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body div#devskin0 hr { }

Time. It was a funny thing, wasn't it? It could slip right through your claws without even noticing. The stone kadin was not entirely sure how much time had passed while she had been in pursuit of her quest. Really, she could say it was a lifetime to her. The pads on her paws were rough and calloused from years of travel. If she were to remove her mask one would find the hairs on the very end of her muzzle were beginning to grey. Her entire life had been spent trying to find a way to right the very first wrong she had ever known and now she was finally doing it.

She had left her comfortable home in the swamp after hearing an old legend of the powers of the Hallowed Tarn. While it was commonly known that it could be used to heal wounds after a battle, it was lesser known that its healing powers went further than that. It seemed that if you were to collect enough items that the gods who watched over the tarn found to their liking then the magic of the tarn could be used to resurrect the dead. At first she was skeptical but what other options had presented themselves? So, when hearing the news of the tarn's magic she packed a bag and left the swamp.

Now, her journey certainly was not an easy one. Much to her dismay she found herself asking for help on more than one occasion. She did find that the spirits at least were on her side. They lead her to finding the vast majority of her items. Now, with her items secure in her bag, she traveled up the slop that lead to the tarn. A small cloth bundle was held carefully in her jaws, rattling slightly as it swung from side to side. The sound of roaring water hit her ears and she momentarily found herself taken back to her cubhood.

Her former pack was barbaric, killing cubs for no reason. Her first memory was from when she was just barely old enough to walk. She had a brother, born of the same litter. The pack lived in a cave, hidden behind a waterfall. As a result, they valued coat colors that could easily blend in with their rocky surroundings. Her brother had been born with a lavender coat. Not only did he stand out among the group, he was a toa. How could any self respecting toa be so....pink? So in the dead of night the matriarch snuck into the den where the cubs lay sleeping. Bab was awaken by her brothers cry. She had never seen so much blood come from such a tiny body.

Shaking her head she pushed the haunting memories of her past away, trying to focus on the present. She was finally wronging those evils her former pack had done, or, at least one of them. Perhaps then her old paws and troubled mind could finally rest, or rather she could get back to her usual way of life. Now though she would have company, something she would have to grow used to.

The roar of the tarn reached her ears and she trudged on, ignoring the ach of protest her muscles gave. She could not rest now, not when she was so close. Sucking in a deep breath she pressed on, the roar growing louder still until it drown out even her own thoughts. As she broke through the tree line the dazzling gleam of the water momentarily blinded her. Despite the fact she had traveled to the tarn on countless occasions she still found herself in awe at it and for a brief moment she forgot why she had come entirely.

With another quick shake of her head, Bab pulled herself from the trance of the tarn, glancing from side to side to make sure she was indeed alone. She needed the entire power of the water for what she was about to do and could not afford to have even an ounce of it diverted by some poor soul hoping to heal their self. Once she was positive she was indeed alone she crept to the edge of the water, peering in. As her reflection peered back up at her she could not help but scoff at how worn and tired she looked. It would all be worth it, she reminded herself.

Reaching into her bag she carefully removed the first item, an iridescent scale that caught the light from the sun, casting rainbow beams into the water that danced from side to side on the surface. Sucking in a deep breath, she slowly turned it over in her hand before casting it out into the water with a small plop. She watched as it slowly drifted to the bottom, casting up a small cloud of sand as it landed. Sucking in another deep breath she began carrying on the same procedure with the rest of the items in her pouch until all ten had been cast into the water.

As the last item settled into the sand the forest around her became eerily silent. The blue kadin's frill prickled with unease as she glanced from side to side. Suddenly there was a blinding light that burst forth from the center of the tarn where her items had been cast. Lowering her head, she tried to shield her eyes with one paw while still peering out in an effort to see what exactly was happening. There was a low rumble that caused ripples to radiate out from the light as a voice was heard. "Why have you come seeking the powers of the tarn, mortal?"

For the first time in her life Babirye found herself trembling at the might of the gods. Shrinking back, she momentarily found herself at a loss of words. "I....I have come to right the wrongs of my past."

The rumble echoed around her in short bursts, almost as if the water was...laughing. There was a silence after that was somehow even more deafening than the first. "These wrongs of which you speak were not of your own doing. Why then are you so eager to fix them?"

There was a surge of emotions that overtook the old kadin, causing her head to spin. Anger, frustration, pain. Underneath it all there was something deeper. Something she had tried to suppress for all those years. Something that now, in the presence of the gods, was threatening to burst free. Something that caused her chest to heave and her vision to grow blurry with tears. "Please! I want my brother back."

"Selfish child! You have yet to give me a reason to exhaust my powers to do so!"

With that her protective barrier came crashing down entirely and Babirye collapsed into a heap on the shore. Her fur became hot and her eyes burned as tears began to stream down her face. Was all her work really about to be for nothing? Her brother...her sweet, sweet brother. She just wanted him back. "Please....he doesn't deserve this...." Her voice was small, like a lost cub's.

She was so overcome by her emotion that she did not realize that silence had fallen around her once more. When the realization finally hit she slowly lifted her head, the light still glistening in the center of the tarn, though it was somehow softer and not nearly as harsh. Should she leave? No....she had to at least try. With shaky paws she carefully unwrapped the bundle she had been carrying, revealing the tiny skeletal remains of a cub. Cupping it in her front paws she gently placed it in the tarn, watching as it drifted toward the light. Tears still streamed down her face, plopping gently into the surface, making small rings as they did so.

As the remains of her brother disappeared from view the light in the center of the tarn died entirely. Confused, she stepped closer to the edge, her stomach churning in suspense. Why was nothing happening? Did she do something wrong? Were the gods mad at her? The light then burst forth, even more brilliant and bright then before, causing Bab to yelp and spring back in alarm. Just as suddenly as it appeared it vanished, and in its place a figure of a ketucari stood. The old kadin recognized it instantly and her vision became blurry once more. Taking a step into the water now, she smiled, advancing slowly toward him. "Welcome home....brother."

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

Time. It was a funny thing, wasn't it? It could slip right through your claws without even noticing. The stone kadin was not entirely sure how much time had passed while she had been in pursuit of her quest. Really, she could say it was a lifetime to her. The pads on her paws were rough and calloused from years of travel. If she were to remove her mask one would find the hairs on the very end of her muzzle were beginning to grey. Her entire life had been spent trying to find a way to right the very first wrong she had ever known and now she was finally doing it.

She had left her comfortable home in the swamp after hearing an old legend of the powers of the Hallowed Tarn. While it was commonly known that it could be used to heal wounds after a battle, it was lesser known that its healing powers went further than that. It seemed that if you were to collect enough items that the gods who watched over the tarn found to their liking then the magic of the tarn could be used to resurrect the dead. At first she was skeptical but what other options had presented themselves? So, when hearing the news of the tarn's magic she packed a bag and left the swamp.

Now, her journey certainly was not an easy one. Much to her dismay she found herself asking for help on more than one occasion. She did find that the spirits at least were on her side. They lead her to finding the vast majority of her items. Now, with her items secure in her bag, she traveled up the slop that lead to the tarn. A small cloth bundle was held carefully in her jaws, rattling slightly as it swung from side to side. The sound of roaring water hit her ears and she momentarily found herself taken back to her cubhood.

Her former pack was barbaric, killing cubs for no reason. Her first memory was from when she was just barely old enough to walk. She had a brother, born of the same litter. The pack lived in a cave, hidden behind a waterfall. As a result, they valued coat colors that could easily blend in with their rocky surroundings. Her brother had been born with a lavender coat. Not only did he stand out among the group, he was a toa. How could any self respecting toa be so....pink? So in the dead of night the matriarch snuck into the den where the cubs lay sleeping. Bab was awaken by her brothers cry. She had never seen so much blood come from such a tiny body.

Shaking her head she pushed the haunting memories of her past away, trying to focus on the present. She was finally wronging those evils her former pack had done, or, at least one of them. Perhaps then her old paws and troubled mind could finally rest, or rather she could get back to her usual way of life. Now though she would have company, something she would have to grow used to.

The roar of the tarn reached her ears and she trudged on, ignoring the ach of protest her muscles gave. She could not rest now, not when she was so close. Sucking in a deep breath she pressed on, the roar growing louder still until it drown out even her own thoughts. As she broke through the tree line the dazzling gleam of the water momentarily blinded her. Despite the fact she had traveled to the tarn on countless occasions she still found herself in awe at it and for a brief moment she forgot why she had come entirely.

With another quick shake of her head, Bab pulled herself from the trance of the tarn, glancing from side to side to make sure she was indeed alone. She needed the entire power of the water for what she was about to do and could not afford to have even an ounce of it diverted by some poor soul hoping to heal their self. Once she was positive she was indeed alone she crept to the edge of the water, peering in. As her reflection peered back up at her she could not help but scoff at how worn and tired she looked. It would all be worth it, she reminded herself.

Reaching into her bag she carefully removed the first item, an iridescent scale that caught the light from the sun, casting rainbow beams into the water that danced from side to side on the surface. Sucking in a deep breath, she slowly turned it over in her hand before casting it out into the water with a small plop. She watched as it slowly drifted to the bottom, casting up a small cloud of sand as it landed. Sucking in another deep breath she began carrying on the same procedure with the rest of the items in her pouch until all ten had been cast into the water.

As the last item settled into the sand the forest around her became eerily silent. The blue kadin's frill prickled with unease as she glanced from side to side. Suddenly there was a blinding light that burst forth from the center of the tarn where her items had been cast. Lowering her head, she tried to shield her eyes with one paw while still peering out in an effort to see what exactly was happening. There was a low rumble that caused ripples to radiate out from the light as a voice was heard. "Why have you come seeking the powers of the tarn, mortal?"

For the first time in her life Babirye found herself trembling at the might of the gods. Shrinking back, she momentarily found herself at a loss of words. "I....I have come to right the wrongs of my past."

The rumble echoed around her in short bursts, almost as if the water was...laughing. There was a silence after that was somehow even more deafening than the first. "These wrongs of which you speak were not of your own doing. Why then are you so eager to fix them?"

There was a surge of emotions that overtook the old kadin, causing her head to spin. Anger, frustration, pain. Underneath it all there was something deeper. Something she had tried to suppress for all those years. Something that now, in the presence of the gods, was threatening to burst free. Something that caused her chest to heave and her vision to grow blurry with tears. "Please! I want my brother back."

"Selfish child! You have yet to give me a reason to exhaust my powers to do so!"

With that her protective barrier came crashing down entirely and Babirye collapsed into a heap on the shore. Her fur became hot and her eyes burned as tears began to stream down her face. Was all her work really about to be for nothing? Her brother...her sweet, sweet brother. She just wanted him back. "Please....he doesn't deserve this...." Her voice was small, like a lost cub's.

She was so overcome by her emotion that she did not realize that silence had fallen around her once more. When the realization finally hit she slowly lifted her head, the light still glistening in the center of the tarn, though it was somehow softer and not nearly as harsh. Should she leave? No....she had to at least try. With shaky paws she carefully unwrapped the bundle she had been carrying, revealing the tiny skeletal remains of a cub. Cupping it in her front paws she gently placed it in the tarn, watching as it drifted toward the light. Tears still streamed down her face, plopping gently into the surface, making small rings as they did so.

As the remains of her brother disappeared from view the light in the center of the tarn died entirely. Confused, she stepped closer to the edge, her stomach churning in suspense. Why was nothing happening? Did she do something wrong? Were the gods mad at her? The light then burst forth, even more brilliant and bright then before, causing Bab to yelp and spring back in alarm. Just as suddenly as it appeared it vanished, and in its place a figure of a ketucari stood. The old kadin recognized it instantly and her vision became blurry once more. Taking a step into the water now, she smiled, advancing slowly toward him. "Welcome home....brother."