Chapter 10

Wow… sorry for being late with these chapters. This summer homework is really killing me. This chapter features Talent receiving awesomeness. Prepare to be assaulted by a verbal tsunami. Its going to be… cool I suppose.


A figure bathed in light looked upon a might throne, high in the sky. "Nice chair, weird location. Who'd ever wanna live here?" the figure asked to no one in particular. Light flowed around him like water. It was clear enough to see through but it held him, consumed him. Moving was extremely difficult here.

That led him to another thought. Where is here exactly? I haven't seen anyone around…

Why can't I remember anything? Images flowed through currents in the light. They were always distorted and hard to see. People, places, things he'd never seen or heard before flashed across his vision before being discarded wherever the current ended.

This place is weird. I haven't seen anyone or anything besides that stupid throne over there. I wonder… The figure approached the throne carefully, tentatively. There was no one around. At least, there was no one close enough to hear him call for help.

His limbs suddenly became tired and weak. Why am I so damn tired? What's happening to me? The throne looked inviting. It enticed him with its plush seat, its soft fabric, and its perfect height. It was truly a seat for the ages. Maybe for just a few minutes. Nobody'll mind… right?

The golden figure hesitated for a moment, considering the throne, before sitting. It was soft, that much was true. Sleep took hold of him in moments. Unconscious, he erupted in a blizzard of light. The display drowned everything in a shower of pure brilliance.

The figure awakened moments later, taking in his new environment. Two female chipmunks crowded him on a short green bed. "Eleanor, are you alright?"


Earlier that day…

"If I had just pushed Simon a bit further…"

Percy shook his head in disappointment. He'd almost had Simon's Talent. He'd failed, but all was not lost. He was fated to fail. A confusing development, but his precognition never failed him.

Never.

"Relax, Percy. You'll have your chance. This isn't over. Not by a long shot." Percy watched as the chipette calmly strolled into his penthouse. She jumped onto his plush couch, relaxing in his normal spot. Percy noted her lack of sarcasm or threats of physical violence in her entrance. Odd…

"Something troubling you Hex?"

She shot the older chipmunk a look. Her eyes say no, but her body says yes. He mused. "You're never this jumpy. What's eating at you? Is it your sister?"

Hex looked away. Truth be told, the chipette did have something on her mind. But she'd let the other chipmunk play her game for a while. She would have him eating out of her hands until he begged for her to come clean. But for now…

"Take a guess hotshot. We've got time to burn."

Percy crossed his arms. She was playing the game again. Hex only did that when she had something particularly important to tell. He'd play the game, for now.

"Its Sam! I knew it. You have a crush on my first mate, right?"

The chipette was not amused. "Nope. Try again."

"Its that time of the month?"

She tensed up, anger tearing at her resolve to not tear the older chipmunk apart on the spot. This was part of the game. His efforts at cutting it short would not work…this time at least. Gritting her teeth the chipette replied. "No."

"Okay… then its…" Percy looked around the room. There had to be… was that his bishop in the air? The chipmunk blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't day dreaming. Yeah, that was his chess piece alright. That meant…

"Its Theodore."

Hex looked back at Percy with shock barely concealed. He never finished the game that quickly. Usually there were more jabs taken at her gender.

"'How'd you figure it out so fast?"

Percy crossed his arms again. He'd caught her off guard, that was for sure. Though chess pieces randomly floating in the air was probably something to be worried about… Nah, he was thinking about it too hard.

Hex sighed. "I… saw something when we came back after dropping off the little ones. The green one, Theodore… His body changed for a moment. It was only momentary, but I knew it had to be an omen. The kid has a lot in store for him."

"So you saw it too?"

"Yeah. It caught me off guard to say the least. Do you… think its time?"

Percy took a deep breath. That was a hard one. His contacts were going down one by one. His settlements were cutting off contact. His people were disappearing right before his eyes.

Yeah, it was probably time. "Start the preparations. We won't be caught off guard if it is."

"Sure. Oh and Sam told me he'll be at the clinic." Hex gave a curt nod to her leader before heading off the elevator.

"Wait! Why?"

The chipette turned slowly, playful smirk forming on her face. "He was mumbling something about whip crazy sadists."


Theodore yawned sleepily. The room was still shrouded in near total darkness, a sign that he was still supposed to be asleep. The tiny chipmunk looked at the large digital watch near the bed. Three thirty? Its still pretty late. Theodore felt his stomach groan loudly in hunger. The chipmunk resolved never to listen to Alvin ever again.

I knew I should've had that fourth pancake. Maybe there's some snacks lying around… Theo shook Alvin to his right. "Alvin? You wanna help me get a snack?" the youngest chipmunk whispered. His older brother gave a loud snort in his sleep.

Theo turned to his other brother Simon. His other older brother always had that serious face when he was sleeping…

"Hey Si? Wanna-"

"No Theo. Go back to sleep." The green-clad chipmunk jumped in surprise, nearly waking Alvin. Theodore never knew how Simon could tell when he wanted food in the middle of the night. Maybe he had psychic stuff like those guys on the T.V. or like Percy.

Theodore chose to ignore the mention of Percy in his thoughts. He had enough nightmares to deal with without having a real life one. Theodore readied himself to leap off the bed, but his muscles tightened painfully at the effort. His tiny frame shook violently in a bout of muscles spasms. The young chipmunk tried to yell in pain but nothing came out. His voice was gone or at least not working. A dark shroud overcame the chipmunk, sending him to blissful unconsciousness.


Eleanor groaned as a flash of light awoke her. The chipette stood up groggily, letting out a sleepy yawn. She opened her eyes… only to realize her eyes were already open. "Hey Brittany, can you turn off that light?"

"Mmm? Ellie there's nothing on."

Eleanor snorted and looked around the room. She couldn't see anything except this bright, all encompassing light. Gold shone from every corner of her vision, blinding her. Strangely, it didn't hurt her eyes.

"Jeany, can you turn that light off? Brittany's being a lazy-"

"Eleanor, the lights are off! I told you already." Brittany shot back, now rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Jeanette rose slowly, glancing about the room. "Ellie, Brittany is right. Its nearly pitch black here. Are you… alright?"

Eleanor's fur steadily turned golden, her soft features becoming softer and smoother. The youngest chipette felt her eyes roll into the back of her head as everything became brighter and brighter. Darkness encroached on the edges of her vision before she collapsed onto the bed.

"Eleanor!"

"Jeanette, go turn on the light! Wait, nevermind. She's… glowing."


A glowing silver cage surrounded the youngest Chipmunk. Innocent eyes pierced deep into the dark shadows surrounding the cage. Black tendrils latched onto the cage, occasionally shaking it to and fro. Theodore felt a bit of fear enter him as the obvious sunk in.

He was all alone.

"A-Alvin? Simon? You g-guys there?" His meek voice echoed, each repetition increasing in volume and intensity. The tiny chipmunk grabbed onto his ears painfully, resolving not to speak until he figured a way out of this cage. The bars looked and felt solid. Theodore could tell he wouldn't be fitting through the tiny spaces between the bars. There was also no visible entrance as far as he could tell.

This is too weird… I hope Simon and Alvin come looking for me soon.

"I fear not, little one."

The voice boomed with purpose. Theodore swiveled around, hoping to find the origin of the voice. Nothing but darkness greeted him. Theodore meekly whispered "Are you… a friend? Please, get me out of here."

"I cannot let you leave, not without paying the price." The voiced replied. Theodore hanged his head in sorrow, knowing that he had nothing but the clothes on his back.

"The price I seek is not in money… but in blood, child."

"B-blood?"

"Yes, blood. All you must do is pass a… test. Succeed, and you shall have your freedom."

Theodore stood joyously. A test? He'd seen Simon take plenty of those in minutes. They couldn't possibly be that hard, could they?

"Know this child. Should you fail, your life is forfeit. You will never see your family or your friends again. Darkness shall be all that you become, all that you will ever be. It will consume your very soul and leave you with nothing.

Are you willing to make such a sacrifice, boy?"


Eleanor awoke to the singing of angels. Seraphim spun around her, chanting and singing and flying. An orchestra of glorious beings surrounding her. A symphony of unspeakable beauty. Golden light shined down from the skies above her, converging around her and bathing the area in brilliance. Perfect white flowers thrived in the light. Their fragile petals occasionally flying into the breeze and joining the angels in their holy aerial dance.

It was all too unreal.

A single angel broke off from the group, soaring through the golden heavens that surrounded them. The angel floated down, shaming Eleanor. She felt so… dirty compared to these pure beings around her.

Then it hit her. Angels? Am I dead?

"No my dear, you are not dead."

The green-clad chipette gasped. "You can read my thoughts?"

"I can, but I didn't. I simply answered the obvious question on your mind. It is not an uncommon, nor an unexpected question."

"B-but where am I? Is this heaven?" Eleanor asked, confused about the whole situation. While she did enjoy the dancing and singing, her sisters were probably worried about her. That and the whole situation was weird. She had gone from seeing a bright light when there was none to ending up in this beautiful field with hundreds of angels in a symphony orchestra.,

"No my child, this is not heaven. It is the path to heaven. This is the end of the road for many, where a choice must be made."

"A choice? What are you talking about?"

The angel plucked a pure white feather from his left wing. The seraph gave the feather to the young chipette. She looked up at him confused. He gave a knowing a smile in return.

"There is the last stop on the road to Heaven, Eleanor. If you so choose, take my hand and I will take you to an eternity of bliss and happiness. You will leave everything behind, everyone you love and cherish, your family and friends. Or," with a wave of his hand dozens of petals rose from their grassy beds and into the air. "You many follow these petals to your friend Theodore. He dying Eleanor, and he needs your help. Should you take my hand, you will resign him to a death unimaginable."

Eleanor gasped in horror. Theo was dying? "Where is Teddy? What's happening to him?"

"Choose now Eleanor, time is of the essence." The golden lights shimmered as the seraphim began to rise, returning to their celestial home. "But you're an angel. You can save Teddy!"

"I cannot do that, even though I would like to very much. Only the love you hold for him can save him."

The decision was easy. "Sorry Mr. Angel. I've got to save Theo!"

The angel gave a soft smile to the young girl before him. His wings flapped powerfully, gusts of wind blowing more petals into the air. The seraph rose into the golden beyond, looking at the green-clad chipette the entire way. "I would have wanted it no other way my child. Go. A familiar face will guide you to his location… and you may call me Jeremiah." The angel's voice was like a whisper now, barely audible to the tiny chipette. The heavenly light dimmed rapidly with the seraphim's' departure. The once vast, beautiful field filled with fragile white flowers was now dying and decaying. The warmth that came from the celestial light disappeared with the seraphim.

Soon, Eleanor was all alone.


"I… want to see my brothers again. To see my friends again. I'll do anything, just please get me out of this nightmare!" Theodore called out to the darkness. The black mass surrounding his cage stopped moving altogether. Silence consumed all thought. Theo stared into the dark fog, watching as something coiled within.

Black tendrils broke through the still mass of darkness. They latched onto the cage bars and pulled. Strangely, the cage itself wasn't being pulled but rather something within the fog was. Solid yellow eyes opened slowly, instilling pure fear into Theodore's heart. The tendrils took on an oily form as what could only be described as tar poured into the cage. The tar strangely didn't sink through the cage bars. It pooled together, clawed limbs tearing out of the pool of tar. Yellow fangs slowly formed, following a grim visage. It was a wolf, staring down the tiny chipmunk with glowing yellow eyes.

"So little one, are you ready to pay with your pound of flesh?"


"Why'd he get so still all of a sudden Simon? He's not moving."

Simon checked his younger brother's pulse. Cmon Theodore. Give me something for God's sakes. I know your alive. You have to be. Nothing.

"Simon! He is alright… right? Tell me he's alright!" Alvin cried in fear. His younger brother was just getting up in the middle of the night as usual when he just started freaking out. Now Theo was lying there, cold, and Alvin didn't know what he could do. Simon felt nearly as helpless. The bespectacled chipmunk berated himself for not getting up and helping his younger brother when he needed it.

I'm so sorry Theodore. I'm sorry brother. Please just… is that a pulse? Sure enough a weak pulse could be felt. His brother would live, if they could get him to a hospital.

"I have a pulse but we need to take him to a hospital. Go wake up Dave and Claire. I'll dial 911." Simon ordered. Alvin moved quickly and without question. There was no time for sibling rivalry right now.

The two turned to see a ghastly figure greeting them with a smile. "Hey you two, I'm afraid I can't let you wake up anybody."

"Is that… Vex?" Alvin could barely make out the details of her face with all the distortion, but it was definitely her.

"Vex? Isn't she supposed to be lying in a hospital bed miles away from L.A.?" Simon asked incredulously. There was no way a living girl could suddenly appear as a ghost in front of them in the middle of the night. Unless, of course, there was a sudden complication. That still didn't explain the ghost thing. Ghosts weren't real, television shows and movies be damned.

"Yeah, I'd explain it but I prefer letting you figure it out by yourselves. Now I still can't let you near the phone." The ghastly Vex declared. The two brothers gave each other a look and split off in different directions. The specter simply shook her head before giving chase. They would not ruin her plan. Not today.


"Is this the full extent of your power? I'm afraid your death is assured at this rate." The wolf taunted as it swiped at the smaller animal before him. Theodore tried to move but was too slow. The chipmunk was thrown across the cage and against the other wall.

"Your brother's are not here to save you child. And it seems you'll never see them again if this pitiful display is all you have to show me." Theodore scrambled to the other side of the cage as the wolf approached. Gleaming yellow eyes hinted with amusement gazed down upon fear filled green ones. Too easy.

"Y-your wrong! My brothers will come, they'll save me!" The chipmunk's resolve grew steadily. His brother's had saved him before. Why would this time be any different.

The wolf simply circled his weaker prey arrogantly. Theodore stayed as far as the cage would allow, pushing his tiny frame against the solid silver bars. "You must be mistaken to assume I will let you live that long, fool. There is no way in, or out. Now fight me! Show me your power, and perhaps you will live yet." The wolf bared his dirty yellow teeth at his prey. Theodore felt fear crawl into his heart again. He didn't know how to fight!

Theodore threw himself to the side as razor sharp teeth snapped where he once was. The wolf swiped with its claws, catching the smaller animal squarely. Theodore crashed into the bars. The sickening snap of bones breaking became music to the wolf's ears. The predator gave a soft chuckle, watching the chipmunk sink to the floor. Blood began dripping from long slashes on Theodore's back.

"How… anticlimactic. You are a disappointment to say the least. I shouldn't have expected much from a fat rodent, but a wolf can dream." The larger predator came up to the still chipmunk. Nudging the chipmunk with his snout earned the wolf a world of hurt. The predator gave a pained yelp and retreated from the chipmunk. Blood oozed from his snout, three visible scratches having torn open the wolf's nose. Theodore was now rising from the floor. More snapping could be heard, but this wasn't from bones breaking. Rather, the chipmunk's bones were snapping back into place.

"Ah… then there is more than meets the eye. Round 2 little one. Prepare yourself!" With that the creature lunged.


Eleanor looked at the bleak, dreary world around her. Life was stagnant, that much was certain. She turned around to find a dirt path ahead of her. A familiar face watched her with a smirk.

"Vex? Aren't you supposed to be in a hospital bed miles away from here?"

The older chipette said nothing. With a twirl of her yellow dress, she set off down the road. Eleanor could only help but to stare. The angel did say that a familiar face would show her the path. "Hey Vex, wait up!"


Alvin felt himself be thrown into the bedroom closet. Vex's ghost is a monster… How are we supposed to get past that chick?

He heard Simon's cry of "Not again!". His glasses were tossed under the bed, again. The younger chipmunk was useless without his glasses, or at least he couldn't see properly.

"I got ya Simon!" Alvin declared. He started off to the bed. The red-clad chipmunk felt as light as a feather. Unfortunately he wasn't touching the floor. "Aww man! Can I get a break here?" He whined. The ghost nodded and set him down on the floor.

Alvin ran to the bed on all fours. He was promptly thrown back into the closet again. "Cmon lady! This isn't funny! Our brother is dying and-"

"Your brother isn't dying Alvin. He's… indisposed. You'll thank me for this." Vex stated. Simon shrugged and turned to get his glasses from under the bed, assuming he could see well enough in the darkness with his vision to get them.

Alvin was shocked. "Your just gonna give up Simon? Our brother-"

"Isn't dying. Think about it Alvin, why would the ghost of someone we know suddenly appear and stop us from helping him. Whatever's going on is much bigger than us. Let's wait a bit. If he gets worse, we'll wake Dave and Claire."

"Yeah but she just kicked our asses. She's a girl Simon. Your going to take this beating from a girl?" Alvin taunted. Oh yeah, he definitely had Simon now!

"Alvin… you would know."

The older chipmunk could only glare in response. He had no witty reply, no dazzling comeback.

"Damn… Alvin, how'd it feel getting burned like that?" Vex asked with a goofy grin. She leaned in expectantly, the only immediate reply being a nasty glare.


"So Vex… How'd you get all the way over here?"

The older chipette shrugged. "Dunno. After the doc told me about my tail I was pretty much a vegetable. I couldn't hear, couldn't see. The only thing going through my head was the loss of my tail."

Eleanor noted the other chipette's lack of a tail. She repressed a shudder, hoping that a fate would never come upon her.

"Then I was suddenly out of my own body. At first I thought I was dead, but in reality my body was just in a coma… sort of. Anyway I ended up following you little troublemakers all the way home. When you went to sleep, I sorta… got sucked it. I flew into your body. Not a pleasant experience to say the least…"

"So… this is all a dream?"

Vex gave her a sad smile. "You'll wish it was a dream soon enough kid." She stopped abruptly, catching the smaller chipette off guard.

"What happened?"

Vex looked up at the rusty iron gate. A graveyard had popped into existence to their right, seemingly out of nowhere. "We're here kid."

"But the angel said-"

"He's not dead, yet. Though he is in trouble. Theodore should be somewhere inside. Find and rescue him, or the result could be…" The woman cut off then, leaving an unspoken warning to the younger girl.

"Are you sure its in a graveyard? I mean, it could be-"

"Eleanor, I know your scared. I completely understand. But if you don't go in there and rescue him, he'll die."

Eleanor clutched the angel feather close to her chest. Her rhythmic heart beat began to go faster and more erratic. Fear gripped her momentarily.

"Well, good luck kid. You'll need it." Vex disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the scared girl to her task.

"Oh joy…"


Theodore crashed into the wolf's side, ripping and tearing at muscle and fur with elongated claws. The larger predator roared in anger, scrambling around to meet his opponent. The steadily growing chipmunk refused to end his assault, driving his claw deep into the flesh of enemy. The horrible sound of razor sharp claws grinding against bone graced Theodore's ears, surprising him. He'd never… done that before.

He'd never attacked someone so viciously in his life! Why was he so angry? Why was he covered in blood? He felt… happy to draw blood.

A growl was all the warning the chipmunk had before dozens of teeth snapped onto his small, but growing, form. The wolf felt a sense of satisfaction, feeling the spine of his prey snap and the coppery taste of blood enter his mouth. Theodore's cries of agony were a song the predator had heard many times before.

Theodore's hand shook as he continued to drive the claw in it. Somehow he could still feel his limbs. Weird.

The wolf spat the smaller animal out, feeling the deep cut in his mouth. His maw was covered in their combined blood, driving the larger animal to maim and kill. And so he did. The wolf charged at Theodore, two powerful limbs driving down onto the chipmunk.

Theo couldn't recover fast enough to dodge, and his strength nothing compared to the weight of the larger animal. The steel bars pressed into his bleeding wounds painfully. Theodore slashed at the vulnerable tendons in the wolf's legs. Blood poured into his face with each strike but the weight continued to bear down on him. Finally, the wolf's legs gave in. He fell to the side, limping to the side of the cage.

Theodore felt weak. He'd lost too much blood already. Keeping the larger animal from squashing him had already drained his energy. The chipmunk gave a sideward glance at his enemy, shocked to see the wound's he'd inflicted on larger animal repairing themselves.

The black creature erupted with laughter. He would be ready to fight in moments where his prey would not. Victory it seemed, was in his grasp. "Foolish boy. Did you think this would be easy? I am no simple creature. You are in my domain, and here I rule supreme. Die now, knowing that you failed yourself and your brothers." The vile beast rose, growing larger. The cage seemed to respond, growing larger until it had become a vast, silver prison.

The chipmunk had nothing left… but he couldn't die here. Not without seeing his brothers, his friends, and… Eleanor. He still had so much to tell her. Renewed strength poured into Theodore's limbs. The crimson blood that had blinded him fell from his eyes. His normally clean, chestnut brown fur turned messy and gray. His enlarged claws became even larger, and with them his whole body grew.

No, he would not die this day.

"You fight with conviction child. I suppose that means this is Round 3. Heh, very well. Come at me then whelp!" The wolf jeered. Yellow eyes stared down glowing green ones. He does not fear me then. Determination to live is all that drives him. Let us see if he can truly overcome me. The dark creature mused.

The two circled each other in this larger space. Eyes locking on each other. Teeth bared, ready to tear into flesh. They lunged, colliding heavily in the air.


Eleanor shook with fear. A graveyard was not her favorite vacation spot. She had nightmares ever since Brittany had made her watch those stupid zombie movies. This graveyard was starting to look strangely familiar. Strangely, the headstones were around her size. Everything seemed to be miniaturized. Very peculiar…

The shuffling of feet against stone broke her train of thought.

"Teddy? Is that you?"

No response was forthcoming. The chipette held the beautiful feather in her hands tighter, finding comfort at its soft touch. But this nightmare of hers would not let up. The ground shook at the girl's feet, nearly knocking her over.

"An earthquake? Wait! This is how my nightmare usually… oh no. No no no no!" Her head swiveled in all directions, watching decaying paws pull themselves out of the ground. Chipmunks poured out of their not-so-final resting places. All had their ghastly sights set on her. The strange, or terrifying, thing was that they weren't just any chipmunks. They were chipmunks from Percy's city. Hundreds crawled out of mausoleums and graves, craving the taste of flesh. Then she saw them. Alvin and Brittany's corpses limped out of their graves to her right. Then behind her, Simon and Jeanette crawling out of their holes.

Eleanor chose to run. She passed dozens of graves, watching paws reach out of them. The undead converged on her, coming from all sides. Their decaying corpses were all too real for the chipette. This was no nightmare. Soon enough Eleanor was surrounded. The once dead creatures reached out at her with limbs covered in worms. Muscle that was usually underneath skin was now on display gruesomely. This couldn't be real. Nothing like this could happen, not to her, not now!

The undead closed in, grabbing at her. Eleanor tried to pull away but more hands took hold of her. She felt herself fall under the weight of the bodies pressing themselves against her. The chipmunk could smell the decay in the air. She couldn't die here. Not here. Not when Theodore needed her!

Teddy…

The mass of bodies shook dangerously. Streaks of bright light shined in every direction. The pile of undead bodies exploded as angelic wings unfurled themselves. Eleanor looked upon the new development with surprise. Her angel feather was gone. So that was what the feather was for. Thank you Jeremiah. I won't let you down!

Eleanor's once green dress turned into a golden brown cuirass. This armor would protect her, she hoped. Green eyes filled with hope took to the skies. Using her new altitude, the girl looked around for any sign of her friend. But the nightmare would not be beaten so quickly.

Eleanor dodged a stone head from a monument, gasping at the sudden attack. Her eyes caught the sight of two gargoyles, already heading straight at her. Without missing a beat, the chipette fled. Her pursuers would not give so easily. They nipped at her feet, close enough to just touch the hairs of her fur.

Round and round the three flew, Eleanor becoming frustrated at the stone creatures' stubborn pursuit. The girl dropped, watching the gargoyles fly above and away from her. Eleanor flew the other way, the stone hunters already circling around in response. Don't these guys give up? Maybe if I…. is that the feather? Sure enough, her missing feather was there in her hand. The shaft of the feather grew larger, becoming a spear in its own right. The tip didn't look very sharp but with no other weapons available it was all she had.

Well, its worth a shot at least. The armored chipette circled round, facing her two enemies with determination set on her face. "I don't want to fight you, but I will if it means saving Teddy!"

The stone creatures said nothing and charged. Eleanor gave her own charge. With a mighty thrust, she pierced one of the oncoming gargoyles straight through the head. The creature froze up and collapsed to the floor. It shattered on impact, the unintended shrapnel hitting the zombies milling around below.

"Woah… that's cool! See buddy, you don't wanna mess-" heavy stone crashed into the chipette's armored body as the gargoyle tacked Eleanor in midair. Its claws tore at whatever was not covered by her plate cuirass. All the girl could do was bite back a scream. Instead Eleanor choose to push the grave creature off. She slashed at her rock hard enemy with the spear, feeling the tip create a gash across the creature's torso. It swiped at her in return. Stone claws smacked into the armor with little effect. Eleanor slashed again and again, the gargoyle loosing bits and pieces of its body under the assault.

With a final thrust the gargoyle was finished. Stone returned to its lifeless form and collapsed to the ground with its former companion. The chipette felt a sense of satisfaction with the victory. Now she could look for Theodore. A massive cage loomed in the distance. An inky black fog covered the sight soon after.

He's got to be there. Don't worry Theo, Eleanor is comin to getcha!


Theodore tore at the tender muscle above him, claws easily cutting open the stomach of his larger opponent. The beast replied by snapping its jaw down on Theo's body. The wolf couldn't fit the whole chipmunk in his mouth anymore. Though that didn't make the bite any less painful. Incisors plunged into soft tissue and sliced through it. The chipmunk only grunted in pain before lashing out with his claws. Jagged claws ripped through the muzzle and into the wolf's gums. The fiend released Theodore but not before slamming the smaller animal into the bars of the cage.

Both creatures fought tooth and nail. Neither let up on their assaults, neither stopped their attacks. No reprieve was sought out nor granted, yet the two couldn't mend their wounds fast enough to keep up with the attacks being thrown at each other.

Theodore had the advantage. His speed allowed him to strike fast and hit hard. The other animal knew the battle was lost when Theodore sank his teeth into the exposed neck of his enemy. Two rows of sharp teeth tore at vulnerable tissue. The jugular was easily sliced open. The death blow was dealt.

The wolf attempted to put up one final resistance but strong claws continued their assault wherever they could reach, rending through muscle and into important organs. It was over within moments. Theodore released the dying beast. He had… killed today. Or soon enough he would have. The wolf was loosing a lot of blood from, everywhere really. Theodore had plenty of blood on himself as well.

Whether it was his or not wasn't something he wanted to think about at the moment. Sleep seemed better… yes sleep. He was so tired.

Maybe just a quick nap then… Is that Eleanor?

"Teddy!"

Theodore felt his legs fail him. He just wanted to sleep.


"Teddy!"

Eleanor watched the black fog dissipate to reveal his friend towering over the fallen body of a dog or something. He was covered in blood.

While normally the thought would have horrified her, it only worried her. In this nightmare Theodore must have gone through some hell. But at least he was alive, for the most part. Theodore collapsed on the floor. The chipette was going to rush to the cage but felt a hand grab her arm.

"Don't touch that cage kid. You won't like the result."

"Vex? When did you…" Eleanor shook her head. There was enough of this psychic, teleportation crap to last a lifetime. All Eleanor wanted now was to get out of here. "Just tell me how to open this cage."

"Strike it with the feather and we can all go home."

The younger chipette looked confused for her part. With a skeptical glance, Eleanor did as she was told.

The world shattered at impact.


The chipette awakened moments later, taking in her new environment. Two female chipmunks crowded her on a short green bed. "Eleanor, are you alright?"

A feather gently floated down coming to a rest at the edge of the bed. So it wasn't a dream after all…

"Yeah… I think I'll be okay."


Oh…

My…

God…

So yeah this was actually pretty goddamn long. I won't update for a little while. My dad has me on the short whip with summer homework. To be honest I'm procrastinating but hey, its better than doing work. Am I right?

Anyway, enjoy this looooonnnngg chapter. This may in fact be my longest chapter yet!

Next up is Simon Seville. Guess how he'll get his Talent. Hehe. The last to receive powers will be Alvin and Brittany.

Again thanks to all who reviewed, read the story, gave a damn.