Chapter Twelve – Nature's Power

Chapter Twelve – Nature's Power

The rain was beginning to pick up and the air was starting to get colder. I had been standing at the temples entrance for almost an hour and still no sign of Saeron.
I was beginning to get worried until I saw his dark fur pop out of the forest. He began walked towards the temple then stopped, gazing up a me as though he had been caught. I was about to call him to me when I saw the look in his eyes. Though the rain was thick and fog was beginning to form I could clearly see the pools of his blue eyes filled with sadness far worst than I had ever known.
He quickly turned away from my gaze and ran into the jungle, not even taking a second glance as I stretched out my arm toward him. He was still afraid. He didn't want to hurt me.
I slumped down on the floor and buried my face in my knees. I didn't know if I should go after him or not. I wanted to help him, but did I actually have the power to do it?
I looked up, wiping my tears, and saw the statues before me. They had always reminded me of when I first came to the temple, their faces so scary looking, and yet now so familiar. I got up and peer at the front end of the statue. A gasp left my lips unintentionally. I had never realized it before, but the statues resembled Saeron in his dark form. Every detail was exact, or at least it appeared to be from what I could see behind the growth of ivy. The living Earth would always prevail over anything that stood in its way. If only I knew the secrets to using its power to my advantage. Well...I did, but I didn't know personally. But, perhaps natures powers shouldn't be known, after all its all instinct.
Instinct!
That how the Silvani must use their powers!

I found the hood on my jacket and gently slipped it over my head. The hood wouldn't matter in this much rain, but anything was better than nothing. At least I was wearing something other than a gown for a change.
My feet carried me threw the forest in a dazed rush. Where was I even going? And would I ever find him? These were questions that continued buzzing through my head, but never seemed to really get to me. I didn't care if I got lost, I'd scour the Earth until I found and perhaps even die trying. I was hoping I'd find him first though. Dying was really a bad option for me.

I couldn't believe how much jungle I had to go through, and how much fog was everywhere. I was feeling exhausted and decided to take a rest when the fog got even thicker. I got up as soon as I had mustered enough strength and beginning look for a way through the fog and rain. I wasn't sure which way to go now. I flung my head this way and that, but each direction looked the same to me. Suddenly I began to hear voices. I figured I was just dazed and hallucinating so I ignored them. But a few minutes later the voices returned. I couldn't get rid of them this time so I decided to listen.
The voices were very faint at first and I couldn't make out the words, but something inside me told me to follow their sound. I head in their direction and the voices became louder. I was beginning to get excited, hoping the voices would lead me to Saeron.
The voices continued to get louder, which was a big help over the roaring rain and I begin to feel like I truly was going the right direction. Of course I couldn't really tell either way, the fog was just too think. I could barely make out the tree in front of me. Not only that, but I was starting to get tired of the rain. I wished it would stop so that the fog would clear and I could see better.

Suddenly, without warning, the rain stopped. Not even a drop fell and the sun no showed itself faintly through the trees. Had I done that? Had I actually wished the rain away? I continued walking toward the voices, the fog still heavy, but clearing. But I couldn't get the rain stopping out of my head. Perhaps I could it out again. I really didn't want it to rain, but I wanted to see if I really did have powers. So I wished for it to rain. I waited patiently, but nothing happened. I sighed. Maybe I didn't do it after all. Or maybe I wasn't really a Silvani. No. I looked down at my shirt as I began lifting it up to reveal my markings. I was a Silvani, but perhaps my skills only worked sometimes. I gulped. That scared me more than anything; for my powers not to work.
I hurried toward the voices, the fog getting thinner and thinner by the minute. Soon I could see more than a hundred feet in front of me. I was coming up the hill when I realized where I was. The meadow I had come to a few times was there before me. The fog was nearly gone here and the voices had stopped. I walked slowly among the grass, careful not to make a sudden movement in such a wide, open area where creatures could easily prey on me.
I caught a glimpse of something and it made me stop dead in my tracks. Lying on few hundred feet away from me, beaten and lifeless, was Saeron.
I ran to him and threw my face down on his neck. Was he dead?!
“Saeron, get up sweetie!” I yelled frantically. “Get up! What's wrong with you?” I wasn't getting a response so I felt around for his pulse. I grabbed his paw and squeezed it in hope that I'd find a throbbing beat. Luckily his heart was still beating, but he still hadn't woken up. What was wrong with him? Who had did this to him?
“Saeron! Get up!” I screamed through tears. My face fell to his backside and my words came out muffled. “Wake up! Please!” I sobbed in his fur until I had to come up for air. I looked at his beaten up body. Had he been attacked by something? He had been fine that morning when he fought the tiger in the forest, had something else found him when he left?
A loud roar made me jump and apparently awoke Saeron as well. His body began to move and his eyes flickered open to small slits. I would have hugged him, I was so overjoyed he was okay, but the roar came once again only this time it was closer. I turn my head to see the familiar form standing only a few hundred feet away from me. I nearly lost all hope when it's yellow eyes met mine, but I knew I couldn't let Saeron down, even if it meant I was going to die trying.

I stood up cautiously, eying the beast as it licked its chops and gazed at my intently. What was I going to do, fight it some how? And how had it escaped from Saeron's body in physical form?
“Dante what are you doing?” Saeron's voice was weak, but concerned. “That thing will kill you. Get out of here!”
“No, I can't just leave you here like this,” I protested. I looked back and saw the worry in Saeron's eyes. He must have really cared about me more than I thought. “I'm going to get rid of this curse.”
“What are you thinking?! I can't fight that thing, let alone you! He's gotten lose from me! He's tired of waiting to eat! He's hungry and he want you now get out now!!!”
“No! I'm going to save you!” As I said this the beast began to run itself toward me. I kept still hoping with every fiber of my being that I would live.
“Dante! No!” I heard his screams as the beast flew into me. Suddenly everything began to move slowly. Light began to beam from my body as though it was trying to escape and strangely began to coil itself within the beast, going in and out of it body, weaving this way and that, almost as though the light beams were vines intruding their way into wherever they could. I felt my body begin to absorb the vine-like beams, each one going in without even so much as a tickle, bring in the beast with them down into the depths of my body, down into the core of my soul. When the beams were gone and the beast locked away everything turned back to normal.
I fell to the ground exhausted, my eyes barely able to stay open as watched Saeron nudge me onto his back without turning into his dark form. I had really done it. I had saved him from the curse that had haunted him for so many years.
I smiled. I could relax now. The tension between us was gone and only happy days lay ahead of us.