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The twin dire wolves woke us up early in the morning, nosing and licking about at our faces. Jeseia giggled and laughed at them, nosing back. Myself, I grumbled at Calmon and slowly stood up, stretching out some before I patted at his neck lightly.

"Well good morning you two, I'm glad you're up and well. Could have used a bit more sleep myself." I glanced over to Jes again, she was stretching out some herself, starting to roll up our sleeping mat.

The twins, Calmon and Lorth were bouncing around some, playing, as Jes and I donned our packs. I gave the vixen a soft good morning kiss before looking around. "So, still north?" I asked.

Jeseia murred cutely at me before nodding a bit, whistling for our pair of wolves. "That's what Granh said, Head north after we meet with Ornmi" Jes climbed up atop Lorth and smiled softly, "At least it's still a plan"

I nodded some, climbing up on Calmon as he lowered down to allow me. "Alright then, North it is." I motioned to Calmon and we were off, the twin dire wolves trotting north at an easy clip. We traveled several hours without incident, watching the scenery pass us by. Around midday, we stopped at a small pond to let Lorth and Calmon get a drink and find themselves a meal. Jes and myself taking a break to eat as well.

"I think I know where we're supposed to be going. I've stopped here once before on my way back towards Torrnal." Jes commented, looking around at the scenery.

"Please do tell, we've got some downtime anyway until those two find something to eat"

"North east of here is a small monastery, feline clan, I stayed with them briefly and did a bit of training with them."

"Well, I'm supposed to train with the feline clan, so I suppose that's where we're supposed to go. What kind of training did you do if you don't mind my asking?"

Jeseia smiled a little, "Meditation, combat, life, there's really nothing that they can't help you with."

We finished eating shortly before the two large wolves came back, wagging their tails and seemingly in a rather good mood. "You two ready to go? We have a destination in mind." Both of the dire wolves barked happily at me, kneeling so we could climb on and get under way.

Jeseia patted Lorth softly on the head before pointing the way and taking off, Calmon and myself shortly behind. Jes kept us at a rapid pace, shrubs and trees again giving way to hills and natural rock formations.

We made short work of the trip now that we had a destination. The wolves taking turns chasing each other while we worked our way north and west. We came along a small forested area to our left, following the curve of the tree line until we came to a simple wooden hut.

"This is the place, let me get this started. Your kind, isn't exactly welcomed here." Jeseia commented, flashing me a bit of a smile as she hopped off of Lorth, myself following close behind.

Jeseia wrapped on the door softly twice and then took two steps back, waiting quietly. Within a few moments an elderly feline clan woman stepped out of the door, she hissed sharply at me before turning to Jes. "Welcome back Jeseia al'Kendara Arabala, What is this man doing with you" She asked Jeseia curtly, glaring once more at me.

"This is Tanthis, he's a good man, can be trusted. The wolf clans have already tested him and marked him as a friend. We've come here to have you and yours teach him." Jeseia said simply

The feline woman came up to me and sized me up, walking slowly around me. "I believe you, Tanthis. Your spirit is strong, heart noble. Yet, you are not complete. We will help you." With that, the woman turned and motioned us to follow her into the impossibly small hut.

"Calmon, Lorth, you two hang out in the woods nearby, keep yourselves out of trouble if you could. We'll be back as soon as we can" Jeseia mentioned to the twins as we closed the door to the hut, both wolves barking out quietly before taking off.

Inside the hut was a simple alter, however, the feline woman walked around behind it and disappeared from view. The alter was craftily built to conceal a spiral staircase heading down into a natural cave that the hut was built atop.

We descended a long flight of stairs before finally coming to a simply decorated room, the walls lined with candles and the floor a simple straw mat. "Tanthis, you shall wait here. Jes, you are welcome to accompany me." The two women left me to my own in the room.

An hour or so later, the sun must have already set outside, they returned. "Tanthis, come with me please." Jeseia smiled to me and nodded as we again went deeper into the cave structure. We passed by several alcoves with other felines in meditation. Further in there were some practicing some kind of unarmed stances and motions. We finally arrived to a circle of more elder feline clan, each of them with a set of elbow long gloves. The gloves were white with golden patterns burned into the material. Otherwise, they looked just like any other feline here.

"Tanthis, you're the first of your kind here. We knew you would come here eventually, but we didn't know you would be the one. My name is Filin, Filin Calian. I will be the one who directs your teachings here. Jeseia will be allowed to participate only some, as this is a teaching of the body and mind, teaching is for you and you alone."

I nodded softly to the feline, honestly, I had no idea what to say.

"Your story is known to me, as Jeseia has told me. Welcome to the Northern Study, where we can reflect on ourselves in peaceful meditation. Tonight, you two shall eat here as guests. Tomorrow, you begin your training Tanthis of man."

"Thank you, I've got so many questions, I don't know where to begin Filin." I managed to mutter.

"And you'll have to find the answers yourself. Come, let us eat and rest for tomorrow." Filin smiled slightly and motioned to follow him. We followed him off to the side of the complex where a simple mat had been laid out. There, warm bowls of soup and rice were set out, three in all.

"Cooked meals, It's been a while since I've had one of those." I smiled, making some small talk.

"This is because you are a guest. Tomorrow, we'll see what dinner is." Filin simply said, Jeseia giggled just a bit and smiling knowingly as she ate.

I ate quietly, taking in the sites of this underground labyrinth of felines and stone. The walls were all lined with candles like the entry way was, and straw mats lined the floors. Every so often a very simple statue was placed, a genderless undetermined statue surrounded by a circle of mats. I could see two from where I sat.

"A room has been prepared for you two, when you are finished eating, Jeseia can take you there." With that, Filin turned and left us to rejoin the other felines once more. His bowl of soup untouched. Jeseia and I finished our supper, she bowed slightly before standing then offered me a paw. I reluctantly stood, smiling in return.

"So, what exactly am I going to be doing here?" I asked, Jeseia leading me off to another area of the cave complex.

"They would tell you, you're going to do what needs to be done." She laughed a little, wagging her tail about as we strolled.

"I guess I'm supposed to be here, no point in trying to argue."

Jeseia led us to a heavy oaken door, inside was a rather nice guest quarters with a wash basin, large comfortable bed, very nice accommodations. "Don't get used to this, You'll only be in here for tonight I'm afraid. Tomorrow you won't be a guest, but a student." She patted the bed softly. "But for tonight.."

I jumped up on the bed, tackling the smaller vixen on the way with a laugh, ticking and rubbing along her pelt as I wrestled her around. Jes fought back only enough to snuggle in close as we settled in. The vixen murring cutely at me as her muzzle worked in against my neck.

"Mmm, you act like you haven't seen me in days" I teased, rubbing my hands along her back affectionately. Jes giggled softly, slipping out of her clothes and diving under the blankets with a laugh.

"Heh, yeah ok." I slipped my kilt off and slipped under the blankets as well, cuddling up against my vixen comfortably.

Jeseia nosed in against my neck once more, breathing deeply as she relaxed and cuddled in close. Her arm draped over me lightly. I slipped an arm around her middle and held the vixen close to me, kissing at the top of her head tenderly. "Night sweety"

Jeseia woke me up, it felt early, being inside this cave structure turned monastery I couldn't be sure. She nudged my neck lightly before scooting up a bit to press a kiss to my lips. "Wakie wakie, you've got a lot to do today."

I nodded sleepily and dragged myself out of the comfortable bed and over to the wash basin. I cleaned up a bit and dressed in my kilt once more. Jes took her turn washing and then dressing, smiling at me each time she could, her tail wagging.

As we finished up and stepped out of the guest room, we were greeted by the elderly feline female from yesterday evening. "Good morning you two, Tanthis are you ready to begin?"

"I don't know, but lets start anyway." I smiled, shrugging a bit.

"You've been around Jeseia for a while, that's a very fox like attitude." The feline smiled for a moment, motioning for us to follow. "First we must cleanse you, prepare you to accept the teachings prepared for you."

The elder feline guided us to a deeper area of the cavern, water sprinkled here down from cracks in the ceiling to form a small pool in the center of the room. The room was lit only by some glowing moss lining the ceiling and floor of the pool, casting an eerie blue glow about the room.

"This pool is a sacred place. Here you can tune out the outside world, opening the inside and preparing yourself. Normally I would guide you through this, but as you have been training with Jeseia, I'll leave that to her. I'll be here to monitor and guide if needed." The feline woman bowed out and settled on a small rock near the exit.

"Tan, leave your staff here, the elemental forces are going to be a distraction at this point. Come with me when you're ready." Jeseia took the small pouch from around her neck and set it at the waters edge, slowly walking through the moss to the center of the pool where a small set of rocks had been placed to sit upon.

I set my staff with Jeseia's pouch, the elemental forces touch slowly dwindling as I drew further from it while walking into the water. The moss was soft and surprisingly the water wasn't extremely cold. It was very comfortable to walk in. Settling atop the rock with Jes I looked around, unsure.

"Now relax and try to clear your mind. Like when we first trained in the river, don't feel the water around you, try not to feel anything. Just clear your mind. It may take a while." Jes said to me, her eyes closed and breathing slow as she relaxed, working to do the same.

I took a deep breath and tried to clear my mind. I brought myself to a dark place in my mind, no light, no distractions. With every breath I took, I brought myself deeper into the darkness. I could hear the soft voices of all five elemental forces even now in my meditation.

"I can't get them out of my head, they're there whispering to me." I mentioned quietly

"That's because they exist inside you as well as outside, that's ok. Just set them aside and try to focus." Jeseia replied.

I nodded slightly, returning to my concentration. The voices were there, I tried to distance myself from them and continue deeper into the dark back of my mind. After a long while I finally couldn't hear the voices any longer, there was just me in the darkness.

The elder feline woman spoke softly to us, her voice carrying easily in the cavern. "Good, now that there is nothing with you, your mind is clear. I have something for you to think about. Why are you here?'

That was the same question the four elements had asked me when I prepared for the last trial. I sat there and pondered that question. I didn't know why I was here any more than I knew then. I knew I was unique in this situation but not why. The elements wanted me to do something but not what it was, only that I was supposed to come here for something. I was supposed to train here with the felines.

"Jeseia, I think it is time for Tanthis to train alone. Could you leave us?" The older feline female asked.

"Of course, I'll be around if you need me." Jes replied, slipping out of the pond quietly and stepping out, leaving me entirely alone to my thoughts.

I spoke up to the feline once Jeseia had left us, "I don't know why I'm here."

"Very good, that's a good first conclusion. Keep pondering that question, I'll want a different answer in an hour"

"You want a different answer to the same question?"

"Look around you a moment. Every drop of water that falls into the pool is different, but it all comes from the same place. Each contributes to the water in which you currently sit. Such is the way with people. There is no one answer to anything, but each answer contributes to the whole of the person."

I grumbled just a little more before closing my eyes and going back to the dark place in the back of my mind to be alone to my thoughts. The dull sound of water dripping into the pool all around me fading off into the background until once again it was just me in the darkness.

"Why are you here?"

"I told you I don't..." It wasn't the feline elder that spoke.

"Why are you here?" Again I was asked, in the dark solitude of my thoughts, water had broken through to me with my elemental tokens on the other side of the room.

"I was told by you to come here to be trained." I responded

"That is what you are here to do. Why are you here?" again the water element asked

"I don't know, why do you and these felines keep asking me that. It's like a riddle with no answer."

"They will teach you piece of mind, which you already have. Call out to all five. There is a story you must hear." I was told by the elemental forces of water.

I drew back from the quiet of the deepest parts of my mind until I could hear all the elemental forces whispering about me. "Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Spirit. I am here, tell me this story."

Spirit was the one that answered me, tempering the flood of noise as all four base elements started to tell me a story at the same time. "We came together long long ago, and created all life on this world. We created all the plants and animals, and one race of people. We gave them our assistance whenever called and they flourished."

The other elemental forces seemed to quiet down, leaving spirit to speak with me directly. "The master race was born of magic as well as flesh and blood. For a time, they grew as a people and respected the delicate balance of nature. Then, they learned to harness our power without our blessing.

"Mages" was my simple reply

"Yes, a perversion of our original intent. For a time, it was harmless dabbling and so we did nothing. Then war broke out amongst them. Those loyal to the old ways were practically destroyed by those wielding the powers taken from us. We made a decision, the master race did not age like you do now, our perfect creation had no need to wither and die. We made the decision to give them old age, to give them an end to their lives."

"It was not what we had anticipated. The threat of death did not temper the fire in their souls, it only burned brighter before burning out. They began to experiment, pulling life from each other to extend their own. We decided, they had too much power and needed to be stopped."

"Our plans were simple, but the strongest among the master race knew of them. He could still hear us even as he stole power from us. He did something, something terrible."

"The one who heard us gathered all of the citizens of the master race together. From them, as he did from us, he drew the very elemental forces from their bodies. He drew all the power of his people into himself and fled. The master race died that day, the land covered in their soulless bodies."

"We brought them back. But at great cost, we were not strong enough to recreate the life as he had done before. The influences of the mage damaged our connection to the living races. Each of the four primals took a quarter of the bodies. I put the spark of life into each and we left them to pick up the pieces of their lives."

"It didn't work like we hoped. They immediately began to change, damaged copies of our original perfect race."

"The ones touched by air became the felines you know. The water touched are now the fox clan. Earth became the wolf clan, and finally Fire the dragon. Humans, are the ones whom could no longer be touched by the elemental forces, and contain only a spark of life"

"It was not our plan, but it worked well. No one race had all the power of our master race, and only a select few anomalies could touch our power, and even fewer could hear us."

"It's happening again, someone is taking them again to draw their power from the masses. That's why Granh's men were taken, and Ornmi's. That's what happened to those lifeless bodies that have attacked our friends." I blurted out, the pieces coming together for me now.

"Yes, it is now as it was then. He is back, the fled master race. He has drained the last of his power and is gathering more to sustain himself."

"What do want me to do?" I asked

"Time is short, for us to speak like this, and for this world. You must learn to defend those who can not from the felines. You must learn the rest of the story from the foxes. You must learn how to stop this from the dragons."

With that last statement, the voices in my mind all went silent, the elemental forces there felt weak and diminished. I opened my eyes and looked to the elder feline woman sitting at the edge of the pool.

"I'm here to defend those who can not defend themselves."

"Now you are ready. Come with me." The feline woman stood and started to leave the room, I had to hurry to catch up, barely having time to grab my walking stick before she slipped from sight. I caught up to her just as we were heading back up to the main part of the cave complex. She took me to an area where two younger feline monks stood, wooden staves in their hands.

"This is your student, he has found why. He needs to learn how." She turned to leave, pressing some cloth into my hands in passing. Jeseia walked in as she left.

I unrolled the cloth to find a pair of elbow length gloves, black with no patterns on them. I slipped the gloves on, smiling to Jes before nodded to the two monks. "Where do I begin?"

"Bid Jeseia farewell for the night, You will train tonight alone."

Jeseia pouted a little, turning right around to leave.

"Since I can't be here for the night, I'm going to head out and keep the pups company for tonight." Jes commented, leaving with a little bit of fuss.

One of the two monks went over and picked up a wooden training staff, handing it to me. "First, you learn balance." They both went over to the other wall and picked up a small bucket of water, hanging them from the ends of the training staff in my hands. "Do not spill any, walk the circle of this room one hundred times. Once you can make one hundred rounds of the room, you may have something to eat.

Both monks sat there, watching me, starting to eat from a bowl of rice and fish. "You best get started."

The buckets were not heavy, thankfully, but they were awkward. They'd shift and move on the smooth length of the staff each time I changed direction. As I was walking in a circle, I changed direction quite a bit.

"This is going to be a long night."