An Apocalyptic Invasion

the siblings meet their first dragons (and get marvelously surprised)

Todd slowly turned around to see Carlos standing behind him.

"Looks like you got scratched." He smiled. "Bummer. I hate to see you die."

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He hated how his voice shook.

He casually examined his claws. "Oh, you know. Following you."

"Todd, who is this?" Scarlett asked sharply.

He stared at her. "You were there, remember?"

"Yes, but I left to take Malia to the hospital," she reminded him.

"Oh. You're right."

"Allow me to introduce myself," Carlos said. "I'm Carlos; king of the Ifnos, and killer extraodinaire. My my, this place is quite glum."

Scarlett screamed and lunged at him, but Todd stopped her before she could do anything.

"Red, it's not going to do anything," he said.

She shot him an outraged look. "Don't you know who he is?"

"Unfortunately, I do," he admitted. "But I promise you, you can't hurt him."

"He's right," Carlos said with a smug grin. "I always love it when humans think they can hurt me, unaware of what I can do."

He stepped closer. Todd backed up. "You know, I've always wanted to know if a gang leader dies as quickly as a regular human." He waved his claws. "I think it's time to find out."

"How long have you been following us?" Todd asked, ignoring the fear creeping up to his chest.

"A week," he said casually. "Ever since you researched the Catwings; wow, you made a HUGE mistake, didn't you?"

"H-How? We were just curious; that's not a big mistake, is it?"

Carlos narrowed his eyes. "You're more stupid than I thought you were," he growled. "To put in simple terms, Catwings don't like it when humans want to know more about them." Another smile stretched across his face. "They find it... annoying. You are indeed a sort of pest."

"Leave us alone," Scarlett snarled. "What did we ever do to you?"

Carlos looked at her, confused. "Who said I'm doing this with a motive in mind?"

"So..." Scarlett's eyes widened as she realized. "You... you do it for fun. You're a psychopath."

He shrugged. "Yes. But do I care? Mmmm... no.

"This is starting to get boring, so I think we should head back to your friends. They will be so pleased to see me."

"We? But-"

"Did I stutter?" Carlos asked. He unsheathed his claws. "Don't forget that I can shred you apart right now, but I'm choosing not to. Don't test my patience, human. Lead the way."

Todd looked at Scarlett, who had a helpless expression on her face.

Not wanting to die, he walked toward the little camp with Carlos behind him.

When they arrived, Charlotte went toward him. "Where were you?"

"We were just having a little talk," Carlos said.

"You," Avery snarled. "Go away."

Carlos crossed his arms- the first normal thing Todd had ever seen him do. "For such a weak and pathetic guy, you sure talk a big game, pendejo."

Avery's mouth opened and closed, and Todd had to admit that it was a good comeback.

"Nice little place you got here," he said, as if nothing happened. "I think it'll be perfect when the infected come."