Reclaimed Memories

It was raining. Icy sheets of water came down in torrents. Lightning was flashing, the sea was roaring around them, great waves threatening to pick the small group up and hurl them into the darkness beyond their depths. It was cold, he was afraid.

The faeries were shouting, trying to keep their positions. Trying to keep the world from preventing their doings. There was someone holding him, the gray cloak wrapped around her shoulders whipped this way and that sending lines of searing water everywhere. Her bright violet eyes were feverish with anger as her soaked lavender colored hair was blown about her face in gnarled ropes.

She was yelling at another who looked just as frightened as he felt. The frightened faerie sat down wrapping her arms around herself. Her long waste length hair was white, the dress she wore was in rags, and her eyes were pale and empty. The one who held him raised him by the scruff of his neck and threw him at the faerie.

He whimpered as he collided with the stone and flopped against her side. She made an indistinct sound of anguish, putting her face in her hands. The other faerie threw something else that glinted in the lighting flashes. It fell, a silver dagger, and buried itself to the hilt in the stone. Crying out for his mother, the tiny lupe cub scrabbled at the gray faerie's lap. He screamed for someone, anyone, to help him. He didn't understand, he couldn't understand what was happening. Why Fyora and her Faerie Council had come and kidnapped him from his home. Why she was so angry with the gray faerie. Why...?

Suddenly, the waters calmed, the lighting and the rain ceased. The eye was passing over them. "Do it!" Fyora snarled at the gray faerie, "or the rest of your existence will be as miserable as I can possibly make it!" She turned and walked a few feet away and shouted. "Begin!"

The other four faeries raised the arms and cried.

"Fire, earth, water, and air,

Summon the power that you wield.

To create a binding from elements bare,

power that nothing will yield."

Their voices died away as they began to speak in turn. A faerie with long red hair raised her voice to the sky.

"Fire will lend its heat,

Through passion and hate,

One that will not settle for defeat

Will be bound as of late."

The faerie next to her spoke, blond hair and light blue clothes.

"Air will bring long lasting life

A misery and a gift.

So long as the chains linger in strife,

Never shall the binding lift."

Another spoke, fawn brown hair and a gown of deep green satin.

"Strongest bonds shall be granted by earth,

Unbreakable even to the strongest heart.

The silver to at last prove its worth,

And bring forth its terrible art.

The last spoke, who wore no cloth, but shells, and had a fish tail for legs.

"Water grants its secrecy

To the chains of imprisonment.

Unseen shall they forever be

Unless their captive be of defiant temperament."

One by one beams of light came from the four faeries. Red, light blue, green, and navy. The great beams arched and met above the lupe and the gray faerie. The tiny lupe cub pressed his face against her dress, crying in terror.

"I'm sorry!" He kept shouting, "I'm sorry for whatever I did! I didn't mean to, I swear I didn't mean to! I promise I won't do it again, just let me go home!"

"I'm sorry," the gray faerie said quietly, "you're like me. You have no home to go to anymore." She raised her head to look at the glowering Fyora, and reached out to pick up the dagger. The faerie took a deep breath and recited her verse.

"Light shall be the traitor,

The one shall destroy its kin.

Disgraced forever more

waiting for the end to begin."

The light beams bent inward striking the frightened lupe cub. Red wrapped around his neck, green around his ankles. The two lights solidified into a silver collar and shackles. The powder blue light darted between the shackles to create chains. And another band of silver appeared around his muzzle, chains connecting it to the collar.

The gray faerie raised the silver dagger and cut a thin line on the palm of her left hand. Blood leaked out and dripped onto the collar. With a flash it crystallized into a yellow stone. Silver oozed in molten droplets from beneath the glittering gem. They twined and linked together to become another chain. Then a link plunged into the Lupe's chest, sinking deep into his heart.

The cub threw his head back, trying to scream in pain, but all the silver muzzle would allow was a muffled moan. The gray faerie turned away from the sight, shivering. Already her long white hair was beginning to have a gold tinge. She got up and walked from away from the Lupe, tears in her eyes.

The cub collapsed onto his side. The chains disappeared from view, but they were still bound him, even if they weren't visible. Fyora walked over to him, he opened eyes glazed with pain and choked out. "What ... am I?"

Fyora's mouth twisted in a grimace, her eyes flashing with hatred. "You're a monster that should never have been able to exist." She reached down and seized the Lupe by his scruff and threw him into the ocean. He sank out of sight into waters left iron gray by the storm. The storm itself had dissipated, leaving a feeling of utmost calm in its aftermath. Fyora let out a sigh of relief. "At last it's gone, at last we are safe."

The storm had been a nasty one, ruinstar knew it as she examined the large branch that had come through the roof of her Mystery Island home. "I knew I never liked palm trees much." She grumbled. Her red Eyrie companion, EaldorStormLife chuckled at the comment.

"We better go see how much this will cost to fix." As they left the home, a spark of sliver reflected at the corner of her eye. The girl blinked, she turned to look at the shore line and saw nothing. Ealdor flicked one of his scarlet ears. "What is it?"

"Funny," she murmured, scratching her head. "I could have sworn there was something there." Maybe there is something there, but I just can't see it. She thought. Finally her curiosity gave in and she trekked toward where the bright blue waves met the pale golden sand.

What she found there was not what she had expected. A small Lupe cub lay there, half in half out of the water. His fur was sticky and matted with dried sea salt. "Hey!" The girl called, kneeling next to the Lupe, her voice rising in panic. "Hey are you okay!"

He stirred and opened his eyes. "Wh – who're you?"

Hryre let out her breath in relief. "I'm ruinstar, called Hryre." She pointed at Ealdor, "and this is Ealdor. What's your name?"

He looked away from her for a moment, eyes taking on a distant look. "I – don't think that I ever had a name. If I did, I don't remember it." He shuddered, "I don't think I want to remember."

"In that case," Hryre said kindly, "may I give you a name?"

The Lupe looked at her, almost surprised by her request. "Yes, if you wish."

Ealdor grinned. "Hry thinks up good names. She gave me mine. EaldorStormLife, the life of the storm. I'm named for one of her friends that she lost a long time ago. I live well in his memory, after all she's told me about him, I'm honored to share his name."

The Lupe looked confused, then turned his gaze to look at the girl called Hryre, who's brow was crinkled in thought. She was silent for a moment then, "Scinan..." she murmured , "yes, ScinanDarkShine. That's what it means you know, Scinan is an ancient word for shine."

Ealdor thought about it. "Shining darkness Hry? But the darkness can't shine."

Hryre's eyes darkened for a moment, as if remembering something. "Oh I beg to differ."

The Lupe cut in, "shine?" he lifted himself from the water and shakily onto his feet. "Somehow I don't think calling me shine fits what I am."

"And what are you?" Hryre asked.

He shook his head. "I dunno, I just know that shine does not fit me."

Hryre smiled. "I think it fits you perfectly. Because I bet that right here," she laid a hand over the Lupe's heart, he flinched slightly as though the spot were sore. "I bet right here there's a great heart ready to shine out."

"How would you know such a thing when we've only just met?" He demanded moving away from her touch.

"Believe me," Ealdor said, ruffling his feathers. "She knows."

"Some things don't need to be known, they just are." Hryre added. She stood, brushing sand from her knees. "We don't live in a very big house, but if you have no where else to go, you can stay with us if you want." She turned and began walking away with her Eyrie.

The Lupe stared after Hryre and Ealdor, mouth agape. He thought about the name she had given to him. A name she had just pulled out of the air and already he was becoming attached to it, already integrating it as a part of himself. It was him, he was ScinanDarkShine. It was just a name, but it was his. Scinan ran to catch up with Hryre and Ealdor.

"I am ScinanDarkShine." Scinan murmured, darkness and confusion swirled in his mind, left spinning by the dream. A dream both terrible and wonderful.

"Did you hear that?" Asked an excited voice. "He said something! He's awake!"

Scinan recognized the voice. "Spirit?" The Lupe lifted his head, and opened his eyes. "Are you there?"

Spirit placed a paw on his shoulder. "I'm here Sci."

Scinan blinked and saw that there were tall grayed figures leaning down around them. Peering at him with curious eyes. "Spirit, who are they?"

Spirit explained everything that had happened since Scinan had fallen unconscious. "You've been out cold since." She finished.

"So what did the faeries do to wake me up?" He asked.

"That's the thing," Spirit said wonderingly, "they didn't do anything. You woke up by yourself."

One of the faeries came forward, Fuhnah, Spirit had said. She was holding a tarnished mirror in her hands. "Tell me something ScinanDarkShine, look into this mirror and tell me what you see." She held it out. Scinan leaned forward, peering into the mirror.

What started back was a creature made of writhing shadow. Only dark fire swirled beyond the glass. Except the eyes, white hot ovals that burned amid the darkened flames.