Deathtouched - Chapter 32
A/N: I'm back! Well, kinda. Two things: One, I apologize to my readers for being gone so long. Two, there is an A/N at the end of this chapter so please read. Now, without any further delay; the story!
Lemon embedded in this chapter. Well, lemonish.
Gabriel was dead on his feet when they worked their way around the trail where a section stuck out almost perpendicular from the mountain itself. As he and Zoe edged around the obstruction, the wind threatened to tear them away from the trail. The wind was not only like a very strong current, it was bitingly cold as well, making them feel like they had been dipped in ice water. The icy cold wind did have one good side effect in that Gabriel was now more alert than before, his feet firmer on the path.
"There!" Zoe yelled, pointing to a dark patch where the path curved on the mountain. Heartened to see their goal in sight, the pair quickened their pace as fast as they dared and were soon several yards into the cave, immediately feeling warmer for being out of the bitter wind. Fortunately for Zoe, she didn't hear the loud, deep voice saying 'come' as she had in her dream.
Catching their breath, they rested and ate one energy bar each. The bar had nuts and peanut butter in it, which gave Gabriel enough protein to survive, but not enough to keep him at full strength. After eating, the lovers moved deeper into the cave, Gabriel once more trusting Zoe to see their way. At a spot where the wind was a distant moaning as it blew across the cave opening, Zoe rolled out their sleeping bag and both mammals, still fully clothed, climbed in. For the first time in days, they were both comfortably warm and so slipped into a deep and restful sleep.
One of the first things she noticed when she woke was that the wind was still blowing across the mouth of the cave. She could sense Lord Apollo's chariot as it traveled across the sky and knew that it was late afternoon, she'd been asleep for almost 24 hours. But she was warm and happy snuggled against Gabriel and, even though she didn't need a lot of sleep, let herself drift back to slumber with her fiance's gentle snores singing her a lullaby.
Gabriel woke, warm and comfortable with Zoe laying against his side, her head pillowed on his shoulder. He breathed in her scent deeply, amazed that they were together. He thanked the gods and the fates for crossing the path of this mammal. With her, he felt he could find the love he had sought for almost his whole life. There were few mammals that were gay or bi, and even fewer who were into a polygamous relationship.
The idea of having three wives was bliss, but also having the bonus of Nick, a cute fox he wanted to make love to and be made love to in return was more than he ever dreamed of. Abby had told him that it was possible that more would be added to their circle later, it just got more difficult as time went on since all of the mammals involved had to give their approval.
Gabriel looked down and it was only with tremendous effort that he didn't laugh out loud. His sleeping Zoe, High Priestess of Melinoe, Oracle of Apollo, and 'The Chosen', lay with her jaw open, a line of drool running from her muzzle to the collar of her shirt. Love swelled in his chest as he closed his eyes with a smile on his muzzle, and tried to get more rest.
oooOOOooo
Delivery that night was takeout, no restaurant was allowing dine in and delivery drivers were refusing to risk themselves on the streets anymore. The citizens of Zootopia were barricading themselves behind the doors of their homes, afraid to open them lest they get attacked. The encounter near the intersection of Clan and Pride was the largest gathering of the Afflicted that had been seen so far. ZNN had coined the term 'Afflicted', it being easier to say repeatedly instead of 'The Cannibal Killers' as well as what they now knew about the mammals attacking others. Coupled with the attack on the train; traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, practically ceased to exist.
"So, Astrid claimed him and, once he is cognizant enough to understand and accept, they'll be married." Explained Abby.
"But the poor guy won't be able to be in law enforcement anymore." Judy bemoaned.
"True." Nick said. "But according to Astrid, since Ted is right pawed, he should have no trouble carrying a shield on his injured arm just like she does. But, that depends on if it's something he wants to do. Being medically retired now, he can go back to college for free and start a new career that won't require the use of his left hand. Not to mention the pension he'll receive."
"What does Astrid do when she's not a Priestess of Ares and swinging a sword?" Judy asked, trying to use some humor to lighten an otherwise depressing conversation.
"Um, let's see. If memory serves, her and Kelly were talking about clothes one time and it turns out she's a fashion designer of some sort."
Nick said, his focus vague as he tried to remember the exact wording. His wives awed faces swam back into view as he focused on them once more. Both his wives looked at each other, their jaws still open, before they turned back to Nick.
"Astrid? Astrid Delgato?!" Judy exclaimed excitedly.
"Oh. My. Gods! Her fall line last year was to die for!" Abby declared.
"What?" Nick asked, confused.
"Nick, Astrid Delgato is the fashion designer in Zootopia! Gazelle buys her clothes exclusively from her! She the richest single female in Zootopia right behind Gazelle herself!" Judy said, almost vibrating in place.
"Does this Astrid Delgato have a small scar across her muzzle? Right about here?" Nick asked, drawing his finger over his own muzzle where Astrid's was.
"YES!" Both his wives yelled at the same time.
oooOOOooo
It was chaotic, flashes of mammals with blue glowing eyes, the sounds of a pistol firing as well as the rapid 'chuff' of darts. Battle cries from a ladies throat and a scream. Zoe sat up instantly awake screaming out "Nick!"
Gabriel pulled her close and asked, "What's wrong Baby?"
Zoe was breathing fast. The last time this happened, Judy had been in mortal danger during the Night Howler case.
"It's Nick, there's some sort of attack! More of the Cannibal Killers, too many. And Nick is fighting them. He's in danger! I can feel it!"
"Nick's a trained cop Love, and he has priestesses from both Ares and Artemis with him. And if there are two orders I wouldn't want it screw with, it's those two." He told her as he held her tight against him, stroking her ears lightly. Normally this would be an sensual act, but with Zoe being as distraught as she was, it merely served to calm her down. Soon he felt her body slump as she took a shuddering breath.
"It's over. He's okay, but something happened, I don't think all of them got away unscathed."
"It will have to be something to look into when we get back to Zootopia Love. At least we know he's okay."
She wasn't sure why she said it now, maybe it was knowing Nick had been in danger. Maybe it was the ache of missing the rest of her family. It could be simply that she needed the certainty that the dream that Apollo had given her was still valid, but as she dug her paws under the layers of Gabriel's clothing she asked him.
"Gabriel?"
"I already told you I'd marry you Baby." He joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Gabriel?" She asked again.
"Yes Baby?" He replied, more serious now.
"Make love to me?"
"Of course My Lady."
Lemonish
What followed was the opposite of their first two times together. Gone was the frenzied, almost brutal sex from before. What followed now consisted of gentle, slow caresses and light, chaste kisses. They removed each other's clothing a piece at a time, exploring each body part as it was uncovered with their fingers and lips.
When Gabriel finally took her, it was in a leisurely manner. Unhurried, he sank into his fiance making her give off a long, low moan. He took his time, holding himself back as he pushed Zoe over the cliff of passion again and again. When he finally felt he could no longer hold back, he sped up and finally got more forceful.
Zoe looked up at her mate, breathing hard. She hadn't stopped orgasming since the last time and could barely focus on what was happening. She could tell that Gabriel was getting close to his own release. It was time.
"Ba...Baby... Baby..." Zoe panted out.
Gabriel grunted, too close to finishing to be any more vocal than that.
"Baby... bite me!"
"Wha?" Gabriel gasped out, not sure if he heard her right.
"Bite... me!... I... want... your... babies!" Zoe spoke between thrusts.
Gabriel had no reservations about doing as she asked. He'd been wanting the same thing after all. He was able to grab a bit of skin just at the spot where her neck joined her shoulder in almost the exact same spot that Nick had bitten her the first time. When he could feel the walls of Zoe's pussy start fluttering around him, cuing him to her orgasm, he bit down, tasting her blood as it flowed into his mouth.
Unable and unwilling to hold back anymore, he knotted her as he growled. She was his now, and she would carry his children. Zoe was unaware of her crying out her orgasm so loud that it echoed deep into the cave. After she came down from that most delightful peak, Zoe prayed to Melinoe as her eyelids drifted shut into sated exhaustion. Please my Lady, I want his children.
Gabriel was both pleased and disappointed to note that Zoe didn't pass out this time. But she rapidly went to sleep as he rolled them over so that he lay on his back. He stayed awake this time until after his knot had gone down. Even then, he refused to pull out of her, using his penis to keep as much of his semen in her for as long as possible. He used one of his shirts and put it under him to keep as much of their mingled juices from getting on the sleeping bag as possible until he could clean them up.
He stood up and, turning on a flashlight, moved a short distance from their camp before letting himself slip out of Zoe. He knew he'd worn her out when she only mumbled as some of his cum dripped out of her onto the cave floor, then he used his tongue to clean Zoe as much as possible. He could taste himself but that didn't bother him. It was something that he and one of his boyfriends had done before, sharing the flavor of the other. Still naked, he zipped the flap of the sleeping bag over them and settled back to sleep.
Lemonish end
The gentle susurrus of Gabriel's breathing was a pleasant way to wake up. She ran her paw between their bodies to see if they'd gotten stuck together again, but found that she was relatively clean. She could smell both of their fluids on Gabriel's breath and it made her smile, their dynamic was going to be wild.
It was almost like when they'd first left Zootopia and entered the tunnel there. Gabriel had to rely on Zoe to tell him when it was time to stop and have lunch or when it was time to sleep. He marveled at the things she could do and was so glad he'd stopped being stupid. The one, very important difference between then and now was that they'd finished Zoe's energy bars yesterday.
He'd eaten the last without realizing it since he couldn't see. It was only when he couldn't smell the peanut butter on her breath and asked her about it that she confessed she let him have the last one, saying that he needed it more than she did. He clamped his muzzle shut, afraid if he opened it that he'd yell at her and he didn't want to do that. If she was pregnant like they both hoped, she would need the extra food.
It took a while, but he was able to calm himself down, but he pushed them both hard to try and find the other end. Hopefully, there would be foraging for her and wild fowl or fish for him. Time passed and Gabriel told Zoe he could smell vegetation ahead. They walked for a few more minutes and Zoe said she could see light. Gabriel looked and thought he could see a tiny spot, probably the end of the tunnel.
Both mammals picked up speed until they were practically running to the cave exit. They burst out into a place eerily similar to where they entered the other tunnel in Zootopia. They found fresh berries and wild carrots for Zoe. Gabriel was able to dart a chicken of all things which he cooked over a small fire, drool dripping from his muzzle at the smell. Zoe admired his willpower as he waited until it was fully cooked before wolfing his meal down, leaving naught but bones. Sated, the two lovers curled up on a small bed of clover and went to sleep.
Following a breakfast of similar fare the next morning, they began to explore their surroundings. They observed that there was the remnants of a trail running from the tunnel exit and heading further into the valley. They noticed that this end of the tunnel was lower on the mountain than the entrance and Zoe postulated that the tunnel had gently sloped down. She also pointed out that they seemed to be surrounded by mountains, almost as if this was the caldera of an ancient volcano.
A half a day later, Gabriel let her know that he smelled other mammals. The scent was over a week old, but it was there. They looked at each other hoping that hey could count on the kindness of the mammals here, but knew they had to be ready in case they turned out to be hostile. As time went on, the trail became more and more pronounced. Gideon flushed a turkey and was able to dart it with his pistol. He plucked it as they walked and Zoe gathered any wild fruits or vegetables that she could see near the trail and even found a walnut tree.
When they made camp that night, Gabriel stuffed himself and was full for the first time in weeks with some left over for breakfast in the morning. Feeling almost energetic, they hiked the trail until Zoe stopped.
"What is it Love?"
"I hear singing!"
"Okay. Then let's go, but we need to be cautious."
Zoe nodded and then continued on. The sining got louder until they could make out words. Gabriel couldn't understand what was being said, the language not even sounding like what the Owen's spoke. But he could tell that he voice was a clear tenor one, very pleasant to listen to. Zoe, on the other hand, could understand the words.
The song was a simple one about a young mammal trying to woo the lady he loved. Zoe smiled as the trees thinned and she stepped out onto an tilled field planted with what appeared to be radishes. A young wolf cub of about 12 was on his knees pulling weeds and placing them into a bucket. Zoe smiled as she approached the young mammal, but Gabriel stayed wary, eyeing the village that lay a few miles further down the trail.
"Hello." Zoe said in what she hoped was a friendly tone.
Startled, the wolf cub sprung to his feet, took one look at Zoe and, with eyes widened in fright, screamed, and the ran toward the village, yelling for someone named Elric. Zoe was stunned. She'd had some rather strange reactions to her eyes before, but nothing like that. She looked at Gabriel and shrugged before following the wolf cub to the habitation, albeit at a more sedate pace. Gabriel followed, but kept his paw near his pistol just in case.
It didn't take long before they could tell that the cub had roused what seemed to be almost the entire village as over a hundred mammals came out to see what the fuss was. Zoe and Gabriel watched as a group in white robes slowly grouped together at the front of the mass of mammals, more of the regular townsfolk gathering behind them. Zoe stopped about 50 feet from the mammals in white robes, seeing that each had a different emblem embroidered on the front of their robes. The one with the symbol of Zeus, a black panther, stood slightly in front of the others. All of them seemed very nervous if not a little frightened. After a few seconds, he knelt before her, followed by the other priests and priestesses, then the townspeople. It was like a wave going from front to back.
"Wait! What are you doing? Stop! Get up, please!" Zoe cried out, motioning with her paws to stand.
The Priest of Zeus, apparently this Elric, looked up, startled. "Have you not come for us as was prophesied?"
"Um, maybe? Which prophesy are you referring to?"
"Sigrid, speak the prophesy." Elric said, standing.
Several others stood as well, but most stayed kneeling. Gabriel kept his hand on his pistol but knew that if they were rushed by this mob, he wouldn't be able to stop it. A tigress wearing the symbol of Apollo stood and recited "Hark to my words. When the people have lost their way know it as a sign that you are to get hence and find Sanctuary. There shall you abide until Death comes for you. You shall know the Taker of Souls by her colorless eyes and the mark of the raven."
"But... but..." Zoe said as she felt cold inside just before she passed out.
"Zoe!" Gabriel cried as he rushed forward and caught her just before she hit the ground.
oooOOOooo
Zoe woke in a familiar garden. She stood and made her way to where she could hear the music of water in a fountain as it poured back into the pool at the base. Zoe smiled as she saw her goddess sitting on that same bench as if she hadn't moved since the last time Zoe was here. Zoe knelt before her lady, her head down in respect.
"My Lady."
"Get up off of your knees and give me a hug." Melinoe told Zoe, her laughter musical. Zoe did so with a large grin on her face.
"Sit daughter, for we have much to talk about. Or should I say, I have answers to give for you for the questions you have, is this not so?"
Zoe sat on the white marble bench next to her lady, turning slightly toward her. "I do Lady. I have been in sore need of guidance, but I couldn't feel you."
"I'm sorry child, but the further away from our worshipers we are, the less we're able to influence the world around us. Until you came upon the faithful here, I couldn't communicate with you in this manner."
"My Lady. I have been given much, too much. I know my life is not entirely my own, and I will serve the best I can, but with all I have been given, the gifts, what I can do..." Zoe waved her hands trying to convey the enormity of what she was trying to encompass. Melinoe laughed again, the music in it calming.
"My daughter, so humble. That is one of the reasons that you were chosen, you would not abuse such gifts that you have been given."
"But why?" I've been chosen, that I can understand, but why so many gifts?"
"Daughter, you were given those gifts for a purpose, but it is up to you to figure out what that purpose is, we can't lead you around by the nose."
Zoe sighed. "So, does that mean that, once I've accomplished what I need to do as The Chosen, that I won't need them anymore?"
"You will always have those gifts daughter. A gift, once given, can never be returned. Surely your experience in the Temple of Apollo was proof of that. Now, there is something that weighs on your mind more that being the Chosen, Ask."
"Lady, I'm afraid to ask but I think that it's needful that I do. The camel in the hospital, the tiger back in ZPD, the prophesy spoken just now, it alludes to me being... Death."
"And you find that unusual how?"
Zoe was shocked. She'd expected her goddess to allay her fears, but instead, she seems to be hinting that she was Death. "But... I've died! I've gotten pregnant and given birth! Death can't die, she can't get pregnant and give birth!" Zoe argued.
"True my daughter, but the Avatar of Death can. You are Thanatos."
Zoe's surroundings began to waver in front of her metaphysical eyes as she tried to grasp what her goddess had just told her.
"My daughter, where do you think your power over a person's soul came from? Your ability to read their deeds done during life?"
"YOU! You're the Goddess of Ghosts! MY goddess!"
Melinoe gave Zoe a small smile. "I am. But I have no power over the soul of a living mammal. There is only one entity that does... Death. You were the chosen Avatar in your previous life, but not enough of our followers remained to allow you access to your abilities. Yet, you would still have been able to help them pass on.
Here, where our connection to the people matches what we had in ancient times on your world, you can touch on those powers. How do you think you are able to be here now, with me? How are we able to touch? Hug? We are in the Between Place, the space between the multiverses. Only those of a similar nature to us, the gods, can form a presence here. You are not a diety, but you have a touch of the Divine. Death is a fundamental force throughout the multiverse, it's power is felt everywhere.
As gods, we work through the Astral Plane and from there we can influence our priests and priestesses on the Prime Material Plane. Each god is made up of the essence of this space, given form and thought by the beliefs of our followers. It's one of the reasons that I appear to you as a rabbit. If we'd have been able to meet in your previous life, I would have looked human."
"That's why Aaron was shocked when I told him that I saw you."
"Yes, and then he began to suspect that you were more than you appeared to be."
Zoe shook her head, she'd always been one for science fiction and fantasy, as well as history and mythology.
"You are still having trouble with this fact. Yes?"
"I am Lady! Why would Death have need of an Avatar? All come to her in time."
"Compassion... Feelings."
"Excuse me?"
"Zoe, while Death is one of the underlying forces in the universe, the Lifegiver is known as one of the others, the one also known as The One Above All. Yet Death must be impartial, emotionless, if she is to fulfill her function lest her emotions overwhelm her. That is, take souls to be placed back upon The Great Wheel.
Yet, she works through her avatars to gain perspective for each soul. Avatars are the filter she uses to be able to help her determine if they should be placed on the Wheel. If so, what station, whether they deserve to be consigned to the Void, or whether or not they've earned the ultimate reward... joining with The One. Tell me how you felt when you reaped the souls of those four leopards."
"Anger, sadness, horror."
"Explain. Anger for whom? Sadness for whom? Horror at what?"
"Anger at the leopards for being so cruel, sadness for the lives of the children they slaughtered... and ate. Horror at their actions and the casual acceptance of that way of life and for the lives of children taken too soon."
"And when you sent your sister to Death to be placed back on the Wheel?"
"Love for her, grief that she wouldn't be around anymore, horror at the manner of her death, happiness at how she felt just before she slipped through the veil."
"Death cannot feel those emotions, so she relies on her Avatars. When you died, you were processed in your realities afterlife before being sent here, for you are needed."
Melinoe took Zoe's paws in her own.
"Daughter, Chance willing, you will live a long, long life with much love and many children. And yes, you will die again to be placed once more upon the wheel. But until then, you are The Chosen, and you have a destiny to fulfill."
"I'm to bring the three warring city states back to the gods, I know that."
Melinoe laughed.
'Oh Dear One, you're destiny is so much more than that. Think of Zootopia, think of how many mammals reside within that city. Think of how much more room it has to grow before it cannot go any further. Already all the land around it is being used to feed the mass of mammals within. Think of what you've seen so far of the land on the side of the mountains you're on now and how much more there could be of it. Think of the technology that could be applied, modern agriculture for farms, advanced husbandry techniques for raising fowl among others."
"The reason for the gifts." Zoe said in a whisper, comprehending what her goddess was telling her.
"Hearken to her, for she shall lead you to a brighter future."
"The prophesy! I thought that it was just a brighter future for here since they're still stuck in the steam age, but it's for Zootopia too! So that it doen't get overpopulated and can't sustain itself anymore!"
Melinoe just smiled at her. Then Zoe settled back down and asked. "I'm still going to die though, right? The thought of living forever doesn't appeal to me."
"Of course you will Zoe, when it's your time. Which won't be for a very long time Chance willing. But you and Death are forever intertwined now, as such, we will see each other in the many future's that you will have. Know that I love you Zoe Darkwater, and you have my blessing. But you must go now, you're about to awaken and the father of your cubs is very worried."
Zoe stood and saluted her goddess before smiling and giving her another hug as the garden faded from her view to be replaced by the dark interior of an almost medieval style dwelling, wooden walls and a thatch roof. Candles in holders decorated various surfaces inside and Zoe got worried about the chance of fire.
"ZOE!" She heard before she was engulfed in a tight hug.
Remembering the last words that Melinoe spoke to her, Zoe gasped out, "Too tight! Can't breath!"
Gabriel immediately released her, only to grab the back of her head and rape her mouth before pulling her into a much lighter hug, her smaller arms going around his neck, nuzzling his neck just under his jaw. "Gods Zoe! You've been out for over a day and a half! What happened to you to make you faint like that?"
Zoe sighed. "Baby? You love me no matter what right?"
"No matter what! I was stupid once and I'm not going to make that mistake again."
Zoe took a deep breath. "I pray that you mean that Love, because what I have to tell you is a doozy."
Then she related everything that she'd been told while talking to her goddess except for the part about her being pregnant with his cubs.
"So, you're Death." He said, his tone a little flat.
"Thanatos, Death's Avatar."
"And that was how you were able to kill those leopards by pulling their souls out of their bodies."
"Yes."
Gabriel could tell that Zoe was on edge, defensive, worried about him rejecting her again. He picked his doe up and kissed her, showing her that her fears were for naught. She had proven to him that, no matter how high she might rise, no matter how powerful she may become, she was still the mammal that he fell in love with and loved him back. Now seemed to be as good a time as any with Gabriel having been so accepting of her new status.
"Love, Mammal of my Heart, Lady Melinoe also said something else to me just before I woke up here."
"And what was that O Priestess of my Soul?"
Zoe gave a half smile. "I heard what you did there. What she said was that the father of my cubs was very worried."
Gabriel looked like he'd been hit with a baseball bat between the eyes for a second before his face lit with joy. "CUBS?! She said cubs?!" and then he grabbed her, holding her against him as he danced around laughing.
Zoe couldn't help it, she laughed along with him. After a minute or so of celebration, Gabriel brought her up so that they could look face to face and kissed her passionately. "How many? Are they going to be a boy or girl? What do you want to name them? We need to shop for more cribs! How long until they're born?"
Zoe's eyes widened at the rapid fire questions. "Slow down Love! I don't know yet. I'm not even sure if I'm pregnant, I haven't checked to see. But I trust my goddess, and if she said 'cubs', then it's more than one. Remember, I was carrying triplets before."
"I wonder what they'll look like?" Gabriel asked, getting a far away look as he tried to imagine his cubs. His spirit was soaring, everything he could have ever asked for he was receiving. And now that he was going to be a father, a decision he'd been contemplating finally clicked within him.
"I don't know Love, but as long as they have your eye color and not mine, I'll be happy. Well, not when I start looking like I'd swallowed a beach ball again, or having so much difficulty getting up off of the couch, or out of bed, or simply walking, taking a bath, getting dressed, my boobs getting sensitive again, having to go to the bathroom every hour, ..."
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Gabriel said, his voice still tinged with happiness. He pulled her close again, their lips meeting, and he tried to show her how happy he was.
They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Reluctantly, they pulled apart and Gabriel set Zoe on her feet. Zoe opened the door to find Elric standing there with the Priestess of Apollo, A male meerkat wearing a robe with the black and white rose symbol of Melinoe, and a female deer wearing robe with the symbol of Aphrodite.
Elric smiled and said, "We are pleased to see you well Priestess, your mate was very worried."
"It's true!" The doe said as she looked between the two lovers. "I can see the cord that binds them together!"
Zoe nodded. "Gabriel is my fiance, he'll be joining my marriage with my wives, Judy and Abby, both rabbit does like myself, and our husband Nick, who's a fox."
The four other mammals looked at each other in wonder. "Priestess, I am Elric, Priest of Zeus and leader of our village, this is Sigrid, Priestess of Apollo and keeper of the Mysteries. Hagdal is our Priest of Melinoe, and Thyra is the Priestess of Aphrodite."
"How is such a thing possible?" Sigrid, the Priestess of Apollo asked.
"I am Zoe, High Priestess of Melinoe, Oracle of Apollo, The Chosen... and, apparently, Thanatos, the Avatar of Death."
The group inhale from the four mammals would have been almost comedic in different circumstances, but right now it was just indicative of their shock.
"S... so you are here to take us?" Elric said in a resigned tone. Zoe remembered Sigrid stating their prophesy before she passed out.
"It depends on your interpretation of taking you. I'm currently following a prophesy of my own that says I'm to find the lost ones and lead them to a brighter future. We come from a place called Zootopia that was founded by Ethred and his followers."
Happiness spread to the mammals faces like wildfire, each of them looking at each other. "Then they did make it!" Sigrid said with a huge grin on her face.
"They did. The prophesy I'm following says: 'Behold, the unborn shall be laid upon Gaea's bosom and she shall be blessed of the gods, beloved of the Goddess of Ghosts, esteemed of the Lord of the Underworld. She shall be The Chosen, and she shall find those lost in the time of troubles. Harken to her, for she shall lead you to a brighter future'."
"The unborn?" Hagdal asked.
"Me. I'm the unborn. I'm what we call an Entry. I lived in another plane of existence before I died and woke up here looking like this." Zoe waved her paw over herself. "Well, except for the mark here between my ears. That happened when I was elevated to the rank of High Priestess.
From what I've been able to figure out, Ethred took a group of mammals to the south and west through the mountains to the other side and founded Zootopia. I discovered that prophesy that spoke of me along with some very old historical documents and interpreted it to mean that I was to find the three warring city-states, Predburg, Omnivoria, and Herdsville and bring them together.
Then, I found out that they no longer follow the gods. After finding your village and talking to my Lady, Melinoe, I understand that it is time to bring the gods back to the three kingdoms and usher in a brighter future for not just them, but for Zootopia as well."
Elric nodded sadly. "Yes. Not long after Ethred left after failing to forge the three kingdoms together, they began a pogrom against the religious orders. That was when we received the prophesy to find Sanctuary and our ancestors were led here."
"I am to lead you back to the three kingdoms to reinstate the gods to their proper places there, as well as bring the enlightened philosophy of equality and tolerance to them, using Zootopia as an example."
Gabriel had been trying to follow their conversation by hearing only one side of it. He was pretty sure that he caught the gist of it. Thyra noticed that and said. "Your mate is confused. He doesn't speak our language yet he is too polite to mention it to you Priestess."
Zoe looked up at Gabriel and smiled. Reaching up, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down for a quick kiss, making the other mammals present smile. Zoe then quickly filled him in.
"Okay, so what's the plan then?" Gabriel asked.
"Well, first, I'd say we need to do recon. We need current information on Predsburg, Omnivoria, and Herdsville."
"Well, if Predsburg has wiped out Herdsville, I'd say we need to start with Omnivoria."
Zoe smiled at her future husband, "I like the way you think my love!"
A/N: I'm working on getting back into the habit of writing again, but it ain't easy. My muse is being difficult after having been ignored for so long. Plus, all of the distractions around me haven't been helping.
My plan is to finish this story and the start working on Project Gateway. But you what they say about the best laid plans for mice and men, or women... So, I'm going to try and stop predicting what happens. I may end up posting some other stories I've already written in between my Deathtouched story.
Changeling, Glee, 17 chapters (Where I merged my other Glee fanfic with a non-fanfic story of mine)
Fate's Chew Toy, Harry Potter, 2 Chapters
Metamorphosis, X-men (Evolution), 3 Chapters
Serendipity, Glee, 2 Chapters (my original Glee fanfic)
So far I don't have any other urges to write different fanfics. Although I'd love to come up with one based on Wednesday. Jenna Ortega is awesome in that role!
Until next time -
Speaks with Spirits out.