Race to Night *Started/No longer Accepting*

"What have you done!?" I picked myself up off the ground, wiping the blood from my nose, shouting with a glare at Remiel. He had done this! how dare he! Remiel continued his evil cackle, and I could hold my rage no longer. I swung around and smacked him upside the head. His shock let me do that, and he tumbled to the ground. He was on his feet again in an instant.

"You dare to do something like that to me!"

"You just broke my Fawn's heart! We had something, and you've ruined it! How dare you! I don't even have words to describe you right now, you worthless bag of fleas invested animal!" I smacked him again, this time in the throat, with a hard punch. He gasped as he hit the ground. I stood over him, glaring with rage. He was too shocked to move, and soon I left. My Fawn needed me. I had to explain, had to make her understand what all of this was.


~In the clearing


"Fawn." I whispered. She was hugging her knees to her chest, her small body shaking with sobs. Her head lifted, her eyes stained red from tears.

"What else do you want from me, Igor? You took everything I have, including my heart. I don't have anything else to give you. I don't know anymore of Vern's plans." She sobbed out. Her rage had made way to devestation. What had Remiel done?

"Dear, you don't understand. I never wanted this to happen, never wanted to get plans from you. But I knew for you to stay around, I had to go along with that for Remiel. Please, I'm sorry. I don't know how I can make it up to you, how I can make you understand, but I'm going to try with everything in me." She looked up at me, and I kneeled down next to her.

"I didn't tell you something, and I don't know how to say it." I took her arms off of her knees, holding her against my chest, rubbing her back.

"You can tell me anything. I know you might hate me, but you have to believe me. Please, if I need to know something, tell me."

"I don't hate you. I guess I understand, it's just really hard. I just don't know how to tell you..."

What was so hard for her to get out? I was getting worried.

"Please just tell me, hon."

"Igor, I...I'm pregnant!" The tears started flowing from her beautiful eyes again.

"Fawn, you're what?" I must have heard wrong, must have...

"I'm pregnant. And I'm scared. What if Remiel tries to hurt me, or the baby, what if-" I cut her off. What if's were awful.

"Nothing if going to happen to you, or the baby. He'll have to kill me to hurt you, or the child." She nodded. Pregnant, Fawn. What was too happen now?

While I stood alongside Vern, I saw the face with the pale complexion and green eyes again. Then I sunk into the land of daydreams.

~In the daydream

I saw a battlefield with Cains' or Ventis' on either side of it. I saw my own figure on the front lines, growling.

"Amy!" I yelled but my figure did not respond.

'This is one of the oddest daydreams ever.' I thought. I saw a Venti on the other side of the battlefield with a pale face, green eyes, and blonde hair looking at the Amy on the front lines.

'He is looking at me... oddly.' I thought. Then battle commenced. I winced as the Amy that was fighting got her nose broken from a punch. She started to deliver roundhouse and snap kicks to all of the Ventis' surrounding her.

'Yes!' I thought when she brought 10 of them down to the ground in less than a minute.

Then I said,"Oh my gosh!" when the mysterious, pale-faced Venti kicked her from behind.

She then got up and said,"Letta!" while raising her right hand. Then I wanted to see no more, so I exited the daydream.

~Back in the real world

As if from far away I heard Vern ask,"Are you all right Amy?"

"Okay, Yes I am Vern.", I said. I raised my hand to my forehead and felt sweat.

'I just saw into the future!' I thought excitingly but confusingly also.


~A premotion of a battle, creepy right!
~Love this storybook soo much.
~Sorry for the shortness, could not think of much to write.

~~~Galia

Everything around me happened so fast, I spent most of my time as a snow leopard, except when we did water patrol, then I shifted to leopard seal. I have no idea, what are goal was, where Our leader was and who did what, to the Cain chick my mother had kept around. I know that my head was spinning, I was woozy and I was often wishing I had went with my mother. On the other hand I was gaining respect as a crazy butt bitch. I walked past a few wolf bounds and snapped at their heals. They whimpered and lowered their ears and tail. I shook at my fur, it's silvery- gray base flashed in the sun I was caught in a wave of nausea and confusion and a whirlwind passed over the camp quickly. I looked down at the dragon whitsle and picked it up in my teeth- as my knees collapsed. I blew as hard as possible and in my head my voice screeched "MOTHER!!!!"

~Remiel~

". . .I hate life," I muttered under my breath, flopping down on my bed.

(You don't mean that,) Angel disagreed, turning his massive, furry head to give me a pointed stare. His dark, feline eyes gave the stare a menacing edge. Not quite a glare, but not quite a regular old stare, either.

"I do too. How old are you, anyway? I'm sure you're pretty darn tired of life yourself," I shot back at him. His shoulder-blades moved up and down in a sort of shrugging motion.

(I may be 300 centuries old, but life has yet to get rid of me,) he chuckled. Though, because he was stuck in the form of a tiger, it came out as more of a mix between a purr and a roar. Much like his stare/glare.

...My throat hurts, I thought, wincing as I rubbed the bruised area. He punched me right in the trachea, the worthless fool. Next time he showed his face around here, I'd kill his sorry arse. Right after I thought he was finally on our side, too...

A sigh escaped my lips; it seemed as if my very soul left with it, leaving a tired old shell behind. However, before I could fall into a deep reverie, an agitating ringing noise sounded from the far right corner of my tent. With a weary groan, I staggered to my feet and trudged over to eliminate the source. After a few minutes of digging through piles of clothing, maps, and a few weapons I'd left lying around, I uncovered a tiny silver cellphone I could've sworn I'd never seen before in my life. Perhaps my parents had somehow smuggled it into my belongings...

Amazingly, it was still ringing; I flipped it open to check the caller ID, but it was "Unknown". Albeit reluctantly, I did in fact press the Talk button, and waited for the other person to speak before I greeted them. Talking was too much of a hassle at that particular moment.

"Ah, Remi, I'm so glad to have finally gotten ahold of you! It's your brother, Matthew," the voice added, as if I knew who on earth that was supposed to be. I have a brother...? I'd been under the impression that I was an only child. For now, anyway.

"Sorry, wrong Remi, I don't have a brother," I replied, starting the flip the phone shut.

"Wait! Remiel, remember, I went to stay with our Uncle after the--"

"Ohh, yeah, it's all coming back now," I carefully interrupted him. It really was, though; I vaguely remembered my honey-haired younger brother screaming in terror as I chased him around the house...

I jolted a bit when I realized Matthew was trying to say something. "Huh? What was that?"

"I said, 'There have been some issues in the homeland, and we need you back over here'. Actually, I didn't say that, Mother and Father told me to tell you, but I don't really know what they were talking about," he repeated, his voice rising a few octaves, most likely due to nerves. He'd always been a little skittish, especially around me.

"Well, you can--"

"They also said they aren't going to...um, 'Keep their damned noses out of your business', and it's about that--"

"Yeah, yeah, I get the idea. Bye." I snapped the phone closed, ignoring Matthew's protests. First Pack problems, now family problems? Geez, talk about stress. Nevertheless, as they always say, "If you want something done right, do it yourself." It'd be a huge hassle, for sure, but I hardly trusted the rest of my imbecile packmates to get it done. They were weak; I wasn't. "Angel, go tell Ivan to round up the usual group. Screw neutrality, I'm going to eliminate the traitors."

(Now, that sounds like a plan.)

~Tobi~
~Yay! New character! Although, he may never have another appearance...You didn't think Remiel came from nowhere, did you? He has a past. ;D Well, Remiel needs some action, so I wanted to write a hunt scene...~

Vern~~ We were traveling pack style- with the Alpha of our wolf infantry on my right flank and Ethan on my left with the ground brigade. I ran at the peak of coarse, with the night sky going on forever in front of me. The stars glittered tonight washing me in their wake and guiding me. My paw steps seemed almost predestined- as if the forest itself knew of my arrival. I knew that if the night was never ending, that it could run like this forever........ but the Queen couldn't let me have that. I hear the deep throaty tone of a dragon call. I quickly signed for Ethan to take peak and Amy follow up to left flank before letting the powerful force of the change take me and my wings pull me into the wind. I follow the deep throaty call and I am once again in the damned Venti camp. I shift into human form crossing into the infirmary in giant boundless more- tiger- than- human leaps. I went to the source, to find my Galia, in a bed, looking less than pale, and her feeble hands reaching out. "Mom?"
She coughed blood all over.
I run over taking her hand, and got hisses and growls from other Venit- but I ignored them.
"Mom," my daughter asked in a weak unstable voice, "are you my real mother, or are you just pretending?"
I almost jumped back in shock, thinking this must be unreal, but her stormy eyes held mine like a vice.
"You are my daughter, and you always will be," I said clasping her clammy fingers.
She smiled weekly before saying, "Then why did you leave me? Pack mothers don't leave cubs to die unless they are bad. Am I bad?"
"NO!" I almost roared at her.
"Do you love me?"
I looked into her steady gaze and said, "Always have and always will" I almost cried when she coughed splattering more blood across the covers. "How will I ever live without you," I murmured sadly.
"You did before," she said too cooly.
"No, I didn't. I knew you were safe- but that was all before I new you had the gift. You were my calm before this whole storm started," I said pleasantly referencing her eyes.
"I love you," she said bringing my wavering attention back to her.
"I love you too Galia Storm Starr, daughter of my heart," I said as I once did holding her little body as a kit.
He hand went limp in mine and thunder boomed once as the rain fell- and I heard the slowing of her heartbeat become distant.
I couldn't even look up. All I could do was sob- and so I did


I know- very sad!

Hope ya' don't mind that this post isn't an actual "post", but I just wanted to clear something up with everyone. Remiel's name is pronounced "R-eh-m (like "jem")-ee-ul". With emphasis on the "Rem". It's like "Rem" with the little "-iel" sorta tagged onto the end. Does that make any sense? Anybody who's close to him can call him "Remi", though.

~Tobi~
~CONGRATS ON EVERYBODY'S AWESOME WORK! This SB is turning out really well, Arrow-chan~!~

~Since no one is posting...

I couldn't believe my own ears. My Fawn was going to have a child, and I was going to be a father! Now Remiel would certainly find a way to take out revenge on us, and we would be so much more vunerable with a child with us. I couldn't let him do anything to my family. He kne where this place was, but I didn't hve anywhere else to go too. We could not go hide in the city, nor in any other woods. Would we be forced to stay hre and fear the day the Venti came for us? Fawn looked up at me, tears glistening on her cheeks.

"What are we do to Igor? Shall we stay here where the Venti can find us?"

"Certainly not! There is a small valley partially up the mountain side. We sall go there."

"What if they still find us? I can't let Remiel hurt the baby, I just can't!"

"I know, dearest, I know. I'll cover our tracks with water so they can't find us, and we'll be safe."

"You promise? They won't be able to find us, no matter what?"

"I will do everything I can to protect. And if we have to live up there forever, so be it. You're my family, my life. I won't let anything happen to you, or the child."

~Now post something more!

~Meanwhile, Remiel~

"EVERYTHING SHUT UP!!" I roared, overwhelmed by the noises surrounding me. First, the Cain group that'd suddenly landed in my camp and gotten hysterical, then my cats freaking out because Yong-Yong showed up, then Yong-Yong freaking out and claiming everything in my tent as his territory, then packmembers holding a miniature riot outside of my tent because they wanted the Cains to get out, and finally, the Darn phone started ringing off the hook.

The Cains continued their hysterics, and the phone didn't stop ringing, but everything else pretty much froze. Slipping my feet into a pair of black combat boots, I marched outside to face the waiting crowd. They watched me so carefully it was almost uncomfortable, but they didn't act out. Even if they could've, they were too fearful of the repercussions. "Yes, I am aware that there are, once again, Cains in our camp, but could you all do something without my help for once and drive them out? Honestly! I have to do everything around here," I ranted, crossing my arms and tapping my boots against the dirt as I waited for them to get moving. They remained completely still. "Well? What are you waiting for?!" I shouted. Finally, they flinched, and began to move once again, headed in the direction of the infirmary.

Once they were more or less dispersed, I pulled the phone out of the pocket of my cargo pants. The annoying ringtone (Really, how old did my parents think I was?) had really begun to get on my nerves. "Hello?" I snapped, drifting back into my tent. Seeing as I had very few contacts (my parents and Matthew), the conversation probably wouldn't be one I wanted the world to hear.

"Hallo, Remiel! Es hat eine lange Zeit, eh, kleiner Bruder gewesen?"

". . ." I was so utterly shocked, I couldn't quite reply to the distinctly German voice on the other end.

"Hallo? Jemand die Lichter ausmachen da oben?"

"R-Romy...? Is that you?" I questioned incredulously (and rather ridiculously). Of course it was her. Who else spoke to me in German and called me...that?

"Ja, fool, who did you think I vas?" she snorted, her accent obvious even though her English was rather good. Her German had gotten a lot better, too, now that I thought about it. The last time I'd spoken with her, she'd had a distinctly Swiss-German accent that made it difficult for others to understand her. Not me, of course; I spoke the same way.

"Well, it's not like I was expecting you to call. Speaking of which--"

"You know, yesterday Uncle tried to teach älteren Bruder how to play piano. It vas so funny, vatching him pound the keys around! Of course, he vasn't very good--"

Despite my growing curiosity, I had to interrupt her before she went off on a tangent. "Romy, why did you call?"

For a moment, she remained silent. I could almost picture the pensive look on her face, brows drawn together and lips pursed. "Vell...It has been a long time, ja? I have missed you. Also...About Vash and Katja--"

"No," I said firmly, "Just, no. I don't want to hear it. Listen, Romy, I have a lot of stuff to take care of, so I gotta go. Say hi to Matthew for me, okay?"

She paused for a moment, probably nodding her head. "Oh! Ja, I vill...Just, you know, err...I-Ich liebe dich, Kleine," she mumbled, and once again, I could picture a blush coloring her pale cheeks. She probably ran a hand through her short hair, too, as she often did when embaressed.

I chuckled softly. "Yeah. Right back at ya'." With a click, the call was ended. I found myself staring at the phone afterwards, like it was some kind of strange new invention. Wow.

However, I wasn't about to let old feelings cloud my determination; instead, I allowed them to build up, kindling the flames of my anger. This was just like what had happened back then! Though, I'd never trusted Igor, or really liked him for that matter...Still. He was a freaking traitor.

Empowered by my vengeful thoughts, I rushed about the tent, starting to pack everything I would need. Then I realized I'd told Ivan to take care of everything for me, and had to rush to unpack it all and search the entire camp for the oddly absent Russian Blue. Unfortunately, as I did so, it was only half clothed, for I'd forgotten to throw on a shirt on my way out. Of course, it just had to be cold out, so I was freezing my butt off.

I finally found Ivan at the camp entrance, waiting for me in front of a large backpack and with a t-shirt dangling from his mouth. I quickly snatched it up and threw it over my head, whining when it didn't do very much to relieve the cold. Ivan pulled out a furry coat to replace it. Knowing I'd probably end up looking like a fuzzy marshmellow, I was sorely tempted to reject it, but the cold gave me no other option. Ah, well, I'd just have to shift later.

My cats came out of nowhere to send me off, their feline faces looking almost mournful. Despite my adoration for them, I was none too good with goodbyes, so I just gave them a sort of half-wave. They seemed to understand.
The forest was dead silent as I began my trek, the fallen leaves crunching beneath my feet. Everything around me seemed to be dead; the trees were bare, the leaves were brittle, and most of the undergrowth had dried up, no longer the vibrant green of summer foliage. I hated it.

Odd, wasn't it? Maybe it was because I was so cold myself, I needed something warm and living around me. Rather sickening, really, but it was like a drug I couldn't live without. Right now, the head-ache I was developing seemed to be a withdrawal symptom...Or perhaps it was just a result of my fruitless travels. I knew where I was headed, of course; Igor, worthless twat though he was, had told me where they were hiding before he'd gone off with that worthless ditz. However, something told me he wouldn't be there. Not now, when he knew I'd be after him soon enough.

Then again, would he be expecting me to go after him so swiftly? There was only one way to find out. Not bothering to slip the pack off of my shoulders, I shifted into my panther form, opening my mouth wide to search the air for any remaining scents. None. Rather than stopping there, I decided to run to the actual location, continuing to test the air along the way.

Luckily, as I drew closer I finally caught their scent. Right away, I could tell something was off about the Cain's scent. Something...familiar, almost. Something I smelled all over the place every spring...Eh. I went on my way, following the trail until it suddenly stopped. "Dammit!" I cursed aloud, padding around the area just in case. Nothing; the trail had gone cold there. Of course, they hadn't just disappeared off the planet, so clearly, they were hiding their tracks from me. If I were a real panther, that wouldn't have been a problem, but they had apparently realized that I couldn't distinguish scents quite as easily as the rest of my furry friends.

I plopped down with a despondent sigh, licking my paw and wiping it over my ears to clean them as I'd often seen my cats do. It actually wasn't a half bad feeling...

A twig snapped behind me, jerking me out of my tongue bath. I whirled around, hackles raised and expecting the worst....But it was only a friendly neighborhood mountain lion.

Wait, did I say friendly? Sorry, sorry, I meant dead freaking scary mountain lion that was clearly thirsting for my blood. Oops, I guess I also forgot to mention fighting isn't my strong point in this form either...

I just love starting a hunt with a good old fight for my life...

~Tobi~
~So, Remiel finally gets some action instead of sitting around talking the whole time! I hope it isn't totally awkwardly written! If you want to know what Romy is saying, I TOTALLY ADDED TRANSLATIONS. XD Hey, any of you want to take a guess at Remi's past? I wanna know if the clues I've been leaving are too obvious...~
~Katja and Vash Jerico are Remi's parents, and (because it needs to be said before ya'll freak out) Romy is his childhood friend...Well, you'll understand when you translate the German.~
~Also (jeesh this is long) I just wanted to mention that Remiel is from Switzerland, not Germany, but he lived in an area of Switzerland that spoke German (though with the famed Swiss-German dialect, which is really funny when compared to the actual German...)~
~XD Oops! I forgot to mention that Yong-Yong is Matthew's cat (even though he's an epic-fail messanger)~

TRANSLATIONS:
"Hallo, Remiel! Es hat eine lange Zeit, eh, kleiner Bruder gewesen?"
"Hey, Remiel! It has been a long time, eh, little brother?"
"Hallo? Jemand die Lichter ausmachen da oben?"
"Hello? Somebody turn the lights off up there?"
"I-Ich liebe dich, Kleine"
"I love you, little one."
I AM SO SORRY IF YOU GOOGLE TRANSLATED THIS. XD PLEASE TAKE MY TRANSLATION INSTEAD.
Also, I apologize to all German people for butchering their language.

As me and the other Cains trudged over to the infirmary, I felt the strange sensation again.

'Why must I feel injuries so strongly' I thought ruefully.

'Lets' go see what happened to Vern' I thought.

~In the infirmary~

I saw Vern kneeling next to almost a mini me.

'She never told me that she looked just like me' I thought. The next thing I noticed was all the blood.

I said,"Vern, I can heal those wounds!"

She looked at me, tears in her eyes and said,"If you can really, please do it!"

'I could die if I go too far!' I thought.

"Okay, I will do it for you, my friend." I said proudly and strongly. Then raised my right hand and went over to the side of bed Vern was not on. First I tackled the most prominent wounds, like the gash on her ribs.

"Waíse heill!" I said with my palm hovering just above her wound. I felt a LARGE drain on my energy but I continued healing her.

~About 5 minutes later

"Last..... wound." I said. My stamina had to be taken from my large stash in my mind which I only used in dire cases.

"Waíse heill!!!" I said strongly. The skin flew together.

"All..........done." I said very quietly as I sagged and collapsed next to the bed.

The tent then spun before me and I nearly fainted. I looked at my hands and saw they were as gray and as pale as my skin, likely even paler.
I still had some energy in my mind, so I took the remaining supply in there.

'Get up.' I thought forcefully. Then I got shakily up and felt support on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Vern.

"Thank you." I said.

"Your welcome." Vern said.

"Put me in a-" I started to say. Then I realized that, the person that told us to come here is the same guy I have been seeing. Then the face crossed my vision. I felt something odd when I saw him, like a emotion. But I pushed it to the back of my mind.

"Put me in a chair." I said to Vern who was looking at me odd. She put me in a chair without a word.

For the first time in this war, I felt as though I had accomplished something good.


~Sorry for the shortness. (again.) When I saw the most recent posts, I thought let me save Verns' daughter.
~Yay for healing! And this Storybook!

~Hannah~

My own coughs interrupted my sleep. It was unusually cold in Antonio's tent, and since it was nearing April, I knew something was wrong.

"Antonio," I began, realizing my throat was sore and my voice cracked. "Antonio, something's not right." I sniffled.

This caught my brother's attention. He brushed his 'random papers' out of his way and walked over to me. He flipped his slick dark hair out of his face, revealing his worried green eyes.

"What's wrong?" I shrugged in response. I didn't really know. I mean I felt alright... But my body obviously didn't agree.

"Do you have any Advil or something?"

"No, but I can go get some if you'd like." He smiled playfully at me. "Though..."

"Mkay, thanks." I smiled back at him, pretending not to hear the last part of what he had to say. "Well, go on. Shoo!" I waved my hands in his face.

"Be back in a few," he said as he slipped out of the tent.

I waited until Antonio was completely out of sight. I crept over to the 'random papers' he was toying with and tried to read them. They where written in Italian, but I could only understand a little of the words. It was handwritten, along with illustrations of swords, daggers, and some strange picture of an old looking book. I had no idea what this meant, and I didn't like it. Antonio never let me look that these types of things. My brother was hiding something from me. But what and why? I will find out sooner or later.

Sorry it's kinda short, just needed to post. I'll post for Antonio soon, though. Next post is a surprise (;

"Igor, it's beautiful, perfect!" Fawn exclaims, open mouthed beside me. I have shown her the small, hiddn valley halfway up the mountain. A small opening leads to a feild of green grasses and wildflowers. A small wood opens up to the left side, with a sparkling creek dashing amoung the trees. A cabin sits at the far right end, close up to the mountains slope. The medow is alive with the buzzing of bees, and made pleasureable by the dancing of butterflies and dragonflies . Birds fly though the air, chattering to one another in their crows and songs, finding objects to make their nests and food for their families. Rabbits hop among the grasses and burrow into their small homes. Squirrels balance on the tightropes of the branches, collecting nuts and seeds. Her mouth continues to hang open, and I chuckle.
"Do you like it more than the one with the waterfall?"
"Yes. This one is...fresh. The Cain and Venti can't find us here, right?"
"Not in a million and one years. I've covered our tracks with water, and we can find all the food we need up here.
"Can we go see the cabin?" I wrap my arms around her and kiss her on the nose.
"But of course." She smiles and skips ahead of me, blue eyes dancing, bronze hair flying behind her, being twisted by the wind. I laugh, and it feels good in my mouth. I never used to laugh, or even smile. But Fawn has brought out a side of me that was in the shadows. She took the light of her soul and explored my whole being, truly knowing me for me. I gaze at her with love as we reach the cabins' door.
"Upstairs was where I would sleep as a child, and we can make it into a nursery if you like. Everything should be just the way they left it."
"They? Who's 'they'?"
A shadow fall over my eyes. "My parents. Actually, you don't need to go upstairs."
"But why not? If we're going to make it into a nursrey, shouldn't I get a feel for it?"
"No. I'll check on it myself. You can explore the rest of the house."
"Um, okay." She gives me a confused glance and heads into the parlor. I breathe a sigh of relief and head up the small, winding stairwell. The room was exactly as my parents had placed it those many years ago. Th crib against the wall, a changing table opposite it. The sunlight flows through the thin yellow curtains, casting a pattern on the plush rug. A rocking chair sits with a pillow already on the seat and a blanket over the back, waiting for someone to sit. I examine the crib more, seeing the soft animals already placed inside. I approach it slowly, looking down into it, toughing the mobile with dancing bears on it. Then it's all too much when I see my parents faces hanging above the crib. I touch the frames, seeing the faces I knew so well, the faces I had taken for granted when I was but a child. I sat on the floor, weeping as the memories threaten to overwhelm me. Their faces flashing through my mind of when I was a toddler, my first day of school when Mother dressed my in my new outfit with pride, when Father listened to my school speech from 4th grade, the time I was riding my bicycle and skinned my knee playing with Joe from down the block, the first girl I had a crush on in 6th grade, when my parents brought me here all those times, helping Father construct this very cabin, when Mother told me I was to be an elder brother, and lastly, their faces before that dreadful night, so full of joy at seeing a moving picture while I had to stay home and do work from school, and the policemens grave face at the door, the doctors when they said Mother was going to have girl if she had lived. I didn't notice that Fawn had entered the room until I felt her arm on my shoulder, soothing me.
"Igor, shhh, everythings fine, everythings okay. We're both safe, the baby's safe. Why are you crying?"
"Mother, that night, so excited, with Father, the policeman, the doctor, the baby..." I blubber out what I can, not fully being able to speak.
"What are you blubbering about, hon? What baby, what night?"
I'm able to get enough control to sit up more and speak cohrently. "I never told you how my parents died. They were in an automobile accident when they were on the way to town. Mother was going to have a baby, and she lost it when she died. They designed up here to be the nursrey, perfect for a boy or girl. After she died, after they both died, the doctors were able to determine it was girl. That was the night my changing began, and I was glad for the pain, because I thought I was dying and would get to see Mother and Father and Hiedie. Hiedie was the name they had choosen if it was a girl." Fawn is almost weeping with me now. I reach out to hold her, and why I'm comforting her, I'm not really sure, although it feels good to hold on to something solild, like her. We both sit, holding one another, as our sobs die down.

~Fawn~

I sat in Igors lap on the floor of what couldve been a decent nursery. I was nearly being suffocated against his chest. I pulled away and gave him a crooked smile.
" 'Least you have parents" I said quietly. He looked at me and blinked. "What?"
I frowned.
"Well, I don't have parents. I was created. From the Earth, the plants, the trees, the water, and the sky. I've been here. For two hundred and thiry seven years. I was frozen at this age. Waiting for you. I know it's you, because I'm pregnant. And that wouldn't happen if I was still frozen."
Igor's eyes widened. "Does this mean you're going to turn all crumbly and skeletal like Dorian Grey?"
I laughed. "No. I'll just resume where I left off." He smiled and got up.
"Wait, what would happen if I DID get all crumbly and gross?" Igor simply laughed and proceeded to walk downstairs.
"Hungry?" He called.
"Tell me! And yes, I'm famished." He simply laughed again and I pouted, knowing that I would eventually have to get up and pry the answer out of him.

~Remiel~
Zurich, Switzerland
Romy sat in the apartment she shared with Matthew and his Uncle, Mathias Rokkjær (a rather odd, over-enthusiastic Dane), staring out of the clean glass window at the streets below. As always, Zurich was full of life, people bustling about their unimportant lives. She scoffed at their monotonous idiocy; their lives would follow simple paths, and the rare drama they experienced would be entirely mundane. Romy, on the other hand, had to deal with more Scheiße than anyone else she knew. Keeping her brothers in line, babysitting the ever-helpless Matthew, supervising Mathias (the fool was always getting himself plastered), dealing with Remiel's multiple issues while he wasted his time on a camping trip...

She sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples in an effort to allay her growing headache. It didn't help, and further banging at her door worsened the pain.

"Vat do you vant, Kai?" she snapped, knowing her oldest brother was the only one who could manage to achieve that level of peskiness. He slipped into the room with a wide grin on his face, his stark blonde hair sticking up in all directions.

"I vas jus vondering," he sauntered over to where she was sitting, resting his head on her shoulder, "Vy you vere calling your boyfriend." At which point he outright giggled.

After giving him a good smack to help him regain his senses, she decided it was best to answer, lest he continue to pester her. "Vell, you know, his parents have zat...sing going on. Und it vas good to hear his foice," she admitted, still unsmiling, of course. Everyone who met her had to quickly adjust to the fact that she almost never smiled. It was rather offensive to some, after all.

Kai scoffed in disbelief. "Ja, right. I bet you two--" He was interrupted by the incessant ringing of the telephone. Despite the many glares his chocolate brown eyes shot at it, the phone didn't stop ringing. "Shtupid phone, challengink my awesome pover," he muttered. By the looks of things, he was about ready to throw it at the wall.

Romy reached over and picked it up, shooting a pointed look at Kai that clearly said "Leave now and I will spare your offspring." He ignored it, his customary smirk slipping back onto his face as he watched her take the call.

"Hallo? Ja, zis ist Romy. Vat ist it, Mikhail?" Kai's smirk grew again, and he had to fight back his laughter. Mikhail, huh? So that's who she's cheating on Remiel with! I knew that scary arsch Russian kid was suspicious!

The silence in the room stretched on while the voice on the other end answered. As that happened, the expression on Romy's face changed from irritated to deathly serious. "Vat?! Nein! No vay!"
Her shaking hands threatened to send the phone hurtling to the ground; Kai tensed, ready to catch either it or her (whichever fell first). Somehow, she managed to stay upright. That didn't serve to allay Kai's worry, though.

"Romy, kleine Schwester, vat happened? Vat ist he telling you?" he pressed. His concern increased as he watched her left hand slowly travel towards her neck to clutch the iron cross that hung there. She only did that when she was very distressed; it had been a gift from their late mother.

"It ist...Remiel. Mikhail says his parents hafe...a price on zeir heads," she said solemnly. "Zey are beink hunted, und he says zey vill not shtop until zey see blood." Kai shifted uncomfortably. Sure, he was no fan of Remiel, but he didn't want anybody to end up dead, especially considering the messes they'd all gotten into a few years back. The messes that Mikhail had gotten most of them out of...
Romy remembered it well, too. Better than she would have liked, for her past was not something that needed to be remembered, tainted as it was. However, this, this was far to complicated to be solved over night, as their problems back then often were. "Zey vant Remiel, bruder. Zee mafia has asked for Remiel."

With Remiel

Why is life so screwy? One moment I'm fighting for my life, the next I'm dreaming of things I'd rather leave forgotten. Stupid mountain lion.

"Remiel!" Romy shouted, reaching for my hand as I teetered precariously on the edge of the building's roof. Below me was a swarming mass of people, thirsting for one another's blood. I couldn't remember exactly how we'd wound up on the roof; I just knew I was about to fall off for some reason.

Then Romy's twin brother, Ludwig, leapt forward and grabbed my entire forearm. Unlike Romy, who probably would've had a difficult time lifting me any distance, Ludwig was sheer muscle, and could hoist me to safety with ease. I nodded at him in thanks, and he nodded back. We had little time for formalities; in mere moments, Mikhail would (hopefully) arrive with Kai and Eduard to lead us out. This fight wasn't one we wanted to get involved in, not this time.

The three of us let out a loud sigh of relief as the trio we'd been waiting for slammed the door to to the roof aside. Mikhail, a tall Russian boy with a commanding presence, was in the lead, his face deadly serious for once.

"Bystro, we must reach the cars before they know we are gone," he ordered, waving us towards the still-open door. One by one, everyone filed through until he and I were the only living things left on that roof. I stared into his violet eyes, studying the conflicting emotions they held with my fists clenched tightly at my sides.

"You can clear this up, can't you, Mikhail...?" His eyes closed. He was trying to hide them from me, but I knew what that meant anyway. This was serious, more serious than ever before.
When I was finally driven home in a discreet black sedan, I realized just how serious things truly were.

For years, my parents, sister, and I had lived in an old, Victorian-esque mansion with a large, operational barn in the back. It was the only home I'd ever known.

And it had been set ablaze, the bright flames licking towards my eyes, burning them as if the fire was created to blind me. But it wasn't; it was created to kill me. This I realized as I fell to my knees, tears already staining my cheeks as a piece of my soul was obliterated.

Things were never the same after that, I reflected, reaching up to massage my aching temples. The mountain lion lay dead, but not before it had delivered a powerful blow to my skull.

My hand still on my head, I rose onto unsteady feet, the world seeming to spin around me. Once the vertigo had passed...Well, that was the thing. Even after I had patiently stood there, waiting for things to clear up, nothing changed. The area around me continued to spin, shifting and changing under my cautious gaze.

Finally, it steadied, presenting me with an image of an empty forest. However, I now knew better, and a smirk of satisfaction inched onto my face, steadily growing until it was a full-blown grin. Before I realized what I was doing, a cackle had escaped my lips. Then another. And another.
As hysterical laughter brought me back to my knees, I thought to myself, Well, now, isn't this convenient. I've found the barrier surrounding the Were Gem.

~Tobi~
~Sorry if the German accent confused anybody...But for the record, it was not easy to type! I had to LEARN! XD That's probably the last "appearance" those characters will get, though...~
~Did you really think he'd chase Igor and Fawn forever? He's got other priorities. ;D~
~Hope ya'll don't mind how sudden that was...? He still has to get back to camp and there's the whole Mafia thing...hope this doesn't jack everything up~

Fawn and I are in the kitchen. I make her a small salad, while I eat some meat. She's been eating more lately, and her belly has grown, too. We're both guessing that she's about four months pregnant. I consider taking her to a doctor in the city, getting her proper care and nutrition. But I'm almost scared to find out anything. We aren't human, and our child isn't going to be, either. So what are we supposed to tell a doctor if all sorts of abnormal hormone levels show up? What will happen if te child comes looking like some sort of creature, or begins to morph while in the hospital? These are the reasons I am scared to go to the city, to figure out what is really going on with the baby. But there are a few more hidden reasons. Mother died, pregnant, in the city. Yes, it was more than a hundred years ago, but I shall never shake it from my memory. Also, the term "father" still hasn't fully hit home yet. I know that I will be one, no matter what, that I techniclly already am. But I'm terrified that I'll be a terrible father, like mine, or worse. Of coure, things will be different, as I grew up at the end of the 19th century, but still. I don't want to be the father that has no time for his child, that is extremly inpersonal and doesn't seem to care. I fear those days. I look at Fawns belly, and am happy one moment, but terrified the next. What if the Cain or Venti do find us, and something happens to our child? Or if we let him/her out of our sight for a second and a bear comes out of the woods and mauls it? Fawn can see that something is troubeling me. I have stopped eatingand am almost clutching my head.
"Igor, what's wrong?"
"I'm terrified, dear, absolutly terrified."
"Of what?" She reaches her hand across the table and puts it on top of mine.
"That something going to happen to our baby, or I'm going to be a terrible father-
"You'll be wonderful. And you've already said that the Cain and Venti cannot find us. Be at peace, Igor. Everything will turn out for the best."I stand and walk to where she is sitting, lifting her up, carrassing her face, kissing her.
"I only hope you are right. You know exactly what to say."
"I do?"
"Yes. You are the sunshine of my soul, the warmth of my heart. I love you so much."
"I do too, dear. I do too."
She nodds off in my lap. While she slumbers, I rest my hands on her belly. My eyebrows raise and pulse accelerates when I feel a small kick from inside her. I rub it, with love in my heart. I am truly to be a father, and I shal be the best I can be.

~Antonio~

"Hey Hannah. I'm back." I re-enter the tent to see her eyes locked on some old papers I was studying. "Hannah! What are you doing!?"

"Wha-what!? Holy crap, Antonio you scared me!" My little sis flipped her hair behind her shoulders. "Umm...What are these for?" She's obviously been investigating the documents.

"Oh...Umm..." I start looking around the tent wondering how I should respond. "I guess you deserve to know..." I winced at the thought. "Come with me." I gently took Hannah's hand and pulled her out into the sunlight. She shielded her eyes to block the sun.

"Big Brother, where are we going?" She had a mixed look on her face- it was confused, worried, and I think she considered this all as a joke. She followed me to a nearby waterfall- the Venti's main water source at the moment. We both sat down on a cliff overlooking the waterfall, surrounded by luscious greenery.

"Oh my gosh! Antonio, this is like, so amazing!" She said to me, excited. "Why are we here?"

"No reason in particular. I just wanted to tell you a story- the story written on those papers you couldn't read." I smiled back at the thought of my little sister freaking out.

"Hey, that was so not funny, dude." She threw her head back in defeat, smiling back at the thought. Her smile quickly faded, though. She turned to look at me, staring straight into my eyes. I quickly snapped my head back forward, not wanting her to read my expression.

"The story doesn't have a happy ending, does it?" Only, her question didn't seem like a question, it was more like a sentence.

[finish tomorrow]
~Swifty

~Antonio~ PART 2

"The story doesn't have a happy ending, does it?" It echoed in my mind.

"No." I said slowly, thinking carefully about this answer. Hannah turned away, looking out over the waterfall. She had read my eyes.

"It's about you, isn't it?" There she goes with those question-but-it's-more-of-a-sentence things.

"...Yes..." I watched her bite her lip.

"It was the turn of the 12th century." I began quietly. "I was a homeless boy, roaming the streets of Rome. I would rather tell you I stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but that's not the kind of person I am- or I guess was... I would steal food from the stands on the street, vandalize people's homes looking for things of value to sell, and gamble with the peasants and guards-"

"Insanity! Antonio... You're only 17 years old! You could never-" Hannah interrupted.

"Shh. Wait until I wish." Hannah was confused, but did as I told her. "Eventually, me and my friend, Feliciano- we were caught stealing food from the stands. The guards came upon us, throwing stones. One hit Feliciano in the head, knocking him unconscious. I had thought they had murdered him, so I took my dagger and unleashed my rage upon them, killing 7 of the soldiers. They arrested me, and brought me to the king. He had judged me guilty, but having found courage and honesty somewhere in me, he decided to adopt me as his son, since he only had one daughter and he was dreadfully old."

I stopped to glance at Hannah, staring down at her neon pink toenails with little smiley faces painted on them. Very cute, really.

"I never saw Feliciano after that, I never knew what became of him- my only friend. The king's daughter Annelise and I grew close, she considered me her closest companion. Years had past by, people respected me more because I was to take the throne soon. I was only 13, but on the day of my fourteenth birthday, my father took my out into the garden. He told me how proud he was of me-" My eyes started to burn. "Just as he was telling me how much I meant to him... He collapsed due to a heart attack and it's like he just... just left... It was the darkest day in the kingdom. Anneliese and I grieved for days. I was crowned king the next morning. I wore the crown of my father, the late king, and took his place. Not long after that, I realized I had fallen in love with Anneliese. But-"

"But what!? What happened!?" Okay, so Hannah was obviously interested in my story.

"But she had already gotten engaged to someone else- someone not me. On the night of her wedding, she took me by the arm and lead me outside into the garden and sat down on a stone bench near the pond. Our conversation haunts me in the back of my mind.

"You deserve to know that I have loved you my whole life, Antonio." Anneliese locked her eyes onto mine.

"And I loved you, too." I replied back, as casually as I could manage. "I love your hair, your eyes, your smile, even your scent. I adore you personality, the way you treat others. You're perfect."

"Aren't you happy for me?"

"No. I will never be happy for you. I won't ever be happy at all without you."

"I know." She whispered so softly that I could barely understand her.

"Then why must you marry that man and not me?"

"Because... I love him, too. You know that..." she stood up and put her hands on my cheeks and kissed me. It threw me off balance and we both tumbled into the lake. We continued to kiss. "Promise me something, Antonio," she said as we broke apart.

"Anything."

"Promise me you will never stop loving me."

I laughed at this. "You know that that is impossible."

"I have to leave now. My wedding dress is soaked. The tailor will give me a beating for sure now." She smiled at me. I helped her out of the pond and watched her walk into the palace."

"Something happened then. My body started to tremble, and I could feel my bones moving in strange ways. It was the most painful thing I could have ever felt. I let out a blood curling scream, but it quickly formed into a growl. I was on all fours. My entire body was dressed in white fur. It took hours before I could figure out what had happened to me- I had become a wolf. It took about a week before I could change back into a human- but nothing was the same after that. Decades past by, but I still remained in my 17 year old form. The worst of it was watching my Anneliese grown old and withered..."

I paused. "I would have grown old and withered with her if I could have."

"Antonio! Big Brother, you've gone mad! So you're a werewolf or something!?"

"No, Hannah... It's like..." What should I say to her now?

"How old are you?"

"...About 810 years old..."

She stared back at me in shock- no, actually, shock would be the total understatement of the whole time I've been alive.

[PART 3 of story later.]
~Swifty

~ Sorry if this is a little hard to grasp.~
~There's a taste of Antonio's past for you guys. (; ~
~ Oh yes, I didn't know how to write with the story dialog thing, so please just bear with me. ~

Vern

"STRIKE" The crack of wooden swords answers my command. The late newbie's were finally changed so they could begin their training. Ethan and Amy were training with the second division because their advanced skill with battle technique. Quinn, wolf pack leader was training them. Terra stuck by my side leaning against my leg as the shifters rearranged their ranks. "STRIKE!" The swords clacked again and the echo resonated across the hills. The ignorant humans brushed it of as gun shots or baseball, I could almost laugh at the lack of guard we need here.

But I didn't, because emotion was a fault, and I had too many faults for a leader as is. No room for them now, no room what-so-ever. A little brown haired girl ran up to me about 5 years old and only as high as my hip. Her soft, tender hands gripped mine in playful delight. Her bright sapphire eyes lit up along with her smile and I melted in her relevance. She was small, mabe 3 fot nine with chesnut olored hair that flowed behind her as she ran. I remembered her. It was Sadie.

"My dad says your the Tiger lady! Can you be a tiger pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaassssseeee," she begged in her high voice.

I look around for John and found him trudging up the hill toward us. John was the only Were I knew who had made a family for himself. Unfortunately his wife had not survived the violent birth of were children but did give birth to this beautiful baby girl with the sapphire eyes.I lift her into my arms and feel her's slide around my neck.

"John," I say as he closes the distance between us and grips me in a hug.
"Well isn't it Wyvern Snow! How have you been doll?" he said releasing me and touching his daughters nose.
"Wyvern? Is that a girl name?!" the girl said lapsing into hysterical giggles. I tickle her and smile happily as she wriggles in my arms.
"It's a Dragon name," I say seriously an that leaves her quiet with wide eyes.
"It's been so long,Sadie. How come you do not come to visit me, Soet Een?" I ask in the familiar Danish words. John just laughs.
He was once a Cain but he fell in love with Cynthia, a overly curious human and moved away with her. He comes every half moon so it has been over a month since Sadie and I had spoken.
"Be a TIGER," the girl whined, capturing my attention once more.

So finally I brake down and set her on the ground while I shift to my tiger form. Once I am done and my fur has settled Sadie fearlessly comes over and stokes my head and I purr for her benefit. Finally after several minutes of stroking and purring, she says, " I want a kitty!"
I can't help but burst into laughter which sounded like a half-purr-half-growl.
I rub my face against hers and she climbs onto my back painfully gripping my fur. Still, I walk into the camp waving for John and the still frozen newbies to follow. As we walked, Sadie ran her hands through my fur and a pang of guilt hit my heart.

This is the first meeting that Fawn had missed. John knew that she had left, and he had explained to Sadie that it was not acceptable to go look for her.Fawn loved children even more than she loved her pet and she was a very motherly type person.
No, I chided myself harshly.Fawn made her decision. She left the Cain and chose the Venti, and therefore she is no longer my concern. But my heart spoke otherwise. She was my friend and friends did not abandon friends. Again, I had to scold myself because I was not just Wyvern Snow, I was the leader of Cain and My affairs came after and not before the needs of the Cain.It was hard to run the Cains alone, but I had done it before I met Fawn and I would do it the same after. Not to say that I didn't miss her, or that WE didn't miss her, But we missed all the members of that Cain that left or died. We will survive.

Then a force struck me square in the chest and judging by the mutual gasps, I was not the only one who felt it. The were-stone barrier had been touched.
A growl slipped my lips but I stopped immediately when Sadie whimpered. I purred to reassure her and motioned for John to lift her from my back. Then I was human again running for Amy.
"Get the fleets ready! He touched the barrier! We're behind!" GO GO GO!"
At once everyone was rushing in a frenzy of shifted and unshifted Cains. I turned to John and looked into Sadie's sweet,heart shaped face.
"Take her home John. Take her home and do not return for 2 moons. She is not safe here anymore."
He noded, eyes wide and let Sadie hug me one more time. She twirled her hands in my curly brown hair and whispered
"I'll miss you Soet Een," she said copying my word for "sweetest one".
"I will too, dearest," I murmured to her before handing her to John.
Then I turned and jumped while shifting into my dragon and smiled a toothy smile when I felt the familiar rhythm of wing beats and almost cried as Sadie yelled, "YOUR A DRAGON LADY TOO? Daaaaaddy! You be a dragon too!"
I would miss her so much.

I can hear the twitter of birds in the air as I awaken. I can feel Fawn next to me, as she is also beginning to stir. I sit up, slowly, sunlight streaming across her back that I had previsouly blocked. She yawns and turns over.
"Good morning, Igor."
"Good morning, love. What do you want for breakfast?" I smile down at her, and she returns it as her eyelids flutter.
"Hows berries and milk?"
I grimace. "I'll get some for you, however, don't expect me to eat any." She giggles, and I wash quickly before pulling on some clothes and going out. The air is chilled, and a breeze blows thourgh, making the damp grass ripple slightly under the dew. All is calm and peaceful, but I can feel something is different. I turn into the woods, attempting to dismiss the feeling. I search through the brush, finding blueberries, razzberries, and even a blackberry bush. I collect nuts, too, to add some crunch. Everything is stored in the small bag I brought, so I go and try to find a rabbit, fox, or ferret to eat for myself. As I walk deeper into the woods, that feeling just gets stronger, and harder to ignore. Eventually I catch myself 2 rabbits and sling them on my belt, but I continue walking through the woods, trying to understand what is amiss. I come to the edge of the forest, where the cliff drops off, and a sudden force hits me with realization. The Were barrier has been distrubed! A battle will comence soon, and life will be hectick as the Cain and Venti try to reach the Were Gem first. Fawn must know of this. I ran back through the trees, sillent, yet deadly with the force and power with which I run. The beauiful meadow that seemed so peaeful earlier has come alive, and I realize how long I have been gone. I bburst through the door and into the kitchen, and Fawn turns from the sink in supise.
"Igor, what's wrong, what's happened?"
I pant, almost gasping for breath from the long, hard run. "The th, the Were barrier. It's been disturbed. A battle, the competition. Her eyes widen.
"Sit down, you're exhausted. I'll get you some water; did you get any food?" I look at her in amazement. how could she be worried about food when something this extraordainry has happened?
"Yes, I have some right here, but how can you worry about food when the Were barrier has been touched and everyone is fighting about the Were Gem?"
"We're not a part of this anymore. I told Vern that we would be nothing more than spectators, and that is the way it shall be from now on." I do a double take on her. How could she just forget the life she left? It was part of us for so long.
"How can you just forget about your previous life? It was part of you for so long, you're not just going to forget it in such a short period of time." She whirles around, the glass in her hand shattering as it hits the floor, the water in it spilling. This doesn't change her expresion on the least.
"Maybe I want to forget. There wasn't a place for our baby in my other life, and I was frozen. Now I'm alive, I'm not frozen anymore, and I have a beautiful baby on the way. Why should I regret what I've left behind? Forgetting is better than worrying."
I see what she means. She doesn't want to worry about all the people, the friends she left behind, and the pain this battle may cause them, the danger they could be in. Before she knew what was going on, and now she doesn't.
"Fawn, that doesn't mean you should forget. I'm sure you were happy sometimes. Bask in the pleasent memories they let behind, not the bitter ones." I try to calm her down.
"You don't get it. You're not some sot of counsler, you can't tell me what i should forget and what I should remember. Thank you for the meal." She leaves the room, and I hear the snap of the screen door as it shuts. I sigh, reaching down to pick up the shards of glass, getting a towel to cry the floor before fixing my own meal. Maybe it was because she was pregnant that she was so irrtable. maybe she was worried over her friends, or possibly both. However, I knew that you give touchy women their space. Let's just hope this mood would pass soon, before the child arrived, before our lives changed forever.

I was training with the second division one moment, the next I am kneeling over and gasping for air. This is how it went with me feeling everybodys' stinking pain. When I got up, I saw Vern running over to me.

'Crap, this is not good.' I thought.

"Get the fleets ready! He touched the barrier! We're behind!" GO GO GO!" Vern said hurridely.

"On it!" I yelled over my shoulder.

'Oh crud, she is talking about the Were Gem barrier. No wonder I felt pain and everyone else did.' I thought smartly.

'Why am I not running as fast as I could?' I thought aloud confusedly. My legs felt sluggish.

'I forgot the second rule of my powers! Healing Galia was not a good thing. Too much magic can shorten your lifespan in my case.' I said aloud quietly. I was nearly to the fleet.

"Atra vel heyrir eka." I said quietly and put my hand to my neck.

"Start the fleets and everybody get on!" I yelled with the aura of command. I then undid the spell from my larnyx.

'Why no energy drain?' I thought. The face of the mysterious Venti then flashed by my vision in more detail while my dog, Chow, rubbed up against my leg.

'Okay, most people are here.' there were a few laggers like me, Ethan and Vern who were keeping track of people coming.

"Okay, everybody here." I said loudly to Vern and Ethan. They replied similarly. We then joined the rest of the Cains'.

'Who is this guy that I keep on seeing and what is his name?' I thought as I got as I got situated.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~To much magic=shorter lifespan! Nice twist, huh?
~Atra vel heyrir eka = Let them hear me! Little Ancient Language there. If you read the Inheritance Cycle you will understand.

Fawn

I sat down on the porch steps, glaring hard at the ground, waiting for... What was I waiting for? For the wood to burst into flames? For Igor to race out behind me and tell me everything was okay? No, that would make me even more angry, because everything was NOT okay. I shivered, even though the hot morning sun blazed my skin. I blinked as my vision went fuzzy.
Then it happened.
I kept on blinking and rubbing my eyes as my vision went even more distorted and blurred. I shook my head as something appeared before me. There was a man. He was not particularly handsome, but he wasn't ugly. He had a look of desperation in his eyes.
"help..." I wasn't sure if I had heard it or not.
"Fawn... Help..." I definitely heard it that time.
"Fawn! You must help! Find them! Find them before they find you! HELP!" His voice got louder and louder and it rang in my ears.
"FAWN! HE--" His words were cut off as claws appeared through his shoulders and he turned into sand and smoke, revealing a fearsome tiger, leaping at me with full force and murder in its eyes. But it wasn't aiming for me. It was aiming for something just below my line of vision....
I felt my head hit something hard and the tiger disappeared.

"Fawn, where are you?" I crash out onto the back porch. Fearsome beasts live up here; she shouldn't be alone for too long, especiallu carrying out child. I find her slumped on the ground, unconcious. I begin to panic. What if this hurts the baby? How did sh gt like this? Did she fall? Did a bear or wild animal attack her? I try to calm down, picking her up and placing her in the bedroom. I start to bathe her face with cool water, and she begins to stir.
"Igor? What happened?"
"I don't know, but you're all right. Does anything feel wrong with the baby?"
She shakes her head, still confused. "I don't think so. Did you see it?"
Now it's my turn to be confused. "See what?"
"The tiger that mauled the person calling to me. He was after something, I just don't know what. I can't remember exactly."
Strange. I pet her hair, tying to soothe her. "Everything will be fine, you'll see. Nothing happened. You just rest, okay? I'll bring yo some water."
She nods, her forehead crinkling. "I think I may have known him, I don't know, maybe I didn't. It just happened so fast..." She trails off as I leave, getting her something to drink, before returning. She's fast asleep, one arm draped over her quickly growing belly. I smile, sitting the glass down beside her, and closing the door.
Whatever this beast that Fawn is speaking of will not have a beatingheart if he ever so much as steps foot in this valley again.

Vern


As we flew thunderously over the woods I did not strain in flight as other did. This form was natural to me, as trees were to the ground. Terra was not happy as I left and argued with me over the length of this trip. Terra always wanted to go back to her birthplace in the Never- Green. She also said she would be angry if she died and before her spirit could rest in the cold once more.

An odd thing happened thoug, one that disturbed me even more than the Twitter update from Hell. I was contemplating were- gene theory, so that I could maybe trace another dragon for mates, knowing Amy as strong as she was restless was soon to become a young lady. Although Amy may not pick a male dragon for courtship another Cain may prefer the strong dominant personality male dragons had. It is wise to continue a strong line for dominant clan animals like dragons, tigers, bears, griffin and phoenix, kraken, other big cats though I would NOT be interested in anymore children. I had one and she did not have the gene, an I love her enough- no need for another. What was weird was the familiar voice that filled my head, repeating, "You are one and there are 3, bring the last one unto me." Worst of all, my dragon tatto the encircled my body, shoulder to hip-like a sash- began wiggling. That was BEYOND creepy.

I came back to the blur of racing sky and began making commands and have them passed by the smaller birds. Swallows and Skylarks began flaking from the sky and floating up again, spreading my words fleet to fleet. I leaned that we were about 17 clicks from the barrier. Finally, we could begin descending down and arrayed ourselves. I was again in lead with, Ethan and Amy by my side, jogging for the border pack style and again the Twitter update from HELL made itself known, throbbing in my skull. Although I didn't see the were barrier, I knew its exact location.

It was tall, almost touching sky. It was definitely visible, because It reflected all light, allowing me to see distorted images within the glass but nothing of its insides. I leaned closer, the power batting against my sky and pounding on my skull. It was so loud, against the pounding that there was silence in my ears, but still I leaned forward. Right before my fingers touched the glass my arm was pulled and twisted- causing me to yelp in pain before yanking away my arm. When I look up, there was only a young man.

"Remiel," I said with acid dripping in my voice.
Behind me Cains growled like chainsaws.

"So nice to see you again, Wyvern." I hissed at his use of my name.
"Back down and no one will die Remiel," I said with caution.
"Never!"
And so it began, The Battle by Dragon and Fire after The Great Race

Standing on the right of Vern, Ethan to her left, I noticed that this guy Remiel was a bit attractive.

"Remiel," Vern said with acid dripping in her voice. Cains and I growled like chainsaws.

"So nice to see you again, Wyvern." I hissed at his use of her name.

"Back down and no one will die Remiel," heard her say with caution.

"Never!" he said. And so it began, The Battle by Dragon and Fire after The Great Race. Iwas about to run into the Fray when I remembered Verns' instructions.

Flashback

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, I will lead the Air Assualt, You will lead the Eastern assault, and Ethan the west. Our wolves will be led by Garrett and Hawthorne from the South quarter. Everyone has been notified of the battle tactics I assume.... And Amy?"

She looked at me with sadness in her gaze, "Yes?"

"Don't let me kill..... Innocent... Okay?"

"Of course."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me and some other Cains' split off from the others and went to the East Side of the Ventis' assault.

They were unprotected and vulnerable to attacks. 'So stupid!' I thought. I signaled for me and the others to charge.

"Losers!" I shouted while jumping up and giving 5 unsuspecting Ventis' kicks in their heads. They crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Once this happened, other Venti packmembers headed towards us. All of my group attacked this time, including me. The leader of this group was Remiel. He was cute but fearsome at the same time.

'Like me!' was all I thought before he charged on me.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



~Will be continued on Part 2! Will Amy live? Fall in love? Who knows!
~I excuse myself on posting early Arrow....... bear in mind that this is after her post....

Please excuse my early friend Giraffe22- she was just a TEENSIE bit too early. Bare in mind the scene that I post now, is before hers.

Vern~~~~~

"NOW CAINS!" The roar for my mouth was 20 time louder than I thought, and from behind me 30 Cains lifted into the sky. My eyes were only on Remiel. He was the reason for the race, HE nearly killed my daughter, HIS son- of - a - dingo deputy was the reason I lost mine, HE almost killed 7 new Cains last year and HE- well, it's time for him to die.

Remiel shifted into..... something, I can't even recall. All I know is that he had claws, and I did too. I shifted into my tiger form and launched my self at his form, like a shadow the sunset. My claws found purchase and I was vaguely of his claws hooking into my hide.
"DIE REMIEL" I screamed, but of course it came out as a ferocious tiger roar. I heard his answering snarl, equally furious.
I heard war cries all around and felt the rip and tear of my own skin while relishing the gratifying purchase of my claws on his hide and then that urge was there. The urge to snap necks in my jaws, to rip out throats that bloodthirsty cackle in my mind, was there.I called over and over and over and over - SHMACK!

I felt the claws wrench the side of my face and a snarl dripping with venom echoed from my lips. And I did something I had never done , in all my 112 years leading the Cains, the very thing I was afraid to do. What I had so cautiously avoided, trying not to become he monster I had created to be. I......... I- I slipped.


~~~~~~~~
This is the Kick off for the fight yall!

Remiel - The Battle (His Point of View)

Things had started off so wonderfully, it really made me wonder how they'd gone so horribly awry.

I'd found the Were Geme's barrier, and after some maniacal laughter, I managed to pull myself together and call the rest of the Venti. Of course, they were already well on their way, seeing as they'd felt it the moment I'd made contact with the barrier, but extra incentive couldn't hurt.

They'd arrived long before the Cains; as it turned out, our camp was ridiculously close to the barrier and I'd just traveled in a huge circle before running into it...Due largely in part to the attack of the mountain lion.

Thank you, dangerous wild beast. I'm (not really) sorry for killing you.

So. The Venti showed up, including my largely absent Deputy, Basch Zinsli, a gun-toting fellow who'd shown up one day and told me he wanted to be my Deputy. Well, at least Basch had enough loyalty to stick with me instead of running off with Igor. Everyone had been on time and organized, and we were preparing to head into the maze to seek out the Were Gem...When the Cains finally showed up.

Vern, Leader of the Cains, approached the barrier warily, reaching a hand out to touch it. Smirking to myself, I grabbed it just before her fingers made contact with the glass and twisted it violently. She was quick to jerk it out of my grasp and whip her head up to face me.

"Remiel," Vern greeted me venomously, her words punctuated by a series of sharp snarls from her clanmates.

"So nice to see you again, Wyvern," I purred, snickering internally at the enraged expression gracing her countanence. She hated me and my use of her full name. Served her right, enemy bitch.

However, when the look on her face turned to one of caution--almost hesitant--I grew...playful.

"Back down and no one will die, Remiel." Her words made little sense to me. Back down? Back down?

That meant surrender, didn't it? She wanted me to surrender. I'd rather die.

"Never!"

This unleashed a battle cry so loud, I could've sworn I was temporarily deafened. "NOW, CAINS!"

The fighting was like organized chaos...Less so on the Venti side. We hadn't gone over battle
strageties quite as often as pillaging techniques.

Personally, I was rather occupied with the murderous Cain Leader standing before me, rippling into her tiger form. It was all I could do to shift into a panther before she knocked into me, her claws finding purchase deep within my flesh. Fortunately, I was able to hook my own into her sides, but I got the feeling she wasn't really there...Like her conscious was focused on something other than the battle. Something dark, something...

...Sinister. "DIE, REMIEL!" Vern roared.

I sensed the change in her; it was a change I often felt within myself, and as Leader of the Venti, it was likely even stronger than what she was feeling. However, she had snapped and I hadn't, so she had the immediate advantage.

Every part of her that could be used as a weapon (magic included) was suddenly aimed at me. Thus I did the one thing I'd sworn never to do...

Well, so long as it's a "tactical retreat", is there really a problem? Despite the screams and cries for mercy behind my unit and I, begging me to save them, begging Vern to spare them, I did not look back. Instead, I continued in a sort of blind run until I ran headfirst into another, apparently weaker Cain unit.

After that humiliating tactical retreat, I needed to redeem myself...And find a way to keep that raging psycho away from me. I engaged the leader in combat, seeing as she was, well, female, and generally pathetic-looking.

Her technique was unlike anything I'd ever faced before. Not only did she switch between forms whenever the need arose, but she also had a nasty habit of catching me with muttered spells I didn't understand in the least.

She probably could have killed me. I could feel it, in the way her blows just glanced off of him, showing me the damage she could do without actually causing me any harm.

"Why are you holding back?" I panted as I dodged yet another array of beautiful but deadly lights. The girl pursed her lips, not answering my question. Her soft, light gray eyes appeared conflicted...and she was distracted. By what, I didn't know (nor did I care to know), so I simply dismissed it as a girlish affair that could be used to my advantage.

Still in panther form, I rushed towards her, earning a shocked stagger backwards for my sudden movement. In an instant, I was on her, my weighty paws pinning her frail human shoulders to the ground. Our eyes met as I ducked down to end her life with a fatal bite to the throat: a terrible mistake on my part.

They say that you can see your life flash by, just before it comes to an end. In her eyes, I saw more than I had ever wanted to see. It frightened me; shook me to my very core. I saw fire...

Burning, screaming, flames, no end in sight...I was unable to hold my panther form as my entire body spasmed, no, not this, not now, this was too crucial...

As I curled into myself, taking up the fetal position as my consciousness faded, I could feel arms around me. I didn't care whose they were; they felt safe, warm, protecting, and that was all that mattered.

I'm safe...It won't find me here, Laurie...I'm safe...

~Tobi~
~Eh. Just some moving about. They still have to get through the maze and to the Gem, so...there'll be some deaths here and there? Eh. Maybe after Remi gets over his PTSD. Oh, but feel free to kill him in the meantime...I just didn't want to mess with Amy's POV~