"Wake, chosen one. It is time for your first lesson, a keeper has no time to take rest." The sharp nudge of a snout came to meet Zacura's side, the feeling unpleasant. "Why must I wake and train so early?" "Because a day shall come to pass when you are weak and exhausted, and to survive, you will be forced to rise to your feet. Every small victory is accompanied by promised glory. Hold onto these words, and one day you will realize what I speak holds truth. Now, come up. You have much to learn."
Growling and tired, Zacura rose and followed her teacher. Her gate was slow and lumbering upon the soft moss, her ears hanging to either side of her head. She was not energetic that morning, but, it had been Manuke's dominant tone that got her moving. "Why have you brought me here to this." Her speech paused for a moment. She realized she had no idea what this place was. "What could I possibly learn here all it holds are plants and water. It is nothing more but an abandoned..." The old keeper turned to face her. "Do not be so blind. Allow your eyes to fully view the wonders that surround you. These are the Coverts of Nuckot, the very life force of Evernia. It appears to be a simple gathering of Wildwood for its own protection. Only a highborn of the selected can access its real beauty."
"Highborn? And you say I am blind. If you had not come to notice, I am far from highborn. I am the creation of sheer survival, an offspring to carry on the lines of those before me. My name holds no weight of excellence, nor do I claim pure bloodlines. I am but a wanderer awaiting my death just like those who draw breath around me. I was never granted the gift of living under the protection of a father or feeling the love of a mother. I do not truly know who I am, and here you stand so regally, expecting me to gaze upon the life of this planet with eyes blinded by things I did not choose. I do not know who it is you think I am, but I am sorry to say it isn't me."
Her head dropped in sorrow. What was she in this decaying world? The pain of not knowing why she had been born, or why her life had been so hard, ate away at what little confidence she had left. Falling to her belly onto patches of evergreen moss, Zacura rested her head on her paws and sighed. "Do you ever wish to find out what you are to become? Why you were made? I assure you that you are far more capable than those who sired you. They are not remembered for their strength in battle, nor the years they claimed. All who know of the real prophecies give them praise for the day they brought you into this world. Your mother was one of the greatest beings to ever draw breath, your father a creature of perfection. They may be gone from this world, but they shall join you in the next. If it is a parent you wish, allow me to raise you. Let me bring you to face your destiny and not only embrace it but become it."
The subtle darkness around her began to lighten, the aura of the Keeper pulsating with the powers of the Hailotia. He was enveloped in a cloak of platinum peace, the white wolf who had plagued her dreams as a pup. "Who are you? It seems that you have followed me my entire life. If you know all, why is it you could not save my parents? You remained in the shadows, taking hold of a mind that did not belong to you, was it for this? To strip away all I have created for myself in the misery of my short life? You stand before me and preach that the life I know is nothing, but a lie that I must correct." "No, your life is not a lie. What you have lived so far is only the path you must follow until the end. You shall grow and rapidly. I can feel growing power pulsating through your veins. The only thing that has managed to hold you back is yourself, you have no faith, no love and certainly no trust in who you are. If your heart desires answers in order to break down the barrier of your mind and soul, I will respond to the questions as best I can."
She lifted her head, her deep-set eyes beginning to rage. "All I have ever wanted, all I have ever needed was to look once upon she who gave me life. My guardians would never tell me exactly who she or my father was. What they stood for, or why they were killed." "If you wish to look upon the beauty of your mother, follow me." Standing and allowing her ears to perk, the young hound followed, interest surging through her mind. Moving through the gentle sway of the grasses, the two came to stand before a vast and profound pond, its water tinged in an alluring blue. Manuke stepped forward into it, his long fur drinking in its vibrancy. "If I do this small favor for you, you must give me your word, that you will trust in my wisdom. Can you promise me that Zacura?"
"I do not know if I should, I do not believe I am who you say." "Promise me, and you will come to understand." "What is the worst that could come of this? Perhaps I have been misled for too long." She thought to herself. Here stood a wolf of purity before her, his very body taking on the strength of this covert,perhaps she was overlooking something. "I swear it. I will try my best to learn all you have to teach me." He gave her a nod. "What I am about to reveal may confuse you, you may even come to think it a falsehood but know I wish only to see your heart and soul at rest. Allow it to naturally sink in and answer the questions that have been ignored."
Closing his eyes, Manuke began to channel the energy of the amulet upon his neck, into the waters below him. The first wave caused ripples to appear, the second shooting the liquid into the air. Zacura watched in awe, expecting the walls and droplets to reform as they once were, but instead, they remained ascended and dancing. Like a mirror chasing time, the swaying waters began to paint a vivid picture of the past. The amulet had started to glow, each color of the elements beaming forward. Brown, the symbol of soil, was the first, shading the lower sections of the painting, and shortly a ground was able to be viewed. Next came the bright shine of white, the element of spirit forming the clouds above the ground. Between them came water, the soft shade of blue, which poured down the sides of the broken soils. The pigments became stronger as the silhouettes of four figures became present, two dragons—one as white as holiness itself, the other as black as coal. Between them ran a canine of tall and slender build, its coat of fur burning red with fire. Zacura continued looking onward her voice finding a way into her teacher's ears.
"My mother..." She muttered. "No young one, proceed to study the water. You will see your mom very soon." Making his way back onto solid ground, Manuke took stance beside her, unsure of the reaction she would have. Running just before the pack was Zacura's mother, but to her surprise, it was neither a hound nor a wolf who lead them. The weight of her heart sank into her belly, the sight before her eyes unrealistic. "It can't be...there's no way I wouldn't be..." Her words were lost. "Remember what I told you? Not all things you see are real. Sometimes they are but an illusion." As time continued to play before them, familiar faces came into view. Canavis, Zanzsaybar, and Adlina began to run beside the female. Their bodies were the examples of youth, tall and muscular, but even still, they remained in the shadow of the single creature who rivaled the dragon's height.
"If I may Manuke, I wish to ask a question." "You may. I did say I would answer any I could." She stepped closer studying that particular hound and the way it moved, as well as how proud it seemed to be. "Though I do not believe it to be true, I now know who gave me life. But who is that?" The Keeper knew of whom she spoke and that alone confirmed that his accusations were true."That is you, young one," he said with nearly hushed tone. "Me? How can that be me? My parents are dead, and that creature surpasses my size. And beyond that, how can I travel alongside someone I have yet to meet?"
The mystical glow of the amulet came to cease its light and morphing colors coming to fuse into darkness, the images falling into the pond. "Because that is a vision of the past and the future. You will continue to grow due to your heritage. The greatness you will come to wield can only be contained by your pure form, which is why we must begin your training. We don't have much time. When the day comes that you take my place, you must be ready. My time and debts here are coming to an end. Soon I will part from this world, but I shall not surrender to death until I am certain you can stand without me." "If I am to grow as large as dragons and hold the powers you now possess, why do you not stand so tall?"
Manuke came to chuckle, his head shaking in his humor. "Because I am old and dwindling. As your strength grows, mine decreases. It has been so since the day you were born. You are next in line to inherit this gift, which means I must die in order to pass it down to you." "Why was I chosen? The gods could have summoned anyone but me." He sighed. "Our race is enslaved to this land for decisions made far before our generations were brought forth. Every nine centuries, a new keeper of the elements is created. By the time of their birth and cross into adulthood, the chosen before them has depleted his or her wisdom years, only holding enough to train the keeper who will replace them. It is how it has been since the creation of time."
"But that would mean you're over nine hundred years old?" "That is correct. Every keeper lives no more than about nine and a half centuries. Though because of your planned birth, I have been given a few more, so I thank you. Now, are you ready to begin, my dear?" She wasn't sure. How could she succeed knowing her advancement meant taking his life? Though she had no other choice, she had made a promise. "I am ready what must I do?"
"We must pray, speak the oath of Halotia, and finally wash you clean of your weaknesses. And when the time is right, and I pass into a life of sleep, you must adorn your neck with this amulet. Come pup, it is time to see you blessed by those above." They walked a long march, one with the silence of tongue. All around them, birds sang, the ground below bowing to them as they came to pass. He was not her father, but something told her he was more to her than he made out to be. So much was happening; her life was morphing rapidly, and now she had gone from protector of the Bloodclaws to guardian of Evernia.
They came to stand before a large rock of ashen gray; its shape mimicking the body of the goddess, Plexsiea. "Come, this is where we must say the words. They must carry into the ears of our protector." Taking a few steps forward and resting back on her haunches, Zacura took a breath and waited for Manuke's command. "I want you to know that once the threshold of peace and discord is crossed, there is no turning back. Do you willingly accept the trials that you shall face upon joining your spirit with that of infinite power? Do you vow to use your strength for the betterment of all living things?" Zacura came to stand in silence. Her head began to drop down as she thought long and hard about her choice. "I swear it upon my life."
"Then repeat after me. Divine and loving Plexsiea, we come forward to be granted the purity of your eyes, so that we may present to you the seventeenth Keeper of the Elements. The last and final hope of your beloved planet and the peace of your sister's soul. We shall sacrifice our love, our lives, and our minds to protect those we were created to guard. May you accept us for who we are and forgive us of the sins we were made to commit."
Their words came as one, and silence fell around them. "It is my turn now, and, if I am correct, the hands of Plexsiea shall embrace you. Do not fear her, and do not let the pain shy you away from her touch." He stood and came to stand before Zacura, his eyes of blue locking with her own.
"I, Manuke Jeifer, father and predecessor of wisdom, grant Zacura Bloodclaw, my successor, the right to hold my last and final years of life as her own. I vow to teach and nurture her, as I was by those before me in order to stabilize the balance of Evernia. May you show her favor as you have to all others." A heat began to build around them, one unlike any other she had felt before. The touch of fire began to creep over the thickness of her fur, consuming it with a loving touch. The wind began to harshly blow and deep within her mind; Zacura wondered where it had come from. The gusts were so powerful that she had to fight to remain standing. Cyclones of dust and air began to circle them both, pulling water and the sound of wildlife into their raging funnels. Pain surged into her brain, the memories of over ten millenniums cramming their way into her mind. The entire history of the past was now hers to remember, all but the era concerning the history of her bloodline. War, death, famine, and the images of various lands raced before her sight, and suddenly, she felt her body aging. The blessings of elemental control had begun to cross over into her. Every power that had been suppressed now unleashed, every mental and physical block erased. The exchange of body and mind traveled within the shades of the six elements— brown, silver, crimson, turquoise, white, and green—the symbols of soil, air, fire, water, spirit, and sound.
The currents came to break, and with them, the transition of the seventeenth keeper had been completed. "You have been accepted. The control I held now belongs to you. It is but a seed planted within the gleam of your soul. I shall see it come to sprout, and before my eyes close for a final time, I will have you grow into a tree of promise that will yield shade for those beaten by the heat of sin."
"You mean...what you did for me, I now could..." He stood weakly. "Yes, you can accomplish the same. All that remains is for me to teach you honest wisdom. Rise to your feet and see that your protector is given the security of knowing you shall bear the weight of it with dignity." The clouds beyond began to part, the rumble of thunder now rolling above them. "Rise and follow the calling within your heart. The first step starts with you."
Thunder and its brother lightning ran over the land, coming to strike onto the open plains just outside the edge of the forest. She felt the need to stand, to run, to feel the wind collide with her body as her paws carried her across the land she would one day come to save. The weight of the world was bearing down upon her spine, leaving her grounded.
"Get up Keeper! Take hold of the strength I once called my own and rise! He was no longer the voice of kindness but that of tough and genuine love. "Prove that you are more than a Drathell-born dog!" He nipped her shoulder drawing blood. Her legs shook beneath her as she forced herself to stand, rage and pure will the only things driving her. Coming to stand, Zacura steadied herself; eyes locked upon the entrance of the covert. Pain surged through her once more, as if the foot of a deity was pressing her down into the ground. The sound of embers crackling came to move into her ears, the call of the flame, the need to be within its touch surpassing the distraction of the throbbing misery her being now possessed. Her senses heightened, her body was evolving. She took the first step, then another and another until the pain continued to fade away.
"Yes! Keep moving! Keep walking until you can summon the courage to run into your future!" The clouds busted into a storm of rain, the plains in a fury of uncontrollable fire. Her steps turned into a running gate, surging forward toward the show of fire ahead. Zacura came to a halt at the opening of the forest; rain drenching her body. This was an act of the gods.
Catching up to her, Manuke looked onward. "Go to it. View this as a coronation of sorts. Every Keeper has journeyed into the ballad of nature, and now you must do the same." Leaping into the inferno, the chosen ran free, the soil beneath her pads coating her paws and limbs. The rumble of the thunder carried on with her as the inner flame of her soul ignited, the songs of past spirits singing outward in the form of long and endless howls. Before long, the touch of every element was upon her, planting their seeds of hope. The bringer of peace had been born, and now the blessings of the gods would follow in her wake.
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