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True kyn? Other kyn? New concepts swam through Rone's mind, and when he tried to sort them out he ended up more confused than before. He had lived his entire life in one, small area of the world, and everything was entirely new. In fact, this was the first time he had ever left his natal home. Was there truly so much more in the world than he first realized?

But he couldn't question the half-True kyn. After all, he had no prior knowledge of anything before he had arrived. Although he wondered fleetingly if all of this was true, he had no choice to believe the story, and wait for the inevitable bad ending once the others were done with their questions. When in usual circumstances he would have felt fear or dread of the truth, he was curious, and he wanted to know more.

Rone sat in silence, motionless except for the gentle movement of the tip of his tail.

Tigris shifted, his ears flat to his head. Rutilus and his annoying little questions... he hadn't meant to let them have a long enough break to talk. He raised his taloned steel arm and scratched it idly along a rock before folding it back again. "No," he said at last. "True Kyn are very different from the Otherkin, born of the Mother's first clutch rather than the second. But I suppose our greatest difference is our ability to use the ancient tongue to its fullest potential-- that is how I called only you, the select few in whom I could place my trust-- and..."

He looked up, lashing his tail, and paced slowly. It was unnerving as his eyes passed from one to the next of them, as though carefully watching his prey. "We cannot use your magic tomes, but we do not need them. We have the true power granted by the Mother-- We have the Voice." His tail lashed. "Each of us has a single Voice. It is less... versatile than your magic, but it is a natural power that is many, many times greater than your greatest mages. It ranges from a command over fire to... to my Water-Walk." He stepped back a bit.

"I am afraid that in my efforts to make safe passage across the continent, some of you may have seen me in passing before, and I apologize if I have harmed anyone in the process. I am the Water-Walker. I can run fast enough to cross oceans." He paused. "And that is why I am here. The Man-Child feared the True Kyn, because he could not control us with his magic tomes. He hated and feared us, and so he turned the Mother against us. He used her to banish us from the mainland. She made an Island and placed upon it a Temple that called my father's people across a land bridge, and then she flew out after us and destroyed the land bridge. And when she arrived on the island... she died. She had exhausted her strength." He snarled a bit and shook his head to whisk air through his fur. "The Man-Child exiled my people from the mainland and killed the Mother. My people cannot swim or fly; that is why I came alone."

He sat down after a moment. "The Emperor of our people is Rikkashan, whom we call Father. It is he who called my mother, the Lunar Otherkin Ansil, across the land bridge before it was destroyed. He wants nothing but to reunite us with the Kyn of the mainland, but because our people are wingless they will need the help of Otherkin. They need to breed with winged Otherkin to produce half-True Kyn with wings who can carry them. They are too large for you to carry them, I'm afraid.I am here to offer those of you capable of flight a new life-- you will be revered and respected, and every need will be catered to if you go to live on the Island of Death, as it has been called. It is where the Black Temple sits, the antithesis to the White Temple of the Meadow of Life. There you will have everything you desire. As for the Lunars..." He frowned. "You can spread the word in secret, among those who can be trusted. When the True Kyn return, you will be rewarded." He smiled and stepped back some. "Are there any questions, then?"

Madoc had listened in silence to Tigris's story and the other kyns' questions. Now his mind turned over the information he had heard, as well as the offer. It was certainly horrible what had happened to the True Kyn, but would he be willing to leave his denmates and bonded to go to the island of the True Kyn?

Madoc shifted uncertainly, causing the large red bow affixed to his left shoulder to rustle slightly. He looked down at it thoughtfully. That bow signified that he came to live with Kailind as a sign of friendship, in a time of goodwill towards others. For that reason, he enjoyed that time of year and what it signified. If he liked such sentiments so much, shouldn't he do his best to act upon them whenever possible? Wouldn't that mean he should do what he could to help the True Kyn and bring them and the Otherkyn back together?

Still, this was not a decision to be made lightly. He looked around at the other kyn gathered, then at Tigris. He remembered that the unusual Lunar -- or half-Lunar, it seemed -- mentioned some abilities that True Kyn had. His mind wandered off on a tangent as he speculated what they might be like. He suddenly blurted out, "Hey, if we go with you, could we learn how to use the ancient tongue, too?'

Tsukikaijuu couldn't help but feel his blood boil slightly. Of course, the lunars would not get to go to this amazing place to help these poor True Kyn. Of course he would have to stay behind and, likely, deal with that b*****d human, who probably despised him by now. He should have known better than to get his hopes up. He knew no winged or flying Kyn- Only the ones around him. The lucky ones who got to go on an adventure, become something larger than themselves.

And he was stuck here. Because he was a Lunar Kyn. Perhaps Lunar Kyn were even less-ranked than the flying Other Kyn?

The True Kyn said that he would still be rewarded for spreading the word, but who knows how long the process would take for the half-True Kyn to make their way to the mainland? What if the Man-Child struck again and wiped out the True Kyn on their island once and for all? Did he have that much power? And Tsukikaijuu wouldn't be able to help at all, directly.

He couldn't help the wave of pessimism that seemed to overwhelm him at this point, but he tried to show as little of it as he could.

Another thing nagged at him as well: This Kyn seemed convinced that because he was a True Kyn, he was superior to the Other Kyn. Well, where was that now? They were the ones who needed the help, and the Other Kyn were the only ones who could help. Yet Tsuki couldn't help but notice the seeming regret and reluctance in his voice, especially as he clawed the rock. What if the True Kyn Tigris, in his hate of the Other Kyn, didn't ever reward them at all?

Something about that feeling bothered him greatly, but still not as much as the fact he would likely only be able to know these events existed, unable to do anything. The lunar Kyn wondered if he would even hear of this again, or if after the flying ones left he would never again hear word of this?

Of course, he would still remember. Still remember that, because of his species, he would be unable to accomplish anything at this point. Tsuki relaxed his eyes at this point, realizing that they had been narrowed ever since Tigris had mentioned that the Lunars were to stay here and do nothing but send others to a potential life of luxury while they remained here, knowing that others were happy and well-taken care of because they could fly.

After listening to the horrifying story of the Mother-Kyn and her untimely death, after listening to all of the terrible things that the Man-Child had done, how was he supposed to stay and do nothing? This was just like the situation with his human- Being barred from adventure that could have brought him happiness beyond imagine. But now...not only was he doomed to stay on the main-land, but he could not help others escape a horrible fate as well.

There were so many questions going through is head now. What would happen to the flying kyn? What would happen to him? Is the man-child still alive, endangering the True Kyn? Would he ever get to do something interesting for once, or was he doomed to walk towards an open door, only to have it slam in his face? Eventually there wouldn't be any more open doors, he reasoned. Then I'll only have to be bitter over what I could have had a long time ago, and not what is currently slamming on me.

But the Lunar said nothing, voicing none of his questions. He wasn't sure he wanted to know any more. The less he heard about what he would miss, the better, he Tsuki reasoned.

But telling other flying Kyn...That seemed out of the question. Why should they get to go when he couldn't? But then Tsuki remembered the True Kyn, trapped on that island because of the b*****d Man-Child. No, he would tell others. But he would hate every minute of it, because it was another Kyn that had what Tsuki did not.

He never thought that he might not want the True Kyn to survive, that they may see the Other Kyn as so inferior that they did not deserve to exist. The idea that the adventure may not be as amazing as he thought never came to him. All he could feel was resentment, jealousy and hatred.

This is it.

The lunar's upper lip twitched, but he did not snarl. There was no point in him staying any longer- Nothing awaited him here. He gave one last, bitter look to each of the flying Kyn in turn, eyes narrowed, before he pulled himself into a trot and began to meander away in the direction that he had come.

He was pissed- There was no way around it. His instincts had told him to attack for the simple fact that he could. But his reasoning had managed to hold, for he realized that fighting would have no effect on anything except for spilling blood needlessly.

Slowly trees began to grow around his running form, and soon the forest became thicker and thicker. As he ran, he thought. He thought about whether he would help send other Kyn to a life of luxury while he stayed behind, never getting to see this wondrous place known as the Black Temple.

But still...the story of the Mother-Kyn and the Man-Child lingered in the back of his mind. To not help would practically be murder- Tsuki didn't want that.

But he wanted an adventure. An adventure like the others, the flying Kyn. But now adventure was out of his reach.

The lunar slowed to a walk as he reached that dreaded place. He peered up at the foreboding cave entrance, dark eyes narrow. He pricked his ears, listening for sound. Had the human left already?

But what he heard did not please him at all.

"Human."

"Hwah-mahn?" A little, high-pitched voice squeeked.

Tsuki had been replaced already. Instinctively he growled, and suddenly the high-pitched voice was silent. Through the entrance of the cave appeared a little baby Kyn, her blue eyes peering at the larger in wonder.

He snarled at the little one, and then took off into the forest. He had decided now: The Kyn would tell others about the True Kyn's desperate call for flying Kyn. He would hate every moment of it, but murder was simply out of the question.

But he simply couldn't face that damn human. He had adopted another Kyn in his place, without even waiting a day to see if he would return. Tsuki was now running as fast as he could, faster, faster. He ran on for what seemed like forever, not knowing where he would end up.

He honestly didn't care.