This story is a collaboration between me and JamesAndrews.

James rose early on a Saturday morning. He stretched and looked at his alarm clock. It was soon going to be time for the science expo. He remembered the expo wouldn't begin until 1:00 AM so he decided to take his sweet time. He completed his morning rituals. He stepped outside to check the mail. He found mostly bills (as usual) and a few coupons to his favorite Mexican restaurant. The alpaca next took a shower and put on a sky blue bathrobe. He brewed himself coffee and decided to make himself pancakes. While he was mixing the batter, he looked out the window to see if he can find Desmond. The bear was jogging outside topless and wearing red running shorts. James blushed when he saw him wave. James though did take a look at his flawless pecs and abs. He smiled sheepishly and was about to get back to cooking when he saw a light grey goat woman in a pink bathrobe retrieving the mail. James never seen her before. He was a shy person who didn't care for talking to strangers so he didn't greet her. She looked pretty busy anyway. After he made pancakes and finished them; he decided to walk into the woods. As he jogged he found a familiar face. Paul (the human boy) was walking in his direction. "Oh, hey, there. I was just talking to the oracle."
James heard stories about Paul being called a "freak" in school because he claimed he could see ghosts. "Uh, hello, shouldn't you be with an adult so you won't get lost?"
Paul shrugged, "Nah, I've been this way many times. If you keep going in that direction you can find her." James knew Paul for the past five years and occasionally talked to him. One thing about Paul was that he was an honest boy who wouldn't lie to people unless he had to.
In this case, James knew he was being sincere. "Alright, boy, hurry home before your gramps misses you."
"Yes, sir." Paul said. James suddenly remembered that Desmond told him yesterday about having indigo vision. This meant that Paul had indigo vision too. James began to wonder what Paul saw on a regular basis but then decided not to. James was not in the mood to think about rakshasas and pretas. James continued through the wilderness until he found a log cabin surrounded by magic charms. In the trees around it were glass bottles filled with clay tablets of ancient runes. James saw the deer lady. She was crouched gathering herbs in her garden.
"Hello, James Lewis, the tea leaves said I would be getting more than one visitor here." The deer woman stood up. She was wearing a white, sleeveless cotton gown. "My name is Amora. What is it that you seek?" James was speechless. She was a lovely lady and she had such a pleasant demeanor."
"D-do you have indigo vision?" he asked.
Amora nodded. "Is it that you want to see ghosts?"
"No." James said. "I just heard about an oracle living here in the woods."
"And so you found me." Amora nodded. "People who come seek me out have a good reason why. Do you know what you want from me?"
"I'm sorry, but I am not used to talking to strangers." James explained.
"That's okay. Our conversations will be kept private." Amora said.
James scratched the back of his head thinking about what to say next. He then thought about something. "Do you know anything about lost knowledge?"
Amora nodded. "Of course, I do. Anyone can discover lost knowledge; just as long as you know where to look. What knowledge are you looking for?"
James thought carefully about what he wished to know. "Can you tell me about charms I can use to protect me from pretas and rakshasas."
"Yes, I can help you with that." Amora walked towards her house, opened the door, and stepped inside. She pulled out a candle with the scent of lavender. "Just light this candle inside your bedroom and such spirits won't be able to get in. You will probably need it on Belletaine."
"What's Belletaine?" James asked.
"That is one of the eight pagan festivals. Belletaine and Samhain (known by most people as Halloween) are the worst nights to be out on. Just make sure you don't open the bedroom door or open a window. Since you don't have indigo vision you shouldn't have any problems with that." Amora explained.
James accepted the candle. "Thank you."
Amora said, "There is something else you wanted to ask, isn't there?" James blushed in response. "Oh, there is! I am familiar with that look on your face. You think you've found your special somebody." James turned pink and gave a shy smile. "Would you like to have a tarot reading?"
James shrugged, "Okay."
Amora disappeared into her house and pulled out a deck of cards. She beckoned him to sit with her on two chairs. In the middle of the chairs was a tree stump used as a table top. She gave the cards to James. "Shuffle them and when you are done hand them over to me." James shuffled the cards for a few minutes and handed them back to Amora. She laid out the first card. A picture of a man in a grey rob holding up a lantern was depicted on the card. "The past reveals you are the hermit. You live alone and prefer a life of solitude. You like living a nice, quiet life. The sort of life I personally prefer."
James's eyes widened. He never had a tarot reading before but she was spot on about his past situation. She pulled out the second card. "The two of cups means you have indeed found a love partner. In the present, you are going to have a close relationship with said person." James was now impressed with her. Finally, she pulled out the third card. The last card showed a man sneaking away with five swords leaving two swords behind him. "The seven of swords represents secrets, cover-ups, sneakiness, one who is hiding something the other doesn't want the other to know about. This card either means you are hiding something from your lover or your lover is hiding something from you."
"Uh, I am pretty sure I'm not hiding anything." James said.
Amora explained, "Maybe you are hiding your true feelings about said person. How do you feel whenever you see your lover. Don't be ashamed of keeping a few secrets. Relationships take time to blossom."
James began to think about how strong and hansom Desmond was compared to him. He wondered how to actually share his true feelings with him without appearing weak. He was a scrawny alpaca compared to that mountain of a bear. "I am scared that he might not be that interested in me. He invited me into--a club of his and I want to join but what if his friends might not want me around." James didn't want to tell her about the "Order of the Silver Tower".
"Who cares about what his friends say or think about you. If his love for you is genuine, then you'll be just fine." Amora said. "Is there anything else you want to know about?"
James shook his head. "Nope, thanks for the advice."
"You're welcome. Come back again anytime." Amora said.
James arrived home and set up the candle in his bedroom. He looked at the clock. It was 9:14 AM. James decided to turn on the radio and listen to some music. He fell asleep. He had a dream about seeing a silhouette of Desmond. "Hey, Desmond!" James called to him. Desmond's eyes glowed red. Shackles appeared on his ankles. A chain was wrapped around his neck and his mouth was gagged. Desmond smiled a toothy grin. Then his shape shifted into that of a dragon who was drooling over him. James next found himself naked and all sweaty. The dragon cackled sadistically. "Serves you right for trusting in that bear boy of yours!"
James woke up with a start. He was back in his armchair listening to music. James decided to shake the dream off and tried to make himself comfortable again. Eventually it was almost time for the science exposition. He heard a knock on the door and saw Desmond. "Are you almost ready to go?" the grizzly bear asked.
"Uh, sure, just give me ten minutes." James got ready to leave with his new friend for their trip together.

End of Chapter

James Lewis, Desmond, and Marduk belong to JamesAndrews.
Paul Jacob, Mildheart, and Amora belong to me.