Here's a new story with a few twists. Have fun!
Danny loved space. That wasn't a secret. Every night he would float up onto the OPS center of his house and stare at the stars until he fell asleep. He couldn't see much of the stars because of Amity Park's lights, but what he could see was still breathtaking. The splash of colors so bright to his enhanced eyes that the colors looked neon. Staring at space became something of a meditation for him over the last year. Whenever ghost fighting became too much for him, he would lock the Ghost Portal and just stare up until his body relaxed. Any ghosts that still managed to get out and interrupt this time learned very quickly that Danny could be much more ruthless than he led on. That led to Amity Park being ghost free from twelve to two in the morning.
Danny was using the sight of space to help him yet again. After saving the Earth from the Disasteroid, Danny got to enjoy the fame for a whole week. In that week, him and Sam started dating, his parents had accepted him as half-ghost, and the world accepted him as a hero. It was a week that he would never forget. He would always say that it was the best week of his life.
The week after was karma's revenge. His parents had locked themselves in the lab to re-theorize and reinvent everything about ghosts, and make new theories and inventions involving halfas. This meant that they more or less forgot about him, except to ask him questions. The last time they did this, they made the Ghost Portal, and Danny and Jazz had to take care of the house, involving paying the bills, cooking, and maintenance. He tried to get them out of the basement, but they refused to listen, and missed Jazz's high school graduation. Danny could only offer Jazz a sad smile as she left for college. The week turned for the worse when he and Sam had a misunderstanding, which led to a violent and friendship destroying breakup. Danny wanted to go to Tucker, but the young mayor was too busy with his work, school, sleeping, and Sam kept trying to keep him from Danny. The press had been like hounds, trying everything they could to get to Danny, and asking him questions that he didn't want to answer. Why would he tell them how he became a halfa? One Vlad was more than enough trouble for the world to handle. More... That was unthinkable.
Danny sighed. He looked up at the sky and gave a small smile.
"I wish I could go that far, or even further. Life isn't being too good right now." The thirteen-year-old said.
"My divine, beautiful, wise, and powerful servant. Heed my call!"
"Huh?" Danny asked. He jumped back when a… something appeared in front of him. It was a teal blue, and oval shaped. It was a portal, but not any portal that Danny had seen. "What is this?" He asked, floating up to it. He smiled as he continued looking at it. It was a way out. An answer to his problems. He cheered, then the portal began to get smaller. "Oh no." Danny said. He was about to jump into it, then faltered. He looked at his house below him, then towards Amity Park. "Goodbye Amity Park. Maybe another day right?" He said. He jumped through the portal right before it closed.
Danny opened his eyes and saw darkness. 'Pretty empty in here.' He thought. He looked around the darkness and, after a moment of floating, saw something else. It was another person. He seemed to be following a path of some sort as he drifted. Danny flew towards him. The boy's eyes were closed, and he was older than him. He wore a white and blue parka along with blue pants. 'Who is he?' Danny thought. He floated around the boy, observing him. Danny reached a hand out to touch him, and sparks of white appeared and pushed Danny away from the other drifter. Danny spun out of control in the void. He eventually fixed his flying and shot towards the boy, but before he could get to him, another portal opened in front of Danny, and he went into it before he could stop himself.
The first thing he hit was the ground, which was full of snow. He transformed back into his human self and held his head. That… void had done a number on him that he didn't realize until now. He groaned, and looked up. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. 'These trees are huge!' Danny thought. The trees around him were had very thick trunks. He was sure that he could fit his house in a few of them, and they were so high that they disappeared into the clouds above.
"It came from over here." A voice that Danny didn't know said. Danny didn't know the language, and his ghost tongue wasn't working. Footsteps moved towards him, and Danny got to his feet, battle stance at the ready. Soon, two big and burly men appeared, and Danny froze. The men wore clothes that reminded Danny of an old hunter. They wore animal skin that Danny didn't recognize. The man on the left wore green fur pants with cloth that was tied into shoes. His shirt was torn down the middle, showing his scarred chest, and had numerous cuts in it. He wore a red cloak that started with a bear head that he wore as a hood. At least Danny thought it was a bear.
The second man looked similar to the first man, except that he didn't wear a cloak and had many different teeth from various animals hanging from his neck, and had a belt that had several vials hanging from it. He was taller than the other one. Both men had two swords strapped to their back.
"What is this?" The one with the belt said.
"A young one?" The cloaked one replied. At least Danny thought he did.
"Uh… Hi?" Danny said, waving. That seemed to release the tension in the air as the two men dropped their stances
"She is harmless." The taller one said. His comrade turned to him, confusion on his face. "She cannot speak our tongue." He explained.
"That can be fixed." He said. He reached to grab the small girl before him, and Danny moved back.
"She is weary of us." The taller one said, narrowing his bright green eyes. His friend just smiled and waved a hand at Danny, who waved back.
"Not weary, just cautious. It's an important trait for warriors." He said, observing Danny as he seemed to relax.
"She's a spy then." The taller man said. He pulled out one of the swords from his back and pointed it at Danny, who looked jumped back.
"She's not a spy." His friend said, pushing the sword to the ground.
"I'll see that for myself." The taller man said. He reached to grab Danny, who moved back again. This time, the man's other arm shot out and grabbed Danny's other arm. He lifted the kid up to his face and sniffed him.
"So?" His friend asked, raising an eyebrow. The tall one had a shocked expression on his face. He turned to his companion.
"We must go to the Alpha." He said, urgency in his voice. Danny struggled in the man's iron grip, but to no avail.
"Why?" The other asked.
"She smells of our magic, and of spirits."
The other one's eyes widened. "Are you sure?" He asked, surprise in his voice. His comrade nodded.
"I am."
"Let's go." The two men ran along, Danny still struggling in the taller one's grasp. His eyes glowed, catching the two men's attention. His blue glowed blue, and he started phasing out of the taller one's grasp. His companion wasted no time in grabbing a vial from his belt and opening it. As Danny hit the ground, blue smoke washed over him. When the smoke vanished, Danny was unconscious.
"Still don't believe me?" The taller one asked, raising an eyebrow.
"If I didn't believe you, I would've killed her."
"Don't jest." The Taller one said, smiling. His expression turned serious. "What do you think?"
"She is of spirit origin, but to manifest herself," The other man gained a big smile, "She will make a great addition to the clan."
"Aren't you going a bit too far? Asking a spirit to join our clan? What will we offer it?" The taller one asked.
"The clan's elf." The other man immediately said.
"Oh?"
"Our elf loves spirits and she is our most powerful clan member. Not to mention that elves can make contracts with spirits. It is perfect." The shorter man said, smiling.
"I see. Let's hurry then and make sure this spirit is not a threat." The taller one said.
After a while, Danny groaned and opened his eyes. He saw that he was in a net, and that he was saw moving through a place filled with huts and a massive campfire that wasn't lit. More weirdly dressed and marked people came out of their huts and watched as the two men walked away. Some pointed at Danny, and a few children went near him, sniffing him.
"Hi?" Danny tried. The two men stopped walking and stared at him, along with everyone else. A small girl, about his age, came close to him. She had bright pink hair and very yellow eyes. She was wearing a small, hot pink dress that had a sash around the waist.
"She's awake." The taller one said.
"She hasn't tried to escape yet, so maybe she trusts us?" His companion said, shrugging in confusion.
"Who is this?" The girl in front of him asked, and Danny's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
"An spirit that we are taking to see the Alpha." The taller man said.
"What are you guys saying?!" Danny shouted, trying to understand the language. His shout caught everyone's attention, and the girl smiled.
"He doesn't speak our language." She said, stating a fact rather than asking a question.
"He?" The other man asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's fairly obvious that it's a boy." She said.
"How?" The taller one asked.
"His hair." Another child said.
"And his clothes."
"I've never seen someone where something like that."
"He smells weird."
"Can I share our language with him?" The little girl asked, and Danny sighed. He gave up on trying to understand them.
"Not until the Alpha has deemed… him safe." One of the two men said. "But you can follow in case the boy is deemed safe." Danny was roughly swinging in the air again, towards another hut, but this time the girl was following him. She was staring at him, and he stared at her.
"He's a cute spirit." The girl said. She smiled at him. Danny just gave her a confused stare. They disappeared into a hut and Danny was turned forward
"ALPHA! WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU!" The tall one bellowed.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm comin'." A voice growled out. Danny was turned around and placed on a table in front of a very tall man, who could've rivaled his dad in height. The man had countless scars on his face and open chest. He stared at Danny with hard eyes, one of which was shot with a scar going through it. "What am I looking at?" He said. Danny's eye twitched.
"A spirit." The tall one said.
"A spirit?" The Alpha repeated, looking at Danny.
"Indeed."
"What are you looking at? Do I have something on my face?" Danny asked, pointing to his face. He looked around for a mirror and, seeing none, let his hands blue. The Alpha, two men, and the little girl watched in amazement as a reflective ice mirror formed in front of Danny. He caught it in his hands and looked at his reflection. "Nope. Nothing." The mirror shattered into crystals that quickly melted. The Alpha rose to his feet and picked Danny up. The boy reflexively went intangible and slammed back down onto the table.
"He seems to be the real thing, but Fang will decide that." The Alpha said. Danny's eyebrow twitched. "Can you please speak English?" He said. A growl answered him. He looked around and saw a very large gray wolf prowling from behind the Alpha. It was smaller than a horse, yet bigger than a mule. Its eyes were a strange yellow-green color, and its paw had sharp claws on them. It had black markings on its fur. The markings were in the same places as the Alpha's markings, if the Alpha were the wolf and vice-versa. He just stared at it, and the two had a staring contest. The wolf growled, and Danny's eyes narrowed.
The wolf jumped onto the table and Danny rose to his feet, and got into a battle stance. The wolf growled and slowly prowled forward. Danny made no movements away from the creature, but tensed up in case it attacked. His hands glowed blue as he prepared to freeze its paws to the table. 'Friend or not, Sam will kill me if I hurt an animal.' That train of thought caused Danny's shoulders to sag, and the wolf pounced. It slammed into him and pinned him below it. Danny didn't have time to recover before the wolf's maw was in front of his face, growling down at him. It kept growling at him, and Danny's eyes narrowed again.
"Get off." He commanded. The wolf didn't listen, but it stopped its growling and leaned closer, sniffing him. It moved off of him and sat on its hind legs. Danny pushed his body to its feet and looked at the wolf in front of him. "You didn't attack me." He said, looking at the animal. He smiled and pet it, making its tail wag.
"He passes."
"He is a spirit." The Alpha said. "Fang. Here." The wolf moved back to the Alpha's side, leaving Danny alone. Dany looked back up to the Alpha, and glared.
"Who are you?" He asked. His hands glowed bright, and wolf started growling at Danny. Danny shifted his glare to the wolf and the two had a growling competition. The wolf glowed a bright yellow, and Danny glowed a bright green. The Alpha smiled at the interaction.
"He is going to be a great addition to the clan." He said. The other two nodded in agreement. The Alpha turned his attention to the girl that was pulling on his pants. "What is it child?" He asked.
"May I help him now that he has been deemed unharmful?" The girl asked. The Alpha raised his eyebrows and smirked.
"Has the spirit already found a mate in you?" The Alpha asked, teasing. The girl's expression went blank and turned red in response. The Alpha let out a bellow of laughter. "You may help the boy." He said as his laughter died down.
Danny was grabbed again and lowered to the ground in front of the girl. His glared softened when he caught sight of the girl, and the glow around him died down.
"It seems the spirit has already taken a liking to you." The Alpha said, making the girl's blush deepen. She shook her head and leaned in close to Danny's head. She placed her lips on his and looked him in the eyes. Danny was stunned the whole time as she kissed him, doing nothing but staring back at her yellowish eyes. When she pulled back, his face was sporting a new color of pink and red.
"Hello." The girl said. Danny's blush took a moment to go down, and eventually he spoke.
"Hi?" Danny said. His eyes widened as he realized that he understood her. "I can understand you!" He cheered, throwing his fists in the air. The girl giggled at his actions.
"And you should be able to understand everyone else here." She said, getting Danny's attention.
"Really?" He said. He walked up to the girl and placed his hands on her shoulders, and gave her the biggest smile she had seen from him yet. "Thank you so much. It was really frustrating not being able to understand anyone." He said. 'Cute.' Thought the girl. Her instincts took over for a few seconds, causing black markings to appear on her cheeks and body. Her hands shot out and wrapped around Danny's head and brought him to her developing breast. She growled when he tried to move away.
"Mine." She said. The Alpha laughed, snapping the instinctual girl from her daze. The black markings disappeared, and she saw that she was holding the cute boy to her chest. She quickly let go of him with a red face. "I'm sorry." She said, her tone and expression neutral. Danny's red face died down.
"It's fine! Really!" He said, panicking. The Alpha laughed harder, making Danny turn to him. "What's so funny?" He asked.
"The little one has already taken such a liking to you!" The Alpha exclaimed between bouts of laughter. Danny turned to the girl, whose face was redder than her hair. The Alpha's laughter died down, and he clapped Danny on the back. "Sorry spirit. But it's not every day that a female takes a liking so quickly." He said. The girl had steam come from her ears which made Danny pity her. "Anyway, welcome to our village."
"Village?"
"Yes. My two hands say they found you in the forest and we have decided to bring you into the clan." The Alpha said, gesturing to the two men behind him.
"What?"
"Of course, I'm sure they have worked out a payment for you, correct?" The Alpha asked, turning to his two second commanders. They nodded.
"We have thought about offering you the clan's lead elf." The taller one said.
"Elf?" Danny, repeated, his mind not caught up with the situation yet.
"Yes, do you accept?" The Alpha asked.
"Uh… yeah?" Danny said, not really thinking. The girl next to him growled, the black markings flashing onto her face before disappearing.
"Great! We shall go see her first, then the elder to get you into our clan." The Alpha said.
"Sure…" Danny said, still trying to wrap his head around everything. The three men walked off, with the wolf following the Alpha. Danny floated to catch up, and the girl followed them on foot. When Danny caught up, he landed and started walking with them.
"Where am I?" Danny asked, looking around.
"You are in Tekula village, capital of the Tekula clan." The Alpha said.
"Tekula clan?"
"The Tekula Clan, home of the wolf spirits." The Alpha said. His wolf looked proud as he walked. "One of the Five Clans which have been here long before the Great Garden was closed to humans. We are descendants of the first fallen elves, and we have learned to thrive with the land, and let the land thrive off of us." The Alpha said. Danny looked around and saw the children from before. Each one had a curious look on his or her face. Danny also saw wolves staring at him and bowing their heads.
"What are the Five Clans?" Danny asked.
"The Five Clans are the descendants of the first fallen elves, and represent an aspect of Nature and use a type of magic. The Tekula Clan is the home of the wolf spirits and represents the Wild Nature. We use Wind Magic, but rarely. The Tekula Clan has been called the hardest to reason with, because we trust our instincts more than any person. Isn't that right girl?" The girl just growled at him with narrowed eyes. The Alpha just laughed at her reaction. "The Tekula Clan is very hospitable, no matter who says otherwise. The next Clans are the Kebero, Yatki, Nebiri, and Fochi Clans.
The Kebero Clan houses the fox spirits, and are the trickiest and sneakiest of the Clans. It is a mistake to take them as a common thief, for they are very good at their work. They utilize Earth Magic to their advantage and represent Nature's Illusion. Be careful whenever you find one, and make sure that they can't reach your pockets, or your valuables." The Alpha had a look of intense anger as he described them. He had lost almost all of his valuables when he traveled too close to one of their villages. The bastards nearly robbed him blind. Seeing Danny's look, he coughed into his hand and continued his explanation.
"The Yatki Clan houses the tiger spirits. They are the most agile of the Clans. They descend from the most agile and quickest elf, and their lead elf is a very stubborn person, almost as stubborn as a Redwolf tree."
"Redwolf?"
"Redwolf. The trees that surround Tekula Village. They are named for the red sap they secrete in the summers, and because one can occasionally find a family of wolves taking shelter during a storm. They are the trees that signify the Tekula Clans village. Remember that young spirit."
"That's… cool." Danny said, actually interested.
"Ah! We are here." The Alpha said, stopping. Danny came to a stop and looked at the Redwolf tree in front of him. It had branches that almost blocked the sky, and a knocker on the trunk. "Go on, summon the elf." The Alpha said, pushing Danny forward. Danny nodded and grabbed the handle of the knocker and banged it against the trunk three times. The tree shuddered and birds flew from the higher branches. A cut out of a door appeared in the tree. The cut out faded, leaving Danny and company to stare at the furniture inside of it. There was a couch in the middle facing the door, and a single bed in the corner of the cut out room.
Danny felt someone, probably the Alpha, shove him into the room. He stumbled a little, then found his balance and looked around. The room was empty.
"Where is the elf?" He asked.
"Above you." Answered a feminine voice. Danny looked up and saw a person on the ceiling. She her limbs were stretched out, spread eagle style. Her silver hair somehow wasn't falling due to gravity, nor were her clothes, which consisted of a silver wrapping around her developing chest and a green skirt that went to slightly above her mid-thigh. She wore leggings that were crisscrosses of black leather that ended at her ankles. Danny got a closer look at her face, and saw that her ears were pointed, and her green eyes looked at him with excitement and something else that Danny couldn't identify.
"Hi." Danny said, waving.
"Hello." The elf said. The two looked at each other in silence for a seconds, before Danny spoke again.
"Are you stuck?" The boy asked.
The elf shook her head. "Not really." The Alpha and his three companions walked into the tree house. They looked up.
"Lady Tekula." He said, nodding in respect.
"Oh, hello Alpha Wolfblood." The elf said, looking amused.
"If you may excuse us, but we are here today with an offer." He said.
"What offer?" The Alpha gestured to Danny.
"This is a spirit, and we have offered you to him. In exchange, he will join our ranks in the Tekula Clan. He has accepted already. Do you accept the offer?" The Alpha said. The elf tilted her head.
"This boy's a spirit?" She asked. The Alpha nodded.
"Yes ma'am. Fang tested that earlier today." The wolf barked in confirmation.
"Make him dance." She said. Danny gained a tick mark on his head.
"I'm not entertainment." He growled out. The elf smiled at him.
"Do something interesting." She commanded.
"…Okay." Danny said, smirking. The elf's eyebrows shot up when she saw that expression. Her face worked to match his. 'Let's see how much fun he is.' She thought. Danny glowed blue and shot four blasts at the elves hands and feet, pinning her to the ceiling rather than her just floating there. "How's that for interesting?" Danny said. The elf wiggled in her bonds, which didn't break.
"You… bound me?" She asked in shock. Danny's smile widened.
"Yep. Sorry, but I'm nobody's entertainment." He said, crossing his arms and floating up to her. His body turned in the air so that he was parallel to her.
"These aren't magic." The elf noted, no longer struggling. Her expression was blank.
"Of course they aren't magic." Danny said, still smiling. The elf went silent and closed her eyes. Her eyes snapped open after a moment and focused on Danny.
"I accept the offer." The elf said, smiling. Her body glowed white and the ice around her wrists and ankles shattered. Whatever was holding her up was gone, and she fell on top of Danny. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he floated back down before they hit the ground. "He's mine now." The elf said, snuggling her head into Danny's cheek. The other girl in the room growled. Her black markings appeared and glowed red. She bounded to the elf and quickly grabbed Danny and pulled him to her.
"Mine." She said. The elf smirked in response.
"Really now? He's a spirit. He's mine now. Sorry." The elf said, ripping Danny from the girl's grip and pulling him to her chest. The girl growled again, and the elf did the same. Black lines appeared on her cheeks as Danny looked up from her chest. Danny followed the lines as the spiraled down her back and up her arms and legs.
"He's mine!" The girl shouted, ripping Danny from the elf's hold. The elf's markings started glowing blue.
"Spirit, come!" She said, her voice echoing. Danny felt a pressure on his head, and he immediately pushed back. A white glow covered him as he resisted the pressure. His body responded to the inner battle that he was losing, and a white ring appeared at his waist. His hair changed from white to black, and his eyes changed from green to blue. The pressure was gone, but he was being stared at by the two girls, whose markings had faded, and the Alpha and his two assistants.
"What are you?" The elf asked. She grabbed Danny from the girl, whose grip had relaxed after seeing the white flash. "I have yet to see a spirit that can transform, so what are you?"
"I'm… half-ghost." Danny said. The others stared at him like he had grown two heads and a tail.
"A half-spirit?! There's no such thing!" One of the two lackeys said.
"Until now." The Alpha said. He walked up to Danny and got on one knee. He put his hands on Danny's shoulders and looked the startled boy in the eyes. "Young half-spirit. You have a great future ahead of you, and I have no doubt that you will change this world in time. Be grateful for your birth, and for your gifts." The Alpha stood up and eyed the elf. "The offer still stands. Do you accept, knowing what he is?" He said in a voice that Danny found threatening, yet fatherly. The elf seemed to think, then shot a look at Danny. She stared at him, then smiled.
"I accept. Being owned by a half spirit might be interesting. And I want to see if you're correct." She said. The elf walked up to Danny. "If he does change this world, then I wanna be there every step of the way." The elf said, smiling.
"Me too." The girl said, making Danny turn to her. She walked up next to him, and glared at the elf. "He's mine, and so I'll follow him from now on, no matter where he goes." She said with finality. She looked at Danny and gave him a half pleading look.
"Half-spirit." The Alpha said. Danny turned to him. "Do you accept our offer to give you our elf, and in exchange, we will teach you the ways of our clan, and our heritage?" Danny mulled the offer over his head. 'I could learn some things and meet new people, and besides…' Danny turned to the elf and the girl. The elf was smiling at him, and the girl's pleading look was now full force. 'These two are okay with it. And I need to have a home, so why not?' Danny nodded to himself, and looked the Alpha in the eyes, floating up to the Alpha's height.
"I accept." Danny said as confidently as he could.
The Alpha smiled, and the two girls looked very happy.
"Very well then. What is your name half-spirit?" He asked.
"Danny Phantom." Danny answered. 'I'm not a Fenton here. My parents aren't going to help me here, so I need to make a new name for myself, for Phantom.' He thought.
"Phantom then, for us." The Alpha said. He turned to his two companions, and they nodded. The Alpha held out his arm to the two men. "These two are my hands. The taller one is my Left Hand. His name is Asriel Rider. He will be Rider to you. The other one is my Right Hand. He is Ichiro Rider. He will be known as Ichiro to you."
"And who are you?" Danny asked.
"My name is Valko WolfBlood." The chef said, puffing his chest. Danny turned to the two girls.
"Ekaterine Vasilescu." The girl said, looking him in the eyes.
"Astra Tekula." The elf said, bowing to him. Danny smiled. At least now he had names to go with them.
"We must go if you want to see the Elder of the Clan." The Alpha said, walking out of Astra's home. Danny and the Hands followed, with Ekaterine and Astra following as well.
As they walked, Astra and Ekaterine hung off of Danny's arms, causing everyone to look at him. He could pick up the whispering that went around.
"Is that the spirit?"
"Why are they on him like that?"
"Do you think he'll join the clan?"
"It's a boy?" Danny's eyebrow twitched at that comment. 'How is it hard to tell that I'm a guy?!' He thought. Ekaterine and Astra noticed his mood change.
"Is something wrong?" They both asked. Ekaterine glared at the elf, who paid her no mind.
"Is it hard to tell that I'm a boy?" Danny asked.
"Yes, but only because you do not have the physicality of a male." Astra said, chuckling behind her hand as Danny threw her a glare. Ekaterine glared at the elf as well and turned to Danny.
"What she means is that you are rather too ambiguous to tell in that weird clothing."
"My clothes?" Danny said, looking at his attire. "How is it ambiguous?"
"Nobody can tell if you have the breast of a female or the flat chest of a male… or unfortunate female… with the outer garment." Ekaterine said. She looked at her own small chest and pouted. Danny tugged at his shirt. It was pretty baggy. He sighed, and let the shirt fall from his body, revealing his scarred chest. Ekaterine and Astra both stared in mute shock at the number of scars and permanent burns that Danny had on his body.
"What?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.
"So many…" Ekaterine said.
"From someone so young too…" Astra said. They looked at each other and nodded. They turned to Danny and Ekaterine walked back to his left while Astra took his right. They grabbed his arms and pulled them to their developing breasts. They started walking again, catching up to the Alpha and his companions quickly. When they slowed down, Ekaterine and Astra closed their eyes and glowed white. Danny only looked on in confusion as the girls' markings appeared on their bodies and stopped at their cheeks.
Danny felt warmth move up his chest and knit together his scars. The warmth turned into cold when it came across his burn marks. After a few minutes, they had reached the Elder's hut, and Danny felt better than ever, his body completely unblemished. He looked back at the two smiling girls and smiled, scratching the back of his neck. The Alpha went inside to summon the Elder.
"Thanks for that." He said. Both girls' smiles widened.
"It's my job to make sure you are in top health." Astra said, bowing.
"It's my job to make sure you are fit for another battle, and that you get the new start you deserve as a clan member." Ekaterine said, glaring at the lead elf of her clan.
"Phantom, the elder awaits." The Alpha said, coming out of the hut. Danny nodded, and went in alone.
Danny had to wait a second for his eyes to adjust to the dim light of the hut. He looked around and saw relics of all sorts everywhere, no sign of organization anywhere. The relics were everywhere possible. Danny saw teeth in the corner, and a staff leaning against the wall to his right.
"So you are this half spirit I've been told of." A voice said. Danny turned to see a woman that was taller than him. She was sitting in a wooden chair that was rocking back and forth next to a sleeping grey wolf. For the village elder, she was very young. Danny guessed she was in her late twenties to early thirties. He couldn't see much due to the dim light, but he made out a necklace of shining gems around her neck and waist, and a skirt that ended at her ankles. She smiled as he stared at her. "Very interesting indeed." She said to him.
She grabbed the staff on the wall and touched it to his head. "You are indeed the half spirit. The way your life energy fluctuates around Nature is very peculiar."
"So, you're the Elder?" Danny asked, looking around.
"Yes. My companion is the oldest one in this village." She said, pointing to the sleeping wolf. 'So they go by wolves, not people.' Danny noted. The Elder turned to him again. "I've been told that you are going to become a clansman."
"That's right. I want to join your clan." Danny said, determined. The Elder gave him a look like she heard a joke.
"Do you have what it takes, half spirit?" She asked, leaning against an arm in her chair.
"Yes!" Danny said. The Elder stared at him in silence, then grabbed a bowl from the floor. She grabbed a wooden basin of water and poured some into the bowl.
"Give me your hand, half spirit." She commanded. Danny help out his hand and she took it. The woman pulled out a small knife, and Danny didn't flinch, not even when it pricked his finger and his green and red speckled blood came out. She let a drop fall into the water and watched the patterns it made as the red and green spread out in the water. "Care for a look?" She asked, holding the bowl out to Danny. He looked in and saw that the green and red was swirling around. "What do you see, child?" She asked. Danny stared at the bowl and only watched as the green and red swirled around. The speed seemed to be picking up, but other than that, nothing was shown in the bowl.
"I don't see anything." He said, looking bored. The Elder smirked as she kept the bowl under his eyes. The red and green started to blur together as the blood sped up in its swirling.
"Really?" She asked. Danny flashed a glance at her, then looked back at the bowl of swirling blood.
"Yeah. I only see my—" Danny was silenced as he heard multiple voices and the roar of the wind. He looked around and saw a massive tornado in front of him, lightning flashed around it, striking trees and lighting fires. "What's happening?" He called out. He looked behind him and saw that the Elder had disappeared, leaving nothing but an empty village. Danny looked back at the tornado and moved as a tree slammed into where he had stood. Several more trees flew towards him, and Danny covered his hand in ectoplasmic energy. He slashed his hand and cut through the trees. One of them snapped in half and revealed a small family of wolves. The family growled as the tree smashed against the ground and moved to surround him. 'They aren't ghosts, so they can't hurt me.' He thought as they lunged. His body turned intangible, and they flew through him. Confused, they tried again and again to bite the boy and kill him, but Danny wouldn't let them.
He heard a loud snap and turned to see that another tree was launched into the air by the tornado. It was thrown at him. He was prepared, until he remembered the family of wolves, who were lunging at him again. Thinking quickly, Danny let their teeth sink into his skin, and quickly turned the four of them intangible. The tree went through them, and Danny smiled, ignoring the ache of the wolves' teeth in him. The tornado moved towards him, and Danny screamed as two of the wolves were wrenched from his body and engulfed in the storm. He grunted as the pup on his leg tightened its jaw so that it wouldn't get sucked up.
Danny tried backing up, but the storm was always in front of him, ready to pull him into its silver oblivion. Danny grunted when he felt the pup lose its grip on his leg. It flew through the air towards the tornado, and Danny jumped after it. He managed to grab it and pulled it to his chest. He tried flying away from the tornado, but the storm followed him, always right on his tail. After hearing the pup whine, Danny came to a stop and turned to the tornado. The roar of the wind was in his ears. He clutched the pup close to him. 'Hoping for the best.' He thought. He pulled back a little, and shot into the tornado.
Danny gasped as he pulled his head up. He looked around frantically. "What? Where?" He asked. He paused, looking back at the dim light of the Elder's hut.
"So half spirit, what did you see?" The Elder asked. Danny turned to her voice and saw that she was smirking at him. Danny shivered as the memory of the tornado and wolves came back. He felt where the wolves had bitten him and saw that there was nothing that showed the he was bitten.
"A tornado, and a wolf family." Danny said, his voice shaky.
"A tornado, you say?" The Elder asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, it was really bad. Like a—"
"A force of nature?" The Elder supplied. Danny gave her a look, and shivered.
"Yeah, something like that." He said. The Elder smiled and grabbed her staff.
"Hmm." The Elder said. She smiled and touched Danny's head with her staff. She closed her eyes and felt for the magic and energy in the boy. She found it very quickly. Opening her glowing white eyes, she saw the smaller spirits gathering around the boy. They were all swirling around the boy, creating a dazzling display of colors. She smiled and let her eyes fade back to their forest green color. "You will make a great addition to the clan." She said, taking her staff from his head. Danny looked up at her with a bright and hopeful expression
"Really?" He asked.
"Yes." The Elder answered, her voice gentle.
Danny smiled. The Elder waved her hand towards the door of her hut. "Out with you. I've got adult things to do." She said, teasing. Danny narrowed her eyes and grumbled, walking out the door. She watched him leave, then sagged, sighing. Valko walked back in.
"How is he?" The Alpha asked. Valko turned to him as she grabbed the bowl filled with Danny's blood. A white aura was constantly coming from it, and the Elder could see small balls of light hanging around it, soaking up the aura.
"You were right." She said. She put the bowl next to her wolf. The animal sniffed at the blood, and huffed. Valko smiled at the display. "That boy is going to be something, though I don't know what." She said, leaving her wolf alone to soak up the energy in the boy's blood. Valko's smile grew.
"I knew it." He said. The Elder smiled, then her face turned serious.
"You need to be warned though. He is dangerous." She said. Valko raised an eyebrow.
"Is he now?"
"The boy radiates his own power for anyone to pick up. The weaker spirits are soaking up some of it, but the excess is going into the air. He's very powerful, and likely to be a target for the other Clans." She said. Valko went silent, thinking. He spoke after a moment.
"You're not worried about him defecting to another Clan?" He asked. The Elder smiled and turned her back to him.
"He is very loyal, as I have just seen." She said. She didn't have to see to know that the Alpha was smiling his biggest smile.
"He passed?" The man asked.
"With flying colors." The Elder said, smiling at her own inside joke. She sighed as she saw the thousands of thoughts swirling around the Alpha's head.
"I see. Then, I must make sure that the boy is well trained for when the time comes for him to face the other Clans." Valko turned and started moving towards the exit.
"Valko." The Elder said. Valko stopped and turned around.
"Yes?" He asked, confusion clear on his face.
"Send him to me from time to time." At The Alpha's raised eyebrow, she explained, "He needs lessons in more than just fighting."
Valko scoffed like her heard a bad joke. "What could he possibly need?" He asked.
"Knowledge about the other Clans. Enough to make possible diplomatic decisions." The Elder said. Valko raised an eyebrow.
"You plan to make the boy a representative." Valko stated.
"No, I plan to make the boy a unifying force." The Elder said, smirking. Valko's eyebrow shot up.
"Unifying?" He asked, then his expression changed into shock. "You plan to unite the Clans?!" He screamed, outraged. The Elder nodded.
"We have been at each other's' throats for far too long. It's about time we stopped this foolishness." She said.
"But what about…"
"If you disagree, then maybe Ahura can help you see things my way." The sleeping wolf opened its eyes slowly and let out a very deep and low growl. Valko wasn't stupid, or suicidal.
"I agree…" He said in a low tone. The Elder bounced up to him and pet his head. He just growled, but the Elder paid no mind.
"Good boy Valko." She said, stepping on Valko's dignity and pride.
"Why?" He asked, backing away from her.
"Why what?"
"Why make the boy a unifying force for the Clans?" The Alpha asked. The Elder went silent as she closed her eyes.
"Things are moving in the Other Country." She said, opening them. Valko's expression twisted into hatred.
"The Other Country? Why should we care about them?! Those stuck up asses only treat us like animals! They look down on us for our ways of life! Why should we care about the Other Country?!" He screamed in outrage. The Elder looked at his rant as one would look at an annoying brat.
"Because Void magic has been used today." She said. Valko's anger vanished.
"Void magic?"
"Someone in Other Country has power over the Void, it was how the boy was summoned." The Elder said.
"The spirit was summoned?"
"Correct, but something threw him of course in the Gate, and he landed in our time, where the first use of Void magic occurred earlier today in Other Country. This is no coincidence. The Void and the Gate have their own ways of doing things that are life changing. The Gate takes into account how fit the summoned is for the summoner in order to have a great relationship and life together. That half-spirit is needed in Other Country, but he was sent to us. It is the work of destiny. The boy will no doubt change the world when it comes to it, and he can start by changing our world."
"You're insane." Valko deadpanned.
"I never said I was sane." She said. She sighed, seeing Valko's pleading expression. "Valko, dark forces are beginning to move. That boy will be the key to not only our salvation, but maybe this world's salvation. If we unite the Clans, then we will be able to defend against anything from the Other Country."
"So we'll unite the Clans to defend against the Other Country?" Valko asked, looking hopeful. The Elder suppressed a sigh.
"No, we'll unite the Clans to help Other Country defend itself."
Valko looked angry again. "I refuse to let any clan members go into Other Country." He sternly said. The Elder just shrugged.
"I have a feeling that it is out of your control." She said.
"Then what should I do?!" Valko roared. "If any of us goes into the Other Country, they'll be looked down upon, and likely be hunted! I'm doing what's best for the Clan to survive!" The Elder returned his angry expression with a calm one.
"And I'm doing what's best for this world we live on." She said in an even voice. Valko glared at her as his markings glowed red. The Elder scoffed and let her own marking appear before glowing yellow. The two had a stared down for a few minutes, before the Alpha's markings faded. He closed his eyes and let his body sag.
"The boy will change our world?" He asked. The Elder smirked and let her markings fade away. She bent down and grabbed a crystal ball that was near her chair.
"Not only our world. I have a feeling he will change this world." She said. The ball glowed white before showing a boy in a blue and white parka.
"Then we shall make sure that he is prepared for it." Valko said. He turned and walked towards the door with a weight on his shoulders. Before he opened it to leave, he turned to the Elder once again. "I hope you're really doing what's best for this world, not what's best for you." Valko said. The Elder threw him the ball. He caught it and stared into its depths. He saw a boy with black hair and wild blue eyes. He was smirking at a blond elf in clothes Valko hadn't seen since he found the Elder.
"You haven't brought that up in a long while." She said. Valko put the orb down and gave her a look.
"So you're not feeling homesick?" He asked, smirking. The Elder just scoffed and sat down on her chair.
"I was exiled. By my own family." She said, reaching her hand down to pet her companion, who leaned into her hand. "Homesickness is the last thing I'll feel." She said as she continued to pet her wolf. Valko smiled and turned towards the door.
"Good. I will take my leave then." He said.
"Alpha, one more thing." She said. Valko held in the urge to growl in annoyance
"What?" He asked, respect and formality gone. The Elder smirked at his low temperament.
"You have three years with the boy."