Prologue ~Black and White~

“I remember that night, when the rain was playing music above,
and the lightning and thunder were dancing.
That was the night I finally became whole.” ~ Leon Arashi


Leon felt an unfathomable, although nevertheless an idyllic feeling, inside of him deep down within the depths of his soul. It felt like a touch, like something was inside of him that wasn’t himself. Well, that was not entirely true; it felt like it was a part of him, nevertheless it didn’t solely belong to him. He released a wolf purr, feeling pure delight enclose him as the touch brushed against his soul, causing his heart to thud strongly against his ribcage.

It also made him feel uneasy, like he was falling in love for the first time. With this feeling a shadow of rage followed, as he soon released a low growl in response. His heart turned cold like stone and he felt a sliver of abhorrence slice through his body. He felt as if an unseen enemy was making its ways towards him, about to destroy everything he adored. He didn’t understand these feelings and a question burned in his mind with no answer. Two contradictory reactions to one event, as he would come to call his conflicting feelings, left him with a contemplate within the abeyance of his mind.

Leon opened his brilliant blue-azure eyes to look for the source of the touch. It felt so close, like another was resting against his pelt. Yet, when he looked there was no one there beside him. He thought for a transient moment he could see the faint essence of another being by his side and the shimmering of Akarisa in its wake.

Akarisa were naturally occurring beings of pure energy. They were an aspect of nature that took the form of glowing spheres of light with a misty tail filled with color. His mother told him that Akarisa were found all throughout the world, even within themselves. They wouldn’t often seen unless one was passing back into the LifeForce or in sacred places.

His mother didn’t seem to see the unusual presence of the Akarisa next to them as she hummed softly to the both of them. She gave his fuzzy head a lick before she settled down for a peaceful nap.

"Rest now, my little one...
As nighttime draws near
Remember all that you hold dear.
The stars shine brightly above,
The moon glows with all my love.
Twilight will soon pass into a new dawn
And it will be time to stifle that yawn,
To seek yet another adventure,
To behold a journey's future.
So for now lay your wary head to rest
For your dreams will be blessed.
Rest now, my little one..."



Rain poured on the secluded cave, making the inside echo with its sound. Within the warm, snug den mother and pup listened to nature’s melody as it played for them in an act of complementary. The pup could smell the damp earth above and felt warm being tucked underneath it. It was early spring, nonetheless there was still a chill in the outside air from the previous winter.

The storm raged on outside, thunder roaring and lightning flashing, as he rested beside his mother in the dimly lit den. Moon rays managed to escape the storm clouds every so often and cast light through a slit in the stone wall. The stones would capture that light and use it to keep the small chamber lit constantly in a soft, scarlet light. His cream colored mother licked the top of his head once again and softly spoke in his ear, “One day you will be a wolf of legends, my son.”

The white pup wagged his tail in response to his mother’s gentle, melodic voice. He was a young wolf, reaching the age of two on this very day. In the world he lived in, Exorsa, many creatures of the world lived long lives, ranging from hundreds to thousands, sometimes even millions of years, depending on the species. Despite his young age, the pup was wise beyond his years, he was a pure prodigy. He understood the world around him better than other wolf pups his age and he could already comprehend many idiosyncrasies that pups older than him would have trouble perceiving.

One such idiosyncrasy was the concept of true love. Indubitably, he understood the love he felt for his mother, a feeling of affection for the one who cared for him. Yet he equilibrium more than the affection concept of love and that of which stems from friendship, discerning the relationship that occurs between two beings lock in abiding passion for the other. This was the type of love he felt when the touch brushed against his soul, a desire to keep the touch tucked away within his heart for the rest of his life and felt the incredible awkwardness that comes with meeting of one's soul mate. He knew that whatever the source of the touch he felt that night, he bear an unconditional love for that being. That was why he could not infer the feeling of animosity that followed the touch of love he had felt.

Suddenly, he lifted his head up from the floor he was it resting upon and stared with his bright blue eyes towards the entrance to the den. He couldn't see past the darkness within the passageway before him, yet he saw in his mind's eye an exemplification of what was to come. He may have been young; nevertheless, could sense that a great change was entering life. And this was no small change, nonetheless one that was essential to his entire being. It was his missing piece. It was the source of the touch that was surrounding his soul, growing stronger as the source came closer. It was the entity he wanted more than anything, and also dreaded with all his heart.

Paw steps were heard in front of the den, followed by an ominous strike of thunder. “Lunapalla, may I…?" a deep voice inquired. The pup scented two strange, strong scents coming from the entrance to the cave. It was nothing like the strawberry scent of his mother. One was a strong musky smell, a scent that made him think of a powerful being. He could sense the great size of the deep voice that had spoken. Yet, that was not what drew his attention. His was focused on the other scent, his eyes wide with the interoception that it gave him.

“Of course, come in Auron," his mother answered, her green eyes glowing with warmth. Leon could tell his mother had strong feelings for the one she called Auron. He could sense the happiness radiating from her being and felt the slight wag of her tail.

“I have…. another with me," his voice added hesitantly.

“I trust your judgment, Auron," his mother spoke with confidence. She bent her head down and licked at her white pup's ear and then quickly lifted her head upwards again, awaiting the one she summoned to appear. Her eyes gave away her excitement of seeing the one who had come to visit them.

After a brief moment, Auron made his way to the back of the den, with a bit of a struggle fitting his large, tawny body through the small tunnel leading to where the mother and the pup waited. When he arrived, a ray of moonlight broke through the clouds and shone on his golden mane through the small slit in the cave wall. In his jaws, he held onto a small black scrap of fur. The small one was surround by Akarisa floating all about. They appeared to be coming from the pup and drifting away into another world high above.

And that was the first time he saw her, a moment in time he would never forget. A blast of an unseen power struck between her and Leon the instant he laid his eyes upon her, both positive and negative, reflecting the conflicting feelings burning in him. It left him with an indescribable feeling within his core. He wasn't sure when he had gotten to his paws, but he stood there unable to move, frozen in the sea of emotion that was flooding into his senses.

“I have a favor to ask of you,” Auron asked after he had set the wet bundle onto the hay and moss covered den floor. Her scent was strong, yet not unpleasant. Leon knew it was the best smell he had ever sniffed. It was hard for him to describe exactly what the scent smell like because it was unlike anything he had ever smelled. It smelled extraordinarily powerful and mysterious along with a trace of cherry blossoms. 

“I’ll take the little one,” his mother spoke softly, without waiting to hear the request. Her gaze of focused on the black pup, with a expression of sympathy in her eyes.

“Thanks, Lunapalla,” Auron sounded relieved and it showed in his eyes. He bent his great head toward the scrap of fur at his large paws and touched it with his nose. A few Akarisa remained, drifting about the pup.        

Leon stayed where he was, not daring to get any closer to the pup even though he desperately wanted to, testing the bond that seemed to enclose him and the newcomer. It was more powerful than anything he had ever felt before. The extreme strength quickly overwhelmed Leon and he had to sever the connection. He still kept a small link of the feeling inside of him through, not wanting to lose it, ever.

“She looks as if she was just born.” Lunapalla glanced up at Auron and the white pup did the same. He was intently watching the black pup with an unreadable look in his golden-brown eyes.

“I believe she... I’m not sure what happened, she was all alone,” the lion answered without looking up at them, focused on the black wolf.

The pup shifted as if the eyes upon her made her uncomfortable and lifted her head, glancing at the adults with her multicolored eyes. A strange emotion flashed through the right blue eye to the left green one. It quickly disappeared and the pup turned to look upon the white pup. The last remaining Akarisa drifted away into the unknown as their eyes met.

A surge of pure energy flowed through the unseen tie that held them together. Leon flinched, but the black wolf seemed unaffected. Of course she felt the ties between them, the bond that kept them unable to be alone, the moment she was born; she didn’t know what life felt without it. Leon did. They stared at each other, their eyes mirroring the questions they shared; What is this? Why are we connected? And the most important thought was; I never want to lose this. Leon had one thought the black wolf didn’t; Why do I have these conflicting feelings about you?           

The pressure inside of Leon pushed harder than ever before. He quickly realized what that source of touch actually was. It was the black wolf’s soul, pressing against his, as he was hers. Their souls were connected and they could brush against each other’s. It was as real as a physical brush against pelts. It felt incredible and it was like the missing hole inside of Leon was overflowing with both of the conflicting emotions.

This was truly a meeting of destiny. Black and White. Two souls united, forevermore. It was an encounter of fate.

The black pup abruptly severed the connection. She looked away and moved off, crawling to a corner of the den. Leon quickly followed the smaller pup to the side of the cave. He stood there, looking down at her, and she stared back at him, while he tried to figure out if he dare chance it.

Leon quickly decided and lay down next to her without further hesitation, their fur touching. Static flowed between them, making his fur stand on edge. The physical touch made Leon feel like his entire being was on fire, flames spreading from his outside to the core of his heart. He snuggled closer to the black pup’s fur, taking in the warmth of the blaze and absorbing the heat of the inferno.

He knew then that she was his responsibility. She was his family and he would do whatever it took to protect her. For together they were two halves of a whole.

And Thus Black and White Became One.

Author's Note

Be kind.