...This is Where Sadness Breaths...

                            By:

                         Fox Cutter

05/02/98:

"You're late," Elena pronounced as sie stood over me.

I looked up at her from when I was crouched, trying to talk
to Rhea. "I'm sorry, I didn't know we had a time to meet."

Sie smiled. "We didn't."

I rolled my eyes and stood up looking over hir. Sie seemed
to be nervous, shaking slightly. Even hir clothing was
rumpled, hir vest was shifting off hir shoulder and hanging
unevenly across hir chest.

"Where is sie being held?" Sie asked, placing hir paws on
hir hips and glaring at me.

I sighed. "In the Maximum Security Prison on Prid. I'll take
you there."

Sie nodded. "Very well."

Bending back down I settled a pair of temp implants over
Rhea's ears. Malia had tweaked them a bit to hold tight over
the lionesses' ears.

I gave her a finale scratch on the back of her neck and
stood back up. Nodding towards Elena I started out of the
bar, Rhea at my side. The vixen followed a few feet behind
me.

As sie walked sie seemed to be sniffing at the air, hir nose
twitching every time sie inhaled. I wondered if sie could
tell how worried I was, and it wasn't because of hir.

We came the dead-end in the hallway, the only way past this
point was through a fold.

"Whenever you're ready little cat." Elena said from my side.

Reaching into the inside pocket of my trench coat I took out
my portal control. Keying in the unlock code I opened the
fold. As soon as it was open Rhea jumped past me and into
it.

I followed right after her and was relived to find her
waiting for me on the other side. Turning I watched Elena
come through the fold behind me. Hir nose had just started
to bleed.

Reaching into a pocket sie pulled out a handkerchief and
held it to ageist hir nosepad. "Guh! Daht wahs a fold,
wahn'd id?"

I nodded, closing the fold and returning the control to my
pocket. "Yes, unless you're blind it would have been
obvious."

Sie gave me a sharp look then blew hir nose. "I *hate*
folds," sie told me, tucking the cloth back into hir vest.
"I can't use protective devices, and as you can see, they
give me a nose bleed." Sie shrugged a bit and smiled at me.
"Ah well, if I was 'normal', I'd be quite dead right now, so
a simple nose-bleed is a small price to pay."

"Yes, come on." I replied and started walking down the
hallway.

"Why the fold anyway?" Sie asked, walking beside me. "The
last time I checked, we're still in the same reality."

I shook my head. "Be that as it may it's a long trip to Prid
through normal space. The whole system is over two-hundred
light years from anyplace else."

Sie gave me a slow smile. "I see..."

We keep walking along in quiet until we came to the prison's
main door. The guard took a look at me, then a look at Elena
and called his superior.

I was expected, it was just that my company unnerved the
guard. Nothing more then I would expect considering that sie
smiled at him with all of hir teeth.

Once inside I was stopped at the guard station. You see, I
had come armed, my needler tucked into my coat. The assorted
monitoring devices around the door had picked it up and the
guard wanted me to leave it with him.

Another guard walked up behind him and taped him on the
shoulder. After a few seconds of hushes conversation I was
waved through and into the prison. It helped to have some
friends in charge.

Re-teaming with Rhea and Elena, I could see that the vixen
was almost shaking. Sie had hir tail low, almost hanging.
The fur on hir ears was starting to stand up and hir muzzle
was slipping into a sneer that was quickly become a growl.

"You're safe here." I told her, "you can leave any time you
want."

Sie broke into a forced and haggard laugh. "Yes, I suppose I
can trust you on this."

Hir laughter faded away as a guard came to us and motioned
for us to follow him. As we followed him Elena seemed to
relax, but not enough to let the hair on hir ears to smooth
out.

We were lead into a small closed off room. There was no
furniture and only two doors. The walls had been left bare
the steel it was made from shining in the overhead light.

There was a guard inside, waiting for us.

I slumped down against the wall, with Rhea moving over to
lay down next to me. "Sie's through the other door," I said
waving towards the second guard. "He'll take you but this is
as far as I go."

Elena took in a deep breath and let it show slowly, calming
hirself.

"And try not to kill the guard."

"I won't."

I smiled. "Or hurt them either."

Sie laughed. "I'll try." Then walked over to the second
guard, who led hir into the cells.

I pulled Rhea closer to me, slowly petting her along the
back of her neck. "Come on Fox," I whispered. "I know you're
in there."

No response came.

Taking in a deep breath I let it out through my teeth. In
the past few days Fox had faded drastically. Rhea now didn't
even seem to understand his language anymore. She would
recognize her name, no more.

Some times she wouldn't even remember those around her. She
would, at times, snarl at anyone who got to close to her.
Even Naomi was afraid to get near her. Every now and then
though I could see a flicker of Fox behind the lionesses'
eyes, but it was just a flicker.

Oh this was a bitter stab in the heart. I find that he does
love me when he's on the verge of being destroyed. I didn't
want to lose him! Not now, not ever, and surly not like
this!

"Oh Rhea," I said, bending down and wrapping my around
around her neck. "Please, just let Fox win. I want him
back." I was starting to cry, a tear running down my muzzle
and dropping off my nose.

A scream filled the room, causing me to snap my head back
up. Elena was storming in yelling a stream of what sounded
like obscenities in hir own language.

The guard was behind hir, just trying to keep out of hir
way.

As sie entered into the room sie saw me. Sie started to walk
towards me, yelling even louder. Hir face seemed to reflect
pure murder in every possible way.

Whipping the tears from my face I stood up. "It would help
if you explained to me what's wrong before you go into a
fit!"

Sie stopped in hir tracks, almost like I had slapped hir.
"Where. Is. Hir. Name?" Sie growled towards me.

I shook my head. "I don't understand."

"Where is it!" Sie screamed now!

"If you would explained what you're looking for!" I yelled
back at hir with twice the volume.

Sie stopped, taking a series of quick breaths. "It was bad
enough that you imprisoned one of us. Now you take our most
precious possessions. You removed hir Name from hir ear,
where is it?!"

I was starting to understand. "You mean the ear-clip?"

"Yes!" Sie spat out.

I turned to the face the guard who had escorted us inside.
He was standing by the outside door his paw resting on the
handle of his gun. "Where would the clip be at?"

He looked towards me, then darted his eyes over to Elena.
"All personal possessions are removed before a person is
placed in a cell."

"Give it back!" Elena yelled, this time hir looks of death
and pain were directed at the guard. "or I swear to Khur
you'll be my next meal!"

"No." I said, taking a few steps towards hir.

Sie twisted on hir feet, glaring at me. "Give. It. Back.
Now."

I sneered. "You have no right to demand that."

Sie made as if to lunge at me, hir paws out and hir fangs
bared. Sie was suddenly meant by both of the guards, and
myself, drawing weapons. Sie hesitated then, I could see
that sie was weighing the odds.

"We can make a deal though." I smiled. "A fair trade."

Sie gave me a look of disgust.

I slipped my needler back into my coat. "If you can
guarantee that sie will help us in any way that we ask sie
will be allowed to have the ear-clip back."

"Fine," sie snapped through hir teeth. "Just give it back!
It holds deep personal and religious meaning to us."

I nodded, turing to the guard who escorted us in. "You, go
get the ear-clip, now." I turned to the other one. "Put the
gun away, if sie wanted to kill us we would be dead."

The first guard nodding and was out the door in an
instantly. The second guard seemed more reluctant to put his
weapon away, but eventually he did. Though he left the
holster open.

"It should be a few minutes." I said, crossing my arms as I
stood in the middle of the room.

Elena turned around and ran towards one of the steel walls,
pounding on it with both fists.

I sighed. "All that will do is make people mad. Sit down and
relax. I really don't think anyone knew what it meant when
they took it away."

Sie turned and leaned up against the wall. "What did sie do
when sie understood that you where going to take hir Name
from hir?"

I shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

"I'll tell you what sie did. Sie fought tooth and claw to
keep it where it belongs."

I nodded to hir.

Sie shook hir head. "How did you know I wouldn't kill you? I
had more than enough time."

I smiled. "And what, be trapped in here, most likely full of
bullets. The walls are ten feet thick, the doors can be even
thicker in a matter of minutes. What would happen to you if
you could not feed?"

Sie nodded her head. "I see..."

"Also, I passed your message onto the Guild."

Sie smirked. "What was the response this time."

I snickered. "Your file was closed, has been for years."

Leaning forward sie perked hir ears up. "Oh? Did they inform
you why it was closed?"

Sliding down the wall I sat back down next to Rhea. "You
never actually got in there way or attacked them. You showed
them a measure of respected, and frankly improved there
reputation. Also the one guy who wanted you so desperately
never came back from his last target."

Sie smiled at that. Sie understood as well as I did that was
just a polite way of saying that the Guild had him killed.
You don't go against the Guild Elders, it's not good for
your short term health.

"Though they were surprised you where still alive. They
didn't know that you were a vampire." I smiled to hir.

Sie frowned towards me.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell them." Sie looked relieved at
the news. "Though the is now a renewed interest in you.
Though only to do some jobs freelace. Which, from what I've
been told is a very rare thing indeed."

"It is kitty, it is." Sie now seemed to be beaming, this
must have been some good news for hir. Though I could image
having the Guild decided to leave you alone would be good
news for anyone.

The conversation lapsed into silence then. Elena was staring
at the one light in the ceiling while I petting Rhea.

Elena coughed, cause me to look up at hir. "Give him, uh
her, time." Sie said, "Curses that hit the wrong target tend
to unravel after a while."

"Soon I hope. There's not much left of him in there."

Sie sank down the length of the wall to sit on the floor as
well. "I'm not a white mage, but I can tell you that he's
all there, just repressed."

I let my hand fall from her back. "I hope so. It's getting
harder to get anything more then you would expect from a
lioness." I let out a soft sight. "I'm losing him."

Sie hummed a bit, taping a finger against hir nosepad. "Do
you have access to a white mage?  All of my skills are in
red, blue, and black."

I shook my head. "Color has never been apart of magic as
I've know it. There is though a once friend of Fox's who's
training has be in understanding and using unknown magic."

Sie smiled. "Oh, no. It's not colors per se. White Mages are
those who have learned spells of the mind. Red is the magic
of living things, black is Necromancy, and blue has to do
with travel and time."

That would make me a Red Mage from what little magic I have
done.

As the conversation started to fade again the first guard
came back into the room. His fur was disheveled and he was
panting hard, but in his right paw was a small baggie with
an ear-clip in it.

Elena jumped to hir feet and whipped the baggie out of his
paw. Tearing through the plastic sie pulled out the
ear-clip. Looking it over sie smiled. Then walking over to
the second guard sie waited patiently for him to open the
door.

Once that was done sie stepped through and back into the
cells. I could hear hir call something in hir language just
before the door shut.

This time her absence was longer, almost ten minutes. I
didn't do much thinking during this time, I just waited. The
only thing I could think about was getting Fox back and
wasn't in the mood to work over it again right now.

Elena walked back in through the door, this time looking
puzzled. "Someone in the next cell had an... interesting
message for you." Sie said.

I rolled my eyes. In the cell next to the Mouse was Grasion.
Who was the reason why I didn't go into the cells with
Elena. "What did he have to say?"

"He said, 'Autumn has fallen on the planet Jurai, and you
disbelief of prophecy shall fall just as surely as the
leaves fall from the Royal Trees.'"

I sighed. "That's nice to know. So, do I have your guarantee
that sie will cooperate?"

"Oh yes, sie is willing." Sie answered.

I laughed standing back up. "That's not what I wanted. I
want _your_ guarantee."

Sie smiled. "You have it. Though I think you should talk to
hir yourself."

I shook my head. "No, I don't really feel that need."

Elena shook hir head. "There is something sie feels the you
must know."

"What?"

"The reason why we're doing what we're doing." Sie answered.

I nodded. "Yes, a war, Fox mentioned it before."

Sie sighed in frustration. "You do not understand at all! So
*I'll* tell you what's going on."

I shook my head. "I will talk to hir soon enough, when Fox
is recovered. It can weight till then."

"No!" Sie said, hir voice almost a yell. "This is too
important. Many lives are at stake here. We are fighting a
civil war to the bitter end. It will not be finished until
one or both sides are utterly erased from existence."

I nodded to hir.

"This war isn't about simple territory, or resources." Sie
continued, "It is about our beliefs, our goals, our twin
goddesses."

"Oh no," I sighed, a religious war, just what the Council
needed to be involved in.

"Once, we had only one goddess, but in an act of genocidal
hatred, Sie doomed our former masters, and tore Hirself in
twain.  Where there was only Khur, there is now Khur, and
Ruhk, hir dark twin."

Thryn's eyes! Did sie just say what I think sie just said!
"Ruhk?" I asked, my voice starting to shake.

Sie nodded. "Here, let me show you." Sie started to move hir
paws.

"Sie's A raccoon." I told hir.

This shocked hir more anything I said before. "How did you
know they were raccoons?" Sie asked.

I gulped, "Ruhk is in the book of my god." I answered.

"Oh?"

I nodded. "They... Played for a while."

"Played?" Sie asked, taking a step forward.

"Yes, Played." I told hir, "quite literally a living game of
Draknon."

Sie tilted hir head. "What game is Draknon And what were the
stakes?" The way sie asked it, it was like sie understood
this type of play.

"It's a game of skill and chance. Normally it's a board
game." As well as in the end causing the death of the almost
two thousand people sie decided to play with.

Elena just nodded, I could sie truly understood. "There's
more, but I think you already understand the cost of hir
attentions. I will leave you for know. If you need me you
know how to find me."

The guard at the door out was almost glade to escort hir out
of the room.

-----

This story is (c) 1998 by Fox Cutter, hardcopy reprints
limited to one a person, all other rights reserved. This
story may not be distributed for a fee except by permission
of the author, and this copyright notice may not be removed.
Elena is (c) 1998 by Chris Bradford.