Clouds in the skies were signs. Azazel twisted his head with rapid shifts as he read the grey shades above. It seemed this day had brought the physical world closer to the otherside, the dark place where spirits crossed after death. The blue-eyed priestess was there, she had been taken by the fate herself, but she had left something behind. A gift to the world. A carrier of her own gift. A kid with talents in brute.

The old bat fluttered his way to a tall tree, the one he'd been hanging from for the past months, watching the child in silence. She was curious, and so had been her mother. Azazel had taken a great interest in the blue-eyed priestess since the moment he first saw her exploring the forest with plans to settle a guild of mysteries in it. He had learned from her, the way she worked, the things she said, and often he'd exchanged words with her, unable to resist delving deeper into her knowledge.

Kendra was out and about. Her fur still had smudges of red from the dye she played with. Nemesis hadn't been happy and she also had to explain her father why she had been covered in red. He wasn't too happy with her. So Kendra decided to make her dad happy with her again by making new dye. Or new... paint. That was how Nem called it. Kendra had no clue how to make the dye actually. She looked around gathering all things that were red. She had a small strip of meat and some red currants. She looked at her feet, sniffing them. She had placed them on a piece of bark before scurrying off and returning with some raspberries in her mouth. 

She watched and put her paw on the berries. She noticed that her paw felt wet. When she pulled it back there was some red juice on the bark which was quickly soaked up. She but her muzzle closer, studying the squeezed berries. She tried the same with the meat but it did nothing. The berries were better it seemed. But how to make red paste from juice?

In silence, Azazel awaited for the girl to walk by. He knew she would, she still was not allowed too far from the rendezvous site, and nothing escaped the old bat's ears. And in due time, the girl walked by. For a moment Azazel thought she was covered in blood, but it was in fact dye, the same kind her mother used to mark her brothers.

Azazel watched for a while how the girl collected her ingredients and experimented with them. It was interesting how her instincts had driven her straight to most of the things the Priestess used to manufacture her own dyes, and he was dying to know how far the girl could go on her own before intervening.

Kendra sat down, and looked around. How was she going to make this into a paste? The girl frowned deeply. She had no clue her mother used herbs, and other types of leaves so for her to take the berries was pretty smart. She looked at the meat and decided to eat it. It was only a small strip. Then her eyes widened. Meat... blood! She quickly swallowed her meat and jumped up. She rushed off looking for something sharp. There had to be at least something that could cut her. Pietro said that animals bled. She was an animal! So she had blood.

What an innocent thought, and so macabre. She found a sharp stone and carefully carried in her mouth. She returned to the spot with the bark and where the berry juices turned it red. Blood was maybe to liquid-y too. Kendra looked around, eyes falling on the big flat stone. She climbed on it and then placed her paw on the stone to hold it, trying the other to scrape over the edge. It was not working! In her frustration she slammed her paw down, making a cut into her paw. A yelp came from her and blood started to tickle out. Kendra watched the blood drip on the rock. This was also not a paste. It was too liquid-y like the berry juice. And now she had a paw that hurt, no blood was also not the solution. She needed the right herbs. If only she knew about Meldresi's stash.

The girl looked around for something else, and Azazel wondered what was going through her mind. It seemed a stone was the last ingredient, and for a moment, the old bat watched with interest what part it would play in the procedure. Azazel fluttered to a lower branch, allowing him to have a better view, but distant enough to not interrupt.

Kendra was an intuitive girl, and often she figured out things on her own that other pups would need to be taught. With his head awkwardly twisted to a side, the Azazel watched Kendra draw blood from herself. Although it had been an interesting turn of events, dripping blood with no purpose was something the old mage would not stand by to watch.

Azazel flew down and fluttered in circles around Kendra. He screeched encouragingly, making sure he caught the girl's attention good and then flew towards the spiderlings' den's entrance as if telling the girl to follow him. Perhaps it was time she knew about the priestess' herbstore and it's contents.

Kendra jumped back when the bat came down. She almost tumbled of the rock, luckily she wasn't clumsy. It did hurt her paw when putting force on it. The pale eyes of the girl studied the bat or whatever it was. She didn't know its name yet, what kind it was. He was not a bird, or was he? Her father said they ate all the other animals. Would they eat birds like this too? The girl squinted her eyes, no there were a lot of birds in Black Feather and just like this one they weren't afraid. Maybe it wasn't a bird. He didn't have feathers.

The young girl jumped of the rock, instantly remembering her paw. She learned a lesson today, cutting your paw wasn't the smartest thing to do. The thing seemed to want to go underground. Kendra tipped her head. She stepped forward, finding the tunnel's entrance. Instantly the girl was delighted. She loved being underground. With that, her paw was forgotten and she trotted after the flying object into the dark. "Wait! What are you!," she questioned as she trotted after him, trying to catch the flying thing.

He got the girl's attention, and with that he was off to find the way through the tunnels. The girl squeaked a question he wasn't going to answer just yet, they had to get there first, and then she would start understanding what he was there for.

At first and inexperienced sight, the den would seem like a single vault with one sole entrance, but for those raised in the darkess as Azazel had, the den the wolves of Blackfeather Woods used to breed their kind was merely a direct entrance to the deepest chambers of Mephala's Web. The bat fluttered his way deeper into the chamber awkwardly, and there he made his way through a hidden tunnel that led into the web itself. At first it was dark, and only those with a bat's natural ultrasonic ability could sense their surroundings properly, but deeper inside there was bio luminescence that would be a day-creature's best friend inside the caves.

Kendra followed the creature. Yet she was careful and with each step she calculated her way back. Her father warned her not to get lost, and what if this bat was just flying back to his home? Though Kendra had a feeling that this bat wasn't just here, but maybe that was just her childish imagination. They came into the chamber which she knew, with that there seemed to be an entrance into another part of the web, but it was very dark here. Kendra kept one side of her body against the rock wall so she wouldn't run into things. Her eyes were adjusting but since there wasn't any light to count on she was lost in a sea of darkness. Though the pup wasn't afraid. 

Slowly a faint glow started to appear and Kendra stepped forward more eagerly to find out. It didn't take long until she was surrounded with the nice glow. Kendra let out a soft gasp in awe and sniffed the glowing substance. What was this?! How could no one have told her about these treasures!? Kendra was amazed, and very distracted, bat forgotten with the sight of the glowing ... things!!

Once he found a decent amount of light for the girl, the old bat hung himself from the top of the cave, waiting for the girl to step into the light and experience the glow worms for the first time. He knew it would be quite the experience and so he gave the girl some space, always watching her every move.

Then, when Azazel felt the time to experience the glow had been enough he let go of his grip and fluttered down to the ground, landing roughly in the ground and taking a few awkward steps towards the girl, squeaking for her attention.

Kendra jumped when the other landed down before her feet. She had been so adsorbed by the glowing lights! She wanted to explore more about them, who could even explain her all these things? Maybe her father would, he knew a lot! She let out a soft huff when the thing crawled closer screeching. Kendra flattened her ears at the sound.

Then her curiosity set in and she moved forward, ears still held back since his screeching kinda hurt her ears. Her muzzle came closer, trying to sniff the thing, and maybe give the thing a test bite if she could eat it. "What are you?," she questioned when her muzzle came closer and closer.

The girl's attention turned back to the Azazel, and instead of shaking in fear like any other sane being his size would, the old bat looked up at her face with confidence. Her eyes reminded him of her mother. Their color was different, lighter, but they held the same intrigue in them.

Coming closer to the Azazel, the girl asked what he was. "A friend," confidently squeaked the bat in response, hoping that would be enough to stop her from eating him.

Kendra curiously looked at the bat. Her ears fell back at the light pitched sound the bat was making but it sounded like he was saying 'Afrie'. What did afrie mean? Kendra thought about it and then realized. 'A friend'. Ah. Kendra smiled a bit and stopped trying to bite into the bat, now she gave him a lick instead. "I like friends," she returned, her tail wagging. She looked at the bat. "Why you bring me here?," she asked. Kendra was curious but she wasn't sure if she was allowed down here. But she could still smell outside so that was a plus.

Azazel didn't panic when Kendra's mouth cut distance. He knew fate had brought him to her, and that he was meant to guide her in some way so it wouldn't make sense for her to eat him. And when her tongue ran over him his belief was confirmed. Today she wouldn't eat him, she would listen.

"I saw you trying to replicate your mother's dye..." he squeaked lifting his nose to look up at Kendra again, "I can help you with that."he informed, and with that he jumped away and opened flight again. The blue-green glow of the worms would help Kendra follow him, but still Azazel kept a slow pace so that she wouldn't lose sight of him and get lost in the tunnels.

The bat navigated the tunnels like he had been born in them because, in fact, he was. It was winding and deep. The smell wasn't pleasing. But at the end it would all be worth it. Connected underground, a passage lead to the large chamber the wolves called Ilinalta's Keep, and there, Meldresi's herbstore was still full of useful ingredients. Azazel flew to the wall that opened into the herbstore through a hole, and there he looked at Kendra with a mysterious, toothy smile. "Ever seen this place before, girl?"

Azazel entered with caution. It was lit by the worms, and spacious enough for two large wolves to come inside. Meldresi used to spend a lot of time in there, and it was time Kendra knew why.

Kendra looked at the other with a curious expression when he spoke about the dye. It was weird to listen to him. She was used to her father's deep tones, and well Pietro's more squeaky ones. But these bat's tones were so high. Her young ears could understand it more or less. Hopefully she would learn to listen to his squeaks. But she did hear about dye and the word help. Kendra was pleased to make a new friend and instantly followed the bat. She wasn't resting on sight. She was listening to his wings fluttering. 

She followed him and ended up at the chamber where she played with the dye. A soft gasp left her. "Yes I know! I played with the dye here!!" Her red paw prints on the stone ground were proof of that. Plus her coat was still red. "You know how to make the dye? Teach me! Teach me please!," she let out excitedly. Her tail was starting to wag. She was always a curious pup, and having this bat teach her things she was more than eager to learn.

The tone difference in his voice and the wolves' did not concern Azul. He was well aware that wolves did not use to care about bat business, and so they usually ignored them altogether. But the truth was that their species weren't that different. Both were social creatures that depend on a pack to survive, and although their tones were different, their voices spoke in the same tongue. Kendra would soon get used to the little bat's high-pitched squeaks.

"Yes I can," assured the bat when Kendra asked if she could help her make the dye. "See those?" asked Azul pointing with his wing at a bunch of re buds in one of Meldresi's bundles, "they're called Rose Hips. Their tint is the strongest red you'll find in the wild." he explained calmly. "Now take them and put them in here," he squeaked fluttering down to a little bowl-shaped puddle that was carved by the pure water that filtered through the earth. "And smash them until all the juice is out."

With a serious expression she nodded as she looked at the material he pointed out. They were called rose hips and they looked very red. Her pale eyes lit up for a moment and she grabbed the rose hips to place them in the bowl in the ground. This was previously filled with the red dye she played with. Kendra looked at the bat for a moment and nodded. She looked around, first wanted to use her paw but then she found a rock that had the same red on the bottom. Her tail wagged and she jumped forward. 

The stone was quite heavy for the pup, also her mouth soon started to ache but she was determined to make the dye. The darkly colored female let the rock fall down and then picked it up again. She repeated this motion several times before she realized she could put a lot more force on it if she held the rock. The rose hips slowly became some form of a mush mixed with juices. Kendra placed the stone aside and plopped down, her panting was the only thing that gave away her tiredness.

Before the girl started, Azul fluttered his way from the floor to the stalactite directly above her, from where he watched all the process wrapped in his leathery wings. Kendra was clever, and soon realized that the quickest way to bring the juices out was by smashing the hips with the same rock Meldresi herself used. It seemed like a difficult task for someone as little as Kendra, but Azul couldn't do much to help her with that anyway. He could only guide her through the process, and she would have to do all the physical work.

"Very well, little princess." squeaked the bat from his hanging position. "Would you like to see where you can get your own rose hips?" he suggested with a toothy smirk.

Kendra stopped when she heard his squeak. She didn't understand the first part since she had been so concentrated. She looked at the mush and it was kind of like her own set of dye. She wondered if there would be more ingredients. Now her ears were listening to the squeaks, making the words form in her head. "I'd like too!," she instantly let out. She learned how to make the red dye AND to grow her own plants. This was right up her alley what the bat was learning her.

Azul wasted no time to show the princess where to find her own rose-hips. He fluttered down from the ceiling of the cave and out of the dark into the woods, cautious to not stray too far from the little girl. The things he wanted to show her for now were just key parts of her development to become what he felt she was meant to be. Kendra was no seer like her older sister yet, nor did she have the years of experience her mother did, but everything started from the ground, and only the best made their own way to the top.

The place to which Azul was dragging Kendra was dangerously close to redgrove, a place the girl probably knew was off-boundaries for the wolves of the pack on Burke's orders; but the winged mage was being cautious not to get the princess in trouble just yet. The place they were looking for was one that many ignored existed in the forest, but thrived in it's darkness. The Garden of Blood.

Kendra let out a soft puff when the bat started fluttering away again. Having lifted the rock several times to squash the rose hips and the travels through this place underground Kendra was getting pretty tired. Luckily her interest in the topic made her want to pull through. If the pup hadn't liked this when she probably would have been whining. Kendra's dark coat mixed with the darkness of the cave systems. Once they came above the grounds she blinked with her eyes. She thought Black Feather woods was dark but compared to the tunnels. 

Kendra ran after the pat, panting softly as she did. She didn't have her brother's long legs, and she was pretty average at running. She liked to walk more since then she could study nature along the way. Her ears fell back once the bat went to the place where she wasn't allowed to go. She was reminded of the fact that her father hadn't told them about it at all. She had to ask him. Nemesis also hadn't explained it to her. She followed to Bat never the less, relieved that they didn't actually moved onto red grove.

Azul was aware that Redgrove was off-boundaries for wolves. But he was no wolf, he had been there once or twice since the remains of the blue-eyed priestess' remains were left there, and he had had the opportunity to see what was going on there. The ravens had feasted on the priestess' flesh for days, but now what little was left was being devoured by maggots and bacteria, which would eventually leave nothing but clean bone... It wouldn't be too long until that.

But today's focus was on a whole other topic. The priestess' days had ended, and there was a new spirit to draw the energy from the land in the making. Azul was taking care of it himself right now, but things would need to start with baby steps before jumping into deeper an more complex topics.

"This is it," Azul announces with a squeak as he flutters around a bush of frozen roses. "You will be able to harvest the rose hips once the snow clears out, and you will be making your own dye, little princess." The old bat was trying to create eagerness on the little girl for working with what Blackfeather Woods could offer on the more lush days which, contrary to what many would think, was a lot. "There will be many things to experiment with when the cold winter is over, and I can show you how..."

Kendra had to gallop after the bat, who knew that those creatures were so fast. Once they arrived Kendra was panting. She was young, her condition wasn't great yet. She laid down, though still very interested in hearing all the bat had to say to her. "I'm not a princess," she returned to him between her pants. "I am Kendra." The girl didn't have much with labels and the word princess, even though mentioned often to her, had no meaning to her. Maybe later it would be explained but now she was Kendra. Not Princess. 

"I can't wait till winter is over," she let out with a soft grunt. She was indifferent to snow before but now she was starting to get annoyed by the cold white stuff because it was ruining the plants and what she could do with them. She placed her head on her paws, to then decide that she could nestle against tree roots further up. She was not a runner like Pietro. She curled up there and yawned. Especially with kids they could randomly pass out when exhaust. She needed to grow a bit more before that wouldn't happen again. 

- fade end -