Author's Note: Hey everyone, hopefully I'll make everyone happy with this story. Forgive me if this start isn't all too good, but I felt my first idea would get jumped into too fast if it was the first chapter. Well, on with "What it is to Burn" chapter one. (Also note that chapter titles will begin with "T" in this story. For Taki obviously)
Time
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"But now it's time for me to go, the autumn moon lights my way, and now I smell the rain and with it pain and it's headed my way. Ah, sometimes I grow so tired, but I know I've got one thing I got to do…ramble on"—Led Zeppelin (Ramble On)
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Night was fast approaching Chinatown. The pet shop was preparing to close and Detective Leon Orcot was preparing to leave with his little brother Chris. Taki and D sat on the same couch. Taki, feeling unusually tired that night rested her head on D and was beginning to drift off paying no mind to the detective's ill-mannered speech. T-chan and Ginger were curled up on the floor next to each other. Not even they were awake enough to pummel Leon as he left. D politely said good-bye to the two brothers and closed the doors of the pet shop. He covered Taki with the same blanket he had given her the night of the moon festival. He gently ran his finger through her hair and kissed her on the head, wishing her sweet dreams as he did so. He watched his fair maiden like an eagle mother would watch her chicks. Just then, Ginger awoke from her sleep, waking up T-chan in the process. The two got up all the way and inched towards the door. The quetzal, Luz, began to flap violently and crashing sounds were heard in her direction. D looked behind him. It wasn't a human that was at his door, he could sense something else. Ginger wasn't too upset but nor was she too happy. Loud paws were heard coming down the stairs. Then, finally, there was a scratch at the door. D looked to Ginger as if waiting for a signal from her. She just stared at the doorway as if waiting for it to open on its own. D slowly turned the knob and at the door was an elegant jaguar. Her human from was amazing. She had red eyes, but they were soft, not evil. She had a dark yellow dress with jaguar spots and it looked as if it were built for fighting. Some of it was torn at the bottom and her brown hair waved down to the middle of her back. Ginger stepped forward.
"Necahual, we finally meet again after so many years" she said. Necahual looked towards Ginger but said nothing. She glanced around the pet shop. T-chan stood by Ginger angry with the intrusion.
"If you're not going to say anything, leave" snapped T-chan.
"Tlacoxochitl, such an arrogant mate you've picked. I'd expect better from a goddess" Necahual said calmly as if she didn't hear T-chan's words at all. Ginger growled softly. She looked behind her to check her master then refocused on the jaguar. Necahual made her way over to Taki and licked her hands. Ginger ran over to Taki and pushed her way in front of the jaguar.
"Show some respect!" she commanded. Taki awoke to find the two arguing.
"Necahual?" Taki said unsure if it was truly her.
"Yes, master" she said, ignoring Ginger and bowing to Taki.
Ginger struck the jaguar with her paw. "Don't forget, I'm your master as well" she snapped. Necahual bowed to Ginger quickly, but not out of respect, rather, just to appease Taki.
"I come to bring you news, master. The planets will align in around a month. The Aztecs predicted many years ago, after the Spanish Conquest, when the planets align the Gods will have something opened to them. That's all that is known, but perhaps we will regain power" said Necahual.
"What do you mean 'we'?" Ginger said. "You're not a god. You're but a mere messenger and you wouldn't even be that if it wasn't for us" she said.
"No need for rudeness, Tlacoxochitl" Necahual answered.
"I wouldn't have to be rude if it wasn't for what you did during those times of war. You used to be a great help until you got this muddleheaded idea that you could beat the Spanish Crown on your own. I know at first you just wanted to be a leader, instead you tried for dictator and nearly got us all killed" Ginger said. Luz, the quetzal, watched all this from over head. She finally decided she would fly down and put a stop to all of this. With one graceful movement she glided down towards the fighting dog and cat.
"Necahual, so nice to see you" said Luz, standing behind the jaguar. Necahual turned around and suddenly her eyes widened.
"It's you! The one I've also come here to see!" she shouted.
"What for?" inquired Luz.
"For revenge!" Necahual said rushing at the bird. Luz's human form was even more beautiful than Necahual's. She wore a long white and green robe style dress and her green wings were like angel's that came out from the back of her robe. Her tail was just like she was in her bird form: long, extravagant, and of many colors. She was so slender and small and had only small claws but she was quite quick despite her size.
"Taki, what is all this about?" D asked.
"Well, during the Spanish Conquest when the Spanish Crown ruled Teotihuacán and all other reaches of the Aztec empire, the Gods devised a plan to stop them. We had much help from the creatures and Aztecan people. However, many animals were being stolen and raised under Spanish care and were forced to fight for the Spanish Crown. This caused much resentment between animals, and though we encouraged the animals not to kill the few animals on the side of the Spanish, many did so anyway. Necahual was one of the animals who killed off the ones fighting for the Spanish Crown. However, many Spanish animals fought against the Spanish secretly, but spite caused many animals not to see that. Necahual dreamed of being a leader, and in her attempt to do so she leads the army for a blind attack and since it was just savage brutality, the army was terribly crippled and that was the beginning of the Aztec's defeat" Taki explained.
"But what's she doing here? She claimed to be a messenger, how is that so" D asked, still confused.
"She ran off after the last battle when the Aztec's lost, we all did. The final battle was just an attempt to escape the Spanish. She was cornered by the Spanish but was saved by Luz. However, I see she still doesn't understand. Luz was her greatest opponent, because she was the animal who lead all the other animals of the Spanish Crown. She was trying to help the Aztec's, but Necahual's strong desire for leadership made her believe Luz was an opposition to destroy. Afterwards, because of her injuries, she was taken in by the Gods and made their messenger" Taki said.
"You do not understand, Necahual, it was I who saved you from the Spanish" Luz said.
"Don't lie to me, savage!" Necahual said. "Even your name is of the Spanish. Luz is not a true Nahuatl name, it's a filthy Spanish one" she continued.
Ginger tackled the jaguar and bit her throat as a command to stop. Necahual was growing more furious by the minute and in retort she swiped at Ginger and flung her off onto the ground. T-chan made his move and attacked the jaguar. This soon escalated to a fight no one could win, as it seemed that the more Necahual desired power the more she got.
"That's enough!" Taki said. "Necahual, don't you see? Your desire for power is being granted but you're becoming mad in the process. This is what Tlacoxochitl was talking about. This is what cost us our freedom. This is why the Spanish Crown defeated us. It wasn't entirely your fault, but your insane wish for power and the way you blocked out all reason caused one of the bloodiest battles we ever had to endure. Now, calm yourself Necahual" she finished. Necahual stopped in her tracks and did nothing for a moment.
"Forgive me, master. Forgive me, Tlacoxochitl" she said with her head bowed. "I understand, now. I knew not of the truth because of something I wanted. I was selfish, but now I trust what is said. I trust that Luz did save me, and I trust that I will remain under control because I see where I want wrong and I see why it was I who let the Spanish win, not the others" she finished. The window opened and a harsh wind blew. Necahual was being pulled towards it. "I must go now. My time for wandering is over. Now that I understand, I can go back to the Gods. However, master, the news of the planets is true. Do not forget it! But, I thank you, for if I didn't learn what I did now, even after the delivering the news and even after the prophecy came true, I wouldn't be able to return to the Gods unless I learned the lesson they said I needed. Now I'm grateful that I can go home to them. Thank you, master. And thank you, Tlacoxochitl" she said as she gracefully jumped up and out the window and landed on a purple cloud, clearly created by the gods to take her home to where she was needed. Taki closed the window and turned back to everyone. D took her back to the couch where he sat with her and Ginger and T-chan settled back down to a place on the floor. It was odd to Taki that Necahual obeyed so quickly. She was always incredibly stubborn. Before she worried herself, she stopped giving it any more thought.
D made a late pot of tea for himself and Taki. As they drank Taki said but one thing: "The quest for power is a great one, and understanding is a great part of it. When one does not understand, power is not power, but fury. That's where they all went wrong."