Monsters

New "Friends"

Jack

Seven months have passed since Eris and I arrived at this cabin at the edge of this town called Genlin. Seven months since my battle with Lord Asterock. Seven months since my near death defeat. Seven months…since I failed my Mistress. Eris told me that our survival was due to the girl's, Aria's kindness. She calmed Asterock's rage and kept him from killing Eris. Eris then had to use her powers to heal my wound because Asterock had somehow nullified my regeneration ability.

Cole, as Lord Asterock demands to be called, has shown quick forgiveness in allowing us to stay at his home for the time being. Eris hasn't told me why she wants to stick around with them, but I trust she know what she's doing. I'm staying in a lumber shack behind the cabin since I'm too big for the house. It has a small furnace and a small window high up on the back wall. I have made a makeshift bed on a pile of logs using a mattress and some sheets. Normally it's cloudy and dim outside because of the snow so I can move freely out of the shack. While it's still snowing, it is, oddly, sunny out so I have been forced to stay in the shack all day. It is infuriating; I've never had to keep out of sight before. Its days like today that make me wish I never became a full demon. What's more is that Eris has gone shopping with Cole. Leaving me without much company, but more importantly, I'm not there to protect her if she is attacked out there. I just hope that Cole is strong enough with his current power to do the job.

At least it's not all that bad I suppose, the mute girl stayed and came to the shack. It surprised me when she had knocked on the door holding up her little notebook that read "I thought you might be lonely out here by yourself." It was nice in theory but we don't really have that much in common to talk about.

She sat down on a big log and sat on my "bed." We both sat there in an awkward silence until she started writing something else. "How do you like it around here?" she wrote.

I could tell that there was something different she wanted to ask me but she didn't seem to know how to go about asking it. I shrugged "I appreciate you two giving us a place to stay…I just don't like having to hide myself."

She shifted in her seat before holding her notebook up again "Why is a demon helping a human?"

So that's what she wanted. I was wondering when I was going to be asked that. I let out a long sigh before answering "I haven't always been a demon. I used to be human; in fact I used to hunt demons with Eris. I was bitten by a werecoyote early in my career, but since I was able to maintain control, the organization I worked for allowed me to keep hunting without actually being hunted myself. Eris originally started hunting because demons killed her parents. Over the years, though, she began to feel compassion towards the demons. She wants humans and demons to coexist peacefully."

She already had her next question up "What does this have to do with Cole?"

"Inside of him, instead of a heart, lies the Black Stone. A stone made by a very powerful demon to resurrect the one whom it is used on. Due to the power in the stone, the forces behind the magic in it make it to where only one can exist at a time. As far as Eris has told me, the demon that created the current Black Stone was extremely powerful and had the same dream as her, to merge our worlds together. I think that if we found the Black Stone we can find the demon." I explained without leaving out any details. No reason to lie about this.

She sat quietly like she was taking it all in then wrote "Are you still going to try and get it?" She asked, referring to the stone.

I shook my head "No. Not like that, not anymore. Eris wants to stay around Cole because she believes that if we stay long enough, a trace of the demon might show." The plan was to go quiet and stay put.

Aria immediately relaxed and breathed out a sigh of relief. I couldn't see any doubt that she believed me. Like she could tell I wasn't lying. I thought that might be the end of our conversation but it surprised me at what she switched it to. "Why do you follow her so obediently? Do you love her?" the paper read.

"The same could be asked of a dragon that is with a demon. Do you love him?" At this she quickly looked to the ground blushing heavily. I grinned and laughed at her reaction, the answer was obvious. "I was in love with her once. I did anything to make sure she got closer to her goal."

"What happened?" She held up, still not really looking at me.

"For any big dream, sacrifices have to be made. I made the one where I knew I would be able to help her the most." I kept a small grin but looked down at my hands, at my claws, with a small feeling of regret. I flexedthem out and then curled them up. While I did that she was writing, quite a bit apparently.

"A few hundred years ago, there was a great war between humans and demons. Dragons assisted the humans against the demons and we were winning. Things were looking good for us until the demon lords go involved. In case you don't know, there are eight demon lords who are given 'King' titles with a ninth lord, the Demon King, which commands the others. They are basically the governing body of the demons. They only way we were able to win is due to the sacrifice of dragons and humans who used up all their magic to put defeat the kings, but Asterock used himself as a shield against the majority of the magic. It destroyed him and put the rest of the lords in a deep hibernation. Each of the nine were sealed away with a dragon sentry guarding over the sites. Asterock's remains were buried here and I was stationed as the guardian." I had taken the notebook so I could read it more easily.

I looked up when I was done "If he was killed, then how is he alive now?"

She took it back and wrote some more before handing it back "While I was guarding his burial site, I read the stories and legends of The Ice King. Unlike most stories about demon lords, the stories were all about how he protected humans and had a kind heart. Asterock was described as being a beast full of rage and a cold-hearted machine used by the Demon King, but I fell in love with theAsterock from the stories. So when a young man came to the site claiming he had a way to revive him, I let him. I can only assume from what you've told me that this man used the Black Stone to bring the Ice King back to life. The man was killed in the ritual but Asterock had been successfully revived. He had lost his memories; he didn't even know his own name. I gave him the name of the man who had been killed to bring him back, Cole Rising."

"I see." I leaned back against the pile of logs with my arms crossed and nodded. It seemed that you really can't help who you fall in love with. "Since it seems he doesn't remember the final part of our fight, he still doesn't know who he really is. I think it might be better for everyone if we can keep it from him for as long as possible." She seemed to agree to this. "Also…does he know about you?"

She was quick to respond and it was sloppily written "No and he doesn't need to!"

I raised my hands defensively "Okay, no need to worry. I won't say anything. One last question though. If you're a dragon, then why choose such a small, fragile form?"

"I have condensed my true form into this small human form to conceal my power. That's also why I can't speak. If I release any of my energy, it might cause trouble for Cole. And as we just discussed, we need to keep him calm." She wrote back.

I just nodded and leaned back again. Then I grinned "It might be okay to release a small amount of energy to bigger here," I start then make out the height and curvy shape of an average human female then I point at her chest "and there." This made her tilt her head to the side of she didn't get it. "If I were Cole, it would calm me down while I was in a rage."

Verdigo

I don't think any kid who went through foster care is ever truly going to be ready to meet even just one of their parents. That's just for normal kids. I can't even describe the disbelief when I stepped through that portal to meet my father. There were a couple reasons why I didn't believe him at first though. First, he only looked a little older than me. Second, he looked nothing like me with his spikey black hair, glowing ruby-red eyes, and tanned skin. The final thing, and this is the big one, the first thing he told me about himself was "I am Zaren, your father and king of all demons."

Since there was no way I could go back home, I had to stick around with the so called Demon King. There's also his butler, Clyde, a sandy-blond haired, red-eyed boy with curly horns like a ram. It didn't take me long to accept that my father is a demon, especially after what happened with me. I started to ask some questions like "If you're my dad, then why did you give me up?"

"Because I didn't want to deal with that shit. Babies are needy!"

"What happened to my mom?"

"She died."

"How?"

"I don't remember."

"Am I a demon?"

"No."

"Am I human?"

"No."

"Then what am I?!"

"Absolutely nothing!"

"What-"

He quickly raised a hand to stop me "Yet you are everything at the same time."

I just blinked at him a couple times, wondering if he was crazy or messing with me. Possibly both. He stood up from the old, long, stone table we had been sitting at and started to slowly walk around it "You are a Wraith. The perfect combination of human and demon blood. You can't be classified as either demon or human, but you can be classified as both at the same time. The ultimate killing machine." He stopped right behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "This may sound cheesy but you the son I have always wanted."

I sat still and glared down at the table "I get it. You just want to use me to kill people for you, right?" This is when I turned around and looked him in the eyes.

He stared right back, unwavering as he spoke "Of course not. I just wanted my son back. You are the Prince of demons, my boy; you are free to do as you wish." He walked to the back of the building and plopped down on a throne made from an old altar. It was only then that I realized that this is some kind of old church building, possibly the dining hall.

"I could even leave and go back home if I wanted to?" I asked as I twisted in my chair to face him. Clyde stood next to him silently.

He just shrugged and nodded lazily "Sure, you can go home. Have a cup of coffee with the church right before they drown you in holy water. That probably won't work because of your special blood so they will just find some way to kill you. Painfully. I can protect you, but only if you are with me." He gave me a small grin; he knew I had no choice but to stay if I wanted to live.

I lay my head down on my arms and just sit there, thinking. There was so much I didn't know or understand. I turn my head so I can look at the two of them. "So, what can you tell me about demons?"

My father let out a sigh as if he had been expecting something else "Well, just as there several different kinds of people in this world, there are many different types of demons in our world. Where we come from is a much different place. A place where what may have been ancient cities lie in ruin, barren lands stretch out for miles in any direction, our son a dark red casting us into an eternal crimson night, volcanos dot the landscape, and the inhabitants constantly fight one another. Many of my kind deserve better than to be born in that hell so I will bring them all to this realm."

"How're you going to do that?" I ask, standing up so I could stretch my legs. I don't think I'm going to like where this is going. This guy doesn't seem like the peaceful type.

He clapped his hands together happily "With a completely hostile takeover, of course. I'd be happy to count you among my warriors." The entire room suddenly brightened and I felt a strong blast of heat behind me. When I spun around there was a column of flame reaching from the floor to the ceiling near the entrance. The flames spread to the sides of the room and became the outline for a large portal.

From this side, I couldn't make out the world beyond. All I could see is the large shadow of some creature surrounded by a dark red world. The creature steps through, revealing itself to be a crocodile man probably nine feet tall even though he's hunched over. With dark gray scales, a fur loin cloth, and a sword for a left arm, the thing glared at me with red eye. His eyes move to stare into Dad's "So this is the new whelp, eh? Finally get the one you want?" he asked with deep, rough voice. I didn't like the way he was referring to me.

"Nope." Was the immediate response to that, which made what he had just told me complete and total bullshit. Anger surged through me but I kept quiet, bursting right now wouldn't end in my favor.

The big demon moved away from the portal and it closed as soon as his long tail was through. The portal made a sharp sizzle and the room became dark once again. "I'm sorry to hear that." The croc man said with obvious sarcasm.

"I'm just kidding with you." Dad said in reply with a short laugh. He gestured towards the large reptile with his hand "This is um…the Flame King…er…it starts with a k." He looked like he was honestly thinking very hard when he snapped his fingers at Clyde "Help me out here."

"Rift-Splitter, Sir, your firstborn." He said, in his somewhat feminine male voice, with a bow.

Dad hit the arm of the throne with his fist "Oh yeah!" It all sounded good-natured but Rift-Splitter didn't sound very happy. I could feel him growling before I heard it. Dad's reaction was to throw some gold coins at him and yell "Go buy yourself a pony!" I didn't know if that calmed him down, but he stopped growling. "And change out of that form already. We're supposed to blend in, remember?"

Rift-Splitter snapped his jaws towards him and went to the table. He pulled out the chair next to me and when he started to sit down I jumped up out of the way so he wouldn't crush me when he broke the chair. In the next moment the giant crocodile had changed into a young man who looked very similar to Dad, a little more muscular with short, flat hair. Thank God the loin cloth managed to stay in place since, apparently, clothes did not change with you. I almost expected his sword arm to stay but held a large sword in his left hand instead. The anger didn't leave his face "I don't see why it matters. We're going to war and you're worried about blending in."

"Why can't you just trust in me like Phil?" Dad said then pointed to a pile of bones that look they have been there forever. I don't think I trust in his judgment either.

I shake my head "I don't think all this is for me. I know what I did before…but I don't like killing people. I'm not a soldier, I can't go to war." I felt so out of place here, even though I'm finally with blood-related family.

Dad stands, nodding understandingly "I thought you might say that. Ah well, it cannot be helped. You were raised among humans, after all. You are welcome to stay with us even if you will not be taking part in the fun." That offer made me really happy, to know that he accepted me despite not wanting to do what he wanted me to. Shadows creep up from the floor and cover dad then they dissolve with him. He reappears behind holding a simple string necklace with some kind of fang hanging from it "Here is a little gift from father to son. My way of saying welcome to the family."

Cole

I watched my brothers and sisters play outside the cave, two brothers and two sisters. The smallest of us had died before he even opened his eyes. That left me as the runt of the litter. My mother came up beside me from the back of the den and I leaned into her soft fur. "Why are you not playing with the others?" she asked softly.

"Can't keep up." I whined, the others were too fast and rough. They always made me sit out anyways so it didn't matter. I preferred to watch, they play around so much that they wouldn't be able to see a predator. This way I can warn them.

She presses her muzzle down lightly on top of my head "You are my little Protector, aren't you? Always watching the others play so you can keep them safe." It was like she could read my mind sometimes. "You're such a good brother." She always makes me feel so good inside; I love my mother so much. She walked out of the cave and said something to the others that I couldn't hear but she was probably telling them to go back in while she hunted.

The others come in slowly, tired from the play. Fornar, the biggest and strongest, hopped onto a large flat rock and laid down. He liked to think he was better than the rest of us just because he was stronger. Erono and Ihrin were still snapping at each other when they came in, they were stuck on trying to find out who was the better fighter. Florina came in right behind them and immediately ran up to me, giving me a lick on the cheek before lying down and cuddling up next to me. She was nicer to me than the others were and kept encouraging me that I was going to hit a big growth spurt.

"When are we gonna be able to get out from here? I'm sick of only being able to go right outside." Fornar grumbled. I could tell the rest were thinking the same thing by the looks of agreement, even I was getting a little tired of seeing the same thing every day.

Florina was the first to respond "Mother says we're still too young to go too far off."

"That's a lie! She's just being overprotective; we already know how to defend ourselves." Ihrin said almost instantly after her.

"That's right. We're all strong enough to go out too." For Erono agreed with Ihrin on something. He gave me a doubtful look after he said it though "Well, most of us."

I narrowed my eyes and a low growl rose in my throat, I know I'm a runt but they don't have to constantly rub it in my face. Florina spoke before I could "Leave Aster alone! He's just as good as the rest of you." She stood and went up to him with a vicious glare.

Erono laughed "Right. He's weak and slow. If anything, he's probably the reason we still haven't been able to go out." He then shoved her away from him making her stumble and fall.

"Don't touch her!" I jumped up, my growl loud enough for them to hear clearly, and tackled Erono. He let out a surprised yelp and I was able to pin him with my teeth in his shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Florina watching with wide-eyes, this was the first time I'd ever done something like this. Yes, it was finally my time to show what I can do. Let them watch me. The surprise left my brother as he easily kicked me off and was back on his feet. He then lunged at me but I rolled away and hopped up. I rammed into him with as much strength and speed as I could build up. He was able to stop himself from falling since he was stronger than me and knocked me away.

While I was down, Erono jumped on top of me "Mother says your our guardian, she's wrong. You're not even strong enough to defend yourself." He snarls into my ear only loud enough for me to hear. I glance over to see Fornar with a huge smirk on his face. Anger fills my entire body at not only Erono but Ihrin and Fornar too. All they ever saw me as was their weak brother who sat out all the time. I may not have been able to be with them, but I had kept watch for them. Why do I even care? They don't care about me at all. I rammed my forehead into his and managed to raise my while he was dazed. I slammed him with my claws against the side of his face, knocking him off of me. Shocked looks come across the others as I stand to my full height. I feel myself grow with my rising anger. A chilly wind sweeps into the cave and my arms become covered in ice. With my eyes locked on Erono, I snarled and raised my claws up again to swipe at him. I feel a warm blood on my claws, but it is not my brother's blood. My mother had come in just in time to see what was going on and block my attack with her arm. The attack doesn't seem to hurt her that much as she looks at me with sadness in her eyes. My mind cleared and I looked between my mother and Erono, who was cowering in fear with a little blood on his face where I had hit him, then to my other siblings who were equally scared. The ice on my arms cracked then fell off as I went back down to my original size.

Tears welled up in my eyes "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…I…I'm sorry!" I could see my mother was about to say something but I didn't stay to hear it. I ran out of the cave, I just wanted to get away from them. I ran to the top of hill that the cave formed into. There I laid down and buried my face into my paws where I cried. Some Protector I am, I just attacked my own brother.

When I finished crying I stayed where I was. I wasn't ready to go back and face them. It was dark now; the moon and stars were bright and felt so close. Paw steps broke the silence as Florina came up the hill. When she sat down beside me I looked up into her bright amber eyes before quickly looking away. "Asterock." She said firmly, using my full name. I still wouldn't meet her gaze. "Aster." She said using her nickname for me with more gentleness. Slowly, I turned my head to meet her eyes with mine.

"How is Erono?" I finally asked.

"He's fine. The worst you did was scare him. Mother is okay too, more worried about you than herself. She told me to go find you while she looked after the others." Her words filled me with relief. My eyes cloud again so she scooted closer and wrapped herself around me.

"Why are you so nice to me?" I sniffled and the tears flowed out once more.

She laughed softly then nuzzled into my neck "I don't think I could tell you right now. All you need to is that I love you so much." She nuzzled into my neck in a comforting way. I don't know what it's going to be like from now on, but I will try to live up to my mother's words. I will try to protect my family…Fornar, Mother, Ihrin, Erono, and especially Florina.

When I woke up I felt someone shaking me. I opened my eyes to find Eris there, looking slightly agitated. She had decided to go clothes shopping and I had fallen asleep on a bench outside the store. Since I absolutely refused to have her walking around town in that robe of hers I let her borrow some of my clothes. She didn't particularly like it and demanded that she be able to get her own clothes. Using my money, of course, it's actually Aria's money but I have no idea where she gets it. Anyways, Eris had chosen some jeans, a pair of those furry boots, a dark blue shirt with the moon on it, and she was still wearing my jacket.

"I thought you were going to get a new jacket?" I asked her while yawning.

She shrugged and zipped it up "I like yours, it's really warm. What were you dreaming about? I mean, you were in a pretty deep sleep."

"I can't really say for sure. I think it might have been a memory, it's happened once before. A lot of it doesn't add up though, it's like I was someone else." I didn't know how to explain it. Some of the details from the dream were already starting to get fuzzy so there wasn't a point. "We've been gone a while, we should probably be getting back. Do you have everything?"

"Yep!" she said happily, holding up shopping bags. I hopped up from the bench and stretched and then I grabbed the grocery bags. "You're lucky no one stole those while you were sleeping." She said as we began our way back.

I looked at her as she walked beside me then looked around at the people who were walking around the town. I gave her a smile "I trust the people in this town. They have all been nice to me and Aria just like we were family." Eris didn't say anything back; she just stared at the ground as we walked. Something about what I said seemed to have gotten her down so I decided against asking her what was wrong.

The way home was uneventful. We went through the woods in an awkward silence I had no idea how to break. It struck me that the woods were really quiet. There was also an odd scent in the air that I couldn't place. When we got back to the cabin, Jack was waiting for use on the front porch with his arms crossed. He had a serious look which told me that he felt something strange was going on too. "There's some demon out in the forest." He said once we came close, confirming my own thoughts. I handed Eris the grocery bags and she managed to hold everything with a look of protest. "Go inside with Aria and hold everything down here. This isn't just a random demon or it would have attacked by now. We'll handle it then come back." Eris glared at him but, with some difficulty, went inside and slammed the door shut. Jack let out a long, tired sigh before shaking his head "She always wants to be where the action is…" he murmured while he stepped down off the porch. He stopped once he was off and surveyed the area around the cabin before nodding and turning to me. "Okay, we'll both set off in opposite directions then come from either side of it. It seems to be just standing there so it's probably a trap, but we're both strong enough so it won't be a problem."

Not the most well thought out plan but I nodded anyways. "Alright then, what are we waiting for?" I hopped off the porch and began to shift. It felt good to be in this form out in the snow. Sadly, I'm only ever in this form when I have to fight. Jack got down on all fours and headed left from where the scent was coming from. I headed right as to follow the plan, I made sure to still to stay as quiet as possible while moving swiftly.

The scent led me to a wide clearing where in the middle stood the source of the scent. A young woman wearing black leather pants and jacket, with a black shirt and black combat boots. Her hair was short and several lengths of it were different colors. I stopped at the edge and I was sure she didn't know I was there yet. She just stood there, tapping her foot impatiently and looking very bored. Jack was the first to jump out and charge at her. She, however, didn't even flinch as he came at her. When he was close enough he lunged for her but was tackled away from her by some kind of large dog. I didn't waste time to find out what it was. While she was busy looking at Jack I ran at her from behind to tackle her into the ground. She spun around when I was inches away and she quickly connected her boot to my chin with enough force to actually lift a little ways into the air. I lashed at her while I was up but she grabbed my arm and slammed me onto my back.

Before I could try and get up she brought her boot down on my chest with surprising strength. A spike came out of her boot which barely touched my throat. There was a slight sizzling sound and a sting so I could tell that the spike was silver. With a bright smile she bent down and got right in front of my face and said "Hey there, nice to meet you."