I stood at the entrance of a cave. Moonlight streamed in the entrance. Beyond the moonlight a dim blue light glowed.
"Kitty?" I reached out to her with my mind.
"I'm here Amber." Kitty emerged from the shadows. "Have you made a decision?"
"I've decided to accept your offer." I briefly explained to Kitty the schedule I had worked out with Aunt Rose for Lynn's care.
"Your Aunt Rose is wise. We may need to flex the schedule based on my hunting success. I often sleep part of the day away."
"I can work on my freelance writing or practice my gifts when you need to sleep during the day."
"Good. I want to give you a glimpse of what I protect. What I'm about to show you cannot be discussed with another without my permission. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
"Put your hand on your shoulder and walk with me." We walked toward the dim blue light, turned a corner and proceeded down a passageway. Next, we turned into a small cave filled with more blue light. "Sit here Amber." Kitty nodded toward a small stone ledge. Kitty sat down before me and put her muzzle near my face. "Look into my eyes and see what few humans know."
Kitty's eyes seemed to enlarge. We were walking down another passageway. We entered a cave and strolled to a nearby ledge. This cave was full of bright light. Below me, a lush forest of plants extended as far as my eyes could perceive. A waterfall from the side of the cave fell into a large lake. The air was busy with activity. Strange bird-like creatures sang from the treetops. Odd insects buzzed through the air chased by other flying creatures. The bushes and trees swayed with creatures hidden by the foliage. I felt the desire to discover what creatures dwelled beneath the leaves.
The next cave we entered contained a village of people. People that looked different. I looked down on variations of humans that reminded me of the paranormal videos found online. I could hear the cry of 'aliens' echo through my mind. As I watched the people interact, I noticed how they helped one another with their tasks. A sense of peaceful cooperation filled the village. How I wanted to talk with them and get their perspective on life. Kitty's muzzle came into view as she returned us to the little side cave.
"Is there more?" I asked in amazement.
"Much more, but you need to return to your bed and sleep. We can talk more tomorrow."
"Wow, it's so much more than I imagined."
"Do you want to continue your training as my successor?"
"Yes, absolutely."
"Amber, I know you will need to discuss some of the things you will experience. For now, I want you to limit those discussions to me, Twitch and Brock. Bring Twitch and Brock with you tomorrow. They want to help protect you when you are in the caves and be your assistants. Remember, creatures who do not keep the secrets disappear forever. Do you have any questions before you go?"
"Just one. Why did you reveal secrets to me tonight? I thought I wasn't ready to be told secrets?"
"You passed your first test. I do not tell secrets until I know if someone can meet the basic requirement of a protector. When you met that requirement, I needed to see if revealing a couple of the secrets would scare you off."
"What basic requirement?"
"The strength to make a commitment to walk into the unknown."
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