[Freezair]

((This thread is partially a moneymaker. But I may let other people in, if they get interested.))

"Are you sure he'll be here?"

Spottie, the smaller of the two Bandols, shivered as they swam in the air beside The Attobeast. The Paragon himself soldiered on through the snow. Trails of frost ringed his eyes, but he blinked them away. "He's always here," the Paragon rumbled deep in his throat. "On the highest mountaintop, inside the fiercest storm..."

"The Tundra Omega makes his home, and keeps his threshold warm," William repeated. "We know. You've said it a hundred times," he sighed. "But this isn't World, you know. It's Evelon. Are you sure?"

[60, 34]

[Freezair]

The warm, fiery lights of the temple began to appear in the distance. The Attobeast's head drooped, and his breath hissed out in warm tendrils from his nostrils. Despite being a Frost Paragon, he appeared to be steaming. He also appeared to be looking for the right words to say to his Bandol friends.

"Have you ever been sure of something? Really sure? Surer than you've ever been of anything else? Something, some instinct, tells you that this thing you are thinking of must be true. That's how I feel now. Don't you trust me?"

"We do," William said. "But even though pets evolve here... well, we don't have Omegas here," he said, with a shake of his head.

"But it'll be so cool if we do!" Spottie cried.

The Attobeast smiled indulgently with his eyes. "Yes. And that's why we must find out if the Tundra Omega makes his home here."

[61, 35]

[Freezair]

"Tell the story again!" Spottie chittered. "We still have a ways to go! So, tell it again!" He bounced in the air like a child hopping on their bed.

"OK," The Attobeast replied. "Is that OK with you, William?"

"Yes," William agreed."

"Very well," The Attobeast said. "In that case... let me tell you the story of the great Omegas of World, and why the Tundra Family, amidst all the other families... is a little bit different."

[62, 36]

[Freezair]

"In the earth called World," The Attobeast began, hissing dramatic clouds of frozen breath, "there are twenty-one great Families in which all Beasts reside. We may not know each other, but we are Family, one and all." The two little Bandols grinned at this line.

"Now, long ago, when all the pieces of the world were still separated, these Families were small. But as they got bigger and bigger, they began to realize that they needed someone to rule them. They decided one Beast from each Family should become the leader of that Family, and represent them as a whole among humans and other Families. These Beasts would become known as the Omegas."

"And?" Spottie urged. He knew what was coming next, and rocked in anticipation.

"And for the most part, this choosing went off without a hitch... except in the Tundra family."

[63, 37]

[Freezair]

"The Tundra family lived amidst the ice and snow. One might think that such inhospitable climes would not hold many Beasts, but no! The beasts of Tundra thrived and were numerous. So there were many among their rank who seemed fit for promotion to Omega. Eventually, two candidates rose above the others in the discussion--Aurfyula, what we know today as the Terabeast, and Ahratuun, what we now call Shnowangel. As befitting of good leaders, both were very self-sacrificing, and--"

"Can we do this part?!" Spottie interrupted.

"That sounds like fun," William agreed.

The Attobeast sighed. "I wanted to tell it... but, I suppose."

"OK!" Spottie said. "I'll be Terabeast--'No, no, my good Shnowangel, you should be Omega. You are far more deserving of the honor than humble me!" He giggled a little.

Grandly, William replied, "No. Your powers are far greater than mine. I think you are most deserving."

"No, it is YOU who deserve it more."

"No, it is YOU!"

"Yes, yes, very good," The Attobeast grumbled. "If I may continue..."

[64, 38]

[Freezair]

"As I was saying," The Attobeast said, clearing the ice from his throat. "Both thought the other was more deserving. But time was wearing on. The other families had all chosen their Omegas, and were beginning to urge the Tundra family to hurry up and make its choice. But with two very qualified candidates, each of which believed themselves to be less qualified than the other, what were they to do?

"Eventually, though, the argument came to a halt. Finally, an argument had been made that made the Terabeast concede to rule. The Terabeast, you see, shifted from... Well." The Attobeast pulled together his claws and stuck out his chest. He held his crest just so show off the glittering ice spines. "Me, of course."

"Of course! You're the best," Spottie squealed.

"But it wasn't just because of you," William said logically. "Don't forget the reason why!"

[65, 39]

[Freezair]

Not that that deterred The Attobeast. "But you know it. I've told you before..."

"But it's part of the story," William replied.

"Alright. The Attobeast--that Attobeast so long ago, the one I'm descended from--could use the Evil-Obliterating Snow Spray, that could defend the Family from any attackers. The Terabeast admitted that this was true; he could use this technique. And since he was best equipped to defend the Family, he agreed that he would become the Omega."

"Don't leave out the part where he said to Shnowangel--"

"I wasn't!"

"OK," Spottie said. "That's my favorite part, 'cuz it was so nice of him. Just making sure."

The Attobeast continued, "But he said to Shnowangel, 'You shall walk with me to the temple of Setag where the Omegas are made. You deserve to be there with me if nothing else, old friend."

[66, 40]

[Freezair]

"So the two friends flew toward the temple of Setag. They laughed and many times Shnowangel congratulated his friend. But for all their cheer..."

"All was not well," William said, deeply and ominously. When The Attobeast glare at him, he recoiled. "Sorry," he apologized. "I just wanted to say that. It's cool."

"Indeed all was not well," The Attobeast continued. "For since they had taken so long to decide, word of their troubles had gotten round. It had reached ears better left in the dark about such matters. Villains. Demons. In modern slang... Viruses. And the viruses sat in wait at the temple, waiting for the two to arrive."

"Viruses are scary," Spottie quelled.

[67, 41]

[Freezair]

"The two were ambushed. They had little time to react. The Terabeast sprayed his snow spray, but he was assaulted from behind. The demons threw themselves on him. Soon, he was drowning beneath a sea of demons. The head virus of the ambush readied a powerful spell, strong enough to put even the Terabeast down. Fear filled his eyes.

"But Shnowgod saw that his friend was in trouble, and dove in the way of the spell to shield his friend. Light and flame filled the air inside the sacred temple, as well as a horrible stench of burning. Chips of stone rained down. All present were blinded. But when the spots and the smoke cleared, the viruses beheld a terrifying sight..."

"This is the best part," Spottie squirmed.

"You say that about every part," William sighed.

[68, 42]

[Freezair]

"Both friends looked upon each other, and slowly, they realized that they had been changed. Both of them."

"Eee!" Spottie squealed. William hushed him with a fin over his snout.

"The Terabeast, once a saurian creature of scale and feather, was now an immense, brilliant blue crane, with multicolored wings. Shnowangel, once a simple angel, now had many wings and elaborate forms of light swirling all around his brilliantly illuminated form. Power such as they had never known surged through them. The viruses below them quaked in fear."

"And together, they kicked those viruses' butts!" Spottie yelled.

This time, The Attobeast simply looked indulgent. "Yes. Yes they did."

[69, 43]

[Freezair]

"Once the viruses had been defeated, the two had the time to look at each other in awe. 'We've both become Omegas,' the new Blue Heron said. 'But why...?'

"The question reached the heavens, and at that moment, both felt a voice speaking to them. 'Both of you have proven yourselves worthy of being Omegas,' the voice said. 'You, Blue Heron, are strong and brave. And you, Shnowgod, were willing to sacrifice yourself to save your friend. You are both very noble.'

"'Are we both to rule the land, then?' Shnowgod asked.

"The voice replied. 'The Tundra Family wishes The Blue Heron for its leader, and so they will have it. However. As you have just seen, this temple is vulnerable. The Omegas need it to be their meeting place. They need it to honor the relics of their Families. A place such as this should not go unguarded. But it is so very cold out here in this temple...'

"Shnowgod smiled. 'I accept. The Blue Heron will go home and rule the Tundra family. I will stay here, and protect this sacred place of the Omegas.' And that is how it has been to this day."

The two little Bandols clapped with their fins. "Bravo! Bravo! Good story!"

[70, 44]

[Freezair]

"Thank you," The Attobeast said. "And look. We nearly reached the temple."

The temple had come to greet them out of the snow. Warm and inviting, it promised respite from the cold for the two little shivering Bandols, and possible spiritual respite for the Frost Paragon. Stopping for a moment, The Attobeast stared wonderingly.

It was Spottie who piped up first. "Do you think it really is just like the Temple of Setag? Do you think Shnowgod lives here for real?"

"He, or his equivalent, one hopes," The Attobeast sighed.

[71, 45]

[Freezair]

"You and Shnow used to be good friends, didn't you?"

William's comment stopped The Attobeast, half-cold, half-warm, on the threshold into the temple. His wings were pulled in tight and his head was bent low to avoid the doorway, but at that remark, he shrunk even further onto himself. "...Yes. We were," he said softly. Not waiting for the Bandols, he slipped his tail inside. Hurriedly, William and Spottie followed, gulping breath.

"Do ya wanna find out how to be an Omega, or maybe meet Shnow more?" Spottie asked innocently. His loud voice echoed cavernously in the spiritual quiet of the temple. William glared.

The Attobeast said nothing.

[72, 46]

[Freezair]

Eventually, The Attobeast hissed. "Come. Let us start searching."

"What are we lookin' for, exactly?" Spottie squeaked.

"Shhh! This is like a library," William reprimanded. "Use your inside voice. Or your inside-your-head voice," he suggested.

Ooooooh, Spottie said in thought-speech.

The Attobeast followed suit. Each Omega has a Totem associated with them--an artifact that contains their power.

What's Blue Heron's artifact? William asked.

[Freezair]

His crown, The Attobeast thought. A golden crown set with dark purple gems.

Got it, Spottie said. Hey! How 'bout me and William go looking on the upper floor, and you look down here? Since, like, you're all big 'n' stuff.

Sounds good to me, William agreed.

Me too. Go for it, The Attobeast nodded.

[74, 48]