Sahara gazed into the twilight sky, watching as the amethyst sky began to darken and fade away as the night arrived to blanket the land. The stars shone brightly in their onyx encasement, glittering and radiating their shards of precious, silver light while the crown jewel of them all, the moon, illuminated the earth below. But Sahara's gaze was not on those shimmering gems. She was looking past them, orange eyes focused upon the depths of the Milky Way, upon a sight that both frightened and excited her, although it perhaps frightened her more. The planets were aligning with an unnatural swiftness, moving together as quickly as a child puts together a simple puzzle. This phenomenon alone was not what caused her anxiety, it was the knowledge of what was to become of her once the alignment was complete. She was the Chosen One, the pure hearted creature destined to carry and nourish the offspring of some distant plane, something she herself did not very much understand. And she had no choice but to carry out this predetermined duty. She did not have the power to resist what the Stars had already foreseen. The cheetah fidgeted nervously as the final planet, Pluto, moved into place. What was to become of her? What was going to happen? She could not comprehend, for she had never been told. All she knew was that something extraordinary was going to happen, something that involved her for better of for worse. The wind rustled the long serengetti grass softly and ruffled Sahara's speckled coat, seeming to whisper to her, "Don't be afraid, young mother. Don't be afraid," and Sahara jumped at what she heard- Or what she believed to have heard. She was not a mother, though she was indeed young. She had a mate, but they had not yet mated... Sahara shook her head. No, it had just been her imagination. It is not unusual to amuse oneself by thinking that the wind spoke, even though it is a known fact that it is not actually alive... Right? Sahara shivered a little, but not because the breeze had chilled her. Her fiery eyes were once more focused upon Pluto, which had finally taken it's place among the other planets. Almost instantly Sahara felt a movement within her womb and a sudden feeling of heaviness as her belly began to expand. Within a few minutes, she had taken on the appearence of one who was at the end of her pregnancy. The stars and planets above her became a blurr as her legs buckled and she fell down upon the grass, her belly screaming with pain. The planets above began to glow with an intensity that could never be imagined, and for one fleeting moment the night sky was bright as day... and then it ended, the planets beginning to move apart. Sahara panted, breathless from pain and terror, her bottom lip bloody from where she had bitten down on it against the pain that had never really ceased. She clawed at the grass with her unretractable claws, eyes squeezed shut. Now she understood. She was a mother now. Another contraction racked her body, but this one never went away. She screamed and beared the pain with as much strength as she could muster, but it was too much. She began to feel lightheaded and weak and the pain was so intense that she could feel her body going numb. Her stomach moved beneath her and she could feel the life inside her squirming, trying to get out. And then it happened. In a flash of light and poweful magic, her stomach tore and a small cheetah cub emerged, amazingly clean and appearing to be three weaks old. It was a female, and on one speckled cheek a large spot was shaped like a star. She lay there beside the torn and dying Sahara, her tiny eyes shut just as tightly as the mother's. The mother's eyes opened slowly and weakly, and as she did so the cub's eyes opened, too. There was silence, and for a moment the only sounds audible were Sahara's labored breaths and the wind rushing over the land, bending the grass gently. "Kishi Nokomis..." Sahara breathed, eyes the color of the setting sun meeting the cub's eyes, seeming to recognize the deep blue pools that reflected the depths of the universe precisely. She closed her own eyes then, her final breath escaping her and her heart ceasing to beat. Kishi whimpered and rose to her feet shakily, her legs wobbling beneath her, and nudged Sahara's still form. Sahara did not respond and the cub began to panic, not understanding what happened to her but knowing that it happened because of her. Her body became dappled with Sahara's blood as she licked and nuzzled and did all she could to try and bring the cheetah back, but as she began to realize that she could not, she sat down and cried beside her, scared and confused, already experiencing things that no young cub should ever have to experience at so young an age. She was new to this world, to this life, and already she had learned the hard way what death was, even though she was too young to know what it meant. She sobbed in frustration and confusion, the tears rolling down her cheek and off her chin. The hours continued to pass, and it was not long when the sky began to lighten and turn to amethyst once more before gradually turning rosy. Kishi had fallen asleep beside the lifeless form of her mother, though she did not remember when she did so. Her life was overwhelming already, and she was afraid to move. Afraid to leave her mother's side, even though she knew it would do no good for either of them. Her mother would never again live, and if she did not leave the body would surely attract scavengers who might even take the opportunity to feast upon a young cheetah cub. But Kishi didn't care. She was oblivious to the dangers of the world, and knew nothing but the hurt she was experiencing. "Kishi..." The wind spoke, swirling around the cub and her mother. "Do not feel so forlorn, Kishi Nokomis. That is not your mother, and what was done could not be helped. It was inevitable." Kishi perked up, her head cocking slightly and her nose twitching, a few excess tears falling. She listened, her ears rotating and eyes searching for the speaker. For one brief instant, she thought it was Sahara, but then she remembered she was dead and motionless beside her. She drew in a shuddering gasp, feeling her heart breaking once more. "Do not worry about her," The voice spoke again as Kishi stared sorrowfully at Sahara. "She will be alright," The wind carressed Kishi's body gently, drying her tears as Sahara's mortal shell faded away, leaving only the blood-stained grass to show where a magnificent creature had once laid. The soft voice continued, the wind seeming to embrace Kishi's small form. "I want you to listen to me now, Kishi. You may not remember me, which is expected, but we are not strangers to one another. In time you will learn, and in time we will be reunited," Kishi listened carefully, frozen to the spot. "I cannot protect you as long as you are mortal, Kishi, so it is up to you to survive and find a safe haven to reside. I cannot shelter you from pain, evil, or death, and such things will become part of your everyday life, as you have already discovered. You will experience things no creature should ever have to face, but in turn you will become stronger and wiser than any mortal. This is only if you live, and the world depends on your success. Always remember that though your immortal soul can never be destroyed, your body can die and will die one day. Everyone must die someday, and this does not exclude you, for you are in a form of flesh and blood and blood, the life force, is easily spilt. You will live, however, as long as your will is strong and your heart is true. Be brave, my daughter. We will meet again one day..." And with that, the wind died down and with it went the voice. The voice of her true mother. The sun rose higher, heading toward the sky's zenith, which was now a fiery orange color- The exact color of Sahara's eyes. Kishi stood up once more, sighing softly. She would live. She wanted to live. She had seen first hand what death looked like, stared straight into the dim eyes of the dying Sahara, and she did not want to experience it. She knew one day she would die- Her mother promised that- But it would not be any time soon. She was sure of that. But she somehow knew it would not be so easy. She was told to find a safe haven... But where was such a place and how could it be found? She did not know the land, much less where she was, so how could she possibly find the sanctuary her mother spoke of? A scent, carried on the air, invaded her nostrils at that moment. The smell of another cheetah. At first, Kishi was thrilled by such luck that a cheetah was nearby, but then intuition told her this cheetah was Sahara's mate. Kishi felt her heart sink. She was covered in Sahara's dried blood, for she had gotten that way when she was trying to nuzzle her back to life. If this was Sahara's mate like her thoughts told her it was... Then might he think that it was Kishi who killed Sahara since she happened to be covered in her blood? Surely he would be angry with her, maybe even kill her. Kishi squeaked in fright at the prospects of such a thing occurring and darted in the opposite dirrection from the scent of the cheetah, running as fast as a young cheetah cub can possibly run, not knowing where she was heading, but allowing her heart to be the judge. ~*~Rhiannon McHugh~*~