Sentinel Dreams-C and B series #2

Cynthia gazed around the ancient library and took a deep breath. It smelled of old tomes and dust. Lots of dust. She coughed from the particles that got lodged in her throat. Shaking her head, she set off on her journey to find something to read.

Trailing her fingertips over aged book spines, Cynthia found herself in the history section. She'd read most of the books in the old mage's library for her studies, which made it hard to find one she hadn't already read. Maybe some race studies today? Availes? She'd already read about the albino avian race last week. Humans? Their history was relatively brief compared to the other races and quite meddlesome. It could be even more confusing than the elven lore she quickly passed over. Half her life had been spent studying her own race; she'd had enough of it.

Already halfway through the many shelves, she stopped at a book she had never seen before. Cynthia pulled it off the shelf and felt the soft leather cover. It felt almost like fur. Turning it over, she looked at the intricate, almost tribal detailing weaving around the binding.

"The Great Mother of the Hunt: A History of Felinxes." Cynthia read the title aloud. "Come to think of it, I don't know very much about Felinxes except they're a nomad feline race from the Whispering Steppes. Guess this is today's read." She tucked the book under her arm and went to her favorite reading spot.

***

"Bec! Time to get up!"

Bec kept her eyes closed as she rolled over and pulled her blankets over her head. She tried desperately to go back to sleep until she heard her brother yell again.

"If you don't get up right now I'm going to eat all this breakfast by myself!" After she still didn't respond he shouted again, louder this time. "It's ox tongue!"

Bec's ears perked up, and she threw the wool blanket off. She rolled off the top bunk and landed on her feet. It was a breezy day, and the wind was coming through the cracks in between the tent flaps that made up the walls of their hut. The first hints of fall were arriving. Bec could tell the air was chillier than before, but not quite as harsh as the winter winds to come.
She scrambled to change into her tunic which was much too large for her, a hand-me-down from her brother. So excited she was nearly running on all fours, she ran outside of their hut. Her brother had a spit roasting above a fire with pieces from yesterday's hunt. He noticed her approach and tossed her a cooked ox tongue on a stick.

"Thanks Kaede!"

"You're welcome, pipsqueak," he said as he ruffled the fur on Bec's head.

She was six then.

***

When Cynthia got to the window, she was a bit disappointed. The beautiful view of the Tranquil Sea with its soft waves were wasted on her partner, Bec. Her ears twitched in her sleep with her face not so gracefully pressed up against the window and her tail slowly swished back and forth. Cynthia knew she shouldn't be too surprised; they had gotten back late after a long night of troll slaying at Breakwater Pass. She would have slept in, too, if habit didn't have her up shortly after dawn.

Also, to Cynthia's annoyance, this was technically Bec's favorite napping spot.

Cynthia really didn't want to find somewhere else to read. This was her reading spot, after all, she'd had it long before she brought Bec here only last year. It was a large trifold window and, really, there was plenty of space left on it. Careful not to sit on Bec's tail, Cynthia sat down on the other half of the padded bench and made herself comfortable. Once she was situated, Cynthia opened the book to the first page and found a drawing of what looked to be the Great Mother, a large female Felinx adorned in nothing but jewelry, killing two stags at once.

"I guess she is called the mother of the hunt for a reason," Cynthia whispered to herself. She flipped the page and began to read.

The Great Mother is the mother to all Felinxes. She is the milk mothers feed to their children; she is the strength given to the fathers to support their families. She is proud and free, which is why she chose the Whispering Steppes for her children to call home. The ability to run wild and live with freedom is the sole Felinx purpose. They bow to no king, but seek leadership in strong clan members.

Cynthia remembered something about that. When rulers of all the kingdoms gathered together to choose a High King, no representative from the Whispering Steppes came. Cynthia honestly didn't even know who would receive that invitation because the Felinxes were tribal, split into clans that wandered their land. She continued reading.

The Great Mother wished for her children to live and walk together. She taught them to stay in clans, to always keep moving. Many smaller clans were made, although three began to stand out from the rest. Larger than the others, they commanded power, and small clans would often align themselves with a clan when conflict arose, which happened quite regularly.

***

Bec huddled against Kaede for warmth as they rode together. The winter winds were starting to set in. They'd been riding south for days in order to get to the warmer parts of the steppes. Along the coast was the Oasis of Light, where they would meet with their mother clan, the Sentinels. Bec smiled at the thought of seeing her parents again. They'd ridden ahead last spring to the Oasis of Light to bolster defenses. There were rumors the Blood Taken, their rival clan, wanted to overrun the Oasis and take it for themselves. Her smiled faded when she wondered if her parents were ok. As if reading her mind, she felt Kaede's arms tighten around her.

"Mom and Dad will be at the Oasis. They said they would meet us there come winter, so they'll be there," Kaede said as he looked down at her and smiled. "I promise." When he looked back up to the horizon, his eyes told a different story. Bec saw pain in them, she knew he wanted to believe it and did for her sake. Kaede didn't know, but Bec sometimes listened outside the tents of the clan leaders when messages were delivered to them. Although not officially begun, there was talk of war. She shook her head before putting it against his chest and decided she would believe for his sake too.

Bec awoke when she heard the yelling. Foggy-eyed, she looked around and saw a group coming towards them. Her eyes cleared quickly when she saw the red banners. Talec, her clan's leader, met them.

"What are you lot doing this far south? Everyone knows your kind go west for the winter," Talec said, not trying very hard to hide the hostility in his voice. The scrawny male Felinx who approached Talec grinned. He looked even smaller in Talec's great shadow.

"My kind? Are we not the same under the Great Mother, brother?"

"The Great Mother didn't intend for the runts to survive the winter," Talec spat at the ground in front of the other Felinx's horse. "Now answer me, runt, what are you lot doing this far south?"

The small Felinx shrugged his shoulders before answering. "Same as you, we're just trying to go south for the winter. It's supposed to be bad this year," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Then go to that shit pile you call a keep like you always do. The Oasis of Light is no place for thugs and thieves."

The scrawny Felinx looked right at Bec and it froze her core more than the howling winds around them. Turning his horse back to his own clan, he paused and said to Talec barely loud enough for both clans to hear.

"The Oasis of Light can't protect the Sentinels forever. The darkness is coming to snuff out the light."

***

The first of the three major clans to arise were the Crystal Jackals. Their origins lay on the east of the Whispering Steppes, along the coast of the Tranquil Sea. Fine craftsman, members of smaller clans came together when they realized their talents could be shared. The Crystal Jackals now have a merchant city, Mezmehdere, along the coast. Under the Crystal Jackals banner are wandering clans who sell and barter their wares to the rest of the Whispering Steppes. When trade began with Valdrian, the prosperity of the city led it to be nicknamed the City of Gold by foreigners.

The second and third clans arose at similar times. Settled in the south, near the coast of the Krural Depths, the beginning generations of the Sentinels fought with the clans soon to be known as the Blood Taken. More organized and prolific warriors, they drove the Blood Taken to the west, where they now reside. The Sentinels created the Oasis of Light on the coast as a safe haven for their clans during the brutal winters.

Cynthia had never visited the Oasis of Light, but some of her maesters told her it really was a beauty despite the callousness of Felinxes. There were large, swaying trees that offered shade to its people. The buildings weren't all tall, but they all had a glow to them, as if the sun was offering its light to the weary nomads once they arrived to the city that would protect them.

Over the centuries, the Blood Taken never forgave the Sentinels for chasing them out of what they believed should be their homeland. They took up residence in the west where they plotted their revenge. They quickly gained an infamous reputation when they began raiding clans that didn't belong to their banner. Although there were many quarrels, no extreme harm fell upon the clans until the first winter of High King Jareel.

A large force of the Blood Taken arrived at the Oasis of Light during the Festival of the Great Mother, a sacred time for all Felinxes as they celebrate the Great Mother preparing to fight off the winter to protect her children. Even though the Sentinels had been wary of an attack for some time and had many clans send warriors to guard their mother city, they were caught off guard that the Blood Taken would strike during the Festival. Despite the Sentinels best efforts, the city was taken.

The Blood Taken were ruthless. They slaughtered many of the Sentinels, mounting the heads of men, women, and children on spikes around the city walls. False mercy was given to the Sentinels who begged for their lives. They were burned alive as a testament to the light they once loved. The white banners of the Oasis of Light were painted red by the blood of the people who once lived there.

Cynthia paused in her reading when she heard Bec murmuring something.

"Kaede," she said softly before twitching her whiskers and sinking back into sleep.

***

The smell of smoke hit Bec's nostrils like a stampede. The screaming hit her ears next. Now wide awake, she rolled over hoping to find her brother. Not feeling him, she got to her feet in a panic.

"Kaede!"

She ran out of their tent and was nearly trampled by a horse flying past. Her heart caught in her throat. Tents were on fire and Felinxes in red leather on horses were cutting down her clan members on the ground. Her family. Bec spotted the scrawny Felinx from the day before fighting Talec one on one. She saw him quickly outmaneuvering Talec, wondering how that could be possible. Talec was the best fighter in her clan. They were moving so fast, Bec almost missed the dagger the small Felinx threw, which hit Talec in the knee. As he fell to the ground, the Felinx walked up to him and seemed to say something to Talec before shoving a dagger into his chest. It felt like she was still dreaming.

Bec's attention was brought back to her immediate surroundings when a young Felinx, only a few years older than Bec, screamed as one of the Felinxes in red ran him through. When he turned and looked at her, Bec ran. She didn't know where she was going and tripped over one of the tent stakes. Turning over, she screamed and held up her arms. She heard a weird choking noise and looked behind her hands to see the Felinx with a sword protruding from his chest. When he fell to the side, Bec saw her brother, blood staining his light fur.

"Kaede!" Bec jumped up, but before she could hug him he grabbed her hand.

"You need to get out of here," he said while dragging her towards some horses still tied to their post.

"But Kae--"

"Ride to the Oasis of Light and tell Mom and Dad we've been attacked and the Blood Taken are planning to hit them with full force during the Festival of the Great Mother," he said as he put her on top of one of the horses. He pulled out a dagger with a white gold handle and gave it to her. "You might need this. The Oasis of Light isn't very far, but the road is very dangerous now." After he strapped her in, he looked up at her and forced a smile. "I'll follow soon, I promise. Goodbye, pipsqueak." He slapped the rear of her horse, and it bolted off.

Bec turned to look at her clan in flames. She saw Kaede start fighting a Blood Taken twice his size. He was doing well, trained by Talec himself, but he was still too inexperienced. He was a hunter, not a warrior. The Blood Taken knocked away Kaede's sword before driving his own deep into Kaede's collar and dragging it down his chest. Bec wailed as she saw her brother fall as easily as she had seen one of the frail trees of the steppes fall in the wind. Tears streaking down her face, Bec whipped the reins on her horse, urging it to go faster.

She would make it to the Oasis of Light.

***

Cynthia's heart jumped in her chest when Bec woke up abruptly next to her. She sat up, gasping for air and holding a hand to her chest. Sweat was visible on her brow and her eyes looked hazy still, as if she wasn't yet really awake.

"Are you ok? That was quite an awakening," Cynthia asked her.

Bec moved her hand to the dagger with a white gold handle at her hip, as if checking to make sure it was still there. After a few seconds she turned and realized Cynthia had said something to her.

"Yeah, I...I'm fine."