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Zach
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      "Suka!" I called, more like screamed angrily.

    The giant animated cave drawing glared down at me. "Why are you here Zach?"

    "I want answers, I need to know what you're holding back from me! It has something to do with Dragonfly, doesn't it?"

    Suka winced, her cave drawing form becoming more real until she stood before me, frosty breath tickling my fur. She made no attempt to cover up the secret she was hiding now.

    "My son, are you ready for a long story, one that does not end well?" She sighed, letting out a long breath.

    I hesitated. "Does it concern me?"

    She nodded. "It's about you, it's about Zara, it's about the great chieftain Serrano. Most of all it's about a young she-claw named Fifi, who lived a long time before Serrano, so there were no tribes, there was just Claws.

"Fifi was born to a young couple in the spring, hopeful that their first children would turn out to be everything a parent wishes for their child, but so is the way of fate as she took those two twin sisters in her claws and it all starts one day when they were playing, grown up and becoming of age."

Fifi smiled as she spread out her wings to match the stance of her new teacher, a wise she-claw named Ebony. Ebony was young, having just passed the age of mentoring a few years back. Fifi's twin sister Barranca would be getting a different teacher.

Later, after they're first training they two were stretched out upon a ledge, watching the sun set.

    "Toady's been awesome, hasn't it?" Barranca commented, licking her dark grey fur, flashing a smile at her.

    "Yeah it has. I'm so glad You could come with us to hunt, even though none of us caught anything." Fifi laughed.

    "Whatever, you Battle-claws are all so proud." Barranca, mused.

    Fifi snorted. "And you Scribe-claws are quiet like mice, and not brave at all."

    "Not brave you say? You realize our job is actually harder than yours?" Barranca shot back, sounding slightly annoyed.

"I'm just kidding sis, you know that." Fifi poked her sister's tail playfully, a weak apology. "Anyway, what's new with you?"

Barranca looked away, abashed. "Roan asked me out, and I said yes."

    Fifi's jaw dropped. "Isn't he they guy who stole from our food supply for more than a year and locked those poor kits in the Archive?"

    Barranca frowned, neck fur bristling. "Oh come on, you're supposed to be supportive of me, you know how long he's been crushing on me?"

    Fifi, stood, unfurling her wing and letting them hang loosely. "But he's evil, did I tell you what he said to me yesterday?"

    Barranca scowled. "That doesn't matter, you should be happy for me!"

    "I won't, you better tell him to get lost before I do something myself!"

    Barranca hissed. "Today was supposed to be happy, and then you just had to go and ruin it for me. You're probably just still bitter over Dylien's death, he should never have become Battle-claw in the first place, everyone could see that."

    "DON'T YOU DARE, bring him into this!" Fifi hissed.

    "Then stop RUINING my life!" Barranca shot back.

    They were standing nose to nose, breathing hard, Fifi twitched, her paws moving to a static and unheard beat and her claws dug into the earth.

    Barranca didn't waver. "Go ahead, use your powers on me. Let's see what everyone thinks of you when they find out you've killed your own sister!"

    "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Fifi sobbed, kneeling over and clutching her head beneath her paws. She was muttering a spell under her breath, a dormant one that would never do anything, but the words always comforted her.

     Barranca's eyes widened as she became aware of the ethereal glow emanating from inside her sister's body, from her eyes, nose, and mouth. A eerie smoke drifted from her jaws as she exhaled continuously.

    "I never meant to kill Dylien, you know I loved him!" She sobbed, fat tears rolling down her face as she gazed up into her sisters face.

    "Calm down, you're overreacting." Barranca said calmly.

    "You're overreacting!" Fifi hissed. "You have no idea how hard this has been on me. I could kill anyone if I wanted."

    "Hard on you! You think just because you're some kind of Magyk prodigy that everyone should bow at your paws?" It slipped out before Barranca fully realized what she had said.

    Fifi shrieked, and pain lanced up the side of Barranca's face. She scented blood and watched in horror as the red juice dripped to the ground from her face. She winced and held the tender area above her right eye.

    "You could have blinded me!" Barranca gasped.

    The glow refused to fade from Fifi's eyes. "I'm a monster."

    Barranca instantly regretted what she said. Fifi jumped off the ledge and flew off into the distance, taking her glow with her.

    "FIFI!" She yelled, her head throbbed like someone had struck it with a deer antler. She wouldn't be able to fly after her sister like this.

    Barranca regretted what she did when Fifi didn't come back. Years passed. Everyone forgot about the young student, and Barranca passed her final test and mentored many students of her own. She never spoke to Roan again.

    Until one day when Barranca was restocking the archives once more, her paws tracing over scrolls she had read numerous times over and over again. Until her claws hooked around something unfamiliar. A small black turtle had wandered into the archives, and Barranca didn't hesitate to pick it up and wonder if it was edible.

    Until a black substance shot out from the creature and into her own mouth. She screamed as it ripped down her throat. She fell to the ground, writhing, wings flailing and claws extended.

    Finally she stopped, and opened her slotted blue eyes. Her fur had changed color, instead of a solid grey color, it looked like a moon on her forehead and a star on her chest, with dark clouds blocking the sky.

    Her eyes flickered red.

    That same day a stranger arrived in the territory of the Claws. She spoke barely any words, and kept asking to see the Scribe-claw Barranca. The stranger was a Claw, with sparkling green eyes and two brown patches over them, making it look like she was wearing some sort of bizarre goggles.

"I never expected to see your sorry hide here again Fifi." Barranca snarled.

Fifi didn't even wince. "My name is not Fifi, my name is Dragonfly, Fifi is dead."

"Oh what, and I suppose you killed her." Barranca mumbled.

Dragonfly stared at her coldly. "There's something wrong with you."

"What? You left for years, for my entire life! Did you expect a warm welcome?" She sneared.

Dragonfly reached forward, her eyes started glowing.

"Have you come to kill me? To finally rid your life of all your problems?" Her sister growled again, eye flickering red once more.

Barranca gasped as her fur turned completely black, and her eyes shone an iridescent blood color, he mouth gaped open wide like something was trying to get out.

"I thought so." Dragonfly commented monotonously.

"You can't save your sister now, not after what you've done to her." Barranca hissed through her teeth, her voice was suddenly raspy and ancient.

"Get out or I'll kill you Tenebris." Dragonfly demanded.

"You may have hunted me to the ends of the earth and back but you won't risk killing your sister." Barranca answered, tears pricking in the corner of her eyes as the strain weakened her.

Dragonfly dropped her emotionless facade. Her brow twisted in the struggle to pull the evil spirit from her sister's body. Her fur was starting to slick with sweat.

"I knew it, you do still care for her." Barranca smiled, and all of a sudden she returned to normal, no red eyes, no dark patches.

"Great Glamora!" Barranca gasped. "Fifi!"

Dragonfly was about to correct her when her twin sister wrapped her arms around her. For one moment everything was perfect again.

"I missed you Barranca." Dragonfly admitted.

Then Barranca started choking.

Dragonfly's eyes widened, she watched in horror as the sister she just saved started to writhe and spasm on the floor. Her claws were tearing at her throat and she starting coughing up blood.

"Barranca!" Dragonfly shrieked.

The last thing Dragonfly heard from her sister was a strangled laugh, and then the grey Claw collapsed in a pool of her own blood.

"BARRANCA NO!" Dragonfly screamed.

But her sister was dead. Dragonfly lost control of her power and created a crater the size of a building, injuring nearly a hundred Claws.

"And she died?" I gasped. "That's it?"

Suka nodded solemnly. "History repeats itself constantly. Everytime a new Dragonfly is born, there is always someone close who ends up with the role of playing Barranca. Something cataclysmic happens, and they bring death with them. Being a Dragonfly was not a gift, it's a curse."

I was reeling. My stomach felt queasy and several times I had to swallow my own vomit. Not to mention I was freaking out. This is not what I was expecting at all.

"And what about me? Who am I this time? What will happen to Zara?" I choked, leaning against a wall.

Suka looked near tears herself. "You don't have to worry about her, I think she's Fifi this time around."

"That means..." I felt my own tears drip down my face. My legs were cooked noodles and I was going to fall.

"I'm sorry Zach." She cried. "This is why I was stressed about you and your sister. You're the evil twin."

"You must die."

<>

There's not much I can say to make this any better is there?