Bristya took a deep breath and spoke. "It was long ago when the chief Guardian, Aurvandil, decided that there must be mortals who would act as protectors on the surface of Elgana. They were the first seven Guardians who were gifted some of his power to keep the balance on the surface of Elgana. 

"Aurvandil cannot leave his realm to go to the surface. Basically, those like Vislo and I are relied on to make sure balance is had between good and evil, light and dark, peace and corruption, and so forth. We're not immortal but allowed to live long lives remaining young and healthy.

"But us alone was not enough because we could only control the surface. Solar, lunar, and shadow had their own powers on Elgana and which affected the planet. We could not control them, so Aurvandil assigned those to the paws of mortals with a special connection to the elemental entities. Kaunlutha for the sun, Kattaluna for the moon, and the Shaa for the shadows."

As Sovanna listened, she was reminded that her world was not her enclosure. There was a bigger world out there beyond the fence, and she was in it now, but the even bigger world was with Guardians and a chief Guardian and magick that ruled the world. Magick was in every part of her life and it seeped into the very ground she sat on. It hovered in the air and it lived beyond the stars. Sovanna was only one single lion on a large plain with a whole other world above her. She hugged herself, feeling small and insignificant as if what she did wouldn't even make a dent in the big scheme of things.

There's gotta be something I can do, she thought and waited for Bristya to explain where she came in. Kaunlutha were for the sun, so that must mean she would have to use the Ater. It was inside of her somehow even though it hadn't been for her father or sister.

Bristya held out her paw to Oolid and he dropped the emerald in. The necklace chain was gone. "These gems have Aurvandil's power in it and each gem represents a virtue. Emerald is for knowledge and patience, and it will choose the worthy one. I've had it with me until it chose Sechalutha and we were all concerned because at the time, even as a cub, Sechalutha was an ambitious warrior. With the Ater and the emerald, he still wanted more power. But we can't take the emerald away. That is rooted in magick. It's set in stone, so to speak."

She dropped the emerald into a floating fireball and the fireball evaporated leaving the gem unharmed. "It cannot be destroyed by flame, and if you crush it, it will reappear somewhere else. So, the next option was to take the Ater. The power to control the sun. Since Aurvandil personally assigned these powers, he still had authority to take them away. He did not expect the response."

Sovanna's mind filled with a vision of screaming Kaunlutha with swords, daggers, arrows, bludgeons, axes, and shields made of flames. Guardians of different species with their own array of weapons and magick, were running toward the Kaunlutha. Fire burned everything. Most of the jungle in the north was destroyed. Then, the frost settled in like a sinister whisper, crawling across the land and consuming Kaunlutha. Fire magick turned to billowing steam and their bodies began to freeze from the inside out. 

A chill settled on Sovanna's arms and she hugged herself tighter. The battle was over quick as Kaunlutha were forced to retreat. Humans were the ones that came then, suddenly taking interest in the Kaunlutha predicament. Sechalutha with shoulders slumped took the shield and emerald and disappeared into the frost. In his wake, the ground turned into black soot.

"He was appalled by what he'd done," Bristya spoke softly, "and he couldn't bear that his ambition caused the death of his wife. And his son was dying, so he made a deal with Aurvandil."

Sovanna glanced up at the mention of her father who had been a tiny cub at this time. She didn't know his life had been at risk.

"He would give up the emerald and never strive to take back the Ater again, because only after the death of his love, did he recognize at last what it had done to him. He begged Aurvandil to save his son. And the deal was made. His son was saved and Sechalutha lost most of his magick but still retained the power he was born with. Yet, it wasn't enough and as you all know, the magick of Kaunlutha began to die out."

A silence blanketed them all as each took in the story. Sechalutha wasn't punished. He punished himself. It was his own doing that many Kaunlutha died that day. His own ambition was the undoing of them all.

But what if you promise to not do it like that? Sovanna wondered. Because without having powerful magick, she wouldn't be able to get rid of the frost fog and save her race.

"The frost which Aurvandil created to combat the fire could not be reversed and to this day, none of us, not even chief himself knows what came of the frost beast after the battle. It disappeared. Some say it took interest in the mortal Wings which were appointed by Aurvandil to care for it." Bristya shot a glance at Taro. "Have you any idea?"

Taro shook his head. "I live in the north, but I don't know about any ancient magick. We can control the ice and frost as Aerisi always had that power. But there is no beast that I know of unless the elders are keeping it secret."

Sovanna pursed her lips, noticing how everyone was talking about the power that could exist or the power that once was, and there was nothing yet about what could be.

"What now?" she asked.

Bristya fiddled with the emerald, rolling it around in her paws. "I need to tell you about Aurvandil and what's been happening in our realm. He's—I can't speak for him and neither do he and I have much contact. But I can tell you what I've seen and heard. He's the leader of us all, and we serve him and it's honorable, but he's not perfect. What has spiraled from this taking of the Ater, this withholding of power, something meant to be for Kaunlutha, it's not been the right choice."

Bristya was still talking about the past. Sovanna's tailtip twitched as annoyance bubbled up inside her. She knew the past was important but all her attention focused on this one issue of her race on the verge of extinction. Soon, there would be no Kaunlutha. Soon the lions would vanish from Elgana. No one would remember the ones that had the power to control the sun.

She glanced around at the others, each with eyes on Bristya, waiting for the white tiger to speak again. 

Bristya gave a loud sigh. "What happened was honestly a big mistake and Aurvandil, I can tell, he's been afraid to change his decision because everything he decides changes the course of history and that can affect the balance in the world in some way or other. Especially now that Humans have begun to really affect Elgana. Now, not even my kind can survive in this world. Every bipedal creature is being threatened. Not only because of Humans, but there's a whole other chain reaction to taking the Ater away and—"

"And giving it back to me?" Sovanna blurted out and all eyes focused on her. She had called the sun at her birth and that time in the factory. "I have the Ater, don't I?"

Bristya raised her brow and her black stripes glowed blue. "I said I would let you ask questions when I ask for them, and, you interrupted me. I was about to explain the very thing about you because now, now we can talk about the present and how you come into it all. Now, the return of the Ater—"

"The Guardians took it away from Sechalutha, but now I have it." Sovanna interjected again. "It did come back to me while all other Kaunlutha magick dies out, so I'm practically meant to be their leader and lead them all because I bet Aurvandillio or whatever his name is," She paused because she was sure she got his name wrong, "well, he saw me worthy or something and gave it back and how do I get to the Guardians realm to save—"

"Fidni, I say," Rokki groaned, "You? Lead? The little Praenglutha? There's no proof you actually have Ater and maybe it's just strong magick? Because you're Praenglutha doesn't make you special to dear old chief Guardian. He probably doesn't even know who you are."

Sovanna bristled. She wasn't saying any of that. She was telling it all as it was and looking for solutions. As the queen, it was her responsibility to use her power as a solution, but she needed to know how to use her power to melt the fog and save her kind.

"I wasn't saying I'm special. I'm saying it makes me queen. He had Ater, he was King. I have Ater so I'm queen. And that's beside points, what's making me say this, I need to know how to control it and melt the frost and how to use it to save my—"

Oolid interrupted. "Sovanna, let Bristya tell the rest of the story." He shook his head in her direction. "She is a Guardian, child. Let her explain and then you can add or argue if you have things to—"

"I'm not arguing!" She yelled. All the fur on her body was on end. In her mind the scene of everyone being taken away replayed over and over. She and Rokki were the only Kaunlutha left on the entire planet. And so far, the stories only told of what happened. No solutions. Whatsoever.

We can't be telling stories from once-upon-a-time anymore. How'm I supposed to be a queen if we're sitting around firelight without answers?

A moment ago, she was sobbing about her father, then she was feeling small and insignificant, but now all her emotions were a bullet hitting Guardians and their stories.

She balled her paws into fists. "I want to know what I'm supposed to do to get everyone back as my duty's supposed to be for that. Just tell me what I need to do. We're savat done with stories, Bristya. I know the past. What good's that doing for us now?"

Her voice echoed around the chamber, bouncing off walls. Bristya sighed and shook her head. Seeing that Sovanna stood up. "You might be some Guardian, but I did save your life from a fire in a hole. You could repay that by giving answers—"

"Sovanna," Oolid scolded.

"Sovanna," Bristya raised her paw, reaching to touch her, but Sovanna backed up, "please, I need to tell you the story. There's more story after Sechalutha went into the fog and the deal he made. I need to finish it. It's," She paused and licked her lips, "important."

"No, it's not." Sovanna stomped her foot. "You told us all that we need to know. Now's time for answers." She sat back down and crossed her arms. "The least you could do."

Bristya was chewing her lip and then Vislo stood up.

"She has a point. We do tell stories too much. We live far too long and you have far too much knowledge."

Bristya raised her arms as if in defeat. "Look, I'm trying to be a Guardian, okay? I was like you, normal and nothing, until this emerald comes into my life. Now it's in your life, and I'm trying to prepare you for what it does and all I have are these stupid stories because I've lived them. And Sechalutha having it was only a passing of the stone so that one day you would have it. 

"Essentially, you'll need to be the next Guardian for the emerald. I thought, oh that's great because then she can defrost her land and let go of the Ater because no mortal should have that much power and besides, Aurvandil won't want you to be a Guardian with Ater anyway. And then when you finally become the next Guardian, I can die peacefully. But there's a problem. You can't let it go because now there's a prophecy set in stone that says you will use it." She paused and dropped her gaze to her lap.

Before anyone could speak, Bristya went on. "The prophecy predicted that you will use the Ater to defeat the frost and destroy your own kind. Once that's accomplished, the prophecy will release you and you can let go of the Ater, become a Guardian, live forever until the next Guardian is chosen. You will be the only Kaunlutha left."

Bristya growled at the end, making all fireballs flicker. Shadows danced on the walls.

It was Oolid who broke the silence. "You're saying the prophecy makes her keep the Ater to eventually kill her own race?"

"Save and then go too far, I'm guessing. Or however it's meant to happen. And I can't stop it from happening. It's set in stone, Human."

I'm to be a Guardian stuck with Ater? And I'll save them but then I'll destroy them?

There was so much that came up. So many things. Sovanna needed to think and get it all organized. She stood. Bristya called her name, but Oolid shushed her. Sovanna left the chamber and went out the hall, passing the walls marked with days, and out of the tunnel. It was colder now and she shivered, but it cleared her mind.

"Why can't you tell Aurvandil to change the prophecy?" came Oolid from down the hall. "And nothing is set in stone. That's just what you say. I saw the Tome of Song and there's a continuation that's not written. If. There's an if at the end. There is hope."

"Calm down, Human," Bristya shouted, "I wasn't saying—"

"She lost her father, Aurvandil takes her kind away—"

"Hey," Rokki growled, "I'm still here, Huamanoa."

"Shut up!" Oolid shouted, "You know that's not what I mean!" There was a pause. "And this is what you tell her? That she has to save her race only to destroy them? She's still a child, Bristya! Barely adult. You're telling her she's destined to destroy her own race! Do you hear yourself?"

Oolid's voice echoed down the tunnel and bounced off the walls where she stood. 

Sovanna blocked out his voice and took a deep breath. She eyed the staircase going up. High above her head the stairs seemed to lead to another opening. Either a tunnel or another room. Whatever it was, it enticed her for her need to be alone, and she began to climb.