A/N: Yay! I'm finally updating again. Let's see, thanks so much for my reviews (115). I'm not going to reply to them here, though, since the instant message thing has come along...I'll reply directly from now on...so here's chapter 24...

Choices

Chapter Twenty-Four

The gigantic, black form of the Dark Dragon rose upon its hind legs and roared. This was it. I was such an idiot, to think that I would be able to take on DD by myself…

He was speaking now. "American Dragon…you are the one the prophecy spoke of…the one that would defeat me." He laughed cruelly. "Now I see how foolish I was to ever fear you. How do you feel now? Alone? Unprotected? Tell me, what was it that gave you the sudden urge to come down here and face me alone? What was it that made you believe that you could defeat me without your powers?" He smiled evilly, showing rows and rows of white teeth, sharper than a spear; teeth that could rip me in half without any effort…and I had a sickening feeling that that was exactly what he was planning to do…

"I shall lift the curse from the Huntsclan. They have helped me. They may not have rid me of you, but they have weakened you…you are now but a mere human, one that I can destroy easily…and now, thanks to them, I can dispose of you myself, the proper way. I have many extraordinary powers," he said, advancing on me. My heart was hammering wildly, there was no means of escape for me…

"Yes, many powers…I have the power to read minds. I felt the urge to try and read your mind…your emotions came so strong to me that we developed a sort of mental link, in only for a few moments—unknowingly to you. I used those few precious minutes to take control of your mind, I gave you the urge to come here…" I gaped at him, not believing what he was saying. "Yes," he said, "what you thought were your own feelings and emotions was really mine. I am powerful in many ways. But, enough about me. Let's get to you. I have been waiting centuries to destroy the one person who was supposed to destroy me. I must admit, I did fear you at one point. I see now, though, that my fear was pointless…and now, after tonight, you will be dead…"

I gulped. I had to escape! But he wasn't done speaking yet. "The Huntsclan are also your rivals. I have invited them here tonight to witness your death, as they are so eager to see it."

Out of the shadows, the Huntsclan stepped. Hundreds of them. Huntsman was first, and, strangely enough, was the only member armed. The look in his pitiless red eyes was hard to make out…excitement, eagerness, and, almost, it looked…fear. Fear of Dark Dragon, fear of what he could do to him at any moment, fear of the possibility that he could share the same fate as me, in a heartbeat, without warning…

"I will let him explain," said the Dark Dragon.

"You see, dragon," said Huntsman, "we had it all planned out. If you were somehow to escape, then we knew that you would go to any means to get your powers back. Your grandfather, being very wise and magical, would, as we knew, somehow find out about the antidote, and the two of you would come here and try to get it…and there the Dark Dragon would be waiting for you…to slay you, with us as his backup…but it seemed to work much better than we thought…it seems to me that you are the only one here…perfect." Then he glared at me, and said, "You do, however, have something that belongs to me…Huntsgirl, my niece…you and your grandfather kidnapped her, and I want her back…where is she?"

"She's safe, if that's what you mean," was my meek reply.

Before Huntsman could reply, the Dark Dragon spoke up. "More about that later…but now, to business…" He leaned over, almost nose to nose with me, I could see me petrified expression reflected in his great yellow eyes. "You are going to die, dragon, and there is nothing you can do about it." The feeling surged back into my legs. I spun on my heel and ran. Before I had gotten more than ten feet, the Huntsclan had caught up with me. One grabbed me, and I kicked him in the knee, hard. He howled, and let go. I darted off in the opposite direction, spraying sewer water everywhere as I ran. The Huntsclan was too fast for me, however; two grabbed my arms and pinned them behind my back, while Huntsman pointed his weapon at me.

"No need for that," the Dark Dragon said to Huntsman. He slowly lowered his Huntstick. Dark Dragon smiled cruelly once again and leaned over to face me, eye to eye… "I think you need to learn respect…respect your authorities…" he laughed softly. I looked down. He took an enormous claw and placed it under my chin, forcing my head to tilt up so I was looking straight into those monstrous yellow eyes. I was shaking, and I knew it. I was scared, there was no denying that…

"You are a nice looking boy," the Dragon continued, "a little short for your age, no doubt, but all the same…it will be a shame to harm someone like you…no, what am I saying? It will be a pleasure…" He took his claw out from under my chin and, without warning, so suddenly that I yelped in pain, slashed me across the face. From what I could tell, the scratch extended from my right ear to my chin. I could tell that it was bleeding…

The members of the Clan threw me to the ground at the Dark Dragon's feet, and for a moment I just lay there, my face stinging worse than ever, the pain was terrible…worse than it had ever been before…

As I heard Dark Dragon's merciless laugh…the sound of the Huntsclan splashing around in the sewers…lying there on the ground, smelling the rotten stench of sewer water…the wound on my face bleeding uncontrollably…I realized that I would give anything to be back at home…to be safe…now my only hope was that Gramps or Rose found me gone…realized something was wrong, and that seemed like a very futile hope indeed…

A/N: I know, cliffhanger, right? Well…I hope that I'll be able to update ASAP, thanks so much for the reviews…oh, and Trixie and Spud will probably come in soon again, too, and I know that it seems like an odd place to mention that, but they might…who knows…? Anyway, plz continue to R&R, and I'll update ASAP…I'll give you candy, or a rabbit…I could give you either…lots and lots of rabbits…

~Emachinescat ^..^