Shadows of a Life

Chapter 7: Monsters, Dragons and Jackals

     I opened my eyes groggily. My room was a fuzzy blur of color. Only darkness poured through the window. I sat up and looked out into the window. The trees were only silhouettes against the dark blue night. Stars speckled the sky like beacons to another world, which technically they were. Demons believed that the stars in the night sky were the souls of the Divines guiding the Mortals. I turned my head slightly to look at the moon. It was glowing brightly reflecting the suns light. I blinked and the moon changed to a bright red. I stared at it. It was a rare phenomenon for the moon to be such a malilcious color. I blinked again and the moon was back to normal. I rubbed my eyes. I was probably hallucinating, or thinking of the moon from the shadow dimension.

     I swung my legs over the side of my bed. I estimated the time to be about one or two in the morning. I put my two fingers in my mouth and blew. The whistle came out loud and sharp. My dog Aeron cam running through thw wall a second later jumping on top of me. I fell backwards onto my bed. His two enourmous paws were on my chest. Aeron licked my face affectionatly. I sat upright and he fell off rolling on the floor. His firey mane cast a purple glow across my room.  There was no point calling him here other then to keep me company. I sat on the bed with my feet crossed. Aerom sat next to me, cruled up half asleep. I wondered what Ra was doing in the divines right now. Probably sleeping. Unless he was still on Earth. Then I would have no idea what he would be doing right now. I stood up, caussing Aeron to raise his head in concern. I walked over to the small wooden desk in my room and picked up a few parts that I had scanvenged from one of the grandfather clocks that were common in the castle.

     I had no idea what I was planning to do with the parts yet, probably rebuild another clock. Aeron glared at me distastefully. I put the parts back on my desk and opened one of its many drawers. This one was filled with tons of old paper and a few bottles of ink. I was well aware that the mortals had come up with more effeciant ways of writing and drawing but I despised them. I perfered ink. I kicked the drawer shut. Nothing seemed interesting enough to keep me occupied for more then a few seconds. I collapsed on my bed again and starting thinking about the sun god. He probably knew that I was thinking about him and he probably thought I was crazy but I honestly didn't care. A silly smirk spread acorss my face again and I blushed slightling thinking about him kissing me.  I zoned out again and Aeron licked me on the forehead.

     Since sitting around doing nothing was much more boring then it sounds I walked over to the door and turned the knob, Aeron trotting at my heels. The hallways were even more dark and eerie then before which just imporved my mood slightly. I headed for a more dangerous part of the castle, where the monsters roamed. I summoned my twin katana's and gripped the handle tightly. Aeron seemed to know that we were going on a monster hunt and tensed up slightly. I heard the sound of a mortals terrified shrieks along with some yelling in swedish. Swedish was my first language somehow, and even with that all I heard out of the screaming wasn "NO NO STOP AHHHHHH". A heard the growl of a monster and the sound of a humans guts getting spilled. Aeron's tail flicked back and forth with anticipation as we tracked the monster.

     As we turned the corner I spotted the beast. Its skin looked like it was made of sandpaper. Its body form was slightly human. One of it's hands was normal but very bandaged while the other hands fingers had been replaced by five very long steel rods that were sharpened at the end. The creature was covered in blood and brown cloth that looked sort of like mummy wrap. Its face was grotesque and deformed. Its mouth had been cut along the side so it was a gaping hole that went from its nose to the top of it's shoulder. A few rotting teeth stuck up from its mouth. The creatures eyes were slits and seemed to sit at the top of its head like googly eyes. I remember the humans calling these thing Grunts or something like that. I let the shadows consume my sword like a plague filled fire. Aeron tensed his muscles and lowered to the ground. The monster hadn't noticed us yet which was to our advantage.