Ok, Shade here with a new story. Yes, I know I haven't updated any of my others. I suppose its just because I have no inspiration with them. Well, anyway, I got done reading a good book called Eyes of Crow by Jeri Smith-Ready and the idea for the story bit me in the ass. The majority of this story has come from the book, so I don't claim to own Kalindos, Asermos, or the idea of the Spirit Guide. Now, I hope I have explained things well enough, and if I haven't, just tell me in a review so the next chapter can be better.
Disclaimer: This will only be said once. I do not own YYH or any of the characters. Nor do I own the cities or the idea of spiri guides from the Eyes of Crow book. However, I do own Demae, Nikoli, and any of the other OCs that appear in the story.
Demae rocked back on her heels, wiping the light sheen of sweat from her brow as she squinted up at the sun. From what she could see, she had been working in her little vegetable garden for about two hours. Standing up with a sigh, she stretched before brushing the dirt off of the front of her skirt. Demae made a face when she noticed the fabric had stained. Good thing it wasn't a new dress. Oh well, all it meant was she now had a dress specifically for garden work.
Hearing a call from her mother, Demae put her things into her basket and hurried towards the house. Leaving the basket on the steps, she walked inside. It was a small house, built for no more than three people. The bottom floor had the kitchen and a small dining area, as well as a couch where she slept. Near the edge of the room was a small ledge that had a cubby where Demae's parents slept, a ladder nailed in place so her mother and father could easily reach it.
Out back are a small barn and a hayloft where they kept their few horses and ponies. Demae's parents were farmers, like many of her town's inhabitants. There were a few families who specifically raised animals, likes horses, or crafted things, but most were agriculturally oriented.
Looking around, Demae spotted her mother in the kitchen. "Yes, mama?" she asked as she trotted over.
The woman looked up, blue eyes smiling as she watched her daughter. Despite her age, Demae's mother was still slender and strong, even after having three children. She had wavy auburn hair with streaks of gray at her temples. Around her throat hung a swan's feather, showing her animal guide. Demae's mother was a swan, which meant that the spirit guide Swan watched over her and had blessed her with the ability to interpret dreams. She was still only a second phase swan, since her older children had yet to become parents of their own.
In Demae's world, everyone belonged to an animal; everyone except the Descendants, who had abandoned spirits for gods fashioned in their own image. When that happened, the spirits had taken away the magic from the Descendants. For everyone else, there were three stages. Demae was in her first stage, which meant her powers had emerged. To proceed to the second stage, you had to become a parent. However, if you became a parent before you had completed your first stage training, the guides could severely punish you. To reach the third stage, you had to become a grandparent. Each stage required extra training.
"Demae, I made you lunch. Also, I need you to take the lunch I packed to Kurama."
Nodding, Demae moved to the table where her own lunch was set out. She ate quickly, but neatly, and had soon grabbed the packed lunch and hurried out the door.
This was a normal occurrence for her. At least once a week, Demae would take lunch to the strange man who lived on the top of the hill. Her mother told her he had simply just appeared one day over twenty-five years ago. He hadn't known where he was and he was nothing like them. He had strange abilities but didn't have a spirit guide. However, he settled into the community quite well and even took a wife. His only son now lives in the large town of Kalindos. Demae's own town, Asermos, knew hardly anything about the mysterious town. At the most, they only knew rumors, and unflattering ones at that.
Reaching the top of the hill, Demae pushed open the gate and walked down the small stone path that wound through the vibrant garden that surround the house. The house was small and homey, but nothing like the normal houses that could be found in the town. Kurama had designed it himself. Maybe it was made like the homes where he came from? Well, she supposed she would never know, since her mother had said he was unwilling to speak of his home.
Taking a deep breath, Demae knocked lightly on the door and waited, belatedly realizing she had forgotten to change into a clean dress. The door was opened and the tall man looked out at her, emerald eyes full of amusement as he looked her over. According to her mother, Kurama looked as young now as he did when he arrived. Neither gray hair nor wrinkle marred him and so it was hard to judge his age.
"Hello, Demae. I was wondering when I would get to see you this week." His voice was kind as he ushered her inside. Kurama closed the door behind her and gently plucked the basket from her fingers, leading her to the dining room. "So, how is your mother doing?" he asked as he unpacked the basket.
Demae jerked her attention away from the odd decorations of the house and focused on Kurama. "Oh, she's fine. Still offering to read your dreams and still wanting you to remarry."
Kurama chuckled but said nothing as he handed he basket back to her. "Tell her I said hello when you get back, Demae." The angelic man escorted her out and stayed at the door until she was out of his garden and on her way home.
Frowning, Demae mulled over things in her mind. Her mother was always worried about Kurama. He had always had awful nightmares, but he would never tell a soul what it was that frightened him so. To Demae's limited knowledge, Kurama still had them. Maybe his current ones were about his wife? She had died ten years ago. Since then, he had lived with his son, and then alone once his son left for Kalindos for his spirit training. There was many a woman here wishing he would choose to remarry. And Demae could agree. He was very handsome, but he had to be over 40, even if he didn't look it.
As she headed to her house, she frowned. Something wasn't right. Picking up her pace, she reached her home and bounded up the stairs and inside, only to stop in her tracks. Her mother and father were sitting with the town's leader, a third stage hawk. The man looked grave as he leveled his warm brown eyes at her.
"What? What is it?" she asked as she set down the basket and hurried over.
"You are being called to Kalindos."
Demae frowned. Why? Had there been a death? Kalindos had their own Crow woman, so why was she needed?
Seeing her confused expression, the chief explained. "They have a spirit who is lingering."
Demae shook her head. "I'm not second stage. I can't yet speak with the departed." As a Crow woman, Demae was the one who comforted people as the spirit Crow took their spirits as they died. Without her, their death would be cold and terrifying. However, she could only begin to speak with the dead after she had reached her second stage.
"No, no, you misunderstand. The spirit is asking to talk with you. He refuses to speak with anyone else."
After his announcement, there was silence from Demae. To say this was unusual would be a gross understatement. When Demae didn't speak, the leader continued.
"They will be sending a guide to take you to Kalindos. He should be here tomorrow. You have the rest of the day to prepare." He stood, nodding to both of Demae's parents as he left the house. Once he was gone, Demae turned to her parents.
"He spoke truth?" she asked.
Her father nodded. He was an Owl, and everyone knew that owls would easily detect lies. "He received a psychic message from Kalindos' third rank hawk elder not even half an hour past."
Sighing, Demae nodded and stood. "I suppose I should go pack then." She walked to her dresser and began to pull out clothes. None of them were dresses, since it was common knowledge that Kalindans lived in the treetops. Climbing up a ladder in a skirt would be mortifying. After her things were packed, she went to sit with her parents for dinner. Her older sisters were also present, wanting to say goodbye since they wouldn't be able to come in the morning. It was a somber event and left Demae testy when she went to bed that night, full of foreboding.
In the morning, Demae could already tell that it would be a bad day. Her head was throbbing, prompting her to stumble to their collection of medical supplies to find something to dampen the pain. She washed and dressed, drying her hair in front of the mirror. For a moment, she paused and looked herself over. She was the very image of her mother, with her long, wavy auburn hair and blue eyes. She had her mother's facial structure, yet had her father's height. She tended to tower over most of the women in Asermos, and even some of the men. Snorting, she turned away from the mirror and braided her wet hair before going to eat the breakfast her mother had laid out for her.
In the middle of it, there came a knock at the door. As Demae hurried to finish eating, her father answered the door. The man who walked in made Demae do a double-take. The man who was now in the living room was the very image of Kurama. Well, not necessarily in the exact image. As Demae studied him closer, differences began popping out at her. His eyes were more blue than green and his hair was long and straight, not slightly curly as Kurama's was. He was also more muscular and nowhere near as feminine.
She immediately recognized him as Kurama's son.
After oogling him for a few more moments, she went back to eating as the guest waited at the door. Demae could feel those blue-green eyes staring at her back, and it took extra effort not to back her shoulders scrunch up. When she was done eating, she hopped out of the chair and grabbed her pack, striding over. "Hello, Nikoli. Haven't seen you in a while." She commented, greeting the man. When he nodded politely in return, she hurriedly compared him to the boy she had known before he had left. He was taller than her again by an inch or two; when he had left for Kalindos, he had been quite a few inches shorter than she, and the thought still made her smile past her headache.
Once she had said goodbye to her parents, the two of them left, walking towards Nikoli's horse. Demae's had been saddled already, probably by her father, and was tacked beside Nikoli's. As she shrugged into her pack straps, Nikoli caught her attention. "Demae, do you mind if we stop by my father's home? I haven't been there yet, and I'd like to see him before we go."
Demae gave him an appraising look. From the earnest way he was waiting for her reply, he was hoping she'd agree. It also let her know he was still horribly polite, which annoyed her. Well, he was only polite because he was shy. Hopefully, in their short trip, she might be able to get him to be comfortable around her again. Taking a deep breath, she nodded slightly. "Sure, I don't mind. I'd like to say good bye to him too just so he knows not to expect me to bring him lunch for a few days." She finally answered pleasantly. Smiling happily, the red head jumped on his horse. Rolling her eyes at his boyish behavior, she climbed up on her own before following Nikoli up the path that led to Kurama's home.
However, when the two reached the crest of the hill, they saw Kurama tying a pack to a horse's saddle. When the man heard them coming, he twisted his head to glance at them and smile before finishing what he was doing and mounting the horse. He then rode down to meet them, returning their puzzled expressions with a small smile. "I knew you were coming. And something tells me I need to go with you." He said, forestalling any questions the pair might have had.
As the trio began making their way down the hill and into the forest the surrounded the town, Demae observed the two males before her under lowered lashes. How could have Kurama known they were coming? Her mother had always told her Kurama had strange abilities. Maybe sensing people was one of them. But how could he have known they were leaving? The mystery was perplexing, and for most of the day she spent her idle time chewing on the problem. But by the time they stopped to make camp, Demae still had not discovered the answer. Putting the problem away for later thought, she began to unpack the ingredients for dinner while Nikoli started the fire and Kurama took care of the horses.
The fire was quickly lit, the soup started, and the horses taken care of, so the trio found themselves simply lazing around the campfire. After a moment, a thought struck Demae, making her look up sharply at Nikoli, who was talking quietly with his father. "Hey, Nikoli, what is your spirit guide?" she asked, toying with the crow talon that hung around her neck. Everyone in her village wore something on them that signified what the wearer's animal was. However, the Kalindons never had anything like that. Demae had heard it was because the town was a lot smaller where everyone knew everyone else. That was not the case was Asermos, which was the size of a city.
Nikoli eyed her for a moment before replying. "The Fox." He said softly, almost nervously, as he waited for her reaction.
After the announcement of Nikoli's guide, Demae noticed Kurama didn't look the least bit surprised. She was suspicious of that, but then wrote it off on the assumption that Nikoli had already told him. Once she had dealt with that, Demae went over all she knew of foxes. She had always heard the adage, "Never trust a Fox." They were cunning tricksters with silver tongues. If you weren't careful, a fox could easily enchant you with its charming words. They didn't usually lie outright, but they were famous for they're half-truths. Also, in their third stage, Demae knew they could shape-shift into the form of a fox. However, Nikoli didn't seem very tricky or charming, and he was her friend, so she simply smiled and nodded at him. He relaxed after that, never noticing the wary look that had entered Demae's eyes.
Never trust a Fox.
The group got an early start in the morning, eating cold soup and drinking spring water. The camp-site was quickly dismantled and the trio was soon on their way. Nikoli promised they would be in Kalindos by late morning. To pass the time, Demae began to sing softly. Now, Demae had never prided herself on her singing voice, but she felt her alto was pleasant enough to pass singing.
Home and hearth, lead me on,
Lead me somewhere I belong;
A home with family, loving and bright,
A friendly fire, with warmth and light.
Home and hearth, show me the way,
The way to a safe place I can stay
To laugh, to sing, to play, to dance,
To give blooming love a chance.
Home and hearth, is it true?
Is it true that it is my due
To have such things as family and friends
Given to me until my days are at an end?
Demae ends the song as the town comes into view, noting Nikoli and Kurama's disappointed expressions. Hmm, was her voice that pleasing to their ears? She didn't know, and at the moment she didn't care. She was too busy staring at the homes that littered the trees, tall, spindly leading up into the branches. There was a deck of sorts surrounding each house and small bridges spanning the trees so that you can easily get around without having to resort to climbing up and down ladders all day. There were some buildings on the ground, but none of them looked like people lived in them.
Their presence in the town was noted almost immediately and a few people came out to take their horses. Following them was an older woman. She was short, with wispy strands of blond and grey hair escaping her braid. Her brown eyes were lined with crow's feet and at the moment were narrowed with slight concern. "Oh! Demae! Thank goodness you have arrived. This spirit is quite disruptive and needs to be taken care of quickly. I'm not sure how, but a few people have already been injured by him." She said, voice somewhat urgent.
Demae frowned. Spirits couldn't hurt people. This was definitely now way beyond unusual. Worried, she quickly followed Kalindos' Crow woman, Nikoli and Kurama silently trailing behind them, all but forgotten by Demae. The space she was led to was blocked off, which confused Demae. Surely the spirit could leave it? Seeing the young woman's puzzled expression, the unnamed woman elaborated. "For some reason, the spirit cannot move beyond this point, which we are thankful for. So we have roped the area off to keep anyone else from becoming injured."
Nodding, Demae focused her attention on what was in the circle. The spirit was nothing like she had ever seen before. Demae was about to speak with the spirit, but then Kurama beat her to it. The man gasped, then shouted, "Hiei?!"
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