Chapter One: A Shady Capture
The shadows had a way of following Amora and her sister through the woods when they were on patrol. That aspect was helpful as not being seen was essential when they were on the hunt. Amora was always impressed by Arwyne's sixth sense when it came to finding all manner of dark creatures in the night. She lead the way until the tingling feeling of direction turned into danger.
"It's close," she informed, moving behind her big sister.
"Should we call Trey and triple team it?" Arwyne inquired.
"If the beast is too much for the two of us to handle, yes. But I don't wanna disturb his hunt. You of all people know how he gets."
Amora quieted her voice as she caught a glimpse of the lycan amidst the shifting shade. She pressed her index finger upright to both her lips, cautioning her sister to "shhh."
The siblings evaded the beast's vision, who saw in the night very well through smell and by sensing heat, for almost 20 minutes. All they did was circle the creature, pondering which way was best to take it down. Such stalking was unwise, because werewolves were normally never far from their own kind; they were pack creatures undoubtedly. That chilling realization came to Amora when she felt a sudden hot, steamy breath on the back of her neck. Grabbing her sister by the arm, she bolted for the clearing, ripping through tree limbs with as much force as she could muster. Arwyne didn't even have the time to scream. She flailed helplessly behind her sister as they escaped the forest. The clearing was one of high grain and grass in front of a cliff. The rocky precipice that overlooked Lake Erie, was Amora's ultimate weapon. The sisters sprinted until they themselves were watching the rocks slip from beneath their feet and tumble down to hit the water. It was here they turned around to face the monstrous lycans that had followed them out of the woods. The instant the creatures had their steamy breath on them again, Amora apparated, Arwyne side-longing it with her. They reappeared behind the wolves as they were just inches off the cliff, about to fall. The sisters whipped their wands out.
"Immobulus!" the two of them cried.
With a flash of blue light and sparkles, the two beasts froze in midair. Amora waved her wand in a circular motion and flung the beasts back into knee high weeds of the clearing. They didn't move as they landed in the dirt, but for good measure, Amora moved a bit closer, and pointed her wand again.
"Incarcerous Metallica!"
A steady stream of chains ejected from the tip of her wand and wound their way around the lycans, binding them where they lay.
Arwyne crouched beside the beasts, checking their heads for wounds. She affectionately stroked their hair as they slowly morphed back into their human state. They became two streaky, dark blue haired young girls, no older than she herself was.
I wonder what it would be like to have such feral power just lurking inside you like that. Such rage...
That thought had often crossed her mind whenever they went after lycans. She shook her head and wiped away a tear. She felt sorry for these two girls to be wrapped in chains, but at the same time envied them for such power.
"We should get them home, or figure out where home is for them?" Amora suggested, moving closer to her sister. Arwyne, an expert at concealing her tears, nodded and stood up.
"Cops?" She inquired.
"Cops." Amora agreed.
***Later That Night***
"Oh God I'm getting too old for this." Arwyne joked as she plopped down on the couch, leaning her head back with a groan. It was in the early hours of the morning and she was exhausted from the running about they did earlier. The silver haired sibling pulled out her phone, unlocked it, and texted her beloved older brother.
'You okay?'
She nudged her shoes off of her feet while Amora prepared their late night snack. She leaned forward to get the remote then sat back and groaned again.
"Sissy?" she heard in murmur. Arwyne looked behind her.
"Adam, what're you doing up?" she asked, holding her arms open for him. The toddler trotted around the room, in front of his sister. Arwyne picked him up and sat him in her lap, facing the TV. She leaned back once more.
"Couldn't sleep... I heard the door open and you two were home." he informed. The little one snuggled up to her as Amora came in with freshly popped Orville Redenbacher.
"You are supposed to be in bed." Amora told the youngest one in a stern voice. Adam gave her puppy eyes, on the verge of tears.
"I wanna watch TV with you." he whined. Arwyne saw Amora crack slowly under Adam's eyes.
"Okay. But just for a little while." she compromised as Adam grinned with glee.
"But no snacks." she quickly added.
"'Okay!" he nodded.
Thirty minutes later, Adam was passed out in Arwyne's lap who was barely awake herself. She kept her eyes open because she wanted to make sure her brother returned home. Why had she had that thought earlier? Envying them for power. She assumed Atreyu was right within his warning.
'You have a dark soul Arwyne... That's not a bad thing but you have to be careful with it. It can easily corrupt.' She stopped thinking about it as soon as she heard the door's locks softly slide and unlock. Atreyu was home.
Once he crossed the threshold, he scooted the snowboard he flew around on into the broom cupboard under the stairs. He entered the family room to find nearly all of his siblings either asleep or dozing. Amora was out, but Arwyne's waiting had paid off. Her brother approached her and took the six-year-old into his own arms, ever so carefully so as to not wake him. He motioned Arwyne to follow him. Before heading upstairs, Arwyne shook Amora awake.
"Come on, let's get to bed."
Amora stirred, quickly going to the kitchen to drop the empty popcorn bowl in the sink, before meeting her siblings at the top of the stairs. Atreyu lead the way, Adam's head gently rested against his shoulder. After four flights of stairs and a wish for an elevator in this 390 year old manner, Atreyu slid his brother beneath his Superman themed sheets, tucked him in tightly and kissed him goodnight. Amora and Arwyne followed suit before they closed the child's door.
Two more flights of stairs later, they had reached a parting of the ways with Amora.
"Goodnight guys." She said, embracing her brother in a hug. She hugged Arwyne next, adding a mutual kiss on the cheek. She rounded the corner and her door's kah-clink soon sounded.
The twin's bedrooms were across from one another at the very end of the corridor. They often shared their thoughts and emotions of the day whilst sitting face to face on the floor in the hallway before turning in. Atreyu slid to the ground, sitting indian style, as Arwyne took refuge in his arms.
"What's wrong? I can tell there's something wrong." Atreyu inquired. He and Arwyne may have been radically different fraternal twins, but no one knew or understood her better than Atreyu.
"Tonight..." Arwyne began, pausing to gather her words.
"We were patrolling the forests on the northern grounds, near Meryl's Cliff. We were running from twin lycans. And once we caught them, and I was checking them for injury, I just had this - this feeling, I suppose you call it. That-" she stopped at a loss for words.
"-That you wanted to be like them?" Atreyu finished her thought, having sensed it in her voice.
She looked into his eyes, tears sliding down from her own.
"That I wanted that power. That animalistic power. I wondered what would it be like, to completely give in to such rage." She confessed, wiping away her tears with her the knuckle of her index finger.
Atreyu took a breath before he spoke.
"So, it's the same thing that's happened before, am I correct? As it was when you battled the banshee, and the sister vampires, and that time we captured and turned in that dark wizard? Theodo, I think his name was?"
Arwyne put her face into her brother's chest and nodded.
"You remember what I told you last time right?"
She nodded again.
"Well it remains true. Your soul is dark, but you yourself don't have to be dark. An attraction to or a possession of a certain brand of power does not innately align you with that power's nature. It tests your better judgement that's for certain. But what matters is: how do you use such power?"
Arwyne's eyes began to dry as she laid against her brother's sternum, listening to his heartbeat, insync with her own.
"I think the fact that you couldn't stand to see those wolves suffer tonight clearly shows that you have light inside you. It shows that your soul may be dark, but like the yin-yang, it holds a seed to light. That's how I know you're my twin. Because I'm just the opposite."
The two sat in silence for a moment, Atreyu just holding her close.
"Trey?" She whispered.
"Hmm?"
"How do you always know what to tell me, when I need to hear it?"
"Well I have to, smart one. I'm your big brother." Atreyu cooed grinning at her. She managed a smile as well as he kissed her forehead.
"Come on. Let's get to bed. It's been a loooong night for the both of us." Atreyu encouraged, helping her to her feet. He didn't retreat to his own room until he'd seen Arwyne crawl in bed and fall asleep herself. Once her eyes were closed and her breathing slowed, Atreyu inched her door shut and went across the hall. He was out before he hit the pillow.
