A Tale of Three

Chapter 10: Belief

Cyrene took the last bite of the old stag. The meat was stringy and dry in her mouth, but she didn't care. Omnes had been one of the three chosen to travel to Anglo, and had left her about twenty spells to learn while she was gone. After spending the whole afternoon studying, then dragging her food to the Sky Fang, Cyrene decided she deserved at least one complete meal.

"Cyrene, Jade is about to start the show. Do you want to watch it or not?" Fida called from behind her.

"Yes!" Cyrene yelled back, pushing the chunk she had torn off down her throat. She spun around to join Fida in the growing group of felines around the Sky Fang. Assortments of wildcats clumped together at the bottom of the hill. They murmured to each other in whispers, occasionally looking up to the leopardess sitting above them all.

As Cyrene ran to meet Fida, she got a closer look at the entertainment.

The leopardess wasn't much to look at in basics. Her fur was shiny, but it didn't shimmer. Her eyes were a minty green, but they didn't glimmer as she moved. It was her tattoos that made her stand out. White tattoos swirled around her entire body, wrapping her like a cocoon. They were so close and many that they started to blur together into one massive white shape. If the leopardess kept up at that rate she'd soon look like Cyrene.

"What are you doing?" Fida asked, hitting Cyrene's shoulder. Cyrene shrugged and dropped her gaze.

Cyrene complained about all the work she had to do as she waited for the show to begin. The other small talk around her was quick and hushed. Voices stopped every time Jade looked as if she was about to speak.

"She's starting." Fida nudged Cyrene, interrupting the story she clearly wasn't listening to.

Looking up, Cyrene saw a giant cloud of smoke in the place of the leopardess. The sky filled with cheers as the smoke cleared to reveal a giant serpent.

"I hope you enjoy," Jade hissed. She slowly curved her serpentine head around so that it was a few inches from the crowd.

Her eyes could hardly keep up as Jade melted into creature after creature. For a second Cyrene glimpsed at a large bear, but a half second later a wisp of smoke had replaced it with a falcon. She felt her jaw drop as the smoke around Jade began to let out sparks. As Jade transitioned in a new shape, sparks of color shot out around her. Jade's magic became a vivid display of color, only dulled by the black fog that appeared every time she shifted. Cyrene's eyes widened in wonder at the speed on the changes. One day she would be able to do that too and she would make sure of it.

"Everyone thinks Jade will be the one to replace Lili as leader," Fida whispered as the audience cheered. Cyrene quickly lowered her ears.

"What?"

"You didn't think this was just a show, did you? It's a rally. Jade's trying to show how talented she is. You've been too busy doing the work Omnes left to see the uproar Lili has caused."

Cyrene was about to question her further when a loud noise shook the sky. Looking upward, she saw Jade standing triumphantly above everyone. She had turned back to a leopardess.

"I hope you enjoyed my performance. I bet you have never seen Lili do things like this before." Her comment caused a laugh from the audience. "As you know this wasn't just a chance for me to show off, as much as I would have loved that. I am here to unite us over a cause. We've all heard of Lili's decision to stay out of Anglo's affairs. However, without our help, Anglo, and all of Atra, could be destroyed. We can't let that happen."

Cyrene felt her ears ring as everyone cheered.

"How can Lili not hear this?" She bumped into Fida, trying to get her attention. The leopardess turned and Cyrene repeated her question.