She heaved a sigh, her feet tearing up the already well worn path. "Bladen, this doesn't seem like a good idea. I don't know if I can do this."

"Swift. It's a chance for knowledge. Look what you learned with Lana. From that short time in that library. How many thousands died. Why fear it?"  Bladen ran his tongue across her head.

"We can learn the fundamentals of ships. Of all those swords. Salvador's weird wings. We don't have to be social, we can just hide away in the library."

How stupid do you think Firestorm is? Do you think she wont be able to see who I am? Especially in close proximity. My scent can't be that different. Loki's isn't that different from mine." 

Illandria snickers. "Can't believe he prefers Loki over Galaxy or Star." 

"Yeah. Says the bastard who spun the story of Loki the storyteller. Prince."

He is technically a prince. He would be your heir, and you are Firestorm's heir."  

She stopped, looking back over her lands. Her pack, barely 500 strong but sane. Sane and red eyed in many cases, but sane. Plenty had changed in the 7 months from her last dealings with the alphas on the mainland. She smirked, her abilities rippling under her skin. Jaunts between lands hardly phased her. Her claws were sharp. Mind fast, faster even with the practice Illandria insisted on every day. 

She watched as Kiri lunged for Loki, catching him across the shoulders with a sharp kick. 

Loki spun, not hesitating to throw himself into the dirt, his hind legs launching Kiri into the sky. 

She held back her giggle. "I am going to miss harassing them every day."

"Don't worry, you'll be home before you know it."  Bladen reassured. 

Swift leapt up, shifting on the fly. Wings flicked out from her spine, feathers bending with effort as she winged across the skies. 

The sun bowed to her, blinding her attempts to fly with every beat into the light.

"What do you think her reaction will be?" Swift whispered. Pale blues switched to soft greens as she swung over land. Life stirred around them, birds and monkeys squealing at the predator shooting between their homes. She landed gently, wings vanishing in a heartbeat as she studied the ground. Hundreds of feet in the sky, she clung there for just a second.

"Swift,"

She winked at Bladen, her claws slipping free of the trunk. Wind battered her face, taking her breath away as she twisted between the branches.

Bladen surged forward, shifting them on a dime as they vanish into a thin mist. He flips them, focusing on the bird of prey staring down at them with a look of disgust. That's a Dukari, from Firestorm's pack." 

"Guess it's time to introduce myself." Swift shivered.

She pulled herself up onto the branch next to the bird, her shift taking her fast as she dropped back into her feline form. She tilted her head, examining the bird. "Good day. Please notify your alpha I am here. I wish to join her pack."

The bird squawked, it's feathers standing on end. It stared at her, eyes wide.

"Well? Do I need to make the announcement myself? I do not enjoy using your pack links when I'm not part of your pack. It's rude."

Branches trembled, nearly jolting her off her branch, "Of course you don't, little one. Zoran contacted me the second he saw you." 

Swift dug her claws in deep as the branch bobbed merrily under the feline, her nerves getting her as her ears go flat against her head. She released, letting herself fall the last few feet to the floor. "My apologies, Alpha. I really wasn't sure how best to get in contact with you." 

Firestorm tilted her head, regarding her curiously. "What is your purpose here, kit?"

Swift smirked. "Name's Shadow. I'm an outlander. My pack there called me a demon, but I'm no demon. Not by the definition of insane at least. We call your kind demons, whether they are truly insane or not."

"And so..." Firestorm prompts

She shrugs, tail flicking flippantly. "Well, I have no interest actually going insane, so figured I'd best just head to here. The two alpha Dukari names are quite well known. I'd be a fool to not figure out who's pack was the better one to venture onto."

Firestorm leapt down, her paws landing with light puffs of grass under her feet. Faint stripes faded up her legs, blending seamlessly with her thick golden coat. Her fur ruffled out, framing her face in a light mane. "So you tell me, you just... Chose to walk here? Because you needed a pack?"

She gave a sharp nod. "That's exactly it."

Firestorm glanced over to Zoran as he alightedd gently to her shoulder. She smiled back at Swift.  "Now I understand it likely worked with your pack, but I do not appreciate a liar. You've yet to say a true word my friend."

Swift stepped back. "Perhaps I should rephrase then...." She dropped into a crouch, her eyes flicking up. "My preferred name here is Shadow. I seek knowledge of my kind, sorry, our kind and our past. Our people. How to be a leader that will do well to keep my pack safe. I don't have access to the knowledge I need back in my own territory, otherwise I wouldn't have ever stepped here. They're aware I left, and they aren't exactly pleased by this knowledge, though they do understand why I did it."

Zoran's beak dipped in a nod.

Firestorm's tail twitched. "Come on then. Let's go. You certainly managed to get close enough without being spotted. You nearly gave Zoran and Vrennik a heart attack, dropping in like you did."

A leaf fluttered, her only warning as the Dukari bounded out of thin air. "I hadn't actually spotted either of you before I came out of the air." Swift grins, nodding to the fox like beast bouncing up to her.

Firestorm headed off, a simple shimmer falling over them as they wandered through the great trees. Swift paused at the base of one, leaning as far as she could. "These are far bigger then the ones on my island."

Firestorm grinned, leaping between the root system bulging free from the ground. "Many of the trees you'll see, even in outlier territory, are what we call new growth. Our forests take between 500 and a thousand years to hit full size and flourish... It wasn't that long ago, barely 200 years that most of our lands were raized. Burned and poisoned. We had some of our kind decide to turn against us. They chose to take money. Prestige and a name over loyalty to our own kind."

She stepped to the base of the largest tree, earth sinking around her as a great gateway slid open. "This was one of the last old growth forests left standing. It is where we call home."

Simple metals lined the burrow, holding the ceiling aloft. Braided gems dragged light from the stars, highlighting every aspect of the home in an ethereal glow. Pale whites reflecting into a soft golden hues. Earthen paths lined the valley beneath the soil, lush green fields stretching out as far as the eye could see.

Firestorm smiled at the look of wonder upon the kit's face, "Come on little one. Ren, Zor, if you two want to go get settled I've got it from here."

Swift pranced in place, her excitement overtaking her nerves for a moment. "Will I be allowed to explore?"

Firestorm gave her a gentle head butt, "Of course, but first I need to make you an official member of our pack." She offered a paw, "Just sink your teeth in. It's a simple blood bond."

"You've got this." Bladen whispered.

She set her shoulders firmly, letting her fangs slide forward. She sank them deep, her mind reaching out as her mother sunk her fangs into her shoulder. "Do you swear to uphold all that a Dukari pack holds dear without disloyalty or betrayal?"

"I do." Swift purred, savoring the sparking minds of thousands connecting with her. Empowering her.

She shivered, the sensation fading away. Connections fizzled, her mind chilling back to her people. They reached out, pulling it close with chirps and rubs. "No! Alpha, please. You can't leave us again. Please."

She sent her reassurances, returning every rub and nudge. "I won't. I am your alpha until you choose otherwise. I will never abandon you like that. I swear, oath upon my soul."

Firestorm released slowly, lost in thought. Her power seemed to dim, drawn out across the packs under her care.

Swift tilted her head, giving her mother the perfect look of confusion. "It's not very strong, is that still ok?"

She jumped, sliding into Swift's mind like warm honey, soothing and studying the pack bond closely. She withdrew with a sigh. "Your pack hasn't removed you yet. Though I certainly can't blame them, a kit with your abilities is rare. They should be treasured with every aspect of their soul. But if they remove you you'll have my safeguard. An extra preventative to make sure you don't go insane."

Her muzzle wrinkled, a flash of disgust flickering along the bond between them. She winced. "I'm sorry this lesson is arriving this soon to you."

A piercing cry of a child filled the burrows, young. Younger then her son. Her claws sunk deep into the ground.

"By Danoc's breath!" Bladen swore, surging into control before his charge could speak. Illandria snarled, vanishing from their mind.

They flinched, innocent eyes meeting Firestorm's, "What's going on? Why is a child crying like that? Shouldn't you go help them?"

Firestorm shook her head, her ears twitching back as an uncomfortable look flashed across her face. "Remember how I was explaining about the war? We have some facts left to us, facts that are hard to swallow." She flicked her tail, stepping away from the sound. "Rogues. The ones you call demons. True demons." She inhaled, "Sometimes Dukari don't snap into being insane. Sometimes they are born with it. Their core being, the form you're born in, it's a demonic creature. It infects the Dukari.... And when they go to take their true form right around 2 months, well that's when we can tell. Usually the first thing to show is a pair of brilliant red eyes. Nearly glowing. That's when we make the call. My second, Snowlily, usually takes them to the edge of the lands. If they come home in a few years still sane they are welcome back, but that has yet to happen."

"Bladen. Tell me now that I did not just hear this so called alpha tell me she is abandoning children, children the age of hers when it was lost, simply because of their eye colour." Swift seethes.

"Oh that's what she said. And not even truly insane kits. Kits with fire abilities are the reds that she's removing." Bladen snarled.

"Bladen, go with Illandria. Get me this child. Take it home. Use my fire form if you have to." Swift orders, deadly cool. She retakes the helm, blinking back tears to Firestorm. "You kill children? But surely you could wait, leave them in their own pack until they reached a certain age, couldn't you?"

Firestorm lead her into a massive hall, beads lining the wall. She glanced back, the door sliding closed as soon as Swift stepped in. A single bead rolled across the floor, landing at her feet. "You tell me."

Swift leaned forward, her muzzle brushing her into another world.

Deep red eyes peer from shadows, her tail held high. Dukari peek out around her, hardly twitching a muscle. She turned, her smile wicked as she twisted her own mind. Her pack flinched, darting away from her in an ever growing circle.

She spun, catching the closest one between her fangs as she began to rip and tear, swallowing flesh in a single bite. Her mind snaps, infecting every connection through her pack.

They turned as one, snarling and snapping for a single taste of their own as agony sung it's way along the mindlink.

Swift flinched back, "Surely she can't be the normal."

"Would you risk it?"

Swift stared down at the bauble, remembering every Dukari she left back with her pack. With Loki and Kiri. Was it worth it? "Yes."

Firestorm gave her a hard nudge. "Brave or stupid kid. I couldn't tell you. Imagine it happened to an alpha. An entire pack like mine, gone. Just like that."

Swift raised her head. "I understand."