The Final Test (cont.)(Wind Feather)

(ooc) I'm going to pick up where we had left off with Wind Feather's test, except that I'm going to jump ahead just slightly.

(ic)

After watching Storm Wing soar back into the night sky, Silver Eagle foused his attention back in the direction of the waterfall. A few hours had passed, and by now he hoped that Wind Feather was nearing completion of her test. Although he had given her until sunrise, he had strong faith in her abilities and expected she would finish early. After taking a second to look back up into the sky once more, Silver Eagle made for the waterfall at an easy pace.

It wasn't long before he arrived at the waterfall, and as he looked around he saw no sign of his apprentice. However, the rabbit spirit did not appear either, which should have meant that Wind Feather was almost done...or at least he hoped.

The daughter of the previous Betas was indeed almost done. She'd found two stones and now was on the search for the last. Wind Feather had left the waterfall, walking as if she was in a dream. Her brown eyes were closed, her breathing deep and slow, and she didn't seem concious despite the fact that she was on the move. She was about half an hour into the woods before her body stopped. At her paws was a beautiful stone, all kinds of colors mixed in the beautiful smooth rock. Her body shivered lightly for a moment, then her eyes fluttered open and she seemed to come back to reality. "Found it." and this time, she knew it positively. A gentle force seemed to ebb from the stone, causing Wind Feather's skin to prickle and send her fur on end. It practically screamed power. The Spiritual in training gently took up the stone and settled it beneath her tounge before taking off at a quick pace back to the waterfall. She'd be there a little less than half an hour.

Silver Eagle waited patiently for Wind Feather to arrive, but with some anticipation as to whether or not she had found the stone. Thankfully, his worries were alleviated when he saw her not far off in the distance, and as she got closer, he could tell that she had found the right stone. Once she had arrived, he greeted her with a light smile upon his muzzle.

"You have done well, Wind Feather. All that's left for you to do now is leave that stone here, and then we will leave so that the spirit can be at peace. As for us, we shall move on to your final task of the night."

The next test he had planned out would be a bit different, and certainly not what Silver Eagle wanted to do the most. His biggest fear was that the next test would reveal too much about his suffering, which was something he had kept hidden from the rest of the pack for the last several months.

Wind Feather slowed to a stop at the edge of the pool that the fall fell into. She gently set down the stone and let out a light puff of breath with a smile to her teacher.
"Thank you, Silver Eagle." she said respectfully, tail wagging gently behind her. Final task? She wondered what it could be,"I'm ready." truthfully, she was tired but Wind Feather knew that there was little rest for a Spiritual at work. She could rest at the end of her test, and so she stood with her head up, ears pricked forward, and legs straight as she awaited instructions.

Silver Eagle could not help but smile lightly at Wind Feather's enthusiasm, it was quite refreshing, but it did not put him more at ease as his smile faded as soon as it had appeared. With a light nod to his apprentice he turned around and began to walk toward the darkness of the forest.

"Follow me."

He did not wait for her to respond, but merely continued to walk and stare straight forward. He had been dreading the day for when she would have to complete this task, but now he had no other choice. It had to be done.

There was no telling how long the Spiritual had kept on walking. The forest was covered in almost complete darkness either by the shifting position of the moon over time or by the fact that the mountains merely obstructed its light, he could not be sure. Either way, the setting was perfect, and the spiritual sensed that He would be here soon.

Great

Silver Eagle thought this with some exasperation, but he knew it had to be done. Although the pain was not actually real, Silver Eagle was imagining the pain he had felt when he first got the scar on his shoulder, which by now had been covered by his fur. For now he could only pray that maybe Wind Feather would not find out about his mark...

After slowing his pace for a brief moment in time to contemplate the location, Silver Eagle eventually stopped and turned his head to look at his apprentice.

"Wind Feather, you have come far and have learned much. I could pass you as a full Spiritual right here and now and feel comfortable with my decision, but before I do that, there is just one last thing I would like for you to experience. Thus far I have only exposed you to the good side of Spiritual work, and spoke to you of the bad, but tonight I am afraid that it is time you finally experience the bad. Your final test is to show me how well you can handle yourself..."

As his last sentance formed, the forest appeared to grow even darker than it had been before. Indeed, a dark mist had engulfed the area around the Spiritual and his apprentice, and soon the stench of death flooded Silver Eagle's nostrils. He was mostly unfazed by it, but he was unsure how Wind Feather would handle it. He turned his body to face her, and as he did there was an eerie 'clack-clack' on one of the branches above, and periodic drips of thick crimson blood dripped down to the ground. He did not look back to the Spirit, but walk over toward his apprentice and stood behind her. It was her time to shine, and unbeknownst to Silver Eagle as he watched her, his scar had already began to slowly crack open.

(ooc) So, I don't think there is one sole roleplayer for the Spirit of Death and Destruction, so correct me if I'm wrong. Otherwise, would you like to take turns RPing him? In other words, if you would like you can use him in your reply, and then I will Rp him in my next post to go off of whatever you put in your reply.

OOC: Hehe, well I don't know what you have planned so you can rp him :3 there is really no sole rper for the spirits, anyone can play them as long as they are responsible with it. The only one that can't be played by anyone except FireStorm and I is Black Wolf.

BIC: It was hard not to notice the eerie mist, and Wind Feather looked around in confusion, a very small understanding alighting to her at Silver Eagle's words. She knew she was about to meet the most ruthless of all the spirits. The misty fog was cold, chilling the young unofficial Spiritual to her bones, though this chill was far more than just the physical effects of the mist. She did not watch as her trainer walked around behind her, but rather tilted her nose up to squint through the darkness at the malignant spirit. All she could see of The Spirit of Death and Destruction was the bright blue glowing of his soul-stone and a very faint glow of his blood red eyes. Wind Feather's hackles rose, her tail stiffening behind her and ears rotating so that what ususally would have faced forward pointed to the ground. From this spirit emitted an air of pure evil, nothing good could come from this confrontation.
"Why have you come here?" she asked in a whisper of mustered confidence, staring at the dark crow.

The spirit's beady blue eyes looked coldly down to Wind Feather, his head cocked in thought as he pondered her question. His gaze blinked over to Silver Eagle for a moment before they blinked back to the apprentice, and a thick drop of blood poured from his jagged beak like drool from a dog.

"You insolent fool, I am not required to answer your question! As a Spirit, I can come and go wherever I please. But, if you must know, I was summoned here by your instructor, but why is beyond me. After spending so much time trying to avoid me, he now suddenly wants me near? Very interesting..."

At those words he looked back over to the Spiritual, who had to fight the urge to cringe at the Spirit's gaze.

"What's the matter Silver Eagle? Are you finally giving in?"

The blood had finally seeped through the Spiritual's scar and had soaked his fur all the way to the surface, recreating the shape of the mark he had recieved so many moons ago. Silver Eagle, meanwhile, could not help but glare at the Spirit.

"What you speak of is blasphemy! This is a training exercise, and nothing more."

The spirit's beak opened up as a deep chuckle eminated from within him.

"A training exercise?! I see, and are you attempting to have your apprentice go down the same path as you?"

The Spiritual's gae widened in almost horror, but quickly narrowed in anger.

"Of course not, I would never..."

"Yet you, her instructor and teacher, have set an example by damning your eternal soul!"

"You know as well as I do that is not true."

"Ah, that may well be, but you are walking a very fine line Spiritual..."

This was getting out of hand. Silver Eagle had meant for this to be a training exercise for Wind Feather, and now it was focusing entirely on him. This was all wrong, but he hoped that Wind Feather would try to take charge of the situation and show that she was capable of handling such a ruthless spirit.

Wind Feather's gaze hardened, lips twitching, as she listened to the conversation between the two.

"A training exercise?! I see, and are you attempting to have your apprentice go down the same path as you?"

What? What was this demented spirit speaking of? The trainee turned her head to look at her mentor, brown eyes landing on the dark red stain on his shoulder.
No....

"Yet you, her instructor and teacher, have set an example by damning your eternal soul!"

"Silver Eagle, what is he talking about?" she asked her teacher, returning her stoney gaze to the Spirit of Death and Destruction. Things have definately turned from bad to worse. Before Silver Eagle had the time to answer her, Wind Feather slammed a paw forward and squared her shoulders as she glared up at the malignant spirit.
"I don't know what's going on, but I have been under Silver Eagle's wing my entire life and I know him better than anyone. Better than you. So, Black Wolf help me, restore Silver Eagle his rights to his soul so he may choose his own path!" the apprentice's anger was quickly rising, she was very close to Silver Eagle..he was like a second father to her.

Silver Eagle saw Wind Feather's gaze on his shoulder, which caused him to almost hang his head in shame. He had never meant for anyone to ever know, least of all his apprentice. But his head perked back up at the manner of which she spoke to the Spirit, and he could not help but feel a small surge of pride for that brief moment.

The Spirit's cold gaze quickly shifted over to Wind Feather as though they were attempting to pierce through her very soul. His beak clacked together in anger at Wind Feather's outburst.

"Foolish wolf, you should learn to stay out of matters that you know nothing of! Thankfully for Silver Eagle, his soul is not yet mine, but it could be if he's not careful. It is up to the Greater Beings if Silver Eagle will be relieved of his burden..."

Then, in one fluid movement, the Spirit spread his wings out to the side, and very slowly the mist began to fade.

"If I am to be used merely as a training exercise, then it is a waste of my time to remain here. Just remember Spiritual, everything would be alot easier if you just gave in."

On that last note, the Spirit quickly faded away, leaving the two wolves on their own.

After the Spirit had gone, Silver Eagle had a long mental sigh eminate through him, and as he looked down to his shoulder he noticed that as usual, the bleeding had ceased, but his fur was still stained in the exact shape of the scar. He almost dreaded having to explain this to Wind Feather, but he also hoped that it would stop her from making the same mistake he did.

At the spirit's disappearance, Wind Feather stayed tensed for a few more moments before finally relaxing and turning to Silver Eagle with a questioning look.
"Teacher...what was going on?" she asked, exhaustion evident in her voice. She simply wanted to collapse, as that moment had used up the last of her energy. No doubt, the shewolf would sleep hard tonight, most likely a dreamless wonderful sleep.

Silver Eagle looked up to Wind Feather as she posed her question, and took quick notice to her physical state. It had been a long and difficult night, and no doubt it had taken a particular toll on her being. He wanted to clear things up for her as soon as possible, but it would be difficult for her to comprehend in her current state.

"That's not too important right now, Wind Feather. How about you get some rest, and I will explain things to you in the morning...you have worked hard and deserve it. After all, you are no longer my student."

After lightly nodding his head in acknowledgement and congratulations to Wind Feather's new status, Silver Eagle turned and slowly headed back in the direction of the falls. Unlike Wind Feather, he would not be getting much rest tonight, and the falls was the only place that made enough noise to keep him awake for a majority of the night.

The newly ranked shewolf watched Silver Eagle as he retreated into the woods, heading in the direction of the falls.
What has happened to you, Silver Eagle? she asked in thought, concern creasing her face. She considered following him, badgering him about it, but thought better of it. The wolf was clearly not in the mood for it, and he seemed just as tired as she was if not from the entire night then from that last ordeal. With an inward sigh, the newly appointed Spiritual turned slightly and quickly made her way towards what had become their seperate but close sleeping quarters. The daughter of the post-Betas was eager to get some sleep, and she'd need it when she and Silver Eagle discovered what had happened in Black Mountain Valley on their return home.

After turning his back to Wind Feather, Silver Eagle did not look back to her again. He was relieved for the night to be over, and as he made it to the falls, he was even more relieved that she had not followed to try and get more answers from him. With the sound of the roaring falls and the gentle sensation of the occasional mist hitting his face, he sat down by the water's edge and contemplated how he would explain things to her. He remembered when his old teacher had talked about the same thing, but even then it was a bit different. Silver Eagle's teacher had not gone through the same ordeal, and so was speaking from the experience of other Spiritual's who had. It was not an easy talk, because while it had the potential to reveal a very important lesson in meddling in the affairs of the spirits, it also revealed the ability of the Spiritual to commit a very evil deed...one that had led a few power hungry or over-curious Spirituals to fall to the side of evil.

By morning, Silver Eagle had only fallen asleep once for almost two hours, but even those two hours had been a bit hellish. He was glad to see the light of the sun out, because it was the only thing that brought him peace these days, and at least it would allow for good traveling.

He chose to wait for Wind Feather near the falls, his heart occasionally racing in anticipation of her arrival. Up until now, he had told no one about his secret, or in other words, what had happened to him. The alphas knew the act he had committed all those months ago, but not even they were aware of the consequences it had brought upon him.

Wind Feather had slept fitfully, not tormented by full dreams as much as small flickers of imagination that her subconcious conjured up of what Silver Eagle's confession could possibly be. Now, upon waking to a softly lit sky, any memory of those dreams vanished and she greeted the morning with a small yawn and a side-to-side shake of her head to clear her groggy thoughts. The Spiritual's ears flickered as she gazed around the semi-familiar cave before standing and stretching her sleep cramped muscles. Finally, it was time to return home. Eagerly, the shewolf padded out and took a deep breath of the fresh air before turning to peer into Silver Eagle's sleeping quarter. She was mildly surprised to see his absence, but figured he had spent the night at the falls. She turned and started off at a trot, heading in that direction. Wind Feather wanted to run, but she knew she must save her energy so she and Silver Eagle could take a meal, then be on their way down the mountain and into the valley. It was going to be wonderful, to see everyone's face again, even Sage Ghost's and especially Falling Snow's. Wind Feather missed Falling Snow greatly, but had kept the thought of him and her pack pushed from her mind during her last test. Now, as they rushed to the front of her mind, she had to fight the anticipation to keep from running.
"Silver Eagle. Good morning." she greeted to her post-teacher, slowing to a stop. Her mind switched thoughts. She knew he was going to tell her his secret today, and her face which had on the way there been pulled into a gentle smile at her thoughts of home, now tightened into a stoic look.

Silver Eagle's ears flicked in the direction of Wind Feather's voice, his head turning to look upon his former apprentice. While he certainly would miss not having a student, it was also a relief to know that the Spiritual duties would not be rested upon his shoulder alone. Hopefully, this meant that he could spend more time figuring out how to absolve his "curse".

"Good morning. Please, have a seat."

He motioned for her to sit near his side, and for a few moments he sat silently, wondering how he should start. He had thought about this moment all night, but now it suddenly felt harder to come up with the words. It wasn't until after he had let out a long and deep sigh that he was able to begin, and starring at the falls was all he could do to keep from looking at Wind Feather too much.

"You may have been too young to remember this, but before the Black Mountain and Swift River Clan went into war, Black Paw went out to do some scouting and never returned. Many moons passed, and no one had figured out what had happened to her, so naturally Sage Ghost began to suspect that the Swift River Clan was at fault. I didn't want to see our pack go to war, so I did everything in my power to try and prevent it. I meditated and prayed for several hours, hoping that something would be revealed to me, but I was never able to get clear answers. At the time I was too caught up in my ambitions to think that maybe, perhaps we're not always meant to understand what happens beyond the realm of the living, and anything we do happen to learn is an honor and privilege...nothing more."

The Spiritual had to take another long sigh and pause before he could bring himself to continue.

"My teacher had told me when I was younger that there was a way to contact the dead. To put it in better terms, I learned a way to contact the spirits of beings who had passed on from life, but not quite to the next realm. These are spirits who feel trapped because they are troubled or need to fulfill some purpose before they can be at peace, but these are spirits who cannot stay in our realm, the realm of the living, forever. Usually there is a time limit for these spirits to pass on, what that limit is I am uncertain about, and if they cannot, their souls become property of the Spirit of Death and Destruction. However, doing such a thing carries a consequence, and I was told that doing such a thing should only be done when the lives of loved ones are at stake. When my efforts had been exhausted, I turned to this technique to finally get some answers, thinking I could handle whatever was thrown at me...but I was a fool."

It was only until now that he was able to bring himself to look at Wind Feather, and it was only because he wanted to drive his message home.

"Because of what I did, I am now branded with the mark on my left shoulder. At night I cannot rest, lest I be tormented by hundreds of spirits crying out for help. Although it is easier for me to sleep during the day, even then I am not always safe. This burden becomes worse during the full moon, when the presence of spirits is always at its strongest. Even at night I sometimes feel their presence when I am awake, and I dare not sleep during the full moon, for doing so would result in a mental and emotional overload stronger than any wolf is ever meant or capable of enduring. Because I entered their realm, I am cursed to hear cries of despair and help, and sometimes all I can do to keep my sanity is to help these spirits."

Silver Eagle was beginning to get himself a bit riled up, and he had to look away and calm himself before continuing.

"However, because I did what I did for the sake of others, my curse is not as bad as it could be. You see, when you hear of Spirituals who become Witches, it is often because they do exactly what I have done, but for their own selfish and power motives. Spirituals that become evil often look into the realm of the dead to give themselves an advantage, because by communicating with these spirits, there is no limit to the knowledge and advantages that one can gain. That is why the Spirit of Death and Destruction said that my soul was walking on a fine line, for if I go beyond helping these spirits and use them for my own purposes, then my soul will be forever damned. You will know this if a second line goes through the circular part of my scar, and crosses the first. If you ever were to encounter a Witch, you will know it because they will have that mark.

Perhaps one day, the Gods will have mercy and relieve me of this burden, but until that day comes it is something I must live with. I hope you will never do as I have done, but if the day comes when you absolutely have to; and I mean when all other options have been exhausted; it must be for the sake of protecting or saving the life of a loved one, and you must be prepared to live the rest of your life as I am now. The only way you can ever do this is by contacting the Spirit of Life, for he is the only spirit capable of letting you into that realm of existence. Just remember, Wind Feather, it is one thing to try and contact the dead, but it is quite another to meddle in their affairs."

Wind Feather eased her bottom down and curled her thickly furred tail around her hind paws. Here it was, and the shewolf pricked her ears forward to catch every word. Her eyes bored into his face as she listened intently to Silver Eagle's words, no emotion expressing itself across her face. She did not remember any Black Paw, so she was not aware that the creature had been a rabbit. The shewolf imagined a wolf with possible black paws. Perhaps, someday when she was good enough, she could find a way to relieve Silver Eagle's curse...but she knew that would only settle one upon her own shoulders. There was probably no way out of it.
"Well, Silver Eagle, thank you for the explaination. I can only do my best to remember your experience and heed your advice." she paused, lips pursing lightly,"Not to seem impatient, but I am dying to return home." she forced a small smile,"How about you?" her smile was forced as she hid her concern for her fellow Spiritual. He was tormented, driven near-mad by agonized spirits, and there was nothing she could really do.