AN: Thanks to dancegirl92, Choking On A Dream, angel-tear8520, Kina666, The Yoshinator, CharmedPrincessRach, Shedaises, Sic Vita Est, Of-Thieves-and-Liars, and VivenVivi for reviewing/subscribing to my story!

I really appreciate the reviews and such, it's awesome to know that people are enjoying this story and I hope I don't disappoint. If anyone has any story ideas they'd like to throw in feel free, I love feedback and I love brain-storming!

I don't own anything affiliated with Marvel, The Avengers, or the following song lyrics!

I'm not the one who's so far away
When I feel the snake bite enter my veins
Never did I wanna be here again
And I don't remember why I came…

Candles raise my desire
Why I'm so far away
No more meaning to my life
No more reason to stay
Freezing feeling,
Breathe in, breathe in
I'm coming back again…

-Godsmack-

[Voodoo]

Jericho watched her mentor crush the contents of the bowl into a very thin powder. He added a few more things to the mysterious mixture, he mumbled words that were unknown to her; and he began to sway slightly in a tight circle. They both sat Indian style across from one another, both their bodies anointed with sweet smelling oils and painted to look like animals. Mahout (her mentor) was painted to represent the crocodile, his power animal. Jericho was painted to mimic the panther, her power animal.

Next, he pulled out another bowl, and poured a smooth, green liquid into it and began to stir it counter-clock wise. A delicate green foam began to form and froth at the top as he continued to mumble and sway. Her eyes widened in awe, and her mouth hung slightly agape at the intensity and sweat that dripped from her teacher.

Mahout looked up with glazed eyes and said sternly "Close your mouth child, before you catch flies."

Jericho snapped her mouth shut, and continued to watch curiously as he finished the last of the preparations for the ceremony. He looked up her again, and spread a red paste across her forehead, and down the bride of her nose. It smelled of sweet, ripened berries and a slight tinge of something unfamiliar. She didn't dare ask her mentor, and waited for him to tell her the ingredients out of respect and the fact she didn't want to annoy him. He was always commenting on "how she asked to many questions."

He looked up and said with a clipped accent "Shifter, the paste upon your brow is a mix of berries and I added a few drops of poison dart frog blood. The green liquid comes from the swamp, and I boiled moss and tree bark as well. The white powder is opiates and the poison of the rattlesnake All of these will help reach your inner beast…"

Jericho asked "Master, why would I want to reach out to my inner beast?"

Mahout answered gently "Shifter, when you came to me you were plagued with many demons, this being one of them. It is selfish, greedy, and feeds off of your bad vibes. It wants control, you must control it in order to harness your powers for good. You are burnt inside, and you need to be healed…one day you will need this again child, I have seen this in a vision."

Jericho inquired "What else did you see Master?"

Mahout appealed to her curious nature "Jericho, it is time for you to have your own vision. Take the powder, rub it on your gums, drink the liquid as well. I will follow suit then you will be able to gain control-"

Shifter interrupted "Father, I am scared-"

Mahout frowned impatiently "You must take this step Jericho, or forever be trapped in your own personal hell. The beast will eat you from the inside till you are a primal husk, do not interrupt. I am here with you…I will follow you into the spirit world."

Jericho nodded and did as her 'father' asked. Both sets of remedies were bitter to the taste, she made an ugly face earning a frown from Mahout. He also dipped his finger in the powder, and sampled the green drink for himself. He then began to chant and sway like before, Jericho followed his lead letting herself slip into a trance. Her eyes slowly closed as her swaying became looser, and the chanting became louder and louder.

What she saw was almost indescribable.. A black and green void opened up to her and she came face to face with a doppelganger of herself. The other version of her however, had red eyes, instead of ice blue ones. And the doppelganger had pale blonde hair instead of raven black. It held out her hand, and Jericho reluctantly took it transporting her to another part of this strange place.

The new place was a vast desert, covered in black sand. The sun was a pale pink, and beat down on them both as the doppelganger led her to a dip in the desert, filled with statues. Each had a plaque under it, and all of them seemed so familiar to her…

The first statue she came upon was called "The Soldier" a man poised for combat with a gun in his hand. The second statue was called "The Metal Man" This statue was adorned in armor and poised for flight. The third statue was titled "The Thunder Man" And thunder burst from his finger tips. The fourth statue was of a woman-spider hybrid and was named "The Black Widow Spider." The fifth was a hawk in mid-flight and so titled "The Hawk." The final statue she really couldn't quite make out. It was a giant, lumpy mass of rock. The plaque under it read cryptically "The Helpless One." And she felt a tug at her heartstrings, and tears sprung to her eyes. A sense of familiarity came over her…

The doppelganger pulled on her hand again, and took her to one, final place. A graveyard, equipped with tombstones, crows, bones, and a wrought-iron gate that seemed to screech "Stay." She turned and noticed the doppelganger was gone. She looked on the other side and heard weeping. She tried to call out but couldn't find her voice, she squinted towards the left but didn't manage to see anything through the green mist that began to form. She stumbled towards the figure, and noticed it was robed and crouched over a gravestone, sobbing quietly.

She placed her hand gently on the figures shoulder, attempting to comfort the mysterious figure. The figure turned, making her voicelessly gasp at what she saw. It was her face, much older and much more primal looking. Fangs descended from her lips, and her eyes were more feline than human. Fur covered the face, and was spotted like a leopard. Jericho took a few steps back, tripping over a skeletal hand adorned with a familiar ring: Her Mother's Ring! She reached for it only for it to disappear into dust along with the hand.

Her primal self attacked mercilessly, swiping at her with razor sharp claws. She tripped backwards and feel into a dark hole filled with corpses and bones. She began to cry till she heard faint, familiar whispering.

She strained to listen "Control your primal side. Defeat it and become one with yourself Shifter, take the weapon from the stairs child…Harness the power…harness the power…"

The voice faded out, she scrambled out of the dank hole while wiping away her tears with a grubby, dirt stained hand smudging more filth on her persons. The monster was at her heels as she skipped up the stairs towards the open door to the catacombs. She slid easily through the door, and spotted something shiny towards the end of the cluttered hallway. Her powers were useless in this void, so she walked blindly through the dark. And felt things slither and crawl over her, giving her the shivers as she came closer and closer to her goal. The hands of the dead reached out to her as she heard them moan pleas for help and comfort in this dark abyss. She tuned them out and continued her gross trek.

She reached the platform where the blade rested. It looked brand new compared to it's surroundings. She touched the pommel, and felt it fuse to her. A new sense of power came over here as she now began the descent towards her opponent. She heard it yowling and screaming, trying desperately to enter the catacombs and consume her humanity.

It's voice was deep as it spoke "You cannot defeat me, you have no power here…"

She finally found her voice " I can defeat you, and I do have power. You cannot best me!"

She swung at it's face, blood squirted from it as it recoiled back, tumbling down the stairs screaming obscenities at her. She slid through the door again, and chased it down the stairs, the sword aimed at it's heart.

Before she could make the final plunge Mahout whispered again "Remove the head, not the heart. You still want your powers don't you?"

She stopped in mid-swing. Did she want to keep her powers, did she want to live with the dread that she might loose her humanity in the fight for good? Her mind raced a million miles a minute as she stared down at the broken figure of her primal side crouching in fear, covering it's face with it's arm.

She called out quietly "Yes, I can live with the dread…"

With a loud, feral scream she swung, removing the beast's head with one swing. It's mouth open in surprise as it rolled onto the cement and bleed out. It moaned desperately, and it along with it's body began to melt into the pavement creating a swirling vortex similar to the one she was in earlier.

So it was done, she had conquered the animal. Would it be permanent though, would the urge always be there with her like a malignant tumor? She tossed the bloody sword aside, and leaped into the void only to return back to her original state. Jericho opened her eyes, her body damp with sweat. She shivered as a new calm came over her, a calm she hadn't felt since she was much younger. Shifter peered at her arms, blood trickled down as she realized she had scratched herself, and she stared blankly at the wounds.

Mahout awoke from his trance, and immediately began to cleanse the wounds that she had inflicted upon herself. The Medicine Man was still afraid for her, he would not tell her this but the monster wasn't completely gone. The urge would always be there, and if she didn't control it…it would spread like a cancer and she would never be rid of it. He lovingly wiped the tears from her eyes, and held onto her as she continued to weep and shiver, the tears soaking his grayed chest. His heart pounding like hers…

He whispered to her gently "Shifter, now that you are one. You can began to cleanse and heal the burns inside your heart."

Jericho awoke with a start, her head and heart pounding. Sweat poured from her as she swung her feet around the bed. She hadn't thought of that in years, and she wondered what made her think of it now?

AN: Review and Subscribe please!