[Kodai]

The Leader followed in silence, pondering over what to say. He hadn't seen Lionel in many years... but what to say? It seemed pointless to ask about how his life had been, for surely it had been difficult. Still, the question burned within him, and so, he asked. "Lionel... How has your life been? It has not been too difficult, I hope?" There... He felt better now that he had asked. And if Lionel inquired the same of him, he would tell him, though he slightly hoped that the golden Hunter wouldn't...

Amazing? The little chick chirped in response. Oh, now she couldn't wait to see... whatever it was they were going to go see. She didn't understand death yet, and so she didn't know what a grave was or what sort of significance it held. Nor did she know the story of her mother, but surely she would learn once they had looked upon the grave. The Leader was just that sort of a person, to tell the story of a certain being or landmark.

[Jaykobell]

Down right miserable, the Hunter thought bitterly at the Leader's question, but he bit back that response. He had to tell himself that he had left on his own and not because the Leader had asked him to leave. He could have stayed with the pride, but he hadn't. "It's been going... good," he replied hesitantly. "It was hard now and then, obviously, from traveling with a pride to traveling solo, it's different... But it wasn't all that hard. Just gotta get accustomed to it." A pause. "And... what about you? What happened after I left?" Wasn't it only natural for someone to ask the question back? Wasn't it a matter of respect?

Chad started to wonder if Anah even knew who their mother was. She was still a chick, and the war had ended only recently... Had she had the chance to meet their mother? Maybe he ought to ask... "Hey, Anah," he called, looking over his shoulder, "do you know who Shi'hana is?" Maybe the name wouldn't tell her anything... "A big white and blue Gyrraptor like us?" He tried to add some details; maybe she didn't know the name of their mother, but maybe she knew the colors or the pattern. Maybe her eyes were open then... But maybe not.

[Kodai]

"...Our demise," he answered simply, lowering his head in remembrance. "Betrayal, death, a descent into madness... You must have heard of the curse that was placed upon us? How we were made to serve the Dark Lord Xai're? It was not until recently that we became free again, in a sense, because of the bravery of a Hollowheart and a few Kuhnas..." Ah, that fateful day in Basantha. He would remember it always, just as Chad and Anah were bound to remember this visit to their mother's grave.

Another big white and blue Gyrraptor? Anah couldn't remember seeing any other Gyrraptor like herself and Chad, though memories of soft warm feathers flooded back to her. She could remember the feelings, but... Her eyes had opened during the war, when Shi'hana had been out fighting, and thus had never actually seen her. Anah whistled somewhat sadly at Chad, unable to actually place a face with the name or description.

[Jaykobell]

Lionel shook his head. "Well... No. I didn't know..." How could he? He had shattered every link he had with the pride when he left. "I didn't even know you were all trapped there." Saved by a Hollowheart and a bunch of Kuhnas, eh? He hadn't heard about that story... "While my body did turn to crystal... Well, that's the only thing I know about the whole thing..." And he knew Xai're was one of the Gods up there; but apart from these general details, he knew no more. "What happened when the pride fell? To you, to the other Hunters? Oh, Leader..." The golden Hunter shook his head again, his emerald eyes expressing much sadness, despair and confusion. "How did it happen, Leader? And... why? What did we do wrong?" Why had their kind been shunned from the Vaults? Why had the pride turned to crystal, to the beasts they are now? This one, single word that could probably answer everything: why?

Well, apparently she didn't know. While Chad only knew the story of Shi'hana, he had never met her, nor had he ever felt her feathers against his small body when he himself was a chick. "Shi'hana was our mother," he chirped, nuzzling Anah shortly before turning his head again so he knew where he was going. "She fought bravely during the war between the Imperialists and the Purists. She gave her life to save us all..." What a great Gyrraptor she must have been, Shi'hana... And even her own chicks had been unable to meet her with their own eyes. You were born... and yet you had no one to call a 'mother' or a 'father.' You were an orphan even before opening your eyes... Chad sighed sadly, continuing forward...

[Kodai]

"Xai're," the Leader replied simply, a growl in his voice. It had all started with that god... "He desired our power... And once he got it, we became his slaves..." The tiredness crept back into his eyes. "What did we do? The only thing I can think of is that we became too arrogant. We became too proud, and we paid dearly for it." He sighed deeply, claws scraping the rock of what used to be his home. Used to be, until Xai're had gained their power and forced them out... Now who knew what sort of creatures were living here in this abandoned place...

Though Anah'shi didn't know her true parents, she was not sad. She had the Leader and his friends as her parents now. Chirping happily at Chad, she wiggled, trying to cheer him up a little. 'I'm not sad, so you shouldn't be either!' she seemed to be saying. Still, she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit down, since everyone else appeared to be, including the Hunters.

[Jaykobell]

Lionel shook his head, looking at the ground with closed eyes. "That sounds plausible enough," he replied to the Leader, his tail lowered to the ground. How could the Hunters be proud ever again? Sure, they were still a pride deep down, still a pack... But how could they ever try to be as proud as they could after what had happened? "Xai're... Why did he want our powers? Why is it that he made us his slaves? What did we do to him?" Had it reached a level so high that even the Gods had been scared? "Were they... scared or something like that? Scared out pride would gain so much power that it could try to overtake the Gods?" Eh, maybe he was going a bit too far with this whole thing...

Chad wiggled some when he felt the tiny bundle of feathers wiggled on his back. He chirped loudly, as if laughing, and ruffled his feathers. "That tickled!" he chirped to the small chick on his back, no anger or irritation in his voice. It seemed like even though Anah didn't know her parents... she wasn't unhappy. Maybe she was so small that she didn't care about whether she had parents or not. "You have a good outlook on life..." he noticed, wagging his tail a little. He hadn't known his parents either; could he really miss something he had never met and seen? Hmm...

[Kodai]

"Perhaps," answered the Leader. "Though I cannot say for sure. Lord Xai're was quite secretive when it came to his personal plans." He grew silent as the group came out of the tunnel and into a small cavern, once brightly lit by crystal but now dark. The Leader's own body began to glow a soft blue, reacting to the strong power of this place. "We are here..." he said simply, stepping forth into the cavern.

Anah chirped softly as they entered, realizing somehow that this place was special. She did not know that it was where her mother had died in a valiant struggle against General Axion's Lucain partner, but something in her told her that this area was of special significance. Hunkering down into Chad's feathers, she peered over his side to look at the small shrine that had once held the false Tear, and the mound that indicated where her mother lay.

[Jaykobell]

Xai're... just what had that God been thinking? Maybe it'd always remain a mystery to the minds of the living...

While the Leader started glowing to the shrine, Lionel's body did not react at all. He remained colorless and didn't glow, as if it refused to accept this place that had once been its home. But, still, Lionel had been a part of the pride back then; why was he not glowing like the Leader? He closed his eyes and tried to focus; when he opened them again, he was still getting no reaction at all. "... Why is my body not glowing like yours?" he asked the Leader as he came closer to him. It infuriated him when there was something he didn't know the answer to...

This place... that was it. This was where his mother had given her life for the Lands and for peace. He looked around, lowering his head and neck so Anah could have a better view from his back. It was when he noticed the mound that he knew this was the place. "This is it," he chirped quietly as he walked towards the mound, sniffing it. It held a sweet scent, one of kindness and courage... but tangled with it was the strong scent of blood. There was no mistaking it... Slowly Chad approached the mound some more until he was close enough to lay down before it, setting his head onto the mud. He closed his eyes and relaxed, enjoying this meeting of sorts to the fullest...

[Kodai]

The Leader looked over at Lionel, curious. Why wasn't he glowing? Or, better yet, why was he glowing? He couldn't answer either question, though he could give his opinion. "I can't say, Lionel... Perhaps the anger in your heart dims your inner light." A bit poetic, but that was the best response he could think of. Looking over at the pair of Gyrraptors, the Leader padded over and gave his own respects to the grave of Shi'hana, dipping his head and closing his eyes in a moment of silence.

Anah quietly slipped from Chad's back, sniffing at the ground curiously. What strange scents there were in this dirt and crystal mixture. But there was something familiar... Both a light and a dark scent that mingled together and created something whole. Not quite understanding, she gave a short questioning chirp and poked about in the dirt, wondering if that would help her figure out what was going on.

[Jaykobell]

The anger in his heart? Was it because of his grudge towards his former pride that his 'inner light' wasn't showing up? Was it because he was still unable to find an ally in the ex-pride that he couldn't glow in the presence of his pack's former ground? "After all I had to go through because of the pride.... I find that it's no surprise," he meowed with no clear emotion in his voice. As the Leader walked over to the grave Lionel followed him, paying his own respects to Chadwick's mother as well.

He felt Anah skipping down from his back and onto the mound. He opened his eyes to find that the chick seemed slightly confused as to what this mound meant. "This is where our mother rests, Anah. This is where she died to save us all during the war. This is the grave of our mother, the Purine Gyrraptor Shi'hana..." he explained to Anah as clearly as he could.

[Kodai]

Anah tilted her head up at Chad, then returned her gaze to the grave. There was that word again... 'Mother'.... Obviously someone important was under all this dirt. But why wasn't this person up here, with everyone else? The little chick began sifting through the dirt, trying to uncover this person and bring them back up to the surface.

Seeing this, the Leader gently wrapped a paw around Anah and pulled her back a little. "No, Anah'shi... Your mother has been laid to rest, and now she must stay here. But do not worry... One day, you shall see her again..." There was a distant look in the Leader's eyes, as if there was someone now gone that he wished to see again. For a few more moments they stood there, each in thought, when finally the Leader picked up Anah in his jaws and placed her upon his back. "Lionel, Chadwick... We shall be taking our leave now. We must get back to Kaibutsu and make sure he is doing well. Perhaps we will meet again, but for now, farewell." He bowed, and without another word walked solemnly out of the cavern.

[Jaykobell]

As he was about to stop Anah from trying to dig up the grave, Chad stopped when he saw the Leader pulling the chick away from the mound. He got up and tilted his head at the two as the Leader explained why this grave was sacred. He noticed the short, distant look in the Leader's eyes but said nothing. It was probably not related to his business, and so he had no right to ask...

He bowed down to the Leader and Anah as the two left the shrine. Such a wise and mysterious Hunter that had been... The Gyrraptor wished for him to find whatever it is that he was missing, or whoever it was that the Leader was seeking. "Good luck, I hope to see you two again soon," he chirped as the two left. He turned to Lionel and flicked his tail. "Shall we go, too?"

The Hunter was still staring down at the Leader and Anah as they left, saying nothing to neither of them. Would it be better for him to see the Leader again or would it bring more pain? ... He ignored it. Maybe it was best to be ignorant about the answer. Finally he turned to Chad and replied, "Yes, let's get out of here."

The two nodded to each other and left the shrine, heading back home.

-~Fin~-