* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

        It wasn't long before she reached to door to Sidallow Heth's 
office, although it was still long enough for her anger to have 
diminished, and be replaced by depression once again.  She entered into 
the room stifling a sigh, hoping that Heth would be able to help in 
some way.  She somehow felt herself doubting it.

        The office was a small one, the only furniture being a single 
long desk with chairs on either side.  On the walls various religious 
symbols and signs were hung, most specific to the Sidallow.

	She took the liberty of seating herself in the nearest of 
chairs.  On the other side of the desk sat an elderly female mouse who 
could be none other than Heth.  Shike expected somebody cold and 
uncaring, like a psychiatrist.  Seeing the kind look on the long white 
face before her was relieving, and almost relaxing in some way.  She 
waited to hear what would be said.

        The Sidallow sniffed the air for a moment, an action that Shike 
wasn't entirely prepared for.  "Hello dear..  I smell blood..."

        The blood behind her ear hadn't dried yet, but she didn't enjoy 
the pity of others, "Uh.. It's nothing, forget about it.  Please."

        "I see..  Why have you come?  Are you supposed to be in class?"

        She was embarassed, she had no idea how to explain herself, or 
even if she would be believed;  "No.  I was given the day off because 
I.. I had a vision.."

        And so she described the story to Heth.  She told of the 
vision, of seeing The One, speaking with it, and of the apocalypse that 
she was to somehow become a part of.  She was certain it would be taken 
as a joke, but if it was, Heth hid her disbelief perfectly.  At the end 
of it all, Shike waited for her advice which she had come for.  She 
found herself slightly disappointed by it.

        "Well dear, what more can you do but wait?  I know it must be 
hard to take /inaction/, but I'm not asking you to pretend that 
nothing's happening either.  Go now, and with your time given you 
should think about what has occurred.  Doing so may not accomplish 
anything so to speak, but it will help ease a troubled heart."

        "Y.. Yes, thank you." And so the feline left.

        She left..  She was free..  There was still an hour until 
classes ended, so she went to wait within the cafeteria.  It was odd to 
her at first, that she would be the only one there.  There were usually 
hungry students lounging about.  She soon realized it was because of 
the home room period, nobody had off classes then.  The time she spent 
here, she would spend alone.  Even the canteen had closed, the people 
within not expecting the presence of a student.

        She lied herself down on one of the tables, staring at the 
ceiling, not worrying or even caring that she might be seen.  As she 
tried to think about what had happened that day as was suggested to 
her, she found she couldn't do anything more but replay the scene of 
her vision repeatedly within her mind.  None of her questions could be 
answered, nor none of her worries eased.  When was the apocalypse to 
be?  Would it be the 'Black Apocalypse or the Holy Apocalypse that the 
Sidallow believed were possibilities, The One or The Evil prevailing in 
the world?  Most importantly, what part was she to play in it?

        Her back soon began to ache, being on the hard surface of a 
cafeteria table.  "If I'm going to lie down," she decided, "I might as 
well do it outside where I can be comfortable.."

        The walk to the outdoors from the where she was turned out to 
be rather short, for the cafeteria was placed immediately by the main 
doors.  It is often wondered if this was done intentionally, for the 
cafeteria doors were usually left open.  This caused the effect of 
being able to smell the food entering the school, causing the 
negligible but persisting temptation to buy a portion of it.

        It was late spring, the grass was mostly green, the flowers 
were in bloom, the world was beautiful.  One of the most interesting 
phenomenons of evolution is that almost all predators of small animals, 
especially small avians, evolved into sentiency.  As a result of this, 
the smallest birds were no longer hunted.  Of course, the avians 
themselves evolved differently than they would have otherwise.  
Camouflage became unnecessary, and so they developed brighter colors in 
order to attract mates.  The colors in those birds were beautiful, some 
a single bright flourescent, others with nearly the entire spectrum of 
color along the feathers of their body.

        One such bird passed in front of Shike as she left the high 
school building.  It was a simple robin, whose rainbow colors flashed 
only an instant in front of the red furred one.  It wasn't anything 
particularly remarkable, but it led her to think as she turned to watch 
it fly off with what she assumed to be its mate, with equally brilliant 
colors.  She thought:

        "Look at that bird.  They are such simple creatures..  They 
don't know what's going on or how we think.  But then, that's 
irrelevant to them.  Life would be so much simpler if I was born as one 
of them.  I'd be able to fly, to be free of school, society, even 
depression.  I'd know none of them, only freedom.  I'd live my little 
life in my little nest.." she giggled and continued on, to find a place 
to lie, although she didn't discontinue her daydreaming. 

        "And eventually..  A male robin would come.  He'd try to 
impress me the way those robins do, and maybe I'd fall for him.  It 
would depend on how many colors he had in his little wings..  That's 
what the teachers say, maybe it's something more though.  I wonder if 
they can feel love, just as they feel pain and fear.  I'm taught it's 
just instinct, they can't help but do what their instinct 'makes' them 
do, but the ones that say this can't know for sure, how can they?"

        Her thoughts were interrupted by a distant sound coming from 
the nearby woods just as she was approaching the shaded side of the 
large school building beside her.  It was odd, seeming somehow out of 
place, like a moaning.  Was somebody in pain?  She went off to 
investigate.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

        Jiz was worried, he couldn't concentrate on his work.  All he 
could think about was Shike.  He wanted to know what the vision was 
about.  He wanted to know how she was feeling, if she was depressed, 
anxious, even  happy (for many visions he learned of were of a positive 
nature).  These things occupied his every thought.  If the teacher was 
glaring at him, if his peers were staring at him, he didn't care.  He 
wanted to be there to help her.  He wanted to know what she was doing 
at that very moment.  If only he knew...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

        In the woods, Lara had brought one of her mates to have a 
little fun with: Lyndsy.  Lyndsy had a class then, but she didn't care. 
 She was Catholic, but she didn't care about that either, her passion 
had overtaken her.  She loved Lara, in spite of what she knew, that 
Lara didn't love her, that she never loved anybody.  Lyndsy knew the 
next day her one and only mate would be doing the same thing with some 
other girl, or guy, whichever..  But then, Lyndsy didn't care about 
that either.

        She was, of course, canine.  Lara wouldn't have it any other 
way.  It annoyed Lara that she'd beg forgiveness from her god every 
time they did anything, for Lara was Wiccan.  Lara wanted nothing to do 
with any gods that would attempt to restrict sexual activity, since 
sexual activity was such a great portion of her life.  But still, she 
was skilled, Lara liked that about her.  She especially enjoyed the 
perfect submissiveness.  Anything the active bitch wanted to do to her, 
she could.  Likewise, anything she wanted the misguided but loving one 
to do, she would..