chapter one

four thuds echoed through the forest. one of those thuds id me, shelbie kellum. i knew this day would come. my parents, before they died, sent me a note explaining this magic world. giving me the time it would happen would've been nice. i didn't have much time to gather my thoughts when i heard a groan beside me. i turned to see a boy. one my age maybe a little younger, rubbing his head. we were normally facing back to back. ' who are you?' i asked in utter confusion. this place, were ever it maybe be was very.....distinct. even so i felt almost at home, because in fact we were born here. it appears we are in a clearing, surrounded by many fat trees and small shrubs. he turned, not fast as if he was startled. but slowly in astonishment. we were both holding a sword, plus a dagger, more weapons hanging from us. id just returned from my three hour sword lessons when i fainted and everything grew into a big blank. ' austin' he answered, ' i think i might be able to explain some of this. hey, lets go explore those other thuds shall we?' i stood, wiping the dirt from my knee ripped jeans. they were wore and tore, and yet my favorite pair. so, this idiots my best chance of finding the mysterious of zorse? great, i thought to myself, following him through the dense trees. even though the trees thick tops blocked the sun from reaching the ground, fresh grass was abundant. we soon came to another clearing one twice as big, about half a mile i would say. it was hot, but the sun didn't get in our eyes much. that's what spooked me, the sun. it wasn't the normal orange, instead it was stripped, each strip showing another faded color. we stuck our heads through a nearby bush will crouching down silently. a little boy, about 10, stalked the length of the perimeter with weapons also. they were colors somewhat different then ours but the body was pretty much the same. austin stood, holding his sword out on his side and walking fastly for the boy. i followed and with my instincts soon lead as well. ' who are you, speak now if you wish to live!' shouted austin, crashing swords with the lad. the collision made sparks fly, causing my eyes to burst in excitement. the boy squinted under the vast weight of a 12 year old. austin backed up after he answered- matt. suddenly the evil spell that was cursed upon us as babies cleared and i was first to talk. ' i remember this place, i know i did. were all cousins, we were born here, and me and austin are twins and and and we have....powers' i whispered the last word. the others were caught in a tight wad of something they nobody could understand or ever hope to. austin and matt nodded, maybe their thoughts were similar. ' i have food, we need to eat then sleep. in the morning we can find our other cousin, Zach, and explore, the more the better. i just hope he last till morning' said austin, dusting off a giant log and laying down to sleep. the log was wide and tall, but still small enough to climb onto. i smirked, now that we received our powers food would no longer be a problem. i blew on my long sword and red, almost magic looking sparkles sprang forth. they joined as one big blog and i used my hand to craft it into deer meat. for purposes unknown i ate only a little. ' impressive, but can you control lightening?',asked matt after a second of hollow silence. in examined my sword, it did have some markings of lightening, but not very many. ' no' i answered honestly. that would be fun, electrocuting people, bad people of course. he shrugged. ' me either, but i believe now that were in our home land our powers will increase, sharpen deeply.' he explained. i nodded, sometimes i did that just so people with stop babbling but this time it was a sincere nod. i already felt that old rush of power through my body, vast power with very clear meanings.' im turning in, i suggest you do the same. they might find us because of our strange sent but if the nekos come.....' i cut him off in the middle of his explanation. ' who?' i asked simple, though i very well knew who. he smiled, a painful but amused smile. ' cat people, our enemies, it is clear to me i have the most memory. you are wolf therefor you and i should be able to smell them more. matt is a tiger and Zach a lion, felines.' he finished. my memory is sharper then he realizes, i have a visual picture of the neko that killed my parents. i witnessed it. i know about the 200 year war between the vampires, nekos, and elves vs. the wolfs, lions, and tigers. the magic here is not all good, but nothings perfect i suppose. each of us have a dark amount of power, all of us, that is, but zach. that's why we landed close together. me and austin get it from our wolf form and matt his tiger demon. one by one e turned to our side on the cool ground, its the middle of summer, no blanket, no pillow, just ground, and closed our eyes. we didn't drift to sleep until hours later when the nocturnal animals make nerve wrecking noises in the shadowed darkness, austin sercretly stayed gaurd.

the next morning

i as woke by auatins commanding voice, time i start taking control around here. ' get up guys, nekos.' he said in a panic, shouting the last word so loud a few black birds flew from a near by tree. i jumped to my feet, dispite the morning soreness. my trusty sword never left my side all night and i grabbed it, going into a battle stance. he already killed two, the blood splattered on his face, they remined unmoving on the ground. by the look of there wounds he crushed them from the inside using his water. his sword was stained with blood but glowed with the element of water. his body was weakening already. 100 or so surronded us. matt sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes and yawning. when he caught a glance of the situation he too jumped to his feet. i charged with a war cry, but austin stopped me. the problem then reviled itself to me. i gritted my teeth and told the plan to matt. ' we need an advantage' i whispered in a panic ' so only attake when they do so first.' already a sweat bed ran down my forehead, and then into my golden hair. matt nodded going into a better fighting stance then i imagined. zach, i thought, have they already killed him? a neko- one who appeared to be the leader, white hair, young, green eyes, male, and an orange tail and ears. its fangs rained over matts with little trouble. he smiled, twirling a metal can with a red orb incrested in the handle. he swung his tail in rhythm, slowly and with much annoyance. he pointed in forward with a smirk and a battle, already lost, began. i was so busy with my battle i had no record of the others. i went straight for the main man, hoping the trainees would be to distracted with austin and matt to worry with me. before i struck at him he was to fast and i ended up ducking under his weapon of mass destruction. just in the nick of time to, a piece of my hair floated to the ground. i slid under, but jumped to my feet as soon as i was on the other side. you never hesitate in battle. i immediately swung my blade to his left side, his weakest, and aimed to cut him in half. i gave much power to my blade, trusting in its many carvings, but my plan failed when his blade meat mine in an ear bleeding shriek. his power was unreal. i could barley keep my own sword out of my face much less cut him. he smiled. 'nice skills, but you asked for your death and you shall receive it!' he said as i jumped back. i had a knock into reality- what if we did die? could we die? it seemed like a silly question but death, it felt so cold. even so i charged back at my enemy. i tricking him into thinking i had the intention to strick him once more but instead i searved to the side and killed on of his underlings. he didnt look in the least surprised, though i smelt a little wave of shock right before my blade meet the flesh of his follow soldider. he disappered in a cloud of thick white smoke, giving me one last smirk. i didnt even stop to cough, the fierce battle was to inteanse. my shoulders both bleed with dark red blood, a knife in each. i was fading fast, my struggle was starting to weaken. just when we fell, our bloody knees meating the ground, heavy in the breathing catagory and sweaty, our swords puncuring the ground a figure landed in front of us. he wasnt really a figure but a shadow you could see, a black form. my vision blurred and my body fought a sensless battle but i watched him kill the army singal handedly, then i fell. austin and matt were already out cold, looks like i followed their lead. after that my eyes meat a black darkness so cold and icy jack frost himself couldnt stand it, unconsciousness.

an hour latter

my darkness was shattered as warmth returned to my body in a sharp pain. my eyes fluttered open, showing me the wide plan of the blue sky. phenix, the strangers name, leaned beside me and trying to heal my wounds. he had accomplished taking the knifes out but he wasnt a very good doctor. the sharp pain was a meduim sized cotton ball covered in an ancient herb used many times after a war. what? i study these things in my spear time, my dad did leave me a book concerning this world. i sat up, still holding the moist handle of my trusty sword. he surged back in surprise, his brown hair flying after him. austin was on my right, about a foot away, and matt on my left about the same distance. they were waking, but not quit ready to sit yet. i smiled, a crocked smile but one that as true. ' you shouldnt be moving.' he said, sitting by me after he was relived of his shock. i drew a slither of fire from my red orb. on the handle three orbs glowed, all containing an endless amount of power. red was fire, yellow-lightening, and blue-water. they each had a healing mode but fire worked better since it was my power. ' you shouldnt be healing, we can handle that.' i said warmly. i moved the fire carefully, putting it in and out of my wound until it wasnt even visable. after i was done i thrust the fire forward and it burst into little red sparkles, glittering in the mid day sun. ' i found someone.' he said after watching the sparkles flutter to the ground then just simple disapper. i looked up, i sensed another presense, zach sat beside him. he sat on his knees, smiling at me with chipmunck cheeks. i smiled back and we exchanged some small chat. austin and matt smelled zach and soon they were up and alert. ' now that were all up, lets move out. you see my job is to safely deliever you to your masters.' said the stranger, phenix. austin had glared at him for the longest, did they know each other already? the look austin held in his eyes burst inflames from anger and hate.