¬ intro

Her first coherent memory is one of steel bars that looked out on a sterile white room. Separated from her mother just hours after her birth, she knew her native forest as an intriguing mixture of scents that overwhelmed her in dreams. She'd had no time to receive her purpose as a spirit. She had barely assumed the shape of a dark wolf cub before the waiting humans struck with their nets of cruel steel.

She cowered when massive hairless paws reached for her, grabbing her by the scruff to throw her onto the surface of a stainless steel table. They used special straps to secure her body, ones that would not allow her to glide away from the metal that sapped her strength. The humans liked to brag to one another that they had perfected the art of demon capture. To them, all creatures that could not be easily classified were demons that must be tamed or destroyed.

Her snout opened in a soundless cry as they injected her with liquid fire. These men of science had cut out her tongue, joking that if she was truly immortal she could grow a new one but they would enjoy a few days of quiet.

They had taken away her home before she could learn her purpose. They had taken her voice before she could master it. The one thing they could never take was her dream of escape. She would lie awake for long hours while the night custodian polished the floor in the waiting room above. On her last night as a captive she could make out the melody of the upbeat salsa song playing on his portable radio. She let her eyes droop shut, flicking them open as brilliant light filled the room.

One spirit can always sense the presence of another, even if the two have never met before. The wolf spirit before her was magnificent, his silver coat throwing the lab equipment around him into sharp relief.

"I have been searching for you for many weeks, Valdis. My name is Glamron, the spirit of life. The humans mask your presence with their stinking chemicals but it is their nature to grow careless with time. There is great need for you in fey forest. You must take your place as spirit of fate."

She opened her mouth to utter a cry of joy but not even the strength of her emotions could give her a voice. Glamron snarled when he saw what had been done to her. The power of his fury melted the lock from the door of her cage and she was free.

He acted as guide through the confusing maze of city streets. They both picked up their pace as the first line of trees came into sight.

He halted her at the edge of a pond teeming with life. Four young rabbits frolicked in a patch of clover. Glamron indicated them with his nose.

"Do you see the difference between them?"

She nodded. Three of the rabbits were ringed with an aura of soft light while the fourth had no light. As she watched, a feral cat sprang from his place of concealment, making a swift kill in his eagerness to feast. The three not fated to die scrambled for the safety of their mother's burrow.

"I will be watching over you, Valdis." Glamron faded and vanished.

• butterfly •

Wilson Mortiker didn't usually spend much time in the local forest. As the city's most renowned butterfly expert, he was constantly seeking new specimens on tropical islands or in the secluded caves of mountain valleys. That all changed when he got word that a Luminous Blue Wide-Wing had been spotted three scant miles from his own backyard.

Valdis watched the tall man as he separated the fronds of a fern with careful fingers. She nearly broke her cover at the sight of a hateful white coat but the man's light was only flickering. She could not act until the light went out.

She did not have long to wait. She closed her eyes, letting her thoughts take the form of a sprite with wide butterfly wings. Her creation teased the man with a flash of blue in the undergrowth. He uttered an exclamation; sure he had found his treasure at last.

He was mesmerized when the enormous butterfly came to hover a few inches before his nose. When it flew forward he followed, leaving his camping gear and net in the dirt. If he'd had sense enough to look around he might have noticed the large black wolf gliding at his side.

The vision vanished as he trembled on the cliff's edge. He flailed his arms uselessly as he pitched forward. No human ear ever heard his screams. The last sight he saw was a dog-like shadow that observed his fall without a hint of pity. Its eyes were the blue of the ill-fated butterfly.

» snake

Viola Johnson could not go a full week without a pedicure. Her favorite way to see the natural wonders of the world was on the flat screen in the penthouse she shared with her husband. She complained and pleaded with Scott to change his mind when he announced they were going camping. Most of the time he was a dear, but when he got to missing his childhood on the farm too much, he could be quite impossible to reason with.

She sat huddled in a folding chair, glaring at the noisy pair of squirrels that had cost her three hours of sleep. She would develop wrinkles for sure. The coffee Scott offered her tasted horrible and she had a nagging headache that would not go away.

Scott slung an arm around her shoulders as he watched the sun rise. "Look at those colors, Honey. Have you ever seen a more beautiful sight?"

The Jacuzzi on the deck at home came to mind. "Could you get me my hand lotion, sweetie? I think I put it in the pink case."

He sighed. "Yes, dear."

He liked to complain that she packed enough cosmetics to open a beauty parlor. She actually had eight lotions which would stump him for a while. She needed that time to privately mourn her separation from the civilized world.

What she loved most about the city was how the lights never completely went out.

There was a light, a hazy blue glow in the distance. It was probably from a gas station but they would have running water and a flush toilet. She left her husband muttering over the wrong case as she tried to determine the source.

Her salvation was just over a rocky ledge about twelve feet high. Novice climbers came here often in cool weather. She never noticed the warning sign for rattlers as she assessed the pocked rock face.

She looked down at the ugly brown boots Scott had insisted she bring. She felt a pang of guilt at leaving him without mentioning where she was going. It wasn't enough to let her risk being beat into the bathroom by some nasty trucker's wife.

She could do this. She could be Tarzan's mate for five minutes in exchange for the sweet relief of air conditioning.

The footholds proved easy to find. One hand was on the top of the ledge when she stuck her fingers into the wrong slot. Stabbing pain sent her falling with a gasp of surprise. As she fell she understood the buzz she'd been hearing had not come from a welcoming neon sign.

She tried to scream when the solemn black wolf came to stand over her. The creature glowed blue around the edges, white fangs just inches from her face. The stabbing pain in her back was nothing next to the searing pain moving up her arm. The venom did its deadly work while Valdis looked on.

bear †”

Valdis always avoided the notice of those humans with a strong glow until the day a boy went seeking her.

Tommy Simson was only seven but already his desire for adventure was strong enough to get him in trouble on a daily basis. There was no punishment his parents could come up with that would keep him out of the woods behind his house.

He spotted Valdis at a distance as she was luring an old fox to the trap meant for him. The boy gasped as the fox snarled his rage, biting futilely at the steel on his leg. The gorgeous wolf reminded him of his husky, Snowshoe. He ran to catch up with her, curious to find out if wolf fur and dog fur were equally soft.

Valdis knew she had a follower. The boy's glow was strong and healthy. She could lose him easily but she feared he would return to the human pack to tell them about the glowing wolf. She shuddered as a holly branch brushed her flank, feeling again the stab of needles.

The boy used a log to cross a shallow stream, balancing carefully in his bright red sneakers. She knew of the old cave at the edge of the stream, the one inhabited by an irritable old grizzly. She would not lure the boy, but she certainly would not step in to rescue this miniature tormentor.

A small spirit in the shape of a bird darted out of the bushes. Her name was Raina and she was the spirit of health for this particular stream. She flew around the boy's head, chattering a warning. Tommy froze at the sound of a grunt. The bear's senses were dulled with age. He poked his head out to sniff the air but could only smell the fish he'd stashed the previous day. He fell to eating his catch as the boy slowly backed away.

Raina landed on the boy's outstretched finger, singing a little tune to lead him in the right direction. Valdis stood frozen at the edge of the stream. She had almost gone against her own purpose! She did not hear Raina's chiding when the small spirit returned to scold her, accusing her of abusing her power and letting her dislike of humans cloud her judgment.

How could she defend herself? In her mind she cried for Glamron, needing reassurance and respite from her accuser. For a moment his warm presence surrounded them both. Raina ceased to scold though she was clearly unhappy.

Valdis ran for the heart of the forest, allowing the cool breeze to calm her nerves.

–end –

The next day she came to a sickly elk, leading him to a berry bush that would ease his passing.

A call stronger than any she had ever felt sounded in her mind. She ran for the edge of the forest, her muzzle raised in a silent howl.

The distant human city glowed with the ferocity of fires that would not be extinguished for years. A great column of toxic smoke billowed higher than the tallest skyscraper. She could sense the life lights being extinguished in droves. She turned her back on the sight. She cared only for the lives contained within the borders of her forest. Let the humans suffer the fate they had brought upon themselves.

Story by Pureflower

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♥ by User not found: vicious