The Last Drop of Knowledge

Janette opened her eyes and looked around, finding herself in company this time. Among her stood Na'Vi holding KuliKuli to her left, and Raz holding Dimyri to her right. All three shared puzzled looks with Na'Vi raising her tails in high alert and Janette staring awkwardly at Raz.

"Wait, they sent you to save her? You, the son, the guy who tried to kill us in the forest?"

Raz frowned as a light red hue formed across his face. "I had no intention of killing anyone, I recall explaining that I was there to capture and obtain, nothing more."

"You're his second in command, forgive me for doubting your morals." Janette huffed, shifting her sights on Dimyri sleeping in his arms.

"He saved her in the end, surely that means something. Nothing surprises me much these days with humans." Na'Vi mentioned, kneeling down to slowly lay KuliKuli to rest. Janette followed soon, folding her legs rather quickly with a sweat on her head and a nervous smile.

"Sorry, she's light but I'm use to carrying food crates and packages not cat girls."

"Be gentle with her, make sure she doesn't hit her head." Na'Vi added, directing Janette how to do it using KuliKuli as an example. With an added touch, she brushed KuliKuli's large hair and fixed up any loose ends, keeping her looking beautiful while face up. Janette nodded and did the same with ease, finding her human fingers doing the job better while Na'Vi required both her use of paws and tails for the task. Raz renained standing with no difficulty holding up Dimyri in his arms, her head resting on his chest as her natural caramel hair flowed like fine silk down his arm. She had returned to her Nekomata cat girl form, paired with matching paws for hands and feet and welcoming her two tails which wrapped around Raz's waist.

Janette leaned up, her eyes wandering around to analyze their location. This was not a pitch black world or a blank empty white void, they had indeed returned to the chambers where they had encountered their final climax with Perdilius before. However, this room appeared clean and untouched, the torches surrounding them were lit and the rugs and banners were finely kept and dusted. The colored glass remained intact, the stone pattern no longer broken, even the statues had returned to their natural pose surrounding the entrance. Nothing had happened, but they could not shake the unanimous creeping feeling that something was unnatural, unwanted, like they were moments away from being in a doomed existence. It was too quiet, not a sound, nothing but the worried beating within their chest and the soft huffs from their parted lips, with the occasional squeak from someones boots or a brush from someones tail waving along the floor.

Raz had enough.

"Pryde! Ira! Where are we?" His voice echoed around the dome walls of this empty husk they stood in. Suddenly everyone spun around as something squeaked like rusted hinges, the distinct sound of an old door opening from beyond the stairs.

"I don't think it's them who brought us here." Janette shared with the others, her eyes drifting around the room.

"How can you tell?" Asked Na'Vi.

Janette turned back with a puzzled look, both of them returning with an empty glance. She froze on the spot, turning her head left and right while the others were given a worrying expression over their friend's mental state as she began speaking to herself.

"O-Okayy... c'mon guys, this way." Janette's voice cracked, she cleared her throat and flicked her head back to give a more confident look. Raz and Na'Vi exchanged looks before lifting up their girls and following her down the dimly lit stairs.

"Are you okay?" Raz asked, being careful with each step he took. He noticed that the Nekomata had to adjust her footing to descend with them, believing that having hind paws in place of feet made that a bit challenging for her. How he hadn't noticed it before he could not say, he simply kept to himself as Janette continued leading the way without answering.

They arrived to the bottom where an old wooden door had been left wide open for them. Raz raised his eyebrow, this was not where the stairs would take him before. Gone was the extended hallway with cell rooms at each side and the gondola at the end, in its place stood a finer rounded room with a clean velvet red carpet decorated with golden edges. A round table lay in wait with them, three chairs sat at the front and around the room stood three medium beds with soft white covering and fluffy pillows. Emerging from the center of the table was a large wooden tree, however lifeless with no leaves in sight and oddly colored in an unnatural hue, almost like it was fake perhaps. Several candles hung from many of its branches, illuminating the room.

"He says we place the girls down and sit." Janette stated, moving to the nearest bed and carefully placing Syri on the sheet. Raz and Na'Vi followed as well, with Na'Vi accidentally cutting through the fabric with her claws when she let go of KuliKuli.

"Damn!" She cursed, retracting her claws. She had a habit of showing them when she gets nervous.

"It's fine." Someone spoke to her, she leapt and fell on all fours with her tails frozen stiff. That shocked Janette and had Raz on guard, looking at her as she slowly raised her head and they followed. Looking up at the top near the ceiling sat perched a lonely snow owl, it's head buried under his wing as if plucking or poking around his feathers. The owl pulled its head out with a soft twitch of the neck, its large yellow eyes looking down from one face to another. With a wiggle from its tail, it began climbing its way down from the tree it stood on, hopping from branch to branch. As it came closer, they noticed the apparent narrow brown spots decorating its body, head, tail and wings. When it arrived at the lowest branch around eye level, its gold claws gripped the fake wood with sharp black claws, matching the color of its short beak. Tilting its head in a fast motion, the owl signaled for the others to sit.

No one had anything to say, the scene of what happened before them compared to the challenges they faced moments prior, why even bother complaining or asking questions after everything they had experienced in the hour that had passed? For Raz, it was not the first time he had encountered a bird that seemed to communicate, aside from parrots with a fondness for mimicking speech, he had known of other species such as Avians, large creatures around five feet in height that belong to the same species of common birds, however they had evolved with an appreciation for intelligence, speech, and a formation of their own culture. However, that species were limited in how far they can expand their settlements as do to the nature of their biology weather and habitat played a crucial role in where they can reside and have families in a comfortable environment, very rarely do many of them travel and if they do, expect them to be in a hurry to fly back home when it gets too hot or too cold for their liking.

For Na'Vi, she had seen her share of birds flying, singing, or nesting nearby particularly when she volunteered to assist in the food hunt with her clutter which enabled her permission to explore any nearby jungles, forests, or natural habitat that would otherwise be forbidden. It wasn't much, but never in her life had she experienced hearing someone speak to her in her head that wasn't her own self doubt, as doing so made her feel uncomfortable at the invasion of what she believed was private. If this bird can speak in her head, what else does it have the ability to do in there? She felt a slight comfort in her own biology, recognizing how human culture sees the relationships between cats and birds and using it to her advanatage should she feel threatened.

As for Janette, what she had kept to herself was the fact that this voice sounded quite familiar to her. No it was not the voice of an ancient wise man from a long time ago, nor did it belong to a family member like her mom or dad, the only family she ever knew. It would have been pleasant if it sounded like her maid and caretaker, but in fact she had heard this voice just moments before, when she attempted to halt the ritual during their encounter with the mad priest.

"I may in fact be going mad but... is that you Vardare?" She asked with a bewildered look in her eyes. Since her youth she had been fascinated with the magical wonders of Vardare, a magic book gifted to her by her maid and nanny.

The owl flapped its wings increasing its size to an enormous four feet in wingspan before hopping onto the table and marching forward to face her. When Janette awkwardly held still, the owl reached up and-

"Ow!" Janette pulled back, rubbing her forehead. Quickly, the bird hurried over to peck its beak onto Raz's forehead, who flinched on impact while it turned around toward Na'Vi.

She held her paws out in caution. "Whoa! You are not poking me with that, birdie!"

Raz and Janette gasped before looking at each other then turning to her. "Do it." They said in unison.

Na'Vi made a face, sighed, then reluctantly lowered her paws allowing the bird to approach safely. It paused and lifted its head, reaching to rub itself along her cheek as a sign of comfort. She closed her eyes and allowed it, her nerves a bit tense as she readied for the immediate pecking she would receive. But rather than a sharp scratch, she felt a light tap before looking up to see its tail feathers shaking left and right as the owl walked back to its branch.

"Can you hear me now?" That voice echoed in all of their heads, each one looking at each other in surprise. "Good. Raz, I believe you have experienced quite a change in your life today haven't you? Na'Vi, I know what you did was incredibly difficult. Letting go of the past, forgiving yourself and being able to move forward, that takes immense strength not only of the body but of the mind. Not everyone can manage that, I am very proud of you."

With that, the owl turned its focus onto Janette.

"J'Nette, I know this is quite a surprise to you. But it is a delight to finally be able to see you with my own eyes."

"Vardare?" She asked once more, more or less seeking confirmation for her suspicion.

Vardare nodded back, twitching his wing. "Yes. My name is Vardare, I am the author and spirit that resides in the book that Sitchi gifted you. She would have been very proud for the woman you have grown to be, and a beautiful lady at that. Running your family market by yourself, turning to help a stranger with his mate, you've put yourself out there to help others and discover a camaraderie and a bond that some families wish they could find."

"You're... the book?" Na'Vi pointed at him with her tail.

"Yes Na'Vi, I was not always a book as you know. This was who I was before."

"A bird?"

"Yes, a bird. Some nations call me Búho Nival or Harfang des neiges, but I find that rather generalizes me as a species rather than an individual. I named myself Vardare after the title of my book."

"But I didn't see any title on the cover." Janette pointed out.

Vardare sunk his head with a crossed look. "Owls do have better sight after all. Novels tend to age and ink will often be scratched out or rubbed off over use as time goes on. If I am correct, I should be on my two hundred and seventy second year since my birth, quite older than my relatives who average a lifespan of ten years."

"I... um," Janette shook her head, leaving the owl to chuckle in their heads in amusement.

"I understand you have a lot of questions right now, and I do apologize but our time is brief. Do you remember the conditions that Vy had stated while on your body? They demanded one sacrifice to justify their troubles."

"I remember." Raz rubbed his hands together, feeling the need to stand should the choice be left between the three of them. Looking back and forth between the other two, he noticed Na'Vi seemed rather remorseful while Janette looked like she was nervous to hear him go on.

"Do not worry Raz, I won't be asking any of you to volunteer. I have taken the liberty of offering myself."

"What!?" Janette rose from her seat, her chair squeaking loudly as she did. "How, why?"

Vardare poked around his wing, digging his beak into his feathers once more almost ignoring her reaction. "One moment, something is itching just below my wing. There, much better. Come again?"

"Why are you putting yourself up as the sacrifice? I-I don't think that's... I don't-"

"Janette, you are a very bright woman with a habit of overthinking. You have a future waiting for you, a mate to take care of. Raz, you have forever held yourself under the shadows and demands of Perdilius. He is here no longer, I feel it is only necessary you should be allowed to live a life for yourself at last. Be given the freedom many others have, learn to move on and be better than he was. Na'Vi, you are the youngest within this room. You are brave, persistent, and loyal to a fault, however short sighted or narrow minded you may be." Na'Vi scoffed to his enjoyment. "My apologies, what I mean to say is that you clearly have a lot of life left to enjoy, all of you do. If that should be together, apart, you decide. After everything you have endeared, you deserve to live to see another day. A brighter day."

Vardare flapped his wings, soaring around the room before landing high atop the tree just like where he stood when they first arrived. He glanced up into the glass ceiling, staring into the darkness above.

"I have lived a very long life seeking answers, learning so much and desiring for more time to discover even more. You begin to feel like your life restricts you from enjoying the finer things you are offered, travelling, getting to know new company, form friendships, perhaps even settle and have a family. On my ninth year, I asked to be given more time in this world. And for over two centuries I remain trapped in my dream coffin, given the gift of obtaining the knowledge of any who came into contact with me. It's what I wanted, but not what I found. You wouldn't believe how many people have their own stories to tell, their own problems to face, and questions for life. People came to me with more questions than answers. I find myself no longer interested in hearing more, I had grown tired of being a spectator all my life. Take the expiration away and life becomes boring. Too many pointless questions like how did I land such a pretty Nekomata, when in fact that woman should enjoy her time rather than doubt it. At least this way I get the chance to ask the questions I seek, like why are we here, what is our history and created such creatures like Vy and what makes her tick?"

Janette blushed and briefly tried to hide her gaze when Vardare spun around, locking eyes with her.

"And through you, I find myself happy once more. An eager girl in her fifth year of life as enthusiastic and curious to know about the world, you reminded me of myself when I was but a hatchling in my mother's nest. And to be given the opportunity to play a part in someone else's story, to no longer be a spectator but rather a volunteer, that is a joy I never thought I would experience. But you have given me that J'Nette, you have given me new life and I would like to repay you by offering you your life in return, to all of you. Step forward, save your friends, start a new day with the rising sun to welcome you home. If there is one benefit of being diurnal, it's the joy of watching the sun rise."

"Vardare... I don't know what to say."

"Your welcome. Once again, I would love to stay and extend our time together but I must go. You must go."

"Won't you be alone?" She asked.

Vardare tilted his head. "J'Nette, I've been alone for centuries now. I shall be alone no longer. In fact I am looking forward to my new home, in the presence of what we perceive as a god. What better opportunity will I find to learn more about our history, our existence and beyond than from a holy spirit. After all, experience a few centuries like me and you will find humans and monsters to become quite dull. I don't think anyone will be as interesting as you lot."

"That's right!" Desiree cheered from behind them, shocking them as they spun around from the clap of her hands. "Vardare will become my new pet!"

Vardare descended down and made himself confortable on her shoulder. "Companion, not pet. Pet feels demeaning."

"Oh, a companion it is then. I have much I want to learn, you know?"

"You may ask to your heart's content, my dear. But be warned, I have questions of my own. I want to learn just how much is rummaging around your head and which of that is true, holy spirit." Vardare rubbed his feather head against her cheek, coaxing a laugh from Desiree. The others watched when Raz poked them in the shoulders and pointed behind them. The doorway now showed a glimpse of their friends waiting for them. Felix, Nyitzcha, and Norowa Reta were patiently waiting, speaking to each other in the chambers on the other side.

"They await for you, you are free to leave." Desiree announced, waving her hand to dismiss them.

Raz bowed his head, Na'Vi nodded in appreciation as they both went to carry their partners and exit. Janette held onto Syri tight, kissing her forehead and turning around to see Vardare one more time.

"When can I see you again?"

"If you find yourself in mourning, you may research more about my kind. You do have the resources for it, and a knack for learning." Vardare responded in her head. "I bid thee farewell, J'Nette O'lav Cicarrio."

"Thank you, for everything. I uh, I'll make you proud." She sounded rather strange, uncertain in her words. It was an awkward situation to be placed in, she truly wished they had more time to share. She turned around and exited the portal last, leaving Vardare and Desiree together spectating them as the portal began to close.

"You already have."