* Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Lycans/Vampires or their powers as depicted in Underworld. However, every character in this story (save two that will come up later) is of my own creation. Please do not steal them.*

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Foreseen and Unforeseen

A little less than a year had passed since the night the clan discovered Arienne's ability to change at will, and at one point they discovered that this also included the absence of the full moon. The full moon held no sway over her as it did over the rest of the clan. Some wondered if there was anything she couldn't do, but Arienne somehow knew that she wasn't anything but a link to future generations.

One night, Diarra called a meeting with the main Donovan family. Rigel stood before the lot of them, trying to call order. "Quiet down, here. Quiet! My beautiful wife, Didi, has an announcement to make. Apparently it's so big, she won't even let me know about it." A few people laughed as he moved down to take Arienne on his lap, swapping places with Diarra. Whispering in Arienne's ear, he asked, "Has she told you?" She shook her head no as they stared up anxiously at her mother taking the floor.

"As you all know, my daughter was the first Lycan to be born a female. She is also the first to be able to transform at will. Many of us believe there will never be another like her. However, that said, we will all soon have the chance to see if that's true." She smiled as the room 'ahhed' and cheered at the news.

Still holding Arienne in his arms, Rigel jumped to his feet. "Didi!" he cried, astounded. "Another?" She nodded, tenderly rubbing her stomach that had barely begun to show. She'd obviously kept it a secret for some time. "Hurrah!" he shouted. He hoisted Arienne high in the air, resting her on his shoulders as he thundered over to his wife, wrapping her in a huge hug.

Arienne asked over the rabble, "Will you name him Mikelos?"

"Why?" asked Rigel, stunned.

"Catherine told me you would have named me Mikelos had I been a boy. Are you going to name my brother Mikelos?"

Rigel and Diarra looked at each other for a moment. "We don't know if it will be a boy. And if it is, I don't think that name will suit him now," said Diarra.

"But Catherine says you will have a boy. I believe her. She says she even knew I was going to be born."

Rigel pulled her down off his shoulders. "What do you mean, she knew?"

"She told someone the night I was born that I would be a girl. They didn't believer her, and when you announced the truth, they looked at her suspiciously."

"Our Catherine is a Seer," whispered Diarra. "I'm shocked no one's noticed sooner."

"Mother, what's a Seer?"

"A Seer is a person who can see things that even Lycans cannot see. Not many humans have this power, but those who do are either worshipped as gods, or killed as witches and devils."

"But what do they see?"

"They can see what will be, what has not yet happened. Some may see truth behind lies, good and evil, premature death, and even apparitions of people already dead."

Arienne's eyes widened. "You mean Catherine can see all that?!"

"She might be able to see some of that. I can't guarantee that she can see anything but the immediate future. Come to think of it, she's been in our care since she was two human years old, and now she's ten. In all that time we've never seen anything to prove she's a Seer, but in three years of life, you have become closer to Catherine than any Lycan has with a servant. You've discovered more about her than anyone."

"She's my friend," Arienne said. "No Lycans are friends with servants?"

"None until you, dear," said Rigel sweetly. Arienne's brow furrowed. "There's nothing wrong with it, child! Don't fret! You may be friends and no one will punish you for it. Anyway, she will become a Lycan later in life."

"Do Seers ever lose their powers?"

"I don't suppose they do, but I've never known one for this long. I believe they keep them so long as they continue using them."

Arienne looked intrigued. "I want to go speak with Catherine now," she said, moving antsy in her father's arms. "I'll be back to talk about my brother soon." Rigel set her down and watched her run smiling out the door.

"Do you think there's a reason why our clan would find this young orphan girl that would later turn out to be the first Seer in a century?" asked Rigel.

"She's a divine gift. We should be glad to have her and be supportive of her gift. Knowing the humans of the nearby city, her first sign of power would have been her last." Diarra took a breath. "It was meant to happen. She will guide Arienne through life."

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Arienne ran through the carpeted halls, her Lycan speed carrying her swiftly up floors, nearly five steps at a time. As she rounded a corner, she slid to a stop outside Catherine's room and knocked excitedly. "Catherine? It's Arienne," she called through the thick wooden door. There was a click and the door eased open, and there Catherine stood. "Catherine! Can I come in?" Arienne was grinning so hard, it was making her face hurt.

"Why, of course, Miss Arienne." Catherine stepped back allowing her entry. "Why are you so excited?" she asked closing the door behind her.

"I was just with my parents downstairs and my mother just announced that she's going to have another baby."

"Congratulations."

"But you already told me a few nights ago that I'd have a brother. How did you know?"

"It was just a guess. I had a dream one night of you and a boy playing in the yard together. You were both changing into and out of your Lycan forms. I could only assume he had to be your brother."

Arienne leaned in close and whispered, "Mother and Father believe you are a Seer."

"What?"

"I told them you knew about me being a girl and about my brother, and they said you could be a Seer."

Catherine's eyes widened. "Some of the older humans have told me stories of Seers. They say that Seers have the power to see what no one else can. They can see what people are trying to hide, see the future, even see ghostly spirits and demons. Oh, I fear being a Seer. I don't want to see such things."

"But why? It's a gift! You should be proud—"

"Proud? Would you be proud to see a loved one's death? To see the painful truth when a lie would make one happy? To be a prophet is to live in misery. Those who seek answers chase after them, and those who receive displeasing answers curse the prophet or seek vengeance upon them." Catherine slumped down onto her bare bed. "I do not want anyone to know, is that clear? Only you and your parents are to know."

Arienne blinked in wonder. "Then… then no one else will know. We can only hope that Mother and Father have not told anyone else yet. And if they already have—"

"Then so be it. If they know, they know."

"But no matter what happens, I'll be your friend, loyal and trustworthy like a sister. Do you trust me?"

Catherine smiled. "Of course I trust you, Miss Arienne."

"You need not call me 'Miss' when we are friends. I am simply Arienne." She jumped over to the bed and wrapped her in a hug. "Shall we run to my parents to stop them from telling our secret?"

"Yes, we must try."

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*Coming soon: "The New Addition".*