AMONG THE DEMONS

By: ImmortalFlare

Vol. 1

PROLOGUE: THE ENCOUNTER

Gracefully the leaves fell, landing gently upon the crisp green ground nearly inaudible, one following after the other. Through the trees swinging freely branch to branch the wind played knocking flower petals out and about, sunlight strained for a peek of hidden curiosity. Rivers splashed by gorgeous fishes of every hue rippling a lovely dance of royalty. Harmonious singing of lovely birds filled the air in unison leaving everything peacefully relaxed. A natural sense of secureness stretched its arms to embrace everything in sight. Peace of mind spread throughout the surface jingling in the air of scented floras.

Rattling within a small bush of beautifully red roses emerged a creature; tiny and furry with a cute appearance of a fluffy stuffed animal. Swiftly it dashed across the ground pouncing then briefly pausing each time. Continuously the tiny animal scurried away, swooshing pass fallen leaves until it unexpectedly stopped staring intently at what was laying so still upon the earth. A look of wonder appeared in the creature's shimmering dark eyes urging to see what this might be. With a cautious act it approached, long tale swaying to and fro as the little critter climbed atop. Once at the summit there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. It looked like any other stone: big, unmoved, grey though the surface was peculiarly soft and carried warmth as if alive. There was also a little movement of gentle inhales and exhales which was rather odd for a non-living object. Ignoring the faint yet obvious thump beneath its furry feet, the fuzzy animal carried on with its curiosity, Hmm..? It thought ooh…nothing yummy..? Ah poo…my hungry tummy. Disappointed it weakly began to climb down trailing along as if defeated but suddenly halted by a scent of sweet delight lingering about the air. The animal's head jutted upwards sniffing the vast space in search of the tasty aroma. The smell led to the other side of the strange mount where a clear transparent layer sat steadily inside of what seemed like a tunnel; small, dark also oddly shaped with a smooth surface. Again this too was bizarre however that was not the case it seems. Once there is food to be eaten. Within sat sumptuous treats of every color, mesmerizing to the eyes yet pleasing to the stomach. Some dark and light others striped with peculiar patterns. Ah…yummy treat! It excitedly rejoiced rushing over to claim the lovely prize. Into the little tunnel of sugary delight the happy critter drowned munching away happily.

Drenched in sticky wonder, the little critter oddly stopped to a halt feeling an abrupt shake beneath its petite body. In a frightened struggle something grabbed the creature's furry end gently pulling it to view. No no…please don't eat me. I'm sorry for eating your treats…please don't eat me, please the tiny animal pleaded shielding its eyes of what's to come. "Oh..?" came about a chuckle, "Don't worry I won't eat you too fuzzy for my taste." Bizarrely the voice that spoke was not one of dark cracky horror but sweetly tender with a playful tone, reassuring that there was nothing to be terrified of. To the little animal's surprise it wasn't a hideous beast bent on devouring for intrusion, in fact there was no fur or razor-sharp choppers simply exposed sweet olive-tanned skin on which stretched three fine 'whiskers' left to right of its cheeks. The only source of hair seen was upon its face curved into a crescent moon above sea-filled eyes. Differentiating between female or male was difficult considering that it was not of the same species.

Huh..? Confusion rattled in the tiny animal's eyes, y-you can understand me? The being nodded its head affirmatively. Mildly it settled the little critter down on top of combined rocks embellish in algae of which laid a beautiful flowerbed, with a smile its aquatic eyes peered down upon the miniature fuzz ball tilting its head in confusion. Rather than hastily running away, it stayed examining such a fascinating finding. At this view the beings features could be seen entirely. Upon its head were more golden strings of spiky hair, eyes blue as the daytime sky shimmering in every shade, and a cute button nose on which sat above tasteful seashell pink lips. What were worn was not at all fur of course: an orange jacket which lay open upon its tiny frame exposing a black tank top. Around its slender neck hang a sapphire stone beaming at each gentle touch of the sun. Below were simply black pants that held to the being's long slender legs nicely along with a grey blanket. The creature thought for a minute before realizing that was what made it seem like a non-living object. You look rather peculiar. Are you some kind of cat or something joined in between? Where's the rest of your fur? It asked blunt but curiously tilting its head, obviously no longer afraid.

"Cat. . ? Do I look like a cat? I'm a boy, a human there's nothing weird about that."

A human . . . So you creatures are as strange-looking as the others say but you don't look like a dangerous specie though fragile. How is it that you can hear what I'm saying? Humans of course can't hear the thoughts or speech of us and-

"Excuse me I'm asking the questions here and I would like to know what you were doing in my pocket?" the human asked with crossed arms. Frozen instantly at the sudden question, a feeling of nervousness stung the fuzzy critter's tail. Small strands of fur began to stand at attention as its ears slumped down beneath its prickled head. I-I was . . . ah . . . um . . . admiring that tunnel you called a paw-kit. I thought it be a good home. The being laughed softly to itself, "You…are a terrible little liar."

Only when I'm nervous but not all the time . . . not realizing what it had just said, the golden-haired being slightly lifted an eyebrow, arms crossed, and a smirk of triumph sitting upon his face. Utterly embarrassed there was nothing further to say considering that the small creature looked completely defeated in that curled position. Its hunched stance added no additional comments. "Hey, don't worry about it, no need to look so dejected. My name's Naruto by the way, Naruto Uzumaki." He said with a sunny smile, "I take it yours is fluffy."

No it's not, my name's Azi and I too am male. Why would it be fluffy?

"Oh . . . no particular reason just an acquire of big fur." Azi gave a look of confusion before realizing what the human meant. Truly they were strange indeed though in a way amusing. Out of his mortified state the creature had a sudden eagerness to learn more of the being. Coming across a human seemed like a one-time opportunity that shouldn't be wasted. Throughout the rest of the day they dawdled in questions and play going about the woods exploring new places that neither has yet to discover. The path before them appeared endless much including the trees as the branches tugged upon one another. Engrossed in a world of excitement neither noticed the weary expression of the sun slowly falling into a deep slumber. Only when everything of nature began to once again hide their lovely countenances of scented aroma to a nightly world of peaceful sleep did they realize. Worried out of his mind of what's to come being this late outside deep within the woods at that, Naruto quickly began to head back trying to retrace his steps. Hey what's the hurry? Azi asked as he scurried behind him effortlessly. Are you leaving already?

"It's getting dark and I can't see too well in the dark." Naruto answered trying to sound as calm as possible. Although the decrease of vision during dark times was one reason, there were several others. Staying out here any longer will attract unwanted attention though it was rather difficult to recall the path they were walking in. It was becoming so dim that he strayed into the wrong direction leading him to the central part of the woods where life laid motionless. There was no ounce of sound except the singing of nighttime insects and the slow motion of a stream glittering joyfully. He grunted in frustration frantically straining his liquid eyes through the dense blackness. "Azi, do you remember which direction we came from? This part isn't familiar."

Um I . . . no not really I lost track a long time ago with the excessive fun. I was following you the entire time. He said prompting pass Naruto's feet.

"Are you serious? But you live in the woods. Shouldn't you know every inch of it?"

Actually my superiors made it strict not to ever go further than the places that was shown to me. I thought- Azi suddenly halted in his thought.

Naruto waited for the sudden pause in sentence to continue but nothing came from the little fuzz ball only complete silence. He thought that maybe he ran off however a slightly sharp grip around his ankle along with a soft brush of hair assured Naruto that he was still here. "Is something wrong?" there was no answer just a simple quiver that made Naruto concerned. He called for the little fuzz's name but no reply came only rapid shaking along with painful prickling of his flesh as if trying to claw an escape. "Hey seriously what's wrong? You're piercing my ankle pretty hard."

T-there . . . there's s-something here. He finally replied in a frightened stuttering voice. We must leave immediately. Naruto's eyes narrowed into a confusing expression. He was about to say something in response but was interrupted by a low growl slithering about the opaqueness of the night. The sound made the beating of his heart jolt in utter fear grabbing his attention towards it. Azi scurried away to the closest bush in alertness, fearful eyes peering in every direction as his little body shuddered beneath the leaves. In Naruto's paralyzed state no effort were made to move. He stood there eyes widened in terror as the horrid sound drew closer towards him sending cold devious chills down his spin. Seeing the lack of movement from Naruto, Azi called for him to quickly hide however he received no response. Repeatedly Azi called to no avail desperately trying to reach out. Naruto-!

A feeling of soul crushing pressure emerged from the shadows in an immense blow knocking Naruto off his feet unto his behind. A pair of inferno eyes beamed from the dense darkness setting its sight upon the human's wincing form. Abruptly there came about a terrifying crackle that split through the night alarming Naruto. Frantically searching for the source, the only thing that he could see was deep flaring balls of light piercing through the very core of his existence. Azi flinched in fright recoiling further into the bush whimpering in fear. Well . . . what do we have here? A human . . . you're a long way from home. The voice was one of pure dread gliding in every inch of air as it drew closer, flaming orbs burned through the dimness like an infinite blaze. Out of the darkness emerged an apparition that solidified into what appears to be human, though its countenance displayed one of immortality. Skin so pale and youthful gleamed beneath the grim fingers of the moon already beaming for a peek. Upon its cranium sat two thick horns menacing in form. Long sliver locks swayed upon broad shoulders, it had pointy ears on which hung an emerald stone right of its lifeless cheeks. Unexpectedly Naruto flinched at the sudden feel of vibrations moving beneath his body as it slowly walked towards him. He wanted to quickly run to safety away from this threatening pressure squeezing his lungs of air but his body would not respond. The magnitude was pinning him upon the earth as if gravity's pull. A devilish smirk slid across its face seeing the pointless struggling the human was attempting. So you're what smelled so delectable, I can't wait to have a taste it teased licking its pale mouth revealing pointed fangs, excitement gleaming in its eyes. Naruto whimpered at the sight trying to break free as hard as possible, though it was rather useless. He stopped the vain struggling immediately feeling something clutching unto his small body savagely. It hauled Naruto up froward of the form setting the view of those fearful eyes more noticeably. They were serpent-like and incredibly deep red like looking into the pit of flaming torture. "P-please don't hurt me." Naruto pleaded, his voice trembling.

The being gave a wicked smile in response before slamming his frail body unto the earth ready to rip him to shreds. Naruto let out a cry of distress, his head throbbing in pain as he felt the vicious grip from before gradually releasing him. Azi helplessly watched as it drew out its talons to tear open the human's inner core. "No, someone please help me!" Naruto screamed shutting his eyes. With an abrupt clutch of his throat, he felt his air supply progressively decreasing along with his need to scream. As Azi saw such a monstrosity taking place, he contemplated on what to do. Without a moment's thought, Azi gathered all the courage he had shoving the fear behind then leaped unto the being. He sank his small teeth into the depth of its bitter flesh causing its release on Naruto. Ugh. . ! It groaned in agony. Azi kept a tight hold biting and clawing repeatedly.

Naruto shot his eyes open in surprise, instantly sitting up to see what had happened. He curved his hand around his bruised neck gasping for air. Everything around him looked blurry, his eyes trying to process the shadowy figures rapidly moving before him. Once his mind was fully focused, the haziness became clear. He could see Azi ripping at the being's flesh struggling to keep it away however to little or no success. The form roared in frustration disrupting the peace of the woods now rigid in apprehension. Strange veins sprouted from its body wildly grabbing hold of the irritating creature. In a tightening squeeze, it tossed the little critter severely against a thick trunk of a tree. Naruto wheezed in terror as his little body slumped lifelessly upon the ground, "Azi . . !" quickly he scrambled to his feet rushing over towards him. He ached at the sight of blood and low breathing nearly fading. Desperately Naruto removed his jacket gently wrapping it around his injured friend's body. Behind him the being seemed preoccupied with settling the pain it was feeling, whimpering in discomfort as the blood dripped out of its open wounds. The immortal collapsed on its knees clutching the dirt drenched in dark blood. An unexpected glow of black aura began to surround the form sinking into its open injury. Naruto felt a sudden heavy energy creeping behind him. Turning around to take notice of the phenomenon, he froze in awe as the being was forming into a creature of utter abnormality.

The thick blood that lay dry upon the dirt began to simmer. Its jaw expanded into a mouth full of sharp fangs as thick sliver fur followed afterwards. From there on, the transformation became increasingly horrific. The being's body became that of a wolf though demonic; big furry ears hauled back defensively hiding the sight of the emerald stone, enormous horns curled beside its neck, and two tails were swaying steadily across the ground. Not far off the tip of its moist nose stretched a single red fine line splitting to the end of its double tail. Naruto shuddered at the sight of the same vicious eyes now inflamed with the intent to inflict the greatest of agony upon him. Without warning the beast attacked with one if its tail with vast strength. Naruto quickly jumped out of the way with injured Azi close to his chest leaving the tree to absorb his blow. He looked behind to see it crushed collapsing from the impact. Its fall created just the amount of cover up needed to escape. Hastily the blonde human ran as fast as his feet could carry leaping over rocks and ducking low branches not even putting the thought in his head to look back. "Help . . ! Someone . . . anyone . . . please help me!" Naruto shouted within his mind, feeling drained and the need to stop.

Strangely he stopped running looking forward, eyes widened in terror. There standing before him was the monstrous form, eyes beaming, teeth gritting on which slaver streamed unto the ground, and claws extending gripping on to the ground. Did you actually think that you could escape me with those flimsy feet? The creature growled steadily approaching the shivering human. Naruto backed away carefully trying to run into the direction whispering at the corner of his eye but the sudden grip of the beast's tail around his slender body prevented it. With a quick tug, it slammed him into the closest tree before repeating the action this time unto the cold hardness of the ground. The beast growled menacingly pulling Naruto across the dirt towards it. He felt a stinging pain pulsating throughout his body as a sudden claw began to slowly pierce through his flesh. "Ugh . . !" Naruto winced, the hurt of it prickling his very soul leaving his mind hazed in discomfort.

What appeared like a grin smeared across the creature's repulsive face, pleased to hear the tasteful sound of flesh ripping ache from the human. Its eyes shimmered at the thought of hearing that beautiful call of torment repeatedly till no more. Naruto gasped in view of the beast raising its talons to cut into him once more. Fearfully he flinched clutching unto the damaged body of Azi protectively, his eyes shut tightly. With all his might he shouted, "Please help me!"

In an enormous amount, blood splatted all over the ground and leaves sinking gradually into the layers of his clothing. Naruto felt the beating of his heart fading away, the shock too much to endure. In his eyes of shaded blue dangled the body of the vile beast beheaded. It was wrapped brutally around the branch of a tree, ribcage severely ripped open while its head lay motionless on the ground. Naruto continuously stared at the corpse, a bewildered expression of what had happened smeared upon his face. "Wha-" his mind tried to fathom, carefully pulling himself off the blood tainted ground to a sitting position. His wounds stung in the process. The blonde looked around curiously but there was no one only more hazed dimness as his eyes probed. At an abrupt snap of a twig, Naruto jolted in surprise instantly turning his attention, blurry vision strained to get a proper image. All that he could see was a tall dark figure slowly approaching each time he blinked. The only thing that he could remember sighting was midnight eyes staring down upon him before losing himself to the world of unconsciousness.