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Part 44

As the sound of rushing wind and howls of pain fills my ears I open my eyes to see Shadow still clutching his head in agony. Without sparing another moment of thought I reach out with my left paw and grasp his right wrist around his tattoo. As I do tendrils of darkness begin to wrap around my gauntlet leaving trails of ice and cold that slowly seeps down to my fur.

Turning quickly I grab Haran's right wrist with my right paw and yell loudly, "HARAN, THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE SHADOW. BUT I WILL NOT FORCE THE BURDEN ON YOU UNWILLINGLY. HE WOULD NOT WANT THAT."

He spares a quick glance at Rosalie with a look of longing on his face before looking back at me with his one eye. In it I see that he understands my unasked question. His face sets in fierce determination as he nods once. Taking that as his acceptance I look back at my mate and focus hard trying to draw away some of the power causing him agony.

At first nothing happens, then a red glow begins to form around Shadow's right paw as the flames coursing along his body all begin to migrate to his tattoo driving the darkness back from it. Slowly the flames merge and collect in the one spot until it is a blinding orb of red.

Then what feels like a damn breaks free in my mind and I feel a rush of burning energy as the red glow moves up my arm and into my body pulling out of Shadows, turning back into flames as it does. Pain erupts all across my being as the energy flows upwards. I feel, more than see, the power of the light within me begin to fight back against the new intruder to my body. With a supreme effort I manage to hold it back just enough so that I can continue to focus on what must be done.

Sparing a glance for my mate I see that nearly all of the red flames have left his body as the dark tendrils begin to still and recede back into him. Slowly his breathing begins to calm down as his howls of pain die off. I glance down at my wrist only to see my tattoo glowing bright as the sun, the light burning through my gauntlet as smoke begins to rise from it. The worst of the burning pain I am feeling is focused there. It is though someone has embedded red hot coals under my skin.

Willing myself not to let go of either Shadow or Haran I shift my gaze to the latter and try to visualize the power flowing into him using me as a conduit. It takes all of my remaining will power to try and keep the light within me from exploding out ward in an explosion as the burning pain flows up my left arm, across my chest, then migrates down my right arm.

After what feels like hours of agony the glow of red has solidified on my right paw encircling Haran's right wrist. But now that the power is there it doesn't seem to want to go any farther. I feel my will begin to erode as the pain only intensifies.

Sweat begins falling from face inside my helmet as I begin to fear that I will fail in this attempt and doom everyone. It is at that moment that Haran lets out a roar of pain of his own as he throws his head back tensing every muscle in his body as yet another flood lets loose.

This time however the energy is flowing out of my body and into his. Almost instantly the power floods into Haran and causes his whole body to erupt in red flames. For a moment my fear intensifies that I have doomed us all in a vain attempt at survival, then something begins to happen.

The flames die down as a red glow grows to covers his whole body. It is bright enough to make details about what is happening to him very difficult to make out. At the same time a cloud of darkness seems to engulf Shadow hiding all of his features from view as well.

Equal parts hope and fear fill my heart as I let go of both of them and take a faltering step back. Quickly looking back and forth between the pair I begin silently praying to any god I have heard of that may exist to let what I have done be the right thing.

The glow around Haran fades first, slowly leaving as he raises his paws to his eyes as he continues groaning in pain while ruby red armor forms around his body. On his chest is the sword and flames of a fire guardian emblazoned in gold. Trails of golden flames race up and down his arms and legs set against the ruby metal. From his shoulders drops a cape of the brightest red with a golden sword set with in it.

He has taken on his sons mantel as a fire guardian.

I let out a small sigh that one of them is now safe though he continues to hold his face and whimpers softly to himself. Rosalie runs up to him and pulls him to the side and begins to speak quietly to him. Knowing that he is in good hands I turn back to my mate and wait.

The change for him is much slower as the cloud of darkness slowly pulses and moves around him. Gradually it begins to shrink back into his body leaving behind a wonderful and terrible sight.

As the darkness recedes into Shadows body it forms a cloak around him that covers him from head to toe in the darkest black. At first it seems as though every part of him is going to be covered by the darkness but the cloak falls away from head leaving his face and ears uncovered. While his head is uncovered the rest of the cloak wraps around him until it reaches to the ground where it bunches in folds around him.

Covering his face with his paws Shadows begins to groan softly, "No... No.... Get away..... I don't want....."

Falling to my knees in from of him I slowly reach out my own tired arms and gently grab his wrists to uncover his face. Looking into his face as he shakes his head with his eyes closed I softly say, "Love, it's over look at me."

He keeps shaking his head saying, "No, no, take it away. It's evil."

Letting go of his paws I place my own on either side of his muzzle holding his head still as he continues muttering. Slowly he calms down then reluctantly opens his eyes. For a brief moment they are nearly solid black but that quickly fades away to his normal silver eyes as he looks at me and recognition enters them.

As tears begin to fill them he says, "Seeker.... Take it away please...."

I look at him with concern asking, "Take what away love?"

His voice quavers a moment before he says, "The.... The evil... The darkness..... Take it away please. I don't want it to control me."

For a moment I look at him then pull him close into a hug whispering, "You are stronger than it is Shadow. It will not control you nor is it evil."

I feel his arms wrap around me as he begins sobbing into my shoulder, "But I can feel it. The pain and anger.... It's not just power, it's alive Seeker. There is something alive within the darkness."

When he says those words I feel something stir within me and a wave of sadness and longing comes from somewhere other than myself. In that moment I finally take the time to recognize the light entity as well. I can feel it within and part of me, yet separate at the same time. All of its sorrow and need to heal comes bubbling to the surface and I do nothing to try and stop it.

Without willing it to a soft golden light begins to flow out of my armor and seems to surround Shadow as I say, "I know it is. The power of darkness is a living entity of sorts, just as the light is. But it is not evil. It has been held against its will for untold centuries. It is hurting and alone. But it trusts you Shadow. I don't believe that it would ever do anything to hurt you on purpose."

As my light touches the darkness of Shadows cloak it seems to be absorbed and a feeling of deep fear washes over me followed almost instantly by one of hesitant joy. I can tell that on some level the two powers are communicating and for the first time in ages are finally united again.

Shadows sobs slow as he says, "But it did control me. In the mind place.... It took over.... So much anger... I never want to feel that again."

Hugging him tight I whisper, "I don't think you will love. In that moment you were very angry yourself. I believe that the anger you both had led to more of a loss of control than it taking control. It was being influenced by your combined feelings of rage and pain. It was too much to be contained at the time. But we will work together so that you can learn control and how to work with the power, hopefully you will never have to experience that again, or at the very least will be able to temper the effects into something more controlled."

A feeling of assurance and regret at what I am saying seems to come from two directions as I say this. At the edge of it though there was a sense of doing what was necessary as well. That last bit leaves me a bit worried on a deep level.

When Shadow starts against me I know that he has felt at least some of it as well. He pulls back and looks at me asking, "What was that? I got a feeling that... You were being agreed with? And that it was.... Sorry?

I grin and nod saying, "That would have been the powers or entities or whatever they are agreeing that they would try not to put you in that position again and that it was sorry for what it did. But I think it felt that it had to take control for the short term. You were rather drained at the time after all love. After everything you went through..... a lesser person would have broken long before."

He looks down at himself and says, "I don't know. I'm still not sure I like the idea of something like that in me."

Using my right paw I lift his chin up so he is looking in my eyes, "Shadow if you were not worthy of the power it would not have gone to you. It has been trying to get to you for a long time now. That's why your own latent darkness abilities have been growing so fast lately. The powers of the darkness guardian were calling out to you. This is your birth right love. You can do this and I will help you in any way that I can."

He lets out a sigh that is a mix of exasperation and a chuckle, "I get the feeling that even if I wanted to that I wouldn't be able to get rid of it would I?"

I shake my head as a I ask, "But do you honestly want to get rid of it?"

He opens his mouth to speak but then closes it as he seems to be looking deep within himself before saying, "No I don't..... At first all I felt was rage and fear but now that's leaving and it feels instead..... Like I had been missing part of myself but never knew it."

A gasp of pain from Shadow has me returning to panic mode as he quickly grabs his right wrist with his left paw. Reaching out I grasp his paw and pull it away to show his tattoo glowing. The red sword is turning into the deepest of black with a silver outline before becoming fluid and reshaping into a crescent moon with a circular blade around it.

As the tattoo stabilizes I hear him say, "It changed.... Does that mean I can't do fire now?"

I let out a sigh of relief saying, "Not like you could before no. But I can teach you a few tricks I have picked up over the years if you still want to."

With a grin he looks at me and says, "I would like that."

I hug him tight again before pulling back and standing up on my own before offering him a paw up. Taking it he pulls himself to standing and then I realize that he has grown a bit more as well from the new power he received. We now stand eye to eye even in height. With a smirk I say, "Looks like another round of clothes shopping for you."

That earns me a glare before he looks down at himself and the softly swaying cloak saying, "Where did this cloak come from?"

As I trace a finger over the silky fabric it seems to move on its own towards my touch despite the air blowing against it. After a moment I reply, "I would bet that it is an extension of your new powers, not unlike our weapons and armor are."

Shadow raises an arm and looks at it more closely, "I don't think I much care for it to be honest. This feels a bit..... Out of date."

I smirk a bit, "Well there was a time when cloaks were all the rage and were the best travel accessory you could have."

He gives me a look that has me chuckling as I continue, "But if you really want your armor I'm sure you would be able to will it back like you usually do."

Taking a deep breath he closes his eyes and I can see that he is concentrating. At first nothing happens but then a change happens. Slowly the cloak settles down around him then begins to solidify into metal and cloth.

Gradually Shadow is encased in armor much like my own golden armor only it is of the darkest black. Looking into its polished surface is like looking into a sky devoid of stars. Only once you begin to look you start to think you do in fact see tiny points of silver light that blink and dance right at the edge of your vision.

Very faint traces of silver weave and work their way around the edges of the various pieces of armor giving them a defined edge. On his chest is a crescent moon made of pure silver surrounded by a circle made of a single round blade, a Chakram. It has been many years since I last saw a weapon like that.

From his shoulder drops his new cape, velvety black and smooth as silk, with the chakram and moon symbol woven in intricate silver threads. As the cape flutters behind him, he lowers his paws from his head and looks at his new gauntlets before looking up at me with wonder in his eyes.

Shadow looks at his armor before he hugs me and says, "Well this is certainly a change from the red I'm used to. But I'm glad you were able to help save me again love. I thought for sure that I was going to be destroyed."

I pull back shaking my head as a few tears start to fall from my eyes, "If it wasn't for your father, you may have been. Along with the rest of us I fear. But thankfully he was here and was willing to do whatever it took to save you. He took a great risk by taking on the role of fire guardian and absorbing the powers from you that could have killed us all if you had kept them. It could have killed him to do that but he didn't hesitate for a single moment."

At that moment a cry of shock comes from Rosalie as she yells, "HARAN, YOUR EYE!"

Shadow and I turn as one. I fear that what I have done may have injured his one remaining eye in some way. If I have left him blind I will never be able to forgive myself.

Quickly I step over to him and place a paw on his shoulder causing him to turn to me. At first I don't see what is wrong as Haran has his eyes closed. Slowly he begins to open them causing me to let out a gasp of surprise. As he slowly opens his eyelids I see not one but two healthy eyes looking back at me. I see the scar still trailing along the side of his face crossing across his eye that he had lost many years before. But it seems as though his new guardian powers have restored his vision along with his lost eye.

On his muzzle is a smile of pure joy as he says, "Seeker, I owe you yet again."

I just stare for a moment before smiling back saying, "You owe me nothing, nor will you ever. You helped me save Shadow twice today, both times risking your own life. I only had a faint glimmer of hope that you would be able to take his place as a fire guardian but I never dreamed that it would be able to restore your vision. I knew that becoming a guardian could heal most injuries. But I've never known it to regenerate lost parts before."

He just smiles back at me as Rosalie hugs him from the side saying, "I don't care how it happened, I am just glad that all of my wolves are ok and in one piece."

As they step back I turn to see Rick and Jasper walking up to me and Shadow, grins on both of their muzzles. Rick puts out a paw which I grab and pull him and his brother into a strong hug. Holding both of my adopted sons I let the stress of the day flow from me as relief floods me.

Eventually Jasper pulls back saying, "Ok Seeker I think you have crushed us enough for the moment."

Letting out a chuckle I let them go before wrapping an arm around Shadows back and holding him close. Looking at them I say, "I am just glad that everything is over now. It looks like we can finally say that we won. Thankfully no one was hurt too badly. Things could have gone so much worse."

Rick rolls his head on his neck getting a few pops before saying, "There are more than a fair share of bruises and cuts to go around. But for the most part I think we are all ok. Can't say the same about Wolfie's property though. That took a hell of a beating."

Looking around I see how burnt and scarred the landscape is. The grass is all but gone, charred earth all that remains. Trees have been broken and uprooted, the ground itself is cratered and cracked. Parts of it have even been melted to glass. The area where I summoned the wall of ice has left a crevice in the ground a couple feet wide and dozens of paces long in both directions from where we now stand.

Suppressing a cough I say, "Well we will just have to pitch in and see about helping get it all repaired for him and his pack. We did the damage, it's only right that we work to set it straight. It's a good thing we have an earth guardian on our side."

Rick snorts, "So now I'm a glorified shovel is that it?"

I open my mouth to reply but Jasper beats me to it, "Not at all brother. A shovel has a brain moving it as well. Not just brawn."

Trying not to laugh I watch as Rick takes a playful swing at his brother who easily dodges out of the way as the two of them begin to playfully spar. Watching the pair play like pups half their age, I feel the stress of the day flow out of my body as I fully accept that my family is safe and whole.

Soon I hear a coughing sound a short distance away and see Wolfie approaching us with a smirk. Turning to my fellow alpha I say, "Sorry about destroying your yard my friend. I promise we will make it up to you."

He just shakes his head, "Seeker why is it that you always feel like you owe others after your battles?"

Looking around he fully takes in the damage to the area, "Besides we were thinking about adding a pool."

Waving an arm around he continues, "While the battle may have caused some damage its nothing that can't be replaced. You saved everyone here today Seeker that is something that we can never repay to you. If not for you I fear that many lives would have been lost today."

I give a half smile back, "That may be, but if I hadn't been here to begin with then it would never have happened in the first place."

He looks at me with an expression of incredulity, "Seeker, if you had not been here my pack and I would still be enslaved to that creature. Shadow would still be hunted as a traitor or worse. Haran would be a prisoner in his own mind. And none of us would be able to choose to live our lives as wish to now. Without you that evil would still be loose in this world with no one to stop it from spreading. You stopped it my friend. And for that we are all grateful. You owe us nothing."

Once he is right next to me he holds out a paw, "Now will you stop trying to blame yourself for all that happens?"

I let out a sot chuckle saying, "I'll try my friend. But old habits are very hard to break."

Taking his out stretched paw I give it a firm shake. As I do a brilliantly glowing white aura seems to engulf him as my tattoo tingles slightly. Wolfie has proven that his is more than a capable leader and is finally ready to join the ranks of the guardians.

I consider for a moment waiting to tell him but Shadow speaks up first, "So when do you think you will want to become a guardian old friend?"

Wolfie and I both turn to him in surprise as I ask, "How did you know he could become a guardian?"

Shadow looks at me and answers my question with one of his own, "Well isn't that what that glow means? It sure looks like what you have described on the others."

Blinking at my mate I say, "Yeah it does, you can see it?"

He nods, "Yeah, it's a bit hard to miss really. Don't know why I couldn't see it before."

I smile saying, "Must be an added bonus to you being a master now. That or your darkness powers let you see it."

Looking back at Wolfie I see that he is looking back and forth between us his jaw moving but no sound coming out.

Eventually he manages to get words out, "You really mean it?"

Nodding I say, "Yes my friend. You have proven that you are worthy to be the next air guardian. So what do you say?"