Neo-Mobian Chronicles
Series 1: Aurora Phoenix
Part 1: The beginning

   
   
   The night was cold, and the air was very still. It was a night in the year of 0. No sound came from any direction, as all life here, in this forest, was asleep. Well, not all life…
   
   A young man walked out into the street. This tall young man was wearing a cloak with a hood propped up over his head. When stopping at the edge of the road, he looked to his left, and then his right,  before looking at an object in his hand. This object was like a compass, but magically powered to show time, rather than direction. After about a moment, he sighed and looked at the full moon above the world.
   
   “Jeddah is late, again,” said the young man, his voice still with youth to it, “Even though he is as old as he is, he seems to forget about time.”
   
   The young man turned his head as soon as there was a noise of a horse approaching. As he watched for the horse to come closer and into view, he gave a heavy sigh before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a gemstone. He raised the gemstone into the air and it began to glow. As it glowed, the horse did appear, and it stopped when it reached the young man. An teen-looking man was sitting atop the horse.
   
   “Well, Jeddah,” started the young man with his arms crossed, “Why are you late this time?”
   
   The man on the horse lets out a sound of grumpiness before hopping off of the horse and facing the young man. He wiped his mouth off with the back of his sleeve. This man was mostly dressed in armor, his head not being covered by anything. As he faced the young man, he was holding a more annoyed face. This is Jeddah.
   
   “I don’t think is really matters what time I show up,” said Jeddah, “I just want to hear the word on my wife. I was told you know about how she is doing.”
   
   “Your wife, yes,” said the young man, “but one would think that you would show up when you said you would. What would the council think if they found out that their lead Sage has the habit of procrastinating?”
   
   “I know,” said Jeddah, “but even though this council is bent on making things work out for our world, as they are the guardians of everything here, they do leave me with a little wiggle room.”
   
   “And what reason is there for this ‘wiggle room’ you are getting?” asked the young man.
   
   “Oh I’m sorry,” said Jeddah with a sigh, “I had to avoid enemy territory.”
   
   The young man looked a little scared for a second as he said, “Enemy Territory? Has Evil really decided to show up again?”
   
   Jeddah changed his standing stance to get a little more comfortable before stating, “Yes. You have heard the tales that come from Goddess Giamii, right? Those of her evil counterpart that reigns over the hell that hides beneath us? Well, this evil, we know as Alter, has begun to rage wars with those of the light side. Alter has been beginning to influence those with weak hearts and fragile minds to do his bidding.”
   
   The young man shook his head and and places the palm of his hand to his forehead. “Alter has decided to take over? I thought Giamii had told us his very influence was sealed away forever.”
   
   “Apparently, he got out,” said Jeddah, “but, what of my Wife?”
   
   “She has given birth, Jeddah,” said the young man, “A young baby girl, your daughter, has been born into the world. It was just as Giamii foretold. Your wife named her Aurora...”
   
   “Aurora?” Said Jeddah with a little more enthusiasm, “Well, this does make me much happier. Is she a healthy little baby girl?”
   
   “Yes, and she is a Phoenix Blood, just like you and your wife.”
   
   “Wonderful,” said Jeddah happily, “It’s great to know this. I’m sure Aurora will grow up to be one good lady. Giamii has told us nothing but truth, and she does say that my daughter being born is the beginning of the end for Alter. That devil is bound to fail against the likes of my own flesh and blood.”
   The young man smiles and nods, “If she comes from you and your wife, there is no doubt in my mind that she has the will and strength of you two combined.”
   
   Jeddah’s face went from happy to concerned in just a few seconds. “The problem is, though, we are going to need to get her adopted. The rise of Alter has me worried for her safety. We can’t let him know that Aurora is real as my daughter, or he will target her and anyone who knows her. The only thing I can think of is getting her into a family that will be loving and caring, but also capable of keeping her secret until she can awaken into her powers. Only when she is ‘awake’ can she have the ability to fight against him and his influence.”
   
   “True,” said the young man, “I will start to arrange things, so we can eliminate any threat to your daughter’s life. I will speak with your wife and others in the council, and we will ensure your daughter’s safety.”
   
   “See to it that this task is done right,” Jeddah said before turning to her horse and hopping back up on it, “The fate of the Phoenix Blood, and the rest of our universe, is going to be in her hands. I would hate for her to be raised by imbeciles that don’t know how to treat a real Phoenix Blood.”
   
   “You’re going so soon?” asked the young man, “Either way, I’m going to do my best to ensure Aurora’s life is secure and safe.”
   
   “Do so,” said Jeddah before saying his goodbyes and riding off into the distance.
   
   The young man watched him leave, and then raised a hand to his chest. “I will,” he said, almost in a whisper.
   
   --9 years later--
   
   It was a sunny day out in the fields of one of the farms of Neo-Mobius, the planet of many possibilities. This summer day was definitely going well for one young lady who has just reached her 9th birthday. Out in these fields, this young lady was laying down in the many, many flowers that spread as far as the eye can see. She was laying there, twirling a flower around in her fingers, deep in thought.

   This young lady was definitely a younger-looking gal. She was an anthropomorphic fox with purple, white, and black fur on her body, with long black hair that would shine with a purple shine when the light hit it, and purple eyes that showed great youth and care. Her fur was clean and soft. At this time, she was wearing a black vest, and black shorts. Nothing too fancy, considering the year is 9. Her boots were pretty heavy duty, and her gloves were made of a tough fabric.

   As she was laying there, the clouds in the sky above her were on the move. She stared into the blue of the sky, her mind and body relaxed. She was happy, feeling very at ease from the quiet world around her.

   One of her ears perked as she heard her name being called. She sat herself up and looked in the direction she was hearing the voice coming from. She saw an older-looking female anthropomorphic feline coming her way, and decided to stand up and turn her attention to the feline.

   The feline stopped when she was closer to the girl, huffing and puffing. Once she was able to catch her breath, she said, “Dang it, Aurora. You keep running out here. You need to allow us to know when you come out here, I keep almost having a heart attack when you just run off.”

   The young girl looked up at the feline, saying, “I’m sorry, mother, I just like to have time to myself."

   “Well, young lady,” started the feline, “I would much prefer it if you could just stop and say you’re heading over here. Please let us know when you are leaving the home. Why did you want to come out here anyway?”

   “The breeze is nice,” replied Aurora, “the air is quiet…I’ve been trying to get some of the nightmares I have been having off of my mind. Coming out here seems to help.”

   “Oh, Aurora, you were having more nightmares?” asked the cat, “Well, those nightmares of yours, can you describe them?”

   “I can only remember seeing the world aflame and it felt like I can’t do anything to stop that,” said Aurora, “Is there a reason why you wanted to talk to me, other than finding out where I was?”

   “We need to talk,” said the cat, “It is important that we talk about these nightmares you are having. They are getting worse, right?”

   Aurora gave her a confirming nod.

   “Well, okay,” said the feline woman, “You are beginning to have these nightmares for a reason. Let me start this by saying that you…well…you are adopted by your father and I.”

   “Am I now?” Aurora’s face went from a smile to a more serious face, “You just up and decided to tell me this? That was quite the blunt and direct way of saying it. Who is my real mother then? Who is my father? And why did you hide all this from me?” Aurora’s eyes were beginning to tear up. “I was having a good day out here…and this is what you find is appropriate?”

   “Aurora, honey,” said the woman, “Calm down.”

   Aurora growled at the woman and ran off and into the woods that was bordering this field. The cat reached out to try and stop her, but then sighed and began to walk after her. The older woman was not as young as a mother normally would be for a girl Aurora’s age, so the best she could do is walk as fast as she could into the woods, going after Aurora.

   The woods were not like the field, and it was rather dark in there. The cat was looking around, trying to spot where Aurora sped off to. It wasn’t long until something did happen. A knife went right by the cat’s face, sticking into the nearest tree. The woman stopped and looked very startled. “Did Aurora…?”

   A man’s voice was heard by the cat, it said, “Well, looks like we have someone here.”

   A tall and dark male anthropomorphic  wolf came into view, he reached over to the knife that hit the tree and pulled it out. He then looked at the cat, his eyes showing a large amount of malice and harmful intent. The cat, herself, was hit with a sense of fear, freezing her into place. The wolf gave a small growl as he looked right into the cat’s eyes.

   “You look like you could be worth something,” said the wolf with a low-pitched voice, his tone being clear that he was not meaning anything that would benefit the cat.

   “What do you mean?” asked the cat, fear enveloping her voice.

   “How about you come with me,” said the wolf, “I could probably make use of your worth. Many people would pay a lot of good money for a hostage.”

   “H-hostage?” said the woman.

   The wolf wasted no more time, grabbing the woman and pulling her closer, using a rope that was around his waist to bind her hands together. He then took a piece of cloth, forcing it into the cat’s mouth before bringing her with him deeper into the woods. The cat did drop a gemstone on the ground, right before the wolf managed to tie her hands together.

   Aurora was only a little was deeper into the forest before she stopped and tried to catch her breath. She looked behind her to see if the cat was continuing to pursue her. After a moment, Aurora wiped her eyes of their tears before taking in a deep breath, and finally calming down. She turned around and said to herself, “Maybe that was just an overreaction on my end, I better go back before she gets even more worried.”

   Aurora sighed and began making her way back to the other part of the woods. Suddenly, there was a shining light reflecting off of something ahead of her. When close enough, she knelt down and found out it was a piece of jewelry.

   “This is mother’s,” she said to herself, “She did come after me, but where did she go?”

   Aurora stood up and looked around, and then she noticed that there were tracks in the dirt that looked like someone was heading off from that very location. She nodded, gripping the jewelry and placing it in her pocket. She made her way down the trail that was left behind and eventually  came to what looked like an old shack that wasn’t very pretty to look at. Aurora began to get a feeling that something wasn’t right.

   A voice could be heard from within the shack, saying, “You should be thankful I’m not one to kill. Otherwise, you would already be dead and fed to the not-so-anthropomorphic wolves that do live in this area. You should also be worth something good, as people do pay a lot to see some innocent people go free around here.”

   Aurora held her hands to her mouth with a gasp, her eyes wide and filled with worry for what’s going on. However, that worry wasn’t enough to send her away. She reached out and grabbed the door handle, the grab making a small sound that seemed to warn the voice inside.

   “We have company,” said the voice, “Maybe someone already has the money ready to take you home.”

   Aurora could hear the heavy clonk clonk of boots getting closer and closer to the door. She began to step back a little bit, each clonk of the boots would make another time Aurora stepped backwards. The doorknob turned and the door opened up. It was the wolf that was in there, and he looked rather disappointed as he finally realized who was knocking on the door.

   “You seem a little young to be someone with money,” said the wolf, looking very angrily at the young little fox.

   “Sir, is my mother in there?” asked Aurora, her face still showing a great amount of fear as she took another step backwards. “I want my mother out here.”

   “Oh, little girly fox,” started the wolf, who was towering over Aurora, being very much taller than her, “This woman in here, this cat that could make me a few extra bucks, is your mother? Well, this only means more money for me, then.”

   The wolf grabbed Aurora by the arm and aggressively pulled her right into the shack. The wolf took some more rope from the shelf and bound Aurora’s hands and ankles, pushing her to sit right next to the cat. Aurora yelped in pain and in fear as the wolf was not being gentle with this, and it was hurting her, the way he grabbed her arm.

   “Now, you just sit right there, be a good girl, and just stay silent,” said the wolf, “I’m pretty sure I could make even more money now that I have two hostages.”

   Aurora began to cry, this even being very scary to her, something she never heard of or experienced before. The wolf growled and took out some cloth and wrapped it around Aurora’s head, making her cries become muffled and a lot less loud. He then smiled a deceiving smile before he walked over to a bird that was sitting in his window. He wrote something down on  a small piece of paper and tied it to the bird’s leg. He then smiled.

   “Get going birdie,” said the wolf, “I can’t wait to see some good money.”

   The non-anthropomorphic bird flew off and disappeared above the trees. The wolf then turned to the two sitting on the floor of this shack. He knelt down in front of them and grinned, showing nothing better than a malicious smile.

   “The time it takes for that bird to reach someone may be a bit long,” said the wolf, “So, I’m going to take those cloths out of your mouths, and we’re going to pass the time, okay? No need to cry, no need to shout or yell, just talk…”

   The wolf reached forward and took the cloths out of the two women’s mouths and put them aside. He looked at the both of them, them both being in a state of fear, as the wolf was still much taller, much tougher-looking than them. His height and muscular form was something that could intimidate anyone who sees him.

   “Let us go,” said the cat, “I don’t think we could be of any worth, we’re just innocent civilians.”

   “What’s going to happen to us?” said Aurora, her eyes still giving tears.

   The wolf sighed and sat down in front of the two, crossing his legs and placing the palms of his hands on his knees. He took one hand and reaches for some of the hair on his head, pushing it back a bit to get some of his hair out of his eyes.

   “I just want a little extra money,” said the wolf, “but not from any normal, rich, or well known person, they would just call the authorities and have me sent away. No, I have other people who could give me a lot for the two of you.”

   “Let us go,” said the cat.

   “Not until I get paid,” the wolf responded, sounding a bit more angry.

   The cat growled and shouted, “We are worth BOTHING! We are just two innocent beings.”

   The wolf reached out and gave the cat a smack to shut her up. Aurora gasped and gained a bit more fear in her face than before. Aurora then looked at the wolf with an angry face.

   “Don’t hurt my momma,” Aurora shouted.

   “I’m afraid you have no authority In this, little girl,” said the wolf, “So you best be quiet.”

   “No,” said Aurora.

   “You called me momma,” said the cat, looking to be in pain from the slap, but also surprised at Aurora’s words, considering the little argument from earlier.

   The Wolf smacked the cat again and growled, “Quiet, wrench.”

   “STOP,” shouted Aurora, crying, “Stop hurting my momma!”

   The wolf looked down at the fox girl, and then smiled a deceiving smile, saying, “I won’t hurt your momma if she were to keep her mouth shut.”

   “You’re a bad man,” said Aurora, struggling to get the ropes off.

   “Oh I know,” the Wolf responded before standing back up, “it’s good you know the difference, little fox, because that knowledge will assist you in knowing when not to get yourself into trouble.”

   “Let her go, please,” pleaded the cat, “She doesn’t deserve being treated this way.”

   The wolf smacked the cat again, and Aurora cried a bit more loudly.

   “Stop it,” shouted Aurora, through her tears, “Stop hurting my momma!”

   The wolf chuckled and walked over to the table, picking up the cloths he had from earlier and looking over his shoulder at the two, grinning a very unwelcome grin.

   “You can cry,” he said, “but I think it’s best if you do it through these cloths again. I don’t want anyone to hear you and find me, except those I’m going to sell you two to.”

   “Let…us…go…” said Aurora, her eyes having a small spark in them, “Let us go, now…”

   “You are so determined to make a little noise, huh?” said the wolf, “Then I’ll just--”

   Aurora’s eyes began to glow a little with a purple color, “I said…let us go.”

   “Your eyes,” started the wolf, looking a little less confident in himself, “You must not be any normal little girl, huh?”

   “Aurora, honey,” said the Cat.

   Aurora growled, her voice becoming a bit different, like there were multiple voices being channeled through her throat, her eyes glowing brighter and brighter.

   “Something isn’t right about you, girlie,” said the wolf.

   Aurora then let out a loud cry, the whole shack beginning to shake. The floors beneath the wolf began to crack. When the wolf noticed this, he began to have more fear in his eyes than before. He then reached for a blade that was sitting next to the table.

   “Best calm down, girlie,” said the wolf, his fingers wrapping around the blade and picking it up.

   “Let…us…go…” growled the little fox.

   “She’s going to….” The cat observed Aurora, her face becoming a bit less stressed out and more happy. “…Awaken.”

   Aurora let out another crying roar and the floor beneath the wolf broke into pieces and a purple tentacle burst through the dirt underneath. The Wolf saw the tentacle and no longer had any confidence in his face. The tentacle wrapped itself around the wolf’s torso, and lifted him off of the floor and slamming him straight down onto the ground. The wolf let out a loud cry of pain.

   “What in the dark one’s name are you?!” shouted the wolf.

   The tentacle slammed him down on the ground once more. And then again, and again. The fourth time this happened, he fell silent and limp within the tentacle’s grasp. The fifth slam, both Aurora and the Mother Cat could hear a loud crack come from the wolf’s body. The crack rang pretty loudly throughout the shack. The tentacle let go of the now limp wolf. After this, Aurora’s eyes’ glow began to fade, and the ropes around both her and her mother seemed to come untied on their own. Aurora’s expression faded to one of tiredness as she was breathing in and out heavily. Once free, the mother cat made her way over to the wolf, placing two fingers to his neck to check his pulse.

   “He’s…dead,” said the cat mother.

   Once everything was calmed again, Aurora fell to her side, going unconscious. The cat mother ran to her side, looking at her before looking at the wolf. She then shook her head, saying to herself, “She is beginning to show it, she’s no normal fox…”

   After a little bit of time, Aurora woke up in her room. She sat up and looked around the room at everything she owned. She let out a sigh, and reaches a hand to her face, then drawing it away and looking at it. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

   “Hey there, honey,” said a voice from her side, “Are you okay?”

   Aurora looked over to the source of the voice, finding out it was her “mother”.

   “What happened?” Aurora asked, “I had this dream, where we were kidnapped, and...”

   “That wasn’t a dream, Aurora,” said the mother with a serious expression, “That all actually happened.” The mother made her way to a part of the bed that was closer to Aurora. “I think it’s time to tell you more about yourself.”

   “But, I’m not--” Aurora’s words were interrupted by the mother giving her a gentle hush whisper.

   “Aurora,” started the mother, “You are no normal fox. I know we have kept this secret from you, but you are actually what is called a Phoenix Blood. And before you ask, a Phoenix Blood is an individual who’s blood is fused with that of a Phoenix. Nobody knows why, exactly, and even other Phoenix Blood have very little information on the origin. You are part of a very rare group of beings.”

   “A Phoenix Blood?” questioned Aurora, “So…that stuff that happened in the forest…it was me?”

   “I doubt the wolf we encountered knew you were a Phoenix Blood, but he was going to sell us off for Giamii knows what purposes,” the mother sighed, “Your father and I were given you by order from Jeddah, the master Sage and one of the first known Phoenix Blood on this planet. He is your real father. He wanted you safe until you were ready to be out on your own. I’m guessing your body is able to handle the powers you have a little earlier than we predicted.”

   “I don’t want to be a super hero,” said Aurora.

   “I know that, honey,” Said the mother, “but…according to Jeddah, you are bound to be the savior of our world. The world you know is this farm and the nearby surrounding areas. Like the field you were at, the forests you only slightly explored, and the rivers that surround this place. However, there is so much more for you to discover, for you to see. Now that your powers have awakened, you can use them to see the world you are destined to save…I know you may think everything is fine….but our world is in the middle of a war between Alter, our devil, and Giamii, our Goddess.”

   Aurora let out a sigh and shook her head, saying, “Why does it have to be me?”

   “Jeddah has never been wrong about these things before,” said the mother, “I know it’s a whole lot to bring up all of a sudden, but I was instructed to tell you all about what has been going on when your powers first awakened. Speaking of which, have you ever noticed anything else? I saw you managed to save us from the wolf the way you did, but have you ever seen anything else you were able to do? Something by accident?”

   “No,” said Aurora, “I don’t even remember the whole wolf situation.”

   “Jeddah said you may not remember your first few outbursts,” said the mother, “but we need to notify Jeddah that your powers have awakened. We need to make sure you can control those powers of yours, before something happens by accident.”

   “I’m scared,” said Aurora, “I don’t think I can do anything.”

   “Shush,” said the mother, “You are smarter than you may think you are. You just need to have the confidence you need to get into things. This world is definitely in need of a hero, and you are the chosen one to be that hero.”

   Aurora stayed silent for the rest of the night, holding her face in her hands and laying down in her bed. The mother sighed and walked to the door. When she was just about out of the room, she looked back at Aurora from over her shoulder.

   “I’ll let you think things over, dear,” said the mother, “I sure hope you can gather the courage to do this…”

   The mother left the room and shook her head, saying to herself, “I sure hope you are right about everything, Jeddah. She doesn’t seem ready, or even willing, to do what you said she would.”

   The next morning came, and Aurora was in bed, waking up and yawning. She had a hard time staying awake though, seeing how she was having a hard time sleeping the previous night, due to her mind racing with questions and worries. She was only nine years old, and so this was all very scary for her. After a few moments, the mother came into the room.

   “Good morning, Honey,” Said the mother.

   “Good morning momma,” Said Aurora.

   “Did you sleep well at all?” asked the mother.

   “No,” replied Aurora, “I only got a few hours, my mind is just….so busy.”

   “Well,” said the mother, “I’m so sorry about that. I know this whole thing must be a major thing to process. You are also only nine, so of course you are going to be scared. But Hun, you are going to be able to do this….trust me. Just think positive, keep yourself going, and never give up for any reason…”

   “Promise, mommy?” said Aurora, looking at the mother.

   “I promise,” said the mother.

   Aurora smiled a little, and then nodded.

   “I have already contacted Jeddah,” said the mother, “He should be able to get here in a few days. I just want you to be aware, considering you never met him before, and he is your real father.”

   “Okay, thanks, mom,” Aurora responded, “At least the nightmares are gone, for now.”

   “Let’s just hope they stay gone,” said the mother.

   