Night's Claw 2

~*~CHAPTER FOUR- The Ceremony~*~



It had been months since Salem had started his training, and now he was very good at the art of the blade. He was able to defeat Arctic, their best warrior, twice, and some of the other warriors quite a few times. He got up out of the bed, careful not to wake Raven who now slept next to him. His figure had changed, he was skinnier now, but taller also. He had formed a good goatee and beard, but shaved it every now and then.

Raven moved around in her sleep, then muttered. She and Salem were now good friends, more of friends then Arctic and Fox were to each other. Salem had learned soon from training that Fox was not a friend of Tera, but they were mates. Why someone would have their lover follow them while chasing a wild vampire didn’t get to Salem, but he decided that it was because Tera loved Fox enough to go incase he needed the help. Salem slowly walked to the door, and when opening it, Raven moved around. “ugh, Salem, where are you going?” Raven asked sleepily.

“I’m going to go take a walk,” Salem said, and Raven nodded. “fair enough, but be back soon, not sure why, but Fox wants you soon,” Raven said, then returned to sleeping. Salem nodded, then took his sword and walked out the door. The sun wasn’t out fully, so the forest was dim, just as Salem wanted. He walked forward, heading to the training area that he and Arctic had set up to train on his swings. He slid past some huts, careful not to wake anyone before sliding through the woods to a clearing. In the clearing, there were dummies stuffed with hay and set up on posts, ready for fighting.

Salem took out his sword from it’s sheath, and started taking a few practice swings. He hit the dummies, them moving around wildly before stopping. They were beaten to hell, parts coming off really fast from Salem’s sword. He moved, then drove his sword into one of the dummies, the sword breaking the supporter in the back. As the dummy fell, Salem laughed to himself. A sudden roar made him jump, and he looked around wildly. (who are you?!) whatever made the voice asked venomously, sending chills up Salem’s spine. Salem looked up to see a huge dragon flying over him, and gulped. “what the hell?” he yelled, then ran as fast as he could for the village. (you go no farther!) the dragon hissed, then landed in the clearing. It swiped at Salem, knocking down many trees and he screamed. “someone help me, I’m being attacked by a dragon,” Salem screamed and heard a call.

“Verigon, stop now,” Tera yelled, and the dragon stopped. (but he is an intruder, lady Tera!) Verigon protested, but Tera shook her head. “no, he is a friend, that is why he is here,” she said, and shook her head. “why are you here, have you brought supplies?” she asked, and Verigon nodded. (that is why I’m here, so yes, I do.) the dragon said, then got low as Tera walked up. Salem sat there, panting, scared as hell from the dragon now. “what… the… hell?” he asked, panting from being scared so bad. A familiar laugh came from behind Salem, and he turned to see Arctic, Fox, Rora, and Juton standing there. “this is Verigon, he flies us supplies and tells us of what is going on,” Fox explained, and the golden dragon nodded his massive head. (yes, I do all this to help the elves and kitsunes.) he said, and Salem thought for a second. “wait, why aren’t there any elves around?” he asked, and Arctic laughed. “their watching us right now, in fact, their watching us as we speak,” he said then nodded. Salem froze, then looked around. “where? I don’t see them,” Salem asked, then saw something move. “is that one?” He asked, and Arctic shook his head. (open your eyes, child, they are in the trees, on the ground, everywhere!) The dragon said, amused. Salem looked closer, then noticed a few angel like people staring at him from some brush. “I see them now,” he exclaimed, and Fox nodded. “yes, they’ve been watching us for as long as both races came into existence,” he said, then turned and started back for the village, and Arctic took the supplies from Verigon. He then followed Fox, and Tera looked at the dragon. “any news on the Dragon Regions?” she asked, and Verigon nodded. (yes, Blaze and her army were hit by a surprise attack, many ran, but the followers saved her from dying and they retreated back to the main city where she killed the king and now controls it.) Verigon said, then looked at Salem. (you better not turn into your sister.) he growled.

That night, Salem and Raven were sitting there, drinking tea. The tea was hot, and it burned against his throat, Raven, on the other hand, drank it down with no problems whatsoever. “how are you able to drink tea this hot without being affected?” Salem asked, and Raven giggled. “easy, when you’ve been around as long as me and drank as much hot tea as I have, then you’d bet used to it,” she said, still giggling like a little girl. “oh, ok, now I understand,” Salem said, then took another drink. “ow, it still hurts when it goes down,” he said sourly, then sighed and blew into the little glass. He then took another drink, it being a little bit cooler.

“there, you got it now, didn’t you?” Raven asked playfully, then stuck out her tongue. A knock on the door made her stop, and she got up. “well, your coming with me to… a special event,” she said suddenly and seriously. “ummm, ok? What is it?” he asked, and Raven shook her head, her hair moving. “can’t tell, just come,” she said, and Salem obeyed, following her to the door. Raven opened it showing Rora and Juton staring at her. “you ready?” Rora asked, and Raven nodded. “yes, and we must hurry,” she said, then slid past the two kitsunes. Juton nodded to Salem, then turned and started walking away behind Raven while Rora looked at Salem. “well, my friend, tonight is special,” he said, then nodded and also followed Raven. Salem wondered for a little bit, then shrugged and started walking into the darkness.

A little bit later, Salem saw torches, and a lot of them. He was in fact in the forest, feeling eyes watching him, and was scared by them slightly. Salem then spotted pure red eyes staring at him and instantly knew who it was. (tonight is special for you, human.) Verigon slithered, then blinked. His eyes then closed, making him disappear with the night. Salem gulped, unsure of what was going on. “Rora, Juton, Raven, what is going on?” Salem demanded, but they ignored him. They walked into the light, it turning out to be a clearing, the moon directly above them. It shined some light through the thick foliage, and hit Fox who was standing on a big slab of rock.

He was standing in a proud way, holding a staff in his left hand and his other holding a blue orb. “well, here is the guests and main guest,” he said to the kitsunes in the outer layer of the clearing, making it like a ring. They cheered, and out in the night in heavenly tones, the elves cheered as well. Fox raised the staff, and with that, everyone went quiet except for Verigon’s laughing. (I can’t wait till this ends!) he slithered, then silenced himself. Fox nodded, then looked down at Salem as Raven, Juton, and Rora took their places among the other kitsunes.

“there comes a time when a human stumbles upon the village of Hroth, and when they do, their interested in our ways, wondering if they could become one,” Fox said, and it struck Salem. Over the past months, he did indeed wonder what it would be like to be a kitsune, and wanted to become one himself. “and when they do, they don’t regret it, except a select few… such as myself, but I don’t regret the change… much,” Fox continued, then looked down at Salem. “he, Salem, The Bringer Of Peace, will join us and our village,” Fox yelled, his voice echoing through the land. Cheers came out from all the kitsunes and elves, and Salem felt like he wanted to shrink to nothing.

He didn’t like getting attention, it was one of his non-favored things, for he loved to see others happy more then himself at times. And another thing had popped into his head. “wait, you said that I’m The Bringer Of Peace when I’m not,” Salem said, and Fox shook his head. “why no, Salem, you are indeed, you will bring justice to the land, cleanse it clean, wipe away the terror that Blaze has brought upon it,” Fox declared, and everyone cheered along. Stepping down, the kitsune walked up to Salem, his staff hitting the ground hard. “Are you ready for the new beginning?” Fox asked, looking at Salem with concern.

Salem nodded, then felt Fox shoot his hand out, hitting Salem on the chest. The blue orb was sucked inside of Salem, knocking him over. As he got up, he realized that the white fox that was resting on Fox’s shoulder was gone. “where did the fox go?” he asked, and Fox smiled meekly. “he is you now,” Fox said, then nodded. “yes, he has become one with you, and soon you will change,” he added. “you mean that fox that…?” Salem left off, and Fox nodded again. “yes,” he repeated, then turned to the other kitsunes.

“he is one of us now, and the ceremony is almost over,” Fox yelled, then Salem dropped his jaw. “you made it sound so… long,” he said, and Fox looked at him. “no, it’s just that… well, besides the dance of the moon and the feast afterwards,” Fox said, then nodded to Juton and Rora. Together, they raised a flag pole with a flag into the air, digging the pole into the ground. It fluttered in the wind, then the two kitsunes walked up to a pile of sticks behind Fox and lit them. The fire raged, bringing light to the dark areas, showing many elves looking at them.

The elves and kitsunes started dancing a slow, rhythmic dance while others started beating against drums that made loud echoes into the night. Fox stared at Salem, then sighed. “why aren’t you dancing?” he asked, and Salem looked around. “why aren’t you dancing?” Salem asked the same question back, and Fox laughed slightly. “I’m waiting for Tera to think about it,” he said, then felt as Tera pulled him into the clearing edge.

“I was waiting for you to say that,” she said, giggling. “bye good friend,” Fox said, then disappeared among the kitsunes and elves. Salem looked around for Raven, but when he didn’t see her, he sighed. “why are you sighing, Salem?” an unfamiliar voice came out, and Salem turned around to see an Elven male staring at him. “ummm… hello?” he said, and the Elf laughed. “my name is Aerowinov,” the elf said, then yawned. “late night it is for me, yes,” Aerowinov said, then started pacing. “why are you so… weird?” Salem asked, and Aerowinov looked at him. “simple, really, I’m happy that there’ll be a new kitsune in Hroth, the last was Raven,” muttered Aerowinov, making Salem nod.

“and that was around one hundred years, I think, so I’m really pepped up for one of those big feasts that they do,” Aerowinov added. “though I’m a vegetarian, I don’t eat that much meat, but if I don’t eat some at least one hundred years, I’ll die,” Aerowinov kept going on, then stopped. “nice talking to you,” he said, then took off into the woods. “ummmm… ok?” Salem said, then shook off the encounter. He waited a little bit longer for Raven, but she didn’t show up.

He sighed, then sat down. Hours later, the dancing ceased and all the kitsunes and elves started heading in the direction that Aerowinov had headed, chatting and laughing. Salem got up, then joined them. They walked for about an hour before ending up in Hroth, a long table going down the main street. Food aligned the table, seeming to never end. Everyone took their seats, and when Salem was going to sit by a jumping Aerowinov, Fox took his shoulder and lead him to the end of the long table. He pointed to an empty seat on the left of the grand chair, next to Juton and across from Arctic.

Salem occupied the seat, then looked around. “let the feast begin,” Fox yelled, then passed a plate of ham around. Soon everyone was feasting while music played in the background, beautiful, enchanting music. Salem looked around, then was passed a bottle of wine. “for the new kitsune, we have a bottle of wine for everyone here,” Fox yelled, standing up, then opened his. He poured it into a glass, raised it so it hit the moon from some people’s views including Salem’s, then took a drink before sitting back down. Everyone opened their wine, then started drinking after pouring it into their glasses. When Salem took a drink, it went burning down his throat, and he wanted to spit it back up. Fox smiled, then nudged him. “c’mon, take another drink, this one will be better,” Rora said instead of Fox, looking at Juton. Rora’s eye’s went wide as the bigger kitsune finished his wine, then collapsed onto the table. “Juton, you idiot,” Rora said, shaking his head.

Salem took another drink, finding this one easier to deal with, so he took another. Soon, he was half way through the bottle when he also collapsed, passing out.

He awoke in the morning, looking around. “what happened?” he asked, and heard a familiar voice. “oh, your sooooo cute now,” Raven squealed, and Salem thought. “wait, what?” he asked, then looked over himself and gasped. He had opposable thumbs, but he looked like a kitsune. His fur was white, and his tail swished on the bed. “your sooooo adorable,” raven said, and Salem smiled. can’t be this bad, he thought to himself…



~*~CHAPTER FIVE- The Pedal Circle~*~



Weeks passed since the ceremony, and Salem could tell the difference about himself easily. He was quicker, more agile, and stronger then he ever used to be. He wasn’t nearly as good as Arctic when it came to sparring, but he was nearly as good as any other kitsune there. He had noticed the day that after the ritual that his dragon tattoo was visible through his white fur, and that actually made him happy. It made him unique, for there wasn’t another tattoo exactly like his. He was in Raven’s hut, sitting on the bed. She smiled at him adoringly, then walked up and kissed him. He kissed her back, then she giggled. Sitting down in a chair across from him, she started whistling.

“I love you,” she finally said, her eyes sparkling with devotion to Salem. He looked around, then smiled. “I love you too, darling,” he said, then laid down on the cot. He soon saw Raven in the cot too, and she snuggled him. He snuggled back, then sighed happily. “you know, your perfect?” he asked, and she shook her head. “no, I didn’t,” she answered, and he smiled even more. “well, if you didn’t, then you do now,” he said, then got up. She got up too, not wanting to be away from him.

“want to learn how to make tea?” Raven asked, and Salem nodded. Raven got out of the cot, then walked up to a jar of herbs. She took them out, then walked to a pale of water that Salem had recently brought from the Guilderan River, put the herbs in the water, and grabbed a kettle. Looking at the logs in the fire pit, she said something in Elfin, causing a fire to start. Salem watched intently as Raven placed the kettle into the fire, not even burning any fur. The kettle started bubbling, and the herbs started bobbing at the top. “that is how you make my type of tea,” she said, nodding. “and now we wait. Soooo, anyways, have you beaten Arctic yet?” she asked, and Salem shook his head. “oh, shame… you’ll get him some day,” she said, smiling. “I know you can,” she added enthusiastically. “Thanks for the confidence, it means a lot,” Salem said, smiling, and Raven nodded.

“I… have to show you something,” she said, then walked to the door. Salem got up enthusiastically, then tilted his head. “what is it?” he asked, and Raven giggled. “it’s a secret, I’m not telling till we get there,” was all she said, disappearing through the door, her tail the last thing inside. Salem followed, then looked around. Raven was sitting on the edge of the forest, then waved an arm, causing Salem to follow. As Salem got closer, Raven disappeared through the brush, causing Salem to sigh lightly. He followed, going through very thick brambles, ignoring the prickles against his legs. He saw a quite large clearing, different then the ones that he had previously went to with Raven in the middle. The instant he stepped into the clearing, his paw ruined a flower bud. The area around them got weird, like a sepia tint way, and flower pedals danced around, seeming to defy gravity. Raven was holding a beautiful red rose, sniffing it. “Isn’t this place beautiful, Salem?” she asked playfully, and Salem nodded.

“yes, beautiful like your heart,” he replied, causing Raven to giggle like a girl. “you know, when I first saw you, you were cute to me?” she asked, and Salem shook his head. “well, you were, and I actually… coveted you,” she admitted, then looked up from the rose. “and I’m glad that I have you now.”

Salem nodded, then stepped closer, the leaves circling him. Raven got closer, then hid her fox face on Salem’s chest, looking up. “please, if we do become mates, then can you build a house here?” she asked, looking up at Salem with fox kit eyes. Salem laughed, then kissed her, smiling. “yes, we can build a house here, it’s so beautiful,” he said, then felt Raven pull him to the ground, he collapsed, and together, they laughed. In the area that they were in, it sounded lovely, just like the pedals dancing around them and the sepia tint look. Raven snuggled close to Salem, then kissed him deeply. He kissed her back, then together, they muttered about things. The sun fell quickly that day, for it wasn’t a normal one, no, it was the time of Ergen’s Sun, where the sun went out for eighteen hours.

Raven looked up, then sighed. “I don’t want you to go to Feridan. I want you to stay with me for the rest of our time,” she whined, then a tear formed in her eye. “don’t worry, I’ll come right back… I promise,” Salem said, kissing Raven. She wrapped her arms around his neck, then sighed. “but I’ll miss you soooo much on the time that your gone. I’ve never had feelings for someone as much as I have for you,” Raven said, and Salem nodded. “It’s the same here, I’ve never loved anyone more then you, and I probably never will,” Salem replied, his voice sounding more loving then before. Raven sighed happily, then looked up at the already night sky. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked Salem, and he nodded. “it is indeed beautiful, just like you,” he answered, and again Raven giggled. “your such a charmer, you are,” she giggled, then cuddled close to Salem.

Together, they spent the night in the Pedal Circle, the land of the supposed Fallen Angels rising to back to Reten, the Holy sky. When Salem woke, he had gotten ready to leave with Arctic, Fox, Juton, and Rora to Feridan, the dwarf city. As he walked down the street, he heard a yell for him. He turned to see Raven jumping at him, then opened his arms wide, his gear falling. Raven jumped into his embrace, and put her head close to his fox ear. “what should I name the baby?” she asked, causing him to smile. He whispered in her ear while the others waited for Salem’s and Raven’s moment to end…



~*~CHAPTER SIX-The Path To Feridan~*~



Xera had long since seen his friends die… all of them. He was the only one left from his village, and that depressed him very much. He was still seeking revenge for the death of Eris. He stood on the trail with a little division of men, no more then fifteen. They were told to camp out there and wait for some resistance to come so they could send a carrier pigeon to the main city where Blaze rested. She had killed the king of Varden, and now controls all of the land and forces, making the rebels and pirates fight harder, and with those more of the young man’s friends died.

He walked, his boots making crumple noises against the soft sand and rocks. Men were around him in two groups, watching the flames of fires lick into the sky. They were beautiful, compared to the men, and made Xera smile when popping came out as the soldiers threw a dry branch into the fire. Xera walked up to a gruff looking soldier by the name of Joseph and sat down. Of course, being Joseph, he grunted, then spit into the flames. “well, lookie what we gots ‘ere,” the gruff man said, his accent showing that he was just above the IQ level of being stupid.

“and we’s don’ts like you’s,” he said, then laughed like an idiot. Xera shrugged, then with his hand, put it next to his neck and moved fast. “cut your throat, it’ll make you look smarter,” he remarked, and everyone laughed at that. “what’s do you’s means?” Joseph grunted, wondering whether or not that he got insulted. “yes, I did in fact insult you, you big sack of *Navi*,” Xera said, smirking. “o’s, if I’s were you’s, I wouldn’t have done’s that,” Joseph roared, then tackled Xera. Curling his fists up, the gruff man took swings at the smaller, compact teenager under him. The punches hit Xera well, and he felt blood rush up out of his nose and mouth. He swung back, each one hitting Joseph, but not even dazing the gruff man.

“you fight like a girl,” Joseph smirked, then spat on Xera. This angered the teen, so he reared his head back and head butted the gruff man. Joseph fell over, clutching his head, then slowly got up. All the men now were cheering the two on, them all holding torches so it wouldn’t be too dark. Xera got up, then cracked his neck. “bring it on, you stupid piece of *Navi*,” he said, then nodded. Joseph charged him, his fist reared back. Smirking, Xera threw a kick at Joseph, hitting the gruff man on the back of his leg.

Joseph fell over onto his knees, then while getting up, felt Xera’s warm hands on the back of his shaven head. Next thing he knew, he felt his face hit Xera’s knee, and he screamed. Letting go of the gruff man, Xera asked for a torch. All the men were dumbfounded that Xera had won this fight, but finally, the youngest in the division handed over his torch. Putting it next to the gruff man’s face, Xera laughed. Joseph had passed out, and his nose was broken, blood coming out. His beard had also been stained with blood, making it look like he had bleed all the blood he had. “let him sleep, he’ll see his insolence when he wakes up,” Xera demanded, and all the men nodded, going back to their business.