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The Shadowwalker Family



Deep within the Raza Jungle, close to a mystical pond, lived a wicked sorceress. She was greedy, and coveted the pond. She let no creature swim in it or drink from it, believing that it was the source of her powers, and should any water leave the pond, she would weaken and die. She mercilessly cut down any who approached the pond.



One day, the sorceress left her dwelling to go in search of spell components. The creatures of the Jungle knew better than to approach her pond, and so she did not put up a spell of warding; her reputation alone would be enough to keep anyone away. She made her way to the outskirts of the jungle, glaring at any creature she came across in a silent warning.



That evening, a young Mist Stalker cub wandered into the sorceress’s territory. The cub didn’t know who the sorceress was, didn’t know that she shouldn’t have been there. She had wandered away from her parents to go exploring. The hidden nest in which she was born had quickly grown dull, and nothing was as inquisitive or mischievous as a bored Mist Stalker cub. The cub’s father had gone out hunting, and her mother was sleeping, and so she had taken the opportunity to practice the use of her cloaking mist, and had slipped right past her dozing mother.



She happened upon the pond, and seeing the crystal clear water, became overjoyed and bounded forward, splashing into the water. She began to drink from it, and found it cool and refreshing. As she leaped and frolicked in the water, she was wholly unaware of all manner of creatures staring at her. Lithe Raza Quetzalcoatls, Anaugi, Chimera and Manticore, even Telvian Panthers came to stare at the little Mist Stalker cub playing in the pond. Grumblings and screeches of unrest came from the creatures of the jungle, and yet they went unnoticed by the cub.



And suddenly the creatures scattered, shrieking and roaring in fear. The sorceress had returned, and when she saw the cub playing in her magical pond, she flew into a fury. The cub stopped playing as the sorceress screamed and came flying at her. The tiny cub was frozen in terror, and could not even summon a mist to hide herself.



Just as the sorceress raised her hands to cast a spell that would surely kill the young cub, her parents burst through the underbrush and leaped upon the sorceress. They knocked her backward, away from their cub. As they stood in front of their cowering child, teeth bared, mists roiling about them, the sorceress knew she stood no chance against two enraged Mist Stalkers protecting their young. She knew that this was the end of her life, but she was determined to cast one final spell. Pulling a sprig of hemlock from her component pouch, she raised her hands into the air and began chanting.



The Mist Stalkers could not understand what she was saying; they only knew that this woman must be stopped. They leapt into a run and charged at her, and just as they tackled her to the ground, she spoke the last words to her spell.



The entire area was suddenly enshrouded in a darkness that would have made even a blind man shrink back in fear. The Mist Stalkers roared in fear and confusion, their cub whimpering behind them on the banks of the pond.



And then the darkness was gone, slinking back to wherever it had been summoned from, leaving nothing in its wake but a shiver beneath the skin. The Mist Stalkers were unhurt, as was their cub, and the sorceress was gone. Had the darkness consumed her? Had her final spell been to turn herself into all-consuming darkness?



The little family would not find out what her final spell was until the next morning. When Ivory, the father of the mischievous cub, awoke and sought sunlight to warm his fur, he was immediately struck by a pain so intense and burning that he nearly blacked out. Roaring in blind fury, in fear for his life, he became mist and fled back to his dwelling where his mate and child had come from upon hearing his cries.



He collapsed in their dwelling, flanks heaving, eyes rolling.  His mate, Mystic, brushed her head against his, her horns attempting to lift his chin. He chuffed in pain, his tail twitching back and forth. In their own way of communicating, it was conveyed to Mystic that the cause of his great pain had been the sunlight. Both knew that it had been the sorceress that had cursed them; the darkness they had been exposed to was so intense that it had seeped into their bones, into their skin. It would not tolerate sunlight.



Thus they came to be known as the Shadowwalkers, a family of cursed, unfortunate Mist Stalkers who we banned from sunlight, forced to walk the corridors of night. All of the children born of Mystic and Ivory have the same “allergy” to the sunlight, and they are sure that their children’s children will be cursed with the same affliction. They have searched long years for a way to break this curse, but nothing has been found. The cub, now grown, seeks vengeance, and can be found almost every night, staring into the mystical pond that started it all, hoping for a glimpse of the sorceress. For the now grown cub believes that the sorceress did not die, and is alive in some form of wretched half-existence. If she can find this foul witch and kill her, perhaps the curse upon her family will be lifted, and she can be freed from the raw guilt she feels.



And so now she is the one who covets the pond, viciously guarding it from all who may disturb its tranquility, awaiting the day when the sorceress will return.