Chapter 14: Meeting the Celestial Council ~ Keith's Explanation Story
Part 2

While Twilight is filled with joy, every council member is whispering to one another. Violet smiled brightly as her heart is beating fast. But King Duncan is not thrilled. "So, if the war was over," King Duncan spoke. Everyone remains silent and Twilight's eyes turn to white, "How did you end up here with a broken leg?"
"I was captured by strange creatures that I saw before," Keith answered.
"Describe these creatures that you had seen," one of the council members requested.
"If I remember right," Keith rubbed his head. "These creatures had the structure of a velociraptor. If you know any of them back on Earth?"
"We are aware of those creatures, yes." King Duncan nodded.
Keith sighed in relief, "But these creatures not just only that they have the legs that are like it. Their heads look like demons, skeleton faces. No nose but pointy ears. With horns and scales covered all over their bodies. But they have armor on the upper part of their body, their arms, and their legs. They both have sharp yellow eyes and sharp teeth. But I can tell the difference between them, by their color scales. One of them is green and the other one is red."
"Hmm, it must be the Ca' Raptors that you encountered," King Duncan rubbed his chin.
"Ca' Raptor?" Keith tilt his left ear, curiously.
"Ca' Raptors," Twilight spoke as her eyes turned rainbow. "They are demon-like creatures that are bounty hunters, and sometimes form into pack hunters. Their speed is like an old version motorbike, but their menu is different."
"What do you mean?" Keith asked.
"Those creatures...they only eat any creature that is tender and mature," Twilight answered as her eyes turned rainbow to green. "They don't eat any creature that is soft, chewy, and young."
"Yuck," Keith winced.
"Yup, that's how they eat." Twilight shivered, "Even that grosses me out."
"I am so glad that they didn't eat me," Keith sighed.
"Now that you mention it," Twilight's eyes turned light brown. "Why didn't they?"
"Well...all that I know is that one of them hurt my...Galran Parent and traded me for an egg."
"Traded with...?" Violet's face turned pale.
"An egg?" Twilight raised a brow.
"The egg that I was traded was their unborn sibling," Keith explained. "It was stolen from them and hired them on the spot. To get it back by capturing me for that trade."
"Oh, that's low." Twilight crossed her arms as her eyes turned light red. "Including for us."
"I know, right?" Keith nodded.
"Do you know who they had traded you with?" Violet asked, "Do you remember who they were?"
"Yeah, I do." Keith nodded, "It was a woman."
"What does she look like?" one of the council members asked.
"I can't explain in detail, but I'll try." Keith shrugged. "If I remember right, this woman looks like a shadow. Dark and smoky, but only has an upper body of a woman. She had flowing hair, arm, hand, and glowing yellow eyes. I couldn't see her face or what she was wearing, guess they were made of shadows too. And she has no legs or feet, it's kind of reminded me that she was from the fabled story that was based with genie and the lamp for some reason."
"Sister," Violet nearly trembled. "Do you think what I'm thinking of what he has described?"
"I do," Twilight nodded. "This creature that he has described is that one that we are not supposed to meet or to talk about. And it too has the power of shadows, which I don't like to hear about."
Violet nodded.
"If I remember right," Keith continued. "I think she called herself, "Shadow Mother"."
Every council member gasped.
Violet trembled as she stayed behind her elder sister.
Both King Duncan and Twilight; eyes showed blood red growled.
"Is there something that I said?" Keith asked, confusingly.
"You have not offended us, young one." The council member shook his head, "That woman that you had encountered was a Fallen."
"A Fallen," Keith's eyes widened.
"She used to be one of us," Twilight explained as her eyes turned red to rainbow. "But she has turned and used, deceiving children for dark purposes. We couldn't kill her, because she is powerful. The only thing that we could do is to punish her."
"With what?" Keith asked.
"We cut her wings and imprison her body into a sacred seal," Twilight answered. "Where no one doesn't know where it is hidden. However, her soul. Her soul was banished into deep of space, where no one would ever hear or see her again." Twilight explained as she calms down, "However, roamers have it that the children that she had lied to had followed her. For no reason but to join her, and they had too had never seen or heard from again."
"Hmph, that would explain about the "Children of Shadows"." Keith crossed his arms.
"What?" Twilight asked as her eyes turned hazel.
"I have encountered one of her "Shadow Children"," Keith explained. "The way I was told that they were trained assassins. Train to hunt, to kill parents and take the children so they could raise them as one of their own."
"Oh, that's even low." Twilight's eyes turned red as she growled.
"Including for us," Violet added.
"Pray to tell Keith," one of the council members spoke. "Is Shadow Mother that one who had done this to you?"
"Yes, she did." Keith nodded, "She had forced me to turn into a full fledge Galra out of my own free will. And had planned to use me as an experiment for her purposes."
"Experiment," King Duncan repeated. "For what?"
"I don't know," Keith shook his head. "I didn't stick around to find that out."
"Meaning?" Twilight asked as she arched her brow and eyes turned light brown.
"I was rescued," Keith answered. "And I was able to escape before getting captured again."
"If she truly did this to you," King Duncan growled. "That you must have been tagged."
"Tagged?" Keith tilted his head, "You mean being tracked down or something like that?"
"Yup," Twilight nodded with her eyes slightly white gray.
"But uncle," Violet stepped forward. "Dr. Albert has found nothing on him, so there is no proof that Keith could have been tagged."
"Perhaps," King Duncan shrugged. "But knowing her from our Elders' Knowledge, she always finds a way."
"I assure you, your majesty." Keith spoke, "If I was been tagged, I would have told you. But for now, I'm not aware of being tagged or not. I'm sorry that could reply to that request."
King Duncan stared at Keith for a moment, "Apology accepted," he nearly turned away.
"Is there anything else that we are missing, young one?" one of the council members asked Keith.
"If I remember right," Keith continued. "When I tried to escape, been ambushed. Got beaten up, and broke my leg as I use one of the space pods to escape. When I fully escaped, bandaged my leg and took medicine while I rested for a bit. Nothing else that I could remember from before or after the crash. Just only remembered that I was been found by your princess. That's all that I could remember." Can't let them know about that fish bowl or the spell yet. Keith thought. I'm not sure if they trust me or believe me enough if I tell them about it.
"I see," the council member respond.
Slowly, the council members started to mutter to one another.
"You and my nieces need to step out for a moment," King Duncan spoke. "The council members and I will discuss what you have told us. We will let you three back in, once we are done."
"Alright," Keith nodded. "Thank you, for your consideration." Keith bowed. King Duncan excused Keith, Violet, and Twilight from the Council Room. So, King Duncan would talk further with the council alone.

In the hallway, Keith, Violet, and Twilight stood still for a bit. "So," Twilight spoke. "You we turned to this, out of your free will?"
"Yes," Keith nodded.
"Hmm, now that sounded familiar." Twilight tries to think.
"Twilight," Violet scolded her in a whisper.
"What?" Twilight shrugged as her eyes turned both brown and camouflage.
Without any of them knowing, something small within the walls stayed within the shadows. Watching Keith from the distance, suddenly, the shadow figure scurries to the hole in the wall and disappeared.