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Matt pounded his fists against the invisible barrier, his hackles raised as he growled loudly. The husky had woken up in Ameranth standing, being held up by a narrow invisible cylinder, his white cheek fur mushed against an unseen wall. At the base of the barrier, inscribed in white chalk on the smooth stone floor, was a runic circle.

Matt grimaced as he punched the hidden wall once more. "What the hell is this?"

"Certainly interesting, for one thing," a voice hissed. A dark jaguar in a black robe appeared from behind a bookcase at the far end of the room. "I was expecting a demon, not Rhisanth's pet."

"Kazar! You're summoning...demons? Then why am I here?"

"As I just said," Kazar stated patiently, "I don't know. One minute I'm finishing the summoning ritual, the next, I have a loud, violent and angry juvenile canine in a magic cage. Speaking of which, carefully step out of the circle." The black-robed mage waved his hand as he spoke, making the air in front of the husky shimmer.

Matt slowly reached out a paw, and found the barrier to be gone. Kazar nodded at him and went back to the bookcase. 'Why is he summoning demons? And how'd he do that wall trick? Is he telling me the truth?' Matt thought to himself as he shuffled across the room towards the cat.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm summoning demons. Or attempting to, at any rate," Kazar rasped loudly, still hidden behind the bookcase. Matt could spy the folds of the cat's dark clothes between the top of a row of books and the shelf above.

"Uh, yeah," the husky returned as he took in the room. It was sparsely decorated, with the pair of bookcases creating an alcove by the stairs leading up and out. A table stood with a number of vials containing a variety of colored liquids, and of course, the runic circle in the corner that Matt had just left. The husky wrinkled his nose at the musty smell of the basement room. "Why would you want to summon a demon?"

Kazar stalked over to the table, a blue leather-bound tome in paw. "The demons have been on the move. Whether due to, or if they are the cause of, the encroaching darkness, or for some unrelated reason entirely, the Council doesn't know. What better way to find out than from the source? Summon and bind a demon, ask a few questions, and make sure you have enough power to banish it back to the plane it came from after. Simple." He never made eye contact with the husky through his explanation. Instead, the dark jaguar placed the book on the table, and began to rapidly flip through pages.

"Simple. Right. And if you don't have the power to banish it?" the husky asked as he tried to catch a glimpse at the page titles and diagrams, but the book was in a language that Matt couldn't understand. The sigils didn't look like any language he'd see on Earth.

Kazar laughed, the breathy noise grating on the husky's ears. "Well, you'd likely be killed by the demon and it would escape to terrorize the local populace."

Matt's ears swept back as he whined, "Oh, is that it?"

"There!" Kazar pointed at a picture that looked like the runic circle. "That's what I did wrong. Well, I'll make sure not to mispronounce it this time. Since you're already here..." Lifting his narrow head to look Matt in the eyes, Kazar's ears pointed directly at the husky. "You might as well stay for the show. I'm sure Rhisanth could use this information eventually. Just stand over by the table there."

The jaguar walked back behind the bookcases, then cracked his knuckles and shook out the tension in his limbs.

"Uh, why do you perform the ritual where you can't see the magic circle?" Matt asked, interrupting the dark jaguar's preparation.

Kazar rolled his eyes and bared his long fangs at Matt. "If I can't see it, it can't see me. At least long enough that if something went wrong I could recover without getting attacked in the first two seconds of its arrival. Now be quiet, pup, I must concentrate," the cat growled roughly.

A chill settled in the room as the light from the candles dimmed when Kazar began his incantation. Matt didn't understand a word that Kazar was saying. 'Perhaps some ancient language? I wonder if it's a good focus for powerful magic?' The husky brushed down his tail, which was still frazzled from his abrupt entrance to Kazar's basement.

The runic circle flashed brightly, a white light filling the room and forcing Matt to shut his eyes. His canines dug into his lower lip as he bit down to avoid calling out. As the light began to die, the scent of burnt fur and brimstone filled the husky's nostrils. An intense bestial roar vibrated through the room.

Matt opened his eyes and saw a creature trapped in that invisible barrier. It was bipedal; covered in orange fur everywhere but its hands and face, which were black and leathery. Its wide mouth was twisted into a snarl, revealing sharp, uneven teeth. It had a flat nose, and beady red eyes under heavy, low brows that made it look prehistoric and primitive. And menacing.

The husky took a step back involuntarily, his ears splayed back and he could feel his chest rumble as he growled. "A demonic orangutan. Fantastic," Matt said, warily eyeing the big meaty paws with razor claws at the ends of its fingers.

The creature pounded on the invisible wall and roared a second time. Matt could swear he felt the basement shake with the sound.

"Actually, a bar'lgura, to be precise." Kazar calmly walked around the bookcase and shifted to stand a couple feet from the creature. "I know you can speak our language, demon. I have but a few simple questions and I will let you be on your way."

The creature stopped and pondered the dark jaguar for a moment. "Mage, release me! I'll rip you apart!" The bar'lgura's voice was guttural, rasping and throaty. The creature threw both of its massive fists against the barrier a third time.

Matt stood stock still. 'Did the barrier just crack like glass?!'

The black-robed mage was unmoved by the display of ferocity. "You rip me apart, and I get what in return? No, demon, you will answer my questions before you leave. The binding will compel you to answer despite your wishes, correct?"

The demon looked pained for a moment, but it just said, "Yes," almost meekly. Then it threw its entire body against the invisible wall, bouncing off of it and roaring in frustration.

"The demonic forces are on the move. Why?"

"I don't know....agh!" Matt watched in horror as the magic cage lit up with lightning, electrocuting the creature within and making the scent of sizzling skin stronger. The husky retched a little.

"Do not lie; the magic knows, demon." Kazar still stared at the bar'lgura, right into the creature's red eyes.

Shaking off the static and pain, the creature growled, "Something big comes, the hordes of Under Eden will destroy everything."

"Under Eden?" Matt asked, triangular ears perked and his head cocked to the right in confusion.

"Under Eden. Other cultures and historical texts call it by other names: The Abyss; the Underworld; Perdition; Hell. The domain of the god of Evil and Death, Apollyon."

"Oh," Matt whispered quietly. "Well, crap."

"Demon, when is Apollyon planning his attack?" Kazar pressed, leaning in further.

It thundered in Kazar's face again as it drug its claws down the barrier. "Soon, mage! Soon! And I will be there, or I will be flayed and destroyed!"

"Hmm, it seems either the magic is insufficient or you really don't know enough to be useful," Kazar rasped softly. The dark jaguar turned back towards the table Matt was behind, reaching out for his blue tome. "In that case, it's time to return you to where you..."

Matt yelped as the sound of shattered glass surrounded them. The husky watched impassively as the demonic orangutan had given one final kick to the barrier, demolishing it, and leaped onto Kazar's back, ripping into the black-robed mage with its razor claws and teeth. Shrieking in pain, the cat flailed on the floor.

"Oh shit, crap, shit." The husky looked around and snagged a vial of green liquid from the table. 'Acid?' Matt thought as he pulled out the stopper. Sulfur assaulted his nose. 'Not a lot in here, but...' The husky threw the open vial at the bar'lgura, and concentrated on the rancid liquid. Suddenly the vial began to pour immense amounts of acid onto the creature, making it scream and thrash as its skin bubbled and popped.

The husky barked in fear when the creature looked directly at him and launched its steaming, bulky body. Matt tried to dive out of the way, but the demonic orangutan grabbed the husky's leg in mid-air and slammed him into the ground. Matt's breath whooshed out of him as his head reeled from hitting the floor. He didn't even have enough air in his lungs to scream as the creature raked its claws down his legs.

* * * * *

Kael glanced over at his sleeping roommate, then turned back to his game. The kangaroo's tail slapped a little against Matt's desk, and Kael sighed in frustration. 'Man, this room is tiny. I need more space over here.' He clicked a few times to move his video game character within a few yards of the monster, and began clicking buttons to launch holy magic at the beast.

'I've known Matt for like forever. It's super strange that he just suddenly got narcolepsy. And that along with the narcolepsy came the case of the crazies.'

The creature in the game had brought Kael's character close to death, and the kangaroo hit the button to cast a healing spell. His avatar, a beautiful female white wolf, was ready to take on another creature. 'Dude, clerics are so overpowered.'

A rustling sound brought Kael's gaze back to his roommate. Matt was thrashing in his sleep, getting tangled up in his sheets. He was also panting, his tongue hanging out and dragging on the pillow. 'He's certainly having quite the dream. I hope the dude doesn't hurt himself.'

Kael stroked his black goatee, staring at Matt but not really thinking, just watching. Snorting loudly, Kael shook his head, breaking his reverie. 'Another world with magic when he's asleep. Yeah, that's totally crazy. But I guess if it feels so real he's thrashing and freaking in his sleep...well, I guess that just makes him clinically crazy, maybe?'

The kangaroo looked back at his game and saw his gorgeous white wolf avatar dead, on the ground. Another wolf, grey-furred, was dancing on her corpse. On closer inspection, he wasn't dancing, but crouching then standing, repeatedly, over her head. "Dammit, stupid ganker."

A scream ripped through the room, causing Kael to jump out of his chair onto his feet. "What the hell?" The sound had come from his roommate. Kael was speechless, green eyes wide and jaw hanging open. The sheet had been thrown off the bed entirely, and Matt had flipped over onto his stomach. Blood stained the back of his legs, the white fur matted and wet. Looking closer, deep gouges - like claw marks - ran from the middle of his thighs down to his calves. The husky was still thrashing.

"Oh, fuck! What the fuck?" Kael whispered, finally moving. He hopped over to the bed and grabbed the sheets. Ripping part of the sheet, the rotund kangaroo tied it around Matt's upper thigh, like a tourniquet. He repeated the action for Matt's other leg, then laid the remainder of the sheet over the husky's legs and sat on them, using his bulky body to apply pressure to the wounds.

"Matt, dude, wake up! You gotta wake up, man!"

* * * * *

The orange-furred demonic orangutan flew across the room, slamming into the back wall near the runic circle and causing the stone to crack and crumble. Kazar was leaning against a bookcase, with one paw held out in the direction of the creature. Breathing deeply, the cat doubled over in pain.

Matt looked up at the dark jaguar, and then at the bar'lgura. 'This is not going well,' he thought darkly. Still prostrate, the husky looked back at his legs. 'What the? They should be bleeding like crazy...'

"Matthew, pay attention! I need to you to hold the demon down while I unsummon it."

"How the hell am I...?"

"Watch, listen, repeat."

Kazar thrust his arm out a second time, using magic to throw the demon against the wall again and keep it stunned. Keeping the paw outstretched, he recited his incantation loudly:

"Frozen throne heed my call, take my foe or I may fall. Stop him solid in his tracks, keep me safe from his attacks!"

Just as the bar'lgura was standing up, a flash of blue light shot from Kazar's paw and slammed into the creature. It roared in defiance, but when the light had subsided, the creature had been encased in solid ice.

"Whoa."

"Matthew, I must concentrate to keep it frozen, but I can't unsummon it like this. Freeze it again, pup, and hold the spell until I have completed the ritual," the dark jaguar commanded in between labored breaths.

The husky looked at cat and nodded slowly. From the floor he stared down the frozen creature, took a deep breath, and repeated the incantation. Kazar gasped in relief as he let go of his spell, and in response the demon effortlessly shattered the icy prison from within. Almost immediately after, a blinding blue light shot out from Matt's outstretched paw, and blasted the creature.

"Concentrate!" Kazar shouted as the new block of ice began to crack. Matt gritted his teeth and snarled, willing the ice to hold. The dark jaguar grabbed his blue tome and began to perform the ritual to unsummon the creature.

'I'm so tired, I don't know how long I can hold this creature. It's so powerful!' The husky fought the urge to lay his head down and pass out, but spots began to appear in his vision. He could hear the dark jaguar's voice speaking in that foreign language again.

The ice cracked loudly, and the creature's shoulders had flexed enough to break its head from the frigid prison. "I'll rend your flesh from your bodies and feast, magi!" it roared, snapping its sharp teeth and flexing further, pushing out on the prison.

Kazar had limped forward, book in one paw and a pawful of crystalline powder in the other, still reciting lines from the ritual. The creature lunged its head forward, trying to bite the mage. Another crack resounded around the room as the rest of the frigid prison began to buckle. Matt watched as the dark jaguar threw the powder at the demon, and then the husky promptly passed out.

* * * * *

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he finally woke up. Matt looked around and saw the bricks of stone making up the walls of Kazar's basement. He was in a sitting position, leaning against the wall. The stone floor felt smooth and cool against the back of his legs.

"My legs! The demon! Kazar?" Matt yelped, frantically turning his head back and forth.

The dark jaguar wheezed in laughter. "We are alive, and the demon sent back to Under Eden. I have given you a healing drought, and taken one myself."

"Healing drought?"

"Like a blessing in a bottle, in liquid form. Just a couple of the many vials on my table here." Staring at the cat, Matt suddenly realized that Kazar had dark spots on his dark fur. They were nigh invisible when he was more than a few feet away. "Though I have to get more, those were my last. They won't heal you completely, but they'll accelerate the process significantly."

"Wait, you're a black robed mage! You're crafty; selfish; evil! Why would you heal me?"

Kazar shook his head and put a paw on his chest theatrically. "Matthew, you wound me. I may be a Mage of the Dark Order, but that doesn't make me evil, though I won't deny being crafty or selfish. No, you helped me, and I repay my debts."

"Oh." Matt stared at his feet, his skin under his cheek fur flushing. "Sorry."

"And you should be, pup. I explicitly ordered you to carefully step out of the circle. You must have dragged your foot and scuffed the runes, which is how the demon broke the barrier."

"Shit. This was my fault?"

"Not entirely. I was careless. I should have inspected the circle before attempting a second summoning." Kazar stood up, and walked over to the bookcases. The back of his robe was in tatters where the bar'lgura had clawed the mage. "That being said, you have impressed me a second time, pup. I was desperate, and the magic that I had you copy was quite difficult. And yet you heard the incantation a single time, repeated it flawlessly, and managed to manifest the effect impeccably. Weak, but otherwise perfect."

The husky's eyebrows were raised as he stared at the mage, muzzle hanging open. "Wait, that was weak?" he said incredulously when he found his voice again. "It held him for a few seconds!"

"Your concentration was poor. He partially broke through the prison almost immediately, and you passed out after those few seconds." The black-robed mage was staring at Matt again, his yellow eyes narrowed at the husky. "As I said, it was an impressive feat for a novice mage. We were desperate in a situation where those few seconds meant the difference between life and death. It was sufficient for the circumstances."

"I, uh, thank you," Matt stammered. Shakily standing, he brushed down his tail and his blue tunic. "So now what do I do?"

"You go back to Earth. I will repeat the unsummoning ritual on you now that I have confirmed you're well enough." Kazar approached the husky with a pawful of the crystalline powder, preparing to throw it on Matt while the cat repeated the incantation.

"Before I go, what exactly is that powder? Something magical?"

Kazar finished speaking and dumped the powder on the grey-blue and white dog.

As Matt felt his consciousness slip away, he heard Kazar's wheezy chuckle as the dark jaguar stated, "Salt."

* * * * *

Kael was sitting on his computer chair beside Matt's bed when the husky awoke. The kangaroo's green eyes were heavy, and dark bags sat under them. Matt noticed that his sheets were wrapped around his legs, stained a deep red, almost brown with his dried blood.

"Thanks for bandaging me, Kael."

Running a brown paw through his mop of black hair, Kael just nodded.

"You may have saved my life."

"Tell me about it, dude."

"I'm serious, Kael."

"I know. I mean really, tell me about it. This Ameranth, magic, these furs you've met. I want to know everything."

* * * * *

The pair had slept in until noon the next day, having spent most of the night talking about the strange and magical world of Ameranth. Being Saturday, though, meant that they didn't have to worry about missing any classes. Kael didn't let Matt out of his sight all day, except for when Matt and Jay went on another coffee date. However, Kael was still nearby, just in case. Matt figured the kangaroo had felt guilty about not believing him before and was trying to make it up to him.

After the date, Matt and Kael met up again and had dinner in the dorm cafeteria. Matt was pushing his broccoli around with a fork as they talked a bit more about the incident the night before.

"So do you think I should tell Jay about Ameranth?"

Kael shook his head, his black hair waving with the effort. "Not yet, dude. You guys are totally hitting it off and all, but you barely know each other. I've known you since what, kindergarten? And I didn't believe you until I saw proof in front of my eyes."

Matt sighed, but nodded. Matt knew Kael was right, but he didn't have to like it.

"I probably shouldn't be on my own anymore, eh?" Matt murmured despondently.

"Probably not, man. We should tell Laura, since she's known you almost as long as I have, and one of us should always be nearby. Classes will be difficult, but we'll see what we can manage."

The husky stabbed his broccoli vehemently at Kael's declaration.

"I know, dude. It's going to crush your mojo. Kinda hard to do the horizontal mambo when one of us is always nearby."

Matt grinned at his best friend, letting his tongue loll in response. "Seriously? The 'horizontal mambo'? Where the hell did you pick that up? But yeah, it's going to put a damper on my dating life. I hope Jay wants to take it slow."

"So yeah, no going anywhere without Laura or myself. Two more things, too, dude." The kangaroo punctuated his sentence by pointing a piece of garlic bread at Matt. "First, we should sign us up for a self-defense course."

Matt's tail began wagging behind the seat. "That's a good idea. I can't rely on magic that may or may not be there. Hell, all of my encounters with hostile creatures I could have used some sort of self-defense. The bar'lgura may have ripped me to shreds anyway, but I could have totally taken the m'veri!"

"Good. Second, you need to talk to this Rhisanth dude and get the four-one-one on what this prophecy is. You can't be flyin' blind all the time. Corner him if you have to." Kael finished his sentence by taking a big bite of the garlic bread he had been waving around.

Once again, Kael hadn't failed to provide some well-grounded advice. Matt smiled to himself. "Thanks Kael. I'm glad you're helping me out on this."

"Sure thing, dude. I just hope it all works out."