*I feel bad for leaving those reading my other fanfics on a cliffhanger with the only other story I'm still updating... but I've lost inspiration and I don't know exactly where to go with that other story. Well, enjoy this chapter.*

I pulled the cookie sheet out of the oven and started placing the fresh cookies onto a cooling rack. Garry thanked me and let me have one from the batch we had made earlier.

"Thanks for all the help with these cookies, Enderbrina!"

"You're welcome. What are they for?"

"They're for the Christmas bake sale where I work. There are always kids who buy them."

"Christmas?"

"Do you not know about Christmas?"

"No, what is it?"

"Well, there are traditions that my family and I have upheld over the years… we get a pine tree, we call it a Christmas tree, and we decorate it with shiny things and usually the topper is an angel or a star. Lights go on it too. On Christmas day, presents appear under the tree for you while you sleep. Supposedly, they're brought by this jolly guy called Santa Claus. It's a holiday, but these days its mostly used for marketing, not for being with your family."

"So… are you going to get a tree?"

"I am, but, you know what snow is, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Snow is ice. Well, tiny flakes of ice, but it snows a lot here, during winter."

"Oh…"

"Anyway, I'd better get to wrapping these. Thank you again for all your help, it was nice to see you."

I smiled and looked outside, seeing nobody in the streets. I teleported outside, and was greeted with silence. I was surprised, and flew up to the top of my favored skyscraper. Materializing a chair, I sat down and looked at the ocean not too far from the city, maybe about half a kilometer from the city. I sighed, thinking about having been defeated by Slenderman.

What did I do wrong to lose like that? It was so… weird to lose. It might have been different, but now I feel the need to defeat him.

You do realize he's likely listening, don't you?

Yes, I know, Darkness. Thank you for interrupting my thoughts… wait. What am I doing wrong? Do you know?

It could be the fact that you're used to relying on your power and abilities for three-hundred-twenty years. Perhaps you need a new approach, a new way of fighting. I've seen much of it throughout the years. Would you like some help?

Would you?

Of course. Tonight?

Tonight.

I sighed, feeling relieved, and stood up as the sun reached its peak. The city had been relatively quiet, so I just stood at the edge of the skyscraper and observed the bustling city life. Nobody looked up to see me, they were confident I was looking out for them. I smirked, at home, I normally would have just swooped down, snatched someone from the streets, and cut their head off, throwing the remains back down into the crowd, then taking off.

"That's quite the imagination you have, Night Hunter."

"That wasn't my imagination," I replied evenly. "You have a bad habit of looking into my mind, don't you?"

"What can I say? I find your appearance in this world intriguing."

"Can't you leave me alone for one day?"

I knew he wasn't gone, but he was silent. Eventually, he broke the silence. "Are you going to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Drop down and kill one of them."

"I don't know. It's tempting, but I've been protecting them… it would feel strange."

"You seem to be having second thoughts about who your loyalties lie with in 'this world,' as you call it."

"Well, I guess I am. It's not easy with a soul like mine."

"You have a soul? I find that difficult to believe."

"You do too, y'know… souls aren't as complicated as the world believes them to be. If it's alive and has the ability to think, it has a soul. If not, like a plant or a rock, then it doesn't have a soul."

I felt a drop of rain hit my arm. Wincing, I put up a telepathy umbrella around me and kept the rain from hitting me. Taking a glance behind me, I saw he was standing there still, just watching me. I turned to watch the sun sink below the horizon, plunging the world into night, then turned back to him and frowned, inspecting him like I had never seen him before. He folded his arms, one hand to his chin as if he was thinking. Then, poof, he was gone. I never really noticed how annoying teleporting was until I had met him, and sighed. Darkness formed a humanoid in front of me, and took up a fighting stance.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be. No extra you's yet, though."

"Understood. Let's begin."

I fell to the floor, blood pooling below me. I coughed up more, and winced. My chest hurt from the brutal attacks, and it seemed Darkness was done for the night.

"That's enough. You did well. Even your power has risen by the slightest amounts."

I don't care about the power, I care about being able to fight back and killing that no-faced bastard.

"Good, because I was lying."

Darkness healed me and I ate some gems, sitting on the edge with my feet dangling over. I watched the sun's light slowly bathe the world in light, watching it rise and set was one of my favorite things in life, it wasn't often I did it at home. Now, I could do it every day.

Darkness, why did you lie to me? I thought you knew my intentions had changed.

I didn't lie. Your power actually did rise a little. I just needed to see your reaction to what gaining power would be.

I don't want it to. Yes, I wanted power before, but now? Now I just want revenge, even if it isn't the answer.

I'll be visiting with Garry today. Let me know if you need help during the day.

I will. Thank you.

I stared down at the bustling city life, bored. Few things had happened during the past couple days, and I hoped it was because Jeff the Killer had taken up terrorizing a new town, leaving the one I protected in peace for a while. The last thing I needed right now was power. I needed experience more than power, but I did realize I could feel presences now. Such as the many people below me, walking on the ground. Feeling presences was mainly for convenience, knowing who might be approaching me from behind. It could be helpful in close combat situations, however, if there were two people attacking me, I could dodge their attacks. Swinging my legs up and spinning 180 degrees, I stood up from the edge and stretched. Growing my wings and tail simply to feel them, I looked back to the city, bustling with mid-morning traffic.

It's been quiet… too quiet. What are those killers planning, I wonder, if anything? They're not my usual adversaries, but then, who is in this world? Nobody… not even Slenderman is, though we have much more in common than I thought we would.

I felt his presence appear behind me, and sighed. "What do you want, Slenderman?"

A moment of silence passed. "How did you know I was here," he asked. I could hear the suspicion in his tone. "No sensation of being watched happens outside my forest."

"Do you remember when I explained souls?"

"Yes."

"Souls give off presences. I recently gained a small bit of power, which was just enough to sense presences. While you say you do not have a soul, you do, but it is so vile and horrid that it hides from those without the ability to see souls."

I turned around, and static filled my vision. I grimaced, but took a throwing knife from my dematerialized storage, and threw it directly at him, even while blinded. Ringing began in my ears again, and I threw another knife, once again, directly at him. It all went away at once, and I looked to see he had constricted me with his tentacles.

"You bitch."

"What? I told you the truth and showed you that I was telling it. Why are you so angry?"

"I'm not supposed to have a soul," he growled, and threw me into the air, over the side of the building. I halted my induced flight and flapped my wings, climbing back into the air and moving toward the rooftop.

"Careful, don't want to get noticed, do you?"

He teleported to his forest, so I did too, just following him. Once more he lashed out, teleporting behind me and pushing my face to the ground of the forest. I felt him constrict the rest of my body and push it to the ground, so I was laying out flat on my stomach, legs together, arms by my side. I punched him with telekinesis, loosening his hold on me and managed to escape it. I kept my guard up. Why was he picking a fight with me now? Was it to test my regained ability?

He blended into the shadows, and I shoved my hands in my pockets, seeming off guard, but I was ready for anything. I wanted my swords, but bringing them into existence again could hurt this world. So, I went with plated iron ones, shaped like my swords. They were strapped into sheathes on my hip, one on each side, ready to be drawn at a moment's notice. I heard claws whistling through the air at me and pulled out the one shaped like my Shadowblade. The claws immediately struck the blade and nearly slipped, getting close to slicing the hand. Again came the claws, and out came my other sword to block. The static and ringing began all over again, and the claws managed to get through my defense once before I focused on just presences and my immediate surroundings, which were difficult to see due to the static. Practically dancing around his claws, I managed to get close-range to him and swing. Of course, he teleported out of the way. This continued until I was out of breath and a light rain began to fall. At least the air was cold, a bit more comfortable for me. The ringing and static dulled, then went away altogether. I saw his fancy shoes a couple meters from me. Standing up and leaning against a tree, I glared at him.

"What the fuck was that for? While I enjoy a good fight, that was just out of nowhere!"

Poof. Gone, and the watching sensation fell over me. I groaned, frustrated, and ate something to help my wounds heal. I sent out a scan for presences, not getting very far, yet Slenderman was still in the vicinity. I glared directly at him, even though I couldn't see him, and then his presence moved away. I climbed up into a tree, and practiced my scanning until I could reach the city limits that were opposite me. Finally, I was able to pinpoint Jane's presence. It was different, but I supposed I could see her one more time, just to see how she was holding up.

Darkness… could you silence my movement, please?

It is done. Go.

I raced through the trees, headed straight for Jane's presence. She was Jane the Killer now, and Jeff the Killer was nowhere near her. I found her in a small shack, not unlike Slenderman's previous house before I rebuilt it, with a dead rabbit on the side of the stove and a pot of steaming liquid. There were vegetables near the dead rabbit as well.

At least she retained her cooking skills…

I climbed into a tree checking the adjacent ones in case there were traps or harmful animals. Nothing, so I turned back to watching Jane.

"You made it back," she said, sounding excited. Jeff had returned, and she gave him a hug, getting the blood of his victim (or victims) on herself. "How was it?"

"Plenty of what they'd call bloodcurdling screams. It was too bad you had to miss it."

"Well, if we want this to taste good, it has to be watched at all times, and the ingredients you stole were in perfect condition!"

"You gonna add the whole rabbit?"

"Once I skin it and gut it. The skin will be useful come winter. Make blanket out of it and keep warm."

"Ain't you the whole package."

I nearly threw up, they were already in love. How cruel is this world? Not much different than home, I suppose. I've just never been this close to humans — if I can even call those two human — for this long, so I never knew.

Enderbrina, you should head back.

Back? Back where?

To your rooftop.

Forget protecting the city, I told Darkness, sighing. I'm done.

Then what are you going to do?

I can't beat Slenderman, and you know the saying.

I jumped down from the tree, heading for Slenderman's presence, turning whenever he would move. Finally, I found the circular clearing with the lush green grass and singular oak tree. I sighed, seeing the little marble house I had made for him. The rain struck me, reminding me it was raining, and I hissed in pain, drawing back under the cover of the trees. I used my telekinesis as an umbrella and made my way over to the small house. Before I could step foot within a meter of it, Slenderman appeared in front of me, and I shielded him from the rain as well.

"What do you want, Night Hunter?"

"Do you know the saying, 'if you can't beat them, join them?'"

"I've heard it before."

"I can't beat you," I said, hoping he would get the hint. "Allies?"

"Not friends?"

"No."

"Then go ahead in the house. Make yourself at home."

I teleported in, relieved to let go of my rain shield. I saw everything was a mess, but there wasn't much for blood. I went and sat down on the sofa, opposite of him, and a flashback reminded me of where I was. I tried to make myself as small as possible, scooting into the corner of the sofa and pulling my knees up to myself. Nothing was going the way I thought it would.

"You don't need to be so afraid. I'm not going to attack you since we're allies."

"I'm not afraid," I grumbled. "I'm just frustrated by the way things are going right now."

"You want revenge against me, I heard. What for?"

"You've beat me, what, twice?"

"I defeated you once. The battle you fought against me today was more of a draw."

"You had me defenseless. That counts as a draw?"

He chuckled, "Alright, twice."

"I don't really care, now, though. I'm not going to fight an ally, unless we're practicing or whatever."

"I have to ask you," he began, a smile in his voice, "What was that, when your skin turned like mine?"

"That was something called my second form. I used to have split personalities that gave it power. Now, nothing. It just changes the way I look. There's no benefits, except that I can use my healing ability if I turn into it." I looked outside, feeling depressed. "Why am I here," I wondered aloud.

"Because you are."

"I don't mean it like that," I growled. "I'm here for some reason, and I need to know why. It's not to help Garry, it's not to be your ally, and it's not to survive as best as I can in this world. I'd be home if it were any of those things."

"Calm down. We are allies, correct? Perhaps I could help you find the reason you're here."

"That doesn't sound like something you'd do, considering how… evil you are. It's hard to see your soul with how deeply hidden it is."

"We are allies. We are supposed to help one another."

I scoffed. "Like you'd ever need help."

"I suggest you be quiet; I am going to go sleep. I do not want to be woken by you."

"Yep, because that's what you say to an ally… fine. You won't be woken by me unless its my thoughts, I promise."

He was gone, I sensed his presence in his bedroom. I looked out the window, just staring, not interested in sleeping.

Darkness, do you know why I'm here?

It is not my place to release that information.

I thought you might say that…

I teleported outside, the rain had finally stopped. I grew my wings and tail, and flew upward, leaving the ground far behind. I felt free whenever I flew, as if even this world, Earth, could not keep me bound. I looked up, the sky was clear tonight. The moon was so big, and I wondered what exactly might be on it, as it certainly didn't look like it was made of the pale yellow stone of my home. Something told me to fly there, but I didn't dare. I teleported to a random part of the forest, Darkness closing in around me and creating a small space for us to practice. Throughout the night, I fought it, sparring until it had bested me again. I didn't mind, though, it knew my every intent and would always win. It helped me back to my feet; I was smiling.

"Thanks."

"No need to thank me. It is worth it, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."

I felt Slenderman's presence moving in the small house.

"I better get back."

When I teleported into the room, I was surprised to see him with his hand on the door, his mouth already ripped open. I figured he was going out hunting, and indeed felt a presence near the edge of the woods. Nobody I knew, thankfully. I followed, him not seeming to notice me. If he did, he probably didn't care. The presence moved into the forest, and I helped with the scaring. When the human stopped, I hid behind a tree and let my eyes be the only thing seen. His gaze landed on me, but I disappeared as soon as he turned his head my way, letting him only see my white eyes from his peripheral vision. I heard his breath hitch, and he walked a little faster through the forest. I heard the ringing, but it was faint, as if not directed toward me. The human clutched his head in pain, as the static likely filled his vision. It was interesting just to see what happened to someone when Slenderman used his abilities. As much as I hated to admit it, he was an amazing creature.

Crunch. Shlrk.

Oh. The human is dead. I approached cautiously, keeping my distance but watching him eat, trying not to stare. The smell of blood filled the air, and I did my best to keep from going insane from bloodlust. I pinched my nose and breathed through my mouth, the stench lessening a bit. A half-skeleton soon lay on the ground, but Slenderman took the disemboweled body elsewhere. I let go of my nose, the blood smell mostly gone. When he returned to me, he was still hunting, but his faceless gaze met my white eyes evenly, non-threatening. For the first time, I saw his mouth move when he talked.

"You are not afraid anymore?"

"We agreed to be allies. I can also get away quickly," I said, gently flapping my wings and looking over my shoulder. "I'd prefer we stay allies, if you don't mind."

"Then get me another human. I'm still hungry."

I rubbed the back of my neck, and sighed. I nodded and trudged out of the forest. Crime ran amok during dawn, so I swooped down and grabbed a gang member, he saw me immediately.

"Enderbrina! What the hell, I wasn't doing anything wrong!"

I smiled wildly at him, and dropped him in the forest. "That's okay, I wanna play a game. It's called, 'Stay Away from Enderbrina.' Self-explanatory, right?"

I disappeared into the shadows, seeing Slenderman looking at me. I gestured to the stunned human and told him about what I had said. With a nod, Slenderman slowly approached, keeping to the shadows.

Snap.

He stepped on a twig purposely. The human jumped, and looked around. I walked past him from front to behind, the light my eyes threw scaring him. He began walking, suddenly not feeling safe. Good; he was nowhere near safe. I hid behind a tree again, my head at an angle, my white eyes peering directly at him. He stopped when he saw me, and I was nearby. I slowly approached the gang member, but he backed up into a tree where Slenderman was waiting. His tentacles wrapped around the gang member, but let his scream fly from his mouth. The shadows withdrew enough and I smiled sweetly.

"You lost, little human," I said, pressing my index finger to his nose. "Can you guess what my prize is for winning?"

He was shocked. When no answer was forthcoming, I made a short gesture to Slenderman, and backed away. Another scream flew from the human's lips, but a tentacle silenced him as Slenderman began tearing into his prey. I smiled as the blood flew, a few drops landing on me. I giggled as Slenderman moved away from the mostly-eaten corpse.

"Would you like another," I asked, my bloodlust clouding my mind. "There's plenty, you know…"

I shifted my weight from foot to foot, rocking slightly in the process.

"You broke…"

I laughed, "I broke a long time ago! I just never really… let it out. So, another?"

"Let's send a message to the humans. We'll scare someone out of their wits and send them back."

I nodded eagerly and took off, grabbing a thug of a different gang and dropping him in the forest, telling him the same thing I had told the other one, then sending him off into the forest. I made sure to scare him well, sending the thug straight into the grasp of Slenderman, and sauntered up to the pinned thug. I smiled and stood in front of him, only a small amount of space between us. I leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"What you've seen here today was real. Don't believe your eyes, do you?"

He was silent, I could hear his breath was shaky. Laughing, I teleported by Slenderman's side, and looked up at him, wondering what he would say. All I heard was silence, but the thug started screaming and writhing, until the tentacles released him and he ran, straight out of the forest. I smiled up at Slenderman.

"You know, this may attract even more humans to your forest."

"You may be correct. We are allies, perhaps you'd like a taste next time."

I put a finger to my chin in a thinking manner. "I don't think I've ever eaten a human before. However it wasn't normal for my kind to eat them… we eat metals and minerals."

"Very well, but if you ever would like to try, all you need to do is ask. I would not mind catching you a meal." He started walking away, stopping and saying, "By the way, if you'd like it to be, we could call it our forest, being allies."

"Do you call it your forest when talking to Jeff the Killer?"

"Of course I call it mine."

"Then you should keep calling it that." I walked off into the darkness, static filling my vision as I headed into the dark beyond him. I stopped, waiting, until I felt his presence behind me. "That didn't mean I didn't like your idea. I don't want this to develop into love."

He scoffed. "I feel love only for killing humans."

"Keep it that way, and it can be our forest."

"You have nothing to worry about."

I nodded and kept walking. His significantly longer strides let him follow me easily until I was deep in the woods. I looked at the trees, there was just enough space for a small house. I outstretched my hand but his clamped almost painfully around my wrist before I could focus.

"What are you doing," he growled.

"Making myself a small shelter?"

He teleported away after releasing my wrist, and I focused on a simple stone house. I left out insulation, this part of the forest was always in shadow, therefore significantly cooler than the clearing. Watching it build as I focused on its shape, the roof became a bit of a problem. I did my best to make it a slanted one, then went inside and began furnishing it. Nothing fancy, a simple purple sofa, and a bed with pale yellow, white, and black sheets. I added a kitchen and decided it was enough. It certainly was less than what I was used to, but it gave me a small sense of comfort. I sat down quietly on the sofa, the silence engulfing my new home enjoyable.

You are happy.

For once in this world, yes. I am very happy, Darkness.

Good. We will begin training in a while. Until then, sleep.

I teleported onto my bed and laid back, Darkness putting me to sleep. It always made me uneasy when it did that, but I knew it was for my own good. It woke me a while later, as it was then pitch black in my little home. Getting up and stretching, it wasted no time in pulling me outside and began a new kind of fighting I had never experienced before. I was on the cold ground in no time, but I got back up and began one of the new fighting styles it had taught me. Eventually, it got me on the ground again, but only because I was exhausted.

"You did well," it complemented me, helping me up. "Your power is growing at a substantial rate."

"That's good, I suppose." I brushed myself of the dirt, grass, and pine needles. "Is there a relative way to gauge it so I know how much I have?"

"You're about a tenth as powerful as you were before you landed here."

"That's excellent progress… I should be able to fly without needing my wings and tail now."

"Try it. I shall catch you if need be."

"I'm just going to float off the ground and move around until I fall to the ground again. If it lasts for two days, then we'll know."

"Why two?"

"It's just an experimental number. It's probably about how long my energy will last If I constantly fly."

"Understood. Enjoy."

Two days went by with me floating about, even during my nightly training with Darkness, at which point I was exhausted from floating and having to train at the same time. I smiled, exuberant that I had managed to last two days. I finally let my feet touch ground again, relieved to feel the cold ground through my shoes once more.

"You've improved vastly, Enderbrina."

"Thank you, Darkness. It's all because of you."

"I'm sure once you're back to where you belong, Void will be overjoyed to be with you again."

"Oh… you won't be there anymore?"

"Do you prefer me over Void?"

"I can't have both of you, can I?"

"I'm always there. Void is just a part of me that lives with you."

"Oh, okay. I was hoping for something like that."

"Go, rest. I'll protect you."

"Thanks, I'll do just that."

I sat down on my purple sofa, and materialized a book. While reading it, I didn't notice two shadows at my window, and Darkness notified me. It was Jeff the Killer and Jane the Killer, to which I told it to let me handle the situation. I put the book away and materialized one of the many throwing knives I had dematerialized, pretending to marvel it its craftsmanship, before flicking it through my suddenly open window.

"I know you are there," I called out. "What is it you want?"

"Your blood," I heard Jane's new voice call back. It had gotten raspier. "Come on, Jeffy, let's kill her, like you said!"

I looked directly at Jane even though she was hidden by the dark. I heard her step backwards in the grass, then opened my door and stared down the spot where Jeff was hidden in the dark.

"I know where both of you are," I warned. "Get away from my house now, or suffer my wrath."

"Your wrath," a third voice cackled, "please, don't! I'll die of laughter!"

I tackled the third presence, not missing, and looked back at the two. Darkness was making it hard for me to see, closing in on all sides. I saw the monochrome clown beneath my shoe, and threw a knife into his bicep, then into his forearm where it would keep him rooted. His screams told the other two not to come any closer.

"Stay there if you want it to hurt less."

I felt a sharp sting in the back of my neck, then a toothed knife cut across my throat. The two killers had attacked me as I turned to them, getting revenge for their friend by killing me. I was in the death realm, my head sloppily sliced off. I growled and waited, trying to help the healing process by pushing my head closer to my body while a ghost. It worked, and I was back on my feet instantly, pinning Jeff to a tree and rooting Jane to the spot with telekinesis while also keeping Laughing Jack in place.

"You three are trying to mess with me? That's laughable. I've been gaining power every night, so think about what you're doing before you go ahead and do it."

I released my hold on Jeff's throat as his face began turning colors, then teleported back into my small home, releasing the telekinetic bindings on Jane and Jack. I sat on my sofa, and saw the three glaring at me before saying their goodbyes to one another and parting ways. I leaned back into the sofa, and eventually fell asleep. A soft thump woke me, but, dismissing it, I went back to sleep.

Upon waking, I got up and remembered the soft thump in the middle of the night. I went out to my small porch, and saw a plainly wrapped box there. I was confused, and felt a small presence was inside it. I put my ear to the box, hearing soft, rhythmic breathing. Whoever or whatever was in this box was asleep. Holes big enough for good air flow but not sight were made in the box, telling me it was, for sure, a living creature inside. Taking a closer look at the box, there was a sticker on it. It said it was for me, but from whom, I was shocked. Garry had given to me. I felt for his presence, it was nearby. I looked directly toward where he was, and he smiled as he broke free from the dark that kept him hidden.

"Well, hello, Garry."

"Aren't you going to open your Christmas present?" He was smiling, but something was off about him. He seemed too cheery.

"Something's wrong with you," I growled. That startled him.

"No! N-Nothing! I-I promise! It's Christmas, and I'm always super happy on Christmas."

"Hmm… so what's in this box?"

"You have to open it to find out."

I sighed, and knelt down by the box. I heard shuffling from inside, telling me whatever or whoever it was, they were awake now. Nervous, I tore off the paper and pulled the lid off the box. A mewl reached my ears as I saw a tiny kitten laying in plenty of swaddling cloth. Its big, blue — nearly purple — eyes looked up at my blank ones, and its medium-length black fur with dark gray mixed in looked soft. As I reached out slowly, the kitten purred and pushed its head toward my hand. Running my hand down its back gently, the kitten's purr was comforting.

"I did some searching on your kind. Do you like your present?"

"I love it…"

"The kitten is a he. I'm letting you name him."

I smiled. "Then his name will be Shadow. He's a little shadowy kitten."

"May I come pet him?"

I nodded, scratching under Shadow's chin, feeling him purr. "Little Shadow…"

"And his eyes are nearly purple, like your kind."

I smiled wider. "I should return the favor," I said, gathering Shadow into my arms. "Now, what's fitting?"

I looked at Garry, who was stroking Shadow's head. I pulled him into my home and lit the fireplace, setting Shadow down next to it. He looked around for a moment before settling into a laying position and going to sleep.

"Enderbrina, you really don't need to return the favor."

"Of course I do. I can make anything, name it."

"Surprise me."

I materialized a handful of perfectly formed and cut precious stones. Garry's eyes went wide as I held them out to him, now smirking. As if they were made of thin glass, he picked up each of them from my hand, then looked at the softly glittering gems.

"Do you like it," I asked.

"I… I know you could have given me something like this anytime you wished. Why now?"

"You'll be rich."

"But you're living in this… cold little shack."

"If you did some searching, you should know my kind lives on the moon, and therefore we enjoy the cold. Besides… these woods… are not a place a normal human can traverse safely. You have Darkness on your side, but only because of me. I'm sure Slenderman had sensed you, and likely chased you without your knowing."

"I did feel as if I was being watched on my way here… is that what it feels like when he's chasing you?"

"Shit… he wasn't just chasing you. He was hunting you… the bastard."

"How am I supposed to get home safely, then!?"

"Darkness can do that, but you must be willing to let it."

"Of course I am."

"Are you sure? It must consume you and you'll temporarily become part of it, just a soul it protects until you arrive at your destination."

"That sounds like teleporting. Is it really so simple?"

"It is, but teleporting is a bit different. Teleportation is instant, Darkness' transporting takes a few seconds."

"But I'll be safe?"

"Yes."

Garry breathed deeply, and looked at his feet where Darkness was slowly forming. He nodded, and Darkness consumed him, but kept his shape. He looked at me, surprised, and I admitted I was as well.

"Wow…"

"Goodbye, Garry. Darkness will tell me if you get hurt, but… we likely won't see much of one another anymore. Trust me, this is the best present I can give you. Happy Christmas."

Darkness pulled him away from me, returning him home. It returned in a humanoid form, without Garry. I felt his presence in his far-away apartment, and sighed.

He's sad.

I figured he would be. At least he's safe from me and the other monsters in this forest.

So you're accepting that this world sees you as a monster more than anything?

Did they really think of me that way, even before we scared that human and sent them back? I understand I was very different, hardly human, but they were afraid of me?

They were. Much controversy about you being harmful or helpful went around on the internet. There are those who remembered you from before, and those who remembered you had mixed thoughts on you, whether you'd be helpful or not.

I sighed again, and sat next to Shadow, who was sleeping lightly. His indigo eyes gazed lazily up at me as I sat down.

"At least you like me, little Shadow. I wish I had telepathy so I could talk to you… maybe even learn how to speak cat, heh."

Shadow meowed, and sat up, looking at me intently. I realized he was likely just barely old enough for solid food, and thought about what to feed him. I decided on a new fish I had found lived here: tuna. I materialized a can of it and put the drained contents in a small plate. Shadow sniffed at it, and licked his chops before eating it. I let him eat, watching the fireplace, leaning against the sofa while sitting on the floor. When Shadow meowed again, I dematerialized the plate and materialized a bowl with water in it. Looking over at the door, I remembered seeing doors for pets when there was a fence around the house property. I made one for Shadow, then stood up and made a small room for him, with everything he might need, besides perishable food. The room had plenty of places to climb on and squeeze through, but none too small or precarious.

Shadow was looking around the house, and when he found his room, he began sniffing everything while simultaneously exploring his ledges and squeeze-through spaces. I smiled and he jumped into my lap as I sat down next to the entrance of his room. Purring, his claws pricked my skin, and I winced, but stroked his head and back anyway. Once settled, he pushed his head into my hand, rubbing his cheek against my nails. I felt the softness of his fur, and eventually, he grew tired of self-scratching himself on my hand, and eventually laid his head on my lap. My first Christmas had been sad. I hoped for my own sake, I would be left alone for the rest of the day.

Luckily, I was, but with Shadow.

*I love cats. I actually used to have two black cats so that's why I used them in this story. Hell, one was even called Shadow. I miss them... -sniff- but hey, they were adorable cats. Well, anyway, don't forget to fave, follow, and/or review, because it helps more than you realize. Thanks for reading, I'll see ya in the next chapter!*