Acia Fei-Ikacu was fifteen when the great goddess Asteris appeared before her in the forests of Milyur and took her away from her home. She had been gathering flowers- a move all too risky, honestly. Bad things always seemed to happen to young girls who liked picking flowers.

The legends of Asteris said the goddess, great roamer of the earth and sky, only came to those who deserved it. She appeared among corpses and ensured misfortune to those who overstepped her Bounds.

Acia was undeserving, but that did not matter for very long. Like any wise traveling girl who meets a wolf in the woods, she ran to the nearest tree and scrambled up it.

It took her a moment to realize this was not an ordinary wolf- the fur had a deep hue of purple, and was spotted with long streaks of black. Feathers, Acia realized, as the wolf walked forward.

It was not a situation that called for a process of elimination. It was Asteris. Here for her. Praise the Deep and let the Horned find her, the great goddess had appeared before her.

It was never good, Acia thought, in any of the stories. Asteris was always showing up where she needed to be, but always uninvited, crashing events in order to proclaim her law. Exposing evil. Protecting children.

Acia wondered if she was still a child to the goddess.

"It's alright." The wolf said to her, and as she stepped forward the fur fell around the shape of a woman, turning into a large cloak. "You have been chosen."

"For what?" Acia asked, breathless.

"Have no fear." The fanged god shook her head kindly. "You have always been meant for this."