Author's Notes:

It's finally here! After so long, this chapter is finally up. Sorry for the wait guys, been trying to work things out in later chapters. I also been thinking about making a blog post for a prediction of how many chapters and story arches that will be left in the story. From where I am now, what would be chapter 59, I'm guessing that there's a good number of chapters left. That's only if I can shorten things down. So brace yourselves.

As always, any support and love is greatly appreciated!

Till Next Time~

High Moon Ch. 39:

Of Talks and Lineage

“End it, Isis,” Blaze commanded as the minute quickly passed and the sun fell below the horizon. Without hesitation, Isis ended the illusion Spike was trapped in, allowing her magic to disperse back into the natural air around them. Slowly, the dome of magic faded away, leaving Spike standing with his eyes closed, a few tears having slipped out, trailing down his cheeks.

The moment the dome was gone, Quill rushed to catch her brother before he hit the ground, embracing him tightly. A tense silence followed as Quill continued to hold Spike to her tightly, even after his weight had forced them both to their knees.

“Quill…” Spike’s weak voice made Quill jump before he pulled himself out of Quill’s tight hold. Spike locked eyes with his worried twin, noticing a glint of silver in Quill’s bright purple eyes, but held his tongue.

Spike felt conflicting emotions rush to the surface as he looked into his twin’s eyes. They were so strong, he could tell he was close to just losing control and doing something that he would regret. He took a minute to calm himself, relying on the meditation tricks he’d been using for the past few months, eventually managing to think with a clear head.

“Quill, you’re my twin sister, and you’re more important to me than anyone…” Spike began, closing his eyes so he could focus on clearing his thoughts. “But if you ever, and I mean ever, force me to pick between you and a loved one…” he trailed off, not sure where he was going with it. “Just…” Once more, words failed him as his face cringed slightly in frustration.

Quill looked at Spike for several moments, her head cocked in confusion. The seconds ticked by as she struggled to think of where Spike’s sudden change in demeanor was coming from. “You know I wouldn’t Spike. Why would you even think that? Dude, what happened to you in your test, anyway?”

Spike seemed to choose not to answer that, busy struggling to regain his feet. Instead, he chose to tell her something he’d decided on upon in the few moments he’d awoken from the test. “I’m done,” he let out with a heavy breath, smacking Quill’s hand away when she tried to help him stand. The sudden movement forced Spike to stumble backwards a few steps before he was able to stand on his own strength.

“I’m done following in your shadow, Quill,” Spike spat, almost as if he had to force himself to say those words. “I won’t ever get strong enough to protect anyone that way. You’re my sister and I love you more than anything, but I can’t keep relying on you. Or thinking that your opinion is the final word on matters. I’m fixing the mess we made with the elements, Quill. With, or without your help.”

Quill's worry for her brother evaporated instantly, replaced with a small knot of anger. “I've never said that you couldn't!” Quill snapped, tired of having the elements as a subject of their arguments, done handling the entire mess. “I'm not dealing with them, not after everything they did to us.” Quill stood up from the ground with her hands tightening at her sides and her wings flexing outwards slightly. “Who even told you that you couldn’t deal with it yourself? When did I say that you couldn’t do it on your own? Why do you need me there?”

“Because, Quill, they raised us!” Spike shouted back at his sister, a small wisp of green flames escaping his mouth. “We wouldn’t even be alive right now if it wasn’t for Twilight. Don’t you think that we owe her that much?”

Quill let out a small shot of purple fire towards the darkening skies, turning around so she didn’t have to face her brother. “Yeah, that’s great and all Spike,” she began with mild honesty in her voice, as she was grateful towards Twilight for at least hatching their egg. “But don’t you think eighteen years of forced labor is enough? Don’t you think that we should be calling our own shots?”

“Of course I do Quill,” Spike began, placing his hand on his chest as he started to feel some kind of pain growing in it. “But we can’t just leave them broken because of it.”

“And just why not!? They’re full grown mares, they can handle their business just like we can handle ours,” Quill said as she turned back to Spike with a visible throbbing vein on her forehead that matched the one on Spike’s.

“That’s enough you two.” Everyone turned their attention towards the bushes to find Wolf walking out of them with both Lily and Veil right behind him. Cyclone quickly moved away from Blaze, running straight to her friend, nearly knocking her down in the process.

Wolf ignored the two newcomers’ antics as he dealt with the twins. “Now, Spike, don’t you think it’s unfair of you to be acting so cold to your sister like that? And Quill, yelling at him doesn’t fix anything.” Spike sighed as he dropped his head with a small nod while Quill turned her face away from the dog.

Wolf stared at the remorse on both of the twins’ faces; he already knew why they were fighting. It had been a disagreement they’d been having since they arrived those two short months ago. He could tell it had been eating at the two since they’d been going at it from time to time. Quill was still upset over how they had been treated, but her twin was the more forgiving of the two. “Spike, if you feel like there’s some stuff that you need to work out, then go do it. But,” Wolf paused for a moment, hardly believing that he was even having to say this. “But tell us before you leave, okay?”

“Okay, Wolf,” Spike quickly answered, already trying to think of what he would say to the elements, even if he wouldn’t see them for a while.

With one last nod from Spike, Wolf turned towards Quill as she continued to avoid his gaze. “Quill,” he rumbled, getting the dragoness to flinch from his suddenly stern voice. “Don’t you think that you owe Spike a few words?”

“Fine,” Quill said with a slight sigh that came out as a small ember of purple and green flames. She turned her head to look at Spike and locked eyes with him. “Spike, I don’t know where you think you got this new backbone of yours,” she began with mild annoyance, continuing before anyone could say anything to her about it. “But don’t you ever think about losing it. More importantly, don’t forget who you are. You’re Spike Dragul, number one potion-maker, and my twin brother. I will love you no matter what happens, just don’t do something that’ll get yourself killed.”

Spike dropped his gaze with a chuckle as he couldn’t expect any better from Quill, and didn’t want anything else. “Geez,” he muttered, scratching the back of his head with another chuckle. “Don’t try writing a romance book, Barb."

“Barb?” Frost repeated with in a slightly confused tone, not knowing about the ‘nickname’ Quill had been given while she was living in Ponyville. She was, however, able to sense the sudden peak in Quill’s anger.

“Spike,” she growled low, purple and black embers escaping her mouth. Spike realized what he’d done, and immediately wished he could take it back. Only he knew that the nickname would always send Quill into a blind fury upon hearing it. After the growth in body and magic she had been doing over the past two months, Quill was now a walking forest fire waiting to happen.

“I thought I told you to never, ever, even THINK of calling me that,” Quill hissed as she took a step towards Spike, small flickers of purple and green flames coming off her body. “You were lucky that Twilight was there to save you those other times. And I’m going to overlook it this one time,” Quill continued in a low voice, continuing to advance on Spike.

“But if you ever call me that again, especially in front of Frost, I will rip your tail off. Got it?” She finished with a swift jab in Spike’s rips with her elbow. “Or do you want me to tell everyone about the time I caught you playing ‘dress up’ with Rarity?”

Spike’s face quickly flushed bright red at the memory of his first real encounter with the opposite sex--it had involved a changing room, lingerie, and an unlocked door. “You know what, it still was worth being grounded for three weeks,” he said with a smirk on his face that betrayed what happened.

Quill began laughing along with Spike at the faint memory of one of the few good times they had in Ponyville. “Hey if it makes you feel any better,” Quill whispered, wrapping an arm around Spike’s neck conspiratorially, walking in the direction towards High Moon. “I kinda walked in on Fluttershy helping Rarity with a few...exotic things.”

Spike’s mouth dropped at the thought of Quill walking in on Fluttershy while she was changing into something that was meant for the bedroom, and couldn’t help but be a bit jealous about it. “Now come on, let’s get something to eat. I know you're hungry,” Quill joked, getting Spike’s stomach to growl as if on universal call.

Soon, everyone began laughing along with the twins while Wolf let out a sigh of relief. Only Cerberus and Cadjo knew what would have happened if he hadn't shown up when he did, but thankfully he didn't need to worry about that now.

Right now, he had bigger things to worry about, and one of those was getting everyone back on track with what they needed to be doing in High Moon. “Alright, now if everyone is in an understanding with each other,” he started, getting everyone’s attention as the twins had continued to exchange jokes with one another. “I think we should be heading back to High Moon.”

With nods going all around, everyone began following Wolf back to High Moon. However, before she forgot, Blaze quickly sparked her horn, picking up the fire-shard from Spike’s circle. While the others continued to tell jokes along the way, she studied the shard with interest.

From the look of things, Spike hadn’t absorbed any of the magic, instead having a small portion of his taken. This threw Blaze off for a moment, but after looking over the drake for a moment, she didn’t sense anything wrong with him. If luck was with the drake, it was the portion of his magic that was infected by his ghost-heart.

As she continued to look at the drake, she noticed that the gems on his wrists were pulsing with a vibrant purple hue; the final sign of his training nearing its end.

Smiling, Blaze put the shard away before she joined with the group’s merrymaking. Even Isis was able to join in on the laughter despite the guilt that was lingering in her heart. As they made their way back to the temple, Blaze noticed the conflicted look in Isis' eyes, and knew how to make her feel better.

The moment everyone entered the temple, goodnights were exchanged all around as Lily took most of the members of High Moon back to the mansion ruins. The moment the group was down the stairs, Blaze quickly led both Wolf and Isis into their bedroom, leaving Quill and Frost to shrug their shoulders as they went into their own room.

After Isis had been led by Blaze into her masters’ room, she stayed by the door, head down in shame. After a moment, she turned to leave, believing that she didn’t deserve to sleep in the same bed as her loved ones after today. Wolf, who had already removed his shirt and sat down on the bed, saw the sphinx turning to leave, and motioned to Blaze to look at the sphinx.

Blaze followed Wolf’s motion, eyes widening a bit as she noticed where the sphinx was going. “Isis, come to bed, we have a long week ahead of us,” Blaze said as she slowly walked over to Isis, wrapping her arms around the sphinx’s waist. “And I don’t want you tired tomorrow.”

Isis' body tensed up at her mistress' gentle touch, making her feel even worse for what happened with the dragons. “M-mistress, I don’t think I should sleep with the two of you tonight,” Isis stammered with a sense of hesitation and guilt from a day full of causing the young dragons emotional pain. Blaze chose to ignore sphinx, and started to lick the top of her neck. “I-I don’t deserve the right.”

Blaze slowly moved towards Isis' ear while her hands began to stroke her large wings. Isis sighed softly in response to her mistress' gentle motions, but remained firm in her belief that she didn’t deserve to share the bed with Wolf and Blaze.

Wolf finally realized that something hadn’t gone according to plan for the test today, and that Isis was blaming herself. So Blaze was going to do something she did to him when he thought that he’d screwed something up, toy around. And since Blaze only had good intentions, Wolf didn’t think to stop her, since he did want Isis to feel better.

The blush on Isis' cheeks continued to grow when she saw her master watching her mistress playing around with her. For some reason, that made her feel even hotter. “But you want to, don’t you Isis?” Blaze whispered after moving her hands to the base of her love’s wings. When a slightly louder moan escaped Isis' lips, Blaze placed a soundproof barrier around the door so Quill and Frost wouldn’t hear them.

“Come now Isis,” Blaze continued, moving one hand down towards Isis' haunches, and taking a handful of them. Isis felt her knees growing weaker, and her nether regions beginning to grow warmer. “I enjoy resting underneath your soft wings, you don’t mean to take that away from me, do you?”

“N-n-no mistress,” Isis moaned, moving her arms around Blaze’s neck for support, and leaning into the mare’s hands some more. Her move only allowed Blaze to further toy with her as the mare resumed biting against Isis’ neck. “I-I would never do something like that.”

Blaze smirked against Isis' neck, as the mare knew that she had Wolf to thank for her skills of ‘persuasion.’ Suddenly, she removed herself from Isis' body to take the sphinx by the wrists, leading her towards the bed. “Good, cause you are sleeping with us tonight, and all other nights. Understand?” Blaze asked after turning the sphinx and placing her hands on her hips. Isis tried to speak but again was cut off by Blaze sparking her horn and using her magic to remove both of their shirts.

“M-mistress!” Isis shouted with an embarrassed blush as she tried to cover herself up with her hands and wings. However, she was quickly met with laughter from both of her masters, and the memories of them seeing her without more than a shirt. “H-heh, well should we go to bed?”

Blaze giggled a little at the sphinx before again taking her hand and leading her on the bed so they could cuddle with Wolf. Though the mare did want to have a little fun, starting off by pushing Wolf down to his back with a kiss while Isis licked alongside his chest.

Wolf returned the two’s playfulness by running his hands down their backs to take a hand full of their asses. His move was rewarded with the two letting out lusty sighs before continuing to lick up his neck and underside of his jaw.

Blaze began using her magic to massage Wolf’s shaft, getting a low growl from her dog in response. She didn’t stop there as she trailed her hand down Wolf’s chest to feel each inch of his strong body. After getting her fill of her dog for the moment, she moved it back over Isis' haunches to feel the sphinx’s toned body.

In fact, that’s when the two lovers turned their attentions solely on the sphinx. Blaze soon found a way to get onto Isis' back so she could further play with her wing-base while Wolf held her mouth sealed in a deep kiss.

Blaze started to press down on Isis' wing-base, as it seemed to be a weak spot for her.This move was rewarded with Isis moaning deeply into the kiss while her wings flapped spasmodically. It seemed that if she focused on the tight muscles that formed the base between Isis' wings, that it brought more pleasure towards her sphinx.

While his mare continued to learn about Isis' sensitivity at the base of her wings, Wolf moved his hands down towards her haunches to start massaging them. It wasn’t long before Isis started grinding her hips into Wolf in attempt to beg for the fire growing in her core to be ended.

Normally, Wolf would be more than happy to alleviate the sphinx, but they’d all had a rather long day. So, the two only continued to toy around with the sphinx before finally letting her breathe. “M-mistress, master, please...I want to protect them,” Isis started after she was released from Wolf’s mouth.

Blaze moved back underneath Isis' wing while Wolf was snapped out of some of his instincts at their sphinx’s tone of voice. A few moments passed by as both lovers waited for Isis to continue with what she had to say.

“A-all of them, I never want to see them sad again.” Neither of them had to think about her statement, as Wolf and Blaze knew Isis was speaking of the other pack members of High Moon. “Their smiles, their laughter, their joy; all of it is precious, and I want to protect it.”

Wolf quickly moved to place another kiss on Isis' lips and started to rub his claws into Isis' hauches. Blaze sidled over to nibble on her sphinx’s ear as a hand moved towards the base of her wings again. Isis lost herself in her masters’ embraces as her wing’s grip around them started to tighten.

Blaze moved herself from Isis' ear so she could speak, “And you will, all of us will make sure they never stop smiling.” Soon, after a few more tender moments, both females found good spots to rest their heads on top of Wolf’s chest to get much needed sleep. Like the previous night, Isis' wings proved a warmth that could only be matched by the fire in each other’s hearts.

The same could be spoken for the younger couple just across from them as Quill rested her head on one of Frost’s breasts while her hand held the other. Throughout the day, Frost finally got to see what kind of sister Quill really was when she wasn’t trying to be tough.

On the outside, one would think that Quill was nothing but mean to Spike, but clearly this wasn’t true. Deep down, Quill deeply cared for her twin brother more than other siblings would, in spite of however much she might say contrary to that.

The both of them might have future plans to take the throne from Frost’s mother, but for now, they had a family to take care of, and that’s what was going to come first.

While most of High Moon was slowly falling asleep, the two newcomers lie in bed together, with Cyclone resting her head in between Veil’s firm mounds. Not as soft or as warm as Blaze’s, however, the familiarity of them was enough to make up for the lack of softness.

The test taught Cyclone a lot about herself, that she kind of already knew. Mainly, she didn’t like the mere thought of being alone for too long, and definitely couldn’t stand to see anyone upset or sad. That’s when her ideal role in High Moon revealed itself to her; a mediator. Alone, Cyclone couldn’t do much, but she could support those that could stand.

If this was to be her design in life, if she was to be someone that held a family together, then who was she to question the path four Makers design for her? Cyclone was okay with this fact. She don’t have any desires for power, knowledge, or some other grand life goal like that.

She was happy with where she was right now. Cyclone knew she had a lot of work to do, but in the meantime, she would take any peace and joy she could get. Besides, she needed to get stronger anyways. How can one be a mediator if they aren't able to keep up with those around them?

“Cy, you sure you’re alright?” Veil asked as Cyclone’s arms gripped tightly around her midsection. The dragoness had been like this since they made their way back to the temple, and still hadn’t told her what happened during the test or how she did. Though, the fact that Cyclone wasn’t in a heap of tears told her that she hadn’t outright failed the test, but Veil still wanted to know what happened.

“At least tell me what happened all day,” Veil begged again, deeply worried about her friend’s silence. However, she soon would get her answers as Cyclone lifted her head from Veil’s chest to look her straight in the eyes. That’s when Veil noticed something fairly different about Cyclone’s soft pink eyes. She couldn’t place her finger on it, but there was something...brighter about them, like a shining ray of hope.

In fact, the more she looked into Cyclone’s eyes, the more she was filled with this hope. Hope that told her everything was going to be alright, despite them having nothing to their names any more.

“Veil,” Cyclone started as she rose further from the hound, breaking Veil out of her trance like state. “Let’s not leave.” Cyclone started to move her hands from Veil’s back and further up towards her shoulders to gently rub them. Veil again was trapped by Cyclone’s shining eyes to the point where she couldn’t think past what the dragoness was saying to her. “I-I know we’ve only been here a very short time, but I don’t want to leave.”

Veil smiled softly at the dragoness as she had came to the same thought herself earlier today and had wanted to talk about it with her friend. “And we’re not,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around Cyclone’s back so she could be closer to the gentle light in her eyes. “Cyclone, I’m tired of it just being the two of us. We’re staying here with Wolf’s pack.” Veil began dragging her nails up and down Cyclone’s back as the dragoness got closer to her face.

“Let’s stay here...with our family.”

The sun shone brightly as everyone in High Moon moved about finishing their tasks that needed to be done by the end of the day. With the rapid plant-growth potion made, Spike suggested that a greenhouse be made for them so they could better store the fruits and vegetables during the winter.

After asking if he could lead the construction, Spike listed much of what he believed that he needed: a spot somewhere in High Moon that the sun hit for most of the day, a large enough area that would allow them to grow more if needed, and the materials needed to build it.

Isis was quick to say that there was a shrine built to be in the constant pathway of the sun, believing that it could easily be converted into a greenhouse. However, she did say that they would need something to trap the heat from the sun within the greenhouse, so the plants would be able to survive during the winter.

Quill then offered to fly to Ponyville to call in a few favors that some colts owed her. That way they could get some plastic tarp, anything else she thought would be of use for the project, as well as other odds and ends.

Wolf waved the dragoness off, telling her not to cause any trouble while she was in town. After seeing her off, Wolf turned his attention back to what could be done on their end.

Spike, Isis, and Frost all took turns listing any information they had about greenhouses and building them. That’s when Spike remembered about the book the librarian allowed him to keep, and quickly led the two females toward his room in the mansion.

This left Wolf, Veil, Cyclone, Lily, and Blaze to prepare for the fast-moving project. Blaze then said that she could still make a larger amount of the potion, and that she could also work on a spell that would better protect the greenhouse from storm damage. Cyclone quickly said that she’d help Blaze in anyway she could.

With that settled, Lily left to see if she could aid with the construction of the greenhouse while Wolf and Veil headed out to see if they could find any materials that would help with it. Wolf knew with Frost, Isis, Lily, and Spike tending to the greenhouse that it was in good hands, and he was going to do whatever he could to assist with this.

The first order of business was getting the necessary materials. They already had enough stone to make virtually whatever they needed, and since Isis could use her magic to manipulate the stone, and reshape it, they didn’t need to go to a rock quarry. Quill had already left to get the plastic to cover the top.

So, all they needed now was to gather wood for...some reason.

“Hey Alpha,” Veil started while Wolf was finishing hacking away at a tree and its branches. “Why are we gathering wood again?” Veil asked Wolf as he picked up a few logs that his claws had cut. “I mean...from the sound of things, everybody it all covered. So, I don’t see a reason for the wood. Shouldn’t we be gathering food instead?”

Sighing, Wolf lifted the logs of wood before waving his hand over towards the other pile of tree branches for Veil to grab. Veil did as she was told, but still waited for the Alpha’s answer. “I think Isis said something about making the greenhouse stronger, I dunno. Whatever works is best,” Wolf answered as he and Veil started down a hill and up the path towards the construction site. “Tell you what, you can ask her yourself.”

Wolf and Veil walked towards the shrine that was now being changed into a greenhouse. That’s when Veil was given a quick display of Isis' magic. The sphinx’s hands were encased in two orbs of red and blue light while bits and pieces of stone, encased in the same colors as the sphinx’s hands, began lifting from the ground and shrine itself. Each piece of the ancient stone seemed to meld into the next one, shaping to whatever the sphinx desired it to be.

Once the lights had faded, the shrine was slightly wider and taller than it once was, and had several levels of of rectangular rings that were cut in half by a set of stairs leading upwards. All in all, it was still in the shape of the shrine only now it was in a more rectangular shape.

“Nice job, Isis,” Wolf congratulated her, walking over to the sphinx with Veil close behind, and placing the cut pieces of wood down on the ground. Wolf was more than impressed with the versatility of the sphinx's magic, knowing that it would be a great asset to the reconstruction of High Moon. Isis opened her mouth to thank her master for his praising words but instead collapsed in his arms. “Whoa, Isis are you alright?”

Isis attempted to stand on her own with the help of Wolf, wrapping her arm around his neck to keep herself upright. When Spike and the others realized that something was wrong with her, they all ran over to the sphinx’s side. “Y-yes master,” Isis started with a faint breath as though she’d just ran a race. “I’m f...fine, just a lit-little tired is all.”

Wolf looked down towards the sphinx as she tried to force an assuring smile on her face, then towards the half-finished greenhouse. “Alright,” he said after a moment of quick thought, looking down towards the others. “I think all of you could use a break for awhile. We’ll finish this thing when Quill comes back with the plastic.”

“Very well,” Lily said, as she too was feeling quite tired and slightly hungry as well. “Spike, would you like to accompany me towards the south fields to pick some berries?” Spike nodded his head and started to follow Lily towards the southern fields to pick some berries to have for lunch.

“Guess that leaves me and Veil to salvage for stuff,” Frost started, wanting to do more exploring around the city ruins, and to check out what was known as the ‘archives’ as well. It also couldn’t hurt to get to know Veil a bit more as well too. “What do you say, Veil?” she continued, turning towards the hound with a friendly smile on her face. “Want to...how does Quill put it, hang out?”

“Uh...s-sure Frost, that’s sounds cool,” Veil answered, not sure about the changeling mare, still having questions for her. But, if she and Cyclone were going to stay, then Veil would have to get used to being around the mare more often. “Lead the way, I guess.”

The two walked off towards the direction Frost remembered Isis telling her that led straight towards the archives, while Veil trailed behind her. With the last of the group gone, Wolf picked Isis up off the ground, and went to find somewhere she could rest.

It wasn’t long before he found a shady tree that was thankfully near a clear stream. He moved into the shade and set the sphinx down. “Th-thank you master,” Isis sighed, carefully sliding down out of Wolf’s arms to sit on the ground against the tree.

Wolf merely nodded his head towards the sphinx as he walked over towards the stream to catch a fish or two. “I’m truly sorry for this inconvenience,” Isis continued with an apologetic tone of voice as she scolded herself for allowing her body to fail like that. “I suppose that I’ve been using too much magic in too close of a time period.”

“Don’t worry about it Isis,” Wolf reassured her as he knelt down towards the stream to spot any passing fish. “We’ve all been busy doing things as of late, so it’s only expected that we’ll be a little tired.” Wolf’s eyes continued to scan over the flowing stream, which headed down towards the great lake deep within Everfree forest, before rushing off into the sea and towards the Dragon Empire. “We all need a break some time or another. You’re no exception.”

Isis continued to watch her master study the stream’s movement to find them a quick meal while everyone waited for Quill to show back up. She already knew of the dog’s compassion and devotion towards the pack, her, and Blaze. However, Isis still had one question that was left unanswered.

“What about you, master?” Isis asked, now having the dog all alone to speak freely with. “Surely you would like to rest. You’ve been working near non-stop for quite some time now, and it can’t be healthy for you.”

Wolf chuckled at his sphinx before taking two swipes at some large orange fish, knocking them in the air, and catching them before they hit the ground. A wide and satisfied smile stretched across Wolf’s lips when he recognized the two large and fat fish as the Goof-fish, or the simple-minded fish.

“This will definitely do,” he said as he walked back to Isis and handed her the fish to hold while he started a quick fire to cook them. He gather up some sticks from the area along with a few stones to get started setting up a small fire.

“Now, back to your question,” Wolf continued after he had a good spot set up. “I do take breaks and stuff like that,” he said, looking back over his shoulder towards the resting sphinx. “I, or really we, have just been busy is all.” While he spoke, Wolf looked for something that he could use to light the fire, but Isis was able to solve this.

“Master,” she started, using a small amount of her magic to levitate the two fat fish before standing up off the ground.She wobbled behind Wolf and wrapped an arm around his neck to use him as a strong support to aid her in standing. As Isis rested her chin on Wolf’s shoulder, she looked down from her master’s eyes as her hands slid down towards the braces to bring them to his attention. “I do believe it’s time that I show you the power in the gems of your bracers.”

Wolf stared down at the still-pulsing red and blue gems on his wrists, feeling slight shifts in the natural magic in them. “What about them Isis?” he asked, not seeing anyway for him to even access the magic with the bracers. “How can I tap into them?”

“Simple, master,” Isis stated, leaning further onto her master’s back so she could take both of his wrists in her hands. As she did this, her breasts pressed firmly against Wolf’s back, causing her nipples to rub against the thin fabric of her shirt. She ignored this as she leaned into Wolf’s ear. “You’ve said that you can ‘sense’ the natural magic of the world, right master?” she asked with a curious tone, suspecting an answer, but not quite sure if it was correct or not.

Isis was still surprised when she had heard Wolf tell her yesterday that he had a small ability to ‘sense’ magical energy. Though, after some thought, she speculated that it was being around a mare as powerful as Blaze that gave him this ability, but there was something else she suspected about her master--something that came from his bloodline.

It was faint, and she was still unsure primarily because she hadn’t been around him for very long, but there was still something there. In addition to the minor abilities that he had picked up being around Blaze for all these years, Wolf was more than capable of using natural magic, and the star fragments were going to help.

“Well,” Wolf started, still trying to understand the skill himself as he couldn’t remember when he acquired it, or how to control it. “Yes, there would be times where I could...” he again paused, thinking of the best way to explain the extra sense he acquired from his time with Blaze. “It’s like I can see things that should be heard, hear things that should be seen. I don’t know how to rightfully explain it.”

“That’s alright, master,” Isis said, rocking on their spot on the ground in a slightly whimsical manner. “That just means you’re more in tune with the natural order of the world than most, and this has given you an extraordinary ability.” Wolf turned his head towards his sphinx with a questioning look on his face, which Isis quickly moved to relieve him of. “Master, you can see and hear things only beings such as myself should be able to, but you don’t have the skills yet to do this on your own.”

Wolf looked back towards the pulsating blues and red from the gems on his bracers. Ever since he’d got them from Isis, he had known that there was magic coming from them, but Blaze and Frost hadn’t seemingly noticed anything special about them. So that could only mean one of two things: one, the magic was laying dormant, or two, it was something different altogether.

“Okay,” Wolf said with an unsure tone of voice as he turned his head back to Isis, who still had a happy smile on her face. “So,” he again started, this time with a chuckle at Isis' smiling face. “Just how do I hone these ‘skills,’ Isis?”

Isis continued to giggle, enjoying her master’s happiness as it was his time to feel peace. “Quite simple,” she started as she moved her hands to interlock through Wolf’s fingers, still rocking gently. “You just need to open your mind, and allow all of your senses to take hold. Only then will you be able to properly use the power within the gems.”

“Hm...open my mind huh?” Wolf asked as he turned his attention towards the gems on his wrist. Isis' words made little sense to him, however, Wolf was willing to give it a try if it would help High Moon in the long run.

“Yes master,” Isis started with a calming hum to keep Wolf’s mind from feeling over-burdened with what she is telling him. “Allow things to move around you, become aware of your surroundings.” As the sphinx continued to speak, Wolf closed his eyes to somehow awaken this extra sense within him. “See the winds carrying the power of the world.”

Focusing on not only the sphinx’s words, but everything around them, Wolf started to slowly breath in and out as he thought it would make concentrating easier. Slowly he began to see it, the streams flowing behind him, and the fish swimming through. He could hear the movement of animals miles away from them. Then, he started to feel a force rushing past his fur; the wind.

Not only the winds, but the magical currents that he heard about from Blaze. It was these currents that magical creatures drew their power from. It was these currents that Wolf could feel, hear, and seen anything in his immediate area.

Slowly, and carefully, as if he was afraid to lose this sight, Wolf opened his dull-green eyes, revealing a slight glow to them. In doing so, Wolf was given a slight start when he found the world around him changed.

Trees, plants, and other vegetations were brighter in their colors. Sound was sharper and clearer to his mind, as he could hear each drop of the stream behind him. Also, the most off-putting of it all were the thin lines that held the likeness of spider webs. They flowed around everywhere, passing through everything as if they didn’t exist.

“Isis,” Wolf managed, still trying to take in as much as he could without breaking the concentration that he had. “What is this? What am I seeing right now?” he asked, unable to think of the right answer on his own until he thought back to what Isis told him moments before. “Is this how the world really appears? Is this what is supposed to be seen?”

The soft smile on Isis' lips only grew when she saw her master achieving this difficult task far quicker than she had first thought. She knew this wasn’t the proper time to think of this, however, it was Wolf’s ability to learn and adapt faster than the others that had initially attracted her.

“Not entirely master,” Isis started with a small shake of her head and a quick nuzzle against Wolf’s neck. “That it is the way the world should appear, however, it is not the way we perceive it. How something is, and how something should be, are two very separate things, but sometimes they are so different that they are one and the same.”

Wolf turned his head slightly at his sphinx, whose eyes was now illuminated with a crimson and deep blue glow. Wolf began to wonder just how long Isis had been planning during the nine years of him being in High Moon.

“Oh, and how so Isis?” Wolf asked as he was starting to get the hang of this extra sight, to the point where he could focus more on one particular thing. Now, he tried to keep the sight focused only on the thin lines of silver light. “Will I be able to see through walls and the such?”

Isis giggled at her master’s joke, finding his way of lightening up the mood to be more refreshing than a nap. “No master, I fear you will have to continue to dream of that,” she retorted, getting a chuckle out of Wolf as she joined in. “However, this will give you the ability to use the bracers on your wrists,” she continued, getting Wolf to look back down towards the braces.

That’s when he noticed that the thin silver lines were being drawn towards them and when the passed through they became longer and brighter than before. “Isis, these threads,” Wolf began to examine the glowing silver lines, moving about freely with the push and pull of the winds. “Are they the embodiment of this ‘natural magic’ I keep hearing so much fuss about?”

“Why yes they are master,” Isis said with a bright smile at her master’s quick mind. She shouldn’t be surprised by it, over the eight years, Wolf had displayed a knowledge that most didn’t understand. It was an insight to understand things that couldn’t be understood, it was something that allowed him to make quick judgments at the drop of a bit.

“These thin threads flow freely throughout the world,” Isis continued to speak as she moved a hand towards one of the threads, only to have it weave through her fingers like it didn’t existed. “They come and go as they please, it is this all magical creatures draw their power from. From this exchange, they give out more of these threads.”

“So...when someone uses magic,” Wolf started, again taking the time to think about what he was going to say. “These threads feed off of what’s left from the magic? Like the stories of the first ones,” Wolf asked, remembering the legend of the first canines to walk this earth: the Navajo Wolves. “This is a thing of Cerberus’ first children. How, how can I have their abilities? Unless...”

Isis slowly moved her hand back down towards Wolf’s to take it while rocking to keep Wolf as calm as she could. “Yes master, this extra ability is proof that you are a descendant from the Navajo Wolves that once walked this earth in high numbers.”

Wolf closed his eyes and took in a deep breath that came out as a small chuckle. To even think that he had the same blood as the fabled guardians of the forests, and the first children of Cerberus, was enough to cause Wolf to have a slight wave of anxiety come over him.

The anxiety wasn’t from fear or worry, just the massive amount of information that was entering his mind at once was a lot for him to take in. However, chose not to worry about his bloodline, instead on how to use his hidden abilities.

“Okay, so I’m a descendant of Cerberus,” he began with a sigh, beyond unsure what this truly meant for him and his cub. “As much of an honor as it is to know this, I still want to know how that’s supposed to help me light a fire so we can eat lunch?”

That’s when both Wolf and Isis turned their attentions back towards the two Goof-fishes that were still floating in Isis’ magic, waiting to be cooked. “Yes, my apologies master,” Isis started, having already forgotten about the two juicy looking fish after the long talk with her master. “Anyway, just follow your instincts, the gems will do the rest.”

Sighing and nodding his head, Wolf turned back towards the pile of sticks, and started to focus on whatever he could to ignite them. As he held his eyes close to build his concentration, threads of silver light started to gather towards the gems on his wrists, shining brighter than the sun itself.

Suddenly, a bright red spark flew from Wolf’s hands, towards the pile of sticks where it lifted a bright crimson and white fire before dying down to a normal orange and red one. Wolf opened his eyes to look at his hands to see the threads of silver light leaving them with a brighter look to them than before. As he followed their unbound moment, Wolf noticed the threads splitting into copies of themselves.

Wolf then turned his attention towards Isis as he had more questions about what was happening right in front of him. “Isis is this…” However, Wolf was stopped by a sudden wave exhaustion and drowsiness came over Wolf as he collapsed in Isis' arms.

Expecting her master’s sudden collapse, Isis gently allowed Wolf to fall to the ground, and laid his head in her lap. Isis continued to smile down towards her master as he had learned something that took months, if not years, to master.

Still though, Wolf tried to fight through whatever was causing his sudden exhaustion, but barely managed to keep one eye half open. “I-Isis...wh-what-” Again, Wolf was silenced, but this time by Isis placing a finger on his lips.

“Shh master,” she whispered in a quiet and calm voice as she moved her hand to her master’s chest and the other gently started to rub his head. “Just rest, you deserve it more than you allow yourself to acknowledge.”

Unable to fight back the soothing words from his sphinx, Wolf slowly allowed his vision to grow darker as he drifted off to sleep, unknowingly awakening the bloodline that had been hidden within him this whole time.