"I'm not putting that on." I said.

"Too bad cat girl, we can't get on the plane until you put this on." Aphrodite said. "They have problems with animals getting on planes without leashes."

"Then where's your leash?" I asked her.

The Twins burst out laughing. Aphrodite gave them a look. I even got a giggle from Damien and Jack. These four weren't coming with me, Aphrodite, Stark, Darius, and Zoey's…shell. The three conscious peoples wanted me to go home, but I argued that once Stark figures out a new path to Zoey I could do my freaky astral projection thing and join him. Surely my half-immortal thing would come in handy despite what Kalona said.

But now I severely debating whether or not I really wanted to go now that I learned I have to put on a frickin' dog halter leash thing.

"Um Raven?" Jack asked sweetly.

"Yeah Jack?" I can't be mad at Jack. He's too cute. He kinda reminds me of the mice.

"Well, I went by this pet shop."

I think I might take back the fact I can't be mad at him.

"And I kinda of found this collar I thought was really cool." He pulled out a huge collar, big enough for a big kitty like me, out of his man purse. "It also reminded me of your tattoo."

The leather collar was a blue-violet color with silver gems that showed the different phases of the moon all across the collar. Hanging from collar was the triple goddess with Hekate's color version.

"Wow Jack, it's amazing." And I meant it.

He became really excited again. "I thought that also people wouldn't freak out so much if you have a collar."

"They're going to freak out if she talks." Shaunee said.

"Yeah, just because a panther has a collar doesn't mean she's less freaky if she talks." Erin said.

I flicked my tail. "It's not like I just wander up to someone and ask them where the bathroom is."

"Guys, we have to go." Stark said peeking out of the plane.

I let Jack slid the collar over my neck, it was really comfy.

"Bye!" Jack said.

I nudged his knee before I bounded onto the plane.

Aphrodite huffed.

"Oh, untangle that knot in your panties. I'll put it on when we get to Scotland." I said. I leapt into a row of chairs. I rested my head on the chairs with one paw dangling off and my other paw by my head.

"Are you okay Raven?" Darius asked quietly once we were in the air.

"Yeah." I said.

He looked at me like he didn't believe me. "Ray, you just lost your parents."

A jolt of pain and sadness hit me with a weird zing. It…it was like the fact my parents dead was a really vacant memory until someone reminded me they were dead, and that I still didn't know why someone would murder them.

"I know, but they're dead and Zoey's not. I'll grieve later, when I can." I said. As soon as Zoey's soul is back I was going to have the biggest, fattest fucking cry fest ever!

"I'm concerned for you Ray." Darius said.

I frowned and lifted my head. Aphrodite had taken some drug and was out because I'm sure she would be freaking out about the fact Darius was concerned for another female besides her.

"Come on Ray." Stark piped in. "We all saw you flip out when Neferet freaked out."

"You care too much about everyone and you're…" He paused, probably trying to figure out a good word for whatever he wanted to tell me. "You're fiercely protective. I'm worried you're going to get yourself in trouble or hurt yourself."

"I'll be fine." I argued.

"And you're ridiculously stubborn." Stark mumbled.

"I am not!" I said even though I'm pretty sure I was.

"Proving my point." Stark muttered.

I hissed and stuck out my tongue.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

I hate helicopter travel. I was lying next to Zoey who was strapped in one of those life-saving hospital litter thingies and I had a stupid harness thingie on because the pilot freaked out when I came with just my collar so to appease him Aphrodite put it on me. And I can't tell you how tempted I was to bit her nose off.

I hate it also because I feel left out because they don't make kitty friendly headsets. And I had no idea we were landed until we did.

As soon as the door opened I leapt out and shook myself. I clasped my jaws tightly to refrain from speaking as they unloaded Zoey. As soon as everyone was on the ground the helicopter took off.

"Pussies." Stark said.

Aphrodite took a hold of my leash. Why? I really don't know.

"They're just following their instincts." Darius said. He looked nervous, which I've never seen before.

"No shit. This place is super creepy." She said. She moved toward Darius and he put his arm around her. Sadly, the leash isn't that long and it tugged on me uncomfortably and made me a really grumpy kitty.

"Are you two okay? Don't tell me the doom-and-gloom vamps got to you."

Darius looked at Stark like he was looney. "You don't feel it, do you?"

"I feel cold and wet. I feel pissed off that Zoey's in trouble and I haven't been able to help her, and I feel annoyed that dawn is only an hour or so away and my only shelter is a shack the vamps said is a thirty-minute walk back the way we came. Are any of those things the "it" you're talking about?"

"I'm frickin' pissed that I'm still in this harness and that it's pinching my pit skin and I can't get it off myself because it's made so I can't do that." I said with a growl. I wondered how long it would take to chew through the straps.

"No." Aphrodite said. She nervously wound the leash around her hand, reeling me toward her and making the pinching worse. I wonder what Darius would do to me if I bit her ass. "The "it" Darius and I feel is a strong desire to run away. And I do mean run. Now."

"I want to take Aphrodite out of here. To get her away from this island and never to come back." Wow, I didn't realize Darius could get freaked out. "That is what all my instincts are telling me."

I huffed really loudly hoping that they would hear me and unhook me from this stupid harness.

Uh, no. They kept going and on about what they were feeling. I don't know, I just kept getting more and more irritated until I realized I wasn't going to get noticed unless I do something that could get me killed.

I lunged forward. Aphrodite jerked after me.

"Raven!" She screamed as I started pulling her to the island. She grabbed the leash with both hands and tried to pull me back. I am a hell of a lot stronger than she is and that didn't work out even when her heels started digging into the ground.

"Let go!" I suggested.

Darius ran up and quickly unhooked my harness. I leaped forward, bounding down the bridge like a deer and near the end I turned and looked at them.

"Come on. There's no big scary monsters because I would have sensed them and there's nothing to be scared of." I said.

Stark marched towards me with no hesitation. Darius and Aphrodite followed more cautiously. I padded beside him. I don't know why Aphrodite and Darius were freaking out, but I honestly didn't care. I was like Stark cold and wet not to mention I haven't completely forgiving Aphrodite for the tugging and pinching she caused.

At the end of the bridge was a huge archway made of white marble with silver veins running through it. It was kinda of pretty. Not to mention the texture of the stone which I had a feeling only my weird kitty eyes could see.

"Oh, for crap's sake, I can barely look at it." Aphrodite said. "And I usually love sparkly things."

"It is more of the spell." Darius voice was rough like he was nervous. "It's meant to repel."

I wondered why this spell wasn't working on me. It wouldn't work on Stark because he had a blood link to the island. I didn't. I bet my half-breedness is a loophole. When she cast the spell to keep others out she probably only meant vampyres, fledglings, and humans not half-breeds.

So I could probably go through without dying. Good to know.

"Repel." Aphrodite shivering when she looked at the archway. "Repulse is a better word."

"It doesn't affect either of you does it?" Darius asked.

"Nope. But it's kinda cool being able to look at it with a different pair of eyes." I said.

"It's impressive, and it's obviously expensive, but it doesn't make me feel weird." Stark said. He moved closer to the marble. "So where's the doorbell or whatever? How do call someone? Is there a phone, or do I yell, or what?"

"I'd try screaming or could I could roar." Could I even roar? I sucked in a deep breath to try.

"Ha Gaelic akiv?" A bodiless voice called out. I jumped and my fur puffed out embarrassingly. "It'll be in English tongue, then. Your unwanted presence here is all that is required to summon me."

I still kinda want to roar.

"I need to see Sgiach. It's a matter of life or death." Stark said.

"Sgiach isnae concerned with uze wains, even if it be a matter of life or death."

"What the hell is a wain?" Aphrodite asked.

Stark shushed her and I'm surprised she didn't spit in his direction. "Zoey isn't a child. She's a High Priestess, and she needs help."

A man stepped out of the shadows. He was clad in an earthly kilt and a ton of leather and that be it. His vampyre tattoo was of two griffons stretching themselves across his cheekbones with a pointed white beard decorating his chin.

"That wee lass there's a fledglin', no a High Priestess." He said.

"Zoey's not like other fledglings. Up until two days ago, she had a vampyre's tattoo, plus tattoos over much of the rest of her body. And she had affinities for all five of the elements."

"Yet today I see only an unconscious fledgling."

"Her soul was shattered two days ago fighting a fallen immortal. When that happened, her tattoos disappeared."

"Then it's a dyin' she will be." The vampyre almost waved good bye to us before starting to turn away.

"No!" Stark shouted and he stepped forward.

This got the vampyre's attention. "Stad anis!" He shouted. He lunged forward and stood right in way. "Are yie stupit or feckn' fool, man? You havnae permission tae enter the Eilean nan Sgiath, the Isle of Women. Should yie try, 'tis yer life yie will forfeit, aye, make no mistake about that."

"I'm not stupid or a fool."

"That's a matter of opinion." I muttered. He was in love. Everyone in that state is stupid and a fool.

The vampyre gave me a bewildered look.

"Yeah, kitty cat talks." I said.

He got into the vampyre's face. "I'm Zoey's Warrior, and if I think I can protect her best by getting her to this island, then it's my right to take my High Priestess to Sgiach." Stark said.

"Yie have been misinformed, Warrior. Sgiach and her Isle are a world apart from yer High Council and their rules. I am no a Son of Erebus and mo bann ri, my queen, isnae in Italy. Warrior tae a wounded High Priestess or no, you dinnae have the right ae enter here. Yie have nae rights at all here."

I started growling. "Making assumptions is bad habit to get into."

"Hold Zoey." Stark handed Zoey off to Darius. He stuck his palm out and the sharp tang of blood filled the air. "I'm not asking to enter as a Son of Erebus Warrior; I walked out on the High Council. Their rules don't mean shit to me. Hell, I'm not asking to enter! Through the right I've inherited in my blood, I'm demanding to see Sgiach. I have something to say to her."

The vampyre sniffed the air. "What is yer name?"

"Today they call me Stark, but I think the name you're looking for is what they called me before I was Marked-MacUallis."

"Remain here, MacUallis." The vampyre vanished.

I opened my mouth and smelled with the scent glands on the roof of my mouth. The vampyre's scent was there, but there were four new fresher scents coming towards us. They weren't vampyre though. Three smelled like predators, I'm not sure what a the scent of a predator is exactly or how to describe it I just know what a predator and prey smell like, and the last definitely smelled like prey.

My ears flicked trying to locate the source of the smell by sound.

I was distracted from the strange creatures that were coming when Stark brushed past me toward the archway.

Darius grabbed his arm. "I think the vampyre meant you to remain here because he's coming back."

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "You know, in this lifetime you're probably supposed to learn patience along with a little 'get a clue.' Jeesh, just hang on a couple minutes. Barbarian Warrior guy told you to wait here, not to go away. Sounds like he's coming back."

"Really, I can't hear anything with you running your mouth." I told Aphrodite.

"Hey cat girl, I could use a new pair of fur boots." Aphrodite threatened.

"I'm not volunteering my fur so why are you telling me this?" I asked. I heard some rustling. "Something big and two footed is coming."

"You're something I thought would never see." A woman's voice called out. "A talking panther."

"I'm sure I'm something no one thought they would see." I told the voice.

A woman stepped out of the shadows. She looked one of the thoghest females I had ever seen. I'm sure she could go up against a volcano and win. Her eyes were a strange shade of goldish-green and her hair was all white except a streak of cinnamon hair. Her tattoo was of two swords with their strange hilts pointed at her crescent. The male vampyre stood beside her.

"Merry meet, Sgiach." Stark said.

I flicked my tail. "You are impatient." I said. I sat down and neatly curled my tail over my paws. I dipped my head in respect. "Merry meet."

Sgiach smiled at me and then turned to Stark. "Why should I allow you on my island?"

"It's my right by blood. I'm a MacUallis. That means I'm part of your Clan." Stark said.

"Not hers, boy. Mine." The male said.

"Yours? I'm part of your Clan?" Stark said like he had no sense.

"Aye. Though, most of us have more sense than that." He said.

"I'm smart enough to know that the history of my human blood still gives me a tie to both you and this island." Stark said.

"Yie ur barely oot o yur nappies, boy." The male said. "Yur better suited to schoolboy games, and there are nae o' that ilk here on this island."

"That's why it's my right to enter the island. I don't know shite about it takes to be Warriro enough to save Zoey, but I can tell you she's more than a High Priestess. Before she was shattered, she was turning into something vampyres have never seen. Zoey was becoming a Queen of the Elements. I'm her Warrior-her Guardian-and she's my Ace. Isn't that what you're all about? Training Warriors to protect their Aces?"

"They stopped coming to me." Sgiach said sadly.

"Because they're loserfaces." I said.

There was a smacking sound. "Raven, you have a big mouth." Aphrodite said.

"Filled with sharp teeth." I reminded her.

Sgaich shook her head softly, but I could see a smile trying to keep in.

"Not everyone has stopped coming." I said. "We're here. I'm always willing to learn."

The male scoffed. "Yie be a pussy."

"Well I was human…ish. I just…well, it's an interesting story and we're on a deadline." I said.

"Human-ish?" Sgaich asked quietly.

My ears flickered in discomfort. "Um, yeah, well…"

"Raven's the daughter of an immortal and Cherokee maiden." Stark said.

"Reincarnated actually." I said. My ears folded down uncomfortably. They eyed me like I was a science experiment, but in a respectable way. "But I still have all the stuff a half-breed has, for some reason." It was starting to bug me a bit. How did I have these powers if I was reincarnated?

"And you've come to my island to learn?" She asked.

"Sorta. I tried to help bring Zoey's soul back together by astral projecting, but that pathway was blocked so we need to find a new pathway." I nudged Stark's leg. "That's why he's here and because he's young and needs to learn how to better protect Zoey."

"Please Sgiach, I'm asking for your help for your help so that I can protect my Ace. Please let me enter your island and teach me how to keep my queen alive."

Hopefully the power of please will convince the Queen of Skye that we're serious and that we do need help.

She glanced at the male guy and then raised her hand. "Failte gu an Eilean nan Sgiath…Welcome to the Isle of Sgiach. You may enter my island young Raven and Stark." She said.

Cool beans!

"Your Majesty." I paused at the sound of Darius's voice. Darius had dropped down onto one knee.

"You may speak, Warrior." Sgiach said.

"I am not of Clan blood, but I do protect an Ace; therefore, I ask for entry to your island as well. Though I don't come as a newly made Warrior. I believe there is much here that I do not know-much here that I would like to learn while I stand at my brother Warrior's side in his quest to save Zoey's life."

"This is a human female and no a High Priestess. How could yie be Oath Bound to her?" The male asked.

"Look Wallace,"

"My name is feckn' Seoras." Seoras said.

"Okay Seoras. I'm not a human. I was a fledgling who had visions. Then I wasn't a fledgling anymore. And when I was un-fledgling-ed, Nyx, for reasons I'm still pretty clueless about, decided to let me keep my visions. So now I'm the Goddess's Prophetess. And Darius is my Oath Sworn Warrior. If I'm getting the allusion right, here's hoping cause I'm shitty at figurative language, I'm an Ace in my own way. So Darius does fit in with your Guardian Clan, blood tie or no blood tie."

"Interesting." Sgiach whispered. "Failte gu ant Eilean nan Sgiath, Prophetess and your Warrior."

I padded under the archway. I felt something pass over me, it was kinda of like a cobweb only I didn't feel like I needed to majorly freak out and start looking for spiders in my fur. I looked around, but no cobweb.

"Something wrong?" Stark asked.

"It just felt like I passed through something." I muttered. "It probably was nothing."

"What I believe you felt, young Raven, is the protective barrier around my island." Sgiach said.

"Huh." I said. I looked at the conscious three. "Did anyone of you feel something like a cobweb when you crossed?"

They all three shook their heads.

"Why am I such a freak?" I muttered.

"You are of product of an ancient power. It's not a surprise that you can sense powerful magic." Sgiach said.

My ears twitched. "I really wish there was handbook to being a freakin' half-breed." I growled.

Seoras led us up to a black vehicle, don't ask me what kind of vehicle. It has wheels and doors and that's all I know.

Stark stopped. I paused and looked at his surprised face.

"What?" I asked.

"Did yie expect a wee cart an' a Highland pony?" Seoras said.

"I don't know about him, but I did." Aphrodite said. "And for once I'm super glad to be wrong."

"I wish that happened more often." I said. She opened her mouth to say something, but I bolted toward the vehicle. "Window seat!"

I leapt up into the vehicle.

"I vote we push this into the ocean now." Aphrodite said.

I stuck out my tongue.

Stark and Zoey's shell got into the passenger's seat. Grumbling Aphrodite and Darius, he wasn't grumbling though, got into the middle bench with me. Seoras got into the driver's side and awakened the engine.

We started moving forward when I noticed Sgiach hadn't come with us.

"Hey where's your queen?" Stark asked.

"Sgiach doesna need the motor tae be traveling her island."

"What the hell does that mean?" Aphrodite said.

I rolled my eyes. "Duh! There are other ways of traveling besides car power and this is her island."

"Raven, you're getting on my nerves." Aphrodite said.

"Good, someone has to." I said.

"Raven, I don't think anyone will be happy if Aphrodite has a complete mental break down." Stark said.

"Raven."

My ears flickered and my head whipped around.

"What?"

"I thought I heard someone say my name." I said. "It was probably some animal." I didn't recognize the voice, but I was suddenly scared that it was the voice from the cloud. I mentally shook myself. There was no way the cloud could come into this world, right?

"Something yie want to say?" Seoras asked.

"I can communicate with animals and they can contact me." I said. "And I had this gift before I turned all furry and cute."

I managed to get the window down. I focused on trying to see if I could hear some animals that were, hopefully them rather than big scary cloud, calling me.

Suddenly I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye. Seoras was pointing to the left side of the road. I could see two spindly looking trees that had grown together. Chunks of the same marble from the archway made a pathway of starlight to the trees. Swaying in the light breeze were strips of different pieces of clothes tied together.

"The Craobh-the Scared Grove. The castle is just beyond on the shore."

When we passed it, I felt a chill surround me. It wasn't bad, it was like those chills you get if you hear a really powerful bit of music. Not bad, just weird.

"I've never seen a tree like that, and why is all that cloth tied to it?" Stark asked.

Seoras stopped. "Tis a hawthorn tree and a rowan tree, grown together to make a hangin' tree."

"What's a hanging tree?" I asked.

Seoras looked at me.

"What? I just know Roman, Greek, and some Egyptian mythology. My Celtic mythology is severely lacking." I said. "And I'm curious."

Aphrodite snorted. "You're a cat. I'd keep that curiosity under wraps."

I smacked her with my tail.

"Ach," Seoras said. I wondered for a second if he wouldn't tell me, and my curiosity was starting to kill me. Like I could get online and look it up. They don't make computer for kitties.

"'Thon tree is a tree of wishes. Each knot-each strip of cloth-represents a wish. Sometimes it's parents wishin' for the well-being of a wain. Sometimes it's friends remembering those passed on to the next life. But most often it's wishes of lovers, tying their lives together and wishin' fer happiness. They're threes grown by the Good People, roots fed by passin' on their well wishes from their world tae urs."

"Good People, the fay or fairies right?" I asked.

Seoras nodded.

"How did you know that?" Stark asked.

"I like mythology and books." I said. "It's amazing how over a wide variety of cultures they describe the same creatures." Which made me wonder if such creatures did exist, I mean it was too coincidental to not be plausible.

"That's really romantic." Aphrodite said.

"Aye, wumman, if it's truly romantic, then it must be Scottish." He said as put the vehicle in drive.

I wondered if I should get a piece of cloth and tie it up for my parents. Heck, not just them, but my first life mother, grandpa, and uncle, even though my uncle was sorta of alive. I wasn't angry at my grandfather for killing me because I now realize that if he hadn't I would have probably grown up like my brothers and I would be nasty and mean because no would have loved me, even if I had looked normal-ish. So in a way, killing me saved me.

Bet no one's ever said that!

My nose suddenly wrinkled. There was some strange smell in the air. It almost tickled my nose. I rubbed my nose hoping to sneak the sneeze out, but no use.

"Achoo!"

Aphrodite jumped and pressed herself against Darius to get away from me as I horrifically sneezed, three times.

"Are you okay?" Darius asked.

"I think so." I sneezed again. "There's something in the-"

Then I noticed them. There were torches lighting the path to an amazing castle, but in between the torches were staked heads.

"So I'm allergic to dead things." I sneezed again for effect. "Who knew."

"Uh, gross." Aphrodite said.

"The Great Taker of Heads." Darius whispered with awe. Ew.

"Aye, Sgiach." Seoras said.

I leapt out and shook myself. I sneezed again.

"Stupid decaying heads." I hissed.

There was a scraping noise and I looked over at the huge doors to see a group of male and female warriors jogging towards us. Both boys tensed up ready to battle. I just hope no stabbed the mystical talking panther.

"Dinnae look for trouble where nane is meant." Seoras said. "They wish only to show proper respect to yer queen."

They had a leather litter in between them.

"Tis tradition, respect, laddie, for when one o' us falls. It is the responsibility of the Clan tae return him, or her, home tae Tir na nOg, the land of our youth. We never be leaving behind one of our own."

"I don't think I can let her go." Stark said.

"Och aye. Yie dinnae have tae. You be takin' the foremost postion. The Clan will do the rest." Seoras opened his arms to receive Zoey. Stark handed her over carefully and Seoras laid her on the litter.

A woman with dark black hair stepped away from her front position at the litter. "Warrior, my place is yours."

Stark walked to the head of the litter and took one of the handles. I stood up, assuming we were leaving, when I heard a demanding powerful screech. I looked up and a saw a streak of gold. A gold eagle flared its wings right in front of my face. For one second we held gazes before it flew around my head and then shot off to my right. I followed him and saw two large shadows walking toward the edge of the wood.

I took a couple of steps toward them when I realized there were three shadows. One was of a huge stag with reddish brown fur. The second was a light gray wolf and the third I had missed was a cat. But one whiff of this feline told me this wasn't a domestic cat. The eagle dove around the deer and landed on its antlers.

"Raven, you attracted a wolf." Aphrodite said. She sounded scared. I don't know why though. It wasn't going to just mindlessly attack her.

"Raven, we have something you need to journey on your journey to the Otherworld." The eagle said in a surprisingly soft voice.

"Uh, I'll be back." I told the group of vampyres. I began padding toward the wild animals, lords of the forest by the look of the silver around their muzzles and just the aura they gave off. They were old and they had a place in this island's hierarchy whether the vampyres here recognized it or not.

"So we're just supposed to stand here while you're all Eliza Thornberry?" Aphrodite said.

I paused and looked at them. "You all reek. I can follow your scent path to whether you guys are planning on going and I can take of myself."

I bounded to them. I slowed as I got closer to them. I dipped my head down in respect.

"The Guardian of Beasts told us that you were coming." The buck said.

"Who is the Guardian of Beasts?" I asked.

"She has many names. A name you may be familiar with is Diana or Artemis." The cat said.

Shit.

The wolf looked at me straight in the eye. "Astral projecting is quite dangerous especially if you're making a journey to a realm of spirit."

"But I've made a few journeys there before."

"But in most of those cases you were called from your body and there was a level of protection within that summoning because none of them meant you harm." The cat said.

"But you are going into the Otherworld with no summons. When you astral project you leave your body open to any spirit who wishes to possess it." The deer said. "Without a form of protection it will be very easy for your body to be possessed."

"Crap." I shivered. What would it be like to try and return to my body and find someone or something else inside my body?

The eagle dropped something shiny and white in front of me. "This is a stone filled with the light of the moon."

"How?" I asked.

"It's not hard when a moon goddess weaves the moon light into the stone." The deer said.

I touched the stone. A smear of sparkly dust covered my paw. I knew Artemis was also a moon goddess besides the goddess of the hunt, but what interest did she have in me?

"This will protect your body while you're spirit is gone and will also protect you in the Otherworld." The wolf explained.

I dipped my head at them again. "Thank you."

The wolf padded up and put its nose against the top of my head.

"Know this young one," The stag said. "Darkness is needed for change, and Light cannot be gained without first accepting and respecting the need for Darkness."

I bowed my head to them again.

"Be cautious." The eagle said.

"I'm always careful." I told them. I picked up the stone gingerly in my mouth and turned back toward the castle.

I was really starting to hate my life. These powers kept popping up and I find out there's a heck of a lot more danger with using my powers than I originally thought.

I needed a teacher. But I had a feeling the only one in this world that could properly teach me was a certain fallen immortal.

Huh. Yep, my sucks man part royally.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Yeah! I kept my promise! Go me!

Sigh, Seoras is really annoying to type with his bad English grammar. XP

And for all those who wonder when Raven will become human-ish again, she will become human-ish again later in the story.

So, you know the drill read and review and you'll get positive cosmic goodies.