Winds of Change
Chapter Three

The following morning Kanda descended the stairs into the dining room to find everyone else already there. They sat around the table eating a large breakfast and talking. By the way the chatter ceased and they looked at him as he entered, he knew they had been talking about him. He would have to remember to hurt them all later.

"Yutan! Rie called as she spotted her older brother. He glared at her while walking over to a seat set with an untouched plate of food. Even if it wasn't originally intended for him it was his now. "We were just gossiping about you," Rie told him with an innocent smile. He froze in the middle of eating and closed his eyes, trying to ward off the frustration that he felt growing. He wasn't doing so well. "Do you have a girlfriend yet?"

"Hey, Kanda," Allen asked. "Is it true that you—"

"Say it and die," Kanda cut him off. He turned an accusing gaze to Rie. "What have you been telling them?"

"I told you," she said, like she was talking to a two year old. "We were gossiping about you."

Kanda was about to snap something back at her when Lenalee cut in. "Hey, if we're all done eating perhaps we should look for some signs of akuma or Innocence." While Kanda and Rie's bickering was entertaining, they had more pressing matters to attend to and if she let them begin, who knew when they would stop.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Allen, who had been busy smirking at Kanda, turned to Lenalee now. "I think it would be better to split up this time. Now that we know more about what we are looking for it would probably be better this way."

"Don't go making decisions for us, Moyashi," Kanda spat.

Allen whipped his gaze back over to Kanda. "It's Allen."

"I do believe Allen may be correct in this matter Kanda," Krory said timidly.

"Yeah, Kanda," Lavi smiled. Normally he would have called Kanda by his first name but he seemed very grumpy right now, so that would probably be a bad idea. "We can cover more ground this way."

"Besides, we can all take care of ourselves," Lenalee added. "There have been no reports of level three akuma so we should be safe in pairs."

"But there are only five of us," Krory pointed out.

"I'll go with Lenalee!" Rie raised her hand, volunteering herself as the sixth member of their scouting party.

"No," Kanda said instantly.

"C'mon Yutan," she whined. "I wanna go too!" She was talking in a childish manner now, hoping to wear Kanda down. He was about to argue with her when he realized that everyone else was watching them. Finally he turned away from Rie with a sigh. She was too stubborn anyways.

Rie, knowing she had won, turned back to Lenalee. "So, where would you like to begin?"

After breakfast cleanup, which Rie stubbornly enforced, the exorcists split up in groups of two; Rie with Lenalee, Allen with Lavi, and Kanda with Krory. The two girls patrolled their designated section of the city, looking for signs of akuma or innocence. Of course, Rie had ulterior motives to choosing this area of town to patrol; it was the shopping district. There wouldn't be anytime for shopping, but she could window shop. If she saw something that interested her, she could always come back and buy it later.

"So, you haven't noticed many akuma lately?" Lenalee asked her suddenly.

Rie had to laugh. "So I get to be a main source of information?"

"Well you are a local," she replied with a smile.

"True," Rie said. She paused for a moment, thinking, before answering Lenalee's question. "I haven't seen any akuma around. Of course, I haven't been out much lately. I've been busy."

"Doing what?" This girl seemed very open and outgoing, the complete opposite of her brother. Lenalee found her very interesting.

"Practicing. I'm a dancer and I'll be performing at the festival."

"You dance?"

"Yep!" She smiled warmly at Lenalee. "Have you ever tried dancing?"

"No," Lenalee replied. "I've been with the Order since I can remember so I've never had the chance to try anything like that." She thought she something dark pass over Rie's face when she mentioned the Order but it was gone so fast she thought perhaps she had imagined it.

"I've got an idea! As soon as we get the chance I'm going to teach you how to dance," she declared.

Lenalee laughed at the other girl's enthusiasm. "If we have time."

They spent several hours wandering around their designated area of town, talking to several people, but mostly just being where they could be seen. So far, nothing. Finally, Rie had to call a stop. "What is it?" Lenalee asked.

"I've got to prepare of the festival this evening," she replied. "I know that searching for akuma and the innocence is more important than the festival…"

"Don't worry about it," Lenalee said. "Do the others know to return around now?"

"Yeah, I told them before we parted."

"Let's head back then." The two girls returned to Rie's house just moments before the rest of the exorcists. Kanda, as expected, was as grumpy as ever.

"Did you guys find anything?" Rie asked them.

"Not us," Lavi sighed.

"We spent hours going down the main streets and side alleys, talking to people here and there," Allen explained.

"We didn't have much luck either," Krory said.

Kanda didn't feel like elaborating. He did have something to say though. "Is there a reason why we are following her orders?" He asked, gesturing to Rie.

"Because I'm the smart one," she stated bluntly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must go get ready." With that she whirled around and entered her house. The exorcists heard her close the door to her room then turned to each other. They quickly decided to continue their patrol of the town.

In her room Rie was preparing for her performance. Opening her closet she removed her two fans from their holders. Opening them up, she placed them on the dresser, the hand painted images reflected in the mirror. The picture was of a large crest in the centre of the fan and an oriental dragon on either side. The main background colour was a deep purple with black shading on the upper portions. There were also flowers on the left and feathers on the right. She had designed them herself.

Next she took her hair out of the pig tails and slowly began to brush her hair flat. She breathed slowly as she watched her reflection calmly in the mirror. Nerves were a part of everything in life, but she couldn't let them get the better of her. She had been performing for about a year now and had developed a method for taming her nerves.

This evening though was little difficult. A festival was a perfect target for an akuma attack and tonight was the opening ceremony, where she and her two fellow dancers would be performing. Of course, her brother and the rest of the exorcists would be there so she imagined there was no real danger even if an akuma did attack.

Finally getting her nerves under control, Rie stood up and continued to prepare for the festival.

oOo

Evening was beginning to fall when the exorcists arrived at the festival grounds. Strings of lights had been hung between roof tops and tree branches, illuminating the brightly coloured stalls and stages set up throughout the square. Children ran around unsupervised with balloons trailing after them, some wearing funny masks and costumes, others wearing fancy dress clothes. Parents and other adults were socializing in groups; men standing in groups laughing loudly and sharing a beer and women sat on benches and gossiped while others were shopping at the stalls. The festival was to celebrate the different cultures that lived within their city so the stalls sold everything from food delicacies to clothing to toys from all over the world.

"There are too many people here," Kanda muttered.

"Stop your muttering, Kanda," Allen muttered back.

"We don't want to upset the little kiddies, hmm? Let them enjoy their festival." Lavi smiled at two young boys who were playing with a new ball their mother had just bought them.

"Until one of their parents turns out to be an akuma and attacks the festival," Kanda spat.

"Enough, Kanda," Lenalee told him.

"I'll be able to detect any akuma before that happens," Allen said confidently.

"Hey," Lavi said suddenly. "Where'd Kuro-chan go?" Looking around, everyone realized he was right; Count Krory was no where to be seen.

"Count?" Lenalee called.

"Kuro-chan!" Lavi yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth. Thankfully, it didn't take too long to locate him. They found the Count looking at the merchandise of a stall selling small bobbles and trinkets. A cat sat on a chair beside the merchant who was sizing up Krory. Allen could tell he was debating charging the obviously clueless Krory more than the items were worth. That's when he noticed something else as well.

"Timcampy!" He lunged for the cat that had the golden golem's tail sticking out of its mouth.

"Hey!" the merchant yelled, startled. "What are you doing to my cat?"

"Your cat is trying to eat my golem," Allen said while trying to pry the cat's mouth open.

"What the hell's a golem?" the merchant asked skeptically. "He's just eating a bird."

Finally the cat spat out the golden golem. "Timcampy!" Allen grasped the golem and backed away from the cat. "Why do you always have to get eaten by cats?"

"Heh," Kanda smirked at Allen, who turned to glare at him.

"Please don't wander off like that Count," Lenalee sighed.

"I'm sorry, Lenalee," he said, somewhat embarrassed. "I just saw something that was very interesting and I couldn't help but stop and look at it."

"Don't worry, Krory," Lavi said, patting him on the back. "How 'bout we go find the stage Rie is dancing on?" Everyone agreed and they once again began to walk through the crowds. It didn't take long to find. The stage Rie was dancing on was illuminated by softly coloured paper lanterns and the volunteers directing the people who came to watch the performance all wore traditional kimono.

"This must be it," Lenalee said, leading the way to the seats. They were directed to seats in the third row and they sat and waited for the performance to start. They had agreed to sit back and watch the dance. Well, mostly agreed. Kanda, of course, still thought they should be looking for the akuma. Once the crowd settled down, the dance began.

Three young women stepped onto the stage and it took a moment for the exorcists to realize that the one in the centre was Rie. Her blue bangs were brushed to one side and the rest of her hair was done up in a mostly traditional style. She wore a long, purple dancer's kimono with an elaborate design of flowers, dragons and feathers to match the two fans she held in her hands. Her eyes, which were now painted with purple and black makeup, were closed and her expression peaceful, a slight smile on her lips. Her right arm was extended out to her side, holding the fan away from her. She held the fan in her left hand down over her stomach. The two girls behind her, wearing slightly different outfits and fans, stood in similar positions. When the music began, so did they.

Slowly at first, though speeding up slightly as it continued, they began to dance to the music. They moved perfectly in time with one and other, moving their fans in expert movements. They whirled around each other, raising one fan in the air then lowering it in a spinning motion while raising the other. Soon the music was quite fast and the dance had moved away from the traditional and was becoming slightly more modern. That didn't seem to matter to the crowd; their attention was completely riveted on the dancers. Even the exorcists couldn't look away. The dance was entrancing and the dancers more beautiful then anything they had ever seen.

Suddenly an explosion rocked the stage and people started screaming. The exorcists lurched to their feet in alarm, readying their anti-akuma weapons. The akuma were already on them though and they barely had time to react. Using his Clown Belt Allen managed to pull himself and several bystanders to safety.

"What's going on?" Lavi called to him.

"I can't sense them!" Allen called back frantically.

"How is that possible?" Krory had activated his Innocence and now looked every inch a vampire. He had also managed to pull several people to safety.

"I don't know," Allen replied. "It's like their not even there!"

Kanda slashed clean through an akuma with his Mugen. "Don't be stupid," he yelled at the others. "Their here, and their attacking. Now fight! Don't expect me to come running to your aid because you let your guard down." Suddenly he remembered his sister standing alone and unprotected on the stage behind them. He turned around to see an akuma almost upon her. He wouldn't be able to make it to her in time.

Thankfully Lenalee was closer. Using her Dark Boots she smashed the akuma away into another, destroying them both. Rie breathed a sigh of relief and looked over to Kanda only to have her heart stop in fear. A large akuma which appeared to be a level three was directly behind Yuu, preparing to attack. Even if he noticed it now, he wouldn't be able to do anything. Even he might not be able to survive a direct attack from a level three akuma.

Kanda, not able to sense its presence either, didn't see it until it attacked, and then it was too late.

"BROTHER!"

Captive's Heart
Chapter Four: A New Partner

Raine padded through Murtagh's room alone, stretching her cramped muscles and getting the blood flowing after her long slumber. She had been with Murtagh for several days now and she had healed quite nicely in that short period of time. Her limp was now gone, she was well fed and her fur looked far healthier. Only a few days ago she did not think she would ever feel this good again. In fact, she had thought her time was up. She had been sent to death and was mere seconds away from being executed when Murtagh had stepped in and saved her for reason known only to him.

Murtagh had gone against the King's orders when he had saved her so she had to stay out of sight as she healed. The last thing she wanted was for her savior to be caught and executed. Now that she was almost completely healed however, there was less of a chance that they would be caught due to the fact she could hide herself far more easily now. She was already fairly decent at staying unnoticed, being a hunter and all. It may be against her nature to stay quiet and hidden while not hunting but Murtagh had saved her life. She owed him this much at least.

He wasn't there often so all that was left for her to do was eat, sleep and reflect on her situation. Now what her strength was returning however, confinement was becoming exceedingly boring and she was itching to get out. She wanted to run, to feel the wind in her fur, the thrill of the hunt again. Maybe she could scare the birds or even a fox or two. She laughed silently in her head. Birds and foxes were such jumpy creatures, not to mention cocky little bastards. They strutted about forest acting like they owned everything and even tried to mock some of the other creatures. Every time she saw one she couldn't help but feel a rather large twinge of irritation. Someday she would show them. She would show them who owned the wild! Evil laughter rang out in her head.

As Raine sat in a corner plotting her raid of the forest and silently fuming over the stupidity of magpies, Murtagh walked into the room with a heavy sigh. He was to be sent out on another mission, if you could even call it that. All this was was another recruitment run to another nearby town that would be too frightened of too angry to do anything. He wasn't even allowed to bring Thorn along! They were never allowed together unless they were going on a scouting mission somewhere in the Empire or they were going off to a fight. He flopped down in a chair and leaned back to think. He had about an hour before he had to depart.

He never enjoyed doing errands for the King and recruitment runs were the worst. Angry parents, frightened wives, crying children, there was just too much to it. And what right did they have to complain about their lives? At least they had some degree of freedom. Fighting, at least, was simple. He only had to worry about one thing then; go in and kill the enemy. Because he was a dragon rider, he never had to worry about injury or getting out. Besides, fighting took his mind off other things.

Raine finally realized that Murtagh had entered the room. She turned away from her corner to see him leaning back in a chair and staring off into space. He seemed to be deep in thought and a little annoyed.

After a moment he glanced outside the window and stood up. He walked over to the wall where his sword, Zar'roc, rested. He picked it up and unsheathed it slowly. He then sat on the chair again and started cleaning it. Even though he was just going on a recruiting mission, he wanted to clean his sword while he had the chance to do so. It occupied his mind and it gave him something to do before he had to leave. Besides, you never knew what was going to happen.

Raine, fascinated by the gleaming red sword, padded over to Murtagh's side and sat down, still staring at the sword. Murtagh noticed her apparent interest in the sword and a faint smile creased his lips.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He held the sword aloft, gazing at the magnificent red blade for a moment and then he looked down at Raine. She nodded dumbly in agreement. "Its name is Zar'roc, which means 'misery' in the ancient language." He gave a small humorless laugh and looked away while lowering the sword. "Fitting, isn't it." A sad expression crossed his face as he thought about the scar on his back that very sword had given him when he was still young.

It was fitting. The blade was beautiful, but it was a bewitching beauty with tales of sadness, loss and betrayal woven into its past. Its aura was one of pain and, well, misery.

A knock came at the door a moment later. Raine glanced at the door once before quickly dashing off to a safe hiding place. Once she was out of sight Murtagh set Zar'roc aside, stood up and opened the door.

A young, rather nervous looking servant stood in the open doorway. Obviously, he didn't enjoy being the one to report to the big bad dragon rider.

Murtagh looked at him with a black expression on his face. "Speak," he said simply. The young man shuffled nervously and his eyes flickered from the floor to Murtagh's face and back to the floor again.

"Well, sir, it's, uh, about your mission, sir." He paused for a moment. Murtagh stood waiting with thinning patience. Sensing this, the young messenger hastily continued. "There are reports that the town you are to go on your recruitment mission to has rebelled. Due to his change of events, your mission has changed as well. You are to go and kill all of the rebels, sir." He stopped speaking and finally remembered to breath. "Oh," he added, as if an afterthought. "You are still not to bring your dragon." With his message delivered, he waited to be dismissed. Murtagh took no notice of him for a moment as he stood thinking. After a moment he dismissed the young servant and closed the door.

Raine reemerged from hiding with a mischievous look in her eyes. Finally, she would be able to go out. She hadn't even considered that Murtagh wouldn't let her come. She would just follow him anyway.

Murtagh went back to the chair he had vacated earlier to answer the door. Well, at least this was no longer a recruitment run, but this wasn't the type of fighting he wanted. This was going to be nearly the same as a slaughter, and he would be their executioner. It wasn't that he was worried about the role he would play, he had had to take up the role of the executioner in the past and it did not particularly bother him, but this wasn't the type of fight he enjoyed. The fights he looked forward to were ones where he faced skilled opponents. This was not what he preferred, but did he have a choice?

Of course I don't, he thought bitterly. I am as much the King's slave as that messenger. The only difference is in the way I'm used. He looked out the window to check the position of the Sun and then rose to leave.

Grabbing Zar'roc he strapped it on and turned towards the door, only to find his way blocked by Raine. She was sitting right in front of the door, looking at him expectantly. It took a moment for him to realize what she wanted.

"You're not coming," he stated flatly. Raine didn't move and continued to stare at him with the same expression. "No," he repeated. "One, there's going to be fighting. Two, how can you get out of here without being seen?" Raine just smirked, stood up and rolled her eyes, which was a strangely human expression that was odd to see on the face of a wolf.

Raine walked to the door and placed both front paws on it. Quickly, she walked herself upright until her eyes were level with the handle. Placing her jaws around the handle, she opened the door.

Murtagh stared in wonder for a moment but quickly recovered himself. Raine looked back at him with sly eyes and a contented smirk on her furry face. "Well, I didn't expect that," he said.

Raine turned back towards the door with her ears perked, listening for signs of anybody outside. When she was satisfied that on one was there, she dashed out the door.

"Oh, no." Grabbing the rest of his equipment he dashed out the door after her. "If that damn wolf gets caught it will be my head," he mumbled to himself.

After dashing around the halls of the castle looking for Raine, he stopped near the western entrance, though still inside the palace walls. Damn it Raine, he thought. Where the hell are you?

Something nudged the back of his leg and he nearly jumped out of his skin. As he jumped, he reached for Zar'roc which rested in its scabbard at his hip. When he turned though, he saw Raine sitting patiently waiting for him to open the door for her. He cursed himself for not paying attention to his surroundings.

Murtagh seethed silently as he sheathed Zar'roc. He was very close to turning her in to minced wolf. "Fine" he said finally. "If you want to go, that is fine with me. You are healed anyways." He reached for the door and opened it for her.

As soon as there was enough room for her to fit through, she was dashing out the door. She headed for the nearest bird, growling ferociously. As she approached the bird, it took off in alarm. She leapt into the air after it, snapping her jaws and catching the tip of a tail feather.

She reached the edge of the woods and prepared to dash off, but hesitated. She stopped running and looked back towards the castle and Murtagh. He looked at her for a moment then turned back to the door.

No, she couldn't leave. She would not do that to him, she could not. She would not abandon him like everyone else in his life appeared to have done.

As Murtagh was closing the door through which he had just left, he sensed a presence approaching from behind. He turned around and was surprised to see Raine behind him. Her ears were slightly pressed back and she wore a look of guilt on her silver furred face.

"What are you doing back here? I thought you were leaving?" He reached down to touch her on the head but she grabbed his sleeve in her jaws and tugged, growling playfully.

He realized she was pulling him in the direction of the village he was supposed to go to. He looked down at her and asked "are you still set on going with me?" She nodded her head once then took several paces in the right direction then stopped to wait for him.

Murtagh let out a heavy sigh, but inside, he was grateful Raine had stayed with him. He would never admit or let it show though.

Suppressing a smile, he called after her. "I have to go to the stables and get myself a horse. While you may be able to run, I cannot without exhausting myself." She paused for a moment but then returned to his side. "It would be best if you wait here. Knowing you, you'll scare all the horses." He may have just been imagining it but Murtagh thought he saw her give a sheepish smile.

Murtagh turned away from here and headed to the stables. He no longer had Tornac, but the Empire had many good horses, though none could quite compare to Tornac. After a short order to the stable master Murtagh sat atop a large stallion. He trotted back over to Raine and together the two of them set off towards the village. At first, Murtagh's horse was a little uncomfortable being around a wolf, but he soon got over it.

Murtagh galloped down a road that led to the village while Raine ran full out beside him. A normal wolf might not have been able to keep up with a full grown stallion from the Empire, but Raine was anything but normal.

It wasn't long before they came in sight of the village. The entrance was barricaded, but only lightly. Murtagh would easily be able to blow it aside. Murtagh turned to Raine before they went any further. "If we have to kill them, no one can be left alive, not even the women and children." It wasn't exactly honorable, but it was what the King wanted and disobedience could get him killed.

As he approached, he sensed several men watching him from the roof tops. He heard the creaking of wood as the men drew back their bows in preparation to fire. It would do them no good however. He had placed wards about himself, Raine and even his horse before they had reached the village.

"Who are you? State your purpose for being here!" The voice called to them from the other side of the barricade. It was gruff and strong but held a hint of unease.

"I am from the Empire," he called back. "Throw down your weapons and surrender. You will not be able to escape the will of the King!" It didn't sit well with him to refer to the Empire so proudly, but it was required of him.

"You think we will throw down our weapons just because you ask it of us? Ha! The Empire is even more foolish then we thought." His voice dripped with undisguised disdain. Murtagh heard more men beyond the barricade. Obviously these men were not properly organized or they would not all converge in one place.

"If you do not surrender then I shall start killing until you either surrender or you are all dead." His voice was sharp and cold. He was not making an empty threat.

Unfortunately, the men in the village did not seem to pick up on that. Several of them began laughing, believing Murtagh was jesting. "A single man to deal with an entire village? Do not insult us! We shall never bow down to the Empire again! Fire!" Bows twanged as the men on the roof tops fired their arrows at them.

The missiles stopped a foot from Raine and Murtagh and fell to the ground. Without hesitation, Murtagh raised his right hand towards the barricade. "Jierda." The barricade blew apart and went flying into the men behind it. Several men were sent flying from the force of the blast while others were clipped by debris.

Several of the men realized immediately what was happening. "That was magic! He's the King's dragon rider!" Several others screamed out similar remarks but, for the most part, their words went unheard. The men on the roof began firing again and those on the ground drew their weapons and charged. Murtagh drew Zar'roc in one swift motion and Raine barred her teeth and snarled. The fight had begun.

Raine did not feel like waiting for the men to come to her. She dashed forward, her powerful muscles rippling beneath her fur. One man swung his sword at her but she easily side stepped it and hamstringed him, his warm blood spilling into her mouth. He fell to the ground with an agonized scream and she finished him off by tearing his side open with her claws. When she was done with him, she went for the neck of the next man.

Murtagh had charged forwards on his horse and swept his blade around him, leaving a trail of blood in the air. Men fell to his blade and to the hooves of his charging horse. The stench of death now hung heavy in the air as blood coated the ground, flowing from the slain villagers. Raine dashed down the red streets, killing anyone in her path. Between the two of them, most of the men of the village were dead in mere moments.

At one point, Raine spotted a woman and her child attempting to leave the village. Even though it pained her to kill two defenseless people, she was forced to give chase. It was over in seconds as she caught up to them and went for the kill. The child did not even have time to scream.

The mother did however. Her scream alerted some of the village men who came after her yelling savage war cries. Raine ran at them, a blur of silver and red, and jumped into the chest of the leading man, knocking him into those behind him. She quickly dispatched with the men who had fallen but then felt the cold steel of a sword bit in to her shoulder. She let out a yelp of pain which quickly turned into a growl of rage.

She lunged at the stomach of the man who had attacked her. The man was caught off guard cried out in surprise and then pain as she sank her teeth in to his soft flesh. Snarling, she jerked her head left and right until his stomach ripped open and his insides spilled out in front of her. He tried to cry out to some of his fellow villagers but he was dead before he could utter a sound.

Now that she had satisfied her thirst for revenge, she continued routing the villagers. She entered the houses as well and took care of those hiding within them. Meanwhile, Murtagh was finishing off the few who remained outside. When one man saw Murtagh riding towards him, he turned around and tried to run away but slipped on blood that flowed through the streets. He flipped onto his back and faced Murtagh. He tried to drag himself backwards with his other hand in front of his face.

"Please, no!" he cried. His face was pale except for where it was covered in blood and fear was etched into the lines on his face. "Please, spare me!"

Murtagh looked down at him coldly. "You had your chance for surrender." The man's eyes opened wider as Murtagh brought Zar'roc down on his head. With his death, there were, to his knowledge, no more villagers left alive in the village.

He dismounted his horse and swept his mind across the village, searching for any other villagers left alive. As he did, he became aware of Raine approaching him from behind. He turned around to see her and was shocked to see her beautiful silver fur smeared with blood. Right away he realized most of it was not hers, but she did have several minor cuts and a few larger ones.

Raine limped up to him and sat down, looking up at him. Murtagh went up to her and knelt before her. He placed his hand over the wound on her shoulder and mumbled "waise heill." The skin under Raine's fur itched as it knit back together. He healed a few of her other wounds and stood up again. He did not need to heal himself. He had not suffered even a scratch.

Taking out a cloth, Murtagh cleaned Zar'roc before remounting his horse. Murtagh's face was set as he rode out of the village back towards the palace with Raine following close behind. They didn't stop until they reached the palace walls. Raine waited for him near the western door again while Murtagh returned the horse to the stables.

When he returned they entered the palace walls again and silently made their way back to Murtagh's room. When they finally arrived, Raine sat down and started licking the blood from her fur. Murtagh placed Zar'roc back in its place and sat down on a chair. When Raine finished cleaning her fur she walked over to Murtagh and nudged his hand.

Murtagh placed his hand on her head and scratched behind her ear. Even though she was a wolf, not a dog, it felt rather nice. "Thank you for your help today," he said to her. "You are quite useful in a fight." Raine smiled at the praise.

He looked up at the ceiling and thought for a moment, then looked back down at her with a slight smile. "You know what? I think I shall take you with me from now on."

Raine's ears perked up and she looked at him hopefully. Would she really get to go with him? "Yes, I think that would work out quite nicely. What do you think?" Raine's face split into a smile and her tongue lolled out. This would be great! She would get to go out and run and hunt and even spend more time with Murtagh. She enjoyed spending time with him and she thought he needed the company. He just had that look about him.

Now she was looking forward to the days to come. She would get to travel over more of Alagaësia with Murtagh. She was going to be Murtagh's new partner. Yes, she liked the sound of that; Murtagh's new partner.

End of Chapter Four

Sibling Rivalry
Chapter 4: Jazzy Spook

Jazz had had her powers for several days now. She could fly without problem, but she still had difficulty with everything else. At random moments, she would go intangible and fall through the floor, or her pencil would fall through her hand in class. She would also go invisible without warning. One time when she walked into the bathroom, she had no reflection and she had almost screamed before identifying the problem.

These were just her problems in human form. When she was ghost, she had far more troubles. When she tried to become intangible, she would go invisible and vise versa. When she tried to float in one place, she would suddenly fall down. She would also become human again for no apparent reason. She hadn't even tried to use anything like an ectoplasmic blast. She was having enough trouble with everything else. What would go wrong when she tried to do that?

Jazz was at an abandoned construction site not far from her school. This is where she had been practicing for the few days she had her powers. No one ever came here so it was perfect place. She went ghost and flew up a few feet in the air. It had recently rained so there were puddles everywhere. Jazz saw here reflection in one of them and stared for a few moments. She was still surprised by how different she looked.

There was a pile of dirt in the middle of the site so she was going to concentrate on intangibility first. Slowly, she glided towards the dirt mound. She just hoped it worked so she wouldn't get covered in dirt. She concentrated on going intangible. When she felt a slight change in her body, she closed her eyes and flew towards the pile.

Instead of feeling dirt and mud, she felt nothing, just as she had hoped. When she opened her eyes, she was on the other side of the pile. She felt like jumping for joy. She had finally succeeded in doing something.

For several more hours, she practiced her intangibility. After she had that down, she landed and reverted to her human form. She looked at her watch and was startled at how late it was. Her parents might start worrying about her or think she was capture by ghosts.

She went ghost again and quickly flew back home. She landed in an ally not far from her house and changed back. She ran up to the house and ran inside.

When she got in, supper was on the table, and her parents were just sitting down. Danny had already started.

"Jazz, your back. We were beginning to worry," said her mother.

"Was it a ghost Jazz? Is that why your late?" her father demanded.

"No, I was just hanging out with some of my friends," Jazz answered nervously.

"Oh. Ok. Sit down and eat then," replied her father as he went at the food with a vengeance. Jazz sat down at her spot at the table and slowly ate her food. She glanced over at Danny and noticed a new bruise on his left arm. More ghosts she thought. She had to get the hang of her powers soon so she could actually help Danny.

Maybe she could ask Danny for help. No. That was out of the question. She couldn't let Danny know she was helping him. He already treated her enough like an annoyance. She would have to help him in secret.

When everyone was done their supper, Danny and Jazz left the table. Danny was heading to his room and Jazz to the living room to read. She heard Danny gasped and turned around to see a light blue mist escape from his mouth. She turned around as she felt something rising in her throat. A similar blue mist escaped her mouth as she gasped.

Behind her, Danny rushed upstairs into his room. This was called a ghost sense and occurred when a ghost was near. Danny was off to fight another ghost. It was time Jazz helped. She also went upstairs to her room.

From the kitchen, she hear her mother call to Danny. "Danny, could you come here please. We just a call from your teacher. Apparently there's been trouble with your homework."

"Mom!" Danny complained. Oh great, Jazz thought. Now she would have to fight this ghost alone. She hadn't even tried attacks yet. She would just have to hope for the best.

As Danny slowly walked downstairs, he saw Jazz go into her room and shut the door. Was she going to fight the ghost? Had she gotten control of her powers yet? Did she stand a chance? Sure Danny was younger than her, but he was allowed to worry. And he had experience in fighting ghosts.

He sighed and walked downstairs, preparing for the stormy conversation he was about to have with his parents.

Jazz followed her ghost sense to the construction site she practiced at. So there was a ghost here. She hoped it would be an easy one so she wouldn't have to fight too much. She still wasn't sure how she was at fighting ghost abilities.

On top of the dirt mound sat a chubby, blue skinned ghost wearing overalls. All around him, and all over the construction site were boxes of all shapes and sizes. Who is this? And what's with all the boxes? Jazz thought.

Jazz flew a little closer for a better look. Now she could hear him talking to the boxes. "With all these boxes, I can make an army of box warriors!" He said. He laughed and it was one of the most annoying laughs Jazz had ever heard.

"That's just creepy," winced Jazz.

"Who's there!" yelled the ghost. Jazz covered her mouth. He had heard her.

The ghost turned around to face Jazz. "Ahhh! You have overheard my plans! And if I'm not mistaken, you are also a halfa like that white haired boy!" Yelled the ghost.

"Uh, who are?" Jazz asked, now aware that this ghost had previously encountered Danny.

"Who am I? Who am I! I am the Box Ghost! Commander of all things square and box-like!" he yelled and raise his hands over his head. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Me? I'm, uh…" Jazz didn't have a name yet. She had heard Danny referred to as Invoso-Bill, but his actual ghost name was Danny Phantom. She shouldn't use Phantom though. That would be to obvious. Her father always called her Jazzy. Maybe she could use something with that. Ghosts were know to scare people. Jazzy Scare. No. That didn't sound to good. Jazzy Creeper. That just made her sound like a creeper. Jazzy Spook? That was it. She would be known as Jazzy Spook. "Jazzy Spook. My name is Jazzy Spook." she replied.

"Oh. FEAR ME!" he yelled. Jazz gave him a blank stare. This guy doesn't appear smart, she thought. "Why aren't you fearing me!" he demanded.

"Because you just don't scare me," she stated bluntly.

"For that, you will pay!" he yelled. He raised his hands above his head and then threw them in front of him. Some boxes around rose into the air surrounded by a blue light. They then flew forwards at Jazz.

She dodged the boxes by becoming intangible, which she had become rather good at. Jazz wasn't keen on fighting anyone, but she had to fight now so she may well get used to it.

She rushed at the box ghost and gave him a half hearted punch in the face. That was still enough to send the chubby little ghost flying. "Wow. I can actually fight," mused Jazz.

"You'll pay for that Spook. I will be back!" With that, he flew away. Jazz was just about to leave when the Box Ghost came back. "FEAR ME!" he yelled, and then disappeared once again.

"That was, weird," said Jazz. She quickly flew back home, and got ready for bed. The fight may not have been a long or hard one, but being her first fight, it tired her out quickly.

That evening while she was trying to get some sleep, all she could think about was the Box Ghosts threat. He said he would be back. Would he actually come back, and if he did, would he be stronger? He didn't seem that smart, so maybe she didn't have much to worry about. Even if he did get stronger, Danny would probably be there too.

With reassuring thoughts going through her head, she quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, Jazz woke up later then usual. Must have been from last nights fight, she thought. She went downstairs to have some breakfast and to start on a new book she had recently bought.

Downstairs, the table was covered with different dishes of food. It looked like a feast. Her parents were just putting the last of the giant meal on the table and Danny was staring wide-eyed at the food. "What's going on mom? What's with all the food?" she asked.

"The Fenton Portal is working again," she replied.

"So we decided to have a big breakfast feast!" her dad said.

"Oh, ok then." said Jazz, rather confused. All of this over an invention? Wow. My parents really are nuts. Everybody sat down at the table to eat. Jazz helped her self only to a small portion of the food. She wasn't really that hungry. Her father on the other hand took plenty of everything.

After everyone was almost done, Maddie held up a magazine and spoke. "Well kids, your father and I received our new Ghosts Monthly today and we think there are some things in here that you should hear too."

Jazz and Danny cast each other a look and quickly ate the rest of their breakfast and rose from the table. "I'm going to meet Tucker and Sam now. Bye!" said Danny rather quickly as he ran out the door.

"I'm going to meet some of my friends from school so we can do our school project. Bye!" she said as she also ran out the door.

Maddie and Jack stared at the spots their children had been seconds before. Jack was the first one to break the silence. "Can I have a cookie?"

Star Fox Adventure: Dinosaur Planet
Chapter Four: Enter Team Star Fox

The Great Fox floated through space, propelled forwards by the several thrusters positioned on the rear of the ship. The lights on the four wings of the ship and on top of it flashed on and off slowly, an alert to any ships nearby so they would not crash into them.

Upbeat rock music emanated from the ship. The song was coming from a jukebox inside the ship. Inside, Slippy Toad, the mechanic for the Star Fox team, was repairing their robot helper, Rob. He was kneeling, bent over in front of Slippy who was sitting in a chair with a wrench. He had a hatch on Rob opened up and was tightening a bolt inside. Once the green toad had finished his repairs, he closed the hatch and tapped Rob on the back.

"That should be it, Rob," he said as the robot unfolded himself from the floor. "All fixed." Rob brought one of his hands up to his face and analyzed it with his eyes, which were really sensors that fed into his artificial brain.

"Affirmative." His voice sounded very electronic and he only spoke in one tone. "I'll get back to work." Rob walked away towards his station and Slippy turned around in his chair towards the jukebox, enjoying his music.

Over at a desk sat Peppy Hare who was diligently working on something that seemed to demand most of his attention. Finally, when he could stand the annoyance no longer, he turned towards their leader, Fox McCloud. He spoke with a bit of an edge in his voice. "Hey, Fox!" he called. "Isn't this music getting on your nerves? I'm trying to work on my maps.'

Near the centre of the room, just in front of a raised portion where Rob stood studying several screens, Fox McCloud sat in his chair with a computer attached to the arm. He swung the chair around while tapping on the keyboard. He looked away from the screen towards Peppy. "Okay, old-timer." Now Fox turned his chair towards Slippy. "Turn it down, Slippy."

Slippy, who was now turned away from the jukebox, grumbled and mocked Fox under his breath. He tossed his wrench over his shoulder and it hit the jukebox. The music stopped with a squeal and the wrench hit the floor. "Hey!" Fox yelled, half rising from his chair. He had wanted the music turned down, not off.

Before Fox could do anything more, the transmitter in the center of the room emitted a beeping noise and then flared to life. A blue hologram of General Pepper's head hung in the air above the transmitter.

"Slippy!" Fox cried. "It's General Pepper!" General Pepper was the commander of the Cornarian Army, which patrolled and protected the Lylat System.

"General Pepper here," he greeted the Star Fox team. "I have a new mission for you Fox." Fox sat forward in his chair. It had been a while since their last mission from the General so this was welcome news. Slippy turned towards the hologram with a look of amazement plastered on his face and his mouth hanging open. Peppy looked on calmly.

"You are approaching Dinosaur Planet," the General continued, "an ancient world on the edge of the Lylat System." General Pepper's head disappeared and in its place appeared an image of a world that had literally been torn to pieces. "As you will see, chunks of the planet have been torn from its surface. It's your job to get them back! If Dinosaur Planet explodes, it could affect the entire Lylat System."

At this point General Pepper's head appeared in the transmitter again. "The only lead we have is that you must locate the Queen of the Earthwalker Dinosaur tribe. Maybe she can help you further." As the General concluded, Fox placed his elbow on the arm of his chair and his head upon his fist. This would be an interesting mission. The planet didn't seem to have been torn apart by normal means, not that anything he and his crew got messed up in were normal anyways. But what could have caused destruction like this? I guess I'll have to find this Queen Earthwalker if I want to find out anymore, Fox thought.

General Pepper's voice cut into his thoughts. "By the way, your fee has been approved. If you are successful, then the money will be forwarded to you immediately. Pepper out." General Pepper's words sent a surge of excitement through Fox and, obviously for they quickly sat forward in their seats, the rest of his team. This is just the motivation they needed to get the job done.

Looking at his two friends Fox leapt out of his chair and raised his fist in a gesture of excitement with a look of determination on his face. "You heard the General. Let's do it!" Slippy beamed with excitement and gave Fox an enthusiastic thumbs up. Peppy gave Fox a casual salute with a smile on his face.

Fox ran down one of the halls of the Great Fox and headed towards the ship bay where his Arwing awaited him. He was to fly down to the surface of the planet and land in a designated area where the Earthwalker tribe resided. Once he found the Queen, he was to find out what information he could from her and continue from there.

Getting down there should be a piece of cake, even with all the rubble he had to fly through. Stray pieces of rock floated everywhere around the planet from the chunks that had torn from its surface. There also seemed to be some ruins floating around the island, which was odd but it didn't overly matter. They would still be easy to navigate.

When Fox had left the bridge both Slippy and Peppy had suggested that he take Slippy down with him so he would have some backup when he reached the surface, but he had refused. He needed Slippy to stay on the Great Fox and do his tinkering for him. Right now he was getting started on a translator that would help him understand the language of the dinosaurs. Apparently they didn't speak the same language as they did. It wasn't that he didn't think Slippy could make it; it was just that he needed him up here.

Fox finally reached his Arwing and he nimbly vaulted inside. Reaching for the controls he lowered the hatch and started up his ship. He checked all his gauges and stats, making sure everything was in perfect working condition. It would really suck for his Arwing to fail on him just as he was trying to fly around some floating ruins and he got himself killed. Where was the fun in that?

Just as he finished checking his systems Peppy's voice blared at him over the speaker. "You ready to go Fox?"

"All systems go," he replied. Now for a nice leisurely flight through the rubble field before landing on the beautiful torn planet. Now the voice that echoed inside the chamber of the docking bay was electronic. 'Launching Arwing.' Suddenly he was being propelled forwards and his Arwing was launched into space.

"General Pepper here," the Generals voice hailed him on the speakers. "Your mission takes place on ThornTail Hollow. Locate the Queen of the EarthWalker Tribe. She will help you further. Pepper out." Fox didn't bother replying. Instead he just concentrated on flying through the rubble that now surrounded him.

After a moment he saw something glowing green a short way in front of him. What in the world is that? As he approached he saw it more closely. It appeared to be a rock but there was something attached to the outside of it. As he flew closely to one of them the green lights turned red and then proceeded to explode.

"Whoa!" Fox exclaimed as he quickly veered out of the path of the explosion. Why are there mines out here?! Quickly and skillfully he piloted through the rubble, ruins and newly discovered mines. There were, as he suspected, a few enemies flying around, but it was nothing much to worry about. Using his lasers he was easily able to blast through them.

Soon he was through the hazard zone and in the clear. Now all that was left to do was land safely. As he landed he saw several dinosaurs following his flight path. He didn't quite know what species they were but he guessed they were ThornTails. It wasn't too much of a leap of course, considering the name of the region he was in and the thorns on their tails. No mystery there.

He studied the radar on his Arwing, getting the lay of the land. He glanced out of his ship and glanced around. It was quite beautiful around here. Green grass and flowers grew everywhere and a small river flowed quietly through the valley. The only thing that offset this beauty was the obvious agitation of the locals. The ThornTails seemed on edge as did the other small animals that ran around and flew through the air.

Once he landed he quickly jumped out of his ship and scratched behind one ear. Now, where to find the Queen?

End of Chapter Four

The Price of Life
Chapter Four

With incredible speed, Kiyrely ran forwards to join the fight. On the way, she whipped out two concealed knives from the split in her skirt, holding them at the ready. The men attacking the younger girl didn't notice her presence until it was too late.

One of the men turned slowly towards Kiyrely as she approached. She lunged for him with her knives held before her and drew one across his left bicep, rendering his arm near useless and painting the blade dark red. He fell back with a scream of agony, drawing the attention of the second man.

"What the—" He did not get the chance to finish his sentence. Kiyrely was already there with her knives aimed for the man's midsection. He tried to back away but his attempt at escape was useless; Kiyrely was in the heat of battle and she wasn't about to let her opponent escape her grasp.

Tossing the knife in her right hand up she caught it in a backwards grip with the blade pointing down her arm. With her knife held in this manner, she brought it up in a diagonal across the second man's chest. She didn't drive the blade deep enough to kill him but he definitely felt it. The cloth of his shirt was quickly stained red as he stumbled back, grunting in shocked pain.

Hoping the second man occupied Kiyrely sufficiently the first man attempted to rise and make his getaway. He had no such luck. Kiyrely noticed as soon as he moved and sent a roundhouse kick to his head, her heal connecting with his temple. He crumpled under the blow and lay still on the ground. If he was dead or not she didn't know or really care. What concerned her now was the second man she had been fighting.

As she returned her attention to him, he came out swinging. His right arm was pulled back until he flung it in her general direction. Despite the obvious power behind the punch Kiyrely did not panic. She simply ducked down in a defensive position and, using the man's own power against him, deflected his punch with a slight tap of her own arm and sent him off balance. As the man stumble forwards she twisted behind him and, using the hilt of a knife, hit the space between the base of his skull and his spinal cord, knocking him out flat.

With both men knocked out, the fight was over. The only combatants that remained were Kiyrely and the girl, though she had stopped fighting when Kiyrely showed up. A crowd had gathered around the spectacle. What had taken place was something out of the ordinary, which never usually happened in their small village. No one had really expected Kiyrely to win either. She was only eighteen, though technically an adult she was still developing in the physical strength department, and she had taken on two fully grown men and still kicked their asses. Then again she had been armed and they hadn't, but many people decided they had it coming. They had been picking on a young girl after all.

Speaking of the young girl, she now stared at Kiyrely in awe. Just when she was opening her mouth to speak to her savior, Kiyrely turned on her.

"And you!" Kiyrely pointed at the young girl angrily. Her voice was furious. "What on earth were you doing?! You don't go picking a fight with two grown men you little idiot!" People gathered around were now thrown for a bit of a loop. Hadn't Kiyrely just jumped in to save her? Why was she yelling at her like this then? It didn't make much sense to them. The young girl shrank back for a moment before setting her jaw and raising her gaze to meet Kiyrely's.

"I was just—"

"I don't care what you were doing!" Kiyrely cut her off before she could continue. Now she grabbed the young girl by her ear and hauled her up closer.

"Hey, ow! What are you doing?" the young girl whined at the pain.

"If you've got any brains in that head of yours I suggest you use them. And stop being such a smartass! After this, if you get yourself killed, it won't be my problem!" Kiyrely seemed to be finished her angry rant. "Now where are you staying?" Her tone had softened a little but not by much. It was still firm and somewhat harsh. Really the only difference was the volume.

"Over there." She pointed to an Inn not too far from them while still trying to release her ear from Kiyrely's grasp at the same time. With that, Kiyrely proceeded to drag the young girl by her ear in the direction of the Inn.

Cooro and the others, forgotten in a corner, stared after her in amazement. For one, they had no idea she could fight like that. As well they had no idea she could be so harsh. They watched her for a moment before someone broke the silence. Amazingly enough, it was Senri. "Should we follow?"

Husky, Nana and Cooro snapped out of their trance and looked up at Senri for a moment. "Uhhh, yeah, I guess," Cooro replied hesitantly. All of them were curious so they followed her to the Inn the young girl had pointed out.

Up ahead, Kiyrely continued in through the door and began to make her way upstairs to the rooms. The Inn Keeper tried to talk to her but she just stormed past him. When Cooro and the others entered the Inn they approached the somewhat stunned Inn Keeper.

"Did you see a girl with silver-ish grey hair pass through here with a young girl with light brown hair?" Nana asked.

"As a matter of fact I did." He didn't sound overly happy. "She just stormed right past me up to the rooms without paying for one!"

"We're visiting the young girl she was with," Husky replied. "For now we won't be staying the night but if we do we will come and pay of course." The Inn Keeper seemed satisfied with Husky's statement.

"Which room is she in?" Cooro asked.

"Room number five."

"Thank you." Cooro smiled as he turned towards the stairs with the others following close behind.

As they walked up the stairs Nana couldn't help but wonder if Kiyrely knew the young brown haired girl or not. It seemed a bit strange to berate a total stranger like that out in public and then drag them off but you never knew. Some people were just weird.

When they finally reached room number five they were unsure weather to knock or just enter. They decided on a combination of both. They knocked on the door before letting themselves in.

Kiyrely was sitting in the in a corner of the room with the young girl in her lap. She was holding her arm close to her face inspecting the wound there. "We'll I'll just have to pay them a visit then won't I?" She then proceeded to lick the wound.

It took several minutes for either of them to realize that they were no longer alone in the room. Nana and Husky were staring a Kiyrely quite oddly while Cooro regarded with a similar look for only a moment before he was fine with it. Senri didn't mind either way. He had a habit of doing the same thing.

The young girl sitting in Kiyrely's lap looked up at the others who had just entered the room. Kiyrely noticed the others finally as well. She stood up immediately, slightly startled by their sudden appearance. Since the other girl was still sitting in her lap she was dumped on the ground as Kiyrely stood.

"Oh! Guys, I'm sorry I just left like that. I got a little… sidetracked." She looked at them a little nervously. "Sorry."

The girl, still on the ground, was rubbing her head while looking up at Kiyrely indignantly. "That wasn't nice Kiy!" she said. "How 'bout a bit of warning next time?"

"Oh be quite you stupid kid!" Kiyrely snapped back. "If I wasn't always looking over your shoulder I swear you'd get your head lopped off!" She turned back to the others. "Sorry again. This is Mehri."

With a loud 'humph', Mehri walked over to the bed and sat down in a huff. Cooro and the others looked at her for a moment before they turned back to Kiyrely.

"Is that your sister?" Nana asked.

Mehri piped up before Kiyrely could reply. "Not really. Kiy raised me for the last six years, since I was six." She still had an edge to her voice.

"You raised her?" Cooro looked somewhat amazed.

"Kinda," she replied hesitantly. "I found her when she was six without a family. I decided to take her in. And she has brought me nothing but trouble ever since." She shot Mehri a menacing glare at the last part. As a response she stuck her tongue out at her.

"That's cool!" Cooro was oddly amazed by this. Kiyrely looked at him with slight confusion. He was very easily amused. She guessed that was just the way he was.

Nana stood in restrained silence. She couldn't believe it. Another girl her age! She hadn't spent time with any other girls her age since before Cooro and Husky came along. At that time she was with Delly and the other girls in Octopus, but they had driven her away because she was a +anima. She didn't think it would be the same with Mehri however. Kiyrely had accepted her and since Mehri had been raised by her, perhaps she would feel the same way. It would be so good to spend time with another girl her age again.

"Will she be coming with us?" she asked anxiously. Two replies, both different, were quick in following.

"No!" Husky practically yelled.

"Yes!" The volume of Mehri's voice nearly matched Husky's.

Nana turned to Husky and looked at him imploringly. "Please, Husky. I really want her to come with us." Nana put on the most pathetic and sad face she could muster.

Husky could only stand that face for a mere moment or two. Finally he turned away, his face slightly flushed. "Fine," he grumbled.

Everyone suppressed a little giggle, even Senri. It was next to impossible for him to say no to her anymore. They would have to tease him for it later.

Now it was time for Nana to work on the others, not that it would require much work at all. She asked Cooro and Senri now. "What do you guys think?"

"Sounds like fun!" Cooro was all for it.

Senri remained silent but nodded his consent.

Mehri decided to try her hand at convincing Kiyrely to let her join them. "C'mon Kiy!" she said. "I was supposed to come back to you after I was finished her anyways."

Kiyrely sighed, and then nodded. "That is true," she admitted. "Well if it's fine with you guys, I have no qualms about her traveling with us."

Both Nana and Mehri were overjoyed by Kiyrely's answer. Mehri jumped off the bed, over her grump quite quickly, and landed nimbly in front of Nana. She grabbed Nana's hands and clasped them in front of her. "Yay! I finally get to spend time with someone who isn't a grump!" Kiyrely's eye twitched at that comment.

Nana was equally happy. "And I get to spend time with another girl my age!" The two girls stood together giggling and discussing their plans on what they were going to do with their time together. In the mean time, Kiyrely turned to the boys with an apologetic smile.

"I hope you guys don't mind that she's with us now."

Senri shook his head, indicating that it was no problem. Husky was still looking off to the side, his arms crossed, looking annoyed. His face, however, still held a slight flush.

"It's no problem," Cooro replied. "The more the merrier right?" Senri nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah, right," Kiyrely mumbled, also looking over at her charge. Well, she had intended to find Mehri soon anyways, and having her travel with her and the others wouldn't be too bad. Mehri was the closest thing Kiyrely had to a family anyways.

Husky, finally over his brush with his hormones, decided to change the subject, if only slightly. "When we came in you said something to that girl about going to see someone tonight." It was a statement of fact but there was no missing the question within it. Mehri also heard what Husky had said, as had Nana. The two girls stopped their giggling and looked over at Husky

"Nothing special," Kiyrely replied with a smile. "Just some friends of Mehri's that are apparently in town so we decided that we would pay them a visit tonight."

"Could we come?" Nana asked politely.

"Actually I think they would prefer that you not, I'm sad to say," Kiyrely replied.

"Huh? Awwwww, why not?" Cooro asked rather pathetically.

"They're rather shy people." It was Mehri who answered this time. "They don't take too well to people they haven't met yet. Plus we haven't seen them in a while so it would be nice to see them alone."

"I guess that's understandable," Husky replied. "We wouldn't want to show up unwanted."

Huh, thought Kiyrely. Who knew Husky could be the understanding type. "Looks like we won't be going tonight anyways."

"Eh?" Mehri sounded very confused. "Why not?"

"Look outside stupid." She gestured to the window, showing the quickly darkening sky beyond. Night had already caught up with them.

"Oh," she said sadly.

"I guess we should be finding ourselves a room then," said Husky.

"Agreed," Cooro chirped. "Us four will share a room; you can stay here with Mehri. That is, if you want to," Cooro added the last part franticly. He didn't want to sound like he was making her do anything.

"Sounds good to me," Kiyrely replied.

"It's unfortunate we couldn't meet your friends Mehri, and you too Kiyrely." Nana sounded somewhat disappointed but made up for it by flashing a sweet smile. "Perhaps we may be able to see them some other time."

"Perhaps," Kiyrely replied, though she had her doubts.

"We'll be going now." Husky turned towards the door and left, followed closely by Nana and Cooro. Senri was the last to leave. He glanced back at Kiyrely briefly before making his exit and closing the door behind him. Kiyrely watched him leave and continued to look at the door for a moment after he left.

"Hey, earth to Kiy, come in Kiy!" Mehri's voice cut sharply into Kiyrely's thoughts.

"Eh?" She snapped out of her daze to see Mehri standing beside her with a smirk on her face. "What's with you?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing," she replied smugly. "It's just that I've never seen you act like that around someone before."

"Whatever kid." Kiyrely walked past her to where Mehri's, and now her own, belongings lay. She began fishing out something from the luggage. "Now let's get ready for bed."

xxx

The moon rode high in the sky, obstructed occasionally by an evening cloud. The village was silent, all of its occupants already tucked into their beds for the night. Outside, nothing stirred except a young raccoon walking down the streets prowling for leftover scraps to devour. Out of the corner of his eye he could have sworn he saw something move in the shadows of a building. He froze in place and inspected the shadows, terrified that it might actually be a human. After a moment of worrying though, his thoughts proved unfounded. Nothing stirred in the shadows. He was alone this evening.

Unknown to the young night creature as he continued on his way a shadow detached itself from a building and leapt onto the roof. Dashing along from roof top to roof top they headed for the far side of town. When they finally reached the building they had been looking for, an old rundown tavern, they jumped in through an open window and landed silently on the wooden floor.

On silent paws they padded through the halls to a certain door. They didn't bother testing the handle; they knew it would be locked. That was, after all, the point of having doors. Using their claws they picked the lock and let the door swing silently open.

Within the room two men sat at a table against the wall by a tightly shuttered window. It was the two men that Kiyrely had beaten earlier that same day. Both wore bandages wrapped around their wounds and both sulked at the table, mulling over what they would do to the girls if they caught them again.

At the sound of the door opening supposedly of its own accord both men jumped up and faced the door. Nothing stood in the empty doorway but the two men were not ready to relax yet. They had locked the door and there was no way it could just open on its own.

"Good evening, gentlemen."

Both men let out a startled yelp as they whirled around to face the intruder. In the process of turning around they also tried to back away, which turned out to not be one of their best ideas of the day. Both fell onto their backsides and attempted to shuffle away. For all of their tough talk they were, for the most part, cowards. They did, however, have enough guts to attempt to hire the Claws of Night.

She sat on the windowsill looking at the two men, a smirk creasing her mask. These men were fools, but if they had money and a job then who was she to say no. "I heard from one of my associates that you were enquiring after my services today."

One of the men, the one who had been slashed across the chest, stared up at her in fear and wonder. "Y-you're her, aren't you."

"Yes, I am the Claws of Night," she replied smoothly.

"B-but you're a wolf p-p-p-+anima!" the other man stammered.

What acute observational skills you have, she though sarcastically. "Really? Now how did you figure that one out? It couldn't have been the ears, the tail, the legs, the claws or the eyes. No, none of those things would have tipped you off."

"Forgive me," he said, his voice a little more sturdy now. "It's just, I didn't expect--"

"Whatever," she cut him off. "Let's get down to business. I assume since you were asking after me that means there is a job you wish to hire me for?"

"Yes," the first man replied. "A man arrived in the village yesterday, a man of high status."

"A noble from Stella, I take it?"

"Yes. I hope that isn't a problem for you?"

"The only person I owe allegiance to is myself. I don't care who I am hired to kill, as long as I am paid in full."

"That works then. The reason we want him gone is becau--"

"I don't care," she cut him off again.

"Wait, you don't care?" the second man asked. He has always thought assassins would want to know the reason they were to take someone out.

"Not at all. I don't care whether he stole your money, murdered your dog or raped your wife. It's all the same to me." Her voice was cold and uncaring. It was almost as if she was incapable of feeling sympathy. The thought of that sent shivers up both men's spines.

"Now that the 'who' is out of the way, let us discuss a price."

xxx

Unknown to the two men inside the room, a fourth person was listening in to their conversation. A young brown-haired fox +anima sat outside on the roof just above the window. It was her job to make sure they didn't try to pull any fast ones on her master. Not that they would be able to get away with it anyways. Her master was one of the best in the business.

Inside they were still discussing a price. The men weren't very wealthy and her master drives a hard bargain. She would wring them for all they were worth. They weren't in this business for money though. Actually, she wasn't quite sure why they did this. It was her master's choice. It didn't matter to her though. She owed her master her allegiance. Besides, it was rather fun.

Her large ears and whiskers twitched as she heard her master silently exit the room below. Using her superior speed gained from her transformed legs, the second member of the Claws of Night made her way across the roof to the window where she had first entered.

When the elder of the duo emerged from the inn she removed her mask showing her fangs, exposed in a look of pure annoyance. "Those fools," she spat. "Thinking they can buy my services for such a low price. It's insulting. They're lucky I didn't kill them as well." She scratched at one of her ears with her claws as her tail whipped back and forth in agitation.

The other girl removed her mask as well. "So we aren't taking the job?"

"Weren't you listening? Yes, we're taking the job; I just had to wring them for a little more money first."

"Sorry," she apologized rather pathetically. "Oh, do you want me to go scout out the targets house tonight?" she asked.

"Do what you will. Those idiots exhausted me with their stupidity. I'm going to bed."

"Alright." The young girl turned to leave but was stopped by her master's voice.

"Oh, and Mehri?"

Mehri turned around to face her master, standing in the middle of the street half turned towards her and looking back at her over her shoulder, her braided hair moving slightly with the wind. She had a small smirk on her face.

"Don't screw it up."

Captive's Heart
Chapter Five: Ambush

After the failed recruiting mission in the village, her first time out with Murtagh, she began to travel with him much more. When he was sent on a mission out of the castle he would sneak her with him, though it didn't take much effort on his part. She was quite adept at sneaking out and moving around the palace unseen and unheard by everyone within. (That was what heightened senses were for, after all.) While out and about, she enjoyed playing games with the palace staff. She was never caught of course; for the most part she just followed them around and made a sport out of not getting caught. Of course, if Murtagh ever found out about this he would probably skin her alive. She only did things like that when he was either busy in the castle or when he couldn't take her with him, which admittedly didn't happen too often.

Actually, now that she thought about it, she found she was being left alone more often than she wished. Whenever he went out with Thorn she could not go with him, if only because he had no feasible way of taking her with him. She couldn't exactly ride in the saddle with him nor was she comfortable with the thought of being carried in the claws of the dragon. She would have to figure out a way around this.

As the wind blew through the trees to where she now hunted she caught a familiar scent; Murtagh. He had left the castle and was headed her way on horseback. Abandoning her hunt for the stag she ran towards him. It was mission time. When she found him, he was already at a gallop, though that was no problem for her. She was fast enough to easily keep up with the horse. Murtagh looked over at Raine as she fell into step beside his horse, matching its pace. She had no idea where they were heading or what they had to do, but she would find out eventually.

The trees to Raine's right sped by as they raced down an old horse path long ago trodden into the earth. Running was exhilarating and made her feel alive. There was almost nothing better than the sound of paws drumming against the earth and the feel of the wind in her fur as her heart thumped against her chest. Her tongue lolling out of her mouth, Raine felt like throwing her head back and howling. It would be a long, rich, beautiful, haunting sound that would ring through the forest. She was the strongest, proudest, and most beautiful being around and everyone would know it. She resisted the urge, however, preferring the secrecy that lay in silence.

They traveled at that pace for a while until they began to near their destination. Well, she assumed they were getting close, but she didn't know where they were going so she couldn't say for sure. All she knew was that they were slowing down. Murtagh brought his horse to a slow trot and Raine followed suit, somewhat disappointed in the fact that they no longer ran with the wind. She looked up at him inquisitively.

"We're almost there," he said, reading her look. "I'm only delivering a message to a Lord in the town up ahead but I figured you may like the run."

How thoughtful. She had indeed enjoyed the run, though she was slightly disappointed that there would be no fighting. Not that she enjoyed killing for the Empire, or killing humans for that matter – especially young ones – but she did enjoy fighting. It was like hunting with a challenge, and she enjoyed a good challenge.

"It would be best if you remained outside the city limits, out of the view of people," he told her. "Many people are not used to seeing wolves around their cities, especially not ones your size." He looked at the golden neckband that still shone at her throat. "Or ones with such expensive tastes," he said, smirking. He still had no idea what the engravings said or meant, though not for lack of trying. He had tried to use magic to decipher its meaning and when that failed he had gone to the castle libraries to search for what language it could have been but still found nothing. It remained a mystery. Eventually he had given up on trying to figure out it's meaning and concentrated on more important things instead; like his service to the King and his Empire.

Murtagh dismounted his horse and lead it into the city while Raine found a nice patch of soft earth and grass out of the way to lie in while she waited. She walked in a circle a couple of times before lying down and resting her head on her paws. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her back. Once or twice a rabbit wandered into her resting area but she made no effort towards it other than to raise her head and growl softly at it, which quickly sent it running, then returned to her all-important napping.

She wasn't sure of quite how long she rested but she finally awoke when Murtagh approached her. Lifting her head she looked up at him and yawned. "Come on Raine," he said to her. "It's best we be leaving this place." She rose swiftly and stretched before walking after him. Murtagh didn't mount his horse, instead he lead it by the reins down the path they had arrived on. Having just woken up, Raine had no qualms about walking instead of running.

A moment later Murtagh led his horse off the path and into the forest. They quickly found another small clearing. This wasn't an oddity; the forest was riddled with them. Gathering up his horse's reins, Murtagh tied them to a low hanging tree branch, leaving enough room to allow him to graze. He walked to the other side of the clearing, removing Zar'roc, still in its sheath, from his belt and sat down with his back against a tree.

Still on the other side of the clearing Raine looked at him quizzically. Usually they completed a mission he tried to get back to the castle as quickly as possible lest he anger King Galbatorix. She could understand that though. His presence alone was terrifying, not to mention the power he wielded. He also had a mental chokehold on Murtagh. She had heard that he had forced Murtagh to swear allegiance to him in the ancient language using his true name, binding him permanently to the King's will. Which begged the question, why was Murtagh taking his chances?

"I'm just taking a break," he explained when he saw her looking at him. "This was a simple task, though I was given a lengthy amount of time to complete it. I am taking that extra time to rest in peace and quite. In case you haven't noticed, I don't get much of that in the castle." He sat back and closed his eyes, enjoying the peace and quiet. Raine settled herself down to relax as well. There was no point arguing with him, even if she could effectively. She had learnt by now that he could be very stubborn when he wanted to be. She looked over at him and saw he was dozing, which is why he didn't sense the attack when it came.

A bow twanged within the trees and an arrow hissed through the air, aimed at Murtagh. Raine, who had smelled the attackers before they made their move, flung herself in the arrow's path, protecting Murtagh, as he had protected her. The arrow buried itself in her flank and she let out a whine of pain as she landed awkwardly on her side. Murtagh whipped his head around in surprise then flung himself to the side as another arrow flew by, thudding into the tree where he had been resting. How had he not sense their approach? Perhaps they had a magician with them capable of masking their presence.

Fortunately Raine had not been so disadvantaged. Her superior sense of smell and hearing had probably saved his life, though it may have been at the cost of her own. He had been careless. Because the mission had been a simple one – deliver a message and then return – he had not bothered to place wards around either of them.

Unsheathing Zar'roc Murtagh swept his hand in front of him, unleashing his magic. "Brisingr!" he shouted, setting the forest where he directed his will ablaze. He felt another mind touch upon his own and quickly assaulted the alien presence.

Several men came screaming from the burning forest. They had hoped to take the King's pet by surprise and had not expected him to survive. They were ill prepared to handle a situation such as this. They were mostly bow men with several sword wielders among them but they did not have much experience, save for one of them being a deadeye with the bow. Their magician specialized in shielding their presence from others and was not cut out for fighting. He couldn't withstand Murtagh's mental assault.

With practiced movements he attacked scared men as they attempted to flee for safety. He wouldn't let them leave alive. Fury at what they had done to Raine and what they had tried to do to him coursed through him. He wasn't going to let them get away with this.

The fight was over quickly, the would-be assassins scattered throughout the clearing. The magician had died quickly, the mental assault far more than he could handle. He used magic to put out the fire that he had started and stood still for a moment, his cold fury slowly dissipating.

A whine from behind him drew his attention. Raine lay on the ground, an arrow protruding from her side and blood seeping out, matting her silver fur. Murtagh rushed over to her and felt around the wound, drawing more pained whines from her. "Shh," he said softly, trying to calm her. "It's alright. I'll get this out." From the looks of it the arrow was fairly deep but the amount of blood suggested that it hadn't hit anything important. Thank goodness for that. It meant that he could heal her.

Gripping the arrow close to where it met her flesh he spoke to the injured wolf. "Brace yourself Raine. This is going to hurt." With a sharp tug he drew the arrow out of her side and she cried out in pain but resisted struggling. She knew that would just make it worse. "Hang in there Raine."

Raine shut her eyes tight and breathed heavily. She had to trust that Murtagh knew what he was doing, but it hurt so much! A soft whine escaped her again while she lay there on the ground, letting him examine her wound.

"You didn't have to do that," he said suddenly. "It was stupid." He sounded angry, but she didn't understand why. She had just saved him. He should be thankful. Instead he was getting mad at her. She looked up at his face through the veil of pain and saw worry in his eyes. No, he wasn't mad at her; he was mad at himself.

Why was he getting so angry? It didn't make any sense, even to himself. She was just a wolf, nothing more. She wasn't even human, but he was still irrationally worried about her. He hadn't worried about someone like this since he had traveled with his brother on good terms, and even then, he never let it show. So why did it matter this time?

He looked down at her anguished face, pain etched in her violet eyes and understood that it didn't matter whether she was a wolf or not; she was someone who sat and listened if he needed her too and who wouldn't judge or go running to someone else – like the King – with his private thoughts. He hadn't had someone like that in he couldn't remember how many years.

Looking down at her wound again he realized he had been too distracted to even remember to heal her using his magic. Placing his hand over the torn flesh he muttered the healing spell, repairing the damage done. He saw Raine visibly relax now, the pain slowly vanishing.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. Raising her head she licked Murtagh under the chin. It was her way of telling him not to worry, that she would live and it was not his fault that she had been injured. He smiled at him sadly and stood. "Are you fine to walk back to the castle?" he asked.

In response Raine stood. She did it rather gingerly, granted, but she stood none the less. "Let us return," he said as he undid the horse's reins and mounted. The trip was longer this time because of Raine's injury but they still managed to make it back before the sun set. Sneaking back to Murtagh's chambers she lay on the floor out of sight of the door to rest. Murtagh put his blade in its resting spot as Raine began to lick her wounds. Before much else could happen there came a knock at the door.

Murtagh walked to the door with what could have been described as a growl. He was out of patience for the day. As far as he was concerned it couldn't get much worse. He was proven wrong when he answered the door.

Waiting on the other side of the door two armed guards stood in a no nonsense manner. "Yes?" Murtagh asked, caution creeping into his voice.

"The King demands you meet with him immediately," the first said, his voice deep and severe.

Murtagh was about to protest when the other man cut in. "It is not a request." Cold gathered in a tight ball in his stomach and fear gripped him. Whatever the King wanted couldn't be good. Had he found out about Raine? Perhaps he had heard about the ambush. Or maybe it was something completely different, but either way, it wasn't good.

After a moments hesitation Murtagh followed the two escorts out of the room, closing the door behind him, and down the hall. When the door closed Raine emerged from hiding and stared at the wooden door. She agreed with Murtagh's unspoken sentiments. Whatever was going on couldn't be good.

Sibling Rivalry
Chapter 5: First Meeting

It was a Friday after school. Time to enjoy the rest of the day and the weekend. No more school for a few days. Kids were outside playing ball and younger kids were flying kites on this beautiful day. Danny had to watch them from inside the school.

Because of his ghost fighting, he always fell behind in his schoolwork. Now he was so far behind that Mr. Lancer had given him a detention. Danny sat in his desk gazing out the window at the bright day outside. He was supposed to be concentrating on the assignment that was sitting on his desk but he just couldn't.

"Mr. Fenton!" Danny turned around and saw his teacher looking at him. He immediately went back to work on his assignment. This is so boring! Danny thought. He could be outside enjoying the weekend with his friends but no. He had to stay inside and work on his homework.

Danny felt something cold rising in his throat. A blue mist came floating out of his mouth as he gasped. He looked up at Mr. Lancer who was sitting in his desk reading a book. Danny looked down at his half finished paper. He didn't have time for this. There was a ghost around. Danny stood up and went over to Mr. Lancer.

"What is it?" he asked. Danny gulped. He seemed rather irritated.

"I, uh, have to go," said Danny. He looked around but there was no ghost around.

"Is your paper done?" he asked, looking rather skeptical.

"Ummm…" Before Danny could finish his sentence, a giant ghost beetle flew through the roof and crashed into Danny.

"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince what's going on!" yelled Mr. Lancer. Danny was thrown against the door and into the hall. He looked around and found no one was out. He quickly changed into his ghost form.

"I'm going ghost!" The blue rings appeared around his waist and traveled up and down his body leaving Danny Phantom standing there. He flew at the beetle thing but before he could hit it, another came up through the floor and sent Danny flying through the roof.

In the sky, Danny looked around for the ghosts. He heard one behind him and turned to meet its attack.

Jazz was sitting at home doing her homework at the kitchen table. Danny wasn't home yet. He must have gotten another detention from Mr. Lancer, she thought. After all, she could sense if a ghost was around too and there had been no ghost warnings.

She looked up at the clock. It read 5:00. If Danny was not home soon, he would be late for dinner. Her homework forgotten, she gazed up at the ceiling. Should she tell Danny that she was half ghost as well? Maybe then he wouldn't always be so uptight and he might relax a little knowing there was someone there to help him.

Then again, he might like going solo and if Jazz told him, they would become enemies. That wasn't what Jazz wanted. She would let him find out on his own. She knew he would eventually.

Jazz felt something rising in her throat and she gasped. The blue mist came out of her mouth and she ran up to her room. She slammed the door and transformed. Unlike Danny, she didn't have a little battle cry.

Her light blue hair waved behind her as she flew towards Casper High. Above the school, she spotted two floating figures locked in combat. One was definitely Danny. The other appeared to be a giant green beetle of sorts.

She was now close enough to join the fight, but she then noticed another of the giant beetles coming up behind Danny. None of the ghosts noticed her, and Danny didn't seem to notice the second beetle.

Danny didn't notice the second beetle until it was too late. He turned around and saw the thing was almost on top of him.

Jazz shot a green ectoplasmic ray down at the beetle and sent it into the ground. Danny turned momentarily to find where the source of the attack was. His gaze stopped on Jazz, but he quickly turned away as the first beetle renewed its assault.

She knew that she couldn't take on such a strong ghost on her own, but since Danny was there, she might actually stand a chance.

The second beetle was up off the ground by now, and it was coming fast after Jazz. She moved aside just as the beetle was about to smash into her. It went flying by her and into the wall of the school. Jazz quickly shot an ectoplasmic ray down at it.

Jazz was thinking happily she could actually be of help to Danny, when the fist beetle crashed into her from behind. She was knocked towards the school as well, but went intangible just before she crashed. She came back out through the roof and went at the beetles with a vengeance.

One of the beetles was coming from behind her, so she turned around and gave it a good smack in the face. By now, there was a crowd gathered below the battle scene. She caught a whisper here and there. 'Who's the new ghost?' and 'Wow, look at them fight!' were the most common comments made.

Neither of the beetles were paying Jazz any attention, so she attacked one from behind. It went careening into the other beetle and they both landed in a heap on the ground. Danny quickly took out the Fenton Thermos from behind his back, and the two beetles were sucked inside. He closed it and turned to Jazz who was hovering a couple of feet away.

"Uhhh, thanks for your help," he said

"No problem," Jazz replied, pushing a stray piece of hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear. Since Danny didn't know who she was, she was going to have to introduce herself. "I'm Jazzy Spook."

"I'm Danny Phantom," he replied. This was a very awkward meeting. He couldn't let it slip that he knew who she was. He looked down at the crowd below. I wonder if they'll give Jazz some weird name he wondered. "I haven't seen you around before."

"I just moved here," she lied. "But I'll be around more often now," she said happily.

"Great," he replied. "I got to go now. I'm late for, umm, something," he stammered.

"Me too," said Jazz. They flew off in separate directions, neither of them towards their house, leaving a bewildered crowd staring after them.

Danny arrived back home before Jazz did. He flew into the ally way beside their house and changed back. When he walked into the front door, his mother was there to meet him. "Where have you been," she asked him rather sternly.

"I was over at Tucker's." He hoped Mr. Lancer wouldn't phone and inform his mom of the interrupted detention.

"I expect you to be home sooner than this. You almost missed supper."

"Hurry up before I eat your food!" he heard his father call from the kitchen. Jazz appeared on the stairs, coming down from her room. She had flown straight into her room and changed back in there. Why didn't I think of that?

"There you are Jazz. Have you been here the whole time?" she asked. Jazz just nodded and proceeded to the kitchen to eat her meal. Unfair, Danny thought. He had to be lectured while Jazz just got off with one simple question. "Well," she said turning back to Danny. "Come eat your dinner or your father really will eat it for you."

"Too late!" yelled Jack as he let off a big belch. Danny ran into the kitchen to find that his father had just been kidding. Danny's food sat at the table untouched. He grumbled under his breath and sat down to eat. Jazz and Danny didn't look at each other for the entire meal. Their parents didn't seem to notice. When they were done, both Danny and Jazz went to bed.

As Jazz lay in her bed, she felt a new sense of pride. She had finally helped her brother with his ghost fitting. She closed her eyes and pulled up the covers. She planned for tomorrow to be a relaxing day.

Jazz sighed. But things hardly ever work out how you want them to.

Star Fox Adventure: Dinosaur Planet
Chapter Five: ThornTail Hollow

Fox took a few steps away from his Arwing and activated his communicator. An image of General Pepper's head appeared above the floating transmitter device. Before Fox could greet the Pepper, the General spoke.

"Great flying, Fox. For a moment, I thought you weren't going to make it."

"Very funny, sir," Fox said sarcastically, crossing his arms. His flying was top notch and they both new it.

"I know," he said with a chuckle. "Now, on to business. Don't forget, you're looking for the Queen EarthWalker. Try talking to those ThornTail guys." The General looked around the Hollow, indicating the grazing ThornTails.

"Slippy is preparing a translator device." Pepper continued, "but until it's ready, he'll translate for you."

Fox nodded while rolling his eyes. Great. He hated not understanding what people were saying. "Okay, General, but what about a weapon? Why couldn't I bring my blaster?" he asked, motioning to the empty spot on his leg where his blaster was usually located when he was on a ground mission.

"It's always the same with you, Fox; shoot first, ask questions later. This mission is about saving the planet, not blowing it up," he said sternly. "It requires a different tactic. Try using your head." General Pepper's throaty laugh emanated from the communicator.

"Yeah, yeah," Fox replied with a hint of annoyance. "Very funny, sir. Fox out." Using the controls on his wristband he turned off the communicator. The General was right; he would have to talk to the ThornTails. Perhaps they would know where to find the Queen EarthWalker.

Looking around, he took stock of his surroundings. A stream ran through the Hollow which was fed by a small waterfall. At the top of the waterfall he saw a stone structure. It may have been a trick of the light but Fox could have sworn he saw it moving. Shaking his head, he went back to his surveying. There were several old structures built of stone and greenery bloomed everywhere, with a healthy dose of colourful flowers.

There were plenty of ThornTails around, so finding one to talk to wouldn't be much of a problem. He walked up to the nearest one and greeted it. Slippy was ready to translate.

"Hello stranger, I am a ThornTail," he greeted. "Scales has unleashed his army of SharpClaw upon us. They have taken the Queen EarthWalker and locked the doors. We are very worried about her safety." He clearly sounded distressed.

Who is this 'Scales?' Fox thought. Obviously he was some big nasty that was currently running rampant, but was it because the planet was falling apart that he was causing chaos, or was he the cause of it?

Before he could contemplate further, the ThornTail continued talking. "Let me give some advice about our world. All around us are many trees, some of which contain DumbleDang Pods. A lovely, tasty fruit."

Whatever you say. The name of the fruit was a quite odd and he couldn't help but picture and equally odd looking and tasting fruit.

"Try finding a way to knock them out of the tree. They are a great source of energy." Once again, the ThornTail changed the subject. "Go and speak to the other ThornTails. They have much more for you to learn."

Fox nodded his thanks and moved off. The ThornTail had given him advice. Strange advice, but advice none the less, so he decided to heed it. Perhaps he would even try one of those DumbleDang Pod things. Later.

He talked to several more ThornTails, most of them giving him little bits of advice. "Nothing to see here, just this tree," one had said. "If you want some real help, you should go and look around the Store. It's over there through that doorway. Go down inside and take a look around. I'm sure there are lots of items for you to buy." Fox decided he would visit the store later. He should probably concentrate of finding the Queen first.

Several more conversations later, he still didn't have anything more. The first guy he talked to seemed to be the most helpful. He wandered for a minute more before hearing something he hadn't picked up before; crying. The Queen had been locked up. Perhaps that was her that he was hearing. Following the sound he eventually wound up in front of a large stone door. He pushed and shoved but no matter what he did it wouldn't budge. The door was good and locked.

Giving up he wandered for a bit more. This was far more frustrating than he had anticipated. The first part of the mission had seemed simple; go down to the planet and find the Queen EarthWalker. He hadn't counted on her being locked up and him not being able to get to her.

His wandering took him into a grove of trees he hadn't noticed before and there was something there that was very interesting; a staff. Walking slowly forwards, he examined it. It was stuck end down in the ground, like it had fallen from the sky. A blue gem glowed at the tip encased in gold and blue markings covered the smooth wood. Blue energy coursed up its length.

Reaching a hand out, he gripped the staff and yanked it from the ground. Suddenly the energy that had flowed along the staff flowed into him with a shock. He gasped and suddenly a female voice was filling his head. He didn't know the language in which she spoke but he clearly understood them.

"If you are receiving this message, then I am in great danger."

He looked again at the staff in his hands.

"The Staff you hold in your hands is a powerful weapon."

He studied the obviously ancient markings on its smooth, wooden surface.

"You must learn to use it wisely."

The end opened up and a blue energy-fire burned around it. He swung the staff and the energy that flowed through it to him responded.

"It will give you guidance when its powers can be used."

Fox launched into a series of offensive moves, handling the staff with ease.

"My Staff's main use is in combat and in time your skills may grow. Try different actions to unleash powerful attacks. You can also use it to explore the world around you. Try lifting rocks and knocking items out of trees."

He was breathing heavily as he finished the routine, though more from exhilaration than anything. He had never handled a weapon quite like this one. A fierce grin stretched across his face. He intended to use this staff.

"I'm sure that you will find it very useful," the voice finished. "Take care of my staff and it will take care of you."

With a sense of accomplishment Fox spun the staff and tucked it between his pack and his back, securing it in place. His gaze wandered back to the locked stone door sealing in the Queen and his sense of accomplishment vanished. He still had no way of releasing her. On a whim, he decided to return to the door and see if he had missed anything.

This time as he approached to door opened, but to his dismay, the Queen EarthWalker wasn't the one coming out to meet him. Some rather vicious looking dinosaurs in armour and wielding maces emerged instead. He took a rather large leap of logic and guessed these guys to be ShapClaws, their sharp claws having nothing to do with his reasoning.

As he took out the staff the female voice once again entered his mind. "It's time to use my staff in combat." The four SharpClaw rushed him but he was ready. With near ease, he began to attack the offenders with the staff. He had practiced with a quarter staff once or twice before, but with the intent of physical fitness, not bettering his skills with the staff itself. It looked like that training was paying off.

He quickly disposed of the SharpClaw and was about to put the staff away when the voice entered his head once again. "This message will only play if my staff feels that you are ready to become its master. Before the staff becomes your own you must learn to see and feel its call through your hands. Follow its call and discover what lies beneath."

Fox looked down at the staff in his hands and realized that he felt like it was pulling him somewhere. Remembering the message that Krystal had given he decided to follow the staff's call. He took a couple of steps before he stopped. How did he know that the girls name was Krystal? He had never met this girl before or even seen her. When he first gripped the staff was the first time he had ever even heard her voice. He looked down accusingly at the staff he now carried in his hand. The stupid thing was putting things in his head.

Shaking it off, he continued to follow to where the staff was leading. It took him behind the stone structure that resembled a very large well to a cave in the Hollow's wall. How had he missed this on his first go around of the place? Either way, he was here now, as the staff wanted. It was vibrating in his hands now.

A stone lay in the centre of the cave and using his staff, he flipped it over and away. Beneath it was a hole just big enough for him to drop through. It seemed somewhat of a bad idea but he decided to go with it. He had gone through with worse ideas before.

As he dropped down he fully expected a harsh landing to follow but instead he felt his body begin to slow and he was set gently on his fit. The whisper of a breeze ruffled his fur, which was odd considering he was underground, before it disappeared. Shrugging, he started down a hall that lay before him.

Soon he entered a room at the end of the hall. In the center lay a deep pool of water with an odd structure jutting out of the roof above a small island of stone. Energy Crystals ringed the pool of water. He had heard about these things from one of the ThornTails. Apparently they were used to power the staff.

After he jumped across the water to the stone in the water, he looked down at the staff and back up at the odd structure above him. General Pepper had said this planet was ripe with magic. Perhaps this thing had a way of channeling it into his staff. He decided to give it a try and raised the staff above his head.

Energy lanced out from the tip of the structure to the ends of the staff. After a moment where energy was transferred Fox felt the new energy within the staff and lowered it.

"You have collected your first Staff Upgrade," Krystal's voice echoed through his head. "It is called the Fire Blaster. With power from the Energy Crystals it can be used for many tasks.

Fox grinned and turned around to face the entry way and stopped. It was now barred by a gate that had fallen. Where the heck did that come from?! And why didn't I notice it before? Fox shook his head in annoyance. He hated when things got complicated.

Walking up to the gate he began to examine it. He noticed an odd switch high up on the wall, so he couldn't reach it. He guessed, though, that it was used to operate this gate. Then he remembered his recent Staff Upgrade, the Fire Blaster. He looked down at his staff and back up at the switch. Well, may as well give it a try.

Holding the staff at the ready he aimed it up at the switch on the wall and then concentrated on firing. Aaand…Fire! As he thought it, it happened. A small blast of fire projectile shot from the end of the staff and hit the switch, opening the gate.

Fox put the staff away and strolled through the open gate. He loved it when things went his way. He walked back to the beginning of the cave and looked up at the light filtering though the hole in the roof above. Just as he was wondering how to get out the same sensation that had lowered him safely to the ground surrounded him again and he felt himself lifted from the ground.

When he landed back in the world above, he remembered something. Hadn't he seen a large switch quite like the one that controlled the gate above the stone door that sealed in the Queen?

He quickly jogged back over to the door and looked. Indeed there was one. Perhaps he could finally open the door. Once again using his staff he hit the switch and the door opened. A feeling of triumph surged through him and he ran to the open door. It was dank and dark inside and now he could hear the crying more clearly.

As he ran down the hall he called out. "Is anybody there?" When he rounded a corner he saw who he could only assume was the Queen EarthWalker laying on the ground. She wore bands of jewels around her legs and had jewels embedded in the frill that extended from the back of her head. "Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling in front of her. She raised her head and nodded to him. "My name is Fox McCloud."

Before he could say anything more she began talking. Not that he could understand her. She was speaking in the language of the dinosaurs and his translator still wasn't ready. He rested an arm on one knee and his head in the other. He sat there like that for a moment, looking at her in incomprehension. Finally he sighed and rubbed his forehead.

He looked over at the communicator which he had activated when the Queen had started talking. "Did you get that Slippy?" he asked.

"You've got to go to the Ice Mountain," he translated, "to rescue her son, the Prince Tricky."

Fox paused and looked from Slippy back to the Queen. "Nice name," he laughed. "Okay lady, I'll bring your son back to you. Ah," he added, "can you give me some directions?"

Once again she began to ramble on in the language he couldn't understand. "You've got to talk to that big stone guy," Slippy piped up. Fox started then clenched his fists and closed his eyes. He had forgotten that Slippy was translating for him and he had been startled. "She called him a WarpStone." Slippy didn't seem to notice Fox's reaction.

"That's all I need to know," he confirmed. "I'll be back soon Queen, don't you worry." He turned around and jogged back out the hall. When he was out of the Queens hearing range he turned to Slippy's image in the communicator. "Haven't you finished that translator yet?" He was starting to get impatient.

"It's nearly ready, Fox," Slippy said. "I just need a bit more time. Slippy out."

Fox stepped outside into the night air. Apparently he had been in there talking to the Queen longer than he thought. Either that or it was later than he realized. He began walking over to the waterfall and the WarpStone that resided above it. Apparently he had seen that big stone thing move.

As he walked down a path he passed a plat that was emitting smoke. He paused to examine it, his curiosity getting the better of him. As he looked at it a ThornTail approached. "This is a Bomb Spore Plant." Slippy translated for Fox again. "Find a way to make it explode and it will throw out Bomb Spores. Collect these Spores, as they will become very useful when you need to get through solid walls." The ThornTail paused before continuing. "Though when you plant a spore it will not throw out any new spores."

"Thanks for that," Fox said. This Bomb Spore Plant would likely come in handy.

"Anytime," the ThornTail said happily before returning to his grazing. Using his staff's Fire Blaster Fox blew up the Bomb Spore Plant and collected the spores.

When he reached the waterfall he realized one tiny flaw. He didn't see a way up to the WarpStone. He approached a wall where a ThornTail was sleeping and examined it. There was a crack in the wall but he didn't have any explosives to use. Then he remembered the Bomb Spores he had just collected.

Looking down Fox noticed a fertile patch of ground at his feet. Perhaps if he planted a Bomb Spore here he could use it to break the wall. After he planted the Spore a new plant grew almost instantly. Backing away he readied his staff. Once again he used the Fire Blaster to detonate the plant. Something seemed a little off about an exploding plant but he forgave it on the count that it exploded. He had always had a thing for explosions.

Walking through the now open wall he saw the WarpStone. It was huge and sat on an island in the middle of the stream. Walking around the steam and across a small bridge he found a small outcropping that he was able to jump from across to the WarpSone's island.

"Excuse me!" Fox called up to it.

The WarpStone turned to him and called down. "Nobody ever brings me gifts anymore!" One second thought, the WarpStone wasn't calling as much as just talking. Something that large would undoubtedly have a loud voice.

Great. Now I have to buy this big stone thing a gift. He scratched behind his ear. What was he supposed to get a rock anyways? Walking back into the Hollow he began mumbling to himself. "What on earth do I get a rock as a gift? And why do I have to get him a gift anyways. That's not even dealing with the bigger concern of money. I highly doubt Cornarian money is accepted here."

"Perhaps I could help you," a ThornTail called to him. Fox looked up. He hadn't even realized he had been talking aloud. "You are looking for money?" he asked.

"I am," Fox confirmed.

"Well, you see those rocks over there?" He motioned behind him to the ring of rocks. "If you can manage to lift those up you might find some Scarabs."

"Scarabs?" Fox asked. "Aren't those bugs?"

"They are. But here we use them as our currency."

"Ah." Fox nodded his thanks and walked over to the rocks. Taking out his staff he used it to leverage the rocks up. Just as the ThornTail had said some Scarabs scuttled out. Dropping the rock, Fox chased after them. When he gathered as many as his pack could hold in one small pouch, he walked over to the Store.

When he walked into the store a floating dinosaur clad in loose purples approached him. It was a very odd looking creature, though it appeared to be the shopkeeper so he attempted not to judge.

"Welcome to my store." She quickly indicated the different sections of the shop, each covered with a drape in the doorway. "Now, hurry and choose something," she finished, "or get out." So much for pleasantries.

Quickly he walked over to where the artifacts were kept and something immediately caught his eye. It was large, square and had a red gem in its centre. Strangely though it was labeled as 'Rock Candy'. The price was listed at ten Scarabs. He called over the shopkeeper to discuss a price.

"How about this for six Scarabs?" he asked.

"No, that's too low."

"Eight?"

"No, that's too low."

"Nine?" It was only a difference of one Scarab but hey, it was better than nothing.

"Okay, I'll sell it to you." Fox sighed. Finally. He handed over the agreed amount, grabbed the candy and headed back to the WarpStone. Holding out the candy, he called up to the WarpStone.

"Ah, a lovely sweetie," he exclaimed as he reached down and grabbed the candy, popping it into his mouth. "Hmmmm." He savored it for a minute before stretching and turning back to Fox.

"Who dares bother the mighty WarpStone?" The ground Fox was standing on began to rise and soon he was standing on top of a pillar and he could now look at the WarpStone without having to strain his neck. "A thousand years I've been left alone to rest," he continued. "What do you want?"

"Well, uh," Fox said awkwardly. It was…different to be talking to a stone. "Can you help us?"

"Help you?" the WarpStone asked incredulously. "No."

"But you're a WarpStone!" Fox cried. "You're supposed to help."

He was about to argue but paused. "Ah. Right." Fox shook his head. "Let's see if I can remember what I'm supposed to do. Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"The Queen said I needed to go to Ice Mountains to rescue the Prince."

"Ah, yes. Prince Tricky. Well, are you ready to go to the Ice Mountains?"

Fox nodded and stepped into the WarpStone's outstretched hand. He looked at Fox intently and suddenly he felt his body begin to vanish. "Good luck!" the WarpStone called, though his voice was already growing faint as Fox was transported by the power of the WarpStone to the Ice Mountains.

End of Chapter

The Price of Life
Chapter Five

Morning light filtered through the window and tickled Mehri's nose. She groaned and flipped over in her bed rather violently while pulling her blanket over her head.

"Wake up, lazy bum," Kiyrely told her.

"Ten more minutes," she mumbled from beneath the blankets.

"Sheesh, what were you doing last night?" she asked. "You must have stayed up late if you're still tired."

"None of your business," she mumbled again.

Kiyrely sighed, somewhat frustrated now. "While you're in my care it is my business and if you're tired because you were up too late then it's your own damn fault. Now get up, before the others get here."

With an exaggerated sigh, Mehri finally sat up.

"Don't stay out that late again if you're gonna be this grouchy in the morning." Kiyrely was standing in front of a mirror tying up the shorter part of her hair.

"Yes, mother," Mehri saluted.

"Good."

Just then, a knock came at the door. "Hey!" Cooro called from the other side. "You guys up yet?"

"If we weren't before, we are now," Mehri grumbled.

"Come on in!" Kiyrely called back. Cooro opened the door and entered, cheery as always, followed by a grinning Nana, a sullen Husky, and a somewhat out of it Senri. Kiyrely grinned at them. "Hey, guys," she greeted. "What's up?"

"We're working while we're staying here to get some money," Nana explained. "But we have some time before we start so we decided to check up on you two."

"Check up on us?" Kiyrely asked.

"Yeah," Cooro said. "We hadn't heard if you two managed to get jobs yet so we came to check. And to say hi."

"Morning," Mehri mumbled, still groggy from sleep.

"What's wrong with her?" Husky asked.

"Lack of sleep I think," Kiyrely replied off handedly.

"So, did you two get jobs?" Cooro asked.

"No need," Kiyrely replied happily. She pulled a pouch out from her belt and bounced it in her hand. The sound of coins clinking together could be heard. It sounded like a lot of coins. "We're all set."

"Where'd you get all that money?" Nana asked incredulously.

"I managed to scrounge it up before I met up with you guys."

"Some of it is mine as well," Mehri interjected.

"Well, what are you going to do then?" Cooro asked.

"I'm gonna look around town. I only got here the other day and I haven't had a chance to take in the sights yet," Mehri said happily.

"What about you, Kiyrely?" Nana asked.

"I'm going to…" She looked out the window at the growing crowds. She unconsciously started to fidget. She began to play with the straps of one of the pouches attached to her belt. Senri noticed but didn't say anything. He began to wonder if maybe there was something wrong. "I think I'm going to go check the shops on the outskirts of town." That answer seemed to satisfy everyone so they decided when and where to meet up later and went their separate ways.

"Hey, Kiy," Mehri asked just before she left. Kiyrely looked over at her. "I've noticed this every time we go to a town that you seem to get really nervous and edgy." She looked over at Kiyrely who had gone completely still and looked away. "I've never said anything before now," she continued nervously, "but, why don't you like towns?"

"It's none of your business," Kiyrely replied softly before walking away, leaving Mehri staring after her.

xXx

With her hands behind her head Kiyrely walked around in the outskirts of town window shopping. She didn't expect to find anything here that really interested her but it gave her something to do. Besides, there were no crowds here.

A sparkle in a window she noticed out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned and noticed that the shop was selling some beads. Her hand strayed to the beads she wore in her hair and around her neck. She had a thing for beads.

Shrugging, she entered the store. No harm in looking. After a quick look over the merchandise she noticed several glass beads that really caught her eye. One was dark purple with flecks of green; a second was deep red while a third was the colour of a clear morning sky. She bought several of each along with some string. It was about time she made herself a new piece of jewelry, though when she looked down at the things in her hand she couldn't help but feel that something was missing. "Oh well."

Kiyrely left the store deep in thought which, in hindsight, probably wasn't the best idea, seeing as how she immediately collided with a man who had just turned a corner into her path. She grunted in shock more than pain as she landed on her backside. The man however was caught by one of his many body guards.

"Hey!" one of the men shouted as she stood up. "Watch where you're going, you bitch!"

"I'm sorry," Kiyrely apologized. "I wasn't paying att—"

"Do you know who this is? This is Lord Rallad of Stella!" The guard who was shouting at her took a step forward and pulled back his fist. "You better learn some manners!" Kiyrely tensed her body in preparation to take the punch.

"Enough." The guard stopped and looked over to Lord Rallad who took a few steps forwards. His voice was calm but firm "Now is that any way to treat a lady?"

"But sir, she—"

"Is a young woman who accidentally bumped into us, nothing more." He then turned to Kiyrely. He was quite tall with short brown hair that was beginning to gray. He wore the expensive clothes of a noble and had an air of authority about him. "I do hope you'll forgive my guard's deplorable manners. He is only doing his job, you see." Kiyrely nodded. "You are not hurt, are you?" He took her hand in his own and kissed it lightly.

She shuddered at his touch. "No, I'm fine."

"That gladdens me," he sighed. He smiled at her kindly and pulled her a little closer. "I've just had a fantastic idea. To make up for this incident, how about you join me at my lodging for dinner this evening?" She felt his thumb begin to caress the back of her hand.

Gently she removed her hand from his grip. "I would love to take you up on that offer," she replied, "but I must tend to my siblings this evening."

"How unfortunate," he said. "Perhaps another evening then."

"Perhaps," she said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way." Kiyrely turned and began to walk at a brisk pace back to the Inn. "What a disgusting man," she thought. "If I never saw that freak again it would be too soon."

When Kiyrely finally reached the restaurant attached to the Inn everyone was already there. Mehri was the first one to notice her. "Hey, Kiy!" she called. "What took you so long?"

"I ran into someone," she said as she sat down. "Quite literally."

Cooro gasped. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt? Was the person mean? Did they—"

"Calm down Cooro," Kiyrely giggled. "I'm fine."

"Oh, okay!" He quickly returned to eating the meal in front of him.

"So, how'd work go for you guys today?" Kiyrely asked after placing the order for her own food.

"It was great," Nana said happily. "We all managed to get jobs at the same place. It's a store run by some very nice people. What did you do all day Mehri?" she asked, turning to the other girl.

"Just some sight-seeing," she replied. "For a small village it's certainly got a lot of interesting places."

Nana nodded. "Yeah, I saw several nice shops already." She glanced over at Husky and giggled. "Apparently Husky did too." The others looked over at the boy who was currently admiring the jewels he had just bought. He finally noticed the others looking at him and suppressing laughter.

"What? You got a problem?" he demanded.

"Of course not," Nana replied. "What guy wouldn't want a new pair of pearl earrings?" Husky glowered at her.

"What about you Kiyrely? What did you do today?" Cooro asked.

She fished her new beads out of a pouch. "Just some shopping she said. There wasn't much but I did manage to find some nice beads." She held them out in her hand to show the others. Oddly enough, Senri seemed to be the most interested.

"Those are really pretty Kiy!" Mehri exclaimed. "Are you going to make a new necklace?"

"A bracelet actually," she replied. Placing some money on the table she stood and stretched.

The others followed suit. "We're gonna head out for a bit," Mehri said. "You want to join us?"

"No, I think I'm going to head to bed," she said while stifling a yawn. "I'm feeling rather tired for some reason."

"Well, we'll see you later then," Nana said as they turned to leave.

"Have fun." Kiyrely turned and headed back for her room.

xXx

Silence reigned as night fell across the land. The villagers had all retired to bed for the evening and doused their lights. Even the Inn Keepers had all turned in for the night. The only light by which to see was that of the moon. Nothing stirred in the streets below or in the sky above. There was barely even a breeze. Here, the world was at peace.

It was the perfect night for an assassination.

The two assassins know as the Claws of Night darted from roof top to roof top on the way to the lodging of their target, Lord Rallad of Stella. Mehri led the way as her master followed her. She had checked out the house the other night. There hadn't been anything to really worry about. It was patrolled by minimal guards who all seemed bored with their jobs and it was open enough for them to be able to enter without being seen easily.

Stopping on the roof of a building a few houses down, they crouched in the shadows and went over their plan one last time. "You sure you don't want me to go in there with you, Master?" Mehri asked.

"I'm sure," she replied. "This will be simple enough. I don't imagine he'll have security in there with him and he shall be dead before he can call any to help." Master paused. "I think I'll have you stay right here. You shall look out for trouble."

"Yes, Master," Mehri replied as she dashed off towards the mansion. This was going to be so simple it was hardly worth all the money she had wrung from the two men. Of course, that didn't mean she was inclined to return it. They deserved to be ripped off for their stupidity.

A low wall encircled the lodging and she crouched in its shadow, waiting for her chance to sneak by the guards. She didn't have to wait long as there were barely any guards anyways. As soon as it was clear she vaulted over the wall and to the side of the house, which she quickly scaled using her claws to grip the wood. When she reached the roof she quickly lay on her belly in the shadows, keeping herself from view.

She waited a moment to make sure no one saw her and to let the next guard to pass out of sight. When her waiting was done she crawled along the roof to the edge just above the balcony outside the Lords room. She jumped off the roof and landed on silent paws before moving quickly to the door.

Reaching for her lock-picking tools, she paused. This man was so comfortable in his safety and stability that he probably hadn't even bothered to lock the door. She reached out one clawed hand and tested the door. Not surprisingly, it was unlocked. She rolled her eyes as she entered through the now open doorway. This was far too easy. There was no challenge in this.

What met her eyes when she stepped into the room was exactly what she had expected. It was lavishly furnished with expensive trinkets everywhere; tokens of his wealth.

When she glanced at the bed though, she saw something she had not expected. A young girl no more than fifteen lay curled up in the bed beside the old man. She was covered by little more than a thin sheet but of what she could see of her, she was naked.

The assassin had to fight down a fit of rage as she looked at the sight before her. Normally, could keep her emotions in check during an assassination but this was pushing. Taking a few deep breaths, she forced herself to calm down before she acted rashly. "On the job, you have no emotion," she reminded herself. "You are but a killer, a specter, a vessel of death."

Opening her lupine eyes she stepped forwards to the bedside and stood over Lord Rallad. She glanced over at the girl and noticed how pale she was except for a slight flush on her face. By the looks of her, she had been drugged. All that meant to her was that she would not wake up when she killed the man beside her.

She reached down to her belt and withdrew a silver knife. Placing the tip of the blade at the hollow of his collar bone she gripped the handle in one hand and placed the other at the butt of the knife. Mustering her strength, she drew back her hand then drove the knife deep into his neck.

Rallad's eyes flew open and he began to flail weakly. He brought a hand to his throat to try to remove the knife but the assassin had already done so. Now she raked her claws down his chest in her classic calling sign. He would have screamed but for his severed wind pipe. He was dead in seconds. The girl at his side moved slightly but remained in her deep, drug induced slumber.

"A gift from the night," she whispered before dashing out the balcony door, leaving the girl sleeping in the blood soaked bed.

Captive's Heart
Chapter Six: Raine's Secret

She waited for what seemed like an eternity in increasing apprehension. Something was definitely wrong. Murtagh had been nervous before he left, and those men that had come for him had not been regular guards; they had been the King's personal guard. From what Raine had heard they were only sent out for the most urgent of tasks. She was unsure of what was happening and she did not like this feeling of helplessness or being kept in the dark. Something had happened while they were gone and the King was displeased.

Or maybe she had been discovered. She was sure she had never been seen but perhaps Galbatorix had found a way to her nonetheless. There was not telling the extent of the Mad King's power. Then again, she could just be jumping to conclusions. After all, no one had come to search for her yet. Still, whatever was happening, it left her feeling sick to her stomach. For now, she could do nothing but wait for Murtagh's return.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, the door opened. From her hiding spot she could not see him but she caught his scent. Murtagh had returned, though not alone. The same two guards that come to collect him earlier had arrived as well. She also scented something else; blood.

The guards held him under his arms and hauled him across the room, his feet dragging on the cold stone floor. Murtagh's head hung limply forwards, blood coating one side of his face. The guards tossed his unconscious form unceremoniously on the bed before leaving the room, slamming the door behind them.

Raine immediately ran to Murtagh's side. The blood on his face ran from a small cut near his left temple. Other than that, he had no physical injuries. However, there was no telling how injured his mind might be. And she still had no idea what this was all about.

She set to work cleaning the wound and licking the blood off his face. After a moment Murtagh began to wake. He groaned at first and blinked his eyes open wearily. He shut them again quickly, grimacing in pain. He tried to sit up but failed, too weak to rise. Raine whined, concerned. Murtagh looked at her for the first time since awakening.

"Raine?" he said it like he needed to convince himself she was actually there. She nudged his arm with her muzzle, reassuring him of her presence. "Help me up." She did so slowly, getting her head under his arm and leveraging him up. When he grimaced in pain again Raine decided that his rising was a bad idea. She immediately pushed him back down into the bed; though this time he lay in a far more comfortable position. He was about to protest but then groaned in pain, raising a hand to his head. Instead he did as the silver wolf bid and lay down. He fell unconscious again almost immediately.

She stared at him sadly for a moment. He was sill in pain, she knew, but there was next to nothing she could do for him. She hated feeling useless. She wished she could do more for him but while she remained in this state, there was nothing she could do.

So she left the room and let him rest in peace. Instead of leaving the castle however she decided to stay within the walls. Perhaps the need to pay attention to her surroundings and doing something different would keep her mind off Murtagh. There was nothing special about the training grounds or the stables. The barracks were unremarkable, as were the servants' quarters. This was becoming boring and her mind began to wander back to Murtagh.

She knew he would survive but she couldn't help but worry. He had been physically injured and it looked like he had suffered a mental assault as well. There was no doubt in her mind that he would recover; he was strong. How long it would take though was another matter entirely. That was what worried her. If the King thought that he had outlived his usefulness there was no telling what that madman might do.

Preoccupied with her thoughts, Raine hadn't been paying attention to where she was going. She looked up now and found herself in front of an odd building she had never seen before. She looked around and found she was in the southwest corner of the grounds then looked back to the building. It was made of stone and was quite large, sealed tight by a heavy oak door. Her curiosity piqued, she decided to take a look inside.

There was no way she could open the door, no matter how smart she was, but perhaps she could enter through a window. A quick walk around the perimeter showed her an opening that would work. There was even a stack of boxes beneath the window, giving her the perfect step up. When she hopped up on the first box she caught a scent from inside. It was somewhat familiar but she couldn't place it. It was large though, and dangerous. This just excited her more however.

Jumping up from the top box to the open window was a simple task for her, and then she dropped down to the cold floor below. Raine's eyes adjusted to the dim light and she was startled by what she saw. A large red beast rested on the stone floor, which became increasing warmer the closer she moved to the sleeping creature. Large wings jutted out from its back and folded tightly against its sides. She had never seen him before but she knew the dragon lying before it; it was Thorn.

At the sound of Raine's entrance, Thorn raised his head and looked at her with his amber eyes. Apparently he knew her as well as he made no move to chase her away. Slowly Raine approached him and sat in front of his large head and nodded to him once. Since they were mentally linked, perhaps Thorn could tell her how Murtagh was doing. She saw in his eyes the same pain Murtagh must be feeling right now.

She felt Thorn hesitantly touch her mind and then he became more confident.

"Hello wolf." His deep voice echoed in her head. Despite the earlier confidence, he sounded confused, lost, and in pain. She remembered hearing somewhere that his size belied his age. The growth had been forced on him and he wasn't yet used to his own body, nor did he understand why this had been done to him.

"Greetings, Thorn Iejirterning," she replied. Thorn was caught off guard by her reply. He drew his head back, blinked his eyes and a confused noise escaped his throat. Come to think, why had no one attempted to touch her mind before? Oh well. That was a question best left for later.

"I see I am not quite what you expected." Her mental voice held a hint of amusement.

"I did not know wolves were capable of such speech," he said after a moment.

"No," she chuckled. "I don't suppose they can. At least not the wolves of Alagaesia."

"Is it because of the band around your neck that holds magic?" he asked.

"Not quite."

"Then how?"

"This form you see me in is not my form of birth." She paused, seeming to struggle to say more. "I've been sealed in his form through the use of magic," she said finally. "The same magic prevents me from saying anything more."

Thorn watched her for a moment, inspecting her, before speaking. "This is very strange. Murtagh will be interested."

"No!" Raine said quickly, rising to her feet. Thorn looked at her skeptically. "Please do not tell him," she said, sitting down again. "He is such a closed person as it is. I fear he may shut me out if he knows." She looked down at her paws and her ears flattened slightly. She had grown attached to Murtagh and did not want to be shut out by him. She also did not want to see him close himself off again.

"I see," Thorn said quietly. "I shall not tell him then," he affirmed with a nod. Raine looked up at him thankfully.

"Thank you, Thorn Iejirterning."

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"It means Bloodscales," she explained. "For the colour of your scales."

"Ah. Murtagh said my scales reminded him of blood."

"Speaking of Murtagh, how is he?" She tried to sound casual but her mental voice sounded more worried than she had intended.

"Resting," Thorn confirmed. She could hear the shared pain in his voice now. "The King was very mad." He almost sounded scared now. "While you two were out, the Varden infiltrated the castle and stole the last dragon egg. The King was furious that Murtagh had not been there to stop them. So the King punished him."

Raine listened in silence, her anger rising. It was not Murtagh's fault he had been absent. It was the King himself that had sent Murtagh out, so how dare he punish him! This entire kingdom was not right. She wanted to leave and forget this terrible place, but she couldn't; not after what she had seen. She couldn't leave unless Murtagh left as well, or was freed from the King's hold. She couldn't stand to see him suffer alone. Her fate had become indefinitely intertwined with Murtagh's.

"Are you alright?" Thorn's words intruded on her thoughts. She looked up at the dragon to see him looking at her strangely. It was only then that she realized she had bared her fangs and a low growl had built up in her chest. Her ears had flattened against the back of her head and her tail thrashed wildly. She quickly calmed herself down.

"Yes," she replied. "And thank you for your help. I shall return to Murtagh now." He nodded to her once then laid his head back down to rest. Leaving the way she had arrived, Raine snuck back to the room in silence, her silver fur moving in the slight breeze except where the gold band restricted it. She looked down at the cursed hunk of metal in disgust, wondering if she would ever be free of it and allowed to return to her true form.

Sibling Rivalry
Chapter 6: The Day After

Jazz woke up the next morning with the sun shinning brightly in her face through the open window. She squinted at its glare, and slowly sat up. She stood up and walker over to her window to close it. When she reached it, she paused and looked at the street below her. It was a beautiful Saturday morning. Today was going to be nice. She hoped she would be able to enjoy it without any interruptions.

She closed the window and walked out of her room and headed for the kitchen. When she entered there was no one there, all though there were some dirty dishes, indicating that some else was already up and had eaten. Either that or dad had another midnight snack.

Before she could take another step, she was pulled into a huge bear hug by two orange and black arms. "Good morning Jazzy Pants!" her father yelled in her ear. Jazz was so startled, she almost screamed out loud. He put her down, and ran to the fridge for another raid. Jazz stared in wonder. What in the world was that for?

Jack, after he was finished raiding the fridge, ran back into the living room and sat down. Jazz turned back to the fridge and began making her breakfast. Danny came down a few minutes after Jack had left the kitchen. Usually in the mornings, Danny was exhausted, but this morning he seemed well rested for once. Jazz smiled to herself as she saw Danny. She couldn't help but think she might have helped in someway.

"What are you smiling at?" he asked her.

"Nothing," she replied. "Toast?" she offered, holding out a plate of fresh toast. Danny took the plate and sat down at the table to eat. For once, he didn't slump over into his food. They both ate in silence, the same as the other night.

"Hey Maddie!" Jack called from the lab in the basement. "The new invention is going haywire!" The remark was followed by a loud sparking sound and a pained yelp. Jazz looked into the living room where her father had been only moments before only to find a few dirty dishes. Jazz sighed, but went into the living room to gather up the dishes. She washed them and returned to her room to study for a test she was preparing for.

Instead of studying, her mind wandered to the other day, to the crowd that had gathered bellow her and Danny. She could have sworn she had seen people with cameras down there. Students from her school had been there as well. She thought about this for an hour at least. Finally she got down to her studying, though that didn't last as long as Jazz would have liked. She was rudely interrupted by her father who had returned to the living room. "There's been a ghost sighting! It was at the school yesterday!" Maybe she had seen cameras after all.

Jack and Maddie were in the living room watching to TV intently while Danny and Jazz drifted nearby to listen without actually seeming to be interested. 'Yesterday, four ghosts were seen fighting each other at about 4 pm. Two appeared quite human while the other two took on the forms of giant beetles.' Now Jazz was sure that the news was reporting hers and Danny's fight the other day. 'The two human-like ghosts defeated the beetle ones and conversed after the battle was over. Our reporters could not get close enough to hear the words exchanged. One of the ghosts was female while the other male. The male ghost has been confirmed as Inviso-Bill. The female ghost is now known as Intange-Gal.' Intange-Gal! Where on Earth did they get that! She screamed in the silence of her mind, but almost saying it out loud as well. But she reasoned that since they had given Danny a name, it would only make sense to give her one as well.

"That ghost boy again," Jack growled under his breath. "Now he's got another ghost with him."

"Come on Jack. We have to find something to hunt them down with," Maddie said. With that, the two of them raced down to the lab again. Danny and Jazz drifted up to their rooms again.

When Jazz reached her room, she sat her bed and sighed sadly. That was one thing she hadn't counted on; her parents hunting her. They were both crazy about ghosts but still didn't realize that Danny was half ghost so they hunted him. Now they would be hunting her too.

Later that evening, Jazz left her room to go downstairs. At the top of the stairs, she paused. Somebody was downstairs talking to themselves. She stopped and listened to what they were saying.

"I can't believe this. How did I not notice the camera crews?" She realized that it was Danny and he wasn't talking to himself. He was talking on the phone, probably to Tucker and Sam. "The other ghost? Uhhh…it was…just some other ghost. I didn't get her name." Jazz thought Danny sounded nervous, but it was probably just because he was tired. After all, it's not like he does know who I am. Or did he? She knew that he was Danny Phantom so why wouldn't he know her secret. Jazz quickly dismissed that thought. "See you guys tomorrow," Danny continued. "Ya, I'm fine. Later." Jazz heard a soft beep indicating that Danny had hung up the phone. She silently raced back to her room to avoid being seen by him.

While she slept, Jazz dreamed of people from all over town swarming her and Danny, asking them questions and calling them by the weird names they had been given. 'Stop calling me that!' she screamed. 'My name is Jazzy Spook! Get it! Jazzy Spook!' She covered her mouth and looked around at all the people around her. She had never burst out like that before. The next instant, the people where chasing her and Danny, calling them monsters. The most depressing thing about the dream was that her parents led the hunt.

Jazz woke in a cold sweat. It had just been a nightmare, probably one of many to follow. She went downstairs to eat and see if her brother was awake yet. When she reached the kitchen, no one was there so she grabbed and bowl and some cereal for breakfast. She was eating and reading the newspaper when her Maddie walked by. "Good morning sweaty," she greeted kindly.

"Good morning mom," Jazz replied. Not looking up from the paper she asked "where's Danny?"

"He's already gone out," Maddie answered. "He said he was going over to Tucker's house"

"Okay." After Jazz had finished her breakfast, she sad down on the couch and started to read her book. It was a very interesting book about a murder mystery. The detective was close to solving the case. As the day wore on, it became very hot inside the house. Jazz looked over at the thermometer hanging just outside the window. It read 28 degrees. Jazz decided to finish her book later, right now she was going for a walk.

She walked down her favorite path that led her past several small groves of trees. Near the end of the trail was a bench that, no matter what time of day, always seemed to be in the shade. Here, Jazz decided to take a break. She was sitting down listening to the birds when, behind her, she heard what she could have sworn was a soft chuckle. She turned around to see who was behind her, but she was no one. Her ghost sense didn't go off so it couldn't have been a ghost, but she had the distinct feeling that someone was watching her. She quickly stood up and left back for home. It was time she was getting back anyway.

As Jazz disappeared around a bend in the path, two red eyes emerged from the shadows. Soon, he thought. Very soon.

Star Fox Adventure: Dinosaur Planet
Chapter Six: The Prince Tricky

When Fox could finally feel his body again he was standing on a warp pad in a frozen cave. The air in the cave chilled him and his breath misted in the air. Pulling his vest tighter around his furred body, Fox wished he had brought warmer clothing.

Stepping off the warp pad, he placed his foot on the floor of the cave and almost slipped. He regained his balance quickly and glanced down at the floor under his feet. It was slicked with a thin layer of ice that creeped up the walls as well. He would have to be careful where he stepped or else he might find himself flat on his back.

Slowly and carefully Fox made his way up the sharply slopping tunnel. Strangely, it was lit with the odd torch here and there. He hadn't thought this place would be used much, but perhaps he had been wrong. Maybe the warp pad linked to more places then just the WarpStone. Fox knew that there would probably be trouble as soon as he left the cave so he reached for his blaster before once again realizing he did not have it with him. He would have to get used to this soon. Instead, he readied his staff in preparation to fight.

When he had made his way to the mouth of the cave, he quickly stopped then pulled back out of sight. Ahead of him was a clearing filled with snow and ice. An odd brush plant stuck up through the snow here and there, but that was not what stopped him. In the middle of the clearing two large blue SharpClaw stood with maces. Suddenly a large steel airship soared over them and stopped. The bottom hatch opened and a ball of light descended down to the jeering SharpClaws below. When Fox looked closer he saw a young purple EarthWalker inside the light. He looked terrified and Fox realized that he was the Prince Tricky.

Once Tricky's feet touched down on the frozen earth the light around him disappeared, immediately he began to cower and whimper, looking up at the SharpClaw in fright. The airship above them wheeled away and soared off into the distance. The two blue SharpClaw began hopping up and down in excitement, waving their maces in the air. The young prince whimpered again and tried to back away from the two crazed beasts only to be prodded with a mace. He whined at their torment, which only provoked them more. Soon they were flailing their maces and beating the helpless EarthWalker.

With a sinking feeling, Fox realized he couldn't take much more of this. Just as he was about to jump out of hiding to help, the prince took off at a run. The SharpClaw cheered and gave chase, herding him into a cave. As soon as they entered the cave, a large metal door descended, locking them in and Fox out. Sighing, Fox stepped out from behind the wall. Now he would have to find a way to open the door.

Fox took a few steps then stopped again. In the distance he heard what sounded like a small explosion. Looking up he saw a cannon ball soaring through the sky towards him. Not an explosion, he thought in alarm. Cannon fire! Fox dove out of the way and rolled into a crouching position, drawing his staff. He looked around and spotted the cannon quickly. It was manned by a single SharpClaw who was now furiously trying to turn the cannon in Fox's direction. He almost laughed. The SharpClaw had next to no idea what he was doing.

Standing, Fox put his staff away and continued his exploration. As long as he kept moving, there was next to no chance of him being hit. First, he walked over to the door of the cave. He pushed on it and pounded it with his staff but nothing happened. He would have to find an opening mechanism somewhere else before he could get in.

He walked along the icy path, looking for something that could give him a clue as to what to do next. Eventually he reached a stone ledge that acted as a natural wall between him and whatever lay beyond. About halfway he found an opening in the wall but it was blocked by a large pile of stone blocks. They were too heavy for him to push over and even his staff was useless against them.

I'm getting nowhere! Fox thought angrily. He continued to follow the wall until he reached a dead end in the path. He was about to cry out in frustration when he noticed a familiar patch of dirt on the ground. Bending down, he brushed away the light covering of snow to reveal an area to plant a bomb spore. Looking at the wall more closely he noticed a fissure in the stone. Fox grinned and planted a bomb spore which immediately sprouted. The wall that would be affected was not part of the same wall he had been following but perhaps he would be able to find something else beyond it.

Backing up, Fox readied his staff and fired. He was rewarded with a satisfying explosion. When the smoke cleared and the rubble set, Fox hurriedly walked into the new opening, hoping to find something useful. Inside, he found a Fuel Cell and what looked like a well. Picking up the Fuel Cell, he leaned over the edge of the well and looked in.

A croaking voice called up to him. "That'll be twenty Scarabs, and I'll give you a cheat token." Fox almost threw a rock down the well instead. What in the world is a cheat token and what would I need it for anyways?! So much for finding something useful.

With a sigh, Fox walked back to where he started. Coming back from this direction he noticed that what he thought was a simple outcropping of rock before was in fact a small wall of stone. The entrance was visible from this direction so he walked over, hoping to finally find something he could use.

His efforts were rewarded. Inside he found an explosive device. Beneath it he saw a pad that looked like it would automatically regenerate the exploding cylinder after the previous one detonated. When he picked it up a red light on the top flicked on and started flashing as a beeping sound started. He realized now that this was a time bomb. Suddenly he remembered the impenetrable stone blocks before and decided to try his luck.

It didn't look like he had much time so he ran as fast as he could towards the opening in the wall. With mere seconds to spare, Fox tossed the explosive at the blocks which were immediately engulfed in the explosion. Instead of turning to rubble, they simply disintegrated. Spying SharpClaw inside, he dashed in with his staff ready.

The SharpClaws were startled by the explosion and were slow to react to Fox's arrival. He was able to dispatch with them quickly, but the more pressing matter was the cannon that resided on a ledge just above him.

Quickly he took cover against the rock directly beneath the cannon where it would be unable to take aim at him. Before he could do much else, a rumbling sound caught his attention. It was coming from over by the cave where Prince Tricky was being held. Ignoring the cannon, he ran over.

Above the door now was a red switch. He decided to call them Blast Pads, since using his Fire Blaster was the only practical way to activate them. He guessed the death of the two SharpClaws he had killed must have triggered its appearance. Steadying his nerves, Fox took aim at the Blast Pad and fired.

The door began to open and Fox ran towards the entrance. Peering around a bend in the tunnel, he saw the two SharpClaw still tormenting the young prince. Tricky said something Fox did not understand but it was clear he was begging them to stop. The SharpClaws just laughed and continued beating him.

Fox stepped out from behind the bend and ran up to the SharpClaws. "Hey, scaleface!" he called, trying to bait them. "Pick on someone your own size!" The SharpClaws wheeled around to face him. Stalking up to him, they began talking; not that he could understand them.

"I am Fox McCloud, lead pilot of the Star Fox team," he said proudly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I have come to take the prince back to his…" The prince took advantage of the distraction and ran out of the cave. "…home?" He turned around to chase after him but was hit from behind by one of the SharpClaws. "Hey, wait!" he called to the prince. Stumbling, he tried to go forwards but the blow had disoriented him and was then bowled over by the second SharpClaw. Slightly dazed, he watched as the SharpClaw mounted two sleds and took off in pursuit of the escaped prince.

Once Fox's head had cleared enough for him to stand he clambered to his feet and looked around. Not far from him rested a third sled. Quickly, he jumped on it and tried to figure out the controls. They were simple enough. Press this to turn it on, turn this to accelerate and turn this to brake. As soon as he turned it on he took off after the SharpClaws.

A wooden fence he had seen earlier was now broken, obviously by SharpClaw. Accelerating, he followed their trail. When they were within sight, he had to think of a plan. The prince had gotten a fairly good head start on them but they would catch up to him eventually. He didn't see any weapons on his sled and he highly doubted he would be able to aim, shoot and drive all at once. It would have been a different matter if he had his blaster but he needed far more concentration to make the staff work. That left him with two options; run them off the road and damage their sleds enough where they would have to give up the chase, or simply beat them to the fleeing prince. Either one would work.

They were passing through a narrow valley now. Rough stone walls surrounded them as the snow spray from his slide flew up and around him. The cold air stung his eyes as he sped through the valley but he ignored it. He had to pass through tunnels, dodge around rocks and trees and try to keep the SharpClaws in sight the whole time. At one point they passed through a monstrous cavern and Fox had to be careful to not fall off the ledge he was riding on while maintaining speed.

Just as he exited the cave, something nearly exploded in his face. He jerked his sled in time to avoid it but lost some valuable ground. He looked ahead and noticed the SharpClaw dropping bombs behind them. "Oh, come on!" he shouted at no one, the wind whipping the words away as quickly as he uttered them.

Looking around he spotted what he hoped was a short cut. He decided to risk it and maneuvered his sled towards it. It was a tunnel burrowing into the rock wall and seemed to lead to a point further down the path. Once again outside and racing through the valley, he looked behind him to see the SharpClaw raising their fists at him in anger. A fierce grin played itself across his face and he looked forward just in time to go hurtling over the ledge in front of him.

Yelling in panic, Fox flew off the sled and fell towards the hard ground below. Thankfully he landed in a pond so his fall was softened. He expected a biting cold sensation but was surprised to find the water warm. Groaning, he stood up and looked back up at the ledge to see the SharpClaw sitting on their sleds glaring down at him and yelling. Glancing at the edge of the water he noticed Prince Tricky shaking himself dry. Walking over to dry land he kneeled and started breathing heavily. Even though the fall wasn't as bad as it could have been, the vulpine still felt bruised and tired.

After recovering a small bit of strength, he turned to the prince EarthWalker. Before he could say anything the small dinosaur started talking. For all the good it did him, Fox's translator still wasn't ready yet.

"What?" Fox shouted in confusion.

Tricky looked at him as if what he said had been the most obvious thing in the world. He repeated what he said before, expecting Fox to understand him this time around.

"I…I can't understand you!" Fox said, raising his hands above his head in distress.

Tricky sighed and once again started to repeat what he had said, enunciating carefully. At first he was nothing but gibberish to Fox but suddenly his translator kicked in. "…hot spring or you'd be frozen by now." The young prince proceeded to laugh at Fox.

Fox suddenly wished his translator didn't work so well. "Why you little…" Fox raised a fist at the smart-alecky prince, more for effect than to actually do anything.

Tricky backed away. "Hey, I wouldn't if I were you," he said defensively. "My dad's the King EarthWalker and he'll bash you up."

Fox's anger vanished at the young boy's words. Slowly he knelt in front of Tricky but could not look him in the eyes. "I don't think he'll be doing any bashing," he said sadly. "He's been captured. That's why I've been sent to rescue you."

Tricky looked at Fox in shock. "He's been captured?" he asked, a note of alarm in his voice.

"That's right," Fox confirmed. "It was your mother that sent me to find you."

"Is she… okay?" He was clearly worried about her. Despite his attitude, he seemed like a good kid who looked up to and cared for his parents.

The Queen's condition hadn't been great when he left and Fox didn't imagine that it had improved. It would do no good upsetting Tricky by telling him this. "She'll be just fine," he said. "But we need to get you home."

Tricky didn't argue any further so Fox looked for an exit. They seemed to be deep in the mountains now but there was a pass just behind them. Stuffing his hands in his vest pockets to stave off the cold, Fox started down the path with Tricky following closely behind.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Out of here," Fox replied simply.

"How?"

"By going wherever this leads." Fox seriously hoped that Tricky's questions would not persist for very long. Fox was a mercenary, not a babysitter.

Eventually they reached a large hole in the ground. It was more like a pit than anything. Down in the bottom of the pit, lava bubbled and hissed with steam rising into the air, heating it to an almost uncomfortable temperature. The wall of the pit was rough and could be easily scaled but there was the little problem of getting over to the other side. The walls were only good for climbing directly in front of them and directly across. The larger problem was that there was no way around the pit.

"I'm hungry," Tricky complained suddenly.

Fox stopped and turned to the young prince. "Well what am I supposed to feed you?" he asked. "I barely have enough food for myself."

Tricky looked around and spotted some mushrooms nearby. He ran up to them and turned to Fox. "These Blue GrubTub Fungus are an EarthWalker's favorite food," he told Fox. "Problem is they're too hard for me to catch." He gave Tricky a dubious look. What was so difficult about catching a mushroom that couldn't move?

Walking towards the GrubTubs he realized why they were so difficult to catch. These mushrooms weren't rooted down and seemed to be alive. As he approached, they hopped away. "Try stunning them with your staff," Tricky continued. "I'm feeling real hungry."

Sighing, Fox took out his staff and used it to stun the GrubTubs. Once they were subdued, he picked them up and handed them to Tricky who ate them hungrily.

"That's better," he sighed when he had finally finished. "Now I'm feeling strong enough to do some work."

"What kind of work?" Fox asked, suddenly intrigued.

"First we need to look around for a crack in the ground. Once we find one I can dig through it and find what's underneath. There is usually some really valuable stuff hidden in the ground. Maybe I'll uncover something cool!"

It didn't take them long to find what they were looking for. In the ground next to a burned out campfire, a crack in the ground was barely visible beneath a layer of snow. After clearing away the snow they realized how soft the earth around the fissure was.

"Well, let's see what you can do." Fox motioned for Tricky to start digging.

As Tricky dug through the dirt a large switch pad was slowly being uncovered. When it was fully visible, Tricky stepped forward onto the switch. A loud clank brought their attention to a gate blocking a cave they hadn't noticed before. Together they walked over to investigate. Just before they arrived the gate closed again.

Fox turned to Tricky. "Go back there and stay on that switch until I can find a way to keep the door open." Tricky did as he was told and sat down on the switch. The gate opened again with a clank and Fox glanced around for something to keep it open. He spied a stone nearby that looked the perfect size to jam the gate. Once he had the rock in place he beckoned Tricky into the cave. Inside was what looked like a switch but with no lever. There was a light beside the small opening where the lever should have been. Currently the light was red, indicating the mechanism it controlled was not active.

"What's this?" Tricky asked.

"I know as much about it as you do," Fox replied. Probably less, since you live here. He didn't say that aloud however. The last thing he wanted to do was provoke the young EarthWalker into gloating.

Fox inspected the small hole for a moment before remembering his staff. It was about the right size to fit in the hole. Taking it out from behind his pack, he looked at it for a moment before inserting one end into the hole and pushing down on it. Something clicked inside the machine and they heard a loud noise like stone grinding against stone from somewhere outside.

Quickly, the pair ran back to the pit they had seen earlier and were surprised to see that a pillar of rock had appeared in the middle of the lava pit. It was in the perfect position for them to jump across. Climbing down onto a small ledge, Fox glanced up at Tricky. "If you jump down I'll catch you," he called.

"You've got to be kidding me," Tricky mumbled but he closed his eyes and jumped off the ledge. Fox caught him and placed him down on the ledge.

"Can you make it across yourself?" Fox asked.

Tricky scoffed, rolled his eyes and jumped across to the far ledge. Fox almost laughed and followed the energetic child across. Once they were both on the far ledge Fox realized they had a bigger problem then they thought; how was he going to get Tricky up onto the path above? They stood and thought about it for a bit before they resigned themselves to the fact that Fox would have to carry him up. Fox knelt down and let Tricky climb onto his back. He settled himself on top of Fox's pack and braced himself against his shoulders. He was a little heavy, but not unbearable. With that problem solved Fox began his ascent.

When they reached the top they continued down the path, but only for a moment, before they reached a dead end. Fox rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. This was becoming far too annoying.

"See that crack in the rock?" Tricky said. Fox looked up to see that the young prince had moved over to the wall. "I can try to dig through that if you'd like."

"Yeah, go for it." Fox watched as Tricky burrowed his way through the stone wall. This young princeling was definitely helpful. When Tricky called to him from the other side he crawled through the small tunnel he had made. The other side was pretty much the same; a narrow mountain pass with the walls closing off at the top, mostly obscuring the sky. They rounded a bend in the path and their surroundings immediately changed.

Fox and Tricky stepped into a wide path now, though they were still surrounded by mountains. Large coniferous trees grew along the path with the odd torch that was already lit here and there. Fox wondered why the torches were lit since it was still daylight and sunlight streamed from the now visible sky.

"This is the SnowHorn Wastes!" Tricky said excitedly. "We're getting closer."

"Well at least you know where we are," Fox grumbled. "Because I have no idea." It had been poor planning on his part, really. He should have bought some of those maps he had seen at the store back in ThornTail Hollow. He would have to remember to do that when they returned.

They took a few more steps forward then heard clawed feet crunching in the snow. It was then that the duo noticed the SharpClaws patrolling the path. Tricky whimpered and hid behind Fox. "I don't like them," he whined. "They're scary and mean."

"Don't worry," Fox reassured him. "I can deal with them easily enough." Tricky held back doubtfully as Fox advanced to deal with the SharpClaws. It was easy enough. They obviously weren't very skilled and had no chance against a trained fighter. When he was finished disposing of the SharpClaw, he continued down the path. Eventually it opened up into a large clearing that may once have held a small lake. Now it was all ice and snow. In the middle of the clearing, a group of SharpClaw ran in circles. He thought it was funny at first until he realized with dismay that they were chasing Tricky. He looked around and realized the young EarthWalker must have run ahead while he had been dispatching the SharpClaw. The only thing lift to do was help him.

Running towards them he dealt the first one a massive blow from behind, knocking him out cold. The second one attempted to block him with his mace but Fox managed to get behind his guard and hit him under the chin with the butt of his staff, snapping his head back. As he fell, Fox gave a roundhouse kick to the head to the third SharpClaw. He followed in quick succession with his staff and knocked him out as well. Once he was sure that all three would not bother them again for a while he returned his staff to his pack and turned to Tricky.

"Tricky, are you crazy? Just leave the SharpClaws to me."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." He looked down at the ground, ashamed.

Fox sighed. "It's okay, kid," he said. "Just be more careful next time."

"Alright Fox."

With that settled they took a closer look around the clearing. There wasn't anything special about it; a geyser shot up out of the ice and there were camp fires scattered across the snow. There was one thing that caught their eye though.

"Hey, that's a SnowHorn," Tricky pointed out. "Maybe we can ask him how to get out of here."

Fox agreed and they walked over to talk to the lone SnowHorn. "Excuse me," Fox said.

"I'm too hungry to talk to strangers," the SnowHorn said irritably. He turned away from Fox and Tricky and lay down in the snow. Fox began to grumble. This was the second time he had to go hunting for food just because someone was hungry or lonely. He wasn't an errand boy; he was the lead pilot of the Star Fox team on a mission from General Pepper of the Cornerian army. But if he wanted to complete this mission he had to get the SnowHorn some food.

"Do you know what SnowHorns eat?" Fox asked Tricky.

The young prince thought for a moment before he nodded excitedly. "They eat Alpine Roots. I should be able to find a couple by digging." Fox nodded and together they searched for the Alpine Roots.

It wasn't an easy task. There tried digging in many different places but most of the time they came up empty. As they were wandering through the clearing, Fox felt the staff begin to pull him somewhere as it had when he found the upgrade that gave him his Fire Blaster.

"What is it Fox?" Tricky asked when Fox stopped walking.

He was looking around, trying to find the source of what was calling him through the staff. "I'm trying to find something," he stated simply. He looked around until he found another crack in the ground. "Tricky," he called. When the prince was standing beside him he indicated the cracked ground. "I want you to dig here."

"Sure thing Fox." He started digging. It didn't take him long. Soon enough there was a hole in the ground emitting green light, the same as last time.

"Wait here," he told Tricky and hopped down the hole.

End of Chapter

The Price of Life
Chapter Six

By the time the morning sun had breached the fog that had rolled in during the night, news of Lord Rallad of Stella's assassination had already spread through the town. In defense of the authorities attempting to keep this under wraps, it was a rather small town. It was obviously the work of the infamous assassin the Claws of Night; her calling sign – claw marks raked down the chest of the victim – was found on him. While the guards protecting Lord Rallad knew he was a high profile target, they had figured that, in a small town like this, the chances of assassination were low. Besides, they had told no one of the route they would be talking to get to their destination. It would seem that they had assumed wrong.

Cooro, Nana, Husky and Senri met up with Mehri and Kiyrely in the restaurant. The six of them had yet to hear about the previous evening's events so they were surprised to see how agitated the people sitting down to their meals were. The fact that so few were there only served to strengthen the feeling that something was wrong.

"Is it just me or are you guys getting a bad vibe?" Kiyrely asked.

They all nodded. "Something has obviously happened," Husky said, his face serious.

Cooro looked around at the people gathered in the restaurant. They had grown silent as the six friends entered and now looked at them suspiciously. Nana suppressed a shiver. "Why are they looking at us like that?" she asked.

"Dunno," Kiyrely replied. Something was definitely wrong. When they sat down, a waiter bearing the same demeanor as the rest of those gathered came over to take their order.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly. They hesitated a moment before placing their orders. He left without another word back to the kitchen behind the counter where a bartender was cleaning some glasses.

"I'll be right back," Kiyrely stated while she stood up. She walked up to the bartender, the only person who seemed relatively calm. She could feel eyes on her as she moved across the room. "Excuse me?" she asked politely.

The bartender looked up at her then looked back to the glass he was cleaning. "Can I help you with something ma'am?" he asked, also being polite.

"Pardon me for asking," she said, trying to sound as unthreatening as possible, not that it was that hard. "I was just wondering if something has happened." When the bartender looked up at her, surprise plastered across his face, she elaborated quickly. "It's just that we – my friends and I – are not from around here. We don't know anyone here so we don't have anyone to tell us what is going on. As well we have just left our rooms and haven't heard anything yet."

Suddenly the bartender's expression turned angry. "Mind your own business, outsider," he spat. Kiyrely was quite taken aback by the man's reaction to a simple question. She was about to bring that point up when a man sitting at a stool next to where she stood spoke up.

"You haven't heard?" he asked.

"No, I haven't," she replied, turning towards the new man, ignoring the rather annoying bartender.

"Looks like the news hasn't traveled as fast as I thought," he said, more to himself then the Kiyrely.

"Would you like to come back to our table?" she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. "My friends may want to hear it as well."

He glanced over at the table where the other five waited, watching Kiyrely. "Sure," he said, turning back to her with a smirk. Kiyrely couldn't help but notice as they walked to her table that he was mildly attractive. His chestnut brown hair was pushed back out of his face and held there with a red bandana, keeping it out of his intense green eyes. He was tall and lean with the physique of a soldier and appeared to be a few years older then her. Obviously he was a traveler, apparent by this choice in clothing; a long black traveling coat over a plain red shirt and somewhat worn pale brown pants. He also wore fingerless gloves and several belts. When they sat down at the table, she saw Mehri noticing as well.

"Who is this?" Husky questioned Kiyrely. He didn't take well to strangers.

"This is," Kiyrely started, and then realized she had never asked for his name. She turned to him with and inquiring glance.

"The name's Ryke," he clarified. "I'm a traveler but I've been stuck in this town for about three months now." He sighed as he said that. It was obvious he was ready for the open road again.

"You know what has happened?" Husky demanded, cutting off whatever else Ryke was going to say.

Suddenly he became serious. "Have you heard about the Stellan noble who was passing through here?" he asked.

"Yeah," Kiyrely replied. "I passed him in the streets yesterday," she lied. "Lord Rallad, was it?" Husky looked like he wanted to say something but he kept his mouth shut.

"That's the one," Ryke nodded. "He was just supposed to be passing through here on his way to Astaria. It was for some good will talk or something," he said with a shrug.

"And your point is?" Husky asked, sounding irritated.

"Well, you're an uptight one," Ryke commented with a smirk. Husky's eyes flashed with anger but he didn't let Ryke bait him. "My point is," he continued, "that he was assassinated last night."

Everyone was shocked by this news. Nana tried to muffle a gasp and Cooro clenched his fists. Senri suddenly seemed on edge while Kiyrely shuddered. Mehri didn't seem as shocked as the others, though she tried to appear it.

"What?" Husky blurted, attempting to keep his voice from rising. "What do you mean he was assassinated?"

"I mean he was killed in his bed last night," he reiterated. "They believe it was the work of the infamous assassin the Claws of Night."

"I've heard of her," Nana piped up. Her voice was a bit shaky but it held. "Supposedly she'll kill anyone for the right price. I've also heard that she's a wolf +anima."

"How do you know it's a girl?" Cooro asked.

"Some one supposedly caught a glimpse of her once. They said they saw a female wolf +anima clothed completely in black. That's the best they could do."

Ryke sat silently and listened to the others discus the assassin he knew had been in the town last night. He was unsure whether or not she was still here, but he was working on narrowing down the suspect list.

"You guys sure seem to know a lot," he commented. If one of the five people sitting at this table was the assassin, male or female, hopefully he'd be able to draw them out.

"We've been traveling a bunch recently," Cooro chimed. No matter what was being said he always managed to sound chipper. "We've heard a lot of rumours."

"I see," he said, then fell silent again.

"I've heard she's the best in the business," Kiyrely said.

"I've heard that too, though no one can really say when she reached the top." Husky had calmed down and was more rational now.

"But why was she in such a small town?" Nana asked.

"Maybe she was hired to kill that Rallad guy before he came here?" Cooro suggested.

"Perhaps," Ryke cut in. "It's getting stuffy in here," he said, referring more to the many heated stares they were receiving from nearby people then the air. "Why don't we go outside?" By this time, their food had come and had been finished. The five friends agreed to Ryke's suggestion and laid some money on the table before leaving.

When they exited the restaurant they noticed a small group of soldiers standing around looking annoyed. One of them saw their group leave the restaurant and pointed them out to the rest of the men. "Hey!" he called, storming towards them. "Ryke! Where the hell you been?"

"Damn," Ryke snickered as the others looked at him in surprise. "Looks like I've been found."

"We've been looking for you," the soldier said as he walked up to them. He still seemed to be simmering.

"Well, you found me. What do you want soldier?"

"You were supposed to report in before going off to question people."

"I thought you were in my command," Ryke said dryly, "not the other way around.

"You're in the military?" Kiyrely voice had risen several octaves.

"Yeah," he said, turning back to them. He wore a lopsided grin and was scratching the back of his head. "Sorry I didn't mention it," he apologized. "I was just trying to narrow down the suspect list."

"Oh, so now we're suspects?" Kiyrely was now very agitated. Her opinion of Ryke had completely changed.

"You seem rather annoyed all of a sudden." Ryke now looked genuinely confused.

"I have a strong dislike of the military," she grumbled before turning away from them.

"Well, sir?" the soldier cut in. "Are they suspects?"

"Nah, they're fine," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "They can either stay here or leave. They are free to do as they wish."

"Very well sir." The soldier saluted then returned to the rest of the men. After a quick word, they moved off.

"You don't act like any Sailand soldier I have ever met," Husky observed skeptically.

"That's because I'm not from Sailand," he said with another smirk.

"You're not?" Cooro seemed amazed by this.

"Nope. I'm from Astaria. We're doing a new exchange thing between our two armies and I got chosen to come over to Sailand for a while."

"Sounds complicated," Mehri said quietly. She had been silent almost the entire time. This was the first she had spoken since Ryke joined them.

"Not really," he shrugged. He was a very nonchalant kind of person. "Well, I should probably get going before they send someone else to get me." The six of them were unsure whether to thank him for his information or to be upset for considering them as suspects, so they just stayed quiet. "Later!" he called over his shoulder as he walked away, waving to them.

Mehri watched him go, a slight pink flush on her cheeks. Kiyrely leaned over and spoke into her ear. "He's too old for you." Mehri whipped her gaze away from Ryke and turned away from Kiyrely, a full blush now warming her face. Kiyrely chuckled while all six of them moved off.

They had decided that morning before they entered the restaurant that they would be leaving after breakfast. The previous evening's events just made the idea all the more appealing. They had already bought everything they needed and were heading to the edge of town now.

Just before the edge of town was in sight they passed a shop that Mehri and Nana couldn't help but stop and check out; a clothing store. The two young girls went in while the rest of the group stayed outside. None of them were quite as interested in clothing. Kiyrely leaned against a wall and Cooro walked up beside her.

"You feeling better?" he asked.

"What?" Kiyrely asked, looking over at him. What did he mean by that? She had been feeling fine the whole time.

"You've been tense the whole time we've been in town," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Now that we're about to leave, you seem a lot more relaxed."

Kiyrely stared at him for a moment before turning away. "I don't know what you're talking about," she mumbled. Cooro shrugged and went to go look at some flowers growing near the base of the wall a little ways away, leaving Kiyrely with her thoughts.

It was true she didn't like towns that much but she didn't think that it was that bad or that her reaction was so obvious. Or perhaps it wasn't and the young crow +anima was more intuitive then she thought.

After a moment Senri walked up to her with his hand outstretched, clasped like he was holding something. Kiyrely looked at him, confused, for a moment before stretching out her own hand. Opening his hand, he dropped a small wooden feather into her palm. She brought it closer to her face and stared at it in wonder for a moment. It was obviously hand carved, every intricate detail etched with a small knife. It had a small hole at the top, just big enough to fit a piece of string through; it was perfect for her bracelet.

"You seem lonely," Senri said, drawing her attention back to him. His words shocked her and made her heart skip a beat. Before she could say anything to him though, Nana and Mehri rushed out of the store in a flurry of clothing. They quickly ushered the four of them inside and made them change into the new clothes they had just bought.

"There you go again, spending all of our money!" Husky fumed. Nana had a habit of spending all their money on new clothes.

"I haven't gotten any new clothing in a long time," she argued. "I had every right to indulge a little." Husky bit back his retort and just sighed.

"Alright, let's go!" Mehri chimed. She was certainly in a good mood. The six of them set off again, four of them hoping they wouldn't have to stop for another shopping spree or anything else. Of course, it just wasn't meant to be.

At the edge of town, a familiar brown haired figure clad in a black traveling coat stood with his hands behind his head, seemingly waiting for something.

"Oh, no," Kiyrely groaned. She had the sinking suspicion he was waiting for them.

When he saw them, his face split into a large grin, confirming Kiyrely's fears. "I thought you'd come this way."

"You were waiting for us?" Cooro asked.

"Yep. I got tired of being here so I've decided to head back to Astaria. You guys are heading that way too right?"

"How did you know that?" Husky demanded.

Ryke smirked confidently. "I didn't. You just told me."

"What do you want?" Kiyrely asked through gritted teeth.

"Well since we're traveling in the same direction I thought we might be able to travel together."

Well you thought wrong, Kiyrely thought. She was about to voice her opinion when Cooro cut in.

"Sure!"

"What?" Kiyrely barked.

"You don't want me too?" Ryke's face fell and he looked sad and confused.

"No, I don't," she stated. "I don't like soldiers."

"I say it's a good idea," Husky agreed with Cooro. "He is a soldier after all and we'll be traveling through some tough spots."

"Not you too, Husky," Kiyrely groaned. The only person who didn't seem to want Ryke there was Kiyrely. She glanced over at Senri and took that back. He seemed on edge around the newcomer as well. Kiyrely sighed and closed her eyes. She guessed it didn't matter what the two of them thought; Ryke was coming with them.

----------

Okami

Summary: 100 years ago, a great beast besieged the land of Nippon, spreading evil and darkness in its wake. Through the heroic efforts of the warrior Nagi and the white wolf Shiranui, the beast Orochi was defeated. Shiranui died from her wounds sustained in battle, but her legend lived on. Now the great beast has been revived and the great goddess Amaterasu, Shiranui reborn, must return to the land of Nippon to once again rid it of evil. However, more than just Orochi seek to mastermind the goddess' downfall, and still weak from her 100 year slumber, this will not only be a fight for her life, but a fight for the lives of all the people of Nippon.

Okami Amaterasu
Part One: The Eight Headed Serpent and the Goddess of the Sun

Chapter One: The Great Goddess Reborn

Long, long ago a tiny hamlet known as Kamiki lay nestled in a grove of proud and beautiful cherry blossoms. Each and every tree around the quiet burg was honored as a god. However, the village was not without its dark secrets. To satiate the appetite of Orochi, a fearsome cave-dwelling beast, a young maiden was offered as a sacrifice at the annual festival. With a body like a mountain and eight heads mounted on necks the size of tree trunks, its blood-red eyes alone were said to curse anyone who gazed into them. No one dared disobey the horrific beast.

When the night of the sacrifice drew near a mysterious white wolf appeared outside the village. This wolf, its coat as brilliant as snow, was dubbed Shiranui. The wolf kept a watchful eye on anyone who ventured outside the village, and made a habit of patrolling the streets at night. People assumed the wolf to be a familiar of Orochi.

One villager took it upon himself to face the fearsome Shiranui. The warrior Nagi attempted many times to challenge the wolf. But his attempts were thwarted by Shiranui's swift movements.

Before long, the night of the accursed festival had arrived. A white plumed arrow heralded the coming sacrifice. Piercing the sky, the arrow sunk its shaft squarely into the home of Nami, the village's most beautiful maiden. Nagi, harbouring a secret love for Nami, was enraged by this sign. Determined to put an end to Orochi once and for all, Nagi travelled to the beast's cave in place of his beloved.

The Moon Cave, a place as dark as evil itself, served as Orochi's home. As Nagi stood bravely before the entrance a beast appeared, eyes glowing crimson upon eight thrashing necks. Orochi stood tall before him, anxious for another sacrifice. Nagi leapt with incredible grace, swinging his blade valiantly. On and on he sliced, well into the moonless night but Orochi's hide was like steel. The blade left nary a scratch.

At long last, Nagi, his energy spent from the intense battle, dropped to his knees, fatigued and gasping for breath. He knew he was staring death in the face. It was then that the wolf appeared. As if to protect Nagi, it stood its ground before Orochi. In the darkness of the cave, the wolf's coat shone brilliantly. Alas, it was Shiranui, the wolf that dwelled outside the village. Baring its fearsome claws, Shiranui leapt toward Orochi. Orochi reared its terrifying heads, readying its fangs for battle. The two beasts struggled wildly, thrashing in the darkness.

Mysterious and terrifying, the spectacle continued. Shiranui summoned gusts of divine wind to counter Orochi's flames.

As Orochi closed in on Shiranui, sharpened claws glistening a gigantic tree suddenly sprouted forth, shielding the wolf. Shiranui fought gallantly to gain the upper hand. However Orochi, protected by a mystical power, was not easily bested. Shiranui, covered in gashes, majestic coat dyed crimson, stood exhausted before the mighty Orochi.

Orochi saw a chance to strike what would be the final blow. But Shiranui refused to give in. With its last ounce of strength, the majestic wolf gazed heavenward and unleashed a mighty howl. Suddenly, the black clouds overhead dissipated. The light from above glinted off Nagi's sword as a beacon of hope.

Guided by his sword, Nagi, who had been taking shelter in the shadows, stood proudly to face his adversary. Channelling all his strength into his scarred and battered arms, he leapt ferociously toward Orochi, his sword poised high. The golden sword danced in his hands like a puppet on a string. One by one, Orochi's fearsome heads separated from their owner.

Orochi's broken body collapsed in a lake of its own blood. In that instant, the curse that plagued the villagers was lifted. As the battle subsided, the sun shone once again in the sky. Shiranui had succumbed to Orochi's poison and struggled to breathe. Nagi scooped the beast into his arms and returned to Kamiki.

When they reached the village, Shiranui was no longer moving. The village elder gently stroked the wolf's head. In response, Shiranui let out a hoarse and pitiful bark then closed its eyes and drifted off as if into slumber.

Peace had at last returned to Kamiki Village. In honour of Shiranui's heroic exploits, the villagers erected a shrine and placed a statue of the wolf within it.

Nagi's sword was christened "Tsukuyomi" and placed inside the Moon Cave. The villagers all looked forward to an age of endless peace.

However, this is not the end of the story. There is more to this tale than most people know. one hundred years had passed since Nagi and Shiranui's heroic exploits. It happened so quickly that no one in the village even took notice.

Within the Moon Cave, an unknown man hidden within the shadows approached the sword Tsukuyomi where it lay enshrined. "Is this the legendary sword?" the man mumbled to himself as he stood before the blade. "Is this Tsukuyomi, the sword that banished the dreaded Orochi?" He stared at it in contempt a moment before placing his hands on the hilt. "No... it couldn't be. It's just a legend... Nothing but a fairy tale!"

Shaking with fury, he pulled the sword from the ground. Suddenly a tremor racked the cave and eight sets of glowing eyes began to swirl around the man. Still shaking, though this time in fear, he dropped the sword and looked around in terror. A swirling aura of evil erupted from the hole the sword had made in the ground. A second tremor shook the cave, sending the man tumbling backwards. Turning around, he began to scurry away and ran out of the cave. His trembling getting the better of him, he stumbled and fell. Turning over, he looked up as one ferocious head with evil glowing eyes began to speak to him.

"O, he who seeks power... He who has broken my bonds..." he rasped, voice thick and deep. "Speak the words, 'I wish darkness unto the world.' Utter that prayer unto me, and unleash my power." The man stared up in terror before standing and fleeing the Moon Cave. One head, the one who seemed to be in the lead, roared as the man tried to flee. He ran without looking back as the eight heads of the beast, shrouded in an aura of its own evil, pursued him eagerly.

As the man reached the entrance of the shrine, all eight heads reared and roared their ill-intent to the heavens, and its evil began to spread over the land. The curse the beast had unleashed began to rend apart the nature, plunging the world into misery. Overhead, an inky darkness blotted out the sun, seeming to put an end to all hope.

A horrible tragedy suddenly swept over the land. However, there was one village that seemed to escape the terrible curse. The tiny settlement of Kamiki Village enjoyed the protection of a sacred tree. It is here that the real story begins.

In Kamiki village near the sacred tree that stood watch, the statue of Shiranui stood in the midst of swirling rubble and evil. Suddenly a boulder flew out of the mist, straight at the statue, about to crush it. However, a light descended from the tree and protected the statue, disintegrating the boulder in its path. From the light emerged the Wood Sprite Sakuya, the spirit of the sacred tree.

"How troublesome!" she muttered, looking sadly at the destruction the beast's curse had caused. "This is just like the ancient prophecy of doom." She paused to turn to the statue of Shiranui, the wolf who had long ago protected Kamiki Village from Orochi. "What has transpired to bring about such calamity? We must act quickly! There is no time to lose! My power has diminished over the years I've spent protecting this area. I don't have much time left in this world." Drawing a circle in the air and calling upon her power, Sakuya summoned a divine instrument before her. "Amaterasu, now is the time. We have never needed your power more. Shine your divine light upon this broken and polluted world. Let your heavenly rays become our hope as you guide us all!" She uttered these words more as a prayer than a simple statement, begging for help and guidance in these dark times.

Releasing the divine instrument, it flew skywards before returning and attaching itself to the statue of Shiranui which immediately burst to life, the pure white wolf with crimson markings that was the form I took now standing where the statue had been. I roared once, announcing my return to the mortal world then shook off the last tingling remnants of my one hundred year slumber. I leapt off the dais upon which I rested and stood before Sakuya.

"Ah! Such divine white light! Such beauty and grace!" Sakuya's voice showed pure reverence towards me as I stood before her. "The only one capable of such a wondrous spectacle is none other than our mother and the origin of all that is, Amaterasu!" I looked around as she spoke, inspecting my surroundings, taking note of the darkness enveloping the world. It was the same as five hundred years ago, though my memory of the time and everything preceding it was fuzzy. "How delightful to see that the saviour whose brave sacrifice sealed away the evil demon so many years ago has not changed one bit." I sat down in front of Sakuya, waiting for her to finish with her praise and continue on to the reason she had awakened me. "Seeing you emerge after so many years spent as a statue brings happiness to my heart!" She sniffed, her happiness overwhelming her. I yawned and settled down on the ground, trying to give her the hint that I would like her to continue.

"Amaterasu..." she said finally. "Gaze above you and take in the condition of the sky. Since your untimely departure from our midst, the world has succumbed to devious and vicious beasts. They have ravaged our fine and bountiful country of Nippon..." Sadness coloured her voice as she explained the state of the land. "But never have the circumstances been worse than they are at this very moment. Please use your powers to banish the darkness and punish those who would do us harm."

I was still laying on the ground, having found it quite comfortable after being stuck in stone for one hundred years, when Sakuya began to jiggle around a little. "Hm?" She moved a little more. "Eh? What is this? Has something stolen its way into my robe?" Now this caught my attention. I looked up to see the wood sprite rummaging through her pink robs, as if trying to find something. She began to giggle as whatever had found its way into her clothing began to tickle.

From between her breasts a little green thing that looked vaguely familiar in shape and size emerged and fell to the ground. "Phew! What on earth?" Sakuya looked down at the little creature. "You again?" she said, seeming to recognize it.

The thing rolled on the ground before popping up and began jumping up and down. It startled me so much I leapt to my feet and took a fighting stance, growling at the strange creature. "Ow ow ow ow ow!" it yelled. "Are you nuts? Boy, for a little thing, you sure make a big fuss! I was just tryin' to make the conversation a bit more interesting, that's all."

"Were you napping in my cloths again, bug?" she asked.

"Bug? I told you a thousand times not to call me that! I'm a wandering artist. The name's Issun! I'll show you just how great I am and it won't be long till you're bowing before my great brush!" Seemingly out of nowhere, the creature brought out a scroll, opened it and tossed it on my face. It was an image of Sakuya. I had to admit, it was rather good. Had the little bug drawn it himself. The paper slid off my face and Issun continued to speak. "Well, whaddya think?" he asked. "Even cuter than the real thing, no?"

The little bug began to bounce towards me then around me as I tried to follow it with my gaze, which proved difficult once it hopped up on my nose. I continued to growl at it; I was not used to having little bouncing creatures making their home on my face. "What's with you, furball? You look kinda down in the dumps. Actually..." he said, inspecting me carefully. "You look kinda familiar... Got it!" he said suddenly. "You look just like that statue of Shiranui!"

Turning my head, I caught the little bouncing bug in my mouth. However, he tasted repulsive so I immediately spat him back out. "Whoa!" he yelled, the green aura surrounding him turning red. "Whaddya think you're doin'! Are you crazy? A handsome guy like me should never be covered in wolf slobber! You'll regret messin' with the great Issun!" He stopped bouncing and unsheathed the sword he was wearing on his hip. "Don't make me use my prized sword, Denkomaru against you!"

Before anyone had a chance to speak again a roar so deep I could feel it through my paws reverberated through the air. I looked up as the swirling blackness increased in speed and ferocity. "Wh-Wh-What's that growling sound?" Issun had leapt up from the ground onto my nose again, seeking some form of comfort. "And why's it so dark, anyway?"

"O, great god Amaterasu..." Sakuya spoke again, her voice growing frail and weak. "I've used all the power I have to protect Kamiki Village. The village lives on. Their spirits lie encased in my fruit. Cut it free, and the village will be reborn!"

I stared at her a moment. Uuuh, cut? Had she not realized that when I died one hundred years ago all of my brush techniques divided from me?

"I trust in you. I know that you will lead us down the right path. Only your awesome power can restore life to the world." The manifestation of Sakuya's spirit disappeared as I looked to the withered tree that was her and saw a single plump fruit.

"The tree's returned to normal, huh?" Issun said. "That Sakuya girl sure said some weird stuff. The villagers' spirits are being kept inside the fruit... That's the fruit. That girl said that if you cut it down, the village will be restored. But it's awfully high up there. If you don't use some kind of special power, there's no way you're gonna reach it." The little bug paused, surveying the darkness. "This darkness is really gettin' to me, too. A lot can happen while you're taking a nap."

I sighed to myself, realizing that Issun was probably going to stick with me. Well, hopefully he would prove useful, and besides, his presence was oddly comforting, familiar. Shaking off the feeling, I looked to the base of the tree and noticed an opening, glowing with divine light. I took one step forwards and my paws remembered the way as I carried on into the opening. I knew I was supposed to be cutting down the fruit encasing the villagers spirits, but that wasn't going to happen until I attained some of my brush techniques.

What a state the world was in. How much could have happened in one hundred years? The evil darkness blanketing the world felt chillingly familiar; not a good thing. Had the great beast been revived? It couldn't be. Nagi had sealed it away after my passing using Tsukuyomi in the Moon Cave after my body had died but before my spirit began to rest. I guess, in the end, it didn't matter; the world was once again in danger and it was my duty to protect it.

"Where are we?" Issun asked as we emerged into a place that seemed to be an entirely new land. "It got awfully quiet all of a sudden. I don't remember any place like this in the village." You wouldn't, since we were no longer in the village. "Well, we better keep our eyes peeled."

Moving forwards at a slow pace, a structure that looked like a mirror eventually came into our view. Strangely, it was something I didn't recognize. "That's an Origin Mirror!" Issun cut in suddenly. "They say once your reflection appears on its surface your memories will be stored in the mirror for all eternity!"

Well would you look at that; the little bug was proving to be useful. I paused a moment at the mirror, debating whether to use it or not, but continued on. After we crossed the bridge, we were faced with a high cliff topped by a red wooden fence. Not a problem, of course. I backed up a ways, to give myself some room. I ran forwards, picking up speed and leapt just before I reached the cliff face. Halfway to the top, I placed my paws on the rough rock, red leaves and small green plants erupting in bloom around me, and pushed myself the rest of the way up through the air. As I landed on the soft grass at the top of the cliff, I felt a surge of triumph; I needed to try out all of my skills after my long slumber.

"Holy smoke!" Issun exclaimed. "That was one sweet wall jump ya did there! They say, 'Good luck is found in high places.' So, keep your eyes peeled we don't wanna miss any treasure." What good does treasure do a god?

Well, I thought again, looking at a treasure chest sitting nearby, it certainly couldn't hurt. Using my snout I pried the lid off and was rewarded with a Holy Bone. I grinned in pleasure at the sight of the bone. These were my favourite snacks; they always seemed to fill me with fresh energy. I grabbed the bone and stored it for future use. Where did I hide it, you ask? Well, that's my secret.

I moved forward again at a steady pace until I reached a bridge that was almost completely destroyed. "Looks like the bridge is out," Issun said. Wow, how did he manage to deduce that? He must be a real genius or something. "This shouldn't be so hard, um... Amaterasu, was it? That's kinda long. Mind if I call ya 'Ammy'?" I was about to shake my head in protest, but realized that I didn't mind the name too much, so I let him continue speaking. "Listen, Ammy... Ever heard of the spirits of the brush? Good brushwork has its own soul, 'least that's what they say. Just watch. It'd take all day to explain... A picture's worth a thousand words, right?"

What, so this little bug was going to use a celestial brush technique to repair the bridge? I didn't think it likely. After all, even one technique was difficult to master. Of course, out of all of them, Rejuvenation, the one required to repair something like this, was probably the easiest for a mortal to master. But still; this little bug seemed hardly capable.

It was then that I swallowed my words. Taking out his brush, Issun made swift work of using Rejuvenation to fix the broken bridge. I stared, somewhat in awe, as Issun began to speak again. "Nice, huh? Just a little technique I've mastered called Rejuvenation. It's one of many brush techniques that use divine power. It's a brush god power that can restore broken or missing things. I've practiced really hard just to master this one technique. But there are thirteen! Each one is a power of one of the thirteen brush gods. Originally, all twelve were a single powerful deity." Really? Her name couldn't have been Amaterasu, could it? Like mine? "When the deity died, its power was split into thirteen separate gods. The gods now dwell within objects all around us, but... God or no god, how could anyone have the power to master all thirteen!"

Easy; by being the original deity.

I sighed though. What had become of my children, the brush gods? I could feel their presence, but only faintly. It was barely a glimmer of their former strength that seeped into my conscious. Determination steeled my mind then; I would free all of my children and unleash their beauty back into the world.

I continued to walk calmly through this alternate Cave of Nagi until a separate trail split off to the right. A shrine seemed to be erected there. It seemed so familiar to me, though I knew I had never been there before. My heart swelled as I realized it must be one of the lost brush gods. As I neared the gate, Issun's attention was grabbed by a stone labelling the area. It read "River of the Heavens." I stopped and looked out to the little splash that lay between the two islands floating in the sky.

"The River of the Heavens? They mean the fabled stardust river? But I sure don't see anything like that around here. It couldn't be that little puddle over there, could it?" Sadly, I believe that was all that was left of the River. Something had caused the flowing stardust to dry up.

Tearing my attention away from the shrunken river, I continued through the gate to the cliff at the end of the trail. "Wow!" Issun exclaimed. "Look at the stars twinkle! I haven't seen such a beautiful nighttime sky in ages. Hey, look!" He pointed up to a constellation forming in the sky. "Are those stars forming a pattern, or is it just me? Hmm... There's one missing... Guess I'll just have to draw the missing star!"

Issun then took out his brush and attempted to paint in the missing star at the head of the constellation. I knew it wouldn't work, but I was already starting to admire his determination. "Bah..." he grumbled when it didn't work. "Looks like I'm just not ready to draw missing stars."

I smiled to myself; I knew one of the brush gods hid within that constellation. Using my own brushwork, I drew in the missing star. Suddenly the sky burst into light, the constellation of a dragon clearly formed in the sky. Now a real dragon detached itself from the stars and descended towards us. Half of its body was still a drawing on a scroll but the flesh and scales I could see were as white as my own fur with matching crimson markings. He held four glowing, coloured orbs in his four hands. As he looked down at me, now sitting in a land of celestial meeting, our bond once again began to strengthen and the love in his face shone through.

"Ah... Why, if it isn't mother Amaterasu." His voice was deep but peaceful, holding a great amount of wisdom. "I apologize for not contacting you sooner during these long years. Having never forgotten you, I, Yomigami, god of restoration, have eagerly awaited this day when we could again meet. While you were away, the thirteen spirits of the brush that you once possessed, including myself, have been scattered across this land of men, and now lie in disarray." Hearing Yomigami speak of my children in their current state nearly broke my heart, but I allowed him to continue. "I became a constellation and managed to survive until now. The time has come for you to seek out and reunite all the techniques. Your power is what is needed to restore the dried riverbed of the heavens and renew the flow of stardust."

Yomigami bowed his head to me before a flash of light engulfed him and he took the form of the sign of rejuvenation. Pausing a brief moment in the air, the sign flew towards me before entering my body, restoring one of my thirteen brush techniques. I could feel the power of rejuvenation flow through me as Yomigami finally returned to me.

"Wow!" Issun burst out. I realized that we were back in the alternate Cave of Nagi, staring at the star studded sky. "That was Yomigami, the god of Rejuvenation! Wait... So you have the power of Rejuvenation now! Can you really use it to restore the River of the Heavens? That would mean you were as good with a brush as your truly!" I snorted. As good? I invented the brush techniques little bug. Not being able to understand me, or maybe it was because I hadn't spoken it aloud, the little bug continued on. "Nah... It couldn't be true. Who else could master this incredible god technique!" I would give him this, Issun certainly had confidence, and strangely, his over-the-top arrogance was amusing.

Well, back to the task at hand. Now that Rejuvenation had been restored to me, I should be able to restore the stardust river. Turning around I made my way steadily down the hill until I stood on the shore of the River of the Heavens. "Wonder if drawing some stardust would get the river flowing again?" Issun mused aloud. Or maybe to me, I wasn't really paying attention. "Nah... It's one thing to fix a bridge, but fixing a starry river? There's no way you could pull off a stunt like that!"

If I had been capable, I would have smiled. Watch and learn little bug. Using my brush and the skill of Rejuvenation, I made quick work of restoring the river. As the ink fell away a river of stardust took its place. "Whoa! A river of stardust!" Issun burst out again, mirroring my own thoughts. "So this really must be the River of the Heavens. But what I really wanna know is who the heck drew the darn thing!"

I was stunned for a moment before remembering that Issun couldn't actually see my brushwork. That was one of the perks of being a god; you got to be anonymous. Well, it was a perk most of the time. Sometimes, even gods like to gloat. Anonymity made that a little more difficult.

Hopping into the river, I swam through the stardust to the other side, where another gate awaited me. So did a few more jars and treasure chests. I was starting to develop an affinity for treasure it would seem. In the chest sitting in the centre of the area was an Astral Pouch, quite a find. The energy from food I collected would be stored in the pouch and, if ever I needed it, would be transferred to me. A very handy device, really. Collecting the last of the treasures, I proceeded through the gate to continue on my way through the alternate Cave of Nagi.

On the other side of this new gate was a path that climbed steadily upwards, running parallel to a river. Trees and boulders lined the path and dotted the small islands spattered throughout the river. Further up, I could hear a waterfall and I could just see it in the distance. As I moved up the path I could see that the waterfalls didn't feed the river as I had thought, but descended down into the distance through the clouds.

Eventually I came to a bridge with a sign in front of it. The sign deemed the area the 'Fountain of Nagi'. I took a quick look around and didn't really see anything of interest. There was an island in the water with a treasure chest, but I just ignored it. I hate water. Looking back at the sign, Issun finally got to reading it. "Nagi?" he wondered aloud. "What's his name doing here?"

Since I knew about as much as he did, I just continued on. Across the bridge was yet another gate, though I could see what lay beyond this one; a set of steep stairs cut into the stone. At the top of the stairs we finally reached our destination. The entrance to the Cave of Nagi was open and inside I could see it was far larger than the original. When I entered the cave, the entrance closed behind me. It didn't matter; I could feel the presence of another brush god.

When Issun caught sight of Nagi's statue, his jaw dropped. At least I assumed it did, since he was too small for me to actually tell. "Is this... Is this the legendary shrine? We must be in the Cave of Nagi! The legendary hero Nagi is enshrined here! He vanquished evil one hundred years ago with the help of the white wolf, Shiranui!" I sighed. Good times. "First the River of the Heavens and now this place... Where the heck are we, furball?" He was silent for a moment as he took in his surroundings. "Boy, this place is a wreck," he said finally. "See? That sword's in really bad shape. The gods didn't do much to protect this place."

It wasn't as if we had much of a choice, what with us being sealed away and all. Though he was right; the entire place was in disarray. I looked up to Nagi's broken sword, remembering it's true glory in battle, and decided to restore it. Using Rejuvenation I quickly painted in the sword and restored it to how it should be.

"That really WAS your brushwork all this time!" Issun said, looking between me and the statue. "How'd you get so good? Exactly who are you, anyway?" I sighed. Hadn't he heard Sakuya calling me Amaterasu? If the wood sprite existed, was it that much of a stretch to believe I was the Amaterasu?

Above us the starlight intensified and filtered down to us through the cave's open roof. "Hey, there's another constellation! This one looks like a..." I tuned him out, intent on restoring another brush god to this world.

Once again, there was a flash of light and a mouse detached itself from the stars. He wore a sword and a scabbard and as his paws touched the ground he unsheathed the sword and showed off his skills. When he was done with the display he perched on the hilt, the tip resting on the ground and he balanced that way in front of me. It was the rending god, Tachigami.

"Well, well, well... If it isn't mother Amaterasu." Tachigami's face radiated the same love as Yomigami and his voice was a high pitched, squeaky version of the dragon gods. "It's been a long time. But with all these monsters around, the only place I could hide was in this shrine dedicated to ancient heroes. If there is anything I can do to assist you in your endeavours, I'm at your service. Make good use of this sword, as it was designed to conquer evil." As with Yomigami, Tachigami bowed his head before becoming the sign of power slash and entering my body. I could now feel the strength of the Power Slash at my disposal.

"Hey, that was the god, Tachigami, master of the Power Slash technique. Wait a minute. If you're getting all these powers... Then you're just like that Shiranui!" Yep. Just like. "You know, the wolf who fought and died alongside the great Nagi. When Shiranui died, the wolf's power was split into the thirteen brush gods. This is crazy." The little bug was really starting to freak out. "Shiranui and Nagi? It's just like the legend. Well, anyway, I've never seen this Power Slash technique myself." He looked around, trying to locate a suitable test subject. "How 'bout showing your stuff off on that boulder over there? Lemme see you slice it in half! I won't believe it till I see it!"

Looks like my anonymity was gone, not that I minded in this case. It would be nice to get a little appreciation for once; people's faith in the gods had slowly been diminishing. Using my brushwork, I drew a line across the boulder, neatly slicing it in half. "Wow!" Issun sounded truly impressed. "I didn't think you had it in ya, furball." I rolled my eyes. Thank you for your vote of confidence. "I'm not even in the same league as you! Guess I really overestimated myself." Now he sounded down and I immediately felt bad. I was a god; who was he to compare himself to me. In the realm of mortals, he was actually quite talented. Not that many people could master even Rejuvenation.

"Hey, furball..." he said after a moment of silence. "Er... I mean, Amaterasu... I've made up my mind! If you're Shiranui reborn, then that means you can master all thirteen techniques, right? In that case, I think I'll tag along until I'm as good as you!" Lucky you!" I sighed. Yeah, lucky me, thought I didn't put much conviction into the though. I shook myself and whined, trying to throw him from his position atop my head. "Heh heh... It's no use tryin' to change my mind. There's no stoppin' me once I've made a decision! But enough about me! Now that you've mastered the Power Slash, you can cut down that thing Sakuya was talking about. Let's go back and give it a shot!"

I wasn't able to sense any more brush gods in the area, so I figured I was finished here. Issun was right; it was time to return to Sakuya's tree and free the souls of the villagers sealed inside the fruit. With the aide of the Power Slash brush technique, it should prove a simple matter. Turning my back to the statue of Nagi, I realized the gate to the cave had closed behind us. Once again, it would just be a simple matter of using Power Slash. Summoning my Celestial Brush, I sliced through the gate and retraced my steps.

At the bottom of the stairway near the fountain of Nagi, We encountered a slight hiccup in our progress. Two imps leapt out of the bushes, intending to ambush me. I sighed. It was a wasted effort. Even weakened as I was from my long slumber and the lack of most of my brush techniques, I still had plenty of strength to deal with them. They were merely Green Imps, and thus would be easy to defeat.

Lowering myself into a crouch, I charged them. The Divine Instrument on my back, known as Divine Retribution, was my weapon of choice. I had several stronger weapons, including rosaries, glaives, and several other reflectors, but at the moment I was not in possession of them. Divine Retribution would be more than enough to handle them anyways. Using the reflector, I attacked the imps until their strength failed them and they burst in to flower blossoms, gently raining down the the newly battle-scarred earth. The ruined ground was distressing, but there was something even more pressing at the moment; this was sacred ground. Demons should not be able to enter this area. Nonetheless, here they were, lying in wait for me. The serpents power mus be growing.

I shook my head, clearing my mind of these thoughts, and turned my attention back to matter at hand. I was about a quarter of the way back to the entrance of this alternate cave, so I put on a burst of speed. As I ran, flowers and grass bloomed in my wake and the wind rushed through my fur. Issun had remained silent since we left the cave with Nagi's statue. Or maybe he had been talking and I just wasn't paying attention; either way, we were almost back now.

We were attacked once more on the way, but we made it without incident. When we passed the Origin Mirror, I decided to give it a try. It couldn't hurt, anyways. As I stared into the mirror, my eyes unfocused, until I was looking at the mirror again, though this time instead of seeing my reflection, I saw myself passing the Fountain of Nagi, then again in front of the statue. Huh. Looks like it actually works. Not giving it much more thought than that, I exited the sacred lands.

Stepping out from the base of the tree, I looked to the sky to see it exactly the same as when I left. It was almost as if time hadn't passed while inside the sacred lands. If I had shoulders, I would have shrugged them. Glancing up to the large, plump fruit hanging off of one of the branches, I made swift work of using Power Slash to cut it down.

As the fruit hit the ground, it burst open in a shower of multicoloured leaves. From inside, a wave of flowers, more leaves and life burst forth, sweeping away the cursed darkness that had covered the land and restoring everything to it's life filled state. However, something still seemed off.

"Wow! The village's been restored!" Issun looked around in awe. "Sakuya came through big time! She really was protecting the village! But I sure wish I could spent some more time in her kimono, if ya know what I mean! Heh heh heh heh heh!" Oh did I. Being locked in stone for the past one hundred years had left me feeling a little... wanting. Issun began to speak again, this time a little more seriously. "But seriously, with monsters runnin' around and all... the village could still be in danger. Let's go see how they're all doing down there"

The little bug was right; I hadn't even thought of the monsters that could still be causing havoc in the village. Maybe I was getting a little rusty. Descending the tree lined path I soon came upon a clearing with two paths branching off. One was stone steps leading up to what appeared to be a lookout, while the other was another tree lined path that dropped off one side into the lake and lead down to the village. Near one wall of the clearing was a stone statue of what appeared to be a monk playing a small wooden flute. It was a strange place for a strange statue. Something didn't seem right about it though. It was too... life-like, and there was a strange energy surrounding it.

"What in the world?" Issun muttered when he saw the statue. "I don't remember there being a statue here... Well, whatever. Let's go talk to the villagers!" I felt a sinking feeling begin to grow in my gut and hastened my way to the village. I ran down the path, this time paved in stone and noticed the trees on my right were completely withered. I would have loved to have made them bloom, but without the appropriate brush technique, I wouldn't be able to do anything.

When I reached the village I saw several more stone statues standing in various places in the village, but not a single person. I couldn't even sense anyone; all I could sense was the strange energy surrounding the statues. I walked up to one of a woman standing in a field with a basket on her head. I looked as if she had just finished harvesting and was about to return to her dwelling with her spoils.

"Hey, there's a statue here, too..." He was starting to sound worried now, feeling something was amiss. "It's like the villagers have turned to stone or something..." His thought was punctuated with another roar from the distance, shaking the earth beneath my paws. "Not again!" Issun groaned. "That's not one of those smaller monsters that're lurking about. A roar like that's gotta belong to somethin' much bigger. Let's hurry up and find somebody with a pulse around here!" I agreed that we should try and find someone living, but I doubted we would be successful. It was as if all the villagers had been turned to stone.

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Dresden Files/Inheritance Cycle Crossover

Summary: During the final battle, Eragon is bested by Galbatorix and in order to save him, Saphira uses her magic to encase them both in a crystal, safe from the ravages of time and hidden from those who seek them. When the spell finally breaks, the Dragon Rider wakes to find himself in the presence of a modern day wizard. Inheritance Cycle/Dresden Files crossover. Spoilers for Dresden Files. Post-Turn Coat

Remnants of a Forgotten Past
Prologue: A Dark Beginning to a Darker End

Eragon surveyed the army below him, evaluating their chances of victory in his head. He now had at his disposal the combined forces of Surda, the Urgals, the Elves, the Dwarves and, of course, the Varden. It was a massive army, filled with skilled fighters and brave souls, but he feared even that may not be enough, for their enemy was powerful beyond all imagining. The tense feeling of anticipation mixed with fear permeated the air above the army as they prepared to face the might of Galbatorix's forces. The King's army consisted of dark spirits and men, as well as several other unsavoury creatures, their minds bent and twisted to the will of Galbatorix. Then there was Murtagh, Eragon's half brother and another dragon rider, though he was enslaved to the King. However, the King himself would prove to be the most formidable opponent. The army preparing to face them knew their chances were slim but they had run out of time. It was now or never.

The farm boy turned Dragon Rider sat atop his dragon, Saphira, and placed a hand against the cool blue scales of her neck. "Do you think we have a chance?" he asked her silently, their minds intertwined as one.

"I think we are doing what has to be done, young one," she replied, her voice soothing the doubts of his mind. "I know it seems bleak, but have hope; we are not alone. Our friends and comrades stand with us. The courage we gain from each others presence gives us an advantage that twisted king will never have." He smiled, knowing she was right. As long as they remained united, their strength was multiplied a thousand fold.

Overhead, the sound of rushing wings heralded the arrival of the newest Rider. Both Eragon and Saphira turned their gazes skyward and watched as a dragon of shimmering green set down beside them. Astride this dragon was the elf Arya. Her black hair fell past her pointed ears, framing her face and making Eragon remember the love he felt for her. He was nineteen now, and she over one hundred, but the age no longer mattered to either of them. Her dragon, Mytcaesin, had hatched for her about a year ago after they had stolen it from Galbatorix. After he had hatched, the young dragon had immediately formed a bond with Saphira. As the two dragons grew closer, so had their riders. In the past, Arya had denied Eragon's advances and he had no doubt it was the bond between their dragons that was drawing them closer. As time passed, he believed that her feelings towards him had become genuine. Either way, he was happy to have her in his life.

"The fight is almost upon us," she told him in the ancient language. As a boy, he had never even heard of the language. Now, through countless days spent studying it under the supervision of both Brom and Oromis, he was fluent in it.

"This will be the final battle," he told her in the same tongue. "I intend to make sure of it."

"I feel a sense of foreboding," Mytcaesin said suddenly. Arya's dragon was known to have a little of the sixth sense, but Eragon brushed it off.

"It's just the feeling of the approaching battle," he said.

"Are the eggs safe?" Saphira asked her mate. Recently, the two had mated and Saphira had lain several eggs, each awaiting a rider to bond with. Eragon had shared in Saphira's joy when she became a mother as Arya had no doubt shared in Mytcaesin's elation.

"Yes," he replied proudly. "They are well protected."

Soft footsteps on the rocks behind them drew their attention. They were approached by Nasuada, Orik, Islanzadi, Nar Garzhvog and King Orrin. Between the nine of them, all the races under their alliance were represented.

"It is time," Nasuada said softly. Eragon looked at each of those present and knew that most of their hopes rested on him. He only hoped that he could live up to their expectations. He looked away towards the horizon and saw the approaching army along with two silhouettes in the sky, all growing steadily closer.

"Let us show them the might they stand against," Saphira growled savagely before opening her maw, spewing a jet of flames and roaring her vicious intent for all to ear. Mytcaesin joined in her war cry as did the Urgals, the Kull, and most of the others gathered.

Unsheathing his sword, Brisingr, Eragon held it aloft and let the flames dance along the gleaming blue blade. "For the freedom of Alagaesia!" he bellowed as he and Saphira launched themselves off the rock, closely followed by Mytcaesin and Arya. The others rode down on horses except for the Kull who easily kept pace with his mounted comrades.

Eragon headed straight for Galbatorix, not wasting his time. Right now he was at his top strength, and he would need it all in the fight against the King. However, a quick victory was not to be. He was met almost immediately with a wall of sorcerers and he felt them try to break through the shield he kept around his mind. He could feel Saphira adding her strength to his own as her powerful wings moved them through the sky.

Turning his attention from the black dragon rider, Eragon scanned the ground below, looking for the source of the mental assault. He found them quickly, surrounded by foot soldiers near the edge of the battle, trying to keep as far out of harms way as possible. The foot soldiers were all armed with bows and they fired at him instantly upon seeing him. With minimal effort, Eragon stopped their arrows, set them ablaze, and sent them flying back. He heard anguished screams as soldiers began to fall.

Without having to be told, Saphira dived towards the sorcerers before setting them ablaze with a stream of fire. A stray soldier who had escaped both Eragon's and Saphira's attack fired an arrow with deadly accuracy, but it bounced harmlessly off the wards he had set on himself. Eragon quickly dispatched him with Brisingr.

He noticed a flash of green in the distance as Arya began to use her magic. Looking closer, he noticed she was fighting Murtagh and he felt his heart wrench. There was the woman he loved and his last blood relative fighting to the death, neither willing to give in. He would have given anything for Murtagh to join the Varden, but he knew Galbatorix had him in an unbreakable grip; he knew Murtagh's true name.

They had fought twice before. The first time, Murtagh had found a loop hole that had allowed him to walk away without ending Eragon's life. Murtagh could be cruel at times, but he wasn't evil, nor could he help the way he was. He had been raised in Galbatorix's castle by Morzan, the first of the foresworn. With a childhood like that, it was a miracle that Murtagh had any conscious left at all.

"Eragon!" Islanzadi's voice cut through his thoughts and brought him back to the fight. He realized with dismay that he had been more distracted then he realized. Galbatorix was nearly upon him. Saphira roared and bared her fangs at the twisted black dragon that approached them. This creature was an abomination, it's mind twisted beyond recognition.

With surprising speed, Shruikan lunged forwards and sank his claws into the arms and legs of Saphira. She bellowed in pain before snaking her head forwards to try and attack the black dragon's neck.

"I've been wanting to meet you, boy," Galbatorix said to Eragon, his voice twisted with madness. "You have been a nuisance," he continued. "Why do you not join me? You would be treated as a lord. You would have power beyond your wildest dreams." Pausing, he turned his gaze briefly to the red rider. "You would be reunited with your brother."

Their dragons still writhing beneath them, the two riders were slowly falling towards the ground. "I would sooner die than serve you, Galbatorix," Eragon retorted, his voice dripping with scorn.

The King's eye's flashed with fury at Eragon's words. "Then die!" he screamed. Eragon was hit with a spell powered by countless Eldunari, a spell with more power then anything he had ever been able to achieve. The force of the spell threw him from his saddle on Saphira's back, drained all his wards and began to tear at his flesh.

"No!" Saphira screamed. She wrenched herself from Shruikan's grasp and flung herself towards her falling rider.

Eragon could feel the spell taking it's toll on him, slowly draining him of life. If the spell didn't kill him, the impact that was coming from the fall probably would. Sadly, he realized he had let everyone down. They had all been counting on him to save the day, to overthrow this mad king and free Alagaesia from his oppression. Instead, he had let himself become distracted and made an easy target of himself. The pain was starting to reach his shocked brain now and the sensation of the spell tearing him apart slowly was excruciating. One of the biggest regrets he had was that he wouldn't be there to see his cousins child grow. He felt Galbatorix prepare a final spell.

Then he felt cool claws and scales enfold him and his vision was filled with a brilliant blue. His decent slowed but he hardly registered it, being barely conscious. There was a rush of wind as Saphira folded them within her wings and he felt something hard begin to surround them. He sensed an immense power pouring from the blue dragon. It was one of the last things he felt. Sweet oblivion slowly enfolded his mind in its dark embrace.

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Captive's Heart
Chapter Seven: Past, Present and Future

The next few days passed slowly; Murtagh slept and recovered from his 'talk' with the King and Raine sat by his side, thinking. It had been a great relief to confide in Thorn. Not being able to reveal her true nature to anyone had been tormenting her since her arrival Alagaësia but now the burden was lessened. She knew she could not speak with him often though, as she did not want Murtagh to discover her secret. Still, she would have given anything to be able to speak to Murtagh, but she knew that if she did, he would no longer tolerate her presence. Raine did not know if she would be able to stand that; she had come to rely on his silent companionship in these troubling times.

Raine glanced at his sleeping form on the bed behind her and felt a flash of anger at King Galbatorix. That the Varden had stolen the last dragon egg had not been Murtagh's fault. It had been the King that had sent him out in the first place. What right had he to blame Murtagh for his own carelessness?

Banishing those thoughts from her head, she walked over to Murtagh's bed, where he was beginning to awaken. At first he just lay there, staring at the ceiling above while Raine sat and watched him. After a moment, he pushed himself into an upright position and stood up. He was strong enough for that now, but he wouldn't be doing much more for a day or two yet. He dressed in silence and Raine did nothing to try to catch his attention; she knew he must have a lot on his mind, as well that he was still healing.

After a moment a knock came at the door followed by a young woman's voice. "Food, sir," she called.

"Enter," Murtagh replied absently. Gingerly he sat down in a chair beside the window and stared out at the slowly rising sun. Raine hid herself from sight as the servant entered and placed a plate of food on the table by Murtagh. He said nothing as she bowed her way out of the room and he made no movement to take the food.

Raine waited until she heard the door close and her footsteps recede down the hall before making her way out of hiding. She went and sat beside Murtagh and looked up at him. "You can have to food if you want," he told her. She did not take it, however. She had hunted recently and would not have to eat for at least another day.

"It's been so long since I was last at ease," he said finally. Raine's ears perked up and she paid him her full attention now. If he wanted to talk, she would listen. "I think it was when I still traveled with Eragon."

Raine had heard the name before, though she could not place it. She could hear the anger and bitterness in his voice as he said it, though she heard something else as well; a profound sadness. He looked down at Raine and she saw the same sadness in his eyes that she had heard in his voice.

"Eragon is the Dragon Rider that has sided with the Varden," he clarified. "He is my rival and sworn enemy." He paused for a moment and looked back out the window. "And my brother."

Raine had not heard this bit of information before and realized how troubling this must be for him. He had no one left in the world that truly cared about him and now his brother was his greatest enemy.

"I haven't known that he was my brother for long," he continued. It seemed that now that he had started talking he might not be able to stop. She did not imagine he had anyone other than Thorn to confide in. "Galbatorix told me after I was forced to swear allegiance to him. Eragon did not know of our shared heritage either until I told him myself during the battle on the Burning Planes."

He glanced down at his hand. "I hate being a servant to the King," he stated vehemently. "This is nothing like it was supposed to be. He gave me visions of grandeur and the world he showed me was beautiful; one anyone would desire. Instead he stripped me of everything I had. My sword, my freedom, even my life are his to do with as he pleases. They only thing he left me with is this incredible power." At this he clenched his had into a fist. His expression was dark with anger at the King.

Murtagh sighed and unclenched his fist, looking back out the window. He didn't speak again for a long moment and Raine in turn, looked at him in stunned silence. She hadn't been with him for long, but this was the first time he has spoken so passionately about his hatred for the King he served, or about anything really. He was such a closed off person. He had put up a wall around himself and denied anyone access. Most would say it was because he was a cold hearted person who was ruled by hatred and a desire to fight, though she would say it was because he was afraid of being hurt again.

"Eragon said something to me the last time we met in battle," he continued suddenly. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately. The reason I serve Galbatorix is because he knows my true name, so he can command me in any way he wishes, but Eragon said that it is possible to change your true name." He looked down at Raine now, as if seeking her opinion. "I know not where he came by that information but I often wonder what I would do if I had the chance to choose for myself."

Raine knew that what he was saying now was dangerous. If anyone overhead him, they would undoubtedly report him to the King. She kept quiet though and let him continue. "There is almost no chance that Galbatorix can be killed, I know that. But sometimes I wonder if that could change. Eragon has united the dwarves, the elves, and men while he himself is becoming a rider of great prowess. Not to mention that Dragon Rider I killed who rode the crippled golden dragon."

A fresh wave of anger and despair washed over him as he thought about the golden rider. "Why didn't he tell me about the golden rider?" he asked no one. "He could have helped me! I could be free of this place and doing what I chose, not what someone forced on me."

He sagged into the chair now, his anger spent. Raine edged closer to him and laid her head on his knee. Murtagh absently placed a hand on her head, once again lost in thought. "Perhaps I would travel with him again, if he would let me." Raine looked up to see a faint smile play itself across his lips. "My travels with him were the most freedom I've had in years, as well as the most entertaining. I do not wish to meet him again before I am free though. It would be too painful to see his freedom while I am trapped. As well, depending on the circumstance, I may have to kill him."

Raine realized now how deeply Murtagh missed Eragon. He had truly enjoyed their time together and sorely missed the simplicity of that time. He had been Murtagh's first friend in what Raine imagined had been a long time.

"Don't think I've forgotten you," Murtagh said. Raine looked up at him, perplexed. "I've stuck my neck out for you this far, so you're stuck with me until you pay me back." If Raine could laugh, she would have.

They sat in silence together for a while, Murtagh on the chair, staring out the window, and Raine with her head on Murtagh's knee and his hand on her head. Raine's thoughts swirled as she tried to sort them out. Was there something she could do to help him? Could she find a way for them to escape? What could she do to ease Murtagh's suffering? In the end, she had nothing. The only thing she could offer him was the silent reassurance of her presence, just as he had given her his.

When the sun was finally setting, staining the sky pink and gold, someone knocked at the door. Raine started badly but recovered in time to hide herself from the view of whoever might be standing at the door. They did not announce their purpose so Murtagh stood slowly to answer the beckoning knock. All signs of the despair and anger that had gripped him earlier were gone. He now stood with confidence and authority. He may be a servant to the King, but he was a very high ranking servant.

On the other side of the door stood a messenger of the King. It was not the same one that had come to deliver the altered orders days before. This messenger seemed to know his place and had apparently dealt with Murtagh before.

"New orders form the King, sir," he said, handing a scroll to Murtagh. "You are to leave as early as possible tomorrow on a scouting mission. You are to leave your dragon here." Murtagh did not seem happy with this news. He dismissed the messenger who bowed and then left quickly down the hall. Murtagh walked over to his desk where he broke the seal of the King and read the scroll. After a moment he rolled it back up and placed it with the rest of the orders he had received.

"It looks like tomorrow will be another mission for you and me," he said to Raine. "As I'm sure you heard, it is but a simple scouting mission, but I imagine you would enjoy the run." Raine's eyes sparkled, looking forward to running wild the next day.

Murtagh prepared for bed now and when he finally settled down he placed his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. "I think starting tomorrow I should start thinking seriously about changing my true name. Perhaps that way we could finally be free of the horrid place."

His voice as he spoke that last line had been clear but with an aching longing. As he rolled onto his side, Raine noted the scars that traced pale white lines across his skin and the stiff manner in which he moved. If she could have cried, she would have.

----------

Sibling Rivalry
Chapter Seven: Vlad Plasmius

Jazz looked out the window of her physics classroom while her teacher droned on in the background. They were going over a new lesson now but Jazz couldn't concentrate. Her notebook lay empty and untouched on her desk with her pencil lying limply beside it. She knew she should be paying attention but she couldn't summon up the energy.

As she looked out the window, all she could think of was the news report that had aired yesterday. Thus far, she had not heard any of the students at school talking about the fight or the news report yesterday but she knew it would come.

What made her anxious was wondering about other people's reactions to her appearance. Danny was looked upon mainly as the enemy and since she was fighting along side him, she wondered if she would be classified as the enemy as well.

One fluffy cloud floated lazily out of the way of the sun, brightening up the sky. Jazz had to blink before she could see clearly again. One arm lay across her desk while she leaned on her other with her had propped up in her hand. She sighed heavily, still thinking about the news.

"Miss Fenton!" Jazz snapped out of her daze and whipped her head around to look at her teacher. He was staring right at her and so were a few other people from her class. "I see you have not written any notes down," he observed. "And why is that?"

Jazz looked down at her empty notebook again then back to her teacher. "I-I'm sorry sir. I guess I must have zoned out." Her reply was quiet and meek. She needed to pay more attention in her classes or her marks would slip like Danny's had.

Speaking of Danny, she wondered how he was doing. Her ghost sense hadn't gone off so he must still be in class himself. Was he having trouble concentrating too? Is this what he went through every day?

"Ahem." Jazz looked back to her teacher again who was once again looking at her. Several more students were looking at her too. She was a star student. This kind of behavior was very unlike her.

"Sorry," she said again. Jazz picked up her pencil and quickly began writing down the notes that were still on the board. After a moment, the teacher continued the lesson. Though Jazz's mind still wandered, she finished her lesson with no further interruptions.

When her class was over, Jazz gathered up her belongings and headed for her last block class. Her next class was English, which was on the other side of the school.

As she walked down the halls she was greeted by several of her friends walking in the opposite direction. She replied absently and continued down the hall. She could hear the people in front of her talking but she didn't pay attention until they mentioned last night's news report on the ghost fight. Jazz immediately began to pay attention.

"What do you think of that new ghost, Intange-Gal?" one boy asked.

"She's just as bad as Inviso-Bill," a girl replied, sticking her nose in the air to show her disdain.

"I dunno," the boy replied again. "She's kinda cute with that blue hair and all." He paused for a moment. "But who would call themselves 'Intange-Gal' anyways?"

Jazz silently agreed with him in her head. Intange-Gal! Why couldn't they have come up with something more original at least? She sighed and continued to her class.

When Jazz finally reached the door she gasped and a blue mist floated out of her mouth. She looked around to see if anyone was near by and, seeing no one, changed in to her alter ego Jazzy Spook, and not a moment too soon.

Behind her she heard some people start to scream and students began to rush out of their classrooms. The ghost of a giant boar crashed through the wall closest to Jazz and would have run in to her if she had not jumped. As it ran past her she fired an ectoplasm beam at the back of its head. That seemed to get its attention.

The boar skidded to a stop, turned around and looked up at Jazz. She hesitated for a moment, which probably wasn't the best of ideas, but she was still relatively new to this fighting thing so she was bound to make some mistakes. It rammed in to her head first, its tusks just barely missing her sides.

Though Jazz was dazed from the hit and still flying backwards, she did have the presence of mind to turn intangible before she hit the roof. She stopped her ascent when she was well above the school and looked towards her to see if the boar had followed her outside.

It had, but it had other things on its mind for the time being, such as fending off Danny as he began his assault. Jazz quickly recovered and flew down to help. By this time, a small crowd had gathered bellow them. Jazz looked over them quickly and was relieved to see that there were no camera crews.

Jazz flew up behind the boar unnoticed and attacked the back of its head again. Danny took this opportunity to try and suck it in to the Fenton Thermos. Unfortunately, the boar kicked out with its back legs and knocked the thermos from his hands. Danny let out a cry of dismay as the Fenton Thermos fell to earth and he tried to chase after it but the boar kicked again, catching Danny in the chest and sending him flying backwards.

Now that Danny had been taken care of the boar turned its attention back to Jazz, whose punch was already flying towards its nose. Her strength surprised her. With that one punch she had sent the boar careening into the ground.

Danny, who had been momentarily winded, had recovered and was already flying downwards at an alarming pace to retrieve the thermos. He reached the ground moments before the boar and had to quickly jump sideways to avoid being crushed. Jazz was already flying towards them incase Danny needed help before he was able to trap the boar inside the thermos.

Her worries were unfounded however. As soon as Danny regained his footing he opened the thermos and sucked the ghost boar inside and closed the lid, sealing it within the ghost zone. Danny let out a sigh of relief as Jazz landed beside him.

Turning to Jazz, Danny extended his hand. "Thanks for your help… again." Now that they had met once before, both Danny and Jazz felt less awkward about talking to each other. Best to act natural anyways. They didn't want any one getting suspicious.

Behind them they heard the school bell, meaning the school day was now over. What timing, Jazz thought.

Jazz turned back to Danny. "Well I guess we should leave here before more camera crews show up." Danny nodded his agreement and the two of them flew off in different directions, though headed for the same destination.

There was plenty of time before she had to be home so Jazz did not fly directly there. Instead, she decided to head to an ally so she could walk home. Not that she needed the exercise, the fights did that for her, but walking was nice and relaxing.

She landed in the alley and quickly changed back to her normal self. It wasn't until after she changed back she realized she should have checked if there was someone else in there or not. Unfortunately for her, there was. However, he was not what she expected.

A man stared out at her with slightly glowing red eyes from the shadows of the alley. Jazz yelped in surprise and jumped back a few steps. Glowing red eyes was not something one sees every day.

"I'm sorry, my dear. I did not mean to frighten you." The man stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to Jazz. The first thing that caught her eye was that he was a ghost. What was even more interesting was that he seemed to be a vampire. His hair and beard were jet black and he seemed to have fangs. The outfit was also a bit of a hint. He wore a white cape, though the inside was red, and it had a very high collar. The rest of his outfit was white as well except for the black collar, gloves, boots and belt. Yep, he definitely looked the part.

Jazz gulped and tried to speak but her mouth had gone dry. He looked powerful and she didn't think she could take him on alone if it came down to a fight.

"You do not need to fear me," he reassured her. "My name is Vlad Plasmius and I am only here to help."

Jazz seemed to calm down a little. "Oh, um, my name is…" She hesitated. Should she give him her ghost name or her real name? Giving him her real name seemed a little bit like a bad idea.

"It is all right, child. I know who you are." He smiled warmly at her.

"You do?" she asked quietly. Having a complete stranger, especially one that looked like he could easily take you in a fight, has a tad bit scary.

"Yes," he replied. "You are Jasmine Fenton, and you, unfortunately, had a terrible accident that landed you with you extraordinary powers."

"How do you know all this?" Jazz asked.

"I am very well informed." After a brief pause, he added, "I also know of you brother and his… affliction."

"You do?" Jazz was surprised that anyone but herself, Tucker and Sam knew Danny's true identity, but was this a good thing? Then something occurred to her. "What do you mean by 'affliction'?"

"Now is not the time to discuss this my dear. If I am not mistaken, you are expected home soon and what I wish to tell you will take some time." Vlad's voice held a somber tone to it. This was something important and he seemed to be sincere when he said he wanted to help.

"Then when will you tell me?" she asked.

Vlad thought for a moment. "How about we meet tomorrow evening, after the rest of your household is asleep." Jazz agreed and he told her where to meet him.

She thanked him as he was about to leave but then he turned to her with one last piece of advice. "For now, I leave you with this advice: beware of your brother, for he is not all that he seems."

With those final words, Vlad departed, leaving a bewildered Jazz alone in the alley. Beware of Danny? What did he mean!

----------

Sibling Rivalry
Chapter 8: The Supposed Truth

Jazz Fenton went about her day as normally as she could, but that was far easier said than done. Her mind kept on returning to her meeting the other day with the vampire ghost that had called himself Vlad Plasmius and what he had said about Danny. 'Beware of your brother,' he had said, 'for he is not all that he seems.' She still couldn't figure out what he had meant by that.

Thankfully it was the weekend now so she didn't have to worry about being distracted in class. However, now she had to worry about acting normal around her family. She didn't want them getting suspicious and beginning to worry about her. She had bigger things to be concerned about now.

So Jazz's day passed slowly as her mind wandered here and there, waiting for the evening to come. Instead of sitting around downstairs in the eyes of her family, she decided to fake sick and stay in here room.

A knock came at her door and she quickly lept into her bed and pulled up the covers. "Yes?" she called, making herself sound hoarse.

Her mother, Maddie, entered the room with a bowl of soup. "How are you feeling dear?"

"Not very well," Jazz answered, the blanket pulled up over her mouth.

"Oh, my poor Jasmine," Maddie cooed. She walked over and placed the soup on Jazz's bedside table. "Is there anything you need?" she asked, sounding very concerned.

"You don't need to get so worked up mom," Jazz chuckled weakly. "It's just a cold. I'll probably be better by tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Maddie hesitated a moment then leaned over and placed a light kiss on her forehead before walking towards the door. "Thanks for the soup," Jazz called after her as she closed the door.

When Jazz was sure her mother was gone she sighed and threw back the blankets, sitting up. She didn't like having to lie to her mother but she wanted some time alone to think now. She crawled across her bed to the window and drew back the curtains. It was still light outside as she leaned on the window sill and gazed out into the street. She looked without seeing, her mind elsewhere.

Just how was Danny dangerous to her? What did Vlad know that she didn't? It was all starting to confuse her. What she needed to do was calm down and think this through logically.

Vlad had somehow known that Jazz was a half ghost. She had no idea how, but he did. He had said that her powers were a gift, albeit received through a freak accident. What else had he said? His words came back to her instantly. "I am also aware of your brother's… affliction." Now why would he call Danny's condition an affliction and hers a gift when they were in the same circumstance?

Was that what he had meant? Was he implying that there was something different between her ghost half and his? This was all speculation of course, but it was the only thing that made remotely any sense.

Now that she thought about it, she had no idea how Danny had become a half ghost. She had assumed that the same thing that happened to her had happened to him, but what if she was wrong? She knew there had been an accident down in the lab, but what type of accident?

Jazz shook her head, banishing the thoughts. This was becoming too dark to think about. Besides, she was probably wrong. But maybe, just maybe, Vlad would be able to tell her the truth tonight.

That brought her to her next problem. How was she going to sneak out tonight for her meeting with Vlad without getting caught? Well, the getting out part wouldn't be a problem, but the issue of being discovered was. On second thought, playing sick today may not have been the best idea. Now her mother would check on her tonight, possibly more than once. She had to make sure her mother wouldn't notice that she was gone.

Making her decision, Jazz stood up and crept to her door. She would go downstairs as silently as possible and see what her mother was doing. With any luck, she might think of how to fool her for the evening.

She stood and listened at the door for a moment then opened it a crack to peer outside. She didn't see or hear anyone so she made her way to the stairs. Not hearing anyone in the kitchen, she walked down the first few steps. She bent down and peered into the room. No one was in the kitchen or the living room but the door to the lab was slightly ajar. Obviously her parents were down there.

Walking to the door, she stopped and listened to her parents discussing a new ghost hunting invention. They seemed very involved and very confused. It sounded like they would be busy for quite some time. They wouldn't give up on something until they fully understood it, meaning that this could take a while. Jazz smiled to herself. It looked like she wouldn't have much trouble going out tonight after all. With that, she made her way up to her room and waited for nightfall.

Jazz didn't have to wait long. She hadn't realized how long she had sat in her bedroom thinking. The sun was already setting, painting the horizon gold and pink. It wouldn't be long now. In the kitchen she could hear Danny making himself dinner. Her parents probably wouldn't eat until much later. She guessed now was as good a time as any.

Unlike Danny, Jazz didn't have a battle cry. Not that this was a battle she was entering anyways. She shifted into her ghost form, her soft pajamas replaced by her inverted hazard suit. She didn't feel it though. She was ghost now.

She didn't bother opening the window; she just fazed through it and continued on her way. Jazz headed silently but swiftly to her allotted meeting place with Vlad Plasmius. They had agreed on meeting in the middle of the park where they were less likely to be disturbed.

By the time she reached the park full darkness had fallen. Thankfully that didn't seem to be a problem. The park was lit with the odd lamp here and there so most of the park at least held a faint glow. The place where she was supposed to meet Vlad was one of the darkest areas of the park. It was probably better that way, she thought. People would be less likely to see them.

Landing softly on the ground she glanced left and right, looking for the vampire ghost. She had to admit he was rather creepy. His outfit was classic vampire, cape and all, and his hair was a slick black curved in classic vampire style, complete with a beard. His eyes were red, he had long fangs, and he was as pale as, well, a ghost. Perhaps he was the ghost of Vlad the Impaler, though she didn't really believe in vampires.

Then again, she was a ghost now, so you never knew.

"I am pleased you have decided to come." Jazz turned around and saw Vlad approaching her. He held his hands behind his back as he walked and he wore a soft expression on his face. He really did seem to want to help her.

"I want a few answers," Jazz said.

"Of course, my dear. I wouldn't dream of keeping anything from you."

"What did you mean yesterday when you told me to beware of Danny?" Perhaps now she would finally get some answers.

Vlad hesitated for a moment. He seemed to be struggling with what to tell her. "Are you sure you want to hear this now?" he asked. "It is not a happy tale and we need to start your training right away."

"No," Jazz said, her voice firm. "I want to know what you know about my brother."

Sighing, Vlad shook his head. It seemed he wouldn't get anything out of her until he told her about her brother. "Fine," Vlad conceded. "First, let's start with you." He could see the confusion on her face. "How much do you know about your situation?"

"Not much," she admitted. "I was shocked when I entered the ghost portal. I assume something happened then to turn me into a half ghost."

"Correct," Vlad said. "You see, when you were shocked, you were infused with ectoplasm that mutated and replaced some of your DNA, thus, turning you into a half ghost."

"Isn't that what happened to Danny?" Jazz asked, concerned now.

"No, I am afraid not. What happened to your brother is something worse." Vlad sighed. "Much worse."

When Vlad didn't continue right away, Jazz became anxious. "What?" she demanded. "What happened to him? Why is it so much worse than what happened to me?"

Vlad looked at her sadly, with pity in his eyes. This wasn't going to be easy to hear. "Your brother isn't technically half ghost."

This gave Jazz pause. Wasn't half ghost? What was he talking about?

"You see, the accident he had down in the lab was different from the one you experienced. It is true that he tried to fix the ghost portal, but he was not shocked by it." Vlad began pacing back and forth, like this was difficult for him to say. "Instead, he got the portal working again, only to be attacked by the other side."

Jazz suddenly felt fear creep into her chest. Danny? Attacked? But by who?

Vlad seemed to notice because he walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I am sorry, my dear. This must be difficult to hear. But hear it you must. Now that I have begun to tell you the tale, you must hear it 'till the end.

"A powerful and evil ghost from the Ghost Zone came through the portal and attacked your brother," he continued. "However, instead of trying to physically harm Danny, he possessed him."

"Possessed?" Jazz asked. She didn't understand. How could Danny be possessed? He acted like he always had, except from the fighting ghosts thing. And if the ghost possessing Danny was evil, why was he fighting off ghosts and saving people? Her head was spinning now.

"Yes," Vlad confirmed. "Let me ask you something. Has your brother been acting strange recently?"

Jazz thought about that for a moment. Danny had been acting like Danny; well, mostly. Now that she thought about it, he had seemed on edge and more quick to anger recently. Could this be what Vlad meant?

"The ghost that possesses him is slowly wearing down his human side," Vlad said. "I'm afraid that if we don't do something soon, it will be too late for your brother."

She looked up at Vlad in horror. "Too late? You mean the ghost possessing him will…" Her voice trailed off. She didn't want to think about it.

"That is correct." Vlad's voice was low and sympathetic. "If we don't stop him soon, your brother will be, for all intents and purposes, dead." He waited silently for Jazz to fully digest all the information she just heard. It was a lot, he knew, but this was how it had to be. There could be no sugar coating, no softening of the story. At least, not if he wanted what he had planned to work.

"Can you help me free Danny?" Jazz asked suddenly. Her head was still bowed and her voice was quiet, almost a whisper, but confident.

Vlad smiled, his fangs poking through. This was what he had been waiting for. He had this girl ensnared in his lies. Now he had the one weapon that Danny couldn't stand against. Not if he wanted to protect his sister. "Of course, my girl. That is what I am here for."

He walked towards her, placed a hand on her shoulder and led her into the darkness. "Now, let us start your training."

A/N: Yay! I'm back! Had some password issues and computer meltdowns and.... yadda yadda yadda who cares! On with the stories! And remember, comments/feedback/suggestions are always welcome, even appreciated.

Remnants of a Forgotten Past
Chapter One: The Past Returned

There were some days I really regretted getting out of bed. Today just happened to be one of those days.

It was winter in Chicago now and we were in the middle of a cold snap, making me keep the fireplace going all night. It was times like these I wish I had electrical heating. Or gas heating. Or any heating really. We wizards don't get along with technology though, so in the end, it was useless complaining.

I guess the fireplace must have gone out at some time during the night because I woke up with both my cat and my dog draped across me. Mouse, my big shaggy Dogosaurus, had made himself at home on my legs, keeping them warm and cutting off the blood circulation all in one go. As for Mister, the largest tabby Chicago had ever seen, he was currently napping on my chest. That would explain why it was a little difficult to breathe and also why I was so warm.

With a grunt of effort, I shifted Mister off my chest. Don't get me wrong, I'm no pushover, but as I said, my grey tabby was the largest cat you'll ever see, and I'm not one for exaggeration. Well, fine, I've been known to exaggerate in the past, but I'm being serious this time. Mouse politely shifted his weight so I could pull my legs out from under him. As soon as I was free, he promptly collapsed back in to the same position.

"Don't strain yourself," I mumble and he huffed at me in return. I rolled my eyes and headed for the shower. My furry companions had kept me warm during the night, a little too much so. Even out from under both of them and the blankets I was still feeling the heat. A cool shower would be nice, considering that was the only kind I could have, what with my lack of a water heater and all. I was use to them by now.

I went in to the bathroom, stripped myself down, turned on the shower and hopped in. It took about five minutes of me standing there to realize that there was no water. Glaring menacingly at the shower head I fiddled with the taps a bit but nothing happened. Right about then I realized the pipes must have frozen. Now this weather was really starting to annoy me.

With a sigh I stepped back out of the shower and dressed, throwing on some clean clothes. I guess there was almost no chance of me having a shower today. I would go over to Micheal's house and ask to borrow his, but his wife, Charity, had been in one of her moods lately. I'd have to have Bob help me formulate a spell to keep the pipes unfrozen. Either way, today was shaping up to be a bad day.

I was heading over to the fireplace to start a new fire when the phone rang. I paused and glared at it for a moment, debating whether I wanted to answer it or not. The only people who ever called me were clients or Murphy. Knowing my luck, it would be the latter. Karrin Murphy was a police officer with the Chicago PD under the Special Investigations unit. They were a force within the CPD that investigated anything that couldn't be explained by any of the other forces. In reality, they were officers that had been dumped there, the dead end of the CPD. Most of the other officers in the department didn't really care one way or another about the investigators in SI. Because of their frequent ties with the supernatural, I was often called in as a consultant. I was mainly considered a hack among most of the officers in CPD, but Murphy was a friend, and I would help her out wherever I could.

However, at that moment, I was definitely not in the mood for this. Chances were I would be called in to look at some gruesome murder. I had finally gotten over the bloodbaths due to the wizards war with the vampires. Wherever there were vampires there was bound to be blood, and lots of it. That didn't change the fact that I would be called in to look at the dead body of another human being; no amount of war would ever completely harden me against that.

I sighed and went to answer the phone. If I ignored her, Murphy would probably just come and kick down my door and drag me out anyways. "Hello?" I grunted without much enthusiasm. Just because I would agree to help didn't mean I wouldn't complain about it.

She quickly rifled off an address. "We got a body, male, with a mysterious cause of death. How quickly can you get down here?" That was Murphy for you; no nonsense and straight down to business.

I definitely wasn't feeling up to dealing with a body today, but what was I gonna tell Murphy? No, sorry, I'm having a bad day. Try back tomorrow. She would kick my ass if I told her that. Besides, business had been slow lately and I needed the paycheck that would go along with this.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," I sighed. "Just give me a minute to grab some stuff." The line disconnected almost as soon as I finished speaking. From the background noise, it sounded like she was already at the crime scene so I guess she was getting back to examining the immediate area.

Walking around my small apartment, I began to gather my things. As I walked out the door, I gave a little shrug of my shoulders. Who knew? Perhaps this would be a nice, easy consult.

Yeah, and maybe they'd make me Merlin of the freakin White Council.

I pulled up to the house in my Blue Beetle that was no longer very blue to discover police tape and cop cars everywhere. Just at a glance, I could tell this would take a while. Putting my car in park, I sighed; there was no way I would be getting home quickly. With my equipment in my pockets, I clipped my CPD consultant ID to my Duster's lapel and got out of my car.

Flashing my badge to the officer guarding the perimeter, I ducked under the police tape and went inside. Murphy greeted me in the entryway with the same sour look she always wore. Her expression, as usual, clashed with her short stature, blonde hair and button nose, though she still managed to be vastly intimidating. There were times I would rather face the whole Red Court of vampires than face down Murph.

I barely set foot in the door and opened my mouth to greet Murphy before the magic washed over me. It wasn't an attack or a defence. Hell, it wasn't even actively being cast. What I was feeling was the residual magic left over from the spell that had been used to kill whatever victim lay deeper within the house.

"Harry?" Murphy was looking at me with a slight expression of concern, though if you didn't know her well enough, you'd never see it.

"Yeah, sorry." I cleared my throat and continued on. "Well, I can already say he was killed by magic."

"You sure?" she asked, reasonably skeptical. Usually it took a good look at a body to say whether or not it was indeed magic. This time was different though.

"I'm sure," I told her. "I can feel it from here.

She looked at me a moment before nodding and heading deeper into the house. "He's this way."

We walked through the narrow hallways of the small house until we reached the master bedroom where the body was. If you could call it a body, that is. The form lying on the bed in front of me was only vaguely human in appearance. It had two legs, something that resembled a torso with two arms on either side and something like a head on top. That's where the similarities ended.

The skin was ripped and shredded where bits of muscle and bone poked through, all of which were blue and black where frostbite had taken it's toll, freezing absolutely everything. What wasn't shattered was sunken and brittle, giving it a half mummified appearance. This effect was most apparent on its face. It's mouth was open in a silent scream, but it looked like the jaw bone had frozen and shattered as well, since the mouth hung open far wider than it should have been able to. It's hair was also frozen, sticking out at odd angles like small needles.

"So you said this is definitely magic?" Murphy asked from the doorway.

"Yeah," I said, turning away from the gruesome sight. "But I have no idea what could have done this."

"What about the winter fae?" she asked, a small frown on her face.

I shook my head. "No. The fae can't use magic like this outside of the Nevernever." I paused, regarding the body again briefly. "The thing is though that it feels like winter magic." I shook my head again. "As far as I know, no mortal being can wield winter magic to this extent beside the Winter Knight and he's currently a little preoccupied."

"I need more than that Harry, you know that."

I was about the respond when I once again felt the presence of magic. This time was different though. It was like a small sun exploding behind my eyes. The force of whatever this was suddenly left me short of breath and feeling weak. I swayed on my feet and had to lean against the wall for support. From what I could tell this wasn't the side effect of a spell being cast or anything like that. This felt more like the resurgence of a massive power. It felt different than anything I'd ever dealt with before.

When my head finally started to clear Murphy was standing in front of me. "Harry?" It sounded like it wasn't the first time she had said my name. "You sure you're okay?"

My mouth felt like cotton and it took a moment for me to be able to answer. "Yeah," I said finally. "Just a little tired."

She gave me a look that clearly said she didn't believe me but she didn't push the matter. "Do you think you'll be able to dig up anything more about who could have done this?"

"I'll look into it," I ensured her. I looked around the house a little, seeing if I could find any clues as to what had happened here but I couldn't find anything. Everything in the house, aside from the dead guy, seemed mundane. Deciding I could learn nothing more, I told Murphy I'd call her when I found something and headed for home. I had a splitting headache now, compliment of that burst of power. I had come to the conclusion that things couldn't get much worse for me today.

As soon as I walked in the door, after a good deal of pushing and shoving of the uncooperative door, my phone rang. Again. I groaned. Turned out things could get worse after all. Another phone call, no matter who it was from, couldn't be a good thing. Being a professional wizard, a police consultant, and a Warden, I didn't usually get normal phone calls.

Once again, I answered the phone rather unenthusiastically. This was starting to feel like deja vu. "Hello?"

"Dresden." It was Anastasia Luccio, captain of the Wardens, which meant I was right; no normal phone call for me.

"Hey, captain," I said. "Let me guess, you've got a difficult assignment for me that could possibly prove dangerous."

"What makes you say that?" she asked, neither confirming or denying my suspicions.

"Been that kind of day," I told her with a sigh.

"Well, you're right," she said, of course. "I take it you felt that wave of power a while ago?"

So I hadn't been the only one to feel that. "Yeah. Any idea what it was?"

"That's what you're going to find out for us. The power originated from somewhere in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. We want you to go and investigate the source."

"Canada? What about the Warden stationed up there?" My area of responsibility was Chicago, not Canada.

"He is otherwise occupied," she responded. "Now, if you have a map, I'll give you the coordinates." It took me a moment of rummaging around to find a decent map. After Luccio finished giving me the coordinates she paused for a moment. "Be careful up there Harry," she said, a softer note in her voice. "We have no idea what that power was. It could be a trap set up by the Red Court."

"And we could be waltzing right into it," I finished. "Don't worry, I've got Mouse to watch my back." My dog looked up from where he was lying in the middle of the room and I could have sworn I heard Luccio chuckle before she disconnected.

Instead of heading out right away, I decided to do a little research on what this power could be first. I opened up the trap door in my floor and, throwing on a rob, walked down to the sub basement. With the unexpected low temperatures outside, it was even colder down here than usual.

Usually I had to poke and prod Bob awake, but this time he was waiting for me. "I was wondering when you were going to come down here."

I paused, somewhat shocked at the turn of events. "Well, this is a first."

Bob, ignoring my comment, as usual, continued speaking. "I assume you want to know about that power surge earlier?"

"Pretty good guess. Luccio wants me to go check it out but I'd like to hear anything you know about it first." Bob was acting a little different than usual. He didn't have any witty banter for me and so far hadn't tried to correct me on anything or try to convince me to get him the newest set of harlequin novels.

"I have no idea what it is," Bob said flatly.

That left me at a loss for words. Bob was a spirit of knowledge, and pretty much new everything about everything. For him to not know something meant something really strange was going on. "What do you mean you have no idea?"

"I mean in all the thousands of years I've been around I've never felt anything like this. This is either something that hasn't been seen since before even I existed or something new entirely."

Well that was comforting. When not even a knowledge spirit could give you help on something, you knew you were getting in over your head. And me, being the intelligent, well brought up person that I am, was going to go looking for it anyways.

"Why do I do this?" I grumbled, knowing I was going to regret this later.

"Because you don't know better and won't listen to reason?" Bob supplied.

"Let's go with that," I said as I turned around to leave.

"Be careful out there Boss," Bob called after me. "It will suck to be stuck down here for who knows how many years if you die." Of course that was all he cared about.

I scribbled a quick note for Molly, telling her I would probably be gone for a few days and to not touch anything in my lab, grabbed my staff and blasting rod, donned my Warden's cloak and headed for the front door. "C'mon Mouse," I called. "Time to go have a little fun."

And by fun I mean wandering around for several hours trying to find the right Ways to the Canadian Rockies. I still didn't understand why a Warden based closer to the immediate area wasn't assigned. There was no way every single Warden in Canada was busy.

Either way, I was here now after finding the proper Way, and I had come to realize something: I did not like the cold. If it had been cold in Chicago, here, it was downright freezing. I was immediately thankful for whatever extra warmth my Warden's cloak provided, though I knew it wasn't much.

"Let's get this over with before I freeze to death," I grumbled to Mouse. I looked over at my dog and suddenly felt slightly annoyed. Mouse was rolling around in the snow, almost like he was trying to make a snow angel. The cold didn't seem to bother him at all, which was completely unfair.

"Hey!" I said, getting Mouse's attention. "Can we continue?" Mouse looked up at me almost sheepishly before looking around. Right around then I became aware of the presence of that power. It was definitely coming from something around here but I couldn't get a good beat on it. Mouse, on the other hand, seemed to be doing just fine. He trotted forwards a few steps, stopped to look back at me, then continued on. Drawing my cloak a little closer, I followed.

This is exactly why I had brought Mouse with me. He seemed to be more tuned in to the supernatural world than even I was. I guess it had to do with him supposedly being the descendant of a supernatural being himself. If I were alone out here, I would probably be wandering around for days trying to find the source of this power. With Mouse, it hopefully shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

Thankfully, Mouse proved me right. We hadn't been walking for more than twenty minutes when he lead me straight to a cave. It was a natural cave, as were most in this area, but this one seemed new. There were loose rocks and boulders littered around the entrance of the cave and none of them seemed to have been there long. Some sat so precariously that a simple gust of wind would probably topple it off its perch. I looked up as I heard several small rocks dislodge from the cliff face and tumble to the ground.

Then entrance to the cave was partially blocked by the fallen boulders but they were fairly easy to climb over. Once I reached the mouth of the cave I took out my blasting rod and readied my shield bracelet; there was no telling what I was going to find in that cave. Looking into the cave I realized it was pitch black in there and I wouldn't be able to see a thing. Deciding that my shield bracelet should be enough, I tucked my blasting rod away in my pocket and held up my silver pentacle. With a small effort of will, the pentacle lit up enough so I could see my way without falling and breaking my neck.

Apparently this cave was larger than it appeared because as far as I could see the cave just stretched on and on. "Are you sure it's in here?" I asked Mouse.

He just looked at me, gave a small huff, and continued walking further into the cave. With a sigh, I followed him again.

As I walked, I could feel the presence of the power getting stronger. It was nothing like the explosion of power I had felt at the crime scene, but it was definitely from the same source. I listened as carefully as I could, waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly the tunnel opened up into a massive cave. What little light was emanating from my pentacle wasn't strong enough to reach the other side of the cave or the roof. I forced a little more will into the amulet, making the light shine brighter, and found what I assumed to be the source of the power.

In the centre of the cave was a massive sapphire-blue crystal. It started on the ground, seeming to meld into the stone, and rose in a pillar. Near the top was an almost orb-like structure. I had to crane my neck to see it properly, but it seemed as if there was something within the crystal.

I noticed then that there were cracks running all across the crystal. More cracks appeared as I looked on. It was almost like something was trying to break out.

With a deafening explosion, the crystal suddenly shattered, sending jagged shards flying through the air. I quickly ducked down and activated my shield bracelet, protecting myself and Mouse from the pieces of flying death soaring through the air. Something landed heavily on the ground somewhere in the cave, causing the ground to shake.

After the dust had settled and crystals had stopped flying around, I lowered my shield bracelet to take a look around. I hadn't know what to expect, but it definitely wasn't this. In the centre of the cave where the giant crystal had been was a boy. He couldn't have been more than nineteen years old and I swear his features were like something you would find in a movie with elves, right down to the pointed ears. He had dark hair, was dressed like someone from a medieval movie and had a sword at his hip. I also noticed that his clothing was torn and bloodied. There was blood caked to the side of his face and on nearly every visible patch of skin.

What caught my attention the most was the giant blue beast on the ground behind him. It didn't move and in the dim light it was hard to see anything in clear detail, but I could see enough to make out what it was. I could see bright blue scales, a long neck and tail, massive wings and ivory spikes and horns.

It was a dragon.

----------

A/N: Whenever Eragon uses magic from here on in, I'll post a translation of what he says at the bottom of the chapter.

Remnants of a Forgotten Past
Chapter Two: A Stranger To These Lands

When Eragon awoke, all that met him was darkness. He could feel the cold of stone and frost seeping through his clothing to his skin and the only sounds he could hear were that of a snapping fire and his own breathing. It was then that he realized he felt warmth off to one side, but he couldn't tell which side. He couldn't bring himself to open his eyes to see where he was. Everything was so disorienting.

Realizing he was slowly starting to panic, he attempted to regulate his breathing and slow the beating of his heart down to a more appropriate level for a... a what? He could feel his body calming down but the haze still hadn't lifted from his mind. There was so much he didn't understand right then; where he was, what he was, if anyone else was there, if anyone else was supposed to be there, what had happened.

Feeling the panic set in again, Eragon calmed his thoughts and decided to take things one step at a time. First he would work on at least orienting himself. He could take everything else from there. He concentrated on his body and the sensations it was sending him. The cold, hard stone was pressing against his back, the chill seeping into his bones. Eragon didn't know where he was exactly but he knew he was lying on the ground. He noticed a slight weight on top of his body, seeming to enfold him and give him some measure of warmth, so he guessed someone had placed something over his body. His left side felt slightly warmer than his right, and he finally pinpointed the sounds of the fire coming from his left. He couldn't feel any immediate pain, but he hadn't moved since awakening so it was hard to tell.

Only after all of this did he attempt to open his eyes. The first thing he saw was the light of the fire, which immediately sent a spike of pain through his head. He exhaled sharply, squeezing his eyes shut again. So apparently he wasn't one hundred percent yet. A little ways off Eragon heard a rustling sound followed by footsteps, boots clacking against the stone floor. When the person finally neared Eragon, he opened his eyes again, this time prepared for the light and the pain it would bring.

The first thing Eragon noticed was that he was inside a giant cave. He could just barely see the ceiling, the dim light of the fire glinting off of veins of something running through the rock. The second thing he noticed was the older man standing over him. He couldn't quite place his age, but he guessed somewhere in his forties. The third thing he noticed was the bizarre way this man was dressed. He had never seen clothing like that before in his life. Not from the Humans, the Elves, the Dwarves, or even the Urgals.

"So you're finally awake," the older man said, kneeling down beside Eragon. "How're you feeling?"

Eragon tried to speak but his throat was too parched to say anything. He swallowed a few times until he was able to croak out a few words. "Where am I?" he asked.

"Somewhere in Canada in the Rocky Mountains. I'm not one hundred percent sure where, but it'll be a simple matter to find our way out." He sat down and gave Eragon a once-over. "How are you feeling?" he asked again.

"Like a band of Urgals used me for practice," he replied, raising a hand to his head. His muscles groaned in protest, but it felt more like they were stiff from non-use than from injury. The man had named a location that Eragon was not familiar with, but he figured it was just a regional name he hadn't heard of.

"Urgals?" the other man asked, but Eragon brushed off the question. There was a low buzzing in the back of his mind that was becoming more and more insistent, until it finally burst in a single word.

"ERAGON!"

Eragon jerked and sat upright in surprise. Looking around, he saw a massive blue beast and felt ashamed of even wondering where that voice had come from. "Saphira," he breathed.

A rumble emitted from low in her chest and the stranger flinched a bit at the sound. She was obviously happy, but the other man had no way of knowing that.

"It is about time you woke up, sleepy head," she said into his mind. "And I don't appreciate being ignored."

"I'm sorry Saphira," he apologized. "My mind is still in a haze and I'm having trouble recalling exactly how I got here." Eragon glanced over at the man sitting on the ground, staring bewildered at Saphira. "Do you know who this man is or why he is dressed so strangely?" he asked.

"He spoke to me," she replied, "but I did not speak back. At least he was smart enough to address me properly and not as some dumb animal. He said his name was Harry Dresden and he asked what we were doing in the crystal."

"Crystal?" Eragon could recall nothing about a crystal. He hung his head in his hands. "I am so confused."

"Hey, are you guys talking to each other?" Dresden asked.

Realizing he was being rude, Eragon bowed his head in apology. "I am sorry. She was just trying to help me clear my mind. She says your name is Harry Dresden?"

"That's right," he confirmed. "So I take it is was right about her being intelligent?"

"You have no idea," he replied. Eragon raised his hand again but stopped before he reached his head. He finally noticed that it was caked in dried blood. It took him a moment to realize it was his blood.

Suddenly everything came rushing back to him; preparing the army for war, beginning the final battle, seeing Arya and Murtagh fighting in the distance, being so distracted that Galbatorix was able to take him by surprise, falling prey to the spell of the mad king. But then what happened? Everything went blank after he began to fall.

"What happened to me?" he asked aloud, looking for answers from anyone who would answer.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Dresden said seriously. "Truth is, I came here to investigate the source of a massive power, and I found you. So I need you to answer some questions for me."

"Questions?" Eragon's head was beginning to hurt. He should be dead, shouldn't he? Then why was he still alive?

"I'm a Warden of the White Council. I'm usually stationed in Chicago but it seems all the Wardens up here are busy right now."

"White Council? Warden? I don't understand what you're talking about." The pain in Eragon's head was beginning to increase.

"When you fell off my back during that final battle, I did not know what to do. I thought you were dying." Saphira began speaking into his mind now, confusing him further.

"Where are you from? What kind of power do you poses? I've never felt power like yours before."

"I went after you and instinct took over. Even I am not sure exactly what I did."

"I've got to admit, I've never seen a Dragon like that before. Or someone quite like you, either."

"I felt my magic pour over the both of us and time began to slow."

They continued to speak over each other, each trying to be heard. Eragon began to feel overwhelmed and his head felt like it was about to split open. Finally, he couldn't take any more.

"Maela!" he shouted, hands pressed against the sides of his head.

Suddenly Dresden found himself unable to speak and Saphira's voice fell silent as well. The older man looked as if he was beginning to panic at finding himself unable to speak. Eragon waited for the pain in his head to die down before he released the spell holding his companions silent.

"I'm sorry," Eragon apologized. "I was feeling overwhelmed and I over reacted."

"What did you just do?" Dresden asked, a note of surprise in his voice.

Eragon turned to him with a strange look. "Magic," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Before Dresden could respond, Eragon turned to his dragon again. "Saphira, what happened after I fell?"

"I went after you," she replied. Now that it was only her trying to speak to him, he was able to think clearly. "Galbatorix's spell was tearing you apart, and I reacted. I am not quite sure what I did. All I know is that I encased us both in crystal to keep us safe. It would seem my spell has finally worn off."

Thinking back, Eragon remembered feeling something cold and hard beginning to encase his body before he lost consciousness. "Where are we now?" he asked. Nothing about this place seemed familiar to him.

"I am not sure," she replied honestly. "You know even I am not sure how my magic works. I believe the one called Dresden will have more answers for that than I do."

Eragon was silent for a moment before asking "Do you think we can trust him?"

"I have never met this man before," she told him. "But there is something... familiar about him. And he had a chance to harm us while we were unconscious but instead waited for us to awaken." She shook her head. "As I said, there is something familiar about him. I say we trust him for now. If he betrays us or attempts to harm us, I can always eat him."

He couldn't help but chuckle a little at that. Dresden gave him a questioning look but didn't say anything. "Well, Saphira believes we can trust you, and I find myself agreeing with her."

"Well that's good," Dresden replied. "I'd hate to get on the wrong side of a dragon who could probably eat me in a single bite."

"Yes, just what we were thinking." The older man paled at this but didn't say anything. Moving on as if the previous conversation had never happened, Eragon was finally able to ask some of the questions that were flying through his head. "You said before we were in Canada. I've never heard of it. What part of Alagaesia is it in?"

"Alagaesia?" he asked. "I've heard of a lot of places, but I've never heard of anywhere called Alagaesia. Canada is part of North America and north of the United States."

"I don't think I quite understand," Eragon said, rubbing his temples again. "You mean this isn't Alagaesia?"

"No," Dresden replied. He was becoming more serious, realizing something was off. "As I said, I've never heard of it."

Eragon was silent a moment, trying to sort things out. If this wasn't Alagaesia, where could it be? Could Saphira have taken them somewhere far from their country in an attempt to protect him? Then another though occurred to him, one far more terrifying than the previous.

"How long were we in that crystal?" he asked aloud, hoping either one of them would answer.

"I am not sure," Saphira admitted after a moment, catching on to Eragon's thoughts.

"I have no idea," Dresden told him. "As I said, I was sent to investigate the source of a massive surge of power, and I found you here. I asked Bob, a knowledge spirit, if he knew anything about the power we all felt, but he said it was either something new or something older than him, and he's thousands of years old." Dresden finally realized what Eragon and Saphira were thinking. "Wait, are you saying you've been in there for thousands of years?"

"I don't know," Eragon said honestly. Reaching out with his mind, Eragon searched for something, anything familiar. At first he could sense nothing at all, but slowly sparks of life lit up in his mind. He could sense Dresden and the surprisingly large amount of power he held; Saphira, whose mind was intertwined with his own; another powerful being, a dog of some sort, but like none he'd ever seen before, guarding the entrance to the cave; the fungus that grew on the rocks of the surrounding area; the few birds and animals who dared to brave the cold of the high mountain tops. He reached out as far as he could, but he could feel nothing familiar. Even the land itself, the very rock, felt foreign to him.

"We couldn't have been in there for thousands of years," he said, a hint of panic touching his voice. "It's not possible."

"Eragon..." Saphira said sadly, realizing the truth of the situation.

"No!" he exclaimed loudly. He could feel the panic rising now, but he did nothing to try and quell it. "No, it's not possible," he said again, this time more forcefully. "If we were in there that long, it means we failed everyone, and that's not possible." He was shaking his head now. He leaned back against Saphira, having lost the strength to support himself.

"What are you talking about?" Dresden was starting to become concerned for the boy, who was obviously loosing hold of himself.

"We couldn't have failed them," he repeated, this time more quietly. Behind him, Saphira lowered her head in sadness. She had accepted the truth of situation Eragon was so desperate to deny. "We couldn't have."

"Kid, what are you talking about?" Dresden stood up and moved over to the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Eragon looked up at him and Dresden could see how lost the boy was; how guilt-ridden, terrified, and hopelessly lost.

The Dragon Rider hung his head in his hands as tears began to stream down his face. "I failed them."

-End Chapter-

Translations

Maela - Silence

Shaman King

Summary: Kiru is wolf demon with a soft spot for humans and spirits. During the preliminary rounds, she meets up with Yoh and his friends in Tokyo and decides to travel with them on their journey. However, could there be more to this demon and her motives than meets the eye?

Chapter One

Overhead, the sun hung heavy in the sky over Tokyo as its heat radiated off the streets and sidewalks below, both crawling with vehicles, bicycles, and people. It was right in the middle of the mid-day rush so outside was a sea of people that you had to fight to make your way through. A soft, light breeze whispered through the air that was lost on the crowd but gently rustled the leaves of the trees in the park. At this time of day people walked the paths of the park though they weren't as plentiful as on the streets. A young girl moved among the people in the parks, idly kicking rocks along. For now she was just killing time, letting her mind wander, and wondering what to do next. She had arrived in Tokyo just this morning and had immediately set out to find a hotel or motel she could stay at. However, every one she tried that would fit her budget was already full to capacity. "Think, Kiru," she mumbled to herself, drawing an odd glance as she passed a young couple walking in the opposite direction. "Where haven't you tried yet?"

With a sigh she looked up to the sky, squinting her eyes against the blinding rays of the sun. Staring up at the sky she couldn't help but remember the spectacle she had seen a few nights past. The darkness of the evening sky had suddenly been torn apart as a brilliant star soared across the sky, leaving a blinding trail of light in its wake. She had been sitting in a tree along with her friends when the star had passed and she had been mesmerized, unable to tear her eyes away. As soon as she saw it, she knew what it was; it was the star Ragoh, the star that signalled the beginning of the Shaman Tournament. Kiru wasn't a shaman herself but she, like her mother, had the ability to see and communicate with spirits and ghosts. Her friends, two small light sprites, danced on the branch beside her in anticipation for the fights to come. With the Shaman Tournament came a new Shaman King, the one who would lead them into a new era.

Kiru was ripped violently from her thoughts as she walked right into a tree. She fell backwards on her butt with a yelp of surprise and pain. She managed to avoid falling on her tail, but it still smarted. Being a wolf demon, her nose was very sensitive. She whimpered and rubbed at her nose, trying to make the pain go away.

Behind her and to the the right a ways, she heard what sounded like someone laughing at her, but surely no one would have the audacity for such a thing. "Hey, don't be mean Yoh," said another voice, a boy around her age by the sounds of it. "It isn't nice to laugh at people." Kiru's ear twitched in annoyance; he was laughing at her after all.

A boy, she assumed the second one who hadn't laughed, walked up beside her. "Are you alright, miss?" he asked politely. Kiru imagined he would have offered her a hand up, but he was far too short for that. She was at his eye level while sitting down. The other boy, still trying not to laugh, walked up behind his short blond friend, and he did offer her a hand up. Or at least he had been, until he got a good look at her. Her ears and tail could only be seen by someone with sixth sense, and these two seemed to poses just that. "Whoa!" The shorter one jumped back a little when he finally noticed. "She has ears and a tail!"

Kiru sighed a little, still sitting on the ground. "Really?" she asked sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed."

After a short pause, the taller boy offered his hand again, this time with a large grin. "I don't imagine it's very comfortable down there."

Returning his smile, Kiru grabbed his hand and he helped her up. "No, not very comfortable at all. Thanks." Looking at the two boys she noticed a samurai spirit floating just behind the taller brunette boy. With a start she realized that he was a shaman and the samurai must be his main spirit. The shorter boy didn't appear to be a shaman though, but if he was hanging out with one and if he had noticed her wolf demon features, he must have a little sixth sense.

"I've never met a demon before," the taller boy said, still grinning like a fool. "My name's Yoh Asakura."

The shorter boy, follow his friends lead, decided to introduce himself as well. "My name is Manta Oyamada. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," Kiru answered with a wave of her hand. "Just need to pay attention to where I'm going is all." She glanced up at the samurai spirit again, but she didn't say anything, even though she knew his name with a single glance. If they didn't want her to know yet, she wouldn't push. Changing the subject of her thoughts, she turned to Yoh. "If you've never met a demon before, how do you know I am one?" she asked.

Yoh paused to think about that for a moment before answering. "Well, the ears and tail were a bit of a give away, and I couldn't think of anything else you might be."

With a shrug, Kiru replied "I'll accept that." She glanced at the samurai a third time and, even though she had just told herself a moment before she wouldn't push, she asked about him. "So, you guys gonna introduce me to your samurai friend?"

Stunned looks crossed the boys faces when she mentioned the ghost, but Yoh was the first to recover. "You can see him?" he asked, excitement colouring his voice. "His name's Amidamaru. He's my main spirit. Are you a shaman too?"

"Nah," she answered with a shrug. "I can just see and communicate with spirits. Actually, I can tell their name and true nature at a glance, but I figured it would be more polite to ask. I'm Kiru Izuhara by the way. I arrived in Tokyo this morning."

"Where are you travelling from Kiru?" Manta asked.

"Well I've just arrived from France but I live just outside of Fukuoka in Kyushu." Growing tired of standing, Kiru moved off to the nearby bench. Sitting down she threw her arms over the back of the bench and leaned her head back, staring at the sky again.

Manta and Yoh, deciding they weren't done talking to her yet, followed her to the bench. "Where are you staying," Yoh asked this time, grilling her with more questions.

"No where yet," she replied, closing her eyes. "All the places that I can afford are completely full."

Both boys were silent for a moment before Yoh piped up. "Hey, why don't you stay at my place!"

"Excuse me?" Kiru opened her eyes and turned to Yoh, confused by his suggestion.

Yoh grinned at her obvious confusion. "My house was once an inn, Funbari Inn, so I have way more room than I need."

"You know, Anna won't be too happy about you just inviting someone over." Mantas hands fidgeted when he mentioned the other girl. "Plus she's a... you know..."

Yoh just shrugged off Manta's concern. "She doesn't like other shamans. She has nothing against demons though."

"Who's Anna?" Kiru asked innocently. She noticed the shorter boys discomfort when he mentioned Anna so she was very curious to find out who she was.

"My fiance," Yoh replied with a shrug. "She can be a bit demanding but she's a nice person at heart." Kiru glanced over at Manta and she could nearly see the disbelief hanging around him. It was almost enough to make her laugh.

"Uh huh. Well I guess if she doesn't mind it would be nice to have some place to stay." With a sigh she stood up and smiled. "Lead the way boys."

For most of the walk to Funbari Inn, the three of them made idle chit-chat, not really talking about anything of consequence. About halfway there, by Yoh's count, Manta interrupted with another question. "Hey Kiru, you said earlier that you can see a spirits name and true nature at a glance." He made it a statement but Kiru could hear the question in there.

"Yep," she nodded. "I can see the name the spirit carried in life. Well, not see exactly," she corrected herself. "It's more like I just know. I can also see who they were in life, no matter how twisted their spirit form may have become. It can actually be quite useful."

"Where did you get an ability like that?" Yoh asked. It occurred to Kiru that if the ability proved useful to her, it would be even more useful to a shaman.

"It's something I inherited from my mother." She left it at that but when Yoh and Manta didn't start talking again she realized they were waiting for more. "Sorry boys," she said, smirking at them. "But that's all for now. I might tell you more later." Yoh laughed but the three continued on with small talk until they reached the inn.

When they stepped through the gate though, two bricks came flying through the door, striking both Yoh and Manta in the face. Kiru, finding this very funny, burst out laughing. "Serves you right for laughing at me," she snickered at Yoh.

"And what is a demon doing here?" a cold female voice asked from the entrance of the inn. Kiru turned to the voice and was faced with a blonde girl in a black dress. She realized that no one's hair was even remotely similar to her own long silver-blue hair. Even her crimson eyes, reminiscent of her father, were a sharp contrast to everyone else. Not that many people had red eyes.

"My name is Kiru Izuhara," she replied politely. "I just arrived in Tokyo this morning and, since all the hotels are full, Yoh offered me a place to stay here."

"Did he now," she said slowly, turning her icy gaze towards Yoh who was still trying to stand up.

Before she could say anything else Kiru pulled out her wallet. "Do you really think I'd expect to stay here for free? I'll pay, of course."

Anna's gaze whipped quickly back to Kiru as she began sizing her up. After a brief pause she turned around and went back inside the house. "Come in and let us discuss a price." Kiru smiled and followed Anna inside happily. It didn't take them long to hammer out a price and by the time everything was settled Manta and Yoh had dinner finished. As they ate, the questioning of Kiru continued.

"So Kiru, what brings you to Tokyo anyways?" Yoh asked between mouthfuls of food.

"Why the Shaman Tournament of course," she replied with a smile before returning to her own food.

Anna, who had been watching TV turned to Kiru slowly. "What was that?" Manta had frozen and was staring in horror at Anna while Yoh just continued to eat.

"I thought Yoh said you weren't a shaman," Anna said icily.

Kiru leaned forwards, resting her elbows on the table and her head on the back of her hands, deciding whether or not to bait Anna some more. Unfortunately, since she was relying on these people for a place to stay, she couldn't have too much fun at their expense. "I did say that didn't I," she said finally. Kiru leaned back and shrugged her shoulders. "As I said, I'm not a shaman. I'm just here to watch the fights. Besides, my friends Janryu and Canarn really wanted to come."

Satisfied with Kiru's answer, Anna turned back to her television show. "Who are Janryu and Canarn?" Manta asked, calm now that Anna had calmed down as well.

"My friends," she replied with a smile. "Janryu," she said, gesturing to her right shoulder, "and Canarn," gesturing to her left shoulder. Two light sprites appeared on her shoulders, waving and chiming their hellos in sync.

The two sprites somewhat resembled cats, except they had two tails and wings. Janryu's fur was white while his wings were a soft cream colour, where Canarn's fur and feathers were varying shades of brown.

"Aww, they're so cute!" Yoh was visibly restraining himself from reaching forwards to touch them so the two sprites zipped off Kiru's shoulders and whirled around Yoh's head, giggling.

Kiru stood up, stretched and yawned loudly. "Well, I'm off to bed. I usually sleep in late so don't panic if I'm not up in the morning." She yawned again and walked out of the dinning room and up the stairs to the room she had been shown earlier.

"G'night, Kiru!" Yoh called up after her.

When she was finally in her room behind closed doors, she stripped down to her underwear and flopped onto the bed. She stretched out again, this time scratching behind her ear with her claws. Rolling on to her side she pulled up the blankets and curled up. It would be nice to sleep in a proper bed tonight.

VwwwV

In the dead of night, long after the others in the household had turned in for the night, Yoh sat in the living room with Amidamaru. Something had been troubling the samurai spirit ever since they met Kiru that afternoon.

"What's bothering you?" Yoh asked seriously. He wasn't serious often, but he was capable of being so when needed.

Amidamaru remained silent for a moment. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "Ever since this afternoon, when we met Kiru, I have been feeling... uneasy."

"Why?" Yoh questioned, placing his hands on the floor behind him and leaning back. "You don't trust her?"

The samurai didn't answer Yoh's question directly. "It is just that, she seems familiar somehow."

"You've met her before?" Yoh was leaning forwards now, surprised.

"I did not say that," the ghost sighed in exasperation. "I just feel like I know her or someone related to her." He paused again. "And I am not sure if I trust her." Amidamaru shook his head before Yoh could say anything. "It is just a feeling."

Yoh didn't say anything for a moment, staring out the window at the stars only lightly veiled by clouds. After a moment he smiled and turned back to Amidamaru. "I don't think she's a bad person. She can see ghosts after all and my grandfather always said you have to be a good person to see ghosts." His goofy, laid-back grin was in place again. "At least that's what I believe."

Amidamaru didn't say anything to this for a moment. "Just don't let your guard down."

Pokemon

Title: Broken and Binding Links

Rating: T (may change to M later. Depends on how far I want to take something.)

Summary: Most people form binding links with their pokemon; rely on them, treat them as friends. But sometimes, those links are broken, shattered, and the pokemon who have come to rely on their trainers in turn are left to fend for themselves. Whenever a young woman from Anville Town sees this, she can't help but think that maybe not everyone should be allowed to have pokemon. But she wishes the truth was that they could all live in harmony. How will she react when she is given the option to separate pokemon from those who don't deserve them? Semi-novelization of Pokemon White.

A/N: I've been meaning to write something like this for a while. I was just never sure exactly how to do it. Then I was looking at some Zoroark gijinkas one day and got the perfect idea. The team I will be using in this story is my fully trained team that I use on my Pokemon White version. I hope you enjoy.

EDIT: So I made some quick edits to this. Mostly just fixed up some typos and such. Two big things though. Caliban's eyes are actually red, not blue. That will be explained later. Also I took out a part between Cal and the Snivy for better use later.

Chapter One

Anville Town, while far away from anything else on the map, smack dab in the middle of a forest, was a rather popular tourist spot, especially on the weekends. Ever since the Battle Subway built a line connecting to the small hamlet, people came from all over the Unova region to watch the trains on the turntable and trade with the locals. They had actually made a fairly good business out of it. At first when the station had been built for the trains to be overhauled, the few people who lived there were in an uproar. They were used to a quiet and peaceful life, but the subway line had shattered that. However, they soon learned to look on the bright side. Sure, it was a little busier, and you could constantly hear the rattle of the trains, but the people who came were friendly, and willing to do business.

Eventually the town expanded, but to be honest, not by much. A few more people moved in once they saw the scenic beauty of the place, but most people didn't exactly enjoy being just that far away from what they called civilization. Sure, it was surrounded by lush forests and one of the most beautiful sunsets to be seen in Unova, but the only way in and out of the town was through the Battle Subway. Most people couldn't even fly there. Surrounded as it was for miles around by identical forest, it was nearly impossible to find your way there, even by air. Granted, some of the locals had trained their bird pokemon to find their way there in the dark. But to walk through the forest to the other side was impossible.

Which is exactly why the Aerima's always forbade their daughter, Raven, from wandering out into the woods alone. And, of course, as any child would do, she did the exact opposite. Raven was a very adventurous child, and at ten years old, one of her favourite things to do was explore the woods. Sometimes, to pass the time, especially when her parents were watching, Raven would play with her younger sister, Lina, who, while a brat, was an okay brat. The two of them would sometimes have mock pokemon battles, even though neither of them had any pokemon of their own. It was Raven's dream to sometime have a great team and go adventuring with them.

For now though, she would settle for adventuring in the forest when she could. With a bright yellow bag slung over her black and white clad shoulders, Raven headed off into the woods with a single pokeball in the hopes of catching her first pokemon. Or at least, that had been her goal at the outset, but eventually she grew tired of walking, and when she found a nice clearing, grass warmed by the sun and fragrant flowers in bloom all around, she couldn't help but sprawl out in the light and relax.

Raven wasn't sure how long she lay there, though it couldn't be long, the sun still riding high in the sky, peeking through the cloud, but some noise roused her. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was sure she had heard something just inside the fringe of trees. The young girl sat still for a moment, watching, trying to see what had caught her attention. Just as she was thinking that perhaps she had just imagined it, she heard the noise again and this time saw a figure move within the shadows.

Being far more curious than she was cautious, the child went to investigate. As she approached the tree line, the dark shape moved again and began to come into focus. When she finally got close enough to fully see what was hiding in the woods, she almost felt her small heart break. A young Zorua cowered at the base of a tree, and while its eyes held fear and pain, it growled at her in defiance. Raven dropped to her knees in a feeble attempt to appear less threatening. The fox pokemon was holding one of his hind legs off the ground, not daring to put any of his weight on it. His fur was matted together and unkempt, and while she couldn't tell properly through the fur, by the way he held himself, she was pretty sure his side was bruised, as if from a kick. He was also shivering, as if from being cold.

They stared at each other for a moment, her silver-green eyes meeting his red, an unnatural colour for a Zorua. “Hi,” she said finally. “My name is Raven.” She reached a hand out to him then, but dropped it back to her side when he flinched away from her. The two were silent for a moment again. Slowly, she reached up to her neck and gripped the yellow scarf she wore. Raven always found comfort in gripping the soft material that made up the scarf. To her, it represented family and the comfort it was supposed to bring. Her grandmother had sewn it for her when she was even younger, or at least that was what she had been told, seeing as she was too young to really remember. It had been made for her to grow into, so now it was wrapped several times around her slender neck and still hung all the way down her back.

When she spoke again, her voice was as soft and soothing as she could make it. “Are you hungry?” Reaching into her bag, Raven pulled out an apple she had snagged from the kitchen. She tore a chunk out of the red fruit and held it out to the dark type pokemon. “You should eat something.”

The Zorua stopped growling at her now, though he moved no closer. He looked at the food hungrily, but he was still to afraid to approach her. Seeing this, Raven tossed the piece of fruit at the Zorua's feet. After a cautious moment, the fox pokemon limped up to the fruit and ate it hungrily. Smiling, she kept tearing off chunks for him until she had given the Zorua the whole apple.

“You should come with me,” she told the Zorua finally. The pokemon froze immediately. “My mama's a pokemon doctor,” she explained. “She can make you feel all better.” After a moment, Raven reached a hand out to him again. Instead of pulling away, the Zorua stood perfectly still, and waited. The girl brushed her fingers through the Zorua's head tuft before scratching behind his ear. She felt the pokemon's muscles relax under her hand and she smiled happily.

Nine Years Later

Anville Town hadn't changed much in nine years. It had expanded a little, but otherwise it had remained exactly the same. Raven hadn't changed much either. She was just as adventurous as she was as a child, and still enjoyed sneaking off into the woods every chance she got. She would run for hours and climb as high as she could into the canopy. She would even hang out with her brat sister still.

One thing had changed though. In the end, it didn't really change anything, but she had found out she was adopted. The scarf she wore as a child, that she still wore now, had in fact been from her grandmother, though from her biological grandmother. Her whole family had died from some form of sickness which, by some miracle, she had escaped. This new family had taken her in without a second thought. When it came down to it, the family that had taken her in was just as much her real family as her other may have been.

But every now and again, she couldn't help but feel like her real family had abandoned her.

And every time she felt like, she would raise a hand to the scarf around her neck and remember that it wasn't their fault.

She looked at herself in the mirror now, hand on her scarf. Despite the years that had passed, she couldn't help but compare herself to the young girl who had found the Zorua in the woods. She was taller now, of course, standing around 5'6”, maybe 5'7”. Her auburn hair had grown longer, now hanging down to the small of her back, though her bangs she kept brushed to the sides and clipped just at her collar bone. All her baby fat was gone, leaving behind lean muscle from all her time spent running and climbing. One thing that hadn't changed were her silver-green eyes.

Reaching for the dresser, Raven grabbed her black and yellow fingerless gloves and pulled them into place on her hands. She tugged one last time at the hem of her black, white, and yellow high collard sleeveless shirt before leaving her room and heading downstairs. As she walked, her hand brushed against the six pokeballs she wore in pouches on her belt over he short black jean shorts. Only one of the six pokeballs was claimed; the others lay empty.

She grabbed her bag from the top of the stairs and slung it over her shoulder. The shoulder bag, the same colour as her eyes, was the one she always used when she was travelling. Now, she was heading out to Accumula Town to see her grandparents. It was something she did every now and then, to check and make sure they were doing okay and to satisfy her adventurous spirit. She was going to take the family Braviary, Ryke, one of the few bird pokemon that had been trained well enough to fly to and from Anville. Her family was of the opinion that it would be far easier to just take the subway, but she always enjoyed a nice long, relaxing flight. And besides, Caliban hated the trains.

When she got downstairs she found her mother in the living room watching TV. As it was the weekend, it wasn't unusual to find only her mother in the house. Her father was probably out trading with the tourists while Lina was no doubt out with some friends. “I'm heading out now,” she said, drawing her mother's attention to her. “Where's Ryke?”

“Outside with Caliban,” she replied, standing up. She walked over and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. “Are you sure you're going to be okay flying out there?”

“How many times have I done this, mom? I'll be fine. I always am.”

“I know,” her mother sighed. “I just worry. It is my job, you know.” The two embraced before Raven headed outside.

Out on the porch she found a man maybe a year or two older than herself, and maybe an inch or two taller, lounging on one of the chairs. His deep red hair was brushed back and slightly spiked, with the ends shaded black. One piece hung down by his right eye though, threaded through a bright blue bead. She wasn't sure how he wasn't sweltering in the sun, dressed as he was. He wore a leather jacket which hung open, showing the grey shirt he wore beneath. He was wearing black jeans, and his black combat boot clad feet were resting up on the railing. The man definitely stood out in a small town like this. And it wasn't just his clothes either.

He wore a silver chain wrapped several times around his neck and hanging down onto his chest, a silver dagger strung onto the chain. He also had a multitude of silver rings on his fingers, though that wasn't the first thing most people noticed. His fingernails were painted bright red.

Right now, his hands were behind his head and, she couldn't tell behind the dark sunglasses, but she was pretty sure his eyes were closed. He looked completely relaxed, and possibly asleep. A slight smile gracing her lips, Raven walked up behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Your fur is showing, Caliban.”

The man didn't even flinch; he just snorted in amusement and smirked. “Lies. My illusion is flawless. But nice try, Raven.” He stood and stretched before pushing his sunglasses up onto his head, revealing unnaturally red eyes rimmed with red eyeliner. “You're a pretty crappy trickster, you know that?”

“Yeah, well,” she reached up to scratch the top of his head, “I only try to trick you, fox.” Raven patted his cheek before smiling ruefully. “And you're really mouthy for a Zoroark, you know that?”

Cal let out a bark of laughter before grinning at her, showing off some slight fang. Or at least, that's how it appeared to Raven and anyone around them. Caliban, being a Zoroark, had created the illusion of this form for himself when he was out in public. Over the years, with much practice, he had also developed the ability to speak perfect english. The two of them had been together for a long time. Nine years, in fact. Caliban was the same Zorua Raven had found in the woods as a child. He had ended up returning with her, and had never left. The one claimed pokeball on Raven's belt was his.

“So, where's Ryke?” she asked finally.

“Ah, who knows,” he replied, waving a hand dismissively. “Probably flying around somewhere.”

A shrill cry announced the arrival of said pokemon, and he didn't appear amused with Cal's opinion. “Hey, speak of the devil.” Caliban turned to Ryke as he set down on the rail, his large talons scoring the already scarred wood. “How you doing, old bird?”

Ryke made a noise that almost sounded like a 'harrumph,' but Raven could never be sure. “You ready to go?” the trainer asked. The Braviary nodded his head once and fluffed his wings. “Are you gonna ride in your pokeball or with me?” Raven asked of Cal.

“Pokeball, of course.” The Zoroark turned a sly grin to the bird pokemon. “I doubt this mangy old bird could carry both of us.” Ryke cried in indignation and spread his wings, trying to intimidate Caliban. He just snickered.

“Okay, okay, let's get out of here.” With another huff, Ryke hopped of the rail and Raven guided him down off the porch. Cal snickered one more time before coming up behind Raven and pressing the button on his pokeball, returning himself to its confines.

Once they were out on open ground, Raven settle herself comfortably on the bird pokemon's back. As she gripped his feathers tightly, he took to the sky. They rose quickly over the treetops until they were surrounded by nothing but open sky. The noise of the town slowly faded away until all they could hear was the rush of wind and the steady beating of Ryke's wings. Raven closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, loving the smell of the fresh, clean air and the feel of her auburn hair and yellow scarf streaming out behind her. Now she had the rest of the long flight to enjoy this freedom.

zZz

Having left early in the morning and flown through the day and night, it was early afternoon again by the time they arrived in Accumula Town. Raven had always found it a strange town, what with its three different levels. Her grandparents lived on the upper level next to a couple of musicians. After releasing Cal from his pokeball and giving the customary hellos to her grandparents, Raven found herself wandering around Route One. It was nothing new to her; she liked to walk around there whenever she visited, but she always found something to entertain herself.

Ryke had stayed back at the house to rest after the long flight, so it was just herself and Caliban. The Zoroark quickly took off into the woods, immediately becoming lost in shadows. As soon as they had left the town limits he had dropped the illusion and once again appeared as a normal pokemon. Now, he was trying to see if he could catch her off guard. They both knew it was pointless, but it had become their little tradition. Raven and Cal were so close, so familiar with each other, that when either approached they other, they would always know. It didn't stop them from trying though.

For now, Raven just took a relaxing walk down the only path on Route One. She knew Cal would be popping out at her any time now so she wasn't surprised when she heard movement off in the trees. She was surprised though when she heard Caliban's voice calling her over. He sounded serious and, outside of a battle, that very much so was not him.

Running into the trees, she quickly met up with the Zoroark, and he looked just as serious as he had sounded. “You need to see this,” he told her before moving off again. Raven followed him quickly, both of them moving at a fast pace, being used to running over such terrain as they were. A moment later Caliban stopped and turned to his trainer. “Move slowly, okay?” he cautioned her. “He's terrified.”

Taking a few cautious steps forwards, Raven moved in front of Caliban and caught sight of what had alarmed him. What she saw broke her heart in a way she had only felt once before, nine years ago. A young Snivy sat at the base of a tree, watching them warily. He wasn't injured that she could see, but he was shaking and dirty, and no doubt hungry. The leaves on his tail drooped, though Raven wasn't sure whether from sadness or from being too weak to pull himself up a tree into the sunlight. What got to her the most were the tears of frustration in his eyes.

Instead of moving towards him, Raven sat down where she was while Caliban sat a pace behind her. “Hey there,” she said softly. “My name's Raven.” She waited a moment now, not wanting to continue on and startle the poor grass pokemon; it would be best to take this slowly. “You look really tired. Have you been in the sunlight lately?” After a cautious moment, the Snivy shook his head. “We can lead you to some sunlight,” she told him. “We won't touch you. All you have to do is follow us. Is that okay?”

Another minute passed before the Snivy took a hesitant step forward and nodded his head. “Okay then,” Raven said with a smile. “It's just this way.” It was slow going back out to the path. They moved very slowly through the underbrush so the Snivy could keep up with them, and they had to stop occasionally for the snake pokemon to rest.

As soon as they stepped out into the sunlight, Raven saw the Snivy almost collapse with relief. She doubted he had been able to find his way out of the thick woods. The three of them sat by the path just outside of the tree line and rested. Raven leaned back against a tree while the Snivy curled up happily in the sun with Caliban nearby. In the lazy heat, Raven eventually dozed off.

A while later, voices woke her. For a moment, she couldn't figure out who would be talking, then she realized it was Cal talking to the Snivy. Instead of disturbing them, she just listened in. While she couldn't understand the Snivy, she could clearly hear what Cal was saying. “You know, not all humans are bad,” he was saying. “I used to think so, but sometimes they can surprise you.” She guessed she had missed most of their conversation, as Caliban sounded like he was wrapping things up.

They were both silent for a moment and the Snivy seemed to be finding a piece of grass incredibly interesting, though Raven could tell he was really focused somewhere inside his own head.

“If you let her,” Caliban said finally, “Raven will help you, and give you a great home. You could train with us, travel with us, and she would never abandon you.” The grass pokemon made a noncommittal sound and continued his intense scrutiny of the grass. Cal stood up then and walked over to Raven, having known the second she woke up.

“He was abandoned by his previous trainer,” he told her. “After he caught a stronger pokemon, he just left Snivy in the woods and walked away. I guess he figured what would be the use of having a slightly weaker pokemon. Didn't even give him the chance to train up.”

Raven sighed sadly. “I really hate people sometimes, you know?” She stood up then and walked over to the Snivy and crouched in front of him. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

The grass snake made a soft noise but avoided eye contact. “Accumula Town isn't far from here,” she told him. “If you'd like, we could take you to the Pokemon Centre there. Get you healed up.” After some serious consideration, the Snivy looked up at Raven and studied her face. He must have trusted what he saw there because he nodded once and stood up. “You really are a tough one,” she said with a big smile. “How abouts Cal carries you? That way we can run and get you there nice and fast.”

The Snivy nodded again in acknowledgement and turned to the Zoroark. “Thanks for volunteering me,” he said, though she could tell he was joking. Taking on his human guise, Caliban picked up the tiny grass snake and he and Raven took off down the path towards Accumula.

They made pretty good time getting there, and evening was just starting to fall when they walked into the Pokemon Centre. Cal walked up and placed the tired Snivy on the counter. The nurse looked at Cal like he had been the one to hurt the poor pokemon. To be honest, it was a look he got quite often. “We found him in the woods,” Raven explained to the nurse. “I don't think he's hurt too badly, but he should probably be checked out anyways.”

After one more disapproving glance at Caliban, the nurse picked up the Snivy. “Of course. He doesn't look too bad so we'll have him out to you soon.” With that she walked to the back room where they treated the pokemon.

Caliban and Raven sat down on the chairs and waited. “So you want to take him with us?” Raven asked after a while.

“Don't you?” Cal asked, looking over to her. The blue bead in his hair clinked against a small silver hoop that pierced his right ear. Raven had never noticed it before, but he liked to add or remove accessories sometimes. He was probably more vain than she was. “I feel kinda responsible for the little guy now,” he said, drawing her attention back to the topic at hand.

“Are you sure he doesn't just remind you of yourself?” she asked softly. Cal didn't respond to that, just looked down at his hands which rested in his lap. “But you're right,” she said. “We can't just send him back out there. Besides, it would be nice to have a grass pokemon on the team.” She turned to him then and made sure he was looking her in the eyes. “It has to be his choice though,” she told him. “No matter how much we want him to come with us, if he doesn't want to, we don't make him.”

“Of course,” he said with a nod. A few moments later, the nurse returned with a perfectly healthy Snivy.

“He's a very tough pokemon,” she told them. “And no doubt the sun he was in on the way over here helped him immensely. He's fine to go now.” She put the Snivy down on the floor in front of them and went back to her desk.

“So you feeling better now?” Raven asked. He gave an affirmative, and even struck a noble pose just to make his point. The trainer couldn't help but laugh at his energy. “I was thinking,” she said slowly. “Why don't you come with us?” she asked. The Snivy looked up to her, surprised. Raven didn't think he had expected that. “You don't have to if you don't want,” she explained. “But if you did come with us, we would make sure you were never alone, and we would never leave you behind.”

The Snivy was silent for a moment, a look of contemplation on his face. Just when Raven though he would refuse, the Snivy snapped his eyes up to her and she saw a fierce determination there. He jumped up into her lap and pressed the button on one of her empty pokeballs, effectively capturing himself.

Raven and Cal both laughed, happy that the grass pokemon had decided to join them. Reaching down, Raven released him from his pokeball. “Now,” she said to him. “You need a proper name.” They thought for a moment before her face lit up with an idea. “How about Zane?” she asked.

After a moments thought, the Snivy smiled and nodded. “Alrighty then, let's get out of here.” The three of them stood up and left the Pokemon Centre. They began to head towards the upper level of the town back to her grandparents house. When they reached the town square though, they stopped. It seemed as if most of the people had gathered in the square by the hill that dominated the centre. It was hard to see through all the people, but she did see two flags on standards and she was pretty sure there was someone standing on the rise, giving a speech.

“What the hell is going on?”

Dresden Files/Inheritance Crossover

A/N: A new chapter? What is this sorcery?! Yes, believe it or not, I'm actually alive and writing. I really do apologize for how long it's taken me to write this chapter. I actually haven't been writing much of anything recently. Just been that kind of year. However, I have a good chunk of the next chapter completely planned out so, if all goes according to plan, it shouldn't take too long to write. And sorry if the end feels a little rushed. Was having difficulty tying up a couple of things.

Chapter Three: Decisions to be Made

This was turning out to be far more than I'd bargained for. Sure, nothing had tried to kill me or eat me yet, which was a nice change, but I still had no idea what was going on. I had come here to the freezing mountain tops of Canada to find the source of an unknown power, and what I had found was a boy and his dragon. This had to be by far one of the stranger things I'd dealt with in a while.

Now the kid, Eragon he said his name was, and his dragon Saphira were sitting outside with Mouse, trying to sort things out. They had finally told me who and what they were, the story of their world, and their theory on how they had gotten here, but honestly I wasn't sure how much of it to believe. I mean, a world not too unlike our own medieval world, a mad tyrant as a king, dragon riders and honest-to-god elves, a war for the fate of the world? It sounded more like something out of a movie. Maybe the kid was delusional or something and this was all some fantasy his mind had created for him.

I glanced over at the mouth of the tunnel, though I couldn't see it from where I sat at the fire. Despite how outlandish it sounded, something about the kid and the despair he felt about letting people down, something I could easily relate to, made me want to believe him. And how could I deny some of the facts staring me in the face here? I had found him frozen in a crystal in the middle of nowhere with a dragon, he didn't look like any human I'd even seen and he definitely seemed decidedly mortal, so that ruled out fae, and there was no denying the power the kid possessed. I had grabbed his hand earlier to help him to his feet and I had felt the tingle of magic on him. The feeling had been strange. It felt almost the same as the aura of any other practitioner I had met, and yet vastly different.

Sighing, I rubbed my temples, wishing I had had the sense to bring Bob with me. He had said earlier he had never felt anything like this, but who knew what he would say when he actually saw the two of them. Most likely, that surge of power had been the spell that was keeping them concealed wearing off and we could suddenly feel their presence again.

Now that I was thinking about it, I still had no idea what I was going to tell Luccio and the White Council. I mean, I couldn't see them doing anything to the kid, not if they didn't want to be eaten, but some of the people on the Council, especially the Merlin... Half the time I was willing to bet they would go as far as they had to to get the answers they wanted. And a wizard and a dragon showing up hundreds, possibly thousands of years after their time was something they were going to want answers to.

“Still trying to sort everything out?” I almost jumped out of my skin as Saphira's voice invaded my thoughts. I was pretty sure I had a pretty good mental wall up against any invaders, but she was speaking to a spot I didn't even know was there. The magic she and Eragon used were almost completely alien to me. “I am sorry to have startled you,” she apologized, but I was sure that if we weren't in such a sombre situation, her voice... er, thoughts, whatever, would have held a laughing quality.

“Yeah,” I replied as she settle herself down beside me. I looked up but we were alone. I guess Mouse and the kid were still outside. “I'm not exactly used to kids and dragons popping out of crystals. But I can't imagine what it's like for you guys.”

“It is... difficult,” Saphira acknowledge, lowering her head onto the ground. “But we will make it through this.”

I had no problem believing that. The strength of character with these two was amazing. I got the feeling that it wasn't so much that they were in a different time, a different place, with not much of an idea as to how they got there that was bothering them, but that they, or so they believed, had let down all those people who had been depending on them. It took a strong person to put others before their own personal problems they were facing.

“You seem pretty calm about this,” I told her.

“I am far older than I look, youngling. Even before I hatched from my egg, I was older than you.” She raised her large scaled head then to gaze at the crystals studding the walls of the cave. “I watched much pass from inside my shell, knowing I could do nothing until I hatched for my Rider. It is the same with this, even if we were unawares of the passing of time. There is nothing more we could have done.”

Saphira lowered her head again and faced me directly. I could feel the tug of a soulgaze beginning and I quickly averted my eyes; I did not want to see what a dragon's soul looked like. “There is something that I learned long ago that Eragon has yet to understand. As a Dragon and Rider, it is our duty to protect the world. But the world that we protect may not be the one that we were born into. We must always strive to protect the world which we are in, no matter where that may be.”

I was at a loss for words now. I had come across quite a few creatures in my day, and most of them had been highly intelligent, to one point or another, but this was a whole new level. I guess I just wasn't used to getting advice from something large and scaly. “I guess I can't just hand you guys over to the White Council,” I said finally.

“This is not the first time you have mentioned the White Council. Who are they?”

Hesitating for a moment, I rubbed my chin, realizing I needed to shave. We weren't really supposed to talk about the Council to outsiders. Sure, I had told Murph, but I trusted her more than anyone else on the planet, and she'd needed that knowledge to stay alive. Looking at Saphira, I realized that these guys did too. With the kid being a wizard of some sort or another, he had to know the ropes. I guess that started with telling his dragon.

“All wizards and magic users are governed by a group of people called the White Council. Being part of the Council basically means you're recognized as a full fledged wizard. They also have rules, laws, and the punishment for breaking those laws is almost universally death.”

“They sound like a very dangerous group,” Saphira observed.

“They are,” I admitted. “But, for the most part, they follow their own rules and it keeps people in line. You can do some really nasty things with magic, but with the threat of the Wardens hanging over them, most people know better than to try.”

“The Wardens?”

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. I kept forgetting she wouldn't know most of the terms applying to, well, anything modern. “They're the police force of the White Council, out there to make sure that people don't break the law and to hand out punishment when they do.” After a moments thought I added, “That's actually who sent me up here. I'm a Warden of the White Council and everyone felt a huge surge of power a while ago and I was sent to check it out. And I found you guys.”

“I see,” Saphira said slowly, studying me with what I could tell now was intense scrutiny.

“Hey, don't worry,” I said quickly, holding my hands up in what I hoped was a placating gesture. “I'm not big on the whole death as punishment thing. I'm not really big on the whole White Council.”

“You must do as you must,” she told me, rising as Eragon approached. He must not have been able to hear us as he didn't react to her next proclamation. “But know this, Wizard Harry Dresden; if, by any of your actions, direct or indirect, you bring harm to Eragon, I shall hunt you down and exact my own punishment.”

My mouth suddenly felt like cotton; I completely believed she would live up to her promise. “Is everything all right here?” Eragon asked.

“Yeah, everything's fine,” I told him. “We were just talking. I was thinking though,” I said, standing up and stretching. “If you're from however many thousands of years ago, how is it that we speak the same language.”

“It had crossed my mind,” Eragon admitted. “It might be a residual effect of Saphira's spell, acting as a translator in my and Saphira's minds.”

“Even I do not know exactly how my magic works,” the blue dragon explained. “What Eragon suggests is entirely possible.”

“Well that's an interesting theory,” I said, dusting off my pants, “but I still need to figure out what to tell my bosses.” It wasn't like I could say that it was nothing; the power had been enough to stagger me from how many hundreds of miles away? There was no way I could just explain it away; I needed to come up with an explanation to give them.

“The White Council?” Eragon asked with a knowing smile. “Saphira and I are mentally linked,” he explained. “What one of us knows, so does the other.”

“Yeah,” I said after a moment. “The Council.” I was trying to figure out if he had actually heard what Saphira had said to me. But I doubted it; the kid didn't seem like someone who would use threats against people he wasn't sure were enemies. Then again, I'd been wrong before.

“I had an idea about that as well,” he said, reaching for his belt. “This is the belt of Beloth the Wise,” he explained. “When you pull on this tassel here, it reveals twelve gems, which I have found very useful for storing power. May I suggest you show them this, and explain that the power was released from these diamonds?”

I took the belt from him and studied it for a moment. He was right; this would work perfectly. If I showed this to the Council and explained how it worked, they wouldn't question it. I would be able to keep Eragon and Saphira from them for a little while. Not that I knew what I was going to do with them. Assimilate them to modern life? Eragon might be doable, but Saphira would pose a problem. I don't think most people would take kindly to a large fire breathing lizard walking down the sidewalk. I still needed time to think.

“I can work with this,” I told them, tossing the belt across my shoulder. “But I still have some things to figure out. I hate to do this, but will you guys be okay here for a little while?”

“We will be fine,” Saphira said, nodding her head once slowly. “My fire can keep us warm and I can hunt for food here.”

“Just make sure you aren't noticed,” I cautioned. “I don't want to have to explain away dragons to the locals. Not that there will be many locals this high up the mountains,” I conceded.

“What is so wrong if we are noticed?” Saphira asked. “If people see us, they would be overwhelmed by our magnificence.”

I was blown away for a moment. Who would have thought that dragons were vain? It took me a moment to actually form words. “People don't believe in dragons,” I warned. “They don't know dragons and the fae and all the things that go bump in the night are real; they don't even know about magic! And they're happy that way. They don't have to deal with it this way, and it's easier for everyone.”

They were both silent for a moment. “I see,” Eragon said finally. “Well, this is your world, so I guess we follow your rules.” I heard a hollowness in his voice that made me uneasy. He was dealing, but not well. We were playing a dangerous game now. At this point, it was fifty-fifty; he would either adapt and learn to fit in, or he would snap and, judging by the power I felt earlier, cause severe wide-spread destruction. I was hoping for the former.

“I'll be back in a day, two at the most,” I told them. “I have some things to take care of. Not to mention I should probably find you someplace to stay other than the frozen slopes of a mountain.”

“We've stayed in worse,” Eragon replied with a wry smile. “We will wait here.” I left with a nod, pretty sure I didn't want to know what other places they'd stayed.

Mouse was waiting for me at the mouth of the tunnel and we were back home in no time. I may have said before that Chicago was feeling a little chilly, but after being in the Canadian Rockies for a while, Chicago was feeling downright balmy. I took off my cloak and undid my duster, embracing the relative heat. I swear I saw Mouse roll his eyes at me.

Once we were back inside my basement apartment, I set to work. The first thing I did was call Luccio to set up a meet so I could tell her about the belt Eragon had given me. After that, I took the belt down to Bob so he could have a look at it. I didn't even bother putting on the robe that I normally wore in the sub-basement. Everything still felt nice and warm.

“Rise and shine,” I called, prodding Bob awake. “Time to work.” Bob came awake quite quickly, but considering last time he was already awake and waiting for me, I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was.

“What did you find?” he asked eagerly.

“You won't believe me,” I said, and proceeded to tell him about Eragon, Saphira, and everything they had told me. Bob, for once, listened with rapt attention, not interrupting me once.

“This is phenomenal!” Bob pretty much shouted. “A being from who knows how many thousands of years ago showing up in our time, and we're the ones to discover him. And he looks like an honest-to-god elf!” Bob's skull was clattering on the shelf where I kept him to the point I was worried that either he would fall off or he would knock something else off the shelf. The lights in the empty sockets of his eyes shone brighter than I had even seen them. “Oh, you have to let me meet him, Harry. I have so many questions I want to ask him. And the dragon, too, of course.”

“Well, I have some questions for you first, Bob,” I said, leaning against the table in the middle of the room, careful not to disturb Little Chicago. “First off, is any of this even possible? How could they come from a time that no one has any memory or record of?”

“Anything is possible, Harry,” Bob said, admonishment in his voice. “And I'd have to know more about their world and magic to answer that question. You said their magic felt different than ours, yes? It could be theoretically possible that something in their world could have caused the disconnect. But as I said,” I swear he managed to shrug, “I'd have to know more first.”

I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. This was really shaping up to be a confusing one. “Well, take a look at this,” I said, placing the belt of Beloth the Wise in front of him. “This belonged to the kid.” I tugged on the tassel, revealing the hidden gems. “He had energy or something stored in these that he drew out. It's empty now.

“Fascinating,” Bob mumbled under his breath. “The make up of gems and crystals has always been ideal for holding energy, but I always thought the energy moved naturally. I can see residual magic on here. It's vastly different from the magic used now, but at the same time incredibly similar.” I'm pretty sure he forgot I was in the room as he continued to mutter to himself.

“Well, finish up with it soon,” I told him. “I still have to show it to the captain.”

“Hmm?” He looked up at me, seeming to only just now remember that I existed; I had been right. “Oh, right. Using this to explain away the power, eh? Nice. Won't have to hand over the kid and the dragon that way.”

“That's the plan,” I said. “Oh, and if you ever do meet them, remember; the dragon has a name. Her name is Saphira, and she's probably has more higher intelligence than most creatures I've met. Act nicely, or she'll eat you.”

“Hmph,” Bob snorted. “I'm a spirit in a skull; what could she do to me?”

“I dunno. Crush the skull and devour you out of spite? I have no idea how her magic works, and apparently, neither does she. So it's completely possible.”

Bob paused for a moment. “Well that's a scary thought.” Shaking himself, he turned back to the belt. “I'll keep looking at this boss. Let you know if I think of anything.”

I started to walk back upstairs before I remembered I still had a couple questions. “Hey, two things.” Sighing, Bob looked up at me. “Is there anyone besides the Winter Knight who can use winter magic outside of the Nevernever?”

“Outside of illusions and minor spells, no. The Knights are the only beings who can wield any real power outside of the Nevernever.”

“Well have you heard of anything that can use magic that's similar to winter magic?” I asked, feeling frustrated.

The sound of Bob's voice matched my frustration. I guess it wasn't often that a spirit of intellect didn't have the answers to something. “No,” he said. “Fae magic is outside of anything any other creature can use.”

“That's what I thought.” If that was the case, I had absolutely no idea what was going on. My mind kept being drawn back to Eragon. The chances of it being connected to him were so miniscule they weren't even worth considering. But at the same time, what were the chances that two unknown presences would show up at the same time? I think it was time to summon Toot and get his opinion on this. He was neutral, connected to neither the winter or summer courts, but he should have heard of something this major.

“Well, second thing then. Can you think of anywhere nearby to safely keep a dragon?”

“Yeah, I guess that's a bit of a problem,” Bob conceded. “It's not like you can keep them in a warehouse or something. Someone's bound to notice, and you humans get a little touchy about things like that.” He was silent for a moment, thinking. “Hey,” he said finally. “What about that island in Lake Michigan? Demonreach.”

“Huh, can't believe I didn't think of that. No one ever goes there, so there's no risk of some vanilla human running into them and scarring the pants off themselves. It's big enough and there's wildlife there for Saphira to hunt.” Bob's lights lit up, no doubt happy that he finally had the answer to something. I didn't comment on that though. That would have just been mean.

I left Bob to his mutterings and headed upstairs to summon Toot. I called his true name quietly a couple times, and he was there pretty quickly. Ever since he had dubbed me the Pizza Lord and started Za-Lord's Guard, he was never too far away. When he appeared though he seemed nervous and overly cautious.

I laid out a slice of the pizza that had arrived just before I called him. Toot jumped on it hungrily. He always attacked the pizza ravenously, but there was almost a desperation to it this time. Something was definitely wrong. When he was finally full, his small stomach bulging with food, he turned to me. “What would Za-Lord have of me?”

“Have you heard any news from the winter court?” I asked. “Maybe someone using winter magi-” I was cut off as Toot flew into my face, covering my mouth with his hands, silencing me.

“Shh!” he hissed. “You can't speak of such things!”

“Toot,” I said, pushing him away. “What's going on?”

“Things are dangerous now,” he said after a moments hesitation, fidgeting. “There's something dangerous in the Unseelie Court. It's dangerous to even mention it. You may draw its attention.”

“What can you tell me about it?” I asked softly.

“Nothing, Za-Lord, I'm sorry. He's more powerful and so different from anything I've seen. Stay out of his way, Za-Lord. Please, don't draw his attention.” With those parting words the small faerie zipped off, presumably into hiding.

I sat back, thinking. I hadn't really been able to get much out of him. At least I knew that there was something new in the winter court now, which definitely didn't bode well for anyone. Whatever it was, it had terrified Toot to the point where the normally chatty little faerie could barely even speak of it. I would have to tell Murphy to be careful. She could easily stumble into something seriously dangerous.

But that would have to wait until I had a little more to give her. She definitely wouldn't be satisfied with just my telling her to be careful. So I decided to focus on a problem I could deal with. Sighing, I stood up and walked over to the phone. I hadn't spoken to him in a while, but if I wanted to get to Demonreach, I was going to need his help. So I picked up the phone and dialled his number. He picked up pretty quickly.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Thomas.”

“Hey,” he replied easily. “How's it going, little brother?”

“It's been that kind of day,” I said, running a hand down my face. I heard him laugh. Surely, it wasn't directed at me. “I need to borrow the Water Beetle.”

Dresden Files/Inheritance Crossover

A/N: Yay! A (somewhat) timely update. And by 'timely,' I mean less than a year has passed since my last update. I have to say, I quite enjoyed doing this chapter. Some of my favourite things to write take place in the heads of characters, so it was nice to delve into Eragon's mind for a bit. And I'm sorry I couldn't come up with anything more original for his outfit. I just couldn't think of anything! I swear I'll put him in something better soon. Perhaps Thomas' sense of fashion will have its way with Eragon soon? We can all hope.

Remnants of a Forgotten Past
Chapter Four: A Moment to Think

As the man, Harry Dresden, left, Eragon finally allowed himself to feel the emotions roiling through him, the ones he had repressed and not allowed himself to deal with while in the presence of a stranger, though it took a day or two for them to surface. So far, Harry had seemed sincere, actually wanting to help him, but he had misjudged people before. Though Saphira's judgement never seemed to be quite as impaired. However, she seemed tolerant of him as well.

Eragon couldn't allow himself to fully trust this man yet. He couldn't even trust himself. Since he had become a Dragon Rider, Eragon had considered himself level headed, able to see problems from a place of calm. But this... this had shaken him to the point where he was unsure of everything happening around him.

There was too much happening at once; he couldn't figure out where to start. In his last battle, Galbatorix had bested him, undermining his confidence in his fighting ability. The last thing he remembered was feeling himself dying, but then he suddenly awoke in a cavern, somewhere completely different from where he fell. Then there was Harry, a man who spoke differently, dressed differently, even felt different from anything he had encountered before, but was still decidedly human. Now he had finally figured out that not only was he somewhere different, he was sometime different as well.

He was starting to feel overwhelmed again. Eragon closed his eyes and buried his head in his hands, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes, hoping the discomfort would help him focus. Saphira, sensing his turmoil, allowed her soothing presence to wash over his mind. As she curled up behind him, he leaned back, feeling her cool blue scales shift through the fabric of his tattered shirt, and enjoyed the sensations.

The first sensation was of wind rushing over them and biting cold as they flew through the air, something they loved doing together. The freedom it granted them, the momentary escape from everything except the beating of Saphira's massive wings and the increasing difficulty to draw breath in the thinning air, it was one of the most wonderful things either of them had ever experienced. Then there was the more mundane; the bright sun heating their backs as they travelled. The cool flow of water, so much thicker than air, but still thin enough to fly through if they wanted. The softness of fresh grass or the reaffirming touch of hard scale and steel.

What made Eragon feel most at ease were the feelings Saphira was sharing with him. He could feel her calm confidence, her overwhelming love and faith in him, and her adamant belief that, no matter what, they would find a way to survive this.

“Be at ease, young one,” she spoke to him finally. “In the end, is this so different from when we set out from your uncle's farm with Brom, thrown into a world and dangers we did not at the time understand?”

Opening his eyes finally, Eragon gazed at the crystals studding the walls of the cave. If you let your mind wander and your eyes unfocus, it was almost like you were watching the stars. “It is vastly different,” he responded. “Back then, at least I was in the same world. At the very least, I could see maps and know always where I was, and there was always someone to go back to. I had people I knew; friends, those I was responsible for. I had a purpose then!”

“And you have a purpose still.” She swung her head around so that one eye was focusing on him, obscuring his view of the pseudo stars. “It is our responsibility, as a dragon and rider, to protect the world we live in. We may be in a different world now, a different time, but the responsibility remains. No matter what, that duty shall always be ours.”

They were silent for a moment while Eragon pondered this. He knew what Saphira said was true, and for a moment, he felt resentment for how calm she could remain in this situation. The feeling was fleeting though; he could never feel anything other than love for her for long. “You can always find a new map,” she told him eventually. “I am sure Harry is bound to have one you can look at. And how many people did you meet on our journey that became as close to you as family? Could we not make the same connections here?” Her mental voice was soothing, calming each of his fears.

After a moment, Eragon sighed, bumping his head lightly against Saphira's side. “I know,” he told her. “I know. It's just taking me a while to...” he paused, trying to think of the right word, but he could feel Saphira's understanding.

Distantly, they could hear the howling wind. The entrance to they cave they rested in was a ways off, hinting at the severity of the wind. Standing abruptly, Eragon headed outside. “I want to go watch the storm,” he explained to Saphira. “Perhaps see if I can't figure this place out a little more.”

With a soft rumble of agreement, she followed him. Closer to the entrance of the tunnel, it became quite a tight fit for Saphira, but she managed to make her way outside. Previously, the tunnel entrance had been nearly filled in by fallen rocks. Now the blue dragon had cleared a path, though enough remained of the rubble for Eragon to find a spot to sit. The wind ripped at the pitiful remnants of Eragon's clothing while Saphira made sure to keep her wings pressed tightly to her side lest the wind try to snatch them away.

Looking around, he could see that the frozen rock stretched for miles. In the distance, the spears of mountain tops pierced through the cloud veil, stretching from sight. With the raging storm, it was difficult to see very far, but he could still see the shape of the peaks through the snow. If he didn't allow himself to think too hard about it, he could believe he was resting in the high peaks of the Beor Mountains. However, when he stretched out his mind to interact with land around him, he suddenly remembered that this was somewhere completely different.

One of the first things he noticed was that the air tasted different. It wasn't very noticeable from where he was, at a higher altitude in the middle of a storm, but it tasted... thicker, perhaps, more cloying. It sat on his tongue, feeling almost gritty and leaving him with the need for a drink. And he had never felt temperatures this low before. Even being outside of the protection of the cave for a scant few minutes was becoming unbearable. The howling wind bit through his meagre clothing, feeling like it was scouring his skin. Already he could feel ice crystals forming in his hair.

“Does something seem... off about this weather to you?” Eragon asked suddenly.

A slight rumbling from the dragon only furthered his unease. “To me, yes, there seems to be something wrong here. This storm is tainted with a bitter flavour that I do not know.” She shook her head sadly. “But I am too unfamiliar with this world. I cannot say.”

Eragon sighed, knowing she was right. No matter what his fears might be, he was in no position to know whether something was actually wrong or not. It pained him to admit it, but he was out of his depth.

Beside him, Saphira craned her neck and bumped him affectionately with her nose. “It is always wise to admit when you can no longer handle what is in front of you and need aid. There is no shame in it.”

“I just feel so helpless,” he responded, leaning against her.

“Which is natural,” she stressed. Again they were silent, each with their own thoughts, though nothing secret from each other. They watched the driving wind and whirling snow as the world was blanketed in white.

“It is time we stopped feeling sorry for ourselves,” Saphira declared finally. “We are a dragon and rider I will not sit on my haunches pining for what could have been.” Her fangs were bared now in a silent snarl.

Saphira's conviction finally began to stir something in Eragon. He started to feel a bit of the old drive that prompted him to join the Varden and fight against the Empire in the first place. He had no where to direct it now, but there had to be somewhere he could turn his efforts.

“We will need help though,” Eragon finally admitted, and was surprised to find he felt now shame in saying it. “What is your opinion on Harry Dresden?” he asked.

“I wish to know more about him before I truly make my decision on him.” She shifted where she sat, adjusting to a more comfortable position and causing some more loose rocks to tumble down the gentle slope of the mountain. “I touched his mind when I first awoke, just as you did, and while I could not get in either, he seemed like a good person. Well,” she amended with a snort, “a just person.”

Eragon nodded, agreeing with her assessment. “His concern felt genuine as well,” he said with a smile. “It may be a risk to trust him, but I think it is a risk we must take.” He hesitated for a moment before adding the last bit. “And there is something about him that feels familiar. I am not sure what it is, but it is there.”

“Well, you shall have the chance to ask him soon,” she told her rider, motioning towards the snowy landscape below them where they could barely make out a figure moving through the storm. Even if he couldn't feel and recognize his mind, his mere presence left no doubt that it was Harry. No one else knew they were here, and he sincerely doubted someone would brave this location in a storm.

The boy leaned stood and leaned against Saphira, drawing what warmth he could from the fire in her belly, as they waited for the man to approach. He had his large coat drawn close and was mumbling under his breath at the weather when he reached them.

“Can we go back in the cave?” he asked. “I don't know about you guys, but being in the cold for so long kinda does a number on me.”

“Of course,” Eragon said, turning back into the tunnel. “It is rather unpleasant out here, isn't it?” The two of them returned through the tunnel to the cave without any smalltalk with Saphira following close behind them. When they finally reached the small fire, which had nearly died in Eragon's and Saphira's absence, Dresden tossed a large bag onto the ground.

“I brought some stuff I figured you'd need,” he told Eragon, gesturing at the bag. “I found someplace you guys can stay for now, but you, Eragon, will probably have to interact with people, so you should probably dress properly.”

Eragon looked down at the rags he was wearing and snorted. “Yes, I don't suppose these would be suitable, even if they were the proper style.”

“Not quite,” Dresden responded with a smile. “You seem to be doing a little better,” he said hesitantly.

“I am,” Eragon admitted, opening up the bag. “I just need to find something to focus on. For now, I guess it shall be fitting in.”

As he rummaged through the bag, examining to contents, he felt the other man watching him. He didn't look up to try and read his expression, nor did he intrude on his mind, but he felt no threat in scrutiny. “I'm glad to hear it,” the wizard said after a moment.

“What are these?” Eragon asked, looking at the clothing that was now spilling out of the bag.

“I grabbed some stuff from a friend of mine. He has a son about your age,” Dresden explained. “It should fit you, I hope. Don't know if it's your style, or whatever, but it will have to do for now.” He turned away to tend the fire as Eragon changed into his new clothing.

“I'm grateful you came back for us,” the rider said suddenly as he pulled on a black shirt before reaching down to grab the last of the clothing; a faded green army jacket and a pair of black combat boots which he didn't bother tucking his beige cargo pants into, mostly because he never really thought of that as an option. He didn't even know what most of the clothing he was wearing was. He had had to get Harry to tell him that.

“Well I couldn't just leave you out here,” Dresden told him. He actually sounded surprised that they would think he would do otherwise.

“But you could have,” Eragon insisted, walking over and sitting by the fire. “So we thank you.”

“Yeah, well,” Harry scratched absently at the back of his head. “Maybe I'm in way over my head, but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I just left you up here to fend for yourself.”

“I am sorry to interrupt, but where are we going to be hiding?” Saphira asked, making Dresden jump. He still wasn't used to having another voice in his head.

“She's right,” Eragon said, tossing another stick on the fire. “We are both getting a little restless up here.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Dresden said, leaning back. “We can go after I explain a few things.” He turned to them now, completely serious. “The place I'm taking you is called Demonreach Island. Now it's not as sinister as it sounds, but I'll admit, it's got a reason for the name.”

“And what might that reason be?” Eragon asked, already beginning to feel cautious. Typically, it was never a good idea to go to a place with such a name. However, he would wait and hear Harry out.

“The island lies right on top of a dark Ley Line confluence. There's a spirit there that's extremely hostile to all human life.” Dresden glanced up at Saphira then. “I don't know how it would react to you though. It usually leaves creatures alone, but the only things I've seen living on that island are your average wildlife, and the only other supernatural creature was attacking it.”

“That is... comforting,” Saphira said, though she didn't sound like she meant it. Eragon was watching him skeptically now.

“There is an upside,” he insisted. “The spirit is, for lack of a better word, bound to me. I'm its master, so if I tell it to leave you guys alone, it will.”

“Binding yourself to a dark spirit is usually not a wise choice,” Saphira cautioned, a hint of steel in her voice. And Eragon couldn't help but agree. He had fought two Shades before, creatures that were once human possessed by evil spirits.

“It's not a dark spirit, per se,” Harry sighed. “It's born of dark power, sure, but that doesn't make it evil. It's a nature spirit. If you have to slap a label on it, call it neutral.”

Though still a little skeptical, Eragon said nothing. It wasn't his place to say what was right or wrong for this man to do, especially not knowing how the supernatural worked in this world. And it was true that not all spirits were evil. For those reasons, he held his tongue. “How far away is this place?” he asked instead, moving the conversation forward.

“It's a ways, almost two thousand miles,” Harry said, no doubt grateful to be off the topic of the morality of his spirit binding. “But there's a path we can take that will take only a couple of hours.”

“What sort of path?” Eragon asked. He was unfamiliar with a way to cross such a distance in a short amount of time.

“It's a Way through the Nevernever, or the spirit realm, if you will,” he explained. Eragon nodded his understanding. While not entirely familiar with anything called “the Nevernever,” he had heard rumours of something like a spirit realm. He had to admit though, that he didn't realize there was a way to travel there himself. “It would only take a few hours that way, though it can be dangerous. The place is filled with creatures who would love to have you for lunch just because they can.”

“That sounds pleasant,” Eragon said with a wry smile.

Saphira snorted beside him. “The first thing that tries to eat us shall find themselves outmatched.”

Dresden let out a bark of laughter at that. “Yeah, the Way would probably be pretty safe with you around.”

“Well, if that's the case,” Eragon said as he stood and stretched. “Shall we get going?” The young rider was eager to get out of their cave. It already felt like he had spent an eternity there. Saphira, no doubt, shared his feelings. She became cranky whenever she was cut off from the sky for too long.

Reaching over, Dresden zipped up the bag before standing and slinging it over his shoulder. “I can't agree more,” he said turning towards the entrance of the cave. “Time to get somewhere warmer.”

Eragon followed the wizard through the tunnel back towards the driving snow, Saphira walking behind them. “You really don't like the cold, do you?” Eragon observed.

“Not in the slightest,” Harry said, sounding almost petulant. “Me and the cold don't get along; never have. And of course Chicago is in the middle of a cold snap. How could it be that cold in Chicago anyway? It's just not fair.”

Smiling, Eragon held back a chuckle. By this point, it seemed the other man was more or less just complaining aloud. The more he interacted with this man, the more he grew to like him. Yes, he questioned the brilliance behind binding a spirit, but he seemed like a good man. No matter what age you were in, that was a rarity.

“I think I like this man,” Saphira said, mirroring his own thoughts. “He seems very at ease, despite the strange situation we find ourselves in. And thus far, he has been true to his word.”

The small group stepped out into the snow now, and Eragon drew his new jacked closer around him. “Let us hope that holds true.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Thankfully, they didn't have far to go. Even flying with Saphira Eragon had never been quite this cold before. He hoped the place they were going truly was warmer than here, as Harry had said.

“Well, this is it,” the wizard said suddenly and stopped. Eragon looked around, not seeing anything to distinguish this patch of snow from any others, other than the footprints slowly fading with the falling snow. Harry had fallen silent and seemed to be concentrating on something. The silence was broken when he finally muttered “aparturum.”

Suddenly the air before them began to shimmer, as if distorted by a heat wave. Then the air itself ripped open, forming a tear large enough for even Saphira to fit through comfortably. On the other side of the tear the scenery was completely different. On the other side of the tear was another place neither Eragon nor Saphira had ever been before. On the other side of the tear was the Nevernever.