DISTANCE VOICES FROM A TRAGIC PAST
Yooralla watched as Amaroo's empty billabong came in to view, she knew even before she got any further that it was empty. The people had left she could see the burnt out ambers of the fire. "Well that's a pain they left quite a while ago by the looks of it." Her friend walked forward on all fours coming stand next to the empty patch where the dust from the fire remained. Yooralla breathed in deeply. "I'm sorry." Arora shifted her clawed hand through the dust watching as it spilt through her clawed fingers. "I don't fault you, you led me here." Yooralla looked up at the hot sun. "It will take us a long time to catch up now on foot, though I could fly and see where they are." Arora sniffed the air. "No that won't be necessary..." She eased up a clawed hand walking towards the flattered grass which was close by it had a familiar smell, she felt a twinge of pain it had been so long. She leaned forward breathing out watching as red smoke blasted out from her jaws, covering the area.
She stepped back as the smoke fully formed in to a small woman with long blonde hair who appeared to be sleeping on her side. What she was seeing was no more than the echo of a soul that had now moved on. She tensed recognising the clothing instantly as well as the face and the half closed eyes obviously the moment she had captured was just before this woman had fallen to sleep. Yooralla eased up her hand. "Yes that's her." She pointed her finger at the claw like weapons on each of her boots. "She poked Amaroo in the eye with one of those odd looking weapons." Arora stared at the woman for a long moment before taking in a sharp breath yes it was her, she had not seen her face in what felt like centuries but then it had been centuries. An hour in the land of the living was a year in the Aztec seventh hell. Yooralla looked at her friend. "You look truly moved, is she who you thought she was?" Arora narrowed her gaze. "Yes…"
Yooralla looked up slightly. "Then who she, that you should have so much interest in her?" Arora turned shaking her mane. "We knew each other once but never very well, I was young, angry and stupid and I hated her for loving some one else." She stood up on her hinds legs. "I didn't understand everything, I learnt a lot in the seventh hell more than I ever needed to know." Yooralla raised an eyebrow. "How cryptic, now do you want to tell me who she is?" Arora turned slightly. "No." Yooralla moved forward innocently putting a hand in the thick mane. "Oh okay but just so you know you're missing something." Arora snapped her head around. "I don't miss a thing!" Yooralla patted her mane. "You know friend you're a very gifted dreamer but you still have a lot to learn." She leaned down moving her hand across the woman's lower stomach causing the skin to melt away revealing a tiny little being encased by a deep red womb wall. "She's pregnant seven weeks if I'm not mistaken."
She put her on her face feeling a smile creep over her lips. "Strange little child it appears that its father isn't normal." She moved her hand watching as the smoke moved out of her fingers drifting over the area opposite forming the body of a taller woman with long dark black hair who was sleeping next to the golden haired woman on her back. "She's the unborn child's father, how fascinating I mean you don't see that every day." She moved her hand causing both images to disappear. She turned ignoring the utter shock in her friend's face the look slowly turned to sadness as her ears lowered. She stood up slowly. "What's wrong, why do you look so sad?" Arora lowered her gaze to the floor as she stepped away speaking in a tone which sounded distant and painful even to her own ears. "I wish this child had been me…maybe then things would have been different."
8
Aphrodite breathed in painfully she could feel the pain in her arms from the sun burn as well as her face and shoulders. She could see that Ares was suffering just as much as her. The only thing she didn't understand was how Xena, Gabrielle and Bastiaan's had all healed up she eyed Amaroo who was walking in front of them. "How much further?" Amaroo turned eyed her. "Over the next ridge." Ares eyed the dark being in disgust. "You said that, two hours ago!" He looked up feeling the hot sun as it burnt down on him. He was honestly starting to feel unwell. His stomach felt like it was turning and twisting and the burns were really hurting him also every step he took hurt.
Amaroo eyed him. "You do realize that the reason you have been made to walk through this desert and that you haven't been healed up like the others is because my leader is testing you as gods. When we get to Uluru he will heal all your wounds and you'll feel no more pain. Up until that then I suggest you grin and bear it and show your strength." Ares eyed the Bunyip. "Tell me if you are not a godly being why is it, I never see you drinking water?" Amaroo narrowed his gaze. "Because I make my own water..." Ares sneered raising his hand. "You are such a cryptic annoying bastard!" Amaroo turned feeling a smile form. "Clearly you are feeling fear otherwise you wouldn't say that war god."
Ares felt his teeth grind together. "Don't call me war god I hate being called that, my name is Ares!" Bastiaan leaned over so he was close to Aphrodite ear he spoke keeping his voice at a whisper. "I see your step brother is making friends." Amaroo eyed Ares. "You only hate being called war god because the Aztec god Huitzilopochtli called you it on a regular basis to mock you." He paused ignoring the dark haired mans surprise. "It's a title you've been desperate to get away from as you're trying to reform yourself and become a true god of war." Gabrielle narrowed her gaze. "You know the thought of that is amusing." Ares turned eyeing her. "You know I'm going to ignore that comment Gabrielle since your only being temperamental because right now your hormones are out of sink."
Gabrielle eyed him in disgust. "It has nothing to do with my hormones the truth is I hate you!" She felt her teeth grind together. "Pity Huitzilopochtli didn't kill you in Mexica when he had the opportunity." Ares felt the sharp pain as that comment sunk in he turned around to face her causing her to stop. "What is it can't you help yourself? Do you have say something vindictive to me when ever you get the chance!" Gabrielle stood still feeling her hand form a fist. "What's wrong can't you handle your own medicine?" She stepped closer. "I could give you a long list of all the vindictive things you have said to my face regardless of how much it hurt my feelings and let's not even start on how you love to mock the fact that I can't deliver in the bedroom!"
She felt a sneer form. "But let's face facts you have had plenty of sex but I doubt you have ever had anything meaningful in the whole of your miserable immortal life, I may not have had much but I have got a Tartarus more than you could ever dream off!" Bastiaan eased up his hand. "Can I just add that when she was Horn Hind, I wish she had torn your head off?" Gabrielle eyed Ares enjoying the hurt look as it spread across his face. "I'll always have more than you do Ares, must hurt like Tartarus to know that the worthless one was never me instead it was always you!" Xena rolled her eyed gods this was getting hard she didn't think as she pushed herself between them forcing them apart as gently as possible.
She took in a deep breath normally she wouldn't care but it was to hot and she was still tired and as much as she didn't like Ares her lover tearing in to him at any given opportunity which really wasn't making this trip any easer. She spoke keeping her voice even. "Would you both please stop it?" Ares narrowed his gaze. "She started it!" Xena turned sharply eyeing him. "I don't care who started it, its making this trip hard on everyone." She turned eyeing her lover. "She also has an excuse to be temperamental you on the other hand don't." Ares raised his hands. "You think I came on this trip to get in between you don't you, you think I actuality planned this?"
Xena moved gently pushing her lover back further so she was out of reach of Ares, clearly in the mood she was in right now she'd probably hit him again given the chance. "In all honesty yes I do, after all you did follow us to Mexica, it would be like you to plan something like this and call it an accident." She felt a sneer form. "I'm sure there something here that you want, some all powerful item that's got your attention, why else would you come here?" Ares watched as Aphrodite came forward to speak he raised his hand stopping her he turned back meeting the dark haired woman's light blue gaze. "I don't care about this place! I don't care about its god ether my being here was a mistake!" He turned easing up his sunburned arm. "You think I'd bother with this kind of pain?" Xena raised an eyebrow. "Yes I do since it didn't stop you in Mexica." Ares narrowed his gaze. "I hated Mexica! My very going there was a big mistake the biggest I ever made and I never wanted to go through that again, once was enough."
He eyed his burnt arm. "Yet here I stand in another place feeling the pain of the sun and once more I'm mortal. This is the last place I want to be but like all of you I'm stuck here!" Gabrielle felt a cruel smile form. "He's lying." Xena took in a deep breath as she turned to her lover speaking softy. "Please can you not do this now?" Gabrielle felt her anger as it started to boil up. "You're defending him!" Xena put a hand through her hair in frustration. "No Gabrielle I'm not defending him you know how I feel about this we've talked about it and once we get to Uluru you can shout at him all you want. I just don't want you doing it in this place it hot and everyone's thirsty and it's not helping." Gabrielle folded her arms in annoyance. "Fine." Xena narrowed her gaze not thinking as she grabbed Ares by his shirt pulling him forward in a violent motion. "I also don't want to hear another word out off you other wise I'll give you something to really complain about." She shoved him back harshly. "Am I making myself clear?"
Ares adjusted his shirt collar. "Perfectly." Amaroo felt a wide smile form. "You're all so fascinating with your little inner personal battles, it makes such a change normally the dreamers who come here from other lands aren't nearly as interesting as this." Ares eyed him in disgust he turned watching as Gabrielle moved back to walk opposite Xena who rolled her eyes. He didn't want to be here, he didn't give a damn about this place, why wouldn't they believe him Aphrodite had already said why he was here wasn't that enough? He took in a painful breath no he knew why this was happening and he'd be a fool to deny it even to himself he had betrayed Xena trust over and over again and now because of this she didn't believe in the honour of his words.
As for Gabrielle she hated him outright for all the pain he'd caused her, she'd gotten to the point now that she no longer cared what he said in her view it was a lie regardless. Despite that he'd saved her life and that off her unborn child she wasn't willing to even to give him a chance but then this was the price for a life of dishonour and lies, he could see this very clearly now. He had no intention of getting in the middle of their relationship anymore, Xena had said her piece in Mexica and he would honour her discussion. That didn't stop his want to be their friend and only their friend but they were both pushing him back violently at every turn. In Truth despite the way he'd treated them in the past other than Aphrodite they were the closest things to friends he had. He desperately wanted to keep make that friendship being alone was to much to take, the thought of that was one of the reasons he'd spent the last few months alone in the Hall Of War feeling deeply depressed because he had, had no idea how to make it right or where to start with the both of them.
He looked up watching as a large mountain range came in to view it was in the middle of the landscape and completely alone. He breathed in deeply, he really hoped that this was Uluru he had, had enough this trip now. It had been one big painful effort and he could see that Aphrodite was suffering just as much as he was now. Gabrielle felt herself freeze in mid motion as she stared at the mountain range which was huge and red she blinked as an image crossed her mind. She could see it with crystal clarity in her mind the place in her dream vision, she couldn't help herself as she slowly kneeled down picking up the red sand feeling it spill through her fingers it was automatic and she had no control over it. She looked up at mountain ignoring her lovers surprise feeling her eyes narrow this was the very spot she'd stood in, in her dream. Everything was the same she could even see the dark areas breaching the clear blue sky the only thing which was missing was the snake god which she'd seen, she lowered her gaze watching as Xena kneeled down next to her the concern in her eyes.
Xena eased up her hand putting it gently on her lovers shoulder. "Sweetheart, are you okay?" Gabrielle picked up more of the red sand watching as it flowed through her fingers as she spoke. "I've been here before." Xena turned eyeing the red mountain which was massive it was taller than any Aztec temple. "You have, when?" Gabrielle stood up slowly watching as her lover did the same she looked down as the last of the red sand spilt through her fingers. "I know this place it was in a dream I had before we left to go to Illyria, I was standing on this spot looking at that mountain. I saw a snake god who looked similar to Quetzalcoatl rise up from the top of that mountain he had this really painfully screech it hurt my ears so much."
Amaroo stopped turning to her. "Why do you assume it was only a dream?" Gabrielle looked up sharply. "I was sleeping." Amaroo felt a smile form. "You could only come here if you truly wanted to come and no one comes here unless they have a reason to be here and their never sleeping." Gabrielle eyed him for a long moment. "No that's not possible it was a dream, I have no reason to be here I brought here by accident." Amaroo shook his head. "No one is brought here by accident if you and your lover are here you're here for a purpose though the purpose may not be clear to you now, I'm sure it will become clear soon enough." He paused before turning to meet her confused gaze. "On top of that you assume you came here while you were sleeping what if you couldn't tell the difference?"
Xena stepped forward. "Every one can tell when their sleeping or dreaming." Amaroo walked forward watching as the others followed. "Not in Uluru they can't and if your lover was here she wouldn't have been able to tell. She could have vanished and you wouldn't have known about it, the only odd thing is that she didn't drag you along. As you practically joined at the soul clearly it's going to take slightly longer for you to join her dreams." Xena blinked eyeing him for a long moment. "What does that mean?" Amaroo shook his mane as he moved forward. "Some things are obvious some are not that is the way of the world, you know that better than anyone." Gabrielle took in a deep breath steadying her self as she spoke. "How do you know I was here in this place, you said you know my dreams but how could you know this, did you see me standing here?"
Amaroo's smile widened as he ignored the shock in everyone's faces. "Oh yes I saw you standing here, you just don't remember the full dream, you and I have already talked and this isn't the first time you and I have spoken. In fact I've spoken with you and your lover many times before, but lately it's been much more frequently." He paused eyeing them both. "Though this is the first time I've ever seen you both together, you normally always talk about one another." Xena moved forward watching as he stopped. "Is that the reason that you know so much about us, you've spoken to us and we told you about ourselves?" Amaroo eased up a clawed hand. "No as I said this morning there are no secrets here in this place." He shrugged his shoulders. "I've also seen your friend Bastiaan as well but not as frequently and we've talked as well." Xena eyed him feeling the frustration take over. "You've not answered my question."
Amaroo paused before looking up. "Do you know that every night you have more than one dream but they say that you only ever remember one dream, what do you suspect you do in the dreams which you don't remember?" He moved forward eyeing the mountain of Uluru. "The dream time is vast and long and it all leads to this place but only a certain number of people have the ability to transcend its barriers and walk a very special line and they normally end up visiting this place very frequently but never remember it when they awaken. Should the dream time shake or stutter their dreams can become reality and they can find themselves standing on these desert sands." Aphrodite stepped forward. "Then there is something wrong with the dream world?" Amaroo carried on walking towards the mountain he could already see people bellow it in the shade from the sun. He turned slowly to her. "It is only for my leader to tell you that, I'm just a guide and believe me when I say our great leader already knows you're here."
End of part 45
Silvermoonlight
