Chapter 58
Ghost Rings
(Ravena)
The prey was odd, sickly.
At least the prey should have been sick. He was clearly one that was not fully corrupted, but had more than enough corruption flowing through him to make even some of the elders pause.
The pack first became aware of his presence when he stumbled through their borders. This meant that he would be Hunted. At least he should have been hunted and killed. Normally when one of their kind, the unchallenged came to the sacred land of the ancestors they would be slaughtered and their bodies dragged off to bleed their corrosive blood in the lands of the enemies of the pack.
Yet, this one was different.
“Do you think that’s him?” Mikella asked, his eyes glowing with a faint silver sheen that spoke of his wanting to give way to the beast during the hunt.
Watching the same target enter the land, just as the wise man of the pack noted, Ravena paused.
“I don’t know.”
Sniff, sniff.
Feeling the waves of energy wafting from the creature that was gracefully tracking through their lands, Ravena and Mikella both paused.
As Ravena was the more powerful of the two and therefore the noted leader of the reconnaissance team, the final decision fell to Ravena.
“He is fully corrupted, killing him would only be a blessing at this point. Best that we just follow him and find where his body drops.” Ravena finally noted.
This to Ravena was the best of both worlds, as it was code to kill anyone who entered their sacred lands. Only the prophecy from the wise man this morning gave them pause.
A prophecy that was denied to Mikella and Ravena, with only the words.
“Let any dying creature roam on the lands. Follow them to their burial spot and wait.”
The words were both cryptic and infuriating to follow.
Which was why Ravena, hearing the orders given to her could only follow. Despite every fiber of her being telling her to take care of the cursed creature now.
They were weak, and dying.
Yet, despite every smell to the contrary, the enemy warrior moved with determination. No staggering, no true signs of anything more than minor fatigue were evident on the creature’s body.
The whole situation was so odd, that Ravena was almost curious to see how far the creature would go.
It was also apparent that the dying creature knew that they were in fact following it.
This was why Ravena gave even more space to the dying creature, for a dying creature is a desperate creature.
Seeing as this was supposed to happen, the two could only follow the orders given and execute them to their fullest.
This was why, they trailed the dying man for nearly ten miles. At least that is what Ravena guesstimated the distance traveled to be, as they went from the outer border, to the dying woodlands and were nearly to the sacred lake.
As the creature got closer to the sacred lake, the spark of all life in the forest, both Ravena and Mikella both grew tense. To enter the sacred lake was something that Ravena had only managed to do three times in her life.
The first time Ravena was bathed in the sacred waters was after she was born, where she was washed anew in the waters of the lake.
Then on her coming of age, where she managed her first kill, she was again able to bathe in the sacred waters.
And finally, her third time came when she had killed a rival pack’s member and once again was washed anew in the sacred waters.
Now for an outsider, a complete heretic to come so close to their sacred pool was almost too much. Words of the wise one be damned, but fortunately the creature never got so close.
Just when Ravena gave the signal to Mikella to take the hunt seriously and strike down the intruder, something miraculous happened.
The dying creature that they had been chasing paused, and then seemed to melt into the ground. Ravena paused watching as the creature grew translucent, at least their feet did as they began sliding downward. In that moment Ravena knew that they were chasing a ghost, for there was no other way to describe what had happened, what was happening.
One second the creature they were warned to avoid had been running tauntingly through their sacred forests. Then the next, it paused not a mile away from the sacred waters of the tribe, only for them to immediately begin to sink into the ground.
Then there was a pause, as the creature suddenly solidified for a moment. At that second a look of panic overtook the boy’s face, and they were close enough to see the creature they were chasing it was a boy. One who had not faced the trials of atonement, and who had not been tested. By the smell of them, it seemed that their body would surely perish before they even had a chance to be properly tested.
Yet, this boy who by all right was frightened and should be frightened, suddenly paused and focused their will. As quickly as the look of fear filled their face, the look was quickly replaced by a look of focused determination.
Chills.
Seeing the look come to the ghost boy’s face, Ravena felt a shiver run down her back as she saw the boy go from a solid state to a translucent state once more.
This time there were no more hesitations, no more moments of doubt that crossed the monster’s face as it turned away.
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Instead, Ravena watched as the boy sunk into the ground and then continued to delve deeper.
Silence.
As soon as the boy was gone, Mikella and Ravena both slowly stalked forward, trying to find the exact spot that the ghost disappeared. Or was devoured by the earth?
So many questions filled Ravena’s mind that all she could do was stare at the spot and slowly approach.
For a moment the two wondered how they would know where the boy fell. But then before Ravena or Mikella could ask, they noticed a singular blade of grass glow green.
Well the blade of grass didn’t exactly glow, but in comparison to the other darker green blades around it might as well have glowed. As if that one blade was suddenly far healthier than the other blades of grass around.
Then just as one turned, a second blade right next to the first began to also glow green. Being this close, Ravena could see the entire process happen. The growth began at the root of the blade, and slowly fed its way up the stalk, until finally even the tip also shone with that same verdant green color as the first.
Then two more began to change coloration as well.
Seeing the change, Ravena knew that this was likely what the wise man had predicted would happen.
“Go tell the others that we found the spot. I’ll stay here and see if he returns.” Ravena said, getting Mikella to go, for she didn’t know if she would be able to move. Her gaze was filled with probably the most lush and vibrant colors she had ever seen in her life.
Getting lower, she used the full aspects of her mid-wolf form to smell the plants and realized that they were healthy. No, not just healthy, but probably the healthiest plants outside those that reside around the sacred waters she had ever smelled.
Badump, badump, badump.
Realizing that this life, these plants were once again healthy. Or at least momentarily healthy, caused Ravena’s heart to beat faster.
Their tribe had been dying.
The sacred waters that their pack had relied upon for food and nourishment was drying out. Worse, the range that the sacred waters could reach was also drying up, meaning that more and more of the inner forest that her pack had claimed for generations was slowly withering away.
Meanwhile, the enemies who had at one point been friendly were now growing more and more hostile as their wellsprings and sources of life were experiencing similar struggles.
This was why so much emphasis was placed on patrols, and of keeping poachers away from their sacred lands.
Yet, this one act, this one discovery seemed to turn everything she knew upon its head.
Eight blades.
Then sixteen.
Then thirty-two.
Then too many to count as the cleansed blades began to spread out and impact not just one but multiple nearby blades of grass.
Judging by the rate of growth and change, Ravena wondered if this would be the sign of a second growth point. A second part where life would grow and flourish.
As the area and rate of expansion began to increase, Ravena found herself slowly backing away. As if it was somehow sacrilegious of her to remain at the center of such an area.
There was also the slightly unnerving tinging feeling from deep within her own skin that told her to be weary of the area. That something odd was happening.
Again, these were feelings that Ravena associated with bathing in the sacred waters of her people. For the tingling signified that she was being cleansed.
Though it was also warned that one could not be cleansed too often, for that would ultimately hinder one’s growth. Rather being cleansed at key points in development were what was needed to achieve one’s best state of being.
This was why even now Ravena was confused as to what she should do. Furthermore, she did not know how she should act with everything going on around her. On the one hand she was somewhat frightened by the idea of a ghost entering her lands.
But then to find out that this was some sort of friendly ghost was also unnerving, as it seemed to indicate that not all fears were justified. But it wasn’t a ghost, at least the smells the creature gave off seemed to indicate that the beast was still alive. In fact, despite being clearly diseased, the creature should have lived longer, not that she wished such a state on anyone.
Dying of corruption was tough, and something that was only given as a punishment to those who truly went against the pack. Those who went against the sacred order of things and went into the sacred waters without permission were one such group of people who would be poisoned, so that they might put the stolen healing waters to use. The bodies of the poisoned thieves serving as a way to cleanse the lands of the most vile of corruption.
For just as there were springs of life, there were also springs of death, which the pack tried to encourage as a natural barrier between the different packs.
“You’ve done well,” the sound of an but friendly man filled Ravena’s ears.
“Yip.” Ravena cried out, as she found her half-altered form jumping high into the air.
Ravena was so focused on monitoring the growing sphere of cleansed lands before her that she found herself completely caught off guard when the wise man appeared next to her.
Laughter.
Seeing the startled look on Ravena’s face, the old man just laughed, his cordial tone instantly causing the tension to lessen slightly as Ravena found herself dropping to the ground.
Tingle.
Then instantly she found her mind getting distracted once more as still the area covered by the ever-expanding verdant life bearing grass also expanded. Realizing her teachings from not stepping on the fields surrounding the sacred waters, Ravena began tip toeing and trying to walk away as quickly as possible.
“Relax child. As the one who found and guarded the area, you and those who are under your command will be able to walk on these sacred lands without hesitation.” Wiseman Prentip said, his voice loud and carrying.
For a moment Ravena wondered why the old man spoke so loudly, since it was just the two of them. But then a quick glance around showed that Erloche and many of the chieftain’s main guards were also here watching everything.
Erloche seemed to be offended by the statement, but instantly relaxed his posture.
“Come now Erloche, don’t be so angry.” Wiseman Prentip began, “you and your men are already assigned with the protection of the sacred waters and life nourishing fields. To assign a second location to you would be the equivalent of forcing you to choose to prioritize one over the other. As such I have seen it that we should begin to allow the next generation to begin practicing for the right to try out for the elite guard. This way, we will all see if they have the proper temperament to be trusted with such an important finding.”
Hearing that Erloche paused, “you don’t think this new field will last?”
“Who can say, all we can say for certain is that we have it here today, and it was not here yesterday. As such, we should attempt to take advantage of this new finding,” Prentip said in his tone that Ravena knew all too well. This was the voice of reason and knowledge. One that said an answer had already been formulated, now it was up to the person listening to find out what the correct answer was.
“Hmph,” Isaiah, Erloche’s right hand man made discontented noises at the statement, but opted not to openly speak out against the elder.
“For now, it looks like we are left with little to do but sit back and wait, though I do think we will need our borders protected now more than ever master Erloche.” The wiseman stated, as his eyes glowed in the foggy white residue that seemed to note the wiseman was having a vision.
“Very well, Ravena, choose three others to set up a perimeter here and inform us when any changes occur.” Erloche stated, and like that what could have been a major standoff of power ended relatively quickly.
***
(Two Days Later)
All of that was of course two days ago.
During that time, the land that had been cleansed and ready to rebegin the cycle of renewals had grown to fill not only the clearing, but also gone to within inches of the lands surrounding the sacred lake.
Given the relative proximity of the two areas, Erloche’s men had taken time in between shifts to come over and ensure that Ravena was protectively guarding her post.
The pretense for the royal guards coming over during their downtime was to provide guidance. Their real reason for coming over was the want to monitor the area.
By now, the range of static had grown.
That’s what wiseman Prentip called the buzzing effect that filled the cleansed areas, a static field. How or why the fields were completely made of static particles was unknown.
All that was known was that there was now what the wiseman called an area of avoidance. Each day the wiseman would come out, observe the area with his crystals. Crystals that would glow and give off faint light signatures the closer or further aways from different areas he went. Then he would shake his head, and proceed to walk out a few paces from the center and make a new “line of avoidance,” as he called it.
This was the area that everyone, including the royal guards were to avoid at all costs.
Watching the lines expand, Ravena found that the area of avoidance seemed to be proportional to the lines of the fields that were being cleansed away.
While Ravena didn’t know the reason why everyone was forced back further. She did notice that the strain on her mind and her relative discomfort in the area greatly reduced, the further out from the center of the protection area they went.
Then on second day, Prentip seemed to make hourly trips out.
“Move back to here,” Prentip would say, only to come back an hour later and force everyone back another hundred meters in all directions.
By the end, even Erloche and all his men that were not on duty protecting the great lake were on hand to help surround the center of the corrupted zone.
“All right, this should be it, now just come to get me when he arrives,” Prentip stated, his last words directed towards Ravena, despite Erloche being right next to her.
Hearing the words Ravena found herself wondering how the wiseman knew that the spirit that entered the ground here was a man. Or at least a ghost in the shape of a man. But before Ravena could ask her question, Prentip waved one hand across his forehead before coming up.
“But in the meantime, I need to rest.” Prentip said, in a manner that brokered no arguments.
With that it was just Ravena and the royal guards who were not currently on duty.
While many of the other pack members would come by to deliver food and supplies, most made sure to stay well away from the area of impact.
“You’re doing pretty well for your first time guarding a sacred place,” Erloche said, his voice only mildly filled with the typical condescension he normally had for Ravena and the newer generation of pack members.
Just as Ravena was about to reply back, she noticed a rather large bird come to land.
Perch.
Seeing the bird, Ravena’s survival instincts instantly went off, letting her know about the inherent dangers of the bird, but for whatever reason the reason for the concern could not come to her mind. There was an odd size and majestic power to the bird that was hard to capture in words.
Even the way it seemed to nestle in the branch of a nearby dead tree was unique. Though it should be noted that even the dead tree was now showing signs of life, thanks to the cleansing effect going off from where the ghost sank into the ground.
Ravena was going to ask for Erloche’s opinion on the large bird, but he seemed to be indifferent about the creature. Which made Ravena wonder if she was just being overly paranoid with her new position, or if there was something more to the odd way the large bird seemed to easily take up space in their territory.
Of course, Ravena was unable to delver further into her thoughts, for that is the exact moment that the ground began to rumble, as fear gripped her heart forcing her to instantly move back even further than the old wiseman had previously marked off, for something she never thought could happen did happen.