Aya and the great elder struggled against the forces of nature. Rain, wind and hail buffeted them as they rode through the night sky. Quick intervals between the flashes of lightning and crashes of thunder indicated the storm was still close by. Aya held her staff at her side, her fear of losing her balance prevented her from sitting upright and blocking the rain. Aya pressed her face into the wolfhound's furry neck.

"Aquan, are you all right?" The elder asked.

"I've just..."—Aya tried to speak but the lump in her stomach prevented it for a moment—"I've never ridden a wolfhound before. And this storm is fearsome."

"I've never had a humanoid rider on my back before," the wolfhound grunted back, "I'm growing weaker by the moment. Are we close by? I'm feeling your weight more and more."

Aya was silent until the wolfhound raised her head and spoke again, "Aquan, can you see where the village is?"

Aya pulled the wolfhound's hair in order to prop herself up on her head. She panned the skies, squinting from the heavy rain drops splattering across her face until she saw the fire lights from the village cabins a short distance away. "It's not that far. just keep flying straight."

"Pull my mane down when you want me to descend," The wolfhound told Aya.

Aya stared towards the horizon with great intensity. She hoped this long tempestuous night would come to a gentle end. But in harsh irony, the sky lit up like an explosion and lightning struck the elder and Aya. The beast erupted in fire with a loud howl causing Aya to fall backwards alongside her animal companion. Aya began to lose consciousness as she fell. She could still see the rainbow palms below, darkened in the abyss of night. Soon, her vision was consumed with darkness and Aya could no longer tell if she was dead or alive. Her mind was adrift in the vastness of her subconscious.

The sound of overhead birds and something scraping the ground woke Aya with a start. She gazed at the atmosphere above her. The sky was bright blue and the great star warmed the ground along with Aya's dirt encrusted face. She found herself lying face up in slowly drying mud with an Atma tree's rainbow leaves scattered around her. Extending her hand, she picked up one of the colorful palm leaves. "Must've broke my fall," she muttered, holding the leaf above her to inspect, "Thank the creator." She heard more scraping sounds and rose to find their source. Several feet away, Aya could see the elder wolfhound's body crumpled in the mud, slowly inching her way across the floor of the forest. Aya crawled to her feet with grogginess and stood up, stumbling over to the elder. As she made her way, she glanced to the left and saw her staff lying adjacent from them. She quickly grasped it and moved to the elder's aid.

"Elder," Aya cried, "What has become of you?" Aya observed the state of the wolfhound. Her wings were completely broken, and her eyes were distant and empty. Half of the beast slouched, hanging limp and Aya could tell there were signs of a stroke. In spite of this, she kept on crawling. "I...need...to...reach... my child," the beast croaked from its hanging jaw.

Tears seeped from Aya's eyes and she held her hands in front of her face. "Please...there must be something I can do for you. Can I use my staff?"

"Save your energy," the wolfhound groaned, "And I am much too heavy to be lifted."

Aya frowned through her tears. "Please if there's any way to assist you. Any way at all, please let me."

The wolfhound barely moved or batted an eye. All her glorious vitality had abandoned her. Aya found herself growing very edgy and concerned. "Elder...elder please don't be dead. Elder?"

The beast's bloody eye slowly slid towards Aya and her maw slowly opened and closed. "I'm just...thinking."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Will you listen to an old woman ruminate about her life?" The beast asked in the slightest deadpan.

Aya crouched down beside the elder. The beast spoke slowly but with a passionate creak, "Shortly after I was born, I learned I was different from all the wolfhound pups. I learned my life was not my own. I was forced to uphold a sacred duty to the world I lived in."

"Your fur..." Aya said quietly, "It designates that."

"It's not the fur that designates my rank," the elder explained, "It's the transfer of power from one to another. During the creation of this planetoid, the creator bestowed the title of guardian onto three beasts, the thunderboar, wolfhound and Noctursa. My father was a descendent of the chosen wolfhound."

"So each of the three tribes have a guardian among their ranks?" Aya responded quickly.

"Yes they do," the knowledgeable beast continued, "And they have kept the power to their lineages for centuries. These three beasts protect Nature's Gate and have done so proudly."

"Nature's Gate?"—Aya's eyes went wide—"The gate that protects the center of the planetoid?"

"Yes, child." The wolfhound refrained from speaking to continue ruminating further. At last, she spoke with grave sincerity, "I needed to reach my daughter in order to transfer my powers before I pass on, or the world as we know it will become highly unstable."

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"What will happen?" Aya asked.

"Nature's Gate will open, and anyone will be able to enter"—The beast reflected again before speaking—"Whoever my assailant was. They might have been attempting to gain access to Nature's Gate."

Aya put her arms around the wolfhound, deeply distraught by the image. "I'll never let them do it. I'll do anything to prevent that."

"Anything?" The wolfhound craned her neck towards Aya.

"Yes anything." Aya said nodding frantically before her head came to a stop.

Even in a near death state, the wolfhound still retained some dignity in her pauses. She knew the gravity of the situation required total premeditation on everything, even if her brain and body were failing. "Give me your hand, the hand I bit."

Aya slowly moved her hand toward the wolfhound. She had never performed this ritual before, and even if the matters were grave and required, her youthful mind still had fear of what would happen next.

"Place it in my mouth," the elder ordered. "Do it now."

Aya stuck her hand right between the elder's limp jaws. Aya observed her wrist which had fang marks and dry blood from when she was last attacked. "Do not be afraid," the elder responded, "You are performing a great duty. Something only Aquans, Sylphens and Acridians can do."

Aya's slowly opened her eyes. She gazed right at the wolf's jaw. Feeling the pride from her deceased race, she no longer allowed the fear to permeate in her. "I'm ready," she said with a firm and unwavering tone.

The elder's jaw swung forward, burying itself into Aya's hand. At first, Aya only felt the pain, but slowly she began to feel something blissful manifesting within her. Aya felt a oneness with the elder, an existence of two minds coming together into one. A connection into the wolfhound's mind gave her a brand-new perspective. She let out a sharp cry; it sounded more like a howl, and she buckled to her knees. Ancient energy coursed through Aya's body and her senses heightened. Her already powerful sense of smell and hearing, became canine-like, and she envisioned a ceremony of howling elders bestowing these powers onto her. When she opened her eyes, the euphoric sensation had left her lying on the ground, bent in prayer.

Rising to her feet, she looked around and noticed that the elder wolfhound was nowhere to be found. Aya cried out to the forest and animals who surrounded her. "What has become of you, oh great guardian?"

"Do not worry, child" a familiar motherly voice spoke from below. Aya held her wrist to her face and noticed a brand-new tattoo inked into her formerly injured arm. It was a tribal image of a wolfhound, and Aya's eyes bugged out as she saw it speak in an animated way. "When the elder's life is done and the power is passed on, the elder can choose to become a spiritual guide for the next in line. They can choose..."

Aya let out a scream and shook her hand frantically, "Have I gone crazy? I didn't remember choosing that."

"I suppose your subconscious did," the elder said with a chuckle before her face turned grave from sudden thoughts. "I have broken our lineage in order to pass my powers onto you."

Aya's mind drew a complete blank from her many flustering thoughts, so the elder spoke again in a reassured voice. "But do not worry about the old lineages. I had a feeling my child, a frail pup, might not have been able to handle the demands of being a guardian"—The wolfhound tattoo gave a smile, something the physical wolfhound was not capable of, and she smiled at Aya—"You are doing my future lineage a favor by taking on the power and responsibility as your own."

Aya nodded silently and walked over to the nearby Atma tree to sit down. She leaned up against it cross legged. She felt the heat of the great star beginning to warm everything over. She began to sweat in her muddy poncho and before long, she had shed it. She gazed at the patterns now stained and murky, and the threads unraveled in several places. She hoped Flora could mend it. "What's wrong, Aya?" The elder asked as Aya tentatively twirled a loose string on it.

"I took it upon myself to be nature's guardian but this responsibility is so much more than that. Can I really guard the gate if I couldn't even save Buck?"—Aya cried in angst before processing what her new tattoo said—"Aya? how do you know my name?"

The inked wolfhound looked up at Aya with a placid look on her face. "This isn't the first time I've heard of you and Jeeg, Members of our tribe sing praise about your dedication and concern for others."

"Glad someone's appreciative," Aya muttered in response, "We have no trouble calming beasts, it's humans we have trouble reasoning with."

"I believe you can succeed in this great struggle between animals, elves and humans," the wolfhound said calmly. "You got through to me and I am just as stubborn as any human, maybe more so."

Aya managed a small smiled from the flattery. Her aqua blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight for the first time. "Now that I have you to guide me, great elder, I can certainly try."

The wolfhound frowned, "Enough with the pompous great elder nonsense. My name is Eterna. Had you introduced yourself earlier, I would have said so sooner."

Aya gave a kind glance. "It's nice to meet you Eterna."

"Good girl," Eterna nodded "Was that so hard, child? If I had to hear 'great elder' again, I'd liken being under your skin to purgatory."

Aya gave a small smile and stood up, toting her poncho and staff. She headed back to town without a word. Even if her newfound partnership with Eterna had brightened her mood a little, many things weighed heavy on her brain and a whole array of emotions flashed through her young mind. She was admittedly fascinated with her new ties to nature in spite of her trepidation of being the new guardian of the planetoid. She was saddened deeply by Buck's death, and would still have to break the news to the Du Bois family about his passing. And she had a weird feeling about her accident on Eterna. Was it just an accident caused by lightning? Lightning didn't just explode when it hit you. Or did it? As much as she loved nature, she still had yet to experience all of its endless possibilities. She tucked that thought deep in her mind, and with heavy heart approached the village, ready to be the bearer of saddening news.

She glanced into the distance and saw a group of people standing around in town. She wondered what the hubbub was, and as she got closer she saw why. Her heart fluttered with joy as she Buck standing at the center of a sea of smiling faces. Aya grinned too. He was alive. Du Bois stood at the center too, his arm bandaged in a sling, but with an equally broad grin under his orange mustache. A hand landed on Buck's head and ruffled his hair. Aya followed the hand up to the man it belonged to. He was brown skinned with long flowing hair, his face chiseled but smooth and he had dark harrowing eyes that betrayed the story of his life even if the story remained sealed on his lips. Aya had never seen someone else with darker skin, even a human and her curiosity outweighed her cautious nature. When he caught wind of her, his self-confident facial expression changed to one of surprise, like he was revisiting an unexpected memory. Aya took notice of what he held in his hands. It was a helmet. It was reflective and dark, with small slits for eyes and large tubes where the mouth was. Aya realized at that moment he was a man from another world.