Chapter 2

"Tomas is dying." Maye stood just inside the door, looking at the golden fur on the back of the fox's head. He didn't say anything. "You said he was important. He was supposed to save us from something. What do we do?"

"The girl is still alive." Ramiro replied. "She seems fine, yes?"

"She's growing into a fine young lady, what does that have to do with anything?"

"You saved her. You can save Tomas."

Maye was silent for a moment. "One of the women is pregnant, I think."

Ramiro said nothing.

"I'll get the others, I guess." She turned to leave, but stopped in the doorway. "You know... for our leader, you really don't do much leading. We're working in the dark, here." At his silence, she closed the door with a sigh and went to find Krin.

Krin took the stone and they went to Tomas in his final moments. "We're here to help you." She held out her hand and created a portal to where a young fox was sleeping. Her stomach bulged upwards through her blankets. "We have to do this at exactly the right moment."

Dakite joined them, appearing in a cloud of green mist. "I'll keep him alive as long as I can."

Tomas inhaled a shallow breath. "Thank you," he said in a strained whisper.

Dakite worked her magic, keeping Tomas alive. They stood over him for three days, waiting. Finally, the woman went into labor. Another 12 hours were spent waiting for the right moment.

"Now!" Maye said. Dakite finally let go of Tomas. He exhaled once, and did not breathe again. His soul manifested above his body, trapped by Dakite herself. She slowly guided it through Krin's portal.

The young vixen looked up in fear.

"Don't be afraid." Dakite said. "I'm not going to hurt you or the baby." The soul was a swirling white light with streaks of black. She guided it down to the woman's stomach. It pulled itself apart, separating the light from the dark before vanishing. Dakite frowned.

"What was that?" The woman asked.

"A soul for the baby."

"I'm..." She winced as another contraction came on. "I'm having...twins."

Dakite stood and stepped back through the portal. "I didn't think of that. There's two."

"Two what?" Krin asked.

"She's having twins. The soul tore in two as I placed it. I don't know what that means."

"This is the first time that's ever happened. We'll just have to wait and see how things go." Maye said.

It was seven more hours before the twins were delivered. They seemed to be healthy babies. The mother named one Connor, and the other Tony. The Guardians were told to watch the twins carefully, as they would play an important role someday.

(3 Years Passed)

Vivian sat on the floor, playing with her baby brother Kevin and two other toddlers in the village. She had made them both dolls out of wood, and Keila cut clothes for the dolls out of an old dress with holes in it. One of the other toddlers, a baby fox, snatched the doll out of Kevin's hand. Kevin looked at the doll and then at Vivian, and he began to cry.

Vivian hugged him and handed him her doll. She turned to the little boy who'd taken her brother's doll. "Give it back."

He glared up at her and held the doll to her chest. "No!"

"Give it back, or I'll tell your parents."

"No!"

She pushed him over and yanked the doll out of his stubby little fingers.

"You're a meanie!" He whined. His twin brother giggled. He screamed and pushed over his laughing sibling.

Vivian stuck out her tongue. "Don't mess with my baby brother, or I'll hurt you and take all your toys."

(Meanwhile)

Michal kissed his wife gently on the forehead. Both of the kids were out playing with their friends, leaving them with some time alone.

"Michal!" Keila giggled as he kissed along her neck.

"What?" He asked innocently, looking up at her from under the sheet.

"No!" She cried, laughing as he planted soft kisses on her breasts. "You know the laws."

"There's a law against me fondling my own wife?" He asked. "That's new."

"The law against having more than two children per family."

"Who said anything about having children?" He asked, disappearing under the blankets again.

She laughed again. "You know very well what I mean!"

"Do I?" He popped his head out of the sheets. "I suppose I do... but that's not going to stop me from loving you tonight. I'll just get you a few of those berries later."

She sighed with a grin. "You know those didn't work last time."

"Maybe there wasn't enough. I'll double the dose. What's the harm in eating too many, since we've already got two kids?"

"Oh, alright." She said in a mock-reluctant voice. "I give in!"

(Four Months Passed)

"What if the Council finds out? I can't just stay inside the house for another five months!" Keila whispered harshly.

"They won't. They can't take our children away."

"They are the Council, the great leaders. They can do anything they want."

"They have no right."

"They have every right!" Keila cried.

"Mommy?"

Keila turned to the sweet voice of her young daughter Vivian. "What's wrong sweetie?" She asked.

Tears spilled down her cheeks. "I'm scared."

Her telepathy kicked in and Keila gasped, drawing her hand to her mouth. "Oh my god..."

"Keila? What is it?" Michal asked.

Keila ignored him, rushing to the side of her six-year-old daughter. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I don't know..." The young white feline whispered. Keila pulled her into her chest and held her close.

She looked up at Michal. "Something's going on. This isn't right. She has every memory from a seventeen year old woman."

He focused in on the six year old's mind. "What the... we have to do something."

"Like what? Waltz up to the Council and reveal that I'm pregnant again? They'd kill her!"

"What else can we do? We don't even know what's wrong with her!"

"Nothing's wrong with her!" Keila snapped. "I'm going to put her to sleep and fix it."

"That's forbidden. They could put you to death."

"Not if they don't find out."

She carefully entered Vivian's mind and calmed her. The child was asleep in a matter of seconds. She lay her on the floor and touched her forehead.

"Keila, be careful."

"I know what I'm doing." She said.

"Do you?"

"Yes."

She entered the girl's mind, searching out for the sources of the memories. What she found astounded her. It was an entire life, all of seventeen years, stored away in this poor girl's mind. The terrifying things that had let lose on her child made Keila tremble. Her heart ached with the dreadful experiences that she saw as she built a box to contain them. When she had finally finish trapping every last cruel, unjust memory, she closed the box tight and stored it in the most hidden corner of her daughter's mind.

When she opened her eyes, she was crying.

Michal was next to her, his hand on her shoulder. Keila leaned into his arms and wept.

(Three Weeks Passed)

The troubling knowledge of her own daughter's past tore Keila up inside. She didn't even know how it could have been possible. But it was. The realization that it was real hit her as she stood there, staring in the face the red wolf she had seen in Vivian's memories. He was gorgeous. Sunset red fur covered his body, and his eyes were the color of freshly spilled blood.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way. If I had known this would happen, I would have done something to prevent it..." He said. His voice was deep and smooth.

"How did it happen?" She asked. Michal was working on the new well with Jak while Vivian and Kevin were out playing with their friends in the village, leaving her alone with the breathtaking stranger.

"I found her, the old her, lying half dead on an island on the other side of the planet. I rescued her. It was my duty as a Guardian. Her wounds were... too great. Our medic couldn't save her."

"I remember seeing her wounds... her legs were almost completely gone."

"She was dying. I asked her what she wanted, and she told me she wanted a family. So Ramiro, Dakite and I sent her soul into the body of the next newborn in the village. That newborn was Vivian. Something must have gone wrong. We performed the procedure once after, but the memories of their past lives never interfered with the present."

"Once after?"

"Yes. There was a slight complication... when we sent the soul, we hadn't bothered to make sure it was one child. The soul was split in two. They were twins. We're still waiting to see how that turns out."

Keila shook her head. "This is so hard to believe..."

"I'm sorry to have to lay it on you like this."

"It's alright. I'd rather find out now than later. I created a mind block for her, trapping the memories inside. It should be enough to let her live a normal life."

"I'm glad... I don't want her to be hurt." Shine said.

"There's something I have to ask your help with," Keila said.

"Yes?"

"I'm... I'm pregnant."

Shinae frowned. "The Tesa berries?"

"They didn't work. Michal brought me a small basket. This baby really wanted to be born."

"I'm not sure how I can help."

"The council won't allow us to have three children. One child for each parent. I don't want Vivian to lose her family."

"I'm afraid I can't do much. Ramiro is the only Guardian that the council respects. Even were I to ask them, they would only defy me because they can."

Keila crossed her arms. "Then speak to this Ramiro."

"I can try, but I've no guarantee that he won't simply tell the council your secret."

She looked down. "Give it some more time, then. Only after they find out."

"I'll see what I can do."

At that moment, Vivian walked in through the front door. "Hi mommy." She said. She froze when she saw Shine. She studied him for a moment, and then she walked to her mother's side and hugged her hips. Keila rested her hand on Vivian's head.

Shine stared at the beautiful little girl who looked up at him with curious eyes and crouched in front of her. "You don't remember me, do you?" He asked. She shook her head timidly. He smiled. "That's alright. You don't have to. We'll meet again, someday. I'll tell you all about it. But not til you're old enough. Okay?"

She hid part way behind Keila, blushing and staring at the red furred stranger. He smiled again and stood. "I must be going before they miss me. Take care of her. I know you will." Shine looked back at Vivian and smiled again as he faded like an unreal apparition. She gasped, running toward him. He kneeled and she grabbed his hand. "I'll come back, Angel, I promise." He said.

And then he was gone.

(Another Four Months Passed)

Vivian and Kevin sat outside in the forest. It was after midnight, but their father had woken them up and told them to go out. Keila had woken up and gone into labor.

The two children were rushed out and into the forest. They sat down next to a tree, hiding in the dead of night, waiting for their dad to return for them.

"What's going on?" Kevin asked, worried. Vivian wrapped her arms around her five-year-old brother.

"It's okay. Mommy's gonna have a baby sister."

"A baby?"

"Yup. Just like you were. Only a girl. She said she knew it was a girl."

"How could she know? She can't even see her."

"Mommy always knows. Don't worry, it'll be okay." She stroked her brother's orange fur.

He put his head in her lap and looked up at her. "I love you, Vivi." He said.

Vivian smiled. "I love you too, Kevy."

There was a scream not far away. Their mother's scream, coming from the house.

"Stay here!" Vivian told her brother. She carefully got up and then ran toward her home. She hid behind a tree and watched the shadows through the window. The Council guards were in the house.

"You know the rules! No one is allowed to breed more than they can handle. One child per adult. You broke that law. Your child will be put to death."

"No!" Keila cried. "Please! I'll do anything!"

"Put to death, or banished."

"Take my oldest! She can live with my mother on the outskirts! But please don't hurt my children!"

"Where are they?"

"In the forest... please, don't hurt her!" Keila cried.

"You would do best not to resist the law again. The Council may not be so forgiving a second time. As punishment for attacking an officer, your husband will serve three weeks in the temple prison."

Vivian watched as three guards exited the house. Two of them dragged her unconscious father. The other one walked toward her. She gasped and ran back into the forest, searching for her brother.

She found him where she'd left him. "Get up! Hurry. We have to go."

"What's happening?" He asked.

"They're going to take us away if they find us." She took his hand and together they fled into the thick of the forest. The guard wasn't far behind. They ran quickly and quietly through the woods. They knew most of the nearby area well from playing during the day, but it was different at night. Vivian pulled Kevin behind a bush and knelt down to hide.

"Vivi?"

"Sh! It's okay." She clamped her hand over his mouth to quiet him. The guard ran by the bush, continuing on toward the beach. Vivian took Kevin's hand and ran back the way they'd come. She led him to the great Mero tree; it was one of many in the forest, but this particular one had a hollow center. If one could climb to the giant Y at the middle, you could climb down into the perfect hideout. Vivian had discovered it, and her and Kevin had made a perfect little play house within.

But this was no time for play.

The two children scaled the tree. Vivian helped Kevin to climb down into their secret hideout. "Don't make any noise.. stay there until mommy comes." She told him. He nodded. "It's like hide and seek. If they find you, you lose." He nodded, making a zipping motion across his lips.

She climbed off the tree and started running, back toward home. She crept through the door. Keila was crying in the corner, holding her new baby. Vivian stood quietly for a few seconds.

"Mommy?"

Keila gasped, turning around. "Vivian? What are you doing here?"

"I'm scared..."

Her mother stood slowly and came toward her, leaving the newborn baby wrapped on the floor. She hugged her daughter close. "I'm sorry..."

"What's going to happen?"

"They want to take you to live with your grandmother. I'll come visit you when I can. You won't be able to come back to the village... I'm so sorry... They were going to kill her."

"What?" Vivian pulled out of the embrace. Fear was in her blue eyes.

"I'm sorry..." More tears spilled down Keila's cheeks. "Everything's going to be okay, I promise." She knelt in front of Vivian and put her hands on her shoulders. "Whatever happens, I want you to know that I love you, more than anything... and everything is going to turn out alright."

At that moment, two guards burst into the house. "That's the child?" One asked.

Keila's face wrinkled in anguish. "Please don't take her!" She cried.

"Come on, let's go." The larger one, a pig, grabbed Vivian roughly by the arm and jerked her away from Keila.

"No! Let me go! Mommy!" She cried.

Keila stood and began to go after her. The other guard held her back. "Now now, let's not be joining your husband in prison."

"Please! Don't take her away!" Keila cried helplessly as the pig dragged Vivian out of the house.

"Mommy!" She screamed. "Mommy!"

The pig dragged her along by her arm, through the village. The inhabitants were all crowded around, having woken up and come out of the house to see what the commotion was about. Vivian screamed and wailed and kicked as she was pulled along forcefully.

Two little boys, twins, stood by their mother's side and watched wide-eyed as the older girl was paraded like a prisoner. She was a goddess to them; always the tough one, yet she would protect her brother and his friends if anyone but her tried to pick on them. And there she was, held like a helpless infant and being forced to comply as she wailed in protest.

Fed up with her screaming, the pig turn and smacked her in the face with enough force to throw her to the ground. The frightened humiliated girl didn't move. She lay on the ground, quietly sobbing as her cheek stung from the blow.

"Come on, get up!" The pig cried. He snatched a handful of her long white hair and pulled her to her feet. She opened her mouth in a silent scream of pain as he pulled her through the village by her hair. She didn't dare look up at any one of the judgmental faces that were watching her. She knew what they were thinking. Even at seven-years-old she knew; What horrible crime has this girl committed that she should be treated this way?

She couldn't bear to open her eyes and see the disappointed faces of her friends, each and every one who once thought she was the perfect child. She had portrayed perfection for them. In their eyes she could do no wrong. And now that image was shattered. Her life was forever changed.

When she finally dared to open her eyes, it was because the pig had stopped dragging her to knock on a door. The door opened. A snow white elderly cat stood in the doorway with light from a fire pouring out into the dark night.

"Who is it? What do you want?" The old woman asked, despite knowing the answers to these questions already. She was blind, but her telepathy served as her sight. She was the most powerful telepath in the village. The Council had deemed her mentally unstable and banished her to the outskirts, but the true reason for her rumored mental illness was her outspoken nature. She had revealed an affair in the high ranking of the Council. The accused, in his fury, claimed her mentally ill and had her beaten within an inch of her life to drive out the 'illness.' She still hung to her claim, and he banished her. When she finally recovered from her beating, she was blind. Her eyesight never returned, and she learned to rely on her telepathy.

The pig let go of the terrorized little girl and pushed her toward the woman. She held out her arms and caught the child.

"What is this blasphemy? You cowardly thieves!" She cried. "This family never did anything to hurt you. Keila is perfectly capable of-..."

"Silence! Before I give you a real reason to complain."

Marie glared at the man with her hollow gray eyes. He shuddered and went back the way he'd come. Marie tenderly led Vivian inside.

"Come, dear. I'll make you some hot cocoa. Do you like cocoa? Of course you do. Sit down at the table. The chair at the right. It'll be ready in a few minutes. Make yourself at home, love. You're gonna be here for a while, might as well get used to it. I'm Marie. I'm your mother's mother. You can call me Grandma, or Marie. I don't mind either way, but I'll answer faster to Marie. If you need anything, come to me. The bathroom is down that hall on the left. Last door. I have telepathy, dear. Don't be frightened. I use it to see and to know what people wish."

Vivian stood up and walked toward the bathroom.

"If you need to cry, the bedroom on the right has a nice comfy pillow waiting for you on the bed."

The young girl bit her lip. One question floated to the top of her mind.

Marie paused in the midst of her constant flowing rush. She walked calmly to Vivian and knelt, placing her hands on the child's shoulders. "I'm sorry about what happened to your mother. I know it's hard. And it's not going to be easy. But what matters is that she loves you. She'll come see you as soon as she can. And it'll be okay. Nothing bad is going to happen to you while I'm here. I love you, Vivian. Everything is going to be alright. I promise."

Vivian held her composure for another two seconds, and then she cried.

Author's Notes: And here we see the beginning of why Vivian is such a pain in the ass.