Shadow Fall: Chapter 10: Stolen

The little hedgehog explained to Comix what was going on.  Pudgy had a teleportation stone, which allowed him to use the ley lines to travel.  Since he was not a bird, the critter would fire out of the exit node, and would get pulled to the next entrance.  Unfortunately, he hit Comix along the way.  The former human, now in hawk form nodded as he listened.  “Well, that makes sense … i think.  Pudgy, where are you going?”  The critter nodded, “Pudgy going home.  You wanna come to Pudgy house too?  Oh wait, there is the exit!  HOLD ON!”  The hawk looked forward, and a white light was almost blinding.  He wrapped his wings around Pudgy, and put his head down.  The mass of brown and red feathers, and hedgehog quills shot out of the ley line node and high into the sky.  Both had their eyes shut, and missed the decaying remains of what was once Mansfield, Ohio.  

They flew high into the sky, and then started to fall once more forward.  Spinning fast, the two animals were starting to feel sick.  Comix opened his eyes, and when he could see the ground, they were getting pulled towards a glowing rock sticking out of the ground.  Once more they were sucked into the rock, and the light faded.  Purplish swirling magical energies surrounded them, and finally the spinning stopped.  Pudgy whimpered, “Pudgy hope this is almost over.  Pudgy needs to lay down, and let the world stop spinning.”  Comix nodded, “I’m glad I did not eat anything today.  Pudgy, I was in this gray mist … just floating.  Then I wound up in a field of tall grass, as a hawk apparently?”  The little hedgehog nodded, “Pudgy will tell you the long version later.  Short version, all humans went away, and good humans came back as animals.”  Comix blinked, and shrieked in a high pitched tone, “whaaaat?  How am I going to get my comic book out?”

The little hedgehog wiggled his nose, “Comix…. Pudgy sorry, all the human world went away for the most part.  There are no comic books anymore.  All human things are going away,”  Pudgy said softly.  The hawk looked upset, but did not say anything.   Looking up from his hawk friend’s belly, the hedgehog saw the exit of the ley line appear.  He could see an oak tree, “oh boy!  This is Pudgy forest!”  The hedgehog started to uncurl his body, and soon was holding onto the hawk’s claw talon.  Comix watched as they popped out of the ley line node exit, and emerged in a rink of oak trees.  They flew out of the rock, and bounced off one tree, before landing on the ground hard.  Pudgy rolled onto his back, with his paws sticking up.  Comix was on his back as well, wings outstretched and talons sticking up as well.  “Are we there yet, Pudgy?”  Pudgy wiggled his nose, “we made it to Pudgy forest.  Do you want to go to Pudgy house, or take a break?”  The hawk sighed in a shrill tone, “I need a 15 minute break.”

The two animals laid on the warm hard packed ground, looking up at the oak trees.  They were so massive, that they had grown into one another.  There was a gap between the trees, enough for a human to get through.  At one time, there had been a tree in that spot, but it had died due to poor soil conditions.  Once the world stopped spinning, Pudgy rolled over, and got back to his paws.  Comix weakly rolled over, and stood up.  He folded his wings back alongside his body, and looked at Pudgy.  “I am not well enough to try flying once again.  How far is your home?”  Pudgy motioned to follow, and the hawk bobbed along as he walked behind the critter.  The two animals emerged from the ring of oak trees, and started to circle around.  

Pudgy was moving at hedgehog speed, scampering through the tall grass of the forest floor.  Comix followed, and looked around, “I finally made it to Pudgy’s forest.”  Soon they started to descend a hill, and passed between large maple and elm trees.  The thicker forest started to clear a bit, into a clearing, and they approached a cave with a big wooden door.  There were exterior lights on either side of the door, which fascinated Comix.  “Pudgy …who lives there?”  The hedgehog looked up, and started to sniff his nose.  “Cobalt lived there …. but ….”  The hawk looked at his hedgehog friend, and then at the cave.  “Did something happen to Cobalt?”  The hedgehog sighed again, “he was turned into a dragon.  He took Pudgy all the way to Alaska, but Pudgy had to leave him there.  Cobalt …was ….”  The tears started to form, and then Comix immediately regretted asking about the former human.  

Pudgy scampered off away from the cave, crying and wailing hysterically.  The hawk followed along behind him, and watched as the area unfolded to a grassy area.  There were rows of crops growing alongside a hill.  Two gray and fluffy bunnies were pawing at a green leafy plant.  “Billie …is it ready yet?”  The other rabbit shook her head, “I don’t think so Bobby.”  As Pudgy emerged from the tall grass, the two rabbits looked up.  “PUDGY IS BACK!  HI PUDGY! HI PUDGY!” The two excited animals exclaimed, and watched as the critter ran up to them.  The little hedgehog stopped, and looked up while wiping the tears from his eyes with the back of his paw.  “Bille!  Bobby!  Pudgy so glad to see you!”  The two rabbits were hugged rightly, who returned the embrace.  

As Comix popped out of the tall grass, the two rabbits froze.  Pudgy turned around, “that is Comix Villain.  He was a human friend, who is now a hawk friend.  Comix … this is Bobby Bunny and Billie Bunny.  They live nearby Pudgy, Pudgy house is over and around the hill from here.”  The hawk slowly walked up, and waved his left wing tip at the two rabbits.  To his amazement, he could understand the animals speaking.  “Hello, and you can just call me Comix.  It is very nice to meet you both.” The two rabbits twitched their noses, and gingerly waved at the Hawk.  The hedgehog turned back to the rabbits.  “Pudgy has been gone a long time, what is going on?”  Billie bounced a bit, “Pudgy, after you left … The coyotes went away.  We have not heard from them for a long time.  The forest has been very quiet, asides from the occasional heavy thunderstorm.”

Bobby nodded, “Argente left earlier today.  She will be back later, after she gathers food.  The Bobcats have been busy around their house.  But otherwise, the forest is safe and calm.  Pudgy …where have you been?  You have been gone much longer than you ever have before.”  The two rabbits spoke in unison, “and where is Cobalt?”  The little hedgehog started to tear up again, and Comix waved again with his wing tip.  “I’m going to suggest not mentioning that.  I think something happened to him.”  However, the hawk’s attempt to calm the situation did not work, because then the bunnies started crying.  Deciding a change of subject was best, Comix bounced along the ground as he walked up to where Pudgy was standing.  “Pudgy, where is your home?  I would very much like to see it.”

The hedgehog nodded, and scampered through the forest.  The bunnies hopped along, with the hawk following.  Down the hill they went, and into the secret tunnel.  Comix had some trouble following along, so it took him a bit to get through the corrugated plastic pipe.  There was a wide flat area that had been packed down in front of a hill.  Two round wooden doors were nestled within the hill side, as well as two round windows.  Comix turned and he could see the water wheel, spinning in the bubbling creek.  It was just like Pudgy told in his stories, he was actually in the forest.  Turning back to the critter, he watched as Pudgy opened his front door and headed inside.  One by one the windows opened, starting to air out the home.

The hawk strode up to the front door, and crossed the threshold.  The door was large enough to accomodate Argente, which meant it was easier to get inside than the secret tunnel.  The home was covered in golden oak planks that ran the length of the room’s walls and ceiling.  Tiny LED lights peeked out from spots, and Pudgy had a kitchen with a wood stove.  There was  a round door at each end, with one leading into a bedroom and one leading somewhere else.  “You have a wonderful home Pudgy,” Comix commented as he continued to look around.  The little hedgehog was taking off his backpack and mining helmet.  “Thank you Comix … Cobalt …helped Pudgy build this home.  Now let Pudgy make something to drink for everyone.”

And just like that, the hedgehog had assumed a normal life once again.  The hawk watched his friend busy himself, first trying to restore the water pump faucet on the sink.  The water pump had lost its prime, so after too many handle pumps to count later, the water started to flow.  Once it ran clear, Pudgy started to fill little cups full of the cold water.  Checking his cabinets, the critter found many things missing.  Looking up from the lower cabinet, “Billie .. Bobbie … What happened to all of the tea?”  The two rabbits looked sheepishly, “well …we missed you making tea for us.  We sort of …drank it all.  Mrs. Waffle Cat helped us make it.”  The hedgehog nodded, and looked back into the cabinet, and found a tiny jar.  He pulled it out, and opened the container to sniff.  “Lemonade mix …good, Pudgy will have just enough.”  

The ratio was extremely weak, but there was enough mix to make enough for the four animals present.  Comix walked over, and watched as Pudgy put a bigger cup on the ground.  “When Pudgy’s friend Alabaster was here, he needed the cup on the ground to drink from.”  Comix nodded, and leaned down, thirstily drinking.  “Thank you Pudgy,” he said, before taking another drink.  The bunnies were sipping from their cups, and the hedgehog reached for his beverage.  Taking the cup in both paws, he drank deeply.  As the animals sat quietly and drank, Comix watched as a larger cat came walking past the window.  It had light brown, almost gray fur, and darker brown spots and stripes in various places.  The cat poked its head in the door, and saw Pudgy.  “PUDGY!”  

The hedgehog turned and waved, “HI! Mrs. Waffle Cat, it is so good to see you!  Pudgy back from two big adventures!”  The female bobcat strode in, and noticed the hawk.  Comix turned around, and waved his wing tips at her.  “Hello Mrs. Waffle Cat, my name is Comix.  It is a pleasure to meet you.  Pudgy cannonballed into me over Fort Wayne, I think.”  Another shadow passed outside, and a black ear tip passed by the window.  The hawk watched as a silver fox pushed her way inside, and beside the bobcat.  Her brown eyes started to tear up, “DON’T YOU EVER GO AWAY THAT LONG AGAIN PUDGY!”  Before either bobcat or hawk could move, they were shoved out of the way, as a very upset Argente moved through the home at lightning speed.  She started hugging Pudgy tightly, and crying hysterically.  Pudgy started crying too, and hugged back.  Then the bunnies started to sniffle, and started to hug too.  Mrs. Waffle Cat, headed past Comix, to join the mega hug.  

The hawk felt out of place, so he decided to start to back out of the home.  However, due to his talons, he made clicking noises as he backed up.  The animals all started to turn and look at Comix.  Pudgy wiggled his nose, “OK EVERYONE HUG COMIX!”  The hawk shrieked as suddenly he was being hugged by the animals in attendance.  The pattern repeated, until everyone got a mega hug.  The field mice appeared in the store house door, and were laughing and waving.  They stayed a good distance from the hawk, but were friendly towards him.  More cups of water sprinkled, with whatever powdered drink mix was left in the kitchen, were served and the sadness had passed. Argente looked at Pudgy, “Pudgy … why were you gone for so long?”

The little hedgehog sniffed his nose, and started to explain what happened.  The trip with Cobalt out to the owls’ tree, then the arduous flight to Alaska.  The animals listened quietly, with a mix of fascination and confusion.  When the critter got to the part about the Mother of All Bears, and the world chain, the room went dead silent.  Even Comix was listening, his beak agape, and did not blink once.  Alabaster swooping in to save Pudgy from falling out of the sky drew a cheer, even from the field mice.  However, the battle of the ice bridge started to make everyone upset.  Pudgy paused, to wipe away the tears, and to let the room recover.  Argente softly spoke, “Pudgy …did …Cobalt die?”  The hedgehog shook his head, and explained the severity of his injuries when he returned from the bridge.  The bears packed his wounds with moss, and then they walked from the battle front, to a lodge far away.  

The story started to lighten once more, with Pudgy’s explanations about the lodge.  The assorted bears, and Cobalt when he was well enough to help, remade the lodge for bear use.  The description of Mr. Drew in red panda form, also resulted in questions from Comix.  After a grand discussion of why the humans were returning as various animals amongst the group, the story completed with the lights in the skies and the Bear Mother’s visit.  The big meal, what was served, and the story of the ancient animals who defied the Great Spirit.  Mr. Field Mouse raised his tiny paw, “Pudgy … but what happened to Cobalt?”  The little hedgehog started to cry again, “Pudgy had to leave him at the lodge.  He was not well enough to travel …. then Alabaster told Pudgy he was dying.”  The assembled group of animals quieted down, and started to look sad.  

“Pudgy, are you home?”  A familiar guttural voice called out from outside.  The hedgehog looked up, and scampered carefully past all of his friends, to reach his front door.  Standing outside was Mr. Bear, Grandpa Bear, and Mr. Drew, all smiling and waving their paws.  Pudgy wiped away his tears, and scampered out to Mr. Bear.  The little critter started hugging his paw, and looking up crying.  The brown bear looked down and his smile softened, as he moved his right paw to gently pat the hedgehog.  “There .. there …it’s alright Pudgy.  Why are you crying?”  The critter looked up, “Pudgy just got done telling story of trip to the bears’ island, and what Alabaster told Pudgy.  Cobalt was drying when Pudgy left him there to head back.  Pudgy …Pudgy should not have left!”

Mr. Bear watched as a red tailed hawk exited the underground home.  This was followed by Mrs. Waffle Cat, Billie Bunny, Bobby Bunny, Argente, Mr. Field Mouse, and Mrs. Field mouse.  As the group spread out and waved at the trio of bears, they too held sad expressions.  Drew raised his paw, “ok … what did we miss?  I know the story of what happened to Kodiak Island.  Did something else happen after Pudgy left?”  The little hedgehog let go of the brown bear, to then scamper over and hug Grandpa bear.  The elderly gray bear grinned, and then started to sit down.  Pudgy could hear his joints popping, which resulted in a look from the hedgehog.  Grandpa Bear nodded, “I am fine Pudgy.  I am just feeling my age.”  The critter scampered over to hug Drew, who bounced excitedly.  Mr. Bear, then Drew sat down, and watched as Pudgy headed over to a small rock in between the groups of animals.  

Pudgy began to tell the tale of the island departure, the mystical ley line jumps, and the wolves howling.  As Alabaster flew, the falling debris from space, and the fiery rocks falling from above.  The owl told Pudgy that his dragon friend was dying, and he did not know how much time he had left.  They reached the Great Ice Tree, and rested while the hedgehog explained all that happened.  The Bear Mother’s appearance at the tree resulted in many laughs from the bears, as she corrected the owls.  The other animals in their group were sniffling, but listening intently.  The trip continued to the Great Tree, and the intense heat of the area.  Pudgy started jumping ley lines, until a big piece of debris knocked him off course, and he entered a different ley line, sending him into the desert.  

Mr. Bear covered his eyes with his paw, “oh no ….cactus.”  The little hedgehog nodded, and explained the antics of the cacti, and the meeting of the supreme nitwit Larry.  The gigantic flying pyramid of the space dinosaurs appeared, and the words of the Bear Mother reminded the story once more about the ancient animals.  In the end, the 2 good cacti left the cause of the confusion behind, and took Pudgy all the way to the mountain peak.  Leaving in the night, Pudgy ventured up the desert mountain peak alone.  Argente whimpered, and scampered over to hug Pudgy.  As the story was interrupted,  Mr. Drew nodded and spoke.  “I always was fascinated by the moon dinosaurs.  Did you get to meet them again?”

Pudgy looked up from around Argente’s body, and wiggled his nose.  It was a hot day, but the fox was not letting go.  “Yes … Pudgy did see the moon dinosaurs…”  He hugged Argente back, burying his face into her side.  The silver fox looked up, “maybe we should stop the story for now?”  As she turned her head to look around, the silver fox saw a snow white fox sitting beside the red panda.  “Oh .. hello …who are you?”  Drew turned, and noticed his new neighbor beside him.  The new fox had crept so quietly, that he never heard it.  “My name is Mary, I was once a human too.  I am unsure how, but I found myself covered in a white mist, and then appeared beside a beaver dam over there.  I saw Pudgy, so I headed over.”  

Drew grinned, “hello.  My name is Drew, I was once a human as well.”  Comix waved his wing tip at the two former humans, “my name is Comix.  Same here, but Pudgy cannonballed me in the air on the way here.”  Mr. Bear and his father looked over at the new arrival, and waved.  Pudgy cleared his throat, and started to tell his story once more.  The moon dinosaurs discovered him at the camp on the mountain peak, and took him to their pyramid.  The structure had obliterated the top of the mountain, and levelled it so the base could land.  At first, all seemed  well, and the dinosaurs were contrite.  Perhaps the Bear Mother was not completely right?  However, when the ship began to broadcast the history of the dinosaurs by the Daedlus, the tone changed.  The ancient animals had committed unspeakable acts of atrocities, including necromancy, and using the spirits of the dead as fuel.  The story told by the Bear Mother paled in comparison to what actually occurred.  

It was at this point, the bunnies started to shriek, covering their eyes with their ears.  This story was just like when Pudgy returned from Europe when he fought the Kaiser.  Pudgy continued on with the escape with Grumpy and 8K, only for the hedgehog to be possessed by the Great Spirit.  Once more a hush formed over the crowd, with even the birds in the trees above quiet, listening intently.  The Great Spirit Unetlanvhi, and what he looked like at first, resulted in confusion amongst the animals.  When the Daedlus decided to attack, firing the energy beam at Pudgy, the group gasped.  Grumpy diving in front of the beam, taking a direct hit, and Pudgy rushing to his aid.  The arrival of Unetlanvhi in its true form, and the hedgehog’s description , resulted in many questions amongst the group.  Cardinals, blue jays, gold finches, robins, sparrows; all manner of birds began to fly down and land around the hedgehog.  He was being peppered with questions from all sides.  

Mr. Bear raised his voice and sent a warning growl, quieting the group.  “Pudgy … continue with the story.  This is important, if Unetlanvhi appeared, this is not good for any of us.  The Mother of all Bears said, that if Unetlanvhi appears, it foretells a time of calamity to come.”  The birds quieted down, and let their hedgehog friend speak once more.  Pudgy continued on with the anger of the Great Spirit, who tore down the pyramid.  The dinosaurs were obliterated, turned into dust, and scattered on the wind.  A group of dinosaurs escaped the pyramid, mainly science and engineering team members.  When they exited the structure, they did not immediately burst into dust.  They had been the last remaining non-military forces in the structure, and were being loaded into a chamber to be converted to fuel for another beam attack.

The Great Spirit granted them mercy, and allowed the remainder of their kind to live upon the earth once more.  However, if they chose to betray Unetlanvhi once more, it would not hesitate to wipe their kind from the face of the ground once more.  The thunder eagle disappeared from the skies above, and the stars and moon returned once more.  Pudgy then stopped to answer the birds’ questions, what did Unetlanvhi look like.  How it spoke neither in a male nor female voice, and many descriptions of why it seemed to change forms?  Once the questions had subsided, Pudgy spoke of the trip of the new pack of dinosaurs led by Grumpy down the mountain.  They lost a few dinosaurs along the way, having disintegrated in the night, not able to adapt to the earth.  They reached Grumpy’s cavern home, and the mountain camp that surrounded it. 

Drew nodded, “I am glad that Unetlanvhi decided to show mercy.  The dinosaurs can not breed, and no longer have access to the technology that extended their lives.  This means that as they adapt to nature once more, and synchronise with the earth …”  Grandpa Bear nodded, “they will grow old, and pass on.  It is unclear if they will rejoin the life cycle, and be reborn as new animals?  I suspect not, but I may be wrong.  Pudgy, is there any more of your story left to tell?”  The little hedgehog finished with his departure from dinosaur mountain, and the jumping of the ley lines.    Running into Comix in the air, and the short trip back to the forest.  The hedgehog sat down, and watched as Argente hugged him again gently.  He nestled into her dark fur, and wiggled his nose.  

Mary grinned, and looked around the area.  “I thought humans were complicated.  Who knew all of this was going on behind the scenes?”  Drew nodded, “all that political nonsense, sports nonsense, was masking what was truly happening.  I thought Pudgy’s stories were just that …stories.  But having been turned into a red panda, and hearing all the stories told by the bears, I know I was really in the dark.  Mr. Bear … do you think we should tell him?”  The brown bear looked over at Drew, then returned his gaze to Pudgy, “Argente …hold him.”  The silver fox nodded, and curled around her hedgehog friend.  Pudgy wiggled his nose, “what …is it….Mr. Bear?”  His brown bear friend looked sad, “Cobalt ….. passed away shortly after you left the island.  We found his dragon body outside of the lodge, along the rocky shoreline of the ocean bay.”

The little hedgehog started screaming, and wailing hysterically.  Tears were pouring out of his eyes, and he wiggled furiously, as he tried to break free of the silver fox.  Argente was crying too, and holding onto her friend as tightly as she could manage.  The other animals all started to cry also, and scamper closer to hug Argente, and surround their hedgehog friend.  Grandpa Bear looked sad, “it was a terrible time for all that day.  The bears came from all over the island, to pay their respects.  Even the Mother of All Bears returned, but he was too far gone for her to save him.  Then ….”  The red panda padded up to the hysterically crying Pudgy, “we saw a black raven fly from the sky and land beside the dragon’s body.  Cobalt disintegrated, and turned into a glowing blue stone.  The raven picked up the stone in its beak, and flew off with it.”

Mr. Bear nodded, “the bears gave chase, and tracked the raven to reach a huge boulder near the coastline of the barrier island.  This was where  Bill and Bo found the both of you, when Cobalt arrived on the island in the beginning.”  Drew nodded again, “the stone glowed like you have explained, and the raven followed by two eagle escorts.  Bo was not able to stop them, but he overheard the eagles say something.”  Pudgy quieted down, and looked up over Argente’s tail.  “W … w … what did they say?”  Grandpa Bear nodded, “we have the eagle soul, let us return to Iron Wood at once.”  

Mary frowned, “Pudgy. I am sorry for your loss.  I know Cobalt meant the world to you.”  Comix nodded, “Pudgy ..I am sorry for your loss.  But wait … Grandpa ..Bear?  Did you say earlier about the deceased animals returning?”  The elderly bear nodded, “yes.  When an animals dies, they are reborn as a new animal.  It is thought that should an animal live a good life, they ascend to a better form.  If they live a bad life, then they descend.  For example, a bear who commits many bad acts in life, would return as prey for other bears.  Cobalt returned to this world as a dragon.  Dragons are not natural, so his time on this earth was always going to be limited.  I am unsure what Unetlanvhi’s intentions were when that transformation occurred?  However, I do not question the Great Spirits motivations.  Cobalt in dragon form, helped the bears immensely.”

The little hedgehog whimpered, “the glowing stone ….was that his soul?”  Mr. Bear nodded, “the Bear Mother explained that he was starting the rebirth process after his passing.  The raven appears to have stopped it, and encased his soul within the stone.  The fact that the eagles referred to it as an eagle soul, means that must have been what he was about to transform into.”  Pudgy nodded, “we have to get it back!”  Mary nodded, “I agree Pudgy … but where is this … Iron Wood?”  The birds who had been quietly listening, all bounced along the ground, and positioned themselves in front of Argente so they could speak to their critter friend.  The hedgehog was still crying softly, but watched as a cardinal waved its wing at him.

“Pudgy … we know where Iron Wood is.  It is far to the north of here, over forests thick with trees, deep rivers, huge lakes, into the high mountains of what was once called New York by the humans.”  Comix nodded, “the Adirondack mountains most likely.  The forests are thick there, ancient trees standing hundreds of feet tall.  I always wanted to go there …”  Mr. Bear nodded, “looks like you might be going there soon.  Can you carry a hedgehog six hundred miles or so?”  Argente looked up at Mr. Bear, “NO!  PUDGY JUST GOT BACK!”  The silver fox shouted with pain in her voice, “we all care about Cobalt.  But Pudgy needs time to rest and recover.  I will not let him go on another adventure!”The little hedgehog looked up at his crying fox friend, “but Pudgy has to save Cobalt from the eagles.”  The fox only curled around tighter, “noo …you just got back.”  

Drew padded over to the upset female fox, “we need to strategize here.  The birds say they know where Iron Wood is, which is good.  But we do not know what Pudgy might run into there?”  Grandpa Bear nodded, “I do …wolves … eagles …mountain lions … grizzly bears all sorts of large predators.  It is becoming late in the year, so this is when they will start to feed, preparing for hibernation.  Pudgy, would your owl friends know of any ley lines that could get you close without having to fly there?”  The hedgehog shook his head, “Pudgy unsure, but would have to ask.  Painted Feather told Pudgy something at the Great Ice Tree, the nodes can act like a speaker.  Pudgy would have to touch the stone, and yell into it.”  Argente nodded, and Mary padded up to gently touch the silver fox’s shoulder.  “I won’t let Pudgy leave either … until we know what to do.”  

The birds chirped, “we will help too. Pudgy is our friend.  We will find out where the eagles are, but it will take us time.”  Mr. Bear nodded, “thank you … Operation Iron Wood has begun.”  The birds started to fly off, heading into the trees.  Pudgy kept hugging his fox friend, while his other friends dried their eyes and snuggled around Argente in a circle.  The hedgehog was surrounded by love, and safety, calming him down considerably.  There would be sad times to come, but his friends were right, and heading off into the unknown was dangerous.  But Pudgy would not rest till his friend Cobalt was saved, making his determined face, and wiggling his nose.

Meanwhile, far in the distance stretched the adirondack mountains, and their white granite peaks towered out from the sea of forests that surrounded them.  Standing upon a petrified dead tree that had turned white, was a black Raven.  It was looking out into the distance, when a familiar voice appeared.  “Daughter …did you deliver the soul to the eagles?”  The raven looked down, to see three Greek women standing around the base of the tree.  Each wore the same outfit of fine white linen, adorned with golden accents.  One had long blonde hair that came to her mid back, another had black hair cut short around the top of her shoulder, and the last one had white hair braided in a ponytail.  The raven cried out, and flew down to the ground, and started to transform.  Angeliki appeared, dressed in her blue finery, and bowed slightly to her mother.  

“Yes Mother, I did as you asked.  When Cobalt passed away, he was about to transform.  I encased him within the gem, and took him to Iron Wood.  The Silver Claw has the gem guarded closely within the Lightning Tree.  Mother … Why did we do this?”  The Goddess Hecates’ three forms nodded, and pointed to the north at the mountains.  “The human soul contains much power, and should it fall into the wrong hands …a calamity would form.  The Gaia stones have been activated, and the humans have been sent away.  I negotiated on behalf of the other gods with Unetlanvhi, to allow the humans to return as animals.  It was his intention to wipe them from the face of the earth, as he did with the dinosaurs.”

Angeliki nodded, “without human followers .. means that the gods would disappear.  This makes sense, but again … why deliver Cobalt to the Eagles?”  The white haired Goddess turned to her daughter,  “Hades is working with the wolves….”  The daughter of Hecate’s eyes went wide, “no!  Are we going to have to deal with another Kaiser situation again?”  The goddess shook her head, “I am not certain.  But it is best for the eagles to safeguard Cobalt, until his soul can complete its transformation.  When the time is right, I will send you to the hedgehog’s forest.  For now, resume your travel form, and keep watch on the area.  I will speak with Unetlanvhi, and see if I can come to an accomodation with him in the future.” 

The daughter nodded, “I thought Zeus ruled the heavens, who is this Unetlanvhi?”  The black hair goddess turned to Angeliki.  “Who do you think created Zeus?  Unetlanvhi is just one name of many.  The eagles for example call him Waunthut Mennitoow, and the humans chose other names.  Each chose their own form, and their own name, for the same being.  It is best we remain in the Great Spirit’s good graces, until we have an accomodation.  If the human souls are destroyed, we will all disappear.  This sadly would include you as well, given your parental status.”   Angeliki nodded, and turned quickly back into her Raven form, and flew off towards the eagle’s tree.  The goddess Hecates nodded, and stood stoically looking in the three directions she faced.  Contemplating the future as wolves howled in the distance, one by one each human form disappeared in a cloud of mist.