The lustful god faced us with contempt written on his face. He clenched his teeth as he gazed upon us with his black eyes boring into us. In a moment, his grimace changed to a smirk. “I see you two have returned to see the end like I always planned. Once I get rid of the protection that useless boy gave you two, you will be at my mercy!”

I tried so hard not to get angry--not to hate the lustful god for insulting Terry’s memory-- but I couldn’t. I retorted, “you are a monster!”

Caerwyn tried to keep me calm and he placed a hand on my shoulder.

But it was too late. The hate slipped out of me and empowered the lustful god. He grinned and shifted into a black dove again with a giant beak. He launched himself at me and was deflected by golden light that burned him—he shrieked in pain.

The hair that Terry had blessed was in a small sack tied around my neck and was protecting me.

The dove grinned hideously with red eyes and murmured, “two more times and I can bite your head off, girl!”

I had a thought in my mind to help me love the lustful god. I had to bring it forth now to quell the rage in my heart toward him.

He deserves love. He needs it! He deserves the chance we all have at birth, but never got! I know I would be just like this pitiful creature if not for Mother and Daddy! I repeated to myself in my mind.

I grabbed the black dove around his waist and he shrieked as I repeated what I said in my mind aloud.

Terry’s powers protected me once again as the bird scratched and struggled in my embraced. He was burned both by my love and by Terry’s protection.

Caerwyn assisted me and also wrapped his remaining arm around the lustful god’s torso with Terry’s protection once again kicking in to protect the bird from lunging at Caerwyn.

Caerwyn said, “you poor creature. I know what it is to have a hateful parent. I wish to help you.”

The bird was losing black feathers fast. It squawked in a rage—trying to provoke me and Caerwyn, “that boy’s life was useless! It was as useless as any mortal’s life and he and his sacrifice will be forgotten in under a year! How does that make you feel, girl?”

I cried silent tears as my grip loosened on him a little, but I still held onto the bird. He lunged at Caerwyn again and we both only had one last protective shield from Terry left as the lustful god shrieked in pain and rage. Everytime he struck at us and was deflected by Terry’s shields, he lost an absurd amount of black feathers.

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The bird was shrieking in pain. “You are both insignificant! All mortal lives are! Why do you fight when you know this! Father was a mortal and he died alone and now he is forgotten!”

The black dove shattered both our shields just then by kicking and scratching at us and Caerwyn and I were covered in cuts as the bird struggled.

I thought to myself for a brief moment that the wicked god was right. Our efforts here were meaningless in the long run, so why should I put myself through so much torture trying to heal the heart of a god I hated?

And the answer presented itself when my mind was graced with that wonderful memory of Terry putting his hand on my wrist so long ago when I wanted to give up.

Why did I keep going then? Because I was given something priceless.

I was given a friend who would follow me to the ends of the earth; I was given a life companion who, even if I died, I knew he would love me and keep my memory alive forever.

His death was not meaningless. He was saving me here and now, and I was keeping him alive by remembering him!

“Think of your father!” I shouted to the dove as I hugged him ever closer—I was losing blood and felt lightheaded from all the scratches I was suffering as well as my hearing being hurt from the noise of the battlefield. “His life was meaningful! His legacy was one of pain, but you remember him! He loved you more than anyone else! How can you call our lives meaningless and seek to enslave us when the one person who adored you was one of us—a mortal! You spit on his memory by forgetting him and letting him be a source of pain in your life!”

The dove shrieked in pain and took to the air with me holding tight. Caerwyn was left behind as he had trouble holding on with only one arm.

__

Time seemed to slow down as the dove brought us into the cold air above the battlefield. The world spun as I held on with my eyes screwed shut and showered the dove with love and compliments.

As the dove flew violently through the air—trying desperately to shake me off--he began shedding more and more dark feathers to reveal a white body underneath.

We were flying upside-down at one time as the sky spun all around me.

“Your daddy loved you for a reason. Show me the boy he fell in love with—the innocent one with white feathers. He still exists, I know it!” I shouted above the shrieking wind as the bird nosedived and continued to try to shake me off with all his might. I shut my eyes tighter in fear.

My mind was hazy as I continuously lost blood. I thought I might die, but if I could quell this poor creature, it would be worth it.

We were plummeting closer and closer to the ground and blood was continuously falling from my wounds as we did so.

Everything went silent for a moment as the dove stopped the fast nosedive and pulled up gently.

I opened my eyes as I felt the dove relax and fly steadily and smoothly forward. He stopped trying to shake me off. I relaxed my grip on him as I tiredly leaned my head on his back.

“Thank you for reminding me of him.” The dove said calmly and with pain in his voice. “When he died, nobody remembered him but me… It tore me apart. It made me into a monster.”

I listened to the dove in silence as I smiled gently.

“Mother and Father were always arguing and I tried to love them for so long, but I just couldn’t do it anymore once Father died. I hated mother! I thought if I hadn’t had a mother my life would have been blissful! I hated women—I hated them more than anything! But only because they never gave me any love… Until now. Thank you, Moth Princess.”

Everything went dark as snow fell upon my white fur and the lustful god’s white feathers.

Marara had shed his black feathers.