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Veiled Promise

By CodyFox

Idea and Commissioned by Darquirrin

Chapter 1 - Part 1

Tonight, the heavens were glimmering with an endless array of fiery lights. Red, yellow, blue and white stars pulsed with subtle radiance, putting on a most enchanting show for the high-powered telescope scanning from one end of the horizon to the other.

Sirius, the brightest star, was always the first to come into Darian's focus. He had always thought there was something compelling about its celestial blue glow, even when he was a young boy and dreamed about what it would be like to journey among the stars in his very own space ship. Back then, his innocent imagination would run wild, and he would dream up exotic worlds to see and fantastical alien life forms to encounter. Even now, Darian loved to wonder... such a bright and magnificent beacon in the sky had to be a sign for something... right?

Darian swiveled his telescope, leaving Sirius for now and searching the heavens once again. He swept past Antares, circled around Orion, and then settled momentarily on Draco. Darian hadn't spent too much time studying Draco yet, but he always found it to be such an intriguing constellation, although its stars were not particularly exceptional in color or brightness... in fact, it was often a bit hard to make out. Perhaps that added to its mystique, though.

Darian chuckled a little to himself and backed away from his telescope, standing back up to his full 6'1" height and looking out at the calm landscape sprawled out below the roof of the suburban office building where he worked. He looked again briefly over the shiny white plastic and silvery metal of his equipment. This had become his nightly ritual... every night, after work... looking to the stars for their beauty, and perhaps their wisdom. The peace and tranquility took a bit of the edge off of his daily grind of IT work.

As he packed up his telescope into the duffel bag at his feet, Darian's cell phone rang. He quickly stuffed the rest of the gear into his bag before checking his phone. Chance,_he said to himself and blinked. _I wonder what he's calling about?

"Darian! What's going on?" Chance sounded a bit more enthusiastic than normal, Darian thought.

I hope he's not planning another one of his "nights out," Darian sighed quietly to himself.

"Hey Chance. Ohh, the usual... finishing up another day of soulless work and capping it off with hopes and dreams."

Chance chuckled knowingly, "Same old same old, Darian. You know, I just can't sit by and watch my best friend get squashed under the heel of 'The Man.'"

Darian shook his head and snickered a little himself, "What kind of trouble are you trying to get me into this time, Chance?"

"Darian! Who said anything about trouble! I was just thinking we'd go out and have a few drinks. You'd have a good time... maybe meet someone special..."

Darian chuckled again and opened the heavy door leading down from the roof, making his way back down the flight of stairs to the third floor of the office building. "You're just trying to get me drunk again, aren't you?"

Chance gasped audibly, acting like his feelings were hurt, "Aww, nahh, nothing like that! I just figured we could... uhh... unwind a bit, together." He snickered a little himself.

Darian walked through the quiet hallway leading to the IT department. The doors on either side of the hall were all closed, as nearly all of the other employees at Polaris Communications had already left for the day. Aside from the noise of Chance's voice coming through his cell phone speakers, the only other sound Darian could hear was the opening and closing of file cabinets as the receptionist finished up her work for the day.

Darian sighed a little. He stepped into his own office space, shutting down his desktop and laptop, and packing up his remaining belongings. "Alright... but I'm doing this more for you than for me," he said softly, flipping off the light and heading out to meet up with his friend.

~

Tonight was like most of their nights out. Darian and Chance met up at their favorite hangout, a lounge named Last Call. They had several drinks, listened to the lovely live music, and talked about anything and everything that was on their minds. Darian probably never would have admitted it if asked, but he liked listening to Chance talk. His friend was smart and thoughtful... and he was also a very kindhearted person, although he could also be a bit immature at times. But then, he'd always been like that.

Darian had known Chance ever since they were young boys, growing up just down the street from one another. They played together, went to the same schools together, and were always there to support each other during difficult times. Now, they were just two bachelors in their thirties, trying to figure out their ultimate path in life, but life was so much simpler back then when they spent countless summer hours just laying together in the grass under the stars, telling each other about their biggest wishes.

How time flies... Darian sighed a bit, nursing on his last mixed drink while Chance told him a fascinating story about his job today... some experiment they were running at the lab where he worked as a biochemist. But, just as Chance was getting to the best part of the story, there was a sudden loud crashing sound outside the lounge.

Darian was so startled that he nearly dropped his glass. The sudden intensity of the noise was bad enough, but it was even worse when he was a little light-headed from the alcohol in his system. He looked over at Chance, who was already sliding out of his seat and making his way to the front door.

"Geez, I hope it's not those same drunks from last week fighting over a game of poker again," Chance said while glancing back to Darian and chuckling.

Darian grumbled and nodded, recalling that incident as he moved to join Chance at the front of the building. Last time, he, Chance, and a few other people from the lounge were forced to separate a couple guys who accused each other of cheating. They had both been excessively drunk, and one was swinging his fists wildly at anyone who came within range. Scenes like that just reminded Darian of how fickle and petty humanity could be.

Just before the two friends got to the door, someone sprinted past on the sidewalk outside of the building, someone very short... In fact, it looked like a kid? Darian blinked. It was nearly midnight... What was a kid doing out on the streets this late? Before he could even try to answer his own question, though, another form tore past the front of the building, a <much> larger, hulking form that was giving chase.

"Darian... I think... I think that kid's in trouble! Damn... he looks like he's running for his life!" Chance said, grabbing his friend's arm and pulling him outside as the youth and his pursuer reached the end of the block.

Darian nodded and tried to shake off some of his light-headedness. He quickly took off in the direction of the two forms, and then shouted at the larger one, "Hey!! What do you think you're doing? Stop!!"

The larger form halted its pursuit for just a few seconds upon hearing Darian's voice, twisting its head to peer at him from underneath the hood of its heavy black jacket. From his distance, Darian couldn't make out any of the form's appearance... Its body was completely covered up by a thick layer of black clothing, and he saw only darkness under that hood.

Darian's distraction seemed to give the kid just enough time to scramble into the abandoned warehouse on the next block, squeezing between wooden boards covering up the front entrance.

The shadowy pursuer snarled furiously at Darian and Chance. It was a truly savage sound, sending goosebumps over Darian's skin. It didn't sound like any sound that a human being was capable of making. The ominous figure then spoke, its distinctly male voice deep and gravely, somehow feral sounding. "Don't... interfere..." it threatened before turning back to the boarded entryway. It hunched down, bracing and flexing its powerful form, then suddenly rushed forward, crashing right through the thick wooden boards as if they were nothing but papier-mâché.

"Holy crap... that guy... Darian, we should wait for the police," Chance said fearfully, holding his friend's arm as they stopped at the corner opposite from the warehouse.

Darian stood there for a minute, thinking hard. He had no idea what kind of situation they were dealing with here. There was no way that this was a simple case of abuse. Maybe gang violence... though Darian never imagined even the most intimidating gang banger to be as large and powerful as this pursuer was. He'd never been so nervous before in his life, but he couldn't just stand by and watch this kid get hurt. "We have to try and help... what if that was your kid?" he asked.

Chance sighed, looking down for a moment, "But... did you see that guy just bust through those two-by-fours? He could probably break us in half! And, he sounded like he was on drugs or something."

Darian was determined now, though. "Come on! We just have to distract him until the police get here," he said, pulling his arm free of his friend's grip and dashing across the street to the front of the warehouse.

Chance shivered a little as he watched his friend slip into the large entrance hole. He hesitated another moment, and then followed after him, "Wait up!"

~

The inside of the warehouse was dark, but not pitch black. Soft red lights from old, still functioning exit signs and emergency lights bathed the inside of the open, industrial space with just enough light to avoid bumping into the rows of metal support beams or various scrap materials strewn over the cool, concrete floor.

Darian and his friend only had a few seconds to adjust to the new lighting conditions before they heard the sound of whimpering, accompanied by a deep, dark chuckle at the opposite end of the warehouse.

"Help! Someone please..." came the softer voice, which also had a squeaky, nervous quality to it, like a scrawny young teenage boy.

"Stop squealing, tool! No one is going to help you!"

"But... my master..."

"Is not here, now is he? I bet he just forgot about you again," the deeper voice laughed again. "Aren't you tired of serving that absent-minded old fool anyway? I think it's time that you had a new master, one who knows how to use you properly..."

Chance nudged Darian, looking to his friend with an expression of disbelief and whispering, "Darian... T... this is some kind of sex slavery... I heard about this stuff on the news."

Darian nodded grimly, quickly scanning the scrap materials around their feet. Right next to one of the support beams, he found a bundle of long lead pipes. He quickly grabbed up a pair of them, handing one over to Chance as they both silently approached the two others, staying in the shadows as much as possible.

"B... but... No! My master wouldn't abandon me... He's protecting me even now," the kid shouted back at his pursuer.

Darian was close enough now to see that the youth was pinned with his back against the wall and his neck held in the grip of the larger form. Similar to his captor, the boy was wearing oversized clothing that fully covered him from head to toe - in his case, a large, orange hooded sweatshirt that kept his face hidden from view and a pair of extra-baggy black pants.

"Naïve fool... submit to me now, and you won't have to suffer further." Emphasizing his point, the larger form tightened his grip on the kid's neck, causing him to choke and squirm helplessly.

As soon as he saw the kid being choked like that, Chance narrowed his eyes and looked at Darian again, who quickly stepped out into the open just behind the kid's abuser, holding his makeshift weapon at the ready, "Alright, that's enough! Let him go creep!"

The large male turned again briefly to look at Darian and chortled once more. "You again? I thought I smelled a human in here. I warned you not to interfere... If you run away now, I just might forget to track you down and kill you later." As he was speaking, the form casually tightened its grip on the kid's neck, causing him to yelp louder in pain.

Darian blinked and shivered, feeling a strong chill going down his spine as this hulking presence glared down over him. He hadn't realized just how big it was until he was up close... this guy had to be close to eight feet tall! He still couldn't make out much of this... 'man's features either, but now that he was this close, he could swear that he saw a pair of orange glowing eyes looking back at him from underneath the hood. Darian froze up for a moment, his heart pounding quickly as he felt more and more fearful every second he stared into those deadly eyes, sensing their growing bloodlust. Human...? Was this... thing... not human?

"You're not killing anyone! Now let him GO!" Chance shouted as he leapt out on the opposite side and slammed his pipe into the back of the large form's legs with a heavy CRACK. The hulking presence instantly released its grip on the kid's neck, causing him to fall into a heap on the floor while it threw its head back, flopping back its hood, and letting out such a piercing howl that the whole building seemed to vibrate around them. Darian was brought to his knees by the force of that howl, pressing both hands over his ears as he felt like his eardrums were about to explode.

When the howling finally stopped, Darian was a bit disoriented. But, even so, when he looked back up at the creature looming above him, his vision was clear enough to make out the terrifying features of the massive, wolf-like head glaring murderously back down at him. "C... Chance... r... run.... It's... not..."

"NOT HUMAN?" The creature roared back down at Darian. It growled and then darted its eyes back in Chance's direction, turning on its bruised leg with incredible agility, and sweeping its arm at him with such speed that he was simply unable to dodge it in time. Chance screamed in pain as the beast's powerful limb connected with his chest, launching him off his feet and into the air. He flew a good twenty feet back and slammed into one of the metal support beams, hitting his head and slumping down to the ground limply.

"No.... Chance..." Darian cried out softly as he witnessed his friend smash against that metal column with deadly force. His hand shook uncontrollably and he dropped his pipe, starting to crawl away from the terrifying beast and towards his friend.

"I was getting tired... of hiding my perfection in this ridiculous human disguise..." The beastly male growled again as he closed his glowing eyes, bending over and curling his thick digits. The beast groaned loudly as his entire body shook in one big convulsion. A massive bulge began to form at the back of his pants, growing larger and larger while the fabric began to tear and rip apart. His large combat boots began to bust open at the seams, while massive sharp black claws tore through the toes and dark brown fur sprouted from the openings.

"Oooohh... yesss... that's better..." he growled louder as muscles swelled along his thick, powerful legs and arms, stretching and ripping the fabric of his dark jacket and pants as well. His entire body seemed to extend upwards right in front of Darian's eyes, the beast howling in excitement as his massive chocolate brown wolf tail tore through the back of his pants and his huge wolf-like paws shredded his boots to bits. His hands expanded rapidly just as his feet had, giant black claw-tips popping out from the end of each digit as the rich brown fur spread over each paw. The creature hunched over more, grabbing at his remaining clothes with his claws as another sudden spasm of growth shook him, pushing him over nine feet tall. He laughed delightfully, ripping his remaining clothes off from his muscle-bound lupine body and panting as if he'd just run a mile.

"W... werewolf..." Darian couldn't even believe what he'd just said. Werewolves didn't exist! But... then what was this nightmarish beast looming right above him?

"Stupid little worm! How dare you compare me to one of those mindless animals," the giant beast growled as it stretched its powerful, sweat-slicked body, flexing its massive claws over the floor and leaving deep marks in the concrete. "Before you die... you will know exactly what, and who I am."

Darian scooted back farther, terrified... his life was flashing before his eyes... he knew he was about to die. The only question was whether he would simply be beaten to death, or if he would be torn in half... or perhaps devoured. Whatever it was going to be, the fury and madness in this monster's eyes told him it was going to be excruciatingly painful.

"I am Zatar, the greatest of barghest! And one day... I shall be the ruler of two worlds, both this one, and that beyond the Veil. But you... pitiful human, you will never see that day. Your story ends here..."

With that, Zatar raised his massive right paw, huge razor-sharp clawtips shining under the warehouse's eerie red glow. Darian stopped moving, knowing that this was the end... he shed his tears and waited for the final blow to come.

"Thank you... I won't forget this, human," came the soft voice of the boy, who had stumbled back up to his feet and was barely holding himself steady with one hand on the far wall.

Zatar growled, suddenly remembering his prey. "No... get back down on your knees, tool!" he shouted, while turning back to face the kid.

Darian watched with a mixture of disbelief and awe as the boy pulled back his hood, revealing a young, dark reptilian head sporting modest red horns and large, red colored eyes that had a gentle, warm glow to them. The youth held his left hand up to the wall and quickly traced a big pentagram-like inscription on it. Before Zatar could even move in the reptilian 'boy's direction, the inscription was glowing with a blinding white color that forced both him and Darian to shield their eyes. That intense light lasted for several seconds, and then once it dimmed, the inscription was gone, replaced by... a view... Darian blinked... It was a view of a peaceful forest glade in the midst of spring-time. Large, bountiful trees lined the background, and tall grass and colorful flowers were spread over the foreground. It seemed so real, just like he was looking through a window.

Before Zatar could regain his composure, the boy reached an arm into the other side of that window, and then stepped right on through, as if it were some kind of magical portal. In the light of the 'other side,' Darian could see a bit more of him... The boy had shiny dark scales covering most of his youthful body, and a thick, long tail flopping from the back of his clothing. His smooth-scaled reptilian face wore an expression that seemed more friendly than menacing. The reptilian boy smiled gently in Darian's direction, folding his scaly claws together and bowing his head, ignoring the barghest. Just as Zatar took off toward the portal, it began to ripple like water and faded away.

Zatar slammed into the wall, the portal fully disappearing before he could get within reach. He huffed and puffed, clawing at the wall in vain, tearing away big chunks of plaster and brick. "NOOooo!! I almost... almost had him!" He pulled back from the ravaged wall, howling again fiercely and stamping one of his massive paws into the floor, causing a series of cracks to shoot out from the point of impact in every direction.

Darian closed his eyes part way, scrambling back farther from the frightful barghest as it unleashed its intense rage. In his nearly futile attempt to maintain some hope of survival, he quickly scanned the area around him, looking for something... anything to defend himself with. His right hand brushed across something sharp, barely avoiding a serious cut. It was a large shard of broken glass. Darian managed to grab it and hide it behind his back just before the barghest turned its sinister gaze back upon him.

"You... you pitiful... worthless little speck..." Zatar got down onto his all fours, stalking back toward the spot where he'd left the distraught young man. On his way, Zatar stopped briefly between two of those big support beams, orange eyes glowing like small flames in his large, menacing head. He turned to look at one of the beams, and grinned evilly. "Yes... a worthless speck... dust beneath my claws. I'm not just going to kill you human. I'm going to bury you," he laughed as he bounded eagerly over to Darian and hefted him up in the air with one paw as easily as one might pick up a small pet.

Darian gasped again, his heart racing as he was picked up into the air, wondering if he was about to be eaten... or perhaps flung across the room like Chance to be broken against a wall. He quickly realized though that that's not what the barghest had in store for him. His death would come much slower. Darian shook his head... he was terrified, but he wouldn't die a meaningless death. Before the barghest could see what was in his hand, he summoned up all of his remaining willpower, gripped the big shard of glass tightly in his hand, and swung at the Zatar's head.

Darian felt himself making contact... felt the shard ripping into flesh... the warmth of blood splattering onto his hand. Zatar howled again, viciously swinging his paw and knocking Darian's arm away with enough force to dislocate his shoulder and launch the shard from his grasp. "You little wretch!" the beast bellowed at him, holding his paw up to the bloody slash just below his eye. His gaze hardened even further, if that were at all possible.

"I'm going to enjoy this..." Zatar growled while slamming Darian's back up against one of the support beams and pressing his huge paw against Darian's chest... followed by the sharp index claw. The razor tip pushed against him, into him, into his heart. He felt a powerful spasm of pain all through him, and then warmth... lots and lots of warmth. "Ahhhh!" he cried out. Darian wasn't sure how deep the barghest had just cut him, but he knew he was losing a lot of blood.

"Such weak creatures..." Zatar's voice taunted him as the barghest tossed him aside to let him bleed out alone. In the meantime, the beast began to rampage around the warehouse floor, smashing into support beams... ripping them out from their foundations with his raw strength, and knocking them over recklessly. The ceiling was beginning to collapse in various places, and overhead beams were crashing down, bringing plaster and floorboards, and clouds of debris with them. Before long, Darian could feel heavy objects falling atop of him, but that didn't last long either. His vision had gone black, and he was numb. He was floating away from the world, into the endless void of time and space...

~

"Darian..."

"Darian... you can't go yet..." A voice... a presence was poking around in Darian's mind. Wait, Darian thought to himself... he was dead... wasn't he? Did he even have a mind any more when he was dead? He couldn't possibly have a body anymore. But then... he felt something. He felt a sense of warmth radiating all around him, like the warmth of the summer sun shining down as he would lay in the grass at the neighborhood park. He also felt like he could open his eyes, if he wanted to.

"Yes. Please, open your eyes, child. You have nothing to fear." The voice was very deep, but quite soothing, fatherly... somehow. Darian didn't question how it knew his thoughts, though. Instead, he simply opened his eyes, slowly adjusting as bright light poured into his field of vision. At first, everything around him looked blurry. After a few seconds though, he began to make out something large just above and in front of him. It slowly came into focus, and when Darian finally realized what it was, or rather, what they were, he was understandably startled and nervous.

A massive pair of silvery colored eyes stared back at him. Each one of those eyes was probably half the size of Darian's entire body! Well, that was assuming of course that he even still had a body... Despite their overwhelming size, the eyes didn't seem threatening, though. There was a gentleness to them that calmed Darian the longer he gazed at them. After a moment, he came to the obvious realization that it wasn't just a pair of giant eyes that were facing him, but an enormous head... an enormous, reptilian head, lined with giant golden scales that glistened and shined radiantly with a bright, almost heavenly light. Darian felt another jolting sensation... though this time it wasn't fear, it was awe flowing all throughout his being.

"My servant spoke to me of you and your friend... of your bravery. He said that you... protected him, that he would not have been able to return to me otherwise." At that, the giant eyes glanced off to the left momentarily, as the immense creature allowed a bit of a smile to creep onto its maw. "Come, Kotetsu, and once again give thanks to your savior."

A familiar black scaled youth then stepped into Darian's view. It was that reptilian boy from before, only this time his body wasn't hidden under the oversized clothing. Instead, his sleek, toned young body was clothed only in a simple brown loincloth, leaving the rest of his graceful form on display. The smooth, shiny black scales ran over his muzzle, head and the back of his neck, before flowing down over his back and sides, along the subtle curve of his hips and butt, and encasing his strong runner's legs. Out from just above his shapely butt sprouted a big, thick long tail, also covered mostly with black scales, and likewise, his big clawed feet and paw-like hands were coated with smaller scales of the same obsidian color. Contrasting handsomely with the black scales, the boy's ventral areas were coated with attractive ruby colored scales, most prominently, his throat, chest, belly, inner thighs, and the underside of his tail. Atop his head, between his pair of red horns and his elongated scaly ears flowed a soft, ruffly red mane. Like his master, his large crimson eyes seemed gentle, but also curious.

He smiled as he looked upon Darian and bowed deeply, "Thank you, Darian. I wouldn't have returned home safely without you." As he stood back upright, he leaned his relatively small body against the side of his master's gigantic muzzle, blushing slightly. Darian was still experiencing that same sense of majesty as he looked upon the golden scaled titan, but he also couldn't help but notice Kotetsu's peculiar charm.

"Despite his good looks, he can be quite the handful. Clumsiest kobold I've ever had to put up with!" The giant's eyes sparkled with a bit of mirth as a deep, rumbling laugh sprang forth from his maw. His gaze stayed focused a little longer on the young kobold, who was blushing some more and swishing his tail. "But he... has his uses... and is quite dear to me." Those large, silvery pools focused back on Darian then, suddenly showing a much more serious look. "Enough trivialities, then. You have done me a great service, human... a service that deserves a great reward. However... this reward that I have in mind... perhaps it is too great," the radiant being looked down over its huge muzzle, as if deep in thought, while Kotetsu looked on hopefully.

Darian was at a loss for perspective. He couldn't possibly comprehend what this being had to offer him... he didn't even know what, exactly, it was. At the same time, he was still trying to understand if he was dead or alive... or perhaps floating somewhere in the ether between the two states.

"Ah... yes, I remember..." Those huge eyes focused back on him as the golden creature seemed to settle its thoughts. "What I have in mind requires a sacrifice... One shall sacrifice so that the other may live free."

Darian blinked several times. One shall sacrifice? Who was this 'other one'? At first, he was still so confused by this whole situation, though it didn't take too much longer for realization to set in.

Chance...

The great creature bobbed its head, understanding Darian's thoughts as easily as if their minds were linked by some invisible connection. "One must sacrifice..." the creature repeated.

Darian closed his eyes, bracing for what was to come. He already knew what his decision was. He could never force his friend to sacrifice just so that he could live. I'll be the sacrifice. He thought. Please... just save my friend. Let him live.

A bit of the creature's seriousness ebbed away. It seemed... pleased by Darian's thoughts. "Are you certain, human? This choice... you cannot un-make."

Yes. I am certain. Darian opened his eyes back up, looking upon the majestic being once more and confirming his thoughts. Sacrifice me. Let Chance live.

"So be it..." The creature's grand silvery eyes began to glow and sparkle again. Then, the silvery light radiating from within began to swirl. For the first time, Darian noticed the massive ivory horns towering up from the creatures head, and they, too, were glowing with power... a power that was building and then pulsing over him like the warmth of the sun. The creature pulled its head away as Kotetsu swiftly stepped aside, giving Darian a better view of its titanic, radiant form. Darian recognized this form... the brilliant golden scales... the immense bulk, held up by four gigantic paws. Its gleaming golden tail seemed to reach out for miles behind it. Its magnificent golden wings spread up to the heavens. Raw power flowed through the dragon's beautiful form, funneling into its chest, up into one foreleg... and all into a single clawtip. That clawtip slowly approached Darian's form, bringing with it a light that was so pure and intense that his vision was rapidly overwhelmed and he was blinded to all else.

Darian was numbed to the world once more... all except for one sensation. He felt that clawtip pushing at him... into his chest... and into his heart. Suddenly, a powerful spasm of energy infused every part of his being, racing through him as a fierce blaze that lit all of his senses afire. His very existence embraced that flame... calling to it... merging with it. Soon, the intensity of the light seemed to climax, and then, in a flash, it was all gone. There was nothing but endless darkness once again.

~

"Darian... Wake up."

A voice cut through the darkness. It was soft but warm, like a gentle beacon guiding Darian home.

"Darian..." the voice spoke again. It was a feminine voice. A bit older, grandmotherly, and caring. "You'll be late for school. Time to get up, dear."

Darian blinked his eyes open, gazing up at the ceiling of a bedroom... his bedroom. He sat swiftly up in bed, letting his warm covers fall off his chest as he looked around his room, breathing quickly. Light was streaming in through the bedroom window, bouncing off the mirror positioned above his dresser on the opposite side. Across from his bed, various toys and books lined his bookshelf. On a nearby desk sat an open schoolbook, along with some papers and pencil... the report he'd been working on last night.

"Mmmm..." he rubbed his eyes a little and yawned, waiting as his senses and thoughts came a bit more into focus. The boy had had one of those weird dreams again last night.... He recalled the huge dragon's eyes gazing down over him... the beautiful golden scales... and the radiant warmth of its magic. It all seemed so real to him, but Darian's memory of the dream never seemed to extend beyond that.

Just then, there was a soft knock at his door. "Darian, are you getting ready?"

He blinked a few more times before sliding out of bed, standing upright and making his way over to his desk. "Yes, Gramma. I'll be out in just a minute." Darian took a moment looking down over his homework from last night, sixth grade science... He'd been up late working on his report about bird migration. Usually, he would get kind of bored by homework. It didn't often present much of a challenge to his rapt young mind. However, Darian was quite fond of learning about animals. The boy especially liked reading about birds. He always wondered what it would be like to soar through the sky, up above the clouds, gazing out over the endless horizon. Maybe someday, I'll become a pilot or something, he thought to himself while closing up his books and sliding his work into his backpack.

Before going to his bath, Darian felt a very curious sensation as he passed in front of his dresser mirror. He stopped in front of the mirror, blinking and looking up and down over himself while running a few fingers down over his chest and playing with the hem of his pajama top. Maybe he was still just a little disoriented from his dream, but the boy felt a little... different somehow. He blushed slightly and shook his head, "It's... nothing..." He said to himself softly and then hurried into his bathroom to get ready.

~

Although he was just over half-way through his first year at Shady Brook Middle School, Darian had already made a name for himself in school sports. During the beginning of the year tryouts, he'd managed to make the track team and the swim team, and was one of only two boys from the sixth grade to accomplish that achievement. He was, in fact, a fiercely competitive boy, and probably would have tried out for other teams too if his Grandmother hadn't limited him to two. She was always so concerned about him taking enough time to just enjoy his childhood, rather than constantly rushing around for various activities.

Today was the eve of Darian's first swim meet, and he couldn't wait to test his talents against the best swimmers from the other schools in their area. In truth, Darian enjoyed swimming a lot more than any other sport. He simply loved being in the water... floating on his back and looking up at the sun peeking through the clouds, or watching the birds floating by above him, feeling like he had become a part of nature. Also, the boy loved slicing through the water as if he was an otter, or some other kind of aquatic animal. Sometimes he would imagine that he was deep under the ocean, on a treasure hunt or exploring fantastic underwater seascapes. Also, when he was under the water, Darian felt about as close as he could imagine to the sensation of flying...

Darian's best style of swimming was the butterfly, and tomorrow, he would be swimming in his school's 50 meter medley with three other boys. Two of them were older, and Darian's sixth grade classmate Quinn was younger, by one year. Although Quinn was just ten, he was an excellent swimmer and really good in the freestyle. The other two on their team, Baxter and Neil, were both in the eighth grade.

Darian found Quinn, in particular, to be a very curious boy. The two of them had become fast friends at tryouts, and as they spent time together, Darian couldn't help noticing how obsessed Quinn was with fantasy stories. He read countless books involving elves, fairies, wizards, and all kinds of grand mythical creatures, and often talked about how wonderful it would be to live in a world like that. Darian enjoyed imagining things like that too, but he'd never met any other kids who were as enthusiastic about it.

Today, Darian was meeting Quinn at the pool after classes. The pool building was a relatively new addition to their school, constructed on the opposite side of the gym and sharing its locker rooms. As the boy walked through the gym, he stayed to the edges in order to stay out of the way of the volleyball practice going on inside. At one point he'd thought about joining the volleyball team too, since their matches were on different days than his swim meets, but... maybe next year, he thought, as he stepped into the boys' locker room.

As soon as Darian entered, he heard two familiar voices.

"C'mon, Wendel. I know you've got more than that... are you gonna make me empty your pockets?"

"No... I swear, I already gave it all to you," said the second voice... it carried a bit of a whimpering tone... and definitely sounded like Wendel, a seventh grade boy who assisted the swim team's coach.

Darian shook his head and approached with audible footsteps, not even bothering to hide his presence. Of course, he recognized the other as well. It was Baxter, one of his teammates.

"Hey, who else is in here??" Baxter called.

At that moment, Darian made his way around a row of lockers and saw the two boys in the shower area. Baxter had Wendel up against a wall, with his hand gripping at the collar of the other boy's shirt collar. He was taking money from him again.

Darian sighed, "Do you have to pick on our teammates, Baxter?"

Baxter sneered and chuckled, "He's not even 'on' the team, he just helps the coach with stats. Anyway, don't interfere!"

Darian blinked and froze up for a few seconds as Baxter uttered those last few words. His whole body felt tense, like he'd just woke up from a terrifying nightmare. He was experiencing a powerful sense of déjà vu. Darian shook his head again, wincing and holding his hand up against his forehead. He felt unusually hot, though, not really sick...

Before Darian was able to do or say anything else, the door leading to the pool area swung open and their coach walked in, shouting "Baxter, Wendel, what are you two doing in here? We've got work to do!"

Wendel exhaled in relief, squirming free of Baxter's grip as Mr. Franklin approached the boys.

"You're not causing trouble again, are you Baxter? The team really needs you tomorrow, but if you have to be suspended..."

Baxter quickly pulled his hands away from Wendel before Coach Franklin was in clear view, smiling innocently and acting as if nothing had happened. "Awww, nah Coach, we were just having a little chat. Right, Wendel?" He shot the other boy a threatening look, and Wendel bobbed his head, then quickly scrambled past the coach and into the pool area.

The coach eyed Baxter suspiciously for a moment, then he looked over in Darian's direction while the younger boy was swiftly changing into his swimming gear. "Great, I was wondering where you were as well, Darian." Coach Franklin smiled and walked over to Darian's locker just after he'd finished putting on his trunks, patting him on the shoulder. "We've got a big challenge tomorrow, but you guys have been putting in some amazing times for the last few weeks. I've been especially proud of you and Quinn. I don't think we've had any sixth graders as talented as you two before."

Darian smiled up at the coach and bobbed his head. "Yessir. Thank you," he said happily.

"Okay, hurry up and join us at the pool. We won't be too long today. I want to make sure you boys are well rested for the meet," the coach said, turning and heading back toward the door to the pool.

Darian stood there and smiled a bit more, proud that he had earned the coach's trust. He finished putting his school clothes in his locker and closed it up, then started to the pool as well. Before he made it to the door though, Baxter grabbed his arm and stopped him momentarily. "Don't think you're hot stuff just because the coach is treating you nice. All I care about is winning... If you choke tomorrow, coach will be the least of your worries."

Darian huffed and pulled his arm away from Baxter, "I don't choke. Focus on your own race." With that, he pulled the door open and walked into the pool area, leaving Baxter alone in the locker room.

"That little shit... thinks he can talk back to me..."Baxter said smugly, grimacing. "I'll teach him a lesson," the mischievous boy grinned a bit while walking back over to his locker. Baxter had been bullying other kids for a while now, and he knew all the tricks of the trade. For example, he'd learned how to pick the locks of unsuspecting boys and girls in order to steal their valuables. "I wonder... what little Darian might have for me." Baxter chuckled as he pulled out his customized pick and then made his way back to Darian's locker. Just as he began sizing up the younger boy's door, he heard a strange sound from somewhere in the room and paused. It sounded kind of like a scratching noise.

"What... what was... Is someone else hiding in here?" He called out, looking up and down the row of lockers while standing silently for a few seconds. "If you are, and you don't come out right now, I'm gonna kick your ass!" he challenged. However, there was no reply.

"Hmm... maybe I was just hearing things..." he said to himself and turned his focus back to Darian's lock, beginning to test it with his pick.

"Da...r...ian..." came a whispered voice from somewhere nearby. Baxter gasped and pulled away from the kid's locker, blinking and looking around again. He was slightly nervous now. There was no one around him, so how did he hear that whisper?

"Who's there!!?" he shouted and held his fists at the ready, just in case someone tried to jump him.

"Dar...ian!!" the voice was louder this time... more insistent... more malevolent. The overhead lights in the locker room began to flicker on and off every few seconds, and he heard more scratching noises. It wasn't just a scratching sound... it sounded like claws scraping across tile.

"Whoever you are... this isn't funny! I'm... I'm... n... not afraid," Baxter said, even as his stuttering voice betrayed the boy's nervousness. Just then, he heard a frightful hissing sound... he looked from side to side again, trying to pinpoint the location of his tormentor. Then, with a horrified look, Baxter suddenly realized that the sound was coming from above...

He looked up at the ceiling and saw two burning embers glaring back at him. These eyes... they were somehow coming out from the ceiling tiles, and their fiery stare seemed monstrously evil. Baxter was so overpowered by their maleficence that he was frozen in terror for several seconds.

"Darian..." The voice sounded firm... unrelenting. Its source was focused on one thing, and one thing only. Baxter cowered in fear as he saw the burning eyes emerging farther from the ceiling, along with a large, powerful-looking muzzle lined with huge pearly fangs. Pitch black fur covered this monster's head, which was topped by huge bat-like ears. The clawing started again as the creature's body shoved farther into the room, although the ceiling somehow remained intact. It was as if the monster was materializing out of nowhere...

It was more than halfway in now. Drool was spilling out of its dark muzzle, dripping in long thick strands from its giant fangs. Suddenly, a pair of enormous bat-like wings spread out across the ceiling, blotting out a few of the overhead lights just before all of them flickered off again. At that moment, Baxter could only see the monster's burning eyes gazing over him hungrily. At that moment, the boy ran faster than he ever had in his young life.

"Ohhh god... Ohhh god... what the HELL is that thing??" He cried out while sprinting for the door to the pool area. He could see the light seeping in from under the door, beckoning to him. Safety was on the other side... he was certain of that. He was just a few meters away now... and now a few feet. Yes, he would be safe... he would be...

Just as he was within seconds of putting his hand on the door handle, there was a whoosh of air. Instead of the doorway, he slammed into a hot body... a massive, hot furry body blocking his path. "No..." he cried out and looked up, seeing the evil of those eyes bearing down on him again. Before he could scream for help, a pair of gigantic bat wings had wrapped around him, squeezing the boy, purging the air right out of his lungs.

Baxter gasped, painfully short of breath. He couldn't even move an inch, the grip of the creature was so powerful... Then he felt the fangs... massive, razor sharp fangs sinking into his neck, followed by an immense sucking sensation. He was losing blood rapidly, making him more and more light-headed, to the point that he nearly forgot where he was or what was happening to him. The creature sucked again, one more time, and then it did something else... Something was passing from its fangs into him, injecting into his body. The pain was just as sharp as when its fangs first broke his skin. He felt his whole body convulsing as the injection entered his remaining bloodstream, mixing with what was left and burning through his veins. Every beat of his heart felt worse than death itself. Yet, the creature would not let up. It injected more and more of the stuff into his jerking body, until he completely lost consciousness.

~~