There was something familiar about this place, even though it was creepy. I could see the nasty blood filled darkness slithering around.

It made my lip curl and I began to call up on my good, love filled darkness to kick its ass when I heard something that made my blood run cold.

Jack was singing, but there was something wrong. He wasn't singing all Jack like, there was fear in his tone.

"Jack?" I called out.

I walked over and saw him standing on a ladder with the nasty darkness curled over him almost invisible.

"Get off of him!" I shouted getting ready to banish it back to hell. I saw a sword right near the ladder's end held sharp point up by more of that disgusting darkness.

My heart dropped out of my body. I heard the clock strike midnight and then the darkness pushed him off the ladder.

"JACK!"

I jerked up out of my curled up kitty position, smacking a front paw down onto Dominic's face.

"Ow! Ray? Raven what's wrong?"

My front legs were trembling. It was just like when Zoey's soul shattered. It felt too real to be a dream.

"Jack's dead." I said and tears immediately began spilling. "Neferet killed him." She was the only one in Tulsa that I knew that used blood filled darkness.

"Slow down." He said.

I stress ranted to him talking about how this dream was almost exactly like the dream I had when Zoey's soul shattered. I kept shaking and crying so hard that I had to repeat myself a couple of times for him to understand me.

"You said that you astral project right?" He asked slowly.

I nodded still blubbering like a baby, or cub.

"I've read a bit on astral projecting on my travels." He said. "And more since I found out you can do it naturally."

"You think it was a dream." I blubbered.

He shook his head. "No. Your friends, I have a theory that you may have accidental become spiritual bonded to them. That's why you saw Zoey shatter and now I think you've seen Jack's death."

I gave out a loud obnoxious sob. "Why? I couldn't do anything. My powers, I couldn't summon them." I felt useless. What was the point of being bonded to them, seeing their deaths when I couldn't do shit about it? I had a ton of powers, why couldn't I use just one useful one to save them?

"You're still new at this Ray." He said. "It's going to take practice."

"Why was I thrown into this if I needed practice before I could do anything useful?" I snapped. I was sick and tired of watching people die in front of me and me not being able to do shit.

He just stroked my head. I rested my head on his knee.

Now I was glad he decided to stay over and I was glad he reads unlike a lot of other boys/men.

"I have to tell Zoey." I said. I couldn't believe that only a few short hours ago I saw him via computer, giggling and having oodles of fun at their part of my party.

It wasn't fucking fair! That stupid power hungry bitch is still alive and kicking and one of the sweetest people isn't.

"Not right now." He said. "They're sleeping."

"But," I started.

"Ray, you need to calm down. I know it's hard, but it was hard to understand you, you need to calm down." He said. "There is a distinct possibility that this might have been a vision. We have no proof that he is dead."

"So we're going to wait until we have proof?" I said lividly.

He sighed. "Fine." He grabbed his shirt and tugged it on.

I leapt out of bed and began pacing in front of the door. He tugged the handle and I took off. I ran through the hallways with him sprinting at my side.

He rapped on the door. It took a couple of more tried before a sleepy eyed Zoey walked out.

"What?"

"We've got some bad news." Dominic said solemnly.

He proceeded to tell her what had happened. He even explained that this had happened before when her soul shattered.

Zoey's face kept falling and her eyes kept on getting bigger until I thought they just might pop right out of her skull.

"No. It can't be true. Not Jack." She said ending with a sob. "I can't believe…" She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She typed in a number and pressed it to her ear.

"Stevie Rae." She said. I watched her face fall and continue to fall while tears ran down her face. I started crying again. Dominic sat down and hugged me tightly. I had really hoped it was a weird dream or a vision like he suggested.

"Is he really dead?" Zoey asked. She sniffled. She covered her mouth to stifle a sob. "Ray astral projected and saw it."

Yeah, now Ray is emotional scarred and what's to curl up into a tiny ball and never wake-up again if I'm doomed to witness my friends deaths and can't do anything about.

She hung up. "I guess we're going home." She said lifelessly.

"Kay. I guess I better…find the kits and start saying good-bye." I said.

She nodded and disappeared back into her room.

I looked at Dominic. "You better go pack." I said.

He rubbed my head. I looked at him.

"It's going to hurt telling the kits I'm leaving, possibly forever. And you'll only get half the conversation anyway." I said.

"Kay." He kissed my forehead. I watch him walk away. He had a confident stride and seemed regal.

Boy, have I got it bad.

I sniffled and went off to find the kits. This was going to be the hardest thing I've ever done.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

"But, but." Snowleaf whimpered.

"You can't leave!" Cookie cried.

Silver Queen puffed up. "We won't let you!"

"Yeah!" Lily Bean said.

Is it possible for heart to break anymore after losing a friend? I surprised my heart didn't go 'Fuck this shit!' and give out.

"This isn't my home." I told them. "And a friend of mine just died."

Reepicheep lingered on the edge on the wall. "You're leaving?"

I nodded.

Reepicheep gave me a thoughtful look. "Kits." He approached the kittens which he hasn't done. I actually hadn't seen much of him because the kits hung around me 24/7.

"I know this is hard, but you have to let her go. Nature is calling for her somewhere else and we must respect Nature's wish."

The kits bowed their heads. Wow, that was bit easier than I thought. If I had known all I had to do was say that Nature was calling me to leave I would have told them that. I guess I underestimated the power of their religion or how early it was instilled into the children.

"But you'll come back?" Lily Bean asked looking up at me with partial green eyes. Her newborn blue eyes were fading and from the looks of it she was going to have her tom's green eyes.

Are kits born with ability to manipulate people?

"I'll try."

"Promise?" Silver Queen asked.

Lord, can her eyes get any bigger?

"Yes, I promise to try." I said and I would. I would try really hard to come back.

"Yay!" Cookie cried.

Gods, could they be any cuter?

Mama peered from a corner and gave a loud meow.

"Bye Ray!"

"Good-bye Raven!"

"See you!"

Lily Bean looked up at me again. "See you again someday!"

When they left I collapsed onto the ground and covered my face with my paws.

"Gods!" I swore. I never, ever wanted to go through something like that again.

"May I give you some advice?"

I looked at Reepicheep. "Is there an easier way to get through saying good-bye to kits?"

"For that I have no answer."

Figures.

"You are going back to Tulsa because a friend of yours was killed by a great evil?"

I stared at him.

"Humans speak freely in front of animals because they think we are dumb beasts. Not to mention we rats are notoriously good at eavesdropping."

Oh.

"Keep that in mind." He said and he scurried off.

I blinked. O-kay. Vague much?

I huffed and got up. I would have to say bye to the horses to and track down the lords of the forest.

I walked out of the castle and saw that they were already there. All four of them stood just in front of the staked heads. A couple of Warriors spotted them and tensed up.

I padded down the steps and trotted up to the four lords. I dipped my head in respect.

"You're leaving."

"Why does everyone know I'm leaving?"

"We've felt it." The eagle said. "An innocent soul's life blood was sacrificed to the dark one of destruction."

"It's only naturally that the one of creation's light would send its warriors to meet destruction's champion." The stag informed.

I thought I was the champion of nature? Oh, wait, Zoey.

"And that you would go as well as Nature's eyes." The wolf said.

I was already having a shitty day. I was more than prepared to give them a sobby ass chewing.

"Why me? I am a child. I don't know how to use my powers fully and I saw my friend die because I couldn't banish that blood filled darkness."

"A child can learn." The wolf said. "A child can change more easily than an adult into the person Nature needs her to be."

"Children are the most filled with Nature's magic because they were one with her not too long ago." The highland cat said.

I sighed and folded my ears back.

"You will see." The stag said.

The wolf pressed his nose in the middle of my forehead. My shoulders burned, but it didn't hurt too badly.

"Have faith in yourself little one, and nothing will be unconquerable." They all whispered across my mind.

They all dipped their heads to me before walking into the trees and dissolving into the shadowy blackness.

They told me I'm Nature's frickin' champion! That's a shitload of something to live up to.

I huffed a big sigh. Why me? Child or not, I still think I'm inadequate. What the hell was I supposed to do anyway? And shouldn't I be worrying about Damascus rather than championing for Nature?

I walked into the woods and hopped into a tree. I stretched out onto a low branch and rested my head on my paws.

A hell of a lot things were going to happen when I go back. I was going to get my body back by visiting my parents graves, which just thinking about that made my stomach clenched in fear, and go to the funeral of a good friend who shouldn't have died.

I mean, Jack is the only one who I felt wasn't the least bit fazed by me being Kalona's baby girl and he was the most freakin' nicest person ever.

I started crying and sniffling again. I don't think it would be that traumatic if I hadn't seen it. Jack deserved going out in his sleep or saving some poor kitten, not used as a sacrifice for Neferet's nefarious plots.

"Ray!"

I jerked and blinked groggily. I fell asleep?

I peered down and saw Dominic looking up at me. "Come on sleepy head. The plane doesn't wait for anyone, not even special half-breeds."

I stretched and hopped down. "I'm coming. What was with that special comment, hmmm?"

Dominic just grinned and then held up the harness.

I groaned. "I won't wear it!"

"You'll be naked without it." He teased. "Public transportation frowns upon nakedness."

I scowled at him. "Then they'll just get over it."

I bolted.

"Ray!"

I bounded up and down. "If you want me to wear it, catch me first!"

Dominic grinned and began running after me.

I spotted the vehicle Seoras had brought us here at the beginning. Stark opened the door and dived in.

"Go! Go! Go!" I screamed bouncing up in down.

But they didn't go like I asked and Dominic climbed in.

"Come on Ray. People will have problems with a panther roaming around free." Dominic said.

I grumbled, but let him help me into the damn harness.

"It can't be that bad." He said.

"Then you wear it." I said.

"It won't fit me." He said.

"It's adjustable." I said laying down.

Dominic chuckled and rubbed my head. Zoey reached out and scratched my ears. I purred.

I saw something shiny around her neck. "What's that?"

"A seer stone." She said.

"A what?" I asked.

"Here." She held up the seer stone. "Look through it."

I frowned and peered through it.

I saw silver wispy things, they looked like some kind of spirits and some glowing green people. It made me really sick and dizzy though.

I closed my eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass.

"Okay, what was the punch line?" I asked.

"It's a magic finder." Zoey said. "Or that's what Sgiach told me."

It glowed and Zoey stared at it. She blinked and then peered through it. She gasped.

"Ray, I can see you!"

"Um, you're peering through a hole." Dominic said.

"No, I can see…you in your Upwalker form. Wings and all." She said. She frowned. "When did you get those tattoos on your shoulders and arms?"

I blinked. "Um, I'm not a hundred percent sure."

"How can you not be sure?" Zoey asked.

"I didn't get them in the normal way." I said.

"Are you kinda of nervous about, returning?" Zoey asked.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure what to do about being out in public. But, Chander suggested that they may not be such a big concern in the near future."

She looked at me and Dominic's hand stopped stroking me.

"I thought I told you about possible Immortal invasion."

"No." All three of them said.

I huffed a big sigh. "Chander said that I may see him again and I have a job to do, both in this realm and the Immortal one. Not to mention that harpy." I shivered. And that dream, but I wasn't going to get into that.

"Great." Zoey mumbled.

"Let's focus on Neferet." Stark said.

"Kick her over confident ass and then focus on world dominating Immortals." I said.

"I like that plan." Dominic said.

"Me too." Stark said yawning.

"One thing at time." Zoey sighed and leaned on her guardian.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

XP I'm gonna miss those kits. :(