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This story doesn't have much sex in it at all, but is rated extreme because of the violence and killing in the story.","count":"3"}],"description":"\"To Dream of Darkness\" is a tale of dark magic, and the cycle of fear and revenge. This story doesn't have very much sex in it at all, but is rated extreme because of the violence and killing in the story, and for references to inter-species breeding. It describes the life of a magically talented little girl, whose mother was a Kitsune, and whose father was a part-animal shapeshifter and mage, of a sub-species called the \"Feral Folk\". When the child uses her magic to punish a heartless and cruel farm boy, and unintentionally kills him with her nightmare spell, she starts a cycle of revenge that literally takes her to hell and back again. When we fear the monster in the dark, and attack out of fear, we may create an even worse monster then that which we feared... Is there hope for her, or an end to the cycle of revenge? Read it and see.\n\nNote: This is primarily a story of magic and one person's response to the challenges life has faced her with. While there will be some cross-species erotic scenes, sex is not the primary focus, and none of the erotic participants will be fully Human where such scenes are detailed.","description_bbcode_parsed":"<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>&quot;To Dream of Darkness&quot; is a tale of dark magic, and the cycle of fear and revenge. This story doesn&#039;t have very much sex in it at all, but is rated extreme because of the violence and killing in the story, and for references to inter-species breeding. It describes the life of a magically talented little girl, whose mother was a Kitsune, and whose father was a part-animal shapeshifter and mage, of a sub-species called the &quot;Feral Folk&quot;. When the child uses her magic to punish a heartless and cruel farm boy, and unintentionally kills him with her nightmare spell, she starts a cycle of revenge that literally takes her to hell and back again. When we fear the monster in the dark, and attack out of fear, we may create an even worse monster then that which we feared... Is there hope for her, or an end to the cycle of revenge? Read it and see.<br /><br />Note: This is primarily a story of magic and one person&#039;s response to the challenges life has faced her with. While there will be some cross-species erotic scenes, sex is not the primary focus, and none of the erotic participants will be fully Human where such scenes are detailed.</span>","writing":"To Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapters 1-20, Written December 2011-January 2012\n\n===\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 1, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 1 - Innocence and Discovery\n\nI don't recall what the year was when I was born. It was so very long ago, that I can no longer remember. I'm not even certain I ever really knew it. I was so young when it all changed, that no one might have gotten around to informing me yet of such things as what year it was, in the reign of which monarch.\n\nWhat I do remember was that my parents and I lived on a small farm, that I had no brothers or sisters, and that there was a small village nearby, surrounded by other farms much like our own, on the edges of a vast forest.  My parents and I didn't mix much with the villagers, though they came to our farm from time to time, trading produce and other things for the aid they knew my parents would freely give them. Somewhere else, surely, there were larger towns, and great cities, and a king and queen that ruled over the land while seated on gilded thrones. But we never saw such marvels. We seldom saw anyone who lived further away than one could ride on horseback in a day or two's time.\n\nI remember that my mother had fair, creamy white skin, and auburn hair that was almost red, and a slender, athletic figure. Everyone agreed that she was very pretty. Perhaps she was foreign to the area, as the local women looked nothing like her. Her brown eyes were slightly slanted, like the people far to the East were said to be. Father called her 'my wife', or 'my love', or other obvious nicknames. But if he ever spoke her given name, I never heard him do so. I just called her mommy. After all I was just a small child at the time.\n\nMy mother had a disconcerting habit of being able to come upon you so quietly and suddenly that it was as if she appeared from nowhere. One moment she would not be anywhere in sight, and then next moment, there she was, as if she had always been standing there. When she moved, if you managed to see her do so, it was like watching a feral animal dart from spot to spot. Graceful, and yet swift and sudden, eyes alert and bright, missing nothing of what happened around her. She always seemed to be slightly smiling, as if she knew some secret that she found to be very amusing.\n\nMy mother was a very wise woman. Some people from the village said that Gaia, the mother Goddess, had touched her with the gift of prophecy. She could interpret the dreams of others, and aid them in seeking the truths in those dreams. The people from the village, when they visited to seek her counsel, deferentially called her \"Priestess\", though all knew that she belonged to no formal church or religious order. They were respectful... but at the same time they seemed very much afraid of her. The Church took a dim view of those outside their control who seemed to dabble in affairs that they saw only to be the province of priests and priestesses in the divine orders. The villagers knew her, and saw that she harmed no one. Her counsel was always accurate, and her guidance sensible. So they treated her as if she was a member of some distant church, and did not question the source of her wisdom. After all, she never claimed to be able to do more than listen carefully, and offer her interpretation of the dreams and nightmares that the villagers spoke to her about.\n\nFather had tanned skin, from working outdoors a lot. His eyes were green, and his hair and full beard were a sandy mix of browns and premature grey. He raised and trained animals, and he also healed them with herbs and simple medicines. When people of the village had an animal that was sick or giving birth, they often asked for his aid. He always seemed to know just what the animal needed, and his very presence had a calming effect on the animals. He would whisper quietly to them, and no matter what species they were, it was as if they understood that he wanted to help them. The farmers also asked for his guidance when they had trouble training an animal to work on the farm.\n\nDaddy's specialty was raising and training farm dogs, to herd cattle, or to guard the remote farms. It was said that no farm protected by one of his dogs would ever be bothered by wolves or other feral creatures, even if they just got the dog as a fresh-weaned puppy. They also said that the dogs he had trained for two years would be steadfast guardians that would protect their new owners and their adopted family with their lives, against man or beast. The farmers in the area paid well for his dogs, and some came from very far away just to get even one of the puppies he had bred, knowing they would be intelligent and easy to train. Yet they treated him warily as well. It seemed unnatural to them, how well he got along with animals, and how well he understood them. Some of the more superstitious farmers made signs behind his back in his direction, as if to ward off evil spirits.\n\nIf they had seen what I had seen, at the farm when the villagers were not about, they would have been much more afraid of my parents, and of me.\n\nWhen I was a child, I was called Sarah, and this is my story. It begins with one of my earliest memories, when I was only four years old.\n\n===\n\nIt was a fine spring morning. The sun was shining, and the day was comfortably cool, with a light breeze. \n\nSarah wanted to go outside, and play with her father's dogs, and their puppies.\n\n\"Breakfast was really good, mommy! Can I go out now an' play with the doggies?\" Sarah asked.\n\nHer mother looked out the window, and said softly, \"Not just yet, dear. Daddy has the dogs locked in their kennels, and he is busy with a patient.\"\n\n\"This early? I didn' hear the dogs bark, or any visitors talking, mommy. Did they get daddy in the night to go ta their farm?\" Sarah asked, as she brushed aside a lock of her auburn hair that kept falling into her eyes.\n\n\"No... Daddy is here, behind the barn, in the edge of the woods. This is a special patient, and so the doggies have to stay quiet and remain in their kennels,\" Her mother replied.\n\n\"I wanna see!\" Sarah said, and she slipped past her mother's grasp, and rushed out the door, still in her short nightshirt and barefoot.\n\nHer mother sighed and walked after little Sarah. \"Oh well. She'll have to find out eventually,\" she said to herself.\n\nSarah wondered why daddy would be in the woods with his patient. Why not in the barn, like he did when Mister Haskins brought his best mare over to have her twin foals? The curious four year old came around the back side of the barn, and started down the trail that she knew led to a small clearing, a dozen or so yards into the woods.\n\nShe stopped in her tracks when she saw her father. There was a large gray timber wolf sitting beside daddy, just as calmly as any of the trained farm dogs. And her daddy was delivering a litter of wolf puppies for a female timber wolf that was on the grass in front of him. The large wolf beside her father turned to stare at Sarah, and growled, but he didn't get up to attack the child.\n\n\"Don't come any closer, Sarah,\" her father said, without turning to look at her. \"He hasn't been introduced to you yet, and he's very protective of his mate and babies.\" Then her father placed a blood-spattered hand on the wolf's shoulder, looked the creature in the eyes, and growled like a wolf!\n\nSarah shook her head in disbelief. As her father growled, she thought she also heard him say, \"My daughter. She will not harm you.\"\n\nThe wolf looked back at Sarah's father, for all the world like an old friend that was having a conversation with him, and growled back, then looked at the female wolf again, and started licking his puppies clean.\n\nSarah could swear that she had heard, somewhere in the growls, the wolf saying, \"She has your eyes, and your scent. We will know her.\"\n\n\"D-daddy? Did... did you just... talk to that wolf?\" Sarah asked.\n\n\"It's all right, sweetheart,\" Sarah's mother said, as she appeared beside her daughter. \"Those wolves are friends.\"\n\n\"It... I thought I heard the wolf talk to daddy? Is it a magic wolf? Like in the stories you tell me at bed time, mommy?\" Sarah asked.\n\n\"You understood us?\" Her father asked. He seemed both surprised and pleased. \"What did you hear him say? Think carefully, my child.\"\n\n\"It... He... he said 'She has your eyes, and your scent. We will know her.' It was kinda mixed up with growling, but I really do think I heard him say that, daddy! I'm not makin' it up!\" Sarah insisted.\n\n\"I believe you, dear. Daddy really does believe you. That's just what he said. But the wolf isn't magic. We are. Daddy can understand what they say, and can talk to them. And so, it appears, can you. It's all right, dear. But this is something that has to be a secret that only you, mommy and daddy know, all right? Do you understand?\" her father asked.\n\n\"Remarkable. Such a young pup, and she knows our speech? She must be your pup all right.\" The wolf said, in a mix of growls and barks. \"Pup? How are you called? Can you speak to me as well?\"\n\nSarah's eyes went wide, and she said, \"He can talk! Mommy! I can hear that wolf talk to me! Can you do that too?\"\n\n\"Not... quite the same way, sweetheart,\" her mother said. \"Not right now. But I believe you too. Mommy knows that daddy can talk to animals.\"\n\n\"Do what he asked, Sarah. Just... think about wanting him to understand you. And tell him something, like... oh, what you had for breakfast,\" her father said, encouragingly. Then he touched his daughter's hand, and his eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.\n\nSarah had the strangest feeling wash over her. It was like the world rolled over and sat up again. And suddenly, something about what her father said just made sense. She replied to the wolf, and her voice came out as soft yips and barks, as she said, \"I am Sarah. I'm four years old. I had eggs and bacon for breakfast, an' I think you're very pretty, mister wolf!\"\n\n\"She needs practice, but that was very good for her first time,\" the wolf replied to her father. Then he bowed his head to Sarah, and replied. \"You may call me Grey Shadow, and my mate you may call Moonlight. We owe much to your father. If ever you need our aid, you may consider the wolves of this forest area to be your friends.\"\n\n\"Mommy! Grey Shadow an' Moonlight wanna be my friends!\" Sarah said excitedly. But she was still barking and yipping like a wolf. She shook her head and tried again, and it came out in Human speech.\n\n\"That is very good, dear. Now, let's give daddy some time to finish taking care of Moonlight and her puppies. It's time for mommy and daddy to have a long talk with you.\"\n\n===\n\nBack at the house, her mother said again, \"Now Sarah, I want you to promise me that you won't tell anyone else about what just happened, or about what your father and I will start teaching you now. Do you understand, dear? No one in the village can know about this gift you have.\"\n\n\"But why, mommy? It's so wonderful! Can daddy talk to horsies an' cows an' other animals too? Will I be able to do that?\" Sarah asked breathlessly.\n\n\"Your father has a gift for talking to all animals, just as I have a gift for seeing and understanding the dreams of others. We have other gifts as well, and as our child, it is natural that you may inherit some or all of our abilities,\" her mother replied. \"It is a wonderful and amazing thing that you can do even this much, as young as you are. Your father was fourteen before he learned he could hear and speak to animals, and was nearly sixteen before he learned the full extent of his abilities. But sweetheart, the villagers must not know. They might think it was evil magic. Please, promise that you won't ever tell them about our special gifts!\"\n\n\"All right, mommy. I promise. It's our secret,\" Sarah replied sullenly.\n\nThey cleaned up the kitchen while they waited for Sarah's father to return. After a while, his return was heralded by the baying and barking of the dogs in the kennels, as he set them free within the fenced inner yard around the house. \n\nWhen he stepped inside he showed them the blood on his hands, and said, \"Moonlight had six healthy pups. Four boys and two girls. I helped to carry them back to their den. Now pardon me. I need to get cleaned up.\"\n\nHe excused himself and went to the bedroom, to change his clothes and wash up. He returned several minutes later, wearing only a loose cloth robe.\n\n\"Daddy? Can I ever see their puppies?\" Sarah asked, when her father got back.\n\n\"Perhaps,\" her father replied. \"Interacting with Grey Shadow and his pack will be good practice in learning to use your gifts. Have you told her anything else yet, my love?\" Sarah's father said, with the last directed to his wife.\n\n\"Not yet. I thought it best to wait until we were both present, in case she got frightened,\" Sarah's mother said. \"I did tell her how important it was for her to keep this a secret, though.\"\n\n\"I'm not afraid, daddy! I think talking to that wolf was one of the most greatest things I've ever done! I won't tell anybody, I promise!\" Sarah said.\n\n\"One of the greatest..., not 'most greatest', dear,\" her father corrected her. Then he said, \"Sit down, Sarah. That's a good girl. You remember that promise, and don't ever tell the villagers.\"\n\n\"But why would they not like it that we can talk to the animals, daddy? Doesn't that make it easier to help them?\" Sarah asked.\n\n\"It does, yes. But it is a gift they don't have, and they don't believe it is possible for any human to talk to animals, without the help of evil magic.\" Her father said.\n\n\"But why can we do it then, daddy?\" Sarah asked. \"We don' do any evil magic.\"\n\n\"Because... we're not entirely Human,\" her father replied, as he began to change...\n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 2, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 2 - What am I?\n\nSarah stared in amazement as her father's shape changed. The soft beard that wrapped his face seemed to spread down his throat and up his cheeks, as a thick pelt of grey/brown fur appeared in place of his skin. As the fur covered his body, his face reshaped, and his head became that of a timber wolf, with wolf ears twitching above where his Human ears used to be. His short hair blended into the wolf fur. He stood for a moment, still man-like in body and limbs, but with clawed hands and feet, as he shrugged out of his robe. Then his shape continued to change, as a long tail extended behind him, and his limbs shortened and changed shape. He dropped to all fours, and stood before his daughter, no longer Human, but now a very large timber wolf, whose dark brown fur was shot through with grey streaks. His tail was wagging like a friendly dog.\n\n\"Don't be afraid, dear. It's still daddy. He won't ever hurt us,\" Sarah's mother said.\n\n\"D-daddy... is a wolf?\" Sarah asked, confused yet not afraid. \"Like the magic wolves in my bed time stories?\"\n\n\"Not quite,\" the wolf said, in the growling speech that Sarah now understood. \"One of my ancestors was a great magician, long before the Church started to persecute those who performed magic without the benefit of a priest's vestments and the church's blessing. Apparently he was interested in animal transformation, and in being able to communicate with animals. I have read his journals, as you will get to do when you are older. You'll find they explain a lot about what he did, and how it affects our family, today. He performed some very... interesting spells in his day, and he successfully learned to transform himself into a wide range of animals. But the spells had a permanent effect on him, to the deepest level.  What he spent years learning to do by spellcraft, his children inherited, as a basic Gift.\"\n\n\"Your father can become any animal, from something as small as a large dog, to something as large as a draft horse, and can communicate with any animal species,\" her mother said. \"If you also have his gift for understanding the languages of natural animals, then you, too, may someday be able to transform yourself, as you just saw him do.\"\n\n\"R-really? You mean, I could be a doggy, or a wolf, or even a pony?\" Sarah said, as she reached out and scratched her father between the ears. \n\nHer father shifted form again, and morphed into a mastiff dog. Sarah heard him bark, and an instant later not only heard his speech, but also began to understand that most of the dogs in the yard were complaining that no one had fed them breakfast yet. She heard what she somehow knew was her father's dog-voice saying, \"Yes. I think you can do that. It may take you a few years of study, though. Understanding an animal is much easier then becoming one.\"\n\nSarah rubbed the dog's tummy, her hand passing fairly close between the dog's hind legs, and a strange look came over her face, as she said, \"Oh! You're a girl doggy!\"\n\n\"When I change form, I can be either a girl or a boy, yes. I can even bear a litter of puppies, if I choose a female form. Or if I choose to be male, I can sire a litter. But if I mate with an animal, the pups are always animals. Smart ones, to be sure, and they are easier for any Human to talk to and train. But they are still just animals. They don't have the ability to change their shape, or to perform other sorts of magic. I can only produce a Human-looking child if I mate with a Human...\" her father said.\n\n\"Or with another magical species that can already assume a Human form,\" Sarah's mother said. \"Your father's ancestors were Human, though it's hard to say that of the past several generations of his family, considering the number of puppies, great cats and foals they have sired or given birth to. Your father's ancestor wasn't unique, however. Many mages over the centuries have discovered variations of the spells to do such transformations. Some were... more successful than others. The Human legends of werewolves come from mages that failed to retain Human intelligence when they transformed, or at least a Human degree of restraint, and their feral aspects took over their minds. True werewolves usually have no recollection of their actions while they are changed to a feral form, and have little control over the transformation. The successful mages, like your Human ancestor, became what my people call the 'feral folk'. Most feral folk can only accomplish a single type of transformation, such as Humans who can become dogs. Some can't even go all the way to becoming animals, and end up like your father looked before he took off his robe - a Human with fur and animal characteristics.\"\n\nSarah's father shifted back to Human form, and put his robe back on. He nodded to his wife and said, \"Your mother, on the other hand, was never Human, nor was any ancestor of hers. Show her, my love.\"\n\nSarah's mother unfastened the sash that held the waist of her tunic dress closed.  Sarah had never really paid much attention to how her mother chose to dress. But now she saw that like her father's night robe, her mother's dress was made in a way that made it very easy to remove in a hurry. Her mother's eyes glowed a moment, and her auburn hair seemed to spread to her face, while creamy white fur came up to meet it from her neckline. Her face changed form, now looking like a vixen, a female fox, but her body remained proportioned like a Human. She opened the front of her dress, and showed her daughter her fur-covered body. Three fox-like tails twitched sinuously behind her.\n\n\"I can stop the transformation here, quite easily, as this is one of my natural forms. Or I can become a natural looking four-legged fox,\" Sarah's mother said. \"If my animal aspect is visible, I can communicate with other canids, including foxes, dogs and wolves. My people are almost unheard of in this country. In my homeland, we co-exist with the Humans. We punish bad Humans, play tricks on the mischievous ones, and do good deeds for Humans who are honest and in need. I am what they call a Kitsune, in my native lands.\"\n\n\"Daddy's a wolf, or a dog, or... and Mommy's a fox? W-what am I?\" Sarah asked.\n\n\"You are our beloved child. You are half Kitsune, and half Feral Folk,\" her father replied, lifting his daughter up with both hands and resting her on one knee, like he was going to tell her a bed time story. \"But the villagers must never know. They would fear us, if they knew we were not Human. Do you understand, my dear?\"\n\n\"I think so, daddy. Is that why we don't spend a lotta time in the village?\" Sarah asked.\n\n\"Yes. The less we associate with the Humans in the village, the better we will get along with them. The less they know about us, the less reason they have to fear us,\" her father replied.\n\n===\n\nSarah's training in the magical arts began that spring, and continued for the next four years. She grew up playing in the woods with Moonlight and Grey Shadow's pack of wolves, and by the time she was eight, she had just learned to transform herself into a wolf, and back again, though she still found it difficult to control. Often, she found her eyes retained a feral, animal-like appearance, long after her Human form had returned.\n\nSarah also proved to have her mother's talents in oneromancy - the magic that deals with dreams. Sarah learned that her mother could do more than listen to someone describing a dream, and offering advice about what it meant. Her mother could actually enter the mind of another person, and experience the dream for herself. And what was more, she could influence those dreams, and change them, to ease nightmares, or to cause a troublesome repeating dream to cease repeating, and be replaced by something more pleasant.\n\n\"Can you read all of a person's thoughts, mommy?\" Sarah asked one day, when she was about eight years old.\n\n\"No, my dear. Only what they have seen in their dreams or nightmares, and those thoughts that are at the surface of their mind. If a farmer is thinking about what he wants to have for supper, or about the odd stone he found in his field while plowing yesterday, I can pick up those thoughts. But I can't read his memories, if he isn't thinking about them at that moment,\" her mother replied.\n\n\"But we can change what they dream, or what they remember?\" Sarah continued. \"Is that how you can sneak up on people, mommy?\"\n\n\"To a limited extent, yes, we can change their memories,\" her mother replied. \"If we can see a dream or a thought, then we can change what they remember, if our will is stronger than theirs is. Most people have few defenses against oneromancy, and their will is weak. The more subtle the changes, the easier it is for us to make them. Sneaking up on someone is usually easy. Most people are not very observant. You just divert their attention to something else, like some other person they are already talking to, or a sound elsewhere, and make your own presence of little importance to them. As long as they were not actively seeking us, and had not yet focused their attention on our presence, we can slip up on them unnoticed. But a large change is dangerous. Once they clearly have seen and recognized our presence, it is much, much harder to erase that from their mind. They would almost certainly know something had affected them. If we make a major change in a dream or memory, they may see us, or see some aspect of us, in what is left behind, and realize we were affecting them. That would be very bad.\"\n\n\"Is that because they might fear us, and try to hurt us?\" Sarah asked.\n\n\"Yes. Always remember, my dear, to only tell them what they have already told you,\" her mother said. \"Humans get very upset if they realize you can affect their mind. They are very possessive of their little secrets. So always ask them to describe the dream for you, even though you can see it for yourself. And never, ever use your abilities in ways that make them realize you can interfere with or change anything in their minds.\"\n\n\"Like last week, when you complained about your sore knee, to get that farmer's wife to admit that she needed help with her own sore leg, and not for her horse?\" Sarah asked. \"Then she admitted she had been using daddy's ointment for her horse's sore leg to help her own leg, and that she needed more ointment for herself, and not her horse, that daddy and I knew was fine.\"\n\n\"Yes. Sometimes the villagers ask daddy to heal them, instead of their animals. But we try to only do that when they can't solve the problem with the village healer's efforts. The priest in the village does a reasonably good job with Human medicine. It is safer to allow him to heal the people. Animals don't question why a treatment works. They just accept that it does. Humans get suspicious, and want explanations,\" her mother replied.\n\n===\n\nOne day a farmer and his son brought their plow horse to be treated. They said the horse had been caught in brambles. His back and flanks had many slashing cut marks in the fur, some of which were bleeding. But Sarah and her father understood from the horse that the son has beaten the horse with a bramble switch, because it had refused to allow him to ride it. It was an old horse, and its back couldn't take the weight of the teen aged boy. \n\nSarah was furious. She could tell the boy didn't feel bad at all about whipping the poor horse with those thorny branches. She reached out with her mind and found the memory of the boy whipping the horse with the thorns. It sickened her that the boy was actually thinking about it and enjoying recalling that memory, and laughing to himself that he was pulling a fast one on his father and the animal doctor, and making them think the animal had done this to itself. Sarah angrily took the thought and twisted it, so that night the boy would dream that he was the one tied to a post and being whipped mercilessly with thorny branches.\n\nSarah saw the boy shudder, as if a chill had passed over him, and she quietly walked away, smiling to herself about the clever vengeance that she had delivered for the poor, abused horsie.\n\n===\n\nThat night, the boy had an intense nightmare, just as Sarah had intended. In the dream, he tried to ride the plow horse, and it kicked and bit at him and would not let him mount it. He took his knife and cut a handful of thorny brambles, and walked up to the horse to beat it, as he had done the day before. But the horse looked at him, and its eyes glowed an acid green, like a creature from hell. The world spun the boy around. Suddenly the boy was naked and tied to the post, and the horse was nowhere to be seen. He looked around in terror, and saw a shadowy version of himself picking up the brambles that he had cut, and advancing on him. The shadow boy's eyes glowed green, and his face was distorted and monster-like. Time and time again the thorny branches whipped down upon the boy's naked back and rump and legs, until he was raw and bleeding, and screaming for help.\n\nThe boy awoke screaming, with his father and the village priest by his bedside. The priest had been visiting for dinner, and had not yet left when the boy started screaming in his sleep. Now the priest was praying and performing a rite to exorcise demonic possession, and the boy's father looked terrified and grief stricken.\n\nThe boy told them he had been attacked by a dark demon in his sleep - a demon with eyes that glowed bright green. He said the monster had clawed his back, and that he felt even now as if his back was cut and bleeding. He didn't admit that he had whipped the horse with brambles, or that his dream had him whipping himself.\n\nAs the boy sat up, his father gasped aloud, and drew back. There were blood stains on the back of his son's night shirt, and on his bedding, and when they removed his shirt, his back was covered in bleeding welts, as if he had been whipped or clawed savagely.\n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 3, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 3 - Vengeance has a bitter taste\n\nAfter her chores were done, helping to feed the dogs in the kennels and clean up after them, and tending to any other animals that were in her father's care, Sarah spent most of each day studying with her father, or with her mother.\n\nWhen her father taught her, he would take her out to the barn, and to a rather small forge that was set up in the back corner. The forge didn't get much use. It was there so her father could make and fit horse shoes, if he needed to aid a horse that had thrown a shoe. Father wasn't a particularly good ferrier, but he was good enough for emergency work.\n\nBut the real purpose of the forge was to conceal his magical workshop, which he had dug beneath the barn. To a casual observer, the barn had a dirt floor, and less than a foot below that dirt surface was a shelf of solid slate. Outcroppings of slate could be found elsewhere on the farm, and the hearth in front of the forge was a massive slab of slate, four feet on a side, and almost a foot thick. A clever counterbalance system, hidden beneath the floor, and a latch that was fashioned to look like a ring for tying a horse in place, served to open the hearthstone like a door in the floor. Sarah's father had shown her how to twist the ring just so, pull it up a bit, and twist it again, to unlock the latch, and allow even someone as small and weak as she was to raise the massive stone slab, and reveal a ladder leading down into the workshop.\n\nSarah followed her father down the iron ladder, and closed the hearthstone over them as soon as her father had the tallow lamp on his desk lit.\n\nThe workroom had a ten foot high ceiling, framed with heavy, rough-hewn timbers, and roofed with slate slabs. It was a long room, about twelve feet by twenty, with shelves on all the walls, and some shelves close by the ladder. The top shelves closest to the ladder were stocked like a root cellar, with bins of potatoes and other food stores, so that if discovered and given a casual inspection, it would seem to be no more than a place to store food for the winter.\n\nBelow the forge was a second hearth, whose hood vented to the same simple chimney that let the forge's smoke out of the barn. Sarah's father used that hearth for warmth when studying in winter, and for cooking up some of his more magical ointments and herbal remedies.\n\nThe center of the room was open, and had a slate floor that had been polished smooth. For some ceremonial magic, her father would draw diagrams on this floor with chalk.\n\nAt the far end was her father's desk, or what served as his desk - a simple trestle table and bench, littered with books, scrolls and herbal ingredients used to make simple medicines. Behind that desk were her father's most prized possessions, four sturdy, locked chests that contained the scrolls and hand-written books that had been collected and passed down by several generations of his family, starting with that mage ancestor that had turned his family into feral folk. It was here, in the light of a tallow lamp, that Sarah's father taught her to read and write, and taught her to read the more basic scrolls and hand-written books on the magical arts. \n\nMost of what they practiced was simple magic. She did lessons to understand the basic principles of similarity and contagion. She learned the ways of identifying herbs needed for potions, and the ways to prepare simple medicines, whether magical or not. And of course, they worked on perfecting her ability to shapeshift into animal forms.\n\nOccasionally her father would unlock the second chest, with one of several small but complex keys that he kept on a chain around his neck, and they would see if Sarah showed any promise at more advanced spells, such as teleporting a small object, or creating a flame without flint or tinder, or wards to bind a lock or door closed, even to someone that had the key, so the lock could only open for the owner of the lock, or for someone that the mage allowed to pass the wards.\n\nOn rare occasions he opened the third chest, and demonstrated advanced magic that he deemed unsafe for her to attempt yet. One such task was summoning small magical creatures from other realms, to gain information, or obtain small but hard to find things. Another was a spell to make cloth very flexible and stretchy, so his tunic and other clothes would not tear to shreds if he suddenly shapeshifted, and became much larger.\n\n\"What is in that fourth chest, father?\" Sarah would often ask, indicating the smallest chest, which he had never opened in her presence.\n\n\"Nothing that you should worry about,\" he would always reply. \"Sometimes I find scrolls or books that have bad information in them. There are some spells that are too dangerous to use, or that exact too high a cost to consider using. Such knowledge should not be left out where a fool or a desperate person might be tempted to use it.\"\n\n\"But if they are so bad, why not destroy them?\" Sarah asked.\n\n\"Because there is still something important to learn from them - even if it is just to know what paths are too dark and dangerous to safely tread,\" her father replied. \"And because the making of some magical writings places evil energies within those writings, which would be released if the writings were destroyed. It is safer to lock them away. Now, resume with your lesson. Can you make that coin vanish, and re-appear on the other corner of the table?\"\n\n===\n\nWhen Sarah studied with her mother, they tended to go on long walks through the woods, away from everyone else. Her mother would think of a word or an image, and challenge Sarah to use her gifts to tell mommy what it was. Sarah was getting very good at that skill. She also had Sarah recite what happened in her dreams each night, and her mother would tell her how to interpret these dreams.\n\nOne day, Sarah asked her mother, \"How did you meet daddy?\"\n\n\"Your father saved me from captivity,\" her mother said quietly. Then she touched her chest, at the point where her breasts met, and a small blue sphere of light appeared, between her fingertips.\n\n\"I am still fairly young among my people. When I was younger still, I made a tragic mistake,\" her mother said. \"I befriended a young Human, and trusted him enough to let him see this ball. All Kitsune have something like this. It is a precious part of our life energy. If someone else were to take possession of it, they can control me. That Human suspected what I was, and had befriended me in hopes of capturing me. He was successful, and stole this little ball from me. Then he locked me in a cage, in my form as a two-tailed fox, and took me far to the West, where he hoped to find a magician who would pay a high price for a magical creature, and the means to control her.\"\n\n\"I changed hands several times, and was very unhappy. Each time I was taken farther from my homeland, and my people,\" her mother said. \"My captors usually made me use illusions to cheat people, like making them think ordinary grass was an expensive herb, or 'selling' me to them as some exotic animal, but then forcing me always to escape and return to the one who possessed my ball. And then one day, a young man came into the herbalist's shop where I was held captive. And the most amazing thing happened. He talked to me, in the language of foxes! He seemed kind and compassionate, and was truly troubled by my plight. I told him that I was no ordinary fox, and promised to aid him three times, to the best of my ability, if only he could find some way to free me. He declined any offer of a reward, and tried at once to buy me. The price the herbalist wanted was far too high. So the man left, and later that night, he came back, and stole my ball, and returned it to me. Once I had the ball back, I was able to escape, and I left the corpse of a dead skunk in the cage where I had been.\"\n\n\"Was that man that set you free my daddy?\" Sarah asked.\n\n\"He was,\" her mother replied. \"And he walked away, asking no reward from me. I followed him, and helped him twice, before he realized I was the one he had freed,\" her mother said, smiling. \"When I showed him my Human form, he asked me to marry him, and to always remain by his side. And thus I granted a third wish for him, and I have never regretted it - especially not after you were born to us, my darling child.\"\n\n===\n\nAt eight years old, Sarah was beginning to feel comfortable with her new life. She enjoyed playing with the doggies even more, now that she could talk to them. And she loved to run and play with the wolves in the forest. Everything in her life seemed wonderful. Her mommy and daddy were incredible, magical creatures, and Sarah was finding out that she had some pretty neat magical abilities as well. \n\nIt didn't bother her that she had no other Human friends, or any brothers and sisters to play with. The dogs and the wolves were the brothers and sisters that she played with - in some cases literally! She learned that two of the eight dogs in the kennels had been sired by her own father, while he took the shape of a male dog, and they these two, one male and one female, he had kept, because they were so smart and loyal. And three of the female wolves in the forest had borne her father's litters, including Moonlight, who last year delivered three male pups who were Sarah's half-brothers.\n\nEverything just seemed perfect, as Sarah drifted off to sleep.\n\n===\n\nSarah awoke suddenly. She thought she had heard one of the dogs yelp, as if in pain. She listened closely, but couldn't hear anything outside. She called out in dog speech, but the dogs didn't answer. Convinced that they were all asleep and that she had just had a bad dream, she rolled over to resume her own sleep.\n\nThat was when she saw the firelight, flickering on the wall of the room that she slept in with her parents. She leaped out of bed, and ran to the window.\n\n\"Mommy! Daddy! The barn is on fire! And I see scary looking strangers in the yard. OH NOOOO! They've killed the doggies!\" Sarah screamed. She saw several men, armed with swords and crossbows, advancing across the yard, with the barn burning behind them. Several cruel-looking dogs that Sarah didn't recognize at all were straining at their handler's leashes.\n\nHer parents awoke, and her mother, still completely undressed, caught Sarah up in her arms and ran for the door on the other side of the house. Her father made a horrendous roar, the likes of which Sarah had never heard, and leaped through the window to confront the intruders.\n\n\"RUN! Run for your life, my daughter!\" Sarah's mother said, as she set the child on her feet in the edge of the forest. \"Run for the fractured cliffs! Lose them in the cracks that are too small for them to pass, and seek Moonlight and Grey Shadow's aid! RUN!\"\n\nSarah heard the attack dogs baying behind her, and knew they were saying they would kill her if they caught her. She ran and ran, blindly obeying her mother, until she suddenly realized her mother was no longer at her side!\n\nSarah looked back the way she had come, and saw her mother, now in her three tailed anthropomorphic form, challenging the dogs and trying to make them back off. The eight year old girl was blinded by tears as she saw her mother fall, and she turned and ran as fast as she could. None of the spells she had ever seen her parents do were fighting spells. They could do almost nothing against trained war dogs and armored men with crossbows and swords.\n\nWith the men and dogs in close pursuit, Sarah darted into a crack in the cliff face. The sheer rock wall was fractured in many places, some of which formed cave-like passages, and some of which were dead ends. She screamed in frustration as she realized she had chosen the wrong one. She was facing a dead end, and was still in sight of the entrance. The crack she had wriggled through was too narrow for the dogs to follow, but they had her trapped. \n\nAs crossbow bolts began to shatter on the wall around her, she turned and faced the men and dogs that were intent on killing her, and who had destroyed her home and most likely killed both of her parents. Everything seemed to slow down, as her eyes lit up like two green, glowing pits of fire. \n\n\"GO AWAY! ALL OF YOU, JUST GO AWAY!\" she screamed, and the world exploded around her.\n\nShe heard one last crossbow bolt shatter on the rock, just inches from her face.\n\nThen silence...\n\nIn the distance, Sarah could hear a fire, and shouting, but that was fading fast, as she passed out.\n\n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 4, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 4 - The will to survive\n\nWhen Sarah awoke, she was in complete darkness. Something warm and soft was against both sides of her. It felt like fur. Wolf fur. \"D-daddy?\" she stammered, half asleep. Then she realized the scent was wrong. But it was one she knew. Several friends.\n\n\"Brothers,\" came the reply, in wolf talk. \n\n\"She lives,\" said a second wolf, on the other side of her.\n\n\"Can she move?\" said a third, older wolf, some distance away.\n\nSarah looked in the direction of the last voice, and saw a pale ribbon of stars. \"I'm in a cave. That's right. I was in a cave,\" she said to herself.\n\nShe stretched her legs and arms, and carefully sat up. \"I can move. Just scratches. Is it safe out there now? There were armored men, and attack-trained dogs,\" she said in wolf talk.\n\n\"They are gone now. We found you two days ago. No wolf small enough to fit through this crack in the stone was strong enough to drag you out. You slept like a dead thing, but your brothers assured me you were still alive. Come to the pack. You have no other home to return to, little pup,\" said the adult wolf sadly.\n\nSarah crawled to the crack, and wriggled through it into the cool night air. It was night, and the moon hadn't risen yet. Her night dress was torn, but still good enough to wear for now. A jet black wolf, much too large to enter the crack, waited for her outside the small cave.\n\nSarah looked around. Her eyes adapted quickly to the starlight, and though there was no moon, she could see the marks of many man and dog's footprints. Wolf tracks were there too, but always atop the dog and Human tracks. And there was no blood to be seen.\n\n\"Two days? Why did they go away? They had me trapped. They were trying to shoot me, and then they vanished? The pack did not fight them, did it?\" she asked.\n\n\"We did not get involved. By the time we scented the fire, your parents were already quite dead, and we feared they had killed you too. Your father accounted himself well. He became a great bear, and took three men and four dogs with him into death. Your mother killed two dogs and one man. But men killed them both, standing back and shooting sharp sticks at them, until they fell,\" the wolf said.\n\n\"They had crossbows. I... saw mother die,\" Sarah said. Strangely, she couldn't seem to cry. \"She couldn't have hoped to win, against so many men and dogs. She sacrificed herself, to give me time to run away.\"\n\n\"The fox-woman loved you, very much. So did your father. We will howl for them tonight. Come. There is nothing there for you. Burned, all of it,\" the wolf said.\n\nSarah looked back in the direction where her home had once been. She could see a plume of smoke rising still. \"There may be some things worth getting, but that can wait. The men that attacked us may be watching. I will go with you, Midnight. I will howl with the pack, to honor my parents. I will howl because I am still alive, to slay the men that took their lives!\"\n\nSarah thought for a moment, and then took off her shredded nightgown, throwing it back into the cave. Her eyes glowed bright green as her shape shifted into her wolf form. Soon she was a coal-black wolf, with bright green eyes, and of similar size to her yearling wolf brothers.\n\n\"Men did this, but I do not know why. My parents were the only people who ever cared for me, and even they were not really Human. I forsake mankind and their ways. I will be a wolf, now, like my brothers. My family now is the wolf pack,\" she growled. \n\n===\n\nThat night, as the moon rose, the wolf pack gathered in the forest, in a clearing that was near the top of the ridge that the cliffs were in. Grey Shadow and Moonlight sniff-greeted each wolf as they arrived. When Midnight, Sarah and her two brothers arrived, they had Sarah sit beside them.\n\n\"Two nights ago, men killed two friends of our Pack,\" Grey Shadow said. \"We will not speak their names again, but we will remember them. One was father and mate to many of us. He especially shall not be forgotten. His mate was a wild spirit, and she cared for us as well. All that is left of them is those that he sired among us, and their daughter, who is with our pack tonight.\"\n\nThe wolves all howled mournfully, honoring their fallen friends, or, in some cases, honoring their mate or father. Sarah howled with them, mourning her parents. And still she did not cry. She wondered if wolves were even able to cry. When all had howled, Grey Shadow looked at Sarah, and said, \"We are sad that we could not aid them. The men attacked savagely, and swiftly, as men often do, and used weapons that kill from far away. Why did they attack? We thought your family was at peace with the local men.\"\n\n\"I do not know, pack alpha. But I will find out. May I ask that the pack search the area, and try to find out what happened? If the pack can tell me what they find, perhaps I can understand what happened,\" Sarah said, sadly.\n\n\"We will search, yes. And you may join our pack for as long as you wish, provided you accept the laws of the pack. You have played among us for four seasons. You know our ways. Do you accept me as your pack alpha, and my mate, Moonlight, as your alpha bitch? Will you live as a wolf among us, and follow our laws?\" Grey shadow asked.\n\nSarah lay before the two timber wolves, and rolled over on her back, exposing her belly to them, as she replied, \"You are my alpha male, and my alpha bitch. I accept your leadership, and will find my place in your pack, by the laws of the pack.\"\n\n\"You do not need to fight for rank yet, puppy. In your wolf form, you are younger than your youngest brothers among us. You will be treated as a pup until your first heat,\" she leader of the wolf pack stated. \"You have cast aside your old life. You will not be living with us as a daughter of man. What name do you want to be called by?\"\n\nSarah rolled back over and stood up. As she did so, a dense cloud passed over the moon, and a strong breeze passed through the clearing. \"Dark Wind. I will be Dark Wind, and I shall move through the land at night like the wind, seeking my vengeance. I will find those who caused the death of my family, and who tried to kill me, and I will slay them. That is the law of the pack. Kill or be killed. I will be the predator, and they will be my prey. I will survive.\"\n\n===\n\nThere were no soldiers in the woods, and no one left behind to watch the farm's ruins. There appeared to be nothing left of any value, and the villagers expected the girl would appear soon enough in the village or at a nearby farm, hungry and helpless. She had to eat, and she had nothing now.\n\nThe remains of Dark Wind's parents had been left where they were slain, pierced by over a dozen crossbow bolts each, torn apart by dogs, and decapitated by a sword blow. Dark Wind became Human again to salvage what she could, and to deal with the remains of her family. She and two of her wolf brothers dragged the remains of her mother back to the farm, to lie with her father's remains. Her father's keys she found matted into the blood soaked fur of his chest ruff. She carefully removed the chain, and put it around her own neck. Most of the dogs had been poisoned, with tainted meat scraps. One dog had apparently refused the tainted meat and put up a fight, and had been killed with three crossbow bolts. All of the dogs had been decapitated.\n\nAlthough the fire had burned the barn and house to the ground, the floor of the barn had not collapsed, and there was not very much debris over the forge, and its movable hearthstone. In one corner of the yard, Dark Wind found a wheelbarrow that was intact. She gathered a few knives and tools that she could salvage from the burned remains of her home and the barn, and tossed them in the wheelbarrow. Then she opened the hearthstone, and climbed down into her father's magical workshop.\n\nThe workshop was still intact. Sarah found a flint and steel, and lit the tallow lamps. Then she gathered all the loose books and scrolls, and placed them in the first chest, where father kept the more simple magical and herbal texts. She tried the keys in the locks of the other three chests. The second opened easily, but the third and fourth chests, whose magic had been forbidden to her, remained sealed by the warding spells her father had placed upon them. With great effort, she carried each chest to the base of the ladder, and then used a teleportation spell to get each of them to the surface. The effort nearly exhausted her, and she had to rest after each one, and before she could climb the ladder again. Each chest must have weighed 40 pounds or more, and she could not recall ever moving so much weight with magic and not blacking out from the effort.\n\nShe made several trips, and used the wheelbarrow to take the four chests and the tools and knives to the largest cave that she knew of in the nearby cliffs. That cave had three entrances that she knew of, two of which were too small for a grown man to pass through, and the largest was fairly well hidden. Then she returned to the workshop and gathered the herbs and rare ingredients for spells that she knew her father had there, and which would be difficult or impossible for her to replace. She took those to the cave as well. Last, she took a ceremonial sword, a magically inscribed dagger, and several other tools and devices that she had seen her father use to make magic. When she was done, nothing remained in the workshop to imply that it had ever been anything but a storage room for winter food supplies, and perhaps a safe haven in the event of major storms.\n\nThe only building that had remained standing was a chicken coop. It had been far enough from the house and barn not to catch fire, and too unimportant for the marauders to bother to burn. Dark Wind gathered the straw from the nesting boxes, and every other burnable thing that she could find, and carried them to the workshop. She placed the remains of her parents and of the family dogs at the base of the workshop ladder, and then heaped the burnable materials atop them. Finally, Dark Wind used one of the cantrips that her father had taught to her, to ignite a flame and turn the piled rubbish into a pyre, burning her parents remains to ashes.\n\nThen she turned back to a wolf, and she and her brothers dragged branches across the ground, obscuring her Human footprints, and the traces of their actions.\n\nBack at the cave where she had stashed her father's precious magical lore, Sarah cast a warding spell on each of the cave openings, so that only she or a wolf could pass through them and enter the cave. To anyone else, the way would seem to be blocked by fallen rocks.\n\n===\n\nWhen Dark Wind and her brothers returned to the back, Midnight greeted them with news.\n\n\"I think we found the men and dogs that were attacking you. They are dead, but I do not understand why. Come with me. Perhaps you can make sense of it,\" he said.\n\nDark Wind followed the wolf to a deep ravine, not far from the cave she had been trapped in. \n\n\"Look down there. Their remains are on the sharp rocks below us,\" Midnight stated.\n\n\"They jumped into that abyss? But why? It is too wide for any man or dog to leap across, and deep enough that the fall would almost certainly be fatal. Why would they do that?\" Dark Wind asked. She could see six men and six dogs down there. The men had been armed with crossbows, and wore the same strange tunics and armor as the men that had attacked her home. She recognized at least two of the men as among those whose faces had leered at her through the crack, as they shot crossbow bolts at her.\n\n\"That is what confuses me. They did not jump. I have searched the ground on both sides of this ravine. There are no tracks and no scent trail from their passing. And see how badly their bodies are broken? It is as if some great bird lifted them high into the air, and dropped them onto the rocks. Like a sea bird trying to open a clam by dropping it,\" Midnight observed.\n\n\"No trail here at all? What about at the cave where you found me?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"I looked there first. Their trail from the farm to your mother and from there to that cave was very clear. Some of them reeked of the water that burns, and they made no attempt to hide their trail. A yearling puppy could have followed it,\" Midnight stated. \"But there were no tracks or scent trails at all leading away from the cave. None. The man-prints and dog tracks all led one way - to the cave. None led away from it. Very strange.\"\n\n\"The water that burns? You mean the wines and stronger drinks that men make?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"We have no word for it, but yes. We have seen man drink it, and we know it makes men reckless and careless. They seem to use it to overcome their own fears. It burns the throat and makes us ill, but we know its scent,\" Midnight said.\n\nDark Wind thought for a moment, and then sighed. \"I think I know how they died. I did this to them. I must have teleported them away from me. Father taught me how to use magic to make a coin or stone vanish from one place and reappear somewhere else. He even taught me to make it go someplace that I could not see. But if I tried to do it with something that was too heavy, I passed out. I must have teleported those men and their dogs. The last thing I remember was shouting for them to go away. I... made them appear here, or somewhere far above this spot. It's the only thing that makes sense. You said I slept like a dead thing for two days, right? I probably would, if I tried to teleport all of them at once. I've never managed to make more than a large chest teleport before, without passing out.\"\n\n===\n\nThat night, Dark Wind shifted to the form of a small black dog, and went into the village. She listened to the people in the streets, and sat by the window in the tavern, and curled up under a pew in the church, and listened to what was being said. It did not take long for her to hear enough to know what had happened.\n\nThe village priest had witnessed the 'demonic possession' of a farmer's son, and he had blamed her family with cursing the boy, because his affliction happened after he visited their farm. It had been the same boy that had whipped the horse with thorns. The boy himself had gone insane, and had slowly bled to death as the nightmares, or what they villagers called the 'demonic possession' returned every time he tried to sleep. The priest could offer no other explanation for the wounds that appeared out of nowhere on the boy's flesh, as he screamed in his sleep. So the church had sent their mercenaries to slay the 'demons' - Dark Wind's parents and herself.\n\nThat night the villagers found the remains in the ravine. And they were saying that the girl had not been found yet, and must still be out there, in the form of a terrible demon. They resolved to hunt her until they killed her.\n\nDark Wind thought the real demon had been the savage, heartless boy. She did not regret that she had killed him with that nightmare spell. It surprised her, however, that the spell had done anything worse than giving him a bad time sleeping. Her mother had never told her that oneromancy could cause physical damage like that.\n\nThe boy deserved to be punished. But her parents did not. In their fear and superstition, the villagers and the priest, seeing demons and evil where there was none, had created a far worse situation. Dark Wind would get revenge for their deaths. If they dared to hunt her, and to call her a demon, then she would make them have a reason to fear her.\n\nShe returned to the village each night, until she was certain that she knew the names and homes of each person in the village that had agreed to send the mercenaries to kill her family. And then she returned to the wolves, and to the cave and her father's magical lore, to plot her vengeance.\n\nDark Wind was eight years old. But she was no longer a child.\n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 5, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 5 - Forbidden knowledge - Fighting for rank\n\nDark Wind sat alone in the cave, reading the scrolls and books that she had recovered from her father's workshop. By the light of a tallow lamp, she read and sorted them, setting aside those writings that were of no immediate use to her, and seeking to better understand the spells she already knew, and how she might use them to keep herself safe, while striking back at her enemies.\n\nMost of what she found useful was in the second chest, which contained the more advanced spells that her father had allowed her to learn. There were many things in these books and scrolls that he had not brought to her attention, and which she now attempted to learn for the first time. It was difficult, but she was a bright girl, and she had a level of raw talent that would have amazed most Human mages of her land.\n\nHer father had told her that mages still studied and advanced their arts, despite the persecutions of the church and the superstitious fear of the peasants. Some mages, he said, were themselves priests, who secretly delved into areas that the church would not approve of. Others were herbalists, who went beyond the simple compounding of teas, salves and ointments, to produce potions and unguents that were far more effective. And some, like her father, made a living by healing sick people or animals. But all had one thing in common. They all had to be careful not to make a public display of capabilities too far beyond those of ordinary men and women, lest they be blamed with consorting with evil forces to gain unnatural abilities.\n\nDark Wind knew that evil spirits and demons did exist, though they were much more uncommon than the church or superstitious farmers would believe. Some of the books in the third chest included spells for the summoning of minor magical creatures, of various natures. Most were either good or neutral entities, such as dryads, who were spirits that lived in trees; or naiads, who lived in springs, fountains and wells. Some were more capricious and dangerous, such as the unpredictable fire elementals. She had seen her father summon a very minor fire elemental once, when he needed a flame hotter than his forge could produce, for the making of his ceremonial sword and dagger. She wished she could examine those texts, as they contained much more powerful magic spells. But the wards on the lock of the chest prevented it from opening for her.\n\nThe wards on the fourth chest were stronger still. Dark Wind was certain that those forbidden books and scrolls would include more destructive and combat-like spells. For some reason, her parents had never allowed her to learn any spells that would harm others, or even those that would protect from harm. Her mother had taught her the simple illusions and mental distractions to allow Dark wind to pass unnoticed among people that were not actively seeking her. But her mother had never taught her about the oneromancy spells that could cause physical harm. Yet somehow, Dark Wind had managed to cause a nightmare for that farm boy that had made him bleed. \n\nShe picked up one of several scrolls that she had found on oneromancy, intending to read it again, to see if there was something she had missed the first several times. But as she turned her wrist, she felt something shift ever so slightly in the balance of the scroll. She shook the scroll, and was rewarded with a sliding feeling, like something inside the rod that the scroll was wrapped around was sliding back and forth, a short distance.\n\nShe examined the rod carefully, and found that the end could be twisted free. The rod was hollow, and a second, smaller scroll was hidden within it! Eagerly she read that scroll, and found it contained changes and additions to some of the more basic oneromantic spells, that altered their results dramatically. Two of those altered spells indicated that if you could base a nightmare on a deep-seated fear that the person already had, you could make nightmares that were so intense that the body would react as if the damage inflicted in the dream was real. One example they gave was of a person with a deep fear of being whipped, and that a spell to cause that person to dream that they were being whipped could become intense enough to make their back open with cuts and scars, as if the whip had really cut their flesh!\n\n\"So that is what happened! That farm boy must have had a strong fear of being whipped, and that made my nightmare spell strong enough to make him bleed and die from the wounds? Then if I can find a way to learn the deepest fears that my enemies have, I can turn that against them, as my weapon!\" Dark Wind said to herself. \n\nShe started examining the other scroll rods more closely, and found three more hidden scrolls, each of which added some forbidden or dangerous aspect to the spells in the main scroll. And one of those spells could be used to force access to the deeper memories of the victim. The scroll did mention some chance of harm to the mind of the victim, if they resisted the attack to strongly, but failed to defend against it. Dark Wind didn't care about that, since she was only likely to use that sort of spell on an enemy she had already decided to kill. What matter if the first attack drove them mad, as well?\n\n===\n\nFor four years, Dark Wind lived among the wolves, keeping herself hidden from the eyes of man. The villagers and their priest grew complacent, while Dark Wind refrained from seeking her revenge, gathered information, and her magic grew stronger.\n\nShe learned that when shifting from animal form to Human, she did not have to limit herself to her original appearance. Just as she could choose as an animal form what breed of dog or wolf, or what color her fur and markings would be, in her Human form she could easily change the color of her hair, its length, and the color of her skin. With a little more effort, she could change the appearance of her face and body, and make herself look remarkably similar to any human she had seen long enough to remember clearly how they looked. She could even appear to be an adult, or a male, though she had not yet figured out how to actually change her gender.\n\nShe would slip into a home or church or shopkeeper's stall; appearing to be a stray animal, or a guest, or a customer; and study the faces and behaviors of the people, while listening for information. Once she even dared to impersonate the village priest, and got his assistant to let her into locked rooms in the church, to steal documents, and a small chest filled with gold, silver and copper coins.\n\nShe had no personal use for the money she stole from the church. She took it mostly to deprive the priest of its use in paying his mercenaries, and so that, when disguised as a villager, she could buy a tankard of weak wine or a meal, and sit unnoticed among the villagers as they gossiped.\n\nShe learned that the church paid and used several groups of mercenaries like the ones that attacked her home. These mercenary bands answered to no civil authority - not even the king. Their order answered only to the church. Anyone that the church suspected of heresy, or consorting with evil creatures, or any of a number of acts that the church disapproved of, might expect a 'visit' from these soldiers, to be brought in for questioning, or to be imprisoned, or to be killed. The mercenaries were not well liked by the villagers, but few dared speak out against them. And the church did keep them on a fairly tight leash, not allowing the soldiers to harass anyone the church had not targeted.\n\n===\n\nShortly after her twelfth birthday, Dark Wind came into heat. Her youngest wolf brothers had already been accepted as young adults in the pack, and had fought for and won mates, and a place in the pack. Three young male wolves had been sniffing around her, biding their time and each trying to get her to mate with them. Dark Wind had no time for such things, and no interest in mating and having puppies.\n\n\"Stuff it in a knothole! You'll get a more friendly reception. No one mates with me, unless I say so, and I want no mate,\" she growled, as the three males circled her. The rest of the pack stood in a ring around them. By pack law, this was something she had to work out on her own. She could submit to one of the males, and then the other two might fight him for the right to have her. Or she could fight all three of them, and claim another mate, or no mate. If she beat them, she would outrank them in the pack.\n\nFighting and winning would bring complications of its own. With a higher rank in the pack, other wolves of higher rank might see her as a worthy mate, and seek their own chances with her. Again, she could submit, or fight for dominance. This circle would continue until she accepted a mate, or until no other male challenged for her.\n\n\"You would fight us, Dark Wind?\" one male asked. \"All three of us?\"\n\n\"I will. One at a time, or all at once, I don't care. I take no mate this heat, unless you can defeat me. That is pack law,\" she replied, as her green eyes began to glow with a light of their own.\n\n\"Then fight!\" growled one of the three males, as he lunged forward and made to bite at her foreleg.\n\nDark Wind growled and leaped over the first attacker, biting hard at the base of his tail. Her eyes flashed like fire, and the first wolf yelped as if his tail had been completely bitten off. It hadn't been, but he thought it had. He ran through the circle, yelping like a scared puppy. Dark Wind glared at the other two wolves. \"Who is next?\" she growled, and as she did so, her eyes glowed and she seemed to get several inches taller, and proportionately more massive.\n\nThe second wolf charged her, and tried to leap over her to attack from behind.\n\nDark wind's eyes flashed again, and as he passed over her, she snapped her jaws right between his hind legs. \n\nThe second wolf yelped as if she had castrated him, and fell in a heap beyond the circle of wolves, nervously licking himself and assuring himself that he was still intact.\n\nDark Wind looked at the remaining wolf. \"Well? What are you waiting for?\"\n\nThe third male wolf lay down and rolled over. \"I submit. I will not attack you.\"\n\n\"Good. Is there anyone else?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\nNo other wolves stepped forward to challenge her, and she bowed before Grey Shadow and Moonlight, saying, \"I will stay in my cave until my heat is over, so I will not tempt further challenges. The two who faced me are not as badly harmed as they think, and they will recover.\"\n\n\"You did well. Few here would challenge you now, without good reason. Just don't reach too high, pup,\" the leader of the wolves said.\n\n\"I have no reason to challenge for a higher place in this pack. I am satisfied. Thank you, pack alpha,\" Dark Wind replied.\n\n===\n\nDark Wind caught two rabbits on the way back to her cave. She happily devoured them, without even considering that she might have made a fire and cooked them. Cooked meals were for men, and she was a wolf now. She slaked her thirst in a stream, and washed the blood from her muzzle.\n\nWhen she got to her cave, one of her brothers was waiting for her. His name was Bent Ear, because his left ear had a kink in the outer edge, where one of the other puppies had bit his ear, and it healed oddly.\n\n\"Can you teach me that trick?\" he asked.\n\n\"You saw how I did it. Leap and go for the tail. Or duck low and go for the underbelly,\" she replied.\n\n\"No, I meant the bit with the glowing eyes. Your eyes glowed, and they thought they were hurt far worse than they were. Father's eyes glowed like that, sometimes. Can you teach me how to do it too?\" he said.\n\n\"I wish I could, Bent Ear,\" Dark Wind replied. \"But father told me that his four-legged children are incapable of magic. My mother was a Kitsune - a magical fox spirit. Our father was of the Feral Folk. The magic is tied somehow to being able to have a Human form. He told me that if he mated with someone that had a Human form, the child would too. But if the mother had no Human form, the magic would not pass to them.\"\n\n\"Pity. That would have been a good skill to know. Guess I'll just have to satisfy myself with making sure if I am in a fight, that you're on my side,\" he said. And then her brother lay down in front of her, and showed her his belly. \"I accept you as alpha to me, sister.\"\n\nShe stepped forward and nosed at her brother's belly, and licked him gently. \"I didn't expect that. But I'm glad I don't need to fight you.\"\n\n\"I don't think you'll ever have to fight any of father's pups, Dark Wind. They may or may not show their belly to you, but we all know you're more like father than any of us. You'll always have us at your back,\" he said. Then he kiss-licked her muzzle, and padded back to the rest or the pack, and to his mate.\n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 6, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 6 - Unlocking the past\n\nDark Wind was twelve years old, but she was aging and maturing at the rate of a Human, or perhaps aging even more slowly. She was just becoming sexually capable, and in her wolf form she still appeared to be a wolf that was no more than two years old, while the wolves in her pack were considered full adults and were mating and breeding when they were two, and considered ancient by twelve or thirteen years. Social contact and interbreeding with her father had caused some distinct differences in this wolf pack. They were smarter, and worked more cooperatively, and allowed the second and even third ranked mated pairs to breed and raise pups. In most wolf packs, only the alpha pair, and perhaps one or two other high-ranking pairs, would ever raise their pups to maturity. This difference made the pack both larger and stronger, but also led to more tensions in terms of rank contention.\n\nShe paced back and forth in her cave. The sensations of being in heat for the first time were new to her, and somehow quite disturbing. Her body longed for things she didn't understand yet - things her parents had never had time to explain to her. She knew how puppies were made, of course. It was a fact of life that was impossible to miss, when your family bred and raised dogs for a living. She had often watched her father putting pairs of dogs together to breed, and he had explained to her as they mated that this was how a litter of puppies was created. But perhaps the very fact that her father raised dogs to train and sell had taken away the taboo or mystique of the act of procreation. It was no different to Dark Wind than sowing a field of grain and harvesting it for sale. Breeding was something you did when you wanted to make a new litter of puppies. It had no other meaning for her. \n\nIt did not bother her that the wolves in the pack wanted to mate with her, even though she was a Feral Folk in wolf form, and not a true wolf. Her parents had never made it a taboo thing for different species to interbreed. How could they, when her father was a Feral Folk, and mother a Kitsune? She knew her father had assumed animal form on many occasions, and had sired quite a few litters of puppies and wolf pups, and even a few horse foals. She had even watched him breed with a female dog once. It was not an unusual thing to her mind. Her half-brothers and half-sisters among the wolves, like Bent Ear, were accepted and honored in the wolf pack. When she was ready to breed, she knew her pups would be well regarded by the wolves as well, and that she herself would be respected by them for adding to the strength of the pack. She admired the strength and beauty of the wolves, and found them attractive, in some ways. But she didn't desire any of them strongly enough to mate with them. In truth, feelings of physical desire for another was something that had not yet been hers to experience, though it soon would, if nature took its course.\n\nDark Wind didn't want puppies of her own. Not at this time, anyway. If she wanted to play with wolf pups, there were plenty of them being born in the pack each year. She had more important things to do with her time, than dealing with her own litter of puppies. She had to figure out more about magic, so she could get her revenge for the death of her family, and against the farmers and mercenaries who still laid traps for her and tried to seek her out and kill her. She slept among the wolves, and hunted and fed with them, or hunted alone. But most of her free time she spent in her cave, studying magic.\n\nStill in wolf form, she curled tightly and licked herself, trying to make the strange feeling between her hind legs lessen. But unlike licking a scrape or cut, licking herself between her hind legs didn't soothe the strange feelings she was experiencing there. It just made her feel even stranger. Panting heavily, she gave up on that effort, unwittingly stopping just short of giving herself her first orgasm.\n\nDark Wind shifted back to Human form, to resume her studies. She found with some relief that in Human form the sensations of being in heat lessened considerably. It was still there, but nowhere near as distracting. She lit her lamp and opened a chest to study more scrolls and books. She felt a small amount of pride when she used that lamp. Her lamp was fueled now by animal fat that she had cooked down from pigs or cattle that she had hunted and killed herself. The suet that she needed for this was considered quite tasty by the wolves, and they would rarely share it from their own kills. She collected it and cooked it down in a kettle to make the greasy white lamp fuel.\n\nKilling cattle to get the suet was no trouble for Dark Wind, even though she was still a little small for a wolf. She had a very unfair advantage now when she hunted. She would go beyond the bounds of the forest and seek the farms on the edges of the man-settled areas. In wolf form she would stalk her prey, carrying a sharp knife in her mouth. Then she would use her oneromancy to make the animal fall into a deep sleep. Then she would assume a wolf-like, semi-Human form, slit its throat and belly, and take the best parts of the animal for herself. The mutilated remains of the farm animals that she left behind, and the occasional nights where her jet black, semi-Human form with unnatural glowing green eyes was spotted by a farmer, caused the villagers to believe that a werewolf or demon lurked in the woods. Some villagers still believed that this demon was the girl that had escaped when they killed the other two inhuman creatures at that farm. Others believed the girl from the farm had been devoured by the demon, and warned their own children to stay out of the forest, lest they to be eaten. Few now dared to venture into the woods, unless they were hunting the green-eyed 'demon of the forest'.\n\nIt amused her that some farmers had even begun leaving 'gifts' at the edges of the forest, to appease the 'demon' and get it to leave their livestock and families alone. Dark Wind encouraged this, occasionally influencing the dreams of those farmers to indicate what sort of 'tribute' might please the demon. This gained her some new metal tools, cooking pots, and some fresh clothing for her Human form. These tribute items she could use her teleport spell to snatch away, without risking being spotted. Occasionally they would stake out one young pig at the edge of the fields, offering it rather than their more prized sow as her victim. But she rarely took the staked out animals. It was too likely that they were bait for a trap, and the animals would make too much noise at her hidden location, if she teleported them to her.\n\nAs she read the scrolls, Dark Wind paused and stared once more at the two chests that remained locked. The wards on the locks of those two chests were crafted to only allow her father or her mother to open them. Now that they were both dead, Dark Wind could feel those wards weakening slightly. But they still prevented her from unlocking the chests.\n\nShe put away the scrolls and tried to remember one of the more advanced spells that her father had performed, using the books and scrolls of the third chest. The spell for summoning a fire elemental was one that seemed clear in her mind. She could still recall the precise details of the diagram that her father had laid out on the floor of his workshop, to bind the summoned creature in place, compel it to serve him honestly, and protect everyone and everything outside the circle from being harmed by whatever was summoned. She was pretty sure she could recall the words of the incantation to perform the summons, and which combinations of minerals and dried herbs her father had cast into the brazier in the center of the circle, to make a small fire elemental appear, to do his bidding.\n\n\"I'll try it!\" she said to herself, as she rummaged through the bottles and boxes of dried herbs to find the ones needed for the summoning spell. When she was satisfied that she had located all the right materials and mixed the powders as she had seen her father do, she carefully inscribed the three concentric circles, the five pointed star, and the central triangle into the dirt on the cave floor, along with the arcane symbols that went in the gaps between the each of the circles. She remembered that it was very important for the pattern on the floor to be intact and accurately drawn, so she was very careful in making all the lines and marks crisp and clean, and not to step on or smudge anything she had already drawn.\n\nStanding naked in Human form outside the circle, she lit the brazier in the center. She recited the incantation as she remembered it, pausing at the appropriate points to cast small handfuls of each of the five prepared powders into the brazier. With each new powder, the nature of the flame changed slightly, getting brighter with the first one, turning acid green with the second, then a pale blue with the third, and becoming an almost normal looking red flame, a foot or so tall, with the fourth cast. Concentrating carefully, she said the last words of the incantation, and added the fifth powder.\n\nThe result was unusual, to say the least, and not at all what she expected! Although the floor of the cave outside the circle was still illuminated as if a normal fire burned in the brazier, everything within the circle was reversed! Where the dancing flame should be was a flame-shaped dancing shadow of deepest black, which seemed to suck up all light that touched it. Extending outward from that was a corona of flickering anti-light. Dark Wind had never seen anything like a photographic negative before, but what she saw, within that circle, was just like what a negative photographic image of the fire and firelight should have been. \n\nThe black fire writhed and guttered, and then shaped itself into a ten inch high image of a Human female, with black fire for hair, and acid green eyes.\n\n\"Who summons Asha?\" the fire Elemental asked.\n\n\"You may call me Dark Wind. I summoned you, to do my bidding,\" Dark Wind replied.\n\n\"That's not your true name, is it? Smart girl. True names have power. You couldn't have summoned me without saying my true name.  Very well, Mistress Dark Wind. What tedious task must your reluctant servant perform?\" the creature asked.\n\n\"Outside that circle are two chests that are sealed with magical wards. Can you remove the spells that seal the locks, without harming anything else, or harming me?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"Not while they are out there, Mistress. You know enough to summon me, and to draw the circle to bind me. You know I can't pass beyond this circle!\" the elemental said, with a bored attitude. \"Bring the chests to me, inside the circle. Then I can easily remove those warding spells. I sense a weakness in them that I can use to shatter them. Set them beside me, and thy will be done.\"\n\n\"I am not so foolish as to step past the circle that protects me from you, Asha!\" Dark Wind said with some satisfaction. When her father had summoned an elemental, it had immediately tried to entice him to cross the circle, and he had explained to his daughter that if the caster entered the circle with the summoned creature, the creature could attack the caster and no longer had to obey them!\n\n\"Well, you can't blame me for trying, Mistress,\" the elemental said, grinning. Her smile was like a glowing green crescent of burning copper. \"You'd be surprised at how foolish some apprentice mages are when first they summon one of my kind. You look quite young, and I thought I could fool you, I freely admit it. Very well, then. Drag the chest to the circle's edge, and push it in, so you may remain outside the circle. Then I will remove the wards, oh wise young Mistress.\"\n\n\"But that would erase part of the symbol in the dirt, and again you would be free to harm me. I will not do that. I will put the chests beside you, however,\" Dark Wind said. Her eyes glowed brightly, and the two chests teleported to within the circle. The effort tired her, after casing the summoning spell. She took a deep breath and sat on the ground, saying, \"There. Unseal the wards, as I commanded.\"\n\n\"Teleportation? From one so young? You are a most unusual child. I could almost admire you. Ohhh! Oh yes, these are very interesting, aren't they? The smaller one, especially. There, child. The wards are gone, as I promised, and nothing else is harmed. May I return to my realms, now, Mistress?\" the elemental said.\n\n\"After you answer one more question for me. What, exactly, are you? I have seen fire elementals before, and you are unlike any I have seen,\" Dark Wind said.\n\n\"You are new at this, aren't you?\" Asha said, grinning again. \"And yet you did manage to compel my service. Very well, Mistress. I am a black fire elemental. We aren't very common. I am, to some extent, a reflection of your soul, little Mistress. You are not completely pure and innocent, are you? The dark dreams have already touched your soul. I can even sense that you have already killed another, when you didn't need to. Use what is in the small chest, Mistress, and you'll learn much more of my kind. But I will offer you one bit of friendly advice, because I respect you at least a small bit, for daring to summon me at your tender age. Never tell a summoned creature that you don't understand what they are. If they know that you are unaware of their strengths and weaknesses, they will use that against you. And now, Farewell, Mistress Dark Wind. I dare say we will meet again. See you in Hell.\"\n\nWith that, the fire in the brazier abruptly extinguished, and the light in the cave returned to normal, lit only by the tallow lamp that was atop one of the other chests.\n\nDark Wind felt very tired, but she dutifully performed the closing part of the ritual, thanking and banishing the summoned energies and breaking and then erasing the summoning circle, so the summoned creature could not return until and unless summoned again. She realized as she scuffed away the circle that the elemental's name had been misspelled. She had inscribed it as Asha, and had spoken it thus. But she recalled now that the name her father had written there was Aska. She had still been successful, but she had summoned the wrong creature, due to that error. Or was it as Asha had said, because Dark Wind's soul was somehow tainted by the death of that horrid farm boy, four years earlier?\n\nShe tried her keys in the locks, and both chests unlocked.\n\nShe found that the larger chest, which contained the advanced magic that her father felt safe to use, also contained her ancestor's journals. The handwriting in the ancient journals was a different style than what she was used to seeing, and the phrases and words sometimes strange, but she was satisfied the she could read them.\n\nShe laid a hand on the smaller chest, and paused.\n\nAsha had sensed something about the contents of that chest, and the elemental had actually encouraged Dark Wind to use what was in it. The elemental had admitted that if you told a summoned creature you didn't understand them, they would use your lack of knowledge against you. And she had said she would see Dark Wind again... in Hell. \n\nHands trembling, Dark Wind re-locked the fourth chest, and with her last strength she cast a new ward on that chest, so that only she could unlock it. Then she fell into a deep sleep, and dreamed of the days of her ancestors, when mages could openly practice their arts, magical creatures appeared openly among humans, and the church didn't hunt them down.\n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 7, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 7 - A brush with death\n\nFor the next year, Dark Wind studied the contents of the third chest, learning many new, advanced spells. Her improved understanding of the spells and her growing experience allowed her, by the end of the year, to teleport herself a mile or more to a location she was familiar with, or to teleport a small group of others a similar distance. She found she could send as many as four people or animals away at once, without excessively tiring herself. One of her more effective attacks now was to teleport her victim to a position half a mile or more high in the air, so they would fall and be injured. Not only was the sudden fall from so great a height often fatal, but it was very demoralizing to her attackers when they saw their comrades vanish into thin air! The only problem was that she needed to be stationary to cast the teleport spell. It couldn't be cast while the caster was moving about.\n\nFor the entire year, she avoided intentionally confronting the villagers or the mercenaries. If they hunted her, which they did every month or two, she would fight back, killing them if necessary. But she tried to plant the idea in their dreams that if they did nothing to anger the forest demon, if they tried to appease it, that it would leave them alone. She had still not forgiven them. But she was not ready to fight her final battle with them.\n\n===\n\nAs winter came again, she began to worry about coming into heat again. Thankfully, her wolf form only came into heat once per year, in December or January, and lasted only a week or two. She was nearly thirteen now, as best she could mark the passing of time. She had given up on keeping a calendar, and instead merely marked the passing of each year by the coming of the winter snows, and counted herself a year older when the first snows fell.\n\nThe pack alpha wolf, Grey Shadow, came to her one night outside her cave, saying, \"Perhaps it would not be a bad thing for you to mate this year, Dark Wind. You hardly seem to age at all, young pup. You have your father's long life, as well as magic that none of us have. You will most certainly outlive every member of our pack. If you had a strong mate, you could take the alpha role, and lead this pack, for generations to come. My mate, Moonlight, is getting weaker. She may not survive this winter. I may live a few seasons more, but then I too shall pass. If you were to accept me as your mate after Moonlight passes, you could take the alpha bitch role without a fight, and then have your pick of mates when I am gone. The pack knows how special you are. They would accept you... were it not for one thing.\"\n\n\"I am honored, my old friend. But my answer, even to you, is still that I want no mate. Among my mother's and father's people, a female would not seek to have babies until she was at least four or five seasons older than I am now. And besides that, I know why the pack would hesitate to accept me as alpha. You, and the rest of the pack, do not approve of my battle with the men of the village, do you?\" Dark Wind replied.\n\n\"It is that, yes. We do not kill what we do not need to survive. We do not need to attack man, or their penned animals, when game is plentiful in these forests. Your father taught us the wisdom of avoiding man's farms. When man does not see us attacking his animals or his people, he does not attack us,\" Grey Shadow said. \"But you... you taunt them, and steal from them, and kill their men. Do you not see? They killed your parents, and a number of your dogs. But they lost more lives just by attacking you and your parents than your family lost that night. How many of them have you killed since then? How many will be enough for you?\"\n\n\"I do not count the dead. But many still live who agreed with killing my family, and who wanted to kill me. Roughly thirty of them still live - more than all the wolves in our pack. And worst of those is the priest that ordered our deaths. I can not rest until that priest is dead, and the others who supported his order that my family must die,\" Dark Wind said. \"I am sorry, Grey Shadow, but I cannot cease my war with men. I do not want to lead your pack. I want to see the deaths of those who killed my family, or who ordered their deaths. Nothing else matters to me.\"\n\n\"That saddens me. I will not order you to cease, for I know that I cannot force you to do it, and if I give that order, and you defy me, then we will have to fight for dominance. I will suggest to the younger males that they wait before asking you to mate again. A few may still make the claim, but you should have no trouble defying them, as you did last season. I just hope that your tenacity does not bring the men to hunt the whole pack,\" the lead wolf said, as he turned and walked away from her.\n\n===\n\nDark Wind returned to her studies. She had found a particularly promising oneromantic spell in the third chest, one that affected many people at once. But it required the caster to be in the midst of the nightmare-inducing fog, and actively touching the minds of those they attacked. To prevent the caster from going mad themselves, a potion was required to render the caster immune to the spell's effects.\n\nShe checked her supplies, and it appeared that only one ingredient was missing from what she would need for the protective potion. Her father's herbals identified it as an herb that commonly was used in medicines, but it was not something that grew at this time of year. The only place she could think of where that herb might be found was in the apothecary supplies of the village priest, who served as their healer. She thought it was ironic that the one thing she needed to destroy her enemies was something she could steal from the priest.\n\nDark Wind wasted no time. She crept into the village, and disguised herself as one of the orphan children that tended the church gardens, in return for charity and shelter at the church. That got her through the village and the outer grounds of the church. Slipping into the church offices, she altered her appearance to look like the priest, and slipped on one of his spare robes. She hoped to get the priest's assistant to unlock the apothecary room, as she had fooled him once before to steal money and documents. But the priest had posed an armed mercenary at the door, and there was no sign of the assistant. Dark Wind turned to go, and bumped face-first into the real priest! \n\n\"Oh, excuse me, I... Wait, WHAT? What trickery is this? Guards! Imposter! Guards!\" declared the priest, as he shouted for his mercenaries.\n\nDark Wind knew her false appearance wouldn't be good enough to be believed while standing beside the real priest. She turned and ran, as she heard the guard ratcheting back the string on his crossbow. She needed to get out of the mercenary's line of fire before she could stop moving and teleport. She threw off the robe and threw it back at the mercenary, blocking his vision for a moment as she dove through an unglazed window, changing shape in mid leap. \n\nShe landed in her 'werewolf demon' form, hoping the much-feared look would cause others to run out of her path, as she bounded for the gates in the church walls. She leaped over a startled child in the gardens and felt an intense pain rip through the right side of her neck. A crossbow bolt had struck her right at the base of the neck, where the muscles of the shoulder met the neck. A fraction of an inch further left would have been fatal.\n\nScreaming with pain, she raced through the gates, and stopped as soon as she was out of sight, then half a second later she teleported to safety, leaving the stunned priest and his followers to wonder if the huge demon had been destroyed at last be being pierced with the silver-tipped bolts from the mercenary's crossbow.\n\nShe landed with a hard thump in a clearing not far from her cave, and limped back to the safety of her refuge. The silver on the crossbow bolt's conical tip meant nothing to her, but the wound was bleeding badly, and the pain was unbelievable. She gathered strips of cloth and did what she could to be ready to deal with the bleeding, and then screamed as she yanked the short arrow out of the wound, thankful that the bolt had not been bladed or barbed. She tried to stop the bleeding, but she was unskilled at medicine. Too much was still seeping through the bandages.\n\n\"No. Damn it NO! It can't end like this! I must survive. I must...\" Dark Wind gasped.\n\nUsing her own blood, she drew a pattern on the floor around her brazier, and the symbols needed to summon Asha, the file elemental. She had the necessary powders already prepared, though until now she had refrained from summoning the unearthly creature a second time. She performed the summoning ritual as fast as she dared, and soon Asha stood before her again.\n\nThe black fire elemental was almost four feet tall this time, and she regarded the circle around her and the state of her summoner. She smiled and said, \"Well, little Mistress Dark Wind summons me again, and with her own blood this time? Going for a more frightful appearance these days, are you? You look rather the worse for wear, Mistress. What do you require of me?\"\n\n\"I... demand your service. I am injured, and I can't... stop the bleeding. Can you heal me? Or teach me how... to heal myself quickly?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"Well, I could just sit here and watch you die, and then take your soul to hell, when your death releases me. But I think you're much more amusing alive, Mistress. And using your own blood as a sacrifice has gained you some measure of command over me,\" Asha replied. \"May I ask how you were injured?\"\n\n\"Crossbow bolt. A church mercenary shot me, when I... was stealing from the priest,\" Dark Wind admitted.\n\n\"Oh really? Oh, you are entertaining, Mistress. Stealing from a priest? Can't say I object to that at all.  Well, I must admit that no, I can't heal you. But I am rather certain that I can find a spell in the many books and scrolls in this cave that will keep you alive, if you'll pay the price I require,\" Asha said.\n\n\"Price? What price?\" Dark Wind asked. \"And how can I trust you?\"\n\n\"It doesn't look to me like you have much choice, Mistress,\" Asha replied. \"You look like you could easily bleed to death before you can find anyone else to aid you. Here is my offer. You intrigue me. I will offer you my service, to advise you, teach you magic, run errands for you. The usual sorts of things most mages demand of a familiar. I have served and observed some truly great mages over the centuries, and I know quite a bit about the reading and casting of spells. In exchange for my price, I will serve you faithfully for, let us say, seven years. Whatever you require, I will endeavor to do, exactly as you command it of me. If I even once fail to obey you, then you will have restored to you the price I will ask, and I will be banished back to Hell for 100 years. I will never be able to harm you, in any meaningful way. Do we have a deal?\"\n\n\"Not without knowing the price. You're from Hell? What do you want? My soul?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"Most creatures on this plane of reality call the realm where I dwell Hell, yes. But it's not what the church would have you believe. What would I do with your soul? I'm not powerful enough to have a use for souls. But it does need to be something of value,\" Asha replied. Her eyes glowed extra bright, as she reached out to touch Dark Wind's surface thoughts. \"Why, that's just the thing! You don't even want it, but it is something many creatures would contract with hell to get. Your fertility. Give me that, and I will serve you for seven years, as faithfully as it is possible for me to do. All you lose is the annoying ability to have children. And you don't even want children! \"\n\n\"All right. You take my fertility, and... you're bound to serve me loyally for seven years. We... have a deal,\" Dark Wind said. Then she felt a wrenching sensation in her stomach, like a severe menstrual cramp.\n\n\"Then it is done, Mistress. And as proof that I am now unable to harm you, I will show you that the restraining diagram on the floor can no longer hold me. I'm bound to you by stronger ties, Mistress, and as you have commanded my aid, that command from you is stronger than this binding circle. See?\" Asha said, and as she stepped over the lines, and the light in the room became normal again. \n\nAsha herself now looked like a teenaged humanoid vixen, with black and dark grey fur, and jet black, glossy hair. Her eyes were a solid glossy black, and where the pupils should have been a green flame danced merrily. She was now just a couple of inches shorter than Dark Wind. \"How is this?\" she asked, turning in place. \"I can change to any shape that you can, Mistress. That ability comes from being bound to you. Now, this may hurt a moment, but it is necessary, to buy us some time.\"\n\nThe fire elemental reached out and touched the wound on either side of Dark Wind's neck. There was a moment of intense pain as the touch cauterized the wound. Dark Wind screamed, but stayed in place.\n\n\"A thousand apologies, Mistress, but that really was necessary. And it is the closest I can do to healing you myself. Now, to work!\" Asha said, as she opened the fourth chest and started examining the most forbidden books and scrolls.\n\n\"Wait... Those are dangerous\" Dark Wind started to say.\n\n\"They are what you need, Mistress. You can't get squeamish now. How long have you been studying the other three chests full of spells? Don't you think that if what you need was in them, you would remember something at least vaguely useful?\" Asha asked, shaking her head ruefully. \"Really... These tomes are harmless, if you know what traps and pitfalls to watch out for, and what double and triple meanings the spells hold. And I do know those things. Do you want to survive or not, Mistress?\"\n\n\"I... want to survive. I must,\" Dark Wind replied. \"Just teach me... what I need to get healed quickly.\"\n\n\"As you command, so shall I do, Mistress!\" Asha replied. She very quickly examined and set aside a dozen or more volumes, and then held one up, smiling, and said, \"Just the thing! I knew I sensed something like this in the area. This book has spells that affect the living body in various ways. Most are attacks, but there's bound to be some that aid the caster.\" She flipped through it, speaking to herself as she went. \"Let's see what we have here... 'Spell to make the victim's wounds rot'... 'Spell to steal life force and reverse aging for the caster'... Useful, but not what you need right now... Ah! Here it is... 'Spell to remove wounds from the caster'. This spell will completely remove a chosen wound or infection. Sends it right out of the body. Works very fast, too. It was devised as a combat spell, in the days of... oh, never mind. This is what you want, Mistress, I assure you. Let's see... the fastest way is... Yes, right here. Just touch the wound, and recite the third through seventh lines of this incantation. The rest isn't absolutely necessary. It's just those lines that will actually remove the wound. The other lines are only needed in a combat situation, and only work when you can see the one who wounded you, or know their name. Say the words, Mistress. Or even just read what is there, so you say them in your mind. It need not be done aloud, as long as you get the words right.\"\n\n\"How is that word pronounced? And this one, there?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\nAsha said those words, and Dark Wind repeated them carefully. Then Dark Wind touched her wound and recited the lines that the elemental had indicated.\n\nThe effect was amazing. The pain vanished as if it had never been there, and the bleeding hole in her neck was completely gone! The only trace of the injury was that the fur on each wound point remained burned where the elemental had touched her, and her fur was still matted with her own blood.\n\n\"Well, not bad at all. The cauterizing wasn't part of the original injury, so the spell didn't affect that wound. But that fur should grow back soon. Or you could cast it again to remove the burns as well,\" Asha said.\n\n\"Later. Right now I need sleep,\" Dark Wind said. \"I... command you to protect me.\"\n\n\"Of course, Mistress,\" Asha replied. The elemental sat down with the spell book and examined the spell they had just cast, as her Mistress slept. \n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 8, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 8 - The price of survival - the Dark Winds of Nightmare\n\nAfter napping for an hour or so, Dark Wind went to the nearby river and washed the blood from her fur. She shifted back to her wolf form, and was pleased to find that the minor problem of the singed fur vanished with the transformation. She was halfway back to her cave when she heard a summoning howl from the wolf pack's gathering clearing. She turned aside and darted down a faint trail, to join the pack.\n\nWhen she got to the clearing, the wolves were in a circle, and one wolf lay in the middle of the pack, unconscious. It was Midnight, one of the elder wolves in the pack. Moonlight and Grey Shadow stood beside the black wolf, licking at his neck.\n\n\"What has happened?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"Midnight has been injured. He has a hole in his neck, and is bleeding. He barely made it here before he collapsed. It looks like one of the men has hurt him with their stick throwers. Can you help him?\" Moonlight asked.\n\n\"I... I don't know. They shot at me with their crossbow bolts too. I was... lucky to not be killed by them,\" Dark Wind replied. She looked at the wound, and shuddered as she realized he had also been hit in the neck, dangerously close to the place where such an injury would cause massive blood loss. But he was still bleeding pretty fast. \"It looks like it passed straight through, and didn't hit bone. Get soft moss, and... oh, I don't know what else you would have that might help! I'm going to try magic.\"\n\nShe changed to her Human form, held her hand over the wound, and recited the same incantation that had healed her an hour or two earlier. But the wolf's wound remained unchanged. Dark Wind felt a little more tired, but there was no healing effect for the wolf.\n\n\"I do not understand. I have used that spell before, to heal myself, and it was almost instantly effective. We'll try the moss, I guess,\" she said. She took the moss the wolves brought her, and pressed it tightly against the wound. The blood still flowed, but more slowly. \n\nTwo hours later, it was over. Midnight had never regained consciousness, and had bled to death. The wolves howled mournfully, and Dark Wind insisted on teleporting the remains far from the wolf's gathering area, where she buried it.\n\n\"They will pay for this,\" she swore, as she placed the last stone over the wolf's body. She transformed back into a wolf and angrily went back to her cave, and confronted Asha.\n\n\"Why did that healing spell not work for one of the wolves?\" she asked.\n\n\"Because that spell only aids the caster. Sorry. That's just the way it is,\" Asha replied. \"Why? Was one of them hurt?\"\n\n\"Yes. The Humans must have decided to hunt for me. He was a black wolf. They might have mistaken him for me,\" Dark Wind said.\n\n\"I suppose that is possible,\" Asha agreed. \"But tell me, was he injured in the same place that you were?\"\n\n\"Yes, he was. In the neck, just like... I... was... Asha! Are you telling me that his injury and mine are connected?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"Well, I can't say for sure, Mistress,\" Asha replied evasively. \"I told you that the spell that healed you was a combat spell. I've been reading more on it while you slept and while you were away. It's very clever, really. The warrior mage who gets injured has but to look at his attacker, or speak his true name, or designate some other opponent that is in sight of him, or who he knows by their true name, and the spell transfers the wound to his enemy! The book says that the mage who created the spell used it to make every arrow that struck him effectively impale the king that led the opposing army, and that he killed the king that way. Imagine what you could do with that, Mistress! If you learn the name, the true name, mind you, of that hated priest, or if you are attacked while you can see him, you can turn every attack that reaches you into an attack on him! His own mercenaries would kill him, instead of you. It is painful, of course. You feel the effects of every attack as they hit you. And they do affect you, until you transfer the wounds individually. So if a lot of arrows hit you at once, or any other attack that is fatal gets to you, you'll still perish. But any survivable injury can be turned back at the enemy.\"\n\n\"How does that connect what happened to me and what happened to Midnight? Tell me the truth, I command you!\" Dark Wind screamed.\n\n\"Well, Mistress, please remember that you did command me to tell you how to do what was needed to heal yourself quickly,\" Asha said. \"And I honestly did exactly what you asked. Casting the spell as I directed removed the wound as quickly as that spell possibly could. And since we were far from those that harmed you, and I doubted that you knew the true names of any of them, reciting the last three lines of the spell, which direct the wound to injure your foe, was pointless, and might even have made it fail if you didn't know their true name. But the spell still has to send the wound somewhere. That's just how it works. When it left you, without direction on who exactly it should go to, the spell would injure some other living creature, at random. It could have been anything, from a passing sparrow to a deer. Could even have been me, Mistress. It was just bad luck that it happened to be a wolf that you knew.\"\n\n\"So the price of my survival was the life of one of the wolves in my pack, is that it?\" Dark Wind asked, dejectedly. \"Was there any way to avoid that? Anything you didn't tell me?\"\n\n\"Well, Mistress, your command to me definitely didn't say anything about sparing any other creatures, now did it? I can't serve your purposes if you don't clearly tell me what you expect of me,\" Asha stated. \"There are two ways, Mistress, where harming nearby friends or allies could be avoided. You can craft the spell to exempt any individuals whose true name you know, or who are actively fighting on your side in a battle. You can also designate a sacrificial victim - a prisoner or staked out animal that will receive the injuries, until it dies. That is what the first three lines of the spell were for. Those lines exempt specific targets whose true names you mentally list, and your allies in battle, and designate a sacrifice whose true name you must know, or who you can see, if the intended foe is no longer in sight, or you failed to guess the foe's true name.\"\n\n\"In the future, please assume that the wolves I have lived with and any allies in my cause must be exempted from harm, if at all possible,\" Dark Wind commanded. \"Speak of this to no one. It was an accident. Regrettable, but it was just an accident. We will try to avoid it in the future.\"\n\n\"As you command, Mistress. What are your orders for me, then? What will you do next?\" Asha asked.\n\nDark Wind went to the third chest, and got out a book. She leafed through it and pointed to one spell, saying, \"The time has come to end this, one way, or another. Look through the fourth chest. See if you can find a more powerful version of this oneromantic spell. I want a nightmare spell that can kill multiple victims at once, but this one is too limited, because it requires that I know in advance the deepest fear of each victim. See if anything similar exists, that will be more effective than this spell, on people whose minds I don't know so well. And tell me the full effects and cautions about it this time!\"\n\n\"I shall obey, Mistress,\" Asha replied. \n\nThey spent the next several nights examining the spells, and in time Asha did find what Dark Wind sought.\n\n\"This is the spell, Mistress,\" Asha said, as she showed the book to Dark Wind. \"It is quite appropriate for your purposes. It creates a thick black cloud that spreads across a large area, and passes through any wall or non-magical barrier. Every soul that it touches will fall into a deep sleep. You control it by walking in the midst of the cloud, and entering the dreams or nightmares of each individual victim. The minds and memories of every affected soul will be fully open to you. If you deem them to be innocent, and choose to spare them, then you may let them sleep normally. If you see them as your enemy, and if you choose to slay them, it will cause their deepest fear to take form and substance in their nightmare, and will either kill them, or drive them quite insane. In all other regards, it is the same as the other spell that you showed me.\"\n\n\"It will harm only those I choose to harm?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"Yes, Mistress. No innocent victims will be harmed. If you choose not to enter the mind of one touched by this spell, they will sleep harmlessly until touched by sunlight,\" Asha stated.\n\n\"What if an intended victim proves to be fearless?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"Few sane creatures are truly without fear, Mistress. One who fears nothing is a fool, and usually kills themselves due to incaution or stupidity. Fear is a survival trait. Fear is what prevents a warrior from rushing to certain doom. Those who seem to be without fear merely have the ability to set aside their fear for the moment, to accomplish a higher purpose. But in this nightmare slumber, they will have no other tasks to attend to. It is almost impossible to escape from,\" Asha insisted.\n\n\"What price must I pay? What is the risk to me?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"You must go among them, in person. If any of them do have a magical barrier that can protect them, they may remain awake, and may see you, and be able to attack you. It may prove necessary to fight some of them. And as with the other spell, you need to compound a potion to protect you from the nightmare's effects, or otherwise have your own emotional responses nullified, so it will not affect you. This spell causes you to see and feel the deaths of each victim. Their punishment will not physically harm you, but seeing their torment could have an effect on your sanity. Can you truly say that you are ready and willing to see each of your enemies die, and in a terrifying manner?\"\n\n\"I can. They must die. There is nothing else I should know? You are not conveniently omitting something, or making it sound easier than it is?\" Dark Wind asked, cautiously.\n\n\"I have told you everything, honestly and completely, Mistress. This spell will slay those you choose to slay, in a most terrifying manner. It will spare those that you choose to spare, and harm no one who you do not choose to harm. The nightmares cannot harm you, physically. You only have to worry about being able to live with yourself, and the memories of what you did to them,\" Asha stated.\n\n\"Then teach me the spell, and I will do it. There will be an end to my enemies, before they slay anyone else that I care about, or cause me to draw harm to my pack,\" Dark Wind said.\n\nThat afternoon, Dark Wind made the emotion-numbing potion. She was missing only one ingredient - the herb that she had failed to steal from the priest. But in going through her supplies, she found another herb that had extremely similar effects. In her father's herbals, the two herbs could be used interchangeably in any potions that called for them. She made the substitution, and as the sun set, she drank the potion.\n\nDark Wind felt strangely numb, as the potion took effect on her mind. It was like she was watching someone else perform the actions, as her body teleported to the edge of the village, cast the nightmare spell and the dense cloud of nightmare fog swirled around her. With the fog swirling around her werewolf-like black body, all that could be seen of her were her eyes, glowing like pits of green fire. The fog spread, and she began to touch the minds of her enemies.\n\nThose she spared slept, but those she attacked began screaming like they had been cast into hell. The villagers who had not yet been touched by the dark wind of nightmare stood frozen in terror, as the roiling black cloud swept through all in its path, and where it passed, they heard screams like the voices of the damned.\n\nDark Wind found the priest standing in the center of the church yards, babbling about the church having vanished, and a heathen shrine having appeared in its place. He believed his God had totally forsaken him, and that he saw the elders of his order performing bizarre sacrifices and copulating with demons.\n\nThrough it all, Dark Wind walked, laughing and listening to her screaming enemies, and satisfied that at last, she had her revenge, and that the villains who had caused the death of her family had received what they deserved. The nightmares she witnessed included terrors she had never imagined. She felt almost nothing though, other than the satisfaction that her enemies were being severely punished.\n\nAs dawn broke, the villagers awakened. The dark wind had passed, and dispersed. People began to cry out, as they found friends or neighbors dead where the cloud had caught them, their faces frozen in terrified grimaces, and in some cases, their bodies bleeding or torn asunder, as if slain by savage beasts. One third of the village was dead, and seven other people utterly insane, including the priest. Not one of the church-hired mercenaries had survived.\n\nDark Wind sat on the hill top overlooking the village, now in the form of a black wolf, and she howled in triumph, before returning to her cave, exhausted, yet jubilant. \n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 9, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 9 - The price to be paid\n\nDark Wind returned to her cave, in wolf form and howling with an almost maniacal glee.\n\n\"Whoooo! What a feeling or power! Asha! It was unbelievable! I had them all in my mind at once! The whole village! And I watched as each of my enemies writhed in tormented agonies so strange and extreme that I could never have devised a more fitting way for them to die! It is done! I got all of them. Mother, Father, you have been avenged! A few survived, but they are hopelessly insane now.\"\n\nAsha watched her Mistress as she babbled on and on about the strange and perverse fears that the villagers had died from, and how exquisitely they screamed. When Dark Wind finally seemed done talking, the fire elemental said quietly, \"Yes, Mistress. Those enemies are dead. But do you really think the Church will forgive and forget? They will send a new priest, as soon as word gets to them of what happened here. And his first orders will be to determine what drove the old priest insane, and what calamity killed the villagers. And the Church will expect him to do something about it. What will the villagers who survived tell him, I wonder? That a green-eyed she-demon slaughtered their husbands, wives, and maybe even a few children? Will the children of the people you slaughtered not want vengeance now, for the death of their parents?\"\n\n\"They wouldn't dare! Not after that display of raw terror and power! And if they do, why, I'll just kill the next wave of fools as well!\" Dark Wind said, with her eyes wide and looking more than a little bit unhinged mentally.\n\n\"Mistress? You were out all night. Have you slept at all?\" Asha asked.\n\n\"How could I sleep? No, not a wink all night. I do confess I am getting a little tired now, however. But I'm still too wound up and excited to sleep. Talk to me, Asha. I have some questions. Now that you must serve me, it's safe to ask about your nature and abilities, isn't it?\" Dark Wind said, as she lay down with her head on her paws, tail wagging slowly.\n\n\"What would you know, Mistress? You are correct. I am bound to you now, and cannot harm you or trick you for anything that you command of me.\" the black fire elemental asked. She sat cross-legged on the dirt floor of the cave, in front of her Mistress.\n\n\"Why do you look like a human-shaped vixen? My family could appear like that, but neither feral folk nor Kitsune are commonly seen here,\" Dark wind asked.\n\n\"It struck me as a form that might please you, Mistress,\" Asha replied. \"I got a few glimpses of your fox-like mother in your surface thoughts. I thought a form capable of the speech of men and able to handle their books would be useful. This form also does not particularly require clothing, which you have little of here. And considering you are fighting men, I didn't want to appear like a Human girl. If my appearance displeases you, I can change to almost anything female.\"\n\n\"That form will do well enough, when we are alone together. I do find it more pleasant than your flaming form, graceful though that is, or a Human one. In your true form, I felt you might singe my fur. Can you understand the talk of all animals, as I can?\" Dark Wind asked. \"You seem to have no difficulty understanding me when I am in my wolf form like this.\"\n\n\"No, Mistress,\" Asha replied. \"If an animal encountered me, we would not be able to speak to each other. I will always understand what you say, because I am bonded to you in service as your familiar. No matter what form you take, I can hear your words or your surface thoughts, as if spoken in my own language, and you will always hear my words or thoughts in a form that you can comprehend and in the language suitable to your need. For example, when you asked me how the words for that spell were pronounced, you heard it in the language of the local men, did you not? Yet now, in your wolf form, it likely sounds to you as if I was talking like a wolf. I can speak and understand many of the languages of men, however. Men are far more likely than animals to call on one such as me, and request a service.\"\n\n\"I see. Can anyone else see you? How would you look to them?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"If I choose to let them see me at all, yes, they can see me, and I would look to them just as I look to you. I can change form as you can, to any form you can take. But as I said, the gift of language doesn't come with that, so if I became a cat, I might make cat-like sounds, but no cat would understand my sounds as words in their language. To them, I would be babbling nonsense, as they no doubt hear it when a Human tries making cat sounds at them,\" Asha said. \"Whatever form I take, I can choose to be visible to all, or only to be visible to you.\"\n\n\"Can others detect your true nature, when you appear to be something that you're not?\" Dark wind asked.\n\n\"That depends. Someone with magical training, or a priest with religious training, might possibly feel something was odd about me. If they looked at me closely, they will see fire in my eyes. To a normal man or animal, my eyes look normal. But my reflection - in a mirror, or still water, or polished metal - will show them my true form,\" the elemental replied.\n\nDark Wind yawned, and asked, \"Can you use all the spells in these books and scrolls?\"\n\n\"Actually, Mistress, I can use very few of them at all. And while bound to you, I can cast no spells at all from any spell book or scroll that you possess, unless you order me to. I can understand almost all of them, and can explain to you in great detail how to cast any spell or use any magical artifact. But I can only personally do magic that is based in fire,\" Asha admitted. \"That is why I can't heal you, but I could cauterize your wound. From my own abilities, I could burn down a whole forest at your command, or light a lamp at a distance. I could just as easily extinguish a raging inferno in an instant, or cause all the candles and lanterns in a large area to go out. I can travel from place to place through flames, and can see other places where a flame burns. And I can take reasonable-sized things or people with me when I travel by flame. Anything my size or smaller, I can take with me. I could take you and what is attached to you in the way of clothes or jewelry, but not much more than that. Don't expect me to fetch you a horse to ride, Mistress, unless you want me to go to where it is and then ride it back to where you are.\"\n\n\"That's good to know. You... said that the place you are from is the same place the church's priest's call hell. Does that mean you are evil?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"Is the flame on your brazier evil? Is the sword of an assassin evil?\" Asha replied. \"No, Mistress. I am amoral. The concepts of good or evil that the priests speak of mean little to me. If an evil person commands me to do an evil thing, I will do evil, just as the sword of an assassin will commit murder. If a good person commands me, I will do good, just as the mace of a Paladin smites the enemies of righteousness. If I am not commanded to do anything, I do what seems most likely to benefit me. That's why I said Hell isn't quite what the priests say it is. To them, it is a lawless, unruly place indeed. The denizens of my realm don't live by their rules. Yet we do have our own sense of order, and our own hierarchy that must be obeyed. If we make an agreement, we must obey that agreement, exactly as it is made. A poorly made agreement may give us some latitude to obey in a way that the one who summoned us hadn't planned on. Until we are bound to serve, we could try to trick an unwary mage. You want to slaughter your enemies. Very well. I will serve you to that end, using any means you find acceptable. It matters not to me if those methods are seen as evil. If you were pure of heart and wanted me to help save the world, I would do that just as readily. It really makes little difference to me, as long as I gain something from the exchange.\"\n\n\"Yet you encouraged me to use dangerous spells, and you said you approved of my stealing from a priest?\" Dark Wind asked. \"Isn't that evil?\"\n\n\"Are you evil? I also told you, I am in part a reflection of your soul, Mistress,\" Asha replied with a wicked grin. \"We are much alike, you and I. Amoral. In it for our own ends, and to hell with the consequences or what happens to anyone else, right? Do you really care what happens to that wolf pack? Or is it just in your own best interests to not have them harmed, since they have protected and supported you? Did you even stop to consider what your actions might do to them?\"\n\n\"I... guess you are right, Asha. I didn't think of them. All that mattered was my revenge. I need sleep now. Stay and watch over me. Good night,\" Dark Wind said, as she closed her eyes.\n\n\"Rest well, Mistress. If you can,\" Asha replied.\n\n===\n\nDark Wind did not rest well. As soon as she tried to sleep, she saw herself back in the village, watching the torments that she had inflicted on the villagers. None of it harmed her, but the scenes now appalled and sickened her so much that she almost immediately awoke, growling as if she was being attacked.\n\nShe rolled over and tried again, and again she failed. No matter what she did, restful sleep would not come to her. She did not regret that her enemies had perished at her command. But how they died, and the torment in their faces and their screams, now haunted her.\n\n\"No use. I can't sleep,\" she told Asha, as she groaned and got on her feet.\n\n\"So I noticed. You did take that potion to dull your emotions, didn't you? I wasn't watching very closely as you prepared it. You seemed to have a good idea what you were doing, and I was busy making sure there were no hidden hazards in the spell itself,\" Asha said.\n\n\"Yes. I made it just as the other book said. Just made one very minor substitution, for a missing herb,\" Dark Wind replied. \"I drank it just before I cast the spell, and it numbed my emotions, for a time.\"\n\n\"Oh, no! Mistress? Potions of that type are not like some peasant's ointment for a stiff knee. There are many reasons why a particular herb or mineral needs to be in a potion, and it isn't always obvious why. You should have told me. What did you change? Exactly what did you substitute?\" Asha asked.\n\nDark Wind showed her the formula for the potion, and pointed out which herb she had been unable to use. Then she showed the elemental the herbals that told her the substitute would work just as well, and showed her which herb she had replaced the missing one with.\n\n\"Perhaps for anything that author was willing to make, that might have been safe. But not in a greater spell such as the one you cast. Let's compare that potion formula to what is in the other book,\" Asha said.\n\nThey checked the more dangerous spell book, and it clearly stated that no substitutions could be made in the protective potion. The formulas were the same, but changing that one herb could greatly weaken the effectiveness of the potion in protecting the caster.\n\n\"I was afraid of that,\" Asha said. \"You cast the spell with only partial protection from the nightmares. They are in your mind, now, and won't fade, as they should have with the correct potion. In spite of all that you have done, Mistress, you are not entirely an evil person. You still have enough of a conscience that what you have done is repellant to you. The mage that wrote that spell might have not cared, or may have been fully immune to fear and nightmare, but you do still have some shreds of compassion in your soul. And that is preventing you from sleeping.\"\n\n\"Is there any counter spell we can cast?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"We can look, but I think we'll need to get some help from my realm,\" Asha said. \"Nightmare is a corner of hell, after all. There are creatures in my realm that specialize in the things you call nightmares, and in the effects of fear. You may need to make an agreement with something much more powerful than I am.\"\n\nDark Wind sighed, and said, \"So it didn't cost me my soul to get you to serve me, or to cast the spell that eliminated my enemies, but it may well cost me my soul to be able to sleep again?\"\n\n\"Oh, probably not your soul, no. But a high price, yes. We will look for a solution here, Mistress. But if we do not find one... well, I can give you a name of an entity you can summon from the nightmare realm, to try to get his aid,\" Asha said.\n\n===\n\nAfter three sleepless days and nights, Dark Wind was almost insane. In desperation, she cast the summoning spell, and conjured a greater demon whose name Asha provided.\n\n\"Well? What do you want, little wolf girl? Why did you dare to summon me?\" it asked. Its appearance was terrifying, a writhing miasma of tormented faces and bodies, swirling in choking fumes, with the voice seeming to come from the faces of the bodies trapped in the fog.\n\nDark Wind replied, \"I have cast the spell of the Dark Wind of Nightmare, and it has tainted my mind and made me unable to sleep or rest. My elemental familiar said you could grant me protection from fear and nightmare, and ease the burden on my mind, so I might rest normally, and that I might master the nightmare realm and make its power fully my own.\"\n\n\"I can do that, yes. But the price is one you may be unwilling to pay. I see you have indeed caused much death and suffering in your realm, toying with the nightmares and dreams of others. That pleases me, for the fear and suffering you caused makes me stronger. I feed on the fear caused by nightmares of mortals. If you make more mortals die of fright, I gain even more from that,\" the demon said. \"If I grant your request, what do you plan to do?\"\n\n\"My enemies are dead, but there will be more enemies, who will attack me because they fear me, or because they are angered by my past actions. I swear that I will never allow myself to be powerless to defend myself. I want to study the magic of nightmare, even the most forbidden texts, so I can use those spells to defeat anyone who would dare to attack me, and to frighten others so they will not dare to oppose me in the first place,\" Dark Wind said, hoping this would please this dark and terrifying creature.\n\nThe demon nodded, and said, \"Very well. My price, to give you immunity from fear and nightmare, is nothing less than your capacity to comprehend and experience the emotion you call love. You would still know pleasures of the flesh, and in time you may learn to mimic the emotional responses of a normal person so others will believe you normal. But love and true affection will be empty words to you, as fear and nightmare will be powerless against you. You will be aware of emotion, but it will not touch you, and no attachment you form will be any stronger than what you might feel for a pet animal, or a cherished book. Can you accept that price, wolf girl?\"\n\nDark Wind stared at the demon, and contemplated her answer.\n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 10, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 10 - The dark emptiness within\n\nDark Wind considered the demon's offer. He could make her immune to the nightmares, but at the cost of also being unable to know love or true affection? Did she really even have a choice? She took a deep breath, and replied to the demon, refusing to act afraid, in spite of its terrifying appearance.\n\n\"My parents are the only ones I have ever loved, or who ever loved me. And what did that get them? They died defending me, because they loved me. Love killed them. I don't really love any of the wolves, though I guess I am sort of fond of Bent Ear and the other half-wolf brothers and sisters that my father sired, much as I was fond of the dogs that my father owned and bred. From what you say, that wouldn't change. I could still be fond of them, as I would with pets?\" she asked the demon.\n\n\"That is true,\" the demon said, as the tortured bodies and faces embedded in its fog-like body twisted and writhed, their faces regarding her all at once. \"What little affection for them I feel you have in your mind now would remain unchanged.\"\n\n\"And what use is there in being able to love, if these nightmares drive me mad? Either way, it seems the die was cast when I chose to slay my enemies in the village with nightmare. Accept your aid or not, I will soon be unable to understand this thing called love. To choose is to make a choice between madness and sanity. I could choose to die, from being insane and unable to defend myself, or even unable to tend to my body's needs. Or I can choose to survive, and seek to gain greater power. I choose to survive. I must. I will accept your price. Love is a weakness I cannot afford. Now free me from these nightmares so I may sleep restfully, and make me immune to nightmare and fear,\" she said.\n\n\"Let it be done, then,\" the many mouths and faces of the demon said, as the roiling mist that was its body reached out a thick tendril, that with a sudden and startling swiftness crossed the protective circle, no longer a barrier as she had granted the demon permission to complete their bargain, and shot straight into Dark Wind's mouth.\n\nThe wolf girl stiffened and arched her back, and then screamed once as if in agony, before collapsing in a heap on the floor of her cave. As she fell unconscious, her shape became that of a four-legged wolf again, and no longer a hybrid of wolf and human features. For a brief moment, a face that looked like Dark Wind's 'werewolf' form appeared on the surface of the demon, before vanishing within it. \n\n\"You have not cheated her, have you?\" Asha asked. \"She will live?\"\n\n\"Do you actually care about this mortal?\" the demon asked. It seemed surprised that the elemental acted as if it mattered to her. Many creatures from their realm, including most elementals, would not hesitate to take advantage of a mage that dealt inexpertly with them, and would often trick them into bad agreements.\n\n\"No! I... She amuses me, that is all,\" Asha insisted, hesitantly. Did she care about Dark Wind? She wondered about that herself. This foolish, impulsive child, part animal and part Human, certainly intrigued her. For one so young to have cast the spells she had, at the level of power she had, was almost unheard of. Her parents must have been quite powerful in magic. And yet from what Dark Wind had told her, they had died so easily - unable, or unwilling, to use the greater spells that this child commanded with ease - spells that they had complete access to in the very books that the child now learned from. The potential of this wolf-girl was unlike any mage Asha had ever served, and she had lived for 437 years, as the men of this realm count time. But usually the people of her own realm strongly resented being torn from their own realm and forced to serve another. She replied, cautiously, \"I am bound as her familiar. Her death would free me, but nothing else will, unless she willingly releases me before my seven years are up. However, she did order me to protect her, so I must, if I can.\"\n\n\"That is all there is to it? Really? Well, if you say so. I will assure you that I dealt fairly with her. I can get a high price for her capacity to love, and removing that weakness from her was necessary if she truly wants to master Nightmare in all its aspects. And as a bonus to me, the terrors that her victims died from are now part of my own means of attack. Some of them were... quite innovative. She has gained precisely what she asked for. The ill effects of her past spell casting have been eased. She will no longer be haunted by the detailed knowledge of the terrifying manner in which each of her victims died. She will only recall that their worst fears killed them. Once she awakens, the manner of their deaths will trouble her no more than the memory that she has caused so many deaths. She will still know, however, exactly how many she has killed, and who they were,\" the demon said. \"She is sleeping normally now, and is merely exhausted. When she awakens, it will be up to her if she survives or not. She will be immune to future attacks by fear and nightmare, and casting such spells will no longer rebound on her. Love and affection will be equally unable to affect her. She did make one mistake in her request, however.  She did not think to ask to be free of her own conscience, as well. When she reflects on what she has done, and what it may yet cost those wolves that aided her, she may yet regret her actions.\"\n\n\"Perhaps that wasn't a mistake,\" Asha mused, after the demon vanished. \"Perhaps that gives her some hope of redemption, if she still has a conscience.\"\n\n===\n\nDark Wind slept for a day and a half. When she awoke, Asha gave her a fresh deer haunch, raw but with the fur and hide seared off by elemental fire. Dark Wind did not hesitate in eating it. She had eaten little since the day of her attack on the village, and now she was ravenous. Dark Wind was half way through consuming the delicious, mostly raw meat before she paused and looked at the elemental, and asked, \"Did you kill this for me? Where did this come from? I had no meat in the cave, before the summoning.\"\n\n\"No, I just skinned it with my flames. I wasn't sure if you'd want it cooked or not, with you in wolf form. A wolf from the pack brought it. He is outside of the cave now,\" Asha replied.\n\n\"I thought you couldn't talk to them? How did you get one of them to bring me food?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"I... didn't. He came of his own accord. When I heard him outside the cave, I assumed your appearance as a wolf, and stuck just my head out of the cave. I couldn't understand what he was trying to say, but he said a lot, and he was quite insistent on remaining there. I acted as if I was ill, as an explanation for not speaking to him. After a while, he went away for several hours, and then returned a few minutes ago with that meat, and laid it before my nose. I dragged it inside, and gave it to you,\" Asha replied.\n\n\"What did this wolf look like?\" Dark Wind asked absently, as she gnawed the last bits of flesh from the bone, and then cracked the bones in her jaws and started lapping the tasty marrow from within them.\n\n\"Like this, except male,\" Asha replied, and her humanoid fox shape shifted to a large and powerful looking grey timber wolf, with white fur on three legs. Her front right leg had white fur only on the paw, and was dark above that.\n\n\"Oh, that would be Three Socks. Though he prefers to be called 'Elk Killer' now. He is one of the wolves that wanted to mate with me last time I was in heat,\" Dark Wind replied. \n\n\"He was sniffing the air a lot. Was that because it is mating time again?\" Asha asked.\n\nShe sniffed at herself, and said, \"Yes. It usually begins around the time of the first snows. I have just come into heat again, and he can smell it. I guess he hasn't given up yet, in spite of my refusing mating with him last year. Since then, he has become one of the strongest hunters in the pack, but he still has no mate, since he took no other last mating season. Last spring, he killed a yearling elk by himself, trying to impress the pack with his strength, and me with his ability as a provider. The elk almost kicked him to death, but he did kill it, unaided. I suppose I should thank him for this.\"\n\n\"Are you going to refuse him again, or mate with him?\" Asha asked curiously. \"Couldn't you become the leader of the wolf pack, if you had a strong mate?\"\n\n\"I don't know,\" Dark Wind replied, looking thoughtful. \"He probably has something like that in mind. Maybe I should let him have his fun. I can't bear a litter any more, thanks to my deal with you. And if the demon spoke truly, mating with him would no longer result in me being pair-bonded to him for life, as is the way among breeding pairs of wolves. Stay out of sight. I will see what he has to say.\"\n\nElk Killer regarded her cautiously, as Dark Wind stepped out of the cave. \"Are you willing to talk to me yet? Will you at least give me an answer? Will you be my mate?\" he asked.\n\n\"I feel better, now that I have eaten. Thank you, for that nice fresh meat. Let me hear your plea one more time. After my clear refusal last year, I am still a little surprised that you keep pursuing me,\" Dark Wind said, as she lay comfortably in the snow in front of her cave, licking the deer blood off her paws and muzzle. \"Tell me again why I should allow you to mate with me.\"\n\n\"If you insist. I can understand why you might hesitate, but I still think that it is the best way for both of us to rise to lead this pack,\" the wolf replied. \"Mate with me. As one of the feral folk, you are special among us. None of the rest of the pack can use magic, like you, or like your father before you. I know you have said before that although you could bear wolf puppies, no wolf could give you puppies that would have magic. I know you were told that you must breed to a man-like creature to bear magical offspring. But will you not consider what I revealed to you? My mother was also descended from the feral folk, though her mother had always claimed One Ear was my mother's father. My mother's true father was a feral folk mage that passed through the area the winter before her birth, and who sheltered in her den. And my father was your father. I am your half brother, but I am also the only male in the pack with the blood of two feral folk mages. Is there not at least some chance that I have enough of man's magic in my blood to sire magical pups, if I breed with a feral folk female, like you? And even if I can't, with your magic and my strength, who would challenge us? Bent Ear? He and his mate seek to go North in the spring, to seek a new hunting grounds and start a new pack of their own. Several of the youngest wolves will go with them, including most of the other wolves sired by our father. I am stronger than Midnight was, but I cannot take his rank in the pack as a breeding male unless I have a mate. And I will settle for no less than you.\"\n\n\"You would have us challenge Grey Shadow and Moonlight?\" Dark Wind asked, as she digested this revelation about Elk Killer's mother, which was news to her. That the wolf was her half brother, sired by her father, was one of many reasons she refused him last year, though now it no longer mattered to her, since she knew she couldn't bear puppies any more. And she was curious, in a detached way, about what mating was like.\n\n\"We don't need to challenge them, if you do not want to,\" Elk Killer replied. \"They are old. We are young. Bent Ear and his mate are leaving. If we are accepted as one of the two or three other breeding pairs in the pack, I am sure we could challenge the others when our alphas pass. Why will you not accept my offer?\"\n\nDark Wind stood, turned, and her eyes glowed for a moment as she altered the wards to allow this wolf to pass. Then she looked back over her shoulder, and said, \"Come into my den. If you can make me have pups, you'll get your wish. But speak to no other wolf of this, until my belly begins to swell. Only then may you claim me as your mate, and seek Midnight's rank.\"\n\nFor the next week, she allowed the wolf to mate with her. He took her virginity, and mated with a very vigorous enthusiasm. Yet each time, when he was unable to continue, she had him return to the pack, as if his request had been refused. It was pleasurable, but she did not feel even the vaguest hint of a pair-bond with him, though the air had been thick with wolf pheromones, and he certainly seemed to be pair-bonding with her. She knew she was just using him, to sate the desires forced on her by being in heat, but she didn't care.\n\nWhen her heat ended, she mated with him one last time, and then she gazed deep into his eyes, and as they glowed bright green with her magic, she enthralled him with her gaze, and commanded, \"Forget that we ever mated. There are three other females in the pack that are coming into heat. Mate with one of them, and be happy with your puppies and your life in the pack, as you rise to lead it. Do not regret that I refused you again.\"\n\n===\n\nWhen Elk Killer was gone, Dark Wind called out, \"Asha? You may come out of hiding now.\" \n\nThe elemental, in wolf form herself and almost identical to Dark Wind in appearance, sniffed the air, and then she asked with a smile, \"Well, I trust you had fun, Mistress? Couldn't you bring yourself to share him?\" \n\n\"It hurt, the first time. After that, it was pleasurable enough, but emotionally empty, for me. It never occurred to me that you might be interested in making him think you were me, and mating with him yourself. Do elementals even have sex?\" Dark Wind asked, bemused.\n\n\"Oh, yes, definitely,\" Asha replied. \"I told you I really am female. Many mages use their familiars as lovers, and in our own realm, we mate and breed much as you do. Why, did you think a fire elemental reproduces by merely igniting something nearby, and calling the flame their child?\"\n\n\"I had never given the matter any thought, to tell you the truth. My parents taught me about how dogs and wolves mate. But they hadn't quite gotten around to talking to me yet about how our own kind reproduces, or how other species do it,\" Dark Wind said. \"Do you... have needs, that way? Do you go into heat?\"\n\nAsha laughed aloud at that question. \"Mistress, that was quite funny! 'Does a fire elemental go into heat?' I shall have to remember that line. But to answer you, no, I don't have cyclical, uncontrollable urges, like a dog or a wolf does. I'm more like a Human in that regard. I can mate when I choose, and can go without a mate for quite a while. Mating is pleasant, but not at all necessary for me.\"\n\n\"Oh. So if a male mage had bound you to him, maybe he would have done as you said, and asked you to mate with him occasionally. I suppose it is not that good for you then, that you're stuck serving me for seven years, and we're both girls,\" Dark Wind replied.\n\n\"Why would that matter, Mistress? I would serve you that way if you ask it of me. It matters not to me. Did you not know that two females can pleasure each other?\" Asha asked bluntly. \"For that matter, though I cannot change my gender, I believe a feral folk mage can. So if you really wanted to, you could probably become a male wolf or dog, temporarily. You just couldn't get any female pregnant, any more so than you can get pregnant yourself, since I still have your fertility.\"\n\nDark Wind blinked, and would have blushed if she had been in Human form. And then she said, \"They can? No, I wasn't aware that females could... pleasure each other. I guess there is still a lot I don't know about mating. Come to think of it, you're right about the gender swapping. I had almost forgotten, but father could become female, and he told me once that he could even bear puppies in that form, if he chose to allow a mating. Ummm... No offense, but I don't think I want to mate with you just now. My heat has ended, and my need has waned. But I... guess I will keep that in mind.\"\n\n\"As you wish, Mistress. But next time you mate, I wouldn't mind sharing him, or her, with you,\" Asha said. \"I am curious about one thing, however, if I may be so bold as to ask. Why did you compel the wolf to forget you mated, and command him to seek another mate? Why not accept him as your mate, and simply appear to be barren? You likely could have led the pack even without producing puppies.\"\n\n\"I could offer him nothing but empty lies, and a barren den. Wolves mate for life. If he remembered mating me, he could take no other mate, while I live. He... deserved more than that. Now he is free to seek a true mate, and become the next pack alpha. I am sure he can do so without my aid,\" Dark Wind replied. \"I am leaving the pack, Asha. They have sheltered me long enough. If I remain, I will bring them only sadness, and death.\"\n\n\"Where will we go then, Mistress?\" Asha asked calmly.\n\n\"In the spell books, I found a spell that opens a portal to other realms. We will find a new world, where mages are not despised. Maybe we can find one where I would not even need to appear Human to be accepted. I weary of this world, and the cycle of revenge here will never end,\" Dark Wind said. \"It is time to go, and make a new beginning.\" \n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 11, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 11 - Time to depart\n\nThrough the winter, snow wrapped the land and prevented the villagers from getting a new priest or new mercenaries to fight 'the demon'. Dark Wind spent most of her time in her cave, studying the spells that she hoped would aid her in moving to a new world, and going out only to hunt normally with the pack, so she could eat. Asha watched and assisted her in her studies, explaining the way certain words were pronounced, and what some things meant.\n\n\"Have you always been able to do that?\" Asha asked once, after observing Dark Wind's successful casting of a spell that caused the writing on a page to alter as she wished. Asha had written a sentence on a piece of paper, in ink, and when Dark Wind silently cast the spell, the words on the paper changed to say something else entirely, yet still in Asha's handwriting.\n\n\"No. This is the first time I have ever tried that spell to alter a physical object's appearance like that,\" Dark Wind replied.\n\n\"That isn't what I meant. Have you always been able to memorize complex spells, and cast them perfectly on the first attempt, without even speaking the words aloud? You only read through that spell once, yet you performed it on the first try, flawlessly,\" Asha stated. \"Have you ever failed in the first try at casting a spell?\"\n\nDark Wind paused and thought a moment, then replied, \"Is it that unusual? Mother and father usually only had to explain any spell once to me. Once I fully understood how the spell worked, I could usually say the words, do the gestures, and draw the required diagrams fairly easily. But I do make mistakes, if I am not careful. When I summoned you for the first time, I was working from the memory of seeing father casting that spell only once, when he summoned a fire elemental to heat two blades that he was forging. That spell should have produced the same golden-flamed elemental that had served my father before. Instead, I got you.\"\n\n\"It's very unusual, yes. Very few mages can read a spell once, let alone only observing it cast once, and then cast it successfully on the first try themselves. You're telling me you drew the summoning circle for me entirely from memory, and that the only error was in the exact name of the elemental to be summoned? That it functioned at all is incredible,\" Asha said. She looked through the third chest, pulled out a small book, and handed it to Dark Wind. \"What languages do you know, Mistress? Other than speaking to animals, that is? Can you read this book? Is it one you have been taught to read?\"\n\nDark Wind looked at the book, and said, \"I have never seen that book before. It must have been under several others in the third chest. I don't recall seeing my father reading it, either. Let me see it.\" She flipped through the pages, looked at a few diagrams, and said, \"It's just an herbal, like many father had. The handwriting looks a little odd, but I can read it quite easily.\"\n\nAsha's eyes got a little wide, as she stated, \"Mistress, that book is indeed an herbal, about the magical uses of a variety of plants. But it was written by a mage from my realm, and the language it is written in is taught in no Human school. Very few mages in this realm can even pronounce half of the words in that book, let alone read it without magical assistance. Many of the books in this chest are written in languages not used in this country at all, yet I have not observed that slowing you down in the slightest! I believe that your ability to speak and comprehend the speech of animals is but a small part of a larger gift - the ability to comprehend and use any language, whether written or spoken. Your parents never spoke of such a talent?\"\n\n\"Not that I recall,\" Dark Wind replied. \"But my mother was from a far off land, and yet had no trouble understanding the villagers or being understood by them. And she did love to read. Perhaps that is a gift I got from her? She was not Human. She said she was a Kitsune, but we seldom talked about her people. I just know that they were fox-spirits, from far, far away.\"\n\n\"That would explain a great deal, yes,\" Asha replied. \"I know of Kitsune. They are magical creatures from far to the East, Mistress. They can live for almost a thousand years, and an ancient Kitsune can become very powerful in magic. They are fox spirits, but are known for being able to take on the form of men or women, and to perfectly be able to pass for who or what they appear to be. You would do well to seek more information on your mother's species. In doing so, you may learn much about your own untapped talents. What will we work on next?\"\n\n\"I need a spell to make it easier to take my few possessions with us. I dare not lose my books and scrolls, until I learn every last spell within them. But I would need a wagon to haul these four chests full of magical writings, and the other things I have accumulated and need for the casting of spells. But a wagon full of goods would draw far too much attention to us, and we have no draft animal to pull one. I have a notion that I may be able to combine that spell for alteration of appearance of a physical object with another that I found for changing the apparent size of an object. What do you think of this?\" she asked, as she wrote out a series of spells and incantations.\n\nAsha looked at it and said, \"It should work, Mistress. Quite a clever combination of differing spells. Why don't you try it on that box of herbs? If it fails, it is no great loss, and if you can cast the spell and reverse it, and the herbs still are useful, that would be a very handy spell indeed.\"\n\nDark Wind took three silver coins from a small chest that she had stolen earlier, and placed them within a diagram that she drew on the floor of the cave. She cast the form alteration spell again, and caused the silver coins to re-form into a sturdy silver chain - a loop long enough to wear as a necklace, and to fit around her neck still in wolf form, without choking her. \n\n\"Very good, Mistress,\" Asha observed. \"I see that spell changes the shape, but not the nature of the materials. Thus you had to start with silver to make a silver chain.\"\n\n\"Yes. Now I will anchor the size alteration spell to that chain, so it can be triggered with a very short incantation and gesture, thusly,\" Dark Wind said, as she added several symbols to the diagram on the floor, and then cast a second spell. The chain glowed for a moment, and then looked normal again.\n\nDark Wind took up the chain and put it around her neck, and then erased the diagram on the floor. She placed the box of herbs in front of her, touched the chain, and touched the box, and then touched the chain again. The box diminished in size and turned into a small silver charm, which attached itself to the chain. It still looked like the original box, but much smaller, and metallic silver in color.\n\n\"Did that change the herbs within the chest to silver, Mistress?\" Asha asked.\n\n\"No. The spell only changes the outward appearance of the shrunken item, coating its exterior with silver from the chain,\" Dark Wind said. \"Now, let's see if it restores properly.\"\n\nShe touched the charm, and then touched a place on the floor, reciting a short trigger incantation in her mind. The charm vanished from the necklace, and the box reappeared on the floor. Dark Wind opened it, and the scent of fresh sage was easy to smell. \n\n\"The herbs seem unchanged. Let us try it with an item that has magical properties'\" Asha observed and suggested. She handed Dark Wind a small scroll, saying, \"This one is of little value, Mistress. But it does have a spell on the scroll that protects the paper from burning. It is a short collection of pyromantic spells, and if your magic destroys it, they are all spells that I could write down for you from memory, and teach to you. Pyromancy is the one magical art that a fire elemental excels at.\"\n\nDark Wind repeated the process, and the spell worked as she had hoped. When the scroll was restored, it was still usable, and was still protected from flames by the spell that had been on it.\n\n\"May I make one last suggestion, Mistress?\" Asha asked. \"Add also a spell on the necklace or bracelet to conceal its presence from others. Then no thief might be tempted to steal it from you, merely for its apparent value as jewelry.\"\n\n ===\n\nAs the snows melted, Bent Ear and those who chose to follow him to new hunting grounds left the pack. Dark Wind convinced the remaining wolves that she was departing with Bent Ear, while she convinced Bent Ear's group that she planned to remain with Grey Shadow's pack. She did neither, packing her belongings by using the spell that attached them to her necklace as charms, and then removing all trace of her presence or past spell working from the cave that she had sheltered in for several years.\n\nDark Wind then left a 'parting gift' for the church, and indirectly for the wolves. She created an illusion of a black tower that had been built in the forest, far from the wolf lair, and away from the area that Bent Ear was headed for. She then snuck into the village, and in the guise of a travelling herb merchant arriving just after the passes cleared, she planted rumors to make the new priest and the church's mercenaries think that this uncanny tower might be the lair of the Dark Wind demon. She hoped this would lure the anger of the church away from the wolves. \n\nThe illusion was crafted to include a trap. Anyone that braved the baleful, fearsome sense of presence emanating from the tower, and who touched the tower walls or door, would be hit by a fear spell and / or a nightmare spell, at random. But if the tower was touched by silver, which Dark Wind knew the church folk mistakenly thought to have some effect on the Dark Wind demon, it would appear to shatter the tower entirely, 'destroying' the demon and its lair, with an explosion of fire that would flatten anything standing within fifty feet of the tower. The church and the people of the village would have their 'victory', though it would cost them dearly.\n\nDark Wind and Asha went to a secluded forest clearing, and she created a portal that could take them to another world. She and Asha observe several possible worlds through this portal, and after some deliberation they choose one that had many species of human-like animals as common residents, and where mages practiced openly. They changed their appearance to that of humanoid vixens, with Dark Wind's fur being red and white, and Asha's being black and dark grey, and they stepped through the portal, into the new realm.\n\n===\n\nDark Wind and Asha arrived on the other side of the portal, and stood for a moment on the crest of the hill where they had appeared, to appreciate the view. The sunset cast a reddish hue on the entire countryside. Before them lay a town that was at least a hundred... no, a thousand... times as large as the village that Dark Wind had grown up near. Most of the buildings were three and four stories tall, made of brick, or stone or timber framed with white plaster between the timbers, or some combination of these. There were countless chimneys above the slate or lead-capped roftops, trailing plumes of wood smoke and coal smoke into the air, and the smoke made the sunset even more spectacular. The larger streets were illuminated, not by fire baskets on the corner, or by hanging cressets of burning pitch, but by cleverly contained flames, housed in glass lamps on posts. \n\nIn the streets they could see people on foot, of many species, as well as draft wagons pulled by horses, and elegant carriages that were also horse drawn. The streets all appeared to be paved with cobblestones, and not muddy dirt roads. The city had two rings of fortified walls, and a central keep that looked more like a palace. But it had outgrown those defenses, and beyond that curtain of stone many smaller buildings, homes, shops and farms extended outward, especially along the roads, which led away in three directions from the town. A large river flanked the far side of the town, so vast that several sailing ships with two or three masts each were anchored at the city docks.\n\nMuch closer, on the road that passed close to where Dark Wind and Asha stood,  there was what appeared to be an inn, with a carriage at the door that was in the process of letting two ladies and two gentlemen off. It must have been a hired ride, for once the group had gone inside, the coachman got back on the carriage and drove off, rather than taking the elegant carriage and horses to the stables beside the inn for the night.\n\nAsha was the first to comment on the scene, saying, \"Mistress? This world is indeed quite different than yours. Our clothes will mark us as strangers here. These simple tunic dresses and cloaks that we wore look nothing like the high-waisted gowns and coats that I see those ladies wearing. And have you ever seen anything like those carriages, or the lamps on the poles?\"\n\n\"I can change our clothes to resemble theirs, just as I changed silver coins into my necklace chain. I just need to see them well,\" Dark Wind stated confidently. \"We... must observe them, and learn their ways, so we do not seem to be country simpletons. There are lamps lighting that inn. And those lamps will have flames in them, no matter how they are made. Use your elemental abilities to look through the flames. I will look into your surface thoughts, and see what you see. Try to get a good look at several of the women, from all sides.\"\n\n Asha did as she was commanded, and soon Dark Wind had enough of an idea what the local female fashions were, and was able to make their own clothing look appropriate. The words spoken by these people sounded like the language of her own people, though some of the words were unknown to her. They were trying to get a closer look at some of the local coins when Asha suddenly returned, saying, \"There is a mage in there, and they saw me in the fire!\"\n\n\"Is there, now? Did he seem angry that you were there?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"Well, no... More like curious. And it was a female. She was the tricolored collie girl in the bright red bodice and red cloak, who was alone by the fireplace,\" Asha replied.\n\n\"I saw her. Nice looking dog. I wish we could talk to her alone. That could be quite profitable to us,\" Dark Wind stated.\n\n\"Granted,\" said a bemused voice behind them. \"My, but you're a young one to have an elemental for a traveling companion. And she is a rather unusual elemental, at that. You may call me Portia. I have a room in the inn, where we may talk. Would you share a cup of wine with me?\"\n\nDark Wind turned at the voice, and noted the fire-ringed portal that was open behind the sorceress. \"You may call me... Darla, and this is my familiar, Ashley. We have come from very far away, and I am a mage seeking honest employment, and possibly a more experienced mage that I might apprentice to, or at least exchange knowledge with. I am young, but I know several useful spells already, and I learn quite rapidly. We would be honored to share wine with you, M'Lady Portia.\" \n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 12, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 12 - New world, new rules.\n\nDark Wind and Asha followed Portia through the fire-rimmed portal. They emerged in a back hallway of the inn, just off the common room. The portal ceased to exist just moments after they finished using it, but before it vanished, Dark Wind had time to note that there was no magical diagram or design on the floor to enable the creation of the portal.\n\n\"Your portal spell is different than the one that I know,\" Dark Wind stated. \"You don't need to draw a specific pattern to form it?\"\n\n\"We can discuss such matters in a more private setting, please. Follow me,\" Portia said, as she led them upstairs and unlocked the door to her room with a brass key, before touching the lock and releasing a warding spell as well.\n\nOnce they were in the room, and the door was closed, the canine mage said, \"Let's get a better look at you, shall we?\" She made a brief gesture, and four orbs of white light appeared, floating in the air, and providing an even, bright light similar to daylight. \"And some privacy, as I said. Do not worry. This does not lock you in my room. It only prevents anyone outside this room from hearing or seeing us,\" she added, as she cast a warding spell that caused the walls, floor and ceiling to briefly glow, as well as forming what looked like a fine spider web of light over the door and the two windows in the room. \n\nDark Wind blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light, and said, \"And still you use no diagrams or circles. Is magic so very different here?\"\n\n\"You refer to cabalistic diagrams, perhaps? Something like this? Do you recognize it?\" Portia asked, as she seated herself comfortably in a high-backed chair, with her tail curled beside her right leg. With a gesture she formed a complex diagram in the air, which just floated there, as if painted on glass with glowing white paint.\n\nDark Wind recognized the diagram as being almost identical to the one she knew, and said, \"Yes. That diagram should allow a mage to alter a physical object's form, though not its properties. For example, it could be used for turning a silver coin into a silver bracelet, or a piece of wood into a useful wooden object.\"\n\nPortia erased the diagram with a gesture, and stated, \"That's very good. You are correct in the use of that diagram, child. Now that I can see your features clearly, I see you are several years younger than I first thought. May I ask how old you are, and how long you have been studying magic?\"\n\n\"I am thirteen, M'lady Portia,\" Dark Wind replied. \"My parents both could use magic. I performed my first magic when I was only four, to speak to a feral wolf, and understand what he said. I was tutored in magic for four years, by my parents, and have studied it on my own for five years since then. But please, M'Lady, how can you cast the spells without the diagrams? I can cast a few of the more simple spells with just a phrase, or by saying the spell in my mind, but nothing so complex as a portal, or matter shaping.\"\n\n\"So young? Remarkable. I take it you are on your own, just the two of you?\" Portia asked.\n\n\"Yes, M'Lady. For five years I have been on my own,\" Dark Wind admitted. She was uncertain how much to say of her past, and decided to tell only part of the truth. \"Our home burned down, and... my parents perished. I had no living relatives I could go to. I could talk to the wolves, and take their shape, and I was friends with them already. So I lived with them, as I studied what I was able to salvage from the ruins of my home.\"\n\nPortia looked uneasy, and asked, \"You are a shapeshifter? Lycanthropes don't usually use magic, unless... Tell me the truth, Darla. Are you, or were your parents, a werewolf?\"\n\n\"Not as I understand that term, no. I can assume many animal forms and man-like forms, as my father could, and my changing is at my choice, and not tied to the phase of the moon,\" Dark Wind stated.\n\n\"I see. Here it is less common that a mage has that ability by pure means, rather than as a result of the curse of lycanthropy. You will be well advised then to tell no one that you can change shape to a wolf, child. Werewolves are quite unwelcome here, as are vampires,\" Portia stated, relaxing slightly. She reached into a belt pouch and withdrew a beaded necklace of some sort, and held it out to Dark Wind, saying, \"Do you know what this is? Will you hold it for a moment for me?\"\n\nDark Wind looked at the offered necklace. Carved wooden beads resembling roses were interspersed with other beads, and at one point a strand of beads branched off from the main loop, and a small silver crucifix hung at the end of that strand. Dark Wind took it, looked at both sides of the silver cross, turning it between her fingers, and gave it back to Portia.\n\n\"Pretty, but I don't know much about that sort of thing. I take it from the crucifix that it has something to do with the church? I think I have seen a priest carrying or handling something similar, but that is all I can tell you,\" Dark Wind replied.\n\nPortia relaxed considerably, and said, \"It is a Rosary. Those who follow the church use them to pray, and it is widely believed that a werewolf or vampires cannot bear to touch one, or bear the touch of silver, which the cross is made of. That is not true in all cases, in my experience, but most werewolves and vampires, as well as many other magical creatures, would withdraw from someone holding a rosary and silver cross out to them. You are Pagan? You don't follow the Church?\"\n\n\"My mother taught me to revere nature, not a building and idols made by men. She said that Gods certainly do exist, but the church was not the one true way to seek the guidance of divinity. And my familiar, Ashley, has told me that much of what the Church says about Hell is biased and incorrect. Are you a church follower? Is it bad not to be one here?\" Dark Wind asked, worried at being in a sealed room with what might be a church mage, even though Portia didn't wear the garments of a priest.\n\n\"You may relax, Darla. I mean you no harm, but I did need to test you,\" Portia said. \"The Church and Pagans have an uneasy truce here. It's not a terrible thing to be Pagan, but the King and his courtiers do follow the church these days. Many Pagans worship as they please, in privacy or openly, but many of them also carry a rosary or occasionally attend the church services, to be seen as not opposing the church, or the king. I have no preference, myself. I have seen too much in my studies to say that any one religion holds all the cards. I carry one primarily to use as I just did, to test a possible lycanthrope or vampire. I hunt them, you see. It is one of several things I do for a living.\"\n\n\"For the church? You work for them, as a mercenary?\" Dark Wind asked, worried yet again.\n\n\"No, I am a part-time bounty hunter. I hunt for whoever will pay the bounty, and only where I believe there is justification. I have hunted werewolves, vampires, and many other kinds of magical creatures that have caused trouble here. Even elementals,\" Portia said, as she looked squarely at Asha. \"But only if they are causing harm, and someone places a bounty for their capture. I am well aware that elementals and other magical creatures can be harmless, if well controlled by their Master or Mistress, or if they choose to cause no harm. I have even known a few werewolves and vampires that restrain their savage natures, refrain from killing people, and manage to co-exist peacefully with the rest of us. Such as they are I will leave in peace. I will admit, however, that what drew me to talk to you in the first place was that I wanted to see if your familiar was the harmful sort or not. I am satisfied that, for now, you are both not my prey.\"\n\n\"I am relieved to hear that. Are werewolves, vampires and other magical creatures so plentiful here, that you can make a living hunting them?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"Fortunately, no. But the pay is very good when one needs to be caught. Most of the time, I use my magic in a much more mundane fashion, down at the docks. I use my portals to aid the ship captains in unloading their cargos rapidly, and delivering them directly to their buyers,\" Portia said. \"You will find a flagon of red wine on the table, and two goblets. Let us drink to friendship, and to the hope that we never need to become enemies. Pour a measure for both of us, and you may choose which I drink from, so you will know I am not trying to take advantage of you in any way. I presume your familiar needs no such sustenance?\" Portia asked, looking at Ahsa.\n\n\"You are correct, oh mage. I can eat and drink, for appearances sake, but I have no need to consume your wine, and would prefer not to impose on your hospitality without need, since you seem to be so aware of my nature,\" Asha replied. \"And for what it is worth, I'll handle your beads too, if you wish. They won't harm me at all.\"\n\n\"I will accept that you can, Ashley,\" Portia said, as she accepted the wine from Dark Wind, took a sip, and frowned slightly, saying, \"Not a very good wine, I fear, but passable. I had not been expecting guests, so I didn't bother asking for better than their standard fare when I ordered it with my lunch, earlier today. Still, it is better than the beer here. Now that I believe I can trust you both, I will answer your earlier question about magic, Darla. Those diagrams are quite useful in learning a spell, but in time, and with experience, you can learn to form the image clearly in your mind, and dispense with the drawing of it on the floor. The diagram merely focuses the mind on a complex objective more clearly.\"\n\n\"I see. Thank you for sharing that information with me, M'Lady,\" Dark Wind replied. She took a sip of the wine. It was not her first time drinking wine. She had consumed it in the village before, when posing as a human in the taverns, as she gathered information. This wine was a little different than what she expected, but not bad. Less dry and bitter than the poor wines that the villagers made for themselves. She took another sip and said, \"The wine tastes fine to me, M'Lady Portia.\"\n\nPortia looked over her two guests, and stated, \"Those clothes... They are wrong. They would pass well enough in the dark, or if no one was paying attention, but they are made incorrectly. \"\n\nShe stood and took off her cloak, and said, \"Take a closer look at my dress, and how it goes together. That red part on your bodice should be a separate garment, and not part of the chemise that forms your neckline and sleeves and underskirt. And the skirt should have three layers of cloth, split in the front to show the under skirts. Your garments seem to be all one piece. Did you use a matter shaping spell to reform them?\"\n\n\"Yes, M'Lady. Our travelling clothes looked worse, I fear. We did not want to be seen at once as foreigners,\" Dark Wind replied.\n\n\"Which you very much are, unless I am greatly mistaken,\" Portia said. \"I felt the power of the portal that brought you here, about half an hour ago, wasn't it?\"\n\n\"I would guess so, M'Lady Portia. You felt it? From inside the inn?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"Most people, even most mages, would not have noticed. But making portals is something I do quite frequently. I have become quite adept at their use, and quite sensitive to anyone else's portals that appear in the vicinity of mine. Portals and teleportation spells can conflict with each other, if they accidentally overlap. The results can be very difficult to predict, and can potentially be disastrous. So for one who uses either form of magic a lot, it is wise to be very aware of anyone else using similar spells in your area,\" Portia said.\n\n\"Thank you again, M'Lady. I did not know that,\" Dark Wind said. \"I suppose I should buy us some new clothes, and perhaps a rosary, when the merchants open their stalls in the morning.\"\n\n\"You have funds to buy with? You may want to find a moneychanger first, if you don't want to attract attention as foreigners. May I see some of your coins?\" Portia asked. \n\nDark Wind turned away, and moved as if taking money from a pouch from inside her blouse, though she actually removed the small chest from her necklace, took a handful of gold, silver and copper coins from it, and then returned the chest to its hiding place on her necklace. She turned to face the canine mage and handed her the coins. \"Will these spend well here? They are an honest weight in gold, silver or copper, and not alloyed with baser metals.\"\n\nPortia looked at each coin carefully, noting the visages of human folk that had never been kings or queens in any country she had heard of, and that the writing on the coins was unlike any she had ever seen. \"If I had any doubt from just how far away you have come, this eliminates it. You may be able to sell them to a jeweler or a metal smith, but they will definitely draw attention to you, and possibly of an unwelcome sort. You are not from this world at all, are you? I will buy these from you, for their honest value as gold, silver or copper, and pay you in local coinage. If you have more like this, do not try to spend them here, unless you melt them down and sell them as raw metal. And whatever you do, do not try that alteration spell on these coins, to try to make them look like the local coins. You may fool some merchants that way, but counterfeiting by magic is a very serious offense here. They check for it often.\"\n\nDark Wind got out several more coins, and they made the exchange. Portia got out a scale and weighed the coins carefully, did some calculations, and then gave Dark Wind a small pouch of coins that she said was fair value. It was fatter than what she took, since there was more silver and copper and less gold in the pouch. Asha watched the whole process, and agreed it was a fair exchange.\n\n\"I guess we should get a room then, and take our leave. One last question, if I may, M'Lady? Why are you being so kind to us?\" Dark Wind asked.\n\n\"Because you show great promise as a mage, and the land can use more mages that can do more than parlor tricks,\" Portia said, as she released the privacy wards, lit a candle, and dismissed the light spell, before letting them out into the hallway. \"You seem harmless enough. And I have a bit of a soft spot for those very far from home. You see, I have also traveled between the worlds, but I have lost my way, and I am unable to find my home again. The first time I crossed through a portal to a different world, I might well have perished, if someone had not been kind to me, as I am doing to you now. Good luck to you, Darla, and to you, Ashley. I have a feeling our paths will cross again. I hope it will be as friends, when we do. Good night.\" \n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 13, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 13 - A time to learn.\n\nDarla and Ashley, as Dark Wind and Asha had begun to call themselves, left the inn by a side door, and came back in through the front door, with their coats held close around them, as if to ward off the growing chill of the early evening air.\n\nAshley nodded in the direction of the bar, indicating to Darla that it was there she should go to seek the innkeeper. Darla led the way, and approached a rather overweight otter that was tending the bar.\n\n\"Excuse me, sir? Would you be the inkeeper?\" Darla asked politely. Her head was barely higher than the top of the bar, and the otter a good foot and a half taller than she was. But there were other furred folk and Humans in the inn of equally short stature.\n\n\"That I am, little Miss,\" he replied with a grin. \"Duncan Mac Connacht, at your service.\" He looked at the two young vixens, and assumed they were someone's servant girls. \"Will ye be fetching a meal to take back for your Mistress or Master?\" he asked. \"We have a fine hot stew tonight, and I can give it to ye in a warmed clay pot, to keep it hot for their table, if ye pay a deposit on the pot as well.\"\n\n\"I may order a meal for my maidservant and I, good sir, but at the moment I am more interested in lodging. How much are your rooms, and can I rent by the week?\" Darla asked. \n\n\"Well! Your pardon, 'My Lady',\" He said, stressing the title as if he didn't quite believe a girl barely into her teens could afford even two pots of stew, let alone a room for a week. \"I must not have heard your carriage arrive, lass. Rooms are one silver coin per night, per bed, paid in advance. If ye pay for a full week in advance, it's five silver for a week. That includes one hot meal and one drink per bed that ye pay for, each day.\"\n\nDarla opened her pouch, and placed a neat stack of ten silver coins on the bar, while holding a gold coin between her fingers, asking, \"I saw many chimneys as we approached. Have you a room with one bed, and a fireplace? My maidservant needs no bed of her own, but we both like a warm fire.\" Her eyes glowed just enough for the innkeeper to see that they really were glowing, and not reflecting firelight.\n\nThe innkeeper touched a medallion on a chain around his neck, and cautioned, \"Now now, My Lady,\" he said, this time sounding like he really meant the honor the title implied, \"I meant no disrespect, and there be no need for magic. Your coin is compelling enough, and I be protected against compulsion charms an' the like. One gold coin per week will get ye a fine corner room with one bed and a fireplace, and I'll throw in a cot for your maid and two hot meals and two drinks per day, for each of ye. Fair?\"\n\n\"And a bucket of coal, for the fire, yes?\" Ashley asked, with a gleam in her eyes.\n\nThe innkeeper looked at Ashley's eyes, and shuddered slightly. \"As ye wish... Miss...\"\n\n\"The coal and two meals total per day will keep us quite content, good innkeeper,\" Darla said with a smile. \"My maid has a very light appetite, and I would not want to take advantage of you. If we like it here, I will pay you for another three weeks, when this week is up. Please have someone show us to our room, and then my maid can fetch me a pot of that delicious smelling stew, and a small beer, or better yet, a simple apple cider, if you have any.\"\n\n\"Aye, M'Lady, we have a fine apple cider. Well chilled, even. Molly! Come over here wench, and show these ladies to their room!\" he called out to a champaign-colored ferret girl who was serving beer and wine at a nearby table. \n\nThe ferret barmaid was smaller than Darla, and looked to possibly be the same age. She came at once, spoke quietly to the innkeeper, got the key from him and a bucket of coal from under the bar, and led them upstairs, to a room on the third floor, on an outside corner. They were a floor higher than Portia's room had been, and this one was nicer than what the canine mage had. \n\n\"Here ye are, M'Lady,\" the barmaid said, as she used a match to light an oil lamp on a small table beside the bed. \"I'll fetch a cot fer yer maid as soon as I've kindled a fire for ye.\"\n\n\"No need. I've already lit the fire,\" Ashley said, as the room brightened considerably. Behind her the coal in the metal basket in the fireplace was burning as well as if it had been going for an hour.\n\n\"So... ye... have,\" The ferret said slowly. She curtsied to Darla and said, \"My name be Molly, an' if ye need anything at all, just ask, M'Lady! I'll just be gettin' that cot now.\" Then she hustled out of the room as fast as her paws could carry her.\n\nWhen she was gone, Ashley giggled, and the fire elemental said, \"Can I help it if I prefer to make my own bed? Thank you, Mistress, for asking for a nice, snug coal-fired fireplace for me to rest in. That was most considerate of you.\" She picked up a small piece of coal and popped it into her mouth, like a child eating a piece of candy.\n\n\"I thought that would be pleasant for you. Just remember to muss up the cot so it looks used, as well. Now I really would appreciate a pot of stew. It smelled quite good,\" Darla said.\n\n\"At once, My MLady!\" Ashley said, as she curtsied and then left to get the stew.\n\nMolly returned soon, with a second barmaid who was a wolf carrying the other end of the cot. They set up the cot and blanket, and Darla thanked them, giving each two coppers for the fast service. Both maids brightly smiled at this generosity, and the wolf introduced herself as 'Merry', before they departed.\n\n===\n\nWhen Ashley returned, she disrobed and melted into the fire, until all that could be seen of her was two green eyes in the flames. Darla ate her stew and finished her cider, commenting that it was quite good. She looked around the room, found the chamber pot and a bowl with a pitcher of water on the commode in one corner. It was easy enough to deduce the purpose of the chamber pot from the slight residual smell. She used it and covered the pot, placing it back inside the commode stand before getting into her bed to sleep.\n\n===\n\nThe next morning, Darla arose with dawn's first light. It struck her that this was the first night she had slept in a real bed since the night her family had been murdered. She got dressed, told Ashley to remain unseen and guard the room, and went down to the common room.\n\nKeeping her coat close around her, she found Molly, and asked the barmaid, \"Can you tell me the location of the nearest shop where I might be able to purchase a few new dresses and coats? Our carriage broke an axle along the way, and much of our luggage was lost. I fear my clothes are only barely presentable.\"\n\n\"Miss Keridwen makes some nice blouses and chemises, and other lady's underpinnings. Look for the sign with two pair of scissors, crossed over a threaded sewing needle. 'Tis but a few minutes walk along the road into town,\" Molly said cheerfully. \"An' just down the street from her shop, Kendrew the Tailor has good coats, which he proudly displays, in his window and on his sign, an' across the street from his shop, down by the well is Miss Loreli's dress shop, with the thimble an' needle sign. She has all else ye might want, for yerself or yer maid, save for shoes. Cobbler Micah, down the second street after Kendrew's shop on the left, is the only shoe seller worth buyin' from, this side of the city walls, if ye ask me. Has a pair of brown boots for his sign.\"\n\n\"You are most helpful, Miss Molly. Any good pastry shops?\" Darla asked.\n\n\"Oh, ye need go nowhere but here for that, Mistress! Our Miss Caroline makes some of the most tasty sticky buns an' the finest breads ye could ask for. She can make meat pies an' fruit pies, too!\" the ferret girl said proudly.\n\n\"Good. Ummm, is there a time or place for the chamber pots to be emptied? Mine is soiled,\" Darla admitted.\n\n\"Oh? Just ask me, or any of the barmaids, any time ye have that need. We'll dump 'em for ye, Mistress. We're a high class inn, we are,\" Molly said. \"I'll take care of that for ye right this minute, if it won't disturb yer maid. The other inns on the South road make ye dump yer own, but not here!\"\n\n\"My maid is already out on other errands, and will not be disturbed. Do the maids each have a key to all the rooms?\" Darla asked.\n\n\"Not that we keep. We have to get it from Master Duncan,\" Molly said. \"He's most particular about the guests security, he is.\"\n\n\"It sounds as if fortune smiled on us them, in selecting this inn. Thank you, Molly. I will be back soon,\" Darla said.\n\n===\n\nOnce Darla had obtained more suitable clothes for them, Darla took Ashley with her, and they started exploring the other shops along the road. There were two other inns and seventeen shops along this stretch of road, and then farmland for a distance of a mile or more before the shops outside the city walls began.\n\nIt was growing dark by the time they were ready to return, and both vixens' arms were laden with baskets, cloth sacks, and paper parcels tied with string. They were still two blocks from the inn when two rather large bears, armed with wicked-looking long knives, stepped in front of their path, and forced the vixens to turn into an alley.\n\n\"Oy! We'll just help lighten yer load a bit there, girls! Seems ta me you've got to much to carry there, right mate?\" said one of the bears.\n\n\"Aye. A couple of maids what's run off wit' their Mistress' purse, an' don't know when ta stop spendin', looks like ta me. Cute little things, too. Let's see what ya got, girls,\" said the other.\n\n\"Don't... I'm warning you...\" Darla said, as her eyes began to glow.\n\n\"No Mistress. Please. Allow me to handle these fellows,\" Ashley said. She calmly set down her two baskets and looked from one bear to the other, and then she winked at them. \"So, you think you'll have a hot time with us, do you, boys? But can you handle it, when it gets really hot?\"\n\n\"Ay! This one's got some fire in 'er, she has!\" said the first bear, as he leered at Ashley's attractive young form.\n\n\"Why yes, I do,\" Ashley said demurely, as she made the slightest of hand gestures in the direction of the two thieves.\n\n\"What the? Ahhh! EAUGHHH! ME HAND!\" The thief screamed in absolute agony, and soon was joined by the screams of the second thief.\n\n The knives in their hands had heated in a heartbeat, and now were glowing white hot, brighter than a lamp's flame, hotter than the center of a blacksmith's forge, and burning the fur and flesh from their fingers so rapidly that they could not unclench their grip. The thieves ran screaming into the street, seeking to douse the bewitched blades in a horse trough. \n\nAnd then their eyes went wider and they screamed worse, because even the water could not quench the burning metal, which Ashley's elemental pyromancy had caused to burn like magnesium, needing no air to burn, once ignited.\n\n\"You shall have to teach me that spell, Ashley dear,\" Darla said without the least trace of compassion for the pair that would have robbed and likely raped them.\n\n\"Gladly, Mistress. I was merciful, though I doubt they would see it so. They both were wearing chain mail vests, as well. Had I cast the same spell on their vests, it would have been quite fatal to them. Shall we return to our rooms?\" Ashley asked.\n\n===\n\nAn hour later, back in the inn, Darla was enjoying a meal in the common room when Portia stepped up to her table. \"May I join you?\" the canine mage asked.\n\n\"Of course. Do be seated,\" Darla replied.\n\n\"Seems there was a bit of excitement just down the road, just after sunset,\" Portia said quietly. \"A couple of well-known ruffians got their right hands severely burned. They claimed their knives caught fire. By the time the authorities got there, the knives could not be found, and their burned hands were hopelessly crippled. Quite an interesting event, wouldn't you say?\"\n\n\"Ruffians, you say? And they had knives in hand, and not peaceably in their sheaths, and these knives burned them? Sounds to me like they tried to rob the wrong person. What do these 'authorities' have to say about it?\" Darla replied, with no more apparent care than if she was talking about the weather.\n\n\"They suspect it may have been elemental fire, but there were no witnesses, and no one saw an elemental. At least, none that cared to say anything that favored the ruffians. Those boys had a bad reputation in these parts, but no one had been willing, or able, to speak up against them,\" Portia said. \"If you ask me, they got what they deserved. I believe they killed several travelers here recently, but they never left any witnesses alive. Still, if I had an elemental in my service, I would refrain from allowing it to be seen for a while. With no witnesses to a robbery, it would be difficult to justify what happened to them as self defense, even though I am certain that was the case. And they will live, though without their right hands, they will be hard pressed to rob anyone else. Assuming that was what they were up to.\"\n\n\"I will keep that in mind, if ever I run across an elemental, or one who commands such creatures. That was a most interesting tale, M'Lady Portia. Thank you for telling it to me,\" Darla replied. \n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 14, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 14 - Exploring the city - seeking employment\n\nFor the next several months, Darla and Ashley, as they now called themselves, planned to explore the city, and observe and learn the ways of this new world. \n\nThey arose early and walked to the city, waiting in the pre-dawn light as the guards at the city gates checked those who wished to pass beyond the first ring of city walls. As they passed through the city gates in their usual vixen forms, they encountered a human mage wearing a strange set of lenses over his eyes. He was looking at each traveler carefully as they passed him. He beckoned to Darla and Ashley, saying, \"You two vixens. You are together? Come here, please.\"\n\n\"Yes, my lord mage? Is there a problem?\" Darla asked demurely, as they approached him.\n\n\"I hope not,\" the mage replied earnestly. He pointed to Ashley, and asked, \"Is this one with you, and in your service? You know her true nature?\"\n\n\"She is, and I do. I should, as I summoned her to serve me. Is that a problem? We have broken no laws that I am aware of, good sir, and we trouble no one,\" Darla replied. \"I have merely come to town with my servant to do some shopping, and to see the sights of the city.\"\n\n\"See that you do not permit her to cause trouble, and that ye cause none yourself,\" he said. \"You seem young to have such a powerful servant, but as long as neither of you causes trouble here, you may pass freely. Good day to ye, young sorceress.\"\n\n\"Well, that was certainly interesting,\" Darla said, when they were past the gates and walking down the cobblestone streets. \"Those strange lenses let him know what you are?\"\n\n\"They probably have mirrors in them, as well as enchantments to detect glamours and illusions,\" Ashley stated. \"A mirror in one lenses path and none in the other would have shown him my true form, overlaid on my appearance. Likely they try to make sure no dangerous creatures enter the city. But we should remember that these people have ways to know what I am.\"\n\n\"What an amazing place this is,\" Darla said quietly to Ashley, as they got further down the street. She looked up at one of the lamp posts, which was still lit. \"What sort of magic allows these post-lamps to burn all night long, and never run out of lamp oil? I could see them glowing all night from our room in the inn.\"\n\n\"That is not magic, Mistress. I have seen that method of lighting in a few other realms where I have served. It is called 'gas light'. They have a clever system of pipes beneath the street, which connect to a central plant where great machines use coal to make a flammable gas. The more wealthy homes and the most prosperous businesses here may also manage to have this coal gas piped into their buildings, for a source of light and heat that can burn without the need to constantly replace candles or lamp oil.\"\n\n\"How very clever of them!\" Darla said. \"Why do they not have this 'gas light' in our inn?\"\n\n\"Probably because it is too far from the city, Mistress. It costs too much to run the pipes out so far, and they leak too much. The machines that provide the source of the gas are quite complex, and too expensive and hard to maintain for them to place them anywhere but in a city of some size. In time, they will learn to control it better, but it is still new here,\" Asha said. \"As well ask why they do not use magic to provide light everywhere. The spells exist, but the number of mages that can cast the spells is limited, and a single mage can only cast just so many spells in a given time. Spells wear off when their magic is used up. No mage would want to spend all of their time as a mere lamp lighter, going house to house renewing that one simple spell.\"\n\n\"I imagine not,\" Darla said. Before she could say more, a strange rumbling noise could be heard, growing strong enough to be felt as a vibration in the ground, and then the air reverberated with a screeching whistle, and she could see a plume of smoke moving rapidly beyond a row of buildings. \"What manner of creature makes such a strange noise, and belches such smoke?\" she asked. \"I heard its mournful wailing in the distance from the inn a few times, but I could not see what it was.\n\n\"I think I know, Mistress. Let us go and see,\" said the fire elemental with a grin.\n\nThey walked down the street and turned the corner, and came to a platform where many people were moving around a great construct of black iron, with iron wheels, and complex gears and pistons connecting them. The smoke was coming from a chimney atop it, and steam vented from several places on its sides and undercarriage.\n\n\"I see it is as I thought,\" Ashley said smugly. \"That large black thing, Mistress, is a 'locomotive', or a 'steam engine'. It is a steam-powered machine that hauls a train of carriages down iron tracks, from one place to another. Some burn coal, and others burn wood, and still others use an elemental to heat their boiler. The steam moves complicated parts in the machine and drives the wheels, with no need for horses. They are very powerful, and can haul a great deal of weight, but they require a great expense to construct the engines and lay the tracks, and much work to maintain. This land appears to have many inventions that did not exist where you came from.\"\n\n\"Do you know of many such strange innovations?\" Darla asked, as she gazed at the huge machine in wonder. \"Why have you not mentioned them before this?\"\n\n\"Some, yes,\" Ashley replied. \"Mostly I am aware of those devices that use fire or flame in some way, as they draw my attention. I have served in twenty seven different realms, Mistress. Many are as your realm was, using horses, swords and crossbows. Some are like this one, with gas lights, steam machines, and they also have explosive powders and weapons like a crossbow without the bow, that use those explosive powders to propel a lead ball or bullet a great distance, and with lethal force. I saw a guard by the city gate that was carrying a simple gunpowder weapon.  I can explain to you any device which we see, and that I have encountered before. I will recall them as soon as I see them. But I cannot say if I have seen wonders more advanced than these. There is something about travel between the realms that prevents me from remembering that which is not yet known in the realm I am in. I am sorry, Mistress. It is a limitation I cannot overcome.\"\n\n\"There is much to learn, then,\" Darla said. \"I like not this talk of weapons even more powerful than crossbows. I must learn a defense against these new threats.\"\n\n===\n\nFor the next several months, they would go into the city proper while posing as a variety of easily-forgotten individuals - a flower seller, a traveling herb seller, or a maid out shopping for her Mistress. They would also pose as various feral animals, dogs, cats and ferrets being plentiful in their four-legged forms here, as they observed the vibrant city life. Darla found and purchased many books on the new 'technologies' of this realm, as well as new books on magic that she had never seen before. She had to buy two more chests to store her books in, so she could keep them on her necklace. They gained a small amount of money while selling flowers that Ashley would gather for her Mistress in the countryside, but they were spending far more than they earned.\n\n\"I need a proper way to earn money, Ashley,\" Darla said at last, as she looked at the greatly diminished contents of her chest that had contained the coins and jewels she had brought from their former realm. The last of the gold, silver and copper coins had been melted down and sold, and she had but a handful of local gold and silver coins left, plus two handfuls of gems that she could still sell. \"Perhaps I can apprentice myself to a mage, and be paid to work for them as I learn. Let us see if M'Lady Portia would make such a bargain with us.\n\n===\n\nIt took them two weeks to find M'Lady Portia. The canine mage changed her lodging frequently, and on an unpredictable basis. After checking at the docks in the city, they finally located her in a dockside inn. They shared a glass of wine, and then they went to the mage's room to talk.\n\n\"It took us some effort to find you again. Why do you change your lodging so frequently, M'Lady?\" Darla asked. \"Is not the inn we met at to your liking?\"\n\n\"I like that place quite well, but perhaps that is why I stay there only rarely,\" Portia replied, as she sat comfortably facing the two young vixens. \"A bounty hunter makes enemies. A mage that summons an elemental, only to have it destroyed by me, may not take kindly to the loss. I have killed two vampires since we met. Vampires rarely come out of nowhere - they usually have clans that act like extended families, and those clans seek to get revenge on anyone who kills a vampire in their clan. If I remain in one place for too long, they will find me, and attack me there. It is an endless cycle of revenge, no matter how many of them I slay.\"\n\nThat declaration gave Darla pause. It sounded all too familiar to her own past, and her never-ending battle with the church and the villagers. \"I see. I can understand that. But if it is so dangerous, why do you do it? Why not seek a more peaceful life elsewhere?\"\n\n\"Because I am good at it, and there is a need for my services. Because good people would suffer if I walk away, and turn my back on my calling. And because I have no one who would mourn my loss, if I fall in this never-ending battle. I have tried going to other worlds, and starting over. It always ends up the same, for me. I find a fight I can't avoid, or the fight finds me, and the cycle starts all over again. It is my fate, I guess. But I don't think you came here to talk about my work. How have you been faring here? You look well, and it's been more than three months. Staying out of trouble? Still living at the inn where we met?\"\n\n\"We are well, yes. And still at the same inn. I have learned a lot about this world, in the last three months. But I need a reliable income. The funds I brought with me will not last forever. My magic is strong. Perhaps you could use an apprentice to stand beside you? Two - or three, counting Ashley's aid - can fight better than one alone, can they not?\" Darla asked, hopefully. \"I could learn from you, and if I help you to earn more, perhaps that could pay for my books, and my upkeep.\"\n\n\"I am sorry, but no,\" Portia said, standing and walking to the door. \"I will not cause another to walk my path, and an apprentice would be a liability for me. I would constantly need to make sure you were safe, and that distraction could cost both of us our lives, or our very souls, in a battle with the creatures I hunt. Find another mentor. One who won't cost you your life.\"\n\n\"You won't have to protect me! I fear no creature that you may face, and I can hold my own in any fight. I have had deadly enemies before, and here I stand, alive and unscathed, and those enemies are dead!\" Darla said angrily.\n\n\"My answer is final,\" Portia said, pointedly opening the door for them to leave her room. \"There are things that you should fear, if you want to survive. Be on your way. I will not reconsider.\"\n\n===\n\nDarla approached more than two dozen other city mages, seeking apprenticeship. Some turned her down swiftly, while others tested her skills, and were impressed with her abilities, but in the end, they too declined to accept her. \n\nOnly one admitted that he was refusing her because of a darkness he could sense within her - an anger or some other dark emotion that tainted her mind and efforts.\n\nNo one, it seemed, wanted to hire her. And to work on her own as a mage or even as an herbalist in or near this city, she would need to rent a shop, and pay the city for a permit, and she couldn't afford to do that. Darla returned to the inn, dejected and dismayed.\n\nIn the common room, the wolf wench, Meridith came to Darla and asked, \"What will ye have, M'Lady?\"\n\n\"Cider. No, make that a strong wine. Thank you, Merry,\" Darla said.\n\nThe barmaid brought the drink, and took the few coppers for it, but lingered, asking, \"Troubles, M'Lady? Y'know, sometimes, folks pay us girls just ta listen, and not ta warm their beds at night. We gets ta bein' pretty good listeners, we do. 'Tis a slow night. I'll listen for free, if ya like. You've been generous enough to me afore this.\"\n\nDarla looked at the wolf wench inquisitively, and asked, \"Don't wolves only go into heat once a year, in winter? But you, ah... take coin to warm people's beds all year round, do you?\"\n\nMeridith smiled, and said without a trace of shame, \"M'Lady, I'm a whore, plain and simple. Yeah, in Winter I could seek a wolf mate and bear pups. But I like sex, year round, and I want no mate to give me pups. When I'm in heat, I seek my pleasure from girls. Master Duncan, he has an agreement with the barmaids here. He pays us ta' wait tables and clean up, but not ta sleep with anyone. If we choose to seek 'night work', 'tis by our own free choice, and then what we earn we keep. I make a pretty pile of coins by whorin', I do, and I like the work. So does Molly and three other girls here. There's even a couple of ladies that comes in just at night, when they feel like it, to earn a spare coin or two while their husbands are out at sea on the merchant ships. Master Duncan looks out for us, so no one hurts us. 'Tis not a bad thing, really. If ye like, I'll even warm your bed. You might like it, M'Lady.\"\n\n\"You're... the second girl to offer that to me. I... never have... with a girl. Maybe. I need to think about what you've said, and what you're offering,\" Darla replied. \n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 15, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 15 - Friends in low places\n\nDarla went back to her room in the inn, and considered what the wench, Meridith, had said. She let herself into the room, and greeted Ashley in an almost mechanical way, not bothering to recount the day's rejections to her elemental servant. She was deep in thought, and wasn't really ready to talk to the elemental about her confused mental state. She needed to sort these new concepts out herself, first.\n\nDarla needed a source of money, but what could she do?\n\nNone of the city's mages seemed willing to hire her. To work as a mage for hire in this area, she had found that the city officials would require her to have a permit and a shop, or to be apprenticed to a mage that had those things. That meant it took money to get started - far more money than she had left. Here, magic wasn't a profession she could do from a room in the inn, no matter how skillful she was.\n\nHer ability to talk to animals couldn't be used as her father had, to treat sick animals with herbs and magic, and make them well. Even if she used no magic, it would be suspected that she did. And honestly, she simply had no ability as a healer. Even her ability to crudely bandage a wound had been hopelessly inadequate, when a wolf from her pack had been injured, or when she herself was injured. With the exception of that one dark combat spell that could take a wound or illness from her own body and inflict it on someone else, no matter what other spells she used or what potions she had tried to create, her attempts at healing had always failed. It was the one type of magic or herb lore that she simply could not do, and she had no idea why, unless her own dark past was somehow poisioning that effort.\n\nHer father's other saleable skill that benefited from talking to animals, the breeding and training of animals for sale, required land for a farm or kennels, and animals for breeding stock, and she had neither land nor money to get land or animals. \n\nShe wasn't even particularly skilled at typical 'women's work', like cooking or cleaning house or sewing clothes. She had never had a reason to learn such skills. \n\nOther than being able to read, write, and translate languages, she had no other skills that she knew anyone would pay for. And she had no idea who might pay for those skills, in a society where most people did seem able to read and write.\n\nBefore this evening, Darla had never heard of the concept of girls selling their sexual favors. Her parents had never had any reason to talk to her about such things, as she had still been too young while they were still alive, and they had been quite isolated on their farm. Later, when she had been in inns and taverns disguised as a traveling merchant or as some villager, she hadn't paid any real attention to the interactions between the girls that worked in those places and their customers, beyond what it took to get their attention and order food or drink for herself. She had been too focused on gaining information about specific enemies, or planting rumors, to care about them at all. What they did with each other was of no concern to her, unless it helped her in gaining her revenge.\n\nBut tonight, she had received a pretty clear impression from the wolf wench's surface thoughts about precisely what Meridith meant by 'warming someone's bed', and about what sort of sexual acts the wolf girl would happily do for a few coppers, a silver coin, or two coins. Those thoughts confused her. It clearly had to do with mating, yet so very much of what she saw in the wolf girl's thoughts could never have made puppies. That the girl was willing to have sex with another girl also confused Darla. \n\nTo Darla's mind, mating was merely something you did when you wanted to breed puppies. A dog or wolf girl would go into heat, and an appropriate male of the same species would mate with them, and after the girl's belly swelled for a while, she would give birth to a new generation. Darla vaguely understood that her parents had mated to produce her, as well, even though they were not the same species. But aside from wanting a child, she knew of no other reason to mate. Those other confusing images of sexual acts in the wolf girl's mind were completely outside her experience.\n\nShe had personally experienced mating for the first time when she went into her second heat, last winter, at the age of thirteen. In her feral wolf form, the pack saw her as a young adult, roughly two years old in appearance and maturity, and quite ready to be bred. She had mated while in that feral wolf form with a feral wolf from the pack that had sheltered her. The male wolf had wanted to make puppies with her, and her body had strange urges caused by being in heat, that she somehow knew could be eased if she mated. She did not want puppies, but knew that because of her bargain with Asha, the fire elemental, that she couldn't bear any. So she let the wolf have his fun, to see what it was like. It had been pleasurable, in a somewhat abstract way to her mind. But to her, it was nothing more special than enjoying a particularly good meal. And once her heat ended, she felt no particular reason to be distracted by mating. Her revenge for her parents' death was far more important than any passing pleasures.\n\nSo what was left for her to do? Was being a 'whore' a viable option? What did that really mean?\n\nMeridith said she was able to earn 'a pretty pile of coins' by selling her sexual favors each night in the inn. The wolf girl seemed to like the work, and saw nothing wrong with being a whore. No one at the inn seemed to treat her badly. In fact, she and Molly seemed to have a lot of friends among the regular customers of the inn.\n\nDarla turned to the elemental, which she could see at the moment only as green eyes in the coal fire, and asked, \"What do you know about whores, Ashley?\"\n\nThe elemental stepped from the fire, and after stretching for a moment in ways no mortal body could, she became a black furred vixen again, and asked, \"Wherever did that question come from Mistress?\"\n\n\"I was talking with one of the wenches downstairs in the common room. That wolf girl, Meridith. She calls herself a whore, and says she can earn money easily by 'warming the beds' of guests, which I take to mean mating with them. Do people really pay good money for mating with a stranger?\"\n\n\"Yes, Mistress. Whores can earn a lot of money, if they aren't choosy about whom they accept money from, or what species the customers are, or what they must do to please their customers. It's said among most mortal species that whoring is the oldest known profession, though I do believe that raising food to eat and making weapons to hunt with both came first,\" Ashley replied. \n\n\"Meridith said she does it with males when she is not in heat, and with females when she is in heat, because she doesn't want pups. You once said you could mate without being in heat as well, is that correct?\" Darla asked.\n\n\"Yes Mistress,\" Ashley replied with a smile. \"The females of most intelligent species can choose to mate at any time, for pleasure, rather than for breeding offspring. They don't need to be fertile for it to be fun. Only the feral animals seek to mate only to breed, and even they will, on occasion, do it for pleasure, when the female is not in heat. Humans are so fertile that they are effectively in heat once each moon, and they have devised many ways to allow sex without conceiving children. Whores are often very skilled at using innovative methods for producing pleasure, without risking themselves getting pregnant.\"\n\n\"Have you... ever been a whore?\" Darla asked.\n\n\"Yes, Mistress. I did, once, when my master needed money badly. He had me take an attractive female form and work as a whore for many nights, giving him all the money I was paid. As tasks to serve a master go, it was not very bad, really. Some of it was even quite pleasant for me. Are you considering becoming a whore, to gain money? Or asking me to do so?\"\n\n\"I... don't know. Meridith makes it sound like something you just do for a lark. But I also got an impression that she had some concern that I would think less of her for what she did,\" Darla said.\n\n\"Some people think that whoring is a very low profession, yes. The church has a particularly low opinion of prostitution, as they think sex should only be for conception, or at the very most, as a bond between couples married by the church. And there are some hazards to the profession. Some customers get violent, or at least too rough. Some get pleasure from causing pain. Some are diseased. But most are harmless, seeking only their own gratification. But it seems quite unlikely that any customer could harm either of us. Neither you nor I can get pregnant from any person in this realm that is likely to mate with us. The diseases that are a risk for whores cannot affect me, and you can cast them off from yourself with that transferral spell I taught you. And neither of us is the least bit likely to get emotionally involved if we do it,\" Ashley observed. \"If that is your wish, we may certainly proceed in that manner. I can not object to it, and honestly, I wouldn't mind either way.\"\n\n\"I...How can I know what to do? This is entirely outside my experience!\" Darla said with some frustration.\n\n\"So make it part of your experience, indirectly. You know several whores who work in this inn. Your oneromancy can allow you to read their surface thoughts, and the surface thoughts of their customers. Reach out to them, as they pair off at night, and see what is in their minds, and what they do,\" the elemental advised. \"If you feel you can do what they do, as a means to gain coin, or that you want me to do that for you, we can proceed. If you dislike it after seeing it in their minds, then no harm is done, and you can seek another way. Perhaps instead, you could seek out victims that do not deserve the wealth they have, and take their wealth from them?\"\n\n\"I'm trying to make a fresh start, and I would rather not give anyone a reason to oppose me here. I will do as you say, and seek the dreams and thoughts of those who seek profit in the night's pleasures,\" Darla said.\n\n===\n\nFor the next several days, Darla stayed up late into the night, reaching out with her mind, and vicariously experiencing the 'night work' that Meridith, Molly and the other whores in the inn practiced. Each day, she slept as much as she could, to remain awake as she studied them.\n\nIt was quite... educational. The minds of the whores and their customers were like an open book to her. Most had no defense against her intrusions, and were so wrapped up in their pleasures that they did not even notice her influence. \n\nShe learned many techniques for giving pleasure, to males or to females. She found that when not employed by paying customers, Meridith and Molly shared a bed, and pleasured each other, and seemed to enjoy it greatly. And much to her surprise, she found that if she was in contact with someone's mind while they were having sex, she could indirectly experience the same pleasures they were experiencing, and that she could affect their level of pleasure, much as she could affect the intensity of a dream or nightmare. \n\nShe also found that males in particular will often tell a whore secrets they would never divulge otherwise, or that they will at least consider telling them such secrets, and in thinking of them they would bring those thoughts and memories to the surface of their minds, where Darla could read them, and alter them. \n\nExpanding her search to other individuals in the inn, she found she could not read the mind of the innkeeper at all. The talisman that he wore around his neck shielded his mind from her. She also could not read M'Lady Portia's mind, on the one occasion that the canine mage came within range of her questing thoughts. For both the inkeeper and M'Lady Portia, Darla could tell they were there, and who they were, but nothing at all more.\n\n===\n\nOn the first night that she was in heat, on what she counted as her fourteenth birthday, Darla asked Meridith to serve her, in her room, and paid the wolf girl for one hour. The wolf wench was very enthusiastic, and the time that they spent together was very pleasurable for both of them. The actual sexual contact took the connection between Darla and Meridith to an entirely new level, each able to experience and play off the pleasures of the other. Before they were done, the sands in Meridith's hourglass had long run out. Neither the vixen nor wolf noticed until they were sated, and Meridith did not ask any additional fee for the extra time. Meridith commented as she left, \"If I did not know better, I'd swear you've done that for many years! You're a right handful, M'Lady, an' I'll gladly serve ye any time ye wish!\"\n\nOn the second night of her heat, Darla changed her appearance to a black furred adult vixen, about age twenty instead of fourteen, and calling herself 'Heather', she convinced Master Duncan to accept Ashley and herself as part-time 'night girls'. Meridith, Molly and the other wenches welcomed their 'new sisters', and exchanged advice with them on how best to please certain customers. Each night, 'Heather' and Ashley would 'arrive' just after the evening meal, and work until there were no more customers waiting, often until dawn. 'Heather' sated her body's needs in this way for two weeks, while earning coins and learning secrets from the minds of her patrons. She only refused to serve Humans, and otherwise mated with equal enthusiasm with dogs, foxes, wolves, and even with one bear. She became quite popular, because of her ability to sense what the client wanted and when, and give it to him, while using her abilities to amplify his pleasure. Ashley could offer an almost endless stamina, seemed immune to rough treatment, and for a fairly high price would offer to entertain any one guest until they could no longer perform. \n\nDarla's small money chest rapidly refilled with copper and silver coins, and even an occasional gold coin, given by grateful customers whose experience had been pleasurable beyond all expectations.\n\nBut on the last night of her heat, 'Heather' entertained a customer that changed her plans entirely. \n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 16, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 16 - Friends in high places\n\nOn the last night of her heat, Darla, in her identity as 'Heather', came in through the front doors of the inn with Ashley, as if arriving from elsewhere. Shortly after they arrived, a new guest entered the inn, reverently carrying a small chest, and accompanied by a carriage driver who brought in the guest's other luggage, accepted his fee, and departed with another paying customer. This new fellow was one that the girls could not recall having seen in the inn before. He was a reasonably good looking red fox, in his mid 40's or so, and from the cut of his clothes and the amount of luggage he brought with him, he was a gentleman of some stature, and likely to be quite wealthy. He spoke in low tones to the innkeeper, arranged for a room, and asked to have his one large portmanteau and two smaller chests carried up to the room by the innkeeper and Meridith. The working girls all sized him up, bantering with each other about what his tastes might be, and whether or not he would want a girl at all to warm his bed tonight.\n\nHe did not go to his room at once, nor did he seem to pay any attention to the preening wenches that tried to catch his gaze. He sat at a table in the common room, alone, and as far from anyone else as he could manage, with his head in his hands, as if very tired, or very sad. Before him on the table sat the one small chest that he had carried in himself.\n\nMolly went to his table and asked, \"What be yer pleasure, M'Lord? A meal, or a drink, or somethin' else, mayhaps?\"\n\nThe gentleman looked up at her with eyes that seemed so haunted that the friendly young ferret wench involuntarily stepped back a pace, as he said sadly, \"Your best brandy. Bring the bottle.\" He slapped two gold coins on the table as if they were mere coppers, and leaned back, with his eyes closed, and rubbed his eyes with one hand.\n\nMolly meeped, scooped up the coins, and scurried to the bar, returning as swiftly as she could with an unopened bottle of their very best brandy, and a nice glass goblet. \"W-will there be aught else, M'Lord? Anything at all I could do for ye?\"\n\nThe fox said nothing. He took the bottle without even looking at the label, opened it, and poured the goblet half full. He drained that overly large measure in a single gulp, before looking at Molly with a glare that made the poor girl meep again and run from his table as if slapped.\n\n\"Maybe he just doesn't like his girls so young,\" Meridith said, having returned from upstairs in time to see the most unusual sight of Molly turning tail and running from a customer. She walked up to him herself, and asked, \"My Lord? Did our little Molly offend you in some way? Can I serve ye, instead?\"\n\nHe barely glanced at the wolf girl, before rejected her with just three words, \"Not you. No.\", and he looked at her with that same haunted expression. He gazed at the small chest once more with a pained expression, as if expecting the chest or its contents to somehow berate him for even talking to the wench.\n\nMeridith backed away, murmuring to the other girls, \"Those eyes... It's as if he's starin' at hell itself!\" She shuddered and sought another possible customer.\n\n\"This one's mine then, if he's anyone's,\" Heather said. She walked up and sat across the table from the fox, bold as brass and not waiting for an invitation.\n\nHe glared at her.\n\nShe calmly returned his gaze.\n\n\"Ye don't run?\" he asked, as he looked at her more closely. There was something painful in the way he looked at Heather - like looking at her broke his heart.\n\n\"Should I run? I don't think so,\" Heather replied. She opened her mind to his thoughts, and saw at once that the man was drowning in grief. He was in town to place the ashes of his beloved wife and daughter in the family crypt, and those ashes were in the chest that he bore with him. But there was something more, a sense of extreme guilt, and a deeper pain that she couldn't yet see. \"Perhaps you just need to talk, then? I'll keep your counsel better than any priest at confession. You seem troubled. Please, let me ease your burden.\"\n\n\"Nothing can ease my burden, lass. Not while I live. But... all right. If you'll stay the whole night with me, and help me to forget, just this one night, I'll pay you well,\" he said, as he thrust a hand into his pocket, took her hand in his other hand, and placed ten gold coins in her palm - a fee far in excess of what any whore would normally charge - as if the money meant nothing to him. His hands were shaking. \"The whole night, mind you, and your silence on whatever I may ask of ye.\"\n\n\"I think you found the right girl. We have a deal, then,\" Heather replied, as she put the coins in her pouch, took his hand in hers, picked up the bottle and goblet with the other hand, and led him, unresisting, to the stairs. The gentleman gently cradled the small chest in his arm, as if afraid it would break if touched by anyone else.\n\nMeridith told Heather the gentleman's room number as they passed her, gave Heather the key, and she whispered also, \"Good luck with that one.\"\n\n===\n\nHeather let them into the room, where the lamp had already been lit and a low fire kindled by Meridith, when she and the inkeeper left the luggage in the room. \n\nThe older fox followed meekly, and after placing his burden on the bedside table, he stopped with his hand resting on the small chest, trembling and weeping, and whispering almost inaudibly, \"Forgive me.\"\n\n\"They call me Heather. How should I call you, My Lord?\" Heather asked.\n\n\"I am... was... Lord Edward Randall. The last of my line, and there shall be no other. That is behind me now. Ashes of my past. The burden of my sins.\" he said.\n\n\"You do not strike me as a sinner, Lord Randall,\" Heather said softly. \"You don't have to speak of it, but I'll listen, if you want me to. Have you lost someone you loved? Surely it was not your fault?\"\n\n\"Not my fault... Not directly, perhaps. But I fear it is a judgment upon my soul for the evil that long has dwelt in my heart,\" he said, as he sat on the bed. \"My wife, Mary, and my daughter, Sarina... are both gone. They were taken from me last month, by a plague that swept through our township, well to the south. Why was I spared? They were pure, and virtuous. Not... not like me. My poor Sarina... My poor, poor child. She did not deserve this. I would gladly take her place, if her life could be spared.\"\n\nHaltingly, he spoke to her, and his story began to unfold. After his wife and daughter had died, he was a broken man. He could not bear to live in the home they had shared. He sold his mansion, lands, and business interests, and set forth to take the cremated remains of his wife and daughter to be interred in the family crypt, in the city near this inn. He would then have to go in person to tell his brother in law, Lord Thomas Penington, who was his wife Mary's brother, that his sister Mary and his niece Sarina were both dead. When that sad obligation was done, and the funeral held, Lord Randall intended to go to the abbey in the town, donate his wealth to the church, and become a monk, taking a vow of silence and chastity, and praying for his 'past sins'.\n\nHeather sat beside Lord Randall and held him close, kissing him gently on the cheek. She could feel that he needed physical release. It was clear in his mind that before his wife died, he had been a lusty man, who loved his wife with a great physical passion, and that she had loved him with equal enthusiasm and frequency. Since her death, a month earlier, he had not been in bed with any woman. He needed a woman's physical affection like he needed to breathe, but he had been denying his nature, out of some warped sense of guilt. But what she could not understand was what guilt he felt over this tragedy, and he would not tell her. She doubted he could ever maintain a vow of chastity as a monk.\n\nShe touched his mind, soothing him and changing his thoughts just enough that he could relax and enjoy her company. As they began to make love, she sought in his mind his deepest fantasies, so that for this one night, she would become the girl of his dreams. He kept his eyes closed, but hungrily accepted what she offered.\n\nHis need was so great that she allowed his dreams and fantasies to reshape her very appearance to suit his whims, certain that she could erase any inconvenient memories that the change might cause, while leaving the memory that he had been sated in greater measure than he thought possible.\n\nAs had happened so many times before, the sexual connection opened his mind to her like a rose blooming in the sun. She could see every memory in his mind. She saw the happiness he had shared with his wife and daughter. She saw many memories of their child growing up, a lovely red-furred vixen that would have been almost the same age as Darla really was, had she lived. Mother and daughter had looked so much alike, especially as the young vixen started to become a woman.\n\nAnd therein lay the seeds of his guilt, and his fantasy, and his self loathing, all at once. As the child had grown, and as his beloved wife grew older, Lord Randall had lusted after his own daughter. He had never actually touched the child. But for the last few years, as he mated nightly with his wife, he had almost always fantasized that it was his daughter he was mating with. Twice he had stood outside the child's bedroom, intending to claim her, before having second thoughts and returning to his wife's bed.\n\nAnd then they had perished, suddenly. And while he mourned their loss, Lord Randall had been appalled to realize that what he regretted most was not that they had died, while he had lived. It was that he regretted bitterly that he had never consummated his forbidden desire to mate with his own daughter. That was what haunted him, and made him hate himself. He had accepted Heather's offer because she happened to look vaguely like his wife and daughter, though her fur was, thankfully, not red, even though he had not consciously made the choice based on her appearance.\n\nAs their mating was nearly ended, Lord Randall opened his eyes, and saw not the black-furred adult whore that he had hired, but instead the very image of his red furred fourteen year old daughter Sarina! And there she was, astride him, her eyes wild with lust for her father, and saying, \"Ohhh, I love you, Daddy!\" Even as this shocked realization hit him, his body responded, and he shuddered as he achieved his release. Then he passed out, murmuring, \"Sarina! What have I done? What... have... I... done?\"\n\nHeather immediately forced the guilt wracked man into a deep sleep, as she pondered what to do. She had given him what he most deeply desired, and yet also what he most feared. She had not wanted to wound him more deeply. Yet she saw one way to make amends, and at the same time, to benefit herself. \n\nStill in the physical form of fourteen year old Sarina, she opened Lord Randall's portmanteau and found the man's nightshirt, dressing him for bed, and cleaning him of all signs of their copulation. She put her own chemise back on, altering it with a quick spell to fit her smaller, younger form. Searching his belongings, she also found several of Sarina's dresses, which, according to a handwritten note tucked in the paper wrapping them, Lord Randall had apparently planned to offer to his own niece, Amara, who was his brother in law's daughter. \n\nHaving found all she needed in the fox's belongings and in his mind, she started altering the Lord Randall's memories. When she was done, she left him asleep, unable to awaken until she woke him in the morning, and went to instruct Ashley in what must be done.\n\n===\n\nIn the morning, Lord Randall awoke in bed, with his daughter Sarina snuggled close behind him for warmth. He got out of bed and gazed at her innocent face with a sense of guilt and longing. Once more he had resisted carnal temptation presented by his daughter, and yet he knew he could not do so much longer. Nor could he bear to watch her growing up into the image of her mother. Last night he had experiences an unbelievably vivid dream of mating with his own child, and he knew that if she lived with him much longer, he would be unable to resist really doing so. He steeled his resolve for what he must do, as he swiftly got dressed. Then he gently awoke the child.\n\n\"Humm? Good morning daddy!\" Sarina/Darla said with a sleepy grin, as Lord Randall touched her shoulder.\n\n\"Get dressed, dearest.\" Lord Randall said softly. \"Put on your nicest dress. Today we must see your uncle and his family.\"\n\n\"I know, Daddy. But don't be sad. I understand what we must do,\" Sarina said cheerfully. \"Mommy will watch over us both, won't she?\"\n\n\"She will dearest, she will,\" Lord Randall said sorrowfully.\n\n===\n\nLord Randall hired a coach to take them to his brother in law's home. When they arrived, a manservant let them into the elegant home's foyer, and went to get Lord Penington.\n\n\"Edward! You should have written to let me know you were coming! Welcome, welcome, my friend,\" Lord Penington said enthusiastically as he entered the foyer and shook Lord Randall's hand. \"You really should visit more often. We never see enough of you! And can this be little Sarina? How many years has it been? My! What a beautiful young vixen you're becoming! But where is Mary? Edward? That look on your face... Good Lord, man, has something happened to my sister?\"\n\nLord Randall began to cry, and he sobbed, \"She... is with us. But she shall not be able to greet you. Oh, my brother... There was a plague... The doctors and mages did all that they could, but... Mary didn't survive. She is gone, Thomas. Mary is gone, and we are come to inter her ashes in the family crypt. I couldn't just write that in a letter. I had to tell you in person.\"\n\n\"Dear God. And she was so young. This is terrible, Edward, just terrible. We will help with all the arrangements, of course. Come into the parlor, and have a brandy. I'll have one too. God, what a shock this is. I need a drink. I can hardly believe it. We must break the news to Meghan and Amara,\" Lord Pennington said.\n\n===\n\nA few days later, they held a funeral, and Lord Randall and Sarina together put Mary's ashes into the small crypt. No one but Sarina could see that a second set of ashes also were placed there, Sarina's, with the single white flower that Sarina put in the small marble vault.\n\nWhen they returned to the Penington estate, Lord Randall said to his brother in law, \"Thomas, I cannot express how profoundly Mary's death has beset me.  I could not bear to look at the estate where we lived together. At every turn I saw her, and wept. I have sold it to my neighbor, who gave me a good price. And I have sold my business in the town, as well.\"\n\n\"What? But what will you do? Where will you live? What is to become of Sarina?\" Lord Penington asked.\n\n\"Thomas? I know it is so much to ask, but... will you take my daughter as your ward, and raise her as your own? She looks so much like her mother. I love her with all my heart, but I cannot bear to always see her, and in her see Mary. Please, say you will take her into your care. I will give you half of the wealth that I possess, to hold in trust for my beloved Sarina, to pay for the best possible education for her, for her living expenses, and as her dowry, should she choose to marry, or as funds to set her up with a shop, if her promising talent as mage should prove worth that endeavor. She is quite skilled at oneromancy, as young as she is. I think that is why she is so calm in the face of her mother's death. She can quell the nightmares that come from her grief. Would that I could quell my own nightmares so well. She is such a brave little vixen!\"\n\n\"Of course we will take her in, Edward. Of course! She is my sister's child, and all that I have left of her. But what will you do, Edward? Wherever will you go?\" Thomas Penington asked.\n\n\"I had some thoughts of becoming a monk, but, well, you know that life would never suit me, eh? I like women far too much, though I was faithful to Mary, I assure you! She was all the woman any man could hope for, by god. I am taking a steamship to the Orient, Thomas. Travelling to the far colonies, where nothing will remind me of Mary. Maybe, in time, I'll find a new wife. But I need to go, to get away from here,\" Edward Randall said. What he didn't admit was that leaving was the best way to ensure he would be free of the temptation his own daughter presented to him.\n\n===\n\nSarina was given a room at the Penington estate, across the hall from her cousin, Amara. None of the Penington family had seen Sarina in years, and with the memories that the false Sarina had obtained from Sarina's father, and the additional memories that she rapidly gleaned from the Penington family, Sarina had no trouble making anyone believe that she was the real Lady Sarina Randall.\n\nA week after the funeral, Sarina sat in a sheltered bower in the gardens, with Asha, who no one but her could see. It was a cold day, and lightly snowing, and no one in the family was inclined to question her wish to be alone with her thoughts, amid the silence of the falling snow. No one could hear the conversation between Sarina and her familiar, which was mind to mind.\n\n\"That was well played, Mistress,\" Asha said. \"You have gained a new identity, powerful social connections, and wealth. And the one that you took this wealth from still came out of it better than he would have.\"\n\n\"Yes, I think so. Sarina's father will be much happier, believing she still lives. He still has half his wealth, instead of giving it all to the church. And he never would have been happy as a celibate monk! That man was far too lusty for that!\"\n\n\"You should know, Mistress. So we're done with whoring, I take it?\" Asha asked.\n\n\"No need for that now, so yes,\" Sarina said. \"Lady Sarina Randall should not lack for lovers, and if I ever do, maybe I'll just summon you for that. You still have five years left to serve me.\"\n\n\"You have but to ask, Mistress. Get them to set you up with a shop soon, so we can resume our studies. Five years is barely enough for me to give you a good tutoring in pyromancy,\" Asha said with a grin. \n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 17, Written December 2011\n\n===\n\nChapter 17 - Lessons of many sorts\n\nSarina rapidly took her place in the Pennington family. Lord Thomas Penington spared no expense in ensuring that his daughter and his niece both had all the advantages that wealth and social position could offer. Sarina was instructed by the same private tutor that taught Lord Penington's only child, Amara. The two girls at first were almost inseparable, with Amara treating Sarina more like a long lost sister than her first cousin. Together, the two vixens learned to dance, and to sing, and learned the manners and behaviors appropriate for a young woman of breeding and refinement. In their studies of the arts, Sarina showed an amazing talent for sculpture, using her magical abilities to shape stone or metal into life-like creations. Amara was gifted with a beautiful singing voice. \n\nLord Penington was rightly proud of both girls, and insisted that they be educated as well as any man, ensuring that they were also taught political sciences, mathematics, chemistry, psychology, and other sciences. After all, the heir to the current king was a young girl only two years older than they were, and if the country was some day to be ruled by a queen in her own right, who was to say what heights a well-educated young lady might aspire to?\n\nA month after joining their family, Lord Pennington asked Sarina to join him in his study. She had never been invited into the Lord's study before, and was fascinated by the shelves of books and a collection of small ivory carvings that he had on display.\n\n\"Can I come in here when it won't disturb you, and read your books, uncle?\" Sarina asked.\n\n\"You may borrow any of my books to study, of course,\" he replied with an indulgent smile. \"You have such an agile mind. But I did not ask you to come in here for books. Your father told me that you are skilled in magic, and in particular, in oneromancy. Is this so?\"\n\n\"Yes, uncle,\" Sarina replied. \"Someday I hope to open a shop of my own, and work as a mage. I became aware of my talent several years ago, and I've been studying a lot.\"\n\n\"I would like you to demonstrate for me what you know of the magical arts, Sarina,\" Lord Pennington said. \"I am no mage, but I have been looking into this for you, and it seems that to open a shop for hire, on your own, you must be eighteen. But I could rent a shop on your behalf, as a place for you to practice and study. Your tutor mentioned to me that you can sculpt stone or metal with magic. I would like to see this done.\"\n\nThe old fox reached behind his desk and picked up a block of marble, roughly a foot on each side. He set it on the desk and asked, \"What can you make from this? Do you need any other materials, or to make any preparations?\"\n\n\"I need nothing else, uncle. Whatever I make, it must remain the same kind of material. What starts as marble will remain marble - what starts as silver will remain silver. But I can re-shape it completely, so long as when I am done, the finished work has roughly the same mass,\" she replied. She walked around the room for a moment, looking at her uncle from several sides. Then she stood beside the desk and touched the marble block. Her eyes glowed, shining with a brilliant acid green light, and the stone flowed and writhed as if it was liquid, reforming within minutes into a detailed bust of her uncle.\n\n\"Remarkable! You can see the texture of my fur, and even the thread that sews the buttons onto my shirt collar! Even if you do no other magic, people will pay well for such sculptures my dear,\" her uncle said as he examined the finished work. \"I wonder. If you had gold or silver, could you make coins?\"\n\n\"I could, uncle, but I would be most unwise to do so. I have already been taught that it is against the law to counterfeit the crown's coins, and any coin with a residual aura of magic on it would be suspect,\" Sarina stated. \"Even to turn a silver piece into something else and then back to its original form might eventually cause someone to inquire if it is a false coin. It would be better for me to make that gold or silver into jewelry, to be sold for coins.\"\n\n\"Smart girl, and well spoken,\" her uncle said with a chuckle. \"But this is not oneromancy, is it? That refers to dreams and mind magic, I believe? Is it fortune telling? Can you show me that skill?\"\n\n\"Oneromancy is not prophecy, though it can reveal truths that the dreams or thoughts of another may contain,\" Sarina replied. \"Are you quite certain that you want me to demonstrate that skill for you?\"\n\n\"Yes, please. Can you tell me what I am thinking about right now?\" he replied.\n\nSarina's eyes glowed softly, almost imperceptibly, as she looked at him and said, \"Right now, Uncle, you are wondering if you can convince me to use oneromancy to your business advantage - to know what your competitors plan to do, or to influence those who buy or sell at your business interests to do so in a way favorable to you. That is why you asked to talk to me privately. Now it shocks you that your thoughts are so open to me. Ah! You are afraid of me now, and were not before. I will not harm you, Uncle. You have no reason to fear me.\"\n\nLord Pennington looked quite shaken, and he asked, \"Just how much can you see, child?\"\n\nSarina looked at Lord Pennington, and her eyes glowed brighter. \"I can only see what you are thinking of at the moment, uncle. Though often when a person wants to hold fast to a secret, they do think of that which they would conceal. Do not fear. I will not tell Aunt Meghan, or anyone else, that you were having an incestuous affair with my mother before I was born, well after you married Aunt Meghan. I will not tell her that you frequently mated with your own sister. I really do not care about that, or about your suspicions that you might have been my real father, since you were in bed with mother at the right time, before I was born, and while her husband, Lord Randall was elsewhere. But I could only see that in your thoughts because you thought of it, just then,\" Sarina said calmly. \"I cannot see memories that you are not conscious of. Not so easily. And there are ways to prevent such intrusions, uncle. I can craft a talisman that will conceal your thoughts, so an oneromancer cannot read your mind. Such talismans are not hard to obtain, which is why using oneromancy to gain an unfair business advantage is unwise. Even a common inkeeper that we met on our way here had such protection. Rent me a shop, uncle, where I can practice, and I will make you that talisman, and keep silent on your past indiscretions.\"\n\n\"You will have your shop, Sarina. Just stay out of my mind,\" Lord Pennington said, leaning heavily on his desk with both hands.\n\n===\n\nSarina was happy that she would finally have a place to properly work on her magical skills. She honestly didn't care about her uncle's past affairs. She had told him what she knew merely to show him her skills, and not as a threat of blackmail. Lord Pennington may have thought otherwise, as he very rapidly rented a shop not far from their estate, but far enough that any mishaps would not affect their home. He had heard that on occasion a mage's workshop had rather spectacular accidents. As soon as the shop was hers, Sarina summoned Asha to take up residence in the forge in one corner of the shop, and to guard it when Sarina was away. That very night, Sarina crafted the talisman for protection from mental intrusion, for her uncle.  But she did not tell him, when she gave it to him, that she had included in its making a trigger spell that she could use to unmake it, so if she ever needed to see inside his mind later, she could eliminate his protection against her. From that day onward, Sarina spent part of each day in her shop, learning pyromancy from Asha, and working on other magical skills.\n\nSarina quickly surpassed her cousin in normal academic pursuits, devouring books and confounding her tutor with her ability to remember facts, figures and diagrams in the greatest of detail. While Amara was carefully working her way through a mathematical lesson, and looking dreadfully bored, Sarina would be done with her assignments and would be reading a treatise on magic. At the age of fifteen, Sarina was invited to take classes at the Royal University, which had a school in the city. Amara received no such invitation, but said she was glad, as this meant she had more time for pleasurable pursuits.\n\nAmara was hopelessly romantic. While Sarina studied magic or attended classes at the university, Amara read romance stories, or attended romantic plays. Her heart swelled with hope each time a dashing young man turned his attention her way, and she would sulk endlessly when in due course her unreasonably high hopes were crushed by her latest paramour. Sarina tried at first to warn Amara when a particular suitor was, in his surface thoughts, much less of a gentleman than Sarina's parents would approve of. But the very fact that 'mommy and daddy would not approve' just seemed to fan the flames of the girl's interest higher, and she would often sneak off at night, to meet secretly with her latest lover. Amara was, at least, sufficiently discrete that she never caused a scandal, nor did she get a wanton reputation. It helped that Sarina occasionally 'cleaned up after' Amara, ensuring that former suitors and those they might have spoken to of Amara's wanton behavior would not remember it.\n\nShortly after both girls celebrated their sixteenth birthdays, Lord Pennington hosted a debutante's ball for his girls, inviting well to do families with eligible young sons to court the girls. Amara thrived on the attention, and repeatedly tried to get her cousin Sarina to dance with this young man or that. Sarina feigned interest, but if a suitor got too interested in her, she would insist on conversing about esoteric subjects in magic or the sciences, usually leaving the boy bewildered, and uncertain that he wished to have a wife that was better educated than he was.\n\nLady Sarina Randall and Lady Amara Pennington soon became well-known young vixens in the better social circles. Lady Meghan Randall even managed to present the girls at the Royal Court, where they met the king. Both girls had hoped to also see the young princess who was the king's heiress, but she was not at court. To Sarina, it was debatable which part of the trip was the most fascinating to her - meeting the king, or her first ride on a steam train, which they had travelled on to get to the capitol city.\n\nWhen the king passed away two months later, the family was invited to attend the coronation of the new queen, Victoria. They traveled again to the capitol city, taking the steam train, to attend the festivities. The princess Victoria was a stern-faced bulldog girl only eighteen years old, who would be ruling in her own right. The old king had been her uncle, and she had been his designated heiress for the last seven years. Lady Sarina watched with great interest as the young queen, only two years older than herself, took the reins of power, while so many rich and powerful people bowed before her. Sarina tried to imagine what it would be like, to rule an entire country. She found the thought of such power intoxicating. Who would dare oppose the queen of the land? Who indeed, if that queen also had the power of magic, as Sarina did? The vixen watched with great interest the way this young queen kept a tight grip on the reins of power.\n\n===\n\nShortly after Amara and Sarina turned eighteen, Amara happily announced that she had found the love of her life. This was about the twenty-seventh time that the romance-struck young vixen had made such a declaration in the last four years. But this time, the fellow in question seemed just as serious about her as she was about him. He was a black furred fox with a commission as an officer in the Royal Navy, who had been knighted by the Queen the previous year. Sir Reginald Wilson was ruggedly handsome, and quite wealthy. Many young ladies had hoped to be the lucky girl who would win his heart. Amara, it seemed, had managed to do so. That he was forty-one and Amara only eighteen seemed not to matter to either of them.\n\nLord Pennington somewhat reluctantly approved of the match, and arranged for a grand wedding and a nice dowry for his only daughter. Lady Pennington gave them her blessings, and stated that she hoped that it would not be long before they heard the happy announcement that Amara was with child.\n\nSarina was happy for her 'cousin', but could not read the thoughts of her new husband. As an officer in the Navy, Sir Reginald wore a medallion to protect his mind.  Sarina set aside any doubts she had, and returned to her magical studies.\n\n===\n\nA year later, when Sarina was nineteen, she had a customer come to her shop that she had not seen in many years. Lady Portia, the canine mage, entered the shop, carrying a cloth wrapped bundle about two feet long.\n\n\"Good day. Would you be Lady Sarina? I have heard you are skilled at reforming metal,\" the collie said. \"Can you reform a broken blade, without removing any enchantments that are on it?\"\n\n\"Most likely,\" Sarina said. \"Do you have all the pieces, Lady Portia?\"\n\nPortia set the bundle on the table and stared at Sarina, asking, \"Have we met before, My Lady? I have heard you were also an oneromancer, but my mind is well defended. How did you know my name?\" She looked around the workshop, and her eyes locked on the forge. \"You have an elemental in your forge. It is most unusual type of elemental, as well. Has it served you for very long?\" she asked suspiciously.\n\n\"That elemental has served me for as long as we have both known you, and more, Lady Portia. When last we met, I had a slightly different appearance, and went by the name of Darla,\" Sarina admitted. \"It has been several years, though we have heard of your endeavors on occasion. I heard you had quite an intense battle with a werewolf in the heart of the market district a few weeks ago. I would be glad to repair your blade.\"\n\n \"Lady Sarina Randall, eh? Found a rich nobleman to marry, and changed your name?\" Portia asked.\n\n\"Not married, no. I found a kind gentleman who was willing to adopt me, and raise me as his own,\" Sarina said, as she unwrapped the pieces of the broken blade. She looked at the three pieces, and the intricate silver inlay work, nodding as she read the inscription and noted how it was built. \"This is well made. The blade itself is nice and sturdy, with a deep central blood groove. It's been inlaid with silver. This spell allows the blade to enflame. Interesting. And a second enchantment is here, one that changes the blade's size, and conceals it, yes? Is there more?\"\n\n\"Very good! You only missed one thing. That's one half of a matched pair. The intact one is here,\" Lady Portia said. She touched what appeared to be a inch-long decorative metal sword attached to a tooled leather wrist cuff, and a full-sized sword appeared in her hand, as the one on the cuff vanished. She laid it beside the pieces of the other.\n\n\"I understand the silver, for use against werewolves. But why the flaming charm?\" Sarina asked. \"Of course, a flaming sword does more damage, but I sense there is more to it than that. And what did I miss?\"\n\n\"The fire is for vampires. Silver doesn't bother them much, but fire makes it much slower for their wounds to heal. Most normal blades can't cause them any real harm. What you missed isn't magic - it's mechanical. Watch,\" Lady Portia said, as she picked up the hilt of the broken sword. She pointed it at a timber post, and pressed a small catch on the hilt. There was a loud hiss as a slender wooden dart shot down the 'blood groove' and embedded itself deeply in the heavy wooden post.\n\n\"A wooden stake striking the heart paralyzes a vampire, and halts their regeneration. That dart is holly, tipped with ironwood. I can shoot one right down the blade like that, if I have used the blade to pierce whatever armor they may be wearing. I can shoot a second one from the pommel end of the hilt,\" she explained.\n\n\"But that stake still won't kill them? It only paralyzes them? So how do you actually kill a vampire?\" Sarina asked. \n\n\"Cut off their head, and burn the head before it has a chance to regenerate. Without the stake, they can be back to attacking you in minutes, even if you cut their head off,\" Lady Portia explained.\n\n\"Five gold coins to mend the blade, good as new,\" Sarina said. \"That's half my normal fee for such work. The lessons you just taught me are worth the other half of my fee.\"\n\n\"Done, and thank you,\" Portia said. She paid the fee, and Sarina rapidly fixed the blade.\n\n\"Good as new! Do you think you could make a similar one from scratch, if need be?\" Portia asked, as she tested the balance of the repaired blade, made the sword blade enflame and go out, and then reattached it to her wrist cuff.\n\n\"Almost,\" Sarina said. \"I could at least do the metalwork and magic. I would need to know more about that mechanical part in the hilt, to make the dart thrower. But with a little effort and a few experiments, I think I could make that part as well. Good hunting, Lady Portia, and farewell.\" \n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 18, Written January 2012\n\n===\n\nChapter 18 - Night Work\n\nThe evening meal in the Pennington's manor house was subdued. Lady Pennington was not in a good mood, and was making sure everyone knew it.\n\n\"The least she could do is to come over for tea,\" she complained. \"It's been a year since they were married, and has she even once invited us to her home?\"\n\n\"Well, dear, Sir Reginald Wilson is a naval officer, after all. He and our Amara have three homes, and move about a lot, as his duties take him to other ports,\" Lord Pennington said apologetically. He was no more pleased than his wife at how distant their daughter had become, but he didn't feel it was appropriate for him to make a public display of such emotions.\n\n\"But I know she is in town now,\" Lady Pennington insisted. \"Two nights ago, when we were returning from the opera, I am certain I saw Amara and Sir Reginald on the balcony of Kensington House, attending a banquet. I asked around, and it was an awards ceremony for naval officers.\"\n\n\"To which we were not invited, as I am not a Navy man myself,\" Lord Pennington stated reasonably. \"Really now, my dear, would you expect a group of Navy men to invite a retired Army officer and his family to their soiree? I doubt Sir Reginald was up for an award himself, or we would have heard of that. So why should it matter?\"\n\n\"Auntie misses my cousin, Uncle. That is all. I do confess she has a point. I have many obligations of my own, and yet I would not decline an invitation to visit you, were I in her position,\" Sarina said quietly.\n\n\"I will send a girl again to give them an invitation to dinner,\" Lady Pennington said. \"For mid-week, so they shall have no excuses of prior engagements.\"\n\n\"As you wish, my dear,\" Lord Pennington said, though he doubted the girl or her husband would attend this time, either. He had seen this behavior before, in the daughters of several of his friends. As soon as they had a husband and a household of their own, they set about making their home into their private kingdom, taking control of the household staff and trying to re-form their husband into the man they believed they had married, or into the man they hoped he could be. Amara's expectations in her men had always been unreasonable, so it did not surprise him that her settling in with her husband demanded her full attention.\n\n===\n\nAs soon as it was polite for her to do so, Sarina took her leave of them, and went to her workshop. The period of time that her elemental, Asha, was bound to serve her was drawing to a close, and suddenly seven years seemed to be nowhere near enough. There was so much yet that the elemental could teach her, of pyromancy in particular, and of magic in general. Sarina was determined to make each remaining night count.\n\nShe let herself into the workshop, and the lamps brightened with no effort of her own, as the elemental lit them for her. \"Good evening, Asha,\" she said. \n\n\"Good evening Mistress. Shall we resume your lessons? The next spell is one to cast a firebolt, a torrent of flames directed at a single target,\" the elemental said, as she took vixen form again.\n\n\"Yes. I think I have a good grasp of the spell we worked on last night, to heat an object in my own hands, or to take up an already hot or burning object, while remaining untouched by its heat. Look at this,\" Sarina said, as she activated that spell and reached into the forge withdrawing and holding a burning lump of coal in her hand, without harming her fur at all.\n\n\"Good! That is very necessary with the firebolt spell, as it's casting first enflames the caster's hand,\" Asha said. \"Now, you will find the spell on this page in the treatise by Archibald Caxton. Make sure you reverse this number with that one, when you cast it, however. Caxton had a nasty habit of placing traps for the unwary in his spells, preferring them only to be used by a mage wise enough t spot a subtle error like that.\"\n\nThey worked for several hours, until Sarina felt it wise to return home and seek her bed. Before she left, she asked, \"Asha? What... what will become of you, when the seven years are up? When you no longer are bound to serve me?\"\n\n\"Well, I will be free at that point to finally exchange your fertility with another creature from my plane, or with a mortal who is willing to strike a suitable bargain for it. At first, I will return to Hell, as the people of your plane of existence call my home realm, there to await a new summons, or the sufficiently urgent or desperate call of someone who wishes to make an exchange that I can make an offer for. If no one summons me, then I am free to do as I wish,\" Asha said. \"I could even choose to return to this realm, on my own. Perhaps I will do that, Mistress. Being with you has been more entertaining than with many other mages that I have served.\"\n\n\"And if I wished to bind you to my service again, what of that?\" Sarina asked. \"What cost would that require this time?\"\n\n\"I can't say, Mistress. We would have to negotiate it at that time, as we did before. It would be something I would value, or be able to exchange later,\" the elemental said, in an offhand manner. \"But if I have not yet been summoned by another, I would not resist your summons.\"\n\n===\n\nIt was late, and somewhat foggy, as Sarina walked home. The gaslight street lamps cast pools of illumination, but the fog kept the light from fully overlapping, as it would on a clear night. She could see less than fifty feet ahead in this fog at best, and could not see the moon or stars at all.\n\nThere were few others on the streets this late at night. A carriage driver drove slowly along, seeking one last fare for the night. Ladies of the evening stood in lamp lit doorways, seeking a customer for their charms. Occasionally a shadowy figure would lurk in a darkened alley. But most of the thieves and thugs in the district knew well enough that she was a mage, and not one to be trifled with. Sarina did not have any reason to fear the majority of the people who were up this late at night.\n\nShe was startled by a sudden crash, as a dark form came hurtling out of an alley on her right, and smashed into the side of a passing carriage. The horses reared as the driver attempted to get them calmed down. A female figure picked herself up from the ruined interior and door of the carriage, and jumped back in the direction of the alley, drawing twin swords that suddenly enflamed with a golden light.\n\nIn the light of the flaming swords, Sarina could clearly see that the person was Lady Portia, the canine mage. And Lady Portia looked absolutely furious. Snarling and issuing a deep growl that would have given a feral wolf due pause, Portia leaped at a second figure in the shadows, attacking with no mercy.\n\nHer opponent moved with startling speed, avoiding the sword blows and spinning around behind Lady Portia, to strike the mage in the back with one hand. The blow had such force that the mage slammed into the corner of a building, and a sickening snap was heard as she struck. She screamed in pain as her left arm fell useless to her side, and the sword in that hand fell to the ground.\n\nSarina had seen enough. As the shadowy canine female vampire moved in for the kill on the injured mage, Sarina raised one hand and cast the firebolt spell she had just learned. \n\nThe torrent of golden flames hit the right side of the vampire, and through the curtain of flames she glared at Sarina with glowing red eyes, as her clothing caught fire. Screaming in rage and pain, she looked from Sarina to Portia, and then leaped to the nearest building's roof in a single bound, fur and clothes still burning, and vanished across the rooftops.\n\nThe stench of burned fur filled the air as Sarina went to lady Portia, and helped her to stand.\n\n\"She was stronger and more agile than I expected, and gave me quite a fight. You should have finished her, while you had the chance. Always lop off the head. Fire alone would have to be hotter than the heart of any forge, to kill a vampire. But thank you, for your aid. My arm is badly broken. I don't suppose you're as good at mending flesh as you are with steel?\" Lady Portia asked, wincing in pain. \"My own strength is exhausted. I cannot heal myself.\"\n\n\"I'm terrible at healing, but I can get you to a doctor, or a healing mage,\" Sarina replied. \n\nThey got back to the damaged carriage, and the driver asked angrily, \"Say there! Who's paying for the damage to my cab?\"\n\nSarina's eyes glowed, as she touched the carriage and restored it to its undamaged state. \"I have fixed the damage for you. But I cannot fix her. She needs a healing mage, rapidly. Get her to one.\" She tossed the man two silver coins, helped Portia into the cab, and saw them off.\n\n===\n\nThe next night, Sarina discussed the vampire's attack with Asha.\n\n\"I should return with you, Mistress,\" The elemental said. \"You hurt it, but did not kill it. That vampire will be after you now.\"\n\n\"I drove it off easily enough,\" Sarina said. \"But you may follow, unseen, if you wish.\"\n\nSarina walked home, with Asha following invisibly behind her. \n\nOne of the streetwalkers stepped out of her doorway, as if taking a chance that Sarina might have some interest in her ample bosom, which was nearly toppling out of her chemise, so tightly was her corselet laced. \"Lonely, hon?\" she asked.\n\n\"Not interested,\" Sarina replied. But as she moved to pass the canine girl, she saw the streetwalker's eyes begin to glow red.\n\n\"Oh, but I have an interest in you, m'lady,\" the girl hissed, stepping into Sarina's path and attempting to enthrall her with a spell. \n\nSarina put up one hand and blasted the wench with telekinesis, knocking her into the alley.\n\nThe wench shook her head, as the glamour that had disguised her fell away. The vampire girl from the night before stood, and locked her eyes on Sarina's, commanding, \"Come to my embrace. You cannot resist me.\"\n\nSarina staggered back a step, and then slowly shuffled forward, into the vampire's arms. \n\nThe vampire embraced her, and bent to bite her soft-furred neck.\n\nSarina suddenly grabbed the vampire tightly, as her entire body erupted into fire. Black fire. Asha, in her natural form as an elemental, turned up her infernal heat until the light of the nearest door lamps and street lamps was eclipsed by the black anti-light of her otherworldly fire.\n\nThe vampire screamed as she was incinerated utterly, flailing and biting at the insubstantial flames of the elemental in a last attempt to curse her with vampirism.\n\nIt was soon over, and Asha took the form of a vixen again, as the real Sarina released the invisibility spell that she had cloaked herself with just as the vampire was first knocked into the alley, and as Asha had taken her place.\n\n\"Are you all right, Asha?\" Sarina asked. \"She... didn't infect you with her curse?\"\n\nAsha smiled, and replied, \"The vampire's curse is blood borne, and I have no blood to taint. No elemental can become a vampire, Mistress, though I am touched at your concern for my well being.\"\n\nSarina looked around, and replied, \"Well... while you serve me, you are mine. It would not do for them to take what is mine from me. That is all, really. Return to the workshop. I sense no other hostile minds, and I have but two blocks to go to return to the Pennington Manor.\"\n\n\"As you command, Mistress,\" Asha replied, as she vanished from sight.\n\nSarina looked ahead, and saw a carriage was parked in front of the mansion. Reaching out with her mind, she sensed the presence of her cousin, Amara.\n\n\"Auntie will be pleased. She finally accepted our invitation,\" Sarina said to herself, withdrawing from Amara's mind as soon as she sensed who it was. \"I wonder if Sir Reginald is with her?...\"\n\nHer musings were interrupted as something hit her hard from behind, driving her head first through the glass window of a shop. Sarina barely had time to throw her arms up to protect her face, and her left arm was gashed on a shard of glass, as she fell into the window display of household bric a brac. She sucked at the superficial but freely bleeding cut on her arm, and turned to see what hit her.\n\nA large male figure was backlit by the street lamp directly behind him, as her attacker stood on the sidewalk and reaching out to grab her, his eyes glowing red in the dark, as the only feature of his face that she could see, but clearly identifying him to her as another vampire.\n\nSarina cast an intense fear spell, but it did nothing. She reached out to attack the vampire's mind with nightmare, yet sensed no hole in his defenses that her mind could penetrate.\n\nThe vampire tried to grab her leg, and she was only barely fast enough to roll away from him over the shards of broken glass and shattered crockery and other displayed wares.\n\nShe scrambed backward, deeper into the store, and her hand landed on something metal. It was a silver crucifix! Sarina held it up, and the vampire backed away from her, shielding its eyes with its arms. Pressing her advantage, Sarina leaped back through the damaged window display and onto the sidewalk, in mid-leap altering the metal of the crucifix into a double-bitted silver axe. The vampire sensed there was no longer a cross in front of him, and lowered its arms, just as Sarina heated the axe blade white-hot, and hacked at the creature to lop off its head. \n\nPanting hard, she dropped the axe and immediately cast a firebolt at the face-down severed head in the gutter, incinerating it.\n\nBefore she could catch her breath, the night air was pierced by a shrill female scream.\n\n\"She's murdered him! She's murdered my husband! Look at her!\" screamed Amara as she pointed at Sarina and the headless corpse at her feet. A corpse that Sarina could now see was wearing the dress uniform of a naval officer.\n\nShe could hear a police whistle in the fog, as an officer on patrol responded to the screams. She could see Lord Pennington and Lady Pennington coming out of the mansion, standing behind Amara, and staring at her in horror.\n\nSarina stood there over the headless corpse, her own mouth stained bright red with the blood from the gash on her arm, and knew she couldn't possibly explain the situation. Cursing profoundly, she teleported away. The last thing she heard before she vanished was Amara's hysterical voice, screaming, \"Daddy! My cousin is a vampire! She killed my husband!\" \n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 19, Written January 2012\n\n===\n\nChapter 19 - On the run\n\nSarina reappeared inside her room in the mansion. She knew she might have only minutes before they started searching both here and in her workshop for her, but she refused to lose the few nice things she had gained from her false life as Sarina.\n\nShe opened the top drawer of her dresser, swept all the loose things from on top of it into the drawer, closed it up and shrunk the whole dresser to attach to her necklace. She grabbed her spare shoes from under her bed, threw them into her wardrobe closet, and shrunk both the wardrobe and, after only a moment's hesitation, also shrank the four-posted bed, to become charms on her necklace. She dearly would have wanted to take the small chest that her uncle still kept for her, with the money and jewels that she had conned out of Lord Edward Randall when she took the identity as Sarina Randall, but she did not know where Lord Pennington had placed the chest for safe keeping, and had no time to search for it now.\n\nShe teleported again, reappearing in her magical workshop.\n\n\"Asha! Come to me now! I am being hunted!\" she shouted, as she threw half a dozen books and scrolls into a chest, and sent that chest to her necklace charms. She almost poked herself in the eye with the wooden dart that Lady Portia had shot into the post by her desk, and which still jutted out at head level. She glowered at it and angrily yanked the dart out of the wood, then shrugged and attached that dart to her necklace too.\n\n\"What in the nine hells did you do? Kill the rich old couple you were living with?\" Asha asked.\n\n\"No, but I did kill Amara's husband, it seems. He was a vampire, and attacked me, but I can't prove it, and I was caught over his headless corpse by Amara and by Lord and Lady Pennington. They are calling ME a vampire now!\" She said. She heard a police whistle outside, and someone started pounding on the locked door of the workshop, threatening to break it down. She hissed, \"Damn! How did they get here so fast? Stay with me!\" as she teleported again.\n\nSarina and Asha reappeared in the woods near the inn on the South road, where they had first appeared in this realm. Her arm was still bleeding. Reluctantly, she drew her knife and heated the blade with a spell, then bit back a scream as she used the red hot blade to cauterize the wound.\n\nShe stood there unsteadily for a moment, until the pain became bearable. Then her eyes glowed, and Sarina ceased to exist, as she reformed her appearance and became Heather, the black furred vixen whore that she had briefly been known as here. She checked her arm, and saw that the cauterized cut was still on her arm. She shook her head and pulled her blood-soaked sleeve back down over the wound. Then she used a spell to eliminate the blood from her clothes, and another to repair her torn sleeve. Finally, she said, \"I'll deal with that wound later, I guess. Stay invisible, Asha, and stay close\".\n\nAs Heather, she calmly walked into the inn, smiled and waved at Molly and Meridith, and sought the innkeeper at the bar. \"You're keeping well, Master Duncan,\" she said with a smile. \"Got some beer for an old friend?\"\n\nMaster Duncan looked at her questioningly for a moment, and then a smile graced his wide face, as he said, \"Miss Heather! Why, I thought ye'd gotten married or some such. Haven't seen you since that gloomy old lord hired ye for the full night. Where have ye been these last few years? Or shouldn't I ask such things?\"\n\n\"Not far off from that guess, an' I don't mind the tellin',\" the black furred vixen said. \"I did get married, not a week after that, to a fine strappin' sailor. I thought we were happy as could be. An' we were, too, while he was in port. But come ta find out he had two other wives in other two ports afore me, an' a handful of pups by each or 'em! Guess I got off lucky - since he failed ta' knock me up. The first wife found out 'bout the rest of us, an' raised holy hell with 'im. I lit out from there like my tail was afire when she came stormin' into our house, lucky ta keep the clothes on my back. Ah well, so it's back ta' the life of a workin' girl for me, I guess. Can I get a room here, an' this time with a wench's day job as well as the night work?\"\n\n\"I don't see why not. You were pretty popular as I recall, and damn my eyes if you look like you've aged a day since then, lass!\" the innkeeper said, pouring her a pint of beer. \"This one's on me, to drown the memory of your unfaithful sailor. I'll have Meridith set ye up with a room, and you can start the night work as soon as yer' ready, an' on days at lunch time tomorrow. A free room and coal for yer fire is part of yer pay for the day job, an' you buy your own meals.\"\n\n\"Fair, and thank ye, Master Duncan. You're a kind-hearted soul, and good to your girls. I'm glad to be back,\" Heather said.\n\n===\n\nHeather sat on her bed after Meridith left, and looked around her new room. It was smaller than the corner room she used to live in here, with only one window, that was over the low roof of the stables. She opened the window and wrinkled her nose at the strong odors wafting up from the horse stalls below. But if she needed to come or go without using magic, that roof would give her a handy route to do it. She shut the window again quickly, and warded it with a simple spell that would keep out both the stench, and any intruders. \n\nAsha lit the fire, and settled into its coals, as she asked, \"So now what will you do, Mistress? Start over again, as a whore?\"\n\n\"This is just to give me a place to live, where none would suspect me to be. Who would look for the elegant Lady Sarina Randall among the common whores in a roadside inn?\" she replied. \"Something about this mess stinks worse than those stables below us, Asha. How could Amara possibly fail to realize that her own husband is a vampire?\"\n\n\"Could you have been mistaken? Yes, he may have attacked you for some reason, but are you certain he was a vampire?\" Asha asked.\n\n\"I saw his eyes glow, and he recoiled from a crucifix,\" Heather said. \"Which reminds me...\"\n\nShe touched one of her charms, and enlarged the dresser chest from her room at the mansion. In the back of the bottom drawer she found three small pouches of gold and silver coins that she had stashed away, just in case, and a silver rosary with a silver crucifix. She put the rosary around her neck, and the smallest of the three money pouches she tucked into her cleavage, and then she returned the chest to her necklace. \"I guess it would be good for Heather to be seen attending church, and be seen to wear this silly thing. If anyone does suspect I was Sarina, they won't believe I'm a vampire if I can wear a rosary on my neck.\"\n\n===\n\nAsha had just two days left to serve Heather. She spent those days hopping from flame to flame, in the Pennington mansion, and around the area, seeking information that might aid her Mistress.\n\nAt the end of the second day, she stood before Heather in her vixen form, and reported her findings to her Mistress. \"The Pennington's are in shock over the murder, and the idea that you apparently turned into a vampire, but they seem to be all right otherwise. Amara has moved back into her husband's townhouse. I could find no flames burning inside her home, so I could not get in there. But I saw her outside the townhouse once, last night, and she looked normal. The police are investigating Sir Reginald Wilson's death as a murder, and, so far, they do seem to believe you were a vampire. There's a large bounty been placed on you, to be paid on proof of death.\"\n\n\"A bounty, you say? I wonder, how did Lady Portia ever prove her prey were vampires or werewolves, so she could collect her bounty? Could you find her?\" Heather asked.\n\n\"Yes, Mistress. Lady Portia is in an inn on the North road. Her arm is still in a sling, but she seems to be healing rapidly. Should I contact her? I did not allow her to see me this time,\" Asha said.\n\n\"If there's a bounty for me, she will probably find me. I just hope she will give me a chance to talk, when she does,\" Heather replied.\n\n\"Very well, Mistress,\" Asha said. \"Then if you have nothing more to ask of me, It is time for me to leave your service. This is the last night of my seven years bound to you.\"\n\n\"I do have one more request. Kiss me,\" Heather said.\n\n\"Mistress? I will, but... why? We both know that you can't be feeling that much attachment to me,\" Asha said.\n\n\"True. I can't say that I love you, or really am all that attached to you. Yet if nothing else, I will miss your company. Consider it a very mortal way of saying goodbye,\" Heather replied. She stepped forward and kissed the elemental, then stepped back and watched her fade away.\n\n\"See you in Hell,\" Heather said quietly, after the elemental was gone. She wondered how literally she meant that, and how soon it might occur.\n\n===\n\nThe next day, Heather went to the other inn, to look for Lady Portia. She wasn't there, but the innkeeper said she should return that evening. Heather wrote a short note, folded it and sealed it with a dribble of wax from a candle on the counter, and asked him to deliver the note to the canine mage when she returned. Then she went back to her own inn, and worked the afternoon shift, waiting tables, making beds, and emptying chamber pots.\n\nThat evening, Lady Portia showed up at the inn that Heather was working at. She looked around the common room, drank one tankard of cider, and when no one approached her other than Molly, to ask if she wished to order food, she walked outside, commenting idly to the innkeeper that it looked like a good night to gaze at the stars.\n\nHeather waited a few minutes, then ducked into the back hallway, resumed her appearance as Darla, and teleported to the spot outside the inn where she and Portia had first met.\n\nDarla materialized in the woods, and the first thing she clearly saw was a flaming sword blade, pointed right at her throat. She stood her ground, and said as calmly as she could, \"That won't be necessary, M'Lady. Did you not read my note?\"\n\n\"The one that said you are not what they say you are, and asking me to meet you where first we met? Yes, that is why I am here. I could simply kill you, and claim the bounty, you know,\" Lady Portia said. \"You have cost me one bounty already.\"\n\n\"But you won't. You owe me at least a small favor, for aiding you once before,\" Darla said. \"Besides, if I am telling the truth, and you do kill me, you'd get no bounty, since you couldn't prove the girl you killed was the one they wanted. I don't look at all like Lady Sarina Randall now, nor would I if you killed me. You'd be guilty of wanton murder, and I don't think you would risk killing an innocent person.\"\n\nThe blade ceased flaming, but the tip remained at her throat. Lady Portia touched the rosary around Darla's neck with the tip of the blade, and said, \"Many who believe in the church might object to your using a rosary as a necklace, especially if you're wearing one inside that inn, where many of the girls who are dressed as you are work as whores.\" She lowered her blade and put it away, then continued, \"But I suppose it is a rather effective way to indicate you're not a vampire. You would do better simply to wear a small silver crucifix on a cord or chain. No one would mind that, and a vampire could not do that, either.\"\n\n\"So you do believe me, then?\" Darla asked.\n\n\"Enough to listen to what you have to say,\" Portia replied. She took a sip from an elaborately decorated metal flask, and offered it to Darla, saying, \"Share a drink with me, and tell me what really happened.\"\n\nDarla took the flask and sipped, expecting liquor. It wasn't. She swallowed and handed the flask back, asking, \"Water? Why bother with the fancy flask for just water?\"\n\nIn answer, she showed Darla the design of a crucifix on the side of the flask, and said, \"That was holy water. You just passed the one test a vampire is very unlikely to be able to fake. It is harmless for normal people, but it would be like drinking acid for a vampire. So, what happened, really?\" Portia asked.\n\n\"It all started the night after you fought that female vampire, and I aided you when you were injured,\" Darla stated. \"I was attacked that night by the same vampire that got away from us the night before. She seemed to be specifically trying to get me, for what I had done to her. My fire elemental incinerated her. I couldn't sense any other threats near us, so I sent my elemental back to my shop. Moments later, another vampire attacked me - a male one that time. I couldn't sense his mind at all, and couldn't attack him with oneromancy. I had just beheaded him and was incinerating the head when Amara started screaming that I had killed her husband.\" \n\n\" I'm amazed the police didn't notice the lack of blood on the scene. Didn't you notice he didn't bleed when you cut his head off?\" Portia asked.\n\n\"I beheaded him with a white-hot axe, formed out of a silver crucifix. I assumed that cauterized his neck as I beheaded him, and I was a little preoccupied with incinerating his head at the time,\" Darla replied. Then she pulled back her sleeve, showing the gash in her fur from the cauterized cut that she hadn't yet bothered to eliminate. \"When he first attacked, he threw me through a window, and I cut my arm. So there was blood, my blood, all over the place. My arm was bleeding badly. I had blood on my mouth, too, from licking my own wound. Amara and her parents all saw my bloody mouth and the corpse and assumed I'd sucked him dry. I teleported away. Why do the police still believe I am the one that was the vampire? Don't they some way to tell that someone who has been killed was a vampire? I mean, how do you prove you killed one, to collect your bounty? How do you prove you didn't just kill someone at random and incinerate their corpse?\"\n\n\"Holy water will still bubble and burn like acid on the corpse or ashes of a vampire. And they are already dead, so they don't bleed, like a normal corpse. As for the police, why should they test the apparent victim of the crime, when witnesses saw a bloody-mouthed person standing over the corpse?\" Lady Portia replied. She touched her own arm, and said, \"The healer mage I have been seeing did a good job on my arm. It's almost completely healed already. He could fix that burn, once you clear your name.\"\n\n\"And how do I do that?\" Darla asked.\n\n\"You said you incinerated the head, but not the body, correct? Do you know what happened to the body?\" Lady Portia asked.\n\n\"Amara took her husband's body back, as soon as the police would let her have it. She's supposedly arranging for a burial at sea. He was a Navy officer.\" Darla said.\n\n\"But no church funeral? Interesting. And you're certain you completely incinerated his head, before you left? It was nothing but ashes?\" the canine mage asked.\n\n\"Yes. I hit it with a pretty intense fire spell. Not as hot as my elemental's otherworldly fire, but there was nothing left. I'm certain of that.\" Darla replied.\n\n\"Then we need to find that body, before she has it dumped into the sea. And some of the ashes of the other one, if at all possible, so we can claim both bounties,\" Lady Portia said.\n\n\"We?\" Darla asked.\n\n\"Of course,\" Lady Portia said with a grin. \"I was already hunting the vampire that your elemental incinerated, so you kept me from claiming a bounty that should have been mine. We'll clear your name, and I'll split the bounty with you for each one we can prove we killed.\"\n\n\"What about your refusal to take an apprentice?\" Darla asked, smiling.\n\n\"Well, you're not an apprentice if you already have eliminated at least one vampire single handed, now are you? Let's get to work,\" Lady Portia replied, as she held out her hand. \n\n\n\n\nTo Dream of Darkness\nA story by DoggyStyle57\nChapter 20, Written January 2012\n\n===\n\nChapter 20 - Confronting dangerous prey\n\nAfter shaking hands on their alliance, Heather teleported back inside the inn. Lady Portia walked back to the inn, and in the common room she allowed Heather to seem to entice her with an offer of a massage, and maybe more 'personal' services for the night. Making it look like Portia might have hired Heather for the full evening, they went to Heather's room in the inn.\n\nOnce they were in the room, Heather cast a warding spell against being spied upon, and they began to plan their next moves.\n\n\"We must go to Amara's home, and get the body of her deceased husband. If holy water burns its flesh, we need to get the corpse to the police so they can see that test performed, as proof that you killed a real vampire, and we will need to show them that you can drink the same holy water, as proof that you are not one. They know me. They will trust me enough to give us a chance to offer proof, and not slay you on sight, if you are with me. You do realize, I hope, that if Amara's husband was a vampire, there is a very good chance that she is one also? If that proves to be true, can you still bring yourself to destroy her?\" Portia asked.\n\n\"Yes. Though we lived in the same home for several years, almost like sisters, I do not have any real affection for her. I can destroy her, if I must. We will also need to be certain of her parents' condition. To be certain she has not already made them into vampires as well,\" Heather said.\n\n\"True. But if she had already turned them into vampires by the time you were attacked, I have to believe that they would have been attacking you too that night, as part of her clan. So I think that she had not yet infected her parents at that time. And if her parents were not yet vampires, it would make sense for her to frame you. That could get them to mistrust you, and also to let their guard down around her. I would imagine that after raising the hue and cry to get the police to chase you as a vampire, she would have to stay her hand for a while, before she dares to kill her own parents and make them into vampires. The police will be watching them too closely,\" Lady Portia stated.\n\n\"Is there... any cure for someone who has become a vampire?\"Heather asked. \"Can they ever become normal again, once they've been turned into one? Or is destroying them the only answer?\"\n\n\"If you are having second thoughts, and thinking of saving Amara instead of destroying her, don't get your hopes up. It is said to be possible to cure a vampire, but it is not an easy thing to do. I have never witnessed a successful cure,\" Lady Portia said. \"A vampire that has fed on blood would have to go for three days without feeding on blood again, to weaken it. You would probably have to keep them pinned in place with a wooden stake through the heart to restrain them for that long, because by the end of three days, they would be ravenously hungry and almost insane with need for blood. Or the vampire to be cured would have to be a freshly-bitten victim, less than a day after being turned, and one that has not yet killed a victim of their own and fed on their blood. Then, once they are weakened by not feeding, or within that first day if they are just turned and have never fed on blood, it's merely a matter of getting them to drink a mixture of equal parts holy water, the untainted blood of a living soul, the ashes of a slain vampire, and the blood of a damned soul that is not a vampire. The two kinds of blood both need to be fresh - less than a day old. And then, even if you do all that, if the body of the vampire that you are trying to cure is wounded, it has to survive the wounds once cured. So if you had to stake them through the heart to restrain them, it is very unlikely they would survive being cured.\"\n\n\"I see. Actually, I was thinking more of what might happen if either of us gets bitten and turned. I would just as soon not have to destroy you, or have you trying to destroy me, if there is an alternative. Perhaps as a precaution in case one of us is bitten, or we catch her biting her parents, we should both draw a bit of our own blood, so we have an untainted portion of blood and the holy water available, at least? If one of us is bitten, the other may be able to get the remaining ingredients in time, if we already have that part of it ready,\" Heather suggested. She rummaged around in the chest at the foot of her bed, and produced four small glass bottles, with glass stoppers. She changed the color of two of them, and passed the other two to Ladd Portia.\n\n\"That sounds like a reasonable precaution. I have several flasks of holy water, so I will give two of them to you,\" Lady Portia said. She made a small cut in the pad of her left hand, near the edge, and allowed some blood to drip into her two bottles, while Heather did the same. Heather exchanged one of her bottles with Lady Portia, so they each had a sample of their own blood, and of the other's blood. Then Lady Portia applied a styptic powder to the wounds on both of them, to stop the bleeding.\n\n\"One last thing,\" Heather asked. \"Is there any protection that can be applied before encountering a vampire, which will prevent a vampire from turning the protected person into a vampire, if they are bitten?\"\n\n\"Not really. The only real immunity I know of is that they can't turn someone into a vampire if the victim's soul is already damned. For example, a vampire and a werewolf are both damned souls. They can slay each other, if the necessary requirements are met, and the slain one goes to hell. But if a vampire bites a werewolf, or the other way around, the victim, fortunately, does not become a hybrid of both at once. Becoming a werewolf to be able to be immune to vampire bites is not exactly a precaution most would take, and I know of no other preventative,\" Lady Portia said. \"We should be prepared to slay them, with either magic or with enchanted weaponry. Do you own any magical weapons?\"\n\n\"I see. Well, I have very few physical weapons, but what I do own may serve well,\" Heather said. She touched two of the charms on her hidden necklace, and produced her father's ceremonial magic sword and dagger. \"My father made these. They were forged in the fire of an elemental that he summoned. There are silver inscriptions on both blades, which as far as I can tell, together with the elemental forging, only serve to make them unbreakable, and make them able to resist very intense heat. I never saw him fight with them, but they do have a sharp edge. While they don't have a flaming spell, like your blades, I have a spell I can cast on them that could make these blades white hot, while I could still wield them. And I have also been thinking about the wooden stake idea. I have had no time to make a dart thrower, like the one in your swords. But if I embed one of your wooden darts in the blood groove of the dagger, would that function as a wooden stake, if I accurately strike the vampire's heart with it?\"\n\n\"It should. And if they don't realize the wood is there, they may discount what seems a silver inlaid blade as being of little threat to them. Good thinking,\" Lady Portia said. \"The silver on the blades, in addition to a spell to make the blades very hot, should make them capable of wounding a vampire in ways that they can't rapidly heal. Those will have to do.\"\n\nHeather took the wooden dart that Portia had once fired into the post in her workshop, and used a spell to embed it in the blade of her father's dagger, so the ironwood tip of the dart was right at the tip of the blade. Then she fastened the dagger behind her back, and returned the sword to its hidden position on her necklace. Her own form shifted, and she became Lady Sarina Randall again.\n\n\"This is Sarina's fight. If Amara is untainted, or only recently turned, maybe Sarina can reason with her. If not, well, I'll certainly draw her attention, and maybe that will give you a chance to find the body, and then join me in fighting her, while she is focused on me,\" Sarina said. \"I can't think of anything else, so let's see if we can get Sir Reginald Wilson's remains.\"\n\n===\n\nUsing what little Sarina knew of where Amara should be living, Lady Portia opened a portal to a rooftop in that neighborhood. It didn't take long for them to identify a single Brownstone townhouse that had a police officer standing in front of it.\n\n\"That seems to be the place. Is Amara also a mage? The windows and doors of that townhouse are heavily warded,\" Lady Portia asked.\n\n\"No. Amara had no talent at magic, and no interest in it. Not while she lived with her parents. She would read romances while I studied magic,\" Sarina stated. \"I don't know if her husband had skills of that nature. She never told us much about him. I can sense the wards, and also the surface thoughts of the policeman in front of the place. He is expecting to be relieved at midnight, and is wondering if a second officer stationed in the alley behind the brownstone is as bored as he is. He believes Amara is inside. He has orders that she is in mourning, and not to be disturbed. The one in the alley has similar thoughts. I can sense a single presence inside the townhouse, but the wards make it impossible to tell where it is, or to read their thoughts.\"\n\n\"Good. You said you couldn't detect her husband's presence when he had the medallion on? Maybe that means she is alone, and is not wearing it. But we can't be certain. She could be wearing the medallion, and there could be someone else in there with her. Perhaps even another police officer?\" Lady Portia suggested.\n\n\"Not police, no. At least, the two constables on the street are not thinking there is any other officer assigned on guard duty with them. The only other minds I can sense in the area are various neighbors, who seem to have no thoughts relating to that Brownstone or its inhabitants, other than some vague worries about the policeman on the sidewalk, and why he is loitering there, and not patrolling the area,\" Sarina said. \n\nThere wasn't much light out, other than the sliver of a moon and two gaslight street lamps, both fairly distant from the entry of the Brownstone. The entry itself was in shadow, and there were no lights showing in the windows of the Brownstone, which all had drapes tightly closed. She looked at the height of the waning crescent moon, and said, \"We have a couple hours before those policemen should get relieved. Go to the back entry, and I will take the front. I will cast a sleep spell on both of the policemen as soon as I am down there. I will draw her attention at the front, and try to prolong the confrontation, to give you time in the back to find the body. Do what you can when you see the policeman on your side fall over in his sleep. Good luck.\"\n\nLady Portia looked slightly amused at the way Sarina was taking charge of the logistics, but just nodded and said, \"As you wish, My Lady. Good hunting!\" She opened a portal and stepped away, into the shadows of the alley below.\n\n===\n\nThe two constables were both burly bulldogs, not much older than twenty five. They had been told that the widow inside this townhouse had lost her husband just a few nights earlier, and that the poor fellow was slain by a vampire. As a precaution, both of them wore a simple silver crucifix on a cord around their necks, and carried thin glass bottles filled with holy water. But they both knew they would be unable to do very much if a vampire actually attacked. Still, it was their duty to try, and try they would. They had a description of the vampire that supposedly did Sir Reginald in, a comely red vixen, of the gentry, who was apparently a cousin of the widow. They sincerely hoped not to meet her.\n\nThe guard on the sidewalk became alert as he saw a female figure walking slowly down the sidewalk. But he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw it was a canine lady that he knew - that Collie mage that hunted vampires and werewolves, Lady Portia!\n\n\"Good evenin' My Lady!\" The constable said with a smile. \"I take it you're hunting the vixen that did in Sir Reginald? I have to say, I'm relieved to see someone with experience in such things about tonight.\"\n\nSarina, who had altered her appearance briefly to imitate Lady Portia, placed a finger to her muzzle, and made a 'Shhhh!' sound, as she walked closer. When she was in arm's reach of the officer, she cast her sleep spell on both this fellow and the one in the alley, catching the policeman and swiftly hiding him in the stairway to the cellar apartment of the neighboring Brownstone. She touched his forehead, and commanded, \"You will remember only that a dense fog that blew through the street, and the next thing you will remember will be when you awaken. Sleep now, and wake for no sound, until sunlight touches you.\"\n\nAs she arose, she placed an illusion on the sidewalk, so anyone who looked where the officer had been would see him still there, idly shifting his weight back and forth as he had been, and looking bored. She cast another illusion to make it appear from any of the nearby buildings that the entry was closed and unoccupied, even if she was on the stairs confronting Amara, and to mask any sounds their confrontation might make. Those illusions would also vanish when touched by sunlight.\n\nThen she walked up the steps to the front door of Amara's townhouse, altering her appearance back to Sarina as she ascended the stairs. At the door, she turned the t-shaped crank that rang the door bell.\n\n===\n\nIn the alley, the real Lady Portia saw the second constable slump into a heap. She dragged him behind two dustbins, and went through the back gate, then through a small walled garden, and to the back stoop. There were two back doors, one up a half flight of stairs, leading to the main floor, and one down a short flight, leading to a cellar. She set to work, carefully dismantling the warding spell on the cellar door, while striving to negate it without sending any signal that the wards had been breached. \n\n===\n\nSarina waited in the shadows of the entry, her fox eyes able to see fairly well in the dim moonlight. She cast another brief spell so she could see well in total darkness, if needed, and yet not be blinded if a bright light appeared.\n\nWithout warning, the door opened onto a darkened hallway, and Amara stood there, one hand on the door. \"Well! Aren't you the bold one! You dare to come right to my door, without even a pretense of a disguise, after what you have done to me? But you always were the bold, adventurous one, weren't you? Should I scream, and get the attention of the police officer that you somehow slipped past?\"\n\n\"Hello Amara. Scream all you like. He can't hear you. No one can. Your neighbors can't even tell your door is open. May I come in?\" Sarina asked.\n\n\"Ah, yes. Your oh-so-powerful magic. All those dreams and illusions, and peering into other people's minds. Those spells are powerless against me now, so by all means, come into my home, if you dare. Have you come to slay me as well? Is this how you betray my family's hospitality, after we cordially welcomed you into our midst?\" Amara asked sarcastically. \n\n\"That depends entirely on you, Amara. Truth be told, I really don't care what you are, or where you choose to go, provided I can clear up this annoying misconception that you caused, when you made people think that I was a vampire. And provided that you don't oppose my own plans,\" Sarina said, stepping into the foyer, although keeping an eye on Amara. She noticed as she entered that the furniture in the parlor adjoining the foyer was all covered with sheets, as if the family was away for an extended time. \"Planning on leaving soon? Or did you never bother with living in the above-ground floors, after your return? And not even bothering with the pretense of lights, are you?\"\n\n\"The darkness suits my mood. I am in mourning, as you know full well,\" Amara snapped, as she closed the door. \"You killed my husband. You are also responsible for killing my house girl. Why should I not kill you? Or better yet, convince you to join my side? The police and the public already believe you are a vampire, and a murderer. With your magic, and the immortality and power of vampirism, what could you not do? You can't go back to living with them. Can you?\" As she spoke, Amara's eyes began to glow red, as she attempted to mesmerize Sarina. \"Come to me. Join me, cousin. You cannot believe the power you could command.\"\n\n\"Funny, but you don't really sound all that angry about their deaths, to me. So you admit that the vampire girl who attacked me was your servant?\" Sarina replied, her own defenses shrugging off the compulsion spell that she had anticipated. \"As it happens, I didn't destroy her. She was destroyed by an elemental, which admittedly was in my service. If you want to complain to that elemental of that, you can go to hell and find her. I'll gladly send you there, if you attack me. And your girl didn't seem very immortal to me, nor did your late husband. But neither of them would have been destroyed by my actions, if they had not attacked me.\" Sarina's eyes glowed bright green, and she said, \"You can't win in a battle of mind enchantments with me, even if your mind is shielded from me. I assure you, the best you can hope for is both of us ending up in hell. But unlike you, I could probably leave that place when I choose. All I want is your husband's body, so I can prove that he was a vampire, and that I am not. Let me have that, and you can flee and continue your wretched existence somewhere else. So tell me, dear cousin, do you want to survive, or be sent to Hell?\"\n","writing_bbcode_parsed":"<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapters 1-20, Written December 2011-January 2012<br /><br />===<br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 1, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 1 - Innocence and Discovery<br /><br />I don&#039;t recall what the year was when I was born. It was so very long ago, that I can no longer remember. I&#039;m not even certain I ever really knew it. I was so young when it all changed, that no one might have gotten around to informing me yet of such things as what year it was, in the reign of which monarch.<br /><br />What I do remember was that my parents and I lived on a small farm, that I had no brothers or sisters, and that there was a small village nearby, surrounded by other farms much like our own, on the edges of a vast forest.&nbsp;&nbsp;My parents and I didn&#039;t mix much with the villagers, though they came to our farm from time to time, trading produce and other things for the aid they knew my parents would freely give them. Somewhere else, surely, there were larger towns, and great cities, and a king and queen that ruled over the land while seated on gilded thrones. But we never saw such marvels. We seldom saw anyone who lived further away than one could ride on horseback in a day or two&#039;s time.<br /><br />I remember that my mother had fair, creamy white skin, and auburn hair that was almost red, and a slender, athletic figure. Everyone agreed that she was very pretty. Perhaps she was foreign to the area, as the local women looked nothing like her. Her brown eyes were slightly slanted, like the people far to the East were said to be. Father called her &#039;my wife&#039;, or &#039;my love&#039;, or other obvious nicknames. But if he ever spoke her given name, I never heard him do so. I just called her mommy. After all I was just a small child at the time.<br /><br />My mother had a disconcerting habit of being able to come upon you so quietly and suddenly that it was as if she appeared from nowhere. One moment she would not be anywhere in sight, and then next moment, there she was, as if she had always been standing there. When she moved, if you managed to see her do so, it was like watching a feral animal dart from spot to spot. Graceful, and yet swift and sudden, eyes alert and bright, missing nothing of what happened around her. She always seemed to be slightly smiling, as if she knew some secret that she found to be very amusing.<br /><br />My mother was a very wise woman. Some people from the village said that Gaia, the mother Goddess, had touched her with the gift of prophecy. She could interpret the dreams of others, and aid them in seeking the truths in those dreams. The people from the village, when they visited to seek her counsel, deferentially called her &quot;Priestess&quot;, though all knew that she belonged to no formal church or religious order. They were respectful... but at the same time they seemed very much afraid of her. The Church took a dim view of those outside their control who seemed to dabble in affairs that they saw only to be the province of priests and priestesses in the divine orders. The villagers knew her, and saw that she harmed no one. Her counsel was always accurate, and her guidance sensible. So they treated her as if she was a member of some distant church, and did not question the source of her wisdom. After all, she never claimed to be able to do more than listen carefully, and offer her interpretation of the dreams and nightmares that the villagers spoke to her about.<br /><br />Father had tanned skin, from working outdoors a lot. His eyes were green, and his hair and full beard were a sandy mix of browns and premature grey. He raised and trained animals, and he also healed them with herbs and simple medicines. When people of the village had an animal that was sick or giving birth, they often asked for his aid. He always seemed to know just what the animal needed, and his very presence had a calming effect on the animals. He would whisper quietly to them, and no matter what species they were, it was as if they understood that he wanted to help them. The farmers also asked for his guidance when they had trouble training an animal to work on the farm.<br /><br />Daddy&#039;s specialty was raising and training farm dogs, to herd cattle, or to guard the remote farms. It was said that no farm protected by one of his dogs would ever be bothered by wolves or other feral creatures, even if they just got the dog as a fresh-weaned puppy. They also said that the dogs he had trained for two years would be steadfast guardians that would protect their new owners and their adopted family with their lives, against man or beast. The farmers in the area paid well for his dogs, and some came from very far away just to get even one of the puppies he had bred, knowing they would be intelligent and easy to train. Yet they treated him warily as well. It seemed unnatural to them, how well he got along with animals, and how well he understood them. Some of the more superstitious farmers made signs behind his back in his direction, as if to ward off evil spirits.<br /><br />If they had seen what I had seen, at the farm when the villagers were not about, they would have been much more afraid of my parents, and of me.<br /><br />When I was a child, I was called Sarah, and this is my story. It begins with one of my earliest memories, when I was only four years old.<br /><br />===<br /><br />It was a fine spring morning. The sun was shining, and the day was comfortably cool, with a light breeze. <br /><br />Sarah wanted to go outside, and play with her father&#039;s dogs, and their puppies.<br /><br />&quot;Breakfast was really good, mommy! Can I go out now an&#039; play with the doggies?&quot; Sarah asked.<br /><br />Her mother looked out the window, and said softly, &quot;Not just yet, dear. Daddy has the dogs locked in their kennels, and he is busy with a patient.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;This early? I didn&#039; hear the dogs bark, or any visitors talking, mommy. Did they get daddy in the night to go ta their farm?&quot; Sarah asked, as she brushed aside a lock of her auburn hair that kept falling into her eyes.<br /><br />&quot;No... Daddy is here, behind the barn, in the edge of the woods. This is a special patient, and so the doggies have to stay quiet and remain in their kennels,&quot; Her mother replied.<br /><br />&quot;I wanna see!&quot; Sarah said, and she slipped past her mother&#039;s grasp, and rushed out the door, still in her short nightshirt and barefoot.<br /><br />Her mother sighed and walked after little Sarah. &quot;Oh well. She&#039;ll have to find out eventually,&quot; she said to herself.<br /><br />Sarah wondered why daddy would be in the woods with his patient. Why not in the barn, like he did when Mister Haskins brought his best mare over to have her twin foals? The curious four year old came around the back side of the barn, and started down the trail that she knew led to a small clearing, a dozen or so yards into the woods.<br /><br />She stopped in her tracks when she saw her father. There was a large gray timber wolf sitting beside daddy, just as calmly as any of the trained farm dogs. And her daddy was delivering a litter of wolf puppies for a female timber wolf that was on the grass in front of him. The large wolf beside her father turned to stare at Sarah, and growled, but he didn&#039;t get up to attack the child.<br /><br />&quot;Don&#039;t come any closer, Sarah,&quot; her father said, without turning to look at her. &quot;He hasn&#039;t been introduced to you yet, and he&#039;s very protective of his mate and babies.&quot; Then her father placed a blood-spattered hand on the wolf&#039;s shoulder, looked the creature in the eyes, and growled like a wolf!<br /><br />Sarah shook her head in disbelief. As her father growled, she thought she also heard him say, &quot;My daughter. She will not harm you.&quot;<br /><br />The wolf looked back at Sarah&#039;s father, for all the world like an old friend that was having a conversation with him, and growled back, then looked at the female wolf again, and started licking his puppies clean.<br /><br />Sarah could swear that she had heard, somewhere in the growls, the wolf saying, &quot;She has your eyes, and your scent. We will know her.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;D-daddy? Did... did you just... talk to that wolf?&quot; Sarah asked.<br /><br />&quot;It&#039;s all right, sweetheart,&quot; Sarah&#039;s mother said, as she appeared beside her daughter. &quot;Those wolves are friends.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;It... I thought I heard the wolf talk to daddy? Is it a magic wolf? Like in the stories you tell me at bed time, mommy?&quot; Sarah asked.<br /><br />&quot;You understood us?&quot; Her father asked. He seemed both surprised and pleased. &quot;What did you hear him say? Think carefully, my child.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;It... He... he said &#039;She has your eyes, and your scent. We will know her.&#039; It was kinda mixed up with growling, but I really do think I heard him say that, daddy! I&#039;m not makin&#039; it up!&quot; Sarah insisted.<br /><br />&quot;I believe you, dear. Daddy really does believe you. That&#039;s just what he said. But the wolf isn&#039;t magic. We are. Daddy can understand what they say, and can talk to them. And so, it appears, can you. It&#039;s all right, dear. But this is something that has to be a secret that only you, mommy and daddy know, all right? Do you understand?&quot; her father asked.<br /><br />&quot;Remarkable. Such a young pup, and she knows our speech? She must be your pup all right.&quot; The wolf said, in a mix of growls and barks. &quot;Pup? How are you called? Can you speak to me as well?&quot;<br /><br />Sarah&#039;s eyes went wide, and she said, &quot;He can talk! Mommy! I can hear that wolf talk to me! Can you do that too?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Not... quite the same way, sweetheart,&quot; her mother said. &quot;Not right now. But I believe you too. Mommy knows that daddy can talk to animals.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Do what he asked, Sarah. Just... think about wanting him to understand you. And tell him something, like... oh, what you had for breakfast,&quot; her father said, encouragingly. Then he touched his daughter&#039;s hand, and his eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight.<br /><br />Sarah had the strangest feeling wash over her. It was like the world rolled over and sat up again. And suddenly, something about what her father said just made sense. She replied to the wolf, and her voice came out as soft yips and barks, as she said, &quot;I am Sarah. I&#039;m four years old. I had eggs and bacon for breakfast, an&#039; I think you&#039;re very pretty, mister wolf!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;She needs practice, but that was very good for her first time,&quot; the wolf replied to her father. Then he bowed his head to Sarah, and replied. &quot;You may call me Grey Shadow, and my mate you may call Moonlight. We owe much to your father. If ever you need our aid, you may consider the wolves of this forest area to be your friends.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Mommy! Grey Shadow an&#039; Moonlight wanna be my friends!&quot; Sarah said excitedly. But she was still barking and yipping like a wolf. She shook her head and tried again, and it came out in Human speech.<br /><br />&quot;That is very good, dear. Now, let&#039;s give daddy some time to finish taking care of Moonlight and her puppies. It&#039;s time for mommy and daddy to have a long talk with you.&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />Back at the house, her mother said again, &quot;Now Sarah, I want you to promise me that you won&#039;t tell anyone else about what just happened, or about what your father and I will start teaching you now. Do you understand, dear? No one in the village can know about this gift you have.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;But why, mommy? It&#039;s so wonderful! Can daddy talk to horsies an&#039; cows an&#039; other animals too? Will I be able to do that?&quot; Sarah asked breathlessly.<br /><br />&quot;Your father has a gift for talking to all animals, just as I have a gift for seeing and understanding the dreams of others. We have other gifts as well, and as our child, it is natural that you may inherit some or all of our abilities,&quot; her mother replied. &quot;It is a wonderful and amazing thing that you can do even this much, as young as you are. Your father was fourteen before he learned he could hear and speak to animals, and was nearly sixteen before he learned the full extent of his abilities. But sweetheart, the villagers must not know. They might think it was evil magic. Please, promise that you won&#039;t ever tell them about our special gifts!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;All right, mommy. I promise. It&#039;s our secret,&quot; Sarah replied sullenly.<br /><br />They cleaned up the kitchen while they waited for Sarah&#039;s father to return. After a while, his return was heralded by the baying and barking of the dogs in the kennels, as he set them free within the fenced inner yard around the house. <br /><br />When he stepped inside he showed them the blood on his hands, and said, &quot;Moonlight had six healthy pups. Four boys and two girls. I helped to carry them back to their den. Now pardon me. I need to get cleaned up.&quot;<br /><br />He excused himself and went to the bedroom, to change his clothes and wash up. He returned several minutes later, wearing only a loose cloth robe.<br /><br />&quot;Daddy? Can I ever see their puppies?&quot; Sarah asked, when her father got back.<br /><br />&quot;Perhaps,&quot; her father replied. &quot;Interacting with Grey Shadow and his pack will be good practice in learning to use your gifts. Have you told her anything else yet, my love?&quot; Sarah&#039;s father said, with the last directed to his wife.<br /><br />&quot;Not yet. I thought it best to wait until we were both present, in case she got frightened,&quot; Sarah&#039;s mother said. &quot;I did tell her how important it was for her to keep this a secret, though.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I&#039;m not afraid, daddy! I think talking to that wolf was one of the most greatest things I&#039;ve ever done! I won&#039;t tell anybody, I promise!&quot; Sarah said.<br /><br />&quot;One of the greatest..., not &#039;most greatest&#039;, dear,&quot; her father corrected her. Then he said, &quot;Sit down, Sarah. That&#039;s a good girl. You remember that promise, and don&#039;t ever tell the villagers.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;But why would they not like it that we can talk to the animals, daddy? Doesn&#039;t that make it easier to help them?&quot; Sarah asked.<br /><br />&quot;It does, yes. But it is a gift they don&#039;t have, and they don&#039;t believe it is possible for any human to talk to animals, without the help of evil magic.&quot; Her father said.<br /><br />&quot;But why can we do it then, daddy?&quot; Sarah asked. &quot;We don&#039; do any evil magic.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Because... we&#039;re not entirely Human,&quot; her father replied, as he began to change...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 2, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 2 - What am I?<br /><br />Sarah stared in amazement as her father&#039;s shape changed. The soft beard that wrapped his face seemed to spread down his throat and up his cheeks, as a thick pelt of grey/brown fur appeared in place of his skin. As the fur covered his body, his face reshaped, and his head became that of a timber wolf, with wolf ears twitching above where his Human ears used to be. His short hair blended into the wolf fur. He stood for a moment, still man-like in body and limbs, but with clawed hands and feet, as he shrugged out of his robe. Then his shape continued to change, as a long tail extended behind him, and his limbs shortened and changed shape. He dropped to all fours, and stood before his daughter, no longer Human, but now a very large timber wolf, whose dark brown fur was shot through with grey streaks. His tail was wagging like a friendly dog.<br /><br />&quot;Don&#039;t be afraid, dear. It&#039;s still daddy. He won&#039;t ever hurt us,&quot; Sarah&#039;s mother said.<br /><br />&quot;D-daddy... is a wolf?&quot; Sarah asked, confused yet not afraid. &quot;Like the magic wolves in my bed time stories?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Not quite,&quot; the wolf said, in the growling speech that Sarah now understood. &quot;One of my ancestors was a great magician, long before the Church started to persecute those who performed magic without the benefit of a priest&#039;s vestments and the church&#039;s blessing. Apparently he was interested in animal transformation, and in being able to communicate with animals. I have read his journals, as you will get to do when you are older. You&#039;ll find they explain a lot about what he did, and how it affects our family, today. He performed some very... interesting spells in his day, and he successfully learned to transform himself into a wide range of animals. But the spells had a permanent effect on him, to the deepest level.&nbsp;&nbsp;What he spent years learning to do by spellcraft, his children inherited, as a basic Gift.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Your father can become any animal, from something as small as a large dog, to something as large as a draft horse, and can communicate with any animal species,&quot; her mother said. &quot;If you also have his gift for understanding the languages of natural animals, then you, too, may someday be able to transform yourself, as you just saw him do.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;R-really? You mean, I could be a doggy, or a wolf, or even a pony?&quot; Sarah said, as she reached out and scratched her father between the ears. <br /><br />Her father shifted form again, and morphed into a mastiff dog. Sarah heard him bark, and an instant later not only heard his speech, but also began to understand that most of the dogs in the yard were complaining that no one had fed them breakfast yet. She heard what she somehow knew was her father&#039;s dog-voice saying, &quot;Yes. I think you can do that. It may take you a few years of study, though. Understanding an animal is much easier then becoming one.&quot;<br /><br />Sarah rubbed the dog&#039;s tummy, her hand passing fairly close between the dog&#039;s hind legs, and a strange look came over her face, as she said, &quot;Oh! You&#039;re a girl doggy!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;When I change form, I can be either a girl or a boy, yes. I can even bear a litter of puppies, if I choose a female form. Or if I choose to be male, I can sire a litter. But if I mate with an animal, the pups are always animals. Smart ones, to be sure, and they are easier for any Human to talk to and train. But they are still just animals. They don&#039;t have the ability to change their shape, or to perform other sorts of magic. I can only produce a Human-looking child if I mate with a Human...&quot; her father said.<br /><br />&quot;Or with another magical species that can already assume a Human form,&quot; Sarah&#039;s mother said. &quot;Your father&#039;s ancestors were Human, though it&#039;s hard to say that of the past several generations of his family, considering the number of puppies, great cats and foals they have sired or given birth to. Your father&#039;s ancestor wasn&#039;t unique, however. Many mages over the centuries have discovered variations of the spells to do such transformations. Some were... more successful than others. The Human legends of werewolves come from mages that failed to retain Human intelligence when they transformed, or at least a Human degree of restraint, and their feral aspects took over their minds. True werewolves usually have no recollection of their actions while they are changed to a feral form, and have little control over the transformation. The successful mages, like your Human ancestor, became what my people call the &#039;feral folk&#039;. Most feral folk can only accomplish a single type of transformation, such as Humans who can become dogs. Some can&#039;t even go all the way to becoming animals, and end up like your father looked before he took off his robe - a Human with fur and animal characteristics.&quot;<br /><br />Sarah&#039;s father shifted back to Human form, and put his robe back on. He nodded to his wife and said, &quot;Your mother, on the other hand, was never Human, nor was any ancestor of hers. Show her, my love.&quot;<br /><br />Sarah&#039;s mother unfastened the sash that held the waist of her tunic dress closed.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sarah had never really paid much attention to how her mother chose to dress. But now she saw that like her father&#039;s night robe, her mother&#039;s dress was made in a way that made it very easy to remove in a hurry. Her mother&#039;s eyes glowed a moment, and her auburn hair seemed to spread to her face, while creamy white fur came up to meet it from her neckline. Her face changed form, now looking like a vixen, a female fox, but her body remained proportioned like a Human. She opened the front of her dress, and showed her daughter her fur-covered body. Three fox-like tails twitched sinuously behind her.<br /><br />&quot;I can stop the transformation here, quite easily, as this is one of my natural forms. Or I can become a natural looking four-legged fox,&quot; Sarah&#039;s mother said. &quot;If my animal aspect is visible, I can communicate with other canids, including foxes, dogs and wolves. My people are almost unheard of in this country. In my homeland, we co-exist with the Humans. We punish bad Humans, play tricks on the mischievous ones, and do good deeds for Humans who are honest and in need. I am what they call a Kitsune, in my native lands.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Daddy&#039;s a wolf, or a dog, or... and Mommy&#039;s a fox? W-what am I?&quot; Sarah asked.<br /><br />&quot;You are our beloved child. You are half Kitsune, and half Feral Folk,&quot; her father replied, lifting his daughter up with both hands and resting her on one knee, like he was going to tell her a bed time story. &quot;But the villagers must never know. They would fear us, if they knew we were not Human. Do you understand, my dear?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I think so, daddy. Is that why we don&#039;t spend a lotta time in the village?&quot; Sarah asked.<br /><br />&quot;Yes. The less we associate with the Humans in the village, the better we will get along with them. The less they know about us, the less reason they have to fear us,&quot; her father replied.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Sarah&#039;s training in the magical arts began that spring, and continued for the next four years. She grew up playing in the woods with Moonlight and Grey Shadow&#039;s pack of wolves, and by the time she was eight, she had just learned to transform herself into a wolf, and back again, though she still found it difficult to control. Often, she found her eyes retained a feral, animal-like appearance, long after her Human form had returned.<br /><br />Sarah also proved to have her mother&#039;s talents in oneromancy - the magic that deals with dreams. Sarah learned that her mother could do more than listen to someone describing a dream, and offering advice about what it meant. Her mother could actually enter the mind of another person, and experience the dream for herself. And what was more, she could influence those dreams, and change them, to ease nightmares, or to cause a troublesome repeating dream to cease repeating, and be replaced by something more pleasant.<br /><br />&quot;Can you read all of a person&#039;s thoughts, mommy?&quot; Sarah asked one day, when she was about eight years old.<br /><br />&quot;No, my dear. Only what they have seen in their dreams or nightmares, and those thoughts that are at the surface of their mind. If a farmer is thinking about what he wants to have for supper, or about the odd stone he found in his field while plowing yesterday, I can pick up those thoughts. But I can&#039;t read his memories, if he isn&#039;t thinking about them at that moment,&quot; her mother replied.<br /><br />&quot;But we can change what they dream, or what they remember?&quot; Sarah continued. &quot;Is that how you can sneak up on people, mommy?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;To a limited extent, yes, we can change their memories,&quot; her mother replied. &quot;If we can see a dream or a thought, then we can change what they remember, if our will is stronger than theirs is. Most people have few defenses against oneromancy, and their will is weak. The more subtle the changes, the easier it is for us to make them. Sneaking up on someone is usually easy. Most people are not very observant. You just divert their attention to something else, like some other person they are already talking to, or a sound elsewhere, and make your own presence of little importance to them. As long as they were not actively seeking us, and had not yet focused their attention on our presence, we can slip up on them unnoticed. But a large change is dangerous. Once they clearly have seen and recognized our presence, it is much, much harder to erase that from their mind. They would almost certainly know something had affected them. If we make a major change in a dream or memory, they may see us, or see some aspect of us, in what is left behind, and realize we were affecting them. That would be very bad.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Is that because they might fear us, and try to hurt us?&quot; Sarah asked.<br /><br />&quot;Yes. Always remember, my dear, to only tell them what they have already told you,&quot; her mother said. &quot;Humans get very upset if they realize you can affect their mind. They are very possessive of their little secrets. So always ask them to describe the dream for you, even though you can see it for yourself. And never, ever use your abilities in ways that make them realize you can interfere with or change anything in their minds.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Like last week, when you complained about your sore knee, to get that farmer&#039;s wife to admit that she needed help with her own sore leg, and not for her horse?&quot; Sarah asked. &quot;Then she admitted she had been using daddy&#039;s ointment for her horse&#039;s sore leg to help her own leg, and that she needed more ointment for herself, and not her horse, that daddy and I knew was fine.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yes. Sometimes the villagers ask daddy to heal them, instead of their animals. But we try to only do that when they can&#039;t solve the problem with the village healer&#039;s efforts. The priest in the village does a reasonably good job with Human medicine. It is safer to allow him to heal the people. Animals don&#039;t question why a treatment works. They just accept that it does. Humans get suspicious, and want explanations,&quot; her mother replied.<br /><br />===<br /><br />One day a farmer and his son brought their plow horse to be treated. They said the horse had been caught in brambles. His back and flanks had many slashing cut marks in the fur, some of which were bleeding. But Sarah and her father understood from the horse that the son has beaten the horse with a bramble switch, because it had refused to allow him to ride it. It was an old horse, and its back couldn&#039;t take the weight of the teen aged boy. <br /><br />Sarah was furious. She could tell the boy didn&#039;t feel bad at all about whipping the poor horse with those thorny branches. She reached out with her mind and found the memory of the boy whipping the horse with the thorns. It sickened her that the boy was actually thinking about it and enjoying recalling that memory, and laughing to himself that he was pulling a fast one on his father and the animal doctor, and making them think the animal had done this to itself. Sarah angrily took the thought and twisted it, so that night the boy would dream that he was the one tied to a post and being whipped mercilessly with thorny branches.<br /><br />Sarah saw the boy shudder, as if a chill had passed over him, and she quietly walked away, smiling to herself about the clever vengeance that she had delivered for the poor, abused horsie.<br /><br />===<br /><br />That night, the boy had an intense nightmare, just as Sarah had intended. In the dream, he tried to ride the plow horse, and it kicked and bit at him and would not let him mount it. He took his knife and cut a handful of thorny brambles, and walked up to the horse to beat it, as he had done the day before. But the horse looked at him, and its eyes glowed an acid green, like a creature from hell. The world spun the boy around. Suddenly the boy was naked and tied to the post, and the horse was nowhere to be seen. He looked around in terror, and saw a shadowy version of himself picking up the brambles that he had cut, and advancing on him. The shadow boy&#039;s eyes glowed green, and his face was distorted and monster-like. Time and time again the thorny branches whipped down upon the boy&#039;s naked back and rump and legs, until he was raw and bleeding, and screaming for help.<br /><br />The boy awoke screaming, with his father and the village priest by his bedside. The priest had been visiting for dinner, and had not yet left when the boy started screaming in his sleep. Now the priest was praying and performing a rite to exorcise demonic possession, and the boy&#039;s father looked terrified and grief stricken.<br /><br />The boy told them he had been attacked by a dark demon in his sleep - a demon with eyes that glowed bright green. He said the monster had clawed his back, and that he felt even now as if his back was cut and bleeding. He didn&#039;t admit that he had whipped the horse with brambles, or that his dream had him whipping himself.<br /><br />As the boy sat up, his father gasped aloud, and drew back. There were blood stains on the back of his son&#039;s night shirt, and on his bedding, and when they removed his shirt, his back was covered in bleeding welts, as if he had been whipped or clawed savagely.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 3, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 3 - Vengeance has a bitter taste<br /><br />After her chores were done, helping to feed the dogs in the kennels and clean up after them, and tending to any other animals that were in her father&#039;s care, Sarah spent most of each day studying with her father, or with her mother.<br /><br />When her father taught her, he would take her out to the barn, and to a rather small forge that was set up in the back corner. The forge didn&#039;t get much use. It was there so her father could make and fit horse shoes, if he needed to aid a horse that had thrown a shoe. Father wasn&#039;t a particularly good ferrier, but he was good enough for emergency work.<br /><br />But the real purpose of the forge was to conceal his magical workshop, which he had dug beneath the barn. To a casual observer, the barn had a dirt floor, and less than a foot below that dirt surface was a shelf of solid slate. Outcroppings of slate could be found elsewhere on the farm, and the hearth in front of the forge was a massive slab of slate, four feet on a side, and almost a foot thick. A clever counterbalance system, hidden beneath the floor, and a latch that was fashioned to look like a ring for tying a horse in place, served to open the hearthstone like a door in the floor. Sarah&#039;s father had shown her how to twist the ring just so, pull it up a bit, and twist it again, to unlock the latch, and allow even someone as small and weak as she was to raise the massive stone slab, and reveal a ladder leading down into the workshop.<br /><br />Sarah followed her father down the iron ladder, and closed the hearthstone over them as soon as her father had the tallow lamp on his desk lit.<br /><br />The workroom had a ten foot high ceiling, framed with heavy, rough-hewn timbers, and roofed with slate slabs. It was a long room, about twelve feet by twenty, with shelves on all the walls, and some shelves close by the ladder. The top shelves closest to the ladder were stocked like a root cellar, with bins of potatoes and other food stores, so that if discovered and given a casual inspection, it would seem to be no more than a place to store food for the winter.<br /><br />Below the forge was a second hearth, whose hood vented to the same simple chimney that let the forge&#039;s smoke out of the barn. Sarah&#039;s father used that hearth for warmth when studying in winter, and for cooking up some of his more magical ointments and herbal remedies.<br /><br />The center of the room was open, and had a slate floor that had been polished smooth. For some ceremonial magic, her father would draw diagrams on this floor with chalk.<br /><br />At the far end was her father&#039;s desk, or what served as his desk - a simple trestle table and bench, littered with books, scrolls and herbal ingredients used to make simple medicines. Behind that desk were her father&#039;s most prized possessions, four sturdy, locked chests that contained the scrolls and hand-written books that had been collected and passed down by several generations of his family, starting with that mage ancestor that had turned his family into feral folk. It was here, in the light of a tallow lamp, that Sarah&#039;s father taught her to read and write, and taught her to read the more basic scrolls and hand-written books on the magical arts. <br /><br />Most of what they practiced was simple magic. She did lessons to understand the basic principles of similarity and contagion. She learned the ways of identifying herbs needed for potions, and the ways to prepare simple medicines, whether magical or not. And of course, they worked on perfecting her ability to shapeshift into animal forms.<br /><br />Occasionally her father would unlock the second chest, with one of several small but complex keys that he kept on a chain around his neck, and they would see if Sarah showed any promise at more advanced spells, such as teleporting a small object, or creating a flame without flint or tinder, or wards to bind a lock or door closed, even to someone that had the key, so the lock could only open for the owner of the lock, or for someone that the mage allowed to pass the wards.<br /><br />On rare occasions he opened the third chest, and demonstrated advanced magic that he deemed unsafe for her to attempt yet. One such task was summoning small magical creatures from other realms, to gain information, or obtain small but hard to find things. Another was a spell to make cloth very flexible and stretchy, so his tunic and other clothes would not tear to shreds if he suddenly shapeshifted, and became much larger.<br /><br />&quot;What is in that fourth chest, father?&quot; Sarah would often ask, indicating the smallest chest, which he had never opened in her presence.<br /><br />&quot;Nothing that you should worry about,&quot; he would always reply. &quot;Sometimes I find scrolls or books that have bad information in them. There are some spells that are too dangerous to use, or that exact too high a cost to consider using. Such knowledge should not be left out where a fool or a desperate person might be tempted to use it.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;But if they are so bad, why not destroy them?&quot; Sarah asked.<br /><br />&quot;Because there is still something important to learn from them - even if it is just to know what paths are too dark and dangerous to safely tread,&quot; her father replied. &quot;And because the making of some magical writings places evil energies within those writings, which would be released if the writings were destroyed. It is safer to lock them away. Now, resume with your lesson. Can you make that coin vanish, and re-appear on the other corner of the table?&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />When Sarah studied with her mother, they tended to go on long walks through the woods, away from everyone else. Her mother would think of a word or an image, and challenge Sarah to use her gifts to tell mommy what it was. Sarah was getting very good at that skill. She also had Sarah recite what happened in her dreams each night, and her mother would tell her how to interpret these dreams.<br /><br />One day, Sarah asked her mother, &quot;How did you meet daddy?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Your father saved me from captivity,&quot; her mother said quietly. Then she touched her chest, at the point where her breasts met, and a small blue sphere of light appeared, between her fingertips.<br /><br />&quot;I am still fairly young among my people. When I was younger still, I made a tragic mistake,&quot; her mother said. &quot;I befriended a young Human, and trusted him enough to let him see this ball. All Kitsune have something like this. It is a precious part of our life energy. If someone else were to take possession of it, they can control me. That Human suspected what I was, and had befriended me in hopes of capturing me. He was successful, and stole this little ball from me. Then he locked me in a cage, in my form as a two-tailed fox, and took me far to the West, where he hoped to find a magician who would pay a high price for a magical creature, and the means to control her.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I changed hands several times, and was very unhappy. Each time I was taken farther from my homeland, and my people,&quot; her mother said. &quot;My captors usually made me use illusions to cheat people, like making them think ordinary grass was an expensive herb, or &#039;selling&#039; me to them as some exotic animal, but then forcing me always to escape and return to the one who possessed my ball. And then one day, a young man came into the herbalist&#039;s shop where I was held captive. And the most amazing thing happened. He talked to me, in the language of foxes! He seemed kind and compassionate, and was truly troubled by my plight. I told him that I was no ordinary fox, and promised to aid him three times, to the best of my ability, if only he could find some way to free me. He declined any offer of a reward, and tried at once to buy me. The price the herbalist wanted was far too high. So the man left, and later that night, he came back, and stole my ball, and returned it to me. Once I had the ball back, I was able to escape, and I left the corpse of a dead skunk in the cage where I had been.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Was that man that set you free my daddy?&quot; Sarah asked.<br /><br />&quot;He was,&quot; her mother replied. &quot;And he walked away, asking no reward from me. I followed him, and helped him twice, before he realized I was the one he had freed,&quot; her mother said, smiling. &quot;When I showed him my Human form, he asked me to marry him, and to always remain by his side. And thus I granted a third wish for him, and I have never regretted it - especially not after you were born to us, my darling child.&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />At eight years old, Sarah was beginning to feel comfortable with her new life. She enjoyed playing with the doggies even more, now that she could talk to them. And she loved to run and play with the wolves in the forest. Everything in her life seemed wonderful. Her mommy and daddy were incredible, magical creatures, and Sarah was finding out that she had some pretty neat magical abilities as well. <br /><br />It didn&#039;t bother her that she had no other Human friends, or any brothers and sisters to play with. The dogs and the wolves were the brothers and sisters that she played with - in some cases literally! She learned that two of the eight dogs in the kennels had been sired by her own father, while he took the shape of a male dog, and they these two, one male and one female, he had kept, because they were so smart and loyal. And three of the female wolves in the forest had borne her father&#039;s litters, including Moonlight, who last year delivered three male pups who were Sarah&#039;s half-brothers.<br /><br />Everything just seemed perfect, as Sarah drifted off to sleep.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Sarah awoke suddenly. She thought she had heard one of the dogs yelp, as if in pain. She listened closely, but couldn&#039;t hear anything outside. She called out in dog speech, but the dogs didn&#039;t answer. Convinced that they were all asleep and that she had just had a bad dream, she rolled over to resume her own sleep.<br /><br />That was when she saw the firelight, flickering on the wall of the room that she slept in with her parents. She leaped out of bed, and ran to the window.<br /><br />&quot;Mommy! Daddy! The barn is on fire! And I see scary looking strangers in the yard. OH NOOOO! They&#039;ve killed the doggies!&quot; Sarah screamed. She saw several men, armed with swords and crossbows, advancing across the yard, with the barn burning behind them. Several cruel-looking dogs that Sarah didn&#039;t recognize at all were straining at their handler&#039;s leashes.<br /><br />Her parents awoke, and her mother, still completely undressed, caught Sarah up in her arms and ran for the door on the other side of the house. Her father made a horrendous roar, the likes of which Sarah had never heard, and leaped through the window to confront the intruders.<br /><br />&quot;RUN! Run for your life, my daughter!&quot; Sarah&#039;s mother said, as she set the child on her feet in the edge of the forest. &quot;Run for the fractured cliffs! Lose them in the cracks that are too small for them to pass, and seek Moonlight and Grey Shadow&#039;s aid! RUN!&quot;<br /><br />Sarah heard the attack dogs baying behind her, and knew they were saying they would kill her if they caught her. She ran and ran, blindly obeying her mother, until she suddenly realized her mother was no longer at her side!<br /><br />Sarah looked back the way she had come, and saw her mother, now in her three tailed anthropomorphic form, challenging the dogs and trying to make them back off. The eight year old girl was blinded by tears as she saw her mother fall, and she turned and ran as fast as she could. None of the spells she had ever seen her parents do were fighting spells. They could do almost nothing against trained war dogs and armored men with crossbows and swords.<br /><br />With the men and dogs in close pursuit, Sarah darted into a crack in the cliff face. The sheer rock wall was fractured in many places, some of which formed cave-like passages, and some of which were dead ends. She screamed in frustration as she realized she had chosen the wrong one. She was facing a dead end, and was still in sight of the entrance. The crack she had wriggled through was too narrow for the dogs to follow, but they had her trapped. <br /><br />As crossbow bolts began to shatter on the wall around her, she turned and faced the men and dogs that were intent on killing her, and who had destroyed her home and most likely killed both of her parents. Everything seemed to slow down, as her eyes lit up like two green, glowing pits of fire. <br /><br />&quot;GO AWAY! ALL OF YOU, JUST GO AWAY!&quot; she screamed, and the world exploded around her.<br /><br />She heard one last crossbow bolt shatter on the rock, just inches from her face.<br /><br />Then silence...<br /><br />In the distance, Sarah could hear a fire, and shouting, but that was fading fast, as she passed out.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 4, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 4 - The will to survive<br /><br />When Sarah awoke, she was in complete darkness. Something warm and soft was against both sides of her. It felt like fur. Wolf fur. &quot;D-daddy?&quot; she stammered, half asleep. Then she realized the scent was wrong. But it was one she knew. Several friends.<br /><br />&quot;Brothers,&quot; came the reply, in wolf talk. <br /><br />&quot;She lives,&quot; said a second wolf, on the other side of her.<br /><br />&quot;Can she move?&quot; said a third, older wolf, some distance away.<br /><br />Sarah looked in the direction of the last voice, and saw a pale ribbon of stars. &quot;I&#039;m in a cave. That&#039;s right. I was in a cave,&quot; she said to herself.<br /><br />She stretched her legs and arms, and carefully sat up. &quot;I can move. Just scratches. Is it safe out there now? There were armored men, and attack-trained dogs,&quot; she said in wolf talk.<br /><br />&quot;They are gone now. We found you two days ago. No wolf small enough to fit through this crack in the stone was strong enough to drag you out. You slept like a dead thing, but your brothers assured me you were still alive. Come to the pack. You have no other home to return to, little pup,&quot; said the adult wolf sadly.<br /><br />Sarah crawled to the crack, and wriggled through it into the cool night air. It was night, and the moon hadn&#039;t risen yet. Her night dress was torn, but still good enough to wear for now. A jet black wolf, much too large to enter the crack, waited for her outside the small cave.<br /><br />Sarah looked around. Her eyes adapted quickly to the starlight, and though there was no moon, she could see the marks of many man and dog&#039;s footprints. Wolf tracks were there too, but always atop the dog and Human tracks. And there was no blood to be seen.<br /><br />&quot;Two days? Why did they go away? They had me trapped. They were trying to shoot me, and then they vanished? The pack did not fight them, did it?&quot; she asked.<br /><br />&quot;We did not get involved. By the time we scented the fire, your parents were already quite dead, and we feared they had killed you too. Your father accounted himself well. He became a great bear, and took three men and four dogs with him into death. Your mother killed two dogs and one man. But men killed them both, standing back and shooting sharp sticks at them, until they fell,&quot; the wolf said.<br /><br />&quot;They had crossbows. I... saw mother die,&quot; Sarah said. Strangely, she couldn&#039;t seem to cry. &quot;She couldn&#039;t have hoped to win, against so many men and dogs. She sacrificed herself, to give me time to run away.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;The fox-woman loved you, very much. So did your father. We will howl for them tonight. Come. There is nothing there for you. Burned, all of it,&quot; the wolf said.<br /><br />Sarah looked back in the direction where her home had once been. She could see a plume of smoke rising still. &quot;There may be some things worth getting, but that can wait. The men that attacked us may be watching. I will go with you, Midnight. I will howl with the pack, to honor my parents. I will howl because I am still alive, to slay the men that took their lives!&quot;<br /><br />Sarah thought for a moment, and then took off her shredded nightgown, throwing it back into the cave. Her eyes glowed bright green as her shape shifted into her wolf form. Soon she was a coal-black wolf, with bright green eyes, and of similar size to her yearling wolf brothers.<br /><br />&quot;Men did this, but I do not know why. My parents were the only people who ever cared for me, and even they were not really Human. I forsake mankind and their ways. I will be a wolf, now, like my brothers. My family now is the wolf pack,&quot; she growled. <br /><br />===<br /><br />That night, as the moon rose, the wolf pack gathered in the forest, in a clearing that was near the top of the ridge that the cliffs were in. Grey Shadow and Moonlight sniff-greeted each wolf as they arrived. When Midnight, Sarah and her two brothers arrived, they had Sarah sit beside them.<br /><br />&quot;Two nights ago, men killed two friends of our Pack,&quot; Grey Shadow said. &quot;We will not speak their names again, but we will remember them. One was father and mate to many of us. He especially shall not be forgotten. His mate was a wild spirit, and she cared for us as well. All that is left of them is those that he sired among us, and their daughter, who is with our pack tonight.&quot;<br /><br />The wolves all howled mournfully, honoring their fallen friends, or, in some cases, honoring their mate or father. Sarah howled with them, mourning her parents. And still she did not cry. She wondered if wolves were even able to cry. When all had howled, Grey Shadow looked at Sarah, and said, &quot;We are sad that we could not aid them. The men attacked savagely, and swiftly, as men often do, and used weapons that kill from far away. Why did they attack? We thought your family was at peace with the local men.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I do not know, pack alpha. But I will find out. May I ask that the pack search the area, and try to find out what happened? If the pack can tell me what they find, perhaps I can understand what happened,&quot; Sarah said, sadly.<br /><br />&quot;We will search, yes. And you may join our pack for as long as you wish, provided you accept the laws of the pack. You have played among us for four seasons. You know our ways. Do you accept me as your pack alpha, and my mate, Moonlight, as your alpha bitch? Will you live as a wolf among us, and follow our laws?&quot; Grey shadow asked.<br /><br />Sarah lay before the two timber wolves, and rolled over on her back, exposing her belly to them, as she replied, &quot;You are my alpha male, and my alpha bitch. I accept your leadership, and will find my place in your pack, by the laws of the pack.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You do not need to fight for rank yet, puppy. In your wolf form, you are younger than your youngest brothers among us. You will be treated as a pup until your first heat,&quot; she leader of the wolf pack stated. &quot;You have cast aside your old life. You will not be living with us as a daughter of man. What name do you want to be called by?&quot;<br /><br />Sarah rolled back over and stood up. As she did so, a dense cloud passed over the moon, and a strong breeze passed through the clearing. &quot;Dark Wind. I will be Dark Wind, and I shall move through the land at night like the wind, seeking my vengeance. I will find those who caused the death of my family, and who tried to kill me, and I will slay them. That is the law of the pack. Kill or be killed. I will be the predator, and they will be my prey. I will survive.&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />There were no soldiers in the woods, and no one left behind to watch the farm&#039;s ruins. There appeared to be nothing left of any value, and the villagers expected the girl would appear soon enough in the village or at a nearby farm, hungry and helpless. She had to eat, and she had nothing now.<br /><br />The remains of Dark Wind&#039;s parents had been left where they were slain, pierced by over a dozen crossbow bolts each, torn apart by dogs, and decapitated by a sword blow. Dark Wind became Human again to salvage what she could, and to deal with the remains of her family. She and two of her wolf brothers dragged the remains of her mother back to the farm, to lie with her father&#039;s remains. Her father&#039;s keys she found matted into the blood soaked fur of his chest ruff. She carefully removed the chain, and put it around her own neck. Most of the dogs had been poisoned, with tainted meat scraps. One dog had apparently refused the tainted meat and put up a fight, and had been killed with three crossbow bolts. All of the dogs had been decapitated.<br /><br />Although the fire had burned the barn and house to the ground, the floor of the barn had not collapsed, and there was not very much debris over the forge, and its movable hearthstone. In one corner of the yard, Dark Wind found a wheelbarrow that was intact. She gathered a few knives and tools that she could salvage from the burned remains of her home and the barn, and tossed them in the wheelbarrow. Then she opened the hearthstone, and climbed down into her father&#039;s magical workshop.<br /><br />The workshop was still intact. Sarah found a flint and steel, and lit the tallow lamps. Then she gathered all the loose books and scrolls, and placed them in the first chest, where father kept the more simple magical and herbal texts. She tried the keys in the locks of the other three chests. The second opened easily, but the third and fourth chests, whose magic had been forbidden to her, remained sealed by the warding spells her father had placed upon them. With great effort, she carried each chest to the base of the ladder, and then used a teleportation spell to get each of them to the surface. The effort nearly exhausted her, and she had to rest after each one, and before she could climb the ladder again. Each chest must have weighed 40 pounds or more, and she could not recall ever moving so much weight with magic and not blacking out from the effort.<br /><br />She made several trips, and used the wheelbarrow to take the four chests and the tools and knives to the largest cave that she knew of in the nearby cliffs. That cave had three entrances that she knew of, two of which were too small for a grown man to pass through, and the largest was fairly well hidden. Then she returned to the workshop and gathered the herbs and rare ingredients for spells that she knew her father had there, and which would be difficult or impossible for her to replace. She took those to the cave as well. Last, she took a ceremonial sword, a magically inscribed dagger, and several other tools and devices that she had seen her father use to make magic. When she was done, nothing remained in the workshop to imply that it had ever been anything but a storage room for winter food supplies, and perhaps a safe haven in the event of major storms.<br /><br />The only building that had remained standing was a chicken coop. It had been far enough from the house and barn not to catch fire, and too unimportant for the marauders to bother to burn. Dark Wind gathered the straw from the nesting boxes, and every other burnable thing that she could find, and carried them to the workshop. She placed the remains of her parents and of the family dogs at the base of the workshop ladder, and then heaped the burnable materials atop them. Finally, Dark Wind used one of the cantrips that her father had taught to her, to ignite a flame and turn the piled rubbish into a pyre, burning her parents remains to ashes.<br /><br />Then she turned back to a wolf, and she and her brothers dragged branches across the ground, obscuring her Human footprints, and the traces of their actions.<br /><br />Back at the cave where she had stashed her father&#039;s precious magical lore, Sarah cast a warding spell on each of the cave openings, so that only she or a wolf could pass through them and enter the cave. To anyone else, the way would seem to be blocked by fallen rocks.<br /><br />===<br /><br />When Dark Wind and her brothers returned to the back, Midnight greeted them with news.<br /><br />&quot;I think we found the men and dogs that were attacking you. They are dead, but I do not understand why. Come with me. Perhaps you can make sense of it,&quot; he said.<br /><br />Dark Wind followed the wolf to a deep ravine, not far from the cave she had been trapped in. <br /><br />&quot;Look down there. Their remains are on the sharp rocks below us,&quot; Midnight stated.<br /><br />&quot;They jumped into that abyss? But why? It is too wide for any man or dog to leap across, and deep enough that the fall would almost certainly be fatal. Why would they do that?&quot; Dark Wind asked. She could see six men and six dogs down there. The men had been armed with crossbows, and wore the same strange tunics and armor as the men that had attacked her home. She recognized at least two of the men as among those whose faces had leered at her through the crack, as they shot crossbow bolts at her.<br /><br />&quot;That is what confuses me. They did not jump. I have searched the ground on both sides of this ravine. There are no tracks and no scent trail from their passing. And see how badly their bodies are broken? It is as if some great bird lifted them high into the air, and dropped them onto the rocks. Like a sea bird trying to open a clam by dropping it,&quot; Midnight observed.<br /><br />&quot;No trail here at all? What about at the cave where you found me?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;I looked there first. Their trail from the farm to your mother and from there to that cave was very clear. Some of them reeked of the water that burns, and they made no attempt to hide their trail. A yearling puppy could have followed it,&quot; Midnight stated. &quot;But there were no tracks or scent trails at all leading away from the cave. None. The man-prints and dog tracks all led one way - to the cave. None led away from it. Very strange.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;The water that burns? You mean the wines and stronger drinks that men make?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;We have no word for it, but yes. We have seen man drink it, and we know it makes men reckless and careless. They seem to use it to overcome their own fears. It burns the throat and makes us ill, but we know its scent,&quot; Midnight said.<br /><br />Dark Wind thought for a moment, and then sighed. &quot;I think I know how they died. I did this to them. I must have teleported them away from me. Father taught me how to use magic to make a coin or stone vanish from one place and reappear somewhere else. He even taught me to make it go someplace that I could not see. But if I tried to do it with something that was too heavy, I passed out. I must have teleported those men and their dogs. The last thing I remember was shouting for them to go away. I... made them appear here, or somewhere far above this spot. It&#039;s the only thing that makes sense. You said I slept like a dead thing for two days, right? I probably would, if I tried to teleport all of them at once. I&#039;ve never managed to make more than a large chest teleport before, without passing out.&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />That night, Dark Wind shifted to the form of a small black dog, and went into the village. She listened to the people in the streets, and sat by the window in the tavern, and curled up under a pew in the church, and listened to what was being said. It did not take long for her to hear enough to know what had happened.<br /><br />The village priest had witnessed the &#039;demonic possession&#039; of a farmer&#039;s son, and he had blamed her family with cursing the boy, because his affliction happened after he visited their farm. It had been the same boy that had whipped the horse with thorns. The boy himself had gone insane, and had slowly bled to death as the nightmares, or what they villagers called the &#039;demonic possession&#039; returned every time he tried to sleep. The priest could offer no other explanation for the wounds that appeared out of nowhere on the boy&#039;s flesh, as he screamed in his sleep. So the church had sent their mercenaries to slay the &#039;demons&#039; - Dark Wind&#039;s parents and herself.<br /><br />That night the villagers found the remains in the ravine. And they were saying that the girl had not been found yet, and must still be out there, in the form of a terrible demon. They resolved to hunt her until they killed her.<br /><br />Dark Wind thought the real demon had been the savage, heartless boy. She did not regret that she had killed him with that nightmare spell. It surprised her, however, that the spell had done anything worse than giving him a bad time sleeping. Her mother had never told her that oneromancy could cause physical damage like that.<br /><br />The boy deserved to be punished. But her parents did not. In their fear and superstition, the villagers and the priest, seeing demons and evil where there was none, had created a far worse situation. Dark Wind would get revenge for their deaths. If they dared to hunt her, and to call her a demon, then she would make them have a reason to fear her.<br /><br />She returned to the village each night, until she was certain that she knew the names and homes of each person in the village that had agreed to send the mercenaries to kill her family. And then she returned to the wolves, and to the cave and her father&#039;s magical lore, to plot her vengeance.<br /><br />Dark Wind was eight years old. But she was no longer a child.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 5, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 5 - Forbidden knowledge - Fighting for rank<br /><br />Dark Wind sat alone in the cave, reading the scrolls and books that she had recovered from her father&#039;s workshop. By the light of a tallow lamp, she read and sorted them, setting aside those writings that were of no immediate use to her, and seeking to better understand the spells she already knew, and how she might use them to keep herself safe, while striking back at her enemies.<br /><br />Most of what she found useful was in the second chest, which contained the more advanced spells that her father had allowed her to learn. There were many things in these books and scrolls that he had not brought to her attention, and which she now attempted to learn for the first time. It was difficult, but she was a bright girl, and she had a level of raw talent that would have amazed most Human mages of her land.<br /><br />Her father had told her that mages still studied and advanced their arts, despite the persecutions of the church and the superstitious fear of the peasants. Some mages, he said, were themselves priests, who secretly delved into areas that the church would not approve of. Others were herbalists, who went beyond the simple compounding of teas, salves and ointments, to produce potions and unguents that were far more effective. And some, like her father, made a living by healing sick people or animals. But all had one thing in common. They all had to be careful not to make a public display of capabilities too far beyond those of ordinary men and women, lest they be blamed with consorting with evil forces to gain unnatural abilities.<br /><br />Dark Wind knew that evil spirits and demons did exist, though they were much more uncommon than the church or superstitious farmers would believe. Some of the books in the third chest included spells for the summoning of minor magical creatures, of various natures. Most were either good or neutral entities, such as dryads, who were spirits that lived in trees; or naiads, who lived in springs, fountains and wells. Some were more capricious and dangerous, such as the unpredictable fire elementals. She had seen her father summon a very minor fire elemental once, when he needed a flame hotter than his forge could produce, for the making of his ceremonial sword and dagger. She wished she could examine those texts, as they contained much more powerful magic spells. But the wards on the lock of the chest prevented it from opening for her.<br /><br />The wards on the fourth chest were stronger still. Dark Wind was certain that those forbidden books and scrolls would include more destructive and combat-like spells. For some reason, her parents had never allowed her to learn any spells that would harm others, or even those that would protect from harm. Her mother had taught her the simple illusions and mental distractions to allow Dark wind to pass unnoticed among people that were not actively seeking her. But her mother had never taught her about the oneromancy spells that could cause physical harm. Yet somehow, Dark Wind had managed to cause a nightmare for that farm boy that had made him bleed. <br /><br />She picked up one of several scrolls that she had found on oneromancy, intending to read it again, to see if there was something she had missed the first several times. But as she turned her wrist, she felt something shift ever so slightly in the balance of the scroll. She shook the scroll, and was rewarded with a sliding feeling, like something inside the rod that the scroll was wrapped around was sliding back and forth, a short distance.<br /><br />She examined the rod carefully, and found that the end could be twisted free. The rod was hollow, and a second, smaller scroll was hidden within it! Eagerly she read that scroll, and found it contained changes and additions to some of the more basic oneromantic spells, that altered their results dramatically. Two of those altered spells indicated that if you could base a nightmare on a deep-seated fear that the person already had, you could make nightmares that were so intense that the body would react as if the damage inflicted in the dream was real. One example they gave was of a person with a deep fear of being whipped, and that a spell to cause that person to dream that they were being whipped could become intense enough to make their back open with cuts and scars, as if the whip had really cut their flesh!<br /><br />&quot;So that is what happened! That farm boy must have had a strong fear of being whipped, and that made my nightmare spell strong enough to make him bleed and die from the wounds? Then if I can find a way to learn the deepest fears that my enemies have, I can turn that against them, as my weapon!&quot; Dark Wind said to herself. <br /><br />She started examining the other scroll rods more closely, and found three more hidden scrolls, each of which added some forbidden or dangerous aspect to the spells in the main scroll. And one of those spells could be used to force access to the deeper memories of the victim. The scroll did mention some chance of harm to the mind of the victim, if they resisted the attack to strongly, but failed to defend against it. Dark Wind didn&#039;t care about that, since she was only likely to use that sort of spell on an enemy she had already decided to kill. What matter if the first attack drove them mad, as well?<br /><br />===<br /><br />For four years, Dark Wind lived among the wolves, keeping herself hidden from the eyes of man. The villagers and their priest grew complacent, while Dark Wind refrained from seeking her revenge, gathered information, and her magic grew stronger.<br /><br />She learned that when shifting from animal form to Human, she did not have to limit herself to her original appearance. Just as she could choose as an animal form what breed of dog or wolf, or what color her fur and markings would be, in her Human form she could easily change the color of her hair, its length, and the color of her skin. With a little more effort, she could change the appearance of her face and body, and make herself look remarkably similar to any human she had seen long enough to remember clearly how they looked. She could even appear to be an adult, or a male, though she had not yet figured out how to actually change her gender.<br /><br />She would slip into a home or church or shopkeeper&#039;s stall; appearing to be a stray animal, or a guest, or a customer; and study the faces and behaviors of the people, while listening for information. Once she even dared to impersonate the village priest, and got his assistant to let her into locked rooms in the church, to steal documents, and a small chest filled with gold, silver and copper coins.<br /><br />She had no personal use for the money she stole from the church. She took it mostly to deprive the priest of its use in paying his mercenaries, and so that, when disguised as a villager, she could buy a tankard of weak wine or a meal, and sit unnoticed among the villagers as they gossiped.<br /><br />She learned that the church paid and used several groups of mercenaries like the ones that attacked her home. These mercenary bands answered to no civil authority - not even the king. Their order answered only to the church. Anyone that the church suspected of heresy, or consorting with evil creatures, or any of a number of acts that the church disapproved of, might expect a &#039;visit&#039; from these soldiers, to be brought in for questioning, or to be imprisoned, or to be killed. The mercenaries were not well liked by the villagers, but few dared speak out against them. And the church did keep them on a fairly tight leash, not allowing the soldiers to harass anyone the church had not targeted.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Shortly after her twelfth birthday, Dark Wind came into heat. Her youngest wolf brothers had already been accepted as young adults in the pack, and had fought for and won mates, and a place in the pack. Three young male wolves had been sniffing around her, biding their time and each trying to get her to mate with them. Dark Wind had no time for such things, and no interest in mating and having puppies.<br /><br />&quot;Stuff it in a knothole! You&#039;ll get a more friendly reception. No one mates with me, unless I say so, and I want no mate,&quot; she growled, as the three males circled her. The rest of the pack stood in a ring around them. By pack law, this was something she had to work out on her own. She could submit to one of the males, and then the other two might fight him for the right to have her. Or she could fight all three of them, and claim another mate, or no mate. If she beat them, she would outrank them in the pack.<br /><br />Fighting and winning would bring complications of its own. With a higher rank in the pack, other wolves of higher rank might see her as a worthy mate, and seek their own chances with her. Again, she could submit, or fight for dominance. This circle would continue until she accepted a mate, or until no other male challenged for her.<br /><br />&quot;You would fight us, Dark Wind?&quot; one male asked. &quot;All three of us?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I will. One at a time, or all at once, I don&#039;t care. I take no mate this heat, unless you can defeat me. That is pack law,&quot; she replied, as her green eyes began to glow with a light of their own.<br /><br />&quot;Then fight!&quot; growled one of the three males, as he lunged forward and made to bite at her foreleg.<br /><br />Dark Wind growled and leaped over the first attacker, biting hard at the base of his tail. Her eyes flashed like fire, and the first wolf yelped as if his tail had been completely bitten off. It hadn&#039;t been, but he thought it had. He ran through the circle, yelping like a scared puppy. Dark Wind glared at the other two wolves. &quot;Who is next?&quot; she growled, and as she did so, her eyes glowed and she seemed to get several inches taller, and proportionately more massive.<br /><br />The second wolf charged her, and tried to leap over her to attack from behind.<br /><br />Dark wind&#039;s eyes flashed again, and as he passed over her, she snapped her jaws right between his hind legs. <br /><br />The second wolf yelped as if she had castrated him, and fell in a heap beyond the circle of wolves, nervously licking himself and assuring himself that he was still intact.<br /><br />Dark Wind looked at the remaining wolf. &quot;Well? What are you waiting for?&quot;<br /><br />The third male wolf lay down and rolled over. &quot;I submit. I will not attack you.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Good. Is there anyone else?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />No other wolves stepped forward to challenge her, and she bowed before Grey Shadow and Moonlight, saying, &quot;I will stay in my cave until my heat is over, so I will not tempt further challenges. The two who faced me are not as badly harmed as they think, and they will recover.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You did well. Few here would challenge you now, without good reason. Just don&#039;t reach too high, pup,&quot; the leader of the wolves said.<br /><br />&quot;I have no reason to challenge for a higher place in this pack. I am satisfied. Thank you, pack alpha,&quot; Dark Wind replied.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Dark Wind caught two rabbits on the way back to her cave. She happily devoured them, without even considering that she might have made a fire and cooked them. Cooked meals were for men, and she was a wolf now. She slaked her thirst in a stream, and washed the blood from her muzzle.<br /><br />When she got to her cave, one of her brothers was waiting for her. His name was Bent Ear, because his left ear had a kink in the outer edge, where one of the other puppies had bit his ear, and it healed oddly.<br /><br />&quot;Can you teach me that trick?&quot; he asked.<br /><br />&quot;You saw how I did it. Leap and go for the tail. Or duck low and go for the underbelly,&quot; she replied.<br /><br />&quot;No, I meant the bit with the glowing eyes. Your eyes glowed, and they thought they were hurt far worse than they were. Father&#039;s eyes glowed like that, sometimes. Can you teach me how to do it too?&quot; he said.<br /><br />&quot;I wish I could, Bent Ear,&quot; Dark Wind replied. &quot;But father told me that his four-legged children are incapable of magic. My mother was a Kitsune - a magical fox spirit. Our father was of the Feral Folk. The magic is tied somehow to being able to have a Human form. He told me that if he mated with someone that had a Human form, the child would too. But if the mother had no Human form, the magic would not pass to them.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Pity. That would have been a good skill to know. Guess I&#039;ll just have to satisfy myself with making sure if I am in a fight, that you&#039;re on my side,&quot; he said. And then her brother lay down in front of her, and showed her his belly. &quot;I accept you as alpha to me, sister.&quot;<br /><br />She stepped forward and nosed at her brother&#039;s belly, and licked him gently. &quot;I didn&#039;t expect that. But I&#039;m glad I don&#039;t need to fight you.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I don&#039;t think you&#039;ll ever have to fight any of father&#039;s pups, Dark Wind. They may or may not show their belly to you, but we all know you&#039;re more like father than any of us. You&#039;ll always have us at your back,&quot; he said. Then he kiss-licked her muzzle, and padded back to the rest or the pack, and to his mate.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 6, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 6 - Unlocking the past<br /><br />Dark Wind was twelve years old, but she was aging and maturing at the rate of a Human, or perhaps aging even more slowly. She was just becoming sexually capable, and in her wolf form she still appeared to be a wolf that was no more than two years old, while the wolves in her pack were considered full adults and were mating and breeding when they were two, and considered ancient by twelve or thirteen years. Social contact and interbreeding with her father had caused some distinct differences in this wolf pack. They were smarter, and worked more cooperatively, and allowed the second and even third ranked mated pairs to breed and raise pups. In most wolf packs, only the alpha pair, and perhaps one or two other high-ranking pairs, would ever raise their pups to maturity. This difference made the pack both larger and stronger, but also led to more tensions in terms of rank contention.<br /><br />She paced back and forth in her cave. The sensations of being in heat for the first time were new to her, and somehow quite disturbing. Her body longed for things she didn&#039;t understand yet - things her parents had never had time to explain to her. She knew how puppies were made, of course. It was a fact of life that was impossible to miss, when your family bred and raised dogs for a living. She had often watched her father putting pairs of dogs together to breed, and he had explained to her as they mated that this was how a litter of puppies was created. But perhaps the very fact that her father raised dogs to train and sell had taken away the taboo or mystique of the act of procreation. It was no different to Dark Wind than sowing a field of grain and harvesting it for sale. Breeding was something you did when you wanted to make a new litter of puppies. It had no other meaning for her. <br /><br />It did not bother her that the wolves in the pack wanted to mate with her, even though she was a Feral Folk in wolf form, and not a true wolf. Her parents had never made it a taboo thing for different species to interbreed. How could they, when her father was a Feral Folk, and mother a Kitsune? She knew her father had assumed animal form on many occasions, and had sired quite a few litters of puppies and wolf pups, and even a few horse foals. She had even watched him breed with a female dog once. It was not an unusual thing to her mind. Her half-brothers and half-sisters among the wolves, like Bent Ear, were accepted and honored in the wolf pack. When she was ready to breed, she knew her pups would be well regarded by the wolves as well, and that she herself would be respected by them for adding to the strength of the pack. She admired the strength and beauty of the wolves, and found them attractive, in some ways. But she didn&#039;t desire any of them strongly enough to mate with them. In truth, feelings of physical desire for another was something that had not yet been hers to experience, though it soon would, if nature took its course.<br /><br />Dark Wind didn&#039;t want puppies of her own. Not at this time, anyway. If she wanted to play with wolf pups, there were plenty of them being born in the pack each year. She had more important things to do with her time, than dealing with her own litter of puppies. She had to figure out more about magic, so she could get her revenge for the death of her family, and against the farmers and mercenaries who still laid traps for her and tried to seek her out and kill her. She slept among the wolves, and hunted and fed with them, or hunted alone. But most of her free time she spent in her cave, studying magic.<br /><br />Still in wolf form, she curled tightly and licked herself, trying to make the strange feeling between her hind legs lessen. But unlike licking a scrape or cut, licking herself between her hind legs didn&#039;t soothe the strange feelings she was experiencing there. It just made her feel even stranger. Panting heavily, she gave up on that effort, unwittingly stopping just short of giving herself her first orgasm.<br /><br />Dark Wind shifted back to Human form, to resume her studies. She found with some relief that in Human form the sensations of being in heat lessened considerably. It was still there, but nowhere near as distracting. She lit her lamp and opened a chest to study more scrolls and books. She felt a small amount of pride when she used that lamp. Her lamp was fueled now by animal fat that she had cooked down from pigs or cattle that she had hunted and killed herself. The suet that she needed for this was considered quite tasty by the wolves, and they would rarely share it from their own kills. She collected it and cooked it down in a kettle to make the greasy white lamp fuel.<br /><br />Killing cattle to get the suet was no trouble for Dark Wind, even though she was still a little small for a wolf. She had a very unfair advantage now when she hunted. She would go beyond the bounds of the forest and seek the farms on the edges of the man-settled areas. In wolf form she would stalk her prey, carrying a sharp knife in her mouth. Then she would use her oneromancy to make the animal fall into a deep sleep. Then she would assume a wolf-like, semi-Human form, slit its throat and belly, and take the best parts of the animal for herself. The mutilated remains of the farm animals that she left behind, and the occasional nights where her jet black, semi-Human form with unnatural glowing green eyes was spotted by a farmer, caused the villagers to believe that a werewolf or demon lurked in the woods. Some villagers still believed that this demon was the girl that had escaped when they killed the other two inhuman creatures at that farm. Others believed the girl from the farm had been devoured by the demon, and warned their own children to stay out of the forest, lest they to be eaten. Few now dared to venture into the woods, unless they were hunting the green-eyed &#039;demon of the forest&#039;.<br /><br />It amused her that some farmers had even begun leaving &#039;gifts&#039; at the edges of the forest, to appease the &#039;demon&#039; and get it to leave their livestock and families alone. Dark Wind encouraged this, occasionally influencing the dreams of those farmers to indicate what sort of &#039;tribute&#039; might please the demon. This gained her some new metal tools, cooking pots, and some fresh clothing for her Human form. These tribute items she could use her teleport spell to snatch away, without risking being spotted. Occasionally they would stake out one young pig at the edge of the fields, offering it rather than their more prized sow as her victim. But she rarely took the staked out animals. It was too likely that they were bait for a trap, and the animals would make too much noise at her hidden location, if she teleported them to her.<br /><br />As she read the scrolls, Dark Wind paused and stared once more at the two chests that remained locked. The wards on the locks of those two chests were crafted to only allow her father or her mother to open them. Now that they were both dead, Dark Wind could feel those wards weakening slightly. But they still prevented her from unlocking the chests.<br /><br />She put away the scrolls and tried to remember one of the more advanced spells that her father had performed, using the books and scrolls of the third chest. The spell for summoning a fire elemental was one that seemed clear in her mind. She could still recall the precise details of the diagram that her father had laid out on the floor of his workshop, to bind the summoned creature in place, compel it to serve him honestly, and protect everyone and everything outside the circle from being harmed by whatever was summoned. She was pretty sure she could recall the words of the incantation to perform the summons, and which combinations of minerals and dried herbs her father had cast into the brazier in the center of the circle, to make a small fire elemental appear, to do his bidding.<br /><br />&quot;I&#039;ll try it!&quot; she said to herself, as she rummaged through the bottles and boxes of dried herbs to find the ones needed for the summoning spell. When she was satisfied that she had located all the right materials and mixed the powders as she had seen her father do, she carefully inscribed the three concentric circles, the five pointed star, and the central triangle into the dirt on the cave floor, along with the arcane symbols that went in the gaps between the each of the circles. She remembered that it was very important for the pattern on the floor to be intact and accurately drawn, so she was very careful in making all the lines and marks crisp and clean, and not to step on or smudge anything she had already drawn.<br /><br />Standing naked in Human form outside the circle, she lit the brazier in the center. She recited the incantation as she remembered it, pausing at the appropriate points to cast small handfuls of each of the five prepared powders into the brazier. With each new powder, the nature of the flame changed slightly, getting brighter with the first one, turning acid green with the second, then a pale blue with the third, and becoming an almost normal looking red flame, a foot or so tall, with the fourth cast. Concentrating carefully, she said the last words of the incantation, and added the fifth powder.<br /><br />The result was unusual, to say the least, and not at all what she expected! Although the floor of the cave outside the circle was still illuminated as if a normal fire burned in the brazier, everything within the circle was reversed! Where the dancing flame should be was a flame-shaped dancing shadow of deepest black, which seemed to suck up all light that touched it. Extending outward from that was a corona of flickering anti-light. Dark Wind had never seen anything like a photographic negative before, but what she saw, within that circle, was just like what a negative photographic image of the fire and firelight should have been. <br /><br />The black fire writhed and guttered, and then shaped itself into a ten inch high image of a Human female, with black fire for hair, and acid green eyes.<br /><br />&quot;Who summons Asha?&quot; the fire Elemental asked.<br /><br />&quot;You may call me Dark Wind. I summoned you, to do my bidding,&quot; Dark Wind replied.<br /><br />&quot;That&#039;s not your true name, is it? Smart girl. True names have power. You couldn&#039;t have summoned me without saying my true name.&nbsp;&nbsp;Very well, Mistress Dark Wind. What tedious task must your reluctant servant perform?&quot; the creature asked.<br /><br />&quot;Outside that circle are two chests that are sealed with magical wards. Can you remove the spells that seal the locks, without harming anything else, or harming me?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;Not while they are out there, Mistress. You know enough to summon me, and to draw the circle to bind me. You know I can&#039;t pass beyond this circle!&quot; the elemental said, with a bored attitude. &quot;Bring the chests to me, inside the circle. Then I can easily remove those warding spells. I sense a weakness in them that I can use to shatter them. Set them beside me, and thy will be done.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I am not so foolish as to step past the circle that protects me from you, Asha!&quot; Dark Wind said with some satisfaction. When her father had summoned an elemental, it had immediately tried to entice him to cross the circle, and he had explained to his daughter that if the caster entered the circle with the summoned creature, the creature could attack the caster and no longer had to obey them!<br /><br />&quot;Well, you can&#039;t blame me for trying, Mistress,&quot; the elemental said, grinning. Her smile was like a glowing green crescent of burning copper. &quot;You&#039;d be surprised at how foolish some apprentice mages are when first they summon one of my kind. You look quite young, and I thought I could fool you, I freely admit it. Very well, then. Drag the chest to the circle&#039;s edge, and push it in, so you may remain outside the circle. Then I will remove the wards, oh wise young Mistress.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;But that would erase part of the symbol in the dirt, and again you would be free to harm me. I will not do that. I will put the chests beside you, however,&quot; Dark Wind said. Her eyes glowed brightly, and the two chests teleported to within the circle. The effort tired her, after casing the summoning spell. She took a deep breath and sat on the ground, saying, &quot;There. Unseal the wards, as I commanded.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Teleportation? From one so young? You are a most unusual child. I could almost admire you. Ohhh! Oh yes, these are very interesting, aren&#039;t they? The smaller one, especially. There, child. The wards are gone, as I promised, and nothing else is harmed. May I return to my realms, now, Mistress?&quot; the elemental said.<br /><br />&quot;After you answer one more question for me. What, exactly, are you? I have seen fire elementals before, and you are unlike any I have seen,&quot; Dark Wind said.<br /><br />&quot;You are new at this, aren&#039;t you?&quot; Asha said, grinning again. &quot;And yet you did manage to compel my service. Very well, Mistress. I am a black fire elemental. We aren&#039;t very common. I am, to some extent, a reflection of your soul, little Mistress. You are not completely pure and innocent, are you? The dark dreams have already touched your soul. I can even sense that you have already killed another, when you didn&#039;t need to. Use what is in the small chest, Mistress, and you&#039;ll learn much more of my kind. But I will offer you one bit of friendly advice, because I respect you at least a small bit, for daring to summon me at your tender age. Never tell a summoned creature that you don&#039;t understand what they are. If they know that you are unaware of their strengths and weaknesses, they will use that against you. And now, Farewell, Mistress Dark Wind. I dare say we will meet again. See you in Hell.&quot;<br /><br />With that, the fire in the brazier abruptly extinguished, and the light in the cave returned to normal, lit only by the tallow lamp that was atop one of the other chests.<br /><br />Dark Wind felt very tired, but she dutifully performed the closing part of the ritual, thanking and banishing the summoned energies and breaking and then erasing the summoning circle, so the summoned creature could not return until and unless summoned again. She realized as she scuffed away the circle that the elemental&#039;s name had been misspelled. She had inscribed it as Asha, and had spoken it thus. But she recalled now that the name her father had written there was Aska. She had still been successful, but she had summoned the wrong creature, due to that error. Or was it as Asha had said, because Dark Wind&#039;s soul was somehow tainted by the death of that horrid farm boy, four years earlier?<br /><br />She tried her keys in the locks, and both chests unlocked.<br /><br />She found that the larger chest, which contained the advanced magic that her father felt safe to use, also contained her ancestor&#039;s journals. The handwriting in the ancient journals was a different style than what she was used to seeing, and the phrases and words sometimes strange, but she was satisfied the she could read them.<br /><br />She laid a hand on the smaller chest, and paused.<br /><br />Asha had sensed something about the contents of that chest, and the elemental had actually encouraged Dark Wind to use what was in it. The elemental had admitted that if you told a summoned creature you didn&#039;t understand them, they would use your lack of knowledge against you. And she had said she would see Dark Wind again... in Hell. <br /><br />Hands trembling, Dark Wind re-locked the fourth chest, and with her last strength she cast a new ward on that chest, so that only she could unlock it. Then she fell into a deep sleep, and dreamed of the days of her ancestors, when mages could openly practice their arts, magical creatures appeared openly among humans, and the church didn&#039;t hunt them down.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 7, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 7 - A brush with death<br /><br />For the next year, Dark Wind studied the contents of the third chest, learning many new, advanced spells. Her improved understanding of the spells and her growing experience allowed her, by the end of the year, to teleport herself a mile or more to a location she was familiar with, or to teleport a small group of others a similar distance. She found she could send as many as four people or animals away at once, without excessively tiring herself. One of her more effective attacks now was to teleport her victim to a position half a mile or more high in the air, so they would fall and be injured. Not only was the sudden fall from so great a height often fatal, but it was very demoralizing to her attackers when they saw their comrades vanish into thin air! The only problem was that she needed to be stationary to cast the teleport spell. It couldn&#039;t be cast while the caster was moving about.<br /><br />For the entire year, she avoided intentionally confronting the villagers or the mercenaries. If they hunted her, which they did every month or two, she would fight back, killing them if necessary. But she tried to plant the idea in their dreams that if they did nothing to anger the forest demon, if they tried to appease it, that it would leave them alone. She had still not forgiven them. But she was not ready to fight her final battle with them.<br /><br />===<br /><br />As winter came again, she began to worry about coming into heat again. Thankfully, her wolf form only came into heat once per year, in December or January, and lasted only a week or two. She was nearly thirteen now, as best she could mark the passing of time. She had given up on keeping a calendar, and instead merely marked the passing of each year by the coming of the winter snows, and counted herself a year older when the first snows fell.<br /><br />The pack alpha wolf, Grey Shadow, came to her one night outside her cave, saying, &quot;Perhaps it would not be a bad thing for you to mate this year, Dark Wind. You hardly seem to age at all, young pup. You have your father&#039;s long life, as well as magic that none of us have. You will most certainly outlive every member of our pack. If you had a strong mate, you could take the alpha role, and lead this pack, for generations to come. My mate, Moonlight, is getting weaker. She may not survive this winter. I may live a few seasons more, but then I too shall pass. If you were to accept me as your mate after Moonlight passes, you could take the alpha bitch role without a fight, and then have your pick of mates when I am gone. The pack knows how special you are. They would accept you... were it not for one thing.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I am honored, my old friend. But my answer, even to you, is still that I want no mate. Among my mother&#039;s and father&#039;s people, a female would not seek to have babies until she was at least four or five seasons older than I am now. And besides that, I know why the pack would hesitate to accept me as alpha. You, and the rest of the pack, do not approve of my battle with the men of the village, do you?&quot; Dark Wind replied.<br /><br />&quot;It is that, yes. We do not kill what we do not need to survive. We do not need to attack man, or their penned animals, when game is plentiful in these forests. Your father taught us the wisdom of avoiding man&#039;s farms. When man does not see us attacking his animals or his people, he does not attack us,&quot; Grey Shadow said. &quot;But you... you taunt them, and steal from them, and kill their men. Do you not see? They killed your parents, and a number of your dogs. But they lost more lives just by attacking you and your parents than your family lost that night. How many of them have you killed since then? How many will be enough for you?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I do not count the dead. But many still live who agreed with killing my family, and who wanted to kill me. Roughly thirty of them still live - more than all the wolves in our pack. And worst of those is the priest that ordered our deaths. I can not rest until that priest is dead, and the others who supported his order that my family must die,&quot; Dark Wind said. &quot;I am sorry, Grey Shadow, but I cannot cease my war with men. I do not want to lead your pack. I want to see the deaths of those who killed my family, or who ordered their deaths. Nothing else matters to me.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;That saddens me. I will not order you to cease, for I know that I cannot force you to do it, and if I give that order, and you defy me, then we will have to fight for dominance. I will suggest to the younger males that they wait before asking you to mate again. A few may still make the claim, but you should have no trouble defying them, as you did last season. I just hope that your tenacity does not bring the men to hunt the whole pack,&quot; the lead wolf said, as he turned and walked away from her.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Dark Wind returned to her studies. She had found a particularly promising oneromantic spell in the third chest, one that affected many people at once. But it required the caster to be in the midst of the nightmare-inducing fog, and actively touching the minds of those they attacked. To prevent the caster from going mad themselves, a potion was required to render the caster immune to the spell&#039;s effects.<br /><br />She checked her supplies, and it appeared that only one ingredient was missing from what she would need for the protective potion. Her father&#039;s herbals identified it as an herb that commonly was used in medicines, but it was not something that grew at this time of year. The only place she could think of where that herb might be found was in the apothecary supplies of the village priest, who served as their healer. She thought it was ironic that the one thing she needed to destroy her enemies was something she could steal from the priest.<br /><br />Dark Wind wasted no time. She crept into the village, and disguised herself as one of the orphan children that tended the church gardens, in return for charity and shelter at the church. That got her through the village and the outer grounds of the church. Slipping into the church offices, she altered her appearance to look like the priest, and slipped on one of his spare robes. She hoped to get the priest&#039;s assistant to unlock the apothecary room, as she had fooled him once before to steal money and documents. But the priest had posed an armed mercenary at the door, and there was no sign of the assistant. Dark Wind turned to go, and bumped face-first into the real priest! <br /><br />&quot;Oh, excuse me, I... Wait, WHAT? What trickery is this? Guards! Imposter! Guards!&quot; declared the priest, as he shouted for his mercenaries.<br /><br />Dark Wind knew her false appearance wouldn&#039;t be good enough to be believed while standing beside the real priest. She turned and ran, as she heard the guard ratcheting back the string on his crossbow. She needed to get out of the mercenary&#039;s line of fire before she could stop moving and teleport. She threw off the robe and threw it back at the mercenary, blocking his vision for a moment as she dove through an unglazed window, changing shape in mid leap. <br /><br />She landed in her &#039;werewolf demon&#039; form, hoping the much-feared look would cause others to run out of her path, as she bounded for the gates in the church walls. She leaped over a startled child in the gardens and felt an intense pain rip through the right side of her neck. A crossbow bolt had struck her right at the base of the neck, where the muscles of the shoulder met the neck. A fraction of an inch further left would have been fatal.<br /><br />Screaming with pain, she raced through the gates, and stopped as soon as she was out of sight, then half a second later she teleported to safety, leaving the stunned priest and his followers to wonder if the huge demon had been destroyed at last be being pierced with the silver-tipped bolts from the mercenary&#039;s crossbow.<br /><br />She landed with a hard thump in a clearing not far from her cave, and limped back to the safety of her refuge. The silver on the crossbow bolt&#039;s conical tip meant nothing to her, but the wound was bleeding badly, and the pain was unbelievable. She gathered strips of cloth and did what she could to be ready to deal with the bleeding, and then screamed as she yanked the short arrow out of the wound, thankful that the bolt had not been bladed or barbed. She tried to stop the bleeding, but she was unskilled at medicine. Too much was still seeping through the bandages.<br /><br />&quot;No. Damn it NO! It can&#039;t end like this! I must survive. I must...&quot; Dark Wind gasped.<br /><br />Using her own blood, she drew a pattern on the floor around her brazier, and the symbols needed to summon Asha, the file elemental. She had the necessary powders already prepared, though until now she had refrained from summoning the unearthly creature a second time. She performed the summoning ritual as fast as she dared, and soon Asha stood before her again.<br /><br />The black fire elemental was almost four feet tall this time, and she regarded the circle around her and the state of her summoner. She smiled and said, &quot;Well, little Mistress Dark Wind summons me again, and with her own blood this time? Going for a more frightful appearance these days, are you? You look rather the worse for wear, Mistress. What do you require of me?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I... demand your service. I am injured, and I can&#039;t... stop the bleeding. Can you heal me? Or teach me how... to heal myself quickly?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;Well, I could just sit here and watch you die, and then take your soul to hell, when your death releases me. But I think you&#039;re much more amusing alive, Mistress. And using your own blood as a sacrifice has gained you some measure of command over me,&quot; Asha replied. &quot;May I ask how you were injured?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Crossbow bolt. A church mercenary shot me, when I... was stealing from the priest,&quot; Dark Wind admitted.<br /><br />&quot;Oh really? Oh, you are entertaining, Mistress. Stealing from a priest? Can&#039;t say I object to that at all.&nbsp;&nbsp;Well, I must admit that no, I can&#039;t heal you. But I am rather certain that I can find a spell in the many books and scrolls in this cave that will keep you alive, if you&#039;ll pay the price I require,&quot; Asha said.<br /><br />&quot;Price? What price?&quot; Dark Wind asked. &quot;And how can I trust you?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;It doesn&#039;t look to me like you have much choice, Mistress,&quot; Asha replied. &quot;You look like you could easily bleed to death before you can find anyone else to aid you. Here is my offer. You intrigue me. I will offer you my service, to advise you, teach you magic, run errands for you. The usual sorts of things most mages demand of a familiar. I have served and observed some truly great mages over the centuries, and I know quite a bit about the reading and casting of spells. In exchange for my price, I will serve you faithfully for, let us say, seven years. Whatever you require, I will endeavor to do, exactly as you command it of me. If I even once fail to obey you, then you will have restored to you the price I will ask, and I will be banished back to Hell for 100 years. I will never be able to harm you, in any meaningful way. Do we have a deal?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Not without knowing the price. You&#039;re from Hell? What do you want? My soul?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;Most creatures on this plane of reality call the realm where I dwell Hell, yes. But it&#039;s not what the church would have you believe. What would I do with your soul? I&#039;m not powerful enough to have a use for souls. But it does need to be something of value,&quot; Asha replied. Her eyes glowed extra bright, as she reached out to touch Dark Wind&#039;s surface thoughts. &quot;Why, that&#039;s just the thing! You don&#039;t even want it, but it is something many creatures would contract with hell to get. Your fertility. Give me that, and I will serve you for seven years, as faithfully as it is possible for me to do. All you lose is the annoying ability to have children. And you don&#039;t even want children! &quot;<br /><br />&quot;All right. You take my fertility, and... you&#039;re bound to serve me loyally for seven years. We... have a deal,&quot; Dark Wind said. Then she felt a wrenching sensation in her stomach, like a severe menstrual cramp.<br /><br />&quot;Then it is done, Mistress. And as proof that I am now unable to harm you, I will show you that the restraining diagram on the floor can no longer hold me. I&#039;m bound to you by stronger ties, Mistress, and as you have commanded my aid, that command from you is stronger than this binding circle. See?&quot; Asha said, and as she stepped over the lines, and the light in the room became normal again. <br /><br />Asha herself now looked like a teenaged humanoid vixen, with black and dark grey fur, and jet black, glossy hair. Her eyes were a solid glossy black, and where the pupils should have been a green flame danced merrily. She was now just a couple of inches shorter than Dark Wind. &quot;How is this?&quot; she asked, turning in place. &quot;I can change to any shape that you can, Mistress. That ability comes from being bound to you. Now, this may hurt a moment, but it is necessary, to buy us some time.&quot;<br /><br />The fire elemental reached out and touched the wound on either side of Dark Wind&#039;s neck. There was a moment of intense pain as the touch cauterized the wound. Dark Wind screamed, but stayed in place.<br /><br />&quot;A thousand apologies, Mistress, but that really was necessary. And it is the closest I can do to healing you myself. Now, to work!&quot; Asha said, as she opened the fourth chest and started examining the most forbidden books and scrolls.<br /><br />&quot;Wait... Those are dangerous&quot; Dark Wind started to say.<br /><br />&quot;They are what you need, Mistress. You can&#039;t get squeamish now. How long have you been studying the other three chests full of spells? Don&#039;t you think that if what you need was in them, you would remember something at least vaguely useful?&quot; Asha asked, shaking her head ruefully. &quot;Really... These tomes are harmless, if you know what traps and pitfalls to watch out for, and what double and triple meanings the spells hold. And I do know those things. Do you want to survive or not, Mistress?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I... want to survive. I must,&quot; Dark Wind replied. &quot;Just teach me... what I need to get healed quickly.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;As you command, so shall I do, Mistress!&quot; Asha replied. She very quickly examined and set aside a dozen or more volumes, and then held one up, smiling, and said, &quot;Just the thing! I knew I sensed something like this in the area. This book has spells that affect the living body in various ways. Most are attacks, but there&#039;s bound to be some that aid the caster.&quot; She flipped through it, speaking to herself as she went. &quot;Let&#039;s see what we have here... &#039;Spell to make the victim&#039;s wounds rot&#039;... &#039;Spell to steal life force and reverse aging for the caster&#039;... Useful, but not what you need right now... Ah! Here it is... &#039;Spell to remove wounds from the caster&#039;. This spell will completely remove a chosen wound or infection. Sends it right out of the body. Works very fast, too. It was devised as a combat spell, in the days of... oh, never mind. This is what you want, Mistress, I assure you. Let&#039;s see... the fastest way is... Yes, right here. Just touch the wound, and recite the third through seventh lines of this incantation. The rest isn&#039;t absolutely necessary. It&#039;s just those lines that will actually remove the wound. The other lines are only needed in a combat situation, and only work when you can see the one who wounded you, or know their name. Say the words, Mistress. Or even just read what is there, so you say them in your mind. It need not be done aloud, as long as you get the words right.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;How is that word pronounced? And this one, there?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />Asha said those words, and Dark Wind repeated them carefully. Then Dark Wind touched her wound and recited the lines that the elemental had indicated.<br /><br />The effect was amazing. The pain vanished as if it had never been there, and the bleeding hole in her neck was completely gone! The only trace of the injury was that the fur on each wound point remained burned where the elemental had touched her, and her fur was still matted with her own blood.<br /><br />&quot;Well, not bad at all. The cauterizing wasn&#039;t part of the original injury, so the spell didn&#039;t affect that wound. But that fur should grow back soon. Or you could cast it again to remove the burns as well,&quot; Asha said.<br /><br />&quot;Later. Right now I need sleep,&quot; Dark Wind said. &quot;I... command you to protect me.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Of course, Mistress,&quot; Asha replied. The elemental sat down with the spell book and examined the spell they had just cast, as her Mistress slept. <br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 8, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 8 - The price of survival - the Dark Winds of Nightmare<br /><br />After napping for an hour or so, Dark Wind went to the nearby river and washed the blood from her fur. She shifted back to her wolf form, and was pleased to find that the minor problem of the singed fur vanished with the transformation. She was halfway back to her cave when she heard a summoning howl from the wolf pack&#039;s gathering clearing. She turned aside and darted down a faint trail, to join the pack.<br /><br />When she got to the clearing, the wolves were in a circle, and one wolf lay in the middle of the pack, unconscious. It was Midnight, one of the elder wolves in the pack. Moonlight and Grey Shadow stood beside the black wolf, licking at his neck.<br /><br />&quot;What has happened?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;Midnight has been injured. He has a hole in his neck, and is bleeding. He barely made it here before he collapsed. It looks like one of the men has hurt him with their stick throwers. Can you help him?&quot; Moonlight asked.<br /><br />&quot;I... I don&#039;t know. They shot at me with their crossbow bolts too. I was... lucky to not be killed by them,&quot; Dark Wind replied. She looked at the wound, and shuddered as she realized he had also been hit in the neck, dangerously close to the place where such an injury would cause massive blood loss. But he was still bleeding pretty fast. &quot;It looks like it passed straight through, and didn&#039;t hit bone. Get soft moss, and... oh, I don&#039;t know what else you would have that might help! I&#039;m going to try magic.&quot;<br /><br />She changed to her Human form, held her hand over the wound, and recited the same incantation that had healed her an hour or two earlier. But the wolf&#039;s wound remained unchanged. Dark Wind felt a little more tired, but there was no healing effect for the wolf.<br /><br />&quot;I do not understand. I have used that spell before, to heal myself, and it was almost instantly effective. We&#039;ll try the moss, I guess,&quot; she said. She took the moss the wolves brought her, and pressed it tightly against the wound. The blood still flowed, but more slowly. <br /><br />Two hours later, it was over. Midnight had never regained consciousness, and had bled to death. The wolves howled mournfully, and Dark Wind insisted on teleporting the remains far from the wolf&#039;s gathering area, where she buried it.<br /><br />&quot;They will pay for this,&quot; she swore, as she placed the last stone over the wolf&#039;s body. She transformed back into a wolf and angrily went back to her cave, and confronted Asha.<br /><br />&quot;Why did that healing spell not work for one of the wolves?&quot; she asked.<br /><br />&quot;Because that spell only aids the caster. Sorry. That&#039;s just the way it is,&quot; Asha replied. &quot;Why? Was one of them hurt?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yes. The Humans must have decided to hunt for me. He was a black wolf. They might have mistaken him for me,&quot; Dark Wind said.<br /><br />&quot;I suppose that is possible,&quot; Asha agreed. &quot;But tell me, was he injured in the same place that you were?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yes, he was. In the neck, just like... I... was... Asha! Are you telling me that his injury and mine are connected?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;Well, I can&#039;t say for sure, Mistress,&quot; Asha replied evasively. &quot;I told you that the spell that healed you was a combat spell. I&#039;ve been reading more on it while you slept and while you were away. It&#039;s very clever, really. The warrior mage who gets injured has but to look at his attacker, or speak his true name, or designate some other opponent that is in sight of him, or who he knows by their true name, and the spell transfers the wound to his enemy! The book says that the mage who created the spell used it to make every arrow that struck him effectively impale the king that led the opposing army, and that he killed the king that way. Imagine what you could do with that, Mistress! If you learn the name, the true name, mind you, of that hated priest, or if you are attacked while you can see him, you can turn every attack that reaches you into an attack on him! His own mercenaries would kill him, instead of you. It is painful, of course. You feel the effects of every attack as they hit you. And they do affect you, until you transfer the wounds individually. So if a lot of arrows hit you at once, or any other attack that is fatal gets to you, you&#039;ll still perish. But any survivable injury can be turned back at the enemy.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;How does that connect what happened to me and what happened to Midnight? Tell me the truth, I command you!&quot; Dark Wind screamed.<br /><br />&quot;Well, Mistress, please remember that you did command me to tell you how to do what was needed to heal yourself quickly,&quot; Asha said. &quot;And I honestly did exactly what you asked. Casting the spell as I directed removed the wound as quickly as that spell possibly could. And since we were far from those that harmed you, and I doubted that you knew the true names of any of them, reciting the last three lines of the spell, which direct the wound to injure your foe, was pointless, and might even have made it fail if you didn&#039;t know their true name. But the spell still has to send the wound somewhere. That&#039;s just how it works. When it left you, without direction on who exactly it should go to, the spell would injure some other living creature, at random. It could have been anything, from a passing sparrow to a deer. Could even have been me, Mistress. It was just bad luck that it happened to be a wolf that you knew.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;So the price of my survival was the life of one of the wolves in my pack, is that it?&quot; Dark Wind asked, dejectedly. &quot;Was there any way to avoid that? Anything you didn&#039;t tell me?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Well, Mistress, your command to me definitely didn&#039;t say anything about sparing any other creatures, now did it? I can&#039;t serve your purposes if you don&#039;t clearly tell me what you expect of me,&quot; Asha stated. &quot;There are two ways, Mistress, where harming nearby friends or allies could be avoided. You can craft the spell to exempt any individuals whose true name you know, or who are actively fighting on your side in a battle. You can also designate a sacrificial victim - a prisoner or staked out animal that will receive the injuries, until it dies. That is what the first three lines of the spell were for. Those lines exempt specific targets whose true names you mentally list, and your allies in battle, and designate a sacrifice whose true name you must know, or who you can see, if the intended foe is no longer in sight, or you failed to guess the foe&#039;s true name.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;In the future, please assume that the wolves I have lived with and any allies in my cause must be exempted from harm, if at all possible,&quot; Dark Wind commanded. &quot;Speak of this to no one. It was an accident. Regrettable, but it was just an accident. We will try to avoid it in the future.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;As you command, Mistress. What are your orders for me, then? What will you do next?&quot; Asha asked.<br /><br />Dark Wind went to the third chest, and got out a book. She leafed through it and pointed to one spell, saying, &quot;The time has come to end this, one way, or another. Look through the fourth chest. See if you can find a more powerful version of this oneromantic spell. I want a nightmare spell that can kill multiple victims at once, but this one is too limited, because it requires that I know in advance the deepest fear of each victim. See if anything similar exists, that will be more effective than this spell, on people whose minds I don&#039;t know so well. And tell me the full effects and cautions about it this time!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I shall obey, Mistress,&quot; Asha replied. <br /><br />They spent the next several nights examining the spells, and in time Asha did find what Dark Wind sought.<br /><br />&quot;This is the spell, Mistress,&quot; Asha said, as she showed the book to Dark Wind. &quot;It is quite appropriate for your purposes. It creates a thick black cloud that spreads across a large area, and passes through any wall or non-magical barrier. Every soul that it touches will fall into a deep sleep. You control it by walking in the midst of the cloud, and entering the dreams or nightmares of each individual victim. The minds and memories of every affected soul will be fully open to you. If you deem them to be innocent, and choose to spare them, then you may let them sleep normally. If you see them as your enemy, and if you choose to slay them, it will cause their deepest fear to take form and substance in their nightmare, and will either kill them, or drive them quite insane. In all other regards, it is the same as the other spell that you showed me.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;It will harm only those I choose to harm?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;Yes, Mistress. No innocent victims will be harmed. If you choose not to enter the mind of one touched by this spell, they will sleep harmlessly until touched by sunlight,&quot; Asha stated.<br /><br />&quot;What if an intended victim proves to be fearless?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;Few sane creatures are truly without fear, Mistress. One who fears nothing is a fool, and usually kills themselves due to incaution or stupidity. Fear is a survival trait. Fear is what prevents a warrior from rushing to certain doom. Those who seem to be without fear merely have the ability to set aside their fear for the moment, to accomplish a higher purpose. But in this nightmare slumber, they will have no other tasks to attend to. It is almost impossible to escape from,&quot; Asha insisted.<br /><br />&quot;What price must I pay? What is the risk to me?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;You must go among them, in person. If any of them do have a magical barrier that can protect them, they may remain awake, and may see you, and be able to attack you. It may prove necessary to fight some of them. And as with the other spell, you need to compound a potion to protect you from the nightmare&#039;s effects, or otherwise have your own emotional responses nullified, so it will not affect you. This spell causes you to see and feel the deaths of each victim. Their punishment will not physically harm you, but seeing their torment could have an effect on your sanity. Can you truly say that you are ready and willing to see each of your enemies die, and in a terrifying manner?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I can. They must die. There is nothing else I should know? You are not conveniently omitting something, or making it sound easier than it is?&quot; Dark Wind asked, cautiously.<br /><br />&quot;I have told you everything, honestly and completely, Mistress. This spell will slay those you choose to slay, in a most terrifying manner. It will spare those that you choose to spare, and harm no one who you do not choose to harm. The nightmares cannot harm you, physically. You only have to worry about being able to live with yourself, and the memories of what you did to them,&quot; Asha stated.<br /><br />&quot;Then teach me the spell, and I will do it. There will be an end to my enemies, before they slay anyone else that I care about, or cause me to draw harm to my pack,&quot; Dark Wind said.<br /><br />That afternoon, Dark Wind made the emotion-numbing potion. She was missing only one ingredient - the herb that she had failed to steal from the priest. But in going through her supplies, she found another herb that had extremely similar effects. In her father&#039;s herbals, the two herbs could be used interchangeably in any potions that called for them. She made the substitution, and as the sun set, she drank the potion.<br /><br />Dark Wind felt strangely numb, as the potion took effect on her mind. It was like she was watching someone else perform the actions, as her body teleported to the edge of the village, cast the nightmare spell and the dense cloud of nightmare fog swirled around her. With the fog swirling around her werewolf-like black body, all that could be seen of her were her eyes, glowing like pits of green fire. The fog spread, and she began to touch the minds of her enemies.<br /><br />Those she spared slept, but those she attacked began screaming like they had been cast into hell. The villagers who had not yet been touched by the dark wind of nightmare stood frozen in terror, as the roiling black cloud swept through all in its path, and where it passed, they heard screams like the voices of the damned.<br /><br />Dark Wind found the priest standing in the center of the church yards, babbling about the church having vanished, and a heathen shrine having appeared in its place. He believed his God had totally forsaken him, and that he saw the elders of his order performing bizarre sacrifices and copulating with demons.<br /><br />Through it all, Dark Wind walked, laughing and listening to her screaming enemies, and satisfied that at last, she had her revenge, and that the villains who had caused the death of her family had received what they deserved. The nightmares she witnessed included terrors she had never imagined. She felt almost nothing though, other than the satisfaction that her enemies were being severely punished.<br /><br />As dawn broke, the villagers awakened. The dark wind had passed, and dispersed. People began to cry out, as they found friends or neighbors dead where the cloud had caught them, their faces frozen in terrified grimaces, and in some cases, their bodies bleeding or torn asunder, as if slain by savage beasts. One third of the village was dead, and seven other people utterly insane, including the priest. Not one of the church-hired mercenaries had survived.<br /><br />Dark Wind sat on the hill top overlooking the village, now in the form of a black wolf, and she howled in triumph, before returning to her cave, exhausted, yet jubilant. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 9, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 9 - The price to be paid<br /><br />Dark Wind returned to her cave, in wolf form and howling with an almost maniacal glee.<br /><br />&quot;Whoooo! What a feeling or power! Asha! It was unbelievable! I had them all in my mind at once! The whole village! And I watched as each of my enemies writhed in tormented agonies so strange and extreme that I could never have devised a more fitting way for them to die! It is done! I got all of them. Mother, Father, you have been avenged! A few survived, but they are hopelessly insane now.&quot;<br /><br />Asha watched her Mistress as she babbled on and on about the strange and perverse fears that the villagers had died from, and how exquisitely they screamed. When Dark Wind finally seemed done talking, the fire elemental said quietly, &quot;Yes, Mistress. Those enemies are dead. But do you really think the Church will forgive and forget? They will send a new priest, as soon as word gets to them of what happened here. And his first orders will be to determine what drove the old priest insane, and what calamity killed the villagers. And the Church will expect him to do something about it. What will the villagers who survived tell him, I wonder? That a green-eyed she-demon slaughtered their husbands, wives, and maybe even a few children? Will the children of the people you slaughtered not want vengeance now, for the death of their parents?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;They wouldn&#039;t dare! Not after that display of raw terror and power! And if they do, why, I&#039;ll just kill the next wave of fools as well!&quot; Dark Wind said, with her eyes wide and looking more than a little bit unhinged mentally.<br /><br />&quot;Mistress? You were out all night. Have you slept at all?&quot; Asha asked.<br /><br />&quot;How could I sleep? No, not a wink all night. I do confess I am getting a little tired now, however. But I&#039;m still too wound up and excited to sleep. Talk to me, Asha. I have some questions. Now that you must serve me, it&#039;s safe to ask about your nature and abilities, isn&#039;t it?&quot; Dark Wind said, as she lay down with her head on her paws, tail wagging slowly.<br /><br />&quot;What would you know, Mistress? You are correct. I am bound to you now, and cannot harm you or trick you for anything that you command of me.&quot; the black fire elemental asked. She sat cross-legged on the dirt floor of the cave, in front of her Mistress.<br /><br />&quot;Why do you look like a human-shaped vixen? My family could appear like that, but neither feral folk nor Kitsune are commonly seen here,&quot; Dark wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;It struck me as a form that might please you, Mistress,&quot; Asha replied. &quot;I got a few glimpses of your fox-like mother in your surface thoughts. I thought a form capable of the speech of men and able to handle their books would be useful. This form also does not particularly require clothing, which you have little of here. And considering you are fighting men, I didn&#039;t want to appear like a Human girl. If my appearance displeases you, I can change to almost anything female.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;That form will do well enough, when we are alone together. I do find it more pleasant than your flaming form, graceful though that is, or a Human one. In your true form, I felt you might singe my fur. Can you understand the talk of all animals, as I can?&quot; Dark Wind asked. &quot;You seem to have no difficulty understanding me when I am in my wolf form like this.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;No, Mistress,&quot; Asha replied. &quot;If an animal encountered me, we would not be able to speak to each other. I will always understand what you say, because I am bonded to you in service as your familiar. No matter what form you take, I can hear your words or your surface thoughts, as if spoken in my own language, and you will always hear my words or thoughts in a form that you can comprehend and in the language suitable to your need. For example, when you asked me how the words for that spell were pronounced, you heard it in the language of the local men, did you not? Yet now, in your wolf form, it likely sounds to you as if I was talking like a wolf. I can speak and understand many of the languages of men, however. Men are far more likely than animals to call on one such as me, and request a service.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I see. Can anyone else see you? How would you look to them?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;If I choose to let them see me at all, yes, they can see me, and I would look to them just as I look to you. I can change form as you can, to any form you can take. But as I said, the gift of language doesn&#039;t come with that, so if I became a cat, I might make cat-like sounds, but no cat would understand my sounds as words in their language. To them, I would be babbling nonsense, as they no doubt hear it when a Human tries making cat sounds at them,&quot; Asha said. &quot;Whatever form I take, I can choose to be visible to all, or only to be visible to you.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Can others detect your true nature, when you appear to be something that you&#039;re not?&quot; Dark wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;That depends. Someone with magical training, or a priest with religious training, might possibly feel something was odd about me. If they looked at me closely, they will see fire in my eyes. To a normal man or animal, my eyes look normal. But my reflection - in a mirror, or still water, or polished metal - will show them my true form,&quot; the elemental replied.<br /><br />Dark Wind yawned, and asked, &quot;Can you use all the spells in these books and scrolls?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Actually, Mistress, I can use very few of them at all. And while bound to you, I can cast no spells at all from any spell book or scroll that you possess, unless you order me to. I can understand almost all of them, and can explain to you in great detail how to cast any spell or use any magical artifact. But I can only personally do magic that is based in fire,&quot; Asha admitted. &quot;That is why I can&#039;t heal you, but I could cauterize your wound. From my own abilities, I could burn down a whole forest at your command, or light a lamp at a distance. I could just as easily extinguish a raging inferno in an instant, or cause all the candles and lanterns in a large area to go out. I can travel from place to place through flames, and can see other places where a flame burns. And I can take reasonable-sized things or people with me when I travel by flame. Anything my size or smaller, I can take with me. I could take you and what is attached to you in the way of clothes or jewelry, but not much more than that. Don&#039;t expect me to fetch you a horse to ride, Mistress, unless you want me to go to where it is and then ride it back to where you are.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;That&#039;s good to know. You... said that the place you are from is the same place the church&#039;s priest&#039;s call hell. Does that mean you are evil?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;Is the flame on your brazier evil? Is the sword of an assassin evil?&quot; Asha replied. &quot;No, Mistress. I am amoral. The concepts of good or evil that the priests speak of mean little to me. If an evil person commands me to do an evil thing, I will do evil, just as the sword of an assassin will commit murder. If a good person commands me, I will do good, just as the mace of a Paladin smites the enemies of righteousness. If I am not commanded to do anything, I do what seems most likely to benefit me. That&#039;s why I said Hell isn&#039;t quite what the priests say it is. To them, it is a lawless, unruly place indeed. The denizens of my realm don&#039;t live by their rules. Yet we do have our own sense of order, and our own hierarchy that must be obeyed. If we make an agreement, we must obey that agreement, exactly as it is made. A poorly made agreement may give us some latitude to obey in a way that the one who summoned us hadn&#039;t planned on. Until we are bound to serve, we could try to trick an unwary mage. You want to slaughter your enemies. Very well. I will serve you to that end, using any means you find acceptable. It matters not to me if those methods are seen as evil. If you were pure of heart and wanted me to help save the world, I would do that just as readily. It really makes little difference to me, as long as I gain something from the exchange.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yet you encouraged me to use dangerous spells, and you said you approved of my stealing from a priest?&quot; Dark Wind asked. &quot;Isn&#039;t that evil?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Are you evil? I also told you, I am in part a reflection of your soul, Mistress,&quot; Asha replied with a wicked grin. &quot;We are much alike, you and I. Amoral. In it for our own ends, and to hell with the consequences or what happens to anyone else, right? Do you really care what happens to that wolf pack? Or is it just in your own best interests to not have them harmed, since they have protected and supported you? Did you even stop to consider what your actions might do to them?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I... guess you are right, Asha. I didn&#039;t think of them. All that mattered was my revenge. I need sleep now. Stay and watch over me. Good night,&quot; Dark Wind said, as she closed her eyes.<br /><br />&quot;Rest well, Mistress. If you can,&quot; Asha replied.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Dark Wind did not rest well. As soon as she tried to sleep, she saw herself back in the village, watching the torments that she had inflicted on the villagers. None of it harmed her, but the scenes now appalled and sickened her so much that she almost immediately awoke, growling as if she was being attacked.<br /><br />She rolled over and tried again, and again she failed. No matter what she did, restful sleep would not come to her. She did not regret that her enemies had perished at her command. But how they died, and the torment in their faces and their screams, now haunted her.<br /><br />&quot;No use. I can&#039;t sleep,&quot; she told Asha, as she groaned and got on her feet.<br /><br />&quot;So I noticed. You did take that potion to dull your emotions, didn&#039;t you? I wasn&#039;t watching very closely as you prepared it. You seemed to have a good idea what you were doing, and I was busy making sure there were no hidden hazards in the spell itself,&quot; Asha said.<br /><br />&quot;Yes. I made it just as the other book said. Just made one very minor substitution, for a missing herb,&quot; Dark Wind replied. &quot;I drank it just before I cast the spell, and it numbed my emotions, for a time.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Oh, no! Mistress? Potions of that type are not like some peasant&#039;s ointment for a stiff knee. There are many reasons why a particular herb or mineral needs to be in a potion, and it isn&#039;t always obvious why. You should have told me. What did you change? Exactly what did you substitute?&quot; Asha asked.<br /><br />Dark Wind showed her the formula for the potion, and pointed out which herb she had been unable to use. Then she showed the elemental the herbals that told her the substitute would work just as well, and showed her which herb she had replaced the missing one with.<br /><br />&quot;Perhaps for anything that author was willing to make, that might have been safe. But not in a greater spell such as the one you cast. Let&#039;s compare that potion formula to what is in the other book,&quot; Asha said.<br /><br />They checked the more dangerous spell book, and it clearly stated that no substitutions could be made in the protective potion. The formulas were the same, but changing that one herb could greatly weaken the effectiveness of the potion in protecting the caster.<br /><br />&quot;I was afraid of that,&quot; Asha said. &quot;You cast the spell with only partial protection from the nightmares. They are in your mind, now, and won&#039;t fade, as they should have with the correct potion. In spite of all that you have done, Mistress, you are not entirely an evil person. You still have enough of a conscience that what you have done is repellant to you. The mage that wrote that spell might have not cared, or may have been fully immune to fear and nightmare, but you do still have some shreds of compassion in your soul. And that is preventing you from sleeping.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Is there any counter spell we can cast?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;We can look, but I think we&#039;ll need to get some help from my realm,&quot; Asha said. &quot;Nightmare is a corner of hell, after all. There are creatures in my realm that specialize in the things you call nightmares, and in the effects of fear. You may need to make an agreement with something much more powerful than I am.&quot;<br /><br />Dark Wind sighed, and said, &quot;So it didn&#039;t cost me my soul to get you to serve me, or to cast the spell that eliminated my enemies, but it may well cost me my soul to be able to sleep again?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Oh, probably not your soul, no. But a high price, yes. We will look for a solution here, Mistress. But if we do not find one... well, I can give you a name of an entity you can summon from the nightmare realm, to try to get his aid,&quot; Asha said.<br /><br />===<br /><br />After three sleepless days and nights, Dark Wind was almost insane. In desperation, she cast the summoning spell, and conjured a greater demon whose name Asha provided.<br /><br />&quot;Well? What do you want, little wolf girl? Why did you dare to summon me?&quot; it asked. Its appearance was terrifying, a writhing miasma of tormented faces and bodies, swirling in choking fumes, with the voice seeming to come from the faces of the bodies trapped in the fog.<br /><br />Dark Wind replied, &quot;I have cast the spell of the Dark Wind of Nightmare, and it has tainted my mind and made me unable to sleep or rest. My elemental familiar said you could grant me protection from fear and nightmare, and ease the burden on my mind, so I might rest normally, and that I might master the nightmare realm and make its power fully my own.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I can do that, yes. But the price is one you may be unwilling to pay. I see you have indeed caused much death and suffering in your realm, toying with the nightmares and dreams of others. That pleases me, for the fear and suffering you caused makes me stronger. I feed on the fear caused by nightmares of mortals. If you make more mortals die of fright, I gain even more from that,&quot; the demon said. &quot;If I grant your request, what do you plan to do?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;My enemies are dead, but there will be more enemies, who will attack me because they fear me, or because they are angered by my past actions. I swear that I will never allow myself to be powerless to defend myself. I want to study the magic of nightmare, even the most forbidden texts, so I can use those spells to defeat anyone who would dare to attack me, and to frighten others so they will not dare to oppose me in the first place,&quot; Dark Wind said, hoping this would please this dark and terrifying creature.<br /><br />The demon nodded, and said, &quot;Very well. My price, to give you immunity from fear and nightmare, is nothing less than your capacity to comprehend and experience the emotion you call love. You would still know pleasures of the flesh, and in time you may learn to mimic the emotional responses of a normal person so others will believe you normal. But love and true affection will be empty words to you, as fear and nightmare will be powerless against you. You will be aware of emotion, but it will not touch you, and no attachment you form will be any stronger than what you might feel for a pet animal, or a cherished book. Can you accept that price, wolf girl?&quot;<br /><br />Dark Wind stared at the demon, and contemplated her answer.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 10, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 10 - The dark emptiness within<br /><br />Dark Wind considered the demon&#039;s offer. He could make her immune to the nightmares, but at the cost of also being unable to know love or true affection? Did she really even have a choice? She took a deep breath, and replied to the demon, refusing to act afraid, in spite of its terrifying appearance.<br /><br />&quot;My parents are the only ones I have ever loved, or who ever loved me. And what did that get them? They died defending me, because they loved me. Love killed them. I don&#039;t really love any of the wolves, though I guess I am sort of fond of Bent Ear and the other half-wolf brothers and sisters that my father sired, much as I was fond of the dogs that my father owned and bred. From what you say, that wouldn&#039;t change. I could still be fond of them, as I would with pets?&quot; she asked the demon.<br /><br />&quot;That is true,&quot; the demon said, as the tortured bodies and faces embedded in its fog-like body twisted and writhed, their faces regarding her all at once. &quot;What little affection for them I feel you have in your mind now would remain unchanged.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;And what use is there in being able to love, if these nightmares drive me mad? Either way, it seems the die was cast when I chose to slay my enemies in the village with nightmare. Accept your aid or not, I will soon be unable to understand this thing called love. To choose is to make a choice between madness and sanity. I could choose to die, from being insane and unable to defend myself, or even unable to tend to my body&#039;s needs. Or I can choose to survive, and seek to gain greater power. I choose to survive. I must. I will accept your price. Love is a weakness I cannot afford. Now free me from these nightmares so I may sleep restfully, and make me immune to nightmare and fear,&quot; she said.<br /><br />&quot;Let it be done, then,&quot; the many mouths and faces of the demon said, as the roiling mist that was its body reached out a thick tendril, that with a sudden and startling swiftness crossed the protective circle, no longer a barrier as she had granted the demon permission to complete their bargain, and shot straight into Dark Wind&#039;s mouth.<br /><br />The wolf girl stiffened and arched her back, and then screamed once as if in agony, before collapsing in a heap on the floor of her cave. As she fell unconscious, her shape became that of a four-legged wolf again, and no longer a hybrid of wolf and human features. For a brief moment, a face that looked like Dark Wind&#039;s &#039;werewolf&#039; form appeared on the surface of the demon, before vanishing within it. <br /><br />&quot;You have not cheated her, have you?&quot; Asha asked. &quot;She will live?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Do you actually care about this mortal?&quot; the demon asked. It seemed surprised that the elemental acted as if it mattered to her. Many creatures from their realm, including most elementals, would not hesitate to take advantage of a mage that dealt inexpertly with them, and would often trick them into bad agreements.<br /><br />&quot;No! I... She amuses me, that is all,&quot; Asha insisted, hesitantly. Did she care about Dark Wind? She wondered about that herself. This foolish, impulsive child, part animal and part Human, certainly intrigued her. For one so young to have cast the spells she had, at the level of power she had, was almost unheard of. Her parents must have been quite powerful in magic. And yet from what Dark Wind had told her, they had died so easily - unable, or unwilling, to use the greater spells that this child commanded with ease - spells that they had complete access to in the very books that the child now learned from. The potential of this wolf-girl was unlike any mage Asha had ever served, and she had lived for 437 years, as the men of this realm count time. But usually the people of her own realm strongly resented being torn from their own realm and forced to serve another. She replied, cautiously, &quot;I am bound as her familiar. Her death would free me, but nothing else will, unless she willingly releases me before my seven years are up. However, she did order me to protect her, so I must, if I can.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;That is all there is to it? Really? Well, if you say so. I will assure you that I dealt fairly with her. I can get a high price for her capacity to love, and removing that weakness from her was necessary if she truly wants to master Nightmare in all its aspects. And as a bonus to me, the terrors that her victims died from are now part of my own means of attack. Some of them were... quite innovative. She has gained precisely what she asked for. The ill effects of her past spell casting have been eased. She will no longer be haunted by the detailed knowledge of the terrifying manner in which each of her victims died. She will only recall that their worst fears killed them. Once she awakens, the manner of their deaths will trouble her no more than the memory that she has caused so many deaths. She will still know, however, exactly how many she has killed, and who they were,&quot; the demon said. &quot;She is sleeping normally now, and is merely exhausted. When she awakens, it will be up to her if she survives or not. She will be immune to future attacks by fear and nightmare, and casting such spells will no longer rebound on her. Love and affection will be equally unable to affect her. She did make one mistake in her request, however.&nbsp;&nbsp;She did not think to ask to be free of her own conscience, as well. When she reflects on what she has done, and what it may yet cost those wolves that aided her, she may yet regret her actions.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Perhaps that wasn&#039;t a mistake,&quot; Asha mused, after the demon vanished. &quot;Perhaps that gives her some hope of redemption, if she still has a conscience.&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />Dark Wind slept for a day and a half. When she awoke, Asha gave her a fresh deer haunch, raw but with the fur and hide seared off by elemental fire. Dark Wind did not hesitate in eating it. She had eaten little since the day of her attack on the village, and now she was ravenous. Dark Wind was half way through consuming the delicious, mostly raw meat before she paused and looked at the elemental, and asked, &quot;Did you kill this for me? Where did this come from? I had no meat in the cave, before the summoning.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;No, I just skinned it with my flames. I wasn&#039;t sure if you&#039;d want it cooked or not, with you in wolf form. A wolf from the pack brought it. He is outside of the cave now,&quot; Asha replied.<br /><br />&quot;I thought you couldn&#039;t talk to them? How did you get one of them to bring me food?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;I... didn&#039;t. He came of his own accord. When I heard him outside the cave, I assumed your appearance as a wolf, and stuck just my head out of the cave. I couldn&#039;t understand what he was trying to say, but he said a lot, and he was quite insistent on remaining there. I acted as if I was ill, as an explanation for not speaking to him. After a while, he went away for several hours, and then returned a few minutes ago with that meat, and laid it before my nose. I dragged it inside, and gave it to you,&quot; Asha replied.<br /><br />&quot;What did this wolf look like?&quot; Dark Wind asked absently, as she gnawed the last bits of flesh from the bone, and then cracked the bones in her jaws and started lapping the tasty marrow from within them.<br /><br />&quot;Like this, except male,&quot; Asha replied, and her humanoid fox shape shifted to a large and powerful looking grey timber wolf, with white fur on three legs. Her front right leg had white fur only on the paw, and was dark above that.<br /><br />&quot;Oh, that would be Three Socks. Though he prefers to be called &#039;Elk Killer&#039; now. He is one of the wolves that wanted to mate with me last time I was in heat,&quot; Dark Wind replied. <br /><br />&quot;He was sniffing the air a lot. Was that because it is mating time again?&quot; Asha asked.<br /><br />She sniffed at herself, and said, &quot;Yes. It usually begins around the time of the first snows. I have just come into heat again, and he can smell it. I guess he hasn&#039;t given up yet, in spite of my refusing mating with him last year. Since then, he has become one of the strongest hunters in the pack, but he still has no mate, since he took no other last mating season. Last spring, he killed a yearling elk by himself, trying to impress the pack with his strength, and me with his ability as a provider. The elk almost kicked him to death, but he did kill it, unaided. I suppose I should thank him for this.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Are you going to refuse him again, or mate with him?&quot; Asha asked curiously. &quot;Couldn&#039;t you become the leader of the wolf pack, if you had a strong mate?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I don&#039;t know,&quot; Dark Wind replied, looking thoughtful. &quot;He probably has something like that in mind. Maybe I should let him have his fun. I can&#039;t bear a litter any more, thanks to my deal with you. And if the demon spoke truly, mating with him would no longer result in me being pair-bonded to him for life, as is the way among breeding pairs of wolves. Stay out of sight. I will see what he has to say.&quot;<br /><br />Elk Killer regarded her cautiously, as Dark Wind stepped out of the cave. &quot;Are you willing to talk to me yet? Will you at least give me an answer? Will you be my mate?&quot; he asked.<br /><br />&quot;I feel better, now that I have eaten. Thank you, for that nice fresh meat. Let me hear your plea one more time. After my clear refusal last year, I am still a little surprised that you keep pursuing me,&quot; Dark Wind said, as she lay comfortably in the snow in front of her cave, licking the deer blood off her paws and muzzle. &quot;Tell me again why I should allow you to mate with me.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;If you insist. I can understand why you might hesitate, but I still think that it is the best way for both of us to rise to lead this pack,&quot; the wolf replied. &quot;Mate with me. As one of the feral folk, you are special among us. None of the rest of the pack can use magic, like you, or like your father before you. I know you have said before that although you could bear wolf puppies, no wolf could give you puppies that would have magic. I know you were told that you must breed to a man-like creature to bear magical offspring. But will you not consider what I revealed to you? My mother was also descended from the feral folk, though her mother had always claimed One Ear was my mother&#039;s father. My mother&#039;s true father was a feral folk mage that passed through the area the winter before her birth, and who sheltered in her den. And my father was your father. I am your half brother, but I am also the only male in the pack with the blood of two feral folk mages. Is there not at least some chance that I have enough of man&#039;s magic in my blood to sire magical pups, if I breed with a feral folk female, like you? And even if I can&#039;t, with your magic and my strength, who would challenge us? Bent Ear? He and his mate seek to go North in the spring, to seek a new hunting grounds and start a new pack of their own. Several of the youngest wolves will go with them, including most of the other wolves sired by our father. I am stronger than Midnight was, but I cannot take his rank in the pack as a breeding male unless I have a mate. And I will settle for no less than you.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You would have us challenge Grey Shadow and Moonlight?&quot; Dark Wind asked, as she digested this revelation about Elk Killer&#039;s mother, which was news to her. That the wolf was her half brother, sired by her father, was one of many reasons she refused him last year, though now it no longer mattered to her, since she knew she couldn&#039;t bear puppies any more. And she was curious, in a detached way, about what mating was like.<br /><br />&quot;We don&#039;t need to challenge them, if you do not want to,&quot; Elk Killer replied. &quot;They are old. We are young. Bent Ear and his mate are leaving. If we are accepted as one of the two or three other breeding pairs in the pack, I am sure we could challenge the others when our alphas pass. Why will you not accept my offer?&quot;<br /><br />Dark Wind stood, turned, and her eyes glowed for a moment as she altered the wards to allow this wolf to pass. Then she looked back over her shoulder, and said, &quot;Come into my den. If you can make me have pups, you&#039;ll get your wish. But speak to no other wolf of this, until my belly begins to swell. Only then may you claim me as your mate, and seek Midnight&#039;s rank.&quot;<br /><br />For the next week, she allowed the wolf to mate with her. He took her virginity, and mated with a very vigorous enthusiasm. Yet each time, when he was unable to continue, she had him return to the pack, as if his request had been refused. It was pleasurable, but she did not feel even the vaguest hint of a pair-bond with him, though the air had been thick with wolf pheromones, and he certainly seemed to be pair-bonding with her. She knew she was just using him, to sate the desires forced on her by being in heat, but she didn&#039;t care.<br /><br />When her heat ended, she mated with him one last time, and then she gazed deep into his eyes, and as they glowed bright green with her magic, she enthralled him with her gaze, and commanded, &quot;Forget that we ever mated. There are three other females in the pack that are coming into heat. Mate with one of them, and be happy with your puppies and your life in the pack, as you rise to lead it. Do not regret that I refused you again.&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />When Elk Killer was gone, Dark Wind called out, &quot;Asha? You may come out of hiding now.&quot; <br /><br />The elemental, in wolf form herself and almost identical to Dark Wind in appearance, sniffed the air, and then she asked with a smile, &quot;Well, I trust you had fun, Mistress? Couldn&#039;t you bring yourself to share him?&quot; <br /><br />&quot;It hurt, the first time. After that, it was pleasurable enough, but emotionally empty, for me. It never occurred to me that you might be interested in making him think you were me, and mating with him yourself. Do elementals even have sex?&quot; Dark Wind asked, bemused.<br /><br />&quot;Oh, yes, definitely,&quot; Asha replied. &quot;I told you I really am female. Many mages use their familiars as lovers, and in our own realm, we mate and breed much as you do. Why, did you think a fire elemental reproduces by merely igniting something nearby, and calling the flame their child?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I had never given the matter any thought, to tell you the truth. My parents taught me about how dogs and wolves mate. But they hadn&#039;t quite gotten around to talking to me yet about how our own kind reproduces, or how other species do it,&quot; Dark Wind said. &quot;Do you... have needs, that way? Do you go into heat?&quot;<br /><br />Asha laughed aloud at that question. &quot;Mistress, that was quite funny! &#039;Does a fire elemental go into heat?&#039; I shall have to remember that line. But to answer you, no, I don&#039;t have cyclical, uncontrollable urges, like a dog or a wolf does. I&#039;m more like a Human in that regard. I can mate when I choose, and can go without a mate for quite a while. Mating is pleasant, but not at all necessary for me.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Oh. So if a male mage had bound you to him, maybe he would have done as you said, and asked you to mate with him occasionally. I suppose it is not that good for you then, that you&#039;re stuck serving me for seven years, and we&#039;re both girls,&quot; Dark Wind replied.<br /><br />&quot;Why would that matter, Mistress? I would serve you that way if you ask it of me. It matters not to me. Did you not know that two females can pleasure each other?&quot; Asha asked bluntly. &quot;For that matter, though I cannot change my gender, I believe a feral folk mage can. So if you really wanted to, you could probably become a male wolf or dog, temporarily. You just couldn&#039;t get any female pregnant, any more so than you can get pregnant yourself, since I still have your fertility.&quot;<br /><br />Dark Wind blinked, and would have blushed if she had been in Human form. And then she said, &quot;They can? No, I wasn&#039;t aware that females could... pleasure each other. I guess there is still a lot I don&#039;t know about mating. Come to think of it, you&#039;re right about the gender swapping. I had almost forgotten, but father could become female, and he told me once that he could even bear puppies in that form, if he chose to allow a mating. Ummm... No offense, but I don&#039;t think I want to mate with you just now. My heat has ended, and my need has waned. But I... guess I will keep that in mind.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;As you wish, Mistress. But next time you mate, I wouldn&#039;t mind sharing him, or her, with you,&quot; Asha said. &quot;I am curious about one thing, however, if I may be so bold as to ask. Why did you compel the wolf to forget you mated, and command him to seek another mate? Why not accept him as your mate, and simply appear to be barren? You likely could have led the pack even without producing puppies.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I could offer him nothing but empty lies, and a barren den. Wolves mate for life. If he remembered mating me, he could take no other mate, while I live. He... deserved more than that. Now he is free to seek a true mate, and become the next pack alpha. I am sure he can do so without my aid,&quot; Dark Wind replied. &quot;I am leaving the pack, Asha. They have sheltered me long enough. If I remain, I will bring them only sadness, and death.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Where will we go then, Mistress?&quot; Asha asked calmly.<br /><br />&quot;In the spell books, I found a spell that opens a portal to other realms. We will find a new world, where mages are not despised. Maybe we can find one where I would not even need to appear Human to be accepted. I weary of this world, and the cycle of revenge here will never end,&quot; Dark Wind said. &quot;It is time to go, and make a new beginning.&quot; <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 11, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 11 - Time to depart<br /><br />Through the winter, snow wrapped the land and prevented the villagers from getting a new priest or new mercenaries to fight &#039;the demon&#039;. Dark Wind spent most of her time in her cave, studying the spells that she hoped would aid her in moving to a new world, and going out only to hunt normally with the pack, so she could eat. Asha watched and assisted her in her studies, explaining the way certain words were pronounced, and what some things meant.<br /><br />&quot;Have you always been able to do that?&quot; Asha asked once, after observing Dark Wind&#039;s successful casting of a spell that caused the writing on a page to alter as she wished. Asha had written a sentence on a piece of paper, in ink, and when Dark Wind silently cast the spell, the words on the paper changed to say something else entirely, yet still in Asha&#039;s handwriting.<br /><br />&quot;No. This is the first time I have ever tried that spell to alter a physical object&#039;s appearance like that,&quot; Dark Wind replied.<br /><br />&quot;That isn&#039;t what I meant. Have you always been able to memorize complex spells, and cast them perfectly on the first attempt, without even speaking the words aloud? You only read through that spell once, yet you performed it on the first try, flawlessly,&quot; Asha stated. &quot;Have you ever failed in the first try at casting a spell?&quot;<br /><br />Dark Wind paused and thought a moment, then replied, &quot;Is it that unusual? Mother and father usually only had to explain any spell once to me. Once I fully understood how the spell worked, I could usually say the words, do the gestures, and draw the required diagrams fairly easily. But I do make mistakes, if I am not careful. When I summoned you for the first time, I was working from the memory of seeing father casting that spell only once, when he summoned a fire elemental to heat two blades that he was forging. That spell should have produced the same golden-flamed elemental that had served my father before. Instead, I got you.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;It&#039;s very unusual, yes. Very few mages can read a spell once, let alone only observing it cast once, and then cast it successfully on the first try themselves. You&#039;re telling me you drew the summoning circle for me entirely from memory, and that the only error was in the exact name of the elemental to be summoned? That it functioned at all is incredible,&quot; Asha said. She looked through the third chest, pulled out a small book, and handed it to Dark Wind. &quot;What languages do you know, Mistress? Other than speaking to animals, that is? Can you read this book? Is it one you have been taught to read?&quot;<br /><br />Dark Wind looked at the book, and said, &quot;I have never seen that book before. It must have been under several others in the third chest. I don&#039;t recall seeing my father reading it, either. Let me see it.&quot; She flipped through the pages, looked at a few diagrams, and said, &quot;It&#039;s just an herbal, like many father had. The handwriting looks a little odd, but I can read it quite easily.&quot;<br /><br />Asha&#039;s eyes got a little wide, as she stated, &quot;Mistress, that book is indeed an herbal, about the magical uses of a variety of plants. But it was written by a mage from my realm, and the language it is written in is taught in no Human school. Very few mages in this realm can even pronounce half of the words in that book, let alone read it without magical assistance. Many of the books in this chest are written in languages not used in this country at all, yet I have not observed that slowing you down in the slightest! I believe that your ability to speak and comprehend the speech of animals is but a small part of a larger gift - the ability to comprehend and use any language, whether written or spoken. Your parents never spoke of such a talent?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Not that I recall,&quot; Dark Wind replied. &quot;But my mother was from a far off land, and yet had no trouble understanding the villagers or being understood by them. And she did love to read. Perhaps that is a gift I got from her? She was not Human. She said she was a Kitsune, but we seldom talked about her people. I just know that they were fox-spirits, from far, far away.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;That would explain a great deal, yes,&quot; Asha replied. &quot;I know of Kitsune. They are magical creatures from far to the East, Mistress. They can live for almost a thousand years, and an ancient Kitsune can become very powerful in magic. They are fox spirits, but are known for being able to take on the form of men or women, and to perfectly be able to pass for who or what they appear to be. You would do well to seek more information on your mother&#039;s species. In doing so, you may learn much about your own untapped talents. What will we work on next?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I need a spell to make it easier to take my few possessions with us. I dare not lose my books and scrolls, until I learn every last spell within them. But I would need a wagon to haul these four chests full of magical writings, and the other things I have accumulated and need for the casting of spells. But a wagon full of goods would draw far too much attention to us, and we have no draft animal to pull one. I have a notion that I may be able to combine that spell for alteration of appearance of a physical object with another that I found for changing the apparent size of an object. What do you think of this?&quot; she asked, as she wrote out a series of spells and incantations.<br /><br />Asha looked at it and said, &quot;It should work, Mistress. Quite a clever combination of differing spells. Why don&#039;t you try it on that box of herbs? If it fails, it is no great loss, and if you can cast the spell and reverse it, and the herbs still are useful, that would be a very handy spell indeed.&quot;<br /><br />Dark Wind took three silver coins from a small chest that she had stolen earlier, and placed them within a diagram that she drew on the floor of the cave. She cast the form alteration spell again, and caused the silver coins to re-form into a sturdy silver chain - a loop long enough to wear as a necklace, and to fit around her neck still in wolf form, without choking her. <br /><br />&quot;Very good, Mistress,&quot; Asha observed. &quot;I see that spell changes the shape, but not the nature of the materials. Thus you had to start with silver to make a silver chain.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yes. Now I will anchor the size alteration spell to that chain, so it can be triggered with a very short incantation and gesture, thusly,&quot; Dark Wind said, as she added several symbols to the diagram on the floor, and then cast a second spell. The chain glowed for a moment, and then looked normal again.<br /><br />Dark Wind took up the chain and put it around her neck, and then erased the diagram on the floor. She placed the box of herbs in front of her, touched the chain, and touched the box, and then touched the chain again. The box diminished in size and turned into a small silver charm, which attached itself to the chain. It still looked like the original box, but much smaller, and metallic silver in color.<br /><br />&quot;Did that change the herbs within the chest to silver, Mistress?&quot; Asha asked.<br /><br />&quot;No. The spell only changes the outward appearance of the shrunken item, coating its exterior with silver from the chain,&quot; Dark Wind said. &quot;Now, let&#039;s see if it restores properly.&quot;<br /><br />She touched the charm, and then touched a place on the floor, reciting a short trigger incantation in her mind. The charm vanished from the necklace, and the box reappeared on the floor. Dark Wind opened it, and the scent of fresh sage was easy to smell. <br /><br />&quot;The herbs seem unchanged. Let us try it with an item that has magical properties&#039;&quot; Asha observed and suggested. She handed Dark Wind a small scroll, saying, &quot;This one is of little value, Mistress. But it does have a spell on the scroll that protects the paper from burning. It is a short collection of pyromantic spells, and if your magic destroys it, they are all spells that I could write down for you from memory, and teach to you. Pyromancy is the one magical art that a fire elemental excels at.&quot;<br /><br />Dark Wind repeated the process, and the spell worked as she had hoped. When the scroll was restored, it was still usable, and was still protected from flames by the spell that had been on it.<br /><br />&quot;May I make one last suggestion, Mistress?&quot; Asha asked. &quot;Add also a spell on the necklace or bracelet to conceal its presence from others. Then no thief might be tempted to steal it from you, merely for its apparent value as jewelry.&quot;<br /><br />&nbsp;===<br /><br />As the snows melted, Bent Ear and those who chose to follow him to new hunting grounds left the pack. Dark Wind convinced the remaining wolves that she was departing with Bent Ear, while she convinced Bent Ear&#039;s group that she planned to remain with Grey Shadow&#039;s pack. She did neither, packing her belongings by using the spell that attached them to her necklace as charms, and then removing all trace of her presence or past spell working from the cave that she had sheltered in for several years.<br /><br />Dark Wind then left a &#039;parting gift&#039; for the church, and indirectly for the wolves. She created an illusion of a black tower that had been built in the forest, far from the wolf lair, and away from the area that Bent Ear was headed for. She then snuck into the village, and in the guise of a travelling herb merchant arriving just after the passes cleared, she planted rumors to make the new priest and the church&#039;s mercenaries think that this uncanny tower might be the lair of the Dark Wind demon. She hoped this would lure the anger of the church away from the wolves. <br /><br />The illusion was crafted to include a trap. Anyone that braved the baleful, fearsome sense of presence emanating from the tower, and who touched the tower walls or door, would be hit by a fear spell and / or a nightmare spell, at random. But if the tower was touched by silver, which Dark Wind knew the church folk mistakenly thought to have some effect on the Dark Wind demon, it would appear to shatter the tower entirely, &#039;destroying&#039; the demon and its lair, with an explosion of fire that would flatten anything standing within fifty feet of the tower. The church and the people of the village would have their &#039;victory&#039;, though it would cost them dearly.<br /><br />Dark Wind and Asha went to a secluded forest clearing, and she created a portal that could take them to another world. She and Asha observe several possible worlds through this portal, and after some deliberation they choose one that had many species of human-like animals as common residents, and where mages practiced openly. They changed their appearance to that of humanoid vixens, with Dark Wind&#039;s fur being red and white, and Asha&#039;s being black and dark grey, and they stepped through the portal, into the new realm.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Dark Wind and Asha arrived on the other side of the portal, and stood for a moment on the crest of the hill where they had appeared, to appreciate the view. The sunset cast a reddish hue on the entire countryside. Before them lay a town that was at least a hundred... no, a thousand... times as large as the village that Dark Wind had grown up near. Most of the buildings were three and four stories tall, made of brick, or stone or timber framed with white plaster between the timbers, or some combination of these. There were countless chimneys above the slate or lead-capped roftops, trailing plumes of wood smoke and coal smoke into the air, and the smoke made the sunset even more spectacular. The larger streets were illuminated, not by fire baskets on the corner, or by hanging cressets of burning pitch, but by cleverly contained flames, housed in glass lamps on posts. <br /><br />In the streets they could see people on foot, of many species, as well as draft wagons pulled by horses, and elegant carriages that were also horse drawn. The streets all appeared to be paved with cobblestones, and not muddy dirt roads. The city had two rings of fortified walls, and a central keep that looked more like a palace. But it had outgrown those defenses, and beyond that curtain of stone many smaller buildings, homes, shops and farms extended outward, especially along the roads, which led away in three directions from the town. A large river flanked the far side of the town, so vast that several sailing ships with two or three masts each were anchored at the city docks.<br /><br />Much closer, on the road that passed close to where Dark Wind and Asha stood,&nbsp;&nbsp;there was what appeared to be an inn, with a carriage at the door that was in the process of letting two ladies and two gentlemen off. It must have been a hired ride, for once the group had gone inside, the coachman got back on the carriage and drove off, rather than taking the elegant carriage and horses to the stables beside the inn for the night.<br /><br />Asha was the first to comment on the scene, saying, &quot;Mistress? This world is indeed quite different than yours. Our clothes will mark us as strangers here. These simple tunic dresses and cloaks that we wore look nothing like the high-waisted gowns and coats that I see those ladies wearing. And have you ever seen anything like those carriages, or the lamps on the poles?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I can change our clothes to resemble theirs, just as I changed silver coins into my necklace chain. I just need to see them well,&quot; Dark Wind stated confidently. &quot;We... must observe them, and learn their ways, so we do not seem to be country simpletons. There are lamps lighting that inn. And those lamps will have flames in them, no matter how they are made. Use your elemental abilities to look through the flames. I will look into your surface thoughts, and see what you see. Try to get a good look at several of the women, from all sides.&quot;<br /><br />&nbsp;Asha did as she was commanded, and soon Dark Wind had enough of an idea what the local female fashions were, and was able to make their own clothing look appropriate. The words spoken by these people sounded like the language of her own people, though some of the words were unknown to her. They were trying to get a closer look at some of the local coins when Asha suddenly returned, saying, &quot;There is a mage in there, and they saw me in the fire!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Is there, now? Did he seem angry that you were there?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;Well, no... More like curious. And it was a female. She was the tricolored collie girl in the bright red bodice and red cloak, who was alone by the fireplace,&quot; Asha replied.<br /><br />&quot;I saw her. Nice looking dog. I wish we could talk to her alone. That could be quite profitable to us,&quot; Dark Wind stated.<br /><br />&quot;Granted,&quot; said a bemused voice behind them. &quot;My, but you&#039;re a young one to have an elemental for a traveling companion. And she is a rather unusual elemental, at that. You may call me Portia. I have a room in the inn, where we may talk. Would you share a cup of wine with me?&quot;<br /><br />Dark Wind turned at the voice, and noted the fire-ringed portal that was open behind the sorceress. &quot;You may call me... Darla, and this is my familiar, Ashley. We have come from very far away, and I am a mage seeking honest employment, and possibly a more experienced mage that I might apprentice to, or at least exchange knowledge with. I am young, but I know several useful spells already, and I learn quite rapidly. We would be honored to share wine with you, M&#039;Lady Portia.&quot; <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 12, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 12 - New world, new rules.<br /><br />Dark Wind and Asha followed Portia through the fire-rimmed portal. They emerged in a back hallway of the inn, just off the common room. The portal ceased to exist just moments after they finished using it, but before it vanished, Dark Wind had time to note that there was no magical diagram or design on the floor to enable the creation of the portal.<br /><br />&quot;Your portal spell is different than the one that I know,&quot; Dark Wind stated. &quot;You don&#039;t need to draw a specific pattern to form it?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;We can discuss such matters in a more private setting, please. Follow me,&quot; Portia said, as she led them upstairs and unlocked the door to her room with a brass key, before touching the lock and releasing a warding spell as well.<br /><br />Once they were in the room, and the door was closed, the canine mage said, &quot;Let&#039;s get a better look at you, shall we?&quot; She made a brief gesture, and four orbs of white light appeared, floating in the air, and providing an even, bright light similar to daylight. &quot;And some privacy, as I said. Do not worry. This does not lock you in my room. It only prevents anyone outside this room from hearing or seeing us,&quot; she added, as she cast a warding spell that caused the walls, floor and ceiling to briefly glow, as well as forming what looked like a fine spider web of light over the door and the two windows in the room. <br /><br />Dark Wind blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light, and said, &quot;And still you use no diagrams or circles. Is magic so very different here?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You refer to cabalistic diagrams, perhaps? Something like this? Do you recognize it?&quot; Portia asked, as she seated herself comfortably in a high-backed chair, with her tail curled beside her right leg. With a gesture she formed a complex diagram in the air, which just floated there, as if painted on glass with glowing white paint.<br /><br />Dark Wind recognized the diagram as being almost identical to the one she knew, and said, &quot;Yes. That diagram should allow a mage to alter a physical object&#039;s form, though not its properties. For example, it could be used for turning a silver coin into a silver bracelet, or a piece of wood into a useful wooden object.&quot;<br /><br />Portia erased the diagram with a gesture, and stated, &quot;That&#039;s very good. You are correct in the use of that diagram, child. Now that I can see your features clearly, I see you are several years younger than I first thought. May I ask how old you are, and how long you have been studying magic?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I am thirteen, M&#039;lady Portia,&quot; Dark Wind replied. &quot;My parents both could use magic. I performed my first magic when I was only four, to speak to a feral wolf, and understand what he said. I was tutored in magic for four years, by my parents, and have studied it on my own for five years since then. But please, M&#039;Lady, how can you cast the spells without the diagrams? I can cast a few of the more simple spells with just a phrase, or by saying the spell in my mind, but nothing so complex as a portal, or matter shaping.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;So young? Remarkable. I take it you are on your own, just the two of you?&quot; Portia asked.<br /><br />&quot;Yes, M&#039;Lady. For five years I have been on my own,&quot; Dark Wind admitted. She was uncertain how much to say of her past, and decided to tell only part of the truth. &quot;Our home burned down, and... my parents perished. I had no living relatives I could go to. I could talk to the wolves, and take their shape, and I was friends with them already. So I lived with them, as I studied what I was able to salvage from the ruins of my home.&quot;<br /><br />Portia looked uneasy, and asked, &quot;You are a shapeshifter? Lycanthropes don&#039;t usually use magic, unless... Tell me the truth, Darla. Are you, or were your parents, a werewolf?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Not as I understand that term, no. I can assume many animal forms and man-like forms, as my father could, and my changing is at my choice, and not tied to the phase of the moon,&quot; Dark Wind stated.<br /><br />&quot;I see. Here it is less common that a mage has that ability by pure means, rather than as a result of the curse of lycanthropy. You will be well advised then to tell no one that you can change shape to a wolf, child. Werewolves are quite unwelcome here, as are vampires,&quot; Portia stated, relaxing slightly. She reached into a belt pouch and withdrew a beaded necklace of some sort, and held it out to Dark Wind, saying, &quot;Do you know what this is? Will you hold it for a moment for me?&quot;<br /><br />Dark Wind looked at the offered necklace. Carved wooden beads resembling roses were interspersed with other beads, and at one point a strand of beads branched off from the main loop, and a small silver crucifix hung at the end of that strand. Dark Wind took it, looked at both sides of the silver cross, turning it between her fingers, and gave it back to Portia.<br /><br />&quot;Pretty, but I don&#039;t know much about that sort of thing. I take it from the crucifix that it has something to do with the church? I think I have seen a priest carrying or handling something similar, but that is all I can tell you,&quot; Dark Wind replied.<br /><br />Portia relaxed considerably, and said, &quot;It is a Rosary. Those who follow the church use them to pray, and it is widely believed that a werewolf or vampires cannot bear to touch one, or bear the touch of silver, which the cross is made of. That is not true in all cases, in my experience, but most werewolves and vampires, as well as many other magical creatures, would withdraw from someone holding a rosary and silver cross out to them. You are Pagan? You don&#039;t follow the Church?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;My mother taught me to revere nature, not a building and idols made by men. She said that Gods certainly do exist, but the church was not the one true way to seek the guidance of divinity. And my familiar, Ashley, has told me that much of what the Church says about Hell is biased and incorrect. Are you a church follower? Is it bad not to be one here?&quot; Dark Wind asked, worried at being in a sealed room with what might be a church mage, even though Portia didn&#039;t wear the garments of a priest.<br /><br />&quot;You may relax, Darla. I mean you no harm, but I did need to test you,&quot; Portia said. &quot;The Church and Pagans have an uneasy truce here. It&#039;s not a terrible thing to be Pagan, but the King and his courtiers do follow the church these days. Many Pagans worship as they please, in privacy or openly, but many of them also carry a rosary or occasionally attend the church services, to be seen as not opposing the church, or the king. I have no preference, myself. I have seen too much in my studies to say that any one religion holds all the cards. I carry one primarily to use as I just did, to test a possible lycanthrope or vampire. I hunt them, you see. It is one of several things I do for a living.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;For the church? You work for them, as a mercenary?&quot; Dark Wind asked, worried yet again.<br /><br />&quot;No, I am a part-time bounty hunter. I hunt for whoever will pay the bounty, and only where I believe there is justification. I have hunted werewolves, vampires, and many other kinds of magical creatures that have caused trouble here. Even elementals,&quot; Portia said, as she looked squarely at Asha. &quot;But only if they are causing harm, and someone places a bounty for their capture. I am well aware that elementals and other magical creatures can be harmless, if well controlled by their Master or Mistress, or if they choose to cause no harm. I have even known a few werewolves and vampires that restrain their savage natures, refrain from killing people, and manage to co-exist peacefully with the rest of us. Such as they are I will leave in peace. I will admit, however, that what drew me to talk to you in the first place was that I wanted to see if your familiar was the harmful sort or not. I am satisfied that, for now, you are both not my prey.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I am relieved to hear that. Are werewolves, vampires and other magical creatures so plentiful here, that you can make a living hunting them?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;Fortunately, no. But the pay is very good when one needs to be caught. Most of the time, I use my magic in a much more mundane fashion, down at the docks. I use my portals to aid the ship captains in unloading their cargos rapidly, and delivering them directly to their buyers,&quot; Portia said. &quot;You will find a flagon of red wine on the table, and two goblets. Let us drink to friendship, and to the hope that we never need to become enemies. Pour a measure for both of us, and you may choose which I drink from, so you will know I am not trying to take advantage of you in any way. I presume your familiar needs no such sustenance?&quot; Portia asked, looking at Ahsa.<br /><br />&quot;You are correct, oh mage. I can eat and drink, for appearances sake, but I have no need to consume your wine, and would prefer not to impose on your hospitality without need, since you seem to be so aware of my nature,&quot; Asha replied. &quot;And for what it is worth, I&#039;ll handle your beads too, if you wish. They won&#039;t harm me at all.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I will accept that you can, Ashley,&quot; Portia said, as she accepted the wine from Dark Wind, took a sip, and frowned slightly, saying, &quot;Not a very good wine, I fear, but passable. I had not been expecting guests, so I didn&#039;t bother asking for better than their standard fare when I ordered it with my lunch, earlier today. Still, it is better than the beer here. Now that I believe I can trust you both, I will answer your earlier question about magic, Darla. Those diagrams are quite useful in learning a spell, but in time, and with experience, you can learn to form the image clearly in your mind, and dispense with the drawing of it on the floor. The diagram merely focuses the mind on a complex objective more clearly.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I see. Thank you for sharing that information with me, M&#039;Lady,&quot; Dark Wind replied. She took a sip of the wine. It was not her first time drinking wine. She had consumed it in the village before, when posing as a human in the taverns, as she gathered information. This wine was a little different than what she expected, but not bad. Less dry and bitter than the poor wines that the villagers made for themselves. She took another sip and said, &quot;The wine tastes fine to me, M&#039;Lady Portia.&quot;<br /><br />Portia looked over her two guests, and stated, &quot;Those clothes... They are wrong. They would pass well enough in the dark, or if no one was paying attention, but they are made incorrectly. &quot;<br /><br />She stood and took off her cloak, and said, &quot;Take a closer look at my dress, and how it goes together. That red part on your bodice should be a separate garment, and not part of the chemise that forms your neckline and sleeves and underskirt. And the skirt should have three layers of cloth, split in the front to show the under skirts. Your garments seem to be all one piece. Did you use a matter shaping spell to reform them?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yes, M&#039;Lady. Our travelling clothes looked worse, I fear. We did not want to be seen at once as foreigners,&quot; Dark Wind replied.<br /><br />&quot;Which you very much are, unless I am greatly mistaken,&quot; Portia said. &quot;I felt the power of the portal that brought you here, about half an hour ago, wasn&#039;t it?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I would guess so, M&#039;Lady Portia. You felt it? From inside the inn?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;Most people, even most mages, would not have noticed. But making portals is something I do quite frequently. I have become quite adept at their use, and quite sensitive to anyone else&#039;s portals that appear in the vicinity of mine. Portals and teleportation spells can conflict with each other, if they accidentally overlap. The results can be very difficult to predict, and can potentially be disastrous. So for one who uses either form of magic a lot, it is wise to be very aware of anyone else using similar spells in your area,&quot; Portia said.<br /><br />&quot;Thank you again, M&#039;Lady. I did not know that,&quot; Dark Wind said. &quot;I suppose I should buy us some new clothes, and perhaps a rosary, when the merchants open their stalls in the morning.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You have funds to buy with? You may want to find a moneychanger first, if you don&#039;t want to attract attention as foreigners. May I see some of your coins?&quot; Portia asked. <br /><br />Dark Wind turned away, and moved as if taking money from a pouch from inside her blouse, though she actually removed the small chest from her necklace, took a handful of gold, silver and copper coins from it, and then returned the chest to its hiding place on her necklace. She turned to face the canine mage and handed her the coins. &quot;Will these spend well here? They are an honest weight in gold, silver or copper, and not alloyed with baser metals.&quot;<br /><br />Portia looked at each coin carefully, noting the visages of human folk that had never been kings or queens in any country she had heard of, and that the writing on the coins was unlike any she had ever seen. &quot;If I had any doubt from just how far away you have come, this eliminates it. You may be able to sell them to a jeweler or a metal smith, but they will definitely draw attention to you, and possibly of an unwelcome sort. You are not from this world at all, are you? I will buy these from you, for their honest value as gold, silver or copper, and pay you in local coinage. If you have more like this, do not try to spend them here, unless you melt them down and sell them as raw metal. And whatever you do, do not try that alteration spell on these coins, to try to make them look like the local coins. You may fool some merchants that way, but counterfeiting by magic is a very serious offense here. They check for it often.&quot;<br /><br />Dark Wind got out several more coins, and they made the exchange. Portia got out a scale and weighed the coins carefully, did some calculations, and then gave Dark Wind a small pouch of coins that she said was fair value. It was fatter than what she took, since there was more silver and copper and less gold in the pouch. Asha watched the whole process, and agreed it was a fair exchange.<br /><br />&quot;I guess we should get a room then, and take our leave. One last question, if I may, M&#039;Lady? Why are you being so kind to us?&quot; Dark Wind asked.<br /><br />&quot;Because you show great promise as a mage, and the land can use more mages that can do more than parlor tricks,&quot; Portia said, as she released the privacy wards, lit a candle, and dismissed the light spell, before letting them out into the hallway. &quot;You seem harmless enough. And I have a bit of a soft spot for those very far from home. You see, I have also traveled between the worlds, but I have lost my way, and I am unable to find my home again. The first time I crossed through a portal to a different world, I might well have perished, if someone had not been kind to me, as I am doing to you now. Good luck to you, Darla, and to you, Ashley. I have a feeling our paths will cross again. I hope it will be as friends, when we do. Good night.&quot; <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 13, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 13 - A time to learn.<br /><br />Darla and Ashley, as Dark Wind and Asha had begun to call themselves, left the inn by a side door, and came back in through the front door, with their coats held close around them, as if to ward off the growing chill of the early evening air.<br /><br />Ashley nodded in the direction of the bar, indicating to Darla that it was there she should go to seek the innkeeper. Darla led the way, and approached a rather overweight otter that was tending the bar.<br /><br />&quot;Excuse me, sir? Would you be the inkeeper?&quot; Darla asked politely. Her head was barely higher than the top of the bar, and the otter a good foot and a half taller than she was. But there were other furred folk and Humans in the inn of equally short stature.<br /><br />&quot;That I am, little Miss,&quot; he replied with a grin. &quot;Duncan Mac Connacht, at your service.&quot; He looked at the two young vixens, and assumed they were someone&#039;s servant girls. &quot;Will ye be fetching a meal to take back for your Mistress or Master?&quot; he asked. &quot;We have a fine hot stew tonight, and I can give it to ye in a warmed clay pot, to keep it hot for their table, if ye pay a deposit on the pot as well.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I may order a meal for my maidservant and I, good sir, but at the moment I am more interested in lodging. How much are your rooms, and can I rent by the week?&quot; Darla asked. <br /><br />&quot;Well! Your pardon, &#039;My Lady&#039;,&quot; He said, stressing the title as if he didn&#039;t quite believe a girl barely into her teens could afford even two pots of stew, let alone a room for a week. &quot;I must not have heard your carriage arrive, lass. Rooms are one silver coin per night, per bed, paid in advance. If ye pay for a full week in advance, it&#039;s five silver for a week. That includes one hot meal and one drink per bed that ye pay for, each day.&quot;<br /><br />Darla opened her pouch, and placed a neat stack of ten silver coins on the bar, while holding a gold coin between her fingers, asking, &quot;I saw many chimneys as we approached. Have you a room with one bed, and a fireplace? My maidservant needs no bed of her own, but we both like a warm fire.&quot; Her eyes glowed just enough for the innkeeper to see that they really were glowing, and not reflecting firelight.<br /><br />The innkeeper touched a medallion on a chain around his neck, and cautioned, &quot;Now now, My Lady,&quot; he said, this time sounding like he really meant the honor the title implied, &quot;I meant no disrespect, and there be no need for magic. Your coin is compelling enough, and I be protected against compulsion charms an&#039; the like. One gold coin per week will get ye a fine corner room with one bed and a fireplace, and I&#039;ll throw in a cot for your maid and two hot meals and two drinks per day, for each of ye. Fair?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;And a bucket of coal, for the fire, yes?&quot; Ashley asked, with a gleam in her eyes.<br /><br />The innkeeper looked at Ashley&#039;s eyes, and shuddered slightly. &quot;As ye wish... Miss...&quot;<br /><br />&quot;The coal and two meals total per day will keep us quite content, good innkeeper,&quot; Darla said with a smile. &quot;My maid has a very light appetite, and I would not want to take advantage of you. If we like it here, I will pay you for another three weeks, when this week is up. Please have someone show us to our room, and then my maid can fetch me a pot of that delicious smelling stew, and a small beer, or better yet, a simple apple cider, if you have any.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Aye, M&#039;Lady, we have a fine apple cider. Well chilled, even. Molly! Come over here wench, and show these ladies to their room!&quot; he called out to a champaign-colored ferret girl who was serving beer and wine at a nearby table. <br /><br />The ferret barmaid was smaller than Darla, and looked to possibly be the same age. She came at once, spoke quietly to the innkeeper, got the key from him and a bucket of coal from under the bar, and led them upstairs, to a room on the third floor, on an outside corner. They were a floor higher than Portia&#039;s room had been, and this one was nicer than what the canine mage had. <br /><br />&quot;Here ye are, M&#039;Lady,&quot; the barmaid said, as she used a match to light an oil lamp on a small table beside the bed. &quot;I&#039;ll fetch a cot fer yer maid as soon as I&#039;ve kindled a fire for ye.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;No need. I&#039;ve already lit the fire,&quot; Ashley said, as the room brightened considerably. Behind her the coal in the metal basket in the fireplace was burning as well as if it had been going for an hour.<br /><br />&quot;So... ye... have,&quot; The ferret said slowly. She curtsied to Darla and said, &quot;My name be Molly, an&#039; if ye need anything at all, just ask, M&#039;Lady! I&#039;ll just be gettin&#039; that cot now.&quot; Then she hustled out of the room as fast as her paws could carry her.<br /><br />When she was gone, Ashley giggled, and the fire elemental said, &quot;Can I help it if I prefer to make my own bed? Thank you, Mistress, for asking for a nice, snug coal-fired fireplace for me to rest in. That was most considerate of you.&quot; She picked up a small piece of coal and popped it into her mouth, like a child eating a piece of candy.<br /><br />&quot;I thought that would be pleasant for you. Just remember to muss up the cot so it looks used, as well. Now I really would appreciate a pot of stew. It smelled quite good,&quot; Darla said.<br /><br />&quot;At once, My MLady!&quot; Ashley said, as she curtsied and then left to get the stew.<br /><br />Molly returned soon, with a second barmaid who was a wolf carrying the other end of the cot. They set up the cot and blanket, and Darla thanked them, giving each two coppers for the fast service. Both maids brightly smiled at this generosity, and the wolf introduced herself as &#039;Merry&#039;, before they departed.<br /><br />===<br /><br />When Ashley returned, she disrobed and melted into the fire, until all that could be seen of her was two green eyes in the flames. Darla ate her stew and finished her cider, commenting that it was quite good. She looked around the room, found the chamber pot and a bowl with a pitcher of water on the commode in one corner. It was easy enough to deduce the purpose of the chamber pot from the slight residual smell. She used it and covered the pot, placing it back inside the commode stand before getting into her bed to sleep.<br /><br />===<br /><br />The next morning, Darla arose with dawn&#039;s first light. It struck her that this was the first night she had slept in a real bed since the night her family had been murdered. She got dressed, told Ashley to remain unseen and guard the room, and went down to the common room.<br /><br />Keeping her coat close around her, she found Molly, and asked the barmaid, &quot;Can you tell me the location of the nearest shop where I might be able to purchase a few new dresses and coats? Our carriage broke an axle along the way, and much of our luggage was lost. I fear my clothes are only barely presentable.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Miss Keridwen makes some nice blouses and chemises, and other lady&#039;s underpinnings. Look for the sign with two pair of scissors, crossed over a threaded sewing needle. &#039;Tis but a few minutes walk along the road into town,&quot; Molly said cheerfully. &quot;An&#039; just down the street from her shop, Kendrew the Tailor has good coats, which he proudly displays, in his window and on his sign, an&#039; across the street from his shop, down by the well is Miss Loreli&#039;s dress shop, with the thimble an&#039; needle sign. She has all else ye might want, for yerself or yer maid, save for shoes. Cobbler Micah, down the second street after Kendrew&#039;s shop on the left, is the only shoe seller worth buyin&#039; from, this side of the city walls, if ye ask me. Has a pair of brown boots for his sign.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You are most helpful, Miss Molly. Any good pastry shops?&quot; Darla asked.<br /><br />&quot;Oh, ye need go nowhere but here for that, Mistress! Our Miss Caroline makes some of the most tasty sticky buns an&#039; the finest breads ye could ask for. She can make meat pies an&#039; fruit pies, too!&quot; the ferret girl said proudly.<br /><br />&quot;Good. Ummm, is there a time or place for the chamber pots to be emptied? Mine is soiled,&quot; Darla admitted.<br /><br />&quot;Oh? Just ask me, or any of the barmaids, any time ye have that need. We&#039;ll dump &#039;em for ye, Mistress. We&#039;re a high class inn, we are,&quot; Molly said. &quot;I&#039;ll take care of that for ye right this minute, if it won&#039;t disturb yer maid. The other inns on the South road make ye dump yer own, but not here!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;My maid is already out on other errands, and will not be disturbed. Do the maids each have a key to all the rooms?&quot; Darla asked.<br /><br />&quot;Not that we keep. We have to get it from Master Duncan,&quot; Molly said. &quot;He&#039;s most particular about the guests security, he is.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;It sounds as if fortune smiled on us them, in selecting this inn. Thank you, Molly. I will be back soon,&quot; Darla said.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Once Darla had obtained more suitable clothes for them, Darla took Ashley with her, and they started exploring the other shops along the road. There were two other inns and seventeen shops along this stretch of road, and then farmland for a distance of a mile or more before the shops outside the city walls began.<br /><br />It was growing dark by the time they were ready to return, and both vixens&#039; arms were laden with baskets, cloth sacks, and paper parcels tied with string. They were still two blocks from the inn when two rather large bears, armed with wicked-looking long knives, stepped in front of their path, and forced the vixens to turn into an alley.<br /><br />&quot;Oy! We&#039;ll just help lighten yer load a bit there, girls! Seems ta me you&#039;ve got to much to carry there, right mate?&quot; said one of the bears.<br /><br />&quot;Aye. A couple of maids what&#039;s run off wit&#039; their Mistress&#039; purse, an&#039; don&#039;t know when ta stop spendin&#039;, looks like ta me. Cute little things, too. Let&#039;s see what ya got, girls,&quot; said the other.<br /><br />&quot;Don&#039;t... I&#039;m warning you...&quot; Darla said, as her eyes began to glow.<br /><br />&quot;No Mistress. Please. Allow me to handle these fellows,&quot; Ashley said. She calmly set down her two baskets and looked from one bear to the other, and then she winked at them. &quot;So, you think you&#039;ll have a hot time with us, do you, boys? But can you handle it, when it gets really hot?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Ay! This one&#039;s got some fire in &#039;er, she has!&quot; said the first bear, as he leered at Ashley&#039;s attractive young form.<br /><br />&quot;Why yes, I do,&quot; Ashley said demurely, as she made the slightest of hand gestures in the direction of the two thieves.<br /><br />&quot;What the? Ahhh! EAUGHHH! ME HAND!&quot; The thief screamed in absolute agony, and soon was joined by the screams of the second thief.<br /><br />&nbsp;The knives in their hands had heated in a heartbeat, and now were glowing white hot, brighter than a lamp&#039;s flame, hotter than the center of a blacksmith&#039;s forge, and burning the fur and flesh from their fingers so rapidly that they could not unclench their grip. The thieves ran screaming into the street, seeking to douse the bewitched blades in a horse trough. <br /><br />And then their eyes went wider and they screamed worse, because even the water could not quench the burning metal, which Ashley&#039;s elemental pyromancy had caused to burn like magnesium, needing no air to burn, once ignited.<br /><br />&quot;You shall have to teach me that spell, Ashley dear,&quot; Darla said without the least trace of compassion for the pair that would have robbed and likely raped them.<br /><br />&quot;Gladly, Mistress. I was merciful, though I doubt they would see it so. They both were wearing chain mail vests, as well. Had I cast the same spell on their vests, it would have been quite fatal to them. Shall we return to our rooms?&quot; Ashley asked.<br /><br />===<br /><br />An hour later, back in the inn, Darla was enjoying a meal in the common room when Portia stepped up to her table. &quot;May I join you?&quot; the canine mage asked.<br /><br />&quot;Of course. Do be seated,&quot; Darla replied.<br /><br />&quot;Seems there was a bit of excitement just down the road, just after sunset,&quot; Portia said quietly. &quot;A couple of well-known ruffians got their right hands severely burned. They claimed their knives caught fire. By the time the authorities got there, the knives could not be found, and their burned hands were hopelessly crippled. Quite an interesting event, wouldn&#039;t you say?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Ruffians, you say? And they had knives in hand, and not peaceably in their sheaths, and these knives burned them? Sounds to me like they tried to rob the wrong person. What do these &#039;authorities&#039; have to say about it?&quot; Darla replied, with no more apparent care than if she was talking about the weather.<br /><br />&quot;They suspect it may have been elemental fire, but there were no witnesses, and no one saw an elemental. At least, none that cared to say anything that favored the ruffians. Those boys had a bad reputation in these parts, but no one had been willing, or able, to speak up against them,&quot; Portia said. &quot;If you ask me, they got what they deserved. I believe they killed several travelers here recently, but they never left any witnesses alive. Still, if I had an elemental in my service, I would refrain from allowing it to be seen for a while. With no witnesses to a robbery, it would be difficult to justify what happened to them as self defense, even though I am certain that was the case. And they will live, though without their right hands, they will be hard pressed to rob anyone else. Assuming that was what they were up to.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I will keep that in mind, if ever I run across an elemental, or one who commands such creatures. That was a most interesting tale, M&#039;Lady Portia. Thank you for telling it to me,&quot; Darla replied. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 14, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 14 - Exploring the city - seeking employment<br /><br />For the next several months, Darla and Ashley, as they now called themselves, planned to explore the city, and observe and learn the ways of this new world. <br /><br />They arose early and walked to the city, waiting in the pre-dawn light as the guards at the city gates checked those who wished to pass beyond the first ring of city walls. As they passed through the city gates in their usual vixen forms, they encountered a human mage wearing a strange set of lenses over his eyes. He was looking at each traveler carefully as they passed him. He beckoned to Darla and Ashley, saying, &quot;You two vixens. You are together? Come here, please.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yes, my lord mage? Is there a problem?&quot; Darla asked demurely, as they approached him.<br /><br />&quot;I hope not,&quot; the mage replied earnestly. He pointed to Ashley, and asked, &quot;Is this one with you, and in your service? You know her true nature?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;She is, and I do. I should, as I summoned her to serve me. Is that a problem? We have broken no laws that I am aware of, good sir, and we trouble no one,&quot; Darla replied. &quot;I have merely come to town with my servant to do some shopping, and to see the sights of the city.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;See that you do not permit her to cause trouble, and that ye cause none yourself,&quot; he said. &quot;You seem young to have such a powerful servant, but as long as neither of you causes trouble here, you may pass freely. Good day to ye, young sorceress.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Well, that was certainly interesting,&quot; Darla said, when they were past the gates and walking down the cobblestone streets. &quot;Those strange lenses let him know what you are?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;They probably have mirrors in them, as well as enchantments to detect glamours and illusions,&quot; Ashley stated. &quot;A mirror in one lenses path and none in the other would have shown him my true form, overlaid on my appearance. Likely they try to make sure no dangerous creatures enter the city. But we should remember that these people have ways to know what I am.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;What an amazing place this is,&quot; Darla said quietly to Ashley, as they got further down the street. She looked up at one of the lamp posts, which was still lit. &quot;What sort of magic allows these post-lamps to burn all night long, and never run out of lamp oil? I could see them glowing all night from our room in the inn.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;That is not magic, Mistress. I have seen that method of lighting in a few other realms where I have served. It is called &#039;gas light&#039;. They have a clever system of pipes beneath the street, which connect to a central plant where great machines use coal to make a flammable gas. The more wealthy homes and the most prosperous businesses here may also manage to have this coal gas piped into their buildings, for a source of light and heat that can burn without the need to constantly replace candles or lamp oil.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;How very clever of them!&quot; Darla said. &quot;Why do they not have this &#039;gas light&#039; in our inn?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Probably because it is too far from the city, Mistress. It costs too much to run the pipes out so far, and they leak too much. The machines that provide the source of the gas are quite complex, and too expensive and hard to maintain for them to place them anywhere but in a city of some size. In time, they will learn to control it better, but it is still new here,&quot; Asha said. &quot;As well ask why they do not use magic to provide light everywhere. The spells exist, but the number of mages that can cast the spells is limited, and a single mage can only cast just so many spells in a given time. Spells wear off when their magic is used up. No mage would want to spend all of their time as a mere lamp lighter, going house to house renewing that one simple spell.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I imagine not,&quot; Darla said. Before she could say more, a strange rumbling noise could be heard, growing strong enough to be felt as a vibration in the ground, and then the air reverberated with a screeching whistle, and she could see a plume of smoke moving rapidly beyond a row of buildings. &quot;What manner of creature makes such a strange noise, and belches such smoke?&quot; she asked. &quot;I heard its mournful wailing in the distance from the inn a few times, but I could not see what it was.<br /><br />&quot;I think I know, Mistress. Let us go and see,&quot; said the fire elemental with a grin.<br /><br />They walked down the street and turned the corner, and came to a platform where many people were moving around a great construct of black iron, with iron wheels, and complex gears and pistons connecting them. The smoke was coming from a chimney atop it, and steam vented from several places on its sides and undercarriage.<br /><br />&quot;I see it is as I thought,&quot; Ashley said smugly. &quot;That large black thing, Mistress, is a &#039;locomotive&#039;, or a &#039;steam engine&#039;. It is a steam-powered machine that hauls a train of carriages down iron tracks, from one place to another. Some burn coal, and others burn wood, and still others use an elemental to heat their boiler. The steam moves complicated parts in the machine and drives the wheels, with no need for horses. They are very powerful, and can haul a great deal of weight, but they require a great expense to construct the engines and lay the tracks, and much work to maintain. This land appears to have many inventions that did not exist where you came from.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Do you know of many such strange innovations?&quot; Darla asked, as she gazed at the huge machine in wonder. &quot;Why have you not mentioned them before this?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Some, yes,&quot; Ashley replied. &quot;Mostly I am aware of those devices that use fire or flame in some way, as they draw my attention. I have served in twenty seven different realms, Mistress. Many are as your realm was, using horses, swords and crossbows. Some are like this one, with gas lights, steam machines, and they also have explosive powders and weapons like a crossbow without the bow, that use those explosive powders to propel a lead ball or bullet a great distance, and with lethal force. I saw a guard by the city gate that was carrying a simple gunpowder weapon.&nbsp;&nbsp;I can explain to you any device which we see, and that I have encountered before. I will recall them as soon as I see them. But I cannot say if I have seen wonders more advanced than these. There is something about travel between the realms that prevents me from remembering that which is not yet known in the realm I am in. I am sorry, Mistress. It is a limitation I cannot overcome.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;There is much to learn, then,&quot; Darla said. &quot;I like not this talk of weapons even more powerful than crossbows. I must learn a defense against these new threats.&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />For the next several months, they would go into the city proper while posing as a variety of easily-forgotten individuals - a flower seller, a traveling herb seller, or a maid out shopping for her Mistress. They would also pose as various feral animals, dogs, cats and ferrets being plentiful in their four-legged forms here, as they observed the vibrant city life. Darla found and purchased many books on the new &#039;technologies&#039; of this realm, as well as new books on magic that she had never seen before. She had to buy two more chests to store her books in, so she could keep them on her necklace. They gained a small amount of money while selling flowers that Ashley would gather for her Mistress in the countryside, but they were spending far more than they earned.<br /><br />&quot;I need a proper way to earn money, Ashley,&quot; Darla said at last, as she looked at the greatly diminished contents of her chest that had contained the coins and jewels she had brought from their former realm. The last of the gold, silver and copper coins had been melted down and sold, and she had but a handful of local gold and silver coins left, plus two handfuls of gems that she could still sell. &quot;Perhaps I can apprentice myself to a mage, and be paid to work for them as I learn. Let us see if M&#039;Lady Portia would make such a bargain with us.<br /><br />===<br /><br />It took them two weeks to find M&#039;Lady Portia. The canine mage changed her lodging frequently, and on an unpredictable basis. After checking at the docks in the city, they finally located her in a dockside inn. They shared a glass of wine, and then they went to the mage&#039;s room to talk.<br /><br />&quot;It took us some effort to find you again. Why do you change your lodging so frequently, M&#039;Lady?&quot; Darla asked. &quot;Is not the inn we met at to your liking?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I like that place quite well, but perhaps that is why I stay there only rarely,&quot; Portia replied, as she sat comfortably facing the two young vixens. &quot;A bounty hunter makes enemies. A mage that summons an elemental, only to have it destroyed by me, may not take kindly to the loss. I have killed two vampires since we met. Vampires rarely come out of nowhere - they usually have clans that act like extended families, and those clans seek to get revenge on anyone who kills a vampire in their clan. If I remain in one place for too long, they will find me, and attack me there. It is an endless cycle of revenge, no matter how many of them I slay.&quot;<br /><br />That declaration gave Darla pause. It sounded all too familiar to her own past, and her never-ending battle with the church and the villagers. &quot;I see. I can understand that. But if it is so dangerous, why do you do it? Why not seek a more peaceful life elsewhere?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Because I am good at it, and there is a need for my services. Because good people would suffer if I walk away, and turn my back on my calling. And because I have no one who would mourn my loss, if I fall in this never-ending battle. I have tried going to other worlds, and starting over. It always ends up the same, for me. I find a fight I can&#039;t avoid, or the fight finds me, and the cycle starts all over again. It is my fate, I guess. But I don&#039;t think you came here to talk about my work. How have you been faring here? You look well, and it&#039;s been more than three months. Staying out of trouble? Still living at the inn where we met?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;We are well, yes. And still at the same inn. I have learned a lot about this world, in the last three months. But I need a reliable income. The funds I brought with me will not last forever. My magic is strong. Perhaps you could use an apprentice to stand beside you? Two - or three, counting Ashley&#039;s aid - can fight better than one alone, can they not?&quot; Darla asked, hopefully. &quot;I could learn from you, and if I help you to earn more, perhaps that could pay for my books, and my upkeep.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I am sorry, but no,&quot; Portia said, standing and walking to the door. &quot;I will not cause another to walk my path, and an apprentice would be a liability for me. I would constantly need to make sure you were safe, and that distraction could cost both of us our lives, or our very souls, in a battle with the creatures I hunt. Find another mentor. One who won&#039;t cost you your life.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You won&#039;t have to protect me! I fear no creature that you may face, and I can hold my own in any fight. I have had deadly enemies before, and here I stand, alive and unscathed, and those enemies are dead!&quot; Darla said angrily.<br /><br />&quot;My answer is final,&quot; Portia said, pointedly opening the door for them to leave her room. &quot;There are things that you should fear, if you want to survive. Be on your way. I will not reconsider.&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />Darla approached more than two dozen other city mages, seeking apprenticeship. Some turned her down swiftly, while others tested her skills, and were impressed with her abilities, but in the end, they too declined to accept her. <br /><br />Only one admitted that he was refusing her because of a darkness he could sense within her - an anger or some other dark emotion that tainted her mind and efforts.<br /><br />No one, it seemed, wanted to hire her. And to work on her own as a mage or even as an herbalist in or near this city, she would need to rent a shop, and pay the city for a permit, and she couldn&#039;t afford to do that. Darla returned to the inn, dejected and dismayed.<br /><br />In the common room, the wolf wench, Meridith came to Darla and asked, &quot;What will ye have, M&#039;Lady?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Cider. No, make that a strong wine. Thank you, Merry,&quot; Darla said.<br /><br />The barmaid brought the drink, and took the few coppers for it, but lingered, asking, &quot;Troubles, M&#039;Lady? Y&#039;know, sometimes, folks pay us girls just ta listen, and not ta warm their beds at night. We gets ta bein&#039; pretty good listeners, we do. &#039;Tis a slow night. I&#039;ll listen for free, if ya like. You&#039;ve been generous enough to me afore this.&quot;<br /><br />Darla looked at the wolf wench inquisitively, and asked, &quot;Don&#039;t wolves only go into heat once a year, in winter? But you, ah... take coin to warm people&#039;s beds all year round, do you?&quot;<br /><br />Meridith smiled, and said without a trace of shame, &quot;M&#039;Lady, I&#039;m a whore, plain and simple. Yeah, in Winter I could seek a wolf mate and bear pups. But I like sex, year round, and I want no mate to give me pups. When I&#039;m in heat, I seek my pleasure from girls. Master Duncan, he has an agreement with the barmaids here. He pays us ta&#039; wait tables and clean up, but not ta sleep with anyone. If we choose to seek &#039;night work&#039;, &#039;tis by our own free choice, and then what we earn we keep. I make a pretty pile of coins by whorin&#039;, I do, and I like the work. So does Molly and three other girls here. There&#039;s even a couple of ladies that comes in just at night, when they feel like it, to earn a spare coin or two while their husbands are out at sea on the merchant ships. Master Duncan looks out for us, so no one hurts us. &#039;Tis not a bad thing, really. If ye like, I&#039;ll even warm your bed. You might like it, M&#039;Lady.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You&#039;re... the second girl to offer that to me. I... never have... with a girl. Maybe. I need to think about what you&#039;ve said, and what you&#039;re offering,&quot; Darla replied. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 15, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 15 - Friends in low places<br /><br />Darla went back to her room in the inn, and considered what the wench, Meridith, had said. She let herself into the room, and greeted Ashley in an almost mechanical way, not bothering to recount the day&#039;s rejections to her elemental servant. She was deep in thought, and wasn&#039;t really ready to talk to the elemental about her confused mental state. She needed to sort these new concepts out herself, first.<br /><br />Darla needed a source of money, but what could she do?<br /><br />None of the city&#039;s mages seemed willing to hire her. To work as a mage for hire in this area, she had found that the city officials would require her to have a permit and a shop, or to be apprenticed to a mage that had those things. That meant it took money to get started - far more money than she had left. Here, magic wasn&#039;t a profession she could do from a room in the inn, no matter how skillful she was.<br /><br />Her ability to talk to animals couldn&#039;t be used as her father had, to treat sick animals with herbs and magic, and make them well. Even if she used no magic, it would be suspected that she did. And honestly, she simply had no ability as a healer. Even her ability to crudely bandage a wound had been hopelessly inadequate, when a wolf from her pack had been injured, or when she herself was injured. With the exception of that one dark combat spell that could take a wound or illness from her own body and inflict it on someone else, no matter what other spells she used or what potions she had tried to create, her attempts at healing had always failed. It was the one type of magic or herb lore that she simply could not do, and she had no idea why, unless her own dark past was somehow poisioning that effort.<br /><br />Her father&#039;s other saleable skill that benefited from talking to animals, the breeding and training of animals for sale, required land for a farm or kennels, and animals for breeding stock, and she had neither land nor money to get land or animals. <br /><br />She wasn&#039;t even particularly skilled at typical &#039;women&#039;s work&#039;, like cooking or cleaning house or sewing clothes. She had never had a reason to learn such skills. <br /><br />Other than being able to read, write, and translate languages, she had no other skills that she knew anyone would pay for. And she had no idea who might pay for those skills, in a society where most people did seem able to read and write.<br /><br />Before this evening, Darla had never heard of the concept of girls selling their sexual favors. Her parents had never had any reason to talk to her about such things, as she had still been too young while they were still alive, and they had been quite isolated on their farm. Later, when she had been in inns and taverns disguised as a traveling merchant or as some villager, she hadn&#039;t paid any real attention to the interactions between the girls that worked in those places and their customers, beyond what it took to get their attention and order food or drink for herself. She had been too focused on gaining information about specific enemies, or planting rumors, to care about them at all. What they did with each other was of no concern to her, unless it helped her in gaining her revenge.<br /><br />But tonight, she had received a pretty clear impression from the wolf wench&#039;s surface thoughts about precisely what Meridith meant by &#039;warming someone&#039;s bed&#039;, and about what sort of sexual acts the wolf girl would happily do for a few coppers, a silver coin, or two coins. Those thoughts confused her. It clearly had to do with mating, yet so very much of what she saw in the wolf girl&#039;s thoughts could never have made puppies. That the girl was willing to have sex with another girl also confused Darla. <br /><br />To Darla&#039;s mind, mating was merely something you did when you wanted to breed puppies. A dog or wolf girl would go into heat, and an appropriate male of the same species would mate with them, and after the girl&#039;s belly swelled for a while, she would give birth to a new generation. Darla vaguely understood that her parents had mated to produce her, as well, even though they were not the same species. But aside from wanting a child, she knew of no other reason to mate. Those other confusing images of sexual acts in the wolf girl&#039;s mind were completely outside her experience.<br /><br />She had personally experienced mating for the first time when she went into her second heat, last winter, at the age of thirteen. In her feral wolf form, the pack saw her as a young adult, roughly two years old in appearance and maturity, and quite ready to be bred. She had mated while in that feral wolf form with a feral wolf from the pack that had sheltered her. The male wolf had wanted to make puppies with her, and her body had strange urges caused by being in heat, that she somehow knew could be eased if she mated. She did not want puppies, but knew that because of her bargain with Asha, the fire elemental, that she couldn&#039;t bear any. So she let the wolf have his fun, to see what it was like. It had been pleasurable, in a somewhat abstract way to her mind. But to her, it was nothing more special than enjoying a particularly good meal. And once her heat ended, she felt no particular reason to be distracted by mating. Her revenge for her parents&#039; death was far more important than any passing pleasures.<br /><br />So what was left for her to do? Was being a &#039;whore&#039; a viable option? What did that really mean?<br /><br />Meridith said she was able to earn &#039;a pretty pile of coins&#039; by selling her sexual favors each night in the inn. The wolf girl seemed to like the work, and saw nothing wrong with being a whore. No one at the inn seemed to treat her badly. In fact, she and Molly seemed to have a lot of friends among the regular customers of the inn.<br /><br />Darla turned to the elemental, which she could see at the moment only as green eyes in the coal fire, and asked, &quot;What do you know about whores, Ashley?&quot;<br /><br />The elemental stepped from the fire, and after stretching for a moment in ways no mortal body could, she became a black furred vixen again, and asked, &quot;Wherever did that question come from Mistress?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I was talking with one of the wenches downstairs in the common room. That wolf girl, Meridith. She calls herself a whore, and says she can earn money easily by &#039;warming the beds&#039; of guests, which I take to mean mating with them. Do people really pay good money for mating with a stranger?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yes, Mistress. Whores can earn a lot of money, if they aren&#039;t choosy about whom they accept money from, or what species the customers are, or what they must do to please their customers. It&#039;s said among most mortal species that whoring is the oldest known profession, though I do believe that raising food to eat and making weapons to hunt with both came first,&quot; Ashley replied. <br /><br />&quot;Meridith said she does it with males when she is not in heat, and with females when she is in heat, because she doesn&#039;t want pups. You once said you could mate without being in heat as well, is that correct?&quot; Darla asked.<br /><br />&quot;Yes Mistress,&quot; Ashley replied with a smile. &quot;The females of most intelligent species can choose to mate at any time, for pleasure, rather than for breeding offspring. They don&#039;t need to be fertile for it to be fun. Only the feral animals seek to mate only to breed, and even they will, on occasion, do it for pleasure, when the female is not in heat. Humans are so fertile that they are effectively in heat once each moon, and they have devised many ways to allow sex without conceiving children. Whores are often very skilled at using innovative methods for producing pleasure, without risking themselves getting pregnant.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Have you... ever been a whore?&quot; Darla asked.<br /><br />&quot;Yes, Mistress. I did, once, when my master needed money badly. He had me take an attractive female form and work as a whore for many nights, giving him all the money I was paid. As tasks to serve a master go, it was not very bad, really. Some of it was even quite pleasant for me. Are you considering becoming a whore, to gain money? Or asking me to do so?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I... don&#039;t know. Meridith makes it sound like something you just do for a lark. But I also got an impression that she had some concern that I would think less of her for what she did,&quot; Darla said.<br /><br />&quot;Some people think that whoring is a very low profession, yes. The church has a particularly low opinion of prostitution, as they think sex should only be for conception, or at the very most, as a bond between couples married by the church. And there are some hazards to the profession. Some customers get violent, or at least too rough. Some get pleasure from causing pain. Some are diseased. But most are harmless, seeking only their own gratification. But it seems quite unlikely that any customer could harm either of us. Neither you nor I can get pregnant from any person in this realm that is likely to mate with us. The diseases that are a risk for whores cannot affect me, and you can cast them off from yourself with that transferral spell I taught you. And neither of us is the least bit likely to get emotionally involved if we do it,&quot; Ashley observed. &quot;If that is your wish, we may certainly proceed in that manner. I can not object to it, and honestly, I wouldn&#039;t mind either way.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I...How can I know what to do? This is entirely outside my experience!&quot; Darla said with some frustration.<br /><br />&quot;So make it part of your experience, indirectly. You know several whores who work in this inn. Your oneromancy can allow you to read their surface thoughts, and the surface thoughts of their customers. Reach out to them, as they pair off at night, and see what is in their minds, and what they do,&quot; the elemental advised. &quot;If you feel you can do what they do, as a means to gain coin, or that you want me to do that for you, we can proceed. If you dislike it after seeing it in their minds, then no harm is done, and you can seek another way. Perhaps instead, you could seek out victims that do not deserve the wealth they have, and take their wealth from them?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I&#039;m trying to make a fresh start, and I would rather not give anyone a reason to oppose me here. I will do as you say, and seek the dreams and thoughts of those who seek profit in the night&#039;s pleasures,&quot; Darla said.<br /><br />===<br /><br />For the next several days, Darla stayed up late into the night, reaching out with her mind, and vicariously experiencing the &#039;night work&#039; that Meridith, Molly and the other whores in the inn practiced. Each day, she slept as much as she could, to remain awake as she studied them.<br /><br />It was quite... educational. The minds of the whores and their customers were like an open book to her. Most had no defense against her intrusions, and were so wrapped up in their pleasures that they did not even notice her influence. <br /><br />She learned many techniques for giving pleasure, to males or to females. She found that when not employed by paying customers, Meridith and Molly shared a bed, and pleasured each other, and seemed to enjoy it greatly. And much to her surprise, she found that if she was in contact with someone&#039;s mind while they were having sex, she could indirectly experience the same pleasures they were experiencing, and that she could affect their level of pleasure, much as she could affect the intensity of a dream or nightmare. <br /><br />She also found that males in particular will often tell a whore secrets they would never divulge otherwise, or that they will at least consider telling them such secrets, and in thinking of them they would bring those thoughts and memories to the surface of their minds, where Darla could read them, and alter them. <br /><br />Expanding her search to other individuals in the inn, she found she could not read the mind of the innkeeper at all. The talisman that he wore around his neck shielded his mind from her. She also could not read M&#039;Lady Portia&#039;s mind, on the one occasion that the canine mage came within range of her questing thoughts. For both the inkeeper and M&#039;Lady Portia, Darla could tell they were there, and who they were, but nothing at all more.<br /><br />===<br /><br />On the first night that she was in heat, on what she counted as her fourteenth birthday, Darla asked Meridith to serve her, in her room, and paid the wolf girl for one hour. The wolf wench was very enthusiastic, and the time that they spent together was very pleasurable for both of them. The actual sexual contact took the connection between Darla and Meridith to an entirely new level, each able to experience and play off the pleasures of the other. Before they were done, the sands in Meridith&#039;s hourglass had long run out. Neither the vixen nor wolf noticed until they were sated, and Meridith did not ask any additional fee for the extra time. Meridith commented as she left, &quot;If I did not know better, I&#039;d swear you&#039;ve done that for many years! You&#039;re a right handful, M&#039;Lady, an&#039; I&#039;ll gladly serve ye any time ye wish!&quot;<br /><br />On the second night of her heat, Darla changed her appearance to a black furred adult vixen, about age twenty instead of fourteen, and calling herself &#039;Heather&#039;, she convinced Master Duncan to accept Ashley and herself as part-time &#039;night girls&#039;. Meridith, Molly and the other wenches welcomed their &#039;new sisters&#039;, and exchanged advice with them on how best to please certain customers. Each night, &#039;Heather&#039; and Ashley would &#039;arrive&#039; just after the evening meal, and work until there were no more customers waiting, often until dawn. &#039;Heather&#039; sated her body&#039;s needs in this way for two weeks, while earning coins and learning secrets from the minds of her patrons. She only refused to serve Humans, and otherwise mated with equal enthusiasm with dogs, foxes, wolves, and even with one bear. She became quite popular, because of her ability to sense what the client wanted and when, and give it to him, while using her abilities to amplify his pleasure. Ashley could offer an almost endless stamina, seemed immune to rough treatment, and for a fairly high price would offer to entertain any one guest until they could no longer perform. <br /><br />Darla&#039;s small money chest rapidly refilled with copper and silver coins, and even an occasional gold coin, given by grateful customers whose experience had been pleasurable beyond all expectations.<br /><br />But on the last night of her heat, &#039;Heather&#039; entertained a customer that changed her plans entirely. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 16, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 16 - Friends in high places<br /><br />On the last night of her heat, Darla, in her identity as &#039;Heather&#039;, came in through the front doors of the inn with Ashley, as if arriving from elsewhere. Shortly after they arrived, a new guest entered the inn, reverently carrying a small chest, and accompanied by a carriage driver who brought in the guest&#039;s other luggage, accepted his fee, and departed with another paying customer. This new fellow was one that the girls could not recall having seen in the inn before. He was a reasonably good looking red fox, in his mid 40&#039;s or so, and from the cut of his clothes and the amount of luggage he brought with him, he was a gentleman of some stature, and likely to be quite wealthy. He spoke in low tones to the innkeeper, arranged for a room, and asked to have his one large portmanteau and two smaller chests carried up to the room by the innkeeper and Meridith. The working girls all sized him up, bantering with each other about what his tastes might be, and whether or not he would want a girl at all to warm his bed tonight.<br /><br />He did not go to his room at once, nor did he seem to pay any attention to the preening wenches that tried to catch his gaze. He sat at a table in the common room, alone, and as far from anyone else as he could manage, with his head in his hands, as if very tired, or very sad. Before him on the table sat the one small chest that he had carried in himself.<br /><br />Molly went to his table and asked, &quot;What be yer pleasure, M&#039;Lord? A meal, or a drink, or somethin&#039; else, mayhaps?&quot;<br /><br />The gentleman looked up at her with eyes that seemed so haunted that the friendly young ferret wench involuntarily stepped back a pace, as he said sadly, &quot;Your best brandy. Bring the bottle.&quot; He slapped two gold coins on the table as if they were mere coppers, and leaned back, with his eyes closed, and rubbed his eyes with one hand.<br /><br />Molly meeped, scooped up the coins, and scurried to the bar, returning as swiftly as she could with an unopened bottle of their very best brandy, and a nice glass goblet. &quot;W-will there be aught else, M&#039;Lord? Anything at all I could do for ye?&quot;<br /><br />The fox said nothing. He took the bottle without even looking at the label, opened it, and poured the goblet half full. He drained that overly large measure in a single gulp, before looking at Molly with a glare that made the poor girl meep again and run from his table as if slapped.<br /><br />&quot;Maybe he just doesn&#039;t like his girls so young,&quot; Meridith said, having returned from upstairs in time to see the most unusual sight of Molly turning tail and running from a customer. She walked up to him herself, and asked, &quot;My Lord? Did our little Molly offend you in some way? Can I serve ye, instead?&quot;<br /><br />He barely glanced at the wolf girl, before rejected her with just three words, &quot;Not you. No.&quot;, and he looked at her with that same haunted expression. He gazed at the small chest once more with a pained expression, as if expecting the chest or its contents to somehow berate him for even talking to the wench.<br /><br />Meridith backed away, murmuring to the other girls, &quot;Those eyes... It&#039;s as if he&#039;s starin&#039; at hell itself!&quot; She shuddered and sought another possible customer.<br /><br />&quot;This one&#039;s mine then, if he&#039;s anyone&#039;s,&quot; Heather said. She walked up and sat across the table from the fox, bold as brass and not waiting for an invitation.<br /><br />He glared at her.<br /><br />She calmly returned his gaze.<br /><br />&quot;Ye don&#039;t run?&quot; he asked, as he looked at her more closely. There was something painful in the way he looked at Heather - like looking at her broke his heart.<br /><br />&quot;Should I run? I don&#039;t think so,&quot; Heather replied. She opened her mind to his thoughts, and saw at once that the man was drowning in grief. He was in town to place the ashes of his beloved wife and daughter in the family crypt, and those ashes were in the chest that he bore with him. But there was something more, a sense of extreme guilt, and a deeper pain that she couldn&#039;t yet see. &quot;Perhaps you just need to talk, then? I&#039;ll keep your counsel better than any priest at confession. You seem troubled. Please, let me ease your burden.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Nothing can ease my burden, lass. Not while I live. But... all right. If you&#039;ll stay the whole night with me, and help me to forget, just this one night, I&#039;ll pay you well,&quot; he said, as he thrust a hand into his pocket, took her hand in his other hand, and placed ten gold coins in her palm - a fee far in excess of what any whore would normally charge - as if the money meant nothing to him. His hands were shaking. &quot;The whole night, mind you, and your silence on whatever I may ask of ye.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I think you found the right girl. We have a deal, then,&quot; Heather replied, as she put the coins in her pouch, took his hand in hers, picked up the bottle and goblet with the other hand, and led him, unresisting, to the stairs. The gentleman gently cradled the small chest in his arm, as if afraid it would break if touched by anyone else.<br /><br />Meridith told Heather the gentleman&#039;s room number as they passed her, gave Heather the key, and she whispered also, &quot;Good luck with that one.&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />Heather let them into the room, where the lamp had already been lit and a low fire kindled by Meridith, when she and the inkeeper left the luggage in the room. <br /><br />The older fox followed meekly, and after placing his burden on the bedside table, he stopped with his hand resting on the small chest, trembling and weeping, and whispering almost inaudibly, &quot;Forgive me.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;They call me Heather. How should I call you, My Lord?&quot; Heather asked.<br /><br />&quot;I am... was... Lord Edward Randall. The last of my line, and there shall be no other. That is behind me now. Ashes of my past. The burden of my sins.&quot; he said.<br /><br />&quot;You do not strike me as a sinner, Lord Randall,&quot; Heather said softly. &quot;You don&#039;t have to speak of it, but I&#039;ll listen, if you want me to. Have you lost someone you loved? Surely it was not your fault?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Not my fault... Not directly, perhaps. But I fear it is a judgment upon my soul for the evil that long has dwelt in my heart,&quot; he said, as he sat on the bed. &quot;My wife, Mary, and my daughter, Sarina... are both gone. They were taken from me last month, by a plague that swept through our township, well to the south. Why was I spared? They were pure, and virtuous. Not... not like me. My poor Sarina... My poor, poor child. She did not deserve this. I would gladly take her place, if her life could be spared.&quot;<br /><br />Haltingly, he spoke to her, and his story began to unfold. After his wife and daughter had died, he was a broken man. He could not bear to live in the home they had shared. He sold his mansion, lands, and business interests, and set forth to take the cremated remains of his wife and daughter to be interred in the family crypt, in the city near this inn. He would then have to go in person to tell his brother in law, Lord Thomas Penington, who was his wife Mary&#039;s brother, that his sister Mary and his niece Sarina were both dead. When that sad obligation was done, and the funeral held, Lord Randall intended to go to the abbey in the town, donate his wealth to the church, and become a monk, taking a vow of silence and chastity, and praying for his &#039;past sins&#039;.<br /><br />Heather sat beside Lord Randall and held him close, kissing him gently on the cheek. She could feel that he needed physical release. It was clear in his mind that before his wife died, he had been a lusty man, who loved his wife with a great physical passion, and that she had loved him with equal enthusiasm and frequency. Since her death, a month earlier, he had not been in bed with any woman. He needed a woman&#039;s physical affection like he needed to breathe, but he had been denying his nature, out of some warped sense of guilt. But what she could not understand was what guilt he felt over this tragedy, and he would not tell her. She doubted he could ever maintain a vow of chastity as a monk.<br /><br />She touched his mind, soothing him and changing his thoughts just enough that he could relax and enjoy her company. As they began to make love, she sought in his mind his deepest fantasies, so that for this one night, she would become the girl of his dreams. He kept his eyes closed, but hungrily accepted what she offered.<br /><br />His need was so great that she allowed his dreams and fantasies to reshape her very appearance to suit his whims, certain that she could erase any inconvenient memories that the change might cause, while leaving the memory that he had been sated in greater measure than he thought possible.<br /><br />As had happened so many times before, the sexual connection opened his mind to her like a rose blooming in the sun. She could see every memory in his mind. She saw the happiness he had shared with his wife and daughter. She saw many memories of their child growing up, a lovely red-furred vixen that would have been almost the same age as Darla really was, had she lived. Mother and daughter had looked so much alike, especially as the young vixen started to become a woman.<br /><br />And therein lay the seeds of his guilt, and his fantasy, and his self loathing, all at once. As the child had grown, and as his beloved wife grew older, Lord Randall had lusted after his own daughter. He had never actually touched the child. But for the last few years, as he mated nightly with his wife, he had almost always fantasized that it was his daughter he was mating with. Twice he had stood outside the child&#039;s bedroom, intending to claim her, before having second thoughts and returning to his wife&#039;s bed.<br /><br />And then they had perished, suddenly. And while he mourned their loss, Lord Randall had been appalled to realize that what he regretted most was not that they had died, while he had lived. It was that he regretted bitterly that he had never consummated his forbidden desire to mate with his own daughter. That was what haunted him, and made him hate himself. He had accepted Heather&#039;s offer because she happened to look vaguely like his wife and daughter, though her fur was, thankfully, not red, even though he had not consciously made the choice based on her appearance.<br /><br />As their mating was nearly ended, Lord Randall opened his eyes, and saw not the black-furred adult whore that he had hired, but instead the very image of his red furred fourteen year old daughter Sarina! And there she was, astride him, her eyes wild with lust for her father, and saying, &quot;Ohhh, I love you, Daddy!&quot; Even as this shocked realization hit him, his body responded, and he shuddered as he achieved his release. Then he passed out, murmuring, &quot;Sarina! What have I done? What... have... I... done?&quot;<br /><br />Heather immediately forced the guilt wracked man into a deep sleep, as she pondered what to do. She had given him what he most deeply desired, and yet also what he most feared. She had not wanted to wound him more deeply. Yet she saw one way to make amends, and at the same time, to benefit herself. <br /><br />Still in the physical form of fourteen year old Sarina, she opened Lord Randall&#039;s portmanteau and found the man&#039;s nightshirt, dressing him for bed, and cleaning him of all signs of their copulation. She put her own chemise back on, altering it with a quick spell to fit her smaller, younger form. Searching his belongings, she also found several of Sarina&#039;s dresses, which, according to a handwritten note tucked in the paper wrapping them, Lord Randall had apparently planned to offer to his own niece, Amara, who was his brother in law&#039;s daughter. <br /><br />Having found all she needed in the fox&#039;s belongings and in his mind, she started altering the Lord Randall&#039;s memories. When she was done, she left him asleep, unable to awaken until she woke him in the morning, and went to instruct Ashley in what must be done.<br /><br />===<br /><br />In the morning, Lord Randall awoke in bed, with his daughter Sarina snuggled close behind him for warmth. He got out of bed and gazed at her innocent face with a sense of guilt and longing. Once more he had resisted carnal temptation presented by his daughter, and yet he knew he could not do so much longer. Nor could he bear to watch her growing up into the image of her mother. Last night he had experiences an unbelievably vivid dream of mating with his own child, and he knew that if she lived with him much longer, he would be unable to resist really doing so. He steeled his resolve for what he must do, as he swiftly got dressed. Then he gently awoke the child.<br /><br />&quot;Humm? Good morning daddy!&quot; Sarina/Darla said with a sleepy grin, as Lord Randall touched her shoulder.<br /><br />&quot;Get dressed, dearest.&quot; Lord Randall said softly. &quot;Put on your nicest dress. Today we must see your uncle and his family.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I know, Daddy. But don&#039;t be sad. I understand what we must do,&quot; Sarina said cheerfully. &quot;Mommy will watch over us both, won&#039;t she?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;She will dearest, she will,&quot; Lord Randall said sorrowfully.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Lord Randall hired a coach to take them to his brother in law&#039;s home. When they arrived, a manservant let them into the elegant home&#039;s foyer, and went to get Lord Penington.<br /><br />&quot;Edward! You should have written to let me know you were coming! Welcome, welcome, my friend,&quot; Lord Penington said enthusiastically as he entered the foyer and shook Lord Randall&#039;s hand. &quot;You really should visit more often. We never see enough of you! And can this be little Sarina? How many years has it been? My! What a beautiful young vixen you&#039;re becoming! But where is Mary? Edward? That look on your face... Good Lord, man, has something happened to my sister?&quot;<br /><br />Lord Randall began to cry, and he sobbed, &quot;She... is with us. But she shall not be able to greet you. Oh, my brother... There was a plague... The doctors and mages did all that they could, but... Mary didn&#039;t survive. She is gone, Thomas. Mary is gone, and we are come to inter her ashes in the family crypt. I couldn&#039;t just write that in a letter. I had to tell you in person.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Dear God. And she was so young. This is terrible, Edward, just terrible. We will help with all the arrangements, of course. Come into the parlor, and have a brandy. I&#039;ll have one too. God, what a shock this is. I need a drink. I can hardly believe it. We must break the news to Meghan and Amara,&quot; Lord Pennington said.<br /><br />===<br /><br />A few days later, they held a funeral, and Lord Randall and Sarina together put Mary&#039;s ashes into the small crypt. No one but Sarina could see that a second set of ashes also were placed there, Sarina&#039;s, with the single white flower that Sarina put in the small marble vault.<br /><br />When they returned to the Penington estate, Lord Randall said to his brother in law, &quot;Thomas, I cannot express how profoundly Mary&#039;s death has beset me.&nbsp;&nbsp;I could not bear to look at the estate where we lived together. At every turn I saw her, and wept. I have sold it to my neighbor, who gave me a good price. And I have sold my business in the town, as well.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;What? But what will you do? Where will you live? What is to become of Sarina?&quot; Lord Penington asked.<br /><br />&quot;Thomas? I know it is so much to ask, but... will you take my daughter as your ward, and raise her as your own? She looks so much like her mother. I love her with all my heart, but I cannot bear to always see her, and in her see Mary. Please, say you will take her into your care. I will give you half of the wealth that I possess, to hold in trust for my beloved Sarina, to pay for the best possible education for her, for her living expenses, and as her dowry, should she choose to marry, or as funds to set her up with a shop, if her promising talent as mage should prove worth that endeavor. She is quite skilled at oneromancy, as young as she is. I think that is why she is so calm in the face of her mother&#039;s death. She can quell the nightmares that come from her grief. Would that I could quell my own nightmares so well. She is such a brave little vixen!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Of course we will take her in, Edward. Of course! She is my sister&#039;s child, and all that I have left of her. But what will you do, Edward? Wherever will you go?&quot; Thomas Penington asked.<br /><br />&quot;I had some thoughts of becoming a monk, but, well, you know that life would never suit me, eh? I like women far too much, though I was faithful to Mary, I assure you! She was all the woman any man could hope for, by god. I am taking a steamship to the Orient, Thomas. Travelling to the far colonies, where nothing will remind me of Mary. Maybe, in time, I&#039;ll find a new wife. But I need to go, to get away from here,&quot; Edward Randall said. What he didn&#039;t admit was that leaving was the best way to ensure he would be free of the temptation his own daughter presented to him.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Sarina was given a room at the Penington estate, across the hall from her cousin, Amara. None of the Penington family had seen Sarina in years, and with the memories that the false Sarina had obtained from Sarina&#039;s father, and the additional memories that she rapidly gleaned from the Penington family, Sarina had no trouble making anyone believe that she was the real Lady Sarina Randall.<br /><br />A week after the funeral, Sarina sat in a sheltered bower in the gardens, with Asha, who no one but her could see. It was a cold day, and lightly snowing, and no one in the family was inclined to question her wish to be alone with her thoughts, amid the silence of the falling snow. No one could hear the conversation between Sarina and her familiar, which was mind to mind.<br /><br />&quot;That was well played, Mistress,&quot; Asha said. &quot;You have gained a new identity, powerful social connections, and wealth. And the one that you took this wealth from still came out of it better than he would have.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yes, I think so. Sarina&#039;s father will be much happier, believing she still lives. He still has half his wealth, instead of giving it all to the church. And he never would have been happy as a celibate monk! That man was far too lusty for that!&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You should know, Mistress. So we&#039;re done with whoring, I take it?&quot; Asha asked.<br /><br />&quot;No need for that now, so yes,&quot; Sarina said. &quot;Lady Sarina Randall should not lack for lovers, and if I ever do, maybe I&#039;ll just summon you for that. You still have five years left to serve me.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You have but to ask, Mistress. Get them to set you up with a shop soon, so we can resume our studies. Five years is barely enough for me to give you a good tutoring in pyromancy,&quot; Asha said with a grin. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 17, Written December 2011<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 17 - Lessons of many sorts<br /><br />Sarina rapidly took her place in the Pennington family. Lord Thomas Penington spared no expense in ensuring that his daughter and his niece both had all the advantages that wealth and social position could offer. Sarina was instructed by the same private tutor that taught Lord Penington&#039;s only child, Amara. The two girls at first were almost inseparable, with Amara treating Sarina more like a long lost sister than her first cousin. Together, the two vixens learned to dance, and to sing, and learned the manners and behaviors appropriate for a young woman of breeding and refinement. In their studies of the arts, Sarina showed an amazing talent for sculpture, using her magical abilities to shape stone or metal into life-like creations. Amara was gifted with a beautiful singing voice. <br /><br />Lord Penington was rightly proud of both girls, and insisted that they be educated as well as any man, ensuring that they were also taught political sciences, mathematics, chemistry, psychology, and other sciences. After all, the heir to the current king was a young girl only two years older than they were, and if the country was some day to be ruled by a queen in her own right, who was to say what heights a well-educated young lady might aspire to?<br /><br />A month after joining their family, Lord Pennington asked Sarina to join him in his study. She had never been invited into the Lord&#039;s study before, and was fascinated by the shelves of books and a collection of small ivory carvings that he had on display.<br /><br />&quot;Can I come in here when it won&#039;t disturb you, and read your books, uncle?&quot; Sarina asked.<br /><br />&quot;You may borrow any of my books to study, of course,&quot; he replied with an indulgent smile. &quot;You have such an agile mind. But I did not ask you to come in here for books. Your father told me that you are skilled in magic, and in particular, in oneromancy. Is this so?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yes, uncle,&quot; Sarina replied. &quot;Someday I hope to open a shop of my own, and work as a mage. I became aware of my talent several years ago, and I&#039;ve been studying a lot.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I would like you to demonstrate for me what you know of the magical arts, Sarina,&quot; Lord Pennington said. &quot;I am no mage, but I have been looking into this for you, and it seems that to open a shop for hire, on your own, you must be eighteen. But I could rent a shop on your behalf, as a place for you to practice and study. Your tutor mentioned to me that you can sculpt stone or metal with magic. I would like to see this done.&quot;<br /><br />The old fox reached behind his desk and picked up a block of marble, roughly a foot on each side. He set it on the desk and asked, &quot;What can you make from this? Do you need any other materials, or to make any preparations?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I need nothing else, uncle. Whatever I make, it must remain the same kind of material. What starts as marble will remain marble - what starts as silver will remain silver. But I can re-shape it completely, so long as when I am done, the finished work has roughly the same mass,&quot; she replied. She walked around the room for a moment, looking at her uncle from several sides. Then she stood beside the desk and touched the marble block. Her eyes glowed, shining with a brilliant acid green light, and the stone flowed and writhed as if it was liquid, reforming within minutes into a detailed bust of her uncle.<br /><br />&quot;Remarkable! You can see the texture of my fur, and even the thread that sews the buttons onto my shirt collar! Even if you do no other magic, people will pay well for such sculptures my dear,&quot; her uncle said as he examined the finished work. &quot;I wonder. If you had gold or silver, could you make coins?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I could, uncle, but I would be most unwise to do so. I have already been taught that it is against the law to counterfeit the crown&#039;s coins, and any coin with a residual aura of magic on it would be suspect,&quot; Sarina stated. &quot;Even to turn a silver piece into something else and then back to its original form might eventually cause someone to inquire if it is a false coin. It would be better for me to make that gold or silver into jewelry, to be sold for coins.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Smart girl, and well spoken,&quot; her uncle said with a chuckle. &quot;But this is not oneromancy, is it? That refers to dreams and mind magic, I believe? Is it fortune telling? Can you show me that skill?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Oneromancy is not prophecy, though it can reveal truths that the dreams or thoughts of another may contain,&quot; Sarina replied. &quot;Are you quite certain that you want me to demonstrate that skill for you?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Yes, please. Can you tell me what I am thinking about right now?&quot; he replied.<br /><br />Sarina&#039;s eyes glowed softly, almost imperceptibly, as she looked at him and said, &quot;Right now, Uncle, you are wondering if you can convince me to use oneromancy to your business advantage - to know what your competitors plan to do, or to influence those who buy or sell at your business interests to do so in a way favorable to you. That is why you asked to talk to me privately. Now it shocks you that your thoughts are so open to me. Ah! You are afraid of me now, and were not before. I will not harm you, Uncle. You have no reason to fear me.&quot;<br /><br />Lord Pennington looked quite shaken, and he asked, &quot;Just how much can you see, child?&quot;<br /><br />Sarina looked at Lord Pennington, and her eyes glowed brighter. &quot;I can only see what you are thinking of at the moment, uncle. Though often when a person wants to hold fast to a secret, they do think of that which they would conceal. Do not fear. I will not tell Aunt Meghan, or anyone else, that you were having an incestuous affair with my mother before I was born, well after you married Aunt Meghan. I will not tell her that you frequently mated with your own sister. I really do not care about that, or about your suspicions that you might have been my real father, since you were in bed with mother at the right time, before I was born, and while her husband, Lord Randall was elsewhere. But I could only see that in your thoughts because you thought of it, just then,&quot; Sarina said calmly. &quot;I cannot see memories that you are not conscious of. Not so easily. And there are ways to prevent such intrusions, uncle. I can craft a talisman that will conceal your thoughts, so an oneromancer cannot read your mind. Such talismans are not hard to obtain, which is why using oneromancy to gain an unfair business advantage is unwise. Even a common inkeeper that we met on our way here had such protection. Rent me a shop, uncle, where I can practice, and I will make you that talisman, and keep silent on your past indiscretions.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;You will have your shop, Sarina. Just stay out of my mind,&quot; Lord Pennington said, leaning heavily on his desk with both hands.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Sarina was happy that she would finally have a place to properly work on her magical skills. She honestly didn&#039;t care about her uncle&#039;s past affairs. She had told him what she knew merely to show him her skills, and not as a threat of blackmail. Lord Pennington may have thought otherwise, as he very rapidly rented a shop not far from their estate, but far enough that any mishaps would not affect their home. He had heard that on occasion a mage&#039;s workshop had rather spectacular accidents. As soon as the shop was hers, Sarina summoned Asha to take up residence in the forge in one corner of the shop, and to guard it when Sarina was away. That very night, Sarina crafted the talisman for protection from mental intrusion, for her uncle.&nbsp;&nbsp;But she did not tell him, when she gave it to him, that she had included in its making a trigger spell that she could use to unmake it, so if she ever needed to see inside his mind later, she could eliminate his protection against her. From that day onward, Sarina spent part of each day in her shop, learning pyromancy from Asha, and working on other magical skills.<br /><br />Sarina quickly surpassed her cousin in normal academic pursuits, devouring books and confounding her tutor with her ability to remember facts, figures and diagrams in the greatest of detail. While Amara was carefully working her way through a mathematical lesson, and looking dreadfully bored, Sarina would be done with her assignments and would be reading a treatise on magic. At the age of fifteen, Sarina was invited to take classes at the Royal University, which had a school in the city. Amara received no such invitation, but said she was glad, as this meant she had more time for pleasurable pursuits.<br /><br />Amara was hopelessly romantic. While Sarina studied magic or attended classes at the university, Amara read romance stories, or attended romantic plays. Her heart swelled with hope each time a dashing young man turned his attention her way, and she would sulk endlessly when in due course her unreasonably high hopes were crushed by her latest paramour. Sarina tried at first to warn Amara when a particular suitor was, in his surface thoughts, much less of a gentleman than Sarina&#039;s parents would approve of. But the very fact that &#039;mommy and daddy would not approve&#039; just seemed to fan the flames of the girl&#039;s interest higher, and she would often sneak off at night, to meet secretly with her latest lover. Amara was, at least, sufficiently discrete that she never caused a scandal, nor did she get a wanton reputation. It helped that Sarina occasionally &#039;cleaned up after&#039; Amara, ensuring that former suitors and those they might have spoken to of Amara&#039;s wanton behavior would not remember it.<br /><br />Shortly after both girls celebrated their sixteenth birthdays, Lord Pennington hosted a debutante&#039;s ball for his girls, inviting well to do families with eligible young sons to court the girls. Amara thrived on the attention, and repeatedly tried to get her cousin Sarina to dance with this young man or that. Sarina feigned interest, but if a suitor got too interested in her, she would insist on conversing about esoteric subjects in magic or the sciences, usually leaving the boy bewildered, and uncertain that he wished to have a wife that was better educated than he was.<br /><br />Lady Sarina Randall and Lady Amara Pennington soon became well-known young vixens in the better social circles. Lady Meghan Randall even managed to present the girls at the Royal Court, where they met the king. Both girls had hoped to also see the young princess who was the king&#039;s heiress, but she was not at court. To Sarina, it was debatable which part of the trip was the most fascinating to her - meeting the king, or her first ride on a steam train, which they had travelled on to get to the capitol city.<br /><br />When the king passed away two months later, the family was invited to attend the coronation of the new queen, Victoria. They traveled again to the capitol city, taking the steam train, to attend the festivities. The princess Victoria was a stern-faced bulldog girl only eighteen years old, who would be ruling in her own right. The old king had been her uncle, and she had been his designated heiress for the last seven years. Lady Sarina watched with great interest as the young queen, only two years older than herself, took the reins of power, while so many rich and powerful people bowed before her. Sarina tried to imagine what it would be like, to rule an entire country. She found the thought of such power intoxicating. Who would dare oppose the queen of the land? Who indeed, if that queen also had the power of magic, as Sarina did? The vixen watched with great interest the way this young queen kept a tight grip on the reins of power.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Shortly after Amara and Sarina turned eighteen, Amara happily announced that she had found the love of her life. This was about the twenty-seventh time that the romance-struck young vixen had made such a declaration in the last four years. But this time, the fellow in question seemed just as serious about her as she was about him. He was a black furred fox with a commission as an officer in the Royal Navy, who had been knighted by the Queen the previous year. Sir Reginald Wilson was ruggedly handsome, and quite wealthy. Many young ladies had hoped to be the lucky girl who would win his heart. Amara, it seemed, had managed to do so. That he was forty-one and Amara only eighteen seemed not to matter to either of them.<br /><br />Lord Pennington somewhat reluctantly approved of the match, and arranged for a grand wedding and a nice dowry for his only daughter. Lady Pennington gave them her blessings, and stated that she hoped that it would not be long before they heard the happy announcement that Amara was with child.<br /><br />Sarina was happy for her &#039;cousin&#039;, but could not read the thoughts of her new husband. As an officer in the Navy, Sir Reginald wore a medallion to protect his mind.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sarina set aside any doubts she had, and returned to her magical studies.<br /><br />===<br /><br />A year later, when Sarina was nineteen, she had a customer come to her shop that she had not seen in many years. Lady Portia, the canine mage, entered the shop, carrying a cloth wrapped bundle about two feet long.<br /><br />&quot;Good day. Would you be Lady Sarina? I have heard you are skilled at reforming metal,&quot; the collie said. &quot;Can you reform a broken blade, without removing any enchantments that are on it?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Most likely,&quot; Sarina said. &quot;Do you have all the pieces, Lady Portia?&quot;<br /><br />Portia set the bundle on the table and stared at Sarina, asking, &quot;Have we met before, My Lady? I have heard you were also an oneromancer, but my mind is well defended. How did you know my name?&quot; She looked around the workshop, and her eyes locked on the forge. &quot;You have an elemental in your forge. It is most unusual type of elemental, as well. Has it served you for very long?&quot; she asked suspiciously.<br /><br />&quot;That elemental has served me for as long as we have both known you, and more, Lady Portia. When last we met, I had a slightly different appearance, and went by the name of Darla,&quot; Sarina admitted. &quot;It has been several years, though we have heard of your endeavors on occasion. I heard you had quite an intense battle with a werewolf in the heart of the market district a few weeks ago. I would be glad to repair your blade.&quot;<br /><br />&nbsp;&quot;Lady Sarina Randall, eh? Found a rich nobleman to marry, and changed your name?&quot; Portia asked.<br /><br />&quot;Not married, no. I found a kind gentleman who was willing to adopt me, and raise me as his own,&quot; Sarina said, as she unwrapped the pieces of the broken blade. She looked at the three pieces, and the intricate silver inlay work, nodding as she read the inscription and noted how it was built. &quot;This is well made. The blade itself is nice and sturdy, with a deep central blood groove. It&#039;s been inlaid with silver. This spell allows the blade to enflame. Interesting. And a second enchantment is here, one that changes the blade&#039;s size, and conceals it, yes? Is there more?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Very good! You only missed one thing. That&#039;s one half of a matched pair. The intact one is here,&quot; Lady Portia said. She touched what appeared to be a inch-long decorative metal sword attached to a tooled leather wrist cuff, and a full-sized sword appeared in her hand, as the one on the cuff vanished. She laid it beside the pieces of the other.<br /><br />&quot;I understand the silver, for use against werewolves. But why the flaming charm?&quot; Sarina asked. &quot;Of course, a flaming sword does more damage, but I sense there is more to it than that. And what did I miss?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;The fire is for vampires. Silver doesn&#039;t bother them much, but fire makes it much slower for their wounds to heal. Most normal blades can&#039;t cause them any real harm. What you missed isn&#039;t magic - it&#039;s mechanical. Watch,&quot; Lady Portia said, as she picked up the hilt of the broken sword. She pointed it at a timber post, and pressed a small catch on the hilt. There was a loud hiss as a slender wooden dart shot down the &#039;blood groove&#039; and embedded itself deeply in the heavy wooden post.<br /><br />&quot;A wooden stake striking the heart paralyzes a vampire, and halts their regeneration. That dart is holly, tipped with ironwood. I can shoot one right down the blade like that, if I have used the blade to pierce whatever armor they may be wearing. I can shoot a second one from the pommel end of the hilt,&quot; she explained.<br /><br />&quot;But that stake still won&#039;t kill them? It only paralyzes them? So how do you actually kill a vampire?&quot; Sarina asked. <br /><br />&quot;Cut off their head, and burn the head before it has a chance to regenerate. Without the stake, they can be back to attacking you in minutes, even if you cut their head off,&quot; Lady Portia explained.<br /><br />&quot;Five gold coins to mend the blade, good as new,&quot; Sarina said. &quot;That&#039;s half my normal fee for such work. The lessons you just taught me are worth the other half of my fee.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Done, and thank you,&quot; Portia said. She paid the fee, and Sarina rapidly fixed the blade.<br /><br />&quot;Good as new! Do you think you could make a similar one from scratch, if need be?&quot; Portia asked, as she tested the balance of the repaired blade, made the sword blade enflame and go out, and then reattached it to her wrist cuff.<br /><br />&quot;Almost,&quot; Sarina said. &quot;I could at least do the metalwork and magic. I would need to know more about that mechanical part in the hilt, to make the dart thrower. But with a little effort and a few experiments, I think I could make that part as well. Good hunting, Lady Portia, and farewell.&quot; <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 18, Written January 2012<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 18 - Night Work<br /><br />The evening meal in the Pennington&#039;s manor house was subdued. Lady Pennington was not in a good mood, and was making sure everyone knew it.<br /><br />&quot;The least she could do is to come over for tea,&quot; she complained. &quot;It&#039;s been a year since they were married, and has she even once invited us to her home?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Well, dear, Sir Reginald Wilson is a naval officer, after all. He and our Amara have three homes, and move about a lot, as his duties take him to other ports,&quot; Lord Pennington said apologetically. He was no more pleased than his wife at how distant their daughter had become, but he didn&#039;t feel it was appropriate for him to make a public display of such emotions.<br /><br />&quot;But I know she is in town now,&quot; Lady Pennington insisted. &quot;Two nights ago, when we were returning from the opera, I am certain I saw Amara and Sir Reginald on the balcony of Kensington House, attending a banquet. I asked around, and it was an awards ceremony for naval officers.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;To which we were not invited, as I am not a Navy man myself,&quot; Lord Pennington stated reasonably. &quot;Really now, my dear, would you expect a group of Navy men to invite a retired Army officer and his family to their soiree? I doubt Sir Reginald was up for an award himself, or we would have heard of that. So why should it matter?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Auntie misses my cousin, Uncle. That is all. I do confess she has a point. I have many obligations of my own, and yet I would not decline an invitation to visit you, were I in her position,&quot; Sarina said quietly.<br /><br />&quot;I will send a girl again to give them an invitation to dinner,&quot; Lady Pennington said. &quot;For mid-week, so they shall have no excuses of prior engagements.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;As you wish, my dear,&quot; Lord Pennington said, though he doubted the girl or her husband would attend this time, either. He had seen this behavior before, in the daughters of several of his friends. As soon as they had a husband and a household of their own, they set about making their home into their private kingdom, taking control of the household staff and trying to re-form their husband into the man they believed they had married, or into the man they hoped he could be. Amara&#039;s expectations in her men had always been unreasonable, so it did not surprise him that her settling in with her husband demanded her full attention.<br /><br />===<br /><br />As soon as it was polite for her to do so, Sarina took her leave of them, and went to her workshop. The period of time that her elemental, Asha, was bound to serve her was drawing to a close, and suddenly seven years seemed to be nowhere near enough. There was so much yet that the elemental could teach her, of pyromancy in particular, and of magic in general. Sarina was determined to make each remaining night count.<br /><br />She let herself into the workshop, and the lamps brightened with no effort of her own, as the elemental lit them for her. &quot;Good evening, Asha,&quot; she said. <br /><br />&quot;Good evening Mistress. Shall we resume your lessons? The next spell is one to cast a firebolt, a torrent of flames directed at a single target,&quot; the elemental said, as she took vixen form again.<br /><br />&quot;Yes. I think I have a good grasp of the spell we worked on last night, to heat an object in my own hands, or to take up an already hot or burning object, while remaining untouched by its heat. Look at this,&quot; Sarina said, as she activated that spell and reached into the forge withdrawing and holding a burning lump of coal in her hand, without harming her fur at all.<br /><br />&quot;Good! That is very necessary with the firebolt spell, as it&#039;s casting first enflames the caster&#039;s hand,&quot; Asha said. &quot;Now, you will find the spell on this page in the treatise by Archibald Caxton. Make sure you reverse this number with that one, when you cast it, however. Caxton had a nasty habit of placing traps for the unwary in his spells, preferring them only to be used by a mage wise enough t spot a subtle error like that.&quot;<br /><br />They worked for several hours, until Sarina felt it wise to return home and seek her bed. Before she left, she asked, &quot;Asha? What... what will become of you, when the seven years are up? When you no longer are bound to serve me?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Well, I will be free at that point to finally exchange your fertility with another creature from my plane, or with a mortal who is willing to strike a suitable bargain for it. At first, I will return to Hell, as the people of your plane of existence call my home realm, there to await a new summons, or the sufficiently urgent or desperate call of someone who wishes to make an exchange that I can make an offer for. If no one summons me, then I am free to do as I wish,&quot; Asha said. &quot;I could even choose to return to this realm, on my own. Perhaps I will do that, Mistress. Being with you has been more entertaining than with many other mages that I have served.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;And if I wished to bind you to my service again, what of that?&quot; Sarina asked. &quot;What cost would that require this time?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I can&#039;t say, Mistress. We would have to negotiate it at that time, as we did before. It would be something I would value, or be able to exchange later,&quot; the elemental said, in an offhand manner. &quot;But if I have not yet been summoned by another, I would not resist your summons.&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />It was late, and somewhat foggy, as Sarina walked home. The gaslight street lamps cast pools of illumination, but the fog kept the light from fully overlapping, as it would on a clear night. She could see less than fifty feet ahead in this fog at best, and could not see the moon or stars at all.<br /><br />There were few others on the streets this late at night. A carriage driver drove slowly along, seeking one last fare for the night. Ladies of the evening stood in lamp lit doorways, seeking a customer for their charms. Occasionally a shadowy figure would lurk in a darkened alley. But most of the thieves and thugs in the district knew well enough that she was a mage, and not one to be trifled with. Sarina did not have any reason to fear the majority of the people who were up this late at night.<br /><br />She was startled by a sudden crash, as a dark form came hurtling out of an alley on her right, and smashed into the side of a passing carriage. The horses reared as the driver attempted to get them calmed down. A female figure picked herself up from the ruined interior and door of the carriage, and jumped back in the direction of the alley, drawing twin swords that suddenly enflamed with a golden light.<br /><br />In the light of the flaming swords, Sarina could clearly see that the person was Lady Portia, the canine mage. And Lady Portia looked absolutely furious. Snarling and issuing a deep growl that would have given a feral wolf due pause, Portia leaped at a second figure in the shadows, attacking with no mercy.<br /><br />Her opponent moved with startling speed, avoiding the sword blows and spinning around behind Lady Portia, to strike the mage in the back with one hand. The blow had such force that the mage slammed into the corner of a building, and a sickening snap was heard as she struck. She screamed in pain as her left arm fell useless to her side, and the sword in that hand fell to the ground.<br /><br />Sarina had seen enough. As the shadowy canine female vampire moved in for the kill on the injured mage, Sarina raised one hand and cast the firebolt spell she had just learned. <br /><br />The torrent of golden flames hit the right side of the vampire, and through the curtain of flames she glared at Sarina with glowing red eyes, as her clothing caught fire. Screaming in rage and pain, she looked from Sarina to Portia, and then leaped to the nearest building&#039;s roof in a single bound, fur and clothes still burning, and vanished across the rooftops.<br /><br />The stench of burned fur filled the air as Sarina went to lady Portia, and helped her to stand.<br /><br />&quot;She was stronger and more agile than I expected, and gave me quite a fight. You should have finished her, while you had the chance. Always lop off the head. Fire alone would have to be hotter than the heart of any forge, to kill a vampire. But thank you, for your aid. My arm is badly broken. I don&#039;t suppose you&#039;re as good at mending flesh as you are with steel?&quot; Lady Portia asked, wincing in pain. &quot;My own strength is exhausted. I cannot heal myself.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I&#039;m terrible at healing, but I can get you to a doctor, or a healing mage,&quot; Sarina replied. <br /><br />They got back to the damaged carriage, and the driver asked angrily, &quot;Say there! Who&#039;s paying for the damage to my cab?&quot;<br /><br />Sarina&#039;s eyes glowed, as she touched the carriage and restored it to its undamaged state. &quot;I have fixed the damage for you. But I cannot fix her. She needs a healing mage, rapidly. Get her to one.&quot; She tossed the man two silver coins, helped Portia into the cab, and saw them off.<br /><br />===<br /><br />The next night, Sarina discussed the vampire&#039;s attack with Asha.<br /><br />&quot;I should return with you, Mistress,&quot; The elemental said. &quot;You hurt it, but did not kill it. That vampire will be after you now.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I drove it off easily enough,&quot; Sarina said. &quot;But you may follow, unseen, if you wish.&quot;<br /><br />Sarina walked home, with Asha following invisibly behind her. <br /><br />One of the streetwalkers stepped out of her doorway, as if taking a chance that Sarina might have some interest in her ample bosom, which was nearly toppling out of her chemise, so tightly was her corselet laced. &quot;Lonely, hon?&quot; she asked.<br /><br />&quot;Not interested,&quot; Sarina replied. But as she moved to pass the canine girl, she saw the streetwalker&#039;s eyes begin to glow red.<br /><br />&quot;Oh, but I have an interest in you, m&#039;lady,&quot; the girl hissed, stepping into Sarina&#039;s path and attempting to enthrall her with a spell. <br /><br />Sarina put up one hand and blasted the wench with telekinesis, knocking her into the alley.<br /><br />The wench shook her head, as the glamour that had disguised her fell away. The vampire girl from the night before stood, and locked her eyes on Sarina&#039;s, commanding, &quot;Come to my embrace. You cannot resist me.&quot;<br /><br />Sarina staggered back a step, and then slowly shuffled forward, into the vampire&#039;s arms. <br /><br />The vampire embraced her, and bent to bite her soft-furred neck.<br /><br />Sarina suddenly grabbed the vampire tightly, as her entire body erupted into fire. Black fire. Asha, in her natural form as an elemental, turned up her infernal heat until the light of the nearest door lamps and street lamps was eclipsed by the black anti-light of her otherworldly fire.<br /><br />The vampire screamed as she was incinerated utterly, flailing and biting at the insubstantial flames of the elemental in a last attempt to curse her with vampirism.<br /><br />It was soon over, and Asha took the form of a vixen again, as the real Sarina released the invisibility spell that she had cloaked herself with just as the vampire was first knocked into the alley, and as Asha had taken her place.<br /><br />&quot;Are you all right, Asha?&quot; Sarina asked. &quot;She... didn&#039;t infect you with her curse?&quot;<br /><br />Asha smiled, and replied, &quot;The vampire&#039;s curse is blood borne, and I have no blood to taint. No elemental can become a vampire, Mistress, though I am touched at your concern for my well being.&quot;<br /><br />Sarina looked around, and replied, &quot;Well... while you serve me, you are mine. It would not do for them to take what is mine from me. That is all, really. Return to the workshop. I sense no other hostile minds, and I have but two blocks to go to return to the Pennington Manor.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;As you command, Mistress,&quot; Asha replied, as she vanished from sight.<br /><br />Sarina looked ahead, and saw a carriage was parked in front of the mansion. Reaching out with her mind, she sensed the presence of her cousin, Amara.<br /><br />&quot;Auntie will be pleased. She finally accepted our invitation,&quot; Sarina said to herself, withdrawing from Amara&#039;s mind as soon as she sensed who it was. &quot;I wonder if Sir Reginald is with her?...&quot;<br /><br />Her musings were interrupted as something hit her hard from behind, driving her head first through the glass window of a shop. Sarina barely had time to throw her arms up to protect her face, and her left arm was gashed on a shard of glass, as she fell into the window display of household bric a brac. She sucked at the superficial but freely bleeding cut on her arm, and turned to see what hit her.<br /><br />A large male figure was backlit by the street lamp directly behind him, as her attacker stood on the sidewalk and reaching out to grab her, his eyes glowing red in the dark, as the only feature of his face that she could see, but clearly identifying him to her as another vampire.<br /><br />Sarina cast an intense fear spell, but it did nothing. She reached out to attack the vampire&#039;s mind with nightmare, yet sensed no hole in his defenses that her mind could penetrate.<br /><br />The vampire tried to grab her leg, and she was only barely fast enough to roll away from him over the shards of broken glass and shattered crockery and other displayed wares.<br /><br />She scrambed backward, deeper into the store, and her hand landed on something metal. It was a silver crucifix! Sarina held it up, and the vampire backed away from her, shielding its eyes with its arms. Pressing her advantage, Sarina leaped back through the damaged window display and onto the sidewalk, in mid-leap altering the metal of the crucifix into a double-bitted silver axe. The vampire sensed there was no longer a cross in front of him, and lowered its arms, just as Sarina heated the axe blade white-hot, and hacked at the creature to lop off its head. <br /><br />Panting hard, she dropped the axe and immediately cast a firebolt at the face-down severed head in the gutter, incinerating it.<br /><br />Before she could catch her breath, the night air was pierced by a shrill female scream.<br /><br />&quot;She&#039;s murdered him! She&#039;s murdered my husband! Look at her!&quot; screamed Amara as she pointed at Sarina and the headless corpse at her feet. A corpse that Sarina could now see was wearing the dress uniform of a naval officer.<br /><br />She could hear a police whistle in the fog, as an officer on patrol responded to the screams. She could see Lord Pennington and Lady Pennington coming out of the mansion, standing behind Amara, and staring at her in horror.<br /><br />Sarina stood there over the headless corpse, her own mouth stained bright red with the blood from the gash on her arm, and knew she couldn&#039;t possibly explain the situation. Cursing profoundly, she teleported away. The last thing she heard before she vanished was Amara&#039;s hysterical voice, screaming, &quot;Daddy! My cousin is a vampire! She killed my husband!&quot; <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 19, Written January 2012<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 19 - On the run<br /><br />Sarina reappeared inside her room in the mansion. She knew she might have only minutes before they started searching both here and in her workshop for her, but she refused to lose the few nice things she had gained from her false life as Sarina.<br /><br />She opened the top drawer of her dresser, swept all the loose things from on top of it into the drawer, closed it up and shrunk the whole dresser to attach to her necklace. She grabbed her spare shoes from under her bed, threw them into her wardrobe closet, and shrunk both the wardrobe and, after only a moment&#039;s hesitation, also shrank the four-posted bed, to become charms on her necklace. She dearly would have wanted to take the small chest that her uncle still kept for her, with the money and jewels that she had conned out of Lord Edward Randall when she took the identity as Sarina Randall, but she did not know where Lord Pennington had placed the chest for safe keeping, and had no time to search for it now.<br /><br />She teleported again, reappearing in her magical workshop.<br /><br />&quot;Asha! Come to me now! I am being hunted!&quot; she shouted, as she threw half a dozen books and scrolls into a chest, and sent that chest to her necklace charms. She almost poked herself in the eye with the wooden dart that Lady Portia had shot into the post by her desk, and which still jutted out at head level. She glowered at it and angrily yanked the dart out of the wood, then shrugged and attached that dart to her necklace too.<br /><br />&quot;What in the nine hells did you do? Kill the rich old couple you were living with?&quot; Asha asked.<br /><br />&quot;No, but I did kill Amara&#039;s husband, it seems. He was a vampire, and attacked me, but I can&#039;t prove it, and I was caught over his headless corpse by Amara and by Lord and Lady Pennington. They are calling ME a vampire now!&quot; She said. She heard a police whistle outside, and someone started pounding on the locked door of the workshop, threatening to break it down. She hissed, &quot;Damn! How did they get here so fast? Stay with me!&quot; as she teleported again.<br /><br />Sarina and Asha reappeared in the woods near the inn on the South road, where they had first appeared in this realm. Her arm was still bleeding. Reluctantly, she drew her knife and heated the blade with a spell, then bit back a scream as she used the red hot blade to cauterize the wound.<br /><br />She stood there unsteadily for a moment, until the pain became bearable. Then her eyes glowed, and Sarina ceased to exist, as she reformed her appearance and became Heather, the black furred vixen whore that she had briefly been known as here. She checked her arm, and saw that the cauterized cut was still on her arm. She shook her head and pulled her blood-soaked sleeve back down over the wound. Then she used a spell to eliminate the blood from her clothes, and another to repair her torn sleeve. Finally, she said, &quot;I&#039;ll deal with that wound later, I guess. Stay invisible, Asha, and stay close&quot;.<br /><br />As Heather, she calmly walked into the inn, smiled and waved at Molly and Meridith, and sought the innkeeper at the bar. &quot;You&#039;re keeping well, Master Duncan,&quot; she said with a smile. &quot;Got some beer for an old friend?&quot;<br /><br />Master Duncan looked at her questioningly for a moment, and then a smile graced his wide face, as he said, &quot;Miss Heather! Why, I thought ye&#039;d gotten married or some such. Haven&#039;t seen you since that gloomy old lord hired ye for the full night. Where have ye been these last few years? Or shouldn&#039;t I ask such things?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Not far off from that guess, an&#039; I don&#039;t mind the tellin&#039;,&quot; the black furred vixen said. &quot;I did get married, not a week after that, to a fine strappin&#039; sailor. I thought we were happy as could be. An&#039; we were, too, while he was in port. But come ta find out he had two other wives in other two ports afore me, an&#039; a handful of pups by each or &#039;em! Guess I got off lucky - since he failed ta&#039; knock me up. The first wife found out &#039;bout the rest of us, an&#039; raised holy hell with &#039;im. I lit out from there like my tail was afire when she came stormin&#039; into our house, lucky ta keep the clothes on my back. Ah well, so it&#039;s back ta&#039; the life of a workin&#039; girl for me, I guess. Can I get a room here, an&#039; this time with a wench&#039;s day job as well as the night work?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I don&#039;t see why not. You were pretty popular as I recall, and damn my eyes if you look like you&#039;ve aged a day since then, lass!&quot; the innkeeper said, pouring her a pint of beer. &quot;This one&#039;s on me, to drown the memory of your unfaithful sailor. I&#039;ll have Meridith set ye up with a room, and you can start the night work as soon as yer&#039; ready, an&#039; on days at lunch time tomorrow. A free room and coal for yer fire is part of yer pay for the day job, an&#039; you buy your own meals.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Fair, and thank ye, Master Duncan. You&#039;re a kind-hearted soul, and good to your girls. I&#039;m glad to be back,&quot; Heather said.<br /><br />===<br /><br />Heather sat on her bed after Meridith left, and looked around her new room. It was smaller than the corner room she used to live in here, with only one window, that was over the low roof of the stables. She opened the window and wrinkled her nose at the strong odors wafting up from the horse stalls below. But if she needed to come or go without using magic, that roof would give her a handy route to do it. She shut the window again quickly, and warded it with a simple spell that would keep out both the stench, and any intruders. <br /><br />Asha lit the fire, and settled into its coals, as she asked, &quot;So now what will you do, Mistress? Start over again, as a whore?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;This is just to give me a place to live, where none would suspect me to be. Who would look for the elegant Lady Sarina Randall among the common whores in a roadside inn?&quot; she replied. &quot;Something about this mess stinks worse than those stables below us, Asha. How could Amara possibly fail to realize that her own husband is a vampire?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Could you have been mistaken? Yes, he may have attacked you for some reason, but are you certain he was a vampire?&quot; Asha asked.<br /><br />&quot;I saw his eyes glow, and he recoiled from a crucifix,&quot; Heather said. &quot;Which reminds me...&quot;<br /><br />She touched one of her charms, and enlarged the dresser chest from her room at the mansion. In the back of the bottom drawer she found three small pouches of gold and silver coins that she had stashed away, just in case, and a silver rosary with a silver crucifix. She put the rosary around her neck, and the smallest of the three money pouches she tucked into her cleavage, and then she returned the chest to her necklace. &quot;I guess it would be good for Heather to be seen attending church, and be seen to wear this silly thing. If anyone does suspect I was Sarina, they won&#039;t believe I&#039;m a vampire if I can wear a rosary on my neck.&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />Asha had just two days left to serve Heather. She spent those days hopping from flame to flame, in the Pennington mansion, and around the area, seeking information that might aid her Mistress.<br /><br />At the end of the second day, she stood before Heather in her vixen form, and reported her findings to her Mistress. &quot;The Pennington&#039;s are in shock over the murder, and the idea that you apparently turned into a vampire, but they seem to be all right otherwise. Amara has moved back into her husband&#039;s townhouse. I could find no flames burning inside her home, so I could not get in there. But I saw her outside the townhouse once, last night, and she looked normal. The police are investigating Sir Reginald Wilson&#039;s death as a murder, and, so far, they do seem to believe you were a vampire. There&#039;s a large bounty been placed on you, to be paid on proof of death.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;A bounty, you say? I wonder, how did Lady Portia ever prove her prey were vampires or werewolves, so she could collect her bounty? Could you find her?&quot; Heather asked.<br /><br />&quot;Yes, Mistress. Lady Portia is in an inn on the North road. Her arm is still in a sling, but she seems to be healing rapidly. Should I contact her? I did not allow her to see me this time,&quot; Asha said.<br /><br />&quot;If there&#039;s a bounty for me, she will probably find me. I just hope she will give me a chance to talk, when she does,&quot; Heather replied.<br /><br />&quot;Very well, Mistress,&quot; Asha said. &quot;Then if you have nothing more to ask of me, It is time for me to leave your service. This is the last night of my seven years bound to you.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I do have one more request. Kiss me,&quot; Heather said.<br /><br />&quot;Mistress? I will, but... why? We both know that you can&#039;t be feeling that much attachment to me,&quot; Asha said.<br /><br />&quot;True. I can&#039;t say that I love you, or really am all that attached to you. Yet if nothing else, I will miss your company. Consider it a very mortal way of saying goodbye,&quot; Heather replied. She stepped forward and kissed the elemental, then stepped back and watched her fade away.<br /><br />&quot;See you in Hell,&quot; Heather said quietly, after the elemental was gone. She wondered how literally she meant that, and how soon it might occur.<br /><br />===<br /><br />The next day, Heather went to the other inn, to look for Lady Portia. She wasn&#039;t there, but the innkeeper said she should return that evening. Heather wrote a short note, folded it and sealed it with a dribble of wax from a candle on the counter, and asked him to deliver the note to the canine mage when she returned. Then she went back to her own inn, and worked the afternoon shift, waiting tables, making beds, and emptying chamber pots.<br /><br />That evening, Lady Portia showed up at the inn that Heather was working at. She looked around the common room, drank one tankard of cider, and when no one approached her other than Molly, to ask if she wished to order food, she walked outside, commenting idly to the innkeeper that it looked like a good night to gaze at the stars.<br /><br />Heather waited a few minutes, then ducked into the back hallway, resumed her appearance as Darla, and teleported to the spot outside the inn where she and Portia had first met.<br /><br />Darla materialized in the woods, and the first thing she clearly saw was a flaming sword blade, pointed right at her throat. She stood her ground, and said as calmly as she could, &quot;That won&#039;t be necessary, M&#039;Lady. Did you not read my note?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;The one that said you are not what they say you are, and asking me to meet you where first we met? Yes, that is why I am here. I could simply kill you, and claim the bounty, you know,&quot; Lady Portia said. &quot;You have cost me one bounty already.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;But you won&#039;t. You owe me at least a small favor, for aiding you once before,&quot; Darla said. &quot;Besides, if I am telling the truth, and you do kill me, you&#039;d get no bounty, since you couldn&#039;t prove the girl you killed was the one they wanted. I don&#039;t look at all like Lady Sarina Randall now, nor would I if you killed me. You&#039;d be guilty of wanton murder, and I don&#039;t think you would risk killing an innocent person.&quot;<br /><br />The blade ceased flaming, but the tip remained at her throat. Lady Portia touched the rosary around Darla&#039;s neck with the tip of the blade, and said, &quot;Many who believe in the church might object to your using a rosary as a necklace, especially if you&#039;re wearing one inside that inn, where many of the girls who are dressed as you are work as whores.&quot; She lowered her blade and put it away, then continued, &quot;But I suppose it is a rather effective way to indicate you&#039;re not a vampire. You would do better simply to wear a small silver crucifix on a cord or chain. No one would mind that, and a vampire could not do that, either.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;So you do believe me, then?&quot; Darla asked.<br /><br />&quot;Enough to listen to what you have to say,&quot; Portia replied. She took a sip from an elaborately decorated metal flask, and offered it to Darla, saying, &quot;Share a drink with me, and tell me what really happened.&quot;<br /><br />Darla took the flask and sipped, expecting liquor. It wasn&#039;t. She swallowed and handed the flask back, asking, &quot;Water? Why bother with the fancy flask for just water?&quot;<br /><br />In answer, she showed Darla the design of a crucifix on the side of the flask, and said, &quot;That was holy water. You just passed the one test a vampire is very unlikely to be able to fake. It is harmless for normal people, but it would be like drinking acid for a vampire. So, what happened, really?&quot; Portia asked.<br /><br />&quot;It all started the night after you fought that female vampire, and I aided you when you were injured,&quot; Darla stated. &quot;I was attacked that night by the same vampire that got away from us the night before. She seemed to be specifically trying to get me, for what I had done to her. My fire elemental incinerated her. I couldn&#039;t sense any other threats near us, so I sent my elemental back to my shop. Moments later, another vampire attacked me - a male one that time. I couldn&#039;t sense his mind at all, and couldn&#039;t attack him with oneromancy. I had just beheaded him and was incinerating the head when Amara started screaming that I had killed her husband.&quot; <br /><br />&quot; I&#039;m amazed the police didn&#039;t notice the lack of blood on the scene. Didn&#039;t you notice he didn&#039;t bleed when you cut his head off?&quot; Portia asked.<br /><br />&quot;I beheaded him with a white-hot axe, formed out of a silver crucifix. I assumed that cauterized his neck as I beheaded him, and I was a little preoccupied with incinerating his head at the time,&quot; Darla replied. Then she pulled back her sleeve, showing the gash in her fur from the cauterized cut that she hadn&#039;t yet bothered to eliminate. &quot;When he first attacked, he threw me through a window, and I cut my arm. So there was blood, my blood, all over the place. My arm was bleeding badly. I had blood on my mouth, too, from licking my own wound. Amara and her parents all saw my bloody mouth and the corpse and assumed I&#039;d sucked him dry. I teleported away. Why do the police still believe I am the one that was the vampire? Don&#039;t they some way to tell that someone who has been killed was a vampire? I mean, how do you prove you killed one, to collect your bounty? How do you prove you didn&#039;t just kill someone at random and incinerate their corpse?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Holy water will still bubble and burn like acid on the corpse or ashes of a vampire. And they are already dead, so they don&#039;t bleed, like a normal corpse. As for the police, why should they test the apparent victim of the crime, when witnesses saw a bloody-mouthed person standing over the corpse?&quot; Lady Portia replied. She touched her own arm, and said, &quot;The healer mage I have been seeing did a good job on my arm. It&#039;s almost completely healed already. He could fix that burn, once you clear your name.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;And how do I do that?&quot; Darla asked.<br /><br />&quot;You said you incinerated the head, but not the body, correct? Do you know what happened to the body?&quot; Lady Portia asked.<br /><br />&quot;Amara took her husband&#039;s body back, as soon as the police would let her have it. She&#039;s supposedly arranging for a burial at sea. He was a Navy officer.&quot; Darla said.<br /><br />&quot;But no church funeral? Interesting. And you&#039;re certain you completely incinerated his head, before you left? It was nothing but ashes?&quot; the canine mage asked.<br /><br />&quot;Yes. I hit it with a pretty intense fire spell. Not as hot as my elemental&#039;s otherworldly fire, but there was nothing left. I&#039;m certain of that.&quot; Darla replied.<br /><br />&quot;Then we need to find that body, before she has it dumped into the sea. And some of the ashes of the other one, if at all possible, so we can claim both bounties,&quot; Lady Portia said.<br /><br />&quot;We?&quot; Darla asked.<br /><br />&quot;Of course,&quot; Lady Portia said with a grin. &quot;I was already hunting the vampire that your elemental incinerated, so you kept me from claiming a bounty that should have been mine. We&#039;ll clear your name, and I&#039;ll split the bounty with you for each one we can prove we killed.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;What about your refusal to take an apprentice?&quot; Darla asked, smiling.<br /><br />&quot;Well, you&#039;re not an apprentice if you already have eliminated at least one vampire single handed, now are you? Let&#039;s get to work,&quot; Lady Portia replied, as she held out her hand. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />To Dream of Darkness<br />A story by DoggyStyle57<br />Chapter 20, Written January 2012<br /><br />===<br /><br />Chapter 20 - Confronting dangerous prey<br /><br />After shaking hands on their alliance, Heather teleported back inside the inn. Lady Portia walked back to the inn, and in the common room she allowed Heather to seem to entice her with an offer of a massage, and maybe more &#039;personal&#039; services for the night. Making it look like Portia might have hired Heather for the full evening, they went to Heather&#039;s room in the inn.<br /><br />Once they were in the room, Heather cast a warding spell against being spied upon, and they began to plan their next moves.<br /><br />&quot;We must go to Amara&#039;s home, and get the body of her deceased husband. If holy water burns its flesh, we need to get the corpse to the police so they can see that test performed, as proof that you killed a real vampire, and we will need to show them that you can drink the same holy water, as proof that you are not one. They know me. They will trust me enough to give us a chance to offer proof, and not slay you on sight, if you are with me. You do realize, I hope, that if Amara&#039;s husband was a vampire, there is a very good chance that she is one also? If that proves to be true, can you still bring yourself to destroy her?&quot; Portia asked.<br /><br />&quot;Yes. Though we lived in the same home for several years, almost like sisters, I do not have any real affection for her. I can destroy her, if I must. We will also need to be certain of her parents&#039; condition. To be certain she has not already made them into vampires as well,&quot; Heather said.<br /><br />&quot;True. But if she had already turned them into vampires by the time you were attacked, I have to believe that they would have been attacking you too that night, as part of her clan. So I think that she had not yet infected her parents at that time. And if her parents were not yet vampires, it would make sense for her to frame you. That could get them to mistrust you, and also to let their guard down around her. I would imagine that after raising the hue and cry to get the police to chase you as a vampire, she would have to stay her hand for a while, before she dares to kill her own parents and make them into vampires. The police will be watching them too closely,&quot; Lady Portia stated.<br /><br />&quot;Is there... any cure for someone who has become a vampire?&quot;Heather asked. &quot;Can they ever become normal again, once they&#039;ve been turned into one? Or is destroying them the only answer?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;If you are having second thoughts, and thinking of saving Amara instead of destroying her, don&#039;t get your hopes up. It is said to be possible to cure a vampire, but it is not an easy thing to do. I have never witnessed a successful cure,&quot; Lady Portia said. &quot;A vampire that has fed on blood would have to go for three days without feeding on blood again, to weaken it. You would probably have to keep them pinned in place with a wooden stake through the heart to restrain them for that long, because by the end of three days, they would be ravenously hungry and almost insane with need for blood. Or the vampire to be cured would have to be a freshly-bitten victim, less than a day after being turned, and one that has not yet killed a victim of their own and fed on their blood. Then, once they are weakened by not feeding, or within that first day if they are just turned and have never fed on blood, it&#039;s merely a matter of getting them to drink a mixture of equal parts holy water, the untainted blood of a living soul, the ashes of a slain vampire, and the blood of a damned soul that is not a vampire. The two kinds of blood both need to be fresh - less than a day old. And then, even if you do all that, if the body of the vampire that you are trying to cure is wounded, it has to survive the wounds once cured. So if you had to stake them through the heart to restrain them, it is very unlikely they would survive being cured.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I see. Actually, I was thinking more of what might happen if either of us gets bitten and turned. I would just as soon not have to destroy you, or have you trying to destroy me, if there is an alternative. Perhaps as a precaution in case one of us is bitten, or we catch her biting her parents, we should both draw a bit of our own blood, so we have an untainted portion of blood and the holy water available, at least? If one of us is bitten, the other may be able to get the remaining ingredients in time, if we already have that part of it ready,&quot; Heather suggested. She rummaged around in the chest at the foot of her bed, and produced four small glass bottles, with glass stoppers. She changed the color of two of them, and passed the other two to Ladd Portia.<br /><br />&quot;That sounds like a reasonable precaution. I have several flasks of holy water, so I will give two of them to you,&quot; Lady Portia said. She made a small cut in the pad of her left hand, near the edge, and allowed some blood to drip into her two bottles, while Heather did the same. Heather exchanged one of her bottles with Lady Portia, so they each had a sample of their own blood, and of the other&#039;s blood. Then Lady Portia applied a styptic powder to the wounds on both of them, to stop the bleeding.<br /><br />&quot;One last thing,&quot; Heather asked. &quot;Is there any protection that can be applied before encountering a vampire, which will prevent a vampire from turning the protected person into a vampire, if they are bitten?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Not really. The only real immunity I know of is that they can&#039;t turn someone into a vampire if the victim&#039;s soul is already damned. For example, a vampire and a werewolf are both damned souls. They can slay each other, if the necessary requirements are met, and the slain one goes to hell. But if a vampire bites a werewolf, or the other way around, the victim, fortunately, does not become a hybrid of both at once. Becoming a werewolf to be able to be immune to vampire bites is not exactly a precaution most would take, and I know of no other preventative,&quot; Lady Portia said. &quot;We should be prepared to slay them, with either magic or with enchanted weaponry. Do you own any magical weapons?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;I see. Well, I have very few physical weapons, but what I do own may serve well,&quot; Heather said. She touched two of the charms on her hidden necklace, and produced her father&#039;s ceremonial magic sword and dagger. &quot;My father made these. They were forged in the fire of an elemental that he summoned. There are silver inscriptions on both blades, which as far as I can tell, together with the elemental forging, only serve to make them unbreakable, and make them able to resist very intense heat. I never saw him fight with them, but they do have a sharp edge. While they don&#039;t have a flaming spell, like your blades, I have a spell I can cast on them that could make these blades white hot, while I could still wield them. And I have also been thinking about the wooden stake idea. I have had no time to make a dart thrower, like the one in your swords. But if I embed one of your wooden darts in the blood groove of the dagger, would that function as a wooden stake, if I accurately strike the vampire&#039;s heart with it?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;It should. And if they don&#039;t realize the wood is there, they may discount what seems a silver inlaid blade as being of little threat to them. Good thinking,&quot; Lady Portia said. &quot;The silver on the blades, in addition to a spell to make the blades very hot, should make them capable of wounding a vampire in ways that they can&#039;t rapidly heal. Those will have to do.&quot;<br /><br />Heather took the wooden dart that Portia had once fired into the post in her workshop, and used a spell to embed it in the blade of her father&#039;s dagger, so the ironwood tip of the dart was right at the tip of the blade. Then she fastened the dagger behind her back, and returned the sword to its hidden position on her necklace. Her own form shifted, and she became Lady Sarina Randall again.<br /><br />&quot;This is Sarina&#039;s fight. If Amara is untainted, or only recently turned, maybe Sarina can reason with her. If not, well, I&#039;ll certainly draw her attention, and maybe that will give you a chance to find the body, and then join me in fighting her, while she is focused on me,&quot; Sarina said. &quot;I can&#039;t think of anything else, so let&#039;s see if we can get Sir Reginald Wilson&#039;s remains.&quot;<br /><br />===<br /><br />Using what little Sarina knew of where Amara should be living, Lady Portia opened a portal to a rooftop in that neighborhood. It didn&#039;t take long for them to identify a single Brownstone townhouse that had a police officer standing in front of it.<br /><br />&quot;That seems to be the place. Is Amara also a mage? The windows and doors of that townhouse are heavily warded,&quot; Lady Portia asked.<br /><br />&quot;No. Amara had no talent at magic, and no interest in it. Not while she lived with her parents. She would read romances while I studied magic,&quot; Sarina stated. &quot;I don&#039;t know if her husband had skills of that nature. She never told us much about him. I can sense the wards, and also the surface thoughts of the policeman in front of the place. He is expecting to be relieved at midnight, and is wondering if a second officer stationed in the alley behind the brownstone is as bored as he is. He believes Amara is inside. He has orders that she is in mourning, and not to be disturbed. The one in the alley has similar thoughts. I can sense a single presence inside the townhouse, but the wards make it impossible to tell where it is, or to read their thoughts.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Good. You said you couldn&#039;t detect her husband&#039;s presence when he had the medallion on? Maybe that means she is alone, and is not wearing it. But we can&#039;t be certain. She could be wearing the medallion, and there could be someone else in there with her. Perhaps even another police officer?&quot; Lady Portia suggested.<br /><br />&quot;Not police, no. At least, the two constables on the street are not thinking there is any other officer assigned on guard duty with them. The only other minds I can sense in the area are various neighbors, who seem to have no thoughts relating to that Brownstone or its inhabitants, other than some vague worries about the policeman on the sidewalk, and why he is loitering there, and not patrolling the area,&quot; Sarina said. <br /><br />There wasn&#039;t much light out, other than the sliver of a moon and two gaslight street lamps, both fairly distant from the entry of the Brownstone. The entry itself was in shadow, and there were no lights showing in the windows of the Brownstone, which all had drapes tightly closed. She looked at the height of the waning crescent moon, and said, &quot;We have a couple hours before those policemen should get relieved. Go to the back entry, and I will take the front. I will cast a sleep spell on both of the policemen as soon as I am down there. I will draw her attention at the front, and try to prolong the confrontation, to give you time in the back to find the body. Do what you can when you see the policeman on your side fall over in his sleep. Good luck.&quot;<br /><br />Lady Portia looked slightly amused at the way Sarina was taking charge of the logistics, but just nodded and said, &quot;As you wish, My Lady. Good hunting!&quot; She opened a portal and stepped away, into the shadows of the alley below.<br /><br />===<br /><br />The two constables were both burly bulldogs, not much older than twenty five. They had been told that the widow inside this townhouse had lost her husband just a few nights earlier, and that the poor fellow was slain by a vampire. As a precaution, both of them wore a simple silver crucifix on a cord around their necks, and carried thin glass bottles filled with holy water. But they both knew they would be unable to do very much if a vampire actually attacked. Still, it was their duty to try, and try they would. They had a description of the vampire that supposedly did Sir Reginald in, a comely red vixen, of the gentry, who was apparently a cousin of the widow. They sincerely hoped not to meet her.<br /><br />The guard on the sidewalk became alert as he saw a female figure walking slowly down the sidewalk. But he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw it was a canine lady that he knew - that Collie mage that hunted vampires and werewolves, Lady Portia!<br /><br />&quot;Good evenin&#039; My Lady!&quot; The constable said with a smile. &quot;I take it you&#039;re hunting the vixen that did in Sir Reginald? I have to say, I&#039;m relieved to see someone with experience in such things about tonight.&quot;<br /><br />Sarina, who had altered her appearance briefly to imitate Lady Portia, placed a finger to her muzzle, and made a &#039;Shhhh!&#039; sound, as she walked closer. When she was in arm&#039;s reach of the officer, she cast her sleep spell on both this fellow and the one in the alley, catching the policeman and swiftly hiding him in the stairway to the cellar apartment of the neighboring Brownstone. She touched his forehead, and commanded, &quot;You will remember only that a dense fog that blew through the street, and the next thing you will remember will be when you awaken. Sleep now, and wake for no sound, until sunlight touches you.&quot;<br /><br />As she arose, she placed an illusion on the sidewalk, so anyone who looked where the officer had been would see him still there, idly shifting his weight back and forth as he had been, and looking bored. She cast another illusion to make it appear from any of the nearby buildings that the entry was closed and unoccupied, even if she was on the stairs confronting Amara, and to mask any sounds their confrontation might make. Those illusions would also vanish when touched by sunlight.<br /><br />Then she walked up the steps to the front door of Amara&#039;s townhouse, altering her appearance back to Sarina as she ascended the stairs. At the door, she turned the t-shaped crank that rang the door bell.<br /><br />===<br /><br />In the alley, the real Lady Portia saw the second constable slump into a heap. She dragged him behind two dustbins, and went through the back gate, then through a small walled garden, and to the back stoop. There were two back doors, one up a half flight of stairs, leading to the main floor, and one down a short flight, leading to a cellar. She set to work, carefully dismantling the warding spell on the cellar door, while striving to negate it without sending any signal that the wards had been breached. <br /><br />===<br /><br />Sarina waited in the shadows of the entry, her fox eyes able to see fairly well in the dim moonlight. She cast another brief spell so she could see well in total darkness, if needed, and yet not be blinded if a bright light appeared.<br /><br />Without warning, the door opened onto a darkened hallway, and Amara stood there, one hand on the door. &quot;Well! Aren&#039;t you the bold one! You dare to come right to my door, without even a pretense of a disguise, after what you have done to me? But you always were the bold, adventurous one, weren&#039;t you? Should I scream, and get the attention of the police officer that you somehow slipped past?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Hello Amara. Scream all you like. He can&#039;t hear you. No one can. Your neighbors can&#039;t even tell your door is open. May I come in?&quot; Sarina asked.<br /><br />&quot;Ah, yes. Your oh-so-powerful magic. All those dreams and illusions, and peering into other people&#039;s minds. Those spells are powerless against me now, so by all means, come into my home, if you dare. Have you come to slay me as well? Is this how you betray my family&#039;s hospitality, after we cordially welcomed you into our midst?&quot; Amara asked sarcastically. <br /><br />&quot;That depends entirely on you, Amara. Truth be told, I really don&#039;t care what you are, or where you choose to go, provided I can clear up this annoying misconception that you caused, when you made people think that I was a vampire. And provided that you don&#039;t oppose my own plans,&quot; Sarina said, stepping into the foyer, although keeping an eye on Amara. She noticed as she entered that the furniture in the parlor adjoining the foyer was all covered with sheets, as if the family was away for an extended time. &quot;Planning on leaving soon? Or did you never bother with living in the above-ground floors, after your return? And not even bothering with the pretense of lights, are you?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;The darkness suits my mood. I am in mourning, as you know full well,&quot; Amara snapped, as she closed the door. &quot;You killed my husband. You are also responsible for killing my house girl. Why should I not kill you? Or better yet, convince you to join my side? The police and the public already believe you are a vampire, and a murderer. With your magic, and the immortality and power of vampirism, what could you not do? You can&#039;t go back to living with them. Can you?&quot; As she spoke, Amara&#039;s eyes began to glow red, as she attempted to mesmerize Sarina. &quot;Come to me. Join me, cousin. You cannot believe the power you could command.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Funny, but you don&#039;t really sound all that angry about their deaths, to me. So you admit that the vampire girl who attacked me was your servant?&quot; Sarina replied, her own defenses shrugging off the compulsion spell that she had anticipated. &quot;As it happens, I didn&#039;t destroy her. She was destroyed by an elemental, which admittedly was in my service. If you want to complain to that elemental of that, you can go to hell and find her. I&#039;ll gladly send you there, if you attack me. And your girl didn&#039;t seem very immortal to me, nor did your late husband. But neither of them would have been destroyed by my actions, if they had not attacked me.&quot; Sarina&#039;s eyes glowed bright green, and she said, &quot;You can&#039;t win in a battle of mind enchantments with me, even if your mind is shielded from me. I assure you, the best you can hope for is both of us ending up in hell. But unlike you, I could probably leave that place when I choose. All I want is your husband&#039;s body, so I can prove that he was a vampire, and that I am not. Let me have that, and you can flee and continue your wretched existence somewhere else. So tell me, dear cousin, do you want to survive, or be sent to Hell?&quot;<br /></span>","pools_count":1,"title":"To Dream of Darkness Part I - Ch 1-20","deleted":"f","public":"t","mimetype":"application/msword","pagecount":"1","rating_id":"2","rating_name":"Adult","ratings":[{"content_tag_id":"4","name":"Sexual Themes","description":"Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal","rating_id":"2"},{"content_tag_id":"5","name":"Strong Violence","description":"Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death","rating_id":"2"}],"submission_type_id":"12","type_name":"Writing - Document","guest_block":"t","friends_only":"f","comments_count":"0","views":"438","sales_description":null,"forsale":"f","digitalsales":"f","printsales":"f","digital_price":""}