Interlude 2 - Monster arriving, Destiny coming
The gang was on patrol that rainy night. Everything seemed quiet, but Buffy insisted to continue looking for anything strange. "...and then he went off reading some more of his sumerian prophecies...something about a cult that worshipped some "Queen of the Moon"...", Buffy said with a sigh. As it turned out, Giles didn´t really know what was going on, only that the planets stood in line and acording to an old text this meant bad news...bad news as in "end of the universe". Willow´s search on the internet hadn´t turned up anything really usefull either. Buffy almost decided to call it a night when she suddenly felt something strange. "You guys stay here! I´ll go look down that alley", and so she run off.
In the ally, a dark shadow was moving. Somehow it managed to avoid Buffy, and slowly and hungry for her energy the demon sneaked up behind the unsuspecting scoobies.
"Hey, perhaps Giles is just a bit catastrophobic?", Xander quipped. "Yeah...lets get him a counseling appiontment...and then let´s die cause it turns out he was right after all."
Willow was anoyed. Sometimes she really couldn´t stand Xanders strange jokes. Suddenly, something grabbed her and lifted her in the air. She screamed "Buffyyyy!" She tried to use her powers, but she couldn´t. And she knew why, she had felt them beeing sucked out of her. Then, she felt the thing begin to drain her life force.
She stood in the silent ally. Everything was quiet. "Seems I was wrong. Perhaps I need more sleep", Buffy thought. "Bufffy!!", she reconized Willows voice screaming a few hundered meters away. She run, as fast as only a Slayer could run...and allmost stumbled over poor fainted Xander when she arrived at the scene. A gigant lion like creature was holding the unconsious Willow in it´s paws. Some strange yellow energie was flowing out of Willow into the creature. The lion didn´t seem to notice Buffy. The slayer ran up a small hill and down again to gain speed, jumped and kicked the monster right in its belly. The demon not even twitched the slightest bit. "Stupid girl!", it roared. "Your slayer powers are nothing against me. As soon as I have finished draining your friends life force and powers, I´ll get to you and collect yours." "You know...normally I´ve a thing for cats..but you are just..gross!", Buffy said. And with a jump and a backflip she sank her foot into the demons right ear. It growled, and with a quick movement of its tail threw Buffy a few dozen meters through the air.
Buffy landed on the ground, the air was pressed out of her lung. She lay there looking at the monster. She realized she couldn´t do anything. Even with her slayer powers she had lost. Willow would die. She felt something break in her heart. She had kown that someday the day would come when she would loose. But she had hoped it wouldn´t be so soon. She began to cry. When her tears wetted the pockets of her trousers, suddenly something moved out of them. The strange violet ball slowly came out of her pocket and rose into the air until it was floating a few centimeters in front of her face. It´s eerie but somehow comforting glow got brighter and brighter. Then, with a flash it changed its form, into a small stick or wand of somekind. The lion reconized what it was, and let Willow fall roaring "No, you don´t!". Buffy could never tell why or how..but somehow she just grabbed the strange glowing thing. It was warm, and she felt power and energy vibrating in her head. Strange words came to her mind, and somehow she felt the strong urge to speak them loud and clear:
"Mystery Ancient Power! Make up!
The gang was on patrol that rainy night. Everything seemed quiet, but Buffy insisted to continue looking for anything strange. "...and then he went off reading some more of his sumerian prophecies...something about a cult that worshipped some "Queen of the Moon"...", Buffy said with a sigh. As it turned out, Giles didn´t really know what was going on, only that the planets stood in line and acording to an old text this meant bad news...bad news as in "end of the universe". Willow´s search on the internet hadn´t turned up anything really usefull either. Buffy almost decided to call it a night when she suddenly felt something strange. "You guys stay here! I´ll go look down that alley", and so she run off.
In the ally, a dark shadow was moving. Somehow it managed to avoid Buffy, and slowly and hungry for her energy the demon sneaked up behind the unsuspecting scoobies.
"Hey, perhaps Giles is just a bit catastrophobic?", Xander quipped. "Yeah...lets get him a counseling appiontment...and then let´s die cause it turns out he was right after all."
Willow was anoyed. Sometimes she really couldn´t stand Xanders strange jokes. Suddenly, something grabbed her and lifted her in the air. She screamed "Buffyyyy!" She tried to use her powers, but she couldn´t. And she knew why, she had felt them beeing sucked out of her. Then, she felt the thing begin to drain her life force.
She stood in the silent ally. Everything was quiet. "Seems I was wrong. Perhaps I need more sleep", Buffy thought. "Bufffy!!", she reconized Willows voice screaming a few hundered meters away. She run, as fast as only a Slayer could run...and allmost stumbled over poor fainted Xander when she arrived at the scene. A gigant lion like creature was holding the unconsious Willow in it´s paws. Some strange yellow energie was flowing out of Willow into the creature. The lion didn´t seem to notice Buffy. The slayer ran up a small hill and down again to gain speed, jumped and kicked the monster right in its belly. The demon not even twitched the slightest bit. "Stupid girl!", it roared. "Your slayer powers are nothing against me. As soon as I have finished draining your friends life force and powers, I´ll get to you and collect yours." "You know...normally I´ve a thing for cats..but you are just..gross!", Buffy said. And with a jump and a backflip she sank her foot into the demons right ear. It growled, and with a quick movement of its tail threw Buffy a few dozen meters through the air.
Buffy landed on the ground, the air was pressed out of her lung. She lay there looking at the monster. She realized she couldn´t do anything. Even with her slayer powers she had lost. Willow would die. She felt something break in her heart. She had kown that someday the day would come when she would loose. But she had hoped it wouldn´t be so soon. She began to cry. When her tears wetted the pockets of her trousers, suddenly something moved out of them. The strange violet ball slowly came out of her pocket and rose into the air until it was floating a few centimeters in front of her face. It´s eerie but somehow comforting glow got brighter and brighter. Then, with a flash it changed its form, into a small stick or wand of somekind. The lion reconized what it was, and let Willow fall roaring "No, you don´t!". Buffy could never tell why or how..but somehow she just grabbed the strange glowing thing. It was warm, and she felt power and energy vibrating in her head. Strange words came to her mind, and somehow she felt the strong urge to speak them loud and clear:
"Mystery Ancient Power! Make up!