Myths of Power

"What is it Leland? What's happening?"

Leland grabs Celine and lifts her over his shoulder. "Hey, Hey! What are you doing?" He runs to an entranceway of one of the buildings and lets Celine down. "Stay down and out of sight." He remains in front of her to keep her hidden and looks towards a clearing to see what is happening.

Running quickly through the crowd appears to be some kind of small creature with something in its mouth. From What Leland can make it, it is injured and running with no clear plan, just trying to stay away from the guards. "Celine, you stay here. I'll return shortly."

"What are you going to do?" Before she can get an answer, he runs off towards the creature, trying to head it off. Although Leland's size give him a disadvantage when it comes to speed, he is faster than one would expect and he soon finds himself directly in line with the creature's escape route.

The creature skids to a stop trying not to slam into Leland. He recognizes the creature as a canine lycanthran. It's young, in a panic and badly wounded. Thankfully the people in the vicinity are also in a panic which causes the guards to be slowed. The small lycanthran looks up at Leland in absolute fear.

Leland opens his vest. "I'll take you to safety, quickly!" It looks behind itself towards the guards and then back at Leland. Sensing that it stands a better chance with Leland it jumps for Leland but doesn't have enough strength and falls at his feet. Leland gently picks up the creature, places it in his vest and quickly moves back to the entranceway.

Celine looks up at him with anger. "Why the hell did you do that? You could have gotten us caught!"

The door to the entranceway opens and a small old lady stands behind them. "That's true dear, but he did the right thing. "

Both are caught by surprise. "Um...I'm not sure...I mean... I don't know..." Leland starts to sweat.

"Get in here before the guards arrive." she ushers all of them into the building and shuts the door. "I know what you did and what you are. What I don't know is, why are you here?"

Leland finds a bench to place his charge onto while Celine follows the woman. "Listen, old Lady. I don't know who you think you..."

The old woman spins around in a flash and smacks Celine in the forearm with a cane. "OWWW! ARE YOU CRAZY!?!?"

"You'll pay you elders some respect, girlie. I may not be as agile, but I can still show you a thing or twelve."

In a sudden state of extreme confusion, the only thing Celine is able to do is rub her arm. Leland quietly calls out. "Do you have any bandages? This little one is hurt badly."

The woman goes into a dresser and pulls out some old sheets. "These will have to do. I don't usually have wounded in my home." She comes over to the bench and takes a look.

The small body of a canine lycanthran lays helpless on the bench, stuck halfway through its transformation. Both of its arms have severe lacerations and whip marks are scattered over its body. Leland tries desperately to keep it alive. "Water..Get me some water...you'll be ok little one...you'll be ok...what happened?"

It's voice is sore and cracked. "Mother...had gone to battle...I just...i just wanted to see it for my...myself.."

"Take it easy...take it easy." Leland's hands were starting to visibly shake. "How did this happen, Who did this?"

"I followed mother here.. please don't...don't tell her...she'll be mad." It's voice was becoming weaker and trailing off. It's tiny paws grip hard onto Leland's shirt. "They got them... they caught...them...all....mother..." The body goes limp as the child dies. Streaming tears fall onto the body from Leland's face. He picks the child up and holds it tight, rocking and humming a long forgotten tune.

Celine looks at her father, not knowing what to say or how to feel. He hadn't known this child. Why did he feel such emotion over it. The old woman gently pulls Celine away and into a back room. "Leave him for a moment, child. You look confused?"

"That man is my father and I've never seen him react to a strangers death in such a way. What was that song he was humming?"

She holds Celine's hand in hers, patting it like a grandmother. "I'm not surprised you don't know it. It's an old lycanthran funeral rite. I haven't heard it sang in some eighty or ninety years. Not many lycanthrans practice it anymore."

Celine looks at her. "Eighty or ninety years? How do you know of our funeral rites?"

The old woman grins. "It's been over fifty years, but..." Celine backs away as the old woman slightly transforms, small feathers coming out of her old wrinkled skin. It lasts for only a moment, but long enough for Celine to get the point. "You were banished, weren't you?"

"Long ago, yes. I've lived here, in this village since that time, remaining in human form. What you just saw is about as far as I can go into my true form." Leland walks into the room, eyes red from the tears.

"Something must have happened to the others. We must get Joseph and head to the Lazarus."

"Well, find your friend but it will do you no good to go to the Lazarus. That ship was impounded two days ago."