The Tiger Within

There was unrest in Moria as a scream from the earthly realm seemed to echo in the silence of the forest. The three remaining Princes placed back and forth on the steps of Moria, occasionally casting glances at the doors which were tightly closed. Their father was trapped within the hall, no way out and no way in. The old ones had locked the gates hours before dawn, pending judgement.

Keenan sniffed the air and turned to face the garden. An orange shape was running across the gra.s.s, at top speed. It was headed straight for them and unmistakably a spirit. All three brothers turned to look, seeing the body clear the steps and pa.s.s them, clawing at the doors of Moria in an effort to get in. none of them could belive their eyes. 
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"Kan… Kan stop." Keenan ordered and Kan shook his head, the tiger form collapsed into its human form, on its knees at the door. His b.l.o.o.d.y hands resting on the wood. Tears streaming down the tiger"s face.

"What happened Kan? How… why are you here?" Konnor asked coming to the tiger"s side. He knew the truth as did they all,so there was no ill will against him.

"She took Gale… she wounded me, knocked me out. I… I was coming to, I was going to go after her when… when he slit my throat. I promised… I promised… Dear Lords I promised…" Kan devolved into tears, his hands tightly gripping his hair. He had failed her… again. He swore he would protect Gale.

"Who took Gale? What happened? Kan now is not the time to be losing it. We have to help Kyera. Father can"t… oh G.o.d that"s why." Keenan frowned as he realized what was going on. "They encased father because he got in the way of the blessing. If Gale dies…"

"Then father has failed all of his children." Kane whispered realization as to just what that would mean flowed over all of them.

"He will lose his place… we will all cease to exist… Moria will cease to exist."  Konnor"s eyes widened as he spoke. They all looked at each other. "Who took Gale, who killed you?" All eyes turned to Kan who stared at his b.l.o.o.d.y hand prints on the door. They were so like the smudged handprints of the child on the porch of the house. The irony was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Akira… Akira used a dart on me… the poison paralyzed me and she took Gale. She… she said she had to or they would find him. She would raise him well." Kan spoke past the pain, his words nothing more than monotone whispers. He punched the door, the shadow form of his hand crumpled from the force. "Then he entered the room. Verone. He laughed when he saw the cradle was empty and then… he slit my throat. "Nothing Personal but the smell of your blood will mask my scent."" Kan laughed darkly at the words. It was a joke. He died for nothing, failing to protect the child of the woman who gave him salvation. He failed.

"No, you must be mistaken. Mom wouldn"t have taken Kyera"s baby." Konnor replied fighting against the evidence in front of him. Kan said nothing, he didn"t care if they believed him. It didn"t matter anyway. It was too late. They had the baby by now.

"Konnor… why wouldn"t she? She left us, stole our childhoods, and broke our family apart. She wanted us to suffer just like she had. Well, Kyera dared to build a family of her own. Why wouldn"t she try and break that apart too?" Kane growled anger seeping into his words. The other two stared at Kane whose entire body was engulfed in light. Anger flowed through him like fire, and Keenan nodded his agreement.

"Kane is right. We have to do something though…" Keenan agreed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Konnor do you think you could still peer in on Verone? You two were closest?"

Konnor thought for a moment "I can but it is fuzzy. I"ve tried lately but it"s like he doesn"t remember everything. Like things were altered in his head." Konnor struggled to explain and a light went off on Kan"s face.

"That"s because it has. Everything makes sense now, the missing piece or the puzzle." Kan laughed almost maniacally as he stood up. The brothers stared at him. "Somehow, my sister changed his memories, destroyed them so he wouldn"t remember Kyera. At the wedding, he told her she was fantasizing. There was nothing between them and then he kissed her. What if…"

"What if that didn"t mean he was faking but instead legitimately doesn"t remember her? Like someone or something altered his memory." Keenan finished for him, this bad bothered him as well. Why would a man who loved his sister so devotedly change his mind so suddenly?

"Or some G.o.d…. Fate can manipulate memories." Kane pointed out as his hand folded into a fist. This was all her doing… he knew that more now than ever.

"Then what do we do?" Kan asked looking at all of them.

"What must be done… and hopefully before it"s too late." Keenan replied looking at the study window where his father looked down at them. He nodded slowly and led the two princes down the steps and into the garden below.