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She wakes up, her brain muddles. Looking around, all hes sees are woods. Craning her neck, she looks behind her, spying a large manor. Where am I, who am I, what's going on? she thinks. She stands up, becoming momentarily light-headed. Putting one hand to her head, she looks around again, trying to get her barings. Suddenly something wet touches her hand, making her jump. Spinning around, she reaches for her whip, prepared to attack whatever it is, but she only sees a giant black hound...Nivue. Is that my name...or its? She wasn't sure. Starting to panic, she yells, "WHO AM I? WHO...AM...I?" Her knees buckle sending her to the ground, putting her hand to her face, the hound coming up to nose her shoulder and whimper slightly. Another name came to her and for some reason she was sure it was hers, meaning the dog had to be Nivue. She didn't know how she knew, she just did. Tiu had to be her name. She also knew it was short for something, she just wasn't sure what. Her past was still shrouded in darkness. Although pictures flitted behind her closed eyes, they were going to fast for her hold on to one. Looking down at herself she was confused by her outfit, wondering why she would where something like it. She knew she had a mask on her face to hid her features, but she didn't know the reason behind it being there, only that she did not want to take it off. Wondering also at the all-consuming thirst for human blood...

(tiu's memory disappears every millenia, causing her to disappear.)

They hadn't stayed in the graveyard long, seeing as it had gotten chilly and the wind had picked up. Now, one woman, one wolf, and a host of six spirits all occupied the great hall. Each of the spirits sitting in their own chairs as if they were still alive, of flesh and blood, and still living there.

"I've missed you Ahkah." The little girl threw her arms around Aurahkah's neck and hugging her. Piper climbed up into Aurahkah's lap to gain a better hugging position. She pulled away slightly and pouted. "Daddy wouldn't let me come see you. He said that it was to dangerous around the manor right now. Is it Ahkah? Is it?"

Aura patted Piper on the head. It was funny. Neither could feel the actions of the other and they both knew it, but they did the actions none the less, perhaps out of unforgotten habit. "He was right, it was to dangerous for little girls to be up at the manor."

"But Lotus got to go! Mommy and Daddy let her go! She's a girl."

"That's because I'm older than you Piper. I can take care of myself, you still need supervision."Lotus crossed her arms, shaking her head at the little spirit that occupied Aurahkah's lap.

"And you went to bug me..."Thobias glared over at Lotus. "And then rat me out."

"Enough, both of you. Always fight like cats and dogs. And Thobias, you knew better than to do that to Aurahkah. I specifically told you not to badger her at all, about anything. "Coban shook his head, getting frustrated with the two from the younger generations of the bloodline.

"Yeah, you guys are frustrating enough as it is. You two yelling at each other just multiplies the frustration into something unbearable."

"Oh don't be a suck up Jaxom."

Kali placed a hand on Coban's arm in a gesture of restraint and then looked to the others. "Please now, all of you. No fussing, no whining, no nothing. This is a nice visit and there's no need to ruin it. "Always the voice of reason it seemed. "Now, Ary darling, tell us, how have things been here at the manor?"

"They're well. Situations and people included. Phea's told me that the portal to hell issue is fixed. Currently no damage to the place,though I doubt that will last. But everything is relatively good."

"Well what happened to Eclipse? His wings look horrible."

"Well thanks for the boost of confidence Jaxom. I had a little accident with some magic and ended up in a duel with myself. If I was fighting someone with wings, I would go after those too, of course I did, but you get what I'm saying. They'll be fine."

"Does that mean I can visit again? Huh? Does it Daddy?"

"Yes Piper, you may visit the manor unattended again. But not now. Our time in these forms grows short and we must be off."That earned Coban a collective sigh and several complaints which he held up his hand to. "No complaining. Time to take out leave." He looked to Aurahkah. "Till next time Ary." He waited for the others to say their goodbyes, then snapped his fingers, all of the bloodline spirits disappearing at once in their respective spirit colors.

Left alone with Eclipse, the wolf resting it's head on her knee, her fingers rubbing under his chin, Aura sunk back into her chair. It was always nice to see her 'family'. She only wished the visits weren't so short. They seemed shorter every year too. "Do you think...that one year, they won't ever come back Eclipse?"

"Even if they don't...you won't be alone. You'll have me...I'll never leave you. I exist to give you unconditional love and to always be by your side...it's a purpose that I am very proud of. So don't worry my Aurahkah, I'll never let you be alone."

Eclipse opened his eyes, catching sight of Nelphean and Aurora as they made their way through the room. He stayed quiet though, not wanting to break Aurahkah out of her own brief state of peace. His ears then perked as he heard a giggle and he looked over. "I thought that you left with Coban."

"I wanted to stay a bit longer, even if he said no."

"You're going to make all five of the others angry at you Piper. You know it worries your mother and father when you run off."

"Mommy knows I'm here. I just wanted to stay with you a little longer Ahkah." Piper approached the two, crawling back up into Aurahkah's lap and resting back against her 'big sister'. "Please? Just a while?"

"Just a little while."

The young now semi transparent girl, dressed in blue, disappeared for a moment. reappearing back in Aurahkah's lap with the family album that Aurahkah had days earlier been looking at. Out of the many things the spirit couldn't touch, this she could.

Sometimes, Aura wondered if Piper ever really knew she was dead. Or if she did, she just disregarded the fact. Propping the book on her knee for the girl, she opened it and held it steady.

Piper giggled happily and turned to a specific page. "Look! There's all of us together. Mommy, Daddy, Derick, Me, You, and Clip! Remember when this was done."

"Boy do I...it took forever to get that thing done. How long was it two weeks?"

"Rome wasn't built in a day."

"I never cared about Rome too much...you know that."

Piper was now in the floor, playing with Eclipse, crawling all over the creature and such. Well that is until Eclipse dumped her on the floor, standing over her, her head between his fore paws as he licked her face, resulting in high pitched giggling.

Aura was merely watching them. She missed Piper so badly. Well...Piper being alive that is. Her death was in part her fault, even though everyone said it wasn't, she knew it was. Then the young girl wouldn't of died so young. "Be careful Eclipse, she may just be a spirit, but you may hurt her somehow...you know after all this time we still haven't figured out everything about you."

"Yes, I know. I'm just a box of mystery aren't I. Hey, you can't get away from me!" He plopped his shredded wings around the small spirit as she attempted an escape.

She had calmed down considerably, small hands now gripping themselves along the bones in Eclipse's wings. The little spirit looked like she was about to cry. She then hugged the huge midnight tinted wolf. "It doesn't hurt, does it Clip?"

"No..it doesn't hurt Piper. It looks worse than it is." He retracted his wings and folded them back tightly to his body. His tail swished idly behind him as he let the little one hug on him.

"He'll be fine, up and flying in a week or two Piper. He learned the hard way about magic handling."

She laughed into the wolf's fur and pulled back to look at him. "So you learned the hard way too, just like I did."

"Yes. Except I didn't catch the kitchen on fire." He nudged her, then slipped under the child and stood. The small spirit now sitting on his back just behind where his wings grew out. "Isn't that right?"

"Oh for Ra's sake, don't drop her. Even if she can't feel pain, you'll upset her. And then Coban will come after me."

"Come now, why would I drop her? I've never dropped you have I? What makes you think I could drop her?"

"It's okay Ahkah. Besides, Daddy is too busy being mad at Thobias right now. He's been causing Daddy a really big fuss lately, so Daddy isn't too happy. At all. He yells a lot actually."

"Well you know how he is...but Kali always calms him down. She has that gift I guess."

Another high pitched giggle. "That's Mommy for you."