Remnant Of The Gods

Chapter 17

"Alexis?" I heard and turned to go back to sleep.

"C'mon Lexie," she said playfully, I wasn't ready to get up yet. Her dark hard fell across my face.

A giggle now, "Lexie!" a different voice now as he said my name as if it was a song. I shook my head, there was no way i was getting up and I began to grin. Light streamed through strands of hair and hands moved towards my ribs as I knew they were headed straight for my most ticklish spot.

"Lexie!" sterner now, "oh no Lexie you'll be late for school again!" the voice admonished.

"Ally-girl?" a dark voice whispered softly.

I bolted upright and looked around to see I had fallen asleep on the couch, my neck and back trying to re-align themselves from the uncomfortable position. The silence stretched out before me as my heart thudded with memories. There was no-one here. With the adrenaline still pumping in my body, I rubbed my eyes, glancing around the room. I looked towards the fire and leapt up, the hellhound looked still as death from within the flames.

Grabbing the nearby iron we use to prod the fire I approached slowly, sticking out my hand and edging the stick closer to his haunch. After a moment of deliberation I poked his side lightly, snapping my gaze to watch his head, he still wasn't moving. Delivering a more deliberate jab I screamed as he snarled into life.

He jumped from the fire and on top of me, eyes roaming wildly until he took in his surroundings as I remained motionless underneath him. I felt the barest of nics to my skin where his fangs had stopped.

Never. The word accentuated like the plucking of a bow string.

Do. The voice lowered.

That. Those flaming red eyes were so close.

Again. I nodded guiltily.

Shaking himself, he carefully moved away from me, one paw at a time, the shadows around him whipping furiously as he tried in vain to calm himself.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do, I thought you were dead."

He turned his head slightly, looking at me then back to the flames. The heat from fire is more comfortable for my kind. We are born of fire though in this plane when we are forced to hide among the shadows, it is unbearable.

Oh, the thought clicked - hell, fire, of course. "I guess that makes sense, do you like it down in, well, hell?" It was always said to be a flaming pool of death after all.

Hades is... uncomfortable to all, the demon dogs eyes found mine as he paused thoughtfully. Though the temperature is warmer, it is more hospitable for the demons and those of my kind. Rising to this plane is similar to emerging through a frozen lake. He snorted

"Your kind?" I murmured out loud, "So there are more of you out there?" I wondered how many there would have to be for the entire world.

Perhaps. Uncertainty roiled in my stomach. I have not been around my kin for an age.

"Can they help us?" Surely if I was able to persuade one, then others could be of some help.

The older they are, the more help they may be able to provide as they have borne witness to beings.

"How old are you?" the question emerged before I had time to catch it. I didn't know him well enough to be asking what would be a personal question to a human. Would it be offensive to a hellhound?

His eyes regarded me carefully as he walked past, a foreign emotion dragged at my stomach as I couldn't interpret what he was feeling.

When I was created the gods had begun to die out.