One day, Praline took her family out on an exploration trip.  Exploring new sections of the forest was one of Jonathan and Raelian's favorite pastimes, though Clarice didn't care for it so much.  Somehow with Praline's family these little exploration trips always seemed to end up at places that terrified her.

     Kitsune was pleased to share whatever the family was doing.  Though he too felt trepidation about wandering around in unknown areas of the forest.

     He had not spoken to any of his kind since that last night at his den.  But he knew how his kind thought, and he was sure that after killing one of his own kind in defiance of The Predatory Prerogative he must surely have had a price on his head.  He was certain there would now be any number of young foxes hoping for the glory of dragging his lifeless body back to the tribe.  And he was not unmindful of the danger this might put Praline and her children in.

     Still, for now, everything remained pleasant.  He had to have faith in Praline to know what she was doing.

     As they walked, Jonathan asked a question that had weighed heavily upon him of late.

     "Mother, how long will it be before Shane Sensei takes us away from you?" asked Jonathan.

     "I fear it won't be long," said Praline.  "You are growing older now.  And you have begun to show your special talents.  I'm sure Shane is eager to begin your training in earnest."

     "I do not like the idea of you going away," said Kitsune.  "I fear I shall miss you as much as your mother will.  Could I not go with you and share your adventure?"

     "I want to go, too," said Clarice.  "Why don't we all go?"

     "Silly little Clarice.  And you too, Kitsune," said Praline, in a pleasant, motherly tone.  "You know this is a special trip for Jon and Rael alone.  If we all went with them, how would they ever learn to be on their own? Besides, Shane tells me no time will pass for us while Jon and Rael are gone.  They may be gone for years, but for us only a day or two may pass."

     "That idea troubles me even more," said Kitsune.  "If they are gone for more than a year they shall return fully grown.  I will not be able to play with them anymore."

     "No!" cried Clarice, pleadingly to her cousins.  "That mustn't happen.  Please, you mustn't grow up without me."

     "Hush, you two," said Praline.  "Shane also tells me they will not age physically while they're away with him.  When they return they will look just as they are now.  But they will not be as they are now.  They will be more mature and experienced.  And they may have come to realize some of their powers.  But if we love them, we must accept them however they are when they come back to us."

     "You'd better still love me when you come back," said Clarice, admonishingly.  "I won't forgive you if you stop loving me."

     "That's silly, Clairè-chan," said Raelian, affectionately.  "I know you'll always be in my heart, no matter what happens to me."

     "You'd better not forget you promised me that," said Clarice.

     "I swear I won't forget," said Raelian, prayerfully.

     "Aunt Praline, it's so unfair," said Clarice.  "Why do Jon and Rael get all this special attention, but nobody wants to train me? Is it because I'm female?"

     "Of course not," said Praline.  "Females often take the training Jon and Rael will be given.  But wanting to take the training just to keep up with your cousins isn't a good enough reason for you to be trained.  Tell yourself the truth, Clarice.  Do you really want to be a hero and a fighter? Do you really want to be the one other people hide behind while you're up front facing danger on your own?"

     Clarice gulped in fear, and then bowed her head in shame and defeat.  Wherever Jonathan and Raelian were going, it was bound to be frightening.  She did not want to travel to frightening places.  What she really wanted to do was talk her cousins out of going, but she knew what a lost cause that was.

     "Do not fret, Clarice," said Kitsune, affectionately.  "I will stay with you and make sure you are loved while Jon and Rael are away."

     "Thanks, Kitsune," said Clarice, gratefully.  "You're my best friend.  I can always count on you."

     Kitsune looked at Clarice and saw a flashback of her trembling under his claws.  Had he given into temptation on that day, this sweet little doe who longed only to be loved would have ceased to exist.  But because he had found the strength to spare her life he had found in her the friend he had always longed for.  Still, he could not help but wonder how many other potential best friends he had devoured in his madness.

     "Aunt Praline, you're very wise and have strange powers," said Clarice.  "Did you get that kind of training?"

     "I got only such training as my family could provide," said Praline.  "But Shane was my older brother.  So I guess I did have some unusual advantage.  Though even I have not had the honor of traveling with him in his ship.  He was a good brother - so kind and patient with me.  He taught me many magical things back then."

     "Why do you speak of him in the past tense that way?" asked Kitsune.  "Is he not still your brother?"

     "Not as I knew him when I was a child," Praline confessed.  "Back then he didn't know he was a Time Captain.  And he wasn't white either.  He was just a normal looking deer.  But he had strange dreams, and an unusual aptitude for magic.

     "Our family would have invested the care of our religion in him instead of me, had they not misinterpreted his dreams.  They were unknowingly cruel to him.  Especially our father.  He was very fanatical about the religion.  He insisted that the only two candidates to carry on for him were much too egotistical to be trusted with the power of The Shrine.  So he took me under his wing and trained me from childhood to be the new priestess.  And though Shane didn't begrudge me the job, it did hurt his feelings terribly that our father thought of him that way.

     "So Shane determined that he would prove to our father that his dreams were real.  One day he left us and journeyed far up the mountain.  When he returned his coat was snow white, and he was no longer the brother I had known.  He was an ageless Time Captain who told stories the like of which I had never heard.  And though he still loved me, it was not the same kind of love he had shown me before.  It was like I didn't know him at all.  I couldn't possibly know him the way a sister should know a brother.  There was just too much to know.  So, in a sense, when he regained his memory of his life as a Time Captain, I lost my brother forever."

     "But that won't happen to Jon and Rael, will it?" asked Clarice, fretfully.

     "I honestly don't know, dear," said Praline.  "I don't know if Jon and Rael have memories of past lives to rediscover.  I don't even know how many memories they'll accumulate while they're away with their Captain.  But what ever is going to happen, it's not something any of us can change."

     "Mother," said Raelian.  "You said there was another candidate besides Shane.  Who was that?"

     "It was your cousin, Nicolas," said Praline.

     Clarice gasped to hear her brother's name spoken.

     "Aunt Praline," said Clarice emotionally.  "Will you scold me if I ask you one more time to tell me about my brother?"

     "No, I won't scold you, child," said Praline.  "But I do wish you wouldn't ask."

     Clarice sobbed under her breath as though she were trying to keep from bursting into tears.

     "Alright," said Praline, caving in.  "You’re older now, and Candi’s not around.  I guess I can answer your questions.  What do you want to know about him?"

     "Anything at all," Clarice pleaded.  "What did he look like? What kind of person was he? Please, he's just a shadow to me.  Won't you color him in a little?"

     "Well," Praline recalled.  "As I remember him from when I was a child, he was a handsome young deer.  He and Shane were born in the same season, and they grew up loving each other like brothers.  From what I'm told they were very much like Jon and Rael when they were fawns.  They aspired to become knights and bring peace to Shinrin.  But there were no prophecies surrounding them as there are for Jon and Rael.  No one had any reason to believe they ever could or would attain knightly powers.

     "And when they did not relinquish that ambition as they grew older, my father looked on it as sinful.  He said so long as they would not relinquish such foolish pride and ambition he would take neither of them to The Shrine.  He would not even present them to The Oracle.  Instead my father just preached and raved at them, telling them constantly how disappointed he was in them, belittling them, and trying to convince them that they weren't meant for such great things."

     "Grandfather doesn't sound very nice," said Clarice.

     "I hate to admit this, Clarice," said Praline.  "But as male deer get older, they become increasingly hard to live with.

     "We're a contemplative species.  The wisest of our males eventually become so turned in on their own thoughts that you can hardly reach them most of the time.  And the most prideful of our males become so absorbed in contemplating their own greatness that they look down on everybody.

     "Alas, my father had both those problems.  Things were his way, or they were no way.  He couldn't pass his knowledge on to anyone but a completely submissive student who knew better than to question his wisdom.  That's why I ended up with the job that should rightfully have gone to Shane or Nicolas.  And for all his pious righteousness, my father all but destroyed our family.

     "You're right, Clarice.  He wasn't very nice.  He was the worst kind of hypocrite - the kind who could see the evil in everyone but himself."

     "Did Grandfather hurt Nicolas?" asked Clarice.

     "He hurt Nicolas and Shane in ways that I can not even begin to describe to you," said Praline.  "I'm sure Shane was born into this life because he was meant to take control of The Shrine and use its power to save Shinrin.  And I'm just as sure that Nicolas was meant to be a hero.  He had such a valiant soul.  Ra only knows how we suffer now because their destinies were thwarted.  All because my father couldn't bear to see either of them become greater than himself."

     "Why do you talk about my brother as if he were dead?" asked Clarice.

     "As far as I know he is dead," said Praline.  "Either that, or he has taken himself far away to protect what remains of his family.  Please, Clarice, try to understand that I have good reasons to pray that we never see him again.  But I can't bring myself to tell you the awful truth of what he became."

     "I have heard the legend," said Kitsune.  "Among my people it is said that he tried to bring The Predatory Prerogative to the deer tribe.  And if he had had his way, today deer would be eating foxes."

     "That's .  .  .  kind of .  .  .  scary," said Jonathan.

     "Oh, to foxes it is very scary," said Kitsune.  "We are among the weakest of predators.  It is our greatest fear that someday the weaker tribes will gain the power to take revenge on us."

     "Kitsune, does your tribe really look on deer as being weaker?" asked Praline.

     "Not in terms of size or strength," said Kitsune.  "But in terms of your unwillingness to kill to preserve yourselves, they think of you as being weaker."

     "Is that one of the things Shane Sensei will teach us?" asked Raelian.  "How to kill to preserve ourselves?"

     "I'm afraid that's something a knight needs to know," said Praline.  "It's a knight's job to defend others so that they won't have to learn such things."

     "Aye," agreed Kitsune.  "No doubt you will have to kill foxes to save fawns."

     "I won't kill foxes," Raelian swore.  "I love foxes.  That's how you raised me, Mother, to see their beauty in spite of what they do.  I don't want to learn how to kill them.  I want to learn how to heal them, like Kitsune has been healed."

     "You do not understand, Raelian," said Kitsune.  "You were able to heal me because I wished to be healed.  Those foxes that now seek to hurt me .  .  .  They are afraid to be healed.  They like the way they are.  They would not thank you for taking away their ability to kill without conscience.  They would rather fight to the death than lose that way of life.  So, if you are to preserve the innocent from such as they, you will have to learn to kill."

     "I don't want to," Raelian insisted.

     "I pity you, Raelian," said Kitsune.  "You are a sweet, innocent child of Ra.  It pains me to think that someday you will know how I felt when I had to kill a member of my own clan to preserve my life.  How ironic that the one who helped me see the sanctity of life must learn to destroy it."

     "Don't fret, Kitsune," Raelian assured him, with a warm smile.  "I will have Shane Sensei teach me every possible alternative to killing.  After all, I can't make friends of my enemies if I kill them."

     "Mother," asked Jonathan, returning to an earlier subject.  "Can does really become knights?"

     "Certainly they can," said Praline.  "But it is rather rare for a doe to want that kind of life."

     "You did not want it?" asked Raelian.

     "My ambitions have always been simple ones," Praline explained.  "Just performing the function I already have in this forest sometimes is a bit more than I desire.  I would be content just to be a normal doe and to be your mother.  It is that tendency to be content that makes me unsuited for knighthood.  A knight must always be looking for the next challenge.  I have all the challenge I need right here to keep me happy."

     "Suppose I became a knight," said Clarice.  "What would my life be like?"

     "You're still very young, Clarice," said Praline.  "Have you realized yet what it means to be female?"

     "I only know what my mother told me," said Clarice.  "She talked about females being play things for males.  She said they always get their way with us because we're weaker than they are.  And they don't care if they hurt us, because we can't fight back.  That's why I'm so scared of big males.  She said no male would ever love me for more than a moment.  And when the moment was done they would toss me aside and want nothing more to do with me.  She made me think that a doe's life is a very unhappy thing."

     "Your mother has a very cynical way of looking at things," said Praline.  "You must believe me when I tell you none of that is necessarily true.  It is possible for a doe to be loved the way a doe likes to be loved.  But you have to find a male whose heart is bigger than his pride.  And I will admit that's kind of rare with our tribe.  But even if it's rare it's still something to be hoped for."

     "I do hope for it," said Clarice, casting a hopeful glance at Raelian, who gave her a little smile in response.

     "But there's a lot more to being female than that," said Praline.  "Females get to experience something males will never understand - what it means to be a mother."

     "My mother wasn't happy about that part of her life either," said Clarice.  "She taught me to be afraid of that, too.  She said giving birth to me was a very painful and humiliating experience that she wished she could have avoided."

     "What a thing to tell a child," said Praline, emotionally.  "Although, I guess for her it probably was that way.  Giving birth is only beautiful if it's something you want to do.  And deep down most females do want to.  I know I did."

     "Well, I don't," said Clarice.  "The whole idea frightens me.  I don't want to be a thing to be used by males, or by Nature."

     "That would work to your advantage if you wanted to be a knight," said Praline.  "Those are the very things you have to give up when you become a knight.  A knight can't be a mother, because being a mother is a full time responsibility."

     "You're making it sound appealing to me," said Clarice.  "Maybe I would like to be trained.  Would the training make me strong and fearless?"

     "I doubt you'd survive the training," said Praline.  "Besides, your mind isn't open enough to accept it.  Your mother saw to that.  I'm afraid you weren't meant to be a knight, Clarice.  But I could train you to be a priestess like me."

     "I don't think I'm cut out for that either," said Clarice.  "It would be nice to be like you, because everyone respects you.  But I don't think I'd enjoy that kind of life.  What I really want is to be a buck.  They're free of responsibilities and do exactly as they please.  They hurt others.  Others don't hurt them."

     "You have a lot to learn about bucks," said Kitsune.  "They get hurt all the time.  They hurt each other.  And a doe who knows how to manipulate them can hurt them as well."

     "How can I learn to manipulate them?" asked Clarice, curiously.

     "Oh, that is easy," said Kitsune.  "Most bucks are so stupid."

     "Kitsune," Praline exclaimed in a shocked tone.

     "Well, is it not true?" asked Kitsune.

     "Yes, it is," said Praline, reluctantly.  "It's just not nice to admit it."

     "There, you see," said Kitsune.  "So all you have to do to manipulate males is be smarter than they are."

     "That's what I want," said Clarice.  "I want to grow up to be smart.  I want to know how to control my life, instead of letting others control me.  Will you teach me how to be smart, Kitsune?"

     "You want me to teach you when you could learn from The Priestess?" asked Kitsune, surprised.

     "I don't want her kind of smarts," said Clarice to Kitsune.  "I want your kind of smarts."

     Kitsune looked at Praline, fearing she must surely be offended.  But if she was, Praline was keeping it to herself.  Still, he was taking no chances.  He valued Praline's friendship too much.

     "Please do not be angry, Praline," said Kitsune.

     "I'm not angry," said Praline.  "I think it's a good idea that you should teach Clarice.  She seems to know what she wants.  It's not my life or the lives of her cousins she seeks.  She wants to be a cunning doe.  And who better to learn cunning from than an honorable fox? But I hope you'll also teach her to love.  Perhaps you can give her the heart that her mother neglected to provide.  A cunning doe without a heart could grow up to be something pretty scary."

     "I'm afraid you will have to teach me first," said Kitsune.  "I do not know how to teach someone else to love.  But I think Clarice has a heart of her own.  Whatever she grows up to be will be beautiful."

     Clarice sighed appreciatively and gave Kitsune an affectionate nuzzle.  He smiled at her adoringly and gave her a little fox kiss in return.


     The pathless stretch of forest they had been walking through soon opened onto a clearing - a hidden oasis in this seldom traveled part of the wood.  It was an unusually beautiful place, and Praline could not recall ever having seen it before.

     Here the grass grew taller even than it grew on the meadow, and small colorful blossoms abounded - the kind that deer found to be quite appetizing.  It was almost like a private garden, for some reason undisturbed or picked over the way most such places were in the forest.  So the little family began to debate weather they should stay and partake of the place.

     Praline opened her senses to receive warnings of danger, but there were none.  Rather than sensing hostility she sensed an unusual air of tranquillity.

     Normally Praline would have had no objections to lingering in such a place.  There was only one thing that bothered her.  Somewhere nearby she could sense the presence of a very large animal.  But it did not feel like a predator type.  And if it was not a predator, no matter what it might be, it should not mean them harm.  So Praline decided to let her children enjoy the clearing.  This would be their prize for the day's adventures.

     Happily the children frolicked and played with their friend Kitsune.  But Praline cautioned them to play carefully, so as not to disturb the beauty of the clearing any more than necessary.

     For some time Praline stood still, watching the children and sharing their joy, while simultaneously keeping her senses open for danger, scanning the surrounding woods for unfriendly sounds, smells or psychic impressions without hardly giving a thought to the process.  It was second nature to her.

     But suddenly a disturbing sound caught her ear.  That large animal she had sensed was on the move and heading in the direction of the clearing.  She could hear its footsteps - heavy hoof-like steps they were, pounding the ground with tremendous weight, and approaching at a speed that revealed a giant's stride.

     She listened closer.  Was that an echo she heard? Or was there more than one giant creature?

     Hurriedly she did a psychic sweep for hostility.  But whatever these creatures were they projected no hostile emotions.  Still, Praline did not want her children playing under the feet of giants.

     "Come to me, all of you," she called urgently, reinforcing her call with a psychic alert of danger, which Kitsune and the children instantly responded to, hurrying to Praline and crowding close to her.

     "What is it?" asked Clarice fearfully.

     "Something is coming," said Praline.

     "Something dangerous?" asked Kitsune.

     "I don't know," said Praline, her senses still focused on the approaching sounds.

     "Shouldn't we run away?" asked Jonathan.

     "No," Praline instructed, in a manner that suggested she was not to be disobeyed under any circumstances.  "Do not run unless I run.  Do not speak unless I call on you to speak.  And no matter what you see, do not act fearfully.  We are uninvited guests in a place that doesn't belong to us.  We must be respectful to the owners.  And we must not make them angry, because I'm sure we can't out run them."

     Soon the children heard the thundering footsteps as well.  And as they came nearer the ground seemed to tremble slightly under each thudding impact.

     Eventually there was a great rustling of plants from beyond the clearing, and the top of a mighty pair of antlers forced its way into view, grasped the branches that formed the wall of the clearing, and then deftly pulled them aside, creating an opening twice as tall as the largest deer the children had ever seen.

     There in the opening stood a monstrously tall deer-like creature that would have dwarfed Angelis.  Its size was of almost pre-historic proportions.  Its body was coal black, and its coat had a woolen quality to it.  Its antlers had a span beyond measure.  They looked as if they were made of the hardest wood, and they were almost indistinguishable from the heavy branches they held aloft, seemingly without effort.

     As he stood there, a second creature like himself pressed passed him and entered the clearing, followed by a third.  Then the first and tallest of the three moved forward.  And as he did so, he tilted his head backwards, allowing the branches to slide free.

     The branches then crashed down upon his back with tremendous force, having been stretched to the endurance of their elasticity.  Such a blow would have been deadly to a normal sized creature.  But the giant black deer was so solidly built that he seemed not even to feel it.  The hardest wood of the forest was to him no more than a curtain to be brushed aside.  Surely these were beings beyond fear that no enemy could threaten.

     Praline had never seen the like of these creatures before, but she had heard legends of an ancient tribe called The Heraji - giant deer-like creatures said to have been extinct, or near extinction, for generations.  Was it possible that The Heraji survived in this hidden part of the forest, far from those areas that were easily accessible to humans?

     Praline, Kitsune and the children watched as The Heraji approached them with a mixture of awe and fear.  For The Heraji were beautiful and stately beings that carried themselves with great regality.  Their expansive horns seeming like the crowns of ancient giant kings.  And by the look of their overly large eyes, they would have been compassionate kings.

     Still it was impossible, even for Praline, to not know fear in the presence of beings so much larger than herself.  Were they of a mind to, they could easily strike her dead with one blow.  And Praline could only imagine what Kitsune must have been feeling, knowing these creatures could step on him like an insect and crush him out of existence without hardly realizing it.

     At this point Praline felt grateful for having been born female.  As a doe she was not likely to be viewed aggressively by creatures in any way kin to her own species.  An arrogant male of her tribe caught in this situation could expect to be viewed as an unwelcome intrusion.  He might be chased and seriously injured.  But a doe had no antlers to act as a flag of challenge to other males.  Therefore they were considered helpless.  And it was considered demeaning of character for a deer to attack any creature that stood defenseless before its might.  This was Praline's plan - to simply stand still and look helpless, throwing herself and her children on the mercy of The Heraji.

     The Heraji moved as if in slow motion, choosing each step carefully so as not to crush any plants or small creatures unnecessarily.  Apparently the beauty of this place was important to them.

     But even though they moved slowly, their stride was of such expanse that they were crossing the distance almost as fast as most creatures could run it.  And in a very few seconds they stood face to face with Praline, looking down on her from such a height that she had to crane her neck painfully to see their faces.

     Seeming to realize this, The Heraji backed up a step.  Now Praline could look at them comfortably.  And she observed that they did not look at her aggressively, but rather with a kind of intellectual curiosity.

     One of The Heraji motioned to the others and drew their attention to Kitsune.  Curiously the three giant heads lowered towards the fox and regarded him as though they were scientists observing some anomalous phenomenon.

     Kitsune was afraid.  He trembled and could hardly bear to look into the giant eyes that he just knew held him responsible for the entire bloody history of his tribe.

     Kitsune turned his eyes away from them in shame.  Then Jonathan and Raelian moved to stand between Kitsune and the three giants, shielding him from their gaze.

     Clarice then pressed herself close to Kitsune, as she was even more terrified than he was.  And they gave each other courage.

     Satisfied, the three giants as one raised their heads and again looked at Praline.

     "Tadashika Hikari, are you not?" asked the largest of The Heraji in a voice so deep it rumbled in Praline's ears.

     "Yes," she responded respectfully, using The Old Language, noting that The Heraji had totally disregarded her new language first and last names.  This could only mean that they spoke The Old Language exclusively.

     "Who has tamed the fox?" asked The Heraji, still using The Old Language.

     "My son, Raelian, has tamed the fox," said Praline in The Old Language.

     "Was he not also recognized by The Oracle?" asked The Heraji.

     "Yes," Praline answered.  "The Oracle has offered him The Gift."

     The three giants looked at each other, and Praline perceived great sadness in their eyes, though at the same time there seemed to be great joy in their hearts.  She was beginning to understand.

     Then the three giants looked directly at Raelian.

     "Raelian," said Praline in the new language.  "You must step forward and greet these three kings.  Speak to them only in The Old Language.  And treat them with the utmost honor."

     Bravely Raelian stepped forward. 

     As he had been with Angelis, Raelian showed no fear.  For he could sense no evil in the souls of these giants.

     Then, in a majestic, courtly fashion, the three giants bowed before Raelian, lowering their heads respectfully.

     "What do you wish of me?" asked Raelian in The Old Language.

     "Child of prophecy," said the largest of the Heraji in The Old Language.  "Son of the most high.  We ask that you hear our prayers and grant us blessing."

     Raelian did his best to hide his surprise.  Why should three such grand kings bow before him? Of what value was the blessing of a small and humble creature like himself?

     Raelian looked at his mother, and Praline nodded her approval.

     Raelian closed his eyes and placed himself in a receptive state of mind so that he could hear the unspoken thoughts of the three kings as they prayed.

     "I am ready," said Raelian in The Old Language.  "I will hear your prayers."

     The three giants directed their thoughts at Raelian.  And in his mind, Raelian could clearly perceive three sets of thoughts and images, relating to him the tragic history of The Heraji, their acknowledgement and acceptance of The Prophecy Of The Ommadawn, and their willingness to accept the fate that awaited them.

     As the thoughts and feelings of the three giants filled Raelian's heart he was overcome with emotion, and tears flowed from beneath his closed eyelids.

     Now Raelian understood what the three kings thought he was, and though he did not believe it himself, he would not dash the needs of these noble creatures by denying it, even to himself for the moment.

     When The Heraji had finished praying, Raelian looked to the sky.  Ra was directly over head, shining upon his face.  Silently he asked Ra if it would be sinful for him to grant the three kings the blessing they desired.  He was but a small fawn.  How could he speak for the creator of all things?

     In his contemplative state, Raelian felt the sunlight caressing his body, and words began to form in his mind.  Not his words.  Words from beyond.  He could not speak for Ra, but Ra could speak through him.

     "In the name of the father," said Raelian in The Old Language.  "I transmit blessing to the last of The Heraji.  Pass quietly from Chikyu.  And go to the place of refuge the creator has prepared.  The Heraji shall not be lost."

     In succession, each of The Heraji rose and touched the tears on Raelian's face as though they were holy.  Then each bowed to Praline in their turn and walked away - each choosing a separate spot in the clearing from which to take in the joys of material beauty, as if knowing with great certainty that they had not much time left to enjoy it.


     Later, as they made their way home from The Heraji's clearing, everyone could tell how troubled Raelian was.

     "What happened, Rael?" asked Jonathan.  "What did they communicate to you?"

     "They think we are the children foretold in The Prophecy Of The Ommadawn," said Raelian.  "They think of us as the son's of Ra.  Not the descendents of Ra, but the direct offspring of Ra."

     "Surely they are taking the prophecy too literally," said Kitsune.  "It is not possible."

     "Really?" asked Praline.  "Why is it impossible, Kitsune?"

     "Well, surely you must know who their father is," said Kitsune.  "They could not be the children of Ra if their father is a deer."

     "That's very logical, Kitsune," said Praline.  "But how do you know their father is a deer? You knew me before they were born.  Did you ever see or hear of me being close to a buck?"

     "No," said Kitsune, thoughtfully.  "But still, it is not possible to mate with Ra, is it?"

     "Mother, who is our father?" asked Jonathan.

     "I'm not sure," Praline confessed.  "You were conceived in a dream.  I dreamed that a beautiful spirit came to me and made love to me.  And when I awakened I could feel the living seeds inside me.  I never knew the name of that spirit.  He didn't talk to me.  But somehow I knew that I loved him, and that I wanted to mate with him and no other.  I guess he could have been Ra.  There's no way for me to prove that he wasn't.  I wish he would have talked to me.  I've missed him ever since, and I have no idea whom I'm in love with - no idea who your father is.  But if you are The Children Of The Ommadawn, and there's every reason to believe that you are, then you are both aspects of Ra, manifested in material form."

     "But if we're both children of Ra, why were The Heraji so much more interested in Rael?" asked Jonathan.

     "The prophecy says one of you bears Ra's heart, and the other bears Ra's sword," said Praline.  "It is written in the prophecy that the one who bears Ra's heart would have the power to tame predators, and that he would be especially beloved of foxes.  Apparently The Heraji know the prophecy very well.  And they don't waste time doubting the obvious like the rest of us do.  They know what you are, and they sought Rael's blessing because they wanted to be close to Ra's heart."

     "There's more to it than that," said Raelian.  "They weren't just asking for a blessing.  They were asking for last rites.  Those three that we saw are the last of their tribe, and they feel that they will all die soon.  They confessed to me the sins of their entire tribe.  Then they begged for forgiveness and absolution - for some hope that their tribe would be reborn under Ra's covenant."

     "Ra's covenant," said Kitsune, thoughtfully.  "I have heard your mother tell that story.  It is a special compensation Ra reserves for tribes that are destroyed in their entirety.  It is said that Ra has created another world that is free from pain and the need to kill.  In that world, all the tribes that have been driven to extinction are reborn and live in eternal peace."

     "I saw that world," said Raelian.  "I asked Ra what blessing I should give The Heraji.  He sent me the words I spoke, but also an image that I relayed to their minds.  An image of a planet called Pentalous.  It was beautiful.  No .  .  .  It was paradise."

     "So I'm supposed to have Ra's sword?" asked Jonathan.  "What does that mean?"

     "I take it to mean you are to be the instrument of Ra's wrath," said Praline.  "You will dispense justice to the wicked and express the fury of Ra's anger at those who do harm to the innocent."

     "Is that why The Heraji fear Jon?" asked Raelian.

     "The Heraji were afraid of me?" asked Jonathan in astonishment.  "How could I possibly harm such giants? Even when I'm grown I won't be half their size."

     "If you are truly the sons of Ra your physical size will not matter," said Kitsune.  "You will be able to wield the full power of Ra.  You should be able to strike any creature that offends you dead with a mere thought."

     "I think you exaggerate, Kitsune," said Praline.  "I think the prophecy itself exaggerates.  Anyone who knows and understands the full power of Ra will become like onto Ra - an infinite being of a kind that can not exist in the physical world.  To effectively work Ra's will in the material world his agents must be imperfect and limited in some fashion.  But even if you can not command the full power of Ra, it is possible to command so much of it that many might fear you as a god."

     "Even if I may someday have the power to strike them dead, why should The Heraji fear me?" asked Jon.  "They are not evil.  Why should they think I would harm them?"

     "The Heraji are extremely religious," said Raelian.  "Practically all I saw in their minds were religious thoughts.  Their tribe has been devout throughout the history of our planet.  They have sought seclusion in order to remain detached from the new ways and keep their thoughts pure.  But they fear this has not been enough.  They fear that Ra is displeased with them for some reason, and that this is why their tribe has been reduced to only three males and no females.  They search their memories constantly for any possible sin that would have offended Ra and caused him to visit this tragedy upon them so that they might atone for it.  They think Jon knows what their sin was, and they dare not approach him.  They're afraid to get too close to Ra's anger."

     "That's silly," said Jonathan.  "But still, it's kind of cool that big creatures like that are scared of me."

     "Don't take too much pride in being feared, Jonathan," Praline warned.  "Those who are feared are rarely truly loved.  And the only difference between a hero and a villain is that heroes are loved, while villains are feared.  You can not dispense justice without a heart."

     "Yeah, but Rael got Ra's heart," said Jon.  "I got the sword."

     "You don't need Ra's heart," said Praline.  "You have a heart of your own - a heart that is mortal.  It comes from the half of you that is me.  Keep the heart I gave you always in your mind, Jonathan.  Without it you can not use the power of Ra compassionately, and you would surely become a villain.