Corvi's Home

It didn't take long for the crying to summon Morri from his sleep. It was early so he wandered into the hallway rubbing his eyes. "Cori? Corvi? What's goin' on?" His eyes focused, swiftly seeing tears on both his brothers' faces. Walking over, he tugged on Corvi's long hair gently. "Corvi?"

The teenager lifted his head and pulled Morri into his arms, wrapping his arms as tight as he could around the cub. Morri didn't say anything but rested his head on Corvi's shoulder, hoping that would bring him some comfort. The teen shifted so he sat down and pulled both his siblings into his arms. Cori was starting to fall back asleep, mostly from the early hour and the crying, it created a great deal of emotional drain.

Morri however was looking at Corvi with questioning eyes.

"Corvi? What's going on?"

The teen got up, cradling the now sleeping toddler, never saying a word. Morri trailed behind him, grasping at his shirt. "Corv? Tell me!"

"Shush. I will in a moment."

Corvi was usually pretty formal, at least when things got serious but that was still pretty weird for him to say. Morri fell silent but followed his sibling as they walked into Cori's room. Corvi laid his brother down and then laid against the crib a moment, resting his eyes. Morri walked over and put an arm on his. He didn't know what was wrong but Corvi looked like the world had crashed onto his shoulders.

"Corvi?"

The young squire glanced down, "Mor, come with me."

The smaller cub did so. Corvi stopped in the hall and sat down. Morri sat by him, "Corvi?"

"Morri, Mom isn't going to get better." He hated to say it but he had to say it as it was or he was never going to get through this.

"What? Sure she is! Mom said-"

"She's dead, Morri."

Morri froze and the blood drained out of his face. His lips mouthed no but no noise came out. "She…can't…"

"She is…"

Morri looked up at Corvi "She can't!" He leapt up, his eyes flashing. "You're a liar!"

"You think I'm liking this news any better than you, Morri!?" he demanded, tears stinging his own eyes.

"She can't be dead! Papa's dead already!"

"I know!" Corvi screamed right back. He knew he could wake up Cori but at the moment, his emotions took over, full swing and howled "Shut up Morri! You think I would lie about this? Do you think I'm that twisted?! I went to check on her this morning and she was cold as ice and she wasn't breathing! She's dead! I hate it but she is!"

"Mamma…" Morri's eyes welled up and he flung his arms around Corvi. "She was getting better, she can't be!"

Corvi didn't say anything, not trusting himself not to cry and seeing him cry was the last thing Morri needed right now. He wrapped his arms around his brother and laid back against the wall, letting Morri wail into his chest. He was emotionally drained and it took too much energy to reassure his brother verbally so he just wrapped his arms about him. He wanted someone to wail into himself but that was not an option for him. He was eldest, he was the man of the house, in charge of the house-

"What's going to happen to us, Big Brother?"

Corvi looked down. His own heart froze. Would his brothers have to go to adoptive homes? He would stay at the palace he knew but they weren't trainees. They had no relatives. Corvi's palms began to sweat with fear. He would not lose his brothers that much he knew. He didn't know how but he was not going to be separated from them. Normally, he would have said adoption would probably have served someone best but now, with them being all he had left, his heart trembled at the thought of losing them. They were all he had left.

Gummies tried to keep siblings together, as much as was possible. But his brothers, especially Cori would be snatched up instantly. He was a teenager.

He wouldn't be able to go with them, he knew. He wouldn't accept that. He couldn't. He had lost his father, his mother now. His grandparents were long dead as were any other relatives. His siblings were his rocks, his last binding to sanity.

Without them, he was all alone.

And being alone was a fate worse than death.

Already, the house felt dead…no, not dead, don't think that word. Empty…yes, that was a better word. It felt cold and lifeless…there was that word again! Perhaps, it was impossible to describe a life alone without using that word, those details. It broke his heart just thinking it, as it brought that horrible thought, image of his still mother back to mind. He looked down and tightened his grip on his brother. Morri was warm, Morri was alive. Morri was still with him.

"We're going to have to work together, Morri. I'm going to stay here for a little bit but when I go back to training, I'm trusting you with Cori, alright?"

Morri looked up. "What are you going to do?"

"Right now…I have to…Mother….deserves to…rest."

Morri nodded "I'll help…"

"No…no…I need you here in case Cori wakes up."

Morri eyed him but then nodded "But you need help too…"

"I'll be okay…it'll help me to have you with Cori."

Morri eyed his brother, tears staining his face. "Are we-"

"I don't know how Morri but we're staying together. I'll take care of you both."

"By yourself?"

"I'm not going to lose you two to anyone else if that's what you're asking."

"Can you do that?"

"You're my helper, right?"

Morri wiped his eyes "right…"

"then we'll be fine. We worked together great while Mom was sick, right?"

Morri nodded "Right…"

"We just have to keep doing that. It isn't going to be easy but we're not going to lose each other I promise."

"How can you be so sure…"

Corvi didn't want to reply as he didn't know for sure how he was going to do this but he knew he had to keep his brothers with him, no matter what the Council said, or the knights or anyone else. He didn't care what they thought. He wasn't going to lose his brothers. If that meant keeping Mother's death under wraps and not mourning her, then so be it.

"We'll be okay, I promise." Corvi's own eyes overflowed with tears but he forced his smile to stay. "That's a promise I won't break."

Morri wrapped his arms around Corvi's waist tightly. Corvi fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around him again. He had to bury Mother before any additional diseases slipped in due to the dead flesh but he could wait a moment and take another minute to hold Morri. He needed it himself.

Tavi's Room

"Child."
Tavi opened her eyes and looked around. For a moment, she panicked but then realized she must have been dreaming. The atmosphere was simply empty of any other explanation. It was cold and cool, with a faint wind they blew about. She turned and looked about, her feet shifting to find purchase but she did not shift or move though there was no ground holding her up.

"Who's.."

The gentle chuckle put her at ease. "Fear not child, there is nothing here to harm you. Dreams cannot harm the physical body."

She whirled around, still a bit nervous. "Destini, Aunt Toffi was right…you are trying to talk to me."

The elder gummi smiled gently and walked over, kneeling so that if there had been a solid ground, she would have been sitting on her knees. "Indeed, young one. Your aunt is very wise."

"She's old." Tavi replied simply and Destini laughed.

"That means very little, small one." She advised gently. "Age will always come with wisdom but wisdom does not always come with age."

Tavi frowned; she didn't quite understand that one. But she shook her head. "You know you're creeping me out with these visions."

"it is not I, child."

"It's…not?"

"No child."

"Then what is it? It's creeping me out!"

"it is the power you have unleashed."

"What power?"

"You msut understand young one" she said softly and patiently "The power of a gummi medallion is not minute. It is intense."

"I know." Tavi said softly "I hear the warnings often enough."

"And they are well-founded."

"I don't want to-"

"Emi frightens you."

"Yes! I don't wanna be like that!" Tavi replied, nearly panicked. "I don't want to turn like she did!"

"Then listen well little one."

She nodded, falling silent.

"A gummi medallion is not completely understood except that some of us have great potential for magical use and some must work for it. You were blessed with natural ability. When you absorbed the medallion, it was much like opening a dam. All that contained power had been unlocked. Normally, a medallion as it is taps into one's ability, either trained, natural or both and guides it to perfect it."
Tavi blinked.

"Let me try this way." She spoke gently. "Think of one's magical ability as a river and the medallion as an aqueduct. It controls how much is released at once. As one begins training, with small spells, doors are opened slightly. As you become more skilled, you may open the doors wider without risk of harm as you learn to guide the raging waters. But when you absorbed the medallion, you in a sense, no longer have those doors to control the power coming out. These visions and spells with emotion are your power without restraint. You must learn to control it yourself."

"How…how do I do that?"

"That is where you must learn on your own child. Emi is the only other one to absorb a medallion. The power of it, consumed her."

"I don't want to turn out like that."

"And you will not. You now know what you must do. Get guidance from those who know the power well. Read and learn and trust yourself. Trust is the key to the profession of magic, child. You must trust others and trust yourself."

Tavi bit her lip.

"And speak, child. Speak often and be not afraid to speak out about your worries. It is that uncovering of all fears that will render you strong."

Gummadoon Sick Bay

Wooddale laughed again "So, Sarrika, how fairs the young knight?"

Sarrika walked over and put a hand to his forehead. Her eyes lit up like stars and she regarded Plucki and Gumlittle with a smile that could be seen miles away "The fever has broken."

Blastus gave her a gentle raspberry, clutching to Plucki's hair, tugging gently. Sarrika turned

"Councilor?"

Wooddale walked over and smiled at the small child. "Allow me another moment." She smiled at the small gummi cub and then looked up at Plucki and Gumlittle. "I shall retrieve the others to return Blastus to his correct age." She chuckled "And thus, give you two a break."

Gumlittle breathed out a sigh of relief. "Toni'll be easy after this."

Plucki chuckled "Never say that." But his heart leapt within his chest. Not so much that Blastus could return to his correct age but that the fact he could return to his age, meant that he was out of danger, that the illness had not taken his youngest brother away from him. He wrapped his arms tightly around the baby cub and squeezed as tightly as he dared. The small cub tried to wiggle free, not liking the confinement but Plucki would not let go.

Memories of losing Aldi and Illsi still cut deep. He laid his cheek onto Blastus' head and just released a deep sigh of relief, thanking the stars.

Gumlittle regarded Plucki a moment before the realization cut him as well. He sat by Plucki's side and as Wooddale left, the threesome were rocking back and forth slowly, embracing one another.

Toni's Home

"Toni!"

The cub sat up, startled out of his dream. Drenching in sweat, he sat up, shaking. His thin blanket was hardly providing any warmth but he looked around the dark room and clutched his stuffed fish tightly. It was early morning, well not quite morning but not night anymore thus, he was shocked to see his mother walk in. She never bothered with him in any shape or form. He shuddered, simply remembering that dream.

"Mother-"

"What is wrong with you!?"

He stared. It was NOT said with kindness.

"You're going to wake the entire city with that kind of ruckus!"

"I…I was scared."

"Stupid. Dreams aren't real. Any fool knows that!"

"It seemed so real…" he sniffed.

His mother regarded him silently a moment "Idiot. Can you not even know fact from fantasy any longer?"

He shook harder. "I…I'm sorry."

"Get out of my hair, that would suffice."

Toni eyed her but stood, picked up his sack and headed downstairs. He looked back several times, first at the bottom of the stairs, then at the door, and then as he walked into the early morning bussle.

She never once called him back.

Head down, the cub headed across the ground, never saying a word, never lifting his head.

Why did Mother hate him? How long would it be before that dream became reality?

Spurred by fear, the cub took off at a long run, towards the palace. Mother was fulfilling her part of that horrid dream, calling him so many things and acting so cold. Was the rest of that dream destined to come true as well?

Was Gumlittle destined to die? Was he already dead?

Part of Toni said no as Mother had yet to strike him but he did not know if visions worked by fulfilling exactly as they were seen or if they were merely a taste of what was to come.

The cub plowed through adults; knights and non knights alike as he pushed through the doors of the palace and tore down the hall.

Tavi's Room

"Tavi…"

"Who's there?"

"Come, don't you know me?"

The cub turned, her maroon hair blocking her vision for just a moment before her eyes went large, her palms wet and her heart cold.

"No…"

"Come, you know you can't run from me. We share the same fate."

Twisted, dark, cold, heartless…

"Emi…I'm not like you!"

"Not yet. You will be."

"No!"

"Your medallion was even more powerful than mine as you absorbed more than one or did you forget?"

Had she? She'd…yes, she'd had her aunt's and Lady Bane's. She had forgotten…

"You'll be consumed far faster than I was."

"NO!"

Hands clasped her shoulders. Tavi turned her face away, not about to look into those dark eyes. Those ruthless and evil eyes. "You and I are the same. Accept it. Feel the power coursing in your veins and pulsing with your every breath. Grasp it, use it!"

"No, no, no! No I won't! Emi! Stop it! I'm not you Emi Gummi!"