Khan
Legacy Name: Khan Raventhorn

Chrys and Khan

As Chrysariel walked through her private living room in her castle, she made a gesture and the dim glows did not automatically brighten. She was a full High Elf and did not need the light, and also saw no reason to disturb Khan. She grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table and grinned. Khan was asleep on his rug, all four enormous paws in the air. His white fur that started under his chin and continued down the underside of his tail shone, while the orange and black faded into the shadows. He had his own rooms of course, but sometimes preferred this rug by the fireplace.

Thank Heavens his minion Kajit the Jakyl was nowhere in sight. He had a good heart but his love for mischief got him in more trouble than he was worth. Although that is what he and Khan had in common. Chrys had been more than a little shocked when Khan came home with Kajit several years ago. Usually he had no use for any canine, except the wolves on her lands that she protected. But in the Jakyl's case he made an exception. Chrys trusted Khan's judgment, for he was rarely wrong. She also made it quite clear that Kajit was his responsibility and was never to even TRY to enter any of her five labs.

Chrys stopped the urge to go pet Khan's belly with difficulty and continued through the secret door to her practice area. A quiet 'snick' was all that could be heard as the heavy Dwarven made steel door closed behind her. The veneer of dark wood paneling on the outside merged seamlessly with the living room wall and unless you were family you were none the wiser.

Raventhorn Keep had been positioned perfectly in the eastern range of the Silmaryn Mountains for the amazing views. Rugged snow capped peaks and wild tall timbered high forest surrounded it. Below was the lower forest, big Namárië (Farewell) Lake, usually with many boats with multi-colored sails upon it, and the great Songstair River. On the eastern side the mountains gradually became rolling hills, and if it was clear some of the breathtaking coastline miles away could be seen as well. Scattered about were several villages, both Elven and human, farmer's fields, orchards of fruit trees, and three large vineyards that shared the landscape. The castle itself was beautiful, with its graceful spires and towers reaching for the sky. The Elven design was light and ethereal, though its beauty was matched with great strength. Extensive castle gardens on two sides added another idyllic touch. No matter how far Chrys and Khan traveled or how many wonders they were privileged to see, Raventhorn Keep was home. Their hearts always lightened at the sight of it.

Khan was dreaming he and Chrys had gone to the lower forest far down below from their mountain home as they often did. She gathered plants and various components for her magic and alchemy as usual, and his nose twitched as he caught the scent of a deer that was too close and would soon be his dinner. As he tracked her, he moved silently and gracefully despite his massive bulk, and glided through the forest unseen and unheard. Just as his powerful jaws closed on the neck of his victim and her blood flowed, the scene disintegrated like smoke and he was awake. Growling, he opened his striking blue eyes and rolled over.

"I hate that! Couldn't even let me eat. Humpf." Khan yawned. Huge mouth, huge teeth. Then he got up and went in search of the breakfast he knew would be quickly forthcoming, his mood brightening with every step.

Khan loved the lower forest, and hunted there often, even though the heat and humidity when it was summer almost diametrically opposed the snow and the clear mountain air of the heights his species was created for. He was a huge variant of a Siberian Tiger. His ancestors had been genetically altered and then bred to produce Familiar quality intelligent animals. He was massive - weighing nearly a thousand pounds. He was close to four and a half feet at the shoulder and his body was six feet long, without the three and a half foot tail. Khan wore a collar hidden in his fur from which hung what appeared to be beautiful charms. They were not. They were magic items keyed only to him, and included protection, teleportation, invisibility, shield, and clean. He was psionic with innate gifts, which included control of fire. When he called it forth, his normal black stripes disappeared and flames in beautiful patterns replaced them. Sometimes Chrys said he was a serious pain in the butt. However, he was her Familiar, although he claimed the opposite was true, and her best friend. She loved him intensely, and he loved her just as much.

Chrys began her daily routine of tai chi followed by her weapons practice. She had been called Hóng Yú, or Stingray, by her Chinese Master Tao Chiang as a child and his student, when she developed her own fighting style. She had proven her knowledge and expertise with the traditional way of life and combat, and had shown that she was gifted. Despite the others who considered her an anathema for straying from the Teachings, he said there were many ways of fighting that had branched from the traditional, and these were accepted. Hers was simply an extension as well. Chrys' style of fighting would be known from then on in honor of the stingray, and named for her, for the effortless yet efficient gliding motions of attack and defense with the single stinging strike of death in the end.

Through the centuries she had learned many other techniques and incorporated those in her repertoire as well, becoming the highest paid and most successful assassin on her home world. She had centuries since retired from that, but kept up her skill and speed with practice. Chrys had been taught by five Masters in different disciplines the art of both death and life - for each was not whole without the other. From one her deadly psionic abilities had been honed to surgical precision and her natural mindshield, already nearly impenetrable, had been bolstered with ever increasing ability so that now only a God or someone with God-like power had a chance to breach it. Though the education was very hard, and often treacherous, the rewards were great.

She became a Master in several categories herself. They included Chinese martial arts, Psionics, Magic, Sagecraft, and Alchemy, specializing in Dragon Breath Weapons, and in general of Poisons, Toxins, and Venoms. She practiced her skills on a regular basis, and her brilliant mind was ever seeking new challenges and knowledge. Many knew she was a Countess on two worlds, but only a few knew she was also a planetary guardian for one of them, Tiika (pronounced ty-e-ka), and even fewer knew of her assassin past. Aspects of the darkness were still a part of her, and would always be, but through the centuries she gradually also discovered that love could fill the terrible void within. Though there was pain and sometimes the price to be paid was dire, having that love was worth it. It was Khan that began her voyage to the light. It was also he who kept her sane after her first husband died, and then the second. It was still Khan (and her beloved Marius, her five children, their spouses, and three grandchildren) that today filled her heart with joy.

Chrys grinned as she remembered Khan as a cub in Elchrys' compound and how he had rolled and played with the other cubs, and how she had laughed at his antics. Something indefinable had drawn her to him the most. Later when Khan grew from a kitten to a two year old, and no longer needed his mother to teach him, it was then that Chrys had cast her spell to call a Familiar, and he had chosen to answer that call. They had forged a bond for life, enthusiastically, and wholeheartedly. Neither knew at that time that soon it would be their immortal life.

Chrys' beautiful hazel eyes glittered with a brief glimmer of cold dangerous intent and no remorse whatsoever, as she recalled some of the fools in the past that cast any slur, or especially threat, upon Khan. In the beginning their demise had been far too swift and thus satisfying for the moment, but also too risky. Over the years however she had learned the value of patience. It was far better to use such unenlightened and boorish sots in her experiments or as a means to an end in her business. There was no reason not to take advantage and accomplish two or more things from the same incident. Chrys was nothing if not pragmatic. The fact that they might finally receive their penalty up to a year later and had forgotten their offense meant nothing to Chrys. She never forgot nor forgave threats to her family, and Khan was certainly a member. The opposite was also true. Chrysariel quite freely, though often quietly and sometimes even secretly, rewarded those that treated Khan well or those he simply liked.

When Khan finished the gigantic and quite satisfying breakfast that Esselle, Chrys' chef, had prepared, he went in search of Chrys. He didn't have to look very hard. He knew where she was and teleported into the practice area, safely to the side. He had long ago learned the hard way not to do otherwise. He sat down on his haunches as he watched her movements, admiring the fluid grace of her acrobatics as she whirled and turned, somersaulting or spinning into the air, then landing only to glide into another position. It was no wonder she was such an amazing dancer. He had learned some of her movements and used them well, but most were beyond his ability. That was okay with him. She couldn't do some of the things he could either. But together they were lethal.

Chrys finished her flowing movement to a natural stop, and placed her sword back upon its stand amidst all the other weapons in her collection. She smiled at Khan and barely had to bend as she threw her arms around his massive neck, fingertips barely touching, and leaned into the warmth of his fur. They shared a rapid private psionic exchange of kaleidoscopic images, thoughts, and emotions, and the diverse but intense sensory signatures that went with each of them. To nearly anyone else it would have been a terrifying gut wrenching barrage on their mind, but for these two it was comforting. As Chrys rose, she trailed her fingers through Khan's silky fur making the contact last as long as possible. He rumbled, his version of a purr, and rubbed against her, nearly knocking her down. Then he psionically spoke to her.

"What trouble are we getting into today?" Khan looked up at Chrys with that special tiger grin that only he could manage. "Yesterday boring!"

Chrys laughed. "I'll have to fix that..."

Credits

Profile Code by: Ringo
Edited by: Chrysariel
Story by: Chrysariel
Overlay by: Maximoff
Backgrounds by: wallpapercave.com
Animated Fire by: giphy.com
Name Art by: Iratze