Alrighty, chapter 9 is here! I give a huge thanks to all my reviewers; you're all great. (bows down) :) Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans... or do I? ;)
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Chapter 9: A World of Darkness
The Titans found themselves flying through some kind of strange tunnel. In fact, it wasn't really a tunnel, more like a dark violet wormhole. Random flashes of light passed them as the teens were being sucked further down the wormhole at an unimaginable speed.
"What... what is this place?!" Starfire hollered as she was being thrown in all directions.
"I don't know! I just hope that we don't get thrown into an alternate dimension or something!" Robin yelled back, his voice rather muted from the roar of the wormhole. Not long after, there was a great flash of deep red light, and everyone blacked out...
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Beastboy slowly opened his eyes, unsure of what just happened. He sat up and had a very brief look around. His vision was temporarily blurred, so he couldn't make out exactly where he was. 'Wow... where am I?' the shape shifter pondered. And then he remembered. Lord Firesprite had thrown all the Titans into a weird portal, and they were hurdling at light speed through some kind of wormhole, or was it a vortex? The shape shifter stood up, stretching out his legs.
His vision finally cleared up, and Beastboy could see what was going on. In front of him was a steep drop, the bottom could not be seen clearly due to clouds that covered most of the area below. There was no vegetation around, and more clouds were covering the sky above. The ground was rather red in color, its texture looked like a cross between granite and marble, but was soft like soil. Undoubtedly, he must be on some kind of mountain. Judging from the clouds that blanketed the view below the mountain, the shape shifter concluded that he must be high up. Beastboy scanned the area around him for any sign of the other Titans, but he saw nothing except more upward slopes and dirt. However, he saw something, or rather someone, curled up near one large boulder that was jutting out of the ground. The shape shifter came closer, and realized that it was indeed a person, and that blonde hair was an absolute giveaway.
'Oh no... Terra...' Beastboy quickly ran over and held the unconscious Terra in his arms. Luckily, she was breathing. "Terra, are you ok?" Beastboy whispered to the blonde teen, her eyes slowly opening.
"Huh... what's going on?" Terra's eyes focused and she saw Beastboy's radiant face. With a smile to match his, Terra took one hand and stroked his cheek. "Hey Beastboy!" Terra said, sitting up.
"Phew, you're okay... I thought that you may have been hurt or something when we were flying through that wormhole, or whatever it was." Beastboy said, giving Terra a quick kiss on her neck.
Terra looked a little confused. "What wormhole are you talking about? And where are we?" the blonde teen questioned, noticing that the landscape and sky were different.
"I dunno myself, I think it could be like another dimension or something like that from a sci-fi movie. Do you remember what happened at all?" Beastboy asked Terra as they both stood up.
Terra tried to recall what happened. "Um, yeah it's coming back to me now. Firesprite sent us into a time portal I think and then I just blacked out." Terra said, starting to walk around to familiarize herself with this strange place. After reaching the edge of a cliff, Terra stood there, goggling at the sight before her. "Wow... BB, take a look at this!" the blonde pointed to the view the mountain provided through a large gap in the cloud cover. Beastboy ran over and was also able to get a good look.
The break in the clouds revealed that the lands below the mountain were just as strange. Several rivers spanned the place, draining into small lakes. There was nothing green, no grass, no trees, no nothing. Instead, whatever grass could be seen was either yellow or brown in color. The trees were dead or dieing judging from the mix of brown, yellow, and orange colors their leaves had. Other vegetation was simply not present. There was also a large lake some distance from the mountain, but its water possessed a light purple color.
To the distant far left, there could be seen a dense forest, and a silver fog that eliminated any visibility past it. To the equally distant far right, there seemed to be some kind of marsh lands, but the two Titans couldn't be sure. However, the most prominent feature was the large, golden pyramid that stood in the center of these lands. It seemed to be a little smaller than the mountain they were standing on.
"What is this place?" Terra asked while looking at the lands, not really sure if this even Earth anymore.
"Well, we know one thing's for sure: there aren't any people around here. I think that this might be another planet."
"It might, but where are the rest of the Titans? Have you tried your communicator?"
"Oh yeah... why didn't I think of that?" Beastboy sighed as he took out his communicator, trying to call Robin and the other Titans. However, he only received static. "Well, so much for that..."
Terra got an idea. "How about we have a look around? I'll summon us a boulder and we can go down there and explore this place." Beastboy agreed, and Terra tried to summon a boulder, but nothing happened. Both Titans were confused, and Terra tried again with the same results.
"Why aren't my powers working?" Terra asked, looking at her hands. Beastboy tried to morph into a bird, but just like Terra, he got nowhere.
"Looks like our powers don't work here... and it's not a good time either." Beastboy said, getting a look of fear.
"Beastboy... what's wrong?" Terra asked, giving the shape shifter a puzzled look. Beastboy merely pointed to something behind her. Terra turned around, and was met with an unpleasant sight.
It turned out to be some kind of creature native to this planet. It stood about eight feet in height with thin, orange eyes. The body was rather muscular and wide, covered with dark green scales for skin. Three sharp talons were protruding from both of its hands. After seeing the two petrified Titans, the creature emitted a loud, piercing roar, revealing a mouth full of long, carnivorous teeth.
"Um... I think we should run... fast!" Beastboy managed to mutter, before grabbing Terra's hand and running like there was no tomorrow, the creature in close pursuit. Beastboy and Terra kept running, dodging the occasional hole in the ground and steep edges of the mountain. The creature behind them was showing no signs of tiring.
"Beastboy... I think we need... to hide or something... or this thing will kill us for sure!" Terra yelled over, in between gasps for air while she sprinted.
The shape shifter seemed to be thinking along those lines. "Good idea... how about that... tunnel over there!?" Beastboy yelled back, noting a small tunnel up ahead.
"Looks good... just as long as we ditch that thing!" Terra replied, trying to ignore the tremendous side pain.
With some tricky movements, Beastboy and Terra managed to conceal themselves behind a large rock near the entrance of the tunnel, the creature chasing after them stopping dead in its tracks. The two Titans held their breaths, hoping the insane creature wouldn't notice them. Luckily it didn't, and proceeded to walk away.
Terra and Beastboy both exhaled. "That was a close one..." the shape shifter commented.
"Yeah... but I wonder, where does this tunnel lead to anyway?" Terra questioned, looking into the darkness of the passageway.
"Dunno, but maybe it leads out of this mountain. We could try going through it, but we won't see anything in there." Beastboy said.
Terra looked a little closer into the tunnel's darkness. "Actually, it's not all that dark. Look, you can see a bit of light over there." the blonde said, pointing to a small speck of light somewhere deeper in the tunnel.
"Wow, you're right! So I guess we can try going in, but carefully." Beastboy said, starting to walk into the tunnel. Terra slipped her hand into his hand, and the two started off slowly towards the light, Beastboy getting his head smacked by the occasional stalactite. After some time, the two Titans reached the source of the light that Terra pointed out earlier. It turned out to be some kind of wall torch, jutting out of the cave's wall. As a matter of fact, there were even more torches lining the walls of the the tunnel further down.
"I think there might be people here. Who else could have lit these torches?" Terra noted, looking down the tunnel.
"You might be right, but let's not assume anything yet. I say we follow this path, it has to lead somewhere." Beastboy said. Terra nodded, tightening her grip on Beastboy's hand, and the two Titans set off down the eerie passageway.
After some time of walking, Terra was beginning to worry. "How long have we been walking through this tunnel, BB?"
Beastboy stopped and thought for a moment. "I'd say at least two hours. And if you notice, we are always walking down, so I guess this path must lead out of the mountain. If you are tired, we could rest if you want." the shape shifter said.
"No it's okay, I'm not really tired, just worried a bit." Terra replied as the two Titans resumed walking.
"Why, what's wrong?" Beastboy asked, concern in his voice.
Terra just sighed and glanced back. "Well, it's nothing really, but do you get the feeling that we are being followed?" the blonde asked, staying closer to Beastboy.
"Hmm, not really, but this place is giving me the creeps. It would be really useful if our powers still... WOW!" Beastboy was cut off as he tripped over something on the cave floor.
Terra giggled slightly at Beastboy's expression, helping him up. "Are you okay?" she asked, still giggling.
"Yeah, I'm fine. What did I trip over anyways?" Beastboy asked rhetorically, looking down on the cave floor. After seeing what was there, he yelled in fright. Terra followed suit after she saw what Beastboy was screaming about: a decaying skeleton of a person, or at least they thought it was a person.
"Yup, this place is officially creepy!" Beastboy said, calming down. "But if you look closely, this skeleton can't be from a normal human since its jaw is kinda stretched out, and the teeth are sharp."
Terra forced herself to look at the skeleton again, and she noted what Beastboy pointed out. Indeed, this skeleton did not belong to a regular human. "Hmm... yeah, you're right. Can we discuss this later after we get out of here?" the blonde asked, once again taking hold of Beastboy's arm.
"Sure, I really don't want to be here any longer either." Beastboy said as they sidestepped the skeleton and continued further down the passage. However, the rest of the passage contained some bones on the ground, as well as more skeletons similar to the one they first saw.
After about another two hours of walking, the two exhausted Titans could see the end of the long tunnel. Beastboy and Terra both ran outside, getting a fresh breath of air.
"Heh, there is no way I'm going back in there." Beastboy said coolly as he and Terra approached a small pond off to the side. It was covered in the shadow of the gigantic mountain, and there were a few dead trees here and there. The shape shifter was about to stick his hands into the cool water before Terra stopped him.
"BB what are you doing?! There are piranhas or something swimming in there!" Terra said, holding back Beastboy.
Beastboy had a look in the water and noticed the weird fish. They looked like piranhas, except their razor sharp teeth stuck out of their jaws a bit, and their bodies were long and almost eel-like. "Whoops, thanks for stopping me Terra. I probably would have lost an arm if one of those things bit me." the shape shifter joked around.
Terra just sighed. "Please be careful BB, especially since we don't know this place really well."
"Sure, whatever you say your majesty!" Beastboy pretended to bow. Terra giggled as the two began walking down a crude path made from overturned dirt. The Titans walked on, passing a few dead trees and some holes in the ground, not really sure where they were going. However, as they walked, something was sneaking around the bushes just ahead of them. Suddenly, a wolf-like animal jumped out from the bushes ahead and growled at the two. Beastboy and Terra immediately stopped walking. The animal was identical to a wolf, except that it had a coat of silver fur and deep orange eyes like those of the creature on top of the mountain. Beastboy slowed stepped in front of Terra to shield her.
"Oh great, first we get chased by a lunatic beast on top of the mountain, and now this wolf thing is looking at me like I'm food!" Beastboy commented as he and Terra started to back away from the proceeding animal. Beastboy braced himself as the wolf-like creature looked like it was about to pounce on him. However, much to both both Titans' surprise, the wolf simply sniffed Beastboy, circled the two, and ran off back into the bushes.
Beastboy looked a little perplexed. "What? Do I really smell that bad?" the shape shifter asked, earning a laugh from Terra.
"No you don't, but I guess that wolf thought you did." Terra laughed. Beastboy gave her a goofy face, making the blonde teen laugh even more.
After half an hour of walking, the sky started to darken, signaling the approaching night. "I think we should find a place to rest for the night. Who knows what kind of creatures are awake." Terra said after yawning. Beastboy nodded, and the two started in search of a relatively safe place to spend the night. This world looked even scarier at night: the dead trees cast crooked shadows from the light of the two moons alight in the sky. Clouds were starting to congregate, covering the once clear night sky. Light was starting to get limited, so Beastboy and Terra walked carefully over the terrain as the path began to fade into the darkness of the night.
Both Titans were ready to just fall asleep on the ground had they not noticed some peculiar lights on top of a small hill just ahead. "Hmm... maybe there is a town over there." Terra thought aloud.
"Good idea, let's go check." Beastboy said, taking Terra's hand into his own to make sure they wouldn't get separated in this pitch black darkness. Upon reaching the top of the hill, they found out that there was no town here, but instead some geysers. However, these geysers shot flames into the air, lighting up the area temporarily. The shape shifter grabbed a dead stick off the ground, carefully walked up to a flaming geyser and set the stick on fire, creating a torch.
"Good thinking, eh?" Beastboy smiled as he approached Terra. She nodded with a grin to match his and took hold of Beastboy's hand again. "Hey, do you see that cave over there?" the shape shifter pointed out a small cave not far from the geysers.
"Looks like a nice place to stay for the night. Let's check it out." Terra said, as the two Titans went to have a look around inside the small cave. The walls of the cave were smooth, having a glossy gray tint. It was also a perfect size; no bigger than Beastboy's room back at Titans Tower. It started to get cold outside, so Beastboy took some more sticks and formed a small campfire near the entrance of the cave. Since neither of them had any warm clothing on, except for their usual clothes, both Titans started to get chilly.
Walking to a comfortable corner of this cave, Beastboy sat down and cuddled Terra up in his arms for warmth. Terra closed her eyes and nuzzled into Beastboy's neck. The shape shifter in turn took one hand and gently stroked her golden blonde hair.
"Um... BB, what if some animal finds us here and attacks us when we are sleeping?" Terra whispered to Beastboy. The shape shifter put on a reassuring smile and held her tighter.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure nothing hurts you." Beastboy planted a small kiss on Terra's neck. "Just relax and sleep tight. Tomorrow we need to find out where everyone else is, and hopefully get back home."
Terra smiled softly. "Thanks BB." the blonde whispered, snuggling as close as possible to Beastboy and resting her head on his chest.
"Not a problem!" Beastboy said in a soothing voice, bringing his face closer to Terra's as they leaned in for a kiss.
Their lips met and Beastboy slipped his tongue in Terra's mouth as she followed suit. Both teens slowly closed their eyes as the kiss intensified. Beastboy slowly rubbed Terra's back as she stroked his cheek with one hand, the other wrapped around him. After a minute, Terra then moved her hand up to the shape shifter's pointy ears and played around with them. Beastboy moved on to rubbing Terra's neck with one hand, the other still soothing her back.
Terra loved everything about Beastboy. He always could comfort her in any given situation, no matter how depressing it was. He always took care of her, no matter if it required putting himself in danger. She never loved anyone more than Beastboy, especially since Beastboy loved her back just as much.
Beastboy also loved Terra with all his heart. No other girl could ever take her place, and that was final. He made a personal promise to keep her safe from harm's way, and that he was going to do. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Terra, and he was positive she felt the same.
The two Titans slowly broke the kiss, opening their eyes very slowly, still keeping their faces close. "I love you BB..." Terra said in a soft voice as the two shared a tight embrace.
"Love you too, Terra..." Beastboy whispered, holding Terra close as she snuggled, her head resting serenely on his chest. The shape shifter then gave her one more kiss and leaned his head back against the smooth cave walls.
Both drifted off to sleep, happy in each other's arms.
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And so ends chapter 9. Heh, I think that's my favorite chapter so far. ;) Anyways, I thank all my reviewers once again for taking the time to read. Stay tuned for the next chapter!