Disclaimer: I don't own Avalon, Rachel Roberts does. I only own my personal characters, and you should be able to pick those out rather easily.

Chapter 6: An Explanation

"Here she comes. Grab her!" Adriane cried, jumping into the river and swimming out to Kaji. Kaji had stopped swimming, the last of her strength spent. Adriane swam out about 10 yards and grabbed onto the wolf's coat, helping to keep her head above water. Slowly she started to swim back to shore with the animal in tow. Kara and Emily waded out and helped to move Kaji onto dry ground.

Kaji spluttered and coughed up a good amount of water. She shakily got to her paws and stumbled into the forest a little way before collapsing in a clearing. The girls followed her quietly, ready to help her.

"Are you alright?" Emily said softly. Kaji only nodded in reply, trying to catch her breath. "Ugh! I feel so useless! If only I had my magic, I could help you!" she suddenly blurted out.

Kaji opened her eyes and looked at the distressed girl. "What do you mean?"

"Adriane put her arm around Emily's shoulders and answered, "Along with being able to use certain elements, we have our own special powers. I'm a Warrior-"

"I'm a Blazing Star. I help to boost their magic", Kara broke in.

"-And Emily's a Healer", Adriane finished, shooting Kara an annoyed glance. Emily was shaking slightly, trying to hold back tears.

"If I sniff could use my magic, I could help you." Emily finally broke down. Kaji grunted as she got to her feet and limped over to the girl. She looked at Emily, who threw her arms around the wolf's neck. She buried her face into her fur, which grew wet with her tears. The other two placed their hands on her shoulders and whispered comfortingly to her. Finally, Emily stopped crying and sat back. Kaji looked at her with gentle eyes and smiled.

"So, Kaji…um…" Kara began, but stopped unsure how to ask a question that had been bothering her.

"You want to know what's going on?"

"Yeah, if you wouldn't mind explaining."

"I don't mind at all." Kaji laid down and turned to look at the girls. Emily curled up next to her, feeling safe but embarrassed about crying in front of her friends. "I'm actually not a wolf, but a type of fairy. Akuma turned me into this, along with my brother, Kaiyou. WE are the true rulers of Mahou."

"Mahou?" asked Kara.

"Yes. That is the name of this world. Anyway, Akuma is our uncle. He used to be a rather good fellow too. But one day he decided that he should rule Mahou. He killed my parents, Cira and Usagi. Then he turned my brother and I into wolves so that the people of this world wouldn't know us and hopefully wouldn't rise up against him. I helped my brother to escape, but I was nearly killed in the process of protecting him. That was the day that this planet turned gray. It felt as though all of the color decided to leave it."

"How sad", Emily whispered.

"Yeah. Kaji, you said that both of you were rulers. Why is that? I thought that if there were two members in a royal family that the older would be king or queen and the other would be a duke or duchess", Kara said.

"In some cultures, yes. But there is a reason for having siblings rule. We balance each other out. In case you haven't noticed, but I have the power of fire and earth. My brother is the opposite of me; he uses water and air. We balance each other and in turn keep the power of this world balanced. Without the other, the world would fall into chaos, like it did now. This also means that if one of us dies, so does the other. The only way to keep this from happening is if one of us gives some of our power to the other. That will keep us alive for a little while until the given power is returned to the right owner. In the direst situations, we can give all of our power to the other. Then if the one who gave up their power is killed, the other can continue living, and ruling, without the need of the other."

"What about those creatures?" asked Adriane. "What happened to them?"

"The Kakera were once the people of the land. As Akuma gained more power and spread his evil ways, he destroyed villages. He would take certain people, usually the biggest and strongest, as prisoners and gave them a choice: become part of his army and live or be killed. Most decided to join him. Those that did, he…cursed in a way. They're appearance changed to what it is, and they became much stronger. In their minds, they only have two thoughts: kill and obey his orders alone. The only draw back to this is that they also became very foolish."

"Is there any way to change them back?"

Kaji thought for a moment, then replied, "Only one. If Akuma is destroyed, they will return to their normal selves."

"What about the…the Steel Wolves? Were they normal wolves and changed into those monsters?" asked Emily, always concerned about the animals.

"No, they are creatures entirely of Akuma's creation. He created a wolf with iron and steel, then using magic trapped a spirit inside of the wolf."

"I'm guessing they're also under his control entirely", quipped Kara.

"Exactly. You've already found the only way to release them."

"Break the shell."

"Precisely. Now, if you don't mind, I'm rather tired. Perhaps it's time to rest."

"Are you sure we'll be safe here?" yawned Emily.

Kaji smiled down at her. "For now, yes. Good night, and I'll yawn see you in the morning."