A Timeless Change. A Collective Story.

Hogwarts, Panem and the Shire rolled into one.

Phoenix

 We moved into the lift. I leant against the lift watching the numbers go down. Boone stood a little unsure. The lift dropped us into a huge Foyer that had Soldiers everywhere. Boone led me out of the row of doors and into a garden. It was beautiful. There was flowers everywhere. A water fall that had a statue of four people in the middle of it. Two men and two women. I stared at it was we moved down a path. "I'm not very sure what I'm suppose to do with you. I can take you to the Suppliers to get you some clothes. We can go to the Food court for something to eat but past that.... I don't really know." Food court? I looked at Boone as he finally stepped to the side of me. To walk with me rather than led me.

"Talon explains this place a little. He told me what was here and who was who but that was pretty much it. He mentioned something about a Greenhouse and Farm where you grow all your own foods. Is it possible to see any of that? I'd really love to see the whole place while I'm allowed here. It's like Hogwarts, Panem and The Shire all in one...." I pleaded excitedly. Though Boone frowned.

"What?" Do these people not know how to read?

"You don't know Harry Potter, Hunger Games or Lord of the Rings?" Boone looked up from the floor that he'd been eyeballing since leading me out of the building. I think he was a little worried to look at me. I don't know why but still.

"I have no idea what you're on about Miss Juniper." These people are useless.

"It's Phoenix. I'm Phoenix..." I said as I put my hand on my chest. Boone nodded.

"I'm aware Miss Juniper...." Bloody hell. Are all these people this annoying?

"So you don't get Human books here?" Boone thought about it for a moment.

"I once read a bible..... It was very hard to read." I am not surprised.

"Why the Bible?" I could see he thought about his answer very carefully. I think a part of him was a little afraid to upset me. Or maybe he wasn't around very much humans.

"In school when we are children we are taught about the human world. We're taught about the wars you have had. What caused the wars and the Human emotions. While learning about those things I kept hearing alot about Religion. I wanted to know what it was about. Religion. We don't have that here. I read that everything about Religion comes from a book called the Bible. So I ordered one off line and read it. It was alot...." It was. Boone's face was curled up in confusion.

"You know we don't all have the same Religion...." Boone tilted his head to the side. "There is alot of Cultures in the Human world. Christianity is the largest Religion in the human world. Then Islam. Buddhism. Judaism ..... The list is endless and each Religion has different believes. Different rules of what is right and wrong. Many wars have started simply due to Religion. Alot of things done in the name of God. I myself.... I've never really believed in anything you know. I've always thought about the old stories. Greek Gods. Egyptians Gods. Pagan Gods. Roman Gods. Stories like that fascinate me but mostly I feel like Religion is the thing that divides us most. Things like Same s*x relationships, The l***q community. Race. Terrorism. I think alot of it extended from Religions. That is started at Religion. Don't get me wrong if people want to practice it then it's there right to but I feel like it's most of the time the reason why alot of the bad s**t happens. Some times bad s**t happens and people blame Religion...... I don't know. I'm rambling." Boone shook his head.

"No. No. It's fascinating hearing about it. Human's a very passionate about things that people in Mageia are not. I admire humans for having such strong beliefs in things. Here we are taught from birth our place. We are taught not to step foot out of that place. You know we're born into one of Four Houses. We're encouraged to have friends only in those houses. We're told to marry only within our houses or we'll be outcast. We are firmly put in our place. Having no choice about much in our lives. We're told to respect the Collective. To obey orders without fault. Or we suffer the consequences. I get it of course. I mean alot of us have power that can do alot of damage if left unchecked. Though most of us live in a life where we are deprived and Repressed into fitting into the perfect box of what the original Four thought were what we should be. The moment we step outside that we're shunned. To love outside our House makes us worthless and we lose all reputation. Our children are born powerless and treated worse than animals. Practically slaves. Humans have faults. Many but you celebrate difference. You have people who protest for change. Who go against a hard Current of what has always been to change it and some times not always for yourselves. I mean you saw what happened in there when Captain Ravenwolf spoke out about the House of Magna. Everyone in that room froze in fear. He not wrong. The House of Magna believe themselves better than everyone else. The House Of Ravenwolf who were once the most powerful family have been shoved into barely existing simple because of two men. The war we fight wasn't just Easton and Rowan RavenWolf. Many followed them from alot of houses. Yet The head family of the house are treated terribly. Captain RavenWolf himself is actually treated worse than anyone here. Worse than the Tainted and Mix breed because he has the Transformation animal as the Dark one who went to war with Humans over a thousand years ago. When the fact is if Captain RavenWolf was in any other Family he would have been not only on the Collective but he would have been worshipped by alot of people because he's one of the best Soldiers we have. Not just here in The House of Artair but in the whole of the Mageia. Yet simply because he's a RavenWolf everyone, I mean everyone including alot of people from the House Of RavenWolf treat him like s**t. Hector fears him. I was in school with Captain RavenWolf. Back then Hector's father ran the school. Hector was just a Teacher of Power control. He would constantly pick Talon out for any little thing. Even just breathing too loudly. We have more faults than Humans." Wow. I was gob smacked. Talon spoke of the place simply explaining the lay out of the land. Boone was opening a can of worms because now I wanted to know every little detail. It's so strange to think that we humans think of ourselves as Deprived and Repressed at time in certain Societies. When there was a whole Magical world hidden from us that felt the same way. When they had powers. Actually f*****g powers. Some powers so strong they could cripple someone's mind forever or cause a Earthquake. Yet they felt just as powerless as us humans.

"Why are most of RavenWolf in the Army if the Collective are so worried about them being like Rowan and Easton. I mean General RavenWolf is in command of the Defends right? Lincoln RavenWolf is in Command of Security on the base. The rest of the Ravenwolf brothers are all in ranks of the Army. Even Talon is in the Army. Why?" Boone smiled a little at me.

"The House of Ravenwolf have always been the ones who are Soldiers or guards. Due to the power they posses. It's how it's always been. House of IceWater worked the farm and Greenhouse because of their powers of Nature. House of Magna were always teachers. House of Tien are healers there for they all work in the hospital. RavenWolf have defended the House of Artair ever since it was created. They've defended the Mageia world, as this is not the only base we have. Not everyone in a house is related to the Head family. We're in the Houses due to our powers. The Head families are descendants of the Original Collective of Four. That first who started the Houses, Created the Rules and Laws. I guess if they took all RavenWolf out of the Army. They'd be hardly any Defenders left. There would be less Guards and Security. If you look back at our History. Our Greatest Warriors are all House of RavenWolf. Which why it makes me so angry that the rest of the House of Artair treat the Head family so horribly. If it wasn't for them we'd be in serious s**t. The fact is the House of Magna run alot of things around here and it's starting to feel like the Collective are no longer the Governing us. The House of Magna are. It's getting noticed by alot of people. Hector shouldn't have say in Military things and yet he's having more and more say. General Ravenwolf is allowing it too. He's too afraid to stand up and tell him to back off. He thinks it will be seen as defiance......" Boone stopped walking suddenly with a frown. I stopped too a little worried. "s**t I'm sorry. I've been rambling on about all this and you probably don't want to hear any of it. Not to mention alot of what I said is seen as practically treason around here..." Treason? Really? For simply speaking your mind? Boone looked very fearful all a sudden as he looked around us. I copied him. Not sure what he was expecting. Though Soldiers moved around us unbothered.

"Major Quick...." I whispered gently. He looked at me carefully. "I like hearing all about this place. You don't have to worry about speaking your mind with me. I won't speak a word of this to anyone. As you may or may not know. MindCrawlers can't seem to get into my mind so no one is ever going to be able to pile it out of my brain. Please.... Please feel free to speak to me. I like it very much. Not to mention I've lived with Talon for the past few days and he's very vocal about this place. He also believes that no one likes him very much and that alot of the people want to lock him up and the key tossed. Though mostly he mutters about The house of Magna and how they seem to be ruling over this place. He's not happy about it." I don't know what exactly was going on in this place but I could see that the rules were seriously outdated and needed shaking up.

"Believe me Captain RavenWolf has friends here." Then maybe should tell the s**t head that and stop him from being so goddam stroppy.