Disclaimer, Summary, ect.: See first chapter.
Author's Notes: Sorry it's been so long between chaps, guys. Kat's computer went down for awhile, and you all know that I don't post without her, I can't. Literally. My computer won't do it, so she posts all my fics for me. Aren't friends great? Anyways, MissKitie and I are putting in a couple of characters of our own to this. Aris belongs to MissKitie, so please don't use her in anything else, 'k? And the Wolf Demon is my idea, you can use that, but please mail me and ask first. Now, without further adieu, chapter 10....
Chapter Authored By: Tigerwolf (yep, I'm back!) =)
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Chapter 10
Quite A Tail To Tell
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"How do we know we can trust you?" I asked the woman. Though some part of me automatically trusted her. She looked like an angel, a real one. "I mean, you say that the Powers sent you, but how do we know that you aren't lying?"
The mysterious woman smiled again, and I noticed her eyes for the first time. I'd never seen a shade of blue quite like that before. It was almost mesmerizing. Still, I stepped forward to be closer to Cordy. If this stranger did try anything, I'd personally rip her head off before I'd let anything happen to Cordy.
"You want me to prove my allegiance?" she said, looking at me with those amazing eyes. It was hard for me to feel threatened at all, it was almost like looking at love embodied. Cordy put a hand on my arm. If it was to steady me, or her, I don't know.
"My name is Aris," she said, holding her hand out to me. I looked at it for a minute, then hesitantly took her hand. A warm, pleasurable wave passed through me. I relaxed, suddenly. Even though I didn't know why, everything suddenly made perfect sense. Of course she's here, why wouldn't she be?
"I protect the innocent, those who cannot protect themselves," Aris said, breaking the handshake and smiling at me. I couldn't help but smile back. "I was sent to protect Connor, but then Sahjhan interfered and a rip in realities was created. Connor was never meant to come here, however, I am a defender, not an attacker. So I sent for all of you."
"Sent for us?" Wes asked, speaking up for the first time in a while.
"The dreams," Cordy and I said together. Aris smiled at us.
"Yes, the dreams. With a little help from a mutual acquaintance of ours."
"Doyle?" Cordy asked quietly. I put my arm around her.
"Yes. A stubborn man, but useful. And very loyal to his friends."
A single tear slid down Cordy's cheek, I gently brushed it away. I had the sudden urge to kiss her, and Aris smiled at me again. I wished that she'd stop doing that, it made me feel all warm inside. Not a bad feeling, but not one that was really appropriate at the time, either.
"So, you were sent to protect Connor?" Fred asked as she and Gunn slowly stepped from the shadows, their arms around each other.
"Yes, that is my mission."
"Cool," Gunn said. "So, any idea where to find him?"
"I maintain a telepathic connection with my charges at all times, but it is not exactly specific as to where they are located. I mostly just feel their emotions and, sometimes, their thoughts."
"Is Connor... Is he okay?" I asked, even though I was a little scared of the answer.
Aris smiled at me again. "He's fine. Now. He was a little nervous earlier, but I think that was just the surroundings. I can tell you that he doesn't like Sahjhan, or Holtz."
"That's got to be Connor," Cordy said happily. "He really takes after his dad. Well, you know, aside from the whole "blood-sucking demon" thing."
"Do you have any idea where to start looking?" I asked, ignoring Cordy's jibe.
"As I get closer to my charge, the child's emotions get stronger. I believe we can locate him that way."
"Umm," Lorne said, stepping forward for the first time. "There is just one little, teeny-tiny problem. Angel and I are pretty much the only ones who can remotely blend in out there. So what do we do about Wes, Gunn, Fred, and Cordy? They're going to stick out like sore thumbs."
"Lorne's right," Cordy said. "We won't be helpful at all if something decides to eat us."
"I believe I may be of some assistance," Aris said. "I am capable of slightly manipulating the perceptions of other beings so that I may pass by them unnoticed. Allow me to demonstrate."
There was a flash of light, and there was a Qualloth demon where Aris had stood only a few seconds before. On reflex, all of us raised whatever weapons were available to us. But then we heard Aris. "Do not fear, it's still me. I have changed your perceptions to see me as a demon. This is how I have been looking around the town."
Light flashed again, and Aris was back. "If you all stay within ten feet of me, I can make sure you are seen as demons, not humans." She looked at me. "And, Angel, it is most important that you disguise yourself as well. As of the moment you entered this world, there have been two of you."
"Two of me?" I said, then it hit me. "Oh no. You mean that Angelus is here, somewhere."
"Precisely."
"Oh great," Cordy said. "Like I really needed to meet him again."
I gave Cordy a sideways look, then turned back to Aris. "Doing this camouflaging stuff won't dampen your ability to sense Connor, will it?"
"No. The two are unconnected."
"Well then," Wes said. "I say we move on, we have a lot of town to cover. And who knows how much time we have left."
As we all walked out the door again, the air around us seemed to shimmer slightly. Even though we still looked the same to me, I knew that everyone around us was seeing a group of Qualloth demons strolling down the street.
"Keep your voices down," Aris whispered. "I can disguise our appearances, but I can't change our voices."
"Got it," Cordy whispered. "Let's just not talk, we'll just motion if we see something."
We wandered along for what seemed like forever. I knew from personal experience how hard it is to track someone just by a sense that they were close. It always had taken me forever to find Darla in a crowd, when there were too many people around to track by scent. It was like trying to locate a specific fry in a McDonalds, simply by knowing how many grains of salt were on the particular fry that you were looking for. I did know that Connor was around here, somewhere. I could feel him.
When someone loses a limb, sometimes they can still feel it. The hand won't unclench, even though it has been replaced by a hook. The knee is cramping, even though there's no leg to stand on. Phantom pains, they call it. That's what this was like, like I could reach out and touch something that had been severed from me. Connor was rapidly becoming an itch, an itch that I could almost, but not quite, scratch. It was an exciting feeling, though a slightly annoying one.
We were near the old Expresso Pump, which was now serving heated blood and assorted other demon and human parts, judging by the smell. There was something moving in the back alley. I was suddenly curious, I asked Aris to stop for a moment so that I could check it out. I left the partial safety of Aris' vision shield, and when I looked back, all I saw was six Qualloth demons, watching me. Even though I knew that they were really my friends, it was still a little unnerving. Especially since Qualloth demons are closely related to Torture demons (the big, four armed things), and I don't think I even have to say how much those things scare me.
I crept down the alley, holding a small broad sword that I'd had strapped to my back. There was a rattling sound coming from the garbage cans, and I could see a big black tail sticking out from among the trash. It looked like a dog. I lowered my sword a little.
"I think it's just a dog," I quietly called to the others. Then the "dog" raised its huge head, and I realized my mistake too late. It was a Wolf demon. The purebred demon form of a werewolf. This was the type of creature that gave rise to entire packs of werewolves, simply by biting one human. It was pure black from head to tail, with protruding, saber-like teeth, and long sharp claws. But what really got your attention, and proved that this was no deformed dog, were the eyes. They were bright red, and they glowed with an eerie light, as if they were lit from inside. The Wolf demon curled its lip back and bared its saber fangs.
I only had one thought.
"Oh, shit."
The Wolf sprang!
I dodged to the side and grabbed its hind legs to keep it from attacking my friends. It whirled around and snapped at me, missing by mere inches. Only my vampire speed kept me from having my face rearranged. But this put me in a bad position, I was on my back. The Wolf leaped at me again, I rolled out of the way, but it managed to rake its claws across my arm as it flew past. I roared, going game face, and grabbed the Wolf by its neck and back, then I flung it headfirst into an alley wall. And I do mean "into"… its upper body went clean through the wall. It yelped on impact, but then was still.
I walked over to it and checked for a pulse. There wasn't one. It was dead. On my way back to my friends, I retrieved my sword, which I had dropped during my fight with the Wolf.
"Hey," Cordy whispered as I reentered the illusion Aris was still maintaining. "Are you alright? Let me see your arm."
"Cordy," I said tolerantly. "I'm fine. It's only a scratch, and I heal fast, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember. But that doesn't mean I have to like it."
I grinned. Cordy always let's you know exactly how she feels, one way or another.
We continued to roam the streets of this shadow version of Sunnydale. I was beginning to agree with Spike's assessment, at least in this universe, this was Sunnyhell.
The constant red lighting and the heat made the illusion complete. Believe me, spending three hours walking around in a sealed illusion with four sweaty humans and one demon was not a good place to have a vampire's sense of smell. It ranked right up there with a locker room, or a gym.
Not fun.
And, as an added bonus, there seemed to be something wrong with the back of my pants. They were beginning to feel tight, worse than those leather ones that Angelus was so fond of. So I did what anyone in that position would do: I fidgeted. After about the fourth time I'd attempted to loosen my pants, Cordy must have noticed.
"What's wrong, Angel," she joked. "Got a wedgie?"
"Very funny. It's like my pants don't fit all of a sudden."
"Did you feed too much before we left?"
"No. And vampires don't gain and lose weight that easily."
"Lucky them. So what's wrong?"
"I don't know."
"What's going on back there?" Wesley whispered.
"Good question," I muttered, fiddling with my pants for a fifth time.
"Angel's pants are suddenly too tight in the hindquarters," Cordy provided, playfully swatting my butt. I half growled, just so she wouldn't notice that I really hadn't minded.
"Well, you can't walk very fast if you keep fidgeting like that," Wes said. "Aris, could we stop for a moment? Angel seems to be having a... um... personal problem."
"Of course," Aris answered. "There is an alley over there. It seems private enough."
"Ow," I said. Now my lower back was hurting, like I had a bad cramp in my spine. "Thanks, Aris."
I walked into the alley after we were out of sight of the street and ducked behind a dumpster.
I unbuckled my belt and slowly slid my pants down my legs. The pressure on my back was released, but not all the way. I was beginning to have a decidedly bad feeling as I reached around behind myself and felt a very strange lump. Working on an instinct, I tore a small hole in the back of my boxers. Instantly, all of the pain and pressure was relieved. And, I felt a new part of my anatomy swaying behind me. I looked over my shoulder and couldn't believe what I saw.
I picked up my pants and tore a corresponding hole in the back seam, then I slipped them back on, making sure that my new appendage was through the hole. Then I called for Cordy.
"What is it, Angel?" she said, peeking around the dumpster.
"Uh, Cordy? Can I ask you to do something?"
"That depends. What's the something?"
"Well, I'm going to turn around, and you're going to tell me if you notice anything different about me, okay?"
"Okay."
I slowly turned until my back was to her.
"See anything?" I asked.
"Um, Angel?"
"Yeah?"
"You have a tail."
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TBC.....
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Author's Note: HA! Bet none of you expected that, huh? Review, and you'll get to see where this is going next....
Author's Notes: Sorry it's been so long between chaps, guys. Kat's computer went down for awhile, and you all know that I don't post without her, I can't. Literally. My computer won't do it, so she posts all my fics for me. Aren't friends great? Anyways, MissKitie and I are putting in a couple of characters of our own to this. Aris belongs to MissKitie, so please don't use her in anything else, 'k? And the Wolf Demon is my idea, you can use that, but please mail me and ask first. Now, without further adieu, chapter 10....
Chapter Authored By: Tigerwolf (yep, I'm back!) =)
==++==++==++==++==
Chapter 10
Quite A Tail To Tell
==++==++==++==++==
"How do we know we can trust you?" I asked the woman. Though some part of me automatically trusted her. She looked like an angel, a real one. "I mean, you say that the Powers sent you, but how do we know that you aren't lying?"
The mysterious woman smiled again, and I noticed her eyes for the first time. I'd never seen a shade of blue quite like that before. It was almost mesmerizing. Still, I stepped forward to be closer to Cordy. If this stranger did try anything, I'd personally rip her head off before I'd let anything happen to Cordy.
"You want me to prove my allegiance?" she said, looking at me with those amazing eyes. It was hard for me to feel threatened at all, it was almost like looking at love embodied. Cordy put a hand on my arm. If it was to steady me, or her, I don't know.
"My name is Aris," she said, holding her hand out to me. I looked at it for a minute, then hesitantly took her hand. A warm, pleasurable wave passed through me. I relaxed, suddenly. Even though I didn't know why, everything suddenly made perfect sense. Of course she's here, why wouldn't she be?
"I protect the innocent, those who cannot protect themselves," Aris said, breaking the handshake and smiling at me. I couldn't help but smile back. "I was sent to protect Connor, but then Sahjhan interfered and a rip in realities was created. Connor was never meant to come here, however, I am a defender, not an attacker. So I sent for all of you."
"Sent for us?" Wes asked, speaking up for the first time in a while.
"The dreams," Cordy and I said together. Aris smiled at us.
"Yes, the dreams. With a little help from a mutual acquaintance of ours."
"Doyle?" Cordy asked quietly. I put my arm around her.
"Yes. A stubborn man, but useful. And very loyal to his friends."
A single tear slid down Cordy's cheek, I gently brushed it away. I had the sudden urge to kiss her, and Aris smiled at me again. I wished that she'd stop doing that, it made me feel all warm inside. Not a bad feeling, but not one that was really appropriate at the time, either.
"So, you were sent to protect Connor?" Fred asked as she and Gunn slowly stepped from the shadows, their arms around each other.
"Yes, that is my mission."
"Cool," Gunn said. "So, any idea where to find him?"
"I maintain a telepathic connection with my charges at all times, but it is not exactly specific as to where they are located. I mostly just feel their emotions and, sometimes, their thoughts."
"Is Connor... Is he okay?" I asked, even though I was a little scared of the answer.
Aris smiled at me again. "He's fine. Now. He was a little nervous earlier, but I think that was just the surroundings. I can tell you that he doesn't like Sahjhan, or Holtz."
"That's got to be Connor," Cordy said happily. "He really takes after his dad. Well, you know, aside from the whole "blood-sucking demon" thing."
"Do you have any idea where to start looking?" I asked, ignoring Cordy's jibe.
"As I get closer to my charge, the child's emotions get stronger. I believe we can locate him that way."
"Umm," Lorne said, stepping forward for the first time. "There is just one little, teeny-tiny problem. Angel and I are pretty much the only ones who can remotely blend in out there. So what do we do about Wes, Gunn, Fred, and Cordy? They're going to stick out like sore thumbs."
"Lorne's right," Cordy said. "We won't be helpful at all if something decides to eat us."
"I believe I may be of some assistance," Aris said. "I am capable of slightly manipulating the perceptions of other beings so that I may pass by them unnoticed. Allow me to demonstrate."
There was a flash of light, and there was a Qualloth demon where Aris had stood only a few seconds before. On reflex, all of us raised whatever weapons were available to us. But then we heard Aris. "Do not fear, it's still me. I have changed your perceptions to see me as a demon. This is how I have been looking around the town."
Light flashed again, and Aris was back. "If you all stay within ten feet of me, I can make sure you are seen as demons, not humans." She looked at me. "And, Angel, it is most important that you disguise yourself as well. As of the moment you entered this world, there have been two of you."
"Two of me?" I said, then it hit me. "Oh no. You mean that Angelus is here, somewhere."
"Precisely."
"Oh great," Cordy said. "Like I really needed to meet him again."
I gave Cordy a sideways look, then turned back to Aris. "Doing this camouflaging stuff won't dampen your ability to sense Connor, will it?"
"No. The two are unconnected."
"Well then," Wes said. "I say we move on, we have a lot of town to cover. And who knows how much time we have left."
As we all walked out the door again, the air around us seemed to shimmer slightly. Even though we still looked the same to me, I knew that everyone around us was seeing a group of Qualloth demons strolling down the street.
"Keep your voices down," Aris whispered. "I can disguise our appearances, but I can't change our voices."
"Got it," Cordy whispered. "Let's just not talk, we'll just motion if we see something."
We wandered along for what seemed like forever. I knew from personal experience how hard it is to track someone just by a sense that they were close. It always had taken me forever to find Darla in a crowd, when there were too many people around to track by scent. It was like trying to locate a specific fry in a McDonalds, simply by knowing how many grains of salt were on the particular fry that you were looking for. I did know that Connor was around here, somewhere. I could feel him.
When someone loses a limb, sometimes they can still feel it. The hand won't unclench, even though it has been replaced by a hook. The knee is cramping, even though there's no leg to stand on. Phantom pains, they call it. That's what this was like, like I could reach out and touch something that had been severed from me. Connor was rapidly becoming an itch, an itch that I could almost, but not quite, scratch. It was an exciting feeling, though a slightly annoying one.
We were near the old Expresso Pump, which was now serving heated blood and assorted other demon and human parts, judging by the smell. There was something moving in the back alley. I was suddenly curious, I asked Aris to stop for a moment so that I could check it out. I left the partial safety of Aris' vision shield, and when I looked back, all I saw was six Qualloth demons, watching me. Even though I knew that they were really my friends, it was still a little unnerving. Especially since Qualloth demons are closely related to Torture demons (the big, four armed things), and I don't think I even have to say how much those things scare me.
I crept down the alley, holding a small broad sword that I'd had strapped to my back. There was a rattling sound coming from the garbage cans, and I could see a big black tail sticking out from among the trash. It looked like a dog. I lowered my sword a little.
"I think it's just a dog," I quietly called to the others. Then the "dog" raised its huge head, and I realized my mistake too late. It was a Wolf demon. The purebred demon form of a werewolf. This was the type of creature that gave rise to entire packs of werewolves, simply by biting one human. It was pure black from head to tail, with protruding, saber-like teeth, and long sharp claws. But what really got your attention, and proved that this was no deformed dog, were the eyes. They were bright red, and they glowed with an eerie light, as if they were lit from inside. The Wolf demon curled its lip back and bared its saber fangs.
I only had one thought.
"Oh, shit."
The Wolf sprang!
I dodged to the side and grabbed its hind legs to keep it from attacking my friends. It whirled around and snapped at me, missing by mere inches. Only my vampire speed kept me from having my face rearranged. But this put me in a bad position, I was on my back. The Wolf leaped at me again, I rolled out of the way, but it managed to rake its claws across my arm as it flew past. I roared, going game face, and grabbed the Wolf by its neck and back, then I flung it headfirst into an alley wall. And I do mean "into"… its upper body went clean through the wall. It yelped on impact, but then was still.
I walked over to it and checked for a pulse. There wasn't one. It was dead. On my way back to my friends, I retrieved my sword, which I had dropped during my fight with the Wolf.
"Hey," Cordy whispered as I reentered the illusion Aris was still maintaining. "Are you alright? Let me see your arm."
"Cordy," I said tolerantly. "I'm fine. It's only a scratch, and I heal fast, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember. But that doesn't mean I have to like it."
I grinned. Cordy always let's you know exactly how she feels, one way or another.
We continued to roam the streets of this shadow version of Sunnydale. I was beginning to agree with Spike's assessment, at least in this universe, this was Sunnyhell.
The constant red lighting and the heat made the illusion complete. Believe me, spending three hours walking around in a sealed illusion with four sweaty humans and one demon was not a good place to have a vampire's sense of smell. It ranked right up there with a locker room, or a gym.
Not fun.
And, as an added bonus, there seemed to be something wrong with the back of my pants. They were beginning to feel tight, worse than those leather ones that Angelus was so fond of. So I did what anyone in that position would do: I fidgeted. After about the fourth time I'd attempted to loosen my pants, Cordy must have noticed.
"What's wrong, Angel," she joked. "Got a wedgie?"
"Very funny. It's like my pants don't fit all of a sudden."
"Did you feed too much before we left?"
"No. And vampires don't gain and lose weight that easily."
"Lucky them. So what's wrong?"
"I don't know."
"What's going on back there?" Wesley whispered.
"Good question," I muttered, fiddling with my pants for a fifth time.
"Angel's pants are suddenly too tight in the hindquarters," Cordy provided, playfully swatting my butt. I half growled, just so she wouldn't notice that I really hadn't minded.
"Well, you can't walk very fast if you keep fidgeting like that," Wes said. "Aris, could we stop for a moment? Angel seems to be having a... um... personal problem."
"Of course," Aris answered. "There is an alley over there. It seems private enough."
"Ow," I said. Now my lower back was hurting, like I had a bad cramp in my spine. "Thanks, Aris."
I walked into the alley after we were out of sight of the street and ducked behind a dumpster.
I unbuckled my belt and slowly slid my pants down my legs. The pressure on my back was released, but not all the way. I was beginning to have a decidedly bad feeling as I reached around behind myself and felt a very strange lump. Working on an instinct, I tore a small hole in the back of my boxers. Instantly, all of the pain and pressure was relieved. And, I felt a new part of my anatomy swaying behind me. I looked over my shoulder and couldn't believe what I saw.
I picked up my pants and tore a corresponding hole in the back seam, then I slipped them back on, making sure that my new appendage was through the hole. Then I called for Cordy.
"What is it, Angel?" she said, peeking around the dumpster.
"Uh, Cordy? Can I ask you to do something?"
"That depends. What's the something?"
"Well, I'm going to turn around, and you're going to tell me if you notice anything different about me, okay?"
"Okay."
I slowly turned until my back was to her.
"See anything?" I asked.
"Um, Angel?"
"Yeah?"
"You have a tail."
==++==++==++==
TBC.....
==++==++==++==
Author's Note: HA! Bet none of you expected that, huh? Review, and you'll get to see where this is going next....