of light and shadows

Amara

Lighting ripped apart the sky and thunder shook its fists.Creatures hid in fear for thier lives as the rain pelted the earth.Sentinel oaks were ripped up and swelled above the banks.It was a storm sent by the gods.Valiantly,the walls of the white keep stood strong,protecting its tenants from the howling wind.The walls of the castle were black in the night,with only a few golden windows piercing the darkness.

Beyond one of thoses long windows,a child huddled beneath the warmth of a blanket.Her eyes were wide with fright,her fragile hands held tight to her blanket. With a clap of thunder,she squeaked and tugged the wool over her haed.As the thunder rumbled into silence,a deep chuckle filled the library air.The elder lifted her into the safety of his arms,set comfortably to be rocked until the storm passed.

The scent of smoke and peppermint wafted around them.He took her hand,examing the difference between the two.Hers were smooth and so small,yet to be marred by the trials of life.Wrinnkled and ugly,Marrok had seen more than his fair share of blood and battles.

He listened to the soft brathing of the toddler in his arms,almost unheared beneath the drumming of the rain.He was blessed too,he supposed for he had also saw the fruits of love and happiness.He geinned a tooothless smile at his oldest granddaughter,whose face resembled her mothers.She would be a heartbraker,he was sure with men lining up for miles.

As another flash of light streamed in from the watery windows,he wrapped the blanket tightert around Amara.He looked around the library,with its high shelves full of old tombs and hard heavy desks.With the clap of thunder,a distinct wail of a baby drifted throught the deserted halls.It was a a bad omen to be born on a stormy night,and they were not alone.Something dark walked the halls of the keep,no doubt having slunk from his prison to see the birth.He felt the weight of watching eyes from the thicker shodows,and could smell the sulfuric stenchthat accompaied the visitor.The presence seemed eager and happy.

The smell grew stronger,the hearth fire dimmer.Marrok clutched amara closer,trying to find the thrat he knew was near.Dread filled his haert as ice crept along the windows.He could not fight this enemy.

''You have no power here this night.Go back to your prison '' Marrok felt a weight leave leave his shoulder as his son brushed though the door.Power shifted,warmth flaring as the fire blazed.Marrok traced the edges of the gloomy room but the danger was gone.Readjusting Amara,he prayed she would stay asleep''So the time has come agin''.He sighed admiring the tiny bundle in his lap.He stuggled foe a change in topic,she asked foe a story earlier,most of my tales are about war,stories too dark for such innocent ears.He laghed as Amara mumbled in her sleep,burying her head in his paunch belly.She was such a spark of life,evn as the memory of danger still ligered.At least she sounded happy,he thout giving the storm another distrusting glance.

''Your mother would have known plenty of stories,''he confesssed running his calloused fingers though her hair.The strands shown in the fire light like stars,silver white and fine as down fur.The image of her young wolf form filled his mind,complete with floppy ears and wagging tail it made him laugh.

Aryn ''She has it'' as if the presence of the deman wolf wasnt proof enoght.Marrok sent a slient prayer to the gods.''are you sure'' I saw it with my own eyes''Aryn sunk into the opposie chair it faded within moments,but there was no misstake.The storm was beginning to quieten,the thunder distant now.Both men watched the flames hoping for some kind of an answer.None came ''gods help uss''Marrok whispered.The words echoed off the rafters as the grey light of dawn lightened the windows.