Kren jolted out of bed at the sound of thunder, and because of the nightmare he was having yet again about the Gate. Glancing outside the window, he noticed a shadowey figure beside his house. When lightning flashed he saw that the figure was a stray dog.

"Damn vermin, digging in the trash again." Kren muttered as he pulled on his boots.

He exited the house and made for the back. When the dog noticed him it raised it's head and growled, baring yellowed teeth. Kren stepped towards the dog, and the beast gave a warning growl. Kren clapped his hands, and as luck would have it, thunder boomed just as he clapped. The confused dog must have considered him a god, for it gave a startled cry and streaked off into the rain. Kren was about to go back inside when he noticed something clamped in the beast's jaws.

"Damn, it's from the trash, must be worthless. Then again, I can't leave this to chance. But...why do I...? Grr, it's getting away..."

Kren didn't know why he chased the dog, but he took off after it and found it huddled on the ground, exhausted. Kren dove for it, and lightning illuminated too late the transmutation circle, not yet beginning to wash away. Kren gave a shout of alarm as his hands touched the earth, the dog and circle giving off a blueish glow. Kren felt terrible pain shoot up his arms, and blacked out.

When he awoke he was in Central.

A/N: Yeah, short chapter, but I needed to cut it off there, and I'll be writing Chapter 3 soon. Oh, and also, I'm known for not updating for awhile, but I'll try to keep up on it this time. Thanks again to DemonRaily for reviewing.