We reached the dead center of Eastern Coniurantum halfway through the third day. By then the sun had really started to take effect and we flew closer to the ground just to take advantage of whatever shade we might come across. We would have flown below the tree tops if I didn't have a 99% crash expectancy. After this, I'm never going to fly two days straight again. My wings felt like slabs of driftwood and my muscles had grown numb five hours ago. Half the time I could barely feel myself flapping.

Then I heard it, the most beautiful sound ever. The soft pounding of many paws on the soil. Heavy enough to be a large animal soft enough to be a predator. Not too soft for me however. It was the loping of wolves.

"Jelu, look below us and please tell me that's what I think it is."

He gasped. "I can see Feurige! Follow me, the trees break up ahead."

I followed his tail closely, not letting his scent become too thin in the air we pushed through. Then he started dropping dramatically and the pounding become louder.

"Feurige!" Jelu shouted. "Look up!"

There was a surprised shout from down below, then Jelu slowed down, dropped even more, and suddenly I was running along some thick grass. We slowed to a stop and I started to pick out the breathing of the individual wolves that had begun to surround us. There were about fifteen, give or take a few, which wasn't too shabby at all. I closed my wings, almost sighing from the relief that brought, and the cramps it soothed out. Sweet, sweet, rest. My brother ruffled his fur out and then began to address our audience.

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Jelu
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Feurige looked exactly like he used to, except he wasn't scrawny anymore and I spotted two hawk feathers hanging off the side of his thick, rusty, wolf-mane. He blinked happily upon seeing me again.

"Feurige! How are you doing?"

He was happy, but slightly confused. "I'm... I'm doing great. It's great to see you again Jelu... though I know something's wrong and I'm really hoping you can provide some answers."

He lifted up one paw in demonstration and I looked down smelt smoke, and saw the dark patch of burned grass at his feet. 

I gasped. "Oh yeah! That's happening to me too."

"Jelu, as much as I'm loving this prolonged break from out flight, we are on a tight schedule here." Jay pointed out, his ears flicked back.

"Oh right, so as it turns out Tenebris is not dead."

Feurige's ears flicked and and his pack let out a few concerned murmurs. "It's as I suspected. Two days ago we found the carcass of a deer, it had the familiar ick about it. Glamora help us all. Maddy?"

    The pale-brown she-wolf beside him pricked her ears up in attention.

    "I'm putting you in charge while I'm gone, finish the hunt and carry on as normal." He ordered.

    She still look frightened under her stoic facade. "How long do you think you'll be gone?"

    Feurige frowned, then barked a few times, the pack around them stalked off. Giving them some privacy. I sat down a little closer to Jay to add to this in some way.

    "I... I don't know." Feurige admitted. "I don't even know if I'll be coming back. I think the chances are unlikely, but it's a possibility. I want you to be prepared in case that does happen."

    Maddy took a deep breath, and nodded bravely. "Of course. I'll be waiting."

    Feurige touched his nose to hers, it was a sweet gesture. Then, she gave him one last look before turning and digging up the grass as she ran towards the rest of the pack. I watched them go, and in the distance one last howl rose up from the horizon.

    Feurige beside us threw back his head and howled back. Jay only looked annoyed, but I sensed the emotion of the exchange and suddenly the mortality of the situation seemed to make itself more obvious to me. I could definitely die in these next few days.

    I glanced over at Jay and promised him that I wouldn't.

    Feurige turned back towards us. "Follow me, I know where the other two live."

.
.
.

    Fulgura as it turns out, was still the wandering spirit I remembered, but for the sake of her new friends she had confined her wandering to the two territories of Feurige's pack and Ipa's forest. Feurige predicted we would run into her before the day was done.

    "So, the whole pack is yours now, huh?" I asked, making conversation to fill the silence otherwise filled with Jay's grumbling.

    "Yep, Gregory passed about a year ago. Of old age so, no pain. He picked me as his successor." Feurige nodded, as we padded along.

    "That's nice."

    "Yeah. Ipa's got it even better than me though, I don't know to much about the cervus, but I know they didn't like her. She went back and I guess took over the whole operation. I mean, it's a lot of territory to own." He laughed cheerfully. "But that's enough about out side of the hills, what's going on in the west? How exactly did this happen?"

    The fur on Jay's spine stiffened. "I'm guessing Tenebris wasn't killed, just weakened to the extremes. He latched onto my... girlfriend, and pretended to be someone we had lost in the battle. Unfortunately it worked and now that thing has her."

    I blinked. "Wait, so it finally happened?"

    Wrinkles appeared on his nose. "What?"

    "You and Zara." I bumped his shoulder lightly.

The slightest of grins appeared on his maw. "Yeah."

"Oh I remember you two now." Feurige realized, then blinked. "Wait... it took two years-?"

"Shut up."

Feurige and I chuckled. Then I spotted a faint rustle in the grass in front of us. Then two glimmering blue eyes peeked out, and a fully grown explosion of white and black jumped out in front of us. Fulgura grinned, showing off all of her pearly white fangs.

"Jelu! Feurige! I don't know who you are but I'm so happy to see you all! I'm ecstatic!" Her tail stuck straight up as she bounced around.

Jay frowned. "Was I really that unmemorable?"

"Fulgura! I'm happy to see you too!" I grinned back.

Feurige gave her a cheeky grin. "Good to see you too. Unfortunately it's not the best of time."

"Oh I know." Fulgura nodded enthusiastically. "My powers are back, so I figured."

A sudden gust ripped through the shallow forest and ruffled our fur and feathers. Fulgura closed her eyes and leaned into it. On a scale of Jay to Fulgura I thought it was pretty rad. We brought Fulgura up to speed as the forest around us got thicker and thicker. Vines started to choke the trucks on the trees and we were pushing through so much Undergrowth we eventually had Feurige go ahead of us so he could char through some of the rougher bits. I wasn't even walking on dirt anymore, it was just multiple layers of plant life. My paws were dirty all the way to my elbow, I looked like Zara.

Finally we started climbing a fairly large overlook that graced a clearing. When the foliage gave way in patches I could see through to a learning on the other side, it was like a massive bowl. The trees died away the higher we got, and it wasn't long before I spotted the tall and graceful form of Ipa overlooking the massive area from her perch. She looked way different from the last time I had seen her, taller, stronger. There was aura of power she had around her, turned outward like daggers. Her faun spots where gone, replaced with the darker stripes of the cervus. Reaching up from her head was a stunning rack of intricate antlers, with leaved and vines wrapping around them. I felt the need to bow before her as she turned to meet us.

    Her beady black eyes fell upon us. "I already know. I am ready to leave."

    "Wow, you've really grown up." Feurige remarked, smiling toothily.

    "So have you." She replied curtly. "You've all grown."

    There was another doe to her right who didn't say a word, but Ipa touched her nose gently and summoned a familiar sight, their astral wings. They glowed faintly as she perched on the edge of the cliff.

    "Alas, Tenebris isn't going to wait for us to grow anymore, as we speak she's tearing our heavens apart." She insisted.

    Feurige nodded, and followed suit, taking his place just ahead of her. Fulgura had some trouble summoning her wings. I just had normal ones, and they ached like no claw's business but I unfolded them readily. One by one we all fell off the cliff and caught the wind. Jay was last and followed my tail.

    "I can't believe it only took about a day to find all of you." Jay observed.

    "Fate will do that." Ipa said, monotone.

    "Okay sure." Jay sighed. "I just hope a day wasn't too long."

    I swallowed dryly. The sun was setting on this day, and this chapter of our lives, but we were together. The four of the prophecy were coming after Tenebris once more. This time, for good.

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I missed these kids ngl