After my moment of respite, I began getting the group refocussed on the task at hand. I shifted to my werewolf form, again carrying Victor as I had done before, while Jacen shifted to his sunfox from, the gold of his fur shimmering in the radiance of the life energy's glow. Victor began pointing the way through the dense foliage. He had spent three long years of his life stuck in this world and every night after his escape coming back to visit. He stated that despite things lining up in each universe, they were all vastly different sizes, and that this universe was much smaller than ours. Victor had a complete map of the area in his head, or so he claimed. Victor pointed us through the woods in seemingly almost random directions, zigzaging through the area. It wasn't long before I realized that he was searching for recognized landmarks. After what felt to be several hours, he finally pointed out a large metallic boulder that looked to be carved into the shape of an eagle's head. We quickly changed direction headed towards the giant eagle carving, then went to go past it. Victor said, "It's one of the guardians of the tribe. They carved them into the stones believing that they would absorb the life energy of the different animals depicted and the guardians would use that power to protect the tribe from evil forces." Unable to speak in our shifted forms, we continued in the direction beyond the carving. Though, as we approached, the massive silver eyes of the eagle head began to glow, growing brighter and brighter with every step. "Stop!!!" Victor yelled in an urgency that completely defied his usually even tone. We dug our claws deep into the soft ground, skidding to a stop before we managed to come within twenty feet of the glowing statue. "Those have never done that before. They have always just been like normal statues." Victor climbed off my back and slowly approached the statue finding that the statue showed no change. Jacen began slowly moving closer, but the eyes began glowing with a greater intensity. He immediately moved back and the eyes dimmed back to the previous intensity. I too took a turn as I began moving toward the statue as well, though there was no change in it. Whatever had happened to the statue, it only reacted to Jacen. We shifted back, to our human forms to discuss what was going on, but we had very few actual ideas. I had been seeing Jacen for a few months now, and he's definitely not a force of evil. We began to wonder if the statue could since somehow his affiliation with the vampires through his species. It's not his fault that he happened to be born into a family of genetic experiments done by the vampires. It's not like he chose that side, and he's done nothing but try to bring peace between my family and the vampires. I just can't understand how this statue, or, "guardian of the tribe," senses any kind of evil enery from Jacen. Though that thought revealed something that I hadn't considered. Jacen wasn't a naturally formed creature. It is possible that the energy it senses has nothing to do with Jacen, rather the vampire's intentions with the serums used to create his parents and in turn, him. I'm not entirely sure that it would be feasible, or entirely accurate, but I presented my theory to both Victor and Jacen. Jacen began wondering outloud, "So I would have to find a way to burn the vampire's will out of my system somehow, but the question is, how. We don't even know the exact process that was used to bring us about." Jacen stopped suddenly, turning to look at me as he began to speak and move towards me, "Bethany, your blood was able to turn other animals into werewolf type beings, one was even a dog. Foxes aren't far off from dogs, do you think it would work on someone who already has an additional form??? Do you think you could change me? Do you think you could make me like you?" "But, I thought that was your worst nightmare." I began to say, but before I was finished, he began to explain, "No, that's not what the nightmare was about. You were already hurt, and I was fighting to avenge you against the vampires, and all of their forces. That's also why I reacted so violently when you were hurt, I saw you on your deathbed, then seeing you in the battle (presumably healed by the shift) and hurt again, it was too much for me. You saw what I was willing to do to protect you. But the nightmare was about loosing you, not becoming like you. You are too perfect, I'd have to be out of my mind to be afraid of being like you." "But, what if you explode? Some of those animals became the goriest party poppers I've ever seen." I asked. "That wasn't your blood. You're stronger than that." Jacen exclaimed. Victor began, "And your blood in this form, outside of your body will be even more potent and powerful. It is made up of your pure life energy. So if ever, now would be the time to try." We both look to Victor, Jacen with gratitude for backing his argument, my look on the other hand was that of a scolding mother ready to tare into him, figuratively and I'm still considering the literal sense. "What? I'm just presenting facts, not taking sides. It really would be the best time to try if you ever were going to do so. Besides, you are the one who said it could be the fact that his kind were made by the vampires, not me. I was just being helpful. Thank you very much." "But wouldn't he also be more potent and our potent power cancel each other out?" I asked Victor. "Actually no, he's more suseptible to outside forces, the same way that you are. Like when you both ate the tile back at your place. However, your blood would be considered an outside force to him, and vice-versa as well as any other bodily fluids, or, I guess (spiritual fluids) in this case." Victor smirked suspiciously as he said that last part.
