The ground thrashed and roiled as the world around them shifted and changed. The swamp water drained and trees crumbled into dust. The mud dried and cracked as it solidified in concrete. Julien nearly fell on his rear. Swiftshadow yelped in pain as she tried to steady herself on three legs.
Shrubbery erupted in perfect rows along a road. A wrought iron gate rose from the earth accompanied by thick stone walls. On the other side walls burst from the ground form a grand mansion. A peaked roof formed a grand entrance with symmetrical wings each with a turret on the end. Pale off white stucco stood starkly against the black void. Square trimmed hedges bordered paved pathways.
Julien stepped back. He recognized that mansion all too well. It was the house he grew up in. It was sold to cover his fathers debts in the divorce. He remembered wandering around these gardens admiring the orderly orchard rows. He occasionally speak with the gardeners and the groundskeepers. The butlers made for pleasant company. His private tutors always chatted politely on current events when ever he asked them.
His life was almost perfect. Perfect if it weren't for one man.
His father was always lurking in the hallways. Julien never dared darken the mans office. The screaming matches with his mother still echoed in his ears. The only expression that man ever wore was a cold indifferent one. It was if Julien was just a stain he wanted to get rid of. Julien wondered how many times that man had considered giving him the 'Uncle Wilson' treatment.
His near perfect life was shattered when the word 'divorce' entered the air. The house and many assets were sold to settle numerous debts. Much of the staff were laid off leaving behind only a skeleton crew in a half sized mansion. He had to go to a private prep school where the other kids either jeered or or taunted him. He could practically feel them whispering behind his back.
"What is this place," Said Swiftshadow.
"Home," Julien replied as he stepped toward the house. Swiftshadow limped next to him. Scarlet blood dripped from her hip along with some cobalt blue fluid. Her hind foot barely touched the ground. Each time that it did she would wince as a faint pained whimper left throat. It took a few strides before she got the hang of the three legged gait.
Despite her visible agony Julien could still see the unyielding fire in her eyes. He'd notice that fire after a couple of encounters. He knew that she'd be formidable adversary. Now she was a determined ally.
Her eyes flickered silver every now and then as she scanned the property. He assumed that it was allowing her to find the embers. He stuck his hands in his pockets gripping his secret weapon tightly, carefully staying at her shoulder. After the last few rounds he wasn't taking any chances.
The pair entered the mansions eerily quiet foyer. Twin staircases curved upward into the second story. A crystalline chandelier hung in the centre of the ceiling. Swiftshadow's talons clacked on the marble tiles. Julien was tempted to find a butler to clean up her bloody mess. But he focused on more pressing matters.
Julien travelled up the stairs. At the top was large hand painted portrait of his family. His mother, father, and ten year old self stared back. Their was warmth in his fathers eyes that were never present in life. His mothers face was round and full with soft pink lips that curled into a smile. The epitome of perfect health. And then there was him. Eyes alit with life and naivety.
He hated every brushstroke on the canvas. What a stupid mockery of a fractured life. A constant reminder of just how imperfect his life truly was. Destroying it would be almost as cathartic as punching his father in the face.
Grabbing the frame he hefted it off the wall and tossed it to the floor. Raising his foot her stomped on his fathers face.
"If vandalism is what we're doing then I'd be more than happy to join in," Said Swiftshadow. Her tail lashed out like lightning. The blade cut a long gash at his fathers throat. Julien jumped as the sharp edge came close to his foot. "I don't think that'll ever get old,"
Julien huffed in agreement before trudging down the hallway. There was something he had to check.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Julien ignored her as he continued down the hallway. "Don't mind me with the bullet hole in my leg." She grumbled as she hobbled to catch up.
Julien skipped over several doors before stopping. A large panelled wooden door loomed before him. It the door to his mothers bedroom. He was terrified to open it fearing a trap. Yet at the same time this was the place that Malic Korvoth has likely hidden the ember. He just had to play the demons twisted game long enough to ensnare the means of his defeat.
Sighing heavily he opened the door. A soft amethyst light poured from around the doors edges as the room beyond came into view. A large king sized was centred before a great curtained window. Ornate nightstands flanked the bed. A love seat rested on one side with a vanity mirror and desk on the other.
What really caught his attention was his mother sitting on the bed. Knitting needles clacked in her hands as she worked on a square piece of cloth. Threads of violet yarn trailed into a basket of balled yarn next to the bed.
"Hello, son," She spoke, "Could you please close the door? You're letting all cold air in,"
Swiftshadow hobbled in before Julien could even think of reaching for the door.
"What is that!" His mother shrieked. "Julien get rid of it before it makes a huge mess of the carpet,"
"She's a friend," Julien's mouth felt dry.
"My son? Friends with such a filthy beast? Unthinkable!" His mother reached over to the nightstand.
"Rude," Huffed the dragon as her eyes flashed silver.
"Security! Security!" His mother shrieked at the top of her lungs while ringing a golden bell. The door slammed shut. A dozen faceless butters manifested at the rooms perimeter. Golden chains and shackles lay heavy in their white gloved hands. One held a muzzle. "Remove this creature from my view. Make sure it does not see the light of day again."
This was not his mother Julien reminded himself. His mother would never say or do those things. The mother he knew would've gotten Swiftshadow aide the moment she came into view.
A pair of hands grabbed Julien roughly as the butlers converged on Swiftshadow. The chains clinked as the moved to ensnare the beast. Swiftshadow ducked under a swinging chain. She Attempted to leap away from the butlers. Unfortunately the butlers had formed a tight enough circle that made it impossible for her to maneuver. A chain lashed out striking her in her injured hip. She screeched as she collapsed to the floor.
He quietly reached in his pocket for his secret weapon. He summoned the his secret power as he had with Malic Korvoths power many times before.
She snapped at a butler but the butler was quicker. He fastened a golden metal collar around her neck. Silver flame built in her jaws but a butler clamped her jaws shut with the muzzle. Shackles were secured around her legs. A pained hiss escaped her as a butler wrenched her bad leg.
Julien whipped out a shinning green sphere from his pocket. The butler holding him was blasted into shimmering emerald sparks. The ember pulsated in tune with his own heartbeat. Julien would've been lying if he'd said he'd found it. In a way it found him.
He'd had been lost in this void, raging and fuming. He'd just about given up when a small emerald light pried itself from the darkness. It took their combined might the deliver that piece of paper. Now he used it to get his revenge.
"Typical spoilt child," His mother scolded, "Scrabbling for power not your own just so you can rage against an unjust world,"
Julien winced. If it had been his father saying those words he would've simply ignored them and gone about his day. But coming from his mother was just a knife in his chest.
"I'm correcting a mistake," He retorted.
"Are you?" Question his mother, "Or are just throwing another tantrum as always?"
"I'm not throwing a tantrum," He gripped his ember tighter. He blasted away at the butlers with emerald light. Every time a butler was obliterated another would take its place. each blast was weaker than the last. The ember dimmer than before. Swiftshadow thrashed against her bonds. Her bladed tail sliced apart a butler holding one of the chains restraining her.
"Oh yes you are, Just look at what you're doing to my abode." She pointed to the scorch marks on the walls, "If you keep this up you'll end up destroying the family enterprise,"
'Or plunge a world in darkness…' His treacherous mind thought. It was his desire for power was what drew him to Malic Korvoth. It was desperate need for control what allowed the demon to twist him around his finger. His perfect life was nothing more than a naive lie that he couldn't return to.
He looked at the fading ember in his hands. He'd been squeezing it so tightly that had warped slightly. He'd been holding on tightly to way things were, the way he wanted, he could not see the damage he was causing.
He needed to find that other ember. To find that he needed to free Swiftshadow. The dragon shrieked as she was pulled flat to the ground. The chains were fastened to the floor by the golden U bolts that appeared there.
Tucking in his ember he charged, punching out a faceless butler. Skidding to the floor he tore off the muzzle.
"The yarn ball!" She shouted.
Julien hissed. It was almost too obvious. A violet ember hidden inside a ball of purple yarn.
He ignored the heat of swiftshadow's fire as charged for the basket. The butlers grabbed for him, but their hands narrowly missed him. He ripped the yarn ball out of the basket and tore away the threads. A amethyst light glimmered on the balls centre. He frantically dug out the ember as he danced around the butlers. With a final tug it came free.
"What are you doing? You're ruining my scarf!" His mother yelled as the yarn disintegrated.
Swiftshadow snapped a few of the chains and scorched away the butlers. Julien pulled out the green ember and placed them both in front of Swiftshadow. Her maw was alit with silver fire.
Both embers drank up the flames hungrily.
Danny panted heavily as he froze another darkling. The cacophony of unholy shrieks and bestial shouts was deafening. Shadows and animals flooded the streets. Whatever people remained panicked looking for any form of shelter. And Danny was all alone.
The kodiak bear that had once been his father tore apart another darkling. His puma mother battled a silver eyed timber wolf. The white tail doe that Jazz had become faced off against tucker the maned wolf. Somewhere in the corvid flocks above was Sam, a beautiful white necked raven.
The only small blessing was that the red huntress wad been zooming around blasting away at the darkling horde. He'd also briefly spotted Vlad blasting at some darkling before disappearing. Since then Danny had been too preoccupied in keeping himself alive to pay much attention with what was happening around him.
He was tempted abandon the fight and hope Frostbite would lend his army. Perhaps he might get Pandora and Dora involved as well. But then the cats turned against Malic korvoth. Then all the others followed suit. Now only the corvids, snakes, and canines, had yet to turn.
A boa constrictor launched itself at Danny's face. It's mouth wide with thin needle like teeth. Intangibility swept over him as the snake passed through him. He solidified as he floated out of the snakes reach.
His back exploded in agony. A darkling raked its razor sharp claws down his spine. He bounced across the street. A white ring appeared around his waist. He panicked as he struggled to keep himself in ghost mode. The darkling raised its claws one more time.
The boa struck first. Its fangs sank into the darklings arm. It's body coiled tightly around the darkling squeezing the shadows out of it. A hurricane of dark feathered wings fell from the sky. Crows and rooks gouged their talons into the darklings eyes. The ravens and jackdaws pecked away at the shadows.
A white necked raven landed next to him. Danny stared into her glowing violet eyes. It croaked softly at him.
"I know, Sam," He said, "Just give me a chance to catch my breath first,"
Picking himself of the street he rose into the air. Sam fluttered next to him. He didn't quite understand what exactly was going on. Instinct told him that the battle was almost over.
He just had to last a little bit longer.
Whoever thought that immortality was the greatest gift was an absolute fool. That became more and more true with every century Crawford existed. He expected The Wolf Spirit to choose another champion within a century or two. But as the centuries blurred into a millennia and beyond the more and more disconnected from the world he felt.
His home tribe in the heartlands of Africa faded to the ravages of time. Conquered by countless rival tribes which in turn fell to the European colonists. He was the only one left who spoke his native tongue. The last one who remember the customs of his people. It was a terribly lonely existence.
He cursed himself for making that deal with The Wolf Spirit. Despite the fact he hadn't aged a day since he and the other champions sealed Malic Korvoth away he felt terribly ancient. He'd been mortally wounded countless times. Unfortunately The Wolf Spirit's magic refused to let him die.
Until the the bargain was fulfilled he was immortal in every sense of the word.
He wasn't concerned as a darkling cut deeply into his arm. He returned the favour slicing the darkling in half with his own blade. Blood dripped his dozens of injuries. Any mortal man would've succumbed by now. But he was no mortal man.
His vision blurred around the edges. Vertigo gnawed at his brain. His hands trembled around the blade of light. He wiped the blood and sweat from his eyes. He just had to hang on just a little bit longer.
Jack Darby blazed across the battlefield with Arcee keeping by his side. Miko launched herself off Bulkheads muzzle into a line of Darklings pummelling each one into nothing. Todd shielded June from a darklings claws. Wilson commanded the deer to follow strategically planned battle formations. The Beast Spirits lingered near their champions.
Crawford felt the darkness warp and break. A familiar presence washed over him. One he hadn't felt in well over a millennia. One he'd thought he'd never feel again. From the dark tower broke an emerald serpent and a violet raven.
The Serpent Spirit coiled next to the hanger. their emerald eyes stared unblinkingly at the pillar. Watching and waiting for something. Or someone.
The Raven Spirit blazed across the sky like a phoenix. Scores of darklings met their end with a snap of their violet wings. The raven swooped around in a graceful arc before landing before Crawford.
"Hello old friend," Crawford spoke in his mother tongue.
Do you wish to finish what has been started?
The raven opened their wings revealing a crest. Crawford had scarcely hoped that he wear that sigil once more. Without hesitating he grabbed for it.
"Dost ye even need to ask?" The ravens crest burned into the back of his hand. Ancient and familiar power flowed through his body. His wounds knitted themselves together. The aching exhaustion left his old bones becoming a distant memory.
For the first time in ages he felt alive.