The trio could hear the screams as soon as they entered the village gateway. Zans of all ages were running in a raging panic.

"Stay here, I'll try to calm them down." Draine ordered his comrades. Tamra and Malt nodded in agreement. Draine ran to the center of the small village and walked up onto a huge podium where the cheif would give speeches or announce decisions. "ENOUGH!" Draine's voice echoed throughout the mountians. Nobody said a word.

The people of the village were nothing without their cheif. He led them and made decisions for them. Everyone looked up to him, and no one questioned his commands. Whenever a speech was to be held, the only voices ever heard might be small children playing, later to be added by "Hush son, 'Lightning' is talking" by their mothers. The mountians grew deathly quiet as all waited and obeyed their cheif's order.

After a few minutes, Draine began to speak. "As you have undoubtably witnessed, a huge ball of fire has flew and crashed outside of our village." He purposly left out just how close the village was to being hit. "Everything is all right, so you can continue on with you night. However, I am forming a search party to check out what crashed. I'm not forcing anyone to go, but I do ask for any volenteers." No one spoke. Silently, Tamra and Malt stepped forward.

"We will sir." Tasmra said. Malt noded.

"It's not like we'll get to sleep anyway." Malt smirked. Draine smiled.

"Very well, Malt and Tamra come with me. Everyone else enjoy the rest of your night." The trio set off out of the village. Eveyone else went back into their huts.

It wasn't hard to realize where they were headed. The object had left a smoldering trail along the ground. The group noticed a large crater. "Stay here," Draine ordered as he walked to the crater." just in case of danger. I don't want any of you hurt." His comrades nodded. "If it is dangerous, and I don't live through it, Malt is in charge." The two gaped.

"Sir, do you think it's that bad?" Tamra was awestruck. Draine had never talked like this before. Draine was silent for a few seconds.

"Yes young Shin, I do." Draine left the two and walked into the crater.

Draine was puzzled. He had suspected something big, but the only thing in the crater was a mask of some kind. Draine picked it up. It was pale white with ared nose in the middle. It looked funny enough, but it some how looked menacing. Suddenly, he had a sudden urge to put it on. The urge grew stronger and stronger until he could fight it no longer. He placed the mask on his face.

The medalion he wore began to glow. Out of its center, the strange orb was ejected and floated in midair. He could feel the mask burning his skin. He let out a scream of pain. He could feel his body begin to shrink and shrink. He was imploding. His back limbs grew shorter and leathery, his white fur turning black as night. Then a laugh filled his head. Not any normal laugh, a laugh of death, a laugh that reached into him and turned his soul to solid ice. He began to faint. He was gone before he could realize the laugh was coming from his mouth.

"Sir, Sir!" Tamra yelled. He and Malt had heard the screams and ran into the crater, despite his orders. Their the saw draine standing ... no he was floating! "Sir?" The former cheif turned around.

It wasn't Draine. In his place was a terror beyond imagination. He wore Draine's clothes, but there was nothing to fill them. Instead of back limbs, were bat like wings. And on it's face was a sinster looking mask. Both of them felt their back limbs twinge. This thing was dangerous. A huge sythe materialized from no where and was grasped by the handless gloves of the creature. Malt stood ready.

"Tamra, run back to town. I'll handle this." Tamra shook his head.

"No Malt, I can't leave you alone."

"Some one needs to warn the village,
I'll hold him off."

"Bu-" Tamra began.

"'Lightning' put me in charge, that's an order."
Ruluctanly, Tamra headed back to the village. Malt lifted his fists. "All right you ugly son of a @#$%, BRING IT!"

*************************************************
Summer was approaching. Every summer the Hound Bakus would migrate to the Brilla mountians to eascape the heat. They made the trip year after year, stopping in the Zan village to get supplies before they reached their final destination. But thisd time was different. The village was burning. They noticed something rise from the village and fly away into darkness.
The largest Baku spoke.

"Search for survivors." he said. They headed into the village.

After searching for hours, they reported toi their captian. "No good, sir. No one's alive."
Suddenly, as a large breeze wafted through, they smelt it. Life. It came from outside the village ashes. They followed the powerful noses their Tiger heritage gave them. They plodded as fast as a Baku could go.

They didn't have to search long. Just near a crater was what seemed to be the body of a dead Zan. It was badly wounded. It's arms were almost completely cut off. But it still breathed! One of the Baku's lifted it up with its mouth and placed it on its back.

"It needs help, looks like our vacation's cut short." They made the long hike back down the slopes of the now lifeless Brilla mountians.

This was my all time favorite chapter. Although it was kind of a downer that Draine had to die and not Tamra. But, oh well. By the way, if you didn't already know, I have finished Ch. 7 in my story.

All right. I'll read it thanx.

i love these stories keep 'em coming guys plus im creating a story of my own it will be ready in a month or two

What's it called? It could be interesting.