As soon as her paws touched the ground of her home, Kitska fell to all fours and wept with gratitude.  Her tribe’s territory was in a lush forest that was shared with a number of other demon tribes.  When she picked up her people’s scent, she broke into an all out sprint.  

Soon, chanting and the beat of drums reached her ears.  In the center of their small village was a fox-fire bonfire.  Nearby, the chieftain was relaxing in his full nine-tailed demon form.  His black fur shone in the firelight and he was coverd in glowing green runes.  The runes were a sign that he had the full support of the tribe’s shaman.  Even with her heart so heavy, Kitska still felt the usual rush of warmth from gazing at her leader.

He was all lean muscle, glossy fur, sharp eyes and he simply radiated strength and power.  The foxes of his tribe danced around him howling, yipping and somersaulting.  Kitska smiled as she remembered the occasion.  It was the yearly renewal of their chieftain’s rule.  The one she sought was most likely recovering from his part in the ceremony.  Kitska slipped unnoticed between the dens, searching for one den in particular.

The fox demons lived in small huts made from earth and branches.  A hut was usually divided into two parts, one above ground for general living and one below ground that resembled a more traditional fox’s den.  Kitska reached the den she was looking for on the outskirts of the village.

“Master?” she called as she ducked inside.

“Hello, my child,” an older sounding voice said, “I was just making us some tea.”

Kitska shook her head as she sat down, unsurprised that he had know she was coming.  The old fox shaman bustled about, trying to remember what he was supposed to be doing.  His fur had probably been red at one point, but age had turned him white as snow.  Fur covered his entire body that was slightly more fox than human.  He wore a very old set of vest and trousers and he had feathers and beads of wood and rock tied into his fur at random places. He turned to smile at his student with a rather human looking face, if one didn’t count the scraggly whiskers.  “So, my child,” he said as he set down the tea and joined her on the floor, “I assume this means you have completed your journey?”

Kitska bowed her head, eyes tightly closed. “Yes, master.”

“Well then, knowing my stubborn little student, you have decided that you have learned enough from life to consider yourself ready for the next level of training?”

There was a long pause before, “No, Master.”  

“Oh?”  The old shaman looked at her in surprise before leaning over to put one paw-like hand on her shoulder.  “And why do you think that is?”

Kitska looked up at the old fox who had raised her, silent tears flowing down her face, pain evident in her eyes.  “I have learned too much!”  she sobbed.

The old shaman held her close, making soothing noised as she cried herself out.  When Kitska was merely hiccupping against his shoulder, he used a finger to gently lift her chin up so that she looked him in the eye.  

He smiled at her proudly.  “Then, my child, you are ready.”

In a mountain range North of Kitska’s forest, Nightfire landed in the Geludraco’s icy hold.  The long hallway she marched down was a delicate mixture of ice, marble, and slate.  Every inch of the architecture was a marvel in itself.  Had she stopped to think about it, Nightfire would have felt horribly out of place.  Her clothes were dirty, torn and she had blood on her hand, arms, and wings.  While her talons had long since retracted, her wings were still that of a fallen angel.  The constant pain they gave her was a reminder of what needed to be done.

When she reached the intricate fifty foot double doors at the end of the hallway, a pair of Geludraco guards tensed and moved as if to attack her.  Nightfire was not in the mood for this.  “Do not even pretend to not know who I am.” she spat with enough venom to have made Raeya proud.  She winced inwardly at that thought.  “He knows I am coming.  Let me through.”

The guards hesitated for a moment, glancing at each other, when a loud roar from inside the room made them jump.  Without a word, they opened the door for Nightfire, and she entered their throne room.  

At the opposite end of the room on a pedestal sat a magnificent obsidian dragon.  Completely black with huge navy-blue eyes, he stared coolly at Nightfire as she crossed the room to stand before him.  Ignoring the dirty looks and the snooty sneers of his councilmen, she sank down to one knee before the dragon.

“Ventari Kolori, mighty emperor of the frost dragons,” Nightfire had to swallow before continuing, “Father, I request your aid.”  

Ventari gave a low rumble as if to encourage her.

“I… have done something… terrible.” Nightfire fought the her tears back as she stared at the blood on her hands.  “Something… unforgivable.”

Nightfire hugged herself tightly.  “I am a monster.  I ask that you either strip me of my powers, or kill me now.”  She bowed her head forward, shaking like a leaf.  

There was a terrifying moment of silence, during which Nightfire imagined the many ways the huge fanged and clawed beast before her could rend her to pieces.  Then, the huge dragon seemed to shrink and contract until a winged man stood where it had been.  With shoulder-length black hair, black robes, black wings, and two black horns swerving back from above his temples, it wasn’t hard to realize who he was.  

Ignoring the angry hisses and mutters of his council, Ventari knelt in front of his daughter, stroking her black wings so similar, and yet so different from his own.  He gestured off to the side, and a white and blue female Geludraco servant came forward with a rag and a bowl of water.  As the servant went to clean up Nightfire, Ventari took the items from her and shooed her away.

He dipped the rag into the water and gently wiped the blood off her wings.  Nightfire tensed even more, but she refused to raise her head.  Once he was done with her wings, he gently pulled her arms to him, and wiped them clean as well.

As Nightfire finally raised her head to look at him, Ventari wiped away her tears.  He smiled, something he had rarely done since Tamana had left him and taken their daughter with her.  “You are no monster.”  He said softly, “You are my daughter.”

It’s odd how things often end in the same way they began, Raeya mused as she sat at a bar, sipping wine just for appearances.  Her hair and hood were down, and she was gathering many whispers and dirty looks.  She gave a mental shrug and began to ignore them seconds before someone sat down next to her.

“I’ll have the same thing she’s having.”  A female voice said from behind a dark hood.  Raeya stiffened as she recognized the voice from two lifetimes ago.

The woman tilted her head towards her, “You look familiar.  Do I know you from somewhere?”

Raeya made a noncommittal grunt.

“Ah.  Now I remember.  You remind me of an of nemesis of mine.”  The woman continued, undeterred, “She was a mercenary of renown, an amazing woman, the leader of the most powerful band in the land.”  She chuckled at her rhyme, “She was the only one who ever defeated me, even if she did cheat with her big bad dragon friends.”  Raeya could almost hear the smug look on her face.  “She must have been so irritated that I killed her little follower man.”  

Raeya growled with the effort to not lunge for her weapons.  Sundan died a long time ago, and even if he had lived, there was no doubt that his great-great-great-great grandchildren would have been dead by now.  There was no reason to hold a grudge.  At least, not a big enough one to commit murder and cause another mad Dragonlord scare.

“Of course, from what I’ve heard, fate hasn’t been too kind to her since.  First she gets yanked out of the only life she’s ever known, only to lose the man who holds half her soul.  Directly after that, she is disowned by her people, the only ones who would have understood exactly what she was going through.  She outlives her brothers, even having to kill one, and ends up completely alone.  Granted, she pushes everyone away and only lets a select few have any sort of relationship with her, but it has to be a very lonely experience.”  

The woman sighed and sipped her wine, “There’s one thing I’ve always wondered about… Perhaps you can enlighten me,” She turned and leaned on the bar, glowing eyes peering at Raeya from underneath her hood.  “With all of these horrible experiences and pathetic existence, how does she manage to find the will to survive?  Most I would know would simply end it all.”

Raeya scowled at her wine glass.  “Perhaps she sees it as a challenge.  Dieing would mean giving up I suppose.”  Raeya picked up the glass and tossed the rest of her wine down her scarred throat.  Raeya turned and smirked at the woman, feeling a bit more like her old self than she had in years.  “You of all people should know that she was not one to give up in any situation.”  

The woman chuckled as Raeya stood, put up her hood, and walked to the door, leaving money at the bar.  She stopped for a moment, with one hand on the doorway.  She turned her head slightly towards the woman.  “Fare thee well, Lady Madden.”  Raeya then disappeared into the night.

Madden smirked under her hood, and raised her glass to the ceiling as if toasting.  The blood red liquid shimmered in the low light of the tavern.  

“Fare thee well, Lady Hikari.”