[Jaden Wolf]

Jaden with Kiriina (Krii) and Isabel with Kaya

Starlight

In the middle of the Vast Plains stood a girl, her wavy brown hair flicking around in the breeze as she stared at the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set. "Ah, the sun is calling good-bye, and the night is sending its greetings. The light is fading, and the Shadows rejoice."
"Are you rejoicing with them, Jaden?" a voice sounded behind the winged wolf-girl, from another girl who looked somewhat similar. This girl, however, had no wings and had tiger parts instead of a wolf's. At the girl's side, a tiger cub silently curled up on a black lucain's back. Without turning, Jaden replied. "Do you think I am, Isabel?"
Isabel shook her head, watching a jet black mouse appear through Jaden's hair to stare at her. "You can find out what I'm thinking anytime Jaden, why ask?"
"You wanted your freedom, do you not? Or am I wrong? To not listen to your thoughts, except with permission, is the best freedom I can safely offer. You know this." Jaden turned her head, looking at Isabel out of the corner of her eyes. The clone girl nodded, slightly embarrased, and quickly looked at the ground. Beside her, the lucain spoke up, his voice quiet and soft in the surrounding silence. "You did not answer, Master."
"Call me Jaden, Starlight. And what do you ask am I happy about?"
"About...about the night that's coming. You said that the shadows are rejoicing."
"Ah, no. I am not. This time is confusing for me. I am happy that the day is gone, sad that the night is coming, and delighted that it is Twilight." Jaden turned her head back to the horizon and sighed as the sun silently whispered goodbye as it dissapeared. Quickly, quietly, she turned and began to walk away, her movements fluid as she walked, almost like she were gliding on the smooth grass. The mouse on her shoulder lept, suddenly changing into a lithe black dog as it hit the ground. It too, was silent as it followed her, glancing back at the clone and lucain behind them. Starlight, who looked exremely bored, began to walk forward after nudging Isabel. Slowly and reluctantly, the girl followed. "Kaya," she whispered to the cub on Starlight's back, while stretching her arms out. Automatically, Kaya jumped up into Isabel's arms and watched Jaden's back quizzically. Coming to a large rock, Jaden opened her wings and jumped up on top of it. "Come, Kiriina." she whispered, and the dog jumped into the air, changing into a strange, but beautiful black bird. She flew to Jaden's lap and perched there, changing into a cat. Jaden began to stroke her, ignoring the two silent people below her.

[Jaden Wolf]

Unable to bear the silence, Isabel sighed loudly. Then she winced as Jaden abruptly stopped stroking Kiriina. The shadow's 'fur' bristled, but did not change. Jaden was trying hard to control herself. "You may leave if you wish, Izii" the Shadow Master called down to the clone. Isabel's brow furrowed and Kaya hissed at the use of Isabel's nickname. It wasn't that she hated it, just that when Jaden used it, it was sort of a scolding. "Don't you even think of scolding me Jaden. You may be my master, but I am still a part of you. I am no child! Think of how mad you get when people scold you, or scolded rather, for my emotions are the same! It seems you do not understand what it means to have your entire being set in stone, to not truly exist!" there were tears flowing down her cheeks now, and her voice broke as she shouted the last sentence out. Then she froze. She had just yelled at her own creator, her master, the master of Shadows. The last of the light from the sun had faded now, and the moon was beginning to show among the stars glittering above. Then Jaden's voice came, barely a whisper on the wind. "You want me to set you free, Isabel?"
The girl gasped, and the lucain next to her gave a start. He knew that Isabel understood the dangers of this, as he could see Kaya shuddering and shaking her head violently. As Isabel's spirit pet, Kaya could not speak, she was nothing but shadow, simply showing Isabel's heart. It was impossible for the clones to not know their inner thoughts when it was visible right in front of them. The pets help them to make decisions sometimes too. But Isabel was lost in the longing to be free, to exsist. She nodded slowly, then began to smile. "You would do that Jaden?"
Jaden turned, a worried expression on her face, and Starlight knew that she didn't want to harm Isabel. She was still suffering from what happened to Isabel's 'sister' and the new clone boy. "Isabel, do you understand the consequences? You may lose Kaya, or worse." Yet Isabel kept insisting, and Jaden resigned. She jumped off the rock began to stride towards the clone, commanding the worried Starlight to stay where he was.

[Jaden Wolf]

Jaden quickly reached Isabel and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder as she stared her in the eye. Beside her, Kiriina stood in a humanish form, holding the squirming Kaya. There was a sudden burst of darkness, which dissapeared as soon as it had started, and Starlight stared at the scene before him.

Jaden was looking down at Isabel, now kneeling on the ground. Kiriina had her empty arms crossed and was facing away from the two. Then Isabel's voice drew his attention. "It feels...strange. That sound...a heartbeat? I can actually FEEL things. Yet I feel so..." she sounded delighted at first, then as the excitement began to fade, she whispered, "alone." Snapping her head up, Starlight noticed an unusual light in her eyes and realized it was a reflection of the stars. The eyes of Shadow cannot reflect light, giving them a dark and empty look...the look of a clone's eyes. Her eyes were no longer eyes of a clone. They still seemed empty though, a different kind of empty. "Where's Kaya?" she whispered. Jaden shook her head sadly. "She doesn't exist anymore." Isabel sobbed and suddenly jumped up, getting a look of surprise from Jaden. "Give her back to me!" she cried, and Jaden simply shook her head. Beside her, Kiriina changed to a black panther or cougar...hard to tell...and Starlight winced, knowing that Jaden was being strict right now. "You wanted her, and lost her. Your fault, take responsibily for your actions." Jaden's voice was cold as she turned and walked away, Kiriina not far behind.

[Jaden Wolf]

For the rest of the night, Jaden sat atop the boulder, Kiriina still a panther lying next to her. Isabel curled up and cried, Starlight watching her with pity. Slowly, the sun began to rise. Then the former-clone looked up at the lucain who had not left her side throughout the entire night. "Starlight," she whispered, "I was wrong. Partially. I do long to be free, but I'm not ready to be without Kaya. There's no one else to be with me...as a true friend...I..." As the first bit of sun peeked over the horizon, Isabel screamed. Starlight jumped, and looked up to see Jaden spin around in alarm, the panther at her side jerking into a fox. Quickly, the two were at Isabel's side. "Isabel?" Jaden's voice was cloaked with worry as she knelt beside the girl. At the sound of Jaden's voice, Isabel looked up, and all three of her companions gasped. Her face and soft smooth skin was turning red...like an instant sunburn. Starlight whined. "Mas...Jaden, what's happening to her?!" The reply seemed to be more meant for herself than for him, as Jaden smacked herself on the head. "I'm so Baka*! Why didn't I think something would be wrong with her? I haven't experimented enough...oh shoot, did I just say that out loud? Baka!* Marii is mute and has no spirit pet...Kenta's blind, yet he has a spirit pet...why is that? Oh shoooooot! I just that out loud too! Baka baka baka!* So what is wrong with her? Sunburn...when the sun rose! I got it!" After ranting at herself for a little while, Jaden looked up at Kiriina who automatically changed into a large bird and stood in between the girl and the sun. Isabel sighed in relief and crumpled onto the ground. "You're sun-sensitive now. Start wearing sunscreen when you go into the sun...lots of it. I'm not sure if it's cureable...if you're anything like Marii...it's not." Jaden said to her, stroking Kiriina's head. Hopefully no one noticed what she said in that little rant back there...she never thought she could lose herself like that. She was going to have to be more careful from now on...

* Baka means 'Idiot' in Japanese.

[Jaden Wolf]

Tears began to streak down Isabel's face as she lay on the ground defeated. Starlight hovered over her worriedly, but had regained more of his usual gloom. Jaden was hissing something to Krii in shadow language, though more from habit than necessity. Finally, she turned back to Isabel and gently wiped the tears from the girl's face. "Shall we go home now, Izii? If we hurry and get you back to your room, you should be able to get Kaya back. Maybe we'll even have to take you back to the Lab..." she whispered the last bit, her voice gentle as she stroked the sobbing girl's head. To her, the clones were like her children. Isabel was one of her most precious, and it tore at her heart to have done this to her. Behind her, Krii fought to stay in her bird form for Isabel's sake, though she longed to become a cat. With Starlight's help, Jaden hoisted Isabel onto Krii's back, and took care to keep the sun's rays away from the former clone's face. The large black bird took to the air, soaring over the sparse trees and standing out in the open sky as it grew brighter. Below, Jaden and her lucain ran along where the shadow would be (if Krii had one).