Prologue

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A large winged snow leopard made of stone with gems like spots across her pelt starred into the distance. Tears of crystalline flowed down her cheeks as blossoms from a Sakura tree growing out her shoulder fell. She seemed to be in silent anguish as her antlers scratched the pillar she was leaning on. Priests tried to help, but she didn't speak or mew.

Another snow leopard whose body was like an aurora borealis with a mane and wings made of clouds walked up to her. An ancient blade floated above his back. He was her mate, Negaf. "It's not your fault, Bhuta." He mewed concerned.

"I'm their mother and I couldn't do anything when those creatures captured us. Now my son is chasing souls and my daughters corrupted. It's my job to protect them, and I couldn't do anything." Bhuta weeped with her face going into the mane of her smaller mate.

"Those humans had magic which could stop spirits and we're lucky that whatever was blocking us failed on that day and we didn't lose both of them. It's been over a hundred and fifty years and I don't want you to continue beating yourself up." He mewed concernedly. He let her cry in his mane before starting to sing a tune, one she sung to him many many years ago.

"When the waves of life are rough
Look for the diamond in the dust
A light within the night

When the storms rage
No matter the age
I'll be there for you"

Bhuta stopped crying for a bit and picked up her head to look at her mate.

"You sung that to me when I was hurting and you have never left my side. It's about time I did the same for you. I even bet we could find your friends, they did all become spirits." Negaf mewed supportively.

"One of them reincarnates." Bhuta corrected with a few tears still falling from her amethyst eyes. She then looked to a painting with a grey snow leopard, an orange cheetah, an old black leopard with glazed eyes, a brown nervous lynx, a white lynx with antlers, and a yellow lynx leopard hybrid. One of only two in the entire continent. "I would like that." She mewed as the moon rose into the sky.

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