Chapter 12

Dawn and dusk, my two favorite times of the day. The times to welcome the new day, and the night. No matter what is going on in my life, you can find me meditating at these two times in the day. I have always risen before the sun.

Valiora

I'm certain he felt my approach, even with how deep in his meditative state he went that morning. Though there were no outward hints that he did, save for the this fur cloak he wore shifted in chilly mountain breeze, he could have been mistaken for a statue. After standing silently, watching the sunrise until it fully cleared the horizon, Alister finally moved. His lips curling in a gentle smile before he leaned back against the mountainside.

"What did you mean by, 'this maybe my last life' " I whisper softly, as I sit down beside him twirling a ruby rose between my fingers.

"It is just a feeling I have Val, I don't know if that will be the case. Though chances are high that it's right, my instincts haven't failed me in a few hundread years." Pausing, he turns to look me over. His shimmering gaze unreadable. "Dose it bother you that Holy's animal spirit woke before yours?"

Meeting his gaze for a few moments, I turned away again as I thought about it. If he had asked a week ago, it would have. But since I had talked to him about it, it had gotten me thinking about the ranking system more often and if my sisters animal spirit was a Ocean Dragon, the highest level of Blues. Then Alisters guess on my form being a Mythic rang all the more strongly in my mind.

"No, maybe before out talk I would have, but since then I've thought about it a lot. There has never been a time in my families history that an animal spirit has been below the Legendary rank. Holy's falls into Ancient, and she has hinted at my future." Chuckling softly I shake my head. "I always thought she was just trying to cheer me up, when she said our parents would be proud of me. I feel she has always known what her Animal spirit was, and always said mine would put hers to shame. She would laugh as she said it to."

A gentle silence feel between them then, the sound of their companions waking. Could be heared within the cave. A spark of magic, followed a heartbeat later by the air behind them heating up. Announced the fire being lite. The clank of pots and pans, stating breakfast was being prepared.

Wordlessly I rose to my feet to go and help, It had been decided between the girls that unless Alister asked. They would prepare all the meals, as it was he always made dinner for them while the five of use worked together for breakfast and lunch. I don't know what he did, but his food always helped me sleep. If I had to guess, I'd say his aura somehow passed to the food he cooked.

"How is he this morning?" Aura asked softly, her gaze by passing me to the watchful male outside. His relaxed posture hiding the fact he could spring into action at a moments notice.

"Still tired, if we head out today. It think we should take it slow. He nearly exhausted himself in the fight with the fallen." I reply, my voice matching the kitsune's low voice.

Nodding, she turns to back the two pans of sizzling bacon, flipping the 2 dozen strips in each she shakes her head with a low sigh. "If I had not fire that lightning spear, he would likely have dealt with a backlash and we would be stuck here for a week unless Edith carried him."

"Speeking of which, I never thanked you for that. Not only did you save me from pushing to far, but you trusted my instincts to dodge." Alister said from the cave entrance, once more taking them all by suprise. Laughter clear in his gaze as all their heads whipped around. His hands going up as five sets of eyes land on him.

"How the hell do you sneak up on us like that?" Holy asks, shock clear in her voice. "Even with my empathy I don't notice you drawing closer."

Smiling softly he walks over to them, a shimmering barrier forming in the caves entrance as he sits behind Aura, his back to the caves wall. "It is a habit I fell into as my mother taught me to hunt. I can spread my aura so evenly through my surroundings that my presence merges with the flow of magic around me. I blend in near perfectly, it has gotten to the point, save for the strongest of search magics. Nothing can detect me if I don't want them to. It's an ability from my mothers bloodline."

A shadow seemed to fall over Aura as Alister mentioned his mother, almost all the life appeared to drain out of her. Blurring into movement, Alister wordlessly catcher her as the young kitsune's legs gave out. Cradling her to him, he carries her to her sleeping roll and gently lays her down.

"Your visions are getting worse." He says softly, her jaw clinching as what she was seeing continued to assault her mind. Resting one hand, palm down against her forehead. Alister closed his eyes and in a mater of seconds matched his breathing and heart beat to Aura's. His magic enveloping Aura and himself, the next instant Aura relaxed yet it was clear she was still in pain.

"Ali, you've mentioned your family before. Can you tell us about them?" Holy says softly as she pulls the bacon off of the fire, scrapping crispy bacon from one pan into the other. Her eyes alight with curiosity.

Without turning around, he sighed softly his gentle gaze distant as he looks down at Aura. His escape from the Fallen Researchers, and the deaths of his pack flashing through his mind. Only to be replaced by memories of his childhood.

"When I was a pup, I wasn't able to shift. I was always a wolf, though one that mastered my fathers and mothers bloodline abilities in record time. My father's bloodline, Darklight Guardians, where and will be again. Guides through and protectors of the Forest of Life. Or as you know it, home." Alister hand shifted to sit with his back to the wall once more, his gaze resting upon Holy as he spoke the last word. "The Elven Kings city is still there, hidden by layers of magical barriers. The only way the fallen could find it, is if they burned the entirety of the forest down. The vilage wound be the only trees left standing." he adds with a low chuckle, eyes sparkling with a trace of laughter.

"My sisters, Irena, Era and I always played and practiced out magic there. Nothing my sisters did could damage the village, the enchantments are still to strong. Do to my mothers blood being strong in me, my power bypassed one houses barrier, the tree fell and came within a foot of smashing me flat."

Holy and I kept Alister talking for the next few hours. Our eyes bright with laughter as he described the tree that Alister had knocked down. It is so happened it had been the very one the lost prince had grown as a child and lived in for three decades before he had vanished. The stories of trouble his sisters got into, that he helped them out of brought tears to our eyes as we rolled on the ground laughing. Though all cheer faded as he spoke of the Fallen's apparence, their experiments and hatred for peaceful domain of the ancient forest.

"I'm sure all of you have been wondering about the marking upon my wolf forms fur. So how they came to be I think I can talk about now, I trust you all not to tell another soul." His eyes shimmering with memories of the past, Alister paused to collect his thoughts before laying his head back, eyes closed as he began.

"Shortly after my fifteenth birthday, I was out on a solo hunt for the first time. This very day happened to be the first time the Fallen began their rampages through the forest, capturing the magical creatures for experimenting. Their aim, I came to learn. Was to forge powerful slaves for them to sacrifice in battle and to use as a labor force. I was capture and the bounds nullified my magic, do to me being small for my age they didn't realize what I was. It helped that my fur back then was as white as my mothers, purer then fresh snow. They had me imprisoned for 5 years to the day, in that time my dna was spliced together with that other magic creatures. The wings from a Shadow Eagle, the cresents from The Lunar dragon of this age. I assume that would be you Edith, hence why I never asked what you ment by your family bein taken from you. You were found by a human family, the rumor mill carried your story to me, even I the flame cage they kept me in." After the dragonling nodded wordlessly, Alister continued his story.

"I was the first of their 'test subjects' that survived a single experiment, let alone the single soul to survive multiple. After the second I all but shut down, hiding my mind away from them through meditation in hopes of not having it shattered. I don't fully know what else was done to me, in time though I'm certain we will find out."