Angelina was being unusually quite as she sat by the table in her room, she was looking intensely on two objects in front of her.

Two different stones shaped as two different animals. A blue owl and a red fox.

One had been given to Angelina, the other had been given to the Scarlet Fox. Almost felt ironic, her two different personas now had each their totem gifted by the Akapakis.

Angelina glanced at the owl, she remembered when her mother had given it to her. It had been shortly before she had left for Blakeney and Esperanza had pulled her aside out in the garden.

Angelina had been pretty excited at that time, she couldn't wait to put her secret plan into action and assume a male identity so she could learn how to sword fight! Then she could go home and really show her father how wrong he was.

Esperanza though wasn't quite as excited, she looked quite nervous and it was like a dark cloud was looming over her face.

"Mother i'll be fine, I promise!" Angelina had beamed at her. "You'll hardly even know i'm gone, and i'll be home again before you even know it!"

Esperanza smiled amused. "I suppose so." she admitted. "Still, Angelina you will be very far away. Very far away from this land where you were raised. I'm afraid it's not much to give but." at that she opened her hand and revealed the blue owl.

"Woah! Noctara!" Angelina gasped.

"The spirit of knowledge." Esperanza said. "Hopefully he will help you gain all that new knowledge you seek, and he'll watch over you now that I can't." she said taking Angelinas hand then put the totem in it. "Please, carrie it on your person at all time. Then you'll always carrie a piece of home with you."

Angelina gaped then she looked up, suddenly feeling a lump in her throat. "Thank you." she breathed. "I will I promise! And i'm going to make you really proud you'll see!"

"Dear, i'm already proud of you." Esperanza assured. "Just… Be careful, there's a storm brewing."

"How bad can it be? I'm sure you and father can handle it. You're the strongest people in the world!" Angelina smiled amused. "And i'll be fine."

Esperanza smiled amused, then slowly she laid her hands around Angelina and pulled her in, hugging her daughter.

"Mother?" Angelina asked surprised.

"I just want you to know that I love you." Esperanza said. "And even though I know you'll be back, i'm going to miss you. Please come back safely."

"I promise mother." Angelina assured. "I love you to, things are going to be fine though. You'll see."


Back at her table in her room Angelina frowned as she looked at the blue totem, she was supposed to feel things right? But really she didn't feel anything, was that normal?

Then her eyes moved to the red totem which was part of a larger more elaborate necklace. The red fox… The trouble maker, the trickster, the deceiver. Probably a lot better suited for her than the spirit of knowledge.

Angelina sighed as she picked it up, that night where she had drunken that flower tea. That night had been weird! And yet she barely remembered anything about it.

She remembered walking into the woods hoping to find a place to rest and quick, soon she had started to see shadows, more of them, and she had started to hear voices too. Very strange voices.
Some of them had been loud and some of them more quiet.

Finally she had found a place to settle down, a large tree which provided decent shelter if she curled together at its trunk, but barely had she begun to settle before images had started to flash in front of her eyes.

Weird images. She saw the Captain standing in front of her, but suddenly he was much larger than usual, his eyes burned red and he had seethed.

"Order…. I demand order."

And his powerful hand reached forward as they ripped large and very old trees from the ground, he removed the playing children. Then his eyes turned to an Apakai camp where a group of Akapakis were minding their own business, playing games, cutting up a bore. Putting up tents in a circle.

"That is not order." Monstrasio had commented and lifted his foot, then stamped on it and it was all gone. Leaving a piece of spot free and very flat land.

Angelina swallowed. "No, you can't do that!" she stated. "You're going to far! Order to this degree means there'll be no freedom! This is wrong! Fairbanks is beautiful because it's wild, you can't just."

"So what do you intend to do about it little hero?" a voice asked and Angelina had turned to see the sergeant himself sitting on a tree branch looking rather casual. "Man it really must be easy to be you. You get to put on a cape, play hero for a day and then go home to what ever warm bed you sleep in. Must be nice."

"Sergeant?" Angelina asked confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to be a hero." Garzia then commented as if he hadn't even heard her. "Didn't turn out that way, oh well." he shrugged. "Funny how things rarely turn out the way you thought it would isn't it?"

"I'm… I'm not a hero." Angelina breathed.

"I see." Garzia nodded. "So you're really not taking this seriously at all huh? Makes sense."

"Of course i'm taking it seriously!" Angelina exclaimed. Then suddenly Garzia was right in front of her, his head bowed down so they were the same height.

"Are you though? Are you really taking this seriously?" He asked. "Do you even know what is at stake? Do you have any idea at all? Is there a single day in your life you had to take any responsibility?" Garzia asked in a pleasent tone but then he turned bitter. "Some of us have to make the hard choices, and we have to live with the consequences! You really think you're above that?!" he asked annoyed then leaned closer to her. "I'll let you in on a little secret... No you're not above that. No one is." And as he had spoken those words he was gone, as if he had never even been there in the first place.

Wide-eyed Angelina looked in front of her and suddenly realized she was all alone in the forest, except for all the shadows around her, the yellow eyes looking at her, it really felt like she was being observed. Then suddenly Angelina heard it, slashes through the air, big breaths, like if someone was constantly launching and she started to run. "Hallo?" she called. "Is someone there?!" she asked as she pushed herself through the bushes then halted by the sight of a middle aged man standing there in front of her.

In his hand he had a sword which he constantly launched through the air in a series of attack, he stepped backwards and launched, then twirled and finally seemed to disarm his invisible opponent.

"Father?" Angelina blinked in confusion, it was really strange. Francesco looked younger than when Scarlet had last seen him, his brown hair wasn't even graying! He looked more like the way he had before Angelina had left for Blakeney.

"Oh there you are about time, you're late Angelina." Francesco commented.

"I'm sorry. Late for what?" Angelina asked.

At that Francesco frowned annoyed. "Your sword practice what else?" he asked. "I told you didn't I? If you wish to learn how to wield a sword probably we need to practice every single day. You said you could do it."

"Oh." Angelina blinked astounded. "Sure.. I mean." and she stepped forward a bit hesitant as she pulled her sword.

Francesco frowned a bit dissatisfied. "You need to bend those knees." he commented then walked behind her. "Lift that elbow." he demanded. "And your sword grip, it's much to tight. Didn't I teach you anything?" he asked.

"I'm sorry father." Angelina breathed as she got into position.

"No i'm sorry." Francesco exhaled as he came back into Angelina's point of view, though suddenly he looked older. Much older, and very tired.

"Father?" Angelina asked and Francesco groaned as he sat down leaning up against a tree.

"I'm to old for this, to tired." Francesco groaned.

"Of course not! You're not old father!" Angelina exclaimed.

Francesco though didn't respond as he held a hand over his face as his hair seemed to change from brown, to gray, to white.

"No it's to soon." Angelina shook her head. "You still have so much more to give, father."

"You know this is your fault." A woman commented as she stood beside Francesco frowning annoyed, a young beautiful woman in a purple dress. "Where were you Angelina?" Lolita asked. "Everything changed and where were you? Out playing pretend? Well I hope you had fun!"

"Lolita that's not what I meant." Angelina tried.

"THIS IS SERIOUS!" Lolita shouted. "This is not one of your little games! We needed you Angelina, but where were you?" she asked.

And Angelina swallowed then tore her eyes away as she couldn't look anymore but as she looked up she saw. A beautiful woman standing there, her dark skin and long flowing black hair.

"Mother." Angelina breathed by the sight of Esperanza. "MOTHER!" she called as she reached for her and then she ran, yet no matter how fast she ran it only seemed like Esperanza only became further and further away. "MOTHER WAIT! DON'T GO! MOTHER!" she shouted then suddenly she fell over a root and landed on the ground urgh. She groaned and looked up as she saw a blank polished boot belonging to a certain captain and she looked up to true enough see Monstrasio kneeling above her.

"Silly child." Monstrasio commented. "You haven't even realized yet, that your mother is gone." he commented as his eyes become a strange yellow color and his body seemed to change into a strange mist as his voice changed into something outer worldly. "The task you have taken upon yourself is admirable, but you're not ready." the strange mist form commented and Angelina blinked as she realized a ton of these misty creatures were surrounding her. And she heard the whispers.

"Just a child."

"Not ready."

"She'll only get killed, and get lots of other killed to."

"So imature."

"She's just playing the little hero."

"Selfish."

"What does she wish to accomplish?"

"She'll destroy everything."

And Angelina closed her eyes. "Hey!" she spoke up. "Look, I know i'm not perfect, I know I still have a lot to learn." she said. "I… I know I wasn't there when my family needed me the most. That's why I have to try to make it up to them. To everybody." she said. "Please, at least I have to try!

For a moment there was silence, then finally a response.

"Very well."


Angelina didn't remember more than that, and most of that had been weird in of itself. Things had changed before her eyes, she knew she hadn't been quite there for the duration of it. Most of it had felt like such a strange dream.
Angelina glanced up through the window and then her eyes widened as for just a minor moment, she could have sworn she had seen a couple of yellow eyes looking back at her from the shadows! Eyes like a fox's eyes.
Angelina shook her head as she squinted her eyes, no it couldn't have been, she was over tired! She had just imagined that for sure! Like everything else in that forest, it was all that tea that had made her see things!

….. At least that's what Angelina sincerely hoped.