"Crying for a Dream"
by Michael Johnson, and Kasi Spyker and Margaret Lion
Edited by Alyc Helms

* * *

Baroness Eleanor sat in her chambers in Highground contemplating the coming events and the matters of her Barony. Sir Jain had arrived from Muses late the previous night and told her of many strange events that had happened, and many that were still to come. He had mentioned how everyone had lost their memories only to regain them hours later. He had mentioned the coming of an angel. And, most importantly, he had mentioned that the Blood Goddess would be coming to Muses with an army of gods.

Baroness Eleanor had much to contemplate. She knew that she must help her friends and companions in her sister city, but was uncertain as to the best way to go about it. It was at this time that a somewhat unfamiliar sight entered the room. A snickersnee landed upon the arm of the chair next to her and waited to catch its breath before speaking. From its sneer she could tell the message was from Muses (the snickersnee felt they were superior to grogans). This snickersnee must be one of those stationed on the Highground/Muses border and the message, important.

Composing itself, the snickersnee stood and delivered the following message: "Baroness Eleanor, Would you please come to the ice cream store? There is much that needs to be discussed there. Sir Kari."

Baroness Eleanor was a bit concerned. Thoughts of the danger ahead played at the corners of her mind. What could have happened at the ice cream shop? Had the childlings taken over? Was the place in total chaos? Would she arrive only to find the place in flames, or worse, as only a pile of ash?

She held the snickersnee and let it take a drop of blood from her fingertip. Then she delivered her return message.

"Sir Kari,   I will be at the ice cream store in 1 hour. Please use my cell phone [gives number] if you wish to talk before I arrive.   Leave No One Behind,   -Baroness Eleanor Elise"

The snickersnee flew off. Within a few minutes Eleanor was driving towards Muses.

* * *

Inside the small ice cream store in Bloomington sat Kari. He was rather calm given the revelations of the last 24 hours. He had wound up here through no great effort; his wandering feet had simply led him there during his time of contemplation. Earlier in the day he had had a rather long talk with Miki. About half an hour ago he had left her at her front door to perform the task that she needed to. Since then his mind had been racing with thoughts of who he was, both now and in the past. He had been thinking of who needed to be protected from the coming danger, and how best to protect them in the coming weeks.

The young boy's concentration was pierced by the sudden squeal of an Alfa Romeo sedan coming to a hastily planned stop just outside of the store. Bursting through the door came Baroness Eleanor, who was very relieved that the place was still standing, though she was still feared for what was wrong.

"What is it Sir Kari?" came the concerned voice of Eleanor.

Kari looked up from the table that he had been intently staring a hole through to meet the Baroness' gaze. "We should go somewhere more private," came the half dazed response. "Let's go to my house so we can talk."

Eleanor agreed and drove the two over to Kari's home. He gave brief introductions to all in the house before taking Eleanor up to his room so that they would not be interrupted. From there Kari recounted what he knew. He told how Lucifer had been defeated, how the apocalypse was coming in the next few weeks, and how Muses was to be the center of a great deal of trouble. He recounted the plan to perform a ritual to transform the Blood Goddess into a goddess of salvation and redemption, and how this would lead to her assault on Muses to prevent it, bringing with her an entire army of death gods.

From that point, Kari took on a more determined tone. His demeanor was no longer that of a child. It had shifted and formed to the situation and the urgentness the he felt needed to be given to his ideas. No longer a boy, not yet a man, the young one spoke with the wisdom of ages.

"I will speak with Countess Nadja, whom High Lord Varich has named as his successor to rule over Ardendale, about further plans for evacuation. However, there are many in this city, both mortal and fae, that are unable or unfit to fight. There are those that should be evacuated and those that must be evacuated, whether they want to go or not. I would ask your aid and safe haven for many to stay in Highground for a time. Miki's parents would be among these, as well as Pinocchio."

"Of course yes," came Eleanor's impassioned response. "We in Highground always shelter those in need and Muses has been more than kind to us in the past. Petra and I found a home here and I am more than willing to let Highground be a haven. I believe that Sir Jain expressed this to people in Muses but I will let Countess Nadja know as well. Miki's parents are of course welcome to stay within my own freehold, Mary's, and so in Pinocchio. Though I fear with Pinocchio we shall need to tie his hands so he cannot touch anything." "Thank you," came the response, though his tone had not changed. "I need your help." Kari continued. "Freya is a powerful goddess of the Norse. Among those people, she is the keeper of all worthy warriors that have fallen in battle. She commands the powerful Valkyries, able warriors in their own right. If we could call upon her, ask her for her aid in this time, it may give us a bigger chance at saving this world. "Do you think that we could call upon her? Could we talk with her and convince her to aid us in this battle? An army of strong and valiant Nordic warriors backed by the Valkyries and led by Freya may be enough to hold off the forces of Hel and her army of the dead. Freya would be more than a match for Hel. This would give us much more breathing room and allow us to focus our attentions elsewhere."

Eleanor sat in silence for a moment, for she had not expected this. Regathering herself, she spoke now with an excited tone.

"I have thought the same thing, Sir Kari. I have wondered if my Goddess, who is of life and love and magic and sex and children, would be willing to help. I will begin to pray. I will do what I can to contact and communicate with Freya." A smile interrupted her words and then passed so that she could finish her thoughts. "If ever there is a battle the Goddess Freya would wish to aid, it would be this one. She does love a good, epic fight."

With a wisdom that seemed not his own, Kari replied. "Freya is a goddess of life. She is a goddess of fertility and growth as well if I am remembering correctly. What we are doing is fighting for all of life against the gods that would want to destroy all. This would most definitely be a battle for her to protect what is most sacred to her."

If one were to stand outside of the conversation and simply observe, it would appear as if these two modern day individuals spoke with an intimate knowledge of the past, one gained only through personal experience. To the two individuals, it was a matter of great excitement. It was only when he stepped out of his focused state that Kari really began to see the woman before him. He could almost swear that she was beginning to appear more and more like one of the Valkyries that she was speaking of.

Eleanor's excitement flowed as she spoke of her goddess. "Indeed she is. I know Freya mostly as the leader of the Valkyries. I have spent so much time with her helping souls cross that sometimes I forget that she can also act in other ways. She can usher in life and protect it."

The conversation continued on for several minutes with discussion made about the possibility of actually summoning the goddess for aid. Coming to a fevered moment of discussion, Eleanor posed the question that stunned the boy back into a sense of contemplation.

"You yourself are a spirit of the Nordic peoples," she reminded him. "Who has your loyalty, who is your God?"

Kari hesitated. He knew quite well who he is; however, the revelations of the last day had shaken him. He had memories, clearer than anything he knew, of who he was, he was just uncertain of how to combine that with the notion of who he had become in this modern age. Pausing for a minute, he regained his composure and pressed forward.

"I am uncertain," was how his unsure voice began. "I am an elf. We are the gods of fertility and nature. In a way we are like Freyr and Freya. However, I am also one to follow the path of Tyr. He is a god of justice and father to the Aesir. He is a god of the Sky."

Eleanor's eyes lit with a burning passion and her voice rang forth in excitement. "You belong to Freyr and Freya as much as I do. Perhaps we can join together as brother and sister, for Freyr and Freya are brother and sister. Perhaps we can together convince our Deities, and others as well, to protect us."

The two went on like this for a while, talking back and forth about Freyr, leader to the elves of the north lands, and Freya, his sister and goddess of all the elves. They talked about the god and goddess of fertility, of growth, of birth and life. All the while, plans formed within each of them. It was a wonder to see and would have continued had Miki not entered the room at that moment.

Catching sight of Baroness Eleanor, little Miki ran into the room and nearly knocked her out of her seat from the force of her hug. "Baroness," came the excited voice. "I talked it all out with my parents and we all agreed that I should go with them."

"That is wonderful," came the loving response from Eleanor, who quickly scratched the pooka behind her ears. Then, as if centuries of long forgotten knowledge had come back to give her yet another clue, she launched into a stream of planning. "You know dear, Freya has a pair of very strong powerful cats that pulled her chariot."

Miki's eyes lit up and the inquisitive voice could only blurt out, "Of course I did; but tell me more."

"Of course," was the only reply to that as Eleanor was lost in her train of thought. "Maybe we could make you the embodiment of one of them. You could be a strong and fearsome warrior on the battlefield. You could protect your Kari and everyone else in the city. Yes! This is what we can do…"

The three soon became lost in their ideas and their plans. They weren't exactly sure how they were going to accomplish any of this, or what exactly would happen. Could they get the gods and goddesses of their heritage to show up and help save the creation that they made? Could they convince the gods that once helped humans to stand with their creations now in their hour of greatest need? Could they even become living embodiments of their gods and goddesses in order to hold off the forces of death and destruction?

One thing was obviously clear, though. They had very little time to do any of this, but there was a sister and her brother that they needed to have a long conversation with.

* * *

They walked through the night woods, each lost in their own thoughts. The grounds surrounding the freehold called Mary's were dark and still. The trees glowed silver and the horizon looked inky black. Only an occasional rustle of leaves or the sounds of animals stirred the night. Even then those sounds never seemed to come close. It was as though the land was helping the trio prepare.

In the front walked Baroness Eleanor, as these were her woods and she knew them. Next to her was Sir Kari and though he had never walked these lands before he walked as though he had been born there. Miki walked behind the two, curious as a cat, stepping back and forth along the path the two sidhe made and twitching her ears. She could feel the magic.

Eleanor and Kari stopped. "This is the place." Kari quietly said. "Yes." Eleanor agreed and they looked at each other and then at Miki. The pooka flicked her ears and nodded once, her tail twitching.

Eleanor removed her outer gown and shoes, unclasping her hair. She stood barefoot in her chemise. She knew that some rituals, Nordic rituals, must be done when cold.

Kari looked to Eleanor in a manner that begged her to tell him what do to now but got no response. He was still unused to this. Even with the flood of memories and the realization of who he was, the part of him rooted in this world and this time seemed more familiar and more easily accessed. Closing his eyes and following his intuition, he first removed his sword, drove it into the ground, and them removed his cloak and shirt. The shirt fit nicely over the length of the sword and the cloak he tied to its handle. The surroundings seemed to speak with approval as a chilling breeze swept through the area and fluttered at the edges of his cloak.

At Miki's turn, the girl-cat felt confused. She wished they would tell her what to do, because she felt a little out of place here, but the baroness seemed lost in her own world, and Kari, too, seemed to be seeing something else. They were shedding clothes, but she didn't have layers like that to remove. If she removed her dress, she'd be naked, and she was far too self-conscious for that. She thought for a moment, and wondered if it was supposed to be symbolic – removing layers to one's true self. So, while the sidhe were distracted, eyes closed and calming the mind for the coming ritual, Miki hunkered down and transformed, slinking out of and abandoned her clothes with the grace of much practice. Figuratively and literally, she found a way to follow along. She sat down next to Kari and posed serenely, tail wrapped around toes, just in time for Eleanor and Kari to begin their work.

The sidhe lowered their packs and began to create their sacred circle, using the colors and runes of Nordic ritual. Blue candles and the Gebo rune for the East; green candles and Mannaz for the South; yellow candles and Inguz for the West; and red candles and Isa for the North. Then the elements were represented: burning amber resin for Air in the East; a fiery flaming bowl filled with pine scented oil for Fire in the South; a silver and gold chalice holding clear water next to bottles of mead and wine for Water in the West; and a bronze plate of salt, sand, and moist ground for Earth in the North. Kari scooped up Miki in one arm and with the other hand took Eleanor's, while Eleanor smiled at Miki and place a hand on her back, forming a rough circle. In the center of the sacred circle, childling, wilder, and grump were each represented like the Norns. They stood around their center altar, sun and moon, fire and water, male and female, Freyr and Freya. The altar was decorated with the personal symbols each had chosen. Eleanor unclasped her amber heart necklace, her link to Freya and laid it on the altar. Then she laid her wedding ring, given to her by Aziraphale and placed it next to the heart. Male and female were represented for her.

Kari reached around his neck and removed his pendant, a small metallic rune of teiwaz. This was his connection to Tyr and a reminder of the path of the warrior. This held all of his memories and dreams of being a true adventurer and hero, representing the reckless aspect of Fiona. He then reached into his pocket and felt around for the small pin that had been given to him. He looked at Miki lovingly, his heart swelling with his passion. Pulling from his pocket the small pin of three cats with his left hand, and with the pendant in his right, he placed these on the altar, male and female represented for him.

Miki squirmed and jumped to the ground, where she nuzzled among her clothes and picked up the rune necklace in her teeth. One of the most precious things she owned, the hand-carved key-shaped pendant contained the runes that spelled out her name and Kari's – linked together in friendship and love. A gift from Kari long ago, more recently the pendant had gained a small, clear marble of dream-stuff – Kari's gift of the last of his childhood to her, as he had to grow up in order to truly protect and love her. She reached up, front paws resting on the altar, and placed the necklace there with the others' symbolic links, male and female represented for her.

The three stood solemnly around the center altar. "Are we ready?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes," Kari said and his eyes looked like steel. Miki squeezed her eyes shut in agreement.

Eleanor released their hands and together the three stood before the East altar. Eleanor stood tall and raised her head and voice to the night sky "I call upon you, Spirits and Guardians of the East, to come and join and protect us. For tonight I need." She bowed. "I call upon you, Element of Air, to hear and carry my plea to those who need to hear. For tonight I need."

The Baroness moved to the South altar "I call upon you, Spirits and Guardians of the South, to come and join and protect us. For tonight I need." She bowed. "I call upon you, Element of Fire, to lend passion to my plea. For tonight I need."

The grump sidhe moved to the West altar "I call upon you, Spirits and Guardians of the West, to come and join and protect us. For tonight I need." She bowed. "I call upon you, Element of Water, to succor and sooth myself and those who must hear. For tonight I need."

Finally, Eleanor stood before the North altar "I call upon you, Spirits and Guardians of the North, to come and join and protect us. For tonight I need." She bowed. "I call upon you, Element of Earth, to help us stand strong and proud and tall before those we must beseech. Help be strong to hear and enact their answer. For tonight I need."

Having heard this, and acting more out of instinct than actual understanding of the specifics, Kari moved to the South alter and stood facing Eleanor. "I call upon the Spirits and Guardians of the South, the spirits of Fire and Passion." He bowed. "Protect us so that our love and our fervor may reach those ears that need hear this."

The knight moved to the West altar "I call upon the Spirits and Guardians of the West, the spirits of Water and Emotion." He bowed. "Protect us and open our minds to the greatness of the universe so that we may know and understand."

The wilder sidhe moved to the North altar and stood next to Eleanor "I call upon the Spirits and Guardians of the North, the spirits of Earth and Body." He bowed. "Protect us and strengthen us for what is to come."

Finally, Kari took up his position at the East altar "I call upon the Spirits and Guardians of the East, the spirits of Air and Spirit, the spirits of my kin." He bowed. "Protect us and grant us the power of will to face those that are our betters and not know fear."

Miki again felt nervous, out of place among such formal ritual, but there was no place for fear in this circle. She thought she must come up with her own proper words, calling upon the directions and elements, but words felt unnatural; they might be best for the others, but for her own dedication words need not be necessary.

Facing North, Miki began to purr, softly at first, but growing into a comfortable rumble. She curled upon the ground tightly, nuzzling into the earth, forming a small round ball, the cat of hearth and home.

After a moment, she stood, stretched, and turned to the east, sitting before the altar of Air. She closed her eyes and sat perfectly still and quiet, a statue of solemnity and thought, the cat of meditation and wisdom.

A graceful glide of motion brought her to face the South and the altar of Fire. As she stood staring intently at the altar, her purr returned and grew more intense, sliding into a growl as her fur rose and her ears tilted back. She made herself the very image of feline ferocity, the huntress cat and fierce fighter.

As her fur slowly settled back into place and the low growl subsided, Miki slowly paced over to the West altar, that of Water. She shook her head, settling the fur and clearing her mind for the last dedication. She began to lick her fur back into place, giving herself a thorough though necessarily abbreviated bath. When she finished, she glanced at Kari and then stared at the West altar with longing, thinking of all those whom she loved so dearly, the cat of love and devotion.

The three joined in the center of the circle and began to chant. Each had their own chant. Eleanor called upon Freya. Kari begged Heimdall to allow them passage over the bridge and called upon Freyr and Tyr. Miki began to meow, to howl and plead, crooning in loud tones the sidhe could not understand. As the chanting to raise the deities became more intense, Eleanor threw back her head and roared Freya's name.

A storm broke loose and rain poured down on the three fae, each becoming soaked. The trees around them were battered by the wind and cold made all three shiver. The deities must be close.

Yet the storm raged around them for what seemed like hours. The energy did not lessen or grow only stayed a fierce constant.

Before she could lose hope, Eleanor pulled a dagger from her ankle and drew it across her chest. "FREYA!" she screamed "I need you! Your people need you. I am crying for a dream!" Blood flowed from her chest and the rain mixed with it as it ran into her white chemise.

Kari's spirit simply fed off of the growing storm. Lightning blazed in his eyes and thunder crashed in his voice. The rain did not serve to drench his passion nor drown his spirit. Instead it served as a reminder of his former glory and fed his resolve. He cries thundered through the trees as he screamed out in a language neither of his companions could understand, "Freyr, my father and lord, help your children and all they hold dear. They may have forgotten you, but I have not. I cry out for love!" Then, taking the dagger, he drew it across his heart, and his blood mixed with the vitality of the rain.

Soaked and shivering, Miki felt cold and alone as she waited patiently. Eleanor's and Kari's plea broke her out of her reverie and she blinked in surprise and against the rain. Unable to grasp a dagger with her paws, Miki lifted a muddy paw and bit hard, willing herself not to whimper as she bit down until she bled. She raised herself up on her hind legs and, precariously balanced, pawed and howled at the sky as the blood ran down her arm.

And together they all yelled in desperate plea.

The storm stopped.

The sacred circle around the three was suddenly filled with a golden warmth. The scent of honey and mead was so strong in the air the fae could taste it on their tongues. It was as though inside the circle time had stopped and the three saw what could be a perfect time, perhaps Arcadia, surrounding them.

From the North a portal opened and the Lord and Lady of the North, Freyr and his sister Freya, stepped into the circle. Between them roamed a great white cat, one of Freya's cats that pull her chariot. They were magnificent as they stood before the three supplicants. Tall, powerful, golden, fertile. Whatever the supplicants, or anyone, imagined their deity to be, thus did the two stand before them, showing the supplicants their divine dreams and more. A gentle breeze blew around them making the air whisper promises of songs of Spring and Summer.

And each supplicant was lost in a separate world with their deity within the sacred circle.

Eleanor bowed her head to her Goddess Freya, for she of the North does not approve of groveling. So Eleanor, once a valkyrie, stood tall and proud before her Goddess.

"El 'Anor" Freya acknowledged.

"Holy Lady" Eleanor replied and raised her head to meet the ocean blue eyes of Freya. Eleanor realized that there were tears in her own eyes and she knew in her heart she wanted to kneel and cry for joy. A part of her had begun to wonder if Freya would come. Once again she thought to herself "So this is what mortals feel like when they pray."

"It has been some time since we last talked. And some time since you last bled." Freya's lips were curling into a smile.

Eleanor looked down at her chemise while remembering the battles she had flown in and out of as a valkyrie. "What do you need?" the Goddess continued.

"Gracious Lady, surely you know the troubles your children, the fae are having upon this world."

"Indeed, I know of it. Now I wish to hear it from your lips, daughter."

Eleanor nodded – oh how she missed riding with her Goddess! She continued, "The Blood Goddess is destroying all of life and the world is being thrown out of balance. In Muses, the city next to my own domain has a plan to stop the Blood Goddess from devouring all.

"They have a powerful ritual, a ritual that will change the Blood Goddess back to one such as yourself, a Goddess of both death and life. She would then be like your sister and thus the world could once again live."

Freya was smiling. "I am glad that you remember balance, daughter. For being a valkyrie one tends to see death and transformation more than life and creation. What would you have me do?"

Eleanor could feel herself weep the tears of belief. "My gracious Goddess and Lady, at the time of the ritual, let me be your Avatar. Let me bring your power of life and transformation to the battle. Let me help those who will fight the Blood Goddess and show her the true power of the divine feminine – death AND life."

"And your companions?" Freya asked.

It was then that Freya realized both Kari and Miki were occupied. Kari spoke in earnest to Freyr – though Eleanor could not hear the words they spoke. Miki and Freya's cat touched noses, bodies quivering in conversation.

Eleanor turned back to Freya. "They too wish to be Avatars. Sir Kari is of the Nordic Elves and he wishes to be an avatar of Freyr. That way the two of us can go as brother and sister of life and fertility into the battle. Miki wishes to embody one of your great cats. We will go into battle together – as your avatars – and we will bring the truth of life with us."

Freya touched Eleanor's cheek and the sidhe could feel the tears flow down her eyes in love and reverence for her Lady.

Freya spoke "I do not know what my brother or feline companion will say, but I must decline your offer."

"Lady-"

The Goddess continued, "You are powerful and wise and good and you embody everything a proud Nordic woman, any woman of strength, can be. You will fight and defend your home and you fiercely love and are loyal to your loved ones. You are passionate and kind. I am most proud that you, my daughter valkyrie, who came to me and begged to be upon this realm with the sidhe. Your soul's journey upon this plane has been breathtaking and your sisters and I have rejoiced in your lessons, both those you taught and learned. But no. You are not a champion. You are a Valkyrie. If you wish to serve me in this battle, then it will be as you have always served me."

Freya stepped closer to Eleanor so that the two shared breath.

"In war, there must also be life. Just as in life there must also be death."

Eleanor closed her eyes and let more tears flow down her face. When she opened them again she looked into Freya's eyes "I know you are not saying this to me because I am a woman."

"Indeed," Freya smiled. "Both men and women can give and take life and I never stop a daughter, or a son, from their chosen path. But you, sweet El 'Anor, are occupied."

Eleanor nodded. "I shall use my new found skills to heal. And even while healing I can still use a gun."

Freya's face beamed like the sun as she smiled. "You are occupied." Then she kissed Eleanor gently on the lips, and turned to take her place back at the Northern altar. "Oh" the Goddess added, "you can stop praying for Aziraphale's escort. He earned it some time ago." The Goddess smiled and her face beamed the light of the sun and the moon. "I would escort him to his paradise, even if he had not won the heart of a valkyrie."

Eleanor lowered her head as she felt her own smile and blush fill her face. She could feel her Goddess joyously laughing.

Before Kari stood, as if in a dream, the image of Freyr. No, not just an image, for it was the god that stood before him, and it was not a mortal imagining of him, for this was the father that Kari knew from a time long ago. The two simply stood and stared at each other, eyes locked, for what seemed to be an eternity.

"You have called upon me, my son," came the commanding voice of Freyr. The God that stood before him now began to glow with the golden brilliance of the sun.

Kari could not turn away, for to show weakness at this moment might ruin everything. Even more so, he was unable to turn away. His spirit held with all of the power of the sky, his presence much like that of a cloud to shelter the others from his blinding glow. The young man was now in a place that seemed more familiar to him than anything that he had known in the last 14 years.

Reverting in tongue once again, Kari began to converse with his father in their native language. "I have called upon you as a messenger from me to the other gods. Your children need you. We need their help. You know that the Blood Goddess is to be coming to Muses, that she is bringing an army or the gods of death and destruction with her, and that she means to bring about the beginning of the end there."

"And what concern is this of mine," asked Freyr with an even greater look of intensity in his eyes?

Kari's voice now boomed like thunder with the passion of his response. "This is not our end time. This is not Ragnarok as has been foretold. This is a perversion of all that we hold sacred. The Blood Goddess wishes to dishonor all of the gods with her version of the end of the world. She does not wish the glorious battle as foretold, nor does she desire the birth of the world anew. She will not allow any to survive the end of everything save for herself. She will be the destruction of all we hold most dear."

Freyr's eyes shifted as the reality of this possibility ran through his mind. He had not seen this coming of the end. Ragnarok was always foretold. It was written out in exacts. It was destined to happen. Heimdall had told him all that was to befall them, and that his trumpeting would sound the coming of the great battle. Now he was forced to consider another ending, and one that was much worse than any could fear.

Turning back to Kari, he was immediately interrupted, as a wave of passion swept off of the boy. It was overwhelming in its intensity and left his all too unprepared for the words that came next.

Kari's voice now came out soothing and gentle, as a soft summer breeze. "You are the father of all. You bring life and fertility to others. You command the rains and the winds to cause the plants and trees to grow. You strike fancy in the hearts of both man and beast to mate and create more. You watch over and protect your alfen children as a just and benevolent ruler. Do not forsake us in our greatest time of need. Do not dishonor us and the rest of the gods by letting us die needlessly for the selfish purposes of a corrupted blood goddess. Help us to fight those that aid her so that we may bring about a world in which Ragnarok can actually happen."

Freyr raised his hand out to the boy to silence him and Kari halted his words. Composing his thoughts, the god stared deeply into the eyes of his young child. He could see the rolling clouds, the crackling of thunder, the heated passion that filled his very soul. He knew that what this warrior spoke was truth, and that he could not let his creations down. It was his love for his children and his duty as their ruler that compelled him to act.

Gathering his voice to sound now as an authoritative ruler, the god spoke. "My child. I and the other gods cannot come and help you. We are busy with other battles in this war. What we do already aids you, though as mortals you will not see that this is so. But it would be unwise to approach the Blood Goddess so closely, for we might inadvertantly add to her power. This fight must be fought by you alone. I am sorry for that."

Kari stood tall even though he could feel his heart sink within his chest. He knew that the fae were no match for the gods. Sure, with his newfound knowledge he understood that he was once a minor god in his own right. That time had long since past, and now was the age of man, not the age of gods. Those of the greater gods still held onto much of their power, but the fae had been tainted and weakened by banality and the taking of mortal form. They were no match for even the weakest of the gods that came to fight them and he knew it.

Before he could even utter a word of plea his god continued. "However, I know you my son. I have heard your words and looked deep into your soul. I can see the storm rage deep within you. You are truly one of my children. And now you seem to understand not only your place in the world today, but who and what you were. You understand and strive to embody that which you were, even though you know that your mortal form limits you. Your mind is ageless and your spirit eternal."

It was then that Freyr reached out his right hand and placed it on Kari's shoulder. The young sky elf did not move or even flinch. He had resolve in his heart and knew that he must get through to this god. He must stand proud and show no fear or he would have no chance of getting what he knew was needed to win this battle.

Freyr simply spoke with all the passion of a father trying to sooth his frightened child. "My fellow gods can not be there to help you, nor can I enter the battle for you. However, you are most worthy among your people, and your words have moved me. Thus, I grant you this token of my favor. Go into battle as my chosen one, my champion. Fight with my power, for it flows through your blood. Be strong my child, and honor me. Know that you command the storm and that you bring both the soothing rain needed for all to grow as well as the raging storm of vengeance. And, should you fall, know that you will have a place of honor by the side of my sister. Now go and save your world."

The god simply vanished in a blinding flash of golden sunlight, standing just out of view and leaving Kari behind. He felt no different then he had coming in, but to those around him he held a bright golden glow. This too quickly faded from him as the presence Freyr left him. He was left to assume that the power would manifest itself when the battle came and the time was needed. To those that looked to him, he seemed no different on the outside than he had for the last several months. However, to all that looked deeply into his eyes, they could see the rolling storm clouds and the cracks of lighting that denoted the power within.

Miki's paw ached, but she did not care. Her fur was soaked, but she was not cold. She stood awestruck as the great white cat approached her. He greeted her, sniffing her breath, and she did likewise. He smelled of good places, of hunting, the wild, and the sky. His breath carried a scent of blood and meat, clean and pure, and yet also of a gentle breeze. He sat, statuesque and quiet, and his golden eyes examined Miki thoroughly. The small black cat quivered for a moment, fearful of being found wanting and struck down for her weakness. Yet the fear passed, and her own hazel eyes returned his gaze, weighing him just as he weighed her.

"Child," he spoke at last, silently. Each word he spoke was communicated largely through body language, but the rest was somehow easily understood, like a voice speaking directly into her ear. "Why have you come here?" His tail swished impatiently and his tone was firm.

Miki stood tall and proud, taking a bold step forward. "I am here because I ask your help. I want your strength and your blessing." Her ears turned back, and her tail swished, daring to challenge this god of cats.

He chuckled at her brazen attitude. "But you are no warrior, child, neither strong nor great in size, and still a kitten, though an old one. What would you ask of me, truly?"

Thrown off, Miki thought for a moment, tail still lashing back and forth. She chose her words carefully when she spoke. "We are all in great danger, great Father. We face enemies that are gods, and enemies less potent but still too strong. The corrupted goddess can be stopped, but only if we can face her – face her and win.

"I will help. I must. I have sworn it, and I will not leave the side of my Kari. I will fight for my city, my friends, my family, and I will die if that is what it takes to stop this. This world is worth saving. I don't care about your Ragnarok. This is wrong!" With her words Miki advanced, closing the distance between herself and the great cat, her body language a challenge to a fight, though she would surely lose in seconds.

The great white cat circle the small black one, and she circled in turn, the precursor to attack. But to Miki's frustration, the great cat only seemed bemused, chuckling in his only way. Yet his eyes showed that he was thinking, reassessing the half-grown child before him. As he would not attack and she dared not, Miki calmed as they circled once, and though still disquieted she stopped and sat. She was suddenly aware of the pain in her paw, and looked down to see the wound caked in mud. Infection. She dared not break this engagement, though, not even to ease the pain and clean her wounds. She glanced at Kari, who was speaking in strange words with the god he had called upon. Miki waited for the great cat to speak. Perhaps she had overstepped her bounds.

Abruptly, he strode toward her, and sniffed at her again, whiskers tickling her face. Strangely, she felt as though the whiskers tickled in her mind, as well. She waited stock still, for she knew it was not time to speak. She was being judged, and he would decide what he would.

"Child, I cannot grant you my strength. You would not know how to wield it, and it might even kill you. You are too young and too small, my child. But do not fret," he added, as she moved to object. "You have other, greater strength of your own. Others will need you. You will do far more as an aid and balm to your loved ones than you could in a fight."

Miki head hung low. She knew she could help and heal, but… she knew she couldn't do enough. She wasn't powerful enough. She wasn't strong enough to help anyone. She began to weep. She had been found wanting, and she felt empty.

"Stop. Why do you weep? I had more to say, but I will leave now unless you cease this foolishness." He tail lashed in anger, and she immediately swallowed her tears and fear and looked up into his face. "Child… I cannot give you my strength, but I *can* give you my blessing." He leaned forward and touched his nose to hers. A sudden warmth filled her, a glow that touched the heart. "May your magic come easily, that your healing may help the alfen children of my mistress in their time of greatest need." A weight of glamour, a sort of geas, descended upon Miki, and she knew that when the time came, her healing would flow more freely from her hands.

The great white cat stepped back and sat serenely, and Miki purred and squeezed her eyes, blessed and full of hope. It was then that she looked up and saw Eleanor weeping, but smiling still, and Kari crackling with obvious power. Freya smiled upon the child and then turned to her great cat, reaching out a hand to summon him to her.

The separate circles of worship were broken and brother and sister deity, with the mighty cat, once again joined hands, nodded to their worshippers, and vanished, taking the golden circle with them.

Once again it was a still night. The rain had stopped, though the ground was still wet. The trees no longer fought the wind and instead stood tall and upright. Eleanor, Kari, and Miki stood in the center of the circle facing each other.

And by the looks on each other's faces, they knew their prayers had been answered.