Rising Anew-Chapter 2, part 1-
#14 of Rising Anew
Rising Anew -continued-Chapter 2-
It was a cold morning. One of those kind of mornings when the slightest breazes caused a chill to the bone. The clouded over sky seemed to bode ill to the rest of the day.
Narcenac looked at the vengeful clouds overhead with a grim sort of amusement. It seemed that Purrma's prophecy came with side effects as well. A quick breeze blew over him and he shivered slightly. It was going to be a long day.
He slowly walked back to the old country house. Memories of walking this very path flooded through the mists of Narcenac's mind. It had been so long since he had done that very thing. He missed the feeling of her silky hands in his while they would walk. That old hand had held the key to his happiness and joy.
Narcenac looked down at his hands. They were nothing special. Slender, strong, smooth. His nails were long, they had grown amazingly fast in the past few days. He stared at them wonderingly. They were beggining to come to points and had lost that easy flexibility they had only three days past. Instead, they had grown hard and strong, and had even grown a little sharper. It seemed to him that they were becoming claw like.
Narena had taken notice of the changes herself. They both noticed that the purple in each other's hair was beggining to spread and take over their entire heads. Both of their eyes were now a vibrant violet hue. The two cousins were becoming slightly more concerned by the changes as they noticed them happening.
Narcenac had spent the last two days searching through the old books and journals that his great grandmother had kept from them as children. He had read the first volume with a little anticipation at what he would find.
When he had opened it, he had wondered if he really wanted to know what was in it. It turned out it was just a family tree that dated back to before Purrma's mother. He discovered that Purrma and his great grandfather were the last marriage necessary to combine all of the Tiger clans together. He was suprised to see that there were still clans in the world, and further so to know that he was part of one of the least well known.
The next dusty cover hid the histories of all of the Tiger clans. It seems that his family had been a very secretive one. Never giving out their secrets to outsiders. He remembered Purrma's warnings about doing so. It was the only time he had ever feared her.
He read this one with great interest as it told him things about his heritage that not even Purrma had mentioned. He rather enjoyed the thought of his family being the most feared clan of the ancient world. He didnt however, enjoy the idea of the toture and sometimes evil of some of the ancient clan leaders.
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Narina looked at Narcenac across the table and sat in silence.
"What is happening to us Narcenac?" She murrmured quietly.
Narcenac sat in silence for a long time, looking at her, hoping to find the answer somewhere in her eyes.
"Naree, I dont know yet. But, I will find out. I promise." he said with a type of resolution that Narina knew could only be the truth.
Slowly he rose out of his chair and walked to the door. He thought about all of the places he had looked. There was only one room he hadnt checked for secrets... his own.
"Come with me Naree, help me look in my room." he requested.
Narina got out her chair and fallowed him to his room where she sat on the bed and looked around at all of the amythest crystals scattered across the shelves and cabinets interspersed across the walls. This had been Purrma's gift to Narcenac for being born. Narina's room was full of hart shaped stones of different colors, all with a different type of crystal, including one made entirely out of diamond.
Narcenac looked over the room as well, letting his attention waterfall over everything in it. He looked over all of the shelves and cabinets with a trained eye. Nothing. He was crest-fallen. It seemed as though everything was exactly as he had left it.
He walked over to the bed. It was a beautiful bed, hand carved by their great-grandfather. It had a massive headboard with claw marks across the middle and flames coming through them.
He sat there with Narina looking at the headboard, admiring their great grandfathers skill. Suddenly Narcenac noticed a difference in the middle two claw marks, like they had been altered. He crawled across the massive bed and ran his fingers over the peice. It budged just slightly...
Narcenac slid a nail around the edges until he found five small holes along one side. He stuck one of his nails in the first hole and realized it was like sliding his hand into a glove. It fit perfectly. He then slid his other nails under as well.
Narina watched curiously, wondering what he had found. She slowly made her way around him to see better. She sat quielty watching as he slowly pulled on the peice of wood.
With a soft "clunk" the wood came free. There, sitting in a small recess in the headboard, was a purple envelope.
Narcenac reached in and carefully took it out and replaced the wooden peice.
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"What is it Narcenac?" Narina said wearily. "What does it say?"
Narcenac looked at the envelope and saw a flash of what looked like letters for only a second.
"I dont know Naree..." he said quietly.
Suddenly he yawned in a almost cat like manner. He looked over just in time to see Narina doing the same.
That is when it hit. Sleep like none they had ever experienced before.
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Your time as human is done and gone. Your time as tiger is now come. Rise anew this day hereforth. Live free and wild in great lifes mighty course. Seek me here in the Glade of Shadows. Read now the letter than can be seen by tiger eye alone.
"What do you mean Purrma?" "Why even now do you taunt us with your riddles." "What is the Glade of Shadows?"
My kitten, I do not taunt you. I am mearely teaching you. But, you are no kitten anymore. It is time i show you what life really is for our kind.
"Our kind? What do you mean our kind?" "What are we?"
Wake and rise anew. The letter will explain it to you both.
Remember. The Glade of Shadows, I will be waiting for you there.
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"Ooohhh my head!" Narcenac groaned as he woke up slowly.
He looked over at Narina and his jaw dropped.
There laying on his bed where Narina had been only a little while ago was something he had never seen before. Narina wasnt human anymore! She was... tiger and human?
She had purple fur all over her and her face had a slight muzzle, barely noticable, but still there. Her ears were large and furry and farther up on her head than they had been before, they looked exactly like a tiger's ears.
Narina's nails werent just unusual anymore, they were actually claws. Her feet and legs now had the physical appearance to those of a cat. She was covered in stripes that were a darker purple than the rest of the fur.
Narcenac was speechless. Was this really Narina? What happened to her? And, what was that in her pants...
He slowly reached out to wake her and felt a sharp pain in his back.
"OOWWWW!!!!" he yelped and jumped to his feet. What happened?
Slowly he reached behind him and ran his hands over fur...
Forgetting about the pain, he quickly ran to the mirror on the closet door. Standing before him was an almost stunning creature.
He was the same height, but he was not human. His muscles were clearly defined, even under the fur that covered his body. He was slightly glad he had waited to put a shirt on this morning.
Slowly and methodically, Narcenac went over everything he could see. He found he only stood on his front quarter of his feet. That his claws were very sharp. That he could move his ears. Not least of all, that his teeth were like needles across his tongue.
Suddenly he remembered that pain. Forgetting about Narina being in the room, he quickly removed all of his clothes. To his suprise he found the pain was from a tail, which he flicked from side to side, gradually having the feeling rush into it.
"Narina! Wake up!! Something's happened!!!" he shouted and poked her in the side.