My Darkness and My Light (Little Star)

Chapter Five: My Army

The next couple of weeks stretched into a month and after I told Halsin I wanted him to stay with me, he didn't bring up camp again. I knew he was in contact with them, as birds would come looking to chat every few days, but we never discussed it. We spent about fifty percent of our time in beast form; hunting, splashing in the mountain streams, and napping in the sun. The other half of our time was spent honing and practicing my magic. I had magic in me that was even beyond Halsin's reach. Sometimes the things summoned up when practicing seemed to set him on edge but he was always a gentle teacher. It was one evening that we were sitting around a fire in a companionable quiet that a bird flew to the edge of the clearing and Halsin got up to go great it. When he returned to the fireside, his face was grave. "Kitten, I need to ask something of you, to beg something of you." He saw the fear flash in my eyes and knelt in front of me gathering my hands in his and pulling them to his heart." The realm is in a world ending danger right now that we've been fighting against and I have to go. But my power is child's play compared to what is living inside you. This moment may be why Silvanus allowed you to take so deeply of his power. I need you. Our group needs you if we're to be given the best chance of success. I can't begin to promise success or safety, but if we fail, this plane of existence falls to evil. I will promise to protect you with everything I have and everything that I am. I need you." He begged as his eyes met mine, and so much love poured from him as he pulled me into his arms. I could feel he was near frantic but still putting my needs and feelings first, caring for me, asking me, begging me. I didn't feel fear at all, just a deep desire to say yes to him, to reciprocate his caring. "Yes. I'll come with you. I'll help you," fell from my lips as I pressed myself deeper into his chest.

In the morning we headed out in beast form moving at our fastest pace. We met up with the group on the move before nightfall. As we came over the hilltop to see tents being set up for the night, I felt a quick pang of anxiety. I was so grateful to be in my panther. I cast my eyes around and saw no sign of the pale elf. Halsin shifted and pulled on his robe before we headed into camp. He laid a hand on my panther's head and I growled deeply in appreciation, pushing my forehead into his palm. I stalked towards the fire and flopped hard onto a bedroll with a huff, eyeing my friend as he gathered around with Tav and the rest to catch up and form plans. I only caught about half of the conversation, but saw them each looking my way in turn multiple times. I heard Halsin saying "I honestly don't yet begin to know how much power she wields, but it is tremendous." Halsin strode across the camp to my side. Kitten, you up for showing the group what we've been working on? Just summon everything you've got. Let's show off a little alright?" I sat up, watching the group, my ears and tail twitching. The pale elf's face wasn't among them. I shifted, standing in my naked human form, as green light began to pour from my body falling and pooling around my feet like water. I took a step forward and the light roiled like an angry ocean pushing itself out from me. I stepped through it as it formed wild twisting vines covered in foot long thorns that pushed outward from me, consuming all the ground in the encampment, but everywhere my foot stepped was just warm green earth. Trees began to burst up through the vines, growing quickly to adulthood. As I grew nearer the group, I growled out, my voice with an edge of my panther to it, "Where is your pet monster!?" Tav replied calmly, "We thought it best if he stayed out of your way." "I WANT HIM IN MY SIGHT, NOT LURKING SOMEWHERE!" I shouted, the panther becoming more than just an edge to my voice. Far across the clearing at the edge of the forest, my eyes caught the pale form of the elf stepping from the trees. He took no steps further, but stilled and waited.

The trees around me came to life in a small army of Wood Woads. Mud mephits burst from the ground in the dozens. An entire herd of massive elk appeared from the swirling green light all round me and multiple panthers, not quite as big as mine but close, stalked among the trees. Water and fire elementals both sprung to life, the air hissing and sizzling with steam in the places where they met. I continued my slow stalk towards Tav and the group as the literal army of forest creatures continued to multiply and fill what once was the clearing, now a wood, stalking forward with me. Then Halsin was at my side, awe (and was that fear?) on his face. "Kitten, beautiful demonstration, that's enough now. Hey, are you with me? Kitten?" My eyes snapped back to his at the note of stress in his voice." His hand brushed my arm and the twisting vines at my feet ripped him back from me, bright red gashes opening everywhere they touched. He yelped and I reached for him, pulling him into my grasp. The vines disappeared back into the earth, the green light sank into the ground, disappearing. The summons popped back out of existence as one. We were left in a dark wood. Still new trees around us were the only evidence of the power that had just poured from me. Healing poured from my fingertips and the jagged lines of blood from the thorns disappeared. "I'm sorry." I murmured to my friend. "No harm, little one." He pulled me against him. "That was very impressive." I leveled a look at him. "There is so, so much more in me. I could feel it begging to be loosed." He gave me a serious smile." "Good news. We've got armies just waiting to point you at and let you walk your army of one right through them." He gave me another little squeeze. I turned to face the group visible just outside my new copse of trees. I began to step towards them when Halsin tapped my shoulder clearing his throat, a robe held in his hand. I shrugged it on and strode confidently from the trees to discuss battle plans. The group greeted me with both kindness and respect, reverence even. I sat down and was offered a plate of dinner, realizing I was truly ravenous. That much magic really worked up an appetite. My panther was going to have to hunt later to meet those needs, but I cleared my plate and then a second one. Halfway through dinner and battle talk, I started feeling a creeping unease. I shouted to the vampire leaning against a tree just in the tree line. "Come here! Sit down! Do. not. speak. to. me." Each word of that last command was spit out with as much malice packed behind it as I possessed. He obeyed without question. I was grateful for that. I would much rather have monsters at my side than at my back.

There were multiple vast armies of cultists and absoluteists between us and the next small city that had called for aid. We would spend the next week fighting our way through them. They had the numbers but little else and my small army washed over them with ease. The rest of our little mercenary band targeted and picked off stragglers and outliers as we moved forward. Every night my panther hunted and spent most of the night gorging on big game. By day we fought. There was precious little rest, and by the time we cleared a path to the city early one morning, I could feel myself summoning magic from a near empty reservoir. Thankfully, the grateful city put us up in rooms above a tavern. I found my room and immediately fell into a deep and dreamless sleep. I awoke some 12 hours later feeling hunger pangs but thankfully feeling that all my was magic once again at my disposal. I could hear the rowdy noise of tavern patrons down below and wasn't particularly looking forward to joining them. My last and only time in a bar had left quite a bitter taste in my mouth for the atmosphere. I finally decided to pull on clean robes and seek out some food that I could bring back to my room and eat.

As I descended the stairs on silent feet, tables came into view. I could see my happy band of companions at a table piled high with food and drink, the locals clearly pulling out all the stops for their heroes. I was mid turn to head in their direction when my eyes caught sight of Halsin, my sweet and closest friend, downing a very large ale in one long swig while his other arm was slung around a laughing and beautiful pale elf. My heart froze in my chest as Halsin set his empty tankard down and pulled the elf closer to him with both arms so he was half seated in his lap. Halsin crushed his lips to the upturned face of the vampire devouring his mouth in a wild kiss. The pale elf returned his kiss with abandon, knotting an ivory hand into the larger man's hair to pull his kiss in deeper. I turned on my heel and fled the tavern into the night. I'd leave the city and let my panther hunt tonight. Tears burned down my face. My emotions roiling, what was this? Halsin didn't belong to me. I had never even kissed him, though I had often thought about it. But how could a man I had placed so much trust in take such a monster as a lover? I needed to sort my feelings out. I needed to hunt. I needed to feed. As I rounded a blind corner, I ran straight into the chest of a man and started to stutter out an apology when a bag went over my head and a metal collar snapped in place around my neck, I felt ropes twining around my body. I reached for my magic and came up with nothing. There was no call from within me. It was as if it had never been there. "I think we'll find you much easier to get along with like this," came a voice dripping malice, and I was roughly dragged through the streets feeling the roads turning, and trying to orient myself but failing. We ended up in a basement somewhere, I felt certain still within the city walls. I kept trying, reaching, crying, and scrambling for my magic but I was as helpless as the farm girl I once was.