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FOREWARD: For all who read this, this is why I've been away from Gothspace for so long. I took in a very sick, emaciated, injured Peruvian red-tailed boa on 4/9/08. She had been severely mistreated and neglected by her previous owners, and she came to me nearly dead. This is her story.  Note: All of her pictures can be seen at: http://reptilegeeks.com/user/Dragon_Sanctuary/gallery
And if you have any questions about the terms I've used in refrence to reptiles and what they mean, please feel free to ask me! I copy/pasted this directly from my reptilegeeks page, so I didn't translate any terms. Sorry!


(4/10/08) My fiance Kevin likes to browse Craigslist, looking for things.
We've gotten computers, stuff for our car, all kinds of things from
there. He saw an ad for a reptile rescue that was closing, so he
took a look. Among the animals they had listed was a 6' female B. c.
constrictor for $50. We were wondering why her re-homing fee was so
low; the same ad listed a pair of cresteds for $200, a Sulcatta for
$500, and a Nile for $250. He went ahead and sent an inquiry,
because I've been wanting a red-tail for school presentations, as the
kids are just too hard on my little snakes and my ball pythons get
too stressed.

He requested pictures and asked about health problems. The girl
tiptoed around both, and that kind of sent up red flags. The only
thing she said in reguards to health was that the snake had gotten
out and been freeroaming for a while, so she was underweight, and
that she had been pushing the dirt around in her terrarium, because
she was in a 30 gallon and also that she had a few minor rat bites
that were healing up well. We decided to drive down and pick the
snake up, anyway, not really knowing what to expect.

When we got there, I asked about taking a look at some of the other
animals she had for adoption, but she made up an excuse as to why we
couldn't come in the house. She went back in to retrieve the snake,
and when she came back, I was so shocked at her condition I was at a
loss for words. I was even too shocked to be angry, at the time.
The poor snake stretched out toward me and sniffed languidly, and the
feeling I got from her was 'please help me'. I couldn't see much of
her mouth because it was full of dirt, but I did note that it
wouldn't close. Kevin pointed out that her left eye looked like it
had been bitten and was now blind. The top of her nose was torn up,
and she had a couple pretty bad scars from rat bites. The girl
said 'I don't remember if I told you; I don't know what's up with her
tail...' It too was covered in dirt, but it was quite apparent that
her backbone was sticking out of the last four inches and most of the
tissue still surrounding it was dead. Kevin and I passed the snake
back and forth for a few minutes (she was also cold as ice) and she
would crawl up, put her face in our hair and wheeze.

We were both polite and calm through the whole thing. We paid the
girl the $50 (which I know we shouldn'tve, but I was not leaving
without the snake), got in our truck and drove off. Kevin was so
angry at the snake's condition and the girls deceit he was silent the
entire hour-long ride home. I just held her, feeling awful that
someone would let such bad problems progress so far without even
getting them looked at. When we got home I cleaned her mouth out,
discovering the worst abcess in my personal experience, and cleaned
and dressed her tail, which is about 70% necrotic with a bit of
feeling and muscle control still left in the belly scutes. Our best
hypothesis on what happened is that they kept her without heat, threw
a live rat in with her and left them unsupervised. Being to cold to
try to eat the rat, the rat ate her, and the wounds went untreated.
No heat would also explain her URI.

We set her up in our 160 gallon on paper towels and contacted my vet
Dr. Greek, Lady V, and other of my knowledgable friends on what to
do. She's in the worst shape of any animal that's come into my care
so far. The vet said the tail would have to be amputated. I also
took pictures of her mouth and tail and saved them to the computer,
Kevin saved his correspondence with the girl, and I called the SPCA
on her the next day.

Despite it all, this snake, whom we've dubbed Freya, is probably the
best natured snake I've ever met. She doesn't fight me much when I
clean and dress her tail, or when I clean her gums, and she loves
being held. I cried and cried over her the night we picked her up,
so saddened that such a beautiful and gentle animal would be treated
so poorly. She's only been with us since Monday, but Kevin and I
both have already fallen in love with her. She is such a sweet and
personable snake, and even though she has such substantial injuries,
she still has a gorgeous pattern. It breaks my heart every time I
think about what she's gone through--I'm crying as I write this.

(4/18/08) We took her to the vet yesterday (4/17) to get her taken care of and find out what needed to be done. We were convinced she'd need her tail amputated.  Well my vet, Dr. Tom Greek, DVM, (http://www.tomgreek.com is his website) took her in their back room and looked at her for a couple minutes.  What he told us next just about blew our minds.

He came out and looked at me and told me he thought her tail was saveable, and that he wanted to try. He didn't want to put her through the stress of a full amputation unless it was absolutely necessary. I agreed, so he took her back in the back and snipped off the 1/8" of her tail (her backbone, really) that was sticking out of the end of her tail and pretty obviously dead, and cut the infection out of her mouth. He then prescribed her Amakacin, Silvadine (for both her mouth and tail) and Nolvasan (to soak her in daily) and told me he wanted to do a follow-up in a month, she could start eating again, and bring her in sooner if her tail began to die.  We were absolutely estatic.

I did try to feed her last night but I think her mouth was just too sore to eat.  I'm going to try again on monday. The swelling's almost gone in her mouth, and her tail's already looking tons better. I know that it's going to take many, many months for her tail to heal, but I'm keeping it clean and dressed and keeping her terrarium hospital-like so she doesn't get infected again.  I'm going to be posting weekly updates and update pictures of her, so stay connected!

(4/25/08) Freya's tail appears to have begun scarring over. It's very puckered and dry-looking, but the signs of infection are, for the most part, gone. She's lost two more teeth (that I know of); one the night before and one last night. Her gums are concerning me; they are still swollen (she hasn't been able to close her mouth yet) and are purplish in color. She has a follow-up appointment for 5/15, but I may move it up some if her mouth doesn't improve. She still hasn't eaten, which is concerning me also, and I'm wondering, if she doesn't eat by her next shed, perhaps I should tubefeed her. Her RI has been improving, and now not only does she fight me and jerk her tail away when I soak her and put Silvadine on her tail; she's taken to clamping her mouth shut when I try to clean her gums as well. Her personality remains very sweet, though, and we keep thinking she's beginning to blue, but if she is, she's sure dragging it out.

(4/26/08) ...Well, I'm crying over Freya again. Her mouth looked purple to me yesterday; when I soaked her this evening, the left side looked black and had a lot of pus. I cleaned it, then put antibiotic on it (putting it a bit farther into the wound in her mouth than I normally do) and she ended up losing a tooth on each side in the process. Her mouth bled a bit after that, and I could tell it was really hurting her. After I put her to bed for the night I sat down in front of her terrarium, watched her for about two minutes, then put my head in my hands and sobbed.  Kev tried to reassure me that she's going to be fine. She's lost a total of four teeth this week. She still can't close her mouth. She's still in too much pain to eat.  I had called her vet thursday and scheduled her a one-month follow-up; I'm calling tomorrow and asking his opinion, then possibly resheduling for next week. I had noticed also on thursday that her breath seemed unusually foul, and then all this pus started draining.  Poor, poor baby; I just wish i could take her pain away...

(4/27/08) I talked to Freya's vet today and he told me I hadn't been treating her mouth aggressively enough. He told me to irrigate it with Nolvasan and don't be afraid to take bad tissue out. So, When I soaked her and cleaned her mouth this evening, I irrigated the heck out of it and cleaned up inside the tissue with a q-tip. I had noticed that there was no foul smell before I soaked her, and when I cleaned her mouth, I did take tissue and yet another tooth out, but I noticed there wasn't nearly as much discharge as there had been and her gums were looking better after I had rinsed the old coat of Silvadine off. I put Silvadine on her tail and on her gums...and then I saw that she could close the right side of her mouth! Happy day! 

Since she's so thin and still hasn't eaten, I'm going to tube-feed her a 50/50 mix of Pedialyte and beef or chicken baby food tomorrow. Her girth should be the size of my fiance's forearm; she's only as big around as my wrist. So we're going to get some nutrients in her. I've never tube fed a snake before, so this should prove to be intresting.

(5/3/08) Well, this has been an intresting week. There are times I wonder if her mouth's ever going to get better, and tonight is one of thoes times. It's so swollen and raw, even though it's improved considerably in the last three weeks, it seems to have its good days and bad. I know; I need to be patient, because reptiles take forever to heal. But even her tail is looking much much better than it did originally. I just wish her mouth would begin to heal up.

We've tubefed her twice this week; 6ccs one day, 24ccs three days later. She always drinks a lot of water after we tube her. Last night she must've drank for an hour and a half, off and on. She gave me a good scare last night, too; she fell asleep with water in her throat. It looked like she had started to swallow it, then just totally zoned or something. I watched her for a few minutes, then took her out and drained the water from her throat. It was the wierdest thing I've ever seen.

She's also well into blue now. I'm anxious to see how her wounds look after she sheds, and if she'll eat on her own or not. I'm also contemplating moving her vet appointment up, but it's for the 15th, and that's not terribly far away.

Please continue to pray for my rehabing girl and send her kind thoughts and good and healing vibes. Thank you.

(5/8/08) I know it's a day early to be writing her update, but I'm just so excited that I had to! Freya has made a ton of progress in just the last few days. She's been in blue for a while now and just cleared up today, and has been rubbing on things, trying to shed for three days. She's now drinking by herself, and I have a feeling she'll soon be eating by herself.

Why? The last of the bad tissue came out of her mouth tonight...and she closed it BY HERSELF! It's still swollen and she still can't close the left side all the way, but has made great progress even since last week! The tissue is all a healty pink color now, and the swelling is rapidly subsiding. her tail is looking fantastic, and I'm sure the true scarring process will begin with this shed. She's still wheezing, but it's infrequent now, and very very dry sounding. She mainly wheezes if I accidentally get water in her mouth while I'm cleaning it, which hasn't happened this week at all because I now have a helper.

I have a theory as to why she's made so much progress recently as well. For one thing, Kevin has been helping me a lot with her. Also, I've been keeping her out for longer and longer periods before her soak, and she really seems to enjoy it. I think the interaction has helped her. There's even been a couple times I've nodded off while holding her (Kevin was awake and watchful, of course) and she's nodded off, too. She seems very content just to be in our company, getting held and complimented and loved on. I know the prayers and well-wishes sent her way have worked wonders, too; the power of positive thought is incredibly underestimated.

I have no doubt she's going to make a 120% recovery...and faster than what I was at first expecting. I was pretty sure she was at death's door when she came to us, but she's slowly getting her health back. My next update will be after her vet visit next week! (Or maybe after her shed, depending upon how that goes. ~_^)

(5/12/08) Well, I was beginning to think I was going to have to have the vet debride Freya. She just was not shedding. As a last resort, I put two wet T-shirts in her terrarium last night with her in the middle. I got up this morning to find she hadn't even moved. A bit saddened, I took her and the T-shirts out and ran her bathwater.

While I was cleaning her mouth, I noticed the skin on her lower jaw had loosened, so I peeled it back some. She then proceeded to take a big, healthy dump in her bathwater, so I pulled her out, washed her off, and took her into the livingroom while the lovely and talented Kevin cleaned the sink for me (he's such a sweetie). I sat down on the floor and loosened her upper labial scales, then her rostral. It took about fifteen minutes to get the shed off, but it came of clean and in pretty much one piece. The shattered eyecap came off revealing a perfectly fine eye. Her scars are turning white and much of the roughness from the injuries came off. I was anxious to see what would happen with her tail.

All of her tail wanted to shed too. I tried to keep any of the scab from comming off, but it did around the edges. It immediately began to scab again, though. I finished up her bath and put silvadine on her mouth and more than usual on her tail, then put her away. She seems like she feels tons better now...and she's soooo gorgeous! Please check out her pics!

 

(6/13/08) We took Freya to her vet today. One of the staff weighed her and asked what was going on (A staff member I hadn't met before, surprisingly) and I told him how her tail just seemed to keep getting worse. I also told him she had eaten on her own, which she hasn't done since she's been in our care and only heaven knows how long before that. So, he went and told the vet. From behind the door, we heard 'Yay! Yaaay!' as Dr. Greek walked to the room. He walked in and said 'Yaaay, she ate! I was really concerned about that'. He looked at her mouth and was very pleased with how it's looking; told us to check it occasionally to make sure none of the infection was comming back and to clean it as necessary if it was showing signs. He then took a look at her tail and frowned. I told him what had been going on with it, and upon closer inspection, all three of us noticed that, somewhere between the time we left and the time he began examining her tail, the exposed bone seperated. He told us that it wasn't a big deal, but that the tip looked like it was beginning to lose circulation, so he decided to go ahead and amputate it. The procedure took maybe fifteen minutes and he brought her back in, tail stubby and sutured. He did try to save some of it where the backbone hadn't been exposed. He told us to keep up the soaks and Silvadine and that the sutures would dissolve, and that maybe she wouldn't have to come back for a while. So, we lost the battle of trying to save her tail. We had been noticing in the last few days that she had lost most motor control of it anyway, and that it would twitch for no reason, signaling nerve death, so it probably came off not a moment too soon. However, I'm very confident she'll recover fully now, because she's eating again and her body doesn't have to send its nutrients to a dying appendage any more, so the rest of her can get well now. I told my vet how surprised I was that, despite all the trauma and pain she's been through, that she's still so sweet. He said, 'She's a good snake'. And that she is. Best darn snake I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Please keep her recovery in your thoughts.

(6/30/08) I haven't updated this in too long, it seems, after having to get everything organized for the reptile show in San Diego and etc. But now that the madness is over, I can give an update on Freya's progress. She's now eaten for me two weeks in a row. I skipped last week because she was super blue and super uncomfortable. It seems just about everything she's injested has gone back into building muscle back to where it should be, building fat deposits, since she had none, and helping her to regrow teeth and scales. Her upper jaw is now full of tiny, perfect white teeth and her tail has about 1/3" of scar tissue beginning to cover it. I've been putting vitamin E on her scars, and it seems to be helping quite a bit. She shed today. A nice, clean shed, leaving the very end of her tail raw, but healthy looking. I helped her shed and she seemed to be much more comfortable, save for the fact she really had to poo! I had to take her back out of her terrarium and give her tail another wash after cleaning out a basball-sized pile from the corner behind her water dish, then scrubbed her terrarium and waterdish down as well. She just keeps getting more and more yellow! At the reptile show, I was looking around at all the different boas, still unsure as to what she was. Since I had a poaterboard set up with her info and pictures on it, several people asked me if she was a morph or specific locality. I told them I really didn't know, but was hoping I'd gain some insight at the show. I did. Turns out I was wrong (as I often am, lol) and she's not a Surinam, but a Peruvian. I was able to do a bit of comparison in person and see just exactly what she looks like, and Surinam is a far cry from her bright yellow. Also, as I said, she's beginning to get new scales, and they're forming white, then changing color, it seems. She has a few new ones on her nose that match the surrounding ones, but that's about it. The ones on her sides that were white with the last shed are now almost a rust color. After I got her cleaned up (again) I offered her a small f/t rat. She wasn't intrested in it tonight, but this is a. right after a shed and b. the first time she's refused to eat for me, so I'm going to try her again on her regular feeding day, Thursday, and see what happens.

Tags: Boa Constrictor Abuse Rehabillitation Education Snake Reptile

Oh my goodness...I must apologize to all my friends for my long absence.  I feel horrible for staying away so long.  But I'm back now and hope you all are doing well.

My rescue organization Dragon Sanctuary will have an iguana available for adoption on 7/19, following an evaluation of his health and temperment.  He's two years old and has a terrarium for those who would be willing to pick him up.  For those too far away but still intrested I am willing to ship him so long as the adoptive party will pay the S&H.  If intrested, please contact me via email at immortal_nomad13@yahoo.com or via phone at (714) 287-0694.  Thank you.

--Jenn AKA Dragon

It's 4:18 AM.  I have to be up at eight fourty five for work.  I've been fighting with my guy for like three days now, his family for almost a year, my best friend and I have been getting into arguements, I feel quite crappy ATM, and I'm just tired of it all.  My work shcedule does not fit into the schedule the rest of my life is on.  Were I a normal sleeping person, This would be like working graveyard shift.  I'd kill for a babeing graveyard shift if I didn't like my job (and oddly enough, my bosses) so much.  Yes, I'm ranting and bitching.  it's not something I do much of, and I NEVER do this on a public forum. This is a one-time-only gig.  I'm not gonna feel this way ever again.  I'm tired of it, and therfore, by all the powers that be, I'm gonna do something about it.  My next vampire story will be posted in the weeks to come, and I'll be working on more art...finally.  I HAVE to do that, or I'm going to go nuckin futz!!!  To anyone who actually takes the time to read this and my last blog, my deepest apologies. x.x

So, I've decided that I'm sick and tired...of being sick and tired.  I entirely do not get enough excersise, and I live in the perfect place to be getting plenty of it.  I've never felt better than when I was vegan and walked more than two miles a day.  Well, I'm vegan again, and still moody (more than gothically so), so therefore, I'm picking up my old excersise routine once more.  I've already lost around 25 lbs just by changing my eating habits, but I'm shooting for 50 total.

However, I'm not going to go walking in the middle of the day like all these sun-aged thirty-somethings that look closer to forty-something; I'm going to go walking (with accompanyment, of course)  Between the hours of midnight and six AM, because the weather is coolest, the stars are out, and I don't have to wear three layers of clothes and a sombrero, as well as SPF 125+ super-pore-clogging-vampire-preserving-evil-star-block.  I'm going to avoid the sun entirely.  That way, I'll have my endorphin-producing excersise, on MY schedule, lose more weight, feel better and think better too. Perhaps, if there's any other creatures of the night in my area, that I'll see you out there with a buddy as well.  Nameste all!

  Yesterday, while I was working, the lovely and talented Kevin went to the store to get some lunch for me.  Going back out to the car, he opened his door, then almost as an afterthought, left the door open and walked around the car to check our rear passenger side tire, because it has a slow leak.  He then walked back around to his door --and much to his surprise-- watched as a kitten leapt in through the open door, scrambled across the driver's seat and into the passenger seat.  Not knowing what else to do, he got in the car and drove to my work, kitten in tow.

  So in the door comes Kevin, my lunch and this kitten in his hands.  We've both been wanting a cat but can't have one at our current place of residence because we're staying with someone who strongly dislikes cats.  Well, my employer is an animal rescuer also, and she thought it best if the kitten stay at the store and we try to find a home for it.  She then sent Kevin to get some cat food.

  While he was out getting the food, he ran into one of our regulars, and she was on her way over.  Well, when she walked in the door and saw this kitten, she started crying and told us she'd be right back; she was going home to get a 'box'.  When she came back, she had a pet carrier and a box of tissues, and was still crying.  She then told us that the kitten looked like one of her favorite cats, whom she had lost a few years prior to cancer...a mere two months before she herself was diagnosed with cancer. So, she took the kitten home, quite happily and tearfully.

  Later that day, she called the store to apologize for her emotional display and to give us an update.  The kitten, now named Emily, had claimed a room for her own and had burrowed quite contentedly into the pillows on the bed. I told Kevin about it when I got home, and we both agreed that the kitten was meant for her (she spoils all her animals rotten anyway XD).  The kitten was at the store no longer than half an hour!  We were all very pleased. ='^.^'=

The days leading up to Isabels' funeral passed Cael by in a
dark haze. Alone in the room they had shared he sat on the  floor,
legs sprawled out before him, his back propped against the  bed. All
the light had gone from his topaz eyes, and his long white hair  hung
matted in his face. Their children and grand-children had tried
desperately to stir him from his tormented thoughts, to no  avail.
He was lost to them all in the maelstrom of his own private  sea of
grief. Nearly half a fortnight passed with him in this condition,
until Llew somehow broke through the shell and got into his
conscious thought with his words. He kneeled by the only  father he
had ever known, placing his hand on Cael's shoulder. "Pa-pa",  he
said in a voice filled with quiet urgency, "Ma-ma's funeral is on
the morrow. You must come out of this funk and get yourself  cleaned
up so you can attend. It would pain ma-ma greatly to see you  in
this state. Please pa-pa, for her sake; with you grieving over  her
like this, she may not even be able to go on to the next world.
Please begin to move on so she can, pa-pa." Something in his  words
resonated within Cael and, for the first time in days, he lifted  his
head and looked at Llew. "Thank you, son", he said in a voice
hoarse from misuse. With that he stood--his joints stiff from
sitting for so long--and hugged Llew. He then turned and  headed for
his bath, realizing it had been far too long since he had taken  one,
and turned the hot water on in the old, claw-foot tub. He took  his
shirt off as the tub filled, and turned his back to the mirror in
order to see the spot between his shoulder-blades where his  wings
had been. It was an angry red colour and slightly swollen, with
dips in his shoulder-blades where his wings had attached to  their
sockets. Being sunk too deeply into his grief to notice their
soreness, he winced as he touched one of the now-empty  sockets.
Deciding a good soak was just what they needed, he quickly  but
thoroughly washed his hair in the bowl-basin and wrapped it  with a
towel, then, after turning the water in the tub off, he finished
undressing and slipped into the tub to soak for a few hours  and to
contemplate upon what he should do next.

He knew an emissary from Avalon would be coming for him  soon,
and that he would be tried by the High Court. This did not  concern
him, for he felt that, aside from giving her his wings, he had  done
nothing wrong. Although he knew that an Angel giving up its  wings
was a very serious offence, he didn't care. He wanted to  imprint
something upon her spiritual memory that couldn't be  forgotten so
they could one day find each other again. Not knowing that it  was
of such significance as to change the composition of her spirit,  he
gave her his wings. Having no regrets, he climbed out of the  tub
and drained the water, then headed for his dressing room.  Finding a
suit of grey clothing, he put them on, grey being an
uncharacteristic colour for him, and tied his hair back. After that, he  
laid out his only black suit for the morrows' funeral service. He  
then went down to the dining room, his human family waiting  round
the dinner table for him to join them, and all looked quite  relieved
when he did. Giving them a melancholy smile, he sat down  and
thanked the cook for making such a large meal, then began  to eat
slowly and without relish. Seeing him eat for the first time in
nearly a week, they all began eating too, and the gathering  remained
silent. Cleaning his plate, he stood and bowed to them all,  then
headed back upstairs to his room to try to get some sleep.

It was raining heavily that morning as the people of Crystal
Port began to file into the ballroom of Morningstar Keep for  the
funeral of Isabel Southerland. They gave their condolences to  the
family, and then paid their last respects to Isabel. Cael had  been
with her until the doors had been opened. He had laid a  single,
deep-red rose off her favourite rose bush in her hands and  touched
her cheek. "Hail and farewell for now, my love", he whispered
softly to her. "'For in the next life, ye shall meet again, and ye
shall know, and remember, and love them again.'" When the  ushers
swung the doors open, he had retreated to a corner and sat  down,
folding his hands in his lap. He merely nodded to the people  who
offered him condolences, keeping his head down and only  half-
listening to the prayer, eulogy and sermon spoken over her.  When
the pallbearers walked down the aisle to retrieve her coffin and
take it to the gravesite, he was the first to stand and follow.  He
had chose the site the previous day, having some of the  stepping
stones in the rose garden removed so that she could be laid  to rest
in her favourite spot, which was in the centre of the garden,  with a
good view of the stream and forest on one side and a good  view of
the city and ocean on the other. She had spent many hours of  her
life in that spot, tending the flowers, lost in her own thoughts;
and with Cael and their family as well. Now, as they had begun  to
cover her coffin with earth, Caels tossed another rose from her
favourite bush on top of her coffin and pulled Llew aside.  "Son,"
he whispered, "I want you to make me a promise. I want you  and your
children to tend this place, keep it in good condition for your
mother, and for my return." Llew's brows furrowed. "Where are  you
going, pa-pa?" Cael shushed him and continued. "That's not
important. I just want you to do this for me, and your children,
and your children's children, as long as your generations will
last." Mesmerized, Llew nodded silently, and then bowed. "I  will
not fail you, pa-pa; you have my word. "Thank you, my son,"  Cael
said as he returned the bow, and with that, he turned and  headed
back into the house to wait for the emissary to take him back  to
Avalon and face his judgment.

It was near the witching hour when he finally heard the
rustle of wings outside his window. He had been sitting in a  chair,
waiting patiently, his hands folded in his lap. Now he stood, his
shoulders square and his head held high, anxious to see  exactly who
the High Court had sent to retrieve him. He was a bit surprised
when his mother, accompanied by two huge Seraphim,  stepped through
the open window and into the room. She wore a russet-coloured cloak
made of crushed velvet over a ruddy copper-coloured gown,  her
slippers a hue of sienna. There was much pain in her eyes,  and she
didn't speak as she motioned the Seraphim to seize him and  turned
back towards the open window, spreading her wings for flight.  They
half-nodded to her and walked over to Cael, each grabbing  one of his
arms, walking him over to the window sill before leaping into  the
air and taking flight behind Aradia. Cael sagged in their grip,  the
balls of his shoulders turning in an uncomfortable angle, but  he did
not struggle.

Cael's arms were numb by the time they reached the Hall of
the High Court of Avalon. They didn't take him to a holding  cell;
instead, they cuffed his hands and shackled his legs, then led  him
into the court room. It was midday then, and the flight had  been
long and quite painful for him. They led him over to a chair  and he
flopped gratefully into it, the feeling beginning to come back  in
his shoulders. His entire back was a throbbing knot of pain,  and as
the blood flowed back into his shoulders and arms, they joined  in
the chorus. Despite this, he kept a straight face, not wanting  to
disgrace himself any further. He was quite exhausted and  wanted to
sleep, but because of where he was and the intensity of the  pain he
held his eyes open and kept his mind focused. The room was  already
full of spectators, some of which he knew, and they were all
whispering gossip as they awaited the proceedings to start.  The
whispers died down when a young Angel in crimson robes  flitted in,
her lavender winglets with a mere fluff covering of feathers and  her
red hair tied in a ponytail. She looked over the room and  cleared
her throat, then pulled a scroll from her sleeve and unrolled it,
shouting unnecessarily the information therein, "Hear ye hear  ye
hear ye! May the trial of Cael Uriel Morningstar come to order!  The
judge presiding, the Right Honourable Lord Cevaro has been  replaced
by request, by another judge! Please honour him by standing  and
bowing!" The mass of spectators and the Seraphim guarding  Cael all
stood, so Cael slowly and sorely did the same. A gasp of awe,
followed by a synchronized bow, went like a shockwave through  the
courtroom as He entered.

Cael uttered a little gasp of shock, and then fell prostrate
when he saw Him. He wore a simple monks' robe made of  heavy cotton
that was of the same shade of grey as His eyes and hair. He  also
sported a pair of large wings of the same shade, which was  unusual
for Him, as He preferred to go without wings. Walking behind  the
judges' podium, he raised the gavel and proclaimed in a quiet  voice
that was heard at the back of the room and made the walls
shudder, "Court is now in session." He lightly tapped the  gavel,
and the sound echoed throughout the room. Everyone then sat  back
down, eyes fixed upon Him, and Cael quavered in his chair.  Never in
all his thousands of years had he ever been in the presence of  God.
Bran's solemn eyes fixed on Cael, and He motioned him
forward. "Cael Morningstar, please take the stand." Cael  stood,
and shakily made his way to the stand, a great fear welling up
inside him. Slowly, he sat down in the witness box and began  to
fidget, not having expected to be tried by the Supreme Power.
Bran's melancholy grey eyes were still fixed on him, and that  made
him even more uneasy. Quietly, Bran began to ask him
questions. "Cael, you are charged with altering the destiny of
twenty mortals, altering the soul of a mortal and giving up  your 
wings to a mortal of your own free will, thereby disgracing 
yourself. How do you plead?" Cael folded his shackled hands   in his 
lap, trying not to wince with the pain, and answered with more
conviction than he felt, "Guilty. I plead guilty to all three
charges, Your Honour." Bran nodded; Cael's answer  satisfactory, and
continued. "Then, since you plead guilty and there is no jury,
shall I just sentence you? I've already reviewed the case, and
there are other trials scheduled. I just wanted to handle this  one
personally and get it over with for everyone." He looked at  Cael,
compassion in His strange, grey eyes, and awaited an answer.  Cael
was taken aback that such arrangements would be made just  to
accommodate him, and all he could manage was a small nod.  Bran
nodded curtly in reply. "Very well then. I hereby sentence you  to
become harsh and cold, never to be kind to mortals or  otherwise as
long as you shall live this life. Do you accept your  punishment?"
Cael thought about the great burden he had just been saddled  with,
his blood running cold. It was completely contradictory to his
nature and he knew he would cause himself and all those  around him 
great pain from that moment on, and he knew it was his only  path to
repentance. He looked up at Bran, his eyes filled with
anguish. "Yes. I accept my punishment." With that Bran stood  and
motioned the Seraphim to remove Cael's shackles. "This court  is now
adjourned", He said, tapping the gavel. He gave a last, pained  look
at Cael as if to say, I'm sorry, then turned and vanished from  the
room. Cael watched Him fade as the Seraphim took his  shackles off.
With that he stood, and walked out of the Hall, heading home  to his
Castle, his head swimming, his muscles throbbing, and his  heart
aching.



. . .


"…And I haven't been kind to another living soul since" he
said, finishing his story. With that, he unbuttoned his waistcoat
and threw it aside, then did the same with his shirt, the scar  where
his wings had been still clear and quite visible to Cain. Cain  cast
his eyes downward, not speaking as Cael turned around and  began to
speak again. "I've gone back to the keep every year since she  died,
not speaking to anyone, and just sit by her grave. I talk to her 
sometimes, and even though its been so long, I still weep  every time
I go…" Cain looked up at his brother's face, and noted that he
looked as if he had been crying silently for several hours. "Now
you see, brother", Cael continued, "That there is no love as  pure as
a mortals'. She stayed with me, despite the fact that I could  not
commit myself to her, and despite the fact that I could not  give her
what she wanted most. She loved me anyway; loved me with  her entire
being, and I her…and I miss her so, even now…" Cael could no  longer
control the grief that had been building for so long, and he fell  to
his knees and wept bitterly. Cain reached out to him and Cael
slapped his hand away, then leapt up, glaring at him and drew 
Galileo, aiming it at Cain's throat. "Now, you bast ard, we have a
score to settle," Cael growled. "Let's finish his."

At that moment, there was a loud crash outside and the tavern
shuddered. Cael dropped the point of his blade from Cain's  throat
to the floor, and they both stared in the direction that the  sound
came from, which was the tavern's front door. The door  slammed
open, and there stood a girl of about sixteen summers,  wearing a
leopard-print jacket with furry sleeves and collar, Lime green  jeans
with the knees ripped out and a pink feather boa around her  neck .
Her tall platform boots here calf-high, made of bright red faux  fur
with google eyes mounted on the toes and teeth printed into  the tall
soles. Her hair was the same blue as a summer sky, and her  eyes 
glowed pink like sunrise. Behind her she dragged a large  scythe,
the blade of which glowed blue and was covered in holographic,  fuzzy
and scratch n' sniff stickers, the handle painted like flames.  She
stomped in angrily and muttered, "Who in the hell locked the  damn
door?" She walked a few paces past the two, who were staring  at her
as if she were an alien, then realized who they were. Excitedly,
she wheeled about and leapt on Cain, squealing with delight.  "Uncle
Cain! You guys are home!" She then leapt from him to Cael.  "Hiya
Cael! When did you guys get back anyway?" Both still in shock, 
Cael put his rapier away and Cain sat back down. "We got in
yesterday", Cain replied, noting the rising sun. "How have you  and
your folks been, Skye? It seems we've been away longer than  we
knew." "They're good" she replied, "And you two have been  gone for
way too long." She then turned to Cael. "I have something for  you,
but I changed them. I hope you don't mind. You can change  them
back at any time, but I feel like it's time for me to give these
back to you." With that, she put her hand on his chest, and  they
both began to glow. After a few moments, she backed away  and grinned
impishly. Cael tipped backward, a new weight on his back, and
leaned forward to steady himself. Out of the corner of his eye,  he
saw something gleam, and he turned his head to look. It was  a
glittering white wing, but instead of being covered in feathers,  it
was covered in scales. His eyes grew large, and he
muttered, "Dragon wings…" Then, looking at Skye, the spark  of
recognition began to burn in his eyes like wildfire. "Th-then… you
must be…" She put her finger on his lips, shushing him and  gave him
a conspiratorial wink. "Yeah, I remember you," she said with a
smirk, "And it's been a long time." She began to walk towards  the
bar, and said over her shoulder, "Oh, and by the way, you can  quit
being an ass now. That sentence was lifted from you when you  went
into The Void." He stared unbelievingly after her, unable to  speak,
and Cain smiled. Cael shook his head to clear his mind, then
concentrated on a new distraction—his wings. He turned them  from
dragon wings back to Angel wings, and then back again before  making
them disappear for the time being. "I'll have to get used to  them
again, but I think I like them better as dragon wings. Thank  you,
Skye." She plopped down on a barstool, orange soda in hand  and
nodded. "They were yours to begin with". His vendetta against  Cain
forgotten, he walked over to the bar and sat on the barstool  next to
hers, and stared into his bottle of white zinfandel for a long
moment before finally looking up at her. "Do you think we can  ever
be like we were?" he asked. She pondered it for a moment,  then
finally replied, "Perhaps in time; but we have to get to know  each
other all over again first". She looked at him slyly, and he
grinned at his friend's daughter, propping an elbow on the bar. "I think I have time for 
that," he said coyly. She grinned, and replied, "I think I do,  too."



. . .


…And somewhere in The Void, Bran
smiled.

The years seemed to pass by in a mere flash of brilliance as
the children grew up and Isabel grew older. One early morning,  in
the fall of her forty-fifth year, Cael watched her as she lay  beside
him, sleeping peacefully. Gray streaks were now prominent
throughout her chestnut hair, and her face showed her years  through
the laugh lines around her eyes and mouth. She was no longer  as
energetic as she had been in her youth, and much more  reserved, but
it made no difference to Cael. In his eyes, she was as  beautiful as
she had ever been. She began to awaken as he was watching  her and
he smiled softly, then kissed her cheek and said, "Good  morrow, my
beauty. Didst thou sleep well?" She looked at him sleepily and
chuckled. "Beauty? Why, I've turned into a crone and ye  haven't
aged a day since we first met. I must find that fountain of  youth
that you've been sneaking off to." He laughed softly with her,  but
her words pained him terribly, knowing that he could not  restore her
youth to her and that he could do nothing to stop or even to  slow
the progress of her aging. Trying to put the thought aside, he
changed the subject. "So, when are Charlotte and her young  man
going to be here today? They wanted our help in planning their
wedding, aye?" Isabel nodded, then sat up and replied "Aye.  They
should be here later this morning. We also must plan Elise's
debutante ball, and I believe Llew and his wife are stopping in  to
leave the children in our care for a few days." Cael put his  hand
on his head and theatrically fell backwards in bed, saying in a
voice full of mock-anguish "Oh my! What a full day! Whatever  are
we to do? I shall pass out from exhaustion before brunch is
served!" She laughed gaily, the sound like sweet music to  Cael's
ears, and then threw her pillow in his face, saying with a voice
full of laughter, "Oh stop being such a drama queen—you're  beginning
to frighten me with your foofiness!" Laughing, he tossed the
pillow and rolled to his side, supporting his head with his hand  and
looking at her teasingly. "Just how am I beginning to frighten  you,
my love?" he asked playfully, and she replied while still
giggling "I'm beginning to worry that perhaps I'm not your  type, and
that mayhap you like boys instead of girls!" With that, he  flopped
backwards onto his back in a mock pass-out and she picked  up her
pillow and pummeled him with it until he lifted all his limbs
protectively into the air and shouted between his bursts of
laughter "That's enough! You're going to beat me to death!"  She
laughed and, tossing the pillow aside, flopped down beside  him and
pulled him close to her, embracing him tightly. Returning the
embrace, he smiled warmly, then climbed out of bed and  offered his
hand to her. Smiling warmly at him, she took the offered hand  and
stood, and he pulled her close for a moment, kissing the top  of her
head softly and then resting his chin there. He sigh-whispered  to
her "I love you", and she pressed her cheek against his chest  and
replied, "I love you, too." They then let go of each other,
stepping into their own dressing rooms and changing out of  their
bedclothes before going downstairs to breakfast.

Their day was full indeed, as they tried to manage their
grand-children; Maggie, age two, and Evan, age five; help  Charlotte
and her fiancé, Steven, plan the details of their wedding, that  was
to be held at the keep, and Organize Elise's debutante ball,  which
would be later that week. By noon they had given up hope of
managing Llew's unruly children and turned them over to  Charlotte
and Steven to care for while they finished the details of Elise's
ball. They felt they could put the minor details of the wedding
aside for the time being, for it wouldn't be for another moon.  They
were both exhausted by dinner that night and went to bed  early,
Isabel falling into a deep, dreamless sleep; Cael falling into a
nightmare-filled one. In his dreams he met his worst fear,  which
was Isabels' death. In the middle of the night, he sat bolt-
upright, his body covered in a cold sweat and his heart racing.
Panting, he climbed out of bed and went to fetch his pitcher  and
bowl, pouring some water from the pitcher into the bowl and
splashing his face with it. He stood there for several moments;
head hung low, hands gripping the marble countertop as he  tried to
still his racing heart. He knew that her time wasn't near yet,  but
the thought still frightened him beyond all reason. Finally
regaining his wind, he walked back into their chambers and  slipped
quietly back into bed with her, holding her close to him and
trembling uncontrollably. The thought of her impending death
haunted him, and he tried to shut it out of his mind. He spent  the
rest of that night in an uneasy, quite wakeful state, trying to
force the thoughts from his mind and sleep, but wondering  with much
fear about when exactly her time would come.

. . .


That time came in the spring of her sixty-third year. He
awoke early one morning and, because Isabel had been  having trouble
ascending and descending the stairs as of late, he decided to  take
her breakfast in bed. Since he had awakened before the rest  of the
house did, he opted to cook breakfast himself, making  enough for
everyone. Leaving most of it on the kitchen table when he was
finished, he took only enough for her upstairs on a tray.  Quietly,
he entered their quarters and nearly dropped the tray when he  heard
her breathing. It was horrifically different from what it had  been
when he left the room; it was now shallow and ragged—a  sound that he
had never heard before. It was still quite dark, so he set the  tray
on her nightstand and lit an oil lamp. When he saw her face,  he
gasped. She had an unnatural pallor about her and her lips  were
blue. His eyes widened with terror, and he placed his hands on  her
shoulders, shaking her gently. "Wake up, Bella! Oh please,  wake
up!" His voice was pleading and urgent. Thinking he had  already
lost her, tears began to roll silently down his cheeks, and  though
he wanted to cry out, wanted to do anything that would awaken  her
from slumber, no sound would issue forth from his mouth. He  stood
over her for a few moments, hands still on her shoulders, his  tears
falling onto her cheeks. Her eyes suddenly fluttered open, the
light slowly fading from them, and, seeing Cael, crooked the  corners
of her mouth in a somnolent smile. Slowly, she lifted a  shaking
hand and touched his cheek, her palm cold and the pulse  slowing
noticeably within it, and spoke to him in a hollow voice, "Why  do
you weep so, my love? Do you cry for the eyesore that is the  hag
before you?" Regaining some of his composure, he swallowed  hard and
answered her in a voice filled with grief: "No, I see no hag  before
me; I see only the beautiful woman that I have loved for so  long.
Please don't say things like that, Bella." She took in a long,
laboured breath, then spoke, her voice becoming more  taciturn with
each word. "Please, do not weep for me, my love. It was you  who
gave me my life. You believed in me when no one else did,  and when
I could not believe in myself, you made me believe. I would  have
been nothing in this life without you." His tears became
unmanageable when he heard her words and, his shaking now
uncontrollable; he sat down on the bed beside her. After  taking in
a sharp breath, he managed to speak in a small, grief-stricken
voice, "But you…are everything to me…" With that, he seemed  to lose
himself in his misery, watching his beloved slipping away  before his
very eyes.

An ethereal glow began to emanate from him, and his wings
emerged slowly from his back. They arched gracefully, the long
feathers spilling over the edge of the bed. Isabel's hand  moved
slowly and shakily from his face and touched a wing, her hand  taking
in the warmth and softness of it, and her smile broadened. "I  knew
it", she said quietly. "I knew it from the time I was a child that
you were an Angel. I assumed that was why you could not  marry me,
and why we could not consummate our affections, but I loved  you just
the same. How could I feel any different? I know that you love  me
with all of your soul, and I always have. And I love you with all
that I ever will become." With that she closed her eyes and  sighed,
resting for a moment, as the strain of speaking was draining  her.
Cael took her hands in his, holding them gently, and kissed  their 
backs before leaning closer to her and kissing her closed eyes.  
Softly, he kissed her lips. He straightened, still watching her  and
began to speak, his voice hoarse. "Oh, my Bella, I'm so glad  you
understood." She smiled again, her eyes still closed, and  asked,
her voice nearly a whisper now, "So, Guardian Angel, don't you  think
you took your time in saying, `hello'?" A spark of recognition
flashed in his eyes, and he smiled through his great sadness  and
touched her face lovingly. "Only long enough for some small  talk,
darling" he replied quietly. She then opened her eyes and,  letting
her hand slip down his wing and come to rest on the bed, she  asked
in-between ragged breaths, "…Will I have wings like that in
Paradise? They're so very beautiful…" With that, he placed his
right hand over her heart and his left hand over his and closed  his
eyes. The glow around him intensified, and she began to glow  as
well. Within a mere few moments, his wings vanished from  sight, and
he opened his eyes. "You have my wings now—they're  attached to your
soul. You will be able to use them in the next world." He then
smiled haplessly. "It seems that I have forgotten how to fly…"  She
opened her faded eyes and smiled wearily at him. "Thank you,  Cael
my love…for everything…" And with that, she closed her eyes  and
stirred no more.

Suddenly, he heard a sound akin to quickly approaching hoof-
beats that sounded as if they were coming from an especially  large
animal, and not long after, he saw the source. An enormous  creature
that resembled a kelpie leapt through the bedroom window; it  was the
colour of moonlight shining through thick fog and had talons  instead
of hooves and long, dragon-like fangs. Its eyes were the  colour of
dried blood, and looked more like the eyes of a venomous  serpent
than like any horse's that he had ever seen. The rider wore a  trench-
coat made of leather dyed darker than despair, and leather  pants,
gloves and boots to match. In his left hand, he wielded an  enormous
scimitar that glowed an eerie blue, its pommel jeweled and  engraved
in the unholy number, the mark of Hell; 666. His hair was  darker
than raven feathers, and his eyes radiated a cryptic green glow  in
the dimly-lit room. Caels' eyes widened as he noted the shape  of
his face, his build and height, and came to the unnerving
realization that he was staring at a near-mirror image of  himself.
He straightened, his face somber, and stood; his grief turning  into
anger. "Well, they always told me that Death rides a pale  horse",
he said sarcastically. "You must be the twin that mother talks
about. Look, I'll make a deal with you; take me to Hell and  return
her soul…" The rider silenced Cael by shaking his head slowly.  "My
name is Cerastes, and I have my duty to perform. This woman  is on
my list, so I must take her soul and return it to the Wheel of
Life. If you're patient, you'll see her again in another form,  and
somewhere within her soul she will remember you. Besides,
Celestial, you have to return to Avalon and be tried for your
crimes. You see, you have forever altered this woman's soul  by
giving her your wings, and in so doing shamed yourself." He  then
chuckled cruelly, and added with a sneer of contempt, "It's as  my
father always said: `Angels are idiots.'" With that, Cerastes  bent
over the side of his mount and shoved the scimitar's blade  deep into
Isabel's chest, the blade's glow brightening momentarily.  Pulling
the blade out (and leaving no wound, for the blade merely  harvested
the souls of the dead) he spurred his beast, and it leapt  across the
room and skidded into a turn, then leapt back out the window  from
whence it came. Falling to his knees, Cael balled his hands  into
fists and screamed after Death himself, "You bastard! I don't  care
how far I have to go; I will hunt you down and take your  miserable
head!" With that he turned back to Isabel's cold, lifeless body
and, taking her rapidly stiffening hands in his, He laid his  head on
the bed, grief-stricken, and wept bitterly until well after  sunrise.

They spent many happy years together, despite the hardships
that befell the land. The Plague hit hard in her twenty-seventh
year, wiping out seven-tenths of the barony in which they lived. 
Cael worked his healing powers unto exhaustion making  certain that
Isabel and all the servants maintained their health, and then
insisted that they all go out and tend the sick and assist in the
disposal of the dead. Isabel leapt to the challenge, taking  twenty
sick children into the keep and tending to them herself. The  house
staff mainly tended their own family members and friends, but  there
was no question within the city of Crystal Port that the  Morningstar
Keep seemed to radiate with Divine influence. It seemed that  anyone
that a member of the house tended to recovered, and the  surviving
members of the council proclaimed it a miracle that their city  had
lost fewer per capita than any other in the barony. But now  Cael
was faced with a new problem; three of the children that had  come
into Isabel's care were now orphans. He had seen the longing  in her
eyes as the rest were returned to their families, and he knew it  was
just a matter of time until she forced the issue.

It wasn't a moon after the last cured child returned to his
family that she made her move. It was well past the witching  hour
as she silently crept into Cael's chambers and slipped quietly
beneath his blankets. Snuggling close to him, she began to  unbutton
his nightshirt and kissed his neck softly. He sighed, snuggling
closer to her, then, realizing what was happening, sat bolt-upright
and looked at her, eyes widened. "Just what exactly do you  think
you're doing, Bella!?" he exclaimed, drawing his knees to his
chest. "You know we can't do this!" His face turned crimson  when
he noticed that she was clothed with nothing more than her  long
chestnut hair, starlight and a smile. She crept catlike toward  him
and brushed her fingertips lightly over his knees, wrapping her  arms
around his neck and looking intently into his eyes. "It's  simple,
my love", she said in a low tone, "I want children." The  crimson
was quickly replaced with pallor in Cael's face as the gravity of
her words sunk in. He put his hands on her shoulders and  looked at
her, his face full of anguish, then spoke in a voice laden with
sadness. "You know that I cannot give you children, Bella. I'm
sorry…" She interrupted him, her words rushing from her,  "Then let
me keep the three that remain here! They've no place else to  go!
Elise is only six moons old, Charlotte has started calling
me `mommie' and Llew could use some fatherly guidance  from you."
Biting her lip, she looked at him pleadingly, and he began to
chuckle. The chuckle turned into a roaring laugh and he rolled
around on the bed, unable to control both his relief and  amusement.
Still giggling, he sat up and hugged her tightly, kissing her
forehead, and then said through little bursts of laughter, "You  went
to all that trouble just to ask me if you could adopt them? My
love, you know you have me wrapped around your little finger;  all
you needed to do was ask, and I would have said yes in an  instant."
Smiling up at him coyly, she forcefully unbuttoned another  button,
and said in that same low tone, "Not entirely. I know it was
probably wrong of me to try to force myself on you, but I do  want
you and I'm tired of being away from you at night. Even  though I
can't have you, could I at least stay with you?" He pondered  this
for what seemed like ages before replying to her. "You know I  feel
the same way, darling. I'll let you stay with me under one
condition; that you don't pull any more stunts like this, all
right?" She smiled lovingly at him and curled up with her back
toward him. Sighing, he lay back down, curling around her and
placing one arm under her head and draping the other over  her
waist. Closing his eyes, he took in the sweet scent of her hair,
inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. After a long silence, he
whispered to her, "You know, you're very beautiful, my Bella."
Smiling, she snuggled closer and whispered a reply before  drifting
off to sleep; "You're quite beautiful yourself, my darling Cael."

The next morning, they started setting up three of the empty
chambers for the children to live in permanently. Isabel  readied a
room next to the one she and Cael now shared for Elise, the
youngest, but insisted that her crib be kept in their room for  the
time being because she was so young. Cael made a place for  Llew
just down the hall from them, in the second largest chamber,  because
he was the oldest child at the ripe old age of six summers. He  was
a bright and energetic child, with strawberry blonde hair and  eyes
the color of the water at Crystal Bay. Excitedly, he helped Cael
set up the place, ecstatic that he now had his own room, and a
family to boot. Isabel had rescued him from the local  orphanage,
after the sisters caring for the children (as well as most of the
children themselves) had died of The Plague. He had never  known a
real family, and ever since he had started recovering from his
illness, Isabel had seen the look of hope in his eyes when she
talked about them all possibly living there. Charlotte, the  middle
child, wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but she knew it  was
good and she ran excitedly from Llew's chambers to Elise's,  dragging
her doll behind her and squealing with delight. Finishing with
Llew's chambers, Cael began to set up Charlotte's right next to
Llew's. When Isabel finished with Elise's she came to help, and  by
nightfall all three children were settled in their new home.

They shared many good times as a family while the children
were growing up. They would go on horseback rides together  and have
picnics down by the stream. Cael found great amusement in  teaching
them how to swim in the lake, and Isabel in playing hide-and-seek
with them. Together, they taught them how to read and write  and
care for themselves, and how to sew (Cael insisted that Llew
especially learn this skill so that he didn't fall into the ranks
of `useless men' in the world) and how to tend the roses. Cael  felt
that he had to be the happiest man in the world at that time,
because he had a family whom he cherished above all others  and who
loved him just as much. It made his heart soar when he saw  Isabel
as happy as she was then; for her happiness alone he would  have done
anything. He would have stopped time if it had been in his  power so
that those happy years would last forever. But time marches  on, and
the children seemed to grow up in the blink of an eye, and  with
their growth, Isabel began to age. This frightened Cael more  than
anything else could.

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