New Blog Name

Hi, guys! I know I've been away for a long time, sorry about that! So, anyway, I was thinking of giving my blog a new name and a new URL, or just creating a new blog. This one will still exist, and stuff, but I'm going to post on the new blog from now on. This blog seems great and all, but it kind of doesn't fit with me anymore, and my Heart of the Wolf blog (theheartofthewolf.blogspot.com) was a complete disasturous mess, so that kind of sums it up. If that happens, sorry about anyone who hasn't seen this post.
The new name for the blog will be The Lion Roars, the URL will be lionroars.blogspot.com. Visit us soon!

Born Free

Ok... so this blog isn't for just my stories. So, the other day, I was watching this movie called Born Free. It's about this woman whose husband has a job of hunting man-eating lions (of course, we all know they aren't real :P) and he accidentally kills the father and mother of these cubs, so he brings them home. He and his wife, Joy, raise the lions, but they become too big for them to handle so they have to ship them off to a zoo because they've been raised in captivity. Joy is attached to the runt of the litter, a cub she calls Elsa. Just before they ship them off, Elsa stops Joy from walking into a cobra. Joy begs her husband to keep her, but he says no. So she goes off to shop while he hands the lions over. When she comes back, she says she misses the cubs, and then her husband reveals that he kept Elsa.

One day, a lot later, Elsa starts chasing these elephants and ruins a few villages with a stampede. Their manager says they'll have to give up Elsa. Joy asks for three months so that she can try to introduce Elsa back into the wild. "She was born free, she has the right to be free," Joy said. Elsa can't feed herself, and when they introduce her to a male she first gives him two slaps on the muzzle. After a long while, Elsa chases a warthog and catches it. Sadly, she does not kill it. They took her just 35 miles from where her mother had been killed, and tried to release her there. She caught a warthog this time. Then, they introduced her into a pride.

Months later, they return, and find Elsa and find that she has three cubs and is now a full-fledged member of the pride. It was a great movie, and I would give it 5 stars. It was a really sweet and awesomely, extremely cute. 

Hollyleaf's Story

This is kind of my version of what happened to Hollyleaf, Lionblaze and Jayfeather's sister, after she vanished into the tunnels at the end of Warriors: Power of Three: Sunrise, and how she kind of found a new place. This is only the first few chapters. No copyright intended. Allegiances at the end. ERIN HUNTER OWNS THE WARRIORS SERIES. I DO NOT.

PROLOUGE

Hollyleaf dashed into the tunnels, ignoring the cries of her brothers behind her. I believed Squirrelflight was our mother! I believed her, and now look where it got me! Leafpool and Squirrelflight are the worst cats that ever lived! They broke the warrior code! Hollyleaf ran madly through the tunnels, ignoring the rockfall behind her. Let them think I’m dead! I don’t care! And I don’t care what happens to the three, because our birth destroyed the warrior code!

“Hollyleaf,” a gentle voice spoke in the black she-cat’s ear. Hollyleaf stopped running and swung her head around in a wide arc, searching for the owner of the voice. “Hollyleaf,” it said again. “Do not look for me; I am Honeyleaf, the ancient SkyClan deputy.”

“SkyClan?” Hollyleaf said. “Yes,” Honeyleaf replied. “The fifth clan. SkyClan was lost long before you were born, before Mousefur was born. Cats usually only know about it after they come to StarClan, but you, Firestar, Sandstorm, Graystripe, and Cinderpelt know about it.”

“Why—why do I know about it?” Hollyleaf whispered.

“It is your destiny,” answered the voice. “I must go now, to Leafstar, but I will always walk in your dreams, little one. But remember: Follow the river that leads over the moors.”

“Honeyleaf!” Hollyleaf wailed. “What’s that supposed to mean? And who’s Leafstar?” There was no answer. Hollyleaf felt her jaws stretch wide in a yawn. She would think about strange prophecies tomorrow; now, it was time sleep. She would’ve liked some soft moss, like her nest in the ThunderClan warriors’ den, but in the underground cave, there was nothing, except a few scratchy leaves. The black she-cat felt as if she could sleep for a full moon. Now, there were no other cats to lie to, just herself and the hard earth. Hollyleaf unsheathed her claws and scraped herself a hole in the dirt.

It would have to do for tonight. She was too tired to go any farther. Settling down in her scrape, she saw a toad, not many fox-lengths away. In a few, swift bounds, she had the lumpy thing pierced on her claw. She hadn’t had any fresh-kill since before the Gathering that night, and now, it was nearing sunrise. Besides, if ShadowClan could eat frogs, she could, too. At least it would keep her alive until she was out of this place. She ate the frog in a few, hungry bites. It tasted like crow-food, but it was enough to satisfy the hunger in her belly. As she settled down in her nest, Hollyleaf hoped she could get out of this place before she went completely mad. 

CHAPTER 1

         Hollyleaf licked one forepaw. She had been living in the tunnels for a moon now, but she knew she had to leave soon, and find SkyClan before Honeyleaf prophesized that she would have to get there before the next day. She lifted her head and sniffed the air. Mostly cat-scent, coming from herself, but she could smell traces of fresh air, not coming off of her own pelt. Walking towards it, she came to a river and stopped dead. She knew the way out from here! She and her brothers had been sent into the tunnels when they were apprentices to rescue three WindClan kits. She waded through the river, the water cooling her belly fur. Once she was across, her belly fluttered with excitement. She could see light! Racing towards it, she squeezed through the exit. Scenting the air, she recognized Breezepelt’s and Heathertail’s scents, along with Rippletail and her father, Crowfeather.

         Snorting, she sniffed again, and found the river that led upwards, the border marker between WindClan and ThunderClan. Keeping to the ThunderClan side, she continued upwards. Steering herself around patches of heather and gorse, she remembered how pleased she’d been the night after her warrior ceremony. She followed the river for a moon, and after two days without sleeping, and finally decided to rest when she reached the mouth of a gorge. Here, soft sand provided a nest. It now had been two moons since she’d left ThunderClan. Certain nights, Honeyleaf had walked in her dreams and offered her advice. Other nights were spent dreaming of foxes and badgers coming to get her. That night, Honeyleaf mewed, “Go to SkyClan soon. Hurry, or SkyClan will die! Otherwise, SkyClan will be lost!”

 “Honeyleaf!” Hollyleaf had called after the ancient deputy. “Honeyleaf, come back!” The SkyClan cat didn’t answer, only walked away and faded into the shadows. The next morning, Hollyleaf walked towards the mouth of the gorge. She walked till sunhigh. Then, she stopped dead. Cats moved around a clearing, stocking a fresh-kill pile and ordering patrols. This must be it! This must be SkyClan! Padding forward, she asked, “Who’s the leader of this Clan? I need to talk to her. Tell her my name is Hollyleaf of ThunderClan.”

A broad-shouldered cat stepped forward. “You know Firestar?” he meowed.

“Yes,” Hollyleaf hissed. “I know Firestar and Sandstorm, and their lying, fox-hearted kits, Squirrelflight and Leafpool!”

“Who are you?” a beautiful tabby she-cat had stepped forward. “And why do you call Firestar and Sandstorm’s kits lying and fox-hearted?”

“Leafpool is the ThunderClan medicine cat. But she gave birth to Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and me. Then, she lied and gave us to Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw to raise.” The tabby dipped her head.

“Hollyleaf, you say? I am Leafstar, leader of SkyClan. This is Sharpclaw, my deputy,” she rested her tail-tip on the broad-shouldered tom’s flank. “And Echosong, my medicine cat,” she swiveled her ears to point at a silver she-cat. “These are my queens, Clovertail and Fallowfern. And these are my warriors, Cherrytail, Sparrowpelt, Bouncefire, Tinycloud, Rockshade, Waspwhisker, Nettlesplash, Rabbitleap, Creekfeather, Plumwillow, Patchfoot, Petalnose, Shrewtooth, Sagepelt, Mintwhisker, and Eggfur. These are the elders, Lichenfur, and Tanglepelt. StarClan promised us the best leaf of holly. I’m guessing you, Hollyleaf are our leaf of holly. We’ll accept you into our clan, if you wish.”

Hollyleaf hesitated. Her paws scuffed the dry dirt. “I—I’m not sure if I want to join your clan yet. Can I stay here, though?”

“Of course,” Leafstar purred. “StarClan did promise us the best leaf of holly.”

         Hollyleaf narrowed her green eyes. Is she only interested in the prophecy mentioning a leaf of holly? If StarClan had not given her a prophecy, would she still have accepted me into her clan so easily? She noticed other cats with narrowed eyes and furious gazes, Sharpclaw among them.

“Why accept her into the clan so easily?” A cream tom had slid out of the crowd. “Some of us weren’t accepted until after we had proved ourselves worthy, or after we had been watched. Hollyleaf just strolls right into our camp and you introduce all of us, and ask her if she wants to join the clan.”

“Eggfur is right,” meowed Sharpclaw. “You had me watch Eggfur before you let him join the clan.” Hollyleaf thought she saw a flicker of doubt in the SkyClan leader’s amber eyes, but before she could be sure of it, it vanished.

“Sharpclaw, Eggfur,” she meowed confidently. “Meet me in my den after this meeting.”

“Yes, Leafstar,” Sharpclaw and Eggfur muttered. “Hollyleaf, Petalnose and Fallowfern will help you find a nest in the warriors’ den.”

“Thank you, Leafstar, for all your kindness,” Hollyleaf meowed. “Even if I don’t join SkyClan, I will always remember you.”

“Thank you, Hollyleaf.” Suddenly, there was a shower of stones from the cliff.

“The daylight warriors are here!” yowled Nettlesplash.  Hollyleaf turned in confusion to Clovertail. “The daylight warriors?”

“Warriors who live with their Twoleg owners at night and are warriors in the day,” Clovertail explained. Hollyleaf’s jaw dropped. “B—But that goes against the warrior code!”

“Does it?” Clovertail looked surprised.

“Firestar was a kittypet and wanted to be a warrior, but Bluestar, the leader of ThunderClan, forced him to choose one. She said he couldn’t live with a paw in both worlds.” Hollyleaf’s chest burst with pride. She’d heard the story from Mousefur and Longtail when she was a kit. But my kit hood was filled with lies.

         “Come on, Hollyleaf!” mewed Petalnose. “I’ll find you a nest. Then you can come on patrol with me and Waspwhisker.”

“Sure, Petalnose,” Hollyleaf replied. “How’s it like being just SkyClan, all by yourselves?”

“I don’t really know,” replied Petalnose cautiously. “I’ve never lived like you do, in four clans.”

“What do you do for Gatherings?” Hollyleaf inquired.

“We go up onto the Skyrock and tell StarClan stuff, and discuss things in the clan.” Petalnose said vaguely. “The whole clan goes.”

“In the forest, Firestar selects a patrol of cats, and we go to the Island and meet the three other clans,” Hollyleaf said. “Then we discuss stuff with the rest of the clans. In the old forest, we used to have Fourtrees, but when the Twolegs took over the forest, they destroyed it. I’ve never gotten to see it. Squirrelflight and Ferncloud told me.”

“The old forest?” Petalnose tipped her head to one side.

“The place where the clans used to live,” Hollyleaf explained. “Like I said, Twolegs took over the forest, and now we live by the lake.”

“And all the four clans worked together?” Petalnose asked in awe.

“Yep,” replied Hollyleaf. By now, they had reached the base of the cliff. Petalnose jumped onto a ledge jutting out of the cliff-face. Hollyleaf gasped.

“Where are the dens?” she yowled.

“Above you,” Fallowfern replied. “The ancient SkyClan’s special ability was to jump from tree to tree. That’s why they were called SkyClan.”

“Sandstorm can leap really far,” Hollyleaf boasted.

“SkyClan cats can jump even farther.” Fallowfern jumped up onto the second ledge.

“Whoa,” Hollyleaf breathed. “Even Sandstorm and Lionblaze can’t jump that far.” And Lionblaze is part of the prophecy.

“Try it,” Petalnose called. Hollyleaf took a deep breath, bunched her muscles, and jumped. She squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself to fall. Instead, Hollyleaf was surprised to find hard rock under her paws. Fallowfern stood next to her. “You must have SkyClan blood,” she meowed. In a few, swift movements, Petalnose was beside her. Fallowfern led Hollyleaf to a cave. Inside were scrapes, lots of them, all filled with moss. Petalnose led her to one close to the ledge.

“This one is yours,” she meowed. The black she-cat stooped to sniff the moss. Another cat-scent lingered in it, moons old.

“Is this some cat’s nest?” asked Hollyleaf.

“Nope,” replied Petalnose. “Though it used to be Rainfur’s, my mate’s.”

“What happened to him?” Hollyleaf asked kindly.

“He was killed in a battle with these rats that wanted to kill us,” Fallowfern replied, while Petalnose curled up in a nest far back in the den. Hollyleaf turned to Fallowfern.

“I—I’m sorry!” she mewed. “I didn’t mean to make Petalnose so upset!”

“It’s not your fault,” Fallowfern meowed softly. “She does this any time any cat asks her what happened to Rainfur.”

“Oh… thanks.”

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the rockpile for a clan meeting!” Leafstar’s yowl echoed through the sandy cliffs. Hollyleaf jumped out of the warriors’ den, praying she would land softly. She felt the jarring impact of soil under her paws, and stumbled. Fallowfern and Petalnose leaped down gracefully beside her.

“What’s the rockpile?” Hollyleaf mewed to Fallowfern.

“That,” Fallowfern nodded her head towards the big pile of rocks under a cliff. Leafstar was climbing up the back.

“Shinepaw, Beechpaw, Honeypaw, step forward.” The apprentices padded to the foot of the rockpile. Leafstar jumped down and began, “You have trained for many moons. Now, we accept you as full members of SkyClan. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect this clan with your life?”

“I do,” Honeypaw said.

“I do,” Shinepaw replied, a quaver in her voice.

“I-I do.” That was Beechpaw. The three she-cat’s tails were twitching with excitement. Hollyleaf remembered her own warrior ceremony. She, Lionblaze, and Cinderheart had been so happy! “Then I name you Honeystorm, Shineheart, and Beechfur. We now accept you as full warriors of SkyClan.” She rested her muzzle on their heads and they licked her shoulder in reply.

“Honeystorm! Shineheart! Beechfur!” Billystorm was the first to take up the call. Leafstar followed, her eyes shining with pride for her kits. Sharpclaw roughly joined in.
"And I have one more warrior to make," Leafstar yowled. The clan fell silent. "Hollyleaf, step forward." Hollyleaf's fur prickled. She was really believed to be the chosen cat. 
"Hollyleaf, you ran away from a distant clan, and found SkyClan. You know the warrior code and we accept you as a full warrior of SkyClan."
"Hollyleaf! Hollyleaf!" Honeystorm, Shineheart and Beechfur took up the call, and the rest of the clan slowly joined in.

That night, Hollyleaf settled down contentedly in her new nest in the SkyClan warriors' den. Leafstar had officially made her a warrior of SkyClan. But was she really the promised leaf of holly? Which prophecy was she part of?


Chapter 2


Hollyleaf woke the next morning feeling contented. She curled her claws into the soft moss Fallowfern had helped her fetch from the Shining Cave last night.  She couldn't feel the throng of cats pressing around her; only damp morning air whooshing through the cave.  Scrambling to her paws she saw Bouncefire and Tinycloud, tired out from last night's moonhigh patrol.  She stalked silently out of the cave and scrambled clumsily down the rocky cliff. Sharpclaw stood on the Rockpile, ordering the patrols. 
"Hollyleaf, Shrewtooth and Honeystorm will hunt. Cherrytail and Rockshade, patrol the Twolegplace border. Shineheart and Beechfur, you patrol the gorge border." 
Hollyleaf trotted up to Shrewtooth. "Hi," she mewed. "You're the senior warrior, so I guess you'll be leading this patrol."
"Of course," Shrewtooth mewed. Beechfur, standing nearby, purred. 

ALLEGIANCES

SKYCLAN

LEADER Leafstar

DEPUTY Sharpclaw

MEDICINE CAT Echosong

APPRENTICE FRECKLEWISH

WARRIORS  

Sparrowpelt

APPRENTICE FISHPAW

Bouncefire

APPRENTICE THORNPAW

Tinycloud

APPRENTICE SHINEPAW

Rockshade

Waspwhisker

Nettlesplash

APPRENTICE BEECHPAW

Rabbitleap

Creekfeather

Plumwillow

Patchfoot

APPRENTICE HONEYPAW

Petalnose

Shrewtooth

Sagepelt

Mintwhisker

Eggfur

DAYLIGHT WARRIORS

Ebonyclaw

Billystorm

Harveymoon

APPRENTICES

Fishpaw

Thornpaw

Shinepaw

Beechpaw

Honeypaw

QUEENS

Clovertail (mother to Patchfoot’s kits: Silverkit and Longkit)

Fallowfern (expecting Waspwhisker’s kits)

Cherrytail (mother to Bouncefire’s kits: Barkkit and Spottedkit)

ELDERS

Lichenfur

Tanglepelt

THUNDERCLAN

LEADER Firestar

DEPUTY Brambleclaw

MEDICINE CAT Leafpool

APPRENTICE JAYFEATHER

WARRIORS

Graystripe

Dustpelt

Sandstorm

Lionblaze

Cinderheart

Poppyfrost

Sorreltail

Birchfall

Brackenfur

Spiderleg

Icecloud

Foxleap

QUEENS

Ferncloud (mother to Dustpelt’s kits)

Daisy (mother to Spiderleg’s kits)

Millie (mother to Graystripe’s kits)

Whitewing (expecting Birchfall’s kits)

ELDERS

Mousefur

Longtail

Purdy

The First Post

Hi, Blue Jay here! A little bit about me: I usually use webs, (see The Blue Jay Site at Other Sites for other sites), so I am new to blogger. I love writing, so I thought I'd celebrate the opening of my site with the first chapter and prologue of my story, currently called Snakefang (Copyright Blue Jay). Feel free to comment!

Prologue

         Long, long ago, in Ancient China, during the Ming Dynasty, was a skilled craftsman called Tsing Zao. Using his exemplary skill, Zao forged two necklaces. With the help of an extraordinary magician, Bo, Zao gave the necklaces more power than ever imaginable.

         One black, the other white, they had the power to kill a helpless baby and bring it back to life years later with the knowledge and skill of a much older person. Zao hid the necklaces away for many years, but he had always been a greedy, selfish liar. He used the white necklace to grant himself immortality using some of the sparks of magic Bo had left behind in the necklace.

“Immortality, imor, imor, come to mua, come to mua!” A man huddled in the corner of a room, in front of a sea-green pool. Suddenly, the air crackled as if lightning had struck, and a man appeared in front of him, swathed in rose and scarlet.

“Zao,” the man’s deep voice echoed around the room. “Leave now, and give those to me!” His tall, lean figure was menacing in front of the black-swathed man’s shorter stature.

“Leave,” commanded the man, raising his eyes. The other man stumbled backwards until he stood in the doorway of the room. “I will be back, Zao,” he threatened. “I suggest you leave me those necklaces.”

“And why would I do that?” Zao leered at the tall man with nasty, crooked teeth. “These necklaces have sworn allegiance to me, and me only!” His voice cracked, and an evil laugh rose from the depths of his throat. “Be gone, Bo! Be gone and be gone forever!” his voice hissed and he raised his eyes once more. Bo pulled a jewel out of his pocket and pointed it at Zao. His pale hand quivered, and a blue vein pulsed in the back of his hand. “I’m warning you Zao.”

“Oh, Bo,” Zao sighed. “Be gone!” Bo put his eyes to the jewel. Golden light filled the room, and both were gone.

         Serafina looked around the still air. It was morning in Fernwood, and the streets were already bustling with activity. Suddenly, the golden doors of the palace swung open. The President raced out, golden heels clanking on the floor. “Has anybody seen the Candidate?” his breath was coming in short gasps, and Serafina smiled. The Candidate was the President’s son, and was always running away. The Candidate succeeded the President, but the current Candidate seemed like he preferred running from his beautiful palace of a home. That was the way it was in Fernwood, and always would be. The small country of Dawnfod was located at the top of Earth’s poles. Fernwood, its capitol, was a mass of skyscrapers. Technology may have advanced, thought Serafina, but nature has worsened. She had heard stories from her mother, Holly, about how this continent used to be an ice cap, which humans called Antarctica. But that was over 500 years ago. “Now, Antarctica is called Dawnfod”, Holly would say. “And such a silly name I would never imagine.”

         A flash of red fire streaked through the sky. The Northern Lights! Serafina hurried to the Athens building, and began to climb the mile-long flight of stairs. The elevators were already filling up, and a line was forming at the bottom. The elevator could only take 20 people at a time, and there were millions in the city of Dawnfod.  By the time Serafina reached the top, she was breathing hard and her long golden dress was tattered. I’ll get a good scolding for this, she thought miserably. But she lifted her head to the sky anyway. The lights shone, red, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, magenta, turquoise. A man in a yellow suit stood next to her. “You’d think the President was hoarding all his money for himself and the Candidate,” he remarked. “The Lights have gotten steadily worse.”

         Serafina sighed and tossed her long, pale hair to her right shoulder. Why couldn’t people let her believe the Northern Lights were real? They had stopped years ago, just like the ice, and now, the President and the Candidate put on a show of fireworks every year that were a perfect replica of the Northern Lights. Serafina frowned and rubbed the sole of her bare foot on the ground. Her rat, Colt, poked his head out of her curtain of hair, chattering.

“Go away, Colt,” Serafina growled. “I’m trying to pretend the Northern Lights are real.” Colt slipped down her dress and skittered under the hem. Finally, the Northern Lights stopped. People moved slowly towards the exits, and Serafina was caught up in the slow crowd. Then, another firework flashed into the sky, this time white, standing out against the blackness. Beware, it read. Beware of the wrath of the Lord of the Sea. The sky faded, and then another firework flashed. Give me the girl, Serafina. Give her to me tonight.

Chapter 1

         Arya sat in the corner of a room, by a silver pool. Her robes were silver and her spunky red hair was tied up in a bun. Her white porcelain face portrayed nothing. The Keeper rushed into the room, the thrum of his footsteps upsetting a bowl of silver water and floating flowers that sat in front of her. Arya’s eyes snapped open. Her hazel eyes flared with anger, but she rose to her feet and looked the Keeper in the eye.

“Wise One,” the Keeper bowed to her. “The President would like to talk to you.” Dusting some water off, Arya redid her bun with quick, deft strokes, and painted something on a scroll and set it in a corner before turning back to the Keeper.

“Show me,” she ordered. The Keeper bobbed his head ferociously, and set off, his gold-shoed feet barely touching the ground, and his uneven pace making loud thumping noises on the smooth white floor of the Presidential Building. Arya’s feet lifted off the floor and were placed down again without a single sound. The Keeper stopped at an intersection of the corridors. Arya caught up to him with long, graceful strides. “Which way?” she inquired.

“The Throne Room, my Wise One,” the Keeper squeaked. The Arya shot off into the second corridor. After a few minutes, Arya reached tall, bronze doors. She nodded to the guards, raised a fist, and knocked. Anna, the silver-haired maid, opened the door, smiling toothlessly at Arya. The President and the Candidate sat in gold and silver thrones with master craftsmanship. Only one individual could have sculpted these chairs out of molten metal. Tsing Zao. Arya’s gaze traveled from the chairs to the people. A blue-haired woman stood next to the President’s throne. Arya’s eyes stretched wide in shock. A Wise One? No, no, no! The President’s gold-filled teeth and hard black eyes smiled cruelly down at her. “This is Bella,” the President introduced the blue-haired lady. Arya nodded her head respectfully at the new One. “Now, Arya, I will give you one chance to keep your—ah—job here. Answer this question truthfully and correctly, and you can remain here. Answer it wrong, and Bella will replace you.” He leaned forward so his face was just above Arya’s. “Ready?” Golden fillings flashed in his shining teeth. “Good.” The President leaned back, his black robes resting on his knees.

“Do you believe in joining the Cause?” His eyes flashed. Arya looked over at the Candidate. She didn’t think this was a job. This was a requirement. The Cause was a group of people who went against the President and Candidate. Her gaze faltered for a minute and then raised her head. The truthful answer, she reminded herself. The truthful answer. “No.”

         There was a collective gasp, and someone screamed. The President stared hardly at Linda, and she fell silent.

“Leave,” the President ordered, iciness creeping into the edges of his voice. As Arya left, she curtly touched Linda’s hand, and then Anna’s. She was probably never going to see them again. Anna was getting too old, and would soon retire to her family home in Lakeshore. Linda probably would move away to a far-off city like Watsonville, and stay there. Arya knew for a fact Linda was dedicated to the Cause. Her parents had been former royalty years ago. Her father President, her mother Candidate. When Linda’s father had died of a virus, Linda’s mother had become President and Linda Candidate. Then, the Riders had come, the Golden Riders. They had raided the castle, and dethroned Linda’s mother. Their leader, the current President, had made himself President and used Linda to get information. He made his son Candidate, and made Arya the Wise One. She had been with Linda’s parents, too, and they used her also to get information. For what, Arya had no idea. She had only told them Sir Luke’s and Lady Catalina’s first names.

         Her feet thrumming rhythmically on the floor, Arya set off at a run to her meditating room. She quickly packed everything into a bag, shredding prophecies of the President and the Candidate.  Last of all, she held the scroll up to the light. The sun shone through it, making the meaning clear. She pushed it into her bag and slung it over one shoulder. She had to find the Named Girl.