~ Chapter 5 ~
" Come on Ares lets watch the snowstorm" Ares flew ashamed of his feelings, but as Amara streaked by blowing her scent into his face. He sighed, Amara looked around and smiled,
" Don't' worry the snow isn't that bad, you big old bat" Ares twitched his ear in annoyance he was only two years old, he wasn't any larger than his father, and Amara if they both stood on they're hind legs; Amara would reach his chest in height, it was true he was slightly bigger in mass with muscles and fur, but Amara was actually a big bat.
" I'm only two " Ares spoke firmly, Amara chuckled.
" Okay, take two. You are a big stubborn bat" Ares pondered it for a moment and grinned,
" I can agree to that statement" The entrance was whistling as the wind shrieked outside, snow and hail falling down at blistering speeds. Ares watched in amazement and fear, keeping Amara close beside him which he knew he shouldn't be doing. He shivered as the wind started to come in, he checked to make sure Amara wasn't cold. He pulled her closer,wrapping his wings around the both of them so she could watch and stay warm. Ares wasn't that interested in the snow, it was cold and he couldn't see through it, he wasn't liking the idea of possibly having to fly through it for food and he wondered what Amara would eat now. He thought of introducing her to meat if they couldn't find anything else. He wondered if Amara would start gaining more weight if she ate like he did he then imagined her gaining weight for something very different, his children. Ever since Zephyr had mentioned them being mates he couldn't help himself from imagining it. He shook his head. 'Never, she would never mate with you, you're a freak that even your own family doesn't want' he thought to himself.
Amara shivered then yawned,
" wow, big day tomorrow if the snow clears up were going to have to cross the spire forest. two day journey. We better catch up with sleep" Ares nodded and unwrapped his wings from her, and they both flew down to a warmer roost side by side, Amara fell asleep quickly. Ares yawned his vision blocked out for a moment, when his vision came back to focus Zephyr was staring right at him not and inch away from his face. Ares jumped and choked back a hiss. Zephyr held his wing up to his mouth , telling him to be quiet and follow. Ares did, much too his surprise. They both twisted past pillars until they were in a large square chamber.
Zephyr turned to face him,
" I have too show you something" at the same instant , the old bat gave him a piece of parchment, it smelt ancient thousands of years old. It was something about the Aurora shade.
" read it , it will explain a lot" Ares nodded and began to read.
Thousands of years ago. Nocturna had a lover in the spirit world, named Geisha lord of the wolves, they both loved each other giving each other gifts that shaped the world today. But one day Geisha gave Nocturna the moon ; a portal that would allow him to speak and see her even if she left to the underworld. Nocturna loved this gift and would wear it around her neck every time she would travel across the night sky. She went to the underworld to consult with her twin brother Zotz, he killed her out of anger and jealousy Geisha seeing the murder, was filled with rage that he howled to the sky and tears of sadness fell down his cheeks to the world of the living, every drop contained trillion of lives. The tears sank into the ground and rained upon Nocturna who rose back from the dead and liberated herself into the tree, however the last tear the fell from Geisha face was frozen by the winter sky, and it fell to the living world a solid crystal. Geisha knew in the wrong hands the Aurora shade would created great sin. So he left the spirit world unable to come back. Knowing this at the last moment he howled to the moon and begged Nocturna to help. Nocturna did ;creating the crystal into a bat, but since the crystal was part of Geisha the bat became half wolf half bat, one that did not prey on insect nor bat but only meat. This bat mistaken itself as a vampruym and lived with there colony, the silver birthmark that laid upon his neck , turned into nothing more but into a red blemish from the taint of cannibalism. Over the generations it is said that the wolves would howl too the moon telling Nocturna of the aurora shade, and one day the reincarnation of the green eyed would come back pure with the silver mark.
Ares looked up at Zephyr who nodded, concealing his future. The young Vampyrum touched a claw to his birth mark.
"So I'm this Aurora Shade? What does that mean? What am I supposed to do? apparently my lover is your small bat's god? but She's dead....this sounds like an old legend to me..." Zephyr looked at him.
"It is an old legend but you prove it's true, much like your ancient stone predicted the Eclipse."
"That could've been luck and this is insanity..."
"You are in denial..."
" really" Ares thought about it, but still it sounding ridiculous to him having a god as a lover.
" Oh, and Ares, the aurora shade was only part of Geisha each tear was a part of him, you are not the whole him just part of him and you are ...attracted to things that link too the gods, aren't you?" Ares felt frozen every day he would just stare at the symbols of the gods imprinted into the cave walls. Ares look away,
" you have your own life , you just carry the burden of trillions more inside your soul."
The old bat stared off into space,
" What I'm supposed too do?" Ares sighed, giving up.
" Some will want to use you for evil some for good, it's up to you too choose" with that Zephyr left with a convinced, confused, warrior in his wake. Ares flew up again and roosted next to Amara, feeling light-headed and..weird. He feel asleep fast and dreamed of a moon and Amara wearing it.
When he awoke at Twilight he felt more tired and confused than when he went to sleep. He looked at Amara and slowly wrapped his wings around her, careful not to wake her up. He breathed in her scent slowly, then nuzzled her again careful not to wake her up. The Northern world was insane and cold. He was not looking forward to two nights of flying but he would do it. "Heh, I've got a million lives anyway, might as well us them" Later that evening Ares was flying side by side next to Amara who was humming a lullaby, that was causing him to get more and more sleepy, he was shivering, so was Amara. He was hungry,and he felt kinda sick. They were almost halfway through the forest according to Amara; when she called a break her muscles shaking from exhaustion. Ares and her hunting, she was able to get a full stomach, all Ares found was a mangy mouse. His stomach was gnawing with pain, but all he craved right now was warmth and sleep. Amara flew through the trees looking for a roost, she was worried about ares he had barley anything to eat and he looked really tired. She shivered the icy wind cutting through her. It was extremely cold today. She felt a gust of warm wind and saw Ares above her, grinning. It was nice to see that he was somewhat better.
" I've found a roost" When Amara arrived at the roost she cold see why he was grinning. The tree was half toppled over onto another tree and it had a small entrance at the highest point in the trunk making it impossible for rodents to get in.