The Beginning of it all-Part 4
The Beginning of it All-Part 4
Possession
I don't know how long I was kneeling there. With the smoke blowing in my face and feeling the heat of the flame against my fur. All I know is that I howled myself hoarse and I finally came to my senses when I felt a gentle paw on my shoulder. I looked up through my tear streaked eyes to see Jera staring down at me with a look of great concern. "It's gone...they're both gone Jera..." I croaked as my body shuddered. "Everything....that I've ever had...or cared about...gone...." He just reached down slowly and lifted me up by my arm, pulling me into a tight hug. I just closed my eyes tightly and continued to cry, burying my head against his shoulder. Some things that have been lost can never be found again.
Several hours later I was calmed down and sitting across from him in the elders hut which was luckily one of the places still completely in tact. After getting enough water to drink I was able to speak a bit. He had explained to me that the monsters that attacked were most likely sent by the demon he had told me about years ago. It was afraid of the news that came to it's ears and wanted to kill me at all costs. They must have thought that their job was done because once they found my house and killed everyone inside of it they fled. However as I listened to this instead of feeling scared or sad I only because more.furious. I felt a rage boiling up inside of me like nothing I've ever felt before. "We will do whatever we can to continue to protect you and keep you safe. You are still..."
"I don't want you to." I cut in. "I've only been a burden on everyone and all of this happening was my fault." I had begun to clench my fists to the point that my claws were digging into my pads. "I don't want any more harm to come to the village because of me being here. And I want to kill the monster that has done this to my family and the village."
He slowly stood up and walked over to me, sitting down in front of me and placed his paws on either of my shoulders. "You are not a burden on this village and I know plenty will still agree with me in saying that you are a blessing." He said looking me straight in my bloodshot eyes with his cool blue ones. "Right now you would still not be strong enough to face him. Even though you've come a long way you are still very young and have much to learn." I could only sigh and nod because I knew he was right. A lot of what I was acting on was anger and that was never good. "Stay and continue your training for at least a few more years. Once you have learned all you can then head out if you must, but learn from others that you may encounter on your journeying. There are also a few techniques which I can personally help you with that will greatly come in handy to you" I just tilted my head to the side, feeling my ears perk up at this and nodded. I was too tired to question anything right now. After that he opened his arms and I embraced him in another long hug. I lost my family and my house, but I realized I didn't loose everything that day. Because I still had him and if I wanted I could easily rebuild the house. He told me to go to a friend's house of his to spend the night and rest up, but I turned down his offer and told him I'd be fine. My mind was already made up on where I wanted to go and he wouldn't be able to convince it otherwise.
The sun was going down and threw everything into different shades and shadows. Almost made it look like everything was on fire. But I was too tired to take notice with anything today. I just wanted to sleep. My body felt like it weighed more than the whole planet and wouldn't support my legs much longer. Before I knew it I was at my hill and almost as soon as my butt hit the ground and I leaned back against the tree I did.
I didn't wake up until midday the next day with the sound of my stomach growling. With everything that had happened I hadn't been able to eat much, but with me still being half asleep I started walking back to my home to look for food. But then I remembered what had happened, but just kept walking either way. I figured that I had nothing better to do and wanted to actually inspect the damage. But when I got there it wasn't as bad as I remembered it. Plus there were already other villagers there beginning to clean up the mess. But the one thing I didn't notice was my parents' bodies. They must have taken them away shortly after putting the fire out.
As I began to walk up everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me. I just continued on my path and walked up to the closest husky. "What can I do to help?" He simply looked at me for a few seconds and then started giving me instructions. I could have easily rebuilt the house within seconds, but that was too easy and there was no satisfaction out of it. Sometimes the hard way is better.
Several hours and many bent nails later the house was finished to my surprise. Sure there were plenty of things that still needed to be finished on it, but at least it was habitable. I decided to take a break and grab something to eat since my stomach was killing me and when I got back they had completely furnished the inside. As the sun began to set on the day I walked inside into the cool breeze. It looked nice and just about exactly how I remembered it. The only problem was that no matter what I did to it everything still seemed empty. So I would just end up sleeping up on my hill for the first week or so until it started to get too cold and I had no choice but to sleep in the house. I got used to it after a while, but it just never completely felt like home again.
Once everything had calmed down Jera had told me the truth about why he wanted me staying longer. Apparently all the elders in the village were taught several different types of magic. They weren't anything really amazing, but they were healing and protection spells which could really come in handy. For the next three years I continued learning whatever I could as far as fighting and any other skills, along with refining my powers and now learning to control this magic as well. It came pretty easy to me, but that was probably because of all the training I've already gone through and having my powers seemed to bring them out a lot more as well. There was one spell that I was really interested in....though I promised Jera that I wouldn't use it on others because it could be very dangerous.
Every year seemed to grow lonelier and lonelier. The only one that I seemed to have left anymore that truly cared was Jera. No one in the town wanted to have more to do with me than was necessary. A few of the teachers and trainers were alright, but everyone had changed since the village was attacked. They all seemed to have a mask put on their face to cover their true emotions, but I could easily see through them.
Now a few days from now it'll be three years since my parents were killed and I caught myself thinking more and more of the magic Jera taught me. One of the spells he had taught me a resurrection spell. He told me it is the hardest to learn, however I learned it extremely well and quickly, but it was also very dangerous. He told me that if it would ever come down to me using it that I had to use it as quickly as possible and the larger the life form the harder it would be to accomplish. Plus the longer you waited the worse off you were and you could even endanger your own life in the process. You may even end up bringing back a soulless body.....or worse....
On the morning on my parents deaths I awoke howling and in a cold sweat, pressing my paws to my forehead. "Crap what the hell was that about?" I closed my eyes tightly and opened them again seeing starts bursting out in front of me. "That was one freaking odd dream." I just drew my legs up to me and wrapped my arms around them, placing my head on top of them and closing my eyes, shaking slightly. Ever since my parents died I've been loosing sleep and having strange dreams. They almost always seemed to end with me looking at these big, blood red, glowing eyes staring out at me from the darkness. I finally looked up and bit my lower lip, whimpering softly and looking out my bedroom window. "There is no way I'm going to be able to go back to sleep and it's still really early." I just pulled the covers off my body and stretched, feeling several joints in my body popping as I did and scratched my head. "Might as well go for an early walk...nothing better to do." I just slipped out of bed and put on some clothe and walked out into the cool early morning. I closed my eyes and took a long breath of the cool air, opening them and watching my breath come out in a little cloud and began walking.
After a little while I felt like getting my blood moving a little bit. I began to climb up a nearby pole and began bounding from roof to roof. Flying through the air like a bird and doing flips and tricks as I went along. Right now I actually felt happy and free again, leaving all my bad thoughts behind me in a trail of dust. There was no one else around and I could do as I pleased without having everyone's eyes on me. Before I knew it I was on the other side of the town and facing the entrance that would lead to the graveyard. Except it took too much of my attention away and I didn't land right, falling down and landing on my butt, yelping loudly. "Crap!" Growling to myself as I started standing up and rubbing my butt. "Maybe I should go and visit the grave now while no ones around. At least then I wouldn't have to go out later and get stares going both ways. But I wonder if I should...." Saying quietly, while I continued to look straight ahead. Almost as if I were in a deep trance. "I know he told me I shouldn't use it...but he said no one he's seen has been as good as I am with it..." Still looking straight ahead until a loud noise coming from the forest in that direction knocked me out of it, causing birds to shoot into the air out of the trees. "What in the world was that?" Trying to peer through the dark trees, but not able to spot anything. "Well whatever it is it shouldn't be anything that I can't handle." I just took another deep breath and started to push my way into the forest.
I made my way slowly through the winding path. Trying to keep my eyes open for any low branches or anything I may trip over. Which didn't work for long. As my foot got hooked underneath a root and I came tumbling down and the spot I fell at couldn't have been any worse. I let out a shrill yelp and a groan as I landed hard on my side. Slicing a large gash in it and cutting me up at several other places. "God damn it!" I yelled to the trees and placed my paws on my side to see how much it was bleeding. Then holding it up to me eyes saying. "It doesn't look that bad, even though it is bleeding nicely." Placing my paw on my side again and yelps. "Though it does hurt like hell." Just again I heard that noise and was frozen in pace. "Ok this is beginning to sound like a bad idea, but I'm just about there now so there's no point in turning back." But it seemed like it was more than that. Almost like something was drawing me there.
I continued walking and it wasn't much longer until I walked under the entrance to the grave yard. I looked up into the little bit of sky that was showing and saw that it was beginning to slowly bleed over to light. I had turned around to look at the way I came and was surprised to see splotches of blood on the ground as well as on some branches in the trees. At that point I lifted up my paw to realize it was still bleeding nicely and that I was beginning to feel slightly lightheaded. I then smacked myself on the forehead. "Why in the world didn't I just do that before? Geeze, it must have just slipped my mind since I've never really had to use it." I had forgotten about the magic that Jera had taught me, which I could use to heal myself in a few minutes. But at the same time I had found what I was looking for. Straight ahead of me I spotted my parents grave stone. I slowly walked over to it, still watching my footing for protruding stones and sat myself on a large rock next to it. I had then proceeded to calm myself down and begin healing my side.
As I did so though I had noticed that it had begun to get unusually cold and actually started to look darker. However when I looked into the sky there were no clouds visible and it had to be past sunrise now. But along with that came feel of being watched. Anywhere in the forest you went you'd get that feeling because there were always plenty of places for something to be hiding, but it always seemed so much stronger here. I just shrugged it off as my imagination and continued on healing myself. Then everything suddenly went pitch black and began feeling ice cold. I looked up just in time to see a pair of red eyes swooping down on my like a owl snatching it's prey and I began screaming.
"Hmm looks like it's going to be a nice day out." Jera mused to himself as he smoked his pipe, walking along the path to the graveyard. "It's hard to believe it's been three years since the attack on the village. It was such a horrible tragedy and hurt so many...especially Naki." Looking up at the visible sky and puffing out a stream of smoke. "I just hope nothing horrible has to happen to this village ever again." Just then my scream ripped through the air and his head shot in it's direction, his pipe falling from his muzzle. "That sounded like Naki...oh shit...." He began moving as quickly as possible along the path without hurting himself. Until he came to the graveyard to see me laying on the grounds writhing in pain. "Naki what happened" He said reaching out a paw to grab my shoulder, however it was thrown off by some unseen force. As he stared down at me my shape began to change, my screaming becoming even more intense. Jera almost never looses his calm, but this was one of those rare occurrences. But you could tell in his eyes that he was beginning to panic. "All I can do for him until I get the other is create a barrier around him." The words were almost forced from his mouth as flames started shooting at random out of my paws. Only a few moments later I was shielded from the outside world as he turned and sprinted back to the village as fast as his legs could carry him.
It took all the elders to keep me contained as they carried my thrashing body back to the village. They took me back to their hut and laid me on the ground in the center. Afraid of what they saw laying there, but wanting to help none the less. What lay there was not the Naki they knew. The only thing they could think of doing was creating some kind of objet to quall the energy that was trying to escape me. What they came up with were two arm bands with very eccentric runes on them to place on my arms. Once they had finished them they slowly placed them on either of my arms. There was no difference and they had thought it didn't work. Until my fur started to lighten and I began go shift back to normal. "Thank the gods..." Sighed Jera and he whipped his brow. "Hopefully they will hold and he will be alright."
"What do you think happened to him?" Questioned Shini, staring down open mouthed at my body.
"It seems that he has been possessed by something. Whatever it is it has changed him for forever. But for now please carry him into the back room to rest."
Kanan cringed a bit at this. "Do you really think it's wise to keep him here? I mean what if there's another outbreak and he burns the building down?"
He sighed deeply and ran his paw through his head fur, leaning down and placing his other paw on my chest. "He will be fine. He is both strong in body and mind. Plus I'm sure we could all use a bit of rest as well." He motioned with his arm for them to come and help him as they slowly carried me into the next room where I slept.