Yag couldn't speak. A burning sensation grew in his chest and he was overtaken with pain. He couldn't move. He was simply frozen in place, Sen's foot lodged in his chest. Blood began to seep into the snow below him, turning into a stream that coursed downhill in the snow. It steamed up but did not freeze, and slowly the blood turned black. Yag went limp and began to breathe again, gasping for air. He could feel the burning energy seeping out into the snow, and gradually he began to regain control of his body.

{S-Sen….. I'm..I'm so sorry….} He moved his robe hand to her leg gently to let her know he was back to normal.

"You're back," she took in a breath. "I'm sorry too. There was no other way, that thing was going to kill me!"

"I don't know what to do now," she cried. "I don't want another one of my friends to go. I don't want to go into the Mountain's light without you. But I caused this. And I can't turn it back!"


She was with Mari back on the desert, kicking up sand and chasing the dolphins. The sun warmed their cloaks and their naps were frequent.

She was back with Yag in the same spot, finding the scarf, happily trudging up the same dunes she had traversed so many times before while Yag leaped from spot to spot playfully.

They were on the sliding sands, throwing worries away as they did flips and competed to see who could get more height. The cloth dolphins nudged them and gave them reassurance that they were going the right way. It was nothing more than a trip to the familiar mountain, where comfort was waiting.

The Underground was the least of their worries. The Guardians seemed like a nuisance now.

Sen wished she could see the sun again. She wanted reassurance.

She wanted to comfort her dying friend, but no words came out. Her sobs grew louder and she bowed her head to cry.


Yag's breathing slowed and his pants for air were weaker and weaker.{Sen….you did what you had to do… Tepeyollotyl told me I was fated to die here, exactly where he died…} He could feel his body growing numb, his thermal vision blurring, and the red glow of Sen's robe next to him starting to fade. The blood seeping out of his wounds had turned red again and continued to flow out of him.

{I want you to know…..that this…this journey….it was the most exciting thing I have ever experienced….and I want to thank you….for the journey…}

Yag's energy drained from him entirely and his robe went limp. His heartbeat slowed down to a lazy rhythm before giving up altogether.

…..thank you…


Sen didn't know what to do. She dislodged her foot from his chest as his eyes dimmed forever. Bye. She tried to brush off the snow that was beginning to pile on his brown robe, stained in various places.

A sudden echoing noise began to sound, and Sen turned to see the Elder standing beside her, at her normal size.

"I will help you to bury your friend," she said.

Sen was too filled with grief to agree, or even be surprised that her ancestor had come to the real world. She turned and began to limp towards the cave nearby, her wounds beginning to pain. The Elder lifted Yag's body and followed Sen. The wind did not affect the spirit.

"Here," Sen motioned to the grave marker. "Next to this one. He deserves to sleep with company. Right?"

The Elder said nothing and gently set Yag's body face down. Sen brushed snow off the spot and stood off to the side, waiting. "Can you dig a hole?" she asked. Her voice cracked.

"Wait," the Elder said, bowing low. Carefully she tore a bit of Yag's scarf from him.

"What are you doing?!" Sen lurched forward, but her ancestor's actions halted her. The Elder laid the scarf carefully on the ground and began to construct a grave for Yag from the rock wall. It was slightly shorter than the marker next to it, but similar in design. At the top, the Elder engraved Yag's symbol into it and stuck the stone in the ground. When it was embedded, the Elder handed the scarf to Sen.

"Tie it to the grave," the Elder said. "It will stand for a long time. This place is sheltered from the wind."

"How did you know Yag's symbol?" Sen asked quietly, taking the scarf. The Elder was silent as Sen tied the scarf to the stone.

When she looked back, the Elder straightened her back and inclined her head slightly. "It is because I was familiar with Tepeyollotyl and his people. Wait," the Elder ordered as Sen began to protest. "I could not give more warning, because I was unsure of what Tepeyollotyl was going to do. I did not want to provoke him anymore."

"What do you mean?" Sen protested.

But the Elder was at work again. She carefully carved a hole in the stone and delicately lifted Yag into the hole. "Is there anything you would like to say?"the Elder asked gently.

"I would like to be alone, please," Sen said in a small voice. She stared her ancestor in the eyes. The Elder backed away. "Of course."

"Thank you," Sen said, but the spirit had already disappeared.

Sen spent the next half hour covering Yag with rocks. When she was done, she fell to her knees and stared into space.


Tepeyollotyl focused his energy down near Sendoa. His mind began to reel and he felt himself being pulled into his head, whipped around, and then landing behind her. His astral projection would last him long enough to do his best to make amends, or at least he hoped it would.

{{Sen….I want to apologize…for everything.}} The red robed wayfarer didn't turn around. {{I want you to know…why I did it. You see, Yaguareté was created by me. I used my own personal energy as well as the connection I had to the physical realm to make him a real being from my thoughts. He wasn't to find my scarf, much less give it to you. But he did, unleashing my curse. The scarf had been hidden in a sacred place, and when the curse was freed, it affected the first person to touch it, which was Yag. And because he gave it to you, he unknowingly gave you the duty of fulfilling the curse.}} Tepeyollotyl lowered his head.

{{Originally, only one person was to find it, if it were found. They would be blessed with great strength and energy, but in the end it would be the death of them. Clearly this was not the case here.}}

Tepeyollotyl slowly walked around Sen and stood behind the grave marker. She still did not look up to him. {{Sen. It was not Yag's time to die. Eventually he would have made his climb up the mountain, but he was never going to make it. For I never made the journey fully. And after spending his life in the Tower, he would have made the trek up to die as I died. But not only did he decide to attempt his journey to the summit, he had taken my scarf. He is not a pure being in the true sense of the word. He may have been a celestial being, but he was not of your race. They never would have let him be reborn. I wanted him to be able to come to heaven, but the only way was by dying where I died. That way I could fetch his soul and bring it back with me.}} Tepeyollotyl looked down at the grave, sensing Yag's soul stirring.

His heart ached at the thought of Sen being left alone on the mountain, but he knew there was nothing he could do. {{I want to give you a final word before I return to heaven with Yag. You were his deepest friend. And that scarf of yours…belongs to you fully now. I will disconnect myself from it, and you will never be bothered with my affairs again. It is still untearable, but the energy will return to normal after the month has passed since you found it. I will no longer be interacting with the physical realm. But don't forget. That scarf is a part of Yag. Without it he would never have existed. Keep it close to you. Let it remind you of him.}}

Tepeyollotyl reached down into the grave, his robe arms passing through the rocks. When he brought them up again, he was holding Yag's spirit, a glowing golden orb of light. Tepeyollotyl nodded to Sen. {{May the Ancestors forever be watching over you.}} He began to glow brightly, fading into the white light. In a flash, his image disappeared and Sen was truly alone once again.