Fan Fiction ❯ Esthenia II ❯ Part one- New Friends ( Chapter 1 )

Part One, New friends

Never Lonely

I looked out the window and sighed deeply. It was summer once again, and another school year had ended. Normally, people would go outside and enjoy the nice summer weather, but not on that day or the rest of the week for that matter. It had been raining all week and the week before that. It was a good thing I always had something to do. Especially on days like those when nobody was home. My parents went to work and my little sister usually hung out with her friends. I was usually home alone. It wasn't for the fact that I didn't have many friends at school, or I didn't want to go anywhere. It was because I was never alone.

My name is Christy Miller, or Esthenia, as my friends in the Dream world would call me. About two years ago, my best friend brought me to his world. His name is Pagasis. A winged horse dream Guardian that is always by my side. We shared each other's thoughts whenever I wore his necklace. It had the power to calm anyone with a single thought. When I wore it, I could hear the only thing that would keep my calm, and that was Pagasis' voice. When he put it on, he could see and hear me as well. Thus connecting our thoughts and minds.

The main purpose for the necklace was to keep Pagasis from becoming a demon. In his world, things like anger and malice could turn a Guardian into a horrifying demon. That was the plot of the horrible demon king long ago. He created an army and destroyed Pagasis' family and home, took over the island, and stole Pagasis' horn. The golden horn of his type of Guardian was the main source of their power. Without it, they get a disease that eventually kills them. The evil king's plot was to turn Pagasis into a demon before he died of the disease. Because if Pagasis were to die then he'd learn of his true heritage. That is another thing that connected Pagasis and I. When I would die, he would too. That is one of his traits as a half god. Indeed Pagasis is a demigod. He is one of Simone's hairs. Simone was the daughter of the great dream god and one of the island Esthenia's first Guardians.

The dream Guardians protect the islands in the Dream world from nightmare causing demons. I rarely have any nightmares. In the Dream world, there were tiny islands that represented every human on Earth. Each island was inhabited by creatures called Guardians. These creatures were said to roam the Earth millions of years ago in Greek, Egyptian, and middle age times. Some of them even appeared to be normal animals, but you never know what they're capable of. They all lived in families. The more the human believed in themselves, the more beautiful the island was, and the more Guardians on the island. The less Guardians there where the weaker they were against the demons, unless the Guardians are truly powerful. Each island also had its own language. The islands were named after the human it represented in the native language. Esthenia for example was the native word for Christy.

The island Esthenia didn't have many pure Guardians, but they were all pretty powerful. The Dragonwoves were one of the races of Guardian on the island. There weren't too many of them but they were powerful as well. Over the years they evolved into a different race called the Omogoas. The Omogoas weren't pure Guardians because in order to be a pure Dream Guardian you had to be able to fly and know the universal language called the Guardian language. None of them had wings except the half breeds, and they're weren't too many of them either.

"Are you coming or not?" asked Pagasis' voice in my head.

"What the? Ugh, I'm still not used to this!" I replied as I backed away from the window. "When will all this rain go away!"

"It's still raining?"

"Yeah, I want to go outside or something, but you know..."

"It's not raining here."

"Okay, okay! Just let me get the orb and I'll be over in a minute."

I walked across my room over to the dresser. I opened the top drawer and dug through the mass of underwear and socks and pulled out the shiny orb. Pagasis had given me the orb when we first met. I would hold it tight in my hands and think of where I wanted to go on the island in the Dream world. It was usually the meadow on the western side of the island. I also used the orb to get back home. In the gate between the worlds I would morph into my animal form or turn back into a human when I was going back home. Humans weren't aloud in the Dream world so I had to become an animal with another gift from Pagasis. It was a small silver heart with wings on a chain. I always wore it around my neck. Especially when I went to bed. The necklace had the power to ward off nightmares. Pagasis had used the last of his power to create these objects for me.

When the demon army took over the island and Pagasis family was destroyed, he had to call upon me for help. During that time he was in no shape to fight alone. Our job was to find others on the island to help too. That's how we discovered the hidden Omogoa village in the forest and the last existing Dragonwolves. Everything was connected. The orb, the necklaces, the wars. It was all so confusing...

I held the orb tightly in my hands, and I thought of the sunny meadow. Suddenly I was floating. My body was changing. My hands and feet were turning into paws and I could feel large, feathery wings growing out of my back. Soon enough I was standing on all four paws in the green grass of the meadow. As I watched my friends approach me I wondered: How much better could it get?

The sun felt warm on my orange fur. Pagasis, Rinoa, Mona and I were lying in the sun in the grass of the meadow. We were catching our breath from all the running around we did. Playing apple tag was one of our favorite pastimes. It was a lot like normal tag only the one with the apple gets chased until one of the other players take it, then they get chased too. Don't ask me who came up with it. I just go along with it...

"Someday I'll grow out of this." Rinoa panted. Her tongue was hanging from her open mouth. She was pretty fast for how big she was. She was about twenty-one feet tall and covered in thick, black fur. Being twenty-one feet tall wasn't natural for a normal wolf, but for being half dragon she was. Rinoa was the daughter of the Dragonwolf Corona and the demon Dragonwolf Digarah. Rinoa may have looked like a demon because of her colors she got from her father. The colors red and black stood for evil in the Dream world. While the colors blue and white stood for good. Rinoa's eyes were red and her fur black, but she wasn't evil. She was kind and had good common sense. She wasn't easily fooled. Being the protector of the forest and one of the Omogoa betas, she was alone all her life except until she met Pagasis when the demons came long ago. Her mother had to set her off on her own when she was very young because of Digarah's hatred and greed, but she kept a good watch on her from her cliff that rose above the forest.

Rinoa didn't learn of her heritage until two years ago. She learned new abilities after that. She had inherited her mother's psychic powers, thus making her a powerful guardian.

"Yeah right," said Mona, who's tongue was also hanging out. "If you grew any bigger, you'd grow larger than the whole island itself."

Mona, also known as Rico Mona, was the teenage daughter of Kovu and Neara, also making her the princess of the Omogoa tribe. She was born over a year ago and had already caught up with my age. Aside from her role as princess, she was also a Guardian called a slayer. A slayer is a powerful type of Guardian that dedicates their life to killing one particular thing, and Mona's was demons. She looked a lot like her parents, but she was definitely was an odd one. She was the cross of three breeds. A hybrid of a Dragonwolf, Omogoa, and demon. It was pretty difficult to describe what she looked like. Her body from the neck down was brown like her mother's. She had large, green, leathery wings on her back. Long ago her wings were much smaller and she couldn't fly, but recently an accident happened that ended with a miracle. Her head was white and her ears were black like her father's. She had long black hair and wore a tattered dress that suited her well.

Aside from all of that she was normal like everyone else. The main thing that set her apart was her right eye. Like Rinoa, Mona received a demon trait from Digarah. However, unlike her aunt, Mona couldn't control her demon side. Unlike the left eye, blue with black markings around it, the right was red and the black marks grew larger as she got older. At times she would go mad from it. Especially when Digarah was around. With his demonic power he was able to manipulate her.

When Mona was young, Kovu trained her to resist her evil side as well as become a skilled fighter. Not long after, the black mark around Mona's red eye stopped growing. Another reason why she was trained was to protect herself from her evil grandfather. That was the main reason why she became a demon slayer. She swore to make Digarah her mortal enemy amongst all other demons.

As well as her social life goes, well lets just say that the first years of her life she had been quite a nuisance. Normally getting into trouble and scaring poor Neara half to death. She also dragged Pagasis, Kovu and I onto other adventures, but that's another story.

I peered over at Pagasis. He was lying in the grass next to Rinoa munching on the apple we had been playing with. That horse loved his apples. Unlike the rest of us, he didn't look very tired at all. Maybe it was because he was a half god. I couldn't help but get a little jealous. In fact, over the years he too had learned a few new tricks. He was now able to change his and my forms. It wasn't a big change for me but it was a huge one for him. He was a horse indeed and I originally am a human, but this was totally different from that. It was pretty cool. I still looked like a sphinx with my feet, tail and wings, but Pagasis, he didn't look much like a horse. He looked just like a human teenager. He was pretty cute. Okay, I was pretty hooked on him, but we were just friends, and he was my Guardian. I was happy just the way it was.

The Visitor

Suddenly, Rinoa stood up. Her large pointed ears stood up.

"Something's coming." she said.

Pagasis and Mona stood up too.

"She's right." said Pagasis(might I add that when he talks his mouth doesn't move. He speaks with his mind). "We'd better go check it out."

Pagasis predicted that whoever it was would land on the western side of the meadow. By the time we to there, Castirio was already waiting for us.

"She doesn't look happy..." I said with a stiff upper lip as we approached her.

Castirio was a Filodrake from the island of Ceair. She was about fifteen feet tall, as tough as nails. We met about two years ago when she came to the island to inform us that Digarah had confronted her after the war. Castirio, like other Filodrakes, was pretty moody, and showed it well.

"What's up?" Mona asked her.

We were all standing in front of Castirio now and waiting for her to reply. She was breathing hard like she had been running for miles. I then noticed something hanging over her shoulder.

"I'll tell you what's up!" she roared as she grabbed the strange object and slammed it to the ground.

All of us gasped at the sight. It looked like a dragon or a snake. It had a long body with dark green hair running down its spine and large scales down its stomach, lime green stripes, and a whip-like tail. Its head was wolfish with a pair of horns on its forehead and two long whiskers on the end of its snout.

"What is it!" I gasped.

"I thought I told you to keep your Dragonwolves off my island!" Castirio growled.

"That's a Dragonwolf?" Mona asked as she walked up and kneeled beside it.

"Careful Mona." Rinoa warned.

Meanwhile, Pagasis walked up to Castirio.

"This isn't one of ours." he said.

Castirio cracked her knuckles and sighed.

"Well, wherever it came from, it was in my territory." she said. "It doesn't look like a demon, but I know a lot of Filodrakes that would love to have it for lunch."

"Yummy." Pagasis said sarcastically.

I sat next to Mona and took a closer look at the Dragonwolf. It was defiantly a type of Dragonwolf. It looked pretty beat up too. It wasn't moving either.

"What did you to it?" I said to Castirio.

"Oh, the usual." she shrugged.

"It looks eastern." said Rinoa as she leaned down and examined it.

"Like oriental..." I said. "I've seen pictures of dragons like these in my world."

"Well," said Pagasis. "We don't know what's going to happen when it wakes up, but I don't think he'll be too much of a threat. He's a Guardian, so that makes him a friend. We should take him to Aslynn to be healed of his wounds."

We all nodded.

"Well, whatever." said Castirio. "But if it wakes up and starts killing everyone, don't blame me."

After Castirio left, we hoisted the Dragonwolf onto Rinoa's back. Its body was defiantly longer than her's, but wasn't larger. She was able to easily stand and walk with it. I sat up there with it to make sure it didn't fall off as we walked to the village. I was a bit afraid that it would wake up. I didn't know what it would do. I'd expect it to be at least a little frightened, and when things were frightened, their first intention was to fight.

We took the quickest path to the village that was located deep in the forest. When we got there, we received many odd looks from the natives as we strode past the large, wood huts. A lot of them were outside working. Some were tanning hides and others just enjoying the sunny weather. A few pups ran past, pointing at Rinoa with awe.

I looked down at them. I thought they were so adorable.

"Welcome back, Esthenia!" Neara called to me.

I looked away from the children and at Neara as she walked up to us. She was the female alpha of the Omogoa tribe through blood. Her mother and father were once the alpha pair, but had been killed by the former beta. Neara was almost forced to be wed to him by law, but learned of his evil deeds and killed him.

Like most of the other natives, Neara had a dark brown body and a tan head. She wore what looked like a tank-top and skirt, and a green headband that matched her eyes. Her ears were unusually orange that she got from her mother, Tswuki Mona. Tswuki Mona was half Egyptian jackal, and one of the best former leaders the tribe has ever had. Both Neara and Mona got their great knife fighting skills from her.

Neara stopped in her tracks when she laid eyes on the stranger lying next to me.

"Who is that?" she gasped.

"Mom," said Mona. "Can I keep it?"

Neara just let out a sarcastic laugh as Kovu walked up to us from behind.

"I just got back from seeing mother, and she told me that..." he said as he stopped when he caught sight of the visitor too. "Never mind."

Kovu was the alpha male of the Omogoa tribe. He was pretty easygoing and had a good sense of humor. He had always been like that, even before he knew of his heritage.

Kovu was a Dragonwolf and the little brother of Rinoa. When he was born his mother was able to easily disguise him. He looked like a normal Omogoa native only instead of being brown and tan he was white. His ears were large and black and he had the markings around his eyes. He was adopted by Neara's father and was trained in the native way. He became a great warrior and was made the captain of the native warriors. He then fell in love with Neara and she him. After her father was killed, Kovu had to leave with Pagasis and I to look for more help on the island. Rinoa had to stay behind at the village because she had been made the new beta. On the journey, Rinoa returned and they met their mother. Then Kovu's true form was unveiled. He looked a lot like his mother. White, green wings, a pair of horns on his head, and a long whip-like tail. He also had these green chest scales and spines on his back. Like Rinoa, he had immense psychic power, but unlike Rinoa, he was able to do many more things with it. He could change his size and make balls of energy in his hands.

Kovu hopped onto Rinoa's back next to me. He kneeled down and examined the Dragonwolf.

"He's pretty badly injured. Did you bring him here to be healed by Aslynn?" he asked me.

I nodded.

"If you both don't mind." said Rinoa as she peered over her shoulder at us. "Before we get the whole tribe up there can we get it some help?"

Kovu smiled at his sister. He then jumped off her back.

"This way." he said. He motioned us to follow.

We followed him to the other side of the village to Aslynn's hut. It was larger than most. When we got closer I could see that Aslynn was standing in front of it waiting for us. That wasn't much of a surprise either. Aslynn had a very important role in the tribe as a priestess. She was very young for her role, and was beautiful to boot. Most would say that she used her spiritual magic to look so good, but I know what the real story was. She was also known for her knowledge in medicinal herbs. What she did was make a face cream, but I'm not going to get into that. The main thing was that she could see into the future with her eyes. She was unable to reveal the future to anyone, but she was able to warn them of the risk.

"Set him down." she said as we stopped in front of her.

Rinoa kneeled down as Kovu, Mona and I gently slid it off. Once it was on the ground. Aslynn walked up to it and placed her hand on its head.

"He's going to be okay." she said after a moment.

I was wondering what made her so sure it was a he. I wasn't about to ask. She knew everything so I took her word for it.

Just then one of the Dragonwolf's eyes opened. It was a lime green like the stripes on his body. We jumped back as he raised his head. His lips were curled back exposing his large fangs. He was looking right at me. Suddenly his mouth opened and threw up blood everywhere. He then began to thrash and struggle.

We were all in shock. I was scared half out of my wits and Pagasis looked whiter than usual. Aslynn however, didn't move a muscle. She remained next to him as he settled down and rest his head on the ground. His eyes were still open though he wasn't really looking at anything. His labored breathing could be heard in low growls. He looked more like he was in pain than angry or scared.

Aslynn kneeled down in front of him. He looked up at her as she placed her hand on his snout.

"We pose you no threat, dear friend." she soothed. "I am Aslynn and I wish to heal."

The rest of us held our breath. Nobody tried to stop her, and nobody spoke. I knew that everyone was probably thinking the same thing I was: Is he going to chill or is he going to snap her arm off?

"If your not in this form, it may be easier for me to help you." Aslynn said.

The Dragonwolf tilted his head to the side. He didn't take his eyes off of her. They looked warm and friendly. He then closed them as his body began to glow and shrink.

"Woa..." I murmured.

The Dragonwolf was defiantly a Dragonwolf indeed. He was a lot smaller now. About seven feet tall. He had large dark green wings now and his hair was shorter and spiky. His body was the biggest change of all. It was a LOT like Kovu's with the chest scales and muscular arms. His head didn't change much, only instead of the whiskers, there were dark green scales going down his nose. He wore what looked like a Samurai armor around his waist.

"How did he do that?" Mona gasped.

"He has the ability to change." said Pagasis.

"He's handsome..." Mona said with a sheepish smile.

The Dragonwolf's eyes were closed once again. The transformation must have taken the last of his energy.

Aslynn stood up.

"Now we're getting somewhere." she sighed.

Niegie

"What is taking her so long?" I heard Mona ask as I walked back into the clearing.

Pagasis stood up and smiled at me as I strode up to him.

"So?"

"Well, she said it was all right." I said. "I just hope that she doesn't find out."

I had just gotten back from my world. I told my mother that I was at a camp-out over the weekend so I could stay in the Dream world for a while. That was the bad part about going to the Dream world. The times were the same for both worlds. So the amount of time I was in the Dream world, took up time in the human world. So when I wanted to stay in the Dream world for a long time, I told my parents that I was going to visit my friends or going on camping trips. It wasn't lying, they were partially true. I WAS visiting my friends and staying at the village was indeed a lot like camping.

"Why don't you just live here and run away from that strange world." said Mona. "They won't miss you that bad will they?"

I snorted and sat down.

"My sister won't." I said. "So, how is he?"

"Well, we haven't heard anything since we gave him to Aslynn." said Pagasis.

"Hey guys!" Aquita called. He was running toward us with his spear in hand.

"Hey Aquita." I said.

Aquita was the captain of the warriors. He was much older than he was before, but he was still pretty young and restless. He was never afraid to take a dare or bet. One thing he liked to do was fire dance. Some say he was part fox because of his tan colored fur and his love for fire. He used to be the owner of the clan's fire fox named Checos, but the fox died of old age about a month ago. The same thing happened to Neara's Mini fox, Chelle. Long ago, Carona warned me about returning to the Dream world for that reason. Time in the Dream world went by faster than the time in the human world.

Aquita walked up to us and greeted me with a high five.

"I heard of the visitor." he said. "Another Dragonwolf?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"So, you haven't seen him?" Mona asked.

Aquita shook his head.

"No." he said. "He took a good beating. I can't wait to hear his story."

"Yeah, Castirio doesn't take any prisoners when you mess with her." said Pagasis.

"Yeah." said Aquita. "She's pretty strong. I've always liked big women."

We all gave him a strange look when Rinoa walked up to us.

"Hey," she said. "He's waking up."

Pagasis, Mona, Aquita, and I walked into Aslynn's hut. The smell of the wood burning and the medicinal herbs met my nose. Kovu and Neara were all ready there. They were kneeling next to the stranger who was lying on a bed of furs. His eyes were closed but he appeared to be conscious. He had bandages all over his body and around his head.

We walked up to them and kneeled too.

"How is he?" I asked.

"He's going to be all right." Aslynn said from the far corner. She was bustling about in the firelight. I could hardly see what she was doing.

Pagasis looked at me and shrugged as Aslynn turned and kneeled next to the Dragonwolf.

"Are you awake?" she asked in a gentle voice.

The Dragonwolf moaned and opened his eyes.

"Wh-where am I?" He groaned.

"You are on the island Esthenia." said Neara. "I am Neara of the Omogoa tribe, and this is my mate Kovu."

The Dragonwolf looked at her and Kovu, then at Aslynn.

"You- did you..."

"I am Aslynn." she said. "Yes, I am the one that healed you. You were brought here by them." she said pointing at Pagasis, Mona and I.

The Dragonwolf groaned again as he tried to sit up, but he fell back down. He then chuckled and smiled.

"You have my gratitude Aslynn." he said.

"Oh..." Aslynn breathed as she turned pink in the face.

"Where am I again?" He asked.

"You are on Esthenia." said Kovu.

The Dragonwolf's eyes widened.

"Esthenia?" He gasped. "Man, did I take a bad turn! I guess that's what I get for trying to ask a Filodrake for directions."

Pagasis and I exchanged queer looks.

"You asked Castirio for directions?!" Mona marveled.

"Yeah, I guess." the Dragonwolf said with a sheepish grin. "Who are you?"

"I'm Mona." Mona replied. "And who are you?"

"Oh," said the Dragonwolf. "How rude of me. I'm Niegie."

"Niegie." Mona repeated. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from an island called Iyke." he replied.

"Iyke." said Pagasis thoughtfully. "Isn't that just east of here?"

"Yeah. I think so." said Niegie. "I was on my way visiting my friend, but I got a little lost. So I dropped by one of the islands and asked for some directions. Man, did that turn out bad..."

"I'm sorry to say this," I said. "But who is dumb enough to stop in Ceair and ask for directions?"

"You're pretty blunt..." Niegie said. "You smell like a sphinx. I heard that they are pretty rare. Who are you?"

"I'm Christy." I said.

Pagasis and Kovu snorted.

"What's that?" I hissed.

"She's just being modest." said Pagasis. "She's really Esthenia."

Niegie's eyes popped open.

"What? Is she... human?"

Everyone nodded.

I knew I was blushing. I normally didn't like getting all the attention. That's just the way I was.

"Neat." Niegie awed. "I've never met a human before. What's the human world like?"

"Umm... Well, nobody ever asked me that one before..." I stammered. "It's big and over crowded. There are many forests and oceans..."

"Any dark places?" Niegie questioned.

"Yeah." I said. "Thick forests and caves and stuff."

"Nice." said Niegie. "My island is always dark. It's covered with a very thick forest. It blocks the sun out."

"Woa." said Mona. "How can you see each other?"

"Our stripes glow." said Niegie. "We also have keen eyes for darkness."

"Okay." said Aslynn from the other side of the hut. "Enough questions for now. He needs to get some rest."

"How did she do that?" I asked Pagasis telepathically.

"Do what?" he replied.

"One moment she was kneeling next to me, then she's over there!"

"She's a sneaky one..."

"I'm okay." said Niegie as he tried to sit up again. As he did, something cracked in his lower back and he fell back down again.

"Please Niegie." said Aslynn. "Try not to move."

"What's wrong with me?" Niegie gasped. He appeared to be in a lot of pain. "I can't move my legs!"

"Your legs are paralyzed." Aslynn sighed.

All of us gasped.

"You mean he's stuck there?" Mona said, dumbstruck.

"No." Aslynn said as she shook her head. "It's only temporary. I have the right herbs to help him, but he'll have to sleep so I can perform the practice."

A sigh of relief escaped from our mouths.

Aslynn walked from the shadows and kneeled next to Niegie.

"We'd better take our leave." said Kovu. "Aslynn will need it quiet in here."

"You're right." said Neara as she stood up. "We hope you get well Niegie."

Niegie nodded as he watched Kovu and Neara walk out of the hut.

Pagasis, Mona, Aquita and I stood up too.

"How long are you going to stay?" I asked Niegie.

Niegie looked at me with a smile. He was about to reply when Aslynn interrupted.

"He isn't going anywhere until he gets better." said Aslynn. She then handed Niegie a cup with purple liquid. "Here, drink this. It will put you to sleep."

"Nice to have met you Niegie." said Pagasis as he turned and walked out. The rest of us followed him.

Another Visitor

"So, who do you think his friend was?" I asked.

"I'm not quite sure." said Pagasis. "That can be something we'll save for when he wakes up."

"I've been wondering something." I said. "How is it that almost everything we've encountered was half dragon?" I asked.

"Half this world's population are dragons." said Pagasis. "They are a big and noble race. They've been around for generations."

"Ow! Damn it!" Aquita cursed as he placed his finger in his mouth. He had been sharpening his spear with Mona's knife. It must have slipped and cut his finger.

"Watch your mouth!" Mona huffed. "If you're going to use a knife, then learn how to use it right."

The four of us was sitting outside me and Pagasis' hut. It had been built a long while ago. It wasn't too big like Aslynn's or the shrine, but it was cozy. Pagasis requested that there be dream catchers on the walls. Aslynn taught me how to make them, so there were at least two on each one.

"Let me show you." said Mona as she took Aquita's hand. She guided it and the knife on the spear tip. "See, away from you, like this."

I looked at Aquita and Mona. I could smell compassion coming off of both of them. It was easy for me to smell people's emotions like this. It was my special power, and only I knew of it.

"Do you think Niegie will be staying with us for a while?" Aquita asked Pagasis.

"What makes you think I would know?" Pagasis asked.

"Well, you are a god." said Aquita. "You should know these things."

"Half god." Pagasis corrected him.

"You have a lot of power that's for sure." said Mona.

Pagasis' cheeks turned pink.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Dang Mona." said Aquita. "What's this knife made of anyway? I just cut off the end of my spear tip!"

"That's just something for you to find out." said Mona.

"Do you think that Neara and Kovu will have a welcoming party for Niegie?" I asked.

"Probably." Mona sighed. "Knowing my parents they... Oh, my gosh!! Never mind about that! They already had something planed. I have a coronation ceremony!"

"What?" I said. "Mona, how come you never told us?"

"Well." she said. She looked a little uncomfortable. "I guess I kind of forgot about it. My mother told me about it not that long ago. Apparently I'm of age now to become an alpha. Only I have to be titled by my parents."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Okay, let's say that I haven't been titled yet, and my parent's were to die. Then the beta would have to take the role of alpha because I wouldn't be legally worthy."

"Oh." I said. "I guess that makes sense."

"How come I didn't know about this?" Aquita asked. "I am the captain."

"They were actually going to tell everyone this morning but then Niegie came along." said Mona.

Suddenly the ground began to rumble. I looked up and saw Rinoa running toward us.

"Whoops! I'm sorry!" she called over her shoulder at a native she almost stepped on. She then halted in front of us, her tongue was hanging from the corner of her mouth.

"Come quick!" she exclaimed. "My mother want's all the true Guardian's at the cliff... Now!"

"Right!" I said.

Pagasis, Mona, and I all took off at that moment. We decided not to wait for Kovu in case Carona was in trouble.

"So!" I shouted over the wind to Mona as we flew to the cliff. "I see you and Aquita have been getting along pretty good lately!"

"As if!" she shouted back. "The guy is way older than me and he's a total weirdo!"

"Right..." I said under my breath.

"Put on your serious faces ladies." said Pagasis. "We're almost there."

I nodded and looked around. We were above the forest now and I could see the entire island and the sea around it. Off in the distance I could see Ceair and a bunch of other islands. I looked up ahead and saw the cliff just below us. There, sitting in front of the cave was the Dragonwolf Corona.

Her white dragon hide and green leathery wings stood out amongst the grey rocks. Her sky blue eyes shimmered in the sunlight. Next to her was Kovu. He had beaten us there.

"What's up Carona!" I said as we landed.

Carona's large black ears rose.

"There is something coming." she said.

"That's no surprise." I said. "Maybe it's Castirio again with another lost traveler."

Carona shook her head.

"No." she said. "If it were a Guardian like Castirio, they'd be flying."

"What!?" said Pagasis. "You mean it doesn't have wings?"

"Or doesn't want to use them." said Carona. "Who ever it is, they're using magic to get here. In a matter of minutes they'll be here."

"Is it a demon?" Mona asked.

"I don't know." said Carona. "Just in case, I want you five to meet them. They'll be landing in the meadow."

"What if it's Digarah?" Mona asked. Her fists were clenched.

"Then be prepared for the worst." said Carona.

"I don't like this!" said Mona as the five of us flew to the meadow. "It sound kind of strange. How can someone fly by using magic?"

"It's not to hard actually." said Pagasis. "You don't necessarily need to be powerful to do it. Some species can do it."

"Look there!" Kovu called to us.

We all looked to were he was pointing. There, standing in the center of the meadow was a cloaked figure. It wasn't very tall but it had the figure of a woman. A doggish face looked from the hood at us as we landed.

"Oh," she said. "I see that my visit had been expected."

"Who are you?" Kovu asked.

"I am Canis." she said. "Am I on Esthenia?" she asked.

"Yes." said Kovu. "What business do you have here?"

"I'm looking for my friend, Niegie." said Canis. "He was supposed to be on my island a day ago. He never really had a good sense of direction."

"Are you a fox?" Mona asked.

"Yeah." said Canis. "I'm of the magic race."

"That explains how you got here." said Pagasis.

Canis nodded. She then rose up about an inch above the ground, and floated to Kovu.

Kovu was pretty dumbstruck and didn't move at all as she placed her hand on his chest and said, "My, aren't we a big strong wolf. Care to give me a hand?"

Kovu's eyes were pretty wide. I could smell fear coming from him. A scent was coming from Canis too. I didn't recognize the smell but it gave me the feeling of mistrust. Something about her made me nervous. I looked over at Pagasis. He appeared to be thinking the same thing I was. I couldn't ask him how he felt about the whole thing because he was wearing the necklace that allowed me to talk to him telepathically.

"Well." said Kovu. "Niegie is here. He was attacked by a Filodrake and had been seriously injured. Our prestress is healing him so he should be well again in a matter of hours."

"Well." said Canis. "I know it would sound rude if I'd invited myself to stay, but using the magic to get here wore me out. I don't have enough energy to get back."

I could see her sly foxish face trough the shadow of the hood. Her amber eyes glinted and her lips were curled into a smile.

"Well." said Kovu. He still looked pretty apprehensive, even when Canis was back on her feet and away from him. "I suppose that wouldn't be a problem as long as you keep your powers under control in our village."

"Oh, thank you!" Canis cheered. She looked as if she was about to throw her hands around Kovu and hug him, but she didn't move at all. "I won't be naughty."

"Yeah right..." I heard Mona softly growl.

Canis, The Sorceress

"I don't like her." said Mona.

We were back in the village once more, and sitting outside my hut. Kovu and Canis went to Aslynn's hut to see Niegie. Pagasis was inside, and Aquita was with the rest of the warriors. I looked to the ground at my crossed paws and sighed.

"I'll have to agree with you on that one." I said. "There's just something about her that makes me uneasy."

"She isn't a demon, but I still have a half a mind to slay her." Mona grinned. "Did you see the way she touched my father? I wanted to kill her right then and there!"

"Let's not get too crazy." said Pagasis as he strode out from the hut.

Mona and I both turned our heads and looked at him. He had changed into his human-like form and was now wearing a pair of leather pants and shirt. His young human face had a smile on it. The one that always comforted me. His blue eyes, jewel and horn glinted in the sunlight. He still had his horse-like features like his hoofed feet, tail and wings, only he was standing on two legs and had human arms and hands. His skin was white and his hair was still blue. The thing that got my attention the most was these cute, little white horse ears that poked out from his hair on the top of his head. He sat down next to me and sighed.

"I can see what Carona meant." he said. "I too can sense something wrong with this."

"You don't need to tell me that!" said Mona. "I already can tell that she's trouble."

"Well," I said. "I normally wouldn't judge someone before I knew them. Let's just see how she really is."

"All right..." Mona said. She folded her arms and pressed her ears back stubbornly.

"Oh, look who it is." said Pagasis.

Neara was walking toward us. Along side of her was Canis. She still had her hood on, leaving half her face covered in shadow.

"Witch..." Mona growled under hear breath.

"Mona." Neara said. "Don't think I'd forgotten about your coronation."

"Oh, right." Mona groaned.

"Hi." said Canis. "So you are the native princess, Mona."

Mona nodded. She tried to look cheerful, but I could smell the hate burning up in side of her.

"And you are Pagasis." said Canis. "Wow, you changed a bit. I can see that you are very powerful. Only the strong can change their forms. Oh, how cute!"

She leaned forward and grabbed his ears. She then gave them a light tweak. It wasn't too hard, but I knew that Pagasis was in a lot of pain. He tried to keep a straight face, but his right eye was giving a slight twitch. He hated to have his ears grabbed.

I loudly cleared my throat. As expected, Canis directed her attention towards me. She released Pagasis' ears and turned to me.

"This is Esthenia?" she awed. "Woa! Is it true that you come from the human world?"

I nodded.

"Neat..." she awed once again.

"I'd hate to break it up." said Neara. "Mona, you have to come with me. We have to prepare for the announcement. The coronation is going to be tomorrow night."

Mona stood up and sighed.

"Well, duty calls." she said to Pagasis and Me. She and Neara turned.

"Oh, I hope you'll be able to attend the party tomorrow night Esthenia!" Neara called over her shoulder as they walked away.

"You bet!" I replied.

"So Canis." said Pagasis. I knew he was just trying to be polite though he was still wincing in pain from the tweaking. "How long do you think you'll be with us?"

"Well," said Canis. "I'm not quite sure. I will probably leave with Niegie. I hope he gets better soon."

"What kind of fox did you say you were?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm a magic fox." she replied. She then slid off her hood. She had a thin sly face with amber eyes. Her large ears poked up from her short, spiky red hair. She also had orange fur and a white snout. She looked like an average fox.

"That's one of the rare species." said Pagasis. "Along with a mini and fire fox a magic fox is hard to encounter, but I never heard of one that could walk up right and speak Guardian."

The universal language was called the Guardian language. It was true that every island had it's own language, but in order to be a true Guardian you had to know it, for it was important to be able to speak with other Guardians from other lands in case of trouble.

"Indeed this isn't my true form." said Canis. "But I prefer to look this way. I find it more... attractive. Anyway, I know far more things than your average fox."

"I see." said Pagasis with a raised eyebrow.

"Well." said Canis with a sigh. "I'd better return to poor Niegie. I bet that priestess is making him cry. He always was pretty pathetic in a cute way!"

She then turned her heel and walked away. Her long, brown cape trailing behind her.

"She's a sorceress." said Pagasis as he watched her leave.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "How can you tell?"

"Think about it." he said. "A normal magic fox is unactable to do the things she can. To speak Guardian and permanently change appearance. They can physically change, but only for a short time. It's just not natural."

"Do you think she know's we're on to her?" I asked.

"I hope not." he said. "Maybe she's just here for Niegie like she said. We don't know if she's here to cause trouble. We'll just have to wait and see."