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As the great snowstorm subsided, I looked out from under my

shelter and strode into the wild again. The great stone

structure, something like a tent, was left behind with the embers

of the fire still blazing bright orange. My paw brushed the first

few flakes of snow from my shoulder before I decided to cover

myself with my cloak.

Back in those days, I was flaunting my invincible reputation by

wearing an outfit that exposed my heart, major thigh veins, and

upper arms. The cloak I wore was for fighting dragons, and

absorbed their deadly fire. This enchanted cloak's fabric kept me

warm in the winter, as well, because it kept some of the heat

from flames that tried to burn it. On my back, I carried an axe

with a bright yellow-gold blade that once belonged to my father.

My father and mother were the end goal of this journey. Like my

King, I had a gray eye, striped tiger fur, the strength of steel,

a talent for losing my temper, and the face and claws of an

animal. Like my mortal mother, I had a green eye, an impressively

curved body, a talent with weapons, and a knowledge of the rite

of human mantras.

The flakes that just before fell on my shoulders now quickly

diverted their path away from me, even falling straight up near

my hooded head. I strode through the last of the rocky wasteland

near the sea and into the cold hills, my paws off of the slick

rocks and onto the hard-packed volcanic land. The hills, shocked

at my presence, stood their hair of trees straight up and caught

the warm air under their leafy canopies. The path that I strode

out on was still well-worn, and a sign posting less than a league

from the sea told me that I would reach the main hold of the Gods

of this land- like my own grandmother- soon.

The long road carried on through the woods until it broke into

the spirit world. I sighed as the familiar smell of thistles and

clover blossoms wafted past my broad, tigerish nostrils. I gave a

satisfied snort and picked up the pace, almost out of the cold.

To an ordinary human, the path would have appeared to ended

somewhere after the third fork, but ahead of me there was a human

that seemed to be waiting for something. I grinned and rushed up

to them, calling out, "Is that you, Mother?"

The human was wearing the clothing of a servant, just as my

humble mother did, but it was not her. She bowed low and then

said to me with an air of formality, "King Akio waits for you in

his violet palace," before taking my hand in the traditional

manner and leading me down to the brick roads with eyes always on

her destination.

"My Servant, what is your name?" I asked, as I always did when

first meeting a servant. My Father, and even his humble consort,

never called them by there names. I found a happy medium in using

my Mother's vocabulary to call them by their name first, and then

an honorific. They always thought I would grow out of it.

"Birra, my Lady."

"Birra-dorei, is my Mother coming to see me? She greeted me where

you stood the past two times I arrived. You must know this, do

you not?"

"King Akio ordered me here, my Lady, to bring you to him."

I didn't press the issue, as any servant wouldn't say anything

that they weren't told to. But my mind settled on the worst even

before I learned that it was true. We arrived at the spirit

location that we were looking for, a ring of stacked stones with

great curtains hanging in each huge doorway-like opening.

The servant led me to the stones that housed the great purple

curtain. I raised my hand slightly to her face, and she smiled

hugely and kissed it, thanking me and bowing backwards. I smiled

graciously as I internally rolled my eyes at how happy she was to

serve me.

Not wishing to make a grand entrance, I pushed the curtain aside

with a paw and stepped through lightly. My bare padded feet fell

softly on the purple-specked grey floor until they made contact

with the long violet carpet that led to my Father's High Seat.

As I walked to approach him, he stood and walked down the steps

to denote that we were equals. He called across the hall in a

booming voice, "My Daughter Love! How I did long to see that

smile and hear your sweet and loving voice."

"My Father Love! You made your call to me, I traveler far

because it was my choice to leave behind adventures brave and

come to see my Lord and Master, and his Wife."

"Such praise as that keeps me under your thumb. I have grave news

about your Mother's life. Please follow me if you would help me

find a way to bring her back and ease my mind."

My face turned as harsh as his as the magic of meeting with

another Eclipse Heir wore off and his words sank into my heart.

"Mother? Gone? Were you not here to protect her?" My face grew

enraged as my fealty was replaced with fear, almost running to

follow my Fathers rushed steps.

He turned to me with his own anger boiling under the surface. "I

was not, because there are duties that keep us apart. While I

told her to wait in a safe place, she was attacked. This is not

the time for anger. Anger is the sign of one who is too weak to

act." His own paws were balled into fists, all the same.

"If you won't let me turn my rage on you, then at least tell me

who I should be taking action against," I snarled at him, hefting

my battleaxe onto my shoulder pointedly. He looked at it and gave

a sad smile, briefly, before going on.

"Lady Akiko, the one who took your mother was an old enemy of

mine. They trapped her in a relic that I did not even know I

owned." The long hall terminated in a small shrine, where there

was a portrait of my mother, golden-skinned and black-haired.

Below it, among candles and a vase holding a bright green

arrangement, was a short scabbard that was inlaid with jade. The

delicate glass vase held only a sprig of amaranth supported by a

cedar leaf, speaking in the old tiger tongue of the love that

gods feel for their mates. "This scabbard was brought without my

knowledge to my domain, and I did not cleanse it of Kyrameha's

spiritual presence."

He did not look into my eyes as he said this. I did not need to

feel the special spirit-world connection with him to know how

guilty he felt at that moment, but my anger still would not

subside. Instead, I tried to turn it to good use. I had dealt

with many of Kyrameha's lingering enchantments in my time.

"So one of Kyrameha's spells got through. Who brought it there,

so I may kill them? What did he do, so that I may rectify it?"

"Your Mother is now held inside of this relic." His paw signaled

the treasure on the shrine. "There is no way I know how to

release her. She herself brought it to our lands, when Kyrameha

sent her to be sacrificed to me. She brought it for her own

protection, I suppose."

"That leaves my rage mightily unsatisfied," I admitted as my

shoulders fell.

"Mine, as well, my Daughter." He lightly brushed the strange

weapon casing, and I winced as our weakness against gemstones

caused his palm to sizzle and burn. He didn't seem to feel it at

all- or perhaps he did, as tears started to gather in his eyes.

"Were she even captured by the First Dragon, I would seek him out

and slay him," he said through ground fangs. "However, I have

more pressing matters. There is a Dragon uprising in the lands

near the Mountain, and the secret of how to break this spell may

lurk there."

"The Mountain! I thought that was the very seat of our power," I

squinted at him. "Now I understand. I shall seek out and slay

these dragons, and find the answer to this riddle." I went to

place my hand over my heart to seal it formally.

"NO!" he roared at me, spinning his whole huge form and blocking

the hand from reaching my chest (nearly as broad as his though I

was much shorter) by grabbing it gently but forcefullly. "That is

my duty, Akiko-sama." He smiled as he said my name the way I

preffered. "I need to do that on my own. There is a much greater

glory waiting for you."

"I do not desire glory, but duty, Akio-sama. Take me with you if

you are to fight!" I stamped my foot for emphasis, and he put a

heavy arm around my shoulders as he started to walk me away from

the shrine. I felt like I was a child training with wooden swords again,

lost and wishing for my Mother.