# of Pup you want: Pup 5. I fell in love with his dusky colors. They are so soft and beautiful. I've wanted a Warrior of Isket ever since they were created, but I never had the courage to try out for one until now, when I saw this guy. I completely fell in love with him. Because of all the work I have done for this application for Xyn, I have felt that he has become a part of me. It would be a big disappointment if I don't get him of course, that's life as some might say, but I still want him very bad.
Name: Xyn (pronounced Sin)
Gender: male
Personality: Xyn is a warrior that would risk his life for his family. He may not be as close to his siblings as he was as a pup, but the same blood still flows in his veins. He would never leave them behind on the battle field and he would give his last breath if it would save his parents, the ones that cared for him so lovingly and encouragingly while he lay with a broken leg. His loyalty to his murdered friends Finchlar and Emerald is what keeps him going each day. It is his reason to live. His loyalty binds him to the Warriors of Isket like blood binds him to his family. The pain he went through as a young Trainee has formed him into a determined Warrior of Isket. He was forced to watch his brothers and sisters become Warriors without him, he lost his best friends to the Kronadors, and his loved died in battle. He has very little reason to live, accept of the promise he made to Finchlar and Emerald when he found their bodies. Also, he is a Warrior and he cannot let his own emotions get in the way of defending Isket from the Kronadors. On the battlefield he is a ferocious fighting demon with nothing in his mind but the drive to defeat his enemies. Back at home, when there is peace, he is a strong individual with a hurting heart. He hides his pain and lives every day with the thankfulness that he was able to see another sunrise. He is courageous and cunning in battle. He is truthful and listens to his heart. He is a caring warrior and always strives to make the lives of others easier. No matter how much pain he feels, he will go on living even though “To die would be a grand adventure (Hook, 1999).”
History: Xyn was always with his siblings in the beginning. Even though they were a large litter, they always found ways to stay together. He loved his brother and sisters and was always proud to train beside them. From the beginning, he was an energetic Trainee. His litter easily kept up with the older Trainees. It seemed like his litter would climb to the top of the Trainee group together and become Warriors early. But then disaster struck.
It was dawn. The day seemed peaceful and Xyn felt energy flow through him as he watched the stars fade away and the sky turned to pink. He could feel the sun rising behind him and could hear his litter mates stirring. He lifted his nose and sniffed in the clean scent of his home. The red mountains smelt of heather and other growing things. It was beautiful. It was home.
“Today, Trainees!” barked the warrior that paced before the line of Trainees, his armor glittering in the new sunlight. “We will see how you all cope under a battle in close quarters. As you all know, our enemies the Kronadors are large beasts and are seemingly clumsy in tight places, but that is where you are wrong. They can move surprisingly fast, it’s their hate that fuels them, and can crush you at any given moment. That is why we must train to work together in tight quarters. Now, divide into your teams and we’ll get started.”
“This is going to be so much fun!” whispered one of Xyn’s sisters.
“Team One, I want you to—”
“Kronador attack!” a horrific howl split the air accompanied by horrible, hissing roars. Instantly the home of the Warriors of Isket was abuzz with warriors dashing to meet the attacking monsters. Yelps and snarls filled the air as the formidable army of Kronadors broke their line and crashed with the warriors.
“Trainees!” barked the warrior. “Stay together, you’ll have to work together. None of you have armor, so you must be even more cunning than those terrors out there. Help each other!” With that, he bounded away.
“Come on, Xyn!” barked the eldest brother of the litter. “We’ll attack together.”
Xyn’s littermates charged ahead and he hurried to catch up. Soon he was at the front of the small pack and his long strides continued to eat the ground energetically. This was the moment they had trained for, their first battle. Things had been peaceful for too long. “Attack!” howled the leader of the littermates and Xyn leapt to his brother’s command. The littermates surrounded a small Kronador and jumped upon it as one. The air was suddenly filled with bristling fur as the Kronador furiously tried to defend itself. Xyn scrambled to find a hold for his teeth. He ducked under the belly of the beast and leapt onto its backleg. He found himself fighting beside his youngest sister, the one he was closest too.
“Come on, Xyn!” she yelped happily as she nipped the Kronador. “Haha! We’ll beat him yet!”
Xyn smiled at his littermate and bit down on the beast. The thing suddenly seemed to shudder and lean dangerously to the side. “Trainees, evacuate!” howled the eldest and Xyn’s brothers and sister leapt from the Kronador. Xyn fallowed them, but when he landed he found himself forced to go under the belly of the monster to escape. “Hurry, Xyn!” barked his brother.
Panting, Xyn scrambled out from under the monster. Too late. It crashed to the ground, its neck landing on Xyn’s back. With a yelp, Xyn went down. “Xyn!” yelped his young sister.
Black fog pressed in on Xyn as he struggled to take a breath. “No,” he gasped as he gave way to the pain and passed out.
Everything was dark when he woke again. He opened his eyes and found himself staring at the back wall of the den. Grunting, he tried to heave himself up. A sharp pain forced him down. He lay there in the blackness, panting, eyes wide with fear. Hushed voices could be hear behind him and he laid his ears back to listen.
“What did you find?” asked his father.
“Nothing good,” the voice of the shaman replied. “The bone broke clean through.”
“Can it be fixed?”
“Yes, but I’ve already set it and splinted it, but I’m afraid he’ll have a long recovery before him.”
“Thank you, Igino, for everything.”
Xyn listened as the shaman padded away and a new voice began to speak. “Do you think he will recover, Romulus?”
“He will, Dax. I know he will.”
“He should be dead Romulus! He got lucky with the broken leg. I can’t see how it will heal properly. You know what happened the last time one of the warriors broke a leg…”
“That will not happen to, Xyn! He will live!”
“He may live, Romulus, but will he be happy alive? He may never become a warrior! The Warriors of Isket thrive of the ability to defend their home. How will your boy live if he is unable to do that?”
“He’s a dreamer, Dax. You know as well as I do that dreamers are strong. He’ll pull through.”
“And if he doesn’t manage to become a warrior, what then? He’ll die from heartbrake.”
“No. My soon will thrive!”
Xyn winced and turned his ears away from the argument. A tear slipped down his cheek, would he really live to see the day that he was refused the honor of being a true Warrior of Isket? What reason then would he have to live for?
Short Story:
A ReasonI sat proudly beside my mother and father and above the crowd of warriors I could see the chief standing on a pile of rocks. Today was the day. The day I had been trained for since I was a pup. The day every Warrior of Isket dreamed of. It was the day I became a Warrior. The day I began my quest for my armor.
A hush spread through the gathering of warriors as the chief lifted his muzzle and let out a howl. My fur stood on end, tingling with excitement. Mother gave me a quick lick on the shoulder, rubbing out some dirt from my thick pelt. “Mother,” I grumbled and shifted away from her. “I’m too old for that now.”
She sighed. “I know, Xyn. It’s just hard to watch you leave the den.”
I sighed and glanced at a group of warriors that sat a distance away. They were my siblings and had already earned their armor. They had been full-fledged Warriors of Isket for six moons now and hadn’t even visited the old den of our parents, no doubt afraid to look like pups if they were even seen with our parents. I fidgeted in the dirt. I wasn’t born as the baby of the family and I should have already earned my armor, but an accident during training many seasons ago had prevented me from continuing my training. I had been forced to rest in the den of my parents with a broken leg while my siblings went on to be Warriors. They graduated from training at the head of the other trainees. I should have been up there with them that day. Now I was treated by them as if I had been born in a later litter, as if I were too young to understand anything about fighting.
Shaking myself, I snorted. That was all in the past now. I was finally going to be made a Warrior and go on the quest to earn my armor. As I sat anxiously waiting for the ceremony to begin, a pretty young Warrior walked up to me. “Good luck, Xyn,” she said and smiled at me.
My ears turned hot. “Thanks, Akina.” She dipped her head and padded deeper into the crowd, her white tail swishing behind her. I let out my breath. She had recently earned her own armor and had already become a hero after saving one of the chief’s pups when our enemies, the Kronadors, had attacked us in another ambush. Every male Warrior fawned over her. After all, she was beautiful.
“Today, Warriors,” howled the chief at last. “Today, Warriors, marks a milestone in a young Warrior of Isket’s life. He shall become a full Warrior and embark on his quest to find his armor just as his ancestors did before him!”
Howls of approval echoed in the valley as the other Warriors rose on their hind legs and lifted back their heads. The chief smiled. “Xyn, son of Romulus, please step forward.”
With last, sloppy lick from my mother, Lotis, I puffed out and moved through the crowd, head held high. When I reached the foot of the pile of rocks and bowed, nose to the ground. The chief leapt down and stood before me. “You have trained hard, young Xyn, to become a full Warrior of Isket. Even when your accident occurred, you refused to give up your dream and continued to train even harder the moment your injury allowed it. Your littermates have already done the Warriors proud, and now it is time you joined them.” More howls of approval sounded behind me and my heart beat quicker. “Are you ready, Xyn, to become a Warrior and travel to the cave to retrieve your armor no matter what perils you may face?”
“I am ready, sir,” I said strongly, trying to keep my voice from shaking.
“Then, Xyn, you have my blessing. May your travels bring you back a great Warrior of Isket!”
As the crowd erupted into howls, I smiled and threw back my own head and let my voice mingle with the others. Energy flooded through me as I charged away and headed for the deeper part of the valley. I stopped on a rise and looked back at my comrades. I could see my parents, my siblings, and Akina at the front of the crowd, watching me. I flicked my tail in farewell and charged onward again.
The wind blew in my face powerful and I lifted my head and sniffed in the scents of freedom. This was what I had dreamed of. This was my destiny. I would show my siblings that I was just as worthy to wear the armor of Isket as much as they were. An eagle screeched above me and I put on my speed to race his shadow. Leaping in the air, I felt like a bird myself for a moment. I snapped at the wind and howled happily.
It was getting dark by the time I began to slow. The valley had turned into a rocky canyon and I carefully picked my way through the twisting path. The stars twinkled brilliantly above me and I stopped to gaze up at them. They twinkled friendly at me and I smiled. They reminded me of home and the nights I used to sit out in front of the den and just stare at the stars and let my mind wandering in their deep blue abyss where they hung so finely. Now, my mind wandering back to the den. What were my parents doing now with their last pup out of the den? Were my brothers and sisters working on new battle moves or racing each other wildly? And where was Akina? Was she looking up at these same stars?
I let out a sigh and continued on. A stream splashed down the rocks and across my path and I bent my head to lap up the refreshing mountain water. It filled me with new gladness and I trotted on through the canyon with the stars lighting my path. It was well past the zenith of night before I stopped. I had traveled far and now I forced myself to hunt for a den so that I could rest for the next day. I found a place where a bolder had fallen from the canyon face and I climbed to the shallow alcove that it had left behind. I curled up and sighed. The rocks that I slept on reminded me of home. An empty growl rumbled in my belly. I shifted carefully and tried to ignore my hunger. I would hunt tomorrow. Tucking my paws under me, I put my tail over my nose and drifted off to sleep.
“Kreeeka!”
The harsh cry rattled me out of sleep and sat straight up and banged my had on the ceiling of my shallow den. I blinked dazedly and prepared myself for an attack. “Kreeeka!” I glanced up into the sky and found a raven flapping toward another rocky alcove where his mate sat tidily.
I let out a sigh. False alarm. I licked a paw and rubbed it over my sore head. It ached horribly. Slithering down to the ground, I trotted to a place where the stream that I had drank from last night splashed down into a pool. I lapped up the silvery liquid, hoping it would ease the pain in my head. It didn’t help. I staggered away from the pool and licked my dripping lips and squinted up at the sun. It had already risen halfway to mid-day. I was wasting daylight now. Pushing the pain in my head out of my mind, I began loping away from the pool and once more into the twisting canyon.
It felt like it would go on forever. The rocks never seemed to chance and there was no vegetation to hide from the sun under. I couldn’t scent any prey either. There was nothing to be found in this desolate place. I began to wish for my grassy home where there was always food and always shade. Also, my pads had begun to bleed from the roughness of the ragged sandstone that I walked on.
Birds of prey were the masters of this place. They soared through the air so frequently that I was not surprised when the harsh voices of buzzards filled the air. The swirled gracefully in the air and I watched them, wishing dully that I could catch one of them as my path headed for them. My senses had deadened from my long passage through the canyon where there was nothing but me and the birds. By the time I came upon it, it was already too late. I stumbled around the edge of a massive boulder and suddenly found myself looking on a horrific scene of carnage. I suddenly became aware of the terrible stink that surrounded the place and of the rumbling of a satisfactory growl that bounced off of the canyon walls. The bulk of the beast haunch over the tattered bodies of some old kill. I had come upon a feeding Kronador.
I found myself freeze on the spot, my eyes locked on the lizard-like pupils of the enemy of all Warriors of Isket. My heart leapt into my throat and my mouth went dry. Normally, a warrior wound not waver at the sight of a Kronador. There were usually several other warriors around to help attack the vicious beasts that always threatened our peace. Plus, an experienced warrior could take on a Kronador by themselves. But this wasn’t the usual and I was not experienced.
The Kronador took another ripping bite out of one of the carcasses and I finally found the strength to slink back behind the boulder. Perhaps I could slip around it. Unfortunately, on my way back, my paws slid against a pile of rocks and kicked one of the smaller stones loose. It clattered recklessly down toward the Kronador and rolled up against its hindleg. Instantly, its head came up and its lizard eyes rolled around, searching for what caused the stone’s movement. I froze in the shadow of the boulder and gulped. A rumble clicked from its throat as it peered around.
With a sudden screech, it lunged for my hiding place. I yelped and jumped out of the way of its snapping jaws and darted around the boulder, the beast on my tail. It dodged clumsily around the rock and tried to get its slavering jaws around my tail. I leapt and twisted and charged crazily around. I leapt onto the rocky side of the canyon wall and tried to claw my way up to a ledge. The Kronador leapt and snapped at me, coming within inches of my tail. Grunting, I tried to pull myself up the rock, my hind legs flailing. My claws kicked some loose rocks into the beast’s face and it fell back angrily. I used the last of my strength and finally struggled to the ledge. Down below, the monster hissed and leapt up at me, but it could not reach me. I snarled and bared my teeth at it. I was thankful that it wasn’t full grown or else I would have already been dead.
Frustrated, the Kronador turned its back and me and slouched back to its meal. I watched it from my ledge, crouched. I couldn’t wait for it to leave up here. I would starve. I panted and looked around for something to aid me in my escape. I saw nothing but the buzzards circling high above. I had only one other choice left. I had to fight.
The sun was dipping down toward the horizon and the canyon was masked with deep, purple shadows. The Kronador had finished dining on its kill, still leaving plenty of flesh on the bones. I grimaced and watched the ugly brute move lazily around the carcasses. I crouched on my ledge and tried to play out the battle in my mind. Nothing seemed to work. Every time ended with my throat being torn out. I stood and shook myself. No one ever said getting my armor would be easy.
I crouched once more and my hindquarters wriggled as I calculated my jump. One…two…three! I leapt into the air, my body moving across the sky and hurtling silently toward the mass of the Kronador. Thud! I crashed into the monster’s body sending both of us tumbling down on the rocks. The Kronador was up before me. It roared in anger and turned on me, every one of its teeth showing. I groaned and tried to scrape myself off of the rocks. But before I could regain my feet, I was attacked. The monster’s claws raked my body and I howled with pain. I rolled away from its gnashing teeth and tried to batter its body away with my hind legs. I scrambled furiously to get up as the vicious beast’s claws struck for my throat. I got away and lunged at the Kronador’s own throat. My teeth sank into its flesh but it easily battered me away. My body struck the canyon wall with a sickening crunch.
I gritted my teeth and pushed myself up off the ground. Blood poured from a gash in my leg as I slashed out at the Kronador with both front paws. I dodged under its belly and nipped its hind legs. It whirled around at a dizzying rate and knocked me off my feet. I grunted from the impact and struggled to regain my footing. The beast lunged at me once more and I jumped underneath it and clamped down on its tail. The roars of pain that it emitted filled my ears as I was flung around, my jaws firmly clamping on its tail. When it tried to reach around at me with its front claws, I let go and leapt snapping at its throat. This time I was able to latch on properly. My teeth punched through the tough skin and I hung on for my life. The beast flailed about wildly as it struggled to stay alive and murder me in the process. It battered its own body against the rocks, trying to through me off. I could feel its life starting to ebb away. It fell suddenly to the ground and I leapt away, ready for it to lunge at me. But it stayed on the ground. It clawed at the rocks franticly until it finally went limp.
I panted and stumbled against some rocks, leaning on them for support. I stared at the massive body of my enemy. I had killed it. I had won. Me, the trainee that had been held back from becoming a warrior for so long. I had defeated it alone with only the blind rush of wanting to survive guiding me.
I heaved myself to a proper standing position and padded away from the body. I moved to the carcasses that it had left behind. Normally, eating something that had been fed on by a Kronador was out of the question, but now I was weak from exhaustion and hunger. I couldn’t go on much longer without food. I stumbled up to the mangled bodies and looked down. Horror suddenly gripped me and I reeled back. “No,” I whispered in the growing dark. “It can’t be.”
There before me lay the bodies of two trainees that had set out only a week ago on the quest to find their armor. They had been my training mates: Finchlar and Emerald. Tears began running down my muzzle. They had been younger than me but had become warriors before me because of the delay in my training. They had been my friends and we had promised each other that once we had earned our armor we would fight the Kronadors side-by-side. We were hardly ever seen apart, my comrades and I, but the quest had separated us for the moment. They had promised they would return, but now here they were, my best friends, dead.
I raised my head to face the stars and howled with all my heart.
When I had howled myself hoarse, I lay down next to their torn bodies and cried myself to sleep.
The next day I woke up with the stench of the dead Kronador swirling around me. I coughed and pulled myself upright. I stared mournfully at my dead comrades. I put my nose to Emerald’s body. “We had planned so much,” I whispered. “We were going to be warriors, together.” I opened my eyes and slowly pulled myself away from her. I looked one more time at my friends, my eyes now as hard as stone. “Do not worry, my friends. You will not be forgotten. I will earn my armor for both of you. I will become a warrior worthy of you! I will live every day of my life fighting with all I had against the Kronadors so that your lives will not have been spent in vain! I will see to it that our enemies pay for the blood that they spilled. You will not be
forgotten!”
As I padded away from Finchlar and Emerald, I looked up at the blue sky and knew I had found a reason to live, a reason to be a warrior, to fight every day so that the lives of my comrades were not wasted. I would be a warrior and wear my armor proudly for
all of us!
Art of the pup:
♥ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥Other:
The Songs:Sound The BugleThis Is Where I BelongSavin' MeMarchin OnFavorite time of day: Night. Especially when the moon is out. He can't help loving the loneliness of the night and the moon, hanging there in the sky with only the silent stars as company.
We Can't Win Every Battle“Steady,” growled my father as one of the warriors began wriggling forward slightly. Sullenly, it backed up, straightening the line of waiting warriors.
I shifted uncomfortably under my armor and tried to calm myself. Below the cliff where my father’s group hid, was a heaving mass of writhing, fighting creatures. Wolves and Kronadors blended together as fur and skin floated together in the air. The valley was filled with the roars and snarls of the battling animals, contesting with the pounding of the waterfall. I peered cautiously over the bush I was crouched behind. My eyes focused a white form with gorgeous ice blue and pine green markings leaping at the throat at Kronador alongside another warrior. Akina. I winced as her body thudded onto the ground as the beast she had attacked clawed her away.
“Warriors of Isket,” my father’s voice broke into my thoughts. “The signal will be given any moment now. Be ready.”
My muscles tightened and I turned my head to check that my armor was properly fastened. If it were to ever loosen and fall off, I would be dead. I glanced down over the cliff again. I couldn’t see Akina, but I was drawn to a group of warriors bravely attacking a large Kronador furiously. My siblings. They had been chosen to be on the front line, unlike me. I was never chosen to join the first wave of fighters.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father tense and I pulled senses back to focus on him. His ears were pricked and his eyes were trained steadily on something below. “There it is!” he suddenly barked. “Warriors! Attack!”
With loud, war-like howls, we charged down into the valley, our armor clanging and our paws pounded. Everything seemed to slow down and grow silent for me. All I could hear was my breath and, in the farthest distance, a soft clashing of battle. My ears narrowed and I could see the others running ahead of me, dust rising from the ground as their paws churned the earth. Then I was suddenly thrown into the battle.
Instantly I was struck by a Kronador. I yelped as my body skidded across the grass. I struggled up and faced the charging monster, its jaws wide open, showing every one of its ugly, yellow teeth. I snarled and struck at it with my fore claws as it slid to a halt in front of me. I coughed on the dust that surrounding me and blinked the stinging water from my eyes. A claw cut through the dust and sent me sprawling once more. The Kronador leapt through the dust and landed next to me, trying to place one of its heavy claws against my throat to slit it open. I flailed my legs, battering the claw franticly away. I wriggled away from the beast and scrabbled to my paws.
Baring my fangs, I leapt onto the Kronador’s back and sank my teeth into its flesh. It roared with rage and bucked me off. I landed properly this time and was ready to charge back to attack. I snarled and barked in its face furiously and tried to claw its muzzle. It bellowed back and slapped my heavily on the side with its tail, denting my armor. I growled and jumped at its throat, latching on mercilessly. It roared with rage and tried desperately to claw me off. I hung on for dear life, eyes closed. The stench of the beast buffeted my nostrils and I forced myself not to cough, which would make me let go. Finally, I could hold on no longer. I dropped to the ground spitting blood and skin, prepared for the thing to attack me. But it didn’t come. Instead it turned and fled, leaving a trail of blood behind it.
I considered going after it and started forward, but a terrifying snarl halted me almost instantly. I looked around urgently. When the snarl rose into the air again, I bolted in the direction that it had come from. I stopped when I came upon the ghastly sight.
A large Kronador stood battling with Akina violently. Clumps of white fur littered the ground around the churning paws the warrior. Her silver armor was broken and shattered by the massive claws. Her flanks were drenched in blood and salty slather coated her legs. Her eyes were wild and terrible to look at while her teeth sought anxiously for the Kronador’s throat.
I caught sight of the reason of Akina’s viciousness. A small brown warrior with golden armor lay behind the battling pair, her limbs bleeding. It was Akina’s youngest sister Adolfa, the pride of the white warrior’s heart.
A strangled yelp burst from Akina’s lips and my head swung back in her direction. The Kronador had her between his claws and biting into her stomach. “No!” I snarled as I was suddenly thrust into action. I howled angrily and charged forward, leaping onto the beast’s back. Its head flew up and it roared, tail lashing. It reared onto its hind legs and threw Akina away and her body crunched sickeningly against a bolder. My blood boiled dangerously as I began battling the Kronador in a way I never had before. I was like a whirl wind, a bold of lightning. Attacker in one place and then jumping away to attack another. The beast growled and tried to land a hard blow, but I was moving too quickly for it to land properly and I hardly felt the slashes of the claws against my armor.
Finally, as the Kronador spun dizzedly, blood flowing all over its body, I leapt for the throat, bellowing, “For Akinaaaaaa!!!!” My canines sank into the beasts fleshed and blood flooded my mouth. I yanked savagely and the thing groaned sharply. It sank to its knees and rolled onto its side. I continued to cling to its neck as if I could take back every blow it had given Akina with my teeth. I felt the body go limp and I forced myself to step away. My vision cleared suddenly and I felt light headed. Then I remembered Akina. Terrified of what I might find, I dashed to her body.
I was right to fear.
Her body lay there, broken, blood still oozing from her mouth. “Akina!” I yelped. “Akina!” I nudged her gently and licked her leg.
“Xyn?” the white wolf said in an almost inaudible whisper. She coughed up more blood.
“I’m here,” I replied.
“I feel so cold.”
“It’s all right, you’re going to be fine. I’m going to get the shaman and he’s going to take care of you,” I said, either to comfort her or me I couldn’t tell. I glanced at her bloody belly and groaned, looking away quickly.
“Adolfa?” she whispered.
“You kept the Kronador from her. You saved her. She’ll be fine.”
“Good…” Akina began coughing violently, her body wrenching horribly. Her body went rigid for a moment and then lay limp in the now red grass.
“Akina?” I whispered. “Akina?” My voice rose to a terrified howl. “Akina! No, wake up! Don’t leave me. You can’t die! No, Akina.” My body shook with tears and my voice softened. “No… I love you.” I pressed my muzzle into her fur and sobbed.
“Oh, Xyn.” A voice behind me startled me. I looked up. There was no sign of the Kronadors the Warriors of Isket had been battling anymore. My mother stood behind me.
“Mother,” I croaked, my voice hoarse from crying. “She’s dead mother. I never got to tell her…”
Mother laid her tail across my back and licked me on the shoulder. “I know…But she died in battle, an honorable death. She saved her sister…”
“But it shouldn’t have happened!” I snarled. “I should have gotten there sooner! I should have saved her!”
“Honey,” said mother gently. “We can’t win every battle. Some are lost, and in the process we sometimes loose friends.”
“But I wanted her to be more than a friend,” I sobbed.
“I know. I know. But this was her destiny, Xyn.”
“I should have won this battle…”
“But you couldn’t have. Try to understand, boy. There was nothing you could have done.”
Poetry:An Aching HeartI live in the world of an aching heart
A place where my head is filled with regret
Could I have stopped the pain
If I had been there sooner?
Could I end all the pain now
Under the watchful stars
And fall into the blackness of eternal sleep?
But how much for pain would I cause
And how could I leave the others behind in this place
A place where there is no peace, in heart or land
I cannot let despair win
I must continue to fight this battle
I must continue to live for those who have been lost
I must continue to defend this place I call home
This battle I will win
And will shed no more tears
In this world of an aching heart
I AmI am a whirlwind of colors
Black, red, and silver spinning
I am a beast of war
Defending my domain
I am a broken lover
Left behind
I am a reminder of my friends’ lives
Returning to them what they lost
I am a Warrior of Isket
I am Xyn
One with IsketMy blood is like the pounding waterfall
Veins full with its power
My mind is like the soaring eagle
Filled with freedom and dreams
My legs are like the solid stone beneath my paws
Strong and brave to withstand the mighty warring storms
My fur is like the sweet grass
Caressed by the wind
My heart is like the sheltered valley
Both dark and light and hidden
I am one with Isket