Finally! He had found a Goddess! He’d started to think they weren’t real, that maybe that little juvenile had been making it all up. And yet there she was as real as he was, with brilliant rainbow-filled wings and odd shiny things decorating her body.
Now all he had to do was talk her round.
He was crouched in the grass, dazzled by the vibrancy of her brilliance. He would have considered her beautiful if he’d been so inclined. But he wasn’t, so she was a mere spectacle, a feast for his hungry, broken eyes. And as he watched her rolling shells beneath her paws he began to wonder how he could possibly talk a higher being into helping him.
He snorted then. Higher being? She was just a lion with wings stuck on! No, they were on the same level. The only difference was that she might be able to help his eyes!
So, lowering himself into a pounce position he crept forwards, eyes pinned on her. He wasn’t the fastest movers so he’d have to pin her first go, else she might escape. So, gathering himself, he moved into pouncing range and prepared to launch himself. And as he moved the grass crackled and gave him away. But he couldn’t stop now. He exploded up from the grass, paws extended and a snarl rumbling from his throat.
--
She’d been happily rolling shells beneath her paws, watching the little creatures inside frolic and wondered whether they were the creations of majestic, wonderful Bahari. They didn’t look like fish but they were on the beach, so maybe they were still classed as such.
Either way, nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.
The first sign that she wasn’t alone was the sound of crackling grass and then she felt the air shift. A little warning light went off in her head and as the Goddess turned she saw a young adolescent throwing himself at her. She screamed and in that fear and anger her eyes lit up like beacons. A mental barrier swept out form her, grasped her attacker’s body and threw him roughly backwards.
He hit the ground with a horrible thud. The sound sending a tingling of apprehension through her body.
She gasped, surprised at her strength, her power. But it had been born from her desperation and now it was wavering and her legs felt shaky.
“Who’re you?” She scowled, moving towards her attacker with cautious but heated steps.
--
The breath had left Cassian’s lungs and his body ached. He couldn’t believe what had just happened and he marvelled at the oddness of it all. He raised his head, saw the world spin, and gave a sickening groan. His eyes seemed to be even worse in his disorientation, but he saw the brilliance of the Goddess’ wings as she approached.
He snarled, but the snarl turned into another groan and he was forced to set his head back down.
What was going to happen now? He wouldn’t be surprised if the Goddess killed him outright. He had just tried to pin her. But that was all. He couldn’t hurt someone who he wanted help from. He needed her, but he was loathe to admit it.
And then she was speaking to him and he lifted an ear as if it were a heavy weight to bear. “Cassian.” He breathed his name out, blinking his eyes rapidly to clear them.
--
“Cassian?” The Goddess paused, put a paw on his shoulder and leaned in close. She glanced into his striped face and into those odd-coloured eyes. “Why do you want to hurt us? What did we do to you?” She could feel the anger boiling again. “Foolish you are, yes. We protect one another, you cannot hurt us. We’ll protect each other from you, from mother, from all bad lions.”
She unsheathed her claws and pressed it into his fur, pricking tender flesh.
“Why do you pounce us?” She hissed. She sounded angry, demanding.
--
For the first time in his life, Cassian felt scared. He could feel the raw power focused at the tips of her claws now pressing into flesh. He could hear the madness in her words and thought her insane. But more than that, she truly believed he wanted to hurt her and now she was demanding why.
He didn’t like being bullied. Not when he’d taken that role for most of his life. And what made matters worse was that he needed to submit to her, beg for her help.
Okay. So pouncing her had been a bad idea, but there was nothing he could do about it now.
So he did the only thing he could.
He explained.
“I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I was trying to stop you from running away. I need your help, you see. I was told by someone that the Gods might be able to help with my situation so I’ve been seeking one. I’ve been searching a long time and then…then I heard rumours about you and I came to check it out.”
But did he really want help from a mad deity?
--
“Help? You want help from us?” Rokopelli blinked and instantly withdrew her claws, taking a step back to allow him up, though she readied herself in case he attacked again. “What can we help you with?” She fluffed up her chest, seemingly forgetting what had just conspired between them. She was proud and eager to show off.
“We might say yes, we might say no. We might not understand, but we can try.”
She looked at his odd markings, his odd eyes and considered what he might possibly want from her.
--
Cassian released a held breath as he was freed and pulled himself up into a slumping sit, his shoulder sagging, his head low but expression stern. His head wasn’t spinning so erratically, but he certainly felt as if he’d been bruised from the fall. His side hurt when he breathed too deeply and that annoying throb had started in his temples again.
“I was born imperfect.” He replied. He wasn’t going to think about it. He was just going to blurt it out before he realised that he was finally giving in and admitting that he was inferior. His pride would take a terrible blow, but it had to be done if he wanted to see again.
“My eyes. They can’t focus on far away things. I think they’re getting worse. Can you help? I want to be able to see and hunt and do things that everyone else can.”
--
She blinked her own eyes, unsure what to say in response. She hadn’t expected this! What did he think she was, a healer? She supposed that somewhere out there a God of healing was flying around but it certainly wasn’t her. Then again, maybe there was something she could do.
“No.” Roko squeaked. “We can’t fix eyeses.”
“We can try.” Pelli insisted. “Eyeses connected to the mind.”
“No they not! Don’t be silly. We can’t play with people’s mindses. Might hurtses them!”
“We’ll be careful!”
“No!”
“Look, I’m in charge now, not you, so shh!” And she forced the other part of her mind away and turned her attention back to Cassian, smiling pleasantly. “We’ll try to help. Yes.”
--
Cassian watched the Goddess conversing with herself with a rising nervousness in his heart. He had the distinct feeling that this was a bad idea. That something could go terribly wrong. He didn’t want anyone messing with his mind or his brain. He just wanted his eyes fixed!
But if he turned away now, what would he do then? Keep wandering until he happened across someone who could help him? Die never being truly independent? Or should he take a risk? If he took it and it worked then his life would finally be complete.
So, pushing back all the anxiety and the nagging feeling that this was wrong, he agreed. “Sure, just tell me what you’re going to do.”
--
“We’re going to look into your mind and see if we can poke it until it plays nice. See?” And then she settled down more comfortably and let her gaze fall upon his face. She was concentrating now and her body shuddered as she tried to settle herself into the ‘zone’ that her powers were most effective in.
And then, with half of her power, she reached out and touched the fragile colours of his mind. At once, a stream of consciousness flooded into her. It was as if she’d put a hole into a barrel of water. It gushed out of his mind and into hers, drowning her. She spluttered, gasped for breath and then took control, blocking up the hole.
Never before had she entered a mind so open, a mind so eager to have someone invade it. Whether he had meant to or not, Cassian wasn’t defending himself against her one little bit.
But he had felt something; that was clear by the look on his face. And she reached again, tentatively, speaking to him with her thoughts.
~Now we will work our magic~
--
Cassian felt it alright.
It was like a strange liquid flowing through his head. It crept into every little part of his mind, fed on his thoughts, became one with his frustrations. He felt, almost, as if this separate entity understood him completely. The idea was comforting and disturbing all at the same time.
And then the liquid spoke and it was not like a normal sound, it was as if he himself had thought it, though he was thinking in a different tone of voice.
He snapped open his eyes to glance at the Goddess in front of him but said nothing. He didn’t want to distract her at the most important part of the process.
--
The Goddess eagerly delved into her work, searching his mind, finding the thoughts of hope and desperation the strongest of all. It warmed her to think that he had come to her, that he believed she could help him. She wanted to prove her worth and her strength. She wanted to do something good! Show her mother that her powers weren’t only used to cause pain or invade on someone’s privacy.
And then she began poking at the recesses of his mind, searching, seeking, testing. She pushed harder when she found nothing, stretched the fabric of his consciousness.
Roko cried in terror in the back of her own mind, but Pelli paid no heed.
And then something happened, something terrible.
In her attempt to ignore Roko’s pleads she focused harder on her task, concentrating on his mind, desperate to at least help him think that he was seeing better. And then something came away, something important. And in terror and desperation she tried to put it back together.
But it was too late, and she heard Cassian’s warning cry in her head.
--
Pain.
He felt as if his brain were being torn out from his skull. He pressed his paws to his head, willed the pain away. This was like one of his terrible headaches but far, far worse. He gagged, wretched and tried to stay conscious. But the pain wouldn’t release him and he felt the world drop out from under him.
He collapsed on the ground, weeping, calling out in fear.
~Stop. Please. Stop.~
--
But it was too late and as Rokopelli tore herself away from his mind, she took it with her and as she opened her eyes she saw him lying on the ground, quaking with pain. And yet his voice was in her mind, begging her to stop.
She knew what had happened. She’d focused too hard, stressed the fragile line of his mind. And now it was damaged. Not broken – for if it was broken he would have died.
And yet it was clear that his mind was terribly damaged, that somehow she’d torn a little of it from him.
Rokopelli raised her head and roared, roared with grief and fear. Because with this mistake her mother would return to imprison her and clearly she was not strong enough to keep her away.
~Stop the pain~
“Shut up!”
~Stop the pain!!~
Rokopelli clamped her paws to her ears, but now she had not one voice in her head, but two and the reality of the situation brought unconsciousness tumbling down around her. She crumpled to the ground beside Cassian.
The Goddess had fainted.
