Chapter 22
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As the storm raged outside, everyone found places throughout the house to settle down for the night. Timmy chose to remain by her side at the fire, and sleep on the floor. Kiterina stretched out to sleep, and found herself wide awake. Perplexed, she changed her position, and laid down again.
Never in her life had she ever had a problem sleeping. If anything, she was annoyed when she couldn't get enough sleep. After several more positions did nothing to bring her friend sleep, she finally got up and moved to a window by the front door. The tree branches were whipping back and forth in the wind.
As her tail slowly wove back and forth, she thought about everything that had happened to her since her birth. Those early days seemed so far away. She thought back over her time with Dane and his daughter, whose name she had taken. A smile played on her lips as she remembered the problems she had thought were so severe at the time. When she thought over the summoning, and the time since entering this world, a weight seemed to settle on her.
It had only been such a short time, really, and already she had several people who were dependent on her, just as she had been with her mother. Her encounter with the strange man made her wonder if she really was a goddess. She had played the part so much, could it be that she was just imagining it?
Whispers drew her attention, and as she cued in to them, she could immediately hear every word.
"Oh, wouldn't it be grand if that beautiful beast really were a goddess as those boys believe?" whispered Rose.
"I've never heard of a god or goddess coming down and actually walking amongst us mortals before," responded Henry.
"Why do you think she chose our house to stop at? Could it be an answer to my prayers? I wasn't praying to her, but maybe she heard them anyways." Her voice seemed wistful.
"Now dear, you know our kids are never going to return. Little Emily was the only one who wanted to remain, and she died a long time ago."
"I know, but sometimes, I just wish…"
"Tomorrow, we'll start packing when they all leave, and head towards our cabin in the mountains. It should still be early enough in the seasons for us to make it before winter hits. Once it does, we should be plenty safe from the war that's drawn so close."
"Do you think the horses will make it? They're so old. And what if the food we left there isn't any good? What'll we eat? You're not a young lad to hunt like you used to."
"Mayhaps we should pray to this new goddess, and see if she truly can provide miracles. We'll probably need one to make it there, anyhows. We're not as young as we used to be."
As she continued to listen, they both prayed to her. This was the first time anyone had actually done that, and as their words hit her ears, she felt a warm glow within her. Raising her hand, she watched as that same yellow glow that had come from the strange man, formed in her palm, and flowed into her. Closing her eyes, she seemed to understand that when these people prayed to her, with conviction, she gained powers and grew stronger.
The weight on her shoulders grew. She had to make sure these people survived. Not just the war, but period. The Demon King was wreaking havoc on the land, killing people left and right. She needed to defeat him as well. But how? She couldn't take these people to him with his army. They would all be slaughtered. And if she detoured to escort them to the safety of the mountains, this army would grow stronger and be even more difficult to destroy.
If she did take them all to the mountains, she could teach them how to survive, how to hunt, they would be safe from the army, and she could grow stronger, too. The choices before her were hard to consider. She wanted to act, to get the business with the Demon King over with as soon as possible, so that she could enjoy having people worship her and dote on her.
She needed to know what was out there, to challenge them the next day. Since she felt fully energized, should she go out into the storm and see just how close this army was? Could she fly all that way in this storm, and defeat him now? If she failed, she could die, or worse, escape and have him come after her. And she really didn't want to get all wet. This rain would last for days, unless…could she stop it?
Opening the door, she quietly stepped outside into the storm. Her ears lay flat on her head, as the cold and wet immediately seeped into her fur. Reaching up towards the clouds, she tried to calm the storm. Nothing happened. Scrunching up her face, she tried to will the glowing stuff to go out and stop the rain. Nothing. Gritting her teeth, she raked her hand through the air, her claws came out, and sparks flew off into the night.
Staring at the sky in astonishment, she watched as the clouds dissipated, as if ripped apart. Water dripped from every strand of fur and feather but she grinned. It would take her forever to lick herself clean, but she had stopped the storm.
Shaking her head, she heard a sound from across the road, now that the night was still. It was the cry of a child.
Ignoring how wet she was, she stalked silently and close to the ground, to investigate. There were people moving through the woods, steering clear of the road, and hauling children and supplies to survive on. They were braving the storm to survive the oncoming army. Her anger was kindled against this demon. He was causing these people to do dangerous stuff. Her fur fluffed up, suddenly dry, and she flapped her wings. It was time to see who her adversary was.
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As the storm raged outside, everyone found places throughout the house to settle down for the night. Timmy chose to remain by her side at the fire, and sleep on the floor. Kiterina stretched out to sleep, and found herself wide awake. Perplexed, she changed her position, and laid down again.
Never in her life had she ever had a problem sleeping. If anything, she was annoyed when she couldn't get enough sleep. After several more positions did nothing to bring her friend sleep, she finally got up and moved to a window by the front door. The tree branches were whipping back and forth in the wind.
As her tail slowly wove back and forth, she thought about everything that had happened to her since her birth. Those early days seemed so far away. She thought back over her time with Dane and his daughter, whose name she had taken. A smile played on her lips as she remembered the problems she had thought were so severe at the time. When she thought over the summoning, and the time since entering this world, a weight seemed to settle on her.
It had only been such a short time, really, and already she had several people who were dependent on her, just as she had been with her mother. Her encounter with the strange man made her wonder if she really was a goddess. She had played the part so much, could it be that she was just imagining it?
Whispers drew her attention, and as she cued in to them, she could immediately hear every word.
"Oh, wouldn't it be grand if that beautiful beast really were a goddess as those boys believe?" whispered Rose.
"I've never heard of a god or goddess coming down and actually walking amongst us mortals before," responded Henry.
"Why do you think she chose our house to stop at? Could it be an answer to my prayers? I wasn't praying to her, but maybe she heard them anyways." Her voice seemed wistful.
"Now dear, you know our kids are never going to return. Little Emily was the only one who wanted to remain, and she died a long time ago."
"I know, but sometimes, I just wish…"
"Tomorrow, we'll start packing when they all leave, and head towards our cabin in the mountains. It should still be early enough in the seasons for us to make it before winter hits. Once it does, we should be plenty safe from the war that's drawn so close."
"Do you think the horses will make it? They're so old. And what if the food we left there isn't any good? What'll we eat? You're not a young lad to hunt like you used to."
"Mayhaps we should pray to this new goddess, and see if she truly can provide miracles. We'll probably need one to make it there, anyhows. We're not as young as we used to be."
As she continued to listen, they both prayed to her. This was the first time anyone had actually done that, and as their words hit her ears, she felt a warm glow within her. Raising her hand, she watched as that same yellow glow that had come from the strange man, formed in her palm, and flowed into her. Closing her eyes, she seemed to understand that when these people prayed to her, with conviction, she gained powers and grew stronger.
The weight on her shoulders grew. She had to make sure these people survived. Not just the war, but period. The Demon King was wreaking havoc on the land, killing people left and right. She needed to defeat him as well. But how? She couldn't take these people to him with his army. They would all be slaughtered. And if she detoured to escort them to the safety of the mountains, this army would grow stronger and be even more difficult to destroy.
If she did take them all to the mountains, she could teach them how to survive, how to hunt, they would be safe from the army, and she could grow stronger, too. The choices before her were hard to consider. She wanted to act, to get the business with the Demon King over with as soon as possible, so that she could enjoy having people worship her and dote on her.
She needed to know what was out there, to challenge them the next day. Since she felt fully energized, should she go out into the storm and see just how close this army was? Could she fly all that way in this storm, and defeat him now? If she failed, she could die, or worse, escape and have him come after her. And she really didn't want to get all wet. This rain would last for days, unless…could she stop it?
Opening the door, she quietly stepped outside into the storm. Her ears lay flat on her head, as the cold and wet immediately seeped into her fur. Reaching up towards the clouds, she tried to calm the storm. Nothing happened. Scrunching up her face, she tried to will the glowing stuff to go out and stop the rain. Nothing. Gritting her teeth, she raked her hand through the air, her claws came out, and sparks flew off into the night.
Staring at the sky in astonishment, she watched as the clouds dissipated, as if ripped apart. Water dripped from every strand of fur and feather but she grinned. It would take her forever to lick herself clean, but she had stopped the storm.
Shaking her head, she heard a sound from across the road, now that the night was still. It was the cry of a child.
Ignoring how wet she was, she stalked silently and close to the ground, to investigate. There were people moving through the woods, steering clear of the road, and hauling children and supplies to survive on. They were braving the storm to survive the oncoming army. Her anger was kindled against this demon. He was causing these people to do dangerous stuff. Her fur fluffed up, suddenly dry, and she flapped her wings. It was time to see who her adversary was.
As the storm raged outside, everyone found places throughout the house to settle down for the night. Timmy chose to remain by her side at the fire, and sleep on the floor. Kiterina stretched out to sleep, and found herself wide awake. Perplexed, she changed her position, and laid down again.Never in her life had she ever had a problem sleeping. If anything, she was annoyed when she couldn't get enough sleep. After several more positions did nothing to bring her friend sleep, she finally got up and moved to a window by the front door. The tree branches were whipping back and forth in the wind.As her tail slowly wove back and forth, she thought about everything that had happened to her since her birth. Those early days seemed so far away. She thought back over her time with Dane and his daughter, whose name she had taken. A smile played on her lips as she remembered the problems she had thought were so severe at the time. When she thought over the summoning, and the time since entering this world, a weight seemed to settle on her.It had only been such a short time, really, and already she had several people who were dependent on her, just as she had been with her mother. Her encounter with the strange man made her wonder if she really was a goddess. She had played the part so much, could it be that she was just imagining it?Whispers drew her attention, and as she cued in to them, she could immediately hear every word."Oh, wouldn't it be grand if that beautiful beast really were a goddess as those boys believe?" whispered Rose."I've never heard of a god or goddess coming down and actually walking amongst us mortals before," responded Henry."Why do you think she chose our house to stop at? Could it be an answer to my prayers? I wasn't praying to her, but maybe she heard them anyways." Her voice seemed wistful."Now dear, you know our kids are never going to return. Little Emily was the only one who wanted to remain, and she died a long time ago.""I know, but sometimes, I just wish""Tomorrow, we'll start packing when they all leave, and head towards our cabin in the mountains. It should still be early enough in the seasons for us to make it before winter hits. Once it does, we should be plenty safe from the war that's drawn so close.""Do you think the horses will make it? They're so old. And what if the food we left there isn't any good? What'll we eat? You're not a young lad to hunt like you used to.""Mayhaps we should pray to this new goddess, and see if she truly can provide miracles. We'll probably need one to make it there, anyhows. We're not as young as we used to be."As she continued to listen, they both prayed to her. This was the first time anyone had actually done that, and as their words hit her ears, she felt a warm glow within her. Raising her hand, she watched as that same yellow glow that had come from the strange man, formed in her palm, and flowed into her. Closing her eyes, she seemed to understand that when these people prayed to her, with conviction, she gained powers and grew stronger.The weight on her shoulders grew. She had to make sure these people survived. Not just the war, but period. The Demon King was wreaking havoc on the land, killing people left and right. She needed to defeat him as well. But how? She couldn't take these people to him with his army. They would all be slaughtered. And if she detoured to escort them to the safety of the mountains, this army would grow stronger and be even more difficult to destroy.If she did take them all to the mountains, she could teach them how to survive, how to hunt, they would be safe from the army, and she could grow stronger, too. The choices before her were hard to consider. She wanted to act, to get the business with the Demon King over with as soon as possible, so that she could enjoy having people worship her and dote on her.She needed to know what was out there, to challenge them the next day. Since she felt fully energized, should she go out into the storm and see just how close this army was? Could she fly all that way in this storm, and defeat him now? If she failed, she could die, or worse, escape and have him come after her. And she really didn't want to get all wet. This rain would last for days, unlesscould she stop it?Opening the door, she quietly stepped outside into the storm. Her ears lay flat on her head, as the cold and wet immediately seeped into her fur. Reaching up towards the clouds, she tried to calm the storm. Nothing happened. Scrunching up her face, she tried to will the glowing stuff to go out and stop the rain. Nothing. Gritting her teeth, she raked her hand through the air, her claws came out, and sparks flew off into the night.Staring at the sky in astonishment, she watched as the clouds dissipated, as if ripped apart. Water dripped from every strand of fur and feather but she grinned. It would take her forever to lick herself clean, but she had stopped the storm.Shaking her head, she heard a sound from across the road, now that the night was still. It was the cry of a child.Ignoring how wet she was, she stalked silently and close to the ground, to investigate. There were people moving through the woods, steering clear of the road, and hauling children and supplies to survive on. They were braving the storm to survive the oncoming army. Her anger was kindled against this demon. He was causing these people to do dangerous stuff. Her fur fluffed up, suddenly dry, and she flapped her wings. It was time to see who her adversary was.
