Seventeen Years
To one who does not age, seventeen years can pass in the blink of an eye. One day you may stand in front of a child. You turn around for what feels like a second, and that child is now a young woman. That is how Shilo viewed her seventeen years with Prince Nuada.
For the first two and a half months away from the Bureau, Nuada and Shilo traveled to distant and almost forgotten lands. The young Shilo stayed at her friend, her master, and teachers, side.
Nuada taught Shilo the stories of the Earth. Taught the tales of his people. Of the treaty that was forged with the humans for the protection of the magical land. Shilo learned very quickly of Nuada's past and his time spent in his own exile. Her bond with the elvin Prince grew.
Once the first three months were spent, Nuada left Shilo in the woods. He told her that her first task was complete. She knew of the magical and mortal world down to every text and spoken world. Now she had live alone.
She was left with a magical bracelet of goblin silver. It could be used to call upon Nuada when, and only when, she completed her self training. Shilo was left alone for seven years in the world. Running and traveling from town to town, city to city, and magical realm to magical realm.
It had been hard. She was meet with creature one would only read about in fairy-tales and ancient text. Creatures so foul that one was lucky to survive. She quickly, yet sloppily, learned of her kind. She discovered them in small covenants all over the world.
She learned of her family, her mother and father, who'd died at the hands of vampire, who'd promise them he would find her, their lost daughter. Shilo had wept for many nights. She stayed with her remaining kin. A young man, her Uncle by the name of Leonis.
From Leonis, Shilo learned of her peoples past, their culture, and their combat abilities. She learned of her true power and name, Abyssus Parvulus; Latin translation for Hells Child. Shilo dejected the name. Shilo would forever remain her name. No other would take it's place.
Seven years come and go before Shilo departs from her people, bidding her Uncle Leonis, and his wife Elvera, farewell with hugs and promises to visit again someday. Traveling for two years, Shilo comes to the forest where her and Nuada parted nine years ago.
Using the bracelet, Shilo calls upon her friend. In a mere minutes, Nuada and the Cat Demoness are reunited as friends; Student and teacher.
For the next eight years, Shilo is put through energy draining, blood spilling, and sweat breaking training by Nuada. There are plenty of times the young cat demoness wishes to quit. But she stays, knowing she would never be able to forgive herself if she quit.
Seventeen years she is gone.
Young, small, five-year-old Shilo has grown. No longer is she the young child that was rescued by a man of red skin.
She was a warrior and blossomed young woman of twenty-two. A young woman who learned of the world, of the horror and wonders it could bring. She was proud, confident, and was no longer afraid of the dark and what it holds.
Now, as she meditated under a simple waterfall near her and Nuada's camp, Shilo can feel the years have left the younger her standing at the Bureau with tears in her eyes.
The water pounded down on her as she kept her eyes closed. Breathing in and out evenly, Shilo lets herself connect to the world, accepting her animal instincts. A soft sigh of breath is released, as she turns towards a familiar force, her eyes remaining closed.
"Master?" Shilo asks, keeping her concentration on each drop of water that landed around her. Nuada, though she can not see but feel, approaches her, stepping about knee length into the water.
"Child. It is time. You are ready." Nuada calmly stats, as Shilo slowly opens her eyes, revealing her bright emerald eyes. They no longer held a small kitten Innocents. They now held a young lionesses glow, as she rose fluidly to her feet, stepping into the water as her ears perked and her tail switched happily.
"Yes... Lets go home Master."
A short chapter on Shilo's seventeen years away from Hellboy and the others. A quick take on her training, and her discovery of herself.
This is what happens between the first installment and the upcoming second installment to 'The Stray. Enjoy and Be on the look out for the upcoming Chapter my friends.