((Ok, since I'm kind of stuck with my last story, to say the least, I've decided to start a new one. Hope you all enjoy it.))

Prologue: The Key

There was nothing terribly special about Andrew. Like many young men he dreamed of raising monsters and the glory, fame and renown that came with it.. And like so many other young men, that dream seemed as far off as the stars that gleamed above on that very winters night. Becoming a monster rancher was an expensive business after all, required sizable plots of land and facilities. Most of the best area's were already choked with would be ranchers, all aiming to breed then next champion. Gone were the days of merely graduating from training and being handed your own ranch...

The dream, however, endured even the biting harshness of reality and gave hope to those who otherwise would have none. Andrew lost his parents to illness when he was just a child, bringing despair along with homelessness and hunger. It was the dream that sustained his fragile spirit during that time and spurred him on. Eventually, the dream led him away from the sprawling cities and larger towns to the peaceful northern country. In spite of the arctic winds that dominated Brillia, one could not deny the warmth of it's villages and people. Every step had been a struggle, but Andrew found peace and acceptance in the small, closenit community of Okara, nestled within a large riven.

An old storekeeper had taken a shine to him and came to treat the boy as his own son. The old mans recent death still brought tears to Andrew's eyes, but he was left the Item store to tend. Perhaps the ranch he saw in his dreams was not so far away not, and even if it was, at least he'd be helping other ranchers with the items in his inventory. Either way, the future was bright and hopeful for the first time in many a year.

The Dream lived on...

**********

"Done... Finally..."

Andrew wiped his brow as he finished unloading the last of the delivery crates. The middle of the week was always the busiest. Spoiled monster food had to be thrown out and new goods restocked. All the while he had to keep an eye on old Snapper, who wasn't above snatching a piece of fish or even a ball of yarn. Snapper was pure bred Tiger, a magnificent animal in his younger years, now he was looking a little thin and mangy. His once brilliant coat of azure blue was now almost gray, and his milky white eyes betrayed him as nearly blind. He had belonged to Andrew's adopted father, and though the Tiger didn't seem to think much of Andrew, he'd never be rid of the old beast.

With work finally done, Andrew threw on his winters coat and took Snapper out for his daily exercise. Snapper pretended to hate these outings, if only out of spite, hanging his head low as if being lead to his execution. Outside the village held it's usual calm, a sense of serenity and comfort that was difficult to find in the great cities. It was not yet supper-time and the sky was already a shade of bluish black. Night always came early in these lands. The quaint, dome shaped homes of the tiny village were arranged in a large circle. At it's center villagers trudged through the fallen snow, busying themselves with the preparations for tomorrow's Winter Festival under the light of the moon and several torches. Andrew made a mental note to lend a hand when he returned, before calling old Snapper and heading out into frozen plains.

They left the village, journeying into the mountains and a path that would lead over the walls of the riven. Snapper was looking livelier, but as always, said not a single word. Andrew wondered if he would ever speak again after the death of his master. While Snappers attitude might have made things difficult at times, Andrew couldn't help but be amazed at the connection a Monster and it's owner could share.

Finally, they crested the last rise and beheld the frozen plains. It was a place well named, a seemingly endless expanse of icy snow, an ocean of white glass that shimmered beneath the moonlight. Unbroken, save for the occasional large rock, or a tiny cluster of furr tree's, not a single footstep of man nor monster marred it's beautiful surface. Of course, Snapper took great pleasure in messing up this scene, running and bounding through the snow, digging long veins throughout. No doubt the old Tiger was reminded of younger days when he frolicked like this. Andrew on the other hand waited patiently for Snapper to finish. To the eyes of the average human, the frozen plains were only beautiful for a few minutes. Then you realized what it was, a barren wasteland.. a frozen hell that offered neither shelter nor mercy to any who might get lost in it. Even locals, wise to the ways of the cold north, knew better then to stray far into that vast plain of nothingness.

And then, Snapper caught the scent of something unseen and darting off, moving with speed Andrew didn't realize the old monster still possessed. He chased after the Tiger without thinking. He stumbled twice, nearly falling flat onto his face as he misjudged the depth of the snow.

"Snapper! Snapper, get back here! SNAPPER!"

There was no response, save the howl of the wind as it kicked up a gust of snow. Andrew knew he'd never catch up to a Tiger, even a very old one, and if he went any further he'd only get himself lost. What was that beast thinking? It had never done anything so reckless before.

The northern wind picked up without warning, as it so often did, causing a flurry of snow to swirl around and block Andrew's vision. It was so bad that he could not even see his own trail. Everything seemed to meld together. All he could detect was an endless field of white beyond a veil of snow and the growing numbness in his hands and toes. Disoriented, he stumbled towards the only landmark that he could make out, a small group of snow covered furs.

His steps dragged through the snow until the young man collapsed beneath the trees. It was more shelter then he could have hoped for in this bleak land. At least now Andrew could reorient himself and get back to the village once the winds died down. He still couldn't understand what had gotten into Snapper. Had the Tiger's mind finally gone bad from old age? He couldn't accept that Snapper would be as foolish as to run off after a rabbit or something, he was too well trained and disciplined. He thought of calling out to Snapper again, but the wind would only drown out his voice. Andrew couldn't help but feel like he'd failed somehow, failed the man who had taken him in when he had no one else. He slammed his fist against the frozen ground in anger ... and it gave way.

Andrew nearly had a heart-attack when his hand and smashed through a brittle layer of earth and jammed itself into a hold beneath. It was stuck, and moving it around to free himself only caused sharp rocks to cut painfully into his skin. Finally, he sighed and stopped struggling, reflecting on the sheer ridiculousness of the situation and began to wonder how much bad luck could be dumped on someone at once. That was when he felt it, his fingers brushing against something too smooth to be a stone. He reached down lower, wrapping his fingers around a small, spherical object. It seemed to pulse in his hand, and without anymore concern for cuts and bruises, Andrew wrenched his arm free...

It sat perfectly in the palm of his hand, as if made for it, a creaseless bronze sphere. He stared at it for a moment, mesmerized by the feel of it pulsing warmly in his hand. Almost instinctually he wondered how much the strange item might be worth to the right person. Perhaps this might set him further along the path to his dream then he could ever have hoped!

Even as those thoughts flashed through his mind, the strange little orb sprang to life. A single eye, much like the emerald lens of a Henger, blinked open and focused on a small pile of rocks. There was a strange humming sound, the scent of burning wood, and a flash of light that stung tears into Andrews eyes. When his vision cleared, Andrew gawked in amazement. Where once stood worthless stone, there was now a glittering pile of gold! Andrew knew nothing of transmutation, the shifting of one element to another. He knew only that his money troubles, indeed ALL his troubles were over.

So enraptured was he, that he never even realized the price of such wealth. The trees that had sheltered him were dead, the barks were blackened as if charred, their needles a dull, lifeless gray barely clinging to branches that had lost all strength. Andrew never noticed as he filled every available pocket with gold.

*********

"What did I ever see in this place...?" Andrew peered around the village after hiding his newfound fortune. The sphere, of course, stayed close beside him, pulsing warmly in his clenched fist. Finding the way back home was easy enough once the winds had died, but suddenly 'home' didn't look like enough. Suddenly a second rate item shop in the middle of nowhere didn't seem like something to be proud of. It wasn't a new beginning, it was a dead end, and he would not remain in this gods forsaken wasteland to die in obscurity.

For a split second he questioned himself, wondering if what he was doing was right. But then one of the villagers asked him to help with the festival preparations. Andrew merely laughed, deciding to sell his fathers shop the very next morning.