NOTE: Edited and extended, thx to Snowballheat16. I have also put XXXXXXXXXX between to show time passing, like snowballheat, b/c I realize it doesn't add an extra space on the site.

Hello! First I give a big thankyou to all of my reviewers!

And in accordance of the laws of this site, I hereby recommend SnowballHeat16's stories. They are: The Warming Chill of the Blackened Heart, its sequel, The Nothingness Inside of Me, its sequel, The Twisted Soul of Hatred, and its work in progress sequel, The Obsessive Mind of Desire. Yay I remembered all the titles! Anyway check them out, they're good stories!

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I do own those nifty little wraith dudes though. And you know what? I OWN those birds that they killed too!!!! And you know what else? I OWN their evil auras!!! And you know what else? ..........

Chapter Fourteen: Shortening the Days

Raven awoke early in the morning. She pulled herself out of bed, and stumbled through the halls to the kitchen. She was going to be alert today. Eleven beasts were coming to attack her, Foxfire, and Silver. She had to be alert. Alert or dead...

About fifteen minutes after Raven woke up, Silver came to the kitchen as well. "Good morning," Raven called sleepily through a yawn.

He sat down with a cup of tea. "Good morning."

"You'd better get yourself armed and ready," Raven said a moment later, taking a seat beside the boy.

"I suppose you're right." He sighed. "Kinda hard to enjoy the Christmas season when everyday you've got to fight some armies from heaven huh?"

"Yeah.." Raven said softly. "I guess so." She took a sip of the hot tea. "But, look on the bright side," the words sounded strange coming from Raven, "Each day you'll have to fight less creatures."

"True," Silver agreed, "But I'm sure they get stronger, otherwise Poacher's master wouldn't have set it up like that. And who knows, I might have to fight him on Christmas Eve.... Then I guess he dies, and we survive.. or don't," Silver said, realizing that this was going to be the worst Christmas ever.

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Foxfire woke up and turned off her brand new alarm clock. Everything in her room was new. It had been completed about a week ago. She got out of bed, stretched, and put on some jeans and a t-shirt. The shirt was orange, as usual. She brushed through her long red hair briefly, then slipped on some shoes and socks and headed outside. She could use some alone time and fresh air.

"I'll be back soon, I'm going for a walk," Fox called to Raven and Silver.

"Alright," Silver called back. She left the tower.

It was a crisp and clear December morning, and the sun shown brightly from its low place on the eastern horizon. Fox took a moment to enjoy it all. She walked over to where water met land and picked up a stone. She weighed it in her hand briefly, then threw into the far waters. The stone landed with a thump and a splash. Foxfire watched the ripples for a while, then decided to walk to the city.

It was, as usual, packed with people, even at this hour in the morning. Fox kept her eyes downcast, and her hands in her pockets. But shouts and the separation of the crowd got her attention. She looked to see what was wrong.

There in the clearing eleven bird-like creatures hovered inches above the ground. They were definitely otherworldy creatures. Their bodies were small, about three feet high. They had thin bird legs, redish-pink in color and their black wings beat softly. Their chests were covered in various shades of brown feathers, and their heads, large for their bodies, were turned to the side, to focus on Foxfire. Since birds' eyes are on the sides of their heads, they can't look directly at something. The feathers on their heads were the black of the wings, and their cruel sharp golden beaks were ready to shred anything that got in the way.

"We are the master's hawks!" One of the creatures hissed. Then Fox noticed that the one that had spoken had lime green feathers on its head and wings. It was the only one like that, and it appeared to be the leader commanding two attack groups of five, judging by the way they were positioned.

"What do you want with me?" Foxfire asked, gritting her teeth, prepared to fight. Then it hit her. Silver wasn't the only one they were after. She and Raven had helped free the seraph as well. It's a good thing Fox thought of that, because the birds weren't there to answer questions. Immediately they went into a flurrying frenzy of attacks. It wasn't anything Fox couldn't deal with though. Her fox demon agility helped her easily dodge every pecking attack, but of course the birds continued attacking relentlessly.

After this had gone on for a while, the hawks realized that they would have to try something else. Led by the leader, they flew in a straight line high into the air, then came back down again, looking like a speeding train of birds. Fox crossed her arms, her hands outward, looking like claws. "Firon, Zeerra, Klarran!" Bright fire surrounded her hands. As the train of birds rushed forward towards her, she jumped to the side. She stuck her burning hand out, and it cut through all the birds as they rushed by. Foxfire smiled.

The birds danced around, eleven moving piles of burning feathers. It was actually almost comical. Then each one burned out, leaving a pile of ashes. Fox smiled again at her job well done, then rushed off to tell the others about her fight.

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"So you killed them?" Silver asked, not sounding convinced. Foxfire smiled and nodded.

"Uh huh!"

"I'm gonna go check it out, I'll be right back.." Silver muttered.

"Oh yeah," Fox whined, following Silver, "You don't believe that I killed mine cuz it took you so long to kill yours.." Silver didn't reply. "C'mon Silver... I'm sure I killed them!" Fox said as the two exited the tower.

"Ok!" Silver snapped, turning towards the girl and stopping. "But I'm just worried about you is all! I don't know if they're dead, it all seems too easy! So I just don't want them coming back here to kill you!" Fox nodded, holding back tears. "Ok," she said weakly.

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Meanwhile, the eleven piles of ashes in the middle of the street started to burn again. Out of them rose the eleven falcons. They had used the stolen pheonix powers, of a fiery death and regeneration. Their master had given them these powers. They rose, stretched their wings, and flew off in the direction that their prey had run.

Fox and Silver walked quietly to the spot where Fox had fought. Suddenly Fox's ears perked up. Her fox ears that is. She didn't want to take any chances. She sniffed the air.

"I smell it..." Silver said, energy flowing through him, "They aren't dead." He said simply.

"I'm sorry Silver.." Fox said softly. "You were right." Silver put one arm around the girl, squeezing slightly.

"It's alright." He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his communicator. "Robin?"

"We're on our way," Robin said, and he cut the connection.

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"Firon, Zeerra, Klarran, Firon, Zeerra, Klarran..." Foxfire muttered, gathering her strength. Silver gathered his energy, and in a flash, was in his wolf-demon form. Fox's tail swished against Silver in anxiety. "It'll be fine," Silver said, his arm dropping from the girl's shoulders. "There's.... only eleven of them.."

Within a minute later, the other titans arrived. Surely those eleven hawks couldn't take on eight titans... right? Then the hawks came, in their speeding train formation. They flew straight towards Foxfire. She didn't move.

"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" Raven cried out. The birds met the wall of black energy, which only stopped them for a moment. They slowly began to push through. Foxfire got out of the way. Robin had electric discs ready to fly. The first bird broke through, and met a silvery sword. Silver jumped back, and Robin through his discs at the ashes Silver had created. The ashes practically dissolved into nothing.

"Watch out!" Beast Boy cried. Two more had gotten through Raven's constantly growing barrier. The green boy lunged forward, and, with a lucky guess, changed into one of the bird creatures. He and the next one that had gotten through were locked in and airial battle of pecking and spiraling flight. Star flew over Raven's barrier, carrying Foxfire, and the two bombarded the beasts with fire and starbolts. They kept up their constant stream of fire, and while the birds were preoccupied with Cyborg, Robin, and Silver attacking them, managed to take out a couple for good. Now there were only eight.

Finally Raven couldn't hold it anymore. She let the barrier down, collapsing. Silver ran to her aid, protecting her until she recovered her strength. Suddenly, out of the dust and ashes of fallen birds came blasts of black energy. They were shooting them from their beaks. Beast Boy tried it, and sure enough, he could fire the energy blasts too. He fired before the bird he was in battle with did, knocking it out of the sky. Terra ran to his aid, acting for the first time in this battle. She crushed the ashes with about two tons of rock, and then there were only seven hawks remaining.

Raven had still not recovered her strength, so Silver stood protecting her. He deflected energy blasts with his sword, while attacking when he could. Suddenly the leader let out a cry, and the birds flew high into the air. Then they came back down. Four of them swarmed Terra, and three swarmed Starfire. "Ahh!" Starfire let out a cry. Robin ran to her, knocking birds away. Starfire lay on the ground, five or six large cuts in her arms and legs where the hawks had pecked.

"Starfire?!?" He cried, shaking her gently. Raven glided over.

"Booya!" Cyborg cried. He had just destroyed the last of the ashes, and with that, the last of the hawks. "Nice fighting Terra!" he complemented. It seemed birds didn't like rock.

Everyone crowded around Star after they realized what was wrong. Everyone except Beast Boy. Something strange had happened to him: he couldn't change back.

"I am ok.." Star said, her voice very weak. Raven put her hands on the wounds, using her powers to determine what was wrong.

"Those hawks.." Raven said. "They are cursed. I don't know if we can save Starfire, evil energy is now running through her..."

"Will she die?" Robin asked, trying not to cry.

"No," Raven said. Robin practically melted with relief. "Soon, if the evil in her is not expelled, she will become evil." Raven said. It was hard to always have to tell everyone about these injuries.

"What?!" Robin cried. "Can we save her?"

"We can try," Raven said. Cyborg and Robin picked up the limp Starfire. She was going cold, her skin pale.

"Wh-what about Beast Boy?" Terra asked, shaking. "He can't change back." The hawk form of Beast Boy was writhing around on the ground. His pupils were small, and his eyes bloodshot.

"It is already happening to him.." Raven said sadly.

"No!!!!" Terra cried out, tears flying from her eyes.

"Don't fear, Terra," Raven said, trying to stay calm. "He can be saved. He is now too insane to attack us. Either he dies first, or this master is killed, and then he will be fine.

"Well then," Silver said, stepping forward. "We move to kill this master." Raven nodded.

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"Here's the plan," the gothic girl began as the titans crowded around her. "Robin, you take Starfire. Take her to an alchemist."

"Where am I-" Robin interupted.

"The rest of you, except Terra, come with me. Terra, you need to look out for Beast Boy, and where we're going there are no rocks for you to command. Robin, there's a good friend of mine who lives near here. Her name is Amy. You'll find her in the caves on the far south side of town. She's your alchemist. And remember, appearances can be deceiving." Robin nodded, pondering Raven's last words, and set off with Starfire on his motorcycle to the south side of town.

"Let's go," Raven said. The remaining titans that didn't have jobs involving cursed friends, hurried after Raven. She began leading them north, to the forest.

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It was a long hike that lasted until about four that afternoon, but finally Cyborg, Raven, Foxfire, and Silver arrived at the caves that were the doors to the demon world. "We'll need to rest here for a few hours until we're strong enough. But we must go before midnight, so more beasts don't come." Raven explained. Cyborg seemed to be the only one who didn't know where they were, so Raven sat down to explain it to him, while Foxfire and Silver went hunting.

The two demons were tense. Silver could smell Fox's fear. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm scared.." She confessed.

"You'll be fine.." Silver assured her. "You were never one to get scared before.." He commented.

"Oh I got scared," Fox said, stopping. "I was just afraid to show it. Afraid that you wouldn't like me." Silver almost laughed out loud.

"Fox I love you, you think I wouldn't like you just because you were scared of going into the demon gates to find a doorway to heaven?"

"You don't seem scared though," she said.

"I'm plenty scared!" Silver said, making Fox feel a little better. "I just don't care about what happens to me. I care about what happens to you, and Raven, and Cyborg, and Star and B.B. and Robin and Terra."

Foxfire didn't say anything for a moment. "I care what happens to you," she said. She kissed Silver lovingly, then he looked at her and said, "Let's hunt." Fox nodded.

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It wasn't long before Silver picked up the scent of a deer not too far away. He and Fox felled it easily, using Fox as a distraction to run the deer right into Silver's waiting attack. They worked together to drag it back to camp. By the time that was done, it was almost five.

"Yum..." Cyborg mumbled. "I'm starving.."

"You sound like Beast Boy..." Raven muttered sadly. Fox started a fire, and they cooked the deer. It was a dry meal, but it tasted great considering how hungry they were. Finally they had all rested and eaten, and it was time. The four marched silently to the uppermost cave, and entered. It was where Silver had been, guarded by the seraph. One by one they were all inside the small space.

Raven led the way, creeping towards the glowing black door ahead. The door from Earth to the place of the thousand doors. They entered.

RAVEN'S WOLF

Ha i was feeling evil so I made a cliffy for you guys! Thx again for all the great reviews!!!!!!!! Read snowballheat's stories!!!