Part 3

No one moved or spoke as Anya timidly stepped from the bathroom and sat herself at the kitchen table. She looked like she would bolt if anyone so much as breathed loud. She wrung her hands absentmindedly and seemed to be lost in a memory as she began to speak. Slowly, the other Scoobies followed suit and sat facing the ex-demon; Xander sat beside her placing his arm protectively behind her on the chair, wanting to be there for her but afraid touching might send her back into hiding.  "I was about 8-maybe 900 years old. I was doing some extra training in this little realm that was full of forest and rivers. It all seemed so calm and pretty. There lots of little animals to play with. Even…b-bunnies. One, a little white one with a small gray spot on its front paw, was my favorite…."

******

 Anya walked through the woods towards the lake ready for a cool, refreshing swim. She'd been training since before dawn and she was tired and sore. She didn't know why she required training just to put curses on bad people. It's not like she had to fight them with her hands, just toss a spell and that was it. A cool breeze swept through the tree tops, sweeping down to gently lift her golden locks. She loved this world. The peace and quiet was wonderful; something she hadn't had much in her brief life.

As she neared her swimming spot, she heard a rustling in the bushes near by. She paused, smiling.  From between some leaves poked a little twitchy-pink nose.  "Come here, Tryk." She called softly, kneeling down. The nose disappeared, then a small white bunny hopped from the foliage. It made its way to Anya's outstretched hand, tickling her fingers with its whiskers. Finding the smell familiar and safe, it stepped onto her hand allowing itself to be picked up and held to the girls breast for petting. It sighed happily and closed its eyes. Anya carried her friend to the rocks near the lake and sat down, never stopping her attentions to the furry critter.

*****

A ghost of a smile played on Anya's lips as she told of her pet; the others stared in shock at the revelation. Anya had liked bunnies? Questions raced through their minds, but they all remained silent, waiting for their friend to continue at her own pace.

"I spent months there. Tryk waited for me everyday. But then there was some kind of energy-storm that caused several portals to open. We handled them all, as most were harmless or their worlds not yet inhabited. Except," Anya took swallowed hard. "Except…for one."

******

Battle after battle had raged as the demos fought the invading hordes of creatures that came through the gateways. As Anya dispatched a spikey six-legged creature with two mouths full of sharp teeth, her commanding officer hollered at her to report to Dawlf.  She raced off to find out what new orders she was being given and found she was one of five hundred that had been summoned. 

"A new gateway has opened. We can spare only you 500 until these portals close. You must hold the creatures till we can send reinforcements." Dawlf informed, his huge stature dwarfing nearly all of them. The small army raced to find the newest threat, treading close to the lake where Anya had swam every day. "My beautiful lake." She sighed sadly as she watched them trample over flowers and bushes. Some of the forest had been burned by fire-breathers before they could be stopped.

When they finally reached the location of the gateway, they could feel the strong energy emanating from its blue pulses. The demons stood ready as the energy grew, pushing against them like a heat wave. And then it happened. Forms appeared from within the swirling mass of light and energy and came towards them, but veered off unexpectedly. Swarms came forth, and while some did come for the small band, many disappeared…running away from them.

The demons were confused but attacked those they reached. Anya, being in the back, could not quite make out what this new threat looked like. She pushed forward with her comrades, trying to assist those in the front, but when she broke through and saw the creature for the first time….she froze.

Standing on two legs, the invaders stood from seven to eight feet tall. Their ears perked up, picking up every sound the demons made, listening to their words which prevented any surprises the demons might have attempted.  Large noses twitched, indignant at the aroma of the creatures they found on their new planet.  "Rabbits?" Anya snorted, frozen briefly by the ridiculousness of it all.  The giant beasts roared in un-bunnie-ish fashion and hoisted large swords, muscles rippling under their fur. Anya raised her own sword and attacked the nearest creature.

****

Anya rubbed her eyes and placed her elbows on the table, resting her head on her hands. "We fought for days. The swarmed everywhere. We thought we were controlling them, keeping them stationary till help arrived, but we didn't know. We didn't know how strong they would be, or what their plan was. There were times they'd actually jump over our heads, to land behind us, kicking and swinging those huge blades."

Pausing in her tale, she glanced then, at the others seeing she had their full attention. "We didn't know that they had a way of…recruiting….I  suppose you could say. We had  been fighting with dwindling numbers, while they….changed…the local rabbits. I think it only takes about a day for the change to complete. Maybe they had something that sped it up, I don't know. As for our reinforcements, they never came. Those first ones that had raced from us, and believe me they are fast, and had begun recruiting the locals."

"Then those new armies attacked Dawlf and the others." Anya sat back in her seat, and pulled Xanders' arm around her for comfort. "That's when it got really bad. Our entire force was devastated. We had lost. Those of us still alive were taken prisoner and…"

*****

The demons sat where they had been chained, guards posted all over the place. Anya was in shock, and exhausted. There was something nagging her about the giant white rabbit-warrior that stood glaring at her. Anya sneaked a glance towards the center of the 'camp', were the ones she thought might be the leaders were conversing. They used a mix of languages, but she caught the words "slave" and "meal".

Slave? Meal? We're slaves? Hope that means 'feed the slaves'. Anya thought as she turned to look at the white guard again; she found herself staring at the grey patch on his forearm.

TBC…