Boys of Fall by Brannon Pantoja

            There comes a time in a person's life where they grow close to a certain group of people and form a bond of unity. A certain feeling you get by being part of a team. The feeling of with out a second thought you would go to battle for any one of your brothers. Six months of hard work, team- work, blood, sweat and tears, and of course ass kicking. The feeling of going home after a game sore as all hell and getting into the shower watching all the dry blood and dirt rinse down the drain. There is no better feeling in the world then that bus ride back after a hard earned victory with the boys on a Friday night under the lights. There is that feeling that sits in the back of my mind only just wishing to come back and be felt again. Or I can just think back to day one where you and maybe thirty to fifty boys your age where no body knows any body and there you are by your self at 6:30 on a summer morning. Learning all those plays and hitting the weight room for three hours a day pushing my self to my limits telling my self I cant do it. But in that room that word can't was not allowed what so ever. They make sure that they tattoo the thought of being able to do what ever you set your mind to into your head. That one little tattoo has changed that 14-year-old boy for the rest of his life but in every good way possible, my life before was surrounded by a lot of gang violence, drugs, and just the wrong path all together. I swear though if it weren't for football I'd probably be dead or in jail. It's almost like when I put those pads and that helmet on I am in a whole lot peaceful state of mind. My favorite is the feeling you get after you lay some body out and they are slow to get up, personally I think its way better then any drug. When I step onto that field though, I feel like I belong there and that I am actually doing something I love for fun. Not only has football got my ass out of trouble but also has taught me discipline and respect and most definitely team work which have all helped me a lot in my life and will continue to get me onto that right path of success. It starts off a dream then hopefully turns into reality, but any thing is possible with the right amount of will power.

Untitled by Jessica Kane

by Kirsten Mamauag

Dear Future Self,


You better not be a douche. Now that you are all grown up now, remember never to make life changing decisions on temporary emotions. You better not get lazy in college and just become another person in this world who hasn’t made a difference because you have potential to make a huge difference if you actually tried. I hope you have traveled out of the country at least six times by now and go to go on that cruise to the Bahamas that you’ve always dreamed of going on. I hope you are satisfied with how your body is, and not so concerned about losing the ten pounds you’ve always wanted to lose in high school. I hope that you’re with someone who makes you happy and loves you for you, if you are with anyone at all. If not, I really hope that you aren’t having a hard time looking nor are you desperate. Remember what Dad always said how so many guys would be lucky to have you. I wonder if you will still have one of these ungodly things called a Face Book. If you do, you are super lame. On a more serious note, Self, I hope you never forget where you came from. I hope you never forget who your best friends were when you were twelve, what you got for your sixteenth birthday, and who came to cheer you on at your high school graduation. You better not live up to anyone else's expectations except your own. Lastly, I hope that you are living life abundantly and most importantly, I hope that you are happy.

Was it a dream? by Jessica Kane

As I begin to slowly regain consciousness I'm all but shocked by my surroundings. The cold chilling night's wind still continues to flow through the broken window. The cold chills my body as it steals away any warmth I once had. As my body beings to feel numb I feel hollow. Empty of all thoughts unable to control my actions. I want to pull my blanket up and closer to my body or to hold the stuffed animal in my arms tightly for warmth but I can't move. I don't think I've ever felt more useless then at this moment. I don't know what to do with my fear controlling me to the point where I can't even open my eyes. Mentally I choose to stay blind to this event, semi-innocent to this scene. But as fate had my life in its hands it forced me to listen, and tormented me with the fact that I cannot do anything.

Carousel, Part 1 by Cameron Rios

Time: 5:34 P.M. in Fremont, California. Date: April 16, 1995. I walk into my room, which only consists of three main items: A dresser, filled with nothing but three pairs of briefs, one pair of socks, three T-shirts, and a shirt I use to dust furniture, a rug, with vomit stains and scabbed over blood drips, and a mattress, which isn't really a mattress at all, just two styrofoam strips stacked together and covered with a sheet to appear as a mattress. I did that myself. All of this is my luxury. But today is not a day where I will need any of them. I came in the room to give it one last look. To let an old reality disappear for I will not return to this room, this house, or this family for as long as possible. I got a large bag wrapped in plastic containing my rather more important belongings resting in our toilet main until I relieve it. My mother is resting, tired from a long day at work and a long night of misfortunate sexual harassment from her husband, or my "father". I'd rather not use that term. I tell her I'm going to take a shower, and that I love her. Out of the whisper of my voice, I silently say "I wish things would have turned out better for you". I had no intention of her hearing me, but I believe she did. I turn our shower on and get my bag. This was a simple plan: exit out the window and take yourself as far as you can. I wasn't running away, I was accepting a new beginning I should have started a long time ago. My name is Christopher. I'm 16. And life is about to get a hell of a lot better for the worst.

A New Era by Darien Teague

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chpt #1: The Beginning of it all.

Before I get started on telling you about my journey, listen here: Going on a journey of horror, tragedy, and reliving my past WASN'T my idea. Anyone who thinks so is, as you humans would say, an utter, bleeping idiot. It was hell, and I hate looking back on it, but I'll bear it. So let's get started, shall we?

It is morning on the northeastern coast of Albion, year 466 N.E. It is autumn at the moment; summer has recently ended & its warmth along with it. The sun has not yet risen, & the air is still quite cold. Seabirds fly along the coast, hunting for fish & other aquatic creatures, occasionally surprised by a red fox. Seals lay about on the pristine beach, waiting for the sun to rise so they can bask in its warmth soon they'll be gone, heading southward to the Tortuga islands to escape the bitter winter and won't be back until spring. Form within the forest, a figure suddenly jumps forth, scaring the s..t out of a fox dragging a gull carcass to its den.

Only two-to-three seconds after springing forth from the forest does the figure stop, standing at the edge of a cliff in deathly silence. A young child of 8-10 years is the best way to describe them; sort of. He's not really doing anything that can be considered significant; only standing there watching the ocean. The "child" stands 4'2'' – 4'5'' in height, but his height isn't what is thought-provoking; not in the slightest. He has skin that is as pale as moonlight, short silver-white hair, and a stoic demeanor.

But that feature of his that catches one's attention the most are his eyes. Steel-silver and snakelike, they make him look like he's staring right at one's soul. Certainly he looks threatening, but whether or not he's genuinely dangerous, is not yet determined.

The "child" is dressed in what can only be described as gothic Lolita clothing. Glossy-black gothic Lolita at that, mind you, and they look to be well-made. Four large "flippers", similar to those on a Victorian butler's uniform adorn his attire. Nearly all of his skin is covered up his clothes; only his hands, face, and a portion of the uppermost part of his chest are bare. Aside from his skin, hair, eyes, and clothes, there's not much that would convey interest onto him.

Staring off into the ocean, he seems to be in deep contemplation about something, and looks to be unaware of anything around him. "That giant, Adalwolf……..he's very kind, I admit, but there's a difference between kindness and unwanted pity", the "child" speaks in a cold, stoic tone. Seeing that no other sentient being is around, he's likely just referring to something that happened earlier.

As he contemplates whilst staring out to sea, a small vaguely humanlike creature stares at him from behind a shrub. A goblin of some sort, standing only 3'6'' but with armor and what looks like a permanent scowl. Seemingly unaware, the "child" continues to be silent, contemplating on things not yet certain. The goblin keeps hidden for now, watching him.

Until he decides to leave, that is, after a few hours (the sun has still not yet risen). For whatever reason, the goblin springs forth, jumping 4.5 meters in the air and preparing to swing an axe at him. Little did the goblin suspect the "child" of conducting a counterattack, much less a swift one. Before the goblin realizes it, the "child" seemingly vanishes into thin air, without a trace.

Then he reappears, this time behind the goblin and with a unique rapier in hand. It is very quick and equally horrific as he slashes the beast into dozens of bloodied pieces. His rapier is about 4' long, and so nearly equal to his height, but holding and swinging it look to be no problem. Stained with the goblin's greenish blood, the blade gives off an…………………an almost evil air. Almost, mind you, is different from complete; nevertheless he's far from ordinary.

"I swear, if these cowardly goblins continue to harass me, I'm going to blast their as.es all the way to Mordor. They've no sense of honor & refuse to fight at least somewhat head-on", he growls in an irritated tone. It doesn't take one long to assume that he has a great disliking of goblins and possibly their ilk. After drawing the diamond edge-tipped sword back into its scabbard, he runs back into the forest, but immediately proceeds to jumping through the trees. But unbeknownst to him, some tens of kilometers away, a village is under attack by a horde of demon-like beasts. Hundreds of vicious, bloodthirsty demon-like beasts at that.

As they destroy the numerous buildings, a peculiar elfish figure shows up within the shadows, armed with an 8' long spear with a particularly savage blade. Tall, dark, and handsome is the best way to describe the 5'10'' young man who's come from nowhere. He keeps an eye on the monsters, but isn't particularly interested in averting the demon's attack. That is until he takes notice of a gorgonine beast looking hungrily at a very young human boy, about only 5 years. With mouth gaping wide and claws at the ready, the gorgonlike beast lunges at the innocent child intending fully to devour it. The young "man", however has very different ideas as he steps in-between the two, spear in hand.

With absolutely no hesitation whatsoever, he stabs the beast square in the chest, through its heart. Before it can psychologically register the attack, it collapses to the ground and disintegrates into sand. Several other monsters take notice of this, and they're not happy at all.

"Curse the God of Fortune!! The Niveon Lancer is here!!", one grotesque tanuki-like monster bellows as it charges towards him in a rage. But as quick as lightning, he vanishes into thin air and leaves the beastly tanuki confused. And before he can react in time, the young "man" slashes the beast into hundreds of pieces with his spear, now stained thoroughly in blood.

He disappears again before the pieces of the beast fall to the ground like hail, confusing the other monsters. "Show yourself, Niveon Lancer! We know well that you're still here; so fight us like a man", exclaims an eaglelike beast with musteline features. Unfortunately for her, she gets her wish as he reappears behind a vulpine beast close to her.

"One should be  careful what they wish; they may get it in a negative way!!" the young "man" exclaims as he slashes apart the vulpine beast, starting with its head. Then the eaglelike beast attempts to slash him into pieces, only to fail miserably as he again vanishes. Instead of showing up from behind, he instead comes somersaulting from the sky, his spear aimed at her chest. But rather than slice her into pieces, he opts for a more bloody and gruesome method instead. Stabbing right through the beast's chest, with her screams and howls of agony echoing, he forcefully swings it to the right as she's hacked open. Blood, flesh, & organs go flying all over the place, including onto his face, and it's not pretty what havoc he's wreaked on them.

Eventually the surviving monsters see enough sense to not stand their ground and run for it. They retreat posthaste, some into the forest and others to the mountains; where there's some safety from him. Later the villagers start to come out, but he was long gone by that time, having left no trace of himself whatsoever. Hours later, he's deep into the forest, with a cloak on for warmth.

"Well, that's certainly enough violence and gore for one day. Still it was unusual that such a large and varied group attacking a human settlement with no record of violence towards magiotheres would occur", he mutters to himself.

A branch twitches, getting his undivided attention quickly. Looking up as said branch, he discovers it is only a marten some 2'6'' long including its bushy tail. He sighs and relaxes knowing that a fight hasn't started up already. The marten quickly loses interest in the elf and goes off in search of prey, probably a rodent or bird. It clambers about through the branches, jumping from one to another like a skillful acrobat. "Heh……….those pine martens know how to startled even seasoned mage-knights all too easily", the young "man" mutters to himself as the marten clambers away.

"One should never once drop their guard, no matter what. Is that no what you usually say?", a voice speaks from behind the young "man". He immediately grabs the spear on his back and aims for whoever-it-is. When he goes and swings it around him, he finds it odd since there is no one there at all. Until he turns around to see a young girl floating in midair, upside down and staring him in the eyes at point-blank. She is dressed in fine garments and silks and gives off an air of royalty with her beauty.

Appearing to be 14 years by human standards, she has tan skin like someone from the Middle East. He dark hair is quite long, going down past her waist and looking to be well-cared for. At the present moment, she has a mischievous grin on her face and a glint in her eyes.

Naturally the young "man" is freaked out by this and jumps back, falling on his arse. The scowl on his face indicates he's not thrilled as she flips herself rightside-up. "Really now, Diana that was much uncalled for, what you did just now", he growls the teenager. One doesn't need to be a genius that these two are well-acquainted with one-another.

"True, true. But it was just too much for me to resist, if you couldn't already tell. After all, you should know by now that I love doing such things. They do call me the "Mistress of Mischief" for a reason, no?", Diana says with a hint of joy in her voice as she lands on the ground. Nevertheless, he is not amused by her half-witted antics. "You are correct in that regard, but it's not appropriate for anyone to act in such a way". The irritation in his voice is very evident for anyone to notice it. Diana, however just keeps smiling mischievously as he gets back on his feet and wipes off the dirt on his clothes.

"So, in any event, how was your trip to Germania? I heard from your letter that you were nearly killed by a pack of unnaturally huge wolves whilst traveling in the southern mountains", he mentions as he tries to forget what happened. Little does either of them know that something is nearby and watching them keenly and curiously.

Resembling what can only be described as a dragonlike salamander, the creature watches them curiously with scarlet-red eyes with no pupils. After a few minutes the 5 meter-long, 350-kg beast quietly trudges away to somewhere else. The two, neither of which being aware of the beast's presence, continue to converse with one another, ignorant of it having been there. The young "man" seems relatively calm in the presence of this young girl, Diana. It's clear they get along fairly-well, but it's obvious Diana annoys him.

"You're correct; it was quite horrifying and lasted for some hours 'til evening. They were no doubt larger than teraguars and had bone-crushing jaws. At least 10 if I remember correctly; the biggest was taller than me at the shoulder. Unlike normal wolves, these ones roared rather than howled, and they were quite persistent, as well. despite my best efforts, I couldn't injure even one and they only ran off out of frustration".

"Well, that does sound unpleasant, if magic has little effect on them. Perhaps we could do some investigating on them, so as to find a means of repelling such beasts. That is if you would like me help".

"That's very kind of a gentleman elf like you. Normally I would say no, but seeing how resistant to magic those strange lycan-like beasts are, I've little choice. If I'm going to get my hands on those archives relating to those ancient tomes, I'll need your help. So yes, I will accept your assistance, Glacion.

"Very well, then. Let us travel to the town of Tir na nog, which is 3-4 days away on foot. if you would like to summon a beast through your magic, Diana, it would be most appreciated", Glacion remarks and replies to Diana. But as they continue to converse, another mysterious being approaches silently and begins to observe them. Neither Glacion nor Diana sense anything being out of the blue as it observes them. The only way to describe this new creature would be to say it looks like an amalgam of a huge panther and a serpent. A long scaly neck with a black mamba-like head and face seems perfectly grafted onto the pantherine body. All four feet are digitigrade and bear five sharp, nonretractible claws; the whole animal is covered in grey-black fur. Unlike a panther or jaguar, the beast's tail is rather short and looks similar to that of a lynx.

Despite its threatening appearance, the chimeric beast does not immediately attack. To the contrary, it almost seems to be spying on them. Those topaz-yellow eyes glint vaguely as the beast observes them in deathly silence. "Your strategy worked effortlessly, O might Deinos", a serpent-like voice says in a telepathic way. "The hyena-toothers and group of monsters have brought those two back together. Now it won't take that much more effort to destroy them together".

"Well of course my plan worked, my servant", a Beast Wars Megatron-like voice. "I would love to see someone try to out-guile me. With those two together, I can wipe them out in one fell swoop. Send in the Cyclops at once, Pardos!"

With that order Pardos retreats to where it's safe and shapeshifts into a drow elf cloaked in red and black. "I hope your idea does work effortlessly, my lord. Because if not, we'll certainly be in for a lot of unnecessary trouble.

By and large Pardos seems unwilling to go through with his master's plan. However, like any good servant he doesn't really have a choice. So with a heavy sigh he begins chanting a beast-summoning spell to bring forth a Cyclops. Glacion and Diana are still conversing until said summoned Cyclops comes forth from behind the trees and attacks them. What happens next is a battle so gruesome, I hesitate to tell you any……………………………unnecessary details.

Meanwhile, the gothic-clad "child" from before has stopped after a few hours to take a rest. Mind you, he's up in a tree some 60 meters tall. Snoozing peacefully is what he may seem to be doing, but it's a thin venire; very much so. He is still alert to what's going on around him, and occasionally opens an eye to an odd sound. Everything at the moment seems to be calm, but that's when things go awry. A loud, feminine scream wakes up the child, who's now extremely alert. Due to his acute hearing he judges the source of the sound to be 13.6 km away, north by northwest. "My, oh my. It's not exactly my concern, but I think it to be best to go take a look". Like before there's no sign of emotion visually or verbally, but he seems interested somewhat.

Again he goes jumping from tree to tree, but much faster than before. It is not until after 30 minutes that he notices a rickety old manor, built of stone and mortar. From a distance the manor seems normal, apart from being in disrepair. But as he gets closer, things get very creepy, even for him.

The entire manor is covered in silken threads, the arachnid kind. it stands some 4-6 stories tall, but that doesn't change the facts one bit. The gothic-clad "child" looks a bit disturbed, but only for a few moments. "Looks like a typical spider lair, but I should be wary anyway. No telling who the Mordor is in here". Cautiously, he enters the manor, which looks more disturbing on the inside. It's not just silken threads but corpses and severed parts, including many heads. Oddly enough, the "child" looks at it all with a "been there, done that" look on his face. He isn't disgusted nor impressed at any of it.

As he goes further in, he comes across a horse carcass, half-consumed and burned by acid. "That is just disgusting; even for me, since it's a good waste of meat. And because it's still fresh, it means that the killer is not far away". and before he can react, there's another deafening, feminine scream from down a nearby hall. Wasting no time, he dashes forth to the source of the scream at an unimaginably swift pace.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this is a psychopath's haunt", he mutters to himself. Eventually, he comes across a living room-sized space, with a teenage girl on her side and in considerable pain. She has knee-length black hair and southern european skin. Considering she's in deep pain from a shot of acid to her abdomen, her being okay is out the window. "Excuse me, my lady, but are you strong enough to stand under your own strength?", he asks cautiously.

"B…be-barely. My body is screaming in pain right now, especially my stomach. if you're smart, you'll leave me to my fate and save yourself", the woman retorts with a strained voice. her azure-blue eyes have the ferocity of tiger eyes, despite her beautiful form.

"Sounds tempting, but no dice with this valkyrie-dragon", he says in response to her statement. "I may have no love for humans, but I suppose even I can be persuaded to help; albeit very occasionally when I feel like it". Though he sounds sarcastic he's still stoic, with no sign of emotion.

With that comment, the woman sighs and resigns to the fact that he isn't leaving without her. "You sound tough, but can you back it up, I wonder; magiothere?" despite that statement, she lets the gothic-clad "child" get her up and lean on him. But it would seem someone else……………….has other ideas in mind.

As the two walk towards the exit, something can be faintly heard scuttling nearby. But even the "child's" acute hearing doesn't pick it up as he & the girl get out of the silk-laden manor. Only after walking 30 meters does the presence speak. "You honor me with your presence, Apocalypse Dragon of Darkness. There are so many, eh, stories about your viciousness and destructive power".

The teenager freezes at the mention of the "child's" identity, and stares him intensely. "W…wh-what does he mean by that name, child?", she says warily to him. He looks at her blankly, with no emotion on his face, and speaks clearly and bluntly. "He means exactly that. but I'll tell you right now that much of my reputation is horse-s.it that's been made up. Primarily by those who see me as a demon". There's no trace of deceit in his voice, but no sense of remorse either.

"Regardless of that, it would honor me greatly", says the presence, "to fight you one on one in your bestial form. No doubt it would prove most interesting, in more ways than one. You need not fret about her safety; you are my primary concern right now".

The "child" first looks to the girl for her opinion. "Go ahead if you want to, kiddo. I won't stop you one bit should you choose to fight them". And with that, he lays her down near a wall & casts a protection spell for her. Without warning, two massive eaglelike wings sprout from his shoulder blades, and a draconine tail from above his arse. Both are covered in deathly-black feathers.

His ears become longer and elflike, and curved claws form on his hands. Such is the true form of a valkyrie, a magiothere often invoked in the name of revenge. They're among the fiercest of beasts and're very powerful, believed to be equals to dragons. With a few strong flaps of his wings he takes to the air, leaving the girl for now.

"Things have taken a most-intriguing turn, haven't they?", he says to himself whilst flying swiftly to the presence, wherever they are. But then things get interesting as a huge tarantula or tarantula-like creature springs forth. Clearly with some hunger on its mind, but the "child" is likely in no mood. A few slashes from his hand claws and it's over quickly.

The "child" searches fiercely for his foe, but in the process comes across a gory scene. Corpses, both ripped apart & half-eaten lie all over the place. Enough to make even the "child" horrified by the sight of it all. But that's not the half of it; not even close.

The scent hit him after a few minutes, an unbelievable and putrid one reminding of feces and rotting flesh. He is overwhelmed by the combination of the corpses and the scent. Regardless of it he regains his composure and moves on in search of the presence and take care of them.

"By the gods, this whatever-it-is is a sicko. There are some lines you don't cross", he says to himself as he passes the bodies and pieces. No later does he finish that sentence, does he take notice of a soft chattering noise. Alert and wary, he looks from one direction to another for its source. A figure stares at him intensely from the safety of the webs.

Eight large eyes, as big as baseballs, watch him in the predator-prey context. A pair of large pedipalps equipped with savage-looking fangs start to gleam in the darkness. Sadly for the beast, things will not go as it intended.

"Deathly Maiden", the "child" utters and before on can realize it, the spider is impaled from within. Within its body by sharper-than-sabers spikes that seem to jut out from inside it form. One could almost guess from the mess that the beast has been put into an Iron Maiden.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chpt #2: The Arachnine Queen, Pt 1.

The spider screams but they're cut short by its life ending and its body falling to the ground. The "child" looks at it for a moment but then looks on. His steel-silver eyes scan the area around him with a level of ferocity that's inhuman. But then, he's not even close to human, he is a magiothere, a monster that lives by rules alien to humans. Rules not even known to them, either.

A creature patrols its territory, looking for food to be had, unbeknownst to the "child". A huge vaguely-lupine beast, measuring some 4 meters from muzzle-to-tail. Scythe-like claws adorn its four huge paws, and large canines slightly jut out from its upper jaw. Golden eyes glow with hunger in the low light, as its search continues.

A very large and bushy tail swings silently back and forth. A capped wet nose twitches as scents come in with every breath. As it hunts for food, the "child" seeks out the presence with equal persistence. As he seeks them out, he comes across more corpses like from before. And that same god-awful stench seems to never be far away. However, this time around there isn't just corpses around. Something else is nearby, the "child" can make certain of. Something that is very-much animate and all-too alive. Without warning a scorpion-like magiothere comes forth with pedipalps snapping and tail hissing. Yes, that is correct, hissing like a snake, since its tail is a cobra's head and neck.

Despite the fellow magiothere's size and appearance, the "child" is not terrified. Not in the least; he is as stoic as ever. But he is ready to defend himself from the huge arachnid. With talons and arrowhead tail ready, he goes flying at the beast, with a new, murderous glean in his eyes. The magiothere, a scorpioch, aims its backwards-facing cobra tail at him with lightning speed. Its jaws open wide and reveal its giant fangs.

Things do not go as expected, as the "child" dodges it with ease and slashes at its abdomen. With enough force to expose some of the scorpioch's flesh. In deep pain, the scorpioch thrashes wildly in an attempt to force the "child" to yield.

Regardless of the beast's thrashing the "child" manages to hold on and deal more damage. The scorpioch then proceeds to let loose a deafening scream. Before knowing what to do he is flung off and lands-hard on his arse.

"What in the name of Mordor was that?1", he says while shaking off the effects of the scream. Then things get worse for him; very much so. Miniature scorpiochs begin to crawl out and look at him hungrily. The larger scorpioch scampers away to let the smaller ones finish him.

The "child" looks at all of them and knows something we don't. Before anyone can say "Mississippi" fives times, he shapeshifts into a large eagle and takes to the wing. Away from the endless hordes of buggers and to reevaluate things.

As he gets himself further and further away, he realizes that he's really inside a large city. Equal in size to San Francisco, no less. The "child's" eyes widen in surprise to this revelation. "This is one bleep---ing big city", he says to himself. Some 20 minutes later and he lands on a rooftop that only partially covers the top of a building. "That did no go as I thought, now did it? In any event, it may be better for me to just go back for her and leave".

Something far down below glows brightly & catches his attention. Leaning over the building's edge, he takes notice of an amulet far down on the street below. Stretching his wings the "child" flies down to the peculiar object. Upon closer inspection the amulet has runes carved into the back of it. In its core is a large ruby that would attract anyone's attention. "Now, why oh why would anyone leave such a powerful amulet lying in the open?"

Some pebbles fall and crack on the ground, alerting him to the presence of another. Staying very still aside from his tail slowly swaying side-to-side, he watches and listens. Waiting for them to make a move and reveal themself (ves). "…………. Come out now, youngling", he mutters under his breath. He need not have them make a sharp movement; the slightest twitch will do.

A furry tail begins twitching and swishing just out of sight. By the looks of it, it would very likely to a mustelid, a member of the weasel family. But the "child" doesn't know that, only that there's someone else close by.

The "child" continues his silence and waits for whoever-it-is to move first. As he does another huge arachnid begins to come forth, eyeing him hungrily. He isn't aware of the spider's presence yet since it seems to masking its presence well. Finally the fluffy tail comes into view, but only just before the spider launches an attack alerted at last to the spider's presence the "child" turns around to counterattack. In seconds he shapeshifts into a large flightless dragonlike beast, known as a geodrake.

With claws outstretched and fanglike teeth at the ready he engages the spider. Fur goes flying and scales are scattered over the ground as they viciously tear at the other. As a geodrake the "child" tears at the spider's abdomen with his sharp teeth, biting hard.

Screaming in pain the spider attempts to stab him with its huge fangs, but fails due to his diamond-hard scales. Things then take a turn for the unlucky for the spider.

With his arrowhead tail he slashes at 2 of the spider's legs at the joints. Greyish blood and other fluids spurt out uncontrollably and again the spider screams in pain. But then it gets worse as the "child" shapeshifts again, into a serpent resembling an adder/python hybrid. One that measures over 21 meters-long and is equipped with savage teeth and strong muscles.

Hope now leaves the arachnid as he wastes no time wrapping his coils around the arachnid and begins to squeeze tightly. Only a few minutes pass before the poor beast is thoroughly asphyxiated and goes limp. Before he releases the corpse and lets it drop to the ground lifeless.

 "Not something I enjoy doing at all, but there's little choice now and then", he says to himself while gazing upon the body with no expression on his face. The furry tail from earlier shows up again, and then a face – that of an adolescent girl about 15 years old. She has chest length maple-colored hair and orange eyes. She looks like someone from the Middle East, and looks quite beautiful.

"Well that was rather terrifying, if you ask me", she says slightly-timidly. "You certainly-do know how to fight and kill. Just be merciful with me, alright?", she holds her hands up in a prayer, as if begging for mercy.

The "child", however, just looks blankly at her, as stoic as ever and seemingly-devoid of emotions. "I don't get what you mean. I never had any malicious intentions, if that's what you're talking about. True, you did catch me off guard a moment ago, but that's it."

"Well, can I ask for your name if that's alright?", the mustelid-tailed girl asks.

"If you mean my true name, forget it. That I keep as a closely guarded secret. But if you like, you may call me Evangeles", he states rather bluntly.

"That sounds rather cute, and now that I think, you are simply-adorable!!", the girl says as she runs to embrace Evangeles. Before she can, he gets out of the way and trips her, with great speed. he still has a stoic expression despite what he did.

"Owwwwwwwwww………… What was that for?", the girl says while rubbing her forehead. Her north european-like dress has gotten dirty.

"I don't like being touched. It may sound silly to you, but it is no laughing matter and you best not attempt it again. If you do, you'll be more than just dirty", Evangeles gives her a Death Glare as he says this, so he's certainly serious. The mustelid-tailed girl gives a bit of a pout as he says this, showing clear intentions of wanting to hug him.

"Well, fine. If that's how you feel, then I'm not going to be forceful. If you want to know, my name is Teras. I'm a Waldgeist if you hadn't figured it out by now", she says enthusiastically and with a smile.

Evangeles, visually, is unimpressed by Teras' happy-go-lucky attitude. After giving her a good sigh he turns, spreads his wings and ascends; or rather, he tries to. Teras jumps and knocks him down before he can get higher than 4 meters in the air. "I don't think so, kiddo. I'm sick of traveling alone and I'd like company. And guess what? That is going to be you, Evangeles!", she states whilst having her foot on his back (since she knocked him to the ground and all).

Now, at first Evangeles didn't think much in regards to Teras. But with her blatantly ignoring what had been said earlier, things have now changed. He begins chanting and without warning a vine sprouts from the ground, grows immediately and grabs Teras off of his back.

"Did you forget what I just said a moment ago? I don't like being touched. I'll forgive you this time around, but I won't next time. I only give a few chances", Evangeles asserts as he has the vine let go of Teras and gently place her on the ground. As always he keeps his stoic expression.

Teras gasps for air after being released from the vine Evangeles conjured. "All right, all right, you've made your point. I won't do it again unless you say it's okay. But do you really mind if you have someone come along? I for one could use the company", Teras has a puppy-dog look to her while saying this.

Although he seems to be an ineffectual loner, Evangeles seems to show some sympathy to Teras even with his Stoic nature. "Fine then. If it will make you happy you can come along for the ride".

"Sweet!! I've always wanted to go on an adventure; good thing I pack quickly", Teras squeals excitedly as she takes it all in.

"No comment. How about he get moving now? There's a psychopath running about and he may well be listening to us speaking", Evangeles states in a matter-of-fact tone. He seems a little agitated as he says it.

Teras' excitement (when Evangeles mentions there being a psychopath around) ends abruptly and she looks rather scared. The thought of a psychopath clearly terrifies her. "Not exactly something one wants to hear".

Evangeles shapeshifts into a jet-black stallion and calls for Teras to hop on. And before one can say "Mississippi" ten times he's off running at full speed, in a supernatural way. Teras does a lot to hold on as he runs at abnormal speeds, but the wind buffeting her in the face isn't pleasurable.

Hours pass and the sun begins to set for now. Evangeles for one is comfortable with the darkness, but not his new companion. Teras insists on camping for the night and getting some rest. She has dinner and gets into her tent to sleep, while Evangeles sits in a tree, staring at the night sky.

"Things certainly have changed in ways I didn't expect. But I'm sure my time with Teras will be short; it always is with me", he mumbles to himself.

And with that he closes his eyes and quickly falls asleep. It's not long before he's up and alert again, thanks to a rustling in the branches. "You know I know you're there, so come out, Lycos!"

From a branch on a nearby tree appears what looks to be a young man, about 20+ years old. He has blue hair of shoulder-length, tied near the end and Caucasian-like skin. His eyes are intense-red with circular pupils, giving him an intense air about him. The "man" is dressed like someone from ancient England and appears quite clean.

"That is quite like you, Evangeles. You always were one to pick up things faster than others", Lycos states in a gentlemanly-yet-sneering tone. One would get the impression that he has a superiority complex.

"What are you doing here, Lycos? You've no business here; Albion is the last place I'd expect you to be. Last I saw you, you were being set to the stake in Germania for the murder of an aristocrat".

"Yes", Lycos says whilst recalling what Evangeles described. "That was quite a predicament and a close call. I was saved at the last minute by……… an old friend. Anyways, you are wondering why I came to see you? It is out of the goodness of my heart, of course".

That's a load of Minotaur dung", Evangeles coldly retorts. "We both know that isn't true. Considering your…compatriots, that could never be true. Tell me why you're really here. Otherwise the scar on your left shoulder will be minor compared to what I'll do".

Lycos doesn't flinch and continues to smile. "You really think that I, the werewolf of Geistogard would ever feel threatened? You surprise me, Apocalypse Dragon of Darkness; I fear nothing. Not even you", Lycos smiles evilly.

Evangeles refuses to show emotion but throws Lycos a very-threatening Death Glare. His draconine tail swishes violently, and the tipoff it makes a rattling noise, unusually enough. "Leave now, if you want to have no amputations. Don't think I won't just 'cause it's a full moon tonight". His fingers transform into saber-sharp claws, ready to pierce flesh.

Lycos continues to smile evilly but seems to choose to not push Evangeles' button and jumps away through the trees "We'll meet again; you can be sure of that".

Evangeles keeps the cold scowl on his face but is surprised when Lycos looks back at him instead of leaving immediately. With that sneering smile on his face. "You wanted to know why I was here. Very well then, Evangeles. As I'm sure you've heard, the old society, the Magisterium, is on the move. They still seek to dominate the world and control everyone who resides on it. But other old societies are stirring as well: The Illuminati; the Thule Society; the Twilight Brigade, and others. The not-so-mythical Labyrinth, which spreads across the world, is being used by some as a hideout.

"But what does that to do with you being here, Lycos?", Evangeles coldly retorts.

Lycos continues to sneer at him, with an inhuman calm. "The point is that my compatriots and I actively oppose the Magisterium. We seek to destroy them once and for all; they stand in our way. We were wondering if you'd like to join us in the fight to come. Despite our differences there's hope for us all if you help us destroy them. Everyone knows cowards like those from the Thule Society like to keep out of such violence. Will you help us?"

"No", Evangeles responds quickly. "I've no intention of ever helping you or your allies. Now get out of here, else you'll become a scratching post for me," as he flexes his tail and readies his claws.

"Fine, as you wish. Just remember: when you sleep at night, recall I gave you a chance to stand alongside us. Recall that", Lycos sneers at Evangeles as he disappears into the night.

Stressed by the day's events and Lycos' appearance, Evangeles succumbs to it and falls asleep. Teras, meanwhile, is oblivious to what just happened and continues to sleep peacefully. But tens of kilometers away, Glacion and Diana are also setting camp, having defeated the summoned Cyclopes. They too seem exhausted by the day's events, and get ready to sleep.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chpt #3: The Arachnine Queen, Pt. 2.

Evangeles, Teras, Glacion, and Diana, our intrepid adventurers are still resting. The "young" dark angel and his waldgeist are still inside the silk-laden city. Glacion and Diana, however, are far away, but are also resting. Things may take a new turn, or not; let's take a peak, shall we?

Glacion and Diana sleep separately in their huge tent, peacefully and unaware of anything. As would be expected they're dreaming, but the more interesting of the dreams are currently in Glacion's noggin right now.

"I----I'm home?", Glacion asks himself while gazing a wood and mud house. But something's odd with him. Instead of a tall, collected young man with a huge spear, he's an absolutely-adorable 9 yr-old. Unsure what's going on, he walks toward his home, a hand-made stuffed dragon in hand.

Opening the door he finds what is an ancient North Russian-like setting. Various things being analogous to modern-day goods like furniture and such are all over the place. "Glacion-dear, close the door: you don't want us to freeze, right?", says a beautiful middle-aged woman dressed in animal furs. She has elfish ears like Glacion, and tied-up ankle-length black hair. Her eyes glow warmly and are a magnificent shade of green. Glacion, however is in a state of confusion as he does what he's told.

"Are you alright, Glacion? You don't seem to be alright; do you need to got to bed and get some rest?", the woman says kindly as she kneels down to pat him on the head. It's obvious that she's Glacion's mother, due to her kindly nature. "Uhh----yeah, mother. I'm okay; just fine. I'm not tired enough for bed", Glacion says as he's taking everything in.

As Glacion takes it all in, he doesn't notice the sound of running behind him. Before knowing it, he knocked onto the ground by a 7 yr-old girl with black hair. Also dressed in clothes made from animal skins, she looks similar to Glacion's mother, and is likely his little sister.

"Brother, why're standing around like that for no reason?", she yells at him while getting up. "You really do need to pick up the pace and stop daydreaming!"

"Th---that was uncalled for, sister. You could hurt someone doing that", Glacion says as he chides his younger sibling while getting up himself.

"Well now, how about we go outside and play, instead of yelling at each other. I'm sure it'll do us a world of good", their mother suggests as she begins heading for the door.

Just as she opens the door, Glacion sees flashes of other events, most of them horrifying, and wakes up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily in and out. "By the Goddess of Dreams, why that one again? I've seen it again and again; why now?" clearly he has some kind of secret and is unwilling to even think of it.

Although Glacion's dream seemed most unpleasant, Diana is still sound asleep, and even drooling a bit. "Five more minutes, mama. Five more minutes. This wine is really good", she mumbles in her sleep. Glacion looks over at her, gives a half smile, and lays down, getting his blanket back over his body.

"Why am I having those nightmares again? I was so sure I forgot it all years ago. Especially….that one….when…..when I lost everything", Glacion mumbles as he turns onto his side and attempts to go to sleep.

Evangeles and his new companion Teras, the waldgeist, are both sleeping calmly in the silken city. He is still up on the branch, sleeping as silently as a viper. Teras is in her tent, and although it is muffled considerably she is snoring loudly. Nearby a vaguely-lupine beast some 4 meters from snout to tail watches keenly. Its golden eyes glint in the dappled forest moonlight, and its nostrils flare. Teeth as sharp as knives adorn the front of its mouth.

With the silence of a rattlesnake on the hunt, the beast takes a few steps towards the 2. Looking up at where Evangeles is sleeping, it watches him for a few moments. Standing 5.6 ft at the withers, this wolflike entity would be a formidable foe.

"……………..So this is where you are, Apocalypse Dragon", a gender-neutral voice lowly and quietly speaks. "Hope you have a good time while you're at it……old friend". And  with that the beast takes its leave, retreating into the early morning shadows.

Hours pass afterward and Evangeles is up at 4:30 a.m. Noticing his companion's snoring he decides to go off and hunt for prey. stealthily jumping down to the ground he shapeshifts into a large tigerlike cat with a long tail. As well as 2 velociraptor-like claws on his back feet. looking one more time at the tent he then takes off for some grub.

"I'm surprised she's lived for more than 100, considering she snores so loudly. Must have popped up later in life", he mutters to himself as he runs through the brush. In moments he stops and starts searching for game. Sniffing the ground and various brush he searches for any significant sign of prey.

But as has become typical now, trouble has found him first. a scorpioch the size of a Russian boar watches him keenly, its cobra tail keeping watch of anything coming from behind.

As Evangeles unknowingly gets closer and closer the scorpioch chirps in excitement, its cobra tail swishing from side to side. He steps on a branch, the sound distracting him for a moment. there's little time for him to react to the scorpioch bursting from the bushes and attacking him. Again, all Mordor breaks loose as they bite and slash at each other. From up on a nearby tree, a figure stands and watches the beasts as they clash. Their gender cannot be discerned, but they seem rather interested.

Taking an arrow from a sack on their back, they place it into a bow and take aim. While waiting for the right moment, Evangeles (in tiger-like form) and the scorpioch are still trying to kill each other. Without warning, an arrow comes flying from the treetops, impaling the scorpioch's back. Both are caught by surprise; especially the arachnid as it screams in agony.

More arrows comes flying out at it, and soon it stops moving. It bled out quickly. Looking up at the branches cautiously Evangeles slowly walks away to find prey. the mysterious figure disappears into the shadows, but one thing is noticeable: they have a miko outfit.

More hours pass and Teras finally wakes up and comes out of her tent. Her hair is a mess, with it sticking every-which way. "It's a nice morning. Don't you think so, Evangeles?", she remarks as she looks up at where Evangeles slept. Only to find him not there. "W—wh—where could he have gone? It's early morning!"

Some bushes rustle nearby, and Teras' ears twitch as she glances over. Those same bushes rustle some more, and she starts to get nervous. Something comes out and she braces herself; when it doesn't come at her, she opens her eyes. To find a large, tigerlike cat with huge raptor-claws on its back feet dragging a huge, boar-like beast.

"What's going on here?", a familiar voice says. "I've got us both breakfast if you want some".

Breathing a sigh of relief, Teras approaches Evangeles and his kill calmly. "You had me scared to death for a moment. so we're eating pork, huh?"

"Yeah, more or less", Evangeles mutters as he positions the body right and shapeshifts back into his human form. He cleans himself of any remaining blood and removes any dirt left. "Took me an hour of stalking to catch that boar, so don't waste….", he stops in his tracks and glares around his side.

Teras is confounded and seems to not understand the matter. "Evangeles? What's the matter, stopping like that?" She doesn't understand what's going on at all.

But he isn't paying attention to Teras at all; something else has his attention. with a glare that could scare a Cyclopes sh..less, he turns around slowly, facing a bush. There is a deathly silence in the area, but Evangeles can hear a soft breathing. Not from Teras, but close by nonetheless.

Life as we know it by Tyler Rowe

An infection can spread like wildfire. The common cold can be passed from just a sneeze or cough. Have you ever thought of that? About how something as subtle as a cough or a sneeze could result in a nasty infection in the lungs or throat. Not only that, scientists currently have the power to create a disease with the spreading rate of the common cold, but with the symptoms of Ebola. Shows you just how delicate life is. How a small infection could really be the end of all humanity. I'm just surprised that a society that has weapons of mass destruction hasn't just blown us up yet. It seems so simple. Every day America toys with other countries, what's holding them back? I really hope I get to see the end of the world, but not the end of the world that comes with a natural disaster of some sort. The kind that comes with nuclear holocaust, or just the end of civilization, where we will all have to form tribes again and try to find a trade system that would work throughout the wasteland.             The end of humanity, with a few survivors, could be one of the coolest things ever. Either that, or it would be one of the worst things. Chances are it will be a bad thing. I just want to see what life would be like without cities, religion, or all the other things that hold us back from our materialistic selves. At first there would be chaos, but maybe, after years and years, we would slowly go back into the civilization we used to be. Returned to our former glory, for future civilizations to look back on and say, "Wow, that was amazing." Maybe a fresh start wouldn't be so bad.

Life Through a Camera by LiAnn Bressler

      Life is like a camera; there are so many kinds of moments where we could take a picture but we only chose to capture the best moments and store them for a lifetime. Everyone looks back on life and only remembers the good, even in bad situations. If we choose to only store good moments then the bad moments will slowly disappear, as we get older. We all have different takes on life but we all have experienced moments that make us on top of the world and other moments that we want to disappear. If there was a way to pull out our memories from the brain and see the moments as pictures , we should be pretty happy with our life. It's all these experiences that make us a better person overall. Life is the camera and we are the storage of the camera, we choose what we want to store forever. 

Fever by Garvin Martinez

I hate being sick.  My eyes feel like they are being seared from the inside out.  Looking at this computer screen seems to add to my agony and it feels like nothing can stop it.  My mom keeps telling me that sweating it out under the covers is best for me but it feels like I'm just roasting in hell.  I take my temperature every thirty minutes just to see if I am getting better but it still reads 103.5.  What is wrong with me?  I've never had this feeling before.  My head is going crazy right now.  Just trying to think of a word that is fit to go after another seems to take complete control of my brain.  It's like my body doesn't want to process any information.  Does this usually happen to other people?  Why did God even create sicknesses?  If he really liked us, he wouldn't create something like this.  It's torture. 

          Gfjasiogknvfcvgtfhbbh  .I swear, writing while you're sick is a crazy sport.  I just threw up and the chunks seemed to fly every where.  That mumbo jumbo was me trying to wipe off some of the gastric juices from my keyboard.  There is still some there but I have to get this done.

          And my temperature at this moment is 103.2.  How wonderful is that.   My whole body feels so hot I can cook an egg on me, or maybe grill some steak.  That sounds delicious right now but my mom says I have to eat light stuff.  Whatever that means. 

It's time for the doctor's office.  Maybe he can solve my problems.  He'll probably give me some kind of drug or if I'm lucky medical marijuana. That would be great right about now.  But either way, I hate being sick.

My Hero by Chikku Luckose

At some point in a person's life, they meet their hero, but what is a hero? What does it take for someone to become a real hero? The definition of a hero is a person who recklessly places their lives and well-being in danger in spite of what kind of danger it is. They fight for what is right and dedicate themselves to others. Heroes are men and women who soar above what is simple. The main characteristic of a hero is bravery. Ever since we were children, we were taught that to be a hero you have to be perfect. Cartoon characters such as Superman or Spiderman make people believe that to become a hero you have to be strong and fearless. The definition of heroes for children was a highly unique person who has unnatural powers and abilities. The picture of heroism in real life, outside the pages of comic books, is rarely ever shown through being perfect. Heroism is when ordinary men and women help others in the time of danger. I consider human beings the most imperfect. The failures and mistakes that humans make challenge them to dedicate themselves to those around them. Our natural mistakes and determination to rise above and beyond life's challenges is what makes men and women truly heroic. All humans have a potential which is the belief that if we choose to always strive and never quit, there is no limit to the heights we can reach.                         Most people consider their hero as their mom or dad or even God, which I have no problem with, but my hero is sitting in this room right now, well at least he considers himself a hero. Now you're all probably wondering who this hero is. It's none other than Tyler Rowe. Who would guess huh? I would have never thought Tyler would be the one to rescue me in a dangerous situation. The reason why I said that is because he is usually the class clown in all the classes I had him in. I considered him to be an ordinary student like every student at Washington High.                         Like I said in the beginning, a hero dedicates themselves to others. In the beginning of this year, I had a seizure in my Economics class. My Econ. class was last period and I had it with Tyler. When I had the seizure, that is when most of the students in the class found out that I was Epileptic and had generalized seizures. I never told anyone I was epileptic because I never thought I would have a seizure in class. However, I thought the teacher should be aware of all the problems a student has in their class.                         So, when I had my seizure, Tyler called 911 instead of running out frightened like the other kids in the class. You would think at times like this, students would know what to do because they're not freshman or sophomores anymore. Everyone in that class was a senior and should know what to do right away instead of running out. Well, I don't blame the students because the substitute teacher didn't even know what to do. I wasn't really aware of what happened at the moment, but when my classmates told me what did happen, I was so furious. I thought teachers had to know what to do when something like a seizure happens in a classroom even if you are a sub. I consider Tyler heroic because it takes a lot of courage to do what he did. I am also thankful for all my friends who stood by my side while I was jerking. After Tyler called the paramedics, even they considered him a hero. My doctor told me that 1 in every 4 people are epileptic, so someone around me should know what to do if I ever have a seizure again. The next day I saw him in class, he ran around telling everyone that he is a hero for calling 911. That's when I realized he actually is a hero. To many people that may not sound heroic, but to me it takes courage and guts to do what he did.  I never really thanked Tyler so that's why I want to take my time to thank Tyler now.  So Tyler, thank you from the bottom of my heart, you truly are my Hero.