The Shadow at the boarder

  When the two moons are full in the sky the persons shut off all of the bright lights in respect. None of them asked them too. Most of the Norishent didn’t care what the persons did now the damage that was done, was already done.

  He heard the hissed and clacked words of the others as they stood a good distance behind him. They would not dare step closer when he stood there.

  He watched the person form appear in the distance and he let his magic flare in warning to the others. He always felt joy when he’d seen her. Even before the persons she differed from the ones that now lived here. The first fleet.

  He shook his mind away from that night. Even before that when the Norishono let them enter their territories and choose between them to create the new ones. Most of the Norishent didn’t care about the young and small until those who would become the Norishent reached the age of awareness and joined their hunting party. While those who would be the Norishono would not be notice until they reached the age of choosing.

  Norishono and Norishent could recognize one from their blood by the feeling of their magic and the beat of blood in their hearts. Most claimed that the ability was to prevent unnatural joining’s. Jooelle didn’t doubt that was part of it but he found it comforting to find Azielle in the trees watching them all.

  Maybe it was because he’d made the unusual choice to continue to join with the same Norishono and she’d chosen to join with no others? Mates were rare, they weren’t the natural way of the Nori. Still, they happened and in the case of him and his Narielle, Azielle had been the only result of their Mating.

  Azielle approached him with none of the cautious movements anymore. He wasn’t sure if she trusted him, but she believed that at least she didn’t have to worry about him tonight. She glanced past him her strange white hair glowing and moving like their inky magic. He saw disinterest that amused him. She’d successfully evaded any of the Norishent supposedly the greatest hunters for years and when she’d announced she would be living with the persons she’d left no arguments and no promises to join with any of the Norishent.

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  Even when she’d reached the age of choosing, she showed little interest in the Norishent though they puffed themselves to impress her.

  “Hello little one.” He called to Azielle. She nodded.

  “Sire.” She offered. It had been a term she’d brought to him. That and Siress. It had been a joy he hadn’t known when she’d first tossed the word at him in conversation. She sat on the inside of the boarder, and he stood exactly on it. There was a small stream separating them from the others. It was easily crossed but no one had tried to dare for many moons now.

  She’d argued him staying on the boarder many times but after a while she’d helped him build his little hut and some of persons brought him tasty treats to eat and pretty things to add to his little den. The persons called him The Great Boarder Shadow and he felt pride in that. They trusted him and little Azielle to protect their strange congregations.

  “So, how have things been amongst the persons?” He asked. Azielle shrugged.

  “Like always.” She stated though her brow area scrunched. “Though I guess there are four that came in a wounded fledgling and they are very strange. Two sparkle like the pretty metals, one has metal eyes that are called goggles… It seems they aren’t as strange as I thought they were though. I saw someone else wearing a pair on the way here. And then one has hair and eyes as inky as our magic.” She offered.

  Jooelle listened to her talk. He’d listen to her say anything though he didn’t understand most. She had the energy of her Siress and he always found it soothing. The second bell rang, and she stood. He was disappointed at the end to their conversation, and he could hear that the Norishent were restless that she’d again hadn’t chosen.

  She was still very young though. They would wait until she was ready or the more likely idea in his mind, she choose one of the Persons to Sire her young ones. Then the Norishent would have to choose whether to enter the new world or continue to wait.