Thus, Ursa made Chenoa practice again and again creating and destroying the stick creature until she could do it with ease. Ursa always emphasized that Chenoa needed to know how to do both creation and destruction.

“You must never create a spell that you cannot reverse.  Those are the ones that are always a mistake.”

“Okay…no spells I can’t reverse or destroy. Got it.”

It was one of many rules she had learned as well as some of the magical creatures that existed and the history of the realms. The creatures that she remembered, in particular, were Pipers, SecondDeaths, TruthSeekers, Firedwellers, MagicTellers, SoulEaters, Tamerens, and Morgrifs.  From the first discussion, Chenoa knew that Pipers were people with the ability to call back the dead with the use of instruments, and those dead were called SecondDeaths.  That same night she had learned that SoulEaters were creatures who could bind or capture souls in sealable containers like jars. 

Since then Chenoa learned that Firedwellers were what humans used to think were fire demons.  They were creatures that lived in fiery places such as volcanos, hot springs, and other similar locations.  They needed fire to keep their bodies from freezing and stiffening.  They lacked an internal heating and cooling system. Their bodies supposedly looked like humans made of out red clay that was cracked by veins of hot light.  However, it was the Firedwellers who first discovered smelting metals from rocks and taught it to humans. 

TruthSeekers were pretty self-explanatory.  Their bodies released a natural chemical that compelled people to tell the truth when inhaled or ingested. There was no way to avoid it and the truly powerful TruthSeekers had the capability to peer into people’s minds to see the truth without using their hormones.  The idea that someone could peer into her mind freaked Chenoa out a lot.

“So, they can cast spells to look into your mind?” Chenoa had gasped when she first heard this information.

“No…I know it can be confusing but not everything that seems magical is a spell.  Spells can only be done by a few powerful creatures, though never to the extent of a Spellbinder, but creatures do have natural abilities, like the TruthSeekers.  It is just in their DNA.  It’s not magic. It’s survival of the fittest and evolution.  While it seems like magic to humans, it is just a natural ability in the other realm just like how dogs can follow a scent for days or owls can turn their head almost three hundred and sixty degrees.”

Chenoa did her best to understand it and on some level it made sense. But it was still confusing and overwhelming. Luckily, while creatures like TruthSeekers seemed very foreign to her, others sounded like people she would find in the human world, like MagicTellers.  MagicTellers, according to Ursa, sounded like gypsies.  They traveled around in large caravans, putting on shows to entertain and sometimes swindle customers.  They told fortunes, read the future, and convened with the dead.  Of course, they actually did this. It wasn’t just a show for customers.  Ursa said that they had a third eye that allowed them to see the spirit world which exists in the same world but on a different plane. Chenoa didn’t bother to ask what that meant because she already knew it would give her a headache. She did find it fascinating that their third eye also allowed the MagicTellers to see the past and future of whomever they choose by physical contact.  So, if a MagicTeller touched Chenoa, the third eye would see Chenoa’s past and future, as best as the future can be seen, which would also indicate her power level.

For every interesting creature, however, there were ones who terrified Chenoa, like the Tamerens and the Morgrifs.  Until those creatures, Chenoa had thought most of the magical creatures sounded interesting, with the potential to be good or bad just like people.  However, Tamerens and Morgrifs sounded plain evil. 

“The original Tamerens were born from the spilled blood of an innocent and pure person.  After that they repopulated among themselves and with other creatures.  Their lineage is passed through the women so whether a female Tameren has a child with another Tameren or a different creature, the child will inherit her abilities.  If a male has a child with another creature, the chances are lessened, or the child may only inherit some of his abilities.”

“So, they feast on blood like vampires?”

“Humans got the idea of vampires from Tamerens. Since Tamerens are born from blood, they have no blood of their own.  Their bodies are made of blood that was transformed into flesh.  Blood of other creatures helps rejuvenate their bodies, kind of like how you humans get facials.  It removes the old dead cells and replaces them. 

“Not only that but blood carries the powers of all creatures, so by drinking the blood of another creature, Tamerens can momentarily absorb these powers.  Now, this doesn’t last long usually. Some claim that Tamerens don’t receive the power but rather the knowledge of how the power occurs, so they can copy it at any time in the future.  I have never seen that personally.  If the second method is true, I am guessing it must be only Tamerens with heightened intelligence.”

“They sound horrible, Ursa.”

“They are.  Some can behave and be sociable when the situation requires, so there is no reason to be rude to one.  Tamerens are ridiculously proud and vain.  They believe in proper manners and edict.  If you do not act properly and respectfully, they will become insulted and it will get ugly fast.”

“Monsters with manners…”

“Normally, I would tell you not to use the M-word, but they truly are monsters that wear gentlemen’s clothes.”

Morgrifs were worse in a way.  They were large, bestial demons who could hold human form.  Ursa said that Morgrifs were created by humans before the realms split.  They were animals or animal entities that were raised to the level of pagan gods.  The Morgrifs fed off the fear, worship, and sacrifices of the humans until they became gigantic demonic creatures with incredible powers of shapeshifting, basic elemental control (water, fire, earth, and wind), strength, and speed.  Most Morgrifs were males, but there were a few females.  They preferred breeding with non-Morgrifs; the lineage being passed through the males.  The few female Morgrifs had to conceive at least one child with another Morgrif to ensure their lines since a child conceived from a female Morgrif and a non-Morgrif would create a very powerful creature, but it would not be an actual Morgrif. 

“Despite their shapeshifting abilities, Morgrifs can never hide their tails.  It’s a sign of their true bestial nature.  I personally think they chose not to lose their tales because they are proud of their nature.  It is important to remember, no matter how human they seem, they are beasts underneath and they are motivated by basic instincts and desires.  They do have high cognitive abilities, but they only use them to further their natural instincts. Most Morgrif children are conceived from rape.”

“That’s awful. How can they do that?”

“To them, it’s not rape.  It’s a man taking a woman as his.  They find it very natural, just as a dog mounts a female in heat.  Females tend to seduce men to conceive.  Yet like animals, they become very territorial over their mates.  They may have several mates but their mates belong to them alone. The name Morgrif comes from what they do…they create more grief.”

Suppressing a shiver, Chenoa wished they could talk about something else. It was just too horrible to think about.  She would never forget those creatures and she hoped she would never have to meet one. Unfortunately, the odds were not in her favor.  Over a long period of history, many creatures in the other realm had crossbred.  While they, like ignorant humans, had been afraid of breeding across races, they eventually discovered the benefits.  Their children were genetically superior, inheriting a lot of the abilities from all their ancestors.  This made their offspring stronger and more powerful.

“Very few in the other realm are pure breeds.  Sure, you have the few that hold out on the idea of pure being the right way, but most have interbred with so many creatures that it is not uncommon for people to be at least two different heritages.”

“Kind of like me.”

“Exactly.  Crossbreeding just makes common sense.”

“Do dragons cross-breed then?”

“Uh…some have.”

“I thought you said it was common sense. But you don’t sound pleased with it.”

“It’s not common and it’s very difficult for dragons. We aren’t the same as the other creatures.  See our king grants us a special ability of our choice when we reach our Alter age.”

“Alter age?”

“It’s like a coming of age ceremony. Dragons have been around so long and have so many natural abilities that special abilities are more of a treat than a real gift.  Our breed has a built-in universal knowledge.  Whatever has been learned and whatever will be learned is sent to all dragons as it happens. Yet our king is the most blessed in knowledge.  Thus, at our Alter age, we can ask for one gift from him.  It does not have to be an ability, but sometimes it is.  Occasionally dragons do wish to experience the world in a different form to better add to the collective knowledge.  A dragon’s true desire is to add to the wealth of knowledge we have.  We are eternal scholars.

“So, some choose their gift to be able to shapeshift or obtain human form.  This has led to crossbreeding.  Dragonriders are our descendants from dragon-non-dragon couples. Yet if a dragon does choose to couple with a non-dragon and bring a life to being, he must commit to his choice and never return to dragon form again until his death.”

“Wow…so they must choose their true form or their love?”

“It is a serious matter, Chenoa, and if they did not have to make the choice, we would have young dragons coupling and then abandoning their non-dragon partners on whims.  They would not take the relationships seriously. We outlive most creatures. What is a lifetime to some is a swish of our tails.”

“I guess that makes sense.  Just sounds harsh.”

“You are young and human, so it would.”

Bristling, Chenoa bit her tongue.  She wasn’t sure if it was a dragon thing or an Ursa thing, but sometimes Ursa sounded very pompous and superior to Chenoa.  It annoyed Chenoa to no end. 

“You mentioned that dragons have a king?” Chenoa said to change the subject.

“Yes, the fearsome, honorable King Solon.”

Something tingled in the back of Chenoa’s mind.  A man’s face flickered in her mind.  He was dark and brooding with long onyx hair that seemed like a great mane.  His eyes were deep, bright red with vertical diamond pupils like cat’s.  His face was lineless as if he never smiled or frowned, a perfect poker face.

“King Solon…is he a dragon?”

“Yes, the greatest one since the originals.  He was blessed with great knowledge from our ancestors and a young god.”

“Can he transform into a human?”

Ursa gave Chenoa a quizzical look but nodded slowly.

“Yes, he does have that ability.  He chooses to be in that form off and on for long periods.  He claims it makes reading the sacred texts easier since they are so delicate.”

“I bet he is lonely…”

Chenoa was startled by her own statement as Ursa blinked in surprise.  Ursa looked up at the sky as the stars started to appear.

“Yes…I would guess he is.”