I cantered through the thick, dense brush on the forest floor and tried to smell out where my pack could be. I didn’t smell anything familiar, so I kept running- sometimes walking- for several minutes.
I stopped when I smelled something- someONE- way too familiar- Merlin.
My brother was near.
I smelled the air and determined that he was behind me. How long has he been tracking me? I wondered. I turned around and saw not just Merlin- but a very light blue wolf, too. He wore great armor and on his back I saw a beetle just like Mug.
But this beetle was not Mug.
Mug was on Merlin’s back.
I was in shock again. “M... Merlin? Mug? And who’s...”
Merlin shook his head. “Sorry, sis. Can’t let you ask questions yet. Not until we get on the mountain. Come here.”
I almost ran over, but something held me back. I heard a faint scratch in the tree above the two of them. The beetle on the light wolf’s back dismounted and pulled a shimmering rope out of a bag somewhat like Pippin’s. I got tense all of a sudden.
“C’mon, Sharama, you know me. We do things either the easy way or the hard way...”
I growled and started to run the other way. I didn’t like this.
I heard a slight flicking noise in the leaves behind me and Mug landed on my back. He had the rope and he grabbed my ear. I rolled over onto my back, smothering him somewhat, and then my back was burning with pain.
The nasty, ugly little bug had bit into my back.
A lot of people don’t know this, but most of the beetles here are poisonous. Thankfully, it’s not potent enough to kill, but it still packs a huge punch. I felt myself growing dizzy already, and the great armored wolf pawed my body off the disgruntled beetle, who jumped back onto Merlin’s back.
I found myself suddenly gasping for breath and the world getting very dark. The last things I can remember seeing were the golden rope passing in front of my eyes and sliding down my neck and a golden-brown blur striking the face of my old brother.
Floating is fun, I find. I’m asleep- at least, I think this is what it is. I hear something yelling at another something, but I can’t do anything about it or identify it. Suddenly something appears in front of my face. I get the weird feeling that I jump, but I don’t actually jump. I can still feel my back burning like it was on fire, and a new ring around my eyes was burning, as well.
Ahead of me I saw that there was a faint glow. It was the sun. Out of it, a dog that looked just like me strode out proudly. Again, I got the weird feeling that I was doing something that I wasn’t- showing respect by folding back my ears and making myself small.
Something spoke. It was clear, and strong- and I had heard this voice before. The speaker sat down in front of me with his head held high and the pendant around his neck shining brightly. He laughed.
“FINALLY, young one, I have penetrated the mental wall you have set up against me!”
I did and didn’t cock my head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“I tried to talk to you earlier, warn you of what was to come. You blocked me out. I am the sun. You are the NEXT sun. The Mountain King is the stars; he wants them to rule over the Sun. Our line is in the way of him doing so; as long as we live he can never rule the sky. Or something along those tyrannical lines, but anyway, the first way he is going to accomplish this is by extinguishing four torches on the four corners of the land. The first is Love, the second is Truth, the third is Hope, and the fourth is Life. If any of them are extinguished, the traits will be taken from the earth... and only the fires of the Sun can reignite them. That’s us. Right now, I can’t really do anything, so it’s completely up to you.”
I thought about this unconsciously.
“But sir-”
The dog started laughing again. He was alot like me. He laughed like me, at least, and he laughed alot. “You’ll figure it out. Just because you can’t YET doesn’t mean that you can’t, period. You will soon.”
I eyed the amulet hanging around his neck. “Does that have anything to do with... the sun powers, or whatever they are?”
He nodded. “You’ll find yours soon.”
I just stared at him.
“You know, you’re starting to regain consciousness. I must go, before I get thrown out of your mind again. You will remember this, fear not.” He started to walk away, into the sun. He turned back to face me again. “And one more tip... you should laugh a little more. Drop the seriousness.”
And he vanished.
“SHE AWAKES!!”
I gagged and threw up a delightful mixture of liquid and other gunk. For the third time in under a week, I was awakening from near death.
I instantly remembered my encounter with... my ancestor. What did he mean, ‘I’d find mine soon’? I didn’t know, and I didn’t care. I was alive. I wasn’t going to save Aikenew, especially in my condition. Whatever that condition was. I was on a hard stone floor. Possibly a cave. I saw a cat, a blur of white, and a shimmer was in the air.
“Ugghghhhhhhh... I can’t see you... show... yourself...” I yawned.
The cat shoved his face right into mine and started hissing. “All right, you. Listen to me real close, now. START TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY. You’re burdened with something great, like all heroes and heroines. But that means that you need to use it. Stop blocking out that great-grandfather of yours and LISTEN TO HIM. What he says is important. ACCEPT THE HELP OF THE SIX. I know them as--”
“Greol!” The white blur spoke. “She just woke up...”
“SHE’S CONSIOUS. Your point is? I’m teaching her something she should have learned long ago.”
I sat up and stretched. Things came a little more into focus; I could tell now that it was the cat that had gotten crabby with us for being in the pool. I remembered that the white fuzz was either Ven or Treble. But... the shimmer in the air was a vast multitude of treasures and trinkets all around the cave floor.
The cat stared at me for a second. “She has finally seen him, I suppose...” I figured that he was talking about my ancestor.
I looked about the room again, and again. Each time things came more into focus. It was Ven that was the white blur; and the treasure was in fact ancient artifacts.
One thing caught my eye.
A silvery-gold amulet embedded with an orange-red gemstone.
I stopped when I smelled something- someONE- way too familiar- Merlin.
My brother was near.
I smelled the air and determined that he was behind me. How long has he been tracking me? I wondered. I turned around and saw not just Merlin- but a very light blue wolf, too. He wore great armor and on his back I saw a beetle just like Mug.
But this beetle was not Mug.
Mug was on Merlin’s back.
I was in shock again. “M... Merlin? Mug? And who’s...”
Merlin shook his head. “Sorry, sis. Can’t let you ask questions yet. Not until we get on the mountain. Come here.”
I almost ran over, but something held me back. I heard a faint scratch in the tree above the two of them. The beetle on the light wolf’s back dismounted and pulled a shimmering rope out of a bag somewhat like Pippin’s. I got tense all of a sudden.
“C’mon, Sharama, you know me. We do things either the easy way or the hard way...”
I growled and started to run the other way. I didn’t like this.
I heard a slight flicking noise in the leaves behind me and Mug landed on my back. He had the rope and he grabbed my ear. I rolled over onto my back, smothering him somewhat, and then my back was burning with pain.
The nasty, ugly little bug had bit into my back.
A lot of people don’t know this, but most of the beetles here are poisonous. Thankfully, it’s not potent enough to kill, but it still packs a huge punch. I felt myself growing dizzy already, and the great armored wolf pawed my body off the disgruntled beetle, who jumped back onto Merlin’s back.
I found myself suddenly gasping for breath and the world getting very dark. The last things I can remember seeing were the golden rope passing in front of my eyes and sliding down my neck and a golden-brown blur striking the face of my old brother.
Floating is fun, I find. I’m asleep- at least, I think this is what it is. I hear something yelling at another something, but I can’t do anything about it or identify it. Suddenly something appears in front of my face. I get the weird feeling that I jump, but I don’t actually jump. I can still feel my back burning like it was on fire, and a new ring around my eyes was burning, as well.
Ahead of me I saw that there was a faint glow. It was the sun. Out of it, a dog that looked just like me strode out proudly. Again, I got the weird feeling that I was doing something that I wasn’t- showing respect by folding back my ears and making myself small.
Something spoke. It was clear, and strong- and I had heard this voice before. The speaker sat down in front of me with his head held high and the pendant around his neck shining brightly. He laughed.
“FINALLY, young one, I have penetrated the mental wall you have set up against me!”
I did and didn’t cock my head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“I tried to talk to you earlier, warn you of what was to come. You blocked me out. I am the sun. You are the NEXT sun. The Mountain King is the stars; he wants them to rule over the Sun. Our line is in the way of him doing so; as long as we live he can never rule the sky. Or something along those tyrannical lines, but anyway, the first way he is going to accomplish this is by extinguishing four torches on the four corners of the land. The first is Love, the second is Truth, the third is Hope, and the fourth is Life. If any of them are extinguished, the traits will be taken from the earth... and only the fires of the Sun can reignite them. That’s us. Right now, I can’t really do anything, so it’s completely up to you.”
I thought about this unconsciously.
“But sir-”
The dog started laughing again. He was alot like me. He laughed like me, at least, and he laughed alot. “You’ll figure it out. Just because you can’t YET doesn’t mean that you can’t, period. You will soon.”
I eyed the amulet hanging around his neck. “Does that have anything to do with... the sun powers, or whatever they are?”
He nodded. “You’ll find yours soon.”
I just stared at him.
“You know, you’re starting to regain consciousness. I must go, before I get thrown out of your mind again. You will remember this, fear not.” He started to walk away, into the sun. He turned back to face me again. “And one more tip... you should laugh a little more. Drop the seriousness.”
And he vanished.
“SHE AWAKES!!”
I gagged and threw up a delightful mixture of liquid and other gunk. For the third time in under a week, I was awakening from near death.
I instantly remembered my encounter with... my ancestor. What did he mean, ‘I’d find mine soon’? I didn’t know, and I didn’t care. I was alive. I wasn’t going to save Aikenew, especially in my condition. Whatever that condition was. I was on a hard stone floor. Possibly a cave. I saw a cat, a blur of white, and a shimmer was in the air.
“Ugghghhhhhhh... I can’t see you... show... yourself...” I yawned.
The cat shoved his face right into mine and started hissing. “All right, you. Listen to me real close, now. START TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY. You’re burdened with something great, like all heroes and heroines. But that means that you need to use it. Stop blocking out that great-grandfather of yours and LISTEN TO HIM. What he says is important. ACCEPT THE HELP OF THE SIX. I know them as--”
“Greol!” The white blur spoke. “She just woke up...”
“SHE’S CONSIOUS. Your point is? I’m teaching her something she should have learned long ago.”
I sat up and stretched. Things came a little more into focus; I could tell now that it was the cat that had gotten crabby with us for being in the pool. I remembered that the white fuzz was either Ven or Treble. But... the shimmer in the air was a vast multitude of treasures and trinkets all around the cave floor.
The cat stared at me for a second. “She has finally seen him, I suppose...” I figured that he was talking about my ancestor.
I looked about the room again, and again. Each time things came more into focus. It was Ven that was the white blur; and the treasure was in fact ancient artifacts.
One thing caught my eye.
A silvery-gold amulet embedded with an orange-red gemstone.
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