Disclaimer: I don't own YYH, or Harry Potter, because if I owned the latter, I'd immediatly perchase the former. :P
Evvy's eyes slowly opened. 'How strange. The sky's bending in...' Blinking several times she finally realized that it was not the sky she was looking at, but the ceiling of a sagging tent. Her heart rate shooting through the roof, Evvy was reminded of something her mother once said, 'There is nothing scarier than waking up and not knowing where you are.' Evvy now knew what her mother had meant and agreed completely.
'Okay girl, calm down and up with ya.' She thought stubbornly to herself, but try as she might, her body just wouldn't move. 'Gah! Hell with it!' She thought, stopping her straining and instead trying to remember just how she had come to be in this tent. Filtering back though her memories, her head gave a resounding throb. 'Ugh, what hit me last night? Did Finn talk me into more beer again? No, he swore not to after that karaoke incident...' She winced. 'At least I remember that.'
A clang sounded outside, the ringing sound of metal striking metal easily penetrating the tent walls and Evvy's tender ears. A second later, another clang sounded, and another and another. 'Blast it all! I have possibly the worst hangover in the history of alcohol, and someone is building a RAILROAD outside my tent!' The oh-so-savory thought of giving the offending clanger a piece of her mind finally propelled Evvy off of the mat she'd been lying on and to the flap of her black tent.
"Stop that infernal racket already! Go build your railroad elsewhere!" She shouted as she ducked into the light of day. The white light pierced her eyelids, causing her to clap her hands over her eyes. "And someone turn down the sun!"
Hearty guffawing drew Evvy to risk cracking open an eyelid and peeking out between her palms, only to see three muscular demons working at an open fire, a white-hot piece of metal laying on an anvil before them. It appeared they'd been in the process of shaping a sword of some kind before Evvy had interrupted them. But not to be distracted from work for too long, two of the demons returned to striking the metal with their heavy hammers, one still shaking his head in amusement. The third, a bear demon, came towards her.
"Are you alright? I know the initiation can be disorienting for some demons, for a human it must be terrible." He said.
Evvy frowned as she slowly backed away from him. "Initiation?" Then it hit her. Everything came rushing back, leaving her feeling like she'd been hit with one of the demon's hammers. 'Wait a minute... I can see again!' Overjoyed as she was, her face still showed her mistrust of the demon before her.
The bear's black eyes were kind as he replied, "Yes, do you remember?"
Evvy nodded distantly.
He nodded, seemingly to himself, then suddenly clapped her on the shoulder with what was probably a gentle tap to him but that made her knees buckle all the same. "Come! You are most likely hungry after your long rest. I'll show you to the mess tent." And with that he set off down the rows of black tents, and, after the shocked moment it took Evvy to realize the demon hadn't meant to kill her with his sudden move, set out after him.
Glancing about her, Evvy was amazed with the enormity of the camp. Some demons were out and about, but they paid Evvy and the bear no mind. There weren't enough demons around to account for all the tents there were though, and boy were there a lot of tents. All she could see between the tents were more tents, rows upon rows of them stretching up a hill. And on the hill... a black spired castle that challenged the very heavens for their space in the skies. "Wow..."
The bear glanced back at her, and seeing where her gaze was directed helpfully said, "That is where Youko and those closest to him live. It's also where he stores all the treasures we steal."
"Just how many of you are there?" Evvy asked, eyes still exploring the intricacy of the black spires and turrets as they continued walking.
"About six hundred of us out here, and four others besides Youko in the castle."
"You mean in all that space there's only five people!" Evvy asked, shocked. What a waste, to keep everyone else outside in a tent!
The bear shrugged his massive shoulders. "Personally, you couldn't pay me to live up there, that close to him." He shuddered, but continued conversationally, "There used to be six up there, you know. Youko's closest partner and probably the only one who hadn't ever undergone the initiation died two years ago. His name was Kuronue." After a pause the bear added with a chuckle, "He was also probably the only one who could jest openly with Youko and not get his head chopped off."
"Hmm." Evvy made a non-commental noise, not quite sure what to say to that.
They finally reached the mess, a huge brown tent that looked more permanent than the other black ones around it.
Stopping outside it, the bear turned to her. "Here's the mess. Just go on in and grab whatever looks good, and try not to get into trouble. The boss has placed his protection over you, but I wouldn't test my luck."
Evvy nodded. "No problem. I'll just find a nice corner to hide in. I have a question though..."
The bears ears perked, as if to say he was listening.
"You seem, well, you're not what I was expecting." Evvy finally said. At the puzzled look she added, "I mean, you're, erm, too nice for a demon." Shrugging helplessly, she asked, "Why are you here?"
The bear, seeming to suddenly understand what Evvy was getting at slowly explained, "Some of us were forced to join Youko's ranks, as you and I were. But some came willingly, seeking fame and fortune. All undergo the initiation. Youko may be a heartless bastard, but he lives up to the reputation of a fox. He takes no chances."
Evvy stood there, the last of her migraine ebbing away in face of the shock now washing over her. "You were forced into it like me? But I thought-"
"You thought all demons were monsters?" The bear supplied, not unkindly. "I know we don't have a very good reputation among humans, but a few species of demons, like bears, simply want to be left alone."
Evvy nodded. "That makes sense... but why you? I-If you don't mind me asking?"
He smiled. "Because of my strength. Bears are naturally strong, but I am the strongest of all." He said it, pride evident in his voice, but it was obvious he wasn't trying to brag. Then his face fell. "But of course, that's what landed me in this mess, away from my mate and cubs."
Evvy's voice was soft and full of sympathy as she responded. "You had a family?"
The bear nodded. "But so did you."
Evvy shrugged. "Finn doesn't need me for much, and Mom doesn't even realize she has kids half the time."
"And of your sire?"
Evvy blinked. Sire? Oh yeah... "He died when I was little."
The bear shook his great head, kindness in his black eyes.
Uncomfortable, Evvy said, "If you don't mind, I think I'll go find that corner now."
The bear chuckled. "By the way, my name is Brom. I have to go back to the smithery, but if you see me around, don't hesitate to say hello." And with that, he turned back the way they came. As Evvy watched him go, she thought the Brom bore a striking resemblance to what she had imagined Hagrid in the Harry Potter books would look like. And they were alike also in that their scary looks belied a kind heart.
Shaking her head at all that had happened to her the past two days, Evvy stepped into the warm tent. It was sparsely lighted, mostly with candelabra on the wooden tables that were arranged in a circle pattern around a large buffet-style counter that sat in the center of the tent. Evvy picked her way through the tables, ignoring the few demons that were there and likewise being ignored. Arriving at the buffet, Evvy was surprised to see that there were many foods she was familiar with, American dishes and Japanese alike. There were foods from different places around the world, and also a few that didn't look like a human would be able to digest them.
Grabbing a clay plate, Evvy helped herself to some bacon and cheese, vaguely wondering what there was to drink. But too hungry to really care, she sat herself at the first table she came to and dug in.
As she ate, Evvy pondered the sudden return of her sight. 'My eyes don't even twinge.' She thought, puzzled. 'Jacob never told me and Finn about going blind when looking into a demon's aura... is it possible that only a really powerful demon can do that?' She gave a mental shrug. 'Oh well. Mine is not to wonder why, just be grateful for. Though I wonder what will happen the next time I look into his aura...'