CHARMED
"THE WASTELAND"
by J. B. Tilton
email: aramath@isot.com
Rating: PG (for mild language)

Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are
the property of the WB television network, except for those characters
specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction
and no infringement of copyright is intended.

* * *

(Authors note: This story takes place between season 5 episodes
"The Eyes Have It" and "Sympathy For The Demon".)

* * *

The ruler of the Wasteland comes looking for the person who
destroyed the Beast of the Wasteland. His attention becomes centered
on Phoebe. And so does his search for revenge.

* * *

ONE

The sky was perpetually covered in dark, rolling clouds.
Lightning flashed intermittently across those clouds. The surface
below was barren and void of life. Large outcroppings of rock dotted
the sandy terrain. In the midst of this desolation stood a lone
creature.

The creature was a good nine feet tall. I had coal black skin
and piercing emerald green eyes. Its' flaming red hair hung well
below its' waist. It was dressed in short, knee-length pants and a
vest. Vampire-like fangs, three inch claws on each finger, and
massive, rippling muscles gave clear indication this creature was a
match for any opponent.

Not that it had many opponents. Few living creatures even came
to this desolate land it called home. And with good reason. This
land was not a land for the living. It was a land of mysticism and
magic.

The land actually had no official name. No one had ever felt it
necessary to give it a name. Most creatures simply referred to it by
what it appeared to be. The Wasteland.

The creature standing in the midst of the desolation was called
Cattarrin; the undisputed ruler of this domain. It had been master
here for thousands of years. In all that time, it had performed its'
task with unerring accuracy. But that had recently changed.

Cattarrin looked around at the dozens of piles of sparkling
energy that dotted the landscape. Each pile represented a vanquished
demon. The power, the very essence, of each of those demons. For
thousands of years vanquished demons were forced into this domain
where the Beast would absorb that essence. The Beast would then
transfer most of that essence to Cattarrin.

That had all changed recently. If time had had any meaning in
this land, it would have been several weeks since the transfers had
ceased. Now, the Beast was nowhere to be seen and was not performing
its' required task.

This perplexed Cattarrin. The Beast reacted purely on instinct.
It had no intelligence with which to make rational decisions. It
simply did what it had been created to do.

Cattarrin walked the Wasteland in search of his pet. He did not
fear the Beast as other creatures did. In this domain, Cattarrin was
unchallenged. And undefeatable. Even if a creature should come here
without being vanquished, that creature could not hope to oppose the
ruler of the Wasteland.

Cattarrin passed an outcropping of rock and stopped short. The
tentacles of the Beast lay crumpled on the ground. The Beast had be
vanquished; its' very essence drained from the massive subterranean
body.

Cattarrin was perplexed. He had not thought this possible. The
Beast was nearly as powerful as the master itself. It would take a
very powerful force to vanquish the Beast. To steal its' essence.

Cattarrin looked around the Wasteland, searching with his
senses. Any creature that came to the Wasteland left a residual
impression of itself. An impression Cattarrin would be able to
distinguish.

The Lord of the Wasteland ignored the myriad impressions of the
vanquished demons that dotted the landscape. Whatever creature had
done this was still alive. And since he had not sensed it
immediately, it meant the creature had escaped the Wasteland.
Something else Cattarrin had thought impossible.

Suddenly Cattarrin touched on a presence. It was a human
presence. What the humans called a female. She had come to the
Wasteland. And she had left. This female must be powerful to perform
such a feat.

Then the Lord of the Wasteland sensed a second presence. A
human male. No, not a human. Part demon. And this part demon had
also left the Wasteland.

Cattarrin discounted the male presence. No half demon could
stand against the Beast. It would have been vanquished and been no
match for the Beast. Which left only the female. Come to the
Wasteland to save her half human lover, no doubt.

Cattarrin began to absorb the demonic essence around him. To
retrieve what had been stolen, Cattarrin would have to enter the
mortal realm. He would have to take on mortal form. And that form
would need power. Cattarrin couldn't be vanquished. But any mortal
form he took could be destroyed. He would have to have the power to
prevent that. To reclaim what rightfully belonged in the Wasteland.

It had been more than two thousand years since Cattarrin had
walked the mortal realm. Much would have changed in that time. He
would need to learn about those changes before he made his move. But
when Cattarrin did make his move, no one would stop him from
reclaiming his property.