The Tiger Within 272 The War's Truth

Years ago, long before our Grandfathers were born, the children of the Fae lived within our world. They lived alongside the humans and the shifter Kin, proud and capable. Their magic was used to help humankind and provide for us. It was a joyous collaboration which left the land green and our kind without fear of the forests or what they held.

The magic the fae commanded could be used to make hard tasks easier or make a simple weapon so much more useful. Creating things that were beautiful and making tasks that took hours only take a few moments, that way the rest of the day could be used for leisure. The Fae shared their abilities with everyone however, humans were overcome by greed. They discovered a metal that could control and contain a fairy or a elf and the fierce burning pain could cause any creature to obey a master. Fae were no different. After several were tortured the Fae Kings and Queens were left with no choice.

Realizing there was danger ahead, the Fae begged the King of the Shadow Realm, Morndrake for solace within the Kingdom of death. Being a friend of fae and beast, The Shadow King helped them build a alternate universe within his kingdom, a land all their own filled with music, beauty, and wilderness. Once it was completed two gates were formed, one to the human world and one to the land of Shadows.

The Shifter Kin were sad to see their friends go, but agreed to help them escape in secret, worried the humans will capture fae children and not let them go. Under the cover of night, the Fae disappeared into the void, locking their gate behind them. They left the Key with the shifters who helped them in their final moments on earth.

The Shifter Queen who I am named after, Kyera of the Falling Leaves, took the key and pa.s.sed it down from generation to generation. Your Great Grandfather found out about the Key and demanded my kind give it to him so he could deal with the Shadow Veil Kingdom's threats. At the time the two kingdoms were nearly at war. There was nothing Shifter Kind could do.

That is when the war broke out, and rather than waging war with a neighbor, your king decided to wage war on the shifter kin. Murdering many of the Shifters before they were even aware they were at war. It was meant as a warning to the shifters, to give up the key or more would die. Realizing the hatred in his heart, the King at the time, a Tiger of great strength broke the Fae Gate Key into 5 pieces, and pa.s.sed each piece to a different clan leader.

Seeing the pain of the Shifter People on their behalf, the Fae offered the Shifters protection against human eyes. There's a glamour in this woods, a magic mist and alliance of shadows that protect the shifters from human armies. There are so few shifter's left, maybe a couple hundred in the entire forest, and each and every one is safe as long as they stay within their villages because if a human wanders too close without the aid of a shifter, they will get lost in the fire from our border fires. The magic stones around the fire cast the smoke that leads them astray.

The key is mostly reconnected but, the one I have is the centerpiece, and is required to attach the others together. You see when the Wars got bad and the pieces were slowly gathered together, a dark force started killing off the protectors and taking the keys. Realizing this, the key's protector gave his Key to my mother, who later pa.s.sed it to me.

Without this piece the Fae are safe, and has been since the day the key pa.s.sed to my hands. Now the Dark Force has come again from the shadows and demands the key as they have done many times before. However, they can not retrieve it unless I come to them. You see they will not leave the forest till they are strong enough to face you and your kin.

My People will hide my whereabouts with their dying breaths because I was important to them. I am a healer but I am also a Keeper of the keys as every member of that old council was. We are loyal to the Fae who protect our forest. The Shifters who broke the key are also protected from the armies by Fae magic. As long as the Fae grant them the power of that shroud it is the duty of the Key holders to protect the gates to Our last breaths if need be.