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Part 30

A shadow moves over the land spreading like a tidal wave. Nothing slows its progress as it moves with unyielding determination to possess and corrupt all within its reach. Everything it touches becomes a twisted, corrupted, mockery of what it once was. Nothing is safe from the spread of the darkness.

Valleys fill with oceans of darkness as mountains crumble in its wake. Deserts turn to dark glass as oceans solidify into black stone. Mile after mile falls to the unstoppable darkness till only one small untouched area remains free of the taint. In this area four stars glow each with their own light, red, blue, green, and white.

The closer the shadow gets to the lights the brighter they glow until it touches the edge of their influence. At first they glow all the brighter holding the darkness at bay but soon the darkness grows thicker and pushes harder than before and begins moving in on the lights again. They slowly begin to grow dimmer and dimmer before the blue one goes out. Next the white, then green lights go out. The red light holds on the longest before it too loses its light as the darkness moves in on it.

Almost all of the land protected by the lights is lost to the corrupting influence of the light except for one tiny point that begins to glow with a very faint golden light. Without warning the new light suddenly increases to a brightness that far surpasses the light the previous four ever glowed at.

As its light grows the shadow falls back giving up land for the first time. When it recedes the other lights return with a vengeance. Each of the four lights glowing brighter and stronger before with the golden light at their center. The new light rises above the others and spreads its influence farther and farther outward driving the darkness back faster and faster.

Soon the darkness is being driven back at a greater rate than it ever spread, repelled by the golden light. But something goes wrong. The light falters for a moment, just a moment, and that is all the darkness needs to launch a final desperate attack at the light.

The two opposing forces collide and enter into a fight of competing energies. As their conflict grows the world around them begins to shake and break apart as the titans release uncontrollable amounts of energy that begins to destroy the world both are fighting over. A rift forms beneath the two adversaries and threatens to consume them both.

As the hole beneath them grows it begins to exert a pull on everything around it. Soon the pull is too strong for the two lights to fight it and they begin to fall into its depths. Both lights are able to halt their fall on its edge holding onto it for their very existence. As the hole pulls on them all the stronger they begin to slip over the edge.

Just before the gold light loses its grip on the edge four beams of light come from the red, blue, green, and white lights reach out for it and grab it before it can fall over the edge. As the gold light is pulled back from oblivion the darkness begins to fall. The gold light sends out its own beam to try and save it from the empty fate but the darkness pushes back the beam and falls into the depths of nothingness as the pit snaps shut around it leaving the golden light sitting at the spot where the pit was. Gradually the gold one begins to grow dimmer and dimmer as the other four lights move to stand around it like a guard.

........................

With a start I sit up in bed as I am jolted awake from the dream. The sudden movement causes my leg to send a shot of pain up my spine making me whimper slightly. Slowly I lay back down in bed as the images from the dream fade from my mind.

For the third time in the week since I fought Aduro I have been woken by that dream and I am no closer to understanding it than I was the first night. I look over at Shadow sleeping next to me in bed, his arm still bandaged in a splint where it was broken. Seeing my mate injured rekindles all the anger and hatred that has replaced all other feelings I once had for the thing I once called a brother.

Moving close to Shadow I place a light kiss on his cheek causing him to sigh happily as he relaxes in his sleep a small smile spreading on his face. Slowly I sit back up and move my legs over the side of the bed to get up.

Reaching beside the bed in the dark I grab the cane that Rick got for me two days after the fight so that I could get around the house. The cast on my leg causes it to itch like crazy underneath. Even with our werewolf healing my leg and Shadows arm are healing slowly. Something about the axe has caused our wounds to remain around much longer than they should. Perhaps it is some dark design meant to keep those who are injured by it weak and vulnerable.

With a sigh I push myself up to a standing position and make my way to the window and look out. The almost full moon is still high in the sky telling me it is still hours from dawn. With a sigh I begin making my way silently out of the room. Getting back to sleep is going to be near impossible now so guess I will see about getting something done.

Slowly I limp my way down the hall towards the library. The dark silence of the house is both disconcerting and comforting in its own way. Passing by doors I occasionally hear a snore or slight shuffle of covers as everyone sleeps peacefully. Wish I was sleeping so peacefully right now.

Entering the library I move over to the fire place and add a couple logs to the smoldering embers amongst the ashes. Soon the logs have ignited and a warm fire is crackling softly filling the room with warm light. Settling down on a couch in front of the fire I set my cane to the side and lean back watching the fire.

I sit there watching the fire burn as I let my mind just go blank so that I can relax a little bit. Just as my eyelids begin to grow heavy again a voice comes from next to me, "Having trouble sleeping?"

I look to my right surprised to see Master Aidan sitting next to me. With a raised eyebrow I look back to the fire saying, "I would have expected my father to be the one to show up. Not you."

Aidan shrugs, "Your father is grieving at least as much as you are right now, if not more. I'm surprised you can't feel it."

His words resonate within me for a moment before I respond, "I did my grieving for the brother I lost centuries ago. That thing that betrayed me was not my brother. It wasn't the Aduro that I grew up with."

I feel Aidan's gaze on me for a moment before he turns to look at the fire as well. We sit in silence together each of us watching the fire consume the logs. When a log splits sending a burst of sparks up the chimney he breaks the silence, "Rage and hate when left unchecked can become a terrible fire that will eventually consume a person just as that log is being consumed."

The log splinters even more sending more sparks flying. I take a breath before responding, "Are you talking about my rage or Aduro's?"

Aidan stares into the fire for a moment before saying, "Both and neither. That will depend on your actions."

I look at him with a half smile, "And here I thought being cryptic was more master Nerine's style."

He snorts as he shifts in his seat putting a foot up on his other knee and crossing his arms across his chest. Another chuckle escapes his lips before he says, "Yeah it is. When I first met you, you barely came up to your fathers knees. He brought you to one of the masters meetings we had. I don't remember the reason why. I do remember that you were holding on to Anil's legs terrified of letting him go. But at the same time your eyes were filled with so much wonder at seeing the four most powerful beings in Atlantis at the time."

I look at him with curiosity commenting, "I don't remember that."

He laughs a single laugh, "I would be surprised if you did. You couldn't have been more than three or four at the time. But I could tell right then that you had the potential to become a powerful guardian. Though I never imagined just how powerful. So I chose to keep an eye on you thinking that with such potential there would also be potential for an abuse of power as well. Call me paranoid if you will. When it became apparent you would be a water guardian and Nerine became your master I relaxed my vigilance. Then I met your brother."

His tone when he says the last few words sends a chill down my spine. With caution I ask, "What happened when you met him?"

Aidan smiles a sad smile, "I wish I could say that I saw the shadow of darkness that would one day consume him or even a hint of a hint of evil. But in reality I thought he was one of the most caring and fun loving kids I ever met. If a bit hyper, not that most fire guardians aren't when their young. Over all he was a good person and none of us could ever have dreamed he would do what he has done now. Not that I didn't see a touch of rage and hate in his eyes when he got older. The source of that hate I'm afraid would be the fault of me and the other masters."

My eyes widen with surprise. Very rarely have I ever heard a master admit they were at fault for anything. But never has that been Aidan. He notes my surprise and nods sadly, "As the two of you got older and you demonstrated just how skilled and gifted you were the other masters and I fell into a bad habit of praising you and holding you up as an example to other students. We failed to temper our pride in you for the other student's sake. As a result Aduro was cast into your shadow and every time he failed to live up to your example in any way that shadow would grow darker."

I absently mindedly scratch at the cast on my leg as I take in what he is saying. With a sigh I say, "I never realized what Aduro was going through. He never said anything to me about it. Never hinted at it once."

Aidan lets out a tired sigh, "He wouldn't have, not to you at least. He idolized you, his big brother. The one who taught him all the fun stuff growing up, got him into and out of trouble more times than he could count, you were his first and best friend he would never have said anything bad like that. I don't think that he even held any anger towards you at all, but towards us. The ones who had always made him feel like he would always be second best."

Silence stretches out between us as the burning logs crumble again something feels different about this visit with Aidan than with past appearances by him and the other masters. Before I can put my finger on it he says, "I don't know when he changed. Until he revealed that he was one of the leaders of the assault on Atlantis I thought he had been flung forward in time by some weird combination of magic's like he said. Stranger things have happened."

He uncrosses he legs and reaches forward to grab the fire poker and stirs the fire. That's when I realize what is wrong about this visit. Every time that they have visited me before when I was awake the world would freeze and they would be unable to touch anything but me. This time however Aidan is interacting with the world around us and it is still moving.

I look at him and ask cautiously, "How are you doing that?"

He looks at me confused then follows my gaze to the fire poker in his hand and laughs, "Can't you tell when you are asleep or awake anymore? This is a dream, or at least as close to one as our talks get. I figured coming to you while you were asleep to talk would be less annoying to you. You didn't ask for us to be inside your head after all so the least I can do is be a bit considerate to you."

I mumble thanks which causes Aidan to nod as he stirs the fire some more. I watch the flames flicker and dance before asking, "Why did you come then?"

He sets down the poker and looks into the fire as he answers me, "I guess I just wanted to try and explain what I did that might have caused Aduro to go down the path he took. To try and have you blame me like I blame myself and to apologize for resenting you for being destined to survive when I was destined to be killed."

His words take me by surprise causing me to remain silent as he continues, "But after having been able to watch you and see what you have become, especially over the last few months. I realize that the guardians that I led needed to be replaced. We had grown prideful, over confident, and perhaps even lazy. So much so that even though we knew we would be attacked for years in advance we did not prepare like we should have. I see that now. The guardians that you have created now are so much better than any the other masters and I ever trained."

He turns and looks at me with pride in his eyes, "Your guardians are protective, caring, strong willed, determined, loyal, and willing to do everything it takes to save those weaker than themselves. All traits that will serve them very well in the future. I would trade any one of them for a dozen born in Atlantis, especially your mate. He has a fire burning in him the likes of which I have never seen. You could not have chosen a better person to take up the fire guardian mantle. I am very proud that you are the one leading them now and I know that you will win over this darkness and show the world that even though Atlantis is gone, her last son will still be there to protect it."

With that Master Aidan fades away and the room around me goes black.

...............

I give a start and wake up still sitting on the couch in the library. The fire before me has burned down to a pile of hot embers. With a sigh I stir the embers and add a couple more logs to the fire before looking to the window and noting that it is still rather dark out.

Groaning I get to my feet and limp to the book shelf and begin to browse through the titles lining the shelves. Looking through all the books I grab one at random and move back towards the couch making sure to grab my reading glasses off my desk on the way.

Settling back down onto the couch I put on my glasses and open the book. Slowly I flip through the pages as I read the old book. I sink deeper and deeper into the story reading it by the light of the fire not noticing the world outside gradually getting lighter.

My ear twitches as a soft noise comes from the door. I look up over the rim of my glasses and see the door slowly being pushed open. When it is open a few inches Marcus pokes his nose in a bit shyly, he is in his wolf form this morning. He has been spending more and more time in his fur than his human form lately and I can't help but wonder if he is finding his current form to be more comfortable to him.

I close the book as I look up saying, "Marcus, you're up early. The birds haven't even started their days yet. Is there something on your mind?"

He looks over at me and smiles sheepishly as he moves in, "Good morning Seeker. Yeah I do have something keeping me up lately."

I gesture at a nearby chair as I pull off my glasses, "Have a seat and we can talk about it if you want."

He moves to the chair and sits down wringing his paws in his lap a bit nervously. Silence spreads out between us as he looks down at his paws before asking quietly, "Do some of the others fear me for some reason?"

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly as I think best about how to respond. Eventually I settle on the truth. Shifting a little in my seat start answering Marcus's question, "First off Marcus it's not you that others have a fear of. But rather the legends and rumors about turned werewolves such as you. There is a lot of fear and suspicion around people like you."

He looks at me with a confused look that shows on his face by his tilting his head to the side as he asks, "But what does that have to do with me? Have I done something wrong?"

I look into his questioning eyes as I respond, "You have to understand that in the past there have been some very powerful very evil werewolves. Some of the most powerful among them have been turned wolves. I don't know what causes it but sometimes when a human is turned into a werewolf they can become much more powerful than any natural born werewolf is capable of becoming. In some cases that power has been more than enough to turn the turned wolf insane."

Fear begins to fill his eyes as he utters the question, "Will I be one of those wolves?"

For a moment I study the fear in his face before answering, "No, I don't believe for a moment that you will be one of the ones to go insane. You do have greater than average agility and reflexes. But beyond that I don't think you will ever have anything to worry about. You are a good person at heart, that above all else will keep you safe and sane."

My words have a calming effect on him as he visibly relaxes in his seat. He stops wringing his paws before he grabs his tail with one hand and begins twisting the hairs on the tip with the other. I smile at the quirk he has picked up but say nothing.

Soon he breaks the silence by asking another question, "Have you ever known such a werewolf that went insane like that?"

I look from him to the fire before saying, "I had hoped to not have to tell you about that. But you have a right to know seeing as how you will be looked at differently your whole life because of it. Yes I have known several turned werewolves in my life. A few were very good people like you. But some... some of them were among the most dangerous beings I have seen."

He grips his tail a little tighter, "Dangerous how?"

Looking in the fire I see flashes of memory and the images of destruction they contain. Eventually I respond, "The wolves that went insane had no care about who they hurt. They were nothing but animals with no cares about anyone or anything except their own bestial desires. One of the turned ones was driven mad by the change so much that he slaughtered his whole village and went on a rampage through the world. Eventually the only way to stop him was for another wolf to kill him. It was a long fight and a lot of innocent people were lost along the way. But in the end the feral wolf was put down so that he couldn't hurt anyone again."

Marcus looks at me with a mix of terror and wonder etched on his face. It is several moments before he speaks, "That's terrible. I see now why some of the others look at me with fear at times. Their worried I could become like him. Is that why werewolves are often the source of nightmares for people?"

I just nod. He looks down at his paws and seems to notice for the first time he is playing with his tail and quickly lets it go as he continues speaking, "You knew the one that went insane didn't you Seeker."

He wasn't asking a question but stating it as face. I answer him just the same though, "Yes I knew him. Both before and after he was turned. I once considered him to be a friend."

I see out of the corner of my eye where he starts to reach towards me but stops and lowers his arm before asking the question I knew was coming, "You were the one that stopped him weren't you? The one that... stopped his rampage."

Nodding I say, "Yes I killed him. But by that point he was not the person I had known. That person had died long before. All that was left was just a feral animal that attacked on sight."

A moment of silence becomes several as we both sit in the light of the fire watching the flames flicker and dance in the logs. Eventually Marcus gets up and moves to the door. When he reaches the door he stops and says, "Seeker..."

I look up at him and ask, "Yes Marcus?"

He turns back to look at me and in his eyes I see a new hope and fire burning in his soul as he says, "Thank you for telling me the truth and for giving me the chance to prove myself to you. I won't let you down."

I smile and nod at him as he leaves the room. On his way out he nearly walks into Jasper who is standing on the other side of the door. Marcus mutters an apology and quickly moves past as Jasper steps into the room and moves to fill the seat that was just emptied asking, "What was the kid up for?"

I shrug as I say, "Just wanting some answers. He has picked up on the negative vibes some of the others have been having towards him being a turned wolf."

Jasper nods as he sits down, "I heard voices so I thought I would come see what was going on."

For a moment he just sits there looking at me and I look at him in return with a raised eyebrow silently asking him why he is here. Eventually he speaks, "How were you able to change both Rick and I into guardians at the same time and give us our weapons and armor at the same time? I saw how turning Rosalie into a guardian drained you that day. You should have passed out at least as soon as you turned us."

I chew on the inside of my lip for a moment before responding, "During that fight I was tapping into reserves of strength I didn't know I had. That and a little help from my father and master Terra is what gave me the strength to change you and your brother at the same time. The same goes for your armor and weapons."

Jasper nods then asks, "So why can't we summon them now?"

At that I just laugh, "You have to learn how to summon them yourself. The first time they were given to you out of necessity. You needed the extra power to drive off Aduro. To master your powers will take practice, patience, and persistence."

After a moment we both chuckle thinking the same thing that jasper puts to voice, "Rick has never been all that good a patience when he knows what the outcome is."

For a moment we sit there enjoying the feeling of the laugh we shared as we both relax. Letting out a sigh he says, "Thank you for all you have done for us over the years Seeker. If not for you I doubt that Rick and I would be alive now."

I hold up a paw to stop him from starting that conversation again but he continues, "No Seeker let me finish."

I sigh and drop my paw to let him continue, "You gave us a home and a future, and now you have given us a great gift and responsibility to live up to. I know that things have not always been easy with us and that we made a big change in your life. But I just want you to know that Rick and I both have come to see you as more than just a friend and Alpha. In some ways we have both come to think of you as a second father."

Any response I was thinking of stops dead in its tracks at his words. I swallow a lump as I try to make a coherent statement, "Jasper.... That means a lot. Thank you, and you and your brother are the closest I have ever come to having boys of my own."

He smiles a little as he looks down at his paws but the grin slowly fades. After a moment he starts speaking in a quiet voice, "You know Rick and I never really talk about how we came to live with you."

I nod, "You told me that your home pack was attacked and that you managed to escape. Eventually you found your way here."

He continues looks down at his paws as he says, "Yeah, but that's not the whole story. Yes our pack was attacked. Neither of us knows who it was that attacked our pack all we remember is being woke up in the dark of night by our mother who was trying not to panic as she got us out of bed. She woke me first then Rick and told us that there was trouble and we had to get up."

I listen to him silently as he tells his whole story for the first time that I can remember. He and Rick have told me the short story before and asked me to keep it secret for them. But never before has he gone into such detail about it.

He wipes a tear from his eye as he continues, "After we were dressed she hurried us from our room. On the way we could hear the sounds of fighting and smell some smoke. We were going towards the basement when our dad burst around the corner a sword in his grasp with what I now know was blood on it. He saw us and came straight for us and told my mom to take us to the hidden tunnel in the basement. He kissed each of us before running off. He was one of the betas of the pack and it was his job to keep us safe. That was the last time I saw him."

I watch as he wipes his eye again this time sniffing a little as he stops talking. I look around for something to give him and find a small dust rag that had been left behind by someone lying on a small table at the end of the couch. I grab the rag and shake off the worst of the dust before handing it to Jasper who uses it to dry his eyes.

Once he has everything back under control he starts his story again, "Mom got us to the basement and to the tunnel. When we got there though the basement wasn't empty. There was another figure in there and as soon as the door was opened for us to enter it jumped out at us. There was a flash of silver and I saw my mother fall as blood began to spread from her chest. Fortunately Rick didn't see that because he had been pushed to the side by mom at the last moment and fell forward on the floor."

I want to reach out and try and comfort him but the distance between us at the moment makes that hard so I am forced to remain where I am because of my leg and let Jasper continue.

He swallows hard before continuing, "The figure that had attacked our mother had left her for dead and was starting towards me and Rick. Before he got to us though someone had come up behind him and drove a blade through his chest. Our attacker dropped his blade and fell to the side as the other person pulled the blade from his chest. He then went to our mother and held her hand as she looked up at him and with her dying breath said to him 'please protect my boys'. Then her hand fell to the floor and he closed her eyes."

Jasper blows his nose on the rag and I give him a moment to settle down before moving on with his story.

Licking his lips he starts back up, "The person that protected us was a tall wolf with solid black fur. I don't remember his name, I know he was a friend of our parents and the alpha but he wasn't part of the pack that I know of. All I really remember about him was his deep voice, his fur, his sword that was just as black as his fur and that he had black eyes. He walked over to the two of us and helped Rick to his feet. After making sure we were ok he led us into the tunnel and away from our home without saying anything."

His description of his savior stirs a memory in me but I keep my silence letting Jasper finish his story.

He takes a breath and for the first time since he started his story looks up from his paws, "He kept us going down the tunnel till we reached the end and emerged in the forest quite a ways from our home. Once outside I thought we would stop and wait for the rest of our pack but instead he made us keep moving. I tried to stay saying we were supposed to wait for my dad and that's when he said in a sad voice, 'Your dads dead Jasper. You and Rick are all that remains of your pack. I promised your parents I would get you to safety and I intend to keep that promise.'"

He looks around the room and I see tears sparkling in his eyes as he takes a deep breath, "We traveled through the night never stopping. The whole time that wolf kept his sword at the ready. As dawn began to break he let us stop for a moment and told us about you. He told us where we would find a place that we would be safe and looked after. Told us that you were a kind and good person that he knew of and how to find you in case were separated from him. He made us promise that we would do everything we could to help each other get here."

For the first time in his story Jasper looks directly at me and in his eyes I see the scared young cub that I saw the first day he and Rick appeared at my door. He swallows again and continues, "A few moments later we were attacked by three wolves that had apparently been following us. He told us to run and that if he could he would find us later. So we ran as hard and as fast as we could in the direction he indicated. For several days we traveled stopping only when we had to. He never caught up with us, but neither did the ones who attacked us. Eventually we managed to find you and you know what happened from there."

Silence grows between us after Jasper finishes his story. I sit there looking at him seeing the scared cub that I first met all those years ago and for the first time in all the years I have known him understand the pain he has kept hidden all these years.

I take a breath before saying, "I know the pain of losing a family as you well know. So believe me when I say that you will begin to feel better now that you have got that weight off your shoulders. You and Rick both will. It won't be easy but in time the pain will lessen even though it isn't going to go away completely. You two are very lucky to have had such a good friend who was willing to protect you like that and to make sure you made your way here."

He smiles a little but there is no humor behind that smile as he says, "Yeah, but I would like to have been able to thank him. Guess that won't happen though."

I look at him with a raised eyebrow, "Don't be so sure about that. If your savior was who I think it was you may one day have that chance."

He looks at me with wide eyes, "You know who he was?"

I nod, "The description you gave very closely matches the description of a wolf that I owed a favor to from a long time ago." I let out a small laugh, "If you could call him a wolf. There is a lot more to him than meets the eye."

Jasper tilts his head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

I smile, "Well that debt I owe him is over three hundred years old."

His jaw drops at what I say, "But you said you're the only immortal in the world."

I shake my head, "I am the only immortal from Atlantis in the world, or was. But there are other creatures in our world that are older and far more mysterious than me."

Jasper gets excited and starts to speak a bit excitedly, "Well that's good isn't it? They could help us out right?"

I sigh and shake my head, "They could, but they never will. Their concerns are far beyond ours and they have their own problems I'm sure. Besides I have no way to contact them. That wolf was the only one of them I ever knew, and if half his stories were true his kind would be much more likely to cause more trouble than fix it."

Jasper deflates a bit before saying, "Well what about him. Surely he would help if he knew."

I shake my head, "No we can be sure he won't help. He only shows up if he is needed and never stays longer than he must. If he hasn't appeared by now then either he has something he is already involved with or he knows that he wouldn't be any help."

Jasper's excitement leaves completely as I continue, "Though he did leave a message for me and you two about a week after you arrived. Didn't know it was from him till now however. One night after I had put the two of you to bed there was a knock on the door and when I opened it no one was there but a note was on the door step held down by a rock. The note said, 'Those two have seen more than they should. Keep them safe my friend.' I had no idea who had left that but I fully intended to keep you safe."

He looks at me for a moment before looking back down at his hand saying, "So he survived, but why wouldn't he have made himself known to us again."

I shrug, "With him there is no telling why he does things. Only that he does them his way and always has a reason. If he considered your family and old pack friends then you have a very powerful friend indeed. But should you ever meet him again remember that while he does try to do good in the world he also has a dark side that is capable of great evil so don't push him."

Jasper nods then asks the question I have been waiting for, "What is his name?"

I look him square in the eyes, "His name is a secret to all who know him. Only he will tell you his name if he trusts you. No one who knows it will share it willingly and I will not be the first to do so without his permission."

Jasper looks at me and raises an eyebrow, "Seeker are you afraid of him?"

I lean back in my seat and think for a moment, "Honestly, I think I am, at least a little. If you ever get to know him you will be to. He is a unique person. Not more powerful than me but certainly strong in his own right."

He looks down again and nods, "Well I guess I will have to see what you mean if I ever get the chance."

I smile at Jasper, "Something tells me that you may get that chance one day. But enough of all that. I'm sure you didn't get up so early to just talk about the past."

He nods as a small chuckle escapes his lips, "Yeah, but for some reason it just felt like the right time to tell you the whole story. But no I didn't get up to talk about that."

Jasper glances at the book and glasses then asks, "Are you going to talk to anyone about the dreams you've been having?"

I look at him with a calculating look, "What makes you think I've been having dreams that are keeping me up?"

He glares at me a moment before letting out an impatient sigh, "Seeker, I have known you most of my life and lived with you all that time. You can't honestly think that I wouldn't have been able to learn when something is bothering you can you? For instance, the only times you don't sleep through the night is when something is bothering you and if it happens multiple times in a short period of time, say three nights a week, I know that it's a dream. So what's going on?"

I lean back into the couch and close my eyes as I rub them saying, "Never could hide things from you Jasper. Yes I have been having a recurring dream. Shadow is the only other one who knows about it right now so I would like to keep this between us."

I proceed to tell Jasper about the dream going into great detail about it. As I am describing it he remains silent patiently listening to my story. When I finish he just sits there watching me with a curious look on his face.

Silence grows between us before he says, "I have heard something like that before I think."

I blink at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"

He shakes his head as he gets up, "I don't remember for sure but I think it's in one of your books actually. You read me a story once several years ago."

He starts running a finger along a bookshelf till he stops and pulls a small dusty book off the shelf. Wiping the dust off it he brings the book back to where I am and hands it to me. I look at the title and read it out loud, "'The Lost Warriors'. I haven't read this in a long time. But what do you think this children's tale has to do with my dream."

He sits back down before giving his idea, "Well if I remember the story right it talks about two warriors who were opposites in every way but were the best of friends. They traveled the world fighting side by side becoming the greatest warriors in history. Well you know how that story goes. Anyway as most stories go the two friends had a falling out and one fell to darkness and evil while one remained good and light. In the end they had a fight between them and just as they were about to destroy each other they both vanished leaving the world they had fought to protect in chaos."

As he gives me the summary of the book another children's tale stirs in my memory like a cobweb. The shadow of the memory begins to solidify and take shape as I begin to remember more clearly a scene from when I was a child. With a small grin I look at Jasper and say, "'The Lost Warriors' is a variation of an Atlantian story I was told growing up. It spoke of two lost classes of guardians. The Guardian's of Light and Dark. But it was just a story for kids to teach us the difference between right and wrong. There were never any other guardians besides the four we had then and now."

He shrugs, "I'm no expert in the mind. But maybe your dream is just a subconscious desire for those stories to be true."

He gets up to leave, "Well I am going to go see about getting everyone else up ready for the day. Training doesn't wait for long."

I watch him leave as birds begin chirping outside. Getting to my feet I grab my cane and limp over to the window and open it. Looking out over the forest as the sun lights up a new day I can't help but say quietly to myself, "If only there were other classes of guardians out there. Then we might have a better chance when the darkness returns. Guess we will just have to train harder and make do with what we have."