As the evening shadows lengthen, announcing the
beginning of the long night, an eerie howl echoes through the growing darkness;
soon others of her kind answer her song. Evidently satisfied with her
endeavour, she lowers her muzzle from the sky and sniffs the air.
She is large for her species, nearly twice the size of her normal kindred, and she is more intelligent than many people seem to be. Her twilight grey fur, tipped with black, makes her nearly invisible in most surroundings, should she so choose to be; while ever-vigilant golden eyes give hint to her cunning nature.
Her world isn't black and white, nor is it
colour... her world is hot and cold. She sees all that can be seen, but not as
those she has bonded with see. She sees the varying temperature of things,
living and non-living. Her hearing is, to say the least, acute. As she runs
through the dense woodland, she hears the rustle of the field mouse scurrying
through the dead leaves upon the forest floor from a great distance away.
Her true sense, the one above all others, is her
sense of smell; with it, she can track anything she chooses at any time, day,
or night. It is also a warning system unlike any other; she can sense
approaching danger from far away, if the wind is right; but at this moment, she
is concentrating on him, only on finding him.
She runs through the dense undergrowth, leaving
no trace, making no sound other than her breathing, heading straight for him.
She senses him and knows exactly where he is, what he is doing, and what he
wishes from her. His thoughts are hers, she knows him better than he knows
himself, and there is reciprocity. She loves him, as he loves her; they have
been through so much together. They are more than friends or companions, or
even family... they are ONE, inseparable, indomitable.
The ground passes beneath her feet as she devours
the distance between them, tireless in her endeavour, single-minded in her
purpose. Her one, all consuming thought is to get to him, no matter what. He is
her life, her reason for being, as she is for him, and she understands this, in
more than some primitive way.
Her loyalty to her human companion is undeniable
and enduring, even unto death; in fact, she has died for him, and he for her,
on numerous occasions.
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She came to him long ago, in answer to a summons.
She felt his pain and loneliness as he poured his heart and soul into the magic
and she remembers the desperation of his call, so many years past. She could
sense his honour and his pride, both buried deep, hidden away in some dark
recess; she knew he thought both were lost to him forever.
It was always her choice to answer the calling,
as well as her decision to stay with the man. She knew there was something
about him; she could feel Death following in his footsteps, always looking over
his shoulder.
He was fierce and primal, yet she could sense he
was also caring and intelligent, a duality that she had never known before; he
was different than any she had ever encountered.
She felt the shadows about him, struggling to
overcome the light hidden deep within, the constant battle going on inside him,
the never ending war over who, or what, would own this man, Light, or Shadow.
It was this battle that made her name so fitting... Eclipse
She knew that binding herself to this man,
becoming one with him, would be a lifelong endeavour, for once bound they were
to walk one single path. The woman from his past, whose eyes matched his, led
her to him and The Light placed the mark upon her; a small, light coloured,
sunburst shape, standing out clearly from the dark fur of the rest of her
muzzle. She knows what the mark means, and what it means to him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Times have changed since their bonding, many
years ago. Together they have fought, side by side, in the multitude of battles
and wars that have taken place in the last two decades, and she watched as it
took a terrible toll on him. The man became nothing more than a very prolific
killer, and, depending on whom was telling his story, even a murderer.
Once more deeply scarred on the inside than he is
on the outside, the man has been healed. She believes the raven-haired woman
has done more to heal him than anything, and she loves her as much as the man
does for this.
After the last war against Shadow, she traveled
with the man into the hot sands as he answered the calling, she met his people,
and it pleases her that he finally has complete happiness in his life.
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As she clears the last stand of trees, she sees
him across the meadow, the raven-haired woman at his side, and she can feel the
love shared between them, and it brings her joy. He whistles loudly and she
increases her pace, racing to meet them. She stops a mere foot away from him
and sits at his feet until he taps himself on the chest, then, standing on her
hind feet, she places her front paws on his shoulders and he hugs her massive
frame to him, ruffling the fur of her mane as she licks his face with her rough
tongue.
Yes, all is now as it should be; all is right
with her world, and she senses, from some great span beyond life, the woman,
with eyes matching those of her son, is also happy.
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