It was a bitterly cold night. Still and unkind even as the children in the castle slept away peacefully in their beds, unaware of the monsters who lurked outside.

In a tower decorated with red and gold, one creature awakens. Curled up near the feet of a sleeping child, the figure rose to its four legs.

The air was restless as the creature jumped off the plush and warm bed, landing silently on its paws.

The tiger pretending to be a cat padded across the wooden floors. Without even a glance at the handle, the door opened all on its own, creaking softly as the tiger slipped out of the door, uncaring as it shut behind her like nothing had ever happened.

The steps in the tower were steep and the brief moonlight coming from the small windows brushed against the tiger's fur- illuminating its white fur into a glow and the black spots and stripes decorating its body.

The tiger jumped down the final step, landing comfortably on the plush carpet beneath. It looked at the fireplace- still aglow despite there no longer any children in the circular common room. As the cat passed, the fire flickered and then died.

Tendrils of ice crawled along the still warm logs, coating them in a solid mass.

The tiger spared no expense as the painting blocking the entrance opened for her.

And though the woman in the painting would normally shout at any misbehaving children sneaking out in the dark, she only stayed quiet, sliding shut once more and watching as the tiger padded down the halls.

The tiger moved through the halls like the castle was their own - like they had crafted every stone and laid every plank. The halls remained empty, not a soul in sight except for the tiger.

Then, the tiger took a sharp right, brushing between the feet of one of the armor suits in the castle, and entered a hole between the bricks behind it. It took no time at all to crawl through the small entrance.

Soon, however, an opening at the end of the tunnel appeared. The tiger jumped out of the hole and into a dark chamber.

An empty circular room with only a stone pedestal in the middle and a single carved stone door stood behind them.

Except, she wasn't alone.

A bird trilled, sitting on top of the pedestal, her golden feathers too bright to be hidden in the dark room. Her eyes, the same golden color were locked onto the tigers.

'You are late.'

A simple, patient voice called out from the corner, where two bright yellow eyes peered out.

'My bonded only just fell asleep,' The tiger responded, unconcerned as she approached the pedestal, sitting down to clean her dusty fur.

'We have new faces,' The same mystical voice commented, yellow eyes turning to the newcomers.

The golden bird trilled, eyeing the corner where two burning red eyes stared back at them.

'I refuse to accept that abomination as one of us,' The tiger bristled, growling at the red-eyed figure.

'That is not for you to decide,' The yellow-eyed one said. 'He has been chosen, as we all have.'

'I disagree!' a snarling voice rang out, two dark brown eyes staring ferociously at the red-eyed one. 'It is a creature from hell! It cannot be a protector!'

'You want to try me, fluffy?' The red-eyed creature opened its mouth, sharp white teeth exposed in its snarl.

'Say that to me again, you mongrel-' The brown-eyed one snarled, its two fangs exposed in the dark.

'Quiet,' Another voice spoke, three beady black eyes coming from above them, perched on one of the lanterns that had not been lit. 'She is right. Fighting will only disrupt the delicate balance we carry.'

'Oh, shove it, three-eyes-' The brown-eyed one snarled.

'Do not blame me then,' The three-eyed one said curtly, 'for you will lose.'

The brown-eyed creature snarled, darting forward until

'ENOUGH!' The tiger roared, loudly enough to shake the walls. Dust fell around them, shaking the area. And then, everything went silent.

'We must be careful,' The yellow-eyed one said, 'There is no telling how long this place will last. It has been many centuries since its creation.'

'Better that than the two of them starting a fight,' The tiger pointed out.

A soft giggle broke through the tension. Two small green eyes peered at them, and a soft, young voice accompanied it.

'How amusing,' It giggled.

'You-' The tiger whirled on the green-eyed little one. 'I have seen and heard of your tricks. You've played it on your own bonded? Do you have no honor?'

'Oh, please,' The little one responded easily, 'I have a purpose as do we all. My bonded must get stronger to awaken, even if I must force it out of him.'

'That is not advised,' The yellow-eyed one said, voice ringing with disapproval, 'You are meant to protect, not disturb.'

'Focus on your own bonded,' The little one said primly, 'I'll care for my own.'

'Awakening our bonded should not be our primary focus,' The three-eyed one said, 'They must awaken at their own time - when they are ready.'

'Of course,' The little one said, 'But that doesn't mean I cannot help him along. Don't you feel it? We are almost all complete.'

'There is one missing,' The yellow-eyed one said. 'It is not time for Feopertine.'

'There are bigger problems,' The red-eyed one said, stepping forward, 'Something unnatural has entered. A corrupted one has entered the castle. It is why I have arisen from below.'

'I've heard the warnings,' The yellow one said.

'I have felt its presence,' The golden-eyed bird finally spoke, 'It is inside the red tower.'

'As have I,' The tiger said calmly, 'Its stench is everywhere. It must be destroyed before it can affect one of our bonded.'

'No,' The three-eyed one said firmly, 'We cannot destroy it.'

'We must protect our bonded!' The tiger raged. 'You propose we do nothing?'

'I did not say we should not destroy it, but that we cannot,' All three eyes set onto the tiger's form. 'It is much too strong, it is made of unbreakable darkness. We do not have the means to destroy it.'

'Then what shall we do?' The brown-eyed one said, 'I won't have it coming near my bonded!'

'It is nowhere near your yellow den,' The yellow-eyed one said passively, 'For now, those in the red tower must be the ones to watch it. When we gain a chance to destroy it, we will. I must look into options.'

'Agreed,' The tiger said, tail passing through the sand floor with a swish.

'The Sun will soon rise, return to your bonded. We meet when the moon rises in full,' The yellowed eyed one concluded.

'The four eras have almost passed,' The three-eyed one recited, 'Until Feopertine awakens; we are the guardians of the chosen. So mote it be.'

The tiger looked down at her black stripes and spots as they now glowed a rose pink.

So different from the other creatures in the room. The swirling ice blue of the yellow-eyed one, the royal violet of the brown-eyed one, the pure white of the three-eyed one, the emerald green of the golden bird, the pitch black mist of the red-eyed one, and the electric blue of the green-eyed one.

But still, they were all the same- adhering to their vows made to their bonded. The Magicks swirled around them like shackles binding them to their host as they all made the vow in unison.

'So mote it be.'