Another Chapter anyone? Here we go! I like this story a lot. I'm going to update my others soon too, but I couldn't resist creating yet another story. Especially not one like this. Well, here it is, the fourth chapter of ShadowWalkers. Enjoy! XD

Shout out to these people! Thanks for your encouraging words, and thanks for saying my story is great! Most of my stories wouldn't be possible without you, my fans! So thanks to elizabeta, LittleMew, and ProNation! I'll keep updating as soon as I can for you!

Chapter Four: Fate, Oh Fate!

Alfred paused a moment. They'd been at this for hours. The sun had set now, and it was dark out. That was fine, because neither of them really needed their eyes to do what they had to. But they could both see fine in the dark. Arthur also paused uncertainly. He was now in the form of the white haired Thergos and he was nervous, more than anything, that he had scared Alfred again. The creature's taint was an evil one, and many times that night when Arthur had barley shifted he'd made Alfred wince. Alfred trusted him of course, and he knew that he wouldn't hurt him, but it still made him nervous all the same. He hated being this thing. He hated how scared it made Alfred, even if it only made him scared by instinct. But Alfred knew that his was his one chance to find the weaknesses of a Thergos when one wasn't trying to kill him.

So far, it had seemed impossible. He had memorized the taint of the Thergos when one of them walked the land. He could tell when one was close and now he wasn't afraid of having Hunter sneak up on him now. For a few hours, that's all they had worked on. Arthur kept drilling him until he was sure that he could sense a Thergos when it was near and run away. They were fast, but no faster than a Vampire, and Alfred was already an expert at avoiding them. Thergos were not very different in their instincts than a Vampire, only that they didn't need to drink blood. They were strange. And powerful. Alfred could find no weaknesses, even though he knew there had to be one. Sorcerers never made a powerful beast -unless of course you counted Arthur himself as an exception- without some fail safe way to dismantle their creations. It would have to be something so obvious, so simple, that it could be recreated every time that someone wanted to make one. It would be something that every Thergos had in common so that if a Sorcerer came across a rouge one, they would be able to defeat it. But, since it was so simple, it was very hard to guess.

And a Thergos was a very sound beast. They had powerful bodies, strong limbs and tough skin. They could be stabbed of course, but since they were created by magic and not really out of any living thing, they would have to be completely dismantled to stop moving, something that no one would want to try with an angry Thergos. Also, they'd have to find out what made them move and instruct others how to dismantle a Thergos in the same way. That too was impracticable. They'd have to find some way to make this crazy scheme work and it would take too long. That was Alfred's problem now as he looked at the copied version Hunter's body. How could he hope to defeat THAT?

However, he wouldn't let Arthur see that he'd already given up on defeating him. Arthur was already worked up with Hunter having TOUCHED him. He was nervous and he had already made it clear that Alfred was not going to leave his sight. Alfred knew that he would relax a little once they were back with Ivan and Francis who could keep an eye on them, but right now he was on edge. He didn't want Alfred to get hurt, so he was perfectly still, perfectly calm as Alfred searched the powerful body for anyway to destroy a Thergos. So far, it seemed hopeless. That was, until something caught Alfred's eye.

It was the claws again, those talons. They made it impossible for the Thergos to close his hands all the way without injuring himself. They were powerful weapons and really strong, so they let him grab his prey from behind and not allow for escape without serious injury. They were wickedly curved, though the curve was only slight. That made them even more sinister however, because everyone knew that a Thergos could use his claws with deadly accuracy. Alfred took the demon's hand in his, carefully inspecting each claw. However, when he touched the claw that was on the thumb, Arthur instantly pulled his hand away, as if in an instinctive response.

The quick motion slit a small cut into the palms of his hands, and he yelped a little. Arthur made a quick whining sound in his throat, sorry that he hurt him. But Alfred ignored it and took the claw in his hand again. This time, Arthur didn't pull away. Alfred tested it, pausing in surprise.

"I'm sorry." Arthur said. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Does it hurt bad?"

"Arthur." Alfred said suddenly. "This claw is weaker than the others."

"What?" Arthur asked, surprised as much as Alfred was. It didn't seem possible. The claws were the Thergos' most powerful weapon.

"It's weaker." Alfred replied, looking up at the demon. "I can feel it. It seems as tough as the others, but it's not. It's brittle inside.

"Of course..." Arthur suddenly said. "No one would think to attack the hands of a Thergos, they'd be too worried about the claws. That way, no one would find this fault by accident, but it was still easily reached if the Sorcerer needed to kill it."

"Right." Alfred said. "The weakness in this claw is slight, but not enough that I could break with my hands. However, with enough pressure and a strong enough blow it could snap. And you pulled your hand away when I touched it. It was as if your body knew this weakness. It's probably the weakness that could kill a Thergos."

"Maybe." Arthur agreed. "But, it's still difficult to hit, with the Thergos jumping around and trying to grab you from behind. We'll have to be careful with it."

"I know." Alfred sighed. "But at least we know its weakness. We're probably the first people in the world who can boast that when we haven't made a Thergos ourselves."

"Alright." Arthur said. "Enough with Thergos for now. You're exhausted. You need to sleep. We can finish this later when we get the chance. But we'll need to rest for a bit and then go and find Francis and Ivan. They could probably sense Hunter after a while. And we haven't gone back. They'll be worried about us. I hope nothing happened to anyone there."

"They'll be fine." Alfred said. And he believed it.

Arthur changed into his human form again. Only now did Alfred realize that this form was what he had looked like before. Arthur gently took Alfred's hands in his, carefully inspecting the wounds. They weren't deep. In fact, they were nothing more than a few scratches, and they were hardly worth worrying over. But Alfred knew that Arthur wouldn't leave him alone until he was satisfied that they weren't dangerous. At last, Arthur quickly bound them so they wouldn't get infected and then released Alfred's hands. Alfred sighed, but didn't say anything. He knew that there wasn't much that he could say. But then he laid down so that Arthur would stop bugging him. Besides, he was tired.

Arthur laid down too, wrapping his arms around Alfred's waist and pulling him tight against his body. The floor of this cave wasn't too comfortable, but they'd slept in worse places before. Besides, Alfred knew that it was really only his company that Arthur needed right now. He sighed again, though this one was a soft one of content. And Arthur smiled a little at it. He pulled Alfred a little closer, glad to feel him up against his chest, safe, where he belonged. He laid his nose into his hair and breathed in his scent. It was a strange one. It always smelled of human, but still it too smelled of the deep riches of the forest floor. It too, had a sweet scent in it, a slight scent of flowers of some kind, what kind he couldn't be sure, but it was one that seemed strangely familiar. It gave him a pretty smell, one that Arthur thought suited him very well. It was a strange scent alright, one that always seemed to cling to him no matter where he went.

Alfred sighed, letting himself relax. He always felt safe when he was with Arthur. He just seemed to have that effect on people. And he knew that he could relax because Arthur wouldn't let anything happen to him. He was kind too. Alfred knew that well. He laid one of his hands on one of Arthur's for a moment, letting him know that he was here for him, in whatever way he could be. Arthur smiled into Alfred's hair a moment before laying his face on the side of Alfred's, where he could feel the boy smile a little. It was a close touch, one that they enjoyed. Arthur knew that his arm on the ground would fall to sleep eventually, but that hardly seemed to matter. He was just glad to be here again. At last, he felt Alfred completely relax as he fell asleep, breathing evenly. Arthur smiled a little again as he too closed his eyes.

Alfred woke first. It was daylight out now, and they were still touching like they had fallen asleep. Alfred knew that they would need to move soon. Francis and Ivan would be getting worried, and they would come out to look for them soon if they didn't go back. It was very difficult to avoid a Thergos. They all knew that very well. They would be worried that something had happened to them. Ivan cared for the two of them greatly, even if he didn't always admit it. And Francis was responsible for them. Alfred wasn't sure if he liked them or not, but he never let anyone die if he could help it. They were probably really worried by now, and he could almost bet that all of his old friends were too.

Alfred sighed. Yes, they'd have to go soon, and he wasn't sure if he was ready. He liked to be in Arthur's arms, but out there they couldn't be together like that. In their other world, they had to be pretty much separate. Neither of them minded, not really, but it was good to be like this too. However, he knew that time was short. He shifted just a little. That was all it took.

Arthur was awake in a moment, and he instantly began to worry over him again. Alfred knew that this behavior wouldn't stop for a while. Usually, it would annoy him. But not now. Not now that he knew the dreadful creatures that had stalked Arthur's past. He sat still and silent as Arthur worried over him, waiting for him to calm again. Once he was sure that Alfred was alright, Arthur sighed and laid a gentle kiss of Alfred's forehead. Alfred offered him a gentle smile, hoping that he would see it let Arthur relax. It did, and Arthur returned it.

"Good morning." Arthur said gently.

"Yes, good morning." Alfred said with an amused smile. "Now, come on. We need to leave soon. Ivan and Francis will be beside themselves with worry."

"And this won't make them feel any better." Arthur said, motioning towards Alfred. Arthur hadn't been hurt hardly at all, though his right arm hurt from where he had struck at Hunter with his claws. However, Alfred had developed a large and nasty looking wound on his chest, not unlike a bruise, but darker. It made his chest hurt, and it had spread now onto his arms and into plain sight. They would worry over that. And there were a couple little scabs on his throat too where Hunter's claws had been. If Arthur had worried over Alfred like a mother hen, Francis and Ivan would be ten times worse.

"It hurts a little." Alfred shrugged. "But I've had worse."

"Yeah, a little." Arthur said, not convinced. "I can see that it hurts pretty bad. You can't hide that from me. And you won't be able to hide it from Francis either."

"I know." Alfred sighed. "But let's go. If we're going to get chewed out, we might as well go now while we're not too chicken to listen to it."

"I don't think they'll be mad." Arthur said. "In fact, I think they'll too worried for that. Alfred, we not only came close to a Thergos, but we ESCAPED from it. Don't you think that will worry them?"

"I guess." Alfred said, shrugging again. "But come on. We might as well move now."

Arthur sighed but let Alfred go, letting him stand. Then he too stood and changed into his horse form. Alfred checked his right front leg, but though it seemed to pain him a little bit, it didn't seem to be an issue. Alfred quickly scanned the surrounding area for danger, but nothing seemed wrong. All the creatures of the forest were out now too. So he swung up onto Arthur's back and patted the horse's neck gently. Arthur felt the spark again, but this time, he didn't rear up or paw the ground, afraid of jostling Alfred's wound and hurting him worse. However, he did toss his head and snort once. Alfred checked to make sure he was on good, then tightened his legs around Arthur's chest and took his mane into his hands.

Once Arthur felt that, he knew that he was ready. But he didn't race off. Not now. They were still cautious after meeting the Thergos. He carefully stepped forward, scenting the area. He found nothing, so he started off at a slow trot, watching the surrounding country for danger. He didn't dare run now. He was too nervous to enjoy the freedom it gave him anyway. Now, he only wanted to make sure that they wouldn't end up getting hurt.

The trip back to town took much longer than it had taken to get to this point the day before. But they were cautious now. They didn't want to take the risk of missing something like they had before. But everything was normal now. It truly seemed as though Hunter had moved on to some other prey for now, far away. Still, they didn't dare take the chance. They were both greatly relieved when they saw the town of Herbert come into view once again. Only then did Arthur pick up the pace a little bit, trotting quickly now to reach the destination.

No one was out yet, and they slowed again to a nervous walk as they peered around, searching for the inhabitants. They suddenly realized that the town had been abandoned. Cars and bikes had all been left as they had been during the night. Houses were abandoned, and nothing inside had been stirred, as if the people were going to come back soon. Francis must have been serious about moving everyone. This whole town had been evacuated last night at some time. They knew that a large group of humans would move slowly, though they would be covering a surprising amount of ground since they were scared of the Thergos that had been stalking the land. They'd also probably be worried about the two of them. But both of them also knew that Francis and Ivan wouldn't have dared to leave them here.

They knew they were right because within a few minutes, they suddenly found themselves face to face with Ivan. He reached up and stroked Arthur's muzzle worriedly. Arthur didn't try to pull away or kick at him as he would have normally done. He was too worried for that. Ivan was looking Arthur over, carefully checking him. He noticed almost instantly that his leg was hurt.

Alfred paused, because he heard Francis snarl. It made him jump, and made Arthur snort nervously, but at least he hadn't walked up on them this time. He reached up, and with no effort, took Alfred by the arms and lifted him off of Arthur's back. Alfred paused, not daring to pull away from the Vampire. He was very nervous. Alfred could feel it as his claws curved ever so slightly. He was gentle, and he was checking him over carefully. He noticed almost immediately the wound on his arms, and he snarled as he realized that it went all the way across his chest.

"Alfred! What happened?" Francis snarled. Alfred knew that it wouldn't do any good to hide anything from the angry Vampire.

"We ran into a Thergos. And he grabbed me." Alfred said. Instantly Ivan and Francis snarled.

"How did you get away?" Francis demanded.

"Well," Alfred said, a little surprised. "Arthur turned into a Thergos and surprised him so he let go. Then we ran..."

"He did what?" Ivan gasped. Arthur snorted a little and then changed into the Thergos to show them. They both snarled so he changed quickly back into the white horse.

"Does it hurt?" Francis snarled to Alfred.

"N-not badly..." Alfred replied. Francis snarled again, growling. He could tell that Alfred wasn't telling the truth, but also that the boy was badly shook up and he was nervous. He let the comment slide.

"I want both of you in the infirmary when we get home. No questions asked, got it?" Francis snarled. "We need to make sure you'll be okay."

"Y-yes..." Alfred said. Arthur nervously tossed his head. Ivan sighed.

"Well," the werewolf said. "we've evacuated the town. They're all heading back now with several members of our clan. Everyone's worried about you too. You know how fast word travels in the clan. They'll be glad to know you're okay."

"But, we found something else out." Alfred said, still not daring to move in the Vampire's arms as he thought. Francis looked down at him.

"What is it?" Francis asked.

"The weakness of the Thergos." Alfred said. "It's the claws on his thumbs." Francis and Ivan seemed a little surprised by this information. But then Francis smiled, hiding his true face once again.

"That's valuable information." The vampire said. "Well, we should get going. I bet you too are tired. It shouldn't take us long to get to the clan. Everyone else is probably there already. But, you'll need to stay where we can see you, okay?" they both nodded. "Good. Then maybe you can show those friends of yours around then and gain some more memories, huh Alfred?"

"Y-yes..." Alfred said.

He picked Alfred up again and put him back on Arthur's back. Then Ivan turned back into a werewolf and turned to lead them on. They started moving away, all the while, Francis smiled at them. Then however, when he was sure they weren't going to look back, his face fell, and a look of concern crossed his face.

"So, something's happening again is it?" Francis asked. "Something evil once again stalks the land... something I don't know if the ShadowWalkers can take now. But, fate seems to play a strange game with those three. Who knows what will happen now?"

He turned at last to catch up with the other three, knowing that they would soon be turning to see what had kept him up for so long. He didn't exactly believe in fate, not after such a long life. But he did believe that there was something strange about Alfred, Arthur and Ivan. It was a strange thought. But then again, the world was strange. He knew that well.

Well, there it is! XD

It wasn't a very long chapter, it was more of like a filler arch thing. But it was fun to write. I hope it made you feel better, because it made me feel better. XD

Anyway. This story will get better after a while. Right now, this story is only starting. I hope you'll keep reading and enjoy this story!