Misery would spend no more time on greeting him. She had held her boy and told him she had missed him, and that was enough. She simply handed him the charm, her other hand unconsciously holding and stroking the sun symbol at the end of her chain. It comforted her, Ankh's strange symbol that had never been meant for her. But time had changed her - though it still felt like her heart was consumed in darkness, the Khalif believed she had changed. Sometimes even she could be fooled that she walked in the light - the sun, strange as it was, did seem so much kinder than the dark moon. She took a slow breath before motioning him to sit with her - standing for too long got her bad leg going, and the horse ride wasn't exactly easy on her old frame.
Misery didn't wait for long before she began her story.
"Long ago, on the mountain we call home, three Gods touched down. In the bright light of day, a white Goddess came from above. Her eyes were the color of sunlight and her fur glowed with a brightness that struck down the darkness and lit all that they saw. Her name was Ankh." A soft, sweet smile favored her boy. "Ankh told them of what she was, a Goddess of Light, the keeper of the White Ones, it was her touch and guidance that would bless all that were worthy. When the sun began to set, Ankh looked to the dimming skies, and soon, her silver coated sister came from the skies. In those moments between sun and moon, Rah'khir came from the sky." Misery paused just a moment, her gold-green eyes studying Larkspur. Did he understand her story? He was not the brightest of boys - but at times he had a wicked intellect.
""Rah'khir was nearly as beautiful as her white sister - her fur a sleek silver, touched with cinnamon and earthy brown, a coat of many colors. Rah'khir would hold the hearts of those that did not belong to Ankh. The sisters soon grew quiet though, as the moon crept higher and higher in the sky. It was then the Khalif's fell silent, as did the Goddess sisters. Tak, they whispered in a hushed unison, Tak, the Dark One. From the bloated moon above - a terrible, infected moon bathed in dark shades of red and orange he came forth." Her words had fallen into a chilled hush - Tak was a most terrible God.
"His coat was as dark as sin, his eyes a terrible silver - a silver that sometimes seemed to fall into the color of blood. His touch was cold and his power great, and the sinners amongst them all fell and showed their bellies before the terrible God. In the dark, Ankh was weak, as was her silver sister. But as Tak lorded over them, soon the day began to fall. Rah'khir turned to the dark God and began to chase him - biting and gnashing at his heels. His body ate the ground as he ran - tearing up distance and time, it seemed as if he would get away. But when the sun rose once more, Ankh's white body was a blur. Faster than the devil, she took down the dark one. They were safe. The white wolves - the good ones turned to their dark companions." Her voice had gained a fevered pitch now - deeply into the story, falling into the truth only they knew.
"How dare you grovel before the dark devil! they cried. Horrified, terrified of their dark brethren, the lines were drawn. The Goddess bade the wolves farewell - wolves that soon were dividing up into their proper places. The White wolves claimed Ankh, the White Lady as their own. Those not worthy of Ankh - but not so terrible as to fall to Tak - they claimed the Silver Lady. Tak was thrust upon those that had crawled beneath him - the dark coated sinners of the pack. And so...we began."
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