Fan Fiction ❯ Esthenia ❯ Part Four, The Demon ( Chapter 4 )

Part 4. The Demon

Digarah

I couldn't believe that everything was happening so fast. It only seemed like only a day had passed. I had already been in the Dream world for four whole days. At first, we were in search for the Misia bird to catch it so we could revive Pagasis, and now, I was flying next to him on our way to the meadow and wait for the demon army. I was pretty shaken by the whole war idea. Pagasis said that there would probably be a wide variety of demons within the army. Including some members of his family. I had butterflies in my stomach. I really didn't know how to fight them, except for one thing: Pagasis had also told me that the demons hated fire. That gave me the advantage, but it still didn't protect my chances of dying or getting really hurt. I tried to be brave, but I was really shaky.

It didn't take us long to get to the meadow. I looked down and saw that the Omogoa natives and aqua foxes were gathered at the edge of the forest. Rinoa and Carona were there too. I was glad that we found Carona. She and Rinoa both could take out many demons at a time. I also saw Sidie! She was willing to fight too!

When Pagasis and I landed Kovu and Neara greeted us.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed and ran up to Kovu. "What happened to you!"

Kovu was scratched and bleeding all over. He looked pretty warn out and in a lot of pain.

Kovu just smiled.

"I just had a battle of my own." he said.

Pagasis appeared by my side.

Kovu blinked at him with wide eyes.

"What… Pagasis? Is that you?"

Pagasis nodded.

"It's a long story." he said and winked at me.

I winked back.

Rinoa came bounding up to us. She had these red marks on her cheeks.

"What's that?" I asked her when she halted in front of us.

"My beta marks." she said proudly. She then looked frantic. "Where's Pagasis? Is he still alive?! I was in such a daze I didn't get to…"

"Oh please." Pagasis interrupted.

Rinoa's eyes got huge. She looked straight down at him.

"Pagasis?"

"In the flesh." he grinned.

Rinoa smiled and licked him on the head.

Once more, his hair was in many directions and covered in drool.

"Uh, thanks?"

"Kovu." I said. "You said you had a battle?"

"Yes." said Kovu. "After we spit up I flew to the village and met a demon there."

Kovu told us the whole story. Pagasis and I were in shock. We couldn't believe what had happened without us knowing. Rinoa said the same thing. She and Carona didn't even detect the demon coming.

* * * * * * * * * *

When Kovu had returned to the village, he surprised everyone with his new appearance. Neara almost had a heart attack. Not to my surprise, Aslynn tried to act like it too. She pretended not to know of course. Kovu held Neara in his arms. He was happy to be back with her, and she him. Then, that's when a dark shadow entered from the sky.

A demon swept down and grabbed Neara from Kovu's hands. Then flew to the top of one of the huts.

Neara was being held tightly in the demon's arms. She gasped and tried to release the demon's strong grip to free herself. He didn't pay no mind to her though. It was as if he didn't even feel her.

The natives ran out and saw the monster. Many warriors tried to throw their spears at him, but he just knocked them away like they were look like twigs.

The demon was a Dragonwolf. He was about three feet taller than Kovu and looked a lot like him. The only difference was is that it had red wings and spines, yellow chest scales and a large, black, shaggy head. It's fiery red eyes were looking straight at Kovu.

Kovu was angry and astonished all at once. He clenched his fists, and thought hard about who this demon could be. He then gasped.

"I know. You're Digarah, aren't you!" Kovu yelled.

The demon chuckled.

"Kovu!" Neara cried. "Help me!"

"Leave her out of this!" Kovu yelled. "I'm the one you really want!"

"That is correct." said Digarah. His voice was cold and chilling. He then looked down at Neara in his arms.

She pressed her ears back and growled.

"You let me go…" she said in a deadly whisper.

"Oh, she's a restless one." Digarah chuckled. He then stroked her hair with his free hand and touched her face.

A feeling of panic washed over Neara. She couldn't move at all. She just stared up at Digarah with watery eyes gleaming with hate and fear.

The villagers didn't know what to do. Their weapons had no effect against the demon. All they could do was watch their leader being emotionally hurt. A lot of them began to weep. Some of them yelled at Digarah threateningly.

Digarah just ignored them. He didn't even look at them, or take his eyes off his angry son.

Kovu's hair stood up. He was trembling with anger, and his eyes turned blue.

"You sick bastard!" he shouted. "Put her down and we'll settle this!!"

Digarah laughed.

"You should show some respect for your flesh and blood." he said. He then looked down at Neara and grinned evilly. "Granted…"

He let her go. She fell from the roof top, and luckily was caught by Aquita. He and Neara fell backward when she landed in his arms.

"Are you all right?" he asked her as he sat up.

Neara nodded. She still tears in her eyes.

"Thank you." she said as she gave him a hug.

They then stood up. Neara looked back up at Digarah with pure hate.

"You'll pay for this!" she growled. She then pulled out her knife and tempted to throw it at him, but she was thrown backward by Digarah's psychic power.

Kovu ran up to her and lifted her to her feet.

"Let me deal with him." he said. He then held her close. "Nobody touches my mate." he whispered to her.

Suddenly, Digarah dove down at them.

Kovu saw him coming and pushed Neara out of the way. He was slammed to the ground by his father's strong arms. He was pushed into the ground were dirt and rocks flew up from the force. He then slipped upward out of Digarah's grasp and flew into the air.

Digarah followed him and they fenced in the air.

Neara was helped to her feet by Aslynn. She looked up at the fighting Dragonwolves. She held her hands close to her chest.

Kovu dodged one of Digarah's blows and punched him in the face.

Digarah backed up and made a red ball in his hands. He threw it at Kovu, then made another one.

Kovu dodged the first one, but the second one hit him in the chest. He was almost knocked out, but he continued to induce the pain. He then made a ball in his hands and threw it at Digarah.

Digarah shifted to the side wile the blue ball continued to sore through the air.

"Is that all you got?" Digarah chucked.

"Not at all." said Kovu as he leveled himself with Digarah.

The two weren't flying any more. They were floating. Both of their eyes were flashing as their powers were being put to work.

"To think," said Digarah. "Your mother hid you here for all these years expecting for me not to find you."

"She didn't need to hide me." said Kovu. "I could have kicked your sorry butt a long time ago."

Digarah laughed. His wicked face looked frightening and Kovu realized that Rinoa indeed took after her father's looks.

"You beat me?!" Digarah said humorously. "That's a good one. I could have easily killed you moments ago."

"Then why don't you?" said Kovu. "Quit toying with me and fight for real!"

Digarah's eyes widened.

Suddenly, Kovu found himself being painfully tortured by his father's psychic power. He groaned with pain as his insides felt like they were being burned and twisted.

Digarah flew forward with great speed and punched Kovu hard in the stomach.

Kovu was forced back. He keeled over, holding his stomach. He looked up at his evil father with hatred, and then grinned. He burst forward and thrust his clawed hand right through Digarah's left shoulder.

Digarah, gasped and pulled back. He examined his bleeding shoulder and roared at Kovu.

"Fooled you." said Kovu.

Digarah growled and lunged at him.

Kovu toggled to the side and made another ball in his hands, and sent it right through Digarah's wing.

Digarah roared again. He was pretty frustrated, never knowing that he would be brought down by his own son. Then, out of nowhere, Kovu's fist struck him in the face.

Digarah was thrown to the ground by the force. He took out a large tree and almost a hut.

The natives scattered as the tree crashed to the ground. A lot of them were pretty frightened. Aquita and his group of warriors were cheering Kovu on.

Kovu didn't look down at them. He was too busy searching for Digarah in the trees. After a moment he realized that Digarah had fled. He was nowhere in sight or smell.

"He… he vanished!" Kovu blinked. He looked pretty surprised. "I beat him."

He went back to the ground. After being congratulated, he told everyone the plan. Then led everyone to the meadow. He wondered about his father the whole time. If he was still around. One thing was for sure, he knew that Digarah was still a threat, and he needed to protect his family and tribe at all cost.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

I murmured in awe after I heard Kovu's story. I never would had known that all that had happened in such a short period of time. When Pagasis died and was resurrected. The visit from Digarah was sheer proof of the evil to come. Only it wasn't just one demon, it was a whole army of them, and there I was once again questioning my fate.

"Don't worry." said Pagasis' voice inside my head. "We'll beat them together."

Strategy

"Is everybody ready?" said Carona. She walked up behind us and sat down next to Rinoa.

Everyone nodded.

"Good." she said. "I spoke to the forest animals and they are willing to help us."

I looked around and saw that a group of animals had gathered at the edge of the forest next to the Omogoas. Many of them consisted of these deer looking creatures. They looked like regular deer, only they were larger and had dark brown stripes. I saw these dragon looking things and new right away they were the human hunters that tried to capture me when I first came.

Carona looked sadly down at Kovu.

"I'm sorry, my child." she said sadly. "If I'd have know that your evil father had come I would have been there in a second."

Kovu smiled up at her.

"It's no big deal, really." he said. "I managed to beat him on my own."

Carona smiled back.

"That's right." she said. "I gave you to the right person. He trained you well. You are a great warrior. Aside from the demon part, you are your father's son."

Kovu's smile vanished. He then looked at the ground.

"So, there's now way for him to become normal again?" he asked timidly.

Carona tried to hide her shock with a sad frown. The rest of us did the same. After everything that Digarah did to him, Kovu was still willing to take him back.

Carona just shook her head.

"No." she said. "Once a demon, always a demon. I could see it in his eyes long ago. Before he transformed. There's no turning back once you chose your path."

We all stood silent for a moment. None of us wanted to say anything. We all felt sorry for Kovu. I never knew what it was like not to have a father, but I knew that it must have been painful.

Our silence was broken by Aquita. He ran up to us with a worried, exited look. He wore an armor out of comar and tough hide like the rest of the warriors, and had orange markings on his face.

"One of our warriors reported that the demons are in sight." he said to Kovu.

"Which end?" Kovu asked.

"On the eastern side." Aquita replied. "They are attacking us from behind."

"Good." said Kovu. "Now we know their strategy. They are going to try and sneak through the forest undetected."

"What should we do?" Aquita asked.

"Set up our warriors and the forest creatures in the forest." said Kovu. "Make sure they are well hidden so the enemy doesn't see them until they enter the meadow. Then we attack them from behind."

"And the Aqua foxes sir?"

"Their weapons are a great advantage." said Kovu. "They can fire them trough the air. Have them set up a blockade along the western shore so no demons escape."

"Yes sir." said Aquita as he bowed to Kovu.

"Thank you captain."

Before Aquita turned his heel and walked away, he caught sight of Pagasis.

"Pagasis?" he gasped.

"Yeah, it's me." Pagasis said with a smile.

"Wha… how did you… You're alive!"

"I'll explain later." said Pagasis.

Aquita nodded and ran back to the group of warriors.

"Wow." I said. "I never thought I would see him act so serious."

Kovu smiled at me.

"Yeah." he said. "He takes his role seriously. Other than that, he's pretty weird."

"Well, I'd better go get my armor." said Neara.

Kovu gave her a puzzled look.

"I'm not so sure if you should fight." he said. "I don't want you to get hurt-"

"I am ready to fight for my tribe." Neara interrupted. "Don't worry about me. I can handle myself."

She then turned and walked in the same direction Aquita went.

Kovu blinked.

"Is it me," he said. "Or are the women starting to revolt against chivalry?"

"Well." said Rinoa. "Do you think that we are willing to take orders from men?"

"Yeah." said Pagasis inside my head.

I looked at him and smirked.

"To afraid to say that out loud?" I asked in my mind.

"Why do you say that?"

I looked at Rinoa and Carona, and smirked at Pagasis once again.

"Because you're out numbered."

"Hay," said Rinoa. "Are you two okay?"

Pagasis and I turned to her.

"Uh, yeah." I said. "Why?"

"You both were spacing out." she said. "I was just wondering…"

"Well," said Carona. "Rinoa and I had better take our places. You all should too."

We all nodded. Carona and Rinoa ran for the forest. I turned to Kovu.

"What are Pagasis and I going to do?" I asked him.

Kovu's face was serious now.

"You two have an important job." he said. "You are to stand directly in the middle of the meadow. Draw them out of the forest so we all can attack them from behind."

I gasped.

"I see." said Pagasis. "The demon king will see us as the strongest. He knows who she is and I'm not dead. Nevertheless, he'll attack us the first moment he can."

I was shaking all over as I watched Kovu leave for his place in the forest. Any moment the demons would come and attack us.

"You are afraid." Pagasis said to me as we walked to the center of the meadow. "Don't worry. I won't leave your side."

I smiled up at him. I knew I couldn't hide my fear from him. Then again, he couldn't hide his emotions from me either. I could smell his anxiety too. I knew he wanted to destroy the demon king himself for revenge. For everything the evil king did to his family and the island. I looked around the meadow. It was just as I saw it the first time. It looked dead and dreary. The sky above was swirling with purple clouds. I wanted revenge too. For what the king did to my island, my dreams, and my best friend.

"Prepare yourself." said Pagasis suddenly. "I sense and evil aurora approaching."

Sweat was streaming down my face now. Suddenly an odor reached my nose. It was sour hate. Then a shadow swept over the meadow. I backed up closer to Pagasis as a dark group of creatures crept from the forest.

Hundreds of red eyes gleamed from the darkness. They were coming closer to us with a stalking motion. Red leathery wings spread from each of the creatures. Then suddenly, they began to surround us.

Pagasis didn't move. He showed no sign of fear or hate. He just stood there expressionless as the demons formed a circle around us. I tried to stay calm like him, but I couldn't wipe the feeling of hate and fear away.

I glared around at the demons. I noticed that a lot of them looked like skeletal horses and dragons. They all sent a chill down my spine. I knew that all of the horses had once been members of Pagasis' family.

Suddenly, the demons in front of us parted as a tall, centaur looking demon walked up to us. He had huge, red wings and a horse-like body with red leg hair like Pagasis. His top half looked much like a scary dragon with horns and a red jewel on his forehead. His whole body was black and his eyes were gleaming red.

"Isthrak…" Pagasis murmured.

"You…" the king said with a booming, dark voice. He was pointing at Pagasis. "You live…"

"Yeah." said Pagasis with a grin. "Your plan didn't work did it?"

The king roared with rage.

"You were to become a demon!!" the king roared. "I know how! It was that damn priestess. My strongest was to dispose of them!"

"You mean Digarah?" Pagasis said with a mock laugh. "His own son kicked his sorry butt. He had fled Isthrak, he betrayed you."

The king let out another angry roar. He reared up and stomped his feet, making the ground quake.

"Oh, shut up you big baby!!" I yelled with all the bravery I could muster.

Pagasis chuckled.

The king looked at me with shock and rage.

"Who are you?" he growled. "You aren't one of Esthenia's Guardians."

"Really?" said Pagasis. "This is Esthenia herself."

The crowd of demons murmured.

"She was the one." he said. "If it wasn't for her, I'd be a demon by now!"

I looked up at him with my mouth open. He smiled down at me.

"This girl?" Isthrak growled. "Then you are to blame!!!"

"Blow it out your rear!" I shouted.

The king then began to laugh.

"Then we'll kill you both and destroy the whole island!!" Isthrak said. "ATTACK!!"

"NOW!!" Pagasis shouted.

The Battle Begins

A howl rang out from the forest, and before I knew it, the Omogoa's were charging at the demons. Spears were flying out of nowhere and landing their marks. I turned my head and saw three of them coming at me. I panicked and roared. Fire shot from my mouth and hit the demons dead on. They fell and shrieked.

Meanwhile, Carona and Rinoa charged from their places and tore at the demons. Carona lifted one in her mouth and tossed it to Rinoa. Rinoa caught it and threw it high in the air, then shot a fire ball from her mouth, toasting the demon instantly.

I pounced on one and tore at it with my claws. The monster roared and shrieked. It then grabbed me and slammed me down. I looked up in terror as it raised it's clawed hand ready to strike. It then was slammed to the side as Pagasis charged it with his horn.

"You all right!" he said to me.

I nodded and we ran our separate ways.

Aquita was side by side with Aslynn. Aquita had his flaming spears. He swung them around hitting many demons at once.

Aslynn wore no armor. She placed her fingers on the head of one of the demons' heads. The monster looked down at her like she was crazy. Aslynn smiled and shouted, "Eths-kiay!!!"

A light burst from her fingertips and the demons' head was blasted off its shoulders.

I had no time to ask her how she did that when two more horse demons tried to stomp on me. I dodged out of the way and scratched one in the face. It shrieked at me, and I hit it a second time. That's when the monster reared up and kicked my side. I flew backward and landed on my back. The pain was excruciating. I sat up. I felt dizzy and frightened. My heart was pounding hard in my chest. Each beat felt as though a drum was being hit. I looked up and saw the monsters standing over me. I struggled backward to get back on my feet, but they perused me and tried to stomp on me. Suddenly, Aslynn was standing in front of me.

"Eths-kiay!!!" she shouted. The whole area around her lit up and the demons were thrown backward.

"Thank you!" I panted as I got to my feet.

"No problem!" she said. "Watch your back!" She then ran off in a different direction.

"Okay…" I trembled.

Just then, Carona swept past me with lighting speed. She nearly knocked me over along with a bunch of demons she was running over.

Many of the monsters tried to escape by flying away. Then were immediately shot down by the Aqua fox army. Each of the little creatures had a sling device that could project these bubble-like things. They didn't look like much, but they did a lot of damage to a single demon.

I was then confronted by three more horse demons. I tore at them and breathed fire on them. They roared and kicked as I leapt away. Just then, a light burst from overhead. I paused and looked up.

It was Pagasis who made the light. It shot out from his horn and straight at the Demon king. The king blocked it with his arms and dived down at Pagasis. Then their fight began.

I didn't have much time to stand around and watch. A large group of demons were chasing me. I was way ahead of them when another stood in my path. I was one of the large dragon- like ones. I tripped over its tail and smacked my chin in the ground. I felt my lip begin to throb as blood dripped down my chin. I wasn't too badly injured. I sat up as the demons closed in on me. I felt like as if an ice cube slid down my throat and into my chest. I could hear the sounds and smell of death all around me. The smell of blood hung thickly in the air. Bodies littered the ground. I then realized that nobody would be able to help me. That was the end.

Then suddenly, there was another flash of light from above. It was a lot brighter than the first. I glanced upward and was blinded by the light. I closed my eyes and blew fire in every direction. I couldn't see at all. Then suddenly, everything grew quiet. I waited a moment then opened my eyes. I could see the natives and animals all looking up. They still had their weapons in hand, but they weren't fighting anymore. The demons were doing the same, only they had a look of fear in their eyes.

Pagasis and Isthrak were hovering in the air. Isthrak was holding his stomach. His hand was covered in black blood. He then charged at Pagasis with a bloodcurdling screech. Pagasis dove at him too then gave the final blow. A beam shot from his horn and hit the demon king right through the chest. The demon roared and fell. He then turned into ash and blew away in the wind.

The demons all around us roared and screeched as they blew apart and turned into ash one by one.

Then the Omogoa warriors, the creatures of the forest and the aqua foxes all began to cheer. The war was over.

The visitor

I watched in delight as the army cheered. They danced around and the Omogoas howled with joy. I waited for Pagasis to land before I ran up to him. I threw my arms around his neck. I hugged him tightly.

"You did great." He said to me.

"So did you!" I smiled back.

Suddenly, the natives and animals were all around us. They were cheering and giving us pats on the back. Aslynn ran up to me and gave Pagasis and I a huge hug. Rinoa and Carona both licked us on top of the head. Leaving our hair covered in drool. I didn't care though, I never felt so good in my life. I never would have thought I would have survived the battle. I never thought I could do anything right.

Just then, the meadow changed. The dark rocks and crystals were replaced by grass. The sky was blue again and the air smelled fresh. There was more cheering. The island was good again. The demon tyranny was over.

I had to leave that night. It was the end of the week back in my world. I missed my family more than ever. Of course I couldn't tell them what exactly happened. They all thought I was on some lame camping trip.

We all went back to the Omogoa village. The natives were dancing and singing to the drumbeat. All the other animals joined along with the celebration. They danced for the island, and for their many friends who had died during the battle.

Pagasis, Kovu, Aquita, Neara, Rinoa, and Carona were all sitting on the same blanket again. Aslynn couldn't join us because she had many natives to heal from the battle. The others didn't get too hurt. Aquita was sporting a large burn mark on his arm. He told everyone a dragon demon had done it but everybody knew that he did that to himself on accident.

"It was as tall as a tree!!" I swore to everyone who was willing to listen.

Some of us just ignored him. Others just laughed.

Pagasis told of our story in the forest when he supposedly died. He had to repeat it many times because the natives were so amazed by it. I was glad he left out the part about me turning into a demon. Also about the necklace. Only three of us knew of it. Him, me, and its creator.

It wasn't too long before Carona returned to her cliff. Rinoa, Pagasis and I took a walk around the island before I had to leave for home. We walked through the woods, the marsh, the cliff, then the meadow. As we walked we seldomly spoke. I wanted to value all the time I had with them. We then ended up on the western shore. We stood upon a hill and stared out into the ocean.

"Will I ever be able to come back?" I asked.

"Depends." Said Rinoa.

"On what?" I questioned.

"If you really want to." Said Pagasis.

I smiled. Of course I wanted to come back. I looked down at Pagasis' necklace.

"So," I said in my head. "I suppose you'll want this back."

"Take it." He replied. "So we can talk whenever we want."

I then realized that I would never be alone again. I had somewhere with me always. It was my mentor, my conscience, my best friend.

I looked out into the ocean once again. Then something in the corner of my eye got my attention. I turned my head and sighted a black speck heading our way from over the water.

"What is that?" I asked.

By then Rinoa and Pagasis could see it too.

"I don't know." Said Pagasis.

Rinoa grinned, showing her wicked teeth.

"Good." She smirked. "I hope its anther demon. That was way too much fun!"

Pagasis and I looked at her like she was insane.

"I hope not." Said Pagasis. "Whatever it is, it's getting bigger."

Indeed it was. The speck began to grow larger and larger as it approached. Soon enough, I could make out wings, a head and legs.

It then landed right in front of us. It was indeed large. Almost as tall as Rinoa. It looked like a cross between a dragon and a cat. It had an orange body with light, tan stripes. It also had hair on its head. It was long and brown. It's leathery wings were the same color as its hair. Its yellow eyes seemed to gleam with anger. It looked kind of beat up too, for one of its eyes had a scratch and had bruises on parts of the body.

"That's a Filodrake." Rinoa gasped.

"Of course I am!" the Filodrake shouted angrily. It was definitely a she.

I looked at the Filodrake's large claws and gulped. They were long and sharp like blades.

"This island has Dragonwolves doesn't it?" she asked.

We nodded.

"One of them just attacked me!"

"What?!" I gasped.

"What I meant was," Rinoa added. "There are some but there aren't many of us."

"Us?" the Filodrake gasped. "It WAS you!"

"Me!" said Rinoa, suddenly taken aback.

"Yeah, right!" the Filodrake roared. "Don't try to hide your identity. I know you survived!"

"You're from Ceair, aren't you?" Pagasis asked in a calm voice.

The Filodrake looked at him with anger.

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Wow…" I murmured. "You're from my sisters island…"

The Filodrake looked at me as though she had never laid eyes on me. I froze on the spot when she bent over and picked me up by the fur on the back of my neck. Right away my limbs went numb. I couldn't move at all.

"Pagasis…" I said in my mind. "Help! She's going to eat me!"

I didn't hear Pagasis' reply because I was so taken over by panic when she started to sniff me with her huge, black nose. I could hear Pagasis laughing though, so that told me what he would have said.

"What the heck are you?" the Filodrake suddenly asked me.

"What do you mean by that?" I hissed. "I'm a sphinx!"

"No." she said. "You said `my sister's island'. Do you think you are human or something?"

"That's because she is, madam Filodrake." Said Pagasis.

"That's Castirio to you!" the Filodrake snapped. She then looked at me again. "So, who are you REALLY?"

"I'm Christy." I said.

"Esthenia…" Rinoa corrected.

Castirio looked at me in shock.

"A human, here?" she said. "Now I've seen everything…"

She set me down. I backed up next to Pagasis. I lightly rubbed the back of my neck with my paw.

"So, what happened?" Rinoa asked. "You said you saw a Dragonwolf that looked like me?"

Castirio glared at her.

"Yeah," she said. "Are you some kind of demon?"

Rinoa gasped. Her ears pressed back and her fur ridged along her back.

"How DARE you…" she growled. "I am no more of a demon than you are. I am the forest Guardian and the beta of the Omogoa tribe, and I take insults from no one."

"Describe what it looked like." said Pagasis.

Castirio, who looked as if she were about to pounce on Rinoa, looked at him and replied,

"He was definitely a demon." she said. "He had a black shaggy head-"

"Digarah!" Rinoa interrupted.

"Digarah?" Castirio questioned.

"That bastard…" Rinoa growled. "He did survive."

"Who is Digarah?" Castirio asked Pagasis, completely ignoring Rinoa.

"Digarah is her father…" Pagasis said. "Her brother, Kovu, banished him from the island. He must have flew across the sea to your island."

"Duh." said Castirio. "He tried to take over my territory, but I taught him not to mess with me."

She cracked her knuckles and sighed.

"The poor thing didn't have a chance." she said in a mocking, sad tone of voice. "I blasted him so hard, he fell right into the sea. The ocean Guardians would have swallowed him in a second."

"Good." said Pagasis. "You must be a very strong fighter."

"Oh, yeah." said Castirio with a grin. "I have the western ocean-side territory. I could smell everything that had been happening on your island. Nice war. Wish I could have seen it…"

"Right…" I murmured.

"Well," said Castirio. "I'd better be going before my brother tries to take my territory again. I'll beat him senseless…"

She then turned around and took off.

"By the way," she called down to us. "Keep your damn Dragonwolves off my Island!!"

We all stared as she flew away.

"Well," said Pagasis. "That last remark must mean that she thought she was going to soft on us."

"Yeah, right." she snorted. "I'll take her on any day."

We all went back to the Omogoa village so I could say goodbye to everyone. The first thing I did was go get my backpack. I looked at the clock. It was 7:45 pm. My parents would have been expecting me at that time. I put my backpack on my back and walked out of the shrine. There I met Kovu and the others.

"Take care." he said to me as he gave me a hug. "Come back sometime."

"I will." I said. I could feel tears already starting to form in my eyes.

"Take this with you…" Aslynn whispered to me as she handed me a clay bottle.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Why do you think I stay so young?" she grinned.

I grinned back then gave her a hug too.

"You'd better come back…" said Neara as she wrapped her arms around me, nearly crushing my ribs.

"Okay…" I gasped.

"Don't get into too much trouble." said Aquita as I gave him a hug too.

"Same goes for you." I grinned.

I then turned to Rinoa.

She was looking down at me. She had a large tear streaming down her cheek.

"Be good." she said. "I hope to see you again soon."

"I will." I said as I hugged her around the neck.

"You saved us all." she said. "You're a hero, Esthenia."

I didn't reply to that. I felt my cheeks grow pink though.

Suddenly, the ground beneath us trembled as Carona landed behind us. We turned and greeted her as she strode toward us. She looked down at me and smiled.

"I am here to speak with you." she said to me. She then looked at everyone else. "Alone…"

She beckoned me to follow her. We walked until we were on the outskirts of the village. Out of ear shot of everyone else. I was very eager to hear what she had to say. If it had to be so private than it had to be something important.

"So," Carona said as she laid down. She crossed her huge paws and looked down at me. "Do you wish to return to us?"

"I hope so." I said.

"Good." she sighed. "But there is a down side to this."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"In a few years, the Dragonwolf kind will cease to exist on the island." said Carona. "Long ago, we were the most powerful Guardians on the island. My power alone kept the Demons from entering the forest. When I, we, are gone, you must take on the responsibility of being a Guardian. You must except the fact that we cannot live forever. As a human, a self Guardian, you must learn to induce the pain of loosing us. Pagasis is the only one who will remain with you forever. The rest of us will parish someday."

"How can that be?" I gasped. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I couldn't stand to see all my friends age and die. "How is it that the years in this world go by faster than the ones in my world?"

"Truthfully, the years in your world could vary well go by as fast as the ones here." Carona said.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"To put it in a way that is best understood," she said. "We just simply age faster."

"Oh…"

I understood her perfectly after that. It was true. The years in my world went by slowly for me and the other humans, but for the animals…

"Do you understand me now?" Carona asked.

"I understand…" I sighed.

Change

Carona and I walked back to the village. I tried not to look to sad so I didn't give away the subject of our conversation. The whole thing troubled me. I wanted to return and see everyone and fight the demons, but having to see them all age and die one by one made me feel terrible. I wanted to come back more than anything.

"Are you okay?" Pagasis asked me telepathically.

"Yeah," I replied.

I said my last good byes to Carona before she flew back to her place on the cliff.

"Think about it." she said to me. "Don't get me wrong about what I said to you. If you wish to return then prepare yourself for the future."

She then flew away.

"What did she mean by that?" Kovu wondered as we all watched her go.

"That she's a great friend." I said with a smile. I knew very well that she was warning me, but out of everything else, she cared about my feelings.

"Well, I'd better go." I said. Right away, the orb appeared. It was floating just above my shoulder. I took it in my paws as I sat up.

"Take care!" the Natives called to me.

I smiled. I could feel a tear drop flowing down my cheek. I then held the orb tightly in my paws. The last thing I saw before my eyes was my friends, all waving and smiling. I could see Kovu and Neara standing hand in hand, Aquita and his gang of warriors all waving and howling, Rinoa and Aslynn standing side by side and showing their beta marks with pride, and I could see Pagasis. His horn and bright blue eyes shimmering in the sunlight. Then, there was darkness.

I opened my eyes. There I was, standing in my driveway. Behind me I could see the corn field. In front of me I could see my house, my wonderful house. I took a few steps and stumbled. I laughed and began to run. I wasn't used to being on two legs so it felt very odd to me. I ran all the way to the front step and opened the door and went inside. As usual nobody was home. I carefully looked around the rooms as I walked through the house. Nothing seemed to be the same. I went up the stairs, through the hallway, and into my room. I stood there in the doorway and looked around. It was exactly the way I had left it, only I didn't see it that way. I walked over to my bed and fell back into it. It was as warm and comfortable like it never had been before. I stared up at my ceiling for a while. It didn't seem like it was just a blank white ceiling anymore. I noticed a fly, and a cobweb in the corner. I smiled.

"I'm home!" I thought to myself. "I'm home and I'm alive."

"I'm glad to hear that." said Pagasis.

I gasped and sat up.

"Pagasis?"

"Yeah, who else?"

"Oh, boy…" I sighed as I fell back. "This is going to take some getting used to."

"Yeah, but you know what?" Pagasis said. "You'll never be alone any more. I'm right here with you."

"Good." I smiled.

The first thing I did when I got up was took a shower. My hair felt so gross! Of course, before I got in I took off Pagasis' necklace. He didn't need to be thinking about that…

Then, when my mother was pulling up the driveway in her car, I snuck into the entry way and hid behind the door. She walked inside, not even glancing over at me, she slid her shoes off and made her way for the dining room. That's were I popped out and scared her half to death. I threw my arms around her and squeezed.

"I'm home!" I said to her.

"I'm glad." Said. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." I said as I released her.

"Do you have any dirty laundry?" she asked me as she walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

I snorted.

"What kind of question is that?" I asked her over the counter.

She took a deep drink out of her glass and smiled at me.

"Some things just never change…" she said.