Chapter 21- Loose ends

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A/N This chapter is speech heavy sorry if you don't like that sort of thing. Anyway enjoy....

The two chamrosh's  were stood giving each other steely looks, every so often making a harsh sound, a screech or bark as a means of communication. The rider stood by the his steed shuffling nervously but his sharp blue eyes were fixed on the chamrosh with a protective watchfulness. He was obviously terrified after what he had seen but didn't want his companion to get hurt.  

    "You see why I had to do it," Alec said sombrely. "It doesn't excuse my actions I know but you saw that I had little other choice."
   "You didn't have to kill them all you know. They would have fled once you murdered your father." Alec flinched at the rider's tone. 
   "They would have just killed something else. I didn't even mean to do it you know, I just acted on instinct." 
    "A pretty monstrous instinct don't you think?" Unfortunately Alec couldn't disagree with that. Those words had come from a very dark place deep down inside of him. A place that he reached out to in a time of fear and danger. A place he hoped to never visit again. 
"Perhaps and perhaps not. I never killed them, it would probably have been better for hem if I had. I'm actually usually a very peaceful being, leshies strive nourish life not destroy it," he sighed.
 He leaned over to the other boy who flinched back but Alec didn't stop until his hand was placed firmly over a wound on the boys head. It healed over and Alec made sure to heal Cada's injured wing and the other chamrosh's eye flank which had sustained rather nasty gash. 
    "See?" He sighed finally feeling drained. The boy nodded bu pursed his lips. 
"Just don't hurt her after you kill me please," he asked in a defeated tone. His slender hand went through the beasts tawny brown feathers, which matched his own curly locks. 
    "Have you ever killed something?" Alec asked in a distant tone.
"No, never. In fact I only joined the riders because I didn't fit into any other job, like yourself I'd imagine. I remember seeing you everyday and admiring your ability to shut yourself off from others. I had to try to fit in to make myself happy. So I joined the riders to try to care for my Chamrosh and fly under the radar. I never wanted t hurt anything." The rider said in one big rush tears shining in his eyes as he looked over at the fallen stag laying broken on the floor. 
    "Then I'm not going to kill you or harm you in any way. I want you to send a message for me, you think you can do that?" he asked calmly and the boy nodded. 
   "Tell them that you're alive because you are innocent and didn't want to spill blood. Tell them if they want to live through an encounter with me they should adopt a similar attitude. Oh and what's your name by the way?"
"Charlie and the chamrosh is Meadow."
   "I have a feeling I'll be seeing you again soon Charlie. And since it was a dream that led me here, I will be seeing you again," Alec said with a weak smile and Charlie to his surprise wasn't all that perturbed by the idea. 

Once Meadow had flown off with Charlie tucked snugly behind her wings Alec turned to the currently imprisoned deer herd. They were all just standing in mourning gazing out blankly at their dead leader. Meanwhile the fawns of the herd all bleated in fear and flinched at every slight noise. 
  "What am I going to do with them Olin?" Of course Alec got no reply and he felt more lost than he'd ever felt before. Stranded with his dead charge and no support he was completely alone. 
   "You have me." The voice in his head comforted. 
"Of yeah and what good is that huh! A voice in my head that I don't even have a name for. Yeah that's really comforting." He screamed in utter misery. The trees creaked angrily to echo his whirlwind of emotions.  
   "Just let your magic free and it'll do the rest. Your close to it taking over anyway. Your just about ready to collapse."
  Against his better judgement Alec let it all out starting with an animalistic howl of misery, like a wolf that's lost a pack-mate. Then as he slumped to the ground things began to happen as foreign words poured out of his mouth. Olin's body dissolved into a golden dust leaving just his antlers while the shield surrounding the herd also melted away. 
   The dust swirled around the herd almost as if it was searching for something...and it was. All things were created by magic so even Olin a blank creature had some even if he had no actual power. So the magic was searching for what he would have wanted, a new leader. Unfortunately there were no males of the right age that were Olin's offspring. So instead his daughters were sought out and five young individuals with no offspring were selected. The magic wrappen around them and a transformation began. The grew to twice their usual size and slimmed down even more if possible. Their hooves turned to bronze and antler's of pure gold grew from their heads. 
   "Ceryneian hinds. Sacred to the daughter of the old religion." The voice whispered. "They're fast enough to outrun  speeding arrow you know."
    "Then they'll do well to protect the herd. Cada could you help me bury the antlers?" The Chamrosh dipped it's head and trotted over to a overhanging willow to begin digging. Alec snapped off a chunk of antler and pocketed it. He'd put it on a chain or something later. He wanted to keep his old friend with him. 




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