Hey, y'all! Check it out! UPDATE! Mwahahaha!!!

Vampireizzy: No problem at all! Like I said, I had been wanting to do another scene from Earth like that... (evil laugh) And...wow... Sylvia plus seeing Ike equals nosebleed? That oughta be interesting... =-D

Knowlee: Yes, you can! -Hurt Stasik and Karoline. And...sure! Go ahead and slap Ranulf because he's just being a stupid idiot at the moment, but it shall lead to some romance building...some time in the future...! (plays dramatic music) Ashera is OUT, people! OUT OUT OUT! And...I didn't really rush, honestly... Haha, I got inspired for another story, but I'm hoping to publish a few stories I don't have on fanfiction, so I was writing it... Curse you for inspiring me, King Authur! (even though I love the movie!)

Iline-RP: Don't feel stupid! A lot of people have asked me that. In the beginning, I was planning on having Mihara be me. Family-wise and animal-wise and friend-wise (and band-wise!), she is me. But, when I got further into the story, I developed her personality more and I finally decided she wouldn't be me, exactly. So...she's more like an alter-ego, haha. (transports Ashera to your location for enjoyment of her death by you)

Onward to the story! OOONNNWWWAAARRRDDD!

XxXxXxX

Chapter 18

Mihara's eyes slowly opened as she moaned quietly. Above her, Shoen sighed with relief. "Thank the goddess. You finally woke up."

"Shoen...?" Mihara groaned and sat up. "What...happened to me...?"

"Yune said that Ashera attacked you. You've been out for about four hours. You were seriously worrying me and Dad..." Shoen helped her up. "He eventually went around, helping the others to keep himself from panicking."

"Wait! I remember! The fire-?!"

"It got put out. The barrier broke because of Yune and your friend from...Earth, was it?"

"Yeah... So, what happened to her?"

"She hasn't woken up yet," he replied, nodding his head towards Mihara's back. There, Sylvia lay, still unconscious, on the grass. Her clothes were that of a thunder mage, strangely enough. When Mihara had arrived on Tellius, she was still in her Earth clothes, even if there were holes where her wings had shot out from her shoulderblades. So, she wondered why Sylvia's clothes had changed.

"What...about Ranulf? Did he ever wake up?"

Shoen's face dropped, causing Mihara's heart to plummet into her stomach. "Shoen?"

"He's in worse shape that originally thought... Sigrun flew him back to Gallia."

"How bad is he?" she instantly demanded.

"We don't know. But you aren't going anywhere right now," said a menacing male voice behind her.

Mihara turned, only to see it was her father. Obviously feeling better, she jumped up and gave Tibarn a hug. "Dad! I heard what happened from Shoen, but then, Ashera-! Are you okay? Were any of the others hurt?!"

"No, I'm fine, and so are most of the others. No one was severely hurt. The worst one right now is Lorazieh. His health wasn't at its peak before this, so all of that smoke really got to him. Leanne and Rafiel are looking after him right now. Reyson won't stand still long enough to stay with them." Tibarn took Mihara's shoulders and held her out away from him so he could look into her golden eyes. "Are you sure that you're okay? Yune stayed behind to speak with you to get details, but she said Ashera had attacked you."

His daughter could obviously see the rage in Tibarn's eyes and she was surprised he was holding it back so well. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. She just...caught me off guard and in a really bad mood."

There was a pause before Tibarn sighed and released her. "Watch your friend," was all he said before he walked back towards the large group at the altar a small distance away.

"...He didn't buy it, did he?" Mihara groaned.

"So you are feeling bad?" Shoen frowned.

"No, I'm really not. It's just...he didn't seem to believe me."

"He's worried, that's all."

Mihara chuckled grimly. "At the moment, you seem like the elder sibling more than me."

Shoen grinned playfully and winked. "Well, we gotta switch back and forth, y'know? Today just happened to be unlucky for most."

There was a quiet moan that came from Sylvia before she shifted, her blue eyes opening. Mihara winced. Here they go again...

XxXxXxX

He was running...as fast as he could. But he was not in his true form? Why?

There were men...trying to stop him. They were all armed with weapons – lances. Why were they trying to stop him?

Fear took him, and he ran faster. Faster, faster...he was too slow. He had this feeling that if he didn't rush, he would be too late.

Too late for what?

He passed through the men – not fighting, simply running. He couldn't waste time with the low-lives, not while he had to be somewhere, taking care of someone hundreds of times more important. The snow did not even have any effect on him, save for the fact that the small scratch on his arm left small drops of blood on it occasionally. At last, he came to his destination. "Stop!" he found himself bellowing, fear easily detectable in his voice.

Before him was a shadowy figure – he couldn't tell if it was female or male. In their hands was a long lance that resembled a silver lance, aimed down at a young, familiar laguz in the snow.

Mihara.

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. They slid down her cheeks, falling to her wing that was obviously broken. It lay in a strange position at her side, blood gushing from it. A few feet away was a broken arrow, snapped in half so it could've been taken out. "Ranulf...!" Her voice was so miserable, it felt to him as though she had given up.

He growled and snapped, repeating, "Stop it! Let her go!"

The figure said, in a distorted voice, "Why should I?" He/she, with inhuman speed, snatched Mihara's right wrist and pulled her up. Even at the slightest movement of her injured wing – the right one – she screamed in agonizing pain.

His blood boiled. "Let. Her. Go. Now."

"Is that a threat?"

"You bet your ass it is."

The figure jerked his head. With swift movements, his/her minions, who had been trying to to prevent him from getting there, jumped forward, grabbing him. Instantly, he began struggling, trying to get away. "Let her go, damn it!"

"You see...I don't see how I would benefit from that. I think just killing her would save everyone...including you...a lot of trouble. She may originally be from here, but she still has the heart of a weak beorc."

He glared with all the hatred he could muster. "That's such a filthy lie...! Her heart is stronger than even the hero of Tellius! And you, of all people, know that!"

"Yes, well, once I kill her, my wife and daughter will come back to life." The figure laughed maniacally, revealing that it was, indeed, a man.

"So you'll take away someone else's daughter?! Not to mention, he's already lost his wife!"

"Indeed. Now, if you'll excuse me..." He turned back to Mihara, who was trying to hold back more screams. He turned the lance that was in his left hand. Almost in slow motion, it came down.

"Nooo!!!" Ranulf screamed, trying even harder to pull away from those holding him back.

However, the lance didn't land anywhere on Mihara. Instead, he had stabbed it into the ground just beside her. He then leaned down and pulled up the flaring part of Mihara's capris. There, was her curved dagger. With an evil chuckle, his hand brought it out from its sheath. He flipped it around in his hand. "This is a nice blade. More than nice enough for your ending." He raised it up in the air, aimed at Mihara's chest.

The girl tried to laugh, though it came out more as a choking sound. "That's the...second time that...that knife has been used...against me..."

"I'll gladly make this the last time, then."

Mihara's eyes began to slide shut. "Please...don't... I know...you're better than...than this... Your wife...wouldn't want this..."

He snapped, "How the hell would you know what my wife would want?!" He flipped the dagger around and slammed the butt of it against Mihara's head, knocking her to the ground as he released her wrist. The blow didn't only make the young laguz pass out, but it made a cut in the side of her head, blood dripping out of it. The man turned the dagger back over, pointing the blade at the defenseless laguz.

With a rush of energy, Ranulf made the fastest transformation he'd ever done. He knocked away the people holding him back and he charged for the man. However, the knife was already coming down. So, with a great leap, Ranulf landed over Mihara, protecting her with his large feline body. He felt the blade barely in his skin. He looked at the figure, who had stopped his assault. "Why protect her?"

"You know damn well why," Ranulf hissed.

"Because you," the man snorted, "love this creature who can barely be called laguz?"

XxXxXxX

Knock, knock.

The door opened, Skrimir stepping in. The female healer in the room stood. "Your Majesty... I'm afraid his condition isn't improving at all."

Wordlessly, Skirmir walked to Ranulf's bedside. The cat warrior was covered in sweat, and his face was slightly red from fever. "Leave," he ordered.

"Of course, Your Majesty." The healer stood and left. "I will go find some more herbs for him."

"...Thank you."

Once the door closed, Skrimir fell into the chair that the healer had been in with a heavy sigh. "I am sorry, my friend. It's my fault you're laying there like that..."

Ranulf hissed with pain in his sleep, then began breathing loudly. Skrimir looked at him with concern. "Get well, Ranulf. I feel horrible since you are in this position because of me. It was foolish of me to send you on that mission."

Ranulf then mumbled something. Skrimir frowned, thinking he had heard wrong, but when he leaned in to hear what his friend and advisor was saying, he knew he had heard correctly.

"Mi...hara... I...I..."

XxXxXxX

Sylvia glanced around the forest, observing the activity going on around her. She noted the wings, the pointed ears, the tails, the claws, the fangs. "This really isn't a dream, is it?" she inquired once more to Mihara.

"No," she answered once more.

"So...then, how come my clothes changed and yours didn't?" Sylvia looked over her clothes again. "Not that I'm complaining. These are cute."

"I have no idea. I don't know why yours would've changed like that. The most that happened to me was, obviously the wings, ears, sight, and hearing, but my hair changed to black, and over time, my eyes became gold." Mihara stretched her wings and limps, feeling sore from having been asleep for so long during day hours.

Sylvia turned her gaze away. "No offense, but the eyes are going to take some getting used to. The golden kinda makes it feel like an animal is looking at me."

"...I understand. Now that I think about it, their eyes never freaked me out..."

Sylvia gave her a grin. "You were probably just too busy being overwhelmed by all the info that had just been dumped on you."

Mihara chuckled. "Maybe."

"Sooo...you can really fly?" Sylvia's eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Duh!" Mihara stuck her tongue out, teasing her beorc friend. "These aren't just decorations!"

"Hey, you never know!" Sylvia reached out and poked Mihara's wings. "Hehe, this is so cool! Poke, poke, poke, poke..."

Mihara, good-naturedly, groaned into her hand. Tibarn and Shoen then approached the two (Mihara not being able to help but smirk because of the way they looked at Sylvia). Once Sylvia saw them coming, she stopped poking Mihara's wings and stared at Tibarn, taking in how real he looked. Though he raised a curious eyebrow, he looked at Mihara. "Will you accompany me for a minute, Mihara?"

"Of course. Be right back," she told Sylvia.

"Uh, okay..."

Mihara walked off with her father, leaving her little brother with Sylvia. Once they were a fair distance away, she inquired, "What is it?"

"I simply wanted to tell you that we are going to spend another night here before we go anywhere. Not only do I want to make sure that you'll be okay to fly," he gave her a stern glance at that, "but Ike would like to go with us. However, he is going to take Felicity – the otter laguz with him – to Xavier and his people. She was supposed to be Xavier's successor, but disappeared with Ike to look for the medallion."

Mihara knew, that with the glance her father gave her that she shouldn't ask why they couldn't go on ahead since Ike could transport himself. Instead, she merely said, "Okay... By the way, when does Yune want to talk to me?"

"Sometime tonight. The others are staying too."

"Micaiah, Sothe, Sanaki, and Tanith?"

"Yeah. So, right now, she's talking with them about goddess-knows-what. She'll get you when she's ready to talk."

"Alright."

"Also..."

"Hmm?" Mihara glanced up at him.

"Your friend seems to be adjusting just fine," he commented with an amused tone, looking in the general direction of where they'd left Shoen with her.

"Hn-? Oh...boy..." Mihara rolled her eyes with a grin on her face, seeing that Sylvia had moved on to poking Shoen's wings now, her brother staring at her with a horrified look. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I know it's too soon to tell, but do you know if she has any intention of returning to Earth?"

Mihara gave Tibarn a slightly shocked look. "No...I have no idea. Why?"

"I was just wondering. Come. We must decide where we will stay tonight. We may have to just sleep outside."

Before Mihara could respond, Tibarn was already walking away. She looked after him, frowning. He's obviously got something on his mind... But what?

Later that night, as Tibarn had said, the four of them slept outside. They weren't far away from where the herons usually slept, but a few rooms were taken up by those who were still in poor condition after the fire. There were other 'houses', so to speak, but either they were full or they were rotten from all the years it was never used.

The four stretched out in a sort of circle, their heads all close to each other. Mihara and Sylvia's heads were across from each other, just as Tibarn's was with Shoen's. Once the two girls heard snoring coming from the males, they both flipped over on their stomachs to face each other. Sylvia whispered, "I don't think I can really sleep! This is all just so sudden...!"

"I know what you mean..." Mihara sighed. She hesitated, then asked, "Sylvia? How were...the others taking it?" She paused to think of their names. "Amari, Yvete, and the others?"

The nineteen year old glanced away. "They weren't doing that great. When I spoke with them, they said they could barely concentrate in their classes at school. We were all spending time together as much when they got out of school and such..."

Mihara cursed in her mind. "Leaving everyone behind...is the hardest thing about staying here. Especially when..." she trailed off.

Sylvia frowned. "When what?"

Mihara placed her arms and hands in front of her face, then rested her chin down on her arm. "I realized, really fast...that the longer I stayed here...the more I forgot about life on Earth. I forgot everyone's names...faces... So, I kinda got transported back to Earth for about a half-hour or so, and while I was there, I brought as many pictures with me as I could."

Sylvia's frowned deepened with worry. "You...forgot?"

"I still am forgetting." Mihara looked back up at Sylvia. "Are you worried about Giselle and your mom?"

There was a long stretch of silence before Sylvia changed the subject. "Actually, I think now I'm a bit sleepy. I'll see ya in the morning, Mihara." She then flipped over onto her side and curled up.

Mihara sighed quietly, but didn't push it. She knew that, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, Sylvia was worried. She, too, flipped back over onto her back, closed her eyes, and prepared to go to sleep. However, the lightest sound reached Mihara's ears: The sounds of a bird's wings fluttering. She opened her eyes and saw Yune hovering above her. "I'm sorry, Mihara. Do you mind if we talk tonight?"

"No, it's fine..." Mihara sat up, not taking notice that Sylvia stirred to look and see who she was talking to. "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

"Yes. Just a little ways away. I'll speak with Tibarn later. He's exhausted after everything that's happened today." Yune turned around, slowly flying forward. "This way."

Wordlessly, Mihara stood and followed the goddess. Once again, she didn't feel as excited as she followed Yune. She thought that she would be all jumpy when she met her. Maybe everything just started seeming natural to her now. Suddenly, Yune stopped in front of a large, thick tree that extended well up into the air. She said, "We're going up."

Mihara cocked her head with curiosity, wondering why Yune wanted to be so far away. "Okay..."

The goddess in bird form flew up extremely fast, not quite at the top, but about three-quarters of the way there. She perched on a nice, thick branch and awaited Mihara to follow her. The young laguz did, taking to the air. She carefully avoided the other branches on the tree before landing on the one Yune was on. She sat down and let her feet dangle over the edge. "So...what do you want to talk about?"

"Two things, really. But, first, how did Ashera attack you? More importantly, what did she say to you?"

Mihara flinched, thinking of the tremendous headache she had had when Ashera first spoke to her. "Well, she did it...mentally, I suppose you could say, but it also felt really physical. Right before she started talking to me – in my head –, I had a really bad headache."

Yune nodded, still listening intently as she shifted to her child-like form.

"She's trying...to tempt me over to her side. She started telling me about how she would save everyone in the fire if I joined her. When I told her 'no'...she said that I would die fighting, and that she would come after me."

Yune frowned. "She didn't say when, did she?"

"No. She just said that she would come after me once she...dealt with the ones in the fire." Since she had just thought about that, Mihara hoped that it didn't mean she would continue going after Tibarn, her brother, and the herons.

"I see. And..." Yune gave her a serious look. "Do you know who attacked Ranulf and the others on the mountain?"

"...Now that I think about it, I never asked." Mihara's tone became grave. "Who did it?"

"Stasik and Karoline."

Mihara's eyes widened tremendously. "...What?! But...Ike killed them! I remember him killing them!"

Yune only said one name: "Ashera."

It all clicked in Mihara's mind. Stasik and Karoline were working with Ashera... That would explain how they came back to life... But it also didn't. In the game, she couldn't revive the soldiers' souls. So...how did she do it with those two?

-They must not've been dead yet,- she realized, deep inside. -She simply healed their wounds.-

Yune's voice broke Mihara from her thoughts. "Do you have any idea what they would want with you?"

"Not a clue..." she said immediately. But she's got a point... There must be some reason why they're going through all this trouble just to get me. Although...it's strange that Ashera wants me alive. Unless that's just a guise. She might really want to kill me. But still...why? If she did want me alive, why would Stasik and Karoline be trying to kill me? ...Maybe they only started working together when she brought them back. But why would they be after Ranulf and the others? And then Dad and Shoen and all the others here?

-She wants to target those who you care about. She doesn't want you to have an escape.-

Mihara groaned out loud with frustration and confusion. Yune gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. I just thought you should know. Don't tell Tibarn just yet. He'll go crazy. I'll tell him when the time is right."

"Okay..." Mihara choked out.

"On a lighter note... I heard your birthday is coming up."

Mihara, despite all that she had just learned, gaped. "What? But...it was only just fall when the swans got here! I thought we were just coming into winter!"

Yune smirked. "Our seasons differ from those on Earth. Our fall season are from early November to mid-January. Winter is only February and March. Spring is April. Summer is May to October."

"So...then...what month is it now?!"

"Late January," was the amused reply.

"But I only got here late November! I've been here...two whole months?"

Yune simply nodded, giggling.

"It feels longer than that. And, at the same time...shorter." Just thinking of something, Mihara inquired, "Do you know when Shoen's birthday is?"

"It had already passed when you got here. Mid-November."

"Oh... What about Dad's?"

"It's in June. Now, I've kept you up long enough. You're going to have a long day tomorrow. Go get some rest."

Even though Mihara still had questions, she obeyed. She slid off of the tree branch, flapped her wings once or twice, and landed on the ground. She looked back up at Yune, who was already lost in her own thoughts, and walked back to where the three others were. Once she spread out on the ground and was asleep, Ike walked out from the shadows of the tree from where Yune and Mihara had been. He glanced up at Yune. "What do you make of it?"

Yune, too, slid off of the branch, and floated down to the ground. "It's all very confusing. I can't put my finger on why Ashera would want Mihara so badly. I have a theory...but I doubt it's right."

Ike crossed his arms and leaned against the tree. "What is your theory?"

"...Connections. She not only wants to 'perfect' Tellius...but the Earth, as well."

"Sadly enough, that doesn't sound too far off."

XxXxXxX

Karoline paced the abandoned ruins, mumbling to herself crossly. "When do we get to go back out?! The attacks have stopped on Tellius because we've disappeared!"

Stasik, who was sitting on the floor, droaned, "Calm down, sister. Watching you pace is making me tired. But don't worry about the attacks. They will soon begin again. This time, Lady Ashera will be the head of the forces. We are merely her underlings."

"You mean her pawns."

Stasik shot Karoline a fierce look. "Watch what you say. Would you rather be dead right now?"

Karoline grumbled. "I know what you mean. I just...don't like being used."

"Neither do I, but I'd rather serve Ashera and get our revenge instead of being dead at the hands of him."

"Point taken. So...when is she going to unleash the attacks again?"

Stasik grinned evilly. "Sooner than you think."

XxXxXxX

Keenan stood atop the hill, Aislyn at his side, watching their people as they settled in for the night in the fields of Altiaire. A few ravens and hawks were flying above, going wherever they wished. Aislyn inhaled the crisp air. "I think you made the correct decision, Lord Keenan, about staying here."

His ears twitched. "It is not the same as Staltone, but it will do for now. There may be better land out there."

"...You're right." Aislyn looked down and saw two young children playing with each other, away from the sleeping throng. "Heh... Ryan and Riley are at it again..."

"If you want to go play with them, feel free." Keenan gave Aislyn a grin. "You're still like a filly, after all."

"Nah, it's okay. I've been...feeling restless since earlier today."

"...Then I'm not the only one." Keenan narrowed his eyes. "I have the feeling that something's about to happen."

"Yes...me too."

Then, without warning, giant flames jumped to life at one end of the field. Instantly, the lord of horses and his right hand shifted into their full forms. Their eyes were wide with fear, reflecting the flames.

XxXxXxX

I...umm...have nothing to say! (innocent smile) Except for please review! (locks self in anti-rabid-reviewer-room)