Brand New Day

Reyna smiled at him and released Eonoe as they set off for the core. Though her fingers curled through his, "Do you want me to put some gaurds up too?"

Eonoe looked at her. "Guards?"

"Maybe we could get some of the Guardians to help with that?" Pernas asked. "I mean, that's what the Guardians do, really. Just need to make sure they don't have spies."

"Guardians?" Eonoe asked.

"One of the herds." Pernas said.

"Herds? They're in multiple herds?" Eonoe asked.

"Yep. Several herds. There's the Guardians, the Flock, the Aurochs..."

"It would probably be best for magical guards though, right? To keep any of the cows getting too close," Reyna said and squeezed Eonoe's hand, "I ment guards as in ways to ward off the cows. So they don't come close and mess with it."

Vi was silent and felt very nervous. These people were strange especialy Reyna. She seemed nice but something strange lurked just bellow the surface, she knew it. Though his father seemed perfectly nice, through and through.

"Oh." Pernas said.

"Yes, that might work." Eonoe said, as they all headed down the caves. "We could easily animate a few statues. Some cow-proof shields would be an obvious step, as well."

"Okay," Reyna said with a smile, "We should add some human proofing if they are staying here and maybe some Pernas proofing. He doesn't need to come down here so it wont hurt to have a little more protection." She had a feeling that the core was dangerous even if cows had managed to manipulate it.

"No, I don't think we should completely seal it off." Eonoe said. "There needs to be some form of access. Maybe just for ourselves. If we completely seal it off and then something else happens, there's no other way to keep maintenance." he said as they entered the large room where the core was kept.

"All right, here we are." Eonoe said. He raised his hand, and a ball of light expanded, making a bubble around the core, spreading outwards. "Well, that'll keep the cows from touching it."

Reyna frowned, "Can they tap the bubbles power?" She stared at it for a few moments, "Maybe you should teach Pernas to do it? At least to access it."

She smiled at Pernas.

Vi was moving even more restlessly. Perhaps it came from being a bird for so long but she was nervous about Reyna. Reyna just wasn't right. Something was off. She didn't look like a dragon. In fact she wasn't pretty with the horns on her head and the wings coming out of her back or the bump just above her pants line. Wait? A bump? Had that been there before?

Reyna was fidgeting now. Scratching the bump but seemingly unbothered by it. She leaned in close to Eonoe and whispered in his ear, "I got a tail and it's itching like crazy."

Eonoe blinked. "A tail?" he asked. He peered around to look. There was a bump. "We'll have to make adjustments to your clothing." He turned to Pernas. "Pernas, come over here." he said, gesturing to him.

Pernas walked over, as Eonoe conjured a transparent panel in front of them. "Okay. You should be able to access this if you need it. It should give feedback on how it works. Basically, it covers the island's vital procedures - weather, rebirth cycles, all that sort of thing. If anything is up, you'll be able to find out very easily."

He examined the little light show. "This indicates that everything's stable or stabilizing..." He looked around. "Now, how to test our barrier..." he walked up to the barrier. He rapped his knuckles on it, making a knocking sound. "Seems fairly solid..." he thought. "maybe we can tie it into the core, so that the magic doesn't decay. Just leaving the barrier up, it could get weaker over time."

Reyna was fidgeting again, "I can test it." She felt like she was going crazy with the itch. Then an idea struck her. Easy as pie.

She changed, but not in to a dragon. Instead in to a creature with rippeling red fur and a long body. She slammed in to the bubble but it didn't yield under her force. Her body wrapped around it and tightened until the edges creaked under her pressure but it still held.

Falling from the bubble she slinked over to Eonoe and started wrapping her body around him, gently and keeping his head above the folds. Her tongue flickered across his face. "This thing can talk," Was all she said.

Vi was behind Pernas, "What is that!?" She sounded slightly afraid.

"Still Reyna," Though Reyna tightened a little, just enough to show her discomfort at being called a that.

Pernas backed up. The monster?

Eonoe seemed startled as well. She tested the bubble, and it seemed to hold. Then she slinked over and wrapped around him. He laughed a bit. "Careful, you'll scare the kids" he said teasingly.

"Uhh..." Pernas said. "So you're a shapeshifter like father?"

Reyna broke in to a grin that showed the crisscross of jagged teeth, "Yeah, I am. Just the shifting sticks around a bit longer. Besides what better to test the guard then the monster that can change to such an incredible length?"

Eonoe made her feel instantly better and she changed in to a human though her arms were wrapped around Eonoe's neck, "This tail is going to drive me up a wall." Briefly she let go and adjusted her clothing. Letting the long tail curl it's self out in to the air, "Better."

She turned to Pernas and hugged him, "Sorry if I scared you. I have complete control over the shape." She looked around him to Vi who was looking at her even more strangely then before.

She escaped the gaze and returned to Eonoe, "It held up really well."

Eonoe smiled. "Excellent."

Pernas was thinking about it, no doubt his mind was taking a while to process it. "Huh. So you're a shapeshifter like father, only... not like father."

Eonoe glanced at Vi. She seemed suspicious. They'd have to address this at some point. Pernas seemed to be doing okay, even if this was new for him. He had a feeling Pernas would warm to her.

"Yes." Eonoe said. "I'll tie the barrier in with the core."

"Then we could animate some sculptures I made!" Pernas said. "I've got a bunch of them." he certainly seemed to think the idea was cool.

"Of course, there is many different kinds of shifters," Reyna said softly. She was glad that Pernas was so accepting. Moving slowly she looked at Eonoe and then Pernas.

"Sounds great! Your father is so stingy with details about you. I didn't know you sculpted," Reyna winked at Eonoe, "Though you do seem very much of the artsy type. Do you play instruments?"

She figured that he would, being Eonoe's son, he would have to be invovled in music of all sorts.

"Oh, yes." Pernas said. "I play all kinds of things. Violin, Viola, Cello, Trumpet, Flute, Oboe, Piano..."

"He paints, too." Eonoe said, walking up to them. "You do still paint, right?"

"Uh-huh." Pernas said, nodding. "I... I sometimes fall out of practice, though. With all the things. I sometimes make up with a week-long concert."

"Week-long?" Eonoe asked, surprised.

"Oh, yes." Pernas said, nodding. "Well, only occasionally. They're usually much shorter. They only get to be really long if I, well... feel like it."

"I'm a little too restless to play a week long concert," Reyna commented, "Though I do play the harp."

She drew close to Eonoe as he came closer as if pressing her self in to him, "Well, let's see some of your artwork. We'll have to get thoughs statues down here to animate them as well."

"Sounds great!" Pernas said, starting up the path.

"I remember your paintings. It was one of your paintings that made me decide to make you into a dragon." Eonoe said.

"Really?" Pernas asked.

"Yes." Eonoe said. "It was that painting you made of a blue dragon. I peeked at your mind, and it seemed that you'd titled it, in your head, 'Pernas as Dragon.'"

"You'll have to show me 'Pernas as a Dragon'," She peeked around as they walked the passages, "So where are these statues of yours?"

Vi had followed along behind. Looking a little upset but she couldn't help the excitement at getting to see statues come to life. Perhaps she could be okay with Reyna for a while. Expecialy if they were going to leave. Though she realised they would probably send her back with her father.

She stopped, "Pernas, I'm going to go look for my dad for a bit. I'll catch up later to see your sculptures." With that she turned down the tunnel and followed it back to the main part of the house.

"I'll try to find it." Pernas said. "I might not still have it..."

"That's a bummer." Eonoe said. "It's more or less just a portrait of himself."

"Huh?" Pernas asked, looking at Vi. "Oh, okay." he said, nodding.

"How are they holding up?" Eonoe asked as they climbed the steps.

"Oh, they're okay. The father went a little nuts when Vi disappeared. Captain Carbonbuckle tricked her into thinking I'd killed Ralph, so he killed her and got her to go with him."

"Hmm." Eonoe said.

"Here we are." Pernas said. "One of my studios."

What a mess. The whole place was cluttered with sheets of music, statues, paintings, several layers of dust in some places, paint over the floors, and fragments of rock and crystal. Yet the works of art still had in them their simple beauty. None of it was particularly complicated or extravagant, but it was all very nice.

"I would hate to see your other studios," Reyna said. She was a clean person even for all her unclean habits of biting people, "I'll have to straighten up before I leave."

She smiled at Pernas, "They are very pretty. Which ones did you have in mind for guarding?"

"Hmm..." Pernas said, looking around. "Ooh!" he said, running to something that was covered in a white cloth. "How about this?" he said, pulling it off, revealing a large stone serpent. "That'd be pretty cool." he said. "I've noticed that dragons sometimes seem to be more like snakes than lizards."

"Did you know that there is a lizard with out legs," Reyna asked as she examined the statue, "It should be perfect. Does he have a friend that we can add?"

"A lizard without legs?" Pernas asked.

"Yes." Eonoe said. "One difference between them and snakes is that the lizards can blink, while the snakes can't."

"Uhh..." Pernas said, walking around. "How about this?" He asked, unveiling a large stone lion.

"I think that'll do." Eonoe said.

"That will be perfect," Reyna said with a wide smile, "You are very artistic Pernas. Now we should get these boys a movin' don't you think Eonoe?"

Pernas smiled. "Thanks." he said. You could tell he liked compliments.

"Very well." Eonoe said, walking to the center of the room. He rolled up his sleeves and smiled, turning to face the statues. He extended his arms, his eyes closed.

"Figments of stone, awake to serve!" his voice boomed. A flash of light, and the statues began to stir. The snake started to slither along the floor, making some light scraping noises. The lion padded its way to the center of the room, not particularly stealthily, though. But that wasn't important.

"All right." Eonoe said, still in commanding tone. "I want you to go down to the core, and guard it. The only ones allowed down there are myself, Pernas, Reyna, and those we give express permission to. If anyone else goes down there, detain them. If any cows go down there, kill them. You are to follow my orders, Pernas' orders, and Reyna's orders."

The two statues began to slowly make their way out the room and down the stairs, to the core.

Reyna saw her chance. Eonoe, with his eyes closed, she moved on him like a puma. Completely and deadly silent. She wrapped her hands around his arms and smiled as she rubbed them.

He still had them stretched out, with his sleeves rolled up, "Wonderful." The compliment could have been either to his magic or to his arms. Then she was off. Practicaly running down the tunnels after the stone creatures. She felt a little crazy being cooped up in tunnels.

Especialy with two powerful beings and a couple of humans. Though it was only a tickle she kept it in mind. A hand wrapped around her's taking her for surprise, which was weird enough.

"What are you?" It was Vi.

Reyna sighed, "I steal powers." she didn't need to know how, "Well, not steal. Just kind of borrow them. Only for so long."

Vi looked at her for a few moments as if to judge if this was the truth. After a few moments she nodded, "Okay."

Reyna hugged her which she could tell, put her off guard, "Thank you. Pernas means so much to me. I would hate it if one of his friends didn't like me."

They were coming towards her and Reyna released Vi to wave at them. Mostly to show Eonoe she wasn't eating anyone... yet.