Kiss of Time

Birth of the Legend

           The night was calm, and only a single light shone in the town of Sylinden; a soft glow of lantern light cast from the window of a small home, where a young mother lay holding her newborn daughter.

           Weak now from loss of blood, the young Vixen knew her own fate as darkness began to edge her vision, looking down at her beautiful child with tears of both joy, and sorrow in her eyes.

           Looking up at her mate now, the Vixen smiled as he brushed her headfur from her face, kissing her on the forehead.

“She’s beautiful...” Said the Vixen, her words soft, ever fading as she spoke.

“Aye..” Replied her mate with tears in his eyes, nodding sagely. “Just like ‘er mother.”

           Looking down to her daughter once more as she lay asleep in the vixen’s arms, she smiled and let herself relax.

“Promise me ye’ll take care of her Thorne..” said the vixen with her last breath, her voice soft and calm as her eyes closed. At that moment, the Vixen’s heart stopped, and her mate’s, shattered, as he looked down, averting his gaze from her body, tears falling freely down his cheeks.

           “I promise Roa..” he said, his voice soft, glancing once more to his mates beautiful face, then to his daughter, taking the child into his arms gently as he added: “I’ll make sure Aurin is well raised.”

           As the years passed, so to did the pain of Roa’s passing, but never her memory, and for young Aurin, the tails of her mother, the stories of the most beautiful vixen in all of Sylinden, always on mind.

           Somewhat of an outcast of society, Aurin loved the night, it always seemed to give her a since of serenity to be within the darkness of the void, blanketed by the stars and bathed in the soft glow of moonlight. Often she wandered the town in the dead of night, gazing at the stars one moment, glancing into the darkness of an alley and letting her mind wander within it the next.

           One night however, as she sat at the edge of a roof, gazing at the stars, Aurin caught a glimpse of the first rays of sunlight peeking over the horizon.

“No..” she whispered to herself, eyes widening slightly as she stared off into the distance at the steadily amplifying light. “I’m late, Father will kill me if he knew I was out this late!”

           Jumping from the roof and landing on the ground, she made haste towards her house, the sun steadily rising over the hills to the east. Frantically she quickened with each step until her own feet could not keep up, halting as one foot caught the other and brought her face first into the cobblestone with a thud.

           Wincing Aurin stood and examined herself, blood ran from small cuts on her knees and arms, already beginning to soak into her fur.

“Damn! I’ll never make it..” she said, giving up as she stood there.

As the sunlight came to her eyes, Aurin let out a soft sigh and took a step as a strange, almost unholy feeling overcame her, and the air it’s self felt as if it had fallen still.

           A feeling of calm overcame Aurin now, as she doubled her fists and once again began to run, the air around her as stale as a tomb. Where seemingly only a moment had passed, Aurin had reached home and opened the door, but before she could step through, something strange caught her eye: hovering near a large flower was a humming bird, it’s wings unmoving, unchanged by the flow of time.

           Puzzled Aurin stared at the bird for a moment, then shook her head absently and walked into the small, three room cottage she called home, glancing into her fathers room for a moment. Almost frozen in amazement, she stopped in shock when she saw her father standing in mid-stretch, his body as well seemingly untouched by the flow of time.

           Puzzled still, the young vixen decided not to linger, as she made haste to her room, slinking through her partially open door into the dreary sanctum she so often hid herself away in; and in the moment her door was shut, a voice rang out from a awkwardly dark corner of the room.

“So, you are the cause of the halt, are you not?” said the voice, calm, almost emotionless as it spoke.

           Whirling around, Aurin glanced about, trying to find the voices owner, but to no avail, then, still somewhat shaken, she nodded, trying to steady her breath.

“You are very young,” The voice said again as a pair of crimson eyes opened, shimmering in the darkness of the shadows. “How could one so fragile as a child, accomplish such a task?”

           Sliding down the wood of her door, bringing her knees to her chest as she sat on the ground, Aurin began to speak in a voice touched by fear and confusion: “I do not know.”

“Art thou a demon?” asked the voice, the eyes flickering like flames kissed by a gentle wind.

“No, I am no demon..” Aurin said, unsure of even her own words as she looked down at her wounds, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

“Aye, then one as gifted as thee,” Spoke the voice, calm and nearly void, echoing softly from the walls. “Must certainly be an Angel sent by the gods.”

           Cheeks burning a soft pink now, Aurin shook her head and spoke again. “I am not an Angel, nor a demon, nor can I explain what--”

Stopping in mid sentence, Aurin jumped slightly, feeling a cold hand caress her arm, and equally chill lips graze across her brow.

“You need not speak child.” spoke the voice again, a somewhat sinister chuckle woven into the words. “We both shall know.. In time.”

           With that the eyes vanished, and from the darkness sprung a wraith, dark and twisted the figure flew, hurling through the door just above Aurin’s head and then, with a rush of warmth, everything was seemingly back to normal, the sound of birds outside the window, the light of the rising sun just now beginning to beam through the glass. All was perfect until the sound of scream echoed through every splinter of the wooden cottage.

           Scrambling to her feet, Aurin threw open her door and ran to her fathers room, only to behold the sickening scene of the Wraith, a bloody, clawed hand clasping the still beating heart of her father. Blood covered the walls of the room where her father once had lain and on the bed rest now nothing more than a bloody heap of flesh, fur and bone. Turning to her the Wraith grinned, crushing the heart in his hand with a sickening popping sound and spoke, his tone emotionless and void.

“Aurin, know the pain you feel this day and let it guide you to lord Krechek’s throne.”

And with these words, the wraith vanished, leaving behind the bloody corpse of a man who had been a once loving and devoted father, and a child struck by sorrow.

           Alone, the young vixen walked from the place she’d for so very long called home, turning only for a moment to glance through the door at darkness which writhed within. Something gripped her now, wether it be the sorrow of losing her father, or the rage that consumes the wayward, but still it held her in it’s cold embrace; she wanted revenge.

           Walking through the streets of town, remembering how very many times her and her father had walked them together, Aurin began to cry, tears of sorrow, and of pain rolling down her cheeks, dripping from her chin as she walked, head tilted down. She felt the eyes of hundreds upon her, the eyes of the villagers, and though caring and worried, to her their gaze only felt more a burden as their eyes fell upon the young vixen.

           On the outskirts of town the Vixen stood looking out at the fields and the river beyond and let out a long sigh, then near jumped from her skin when she felt a soft paw, like velvet, set over her shoulder.

           Whipping around Aurin snapped her gaze upon a somewhat tall male fox, his head-fur draped down to his mid-back, fading from red, to black, to white, as if it had never once been cut in his life. He wore armor of black mithril, a Griffon skull covering his left arm, and a black cape of a fine velvet, lined with red silk on the inside.

           Stunned the vixen simply stood there for a moment, then averted her eyes as she felt her cheeks beginning to burn.

“Who are you?” Asked the vixen, a shy, though rather calm tone to her tone as she stood looking to the ground.

“My name is Xavier,” Said the man in a deep though soft voice, smiling slightly. “And I’ve watched you Aurin.”

“You have?” Aurin said quickly, gripping a knife she had stored in the back of here belt.

“Aye. I wish to come with you.” Xavier said with a nod, somewhat chuckling as he spoke in the same calm tone. “And ye needn’t draw a weapon, I am not here to harm you.”

           Folding her ears back, Aurin lunged at the man, her knife held perfectly with a dull edge to her arm, razor edge flying at Xavier’s throat. “Liar!!”

Quick as a flash, Xavier had drawn his own blade with one hand, a massive long-sword of black metal collided with the knife, a smile spreading across Xavier’s muzzle.

“You are good..” Xavier says with a smile, leaning over the blades as he held her knife at bay. “You have skill enough to match your beauty it seems.”

“I’ll kill you demon!” Snapped Aurin, jumping back, lunging again with her knife in position to take a bite out of Xavier’s ribs.

           Letting out a soft sigh, Xavier stepped to one side, evading the girl’s reckless attack, then in the same motion, dropped to the ground and swung both legs out, balancing on one paw, wrenching the vixen’s feet from under her as she stood.

“First,” Said Xaiver, his blade coming to Aurin’s throat as he rose to his feet in near the same motion as his strike. “Know that I am no demon. Second know that I don’t wish to fight--”

“You Lie!” Snapped Aurin again, cutting Xavier off in his words before he could finish his sentence.

           Annoyed now, Xavier knelt down, casting his blade into the earth beside Aurin and kissed her, his eyes closing tight as a sudden rush of pain surged through him. Eyes wide, Aurin la stunned as Xavier kissed her and feeling his blood rushing over her paw, confusion setting in more than ever before.

           Drawing back from the kiss with a smile, Xavier chuckled weakly, Aurin’s knife still stuck into his stomach as he spoke, his voice more calm than ever now. “There, would a.. demon.. have.. done.. that?”

With those few words, blood began to spill forth from his lips and Xavier fell to his side, his eyes closed as one paw gripped the knife.