The PureLights of Ohm Totem (19 page)

Oh yeah, Nova told us that we're in the Sihu Tribe
, thought Coda.

Again, the green light responded to his thoughts, and in the matter of a second, words formed in the light, displaying more information:

“The Sihu Tribe arrived in Ohm Totem 9,363,213 moons ago. The Sihu Tribe maintained a population of 1,800 spirit animals until a change occurred. The change occurred 187,264 moons ago. Since then, the population of the Sihu Tribe has been decimated to 801 inhabitants. The Sihu Tribe is known to be the home of Nova, a highly evolved VioletLight and the wisest, most accurate interpreter of The Great Spirit. The Sihu Tribe's goal is to maintain the balance and harmony of all life, and to live under the PureLight Order. They are in service to all. The Sihu Tribe is one of the two, out of nine, remaining PureLight Tribes left in Ohm Totem. The rest of the inhabitants on the island have become Dims."

The last of the writing disappeared as soon as Coda finished reading the last sentence. The light continued to beam, but nothing else formed. He wondered what this gravestone-looking thing was and again, words appeared in the light.

"I am a tablet. I keep the record of Ohm Totem. I record information that passes from moon to moon in order to keep accurate knowledge of the past and present. The future, though, is not set in stone, so it isn't recorded until the future becomes the present. My function is to answer your questions based upon what is stored in my records. I am all-observing and mistake-free. Nothing passes through Ohm Totem without passing through me."

That's cool
, thought Coda. He looked at Skint still sleeping quietly on the soft dirt. He eyed his soft dirt bed longingly. He was tired. He eyed the zytes above him and thought,
how am I supposed to sleep with the zytes on?

The tablet then formed new words: "Zytes will help you sleep. They don't affect or disrupt your sleeping patterns like the sun would, if the sun remained here all day and all night long. Instead, the zytes emit a glow that penetrates whatever cycle is present in your brain. For example, if you're sleepy, then it promotes the sleeping cycle and you fall asleep quickly after you close your eyes. If you're awake, it will energize your wakefulness, giving you more energy throughout the day. The zytes, once sleep has been attained, will lower their glow, or sometimes turn off all together."

Good,
thought Coda. He stared at the green light, waiting for more words to appear. After several moments of nothing, Coda wondered what he should do next.

The light flashed and words quickly formed. "I'd suggest that you fall asleep. You have a big day scheduled tomorrow. Once asleep, your soul will re-energize your mind and your body. You'll need your energy, because tomorrow you'll start your training bright and early.”

“Whoa,” whispered Coda. The green light flashed off, leaving the air still and calm. Coda wondered if this place, Ohm Totem, could get any weirder. He walked over to his bed, then walked around it in a counter-clockwise circle three times. With his right paw in mid air, he stopped, perplexed by what he had just done.
Walking in circles?
I’m just tired
, he told himself.
That must be why
. Letting it all go, Coda lay down and closed his eyes. In one breath, he drifted off to sleep.

∞

The zytes were off when Coda abruptly awoke. A sound in the room woke him and a sudden wave of nervous energy struck him in the gut like an arrow hitting a bullseye. However, it wasn't his nerves. It was someone else's.

He lifted his head and peered around the room. He could see everything. Unlike home, it was easy to see in the dark here. Maybe because he was a panther.

There was a sound near the door, taking his mind away from his newly found night vision.

Skint was up, staring upward, toward the middle of the door. The energy coming from Skint quickly changed from nervous to suspicious. Coda, sensing this, laid his head back down and closed his eyelids into small open slits, giving the impression that he was asleep. And just in time.

Skint spun around. He appeared upset and angry. He cautiously walked toward Coda.

Coda closed his eyes completely, once Skint was only a few feet away. He felt Skint sniff him up and down.

“C-coda?” whispered Skint.

Coda didn't move or make a sound.

“He's asleep,” whispered Skint. “I can go.”

He can go?
Where's he going and who's he talking to?

“Yes. I'm positive. He's asleep,” whispered Skint again.

Skint walked to the door and Coda cracked opened his eyes, seeing that Skint was definitely the only one there. He blew on the door, and quiet as a mouse, the door slowly rolled to the right. Skint stepped halfway out and checked to the left and right, making sure no one was around. Seeing it was clear, he walked into the hallway and the door quietly shut behind him.

Coda got up to follow him. He took a step forward and nearly lost his balance as his legs wanted to go back to sleep and recharge. He took another step, and fell on his side. It was a hard fall, but thanks to the cushion-like soil, he wasn't hurt at all. Coda groaned as he pulled himself back to his sleeping area. He closed his eyes, and again, with one breath, drifted off to his dreams.

A knock on the door woke Zoey from a much needed night’s sleep. She heard San yawn and stretch her wings. She looked over at Zoey, saying brightly, “It's time to get up. I'm excited!”

You seem to always be
, thought Zoey.

Zoey got out of her nest to answer the knock at the door, but stopped when she heard San laughing. “It's just to wake us up. No one will be there.”

“Won't Taregan be?” asked Zoey.

“No, it was the Spruce Hollow who knocked.”

“The Spruce Hollow can knock? How?”

San pursed her beak in thought. She had never wondered about that before. She grinned and fluttered her wings. “I don't know. It's just what happens.”

Mystified, Zoey hopped over to the open window. The dream echoed in her mind. She heard Crepus' voice hissing,
You don't realize what she's going to do to us, do you?
Her feet tingled with fear. Then she realized her feet were sore, bringing her back to the present. She shook them, hoping to relieve some of the pain, but it didn’t help.

Zoey gazed out of the window to take her mind off of her hurting feet. The sun was rising just over the horizon and the blue sky looked as cheerful as ever. The green grass and foliage below held morning dew and the wind lifted the scent of flowers and herbs to her nostrils. There were animals of all kinds walking north, to who knows where, and birds flying in the same direction.

“Yup!” yelled San, startling Zoey. She tore her gaze away from the beautiful view.

San hopped over to Zoey, wrapping a wing around her. “They're off to training,” she chirped, pulling Zoey toward the door. “We've got to catch up with them. We can't miss it. This is amazing!”

San opened the door and birds of every kind—hawks, eagles, robins, blue jays, and many others—flew from the railings to the beautiful red wood floor. “Follow me,” sang San. She spread her wings, gliding effortlessly toward the ground.

Zoey opened her wings, then hesitated and closed them.
What if I forgot how to fly?

“I'll catch you if I must,” echoed a voice from below. It was Taregan. He stood next to the entrance with his wings folded in front of him, tapping his foot impatiently against the floor. “Well, what's the hold-up?”

Zoey spread her wings out. “I'm coming,” she said in a faint whisper.

Taregan cupped his wing near his ear. “What? You better start speaking up or you won't start speaking up! Some day you'll find yourself in a singing predicament. And you don't want that! You'll think, 'should I sing or should I not?'”

What does that mean?
I think, maybe, he's a little crazy
.

Zoey cleared her throat, lifted her wings, and called out with false confidence, “I'm coming!”

She jumped over the railing, and to her astonishment, glided easily to the ground, next to Taregan. San was there, waiting impatiently for her.

That was easy
.

“Well,” Taregan beamed, unfolding his wings, “that was easy.”

“That's what I just said,” replied Zoey.

Taregan tapped his temple a couple of times. “No, that's what
I
said. You only thought it.”

Zoey was puzzled.
Did I only think that?

“I'm not as crazy as I seem,” Taregan quipped, tapping his foot again.

“Let's go,” San said eagerly. She grabbed Zoey's wing, rushing her out the door.

Outside was refreshing, filling Zoey's body with energy after just a few deep breaths. She was awake, happy, and vibrantly alive again. She let out a contented sigh, then focused her attention to the east. Many animals were walking from that direction, but far off in the distance she could hear spirit animals singing the most beautiful of melodies.
Is that over at the beach where Chev lives?
Her wings longed to take her there. She felt she belonged in the melodies of that music. She wanted to sing with them, but decided it would be best to follow San so she didn’t get lost.

She took a couple of steps and found the ground to be a little wet, but refreshingly so. Zoey walked northward, feeling the drops of dew soaking into her feet, making her once sore feet feel good again. They walked in blissful silence behind the many spirit animals in front of them.

San broke the silence by confiding in Zoey, “I'm going to do my best to be like Nova someday.” She took a deep breath, lifted her beak, and puffed up her chest. “San the VioletLight!”

Zoey simply nodded. She had no desire to be anything in this land. She just wanted to do her mission and get home.
I miss Mom and Dad.

“How come you hesitated before you flew down from the balcony?” asked San. “You acted as if you had never flown before. I acted that way when I first started using my wings, but you're older than I am.”

Zoey was a little embarrassed. “I'm not from here. I've only been here for a day.”

“Where are you from? The Dim Lands? That's okay if you are. Some of them come over here and become PureLights once again. I've seen it. But,” she peered into the crystal that was ingrained in Zoey's forehead, “you don't have Dim colors. Are you from the Zola Tribe?”

Zoey shook her head. “I'm from the Cornell Forest.”

“Huh?” San skipped over a small rock. “Is that near Zola Tribe?”

Zoey looked to the west, pointing toward the Sihu Forest. “It's through a portal, or something like that. The portal is over there.”

San flapped her wings and lifted off. She hovered high above Zoey.

“What are you doing?” asked Zoey.

“I'm looking for the portal. What does it look like? Does it look like a door?”

“It's through the blackberry bushes.” Again, Zoey pointed to the west.

San looked toward the west. “I don't—” She abruptly closed her eyes and her body went limp. She began spinning toward the ground, but then suddenly opened her eyes again and started flapping her wings. She brought herself into a hover.

Shocked, Zoey ran underneath San, just in case she needed to catch her if she fell again. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.” San slowly floated toward the ground. “I don't know what happened. I was just—” And for the second time, San’s eyes unexpectedly shut and her body plummeted. Zoey gasped, expecting to have to catch her, but just before she landed in Zoey's outstretched wings, San regained consciousness and recovered.

Shaken, San slowly lowered herself to the ground. Her legs gave way and she fell straight on her rump, ruffling her tail feathers.

Numee, who had witnessed the whole thing, rushed over to San. Numee's raccoon eyes were worried and suspicious. She looked around wildly, as if trying to find a certain someone in the crowd. Not finding what or who she was looking for, Numee touched San's back with both paws, then closed her eyes, slowing her breathing to long, deep breaths.

Zoey then witnessed something strange. Something she'd never seen before. A slight haze of white light came down from the sky, entering the top of Numee's head. The light surrounded both Numee and San. It wasn't bright, but yet she could still see it. Numee's green crystals started to glow brighter and brighter, creating a green halo effect around Numee's chest and head.

Numee took one last breath before the white light receded back up into the sky. “There,” exclaimed Numee.

San opened her eyes. She looked refreshed. “What happened to me up there? It felt like all my strength was sucked out of me, and then a few moments later, my strength would come back.”

Numee scanned the passers-by warily. “We have a traitor in our midst.” She walked around Zoey and San, surveying more, then stopped. “I've seen it before. It's a tactic the Dims use. They steal your energy, taking it as their own. However, it's very rare when someone can take your energy to the point that you pass out and then regain your composure a few moments later. That means someone is stealing and giving back. Very odd.” She glanced around again. “Whoever it is, he or she is very, very powerful.”

Numee turned toward Zoey. “You're Zoey, right?”

Zoey suddenly felt a pang of insecurity, being put on the spot like that. She wondered if Numee thought she caused this. Was she in trouble? Zoey looked to the ground and murmured, “Yeah, I'm Zoey.”