Land Of Beasts

I do not own Beyblade

Chapter 2: Enemies and Allies

Kai cursed as the rock slipped and skinned his thumb again. Rei winced at the line of curses following. The neko then looked down to his own spear, it had been barely sharpened, because he was scared of what might happen if he missed with his rock. Kai's was coming along much better than his, but it also had drops of blood on it from when Kai had accidentally gone over his finger rather than the wood.

The two had found some narrow, long and strong sticks lying around and then begun to sharpen them, using rocks with an angled edge. Kai slashed the sharp edge of the rock along his spear, without hitting his finger. After another half hour or so, Kai's was done and he began testing it. Rei had started speeding up, though his fingers were now scratched up and bleeding a bit. Kai threw his spear like a javelin, but it bounced harmlessly along the ground. In frustration, Kai shot his into some nearby bushes, and Rei looked up as they heard a squealing sound. Kai burst through the bushes and found that he had struck an unsuspecting rabbit. Though it was unusually large…

"So. What should we do about shelter? Find a cave and hope no bear or Gauzy is in it?" Rei laughed quietly. Kai shrugged as he took a bite of the cooked (Very OVERcooked) rabbit that they were sharing. There was a small, gurgling stream near them, and Kai and Rei were hoping it didn't carry any killer bacteria.

"Maybe we should climb a tree and hope there's no Crazy Monkey in it," Kai and Rei laughed. It hadn't set in on them that they were alone, the only humans here and even their bitbeasts could kill them. Not to mention that there was no way to get home…

Both boys shivered as a cold wind moaned through the forest," Or maybe we could just stay down here for the night, you know, to keep the fire warm." Rei laughed nervously as he inched closer to the fire. Kai did the same.

"We should probably set up watch for the night, switching back and forth to keep an eye out for any monsters," Kai suggested, "can you estimate an hour?"

Rei nodded slowly," Yeah… I'm pretty sure I can. How 'bout rock-paper-scissors to see who goes first. Winner gets to sleep." Kai nodded and they went into best two out of three. Rei won, Kai had trouble trying to make the hand signals and ended up defeated. The raven neko curled up beside the fire and closed his eyes. But he couldn't get to sleep. There were so many unfamiliar things around him and so many thoughts and questions that by the time his eyes had just started to droop, Kai was getting him up to stand watch.

The rest of the night passed like that. Kai, nor Rei, could sleep when they got a chance, but had to stay up and stand guard while they wanted to go to sleep. It took forever, but morning finally came. Kai and Rei both woke to a world flooded with light and they couldn't even remember who had fallen asleep while standing watch.

They attempted to hunt again, but last nights meal was still heavy in their gut and they found that they weren't very hungry. They had a drink from the stream and continued travelling. They didn't know where they were going so it was more like wandering. They came to a great big, rushing river.

"Should we cross?" Rei asked. Kai nodded in reply. They found an odd bridge of stones jutting out of the water and a fallen log. But as soon as they had begun to cross the water, they knew something was wrong. The water began to lower, draining away… but upstream. Looking up, the two saw an awesome beast absorbing the river. It had a large, black, spiked shell. It's head, arms and legs were purple and it growled at them with angry violet eyes. The beasts name was Draciel.

"Draciel! Don't you remember us? Kai and Rei, we're Max's friends. We're the masters of Dranzer and Drigger," Rei said softly.

"Master?" Draciel chucked angrily, "I have no master. Max is just my way into your world. I fight for him, but he never gives me a second thought. And now… how did you two get here? No doubt Dranzer and Drigger have become too soft and brought you to this realm. But it was all in vein. How do two, young, children expect to survive in a world of great and powerful beasts?"

Kai remembered Dranzer's warning that the beasts would not be who thy seemed to be on earth. To him, Draciel was really a lot like Boris…

It happened all too suddenly, Kai and Rei were suddenly airborne, the log they had been standing on had shattered under the impact of the water Draciel had unleashed. They landed on wet, smooth stones, slipping and sliding on the polished surface. Draciel laughed at them. Kai gathered himself and lunged at Draciel with his spear. The turtle only laughed harder as Kai's spear shattered on his thick shell. With a quick movement, one that seemed to fast for Draciel's bulk, he grabbed Kai and held the mortal high in the air. Kai shook with fear as he felt Draciel's cold, white claws slowly closing around him. Draciel enjoyed the look of fear on Kai's face.

"Scared? But you always seemed so confident when nothing could harm you. I guess you were just a poor, helpless child after all," he laughed triumphantly. Kai closed his eyes and tried to pull away, trying to get away from Draciel's accusations…

"Draciel! Leave Kai alone! We just want to pass by! We don't want to cause you any harm. Please, just put Kai down," Rei said gently, lowering his own spear. He knew they stood no chance against the powerful creature.

"But you trespassed on my territory without my permission. Your foolish friend attacked me for no reason and you expect me to let you go by? I don't like violent trespassers," Draciel snarled angrily.

"Attacked you for no reason? You attacked us first!" Kai yelled.

"Silence, mortal!" Draciel tightened his claws and Kai gasped for breath, "you are in no position to make false assumptions. Besides, that log broke on its own." He smiled cunningly.

"Lair!" Kai spat. He let out a wheeze of breath and began taking shallow breaths as Draciel closed his claws even more. Rei's spear clattered as it hit the ground.

"DRACIEL! PLEASE, JUST STOP THIS! DON'T HURT KAI! DON'T GO TO THIS VIOLENCE!" Rei screamed in desperation. Draciel looked from Kai, down to Rei.

"I still don't see why I should release him. If I do, you will only run into another beast that will destroy you. And I will be known as 'Merciful Draciel'."

"No. We will survive. We will find a way to return to Earth, and we shall do it soon. You have no right to kill us right now, no right at all!" Rei cried, he had no idea of where the words were coming from. Drigger and Dranzer had told them it was impossible for them to leave this world… but then again, how could they?

"I have no right to kill you? Does the predator need permission to kill its prey? Do you need permission to feed yourself, or must I ask the right to eat? It had been long since I have tasted human… and I am not willing to give it up that easily!"

Kai went stiff as Draciel lifted his head and opened his large jaws. It was over… but so soon. Kai couldn't find any emotion to guide him at this moment, not even fear came to him. Suddenly, Draciel screamed in rage. He pulled Rei's spear from his neck and tossed it aside. Blood dribbled from the wound and an angry expression filled Rei's eyes. Draciel opened his claws as he advanced on Rei. Kai fell out and landed on the ground, he rolled to the side quickly to keep from being stepped on. He then jumped to his feet and grabbed his broken spear, then scrambled over to Rei. The two humans watched as the beast slowly advanced on them, they were too scared to run. But brave enough to stare Draciel in the eyes. Draciel suddenly lifted his head, the wind had picked up and the turtle scented the air.

"Dragoon…" he trailed off angrily.

As they heard the cry in the distance, Draciel stopped moving and listened to the sounds. Kai and Rei took this moment to run to the river banks and attempted to get out. Rei helped Kai get up and Kai was pulling Rei out when the neko slipped and fell back into the river. But, the water was rising. The current already tugged at his ankles and Rei knew that if it got too deep, he would be swept away. Draciel was attempting to keep them there. Kai reached down and Rei grabbed his hand again. The Chinese dug his feet into the muddy walls and tried to climb up. He fell again and the water now covered his feet. It was hard to stand in place with the current so strong and Dragoon's cries were getting louder by the second.

"You aren't getting away that easily, human," Draciel growled. He moved over to Rei, who was trying to climb out once again. Kai pulled with all his might and Rei slowly came up. The raven-haired boy stabbed his feet into the soft mud on the backs and grabbed Kai's arm, near his elbow. Kai grasped the back of Rei's shirt and pulled. He was being dragged towards the edge, Rei's weight weighing him down. Rei put one hand on solid ground and pushed himself up. He was going to make it! The two collapsed on the ground as Draciel swiped at the spot where Rei had just been dangling.

"Stupid mortals!" Draciel yelled in rage. He brought his claws up and as Kai and Rei watched the claws, they could see a dark blob in the sky that was getting larger by the second.

"Run, Kai!" Rei screamed. The two shot off as Draciel brought his claws down and raked the spot they had just been in. The turtle attempted to climb onto the riverbank, but his bulk was too massive. Kai and Rei burst into the trees only seconds before Dragoon landed.

"So Draciel, having trouble getting out of you little puddle?" Dragoon laughed at the flustering beast.

Draciel growled angrily at him and it was then that Dragoon noticed the wound.

"Who did that?" Dragoon asked immediately.

"A… mortal. Kai and Rei," Draciel coughed, "they escaped from me just moments ago. If you go to catch them, do whatever you want to Kai, but I want to personally tear Rei limb from limb."

"I'll do my best to keep him alive." Dragoon turned around, on all fours, and with a flick of his long tail, was airborne once more.

"Keep running Rei. We can't let them catch us!" Kai panted. The two were still running, after hearing Draciel's request for them to be captured, their pace had become quite fast.

They tripped and stumbled over logs and rocks, branches and sticks tore at their upper torso, while bushes and smaller, thorny plants dug into their legs. Kai burst out from the trees, right onto the top of a very steep hill, he stopped himself right on the edge though, but he quickly realized what was about to happen.

"Rei! Slow do-" Kai was cut off as Rei, who was trying to stop, slammed into him. The two fell down the hill, rolling over each other and hitting sharp rocks and bashing their heads against the ground. Rei hit a tree while Kai rolled on a little ways more. They lay there, gasping for breath and trying to get their direction back in order. They were so dizzy, that they couldn't even tell which way was up. Rei was able to stand by leaning against the tree, though his knees were shaking badly and his head was throbbing. Kai struggled to his feet, but fell over again. They waited there, breathing hard, until the world stopped spinning. Then Kai got to his feet once more, but was shaking badly. When Rei could see strait, he realized he had cut himself badly on the tree. The side of his shirt was ripped open and he could see some red beginning to soak the white cloth. He muttered a curse and stumbled over to Kai.

"We… have to… keep move… ing," Rei said. He put a hand on Kai's shoulder to try and help the Russian calm down. Kai was shaking so badly that Rei swore he could've started an earthquake. They heard Dragoon in the distance and panic began to consume them once more.

"We should run… really, really quickly," Kai suggested. Rei nodded and the two bolted. Kai was falling behind, as he tripped and stumbled over his still shaky legs. His feet felt numb and he couldn't move or lift them properly.

The trees began to thin out and though they tried, Kai and Rei couldn't get their feet to change direction. They were running strait for open areas. The wind had really picked up and was blowing around them in great gusts, hitting them and throwing them off balance. Kai stumbled over another rock. He tripped and fell, he tried to call out to Rei, but the wind silenced him. Suddenly, teeth closed around him, grabbing the dirt and grass around Kai. Kai screamed in pure fear and leapt to his feet, almost falling over. Dragoon's fangs snagged on a tree root and Kai dashed from his jaws. He shot forwards to where Rei was, the neko had just seen Dragoon with his fangs around Kai. Dragoon pulled free of the root and glared down at the two mortals before him. Kai and Rei took a step back, afraid of what was to come.

Dragoon chuckled, "I still can't believe you're here, humans. Real, live humans. In our world! It is a bit of a mystery why Drigger and Dranzer had the guts to bring you here. They never had a heart for anyone or thing, except for each other. It's just too bad you have to go so soon," Dragoon looked to Kai, "I don't really have a taste for human blood. I prefer torture, but Draciel," the dragon looked to Rei, "Draciel is addicted to the taste of your kind. The clan that worshipped him always made sacrifices of blood to him. He'll finish you off quickly."

"You'll never get us. We'll make it back to our world. Just wait and see," Kai snapped angrily. Dragoon laughed at the comment.

"Besides, you say you have no taste for human flesh. Why should you be hunting us for Draciel? It makes no sense," Rei concluded.

"Draciel and I are allies. Though he will not die from the wound, I cannot stand creatures who would harm a sacred beast. Especially if it is not from our world!" Dragoon suddenly lunged forwards and caught the two in his jaws. Kai was dangling out of his mouth though, only handing on because his spear was wedged between Dragoon's fangs. Dragoon shook his massive head to try and loosen Kai's spear, and the Russian lost his grip. Kai fell, it was a long fall, but he landed in a tree and fell from branch to branch.

Rei latched onto Dragoon's tongue as the dragon lifted his head strait up. He was sliding back wen something caught his eye. The spear! Still holding onto the slippery, disgusting tongue with one hand, Rei reached out and swiped at the spear. He lost his grip and slid down before he grabbed hold of Dragoon's tongue again. Rei pulled himself up a tiny bit, Dragoon's large, gaping throat just a few feet below him. Rei made another lunge for the spear and…

Kai landed on the ground, hard, since the trees still were quite high. He starred up at the colossal beast before him, wondering if Rei was still alive. But… if Rei was gone… what would happen? Dragoon suddenly howled in a frenzied rage. He swung his massive head back and forth quickly, in an attempt to rid himself of the agony. Something flew from his mouth and landed in a nearby tree. Dragoon coughed up some blood, spit and… a spear. The dragon growled loudly and bid the humans a farewell.

"Don't you worry, pathetic mortals, I will be back. Mark my words. And when I do return… I will give you a torture so terrible, you can not even imagine!" he screamed. With that, Dragoon bounded off into the air and disappeared into the wind…

"Rei! Rei! Where are you? Answer me!" Kai called. He was searching for Rei, it had been some time now. Right now, Kai was knee deep in a stream, he had found some footprints leading from a tree deeper into the woods, but they had vanished into the stream. There was still no sign of Rei and Kai was fearing the worst. He continued on, shivering and cold. Suddenly, he lost his footing and fell into the freezing water. This happened a repetitive number of times until Kai could barely move.

Kai searched on until he couldn't walk because of the numbing pain in his feet. He sat down on a rock and pulled off his shoes. His socks were cold, muddy and soaked. His feet were blistered and bleeding, sore and worn out. His clothes were soaked and he was chilled to the bone. Kai sighed and rubbed one of his feet, trying to warm it up. He finally gave up and limped around to find some firewood. Then he spent the next twenty minutes lighting the fire. When he finally got it going, he had trouble keeping the embers lit. Kai prodded at the red embers with a stick, then threw a small twig into the fire. He rested his head on a hand and continued poking at the flames. Kai didn't even realized he had fallen asleep, until he woke up the next day…

Rei opened his amber eyes and sat up. There was a blanket over him and a fire burning nearby, he felt quite cozy. Kai was lying beside him, he too had a blanket on, but he was shivering badly. Rei placed a cautious hand on Kai's forehead and found it burning with fever. He pulled back, almost scared.

"Good morning Rei," a voice said from behind him. Rei turned around and smiled with relief…

Two days… it's been almost two whole days since they disappeared. And… it almost feels like they're not gone. Like they've just gone on a long trip for a while, yeah, that's it. They went on a big trip and'll be back soon. Tyson smiled halfheartedly, still getting over Kai and Rei's disappearance.

-Dragoon, why can't you tell me what's going on?-

-Tyson, you understand that I have laws to live by and one is that I cannot predict the future for you. I am allowed to warn you to move or not to say something, if it will save your life, but that is the most I can do. Please understand me Tyson, I wish to tell you, but I cannot.-

-Thanks Dragoon. You're the best.-

(Although, we all know that Dragoon tried to eat Kai and Rei, proving the point that he isn't 'the best')

-I will always be here to protect you Tyson. Don't worry.-

Tyson smiled inwardly and jumped to his feet. He walked to the kitchen and grabbed a can of pop. Chugging it down, Tyson walked into the living room and flopped down on the couch. Using the remote, he turned on the TV and watched the news. It was all about Kai and Rei's disappearance. There were a ton of rumors going around, like the one where they were zapped into a spaceship and flown away to a distant galaxy to be experimented on. There was another that said they had been taken into another world, but Tyson laughed at that. It was even more unlikely than being kidnapped by aliens. He watched the news until he fell asleep out of pure boredom.

So, uh, here's chapter 2. Hopefully you're enjoying Kai and Rei's adventure in a world where basically everyone and everything is out to get them. Thanks for the coughfewcough reviews I got for the first chapter. So R&R please and thanks you, tell me if you think this is moving along too quickly or if something doesn't seem right or is confusing and I'll be sure to explain it. BI!

Demenior