Dear readers,

To better your experience in reading this story, and to ease my own conscience about the atrocities committed in this story, concerning not only grammar, but also character development, plot arc, and many other things. I hope to work through each chapter one by one and not only edit mistakes, but reconstruct some major themes. I hope you enjoy this first taste of what I hope each finished chapter to resemble, quality-wise.

Thank you for all your support, and I look forward to this new journey with you all!

Reviews are still much appreciated.

With love,

TMG4899

Fractured light shone through leaves and tree branches down into the small clearing I stood shakily in. The night air was a little more than chilly and I shivered, from anticipation as well as cold. Something was wrong.

My feet ached and my legs burned, as I was not normally on them for such a long time unassisted.

Suddenly, a blast of darkness flew past my face. It grazed my cheek and I felt the unfamiliar feeling of a trickle of blood down the side of my face. The locks of hair I called my own, the one aspect of myself I wasn't ashamed of, whipped around me, creating caramel-colored stripes across my vision. Any other time, I would have loved to ponder all the poetic ways I could describe the moment. Unfortunately, my pounding heart reminded me I had bigger problems to work through currently - the piercing shriek of a child brought me back to my senses and my blood ran cold as I realized whose it was.

"Sophie," I choked out, suddenly panicked.

The plan I had originally constructed concerning the idea holding my ground and putting up a half-decent fight splintered and broke. The pieces of this plan were fragmented in my mind, and my only thoughts were for the safety of two very precious children. Chilling terror held me still as I fought for coherence of thought. Something must be done...but what? With my legs in the state they were, I was all but worthless for moving quickly, and I had already sent my Helpers out beyond my call.

I groaned aloud in frustration as a gloomy, shapeless figure seemed to manifest before my eyes. Sinking to the ground, I succumbed to a position normally associated with defeat and kept my head down. My crooked legs trembled with exhaustion as I wracked my brain for a way to the children.

The force of evil, for surely it must be evil, grew in size and began to encircle me as I waited on hands and knees. I closed my eyes and half pleaded that the surrender of my own life would be enough to satisfy the...whatever it was. I could die in peace as long as I knew the children were safe.

My silent cry was shattered with a roar. I was suddenly shoved backwards with the force of a battering ram and my head cracked against the stone it landed against. The color white appeared to explode in our small forest clearing, along with a gleam of teeth and claws. I was pushed into the ground by something dense, soft, and very much alive. With breath muffled by fur, I began to suffocate under the weight of the very thing which had saved my life, and while I was quite incapable of witnessing the scene unfolding around me, the inhuman cries of a spirit told me that not only had my tigers arrived just in time, but they were winning this battle. My struggles alerted the friend on top of me that tiger fur and inhalation of oxygen don't go together in close proximity. She leapt up but immediately turned back to inspect me for damage; all the while letting her two sisters handle the brunt of whatever had attacked me.

Despite its physical form, this being was clearly a spirit and it could be harmed. I failed an extensive look at its features as it fled the rage of the oversized felines, but there was definitely the outline of a human-like figure as it fled and eventually dissipated into the inky night sky.

Before I could comprehend what was happening, I was caught suddenly around the neck and squeezed by a pair of small arms and my name was shouted excitedly several times.

I took this new attacker, a girl named Sophie, into my arms - I squeezed her tightly with a desire to never let her go.

"Shh, Sophie, don't yell so loud. We can't have people know I'm here now, can we?" I reasoned with the very little girl. "Are you alright? Not hurt? Where's Jamie-"

"Nia!"

I winced as my name left the lips of young Jamie Bennett, who was the next weight to fall into my lap and pull me into a vicious hug. I winced, and I was reminded of the fact I had three tigers standing guard when one of them growled at my pain and attempted to nudge Jaime off.

I consoled the protective feline with a hand and soft words of reassurance, before once again realizing the danger we were still in.

"Samara," I called one of my tigers, "Did you alert them? The Guardians?"

A low rumble in Samara's throat assured me that she had indeed gained the Guardians attention - it is certainly incredible the lengths they will go to when provoked. By simply tampering just enough with the Sandman's dreamsand, we were able to quickly and anonymously draw their attention, in case the need should ever arise.

I took Sophie's face in my hands, gazing into her wide, blue eyes. My next words, however, were directed at both children. "I need you to go with Samara now. She's going to take you to where the Guardians will find you, and you will be safe with them. Remember: they do not need to know I was with you." Both nodded solemnly. Despite their young ages, I had always found both children to be remarkably wise for their ages. I could absolutely trust in their ability to keep a secret.

Jamie and Sophie reluctantly climbed off of me and onto Samara who bounded away as I raised my hand in a silent farewell. They would be safe with her. Standing and watching them go, I winced again, realizing the agony I had inflicted upon myself. I pulled myself upwards, using my tiger Star as support. Sapphire, my third tiger had positioned herself closely by. I had barely made it all the way up as my vision began blacking out, and there were strange lights dancing around me.

Only a dull thud registered as I hit the ground again, and the color red was merely one of many shrouding my vision as my eyes sealed themselves against a world containing little in the way of love, as far as I was concerned.

My last thought before I surrendered my mind to deep sleep was the same as it always was.

I miss my brother.