Chapter Three: Eelan's Revenge

The world was a blur; a great, blue-grey blur rushing by her at breakneck speed. She thought she tripped once or twice crashing through the brush, but she couldn't be sure. The only thing Eelan could register was color. She was searching for white, a streak of white amidst all the grey--

"Eelan, wait! Please wait!" Part of her registered Seralina's voice in her ears, but she didn't answer. She couldn't. Please, don't let it be true. Let him be lying, so we can laugh about how scared we were. It isn't-- I'm just overreacting; it isn't true. He may have just thought he was dead, right? He was badly injured. That's it, it was the blood loss, that's all--

The two of them burst through the trees into an open field, spraying leaves from their mad dash out of the grove. The run seemed to last for days into the darkness, but at their speed it probably only took an hour. Lunaye had said he and Sur were hunting one of the red deer at the border like he had tried to do earlier, only this time they failed again. The Dasi had taken them both, but Sur kept them busy long enough for him to make a run for it.

'I am giving you a direct order! As your Chief, Lunaye!' he had told him. 'I am ordering you to return to the village! Return to your people, Aid!' The leopard had had no choice.

Herds of crimson-hued deer scattered at the sisters' approach. In the far edge of the forest near the clearly marked borderline, something gleamed, catching the twins' eyes. Eelan swiveled from her straight path so suddenly that her back legs swung around, leaving a line of bare dirt in the thick grass and kicking the long stalks into the air.

"Father?! Father!" Eelan cried, panic creeping into her tone.

"Father, where are you?!"

Fear had taken deep root in Eelan's chest, and she searched in an ever-growing frenzy. There was nothing there, nothing but old, moss-covered trees reaching into the black clouds above them. Come on, please, please let me find him--

"Eelan!" The she-Kensi's head whipped toward her sister's anguished cry. In two long bounds she crossed the wide space dividing them, peering around a bunch of tangled brown vines--

No. Oh, no.

The grove had one towering tree that was particularly ugly and dark. The trunk was probably as big around as the Meeting tree, but it seemed almost to be its negative. Its bark was a mesh of twisted, black knobs and deformed shapes, making sickening faces in the wood that laughed maliciously to their vivid imaginations. An unsightly rat's nest of gangly vines formed a sort of cage around the giant, motionless behemoth in the center of the tree's hollow, and Eelan's heart contracted when she realized who it was.

Sur V lay in a cold, dark pool of his own blood, white fur matted with the sticky, red-black fluid and saturated with grey mud. The shine of moonlight off the deep puddle around him reflected half-heartedly onto the remaining snow-white of his back. One curled paw lay beside him, almost off the foreleg, and his throat had obviously been ripped open. His once regal head was now overturned on his ear, lying bent unnaturally in the blood-softened ground. The stink of death was everywhere, and the Dasi's footprints lay shouting their guilt.

But the final straw was a patch of skin covered in coarse black fur lying beneath the Kensi chief's paw. It was well known that each clan of Warmbloods had leaders with identifying markings or coloration: the Kensi chieftains were known for their pure white fur, whereas the Dasi were known for glossy black.

The chief of the Dasi had killed Sur, but Sur had taken a piece of the killer with him.

Eelan's stomach was heaving. She felt the urge to retch but she couldn't bring herself to do it. That disgusting mess was their father. Seralina was gasping for air, eyes wide and flowing with streaming tears she didn't even know were there.

"Fa--Father--" the white twin choked, her back legs buckling and shuddering in shock.

Eelan couldn't breathe. There seemed to be a harness around her chest and throat, keeping any air from reaching her lungs. Tears were clouding her vision, and her body was hitching uncontrollably. "Father," she whispered, a pang of guilt stabbing into her gut. They were out here for me. They were trying to hunt for me! "Oh, Kensi." Her voice was harsh with denial.

Seralina slowly approached the lifeless body and lay her head over the ruined neck. Her legs folded under her and she curled at his side like a shivering kitten, tail wrapped around her balled form. Eelan’s face screwed up in pain, and her claws dug into the ground beneath her as if it were the killer’s flesh.

She and her father played a game of ‘find the mole’ in a field of tunnels, catching them on occasion but mostly giving them a good scare and a new story to tell when they returned home to their tiny mole-wives. Seralina, only a few years old, didn’t want to come out into the field because the creatures tended to bite her feet, and she was afraid they were going to eat her. Sur laughed and tried to coax her out of the bushes, his yellow eyes smiling and happy.

Their first hunting lesson. The twins were both nervous, but eventually they got over it when the first prey turned out to be a field mouse. Sur, gleaming white in the sun, telling them the main principles of good hunting. The three of them giggling when he tried to warn them about safety first and the mouse squeaked pathetically.

“So be careful around mice, too?” she had asked, lip twitching.

Sur did a most convincing impression of dead serious. He glared at the tiny thing beneath his paw. “Oh yes. Mice are one of the most fearsome beasts ever to walk the earth. You could die just from looking at one. See how ferocious? Arrr--”

“Squeak?” More laughter.

Another scene, when she was much older: Sur taking her out on a hunt by herself, trying to get some ‘alone-time’ with each of his daughters and speaking to them about their problems with pure understanding. His fuzzy, reassuring face loomed over hers, and the roughness of his tongue as he washed her face was so soothing that she fell even deeper asleep with each stroke, awakening in the top of a tree hours later, curled against him.

Just like Seralina was now.

“Father?” Eelan shrunk away from the body, eyes round and not exactly sane. “Father...” The girl threw her head back-- and screamed.

Seralina’s head shot up at the cry that issued from her twin’s throat. Something was not right; the yell had been mixed with a roar, deep and booming, that shouldn’t have been possible in such a small creature. “E-Eelan?” she whispered, standing and taking a hesitant step forward. She didn’t want to leave their father in such a state.

“You murderers! YOU DAMNED MURDERERS!” the dark-headed Kensi bellowed, her body hunched and trembling with strain. Seralina looked closer at her sister’s face and she nearly jumped backward.

Eelan’s eyes had gone blood-red and were glowing with light, her face darkening to a black that matched her mane. Even as her face changed, her body also grew, larger and larger, and as she swelled she muttered under her breath. The swearing became louder and more threatening as she went on: “I will kill you,” she snarled. “You took my father-- I will--kill you--”

Seralina felt a thrill of ice down her back, and as she watched her twin transform before her eyes, she remembered a tale told them by the village elder years ago. Her horror and fear heightened as the words played back in her head:

“I tell you children, revenge is a terrible thing. It will consume you, twist you until you cannot recognise yourself. A Kensi chieftain, long ago, gave in to this. He became tainted with hatred after the death of his wife at the hands of Dasi warriors, and in his fury, he turned into something else. He became a demon, a legendary beast of ebony black with eyes as angry a red as his soul. It was a terrible creature, with no thoughts save to kill, and his revenge was the cause of our borders being forcibly divided, Kensi from Dasi.

“The killing never stopped, and he was never satisfied. When he reverted to his natural body and saw what he had done, his guilt was so great and the loss of his honour so heavy that he threw himself from the highest cliff. Even when your revenge is exacted, you will only hate yourself for what you have done. Do not let the monster consume you, children, for it will never cease its thirst for revenge.”

Seralina’s eyes were huge. Eelan’s tail had grown at least two feet longer, with a tuft of black fur at the end, and her mane had actually grown into her body, giving her a much more feline look than human. She started, realising that she was looking up at Eelan, who now rivaled Sur in her sheer size. The twin no longer recognised her sibling. Her face was that of a giant, rabid panther, and no sanity graced her eyes.

Rain pelted down on both of them, seeming to wash away every happy memory, every semblance of peace that had existed during their father’s reign. All was black, melting into a mire of nothingness, taking their innocence and their lives. Now, Seralina faced a demon whose only ambition was death.

Seralina couldn’t move. Eelan-- Oh Kensi help us--

The demon cat screamed in rage, pounding its ham-sized paws into the mud and making the ground shake in fury and fear. Lightning flashed white and blue, illuminating her dark shape for a moment before the legendary monster that had once been her sister thundered into the distance, disappearing into the trees without a trace. The only indication she had even been standing in front of Seralina was an enormous set of footprints in the mud, filling with rainwater and dissolving into the current of the runoff.

In the distance, an ear-splitting roar echoed with visible force over the Island, shaking every leaf and stone in its intensity. Her paralysis broken, Seralina took off in the direction her sibling had gone, praying that she wouldn’t be too late to prevent another tragedy. In her heart, however, she knew that it was already too late.

o

The storm had gathered slowly, thankfully enough, so that all the Dasi villagers had time to retreat into the shelter of their caves. Young Dasi (wolf) pups squabbled over the new food and snapped at each other for scraps, playfully biting their neighbours’ ears. A rust-coloured mother stepped in to separate her pups from each other’s necks, and they yipped in startlement.

Families were settling in for a long wait, probably through the night for the rain to abate, and the majority of the tribe was gathering in the Main Hollow. The Dasi village consisted of a series of caves surrounding the northern end of the Mountain, and each family was granted their own hole when they paired off. But for recreation, adolescents and the Dasi loners, the Main Hollow was a large cavern deep in the stone where the paired villagers could meet to relax, talk, let the pups play with each other, and the single Dasi lived together in packs until they found mates. The families poured in big and small with cubs both young and old, filling the cave and making a general row.

At the back wall, there was a tall platform carved into the stone that served as a podium, and atop it stood a towering wolf, Dosai I, the chieftain of the Dasi. His fur glistened in torch light, a glossy jet black with white just beginning to sprinkle his long muzzle. The wolf chief’s eyes glowed a golden brown as he surveyed his people, taking in the gaiety and tenderness of the pack members. Beneath him at his foreleg a tiny black pup sat curled against his paw, whimpering slightly in the cold breeze and shivering a little as the wind hit him. Dosai smiled and he felt his heart melt as the little one nuzzled his foot.

At his side, an ice-blue female picked up the pup in her jaws and laid him at her feet in pile of rabbit skins. He snuggled deeper into them while his mother made a circle with her body, tucking him into it, and Dosai shared a brief look of amusement with his mate as the pup yawned. He was only six weeks old, and they were very careful with his health because he had been the only surviving heir. More than that, though, he was Dosai’s child, and the chieftain was as proud as he could possibly have been of his first and only son.

The sentiments seemed to be shared by the surrounding tribesmen as the black wolf straightened majestically. He faced his people with a smile that showed rows of sharp, yellowed teeth. “Thank you all for humouring me by coming here. I would like to announce the six week anniversary of my son, and as you know, at six weeks of age it is custom to give a pup its name. I have observed him for some time, as most of you can tell from my practically six week long absence from your presence...” There was scattered laughter at this statement. “And I have decided that his spirit very strongly resembles the spirit of my father. Therefore, we will be naming him after our former chief.” A great howl filled the room: cheering that warmed the heart of the Dasi couple (and scattered the forest creatures outside, making them wonder who was next for dinner.)

After a while Dosai held up a paw to silence them. “Also, on a side note, the skirmish in the forest this evening was taken care of, and our injured warriors are recovering in their caves.” An even louder howl, one meant to reach the ears of their wounded comrades, exploded out into the night, showing their appreciation for their service. Dosai shivered a little despite himself, remembering how heavy their losses could have been, how they had eventually restrained the Kensi with roots and how the huge panther had finally died.

Well, that was a bit frightening. I’d never seen a Kensi that big, and never so near the borders. Hopefully he was the last one to come; our warriors were near fatalities. Something had been unnatural about the way the two Kensi had attacked, and why they had come was still a mystery to him. The white one had put up a terrific fight, even taking some fur off his flank as he’d dealt it the killing blow. The spotted one had escaped severely wounded; Dosai hoped he’d serve as a warning for the rest of them not to return.

The wolf chieftain forced a smile. “Now, my friends, enjoy yourselves. We have many a good kill here for you, and we would not want them to go to waste, would we?” Dosai couldn’t help but laugh when someone in the crowd gave a short, pup-like yip in their excitement. Turning back, he motioned for the female to take their pup back to their cave. “I will see you soon,” was all he said. She left swiftly, and Dosai sat comfortably on his perch, watching as his tribesmen ate their fill.

As the evening wore on, many couples returned to their own private accommodations, and the Main Hollow was soon settled. The lone wolves were sleeping with full bellies around the perimeter of the cavern, and the torches had all been extinguished. As usual, Dosai was still watching from his podium above them. It was his habit to wait until everyone else was properly accommodated, then go back into his own cave, but it was getting later and he was feeling himself nod off as well.

Suddenly, his stupor was swept away. Throughout the night, ever since the encounter with the Kensi, Dosai had been feeling something growing in the pit of his stomach, a weight of sorts that left him cold. All was silent except for the pounding of rain on stone, and the black wolf fidgeted uncomfortably. The night grew darker, and outside the storm hit with a ruthless strength. The unsettled feeling peaked, and swiftly thinking the situation through he decided that a group of people this size would be more than able to take care of themselves. Rising and trotting quickly to the mouth of the tunnels, he waited until he was out of sight before streaking away to his family’s cavern.

By the time he reached it, he was out of breath and panting, his black pelt ruffled and eyes wide with apprehension. Dosai felt unimaginably silly, however, to find his wife and son sleeping peacefully in the confines of their bed of skins, a ball of warm, soft fur. A small torch had been lit for heat and a bit of light for when he came home. The opening that led outside was blocked with woven palm fronds, and the dark blue-grey of the pouring rain was the only movement visible in the calm cavern. He sighed, trying to calm himself, and lay down beside his lightly snoring pup.

I don’t know what came over me, Dosai mused, his eyes drifting shut. I suppose that that Kensi from earlier made me paranoid.

The comforting night seemed to stretch forever, and all but this cave, this time, these two dear ones beside him, all no longer existed. Rain and wind became a lullaby, the breathing of his pup a sweet serenade he could have listened to for eternity. Warmth enveloped him, and he floated serenely into a world of nothingness.

Moments later, the cry came. The black wolf jerked bolt upright, as a roar that he had never before experienced rang like an alarm in his ears. It was near, very near, and the silver female had already risen in fear, ready to grab her pup and run. Dosai knew from the moment he saw it that this would be his last battle.

The door cover had been ripped away, and down the length of the tunnel a shadowy shape stood immobile in the circle of meager light from the sky, dripping rainwater and heaving with each breath. Dosai’s heart froze when the being took a step towards the light of the torch. Its fur was black, and the creature was so large it neary blocked the entry. Two ruby eyes glared at him from a rage-twisted face, upper lip curled in a snarl that unsheathed many long, white teeth. A closer look made him start beyond the terror taking root in his gut. This creature was a Kensi!

“Get out of here, love,” Dosai said quietly, with a calm he didn’t really feel. “Take the pup and go to the Hollow. Now. Go--”

The thing screamed angrily and charged them, each step making the caverns shake with its sheer weight. Dosai leapt out of the way just as it shot past him, feeling the wind from its claws as they aimed for his face. A shriek sounded behind him that was not his own and he whipped his head up in horror to see his mate struck in the head, falling like a limp doll.

The shrieking, however, was from his frightened pup, who had blood streaming from deep cuts across his little face. He was backed up against the stone wall, trying to understand what was going on and why he hurt so badly.

That was the final blow. Dosai barreled straight for the giant cat, who had already turned to face him when it realized it had missed its intended prey. The thing was dripping foam from its jaws, the small mane adorning its head spattered with blood, and the eyes watched him with the utmost hatred. He hit it at the same time it struck out at him, lashing out in his grief and the resulting force knocked them both into the tunnel leading to the forest. Subconsciously, as he fended the Kensi off, Dosai heard his people waking, and he knew that any villagers that tried to fight for him would only die if they got in the way.

Slicing a deep gash in the monster’s flank, he used the moment of distraction to get away and take off into the woods. The creature screeched in pain and shook itself off, following hot on his tail into the rain.

o

Anger.

It was steaming, boiling hot in her breast as she ran, closing her throat and burning her eyes. As far as Eelan was concerned, she no longer existed. What she wanted was to hurt something, to make it feel what pain she was feeling, and to the depths with the consequences. Her body was doing what she wanted it to, but no conscious effort on her part made her move. Her muscles felt like they were ripping with the effort she was pulling from them, but she didn’t stop, she couldn’t stop.

The Kensi had found herself in a small tunnel, standing across from a cave full of strange scents, and movement from a shadowy shape had told her that that was him. That was the monster she wanted.

Dasi, she had growled mentally, you will pay for doing this to me. You will DIE! That was what she wanted to yell, but the only thing she heard herself utter was a crazed, demonic roar. If she had been thinking, she might have realized how her mind had regressed with her transformation, but nothing made sense, nothing had mattered. Nothing but the shadowed beast standing across from her.

Eelan remembered hitting something soft, smashing it against the wall, and the spot of black in the corner of her eye had made a sound, very shrill and high-pitched. It distracted her enough for him to get a hit in on her. Now she screamed in blinding, consuming anger and madness, desperately trying to find her prey.

A white blur was running beside her, following as she ran. It seemed familiar, but the blood pounding in her head pushed the image away. Her ears pricked; the blur was talking to her.

“Eelan, stop! Please stop! Can you hear me? You have to listen to me, Eelan!” Seralina’s voice wavered oddly in Eelan’s ears. “I know what you feel-- I hate him-- I hate him too, but you can’t kill him! Don’t kill him, do you understand?! Eelan!”

There was no reply but the pounding of enormous feet and the rapid, wheezing breaths that shook the black creature’s form as she pushed even harder. Seralina’s heart clenched in fear as the beast outstripped her, catching up with the Dasi chieftain. “Eelan, no! Please!”

Eelan heeded nothing, for she heard nothing. There was no control, no satisfaction so long as that creature still lived. He would not survive her; of that she would make sure.

o

Dosai was running faster than he’d ever run in all his seventy-six years. His feet took him screaming down worn paths he’d known from childhood, past stories-tall trees gnarled with age, past hindering vines and thick brambles, deep into the forest and towards the eastern coast. Lightning tore the sky in several places, illuminating the treetops and forming broken patches of light through the canopy that made the three figures below momentarily visible. He felt breath on his tail and knew that the creature was almost on him. Sharp teeth snapped at his tail, catching fur, and Dosai was sure that in a few seconds he was going to die.

Seralina was terrified. If this Dasi died, the consequences would affect them all. Back at the caves, when she heard the pup squealing in pain, she was truly privy to what Eelan had become. If her sister was really aware of herself, Eelan would have died rather than let a young one come to harm.

Kensi, forgive me--

With the most thunderous roar she had ever uttered, Seralina threw herself into her sister’s side, knocking her off her feet and slamming her into a tree with the force of a speeding truck. There was a sickening crack! as her head hit the unforgiving bark, and Eelan dropped, sliding in the mire under their feet.

Dosai was confused to see this new creature save him, and he faltered in his escape, looking back at the white beast. Why would a Kensi attack one of their own? he wondered inanely. Why is it saving me? Seralina’s eyes caught his, and the pain reflected in the blue jewels made him pause, holding the beautiful animal’s gaze.

The slight loss of time was all the demon had required. It struggled up from its prone position, flinging mud from scraping claws, and with a single blow she tore open the wolf chief’s side, making him stumble and fall to the ground with a sharp yip.

“Eelan!” he heard the white Kensi cry.

Dosai was fighting, kicking out and slashing at the black panther with claws and teeth, snarling in pain and anger as rain sloshed around them, spraying from soaking fur and lashing limbs. The Kensi was on top of him and he fought desperately to keep the creature away from his body. They rolled over one another, locked in combat and roiling in mud, ripping at each other with growls and sharp yips every time jaws found flesh. A powerful kick from the Dasi shoved Eelan away for a split-second, and he forced himself to run with an effort that almost made him howl, pushing past the agony in his side.

Seralina was still behind them, watching everything, torn beyond belief. Her beloved sister was a rampaging monster that she had to stop, but in her mind the Dasi being hunted was deserving of this punishment. He had killed their father, after all!

But-- No one deserves this kind of death-- I-- I can’t let her--

In a flash her decision was made. Seralina shot towards the rising black demon and leapt on top of it, finally extending her claws and striking into the skin of its back. The monster screamed in pain and whipped around swiftly, slashing into the air where her sister had been only moments prior. Fear raced through the white Kensi as she jumped away and her sibling came at her mouth open, shrieking with fury and blurred in Seralina’s eyes by the battering rain pouring through gaps in the treetops.

With a short yowl, Seralina backed away and lashed out with her plate-sized paw, slicing three long swatches of red over the creature’s left eye.

The force of the strike pulled its head downward, and as the demon came back up for a return blow, Seralina’s bright blue eyes exploded into its vision only inches from its face, lined in wet white fur. The startling color made the creature freeze, and hope swelled in Seralina’s breast as the glowing eyes faded to yellow.

“Eelan-- Eelan, can you hear me? Do you know me? It’s Sera!” she told her, searching for comprehension in the depths of her eyes.

For a moment she recognized the white panther, and she stood panting deeply for air, eyes locked onto her sibling’s. Then, in the corner of her eye, a red stain began spreading over her gaze, and as more blood seeped into her eyes a picture of a once-white figure loomed before her, lying too still in a pool of black and red. The white panther standing in front of her grew a slit neck, bloodied fur and tree roots wrapped around the body like restraints. Laughing faces stared at her mercilessly, never blinking, never wavering and fury rose again, choking her with bile.

For a brief moment, Seralina thought for sure that she had reached her, but as the wounds abover her eye bled freely, madness slowly overtook her again, and she knew that what the elder had said was all too true. Before she could say anything, Eelan had run off into the darkness of the trees and took up the Dasi’s trail, leaving Seralina more alone than she had ever been.

o

Up the path, Dosai was fading. He tried to continue his struggle through the foliage, tried to drag himself into the safety of the trees and go back to the caves, but his body was failing him. He heard roaring behind him and tried not to wince, his back legs useless and trailing.

The wolf chief heard rapid footsteps behind him, and tried not to freeze in terror as they grew close. Dosai looked behind him just in time to see the creature lunge for him, and he couldn’t even lift a paw to protect himself. Eelan saw the raw fear in his eyes and secretly took great pleasure in this effect. It wasn’t happiness, but something darker, a kind of satisfaction she later would regret having.

Dosai knew there was no reasoning with this beast, and anger flared in his breast as he realized that his people would be left leaderless. He remembered the pained shriek issued by his son and growled softly, lifting his head in defiance and in a final effort he ordered his body to move, swiping deeply into the larger animal’s belly as it neared him.

The pain was blinding. Eelan screamed, this time in agony as his claws seared her stomach. With a mighty blow of her paws she struck him, then again, and again, tearing wound upon wound into the dying chief’s body and working herself into a frenzy. What seemed like hours later, the light faded from Dosai’s vision, and his last thought was a silent apology to the son he would never see grow.

Eelan shook the body like a rag doll, grabbing it by the neck and shaking violently before dropping him. Lightning shook the dripping trees, which streamed rain as if in mourning for this tragic night. Blood mingled with the rushing rain, Now the black demon was frustrated; its prey had stopped moving and action no longer needed to be taken.

Where-- where is it-- I have to find it-- I have to find... Eelan’s thoughts turned to confusion as she realized she no longer knew what she sought, but still that anger, that hatred, that undeniable need to hurt and destroy was still there. But it didn’t make sense. What... What’s going on?

“Oh, Kensi... Eelan,” a voice cried softly.

Eelan turned to see her twin standing shakily behind her, a good ten feet away. A safe distance. “S...S...Ser...” she rasped.

The white Kensi’s eyes went even wider.

Eelan looked down to see her black pelt lightening, and felt her contact with the ground grow tenuous beneath her as her paws turned to oddly-shaped feet and hands. The ground grew closer, and the rain seemed to beat down harder as she shrunk, losing the last of her dark fur and gleaming red irises dulling into yellow. Her long mane fell to the ground once more and she stood shivering on unsteady feet, gasping like a fish out of water.

Seralina was at a loss.

“Se... Sera...?” the girl asked uncertainly. Something was wrong, but now Eelan was so tired, nothing seemed to matter. There was a pain in her gut, and she couldn’t figure out why. Red, fury, sadness; that she remembered, but underneath her pain and utter fatigue, something felt... wrong.

Eelan watched as Seralina gaped at something behind her, and the dark-headed Kensi frowned deeper. Eelan was almost annoyed at her own confusion, and turned to see what her sister was staring at. “Sera, what--” The twin yelped when she caught sight of the head lying at an odd angle at her feet.

A black wolf lay dead, throat shredded, fur ripped in tufts, completely mangled. The eyes stared blankly into space, and the black pelt was humbled by the marring blows it had taken.

“How-- how did--” she stammered. Eelan was shivering so badly she could barely speak. Her breathing was on the edge of hyperventilation.

Seralina tried to regain her power of speech. “Ee-- Eelan, he-- You--”

“No! No!” she shrieked. “I didn’t! I didn’t want to-- It wasn’t me--” Even as she spoke the words her heart sink even further. She knew it was what she had wanted, and as memory resurfaced the girl slipped further into hysteria. “I didn’t mean to, I didn’t mean to!”

“Eelan--” With a final plea from Seralina Eelan turned tail and ran into the forest, slower than before but no less frantic.

No matter how far she ran though, no matter how much she tried, the blood of the chieftain, like her father’s from him, would never be washed from her, and now her hatred and anguish was directed solely at herself. It was more than she could stand, and the rain stole all warmth from her already frigid body. The roar of the storm continued, refusing to leave her alone, and as she curled into the hollow of a tall tree, sobs shook her small frame, and she held her head cradled in her arms as the world went black.

o