Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh in any way shape or form unless you count the cards in my deck. T'Kai and Audrey, however, do belong to me so you can't tell me otherwise.

Chapter One: An Innocence Lost

A small girl stood beside a barred window, her thin face ghostly and tear stained in the moonlight that streamed through the dirty glass. Her arms hung limply at her sides, blood oozing from the wounds on them to trickle down to her fingertips and drip onto the floor like rain drops. Her hair was matted in a hundred different places. her clothes stained a permanent red with her own blood. In the room below hers the lion paced, growling about the mess she had made. The carpet in the living room was soaked in blood, leaving a trail that made its way up the stairs. A bloody hand print marked the wall where the girl had paused on her way up to her room, stopping to catch her breath and energy. Outside rain clouds rolled over the moon, plunging the girl upstairs into a darkness that made her quake in fear. She could hear her step father lock the doors, could hear him shutting the blinds. She could feel more then hear him make his way up the stairs towards her room. There was no escaping the hell that she lived in and there was no one to help her now.

The girl spun around as her doorknob slowly twisted. Her eyes darted around quickly, looking for anything that might save her but nothing was within reach. Her step father pushed the door open and entered the room, his eyes gleaming in the darkness like two hot embers; he didn't bother closing the door behind him. The girl shrank away from him, cowering in the corner near the window.

"You have been a very bad girl, staining the carpet and wall with your blood." the man hissed like a cat toying with a mouse. The girl simply watched the floor before her, not meeting his hateful gaze. A rough hand reached out and yanked her head up by her hair, making her whimper in pain. He forced her to look him in the eye as a murderous anger took over.

"How many times do I have to tell you to look at me when I talk to you!?" he roared as she choked out an apology. He slapped her harshly, making her eyes fill with more tears as the pain reached her brain. He threw her back against the wall, not even caring that her head cracked against the brick reinforced wall. A small gasp escaped the girl before she fell onto her side, clutching her head. Her step father towered over her, delivering a sharp kick to her ribs while telling her how weak and useless she was.

Silently the girl begged for someone to help her. Her heart raced as she felt something in the back of her mind pulling while her chest felt as if it were about to explode. Her step father took a step back, glaring at her as if she was a witch or mutant. Bewildered, she took a risk and looked down at her chest to see a glowing falcon's head protruding from it. White hot void-like orbs had replaced the eyes and dark blue feathers covered the head with the exception of gold feathers around its eyes to form the shape of something similar to the eyes on the paintings on the walls of Egyptian tombs. The voids remained locked on the girl's step father as the shoulders and part of the bird's back emerged from her chest, glowing as well. Below the head all the feathers were the same white color as the eyes. As the wings and the rest of the bird's body emerged the girl could see that in the middle of its back it had a sun-like shape that was the same gold as the markings around the eyes. The bird's pin feathers were tipped in black while its feet were solid white like most of its body. The bird took a moment to settle itself before it began to melt, the glow ever present.

The glowing feathers were replaced by tawny fur decorated by rose-shaped spots. The wings disappeared, two feline front legs taking their place. The tail feathers melted together before stretching out to form a long, thin feline tail. The bird's head was replaced by that of a leopard, the color and markings around the eyes the only thing that remained of the bird. The glow began to dim and fade out as the leopard grew to the size it should have been. Bearing its teeth, the leopard crouched in preparation to attack. Its tail lashed back and forth in agitation as the girl's step father began to retreat from the room. He never got the chance to for at that moment the leopard pounced.

Both the cat and the man tumbled down the stairs, landing at the bottom with a thud. The girl pulled herself up to her feet painfully and stumbled out of her room to watch what was happening. Down below the leopard was just getting to its feet, striking out at the man with its claws out stretched. The man bellowed in pain as the claws slashed his chest, leaving deep gashes. The leopard tackled the man to the ground, attempting to sink its fangs into his throat and strangle him until he died. In desperation the man grabbed the nearest thing, which just happened to be a book, and slammed it down onto the leopard's head. With a yowl of pain the great cat jumped back, allowing the man to jump to his feet and reach the front door.

He yanked and pulled on the knob, trying to open the door. In his panic he had forgotten that he had locked the door earlier. With a snarl the leopard attacked his unprotected back, sinking its teeth into the back of his next and pulling him down. There, it stood over him as he withered beneath it. It tightened its grip and yanked its head up, successfully snapping his neck. With a savage growl it let go and stepped back, heading back towards the stairs.

/Audrey, are you alright?\ a concerned voice asked in the girl's brain. The girl blinked in confusion as she took a step back. She looked down at the floor beneath her. It suddenly began to buck and swirl beneath her as she stumbled backwards. She found herself falling into a pitch black darkness as the ground gave way beneath her. She was barely aware of the leopard bounding up the stairs but then her vision went black. She was just so tired and the darkness calling out to her was too tempting. With a soft sigh the girl gave up on her life, giving in to the persuasive voice that called her into the dark abyss.