PROLOGUE
It was restless that night as Faith prowled through the wood of Denver, Colorado. She had been in Colorado since she had left after the incident with Buffy and the whole body switching fiasco. She still had a few bruises from that fight in the church; the worst part of it was that it had been her doing most of the damage to herself using Buffy's body. But it did feel good to be inside her skin again. Bruises or not she was glad to be back to herself. Whatever that self may be at the moment, Faith was still unsure.
After the slayers had switched back to their original bodies Faith had ran. She ran as fast and as far as she could desperate to get out of Sunnydale and away from Buffy. Not knowing what to do or how to make the chaos that she had caused better, she hopped the back of a truck and left SunnyD for good. Deep inside of her Faith hoped that by leaving for good she could make amends to her B. To them all. Faith knew that Buffy had to deal with the Council while the blond slayer had control over her body. Some of the bruises that she hadn't been the cause of the brunette was sure that the Council had their fair share of pot shots. Shaking her head of her dark thoughts Faith really didn't want to think about any of that right now. She was on the hunt at this very moment and yes to her it was a hunt. It was always a hunt to Faith.
The brunette Slayer had figured out a long time ago even before she was called that she was a survivor, a huntress, and a predator in it rawest form. With the Slayer in control she was the wind, a wall of fire, the perfect storm in human form. The reason for this was that Faith had accepted the slayer within her, the darkness that B had tried to deny even though for a brief moment Faith had convinced the blond that the slayer inside her wasn't a bad thing, it was short lived by one mistake. So she hunted, her hunting grounds the forest around her and the town's local graveyards, alleyways, and the pubs that served demons.
For the past few months Faith had traveled from truck, bus and finally train till she had ended up here. Denver had called to her almost as strongly as Sunnydale had. After the first three months being there Faith had written off the ideas of another hell-mouth or Nexus since there were no outward irregularities like there had been in San Francisco or Sunnydale. Life continued to move there, day or night people were always out and about. Even some vamps blended in with the population with no problems till the Slayer had come, surprising the demon population who had thought her dead. Out of all the six months that she had been here that on this night the shock of Faiths life came, causing a chain reaction of events that would lead to the brunettes greatest sacrifice. It was on this night, during a full blue moon in one of the largest cemeteries in town that connected with the local forest and rolling hills out of the corner of her right eye Faith saw something move in the quiet night. Something dark and fast, too fast to be human. Stretching out her senses she tried to get a feel for whatever it had been. Scrunching her brow in confusion Faith huffed out a breath. Whatever type of demon it was, it was strong and she could sense that it was demon and something else that completely baffled her. "A werewolf" Faith questioned silently to herself as her mind tried to work out if what she thought was true. Her curiosity peaked, which in most cases with the brunette slayer was not a good thing, Faith turned and began to track the newest creature feature in her life.
Silently slinking through the greenery of the forest Faith had to pause each time the thing ahead of her paused to look in her direction. She would swear each time that it was looking right at her but when it didn't react to her presence the slayer began to question why. Her werewolf theory had been thrown out of her mind from the glimpses she caught of it when the moon illuminated the things body. It didn't look anything like Oz, even though it gave off a similar feel to him...it sort of looked like a giant cat. Shaking her head to clear it Faith paused letting the creature go ahead of her till it had almost completely disappeared. She was going about this hunt all wrong, her guilt of the past was preventing her from allowing her inner slayer to have the control that it needed. To the left of her the sound of trickling water caught her attention. Turning left she began to follow the path that lead to the water her steps sinking in the mud till it reached her knees. Breathing in deep Faith began to camouflage her scent by covering herself in the mud. With her eyes closed and her body covered in a light layer of bog like mud Faith allowed the slayer complete control. Opening her eyes that flashed orange in the moon light the brunette turned back towards where she had stopped following this seemingly new evil. Climbing higher and higher Faiths skin began to tingle as a layer of magic began to flow down the path she was taking. Knowing she was on the right track the slayer picked up her pace to a valley that stunk of magic, dark magic.
Crouching down on the ground before the valley's entrance the slayer watched her prey, in the direct moonlight it looked like an over grown panther, approach the small mountain stream in the middle of the open valley. She watched as it paused for a second to look around at the surroundings as if it were expecting company. Faith started to move silently among the trees stalking her prey looking for an opening in which she could use to strike. She paused as she watched it stand up fully on hind feet as if it were a man. Her eyes flickering downwards for an instant the slayer confirmed that it most definitely was a man, before her thoughts turned to confusion. 'What the...' Faith wondered, now studying what looked to be a really hairy man with a tail and the face of a cat. As she was about to take a step closer to get a better look she heard it.
"RAWR!" The strength of the sound and its grating noise sounding as if from the very air itself began to grow in volume. It surrounded her like a shroud, confusing her mind as to how many creatures there actually were that were contributing to the sound. The grating noise forcing Faith to her knees as she thought her ear drums were going to explode and a thousand ice picks were being driven into her brain all at once. Reaching her hands up to her ears to try and block out the sound that just kept getting higher in pitch the Slayers mouth dropped open as she started to scream. Her voice adding to the cacophony that seemed to consume the world over in that time and place. The creature forgotten at the moment Faith fell forward to the ground her hands still clutching her head as she continued to scream, her mind trying to find some way to dull the pain when all of a sudden the noise just stopped; as well as the pain.
Groggily getting to her feet she shook her head to clear the fog in her brain. Her lungs no longer constricting from all the screaming that she had done due to the pain she had felt. Faith dropped her arms and looked up to assess her surroundings and try to get a better idea of what had just happened. When her eyes had focused and breathing had gone back to normal the slayer swallowed heavily as she found herself thirty feet away from ten of the same creature including the one that she had tracked most of the night. All ten of them were completely still, staring right at her.
"Oh. Fuck," Faith whispered, dropping into a defensive stance waiting for the attack to come. Only after a few minutes the brunette realized no attack was coming. They all just kept staring at her not moving an inch from their positions. If Faith didn't know better she would swear she had walked into a circle of statues, but the unnatural gleam in their eyes as well as the frosted breath that left each one of them as they breathed belied the truth to the slayer. They just stared as if they were assessing her, studying her almost, the gleam in their yellow eyes calculating. Moving one step backwards as her gut screamed at her to run, Faith thought that she might be able to get out of this situation alive yet. Her doc martins softly crunching the twigs under foot as she moved an inch backwards Faith began to breath easier till they began to move. Pausing mid step the brunette watched as the creatures separated into two groups revealing something very, very, very "Bad" Faith breathed out, her raised foot touching the ground and making her fall back against a tree. Its rough bark digging into her back as it prevented her from tumbling down a rather steep hill.
Faith didn't know who the fuck this one was but she guessed he was the Alpha or the one in charge at the least. She could tell for sure of who he was by the low whimpering growls from the others as he moved forward down the middle of the two lines that he was in fact the Alpha. She could see that he was coming towards her, his stance challenging and authoritative, waiting for her to bow down to him the closer he came. Trying to keeping a brave front Faith pushed herself off the tree that had been supporting most of her weight. Slipping into a fighting stance the brunettes lips curled into a sardonic smile as she bravely; or stupidly depending on who you ask, taunted the beast. The Slayer within her rising strongly as it refused to back down from the challenge before it. Feeling a surge of strength and courage Faith took a step forward as the slayer tried to assert its power in front of the demons.
"Hey, Pussy Cat? What the hell are you salivating over? I know you want a piece but you'll be dead before you can even try to sink your teeth into this candy." she taunted, saying the last part sickly sweet, running her hand down her body in a show of sexuality and aggression. She knew that taunting him was probably a bad idea especially with ten of them to back the alpha up and only herself as a defense against them. But Faith would never run it wasn't in genetics to back away from a fight at least not since she had teamed up with the Mayor. The thought of the Mayor caused Faith to pause as the creatures started growling in anger, including the leader, at her words. Focusing back to the situation at hand Faith thought she was ready for it even expecting what would happen after the taunts she had thrown out registered with them, she was still too slow to avoid the low tackle that came from the leader.
Landing on the ground with a groan as the air rushed out of her lungs, Faith survival instincts began to kick in. The snarling face above her causing her body to automatically react defensively. Reaching her hands up grabbing his muzzle Faith bent both her legs and pushed with all of her strength outward throwing the four hundred pound beast off of her body into the tree that had earlier caught her from falling. Groan...Crack, Shuck! the impact the Alpha's body made with the tree caused its roots to be unearthed and break. Faith watched as both the Alpha and tree disappeared from her sight. What ever had just happened had set off a chain reaction. For in an instant five of the creatures jumped at the slayer with claw and teeth bared in savage anger. Slipping to the ground Faith pulled a broken twig from the ground rolling away from the 'dog' pile that was where she had been standing moments ago.
Her feet sliding on the ground Faith caught her balance in a fighting stance as she watched the pile of creatures before her fight amongst each other. Each one pushing and swiping at one another as they tried to disentangle themselves from each other to get to her. Getting ready to dive to her left to book it to safety the slayer was surprised when something heavy crashed into her from behind making her slide on her stomach across the ground. Twisting as she slide her brown eyes widened as she spied what had pushed her and caused the stillness that was spreading through the night. There a foot or so away from her now stilled but floored body was the Alpha. Telling from the look in his eye Faith was sure he was definitely not happy to see her.
Flipping onto her feet Faith gripped tightly onto the stake in her hand the wood digging into her palm as she and the alpha faced off once again. The heavens above her rolling in and colliding as a storm brewed around them. A bolt of lightening striking a tree acting as if a starter pistol for both the Slayer and Alpha. With a Rawr and a Scream the two struck at once. Sweeping low under the high arc of the Alphas flying leap, Faith struck with a kick to his sternum once again throwing the beast away from her. Spinning forward as the Alpha flipped through the air she surged forward, noticing out of her peripheral that the others have gone back to their guard posts as she and the Alpha fought one another. Another roll of thunder and streak of lightning making the slayer focus on the dance she and the Alpha were sharing once again Faith leaped kicking outwards catching the demon cat in the jaw. His claws catching her in the side as she twisted mid air punching out. Like the storm that was gathering around them Faith and the Alpha spun and danced around each other each getting in a hit where they could.
Faith: Punch. Kick. Elbow. Duck.
Alpha: Kick. Claw. Flip. Tackle.
Faith: Side Step. One Hand Back Flip. Spinning upside down kick.
Alpha: Spin Flip. Growl. Bare Teeth. Tackle from below.
Faith: Jump. Flip Over Head.
Both Faith and the Alpha had been fighting for more than an hour with neither gaining the upper hand as they were clearly matched in strength and speed with one another. Somewhere in the middle of their dance the tumultuous heavens decided to open releasing the hard rain it had been holding onto. The ground becoming slicker as fat drops of water crashed down to the earth like sheets of metal falling from a sky scraper. The now muddy ground caused Faith to slip as she avoided the low tackle. Her momentum forcing her to fly up into the air and fall flat on her back. Her crash back to earth knocking the wind out of her, momentarily dazing the slayer once again. Feeling the rain pound into her drenched body attempting to get the air back into her lungs, to get her focus back, her body screamed in protest at her attempts to get back up again. To continue the fight. The slayer realized she only had a small window of opportunity to get back up again or continue to lay there and accept death. Hoping that her opponent had slipped in the mud also, giving her time to get up, Faith's mind screamed at her to get up as she under estimated her recent enemy.
Turning on her stomach slowly climbing back up to her feet despite all of her muscles screaming in protest Faith groggily got to her knees. Her head was swimming, a nauseous feeling welling up inside of her. Moving her left foot up Faith was now bent down on one knee when she was tackled from behind. A yelp escaping from her lips as the brunette went face first straight back into the thick mud. Struggling against the crushing weigh on top of her, the slayer battled to get back up, to toss the Alpha off her. Lifting an inch off the ground gasping for hair as her face was freed from the sucking mud Faith screamed in pain. The Alpha's claws digging into her flesh like a million blunt spoons being driven into her the slayer fought harder against what was happening when she felt it. Pain so intense Faith felt paralyzed by it. His teeth came down, clasping, driving into her shoulder, breaking through her skin as they clamped down strongly on the bone. The white hot agony racing through her body Faith scrabbled for something anything to stop the pain. A single thought flashed like lightning throughout her mind, as the Alphas jaws slackened their grip on her flesh. Opening her eyes as a flash of lightning tore through the sky a glint of metal caught her eye. Her knife. The Jackal, she had stolen the knife back from Buffy, she had forgotten all about it. She must had dropped it during the fight. Stretching her uninjured arm Faith reached for her dagger, her fingers lightly brushing against the smooth cold metal, a lone tear escaping her as she faintly grasped the handle. As the Alpha had finally withdrawn its teeth and was going for the killer bite, Faith surged forward with a renewed sense of strength she didn't know she had that the slayer gripped the dagger. Twisting in her prone position she brought the deadly knife back behind her and into the Alpha's neck cutting through his wind pipe and jugular instantly killing him.
Rolling onto her back Faith pushed the Alpha's bloody corpse off of her. On her back starring up at the sky, the rain washing the mud, blood off of her Faith calmed her racing heart. Pushing her self into a standing position a cry of pain escaped her as she put pressure on her injured arm. Falling back an inch or so before she caught herself with a good hand Faith tried again. Gritting her teeth holding back back the scream that desperately wanted to escape when she caught herself twice from completely hitting the ground again, the brunette slayer finally got her bearings back standing fully upright with no more complications. The excruciating pain that was ripping through her body from the wounds that decorated her body gave the slayer pause as she panted from both pain and exhaustion. Raising her head looking around her surroundings as the rain began to let up Faith noticed that she was all alone with the exception of the Alpha's corpse a few feet away from her. Looking at the horizon she noticed that the sun was just beginning to rise in the sky. Having not kept track of the hours Faith had no clue how long they had been fighting but she didn't think the fight had lasted all night. An hour or two sure, but definitely not all night.
Turning away from the valley towards the tree line that she had originally came from Faith started forward back to civilization, cradling her injured shoulder that was still bleeding profusely, jostling with each step she took. As she moved further back into the forest Faith weighed her options. She decided to take her chances of being caught by the police by going to one of the many hospitals within the city limits to get patched up instead of attending to her wound herself. Faith was certain a good portion of her injuries that hadn't already scabbed over needed to be sewn closed. Heading off towards the opposite direction of the rising sun, not even turning back to look at the remains of the demon that she had killed Faith wondered what else this new day had in store for her. Though if she had turned around to take one last glimpse of the dead demon as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky, she would have noticed that the so called demon had started changing back from hairy beast into a regular man.
TBC
Hi everyone this is an authors note. For my readers who have read my stuff from the beginning I have decided to do a repost of Kragdon. Looking back at it i was young with i started writing it and always felt there was something slightly missing so i am going to repost, and be assured i have a back up of a back up and will re finish this story and then move on to its sequel fallen, and so on and so forth. Please read and review. And look for updates.
Skylirjames
oh and
disclaimer: I dont own BtVS just the story idea. Please dont sue me I only have sugar free cookies for currency