Author's Note: This fic is a kind of crossover between the Teen Titans and Stephen King's epic fantasy series, The Dark Tower. It basically transplants some of the Teen Titans characters (and several of my own creation) into the world of the Dark Tower. Some familiarity with the books would probably be helpful to the reader, but I don't think it's required. Some violence and coarse language lies ahead. This is my first fic and I hope you enjoy it.

BTW: In no way am I pretending to own either the Dark Tower or Teen Titans. I admire and respect both works and have no desire to profit from this or any other fic. In addition, I make quite a few references to other books, songs, shows, movies, video games, etc. within this work, and the statement above is true for them as well. All pictures I use are linked back to their original website. That being said, this story is mine, and unless you go by the screen name Weretiger or Madness Hero, you shouldn't be claiming its yours. Because I've worked my ass off.

Weretiger Character Bio:

Name: Weretiger

Given Name: CJ Gruden

Gender: Male

Age: 19

Affiliation: Good

Powers: He has the ability to transform into a large, super strong Weretiger that possesses immense strength, speed, agility, and razor sharp claws

Appearance: Stand about 6'3" as a human, and well over 9 feet as the Weretiger. Is Caucasian, but has the look of someone who is very familiar with living and working outdoors. Is mostly seen wearing a baseball cap, jeans, and a long overcoat, has gray eyes, and has hair that is a very light brown.

Personality: As a human, CJ is an easygoing joker who is quick with a joke and has a very amiable personality. This belies his true nature, however, for as the Weretiger he is consumed with fury and will attack his opponents with a ferocity that would surprise any who was more familiar with his more class-clownish side.

Bio: Born in the Rocky Mountain region of Montana, he acquired his powers from an artifact left behind by the Bengalars, a race of people that existed before the time of the caveman, and resembled saber tooth tigers that could walk on two legs and speak with one another. The artifact was a staff of power left behind by a very powerful Bengalar shaman named Fire-eye.

Having very little control over his powers at first, he lived in the unpopulated areas of Montana and Saskatewan for most of his younger years. Gaining mastery took time, but he was rewarded with control over a great amount of power. He is especially strong when enraged, giving him extra reserves of strength to draw upon in the heat of battle. This can make him somewhat dangerous to even his allies in battle, but telepaths such as Raven are usually able to speak to the human heart of the monster.

Chapter 1

It was your typical day at Titan Tower, its residents enjoying one of the all to few periods of peace that occasionally visited them. Cyborg was out and about Jump City; Robin was analyzing and categorizing evidence (to each his own), Starfire and Beast Boy were watching television, Raven was meditating in her room, and CJ, better known as the Weretiger, had fallen once again into a state of boredom that sometimes accompanied these periods of inactivity.

As CJ entered the tower's main room (he himself thought of it as an oversized living room), he proceeded to plop down on the couch between Starfire and Beast Boy and do the one thing that tended to alleviate this particular brand of boredom: he started an argument.

"Nature shows again? I swear, if this is anywhere near as boring as the show about the spawning habits of deep sea invertebrates, there is going to be a gaping hole were the TV used to be." And Beast Boy, as unreserved and defensive as ever, took the bait.

"Just because it's a nature show doesn't mean it's boring! Turning into an amoeba or something has been plenty helpful before dude, and as they used to say on those old cartoons, '…and knowing is half the battle!'"

"I'm quite happy to say we aren't currently living in an episode of GI Joe," was the sardonic reply, "and even if we were, they had the good sense to keep that cheesy community service stuff at the end, so the kiddies could turn the TV off and do something more constructive, like sniff magic markers." As was usually the case when he made a joke, CJ burst out laughing (he was after all, his biggest fan) and Star, sweet, fun-loving Star, who hadn't even realized that CJ had told a joke, joined in anyway, because A: she liked to laugh, and B: CJ was the kind of personable guy that was hard not to like, and even harder not to laugh with. Hell, even BB managed a smile.

That smile did not, however, mean that he was giving up. His record against CJ in arguments thus far in their friendship was something like 0-867, but hey, if he ever gave up trying, he just wouldn't be Beast Boy, now would he?

"Where else could you hear about rare kinds of bugs in the Amazon?"

"Sorry kid, I just like my entertainment to, you know, ENTERTAIN. As a man who lives an alternate life as one of the worlds most cunning predators, the only things I want to know about these critters is whether they are edible or not. Can you imagine anyone who can't turn into these particular animals and isn't a scientist actually wanting to know more about the stink beetles of South America?" CJ raised an eyebrow.

"No." Beast Boy sighed.

"I find the process by which your beetles of stink produce their toxins quite intriguing" Starfire put in, a big grin on her face, "although on Tameran the beetles with similar glands tend to be much larger, and far more dangerous. We call them clackmores, and every year around the same time, a great hunt is held in which… "

CJ grinned, count on Star to interrupt a perfectly good argument. Not that it mattered, he was far less bored now, and he often saw the strange humor imbedded in Starfire's stories about Tameran. He listened with rapt attention as Star explained the intricacies of the great clackmore hunt, right down to the very unpleasant smell of beetle stink that would hang over the city days after the wondrous event.

Finally, as Star was going into a rather detailed explanation on how best to remove and eat certain parts of a clackmore (the juiciest bits being just behind the eyes, but before the antenna), Beast Boy could take it no longer. With a gagging sound not unlike that of a dying fish, BB leapt up, and beat a hasty path to the nearest bathroom.

"Mission accomplished! Thanks Star!" CJ cried, laughing as he scooped up the remote.

"If you would like how best to cook a clackmore, first, take the juice of the ripest zorka…"

CJ grinned. "Thanks Star, but you don't want to tell the whole story in one sitting, do you? Hey look, Family Guy is on."

She smiled. "Indeed, I find the talking dog to be quite hilarious, although the man with the very large chin says strange words that I don't quite understand."

CJ was about to instruct Starfire on the intricacies of Quagmire's singular (and oh, yes, single-minded) wit, when the klaxon alarm began to sound, echoing throughout the reaches of the Tower.

"Well," the man known as the Weretiger thought to himself, "perhaps we'll get some action today after all." The easygoing grin on his face widened into one a great deal more vicious looking, one that hinted at a deeper, more predatory center to the amiable man on the outside.

Many foes had fallen to these claws, he thought, as the battle commenced. He still didn't have full control, and he supposed that he never would, but it was enough to know that he had enough to help his friends, and help those who could not help themselves. It was a comforting thought, and really the only reason he needed for fighting, but still, for some reason he never felt more alone than when consumed in a battle. It would have given him pause if he had known how closely his thoughts mirrored those of his friend and teammate, Raven.

The dark, yet striking, girl had had her own issues with her power, power that seemed more for the purpose of destruction than protection, but nevertheless was used to that end. They were as dissimilar as possible on the surface, the quiet, thoughtful Raven and the loud joker CJ. And yet, underneath, they were very much alike. Intense, self-critical, lonely. They also had an edge, one their teammates did not share one that hinted at strength (and possibly malice) that set them apart from the rest. Their lives had made them hard, strong mentally as well as physically, and provided them with wisdom beyond their years. Above all else was one shared trait that would prove pivotal to their lives. They both dreamed of the Dark Tower.

The business at hand was more pressing at the moment, however, and such thoughts needed to be pushed aside, forcefully if necessary, so that the battle could run its course.

It was certainly one of the larger monstrosities the team had ever faced. It had the appearance of a very large adder one that was layered in heavy steel armor, armor that glinted in the sun of the late afternoon like firelight. From the tips of it's massive fangs a green liquid dripped, running out the corners of the beast's mouth and down its long neck until it slid underneath what could only be called a breastplate (if one could think of an adder having such distinct "parts"). The creature let out a long, deep hiss at the heroes assembled before it, allowing its massive, flat head to dip almost to eye level. Its reward for this attempt at intimidation was a face full of Cyborg's sonic cannon.

"Booyah!" Cyborg exclaimed as the beast reared back in pain and surprise. "Handing it off to you, BB!"

From behind Cyborg sprinted a light green colored mongoose, its fangs barred and ready for battle. Robin also stepped forward, releasing smoke grenades to cover his small ally's advance, giving him the time to climb their opponent and sink his fangs into an unarmored area near the back of the head.

Starfire and the Weretiger took a more direct approach, the former closing to point blank range and releasing a furious succession of blasts from her hands and eyes, while the later took it upon himself to tear at the bindings of the creatures armor, which would make for an easier target for his allies.

The beast reeled, surprised at the ferocity and coordination of its attackers, but it was far from defeated. The beast itself had been in a great many battles (far more than any of the heroes would have believed), and had the intelligence to prioritize which enemies to attack first. It drove its own head into the nearest sky scraper, reliving it of the small green creature that had gotten oh so very close to his weak point, and then pushed the building in a sweeping motion, causing it to bury Starfire and the Weretiger in a shower of debris. Robin and Cyborg leapt forward to push the attack, but were caught totally unawares when, with a speed that seemed contrary to his size, the snake turned full-circle in a kind of round-house strike, using its tail to fling the two combatants a good distance down the street.

Seeing that things had suddenly turned in its favor, the snake hissed again, and was about to go on the offensive when for a moment it feared it had gone blind, as a strange darkness seemed to have descended around him. It was then that a very large and very enchanted section of the demolished skyscraper slammed into him with incredible force. The moment Raven had been waiting for had presented itself, and she had taken full advantage of it, using a spell to redirect the upper portion of the skyscraper to come down on top of the beast.

"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" She cried as she flew at top speed toward the wounded snake. Some of the rubble which had fallen on Starfire and Weretiger rose, covered in Raven's signature black aura. It then proceeded to hurtle through the air and strike the snake as it lay trying to push off the concrete and glass that had landed on it. Blood as black as Raven's aura flowed as sharpened pieces of metal and glass cut into the unprotected parts of the snake's body. The beast gave a shudder, and then lay still.

Raven approached warily, she always thought of herself as a shrewd warrior, to inspect the creature. Her caution was rewarded, when she was just able to dodge away from the open maw that seemed to explode from the pile of rubble. The clever thing had used this tactic before, and the few times that its prey had been able to jump aside, it used what it thought of as its "secret weapon". Too late Raven saw the strange, tube like glands near the snakes fangs, and as venom poured out in a long, thick stream, Raven didn't even have time to close her eyes as she was drenched in the terrible liquid. Worse yet, she had opened her mouth to chant at just the wrong moment, allowing the venom to force its way down her windpipe as well as through her nostrils and eyes. Raven gave out a horrific gurgle as she tumbled to the ground. A kind of paralysis washed over her, but the horrible sting remained, closing her senses to the world. The last thing she remembered before losing conciseness was hearing a roar that seemed to shake the very earth below her.

The Weretiger was not often thrown aside so easily as he was when the snake swung its head right into him and Starfire. The thing was pretty good he had to admit. The next thing he knew he was buried under tons of debris, the kind of weight that could crush a tank. It left the Weretiger feeling a little bemused. "Maybe a little more action than I had counted on." His human voice said, not without humor. But it was his Weretiger side that reacted, casting a swath upward through the debris, a cry of anger escaping between his fangs. He felt some of the load lighten, and had that familiar feeling in the back of his mind that told him that Raven was doing her thing. Determined to get a piece of the action before Raven finished the asshole off, he bent his immense strength on pushing through the last layer of debris above him.

Throwing the last cement slab away with little effort, the Weretiger looked up just in time to see the venom fly from the monstrosity's mouth, coating Raven in the sickly looking venom. He could only watch as Raven tried to call out, failed, and then fell to the concrete of the road with a horrible thud.

During his time as the Weretiger, CJ had occasionally experienced what he called "Whiteouts", periods of time during a particularly difficult or heated battle when his animalistic side took over completely, sending his human half into a kind of white daze. He had memory of these events, but it was as if he witnessed them from a great distance. He would recall every detail of the battle, but not of making any consciences decision to swing claws at this, dodge that. His friends were unaware of this, all except Raven, who had once broken into his mind (something she regretted deeply), totally without his knowledge before or afterward, and had seen this and other things.

It was the sound of Raven striking the pavement that started it. Like it had happened on so many other occasions, a disturbing rage welled up in him, and his vision began to distort. But something was different this time. Instead of the sensation of being slowly drawn away from the battle, he was suddenly acutely, PAINFULLY, aware of every single detail, the sounds, the lights, and the scents. Instead of a white haze that seemed to detach him from reality, it seemed as if a red filter was cast over his eyes, a deep blood red, a red that he would later equate with the endless field of roses that surrounded the Dark Tower. The red glare and the acute senses focused all its energy and awareness on one thing: Raven's still form. His friend, his ally, was hurt, maybe dead. One of his pack, a mighty Tigress that he respected, had been killed by this thing. THIS THING! He felt a roar burst free from his chest, a roar of such rage and hate that for a moment he couldn't believe it was him making this gut wrenching sound.

It seemed like everything else was now in slow motion. Moving with a speed that even the Flash would have found impressive, the Weretiger flung himself at his enemy. His thoughts were a blur, overwhelmed by the sensory input, but dimly he remembered when Beast Boy had bitten the creature near the base of its skull. In that moment his predator's instincts had told him that there had been real pain in the eyes of the serpent. Pain, and something else, something far more telling: fear. With all semblance of restraint gone, the Weretiger raked his claws along the top of the creature's head. Flesh and muscle, even the hard steel of the snake's armor, was shredded by these determined claws. Using the friction to slow himself as he pushed forward, the Weretiger swung onto the back of the serpent's head, near the juncture of the skull and spine. Without hesitation he opened his own maw, one set with an array of perfectly sharp teeth, and bit with all his considerable might. The snake began to thrash, desperate in its need to get rid of its enemy before the bite could penetrate any further. Sinking his long fore claws into the sides of the thing's neck, and using his hind claws to give him leverage, the Weretiger snapped his head back with all his might. It tore free, taking with it a sizable chunk of the snake's head. The serpent's thrashing had become a death twitch, and that too soon ceased. It was what he did next that really frightened his collection of friends that had come around.

"Oh DUDE!" exclaimed Beast Boy. "He's EATING that thing!"

All his friends could do is watch as their comrade took a predator's traditional form of vengeance on an enemy: consumption. The regression of their friend to the state of a mindless beast, acting on feeling and instinct, was clear. Concern for Raven quickly forced them to overcome their grim fascination.

"Her vital signs are strong, pulse, breathing, all are only a little below normal." Cyborg reported, checking his scanner. "But her brain activity is way off the scale! Man, she must be having one hell of a nightmare."

"We need to get her back to the Titan Tower ASAP." Robin interjected. "Find out what that stuff has done to her." Behind him, he heard Starfire gasp. "Star, what is it?"

CJ, that is, the human CJ, lay upon the corpse of his enemy, out like a light.

The man who was a tiger slept, and as he slept, he dreamed. He dreamed of an endless field of roses, a field that had a giant tower, like a spike of obsidian, stretching its way to the clouds, clouds that obscured the tower's top.

"The Dark Tower." He said to himself. But was it really his voice that had said it? Or something deeper within himself?

He could feel the flesh of the snake in his stomach. It rolled, and suddenly he understood, some of the beast's venom was in its blood. He hadn't gotten nearly as much as Raven had, but it had been enough. Enough to send him this delusion. Enough to make up this whole sc… no. That wasn't true. He just knewthis was as real as anything, possibly the only thing that was "real." This Dark Tower. The snake was from another plane of existence, one where such things were commonplace. It had appeared in their dimension because of the Tower. The Tower was growing weak.

As he stood there, trying to pierce with his eyes the layer of clouds that made the top invisible, he felt someone come up next to him. Tearing his gaze from the tower, he beheld Raven next to him; her bright eyes seemed to pierce him to the core.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Her voice was like bullhorn blow right in his ear.

"WE NEED TO GET TO THE TOWER! BEFORE ALL IS LOST! NOTHING MATTERS BUT THE TOWER!"

He awakened to find that not all he had experienced in the dream had been in his mind.

"LET GO OF ME, WE MUST GET TO THE TOWER!"

CJ was lying in bed in the infirmary, a worried looking Starfire looking down at him. In the bed next to him, separated only by a thin sheet he could here her. Raven was delirious, experiencing the full effects of the serpent's poison, but it was not just simple delirium, but perhaps clairvoyance?

"My friend!" Starfire exclaimed, hugging him. When she drew back she looked doubtful. "The madness is gone, yes?"

It came back in a rush, the pain, and his unbelievably sharp senses. The final grapple with the snake.

"I'm fine, Star." He said, but could tell that even Ms. Gullible herself wouldn't buy that one. "How's Raven?"

Starfire managed to look even more worried, if that was possible. "Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy are with her, she is alright physically, but we fear that the venom of that large monster had a powerful effect on Raven's mind. It…" She paused, "It pains me to see her so."

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, THE TOWER MUST BE SAVED!"

He could her the sounds of Raven pushing against the restraints, desperate to leave this place. This world.

"…and find the tower…" CJ finished his thought out loud.

"Yes, we're back at the tower." Starfire responded, looking at least a little happier now that one of her friends seemed better.

"THE DARK TOWER!"

He could not tell if this last bit had been yelled by his delirious friend, or had been brought forth by his own psyche. Before he could ponder this any further, he heard the struggling next door subside, and he surmised that they had finally resorted to drugs. His remaining friends came around the curtain, their eyes roving listlessly around the room. Cyborg saw that he was awake.

"How you doing man?" There was genuine concern in the man's eyes. "I've seen my share of dudes go ape shit before, but that was just crazy." He smiled. "And very cool."

"I can't believe you tried to eat that disgusting thing! I mean it was just lying there, all gross and stuff, and you still tried to eat the sucker!" This came from Beast Boy, who somehow looked revolted and worried at the same time.

"How are you feeling?" Robin asked, he obviously had a good deal on his mind.

"Still a little sick." CJ replied, which was, of course, the truth. "But I think the ill effects will wear off in no time." Which was, of course, a lie. He didn't understand it then, this need to keep the truth from the other Titans. But on some level he realized that all along, these dreams had been telling him something, something very important. He hadn't known that Raven had been receiving the same dreams, but now it seemed obvious. They had shirked their responsibilities, and this was their punishment.

These thoughts flowed through CJ's mind in a single stream. "How?" he asked himself, "How do I know these things?" And in a flash, he got his answer, he also got answers to questions he hadn't even asked yet, but would have.