Happy twelfth birthday Sparkles! Here is the chapter I promised you for your birthday! I will try to post up two, but for now, here is the only one I can promise you! Song today? Save the last dance for me, by Michael Buble. Good song! Makes me wanna dance T_T

Kalin's POV

I leaned over, hands on my knees, panting hard, trying to catch my breath, my heart beating fast and my blood singing in my veins.

Not just my blood now. Hers too; my precious Becca.

Finally able to breath normally, I stood at my full towering height. I had barley managed to make it out the damn window when my own sister had come down the hall. What had she been doing there? I didn't know, but it had been over a hundred years since I had seen her. Since the madness had over taken me.

I owed my sister a great debt, so allowing her some time with Becca was the least I could do. Who knew, maybe they would get on, since they both had something in common.

After all, my sister was the one who had set me lose when the madness had over taken me.

"The beginning?" Rebecca asked in a skeptical tone. Did she really want to hear this? To finally understand everything about Kalin?

"Well yeah, I mean, otherwise there would be huge gaps in the story and all that, ya know? But hey, I can't tell you EVERYTHING!"

"Wha? Why not?" Rebecca found herself whining, feeling like a child who had just been shown the best toy in the world, just to be given a piece.

"Well, that is still Kalin's job. I can only tell you some things, like our origin, and stuff like that. But I will have to leave the really personal stuff to him."

"So, can you at least tell me why my blood is so important to him?"

"Uh, well, somewhat." she dodged, and Rebecca sighed, giving up in her pursuit. If she was going to get at least some information, at least that was good, right?

"Now, let me see, the beginning, the beginning. Ah! Once upon a time, there was a goddess! Oh," her face scrunched up. "No, no, that doesn't sound quite. Um, well, it all started with a goddess, maybe that is the way to start this. It sounds better at least."

"What was her name?"

"Uh, well we don't know, because, well, she isn't our goddess. Well, crap! Just listen, kay? I am really bad at story telling!" she took in a deep breath, tilting her head back. "So you see, this goddess was the embodiment of everything that was good and bad in nature itself. From death and destruction, to birth and growth."

"So she wasn't good or evil?" Rebecca supplied, and Fortis lifted her head to flash her a smile in thanks.

"No, she wasn't. She was what humans are meant to be, a balance between the two, even though humans always seem to lean one way or the other most times. Ah! But anyways! She watched over nature itself for a long time, until, of course, she fell in love."
"Of course, stories always lean that way. But please don't tell me she fell in love with a tree." Rebecca snorted, even as Fortis gave her a scowl, even as she seemed like she wanted to laugh.

"No, now stop ruining my oh so wonderful story!" she took in another deep breath, as if she were trying to pick up where she had left off.

"She fell in love?" she supplied, and Fortis picked up where she had left off.

"She fell in love with a mortal who had seen everything that nature had to offer. All he had known his whole life was nothing but the forest, and he, too, was the perfect balance of everything good and bad. He had seen death and destruction, and he accepted it, even killing at times himself, whether for mercy or not, but at the same time he always knew there would be birth and growth, and even helped it along as much as he could.

"She was captivated by him, but she could not touch him, for while he lived, he was not something that she could touch. He was not part of nature while he lived his life, at least, not the nature of the forest. She she continued to watch him, and the more and more that she watched him, the more and more she loved him.

"And eventually, even this mortal, who should not be able to feel her presence, began to know she was there. When she hovered just near him, he would turn his head, and she felt as if at times he were looking just at her. Eventually, he even began to place things just at her feet, smiling up at her, though she knew it was impossible for him to see her. She wanted so badly to touch his face, so young, so handsome, or to even take the gifts that he left for her, something that she could hold and make her feel close to him.

"Eventually, the years continued to pass, and the man left more and more gifts for her, and the loneliness in her heart began to grow, and consume her. She would weep, standing at his side, looking up at his face that was now wearing with age, pure moonlight pouring down her cheeks and to the ground. And where they touched the ground, these beautiful white tulips sprung from the ground, and when water would gather in them from the rain and the moon shone on them, the water would contain the power of moonlight itself, said to give immortality. But that was found out later.

"The man smiled at those flowers, reaching up to touch the place where her face was, as if he knew her loneliness. But his hand passed through her face, and it made her heart weep."

"Was there nothing she could do?" Rebecca asked desperately, clutching the blankets, her heart squeezing with understanding for this woman. She wanted something she could not have, just like Rebecca herself.

"No," Fortis whispered, her voice also sad. What was she thinking of with that expression? Surley, since she was not consumed with madness, she had someone?

"You see, human nature is different that natural nature. Human nature is volatile, constantly changing with little things, where as natural nature does not change that much, if at all. At with his growing love for her as well, he was changing even more and putting him out of her reach."

"How. . . how could they be together?" surely they got too, right?

"They didn't, until the day he lay dying, from being attacked by a criminal who was fleeing in the woods. He just attacked him on site, and drove his knife deep into his gut, leaving him there to die."

"I don't understand, how is it dying allowed them to be together?"

"Dying is natural. No matter how you do it. She was able to touch him then, as use her magic to bring him back."

"But wouldn't that put them back where they had started?" Rebecca asked, imagining how they had felt. She imagined that the goddess looked a lot like Fortis did. With hair that would shine in the moonlight, looking almost platinum blond. Eyes large and beautiful, but a lighter green, like the color of the fresh vegetation of spring. What would they feel, when she leaned over to touch his face for the first time in years? Being able to look him in the eyes, feel him, lean down to kiss him for the first time?

"No," Fortis said, snapping her out of her thought process, blushing, as if she were broadcasting them aloud. "For you see, now he was a part of her being, sharing her life force. We don't know how she did it, but she managed, even though it went against everything she stood for."

"What happened then?" she asked in desperation, wanting to know if this story had a happy ending. But wait, hadn't Fortis said this wasn't their goddess?

"They laid together for the first time. She fell asleep in the arms of the person she had loved for years, but when she awoke, he was gone."

"Just gone? What to you mean?"

"When she awoke, it was because she felt his life end. You see, since he was tied to her, he felt that by bringing him back it was eating at her essence, her being. It was killing her, because she was trying as hard as she could to sustain a magic that she was not able to possess for a long period of time. He had gotten up in the night while she slept, went off somewhere, and killed himself."

Rebecca gasped, her hands flying to her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. He had done that? To protect the woman he had loved, a woman he had only coupled with for one night? God, for such love to exist.

"Don't worry," Fortis said softly, reaching over to pat her hand. "The story isn't over. She got pregnant from that one coupling. Her heart was broken, and she wept, even when she gave birth, to twins."

"Is there a significance in twins?"

"Well, yes, you see, god and goddesses are not meant to sleep with anyone other than other gods or goddesses. Because they can never produce twins, but human genes always pulled surprises. Not to mention now the powers and genes of the children were unknown. No one knew if they would be mortal or immortal, or if they would have their mothers balance."

"Did they?"

"Oh, no, they didn't. One of her daughters gained the love for nature and all that was good in it. While the other obtained the other side of it, enjoying the death and destruction of all things. You see, unlike her sister, she could even effect mortals, seeming to hold more human in her than he sister."

"Are you saying because she was more human, she was evil?" Rebecca tried to summon outrage, or even a twinge of anger, but none came.

"No, just because she was more human did not make her evil. But SHE began to develop her own powers, to stretch her limits beyond the ones she was supposed to have. That was when she became evil." and by her tone, Fortis did not know much more than that.

"What were there names?" she asked, having to know.

"Well, our goddess, the one who represents the good in nature, was named Thoris. I know, not a very feminine name, her mother sucked at names, just like mine did." she shrugged. "But I am afraid we do not know the name of the other sister."

"So the word Thorian makes sense now."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"So what happened from there?"

"Well, hmm, let me see. Oh, yeah, her daughter fell in love. Well, the good one did, anyway. Since she had human genes in her, she could interact with him, not having to suffer through what her mother did. And her mother was determined to see that her daughter did not have to lose him, as well. She went to the place where the last of the tulips grew. You see, it had been over a hundred years since she had lost her love and her children had been born, and most of them had died out. But there was still a few left, but only a single one had been full of water for long enough to offer up immortality."

"Wait! How could she have known that they would do that?"

"Oh, didn't I mention? A silly mortal had stumbled upon them and took it into his silly head to drink it. Honestly, who does that?"

"Where is he now?"

"Oh, dead. The Gods took care of him."

"Oh, wonderful." Rebecca glowered.

"Anyways, the flower worked, and her daughters husband became immortal. They had children, all of who carried the immortal gene, but, they could only give birth to male children, no matter how many they had. Not to mention they could not live in the same realm as their mother." Well, how she began to be worshiped also made sense.

"But what about the madness? What about the pairing?"

"Well, you see, half of the males began to take advantage of their immortality to do what they pleased. So our goddess stepped in, since the males also found out they could only have children with females with certain genes."

"Really? Genes of what kind?" but Fortis shrugged.

"Beats me, but I would guess the genes of our goddesses father, the same genes her husband probably carried."

"So she also simplified that?"

"Yeah, she made it so that they would be able to know the perfect female for them. But she could give nothing without a price. So for the males, the price is the madness, until the ritual is completed, bonded body and soul. And for the females? Well, they have to deal with not being immortal, and eventually dying."

"Well that's not fair!"

"No, it isn't, but it was all she could do, since the females aren't of her people until they are bounded, where as the males will always be followed by the bloodline. They can still only give birth to male children. But you see, half of her children did not want this, so they left her, and chose to worship her unmarried sister. And unfortunately, they were the best gene specialists they had. They cracked the gene that only allowed female children, but it is almost impossible for them to find a female or even harder to find a male who has the right genes. They envy us, for while our numbers grow, their do not. They devote themselves to their sciences, and yet it has done nothing for them."

"But, when do the males hit the madness stage? And how many children can a woman have in her lifetime?"

"Well, they all hit it at different ages. But there are signs. We lock them up and bring them females that show signs of being able to be bound. And well, only one, it is another restriction the goddess put on them."

"Signs?"

"Ah, yeah, you know, increased blood making whenever they are around some of our kind, even though only their bound male can feed from them."

"How did Kalin get out?"

Fortis flushed, looking away.

"Are those details oh so important?" then something struck Rebecca, and she paused, looking at Fortis as if she had seen a ghost.

"Hold on a second. You just said they can only give birth to male children."

"Uh, yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?" she said sheepishly, but Rebecca could tell she had automatically become nervous. She began slightly fidgeting where she sat, and Rebecca felt her heart begin to speed up.

"Then how are you and Kalin brother and sister?"

"Damn, you are sharp aren't you? My brother got lucky." she looked away, almost guiltily, taking in a deep breath.

"Well, you see, our father was odd. He had two mates, not just one. The first one was my mother, and the second was Kalin's mother. Cept, well, my mother kinda went into a coma after having me, and well, Kalin's mother . . . well she died." there was a heartbeat of pause before them, and then Rebecca spoke.

"Are you saying . . ."

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Say it, I want to make sure you are not lying to me."

"Okay, fine." she turned her head to look her in the eye. "I am the only female Thorian to ever be born."