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Ever since the Earth was created, nature has selected certain animals to become a "Guardian" for a certain part of the world. Every Guardian wields a special, ancient energy referred to as "Light." What makes Light so special is its properties. It is mostly a beautiful, vibrant green, but some traces of several other colors can be found within it. But more importantly, Light is an extension of nature, itself. It is the essence of nature, and although it is not alive, it does have a will. This is what really makes the Guardian's so special; they are the lucky few that nature considers to be worthy enough to wield its power. For many millennia, everything stayed the same; there was the average conflict here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary. However, as time began to change the world and its lands, the Guardians had to adapt to the change. Some Guardians moved regions, and some new Guardians were selected. After that, things returned to normal; nothing out of the ordinary. However, that all changed, one fateful day.
Above modern-day Greenland, a mysterious red and black essence began to seep into the atmosphere, and quite-literally began to turn the sky red. This essence quickly became known as the Final Plague, and for good reason. It spreads faster than fire across the entire body, and any part of the body that it does touch is decayed and eaten away very quickly, even bones. On top of that, nothing can be done to cure or negate it. The only way to stop it from spreading is to completely cut off the part of the body it infected, but even that must be done very quickly.
Aurora, the Guardian of the North, is an Arctic fox with sapphire-blue eyes, and white and silver fur. Her fur is very beautiful and pure, both visually and physically; all who have met her believe it to be the softest thing in the world. Her tail has that same softness, but since it is also very fluffy, it is even more famous than her fur. Her tail is even said to be the most relaxing material on Earth, capable of calming absolutely anyone, no matter how furious, terrified, depressed, overjoyed, or anything of the like that they are feeling. On top of all of this, Aurora is extremely kind, compassionate, and even playful. She is adored and loved by the animal kingdom, just as she has been since the very beginning, when she and the other original Guardians were selected.
Since the Final Plague started in modern-day Greenland, which is a part of Aurora's region, Aurora was the first to try and stop it. But even with her best efforts, she could not stop it. The Final Plague continued to spread faster than wildfire, and pretty soon it was all over the world. The more it spread, the redder the skies grew, and the more bodies that dropped dead before they had even been completely consumed. In mere months, entire human populations had fallen, as well as numerous other animal populations
Aurora may have failed to stop the outbreak, but she did learn one thing, one very crucial thing: the Light she and the other Guardians wield completely suppresses and kills the Final Plague. As soon as she learned this, she immediately met with the other Guardians, who had all already learned the same truth by then. They determined that if they stood at their sacred temples (which all lay somewhere near the center of their region) and unified their spirits with their Light, they would be able to suppress the entire plague at once. They did attempt just that, and they nearly succeeded, but nevertheless they did not. It turns out that, after so much time of worldly-change, the North has become too widespread for Aurora to look after on her own, meaning her power could not reach everywhere at once. If even one Guardian is not able to reach their entire region with their Light, then a unity between all of the Guardians is useless.
This new problem greatly concerned the Guardians. They all wanted to help by sharing a bit of their own power with Aurora, but Guardians have no real power in another Guardian's region. They tried to come up with a way to amplify Aurora's power, even if it was only temporarily, but that also seemed to be impossible. They thought for quite awhile, unwilling to let down their world, but also unable to come up with a way to save it. They thought, then an idea finally arose: if the North had a second Guardian, then theirs and Aurora's power combined would be enough to reach the entire region.
The Guardians were confident, but not completely sure if a second Guardian for a region was even possible. They had never done this before, so they were a bit worried. But nevertheless, it was the only plan they had, so they decided to go with it. Now all they had to do was find the right candidate for a partner Guardian for Aurora, but this was no easy task. Finding a new Guardian can take a long time, so they all agreed to help Aurora in the search. They also agreed to let her make the final decision between anyone they found. After all, it is a partner to help her watch over her own region, so it has to be someone she trusts and gets along with.
Right now, a few months after that decision was made, the Guardians are all still searching. They knew this was no easy task right from the beginning, but even they are surprised that they have not found a single creature as a candidate. For the moment, Aurora is searching the area where this entire plague started. Since it was the first place to be infected, it has suffered the most, so she is doubtful there are any living creatures still there. She is planning on leaving soon, but she cannot spare to miss any areas in case there is someone there. As she runs around, using her Light to feel for anybody's presence, she continually grows more concerned. The world is dying at a rapid pace, and every death means one less creature to potentially become a Guardian. What worries her more is that she doubts there is anyone left in the area she is currently in, so she may be wasting precious time by searching there. "Okay, almost done with this area, then I can move on to another place," she thinks. "Hey, wait!" a male voice suddenly yells, startling Aurora. She stops and looks around, unsure exactly where the voice came from. She is also extremely confused, because she did not feel the presence of anyone around here.
"Over here, behind you," the voice says from behind. Aurora turns around, and as she sees who is speaking to her, her confusion just multiplies. In front of her is a male fox, around the same size and height as she is. However, this one has black and red fur, and his eyes are a beautiful amethyst-purple. Similarly, upon seeing who he is speaking to, this unusual fox is in shock and awe. "Oh my … milady!" he says, immediately bowing his head. "U-uh" Aurora stutters, her mind still thrown off by his appearance. After a moment, Aurora finally regathers herself, and realizes the fox is still bowing. "Oh, rise. Please rise," she says. The fox immediately lifts his head back up, then says, "Wow, I can't believe you're here. I've been wanting to meet you for some time, now." "Really? What for?" Aurora asks. Hearing this, the fox gives a slight troubled look. "I was hoping you of all creatures would know, but I suppose that answers one of my questions," he says.
In response, Aurora gives him a confused look. "Hm. What question is that?" she asks. "Whether you meant to make me look like this or not," the fox replies, referring to his fur coat. "I still don't follow," Aurora, becoming more and more confused. The fox laughs awkwardly. "A few months ago, you were healing a large group of animals that had all been infected by the Final Plague, do you remember that?" the fox asks. "Yeah, I think so. Were you in that group?" Aurora responds. "Not exactly. I was wandering around, and I happened to come across you all. I saw you there, and I was mesmerized. I never would have imagined I would ever get to see you with my own eyes, especially when you were using your powers and working so hard. You were going so fast healing everyone, I still sometimes wonder how you did it. But you did. You healed every last one," the fox says.
"Why are you telling me this?" Aurora asks curiously. "You see, in my mesmerization, I completely forgot that all of those animals were infected with the plague. In my carelessness, I came in contact with one of them, and I also got infected. But by some miracle, a small portion of your powers happened to hit the exact same spot the plague hit, at the exact same time. As a result, I ended up looking like this, and I've been looking for you ever since," the fox explains. "I get it, now. It seems that my Light and the Final Plague fused together within your body, therefore your appearance changed," Aurora states.
"They're … inside me?" the fox asks. "It would seem so. I can still sense small traces of them both inside of you," Aurora answers. "So wait, you think I can use your Light, too?" the fox asks excitedly. Suddenly, Aurora is hit with a huge realization. "Even if my Light is inside of him, he'll only be able to wield it if he is worthy to do so. If he can, then that's better proof than any that he's who I'm looking for," Aurora thinks. "Let's test that then, shall we?" she asks rhetorically, a small smile on her face. "Hold out your paw, she says. The fox obliges, holding out one of his front paws, which Aurora places in her own paw. "Now, close your eyes," she commands. After the fox closes his eyes, Aurora begins to produce a tiny bit of her Light from her paw. "Do you feel it?" she asks the fox. The fox stays silent for a second, then answers, "I do. It kind of feels like … a presence." "That's exactly right. The Light all Guardians use is not just a power; it's a presence, an entity. It is the heart of nature because it is what keeps it beating. And the fact that you can feel it is a very good sign," Aurora says. "It is?" the fox asks. "Yes. If you can feel it, that means it's letting you feel it," Aurora answers. "Wow! So only those who are worthy can wield a Guardian's Light?" the fox asks excitedly. Aurora smiles. "You catch on quickly," she says, making the fox even more excited.
"You can feel the presence of my Light, but can you feel the Light within your body?" Aurora asks. "I do," the fox responds. "Then use it. I cannot teach you, you must figure it out on your own. If you are meant to wield it, then you will," Aurora says. The fox nods silently, then closes his eyes and concentrates. "Find something to focus on, something to do with the Light, and it will do it," Aurora explains. After a few seconds of silence and stillness, a faint green Light begins to form around the fox. "He's really doing it. Could it be that nature helped us find the very creature we're looking for?" Aurora thinks. After that, some Light begins to form a ball beside him and Aurora. It continually grows bigger until it is around the same size they are, then it stops and nothing else happens.
"I've … almost got it," the fox says, slightly strained from his efforts. After a few seconds, the ball's shape begins to shift and distort, until finally, it takes the shape of a fox. After that, the (real) fox opens his eyes, his face gleaming with pride and excitement. "Wow, I really did it! Wait, does this mean I'm a Guardian?" he exclaims. "Before I get to that, please, tell me your name," Aurora asks. "My name is Borealis," Borealis answers. "You see, Borealis. The other Guardians and I attempted to rid the entire world of the Final Plague all at once by uniting our spirits and combining our Light. When we unite on this level, just about anything is possible, but it only works if we can reach our entire region with our Light," Aurora begins to explain.
"I'm sensing a 'but' coming," Borealis says, somewhat humorously. "Yes. After millennia of worldly change, the North has become too widespread for me to cover on my own. Therefore, we've been searching for someone to become a second Guardian of the North. Well, it would seem that you're who we're looking for," Aurora finally says. Immediately, Borealis's entire figure goes blank. "M- … me? Why?" he asks. "I don't know. Even though it was my Light that touched you, it was nature that made it touch you. After all of this time, nature ended up making the decision for us. Whatever the reasoning may be, nature trusts you, therefore I trust you. But we can't waste any more time, time is ticking. Stand still," Aurora says. Immediately after, she and Borealis disappear into the sky in a stream of Light. The stream races through the atmosphere at an incredible speed. In mere seconds, they arrive at Aurora's temple, and they appear out of the stream of Light.
"Whoa," Borealis mutters, a little distraught from what just happened. After that, Aurora surrounds herself in a thin cloak of Light, then says, "Guardians, come to my temple." The cloak of Light disappears, and a few seconds later, all of the other Guardians appear in a stream of light just like Aurora and Borealis had. "This is the one. His name is Borealis," Aurora immediately says. As the Guardians take a good look at Borealis, they remain completely silent, confused by his appearance just like Aurora had been. "Why … is his fur like that?" one of them asks. "I'll tell you the details in just a moment. Right now, we've got a Guardian to nominate," Aurora responds. The Guardians all nod, then walk over to the center of the temple, where there are several circles around the ground, forming a ring around a much larger circle. Every Guardian gets in one of the circles, and Aurora gets in the center circle. "Borealis, get in the circle with me," Aurora says. Slightly awkwardly, Borealis walks over to Aurora, and gets in the circle with her. After that, the Guardians around them all surround themselves in a thin cloak of Light. Just after, their Light connects with the Light of those on either side of them all, creating a complete circle of united Light around Aurora and Borealis.
Once the circle of Light is complete, Aurora also surrounds herself in a thin cloak of Light, but she does not combine her Light with anyone else's. "Turn toward me, Borealis," Aurora commands softly. After Borealis turns toward her, Aurora places one of her front paws on his chest, and a cloak of Light immediately forms around him. This goes on for a few seconds until everyone's cloaks of Light disappear. Aurora removes her paw from Borealis's chest, then says, "Congratulations, you are now the second Guardian of the North," she says.
Borealis stands completely silent and motionless for several seconds, still struggling to believe this is even happening. "S-so … since I'm the second and you're the first, do you rank above me in any way?" he asks. "Nope, not at all. You and I are perfectly equal, just like all of us Guardians. Appearance, skill, experience, none of those matter as long as you do your duty," Aurora explains. "Heh, that's great," Borealis says with a small smile. "It is, but let's not forget the reason why we needed you," Aurora states. As if she gave an order, the other Guardians all disappear in a stream of Light, going to their own temples.
"Now that we're co-Guardians, we are both connected to the entirety of the North. With our Light combined, we're now able to reach all of the North at once. Close your eyes, and concentrate your Light on my own," Aurora says. Borealis closes his eyes, and immediately after, a cloak of Light forms around Aurora and himself. A few seconds later, his Light and Aurora's Light reach out to each other, and connect. "Now, while maintaining this connection, spread our Light to the farthest reaches of the North," Aurora says.
For a few seconds, nothing happens. Then all of a sudden, countless streams of Light form above the temple, and spread outward in all directions. The streams spread at incredible speeds, filling the entire visible sky with thousands upon thousands of streams of Light, hardly even in a second. The streams of Light against the sky resemble a flat sheet of ice with thousands of small cracks in it. After several seconds, Borealis suddenly opens his eyes, and says, "The other Guardians, I can feel them." "Great, now unite with them, and the world will be saved," Aurora tells him. "Really, just like that and it's saved?" Borealis asks. "Indeed. Our Light will spread throughout the entire world, and rain down their healing power, eliminating all traces of the Final Plague. But that's enough talk, let's finally get this over with," Aurora responds. Borealis nods in agreement, then closes his eyes again. Another few seconds later, the streams of Light suddenly spread into a thin sheet, completely covering the sky (though not perfectly due to their transparency). This sheet immediately begins to fall toward the surface, ridding the skies of their redness and returning them to their rightful color. The Light continues to fall toward the surface, completely eliminating even the slightest traces of the Final Plague it passes.
Aurora does a small sigh, then says, "Wow. After so much trouble, the world will finally be saved." "Yeah," Borealis mutters in agreement. Finally, the sheet of Light reaches the temple, and passes right through it, and then through Aurora and Borealis immediately after. However, as soon as it hits Borealis, his fur begins to change. The red markings fade away into the black fur, which then begins to fade away as well, becoming lighter and purer. His fur continues to change in this way until finally, it is exactly like Aurora's: silver and white, pure and beautiful, and extremely soft. Borealis looks completely different now, all except for his eyes; his eyes are still their beautiful, amethyst-purple color, a good counterpart to Aurora's sapphire-blue eyes.
"Wow," Aurora says, in awe seeing Borealis like this. "Yeah, I agree. This is exactly how I used to look, except back then my fur wasn't nearly as beautiful and soft as it is now," Borealis says. "That's a benefit of being a Guardian," Aurora states joyfully, earning an airy chuckle from Borealis. Shortly after, suddenly, Aurora says, "It's complete. We did it!" The cloak of Light around her disappears, and the same thing goes for Borealis just after. "We really did it? Just like that?" Borealis asks excitedly. "M-hm, we sure did. With this apocalypse finally gone, I can finally take a good, long nap," Aurora says. "Heh-heh. Yeah, I can hardly imagine how tired you are after working so hard for so long. Was kind of hoping you could tell me more about how to be Guardian, though," Borealis says. "Don't worry about it, we'll get to that when I wake up," Aurora assures. "Come to think of it, I'm pretty tired, myself. Mind if I join you?" Borealis asks. "It's our temple, Borealis, not mine. You don't have to ask permission about staying here," Aurora explains. "Okay, then. So where do we sleep?" Borealis asks. "Just over here," Aurora responds, leading Borealis over to a small room in one of the corners of the temple. Inside, it is decently dark, but it is not pitch black because of a few small windows spread here and there. Aurora and Borealis walk to the center of the room, and lie down to go to sleep.
That night, Aurora and Borealis are both sound asleep. In their sleep, their tails move, and end up touching each other. As soon as they do so, some Light is produced from them, and rises right through the ceiling and into the sky. Aurora and Borealis are both woken up from the Light, and look around confused. After a few seconds, Borealis says, "Oh, our tails are touching. Our Light must have reacted to each other." "That's not all they did," Aurora says, sounding awestruck. Borealis looks over at her, and sees she is staring curiously out one of the windows. He looks out the same way, and then he too is awestruck. Sparking across the sky, several large streams of Light are twisting, turning, and waving, creating a beautiful array of lights.
"It's so beautiful," Aurora says. "Yeah," Borealis agrees in a soft voice. The two of them remain silent for a good moment, observing the beautiful light show they unwillingly created with amazement. "The Aurora Borealis," Aurora mutters. "What?" Borealis asks. "These lights we created. We should call them the Aurora Borealis. They can symbolize our promise to the North to always be there whenever we are needed," Aurora answers. "Yeah, that's a great idea. But … I feel like we should come up with another name for them, a more memorable name," Borealis comments. "Hmm," Aurora says, trying to think of a good name fitting for this beautiful creation of theirs. "The Two Foxes?" she suggests. "Well, it's okay, but it doesn't feel quite right," Borealis responds. "In that case I've got nothing," Aurora says. The two of them remain silent, then Borealis suddenly gleams. "I got it! How about the Northern Lights?" he suggests. "The Northern Lights?" Aurora asks rhetorically. She thinks about it for a second, then says, "It's pretty simple, but I think it's great. The Northern Lights it is."
Aurora and Borealis look back up at their 'Northern Lights.' "The Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. Our promise to the North to always be there whenever we're needed," Aurora says. "Hm. That really has a nice ring to it," Borealis says, a small smile on his face. He and Aurora lie back down, still watching the Northern Lights. They keep watching until they are too tired to watch any longer, and they go to sleep, as peaceful as the entire region they just saved.
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Aurora and Borealis
Ever since the Earth was created, nature has selected certain animals to become a "Guardian" for a certain part of the world. Every Guardian wields a special, ancient energy referred to as "Light." What makes Light so special is its properties. It is mostly a beautiful, vibrant green, but some traces of several other colors can be found within it. But more importantly, Light is an extension of nature, itself. It is the essence of nature, and although it is not alive, it does have a will. This is what really makes the Guardian's so special; they are the lucky few that nature considers to be worthy enough to wield its power. For many millennia, everything stayed the same; there was the average conflict here and there, but nothing out of the ordinary. However, as time began to change the world and its lands, the Guardians had to adapt to the change. Some Guardians moved regions, and some new Guardians were selected. After that, things returned to normal; nothing out of the ordinary. However, that all changed, one fateful day.
Above modern-day Greenland, a mysterious red and black essence began to seep into the atmosphere, and quite-literally began to turn the sky red. This essence quickly became known as the Final Plague, and for good reason. It spreads faster than fire across the entire body, and any part of the body that it does touch is decayed and eaten away very quickly, even bones. On top of that, nothing can be done to cure or negate it. The only way to stop it from spreading is to completely cut off the part of the body it infected, but even that must be done very quickly.
Aurora, the Guardian of the North, is an Arctic fox with sapphire-blue eyes, and white and silver fur. Her fur is very beautiful and pure, both visually and physically; all who have met her believe it to be the softest thing in the world. Her tail has that same softness, but since it is also very fluffy, it is even more famous than her fur. Her tail is even said to be the most relaxing material on Earth, capable of calming absolutely anyone, no matter how furious, terrified, depressed, overjoyed, or anything of the like that they are feeling. On top of all of this, Aurora is extremely kind, compassionate, and even playful. She is adored and loved by the animal kingdom, just as she has been since the very beginning, when she and the other original Guardians were selected.
Since the Final Plague started in modern-day Greenland, which is a part of Aurora's region, Aurora was the first to try and stop it. But even with her best efforts, she could not stop it. The Final Plague continued to spread faster than wildfire, and pretty soon it was all over the world. The more it spread, the redder the skies grew, and the more bodies that dropped dead before they had even been completely consumed. In mere months, entire human populations had fallen, as well as numerous other animal populations
Aurora may have failed to stop the outbreak, but she did learn one thing, one very crucial thing: the Light she and the other Guardians wield completely suppresses and kills the Final Plague. As soon as she learned this, she immediately met with the other Guardians, who had all already learned the same truth by then. They determined that if they stood at their sacred temples (which all lay somewhere near the center of their region) and unified their spirits with their Light, they would be able to suppress the entire plague at once. They did attempt just that, and they nearly succeeded, but nevertheless they did not. It turns out that, after so much time of worldly-change, the North has become too widespread for Aurora to look after on her own, meaning her power could not reach everywhere at once. If even one Guardian is not able to reach their entire region with their Light, then a unity between all of the Guardians is useless.
This new problem greatly concerned the Guardians. They all wanted to help by sharing a bit of their own power with Aurora, but Guardians have no real power in another Guardian's region. They tried to come up with a way to amplify Aurora's power, even if it was only temporarily, but that also seemed to be impossible. They thought for quite awhile, unwilling to let down their world, but also unable to come up with a way to save it. They thought, then an idea finally arose: if the North had a second Guardian, then theirs and Aurora's power combined would be enough to reach the entire region.
The Guardians were confident, but not completely sure if a second Guardian for a region was even possible. They had never done this before, so they were a bit worried. But nevertheless, it was the only plan they had, so they decided to go with it. Now all they had to do was find the right candidate for a partner Guardian for Aurora, but this was no easy task. Finding a new Guardian can take a long time, so they all agreed to help Aurora in the search. They also agreed to let her make the final decision between anyone they found. After all, it is a partner to help her watch over her own region, so it has to be someone she trusts and gets along with.
Right now, a few months after that decision was made, the Guardians are all still searching. They knew this was no easy task right from the beginning, but even they are surprised that they have not found a single creature as a candidate. For the moment, Aurora is searching the area where this entire plague started. Since it was the first place to be infected, it has suffered the most, so she is doubtful there are any living creatures still there. She is planning on leaving soon, but she cannot spare to miss any areas in case there is someone there. As she runs around, using her Light to feel for anybody's presence, she continually grows more concerned. The world is dying at a rapid pace, and every death means one less creature to potentially become a Guardian. What worries her more is that she doubts there is anyone left in the area she is currently in, so she may be wasting precious time by searching there. "Okay, almost done with this area, then I can move on to another place," she thinks. "Hey, wait!" a male voice suddenly yells, startling Aurora. She stops and looks around, unsure exactly where the voice came from. She is also extremely confused, because she did not feel the presence of anyone around here.
"Over here, behind you," the voice says from behind. Aurora turns around, and as she sees who is speaking to her, her confusion just multiplies. In front of her is a male fox, around the same size and height as she is. However, this one has black and red fur, and his eyes are a beautiful amethyst-purple. Similarly, upon seeing who he is speaking to, this unusual fox is in shock and awe. "Oh my … milady!" he says, immediately bowing his head. "U-uh" Aurora stutters, her mind still thrown off by his appearance. After a moment, Aurora finally regathers herself, and realizes the fox is still bowing. "Oh, rise. Please rise," she says. The fox immediately lifts his head back up, then says, "Wow, I can't believe you're here. I've been wanting to meet you for some time, now." "Really? What for?" Aurora asks. Hearing this, the fox gives a slight troubled look. "I was hoping you of all creatures would know, but I suppose that answers one of my questions," he says.
In response, Aurora gives him a confused look. "Hm. What question is that?" she asks. "Whether you meant to make me look like this or not," the fox replies, referring to his fur coat. "I still don't follow," Aurora, becoming more and more confused. The fox laughs awkwardly. "A few months ago, you were healing a large group of animals that had all been infected by the Final Plague, do you remember that?" the fox asks. "Yeah, I think so. Were you in that group?" Aurora responds. "Not exactly. I was wandering around, and I happened to come across you all. I saw you there, and I was mesmerized. I never would have imagined I would ever get to see you with my own eyes, especially when you were using your powers and working so hard. You were going so fast healing everyone, I still sometimes wonder how you did it. But you did. You healed every last one," the fox says.
"Why are you telling me this?" Aurora asks curiously. "You see, in my mesmerization, I completely forgot that all of those animals were infected with the plague. In my carelessness, I came in contact with one of them, and I also got infected. But by some miracle, a small portion of your powers happened to hit the exact same spot the plague hit, at the exact same time. As a result, I ended up looking like this, and I've been looking for you ever since," the fox explains. "I get it, now. It seems that my Light and the Final Plague fused together within your body, therefore your appearance changed," Aurora states.
"They're … inside me?" the fox asks. "It would seem so. I can still sense small traces of them both inside of you," Aurora answers. "So wait, you think I can use your Light, too?" the fox asks excitedly. Suddenly, Aurora is hit with a huge realization. "Even if my Light is inside of him, he'll only be able to wield it if he is worthy to do so. If he can, then that's better proof than any that he's who I'm looking for," Aurora thinks. "Let's test that then, shall we?" she asks rhetorically, a small smile on her face. "Hold out your paw, she says. The fox obliges, holding out one of his front paws, which Aurora places in her own paw. "Now, close your eyes," she commands. After the fox closes his eyes, Aurora begins to produce a tiny bit of her Light from her paw. "Do you feel it?" she asks the fox. The fox stays silent for a second, then answers, "I do. It kind of feels like … a presence." "That's exactly right. The Light all Guardians use is not just a power; it's a presence, an entity. It is the heart of nature because it is what keeps it beating. And the fact that you can feel it is a very good sign," Aurora says. "It is?" the fox asks. "Yes. If you can feel it, that means it's letting you feel it," Aurora answers. "Wow! So only those who are worthy can wield a Guardian's Light?" the fox asks excitedly. Aurora smiles. "You catch on quickly," she says, making the fox even more excited.
"You can feel the presence of my Light, but can you feel the Light within your body?" Aurora asks. "I do," the fox responds. "Then use it. I cannot teach you, you must figure it out on your own. If you are meant to wield it, then you will," Aurora says. The fox nods silently, then closes his eyes and concentrates. "Find something to focus on, something to do with the Light, and it will do it," Aurora explains. After a few seconds of silence and stillness, a faint green Light begins to form around the fox. "He's really doing it. Could it be that nature helped us find the very creature we're looking for?" Aurora thinks. After that, some Light begins to form a ball beside him and Aurora. It continually grows bigger until it is around the same size they are, then it stops and nothing else happens.
"I've … almost got it," the fox says, slightly strained from his efforts. After a few seconds, the ball's shape begins to shift and distort, until finally, it takes the shape of a fox. After that, the (real) fox opens his eyes, his face gleaming with pride and excitement. "Wow, I really did it! Wait, does this mean I'm a Guardian?" he exclaims. "Before I get to that, please, tell me your name," Aurora asks. "My name is Borealis," Borealis answers. "You see, Borealis. The other Guardians and I attempted to rid the entire world of the Final Plague all at once by uniting our spirits and combining our Light. When we unite on this level, just about anything is possible, but it only works if we can reach our entire region with our Light," Aurora begins to explain.
"I'm sensing a 'but' coming," Borealis says, somewhat humorously. "Yes. After millennia of worldly change, the North has become too widespread for me to cover on my own. Therefore, we've been searching for someone to become a second Guardian of the North. Well, it would seem that you're who we're looking for," Aurora finally says. Immediately, Borealis's entire figure goes blank. "M- … me? Why?" he asks. "I don't know. Even though it was my Light that touched you, it was nature that made it touch you. After all of this time, nature ended up making the decision for us. Whatever the reasoning may be, nature trusts you, therefore I trust you. But we can't waste any more time, time is ticking. Stand still," Aurora says. Immediately after, she and Borealis disappear into the sky in a stream of Light. The stream races through the atmosphere at an incredible speed. In mere seconds, they arrive at Aurora's temple, and they appear out of the stream of Light.
"Whoa," Borealis mutters, a little distraught from what just happened. After that, Aurora surrounds herself in a thin cloak of Light, then says, "Guardians, come to my temple." The cloak of Light disappears, and a few seconds later, all of the other Guardians appear in a stream of light just like Aurora and Borealis had. "This is the one. His name is Borealis," Aurora immediately says. As the Guardians take a good look at Borealis, they remain completely silent, confused by his appearance just like Aurora had been. "Why … is his fur like that?" one of them asks. "I'll tell you the details in just a moment. Right now, we've got a Guardian to nominate," Aurora responds. The Guardians all nod, then walk over to the center of the temple, where there are several circles around the ground, forming a ring around a much larger circle. Every Guardian gets in one of the circles, and Aurora gets in the center circle. "Borealis, get in the circle with me," Aurora says. Slightly awkwardly, Borealis walks over to Aurora, and gets in the circle with her. After that, the Guardians around them all surround themselves in a thin cloak of Light. Just after, their Light connects with the Light of those on either side of them all, creating a complete circle of united Light around Aurora and Borealis.
Once the circle of Light is complete, Aurora also surrounds herself in a thin cloak of Light, but she does not combine her Light with anyone else's. "Turn toward me, Borealis," Aurora commands softly. After Borealis turns toward her, Aurora places one of her front paws on his chest, and a cloak of Light immediately forms around him. This goes on for a few seconds until everyone's cloaks of Light disappear. Aurora removes her paw from Borealis's chest, then says, "Congratulations, you are now the second Guardian of the North," she says.
Borealis stands completely silent and motionless for several seconds, still struggling to believe this is even happening. "S-so … since I'm the second and you're the first, do you rank above me in any way?" he asks. "Nope, not at all. You and I are perfectly equal, just like all of us Guardians. Appearance, skill, experience, none of those matter as long as you do your duty," Aurora explains. "Heh, that's great," Borealis says with a small smile. "It is, but let's not forget the reason why we needed you," Aurora states. As if she gave an order, the other Guardians all disappear in a stream of Light, going to their own temples.
"Now that we're co-Guardians, we are both connected to the entirety of the North. With our Light combined, we're now able to reach all of the North at once. Close your eyes, and concentrate your Light on my own," Aurora says. Borealis closes his eyes, and immediately after, a cloak of Light forms around Aurora and himself. A few seconds later, his Light and Aurora's Light reach out to each other, and connect. "Now, while maintaining this connection, spread our Light to the farthest reaches of the North," Aurora says.
For a few seconds, nothing happens. Then all of a sudden, countless streams of Light form above the temple, and spread outward in all directions. The streams spread at incredible speeds, filling the entire visible sky with thousands upon thousands of streams of Light, hardly even in a second. The streams of Light against the sky resemble a flat sheet of ice with thousands of small cracks in it. After several seconds, Borealis suddenly opens his eyes, and says, "The other Guardians, I can feel them." "Great, now unite with them, and the world will be saved," Aurora tells him. "Really, just like that and it's saved?" Borealis asks. "Indeed. Our Light will spread throughout the entire world, and rain down their healing power, eliminating all traces of the Final Plague. But that's enough talk, let's finally get this over with," Aurora responds. Borealis nods in agreement, then closes his eyes again. Another few seconds later, the streams of Light suddenly spread into a thin sheet, completely covering the sky (though not perfectly due to their transparency). This sheet immediately begins to fall toward the surface, ridding the skies of their redness and returning them to their rightful color. The Light continues to fall toward the surface, completely eliminating even the slightest traces of the Final Plague it passes.
Aurora does a small sigh, then says, "Wow. After so much trouble, the world will finally be saved." "Yeah," Borealis mutters in agreement. Finally, the sheet of Light reaches the temple, and passes right through it, and then through Aurora and Borealis immediately after. However, as soon as it hits Borealis, his fur begins to change. The red markings fade away into the black fur, which then begins to fade away as well, becoming lighter and purer. His fur continues to change in this way until finally, it is exactly like Aurora's: silver and white, pure and beautiful, and extremely soft. Borealis looks completely different now, all except for his eyes; his eyes are still their beautiful, amethyst-purple color, a good counterpart to Aurora's sapphire-blue eyes.
"Wow," Aurora says, in awe seeing Borealis like this. "Yeah, I agree. This is exactly how I used to look, except back then my fur wasn't nearly as beautiful and soft as it is now," Borealis says. "That's a benefit of being a Guardian," Aurora states joyfully, earning an airy chuckle from Borealis. Shortly after, suddenly, Aurora says, "It's complete. We did it!" The cloak of Light around her disappears, and the same thing goes for Borealis just after. "We really did it? Just like that?" Borealis asks excitedly. "M-hm, we sure did. With this apocalypse finally gone, I can finally take a good, long nap," Aurora says. "Heh-heh. Yeah, I can hardly imagine how tired you are after working so hard for so long. Was kind of hoping you could tell me more about how to be Guardian, though," Borealis says. "Don't worry about it, we'll get to that when I wake up," Aurora assures. "Come to think of it, I'm pretty tired, myself. Mind if I join you?" Borealis asks. "It's our temple, Borealis, not mine. You don't have to ask permission about staying here," Aurora explains. "Okay, then. So where do we sleep?" Borealis asks. "Just over here," Aurora responds, leading Borealis over to a small room in one of the corners of the temple. Inside, it is decently dark, but it is not pitch black because of a few small windows spread here and there. Aurora and Borealis walk to the center of the room, and lie down to go to sleep.
That night, Aurora and Borealis are both sound asleep. In their sleep, their tails move, and end up touching each other. As soon as they do so, some Light is produced from them, and rises right through the ceiling and into the sky. Aurora and Borealis are both woken up from the Light, and look around confused. After a few seconds, Borealis says, "Oh, our tails are touching. Our Light must have reacted to each other." "That's not all they did," Aurora says, sounding awestruck. Borealis looks over at her, and sees she is staring curiously out one of the windows. He looks out the same way, and then he too is awestruck. Sparking across the sky, several large streams of Light are twisting, turning, and waving, creating a beautiful array of lights.
"It's so beautiful," Aurora says. "Yeah," Borealis agrees in a soft voice. The two of them remain silent for a good moment, observing the beautiful light show they unwillingly created with amazement. "The Aurora Borealis," Aurora mutters. "What?" Borealis asks. "These lights we created. We should call them the Aurora Borealis. They can symbolize our promise to the North to always be there whenever we are needed," Aurora answers. "Yeah, that's a great idea. But … I feel like we should come up with another name for them, a more memorable name," Borealis comments. "Hmm," Aurora says, trying to think of a good name fitting for this beautiful creation of theirs. "The Two Foxes?" she suggests. "Well, it's okay, but it doesn't feel quite right," Borealis responds. "In that case I've got nothing," Aurora says. The two of them remain silent, then Borealis suddenly gleams. "I got it! How about the Northern Lights?" he suggests. "The Northern Lights?" Aurora asks rhetorically. She thinks about it for a second, then says, "It's pretty simple, but I think it's great. The Northern Lights it is."
Aurora and Borealis look back up at their 'Northern Lights.' "The Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. Our promise to the North to always be there whenever we're needed," Aurora says. "Hm. That really has a nice ring to it," Borealis says, a small smile on his face. He and Aurora lie back down, still watching the Northern Lights. They keep watching until they are too tired to watch any longer, and they go to sleep, as peaceful as the entire region they just saved.
Everyone knows the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. But not too many know Aurora and Borealis, the Guardians of the North. Learn their story and their connection to the Northern Lights as they and their fellow Guardians use their ancient power to defend the world against an unparalleled plague that has literally turned the skies red.
This is a small story I wrote for school a little while back. I found it while going through my computer, and thought it was worth posting.
You can find this story, as well as other future stories, on my fictionpress.com account HERE.
This is a small story I wrote for school a little while back. I found it while going through my computer, and thought it was worth posting.
You can find this story, as well as other future stories, on my fictionpress.com account HERE.
Category Story / Animal related (non-anthro)
Species Fox (Other)
Gender Multiple characters
Size 120 x 120px
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