A/N: Here it is! Things get creepier in this one, so read on with caution…mwahaha. o.o This time, the voice was taken from Harry Potter (the basilisk). Borrowed this next conversation from LotR…I thought it fit perfectly. )

With a glance to Mordi, Kash eased the sword from its scabbard, and cautiously approached the door. All within a space of a second, the feline opened the door, hit whatever was there with the flat of his weapon, swore loudly, and pulled Tam in by the scruff of his neck.

"Blood and bloody ashes! Tam Althir, have you been eavesdropping?!"

"No, sir, I haven't been dropping any eaves…sir…" Tam said quickly, with a sporadic glance to the sword.

Kash gave him a stern look, and dropped him to the floor with no semblance of gentleness. "What have you heard?" the feline said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Umm…something about a temple…a Dark Lord…and I think something about a great big Dragon…"

Scowling, Kash crossed his arms, measuring the canine up. "Seeing as there is no real way to punish you…I have an idea…"

***

Ten minutes later, Tam was laden with a large backpack, a bulging utility belt, and a bag full of dried meats, day-old bread, and water-skins.

"Augh! Can't you take some, Kash, sir?"

Looking at him with a mix of scorn and amusement, Kash replied, "No. I need both my hands ready." while gesturing to his sword.

Tam gulped. Mordi set a smug look to her face.

Once they were packed, Kash opened the heavy door, and stepped outside. Mordi followed, Tam trailing awkwardly with his multiple burdens.

They passed several houses on their way east. Mordi had never realized until now how tiny her home village really was; all it consisted of were a loose ring of thatch-roofed houses around a few more homes and a three-story inn, the biggest building there. More houses bordered the outskirts, but that made no difference to the size. Passing a window on one of the houses farther from the center, she caught a glimpse of herself in a newly cleaned window. Tall and thin for a canine, she sported black on black fur, which was silky and of medium length. She liked the color indigo; at the moment she wore a slightly dirt-stained (from the previous scuffle) vest of the color with matching trousers. Like most furres in her town, she was bootless, but she sported bracers around her hocks; they were plain brass.

The most interesting thing about her, however, was her hair. It was a bright, lime green that shone and glittered in the sun; almost like minute stars twinkling on her head. Her eyes were just as strange: they were a luminous, glowing blue. All furres' eyes shone somewhat when in the dark, but hers did so to the excess, so much that they occasioned comment by those who didn't know her well. Looking away, she followed the silent Kash past the unofficial village boundary, and into the forest.

Never take this Outside.

I promise. I will not.

But I have to, she thought guiltily. I have to.

With a small sigh, Mordi shifted her load, and trudged onward.

***

Hours later, the last rays of the sun were dying when Kash finally stopped them. Glancing around, Mordi thought – by the endless vista of grassy hills and sparse copses of trees – that they were somewhere in the Caralain Grass. They had been traveling all day; Mordi was ready to fall asleep on the spot, Tam was grumbling under his breath, and Kash was standing, surveying their campsite as if on a brisk sunset walk. Without a word, Kash gathered some rocks to build a fire ring. By the time they had unpacked, he had the ring constructed, and was beginning to fiddle with kindling. Tam sat down – hard – and leaned against his pack, groaning and muttering inaudibly under his breath.

A screaming whinny was heard in the distance. It made a shiver run down Mordi's back, and her blood run cold.

Kash's eyes widened, with (and at this Mordi became even more frightened) fear. Whispering furiously, he ordered "Get everything! Every scrap of every flaming piece of bloody canvas, everything!" His hands shook as he tore apart the ring twice as fast as he had built it; harshly, he pointed animatedly toward a low dip in the ground. "Over there! Put it over there!" Mordi grabbed her luggage, and leaped within skillfully; finding that there was a small, shallow overhang of rock, she darted inside, heart pounding. Tam followed, with his share, and finally Kash, after glancing fearfully to the plains around them, jumped within. "Make no sound! Not a bloody…flaming…word!"

For a moment, nothing could be heard or seen. Then, the steady 'clop-clop' of hooves was heard, coming from the south. Mordi risked the slightest glance, peeking over the lip of rock and soil, then pulled back to the inside wall as far as she could, teeth bared in a rictus.

A shadow, that was all it was. Barely within, a horse could be seen, pure ebony with gleaming, dark red pools that rolled fiercely. Whatever was atop it was consumed by the atramentous cloak of shadow around it that sucked all light from the area; its true form could not be deciphered. Vaguely, the head could be considered draconic, with dual, swept back crests atop its head; the eyes were nothing more than pits; glaring with pure unbridled hatred for anything living. Slowly it rode, stopping a bare five feet from the hole in the terrain within which Mordi and the others were cowering with pure terror.

Leaping from its mount, it made a faint 'poomf', as of something soft hitting the ground. With sinuous grace like to that of a viper, it moved swiftly to where the fire ring had once been. Kash was mouthing a wordless, silent oath; Tam was flat against the wall, eyes wide as saucers. After moving the dirt with what seemed to be a foot, it swept itself next to the hole; with serpentine grace, it placed its hands over the hole's edge, and looked inside. Neck extended, it sniffed, peering with those eyeless sockets, those black pits darker than the abyss of death.

Mordi felt a kind of chill that seemed to be emitting from it, and with that chill came a whispering voice that was cold and murderous:

"Rip…tear…kill…I smell…I smell blood…I SMELL BLOOD…"

Mordi gasped, and at the same time, Kash picked up a small stone from the floor and hurled it out of the hole toward the creature's horse. With a hissing growl, the thing flung itself toward the pebble; bony, claw-tipped hands were extended from the darkness wreathed 'round it, poised to grab anything in its morbid embrace. Mordi closed her eyes, desperately hoping the thing would go away, leave them alone…

And then, a shrill, whistling cry came from the night, back in the direction from which they came; it seethed with death and blood, told of nothing but darkness and shadow. There were words in that fell cry, but what they were could not be clearly heard, nor understood. The creature gathered itself up, leaped back atop its horse, and galloped off in the direction of the cry. Kash slumped, and Mordi sighed.

Gaping, Tam shakily asked, 'Wh-…what was that thing?"

Licking his lips, Kash answered, "A Neverborn."

Creepeh, huh? Tell me what you think. And no, the Neverborn are not ringwraiths; they seem so right now, but they're actually very different.