*****

No one realized the significance of these things, things that had not happened in over a millennium. They had not needed to, for the evil was sleeping. But the Chief knew that signs did not happen without a reason, and he’d had a prophetic dream about a maid with the mark of the star, who would become savior and legend. . .

*****

"Ariane, you are . . . aware of the conditions surrounding your daughter’s birth?" the Chief said slowly.

"Well, I know of the halo round the moon, and her birth mark~ and her ears."

"Yes, those are the signs of which I speak. But they have far greater import than signaling your daughter will have the magics. You know of the stories about the star warriors?"

"The legends of the Etoiles? Yes, I tell them to the children after the feasts," Ariane said warily, for she sensed there was more to come. "Just tales to calm the little ones, simple stories, nothing more. . .?"

"They are most definitely not stories," the Chief said sternly. "You, of all people, should know this. Your tales tell of the silvered moon that precedes the coming of a star warrior? There is a reason for these stories. It is so people will know when one of the light is among us." He then gestured toward an ancient tapestry hanging behind him, embroidered on it what seemed to be a mark not unlike the one on Cat’s arm. . .

Ariane felt suddenly lightheaded, and sat heavily on a stuffed stool. "Are you saying that. . .that she has all those powers?"

Star warriors were myths, legends, not real people, Ariane thought. Their powers~ in a land full of magic~ where greater than any known to mortals. They had the ability to Change into anything, whereas most were limited to just one form. They were mages, sorcerers, almost gods. And Cat was one of these? She looked wonderingly at the Chief.

"Yes. None but she can know how great her powers are. But she cannot know of her legacy; she might want to deny it, and she must not. Tell no other. She shall find out when she is needed. Let her grow as any of our children would."

Cat did grow up, and never knew of her strange yet wondrous heritage. She was only allowed one Change, as any other child noted to have magical ability. She sensed that something was different, that there was something else lurking beneath the simple changing spell. But she never dreamed she could be something more. She grew up listening to her mother’s stories of the star warriors’ great deeds and wishing, like any other child, that she could join their ranks.

Cat learned quickly, surprising the elders of the village with her prowess. She asked many of these learned men about her strange mark (in none of the stories had there been any mention of one), and then the town’s wisewomen when they failed to give a convincing answer to her query. None could reply, only saying it was nothing more than what it was. She knew there was more, but lacking any other information, she accepted it.

Years later, when Cat was many summers old, a terrible sickness ravaged the village. Cat was not afflicted, even feeling that she was becoming stronger somehow. The Chief, now old but still a respected and feared leader of the village, decided that it was time for Cat to realize her powers. Now was the time, for only a great mage—or a star warrior— could cure the maladies of the village.

*****

"You have felt that there is more to you than a child’s simple gifts. Now I will tell you why," said the Chief gravely.

I listened, mouth agape, as he told me of my amazing heritage. I was silent, not believing, but realizing I knew it all along. I tried to force words past my constricted throat. "So I have these powers now? I could really Change, mon Arcan?" Confusion did not begin to describe how I felt.

"You have them, yet they lay dormant." Chief then pushed aside the tapestry, which I had been staring at with a searching intensity, as if I could see what was beyond it. Behind, an intricately carved door swung open on oiled hinges. "Thou must find thine powers, Etoiline. Call them forth, so that thou mightest help thine brethren."

His profoundly archaic speech shook me out of my stupor. "Mon Arcan, I thank thee. . . for thine guidance . . ." I struggled as I stumbled toward the door.

"I hath guided thou not. Go thee and experience thine grandest Change, Guerreline— thou art truly a warrior. Fare thee well!" he exclaimed as I entered the small room, and the door vanished into the wall.

The chamber, though tiny in comparison of the temple, seemed large due to the great shaft of sunlight that shone on the polished wood floor. I was drawn into the light, it seemed, where there was another symbol like that on my arm. Another—!

I stood at the center of the circle of light, tilting my face to the bright sun. Nothing seemed to be happening, but just as I prepared to move (the sun was warm), I felt a tremor ripple up my legs, then into my chest. A fluttering, nothing more. But then the fluttering became much more than that. Something . . . burst, like water held back behind a dam. The sunlight blinded me, and I could not stand. Power surged through me, changing me, and I fell to my knees.

*****

But something was different. That had not been my voice that came out of my mouth. And as I thought about it, where was this feeling of unexplored power coming from? I walked towards a small pool I had noticed earlier, thinking a drink of cool water might help my perception.

As I leaned over the pool, I had to stifle a gasp at what looked back at me. It was the face of a cat, gold—glowing eyes glaring and sharp teeth bared, which suddenly seemed to jump out at me, into me. . . I plunged my fist into the pool, terrified, and watched in disbelief as the water flowed out of the pool and formed a shimmering, fluid mirror.

I stepped closer, now curious, but still wary. I thought I could glimpse the tiger’s baleful gaze, but then I saw my own image superimposed atop it. Strange, they almost seemed to blend, until they were one image. . . Then the tiger’s head disappeared, leaving my own rather unremarkable features. I leaned towards the mirror, then jerked back. My eyes were glowing. Not some flush of good health, this. It seemed a fire had been lit in them. Like the tiger’s had been! I stared at my reflection, trying to ignore my eyes. I was now wearing a dress that would probably offend the elders, being above the knee and all. There was a cape, long and flowing— to compensate for the skirt, I wondered— fastened with a blue—green stone. Leather armbands, high boots. Long lustrous brown—red hair fell to my waist, with a thong bound round it. A necklace swung on my chest, the symbol of a star warrior upon it. My mother’s stories called us Etoilines . . . us. Me, a star warrior?

I touched the necklace emblazoned with the word Tyger, and a tingling rushed through my body. A shimmer enveloped me, and suddenly I knew this was what I was supposed to be. I knew the tiger was me, and my power was great. Tyger, the star warrior. I had powers no one else had had for over a millennium. Then I remembered another thing that the stories used to say: star warriors were something close to gods. Well, this was too much for this god. I fainted again.

When I regained consciousness, the wind had stopped and the temple was silent. However, the sun shone on the still-floating mirror. I rose slowly and faced my reflection. Except for the necklace dangling at my throat, everything seemed to be as it was before the . . . Change. Once again Cat, I tried to find any remnant of the glorious creature I had been. I knew that she was still in me somewhere, just waiting for me to call.

As a cloud passed over the sun, I thought of the Chief. He hadn’t seen. . . no, of course not. I walked out of the secret chamber, seeing the door close seamlessly and the tapestry covering any crack. I wandered the temple, finally stopping at the Chief’s private rooms. I almost knocked, but a voice deep inside me said, <You are so much more than he! To become you must do ! >

With uncustomary boldness I opened the door without announcing myself. The Chief did not even turn, as if he was expecting me. And before I could frame a suitable explanation for invading his aran, he spoke.

"You made the Change." A statement, not a question.

"Well, yes, but. . .was that all? How. . ."

"That you need not know yet. You must practice within the sancta to gain from its assistance."

Practice? Of course, I could not simply Change into something as tremendous as a star warrior without experience, or a mentor, and as there were none of those. . . that was the end of the conversation. I hardly knew when he left. I followed his advice, though. Every day I went to the temple to practice. Each time the Change became more fluid, easy, when I had to just think of it for it to happen. When I could no longer stand the Change, I reverted and tried to help the sick of the village.

Weeks later, my mother fell ill, with the same mysterious sickness that had affected so many of the villagers. Seeming to come and go, only to worsen as the days went by and then to lay dormant, only to ravage again, it was characterized by the unwilling Change of only parts of a person, like an arm or a leg. None of the elders could find a spell or potion to cure it. My mother was mostly unconscious, barely waking to eat. She had not the strength to talk, for the Change requires much strength when one is healthy, an unwilling one even more. With my mother so very ill and others much like her, I was unable to leave for the temple.

On an incongruously bright day, compared to the welfare of the village, I longed to go outside and at least feel the sun on my face. My mother needed constant care, so I continued my vigil. I fingered the necklace, which I never removed. I wanted— nay, needed— to Change, as if my body could no longer stand to be in this form. But I could not; my mother had need of me. Her illness had lasted terribly long. I reached to touch her colorless shapeless face. At my touch, she opened her eyes. And instead of being dull and glazed, they were bright and clear. I rejoiced— she was soon to be recovered. But then she spoke. . .

"Cat. . .you look. . . different, somehow," she said groggily, grabbing at my wrist, "cat. . . your eyes." She leaned back in her pillows, exhausted. Then she said upright and gripped my wrist harder. "He told me. . . it is true, your form. . . mi Etoiline," she trailed off, falling into a deep healing sleep. I glanced to where she still held my arm, and stared aghast at the leather armband encircling my wrist. I cautiously, disbelievingly, glanced at my other arm. Then I remembered the necklace. It warmed to my touch, and I knew I had Changed, somehow. Tyger was back.

I leapt from my chair with surprising speed and ran to the temple. I learned later that folk had reported a golden fairie racing through the village. I was not sure how I got to the temple. I could not remember making a conscious decision to set my feet on the right path. I suppose it was Tyger’s instincts that led me.

Breathless with excitement, I ran through the temple, seeking the Chief. I found him in the ritual area, reading a letter which he tried to hide from my view. He sighed, and muttered something that to a human ear would have been imperceptible. But with the Change came the tiger’s heightened senses, and understanding. "How can I let her go?"

"Chief, I Changed! Not here, at my mother’s! She is out of danger, she knew what I was! I did not. . . Wait. Go where?" I asked, as I realized he was talking of me.

Ignoring my question, he said, "You come here as if you did not know who you are. You are a star warrior. You need that temple room no more than our village needs a dragon—slayer. You know what you did."

Indeed I did. "I touched the necklace, and willed the Change. Sunlight. . . ‘There would come one of the light, in times of need, a warrior with the strength of stars. . .’"

"Ah, yes, from the tale of Malthalessar, the last of the star warriors. That is, until you. You know all you must do is touch the necklace with its ability to harness the stars, and you shall Change. You can store the light, from the sun, the stars. The Light above—the source of your powers."

"But what does this have to do with my mother? Why did she suddenly awake? She looked so different after I touched her. Did I. . ."

"Star warriors have many powers, not the least of which is the power to heal. Anything or anyone in need can be cured by you. Except yourself~ you can only refresh yourself, speed your body’s natural recovery."

"And that is why I finally told you of your trueself. Although I suspect that you would have found out on your own soon enough especially when confronted with the sickness. Your help is needed for the wellness of the village. When you touched your mother as~ ah, as who, er, Etoiline, what is your name?" He stopped, almost seeming embarrassed.

"Tyger. It’s Tyger. Fear me not, mon Arcan . You are still my chief." I sensed this was what he needed to hear.

He released a breath, relieved. "Ah~ as Tyger, you healed her. Oh, yes, it will be a time until she is fully well, but you started the healing. And now you know. You must stay and help the others in the village."

"But why did you not tell me of this earlier? How could you let the people suffer when there was someone~ when I could help?" I asked, upset.

"I was not sure you had the powers. Of course there are ways to guess, but no one is sure of the magics until they are accepted or used by the mage. I wanted you to find out for yourself."

I sat, feeling better, and then remembered the letter. "Chief, what was in that letter? And what does it have to do with me? You cannot let me go. . .?"

He sighed heavily and then chuckled softly. "I should have known you could hear me. Ah. the letter. It is. . . hmm, shall we say, a ransom? Zephihl, my heir, has been taken to Allehara’s parallel world. Anehara. In that world there are no star warriors, only Storm Knights, who receive their powers from darkness, just as yours come from light. There is someone similar to you, being told by a mentor the very words I am speaking to you. They want you to battle their Knight in exchange for Zephihl. There has not been a battle between Knights or Warriors for millennia and the Knights have never won. That is why our world still exists. That was the reason for the last battle. They are trying to force the outcome, I presume. They must think their Knight is ready while you, in truth, are not." He smiled sadly at my look of protest.

"I am debating, however, if the letter is genuine. It could be just a ruse, to lure you into a trap. And there are so many people who need your help. . ." he trailed off, sighing yet again.

"When do I have to be there? Perhaps I could begin healing others before I need go." I offered.

"You must be there by the morrow or Zephihl will be ‘disposed of.’" the Chief said wearily. "Their Knight may have been trained since infancy for the battle he or she must fight. There is no possible way I can send you, but I must have an heir for the secrets. . ."

"Ah. . . is there not a arretemps for parallel worlds? Time is slowed here while the other world turns? Then I would be gone but days. I could begin the healing and return before it can recur." I hoped it was true.

"You have been studying with the wisewomen, I see," he said, smiling. "I am glad you have learned so much. And yes, there is such a spell, but only to be used in the direst of circumstances, for it puts tremendous strain on the worlds. The people may not be able to bear the strain."

"But if I go to Anehara without the arretemps, there shall be no people left to heal when I return! I cannot heal the dead! And if I do not go, with whom will you share the magics? Another signed one will not be born for another hundred years~ I have read the prophesies. Allehara will be in ruin by then, and~" the Chief cut me off.

"Yes, you are right. I think you should go. I do not like the idea of sending you with your untested powers. You know so little of what you may do. But I cannot let Zephihl die, however much I wish he was not the one. I must ask the villagers for their consent. The arretemps will not work without it. Ah, and you may introduce yourself to them. As I recall, they have only seen a specter of you as you ran through the village. . ." he said with a small smile.

I wrinkled my brow, and said "Introduce myself. . .? They know me, I have lived here all my~ oh. Yes. They have not met Tyger." I reached up to touch my ears, feeling them burn with a mix of embarrassment and excitement. I noticed their point had become more pronounced while I was my trueself.

"Well then. We shall call nonces tonight and deliver the news. Hopefully we will be able to proceed with the time stop. Else you should not go, for as you have stated, you cannot heal dead people. Be ready to present yourself, Guerreline. You are their protector~ but you must first make them believe it," Chief said gravely.

Later, as the sun was setting, the Chief lead me to the meeting circle for nonces. The villagers could sense that this news would be important, for there was the Chief in place of the caller! And who was this strange woman beside him, mysterious but somehow familiar?

I was beginning to feel the effects of being Changed for nearly a day. I had not stored enough starlight for an such an extended Change. My body seemed to be floating apart from my mind. I knew somehow that I would soon pass a point of no return, being absorbed totally into Tyger, no longer Cat, but the stars. . . I was brought back to myself as the Chief began talking.

"You know this woman. She has lived here her life entire, yet only now can she reveal her purpose. She is here to help and heal, and I assure you this is no trick. It is for you to believe as you see fit. You have all heard the stories of the Etoilines and now I abjure you to take them as truth." The Chief paused, looking askance at me. "Caterina, would you like to introduce yourself?"

A gasp ran through the crowd. Many scoffed. Caterina? It couldn’t be. That doesn’t even look like. . . wait, it is! what is this. . .?

I looked out at the disbelieving crowd, not quite sure how to proceed. "Most of you knew me. You knew Caterina~ you knew my other self. I am, as you see, somewhat Changed. I am the girl you knew no longer. I am Tyger, an Etoiline. I don’t know how to convince you. . ." I stood up straighter, feeling the incredulous stares acutely. I knew what they were thinking~ a living legend, a star warrior, here? Caterina is just being a folesse, a fool. It’s a mask, an act. . .

How could I convince them? I stood in the waning light, gathering what strength I could from it, letting my power grow. I knew so little about my new self~ my powers were still strange.

An errant bit of fog began to drift over the crowd, having descended from the surrounding hills from which my namesake hailed. I remembered the one time I had been honored to see the wild tigers when I was very young. Even many of the elders had not been so privileged. And then I knew what I should do.

I touched my necklace gently. Even so, it felt as if I had opened a door and been hit with a great blast of wind. The world became brighter, sharper, and a load roar filled my ears. I felt like I was falling to the ground, when my reality was simply being altered. . . I felt, in an agonizing second, every twist and break of my body as it contracted and stretched into a new shape. . . then nothing, for a moment.

I opened my eyes to a new vision. Everyone was silent, until the chief knelt and said to me, "Raise up, Tyger," slowly and with awe coloring his tone.

Until I moved, I did not realize how true my name was. I rose, and a collective gasp ran through the assembly. Thoughts of awe and disbelief ran through their minds as they looked upon a living, breathing tiger so few had ever seen. It was impossible to Change into something one had not seen, and even then a good mental image must be created. I had only glimpsed the tigers, and had relied solely on the stars for my new form.

I stretched luxuriously, reveling in the freedom and sensation of the tiger. My senses were amplified tenfold. I could hear the people breathe, and smell the stew that had been cooking for dinner. There was so much I wanted to do, to try this new body, but some semblance of reason persuaded me to wait. I let out a fierce growl, startling many, just to let them know this was real. I leapt to the ground from the caller’s platform, and everyone jumped back, shielding the children. One girl, braver than the rest, pulled free from her mother and reached out tentatively to touch me. She rubbed between my ears, and then patted my muzzle. I suddenly felt the tiger’s hunting instincts rise up in me at her smell. Confused and a little frightened, I quickly backed away. I knew I had been Changed too long, and my human mind was too easily taken over by the animal whose form I inhabited.

I then did something completely unpracticed, that I did not know I could do. I Changed back, but I was the tiger at the same time. . . the crowd saw both my human form and my animal form at the same time. I knew an instant of duality, as Tyger and tiger experienced sensations at the same time. Then I felt once again split, as I once more became Cat. Finally, unable to contend with myself in three, my Changed selves faded away, and I was simply Cat. I rose shakily from hands and knees, unclenching fists from claws, and slowly readjusting to my old perspective. The Chief was talking about the arretemps and why I had to leave. I don’t think he told them the whole story though.

After Chief stopped talking, there was a general murmur throughout the crowd, and I heard snatches of "No, we can’t. . .," and "But if she. . ." There was a roaring in my ears, and I felt the pressure of their inner thoughts. There was some grumbling, but the overall feeling was of agreement. . . where did that come from? Mind reading? Yet another power gained. . .

"Good news, Tyger-- Cat. They said--"

"I know they said yes." I said that with absolute certainty, and Chief looked at me askance.

"How did you-- oh. Another discovery?" He turned from me to the crowd as I nodded.

"The arretemps will occur tomorrow at dawn. You shall feel nothing, unless you choose to be awake. It would be very alarming, however." I shivered slightly, knowing I’d have to be awake.

Later, the Chief summoned me back to the temple room. This time I arrived at a slightly slower pace. "Do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into? It is an enormous undertaking, going off alone with your untested powers," said the Chief gently.

"No, how could I know? But do not seek to dissuade me, Chief. I need to do this. Something tells me this is right. I must know I am useful, that I am needed, that I can survive even without a mentor. I want to be able to use my powers for the good of something."

"Chastise me not, Etoile. I only sought to sound the depth of your conviction. This is not to be taken lightly. And it cannot be for your gain, only for that of others. You know what the outcome must be, and what it will be if you lack the courage to fight for others who cannot help you." For all his sternness, he had the air of an animal cowering. Did I really have such a presence that the Chief, the mightiest of the mages in our village, was, dare I say, afraid? Of me?

"Chief, you needn’t worry about my conviction. Of that there is no doubt. But you also needn’t be afraid. I have said it before-- Fear not. I am still Cat. No one should be afraid. It is only a Change, just as anyone else’s. I am the same. You see it, but still you cringe. Why?" I asked, quietly.

"Cat, it is so much more than that. You are not the same. Your very being has changed to accommodate your new powers. You may not see it, or feel it, but you are now more powerful, even in your inexperienced state, than any of the village. You far outstrip myself. Everyone will defer to you because, quite simply, you have become the leader of the village. . ." He quickly made the sign of portent, signaling the beginning of a vision. "Cat, you must leave now. I regret that you have had so little time to prepare. But I feel you will succeed. Go now, and think no more on what I said. No! Do not come into my mind! When you go, you must return as soon as possible. Or. . . no. Go. Leave, Etoiline. Laikia attû ! Savorea néos !" And with what must have been a considerable effort, he pushed me out, both of his mind and out of the temple.

As I walked back to my mother’s house, I turned over in my head the last words the Chief had spoken. They were in the ancient tongue of the land, mostly forgotten by all but the mages. He had wished me luck. That much was clear. Néos, that was plural, for "us?" Savorea. Savo meant protection, salvation. Protect us?

*****

At the time, because he is also a "faceless changer." No one knows his trueshape; he takes on whatever form pleases him. This is why he is an image child. He must take on human form to Change; he then doesn’t have enough power to Change completely into something else. Thus it is just a temporary image superimposed on his persona of the hour.

Zephihl was a strange being; he was not human. What I knew of him puzzled me much, but what I did not would scare me even more.

I must have actually slept for a while, for when I looked out the window, the full moon was high, and the sky dark. But not completely dark. . . the stars began appearing as I watched, brighter than I’d ever seen them. I marveled at their twinkling like jewels in the sky. They almost seemed to move! I thought I saw the Hunter look down at me as he stalked the heavens for his lost love.

Then, one by one, the stars winked out, like candles being extinguished. Was it my imagination, or was this really happening? I felt a cold sensation at my throat. I reached up to find the source, and encountered the necklace. I held it up, seeing a pulsing glow, burning the same cool blue as the stars. Yes, I was a star warrior. I stood there in the doorway for quite a while, feeling the power build in me, glorying in it, knowing it was this power that would save my people.

Calm and unnoticeable by anyone but me, a light wind began to blow, and the stars that I had drained reappeared. The first streaks of a new day colored the sky. Dawn. I’d be leaving soon.