Darkness Binding 2: Part One

      As shaky as he was, he stood up on all fours and walked over to light a candle. After doing so, he looked up at a mirror standing vertically against the wooden walls of his small room. A gray Kougra with unkept fur stared into the mirror at his own eyes. Once he slowed his breath, he walked over to the mat and pillow he was sleeping on an knocked the pillow to the side. Under it was a yellow rock with a slight glow to it. He laid back down in front of the rock, resting his overgrown fore-claws on it. He soon went back to sleep and rested well the rest of the night.

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Morning came with discomfort. The sunlight shone through the window onto him, giving a sense of more warmth than he cared to bare. There was nothing he wanted more at that moment than to get away from the direct rays of the sun, but he needed to meet up with an old friend.

      Before standing up, he grabbed the rock and put it in a leather pouch help on his side by a leather strap around his waist. After getting up and crawling out his room, he walked straight down the hallway and out the door. His one-story house seemed very small, but he did not care for luxury. The soft grass of Mystery Island under his feet was inviting. Clouds scattered across the sky, providing occasional cover from the light.

      A few houses down the street, he walked up to the front door of a two-story house. The red bricks with two windows on each floor on the front seemed rather large for any fur, but he kept his thoughts to himself. When he knocked on the door, the muffled sound of shuffling was heard from inside. Opening the door was a blue Draik who had a tired look on his face. Looking at one another, the Kougra raised a paw and said, "Hey, Yorvick. Did I wake you?"

      The Draik, Yorvick, replied, "No...well, kind of. Anyway, come on in." He stepped to the side and added, "Want some breakfast?"

      "No," said the Kougra. He walked in and waited for the door to be closed before he said, "I was wanting to talk to you about this treatment you and Cray put me on."

      Yorvick nodded and led the Kougra to a forty square-foot living room. Yorvick sat down in a brown, cloth recliner while the Kougra jumped up on a matching couch. Yorvick started their talk with, "Have you been keeping it with you, Skotados?"

      Skotados slowly nodded as he said, "Yes, of course. I'm just wondering if it's normal to have nightmares. It's like a dream where you're paralyzed and see this moving pair of eyes."

      "Cray did say you'd feel the shadow's presence the strongest near the end of it. It's like a diing scream of whatever's left of the shadow in you," said Yorvick.

      Skotados sighed heavily. "I still feel like I'm killing something with this light-imbued rock. This is very difficult to go through."

      With a sigh, Yorvick told him, "I'm sorry if I'm making things worse by referring to it as a diing scream. I'm just trying to explain it like it was told to me."

      Skotados flicked his tail to the side so it was hanging off the couch. "That's alright, I know. You've been a good friend since that happened."

      Yorvick smiled, "Of course. You should have seen me when it all happened. I was just standing there with this shocked look on my face. But after that, I went straight to work on finding the problem."

      "It's a good thing you got some help," said Skotados.

      Yorvick looked out the window for a moment before he looked back at Skotados. "Speaking of which, Cray should be up. Why not go to him over at the training school? I may be the one helping you physically, but he can help you more with coping with the whole idea. It's a bit unsettling for me too."

      "Are you sure I'll be able to use my past abilities after this," Skotados asked with worry in his voice.

      Yorvick smirked, "Of course. Your natural powers aren't nearly as sensitive to the light. You go have talk to Cray now. I'm sure he'll be of help to you."

      Skotados got off the couch and bowed his head before leaving the house. With a lively pace as to get out of the sun faster, he left for the school.

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By the time he reached the school, he was moving his usual, slow pace. Sure enough, the red Grarrl, Cray, stood in front of the large, arched doors of the school. His black eyes looked to the ground as he swept the sand from the stones in front of the building. The rest of his body seemed to remain under slight shadow as the sun shone of him. He clearly was not looking in the area of Skotados as he kept himself busy.

      Skotados walked up behind Cray and waited a moment before coughing once. Cray immediately turned around and gave a surprisingly warm smile to him before saying, "Well, look what the Aisha dragged in. What brings you here?"

      There was no change in expression on Skotados's face. Getting to the point, he said, "I've been having trouble with all this. You're the local expert on this stuff, so tell me if I'm killing the shadow and why I can't get a decent night's sleep."

      Cray looked down and said, "Yes and no. The shadow went back to its own plane of existence, but a very small portion of it remained in you from your long-term exposure. The piece that merged with you is being killed. It's painful because it's kind of a part of you now, but it will get better."

      A tear formed in Skotados's right eye. "How much longer must I endure? It's been two weeks and it seems it's only getting worse."

      Cray walked over and put a hand on Skotados's shoulder. The two looked one another in the eye, and Cray said, "It's barely with you now. I'd say after tonight, it'll all be over. You'll get to go back to life as it was before. I promise."

      Skotados turned away and sat on the ground to look off into the distance. "Yorvick said I'll have my abilities still. He's telling the truth, right?"

      Cray walked over and sat down next to him with the broom still in his hands. "Of course. Just the way it was before."

      Skotados looked up at the sky, eyes squinting at the brightness. "The days are painful to go through. I've been sensitive to the light for the past few days. The nights are even worse. My sleep is always disturbed by images and feelings."

      Cray set the broom down and looked up as well. "I can't say I'm shocked. You want to talk about the dreams?"

      Skotados's eyes shifted to the ground. "Well, it's like I'm in a dark room. Feels small, but I can tell it's large. At the end of the room is a pair of eyes; yellow, shining a light which doesn't illuminate. There's a faint whisper, getting louder each night. Can't understand it, though. I get scared and try to look away, but it's like I can't move my body. I can't even cover up the whisper with my own screams."

      Cray looked over and noticed a Skotados was crying. "Need me to get you a cloth?"

      With a sob, Skotados said, "No, I'm fine. I just can't help but feel my fear is partly its own. It's in pain, I know it. Being the cause of its pain makes me feel worse."

      Cray let out a deep breath. "Just keep fighting. Remember that it's the reason you're pained, not you. It'll be gone by tomorrow, and life will be good. It's best to look towards the future now."

      Skotados looked up at Cray and said, "Thanks."

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Later that day, Skotados returned home to get some rest. It was only eight, and it wasn't very dark outside, but he was eager to end this ordeal. After entering the house, he went straight to the simple mat and pillow he slept on every night. Taking the rock out of a leather pouch on his side, he placed it under his pillow and rested his head on top.

      Once his eyes were closed, a gentle whisper echoed through his mind. "Please...please..." repeated every five seconds. After the third time, Skotados opened his eyes, and the voice ceased. He looked around the room quickly, seeing nothing more than the walls and the candle on the ground next to him.

      Resting his head down again, he heard the voice scream out, "PLEASE!" Skotados jumped up and instinctively swiped his claws around him. After four swipes, he saw there was nothing to swipe at. His breath became heavy and his eyes trembled. He knocked the pillow against the wall, uncovering the yellow rock. Staring down at it, he gave another swipe and sent it flying to the other side of the room, too far to continue helping him.

      He then buried his head under his pillow, both paws pushing it against his ears. He repeated in perfect synchronization with the voice, "Please...please...please..."

To be continued...