Hey, minna! Okay... I just want to say that I've plotted this fic and I
realize there are going to be a number of things in the rest of the story that
will offend a lot of your guy's Sailor Moonic sensibilites. I'm sorry, but it
is neccesary for the story!! Believe me. All I ask is you suspended all the
relationships in the cartoon and such. I'm going to be messing around with a
number of characters romantic ideals. ^_^ Please don't kill me!! All will be well.
Thank you to all the wonderful super fabulous people who commented on my
story! You all are the best! And huge thanks to my beta-reader! Love ya, Mee
mee-chan.
E-mail... OpiumChicken@yahoo.com
Website... http://ziskaames.tripod.com/stories/
Oh! One last thing, I promise.
denotes a scene change or time lapse.
~~~~~ is a change of POV. 'kay? Cool. ^_^
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. Oh well...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Moon Stalker"
Recorded by Ziska Ames
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER TWO
English Lit was just as boring as it always was, but the time
seemed to drag even more for Serena. She felt horrible about storming
out like that on her friends. And Darien and Diamond must think she
was a real brat. She sighed as the teacher lectured on and on about
something. She wasn't paying enough attention to notice what.
I'll apologize to Raye and Mina in the morning. Darien and
Diamond I'll apologize to when I see them. Pleased with her plan,
Serena sat back to wait for class to end.
After class Serena practically plowed through her classmates
to the door. She had to almost run to get to Mythology on time. It
was all the way on the other side of campus, but these were her only
classes for today. She sprinted up to the building with about a minute
to go and launched herself inside.
Sliding into her seat just as the teacher started the lesson
she tried to quietly calm her breathing. Calm... calm. After a
moment she was able to pay attention. She loved mythology and today's
lesson on the lineage of the Roman gods proved to be interesting.
"I can't believe she just left like that!" Raye ranted as she
and Mina headed to their last class, psychology. "That was so rude of
her!"
"I know, Raye. She had no reason to act like that. But you know
her, she just stiffens up around people she doesn't know. It took me
three months to convince her I really wanted to be her friend." Mina
attempted to soothe Raye before she drew a crowd.
"I know. She's just so aggravating sometimes. She needs to have
more fun."
"So why don't we all go dancing tomorrow night? I invited Darien
and Diamond and you and Serena came come to!" Mina's face lit up at the
plan.
"They might not want to go anymore if they know Serena's going.
They can't have taken that scene in the lunch room very well." Raye
sighed and shifted her books to a more comfortable position in her arms.
"Well... I'll just tell them she was having a bad day. She'll
be good. I know she will," Mina pleaded.
"You just want to hang out with Diamond and Darien," Raye
accused sourly.
"Well, don't you?" Mina countered.
Raye blushed and looked away. "That's not the point."
"It is too and we are all going whether you two like it or not,"
Mina said decisively, sticking her nose in the air like a haughty
aristocrat and using a tone that clearly said there were no two ways
about it.
Raye rolled her eyes. "Yes, your highness," She drawled
irritatingly.
Mina gasped indignantly and attempted to clobber her friend
with her math book. Raye ducked out of the way and shot down the path.
"Can't catch me!" she taunted.
Serena slammed the door to her apartment closed and tossed her
books on the couch. Luna opened one eye and glared at her reproachfully.
"What?" Serena asked irritably. Some how the class had managed
to get the professor off the topic of roman gods and on to the topic of
the recent attacks and the Moon Stalker's repetitive appearances. Serena
always felt uncomfortable when people talked about her secret identity
and hadn't even had a name till three months ago when Raye had insisted.
The priestess had practically begged Serena to choose a name.
Till then people had referred to her as the person-who-showed-up-to-take-
out-the-bad-guys. For some reason Raye hadn't liked that persona and had
insisted that Serena choose a name for her alter identity. Moon Stalker
had actually been Luna's suggestion.
That had surprised Serena into agreeing. Luna never did anything
remotely frivolous and if she liked the idea it was probably in Serena's
best interests to agree.
The class discussion of herself and the monsters had made Serena
incredibly uncomfortable. It was hard for her to join into such talks
when she knew she was talking about herself. She had set in the back of
the class and attempted to ignore everyone till her friend Amy had
decided that Serena needed to join in.
She'd spent the rest of class trying to be interested and not
look guilty or as if she knew something she wasn't telling. As far as
she could tell, it had worked. But she was still on edge when she got
back to her apartment.
Luna had long since jumped off the couch and walked to Serena's
bedroom door. Sitting in front of it she stared at Serena, waiting.
Serena grumbled and opened the door for her. "For a talking cat,
you sure need a lot of help."
Luna merely twitched her tail in answer as she nudged open
Serena's closet doors. Serena collapsed on the bed with her head in her
hands. "Oh Luna... not tonight."
Luna's answer was to grip a box in her teeth and pull it from
the closet. She nudged the top off with her nose and turned to face
Serena.
"Serena, you know the attacks are getting worse. Ever since
people realized vampires and zombies and such were real, they've been
attacking more often and even in public places. They don't have to hide
anymore. But this makes your job twice as tough. You have to do this,
Serena. The entire town depends on you." As if she was afraid that Serena
would find a way out of it Luna turned back to the box and tipped it over
on its side.
Out of it spilled Serena's slaying clothes. Serena stared at
them for a minute, then sighed and gave herself up to the inevitable.
Sneaking around sure has become easier with my hair like this.
I'm not half as worried about being in shadows all the time. Serena was
currently slipping in-between trees and dodging branches as she made her
way through her own beloved People's Park.
Almost immediately after stepping out of her building, she had
heard the howl of a wolf. She knew it had to be a werewolf, there weren't
any real wolves in Bloomington. Serena had slipped into the shadows,
blending well in her black jeans and dark blue turtleneck with the
half-mask obscuring her face, and started to make her way toward the
sound.
Serena swiftly moved through the trees, stalking the 'wolf. She
was sure the sound had come from inside People's Park. Which was good
and bad. Good because it couldn't have attacked more than one person at
a time, and bad because it was very isolated. Serena knew that by the
time she got there, the victim would probably already be dead. All she
could do for the poor person would be to revenge them by killing their
killer.
So she hurried towards the howl, which was repeated a moment
later. She almost ran straight into the clearing where the 'wolf was,
but managed to stop right on the edge.
Praying she would stay down wind of the 'wolf, she nimbly leapt
up into a tree and moved along its strong branches into the clearing.
When she was directly above the 'wolf, she glanced down,
grateful for the moonlight that illuminated the clearing.
What she saw was not what she expected. The 'wolf was actually a
beautiful animal with sleek black fur. Its muzzle was covered in the
blood of the young rabbit that lay half-eaten at its feet. It lifted its
head for a moment and purple eyes sparked as they looked around the clearing.
Serena tensed, afraid for a moment that the 'wolf had spotted her.
It left the rabbit for a minute to pace the perimeter of the circle,
sniffing cautiously. Serena held her breath as it made its way towards
her tree. It was sure to smell her on the ground and she would have to
be ready to fight it.
Reaching down silently she triggered the switch in her boot. The
hidden release shot the blade up into her hand and she quickly held it
behind her back so the moonlight wouldn't strike the pure silver and
alert the animal.
With careful sniffs the 'wolf arrived at her tree. Slowly it
sniffed the roots of the tree and growled lightly under its breath. Then
it backed up, shaking its head as if to deny what it had smelled.
Serena watched in confusion. Her plan had been to drop the knife
on the 'wolf once it was under her tree, but the animal's strange reaction
held her entranced and surprised.
The 'wolf shook its head again and growled lightly, peering up
into the branches of Serena's tree. She shifted slowly till the leaves
screened her from view and waited for what the 'wolf would do next.
The 'wolf growled a moment more, then tucked its tail between
its legs. Hunkering down to the ground it peered up into the tree and
whimpered lightly. Serena almost lost her perch from surprise. The 'wolf
was giving a display of complete submission!
For a moment her mind wondered if it was a trick to lure her
down, but that inside voice that she always trusted seemed to whisper
that this was true. This was no act.
Slowly, cautiously, Serena inched her way backwards on the
branches and slid down the trunk. She stepped out slowly, turning to
face the 'wolf. Blue eyes met purple and the 'wolf seemed to cower even
more.
Serena displayed the silver knife blatantly at her side as she
took a number of careful steps into the clearing. The 'wolf backed up,
keeping its tail tucked away and its head and body low to the ground.
Once Serena was in the clearing she nudged the dead rabbit with
her foot. "Couldn't find a plump enough human, 'wolf?" She growled at
the animal in front of her. She wasn't sure why she was provoking it.
That really was a stupid thing to do and almost a sure way to get killed
for someone less skilled then Serena. But her little voice again, the
one that never steered her wrong, was telling her to do this. To anger
the 'wolf into attacking her.
"What about me? I'm thin, but I bet I'm juicy. And all I have is
this little knife. Come on, puppy. You can take me." She hunkered down
herself, even getting on her knees in a position which was really hard
to fight from. The 'wolf shook its head and stayed where it was in its
own position of humility.
Serena growled at the 'wolf. "What's wrong with you? Why don't
you attack?"
The 'wolf peered up at her for a moment from its purple eyes.
Serena realized then just how vulnerable she was, and something about
those eyes struck a memory. Something she needed to know. She shook the
feeling off and brandished her teeth at the 'wolf. "Attack, damn you!"
Serena suddenly realized why she was so uncomfortable with this
'wolf, and why she couldn't just kill it. She usually didn't have any
scruples about attacking from behind, but then the creature had always
been feeding on a human. This 'wolf had been eating a rabbit. And now it
wasn't attacking. Her conscious wouldn't allow her to attack this 'wolf.
It wasn't acting like any other werewolf she had fought, and she wasn't
sure how to handle this.
"Maybe... maybe you're a real wolf," Serena said slowly, and out
loud. She was starting to feel silly. Of course, this must be a real wolf.
Any decent werewolf would have attacked by now. But a real wolf would
have sensed her dominance and showed that, exactly like this one was.
Serena got up off her knees and brushed the dirt away, embarrassed.
She kept the blade in her hand and shook it at the wolf. "Go on. Shoo,"
she said.
The wolf looked at her curiously and, keeping low to the ground,
started to inch its way towards her. Serena kept still, not sure how to
react till the wolf was hunkered right at her knee. Suddenly, its tongue
darted out and it licked her boot.
Serena suddenly started giggling. This whole situation was just
too strange, and suddenly things got stranger.
Somebody leaped out of the woods, hitting the wolf in midair and
knocking it away from Serena. She jumped backwards as the person and wolf
rolled around on the ground, striking out at each other. "Stop!" Serena
cried desperately. This person didn't understand, they probably thought
the wolf was attacking her. She had to stop them.
Immediately the wolf stopped fight and the person pinned it to
the ground. Serena stared uncertainly as the man, for it was a man as
Serena could now tell, wearily got up off the wolf and backed up till he
was near to her.
"You control this creature?" the man's voice was deep, probably
deeper than it was when he spoke normally. Serena couldn't see much of
him. Surprisingly, he was dressed a lot like her. Dark slacks covered
his long legs and blended almost completely with his black long-sleeved
shirt. Instead of a half-mask, he wore a hood, which completely covered
any hair he might have had and obscured his eyes. The only skin Serena
could see were his hands.
She stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Basically. It isn't
going to hurt me, but thank you anyway." It was an attempt at a
dismissal, but the man either didn't care or notice her intent.
"How? You must know this is a werewolf. You are in great danger
not killing it like that." Serena was startled. This man obviously knew
she wasn't a normal pedestrian. Then she remembered her clothing.
I'm about as subtle as he is. she thought ruefully. "No, this
is a real wolf. And it isn't going to hurt me." As if to prove her trust,
she slipped the blade into her boot and kneeled on the ground. The wolf
immediately leaped to its feet and trotted over to her. It sat next to
her, allowing her to scratch its head, and stared at the man. "So you
see, I'm fine," Serena said standing up. The wolf pressed itself against
her leg like a loyal pet and growled lightly at the man as if to say 'I
won't hurt her, but I will hurt you.' Without thinking Serena laid her
hand on the wolf's head and it stopped.
There was no way to tell what the man was thinking and Serena
was a little unnerved by the fact that this guy was quite a bit larger
than her and so well disguised she'd never be able to ID him. He just
stood there loosely and, as far as Serena could tell, stared at them.
"You are Moon Stalker," the man said suddenly, surprising Serena.
She thought about denying it, but decided it was useless.
"Yes. And you are?"
"The Mask," he said slowly. Serena frowned.
"You're supposed to be in Australia. How do I know you are the
real Mask?"
"You don't," he said softly and with a strange sense of finality.
"What are you doing here? No town is supposed to have more than
one slayer and I'm already staking this place." Serena was a little
surprised at her accusation. Earlier in the day she would have sworn that
she would be happy to turn this job over to someone else. Now she was
demanding that he leave?
"I came to find you," he said simply. "Now that I know you are
here, there are better times and places to discuss what we must. I will
be in touch, Moon Stalker," he said. And then he was gone. Serena blinked
stupidly at the place where he had been standing. She shook her head and
looked down at the wolf.
"Did that make sense to you?" she asked it. It stared up at her,
then seemed to smile. Then it was gone, too. Serena shook her head and
sighed.
"And this is only the beginning of the night." With another long
suffering sigh and a promise to herself to tell Luna and Raye about this
strange meeting, she continued her rounds of the town.
--------------------------
E-mail is wonderful! Send me some at OpiumChicken@yahoo.com or at least R/R.
Ja ne, minna!
Zi-chan
realize there are going to be a number of things in the rest of the story that
will offend a lot of your guy's Sailor Moonic sensibilites. I'm sorry, but it
is neccesary for the story!! Believe me. All I ask is you suspended all the
relationships in the cartoon and such. I'm going to be messing around with a
number of characters romantic ideals. ^_^ Please don't kill me!! All will be well.
Thank you to all the wonderful super fabulous people who commented on my
story! You all are the best! And huge thanks to my beta-reader! Love ya, Mee
mee-chan.
E-mail... OpiumChicken@yahoo.com
Website... http://ziskaames.tripod.com/stories/
Oh! One last thing, I promise.
denotes a scene change or time lapse.
~~~~~ is a change of POV. 'kay? Cool. ^_^
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. Oh well...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Moon Stalker"
Recorded by Ziska Ames
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CHAPTER TWO
English Lit was just as boring as it always was, but the time
seemed to drag even more for Serena. She felt horrible about storming
out like that on her friends. And Darien and Diamond must think she
was a real brat. She sighed as the teacher lectured on and on about
something. She wasn't paying enough attention to notice what.
I'll apologize to Raye and Mina in the morning. Darien and
Diamond I'll apologize to when I see them. Pleased with her plan,
Serena sat back to wait for class to end.
After class Serena practically plowed through her classmates
to the door. She had to almost run to get to Mythology on time. It
was all the way on the other side of campus, but these were her only
classes for today. She sprinted up to the building with about a minute
to go and launched herself inside.
Sliding into her seat just as the teacher started the lesson
she tried to quietly calm her breathing. Calm... calm. After a
moment she was able to pay attention. She loved mythology and today's
lesson on the lineage of the Roman gods proved to be interesting.
"I can't believe she just left like that!" Raye ranted as she
and Mina headed to their last class, psychology. "That was so rude of
her!"
"I know, Raye. She had no reason to act like that. But you know
her, she just stiffens up around people she doesn't know. It took me
three months to convince her I really wanted to be her friend." Mina
attempted to soothe Raye before she drew a crowd.
"I know. She's just so aggravating sometimes. She needs to have
more fun."
"So why don't we all go dancing tomorrow night? I invited Darien
and Diamond and you and Serena came come to!" Mina's face lit up at the
plan.
"They might not want to go anymore if they know Serena's going.
They can't have taken that scene in the lunch room very well." Raye
sighed and shifted her books to a more comfortable position in her arms.
"Well... I'll just tell them she was having a bad day. She'll
be good. I know she will," Mina pleaded.
"You just want to hang out with Diamond and Darien," Raye
accused sourly.
"Well, don't you?" Mina countered.
Raye blushed and looked away. "That's not the point."
"It is too and we are all going whether you two like it or not,"
Mina said decisively, sticking her nose in the air like a haughty
aristocrat and using a tone that clearly said there were no two ways
about it.
Raye rolled her eyes. "Yes, your highness," She drawled
irritatingly.
Mina gasped indignantly and attempted to clobber her friend
with her math book. Raye ducked out of the way and shot down the path.
"Can't catch me!" she taunted.
Serena slammed the door to her apartment closed and tossed her
books on the couch. Luna opened one eye and glared at her reproachfully.
"What?" Serena asked irritably. Some how the class had managed
to get the professor off the topic of roman gods and on to the topic of
the recent attacks and the Moon Stalker's repetitive appearances. Serena
always felt uncomfortable when people talked about her secret identity
and hadn't even had a name till three months ago when Raye had insisted.
The priestess had practically begged Serena to choose a name.
Till then people had referred to her as the person-who-showed-up-to-take-
out-the-bad-guys. For some reason Raye hadn't liked that persona and had
insisted that Serena choose a name for her alter identity. Moon Stalker
had actually been Luna's suggestion.
That had surprised Serena into agreeing. Luna never did anything
remotely frivolous and if she liked the idea it was probably in Serena's
best interests to agree.
The class discussion of herself and the monsters had made Serena
incredibly uncomfortable. It was hard for her to join into such talks
when she knew she was talking about herself. She had set in the back of
the class and attempted to ignore everyone till her friend Amy had
decided that Serena needed to join in.
She'd spent the rest of class trying to be interested and not
look guilty or as if she knew something she wasn't telling. As far as
she could tell, it had worked. But she was still on edge when she got
back to her apartment.
Luna had long since jumped off the couch and walked to Serena's
bedroom door. Sitting in front of it she stared at Serena, waiting.
Serena grumbled and opened the door for her. "For a talking cat,
you sure need a lot of help."
Luna merely twitched her tail in answer as she nudged open
Serena's closet doors. Serena collapsed on the bed with her head in her
hands. "Oh Luna... not tonight."
Luna's answer was to grip a box in her teeth and pull it from
the closet. She nudged the top off with her nose and turned to face
Serena.
"Serena, you know the attacks are getting worse. Ever since
people realized vampires and zombies and such were real, they've been
attacking more often and even in public places. They don't have to hide
anymore. But this makes your job twice as tough. You have to do this,
Serena. The entire town depends on you." As if she was afraid that Serena
would find a way out of it Luna turned back to the box and tipped it over
on its side.
Out of it spilled Serena's slaying clothes. Serena stared at
them for a minute, then sighed and gave herself up to the inevitable.
Sneaking around sure has become easier with my hair like this.
I'm not half as worried about being in shadows all the time. Serena was
currently slipping in-between trees and dodging branches as she made her
way through her own beloved People's Park.
Almost immediately after stepping out of her building, she had
heard the howl of a wolf. She knew it had to be a werewolf, there weren't
any real wolves in Bloomington. Serena had slipped into the shadows,
blending well in her black jeans and dark blue turtleneck with the
half-mask obscuring her face, and started to make her way toward the
sound.
Serena swiftly moved through the trees, stalking the 'wolf. She
was sure the sound had come from inside People's Park. Which was good
and bad. Good because it couldn't have attacked more than one person at
a time, and bad because it was very isolated. Serena knew that by the
time she got there, the victim would probably already be dead. All she
could do for the poor person would be to revenge them by killing their
killer.
So she hurried towards the howl, which was repeated a moment
later. She almost ran straight into the clearing where the 'wolf was,
but managed to stop right on the edge.
Praying she would stay down wind of the 'wolf, she nimbly leapt
up into a tree and moved along its strong branches into the clearing.
When she was directly above the 'wolf, she glanced down,
grateful for the moonlight that illuminated the clearing.
What she saw was not what she expected. The 'wolf was actually a
beautiful animal with sleek black fur. Its muzzle was covered in the
blood of the young rabbit that lay half-eaten at its feet. It lifted its
head for a moment and purple eyes sparked as they looked around the clearing.
Serena tensed, afraid for a moment that the 'wolf had spotted her.
It left the rabbit for a minute to pace the perimeter of the circle,
sniffing cautiously. Serena held her breath as it made its way towards
her tree. It was sure to smell her on the ground and she would have to
be ready to fight it.
Reaching down silently she triggered the switch in her boot. The
hidden release shot the blade up into her hand and she quickly held it
behind her back so the moonlight wouldn't strike the pure silver and
alert the animal.
With careful sniffs the 'wolf arrived at her tree. Slowly it
sniffed the roots of the tree and growled lightly under its breath. Then
it backed up, shaking its head as if to deny what it had smelled.
Serena watched in confusion. Her plan had been to drop the knife
on the 'wolf once it was under her tree, but the animal's strange reaction
held her entranced and surprised.
The 'wolf shook its head again and growled lightly, peering up
into the branches of Serena's tree. She shifted slowly till the leaves
screened her from view and waited for what the 'wolf would do next.
The 'wolf growled a moment more, then tucked its tail between
its legs. Hunkering down to the ground it peered up into the tree and
whimpered lightly. Serena almost lost her perch from surprise. The 'wolf
was giving a display of complete submission!
For a moment her mind wondered if it was a trick to lure her
down, but that inside voice that she always trusted seemed to whisper
that this was true. This was no act.
Slowly, cautiously, Serena inched her way backwards on the
branches and slid down the trunk. She stepped out slowly, turning to
face the 'wolf. Blue eyes met purple and the 'wolf seemed to cower even
more.
Serena displayed the silver knife blatantly at her side as she
took a number of careful steps into the clearing. The 'wolf backed up,
keeping its tail tucked away and its head and body low to the ground.
Once Serena was in the clearing she nudged the dead rabbit with
her foot. "Couldn't find a plump enough human, 'wolf?" She growled at
the animal in front of her. She wasn't sure why she was provoking it.
That really was a stupid thing to do and almost a sure way to get killed
for someone less skilled then Serena. But her little voice again, the
one that never steered her wrong, was telling her to do this. To anger
the 'wolf into attacking her.
"What about me? I'm thin, but I bet I'm juicy. And all I have is
this little knife. Come on, puppy. You can take me." She hunkered down
herself, even getting on her knees in a position which was really hard
to fight from. The 'wolf shook its head and stayed where it was in its
own position of humility.
Serena growled at the 'wolf. "What's wrong with you? Why don't
you attack?"
The 'wolf peered up at her for a moment from its purple eyes.
Serena realized then just how vulnerable she was, and something about
those eyes struck a memory. Something she needed to know. She shook the
feeling off and brandished her teeth at the 'wolf. "Attack, damn you!"
Serena suddenly realized why she was so uncomfortable with this
'wolf, and why she couldn't just kill it. She usually didn't have any
scruples about attacking from behind, but then the creature had always
been feeding on a human. This 'wolf had been eating a rabbit. And now it
wasn't attacking. Her conscious wouldn't allow her to attack this 'wolf.
It wasn't acting like any other werewolf she had fought, and she wasn't
sure how to handle this.
"Maybe... maybe you're a real wolf," Serena said slowly, and out
loud. She was starting to feel silly. Of course, this must be a real wolf.
Any decent werewolf would have attacked by now. But a real wolf would
have sensed her dominance and showed that, exactly like this one was.
Serena got up off her knees and brushed the dirt away, embarrassed.
She kept the blade in her hand and shook it at the wolf. "Go on. Shoo,"
she said.
The wolf looked at her curiously and, keeping low to the ground,
started to inch its way towards her. Serena kept still, not sure how to
react till the wolf was hunkered right at her knee. Suddenly, its tongue
darted out and it licked her boot.
Serena suddenly started giggling. This whole situation was just
too strange, and suddenly things got stranger.
Somebody leaped out of the woods, hitting the wolf in midair and
knocking it away from Serena. She jumped backwards as the person and wolf
rolled around on the ground, striking out at each other. "Stop!" Serena
cried desperately. This person didn't understand, they probably thought
the wolf was attacking her. She had to stop them.
Immediately the wolf stopped fight and the person pinned it to
the ground. Serena stared uncertainly as the man, for it was a man as
Serena could now tell, wearily got up off the wolf and backed up till he
was near to her.
"You control this creature?" the man's voice was deep, probably
deeper than it was when he spoke normally. Serena couldn't see much of
him. Surprisingly, he was dressed a lot like her. Dark slacks covered
his long legs and blended almost completely with his black long-sleeved
shirt. Instead of a half-mask, he wore a hood, which completely covered
any hair he might have had and obscured his eyes. The only skin Serena
could see were his hands.
She stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Basically. It isn't
going to hurt me, but thank you anyway." It was an attempt at a
dismissal, but the man either didn't care or notice her intent.
"How? You must know this is a werewolf. You are in great danger
not killing it like that." Serena was startled. This man obviously knew
she wasn't a normal pedestrian. Then she remembered her clothing.
I'm about as subtle as he is. she thought ruefully. "No, this
is a real wolf. And it isn't going to hurt me." As if to prove her trust,
she slipped the blade into her boot and kneeled on the ground. The wolf
immediately leaped to its feet and trotted over to her. It sat next to
her, allowing her to scratch its head, and stared at the man. "So you
see, I'm fine," Serena said standing up. The wolf pressed itself against
her leg like a loyal pet and growled lightly at the man as if to say 'I
won't hurt her, but I will hurt you.' Without thinking Serena laid her
hand on the wolf's head and it stopped.
There was no way to tell what the man was thinking and Serena
was a little unnerved by the fact that this guy was quite a bit larger
than her and so well disguised she'd never be able to ID him. He just
stood there loosely and, as far as Serena could tell, stared at them.
"You are Moon Stalker," the man said suddenly, surprising Serena.
She thought about denying it, but decided it was useless.
"Yes. And you are?"
"The Mask," he said slowly. Serena frowned.
"You're supposed to be in Australia. How do I know you are the
real Mask?"
"You don't," he said softly and with a strange sense of finality.
"What are you doing here? No town is supposed to have more than
one slayer and I'm already staking this place." Serena was a little
surprised at her accusation. Earlier in the day she would have sworn that
she would be happy to turn this job over to someone else. Now she was
demanding that he leave?
"I came to find you," he said simply. "Now that I know you are
here, there are better times and places to discuss what we must. I will
be in touch, Moon Stalker," he said. And then he was gone. Serena blinked
stupidly at the place where he had been standing. She shook her head and
looked down at the wolf.
"Did that make sense to you?" she asked it. It stared up at her,
then seemed to smile. Then it was gone, too. Serena shook her head and
sighed.
"And this is only the beginning of the night." With another long
suffering sigh and a promise to herself to tell Luna and Raye about this
strange meeting, she continued her rounds of the town.
--------------------------
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Ja ne, minna!
Zi-chan