Revenge of the Stari

[hyrulianblackcat]

Um, Ganondorf, Koume, and Kotake are the only Gerudo who can do magic, and I'm not sure if the witches are Gerudo.
Anyways, here's the next two chapters.

Chapter Twelve

I jerked awake, then yelped as my chest protested. I clutched at it, and felt bandages. I looked at myself. My right arm, left leg, and chest were bound up tightly. Feeling them, I guessed I broke some bones. I puzzled for a minute as to when I did that, then remembered my tumble off the cliff.
I looked around. I was in a small cot in the corner of a small room. Above the cot was a window almost as long as the cot itself, streaming plenty of sun into the room. To the wall on the right of the cot was a small table, covered with papers, paints, brushes, and other similar things. There was an easel next to it and a small stool in front of that. The walls were plain wood, as was the floor. A door was set in the wall across from the bed, another in the wall next to it. A closet and exit, I guessed.
I started to struggle out of bed when one of the doors opened and a girl walked in with my friends. I greeted my not-so-little ones, then examined her. She was slim, of medium hieght, with ivory skin, deep violet eyes, and long bluish white hair. She wore a sea-green dress with a hood, and a brown belt about her waist, hanging from which was a sword. She also wore knee-high black boots. Judging by the paint splatters on her face and hands, she was the owner of this room and it’s art supplies.
Star bumped me. “You’re staring.”
I glanced at her, confused for a minute before I realized that I had made the girl uncomfortable with my scrutiny. I smiled at her. “I’m sorry. Old habits. Thank you for bandaging me.” I bowed slightly from my position on the bed.
The girl smiled back shyly. “You’re welcome,” she said in a light, quiet voice. “But I’m not the one who treated you. My friend Hillysu did. He found you and your animals near a cliff. He bandaged you up and brought you here to heal. I’m Samara.”
I put my fist to my chest and bowed slightly. “I am Sephira Phoenix of the Stari, daughter of Chief Balthscar. This is FallenStar, my star cheetah, and Midnight, a wolf I adopted.”
Samara curtsied. “Pleased to meet you. Er, are you hungry?”
I was about to answer when my stomach beat me to it. It growled loud enough for Samara to hear. She grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll go get you something.” With that she left.
Star had jumped onto my bed and was laying between me and the wall, while Midnight sat on the floor next to the bed. I asked them, “What happened?”
Star said, “We wandered around most of the night, trying to find somewhere to hide. Eventually, we gave up and dug ourselves into the sand. We were fine until the sun heated it up. I was fine, but Midnight got too hot, so we left it to find some better shelter. We wandered for a while when we saw the edge of a cliff. We hoped to be able to get over it, but it was too high. Midnight thought that it might lower somewhere, so we followed it. Unfortunately, we ran into some Dracomos. They pushed us over the edge. We didn’t fall straight down, thankfully, so we didn’t maintain any serious damage, though we are still bruised. Hillysu found the three of us almost as soon as we landed. He bandaged you up, healed my sprained ankle, and brought us to Samara.”
Samara walked in with a tray while Star was finishing. She hesitated at the entryway, then continued over to me and handed me the tray. It had a bowl of soup and a hunk of bread on it. Breathing in deep, I guessed that the soup had beef, carrots, potatoes, and various other ingredients. I blew on a spoonful and ate it. It was good, though Sarah’s soup had always been better. My eyes misted a little at the thought of her, but I shook the tears away. The time for crying would be after I extracted my revenge.
I noticed while I ate that Samara seemed to be wanting to ask me something. However, she seemed too shy to do so. I finished my bite of bread, and asked, “Alright, what are you wanting to know?”
She jerked, scattering the brushes she was playing with while working up her courage. She looked at the ground as she asked, “Hillysu said you were looking for revenge. He wouldn’t tell me who you were avenging on or who you were avenging.”
I sighed. It seemed everyone I met had a similar question. I answered, “I’m avenging my tribe by killing Strattus.”
Samara looked up at me through her eyelashes. “I can hear the heart break in your voice. Who’s Strattus? Someone close?”
I stiffened. Were my emotions showing that plainly? “Strattus was a member of the Stari. But he betrayed them because he thought they were weak. He’s no one close to me. He was my betrothed, but he broke I never liked him!” My voice rose in anger.
Samara looked scared. “Calm down, please! I didn’t mean any harm. I was just curious. If you don’t wish to talk about it, say so, and I will leave you alone.”
I took a deep breathe, calming my mind down, before answering. “It’s fine. I would just rather not to speak of him until he is dead and in the ground.”
Samara was a little surprised by the force behind my words. She decided to change to a more gentle subject. “When Hillysu was fixing your cast on your ribs, I noticed a tattoo of a phoenix, with its wings spread, above another of a wolf and cheetah. What’s it mean?”
I was relieved at the change. “The cheetah and wolf are these two.” I gestured to my pets. “The phoenix is for my last name that I chose at my naming when I was twelve. I chose it because I wanted to seem strong, impossible to kill. Luckily for me, it seems I am.” I chuckled hollowly.
Samara grinned at me. “I’ll say! You fell off a cliff with only a few breakages where most would die! You fought against countless dragon-like beasts on your own, where I’m sure it would only take one of those things to kill most people.”
I smiled back at the admiration in her voice. “It’s only the skills I learned. Any Stari could-would have been able to do that.” My grin faded as I again remembered they were gone. It always crept up on me like that, and it hurt every time. However, since someone besides Star and Midnight were here, I hid my depression and pasted the grin back on. Samara looked at me strangely, but made no comment and we continued to talk.
I noticed while we spoke that Samara was painting. She had angled her easel so I couldn’t see what, and Star wouldn’t let me shift enough to see. Still, I tried to guess what it was she was painting from her brush strokes, but I quickly got lost. She used different paints and different brushes for different parts. I sighed as I admitted defeat. “Alright, I give up. What are you painting?”
Samara blushed. “Well, it’s not very good, and I’m going by my imagination, rather than reality, but…” She moved the easel around so I could see. It took my breathe away. It was still incomplete, but it looked like it would be a picture of me standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down it. Star and Midnight were sitting behind me, straight and tall, elegant-looking. In the background was a sunset, casting beautiful purple shadows all over and dyeing the sky fire-red. A few stars were appearing near the top of the canvas.
I realized my mouth was hanging open and quickly shut. “It’s beautiful! What do you mean it’s not good? I’ve never seen better work in my life!”
Samara looked startled at my exclamation. “But. But.” she stuttered.
I laughed at her stricken face. “You look so funny like that!” I quickly swallowed my merriment as I realized it was rude; however, I couldn’t keep my grin at bay. “I’m sorry. Why do you doubt me? Seriously, you should be an artist. You would be rich.”
Samara stared at me as if I had gone crazy. “But no one ever thinks I can be an artist! Why could you-How could a complete stranger believe in me better than my own parents?”
I looked at her. I could guess why. “Because they had plans for you, I bet. They wanted you to think you had no chance of being what you wanted to be, so that you’d bend to their will. I’m only guessing, so I might be wrong.”
Samara bowed her head. “Yeah, I knew that. I just never wanted to believe it. My parents let me have the servant’s house outside theirs so I could practice my painting without making a mess of their nice house, but I always knew they were hoping to marry me to a rich nobleman’s son.”
I murmured sympathetically to her. After all, my father had been wanting to marry me off to someone I never liked. I knew what it felt like to be trapped in a corner by your own parent.

Chapter Thirteen

Samara and I spent many days chatting while I healed and she painted. She was a brilliant artist, able to make anything come alive on her canvas. I seemed to be her favorite subject. She once painted what she guessed I looked like as a child, playing with Star and Midnight when they were cubs. She often asked me questions about the Stari, questions I answered more and more freely as I grew to trust her. She used the answers I gave her to make even more brilliant paintings.
I found out that she liked to sing and dance as well, so I would often whistle my songs to her. She would come up with words for them and sing them as she danced. Every time, the words for a song would change. Sometimes she was funny with them, other times, serious. Often she would convince Star or Midnight to join in her dance.
I was just taking off the last cast when Samara asked me to teach her swordsmanship. She pointed to the sword she always carried. “This thing is mostly for show. It’s a real blade, but I want to know how to use it properly, just in case.”
I thought I heard something in her voice that told me she was hiding something, but I decided not to pry. After all, she had kept me company while I healed these long two months. I agreed and we went outside. Her yard was just grass, with a few flowers poking up here and there. I took her to a small bare spot and had her draw her sword and take a stance. I went over it, correcting small things that would improve her balance and grip. After that, I had her go through the stances I did when little.
I taught her everything I was taught during the next few weeks. I never dueled her, because the only sword I had was my father’s and it was too off-balanced for me. I told her as much when she asked me. She asked me why I hadn’t gotten a new one yet. I replied, “Because I’m supposed to fashion it into my own new sword when I turn 16 in almost a year’s time.”
Samara thought for a minute. “Why don’t you change it now? I know a blacksmith who could help you if you needed it. Then you could have a sword you could use for proper duels.”
I thought about it for a minute. Did I really want to break tradition? I continued to think about it as I put Samara through her forms. I really wanted to keep with tradition, but a bow wouldn’t be much use if I got caught in another close-range fight with those Dracomos. When we had finished for the day, I asked her to take me to the blacksmith.
I asked to borrow some of his tools to refashion my father’s sword. He agreed, on the condition I cleaned his shop afterwards. I agreed and set right to work. I’ll spare you the long and boring details, but by the time it was done, I had a longer, sharper, thinner sword than before. I had added red dyes to the melted steel, so that I now had a blood-red blade. I had fashioned a new hilt, also, a black one with a diamond pommel stone. I took an experimental swing. It moved quickly, swerving where I told it. It was perfect for my hand. I smiled grimly. Now I had a weapon I could use against those filthy beast.
I cleaned the shop as I promised, then headed back to Samara’s house. She had stayed with me the whole time I was making my sword, painting as always. This time she had painted me with my new sword raised in victory. Beneath the cliff I was standing on were countless people cheering. Behind me were sitting Star and Midnight. With them was standing… “Samara? Are you wanting to come with me? Is that why you included yourself?”
Samara smiled shyly at me. “If you’ll take me. I’m sick of seeing only this city. I want out! I want to see the world before my parents chain me down with a boring boy and the boring life of a lady. Let me go with you. I can help, and you can teach me more.”
I smiled. I could use the help. Strattus would take quite a while to topple. Plus, Samara would help bring up the entertainment value. And down the seriousness. Maybe I could recruit a large group to help me take down Strattus and his Dracomos. With that idea in mind, I decided I look for other people to join my group. I turned to Samara. “I suppose you can come with me, but I won’t be leaving for awhile yet. I’m still out of shape from being in those casts for so long.” Samara nodded her understanding. I flashed her a smile, then asked, “Where’s Hillysu at? I havn’t seen him since he rescued me, and technically, I didn’t see him then.”
Samara thought for a minute. “He is probably visiting his family right now. He go there once a year to see them. He’ll be coming by here soon to see if there are any jobs he can take.”
“And to see you?” I guessed with a grin. Samara’s blush answered that question easily.

[elliotk]

I'm glad to see the return of Hillysu! I like that you've given him a special power too, makes him a more unusual character and brings about much questions I have about him (which I won't bug you with since I know it'll most likely be answered later on in the story anyway and I want to stay surprised XD). You're doing a nice job fleshing out Samara's characteristics as well, though I would like to see more on her history and background. After all, if she and Sephira have been together for a while now, I'm sure she would've talked more about herself, unless she's the type that's hard to get to know.

[hyrulianblackcat]

What questions do you have about Hillysu? It might give me more things to use in my story. Samara is supposed to be shy, that's why I'm keeping much of her history in the dark for now.

[elliotk]

I was wondering where he got his healing powers from. Since he's a human, he must not have been born with it, right? Unless something had happened to him. Or could it be that Hillysu is actually a Stari, adopted into a different family and that's why he has those powers? There's just so many possibilities you could make with a character like that, you know?

[midna]

Amazing story.... Can't wait to see the rest

[hyrulianblackcat]

Thanks, midna. I'll work as much as I can. Until then, here's the next chapter.

Chapter Fourteen

Samara and I dueled often. I usually went easy on her, only putting enough effort into it to protect myself. Her blade was getting faster every day, and I was having to use more energy to guard myself from it. Still, when I went on offensive, I would be able to win with ease. I often forced her to practice her defensive moves. I went slow enough that it wasn’t as much of a challenge as it could be. She got better, slowly.
We were practicing one day, when I heard Midnight bark a greeting to someone, followed by an answering whinny. I guessed it was Hillysu. Samara must have guesses the same, as she picked up on her fighting, trying to go faster and stronger. I was a little surprised by her sudden ferocity, but I recovered quickly. I parried a overhead slice and dodged a stab, then went in for the kill. Before Samara knew what happened, I had disarmed her and laid my sword on the nape of her neck. She sighed as I put my sword away, then picked up and sheathed her sword. We turned to greet Hillysu.
“Greetings, Hillysu. It has been long,” I told him, accompanied by a small bow.
Hillysu looked a little surprised at my formality, but he returned the bow with a smile. “Indeed it has, Sephira Phoenix. I trust you have healed from your afflictions?”
“Only my outward ones. My thirst for revenge is as strong as ever,” I answered. “But let us not dwell on it. You came here more to see Samara than me, so don’t allow me to take up your time.” With another bow, I turned to leave. Hillysu was a little surprised that I wanted to leave so quickly and reached out to stop me. I dodged his hand, and Samara pushed it away. She had spent enough time with me to know that I disliked the presense of two people. One was stretching it for me.

I wandered around the market with Star. Midnight had stayed behind to keep an eye on Samara. For what reason, he wouldn’t tell me. Although I had a feeling it had something to do with the table scraps she often slipped him. Samara treated Star and Midnight as overgrown cat and dog. She didn’t care that they were true creatures of the wild. Star often refused the scraps offered to her, though she did give in to tempting bits. Midnight always gobbled them down, then sat and pleaded for more.
The markets were crowded as usual. I came here often, as it was fun to try out my dyes. As Stari, I had been taught to hide my appearance with plant dyes when I wasn’t in the forest any more. Today I had chosen to hide as darker-skinned than I normally am. My newly dyed black hair was pulled up in a pin curl twist. I grinned to myself at how different I felt after dyeing myself. And thankfully, plant dyes washed out really easily, so I could be someone else tomorrow, if I so chose.
I wandered around, looking at different stalls, though finding nothing I couldn’t make if I needed it. I don’t mean to brag, but I am at wood-working than most of these city folks. They could probably make things much more decorative than I could, but I could make them stronger, which is the better by far.
I stopped at a few stands and bought some bread, cheese, meat, fruit, and some wine. I made myself a sandwich of the bread and cheese, and gave the meat to Star. We ate our lunch as we wandered around some more. I gulped down some wine and winced. I wasn’t used to wine and had accidentally bought some stronger stuff than I wanted. I grumbled under my breathe but drank it anyways. Stari are taught to eat and drink what they were given no matter the taste. Many lessons I had to go through to learn that.
I had just finished when I saw a Hylian moving around. I normally would have ignored him, but he seemed to be attempting to hide, to be inconspicuous. But he was trying too hard. I could see how hard is was trying to not be noticed. Whistling to Star, I followed him. I watched him, while making it look like I was looking at other stands. He was little taller than me, with dark blue eyes and cropped, black hair. His arms were longer than most people’s, his legs thicker. He reminded me of a monkey, though he was not quite as burly.
I don’t know why I was following him. I didn’t see him doing anything suspicious, other than trying too hard not be suspicious. I followed him for awhile longer, then stopped and chewed myself out for wasting my time. I turned to go somewhere else, when Star bumped me. I knelt down. “What is it, girl?”
She pointed to the Hylian. I turned around. I saw him pocket a few pieces of jewelry off a stand. I was momentarily stunned. How could I know that he was a thief? I shrugged. I hadn’t known he was a thief, I was just suspicious of him.
As he slipped away, I followed. He walked with a determined gait now. I followed him into some twisting alleyways. I almost lost him a couple times, but Star’s sense of smell came in handy. She helped me track him through those dark alleyways.
We had been tailing this guy for a few minutes, and gotten almost completely lost in these alleyways, when he stopped and ducked into a place. I hesitated, then followed him. Inside was a sparsely-light place. Looking around, I saw it was similar to a pub. At the far end was a fireplace, which seemed to be the main source of light. To the right of the door was a counter with a barkeeper cleaning glasses. Stools were pulled up to it. Scattered around the rest of the room were tables and chairs. On the table sat small candles. Many of the candles were not light, nor were there any windows, which explained why there was next to no light. I saw three people at the counter and a few others scattered around the room.
The barkeeper looked up when I entered. “Oye! No pets allowed!” he shouted. This earned me a few stares from all around the room. I grumbled at him for calling attention to me so easily. I turned to Star and asked her to wait outside. She did so, but only after I promised to call her if I needed her.
I weaved through the tables, trying to keep from drawing further attention to myself. I approached the man I had been following, near the fire. He was sitting at a table, watching the flames dancing. I touched his shoulder to gave his attention. He turned. I could see his surprise at being spoken to by a lady. “What is it you want, pretty one?” he asked.
I cleared my throat, now unsure of what to say. I decided to cut straight to the point. “I saw you swipe some jewelry at the market earlier. I want to know why.”
He looked me in the eyes, and I could see he was only a little younger than me. I was amazed, but quickly hid it. He sighed. “Because I have to eat, don’t I? How do I do that if I have no money?”
“You earn it,” I answered coldly. “You go out there and you earn the money you need to buy food. Or you hunt for your food. Either way, you shouldn’t steal.”
He glanced at my arrows peaking over my shoulder. I had forgotten I had brought them until his eyes drifted there. “It’s all well for you.” He gestured to my arrows. “You have weapons with which to hunt. You probably earn more than enough money, doing who knows what kind of jobs. Me, I don’t. I can’t do much. So don’t you come in here and tell me how to run my life, when I’ve doing it fine for years now.”
I stepped back at the sudden aggression in his voice. My hand reached over to my sword, only I realized I had left it behind. I inwardly cursed myself for grabbing the weapon least helpful in the crowded streets and leaving behind the more helpful. I held up my hands. “I’m sorry. I have always lived where the forest provides. I forget that not all are so lucky.”
The Hylian grunted, then gestured for me to sit. “And I’m sorry for losing my temper. I’m not used to being caught, nor for the person who caught me to just stand there talking rather than hauling my butt to the dungeons. I’m Gerrad.” He extended his hand.
I took it, now much more familiar with this method of greeting thanks to Samara. I was also used to hiding. “Sarah,” I told him. I was amazed at how much I had changed from being in the close confines of this town. While it wasn’t dangerous, I always managed to get in trouble.
I pulled my thoughts back to present quickly as he started speaking. “So why does a fine lady such as yourself track down a thief, and then put herself almost right into his clutches?”
I snorted. “Almost in your clutches? I think not. I could easily escape if I needed to.” I mentaly cursed myself at the brag. “But anyways. I followed you because I was wondering why such a fine gentleman such as yourself would be stealing jewelry.”
He smiled at my compliment. “Because I need the money. I don’t have the skills I need to make money, nor to get my own food. Stealing is the only way. And it sure is more fun. Let me show you.”
I thought it over. “Alright, but on one condition.”
His excitement seemed to drain away with that one sentence, and wariness crept into his eyes. “What’s that condition?”
I smiled at him. “That you let me teach you a skill you want to learn. Hunting, swordsmanship, tracking, carving, you name it, I can teach you or find someone to teach you.”
His eyes light up. “You mean it?” I nodded. He bounced up and starting doing a happy dance. Apparently, no one was as considerate as I. No one was probably so dumb they’d put themselves into another’s power so easily, either. By offering to teach him, my hands were tied. I couldn’t hunt for Stratus at all for awhile. Though I might be able to convince Gerrad to wait a little while while I hunted for others to help in my fight. I smiled at Gerrad and told him I’d meet him back here tomorrow evening. With that, I stood up and left, whistling for Star to guide me out of this maze.

[hyrulianblackcat]

I am aware that the quality sucks. But here is my map in all its glory: zeldadungeon.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=12490&d=1306204695

[elliotk]

Heheh, actually it's pretty cute. The moutains (Blizzard Tops) look like the mountains from Yoshi's Island or something :3 Maybe you should go over the pencil writing with a black marker or something?

[adfalcon]

lol that's pretty good,

[wdw4]

<grunt> if i had a camra with batterys id have a better map.

[hyrulianblackcat]

If you can make it better, wdw4, go right ahead. Just let me see it before you post it, please.

Here's the next chapter. You guys are going to love this.

Chapter Fifteen

“Are you sure we can do this?” I whispered, trying to keep the light torch in my hand high.
“It’s fine. Just give me another minute,” Gerrard whispered back. We were outside a door in an alleyway, though not one Star and I had explored while following Gerrard. He was picking the lock, while trying to explain to me how it worked. I didn’t understand one bit. Midnight, who was with me, opened his mouth wide and yawned. Star had stayed behind, as she was too tired to come.
I had changed my disguise from yesterday, and had shocked Gerrard by arriving with red hair and dark skin. For a moment he thought I was Gerudo, but my eyes and ears gave me away. Gerudo don’t have pointed ears or blue eyes. It took him a little while longer to realize it was me. He asked if I had changed my cheetah into a wolf as well, when I told him I was Sarah.
The thought made me smile, then I heard a click. The door swung open and Gerrard grinned. He crept in, moving as silently as he could. He wasn’t as quiet as I feel he could have been, but oh, well. I’ll teach him better stealth later. He had told me he wanted to learn to survive in the wild. Midnight and I crept in on feet trained in the forest, where anything could betray your presence. It would take a long time to get Gerrard’s feet to move like that, but I had time.
The one-roomed house was sparingly furnished. There was as little furniture as possible, and as plain as possible. I had never seen anything so plain. Even the Stari, constantly moving, had decorations of some sort. Vases, tapestries, even paintings on the tent walls, these are what the Stari had. There was none here.
Gerrard didn’t seem to notice, so I asked him quickly why there were no decorations. He told me that this person never lived in the same place twice. He was always moving, something to do with his ancestry. This puzzled me. “My people move all the time, yet we don’t have as plain decorations as this.” I mentally kicked myself for using present tense again.
Gerrard shrugged. “I don’t know. He always is in a different spot every week. Maybe that’s why. But he stole something from me. I want it back.”
We both whispered, though it sounded loud in the emptiness of this place. I was still uncomfortable at the emptiness. It was so unusual. Midnight was uncomfortable at the slight echoes bouncing around.
Gerrard found a chest near the back and tried to open it. Locked. So he pulled out his lock pick again, and worked at the lock. It seemed to take him even longer than the door, so I wondered. I looked for some personal affects to this place. An old painting, a chip in a chair, something! I finally found something. A statue of a star cheetah, sitting on one of the tables. It was small and black, made of stone. It had all the details of a star cheetah in sitting position, with the ears raised to listen. It looked similar to the wooden one my father had. Why would someone here have a star cheetah statue?
I was puzzling over it when I heard a click. Turning, I saw Gerrard had opened the chest. I put the cheetah back and crept over to see what it was he was wanting back so much. He reached into the chest and pulled out a beautiful bright blue sword. The hilt was silver with a sapphire pommel stone. The sword was about as long as mine was, though wider, and the hilt was made for a larger hand. I glanced at Gerrard’s hand. They weren’t quite big enough to match this sword’s hilt. Right then, I knew he had lied to me. This sword wasn’t his.
I was about to ask him for the truth when Midnight growled. I spun around and saw a silvery star cheetah. It was larger than Star, but obviously much older. It was acting calm, as if it was natural for people to come in and steal. Midnight’s fur bristled as he warned it away from me. I stood up and drew my sword. It flashed in the torch light. The cheetah sat down and regarded me. Gerrard stayed crouched by the chest, clutching the sword to his chest.
“Well, well, well. It seems that Gerrard brought company this time,” a voice echoed from the entryway. I could guess it was a male, possibly a little older than me. I looked over there, swinging my torch so I could see over there. I saw a man with dirty-blonde hair pulled back in a short ponytail and blue eyes leaning against the doorpost, regarding me. He wore a silver sleeveless shirt, black pants, and a silver belt from his right shoulder to his left waist. He had a scar on his left eye and a black snake tattooed around his left arm so that the head was on his hand. Somehow, his features looked familiar.
Gerrard interrupted my musings. “You said I could have it and you never gave it to me! What am I supposed to do? You wouldn’t just give it to me!”
The man straightened. He addressed Gerrard, but his eyes stayed on me. “I said you could have it if you stole a certain gem for me. The gem you brought me was a fake. It shattered when Streak here knocked it down. Animals are smart. You should have known better than to try and trick me, one who understand them.”
I jerked at that. From what I had been hearing, only Stari could understand animals. I looked this person over again. His ears were pointed like Hylians and Stari. He had an athletic build, though he was more muscular than me. I could just make out what I thought was a tattoo of the sun, moon, and a star in a triangle on his right hand. He bore my scrutiny for a little while before finally snapping, “What is so interesting? Why do you look at me like a jewel to be stolen?”
I looked him in the eyes. “You’re Stari, aren’t you?”
He staggered back, but recovered quickly and laughed. “I don’t know what this nonsense you’re spouting is. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I smiled at him, then turned to the cheetah, Streak. “Star cheetah, I have a partner cheetah. You can scent her on me. Tell your master that I speak truth.”
The cheetah was surprised to hear me speak in the meows, growls, purrs, and movements that cheetahs use. He turned to his master and started to tell him I spoke the truth. However, his master shushed him. “I heard her, Streak.” He turned to me. “So what do you know of the Stari? You aren’t one of them, they don’t come out of that forest they call home.”
Gerrard was attempting to get away while I had this person distracted, but Midnight grabbed his collar and pulled him back. He yelped as he felt the teeth close so close to his skin and Midnight’s breathe. I whistled for Midnight to let him go and pulled Gerrard over. “We wait. Give him his sword back. I’ll get you a better one later,” I whispered in his ear. Gerrard nodded, put the sword back in the chest, and scurried out of the house. I turned back to the man and gave him the traditional Stari salute. “I am Sephira Phoenix, daughter of Chief Balthscar, last survivor of the Stari.” This introduction was getting old. “This is Midnight, a wolf I found as cub. I have a star cheetah named FallenStar. She isn’t with me, as she was too tired. I didn’t get your name.”
He look stricken throughout my whole dialogue. He sighed as I finished. He placed his fist over his heart and bowed over it. “I am Narus Shadow, son of Chief Balthscar."

[jborgon]

I KNEW IT!!! lol no I didn't, or maybe I did, you know being a psychic and stuff, I always know this kind of things

[hyrulianblackcat]

Chapter Sixteen

I almost fell over. “W-wha-what did you just say?”
Narus gave me a sad smile. “Yes, I am Balthscar’s son by Tristiana. This is Streak, her cheetah partner.”
I thought for a minute. Tristiana was a woman who always wanted to see outside of the forest. She had married my father, but when she had miscarriages over and over, she felt she couldn’t give Balthscar his heir. She left the forest, saying nothing held her back any more. Streak had gone with her out of loyalty, but many people believed that Tristiana had conceived once more but didn’t want the humilation of another miscarriage. I nodded slowly as I digested this information. “So you are my half-brother. As Stari, you know the language of animals. You know to ways of the forest. You can help me avenge our tribe.”
Narus didn’t know how to respond to the last statement. It looked like surprise was chief among his emotions. He collected himself pretty quickly, though. “Why would I help you avenge a people I never knew except through the stories my mom told? Why should I leave my place here and go with some girl, who may or may not be my half-sister, to who knows where for who knows how long? Huh? This is my home and I’m not leaving it to follow a stranger around the country like a dog!”
I was amazed at the bitterness in his voice. I looked at him for a while, the sound of my torch being the only sound. Finally, I asked, “What happened to her? To your mom?”
Narus snorted. “She went to a tavern when I was 2 and got drunk. She said it was because she missed the forest. But a man came and hit on her, and the next thing you know, I have a brother and step-father. And she’s giving him kids like nobody’s business. Pretty soon, she wanted me to get a job so I could help support all these kids. And what was dear old Dad doing? Taking our money to spend on drink. I just turned and left. I couldn’t take it any more. I think she had seven kids and was pregnant with another when I left.. I wondered where I may, taking Streak with me. You see me now as I was seven years ago. A thief who found good pickings. I owe the Stari nothing!”
I was amazed at his story. It sounded familiar, but I decided not to dwell on it. “So you are angry at the Stari, because your mom met some man who abused her relationship? That doesn’t make any sense! How do the Stari fit into this?”
Narus gave me a wicked grin. “Because of the ability they left me.” He extended his fist to me, and opened it, palm up. A moment later, lightning currents appeared to spread across his palm. I watched, fascinated. Stari often had special powers, part of the goddesses gift to our founder, but I had only seen Stratus’s gift, the ability to control dumb animals. Midnight hadn’t either, and when he saw the lightning, he yelped and ducked behind me.
Naurs allowed his fist to crackled with the lightning for a little while before closing his hand and pulling it back. “You see? The Stari gave that to me, and because of it, I am faster than most people. They don’t see it as skill, no, they see it as a curse, something to be feared. So I’m an outcast because I’m unique.”
I was still puzzling over this new development. I think I recall Tistiana was a great healer and that was her gift, but where did Naurs get his lightning? It must have been from Balthscar. But what was my gift. I mentally shrugged and pulled myself to present. I turned to Narus. “And why do you care? You’re Stari! Descendant of a prince who was abandoned by his father! No one knows abandonment like the Stari. We have dealt with it for centuries! Why should you care if these people respect you, when they aren’t even of the same noble blood as you?”
Narus looked startled. “Royalty? I’m not royal at all! I’m the son of a traitor and deserter. How can I be royal?”
I gaped at him. Surely his mom told him of our founding? I told him of it, finishing by saying, “Chief Balthscar is a direct descendant of that prince. Therefore, you are too.”
Narus actually looked giddy at the thought of being of higher blood than his tormentors. I asked him again to join me in my revenge. This time, he said, “Fine, but on one condition. You teach me everything about the Stari. Every legend, every skill, every tradition. Everything.” I nodded. He smiled, then extended his arm to me and escorted me back to Samara’s.
We arrived a little before light, and my body was angry at being kept up so long. I almost fell asleep a couple times on the walk back, only Midnight’s butting kept me awake. I looked up when I heard the clashing of blades. Something must be wrong! Samara should be sound asleep, though I knew nothing of what Hillysu’s habits. I let go of Narus and hurried over.
I leaped the fence and landed in the yard, crouching down so that I was hidden in the shadows. Narus followed me, and also crouched. It was weird to working with a Stari again. I whistled quietly, hoping that Star could hear me and could tell me what was going on. She didn’t come, though Midnight told me no one strange was in the yard. I slipped out of the shadows and moved silently on my belly until I could see who was dueling. When I could, I breathed a sigh of relief and stood. It was Samara and Hillysu dueling, though they seemed more evenly matched than Samara and I.
Narus had crept along behind me, and stood up with me, though his expression was wary. I could guess why. He didn’t know these two, and as a thief, you didn’t trust who you didn’t know. I walked towards the two combatants and stood watching them for a while. They were sweating freely, which meant they had been out here for awhile. It looked like Hillysu was winning with his strength, but Samara was able to keep him back with her speed.
Suddenly, Samara ducked Hillysu’s strike, instead of parrying it like he apparently expected. He stumbled and she slipped behind him and place her sword on the nape of his neck. They stood there panting for a little while. I started clapping, and they jumped, jerking over to look at me. A smile of relief spread across Samara’s face and she ran to me, giving me a hug. “We were worried about you! Gone all night, without so much as telling us where you were going, or what you were doing! Next time, tell us!”
I laughed at her breathless scolding. I turned to Hillysu. “I apologize for leaving without letting you. Now can you take your girl off me before she strangles me?”
Hillysu didn’t even look at me. He was watching Narus warily, as if he knew him. I looked back and forth between them. Now I knew why I recognized Narus’s features. But surely it was impossible? I went over Hillysu’s history that Samara had told me. They matched. “You two are sons of the same mother, aren’t you? Of Tristiana?” They nodded in harmony.

[adfalcon]

2 chapters in a row with big surprises, this story is turning really interesting... KEEP IT UP!!

[theogren]

woah. Didn't see that coming.