Exert: If you want to feel sad for a moment...

Atlas turned to Jag, his fangs dripping with her blood. Her arm was hanging loosely by her side as she gripped the blade tighter. Hunger gleamed in his eyes as he snarled a challenge. There was only two options at this point for her, kill him or be killed. This creature had once saved her life, had given her warmth and comfort on the cold nights. Jag was now enthralled by the power of Kalt. She hated Kalt for it. She felt the anger bubble over and the sadness of losing Jag turned in her stomach. The longer she fought with Jag the more time Kalt had time to escape, and be lost forever. 

With a cry of anguish, she lunged at Jag, her sword making a swooshing sound as it arched in the air. Jag wouldn’t be able to dodge this blow, it would hit him in the soft spot between his shoulder blades and thick neck muscles. She was going to kill him. 

The seconds turned into minutes before her, in slow motion her arms surged down toward the killing blow. Tears streamed down her face and her scream resounded in her ears. Jag’s eyes were no longer those beautiful blue azure globes she loved. Their engulfing blackness was unending, so dark that no light seemed  to escape. A memory hit her in those moments, a small black kitten sitting before her, mewing loudly. It tumbled into her lap and turned up to her, its blue eyes gazing into hers as if he knew everything she was thinking. The memory hit her in the chest like a rock. 

At the very last moment she angled her sword slightly to the left, the sharp blade swiping past his shoulder, shaving off some of his fur. Atlas couldn't kill him, she couldn't end the life she had raised and loved so much. It would break her in pieces to live knowing that she had done it. 

Jag backed up a few paces and crouched low, ready to pounce on her. Atlas let her sword clatter to the floor, her sobs making it hard to breathe. 

“Jag… My kitten…Please,” she reached out for him. Knowing that this might be the last chance before he attacked she started to hum the soft melody she sang to him when he woke up crying in the night. Jag hesitated, his ears picking  up as she continued. His breathing became ragged as the darkness in his eyes wavered. She closed her eyes and put her hands to her chest as the tune rose to its crescendo. Jag pawed at his face and whimpered quietly, trying to rub away the magic pulling him under. Atlas stared it him, fighting against all of her instincts to run. He cried out as the magic ripped his mind apart, his own magic trying to heal him and the dark magic trying to get a tighter grip over his mind. The howl that erupted from his mouth shook her to her core, it broke her heart even further. He fell over, thrashing from the pain and Atlas dropped to her knees, hands fluttering over him, not knowing how to help. Dark smoke started to rise from his fur and his muscles started to seize violently. Atlas was helpless as she watched the battle of magic tore at his mind and body. 

A few moments passed as his struggling became less and less. She ran her hands through his fur, rubbed his ears and stroked his side. His breathing started to slow and great gasps issued forth. She was losing him fast. It seemed like an eternity before he took his last breath and stopped moving all together. The small dungeon was painfully silent. 

Atlas couldnt breathe. She couldnt think, she couldnt feel anything but the hallow pain erupting from her chest. Jag was gone. 

She didnt care any more that Kalt had gotten away, she didn’t acknowledge that Dade was captured. All she could feel was loss and pain. Quietly Atlas started to sing an ancient song only known to her people passed down through generations from ear to ear. She didnt even know if she was singing the song correctly only that it felt right to serenade the cat with such a heart breaking song. Her hands kept stroking his side as her tears felt into his soft downy pelt. 

When the last note wobbled from her throat a blue light appeared before her. It became blinding for a moment before softening into a hazy form. It came into focus and it appeared to be a female elf, with flowing hair and long pointed ears of those from the Long Forgotten times of Royalty. The elf wore a crown that glowed silver and she stretched out her hand toward Jags lifeless body. Its mouth slowly started to move, to form words that echoed as if coming from a far off distance. 

“Your strength and loyalty has been valiant Dear One. You were graced with the Old magic and given life anew with love and grace.” It said. The queen looked up at Atlas, her eyes piercing her with the power of a hundred thousand years of magic. “You will be granted one chance to take back the life that was given, a grace given by the gods” Her voice became grave. “You will cross many paths that might be taken but there will be few that will be trodden. You must chose with heart and mind aligned.” The queen looked down at Jag and her eyes became full of sorrow. She finally looked back up at Atlas, “chose your path child of light and change the ones to follow, but be weary that darkness resides within every form of magic. Do you chose this path now or when another arises?” The words made Atlas uneasy. She was being given a chance to take back Jags death but forefit the opportunity to be given another moment to save someone else. All other deaths from here on would be final. “The light fades Starling, you must chose now.” The queen started to glow brighter, indicating that her moment would soon be over. 

Atlas looked down at Jag and remembered the moments when he had risked his own life to protect her, had anticipated her very moves to attack and dodge accordingly. His knowing and understanding eyes when she was upset or hurt or angry. The undying loyalty and knew that if he was in her position what he would have chosen, without a doubt. And now she knew without a doubt what she was going to choose.

“I chose him, my queen,” Atlas said as she rose to her feet. The queen nodded and opened her hand towards Jag. there was a flash of blinding white light and then darkness again. 

Atlas looked down on him, her whole body tensed as she watched for any sign of life. A ethereal whispered into her ear “He will come back greater than he ever was before but be careful of the darkness that resides in his heart.”

Minutes passed as she stared at his chest, pleading to the gods that what had just occurred hadnt been a hallucination. Finally his nose twitched and his wide chest expanded slightly. Atlas let out a cry of shock and dropped to cradle his giant head. He took another shallow breath and then another. His breathing got deeper and more even as he opened his eyes, the brilliant blue color had returned to its glorious sheen. He looked up at her and his wide furry mouth seemed to smile. Atlas started to cry again and buried her face into his neck. He started to purr loudly. The queen had saved him. She had brought him back to life. 

-Dona Macy