The sun was shining through the clouds just above the horizon to the east, the early morning light illuminating parts of the restless sea as shafts of sunlight streamed through the gaps in the passing storm clouds. Moving inland over the wind swept seas to where they batter relentlessly against the cliffs we see shining in patches Fair View house, an ancient lighthouse turned home. This particular lighthouse is home to one particular furson, Russet ti Nostor ei Vardenai, a quiet young being who enjoy living in the peace and quiet of this coastal setting far from the hustle and bustle of his old city life. Currently he is a bit despondent as he stands in the shadow of his home surveying the damage of the night storm lets join him.

Russet bent down and picked up a long thing shard of Lapis Lazuli and sighed, turning it over in his paws. It was a part of the banding for the roof of the lighthouse. The storm the night before had been the worse one in centuries and it had battered his poor home mercilessly. The garden had been all but washed away on the seawards side, the tool shed had gone over the edge and to top it all a bolt of lightning had taken the roof. The tiles had been scattered and the banding destroyed.

"Great, just wonderful," the skunk muttered softly his ears and tail drooping; he looked up and surveyed the wreckage of his garden and his tail sunk to the floor. "And I only just finished that Arbour" he sighed staring at the mangled wreck of wood and ivy that had been his secluded arbour, "at least the cherry tree is still standing." Shaking his head he began to walk around the lighthouse deeper into its shadow picking up pieces of lapis lazuli and the odd unbroken roof tile.

Leana peered at the road sign then back at her brother Eliki who was holding the map in his paws tilting it slowly back and forth.

"Are you sure this is it Eliki?" she asked gently smiling at her brother as he finally folded the map back up.

"Yes Leana," Eliki responded with a smile fidgeting in his seat nervously, "Fair View House, North Cliffs that's what the e-mail said from the police officer, he said a.." He paused to ruffle through the papers in the glove compartment and pulled out a printed copy of the aforesaid e-mail and peered at the name again. "Russet ti Nostor ei Vardenai is keeping it safe until we can pick it up."

Leana nodded and put the car into gear and began to drive up towards the towering edifice before them, "Then lets go on up and meet this mysterious saviour of your work."

Eliki squirmed on his seat before reaching out and laying a paw on Leana's arm. 'Stop, stop, I can't do it, I, I can't just drive up to some random fur and ask for my painting back, even if he did find it for me, surely they could just send it."

Leana smiled and patted her brother's arm reassuringly, "It will be ok, you have been speaking to Master Vardenai for awhile now and it was your idea to make this trip and now we are here, in North Cliffs it's a bit late to go back now." She smiled at her brother as he fidgeted some more, "If you really want to we could go on to the town and come back later or I could go in first and you can come in when you feel like it." She smiles at him and brushed his head fur out of his eyes, "It'll be ok hon you'll see."

Eliki smiled nervously and nodded sitting back in his chair and lowering his ears slightly as Leana drove over the brow of the hill and slowed the car to stop out side the gates leading into the lighthouse grounds. She patted Eliki's arm as she undid her seat belt and smiled at him. "Do you want to wait here for a bit?" she opened the door and smiled at him as he shook his head and scrambled out of the car before he could change his mind.

Leana hooked the gate open and stepped through and her twin brother pressed up behind her grasping her paw tightly as she led them down the path towards the lighthouses front hall. Both of the SnowKittens looked up in admiration at the glimmering white edifice of the tower, up close it had an almost unearthly sense about it towering tall above them. Its front hall partially covered in ivy and set before them a tall oak doorway framed by leaded windows. Leana stopped before the door and pulled the bell chain hanging next to the door and inside a set of chimes rang. After a couple of minutes there had been no answer so she pulled the chain again setting off the chiming within the tower.

"Odd," she murmured stepping back and staring up at the tower, "He said he would be in." She looked around and spotting a winding path leading around the hall to the left she began to walk down it.

"Leana!" Eliki called out hurrying up behind her and peering over her shoulder, "We can't just walk into some ones garden."

Leana smiled and took her brother's paw and tugged him after her, "Don't be silly he may be in the gardens."

The two snowkittens walked along the footpath past flowerbeds filled with late spring flowers, they passed a small pond where a group of willow trees held sway shading the pathway and the ponds shore. To their left tall windows stood open and part way along they passed a set of French doors, they stopped and peered into what appeared to be a dinning room but could not see anyone. They carried on along the length of the building and turned a corner and the footpath began to curve around the base of the main tower, as they walked their paws crunched on rainbow coloured stones. Eliki paused and picked one up to examine it.

"It's a roof tile.," he said in surprise turning back to his sister who was peering into the shadows cast by the tower in the morning sun.

"There he is," she said pointing at a figure stooped over before them picking something blue up off the ground and adding it to the basket looped over his arm. Eliki gave a small squeak and jumped behind his sister and peered over her shoulder at the furson before them.

Leana blinked and rubbed her eyes as the figure before them stood up and smiled at them, for a moment she could have sworn his fur was grey. She shook her head and smiled back as he stepped out of the towers shadow and took her hand his black and white fur glistening damply from where it had picked up dew drops from the grass.

Russet smiled as he saw the two felines standing on the path and hurried over to shake the offered paw.

"Welcome, welcome, sorry did you ring? I've been out here picking up my roof, we had an awful storm last night, roof tiles everywhere, the gardens a mess out on the cliff top, sea and winds swept it all over the edge. But I'm babbling like a mad thing, sorry." He stopped and took a deep breath smiling nervously. "You must be Leana," he said shaking the paw of the snowkitten before him, "and you must be Eliki," he said turning to face the feline hovering nervously behind the former. "I'm sorry if I startled you, would you care to come inside? It's still awfully damp out here," he said running a paw through his damp fur and smiling nervously at the two snowkittens.

"Yes that would be nice," Leana said smiling softly and chuckling softly, "You almost seem as nervous and jumpy as Eliki Master Vardenai."

Russet blinked in surprise and smiled leading them towards the double French doors, "Russet, please call me Russet, nobody ever uses my surname." The skunk said softly leading his two guests through the dinning room past the polished rowan table and chairs and into the oak panelled main hall where morning sunlight streamed in through the windows casting light upon the paintings and ornaments and setting dust moats dancing in the air. Russet led them through into the Kitchen on the opposite side of the hall and once he has them settled down on stools he turns to smile at them.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asks setting his basket down on the counter. "It must have been an awfully long drive from Phoenixbrook."

"Yes that would be lovely Russet, juice if you have it, Eliki?" Leana said looking around the light an airy kitchen surprised to see it so clean.

"Yes.yes Juice please Russet." Eliki says smiling shyly as the skunk wanders about opening cupboards and taking out glasses.

"Now Russet the police officer who contacted us said you had found Eliki's missing painting?" Leana asked accepting the glass of apple juice from the skunk as he took a seat opposite them his tail bobbing above his head softly as he shuffled around to get comfy.

"Well it was funny really, I have been a fan of your art for awhile now Eliki, is it ok to call you that?" Russet began and then stopped as he asked the question.

Eliki nodded, "Yes, that's ok Russet, please go on."

"I was in town the other morning shopping at Meg Walters shop picking up some bits that I needed when I noticed two otters unloading a package from a boat at the harbour. One of them slipped and dropped the package and the covering fell off at it was a dead ringer for your Eliki carrying Leana." Russet said sipping his drink and stirring the ice slowly, "Well I read in the papers the other week how that painting had been stolen from the National Gallery where you had it on loan. I immediately wandered down to speak to Constable Leifena and he arrested the otters and took the painting I told him I knew how to contact you and he said he would leave it in my hands and well here you are." Russet stopped and looked at them smiling.

"I was so happy when you e-mailed me Russet and told me that you have my painting, I though I had lost it forever, is it here?" Eliki asked his eyes shining as he looked around the kitchen.

Russet shook his head, "Sadly no, Constable Leifena kept it at the station, one of you will have to go down to pick it up and sign the forms etc." Russet said slowly looking at Eliki.

Eliki paled under his fur and swallowed turning to look at Leana, "Leana would you uhm go and see him for me?" Eliki said gripping his glass tightly his paws shaking somewhat.

Leana smiled and nuzzled him softly 'Of course I will honey, you stay here with Russet, I'm sure he'll only be too happy to show you around his home," Leana said standing up and picking up her bag.

Russet stood up looking harried and Eliki came to his feet as well opening his mouth as if he was about to say something but Leana spoke first. "I can see myself out, be good you two I will try not to be long." And with that she was out of the door and a few moments later they heard the front door click shut with a soft thud.

Russet gathered up the empty glasses and set them into the tray of the dishwasher turning back to smile at his guest. "Its very nice of you to come all this way from Phoenixbrook to collect it Eliki," Russet began. Eliki jumped and stopped fiddling with his bracelet and nodded slowly, "I'd have saved you the journey but I sadly have no way of getting there and constable Leifena refused to surrender the painting unless you collected it yourself." Russet paused looking extremely nervous.

Eliki smiled shyly at the skunk before him fiddling with his bracelet more and nodded, "That's ok its always nice to meet new people especially a fan of my artwork and the journey from Phoenixbrook was ok I can usually survive car journeys." He said giggling softly, "I'm just glad I didn't have to use a plane of something to get here. You, you don't link Constable Leifena will cause Leana any problems do you?"

"Properly not, though he is bound to have a mountain of forms for her to fill in," Russet smiled relaxing slightly and offered Eliki another drink if he wanted it or he could show him some of the lighthouse.

Eliki smiled and stood up, "That would be nice, I've always wanted to see the inside of a lighthouse." He said

Russet laughed softly and taking the lead, led Eliki out into the hallway again, "This is not your typical lighthouse I'm afraid, I've had it renovated to suit me but I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will," Eliki said smiling as he admired the ornaments in the hallway."

"Well this hallway runs from the front door to the rotunda at the base of the main shaft and then carries on down the second hall to the conservatory." Russet said gesturing at the hall which began to open up into the rotunda just off to their right. "In this part there is the Dining Room, Kitchen, Living Room and cloakroom." Russet said taking Eliki to the doorway of each and showing him inside, "and then we have the Rotunda," he said finally leading them both out into the vast circular room.

Above them the roof rose to a goodly height of ten feet before it became a domed ceiling dominated by a large hanging chandelier. Then a mural of ships at sea and behind them what Eliki assumed must have been this lighthouse before it was a home standing tall atop the cliffs. To their left was the beginning of the spiral stairs that led up into the rest of the tower above them while to their left the hallway carried on. The rotunda itself was filled with light from several tall windows that looked out over the gardens and before each window was a display case showing items and artefacts of a Celtic nature. Eliki wandered around peering through the glass of the cabinets in wonder.

"These are wonderful Russet," Eliki said in awe as he turned to face the skunk that was standing just behind him looking worried. "Where did you get them all from?"

Russet looked relieved that Eliki liked them, "They were gifts from my grandmother, some of them I found while out in the countryside hereabouts, and others I have just accumulated over the years." Russet said walking up to stand next to the snowkitten and point into the cabinet. "That is one of my favourites," he said pointing at a silver brooch sitting on a velvet cushion, it was carved in the likeness of a Celtic knot surrounded by blooming flowers, "It was my grandmothers she wore it all the time."

Eliki peered in at it and gasped as he realised that at the very centre of the knot there was a small crystal orb that seemed to collect the light and glow softly from within. "Its beautiful!" he whispered in awe twisting his bracelet around his wrist. "What does it do?" he asked softly.

Russet blinked and swallowed looking slightly upset, "Do? It doesn't do anything," he shook himself and placing and paw around Eliki's shoulder turned the snowkitten away from the cabinet and pointed down the other hallway with his free paw. "Let me show you the rest of the house down here and then we can go up the tower."

Eliki smiled and nodded letting Russet's change of subject go for now, but there was something about that brooch, he'd felt it. Russet led Eliki through the rest of the lower rooms, His study a nice cosy room with a large oak desk set before a huge window which looked over the gardens. Though Eliki could see evidence of the nights storm damage in the crushed arbour over by a small group of cherry trees. Then it was the library on the other side of the hall, floor to ceiling with bookshelves. One side was dedicated to the history of Aredria while the other was dedicated to fiction all in hardback. At the far end of the Library where the windows look out onto a wooded secluded part of the garden stood a lectern upon which rested a single book entitled, 'The History of Fair View Lighthouse'. Eliki and Russet spent some time wandering around the library with Russet pointing out good authors and famous periods in history. Eliki was quite surprised to find a copy of the SnowKittens of Aredria though it was a slim slender volume as much of their society they kept to themselves. Russet then led Eliki out of the far end of the hall past the open sliding doors and into the conservatory. A tall hexagonal room made of glass with a tiled floor. There were several large wicker chairs padded with cushions and a small coffee table in the centre. Eliki looked out of the open conservatory doors which led down a couple of steps out to the cliff top garden and blinked in surprise at the devastation he saw. The flowerbeds had been tossed apart, the lawn had been ravaged a small concrete square was all that was left of some building or other Eliki couldn't guess what.

"Wow," he breathed stepping down and looking about, "That must have been some storm."

Russet sighed and came to stand in the doorway and shook his head his ears drooping and Eliki blinked and rubbed his eyes, as Russet's fur seemed to fade slowly. "It was awful, I love thunder storms but that was more wind then anything else, it smashed the garden as you can see." He sighed and tugged Eliki back inside and shut the door, "I guess it'll give me an excuse to start again and build stone outbuildings from now on." He shook himself and his fur seemed to shimmer slightly and was black and white again, "Come I'll take you upstairs." Eliki looked at Russet's bobbing tail as he followed the skunk back towards the rotunda, first the brooch and now this, there was something about this skunk that he was hiding, that had been no trick of the light.

Russet chattered aimlessly as he led Eliki towards the stairs but he stopped as chimes began to ring out around the rotunda and looking up towards the source of the sound Eliki was amazed to see that it was the chandelier.

"That is probably Leana," Russet said looking up at the grandfather clock near the entrance to the hall, "Good lord it has been an hour and a half already since she left."

Eliki blinked and looked at the clock and he realised the Russet was right. The two furs wandered down the hall and Eliki smiled when he saw his twin sister peering through the leaded windows next to the door. Russet opened the door and welcomed her inside. Leana walked in carrying a wrapped bundle under one arm.

She smiled at the two as Russet led them into the Living room and Leana set the bundle down on the sideboard and unwrapped it. Eliki smiled happily as he lifted his painting up into the light.

"I am so happy to see this," he breathed hugging it close and smiling over at Russet, "Thank you for all your help." He turned to Leana, "Where there any problem?"

She shook her head, "Asides from that analy retentive constable and his forms and requirements no Eliki every thing went fine," she smiled over at Russet then looked back at Eliki with a wry grin. "So what have you two been up to then?"

Eliki blushed furiously but Russet just smiled, "I was about to show Eliki the lighthouse, you are welcome to join us if you wish Leana." The skunk said.

Leana nodded and took the painting from her twin brother laying it down upon the table, "That would be lovely Russet, I was talking to Megan Walter in the local store on my way back and she was telling me about some of the things you have up here."

Russet smiled and turned to lead the way towards the rotunda and Leana fell into step beside her brother a short difference behind him. "Have you noticed anything unusual about our host Eliki?" Leana asked as they came out into the rotunda.

"Yes something happened to his fur and there is this brooch..." he began but he noticed that Leana was staring straight at the brooch and fingering her necklace.

"Yes I see what you mean, there is a mystery here and I want to solve it, keep your eyes peeled Eliki, maybe Russet will let something else slip." She said softly squeezing her brother's arm reassuringly.

Russet led them up past the first two levels explaining that they were the more or less the same, split into three rooms, two bedrooms and a bathroom. The third level in the tower was Russet's bedroom, which took up the entire floor and had its own bathroom and balcony. Russet led them up for awhile past a couple of storerooms and finally he stopped on the sixth floor outside a closed door with a small plaque on it. "This is the gallery," he said simply and began to lead the way up the stairs, Eliki began to follow him but Leana turned and turned the handle on the door.

Russet let out a loud squeak of distress as he heard the door open and turned to try and stop Leana from going in but it was too late Leana was already in the room and Eliki was peering through the doorway and then he wandered in. Russet ran down and stood hopping from paw to paw in the doorway squeaking and making other noises of distress.

Leana looked around the large airy room lit from outside by the tall windows on one wall. The rest of the curved walls of the tower were lined with portraits of various skunks and other furs, friends and family of Russet's she guessed but it was two paintings to her right that caught her eyes at the same time Eliki saw them.

"Hey he said suddenly," walking over to look at his 'Eliki with Bubbles' and 'Leana' painting where they were hanging on the wall. "So you were the mysterious bidder Russet," he said turning back to smile at the skunk in the doorway, "So that's why you didn't want us to come in here."

Russet let out a strangled meep and to both the SnowKittens shock his fur took on a light red tinge as if he was blushing and then he turned and bolted on all fours up the staircase and a short moment later they heard a door slam.

Leana looked at Eliki and smiled, "I think we embarrassed him, he's worse then you." She said chuckling.

Eliki shook his head and blushed, "I don't know about that, but I feel bad now we shouldn't have come in here if he didn't want us to we've upset him now."

Leana smiled and pushing her brother before her walked out onto the landing again, "Then we had better go and find him and say sorry, I let my curiosity get the better of me."

Eliki nodded and the two SnowKittens began to climb the staircase again. The walked for a couple of minutes without passing any doors, the first door just led into what appeared to be a study of some kind, littered with papers of all kind and a single small desk by a window with a laptop in the middle of it.

"Workroom," Eliki said pointing at the plaque on the door, "I guess we carry on going up."

The twins walked up the stairs some more not passing any other doors until they reached short corridor with a ladder and a trapdoor in the ceiling. "Lantern Room?" Leana read out puzzled as she pushed the trapdoor open. Eliki gasped in shock staring around, they were at the top of the lighthouse, on all sides were glass windows giving an unrivalled view of the countryside and sea. In the middle of the room was a pedestal with a glass box on the top and glowing softly inside was a diamond shaped sapphire apparently hovering inside the box. Leana cried out and Eliki turned to see what she was pointing at. It was a small table upon which a velvet cushion sat and resting on it was the most beautiful thing Eliki had ever seen. It was a silver coronet set with five stones, each one carved into a different shape, ruby, diamond, pearl, sapphire and emerald but that was not what called out to the two SnowKittens it was the shimmering aura that both of the kittens could see flowing around it. Leana turned around and looked around for Russet.

"He must have come up here there is nowhere left to go!" she said slowly as she turned in a slow circle.

"There." Eliki said pointing at a pair of doors that opened in the glass out onto the observation deck around the top of the tower. Just outside the doors leaning against the rail staring out over the sea was Russet, shivering in the cold wind that was blowing past the tower. Eliki walked forwards and wrapped his paws around Russet's waist hugging him, Russet gave a start and turned around and Eliki stepped back and smiled at him.

"I am very flattered Russet that you like my work enough to have brought some of it, you do not need to be embarrassed." He said

Russet blushed his ears tingeing red literally as he mumbled thanks, "Thank, Thank you Eliki, I was so worried when you said that you were coming to collect your painting, I was in a right state panicking over it, I, I guess I kind of freaked out."

Eliki hugged him again and smiled at him, "That's ok, I almost made Leana drive us back to Phoenixbrook."

Russet chuckled and shook his head and then blinked when he noticed Eliki and Leana who had walked up behind him staring at his ears, he glanced up and eeeped clasping his paws over his head. "Oh no," he groaned his tail sagging behind him, "I've been fading haven't I?"

Leana smiled and looped her arm through his on one side and Eliki took his other and they led him back in and over to the coronet. "Yes dear you have now would you like to tell us maybe? You can't hide power like yours from SnowKittens you know." She said laughing softly.

Russet meeped softly and then held a paw out over the coronet, the gems set within it glowed briefly then faded as if in recognition and then he let his arm fall to his side. "The Coronet of the Elements the unworn crown according to grandma. My power is nothing that special," he said slowly leading the twins over to the padded bench that curved around the room behind them. "Healing I can do in abundance, the weather if need be, form shifting though I never use that, and then there are the elements." He brought his paws together and drew then apart and a flame appeared hovering between them which rotated into a rain drop then exploded into a rose and faded as a faint pine scented breeze before it flashed as a rainbow and was gone.

Leana was staring in surprise and Eliki in awe as Russet let his arms drop to his side and let out a soft sigh. "I like to keep these powers hidden from people, they scare me most of the time I have no idea where they may take me and people would ask of me things I cannot perform." He sighed softly and smiled at Leana, "I guess I should have known I couldn't hide it from SnowKittens."

Leana nodded and placed a paw on Russet's forehead her other holding her necklace and to Russets eyes she seemed to glow with a deep midnight blue for a moment and a slight tingle ran down his spine making his fur stand on end. "There is more is there not Russet, I can feel it, I felt it when we passed your bed chamber."

Russet paled under his fur his black taking a light cream tinge and he shuffled uncomfortably on his chair, "Can I keep nothing hidden from you?" he asked quietly.

Eliki laughed and hugged Russet again, "My sister seems to have been gifted with most of the power that would usually be spread between two twin snowkittens Russet, its very hard to hide anything from her." He said ruffling the skunks head fur.

Leana smiled at Russet and let her necklace drop and frowned at Eliki who just giggled, "What else is there?" she encouraged, "I'm sure we can help somehow."

Russet sighed and shook his head, "I doubt you can help with the dreams," he said softly shivering as if chilled, "From the good ones to the bad I am terrified of them." He shivered harder wrapping his arms around him and then he leapt up and spun to face them, "But you do not wish to hear about my dreams, you are guests and it is lunch time so come let us go and get something to eat." And with that he scampered down the ladder and they could hear him padding down the corridor below.

Leana stood up and a followed after him and Eliki ran up next to her. "You are just going to let him change the subject like that?"

"We have just met him Eliki, let's not scare him away, He's intrigued me," Leana said as she climbed down the ladder.

"He intrigues you?" Eliki asked chuckling, "His entire home intrigues me," laughing and chuckling he followed his twin sister down to the Kitchen were Russet was pulling items out of the cupboards preparing to make his guests lunch.