Chapter 1

Morona stormed into the forest, shouting and howling to the dark night sky, she moaned "I wait all these years, and then he comes back with some stupid animal woman."

Walking in circles, she thumped a tree, and shaking her hand in pain, she started to cry.

Leaning against the tree, she slipped down it, and head in her hands, she thought back to when he has promised to mate with her, "Jondalar, I love you, will you mate me?" she had asked him time and time before, but this time he had said "yes." She remembered as he had picked her up and whirled her around in his arms; it was the happiest day of her life. "Do you love me?" she had demanded and he had nodded "yes," though reflecting back, she remembered, he had frowned. And at the summer meeting, her matrimonial dress already on, she had found out he had left with Thonolan.

"Oh, if I could have been a doni" she whispered to herself, "I would have flown right to him and brought him back. But I couldn't, so I waited, one day, one week, two moons, four years, four long long years, I delayed my life for him, even refusing mating offers from some of the most eligible men, I always thought he would come back to me."

Seeing a small rabbit, hopping past, she kicked out her foot in frustration, "and then he brings her back with him, and ignores me, like I meant nothing" she muttered.

Mulling this all over, she suddenly grinned "can I hold him to the mating, he did promise" but then as quickly as her excitement raised, she slipped back down to the doldrums, "he's the mighty Jondalar, the leaders would always support him over me, they don't even like me."

Standing up, she started to walk again, in what direction, she didn't know, she didn't care.

Tears slipping down her face, she reflected on the injustice of it, "it's just not fair, I should be mating him, not her, oh I wish I could hurt him, like he has me."

"You want revenge" said a quiet voice, breaking through her anger, "I will help you."

Morona looked up, and saw a man leaning against a tree, he was smiling at her, and his eyes held an evil glint.

Walking up to him, she grinned, and responded, "I would like that very much."

Wrapping his arms around her, he stared down at her with hypnotic eyes, and he asked, "would you do anything, to get your retribution?"

She nodded, wondering what he meant, but then he was so beautiful she didn't care, "anything" she nodded.

He pulled her closer to him, he was so pale, and his teeth flashed when he smiled. Snuggling closer, "I want to damage him" she seethed.

"Well, why don't you tell me about him" he whispered in her ear, and released her.

Feeling distressed, at his absence, she looked at him yearningly, he mesmerized her, pondering for a moment, she remember who he was, "Jondalar" she spat.

"Well" he said, sitting down on an upturned tree, and patting the space beside him, "why don't you tell me all about Jondalar."