Not a nighthunter. Not them… Oh merciful mother no…

But I looked at the wing and claws that had been my arm. For so long I had been weary.

Flesh.

No, no no no. Not them, not those I love, mother have mercy not them.

I stared at the girl Breanna, shaking and pale but courteous still. Her hands and voice wavered as she asked if ale was acceptable. Saw the vein pulsing madly in her slender neck.

Feast.

So hard. It was getting so hard to resist. She saw. Must have seen. My face twitched. I felt like crying as I looked slowly at my arm. A leathery, vicious claw now. Perfect for hunting humans. My muscles were sore, so tense from the effort of holding back. It would be so easy… they were all so strong, had such alive souls….

Kill.

I said the words I had to say. I prayed Ashk would understand and no what to do. I prayed for the hunter.

"Tell Ashk… Warn… Ashk that the gatherer has arrived." I said, and noticed Breanna's sadness as she understood both the message and the single clear drop running down my cheek. For a moment the compulsion faded a little. I grabbed the bags and ran out, riding my dark horse. His eyes were rolling, he was sweating with fear, but he did not abandon me.

A fierce hunger seared me.

Tear.

Merciful mother let me have the strength to hold on. Have… to… find flesh…

I dismounted and went into the forest, searching for any errant inquisitors.

Got one…

FOOD!

Like a spectator completely disengaged from my body I ran over, seeing him turn at the last minute, go deathly white, scream-

His scream ended there. I tore strips of flesh from him and after the first few seconds he was no longer alive. But the soul…

The soul was mine.

For a short time, a blissful feeling of control came over me. For now, the nighthunter, the beast was sated. I walked to the stream the inquisitor had been collecting water from, ignoring the upturned blood splattered buckets. And I looked in the reflection.

Tell me gatherer, what is it you see?

A dark haired slender Fae woman. Black hair and black eyes. Brutal honesty. One arm… and one leathered wing, ending in talons- in claws. Attached to her side by a flap of skin. Teeth too sharp. And covered in too much blood. Too much.

Prey!

No! Not again!

"Ssstop…" I moaned but was running before I could stop myself. Feasting. Destroying. Satisfying. And then I remembered his screams.

"You are the gatherer! You are supposed to protect souls!" He'd screamed in fear. And then kept on screaming. I had eaten his soul. He was one of Ashk's men. He had helped stable my horse once. I nearly threw up, before being embroiled in the fight to control this body, this hell once more. Then I heard the inquisitor command his men to attack. This was where I could help. Out into the fight I went.

I rode past Ashk, not turning quickly enough to miss the horror and pity in her eyes. Then I saw the other one, the Huntress. This would be the new Lady of the Moon. I saw the calm strength, the hurt and the cold implacable anger towards the inquisitors. But she stared at me with caution and pity. I shuddered.

Meat…

Not this one.

I rode towards some inquisitors, away from those I could have harmed. And again and again I tasted flesh, drank blood and cried inside. I couldn't control this, not for long. Suddenly a powerful force ripped through the forest, stunning the beast which recoiled from the pure power of a Daughter of the House of Gaian. And by the time I ventured back out, the inquisitors had vanished. The Witches Hammer, my arch nemesis- the man i should have killed- was gone. And they were there. I felt the stirrings of the hunger.

Rip...

No more. I cannot live like this, cannot be a danger to those I love.

"Morag!" A woman with dark hair screamed, half crying. A Fae lord held her back as they all watched me. Morphia, the sleep sister. My sister.

Bite…

The woman, the Huntress feared me. But she saw the struggle. As she hid her sister behind her, from me, she asked one question quietly.

"What do you want, Morag?" such a gentle voice.

Blood.

I want this all to be over! I want … I want to be normal!

"I want to go home." And I cried inside, saw the tears drip down from the leathery cheek that I couldn't feel. Not me. This is not me!

I saw her eyes, Selena's. There was nothing she could do and she knew it.

And then…

"Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again." Ashks voice. I echoed the last line as I turned towards my saviour. Merry meet again. The arrow sang, slowly coming for me as the beast inside raged. And I saw the determination and the terrible grief of Ashk, the Hunter.

Nothing.

"MORAG!"

Morphia screamed. "How could you?" She screamed again, hysterically. "How could you!"

I looked down at the body of the Gatherer. My body. I looked at Ashk.

"You'll be missed." She said softly. "Don't stay away too long."

My name is Morag. And I was the gatherer of souls. The one Fae all other Fae feared. Even with my kin, I wasn't kind. Shadows and Light Ashk, Shadows and Light. I looked around, seeing the remaining souls. And I smiled, at peace, finally able to harm none. Ashk understood that smile. And I changed into my Fae form- a raven, and opened the way- and I lead the souls to the Summerland for the last time.

Author's Note:

This won't make sense to you unless you have read the Tir Alainn Triology by my favourite author Anne Bishop. I highly recommend it. This will be a one shot unless i get anyone actually wanting more. If i do more, it will be either the story of the next Gatherer or Morag reborn. The Black Jewels Triology (Dark Jewels Triology on Fan fic) is also by Anne Bishop. I know i do not do her art justice.

Lady Occult