Okay let me get rid of the thing that we all don't like ….. the disclaimer. (horrified gasp) Okay first of all I do not own Teen Titans or anything related to Teen Titans so you can not sue me for saying that I do or anything like that. I do however own my own characters and storyline so please do not steal those.

Anyway this is the first real chapter of the story and will take place a few years before the prologue. Please enjoy the story and if anyone wants any other information just e-mail me and I will try to answer your questions in a timely manner. Please read and review because your critiques can only make me better.

The Nature of the Beast

From the Journals of Brother Dick

March, 23, 1236

This is the beginning of my story. To whoever is reading this you must forget your preconceived notions of right and wrong, light and dark, evil and good. Sometimes these words are just not well used in describing the truth. The church, the very church that I used to serve, has done horrible things and destroyed many of the best people that I have ever met.

I believe I must start at the beginning though I was not actually present to witness the events myself. I would normally hesitate to do this but I believe the person who told me this explicitly and it needs to be told. So with this said let me continue with this story's beginning.

"Prepare yourselves ladies and gentlemen for a sight that will stay with you for all of your days. Many have you have spent time on the kingdom's border and have seen things that would scare all normal people. Tonight you will see something that will send a chill up even you spine." The speaker was the ringmaster, dressed in brilliants clothes dyed bright colors so that he drew the all eyes to him. He stood in the center of the large tent that had been erected in town square as tumblers and jugglers moved around him in a brilliant display of acrobatic skill. A crowd of people stood behind a waist high wall in a that arrayed them in a semi-circle around the performers.

"A beast from the very depths of the Dark Forest has been captured and we have brought him here for your viewing pleasure. He is a changeling that has been dammed by God and twisted until he is more monster than man." The back of the tent split open and a heavy cage attached to a cart was rolled in.

A thin figure huddled at the bottom of the cage. The small figure was male and dressed only in the thin remains of a pair of dirt stained pants that were more rags than actual clothes. The boy had obviously not been fed well; he was very short for his age, growth stunted by lack of food and constant abuse. Ribs stuck out against his pale white skin. Wild green hair was tangled around the top of his head and hung over eyes the same dark green color. The young man snarled at the crowd, showing bright white teeth with long fang-like teeth.

"We have kept the creature starved for three whole days so that you could witness the full savagery of the beast as he feeds." The ringmaster reached into a sack near his feet and pulled out a chicken by the feet. The animal flapped its wings in terror as it looked into the young boy's eyes, the animal could sense what was really beneath the weak looking exterior.

The ringmaster tossed the flapping bird towards the cage and the young boy lunged forward. As he moved forward his whole body seemed to twist in mid grab. The hair spread down from his head across his entire body, covering him in a shaggy mane. His face elongated outwards and dagger-like teeth filled the young boy's mouth. A hand full of claws lashed out and caught the flapping bird in a spray of feather's and blood. The bleeding meal was quickly brought to the boy's mouth where he tore into the still warm meat.

The crowd gasped in disgust but they still stared at the gruesome sight in rapt attention. They worked hard every day of their lives so when any sort of entertainment came to town the people were determined to enjoy it. The cart rolled back out of the tent and now that the main attraction was done the ringmaster gave one last bow before he and the rest of the remaining performers moved out of the back of the tent.

Garfield lay back in his cage, just staring at the ceiling as he tried to not think about what had just happened. The ten year old child hated what he did when he changed into his more animalistic side. At those times he stopped being the person Garfield and just became the wild killing machine that the ringmaster called the Beast Boy. He proved the people he hated right when they said he was just an animal.

The child's sharp ears caught the soft sound of footsteps, to light to be anybody who worked with the surface, and he moved quickly into a crouch. A young girl had stepped into the backstage tent area where his cage was kept. She was probably about the same age as he was with shoulder length purple hair and matching eyes. Her clothes were a finger cloth than any peasant so she was either some wealthy merchant's daughter or a noble. It wasn't anything he hadn't seen before, some rich bastards wanted to come back and stare at the monster just to say they had.

Garfield opened his mouth to snarl an insult to the girl when he met her eyes. He could see something there that told him this was a kindred spirit. The young girl approached his cage with sure footsteps, not a single trace of fear in her eyes as she radiated confidence.

"What's your name?" The girl's voice was hard and controlled, no more emotion than she could help coming through.

"Didn't you see the show? I am the beast boy, a freak of nature, and an abomination against God." Even though the words were mean the venom just wasn't in his voice. He had built his life around hating humans because of what they had done to him and the things they did to him everyday. He couldn't force himself to hate this girl though.

"But what is your real name?" The girl stepped up to the bars of the cage and looked him in the eyes.

"Garfield." The young boy edged up to the girl. "You aren't scared of me?"

"Why should I be?"

"I don't know everyone else is afraid of me. Apparently I'm evil just because I was born this way." Garfield sat down in the middle of his cage and grinned at the purple hared girl. "They don't usually come back behind the tent after the show and ask me questions."

"Well, my name is Raven and I am as different as you are. Do you want to get out of this cage?" Dark light gathered around her hands as she ran them over the lock.

"Of course, but …" Garfield's eyes widened as he managed to get a good look at the energy radiating out from the girl's hands. The dark powers were more looked down upon than even a changeling like Garfield because of the pure destructive potential and how evil all of its users were. Or at least that is what the church told the people.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Raven whispered under her breath. The energy moved from her hands into the lock and with a quiet click the door creaked open on uneven hinges. Raven looked up at him with defiance in her eyes, daring the young changeling to condemn her for the powers that she was born with. Underneath all of that defiance Garfield could see a kid reaching out for someone to accept her. It was easy to tell because he had lived that way for half of his life.

"To quote a person in this room, aren't you afraid of me?" There was the challenge that had been in the girl's eyes laid out in plain words. Garfield stepped out of his cage, reveling in the feeling of finally being able to place his feet on the actual ground for the first time in five years.

"Like you said Raven we are both different. I've had a lot of time to think things over in my cage and a lot of time to build up resentment because people hate me for being born. If you need somebody who really understands that then just find me again. If the stories are true than your powers should be good enough for that." Garfield smiled at the young girl and he could see Raven's mouth move slightly upwards at the corners.

"Lady Raven, where are you?" The voice drifted in from outside the tent and the young girl turned away from Garfield.

"Here take this." Raven reached into one of the small leather pouches on her belt and pulled out a small gemstone. She placed it in Garfield's hand and pushed his fingers around it. "This is something I use to focus my powers but it should be worth some money."

"But…" Garfield sputtered out but the girl was already out of the tent before he could even get the word out. Light danced off of the gem in held in his hand and he looked at it closely. It was so dark it almost looked black to the casual observer but when the light hit its sides it turned blue under his sight. The gem was barely the size of his fingernail, but perfectly formed with all of its facets flat and without blemish. It was almost like the sides had been shaped by the girl's mind.

It was the first thing anyone had given Garfield except for the common blow to the head from his so called owners. Even if he was starving he knew he couldn't sell it. Garfield opened his mouth and popped the gemstone inside his mouth, settling the small stone underneath his tongue so that he wouldn't loose it.

Now that he was free it might be time to give his old masters a little payback for all of those years. Garfield smiled as his canines lengthened inside of his mouth and he let out a quite snarl. A few minutes later the young changeling lopped out of the city, the screams of people following him as they found the circus owners.

End Note: And there is the first chapter, short I know but just the start so we can begin with babysteps.