Fire crackled in a stone fireplace, its glow warming the cool room as the heavy oak door leading inwards lurched open, pushed so by the gentle hand of a youthful female. Her ruby robes trimmed in gold shone softly as she glided in, an ancient rune etched over her left features. Piercings ran the length of her ears, ancient symbols of peace, love, nature, and Balance dangling from slightly pointed ears. Her full lips pursed as her warm golden brown eyes drifted to the rich oak writing desk facing the fire. Moving of their own will, her feet drew her forward to the chair in front of the desk, so the firelight sparked golden in her eyes. Her deft fingers caught up the tender white quill from its inkpot, smoothing a clean parchment across the desk's writing service. The wise gaze of her eyes turned to the center of the flickering fire, the dancing flames pulling her in, like the ebb of a tide. Her sight dimmed as her quill stood poised, and visions began to swirl before her deep eyes, moving her pen upon the paper to scribe the sights visiting her, plucking their colors and specialties, weaving the threads into tapestry of the heart, soul and scroll, the art of the mind....

First to enliven her thoughts came a vision of emerald... lush foliage twisting its way towards brilliant sunshine. But off in the distance - and approaching closer - were footsteps.. soft, but still there. The lady's eyes focused on her paper, the quill twitching as she lowered it, words beginning to take form on the paper as she tranced..

Slender, agile hands parted the lush foliage of the rainforest as a green-haired beauty peered through, her elfin-like features rapt as she watched the team of humans spreading nets over the ground. Her emerald eyes narrowed in confusion as she continued to observe. The scientists looked upwards, having secured the final net and waved, sliding down masks over their faces. From overhead came the scratching sound of shaking branches, and then, closer by, the soft impact of tiny objects hitting the ground. The girl, a nymph, looked closer. Insects! Insects by the thousands were raining down from above, scattering onto the mesh nets of the humans. Then came the hissing noise, a horrible, metallic sound from where the scientists stood. They stepped forward, spreading a fine mist over the insects within the nets, almost blandly, chatting to each other as they did. Gasping, the nymph clamped her hands over her ears in a desperate attempt to block out the screams of the writhing insects, their cries horrible noises that tore at her heart as the insects died.

~My friends!~ She cried mutely, having no tongue or need to speak as the humans did, caring only for nature. ~My brethen!~ Her feet started forward, but held back as the poison fanned towards her. ~KIN!~

~Hold fast, larger Sister. Our death should not be yours. What be your Name, O Revered Friend?~ The insects' minds reached out to her pain.

~I be Lydia Earth-born~ Tears welled slowly in her eyes.

~Then thank thee, Lydia of Gaea's womb, for thine caring. Go in Love and Light.~ No other speaking issued forth to her ears as the screams died off, and she curled at the base of a tree, wracked with weeping.

When she raised her eyes, more horror assaulted her soul - the humans scooped the bodies of her kin into large bags, sorting them into species and genus. Why, she wondered, why had they done this? Why could they not leave their own ancestors alone to dwell in peace? Why did the humans feel nothing for the little ones' loss?

~Do you not know your Brothers when you see them?~ She thought at the scientists. ~Do you not feel their pain?~ In a rash of emotion at the sight of her friends in plastic bags, each labeled and numbered, Lydia rushed forward, pushing the humans away from them. Her fragile dragonfly wings twittered on the breeze, and her hands only reached their upper chests, but she valiantly shocked them into taking a few steps back. Grabbing the hand of the nearest one, she looked up into his hard eyes, placing the carcass of a butterfly in his palm and closing his fingers lightly over his, her hands tiny in comparison to his.

~Don't you feel its pain? Don't you know what you have done?~ Her inquiries remained unanswered as he backed away from her, fear in his eyes. he butterfly fell to the ground. Lydia reached out, unafraid, to pick it back up. One by one, she approached the masked humans, pleading, begging for an answer. After receiving the same sort of reply to her demands, she figured they could not, or would not, hear her, and she sank to her knees among the bodies that littered the ground, weeping soundlessly to human ears. Folding her hands over the butterfly's carcass, she prayed to her mother, Gaea, then slowly opened her palms. A bright blue winged butterfly fluttered forth, landing briefly among the others of its kind before flying forth out of the clearing. Lydia's eyes turned upon the humans, who watched with amazement. Shaking her head sadly, she gazed at them for a long moment, noting their strange clothing, their metal tools, and other strange devices, wondering how one could survive whilst living out of their Mother's delicate web, like a flailing moth destroys the thin web of a spider in its eagerness to be free and alone again, only heralding its own death by calling the spider's attention to it. Such was these human creatures existence, locked away within their steel walls, away from their mother's nourishment, feeding themselves on death.

~You cannot feel, because you do not know. What caused you to turn your backs so? Mother Gaea has done nothing to you... yet you hurt her in every way you can. Why?~ Knowing they had no answer, she melted back into the foliage, the insects mystically coming back to life as she passed, revived by the odd green dust sparkling from her wings as they fluttered, the vines of the forest reaching out to touch her as she re-enters the foliage, comforting their Sister as she rejoins Gaea's domain, leaving her outcast siblings behind, pity swelling briefly in her heart for them.. for they will never know that true beauty and success lay within Gaea's making...

Stretching, the lady yawned, but quickly returned to the parchment quickly. Lydia's story was sad and held a heartfelt moral... but there was still so much to be written this night. Hungrily, her pen drove onwards as a new image emerged.. of a calm field spread through with flowers and sweetgrasses.. deer grazing at the edge, where the meadow nestled against a forest.. but the vision began to narrow, and again she was drawn into the fire, passion overtaking her hand...

The wind whispered to the grass in the meadow, then whirled toward the stone that lay in the middle. Upon the blue-gray rock sat a silent man, crossed legged, and clad only in leather breeches, their looseness and fringe crinkling slightly in the breeze, and a strange piece of leather that crossed to make "X"s over his bare and bronze chest and his equally powerful back. The straps slipped up comfortably over his shoulders with bright golden buckles, enough muscles and strength rippling to draw similarities to an ox, though his fine features are serene. His eyes are closed, sandy blond hair caught back in a slim ponytail that moved slightly at the wind's approach. Murmuring again, the breeze circled him briefly, causing his eyes to open in a blaze of aqua fire. He flexed his muscles, reviving them from meditation and rumbled softly, nodding to where the wind circled the grass. It tickled his ear again, making itself known to him.

~Pisces... there is a man-thing in the forest..~ it whispered, ~it hurts Terra...~

"I will go." Pisces stood, checking the two long slender blades and gleamed silver in their sheaths at his back, then began to run swiftly then faded into being One with the wind, the only trace of his previous presence the whipping of the grass. A deer grazing at the edge of the forest raised her head and flicked an ear before returning to her grazing.

Invisible to all but the forest, Pisces' feet flew under the direction of the wind towards where the problem lay. Animals poked their heads out of their dens to watch him pass; the stag and the wolf alike both bowed to him in respect as he ran by them. The grass and small plants bent in honor as he went, the wind both preceding and succeeding him to announce his approach and departure, singing softly as it merrily led him between the trees, occasionally wrapping him around a truck, or bouncing him playfully above the treetops. Pisces did not mind altogether much; he was used to the mischievous and child-like nature of Terra's womb. But still, in urgency, he pressed the wind harder, feeling his Goddess groan in pain and woe, her very nature shuddering. Time was of the essence.

Even before he entered the area where the wind had announced that damage was being done to his Mother Goddess, Terra, he was able to hear the problem. A loud, unruly row thundered through the trees, sickening a combination of screeching music and the roar of a tree-eater, the sounds of the forest being ripped from its mother's bosom. Pisces' eyes narrowed disdainfully.

"Mortals.." he growled. "They will never learn."

Still invisible, he moved forward, leaning against the thick embrace of a tree to eye the mortal responsible. It was a youth, bobbing his head drunkenly at the jarring beat of the music, sitting atop the yellow mechanical beat that tore the trees from the ground as if he were astride a proud warstallion. Pisces rumbled again, his aqua eyes growing stormy and dark.

~Aye.. they seem to know not when to stop..~ The wind agreed, whirling about him. ~What shall we do?~

"_You_ will do nothing." Pisces' eyes sparkled momentarily with humor. "You are too unpredictable. I will suggest the mortal find something else to occupy his time."

~How?~ the wind inquired gleefully.

"You shall see, my friend."

Pisces reached behind him to pull loose his longswords, yellow energy streaming down the blades as he pointed them at the tree-eater. His eyes narrowing to slits, he braced his feet and concentrated, strengthening the energy rippling down the blades of the swords. The area around the machine began to contort, strained by a wind that lashed across the youth's face and threw him from the machine and to safety in a patch of lush plants. The machine and music maker lifted mysteriously up into the air, pushed so by the wind and spun frantically, as if whirled by an infinitely powerful source. The dull metal screamed in protest as the metal ripped from the steel frame and shattered as if made of a delicate glass and the music box exploding, silver shrapnel arcing out over the sky like millions of tiny shooting stars. The wind gracefully and obligingly caught the metal pieces and scattered them to the four corners, leaving only one solid chunk to fall with a humorously dull clunk at the youth's feet. He yelped and tore his way across the field, heading back for the metallic comfort of his city. Pisces stepped forward, drawn from exertion and kicked the metal distastefully.

"Will they never learn that ignorance breeds death? Foolish mortals." With that, he resheathed his longswords, nodding a greeting to the eagles that now circled above the treetops, hunting. "Come along, my friend.. there are still many hours left in the day.. and more such lessons for mortal men.." Pisces' feet again began to fly and as he vanished, a doe and a fawn tiptoed forth from the woods, nibbling the grass that peeked out around the large yellow piece of metal that lay on the ground, their black eyes not comprehending nor caring about where it came from or how it got there. Thus time rolled onwards....

The lady briefly glanced away at the oaken door that had led her in, her thoughts lingering only briefly on Pisces and his guardianship before she washes them away. Allowing only one yawn, she turned back to the fire, soon becoming lost in a third story, ignoring the drain on her energy, her eyes refocusing on a darkened plain, where a distant roar revealed the incoming storm, small plants wavering in the gales..

Black clouds rumbled on the horizon, causing the already drenched ground to tremble in expectation. Large drops of rain began to assault the saturated earth as a particularly large cloud drifted over the plains, under which strolled a thin shadowy figure, dressed all in black, unbothered by the rain. The zipper of his black leather jacket clinked dully with each slow step, and the rumbling thunder was his unhappy sigh as his boots moved noiselessly over the sodden turf. Blue eyes flickered from his solemn face, raven hair curling just past his collar, none of the rain seeming to touch him. His gaze turned upwards from the ground as the clouds above parted and vanished, leaving the sparse brush dripping. A golden voice touched his ear gently, concerned.

~Thalos, what plagues thee, my Child?~

Thalos sighed irritably. "I know not, Mother, only that something is missing from my life."

~Do your creations displease you?~

His eyes wandered to the foxes and other animals that scurried around, fur or scales glimmering in the new sunlight, taking advantage of the sudden cease of the rain.

"No."

~Then what?~

"I _don't_ *know*." Exasperated, he continued to walk, brooding. As he went, his hands twitched mid-air and the very threads that create existence began to weave together under his fingertips in a new pattern until the tapestry glowed brightly then *popped* into being - a silken white rose that lay uselessly in his hands. Looking at it with a deep sigh, he tossed it to the ground where his Mother took over, causing it to take root and blossom as a bush.

"I am empty. This place.. is wonderful.. but .. something is missing." Thalos' gaze wandered over the rocky mountains he had spun, to the trees that sprouted from the green earth. The thunder rumbled again and the animals near him sprinted for cover, sensing a new onslaught of rain approaching. His eyes narrowed as he plunked down on a dead tree stump nearby, lowering his chin miserably into his palm.

~Ahh.. you are lonely, my Child. You wish a companion.~

"Aye, mayhap. But what can I do about it? I am not powerful enough to weave another fully sentient being. Doing so would probably kill me, or wrack my body as it did once before. I will not go through such pain again, Mother."

~That is true enough. But if I were to hand you the key to such life, just to enlightened your Gift, it might be possible.~

"But the exhaustion, Mother?"

~I would not let harm come to thee, Child!~

Thalos sighed again. "I suppose not. How should I go about weaving?"

~Hush, and I will show you. Close your eyes, sweet Child, and let my song flow through your veins. Call forth your gift and let your heart do the rest.~

His mother's singing rose around him and he shuddered briefly. Then his eyes closed as he stretched out his hands, feeling a fire of Creation he had never felt before. His heart beat as if it would burst, taking a string of Life and starting the loom as he grimaced in strain, sensing something out there.. something he was looking for, and he reached for it, feeling himself ache softly with the yearning. Still reaching, he felt the exhaustion of creation nearly overwhelming him, even with his Mother's essence roiling through him like thunder, but he knew the weaving was not yet complete. Fire blazed through his fingertips, then the icy blast of wind. Soul came next with a warm glow, and heart. He reached into the warming earth below him, and wove that into his creation as well, a soft smile starting to curl his lips, for each element demanded a presence in this work, and the sheer force of the essence this new partner brought forth knocked him breathless, his heart eagerly beating in his chest. A deep knowing took him; the time drew nearer in which his heart's work would be complete, and his Mother knew it as well, for her voice rang powerfully through his mind and crashed across the plane as if a great thunderbolt had shatter one of his mountains...

~Now, my Child, NOW!~

Inhaling deeply, Thalos powerfully blasted the very last essence of Being through his fingertips with a breath of his own life, breathing a bit of his own soul into the work --
then promptly passed out from exertion.

He awoke some time later to feel a cool claw upon his brow. Blinking in confusion, he looked up into a brilliant emerald snout and caring green eyes. He gaped, and the dragoness smiled down at him. Instantly his heart was taken with the beauteous creature as she spread her wings and backed a ways away from him to give him air. His mother's voice again rang in his head, quieter, subdued with a quiet joy.

~There she be, Thalos.. she is your Other Half, your heart and soul. Care well for her.. and let her not distract you too much from your other creations!~

The last was a gentle and playful warning, meant to shake him back into full awareness, but Thalos just stared at the dragoness in a dumbfounded wonder, his jaw slightly agape. She was meant for him, and only him, bearing a part of his soul.. and a part of his heart. The ancient, dull pain in his breast began to lightly fade away. A silly grin began to spread across his features, and far away in another plane, his mother rolled her eyes helplessly with a soft exclamation about love, her laughter trailing out across the plane as the dragoness chuckled, grinning at him.

"Heyla, Thalos.."

Laughing with mirth, the lady withdrew her pen and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Love can strike down even the mightiest of them all, she mused, eyes sparkling with an exhausted amusement. More, more, her pen chanted and she groaned, drawn, but obeyed, the pen skittering back across the surface of another piece of paper, the firelight crackling as the night was nearly half-spent already, but even so it drew her inward, pulling her into a vision-world where a tiny figure danced alongside a stream..

Laughing, the tiny figure danced in place, leaping from the bank of the river to the first stone in a series of several stones jutting above the brook's surface. Her miniscule feet hit each stone's surface lightly, though still caused a gleeful tinkling from the jingle bells tied around her ankles and in her long blue hair. Her clothing consisted of lily petals fastened about her like a dress and her bright blue eyes twinkled from her cute rounded features, playfully judging the next leap. Her black velvet butterfly wings, edged lightly in an electric blue, twittered lightly in the breeze, fully enjoying the feel of the gentle breeze against them, and her antennae perked as if sensing something. A splash nearby caused her to jump in surprise and land square into the stream, but a frog lifted her up and brought her back to the rock, where she laughed merrily, huffing a dampened antennae back up above her head, using a tiny hand to lift it back into place, then turning to the perched frog.

"Silly thing!" she chuckled, "Going and scaring poor Lark that way!"

Ker-roak. The frog blinked yellow eyes at her and she giggled again. Then, musing she curled her knees into her chest and gazed up at the clouds. Softly, her voice rose in song. Like sweet air to a drowning man, her dulcit tones wove around the trees, causing animals to stream forth, lining the banks. The sweet melody flowed upwards, where the kites and hawks alit on the treetops to listen, heads cocked in a blissful trance. Her song continued, the song inaudible to the hears of those who could fathom hate, singing the song of the peace of the soul that clung to the heart of every mortal and immortal ear that was able to hear it, causing a lull in the food chain momentarily. The frog next to her sighed in froggy happiness, leaning against her. Lark sang to him directly, rubbing the top of his head, right behind his eyes, and he all but swooned. Chuckling, she softly ended her song, and the wildlife stirred, returning to the normal, everyday events. The hawks and kites screamed again as they rose, pursuing smaller birds, foxes took off after field mice, and a mink dropped its head to sip delicately from the stream's water. Lark sighed and shook her head, watching the frog paddled away underneath the water before continuing on to the other shore.

Suddenly, from overhead, cracked a ferocious gunshot, ripping between the clouds and the treetops. The sound caused the mink to bolt and the few remaining animals to seek immediate shelter among the trees. Lark's eyes widened in panic as a white dove spiraled crazily to the ground, a wing obviously wounded, a few meters from where she stood.

"Oh no!" she gasped, running to the fallen bird, who crooned piteously at her. Her small hands reached for where crimson stained the pure white wing. Crying, the dove flinched, and tried to pull away, but Lark tugged her gently back, mouth opening to release a breathtaking tune. The dove stilled, entranced, and Lark started in on helping the wound. First, she dipped the wing in the stream, causing the dove to wince, and start to move again, but Lark's melodic tone held her still. Gritting her teeth, Lark noted the streaming blood. Obviously the bullet had passed through a major artery in the wing, and the bleeding was near unstoppable, but if it wasn't halted soon, the dove would die. Already the poor thing was weakened severely, only able to lay there with her head on the ground, crooning painfully along with Lark's song. Even when a shaggy grey wolf padded out from the forest to investigate, the dove didn't move a feather. The delicate white feathers were stained with horrible crimson, and Lark panicked slightly as she tried to help, but it wasn't working. Her song's volume increased in volume and strength as she placed her hands over the wound, unable to cover it completely. Her mouth continued to move in glorious song as her hands glow, desperately struggling to heal the wound, fuelled by her melody. The animals around her leaned closer in expectation, only to see she was loosing the battle.

Then came the turning point - the wolf, still standing next to them, threw back his head and howled, long and keening. The other animals followed suit, adding their own harmonies to Lark's song, and she felt a sudden energy surge through her palms, causing her to wince in an effort to channel it. As quickly as the surge came, it subsided, and left Lark staggering back as the dove flapped its wings and took to air, crooning from the tree branches. Lark laughed merrily and waved an arm.

"Farewell to ye, White One.. and methanks to you all." She bowed to the other animals who grinned and trotted away, allowing Lark's spirit song to trail after them into the trees, feeling the common bonds that tied them together for just that split moment.. when the many become One..

Her head snapped back up as the lady nodded briefly, then winced. Lark's song of the soul had been an enlivening element, but also a sleep-inducing one. Fighting to keep her eyelids open, the lady's heart spoke gently to her.. just one more.. her vision blurred again, and this time the fire led her to the sky, where a golden hawk soared mightily above the treetops...

Whisper soft, tanned feathers splayed across the clear blue sky, giving way to strength of flight. A curved, powerful beak slices through the masterfully through the breeze as deep hazel eyes scanned the treetops, directing the rhythmic wingbeats to a clearing. The striking hawk backwinged, spreading its talons to grasp the fallen leaves in its landing, dampened leaves skittering away as if afraid.

"Shal`n." A man's voice rang out as he stepped forward, yellow eyes snapping as the light hit his silver hair and beak-like nose, black and white feathers woven into his locks. Loose silver clothing rippled around his body, gathered at the wrists, waist and ankles. The hawk-like eyes watched as the hawk's body shimmered, its head not turning until the silver-clad man gazed down at a half-crouched young man.

The other stretched, his tan, silk-like clothing rippling over feathers-turned-flesh, shining in the soft breeze. His hazel eyes gaze in return at the older man as he shook his thick, tawny mane of golden-brown hair out of his face, letting it cascade down to his lower back, where it ended in a pointed in a pointed tip. The bells and feathers interwoven into his hair fluttered and tinkled in the midafternoon sun.

"Sir." Shal`n bowed to the older man, who just regarded him passively for a long moment before speaking.

"You will do." was all he said as he turned and slipped back towards the darkness of the woods, gesturing for Shal`n to follow.

_I'll *do*?_ Shal`n's hazel eyes blinked in confusion. The call of the Silver One had summoned him from the warmth of the Kyrie to the meeting clearing from which the Silver One was rumored to live a short distance from. The locale was highly secluded, drawn away from the rest of the Ky'ri'ye. Shal`n, still musing his thoughts, trailed after the silver-clad man as they padded a silent path into the woods. Knee high plants whispered around their legs, their soft leather boots nearly silent upon the stones and leaves of the ground. Sunlight poured through the branches, creating a fantastic world of glowing green, occasional insect wings catching on the light as sparks. Then the branches yawned back and revealed a smaller clearing at the mouth of a cave. A stream puddled at the foot of the trees before wandering back into the woods which cradled the mysterious cave. Gray-swirled pearl rock rolled into the clearing, a dark hole leading into the Silver One's living domain, and in front of it curled a perfectly still pool of water, slightly larger around than a well. The older man moved to the ring of stones around the pool and sat down with his back to the cave. At the slight motion of the Silver One's hand, Shal`n dropped fluidly to a crossed-legged position opposite him in respect.

"You do not know why you were Called." It was a statement, not an inquiry. Shal`n fought the urge to fidget under so sharp a gaze from those yellow eyes.

You, Shal`n, are unique among the Ky'ri'ye. Your perception, your depth of knowledge, is and are greater than the others'. The fire of your temper and the ice of your will combine with your earthen nature and the wind beneath your wingtips to form a Balance in your soul. Because of such, you do not belong among your Kin. They do not accept you."

Shal`n's head spun dizzily. How would the Silver One know of his difference, how would he know of the years spent alone, reaching for the light only to grasp an illusion? The years, oh the years had piled up the sorrows on his shoulders, and sometimes he wondered how his wings could spread and still light upon the air when such burdens pressed him down. His eyes, now darkened by his brows furrowing in puzzlement, turned to gaze directly into the Silver One's eyes, the question bursting on his lips, but manners held his tongue in check.

"I know, Shal`n, I know because I am the Watcher, and I was once like you - rejected because my thoughts were of a different nature, and I looked forward, not to the here and now. And I Called to you to offer you the same sanctuary I was offered by the previous Watcher, and he by his predecessor. Here you will find you belong, working with the delicate threads of existence, the fabric of the balance that you so respect. The release is sweet, but only if you choose to let me end your loneliness."

Shal`n's mouth opened to reply, but the Silver One waved him silent. "Before you decide, I shall give you a hint of what I am talking about. Watch." The Silver One drew his attention to the sky's bright reflection in the pond which sat between them, then lightly touched its surface, creating a peculiar rippling, the reflections in which Shal`n found himself being drawn into, images seizing the attention of his eyes. His sight blurred as he was pulled into the pool's gentle scenes....

~~Images swirled around him. Trees, plants, animals, all of them.. it was as if their inner fabrics opened up to him. He saw the Universe in its entirety, and he knew the tiniest living particles. His gaze swept over the plains, and he felt a sudden urge to remain in this state, where everything knew him and he knew them in return and was not outcast for his views. Everything was a part of a Whole. He beheld scenes of others whirling before his eyes, others from alternate planes, alternate worlds, all facing similar struggles to his own, and he knew them as a working force... a green-haired woman, holding a butterfly in her hand, green eyes staring out as if they could see him. She was the Keeper. Her face blurred, and another came into view - a strongly muscled man with long sandy blonde hair that hung in a ponytail to his midback, bronzed chest held back by leather straps crossing it, holding two bright longswords. His blue eyes blazed out at Shal`n as he nodded slowly, as if in greeting. He was the Protector. Next, a darker man came into view, his black hair curling almost to his shoulderblades and his sky blue eyes burning back. Thunder rumbled distantly, a signal of the creation occurring, the sound almost coming from the man himself. Shal`n knew the patterns he made as those surrounding him. He was the Weaver. The image changed again, leaving only a tiny figure in its wake, a tiny blue-haired sprite who perched on a tree limb, her song reaching out across time and space to him. She was the Singer. And finally came to him the image of another, clad in a ruby robes with cascading brown hair back in a complex braid. Her brown eyes blinked, then turned upwards, their golden brown depths looking mildly surprised. Quill in hand, she smiled slightly, nodding to him. She was the Chronicler, wrapped in the web as securely as any of them, just not as aware of it...

Thus was the team they made, of the Web of Time and Life... each firmly latched to the other, as when one pulled, the rest felt..such was their existence.. the tugging on Shal`n's mind lessened, and he gave a soft cry as again he was removed from Knowing.. but with a warm sensation of belonging.. of being a firm Link to the Puzzle..~~

Shal`n's eyes were alight as he looked upwards, noting the darkness of the pond now, into the amused eyes of the Watcher.

"I take it you found the rest?" The Watcher, smiling.

"Ay.. and I found my heart." Shal`n's eyes sparkled uncontrollably.

"Then I take it you'll be joining me?"

"In a heartbeat, Sir." Shal`n's eyes then turned skyward, towards the sparkling stars that dwelt so diligently alone in the heavens, and he felt a glow deep within. He was not alone. He was a piece of a greater balance. He was the Watcher.

Her eyes raised tiredly from her script, quill moving only to scribe her name to the end of the parchment. Smiling then, she rose from the desk, placing a hand behind her candle as she lightly blew it out and tucking the quill back into its nest of ink. Her footsteps were quiet as she slipped through the door, glancing back only once into the room that glowed golden with the dying embers of the fire, casting light palely on the last page of her scrpit, where her hand had etched the last few words.

"And the Wheel of the Universe Turns Us All in Many Directions. Who is to know which way they will go next?" ~Rheanna the Chronicler