Love Through The Dark

The Heart of Aries

Jundiin stared into the creatures small round black eyes its putrid breath infiltrated her nose with the foulness of smells. Stepping back it was clear the creature was a sheep more accurately a ram with its large horns curled into a sharp point. Its wool looked soft enough but this sheep was unusual. The sheep was suspended four to five in the air with a long stem holding it up by its belly. The stem was a lot like an umbilical cord with its soft pink fleshy colour but much like the stem of a plant it held hints of green unfortunately making the whole thing look rotten lending to the creatures unsettling appearance yet Jundiin felt sympathy for the ram. It was angry she could understand that being suspended in the air by a stem would make her angry too.

Part of Jundiin wanted to hug the angry ram which made her feel torn. She knew why she was there she needed to take this beasts heart. She needed twelve hearts to rescue the one she loved but were they worth all this struggle. As Jundiin looked down at Ziare the woman thought to herself. Who was there when she reached the shore? They were. Who was there when she cried in her sleep? They were. Who was there when someone would make a cruel comment about the colour of her skin or when she had memories of her father? They were. Yes, she knew what she was doing was right. Jundiin could think of the act in one of two ways either it was to put the creature out of its misery or it was a beast she needed to save herself from. Looking at the angry ram Jundiin knew the answer. The woman looked down at the dagger in her belt and began walking closer to the creature. "I sympathise with your pain." Jundiin said as the rams anger slowly began subsiding. "I want to help you." With that the creature jumped from the air onto the ground causing the earth to shake beneath Jundiin's feet and causing her to stumble back in shock. "Of course, you must be able to eat somehow. You eat the grass it goes through your cord back into the ground." The ram nodded in agreement. "I will set you free." Jundiin said walking to the side of the ram.

Ziare walked over and placed his paw onto the grotesque cord chaining the creature to the ground. Jundiin knelt down and slice. The cord was cut and the ram was free. Without a second thought the ram ran towards the trees frolicking with joy. Jundiin smiled as the ram was now enjoying it's first taste of freedom. The woman waited a few hours for the ram to tire and fall asleep. As it did Jundiin snuck over to it lifted her dagger and stabbed the beast. The ram made a horrid sound but stopped as soon she held its heart within her hand. Jundiin lifted the heart to the gods and an astonishing bright light surrounded it. The heart disintegrated in the palm of Jundiin's hand and the tiny heart fragments reassembled themselves into a small silver charm in the shape of a 'V' with its top corners curved out. The charm was in the shape of the symbol for Aries and then Jundiin knew exactly what to do. Bending down to Ziare she placed the charm onto one of the twelve hooks on his collar. As soon as the charm was clipped into place it shone a bright red beam that hit Jundiin directly in the centre of her forehead. Ziare watched on in shock as two large horns began growing from either side of his humans head. Jundiin felt the heaviness on her head and though the horns did not hurt the woman she was scared by there presence. Jundiin felt the hard horns gliding her fingers along the bumpy surface. Turning her head in curiosity Jundiin saw the ram laying on the ground. It's horns were now gone. Somehow the gods had taken the sacrificed beasts horns and placed them onto Jundiin's head. Then the ram began disappearing into nothing. Like it's horns the creature had gone as if it had never existed. That made Jundiin feel down but she needed its heart and perhaps her new horns could come in use at somepoint.

It began growing dark and Jundiin decided to sleep before going to the next heart. Sleeping with horns felt bizarre but they lifted her head slightly and Jundiin could appreciate that. She couldn't stand to sleep directly against the floor. Ziare walked over to his human and climbed onto her stomach crawling into a ball. The pair slept till the sun woke them. As Ziare climbed off his humans belly he stretched out his front legs and then lifted one to clean it with his tongue. As the cat moved his paw back to the ground it knocked the Aries charm which shot out a red beam again hitting Jundiin's forehead. This knock took away the woman's horns causing her to fall to the ground hitting her head on the grass. "Ahhh" she screamed in pain "what in Gaia's name?" The woman slowly climbed up from the ground and looked over at Ziare whose eyes were wide in shock at what he had just done. "Of course" Jundiin began now sitting up stretching "Stefan said you were the holder Zi so you must not only be holding the hearts but also the abilities im assuming they will give me." The woman wasn't entirely sure she wanted the abilities that could come but she supposed if they could help her retrieve the twelve now eleven hearts then they were worth it. Jundiin stood and pulled her book and replenishing quill from her belt. Ziare jumped onto his humans shoulder. Jundiin opened the book. "Ready Zi?" The cat gave a soft "meow" and then Jundiin wrote the words 'Heart of Taurus'

Jundiin and Ziare appeared in a dark place where not even a slimmer of light was. All Jundiin could hear was her chest beating rapidly and the sound of breathing not far ahead. Jundiin and Ziare were now in the dark and they were not alone.