The Ascension

"This is the place." Aila said and closed her eyes. She could more easily focus with her eyes closed, and see the life essence, or elemental essence of the beasts around her.

"That's odd. Three signatures, but two seem to approach the one. The one backing up is earth, while the other two are dark." She pursed her lips. "I think I understand." Aila walked into the cave that had obviously been a mine in the past.

Toril had told her that it was a mine with different types of metals in it. Iron. Silver. A yellow metal they weren't familiar with, which she assumed might be gold, as well as a crystal deposit.

"I figured as much. Black panthers. Those buggers seem to be encroaching on this forest." Aila bunched her fists. She wasn't arrogant like the last time. This time she found each living being within the cavern, as well as the dead ones. There were two dead stone bears, so she was sure this had been a family.

The black panther pair looked at her as she entered. She grinned and pulled her sword.

"You want to fight with me?" Her eyes began to glow red as her flame element rose along with her temper. "If you had ignored me, I might have ignored you. Too bad you're too close to my home!" Aila dashed forward and lopped off the head of the first black panther.

When the second one focused on her in its rage, the stone bear slowly moved into position. She sent it a sliver of earth element to tell it to act. She held up her sword, and roared at the panther. Her voice carried power, and startled the black panther, but didn't make it back away.

It was still enraged at her, which kept its attention. The stone bear took the opportunity, slowly stood up so that it wouldn't make noise, and as it came back down loudly, its massive paw gashed the side of the neck of the panther.

The bear looked at Aila warily. Aila nodded, and put her sword away.

"I'm not here to harm you." She said. "I'm only here for the metal in this cave." She looked around, and saw the bodies. She walked over and shook her head. "Your mate and baby. Elena would be heartbroken to see your dead cub."

She watched the adult stone bear walk over to her mate and cub, and sat down. She moaned and cried for her mate and cub for several minutes. Afterward, she cut open the chest of her mate and dug out his core.

"On the other side of the manor, my home, there is a single male bear. He's smart too." She sighed. She walked over and placed her hand on the bear's flank. She flooded her body with life elements, and earth elements.

"Death is also a part of life in this forest." She growled low in her throat. "If I see another black panther, I will drive them back across the river!"

* * *

Aila dug out the dark cores from the panthers, and put one carcass over the back of the older she-bear. Aila also lifted the dead male and cub and took them outside. She used her elements to dig a deep hole, cut down a number of trees, and filled half the hole with wood. She placed the two bears in the pit, and lit the wood on fire.

"Let your ashes go back to Imera." She said quietly, then walked back inside the mine. The she-bear watched the two corpses disappear, looked at the entrance to the mine, and left quietly.

If Aila had attempted to take the bodies for herself, the female bear would have let her, but she respected Aila more for this act. The she-bear had never met a human who showed it respect before.

Acting on Aila's advice, she followed the woman's scent to her manor, and walked passed until she found another scent that had familiarity as well. She stopped just inside his territory, knocked the panther off her back, and waited.

The bear she expected appeared within several minutes. He growled a small warning. She showed her mate's earth core in her mouth, and the dead panther at her side.

The male bear approached and sniffed the corpse. He looked around for Aila, and once again, looked at the she-bear. He saw the wounds, how they were healing, and growled gruffly.

He picked up the panther corpse. The she-bear followed quietly as the male had accepted her peace offering. She wasn't sure, but if Aila's scent had not been on the panther, she believed he wouldn't accept her, or her offering without a fierce battle.

To the male stone bear, Aila was an entity he had tremendous respect toward, and a healthy dose of fear of. She sent him storm wolves from time to time, and had already killed a particularly stubborn iron tusked boar on his territory border.

Now that Aila sent him a female to protect, his bachelorhood might be over. He would be cautious for a while, but would not harm the she-bear now.

* * *

"Hm, lots of metal." She put her hand on some iron and sighed as it dissolved. "I think I need to get a few more boars. Metal is not easy to find and absorbing it all is quite wasteful." She smiled as she searched, and found a vein of silver. "Hm. Silver is always good." She easily dug it out with her earth element, and put a large amount in her backpack.

"Oh. I see you." Not far away, the metal she longed to see, and use, was sparkling brightly. "They may not know what you are, but I do." Being quite careful, she dug out a heavy piece of the yellow metal, and smiled.

"I'm going to attempt to make a few gifts for my ladies." Her eyes sparkled with happiness. Not far away from the small deposit of gold, she could see a large deposit of iron.

"I'll have to let Toril know that the mine is empty again. I should block the entrance so no more beasts take up residence."

Aila knew that she couldn't do everything, but that is why she decided to only try first. At the very least, she could earn more metal essence, and learn a lot while doing it.

She closed up the entrance, and ran back to Aros. She had to hurry, or her wives would become anxious. Not only that, if one of them became upset with her, how could she handle it?

Those soft eyes reflected a hurt deeper than her words could ever inflict, but she didn't want to add to their mental injuries.

Her intentions were to spoil them for all others. If anyone was ever able to seduce her ladies, they would quickly come home once they realized just how badly they were fooled. What if no one was able to seduce them, or entice them?

For Aila, that only meant it worked like a charm.