(Furya - 2 years later)

He slipped out into the night. It was good to be free. The moon was almost full, casting blue-black shadows across the landscape. Nothing he cared about. He stretched lazily, reflexively checking the blades at his back and arms. Felt the soft ache of nail marks across his shoulders, smiling. The animal in him purred softly, awake, but still lazily sated from a match in the sheets with his mate. She would sleep sound, not miss him, and he liked that too. Her anxiety when he ghosted at night annoyed him, kept the human too far forward, kept the animal off balance. Let his pack sleep, so he could hunt.

Tonight wasn't hunting though. It was a call. He'd felt it. Nothing urgent, but a summons none the less. The animal rankled, didn't like being called. But it was more polite than dreams, so he assented.

He jumped the fence and set an even pace over the rocky ground, skirting the woods for awhile, warming his muscles. Felt good, just moving, stretching his senses into the dark, no human civilization to impede or misdirect the instinctual flow. Sounds - night birds, rodents, predator and prey, all immersed in the hunt as well. Smells of earth and fauna, almost colors on their own- greens, orange-reds, deep blues. There was an energy throughout the land, a flow that spoke to him in his near silent passage, told him seconds before his sight when to jump, veer off or avoid some larger predator. Nothing he couldn't handle, but he had business tonight. Didn't need the distraction. He ducked into the woods finally, the game trails a faster route to the necropolis twelve klicks east, and beyond.


The sight of the boneyard, even in the dark, was still mildly unsettling. He'd climbed a tree at the edge of the woods, stopped to rest and recon. Wanted to know if there was a way to skirt the immense hills of the cemetery, Shirah's damn necropolis. The landscape from his dreams was eerie, even in the moonlight, without the ghostly fire. He'd been over and through it several times now, but the energy here was still fierce, demanding. The ghosts slept, but uneasily.

The problem was the whole area was ringed with volcanic vents that had made an island of the place, more a canyon really, since the geological thrust seemed to have pushed the outer edges up and back, folding and cracking into steep, glass cliffs. Reminded him of Crematoria, actually, another reason he despised the place. But the damn Elemental made his home on the far side, on that last open peninsula where the lava river flowed uncovered. Eldar. The old man was half fire himself, probably soaked in the liquid stone. And he was waiting there now.

Some rat-squirrel thing chittered annoyingly at Riddick, angry at having to share his perch. He swiped at it briefly, knocking it to the ground, dead, and heard a soft crunch. So the cat had followed him again. He thought so. Feline version of the hellhounds he'd met on Crematoria, built more like stunted pumas, tall but bull-like in the shoulders and forequarters. He supposed this one would quit showing up if he quit feeding it critter-snacks, but it amused him. He glanced down, waiting for the beast to look up. Yup, there it was, greedy bastard looking for more heaven-sent handouts. He caught the yellow-red feline eyeshine in the moonlight. Ripped ear, scarred muzzle. Yep, same cat. Must be old, to be so brazen, or so lazy, to not care about the danger of another predator on his beat. Reminded him a bit of Thrash, hellhound #5 on Crematoria. He'd been a good puppy.

Still, he didn't have time to play. He vaulted down, made for the graves. Probably another klick up over and down. Hard to keep a decent pace among the densely packed monuments. Harder still to quell the rage that beat at his emotional control like burning sunlight. He could feel her here, in the ground, the air, just beyond reach. Talk about getting under your skin...

Her presence lessened as he reached the isthmus that held the temple. It was sweltering here, steam hissing up from the lava below. Why this area stood, he didn't know. Probably a collapsed plug on an old crater, but it didn't matter. The temple had been there a long time, a place of gathered power. He knew that, even before he'd met the resident priest.

Eldar stood there on the portico like a serene statue. Waiting. He came down the steps, arms spread in welcome, and bowed as Riddick approached. "Amadak, good of you to come." His voice was bright, crisp, showed nothing of his age. Riddick grunted.

"Don't call me that. It's Riddick."

"Hardly fitting for me to be familiar with the Alpha." His fire-bright eyes danced, amused. Riddick snorted.

"What is it with you damn Elementals and titles? You're as bad as my..." he stopped himself from saying "wife." He frowned. Had to watch himself around this guy. "woman. Political and shit," he finished lamely. The older man inclined his head, let his hands drop.

"As you wish. I'm still grateful for your audience. Shall we go inside? Sit. It is cooler, and" he paused, meeting Riddick's gaze meaningfully, "more private for conversation." Riddick shrugged, following the robed man into the dark Grecian-style temple.

"I trust the children, your... mate are well?" He said over his shoulder, leading the way to a small seating chamber. Riddick was busy looking at the man's trailing grey robe, still wondering how he didn't set it on fire when he went all spiritual and shit. He'd never wondered that with Aereon, couldn't figure out why he cared now. Maybe cuz Eldar was more real to him.

"They're fine. No dreams, no trouble."

"And yourself?"

"Nah. Got a bit itchy on the way here, but she's kept her distance." He waited for Eldar to sit, but the man shook his head, flames wisping up his robe, and pointed for Riddick to sit.

"You may not accept your role as Alpha yet, but I know my place. Allow me my rituals, you sit first." Riddick shrugged and dropped onto the couch. That's why he liked him better, he explained himself. Despite his indication, Eldar did not sit. He stared at Riddick, or past him, a moment, and his lower half transubstantiated to flames and smoke. It pricked Riddick's nerves.

Eldar moved to pick up a heavy white book on a high table behind the chairs, but didn't open it. He was quiet another moment, choosing his words. "I know you have no love of prediction, the prophesy and calculating of my kind..."

"Bad habit of messing up my life," came the rumbling reply.

"I am sorry. I strive to make it easier for you, for us, so that others need not interfere." Like Aereon? Riddick thought crossly. "But there is still unfinished business... your role as Alpha..."

"Oh, don't start that shit again. I showed up. Had Aiden, whole brood is living here now, hell brought half of damn Helion here with me. What the fuck does the universe want now?"

Eldar blinked calmly in the face of his anger. "Your stubbornness marks your character, as does your rage. Normally, these are admirable traits, survival traits of the Furyans. Fire traits, which is why I am better equipped to communicate with you. I am more grounded than the Air, but still consume the Earth. "

"Oh don't start with that voodoo. Now I know how Nicola feels," he muttered, crossing his arms and sitting back.

"Your mate, yes, she is your Water. Why your rage turns to steam and rolls off her." Riddick eyed him.

"Don't bring her into this," he growled.

"Like your children, I'm afraid, I have no choice. This is education, information, for what is to come." Riddick was up in a flash, hand on his belt sheath, but Eldar, unperturbed, just raised a hand to stop him.

"This is a warning, Alpha. No more. Action is not called for, and silencing me, while satisfying, won't change the future. Shirah has gone to Earth, and she waits. For her chance to call you to task, or one of your line. If you accept your role as Alpha, Name your children, there is some protection, but the past calls. It wants its people home. And that is also the job of the Alpha. To Call them home."

Riddick stared, still rankled, but he said nothing. The Elemental put down the book, one hand still on its cover.

"Your daughter... her age?"

"Eight, standard." Eldar nodded.

"There is time. When she can follow you here, bring her to me." Riddick rumbled darkly. Eldar met his gaze. "My charm will only protect her from Shirah until she is a woman. As firstborn, she carries the Alpha line. The charm also cloaks her from my readings, for better or worse. What Shirah wants is not wrong, but her methods are suspect. She violates Elemental Creed of Noninterference."

"You're saying she's a fucking Elemental? No one bothered to tell me that before." Eldar looked chagrined.

"She is not, in the strictest sense, one of us. She was a priestess here, a Furyan, like yourself, born to Fire. She was a student, as all Elemental converts begin... but she fell to Earth when the planet was overrun. Took the power of the martyred dead, and their realm, to save herself. I had no means, or will to stop her. The consequences were unseen."

Riddick harrumphed. Eldar closed his eyes, flames licking his form again. "It is still unclear, this thread of the tapestry. I am sorry your thread is so dark and frayed. But you have bound yourself to others now, spun new silk, it reinforces you. I can only advise you to listen to my council, learn what you can of your people, let your mate's interest guide you."

"So you know about that," he muttered. Nicola's interest in the archaeological research, her translations of the found texts; he'd have to listen to dinner talk more thoroughly. Joy. Eldar nodded.

"That is all, my liege." Riddick snorted.

"You know I hate that shit. I'm king of nobody right now. Frankly, I like it that way. You should have heard those Necros whine. Needed a military order just to take a piss." The older man chuckled.

"What you did was a great service to the universe, ridding us of that imbalance. Evil of that sort..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good, evil, it's all a bunch of shit. People still fighting and killing, and they're always gonna do that. I'm just fuckin' tired of being the one doin' the killin'. RE-goddamn-TIRED. Tell miss witchy-bitchy to take a good long dirt nap and leave my family be. "

"I will do what I can." Eldar bowed. His body began to dissolve into flame.

Riddick took the hint and left.

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Thank you to my new beta, and thanks to everyone for the comments. Good to know what you like.