Yet another dead. Dropping his head in his hands, William let loose a sigh. This time, his neighbor's son. Two days ago, a little girl from the other side of the village of Creighton. Last week, Father Brown's son.

Something had to be done.

No one knew where the demon had come from, but stories of nightmares about the same creature slowly became more common.

Golden horns poked out of its shaggy mane, framing a dirt brown head. Its body constantly changed forms - in some dreams it would represent a bird, and in others a sphinx like creature, Its head, however, always stayed the same.

Like a basilisk, the demon could kill with as little as a venomous glare from its golden eyes. This was how the children went - in their nightmares they had no resistance, no control, they had to look.

William shot out of his seat, startling the other men of the village surrounding him in a meeting.

Tomorrow, we go to the edge of the forest. We build a stone entrapment for this… this demon. We coax it inside, then seal it behind the… the monster.

By tomorrow, another might be dead, the man next to William voiced, worry evident in his eyes. He feared for his children, his family, William knew.

Then we start today.

-

The demon knew. It watched the building of its cage, its doom, daily. The entrapment grew more every day, taking the form of a stone fountain. The demon's own head decorated the spout, a crude tribute to its purpose.

Something had to be done.

The morning after the fountain was completed, William laid unmoving in his bed. Hand to his still chest, his wife wailed.

The demon could relax now. After showing its strength, after killing a full gown man, no one would dare try to force it into the fountain.

But with its guard let down, the men had it so much easier.

-

The workers ambled off joyously, laughing at their success. The demon would no longer haunt their dreams, they were free! The children were safe, everyone was safe. It was a cause of celebration.

But the youngest of their group, a boy barely peaking twenty, stayed behind. Drawing a knife and a small book from his pocket, he set to work.

He placed a hand delicately on the rim of the fountain's basin, murmuring softly under his breath. The demon wouldn't be contained very long without constant monitoring, monitoring that humans could not handle.

The man squeezed his eyes shut, murmuring still - creating guardians. A succession of fourteen, enough to last at least a thousand years if they lived to their best potential.

He sighed softly. These guardians would be haunted as well, but hopefully they would be stronger. Pulling his knife into his hand, he began to carve a message - a way to destroy the demon once its power becomes sapped by time.

Leaning back to see his work, the man frowned - the translation was too direct, but he didn't know the language well enough to be sure it made proper sense. It would have to do.

Rising to is feet, the man took one last fleeting glance at the fountain, hoping the enchantment had worked.

Only a few moments later, a tiny splash sounded. Out of the spout of the fountain, the mouth of the demon, fell a tiny kit. He quickly squirmed out of the basin, falling to the soft dirt beneath it.

His name was Fun. The kit knew it, its first conscious thought.

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7
This chapter is a roleplay with Zann and Nix's character, Rylikii. Zann's portions will be this color, and Ryli's just a plain black.


Creighton...the name rang about in his head as he passed through the town, trying his best to avoid any contact with others. The more unnoticed he stayed, the better. Luck was on his side that afternoon, and the dark blue-pelted xweetok made it through the town without incident.

He emerged into a quaint forest just outside the town and eagerly dove into the shadowy branches. This was more to his liking; secluded shadows and the relief of being alone comforted him more than any physical presence could. His icy blue eyes roamed over the trees as he walked, and a flash of color amidst the trees caught his eye.

...A fountain? That was certainly odd. Something so elaborate set in such a little, out-of-the-way forest? How weird. Musing such thoughts to himself, the xweetok padded over to the elaborate fountain and peered at it with mild interest.

Eyes drooping from lack of rest, Zann sighed and laid her head on her paws. Days had passed without a wink of sleep not invaded by the demon, waking her as abruptly as she had fallen asleep.

The 7 year old xweetok closed her eyes once more, hoping, praying, that the demon would allow her an hour or so of mercy, as it occasionally did. But as her mind began drifting to the world of dreams, the monster's foul cries permeated her thoughts once more. But she was too tired, too drained, too exhausted to even shake herself awake.

What did shake her, however, was unexpected.

Quiet footsteps sounded from a distance away, only noticed by Zann's sharp ears. The stark white xweetok rose immediately, dodging behind the fountain in hopes that the footsteps would evade her fountain. But as a blue-pelted xweetok emerged from the trees, Zann saw her effort as fruitless.

-"Halt! What do you think you're doing?"-

Ryliki whirled at the voice, the fur along his back spiking up in defense. His head whipped from side to side, searching for the source of the voice. He had been so sure that he was alone here, so where...? Aha, there it was - a flash of white, and as he concentrated a white figure came into view, half-hiding behind the fountain.

He drew his lip back in a half-snarl half-sneer, planting his paws in the ground. While he had never seen the girl before - for surely she was female, by her voice and appearance - you could never be too sure. There was always the chance that she worked for the lab.

-"What do I think I'm doing?" He called back, injecting as much venom into his voice as he could. "I believe that I might be asking you the same question. I thought I was alone, and I was merely investigating this fountain." Ryli's eyes narrowed as he called back his challenge, tail whipping from side to side.

A disbelieving snarl ripped at Zann's throat. "Ask me? Ask me? She laughed shortly, making herself stand as tall as possible for her young frame. "This is my fountain, I am its guardian! I was sent to protect it by all means necessary!"

Zann knew she wasn't quite as threatening, and that she could possibly lose against this xweetok. Her lack of sleep along with the demon's opposing restlessness made her - as much as she hated to admit it - an easy target. She tried once again to scare away her visitor.

-"Investigate? What gives you the permission to do that? Certainly not me." Slinking out from behind the fountain, Zann let a feral growl escape. "Take one step closer, and I'll be sure to make it so you'll never take a step again." It was a large bluff, but the best Zann could've managed.

As Zann fully came out from behind the fountain, Ryli let out a badly concealed snort of laughter. She was just a kid, barely out of kithood! His heart softened slightly at the sight of her small frame, but outwardly he kept his cool demeanor. The lab had never sent kits after him before - and the way she was talking, he was sure that she knew nothing of the lab.

-"I need no permission but my own to do as I wish," He said shortly, eyes narrowing slightly as he peered at her. It seemed that pushing buttons was the best way to get her to reveal information - she had already told him who she was as guardian, and that she was obviously unused to visitors. That much was clear.

On a sudden impulse Ryli paced forward and right up to her, finally planting his paws directly in front of the other xweetok. They were mere inches away, and he stared down at her smaller frame with as much coldness as he could muster. "I do not take well to threats, and it'd be in your best interests to back off," Ryli said smoothly, letting ice flow from his paws and onto the ground.

It spread until they were surrounded by several feet of ice on both sides, and he let it climb up her paws and freeze her to the ground. If she chose to move it would break, but this was more for intimidation then real anger.

This xweetok, this stranger, he was in her home and in her space. Zann wouldn't take it. Growling once more, she made to launch herself at the blue pelted stranger who had disobeyed her orders, before suddenly being stuck to the soft dirt below her feet. With a soft shriek, she looked up into his concentrated eyes, face vulnerable and open in... was that fear?

No! It would not happen like this. It couldn't happen like this! The ice shattered easily at her first movement as a tide of anger pulsed over her small frame. She could feel the demon testing the edge of the fountain, aware of its guardian's distraction, but there was no time for that.

Launching herself directly at the unwelcome visitor, she let out a scream of anguish. Zann had barely touched him when the pain nearly ripped her insides in two. The demon had escaped due to her foolish behavior, and it was her job to correct it.

Ryli leaped backwards as she flew at him. He had not anticipated the little xweetok attacking him...she seemed not the type, but it appeared that he had underestimated her. A snarl passed through his lips as he leaped out of her way, but then he went from anger to confusion as she screamed.

He spun smoothly on the ice, finally stumbling back as some...thing reared up by the fountain. Some sort of monster, or some creature...he had no idea what it was, but by the kid's reaction he was betting that it wasn't anything good.

-"What is that thing?!" He shouted at Zann, anger momentarily forgotten as he bolted to her side.

Zann hesitated in jumping to her feet. Her many nights' exaustion rippled through every muscle, but that could not stop her. With a labored breath, she rose, looking the demon in the eyes.

-"Why else do you think I'm a guardian?" Zann shrieked, realizing the stranger was now by her side. "Don't look at it's eyes, that will kill you!" At this, the demon's mouth widened into a lopsided grin, showing off crooked yet sharp teeth. Shaking it's mane, it made to turn for an escape.

-"Halt, stop!" the young xweetok cried, launching herself at the demon. She knew she was no match, but the demon was easily outwitted - it had managed to get itself trapped inside the fountain at the peak of its power. 494 years later, its power had been visibly sapped. Fear shook her as she made to throw herself at the demon's chest, a fruitless attempt to knock it backwards, but successful in shrinking it down and reducing some power. Two others had died in a situation so similar - was Zann next?

-"Right," He shouted back, as if he really understood what was going on. Ha. All he got was that this thing was bad, and that it's eyes were to be avoided. He snarled and darted at the thing as the little xweetok attacked it. She had more guts than he did, he thought, attacking him and then this thing.

Ice condensed in the air into huge, sharp spears, which hurtled themselves at the creature. Ryli leaped, throwing himself at the thing, trying to push it back. The girl seemed to be pushing it towards the fountain, and he had an idea that they were somehow connected.

-"I'll fight it off, you do what you need to do," He called to her, catching the girls eye and nodding. "I'm Ryliki, in case we die!"

She looked over to the xweetok, now known as Ryliki, gratefully. She had not expected him to take on the beast, yet he was fighting it off without quite knowing the importance. A feeling of respect quickly surged through Zann, but she quickly shook it off - there was work to be done, and the demon was rapidly shrinking down to a workable size.

Darting quickly towards the fountain, Zann tore at the vines wrapping around the Greek fountain. It had been just over 100 years since the demon last attempted an escape, and the vines grew back stronger every time. With a slight struggle, she ripped the vines that had grown close to the spout. They would've been destroyed in any case, so why have them aid the struggle?

The demon was close to a size suitable to Zann's needs. She readied herself, stepping closer to Ryliki and the demon.

Ryli darted towards the demon, throwing himself into it's chest and shoving it back towards the fountain. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Zann tearing at the vines, and she appeared to be having trouble. He shoved the demon backwards, and while it was distracted he darted to Zann.

-"Let me," He said, concentrating. Ice flowed up the vines, freezing them and killing the plants. He swiped a paw at the now-frozen vines, and they shattered beneath his hit, leaving the fountain open. "Go," He whispered to Zann, turning around to see the demon standing in front of him. He stood his ground and snarled, keeping himself between the demon and Zann.

Zann's appreciation did not linger this time. With a snarl, she spat at Ryliki. "They were just vines, I'm not that weak." She turned her back to the older xweetok, facing the demon again. She launched herself at it once more, depleting its power so much that it shrank to more than small enough. She was showing off, she admitted -- that xweetok thinking she was weak and vulnerable would not do.

-"In you go..." Zann cooed in a mock-sweet voice. Snatching it in her claws, she shoved the helpless form back into the spout of the fountain, back into it's own mouth. She snickered at the thought of the demon eating itself, her fierce attitude now gone in a burst of immaturity. Great, she thought. What will he do now?

Chapter 8

http://i295. photobucket . com/albums/mm154/tandkmeow/zannadopts XWEENAME .png

---