusion overwhelmed Isaac. He wanted to yell back at the man. He wanted to tell him that he was a crazy old fool and he had no clue who he even was. But the words refused to pass his lips.

"What a fool you were to leave us, to leave me... That was never something that I would have expected from my own~," the man finished but then started to yell.

The yell was so abrupt and unexpected, that Isaac recoiled away from the man and his vision became blurry again. The yell became muffled and the room started to spin.

...

Isaac sat straight up and looked over to the opening of the tent where Alden already was standing and looking out.

"Get up and follow." Alden commanded in a whisper.

Isaac got to his feet and stood behind Alden. Itsi then flew past him and perched on Alden's hood. Without further warning Alden pushed past the opening of the tent while Isaac followed.

The wind was cold and blew in bursts of different directions. The moon was the only light that was provided and it wasn't much. Isaac examined everything in every direction. There wasn't much to see expect the other members of the Protectors leaving their tents with swords and bows.

Isaac changed his view to the sky, and noticed a bit of movement on top of the edge of the wall. It was a shadowed silhouette... that looked like a big cat, like a panther.

"There! On the wall!" Isaac yelled without another moments hesitation and pointing to the location.

He changed his focus back to Alden to see what he would do to take direction, but Alden did nothing. Alden's face turned white and his eyes didn't leave their gaze. It was like he had froze into a statue.

"Meloc..." was the only word the Alden had to say.

The night air was cold, and suddenly full of tension. Isaac's cry of alarm had echoed away into silence, but Alden's whisper of "Meloc" still seemed to thunder in the air around them, as the entire camp stared at the silhouette on the wall.

Everything seemed to have been frozen, from the Protectors to the wind. Even Itsi was motionless. It felt like she was being held in place by an invisible force, while the acrid taste of fear slid down her throat. For just a moment, as she stood there staring at the dangerous form before her, she wondered if the others had been right about him all along.

But the moment passed, and she shook herself, sending warmth and common sense through her limbs and mind alike. She was about to call out, to remind everyone that Meloc was no enemy of theirs, when the silence was broken again - this time by Meloc himself.

"To arms!" he roared, filling the night with the strength and urgency of his call.

A moment later he leaped down from the wall onto the roof of the cook-shed, slinking easily from there to the ground half a breath later. Itsi felt Alden shift his weight, and realized that he was reaching uneasily for his bow.

:No, she said, lunging forward haphazardly. The air didn't hold her and she plummeted, nearly hitting the ground before the desperate flapping of her wings could create enough of a breeze to catch and carry her.

She skimmed across the ground, calling out to Meloc with her mind long before she reached him.

:What's going on? she demanded, sounding frightened even to herself.

"Hunters," Meloc answered, his voice gravelly and low the way it always was in this form. Usually Itsi found it comforting, but not so today. "They'll be here any second, looking for the other Chosens. Is Garren here?" he asked.

:Yes, but he's really mad at you, said Itsi, And if you let hunters follow you home, then I really don't think that this is a good time for you to - Meloc's chuckle interrupted her.

"They didn't follow me, little one. I followed them." His gaze reflected yellow and green in the moonlight as he eyed the camp. "You there!" he suddenly shouted, clearly addressing two of the younger Protectors. "Summon Garren, then make sure he's had the sense to put a guard on the Chosen Ones. And you-" He turned, piercing another guard with his fiery gaze.

Itsi barely listened as he continued to issue orders, though she did notice that those orders were always followed, even when there was some hesitation first. There was a strength of purpose about Meloc that made him hard to resist. A moment later, that strength was turned towards her.

"Fly high, little one," Meloc said. "Fly high, and tell me what you see."

Itsi found herself obeying, just as everyone else had. Really, she mused to herself as she flew upwards, Meloc was every bit as bossy Garren, but for some reason she never minded.

She reached the top of a nearby tree and alighted on one of the branches. Turning, she looked down at the camp she had just left. Alden was talking to Meloc and looking serious, but she still didn't see Garren anywhere.

Remembering what she was supposed to be doing, Itsi flipped around on her branch and looked out into the night. She blinked a few times, then looked again. There was something out there, that was certain - something that looked like dozens of fireflies, giant fireflies.

She hopped onto a slightly higher branch, peering out at the forest beyond the wall. She thought she saw movement, but she didn't have Meloc's night vision so she couldn't be sure. She was just starting to think that the giant fireflies were getting closer - or at any rate becoming more giant - when something hit the tree trunk behind her with massive force and the air around her exploded into light.

Itsi scrambled off the branch and then pinwheeled through the air, with no thought other than to get away. When she came to herself a few seconds later, she was on the far side of the camp, tucked into a gap in the wall. Below her a battle was already raging, but it barely caught her notice. Her gaze tripped from one tent to another, then flew to a patch of wall before bouncing back towards one of the lower trees.

She trembled in her hiding place, though it was neither dark nor cold any more - for the night was alive with fire.

"You're staying by me!" Alden commanded as he grabbed Isaac by the arm. "Take this and show no mercy." He finished and shoved a bow and quiver of arrows from a stand near by into Isaacs chest.

Isaac stood there still holding the bow and quiver while Alden didn't miss a beat and aimed and shot and arrow at an enemy archer standing on top of the wall.

The arrow hit the target in the heart. The man fell to the ground and Alden pulled another arrow while scanning the wall for others to shoot down. Other protectors were running about yelling commands at one another. Many of them had bow and arrow, while others yielded a sword.

"Don't just hold it! Aim! Fight!" Alden yelled as he let another sore through the air.

Isaac strapped on the quiver and withdrew an arrow. He loaded it and pulled back the string. He turned around to see a man on the wall firing an arrow into a protector and let his own arrow fly. Just as he let go a force knocked him flying sideways.

An explosive went off sending bits of ground and fire every direction. Isaac flew threw the air even though the detonation had been many feet to his right. An impact against a tree was shortly followed and shot searing pain throughout his entire body. Gritting his teeth, he managed to open his eyes only a sliver. His vision was blurry, his body felt like it was on fire, and his wounds felt like they were eternal.

A hand touched his face and Isaac blinked which cleared his vision long enough to see it was Alden.

"They won't kill you if they think you are dead!" Alden whispered right into Isaacs ear.

Alden held an object that looked like an arrow in his hand. Isaac couldn't quite make it out still because of his vision. Without any further notice, a sharp pain that exceeded all others pierced just under his left shoulder.

Isaac gritted his teeth even harder and wrangled his back against the hard bark of the tree. He managed to open his eyes on last time to see that Alden had forced an arrow into Isaac's body. The blurring injuries caught up with him and he started to feel like he was fading away to unconsciousness.

"Itsi, fly away. This whole place is going to Hell." Were the last words that Isaac heard Alden hear before he finally closed his eyes and fell into the unconscious state of mind.

Alden turned back into the fighting. He had lost his bow in the explosion, but he still had his blade, which he drew from its leather scabbard as he moved. A hunter appeared before him, and Alden lunged forward, then swung left. The sharp edge of his weapon mimicked his movements, and his enemy fell to the ground. Alden continued forward, ignoring the man's cry for mercy.

Alden reached his target, and crouched. He pulled the canvas flap aside, but the tent was empty. He rose to his feet, spinning about and looking anxiously around the chaotic scene that surrounded him. Mela was still here somewhere, already weakened from her prolonged absence from the water.

Another explosion rocked the night, and Alden stumbled to one side. His orders were to protect the chosen ones at any costs, but he had done what he could for the newcomer, he didn't know where the girl was - and orders or no, he wasn't prepared to have Mela be part of that cost.

Searching the camp in an increasingly frantic way, Alden was waylaid by another group of attackers. This time they outnumbered him, and though he managed to take one of them out before the others could close on him, he knew that he had reached the end.

Moments later he had been unarmed, and stood tensely, awaiting the fiery touch of cold steel. Then a shrill, howling fireball came screaming down towards them from the sky, and his assailants tripped over each other in their efforts to get away. Alden only had time to turn his back to the projectile and fling his arm over his head before his world exploded, then collapsed into darkness.

(( The characters Kailyna, Alden and Mela will be claimed until the original owners next post in the story))

His body felt like it was on fire. His eyes burned and the taste of bitter ash made him cough himself awake. Pain raced through him every jar that came from a cough.

:Issac. I am here. The voice of the bird rang in his already ringing head.
“Wh-,” Isaac managed to mumble but couldn’t continue to make any audible word.

:Don’t speak, conserve your energy. Itsi told him.

Isaac managed to get his eyes open. What once had been a protectors camp was now a garden of ash. Glowing patches of remaining fire were all around. A branch from a tree fell to the ground still ablaze. There was no trace that a camp had even been here. All that remained were ashes and the bodies of fallen soldiers.

Alden was right, the whole camp did go to hell. There was no redemption in any of the materials or weapons. It was all… gone.

“Itsi…” A low gruff voice said past the smoke and still falling ashes.

The figure was hard to make out for Isaac but as the smoke subsided the figure was shone. Meloc stepped forward, limping. A bleed blade wound was on this back that led down onto his ribs. Part of his ear was missing as well and even parts of his black fur looks like they were scorched from the fires.

:Meloc! You’re hurt! Itsi exclaimed.

Isaac closed his eyes. Keeping them open was too difficult for him. His eyelids were as heavy as a ton of bricks. He felt himself fading again. Like he was actually dying. He coughed once more, and tried his hardest to maintain consciousness.

“I can’t believe Alden got captured to save him.” Meloc groaned.

:Shut up. It’s more honorable than what you did to the Chosen one of the Valley. Itsi retorted.

Meloc seemed to ignore the comment and branches cracked as if he were walking away. “He needs help; medicine.”

The bird hopped on top of Isaac’s head. The small talons dug lightly into his hair. Isaac’s mind felt warm and his body still aching, but with Itsi there, staying with him, he felt pain withdrawal.

“Itsi. I feel like I should let you know,” Meloc started. “What I told you earlier, was a lie. The Child of the Valley isn’t dead. It’s part of my plan.”

Isaac couldn’t take it in. It was too much for his body. The blood. The ashes. The darkness. The nothingness. Isaac fell back.

Pulling the cloth away from her forehead, Mela was rewarded with a fresh trickle of warm blood down her cheek and a scolding from the protector acting as her nurse. Scowling at the nurses back, she held the cloth back to her cheek and looked around at the carnage around her. The camp had been nothing short of demolished. Splintered trees scattered across the forest floor amongst torn tents and ash floated around in the air. When the other protector was busy with other wounded, Mela slipped away. She was itching to find Alden and the others she knew better. But after a while of limping and stumbling through the debris, she only came upon the unconscious chosen boy, Itsi, and Meloc. "Where's Alden?" she asked them, sinking against a tree stump.


Blackness. That's all Alden knew. He thought he was conscious, but he couldn't move or see anything. He tried to speak, but was prevented from doing that as well. So he waited, trying to figure out what had happened during the battle.

((details in this post maybe changed later to accommodate unwritten events))

Arthur laid in his bed. Hours had passed but he still couldn't fall asleep. He knew that setting off tomorrow would be hard from lack of sleep but it was almost like he didn't want to fall asleep. He didn't want his normal life to end.

All of his life, Arthur had just done what needed to be done and was happy with it. Maybe it was a trust issue because of when he was a child, but Arthur didn't want to leave Tamnri. Leaving Tamnri, however was only part of the reason he was staying awake. The element of fear was in his body as well.

The thought of the army that was sent out to watch Isaac being all murdered shook Arthur. The guards that Tamnri sent were all trained and fought well. They were able to be taken down by a force that showed no mercy. Arthur knew that he would be shown the same treatment if he were caught be the same force.

Arthur held the wooden necklace close to his heart. The presence of the item calmed his thoughts about death and leaving Tamnri. The necklace was the only tie that he had to his actual parents. It was the only thing he had in the basket other than the blanket when he was dropped off on Hasha's doorstep. He didn't know why it was given to him or the significance of it, but for some reason he felt like it would eventually lead him to his actual mother or father.

The necklace was made from very dark wood and had a very basic carving to it. It was a circle with the image that looked like a valley of wheat on it. And on the back of it there were vertical and horizontal lines that randomly covered a majority of the back.

Arthur ran his fingers over the engravings and pressed his fingernails into the edges. He bit his lip like he always did when he thought about the meaning of the necklace. He held it tighter in his hands and then rolled over in the bed. Maybe getting out of Tamnri would be good for him was the reasoning that his mind told him just before he fell asleep. He knew that Hasha would be waking him soon.

:Alden was captured by the hunters, Itsi said, twisting her head around to look at the fish girl as she half-fell, half-sat on a nearby tree stump. Trying to save this one, she added, thumping one tiny leg against the unconscious Isaac’s head.

The healing had left her drained, and she was having a hard time masking the genuine fear and concern she had for her absent friend. :Dope, she said to no one in particular.

No one spoke for a moment, and Itsi was driven to break the silence again. :What makes this one so special, anyway? she demanded from the group at large. Why is his life worth so many of our own, of our friends’?

Meloc moved forward, the perfect glide of his paces marred by a slight limp. He lowered his muzzle until his eyes were on a level with her own. “You are weary, little one,” he said. His breath, warm and smelling of meat, ruffled her feathers as he spoke. “And afraid. But do not speak out against our lady. You know that protecting the three is what she desires.”

Itsi fell silent, and after holding her eyes for a long moment, Meloc turned and paced back to his original spot. He circled it twice, then lowered himself to the ground.

“Now we must look to the future,” he announced in his low, gravelly voice. “We do not yet know how many have survived this night. We will need to move camp. And no doubt Garren will be reappearing at any moment.”

Itsi resettled herself in Isaac’s hair, digging her little claws in for better balance. The chosen one was waking up, and starting to fidget as he did so. Despite this distraction, she couldn’t help but notice that Meloc had included Garren in their list of woes, which did much to improve her mood.

“And yes,” Meloc continued. “One of our own has been captured by the hunters. Though the usefulness of the gesture may be in question,” he said, shooting a glance towards Itsi, “the facts do not change. The question then becomes, do we try to rescue him?”

:Yes! and “Of course!” exclaimed Itsi and Mela at the same time. Meloc looked back and forth between them for a moment. He seemed startled by their vehemence, but did not immediately argue. In the wake of their exclamations, Isaac sat up with a groan, rubbing his head and forcing Itsi to hop back and forth out of his way.

“And would you have us send this chosen one straight into the path that Alden sacrificed himself to spare him from?” Meloc asked somberly. “Would it be right to ask him to do so?”

:Oh, give over, retorted Itsi. He’s too blood-drunk to want to do anything other than what he’s told. Aren‘t you? she added, flapping a wing against Isaac’s temple.

"Get off," Isaac moaned and raised his head.

Itsi hoped off and onto the head of Meloc. Isaac Isaac looked at them. Mela, Meloc, and Itsi and then dropped his gaze back down to the arrow that was still embedded into his shoulder.

It felt like he had lost feeling in his left arm like it was completely numb. He tried to lift it and before he could get it an inch, a searing pain was sent to his every nerve in his shoulder and arm. He let out a short yell from the pain.

"Mela," Meloc started, "You're going to need to take the arrow out."

Without hesitation Mela stepped forward and put one hand on Isaac's shoulder and the other on the arrow. "I'm sorry for this." She said and pulled back on the arrow.

It came out with a jerking sensation. And every second was an eternity for Isaac. He could feel the back of the blade tare the veins as it left his body. But as soon as it was out, the pain was gone for the most part.

:I've stopped you're bleeding the best that I could. Itsi started, but that doesn't mean you won't feel pain, or bleed on the inside.

Isaac's breathing was heavy. He moved his legs closer to his body and positioned himself getting ready to stand. But before he moved any further his head turned straight East and he looked off into the distance.

"The Lake." Isaac said under his breath. "Bring me to the Lake."

Isaac had no idea as to why the attraction to the lake had suddenly called to him. The Lake was guiding him to it like a ship to a lighthouse on a foggy night. He yearned for it. However, as he tried to get up, his weight was too much for his body to handle and he fell to his knees while Mela grabbed him to prevent him from falling any farther.

"At the moment we don't have any other choice." Meloc said. "There is nothing we can do for him here. Put him on my back, we need to set off now." He finished.

Mela helped Isaac onto Meloc's back. The weight of Isaac seemed like it was a heavy load for Meloc and that he wouldn't be able to carry him a long distance, especially with Meloc being injured.

"Garren..." Mela whispered load enough for everyone to hear. She got blank concerned stares from both Itsi and Meloc but no verbal response. "I-, I guess he must have been taken by the hunters as well if he hasn't joined us yet..."

There was a bit of concern in her voice but not as much so to raise any alarm. They all knew that it would be for the best that Garren didn't come along to the Lake, but it was something that went without saying.

Without another word to each other, Meloc started to head East while Mela and Itsi followed. Every move, every step that Meloc made Isaac could feel. WIth every step the pain in Isaac's body rocked back and forth like a ship in a storm.

He didn't know why the Lake was calling him or why all of a sudden. But he sure did hope that once they got there, there would be not only an answer, but also something/someone that could bring an end to the endless pain.

Trying not to focus on the sounds of pain around them, Mela stumbled through the debris the best she could. As she walked with the others she thought about the lake, wondering why Isaac felt compelled to go there. It was just another sign that he was indeed the chosen one.

Looking down at the bloody arrow still in her fingers she smiled ever so slightly. She was ready for the lake herself. Even though it had only been just over a day since she had been there she longed for the water. She had just gotten used to her land legs (she thought, as she bumped into a stump and nearly lost her balance) but nothing compared to the smooth way her tail guided her through the waves of the magical water of the lake.

She sighed slightly, hoping their mission would be a success. That they would be able to rescue Alden and even Garren, because they needed a leader. Even if he had sort of lost sight of what the protectors were protecting.

Hasha shook Arthur by the shoulder, hard. "Wake up," she said, not for the first time.

The lad was slow to waken, and she shook him again. There wasn't time to be gentle.

"Wha..." he said groggily, rolling over on the shallow cot.

Hasha made a gesture for him to be silent. "Follow me," she said, her voice low.

The lad rose, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He still looked confused, but clearly knew better than to disobey. Hasha had used her stern voice, the one that had struck fear into him as a small child when he had tried to lie about breaking a ceramic bowl, or eating the last of the sweet cakes before dinner. Old habits ran deep - Hasha knew that he would do as he was told.

With a simple gesture she indicated that he should gather his belongings, waiting for him near the door, already bundled. Hasha's own bag was slung across her shoulder, and she waited impatiently while Arthur pulled on his boots and snatched up his satchel.

When he was ready, Hasha turned and led him outside. The air almost echoed with crispness, and held the glimmering promise of not-distant frost. Arthur followed her, still looking puzzled, and Hasha closed the door firmly behind them.

She started walking, knowing that he would follow, and knowing that he would not think to raise a protest until well after it could matter. They reached the edge of the village within moments, but Hasha did not stop there. Instead, she plunged forward into the darkness of the forest.

They walked for hours. The mid-night darkness shrouded them on their journey - and they were not the only ones traveling, Hasha knew. All around them small animals fled, both to and away: foxes, hares, mice, and every other denizen of the middle forest. Everyone was on the move tonight.

Hasha's limbs began to ache with the effort, and her joints began to swell with the cold, but she forced herself to keep moving. She kept her complaints silent, knowing that Arthur would raise all manner of trouble if he was aware of the difficulty she was having.

Finally it appeared in the distance - the lake, its surface cool and smooth, reflecting the image of the distant moon as if it hovered in the water's depths. Hasha paused for a moment, drinking in the scene. It had been so long since she had been here. So very long.

Then she pressed on, pushing herself to keep moving forward. There was a fallen log not far from the water's edge, and Hasha sank down onto it gratefully.

Arthur followed her, swinging his pack to the ground beside her.

"What now?" he asked, some instinct making him keep his voice low.

"Now, we wait," Hasha replied.

Another hour passed since they had taken their perch on the fallen log. Neither Arthur nor Hasha said a word to each other. There was a silence that was kept through trust. This silence is what kept Arthur warm in the cold night.

Even though the wind blew in unpredictable patterns, there was a sense of calming that Arthur had. It might have been the presence of the lake, or the slightly tinted moon that hung over head, or it could even be Hasha sitting next to him. He felt at peace, like it was the place he was supposed to be. At the Lake, the beautiful calm waters.

The smell of smoke, like the burning of a camp fire, came across his senses. Arthur lifted his head to look off into the distance, the same direction that Hasha had been looking for a great deal of time.

"Smoke." Arthur said tearing the calm of silence.

Hasha didn't reply. She and he continued to wait and look off into the distance. There was something else in the air that Arthur couldn't quite figure out what it was. Aside from the dark smelling smoke, it smelled like...death.

The calm that had once been in Arthur's soul was replaced by concern. He stood up quickly and tried to focus on the motion of nothingness that laid beyond the shadows of the trunks of the trees. Hasha refrained from standing and continued to stare off in the same direction he had been.

He had stood there for many passing minutes. His fists were curled and ready to be used at anytime if danger appeared, other than the air. The tension left his arms and his fingers slowly unraveled and hung down at his side.

The wind blew his hair forward, passed his eyes. It also blew a fresh scent of ash before his nose. The smoke overwhelmed him, but there was one thing that put him over the top, the smell of blood. It was unmistakable.

Arthur's eyes dilated and his heartbeat match the vigorous pace of the wind. The blowing of the wind that passed his ears turned to a shrieking whistle. His focus then changed from off into the distance to the lake.

This lake. He had been here once before. He knew that he had once been to the lake, but he didn't know how. There was a sudden pull to the lake along with a sudden burst of tranquility. He started to take small steps closer to it. He needed to be closer to it.

At the water's edge, he fell to his knees and leaned over the waters. He saw his reflection in the water and stared into his eyes. The wooden necklace he wore, hung from his neck and swung just above the surface of the water. However, there was more to his reflection then he saw at first glance.

The moon's reflection shown bright across the lake and merged with his. The symbols on the necklace show prominent on the waters surface. The valley of wheat that reflected from his necklace looked like it spread across the entirety of the lake. Arthur glanced over all of it and felt… peace.

He reached his hand out and fanned it across the waves of golden wheat before him, colored by the light of the moon. He could almost feel their touch, their bliss of swaying in the wind. Arthur closed his eyes and continued to stroke the wheat from the valley until he felt the cool waters glide across the flesh on his hand.

He unknowingly had lowered his hand to the surface of the lake. He was now touching the waters and once again felt calm. The smell of smoke and blood sting rang through the air like church bells chiming on a sunday morning in the winter, but it didn’t matter anymore. The water ran through his fingers and he couldn’t feel anything else.

The Lake. This was his sanctuary. The Lake.

~~~

The pull to the lake was getting stronger with every step that they took closer to it. Isaac had gathered enough strength from resting on Meloc’s back to be able to walk with the support of Mela’s shoulder. He still suffered pain from the injuries and should probably be conserving his energy, but he knew that Meloc wouldn’t have been able to support his weight for much longer, he also knew that getting to the Lake would be faster this way and it was the pull to the lake that kept him going.

For what seeming like a never ending hour, they walked getting closer and closer to the Lake and the pull, the bond that Isaac felt would only grow stronger and stronger.

A shimmer shown past trees up ahead, and at first sight Isaac abandoned his support of Mela’s shoulder and took off running, to the best that his body would let him, toward the Lake. The others quickly followed behind him.

He ran past the final tree that was in his way and almost stumbled to the ground after having an odd footing after stepping on an extended root from a tree. However, he maintained balance and walked out onto the shore of the Lake, gazing across the water and a male figure standing mere inches from the waters of the lake, who had his hands into fists.

Mela, Meloc, and Itsi were now behind Isaac and stared at the boy on the other side of the lake. Mela and Itsi stared dumbfounded, but Meloc seemed angry.

“Who is that?” Mela asked to the air.

There was a silence that held after the question was asked and it seemed like they were just going to be words that were lost to the wind.

But Meloc stepped forward, in front of Isaac, but without taking his piercing gaze off of the man across the lake, he answered “the child of the valley.”

The Lake’s waters were not the same with her absence. Verran laid on the sand that covered the floor of his cell. It was soft, but cold. It was a bed for his sorrow and his emptiness. He couldn’t feel her presence anymore. He had forgotten her touch. Mela’s life was fading from him.

He was going on his fourth month in detainment. His fourth month locked up in a hundred year sentence. In such a short time he forgotten her touch. He couldn’t feel her hand in his, he couldn’t feel her kiss on his lips. It was a feeling that he thought he would never forget; never would be possible to forget, but he did.

He thought about it everyday. The day that Mela left him. The scene played in his head on repeat and everytime he thought of it he could never come up with a reason as to why she turned away from him; why she did what she did.

Mela had been summoned to her. She wanted to speak with Mela. The reason that she had been summoned was unknown to Verran. Verran also didn’t know that Mela would be gone from home for more than a day. Three days had passed, in fact, before he saw her again, and it was not in the way that he intended.

That day, Verran was spending time by the opening of the Lake looking at the sun.

“Verran Sheq!” Was said from out of no where. “You are under summoned by Her and you must come immediately!”

Verran broke his gaze from the shining orb and turned to see two of Her guards swimming toward him swiftly and, so it seemed, angrily. When summoned to Her presence, it is usually in a manner of concern and formality. However, when the guards got to Verran, they grabbed him and put binds on his wrists behind his back.

“What are you doing you fools?” Verran yelled and struggled to break free.

There was no response from either of them, the out-held him and forced him to swim with them.

The guards remained at his side when he was brought before Her. He held his head low as if ashamed to be in her in her sight and summoned in such a manner, in binds. He remained looking at the floor waiting to be spoken to so that he could get an answer as to why he was brought there.

Verran is your name, correct? She said, her words echoing like that of an angel but at the same time like an arrow in the heart.

Taking a moment before he answered he finally found it in him, “Y-yes, that is I.”

There was a very long space between words. The water felt uneasy and even seemed thicker than it usually was. Heavier.

You are unaware why I’ve summoned you, correct? She asked.

“You summoned my wife three days ago, I-I assume that it is about her?” Verran answered still shaky from Her presence and also still looking at the ground.

There was anger in Her voice. She sounded like Shehad bitterness on Her tongue. But why was She upset? Verran searched his mind for everything that he had done, done wrong and there wasn’t anything at all. All that he could think of was that he influence Mela to use her hearts desire to become a mermaid and live with him, and that isn’t anything wrong. He was told that the wishes of the heart can be used for anything.

Verran. Look at me. She said.

The command was easy. Look up and see Her. And even though it was an easy to grasp in his mind, his body didn’t want to raise his head. With a moments more hesitation, he was struck by the backhand of one of the guards. Then Verran’s head rose and he opened his eyes to see Her. His first time ever truly seeing Her.

Beauty. The only word to come to his mind was beauty. A thousand mirrors couldn’t tell Her a lie. A newly blossomed rose would look withered in Her hands. A diamond wouldn’t dare shimmer on Her hand. Beauty.

There was a light that shone around Her, like Sheactually were an angel. And there was a difference about Herthat Verran didn’t expect to see. She had legs like a human. Legs covered in cream colored skin. Skin without a flaw that looked like silk. She also had long dark hair that flowed constantly, calming in the freeze of the water. Beauty.

Verran, I have recieved a bit of unsettling information. Would you care to hear what the information entails? She asked waiting for a response that Verran wouldn’t give. I have been informed that you are working for Him.

All the water turned to tar in Verran’s eyes. Him? He has always been unspoken of and everyone in the Lake and even those who knew about the Lake and Him were never supposed to talk about who He is.

“...” Verran open his mouth to speak but no words came. Where was he to start?

Verran. I am sorry to hear this. You were always one who I thought I could trust. I loved watching you grow in my Lake. It’s a shame it had to come to this. She said.

Verran, held his head back down to the ground which probably only dug his grave deeper. “My leader. You know I would never betray you for such filth as Him! He is a murderer! You are my protection!” Verran started, raising his voice as he continued and rose his head again to say it directly to Her. “You are my sanctum! I love you, my leader. My guardian! Who told you this lie? Whoever is telling you this is blinding you!”

Verran’s voice had grown into a full-out yell and he was smacked with another backhand as he finished by the guard, again. It was disrespectful to yell in Her presence and it was unheard of to yell actually at Her.

Verran. I don’t think that I could say that who told me this information is lying. They seem to know you quite well. She started. Mela! Come forth!

His eyes were feeding him lies. How could this be true? The glass that was his heart hit the concrete floor and shattered into grains of sand. Mela swam and claimed her spot at the side of Her.

“Mela? What is this about?! You can’t be serious! Mela!” Verran began to yell again.

Mela was staring at the floor in front of Verran. He could see her eyes, but they weren’t looking at him. “I’m sorry Verran, but I couldn’t go on living with such lies.” Was what left her tongue.

I have heard enough. Verran, it will not be tolerated that you have conspiracies with Him. And at that, I sentence you to one-hundred years of cell-imprisonment, in pure isolation. She said. Guards!

Verran almost didn’t hear any of what She said because of what he had just heard Mela say. The bitter taste of betrayal had never been more real to him. The anger that pulsed in his blood, in his heart was mixed in his veins with sadness, despair. His heart grasped for air even though he air was never what he needed.

“Mela no!” Verran screamed as the guards started to pull him away. “Mela! Why are you doing this?” Anger. “Tell them you are lying!” Despair. “ You know I would never be involved with Him!” Betrayal. “You lying bitch!” Bitter. “I thought you loved me!” Sadness. “How could you do this to me?” Lying. “Mela!”

There was nothing that Verran could do. Mela was gone from him. This was who he was now. Verran was… worthless and unloved. Verran was nothing.

As he laid in his cell. He thought if he had anything to do with Mela doing this to him. Verran couldn’t think of anything that would make her betray him.

What did he do to make her betray him?

What did He do to make her betray him?

A cough here or there, a sneeze. Muffled voices, the sound of metal on metal. Alden tried to focus, tried to pinpoint any sound around him and identify it but something was wrong. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't see, no matter how hard he tried to focus. Then there was the edge of pain wracking his body but he couldn't pin that one down either. Was this what it was like to be dead?

After what felt like an eternity, he felt something close by stir and let out a muffled groan. There was something familiar about the sound when he heard it again. Garren!

Renewed by the recognition, Alden tried to speak. This time only a soft grunt left his throat but Garren seemed to understand as he answered with another muffled sound. Alden tried to move again but was unsuccessful.

All he could do was bide his time and save his strength. But with his mind already starting to clear, he was beginning to have thoughts of escape.

"What are you doing here?" Meloc growled, pacing back and forth at the water's edge, while the end of his tail flicked in agitation.

"I knew the other chosen one would be here," Hasha said before Arthur could answer the question. No doubt the lad was distraught enough without having to deal with angry, talking animals.

She was still sitting on the fallen log on the far side of the small lake, but the chill of the dark night carried her voice clearly to all who stood in the clearing. It startled more than one of them, Hasha noted, glancing from one half-illuminated face to the next.

"Wait, is that - Isaac?" Arthur asked blankly, finding his voice. He rose to his feet, the cool, slick water still dripping from his fingers. "You knew he would be here?" he demanded, turning towards his grandmother. "If you knew that, if you knew finding him would be this easy, then why did you let me worry all night? And what did he mean by 'child of the valley?'" he added, heaping one question on top of another.

"Why were you seeking Isaac?" Meloc interrupted suspiciously.

Hasha pulled a piece of licorice bark from one of her capacious pockets, and bit at it thoughtfully. She looked from Meloc to Arthur to Meloc again, taking her time as she did so.

"It's not going to be easy," she said, answering Arthur's question first, and meeting the lad's eyes directly. "And our task is not done, either."

"Answer my question, old woman," Meloc insisted.

"Patience is clearly not a virtue of yours, Meloc," Hasha replied. "A pity, as it usually leads to wisdom."

Meloc's pacing slowed to a halt as he stared at her. "I don't believe we've met," he said eventually.

"Haven't we?" Hasha asked, cryptically. She chewed on the licorice bark for a few moments, giving him time to try to remember, and - more importantly - to calm down. Then her eyes traveled once more over the rest of the party, resting on the mermaid in human form for a bit longer than the others.

"Do you know why the chosen ones must be gathered?" Hasha asked the group at large, though she looked at Meloc as she spoke. "Do you know why they are important?"

There was a long silence.

"No," Meloc said at last, answering for everyone. He sat down, and settled his shoulders. "Only that they are."

"Then do not question me," Hasha intoned harshly. Arthur sent a startled look her way, but she ignored it. "Where is the third?" she demanded instead. She saw the great cat's shoulders shift and resettle.

"Not here," Meloc replied after a moment. Hasha squinted at him.

"That much is obvious," she said. "She must be recovered. The three must be together when the time comes - and the time is coming," she added. "Make no mistake about that. The song is clear - and becomes more clear with every day."

"But..." the word, spoken in a soft, tentative voice, broke the rising tension. Hasha turned, and saw that the mermaid had stepped forward. "Can't you tell us why?"

Hasha studied the girl for a moment, then hauled herself to her feet. She moved forward at her own, sedate pace. When she reached the girl's side, she stretched out a hand and grabbed the girl's chin. Though obviously startled, the girl did not try to free herself, and let Hasha turn her face to the side. Hasha followed the moonlight that was pouring into the girl's eyes, staring into them as if she could read the mermaid's very soul.

"War is brewing," Hasha said, breaking away. "I can feel it." She moved towards the water's edge, no longer looking at any of them. "War is brewing, just as it was a hundred years ago. The three - the chosen ones - will play an important role in that war," she went on, almost as if musing aloud. "But the people who surround them will shape that role - for better or for ill."

Once again there was silence.

"We must find the third," Hasha went on after a long pause. She turned to look at the girl again. "Where is she? The child of the mountain?"

The mermaid hesitated, and the answer came from an unexpected quarter.

: Last time we saw her, she was with Garren, said a little bird, fluttering out of the nearby trees to land on Meloc's shoulder. He said he had plans for her...

Several of them exchanged looks, Hasha noted, and she drew her own conclusions. She didn't respond however, her attention focused on the presence that approached. Nearby, Arthur seemed to be having problems moving past the first of his concerns.

"But if you knew where Isaac was going to be," he began, struggling with his temper and his concern, "then why didn't you just tell me, so that I could bring him back? Why did you have to come along in the first place?"

"Because I knew that she would be here," Hasha said, more gently than she had said anything in a very long time. She lifted her face towards the water and the presence that was arriving there. "Hello, Mother," she added softly.

Even before the lake was in sight Mela could feel the cool water against her skin. It was all she could do to not run to the shore and dive into the depths of the comforting clear blue water and never return to the surface again. Even though it had only been a day since she had swam with the fish she missed it more than she thought possible. Every time it came to protector duties it was harder and harder to leave the magic of the water where she felt most at home.

To help curb her appetite for the deep lake she sang softly under her breath as they walked. A tune she sang under water, the song of the lake. It comforted her somewhat but was no substitution for being under the surface.

The soft notes stopped in her throat as her eyes fell on a log. It seemed to be an ordinary log and she couldn't understand why it startled her so much. Her gaze fell to the lake and she suddenly saw a man there. He was so beautiful her heart ached, his eyes so vivid she wanted to drown in them. But in a blink he was gone. She stared at the lake again, confused. It was clear, free from people or mermaids, there was nothing. She blinked, hating the unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. Who was he? Why did she feel like she knew him?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stepping back from the old woman, Mela tried to curb the rising emotions within her. She was here, was coming. She couldn’t explain why she felt so torn, so joyful yet so shameful. It felt like there were memories on the tip of her tongue but just out of her reach, things that were important but she couldn’t quite grasp. She stepped back, bowing down on one knee as she approached, the surface of the water bubbling and parting away.

(( From this point on, until the story is finished, Kailayni will remain a universal character for anyone to use at anytime they desire.

Also to put the underline and bold for Her talking it is (a) *words* (/a) but the parenthesis are replaced with '< >' ))

Arthur unknowingly had taken multiple steps away from both the Lake and Hasha. The confusion and the break of trust were all he could focus on. He was now watching from the side lines of the mess that was unraveling in front of him.

'Hasha's mother?' He thought. He had never heard of Hasha's parents. She never spoke of them and Arthur never had the courage to ask. But now she was talking to the Lake when she referred to her mother?

He couldn't take it anymore. It was the impulse of frustration and lust for answers that gave Arthur the push to step forward.

"Hasha?" He began, "what are you saying? How do you these people? You've been lying to me this whole time?"

Even though he was looking directly at her from her left, she didn't turn to meet his eyes. Hasha continued to look over the Lake and didn't respond which only angered Arthur more.

"Answer me!" Arthur yelled loud enough to hear the echo bounce off of the trees. When no response still came he shouted with greater rage, "I said answer me, old woman!"

At that Hasha closed her eyes and hung her head. "Soon you will see why everything had to be this way."

The volume difference that was from Arthur to Hasha was that from an lion's roar to a mouse's squeak. The fire that was in Arthur's body couldn't be controlled in the way that it desperately needed.

"Fine... You know what? I don't need you!" Arthur continued to yell and drew his slightly dull sword. "Issac, you have been commanded by the leader of Tamnri to return at once! You're coming with me!'

At this Meloc stepped forward. "Arthur, I can't let you do that. We need both of you here."

"How do you know my name?" Arthur asked feeling more calm, yet at the same time more confused from the big cat's voice.

Before any answers were given the waters became uneasy and began to ripple. The ground started to vibrate. The few leaves that still remained on the trees rustled violently. This was the moment that Hasha had been waiting for.

And with no presence seen, an enchanting voice echoed through all of their ears. "Welcome home, my children."

Itsi trembled on Meloc's shoulder. She had never seen nor heard such beauty - it was simple, and pure, and it filled the night with her presence. The words she had spoken barely mattered - all Itsi knew was that she felt safe, completely safe, for the first time.

Itsi's grip tightened suddenly, as Meloc lowered his head and shoulders to the ground, as if bowing before the presence in front of him. On either side, everyone else was doing the same. Itsi did not - she didn't mean any disrespect, but she didn't want to tear her eyes away from her, even for a moment.

She had emerged from the water like air, and now floated above the lake like...well, like she was still in water, Itsi realized a moment later. Though she had human form, she was clearly more...she was clearly all...

My children, the voice came again, issuing forth from the beauty before them. Do you know why you have been brought here? Has my little spider explained it to you?

There was a smile in the voice, and Itsi bobbed her head, looking around in confusion.

"I did not yet have time, Mother," the bossy old woman said from the water's edge. "And the third is not yet here."

What? she demanded, the smile disappearing from her tone. Who has interfered in her approach?

"There was an attack on the camp," Mela offered. "We were separated. We didn't know..." she trailed off, glancing at Meloc and Isaac. Itsi glanced at her, but the fish girl had fallen silent, and was biting her lip instead, looking unhappy and strangely guilty.

"There is still time," the old woman stated firmly. "The third can be retrieved, and the three will be together when the time comes. But we will need something from you," she added, more softly.

And what is that, my child?

The old woman stepped back from the water's edge, moving reluctantly, it seemed to Itsi. She touched Mela's brow in the briefest of gestures, then did the same to Isaac. "These two have been tainted," she said. "Their memories have been corrupted, their loyalties twisted."

The woman returned to the water's edge, then slowly bent and kneeled. "Please, free them," she said quietly. "Cleanse them with your love, and let them know themselves again."

There was a rumbling sound, deep and low, and it took a second for Itsi to realize that it was coming from Meloc. Before he could protest however, a spiral of water emerged from the lake, spurting up in front of her. She made a gesture, and the spiral erupted into thousands upon thousands of droplets. A moment later, those droplets went shooting out at everyone gathered beside the lake.

When the first of the drops of water hit Itsi's beak, it felt like all of the air was suddenly sucked out of her lungs. Unable to breathe, unable to gasp, Itsi raised her wings out and behind her, instinctively, and was half-lifted into the air by the wind. The drops pummelled her feathers, gliding along the slick exterior ones and soaking into the soft down underneath.

Memories assailed her like weapons - her father, Garren, the fire, blows, a cage, and cutting words, it welled up in her mind until she thought she would burst. And then something did burst, and the memories flowed out and through her, blending with the wind and the water, and being driven further and further back.

The droplets stopped, but the wind increased, rising to a howl for a terrifying moment. Then all at once it stopped, and Itsi dropped her weight back down onto Meloc's shoulder, dazed. Her feathers were dry, and her mind was clear, but she had no idea of what had just happened.

Looking around, she could see that the others were looking just as confused - except for Isaac, and Mela. Isaac only looked more stunned than the others, but Mela...she looked absolutely horrified.