Shades of Darkness: Shadow is Arising - Part Nine

      "TORONO GET IN HERE!" screamed a voice from inside the cabin.

      Torono ran back inside the cabin. His aunt, a very stern pink Eyrie, was standing over by a sink full of dirty dishes.

      "Clean these," she barked at him, pointing to the dishes. "And when you're done your food is on the table."

      Torono scrubbed the dishes while his aunt went over to play with his cousin, Blazewing, who was just a little baby Eyrie.

      "You're going to have to get another job in town if we want to paint Blazewing fire when he gets older!" Torono's aunt shouted.

      "I'll look tomorrow," answered Torono in a far off tone; he had just finished with the dishes and went over to the table to eat his dinner: a lump of cheese.

      "Don't talk to me like that! You should be grateful that we took you in!"

      "Yeah, I should be very grateful," Torono said sarcastically. Here comes the speech again, he thought.

      "It's that bad Darkshadow blood in you! Your father was a criminal, and so are you! You and your ungrateful tones! You shouldn't show your face after what your father did!"

      "Yeah, I should go sit in the closet for something I didn't do. I didn't murder twenty pets!"

      "Don't talk about your father under my roof!"

      Torono had enough. Sixteen years was too long to be punished for something that he couldn't help.

      "Then I'm out of here!" screamed Torono. He ran over to the door and stormed out of the cabin.

      "And don't come back you filthy little maggot!" his aunt screamed so loudly that Torono could hear it from the outside of the cabin.

      Torono ran out of the yard and into the forest. He didn't ever want to go back there...where he was punished just because his father was a murderer. Torono's mother had died when Torono was only a year old. He had never known his father. His aunt, on his father's side, was his last living relative. So Torono was stuck living with her for sixteen years.

      Torono was moving quickly through the forest. He just wanted to get far away from his hometown. He ran down the path until he hit something hard.

      Torono looked up to see a green Skeith with large, lifeless gray eyes. The air grew cold. The Skeith held a giant club, painted black.

      "Well, my master will be pleased with you," said the Skeith. He swung his club at Torono who ducked at the last minute.

      "Leave me alone!" yelled Torono as the Skeith advanced on him.

      The Skeith swung his club down on Torono's head, knocking him unconscious.

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     Torono woke and found that his hands and feet were bound. Rope was tied around is chest to his wings. He sat next to a deep pit. The bottom was black, but it wasn't because it was deep. A black substance that was moving around filled the bottom. Torono wondered what it was.

      Something kicked Torono's back. He trued around to see a large fire Lupe with the same lifeless gray eyes.

      "Good, you're awake," said the Lupe, a sinister smile growing across his face.

      "What do you want with me?" asked Torono. The Lupe kicked him towards the pit.

      "I don't want anything to do with you, but our Master wishes for you to become one of us. I just obey orders."

      "I haven't done anything!" screamed Torono. The Lupe kicked him again. He was very close to the pit now. "I haven't done any-

      The Lupe gave one final kick and Torono fell into the pit, still screaming.

      When Torono woke, he was out of the pit, and in some sort of hospital. There were several pets lying around him. They were grey and spirit-like, but they were breathing. Torono looked at his paw. It was the same shade of gray that the other pets were.

      There was a mirror at the end of line of beds. Torono jumped up and ran towards it. He looked into the mirror, but he wasn't red anymore. He was grey.

      "AHHHHHHHH!"

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      Torono_Darkshadow woke from his nightmare. Only...it wasn't just a nightmare...it was his past that he didn't want to relive.

      He rose from his bed. The sun was just starting to come up. He flexed his Shoyru hands. He missed being an Eyrie.

      "You can be an Eyrie," said a voice in his head.

      He could be an Eyrie. In fact, he could become an Eyrie this afternoon, during Dark_Intrepid's training section.

      Torono went over to his desk. He took a stunning pistol out of one of the drawers. An evil plan was already forming in his mind.

      It was the afternoon. Torono was watching Dark_Intrepid duel with one of his foot solders. Torono was fingering his pistol.

      Just as soon as they're done dueling.

      Torono drew out his pistol just as the guard was leaving. Dark_Intrepid watched the guard leave. Torono fired at Dark_Intrepid and he fell to the ground.

      Torono pulled himself out of the Shoyru. The Shoyru fell to the ground and Torono became a grey form of what he truly was.

      Torono knelt down by Dark_Intrepid and placed his hand on Dark_Intrepid's forehead. Now the possession process would take place.

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      Torono was sitting in his office in his newly acquired form when a patrolman was led in by a guard.

      "My Lord, while I was out patrolling the grounds I noticed a party of Unis with riders. They didn't wear your colors and one of them was a Faerie. It looked like they were heading towards that cursed forest Azlan," said the patrolman.

      Torono's face now bore an expression of anger. "Deploy some of my archers and pike men that have wings. Have Yoco deploy some of his Bladack as well. Shoot at them until they are all destroyed. They MUST NOT reach Azlan, do you hear me?"

      "Yes my Lord," The guard and patrolman bowed and left.

      As the door closed, Torono went over to his desk and pulled out a map of Meridell.

      "I must conquer south Meridell. I am sick of that stupid forest army that rages attacks on me every week."

      Torono then began to plot a deadly assault on Neopia's last chance.

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     Torono_Darkshadow called in three of the finest assassins in Meridell.

     "I need you to break into the Azlan forest and assassinate its Leaders. Bring me back any attack plans and records that you can get your hands on. Now, I have archers moving towards there to pick off some travelers. If by chance they fail, and these people get into Azlan, destroy them, too. I will give you each one hundred thousand Neopoints for the job."

      "I accept," they both chorused. A wide smile spread across Torono's face.

      "Now, you need to take a wide right around my archers. The journey will be slower, but they won't expect you."

      The assassins bowed and left. One of those assassins, however, wanted something more inside the forest. He was a Darigan Shoyru, named Darkclaw, and he wanted the broken sword of the Guardian of Neopia.

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     Darkclaw did not walk to the forest like the other two assassins, but flew. He would fly over the forest and find a way in through the tops of the trees.

      Darkclaw flew over the archers who were now advancing on a group of people. Azlan was just ahead, so Darkclaw picked up speed just as an arrow flew past him.

      "They think I'm their enemy," thought Darkclaw. More arrows shot passed him. Just has he slowed down and hover over the forest, someone's arrow hit his wing. Stunned by what had just happened, he lost balance and fell into the woods.

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      Azlan isn't totally defenseless from above. Guards patrol just under the trees for people like Darkclaw, who think they can get in that way. A white Zafara found him caught on a tree branch.

      "Well, here's another foolish pet who decided to break in from above," said the Zafara gleefully.

      Darkclaw drew out a dagger. Nobody calls him a fool.

     "So you want to duel, eh?" said the Zafara, drawing out his own dagger.

      Steel clashed against steel as the two fought. The Zafara aimed a deadly blow at Darkclaw, who deflected it. The Zafara punched Darkclaw in the stomach, causing him to keel over. Darkclaw wanted to finish this, so he thrust his dagger at the Zafara's heart.

     "I don't think so," said the Zafara. He deflected the attack, causing Darkclaw to lose balance and fall. He hit the ground and fell unconscious.

     The Zafara dropped to the forest floor where Darkclaw lay.

     "Fool of a Shoyru," grumbled the Zafara, binding the Shoyru's hands

     The Zafara led the Shoyru off to the dungeon. He kicked Darkclaw inside a cell, and then went off to report the incident.

To be continued...