Species (according to Ursa):
14) Tamerens (EEEEVIIILL)
- Humans got idea for vampires from Tamerens
- born from the spilt blood of an innocent and pure person (Ursa didn't say who)
- they can reproduce with other Tamerens or non-Tamerens
o Tameren abilities are passed through the mothers
§ No matter what/who the father is, if mother is Tameren then child will be
o Male Tamerens can have kids with other creatures but only 50-50 chance child will be Tameren
§ Child may still inherit some of father's abilities even if not Tameren
- Because they are are born from blood, they have no blood of their own.
o Their bodies are made of blood that was transformed into flesh
o Blood of other creatures helps rejuvenate their bodies
§ Think creepy facial
§ removes the old dead cells and replaces them.
- Blood carries powers of ceatures
o Since blood has DNA, the DNA is where the natural abilities/powers reside
o Tamerens can absorb these natural abilities short term when drink blood
§ Some Tamerens gain knowledge of how to do the abilities not the abilities themselves
§ Explains why some Tamerens can copy ability in future
· Ursa says the ones who can are properly more intelligent than those that can't
- Tamerens are very proud and vain
- Manners and edict are crucial when talking to a Tameren
o If you are rude or disrespectful, the Tamerens get very ugly
o Hope I don't ever have to talk to a Tameren
"What the hell was that?" Chris shouted, running up to Chenoa.
Chenoa ignored him though as she silently panicked in her mind. She searched the skies for any sign of the creatures and their riders but could see nothing, not even a small speck. Chris was shouting about what had happened and kept asking questions. Closing her eyes tight in panic and frustration, Chenoa tried to block everything out. It felt as if she was being attacked on all sides. Placing her hands over her ears, Chenoa wanted to scream out loud, but rather she screamed in her mind. Slowly, painfully slowly, Chenoa saw weaved red threads flowing into her minds eyes, wrapping and twisting around each other as if they were alive. Vibrating the threads snaked around her mind creating a single word. Ursa. The dragon's name blazed in her mind, blinding Chenoa, despite it being a word in her mind. She felt power vibrate through her bones. The silent cry the blared in her mind relieved the panic and pressure a bit.
Yet as she felt her own relief a pained roar sounded in her mind, though, it must have been in everyone near Chenoa's mind for Chris suddenly doubled over in shock and pain, covering his head against the noise. Startled Chenoa released the word that was in her mind and the roaring stopped. A deafening silence followed.
Chenoa? A voice asked gently in her mind, though it sounded winded and tense.
Ursa? Chenoa replied mentally.
Did you call me?
Yes…something terrible has happened…
Are you okay? Did something happen to you? The voice sounded concerned and urgent.
I am okay now. Some weird creatures from the other realm showed up and took over the school.
Creatures from the other realm?
Yes…a Firedweller, a bunny-man, some white dude, a goat man, a Whisperer…
A Whisperer? They brought a Whisperer?
Yes? Is that important?
Hang on. I'll be there in a minute. I'm already on my way.
Wait!
Chenoa could feel the connection was gone though. Keeping her eyes closed tighter, she kept trying to figure out how to reconnect with Ursa. Chris, scared and tired of waiting, grabbed Chenoa's shoulder and shook her. He was yelling at her to open her eyes and tell him what was going on. The more she ignored him, the more he yelled and shook her, until her jaw clattered together.
"Chenoa!" Chris started screaming.
"Release her!" a voice tore in and Chenoa heard Chris yelp.
Opening her eyes slowly, Chenoa saw Cor in his winged-wolf form, bearing his teeth and towering over a cringing Chris. Gasping Chenoa ran over to Cor and wrapped her arms around his neck. Pulling backwards, she begged for Cor to back down.
"He wasn't hurting me, Cor," she explained quickly. "He is just scared and confused! Don't hurt him, please!"
Cor looked at Chenoa with a worried look but did back off of Chris. Chris stayed where he was, pale and trembling. He wasn't sure he could absorb all of this. Half human creatures, something peering into his mind and now a giant winged wolf. What the hell was going on?
Licking Chenoa's face lovingly, Cor sniffed her, walking around her to make she was all intact. Once satisfied that she was not harmed, Cor sat down next to Chenoa, waiting. When Chris did finally stand back up, he tried to approach Chenoa, but Cor snarled, exposing all his teeth. Gently, Chenoa laid her right hand on Cor's head to calm him. Chris stayed put though and just watched the strange scene. As Chenoa touched Cor's head, wind whipped around her, making her hair fly against the wind and her clothes ripple. She seemed to emanate power. There were no words that Chris could think of to describe her.
There was also no time too. In less than a minute a large shadow covered them on the roof. Chenoa tilted her head up, a smile playing at her lips. Following her gaze, Chris felt as if his body would give out from all the shock and fear he was experiencing. Ursa soared above them in her full size. Lowering to the side of the building, Ursa dug her claws into the side of the roof to hold herself up, though the bricks and cement cracked under the weight. She was too large in her full size to stand on the roof. She would have crushed Chenoa and Chris, plus she would have probably caused the roof to collapse. To minimize her weight on side of the building, Ursa steadily pumped her wings.
"Don't just stand there," Ursa said, glancing down at her claws, which were tearing at the building. "This building can only hold me for a little while before my claws tear it apart."
Dashing to Ursa, Chenoa grabbed onto the end of Ursa's tail, which had appeared to lift Chenoa onto Ursa's back. In one swift, but careful movement, Ursa lifted Chenoa onto her back as Cor appeared next to her. Grabbing onto one of Ursa's spikes to be secure, Chenoa concentrated on staying on when Ursa would take off.
"Wait!" a voice called as Ursa started to push off.
Turning her head, Chenoa saw Chris running up to them. Ursa ignored him and took off; yet Chris was not giving up that easily. He jumped off the roof, reaching for Ursa's tail, but missed. He yelled as he plummeted for the earth.
"Save him!" Chenoa screamed, desperately.
In a quick motion, Ursa lashed out her tail, wrapping it around Chris's waist. He grunted as the tail lifted up, but his body was still going down. With Chris secure, Ursa took off towards the sky, following where the flying creatures had gone. For a long time, they flew in silence.
"Uh, Ursa, don't you think you should lift Chris up here with us?" Chenoa finally said as she heard Chris's yells to be lifted or at least acknowledged.
"Do we have to?" Ursa sighed, turning her head back to look at Chenoa.
"It would be polite and he may get air sick dangling in the air like that and he could end up throwing up."
Ursa raised her scaly eyebrows then lifted her tail quickly, flicking Chris overhead before dropping him on her back behind Chenoa. Chris stayed motionless for a long minute, his face full of shock and terror, his mouth open in a large O. Patiently waiting, Chenoa watched Chris as he slowly began to blink again. In time his mouth closed and he focused on Chenoa.
"Hi, how ya doing?" she smiled, teasing him.
Blinking he just looked at her for a moment.
"So, this is Ursa. She's a dragon," Chenoa nodded to Ursa's head, which did not turn around. "And Cor is the big wolf that's in front of me. He's usually much friendlier, but I guess he saw you shaking me and he tends to be protective."
Chris continued to blink and not speak.
"Well, uh…"
"What are you?" Chris finally said, his voice flat.
"What do you mean?"
"What are you? I mean you have a dragon and a flying wolf thing and those things that were in the school. I am guessing now that they weren't wearing costumes…"
"First of all, I am me. I am no different than the girl you grew up with…"
Chris snorted derisively.
"And I don't have anything. Ursa and Cor are my friends, but they are not mine. And those things are people, in a sense, that happen to come from the other realm."
"Other realm?"
"Yeah, apparently there are two worlds and we live in this one and the other one is full of creatures like what we saw today. I'm still really new at all of this so I can't really explain it more than that."
"New at what?"
"Okay…technically I'm a Spellbinder. I can cast spells and stuff."
"You are a witch?"
"No. A Spellbinder. Uh…its complicated but if it makes it easier just think of me as a witch."
"What about Gabby? Is she a witch too?"
"Spellbinder. And no. She just found out that I am one yesterday. I've been keeping it hush-hush."
"Why?"
"Because humans have proven to very narrow minded creatures who kill or study anything different then their conceived idea of normal," Ursa interjected hotly.
Cor transformed into his human form in a whirl of wind and walked along Ursa's spikes, weightlessly, so he could place a calming hand on the back of her head. Open mouthed again, Chris watched, stunned.
"Don't blame this child for the wrongs of his ancestors," Cor said coolly to Ursa. "Each generation of humans learns a little more tolerance than the last."
"Great so in another five hundred years or so they may finally not kill anything they don't understand."
"Hey!" Chris interrupted, angrily. "I may not know what is going on but I wouldn't kill Chenoa or any of you even if you do scare me. I just don't get what's going on! I only followed Chenoa to find out what had happened to Gabby and Nick. Nick is my best friend!"
"She didn't mean to offend you, human," Cor bowed apologetically. "Many creatures, such as dragons, have a deep seeded bitterness towards humans. Humans used to hunt dragons for their scales and blood. As well it is because of humans that there are two realms instead of just one."
Surprised Chenoa and Chris looked at Cor, whose face was stoic as he walked back down to them. Crossing his legs, Cor sat, hovering a few inches above a painful looking spike. He brushed back a loose hair from Chenoa's face and smiled sadly.
"I didn't know humans are the reason there are two realms," Chenoa said seriously.
"We had not yet gotten to that in our history lessons, Chenoa. We were trying to cover the basics first, such identifying other creatures and using your powers effectively."
"Could you tell us now?"
"I am not sure it is the right time, Chenoa."
"Please, Cor. We are heading towards the other realm, right?"
"Yes…"
"And Chris and I are humans. Shouldn't we know why people will hate us there?"
"They won't necessarily hate you…"
"Cor," Ursa sighed. "You should tell her. It will take me some time to catch up with them even with my great speed. She needs to know."
Looking unhappy, Cor closed his eyes. Chenoa scooted as close as she could with the spikes between them and so did Chris. He had always loved stories.
"Okay…a long time ago Luoja created the worlds and the heavens. Luoja is the name given to the Great Creator. Luoja created many worlds and from one of these worlds came the gods. Now no one knows what world the gods came from but when they came to our world there was nothing there. It was barren."
"Excuse me?" Ursa broke in, affronted.
"I am sorry, Ursa. The world was barren and empty except for a small continent that belonged to the Dragons. The Dragons were the first creatures ever created according to their beliefs. Anyways the gods came and saw the world empty and decided to fill it. They created the animals, plants, winds, and eventually the creatures. The gods were young then, merely children, so they made a lot of mistakes."
"Gods can make mistakes?" Chenoa asked, surprised.
"All things in creation can make mistakes. It is how we learn. The gods were young, and they made mistakes. Yet with time they came to correct those mistakes. One mistake the gods came to realize is that they could not interact with the creations like parents do with their children. They had to let the creations grow and adapt and change on their own. This led to evolution. With evolution, man became more sophisticated and deemed themselves the most similar to the gods in form and intellect then all others."
"Were they not?" Chris asked puzzled.
"Whether they were or not was not the issue. Man grew prideful and arrogant. They started taking over the world, taking things, lands, powers that did not belong to them. The gods had sworn not to intervene, but soon Man started killing off creatures they deemed evil. It pained the gods for they loved all their creations. Yet they could not ignore Man's wrong doings for too long. One young human even decided to take a goddess as his wife."
"What?" Chenoa and Chris said in unison.
"What do you mean?" Chenoa inquired.
"He had been favored by the two head gods for his kindness and powers, but the favor went to his head. With the knowledge he had gained by being in the gods' presence, the human man tried to capture the head goddess and take her as his wife, making him then the most powerful creation next to the gods, themselves. Such arrogance had never been seen and it angered the gods. They suddenly saw their error is letting humans become so powerful. Even their wills were stronger than all others, so Spellbinders and other spell crafters could no control them."
"I am a Spellbinder and I have not seen such resistance on using spells on humans…"
"The human will is much weaker than it used to be. Now they have a false idea of superiority and safety in this world. But in the past their will was only next to the gods. The head goddess saw what had become of her favorite children and wept. When the human man came to take her as his wife, she struck him down with all her power, greatly injuring herself. The world saw it all happen. Every creature, plant and animal. They watched as she killed the human man she loved for their well-being and safety. Then with her last breaths, she made sure it would never happen again. Taking it upon herself, she tore the world in two and healed each half into brand new worlds by giving each half of her own body. It is why they call the earth Mother Earth."
"She killed herself?" Chris gasped. "But why?"
"No one really knows," Cor said sadly as if he himself had known the goddess. "There are many theories, but only she knows why she did what she did. The other gods could not face a world without their sister. It pained them to look upon the faces of humans, who many blamed for her death, or the creations that were left behind, who reflected her goodness and powers. So, they returned from where they came. Only the head god stayed. His anger rained down on the human world for generations. He turned back time so that the humans had to re-evolve again in a world with no magic. Yet with time, he too disappeared, for what is a king without his queen?"
"So, he punished all humans because one guy decided to steal his wife?" Chris scowled. "That seems a bit harsh."
"All humans were corrupt. I believe he had to punish humans several times for their corruption. I know one time he flooded the human world."
"That story is sad. What was the goddess's name?" Chenoa asked, unable to look away from the sad shadows in Cor's eyes.
Cor looked at Chenoa for a long moment as if he were thinking.
"She went by a lot of names. It depended who you were talking to."
"What was her real name?"
"The name that most called her was Onatah. It is an old name."
Chenoa felt something tug at her heart painfully. She nodded as she swallowed hard. At that moment, Chenoa chose not to point out that Cor had not answered her question. It was a good enough answer for now. Yet there was something about the story that did not feel right. It felt wrong to Chenoa as if it were a lie being spread about a friend of hers. She did not like the feeling.
"So, us humans are still being punished for what the humans all the way back then did?" Chris snorted. "That's unfair."
"I have seen your human world, young man," Ursa growled. "You were given your own world so that you did not have to share with the other creatures and you still have wasted it by killing the plants and animals, polluting the water…humans have not changed that much."
"Stop saying you. I have not done any of that. My family works on land preservation and we recycle, and I spend my summers helping clean up the beach and woodlands. So, stop saying you when you mean some people."
Chenoa looked at Chris with surprise. She had no idea he did all that good stuff for the environment. It made her feel sheepish because she was supposed to be a Spellbinder and she didn't do anything to help the earth. Heck half the time she forgot to throw her trash away properly. Scowling Chris waited for an apology from Ursa, but Ursa merely bared her teeth and kept flying.
"You are correct, Chris," Cor said solemnly. "It is not all humans. Unfortunately, at the moment the bad outweighs the good in the timeline of humans. Though if we are to be fair, the creatures of the other realm are not innocent themselves. Power goes to everyone's head. Every creature in existence has used their power to control, abuse and capture those who are weaker than them. Over time humans have lost their powers, while many creatures in the other realm have grown stronger. For a short period of time there was human trafficking in the other realm. Human slaves were prized above all others."
"What? How did that happen?" Chenoa asked."
"There are ways between the realms. It is much more difficult now, but a hundreds of years ago human Spellbinders and Spellbinders in the other realm made portals for trade. After a while those portals were destroyed in order to protect the humans."
"How did those creatures get here then?"
Cor didn't say anything. Chenoa realized that if Spellbinders made the portals before, a Spellbinder must have made a new one that the creatures used. Yet to Chenoa's knowledge only herself and her opposite were the only two living Spellbinders. To her dismay that meant that her opposite was the one who had sent the creatures to the human realm.
"Yes, Chenoa. Your opposite must have created portals," Cor seemed grim.
"Opposite?" Chris said confused.
Chenoa quickly explained how all people were born with opposites.
"Oh…oddly that makes sense," Chris nodded. "But is there a name we can call the other realm other than the other realm? That takes a lot of time."
"It has a name," Ursa said, her tone much kinder now. "It is called Taikaa. It is Finnish. Some of the first humans back to the other realm were Nordic. The Finnish named it Taikaa, which translates to the world of magic."
"It's pretty," Chenoa smiled. "What is our world called?"
"Maa-Vallan," Cor said seriously.
"What does that mean?"
"Land of Power."
"Oh."
They all fell silent. Chenoa's mind was full of worry about Gabby. If humans were seen as slaves in Taikaa, then Gabby and Nick were both in danger. She also kept thinking about the voice of the man who had told her that she had to come find them. Why was he doing this? He said that they had a past together. What past was he talking about? Everyone she knew was in her high school or her small town. She didn't know anyone from Taikaa. So how could she have a past with him?
Glancing up at Cor, she found him watching her carefully. The man had said that Cor and Ursa were lying to her, or rather keeping secrets from her. Was this true? What were they hiding? Why would they hide anything from her?
"Is something on your mind, Chenoa?" Cor inquired, his voice back to being flat.
"No…well…right before I managed to escape this guy showed up. I didn't see his face, but he said that Gabby was being taken because of my past," Chenoa ventured slowly.
Chris, who had been looking at the clouds beneath them, snapped his head around to look at Chenoa. Cor's eyebrows knitted together. He seemed concerned.
"What else did he say?"
"He said that I had to come get Gabby and that I had to remember our past in order to get her back. What was he talking about?"
"Nothing, Chenoa. He is just trying to get you confused."
"It didn't seem like nothing. Even though I couldn't see him, I felt like I knew him. Is that possible?"
"Anything is possible, Chenoa, but you don't need to worry about it. He was just trying to mess with your head."
"Why would he do that?"
"I do not know, but he obviously has issues since he went through the effort to kidnap Gabby and Nick."
"I guess…"
Chenoa could feel the block up in Cor's eyes. They were still caring and concerned, but that was it. She could not see deep into them as she could with Chris or Gabby or even Ursa, when Ursa was in a good mood. Once again Chenoa was reminded that she knew nothing about Cor.
"You two should rest," Cor finally said, not looking away from Chenoa. "It is going to be a long flight."
"I am not…" Chris started, but his words cut off half way as his eyes dropped and he fell asleep.
"That's odd," Chenoa said, but suddenly she found herself falling forward on to Ursa's now furry back.
"My world, even with the world reflecting your beauty, it is no match," a smooth, rich voice spoke.
There were pinpricks of light above Chenoa. She sighed in comfort and pleasure. They were stars above her. How she loved the stars. Each one was a world that she had spent some time in. So many wonderful memories. Sighing again she turned her head towards the person talking. Her head was resting on a firm, warm chest. Heat radiated from skin the color of the distant stars like a warm stone fresh from a fire. Flexing her hand, Chenoa enjoyed the look of her dark, earth toned skin interlocked with the light fingers of the one she rested her body against. Inhaling gently, Chenoa felt the pleasure of his scent, a fresh night after a gentle summer rain. How wonderful to be in his arms again.
"My world, do wish to stay like this forever?" her partner was asking as they held their entwined hands above them so they could both see.
Their legs wrapped around each other, so that almost every part of their bodies was touching or intertwined together. They fit together like two pieces to a whole. Her dark hair blended into his dark hair, both which hung down over their naked bodies to their hips.
"I do, my night," Chenoa whispered intimately, nuzzling even closer, letting herself be wrapped up in his scent and heartbeat.
His strong arms pulled her tight. He felt strong and soft at the same time. He was safe and comfortable.
"My night, why do you love me?" Chenoa asked, knowing the answer already, but just wanting to hear it.
"I love you because you are my other half. You are what makes me whole. You are my world, Ona. I could not breathe without you here with me. I could not live if you did not. My sole purpose is to serve you. Why do you love me, my world?"
"I love you because you are my other half. You are my night. The day may waver and disappear but the night always comes. It is constant, steady, and strong. You are that for me. You are the one who reminds me of the beauty of the day and of the night. You hold me as the sky holds the earth. Perfectly and eternally."
"Kiss me, my world."
Soft hands lifted Chenoa's face upwards so she looked into the face of the man. Yet she closed her eyes in expectation as she looked up, so she only felt her tender lips against hers. The joy and completeness that he brought to her as they kissed. All Chenoa knew was that this man, this person, completed her so fully that she could not imagine being without him. She loved him more than life itself.
"Do you remember?" he whispered, lovingly against her lips. "Do you remember?"