| 'Marching band season has NOTHING on the last two weeks,' I thought sullenly as I flew back to Grandfather's cottage. For fourteen days, my body was battered and torn apart by dragon and WolfAngel alike while I returned the favor. Animals from all over Nivta had been trickling in and by now, the entire clearing south of Sleeping Panther was filled with Night Beasts, Pegasi, Wolves, Panthers, Griffins, and the like. The more 'civil creatures' like Elves and Dwarfs had constructed camp about two miles in the other direction. The night air whipped past me and I dove, spiraling down to earth and landing softly. 'Am I ready for this?' I considered and tilted my head back to look at the galatic soup above my head. 'It really boils down to one question: Can I really save the world? People are going to die tomorrrow...and if they do, it's my fault. And mine alone. Will all my training be enough to protect Grandfather, the dragons, Will?' I was just out of sight of the rest of the creatures that had gathered and of the cottege so I sat on the ground, needing a moment to reflect. 'So much has changed in just such a short period of time. Maybe someone else should have been the WolfAngel. This is going to be so...so...' Suddenly, something rustled in the bush and my eyes focused on it. "Who's there?" I rumbled softly and a baby Night Beast crept out of the undergrowth, eyes glowing brilliant white. Night Beasts look like what would happen if a panther and a wolf mated and the baby was on steriods. All had a black coat with no sheen and a pair of long ears and matching paws that were the size of frying pans. On second thought, make that two frying pans. The babies though, were relativly harmless...except for the the teeth and the claws that could rip through bark. I smiled. My maturnal instincts were slowly coming alive. 'This sucks...but it's still so cute!' "Come here, lil' guy," I said and the beast meowed, hopping into my lap and curling up, purring softly. "Why are you here? You're in a lot of danger being here." The pup looked up at me, as if to say, 'you are too' and licked my face before diving back off into the night. Shaking my head, I stood and walked towards the house, a small smile on my face. 'Lil' guy, I know you'll be alright,' I thought folding my wings closer to me. 'After all, somebody has to be...' |