Tails of Light and Dark Chapter 3: Words of the Prophecy
It was the second last class of the day.
And it was one that everyone took as a lazy subject. As a complete joke.
Honestly, Braedon felt the same.
He was fighting off sleep to keep concentrating on the teacher's droning voice. It was occasionally broken by the high pitched squeaking of the tip of the marker on the whiteboard. He couldn't fathom how his boyfriend can stand this class and stay interested.
But now, one sentence brought everyone out from fantasyland and back to reality.
"The ancient prophecy of the warriors of light and darkness." The raccoon droned.
That immediately sparked a deafening uproar of conversation between all of the students. It brought Braedon out of his own drone-like state and relatively awake. The teacher motioned the students to calm down, which took a few minutes, but it was successful.
"Now, who can tell me the legends of this prophecy?" The teacher asked the class.
Almost everyone in the class threw their hands up. Overwhelmed at the new attention of the class, the raccoon teacher picked the one that usually doesn't answer questions but listens.
"Amato, tell the class something about this prophecy."
"It was said that, supposedly, Rikmos wrote it and it fell from the heavens." He responded.
"Yes, that is believed. Alison, you have something to add?"
"That is is older than time itself." A female wolf in the corner added.
"That is also believed, yes."
The raccoon kept asking the class about the prophecy, about the origins and some were of the content. But something had to happen.
"It is said that the warrior of darkness still holds true to the old ways of fighting." Someone answered.
At that answer, Braedon suddenly got a severe headache. He placed a paw upon his head in response. His vision blurred beyond belief, unfocused. He felt unsteady, so he placed a paw on the desk. He started to focus on breathing, but even that was becoming difficult to do. The voices were now severely distorted, coming from everywhere that assaulted his ears. This sudden attack was getting worse and worse. And nothing was working, so Braedon collapsed, hitting his head upon the edge of the desk and slowly began to fall into an unconscious state.
He heard the shocked gasps of everyone, but one thing stood out most. His boyfriend's exclamation of his name before his vision was clouded by darkness.
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When he came to, he saw that he was in the school's infirmary. His head was pounding, giving him pain where he doesn't like it. He tried to sit up, only for his father's hand to stop him from doing so.
He lazily turned his head to the side, seeing four people. One was the school nurse, a sheep, and three foxes, two of them were his family and the third was his boyfriend. He could see that Amato was crying, obviously feeling guilty about something. And Braedon's mother was trying to soothe him, like he was a part of their own family.
"Ah, young Braedon. You're finally awake." The nurse stated the blatantly obvious.
"Yeah. Hope the rest of them are alright, though." Braedon responded, more concerned about his now pounding head.
"The majority of the kids got a shock, son. I'm sure they would be alright once they see you tomorrow, though." His father stated.
"The club's not open yet?" Braedon asked, curious as to why his father was here now.
"Sent an email just before we came here. It was unfortunate, but I'm sure that they would understand."
Braedon spun his feet around so that he could actually sit and be ready to stand. After a minute of now pointless questions about the pain, the foxes could leave. When Braedon stood up, Amato shot over and embraced Braedon, crying into the crook of his neck. The three adults, knowing that something like this would be private, all left the room.
"I'm sorry." Amato whispered, in between sobs and soft whines.
Braedon only embraced Amato closer, tilting his head down so that he could whisper back.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Amato. Don't apologise." Braedon whispered back, rubbing Amato's spine with the tip of his fingers.
Amato shook his head. "I started the answers. I place the blame on myself."
"No, the teacher started that. You have nothing to blame yourself for."
Amato knew Braedon was right now, but he kept crying until there was no more tears to shed. When Amato finally decided to remove himself from the crook of the neck, he was met with the one-sided grin of Braedon's which always made him smile back. They walked out, paw in paw and tails coiled around each other, and left the school grounds, since it was now finished. When it was time for them to separate, Braedon and Amato separated their tails, kissed each other goodbye, and they went their separate ways.
The Reischer family got into their car and began to drive back home. Braedon rested his chin on his knuckles and looking out the window. The drive was mostly spent in light conversation, until someone decided to ask something weird.
"Dad, why do you train me harder than the rest?" Braedon asked, watching the buildings roll on by outside the window.
Azaz sighed, finally decided to give in. He took a breath to steady himself. "We were told by some crazy panda that you would be the one of darkness."
"And you didn't question this panda?" Braedon looked to his parents for this question.
"At first, both your father and I were skeptical. But she was rather convincing. We thought that your black fur was a genetic defect, but it wasn't. And when you were growing up, you always watched your father train and wanted to train alongside him." His mother continued.
"And so I trained you harder, taught you things that the others don't know, sparred with you in the spare time that we had. I wanted you to be that warrior of darkness, just like what the panda said."
"But... won't I just use that power to destroy everything?"
"That section of the prophecy has been debated for decades, son. It was even there when I was your age. I only hope that you would be the protector, son." Azaz finished.
Braedon grunted, satisfied with the answers that were given.
He just hoped that he wouldn't become evil.
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Light was walking through the streets, coming to a local gun range. But, to him, it was something more than that.
It was like a home to him.
He entered, seeing a young male eagle standing at the counter. The eyes would normally unnerve most anthros that came here, but Light was not like most.
There was a elderly panda in flowing silks and holding a wooden staff was sitting in the corner, eyeing Light with interest. Light walked up to the counter, matching the stare of the eagle carefully.
"Good evening, Ambert. Staying in good health?" The eagle asked, using Light's alias just in case.
"I'm fine, Loki. Yourself?" Light responded.
"Good enough. Did you hear of the murder yesterday?"
"It was unfortunate. My condolences go to the family."
Both knew they were tricking, but the panda in the corner didn't know that.
"Should I give you the special deal once more, Ambert?" Loki asked.
But what he really meant was something else.
Light nodded, and was handed a small orange card. The albino tucked it into his coat pocket.
"You know, Ambert.... I'm starting to think that you have nothing better to do in your life than to shoot paper targets." Loki quipped.
Light grinned slightly. "Some things are better left unsaid now. But, yes, that is true."
Light went through the door to his right, the one where the smell of gunpowder and the sounds of guns firing was constant. He walked right on through the range, where all manner of anthros were firing all manner of guns.
Light came to a door that was locked by a keycard lock. He took the orange card out and swiped it down, the mechanism unlocking. Light went on through. However, it wasn't a firing range, but an empty room made of brick and floorboards.
Or so most thought.
Light walked down near the furthest corner, placing a paw on the worn out brick. He pushed, making the brick push back into the wall and the floorboards to his side move away and reveal a hidden staircase. He began to descend, the floorboards placing themselves back over the hole when he was a safe distance down. The dim lighting wasn't an accident, but a purposeful feature.
And Light knew better than to turn on the lights.
There was now one thing that was unsettling him. The words of the prophecy that has yet to be fulfilled. The one about light and darkness.
He remembered that the warrior of light changed to the times. That they would embrace the weapons of the era.
Is he that such warrior?
Definitely not.
But, whenever he thought about it, his vision became a tiny bit blurry with a small buzz in his head.
Whoever he was, and whoever he is exactly, is now determined by the gods that rule the heavens of Loscade.
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When Light left, the elderly panda stood and left the building itself, their staff hitting the concrete with every lowering.
They saw what they wanted to see. The albino fox that would become the warrior of light.
And now it is time for them to check on the black fox that would become the warrior of darkness.
But for now, the panda only hoped that at least one of the two warriors have stayed safe from the dangers of death. It would be a shame if both have had their pasts drowned in the blood of others.