After the coroner arrived, they trudged back inside Grandfather's house. They needed to see to the living, mourn the dead, and find a way to celebrate the victory.
The leaders from the different groups gathered, ready to put a plan into action.
It was hard to concentrate on all there was to do when Kaya, her panther, kept screaming about their mate inside her head. She looked over shyly at Dakari. He was looking at her too. The look he was giving her made her insides turn to mush and her mouth go completely dry.
Grandfather came to them both, put his hands on their shoulders. The corners of his mouth turned up in a way that let you know he completely understood what they were feeling. “Why don't you two see to what needs doing, then
Dakari and his team took off at first light. The air was crisp and cool, visibility at its best. They gratefully accepted another boost from Mr. Toma, and they arrived back in Ireland in less than an hour. Penny had wanted to join them but her body wasn’t up to the task yet. The blast of electricity had done far more damage than anyone expected. Without Penny’s invisibility cover, they actually flew the helicopter right to the cliffs. They pretended to be watching the ocean churn below, when in fact they were watching to see if there were still dragons about. Thirty minutes later, Dakari was satisfied that eve
As they unpacked the helicopter, Dakari noticed a backpack wedged in the corner of the little cargo area. It was old, and filthy, and had the stench of the dragon lair on it. He called to Paolo and his team. “Did anyone grab this bag from the caves before we left?” He questioned. Each man shook his head, looking just as baffled as Dakari. “I had this area pretty packed when we left home, with all the blankets and medical necessities. It had to be put in there while we were down with the kids.” Paolo advised. Dakari knew he had to open it, but the thought of finding those disappearing embryos caused him to hesitate. What would they do then? He reached to undo the zipp
The Hunt for Knowledge“The journey is the treasure.” Lloyd Alexander~~~“The true secret in being a hero lies in knowing the order of things. Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpicked fruit. The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.” The Last Unicorn~
On the night of my birth the feline goddesses rejoiced. As I cried my infant cries the only clue to my feline heritage was my cobalt blue eyes. I am a werecat. My Pride is almost extinct they tell me, and I am one of the only werecats to be born in recent years that we know of. My birth was celebrated by some, while others tore their clothes and cried out with rage. It was foretold that a Princess would be born to save our kind. Apparently, this is me. Nobody asked if I wanted this, nobody cared that I just want to be a normal kid. As I stand in our enormous kitchen drinking a tall glass of milk I watch the caterers setting up for my eighteenth birthday party. This is when the fun will really begin. Sitting down at our comfortable little kitchen table, I begin to think back on my earliest memories of being "different." "Katalea, come down from that tree!" My mother's voice billowed up at me.
My eighth birthday came and went that summer without any word from any distant relatives. I played thought transfer games with Mom in the car a lot. It was good practice and I was gaining control and range. My brothers thought I was just getting weirder and weirder when I would suddenly just laugh out loud for no apparent reason. Controlling my reactions was another challenge that would need practice. Sometimes I would put thoughts into my brothers' heads just to make Mom laugh. Once I had Darius tell Mom that he was in the mood for tuna casserole for dinner, a meal he would not eat even if his life was at stake. Mom knew what I was doing but played along. She asked him if he would like crab cakes for dessert, my absolute favorite, and it would snap him out of it. The poor boys were the victims of so many of my childish pranks that summer and they never had a clue. My brothers are Darius and Derrick, ten year old
By the time the school year started I was no longer enrolled in our local elementary school. Mom hold everyone, including Dad, that is was because of my crazy gymnastic schedule. That was partially true, this year I was skipping a level at the gym and my new hours were extensive. I loved every minute of my time at the gym, but I was away a lot. If we were homeschooling I could get my workouts done in the afternoon before the other kids could get out of school. Not to mention that I would have far less interaction with the other girls this way. They were really not happy that I was skipping levels and getting one on one attention. They had begun to say very mean thing when they thought I couldn't hear. I guess cats have excellent hearing because I heard them all. Needless to say, I was very excited about this homeschool development.Mom and I kept two sets of books. Seconds grade books that I old show to my Dad, or the teac
"Momma," I whimpered, "What are they doing?" I was so scared I was shaking. Mom looked pretty nervous too. Neither of us knew what to do so we just stood there looking back at the people who had started to lift their heads. They were clearly expecting us to say something. A man wearing a very colorful robe emerged. He must have sensed that we did not know the protocol. He greeted us with a booming voice, "Rise all, and welcome the long awaited Princess Katalea." He spoke with such authority but his words make no sense. Did someone tell him my nickname at home was princess? "Please follow me, your damsire is waiting." He spoke so formally that I immediately grabbed for my bag. As I did a young boy was also reaching for it. He was dressed all in white, there was no color on him except his golden eyes and his incredible tan skin. I thought he was going to grab it and run so I put my hands on it too. He shrug
"That is a great idea little one," he purred at me with eyes that showed kindness and love. "This must be a lot for you to take in, how much do you already know?""I only know that Momma has family here, and that they are going to help me understand how I am half a cat." I said confidently, I had no idea how telling my words were.My Grandfather actually looked hurt, and my Grandmother emitted a guttural sound like she was being strangled.Grandmother spoke for the first time turning to Mom. "Do you hate us so much that you have denied her any knowledge of her heritage?"Momma burst into tears and dropped to her knees before her parents. "I have been such a fool," she cried. Between sobs she whimpered, "Can you forgive me?"It was hard seeing Momma like that, broken and desperate. I was thankful my Grandfather showed compassion. "Rise my child, your transgressions are forgiven. You have
The Hunt for Knowledge“The journey is the treasure.” Lloyd Alexander~~~“The true secret in being a hero lies in knowing the order of things. Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. Quests may not simply be abandoned; prophecies may not be left to rot like unpicked fruit. The happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.” The Last Unicorn~
As they unpacked the helicopter, Dakari noticed a backpack wedged in the corner of the little cargo area. It was old, and filthy, and had the stench of the dragon lair on it. He called to Paolo and his team. “Did anyone grab this bag from the caves before we left?” He questioned. Each man shook his head, looking just as baffled as Dakari. “I had this area pretty packed when we left home, with all the blankets and medical necessities. It had to be put in there while we were down with the kids.” Paolo advised. Dakari knew he had to open it, but the thought of finding those disappearing embryos caused him to hesitate. What would they do then? He reached to undo the zipp
Dakari and his team took off at first light. The air was crisp and cool, visibility at its best. They gratefully accepted another boost from Mr. Toma, and they arrived back in Ireland in less than an hour. Penny had wanted to join them but her body wasn’t up to the task yet. The blast of electricity had done far more damage than anyone expected. Without Penny’s invisibility cover, they actually flew the helicopter right to the cliffs. They pretended to be watching the ocean churn below, when in fact they were watching to see if there were still dragons about. Thirty minutes later, Dakari was satisfied that eve
After the coroner arrived, they trudged back inside Grandfather's house. They needed to see to the living, mourn the dead, and find a way to celebrate the victory.The leaders from the different groups gathered, ready to put a plan into action.It was hard to concentrate on all there was to do when Kaya, her panther, kept screaming about their mate inside her head. She looked over shyly at Dakari. He was looking at her too. The look he was giving her made her insides turn to mush and her mouth go completely dry.Grandfather came to them both, put his hands on their shoulders. The corners of his mouth turned up in a way that let you know he completely understood what they were feeling. “Why don't you two see to what needs doing, then
Katalea stood, her heart in her eyes, looking at Dakari. Grandfather smiled when he recognized the look. “Dakari, welcome to the family. You two found a hell of a time to find each other.” He chuckled at the irony. “You will have time to develop your mate bond later. Now, we need to see to our injured.” Dakari only had eyes for Katalea. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. How had he missed it? He thought back to her school days and laughed at her early attempts at conjuring.
“Hold On!” Penny screamed as they soared into a cloud of dragons.“Where did you come from?” Katalea screamed back, trying to be heard over the endless noise.“Just be glad we came in time!” She said in her mind. Why in the world were they trying to speak over the Armageddon surrounding them.Katalea thought flying would be smooth. This was like trying to ride a rocket hurtling through time and space. The charred air was so hot, and they moved so fast that everything was blurred. Katalea called a tornado, a steel grey funnel reaching from the churning clouds, reminiscent of days long gone. She directed in with her mind, a heavenly vacuum capturing countless dragons in its downward spi
The emergency meeting on the beach was in stark contrast to the one the day before. Gone were the happy feelings and hopeful outlook for the future. Those feelings had been replaced by dread, fear, and anxiety. Katalea stood before the Pride and delivered the premonition. Somber faces listened as she told what transpired in her dream. The weredragons would be attacking by nightfall. It was time to come together and make sure everyone knew the plan. They had been over this scenario so many times before, the difference was, this wasn’t a drill. Some of them wouldn’t see the sun rise in the morning. Others would lose a loved one. No one questioned the authenticity of her dreams, she had never been wrong before. It was time for the prophecies to play out.&nb
They took off with bombs exploding all around them. Blinding streams of blue, flashing lights of red, and once an explosion of diamonds that glittered and flittered down to the sea. The fireworks display was breathtaking to behold and a fitting send off to the little girl they had all come to love. Maggie was pretty sure she never wanted to be this close to a firework again.Dakari thought of Lainey, and knew her bracelet would be glowing red. She wouldn’t know what that meant yet, but he had charmed her memory enough to enable small bits of him to filter in as the years went by. For now, he would be happy that she would sleep without nightmares. It was the least he
They brought the sandwiches back to happy soldiers, who were content to eat before starting out. The park was full of people anyway, out enjoying a rare warm day in winter, so there wasn’t any rush. Children played football, couples shared smooches on blankets, and students studied out of doors in groups and by themselves. As the day wore on, more people began to arrive. They came in groups, with heavy blankets and looked as if they meant to stay awhile. Dakari, bewildered by the behavior, gave up and went to take a nap under a tree. Curious by nature, Maggie set out on