Author's note: I don't own DP. Or my own show. NNNNNNNOOOOOOO!
Sorry about this being a while after my last update, and you might want to expect the same for chapters to come.
In my reference to the different katas in Shotokan karate, those mentioned are actual katas, and most of which that a brown belt knows.
I'd like to thank the following for their reviews:
the sleep warrior- It's alright. I just like the spinny chairs. And let's not get into the tortilla & peppers thing, because I LOVE those things!
captain deoxys- If Tir had both a wishing and a techno. ghost for enemies, then don't you think I'd be ripping off the show just a tad too closely? But I had already planned on using one of the two in the next chapter anyway, so it may help satiate that hunger for DP of yours.
nooneluvsme- If it makes you feel an better, there have definitely been some things I've written that just plain sucked, so don't feel too bad. If you need help with anything fic. related, I'd be happy to help.
The beginning of the end of this fanfic starts here. I ought to be pretty close to done within the next ten chapters or so. And then there's the sequel. Heeheeheehee! On with the show!
Chapter 10 (Hell Hounds)
"Okay, Eunagi, are we gonna do this easy or real easy?" I asked as the ghost rose up from his dumpster.
"Be silent!" Eunagi yelled back, "And feel the wrath of my eels!"
"Sis, would you be so kind?" I asked, bowing and giving her the floor.
"Why thank you, Tir. Railguns Fire!" she shouted. A split second later Eunagi was knocked back into his dumpster. With lightning speed she leapt onto the rim of the dumpster and fired her Ghost Sniper.
Eunagi was gone within a minute. "So, how was that, oh master?"
she asked mockingly, bowing and clapping her palms together.
"Good, but you really need to play with him more," I critiqued.
"Play with him?" she asked.
"You know, batter him around for a while, knock him into walls, kick him into the ground, etc. You get the idea. It's really very theraputic."
"Fine. I'll "play" with him next time," she huffed, "Anything else in the area?"
"Uh, no, we're all clear," I answered after a moment's hesitation.
"Good. Now let's get to school!" she exclaimed as we left the alley in our human guises.
"Hey, Tai," I called down the hall.
"Greetings, Tir. I presume your ghost-hunting for the morning went well?" he asked as I opened my locker.
"Another regular," I groaned. "These guys just keep comin' back for more."
"Who keeps comin' back for more?" we both whipped around to see Kara, staring at us innocently.
"Uh, some of the guys in my karate class. I keep beating them, and they just keep comin back."
"Oh," she replied, "I was just wondering who you were talking about."
"Whew, we've got to watch ourselves, or she's going or find out," I said as she departed.
"Well, at least you told her part of the truth," Tai answered. He was right. Ever since I'd been struck blind, almost no one in my dojo could thwart me. Even Gichin Tankoshi, one of Sensei Yamata's best students, could just barely stay level with me.
"Oh, that reminds me," I exclaimed, "Our black belt testing is coming up in a few days. You wanna come over to my house so we can brush up?"
"Only if I get to come along," someone said almost irritatingly as two arms wrapped around my throat. I gagged as Kara's ploy inadvertantly brought me to the ground. I lay there for a second, massaging my throat, as she apologized.
I waved the matter aside, then asked "You want to practice with us?"
"Sure. Don't forget I've got my black belt testing coming up too," she reminded us both.
"Oh, right," I said a bit shamefacedly, having forgotten almost entirely about it, "Well, if you want to, come on over to my place after school for the next couple of days. Testing's on the fourth."
"Thanks," she paused for a moment, I presume she was staring at her watch, because she exclaimed, "It's almost time for class. You guys had better hurry. And what smells like dead eel?" She walked off at that parting phrase.
"Tai?" I asked, knowing he was still standing beside me.
"Yes Tir?" he asked as I heard the door to his locker close.
"Do I really smell like eel?"
"And here we are," I said as I made a great flourishing bow, indicating my house, "Behold the glory that is my home."
"It's a lot bigger than my house," Kara said as she stepped up onto the porch and knocked.
"Hi, sweetie!" mom greeted me, "And is this that little friend of yours that you took to the dance?"
"Mom!" I whined, "Did Ronnie prep you on this?"
"Lucky guess. Come on in," she said as she moved to one side, letting us pass through the doorway.
"I'll call you kids when it's time for supper," she called as we headed for the basement. "Okay, mom," I called back. Turning to my two friends I asked, "So, you two brought your gear?"
They both replied "yes." I then said, "The bathroom's over there, Kara." She nodded, then headed for the bathroom. Tai and myself, both being guys, changed out in the open, and were ready for Kara when she emerged. Sort of.
If what Tai described to me even remotely captured what he saw, then she was a sight to behold. I even sensed the difference as she entered the room. A strange calm, a sort of focused anger, if you will. Fierce determination dominated the atmosphere.
"Tai my man," I whispered, "This girl may be a slight bit more than we bargained for."
"Now for Empi," I suggested, us having run through the requirements for basics, and were presently working on our kata. Of all the katas in Shotokan karate, Bassai-dai, Jion, Tekki-nidan, Untsu, and so on, I like none better than Empi.
Aptly named, it means "Flying Swallow," and is obviously better suited to those with a lighter build. Every movement, from knife-hand back stance to double-techo (pronounced tae-sho), every movement was as near flawless as I could get it. Then came my favorite movement of the kata.
If I'd had an opponent, I would have been grabbing him by his neck and thigh and, actually leaping into the air, I would have thrown him behind me, then landed in knife-hand back stance.
Everything felt right, the twist, the position of my arms, my perfect focus, my landing, everything. All rolled into a split second it felt as if my whole being was working as one. And then it was gone.
"Impressive Tir," Kara complimented me, "I've never seen Empi performed as such."
"Thanks," I said modestly, "But I've been in karate for five years, I should think I know what I'm doing."
"Either way," Tai cut in before we could go any further, "We should get to work on our sparring. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Kara and I both replied in unison.
"Mind if I join you?" Ronnie asked, clearly having come down the stairs whilst we were practicing.
"Sure, go ahead," I offered. She was back in a minute, gi, gloves and mouthguard all in place.
"Let's dance, lover boy," she taunted as we started circling one another.
"Uh, can I interrupt for a second?" Kara asked. We nodded our assent, and she continued, "If you two are brother and sister, then shouldn't Tai and myself fight each of you?"
"Huh," I murmured, "Not a bad idea. So, which of you will face me?"
"I will," Kara volunteered on the spot.
"Fine," Ronnie conceded, letting the younger girl take her usual spot, "Just don't beat up my little brother too badly."
"Oh, I won't. I'll leave just enough for you to boss around," she grinned as her footsteps became more wary.
"Thanks. Hey!" Ronnie called out irately, just before my subconscious tuned her out.
We circled each other like wolves, assessing each other, one sizing the other up, looking for a potential weakness. I certainly couldn't see Kara, though it wouldn't have helped much if I could.
Just as my back foot struck the ground she sprang, lashing an arm to the side of my head. I blocked her knife hand as a roundhouse kick snapped out at my face. I whipped my body around and raised my knee, letting it take the brunt of her blow.
She took that moment to aim a punch at my face. The slightest snap of her gi gave her away. Instantly my open hand whipped out and blocked her punch at the wrist. With one quick movement my raised foot flicked out and caught her just under her arm, a perfect side-snap kick.
As soon as my blow landed she stepped backwards into yoi, or standby position. I followed her lead and we bowed to each other.
"You're pretty quick, you know that," I praised her, "I don't think anyone's ever given me such a run for my money."
"I've never encountered anyone who can anticipate my movements so accurately. What's your secret?" she asked innocently.
"You really wanna know?" I asked. Receiving no reply I assumed that she had nodded. "Blind as a dead bat," I answered, waving a hand in front of my closed eyes.
All action in the room had ceased. Ronnie and Tai had stopped sparring and watched in stunned silence, waiting for Kara's response. I could sense her just standing there, staring at me.
Finally she replied, "You've never given me the impression that you were blind."
"Yeah. I get that a lot," I answered, "But the truth is, I've never actually seen "you"."
We were all silent a moment longer, before Ronnie's fist ground its knuckles into my skull. In between her fits of giggling she laughed, "We really had ya going there for a sec, didn't we, you two?"
"Yeah, you should've seen the look on your faces," Tai barked, "Kara looked like a deer caught in a car's headlights, and you looked like a horse sitting on a hornet's nest!" Their laughter was contagious, and soon all of us were laughing hysterically. That is, until mom called us all for supper.
Dinner was a relatively light affair, since Tai, Kara's and my karate class, and Ronnie's taekwando were only about an hour and a half away. And since this was one of the last classes prior to testing, we wanted to give it our all. Sensei Yamata wouldn't let us test otherwise.
After dinner we shifted ourselves for the Martial Arts Centre, making it with about a half-hour to spare. We changed into our gis, the badges of the Shotokan tiger, the representative of our style of karate, worn proudly on our left sides.
We bowed into our dojo, then signed our names on the attendance sheet. After that, we were free to warm-up. Sensei Yamata himself welcomed Kara to the dojo, as did everyone else in the room. And then class began.
"Mister Morgan," Sensei Yamato's loud voice grated, "Let's see you take on the new girl. And try to go easy on her."
"Osu," I answered in reply, then stepped to where I knew my place to be in the circle.
"Rei," he boomed. Both Kara and I bowed. Basics and kata had gone well. Bassai-dai had been performed like a breeze. Well, actually, more like knocking down a building. Anyway, now came the jui-kumite, or free-style sparring. Two people face off, and the first to score a full point against the other wins. Kara and I were doing this now.
"Shobu-Ippon. Hajime!" and we both crouched into fighting stances. I could feel her eyes boring into me, and my ears strained for any irregular movement. She lashed out with the ridge of her hand, intent on my throat.
Like chain lightning I whipped under her arm when it was too late for her to withdraw her attack and landed an excellent under-hand blow to her stomach. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to let her know I wasn't joking around.
She gave me the same message next time around, when she caught me with a vicious four-kick combination. Two front snap kicks, a roundhouse, and she finished me with a back-thrust to the face.
Many people were surprised at that, and not just because she'd scored a point on me. If I could have seen it it would have looked to be an excellent offense. But that was the easy stuff. Now the fight became more serious.
Any pretense of assessing each other's weaknesses was long gone. We were both tied at a half-point, and only one of us could win. Nothing outside us existed. Beyond us, there was only darkness and silence.
As if in a dream she came in slow motion, her fist aimed at my head. I ducked the blow with the same sort of dynamic tension, and just about had my nose crushed into my skull by her knee. I dropped all the way down to my own knees and used a rising block to effectively lock her leg in that position.
I rose then, as fast as I could, trying to put her off balance. Suddenly her lower leg flicked out and caught in my armpit. I could almost see the roundhouse coming from her other leg, hissing through the air until it lightly tapped my head. The movement had caused my grip on her leg to slacken entirely, and she landed easily on her feet.
The match was over.
"Those were some awesome moves, Kara!" I exclaimed as we left the MAC after class.
"Oh, come on, I nearly landed on my own behind," she answered modestly.
"But you didn't," Tai backed me up, "I've never seen anyone do that to Tir before. I think you just made a new world's record."
"Thanks, guys," she said appreciatively, "I'd best be getting home. See ya tomorrow!"
"See ya!" we called back.
"So Tir?" Ronnie asked, "Detected any ghosts yet?"
"Actually, no. Things seem to have gone pretty qu-" my eyes sparked.
"What is it?" Tai asked, a little bit unawares of our ghost-fighting methods.
"You know the drill," Ronnie hissed. We both ducked behind a dumpster, making sure that Eunagi Yurei wasn't in it, and suited up.
The ghost made his debut by means of dropping from the sky like a meteor. A large crater formed in the ground where it struck.
"Fire," I murmured to myself, "Why do they always use fire?"
A huge, dark shape emerged from the wreckage and sizzling debris. It was an enormous dog, a hellhound if you will. It was about the size of a lioness, although it was black, with smouldering red eyes.
Green flames licked at its elbows, knees, and the end of its tail.
"BEHOLD MY WRATH, MORTALS! FLEE BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD'S END!"
"We'll see about that!" I roared back. My sword flicked out of its sheath, and with one stroke an enormous blast of energy hurtled towards my canine foe.
"FOOL!" he bellowed. A moment later, my blast was pierced through by what looked like a jet of pure fire. I narrowly evaded the attack before the beast was upon me.
He pinned my arms to the ground and hissed, "YIELD BEFORE INUHI, CHILD! BOW YOUR HEAD BEFORE ME!"
"What? And give you the satisfaction of beating me? In your dreams, fido!" I shot as I rammed my knees into his stomach.
"Ronnie! Now!" I shouted. Inuhi barely had any time to see what sent him back to the Ghost Zone.
We high-fived as her battle-suit and my ghost-powers vanished.
"You know, I've never actually seen you two in action before," Tai said as we continued our walk home, "You looked pretty cool out there."
"It's all in a day's work," I answered.
"Hey, is it just me, or is that a hunter's moon?" Ronnie asked, pointing to the large, almost garnet orb over our heads. "So it is," I answered. As we approached Tai's house he waved a short farewell and headed for home.
"Ah yes, a long, full day it has been," I groaned, stretching my limbs as we resumed walking. Unfortunately, my eyes went off again.
The feeling momentarily unbalanced me and I fell backwards. After Ronnie stopped laughing we went into mission mode, again, and headed for the disturbance.
I'm not sure how, but only a couple of hours after I'd banished him, Inuhi was back, although I don't think I was his target his time.
"Tir, he's at intersection 24," Ronnie's voice buzzed over the intercom, "And he's not alone."
For some odd reason this last bit of info caught my attention.
We landed, and indeed Inuhi wasn't alone, although if we hadn't intervened that may have very soon changed. With a powerful blast from my sword I knocked Inuhi to one side.
"I'll cover you, you grab his target!" I hissed over the intercom. I was cut off as Inuhi barreled into me from behind.
With one lightning movement I rammed the edge of my sword in between his jaws, then sent a huge pulse of energy through the sword. Inuhi howled in pain as he leapt back, and I took the opportunity to attack him.
Two roundhouse kicks and one rising punch later, Inuhi was down on the ground. Finally, I banished him back to the Ghost Zone, again. I looked around, and noticed that Ronnie had already left.
As I phased into Ronnie's room I noticed the small bundle on her bed. She wasn't in the room, so I changed back and decided to examine whatever it was, using my limited vision.
Under a small blanket was a white canine. It had long, pointed ears and a fox-like tail, although it was about the size of a small "lab".
I soon replaced the "it" with a "he" as I realized that it was male. His legs were a bit on the long side, and his feet were kind of small. For his size, this creature was built with a fairly light, though undoubtedly muscular, frame.
His paws were grey and his nose was black, though what caught my attention most was the pattern of his fur. On his forehead, upper legs, and around his tail and neck were green rings. This was no ordinary dog, no doubt about it.
I raised my hand to touch him, and just as my hand approached his back, a low growl rumbled from his throat. His eyes flicked open, and I beheld two large red eyes with stretched, ovular pupils leering at me.
We stared at each other for a second before his lips parted to reveal short, yet vicious little teeth. As he slowly raised himself to his feet his hackles stood up, making him appear much larger than he had when he was lying down. Just as he was opening his jaws...
"Tir, move very slowly away from that canine of you want to live," I heard Ronnie whisper from across the room. I obeyed, slowly sliding each foot back, trying not to make eye contact with the furry menace.
Just as I closed the door to her room I whipped around and asked, "What the hell is that thing?"
"Apparently, we just rescued a ghost dog," she answered, "A very temperamental ghost dog." I stared at her until she drew a book out from behind her back. "The Complete Atlas of Ghostly Creatures: Third Edition."
On page twenty-three it had a picture of a small dog with strange markings on its pelt.
"The hellhound, or ghost dog, is a vicious mythical beast from another dimension. They are usually between the size of a dachsund and a St.Bernard, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, often unique to each dog. See index below for four general cateories."
"I thnk this is the one we're looking for sis," I said as I indicated page forty-seven, marked "Moon Hounds."
"The moon hound, or canis luna, is in itself a strange creature. Of the four different categories of hell hound, this seems to have the widest spectrum of appearance, perhaps owing to the different phases of the moon, and the ever-changing night sky."
"Despite the many different appearances of the moon hound, one key trait is common among all of them: they all have at least one green mark on their bodies."
"Contrary to what many people believe, a moon hound can be seen during the day, just like its opposite, the sun hound. The key is that the moon hound is simply more powerful at night. It is at its least powerful, however, during the changing hours, especially dawn."
"Unlike the name implies, a hell hound of any sort is as wild as a wolf, so it is recommended that any hell hound is given a wide berth, so as it doesn't choose to attack."
As I closed the book I questioned, "And that's all the book says? Nothing that can really help us?"
"Looks like we'll just have to figure this one out on our own," Ronnie accepted, "Either way, that creature's hurt, and we have to help it."
"Yeah, you're right," I admitted, "I'm going in."
The hound had returned to his lying down position, and was sleeping peacefully. Something I noticed at that point that I hadn't noticed before were the bite marks and traces of ghost blood along the creature's back.
As I closed the door his ears flicked up. By the time I'd gotten close enough to touch him he was once again standing, if somewhat dazedly, and snarling.
The green rings on his body seemed a bit more pale than they had before. I wondered at this as I approached him. He growled louder and opened his mouth.
It was lined with needle-sharp, serrated teeth, perfect for sheering meat from bone. Just around the edge of my vision I noticed two long, silvery bands of what appeared to be metal.
The hound opened his jaws wider, and I observed that the bands seemed to move further apart. Just as it dawned on me what the bands were the dog snapped his jaws shut like a vice.
A split second later I had transormed and gone intangible, not a moment too soon. If not for that I might only have been half a person from then on. As I opened my eyes, having shut them when the dog's false jaws snapped shut, I beheld a strange thing.
The creature actually seemed to have calmed down. I moved a bit closer, and he just looked at me. I sat down on the bed next to him, then chanced rubbing the back of his neck.
He responded by getting to his feet and stretching, then turned to me and started sniffing my hand. Getting an idea in my head, I transformed back immediately.
Using my ghost vision I noticed that the dog had stopped sniffing my hand, leering at me with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He very slowly started sniffing again, and I transformed back, waiting for him to put two and two together. After the fifth or sixth time I did it, the little beast finally realized that Tirrell Morgan and Yurei Ninja were one and the same.
When he finally realized this he leaped on me and started licking my face.
"Hey! Stop! You're killing me here!" I said in mock fear.
Without realizing that I was joking Ronnie must have overheard what I was saying and barged into the room. Immediately the canine's ears flicked up and his lips parted in a low, menacing growl.
"No!" I said sternly to him, trying to get him off my chest, "No! She's a friend, so don't hurt her, okay?"
He continued to glare fiercely at Ronnie, but he stopped growling and sealed his lips.
"Uh, Tir? You wanna explain what exactly is happening here?" she asked, slowly lowering the ghost sniper she held in her hands.
"Sis, I think we have a new pet," I said calmly, scratching my furry friend behind his ears. He responded in kind by rapidly thumping his right foot against Ronnie's bed.
"Good morning Ti- Oh my God!" mom said loudly as we entered the kitchen.
"Uh, Tir. What have I told you about bringing strange animals into the house?" she inquired fiercely as she took a step forward.
Sensing something was wrong the dog raised the hackles on the back of his neck. He wasn't growling yet, but that might soon follow.
"Mom, I found him out in the street yesterday night, and he's injured. Can I at least keep him around until he's all healed up? Please?" I begged.
She considered this for a moment before she said, "Alright. But you take care of him, you feed him, you train him and you pay for him. If he bites anyone, he's gone. Is that clear?"
"Thanks mom," I said, sounding relieved. It was the weekend, so I was able to ring up Tai and Kara and invite them over so they could hear the news.
"Aww, isn't he the cutest thing," Kara exclaimed as she scratched him behind the ears. He rubbed up against her hand, eyes closed, as a groan of pleasure rumbled from deep within his throat. All three of us just stared, slack-jawed, as they played.
"Kara, you do realize that you're the first person that dog hasn't growled at as soon as he met them, right?" Ronnie asked.
"Maybe I just have a very likeable personality," She grinned, "Does he have a name?"
"Actually, we haven't decided on a name yet," I answered, "But it'll come to me eventually." All things considered, our newest accomplice was adjusting to us well.
"See ya at school Monday!" I called as Kara left. I looked out and stared at the sunset momentarily before I went in.
"Tai," I said as I entered my room, "That is no ordinary dog."
"How so?" he asked, scratching the dog's belly. After you introduced that dog to someone and he got a good sniff of them, he was actually pretty friendly.
"He's a hell hound, specifically of the branch canis luna, or moon hound. And he came from the Ghost Zone."
Tai stopped scratching the hound's stomach and stared at him. "He does look like a very strange dog," was all that Tai could say, "Why did you decide to keep him? And without your mom knowing?"
"She knows that we now have a dog, but she doesn't know about the ghost part of the deal. As to why I want to keep him, you never know when we might need a strong set of teeth."
"Good point," Tai conceded, "Besides, he seems like a fairly peaceable ghost."
"Yeah, I guess you-" at that moment, the dog's ears flicked up and his eyes opened, his grooming immediately forgotten. A low growl rumbled from deep within his chest, and a split second later, I knew why. My eyes sparked like a lightning rod.
"Yurei to Shiro, we've got a bogie, over."
"Loud and clear, Yurei," her voice came back over the earpiece.
I transformed just as the dog bounded across the room and leapt through the wall. "If you wanna watch, keep up," I said as a parting message to Tai before I followed the dog through the wall and out into the open air.
"BOW BEFORE DYNASTINA, MORTALS! I HAVE COME TO STAY, AND RULE OVER YOUR PATHETIC LIVES!" she acclaimed as she absorbed the darkness from countless people.
She was much taller this time, at least fifty feet in height, with a trim of flames along the edge of her skirt.
"Hey, Dynastina!" I bellowed as I drew my sword, "Eat this!" A huge bolt of white light shot from my sword. Dynastina barely had enough time to form a shield around herself before my attack struck.
"OH! THE HALF-WRETCH! GOTTEN MORE POWERFUL, HAVE WE? WELL SO HAVE I!" she thundered as a huge beam of fire shot from her palms. With one powerful stroke I attempted to thwart Dynastina's assault, but as my blast came in contact with her beam, a large shockwave billowed out from the point of interception, and her beam punched through my vicious slash.
It was all I could do to get out of the way whilst the beam vaporized the ground behind me.
With practiced ease I sprang over Dynastina's beam, the released two powerful blasts of energy. Within one second she had vaporized both of them, though that was all the time I'd needed.
I rammed both of my fists home, making contact with her jaw, then two powerful sword blasts to her middle, followed by a 109 mph- driven punch to her face.
She expelled a huge cloud of dark smoke, then was lying on the ground at normal size. I sent her back, and was just about to go home when a huge black shape rammed into my back and pinned me to the ground.
Kicking wouldn't save me this time. "Back so soon, Inuhi?" I groaned as I tried to wriggle out from under his huge paws.
"DON'T TRIFLE WITH ME, WRETCH, NOW WHERE IS THE WHELP HOUND?"
"Oh, is that that little furball you were ripping apart yesterday when we intervened?" I asked.
"ACTUALLY, YES," he growled, and I could feel his claws digging into the back of my wrists and ankles as he breathed into my ear, "NOW WHERE IS THE MOON HOUND?"
"I'm not gonna tell you if you keep digging your claws into my wrists and ankles, now am I?" I asked in return. I felt Inuhi's claws slacken ever so slightly. I decided to play the charade a little longer and asked, "Why are you so concerned about one little ghost dog? Could he have so badly humiliated you that you want him without afterlife?"
His claws renewed their savage piercing of my flesh as Inuhi lowered his mouth to my ear and hissed, "UMBRUS HAS ALREADY CONDEMNED HIMSELF TO AN UNLIVING DEATH. HE HAS DISHONORED HIMSELF, AS HE HAS DISHONORED HIS KIN."
My mind started to comprehend Inuhi's motives as his next words stopped my mind dead, "NOW I AM GOING TO ASK YOU ONCE MORE, GHOST WHELP. WHERE IS MY SON?"
Something rammed into Ihuhi's side, throwing him off my back. Ignoring my injuries I seized my blade and rounded on Inuhi.
Before I could, however, it seemed as though Inuhi already had problems of his own. Umbrus, the little dog I had saved and healed, despite his father's greater size and his own injuries, had bitten deeply into Inuhi's back, whilst his claws rammed again and again into Ihuhi's ecto-flesh.
"FOOLISH WHELP," Inuhi grated as one of his eyes flicked open, "YOU HAVE DEFIED MY MASTER ONCE, AND I WILL BANISH YOU INTO THE SECOND DEATH BEFORE I LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN!"
Umbrus's pupils narrowed as the green rings across his body started to glow. Ronnie must have appeared without my knowledge, because as she tried to help Umbrus I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back.
"Stay here," I whispered, not parting my eyes from the fight, "Umbrus must fight this battle on his own."
Inuhi was raging now, sprinting and bucking in an attempt to throw his adversary off his back. Finally, whether by his own will or not, Umbrus released his hold on Inuhi, landing behind him. Inuhi whipped around and charged.
Just at the last second, Umbrus whipped to one side and nipped at the larger animal's heels in passing. Turning around again, Inuhi didn't charge.
Instead he stood in one place for a moment, baring his teeth and snarling. After a short time his feet ignited, as I had seen Tarra and Tanna do. Umbrus followed suit. Suddenly, Inuhi's whole body burst into flames, and he did not look happy. Huge red flames licked at his fur and flesh as he glared at Umbrus.
Umbrus was not phased by this show of force. Instead the rings in his coat glowed brighter, shimmering and dancing in the dull light. Despite his considerable injuries, he actually seemed to be getting stronger.
"How can Umbrus possibly hope to win?" Ronnie whispered, slowly fingering the trigger of her sniper, "Inuhi's so much bigger and stronger than him."
I looked up at the sky momentarily, as if I might find answers there. In a way, I did.
"Sis, there is an old saying in karate: "The size of a man in a fight doesn't matter. It's the size of the fight in the man that determines the outcome." Don't count Umbrus out just yet."
Inuhi charged with lightning speed. Umbrus waited for the attack to come, then leapt over his father's head and landed behind him. Inuhi, unable to stop himself, slammed through the corner of a building.
When he emerged from the debris he looked every inch of a hell hound. Ghost blood and clumps of ragged fur and torn hide hung from his smouldering corpse.
"AWAKEN, MY SON. EMBRACE THE NIGHT TO WHICH YOU WERE BORN," Inuhi uttered. Every hair on Umbrus's body stood on end as a wave of energy pulsed from him. He actually seemed to be glowing as his teeth ground together and every muscle in his lean body tensed.
Another spike of energy came from him as his father started pacing around him, uttering, "YES, MY SON, LET THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT GROW IN YOUR HEART. EMBRACE YOUR PRIME, EMBRACE THE DARK, FOR ONLY THEN CAN YOU BE A TRUE HELL HOUND, IN BODY AND IN BOND."
At that point I chose to intervene. Sprinting as fast as my legs would carry me I slammed into Inuhi's ribs, knocking him hard to one side. His balance and long claws prevented him from being knocked completely over, however.
He leapt at me, claws first. I simply phased through him and turned around. We faced each other for a moment, before out of nowhere missiles and lasers galore landed on and around my opponent. He howled in pain and frustration as he whipped around and shot towards Ronnie like a bullet.
I watched for a moment as they fought a deadly dance in the air overhead, Ronnie's missiles and railguns firing like no tomorrow. At one point Inuhi ran a straight line across the ground, with a line of Ronnie's missiles striking the ground at his heels.
But eventually, it was one of Inuhi's powerful jets of flame that knocked Ronnie out of the sky. She was lucky that her suit had an autopilot option that kicked in after she lost consciousness, otherwise the fall may have killed her.
Inuhi landed beside her. Realizing that she was unconscious he turned his attention to me. There was no reckless charge this time. Instead Inuhi flared his body once more, and circled me, as I did likewise. Steam gushed from his nostrils as his whole body flared with heat. The very aspalt at our feet melted at his touch.
"STAY OUT OF THIS MATTER. IT DOES NOT CONCERN YOU."
I circled slowly around him, crossing one foot over the other. The razor-keen edge of my sword glowed and crackled with energy.
"It does now, now that you're attacking my friend."
With one blood-red eye centred on me Inuhi swiped at me. I parried the blow with my sword as Inuhi struck again, and again.
"UMBRUS IS MY SON, A HELL HOUND OF THE MOON."
The vibrations from every stroke reverberated through my hands, until I blocked one swipe then thrust the point of my sword at Inuhi's face.
"That doesn't matter. What matters is how he chooses to live his afterlife, not how you want him to live it."
As he leapt back I released a vicious blast of energy. It was immediately pierced by one of Inuhi's fire blasts as the beast himself charged at me.
"UMBRUS IS A HOUND OF THE NIGHT. DARKNESS IS IN HIS NATURE. HE MUST BOW TO IT IN ORDER TO ATTAIN HIS FULL POWER."
I held my sword in front of me in an attempt at holding back the vicious beast, which only resulted in his jaws grasping tight hold on my sword.
"Even in the dark of night there is still light, Inuhi. Just because your son was born and raised into darkness, do not think that he should be afraid to step out into the light."
As I had tried last time I sent a shock through my sword, and then several more, though all they seemed to do was tighten Inuhi's grip on my sword.
Finally, Inuhi thrust forward and down, knocking me onto the ground. His huge feet kept my legs in check, whilst his jaws kept my arms occupied. That, unfortunately, left his fiery front paws. He dug them into my chest, then slowly raked his claws down my chest.
To this day I have thanked God himself for my thick costume. Inuhi wrenched his enormous jaws backwards, twisting the sword out of my hands. "NOW DIE," were his only words before his jaws opened wide enough to encircle a soccerball. Just as his jaws started to snap shut he was once again removed from me.
"UMBRUS!" he roared with anger, "STOP THIS AT-"
I turned to see that a dramatic change had overtaken my canine companion. The green rings that clothed his furry frame shone like green fire, as did every silvery hair on his back. His eyes glowed like sparkling rubies, catching the sun's brilliance. The greatest change of all, however, was in the very air surrounding Umbrus.
The air sparkled and glowed as though it had numerous sparkles of iridescent dust floating in it. This strange aura glowed from Umbrus's body, reflecting and amplifying every hair, every nerve, and every flexing muscle throughout him.
"HOW?" Inuhi said in a low voice, "HOW COULD YOU RESIST THE INTENSE PULL OF YOUR OWN DARK NATURE. AS A MOON HOUND YOUR POWER LIES IN DARKNESS."
"No, Inuhi," I gasped as I raised myself on an elbow, "The light is his calling. The light is in his nature, and that is the pull that he cannot resist."
"YOU ARE MISTAKEN," he hissed, rising to his own four feet, "A MOON HOUND IS AND CAN ONLY BE DARKNESS. THE VERY TIME OF YOUR BIRTH INDICATED SO, JUST AS THE TIME OF MY BIRTH INDICATED THAT I WAS A HOUND OF THE SUN."
"The moon glows in the night, Inuhi," I countered, "Just as shadows lurk in the day. In every light there is some darkness, just as in every darkness there is a little light."
"You both made a choice between light and darkness, Inuhi," I said coolly as I raised my hand, "You just made the wrong one."
A second later Inuhi was gone. I turned to my companion, whose shimmering glow was already starting to fade. I called to Tai, who I had only just realized had actually followed us from my house, "Want to help me collect my sister so we can go home?"
And there's chapter 10! More chapters will follow it, just as others have preceded it.
A new member's on the team, the tiniest inkling of the main plot has been revealed, and so far the most reviews I've received for a single chapter is three!
Come on, people! I'm begging you to review as much as you can! REVIEW! (slap!) I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that you'll enjoy the next one too. Bye for now!