"The One who made the Dragon Bleed lives!" The albino Enderfemme stood tall and fierce, her eyes gleaming as she smiled. "This is the news Kerru and I received from one of the Dragon's worshipers!"

"Perhaps against her will, but that is no matter." The male beside her smirked.

The albino Enderfemme's pale eyes gleamed as she looked from one gathered dark face to another. Numerous pairs of glowing purple eyes stared back at her, though there were other colors mixed in here and there. She was beautiful; pure white from head to toe. Like all Shadowkin, her anatomy was humanoid, but elongated. Her arms and legs were very long and she stood nine and a half feet tall. Her fine white legs were tipped in sleek digitgrade feet armed with four long, razor-sharp claws. She had dewclaws, a fairly uncommon gene among her kind. To a human, she would be frightening, armed with razor sharp claws and mouth filled with long, sharp teeth; but to her own kind she was a rare beauty. Her entire pale body had subtle curves to it, and while she had no breasts like any other female of her species, the flesh on her chest was soft and slightly rounded. Her waist was small and slim, flowing out into wider hips which lead to her long graceful legs. Her hair flowed about her frame, hanging to her knees in a cascade of waves that nearly glowed. Her entire frame was ethereal in appearance; ghostly. There was a reason she was known far and wide as "The Ghost." She looked delicate, like a snowflake. But underneath her delicate, feminine form was power and strength beyond any other Shadowkin in the Colony.

Her eyes were a beautiful pale purple, glowing from her fine face with fierce determination and resolve. She was an Elder; THE Elder. The Dominant female of the entire Colony. Every Enderman, Enderfemme, and Enderling gathered before her submitted to her; honored and revered her, for her ferocity, her determination, her leadership, and her pristine snow-white skin.

Standing beside her was a male as black as the void, his eyes a bright and beautiful blue. He wore simple armor. He was well muscled for a Shadowkin, scarred here and there. His long, strong arms folded across his chest, he smirked. He was the White One's mate. Kerru; dashing, fierce, strong, brilliant... the perfect male for the fearsome white one. He was not quite as tall at her, standing at nine foot three inches; and he took the subordinate position beside her. Submissive to her, but dominant over the rest. Just their stance and body language spoke volumes of their position in the Colony.

"The Dragon has a weakness!" Kerru said, raising his free hand to the assembled Endermen. "That Beast is not immortal! If we fight back, we can put an end to this once and for all! We have almost gained the strength needed to defeat it; just a little more training and we will be ready!"

As if to emphasize his point, the child in his arms squealed and kicked her legs and arms. Her pretty blue eye, as blue as her father's, glowed happily from her dark face, the inside of her mouth showing as she giggled and burbmed, then nibbled on one or her little hands. The little toddler couldn't have been older then a year and a half.

Aleya smiled. "I think little Kyta agrees, don't you, Kerru?" She asked.

"This world will be a better place for our future offspring." Kerru said, his eyes blazing with determination. "The Dragon's tyranny will end!" There was a clack of claws against tone as he stamped his foot in determination.

"We will make a better future for every generation of Shadowkin that rises!" Aleya added fiercely.

The cheering of the Colony filled the air, staticy cooing, chirping, and happy calls and clacks of claws against stone like a mighty applause. The noise was almost deafening.

After their speech, they retreated to their personal quarters to spend some time alone. Aleya entered their bedroom after she put the toddler to bed. Such speeches always tired her out... and often, she doubted her own words.

"Will we really be able to defeat the dragon?" She asked.

"Look at their faces, Aleya!" Kerru smiled, eyes bright. "They believe in you! I believe in you. The Dragon is not immortal. It can bleed, and its weakness has been found. We just have to prepare ourselves for the fight that is to come."

"It's you they should believe in." She smirked at Kerru. "You are the one who found this place, after all... they just follow me because of my skin."

"Pfffff. Enough of that, my dear." He smirked and crouched lightly. "I think we have a bit of celebrating of our own to do..." His eyes narrowing a bit, he pounced at her with a deep playful growl.

"Ahaha! Hey! Stop!" Aleya laughed. She nipped at Kerru, her sharp fangs not even breaking his skin. She felt his nibbles trailing up her back, his fingers nestling in the ruff of long, smooth fur that covered her upper back and shoulder blades.

"Ooohh..." She let out a low, deep purr. Kerru always knew exactly where to touch her to set her senses on fire.

A smirk showed on his handsome face. "I think you need to relax, my dear..." His deeper voice was laced with a low, provocative purr. The tone held a rough and excited edge to it.

"Mmm... What makes you think I'll make it easy on you?" The albino teased back. She moved quickly, a twist of her muscles and the male was pinned beneath her, her fangs nipping playfully at his neck.

His deep purrs turned to a smooth excited growl followed by a moan as his lean form shivered lightly. A smirk spread across the albino's face as she felt the start of her mate's arousal against her leg.

"Now it's getting interesting." Aleya purred, before leaping lightly to the side and leaping lightly off the bed and standing at their door. Her eyes gleamed as she took off running, leaping and bounding through their peaceful fortress. Kerru smirked as he watched his playful pale mate. He gave chase moments later. The two wove and dodged through the pathways that lead throughout the settlement as the members of the Colony watched their leaders pass. Seeing such playful behavior increased their morale. If the White One was so happy and relaxed... then the rest of them could be too. It meant she had hope and if the White One had hope, so did the rest of them.

Kerru kept in step with his mate, laughing as he chased her around and around, up and down, sometimes almost catching her; sometimes missing entirely as she teleported from beneath him.

But finally, in the privacy of their own quarters she allowed herself to be caught, growling playfully as the strong male pinned her to their bed.

"Where were we...?" Kerru purred deep in his chest as his warm breath tickled across her ear. She responded by letting out a deep purr of her own followed by a soft moan. The pale lady licked her lips, her eyes narrowing as she dug her claws into the sheets a bit. She lifted her rear into the air invitingly and pressed back against her mate. As she felt his fangs sink into her ruff, she relaxed and submitted completely to him, to enjoy the pleasure they would share.

They made love many times until they were both left tired and satisfied, locked together in an intimate embrace.

Aleya was happy. Despite the darkness... Despite the pain, the fear, and the suffering all around she had found a haven in Kerru, as her followers had found a haven in the old fortress beneath the Whitestone. The Dragon could not reach them here. The Dragon was too large, and the fortress too deep for its fiery breath to reach. They were safe, and they were thriving. Their numbers slowly increasing as more and more refugees from all over Darkrealm came to join them, and more and more children were born. An example was little Kyta, who was peacefully asleep in the other room.

Aleya relaxed as she felt her mate grooming her ruff, licking gently and nibbling from time to time. The action relaxed her completely, and each touch of his skilled tongue and fangs had her purring and leaning into it. A smooth hand trailed along her arm, followed by sharp claws.

"Aaah Kerru..." She said, eyes half closed with contentment. "If only every moment could be like this."

"It soon will be, my dear." He purred back. "It is only a matter of time before we gain the strength to defeat the Dragon."

"Always so optimistic." Aleya chuckled. "Not that it's a bad thing."

"Somebody around here has to look on the bright side." He nibbled right between her shoulderblades. The pale Enderfemme melted at the touch, her eyes closing as she purred open-mouthed. With each outward breath the purring made a soft chuffing sound.

"With you..." She said softly. "I feel as if I regained something I lost long ago. All that time... running, hiding... surviving..." She opened one eye for a moment, thoughtfully. "Barely surviving at that... it changed something in me. A part of me was lost. A part of me you brought back."

"All for you, my dear." Kerru purred. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close and burying his face in the nape of her neck as he breathed in her sweet scent. She leaned back against him. She finally felt his hold on her release, but she made no move to move away from him. She wanted to stay as close to him as she could, relishing his warmth, presence, and scent.

She lost track of how long they lay like that, but she wasn't counting the time. Eventually, she dropped off to sleep, lulled into a safe and relaxed state by the strong purring of the male behind her.

"The White One believes she is safe here." a figure slipped out of the shadows into a small, private room. A tall door was shut behind him. In the darkness of the room, all that could be seen were his gleaming purple eyes.

"Good." A pair of green eyes, catlike in their shape glowed from the other side of the room. The voice was female.

"She gives them hope. Our Mistress will not be pleased." the purple-eyed male said, with a low growl. Claws clacked against whitestone as he shifted. "But our order has not been discovered. I have made sure of that." Black fangs showed, backlit by the glowing inside of his mouth with his slight smirk.

"It is only a matter of time before the White One or her mate discover one of us." The female turned the medallion over in her clawed hands. "We have to strike soon."

"I will alert the Order. Are the Priestesses ready?" He asked.

A cold laugh came from the female. "We have been training for this since the Mistress discovered this place exists. But remember. Focus on the White One and any close to her. Kill her mate. Kill her children. Even the small one. If she can not be killed... she must be broken." Each word was calm with a cruel edge. "If the White One is broken... and fed to the Mistress, as a sacrifice, surely we will gain her favor... Those in this fortress would be ours. Without the White One... they will be nothing. This pathetic little rebellion will fall."

"Then all of Darkrealm will belong to the Mistress." The male finished, licking his fangs.

"And the Mistress will thank us." The female said. "In Darkrealm's new order, we will be the Elders."

"But if we fail..." The female's voice was vicious and threatening with those words. Her catlike green eyes narrowed.

The male swallowed. She didn't even have to say. The hanging threat left by her tone and the trailing words was enough. He knew what would happen if they failed.

"Spread the news. Our Mistress is on her way..." The female crooned, her eyes closing as her voice changed, almost a chanting. "The time to strike is soon."

"The time to strike is soon." Echoed the male.

They did not hear the silent steps moving away from their door.

The soft keening of the toddler in the other room roused Aleya from her sleep. She stretched and opened her jaw in a wide yawn. Her tongue curled as the membranes at the corners of her mouth stretched to allow her jaw to open far, far wider then any human jaw would ever be able to open. She gently crawled out from beneath Kerru's strong arm before sitting up.

The keening from the other room grew louder. She recognized the Ender word for 'Mommy'.

"You never rest when you have children..." she murmured to herself. Her claws hit he stone with a clack, before she shuffled to the other room. She was slowly regaining herself after her heavy sleep. As soon as she entered, the toddler squealed and bounced in her crib, gripping the sides in her little clawed hands. She went into a burst of happy chirps and coos as she was picked up.

Aleya sat down and leaned her head back, purring softly as she tapped into her own energy, letting it flow into the little one in her arms.

Kerru's hand groped around a bit, searching for the warm form that had been there before, then mumbled and opened one blue eye. He opened his other and sat up once he realized Aleya was gone, but he could hear her purring from the other room.

He stood at the doorway, watching as Aleya cradled the little one, eyes half closed in a look of soft contentment.

"The little one was hungry?" Kerru asked.

"It would seem so, she's taking a lot of energy this time." Aleya said.

"I'll take you to the Wellspring when you finish feeding her." Kerru said.

Aleya nodded. "I'd appreciate it." She said, fixing her hair as Kyta purred happily in her arms.

The Wellspring was one of the very few wellsprings still left, and it sat in the very center of the Fortress. Every other one had been destroyed by the Dragon. It was more stable; less dangerous then the gateways that opened and closed periodically throughout Darkrealm and provided a good, strong, steady source of food for the gathered refugees. The beautiful glow illuminated the entire fortress. Kerru had found a way to channel it to provide beautiful lighting to every room in the small underground city.

The sound of claws rushed towards their quarters, followed by rapid rapping of claws against their door.

"I'll see who it is." Kerru said, before turning and opening the door. "Oh! Vhensheyva, what is it?"

Standing before him was his spitten image; a handsome young male with the same gleaming blue eyes and handsome black face, though some of Aleya's beauty showed in the shape of his face and the graceful flow of his hair. He was, in fact, one of Kerru and Aleya's older children.

Vhensheyva was one of the settlement's guardians. He kept watch over things, and rose to fight off any threat. Usually a few dragon worshipers now and again trying to make life difficult for them. As a result he was easily as strong as his father. He had his mother's dew claw, the claw long and sharp, curved to the back.

"We need to start checking our Colony for the Dragon's Mark." The younger male said simply. His gaze was intense.

"What do you mean?" Kerru narrowed his eyes in concern.

"I have overheard that the Beast is coming this way." Sheyva said, with a deep growl. "And I overheard talk of an Order hidden among us. They seek to kill, or break, Mother."

Kerru frowned. "Are you sure of this, Sheyva?" He asked.

"Very." The younger male shook his head, before rubbing at his temples. "I don't know how many there are. But there are priestesses. I heard two from this Order talking behind a closed door."

Kerru's head shot up. "Priestesses? Are you SURE?" He asked. "How many?"

"I didn't hear." Sheyva said. "But there is an order of them hidden under our very noses. We aren't safe here anymore. We may have to leave, and before we do we must check the entire Colony for the Dragon's Mark."

"We won't leave. This place is safe; it is our Haven. We can fight off any threat that comes our way." Aleya said. "But how do we know friend from foe? Some of the Dragon's worshipers have forsaken the Beast and joined us of our own free will... We can not drive away those that mean no harm."

"But that could be how they infiltrated us. It's the perfect way to get in among us even with the Dragon's mark on their neck." Sheyva said. "We have to face the facts... any that bear the Dragon's mark must leave."

"Sheyva is right... as much as I hate to say it..." Kerru said, quietly. His face crinkled in a quiet frown. He didn't like this.

"Making them leave because of the Dragon's mark goes against everything we stand for!" Aleya said with a sudden growl, her tone sharp and almost angry. "We accept any who come here. ANY who are hurt by the Dragon, including those that worshiped it once, and left its service. What example would that set to the rest of our race? Why would you two even consider such a thing?" Kyta fussed in her arms, sensing her mother's sudden flash of temper. "As the Elder, and thus the dominant female, I will NOT allow this! Some of our friends were marked by the dragon, and have been a part of this Colony for a very long time!"

Both males were quiet, before lightly dipping their heads in the submissive posture.

"As you wish, my Dear." Kerru said softly, though his heart swelled with pride at the conviction behind his mate's words.

Her eyes softened. "We must find another way to find out who is friend and who is foe." She said, her tone going back to normal as she calmed her daughter.

"I know of two from the order." Sheyva said. "One is the green-eyed female. I got suspitious when I saw her sneaking away from the festivities and followed her. The other is a male. He has a medallion, I saw it in his hand as he went to follow her. I sat by the door and listened, and left when I heard them finishing their talk. I do not think they were aware of my presence."

"Then we can interrogate one of the two." Aleya said, licking her lips with a slow smirk, her gaze cold and fierce. "Would you recognize them if you saw them?"

"Yes." Sheyva said with confidence. "I never forget a face."

"Putting your 'diplomatic skills' to use, my dear?" Kerru purred.

Aleya smirked. "We will get to the bottom of this." She said. "I will not let our haven be compromised. Thank you, Sheyva, for bringing this news to us. This is not the first time your observant eyes have saved us."