Light to Darkness

A white-furred fist slammed angrily into the unyielding coldness of obsidian stone, artistically-crafted to glow a deep, ominous blood-red from strange, glowing jewels beneath the dark surface of the throne, akin to glittering rubies. Yet, in spite of this gesture of what would be deadly fury, and though the force behind the blow would have been strong enough to fragment stone to dust, the owner of the clenched paw-like median of implementation remained as impassive and cold as the very chair it had smote. Flexing the sharp-tipped claws that had bared during the motion, the deep, dark crimson hues watched the fingertips twitch and flit in exercise. A pair of long fingers stroked thoughtfully at a regal, well-kept chin of ivory, and slowly the threatening hand was set back down to its resting place atop of the throne’s arm as those piercing, forbidding eyes glared forward to the knelt vampire below.

It was a fox, normally nondescript for his species, a lithe and agile young one, who served well as a scout. His ears were pinned back, and with the audible and potentially-destructive impact of the warlike wolf’s paw upon the throne, the slender underling flinched visibly the bushy tail taking a nervous twitch in its swaying as he nodded affirmation of his report. The scout didn’t use more words than necessary, when they were, concerned to be the source of irritation to the intimidating lupine perched in the seat of vampiric power. Without so much as a breath as the regal figure gestured dismissal, the fox swiftly strode from the main hall, and gave a sigh of relief only upon re-entering his quarters. Prince Arden was not one you wished to anger, if you valued even half life.

With the smallest growl, now that he was left fairly alone, the Trueborn tapped his throne’s arm thoughtfully, grating his teeth slightly. Another of his trusted kinsfolk destroyed in the Balance conflict, taken by their sworn nemesis. In resolve, the majestic, commanding leader nodded to himself, settling back on his throne with a slight look about his grand chambers. In a low, surprisingly-soft voice, one which nonetheless bore a great strength of tone laid beneath the allure of its rolling sound, he murmured his resolve. “Incompetence beyond measure, suffering defeat to a knight bearing youths to battle…” The smallest, flitting hint of a rare smile crossed his muzzle as he pondered ahead, hardly noticing the advisors and emissaries from the lesser clans filing in to the throne chamber. “Perhaps someone more worthy is in order to challenge the Balance…”

*****

The warmest, most cheerful smile crossed the muzzle of Lady Milerna as she cradled not merely one, but twin young ones to her form, a strong paw squeezing her shoulder with a warmth of fatherly pride and content. Milerna Lizbeth Tsuyamoto Koriikuu, given her full title, was many things in her comparably-young life as a Solari; An aspiring captain of the Aether Knights, for whom several students and soldiers held such deep respect and affection that a number had requested and been given leave from their training and studies to give their congratulations, or in the case of the youngest disciples, simply to giggle gleefully over their motherly instructor’s kittens; A devoted wife, who had long before engaged and married a nomadic feline she’d found injured in the wildernesses, and fallen for as she healed and took him in when no siren would have dared; And not least of all, Milerna was now mother to twins, a son and a daughter, whom slept soundly against the snugness of their parent’s arms as she laughed quietly.

Aden Corona Koriikuu was a hardened warrior and woodland ranger, and though he was a nomad and wanderer by nature, his wanderlust had settled in the prospect of providing and caring for a kind, loving woman, and eventually raising and protecting healthy, smiling children. The silvery fur that ran down his form, broken in color only by the thicker bib of white along his front, was shared in kind by his twin infants, and with a small smile he leant down and kissed his three loved ones in turn; Milerna, the apple of his eye; Niikorri Kunata Koriikuu, the quiet cub of a son who looked akin to his father right to the bib, differing only in his blue-tinged bib; and the pretty little daughter, Nyako Alliera Koriikuu, the mewing, yawning kitten, who had no bib at all, but rather a sleek blue swathe of furless blue skin, beautifully-soft in hue, from tummy to neck, taking after her mother.

Chuckling softly as they yawned awake, to the ‘awwww’ing of the Aether disciples, Aden reached and cupped little Nyako, amazed at how the infant seemed to fit in his palms so snugly. With a warm smile to Milerna, he tickled the littlest bit at the babe’s belly, and blinked just slightly as both Nyako and her sibling Niiko squirmed with a small fit of giggles. Casting a slight glance to his love, the feline patted his daughter’s head lightly, letting the kitten play with his index as he murmured. “They both felt that?” The Aether Knight nodded her own head in the affirmative, giggling a bit herself as Niiko’s tiny tail brushed along her own tummy.

“Aye, my mate, they share a family tie, a sharing of thought and feeling. You see, Aden, Nyako is a product not of ye, nor of I, but of our young son here.” Milerna began laughing lightly to the confused and skeptical features of her chosen love, before the slender and wiry young woman, her innate magery already dissolving the baby bulge that had receded, leant up and planted a soft kiss to the other. “Little Niiko already seems to have an exceptionally-strong gift for Aether spellcraft… using nothing but infant will and an innocent little wish, he created himself a twin sister.” Then, with a small yawn herself, the maternal knight grinned gently and shooed off her students with a tired hand, even as the kittenish Niiko dozed off again, curling against her front. “Off with ye now, back to thy studies. If I can lock steel with a treacherous vampire bearing this bundle, ye can certainly continue with thy work as well.”

Then, catching the slight frown on Aden’s features as the young disciples arbitrarily fled back to their barracks for the night, and sighed almost guiltily as the feline who’d sired her children laid beside her, cradling the soft-snoring Nyako between them. Even as she opened her mouth to defend her actions, the strong male chuckled lightly and placed a finger over her lips. “I know, I know, you were the chosen and therefore obligated long before the signs of our love began to flourish. Still, I shudder to think of you doing battle atop that mountain against one of their kind in your state…” Milerna simply grinned and pressed herself close to her lover with a sheepish smile, comfying herself to her twins and mate.

“I was never in any real danger, ye know that… I can summon the Solari element swift as any, should the need arise, and fell the nightly beast.” Then, noticing the rolling motion of Aden’s hues, she scoffed and playfully bopped him in the shoulder, cuddling all the closer with a tiny laugh, already feeling sleep overtake her. “I know, lover Aden, I’m hopeless, simply impossible to reason with…”

With a grin and an affirmative nod as Milerna dozed off, he placed a kiss on her forehead, even in joining her in the realm of dreams, his paws curled around her and the newborns. A last whisper left his lips as he sighed in pre-slumber. “Yes, but that’s alright, as I still and shall always love you.”

*****

Elsewhere in the night, not very far at all, a cloaked fox smiled inwardly, his attentive ears catching each word that was spoken without fail. That was his duty and purpose as the Trueborn’s messenger, after all… to listen and relay key information about the lesser clans and possible threats to Arden. He took a rather firm pride in his work, being the eyes and ears of the most powerful and important vampire of all the clans, and so when he left, it was not without a sizable cache of intelligence, and without a trace. Soon, the self-styled nocturnal prince would know about these twins, these half-sirens, and then… well, who could tell what vengeful, crafty ideas were lying dormant behind the cunning, cold hues of the imposing wolf?