Cynthia was looking much healthier now, standing at the window, watching her daughter play in the snow. Hitomi was barking, her tongue lolling out of her happy face as she entered a play bow. The little girl ran after her, giggling, thoroughly enjoying the game. Such an innocent little child. If only she could stay this way forever, untouched by misery and pain.

Steven and Jessica were away today, doing some shopping in town. The little girl's birthday was coming up. She would be five years old soon. Cynthia smiled to herself, wondering what they were getting for her. She turned away from the window, back to the stove. Lunch was almost ready.

She didn't hear the cat screaming in the forest, but Hitomi and the child did. They stopped, looking in the direction of the sound. The little girl, curious and not at all afraid in spite of the horrible sound, headed toward it. Hitomi raced after her. A little distance into the forest, where the trees blocked line of sight back to the house, a red tabby lay motionless on the ground. The child stared at it, at the strange angle in its neck. Hitomi leaped between the girl and the body, facing the girl, hackles raised, lips pulled back in a snarl, a deep, low growl emanating from her throat.

"Hitomi! Hitomi, stop!" the girl cried, frightened by the sudden aggression from her best friend.

Hitomi advanced slowly, backing the child away from the body.

A rich laugh echoed through the trees. Hitomi spun to face the sound as a tall man stepped out of the shadows. He was pale as death, with short jet black hair and black eyes. A booted foot kicked the cat's body aside as he approached. Hitomi barked twice, not the happy bark the girl was used to hearing, but a rough, angry bark. The dog backed into the girl, facing the man, directing her aggression toward him now.

The girl reached out to touch her friend's tail. "Hitomi-"

The dog spun and snapped at the air next to the girl's hand, startling her into taking a few more steps back, and then turned to face the man again.

"Quite the dog you've got there," he said with a smirk.

Hitomi's ears were laid back and her muscles tense, backing the child up, but she didn't attack. The man towered over them, his long strides bringing him closer and closer.

"Tell her to move aside," he commanded.

She barked twice more.

"Or do you want to see her die, too?"

"Hi-hitomi, stop!" stammered the little girl.

Now she lunged. The man held out his right arm and she latched onto it, refusing to let go even as he swung her hard to the side. He swung again, slamming her against a tree trunk, and she fell to the ground. She didn't get up.

"Stop crying," he ordered the child. Blood dripped off of his fingertips to stain the snow. "My daughter cannot be a weakling."

She turned to run, but he caught her by the arm and lifted her off the ground, dangling her helplessly in front of him as she twisted and squirmed.

"St-stop it! Let me go!"

He dropped her. She hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of her.

"How old are you now? I can't keep track of the years."

She sat up, gasping for breath. "Almost five."

"You look like me," he said, wearing a smug grin. "Except for the eyes." He squatted down and grabbed her by the chin, peering at her face. "Cynthia's eyes are green. Why are yours blue?" he muttered.

"Grandmother says it's because I'm an ice angel," the girl answered, her voice trembling in fear.

He laughed again. "Angel? Not likely. Try demon." He released her chin and stood up. "You're of no use to me now. I'll check back every few years until you're ready." He spun on his heel and disappeared into the forest.

The frightened child ran back home, stopping only when she reached the door. She was shaking all over. She took a deep breath and went inside.

"There you are. Where have you been? The food is going to be cold," Cynthia chided, her back to the door as she washed dishes.

"I'm not hungry," the girl answered, her voice faint and thin.

Cynthia turned to look at her. "What's wrong?" She dried her hands quickly and knelt in front of her daughter. "Where did this blood come from?" There were bloody fingerprints on her chin and her arm. "Where is Hitomi?"

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head, unable to look her mother in the eye. "I don't know."

Cynthia's worried eyes studied the girl. "You're okay now. It's going to be okay," she said, pulling the child into a reassuring hug. "Here, let's get you cleaned up and put you to bed."

The girl was lying in bed, eyes wide open, when she heard the screams. She pulled the pillow up over her head, but she could still hear them - they'd found Hitomi, the cat, the blood. Nobody came to her room again the rest of the day, and although she was unable to sleep, she didn't move from the bed. Tomorrow was Sunday. The parishioners would be coming for service. Her grandmother, Jessica, would play the piano and lead everybody in hymns, and then her grandfather, Steven, would preach from the Book. For some reason, she felt sick just thinking about it.

"Angel? Not likely. Try demon."

The words echoed in her mind.

I woke up with a start, bathed in a cold sweat, heart racing, breathing hard. I jumped down and went to the well, drawing up a bucket of fresh, cool water. The moon and stars were so bright that I could see my reflection in the clear water. Pale face, long, straight black hair, ice blue eyes that seemed to glow. I frowned, splashing my hands into the bucket to erase the image, splashing my face with the cold water.

I was still sitting there, on the cobblestone rim of the well, when Ashley arrived.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her expressive green eyes concerned.

I smiled, looking at her. When was the last time anybody had shown concern for me?

"Let's get started," I said, standing up and leading her away from the town.

"If you want to talk about it-" she started, walking beside me.

"The human sara is Eric-sar," I began, ignoring her. "He's about my height, maybe a little shorter, with dirty blonde hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a tan complexion. He is the fastest of the sara. You can't outrun him - your only chance is to outsmart him."

"You sound like you're expecting me to fight him," Ashley commented.

"I would be surprised if you don't."

"Why? Is something going to happen? Why have you come here, now, and why are you training me?"

I paused, thinking. "A change is coming. You need to be ready."

"What about you? Are you planning on going somewhere?"

I looked down at her. "Not anytime soon." My sharp ears picked up a twig cracking in the forest. "Go to the barn," I ordered, my normally calm, even voice now tense.

She had heard it, too. "Demons?"

"Go to the barn."

"But I-"

I spun to face her. "Do as I say," I hissed.

She took an involuntary step back, startled by my sudden intensity. Her green eyes were wide with fear. Finally she turned and ran.

"That your new toy?"

I turned back to the forest as Eric-sar stepped into the moonlight. He wore a sly grin, watching Ashley as she ran. I kept my eyes on him, but I listened carefully. The barn door didn't open. Foolish girl. She wasn't anywhere near ready for an encounter with a sara.

"What do you want?" I asked tersely.

"She's cute. I may have to come back in a few years to see how she develops." His eyes left her to meet mine, deadly serious now. "What are you doing, Diane-sare?" he asked, his voice low.

"It's just Diane now."

He started walking toward me. "You know you can't just leave like that."

I took a few steps back. "What do you want?" I asked again.

He tilted his head slightly to the side and looked back over my shoulder at Ashley. "Just checking up on my little sis, that's all." He stopped a few feet away from me, arms crossed over his chest.

"Don't you ever get tired of it?"

His eyes flicked back to mine and a wide grin spread over his face. "Not at all. Maybe you just need to spice things up a little. I can show you, if you'd like." He looked back to Ashley. "She's a bit young, but she could be entertaining."

"Get out of here," I snapped.

"Something special about her?"

"Eric."

"Eric-sar," he corrected, his eyes flashing as they met mine again. "You can't change who you are, Diane-sare." He started walking again, past me.

I grabbed his arm and yanked him back, placing myself between him and Ashley. "I don't want to fight you."

"Well, that's odd," he commented, his voice lowering threateningly. "You've always been so bloodthirsty."

I knew the punch was coming and I threw my arm up to block it, answering it quickly with a punch of my own. That maddening grin was back on his face as he grabbed my incoming fist and twisted, throwing me over his shoulder. I landed on my feet, fingers touching the ground momentarily to steady me, and launched back at him, twisting at the last minute to kick the back of his knee. He stumbled and sprang to the side, almost faster than I could see. We had done this before. This could go on for a very long time. I was at a distinct disadvantage this time, though. I was constantly aware of Ashley, making sure I was between her and Eric at all times. Or was that an advantage? Was my urge to protect her making me fight that much harder?

I wished she would just go inside the barn. I would feel better if there were a physical barrier between her and Eric.

We traded blows for what seemed an eternity before I finally pinned him to the ground, dagger at his throat. We glared at each other for a solid minute, and then I stood up and sheathed the dagger.

"You cheated," he commented as he stood up, brushing the dirt off of his black robes.

"You're just mad you forgot yours," I replied.

"Did I?" He flashed me a smug smile and my eyes widened with realization, but it was too late. The hidden dagger was flying through the air before I could react. I could only look on in terror as it headed straight over my shoulder toward Ashley.

Her eyes were wide, but she had seen it coming, and she managed to step aside just in time. She stared in shock at the blade embedded in the wood beside her.

"Interesting," Eric said, amused.

"You've had your fun. Now get out of here."

He shrugged. "Sure, whatever. We'll have to do this again sometime." He looked past me to Ashley. "I'll look forward to seeing you again, too."

I watched him disappear into the forest, relieved but unable to relax. Ashley tentatively came up beside me, holding the dagger in her trembling hand.

"He almost killed me," she whispered.

I looked down at her and took the dagger, putting my hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "You've got good reflexes."

She looked up at me, her green eyes searching mine. "That's what's coming, isn't it?"

I nodded.

She took a deep breath. "We'd better get back to work, then."

I smiled and ruffled her hair. "Yeah. Come on."

That night marked a turning point for her. This was no longer a game - now it was deadly serious. She was still enthusiastic and cheerful, but she rarely tried to pull me into small talk now. Every minute of every night counted. She possessed a single-minded determination to improve, and she did, quickly.

"Belle-sare," I said.

"She's the dwarf. Very dark complexion, black eyes, black hair cropped short. The shortest of the sara, and the quietest, but the most cunning. Never let your guard down around her." Ashley rattled off the facts as she swung back and forth from the tree branches above me, throwing herself up in the air to land on another branch, letting herself fall to the one below, always moving.

"Char-sar."

"The mer. Very striking appearance. Looks like an elf, the tallest of the sara, milk chocolate complexion, bright blue eyes, bleach blonde hair. In mer form, his lower half becomes a fish tail, jet black scales and fins. Can breathe underwater regardless of form. The sharpest vision of all the sara - can see clearly at a long distance or even in pitch black, notices everything. Never let your guard down around him."

"Rath-sar."

"The dragon. Looks like a human, blonde hair, black eyes, pale complexion. Slightly taller than you. Quiet but deadly. The strongest of the sara by far. Dragon form is massive, twice the size of a normal dragon, jet black scales. Never let your guard down around him."

"Hiama-sare."

"The centaur. Looks like a dwarf, but a little taller than Belle-sare, and much more outgoing. Tan complexion, long, wavy black hair, bright green eyes. In centaur form, her waist joins a horse's body at the withers. Jet black coat, black hooves, black tail. Fine bone structure and petite frame, in both forms, stunningly beautiful. Her ability to read people and manipulate them to do her bidding is second to none, almost like she hypnotizes them. Never let your guard down around her."

"Good. Come down here."

She landed in front of me, smiling as always. It had been a year now since I arrived. She was taller, and although she was still slim, her lean muscles were hard and tight.

"What now?" she asked eagerly.

"Now, you go home and rest."

She fell in step beside me as I started to walk. "But there's still plenty of time."

"Tomorrow, I'll tell you about where the sara came from. You will undoubtedly have a lot of questions. It will probably take all night."

"I see." She sighed and looked up at me. "When can I introduce you to my parents? And the town?"

I smiled down at her. "Do you think they're ready to accept me?"

She shook her head sadly. "I guess not. Oh-" her eyes brightened and she smiled again. "A trader came into town today. We got more copies of the Book. You're still looking for one, right?"

"I am," I said. There was no such thing as a printing press in those days; books had to be handwritten and were hard to come by. Especially this one in particular.

"I left a spare copy in the barn. Come on."

The black colt now had a stall of his own, next to his mother's. He was already the same size as her and still growing. I held out my hand for him to nuzzle as Ashley located the Book.

"Have you named him yet?"

Her face scrunched up in thought. "He's really hard to pin down. I've been struggling, trying to figure out a name. Here you go."

I took the Book from her carefully, caressing the soft leather binding. "It's been so long since I've held one of these."

Ashley had let herself into the colt's stall to hug his muscular neck. "I've got it!" she squealed in excitement.

"Shh, you'll startle the horses," I hushed her.

"Sorry," she said, dropping her voice down to a whisper. "Masen*. His name is Masen, because he isn't."

"Isn't what?"

She shrugged. "He isn't normal. At all. Something is really weird about him." She patted his neck fondly. "You and I are the only ones he'll allow to touch him. He was born right here with people, is around them every day, nobody's ever been unkind to him, but he gets wilder all the time."

I looked into those striking blue eyes, framed by his long lashes. "He seems so calm and tame."

"Right now. He's a different horse with other people." She let herself back out of the stall into the aisle. "And he's always up at night, have you noticed that?"

"Now that you mention it, I have."

She looked over at me with a smile. "Maybe he's my Tsuki."

"Maybe so," I said, returning the smile. "Speaking of which, I haven't spent much time with him recently. You need to go home and go to bed so I can bond with my bird."

She clapped her hands over her mouth, stifling a laugh. I led her back outside.

"I thought you said he wasn't your pet," she giggled.

"He's not. He's more like a friend."

She looked up at me thoughtfully. "You're pretty lonely, aren't you?"

"Go home," I said quietly.

"Okay, I will. Goodnight, Diane!" She waved as she ran back to her house.

Tsuki was waiting for me, on the tree branch that had become home. "No offense, Tsuki," I said, stroking his glossy feathers, "but she's right. I am lonely. I wish... I wish I could meet her parents. It would be nice to have someone else to talk to." I sighed, looking down at the sleepy town, and opened the Book to the first page.

*In Japanese, -masen is used to conjugate verbs to their present negative tense. For example, yomu is the base verb meaning "to read", and yomimasen is the present negative form meaning "is not reading."