•|•|•"Freedom is but an illusion pup, for everything has a prison. Even the widest field has an end and the wildest sea finds the land."•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]Diane cawed momentarily as I flipped through the maps. "So- many," I managed a low gasp as I studied each one, walking around the table. My eyes were glued to the sight before me, my heart thudding within me as my gaze skimmed the detailed drawings. There were maps of all kinds. Detailed maps of Night Wolf territory, separate Detailed-maps of the other three territories. Old maps that detailed Valcane in the time of Alexander the Prime, the paper old and crusty, almost crumbling in my grip.I handled these with the utmost care. The last thing I wanted to do was anger a master by ripping them. The thought of losing my head for something so stupid made me even more careful with the ancient maps.I had to leave everything as if it was untouched. There were current Valcanian maps, trade routes, and roads. It would be easier to
•|•|•"Even the faintest whispers are carried by the wind.Listen, for the wind has many secrets."•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS] The slaves whispered amongst themselves as I walked in. As usual, eyes ventured my way accompanied by light scoffs. My gaze traveled to my sisters whose eyes rested on me momentarily sending me a discreet nod, before returning to the conversation whispered amongst the group of slaves. I made my way to my secluded area knowing I would remain unbothered.Sitting by the ledge of the window where the cold wind blew in, under the gentle moonlight, Glancing around, I carefully took out the map. My eyes trailed over it, my fingers trembling, before tucking it back into my sleeve, I was lucky today. From finding the map to Barnabas' mysterious turnaround. I had no reason to trust the drunk, he could turn us in for all I know and get a reward. It was simply not wise to rely on him.Sure, it would be easier to travel to Yulis with a castle worker successfully covering t
•|•|•"For if the world was to end. It would surely end by Night."•|•|•[KAYOS]My eyes opened slowly, and yet it was as if they were still closed. No light to reveal if it was day, but I needed no light to know that.Darkness of the blackest kind filled the throne room, and the throne itself felt as cold as ice beneath me, my fingers stiff around the arm of the iron throne. I had spent a night on the throne as I had done so many times before. My body felt stiff, but I relished the pain.I could feel shadows around me, whispering things that made me shut my eyes once more, reaching out for the darkness around me.Despair is what I felt, and despair was what poisoned the air, what manifested as the darkness around me and cursed the sun from shining, and yet I had to confess there was a certain peace in this despair.I took in a deep breath, relinquishing the air from between my lips, and the shadows around me fought for that breath of life.A shadow crept up my arm, and I gingerly tur
•|•|•"Don't you know that the forests died with the faerie folk? True Magic is not in these lands."•|•|•[KAYOS]The bird cawed loudly in its cage, and my eyes gleamed a sparkled ember as I watched it from the shadows of my study. The light trails of magic coming off it in shimmering waves intrigued me for I had not seen something quite like it. So easy to miss and yet so irregular.I studied the bird for a moment, before leaning forward into the candlelight. Inspecting it closely I confirmed a few things about the abnormalities of the bird. It was larger than a normal raven, it seemed to watch me as well, and its heart was racing the closer I got.The bird blinked in my direction, growing quiet, and paused as if frozen at the mere sight of me.It wasn't unusual for animals to behave this way toward me, I knew.Each animal was born with an instinct. It was simply natural that they knew when a predato
•|•|•"And what is the price of a Soul? Tell me pup, what can equate a sacrifice so great if not only the price of another soul?"•|•|•[Master Greygory] Before the Evernight, there were signs. Signs written down and recorded through time.Before me, I see them. Stronger than before. More than mere changes of the wind in the air these last few months, but the whispery echoes I hear within these walls at night-Shadows are not meant to be heard, and yet their voices resound, almost inaudible but so close I could swear I hear the victorious banter. Stronger through the storms of this morning. "Master Gregory."I turned slightly as the door opened watching as a King's guard saluted. His eyes remained straight ahead, the scent of his wolf submissive beneath mine."Speak, Guard.""The King summons you."My gaze shifted away from the soldier, sending him away with a wave, "acknowledged. I will serve."He saluted once more, closing the door behind him as he left. I glanced down at the sm
•|•|•The fates have designed your way, and Selene brought you forth from the earth and gave you life. As an Alpha you will live to rule, as a slave, you will live to serve, for always till fate and time reunite you in the fields from which Selene first brought you forth.•|•|•[Shade Shadows] Sweat littered my forehead in shiny sheets as I stepped off the ladder to examine my work. I had cleared one full row of shelves of books from top to bottom. The row spanned nearly half of the vast room, and my arms ached from the mere load. I felt like I had worked 24 hours straight. But of course, time seemed to be held in suspense as there was no sun in the sky to tell me how long I had worked. It felt like I was stuck in a timeless loop that was dipped in a pitch-black world.No stars to litter the sky, and no bright moon either. If it weren't for the lanterns lit up by the soldier in the court, it would be impossible to even see the ground from this height.Not that there was something
•|•|•"Why do you think they hide in the dark pup? Is It not a safety they seek, lest their own failure be revealed in the sun? Then they call the darkness evil, because because in it lies pieces of themselves they thought to conceal."•|•|•[KAYOS]And Indeed I Had.My eyes shifted from the fallen book, capturing hers. Her heart hammered quickly within her as our gazes locked, but no sooner had I spoken, she broke contact and bent to pick it up."I wasn't- I wasn't expecting you. Not this soon," she replied breathily with a seemingly nervous smile. She glanced at me momentarily, whilst her fingers stretched toward the book.I stared at her efforts for a moment, registering her weakness. It was something that could not be ignored. Every time I saw her, it was laid bare before me. A taunting reminder that although the sight of the Keffer calmed my spirits, though her scent was dabolically sweet, though my wolf yearned for her touch, and though the mere thought of her had pulled me fr
•|•|•"We live in a world of reflection where balance thrives. To the left, it is right. To love thereis hate, and to darkness there is always light." •|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]"And how was your day, master?" I asked as I stacked the books on the table.A smile was stained on my face involuntarily. My spirits had dampened after his crass comment but re-lit after the redemption of the one that followed.Perhaps I was foolish to be happy simply because of a compliment. The thought paused me.No- I shouldn't be too high upon horses to believe a master would actually offer such a thing to the likes of a Keffer. I admit it sent something warm deep down my insides to hear of my difference being spoken in a different light.One that seemed positive.I hoped, though hope was dangerous, that it was how he truly saw me. It was refreshing to hear it be spoken so highly, not as a peculiarity or a deformity, not as a curse but a thing of-Perfection.My smile returned, and I glanced at the master t
•|•|•"What worries you most when you look at him, Gregory? For me, it is that I can not remember the last time he smiled. —Oh, Selene, I can not remember the last time my son smiled."•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]I am quietly cleaning.I think my mind is simply vacant at my discovery. That he does not care as much as I do.Petty things, yes, but it is only because I have a glass heart that I behave this way.I have discovered that it easily cracks. You see it was born alone in a land where souls are birthed in pairs.Sighing, I look down at the books littered on the floor. My ears straining slightly for sounds. Part of me believes the master still lingers. At least I wish to believe so.I swear, I hear whispers sometimes but when I turn there is nothing but a stream of dust in the empty row.Not even Diane's flutters can be heard.I did not mean to scare her off too. But she would return I was sure- even though it feels like it has been nearly a half hour since the dust settled.Falling to
•|•|•"To be bonded to another is a gift, Pup. In truth, there is no greater gift for a wolf, and there never will be."•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]My hand tightens against the ladder as I lean out to slide a book into the slot. It takes a bit of stretch but it fits. My gaze runs through the spines of the neatly packed books on a now dust-free shelf.Dragging the ladder with me to the next empty shelf, I find the easiest way to pack books is to stack them up like a tower near the ladder for easier packing.I do all this whilst in deep thought.If only I could say I think of ways to escape. If Vale has managed to get the red yarn or find a solution to our Night Wolf problem.These thoughts are what should be on the mind of a slave who is planning an escape but no-I think of none of these things. Instead, I think of words, of stories that aren't mine but are painfully familiar. I think of death, of shadows, of colors painted on a canvas. I think of a pair of wolves, the sadness that has la
•|•|•Selfish Beings! All of them! Them and their goddess. May Chaos reign forever, in this life and the next. •|•|•[KAYOS ADREN PRIME]"Are you nervous?" I do not spare Vaeln a look at a remark so ridiculous. My gaze remains glued to the heavy oak double doors closed before us. "I only ask, because you pause..." Vaeln added, leaning toward me slightly, "Usually when one is before a door, they—open it..." he hints.Selene cannot be this cruel that I have to endure this torment, is she?I have no desire to explain to him that I take a moment, for I have to calm my wolf. The realization that the woman that we are to call mate is behind these doors distresses him, for he knows, whatever she is, she is anything but. I turn to him blankly, "This is none of your concern, Vaeln.""True," He grins, "It is more of an interest to be honest. I'm very interested."I stare at him. I do not speak again. He is much too aggravating and inconsequential for me to spare another second of my atten
•|•|•How does one know this is their bonded, AMA? Is it only by scent? Am I therefore doomed to never find love?•|•|•[KAYOS ADREN PRIME]I stare at her as if a ghost. Curled beside me like a dream, the only word fit to describe this vision of her.Quiet as she sleeps, I am struck motionless, simply watching. Immobile at the weight of her presence. Her scent is sweeter than the flowers that the endless grows to calm me, so much so, even they seem to tilt in a feeble attempt to touch the light coils of her hair, despite the non-existent breeze. It knows. The endless knows. She is something altogether different.Hearing her voice was one thing, but seeing her in all her beauty, in these fields of peace is —ethereal. I can not blink for I fear that if I do, I risk losing a second of all that is her. I am breathless at the thought, breathless at the pure desperation in the notion. I have kept away from her for four days, told myself I must see her soon, but in truth, I have been h
•|•|•This bond we share, Adeline. No being can break. Neither men nor gods.•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]********In the market. *******Xirrian states.*******************My fingers shake even as I write this. I cannot contain the excitement coursing through me. It is relief and emotion much too intricate to simply describe.I found her. I found her—I found her.My beloved. All that I am, all that I wish to be. All that is. I have her in my court this very moment. My wolf, my being, aches to be with her, but I must account for the moment. If only so that it is raw and genuine, and if only to give her space.I confess I feel I have suffocated her already. It is as the Mage Wolf predicted. The market is where I found her. In the cold streets of Thal, in the region of the Ice Wolf. It has been 2 years since my encounter with the mage.It is hard to describe—the emotion...The bond is far stronger than I ever perceived. Ah, it flows through me like a river, laden with all the good thin
[SHADE SHADOWS]•|•|• Who else wields magic? Is it only witches?•|•|•A mage Wolf.I study the lines on my open palms, staring at my hands momentarily. My gaze shifts to the pages of the book, picking it up, tracing over Xirrians words, again and again as if they could eat me alive.The dead flower blooms in his hand. My head leans back against the shelf, taking deep breaths in until my heart steadies, and then my eyes lift to the open window watching the rain as the memories flood my mind. Her curse is worse than mine. I feel numb.I do not recollect the first time I found out what I could do. I've always had it. It isn't something that I just figured out. Even after I lost my memories, my power didn't feel abnormal.I thought everyone could do it.Though I don't remember how I discovered I had this power, my memories remind me of the first time AMA did. It was a discovery for her, but for me, although I held no recollection of who I was, or had been, the action was natural an
•|•|•She is not a mate, She is a witch.•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]Barnabas is right. The sun refuses to shine by the morrow, and the world is dark. And it stays for three days. At least, I think it has been three days. I can not tell. The hours seem endless.Perhaps I could count how many times Madam has awoken us but she has not been to our chambers. The last time I saw her, she had called AMA's true name. Now, guards bang at our doors when it is time to wake. If I am to count to that then it is four.Four days have passed. It feels like a fever. I pump on mindlessly. My thoughts are filled with pages and lonely words. I have not opened Xirrians journal since. It is far too emotional that reading those pages has wedged me into such despair that I can not bring myself to read another page.But even though I do not dare to read, his words have haunted me, night and day. I can not get it out of my head. Perhaps it's because there is nothing I can do to distract myself. I've been lone
•|•|•I have stared at stars, I have prayed to gods, near and far of all circles. But even they haveturned a deaf ear.•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]Liston, the guard keen on getting me into trouble, stands before me. Though his face is visiblycalm as one would expect of a guard, there is a warm glimmer in his eyes, and his lips tug upwards,dimming slightly when a set of Guards matches passed.I turn from him, taking sharp breath in before closing the crimson door behind me and I feel hiseyes follow my every movement.When I turn around, I catch his gaze resting on the red door before snapping back to me, and heopens his mouth to say something, but a voice interrupts his speech."I'll take her from here."My gaze lands on Madam Catherine as she walks firmly towards me.For a moment, Liston seems hesitant, but he steps aside, a short bow before the madam.His gaze strays to me one more time, a tightness in his jaw, before taking his leave.I watch his figure disappear in the hallways and
•|•|•A new age begins, and the cycle repeats.•|•|•[KAYOS]The Portal creaks with haunting whispers as I walk through. The shadows his my true name, enticing. Their voices are cold and wistful. They pull at my robe, and tug, grazing my feet, until I walk out and the whispers fade behind me, the portal closing.Only one shadow remains glued to my side. Alchest climbs up to my shoulder. I glance at him momentarily, my gaze shifting to our surroundings.It is as I thought. A blood bath.The narrow hallway lined only by torches spans a good length and in it lies the carnage left by the creature. There is no death, however. It seems this creature wasn't out to kill. Instead, there is an array of bodies writhing in pain. Slashes and marks. Aid has come to them, and healers are trying their best to do what they can. It is clear they were caught in prepared, however, it is a lesson well learned.Despite their pain, as soon as my presence is known, groans grow quiet, and shivers across th