Author Notes: Hey people. Finally got chapter 12 out here. For those that care, Shattered Hopes' next chapter had a bit of a snag when i......chuckles....sort of lost the file. Anyhow, hope you at least enjoy the chapter. I'll have more up soon, in fact chapter 13 is about half way done. Thanks again to Crafty Lefty, and especially thanks to all readers.

The Footsteps in the Darkness ~ SkullFox



Chapter 12: Grief…

-Grief…a word far too often used in the world. A thousand times it crosses our minds in our lives and so many more times. It is a sadness that most would be happy to live without, and yet none are so lucky as not to feel its bitter sting throughout life…for some sooner, and more often than others…

Fox slowly stood up bringing Krystal up out of the leaves, pulling her into a tight embrace. It was as he held her that something caught his eye causing him to slowly move away from her. Something in the bushes nearby caused him to disbelieve his eyes…

"Dad?" he asked.

James looked up at the young vulpine. "Hello son. Strange coincidence meeting here, wouldn't ya say?" he chuckled.

James was stricken as the young fox burst through the foliage throwing his arms around his father. "I…I thought…"

James sighed as he hugged his son. "No Fox. I'm fine…" he said pulling away from him, "Thanks to this young vixen anyhow," he said looking to Krystal whose face turned a slight shade of red as she looked away. "As much as I'd like to explain this however, we have a situation here."

Fox suddenly turned to Krystal. "Shit!" he shouted starting toward the village before nearly collapsing to one knee holding his ribs, causing Krystal to rush to him.

"Fox you're hurt," she said helping him to his feet.

Fox groaned. "I had a rough landing," he said, "I'm okay though…but, I think your friend Reena may be in trouble. She ran off saying something about her not being able to feel Marr anymore."

Krystal had a look of disbelief on her face as she looked out toward the village. "Fox I can heal you after we reach the village, but I have to get there as quickly as possible to warn my father before something horrible happens. Mahlay's lost his mind. He's going to kill the elders, and I think he's trying to take over the village."

Fox simply sighed. "I understand, I'll do my best to stay on my feet. Just try not to move too fast. Remember I'm damaged goods back here alright?"

The vixen kissed his cheek making certain he was stable on his own feet before leading off into the woods, hoping and praying that she wasn't too late already…

******

Krystal's father sighed as he sat down for a spell. With all the current problems in the village, he was right not to take part in the ceremony with the other elders. However, as he sat down rubbing his aching forehead, a small number of youths rushed into the village. His telepathy instantly picked up on a number of jumbled thoughts. The kits had all returned from the ceremony, without any elders with them. Closing his eyes the animal concentrated just slightly. His telepathy had long ago reached a peak that other Cerinians could scarcely fathom. Within moments he'd scanned the village and was aware instantly of who was, and was not there, as well as what each individual animal was thinking at the moment. With his eyes still shut, Tyrius quickly stood up. There were only several minds missing from the village at the moment. His daughter was a given, in fact she was always out doing this or that. However, Marr was missing, as well as Reena, who he simply assumed were off somewhere together until Reena's mind quickly moved into range of his scan. She was panicked, nearly in tears. This worried him; a female Cerinian's emotions were made stalwart and strong, and if she was in this state it could only mean one thing…and the repeated name going through her mind was proof. She'd lost her link with her mate. The vulpine's ears instantly stood erect at the fact that he'd overlooked something…his own hut. He could sense his mate, but she was moving, and not of her own will. In fact she was not even thinking at the moment…she was unconscious. Suddenly a familiar voice struck the back of the elder's mind causing him to drop his staff…

"I believe I have something of yours Elder," the voice chuckled.

Tyrius growled inwardly. "Mahlay, this confusion is your doing. Where is Nalya? I swear if you'd done anything to harm her…you will come to wish you had died in that mountain."

"Was that a hint of anger I heard in your voice just now?" Mahlay's voice asked, "If you intend to get your precious mate back I would suggest you make your way to the northern lake. Before I get bored…and with one so lovely here I can think of a grand number of things to do that will slake my boredom. And if you wish to see her alive, I would suggest coming alone."

Looking to the animals that rushed to help the young that ran back into the village, Tyrius' normally calm demeanor slowly twisted into an expression of sheer anger. Several nearby animals instantly fell to their knees under the pressure that ebbed from the now enraged animal, holding their heads and stomachs. The ground beneath the vulpine's feet sunk as the snow around him was pushed away by an invisible force, leaving a large blank space around him. The animal didn't run, rather his body levitated off the ground, higher and higher until he could look down on the canopy of the wood. He took a moment to look about the area before he locked his gaze to the north. His lip curled maliciously, as his teeth were clenched tightly in anger. He could taste the blood that seeped from his gums as his teeth clenched more and more tightly with every second he thought about the animal that dared lay paws on his mate. The animal instantly turned toward the visible waterfall to the north, and quickly shot in that direction…

It was only a mere instant before the blue furred animal fell before Mahlay, causing a mass of snow around his direct area to give in to the gravity of the power emanating from his being. Mahlay looked to the elder Cerinian with a hint of quite clear and present fear on his face. He'd never seen Tyrius angry, in fact no animal in the entire village had ever seen him show any emotion at all; and Mahlay had learned some time ago that anger could be just as deadly a weapon as it could be a liability. He felt around the angry animal until Tyrius' paw twitched…

"Ah, ah, ah…" Mahlay said turning his eyes to an older vixen that stood a short ways off.

As soon as Tyrius looked in her direction, a long wooden pole swung towards her with a sharpened, hammer-like end on it. The lethal device froze only an inch from her face, and with a gesture of Tyrius' paw, the trap shot from its spot flying in Mahlay's direction. The vulpine instantly leaped out over the projectile, and with a flick of his wrist, several other spear-like objects flew in the vixen's direction. However they too were instantly routed by the elder's power, before he held his other paw up to the side of his face, causing another spear to stop a few inches from his face. This weapon burst into a hail of sharp little shards of wood that rained into the bushes just off to his right causing Mahlay to roll from his supposed cover. The young Cerinian looked to his right arm, which was now covered in a sharp mesh of wooden spines. He'd barely managed to dodge the unexpected attack. However, the younger vulpine simply smiled before turning his eyes toward the elder's mate…

"Nalya…wake up!" he shouted causing her eyes to instantly snap open. "Put the knife to your throat," he demanded.

Tyrius watched in fear as the vixen, with tears in her eyes placed a sharp hunting knife to her own throat…

"One move and I give her the word and trust me when I say that she will do it," the younger vulpine said causing Tyrius to step back, "Hah. Why do you step down elder?" he asked with a sick curl in his lip, "This is how it goes, isn't it? After all if she were to die right now you'd simply replace her with another, wouldn't you?"

"You have no right to question me coward," Tyrius growled.

"Coward?" Mahlay scoffed, "You say that with so much hatred. Why don't you tell this lovely creature what the ceremony really is and see if she can still look at you with the same eyes she always has." The older Cerinian simply glared at him. "That's right. Females aren't allowed at the ceremony, are they? Should I tell her what she's been missing her whole life?" Mahlay asked looking over his shoulder, "Did you know, Nalya, that every year, the six that enter the forest with the elders…that there's a reason only three ever return?" he asked, "The three weakest are sacrificed to increase the abilities of the three strongest, in hopes of keeping the males of this tribe dominate."

"SHUT UP!!!" Tyrius screamed causing the young vulpine to slam violently against a large tree, causing a large mound of snow to fall…

Mahlay simply chuckled spitting out a small spot of blood. "Dear elder…was that anger?" he asked, "Was that directed at me for attacking your mate, or for telling her the truth? I am confused."

This time Tyrius threw his paw forward, but the young vulpine was out of the way before a burst of invisible force shattered the back and trunk of a small tree…

"This is it…" the young vulpine thought, "He's blind with rage. That attack missed me completely."

"Now is the time Mahlay…" Rath'ma's voice replied, "He fears attacking for what you will do to his mate. Kill him while you still can."

Without another thought, Mahlay shot across the small area in all the fashion and speed in which Krystal had taught him. The attacks from the elder burst against the ground at the vulpine's feet, tossing up snow and other debris in the young fox's face. However, after a substantially larger burst hid the vulpine from Tyrius' sight, the young Cerinian suddenly shot from the cloud of dirt and snow driving his fist into the older animal's chest. Tyrius slid back several small feet before faltering to one knee. The lad's punch felt like he'd just been struck by one of the hunter's of the village…and it instantly dawned on him. His stance, his positioning, and his form…it matched that of his own daughters to the slightest margin. As Tyrius stood, the vulpine instantly shifted to one side shooting back at him in a snake like pattern. Krystal's mother had developed this movement to throw an enemy off when she was still very young. His unpredictable movements led to a kick to the elder's side that caused him to hit the snow, sliding some distance away. Before the older animal could even react to the pain however, the young fox fell from the trees, driving his foot into the place where the elder's chest once was. Tyrius stood rolled to his feet only to have another powerful spinning kick land against him, crushing his left arm against his body. The elder let out a cry of pain as the bone snapped rendering his arm completely useless. It was as the older animal lay there writhing in pain that the knife in Nalya's paw flew free of her grip before coming to rest just short of her mate's heart…

"Now would be the time, elder," Mahlay said, "To bid farewell to your mate."

The vulpine tried forcing the knife forward, however, despite how much he willed it to go forward, something far more powerful caused the weapon to fall to the ground. Not only was his telekinesis not working, he couldn't even sense the vulpine's anger anymore. He glared over his shoulder. He'd completely forgotten about Nalya; she was clearly doing something to stop Mahlay's attacks from carrying on any further. Sometime during the struggle she managed to break his hold on her mind. Before he could notice it, a paw quickly forced its way into Mahlay's gut, sending a horrible shot of pain through his body, and a small trail of blood to flow from his mouth before he looked down to see the knife that he'd dropped, driven into his abdomen. The young vulpine looked to Tyrius for a moment, before releasing an ear shattering scream that caused both the elder and his mate to buckle to their knees. The young vulpine writhed in agony as his paws found their way instantly to the sides of his head. He rocked about as if trying to shake something from his head that simply wouldn't let go, as he fell to his knees. Mahlay's cries of agony caused Tyrius to slowly crawl back away from the young animal. Something was horribly wrong; the young Cerinian's mind was a jumble of horrible thoughts – images of entire worlds burning, places and animals that the elder had never seen before suffering in flames…

The young vulpine suddenly arched his back releasing another terrible cry of pain, his back arching until his head and neck rested on the ground behind him, his back still bowed as if his abdomen was attempting to climb to the heavens while leaving his head and legs glued to the forest floor. His paws and feet now clawed at the snowy ground, while his mouth gaped open in an silent scream before another scream of sheer agony erupted all around them. Tyrius then watched as the animal finally fell flat to his back, his eyes washed over as pure white as the snow around him. Tyrius could scarcely believe what he'd just witnessed, for what appeared to be no reason…the animal had simply…died…

The elder Cerinian limped toward his mate, only to have her rush into his arm. Tyrius cried out in pain, causing Nalya to realized that she'd applied a bit too much pressure to his arm; and she quickly jolted back, causing the vulpine to chuckle…

"Do you think so little of me Nalya?" he asked, "That I cannot handle a bit of pain…for the chance to hold you?"

With a smile the vixen wrapped her arms around him again, this time chuckling a bit to herself as she felt him jolt trying to hold the pain back. "What about him?" the vixen asked looking at Mahlay's body.

"It was odd…" Tyrius replied, "In that last moment…it was almost as if he was no longer Mahlay at all. Even after he attacked Krystal and Reena in the woods, there was at least some shred of the child we all knew…but, now…"

The vixen stepped closer to the fallen Cerinian. "Is…he dead?"

Tyrius knelt beside the downed fox. "I cannot feel his mind any longer. It was strange, as if everything Mahlay ever was simply…vanished all at once. I have never seen anything like it before in all my years."

Nalya sighed as she looked him over. "He was never so horrible…most of the villagers never even noticed him. He always kept to himself," she said, "What could drive such an innocent soul to do such things?"

Tyrius shook his head as he closed his eyes in a silent prayer for the animal. "I do not know. There are many things in this life that can turn us even against the ones we care for the most in our lives." the elder Cerinian said with a sigh, "And yet…something was peculiar about what he said. Something about…the truth…" he said, "But let us return to the village…the others will be curious as to where we have gotten off to."

******

Fox grasped his ribs as he ran into the vixen that suddenly stopped in front of him. She had a strange doubting look on her face, as if something was wrong, but she couldn't understand what…

"Krys…" Fox said, "Something wrong?"

Krystal paused placing her paw on her chest. "I…I don't know…" she replied, "Suddenly I cannot feel Mahlay's mind…but…" She shook her head. "No, it is probably nothing. The important matter is that father is alive, and if I cannot feel Mahlay's mind, that means that father won. That moves my worries on to the others injured."

Fox stepped up beside her resting a paw on her shoulder, only to have her place hers atop it as she concentrated her mind. She searched for that feeling, the one she felt for the animal beside her…certain that she would find Reena. It saddened her to feel how little love was actually in the village…she of course picked up on the natural love of parents for their young, but that was the most she felt. She probed the area until a mind struck her, but it was not a mind of joy and love as she'd expected…rather it was full of sorrow and grief. She could see it as if she were standing right next to the heartbroken vixen, as she knelt beside a badly injured Marr…

Reena held his limp head in her lap stroking his bloody hair, while singing a very low melody, something clearly taught by her mother, as it was tradition for all Cerinian families to have one small song passed from mother to daughter…

"I…tried my hardest…" Marr gasped hesitating to place his bloody, shaking paw on her cheek.

The vixen laid her fingers on his lip. "Shhhh…Krystal will be here soon. She can make this better…"

Marr coughed up a bit of blood that ran down the side of his face as he lightly shook his head. "Do…do not…blame her, Ree-…Reena," he muttered, "I…can already…see it…in your eyes," he gasped trying his hardest to at least wipe the tears from her face. "I…I knew…knew that he…was too strong. I just…did not want to…believe it. You have…to stop looking to Krystal…to fix life's problems…she cannot make the world's woes disappear. Only the gods…can," he said, "She…she needs you."

Reena clenched her eye shut tightly trying to force back her tears, as she held him closer to her. "But…I…need you…" she whispered laying her forehead against his.

The vixen opened her eyes as she felt him wipe away her tears again. "You…you have…no idea…what these tears mean to me," he said, "My father…often told me that…that love…was created by our minds…to moreover hide our urge to mate." He grimaced in pain, before beaming with a bloody smile. "But…your tears, they prove that he was wrong. That a proud hunter…can shed tears…even for someone…like me," he said lightly kissing her, "Thank you…"

Reena tilted her head forward meeting his lips with her own, closing her eyes tightly. His kiss was still soft and warm, but slowly, what effort he had used in that last moment faded, and his head grew heavy before it fell, breaking their kiss. In a fit of disbelief the young vixen shook him roughly…

"Marr…" she called shaking him again, "Marr!!"

Krystal suddenly shook her head sniffling and wiping her nose as she turned slowly to Fox. Her face was wet with tears, and she wore a look of disbelief. Realizing that there was nothing that words could do for her, the chestnut furred vulpine welcomed the vixen into his arm. He tried his hardest to comfort her, but it was all he could do to simply hold her. It was as the vixen cried into his shoulder that James looked over to his son. It took no more than a short glance from the young vulpine to tell his father that some close to her was dead.

Krystal was still in shock. Though she'd not known Marr as well as many other animals in the village, he had showed several times his understanding of her position on the courtship, and her way of thinking. He respected her, and as such he'd gained issue to her friendship. Not only had she lost a friend, but now she would be forced to see the impact that this would have on her closest friend. Was what James told her the truth? Was there no way of making life fair? She wanted so badly to ask Fox, James, any god that might be or have been…but at the moment she could only stay as she was…weeping for both Reena, and Cerinia's loss…