"NiGHTS. . ." Claris winced as NiGHTS turned away,
studying the star that GillWing had left behind.
The Nightmaren looked up, where a thousand more shimmered beautifully, GillWing's nightmare having faded after its defeat.
Claris sighed, not liking her friend's silence. It went against NiGHTS' basic nature. "NiGHTS, please say something." She watched as the sky lost some of its luster. The dream was reacting to her mood.
NiGHTS noticed too, and smiled, turning to cheer Claris up. "I'm fine, Claris. I was just thinking."
Claris nodded, ignoring the star in favor of being with her friend. She moved closer and reached out to grasp NiGHTS' arm just above the yellow and purple cuff. "NiGHTS, do you think that Elliot's okay?"
NiGHTS jerked upright, wide eyed. "Elliot!!! By the Ideya, I completely forgot!!! Stupid, stupid NiGHTS!!!" The Nightmaren punched Itself in the head before starting to fly off.
Claris yelped. "NiGHTS!" She watched as NiGHTS froze, then came back and reached for her. "No, NiGHTS. The star!"
NiGHTS blinked. "Oh! Of course, I just . . . ah!"
Claris jumped. "NiGHTS?" She turned to see what her friend had spotted, and gasped. A shadowed figure stood beside the star, one hand caressing the surface in an arrogant pose. It was a Nightmaren, and one that looked very much like NiGHTS.
"N . . . NiGHTS. . .?" Claris was confused, NiGHTS was right beside her! So who was this? She gasped as a hand was placed gently on her shoulder, halting her.
NiGHTS looked perfectly serious, aside from that strange smirk. "Don't go near that Nightmaren, Claris. That's Reala."
The Nightmaren now identified as Reala smiled, but it was a twisted, grotesque parody of a smile. Two icy blue eyes gleamed from a chalk white face. Where NiGHTS was a warm shadow of purple, Reala's body was a cold white, accented by harsh black and red stripes. Claris swallowed nervously and stepped back.
NiGHTS took a step closer. "Go home, Reala. We're taking the star."
Reala's response was a soft chuckle. "You don't even know what this star is, do you? Well I do, so I'll be taking it. You're just lucky that I didn't come to fight." The evil Nightmaren struck a pose. "Imagine the Master not making use of my skills right off! Well, this is my turn, my glory, my slice of the pizza!"
NiGHTS growled and leapt at Reala just as the paler Nightmaren took flight, laughing mockingly. Reala flew off, carrying the star away.
NiGHTS almost followed, but remembered Claris in time. Leaving her behind was not an option.
The two friends stood silently for a moment, each understanding the other's thoughts. They would get the star back.
NiGHTS blinked and looked at Claris. "So . . . what's a pizza, anyway?" Claris whapped the Nightmaren on the arm. "Later, NiGHTS."
Keane landed hard on a hard floor, sitting in stunned silence until the ache subsided a little. He stood up, rubbing his posterior. "What a grump. . ." The dreamer rubbed his hands together, looking around the room. "Well, to business . . . heeere kitty kitty kitty. . ."
Keane blinked at a soft mewl, looking up at a raised platform with a dark form laying there. With a shrug, the dreamer chose to forget about gravity and physics and leap onto the platform. He gaped at the monstrous navy blue form huddled nearby. "Whoa . . . BIG kitty!"
Cracking his knuckles, Keane set to work. . .
Clawz yowled angrily as fur regrew and changed color, concentrating more on the red and white highlights than the original blue.
Keane had to duck a swipe from the offended feline. "Wizeman told me to help you, okay? So deal with it!" That seemed to confuse Clawz, who blinked several times. Dreamers simply did not behave this way. The cat 'Maren sighed and settled down, tolerating the unwanted attention for a while longer.
Keane happily broadened Clawz's red and white stripes and added a Santa hat for good measure. "Great!"
Clawz lifted a clawed paw, staring. Keane had even added red nailpolish! The enormous cat mewled unhappily before snarling at Keane. A moment later, Clawz's jaws snapped shut as a muffled shriek came from behind those sharp teeth.
"Spit . . . the dreamer . . . out!!!"
Amused, Clawz did as asked, purring as a bedraggled Keane tumbled onto the floor. Keane glared. "I don't think that I like you. . ."
Sometime later, a reluctant truce had been struck and Keane relayed Wizeman's latest plan. Clawz pricked an ear, nodding vaguely before rising to its full height. Keane took aim and jumped, placing himself on Clawz's back just in front of those lethal looking spikes that seemed to be Clawz's version of wings.
Reala was understandably pleased as Nightmare came into view. The star bobbed after the Nightmaren, shining in seven colors and leaving a trail of gold glitter, much like Reala's own startrail. It was beautiful, Reala had to admit.
Flying inside, Reala was aiming straight for Wizeman's chamber, but halted as a soft humming filtered through the halls.
Pausing, the red, black, and white Nightmaren peered into a glowing doorway and was met by a wave of warmth and pleasant odors of gingerbread and pine branches.
Confused, Reala drifted inside and was quickly overwhelmed by garlands of pine and hollyberries lining the walls. A table had been set up with warm gingerbread cookies resting on a white plate. The cookies were vaguely Nightmaren shaped, right down to the horns.
Worst of all, the center of the room was brightened by an enormous tree, festively decorated with various shades of tinsel, and numerous glass and tin ornaments.
The humming that had attracted Reala was coming from the base of the tree, where a cloaked figure was happily squinting in deep concentration, teeth parted in such a way as to imply that an invisible tongue might be hanging out.
Jackle seemed completely oblivious, holding a small stained glass trumpet up to various branches.
"Ahem. . ." Reala landed and walked over, taking some satisfaction as Jackle jumped in surprise, knocking several ornaments off of the tree. Two ball ornaments shattered upon impact, unnoticed.
"Reala!" Jackle grinned wildly. "I didn't hear you walk in!" The caped Nightmaren blinked as Reala smirked and levitated. "Oh . . . well that explains that, then. Hey, you got the star! Perfect, I needed one for the top here!"
Reala looked up at the bare treetop before scowling at Jackle. "No." Jackle's face fell, actually lowering in the space between its helm and collar before popping back into position. "No?" It seemed to have trouble understanding the word. "No." Reala confirmed.
Jackle shrugged. "No. . ." It tried the word out as if it were something new. Now that Reala had nothing more to offer, Jackle moved on and took a red ball out of a box, drifting a little higher and staring intensely at the tree.
Reala couldn't stand it any longer. "Jackle, what IS this nonsense?!!" "Hm?" Jackle asked absently, plucking another ornament off of the tree before placing the red ball.
Reala took another look around, noting with some annoyance that there was even a fireplace with stockings hung on the mantle with care. He realized belatedly that Clawz had been revived and was curled and sleeping contentedly on a rug in front of the fireplace. The cat had a new seasonal look, Reala noticed.
"This room, Jackle. What is it?" Reala tried again. Jackle found a spot that it liked for the little doll in its glove and hung it tenderly. "Mm? 'sfrom some dream I saw. . ." The caped Nightmaren swooped before fling up to the top and whipping a card out. This was placed carefully amidst the highest branches in place of a star.
Jackle cried out as Reala flew up and batted the card away, catching it without touching an edge, and shredding it in a flurry of golden claws. It blinked before beaming happily. "S'okay, I have another!" Jackle produced another card and set to work positioning it as if nothing had happened.
Reala watched as Jackle seemed to forget that there was anyone else in the room, drifting from side to side and humming softly while fetching more ornaments from the floor to hang on the tree.
"Jackle. . ." Reala frowned a little, not at all happy to be ignored so completely. Insanity was no excuse for rudeness in Reala's book. Jackle continued to work on the tree, oblivious.
Reala growled softly. "Jackle!" Still, the caped Nightmaren failed to respond aside from a quick glance. Even then, Jackle's eyes fell on a box of ceramic teacup ornaments just beyond Reala, rather than on Reala itself.
Reala's ire rose further until it was beyond control. Jackle drifted over to the ornaments and carried the box back to the tree; It feel back into that look of intense concentration that Reala had first seen upon entering the room.
Watching this demented Nightmaren playing with a tree amidst a room filled with holiday nonsense, it all became too much for the regal and disciplined Nightmaren. Reala snapped.
Jackle blinked as the box in its hands splintered from a casual swipe of Reala's claws. Tiny teacups, kettles, and dishes flew out and shattered into shards.
Jackle stared as the beautiful Christmas ornaments were destroyed, not seeming to register what had just happened. It looked from the ruined ornaments to Reala, and back. Finally, Jackle gave a long, suffering sigh and arranged its hands in a way to suggest folded arms.
"Reala, you must stop doing that. It's so hard to concentrate with you making such a racket!"
Reala slapped a clawed hand over its face. Jackle was truly hopeless.
"Jackle, you imbecile! You blithering idiot, you dolt! You pathetic waste of the Master's time and energy! What in Wizeman's name do you think that you are doing?!!!"
Jackle blinked. "Decorating, of course. . ." It blinked calmly as Reala lunged, grabbing ahold of Jackle's collar. Of course Jackle was much larger, but still jerked forward in response to the action.
Reala snarled. "Decorating. . ." Jackle winced as it was shoved roughly back, nearly colliding with the tree. "Decorating?!!" Reala spat the word out, well on its way to one of those infamous Reala tantrums.
"Decorating." Jackle confirmed, now assuming a slightly hunched pose and widening one eye more than the other, It added a soft rasp to its voice. "Heh . . . my . . . my creation! It is beautiful! A work of art, you see! Look at it!"
Jackle dropped the Igor act, circling the tree proudly. "I've just discovered that choosing the most eye pleasing placement for each ornament is every bit as challenging and satisfying as building a house of cards!"
Reala stared and drifted closer. "Really . . . well I've just discovered that you are a complete imbecile." Reala lashed out and grabbed a glass ball with golden chains hanging from the sides, crushing it into dust.
Jackle blinked and landed beside Reala, staring. "Aww, that was one of my favorites. . ."
"Yeesh, what a scrooge!" Reala, Jackle, and Clawz all looked up as Keane finally made his presence known.
The dreamer was lounging on a red velvet sofa beside the fireplace. Seeing that he had everyones' attention, he rose and walked over to Reala. "No Christmas spirit at all. How boring! Even that loser NiGHTS is dressed up and enjoying the season! NiGHTS and that prissy girl!"
Reala seemed to be debating whether or not to gut the obnoxious dreamer before finally growling and straightening.
"NiGHTS is nothing, and Christmas is a foolish human holiday that stands for nothing! You need a holiday to celebrate shoving each other in the streets and mauling one another over the newest toys?! You humans do that everyday of the year! Christmas is one big hoax!"
Jackle froze, wide eyed. With a strained whimper, it drifted behind the much smaller Keane. "Reala's just trying to make me feel bad, right? It's not true. . ."
Keane blinked, thinking. He sighed. "That's not what we're celebrating. There is a point to Christmas, but it's a long, complicated story that you'd never understand."
The dreamer looked at each Nightmaren, noting how silent they had become. "There's more to Christmas than presents and decorations, okay? Lets leave it at that."
Reala snorted, reaching for the star that was still bobbing nearby. "No. Christmas is a human holiday that REAL Nightmaren need not concern themselves with. Let's leave it at THAT."
Keane sighed softly. "Right . . . let's just get that star back to GillWing. It's back now, right?"
Jackle nodded. "Yeah, but the poor thing's got a headache the size of . . . well, GillWing!"
Keane chuckled. "Okay then, well . . . oops!" He blinked as he began to flicker. "Morning already? Well, it can't be helped. So long guys, it's been real! Real stupid!"
Keane laughed as he vanished completely. Reala turned to Clawz. "I really don't like him. . ." Jackle sniffled. "He painted my cape. . ."
To Be Continued. . .
The Nightmaren looked up, where a thousand more shimmered beautifully, GillWing's nightmare having faded after its defeat.
Claris sighed, not liking her friend's silence. It went against NiGHTS' basic nature. "NiGHTS, please say something." She watched as the sky lost some of its luster. The dream was reacting to her mood.
NiGHTS noticed too, and smiled, turning to cheer Claris up. "I'm fine, Claris. I was just thinking."
Claris nodded, ignoring the star in favor of being with her friend. She moved closer and reached out to grasp NiGHTS' arm just above the yellow and purple cuff. "NiGHTS, do you think that Elliot's okay?"
NiGHTS jerked upright, wide eyed. "Elliot!!! By the Ideya, I completely forgot!!! Stupid, stupid NiGHTS!!!" The Nightmaren punched Itself in the head before starting to fly off.
Claris yelped. "NiGHTS!" She watched as NiGHTS froze, then came back and reached for her. "No, NiGHTS. The star!"
NiGHTS blinked. "Oh! Of course, I just . . . ah!"
Claris jumped. "NiGHTS?" She turned to see what her friend had spotted, and gasped. A shadowed figure stood beside the star, one hand caressing the surface in an arrogant pose. It was a Nightmaren, and one that looked very much like NiGHTS.
"N . . . NiGHTS. . .?" Claris was confused, NiGHTS was right beside her! So who was this? She gasped as a hand was placed gently on her shoulder, halting her.
NiGHTS looked perfectly serious, aside from that strange smirk. "Don't go near that Nightmaren, Claris. That's Reala."
The Nightmaren now identified as Reala smiled, but it was a twisted, grotesque parody of a smile. Two icy blue eyes gleamed from a chalk white face. Where NiGHTS was a warm shadow of purple, Reala's body was a cold white, accented by harsh black and red stripes. Claris swallowed nervously and stepped back.
NiGHTS took a step closer. "Go home, Reala. We're taking the star."
Reala's response was a soft chuckle. "You don't even know what this star is, do you? Well I do, so I'll be taking it. You're just lucky that I didn't come to fight." The evil Nightmaren struck a pose. "Imagine the Master not making use of my skills right off! Well, this is my turn, my glory, my slice of the pizza!"
NiGHTS growled and leapt at Reala just as the paler Nightmaren took flight, laughing mockingly. Reala flew off, carrying the star away.
NiGHTS almost followed, but remembered Claris in time. Leaving her behind was not an option.
The two friends stood silently for a moment, each understanding the other's thoughts. They would get the star back.
NiGHTS blinked and looked at Claris. "So . . . what's a pizza, anyway?" Claris whapped the Nightmaren on the arm. "Later, NiGHTS."
Keane landed hard on a hard floor, sitting in stunned silence until the ache subsided a little. He stood up, rubbing his posterior. "What a grump. . ." The dreamer rubbed his hands together, looking around the room. "Well, to business . . . heeere kitty kitty kitty. . ."
Keane blinked at a soft mewl, looking up at a raised platform with a dark form laying there. With a shrug, the dreamer chose to forget about gravity and physics and leap onto the platform. He gaped at the monstrous navy blue form huddled nearby. "Whoa . . . BIG kitty!"
Cracking his knuckles, Keane set to work. . .
Clawz yowled angrily as fur regrew and changed color, concentrating more on the red and white highlights than the original blue.
Keane had to duck a swipe from the offended feline. "Wizeman told me to help you, okay? So deal with it!" That seemed to confuse Clawz, who blinked several times. Dreamers simply did not behave this way. The cat 'Maren sighed and settled down, tolerating the unwanted attention for a while longer.
Keane happily broadened Clawz's red and white stripes and added a Santa hat for good measure. "Great!"
Clawz lifted a clawed paw, staring. Keane had even added red nailpolish! The enormous cat mewled unhappily before snarling at Keane. A moment later, Clawz's jaws snapped shut as a muffled shriek came from behind those sharp teeth.
"Spit . . . the dreamer . . . out!!!"
Amused, Clawz did as asked, purring as a bedraggled Keane tumbled onto the floor. Keane glared. "I don't think that I like you. . ."
Sometime later, a reluctant truce had been struck and Keane relayed Wizeman's latest plan. Clawz pricked an ear, nodding vaguely before rising to its full height. Keane took aim and jumped, placing himself on Clawz's back just in front of those lethal looking spikes that seemed to be Clawz's version of wings.
Reala was understandably pleased as Nightmare came into view. The star bobbed after the Nightmaren, shining in seven colors and leaving a trail of gold glitter, much like Reala's own startrail. It was beautiful, Reala had to admit.
Flying inside, Reala was aiming straight for Wizeman's chamber, but halted as a soft humming filtered through the halls.
Pausing, the red, black, and white Nightmaren peered into a glowing doorway and was met by a wave of warmth and pleasant odors of gingerbread and pine branches.
Confused, Reala drifted inside and was quickly overwhelmed by garlands of pine and hollyberries lining the walls. A table had been set up with warm gingerbread cookies resting on a white plate. The cookies were vaguely Nightmaren shaped, right down to the horns.
Worst of all, the center of the room was brightened by an enormous tree, festively decorated with various shades of tinsel, and numerous glass and tin ornaments.
The humming that had attracted Reala was coming from the base of the tree, where a cloaked figure was happily squinting in deep concentration, teeth parted in such a way as to imply that an invisible tongue might be hanging out.
Jackle seemed completely oblivious, holding a small stained glass trumpet up to various branches.
"Ahem. . ." Reala landed and walked over, taking some satisfaction as Jackle jumped in surprise, knocking several ornaments off of the tree. Two ball ornaments shattered upon impact, unnoticed.
"Reala!" Jackle grinned wildly. "I didn't hear you walk in!" The caped Nightmaren blinked as Reala smirked and levitated. "Oh . . . well that explains that, then. Hey, you got the star! Perfect, I needed one for the top here!"
Reala looked up at the bare treetop before scowling at Jackle. "No." Jackle's face fell, actually lowering in the space between its helm and collar before popping back into position. "No?" It seemed to have trouble understanding the word. "No." Reala confirmed.
Jackle shrugged. "No. . ." It tried the word out as if it were something new. Now that Reala had nothing more to offer, Jackle moved on and took a red ball out of a box, drifting a little higher and staring intensely at the tree.
Reala couldn't stand it any longer. "Jackle, what IS this nonsense?!!" "Hm?" Jackle asked absently, plucking another ornament off of the tree before placing the red ball.
Reala took another look around, noting with some annoyance that there was even a fireplace with stockings hung on the mantle with care. He realized belatedly that Clawz had been revived and was curled and sleeping contentedly on a rug in front of the fireplace. The cat had a new seasonal look, Reala noticed.
"This room, Jackle. What is it?" Reala tried again. Jackle found a spot that it liked for the little doll in its glove and hung it tenderly. "Mm? 'sfrom some dream I saw. . ." The caped Nightmaren swooped before fling up to the top and whipping a card out. This was placed carefully amidst the highest branches in place of a star.
Jackle cried out as Reala flew up and batted the card away, catching it without touching an edge, and shredding it in a flurry of golden claws. It blinked before beaming happily. "S'okay, I have another!" Jackle produced another card and set to work positioning it as if nothing had happened.
Reala watched as Jackle seemed to forget that there was anyone else in the room, drifting from side to side and humming softly while fetching more ornaments from the floor to hang on the tree.
"Jackle. . ." Reala frowned a little, not at all happy to be ignored so completely. Insanity was no excuse for rudeness in Reala's book. Jackle continued to work on the tree, oblivious.
Reala growled softly. "Jackle!" Still, the caped Nightmaren failed to respond aside from a quick glance. Even then, Jackle's eyes fell on a box of ceramic teacup ornaments just beyond Reala, rather than on Reala itself.
Reala's ire rose further until it was beyond control. Jackle drifted over to the ornaments and carried the box back to the tree; It feel back into that look of intense concentration that Reala had first seen upon entering the room.
Watching this demented Nightmaren playing with a tree amidst a room filled with holiday nonsense, it all became too much for the regal and disciplined Nightmaren. Reala snapped.
Jackle blinked as the box in its hands splintered from a casual swipe of Reala's claws. Tiny teacups, kettles, and dishes flew out and shattered into shards.
Jackle stared as the beautiful Christmas ornaments were destroyed, not seeming to register what had just happened. It looked from the ruined ornaments to Reala, and back. Finally, Jackle gave a long, suffering sigh and arranged its hands in a way to suggest folded arms.
"Reala, you must stop doing that. It's so hard to concentrate with you making such a racket!"
Reala slapped a clawed hand over its face. Jackle was truly hopeless.
"Jackle, you imbecile! You blithering idiot, you dolt! You pathetic waste of the Master's time and energy! What in Wizeman's name do you think that you are doing?!!!"
Jackle blinked. "Decorating, of course. . ." It blinked calmly as Reala lunged, grabbing ahold of Jackle's collar. Of course Jackle was much larger, but still jerked forward in response to the action.
Reala snarled. "Decorating. . ." Jackle winced as it was shoved roughly back, nearly colliding with the tree. "Decorating?!!" Reala spat the word out, well on its way to one of those infamous Reala tantrums.
"Decorating." Jackle confirmed, now assuming a slightly hunched pose and widening one eye more than the other, It added a soft rasp to its voice. "Heh . . . my . . . my creation! It is beautiful! A work of art, you see! Look at it!"
Jackle dropped the Igor act, circling the tree proudly. "I've just discovered that choosing the most eye pleasing placement for each ornament is every bit as challenging and satisfying as building a house of cards!"
Reala stared and drifted closer. "Really . . . well I've just discovered that you are a complete imbecile." Reala lashed out and grabbed a glass ball with golden chains hanging from the sides, crushing it into dust.
Jackle blinked and landed beside Reala, staring. "Aww, that was one of my favorites. . ."
"Yeesh, what a scrooge!" Reala, Jackle, and Clawz all looked up as Keane finally made his presence known.
The dreamer was lounging on a red velvet sofa beside the fireplace. Seeing that he had everyones' attention, he rose and walked over to Reala. "No Christmas spirit at all. How boring! Even that loser NiGHTS is dressed up and enjoying the season! NiGHTS and that prissy girl!"
Reala seemed to be debating whether or not to gut the obnoxious dreamer before finally growling and straightening.
"NiGHTS is nothing, and Christmas is a foolish human holiday that stands for nothing! You need a holiday to celebrate shoving each other in the streets and mauling one another over the newest toys?! You humans do that everyday of the year! Christmas is one big hoax!"
Jackle froze, wide eyed. With a strained whimper, it drifted behind the much smaller Keane. "Reala's just trying to make me feel bad, right? It's not true. . ."
Keane blinked, thinking. He sighed. "That's not what we're celebrating. There is a point to Christmas, but it's a long, complicated story that you'd never understand."
The dreamer looked at each Nightmaren, noting how silent they had become. "There's more to Christmas than presents and decorations, okay? Lets leave it at that."
Reala snorted, reaching for the star that was still bobbing nearby. "No. Christmas is a human holiday that REAL Nightmaren need not concern themselves with. Let's leave it at THAT."
Keane sighed softly. "Right . . . let's just get that star back to GillWing. It's back now, right?"
Jackle nodded. "Yeah, but the poor thing's got a headache the size of . . . well, GillWing!"
Keane chuckled. "Okay then, well . . . oops!" He blinked as he began to flicker. "Morning already? Well, it can't be helped. So long guys, it's been real! Real stupid!"
Keane laughed as he vanished completely. Reala turned to Clawz. "I really don't like him. . ." Jackle sniffled. "He painted my cape. . ."
To Be Continued. . .