[dgirl183]

SHe was out there somewhere, in the darkness of the night, and lost no doubt.  He turned his lighted eyes to the door.  Hadn't they agreed to converge here if she failed in her mission.  What her mission was he had no idea.  He looked again toward the door and sighed.  

No reason to worry.  Aletha was resourceful and smart.  He had no doubts that she'd be fine out in the night.  Of course it wasn't the somewhat comforting and innocent darkness of the night that he worried about.  He'd never been afraid of the dark of night...it was the kind that could corrupt a soul that he worried about.

He sighed as he leaned forward and flicked the lights off, letting the Biolune gifts that he had been blessed with, his good eyesight.  Sure it was no better than any one's, but he loved to strain his eyes and look through the dark especially when he was in his mood.  He let himself fall against the back of the chair ridgedly.

"Where are you Aletha?" he whispered to the darkness as he let his mind drift.

{1/5, Level 1}

[dgirl183]

He woke with a start at a light knock at the door.  He rouses himself and stands to open the door.  

A monk standing there hands him a few sleeping pills.  He smilingly accepts them.  The monks all have noticed his constant insomnia and the nightmares he still has after his brother's death.  He's gotten better nights sleep since the monks started to care.  But he doesn't want to be drugged right now. He wants Aletha by his side.  He wants to wrap his arms around her and play with her beautiful orange hair.

"Aletha, why are you missing?" he raves as he slams his hands down on the table, making it shudder.  He sighs and forces himself to calm down.

"She has to be somewhere," he whispers as he picks up a water bottle.  She can get into his room at the monastery, she has a key and even if she's lost it she's capable of picking a lot with the few supplies she carries on her.  He hesitates before he swallows the pills.  He gags at the bitter taste and swallows some more water to clear it.  

The drugs are quick and soon he has stumbled onto the small and narrow, but comfortable bed and is drifting in a sea of dreams.

{2/5 Level 1}

[dgirl183]

"Firefly," screams a voice in his head as he wakes.  He immediately is on his feet and shaking his head to clear his mind of the horrendous dream in his head.  Even worse than the nightmares about killing his own brother and his father and brother keeping him from Lightning.

"Aletha," he whispers as he rubs the sleep from his eyes and glances at the simple clock hanging above the bed.  It reads three o'clock and a panicked knocking at the door wakes him even more so.  He walks to it quickly and opens it.  Three monks stand there supporting a girl between them.  Her eyes are crazed and she's filthy.  For a moment he barely recognizes her.

"Put her on the bed," he instructs and they do as he asks and leave silently.  He sits beside her as she moans in pain.

"Shhh, quiet dear," he whispers to her as he strokes her orange hair.  Oh his brave and passionate beauty with the scent of...darkness hanging on her.

"What have you been doing?" he asks a loud and then a thought-moan comes from her...

"Darkness..all around."

{3/5 Level 1}
(46/50 Level 10)

[dgirl183]

"Calm dear one," he whispers as she whimpers through her thought ability.  He strokes her hair and hopes that the sweat pouring off her brow doesn't indicate sickness.  She's sort of flickering, like she might begin her change at any second.  He stops his vigil only to use the bathroom and occasionally get water.

"Please wake up," he prays, but wonders if that's what he truly wants.  Her hair is damp and yet frizzy as she squirms on the pillow.  She must be in so much pain.  Suddenly those gorgeous eyes fly open and he's staring down at her as she tries to sit up...

"How did I get here?" she thinks at him as he helps her to sit and places his hand on her shoulders to keep her from falling back over.  He ponders for a minute before answering...

"The monks found you and brought you here, where were you, I've been waiting for hours," he says carefully contemplating each word and keeping his voice devoid of any anger or negative emtiom.

"I don't really know...

{4/5 Level 1}
(47/50 Level 10)

[dgirl183]

"Cai, she found me in the Craiss Caverns and captured me in this form..." she starts in her thoughts as she tries to collect them.  Never before had Firefly seen her so flustered and out of focus, "and she blindfolded and bound me and took me to this dark place.  I don't remember it...I didn't see it, but it was dark and evil.  Not your darkness that you love, but true and evil darkness.  She locked me up somewhere and I barely escaped.  Had I been there longer it would've tainted me more so."

"And then what my love?" he asks intently as he absentmindedly strokes her long orange hair.  She shudders in his arms and racks her mind for more.  He hears random thoughts and knows that she's hardly in control of herself.  He's never heard things she didn't want him to before.

"She left me," she thought-whispered as she clung to him.  He'd never seen her like this and he wondered if this was the fact that she felt betrayed or that the darkness had done that to her.

"It's not Cai anymore Aletha.  That's the Dark Cai and she's evil."

"I know, but I feel so abandoned...'

{5/10 Level 2}
(48/50)

[dgirl183]

He felt bad about leaving her as she insisted, to the care of the monks.  But nevertheless he knew that he most locate their allies and determine which were loyal to Dark Cai and which longed for regular Cai.  She was asleep with he left and he hurried along in his human form, tongue nervously clicking the lip ring.  He smirked at the fact that his lip ring completely contrasted with him.

He run much faster, leaving the monks with a note to care for her well.  Give her sleeping pills if she demanded them and make sure she had plenty of water nearby.  He also noted that while ill she might have dreams that resulted in a shift from human to Cavallion and to ensure that she had hay on hand if that occurred.

He also made sure she had lots of fruit, one of her favorite things in existence.

"I'll be back my love," he vowed out loud.

"I know you will...

{6/10 Level 2}
(49/50 Level 10)

[dgirl183]

The night passed fitfully.  She didn't know where she was or who she was during her dreams. All she knew was the darkness and the evil that surrounded her meant to consume her.  She woke up with tears drying on her face.  

It was too early for any day creature to be living or moving.  She was too awake and hyped up to fall back into bed and take another little sleep.  She stood and moved into the bathroom where she ran some water and splashed her face.  Then she started a shower and let the warm water wash the tension from her muscles.

She dried off and got dressed, a her dress was filthy so she grabbed some of Firefly's extra clothing and got dressed.  She smiled at herself in the mirror, no one could pull of rebellious geek like Firefly could.  She pulled her long hair out of her face because it was wet and annoying and then opened the curtains to let him some light.

"Hurry back Firefly," she though as she lounged on the window-sill, "hurry back..."

(50/55 Level 11)

[dgirl183]

Hurry back he did.  He and a few other pets had barely escaped with their lives.  A few weren't even around when he got there.  Energy the Choopa was out at the Terrace Park, having been sent away by Dark Cai.  Brett had been struggling against bonds when he had been freed.  Odysseus, Circe, and Calypso had all been penned up.  In fact, the only creature on their side not bound or penned was Broken Soul and only because he was too crafty.

"Hurry," he whispered to his allies as the crept silently into the place he'd told them was safe.  A lot collapsed in exhaustion, all but one.  Odysseus walked over to the man in human form and looked at him.  In his eyes, Firefly read a story.  He had seen what they all had.  His twin was on the dark side...

"It's all right," he whispered as he patted the Shielupe's head.  He didn't feel guilty about it as Odysseus had no desire nor need for a human form.  He was a Shielupe and he like it that way.

"Aletha..." he called into the night and when she ran to him, dressed in his clothing he kissed her.  

"Don't make me leave you again," he whispered.

{7/10 Level 2}
(51/55 Level 11)